Jose can you see.

If you are in this country illegally, why do you feel you have any legal rights? Last I checked the US constitution doesn't apply in Mexico, Cuba, Portugal, or Peru. I get why the Hispanics are pissed off. I would be pissed too if I wasn't being treated the same as my fellow citizens. So if I was in Mexico I would be asking for equal rights with those illegals in the US. The problem I have with the whining is that Illegal aliens aren't citizens of this nation. If you want to protest, protest about how your own government squashes your rights so bad that you need to escape to this nation. Don't scream at me that you need amnesty because you ran away from oppression and snuck into my country in the back of a van. What a slap in the face of all those who went through the proper channels and became legal residents of this country. Chances are, the $2.50 your getting paid to pick strawberries is a kings wage in the country you came from. Consider yourself lucky that your child is in school getting a free education that I'm paying for since you don't pay taxes. If you were still in your own nation your kid would be right there with you harvesting coffee or pot at your side. Chances are you're making more money under the table than those poor people who have to work at Taco Bell and loose half their wages in taxes while supporting their three kids and yours. Be careful what you wish for.

I don't see how we can grant a blanket amnesty for these people. And when the fuck did it become OK to cater to illegals to get their fucking vote? Have politicians really become that desperate for votes that they want to recruit more voters in order to tip the scales in their favor. Here's a tip to those of you reading shit like this in D.C. Start caring about the people who already have the ability to vote. What the fuck is next? Let me guess...how about recognizing Al Qaeda as a major political party and putting Osama in the White House just because they demand to be citizens.

If I still lived in LA I would be fucking furious that the legislature in California is taking the day off in support of this retarded nonsense. The sick part is that these asshole politicians are getting paid for the day. What the fuck!?! I would be on the front steps asking them where the fuck they get off pulling that kind of bullshit. When you make two dollars an hour and you decide not to go to work, you're making a statement. When you make in excess of a hundred grand per year and take a personal day you still get paid for you're just a hypocrite asshole. Especially if you are my elected official. After all, my taxes are paying for your fucking day off dickhead.

Seriously, lets say that we did grant you all amnesty and make you citizens. After all, you do work hard for very little wages and there needs to be some reward for that. I recognize that the jobs you do have value and help make our economy run. The only reason you're here is because my fellow greedy countrymen are breaking the law by employing you. After you become citizens and demand higher wages what do you think will happen? You new countrymen will fire you and hire more illegals who show up looking for work the way you did. You wont even have your tax free two dollars anymore. So you'll end up in the same boat as the rest of us, you'll be working at the local hotel, restaurant, or stocking shelves at the local market and paying to send the next round of illegal children to school while your newly acquired right to vote goes to waste on people that only pretended to listen.

Last I checked the official language of this country is English. So unless you're a tourist learn to communicate with the locals please. I know English is a convoluted language. I was relegated to studying it for fourteen years of my life and I still suck at implementing it. I think that Spanish is a more beautiful sounding language and is conceptually easier to learn. If I ever decide to become a citizen of another nation I would definitely learn the language. It just makes good sense.

Oh yea...If you're trying to become a part of the team, don't insult the teams fight song by changing the words and butchering their tradition. It's not a good way to make yourself a welcome member of the group.

I fought the law and the law won.

Well despite my best efforts and the cop actually admitting that I did in fact stop at the sign in question. I still managed to lose my case. Evidently I was supposed to stop more than once, count to three, use my X-ray vision to see through a steel sign, do the hokey pokey and turn myself around. I read about half my statement before the fucking judge cut me off. I also was able to get a little dig into the officer as we were leaving court. I was paying my fine (as well as the additional court fees) at the desk and she said "Excuse me" as she walked by. I replied with "Of course, I wouldn't want to obstruct you or anything. " Unfortunately I don't think she got the joke. Or at least she pretended not to get it.

Things that make you go WTF?
On the way home last night I was followed by one of the local police cars for a mile or so. I also past three others. I made sure I came to a complete stop at every sign.

In case you were wondering...

For my 1.5 readers that were curious how my day in court went. It turns out that it was an arraignment type situation. I was given the opportunity to plead guilty, no-lo, or not guilty. I plead "not guilty" and they set up a court date for this Wednesday. It pisses me off that the friggin bitch (officer) didn't have to show up in court but I did. It's Ok, I'll see her this week and probably end up paying court costs as well as the friggin fine. I am, however, going to get my words out in court for the sheer principal of the matter. It pisses me off when people abuse their authority and I promised myself a year or so ago that I would no longer let people walk over me.

Somebody wake me up

I spent the better part of today walking around in a daze, thinking about my last post. I talked to L. (my wife) about the prospects of implementing a derivative of the plan. She was surprisingly receptive to the idea.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I'm not exactly satisfied with where my current dead end career is going. I need something more. I need to feel like I've accomplished something at the end of the day. I need to know that there is something more for me out there. I don't need to be a millionaire. I just want to make a comfortable living at something that I can get satisfaction from. There seems to be no greater (attainable) challenge for me than running my own business. For a long time now, I've had the idea that I wanted to run my own restaurant. I don't know what ever put the idea into my head that it would be a good idea but it has just festered there for several years. I want to open a restaurant and pub somewhere on a beach. I want the bum lifestyle with a better paycheck. L and I talked about it at length. It seems that we have hatched a five year plan to save money, liquidate assets, and put the plan into effect. It seems within reach. I feel like I can accomplish this. It's strangely liberating and scary at the same time. Maybe it's just my wanderlust was stimulated by my trip or it could very well be the fact that I'm on my second ten hour shift in thirty six hours.

Corona Wishes and Salt Water Dreams.

I'm not sure it's possible but, I've been more lazy than usual. I blame it on my vacation or at least I'm trying to. Have you ever had a block of time where you just threw up your hands and told yourself to give up? That's the kind of week I've been having. It hasn't been anything in particular that set it off. (OK maybe my little road trip) The past few days I've wanted nothing more than to flush my whole current life down the drain and start new as a semi-beach-bum. Thoughts of just scrapping everything and moving back to Florida to live in a crappy apartment somewhere near a beach seems to be reasonable. Somehow the thought of a simpler life with no real responsibility to anyone but myself sounds incredibly appealing. I was thinking of selling everything I own, buying a scooter, a pair of board shorts, some flip flops, and working as a waiter or bartender somewhere.

All these thoughts come to a screeching halt when I think of life in my sixties with no insurance or retirement. It's crazy how easy it seems for me to get caught up in the rat race and I don't even consider myself a participant. I guess having forethought is a bitch sometimes. So I try to and sit and watch as the machine keeps rolling but, like so many others, I get caught up in the fray as it rolls over me. Shit! Even Jimmy Buffet, Mr. Margaritaville himself, is caught up in his own conch empire and I'm sure dreams of simpler times. The other day I was in a shoe store , ironically looking for a pair of flip flops, and came across a pair with Margaritaville stamped on them. They were nice and I considered buying them until I saw the forty dollar price tag. WTF Jimmy? That's a lot of money to throw down on something I'm going to blow out!

Happy tax day.

I don't understand why...
I should get a deduction for being married.
I get to deduct the interest on my home.
others get to deduct their children.

It seems backwards to me. If you can afford your own home, kids, and a spouse then you should NOT get the tax break. It's the folks that are struggling along that need the help, not people like me who have made it. Those of you out there who are single and living by yourselves have my deepest sympathy. The majority of you probably live in a crappy apartment where you probably pay more for your rent than I do for my mortgage. You poor folks have to stretch your budgets to make the ends meet. It's always easier to make it as a couple. You can consolidate your money and make it go further. Sometimes, if you're lucky like me, you and your significant other get paid on alternating weeks and can use that to take care of those things that pop up out of the blue. Just these two little things can mean the difference between sinking and swimming.

I have two words for the pricks who run this country. FLAT TAX. I want an overly simplified tax system. I want every person/corporation to pay the same percentage of income tax. Say fifteen percent or so. NO deductions. No IRS. Just take the money and be done with it. That way, when a politician says they're not going to raise taxes and the tax goes up to 16% we can call him/her a liar and they won't be able to deny it. No one can complain if we all pay the same. It's the way it should be and seems tremendously easy to set up. 99% of the time the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method is the best. I've heard arguments that the middle and lower class will suffer but I think that it's all a smoke screen. I don't believe the uppity-ups in D.C. want a flat tax because it will eliminate their ability to hide the money trail that leads to them. I believe that a flat tax, all by itself, will eliminate much of the fucking bullshit that goes on in our nations capitol. It should be our mission to get this passed into law. Of course, I'm just one of the retarded masses who can't see the big picture and is incapable of making my own decisions or accepting responsibility for them.

In the interim, may your deductions be plentiful and all your refunds be whoppers.

Sweet!

Top: (from front to rear) Mustang, Bearcat, Warhawk, Spitfire, Corsair.
Bottom: The first F-22 Raptor to make an appearance at a public airshow.

Sun-N-Fun Rules!!!

Back To the Grind

The problem with doing so much during a vacation is that it always seems too short. My trip was great. I spent many a hour in the car jamming to good tunes. The air show was as awesome as it is every time I go. The Florida sun was spectacular. The beer was plentiful. The company of old friends was exhilarating. I even had time to take in a movie and spend an entire day with my sweetheart after I arrived back home. It all makes returning back to my job in the dungeon almost bearable.

Day in court.

This is the statement I plan on reading in court this week regarding the ticket I received a while back...

Your honor,

I understand the nature of cases like this. I realize that I have very little chance of winning my argument here because it boils down to "he said she said" in which case the officer gets the benefit of the doubt. I, however, am here strictly for the principal of the matter because I believe that the officer in this case has made a mistake. Please understand that I have received tickets in the past and never fought them in court because, in every single case, I was in the wrong. I firmly believe that I came to a stop at the sign in question. I believe that the officer gave me the ticket, not because I failed to come to a complete stop, but because she had to tap her brakes when I pulled out in front of her. My view is the officer assumed that I did not stop because of her need to slow down due to my true mistake. To be completely honest I did not see the officer due to the vision, or lack there of, at the particular corner where I stopped. Truth be told, I had no choice but to come to a complete stop because of the SUV at the intersection in front of me. When I arrived at the intersection in question, I stopped at the stop sign behind a large SUV that had pulled 1/2 way into the same intersection making a left turn. The SUV was already past the sign and I was stopped at the line corresponding with the sign. The truck eventually made its turn and I checked to my right, the only direction traffic could come from on the one way street, to see if the way was clear. I did not see the officers cruiser because her car was completely out of my field of view behind a sign for the DUI class I have in this picture taken from the drivers vantage point in my car. I went forward with my left turn and pulled in front of the officer completely by accident. I believe she pulled me over, not because I failed to stop, but because she was, understandably, upset at me for endangering her and pulling in front of her car without having enough space to properly execute the turn. The officer immediately turned on her lights and pulled me over. I complied in a timely manner. I felt bad for stopping where I did because of the nature of the traffic. When pulled over, I prefer to stop in an area that will put our public servants in the least amount of danger from traffic. On this occasion I felt as though I had no choice but to stop where I did so that the officer would not think I was trying to evade.

When she told me the reason she pulled me over, I was surprised and upset. I replayed the events in my head and concluded that I had, in fact, come to a complete stop. I gave the officer my license and she went back to her car to write the citation. As she was sitting in her car, I was becoming more upset at the situation because I believed, and still do, that I came to a stop at the sign and she was making a mistake. She returned to my car and I signed the ticket. As she was walking back to her cruiser I, in my distraught condition, said "Thank you for wasting my time and increasing my insurance rates for no reason." I realized, before I said it, that this was a snipey and rude statement, but I was upset and I felt that I had a right to be upset. The officers response to my statement was. "You better cut it out or I'll arrest you for obstruction." I understand that an officer has the right to arrest me from keeping her from her appointed rounds or "obstruction." I don't see how she can threaten me with obstruction if I already signed the ticket and she was on her way back to her car. Last time I checked, as an American, I have a constitutional right to free speech. I don't appreciate being threatened for exercising that right in a non-threatening manner. I did not curse at the officer. I did not threaten the officer. I did not prevent the officer from doing her job in any way. I felt here threat was unfounded and this is a secondary reason I'm here fighting a minor traffic infraction. I believe I'm a good person and have never been threatened by any public official in such a manner. I feel her conduct was unprofessional and as a citizen of this city, this is not how I want my community to be represented in the future.

I understand that many police cars these days have dash cameras. If the officer can show me film where I failed to stop, I will gladly, plead guilty, pay the ticket, and be on my way without wasting the any more of this courts time. If the officer cannot produce this video, I would like plead not guilty and exercise my right to a jury trial.

...I'm an idiot for trying to fight this thing.

The road becons.

OK this week I start my vacation. I'll be spending my time down in sunny Florida hangin' with good friends and watching some air shows. It promises to be an excellent time. There is a lot of driving to be done. First to Lakeland Thursday and Friday. Then south of Tampa Friday and Saturday. Jacksonville on Sunday and Monday. Eventually back up here to Georgia on Tuesday.

I like road trips. I'm a driving fiend. My 2004 Subaru I bought new has 62k on the odometer and is already out of warranty. Give me enough coffee, cigarettes, and good tunes and I can drive forever. Truck driver would've been a good career choice for me. I guess I'm a control freak. I need to be in control of whatever vehicle I'm in at the time. My wife doesn't even ask me anymore if I want her to drive. I'm not anal about it. If she wants to drive, I'm happy to let her do so. I think she prefers to be a passenger. I could never have an all original collectors type car. I couldn't just let it sit in the garage collecting dust.

I'll be back to my blog after I get back.