CRONY CAPITALISM

CAPITALISM SUCKS!
Johann Wagener 7-15-13

At least the way it's practiced in the USA. Why? Because a very small but powerful group of individuals have been able to immunize themselves from playing by the rules by buying off the politicians that pander to them. What made it worse is when the US Supreme Court sanctioned this kind of behavior by anointing corporate entities with personhood.

We the people put the cherry on top of it by acquiescing to the line of BS they fed us about being "too big" to fail or jail, and went ahead with bailing them out on our dime.

This is what we got for our money.

The 5 Biggest Obscenities of Capitalism Today

Committed capitalists fail to recognize that individual success is a result of collaborative effort.

A ROTTEN APPLE

CAVEAT EMPTOR
Johann Wagener 7-13-13

There's nothing more disgusting than to learn that some of the largest, wealthiest, and powerful companies are the biggest offenders when it comes to ripping off the public. When it comes to making money it supersedes everything else; laws, fairness, honesty, integrity, and just plain ethics. Left to their own devices these greed addicts will suck the lifeblood out of anyone that get in their sights.

Apple loses eBook price fixing lawsuit: Court finds tech giant conspired with publishers

Overnight, US District Judge Denise Cote found there was “compelling evidence” Apple violated antitrust law as a result, and played a “central role” in the plan to essentially erase retail price competition.

“Apple chose to join forces with the publisher defendants to raise eBook prices and equipped them with the means to do so," Cote found in her decision. "Without Apple's orchestration of this conspiracy, it would not have succeeded as it did.”

The Watching Dead

IDIOCRACY REDUX
Johann Wagener 7-12-13

Here's another example of why this culture is in the fast lane of self-destruction. Not only do we waste billions on games we now find out that most of the time we devote to it is completely wasted on watching these clowns doing nothing.

How much action does a baseball game have? Almost 18 minutes

In any given year, roughly 70 million people will attend major-league baseball games. A lucky handful will be treated to something unforgettable: a no-hitter, a walk-off grand slam, a player stealing home. Many more fans will see towering home runs, late-inning rallies and diving catches. But there is one thing every single fan who buys a ticket is 100% guaranteed to see: a bunch of grown men standing in a field, doing absolutely nothing.

A similar WSJ study on NFL games in January 2010 found that the average action time for a football game was 11 minutes. So MLB does pack more punch in a battle of the two biggest stop-and-start sports. By seven minutes.

HEALTHCARE FOR PROFIT - NOT HEALTHCARE

NOT A HEALTHY SYSTEM
Johann Wagener 7-10-13

Life expectancy in some parts of the US are no better than 3rd world countries. Healthcare for profit is not focused on health, but on the bottom line. Politicians that pander to healthcare providers would like to have you believe that we have the best system in the world while at the same time studies say the opposite is true.

Being the richest and most powerful nation in the world does nothing to improve health or life expectancy when those who provide it are primarily concerned on making a profit which is concentrated on an elite group of wealthy people.

Americans live a little longer, still lag other rich countries - NBC News.com

The biggest survey of U.S. health in 15 years breaks down death, disease and disability county by county – and makes some very unflattering comparisons to other countries. It’s a big, comprehensive dive into what kills us and what makes us sick.

It finds that how healthy you are depends on where you live. If you live in a rich area like San Francisco, Colorado or the suburbs of Washington D.C., you’re likely as healthy as the Swiss or Japanese. If you live in Appalachia or the rural South, you’re likely to be as unhealthy as people in Algeria or Bangladesh.

Our biggest enemies are our own bad habits – poor diet, smoking and obesity.

HAPPY 4TH OF (cough!cough!) JULY!

A DAY IN URGENT CARE
Johann Wagener 7-4-13

Only in America would people be dumb enough to choke themselves celebrating a holiday! What a way to go!

PARTICULATE ADVISORY

Valid:  Thursday, July 4 and Friday, July 5, 2013

NOTE:  Telecommunication lines that bring air quality measurements from SCAQMD air monitoring stations to the Diamond Bar headquarters were accidentally cut during nearby road construction.  In the meantime, the SCAQMD and AirNow web maps, automated telephone systems, and real-time air quality alerts will not update with current air quality conditions. Verizon is working to correct this issue.

Air quality is likely to reach unhealthful levels in localized areas throughout the South Coast Air Basin and in the Coachella Valley, starting in the evening of July 4^th and continuing through the morning of July 5^th.  Emissions from fireworks are expected to contribute to elevated concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), which can reach the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups air quality category, or higher, after the evening fireworks displays on Independence Day.  The smoke and combustion products from fireworks add to the fine particles already present in the Basin that are primarily caused by motor vehicles, as well as fugitive dust and industrial emissions.

THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK

OMG! THE "N" WORD!
Johann Wagener 7-4-13

If this were an Elementary school playground I would just respond with; "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me" so there!

It seems kids are much better at this than us grown ups. Anybody with an IQ over 2 digits knows that racism is alive and well in these United States and that probably 75% (or more) of our white population see people of color as "N's" and think of them that way; how we react to our president being a prime example.

Playing this silly adolescent game of not saying the "N" word is nothing more than an adolescent game which we can then say; hey, look at me, I'm not a racist cause I don't use the "N" word. Really? Treating people like "N's" is far more damaging than calling them an "N".

But then that would blow our cover and we would have to deal with it rather than make believe it doesn't exist.


Racism is a Tough Sell: The Real Reason Everyone Dumped Paula Deen

A COUP BY ANY OTHER NAME

A COUP BY ANY OTHER NAME

IS STILL A COUP
Johann Wagener 7-4-13

The hypocrisy is unmistakable. Had this been Iran and the Shah the US would be all over it link stink on s--t even though the guy was a dictator. When the guy is not a friend of Uncle Sam, it's a different story even though he won in a free election by a majority vote of his people.

It is right out of the American play book when we consider that our previous president was appointed by the Supreme Court. Yet they want to call it a democracy?

Morsi Aides Arrested in Widening Sweep