More Wisdom From Uncle John

If anyone caught the debate last night, please comment below with your impressions. I missed it, so I need a recap from people who watched it. Thanks. Here's Uncle John. -NT

No birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays to report. Kevorkian has been let out of jail.

The paper and broadcasters here don't give the Indy 500 its due. As near as I can tell it was won by a driver named Mr. Ashley Judd.

The worst thing about the younger generation is that I don't belong to it.

The House voted to make gasoline price gouging a federal crime. That would be interesting.

The Minister of Agriculture in Japan was alleged to have been involved in a funding scandal there. He hanged himself. I find myself wishing that our own politicians had a similar response to being outed.

Romney moves three giant steps forward (that phrase is for all readers who remember the "mother may I?" game that was really big in the 50's) by having passed the Beatles test. Apparently he correctly identified Sergeant Peppers and When I'm Sixty-four. This is key. I still can't believe Sharpton didn't get slapped down for saying voters who believe in God will keep Romney out. The reverend seems to enjoy a pass.

Brazil will supply an inventory of birth control pills for a whole year for the equivalent of $2.40. I'm thinking why not just make it free? The rationale for the give away was that this gives the poor the same chance to plan a family as the rich has. Though we often hear the phrase "only in America," it clearly isn't always only in America.

We tax payers now pay for the radio and TV ads that assure the public that the traffic cops are out there arresting unbuckled motorists like never before. It's hard to believe that the governments can claim they need more money ifthey have money enough to pay for these broadcast spots.

Even the great O'Reilly says the 12 million illegal aliens (I mean the 12 million awaiting their paper work) will not be a hit on entitlements because itis stipulated that they must work 90% of the time or else they'll be deported. Even the great O'Reilly seems not to admit that all our welfare programs are focused on households with low wages. Virtually all these folk will qualify forthe entitlements even while working full time. I'm not sure where I stand on the new bill but I sure wish proponents would not be playing this deception.

Our local water company is petitioning for a 24% increase. They haven't even said why. They say you can learn more from their web site. It has nothing onthe matter. They say you can come to one of their public hearing sessions to learn more. Idiots.

The Earned Income Credit feature of the IRS is interesting. Up to a point, the filer can get more cash welfare from the IRS as the filer's income increases. As we well know, the IRS generosity does not usually improve as incomes increase. So this puts a new twist on things. Traditionally, folk tended to forget or under report certain incomes. Here there is an incentive to invent or over report certain incomes. Now that's what I call a new paradigm.

I used to feature a quote from Cardinal broadcaster Mike Shannon in eache mail. I have not done that for a while. He owns a restaurant near the ballpark and the Cardinal pitcher who died a few weeks back had been there before his fatal car crash. The father has sued Shannon's restaurant, the tow truck driver whose vehicle was struck, and the driver of the disabled car the tow truck wastending to. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a son, but this son clearly was responsible for his own death and this law suit seems like a tawdry, cheap, seedy response. Maybe Josh inherited his tendency to make bad choices.

Push lawn mowers are reportedly making a comeback. These are the non-motorized machines. Supposedly they are made only by a company in Indiana. I wonder how much smaller one's carbon footprint becomes by switching to one of these. I don't think a smaller carbon footprint would be enough to persuade [my relatives] to make the change.

Of course if you just can't reduce your carbon foot print, you can salve your conscience by arranging for some carbon off sets. Many places are now promising to have trees planted on your behalf if you pay a nominal fee. An outfit called "Trees for the future" will plant 400 trees in a developing country forthe very reasonable price of $40. So I guess it only costs a few cents for each tree, it's land consumption, it's planting, and it's maintenance. So far as I know, even if the 400 trees were to be planted, the offset might not cover much more than one's lawn mower emission. A lot of CO2 emissions come from exhaling. San Fran Nan is going to Greenland, Germany, and Belgium to discuss CO2 emissions. I suggest that she reduce exhaling (and certainly she is going to hike, bike, and kayak all the way).

A case involving the KKK in Mississippi is now going to trial. The crime was in 1964. The wheels of justice grind slowly.

The last word was sleazoid. Curiously enough, it means a sleazy person. The trivia question was Evil Knevil's famous canyon jump site. It was the Snake River Canyon. The lyrics were from Queen's "We Will Rock You." The new challenge word is "bibulous." The new trivia question is what do the initials CBS stand for? The new lyrics challenge is: "You're the kind of person/ You meet at certain/ Dismal, dull affairs./ Center of a crowd/ Talking much too loud,/ Running up and down the stairs./ Well it seems to me/ That you have seen,/ Too much in too few years./ And though you've tried/ You just can't hide,/ Your eyes are edged with tears./ You better stop/ look around/ here it comes, ..."