While the couple on screen is beautifully funny, this movie is dealing with a very real and serious fact of our time: the breakage of American dream for more and more middle class Americans.
For the first time, as a great actor, Jim Carry showed us his strong humanitarian concern, his strong sense of social fairness. He reminds us of another great artist from not that long ago: Charlie Chaplin, they both shared their teary eyed smile with us.
This movie makes one ponder: Is making money the sole purpose of our journey of life? Once the greedy bunch grabbed all the resources from the society and written and re-written all the rules of the game, what can we ordinary people do to survive?
On purpose or by accident, this movie has pointed to us the elephant in the room, and that's partially why, I think, most of the movie critics in an almost united voice to down-grade this movie -- they are either incapable or unwilling to praise a brave movie which brings us the bad news or a load wake up call.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Why Michael Brown got a time out?
He had padded his resume. As a result, he got the important appointment as the head of FEMA which he is not qualified for at all.
His massive mis-handling has made the terrible natural disaster even worse for tens of thousands of people. As a result, he got a pat on the back with a heartfelt thank-you from the president: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" and a round of applause.
But as soon as he started handing out free, cold US currency ($2,000 per head) to those "underprivileged" people, "Now you've crossed the line, young man, and you are grounded!"
His massive mis-handling has made the terrible natural disaster even worse for tens of thousands of people. As a result, he got a pat on the back with a heartfelt thank-you from the president: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" and a round of applause.
But as soon as he started handing out free, cold US currency ($2,000 per head) to those "underprivileged" people, "Now you've crossed the line, young man, and you are grounded!"
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Why US should not "relent" in the war?
Q: Why should we "will not relent" and should hunt down the bad guys "one at a time if necessary" over there instead of planning a withdraw? Is it because somebody in the government is more resolved than others?
A: No. It simply because that it is the most time consuming way to end this war, if ever, thus the best way to prolong the sweetheart contract with Harlliburton.
A: No. It simply because that it is the most time consuming way to end this war, if ever, thus the best way to prolong the sweetheart contract with Harlliburton.
Monday, August 01, 2005
"War" vs "struggle"
When I demand something from you, like votes, military expense, trust, etc, it's a seriously sounding war.
When you ask something for return, like accountability, progress reports, etc, then it's a more vaguely defined struggle.
After all, a 'struggle against global violent extreme time president' title doesn't get you as many votes as a "wartime prez" did.
This just in: Hey, give me back my war! Haven't done milking it just yet! If you want to mess up people's minds by renaming things, go make up your own excuses and start your own damn war!
When you ask something for return, like accountability, progress reports, etc, then it's a more vaguely defined struggle.
After all, a 'struggle against global violent extreme time president' title doesn't get you as many votes as a "wartime prez" did.
This just in: Hey, give me back my war! Haven't done milking it just yet! If you want to mess up people's minds by renaming things, go make up your own excuses and start your own damn war!
Saturday, March 12, 2005
To lead or not to lead...
Sometimes, it's wise to be a follower when others have a better (or the only practical) plan to solve a problem while all your other "leading" options are pretty much eliminated by your own "leadership" so far.
But it must be extremely painful to do so for somebody who has been on a mission to "lead": in every front and at all times. Gee, doesn't he wish nobody had noticed his embarrassment as a reluctant follower, tagging along a batch of people he has never liked nor trusted?
For the rest of us, it's rather amusing to watch.
But it must be extremely painful to do so for somebody who has been on a mission to "lead": in every front and at all times. Gee, doesn't he wish nobody had noticed his embarrassment as a reluctant follower, tagging along a batch of people he has never liked nor trusted?
For the rest of us, it's rather amusing to watch.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Peter's Cane - A modern day fairy tale about social security "reform"
- A modern day fairy tale about social security "reform"
Walter and Peter are two brothers. They live in a remote small mountain village. Their parents died in a snow storm five years ago, leaving the two poor boys to fend for themselves.
Walter is a strong and handsome young man. He dresses well and talks well. But he doesn't like to do any hard work. The village pub is his favorite hang-out and he has a not so flattering reputation as the 'village playboy'.
In contrast, his younger brother Peter is much liked and well respected. Due to a horrible childhood disease, Peter can't walk very well and has to use a cane.
Speaking of Peter's cane, it's almost legendary. His father bought it for him from the other side of the mountains. It's made of the best hard wood in the forest, and it's the most beautiful cane in the world.
Peter and his cane are inseparable. The cane helps Peter to stand on his own feet and is his pride and joy. To the villagers, Peter's cane is the symbol of his hard work ethic and self-reliance. The cane had earned him the villagers' respect including quite a few admiring gazes from the girls.
One day, the unpopular Walter announces out of nowhere that he needs to borrow Peter's cane for a year. He grabs it from Peter's hand and waves it as a sword with a mocking smile on his face.
"Quit messing with my cane, Walter, you don't even need it to walk!" Peter protests.
"I'll do whatever I feel like with it, as long as I'm the big brother and just because I can!" was the answer.
Being a kind and gentle young man, Peter just sighs quietly and lets it go.
For a whole year, the villagers see Walter, not Peter, carrying the cane everywhere -- on the street, at the dances and in the pub. Walter treats the cane as a big toy and a weapon. He tells people that as pretty as the cane may look from the outside, it has serious internal problems and only he can fix it for his brother's good. Walter loves to tell people about all kinds of plans of his to fix the cane. One day he declares he will install a wheel to the cane so it can move faster. The next day he announces he will attach a pointy nail at the tip to help it clench the ground better.
At first, people laugh at him for his shameless boasting and endless wacky ideas. Some angrily demand that he stop messing with his kid brother's treasure before completely ruining it.
Time goes by, people get used to the scene of strong and handsome Walter walking around with the beautiful cane. "It's hard work to fix the cane, it takes time." Walter explains when asked why he's still having it. Eventually people start to admire Walter for his kind heart and strong commitment to helping his brother and even the girls start to look him in a much friendlier way.
A year past, Peter finally gets his cane back. He examines it carefully. To his great relief, the cane is not altered in any way whatsoever. It still has all of its old glories.
What has changed are the brothers' reputations in the village.
Walter is no longer regarded as the lazy guy who can talk but will not work. His new nick name is "the nice fellow who fixes the cane for his poor brother". As a matter of fact, Walter become so popular, he has married the prettiest girl in the village and is elected the village mayor again and again and lives happily ever after.
In the meantime, Peter has lost all his old good image. He's no longer seen as a self-reliant, respectable young man, rather a weak kid brother who relies on others to take care of him. Even his cane is no longer called "Peter's cane", it's now becomes "the cane fixed by his kind brother Walter".
Peter knows very well that Walter has not improved the cane a tiny bit. But till his death, poor Peter has never figured out why his not-so-good brother all of a sudden showed so much enthusiasm to mess with his cane on that fateful day years ago.
Have you?
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
A baby step in a long, long march
It's in today's news that NIH has tightened the regulation on it's scientists, so they are no longer allowed to accept money from drug companies.
Responses (in the order of occurrence):
- Yeeeh, this is a great step towards the right direction that all people working in government should be working for people's interest only!
- Wait a minutes here. You mean until now, the government-hired scientists were allowed to make lucrative deals with the drug companies they were supposed to advise the government and the public about? What has kept them waiting so long?
- Why stop at the level of scientists then? Based on the same noble principle of separating the interests of society as a whole and some groups in a society, shouldn't we ban all politicians from soliciting / accepting financial contributions from any special interest group? Shouldn't all people's representatives, elected government officials work only for the people instead of whomever pays them the most (be they in the form of campaign funds, duck hunting trip, sponsorship for national party conventions and inauguration balls etc.)?
Responses (in the order of occurrence):
- Yeeeh, this is a great step towards the right direction that all people working in government should be working for people's interest only!
- Wait a minutes here. You mean until now, the government-hired scientists were allowed to make lucrative deals with the drug companies they were supposed to advise the government and the public about? What has kept them waiting so long?
- Why stop at the level of scientists then? Based on the same noble principle of separating the interests of society as a whole and some groups in a society, shouldn't we ban all politicians from soliciting / accepting financial contributions from any special interest group? Shouldn't all people's representatives, elected government officials work only for the people instead of whomever pays them the most (be they in the form of campaign funds, duck hunting trip, sponsorship for national party conventions and inauguration balls etc.)?
I applaud for this baby step in a long, long match!
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Dangerous fellow passengers
In a way, everybody is an evader at one time or another in her/his lifetime.
When facing with some seemingly unsolvable problems, be it national/personal debt, global warming, natural resource exhaustion etc., it's a great relief to realize that you won't live forever, you'll be gone in 1[2,3,4...]0 years, and who cares what happens after that?
What drags most people back to reality, to face the music and to bite the bullet, is the deep care for their offspring. True, we will be gone, but our children (and theirs) will continue to live. No other ways, we have to think about the future and start doing what we can today to prevent a future disaster if we know it's coming.
But what if one is damn sure all of her/his loved ones will leave this planet for good all at the same time soon, does something trivial like giant national debt, huge personal debt, unwinnable war and deteriorating environment still matter?
When I was a kid, I often wish I would be in a different time/space after some mess I created by simply closing my eyes really tight, and all the unpleasant reality/responsibility would go away without trace.
They didn't. Not even once. That's how I learned the difference between reality and wishful thinking.
Apparently, some people have re-learned what they'd learned when they were young and now full heartedly believed the world, with all its ugly problems will go to hell soon, and they will be rescued just in time to avoid the pain and suffering without even slight inconvenience.
Of course, everyone is entitled to her/his own fantasy and self-delusion, even as an adult. The bad thing is their collective thinking have produced a serious irresponsible actions which greatly endanger the future of the world that we all share for a long time to come.
Imagine yourself sitting in a leaking boat in the middle of the ocean. If all passengers on the boat worked wholeheartedly together, the sinking could be slowed and the boat would eventually reach to safety. But what if one third of your fellow passengers believe they (and only them) would be rescued by helicopter at the next moment?
Are you doomed or not?
When facing with some seemingly unsolvable problems, be it national/personal debt, global warming, natural resource exhaustion etc., it's a great relief to realize that you won't live forever, you'll be gone in 1[2,3,4...]0 years, and who cares what happens after that?
What drags most people back to reality, to face the music and to bite the bullet, is the deep care for their offspring. True, we will be gone, but our children (and theirs) will continue to live. No other ways, we have to think about the future and start doing what we can today to prevent a future disaster if we know it's coming.
But what if one is damn sure all of her/his loved ones will leave this planet for good all at the same time soon, does something trivial like giant national debt, huge personal debt, unwinnable war and deteriorating environment still matter?
When I was a kid, I often wish I would be in a different time/space after some mess I created by simply closing my eyes really tight, and all the unpleasant reality/responsibility would go away without trace.
They didn't. Not even once. That's how I learned the difference between reality and wishful thinking.
Apparently, some people have re-learned what they'd learned when they were young and now full heartedly believed the world, with all its ugly problems will go to hell soon, and they will be rescued just in time to avoid the pain and suffering without even slight inconvenience.
Of course, everyone is entitled to her/his own fantasy and self-delusion, even as an adult. The bad thing is their collective thinking have produced a serious irresponsible actions which greatly endanger the future of the world that we all share for a long time to come.
Imagine yourself sitting in a leaking boat in the middle of the ocean. If all passengers on the boat worked wholeheartedly together, the sinking could be slowed and the boat would eventually reach to safety. But what if one third of your fellow passengers believe they (and only them) would be rescued by helicopter at the next moment?
Are you doomed or not?
Friday, January 28, 2005
When I'm Old...
When I'm old, no longer whom I used to be, please be understanding, please be patient with me.
When I splash soup on my clothes, when I forget to tie my shoes, please remember how I taught you to do these things properly.
When I repeat myself again and again, please be patient and don't interrupt. When you were young, I had to repeat these bed time stories a thousand times, until your sweet dreams came.
When I need you to bathe me, please don't complaint. Remember how hard I had to work to wash you when you were little?
When I am clueless dealing with the new technology, please don't laugh at me. Remember how I answered all of your questions starting with "Why"?
When my legs are too weak to walk, please support me with your strong young hands, just like what I did for you when you began learning to walk.
When I suddenly lost track of our conversation, please allow me some time to recover. For me, it's not important what we are talking, I'm perfectly content as along as you are listening.
When watching me getting old, please don't be sad. Rather please be understanding and supportive, just like what I did for you when you started learning how to live.
I guided you at the beginning of your journey of life, now please accompany me for the last leg of my trip.
For your patience and love, I will return to you a grateful smile, a smile with my endless love.
- Mexican "Digital Family" November issue
I didn't write this. The original was in Spanish, then it was translated into Chinese. Now it's translated again to English. Fortunately, what this short and beautiful essay says is universal to people everywhere.
Attached is the Chinese version.
当我老了
当我老了，不再是原来的我。请理解我，对我有一点耐心。
当我把菜汤洒到自己的衣服上时，当我忘记怎样系鞋带时，请想一想当初我是如何手把手地教你。
当我一遍又一遍地重复你早已听腻的话语，请耐心地听我说，不要打断我。你小的时候，我不得不重复那个讲过千百遍的故事，直到你进入梦乡。
当我需要你帮我洗澡时，请不要责备我。还记得小时候我千方百计哄你洗澡的情形吗？
当我对新科技和新事物不知所措时，请不要嘲笑我。想一想当初我怎样耐心地回答你的每一个“为什么”。
当我由于双腿疲劳而无法行走时，请伸出你年轻有力的手搀扶我。就像你小时候学习走路时，我扶你那样。
当我忽然忘记我们谈话的主题，请给我一些时间让我回想。其实对我来说，谈论什么并不重要，只要你能在一旁听我说，我就很满足。
当你看着老去的我，请不要悲伤。理解我，支持我，就像你刚才开始学习如何生活时我对你那样。当初我引导你走上人生路，如今请陪伴我走完最后的路。给我你的爱和耐心，我会抱以感激的微笑，这微笑中凝结着我对你无限的爱。
墨西哥《数字家庭》十一月号
When I splash soup on my clothes, when I forget to tie my shoes, please remember how I taught you to do these things properly.
When I repeat myself again and again, please be patient and don't interrupt. When you were young, I had to repeat these bed time stories a thousand times, until your sweet dreams came.
When I need you to bathe me, please don't complaint. Remember how hard I had to work to wash you when you were little?
When I am clueless dealing with the new technology, please don't laugh at me. Remember how I answered all of your questions starting with "Why"?
When my legs are too weak to walk, please support me with your strong young hands, just like what I did for you when you began learning to walk.
When I suddenly lost track of our conversation, please allow me some time to recover. For me, it's not important what we are talking, I'm perfectly content as along as you are listening.
When watching me getting old, please don't be sad. Rather please be understanding and supportive, just like what I did for you when you started learning how to live.
I guided you at the beginning of your journey of life, now please accompany me for the last leg of my trip.
For your patience and love, I will return to you a grateful smile, a smile with my endless love.
- Mexican "Digital Family" November issue
I didn't write this. The original was in Spanish, then it was translated into Chinese. Now it's translated again to English. Fortunately, what this short and beautiful essay says is universal to people everywhere.
Attached is the Chinese version.
当我老了
当我老了，不再是原来的我。请理解我，对我有一点耐心。
当我把菜汤洒到自己的衣服上时，当我忘记怎样系鞋带时，请想一想当初我是如何手把手地教你。
当我一遍又一遍地重复你早已听腻的话语，请耐心地听我说，不要打断我。你小的时候，我不得不重复那个讲过千百遍的故事，直到你进入梦乡。
当我需要你帮我洗澡时，请不要责备我。还记得小时候我千方百计哄你洗澡的情形吗？
当我对新科技和新事物不知所措时，请不要嘲笑我。想一想当初我怎样耐心地回答你的每一个“为什么”。
当我由于双腿疲劳而无法行走时，请伸出你年轻有力的手搀扶我。就像你小时候学习走路时，我扶你那样。
当我忽然忘记我们谈话的主题，请给我一些时间让我回想。其实对我来说，谈论什么并不重要，只要你能在一旁听我说，我就很满足。
当你看着老去的我，请不要悲伤。理解我，支持我，就像你刚才开始学习如何生活时我对你那样。当初我引导你走上人生路，如今请陪伴我走完最后的路。给我你的爱和耐心，我会抱以感激的微笑，这微笑中凝结着我对你无限的爱。
墨西哥《数字家庭》十一月号
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Sunday, January 23, 2005
One sided news coverage
Two days ago, news about a long-forgotten name re-surfaced across the world: Iraq to pursue charges against Chalabi. The first response an ordinary reader would be, oh, that bad guy who fed the US government, military with fake intelligence about Sadam's WMD before the war finally getting what he deserves, the democratic government in Baghdad we helped to put together finally going to extend the justice to this bad guy!
Two days later, we learned that there were two other events that happened before this announcement and directly triggered it: 1. The Iraqi defense Ministry had transferred $500 million to Lebanon, and 2, Chalabi, as leader of Iraqi National Congress, had openly challenged the money transfer, thus the angry announcement we heard first.
Does this sound like a justice action or some petty revenge hashing, and what role our media is playing again and again?
Two days later, we learned that there were two other events that happened before this announcement and directly triggered it: 1. The Iraqi defense Ministry had transferred $500 million to Lebanon, and 2, Chalabi, as leader of Iraqi National Congress, had openly challenged the money transfer, thus the angry announcement we heard first.
Does this sound like a justice action or some petty revenge hashing, and what role our media is playing again and again?
Monday, January 17, 2005
"In Good Company" is a rarely good Hollywood movie
Saw movie "In good Company" last night. It's a good movie in several fronts:
- The theme is to mock one of the worst periods of US capitalism, the era that produced national heroes like "Chainsaw Al". A period when capitalism was at its purest and worst. Everything else was reduced to nothing except money making. It's influence still can be seen in today's administration and the group surrounding it.
- Topher Grace shows his talent/ability to play a role other than the adolescent boy he played so well in "That 70's Show". I have a feeling that we will see him a lot in the future. BTW, noticed the majority of our fellow audience last night were adolescent girls, are they fans of Topher from the "70" show?
- Dennis Quaid did a great job playing the middle aged, old-fashioned capitalist role and a over protective father.
- Scallete Johanssen did a decent job playing Den's daughter. Unfortunately, her role is the weakest in the movie. Based on the need of the plot, she had to do some unconvincing things. To demonstrable that Cater (Topher) is a good guy, she has to "seduce" him, playing a reversed guy-seducer role; also for another need of the plot to make Cater totally miserable, she has to abruptly break up with him without any good reasons.
- After all, it's a Hollywood movie, it's a product of corporation, it can only go this far. But within the distance it was allowed, this movie did a superb, far more better job.
Hope we can be in a company this good much more often in the future.
- The theme is to mock one of the worst periods of US capitalism, the era that produced national heroes like "Chainsaw Al". A period when capitalism was at its purest and worst. Everything else was reduced to nothing except money making. It's influence still can be seen in today's administration and the group surrounding it.
- Topher Grace shows his talent/ability to play a role other than the adolescent boy he played so well in "That 70's Show". I have a feeling that we will see him a lot in the future. BTW, noticed the majority of our fellow audience last night were adolescent girls, are they fans of Topher from the "70" show?
- Dennis Quaid did a great job playing the middle aged, old-fashioned capitalist role and a over protective father.
- Scallete Johanssen did a decent job playing Den's daughter. Unfortunately, her role is the weakest in the movie. Based on the need of the plot, she had to do some unconvincing things. To demonstrable that Cater (Topher) is a good guy, she has to "seduce" him, playing a reversed guy-seducer role; also for another need of the plot to make Cater totally miserable, she has to abruptly break up with him without any good reasons.
- After all, it's a Hollywood movie, it's a product of corporation, it can only go this far. But within the distance it was allowed, this movie did a superb, far more better job.
Hope we can be in a company this good much more often in the future.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Biggest Sissies
People say self-contradiction is a characteristic of female members of mankind, if it's true, those who self-contradict the most are the biggest sissies.
Some come to mind:
What they say: Government is evil, an ideal society should have zero government.
What they do: Using every trick they know to grab/hold the top governmental posts
What they say: Taxation is the most ridiculous, most evil thing can happen to a society.
What they do: Spending every waking second try to grab as much as possible of other people's tax money, while trying everything not to pay a penny themselves.
What they say: "The strong have a duty to protect the weak..." when they try to justify illegalizing abortion
What they do: As the financially "strong" of the country, they continue to evade their duty to help the economically "weak" by paying their fair share of tax to the society, and continue to say to the weak: Tough luck, lazy bones, you are on your own!
What they say: "Compassionate conservative"
What they do: Cut the budget for helping the poor to the bone while rewarding themselves huge increases.
Aren't they the biggest sissies or not?
Some come to mind:
What they say: Government is evil, an ideal society should have zero government.
What they do: Using every trick they know to grab/hold the top governmental posts
What they say: Taxation is the most ridiculous, most evil thing can happen to a society.
What they do: Spending every waking second try to grab as much as possible of other people's tax money, while trying everything not to pay a penny themselves.
What they say: "The strong have a duty to protect the weak..." when they try to justify illegalizing abortion
What they do: As the financially "strong" of the country, they continue to evade their duty to help the economically "weak" by paying their fair share of tax to the society, and continue to say to the weak: Tough luck, lazy bones, you are on your own!
What they say: "Compassionate conservative"
What they do: Cut the budget for helping the poor to the bone while rewarding themselves huge increases.
Aren't they the biggest sissies or not?
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Self-interest and "do the right thing"
People say what ultimately decide a person's behavior is her/his self-interest, not the sense of "right and wrong".
But in the recent presidential election, we saw a counter case: millions of low-income people voted against their own economic interest, voted for lowering rich people's contribution to the society common wealth, voted for paying higher out-of-pocket health care cost, voted for less rights for working people... in exchange for something illusional: voting for some born-againer whom against gay-marriage and abortion somehow would increase one's own chances to go to heaven.
The strange and sad thing is, the richest few have already successfully convinced the mass poor (and near poor) that they are ideological buddies and share a common enemy while happily digging into poor people's pockets all the while.
But in the recent presidential election, we saw a counter case: millions of low-income people voted against their own economic interest, voted for lowering rich people's contribution to the society common wealth, voted for paying higher out-of-pocket health care cost, voted for less rights for working people... in exchange for something illusional: voting for some born-againer whom against gay-marriage and abortion somehow would increase one's own chances to go to heaven.
The strange and sad thing is, the richest few have already successfully convinced the mass poor (and near poor) that they are ideological buddies and share a common enemy while happily digging into poor people's pockets all the while.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Revolving door and volcano
Another sad but true article on salon.
Yesterday's lawmaker, public interest's keeper, today's lobbyst and tomorrow's government official, all within few blocks of the same town, all conviniently positioned near where the tax money is :(
Apparently, THEY have already formed a solid, stable shell on top of the volcano of people's interest, so they can always skim the best from the simming public pot.
Are WE going to sleep like rocks forever?
Yesterday's lawmaker, public interest's keeper, today's lobbyst and tomorrow's government official, all within few blocks of the same town, all conviniently positioned near where the tax money is :(
Apparently, THEY have already formed a solid, stable shell on top of the volcano of people's interest, so they can always skim the best from the simming public pot.
Are WE going to sleep like rocks forever?
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Wisdom and sneaky
Some Chinese wisdom:
大人就是智慧，小人就是卑鄙，其实这他妈的都是一回事
(We name the same thing wisdom for the big guys, sneaky for little ones. :)
大人就是智慧，小人就是卑鄙，其实这他妈的都是一回事
(We name the same thing wisdom for the big guys, sneaky for little ones. :)
Friday, January 07, 2005
Sad but true...
Just read Joyce McGreevy's article on salon.com.
It's a sad but accurate picture of how the "representative democracy" for most citizens who can't afford his/her own polititians...
Where's the light at the end of the tunnel?
It's a sad but accurate picture of how the "representative democracy" for most citizens who can't afford his/her own polititians...
Where's the light at the end of the tunnel?
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Moneycracy
This word is coined by combining two words: money and democracy, in case you haven't figured it out.
This word emphasize the extreme importance money has in today's "democracy".
Here's how the game is played from a politician's perspective:
1. In order to put your hands on other people's money (aka tax), you have to be elected as a representative or a official
2. In order to get enough vote from people who don't even know you (aka voters), you need name-recognition
3. The only way to get that is through the media
4. The media is not free service, you need a lot of money to buy air time from local TV and radio stations
5. You need find people who can fund you (aka donors, base)
6. To untie the purse string and to keep the money coming, you have to understand, sympathetic, and fight for your donors, while in public, keep the pretense to fight for everybody else
7. Once elected, don't stop for a minute your fund-raising otherwise, you won't have enough money to be re-elected. The best strategy to keep the money coming is to keep your donors happy by fighting for them nail and teeth
8. When in office, unless being damn sure about your future reelection chance, never make any move that might offend/hurt your past, current and potential donors
9. When in office, keep a good relationship with politicians from opposite party, not for "bipartisan" myth, but to secure a chance to be recruited as highly paid lobbyist once the term is over
10. When the term is over, don't leave D.C., stay close to where other people's money is stored. Be a lobbyist when your party is out the WH and be a government official to continue your lobby job from the other side of the "revolving door" (aka inside government)
11. Voter who?
This word emphasize the extreme importance money has in today's "democracy".
Here's how the game is played from a politician's perspective:
1. In order to put your hands on other people's money (aka tax), you have to be elected as a representative or a official
2. In order to get enough vote from people who don't even know you (aka voters), you need name-recognition
3. The only way to get that is through the media
4. The media is not free service, you need a lot of money to buy air time from local TV and radio stations
5. You need find people who can fund you (aka donors, base)
6. To untie the purse string and to keep the money coming, you have to understand, sympathetic, and fight for your donors, while in public, keep the pretense to fight for everybody else
7. Once elected, don't stop for a minute your fund-raising otherwise, you won't have enough money to be re-elected. The best strategy to keep the money coming is to keep your donors happy by fighting for them nail and teeth
8. When in office, unless being damn sure about your future reelection chance, never make any move that might offend/hurt your past, current and potential donors
9. When in office, keep a good relationship with politicians from opposite party, not for "bipartisan" myth, but to secure a chance to be recruited as highly paid lobbyist once the term is over
10. When the term is over, don't leave D.C., stay close to where other people's money is stored. Be a lobbyist when your party is out the WH and be a government official to continue your lobby job from the other side of the "revolving door" (aka inside government)
11. Voter who?
Monday, January 03, 2005
A brand new thing to do for a brand new year
On the internet, people call those who only read but never post to a news group or forum as "divers", meaning they are hidding below the surface of water, observe whatever they can but never let out even a single tiny bubble , kind sneaky, isn't it? :)
Well, my life as a diver seems over now thanks to google's free blog tool.
From now on, I'll write down some random thoughts so they won't be totally disappear without a trace, ... like I realy care :)
Thank you google and hello SirCat's blog!
Well, my life as a diver seems over now thanks to google's free blog tool.
From now on, I'll write down some random thoughts so they won't be totally disappear without a trace, ... like I realy care :)
Thank you google and hello SirCat's blog!
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