Musings 12...Bush's brush with porno

It's been a good while since I've written anything, so I'll have to make up for lost time.

First, it looks like Mr. President is not totally against fixing social security by raising the current earnings ceiling of $87,000. For those of you who have not studied this issue, social security (aka FICA taxes) is paid at the rate of 6.5% on the first dollar through the ceiling limit of $87,000. Thus, everything earned over the ceiling amount is not taxed to social security. This, in effect, means that the poor are the ones that pay for social security. If you earn $100,000 per year, you are getting away with not paying on FICA taxes on $13,000.

Now you may say that is just dandy. Especially if you are making $100,000. However, I submit that there is some poor person that is making $13,000 working at MacDonald's that probably doesn't think its fair that the excess over $87,000 is not taxed. I agree with him. Let's tax it all...every damn dime of earnings. If you do earn lots of money and can figure out a legal way not to pay, then, that's just fine with me. But, there will be bunches of people who are just making a wage...that will pay. So many in fact that at least one writer in the New Times figured that the entire system could be made solvent forever. Now personally, I think that is over optimistic, but you get the point.

If Mr. President then wanted to have his private retirement accounts, then he could phase them in--slowly over a number of years. I still think that the only reason the conservatives want private accounts are so the corperations can get their hands on monies they can not not touch. But, hey--I could be wrong.

Second, so Mr. President now answers questions from porno journalists. If you have been living in a rathole, a fellow by the name of either James Guckert or Jeff Gannon. Has been allowed into Mr. President's press conferences for about two years. Guckert/Gannon, nobody seems to know his real name, was the conservative correspondent for a website operated by a wealthy Texas republican. I went to the sites called Hotmilitarystud.com and Militaryescorts.com and found that the sites had been closed down or rerouted...or something. But, in my wanderings I came upon The Nation site and they had a link to a guy who had copied the files and ran them with an article about Guckert/Gannon. They put little blocks of gray and black over the private parts so I didn't get to see all the family jewels. Boy was I sad. Now, Mr President is big on family values and has done the Texas two-step around gays and their rights to wed. However, the administration may not be pro-gay but they are certainly pro-gay hooker. Escort services do more than escort...er...so I'm told.

I read that Maureen Dowd, a female columnist for the New York Times, was told that she couldn't get a press pass to press conferences without a Secret Service background check of two months time. She's only covered the White House since the mid-80's. She's probably a definite threat to national security. Some might say she is a holy terror--especially George H. W. Bush, the Elder.

I understand that Guckert/Gannon has now resigned from conservative website. Alas, the damage is done. He asked Mr. President a question in his last press conference. Yipes!! Now Mr. President has brushed up against pornography...and, gay pornography at that. Zowie, regular porno might just be guys being guys and girls being used. Gay porno, well, that's just an abomination to the office that Mr. President holds. It's a slippery slope, first a question asked from a gay escort stud and next press passes for kiddie porn producers. Mr. President has been touched by smut and he will never be the same. Put your tongue in your cheek...I love it!

What really bothers me about porno boy getting a press pass is the Secret Service's lack of finding out any information about said Guckert/Gannon. It a porno guy can do it, what about somebody really scary. Somebody's ass needs to go through a grinder...other than Gukert/Gannon during playtime. It would really be funny if it were not so sad.

Strangely enough, the great speakers for the conservative right are quiet over this. I guess Rush feels only qualified to answer drug questions, and his buddy William Bennett only feels qualifed to answer gambling issues. I guess that leaves Hannity, who made his career over bashing gays before Fox hired him and he became a icon of the religious right. Go get them...Hannititize them. Mr. President needs to get his sparkle back. He's brushed to close to smut and bad stuff. I guess he could call in an air strike on San Francisco. It'd be about like starting a war in Iraq to take on Osama Bin Laden.

And Last But Not Least.

I was driving in my car today and heard Rush say that he had not had a cold until he stopped smoking cigars. Well, gee, start smoking again...its a trade off. Cancer...cold...cancer...cold...hmmmmm...it'd take the cold, but in Rush's case....nah I wouldn't wish that even on him.

Footnote: Rush signed at deal for 30 million or so. I bet he's really against paying social securtiy on everything over $87,000. Of course, I could be wrong...but, I doubt it...I doubt it a lot.

Musings 11--Bush may have been right...ahhh!

I have to agree with Mark Brown, columnist for the Chicago-Sun Times, George Bush may have had more foresight than I gave him credit. So, I guess, I'm giving the devil his due.

I still think that Mr. President fudged his facts about WMD's and nuclear clouds. I think, even if his intelligence was wrong, one needs to approach such things as regime change with caution. I'm even glad that Saddam is gone. However, I still stand on the idea that the expenditure of treasure of American lives should only be in defense of our freedom. It is still hard for me to get my mind around the doctrine of preemption. Americans should not start wars...they should finish them. Yeah, I know, you say, the world changed on 9-11. Well, maybe...but, probably not.

The thing I worrry about is the powers that be who now have an existing example of what American might can do. I worry about corruption, because power corrupts, and we are the undisputed power in the world. Plus, did the world really change on 9-11. Muslim extremists hated us before, and they still hate us. What really changed, other than the large loss of life and economic damage, when the towers fell? Maybe I'm missing it. I'm one of the few who felt that it was a police action all along. Mr. President thought differently. One of us is wrong...for sure. Time will tell. If I'm wrong, I'll admit it. If Mr. President is wrong...he won't. That's the difference between he and I.

But, for now, I hope the people in Iraq will build on their democratic start. If there radical leaders were really smart, they would embrace the new system and corrupt it from the inside...like our representatives do. Now there's a thought!

On a brighter note:

It seems that Congress is going to finally give our soldiers better death benefits and insurance. Minimum seems to be about $100,000 up to $250,000. This will be retroactive before the first death occurred in Afganistan. It's amazing what shining a light on something can accomplish.

And also:

Lt. Col. Pat Ward is taking Geraldo Rivera around as he reports on the war in Iraq. It a dirty job and someone has to do it--I stole that line. Yer, looking good buddy...