Last Call

If you want to know what lessons the GOP have taken from Scott Walker surviving his recall attempt, it's nothing less than the call now to eliminate all public sector unions.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) criticized public-sector unions on Sunday, saying they should be eliminated entirely.

"There's, I think, a fundamental problem with government becoming its own special interest group," he told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday." "Ultimately, there is not really bargaining in those situations because government sits on both sides of the table."

Wallace then asked whether Daniels would like to see public-sector unions disappear entirely.

"I think government works better without them, I really do," Daniels replied.

"There's a reason that defenders of labor ... always said that unionism had no place in the public sector, that it was necessary freedom, and it is, in the private sector. But that it was a bad idea in government," he added.

Government employees aren't entitled to anything now.  No unions, no collective bargaining, no retirement, hell at this point even paying public sector workers is "theft of taxpayer money".  The politics of resentment that the Republicans are using now demand you rise up against teachers, cops, firefighters, social workers, and anyone else working for the government and TAKE BACK YOUR COUNTRY and stuff.

So we can't have private sector unions because the job creators will all leave, and we can't have public sector unions because GOVERNMENT IS THEFT.   Pretty soon we'll be asking "why pay government employees at all?"  And our FOX zombie nation will agree because none of them ever got raises.  Why should anyone else? 

Won't be long now until you'll be paying your employer for the privilege of working for them.

Greek Fire, Part 60

And we've reached the point where Spain has beaten Cyprus to the bailout window first as Madrid has asked the EU for something in the neighborhood of a hundred billion euros to solve their little bank implosion crisis.

Spain became the fourth euro member to seek a bailout since the start of the region’s debt crisis more than two years ago with a request for as much as 100 billion euros ($125 billion) to rescue its banks.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who as recently as May 28 said he wouldn’t seek a bailout, characterized the deal as a credit line for banks and an endorsement of his policies. He spoke to reporters today in Madrid before flying to Gdansk, Poland, for a soccer match between the national team and Italy.

Monday is going to be...ugly.  Ireland already wants to renegotiate its austerity-dependent bailout terms and Greece knows can push for that now too. 

If, as seems likely given the country’s size and therefore bargaining power, preferential terms are extended to the Spanish, the EU might find it has opened a Pandora’s box, beginning in Dublin.

A “European government source” told AFP that Ireland had highlighted “the need to ensure parity of the deal with Spain retroactively on its bailout".

AFP says a second European government source backs up this story. Apparently, Ireland intends to raise the issue during the next meeting of eurozone finance ministers on 21 June.

Ireland was known to be keen on renegotiating its bailout well before Spain agreed to request a loan, as a report in the Irish Examiner from June 5 suggests.

The even larger question is when Italy will follow Spain, considering everyone has been quietly propping up the Italians over the last five years, including the Spaniards.  When the Italians figure out they can now push for a deal like Spain got (and time would be of the essence in this case) it's going to get brutal.

And so, the Greek Fire has consumed Greece, Portugal and Ireland, and now Spain burns like a gasoline soaked torch in a napalm factory.  Four European countries down.  A whole lot of targets here could be next as the flames jump this latest Spanish firebreak, but if that next target is Rome as I suspect it will be,then the final act will be written.

We're into the beginning of the EU endgame now, folks.  Europe had its chance.  Spain's bailout means the last three years of half-measures, austerity, and musical chairs bank bailouts have now broken the back of the #5 economy in the region.  The difference with Spain is the size.  Greece is the #12 economy in Europe, Portugal #14, and Ireland #15.  Plenty of bigger countries that could help out with a bailout.  Not so with Spain.  The UK is #4.  Italy is #3.  When Italy goes, the game ends as they are too big for #2 France and #1 Germany to bail out by themselves.

So now we have not only a top 10 European country needing a bank bailout, but a top 5 one.  Now we're seeing the big boys fall.  And now things get deadly serious in Europe.

The Greek Fire now has taken a victim larger than the other three combined.  That's how bad this is, people.  Hold on to your crap.

The Death Of Humor

I think we may finally see the result of sitcoms on the nation's sense of humor.  It seems nobody is laughing or celebrating to suit others, and therefore it must be wrong.

Anderson Cooper went on a rant about one mother arrested for celebrating at her son's graduation.  Another school is withholding a diploma until a boy or his family performs community service to "apologize" for the crowd cheering too enthusiastically when his turn came.  Now we have a homeowner's association banning chalk from the sidewalks.  Some neighbors complained, and because it's a common space it is therefore unacceptable.

Where is the common sense here?  It's hard enough to encourage kids to play outside, and this is a creative, traditional washable activity.  Hopscotch spans the generations, as do hearts, flowers, stories and   stick figure families drawn with bright colors.  The article doesn't mention any issues like inappropriate drawings or otherwise bad behavior.  Coloring on sidewalks annoy some black holes of suck, and therefore it must not be allowed.

I'm sad.  It's hard enough to be a kid in a world where terrorists and other whispered threats shadow our lives.  Bullies, criminals and gangs strike anywhere, and if kids go the straight and narrow path they may still not be able to afford college or get a job.  Let them be kids, and make fun memories of drawing in the sun with their friends or siblings, playing and doing what kids are supposed to do.

Jackass tag awarded to the jerks who complained and the HOA that would react so stupid to a shallow issue.

Stephen King's "It" Gets A Reboot

Warner Bros has hired director Jane Eyre director Cary Fukunaga to helm and co-adapt the decades-long story of the serial killer clown who lives in the sewers. Chase Palmer will co-write the script.

The Hollywood Reporter says (and these may be spoilers so be warned) that the story follows a group of kids called the Losers Club that encounter a creature called 'It' in the 1950s, which preys on children (movie one?). When the creature resurfaces in the 80s, the kids are called upon to regroup again, this time as adults (movie two?) even though they have no memory of the first battle.

The book was previously adapted in 1990 as an ABC miniseries that starred John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Tim Reid, Annette O'Toole, Richard Thomas and Tim Curry as Pennywise. Warners picked up the rights in 2009 and originally intended to adapt it into a single movie.

I hope they do a good job with this.  The original wasn't bad, but like any other King project, the ability to take the scary and put it into film is just hard to translate.  The best part of reading Stephen King is the naughty joy we get for hanging around inside the character's heads, the peek at them that doesn't shy away from the evil we all have inside of us.  That's hard to illustrate without hammy speeches and clumsy trips into the past for random side stories.

It was a hell of a story.  Each kid has his own interesting contribution to the story, and they all seemed to strike people differently.  The article makes a good point that the split between movies will likely be the first and second time It rears its head. How they grow up and why they are who they are is part of the story.  I hope making two separate movies will let them bring these kids to life and do it right.

And we have a creepy-ass clown.  That's a win-win in the horror world.

The Libertarian's Libertarian

If you're a libertarian who somehow thought Sen. Rand Paul wasn't going to endorse Mitt Romney for President, you probably should avoid running with scissors too (although being a libertarian, you would be completely prepared to handle the consequences of running with scissors if you managed to stab yourself through the heart with them, and you would demand your right to be allowed to do so and call it "freedom" and crap.)

Anyway, libertarians are SHOCKED that this is happening.

The freshman senator said on Thursday night that he supports Romney for president, even though his father has not officially withdrawn from the race. The move was seen by many as a signal that the younger Paul is willing to compromise and work with establishment Republicans.

Politico quoted a Republican strategist who commended the Kentucky senator on what is seen as a savvy career move, “Rand’s endorsement of GOP nominee Mitt Romney clearly shows that in spite of those who try to marginalize him, he has keen set of political instincts and is very much aware that a successful national run will require more than just his father’s loyal following.”

Members of that loyal following, however, are not as impressed.

The Libertarian Party’s candidate for president, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson issued a blistering statement through the party’s website, in which he called Rand a turncoat, a traitor to his father’s legacy and a sellout.

“(N)o true libertarian, no true friend of liberty, and no true blue Tea Partier could possibly even consider, much less actually endorse or approve of, the Father of Obamacare, Big Government tax and spender, Republican Mitt Romney,” Johnson wrote.

Rejoice, Randroids.  Your leader is in fact adhering to that most sacred tenet of libertarianism, "I'm going to get mine any way I know how, and screw the rest of you."  He is reveling in the success of the individual, i.e. Rand Paul, over the Collective Moochers and Looters Weighing Down Rand Paul, i.e. the rest of the idiots who thought Rand Paul wasn't going to throw them under the bus in order to advance his political career giving more power to Rand Paul.

If Johnson's all butthurt over this, maybe he shouldn't be, you know, running for President on the Libertarian ticket.  Even better, maybe the EVOLution crew might want to ask why Rand's dad also ran screens for Romney, ostensibly to help his son.

I mean you guys can't all be that dense, can you?  Rand and Ron were playing you for saps to help Rand and Ron and at your expense, and you knew this as an informed consumer and chose to back them anyway, right?  Libertarian way, and all that?

OK, just checking.