What Do We Need Now? More Taxes, Of Course!

It's kind of amazing what's going on with the Republican leaders in America. In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger (a Repulican) says that California needs to reduce the over $15 billion deficit, by cutting spending across the board. Of course, that means cutting jobs in all areas, including teachers. The Democrats feel that teachers and other key positions should not be cut, and that taxes need to be raised to shrink that deficit. It came out recently (again) that not only is the U.S. behind several countries in Math (we're like 24th place), but California isn't doing so hot against other states in Education, either. The governor says that he is for Education. Then why is he letting it be cut? To put out that deficit fire, you need some revenues. Frankly, I don't care if they raise sales tax or not. I heard that the governor is apprehensive about that, because it might cause people to stop spending on other things, and slow down California's economy. Guess what, Governor? I've already slowed my spending down as much as I can, and raising the sales tax by a penny won't kill me, especially compared to how much the gas increases killed me during the last few months. I'll say this: the Governor seems confused. Does he really want to cut that $15 billion, or not? If you cut spending, you'll still have that deficit, and it will grow, with interest. In order to put it out, you need to throw some tax revenue at it. Period. Unless you can harness the sun power to pay it off, it ain't gonna go away without raising taxes.


In Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigos (a Democrat) said initially that the city would cut jobs across the board except for police, which was scheduled to increase jobs due to the need. After a little discussion, it was worked out that perhaps nobody would lose their jobs in Los Angeles after all, because they found a way to fund more police and keep the current jobs. The solution? To raise the amounts that they charge on parking meters, and to increase the number of hours that the meters are monitored. All of this hasn't kicked in yet, but I imagine that they will make more money this way. The party-going nightsters will fund the extra police and the other city jobs. Good work, Villaraigosa.


In the broader United States of America, John McCain says that he will not raise taxes at all, despite the biggest U.S. government deficit ever. Instead, he says that he'll increase the tax breaks to the corporations and to the wealthiest Americans. Lowering the deficit was never anything that concerned George W. Bush, and apparently it does not worry McCain, either, who is rich himself (and his wife is really, really rich). There's one thing that I really don't understand: how anybody who's poor can vote Repulican in this election. I see a lot of homes that have been foreclosed on. I know that a lot of people are out of jobs, in both political parties. I'm sorry, but you can't tell me that giving rich people more tax breaks is going to trickle down to make me being better off. What' I've seen is that giving tax breaks to the rich and to the corporations has caused them to invest in new factories- in other cournties. Whole industries are moving their buildings and headquarters to China. The rich are learning Chinese, buying real estate in China, and putting more money in other currencies. I've seen benefits being taken away from Americans. The jobs that are created in America are Starbucks, McDonalds. There's a plethora of people selling insurance in America. All I know is, the Democrats will raise the taxes if Barack Obama is elected, but it will only be on the super rich (who make way more than I do), so I'm not concerned that my taxes will go up. Hell, I'd want that threat that the rich have- taxes,because that would mean that I was rich!

Paris Hilton for President? She Slams McCain in this video!

I so love Paris Hilton ever since she got out of jail. I mean, she's really done her best to be a role model for how to recover from disaster gracefully. When the McCain campaign thought that they could bring down Obama by comparing his celebrity to hers (like it was a bad thing), she turned the tables on BOTH campaigns, really, by coming up with her own sound policy to solve America's energy problem- check out this video. Paris is running for President? Why not? If Barack can learn as he goes along, why not Paris? And she's not old....Check out this video.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Paul and Frank - Not Gay

This video is from The BS Squad. It's about 2 supposed heterosexual guys- good buddies- who are so self-conscious and paranoid about being labelled "gay"that they have to go into hyperdrive in an attempt to prove to everyone- even to themselves- that they're not gay. This video is hilarious- check it out.

A Cool Vintage Video - La Danse des Mots by Jean Bapstiste Mondino

Back in the early 80's, I recorded a video on a show on USA Cable, called "Night Flight". I got this video called "La Danse des Mots" by Jean Baptiste Mondino. I liked this video for several reasons- nice music, it's in French, it's funky, it's cool, it has really nice colors, some good dancing and clowning around, and some rapping with attitude. It's kind of a long video here (from You Tube)- I think that this is even a longer version of the video than I have on my VHS somewhere- but, still, you will enjoy watching it.

I Love Aerosmith - on SNL - Wayne's World

I never knew that my favorite rock band, Aerosmith, was on Saturday Night Live a few years back. I just found out about it, watched it, and it was bloody funny! So here it is! Enjoy!

Want To Help America's Energy Crisis? Join PickensPlan.com

A lot of people sit around and complain about the high cost of oil and gasoline- and soon they'll be complaining about the high cost of electricity and everything else. A lot of people feel helpless and think that there is nothing that we can do to about it. What are you willing to do?

The current president of the U.S. and his Administration holds a steadfast position that global warming is overexaggerated, and will not force the auto companies to make any drastic changes in their fuel efficiency or emissions. Think about it: giving them 12 years or 20 years or more to make changes? It's funny to me that our legislators in Congress compromise so much on things that, if what the overwhelming majority of experts says is true, the few laws that have passed recently won't mean squat in terms of halting global warming, and they certainly won't stop the current outflux of American money into the hands of oil-producing foreigners, who, by the way, probably have a better chance of having dinner and being on a first-name basis with George Bush than you ever will.

So what can an average American do now? I suggest that you check out the website, PickensPlan.com, a new website put up by veteran oil billionaire, businessman and entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens. Mr. Pickens makes a great case for why America is in this crisis with oil, and demonstates lots of practical suggestions as to how we can halt it.

Think about it for a minute: the U.S. oil companies make money on the oil reserves that they hold. They make money from refining both domestic AND foreign oil. Therefore, they make money from oil no matter what. Some people who own lots of shares of oil companies (like George Bush) don't want to do anything to mess with the oil profits- not even invest in newer, cleaner technologies. Or, in the case of what T. Boone Pickens shows on his website, in older, cleaner technologies.

If done on a larger scale, wind power and solar power, along with battery technology, could actually wipe out the use of oil in the future. It's going to take more billionaires like T. Boone Pickens who see what time it is to actually make things happen. Consumers like you and me can do something, too. Check out PickensPlan.com to find out what you can do.


Find more videos like this on PickensPlan

Trying to eat healthier. Got any ideas? I'm Cooking Quaker Oats

I'm about to have breakfast (a late breakfast at 11AM), but I decided that I needed to eat something with more fiber. The first thing that came to mind was oatmeal, so after I dropped off Jaime at his job, I went to Ralphs supermarket on Venice in Los Angeles, and bought a big tin of Quaker Oatmeal. Lately I'd been buying McCain's steel-cut oatmeal, but I don't think they sell that at Ralphs. Besides, I miss Quaker old-fashioned oatmeal, and it will fulfill my quest to eat something healthy. I'm going to put some fresh pieces of banana in it when it's almost done cooking. It should be a good breakfast, with lots of potassium, fiber and natural energy.

Great Short about "The Disney Vault"

This is a great cartoon short from "Saturday Night Live", where they really make fun of The Walt Disney Company, and where they take some of the most outrageous urban legends about Disney and put them all into "The Disney Vault", including the myth that Walt Disney is frozen. This one really crosses the line, in crazy way that "Saturday Night Live" is known for. Note: there is a short commercial before it starts.

I Hate AT&T Advertising and Publishing (the AT&T Yellow Pages Sucks)

I am really tired because I've had a busy day today, but I just want to say right now, before I go to bed, that AT&T Advertising and Publishing is a real rip-off, and I would like to warn as many advertisers as possible to not get hooked up with that loser of a company. It is my experience from advertising with them, and their sister rip-off company, Yellow Pages.com, that not only does their advertising not produce the results that they claim, but also that it is quite possible that you will not even recoup your expenses in advertising from the business that you will get from the advertising. I will not go into detail here, but I would also like to say that one of their representatives failed to cancel my print advertising after I instructed her to, and after she said that she would pull it. After they printed the advertising without my permission, the stupid, lying bitch account representative named Dernise B. lied and said that I never told her to cancel the ads. How much is this non-effective advertisement costing me? $59 a month, for a locked-in 12 months.

AT&T Advertising and Publishing sucks! Don't use it, and you can quote me on that! If you have any questions, you can contact me here on my blog!

Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton on SNL on 5/10/08

Did you see this clip of Amy Poehler on Saturday Night Live on Saturday 5/10/08? If not, then here it is. It is funny, mainly because the writers took everything that all of Hillary's harshest critics have said about her, and made them "qualities" that Hillary is proud of, in an effort to further demonstrate her toughness for not already conceding the nomination to Obama. It's a funny skit, and a lot of people who like Hillary find it offensive. Some Barack Obama supporters might find it a dead-on potrayal, perhaps not even funny, but as an indictment of the real Hillary. I think that people who like both Hillary and Obama, but who know that people are people, regardless of race, and who realize that racism is just a part of who we all are (no matter what color we are) will see this skit for what it is- simply a funny parody. Like all good parodies, there are some truths to it, but that's what makes all parodies funny.

Shia and Andy: The Best Look in the World Video

This is a cool clip from Saturday Night Live on 5/10/08, featuring Shia LaBoeuf and Andy Samberg. It's kind of a catchy tune.

Shia LaBoeuf and Andy Samberg Promoting SNL for 5/10/08

This was Shia LaBoeuf and his good friend Andy Samberg promoting Saturday Night Live for broadcast on 5/10/08 on NBC.

Rent My Timeshare at the Oak Plantation Vacation Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, get one free night at a DVC Resort

Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World this year? September is a good time to go if you don't have kids- the kids are going back to school in September, and the crowds die down significantly. I own the use of a 1 bedroom condominium at the Oak Plantation Vacation Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, during week 36 (which runs from September 7 thru September 14, 2008) which I am renting out for $700. For this price, you will enjoy 7 nights and 8 days at this beautiful resort located within 7 miles of the gates of Walt Disney World.



As an added bonus for renting the room, I will throw in one free night at one of the Disney Vacation Club Resort's studio accomodations (which will sleep up to 4 people), which can be used on any day, Sunday night through Thursday night, either during or immediately after your stay at the Oak Plantation. I will book you one night at either Disney's Old Key West Resort, Disney's Villas at the Wilderness Lodge Resort, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, Disney's Boardwalk Villas Resort, Disney's Beach Club Villas Resort, Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas Resort, or Disney's Vero Beach Resort. (Your choice of DVC Resort is subject to availability.)

If you wish to take advantage of this incredible offer or have any questions, please call David Ransom in Los Angeles at (323)393-5822.

I Swithed From ATT Wireless To Metro PCS. Here's What Happened!

I thought that I would save some money by switching from AT&T Wireless to Metro PCS. I went to their store, bought a nice phone (a Motorola RAZR, for close to $200), and the phone worked pretty good, when I was outside or out on the road. Coverage was pretty extensive- I only lost reception when I went from Los Angeles to Santa Clarita, California, but I expected that. My bill after switching was going to be pretty good, too- only about $53 for the plan that I chose.

I had only one major problem: I had horrbile reception inside my apartment. You see, I have a business- a Mobile Notary business, and if a new customer calls me and can't get me on the phone easily, they move on to the next Notary they find on Google. I know that I lost at least 2 customers for this reason during the period that I had Metro PCS.

Other times in my apartment, my phone wouldn't ring at all when people would call me. This happened almost half the time that I had the phone. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and went crawling back to AT&T, because at least I know that I can rely on the calls not dropping most of the time, and I could rely on getting my calls. Metro PCS is cool if you don't care if you miss calls, but for me, I couldn't rely on it- I need reliable service, baby. Now I'm paying even more money than I paid with AT&T before (i'm paying $99.99 per month now), but that's only temporary, until I can afford an iPhone. I will probably get the iPhone in 3 months, and I will then pay even $20 more per month, but I will have one badass phone!

What Is The Phone Number To Call Walt Disney World?

The phone number for Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (near Orlando) is 407-WDISNEY, or 407-934-7639. Again, the number to call Walt Disney World is 407- W DISNEY, which is 407-934-7639. This is not a toll-free number.

I always wondered why they don't have a toll-free number, but now I know. Toll-free numbers used to cost a lot of money to have. Sometimes they still do. Today if you use a cell phone (and most people do), there is no extra charge for long distance, so it doesn't matter if you have to dial Orlando's area code.

Anyway, the phone number for Walt Disney World is 407- W DISNEY. In case you don't know, the number is derived from Walt Disney's name.

Buy My Timeshare for $100 total (Oak Plantation Resort in Kissimmee, FL)

Have you ever wanted to own a timeshare, or thought about it? I own 2 timeshares at the same resort- the Oak Plantation Vacation Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. Owning 2 timeshares has turned out to be too much for me to own- I can't afford to take 2-one- week-long vacations. Therefore, I am selling my timeshare for $200 plus closing costs (about $300).


I paid $6,500 for the unit, plus closing costs, so compared to what I paid, you are getting a fantastic deal! Also, if you were to try to buy the same thing from the resort, they'd charge even more than what I paid, most likely.


Why am I selling for so low? Because I would like a quick sale!

When the deal is done, you will own this timeshare, a 1-bedroom unit at the Oak Plantation in Kissimmee, which sleeps 4 people, has nice amenities, and is close to Walt Disney World and other cool attractions. Your ownership will be annual- you will get week 36 each year (which usually starts within the first 7 days of September), in unit #107, which is a 1-bedroom unit. Your ownership will be forever (until you sell it or will it away). You will get use of the unit from Sunday at 4PM to the following Sunday at 12PM each year during week 36 (on the RCI calendar).

The only thing you have to do is to pay the dues (for maintenance and taxes) each year (this year it was $700), and the use of the unit will be yours, for vacations to the Orlando area at your property. You can also join either RCI or Interval International after you buy this unit from me for $200.




I am also offering one final inducement: I have paid the maintenance and taxes on this unit already for this year, so the use of the unit this year is mine to keep. If you decide to buy this annual timeshare unit from me for $100 AND if you would like the use of it for September 2010, I will sell you that week for an additional $400. Otherwise, I will keep that week, and although you will own the timeshare, your use of it every year will begin in 2011. If you join RCI or Interval International upon the completion of the closing documents, you will be able to bank your week with one of those companies, and you can exchange your week for a vacation to other great resorts around the world.

If you would like to pay the $400 and use my week in September of 2010 in addition to purchasing the timeshare, just let me know.

To check out the Oak Plantation Resort before you buy, go to Oak Planation Resort.com and get good information before you purchase it.

Any questions? Call David Ransom in Los Angeles, CA at (323)393-5822.

Looking To Make More Money? I am.

If you are like a lot of people in America today, you pay the bills yourself. Therefore, you are aware that gasoline prices are up, along with airline ticket prices and food prices. You might also find yourself in debt. What can you do to make more money, you may ask yourself? I wonder the same thing. I guess I will get that economic stimulus that Congress passed a few weeks ago. If it is $600, it will quickly be eaten by any of my several heavily- charged credit cards. Like the one with the $21,000 balance. Or the one with the $6,000 balance. Or the one with the $2, 700 balance. Or maybe the one with $7,100 owing, or the last big one, with $3,300 owing. So that $600 check will leave me with a balance of $20,550 if I use it for my next payment on the $21,000 card.

Why do I owe so damn much money? Well, working for myself hasn't been so easy. The mortgage crisis killed my income. I applied for a job at Starbucks a few months back, but I never heard from them after my interview. I suppose that I should get a full-time job, and only do my business part-time. Maybe. We shall see. In the meantime, it would be nice to get some money out of the clear blue. Times are tough, baby.

I will try to sell a few things on Ebay to get out of this financial quicksand.

A Sad Ending For 3 Airlines

Well, today another airline that I used twice within the last 9 months announced that it was going out of business.

Skybus Airlines, based in Columbus, Ohio, announced that they will be halting service, starting today, April 5, 2008. It's really sad. I flew this airline 3 weeks ago (to Columbus), and I had a really good time visiting my friends in Akron, Ohio.

Skybus was a fun airline to fly. They could get that plane boarded pretty quickly. Once in the air, the flight attendants would come by and offer you food, snacks and drinks to purchase. If you purchased, you could pay cash or credit card! I liked being able to pay for what I wanted, and being able to get quality food. They had a pretty good chicken sandwich on Italian bread, which I liked. When I first flew on this airline, you could even purchase Seagram's Lynchburg Lemonade! Of course, you could also buy M&M's (plain or with peanuts) and other candies. They even had Sara Lee blueberry muffins. Yes, I guess food is one of the highlights of any trip that I take, and although it wasn't spectacular, it will be one of the things that I miss about this airline (and the spirit of it, too- they tried something, and the economy and the world's fuel prices wouldn't allow it to continue.) I was lucky to be able to get the legendary $10 fares on Skybus, on both trips that I took to Columbus (with taxes, it worked out to be $40 round trip). At least I can say that I flew on Skybus.

Then there's Aloha Airlines. I never flew them, but I liked their logo. I used to work for Fed Ex in Customer Service at Los Angeles International Airport, and I remember serving Aloha Airlines employees sometimes with their shipments (they got a discount off Fed Ex shipping). Fed Ex employees also got discounts on Aloha, although I never took them up on it (they flew to Hawaii only from Los Angeles).

Finally, there was American Trans Air (ATA). I really have fond memories of ATA. For one, when I worked at Fed Ex, again I used to give discounts to their employees. Additonally, Fed Ex employees got really, really good deals on ATA. We could even buy cheap tickets from the airline, for ourselves, and even for friends who travelled with us! I remember flying ATA to Orlando. I remember their theme music: "On ATA, you're on vacation....on ATA, your on vacation... on ATA...

It's sad, but they say all things must come to an end, and so goes those great airlines...Oh, well. Now that Skybus is gone, I can start flying my all-time favorite airline, Southwest, again.

I love Southwest airlines. The people are friendly, they are very professional, the people are FUNNY, and I just love it. I always said that if I ever parted ways with Fed Ex for any reason, that I would love to work at Southwest. I just hope that they can weather the storm of the bad economy (and I hope we call can, me and YOU!).

I Want An Uncensored Version of "I'm Fucking Matt Damon"

I wish that Sarah Silverman would put out an uncensored version of "I'm Fucking Matt Damon", the song and video that she showed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. I also wish that Jimmy Kimmel would put out an uncensored version of "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck", song and video. I was hoping that ABC Television would have put out an uncensored version on You Tube or iTunes, but no such luck so far.

NBC had a really good sense of humor when they put out Justin Timberlake's video for "Dick in a Box" , totally uncensored, during the Christmas holidays (that video was really hilarious and genius, and kind of signaled SNL's return to rare form).

Jimmy and Sarah, come on now, put out some uncensored versions of your songs (you are a better singer, Sarah- and Jimmy just copied your song, really).

Living to be 150 Years Old? It's A New Barbara Walters Special

Barbara Walters has a new special coming on ABC Television prime time next week. The commercial says that technology is becoming such that people will be able to live to be 150 years old. I'm thinking: do I want to be that old? I mean, what would my body be like? Right now I'm doing OK...I'm in my young forties now, and I can identify one or two recurring pains. How will those be in 40 years, let alone another 110 years?

So much stuff can happen in 150 years. If someone who is 150 years old was to go back to when they were 21 years old, which would be 129 years ago, the year would be 1879. Who would be the President then? I don't know, but whoever this 150 year-old person is, if he still has a sharp mind, he would remember the name of the President, and he would have some memories of what it was like to live then. In his lifetime, he would have experienced what America was like during slavery, during all the world wars of the 20th century, and he would have known what America was like BEFORE automobiles and airplanes.

Being able to have seen all that in one lifetime, I ask myself this: would I want to experience all that in one lifetime? I think that dying has its purpose. I wonder how living so long can be made enjoyable? I haven't seen the special yet, but...answer me that, Barbara Walters!