Dear Babyboomers: The National Debt is a Grandchild Tax. Thanks for less than nothing! Ryan Somma has captured exactly how I feel once again, with his sarcastic congratulatory letter to babyboomers are are about to retire. So long, and thanks for all the fish debt! My dad predictably quipped “Every generation thinks the last screwed up the world for him”. Of course, he grew up during the 1950s — the most prosperous generation in American history. And inherited ~$1M from his parents. So… It’s quite easy for anyone to cynically quip “every generation had it this bad” while sitting atop an ivory tower. As Ian so profoundly said: “Not caring — the privilege of the rich.”
And: Remember when Iran’s president said they have no gays in Iran? Perhaps this explains why people get free sex changes in Iran. “in traditional societies there is more pressure to conform to standard gender roles”. Odd indeed. And in some ways, more progressive than America. In other ways, it’s ass-backwards, because you can’t be both gay and have a dick. But on the other hand, hey: Free surgery. (I’m thinking of “Deep Thoughts” where Jack Handy says “Hey, free dummy!”) And, they let people be who they want to be without standing in the way with such excuses as, say, money. In many ways, that is superior to how America handles it (only the rich get what they want). Of course, Iran is a sucky shithole of a country, but still.
Heavy cell phone use tied to poorer sperm quality. Of course, correlation is not causation. However, it’s also good to be cautious. Me? I will now be buying a cellphone just to put it into my pants as birth control.
February 7, 2008 at 9:12 PM
ok, so if pot smoking does not equal gum disease then putting a cell phone down your pants won’t do anything for your fertility (or hopeful lack thereof),either. ;)
February 8, 2008 at 12:49 AM
Yeah, I read that story about the cell phones earlier. Personally, I think it’s a flawed study, but I guess the researchers realized that too, since their going to do a follow up. My personal opinion and theory is that maybe people who are spending 4+ hours a day on their cell phones might just have higher stress jobs/lifestyles, which is the real cause for the change in fertility. After all, it’s not like they’re stuffing the phones down their pants. I hope. :)
As far as the Grandchild tax goes, I don’t plan on having any children, so I guess grandchildren would be out of the question. I have no problems passing the burden on to someone else’s grandchildren. I’ll be dead by then. Yes, I can be a selfish bastard. (if i ever have any children I reserve the right to reverse my opinion).
Seriously though, I do think increasing the national debt is a bad idea. But for different reasons. Reasons that might actually affect me in my lifetime.
February 10, 2008 at 11:23 AM
Iran has state-funded sex change operations so they don’t have gays… brain… hurting…