Things We Already Knew: People on Welfare Are Not All Druggies

Was driving through Atlanta, GA today listening to some local talk radio when the jockey who was on at the time mentioned brought up the state of Florida's projected $178 Million dollar study (in fiscal year one) to drug test people who collect welfare checks.  So far, the study has found that while 2% we cited as drug users, 96% of these people do not use drugs.  This is less than the national average of people over the age of 12 who use drugs (8.7%) and over the age of 26 (6.3%).  It also disproves Governor Rick Scott's ridiculous statement that people on welfare are more likely to use drugs than people who are not on welfare.  Wow, imagine that? When asked for comment, it appears that the Governor's office declined.  Wow, imagine that? 

The jockey went on to call out Governor Rick Scott for wasting $178M of taxpayer money on a ridiculous study when the state is struggling to fund other programs and cutting the jobs of teachers, firefighters, and policemen.  He ended by saying, "This guy has got to go.  People of Florida need to make sure their voice is heard at the next election".

I found it pretty funny that here we had a disc jockey for a radio station in the next state that was more in tune with the politics of Florida than most Floridians are.  I wanted to call in and let him know that I agreed with him in full but the sad part is that an asshole like Rick Scott is likely to be re-elected because people in Florida are asleep at the wheel when it comes to politics.

An Oldie But A Goodie

I was surfing the internet today and came across a link to a classic - cop and his wife eat pot brownies and then call 911 because they think theyre dying.  Slays me every time!

Enjoy!

Getting Political for a Minute

I read an interesting article today about a proposed tax hike of 10% on businesses in the indoor tanning service industry and it really dumbfounded me.  I'm no expert when it comes to politics and policies, but wasn't the goal of the Obama administration to support small businesses?  The indoor tanning service industry is about 99% comprised of small businesses!  A tax of 10% is ridiculous. 

They say that the idea is for the tax to support healthcare reform, you know, since indoor and outdoor tanning has been known to cause skin cancer.  Ok, I can kinda see the point there but aren't there industries that contribute more dead weight to healthcare than a tanning bed?  Look at the obesity rate in this country!  Large corporations operating fast food chains are who I would point the tax finger at.  Something tells me obesity and the many, many health issues that occur as a result of a person being obese probably end up controling more healthcare dollars than skin cancer.  But I don't have the facts, its just a hunch.

I just thought the Obama administration was all about promoting American small businesses.  If that is the case, as I'm positive it was during the election race, taxing an industry that is solely made up of small businesses doesn't make sense.  A tax of 10% on this industry is a heavy one and could mean the closure of many of the small businesses that make up the industry.  It's pretty hard to profit off of a tax when businesses fail as a result, isn't it?  And when these businesses fail, what's next?  Unemployment, that's what.

If someone can explain to me how this makes sense, please do.  I'd love to hear it.  Here is the link to the article.  I will admit that I did get a little chuckle out of the right-wingers in the comment section that immediately claimed that this is a tax on white people.

Fired up: My feelings on the new Marlins Stadium

Tony over at Transit Miami posted about the new Marlins Stadium last night and I liked his post. Matter of fact, I really like this blog, period. I think mass transit is the one itch the City of Miami has that never gets scratched. But thats a whole other story... Since I tried to leave a comment but it wouldnt take, I figured Id make it a blog post.

Ive been against the idea of this stadium at this location since the dumbass who came up with the idea shared it with the world. Its a huge whiff, strike 3, youre out. Tony brings up the one point that our city commissioners really need to realize is paramount to anything else and that is how the community benefits. In this case, the community has the benefit of increased traffic, pollution, garbage, and deteriorating roads that already cant be maintained and will likely worsen. Not exactly beneficial. There is no public transportation to get people to/from the game. There are no local restaurants or bars or museums for people to visit before and/or after the game. So really, what is the goddamn difference between this site and Dolphins Stadium? That there are homes nearby? People will still have to drive to the game, sit in traffic, and then have nowhere to go when they get there but spend $8 on a goddamn hot dog inside the stadium walls. Businessmen and women in the Brickell/Downtown/Gables area will likely just stay put for happy hour, spending their money in a nice, clean area with established businesses that have their followings already, then head over to the game and head back to Brickell/Downtown/Gables after or go home. The ballpark area just gets raped. And guess what? When people realize what a shithole area the ballpark is in they will lose interest in attending a game, especially when the prices to do so are absurd and there are plenty of other things to do outside (Hence the reason the Marlins have such a shitty fan base already).

Its sad that the City of Miami will continue to be run by these halfwits that do nothing for the community as a whole. Whoever lines the right pockets gets their way. The working public continues to get f**ked. This city is in desperate need of a mass transit system but that will continue to take a backseat to crap like baseball teams with a fan base of 5,000 and a PAC that no one goes to. Over 1 Billion dollars wasted on these 2 things that provide service to less than 5% of the City population. Pathetic.