Doing Taxes

I'm sure I am not the only one who is angrily gripping their shit whilst doing their 2007 tax return.

What a fucked up, complicated piece of work it is. I'm sure the "tax preparation" and "accountancy" lobbyists won't like me saying this, but the system is LONG overdue for a complete revamp.

When I have to complete this form before I can complete that form, but that form needs figures from this form first - resulting in utter confusion and potential inconsistencies - is it really any wonder that many people just fill in a few numbers, don't bother to declare everything they've made, and then just send their incorrect sums off to expedite their refund?

Why not do a complete reform of the tax code to make it a million times simpler and easier to comprehend for us 'normal folk'? Where we don't have to pay and/or rely on "H & R Cockblock & Co" to get it wrong for us.

I suspect this would ensure more taxes would get paid by more people, thus allowing us to at least cling onto the rim of the toilet this country is financially being flushed down.

American Airlines

I have deleted my original post (dated 2/25/08) about American Airlines, and the case of the woman who died on one of their flights from New York to Hawaii.

It was originally alleged that two oxygen tanks and a defibrillator - all from the plane's galley - were all faulty and could not be used, something which could easily have contributed to her demise.

However, later reports suggested this was not the case, so I am happy to withdraw my shit-gripping remarks about A.A.

Unless of course it is later proved the airline cut corners with its safety check procedures, and thus failed in its duty to protect this unfortunate passenger.

Public Hypocrisy

So, another teenage gunman goes on the rampage in Illinois, killing 5 people.

Meanwhile, actress Jane Fonda gets lambasted for uttering the word "c**t" on live television.

As these two stories continue to develop over the next few weeks/months, do you want to hazard at a guess as to which of them will receive the most discussion and comment?

Yes, according to many blinkered right-wing people & politicos in America, guns don't kill people, words do.

It's another shit-gripper

American Healthcare I

Barbara Antonelli, a 76-year old woman was unlucky enough to suffer a heart attack whilst she was at her doctor's surgery for a routine visit.

An ambulance was summoned, she had breathing tubes attached to her, and she was gently placed on a gurney to be wheeled outside.

As she was being pushed out the door of the Staten Island Physician Practise, a receptionist rushed to her side and demanded she handed over her $5 co-pay for her office visit, "before the ambulance could leave the clinic"

If I gave out shit-gripping awards, this clinic would be the first recipient.

The MUCH bigger picture though is that this helps prove that (so-called) healthcare in America is more about the money than it is about healthcare.

Cemetery Thieves

In something of a personal shit-gripping comment, I wish to lambast people who steal from cemeteries.

I visited my mother's grave-site yesterday to sadly discover someone had illegally taken the wreath my father had (positively secured &) placed there around Christmas. He saw it a week ago and deemed it in good healthy shape, certainly worthy of remaining for a few more weeks.

Now gone. Stolen. By people who apparently steal these things to retrieve the wire framing to build their own wreaths for the following season, some for profitable means.

I hope these people die very slow, very painful, very horrible deaths. They're no more than utter scum of the earth, who should simply die to leave more air for the rest of us decent folk.

Aetna Inc

Once again profit being more important than a customer's health grips my shit

Aetna Inc - a major health insurer - wants to stop a group of gastroenterologists in New Jersey from using a proven anesthesia, propofol, during their colonoscopy examination of patients.

Aetna says there are other sedation options. Options that, conveniently, don't require the presence of an anesthesiologist. An anesthesiologist that might cost the insurer an extra $200-1000 per procedure covered.

Options that cause the patient more discomfort too. But that doesn't seem to matter. Neither does the FACT that colecterol cancer is the second cause of cancer death in America and that proper prevention now may actually save Aetna even MORE money further down the line.

Short-sighted greedy fucks.

Federal Trade Commission

In 2006, over 69,000 consumers complained to the FTC regarding deceptive & illegal practises carried out by debt collectors.

- The FTC received more complaints against debt collectors than against any other industry

- 40.3%, 27,929 consumers, complained of debt collectors attempting to collect more than they were owed

- 3.4%, 2,387 consumers, complained that collectors were attempting to collect interest, fees, or expenses that were not owed, such as collection fees, late fees and court costs

- 21.2% or 14,656 consumers complained of harassment from repeated or continuous calls

- 22.1% or 15,314 consumers complained of debt collectors making calls to employers, friends and family repeatedly in an attempt to allegedly gather information to assist them in collecting the debt

- 11.5% or 7,967 consumers complained of being harassed with collectors using obscene, profane or otherwise abusive language

- 11.4% or 7,913 consumers complained that they were threatened with a lawsuit or some other legal action that the debt collector could not or did not intend to take, such as seizure of property or arrest.

Consumers were exercising their rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, brought in to presumably control this otherwise historically scummy industry.

How many cases from 69,000 did the 'mighty' FTC take to court?

One.

(The FTC tried three cases, two settled before reaching the benches)

One out of 69,000 - in percentage terms that's 0.0000144%

Good to know the FTC have our backs in protecting us from this kind of financial scum eh?

Seems like everyone in this business - except the consumers who get shafted - is capable of coersion, something in government which always grips my shit.

Fox TV

Fox just drove a dump-truck of bad advertising through the Superbowl, unloaded it, and expected us to get all excited.

Their overkill promos for "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" just made me want to tune into that sci-fi abortion even less. It just seemed so very obvious they were trying to shine a turd that couldn't be polished.

Talking of which, it gripped my shit

The Church & Double Standards

Yep, it's religious hypocrisy gripping my shit once again.

Many churches throughout the land want to show this coming weekend's Superbowl to lure and attract new members, adding they can do so in a "non-churchlike manner".

Quite aside from the fact that sport is a proper religion all by itself, do the churches not feel that this approach is somewhat unseemly?

Regardless however, the NFL have hit back at the churches, saying that they are not permitted to show the game on TV screens larger than 55" without a proper license. Making this distinction "limits the size of the audience", a matter of copyright/broadcast law (enforceable by the feds).

The churches - especially the mega-churches with their auditorium-sized jumbotron screens - all have their hassocks in a knot because of this ruling, claiming showing the game is "just a little bit of fun", but adding the wonderfully shiny hypocrisy of "Gee, doesn't the NFL have enough money already?"