The Soapbox

Republicans Face Grounding for Party Mess

Every time I vote, the words of my tenth grade American Government teacher ring in my ears, "Only rarely is voting a straight ticket justified. It's foolish and unreasonable to believe that one party has a monopoly of the best candidates."

November 2006 might be the first time I pull the big lever -- for Democrats.

The GOP, like a teenager who has a party while his parents are out of town, is demonstrating they can't be trusted to make responsible decisions.  This analogy, however, is not wholly accurate because the voters are home and we're watching closely as the Shiavo and steroid mess gets ground further and further into the carpet.

That's why, come November 2006, I think voters will ground the Republicans.

Mayor Street's Son Advocates Payday Loans

The Philadelphia Daily News writes today about Mayor Street's son's lobbying efforts on behalf of payday loan companies.

I used to work for one of these self-described alternative financing companies and I quit because I got tired of telling people that I raped poor people for a living--and I was an analyst in headquarters. I recall one conversation between a store manager and my boss at the time. A customer came into a store seeking a payday loan but was already maxed out with two outstanding. My bosses advice to the store manager was to tell the customer to go across the street to a competitor, take one out there and then come back in to buy back his check and then we'd give him another loan.

I was so disgusted I left that company and was unemployed for three months without the ability to collect unemployment because I left voluntarily. It was one of the best things I ever did in terms of my own self respect.

These outfits cloak themselves in offering loans to people who need it the most. In reality, however, they're lecherous blood-suckers that prey on those least able to fend them off.

Ya Gotta Love the Underdog

Is there anyone who wasn't rooting for Bucknell to do well in the NCAA tournament?

I love this time of year. Not because I'm a big basketball fan because I'm not. Rather, I love the pure competition aspect of the NCAA basketball tournament. It's almost like the olympics without, ironically, all of the commercialism. I also find the NCAA basketball tournament to be the best argument for instituting playoffs in division 1A football.

An Open Letter to Congress

Dear Congressman:

In the last couple of days, you aggressively tackled the monumentally important issues of primadonna-adult -baseball-player pill poppers who are paid to much for playing a game and stuck your noses in what most people believe to be a private family matter--a husband's right and duty to determine medical treatment for his severely brain-damaged wife.

Instead of earning your $158,100 salary addressing social security reform, record budget deficits, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and continuing threats from a cave-dwelling madman you spent your time and our money shooting off your mouths on one issue where you have no business and on another where you shouldn't care.

I didn't send you to Congress to ensure million-dollar athletes don't seek a competitive edge through pharmaceuticals. They can afford their own healthcare when their livers cease functioning. Nor do I want you to spend your time figuring procedural tactics to prevent a husband from carrying out his wife's healthcare wishes. It's none of your business.

Instead of addressing issues you have no reason or purpose in addressing other than to get some face time in the media, I'd like you to get back to work addressing those issues that pertain to forming a more perfect Union, establishing Justice, insuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessing of liberty.

Smoking Ban Vote Today

Philadelphia's City Council is expected to vote today on whether to ban smoking in all public places. At last count, supporters of the bill were one short of the nine required for passage.

Check back for updates.

UPDATE: City Council, this morning, postponed indefinitely its vote on a city-wide smoking ban.

Gun Permit Restrictions Sought in Baghdad West

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the number of people killed in the last nine days in Philadelphia is 22. Over the same period, only nine coalition troops have been killed in Iraq, only seven of which are attributable to hostilities. Now Mayor Street wants to impose a moratorium on issuing gun permits.

This will have no substantive effect and minimal cosmetic impact.

Newsflash for the mayor, the people causing the violence in the city likely don't have permits anyway and those that would kill aren't going to be dissuaded by not being able to get a permit.

Unfortunately, I don't have a workable solution. Moreover, any solution will likely be governed by the solution triangle: A solution can be quick, inexpensive or correct, the trick is to pick which two you want. However, I do know that imposing a moratorium on gun permits will not help. While such a moratorium would be quick and inexpensive, if the solution triangle applies, by definition it won't be the correct solution.

Furthermore, gun permitting is sort of ironic. Those people who take the time to submit to the background checks are unlikely to use the weapons for nefarious purposes. Meanwhile, the ostensible focus of permitting and background checks--keeping guns out of the hands of the criminal minded--is thwarted by those whom we seek to restrict.

Votes by Local Senators on the Bankruptcy Bill

As expected, the Senate passed the bankruptcy reform bill. Here is how the local senators voted:

New Jersey

• Corzine -- Nay
• Lautenberg -- Nay

Pennsylvania

• Santorum -- Yea
• Specter -- Yea

Delaware

• Biden -- Yea
• Carper -- Yea

If you're not from these three states, you can find how your senators voted here.

Jackson Judge Threatens Jail for Tardiness

Michael Jackson showed up five minutes past the deadline the judge gave for arresting him and revoking his bail. It will be interesting to see if the judge follows through. Sadly, I don't think he will.

Bankruptcy Bill Protest Coalition Forming

I went on record here with my opposition to the horrible bankruptcy bill now working its way towards law. That's why I'm enlisting in this effort to let my "congresscritters" know that my voting eyeballs are watching.

Holden's Revenge

On February 25th, my wife and I took our newborn son for his first doctor's appointment. Being first-time parents, we didn't really think about equipping ourselves for our journey to the pediatrician's office. We strapped Holden into his car seat and off we went. We had with us none of the common items associated with a traveling infant.

Now, I know the veteran parents reading this may be laughing but we just didn't think about bringing a clean diaper with us. This oversight was quickly revealed when, upon arrival, the nurse told us to take off his clothes and diaper so she could weigh him.

"Oops, you don't happen to have a clean diaper," I asked after taking off Holden's diaper.

I didn't think this was an unreasonable request. I know pediatricians and I know they get samples of diapers all the time. Furthermore, we're new, first-time parents of a six-day old baby yellowed with billirubin. Our nurse, however, apparently disagreed. With sanctimonious eye-rolling and condescending huffs, she finally managed to procure a diaper for us.

Fast forward to yesterday's doctors appointment. Jen shows up with a full diaper bag and nurse Cratchet again asks her to remove Holden's diaper so she can weigh him. She does and Nurse Cratchet picks up Holden to place him on the scale.

At this point, Holden fires his urine laser and nails Nurse Cratchet in the chest up to her face.

That's my boy!