Bush Tax Cuts vs Unemployment Benefits: Where's Our Millionaire Friends?

As the holidays loom closer it seems less likely that unemployment benefits will be extended to the 2 million families that are desperately dependent up on them. The main stumbling block is that GOP leaders John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell are demanding that tax cuts be extended to millionaires. Until then any attempt to give to the unemployed will be blocked. Today Congress will debate extending the tax cuts for millionaires with President Obama stating he hopes a compromise will be reached. Will that compromise extend job benefits?

Yes we all heard ‘noble’ sounding stories from these so-called leaders about how we all need to sacrifice and reign in the deficit. We all heard them express grave concern about how we all need to tighten our belts and lay down the ground work for our children to have brighter futures. Others like conservative media personalities likeRush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Ben Stein have been pretty crass by stating those on unemployment are ‘too lazy to find work‘

This is all coming at a time where in many places where the unemployment rate is 20%. This is coming at a time when there are a reported 5-6 applications for every measly job available. It was just yesterday that the local NBC affiliate here in the Bay Area ran a story called ‘economic migration‘ where they reported how thousands of people who’ve had homes foreclosed are living in cars, campers and RVs and have driven from state to state looking for work. The story showed a long line of people waiting to get minimum wage jobs at a Christmas Tree lot

Republican leader John Boehner wants tax cuts fir millionaires or no unemployment benefits for the poor.

A couple of months back McDonalds held a job fair here in the Bay and thousand showed up, all hoping for a chance to land a spot as a cashiers and french fry cookers. There’s no doubt times are definitely hard, but as long as millionaires don’t get a tax cut millions will suffer.

In listening to Boehner and Cantor speak on behalf of millionaires, one has to wonder are they really representing their interests? Where are the millionaires, especially those who come from humble beginnings and poor backgrounds to speak on behalf of the poor, many of whom have spent their last dimes helping their millionaire brethren to fame, fortune and stardom?

It was just a few months ago the world was made to stand still as basketball starLebron James, after weeks of intense speculation held a press conference to announce his ‘decision’. He unveiled to the world his new multi-million dollar deal and the team he would be playing for… the Miami Heat. Left behind and understandably angry were legions of fans in his home state of Ohio which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.

Imagine if Lebron James held a press conference demanding an extension to unemployment benefits?

Tonight King James is headed back to Cleveland to face off against his old team for the first time since he left. There’s no doubt there are throngs of basketball fans who can no longer afford to go to Cavalier games. Many more probably can’t afford a cable system to watch them on TV. Again its the times we’re in. But imagine if upon his return, Lebron James used his massive star power and took advantage of all the media covering him to stand up and say; ‘As a multi-millionaire he would like to see unemployment benefits extended. Do not hold up their checks on my behalf-I can wait for a tax cut’.. Could you imagine if James did that?

Wouldn’t it be great if an Oprah, Diddy, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Lady Gagaand other multi-millionaires, many who are entertainers who we’re frequently exposed to held a press conference to announce, that the people in Washington do not speak for them and to please extend unemployment benefits? Is that too far-fetched? Unrealistic? Is it out of line to put that sort of weight on them?

After all, many of the aforementioned millionaires have come from poor backgrounds and had humble beginnings. Many obtained their financial status because poor people have admired them, spent their last dime on records, t-shirts, sneakers, concert tickets and any other thing being offered. And this spending is not limited to athletes and entertainers. Many who are poor have paid cable bills, cell phone bills and other now seemingly necessary items resulting in quite a folks becoming uber rich.

Russell Simmons

I recall when then President George Bush first proposed those tax cuts several years ago I did an interview with music mogul Russell Simmons and he straight up said, while a tax cut would be great for him he honestly doesn’t need one. He said he makes more than enough money to pay his taxes and that the people who need the breaks the most are poor people. If Russell is reading this, perhaps he can gather up some of his millionaire friends and hold such a press conference. Perhaps he can get them to speak on behalf of those who are dire straits.

Recently investor Warren Buffet one of the richest men in the world bluntly stated that taxes needed to be raised on the wealthy. Why aren’t we hearing more people who have means listening to Buffet? Why the silence from our millionaire friends? More people of sound mind, good hearts and political conscious are needed this holiday season to counter the claims that the world will fall apart if millionaires don’t get tax cuts.

Will millionaires especially those from humble beginnings stand up for the poor? As I posted this, my homie Mookie hit me up and said the irony to all this in today’ twisted society the poor will stand up for millionaires.

Something to ponder

-Davey D-

PS Here’s a link to a story in which 80 millionaires have stepped up and demanded that the tax cuts not happen http://news.yahoo.com/s/dailycaller/patrioticmillionaires

Nikky Previews The Casting

The Casting is the solo project of 19-year-old New England School of Communication's student Seth Majka. This is just a preview of the interview that is to come with this very talented individual.

Celebration, Florida in Walt Disney World has first murder

This news is a surprise to this blogger who, at the age of 10, wanted to work for WED Enterprises on what was then called The EPCOT project. Celebration, Florida, the Disney new town that is part of the 27,443-acre Walt Disney World property, has experienced its first murder homicide.

According to CNN.com, 58-year-old Matteo Giovanditto was found dead in his home,an apartment building in the small town, according to police spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain.

The Orlando Sun-Sentinel reports that a Corvette registered to Giovanditto was found "somewhere in Kissimmee" Florida. There's no official cause of death.

Celebration, Florida is EPCOT

The location of Celebration, Florida, actually part of Walt Disney World, although news reports erroneously have it outside of the resort complex, was at first slated to be for a small airport that was to serve WDW visitors. Meanwhile, the only "town" holding residents was to be EPCOT itself.

But after Walt Disney's death in 1966, the 70s Energy Crisis, and its impact on tourism and Disney's stock price, Disney executives, including then CEO E.Cardon Walker, made the controversial decision to give up on the real "Experimental Prototype Community of Tommorrow."

Instead, Walker issued the idea that EPCOT itself would be expressed throughout Walt Disney World. The idea for EPCOT itself, and the property it was to be located on in the middle of the Disney property, about three miles north of what is now Celebration, was transformed into the combination future-World and World Showcase of today.

Here's Disney's video on the original EPCOT:



More on this later today.

World Cup 2022 Winner Qatar not USA? CNN charges FIFA corruption

The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be played in Russia, while the 2022 World Cup is going to be in Qatar. Yes, Qatar and not the USA.   The news led CNN to charge that FIFA corruption was to blame.

Qatar beat out The United States of America, and four other countries, to get the 2022 World Cup Soccer game. CNN's Max Kellerman is reporting that the vote on this was delayed due to allegations of corruption.

In Atlanta, Mayor Kaseem Reed, heading a watch party here, is just plain stunned. He's set to give an announcement.

Kellerman says that "It's interesting that you see petro-dollars, you see the World Cup."

On CNN, Max went off making charges of FIFA voting corruption.

Stay tuned

YouTube Subscribers put Zennie62 over 19 Million Views

Thanks to the over 5,000 YouTube subscribers, Zennie62 on YouTube is over 19 million views as of this writing on December 2, 2010. The specific number is 19,207,877 video views for 1,130 videos going as far back as 2006.

...Oh, and if you're not a YouTube.com / Zennie62 subscriber, join the party here by pressing "Subcribe":




The style of Zennie62 has always been and will continue to be that of a vlog. The idea is to let you in on the World as I see it and as it happens. It's also to share my views on politics, news, sports, tech, and entertainment.

Over the years, some of my most loyal fans, like AlanMolsted of South Dakoda, have served to not only keep me in check and make sure I'm talking about the topics of the time, but also have worked to keep the comments on the videos within "sane" territory. Thanks to Alan and the rest of you.

It's hard to definitively say what video every one of my viewers likes, but the one I hear about the most has to be the Fillmore Street Fair Fight Video. This one:



But the video that has gained the most views and still seems to strike a chord with viewers is my Susan Boyle video. This was created after Boyle gave her unforgettable presentation song on the show Britain's Got Talent, and wowed the normally unwowable Simon Cowell. Here's that video:



The comments on that video are still positive, well over a year later. Here's an example from a month ago:

vargasreddyjake26
1 month ago
you're right! we shouldn't give her only a "chance" but a " challenge" to excel in the music world. she's at her best! it's innate in her. thanks to BGT. more SUSAN is a woman of virtue that young talents must adore. mwaah

shugalinkup
1 month ago
love it

KarleneW
1 month ago
@markbob120 I can't say it better or add to your thoughts. What a positive video. I deeply appreciate the experience of listening and watching it. I hope for more commentary by this person. Thank you.

Lately, I've tried to do more interviews of celebrities. The end result is, I think, still a work in progress. When I get interviews, they're a total blast. Like this one with the cast of The Expendables:



In closing, as 2011 approaches, I will work to do more commentary as well as interviews. In that case, if anyone wants to help as an interview booking partner, the door's open for talking about how that might work.

Lastly, none of this could have been possible without the assistance of the good folks at the Google YouTube project and the YouTube Partner Team. Thanks!

Stay tuned.

Erica Blasberg Death: Thomas Hess guilty of obstruction of justice

Dr. Thomas Hess, the so-called friend of LPGA Golfer Erica Blasberg, and the last person to see her alive before she died May 9th 2010, plead guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of justice and at Henderson, Nev., Municipal Court.

There, Hess was sentenced to one year of probation and 40 hours of community service.  

Hess took a note and drugs of some kind away from what was the crime scene around Erica's death: her home in Nevada.

From accounts, it looked like Dr. Hess was dating Erica Blasberg at the time.

The official report is that Erica Blasberg committed suicide, but her father Mel Blasberg, at the time, didn't believe she did that, saying this:

At first glance it looks like she might have taken her own life, but at second glance, something is very, very strange about it. We're waiting for the police to make an investigation, it's a pending investigation

And Erica's fans still can't believe she took her life.  This Twitter tweet sums up what many have said:

MJaeger16 Michael Jaeger
The loss Erica Blasberg was horrible and the more I read about it the more it upsets me.
1 hour ago

The question remains, why did Erica take her life and what role did Thomas Hess play in the LPGA star's existence?

James Bond Aston Martin replica with working weapons

According to the YouTube video description, the car is a replica of an Aston Martin Vanquish and based on a Ford Mustang body. Not sure of the weapons actually fire, but they to retract.

The car was made by Exclusive Motor Cars out of Canada.

And while it may be a replica of James Bond's Aston Martin, Autoblog.com reports that it's price is a very real $100,000. It was first seen in 2008.

Is Google Evil: Mozilla Calls Out Google

Image via Wikipedia

Asa Dotzler of Mozilla has accused Google of being evil because it installs plug-ins without asking for permission first.  Not only did he call out Google but his rant also targeted Apple and Microsoft for using this same practice.  To quote his blog "Why do Microsoft, Google, Apple, and others think that it is an OK practice to add plug-ins to Firefox when I’m installing their software packages."  My response? "Somebody call the waaaaaaaaahmbulance"

The "evangelist" for Mozilla compares the plug-ins to Trojan viruses.  "These additional pieces of software installed without my consent may not be malicious but the means by which they were installed was sneaky, underhanded, and wrong.”  If you're going to accuse Google of being evil why do it over something so petty.  Asa Dotzler admits that the aren't malicious, so what's the problem?  Maybe they're slowing down his computer?  Get a faster one then, or just don't download any of Google's stuff at all.  

It's not like I have this huge patriotism towards Google, I just think the complaint is a little petty.  If you're going to have concerns about Google, at least choose something to complain about that could be considered a legitimate concern.  Be concerned about the fact that search engines and browsers like Google know exactly what it is you are looking for on the internet.  Personally, I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theories and I could really care less if Google knows what kind of Porn I watch or how often I update my facebook, but if you're going to make accusations of "evil" business practices, I think they should be a little more serious then.  "Hey, you didn't ask my permission to put this little piece of code on my computer that I admittedly recognize is not malicious."

John Bobst aka The Force of Nature

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The Loving Story

A racially-charged criminal trial and a heart-rending love story converge in the history of Richard and Mildred Loving. Their struggle for respect and dignity is set against a backdrop of historic anti-miscegenation sentiments in the United States. With the help of two young, ambitious lawyers driven to pave the way for social justice and equal rights through a historic Supreme Court case, "Loving v. Virginia" overturned lingering bans on interracial marriage in sixteen states.

Told through never-before-seen cinema verité footage of the Lovings and their lawyers, with other authentic footage of the times. Together with oral accounts and interviews with their family and friends, the film captures their saga – from their courtship, to their arrest and exile, to their preparation for the 1967 Supreme Court case.

THE LOVING STORY is a journey into a poignant love story set against the turbulent backdrop of race relations in America. It was the turning point for marriage equality in the United States; the premiere will be in early 2011, and interested supporters can be a part of the final production phase.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, political strategist, and photographer who recently worked as the Campaign Manager on the Madore For Congress campaign in Minnesota's 2nd District. He contributes regularly to a host of other web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

CNN Covers WikiLeaks Founder

On CNN right at this moment WikiLeaks and its founder are being discussed. Those interested or uninformed should watch.

GOP Blackmail, Conflict of Interest? You Decide

Is the GOP guilty of Blackmail and Conflict of Interest? You Decide. This is a guest post from my friend and fellow 99er Cindy Paoletti.

As most of you have probably read, the GOP has written a letter, signed by 42 Republicans and delivered it to Harry Reid which states they will object to every motion brought to the Senate floor until the Bush tax cuts and funding the government have been voted on and passed. After watching two days of discussion in the Senate, it is also obvious they are not willing to compromise on eliminating the tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires.

Giving the Democrats this type of ultimatum is in my opinion, a form of blackmail. Knowing that millions of people are suffering and unemployment benefits have expired, they continue to preach that the Bush tax cuts are what the "American People" consider the most important legislation at this time. Exactly which American people are these Republicans talking to? After reading numerous news articles and watching the news on television, I have yet to see where the American people have said the tax cuts are the first priority Congress should tackle. The "American People" are screaming that the economy, jobs and unemployment are the number one priority for this country! The Republican party has stepped over their bounds holding hostage the crucial legislation that needs to be addressed NOW. There are still 3 weeks before the tax cuts expire, are they rushing this bill so that they can then vote to adjourn for the Christmas holiday and leave millions of unemployed suffering through Christmas and ignore the 99ers again? Isn't blackmail against the law?

This brings me to my second issue which is a conflict of interest. 53% of Congress are millionaires. A good majority of them are Republicans. Is the big picture coming in clear now? These lawmakers want the tax cuts for the top 2% because if they aren't extended, they all have to pay higher taxes. This is a CONFLICT OF INTEREST! These Senators and Reps that are millionaires should not be allowed to vote on something that benefits their own interest. This makes the voting process totally unfair. If this vote was put to the citizens of this country, the outcome would be NO tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires. The citizens do not have a voice in the matter, yet the lawmakers in Congress are allowed to vote on something that fattens their wallets and adds billions to the deficit that they continually complain about reducing.

There's something drastically wrong with this picture. It's even worse that President Obama is allowing it to happen. He should have been in the GOP's faces as soon as he found out about this letter. I have never in my life seen such deception, greed and insubordination from our government. If any employee ever tried to pull something like this on their employer they would have been fired on the spot. I think it's about time the "American People" that hired these lawmakers to work for US, have the ability to file motions to FIRE them. Any legislation they pass into law, should also be followed and obeyed by Congress, including health care, retirement, sick time and working more than 10 days a month! The majority of people in Congress are the worst examples of employees I have ever seen.

***Paladinette Opines: Hypocrisy is a staple for the GOPigs: "It is the view of 100 percent of Senate Republicans, and a number of Senate Democrats as well ... that we ought to treat all taxpayers the same," McConnell told reporters. They went on to say "No tiers for the tax payers and to treat them all the same" Yet we (the 99ers) have been forced into tiers and have been discriminated against for over a year now.

The answer to the question is YES - the GOP IS guilty of Blackmail, Conflict of Interest and a host of immoral and reprehensible behavior. The real question is: How long are the American People going to take this lying down or bending over....

[The donation button below is for me, Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]

WikiLeaks Ousted By Amazon

Computer World reports that Amazon will no longer be hosting WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks was moved to the Amazon servers after Denial of Service attacks.

Using a tweet as a credible source is always questionable, but it is becoming more acceptable. On WikiLeaks Twitter account a tweet was made:

"WikiLeaks servers at Amazon ousted. Free speech the land of the free--fine our $ are now spent to employ people in Europe."


Computer World did a reverse IP trace and found out that now WikiLeaks is being hosted by a Swedish firm known as Bahnhof Internet AB. The headquarters of the firm is in Uppsala, Sweden.

Amazon's reasons for removing the site is not known for fact, but within the site's terms of service it states:

"[Amazon Web Services] reserves the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, remove or edit content in its sole discretion," the terms state.


"You represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content," the terms continue "[And] that ... the content you supply ... will not cause injury to any person or entity."

The Wall Street Journal tried to get in touch with Amazon and WikiLeaks but were unable to get any response. However, WSJ posts an excerpt from a press release from Senator Joe Lieberman's office which states:

"I wish that Amazon had taken this action earlier based on Wikileaks' previous publication of classified material. The company's decision to cut off Wikileaks now is the right decision and should set the standard for other companies."

This is a real big deal, and these documents must have some really juicy information that governments are purposely hiding from its citizens - do these documents compromise national security, could the average person even understand them? Well, it'd be good to find out what the government has been lying about. It's not just about the secrets, because obviously no one would commit what could be considered treason if there was not a good reason behind it (in regards to leaking these documents).