BillAndVal.com Opinions

Fair Share? How much is fair?

You and 100 friends from your high school reunion go out to dinner and the bill turns out to be $1000.00. So you suggest that everyone pay $10.00. Sounds reasonable. However, old Ted ate more than everyone else and drank more too. But that is cool, 10 bucks is easy and you are all old friends anyway. Just when you thought you were ready to settle up a bill, John says to you, "I think you should pay $342.70 of the bill because you earn more than any of us." Then, another person pipes up, Hillary, and says, "yeah, and I think that those who earn less than the average of all of us should cover only $34.60." This implies that the 50 lower half people will split the $34.60, giving them a fair contribution of 69 cents. You have to pay $342.70 because you earn more than everyone else, while those in the lower 50 group each pay 69 cents? That is nuts. When you graduated high school, rather than just jumping into a job to start earning money right away and buying that cool Camaro, you put those dreams on hold and went to college. Your lower 50 friends got the Camaro and wave at you while you are riding the bus carrying your books. You then elected to go to medical school, and four years plus three in residence. Your friends have now moved up! They have a nice house, a Camaro, a Corolla, a cell phone, and three TVs ... and they wave at you as you they head to a bar while you walk to the library to study even more. After 11 years of putting life off, you finally earn your MD! Wahoo! And now you make some good money. They played, you studied. Now you get to play. But that isn't fair, you earn so much more than they do. YOU are able to pay more ... so you should. Lets forget about the sacrifice you made to your friends, family, and yourself 11 years. So you, my friend, because you paid your dues, have to pay $342.70 while half of them at this 20 year reunion get to pay 69 cents. Talk about an incentive system.

Merry Christmas to the Overly Sensitive

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!! Every year at this time I'm reminded of the wussification of America. Do you realize that there are parts of the country where a government employee can be fired if they utter the phrase "Merry Christmas"? This is because it is possible that the person receiving this good cheer may MAY be offended. Now, I would understand a reprimand if the government employee said to someone, "Fuck Off" but that isn't what is being said. Personally, I don't associate too much religion with the holiday cheer itself and maybe that is why I don't get it. Maybe the people offended sincerely believe that the phrase Merry Christmas is being hurled at them as some sort of slanderous, anti-holy statement. If they do, they are morons. It is highly unlikely the clerk at the DMV is plotting ruin against their religion and can't wait for these folks to walk up to the counter so they could say "Merry Christmas". We as a civilization and nation don't need rules for everything. If we do, we are retarded and deserve to wither and die away so that some more advanced group can come along who is capable of recognizing a true slight and slander from one that is not. I've tried putting the shoe on the other foot, asking myself if in anyway I would be offended if someone said, "Happy Hanukah" or "Happy Kwanzaa" or "Happy some other day I made up". No. In fact, while walking in Manhattan someone on a street corner said something to the effect of Happy Hanukah to me a few years ago and I replied, "Same to you." As close to Jew as I get is that I like Kosher hot dogs and pickles. But did this bother or offend me? No way. I thought it was cool that some stranger would wish me well on anything, especially in New York! I say, Merry Christmas .... and to you who are offended by it, I wish you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Minute Men, the true Americans

Immigration is awesome! New people should always be welcomed into our country. New immigrants bring desire, passion, and a recognition of how truly great America is. Illegal immigration, however, severely threatens our way of life. Not only does it stress our welfare systems and put these illegals at risk (by way of exploitation), it provides opportunities for terrorists. We simply must shore up our porous borders. We applaud the whole Minute Man initiative. The volunteering of American citizens to help seal off our country is an outstanding example of American's taking action. Too many fat lazy American's ride the government pine letting things just happen around them, while these real American's spend their time and money patrolling the borders to help ensure our safety. The Minute Men don't deserve to be ridiculed, they should be lauded for their patriotism. Those who scoff at them are the same people that take for granted the work done by the firemen, policemen, and the military. Without these folks, America simply wouldn't exist. Understand that America is great because of its people ... people who step up and do something. What did you do? Go Minute Men ... You have our support.

Sharks Eat People, Dugh!

Okay, so let me get this straight..... people are shocked that shark's eat people? Hello?! Ever hear of the food chain? The ocean is the home of the shark. People, which are land creatures, venture into the ocean. The sharks think, "hummm .... I wonder if they taste like chicken" and take a bite. Why are we so surprised? The sea is their home and a nice tasty morsel is presenting itself. I've been very close to sharks, (very very close multiple times, including an encounter with two Bull Sharks in the Florida Keys with one bumping into my dive partner Val when we were down on a wreck). They are awesome, beautiful, instinctual creatures. Notice the word instinctual? They simply respond to stimulus. If they are hungry, they eat. Typically, sharks go after smaller animals or wounded animals. Like us humans, they are lazy ... and that is why we don't hear of more shark attacks. In general, humans don't provide the easiest meal. So what is going on in Florida right now? My bet is that there is something in the water that is making the marine animals sick. It is throwing off the sharks. Bottom Line: Don't blame the shark for eating people, any more than you blame a bird for flying ... it is what they do.

Eminent DOMINATION!

The Supreme Court rulled in Kelo v New London that the government had the right to take property away from the property owner, even if it is to be turned around and sold to another private citizen!!! Okay, reading The Bill of Rights, Amendment V clearly states, "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." Bending the meaning of "public use" to mean "we don't think you are providing enough tax revenue for us so we will just take your land and sell it to someone who would" is bullshit. It is one thing to take land to put in, say, an Interstate. It is a whole other thing to take someone's property only to be sold to another citizen! The ruling by the Supreme Court is asinine. Don't believe it was tax based? Consider the actual words in the court ruling: "In 2000, the city of New London approved a development plan that, in the words of the Supreme Court of Connecticut, was 'projected to create in excess of 1,000 jobs, to INCREASE TAX and other revenues, and to .... use the power of eminent domain to acquire the remainder of the property from unwilling owners'" WTF? We have done something bad here ... something very very bad. The government can now "legally" take your land. The Supreme Court blew it ... blew it big time. Who, now, can stop the government from just taking land and handing it over to someone else? Hell, the government can now legally become a communist state! Everything owned and parceled out by the government! Congratulations U.S. Supreme Court, you dicked up another fundamental right.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson. What a dumb ass. He is such an amazing musician, yet, even after having legal troubles related to children before, elects to again let children sleep in his bed. Stupidity should be painful, and the "King of Pop" is about to feel it. Mr. Jackson, it is simple, don't invite children to sleep over! You fool.

Fat Kids

OMG! This is ridiculous. Fat kids. There is no reason to have fat kids. Sure, there may be a small percentage that have some legitimate chemical imbalance, but 40-50%? Come on. Loosing weight is VERY simple. Ready for this? We wont even charge you for this: Eat less. WOW! Earth shattering right? Simply don't shove so much food into your mouth. I guarantee that if you don't eat, you will lose weight. Try it. Don't eat. Watch. Sure, you will be hungry. Then eat. Eat only enough to satisfy yourself. Don't eat everything on your plate. Don't order so much from the drive through. How about this approach: Eat only 66% of what you normally do. Then, by the end of a 3 meals, you have effectively eaten one less meal! Dugh. Get out fat ass kids. Play out side. We love the XBox in our house too, but we get outside and exercise. As a lard butt, you move slower, sweat like a pig, and become repulsive. Simply eat less. Damn. Parents of fat kids ... you should be ashamed. You really let your kids down. Your job is to prepare your kids for the world and you've set them up for a life of misery. Next time you travel overseas, see if you pick out the Americans simply by a persons girth.

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