From The New York Times. I bet not one statehooder reads this--or is capable of understanding what it means.
December 31, 2007
Editorial
Looking at America
There are too many moments these days when we cannot recognize our country. Sunday was one of them, as we read the account in The Times of how men in some of the most trusted posts in the nation plotted to cover up the torture of prisoners by Central Intelligence Agency interrogators by destroying videotapes of their sickening behavior. It was impossible to see the founding principles of the greatest democracy in the contempt these men and their bosses showed for the Constitution, the rule of law and human decency.
It was not the first time in recent years we’ve felt this horror, this sorrowful sense of estrangement, not nearly. This sort of lawless behavior has become standard practice since Sept. 11, 2001.
The country and much of the world was rightly and profoundly frightened by the single-minded hatred and ingenuity displayed by this new enemy. But there is no excuse for how President Bush and his advisers panicked — how they forgot that it is their responsibility to protect American lives and American ideals, that there really is no safety for Americans or their country when those ideals are sacrificed.
Out of panic and ideology, President Bush squandered America’s position of moral and political leadership, swept aside international institutions and treaties, sullied America’s global image, and trampled on the constitutional pillars that have supported our democracy through the most terrifying and challenging times. These policies have fed the world’s anger and alienation and have not made any of us safer.
In the years since 9/11, we have seen American soldiers abuse, sexually humiliate, torment and murder prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq. A few have been punished, but their leaders have never been called to account. We have seen mercenaries gun down Iraqi civilians with no fear of prosecution. We have seen the president, sworn to defend the Constitution, turn his powers on his own citizens, authorizing the intelligence agencies to spy on Americans, wiretapping phones and intercepting international e-mail messages without a warrant.
We have read accounts of how the government’s top lawyers huddled in secret after the attacks in New York and Washington and plotted ways to circumvent the Geneva Conventions — and both American and international law — to hold anyone the president chose indefinitely without charges or judicial review.
Those same lawyers then twisted other laws beyond recognition to allow Mr. Bush to turn intelligence agents into torturers, to force doctors to abdicate their professional oaths and responsibilities to prepare prisoners for abuse, and then to monitor the torment to make sure it didn’t go just a bit too far and actually kill them.
The White House used the fear of terrorism and the sense of national unity to ram laws through Congress that gave law-enforcement agencies far more power than they truly needed to respond to the threat — and at the same time fulfilled the imperial fantasies of Vice President Dick Cheney and others determined to use the tragedy of 9/11 to arrogate as much power as they could.
Hundreds of men, swept up on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq, were thrown into a prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, so that the White House could claim they were beyond the reach of American laws. Prisoners are held there with no hope of real justice, only the chance to face a kangaroo court where evidence and the names of their accusers are kept secret, and where they are not permitted to talk about the abuse they have suffered at the hands of American jailers.
In other foreign lands, the C.I.A. set up secret jails where “high-value detainees” were subjected to ever more barbaric acts, including simulated drowning. These crimes were videotaped, so that “experts” could watch them, and then the videotapes were destroyed, after consultation with the White House, in the hope that Americans would never know.
The C.I.A. contracted out its inhumanity to nations with no respect for life or law, sending prisoners — some of them innocents kidnapped on street corners and in airports — to be tortured into making false confessions, or until it was clear they had nothing to say and so were let go without any apology or hope of redress.
These are not the only shocking abuses of President Bush’s two terms in office, made in the name of fighting terrorism. There is much more — so much that the next president will have a full agenda simply discovering all the wrongs that have been done and then righting them.
We can only hope that this time, unlike 2004, American voters will have the wisdom to grant the awesome powers of the presidency to someone who has the integrity, principle and decency to use them honorably. Then when we look in the mirror as a nation, we will see, once again, the reflection of the United States of America.
History is being written before the eyes of a nation once-proud to lead the world in democracy and human rights, reduced now to proto-fascism and mealy-mouthed psychopathy. Why am I so upset about this? Because history has also shown that where goeth the U.S. of part of A., so--eventually--goeth Us.
At least in 2008 the murderous moron has to leave the Oval Office. By My count, he should do so now and be taken straight to jail.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
31 December 2007
28 December 2007
A Scorecard for Fools
If you are a legislator whose salary is more than 4 times the average income, who gets paid tax-free benefits that equal more than 2 times the average income, who is given additional benefits that can also amount to more than 24 times the average income and has a job whose sole purpose is to represent Us, then I absolutely and unequivocally believe your ass is Mine.
From the moment you get elected to the moment We kick your ass out or send it to jail (or both) you Mr., Ms. and Mrs. Legislator are Mine. For what you are getting paid, with your $120,000+ salary plus perks, with your six-figure “staff members,” free trips, free car, free services and free protection, you have the nerve, the unbefuckinglievable gall to not show up for work a third of the time?
To make it worse, when you do condescend to show up for work, you spend the majority of your time concocting dreck, playing to the hapless media and usually both at the same time. (Homages to beauty queens and accessories to murder, anyone?)
You, Fool, are My employee. I pay your worthless salary and the reason it is worthless is because I let you get away with murder. So here’s My idea: We establish a Scorecard. Yes, that’s right, We grade your asses. Every day.
To your first objection, namely that you don’t like this, here’s My response: Fuck you. Nobody is forcing you to take this job. You work for Us. Period. And if you don’t like having Us watch over your shoulder to see how you’re doing with Our present and future, then you have obviously never understood the concept of democracy. All the more reason to watch you closely.
To make it simple, the rules change. Since everything you do is a matter of public record, the Scorecard will simply collect what you do, when you do it, how you do it and maybe even why you do it (you love to talk about that to the mindless media) and make it a simple-to-read, easy-to-find piece of daily life.
Yes, daily life. The Scorecard should be a part of every newspaper, listing when you arrive for sessions (if you arrive, you overpaid ass), when you leave, who you met that day, what commission work you reported, who you hired, what legislation you wrote or signed, what bills you discussed or tabled, what response you lodged to Executive decisions and what monies you helped assign to Our priorities.
Yes, all that and more. Get it through your empty brainpan, you retarded bunny: You work for Me. Your ass is Mine. And what I want is for you to make an effort to earn your disgustingly oversized salary by actually working for it.
And before you start thinking about how to stop this from happening, let Me drop a few terms on your useless head: Internet, volunteers, world example, Our disgust. See if you can put them together, oh retarded bunny.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
From the moment you get elected to the moment We kick your ass out or send it to jail (or both) you Mr., Ms. and Mrs. Legislator are Mine. For what you are getting paid, with your $120,000+ salary plus perks, with your six-figure “staff members,” free trips, free car, free services and free protection, you have the nerve, the unbefuckinglievable gall to not show up for work a third of the time?
To make it worse, when you do condescend to show up for work, you spend the majority of your time concocting dreck, playing to the hapless media and usually both at the same time. (Homages to beauty queens and accessories to murder, anyone?)
You, Fool, are My employee. I pay your worthless salary and the reason it is worthless is because I let you get away with murder. So here’s My idea: We establish a Scorecard. Yes, that’s right, We grade your asses. Every day.
To your first objection, namely that you don’t like this, here’s My response: Fuck you. Nobody is forcing you to take this job. You work for Us. Period. And if you don’t like having Us watch over your shoulder to see how you’re doing with Our present and future, then you have obviously never understood the concept of democracy. All the more reason to watch you closely.
To make it simple, the rules change. Since everything you do is a matter of public record, the Scorecard will simply collect what you do, when you do it, how you do it and maybe even why you do it (you love to talk about that to the mindless media) and make it a simple-to-read, easy-to-find piece of daily life.
Yes, daily life. The Scorecard should be a part of every newspaper, listing when you arrive for sessions (if you arrive, you overpaid ass), when you leave, who you met that day, what commission work you reported, who you hired, what legislation you wrote or signed, what bills you discussed or tabled, what response you lodged to Executive decisions and what monies you helped assign to Our priorities.
Yes, all that and more. Get it through your empty brainpan, you retarded bunny: You work for Me. Your ass is Mine. And what I want is for you to make an effort to earn your disgustingly oversized salary by actually working for it.
And before you start thinking about how to stop this from happening, let Me drop a few terms on your useless head: Internet, volunteers, world example, Our disgust. See if you can put them together, oh retarded bunny.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
26 December 2007
Attitude Adjustment Wrench
This won't take long...and it won't be pretty.
A pop quiz: Our attitude as a people can best be described as:
A) One of entitlement, as in "We are owed this and that"
B) One of insecurity, as in "We must loudly proclaim who and what We are"
C) One of indifference, as in "We don't care about much, except Our own wants"
D) All of the above
I bet most of Us would say "D". But think about what that means: We are indifferent to most everything that doesn't impinge directly upon Our life, behave as if We automatically deserve everything We want when We want it and yell like banshees to announce to the world “We are Puerto Ricans,” even though what We yell about may not be worthy of the effort.
What does this picture paint? The portrait of a self-indulgent, none-too-successful brat.
Oh dear.
Is this too harsh an assessment, even from one of Us? Okay, let’s see what world a self-indulgent, none-too-successful brat would eventually create to live in:
--One where the general situation is chaotic and even damaging due to the indifference of the primary person responsible. Check.
--One where second-level and third-level (minor) successes are trumpeted to the heavens, but primary—-necessary—-successes don’t happen because the efforts to make them happen are deemed useless, too difficult or (more often and wrongly) someone else’s responsibility. Check.
--One where the principal activities frequently and consistently appeal to and occupy the monkey-brain and the id: gossip, scandal, spending money, keeping up with the Jimenez’s, “beating the system”, demagoguery. Check.
--One where merit and the tools to earn it (education, expertise, integrity, perseverance) would be downplayed, denigrated and deplored in favor of opportunism, quick-fixes and “connections.” Check. See Our government for further proof.
Too harsh? Too harsh would be to let this continue without applying some heavy-handed tools to make the needed adjustments so We can grow from self-indulgent brattiness to self-actualized responsibility.
The question is, of course…how?
The Jenius Has Spoken.
A pop quiz: Our attitude as a people can best be described as:
A) One of entitlement, as in "We are owed this and that"
B) One of insecurity, as in "We must loudly proclaim who and what We are"
C) One of indifference, as in "We don't care about much, except Our own wants"
D) All of the above
I bet most of Us would say "D". But think about what that means: We are indifferent to most everything that doesn't impinge directly upon Our life, behave as if We automatically deserve everything We want when We want it and yell like banshees to announce to the world “We are Puerto Ricans,” even though what We yell about may not be worthy of the effort.
What does this picture paint? The portrait of a self-indulgent, none-too-successful brat.
Oh dear.
Is this too harsh an assessment, even from one of Us? Okay, let’s see what world a self-indulgent, none-too-successful brat would eventually create to live in:
--One where the general situation is chaotic and even damaging due to the indifference of the primary person responsible. Check.
--One where second-level and third-level (minor) successes are trumpeted to the heavens, but primary—-necessary—-successes don’t happen because the efforts to make them happen are deemed useless, too difficult or (more often and wrongly) someone else’s responsibility. Check.
--One where the principal activities frequently and consistently appeal to and occupy the monkey-brain and the id: gossip, scandal, spending money, keeping up with the Jimenez’s, “beating the system”, demagoguery. Check.
--One where merit and the tools to earn it (education, expertise, integrity, perseverance) would be downplayed, denigrated and deplored in favor of opportunism, quick-fixes and “connections.” Check. See Our government for further proof.
Too harsh? Too harsh would be to let this continue without applying some heavy-handed tools to make the needed adjustments so We can grow from self-indulgent brattiness to self-actualized responsibility.
The question is, of course…how?
The Jenius Has Spoken.
24 December 2007
Reflection on Gil C. Schmidt
Since I launched The Jenius almost three years ago, I've been asked a couple of dozen times if I'm concerned that what I write here could cause Me "problems" in My work. After all, I do a lot of consulting work, which relies greatly on reputation, and the question implies that The Jenius somehow tarnishes My reputation.
I also do some consulting work with the local government, the crappy swamp misguided by The Jellyfish, Stupid Rosselló and his puppets and the rest of The Fools. People ask Me if I'm concerned that this might cost Me a contract or several. I shrugged it off. Even when it appeared that in December 2006 I was "dropped" by the local Justice Department after they called Me to explore My writing Federal funding grants for them, a decision that came after a big flurry of unprecedented gobierno.pr visits to The Jenius over a six-day period.
Is The Jenius bad for My reputation, what with My penchant for slamming Fools, picking apart idiocies, stressing the stupid and evil things that go on around Us and basically doing so from a position of self-proclaimed superiority?
No, The Jenius isn’t bad for My reputation. It is, however, perfect as a filter.
Yes, The Jenius often goes overboard in language and tone, what My friend James “El Gringoqueño” O’Malley calls “the blah-blah parts between the ideas” and what My colleague Carlos Torres calls “a rhythmic beat of negativity.” Despite efforts on My part to curtail that, it keeps coming up on these posts because—in My eyes—no one else is dissecting these issues based on reason and common sense. And when those two powerful tools are applied, even in the hands of a Jenius, the end result of most of what happens here is “abject stupidity and naked evil.”
Does this hurt My reputation? The Jenius is opinionated, often rational, explains His positions, identifies Himself, takes a stand and lets others do the same. This is supposed to be bad? It would be under a fascist regime—and We may get there—but in a so-called democratic society, these are virtues, not vices.
Could calling Rosselló Stupid and Aníbal a Jellyfish harm My reputation? Puh-lease. They are called worse by many of Us; at least I do it with My name and reasons attached.
Could it be that just by doing these things I am indicating that I am “different,” not “one of Us,” a sort of loose cannon shooting from the hip infesting the blogsphere with more ranting opinions?
Different? Always have been. Nothing wrong with that, except in the minds of sheep and bottom-feeders.
Not one of Us? In mentality and attitude, I guess not. But I’m here by choice, work and raise a son here by choice and will stay here doing that by choice.
Loose cannon, shooting from the hip? Compared to so many others, I’m actually restrained and thoughtful.
Ranting opinions? Yep, I rant and I point out what My opinion is. But here’s the kicker: Those who ask Me if I’m afraid The Jenius will hurt Me in some way have never—never—given Me any reason to think My opinions and actions are wrong.
As they say somewhere: You gotta base it on the source. Considering the mentality that breeds the question, if The Jenius “harms” My reputation, then I’m glad it does. I don’t need to put up with Fools or sheep.
Never have.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
I also do some consulting work with the local government, the crappy swamp misguided by The Jellyfish, Stupid Rosselló and his puppets and the rest of The Fools. People ask Me if I'm concerned that this might cost Me a contract or several. I shrugged it off. Even when it appeared that in December 2006 I was "dropped" by the local Justice Department after they called Me to explore My writing Federal funding grants for them, a decision that came after a big flurry of unprecedented gobierno.pr visits to The Jenius over a six-day period.
Is The Jenius bad for My reputation, what with My penchant for slamming Fools, picking apart idiocies, stressing the stupid and evil things that go on around Us and basically doing so from a position of self-proclaimed superiority?
No, The Jenius isn’t bad for My reputation. It is, however, perfect as a filter.
Yes, The Jenius often goes overboard in language and tone, what My friend James “El Gringoqueño” O’Malley calls “the blah-blah parts between the ideas” and what My colleague Carlos Torres calls “a rhythmic beat of negativity.” Despite efforts on My part to curtail that, it keeps coming up on these posts because—in My eyes—no one else is dissecting these issues based on reason and common sense. And when those two powerful tools are applied, even in the hands of a Jenius, the end result of most of what happens here is “abject stupidity and naked evil.”
Does this hurt My reputation? The Jenius is opinionated, often rational, explains His positions, identifies Himself, takes a stand and lets others do the same. This is supposed to be bad? It would be under a fascist regime—and We may get there—but in a so-called democratic society, these are virtues, not vices.
Could calling Rosselló Stupid and Aníbal a Jellyfish harm My reputation? Puh-lease. They are called worse by many of Us; at least I do it with My name and reasons attached.
Could it be that just by doing these things I am indicating that I am “different,” not “one of Us,” a sort of loose cannon shooting from the hip infesting the blogsphere with more ranting opinions?
Different? Always have been. Nothing wrong with that, except in the minds of sheep and bottom-feeders.
Not one of Us? In mentality and attitude, I guess not. But I’m here by choice, work and raise a son here by choice and will stay here doing that by choice.
Loose cannon, shooting from the hip? Compared to so many others, I’m actually restrained and thoughtful.
Ranting opinions? Yep, I rant and I point out what My opinion is. But here’s the kicker: Those who ask Me if I’m afraid The Jenius will hurt Me in some way have never—never—given Me any reason to think My opinions and actions are wrong.
As they say somewhere: You gotta base it on the source. Considering the mentality that breeds the question, if The Jenius “harms” My reputation, then I’m glad it does. I don’t need to put up with Fools or sheep.
Never have.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
21 December 2007
Stupid Is as Stupid Does
Reported in the press: The top 10 senators and representatives--in terms of receiving compensatory pay for meals and travel--are averaging about $44,000 so far in 2007.
I recently went after these vermin and discovered that their pay scale, compared to that of other democratic nations and average income per capita, is by far the worst interms of comparison. To wit: Their salary is more than 4 times higher than that of Our average wage earner.
I deliberately left out the perks these leeches give themselves to simply let the fact of their greed leap at at Us. But on top of this "meal and travel" crap, let's add the other expenses these cretins cost Us:
---A vehicle, with driver.
---Personal escorts, whether assigned or provided when they choose to leave a trail of slime somewhere.
---Free cell phone use.
---Free mailing services.
---A fully-furnished office, decorated as they choose (at Our expense.)
---A staff of at least six employees and some have as many as 11, all of them on the public dole--er, payroll--and some making six-figure thefts every year.
And now, the kicker: On average, these parasites will miss 34% of their legislative sessions.
Thirty-four percent.
They will be absent one-third of the time as Our public servants.
Now let Me be blunt here: We are fucking stupid to allow this.
Because as much as We gnash Our teeth and wail at the sheer insanity these disconnected-from-reality bloodsuckers inflict on Us, come election time We toss out the evidence of idiocy and march to the polls, head held high with party standard in Our hearts and vote these insufferable bags of offal back into office.
These bastards will "vote" themselves a raise in March, or maybe as late as April. They will continue to shred and rape Our economy, ruin Our future and play political patty-cake with each other, to the amusement of many of Us. And while they do that, they will consistently, insistently and continuously ask for Our vote.
And they will get it. Because We are stupid.
How's that for Christmas cheer?
The Jenius Has Spoken.
I recently went after these vermin and discovered that their pay scale, compared to that of other democratic nations and average income per capita, is by far the worst interms of comparison. To wit: Their salary is more than 4 times higher than that of Our average wage earner.
I deliberately left out the perks these leeches give themselves to simply let the fact of their greed leap at at Us. But on top of this "meal and travel" crap, let's add the other expenses these cretins cost Us:
---A vehicle, with driver.
---Personal escorts, whether assigned or provided when they choose to leave a trail of slime somewhere.
---Free cell phone use.
---Free mailing services.
---A fully-furnished office, decorated as they choose (at Our expense.)
---A staff of at least six employees and some have as many as 11, all of them on the public dole--er, payroll--and some making six-figure thefts every year.
And now, the kicker: On average, these parasites will miss 34% of their legislative sessions.
Thirty-four percent.
They will be absent one-third of the time as Our public servants.
Now let Me be blunt here: We are fucking stupid to allow this.
Because as much as We gnash Our teeth and wail at the sheer insanity these disconnected-from-reality bloodsuckers inflict on Us, come election time We toss out the evidence of idiocy and march to the polls, head held high with party standard in Our hearts and vote these insufferable bags of offal back into office.
These bastards will "vote" themselves a raise in March, or maybe as late as April. They will continue to shred and rape Our economy, ruin Our future and play political patty-cake with each other, to the amusement of many of Us. And while they do that, they will consistently, insistently and continuously ask for Our vote.
And they will get it. Because We are stupid.
How's that for Christmas cheer?
The Jenius Has Spoken.
19 December 2007
Political Pifflegab
A simple man, this Jerry. Soft-spoken, near-sighted, he quietly prepares a modest tasty fare in a sidewalk eatery of scattered memorabilia and mismatched stools. He engages Me in conversation with the abruptness of need.
"If my neighbor's building a house, when's the time to protest? When he's painting it to move in?"
The topic of the day--of the week--is Paseo Caribe, a luxury highrise near the Caribe Hilton and historic Fort San Gerónimo, scene of protests, hunger strikes atop cranes, including that of an "environmentalist" making a kayak-based "escape" and more pifflegab than even We can shake a stick at. The controversy? The building is on public lands.
Always was.
So Jerry is looking beyond the "controversy" of whether the building should be stopped, torn down or even allowed to continue until its million-dollar walls are packed with so-called worthies. In simple terms: Why protest now?
At that same stool, a day before, while watching videos of the mass idiocy, I'd asked My dear companion Cui bono? Who benefits? Who gets something out of this highly-visible, now violent, protest?
Neighbors? There are no residents near Paseo Caribe. No views blocked. No sewage systems burdened. No parking spots reduced.
The Caribe Hilton? They sold the land in the first place.
Fort San Gerónimo? Bah. It's a toilet since the Feds handed it over to the local government, inaccessible to the public since 2003. The protesters aren't trying to save that.
No, there's only one beneficiary and only one to this Paseo Caribe claptrap: The New Progressive Party, opposition of Aníbal "Jellyfish" Acevedo, invertebrate governor of Us all.
Proof?
1) The project was awarded permits and licenses between 2000 and 2003, during the only term of Sila "Quitter" Calderón, the Jellyfish's former "boss."
2) The project went through several public hearings with many key potential players, such as San Juan's mayor, its senators, many of its representatives and almost a dozen at-large statehood party legislators occupying roughly the same positions they do now. In fact, a few of them now actually occupy positions of power since 2005, such as chamber presidencies and committee chairmanships.
3) The building has been erected to within 90% of all outside work, and not in record time, taking almost three years to get to this point. Stopping it now would create an ugly economic picture and further weaken the confidence of local and outside investors in Puerto Rico, thus eroding Our economy even more. Guess what happens next year in November?
4) The protest was aimed at The Jellyfish, to the extent that several video clips showed signs and carried sound bites against His Squishiness, but NO--repeat NO--significant presence from the mayor or anyone related to the statehood party...
And while I pointed out to My dearest that the NPP would avoid "tainting" the show with their presence, who should show up but serial jackass Jorge "I'm Too Dense" De Castro, his trademark "What? Me think?" smirk plastered on his mug. This donkey has been kicked from the Popular Democratic Party (while "Quitter" was at the the helm), has been the target of another "Dump the Dense Guy" campaign in the statehood party and if anything confirms My theory that the NPP is behind all this for political reasons, it's the presence of this braying ass where no one wanted or expected him.
I predicted the reaction within the party against the burro would be swift and hard. I was right. But it's impossible to beat any sense into a mule, so expect Dense De Castro to be back around the fringes of Paseo Caribe's protests, adding nothing but heartburn to the misery of a political show for political gain at Our economic expense.
Oh, and what do I suggest be the solution to all this? Accept that the building was improperly transacted for permits and licenses, say it won't happen again, let them finish the damn thing and in exchange for that, have the developer sink enough money into Fort San Gerónimo to make it a worthy National Monument and have him pay for 5 years of maintenance. Sure, he'll protest and bitch, but in the end, it's either "Finish and sell" or "Political games costing you $75,000 a day."
He'll gladly renovate the Fort. Now if only We could convince him to bury The Fools underneath it...
The Jenius Has Spoken.
"If my neighbor's building a house, when's the time to protest? When he's painting it to move in?"
The topic of the day--of the week--is Paseo Caribe, a luxury highrise near the Caribe Hilton and historic Fort San Gerónimo, scene of protests, hunger strikes atop cranes, including that of an "environmentalist" making a kayak-based "escape" and more pifflegab than even We can shake a stick at. The controversy? The building is on public lands.
Always was.
So Jerry is looking beyond the "controversy" of whether the building should be stopped, torn down or even allowed to continue until its million-dollar walls are packed with so-called worthies. In simple terms: Why protest now?
At that same stool, a day before, while watching videos of the mass idiocy, I'd asked My dear companion Cui bono? Who benefits? Who gets something out of this highly-visible, now violent, protest?
Neighbors? There are no residents near Paseo Caribe. No views blocked. No sewage systems burdened. No parking spots reduced.
The Caribe Hilton? They sold the land in the first place.
Fort San Gerónimo? Bah. It's a toilet since the Feds handed it over to the local government, inaccessible to the public since 2003. The protesters aren't trying to save that.
No, there's only one beneficiary and only one to this Paseo Caribe claptrap: The New Progressive Party, opposition of Aníbal "Jellyfish" Acevedo, invertebrate governor of Us all.
Proof?
1) The project was awarded permits and licenses between 2000 and 2003, during the only term of Sila "Quitter" Calderón, the Jellyfish's former "boss."
2) The project went through several public hearings with many key potential players, such as San Juan's mayor, its senators, many of its representatives and almost a dozen at-large statehood party legislators occupying roughly the same positions they do now. In fact, a few of them now actually occupy positions of power since 2005, such as chamber presidencies and committee chairmanships.
3) The building has been erected to within 90% of all outside work, and not in record time, taking almost three years to get to this point. Stopping it now would create an ugly economic picture and further weaken the confidence of local and outside investors in Puerto Rico, thus eroding Our economy even more. Guess what happens next year in November?
4) The protest was aimed at The Jellyfish, to the extent that several video clips showed signs and carried sound bites against His Squishiness, but NO--repeat NO--significant presence from the mayor or anyone related to the statehood party...
And while I pointed out to My dearest that the NPP would avoid "tainting" the show with their presence, who should show up but serial jackass Jorge "I'm Too Dense" De Castro, his trademark "What? Me think?" smirk plastered on his mug. This donkey has been kicked from the Popular Democratic Party (while "Quitter" was at the the helm), has been the target of another "Dump the Dense Guy" campaign in the statehood party and if anything confirms My theory that the NPP is behind all this for political reasons, it's the presence of this braying ass where no one wanted or expected him.
I predicted the reaction within the party against the burro would be swift and hard. I was right. But it's impossible to beat any sense into a mule, so expect Dense De Castro to be back around the fringes of Paseo Caribe's protests, adding nothing but heartburn to the misery of a political show for political gain at Our economic expense.
Oh, and what do I suggest be the solution to all this? Accept that the building was improperly transacted for permits and licenses, say it won't happen again, let them finish the damn thing and in exchange for that, have the developer sink enough money into Fort San Gerónimo to make it a worthy National Monument and have him pay for 5 years of maintenance. Sure, he'll protest and bitch, but in the end, it's either "Finish and sell" or "Political games costing you $75,000 a day."
He'll gladly renovate the Fort. Now if only We could convince him to bury The Fools underneath it...
The Jenius Has Spoken.
17 December 2007
Falling for Life
I could have died.
My foot slipped on the slick concrete step, and for the first time since I was in high school, I fell without any control. Backwards, no time to twist or turn, I slammed down on the carport floor, My head just brushing the corner of the step.
My son, who'd helped Me wash the car, had seen Me fall many times, as part of My way of playing sports. But he'd never seen Me crash to the ground as I did then. My first thought was I could have died, knowing that My neck and head had just barely missed slamming into a cement spearhead. I imagined what would have happened if My luck hadn't been so good, how My son would have had to face the reality of his father lying injured, or dead.
I saw a horrified look on My son's face and I didn't want him to hear that same feeling in My
voice. Almost a minute went by before I told him I was okay, just stunned by the fall.
I got up. After the most ennervating and exasperating week of the year for Me, one with several
highs and two painful lows, this came along. A reminder of My mortality. A memo to Me that nothing is guaranteed.
I thought of family and friends, in rapid-fire fashion. Of all I wanted to say and now knew I needed to say. And while I was thinking that, the phone rang. A good friend tells Me his father had just died. Life ends, goes on, just is. And if My luck had been different, that call would have been to someone other than Me.
My neck is stiff, most likely will be for a few more days. There's a faint scratch on My back, just across the left scapula, showing where the corner touched Me as I fell. It tracks a path that grazes My left temple, just as I thought at that instant.
I've prided Myself on being agile enough to avoid major injuries...most of the time...despite an often-reckless mindset. This fall ended well not because of Me, but because of dumb luck. It might be the only kind of luck a Jenius has, but I'll take it gladly. And I expect to make the most of it, not because it changes My life, but because it makes Me more aware of it.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
My foot slipped on the slick concrete step, and for the first time since I was in high school, I fell without any control. Backwards, no time to twist or turn, I slammed down on the carport floor, My head just brushing the corner of the step.
My son, who'd helped Me wash the car, had seen Me fall many times, as part of My way of playing sports. But he'd never seen Me crash to the ground as I did then. My first thought was I could have died, knowing that My neck and head had just barely missed slamming into a cement spearhead. I imagined what would have happened if My luck hadn't been so good, how My son would have had to face the reality of his father lying injured, or dead.
I saw a horrified look on My son's face and I didn't want him to hear that same feeling in My
voice. Almost a minute went by before I told him I was okay, just stunned by the fall.
I got up. After the most ennervating and exasperating week of the year for Me, one with several
highs and two painful lows, this came along. A reminder of My mortality. A memo to Me that nothing is guaranteed.
I thought of family and friends, in rapid-fire fashion. Of all I wanted to say and now knew I needed to say. And while I was thinking that, the phone rang. A good friend tells Me his father had just died. Life ends, goes on, just is. And if My luck had been different, that call would have been to someone other than Me.
My neck is stiff, most likely will be for a few more days. There's a faint scratch on My back, just across the left scapula, showing where the corner touched Me as I fell. It tracks a path that grazes My left temple, just as I thought at that instant.
I've prided Myself on being agile enough to avoid major injuries...most of the time...despite an often-reckless mindset. This fall ended well not because of Me, but because of dumb luck. It might be the only kind of luck a Jenius has, but I'll take it gladly. And I expect to make the most of it, not because it changes My life, but because it makes Me more aware of it.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
07 December 2007
Chamber Pots
Here's why Puerto Rico's economy is in the dump and burrowing deeper:
The local Chamber of Commerce--litter-box of fat cats with mouse brains--trumpeted their 7 Steps to Invigorate the Economy, which boil down to:
1) Aim for biosciences, technology and services and away from manufacturing.
2) A new social contract blending work and family values for high productivity.
3) Encourage socially-responsible capitalism.
4) Make the government a true public servant.
5) Encourage a larger private sector that also aims globally.
6) A "national mission" to develop the economy that includes all citizens and social components.
7) Develop a vision of the Puerto Rico We want to build.
I wrote four paragraphs before blowing My patience: The Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce is spewing bullshit. Utter, unremitting and moronic bullshit.
Oh, there's nothing essentially wrong about the sentiments drooled in their "7 Steps," if taken in isolation. But as an organizational "credo" these seven concepts are degraded to vapid turds in a historically-foul sewer. For you see, on numbers 1 through 6, the Chamber of Commerce has always--always--failed Us.
Who took the lead year after year in pushing manufacturing as Our economic engine, even when formerly-destitute rivals such as Singapore and Ireland left Us in their dust?
Who constantly and continuously fought against laws for flextime, professional development and extended maternity and paternity leaves, even to the point of restricting access to prenatal medical visits as part of employee health plans?
Who consistently and vehemently fought to restrict laws to foster investment as social capital for local firms while simultaneously bawling for that same use of outsider's funds invested under Treasury Section 936?
Who privately finances the fucking useless government We have now?
Who supports established firms by helping them block new ones (Center for the New Economy, anyone?) while cutting every economic issue into the same 100 X 35 mile window?
Who makes a fetish of exclusion at the economic and social levels, to the point where your own membership publicly declares the organization needs to "open its doors"?
The Chamber of Commerce is playing Pontius Pilate, first by playing a central role in creating the mess and now by cravenly trying to fob off its egregious lack of intelligence, vision and integrity on the rest of Us. Here's My response: Shove it.
As for "step" #7, that was written by a marketing hack and it clearly shows that the Chamber of Commerce has lost what little mind it ever had, for in revealing it as part of their magnum opus for economic revival, they show themselves to be so senile as to even be incapable of reading what they wrote in the first place.
Maggots.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
The local Chamber of Commerce--litter-box of fat cats with mouse brains--trumpeted their 7 Steps to Invigorate the Economy, which boil down to:
1) Aim for biosciences, technology and services and away from manufacturing.
2) A new social contract blending work and family values for high productivity.
3) Encourage socially-responsible capitalism.
4) Make the government a true public servant.
5) Encourage a larger private sector that also aims globally.
6) A "national mission" to develop the economy that includes all citizens and social components.
7) Develop a vision of the Puerto Rico We want to build.
I wrote four paragraphs before blowing My patience: The Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce is spewing bullshit. Utter, unremitting and moronic bullshit.
Oh, there's nothing essentially wrong about the sentiments drooled in their "7 Steps," if taken in isolation. But as an organizational "credo" these seven concepts are degraded to vapid turds in a historically-foul sewer. For you see, on numbers 1 through 6, the Chamber of Commerce has always--always--failed Us.
Who took the lead year after year in pushing manufacturing as Our economic engine, even when formerly-destitute rivals such as Singapore and Ireland left Us in their dust?
Who constantly and continuously fought against laws for flextime, professional development and extended maternity and paternity leaves, even to the point of restricting access to prenatal medical visits as part of employee health plans?
Who consistently and vehemently fought to restrict laws to foster investment as social capital for local firms while simultaneously bawling for that same use of outsider's funds invested under Treasury Section 936?
Who privately finances the fucking useless government We have now?
Who supports established firms by helping them block new ones (Center for the New Economy, anyone?) while cutting every economic issue into the same 100 X 35 mile window?
Who makes a fetish of exclusion at the economic and social levels, to the point where your own membership publicly declares the organization needs to "open its doors"?
The Chamber of Commerce is playing Pontius Pilate, first by playing a central role in creating the mess and now by cravenly trying to fob off its egregious lack of intelligence, vision and integrity on the rest of Us. Here's My response: Shove it.
As for "step" #7, that was written by a marketing hack and it clearly shows that the Chamber of Commerce has lost what little mind it ever had, for in revealing it as part of their magnum opus for economic revival, they show themselves to be so senile as to even be incapable of reading what they wrote in the first place.
Maggots.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
05 December 2007
Three Daisy-Chain Questions
The government says sales tax revenue has "exceeded expectations".
The Municipal governments are crying out for a $485 million bonds emission.
The legislature votes it down...and Aníbal "Jellyfish" Acevedo borrows a spine and orders yet another special legislative session to debate the issue.
Is the sales tax working? Is the governor hiding something? Is the legislative pigsty cleaning up its act with fiscal responsibility?
---Is the sales tax working? Of course not. Think of a struggling runner trying to complete a marathon, his chest heaving as he tries to get his second wind. Now cram a sweaty sock in his mouth and tape it shut. That's Our sales tax right there: Counter-productive and nasty.
As expected by The Jenius, near-Geniuses and true Geniuses (none of whom work for the government), the sales tax is producing less money than expected. So why the "above expectations" remarks? Semantics, otherwise known as spin: The current revenue exceeds the lower-end projections made by The Fools and their butt-licking sycophants. But those scenarios were publicly deemed "highly unlikely failures" by the cretins who crammed the tax down Our throats...and of course, it's in those scenarios where We find Ourselves now.
---Is the governor hiding something? Most definitely. Another fiscal crisis looms with the added concomitant of an election year. He's also hiding a disintegrating (worm-infested) Cabinet, a looming economic disaster known colloquially as "plant closings and lost jobs" and a deep-seated rejection to his campaign plans from within his own party. (He wants to play a waiting game while party insiders want to "rally the masses.") So why does The Jellyfish want to incur another massive debt by issuing bonds, thus increasing an already-huge public debt? Because he has no choice. If he loses support at the Municipal level, he is doomed.
And yet, he has always been trapped in an economic corner by an adverse legislature. At no point in Acevedo's administration has he worked with a "full" budget. As central government was forced to push services and programs to the Municipal level, Jellyfish and legislative Fools were technically on the same side, spending money "out there" to buy votes--er--to provide support in a very visible and self-serving way. So why the sudden divorce? That's related to question 3.
---Is the legislative pigsty cleaning up its act with fiscal responsibility? Of course not. It's simply more politics-as-usual. A tax revenue shortage puts The Jellyfish in bad light, with the opposition party scoring points and the governor's party ratcheting up the pressure to change his strategy. It doesn't matter to the pigsty if their own mayors get hammered by the lack of funding: They'll "make it up" after the elections. But here's where mayoral Fools and legislative Fools part ways, because the legislative Fools have a much better chance of winning their obscene positions than mayors do.
The bottom line here is that the cozy daisy-chain that screwed Us over for the past three years is nominally broken. The gloves are off, the stakes are more personal and instead of focusing on Us as the recipients of public service, We once again become the battlefield for public menaces.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
The Municipal governments are crying out for a $485 million bonds emission.
The legislature votes it down...and Aníbal "Jellyfish" Acevedo borrows a spine and orders yet another special legislative session to debate the issue.
Is the sales tax working? Is the governor hiding something? Is the legislative pigsty cleaning up its act with fiscal responsibility?
---Is the sales tax working? Of course not. Think of a struggling runner trying to complete a marathon, his chest heaving as he tries to get his second wind. Now cram a sweaty sock in his mouth and tape it shut. That's Our sales tax right there: Counter-productive and nasty.
As expected by The Jenius, near-Geniuses and true Geniuses (none of whom work for the government), the sales tax is producing less money than expected. So why the "above expectations" remarks? Semantics, otherwise known as spin: The current revenue exceeds the lower-end projections made by The Fools and their butt-licking sycophants. But those scenarios were publicly deemed "highly unlikely failures" by the cretins who crammed the tax down Our throats...and of course, it's in those scenarios where We find Ourselves now.
---Is the governor hiding something? Most definitely. Another fiscal crisis looms with the added concomitant of an election year. He's also hiding a disintegrating (worm-infested) Cabinet, a looming economic disaster known colloquially as "plant closings and lost jobs" and a deep-seated rejection to his campaign plans from within his own party. (He wants to play a waiting game while party insiders want to "rally the masses.") So why does The Jellyfish want to incur another massive debt by issuing bonds, thus increasing an already-huge public debt? Because he has no choice. If he loses support at the Municipal level, he is doomed.
And yet, he has always been trapped in an economic corner by an adverse legislature. At no point in Acevedo's administration has he worked with a "full" budget. As central government was forced to push services and programs to the Municipal level, Jellyfish and legislative Fools were technically on the same side, spending money "out there" to buy votes--er--to provide support in a very visible and self-serving way. So why the sudden divorce? That's related to question 3.
---Is the legislative pigsty cleaning up its act with fiscal responsibility? Of course not. It's simply more politics-as-usual. A tax revenue shortage puts The Jellyfish in bad light, with the opposition party scoring points and the governor's party ratcheting up the pressure to change his strategy. It doesn't matter to the pigsty if their own mayors get hammered by the lack of funding: They'll "make it up" after the elections. But here's where mayoral Fools and legislative Fools part ways, because the legislative Fools have a much better chance of winning their obscene positions than mayors do.
The bottom line here is that the cozy daisy-chain that screwed Us over for the past three years is nominally broken. The gloves are off, the stakes are more personal and instead of focusing on Us as the recipients of public service, We once again become the battlefield for public menaces.
The Jenius Has Spoken.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)