Opening Stuff:
Time to buy the Zepole! Tomorrow is La Fiesta di San Giuseppe. I'll take a Zepole over corn beef and cabbage any ole' day of the week. So the score for the battling feast days between the Irish and Italians remains tied. The Irish get the parades, the green Garb and gigantic happy smiles and the Italians get the sweets, roving federal Hill food walk and gigantic happy smiles!
There's more violence in History Channel series The Bible, than in "Diehard" I, II and III.
No matter how you push the envelope, it will still be stationary.
Have you ever noticed those occasional days when you awaken feeling the weight of the world is on your shoulders, then you make a phone call or two, send a couple of emails and all of a sudden wonder...what am I going to do for the rest of the day.
The Question:
More people are thinking they are in the Middle Class, including many successful people on Manhattan Island -- The Uber Rich have so distanced themselves for the pack, that former upper income, professional people are now viewing themselves as part of the unwashed masses. Squeezed by rising costs. How do you think they define Middle Class in Manhattan versus how middle class is defined for the rest of the country?
The Headlines:
--American's Awaken To Brackets Week.
--Central Florida U. Shuts Campus After IED's Found.
--Cyprus Tax News Has Wall Street Running The Wrong Way; Bank Depositors To be Taxed To Pay For $12.8 Billion Bailout Injection; Cyprus Biggest Depositors Include Russian Mob And Mafia.
--Ohio HS Football Players Guilty Of Rape.
--Boehener: Portman Does Not Sway Speaker's Opinion Of Gay Marriage; Thinks Obama Can Be Trusted; Repubs And Obama Still Far Apart.
--China Criticizes New US Anti-Missile Defense Against NK Threat.
--Top Five In CPAC Straw Poll: Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan.
--Private Jet While Landing Crashes Into Northern Indiana Neighborhood.
--0-Man Off To Middle East Where Their Are More Problems Than Solutions; Expect Glowing Reports After Meetings In Israel And Palestine.
Now that we have gotten past the two Saints celebrations, we can turn our eyes to America's biggest new feast day -- Saint Pickin's -- as in NCAA brackets. The Earth stops rotating on it's axis as people stare into space, sharpen their pencils, and then, just throw darts. Here's my Top 8 and 4: Elite Eight: Louisville, Duke, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Michigan, Florida, Syracuse and Marquette. The Four: Marquette, Florida, New Mexico, Duke. Florida plays Duke and Duke wins it all. Eric Murphy of Florida named Tournament player of the year. I don't stand a chance. Ole' Miss a twelve seed?
Bob Hope said, "You can always tell when a person's well informed. Their views are pretty much like yours".
I would add that people think you are a genius if you write or speak what they want of hear.
How about nominating to the list of all time worst TV commercials the one where ex-Basketball player Dikembe Mutombo goes around swatting this and that away for Geico. Actually it is kind of demeaning for Mutombo who was so much more than being great at Basketball. He built a Hospital in the Congo $18 Million of his own money) where he has and continues to work tirelessly for human rights in despotic cultures. He's received honorary Phd's from four colleges and numerous other awards for his works of goodness, mainly in deprived parts of Africa. He is man significantly larger than the buffoon on the tube. And I am annoyed by that every time I watch the inane ad.
Occasionally you see typos and seemingly discombobulated thought processes in the Tids. And, Editing lapses! Check out these actual newspaper Headlines: "Miracle Cure Kills Fifth Patient". "Starvation Can Lead To Health Hazards". "New Sick Policy Requires 2-Day Notice." "Homicide Victims Rarely Talk To Police." "County To Pay $250,000 To Advertise Lack Of Funds." "Army Truck Disappears Shortly After Being Painted With Camouflage." "Statistics Show That Teen Pregnancy Drops Off Significantly After Age 25." And, my personal favorite, "Rally Against Apathy Draws Small Crowd."
I keep asking myself, "Why does everybody keep talking about Queen Lafitah in such God-like terms.
You have to think that marriage between heterosexuals had to serve some purpose. Think about Adam and Eve, for instance. Where would the world population be if that was a gay marriage?
And about Senator Portman...either you believe in the sacrament of marriage between the opposite sex and the resultant procreation, or you don't.
Did you see where some legislator in Wisconsin wants to pass a law that would require White People to wear a wristband to remind them that they are privileged? To make them feel guilty while they see the struggles of other races. I guess it's meant to say, you're not better, just advantaged. So does that mean blacks will wear wristbands walking into basketball gyms or Asians when walking in to math classes?
While the Obama admin was creating pre-weekend news that diverted our Watchdog press, the Man in the White House did what he promised Putin in that live mike, pre-election Oops -- he stopped the European Missile Shield. Just thought you'd like to know in case it happens to miss the nightly news.
I have to admit, CBS with Scott Peley is doing a much better job at reporting news in a balanced manner.
Something to do while you age, Department:
My Free Cell winning percentage is hair over 97%, mainly because I lost games while learning, and didn't realize there was such a thing as "Undo"! Now I never lose. It will take about a year, playing 10 games a day without losing to reach 98%. If I continue to play 10 games a day to reach 99.9%, I'd be about 130 years old. Yikes! If I up it to 20 games a day, I'll only be 102. Something to work for in my waning years. Math is a funny thing.
New studies of American demographics show that the middle class appears to be emulating the poor rather than aspiring to be the rich. They are dressing down, thinking down and reaching out. Is it hopelessness as the economy changes? The shrinking average wages? The out of reach housing prices? Or is there this growing sense that it is more a badge of honor to be among the needy as opposed to wearing that greedy stain upon their jackets that has become the portraiture of the successful.
This just in: Bill Mahr, that crass unfunny Bill Mahr, has just said that if the liberals keep on pushing for taxing the rich, they are going to lose him as a spokesman.
The Answer:
Across the country the solid Middle Class will have salaries between $33K and $100K. In Manhattan the range would fall between $45 and $134K. However if you define Middle Class by life style, the cost of living in Manhattan needed to match the rest of the nation's comfortable people would rise to a range of $80K to $235K! In other words, some one working for $70,000 in other parts of the country would need to make $166,000 in Manhattan to enjoy the same purchasing power! It is rising real estate prices that is really pushing the old fashion middle class aside. It's why people in Manhattan making what appear to be decent salaried in the upper $175,000 range, are looking at the fringe neighborhoods of that island.
When I look out over the people I love, I feel like the Uber Rich all of the time.
What more can I say?
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