News Roundup & Commentary (03/27/2016)

What's Good For The Goose Is Good For The Gander?
Raw Story (03/27/2016): Pope slams rejection of immigrants in Easter message. The most logical question to then ask, How many did the Vatican take in?-- "According to The Guardian, a Vatican parish has taken ONE family of four refugees from Syria... The family is Christian of the Catholic Greek Melkite rite. And they might take in one more family." Not exactly leading by example is it?


Divorce Is Messy & Very Costly
Not getting one turns out to be a whole lot more expensive for this 45 year old man from Davenport, Iowa. The NY Daily News told of a guy who never bothered to get a divorce 17 years ago. His estranged wife (whom he hasn't seen) got knocked up about a year ago from a stranger. According to the laws in Iowa he's now on the hook for the next 18 years for child support payments to her.

Here's one of beefs I have with child support laws. Although this takes the cake, in nearly every state once the spouse writes out the checks, the person retaining custody doesn't have to account for the money. I read time and again about how so many fathers are likened unto scum for not making payments. I'm sure in more then a few of these cases they get sick of seeing their ex's spending it on themselves rather then on the child whom it was intended for. So too there's the matter of the ex getting remarried to a wealthy guy. While she & he may then be well off the father is still on the hook, no matter how dire his circumstances become.

Don't get me wrong, fathers should always be held accountable. However current laws are unmerciful in not taking these circumstances into account. Hence why, despite the figures, not every dad is an uncaring bastard as some would have you believe.


Issues Surrounding Minim Wage Increases
The Associated Press (03/27/2016): Deal reached to take California minimum wage to $15 an hour (by 2021). Initial thoughts by critics are it will drive business out. On the other hand workers having more money burn a hole in their pockets will spend more within the state. In others words it may be bad some large businesses can relocate elsewhere, but it should be a boom to others who's sole profits are made within the state. Let's not kid ourselves. The state of California would be it's largest benefactor due to increased tax revenues.


School Truancy In Camden, NJ
Philly.com (03/27/2016): Camden school district tries personal approach to decrease truancy -- " Home visits are nothing new for the more than 18 attendance officers in the state-run district.... But in recent years, truancy officials have started asking more questions when they knock on doors.."

Being the old fart I remember a time if a truancy officer spotted a kid on the street during school days they'd drag his ass in. So while there may be excuses, one of them ain't running around the streets on a school day. Kids will sometimes be little shits. I should know. I was one. With that in mind I have three stories to tell.(1) When I worked part time in high school as a usher at the Rialto theater I decided one Saturday to call in sick so I could run around with fiends. Being I only lived a block away doesn't the manager (Max Silvers) show up at my door. Let's just say he put me on the right track :-)

(2) Then there was the time my buddy and me decided to skip William Allen HS for the day. Instead I drove over to Liberty HS so we could visit two chicks we were chasing. We had lunch with them in the cafeteria. Then after school had the nerve to get on the yellow school bus with them back to the South Side. No we didn't get caught. Not entirely a well thought out plan since we had to walk all the way back to where I left my car. Like I said "sometimes kids will be little shits".

(3) One of my former coworkers was fined over again for her kid not showing up. She was frustrated in several ways. At one point she called out from work and walked her kid into the principle's office so they'd verify his being there. Two hours later she got called and fined yet again. It seems her kid left the office, walked out the building and never showed up for his classes. She asked them what the hell was she suppose to do, skip work so she could walk him around all day to each of his classes!The point is, it's not always the parents fault. We can't simply fine our way out of some of these truancy problems. Yes sometimes it's the parents fault, but not always. Let's hope Camden is on to something here.


Bigger Problem Then Drunks On The Road
Philly.com (03/27/2016): American Airlines pilot arrested after allegedly showing up drunk for flight to Philadelphia. There's thoughts I have on this (and yes as usual another story). I wonder how many aren't caught. Here's why. Many moons ago a fellow I knew was waiting for his brother to fly up from North Carolina in his small Cesssna. He left from a small private airport after having a few. He made it just fine into LVIA (ABE as it was called in those days), but there were concerns. When this same fellow left he tossed a 6 pack into the plane after having a few already. The way it was described to me this guy taxied down the runway and bounced two times on the tarmac before finally lifting off. All's well that ends well I suppose, but these can't be the only two times it's ever happened. Isn't its risky enough to be on the road with them? You're welcome. I knew you wanted something else to worry about.


They May Call It Gambling, But It Wasn't For New Jersey State
According to Philly.com (03/27/2016): Atlantic City is broke and headed for a shut down on April 8th. The short story is governor Christie says either let the state take over otherwise drop dead. The way I see the long story is Atlantic City was set up. For years the state of New Jersey lived off the casinos while Atlantic City got little more then a commission on them.

While there may be plenty of blame to go around I'm seeing more and more states taking over local governments every month, not only in New Jersey. It may or may not be, but it appears states are starving out local run governments and school districts then taking them over. If they run these like they do their own state operations we're headed for a world of hurt. Many of these same states are lashing out against what they claim to be the federal government's lack of funding and it's intrusions on them. They sure don't seem to have a problem when the ball's in their court, do they?


Will The GOP's Convention Be The Safest Ever?
The Daily Mail (03/27/2016): More than 29,000 sign petition for guns to be allowed at GOP convention that claims being unarmed makes people 'sitting ducks' and 'terrorist targets'.

Some 2,472 delegates will be in attendance. If these petitioners get their way I hope there's not one trigger happy screwball among them who will get pissed off with the way things are going in what is shaping up to be one of the most controversial convention in decades. Then on the other hand if they don't get their way let's hope things turn out better then they did in a town appropriately named Tombstone, Arizona Wikipedia: "To reduce crime in Tombstone, on April 19, 1881, Tombstone's city council passed ordinance requiring anyone carrying a bowie knife, dirk, pistol or rifle to deposit their weapons at a livery or saloon soon after entering town. The ordinance was the legal basis for City Marshal Virgil Earp's decision to confront the Cowboys that resulted in the shoot out."
Personally if I were a delegate I'd prefer to take my chances with the professionally trained secret service and properly screened security personnel sweeping the hall and at the front door. This rather then some knucklehead I don't know standing besides me packing heat. I'd resign in a heartbeat if it were the latter. I wouldn't want to bet my life in this instance testing the 'guns make us safer' theory Call me silly.

It looks like this is shaping up to be one hellva a rootin'-tootin' convention.