Comic relief
As one is being bombarded with news of wars, refugees, addiction to power, money, alcohol and other drugs as well as violence, one can sit down with the morning newspaper and allow oneself to channel Will Rogers. One can just hear him:
Will: Oh my! Pass the cigars boys and girls. The Sunday, August 28, 2016 edition of the Tampa Bay Times has an article by Tony Marrero on that “New FDA tobacco rules appear to ban cigar donations to troops. Read with me:
“Some in the industry say a provision in the new FDA rules that forbids handing out free samples of tobacco products could apply to donated cigars. What's more, an existing rule under the Tobacco Control Act that forbids "the charitable distribution of tobacco products" now apparently applies to cigars, said Anna Wiand, a lawyer who specializes in regulated products for the Gray Robinson law firm in Tampa.”
"It would now be unwise to make those donations with that express charitable donation prohibition," Wiand said. "I don't know how much of a priority this would be for the FDA, but it quite clearly is a prohibition under the regulatory regime we have."’
Not surprising Tampa is home to several cigar companies, the owners of some of which have been very generous in sending cigars to United States troop members since 9/11. There are other organizations which also do the same.
Yes, Samuel, nicotine is bad for one. Bad. Bad. Bad. Yes, we want to set a good example for the young people. On the other hand, when we send our men and women to risk death, loss of limbs and other disabling injuries do we really expect them to be concerned about the ill effects of an occasional cigar? Really?
One is reminded of the words of Arlo Guthrie ‘s in Alice’s Restaurant when he filling out forms in response to being drafted. One of the questions is, “Have you ever been arrested?” He had been arrested for littering. He says:
“I filled out the Massacree with the four-part harmony. Wrote it down there
Just like it was and everything was fine. And I put down my pencil, and I
Turned over the piece of paper, and there . . . on the other side . . . in
The middle of the other side . . . away from everything else on the other
Side . . . in parentheses . . . capital letters . . . quotated . . . read
The following words: "Kid, have you rehabilitated yourself?"
I went over to the sergeant. Said, "Sergeant, you got a lot of god-damned
Gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself! I mean . . . I mean . . . I
Mean that you send . . . I'm sittin' here on the bench . . . I mean I'm
Sittin' here on the Group W bench, 'cause you want to know if I'm moral
Enough to join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after bein' a
Litterbug."
Well, that says it all doesn’t it? What fun. Let’s keep reading. Ahh, here is an interesting piece in the Wednesday, August 31, 2016 edition of the Washington Examiner. Susan Crabtree writes about the new $2.45 billion question at Amtrak.
“Amtrak got a whopping $2.45 billion loan from the Transportation Department last week, but it's still unclear whether the heavily subsidized railway will use taxpayer dollars or its own future profits to pay it back.”
"That's the $2.45 billion question," Taxpayers for Common Sense's Steve Ellis told the Washington Examiner. "Are they going to be able to generate additional funds to pay back these loans, or is it going to put Amtrak further in the red?"
“Since its creation in 1971, Amtrak has never made a profit and has survived through rocky periods when its continued existence relied on billions of dollars each year in congressional appropriations to keep it afloat.”
Really? The military budget in 2015 was $598.5 billion. The budget for running the United States government was $72.9 billion. The transportation budget was $29.7 billion. Now why it is that the transportation budget does not include the train service. Well, it does include some for passenger rail service but not Amtrak? I get so confused. We seem to have few limits on the amount we spend for highway building and maintenance. Why the fuss about Amtrak? I am sure if we were trained politicians and lobbyists this would make sense to us.
Oh! You will love this one. Donny Trump is going to have a little sit down with President of Mexico. Haven’t they been saying vile things to each other? I bet they are going to trade the dirty dozen and make Arlo sound like a Baptist, born again preacher. One can only imagine or perhaps one does not want to imagine. Since the President of Mexico has an approval rating of 23% and Donny not much better, perhaps they can bond over a beer. Donny and Enrique. Who knows? A marriage made in heaven! All that fighting was just an excuse to make up. Just like Oklahoma farm animals.
Oh and got to love those Mylan folks. CEO Heather Bresch (daughter of former West Virginia governor Manchin) says they are going to make a generic of the drug on which they just raised the price - the Epipen. Not too worry. Even at half the cost the generic will break the budget of those working folks who have to have them for their children. Gotta love those community minded folks in West Virginia.
Mercy me? The news just wears one out.
We humans certainly know how to entertain each other.
Written August 31, 2016
As one is being bombarded with news of wars, refugees, addiction to power, money, alcohol and other drugs as well as violence, one can sit down with the morning newspaper and allow oneself to channel Will Rogers. One can just hear him:
Will: Oh my! Pass the cigars boys and girls. The Sunday, August 28, 2016 edition of the Tampa Bay Times has an article by Tony Marrero on that “New FDA tobacco rules appear to ban cigar donations to troops. Read with me:
“Some in the industry say a provision in the new FDA rules that forbids handing out free samples of tobacco products could apply to donated cigars. What's more, an existing rule under the Tobacco Control Act that forbids "the charitable distribution of tobacco products" now apparently applies to cigars, said Anna Wiand, a lawyer who specializes in regulated products for the Gray Robinson law firm in Tampa.”
"It would now be unwise to make those donations with that express charitable donation prohibition," Wiand said. "I don't know how much of a priority this would be for the FDA, but it quite clearly is a prohibition under the regulatory regime we have."’
Not surprising Tampa is home to several cigar companies, the owners of some of which have been very generous in sending cigars to United States troop members since 9/11. There are other organizations which also do the same.
Yes, Samuel, nicotine is bad for one. Bad. Bad. Bad. Yes, we want to set a good example for the young people. On the other hand, when we send our men and women to risk death, loss of limbs and other disabling injuries do we really expect them to be concerned about the ill effects of an occasional cigar? Really?
One is reminded of the words of Arlo Guthrie ‘s in Alice’s Restaurant when he filling out forms in response to being drafted. One of the questions is, “Have you ever been arrested?” He had been arrested for littering. He says:
“I filled out the Massacree with the four-part harmony. Wrote it down there
Just like it was and everything was fine. And I put down my pencil, and I
Turned over the piece of paper, and there . . . on the other side . . . in
The middle of the other side . . . away from everything else on the other
Side . . . in parentheses . . . capital letters . . . quotated . . . read
The following words: "Kid, have you rehabilitated yourself?"
I went over to the sergeant. Said, "Sergeant, you got a lot of god-damned
Gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself! I mean . . . I mean . . . I
Mean that you send . . . I'm sittin' here on the bench . . . I mean I'm
Sittin' here on the Group W bench, 'cause you want to know if I'm moral
Enough to join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after bein' a
Litterbug."
Well, that says it all doesn’t it? What fun. Let’s keep reading. Ahh, here is an interesting piece in the Wednesday, August 31, 2016 edition of the Washington Examiner. Susan Crabtree writes about the new $2.45 billion question at Amtrak.
“Amtrak got a whopping $2.45 billion loan from the Transportation Department last week, but it's still unclear whether the heavily subsidized railway will use taxpayer dollars or its own future profits to pay it back.”
"That's the $2.45 billion question," Taxpayers for Common Sense's Steve Ellis told the Washington Examiner. "Are they going to be able to generate additional funds to pay back these loans, or is it going to put Amtrak further in the red?"
“Since its creation in 1971, Amtrak has never made a profit and has survived through rocky periods when its continued existence relied on billions of dollars each year in congressional appropriations to keep it afloat.”
Really? The military budget in 2015 was $598.5 billion. The budget for running the United States government was $72.9 billion. The transportation budget was $29.7 billion. Now why it is that the transportation budget does not include the train service. Well, it does include some for passenger rail service but not Amtrak? I get so confused. We seem to have few limits on the amount we spend for highway building and maintenance. Why the fuss about Amtrak? I am sure if we were trained politicians and lobbyists this would make sense to us.
Oh! You will love this one. Donny Trump is going to have a little sit down with President of Mexico. Haven’t they been saying vile things to each other? I bet they are going to trade the dirty dozen and make Arlo sound like a Baptist, born again preacher. One can only imagine or perhaps one does not want to imagine. Since the President of Mexico has an approval rating of 23% and Donny not much better, perhaps they can bond over a beer. Donny and Enrique. Who knows? A marriage made in heaven! All that fighting was just an excuse to make up. Just like Oklahoma farm animals.
Oh and got to love those Mylan folks. CEO Heather Bresch (daughter of former West Virginia governor Manchin) says they are going to make a generic of the drug on which they just raised the price - the Epipen. Not too worry. Even at half the cost the generic will break the budget of those working folks who have to have them for their children. Gotta love those community minded folks in West Virginia.
Mercy me? The news just wears one out.
We humans certainly know how to entertain each other.
Written August 31, 2016
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