A mid-week post of nothing in particular

I was officially observed today for the first of two times this year. Normally, these things don't phase me a bit since I am a brilliant teacher everyday. However, last year my principal came in for an "unofficial" visit on probably my worst day teaching during the year. It was the day after a test and I had a lot of students that were absent for an unannounced language evaluation. So I decided to show a movie while the absent kids made up the test. We were finishing WWI and I was going to show part of All Quiet on the Western Front. Now, there are two versions of this movie. One was made in the late 1930s and was an Oscar Winner. The other was a made-for-TV movie made in the 70s with Ernest Borgnine. Clearly, I intended to show the Ernest Borgnine version which is in color and is much more exciting than the 1930s version. So when I was cuing it up at lunch I found out that Blockbuster had put the 1930s version into the Ernest Borgnine box, thus making my movie-viewing activity obsolete. So I decided to show a back-up video documentary narrated by Peter Jennings. Instead of making them take notes I decided to be revolutionary and just add interesting bits myself to keep them interested. Well, the principal walks in 3 minutes into the video and had nothing good to say. I explained the situation to her later and she said she understood, but I got a really bad feeling from her for the rest of the year. I had really good "official" observations and even 2-3 surprise observations that went well that year, but the one bad observation that I had in 5 years of teaching stuck with me more.

In any case, today's lesson on the social structure in colonial Latin America went really well and the comments on my official observation form were good including a "very nice job Jeff" at the end. So I feel better, but I hope that I don't have another fiasco this year when my principal makes her surprise visit.

In other news, I have a mailbox full of nominations for DBotW. There are some real doosies in the pile and I will narrow them down by the weekend. Here is one nominee for a teaser:

David Rodriguez, 18 and from Chicago, kidnapped an 8 year-old girl from outside of their local library. To rape her? No. To make her clean the kitchen? No. To carve a pentagram into her chest as part of a demonic ritual intended to bring back his ex-girlfriend? Unbelievably, yes. Fortunately, he was caught because he made the most common mistake made by people kidnapping little kids to use in demonic rituals: he let the little brother go (he went and told a responsible adult - so kindergarten works!!!). Police arrested this anus as he returned from the store to buy candles and incense. This makes me wonder: Don't you buy the supplies for the demonic ritual before you kidnap the 8 year-old? Fucking amateur.

After taking a vote from the EToWJB staff, we (I) decided that this guy was more of a chode-smoker than a douchebag, which cost him the win. Sorry. Maybe he can perform a ritual to repair his rectum after the guys in jail get done with him.

Happy Hump Day!

Douchebag of the Week - November 26 2005

First, the nominees that did not win:

Dick Cheney Giving Cheney this award is like giving an award to a dog for crapping on your carpet. Sure, it stinks when he does it, but you know he's going to do it again so its not that significant. Maybe if I'm still doing this a few years down the road I'll give him the Lifetime Douchebag Achievement Award.

Unknown Disneyland visitor I guess my cousin told my brother a story about a family that went to Disneyland on a special day for people with disabilities. They had one kid with autism that didn't want to go on some ride. So they made the other kid pretend to be retarded so they could still use the pass to get to the front of the line. I'm sure there have been many cases like this, but I could not verify any single case, so no award.














Anybody in this picture These are holiday shoppers at an electronics store in Florida rushing in for the "Black Friday" savings. In the rush to get in, they stepped on the old lady on the ground. However, I include the old lady in the award because she was one of the first in line. Who really needs a $400 laptop that doesn't have enough RAM to run Minesweeper bad enough to wait in line that long? Not me. I got mine for $100 at the computer swap meet in Pomona. Take that dumbasses.

So congrats for the nominations, but none of you were able to out-douchebag this guy:



Mark Reed Downs, my Douchebag of the Week. Mr Downs allegedly (yeah right, look at him...guilty) paid a kid on his t-ball team $25 to throw a ball at another kid. You think that's fucked up? The other kid was also on his team! Wait, it gets better. The other kid was autistic and Downs was hoping to injure the kid so he would not have to play in the game. Only in Florida...or maybe the 909.

In any case, feel free to offer up more nominees. I already have two in mind, and they are really douchebags.

A tribute to a great footballer

Former Manchester United soccer legend George Best died earlier this afternoon in London at the age of 59. (Obit from ManU site here) Although best known for his successes on the field, Best was also known around the world as one of the beautiful game's greatest characters. Unfortunately, it was the drinking part of this character that ultimately led to his demise.

Best was the key in re-building a ManU club that was torn apart in 1958 when 7 players were killed in plane crash in Munich. During his first season ManU reclaimed the league title and also took the European Cup in 1968. His native Northern Ireland also capped best 37 times for their national side.

Although I hate Manchester United and all they stand for with the heat of a thousand burning suns, George Best was one of the best in the world at this game and that is something that I admire.

Some good George Best quotes:

"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars - the rest I just squandered."

"I used to go missing a lot...Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World..."

(On David Beckham) "He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right."

"If I had been born ugly, you would never have heard of Pele"

"In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol. It was the worst 20 minutes of my life."

in "tribute" to Thanksgiving

Today I feel like I want to pillage and rape Thanksgiving just to kill the holiday for the rest of you, although at the end of this rant I will generically list things that I am thankful for.

First, there was not a Thanksgiving "tradition" until maybe the late 1700s or early 1800s. The first "Thanksgiving" with Pilgrims that they embed in our skulls like so many paper vests and bonnets was actually a celebration of the first harvest in the new world. If the Puritan Pilgrims were to give thanks for anything, they would more likely fast than feast. Maybe that is how these people picked Oliver Cromwell as their leader, they were hungry and hallucinating.

Second, although turkey would have been at the ill-named "First Thanksgiving", most of the other traditional Thanksgiving foods would have. Most of these popular foods like apples, potatoes, etc. are not native to North America and would not have arrived for at least another 1/2 century or more. Deer, clams, dried berries, corn, wild turkeys, and fish such as cod, sea bass, and eels would have been a more likely fare. So who wants to carve the Thanksgiving eel?

Finally, anybody who connects this holiday too closely to religion may be making a bit of a mistake. Remember, many of original colonies were created to profit joint-stock companies so there is a good chance that they were more thankful for the profits than the wonderful bounty that God set before them. (OK, I know this is a bit Michael Mooreish, but it fits my theme well.)

Now, what am I thankful for? (Some of these are honest and others are sarcastic):

1. my future wife
2. my family
3. that we didn't entirely wipe out the red man so I can now make a short drive to Commerce if I want to gamble legally. (social commentary in a facetious manner)
4. a Galaxy double
5. Steven Gerrard staying with Liverpool
6. the approaching World Cup
7. a fulfilling job that pays pretty well
8. a roof over my head
9. democracy
10. world peace (I almost just spit energy drink all over the screen)
11. high speed internet
12. Fox Soccer Channel
13. a church where I feel comfortable
14. books
15. Cool Ranch Doritos (do they still sell this?)
16. Bombay Sapphire Gin
17. Vons Club
18. the new clutch in my truck
19. the right to talk shit about people (Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Christian Conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, the Douchebag of the Week) on this blog and not get arrested
20. that you put in the time to read this whole post

So there you have it. Have a Grand Drunken Turkey Day.

And it seems that there are lots of douchebags in the world so I already have several nominees for next weeks award...coming Sunday night.

Ranting on a few things of dire importance

I have a lot I want to mention briefly, so here you go:

1. I enjoy reading blogs written by other people I know. My friend Bob has a blog. Besides being a preacher and university professor, Bob is an avid Galaxy fan and is a member of the LA Riot Squad Supporters Group. We drove Bob's mini-van to San Jose for the playoff defeat of the lame-ass Earthquakes.

2. If you miss hearing something different on the radio, listen to KCRW's Morning Become Eclectic. Mostly Indie-type rock, but they often venture into dance, hip-hop, etc. KCRW is 89.9 in most parts but they also stream.

3. LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (sp?) came to the Galaxy championship celebration yesterday at the Home Depot Center. I'm not sure where I stand with his politics, but he seems like a funny guy. At one point he mentioned that the Riot Squad seemed like it had a few beers.

4. KOST 103.5 FM has already switched to playing only Christmas music. A lot of people think that this is too early. I, however, love it. Maybe I am biased since I am a big fan of Christmas, but I think we are at a point in this country where a little of the old-fashioned (not commercial) Christmas spirit could do us a lot of good. And, despite being a practicing Christian, I don't have a problem with the secularization of Christmas. I like the positive energy. Easter is a much bigger deal to Christians anyways.

5. My long awaited Evil Twin of William Jennings Bryan Douchebag of the Week #2: That lady who sued McDonald's so many years ago for the burns she suffered from spilling hot coffee on herself. "But Jeff, that was so long ago!?!" Yes, but she is now suing a Dunkin' DOnuts for the same thing. I guess her cardboard carrying case fell over on her. Her attorney actually said that it burned her skin off. In any case, this lady needs to switch to iced drinks because clearly the concept of HOT is beyond her.

That's all for today. Please feel free to nominate people for the EToWJB DotW. I will take your nominations into consideration.

Evil Twin of William Jennings Bryan Douchbag of the Day #2

I'm really excited by this new feature that I decided to start, although I am sure some may be offended by the name, but oh well. I like my first double-winners choice and have already tapped recipient #2. In the interest of equality I've picked a women and she's not even in politics. I'm going to wait until Monday to reveal the winner, but I want to design some kind of trophy or plaque before then. This, I hope, will be a good way for me to deal with my late-20s angst.

Carl Levin has a combover...and something about the war

Can you look at the back of that noggin and honestly tell me that hair is not all from the left side of his head? I didn't think so. But I digress.

As I write this, Congress is within hours of voting on whether or not to pull troops from Iraq. So you may think "Hell yeah, let's get our boys out of there!" Well, it is not that simple. Here's why: There is no way this will pass. The Republicans have a majority and will vote this down. So why even vote? If you are a Democrat, what do you do? Vote yes and when elections come you get harassed for not supporting the troops. Vote no and you are supporting Bush. Although anybody with some political awareness will see right through this at election time, most people in this country have their political heads up their political asses. This is the same thing that Republicans did with the Same-sex marriage initiative. So don't get your hopes up that this will get us out of the war and ask yourself why politicians are such assholes.

A bipartisan load of crap

In the past I have been accused of being meaner to conservatives than liberals, but here is a case where I am picking on one Republican Senator and one Democratic senator. Rep. Sen. Alen Specter and Dem. Sen. Tom Harkin were both caught trying to get buildings named after themselves in a recent amended appropriations bill. Here's a pic of those sections of the bill (taken from drudgereport.com):










I hereby proclaim both of these senators to be the first "Evil Twin of William Jennings Bryan Douchebags of the Day." I want to make this a regular feature on my site. Although I feel like Douchebag of the Week will be better and more feasable. In any case, how arrogant do you have to be? Granted, they claim that this part of the amended bill was suggested by other Senators, but c'mon, we know the truth assholes.

Congratulation douchebags!

Beer...is there anything it can't do?

So I am at the 6740, which is a bar in downtown Whittier that my Galaxy Supporters Group hangs out. MLS Cup and I'm anxious as hell. Anxious enough that the nachos and fish-n-chips are causing me to feel like I am going to vomit at any moment. So I stop drinking John Courage and turn to Sprite around halftime. At that point, the Galaxy turn from a team that is creating great opportunities to score to a team that is living in their own defensive end, at least most of the time. I begin to think "While I had beer they were playing strong attacking soccer, now without beer they are bogged down with desparate long balls in a 0-0 draw headed for overtime." So, in complete disregard of my bowels, I order a Bud Light in a strange blue aluminum bottle since it is only $2. It arrives about halfway into the first overtime period. Literally 15 seconds later we score. Result:



1-0 to the Galaxy in overtime. US Open Cup + MLS Cup = double for my Galaxy.

Plus, we went to the pirate store in Whittier called Pirate's n' Plunder. No kidding. An entire store dedicated to pirates. My friend bought a onesy (sp?) for his 1-year-old that says "poopdeck" on the butt.

In any case, I give complete credit to beer for this victory to beer. Well, that and to Amanda, who left to the landry-room before the goal was scored. And maybe a little credit for Pando Ramirez, notching his first non-PK goal as a member of the Galaxy (after 62 consecutive unsuccessful shots.

A superfluous amount of topics

I said yesterday that there were 4 topics that I would write about yesterday and I only covered one of them. So here are the rest:

Why will I be constantly on the verge of vomiting until Sunday at 12:30?
In reality, it will probably until 2:30 or so. Sunday afternoon is MLS Cup 2005 and my LA Galaxy have made an improbable run to the championship game after being the lowest ranked team to enter the playoffs. So until my beloved Gs claim the cup, I will be very anxious and on the verge of vomiting. I just hope it doesn't ruin chili-night at my mother's Saturday night.

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
This is a more complicated question than you think. Many people would just answer with their favorite food. But what if your favorite food is chocolate? Could you really eat chocolate as your only meal the rest of your life? I doubt it. You also need to consider your health. This kind of throws off my theory of pizza, but I am thinking if that pizza had various meats and vegetables that it would be reasonably healthy. Other foods I have heard people mention before: 1.mac n' cheese (I can't eat this more than 1-2 times a month without getting tired of it. 2.steak Yeah, I love steak, but I think your arteries would clog after too long. Although I can honestly say that I would never get tired of steak. 3.eggs I want to give eggs a break and all, but there is such a thing as too many eggs. So I guess I'll stick with the pizza option, but I could go with steak or even cole slaw.

What could the state have done with $80 million other than a special election with no results?
1. print up new letterhead without Arnold's name since he's pretty much done with this job
2. build a giant wall around Bakersfield to quarantine their stupidity
3. bribe the NFL to bring a team to Los Angeles
4. install sprinkler system in all forest to more easily put out fires
5. invent flying cars like in the Jetsons to help end traffic
6. build more In n' Outs
7. get the State into the Guinness Book by building a record-setting burrito
8. build a couple of schools


That's all for now. I feel better.

Energy Drinks

You may not be aware that I am a connoisseur of fine energy drinks, but I am. One of the conflicts that I originally had with buying energy drinks was deciding which ones tasted good enough to drink and which tasted like moldy Mountain Dew filled with rotten bananas. So here is my evaluation of every energy drink that I have ever tasted.

Red Bull Its like liquid SweetTart, which is not what you want to taste if your energy boost is in the morning. I feel like people go to Red Bull because it was the original in its market, but I argue that it is not your best choice. They do, however, have a sugar-free version. I've never tasted it, but sugar-free is always a good option. C-

Sobe Adrenaline: Not the best tasting of your options, but its not horrible either. I think this one has a pretty high amount of potassium, so it would be better after a long day playing soccer or helping your friend move (which is how I first discovered it). B-

Nos Sugar Free I have never tasted the inside of a dog's ass, but I'm going to guess that this flavor is very similar. The worst energy drink ever. F

Hansen's This one in the little green can is one of my favorites. I like the flavor, its not too big so you can pound it, and it only gives you enough energy to "take the edge off" without causing you to go insane. They used to sell it by the case at Costco, which is how I got hooked. My friend Andrew and I drank 2-3 of these every day the last year that we were both counselors at summer camp. They also have a few other flavors. There is an orange-flavored one that is kind of gross. There is one called Power that is OK and one that is called B-Well that I took one time I was sick. It was pretty good too. The regular drink:A-

Monster: One of the better drinks, but not for the weak of heart. It gives you a huge boost, but doesn't leave you crashing out after a couple hours. Tastes pretty good, too. The 16-ounce can is more than I want to drink at one time and more than my heart wants to deal with, but since it is currently carried at Costco you can get them at $1/can if you buy a dozen you can throw away the last 4-6 ounces. A Sugar free B+ The KHAOS Juice version that they make tastes pretty bland so C-

Jones: they had an older version of this when I was in college that gave you tons of energy and tasted OK. This time around the taste is OK, but the kick is less and can give you quite a dropoff after a few hours. Also, it gives me the worst loogies. B- Sugar free B

Full Throttle: They gave these out after a Galaxy game one time and I used it as an energy boost to get me home. Flavor is very slight for an energy drink, but it does not give you a huge boost like Monster. Not a bad choice, but the big can is too much for me as well. B+

Amp: Mountain Dew was the energy drink of the early 90s and this one is by the same people. Tastes sweet, a lot like the soda. A lot of energy. They also have a "Deuce" can which is bigger. I had that one time maybe 9 months ago for some reason (I can't remember why, but I needed a buttload of energy). All that energy had my way too hyper. One can is more than enough. A good choice. A-

That's all I can really remember right now. Next time I need one of these I'll probably go for Rockstar since I have heard good things about it. In any case, if you need a gentle buzz to help you get past a hangover, I recommend the Hansen's. If you need a real pick me up I go for the Amp. If you need to run at 110% after being awake for 20+ hours go for the Monster.

Poor Ah-nold

I have SO much I want to talk about today, but I should probably do some work during my conference period, so I'll keep it short.

Originally I was going to comment on the results of each proposition, but since they all failed, I'll just say this:


























The only better result than all of my votes going towards the winner was no propositions passing. Awesome! I mean, only the abortion one was even close. So my tenure is saved, my union will still get tons of money to waste on political campaigns, and old people will still pay a ton to get their drugs. Nothing like paying $80 million for an election that brings NO CHANGE!!


Other topics that I will write about today:
1. Things the State of California could have done with $80 million
2. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
3. What is the best energy drink?
4. Why am I going to constantly on the verge of vomiting until 12:30 Sunday?

So if you check out the blog after 10:00pm tonight there may be gobs of entertainment awaiting you.

I vote therefore I am

Normally I honor election days with the reading of a John Greenleaf Whittier poem, but seeing as this is a fake election day, I will not. However, rest assured:



Actually, I changed my mind today on one of the propositions. I won't say which one, but I was a little surprised even at myself when I "inkavoted" the little circle.

Also, let me say this. The house that I vote in smells like cat pee. I guess my anti-cat BBQ comment was eliminated from another blog, so now I get to freely voice my anti-cat sentiments. If I were voting on a proposition to make cats illegal, I'm sure I would vote no (despite knowing that cats are mignons of satan), but I might change my mind in this house. My apartment is certainly not a great example of clean, but when it stinks I find the piece of raw chicken that fell behind the trash can and get rid of it. Cats are permanent nasty in my book. If a dogs stinks you throw it in the yard and hose him down - problem solved, but cats run from water thereby retaining their nastiness. That and the claws. Screw cats.

Church vs. State?

It was revealed Sunday that the IRS is currently targeting the church that I attend, All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena, for removal of tax-exempt status. (read about it here) About a year ago, the former rector gave a sermon that used a hypothetical debate between Kerry, Bush, and Jesus. Basically, the sermon gave the opinion that the war in Iraq is wrong and had Jesus questioning Bush's foreign policy. At no point, however, did Rev. George Regas actually give an endorsement of either candidate, he only urged the congregation to consider the teachings of Jesus and to vote with their conscience.

The issue at hand is that non-profit groups are not allowed to "intervene in political campaigns and elections." So the letter warned that the IRS would be investigating.

Question: What church does not speak up about political issues? I know that the Pope has come out against the war on many occasions, but is the IRS going after the Catholic Church. Consider this: All Saints is nationally known for being a very liberal church as well as being active in pursuing human rights. Although the church's tax lawyer seems to feel that the IRS's actions are not politically motivated, I don't see how they are not. At what point does speaking out against war not fall into the realm of any church? How is it "intervening" in an election if there is no actual endorsement? How can Bush openly proclaim his strong religious beliefs and at the same time see the IRS do this?

I realize that I sound a little to much like a conspiracy nut, but what do you expect? I am going to try and do a little research into other church's that have tax-exempt status and make strong political statements. I'm looking at you Pat Robertson! (Seriously, I am. His TV channel got into trouble back in the 90s).

A new link

I put a new link in my link sections. My good friend Pete (who I have always called Peter and will continue to do so in order to avoid confusion with the other Pete that writes on Escape the Rat Race and The Essays) has a really good blog called Pete the Elder. Peter is one of the smartest guys I know, which is shocking for 3 reasons: #1 He lives in Texas #2 He was raised in the 909 #3 He was (is?) a huge fan of the Monkees. I hold none of those things against him. In fact, he will be one of my groomsmen this summer. So check it out.

before you read my proposition stuff

I just want to make it clear that although I originally wanted to give an unbiased view of each proposition, I decided that being fair takes too long and is usually not as funny. So for Proposition 73 I still have what I think is an unbiased view. However, the rest include my very biased (and I would argue correct) views on the propositions. Most people would say "I encourage you to vote according to you conscience and don't just follow my vote", but I highly encourage you to be a follower and vote exactly like me.

However, if you are getting all independent on me, check out the State page for summaries, analysis, and arguments and rebuttals by both sides at this website Arnold's bitches (aka the State of California)

Enjoy. and make sure you vote on Tuesday. If a Republican tells you that its Wednesday, don't believe them...its really Tuesday the 8th.

the other other propositions

Prop 77: Redistricting
This law would create a panel of 3 retired judges to draw district maps instead of the current system where state legislators do it.
On the surface this looks like a great idea, but there is at least one catch that I don't like. The judges would be picked by the legislators and there would be less accountability to popular vote. However, if you look at some of the district maps, something is broken. For example, there is a rule that says all districts must be contiguous, meaning all in one chunk. The 46th is basically two chunks literally joined by a stretch of beach, thus avoiding the high minority population of Long Beach. The joke is that the 46th is only contiguous at low tide. Another point is that none of the state seats or U.S. House seats switched parties in the last two elections. NONE!! And, almost none of the elections were considered competitive (less than 60% to the winner). In short, is this THE solution? Probably not. Is it better than what we have now? I say:
MY VOTE: YES

Props 78 and 79: Prescription Drug Discounts
Both of these propose discount prescription drug programs.
You may ask yourself: Why are there two programs that seem to do the same thing? Simple answer: The drug companies want 78 because they will get more dough. 79 includes a "best price" requirement for companies to participate. No offense to drug companies, but I don't trust you assholes. Wait, forget the no offense part. I hope you greedy bastards are offended.
MY VOTE: NO on 78, YES on 79

PROP 80: Electricity re-regulation
Would increase regulation on some electricity providers.
This was a tough one to get through since it sounds so good. However, once I looked into it more I realized that its kind of a sham. You see, most of us go through an Investor Owned Utilities (IOUs) like SC Edison or San Diego G&E, which are already under pretty good regulation as far as price(no, seriously). So this would not really change things for you too much. However, it does permanently cut off new "direct access" accounts that are usually large business and schools as well as people looking for alternative sources of energy (like solar). So although the law talks about making a stronger push for "green" energy, it really prevents it in a way. At least that's my take on the issue.
MY VOTE: NO

the other propositions

I had intended to spend much more time on these originally, but time has been a rare commodity for me lately. So, the following is basically my opinion on each of the current propositions. I'll try to give each a fair summary, but I won't go into the detail that I did for Prop 73.

Prop 74: Teacher tenure/evaluation
Basically, this prop would change the 2 year period for tenure to 5 years, effecting all teachers hired during or after the 03-04 school year. Also, it will be made easier to fire a tenured teacher that gets bad evaluations.
My thought on this is very biased since it would basically mean that I don't get tenure next year, so I basically am voting no to protect my own ass, not that I am afraid of getting fired. However, I see any law that makes it tougher to get and keep teachers as a bad idea. Did you know that about 1/2 of teachers quit within the first 5 years. That means teachers will not be given any level of comfort within that trial period. That part of it sucks in my opinion. However, I don't have a problem with making it easier to fire tenured teachers. Let's put it this way. I know some shite teachers that get good evaluations every year. Why? Because they get a warning maybe 2-3 weeks ahead of time that the observer is coming. How real could that evaluation actually be? MY VOTE: NO

Prop 75: Union Dues
This proposition would make public employee unions have to get permission from members to use money towards political contributions.
Again I am pretty biased, but this proposition is the biggest load of political bullshit to hit a ballot in a long time. Why is this on the ballot? Because the Governator is tired of being fought by these unions. Two things that I find particularly lame: (1) Unions are claiming that this takes away my freedom of speech. Bullshit. It really adds to my freedom of speech since it would now be easier for me to disagree with my union and show them that by not signing up. (2) I already have the option to not have my dues go towards political contributions. All I have to do is fill out some simple paperwork. If you are paying in and complaining about it then you are just lazy. Like me.
Again, this proposition is not reform. Its politics and bullshit.MY VOTE: NO

Prop 76: State spending limits
This prop would put another limit on state spending by controlling growth.
Another bullshit political stunt. The people promoting this prop try to shock you that 1/2 of the state budget goes to education. No shit assholes. If you actually studied our system of federalism you would realize that education is the primary responsibility of state governments. At roads and infrastructure and you'll be at about 75% or so. What else does the state do? Licensing, regulations, etc. that just don't require much. Right now the state is forced to keep education spending up. This would stop that. I teach at a school and I can tell you that I get paid pretty well and get lots of money for shit in my classroom, but the buildings around all of this shit are falling apart. Plus, there are a shitload of kids here and not enough rooms to put them in. We need to spend more money on education, especially since the State holds our asses to the fire over testing. Maybe we should stop kissing the corporate asses of California businesses and start giving out kids a better chance. But that would be too obvious. MY VOTE: NO

Damn, I wrote way more than intended. I'l hit up the other 4 props by Friday. Right now I'm heading to the gym. Hopefully I don't run into any old men drying their balls with hair dryers like last Wednesday.

Happy Hour? I might be in.