November 2009
CHASE
SUCKS!!!
Chase sucks! Chase sucks! Chase sucks! Chase sucks! Chase sucks! Chase sucks!
Chase sucks!
I just can’t say it enough.
Are you getting the idea I don’t like Chase?
Chase has once again messed up our mortgage refinance. Repeatedly …
A few years ago Chase messed up another refinance for us so badly we finally told them to
take a hike and took our business to Washington Mutual (WaMu), and then Chase bought WaMu!
Our mortgage was right back with Chase. We can’t seem to get away from these bozos.
They are like the Borg, resistance is futile. The level of incompetence we’ve
experienced at Chase in the mortgage division is mind boggling. Is there a Chase Victims
Support Group out there or something?
Hey Chase: Chase your former customers as they run to your competitors!
Did these guys receive any federal bailaout money? I’m not sure, and I’m too
lazy right now to look it up (sorry, it’s my day off). IMHO, any company that is this
bad at what it does should be allowed to fail. Let other companies, companies that are
competent, gain more market share.
But Chase is everywhere, so what are you going to do? I just accepted an offer from Wells
Fargo for one of their Visa cards so I can stop using my Chase Visa. At least I can take
that little bit of my business away from them.
My advice: If you’re being “Chased,” run for your life!!!
July 2009
Sarah
the Quitter
By now I’m sure you’ve all heard about Sarah Palin’s decision to abandon
her post as Alaskan governor a whopping 18 months before her term ends.
Wow. What’s up with this … uh … lady? She expended boatloads of time,
money, and effort running for governor of Alaska, presumably because she actually wanted
to be governor of Alaska, and then, after winning the election and serving part of her
term, she turned her back on the people who voted for her and walked out.
“Quitter” was the first word that popped into my mind when I heard about it, and
I still feel that’s an accurate assessment.
And what floors me is that there are people out there in the punditverse (new word that I
just coined there, the “pundit universe,” or punditverse) … anyway …
I’m floored by the fact that some political commentators say that Palin may have
resigned as governor so she could prepare for a run for president in 2012.
EXCUSE ME?!?!?!?!? Are you people insane? You are so not serious, are you? Do you really
think someone would prepare for a run for elected office by quitting their elected office?
Does anyone really think people are stupid enough to elect someone who already got elected
and then walked out on the job? Duh! Duh?
Imaginary conversation with Sarah the Quitter, presidential candidate: “So, how did
you do the last time you were elected to political office? Oh, I see that you quit, you
walked out and didn’t finish the job. Great! You should be president!”
Who on Earth would vote for her after this?!?!? Oh wait … millions of people voted
for George W. Bush, so yes, I guess there are people who probably would be stupid enough
to vote for her just because she kills polar bears with her bare hands, or whatever you do
when you’re in Alaska. I guess there are some Republicans who would vote for someone
who “quit and ran,” and unfortunately we seem to be up to our knickers in those,
so it’s hard to tell what might happen in 2012. One thing is for sure, if she does
run for president it will certainly be amusing to watch! Just the Tina Fey parodies would
be worth it.
In the meantime, perhaps we should consider adopting Palin’s work ethic as our own.
Like I’ve always said, if you can’t beat ‘em senseless with a stick you
might as well consider joining them, as long as there’s something in it for you.
Palin resigned 18 months early, so that means she only completed 62.5% of her four-year
term. If you work a typical eight hour day, consider leaving after finishing just 62.5% of
your day, or five hours. If you start work at 8:00 AM and take an hour for lunch, that
means you’ll be sneaking out the door at 2:00 PM and enjoying your afternoon while
all your coworkers continue slaving away at their jobs for another three hours. Suckers!
If your boss wants to know where you’re going just mumble something about not wanting
to be a lame duck employee and run for the exit.
After all, if quitting early is good enough for Sarah Palin, it’s good enough for you
and me!
Republicans everywhere, the time is now, I call upon you to be brave, show your solidarity
with Sarah Palin, and QUIT NOW!
June 2009
The
King is Dead
Michael Jackson’s passing certainly came as a surprise, on the eve of 50 sold-out
concerts at London’s O2 arena. I always hate to see anyone pass on, especially
popular entertainers and musicians, because they can bring so much joy to the public and
that is something the world sorely needs more of right now.
However … you knew there was a however coming, didn’t you … I’m having
difficulty understanding how so many people could consider Jackson “the
greatest,” “a musical legend,” “the king of pop,” and weep openly
at his passing as if they had lost a beloved family member. I must wonder, did they ever
actually listen to his music?
Sure, several of his songs were catchy. They had good beats and good melodies. You could
hum them and dance to them. But from a musical standpoint, in my humble opinion, most of
his songs just weren’t that great. They paled in comparison to those of the best
pop/rock band ever, The Monkeys. Nothing Jackson did came close to Monkeys classics like
Last Train to Clarksville, Pleasant Valley Sunday, or Daydream Believer. You know it,
admit it. Embrace the greatness that was The Monkeys and make your life meaningful again.
Thinking back on my years of hearing Jackson’s songs on the radio and on MTV (back in
the days when MTV actually played music videos – I know, that was a long time ago)
one song that stands out in my mind is Billie Jean. That was the song that really caused
me to have a less-than-favorable opinion of Jackson’s music.
Specifically, it was the drums in Billie Jean that did it. If you recall that musical era,
it was when drum machines had progressed to the point where they no longer sounded awful,
they just sounded bad, and they were beginning to be used more widely in popular music.
MIDI was also becoming more popular, so pop “musicians” no longer had to play
instrumental parts, they could program them into a sequencer and use MIDI to play them
back in all of their lifeless, mechanical, sterile glory. It was a development that I was
not happy about.
Yes, I’m a musician, so call me a snob, or an elitist, or whatever you like, but in
my opinion there is simply no substitute for real, live human beings playing real
instruments. That’s what bugged me about drum machines and that’s what I
didn’t like about Billie Jean. I don’t even know if the song actually used a
drum machine, but it sure sounded like it to me.
Using a drum machine in that era, when they sounded so genuinely crummy, was bad enough,
but what was even worse was to select a single pattern on the machine and use it for the
entire song. No changes, no variations, no fills, just one … beat … for …
the … whole … song. Just call up drum beat preset number 47 (or whatever), press
Start, let it play for three minutes and fifteen seconds, then press Stop. Viola! You have
a drum track. For your next song, call up preset number 48 and let it play. Then use
preset 49 for your next song, and so on and so on until you reach preset 99, at which
point you need to buy a another drum machine if you want to write more songs. There’s
no need to actually play a drum part and no need to create anything original, just push
the buttons until you get something vaguely resembling music coming out of your speakers.
When I listened to a song like that by the end of the song I’d be practically begging
for a change in the drum pattern. Give me a roll, a fill, a change-up – anything!
– anything to break the monotony of that one … beat … that … goes
… through … the … whole … song … without … changing! Ugh!!!
To me, this “start the drum machine and forget it” approach represented the
epitome of the lazy, untalented, uncreative, so-called “pop musician,” and
heralded the decline of modern popular music. And that’s what the drum part in Billie
Jean sounded like to me. It’s just the … same … beat … for … the
… whole … song. Ugh.
After the success of Billie Jean, “set it and forget it” drum machine parts
began appearing everywhere in pop music. Whole new genres of “music” appeared
that relied on machine-made instrumental tracks. Real musicianship and compositional
skills began disappearing from the pop music landscape. From my point of view, Billie Jean
marked a turning point in modern popular music, and it was not a turn in a good direction.
Yes, I realize Jackson didn’t single-handedly ruin pop music (for musicians like
myself, at least). Yes, I realize he was immensely popular and he sold a ton of records.
Hoover has sold a ton of vacuum cleaners too, but that doesn’t mean I want to listen
to them.
Which brings me to where I am today, reading the tributes to Jackson which proclaim him
the “king of pop” and wondering, when those people listen to Billie Jean, what
do they hear? They probably hear a catchy tune with a melody you can hum and a beat you
can dance to, and for them, that’s good enough.
I guess I just want more out of music, and that’s not bad, is it?
R.I.P. Michael, regardless of what I thought about your songs, I’m truly sad that
your life ended the way it did. I believe you had more creativity and more art to offer
the world, and it’s a shame that your millions of fans will never get to enjoy it.
April 2009
News-O-Rama
All the news that I can type, before my fingers need a rest!
Justice Prevails! – In Iowa?
The state supreme court in Iowa, of all places, recently ruled that same-sex couples have
the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. Well duh! As I’ve written in the
past, limiting marriage choices to one particular sex is purely gender discrimination,
which every American should oppose. Either both genders have the right to marry the person
of their choice, or we need to be prepared to embrace gender discrimination and go back to
the days when people were prevented from owning land, voting, or driving a car because of
their gender. If you don’t like same-sex marriage there’s a simple solution for
you – don’t marry a person of the same sex! No one will force you to, and you
won’t be taking away anyone else’s rights.
What effect this might have on the California state supreme court decision regarding
Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between one man and
one woman, remains to be seen. The Iowa case involved a state law which was found to be
unconstitutional, while the California case involves an amendment to the state
constitution, a different set of circumstances.
One key aspect of the Iowa decision was the constitutional right of equal protection under
the law. This leads me to wonder, what happens when a state constitution contradicts the
federal (US) constitution? Can a state constitution really take away a right that is
guaranteed by the US constitution? Has this question ever been examined by the courts? I
would think that the US constitution would prevail, but the supporters of Prop 8
apparently disagree.
Democrats Want You to be Well
In a victory for common sense and progress, President Obama (damn, I enjoy saying that!)
recently removed some of the Bush administration restrictions on stem cell research.
Obama’s changes will allow federal funding to be used for research using embryonic
stem cells taken from excess fertility clinic embryos. So, instead of simply throwing them
away, as the Bush administration wanted to do, these excess, unused embryos can be used to
save lives.
Isn’t it ironic how the people who claim to be “pro-life” wanted to kill
(throw away) thousands of excess embryos, instead of using them to develop medical
treatments that could one day prolong the lives of potentially millions of people? Why
exactly do the “pro-life” folks seem to leave dead bodies (and/or cells) in
their wake wherever they go? And don’t get me started on the ones who claim to be
“pro-life” and then eat meat! If you slaughter thousands of living beings
(animals) every year you sure as hell are not “pro-life!” You’re pro-death.
Probe! Please! Probe!
Will America once again be a land where the rule of law prevails, or have we entered a new
reality where even the most high-profile citizens can commit horrible crimes and walk away
with no consequences?
Pay attention, and perhaps we will know in the not-too-distant future.
President Obama (I STILL love saying that!) has raised the possibility that the Bush
administration officials who wrote memos justifying the use of torture may be investigated
and prosecuted for their actions.
Gee, ya think? And maybe we should arrest people who rob banks too? And what about the
sickos who throw babies into wood chippers, you think we ought to look into their actions
too? Just wondering.
Obama said it would be up to the attorney general to determine whether there would be a
probe into the Bush administration’s authorization of torture. Let’s hope so!
Probe, baby, probe! Perhaps I’m a little old fashioned but I like to believe that
laws, civil rights, morality, and the concepts like habeas corpus that form the foundation
of our justice system still mean something in America.
Ultimately, responsibility for the crimes committed by the Bush administration rests with
those at the top, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. They are the ones who should be
prosecuted and punished for flagrantly violating both US and international laws. Will it
happen? Unfortunately, I doubt it. The sad truth is that in spite of all the lofty ideals
we claim to hold dear as Americans, at the end of the day the almighty dollar reigns
supreme. When you have a bank account the size of Bush and Cheney you can buy your way out
of justice. Just like the banks and other financial institutions that are considered
“to big to fail,” people like Bush and Cheney are too rich to be held
responsible for their crimes. I hate to say it, but I expect that the best we can hope for
is for some mid-level attorney (or two) to take the fall, while those in charge get off
scot-free.
Another Democrat-Republican Difference
Republicans like to claim they want to cut government spending, but is it the truth? I
know, I know, I should be asking if ANYTHING Republicans say is the truth. But just for
now, let’s pretend that some things they say might possibly contain a small grain of
truth (stretch your imagination) and limit the discussion to governmental fiscal
responsibility.
According to research done by McClatchy Newspapers, modern-day Republican administrations
(Reagan and G.W. Bush) have been the biggest spenders.
McClatchy found that President Reagan increased government spending by 69%, including a
92% increase in defense spending. President Clinton only increased spending by 32%, with a
small 4% increase in the defense budget. George W. Bush followed in Reagan’s
footsteps, increasing the federal budget by 68% with a 126% increase in defense spending
to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, noted
that there has been a fundamental difference in the two parties’ spending priorities
since the Reagan administration. “With Republicans it’s defense. With Democrats
it’s education, environment, health care,” Schier observed.
To me that seems to sum it up pretty well. Republicans want to destroy things and kill
people, while Democrats want teach your children, provide a good planet for you to live
on, and help you stay healthy. At the most fundamental level it is a choice between a life
philosophy based on fear and hatred, or one based on good will and love.
Remind me again, why would anyone want to be a Republican?
Perhaps it’s not something anyone actually wants to be, it’s something they find
themselves sucked into, powerless to stop it. Kind of like being an alcoholic or a heroin
addict. No one consciously chooses it because they think it’s a good idea, but when
they’re whacked out on the crap they’ve fed themselves (whether it be chemicals
or lies and misinformation) they’re unable to think clearly and make good decisions,
and so they perpetuate the cycle, spiraling deeper and deeper into the abyss.
Perhaps being Republican should be recognized as a disability? One thing is for sure, we
would all benefit if these folks could get professional help.
March 2009
March?
When did it become March? Geez, last time I checked it was early February, then we got hit
with torrential rains, I got busy with projects, and the next thing I know it’s
March. I think I need to report this to the authorities, it simply cannot be allowed to
continue! I do have an assortment of items to write about, and I hope to have time to put
fingers to keys in the near future, so stay tuned!
To Bill's Blog 2008. |
