April 6, 2013

"Coming with me to clean up dog poop?"

Meade asks. I say, "That's not me... but can I blog about it?"

Meade, who's getting ready to go out for some dog park volunteer work, says okay, but only if I link to this comment on yesterday's "Obama’s insulting salary stunt" post:
garage mahal said...

He won't even feel his sacrifice. And if he does, he can ease his tiny pains with another deluxe vacation and a few more concerts at the White House performed by whichever pop stars his daughters are enthusing over this month.

Just like you didn't have to feel any real sacrifice from Act 10.

I doubt you ever rub elbows with the peons at the bottom of the food chain who did feel it.
IN THE COMMENTS: Phil 3:14 said:
OK Professor, help me understand, who are the "peons" in this analogy?

Or is this another of you word plays (i.e. pee)?

And think plants are at the bottom of the food chain.
Okay, I'll accept it as my job to pick up the metaphorical poop. I didn't call people "peons," and I didn't mix a metaphor of "peons" and "food chain." I don't even know why Meade imposed that condition on my use of his poop quote.

A "peon" — according to the (unlinkable) OED — is "An attendant, an orderly; a footman or messenger having subordinate authority over other staff. Also: a junior member of staff in an office."
1973 P. G. Wodehouse Bachelors Anonymous i. 8 ‘She treated me like one of those things they have in Mexico, not tamales, something that sounds like spoon.’ ‘Peon?’ ‘That's right.’
"Peon" actually used to be pronounced pyoon. The pronunciation "pee on," however, is better for punning.

Anyway, "peon" seems to be an unusually apt word to refer to public sector employees, who are the people affected by Act 10, the GOP's approach to budget balancing here in Wisconsin. We — I include myself — were required to make contributions to our pensions and health insurance. (Before the 2010 elections, we lost money via the Democratic plan, which imposed furloughs.)

Given the "pee on" pun, perhaps garage meant to evoke pity for the public workers and outrage at me and Meade for declining to condemn Act 10. 

A "food chain" is "A series of organisms, each of which is dependent on the next for food, esp. by direct consumption or predation." Where are the public sector employees in the metaphorical consumption and predation? Maybe taxpayers think they are at the bottom of the food chain? The public servants paid by tax money should hardly want to be seen as the predators at the top. But that makes more sense than perceiving the taxpayers as the predators.

"Rub elbows" — the OED tells us — means "to come into contact."  Examples:
1916   L. N. Parker Disraeli ii. 56   You would pass him in the street without the faintest idea you had rubbed elbows with one of the world's greatest powers!
1956   ‘B. Holiday’ & W. Dufty Lady sings Blues i. 16   A whorehouse was about the only place where black and white folks could meet in any natural way. They damn well couldn't rub elbows in the churches.
But you damn well could rub elbows with one of the world's greatest blog commenters at Poopstock '13.

222 comments:

1 – 200 of 222   Newer›   Newest»
Sorun said...

"I doubt you ever rub elbows with the peons at the bottom of the food chain who did feel it."

You're supposed to eat the people lower in the food chain, not rub elbows with them. Jeez..

Phil 314 said...

OK Professor, help me understand, who are the "peons" in this analogy?

Or is this another of you word plays (i.e. pee)?

And think plants are at the bottom of the food chain.

edutcher said...

I detect an incipient theme.

And what did Moochelle and Sushi and Mongolia, much less the Magic Negro, do to poor old garage?

He didn't even hate Ann Romney (or even Ann Althouse when she told the truth about Walker) this much

Bob Ellison said...

As C-3PO said, we seem to be made to suffer. Obama is embracing that sad position. He is to be admired for suffering in such an obvious fashion.

chickelit said...

Althouse just reduced Garage Mahal to the adsurdumb.

chickelit said...

OK Professor, help me understand, who are the "peons" in this analogy?

Peons and Poupons? It's a class struggle.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Althouse = POTUS in Garbage's world!

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

I am not sure that doing "dog park volunteer work" implies anything other than that you are a man with a lot of leisure time. It certainly doesn't undercut the point made by Garage.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Seriously? Becoming a slave to your pet and cleaning up after them is the go-to badge of honor among the upper crust.

Meade lives on Bizarro Planet if he thinks otherwise. Plus, how would he know? As the Yoko Ono to your John Lennon, isn't any comfort he's ever lived amongst new to him?

Patrick said...

Knowing the little I know about Garage, he's probably out there cleaning up the dog park.

somefeller said...

Edutcher says: And what did Moochelle and Sushi and Mongolia, much less the Magic Negro, do to poor old garage?

Ah, I see edutcher's penchant for coming up with dumb pet names for people has now extended to the President's minor children. Did you give people in your workplace such idiotic nicknames, edutcher? And if so, do you think that contributed to your current state of unemployment and employability?

Anyway, as stated above, one eats those below oneself in the food chain, one doesn't hang out with them. Just ask any shark. While I often agree with Garage on various issues, on this we must diverge.

jacksonjay said...


So is this about dog shit or the POTUS?

I wonder why dog cultist don't pick-up their own damn shit at the park?

That girl who was denied Ivy League admission coulda used this for a public service hook!

glenn said...

What does picking up dog poop have to do with Obama? Oh, never mind.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

If Romney were president, he would probably decline the presidential salary completely.

rhhardin said...

A pusher snow shovel picks up dog poop easily and carries it as you walk a back-and-forth scouting pattern across the yard.

Once a suitable load is picked up, drop a handkerchief to mark the return spot, and proceed to the back fence to toss the stuff over into an abandoned field.

This is only needed in the early spring, when the frozen preserved poop thaws.

Normally lawn scything scatters recent poop so that it's unnoticed thereafter.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Normally lawn scything scatters recent poop so that it's unnoticed thereafter.

As fertilizer, it's probably also a better way of "spreading the wealth around".

somefeller said...

If Romney were president, he would probably decline the presidential salary completely.

True, and that's one reason I always liked Mitt Romney personally, political differences notwithstanding. But I suspect him doing so would in practice be a 5% return of income, if one looked at Romney's total annual income.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Somefeller-
Saving the tax payers over 400K a year is different that saving the tax payers 5% of $400K per year.
Romney's investment income, which is taxed at the same rate all other American's pay on investment income, is a separate deal.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I would rather tell Obama to keep the measly 5%, and perhaps refrain from using our tax dollars for his non-stop Air Force One vacations.

edutcher said...

somefeller said...

Edutcher says: And what did Moochelle and Sushi and Mongolia, much less the Magic Negro, do to poor old garage?

Ah, I see edutcher's penchant for coming up with dumb pet names for people has now extended to the President's minor children.


Actually, those were the brainchildren of our regular commenter, Carnifex.

But some phony folksy, ace lurker, already knew that.

Did you give people in your workplace such idiotic nicknames, edutcher? And if so, do you think that contributed to your current state of unemployment and employability?

Tell me, since you told us you spent your last "vacation day" "watching the kid at the pool", what did said kid's parents have to say when they found you doing this?

And when do you finish house arrest?

BTW at least I've held a few jobs in my life, not spent it in Mom's basement, barfing up talking points off Kos.

And what created my current unemployment was some phony folksy's Messiah's mismanagement of the economy. But he knows that, too.

PS Jealous I got a BQOTD?

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

AprilApple said...
Romney's investment income, which is taxed at the same rate all other American's pay on investment income, is a separate deal.


This is not true. Romney was able to take advantage of tax shelters unavailable to people with less capital who had not worked in investment banking. This was, in part, why his tax rate was so low.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Hey April!

Awesome propaganda there, as usual!

CPAC will love it!

Anyway, let's make sure we don't let the facts get in the way of our awesome rhetoric, ok?

You go, girl!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

A Re Man.
What tax shelter? Do you have any proof that Romney was a tax cheat? That's what you are saying.

Original Mike said...

I felt the "pain" from Act 10.

Had to be done.

somefeller said...

Actually, those were the brainchildren of our regular commenter, Carnifex. But some phony folksy, ace lurker, already knew that.

Nope, I didn't. But nice try at mind-reading, Carnac. And a fine display of further cliches, I see.

And what created my current unemployment was some phony folksy's Messiah's mismanagement of the economy. But he knows that, too.

Really? You've been unemployed for so long I figured you lost your job when Bush was President, or even Clinton. But I suspect your unemployment and lack of a noteworthy career preceding such unemployment has less to do with America's political leadership than issues more close to home.

And I have no idea what a BQOTD is and have no interest in looking it up. But keep on ranting! You obviously have plenty of time for it.

Ann Althouse said...

"I am not sure that doing "dog park volunteer work" implies anything other than that you are a man with a lot of leisure time."

It's Saturday. What do you do with your Saturday?

Ann Althouse said...

"Seriously? Becoming a slave to your pet and cleaning up after them is the go-to badge of honor among the upper crust."

But we're talking about cleaning up after other people's dogs?

Put that between 2 crusts and eat it.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

AprilApple said...
Do you have any proof that Romney was a tax cheat? That's what you are saying.


It is a crooked system that people like Romney bust a gut to perpetuate. Just look at Romney's $102 Million IRA. Most people can't stuff their IRA the way Romney did, and I checked with my accountant.

edutcher said...

His jealousy is tragic.

Obviously nothing constructive to say, so some phony folksy lashes out at his betters.

And, as we've never heard much of some phony folksy's career (surprise!), we must wonder if it exists.

Except, of course, in his own mind down in Mom's basement.

somefeller said...

I would rather tell Obama to keep the measly 5%, and perhaps refrain from using our tax dollars for his non-stop Air Force One vacations.

Believe it or not, I actually agree with you on that. While most of the President's critics will pounce on him no matter what, the optics of all these vacations is bad. Camp David is lovely, or so I've heard, and there are plenty of good vacation spots closer to home. Just go to Aspen or something.

Ann Althouse said...

"As the Yoko Ono to your John Lennon, isn't any comfort he's ever lived amongst new to him?"

Yoko Ono was a woman of the upper class and a very accomplished artist, whether you like her work or not.

You don't know anything about the work Meade does or has done, and you don't know anything about his socio-economic background, do you?

Aridog said...

Professor...I am having a slow morning. Just what does Garage's inane untutored comment have to do with dog poop patrol, in a park or at home. Maybe Meade can answer since he asked for it?

Trust me, if you will I am most expert at dog poop patrol, perhaps only Bagoh20 has more. I beat even Bagoh20 if we add in horse poop volumes over 60 years. And I agree with whomever said that the dog owners should police up their own critters poop.Should and would being different, I realize,.

As for Garage's remark...it was beneath him and spoken by a Madison, Wisconsin resident with a rather small population of peons. I gather he's spent little time with old money wealthy folk...who dress like peons and don't buy bling...and who mingle with more peons frequently that Garage has ever met ever. They are the patrons of art who enable art to exist...and if you've ever tried to be an artist you know that begins as der peon.

I also notice that there has been a lot of chatter about Obama's $20K donation, but almost none, literally none, about his apparent $100K+ donations to Fisher House.

I don't like Obnama's administration nor his style...but I will credit him for contributing to wounded veterans and their families. It is awesome and says that there really IS some there there...and something we don't know about him. It might be the only thing I'd care to know. It is very a "old money" thing to do. He's plainly got a tin ear, but something else in his heart.

What is it? Nobody but me curious?

Shouting Thomas said...

Poopstock '13.

I protest the continuing use of the fair name of my hometown, Woodstock, in this fashion.

Original Mike said...

"Put that between 2 crusts and eat it."

I think Althouse just told you to go eat a shit sandwich, Ritmo.

garage mahal said...

I felt the "pain" from Act 10.

Because it was regressive, it impacted low income workers the hardest. Some lost as much as 15 percent of their income.

And it didn't need to be done at all.

Titus said...

I dont care for peons.

I am a member of the Cambridge Dog Park Association and go every week to the many small beautiful dog parks in my fab city and put poop bags in poop bag tins for other dog owners to clean poop.

I have never seen poop left at any of our parks-so Cambridge.

tits.

Ann Althouse said...

But where does this class snobbery come from? And which way are you a snob here?

Would you admire Meade more if you heard that he pursued wealth or if you heard that he was satisfied with little? If you heard that he performed many charitable works or if you heard that he did not?

But you won't hear. There's very little factual information out there about Meade, who only wants to be known for his blog comments. That's the way he is. But for some reason, he gave me permission to tell you that he was going out to clean up other people's dogs' poop.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Ann Althouse said...
"I am not sure that doing "dog park volunteer work" implies anything other than that you are a man with a lot of leisure time."

It's Saturday. What do you do with your Saturday?


Look after my kid or work.

Having a lot of leisure time is not a bad thing but performing "dog park volunteer work" hardly undercuts the argument originally made by Garage that Meade and his fellow dog park enthusiasts are well buffered from the effects of austerity.

Original Mike said...

"Because it was regressive, it impacted low income workers the hardest. Some lost as much as 15 percent of their income.

And it didn't need to be done at all."


A stabilized budget benefits everybody; state workers most of all.

Ann Althouse said...

"Walker won the office on a platform of fiscal conservatism, promising to give back part of his own salary. He criticized other county workers who held onto their salaries and said that his voluntary give-back gave him some moral authority in attempting to make cuts in the county budget. He continued returning $60,000 per year (slightly less than half of his salary) for several years, but by 2008, he reduced his give-back to $10,000 per year."

Wikipedia on Scott Walker.

Big Mike said...

It's Saturday. What do you do with your Saturday?

I'm reviewing 50 pages of technical documents before they go out the door to customers.

BTW I don't feel sorry for garage mahal. Public servants (except that all too often their attitude is that it's we the public who are there to serve them) believe this myth that they're underpaid and could do so much better on the outside. In fact for most of them they'd do worse. And most of us contribute far more towards our healthcare than Act 10 forces on poor garage. And pensions? I worked for small companies who had a 401K plan, and that was it for pensions. No, there's no point feeling sorry for garage.

The people I feel sorry for are the small business owners like the guy who fixed my car seat when the power controls failed. Getting healthcare coverage for him and his two workers in the age of Obamacare may force him to close his doors. Garage hates people like that and he applauds when their outfits fail.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

A Re Man- you have yet to provide proof that Romney is a tax cheat.

Pettifogger said...

In Mexico, it's pronounced "pay OHN."

traditionalguy said...

Peons are like the caddies at the old golf courses. They walk around as burden bearers with the Gentlemen, and are quite expert at the course itself, but they are not there and do not speak except when needed by the Gentleman player.

Monarchy, wherefore art thou?

The answer is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It is spring and time for the resort golf courses meet the King.


Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

"Seriously? Becoming a slave to your pet and cleaning up after them is the go-to badge of honor among the upper crust."

But we're talking about cleaning up after other people's dogs?

Put that between 2 crusts and eat it.


LOLOL. You're essentially saying that instead of tending to your own upper-class affectations, you're getting rich people to let you into their estates so that you can oooh and aaah over theirs. Lol. Not much of a rebuttal against the charge, Ma'am. But a funny response!

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

"As the Yoko Ono to your John Lennon, isn't any comfort he's ever lived amongst new to him?"

Yoko Ono was a woman of the upper class and a very accomplished artist, whether you like her work or not.

You don't know anything about the work Meade does or has done, and you don't know anything about his socio-economic background, do you?


Lol! And I don't know much about Yoko Ono's (work or background) either!!!

LOLOLOLOL!!!

But hearing him rattle off Amazon earnings must be like listening to Yoko Ono going through Beatles royalties statements.

Lighten up. It's funny and you're only making it funnier. That's only a bad thing for people without humor. We think better of you (and him) than that.

edutcher said...

If anyone wonders, as I did, what prompted the dastardly and unprovoked attack on me by some phony folksy, consider my first comment.

No, not my riff on Carnifex, but the gist.

The fact that a lot of Demos, garage included, are suddenly less than enchanted with the Messiah's "I got mine" attitude toward helping them in the upcoming midterms.

Must be big panic at Troll Central. The scales weren't supposed to fall from the rubes' eyes for at least 2 more years.

Tim said...

chickelit said...

"Althouse just reduced Garage Mahal to the adsurdumb."

Indeed so, but highly inefficient: so much effort to prove the self-evident.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

AprilApple said...
A Re Man- you have yet to provide proof that Romney is a tax cheat.


Can you explain exactly how Romney got a $102 Million IRA? If at the end of that explanation you don't think he gamed the system then you are smoking crack. Was it illegal, no, or he would have been fined but he is hardly a shining example of civic mindedness. Just another crooked speculator with offshore bank accounts.

Shouting Thomas said...

Just about everything I know about Meade tells me he's a good guy.

I know some very interesting men in Woodstock who work at his trade, and (I think) see the world in the same way.

I always enjoy their company.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Would you admire Meade more if you heard that he pursued wealth or if you heard that he was satisfied with little? If you heard that he performed many charitable works or if you heard that he did not?

But you won't hear. There's very little factual information out there about Meade, who only wants to be known for his blog comments. That's the way he is. But for some reason, he gave me permission to tell you that he was going out to clean up other people's dogs' poop.


This has nothing to do with admiration or class or some lack thereof and everything to do with how ridiculous it was to compare what he did to Garage getting sarcastic about Obama's sacrifice.

Tim said...

"Must be big panic at Troll Central. The scales weren't supposed to fall from the rubes' eyes for at least 2 more years."

Yeah, but then news reports of the ACA's premium increases leaked out, and the prospect of one's pocketbook being fodder for the Demo-lampreys is too obvious to ignore.

Ann Althouse said...

"Because it was regressive, it impacted low income workers the hardest. Some lost as much as 15 percent of their income."

Are public sector employees properly termed "low income workers"? With their salaries, pensions, and health insurance benefits, they were relatively well off, certainly not the lowest tier in Wisconsin. They protested to keep benefits that were so much better than what private-sector employees had that they unwittingly made a lot of people notice something they hadn't noticed before. How entitled should you act when you have more than most of the people who are paying for your entitlements? Yelling about it was ultimately counterproductive.

By the way, Walker is up for reelection next year. Who will the Democrats run against him? Or are they already conceding him reelected? Was he kinda sorta pre-reelected in the recall election? I think so.

garage mahal said...

:. I gather he's spent little time with old money wealthy folk...who dress like peons and don't buy bling...and who mingle with more peons frequently that Garage has ever met ever.

LOL. Bling? I live in an old, working class Catholic neighborhood on the east side. Those with the cushy faculty gigs live on the other side of town, safely shielded from us slobs.

Ann Althouse said...

"You're essentially saying that instead of tending to your own upper-class affectations, you're getting rich people to let you into their estates so that you can oooh and aaah over theirs."

You sound insane there. We're talking about a public park. What is "affected" about a public dog park? What is "upper class"? Who is "oohing" and "aaahing"? You are delusional.

Tim said...

"They protested to keep benefits that were so much better than what private-sector employees had that they unwittingly made a lot of people notice something they hadn't noticed before. How entitled should you act when you have more than most of the people who are paying for your entitlements? Yelling about it was ultimately counterproductive."

Right.

Public employee union greed trumped smart thinking.

Although, to be fair, it was never a fair fight.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

You sound insane there. We're talking about a public park. What is "affected" about a public dog park? What is "upper class"? Who is "oohing" and "aaahing"? You are delusional.

Ann, you're causing me to smile broadly (laugh out loud is almost always an exaggeration on the internets) with how off-base you are in your presumptions, your understanding of whether well-off people bother to access public parks, (oh, public "dog" parks) and the fact that you're letting that get under your skin.

Maybe I am delusional but I've been to Central Park and other parks in fine, (even if publicly accessible) neighborhoods and parks. You are funny. ;-)

Shouting Thomas said...

You know, Ritmo, I often disagree with Althouse, but your statements about her are pretty silly.

Althouse could just be retreating into a world where everybody kisses her ass and seeks her favor. That's a potential perk of her position. She could just be presiding over a court of sycophants.

Whatever else you may think about her, she's out here slugging it out with anybody who wants to show up.

She has a real intellectual curiosity that goes beyond class affectations.

Ann Althouse said...

"LOL. Bling? I live in an old, working class Catholic neighborhood on the east side. Those with the cushy faculty gigs live on the other side of town, safely shielded from us slobs."

You didn't understand the comment, just like you don't understand what old money folk are actually like. I presume the reference is to the people Paul Fussell called the top out-of-sight upper class.

Shouting Thomas said...

... the fact that you're letting that get under your skin.

This notion that you are "getting under people's skins" is one of your favorites, Ritmo the Retard.

No, I seriously doubt if you are deflecting Althouse from her chosen path for even a moment.

Now, I'm going for my bicycle ride. My morning practice session functions almost like prayer. It's wonderful.

chickelit said...

Garage Mahal deflects: I live in an old, working class Catholic neighborhood on the east side. Those with the cushy faculty gigs live on the other side of town, safely shielded from us slobs.

LOL: East side, west side, you all still live within 30 square miles surrounded by reality.

Get over yourself, Garage...get back to your Up North roots and quit hiding behind the forgotten shadows of Gisholt Machinery and Oscar Mayer.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

She has a real intellectual curiosity that goes beyond class affectations.

What does this have to do with anything? We're talking about how supposedly humbling it is to pick up poop. I agree that it can be seen that way. I also point out that the one-percent love to go out and do it as a way to, well, I don't know. Even in public parks. That's what makes it funny - in general even, not just for the sake of this thread.

It's cute that Pet Thomas is trying to compare "willingness to disagree" creds here. Lol yet again.

chickelit said...

From what little I understand, Meade started and ran his own landscaping business before moving to Madison. It's barely spring in Madison, so he's seasonally underemployed. So what? Professional counsellors of the unemployed suggest activities like volunteering as worthwhile things to do in the interregnum.

Shouting Thomas said...

It's cute that Pet Thomas is trying to compare "willingness to disagree" creds here. Lol yet again.

Simple respect for the elders would improve your life quite a bit, Ritmo the Retard.

It's unfortunate that you are not speaking with other commenters face to face.

Anonymity is making you very stupid.

Anyway, I don't have any more time to waste with you today. Off to ride my bicycle!

chickelit said...

@garage: I live in an old, working class Catholic neighborhood on the east side. Those with the cushy faculty gigs live on the other side of town, safely shielded from us slobs.

You did remind me of my own "thoughtful" essay I wrote in college on that very topic: the East Side vs. West Side distinction in Madison. The professor at the time took a strong dislike to my arguments if I recall correctly. I should dig it out and send it to you.

rhhardin said...

There's Kafka's Hunger Artist, for really competitive suffering.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Simple respect for the elders would improve your life quite a bit, Ritmo the Retard.

I respect the wisdom that can come with age - not the sense of entitlement that you have which causes you to crack me over the head with demands that I respect your dementia.

It's unfortunate that you are not speaking with other commenters face to face.

Oh, the feeling's mutual.

Anonymity is making you very stupid.

I guess you have a better excuse for your own stupidity.

Anyway, I don't have any more time to waste with you today. Off to ride my bicycle!

As I said - your age is not an excuse for your immaturity. You could easily substitute that last noun with "tricycle" and it would have fit better. Or "Big Wheel".

garage mahal said...

Are public sector employees properly termed "low income workers"?

Many are low income. Act 10 also made huge cuts to EITC and Wisconsin Shares program, which provides child care assistance for low-income families. I know a lot of these people, I doubt you know any. Or care.

hombre said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Original Mike said...

"They protested to keep benefits that were so much better than what private-sector employees had that they unwittingly made a lot of people notice something they hadn't noticed before."

And you could see the outcome a mile away. The greedy side of me was thinking, "Shut the fuck up, already." I doubt we've seen the end of this.

The union leadership are freakin' idiots.

hombre said...

Peon is pronounced: "pay-own", with the emphasis on the first syllable.

hombre said...

That is: "correctly pronounced."

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

The point here is that the original post was tone deaf.

Meade, living a comfortable life, criticized the President for also leading a comfortable life. After having been called on the hypocrisy by Garage it was apparently felt in the Mead/Althouse household that "dog park volunteer work" somehow made Meade a man of the people. It is not unreasonable to view this as a little tone deaf, when there are people with actual problems out there in the world.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

garage mahal,

Many are low income. Act 10 also made huge cuts to EITC and Wisconsin Shares program, which provides child care assistance for low-income families. I know a lot of these people, I doubt you know any. Or care.

Oh, I bet Ann does. Starting with her students, some of whom have likely started families and are probably making squat, while racking up student-loan debt.

(Disclosure: I was born in Madison, and my first home was Eagle Heights married student housing. My parents were mol. bio. grad students at the time. I should think they were "low-income.")

Unknown said...

Why don't the dog owners pick up their own dogs' poop?

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

AReasonableMan,

Meade, living a comfortable life, criticized the President for also leading a comfortable life.

I think there is a difference in kind, not merely in degree, between Meade's situation and, oh, say, having a 747 to yourself whenever you want it. And it is a bit irksome that so many Obama family vacations seem to be outside the US.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

C. Stanley,

Why don't the dog owners pick up their own dogs' poop?

Legally speaking, I think they are required to in my state. They were when I lived in CA. I don't know about WI.

Aridog said...

Garage...please. Just please. You forget I have lived in Madison. I now live in the far east end of Dearborn, Michigan, adjacent by 200 yards +/- to the west side ghetto of Detroit, and just a bit northwest (3 minutes drive) of the Hispanic community. You compare this to Madison, how?

In other words I live among Arab and Hispanic immigrants and African Americans who essentially have nothing in many cases...and I live in an old Italian and Polish Catholic neighborhood. We're not rich here, but we ARE wealthy.

I "rub shoulders" with more "peons" than you can even imagine...and worse, I really like well over 90% of them, they're interesting, and in the Hispanic case, among the most joyful people I know. I'm flattered to be invited in to their circle when that occurs. I certainly do not classify them by wealth or status.

I am not sure you even know what a "peon" is...may be you can define it for me. I recall Madison well, and we do have a part of town here that is very similar...it is called Grosse Point.

Get off this class gap and snobbery thing, either direction, thing....it doesn't become you.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

I think there is a difference in kind, not merely in degree,


Well, one of them is currently the president of the United States. The Obamas would have been roughly comparable in financial status with the Meade/Althouse household up until he published his books. There can't be a better example of private enterprise initiative than being a successful author.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

"And what did Moochelle and Sushi and Mongolia, much less the Magic Negro, do to poor old garage?"

4/6/13, 10:03 AM

Edbutcher,edumber, Mr.Ed, what do you not understand about human decency, especially toward innocent children?

Aridog said...

We're talking about how supposedly humbling it is to pick up poop.

We are?

Where was that expressed in the original post?

garage mahal said...

You compare this to Madison, how?

I never compared Madison to Dearborn. Also, I don't have a Madison zip code, nor did I grow up here.

Anonymous said...

"Are public sector employees properly termed "low income workers"?"
-----------------
"Many are low income. Act 10 also made huge cuts to EITC and Wisconsin Shares program, which provides child care assistance for low-income families. I know a lot of these people, I doubt you know any. Or care."

4/6/13, 11:37 AM

Those who know, don't care. Then there are those who don't want to know.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

A re man,
You have not offered any proof that Romney is operating outside the law. You are just pissed that he is rich.

Still you provide zero proof That Romney is a tax cheat. Your original assertion.
Nothing.
You are bothered that Romney is a successful and charitable business man.
So -- Are you bothered when rich democrats have large bank accounts and large IRA's?
Romney gives millions to charity. Are political democrats with vast wealth (like John Kerry or John Edwards etc..) expected to give millions to charity too? Because they DON'T.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

I think there is a difference in kind, not merely in degree, between Meade's situation and, oh, say, having a 747 to yourself whenever you want it.

I think that difference in kind is called: Being entrusted by tens of millions of Americans to having the best resources available to you in your pursuit of safeguarding their affairs.

And it is a bit irksome that so many Obama family vacations seem to be outside the US.

Are they? How many is too many? And how ignorant and unappreciative of the world around him does a conservative want their president to be? Would that somehow make a president a more effective international leader?

Should Althouse shut down the continued "history of world's nations" series on her blog?

chickelit said...

Inga said: Edbutcher,edumber, Mr.Ed, what do you not understand about human decency, especially toward innocent children?

Inga, it's a good thing you weren't around here a few years ago--you might have prevented some abuse: link

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Where was that expressed in the original post?

Um, in her reference to Garage's comment, you fine, astute and careful reader.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

AprilApple said...
Still you provide zero proof That Romney is a tax cheat. Your original assertion.


Calling Romney a tax cheat is your projection not mine. As I said if he had broken the law he would have been fined.

This is my original post. If you are going to engage at least make the effort to get it right.


AReasonableMan said...
This is not true. Romney was able to take advantage of tax shelters unavailable to people with less capital who had not worked in investment banking. This was, in part, why his tax rate was so low.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Oh Gawd Chickelit. Exactly how much space in your skull does Sarah Palin occupy? When you pass a women's restroom do you think of her? When you turn on the TV, do you expect to see her as the first image broadcast? Children playing outside, do they remind you of her? Does she dance about at the beach and taunt you while others wonder if you're really seeing a mirage?

I think it's time for you to see Dr. Drew about your fixation, Good Sir. Tell him, "I cannot visit comment chat-boards on the internets without being continually reminded of her and her losing VP run four years ago. It really is becoming a problem, Doc."

The good doctor will fix you up.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

O Ritmo Segundo,

Are they? How many [foreign vacations] is too many? And how ignorant and unappreciative of the world around him does a conservative want their president to be? Would that somehow make a president a more effective international leader?

I said vacations, Ritmo, not state visits. Perhaps you think there is some useful information the President can gather by his daughters going to Mexico or his fife and daughters going to Spain, but I'm not really seeing it.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Enh. *wife, not fife. Sorry.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

I'm beginning to wonder if Chickelit has a Sarah Palin doll that he plays with and keeps on his nightstand at night.

chickelit said...

Ritmo: You should reread some of your own posts on that old thread under your then name "Big Gov't Trickling Down on You"

I put the thread up for Inga to juxtapose her concern for innocent kids caught in politics vs. her own taste in friends.

Aridog said...

garage mahal said...

I never compared Madison to Dearborn. Also, I don't have a Madison zip code, ...

You just don't get it. You stated you lived on the east side of town insulated from the cushy west side faculty gigs. You were talking about Madison in the context of this thread. Correct me if I am wrong.

You didn't compare Madison to east Dearborn, I did. The reference was to who rubs elbows with "peons" which includes immigrants and the bulk of Detroit's remaining African American population ... now standing at 90% or so.

It IS NOT a comparison of specific towns (other than by example)...it IS a comparison of populations rubbed elbows with....and YOU brought the sub-topic up, not me. Fact is, I said it was beneath you. You seem to have missed that too.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

I said vacations, Ritmo, not state visits. Perhaps you think there is some useful information the President can gather by his daughters going to Mexico or his fife and daughters going to Spain, but I'm not really seeing it.

So when you take vacations abroad, you take no interest in picking up some of the language, learning a bit of the culture, getting an idea of what goes through the minds of the people there?

If so, you'd be the stereotypically boorish American abroad. Or any other imperialist. Nothing new in history, but not flattering - or good generally.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

AReasonableMan,

The Obamas would have been roughly comparable in financial status with the Meade/Althouse household up until he published his books. There can't be a better example of private enterprise initiative than being a successful author.

Unless it's leveraging being married to the successful author into a $270K-plus salary doing a job so danged important that, when Michelle Obama left it, the position was eliminated outright.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

AprilApple said...
A re man,
You have not offered any proof that Romney is operating outside the law. You are just pissed that he is rich.


Actually you are starting to piss me off. As I posted before:

Can you explain exactly how Romney got a $102 million IRA? If at the end of that explanation you don't think he gamed the system then you are smoking crack. Was it illegal, no, or he would have been fined but he is hardly a shining example of civic mindedness. Just another crooked speculator with offshore bank accounts.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Enh. *wife, not fife. Sorry.

Lol. You mean, you didn't mean to imply that he takes with him a Colonial Army Military-style marching band with him when he travels on leisure? It's not playing Yankee Doodle Went to Town with him everywhere he goes? I'd think that would be a Tea Partier's idea of the most awesome American vacation ever!!! LOLOLOL!!

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

O Ritmo Segundo,

The Obama children went to Mexico without either of your parents. Michelle and her daughters went to Spain without the President.

I hope and trust that Obama is not getting his intelligence about Mexico and Spain primarily from his wife and his children.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Oh, sorry again. *Their parents, not your. Typing too fast, as I have to be out the door in a minute.

Anonymous said...

Michelle, I'm sure they weren't unchaperoned.

Aridog said...

Um, in her reference to Garage's comment, ...

Oh, you mean YOUR interpretation of her meaning, not something she said explicitly.

I shall refine my mind reading skills, I promise, so I can get your meanings.

Wait, that's a lie...can't read what isn't there.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

A re man,
You are not offering any proof.

Petunia said...

Many of the dog parks in Dane County have a lot of overgrown, brushy, and/or wooded areas in them. Dogs like to run around and sometimes they poop out of sight of their owners, or in an area that the owner can't easily access during the warmer weather when everything is growing. During the winter, it can be difficult to "break trail" through the snow to get to where the dog pooped...if you can even find it.

So after the snow melts and before things really start growing is a good time to find the wayward "material".

There ARE people who deliberately don't pick up after their dogs when they see them poop. Jerks. I always carry extra bags at the dog park and pick up poop if I see it along the trail. But I can't physically follow my dogs everywhere they go in the park, and I suspect they have left some deposits that I didn't see or have the chance to clean up.

So, good for Meade for going out there and helping! The dog parks here are a great asset and it's nice that people volunteer to help maintain them.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

I shall refine my mind reading skills, I promise, so I can get your meanings.

Wait, that's a lie...can't read what isn't there.


Which is to say, you can't interpret, either.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

A re man,
Romney isn't "civic minded" enough for you? And that makes him a tax cheat? even though you are admitting that Romney is not breaking any laws. Got it.
Please let me know your opinion on John Kerry's financial situation.
Also, the Kennedy family. And - Charlie Rengal. He writes our tax laws and is himself an actual tax heat. But I suppose that's OK.

Aridog said...

AReasonableMan said...

This is not true. Romney was able to take advantage of tax shelters unavailable to people with less capital who had not worked in investment banking. This was, in part, why his tax rate was so low.

I tried to resist this on first glance, but you doubled down.

So please cite chapter and verse from Title 26 USC and/or 26 CFR, the IRS Code, just how this advantage was gained, due to work in "investment banking", while others did not have access to it. I've cited a nice place for you to cite from...how' bout that.

Ann Althouse said...

The correct pronunciation of "peon" in English is "pee on."

It comes from the French. OED: "Etymology: < French pion foot-soldier, infantryman (see pawn n.1). Compare Portuguese peão foot-soldier. Compare peon n.2"

Ann Althouse said...

"Why don't the dog owners pick up their own dogs' poop?"

Maybe in the dog park, where dogs get far from the owners, the owners don't see it all... or at least can tell themselves that.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The Obama administration is using Romney as an excuse to come after our private IRA accounts.

Original Mike said...

"...or at least can tell themselves that."

This.

cubanbob said...

Reasonable is ticked off by Romney taking advantage of a scheme implemented by democrats for the benefit of wealthy democrats. He should be mad at the democrats for not allowing him to save a lot more of his after tax income in a Roth IRA.

Garage seriously believes that tax payers pay taxes for the benefit of civil service employees and that services are merely incidental.

Aridog said...

Which is to say, you can't interpret, either.

No. What it says is that I can read what Althouse said, and that YOUR interpretation isn't material...e.g., no there there.

She didn't say it, you did. How hard is that for you?

Here's an idea...available through the Althouse Amazon portal...a no touch device to hold under your chin whilst pontificating and putting words in other people's mouths.

Try it, it'll save stains on shirts I'm sure.

cubanbob said...

The Obama administration is using Romney as an excuse to come after our private IRA accounts.


4/6/13, 12:56 PM

Sad but true. Democratic fairness means paying civil servants much more in retirement income and benefits than they earned while working.

garage mahal said...

@Aridog

Act 10 impacted everyone in Wisconsin. All 72 counties, whether you were a public worker or not.

And what do we have to show for it? 44th in the nation in job growth and stifling austerity. Now we're told we must borrow billions more to pay for highways and other building projects, on top of the past borrowing/bonding. We're told they might also have to sell off public assets, and, oh, blow up the Penokee Hills and destroy one of the most pristine watersheds in thew world.

At the moment, Wisconsin is a giant right wing piggy bank. All the good parts will be wrecked, chopped up, filled in, and sold off. It will be an unrecognizable ghetto of its former great self. All by design.

Aridog said...

AprilApple said...

The Obama administration is using Romney as an excuse to come after our private IRA accounts.

Kind of like the proposals for Cyprus, eh. Actually, the long term plan is to selectively limit wealth without waiting for the well off to die.

It takes money from everyone, rich and poor, without a basis in productivity. Politicians love this stuff.

Similar to a VAT tax, sans pass through credits, where even the cost of labor is taxable rather than an expense. A politicians wet dream...you owe tax even in loss years and must draw on equity to pay the tax...until the equity is all gone. Too bad for you and your employees.

You didn't save enough. Bwaahahah.

Ann Althouse said...

"Oh, you mean YOUR interpretation of her meaning, not something she said explicitly."

Considering that I was only following Meade's directions, attributing meaning to me is incoherent.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Let's try one more time. Can you explain exactly how Romney got a $102 million IRA?

I don't think it is rational to blame the Democrats for this one.

Baron Zemo said...

"As the Yoko Ono to your John Lennon, isn't any comfort he's ever lived amongst new to him"

Ouch. That was a low blow.

Nice.

Baron Zemo said...

You know that song: "All the best houseboys have Chinese eyes."

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

AprilApple said...
The Obama administration is using Romney as an excuse to come after our private IRA accounts.


IRAs where meant to encourage saving for retirement for average people not tax shelters for oligarchs. If you want to blame anyone blame the people abusing the system.

Baron Zemo said...

Romney obviously rolled over pension monies from a defined benefit plan that was based on his compensation.

In the 1980's you were allowed to sock away a ton of money in various forms of defined benefit and defined compensation plans. When you leave that company you are able to roll it over into an IRA. Of course some of the monies are subject to an excise tax if the payout is above a certain amount. But the monies in his IRA plan were not accumulated using the IRA rules. It was simply a rollover.

Perfect legal and legitimate. People role over large sums into their personal IRA's all the time. Often in the millions of dollars for highly compensated individuals.

Baron Zemo said...

So rich people don't have the same rights to save for their retirement just at higher levels?

Class envy and spite. The guiding principles of the Obama voter.

Baron Zemo said...

Obama isn't just after rich peoples pensions. There is not enough money there. They are after the middle class pension money too. They want to change the rules after the game has been played.

You know why they want to do that.

To tax and spend. Tax and spend. Tax and spend.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Baron Zemo said...
Romney obviously rolled over pension monies from a defined benefit plan that was based on his compensation.


No one believes this. Look it up in the financial press.

edutcher said...

Inga said...

And what did Moochelle and Sushi and Mongolia, much less the Magic Negro, do to poor old garage?

Edbutcher,edumber, Mr.Ed, what do you not understand about human decency, especially toward innocent children?


I know enough to be able to condemn what went on at auschwitz without doing the, "It's above my pay grade", dance.

Besides, Sushi and Mongolia are no more innocent than Jenna and Barbara Bush.

And why is the She Devil of the SS more interested in her usual rabble rousing than answering the question?

PS Get the name right. You're putting yourself in the same slot as Diamond.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Baron Zemo said...
So rich people don't have the same rights to save for their retirement just at higher levels?


These tax free accounts are meant to reduce dependence on the government for handouts when you retire by encouraging savings by the middle class. They were not meant to be tax shelters for rich oligarchs.

Baron Zemo said...

You look it up. I don't want to steal his money from him. That is for you and the Jug Eared Jesus to do if you want to justify it. The burden of proof is on you to show that he did something wrong.

Or you can just take his family out and shoot them in the snow. Just leave out Anastasia as she screams in vain.

Baron Zemo said...

Hey a Beatles and a Stones reference in the same thread. Groovy.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Baron Zemo said...

Laws have unintended consequences. If they didn't want rich people to take advantage of the rules they could have put that in the law. But maybe they thought that rich people have rights as Americans just like anybody else. They had the chance to put in limits. The IRS had a chance to put in limitations in their regulations as well.

Luckily the Congress wasn't full of commie cunts back then.

You can't change the rules after the game is over. Well you can but everybody can see what you doing.

Baron Zemo said...

Can't we get back to the point of this post.

Which is making fun of Meade.

Sharpen up peons!

Anonymous said...

Edbutcher, as long as you pick on little girls, like Sasha and Malia, your name will be butchered.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Inga,

Michelle, I'm sure [Sasha and Malia] weren't unchaperoned.

Oh, of course they were chaperoned. They were massively chaperoned, likely as thoroughly chaperoned as any children have been in the history of the planet. But O Ritmo Segundo was arguing that these vacations were actually useful to the government in the sense of providing information about Mexico, Spain, and any foreign nation the Obama family, minus the President, might decide to vacation at next. I suggested that spending US government money in the US might make a bit more sense when it came to recreation for the First Family.

Baron Zemo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
somefeller said...

Edbutcher, as long as you pick on little girs like Sasha and Malia, your name will be butchered.

Inga, be nice to edutcher. As he pointed out upthread, he is only repeating nicknames another person came up with. So on top of everything else, he lacks even that much creativity. Have mercy on him, if he wasn't the way he is, things would have turned out better for him.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Baron Zemo said...

Or you can just take his family out and shoot them in the snow.


So now you appear to be conceding that Romney is just another in a very long line of kleptocrats.

Baron Zemo said...

OH Meade!

Baron Zemo said...

Yes I concede the Romneys are rich. That he inherited money.

I also concede that you and you community organizer are commies.

So we are on the same page.

Thanks for playing.


Baron Zemo said...

Hey I bet the Nutty Perfessor has Meade dress up in the Matador hat and the black leather hot pants just like Yoko in the video.

While he is picking up dog shit in the park.

Just to extend the metaphor. So to speak.

Baron Zemo said...

I am glad to see that the Perfessor is going with the Meadester when he hangs in the dog park.

Because there is a whole flash mob subculture going on there.

Meade might want to video tape some of those coeds since he isn't hanging out at the Capitol anymore. Just sayn'

Ann Althouse said...

"Sushi and Mongolia..."

Please stop writing that. It's not at all funny and it makes you look like you've picked up what's palmed off as humor in the kind of lame-ass right-wing email that some people see fit, for some damned reason, to forward to me too.

edutcher said...

Inga said...

Edbutcher, as long as you pick on little girls, like Sasha and Malia, your name will be butchered.

Oh, yes, those poor little girls, 12 and 15. Forced to go to Sidwell Friends, dragged kicking and screaming to a taxpayer-paid Spring Break in Squaw Valley and Atlantis.

The She Devil of the SS, champeen of the O-pressed.

somefeller said...

Edbutcher, as long as you pick on little girs like Sasha and Malia, your name will be butchered.

Inga, be nice to edutcher. As he pointed out upthread, he is only repeating nicknames another person came up with. So on top of everything else, he lacks even that much creativity. Have mercy on him, if he wasn't the way he is, things would have turned out better for him


Things turned out better for me than they obviously did for some phony folksy. He's still in Mom's basement, lurking on althouse, unable to actually say anything constructive or intelligent. Just a little dull-witted snark.

And some phony folksy still doesn't want to answer the original question I asked.

We're also waiting for his proof that the more kids you have, the dumber you are.

All some phony folksy wants to do is join the She Devil of the SS' lynch mob.

Then again, they're made for each other.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
edutcher said...

Ann Althouse said...

"Sushi and Mongolia..."

Please stop writing that. It's not at all funny and it makes you look like you've picked up what's palmed off as humor in the kind of lame-ass right-wing email that some people see fit, for some damned reason, to forward to me too.


I'd argue about the humor, but, since you ask in a polite tone, I'll refrain.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Ouch. That was a low blow.

Nice.


I waited for a while to sneak it into one of those Amazon earnings threads, but he seems especially proud of those and I didn't want to go too low. ;-) Besides, who could blame him? It seems like the best way for easy money/income to a blog with enough hits, so more power to him (well, to both of them). But yeah, comparing the way those are rattled off to Yoko doing music royalties statements seemed too funny to pass up.

Ann Althouse said...

Meade: "Well, you got a lot out of the poop thread. It was a poop café. At the Dog Poop Café."

Me: "It really has been a poop fest. Poopstock '13, as I said. It's gone on so long, Trooper York has taken off all his clothes — which all seem to be 80s era wrap dresses in goofball floral prints — and is wallowing in the mud."

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Ann,

Please stop writing that. It's not at all funny and it makes you look like you've picked up what's palmed off as humor in the kind of lame-ass right-wing email that some people see fit, for some damned reason, to forward to me too.

Amen to that. I wouldn't cry my eyes out if you dropped "Moochelle," either. Or, for that matter, the "Magic Negro" shtick. Honestly, we're in the fifth year of Obama's presidency. could we start acting like adults? Please?

Meade said...

"Trooper York has taken off all his clothes — which all seem to be 80s era wrap dresses in goofball floral prints — and is wallowing in the mud."

Oh wow, man. I hope he didn't take the brown acid.

Aridog said...

AReasonableMan said...

So now you appear to be conceding that Romney is just another in a very long line of kleptocrats.

Does that "long line" include Warren Buffet and Jeffy Immelt?

You keep on keeping on about Romney,who is not in office, unlikely to run for office again, and generally of no consequence to today's economy....or even the price of cheese farts in Milwaukee. You allege he had special advantage due to working in investment banking that others don't have.

Back at 12:45 PM I gave you a chance to explain how Romney did this malevolent stuff that others can't do...I even gave you a cite for 26 CFR to start you on you way to actually, you know, document your accusations.

Know what I think? I think your knowledge of what the US Tax code actually says and requires is limited to the fun of you jamming your clenched little fist in the air whimpering "power to the people" and screaming at selected rich people.

The name for your expansive tax knowledge is "Jack Shit". This is partially a law blog and yet not one lawyer appears to have the tax experience to illuminate your allegations either...or say much of anything.

At this point I'm outta here...I'd much prefer poop patrol to this conversation where mighty mouths allege and document nothing....whether it's how lack of union dues and cheaper civil servant health insurance deprives individuals of anything state wide or how Romney, but not Immelt or Buffet gathered their wealth illictly.

It's all shit, but the dog variety smells better.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Hats off to Baron - who's still got it. The links to those YouTube videos cracked me up!

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Aridog said...

You keep on keeping on about Romney,who is not in office, unlikely to run for office again, and generally of no consequence to today's economy....or even the price of cheese farts in Milwaukee. You allege he had special advantage due to working in investment banking that others don't have.

Back at 12:45 PM I gave you a chance to explain how Romney did this malevolent stuff that others can't do...I even gave you a cite for 26 CFR to start you on you way to actually, you know, document your accusations.

Know what I think? I think your knowledge of what the US Tax code actually says and requires is limited to the fun of you jamming your clenched little fist in the air whimpering "power to the people" and screaming at selected rich people.

The name for your expansive tax knowledge is "Jack Shit". This is partially a law blog and yet not one lawyer appears to have the tax experience to illuminate your allegations either...or say much of anything.

At this point I'm outta here...I'd much prefer poop patrol to this conversation where mighty mouths allege and document nothing....whether it's how lack of union dues and cheaper civil servant health insurance deprives individuals of anything state wide or how Romney, but not Immelt or Buffet gathered their wealth illictly.

It's all shit, but the dog variety smells better.



Seems like someone missed nap time.

Let's try one more time. Can you explain exactly how Romney accumulated a $102 million IRA?

Meade said...

Tsk. This thread has more poo to pick up than the entire dog park had. Everyone was very civilized and well-mannered at the dog park. I didn't see a single person flinging poop.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

But Meadesey! People like to rub their noses in other people's misdeeds...

somefeller said...

And some phony folksy still doesn't want to answer the original question I asked.

Edutcher's continued attempts at mind-reading are always amusing. Maybe he can get a job as a psychic. Or not.

We're also waiting for his proof that the more kids you have, the dumber you are.

That comment might make sense if I ever made that claim, but I haven't. Maybe edutcher can link to whatever he's thinking about and someone with reading comprehension skills can read whatever he's going on about and make their own judgments.

Aridog said...

ARM ... [one last time]

Let's try one more time. Can you explain exactly how Romney accumulated a $102 million IRA?

No,simpleton...it was not me who alleged how he did it, it was you...and now you respond by asking me how he did it? You make the accusation and demand the opposition prove it?

In short: You know Jack Shit.

I think you're frat brothers in fact.

Anonymous said...

"Meade: "Well, you got a lot out of the poop thread. It was a poop café. At the Dog Poop Café."
---------------------
Me: "It really has been a poop fest. Poopstock '13, as I said. It's gone on so long, Trooper York has taken off all his clothes — which all seem to be 80s era wrap dresses in goofball floral prints — and is wallowing in the mud.""

4/6/13, 2:33 PM
Bwahahahahahaha! Now THAT is funny.

chickelit said...

All we are saying is give POS a chance.

Baron Zemo said...

Thanks for the shout out but I am not taking fashion advice from someone whose personal style was described by a famous fashion stylist as your basic "elderly homeless lesbian chic."

80's era goofball floral print wrap dresses sell exceptionly well. Hee.

edutcher said...

somefeller said...

We're also waiting for his proof that the more kids you have, the dumber you are.

That comment might make sense if I ever made that claim, but I haven't.


Yes, you made it to Erika 2 or 3 weeks ago on a Sunday. If you're going to open your mouth, you better be able to back up what comes out.

FWIW, some phony folksy's big animus against me, the original one at the base of all this, is that I can't stand Willie Nelson. He's so insecure, he has to unload all this venom on somebody over the most trivial of preferences.

I suppose I should feel sorry for someone like that.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Aridog said...
it was not me who alleged how he did it, it was you..


We have already covered this. I have never expressed any doubt that with a phalanx of lawyers at his side he can prove that whatever he did was legal. The issue was whether it was appropriate behavior for someone claiming the highest office in the land. I think you have to be a moral midget not to see that there is a problem here. Most people do not have a legal mechanism to sock away so much tax-free money in a retirement account. There could not be a clearer example of the law favoring the rich at the expense of not just the poor but even the upper middle class. It is just not appropriate behavior for someone who wants to be the literal figurehead of the nation.

Meade said...

Or even perceived misdeeds.

Garage is mistaken about Act 10, Walker, and what he perceives as snobbery and callousness on the part of supporters.

Many of the cars at the dog park still have bumper stickers with blue fists and "Recall Walker". One woman, with a couple of handsome border collies, had her hands full and needed help getting the lid off the waste container so I gave her a hand. She had a button on her jacket that said "TAX THE RICH". (This is the truth.) As I held the lid and she lifted her bag to throw it away, our elbows bumped - they didn't rub but they bumped. We both said "excuse me" at the same time and then said "thanks" at the same time and then laughed at the same time. I was glad, at that moment, I wasn't wearing an "I STAND WITH GOVERNOR WALKER" button.

Ann Althouse said...

"80's era goofball floral print wrap dresses sell exceptionly well. Hee."

So do cheeseburgers.

somefeller said...

Yes, you made it to Erika 2 or 3 weeks ago on a Sunday. If you're going to open your mouth, you better be able to back up what comes out.

No, I didn't say that. In fact, if I remember correctly, I specifically said I didn't believe that, but pointed out some families remind one of the movie "Idiocracy". But this apparently made quite an impression on you, so maybe you can provide a link and let people judge for themselves.

FWIW, some phony folksy's big animus against me, the original one at the base of all this, is that I can't stand Willie Nelson.

Now I really have no idea what you are talking about, Carnac. And at this point, edutcher steps from absurd self-parody to outright tragedy.

Anonymous said...

Ann, they sell well at Goodwill too.

edutcher said...

Some phony folksy, confronted with the truth, rushes to change the subject.

Again.

PS Erika challenged you on it several times, and you stuck to it.

If you think it's so, you shouldn't be afraid to stick up for your beliefs.

Unless, of course, since you fancy yourself part of the ruling class, you're afraid the rubes will wise up.

somefeller said...

If you think it's so, you shouldn't be afraid to stick up for your beliefs.

Once again, I didn't make the claim you're ascribing to me. If you're confident of your point (and obviously whatever is on that thread really made an impression on you) why don't you provide a link. People can then make their own judgments and hopefully their reading comprehension skills will be better than yours. A low standard, I know.

As I said, tragic.

garage mahal said...

By the way, Walker is up for reelection next year. Who will the Democrats run against him?

That's if Walker wants to run again. He doesn't appear to love his job.

Dems need someone that can self finance their campaign, as they will be up against $500,000 donation checks from the likes of Diane Hendricks.

Someone like this guy.

Conroy floated the idea of running for governor before, I hope he does run.

Someone that knows how to actually create jobs. Imagine that.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Or even perceived misdeeds.

Garage is mistaken about Act 10, Walker, and what he perceives as snobbery and callousness on the part of supporters.


Meade, I'm not sure I read all that much politics into this thread and I hope I got the right story from your anecdote - (although as long as you got something from it, that's the important thing).

But privilege is not eternally linked to politics. Garage made a point about the observer of a Democrat, not his politics.

Anyway, I take it your anecdote serves to show me that you're nice to people on an individual level, even if lefties legitimately gripe about the consequences of the avowed right-wing refusal to give a damn about anyone they don't know in real-life. Someone whose interactions to you come by way of a government. A representative, self-government, but a government nonetheless. Bad. Scary. Horrible.

As far as Scott Walker goes, he's a mediocre to sub-par state official whose usefulness to America's or WI's public concerns have yet to be proved. As far as I can tell, he might rally just enough people to save his political skin, and I wish I could see how the benefits to that match the passion with which he's clung on, but I don't.

So, until you show me otherwise, I'm going with the credible story-line. Koch Inc. and the GOP have nothing more to do in WI or elsewhere to revive a dying brand than to get a bunch of poobahs at the state level to fight their last, dying stand against working folk and those who have had much more success over time defending their interests than anyone else.

As long as you want to get political about it.

Now me, I'd probably still walk your dog or help uncap your coffee, (and I'd probably be more direct and less awkward about it than your typical Midwesterner), but I'd still tell you what I thought about whatever politics came up. And then I'd smile at you and wish you a nice day.

Titus said...

"So do cheeseburgers."

Wow, Althouse, you can be so bitchy sometimes....and I love it.

chickelit said...

Inga said...
Ann, they sell well at Goodwill too.

Meanwhile, cheeseburgers have absolutely no resale value.

Titus said...

I don't give a shit one way or another about Walker.

I don't live in that state, and he seems uninterested in pushing any anti gay hit, and I have never and would never be a member of a union or any group.

BUTTTT. I am curious. Were one of his goals 250,000 jobs within his firt term? Is that happening in Wisconsin.

chickelit said...

That's if Walker wants to run again. He doesn't appear to love his job.

Udder projection and wishful thinking.

garage mahal said...

I have a sneaking suspicion that Conroy is running, but I can't tell you why. #crypticposts

edutcher said...

You did, and, if I'm so wrong, why don't you go find it?

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Titus said...
I have never and would never be a member of a union or any group.


Is this by choice or simply acquiescence to reality?

somefeller said...

You did, and, if I'm so wrong, why don't you go find it?

Because I don't do other people's homework for them. You made the claim, now go prove it.

Since others were discussing word derivations before, is an English word for tragedy multiplied upon itself?

edutcher said...

No, you made the claim.

I've just spent the last couple of weeks calling you on it.

As I've said, some phony folksy likes to throw out unsupported claims as if they're Holy Writ without any documentation and hopes the sneering arrogance with which they're delivered will let him bluff his way through.

This isn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Baron Zemo said...

Yes cheeseburgers sell extremely well.

Regular everyday Americans love them. They eat them every week.

So it is right for the smug elitists to despise them.

Along with captialism.

Baron Zemo said...

Not everyone can have a snug safe haven as a public school teacher creating more useless ambulance chasers. Or be their houseboy.

Some of us have to earn our own living in the marketplace.

But hey whatever your rice bowl is you should be proud of it.

If your hobby is wallowing around in a borrowed dogs shit....well knock yourself out.

Enjoy.

somefeller said...

Shorter edutcher: I got nothing.

Actually, that's shorter edutcher for pretty much everything he says on this site.

Tragedy cubed.

edutcher said...

No, that's some phony folksy. I make a claim, there's usually a link.

some phony folksy shoots off his mouth and tries to bluff his way through.

And the short some phony folksy is, I'm afraid to look because I'll know what I'll find.

Go away, you're pathetic. You're why the Left is going to lose in the end.

Because a lie always falls of its own corruption.

somefeller said...

I make a claim, there's usually a link.

Not this time. Wonder why that is?

Baron Zemo said...

Hey just leave Yoko alone!

She is gonna stick around.

Anonymous said...

Zemo, why don't you give it a rest?

edutcher said...

somefeller said...

I make a claim, there's usually a link.

Not this time. Wonder why that is?


Because you made the claim, sweetie.

I know they must teach you misdirection and all that stuff in Troll School, but you made a claim and now you say you didn't.

Actually, you're just doing your usual weasel act we always see when you're caught.

Or are you going to throw one of your famous bon mots at us?

You know, like "Sedition! Treason! Alinsky!".

Baron Zemo said...

Inga don't address me because I am not talking to you.

Mind your own business.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Nope, I don't need to be subjected to your hateful attacks on Althouse and Meade. It's not funny, it reveals something less than admirable about you. It's to their great credit they don't delete you like Typhoid Mary.

somefeller said...

Because you made the claim, sweetie.

I'll type this slowly, if that will help. You claimed I said something. I said I didn't say what you claimed I said and suggested you provide a link so I or others (if anyone else cares about this issue, which I doubt) can see who is correct. (Logic 101 - burden of proof is on the person claiming X occurred.) You haven't come up with a link with relevant quotes, which is telling since obviously whatever I said made quite an impression on you.

Did you show this level of competence and diligence in your last job? If so, it's no surprise that you were canned and no one else will hire you, even for a menial job.

Anyway, this horse has been flogged to dust. I'll re-engage if you actually come up with some support for your claim. Otherwise, I'll leave you to your sputtering.

Baron Zemo said...

Listen stupid. It is none of your business if Ritmo and I want to scuff up Meade a little. He is a big boy and can take care of himself. As he did in this thread. As did the Nutty Perfessor. They gave as good as they got. They don't need the help of insipid twat like you. So why not go address somebody who gives a shit about what you think.

I will not address you again.

Anonymous said...

Trooper/Zemo,
You know what's funny? It's when the bra fitter needs to wear the bras he sells, now that's funny, can ya "take it"? Or do you just like handing it out?

Original Mike said...

How come every time I come here someone's not talking to Inga, or vice versa?

Original Mike said...

Baron Zemo is Trooper York?

edutcher said...

somefeller said...

Because you made the claim, sweetie.

I'll type this slowly, if that will help. You claimed I said something. I said I didn't say what you claimed I said and suggested you provide a link so I or others (if anyone else cares about this issue, which I doubt) can see who is correct.


Keep trying, this is the kind of thing that got your Messiah elected.

I called on you to produce some evidence to back up the claim you made several weeks ago that the kids some people have, the dumber they are. I've been hounding you for something to back it up and you've been running away.

If you don't have the proof (you usually don't), say so. The fact you tried weaseling out of it a while back tends to suggest you don't.

I can't say as how I blame you.

But it's your assertion, the one you made to Erika and defended through several rounds with her.

Did you show this level of competence and diligence in your last job? If so, it's no surprise that you were canned and no one else will hire you, even for a menial job.

And there you go again, making fun of unemployment. A "compassionate, tolerant" Lefty like you.

Does it make you happy 900,000 people are out of the workforce? Do you think it's funny we only added 88,000 jobs last month? Do you get your jollies thing last quarter GDP was .4%?

And I'll bet you just bleed all over the floor for the 99%.

Anyway, this horse has been flogged to dust. I'll re-engage if you actually come up with some support for your claim. Otherwise, I'll leave you to your sputtering

You're the one that spent the afternoon sputtering, sweet cheeks, after picking a fight with me over a comment that you still haven't addressed, I might add.

How will all you Lefties prevail if people like garage are beginning to see through you?

But go run.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Inga - I'm with Baron on this. It's really not your concern if we want to harmlessly and humorously bust his balls a bit.

Sometimes you act, possibly without knowing it, on ulterior motives (whether "well intentioned" or not - its not my concern, and it doesn't matter), and don't just leave a situation for what it is.

I suppose we all do this to some extent, from time to time. But the way you go about it really surprises me sometimes.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

somefeller said...
Did you show this level of competence and diligence in your last job? If so, it's no surprise that you were canned and no one else will hire you, even for a menial job.


This is over the top.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Baron Zemo said...

That was well said AReasonableMan.

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