WASTED YOUTH
June 26, 2014
Everybody seems to like the post about term limits for the old people in Congress and the Senate but today I would like to write about how they only pay lip service to the youth of America. When I was 21 my father died and my mom needed to get a job so some friends of hers helped get her a civil service job in city hall. So in order to help her keep her job I had to register as a Democrat and make sure I voted that way in every election. Believe me when I tell you they knew which way I voted but that’s for another blog. They also sort of hinted it would be in my mother’s interest if I ran for Democratic County Committee Man which of course I did. There was a big push to involve the youth in the party it was left over from Kennedy. So I got elected and went to my first meeting and immediately saw that really didn’t want us involved in decisions about anything except where the next meeting was going to be and to make sure we were there. After two terms as committee man I moved out of the county and was so disillusioned with the political process that I didn’t vote for over twenty years. So when I say I have no use for politicians you can understand why. I wasn’t the only one this kind of treatment brought about the Hippies and protests about the war because the youth of America realized that the people they helped elect didn’t care about what they wanted. This was all started in 1967 and nothing has changed to this day. This isn’t just an American problem this is everywhere in the world. They use young people to fight wars but they don’t want to listen to them. Now I know there are some young people out there saying it’s not true my mayor listened to us kids. Are you sure maybe he seemed to listen to you because what you wanted was in his interest too? Well all I can say is don’t give up; maybe someday your voices will be heard and acted upon. This is Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin Colombia.
STILL HANGING AROUND
June 25, 2014
You know how I always say politicians hang around to long well here’s an example Rep. Charles Rangel just won a primary so that he can run for his twenty third term. He’s 84 years old now I’m not saying he’s senile or mentally incapable of doing his job. I’m saying that it would be nice to have someone whose honesty hadn’t been questioned over the years and someone who just might have a few new good ideas. In other words someone who might be able to think ahead instead of still stuck in the past of 50 years ago. Now he’s not the only old geezer in the House of Reps. or the Senate. In the house there are currently 7 members who have served over 35 years and the senate has two over 35 years I didn’t look at twenty or more years and I don’t have their all the ages but one thing I know if you hang around that kind of power for too long it will eventually corrupt you. You have to remember people go into politics to supposedly help the country or their home states, but more often than not the people that actually need the help are shoved to the side in favor of the money people. Why don’t you people just take a few hour of your day to really look at what these so called representatives are doing for you and maybe you’ll see what I’m talking about. This is Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin Colombia.
STILL WAITING
June 24, 2014
Well yesterday was a holiday and I took the day off because Jeff was busy trying to finish his book, which should be done in the next week or two. Of course today will be hard to work because Colombia plays Japan in the world cup and el Jefe is coming to watch the game and I don’t know who else. But getting to today’s post which is what your waiting for and that’s exactly what the post is about waiting. It would appear that animal and humans all share this trait of having to wait. We wait for meals we wait at bathrooms, movies even to die all we ever do is wait. We wait for some politician to actually do something good. It would appear that we are made to wait so that we will better appreciate getting whatever it is we’re waiting for. It also seem when we wait too long are reaction are somewhat violent. I always wonder if waiting does that to us why do we insist on standing in a line to wait. There has to be some psychological study somewhere that explains all this but I think I’ll just wait for the movie. This is Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin, Colombia.
NOT FAIR
June 21, 2014
I was just going over the news and thought I’d get rid of some frustrations by writing a post. I know people in America get tired of me writing posts about Colombia but you have to understand what happens in politics down here has a greater effect on me than politics up there does on you. But today’s rant sort of covers both countries. First Colombia is going to release a paramilitary warlord early from prison because he’s old and claims to have memory problems. Which keep him from giving information that was part of a plea deal with the government, which we all know is bull shit. This sets a bad precedent for the peace talks. I want you to know I am not saying a negotiated peace is a bad thing. But I don’t think it should be done at the expense of justice for the victims. Now up there I was reading a story about bonuses for senior executives of major corporations and banks and I was wondering why they get them even when the companies are claiming to be near bankruptcy and begging the government for help. This is just telling the people tuffs shit keep working and say goodbye to your retirement. I don’t understand what it is about Americans that lets take this without huge protests or maybe even a small revolution. I’ve heard that it’s because things are still better in America. Not necessarily true America rates last in Healthcare its people are not happy that number one slot goes to Finland. I think Americans should start looking around and maybe start demanding some changes before they all become second calls citizens. I mean if I was still living in the US I could get a lot of rewards for bad behavior, kind of sounds stupid don’t you think. Well I got that off my chest so it’s time for a nap this is Flounder saying CAIO from Medellin Colombia.
MISS ME
June 20, 2014
Well I skipped yesterday because of world cup soccer Colombia won England lost. Of course everybody was at our house to watch on the big screen and the Ruby’s son John was leaving for vacation in Argentina. So by the time Jeff got around to his computer I was taking my afternoon nap and couldn’t be bothered. You have no idea how big a thing World Cup Soccer is outside the US. The national pride is amazing you don’t see that at a lot of sporting events in the US although it has improved some since 9/11. A shame it took something like that to get people to become more patriotic. Hey what’s going on with all these school shootings they say there’s one every 78 days or something. I don’t understand Jeff says when he was growing up you could go to any hardware or sporting goods store and buy a rifle or shotgun like you were buying clothes. But unless you were Al Capone or some other Mafia person you didn’t run around shooting people every time they upset you. I think it has a lot to do with celebrity status everybody is looking for their 15 min of fame. They watch the news, which you couldn’t do a lot of when Jeff was growing up, and they see killers getting all the attention. So being that they are already a little balanced the think why not me. Now anti gun advocates are going to get upset with me but there was more access to guns 50 years ago then there is today. Granted the guns are more powerful and I really don’t see the need for thirty round magazines and gun that fire 700 rounds a minute be available to the general public unless they plan to start a revolution. Sometimes a wonder if where children are concerned if society has become too lenient or maybe it’s that fact that children get ignored more now a days as we try to claim our piece of the dream. Well I’ve depressed myself enough talking about you humans and you r weird behaviors so this is Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin Colombia.
MORE ON HEALTHCARE
June 18, 2014
We are constantly returning to certain topics and today its healthcare and we have some questions concerning it. In most developed countries there is some sort of health coverage for its people but they all suffer from the same thing. The average person can expect nominal care and as the insurance increases in cost so does the level of health care. That’s why in some countries you’ll see rich people surviving diseases that are sometimes fatal in the lower incomes. Jeff has always understood that in the US money talked and bull shit walked but what he doesn’t understand is why as he got older and medicine improved the care diminished. His doctor in the US is good but he has to run his office like an assembly line running from exam room to exam room at $85 I think probably more now. He explained that he had to charge a lot because insurance would only pay so much percent of the bill. He used to give discounts for cash but the IRS started auditing him every year and he’s just like you and me bills to pay kids in school well you know the story. I doubt there will ever be universal health care that allow the same treatment and care for everyone. Because every time somebody tries to change it there’s uproar (see Obama Care). Now my last little remark is that the US is last in health care for its populace and England is number one. Maybe just maybe we should look outside the country for some help fixing this mess. Oh one more thing before I leave why is it that the people that don’t pay for their insurance and have these great policies are the ones telling us how we don’t need to change anything? This Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin Colombia.
DO THEY OR DON’T THEY
June 17, 2014
Today I thought I’d talk about Halls of Fame there’s one for just about everything but we’ll stick to rock and roll and baseball for today. I know there’s an always controversial selection every time nominations are made. Let’s look at the Rock and Roll hall of fame, they but Bruce Springsteen in first without the E street band it took a few years for the band to get in and Bruce is nothing without that band. Chubby Checker isn’t in and he started a dance graze and was the first person to have the same song no 1 in two different years. How about La Bamba and the hubcaps, and for that matter all the great backup bands, and all the great music of the fifties and sixties where are they? And as far as baseball goes where’s one of the greatest hitters of all time Pete Rose and don’t give me that he gambled on baseball so did Babe Ruth and a hundred other guys and yes they to bet on there on teams. How can a bat or glove of a player get in and not the player, because some newspaper or TV sports guy who never played that sport doesn’t think he deserves to be. If you took a real objective look at any hall of fame you would find people who don’t deserve to be in and people that do belong. This is Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin, Colombia
ELECTION ADD ON
June 16, 2014
Here’s a quick add on to my earlier post 52.4% of the country didn’t vote they stayed home to watch the World Cup and I guarantee you they will be the first one to complain about the way the government is doing things and you know what I’ll say? To bad you had your chance and take it now suffer the consequences.This is Flounder once again Saying CIAO form Medellin Colombia.
ELECTION IS OVER
June 16, 2014
Well Sunday was Election Day in Colombia and Santos won reelection promising peace. Ok so he gets peace with the rebels but at what cost the rebels who have been schooled politically by Russia in Marxism were being beaten badly in the so called war suffering heavy losses and finding it difficult to replace those that were lost. Now they are negotiating as if they had won and are saying they won’t settle if they have to pay for crimes committed. They want to be able to run for political offices in 2015. So you say what’s so bad about that there turning to politics instead of guns. Well take a look at Colombia and see what the Government has actually done for the average person and what do you see, the same poverty, the same inequities, the same problems with health care, and the same problems with drugs. Now you have people running for office that will preach equality of wealth that the resources of the country should belong to Colombians and not outside companies and even though I believe there should be more Colombian control of its natural resources I look at Cuba and Venezuela and see that it really doesn’t work. If you want to know what’s going to happen in the future of your country wait and see if Santos or one of his supporters asks for a constitutional amendment to allow Santos to run as many time as he wants. Watch and see the attacks on his opposition in the press and actual physical attacks. I believe concessions by the government in the peace talks were unnecessary and dangerous. I hope as time goes on I’m wrong about this I like living here this is Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin Colombia.
WERE BACK
June 13, 2014
Well it wasn’t the best two days of Jeff’s life but he’s here despite have a colonoscopy without being sedated. Yup that’s right he was awake for the whole thing and I’ve had to listen to him complain about it for two days now. Enough is enough time to move on and speaking of moving on the World cup started yesterday in Brazil amidst controversy. Brazil played Croatia in the first game and one but started a shit storm of complaints about the referee from the losers and I think they’re right. They also had the opening ceremony yesterday and most people are still going around asking what the hell that was about. I don’t how much people had to pay for that but I’m surprised there wasn’t a riot when it was over. The protests were outside the stadiums and the police fought hard to keep them away. If you’ve never checked out Brazil you should it a beautiful country a corrupt country but beautiful. It has some of the largest and most dangerous slums in the world and the way Brazil handled this was to send in troops and bulldozers so the tourist’s wouldn’t see. Colombia TV channels sent there top news people to Brazil for the games but instead of reporting on what was going on behind the scene they did a lot of puff stories. Not only that, but Colombia is in the middle of an election that will have a lasting effect on the country and there more interested in games. Now I know why the countries down here are so corrupt there is no interest in government so long as they leave the people alone. OH oh Jeff just woke up and I can hear him staring to complain already so I’ll say this is Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin Colombia.
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