As I sit here a few days after Christmas, heading into the final stretch of 2008, it’s time to reflect on what this year has meant for our world. Not our planet. Our world. When people speak about our planet, there is usually some emphasis about “saving the planet”, which means less people, less economic growth, people are bad, animals are good, etc. etc.
Ted Turner believes that we need to cut the population to 25% of what it is today. It’s funny how those folks that are so into “culling the herd” never volunteer to cull themselves. They are like politicians that think that “something has to be done” with everybody else’s money. The news came out the VP-elect Joe Biden is worth several million dollars and has been in the senate for some 30 years, but only gave around $2500 to charitable causes last year.
After the members of Congress bailed out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with 700 Billion dollars of our tax money, two businesses that should have been allowed to go under due to the poor management of their finances, they gave themselves each a $4700 raise, bringing their annual salary to $174,000 per year. In terms for those who work for an hourly wage can understand, that comes to almost a $2.50 an hour raise. But you know, it must be tough to live on only $169,300 a year. Why, that’s barely enough to afford the payment on that second home in D.C. or that new yacht. And that does not count the salaries of their office staff, which makes their personal salaries look puny in comparison.
It’s funny how Congress demanded that the CEO’s of the Big Three auto makers take pay cut for an annual salary of only $1 a year in order to receive federal bailout money. Even though this would not make that much of a difference in the performance of the companies in question. It was a symbolic gesture, and that is all that it was. And then Congress gives itself a $4700 a year pay raise. But not ha ha funny.
The thing that will eventually cause the Big Three to go under is the union. People don’t want to hear that because they think that the unions are all for the little guy. But with union bosses pulling in 6-figure salaries while the guy working the assembly line makes $28 an hour (that’s around $56,000 a year), and with the retirement benefits draining their coffers, and the union not willing to renegotiate contracts to keep the guys working, it won’t be long until all three of the Big Three are a fading memory. The Japanese automobile industry doesn’t seem to have a problem selling their cars. And many of them are made right here in the United States. It’s funny that Congress is going to demand that workers for the Toyota plant here in the United States, making $18 an hour give money to bail out workers in the Big Three making $28 an hour. But not ha ha funny.
We’ve lost some people in 2008.
Actor Robert Prosky, who was in many films, including the priest who avises the main character in “Rudy”. Beverly Garland, who I remember as Fred MacMurray’s television wife in “My Three Sons”. Paul Benedict, who played George Jefferson’s British neighbor on “The Jeffersons”. Actors Paul Newman and Van Johnson. Comedian Bernie Mac. Actress Estelle Getty of “The Golden Girls”, Bozo the Clown, Larry Harmon, and Comedian George Carlin also passed in 2008. Actors Charlton Heston, David Groh, who portrayed Valerie Harper’s husband in the television series “Rhoda”, “Jaws” actor Roy Scheider, Suzanne Pleshette, and Heath Ledger as well as Allan Melvin, the actor who played Sam the Butcher on “The Brady Bunch”
Singers Odetta, Eartha Kitt, drummer Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, singer/songwriter Jerry Reed, singer/songwriter Isaac Hayes, and Robert Hazard, who wrote “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and Richard Wright, founding member and keyboardist for Pink Floyd also passed away this year.
Author Michael Crighton, who wrote “Jurassic Park”, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, whose books chronicled Stalin’s slave labor camps, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, and newsman Tim Russert, Senator Jesse Helms, sportscaster Jim McKay, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, conservative author and speaker William F. Buckley, Jr., and the Maharesh Mahesh Yogi, founder of Transcendental Meditation. Georgia Fontaine, owner of the Saint Louis Rams, chess master Bobby Fischer, Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Mount Everest, are among those who will not see the new year of 2009.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention the men and women of our military who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country and our freedom. They will be greatly missed. We say a fond farewell to all those who have passed and hope to enjoy the time we have left with those who are still among us.
Ted Turner believes that we need to cut the population to 25% of what it is today. It’s funny how those folks that are so into “culling the herd” never volunteer to cull themselves. They are like politicians that think that “something has to be done” with everybody else’s money. The news came out the VP-elect Joe Biden is worth several million dollars and has been in the senate for some 30 years, but only gave around $2500 to charitable causes last year.
After the members of Congress bailed out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with 700 Billion dollars of our tax money, two businesses that should have been allowed to go under due to the poor management of their finances, they gave themselves each a $4700 raise, bringing their annual salary to $174,000 per year. In terms for those who work for an hourly wage can understand, that comes to almost a $2.50 an hour raise. But you know, it must be tough to live on only $169,300 a year. Why, that’s barely enough to afford the payment on that second home in D.C. or that new yacht. And that does not count the salaries of their office staff, which makes their personal salaries look puny in comparison.
It’s funny how Congress demanded that the CEO’s of the Big Three auto makers take pay cut for an annual salary of only $1 a year in order to receive federal bailout money. Even though this would not make that much of a difference in the performance of the companies in question. It was a symbolic gesture, and that is all that it was. And then Congress gives itself a $4700 a year pay raise. But not ha ha funny.
The thing that will eventually cause the Big Three to go under is the union. People don’t want to hear that because they think that the unions are all for the little guy. But with union bosses pulling in 6-figure salaries while the guy working the assembly line makes $28 an hour (that’s around $56,000 a year), and with the retirement benefits draining their coffers, and the union not willing to renegotiate contracts to keep the guys working, it won’t be long until all three of the Big Three are a fading memory. The Japanese automobile industry doesn’t seem to have a problem selling their cars. And many of them are made right here in the United States. It’s funny that Congress is going to demand that workers for the Toyota plant here in the United States, making $18 an hour give money to bail out workers in the Big Three making $28 an hour. But not ha ha funny.
We’ve lost some people in 2008.
Actor Robert Prosky, who was in many films, including the priest who avises the main character in “Rudy”. Beverly Garland, who I remember as Fred MacMurray’s television wife in “My Three Sons”. Paul Benedict, who played George Jefferson’s British neighbor on “The Jeffersons”. Actors Paul Newman and Van Johnson. Comedian Bernie Mac. Actress Estelle Getty of “The Golden Girls”, Bozo the Clown, Larry Harmon, and Comedian George Carlin also passed in 2008. Actors Charlton Heston, David Groh, who portrayed Valerie Harper’s husband in the television series “Rhoda”, “Jaws” actor Roy Scheider, Suzanne Pleshette, and Heath Ledger as well as Allan Melvin, the actor who played Sam the Butcher on “The Brady Bunch”
Singers Odetta, Eartha Kitt, drummer Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, singer/songwriter Jerry Reed, singer/songwriter Isaac Hayes, and Robert Hazard, who wrote “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and Richard Wright, founding member and keyboardist for Pink Floyd also passed away this year.
Author Michael Crighton, who wrote “Jurassic Park”, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, whose books chronicled Stalin’s slave labor camps, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, and newsman Tim Russert, Senator Jesse Helms, sportscaster Jim McKay, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, conservative author and speaker William F. Buckley, Jr., and the Maharesh Mahesh Yogi, founder of Transcendental Meditation. Georgia Fontaine, owner of the Saint Louis Rams, chess master Bobby Fischer, Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Mount Everest, are among those who will not see the new year of 2009.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention the men and women of our military who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country and our freedom. They will be greatly missed. We say a fond farewell to all those who have passed and hope to enjoy the time we have left with those who are still among us.
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