An ADD Post

According to Wikipedia, Attention Deficit Disorder is diagnosed in ten percent of kids in the USA. When I was fifteen, a doctor informed me that I was part of that ten percent. I was never treated for it and I never really felt like I was any different from anyone else but that didn't stop one of America's preeminent drug dealers, Pfizer, from pushing Ritalin on me. I rejected their offer once I learned that Ritalin is really not that dissimilar in its chemical composition from cocaine. If I have ADD, so be it. I don't need to turn in to a mini version of Tyrone Biggums to focus on something.

With that being said, we're debuting a new type of post here. My brain is always working and over-analyzing everything (just ask my friends what happens when I actually find a girl I like. It's like a scene from House on steroids). This post is going to be a compilation of the thoughts that passed through my head over the past week. For the song I promised for every new post, I'll give you one of my favorite songs by Tupac. Now let's get to it.

Mitt Romney is a joke

Another week, another ass kicking for the "inevitable" nominee. It sucks because I want to like this guy. His health care reform in Massachusetts is a hell of an achievement as 99% of residents are covered. His career at Bain Capital was filled with successes like Staples and Sports Authority. The man is obviously a very smart dude but I cannot think of one policy or belief that helps to define him. This week at CPAC (the Conservative Political Action Conference, kind of like Woodstock for old white rich dudes) he said that he was "severely conservative." Barack Obama was probably doing backflips as these words left Romney's mouth. There's a 100% chance that we will see that quote spliced with the one at the end of this video if Romney is the nominee.

What does this guy stand for? Romney is one of the most cynical politicians I have ever seen. He obviously believes that all he needs to do to win is to say whatever his audience wants to hear. Conservatives are flocking to Rick Santorum in droves for two reasons. First, he espouses a theocratic form of governance that appeals to the Evangelical base of the GOP. Second, he has conviction in his beliefs, regardless of how bigoted they are. When Rick Santorum says that homosexuality is tantamount to bestiality, I know that he believes that. When Romney says that he is pro-life, I can not help but think that he is just playing to the Republican base. Romney is proof that a lot of money can get you into the race, but whether you cross the finish line depends on you and you alone.

If the GOP picks Santorum, they'll be signing their own death certificate 

I went over my views of the GOP in my last post so I won't harp too much on this. Rick Santorum is not a viable presidential candidate. We already know that the Republican party is out of touch with 21st century society; a Santorum nomination would prove that they are out of touch with 18th century society. Personally, I am rooting for this scenario. Obama would wipe the floor with Santorum in a general election and would probably result in ass kickings for Republicans in the House and Senate. I am not rooting for this scenario so we can get more Democrats in office but because hopefully it will result in a great epiphany for the Republican party. If the GOP does not realize how radical they have become then they will join the Whigs and Federalists in the scrap heap of American political parties. Either way, a Santorum nomination results in positive change for the U.S. political system. Unless he somehow gets elected; then you can get in touch with me at my new home in Nova Scotia. 

Poor Greece

Last night, the Greek parliament voted on new austerity measures which included a 20% wage reduction for all Greeks. The next time a Tea Partier or an Occupy activist rants about tyranny in this country, do me a favor and punch them in the face. Imagine if Mexico, Canada, and Central America elected a foreign technocrat to oversee all financial decisions made by the American government. Then imagine that this technocrat ruled that in order to receive the funds needed to pay down our debt, that ALL Americans would have to take a massive pay cut. Additionally, multiple social programs like Medicaid and unemployment benefits would be cut or eliminated entirely. This all comes at a time when unemployment and poverty are at unsustainable levels and large sections of the private sector are collapsing. The American government now is faced with either accepting these savage cuts (cuts so drastic that they weren't even asked of Germany after World War II) or declaring bankruptcy and unleashing economic chaos. The only reason why America is being asked to make these ruthless cuts is because they do not make up a big enough percentage of regional GDP to give it leverage in negotiations. This is the world the Greeks currently live in. Poor poor Greece.

Linsanity is insanity

Of all the dumb polls ESPN has conducted, this takes the cake by far. Jeremy Lin is an awesome story about perseverance but ESPN is turning him into something he isn't. If he were black and played in Orlando he would be the second or third story on Pardon the Interruption. Instead, he looks different than America's idea of what a basketball player should look like and he plays in our largest media market so he gets blown up into a superstar after four fucking games. His signature game came against Derek Fisher's corpse, a guy I could probably drop 20 on with ease. Can we calm down and just enjoy this organic sports story without anointing him as the next king of New York City? Also, he's averaging 4.6 turnovers per game during this stretch. Show me a team with a turnover prone point guard and I'll show you a team that won't win more than one playoff series.

Stop the Apple worship

Yes, Apple is an impressive company. Their products are innovative and have irrevocably changed our lives here in the West for the better. The iPhone and iPad are gorgeous and Apple's balance sheet is jaw-dropping. But the reason for this isn't because Apple is filled with geniuses who manipulate the market in admirable ways. Their products look great because they are assembled by hand by what amounts to slave labor. The monthly salary for one worker at Foxconn, the factory that assembles Apple's products, is less than what it costs to buy one iPhone. I won't harp on this too much because it's a complex issue and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Check out this clip from the Daily Show; Jon Stewart's reaction comes as close to mirroring my thoughts on the situation as anything I have seen so far. But the fact remains that Apple is wildly profitable simply because they pay their labor next to nothing and have them work in conditions that violate roughly a kajillion labor laws in the United States. They're not geniuses at Apple, they're just willing to exploit people in order to make money. Stop acting like they walk on water, they don't.