The Big Rant

Today, I’d like to take a critical look at the world we live in. The desire to do so is due, at least in part, to the fact that my life over the past month has given me serious cause to reevaluate and assess the entire system which governs our existence. I could, of course, make this extremely short and simply say I’m disgusted, but that wouldn’t satisfy my urgent need to get my thoughts off my chest before they can overshadow my normally peaceful and even pacifistic disposition. So grab some popcorn, buckle up, and get your thinking caps on…because this may take a while…:-)

Let me start with freedom of speech. Nice concept, isn’t it? You speak your mind, others speak their minds, and everyone is happy and perhaps even willing to calmly debate until there is a common ground. We’re modern people, after all. We reason. We think. We’re smart as heck and light years ahead of the cave dwellers we call ancestors. Yes, we’re the proud, noble, educated end result of millions of years of evolution, and we rock it. But it truly safe to express an opinion in this world of little geniuses? Is it wise to think for yourself and challenge stupidity and bastardry, regardless of its source? The answer, unfortunately, is a definite NO.

Case in point: My husband, a faithful and, in my opinion, pathetically underpaid employee of the city of dust and tumbleweeds, is facing job-sponsored hellfire this month because he dared to open his mouth. I won’t bore you with the details, but will say that he had the misfortune of angering both a co-worker and two superiors (don’t you hate that term?) in the same week. What angered the former is of little consequence, as it was just a minor squabble over the moral merits of not kissing arse. What angered the bosses, however, is the real issue, and a damned touchy subject – the constant and downright cruel mistreatment of homeless people and minorities on the job…by one of these fine, upstanding bosses. When my husband spoke out against this evolutionary throwback and went as far as to say he might try to catch the guilty party on camera one of these days, all hell broke lose. Within two days, he was called into work, presented with a stack of false accusations against his character – one of them signed, coincidentally, by the co-worker he pissed off only days before – and put on paid administrative leave until further notice. Now he faces a predetermination hearing and possibly the loss of his job. Lovely, eh? Have I made my case yet? Speaking your mind is a dangerous thing, especially if you dare to speak against those with even the smallest amount of power.

The next item on my blacklist is the ongoing smear-campaign between Obama and Clinton. I can’t help but wonder…does raising your voice, batting around lies, and belittling your opponent really put you in the kind of light you want to be seen in while running for the presidency of the United States of America? Schoolyard tactics shouldn’t have a place in politics, yet the public endorses these steaming piles of horse manure calling themselves ideal candidates for leadership and squeals with delight as they make us an even bigger global laughingstock than we already are. Do we really want angry people to lead us into another decade of war and economic hardship? Does it make sense to elect bullies into office? Should the jerk with the best PR people and the most money be rewarded for cooking up better lies padded by prettier words? I don’t think so, that’s for sure. And come on, let’s face it…neither of these knuckleheads is telling us the truth. The truth was, is, and always will be controlled by their ilk, and it won’t reach the public eye unless we fight for it. But that’s another point, and I’ll get to it later.

I guess I’m still waiting for the day when two candidates, especially if from within the same political party, stand on their respective podiums with smiles on their faces and simply say, “Here are our track records. Here is what we each would like to change. Neither of us wants to throw more crap at the national ceiling fan nor further insult your intelligence, so now it’s all up to you. Conduct your own research and go vote for your favorite. That’s all. Good night.” Would this be so difficult? Would it be too much to ask for to take campaign funds politicians blow and do something worthier with them, like…oh, I don’t know…take care of our own people? But then, I forget we live in a country known for its fickleness and for being all too easily influenced by media giants with more money than God. It’s more fun to watch bozos argue on television than to help people, after all. What do I care if some kid in Brooklyn is eating ramen noodles for the 15th night in a row. Gimme some mud-slinging! *stomps off, disgusted*

What’s next on my list? Let me think….ah, yes! Allow me to start my own little smear-campaign. Obama made a statement this week that really threw me for a loop: “War should not be the first resort…It should not be based on politics.” Okay. Back up a sec, Obama. If war shouldn’t be based on politics, what, pray tell, SHOULD it based on? Religion? This is a very stupid statement to make, especially in light of Obama’s alleged personal ties to the Muslim world. All I can deduce from this, and from any number of other, rather devilishly ambiguous statements he’s made, is that either a) Obama is a sleeper ready to play his part in the biggest religious war humanity has seen since the Crusades, and that he’s hiding his true identity in plain sight, or b) that he is a monumental idiot. Of course, if these kinds of comments aren’t enough to call Obama’s motives into suspicion, there’s always this: He is HIGHLY endorsed by senator Jay Rockefeller. If you’ve looked into world affairs a little over the past few years and can add two and two, you know this doesn’t bode well for any of us. Am I suggesting the Rockefellers are corrupt bastards intent on instating a new world order, and that they are going to use our own political system against us by placing their smartest man at the top? You better believe it. And before you click on the comment link below, take a deep breath and spare me the hate mail. I’m not a sheep, and no amount of wolves in my mailbox will cow me into changing my mind. You don’t actually think the wealthiest families in the world are looking out for you, do you?

Onward…

Huge corporations and the IRS are also placing high on my list lately. First, we’ve all figured out by now that the IRS is out to bend us over, do us hard, and come back at least once a year for more. Sorta like a bad boyfriend, but with a sicker mind and a much longer…arm. Why do I have no say-so in where my tax dollars go? Why am I paying three bucks for a gallon of gas? Indeed, why did the price of gasoline go up after hurricane Katrina, but never go back down again, and why do I slap down more and more money for fuel every time a butterfly farts in Tibet? Furthermore, why does the minimum wage rise at a snail’s pace, while everything from milk to bread to property is practically doubling in price every few years? Why am I required to report every penny I make, even ridiculous amounts like the six bucks I pulled in selling a vase on eBay, while corporations get tax cuts up the wazoo and write off executive bonuses and even fancy dinners? I don’t think I need to go on here, as I’m sure the exact same thoughts have crossed your mind, as well. It’s BS, that’s what it is, and I, for one, am damned angry about it. My frustration doesn’t stop there, of course. Not by a long shot. Which leads me to my next point…

Cock-blocking. This crime befalls most of us at some point in our lives thanks, once again, to the good people over at the IRS and their villainous corporate counterparts, who, I am firmly convinced, are both in league with Satan. Or at least I would think so if I believed in Satan. Have you ever done research into starting a small, home-based business, for instance? On the surface, and for those who know nothing about such ventures, it seems simple enough: You file for a business license and yippee, you’re off to make your millions. Easy breezy, isn’t it? Hold on to your socks, bucko, because that’s just the very first step, and one of the least expensive. Uncle Sam has his big, greedy claws in everything, and he is determined to keep you, Joe Smalltimer, down, down, down. If you’re interested in becoming your own boss and working from home, take a look at your local zoning regulations to find out if Big Brother will even LET you have a business in your area. Chances are, you’ll have to file for several pieces of paperwork and pay exorbitant fees to do what you want to do. You’ll have to call or visit various agencies and get various inspections. You’ll have to file for a TIN number and pay taxes on your expected earnings. You won’t be able to write off anything unless the IRS says you can. And here, it gets even better (read: more complex). The IRS will eventually take a look at your business and decide if it even IS a business. If they decide it isn’t, and that it’s just a hobby, you can’t write off squat. If you have the intention of turning a profit, however, you MAY BE a business, which means you’ll have to pay taxes. There’s also some kind of three out of five years profit rule. What the hell? So are you or are you not a business? And who the heck starts a business without hoping to make a profit? I can’t figure it out. Call them and ask, and tell them I hate them while you’re at it.

So…what other kinds of cock-blocking exist? Well, let’s pretend you want to trademark a design/brand name for a line of t-shirts you intend to sell. Get out your check book and be prepared to fork over close to $400 for the trademarked brand name and another amount somewhere near $50 for copyright protection on the design itself. These are for U.S. rights, mind you. From what I’ve read, protection does not extend beyond our national borders, which means any corporate thief with headquarters overseas can pretty much screw you out of your idea without facing much in terms of legal action. And even if you could sue a multi-million dollar company…do you think you’d win? Not in a million years. You don’t own lawyers. They do, with added government protection, courtesy of corrupt politicians. None of these people want you to get ahead, because you might come to threaten their empire. End of story.

Speaking of keeping the small man down brings me to another disgusting lie the government feeds us in order to keep the rich, rich, and us in the gutters of the social hierarchy: Welfare. What a bunch of pahooey! Think about it. The government hands you a small check for, say, $500 a month, and puts you in low-income housing. You figure you might as well not work, because if you do, you’ll probably just make minimum wage anyway. So you stay home and take what they give you, thinking all the while how lucky you are to be governed by such a benevolent system. What most people don’t think about is that, as long as you take these scraps, you’ll never get anywhere. What can you do with five-hundred dollars a month? Sure, your house or apartment is free, but will you ever get to leave that place, take a chance, start living? No, because at your core, you’re afraid. You know that the moment you attempt to stand on your own two feet, they’ll cut your benefits. Beyond that, what they DO give you isn’t enough to start a business, afford a reliable car, or even buy a presentable wardrobe you could wear to apply for good jobs. And hell, since your parents lived the same way, the best education you were probably able to afford involved a community college (associates degree…want fries with that?) or the military. Neither will help you much. In a world where you need a masters degree to work at a library, you’re basically screwed unless you went to and graduated from a four-year college. And the military? Check out the streets and see how many bums were once active service members. Their skills aren’t needed much in the monkey suit world, despite what the commercials would have you believe. By the way, I won’t get into how disgusted I am by our quick disregard for and disposal of the men and women who protected us in wars our very own politicians picked…

But I will go into warfare. Very briefly. The war in Iraq is still going on because corporations benefit from war. But you knew that. We all know that. The more stuff gets destroyed, the more they can rebuild, the more money they can make. And it’s not corporate workers who are rebuilding, either. It’s our military. Hey, free labor, funded by the public! *grumble* Bastards!

Speaking of bastards, thank you, dear government, for trying to poison us and keeping us sick on purpose. I appreciate the chemtrails you dump over cities and love that you hoard the cures to horrible diseases so the pharmaceutical giants can stay in business and fund your campaigns, pay your lunches, and spring for your high-class hookers. Thank you, as well, for airing total thrash on TV, for being in league with the media, for controlling what we see and hear from every angle, for trying to keep us as dumb as possible, for owning the churches in one way or another and playing on the fears of the masses, and for hiding from us every bit of substantial truth you can. But what am I saying? Oh, my! I believe you. There is no life after death *baa*. You want what’s best for me *baa*. Your scientists aren’t keeping secrets that could change the course of human history and all major belief systems *baa*. You never, ever lie *baa*. I love you *baa baa*.

Let me also thank the church while I’m at it. Thousands of years of spiritual oppression paid off. You have the crowds scared of a fictional bad guy with a pitch fork, and they’re still willing, after hundreds of years, to shovel cash into your pockets to purchase themselves a ticket out of hell. Which doesn’t exist, of course, except in their own minds. But hey, those are minor details that don’t bear discussion. In the meantime, I’ll just frame the letter you sent me several years ago, booting me out of your congregation for not giving you enough money. Middle-finger salute!

On a final note, I’d like to once more thank the government for making charity so difficult. Guess what? I don’t care for your red tape and bureaucratic bull. I’m going forward with my plans to help whomever I can, and your rules be damned.

You all know what we need. It starts with an R and ends with an N. I mean a raisin, of course. Not the other thing. Duh.

Can you dig it?

~ by zenfoxeleven on March 1, 2008.