Road Apples, #72

Social Security...I have a posting on Social Security waiting in the wings. I know, stop the press. Actually Social Security is an interesting issue, as both liberals and conservatives are mostly dead wrong on the issue. The normal retirement age will have to rise, as people are living far longer than they did back when the system was established. The income cap will have to rise as well, although there is a fairness issue at play. Also, if I had my way, the disability aspects of the system would change as well, as the system was never designed to be a fail-safe system for funding the care of, for example, the mentally handicapped (they should receive care...but why through Social Security?). More to come.

Social Media...I really should pay attention to my LinkedIn account. It's kind of funny actually, in that I'll basically agree to get connected to anyone on LinkedIn. Hell, if Mussolini were alive and had an account I'd agree to get connected to him. I even agreed to a connection with a guy who is trying to sell me stuff at work. How pathetic is that? Now I just have to spend some time actually figuring out how LinkedIn actually works.

Dan Quayle's Son...apparently is connected to what is basically a soft-core porn site. And this is a problem? He should just man up, admit to it, and move on. Hell, it's not like he was a member of the John Birch Society, now is it? Sorry, that was his grandparents. My bad.

Speaking of Wackos...Apparently the off-again potential son-in-law of Sarah Palin is considering running for office in Wasilla, Alaska. He should do some research on being the mayor of a town like Wasilla first, before actually making a decision about running. Hell, he can talk to Nibs Loughney. Yes, Wasilla...that great metropolis and resume filler for Ms Palin...is about the size of our very own Dunmore. Oh, and getting a GED would probably help too. And maybe getting rid of the ginormous "Johnston" tattoo on his arm as well.

To quote the late, great Dr Hunter S. Thompson, "...and it never got weird enough for me".

Walmart Opening in Taylor PA...Speaking of Levi Johnston (at least conceptually) it was mentioned in the Scranton Times this past week that a new uber-Walmart is opening in Taylor, PA. You can see it from my house actually. I know that Wally-World stirs up a lot of emotions in many folks, and rightfully so: the folks in Bentonville take the notion of capitalism and put it on steroids. They also have a knack for hiring cashiers who are heavily tattooed, at least in my experience. Not that there is anything wrong with tattoos. Unless you want to be mayor of Wasilla. Anyway, for fun my younger brother Chris wants to one day ask a Walmart cashier if we can see his/her chains. It would be funny. Maybe. Seriously, I don't normally shop at Walmart, but I'm not a militant about it either. I do understand why some folks find the store objectionable, and I personally think that Walmart is the best thing to happen to communism since Chairman Mao (the Chinese Communists can thank Walmart for helping prop their government up though insane levels of exports). Ironic, is it not?

Charlie Rangel's Birthday...Let's get it straight: Representative Rangel is innocent until proven guilty. And so was the Congressman who hid the money in the freezer. Anyway, as an innocent man, he is free to enjoy a nice birthday celebration with his friends (including uber-sweaty guy David Dinkins). Note though that "innocent" and "in good taste" are two different concepts. If it were me, I'd suggest that having such a high-profile event while on the cusp of such serious charges probably isn't such a great idea and in fact it doesn't help the Democratic Party image all that much. Words like "insular" and "out of touch" come to mind.