Sarcasm, not just implied

Romanian institution for disabled children, 2006

Funding for home health aides would be cut by 20%, and services for the disabled would be slashed by $100 million -- on top of deep reductions already made in those programs.


That could be the last straw for Michelle Franklin, 45, of Stockton, who receives just under $800 a month from the state to care for her schizophrenic son and an elderly neighbor. If her payments drop by 20%, she said, she may have to commit her child to a state mental hospital. "I love my son dearly and it's going to break my heart, but if they cut my hours I may have to make the decision to let my son go," Franklin said. "That's going to end up costing the state a lot more in the long run."



-- Los Angeles Times, Thursday, November 17th, 2011, in an article spelling out upcoming California budget cuts if revenue is not as expected in December.

"I earn my pay," adding, "Republicans earn their money."

-- GOP state Rep. Lou Blessing, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Ohio House of Representatives, in response to a proposal to cut taxpayer-financed politicians' salaries as a balance to cuts in teachers' taxpayer-balanced salaries, November 6th, 2011


(I was going to post a number of quotes from Newt Gingrich about shared sacrifice, and some information about the enormous amounts of money the man and his lovely wife have spent at Tiffany's over the years, all while espousing his individual "frugality," but I threw up a little bit in my mouth as I perused the stories and decided to call it a day.)

True Words

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

As I think about what's going on in Wisconsin (particularly the cuts to the disabled which you might not know about given all the hoopla and which you can read about here), as I read an article about Newt Gingrich's new-found Catholicism and platform of morality -- well -- it's difficult not to hate. 

But I know those words above ring true. 


Sigh.

Things

that make me laugh:

suede shorts at Lucky

that make me wonder:

advertisement for Medical Coding School at mall

that make me laugh, wonder and sick to my stomach:

the ever-repugnant Newt Gingrich, current U.S. blowhard

UPDATE: I removed a photo from yesterday's post because it made me uncomfortable leaving it up there. And just for the record, there was no indication that the boy discussed had autism or Asperger's Syndrome. He was awkward; amusing and RUDE and just not that great with little boys. I wouldn't call him a bully, but he might have been on his way. To those of you who felt bad for him -- well, he wasn't that sort of kid. I think when he sat down next to me and farted, loudly,  is when I decided that he'd make a great blog post.