Essie's Busy

Essie's been busy the last few days, but she'll be back before long.

Maybe they really are stupid.

I have always been offended by the press bias that deems the South racist and the North pure as the driven snow. If that's really the case, then why is it that, according to the 2010 census results, the nation's blacks are leaving big cities in the Northeast and Midwest at the highest levels in decades to move to the South?

I can come to only one of two conclusions. Either the press is wrong and the South isn't more racist than any other section of the country, or blacks really are stupid.

"More blacks are moving to South." The Dallas Morning News; February 16, 2011; p. 10A.

Why is this OK?

Suppose one of our white commissioners stood up at a Commissioners Court meeting and said to a bunch of black citizens there to address the court, "You're all black. Go to hell!"

I doubt there's a commissioner or any other white official anywhere who would be that stupid. He would be run out of town on a rail.

Yet John Wiley Price stood up in Dallas the other day at a public meeting and said to a group of white constituents, "All of you are white. Go to hell!" Then he called one of the men there "fat boy." There is no public outcry for him to resign. There is no apology. Why? I don't get it.

"Tempers flare, insults fly in Price's court outburst." The Dallas Morning News; February 16, 2011; p. 1A.

Why?

The Obama Administration last week released a report on his redesign of the government's role in housing finance. "The government must help to ensure that all Americans have access to quality housing that they can afford."

Why? Where is that in the Constitution? Bet you can't find it there. What the government "must" do is stop enslaving people in a welfare state. Give them the freedom to earn and buy their own houses, and get the government nose out of it.

If the government hadn't grown so heavy with housing programs, food programs, medical programs, retirement programs, ad infinitum, we wouldn't be in the economic mess we're in now. Able-bodied people would realize if they work, they reap the benefits. If they don't, it's nobody's fault but theirs.

If you want to own a home or anything else, do it the old-fashioned way. Go out and work for it!

"Fewer may get to own homes." The Dallas Morning News; February 12, 2011; p. 1A.

Awww - bless his heart!

Jason Bourque says he's a victim -- just as much as the congregations of the 10 churches he burned and the additional three he tried to burn. He's a victim of Chantix, the stop-smoking drug. He says it caused him to have urges and trances. He's a victim of his accomplice who should have stopped him, he says. (Even though his accomplice wasn't even present for several of the arsons).

Jason's an understanding, kind soul. He forgives the churches for the "harsh" sentence meted out to him. Bourque wants the congregations to know that "they misunderstand me. I'm not a troubled youth." We should understand that getting hooked on anti-depressants, smoking pot, being caught with drug paraphernalia, and getting kicked out of college is perfectly normal behavior. Not to mention the multiple arsons.

While awaiting trial, Bourque, who says he wants the chance to become a pastor or a Christian counselor, was written up for slipping out of handcuffs, brewing alcoholic hooch, and instructing his mother to bring him contraband. I just hope that any church who ever calls him to fill the pulpit has plenty of fire insurance. You never know when Jason might be victimized again.

"Church arsonists break silence on spree." The Dallas Morning News; February 12, 2011; p. 4A.

Alas! I'm a racist. But you probably are, too.

What do you think of a man who deliberately, maliciously, and for fun and profit tortures, mutilates, and kills dogs? Be careful how you answer, because if you say that he's one mean sick wacko who needs some psychiatric help, you're a racist.

The Rev. Marion Barnett thinks Michael Vick has been treated unfairly. "It's racism . . . and we need to stop this unethical treatment of black human beings," he says. I can agree with the Rev. Barnett to a degree. If black human beings are being treated unethically because they are black, that's racism. But I have a couple of questions. First, is it unethical if you honestly believe Michael Vick didn't deserve a key to the City of Dallas? I know of no ethical principle that's being violated here. Second, is Michael Vick a human being? Given what he is capable of, there is grave doubt.

"Talking Points." The Dallas Morning News; February 13, 2011; p. 1P.

Uhhhhh - let me think about it.

Michael Gilliland, the CEO of a chain of natural food stores, was arrested in a child prostitution sting in Phoenix, Arizona. He thought he was talking online to an underage girl when he tried to set up a sexual assignation. He resigned from the food store chain; however, he said he doesn't believe he is guilty.

He doesn't believe he is guilty? What does that mean? He doesn't know whether or not he tried to have sex with a child? Or he doesn't know if it's wrong to have sex with a child? Or he's not guilty because he got caught before he could carry through with the actual act? Or he knows they have him dead to rights so a denial is futile?

Well, maybe Mr. Gilliland doesn't believe he's guilty, but Essie May sure suspects he is!

"Grocery CEO resigns after Phoenix arrest." The Dallas Morning News; February 14, 2011; p. 3A.

Why Government Spending is Out of Control

Texas State Representative Ruben Hinojosa has filed for bankruptcy. He has $2.9 million in liabilities. He serves on the House Financial Services Committee. Inspires you with all kinds of confidence, doesn't it?

"Texas rep declares bankruptcy." The Dallas Morning News; February 4, 2011; p. 3A.

Pots and Kettles

The Dallas Morning News has run at least two full-page ads patting themselves on the back for delivering the newspaper through the snow and sleet we had the past two or three weeks. "Over the last few days, our carriers did what very few others were able to do. They delivered," they crow.

Well, maybe they did technically, but is it news when it's two days old? I did get my newspapers, but Friday's and Saturday's were delivered on Sunday. . . after the sleet and snow.

Skip over a few pages in the same edition of the paper, and there's an editorial about how DART board members praised the performance of the rapid transit during the storm. "But we have a sharp point of disagreement with those members of DART's policymaking board who bubbled with praise and little else . . . Had everything possible been done to ward off an unprecedented rail shutdown? . . . It's unfortunate that there are see-no-evil, hear-no-evil board members who don't start with the posture that the customer comes first and a tough-minded critique is in order. Internal pats on the back have their place, but not at the head of the agenda."

Perhaps the news editor responsible for this editorial should take the advice he dispenses in his summation: "Ask any company that delivers a service or puts products on shelves. When things go wrong, and customers are unhappy -- really unhappy -- the message can't be: 'But think about how hard we worked. And think about how many people were satisfied.' That will never work."

The Dallas Morning News; February 11, 2011; p. 21A.
"Backward Thinking." The Dallas Morning News; February 11, 2011; p. 28A.

Is he the best you can do?

Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway gave Michael Vick a key to the city. Enduring much criticism, Caraway proclaimed Vick to be a hero. For those of you who aren't sports fans or don't remember, Michael Vick is the pro football player who tortured and killed dogs for fun and profit.

Caraway says that Vick has paid his debt to society, has turned his life around, and is worthy of the honor. Maybe he has turned his life around. Maybe he has paid his debt to society. Maybe there is foregiveness. But there doesn't have to be adulation and honor for a man so twisted he saw nothing wrong with what he did. I don't care if he is now Saint Michael, he had to have been one sick wacko to do what he did, and we certainly shouldn't be holding him up as a role model. Let's not say to our kids, "Look how depraved you can be and still be a popular hero." If we must hand out these cheesy honors, let's find someone who's been a straight arrow from the beginning and hasn't had to turn his life around.

"Jaws fall open with Vick's key to the city." The Dallas Morning News; February 8, 2011; p. 1A.

Unclear on the Concept

Teachers are upset over the days they have lost due to the bad weather in North Texas. They say they don't have enough time to teach their students what they need to know to pass the state exams. Linda Price, a teacher at Sheffield Intermediate in north Dallas, said her students need more work before taking the TAKS March 1. "They're looking horrible," she said. "We can't catch up in writing." I think our schools are unclear on the concept. The TAKS is a comprehensive test intended to demonstrate that the student is picking up the concepts and information he needs to succeed. It is not an end in itself. Our educators are thinking backward. The successful student will pass the TAKS -- passing the TAKS does not make a successful student. If the teacher has been teaching the student to write since August, she shouldn't be concerned that her students can't "catch up" to take the test. Five days shouldn't be a make or break deal. The kids should already be well-versed in the writing principles they need. "Teachers fretting over lost days." The Dallas Morning News; February 10, 2011; p. 1B.

Does God evolve?

VP Joe Biden predicts that a national consensus for same-sex marriage is in the future. "I think the country's evolving," he said on Good Morning America. He says he agrees with President Barack Obama that his position on gay marriage is evolving.

Hmmmmm - God said homosexuality was an abomination. Do you think His attitude on the subject is evolving?

"Biden: Time is on the side of gay marriage." The Dallas Morning News; December 25, 2010; p. 9A.

Think about it, Patricia.

Patricia Wagner of Carrollton thinks she has a one-page solution to our health care problems. All I can say is, I'm glad Patricia's not in charge of things.

Number 2 on her list is: Insurance companies must accept everyone. Does Patricia realize that means even the deadbeat who spent his money on other things besides insurance and now finds himself with an expensive illness the rest of us, who've had insurance all along, must subsidize. Insurance is a shared risk business. That means my rates go up when a sick person buys insurance from my company.

Number 3 on her list is: Insurance rates must not exceed 10 percent of salary, per person. So, Patricia, I don't know what business you are in, but let's say you own a dress shop. You have a dress for sale that cost you $75. You price the dress at $150, the price you figure you need in order to cover your overhead and make a small profit. Mrs. Brown comes in, tries it on, and declares it a perfect fit. You ring up $150. "Wait!" Mrs. Brown says. "I don't make enough for you to charge me that much. You may charge me only $65." "But the dress cost me more than that," you exclaim. "Too bad," says Mrs. Brown. "You can't charge me more than 10% of my weekly salary. That's part of the one-page solution."

Number 4 on her list is: State-administered low-premium insurance will be available for low-income families. If they are paying low premiums, then their risk won't be covered. That means tax dollars to subsidize them. It's hard enough for most of us to pay for our taxes and insurance now. What do you think it will be like when you're paying not only for yours, but for all the "poor folks" as well?

Number 5 on her list is: People happy with their present insurance can keep it. Yeah, right. Patricia needs some Economics 101. If we implement the rest of her one-page solution, there won't be any insurance companies. . .which is what Obama has wanted from the beginning.

"My one-page solution." The Dallas Morning News; January 23, 2011; p. 3P.

Think I'll have a Chick-fil-A for lunch.

You want to hear about the height of hypocrisy?

The gays are upset because Chick-fil-A provided sandwiches and brownies to a marriage seminar in Pennsylvania. The seminar was sponsored by a group that is outspoken against homosexuality, but the seminar itself was about marriage. Do you recall gays asking how homosexuality threatens traditional marriage? There's one answer for you. They want to ban people learning how to make their marriages better.

At any rate, students at some universities have begun to try to get Chick-fil-A removed from their campuses. There's tolerance for you. "If you're eating Chick-fil-A, you're eating anti-gay," they say. Douglas Quint says, "It literally leaves a bad taste because I know the people who are putting this food in my mouth actively loathe me." Oh, by the way, Douglas's business is ice cream. He operates the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck in New York.

All I have to say about that is "EAT MOR CHIKUN."

"Chick-fil-A's ties to group anger gay rights advocates." The Dallas Morning News; January 30, 2011; p. 8A.

Why don't you do it, Blake?

In a recent letter to the editor, college student Blake Fowler bemoans the lack of "night life" in Paris. He wants something to "keep the guest coming back."

Our square has little to offer, he says. There is a potential for family-owned businesses -- pizzerias, family restaurants, small pubs, and the renovation of the movie theater. His only intent is to better our community.

Well, put your money where your mouth is, Blake. It's very easy to say, "Why doesn't someone else do it?" It's a lot harder to say, "I'm going to open a pizzeria, family restaurant, small pub, or renovate a movie theater." When Parisians see you do something besides gripe in the newspaper, maybe they'll be inspired and follow suit. As you say, think about it.

"A lack of night life." The Paris News; January 28, 2011; p. 4A.

Why do you suppose this woman is homeless?

Ouida Wright of Green Bay, Wisconsin, won two tickets to the Super Bowl from the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. Because Ouida and her boyfriend are homeless, the DC & VB threw in airfare.

Ouida says her house went into foreclosure when her husband left her. She's been offered $10,000 for the tickets which she turned down. With $10,000, she could at least put up a deposit and get a place to stay for a few months so she would have an address to give a prospective employer. Instead, she's flying to Texas for one afternoon of fun. Maybe there's a reason her house was foreclosed and she doesn't have a job.

"Jobless woman wins free tickets." The Dallas Morning News; February 1, 2011; p. 10A.

Essie Award Time

It's Essie Award time. The Essie is given anytime Essie comes across someone she deems worthy of the award given on the basis of incredible stupidity.

This Essie goes to Stacey Champion, age 39. Stacey lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She took a package to the post office to mail it to Atlanta, Georgia, on January 25. It was a birthday gift for some unnamed person. As the box sat on a counter at the post office, it moved by itself and fell off. Startled postal workers opened the box to find a 4-month-old panting poodle puppy inside. No food . . . no water.

Stacey probably thought she was being very smart when she punched air holes in the box . . . which she promptly covered over with packing tape. The poor puppy was lucky he was found before he was thrown in the back of a mail truck.

Stacey has been charged with animal cruelty. She's also guilty of gross stupidity, and as such, deserves this Essie!

"Charges filed in mailing of puppy." The Dallas Morning News; February 3, 2011; p. 6A.

And City Hall should be involved in this because . . .?

The headline in a recent edition of The Dallas Morning News says: "Dallas City Council: Fitness initiative for kids outlined." The lead paragraphs explains, "Childhood obesity and its terrible corollary, diabetes were the top subject of the Dallas City Council on Wednesday as members listened to details of a new plan aimed at helping kids eat better and get fit."

Where, pray tell, did the City Council get the idea that getting kids to eat right and exercise was its responsibility? It's not like they don't have enough to legitimately work on.

We've got to wake up and get the government, from the municipal to the federal, out of our private lives!

"Fitness initiative for kids outlined." The Dallas Morning News; February 3, 2011; p. 1B.

Hide your salt!

Last month, I warned you about the PETA type folks coming after your catfish. While you're hiding that freezer full of filets, you better find a hole to bury some salt in. The government is on the way to outlawing salt, and they're doing it discriminatorily.

The Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments say that people who are 51 years old or older, all African-Americans, and those with high blood pressure, diabetes, and/or chronic kidney disease should cut the amount of sodium they eat daily to half a teaspoon. The Food and Drug Aministration is going to further that cause by pressuring food industry businesses to reduce the amount of salt in their products. If the pressure doesn't work, the industry will be forced to let the government dictate its recipes. Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the FDA will have to take action for the companies to reduce enough salt to matter.

Our forefathers are sitting in heaven shaking their heads in disbelief. Who would have thought that our government "of the people" would ever get so out of control as to tell us what we may and may not enjoy at our dinner tables? Catfish yesterday, salt today -- what food will they outlaw next?

"Americans urged to slash the salt." The Dallas Morning News; February 1, 2011; p. 1A.

You'd think a college teacher would know better.

Ray Karrer recently sent a letter to The Paris News in which he opined about the Texas legislature cutting spending. He claims the legislature is balancing the budget by "taxing the least of these." But it's obvious from Karrer's further explanations that this retired college teacher should go back and learn what a tax is.

Is our legislature proposing new taxes for the poor? Not that I know of. What Karrer calls a tax is the lack of a handout. "When we reduce health care for the ones who can afford it least, we are in essence levying a tax on the poor." Hogwash! The "poor" aren't being asked to contribute one dime to the state's coffers. They are merely being told that the state can no longer afford to pay for what they should have been paying for themselves all along. Let me give you an example of "the poor."

I know of a man who has had two children out of wedlock. He refused to marry the mother of his second child because she would lose her medicaid benefits if he did, yet they are living together. Both he and the mother of his child smoke. They can "afford" cigarettes, yet they can't "afford" medical care for their child. Why did they have a child they can't afford? Because they knew someone else would take care of it for them. I am not opposed to these people, as Karrer puts it, being taxed.

Karrer says that when we take away grant funding for those who can't afford to go to college, we are again levying a tax on the poor. That's kind of like saying that GM is levying a tax on me because I can't afford a Cadillac, and they're not giving me the money to buy one. Just as I don't have to contribute one dime to GM (except through government bailouts) those who can't afford to go to college aren't being taxed one dime because of their status.

And Karrer goes on and on in this vein. He "pleads for fairness." I've been pleading for fairness for years. Fairness is not taking my money and giving it to someone who didn't work for it. Karrer must face the reality that the lack of a handout is NOT a tax. He should know better.

"Tax the 'least of these.'" The Paris News; January 23, 2011; p. 4A.

How many chances?

Samuel Moncada was just sentenced to 4 years in prison. That was for raping a 15-year-old girl who then died of a heroin overdose at his house. Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentences which would have amounted to 40 years. But the jurors went with the defense recommendation of the two two-year sentences.

Was it because the girl had previously been in a lot of trouble? Who knows. My take on it, though, is that she was 15 years old. Even if she threw herself at him, he was the adult, and he should have taken her home -- not raped her and drugged her to death. If this man serves the full 4 years, he'll be 30 years old when he gets out of prison. That'll give him plenty of time to wreak havoc with some other young girl's life. Hope it's not the daughter or sister of one of the jurors.

"Girl's rapist to serve 4 years." The Dallas Morning News; January 22, 2011; p. 1B.

Texas legislature takes a stand!

I am so proud of the Texas legislature. Last week, the Senate passed 20-12 a preliminary approval of a bill requiring photo ID for voters. Democrats, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Texas NAACP are adamantly opposed to the bill. Guess that gives you some indication as to where the voter fraud is located.

The Mexicans claim the law is discriminatory. I don't know where they get that. It will apply to all voters. If it applied only to Mexicans and blacks, then we could say it was discriminatory, but we're not asking them to do something we're not asking white voters to do. But that's the norm -- if there's no good argument against something, just yell, "Discrimination!"

"Voter ID bill passes first vote in Senate." The Dallas Morning News; January 26, 2011; p. 3A.