One thing’s for sure. When you’re on the Bachelor, you may not catch the man of your dreams, but chances are you’ll catch something!

I know I’m not the only one that’s thought it, but someone has to say it.

The Bachelor is a ‘dating game’ in which 1 man ‘dates’ as many 25 woman in an elimination-style reality TV show. Each woman, carefully screened to be a ‘perfect match’ for the Bachelor, competes with the other women in a combination of group and single dates in a ‘winner takes all’ battle for the man of their dreams. At the end of each season, the Bachelor asks one lady for their hand in marriage… most of the time.

The title of this post makes the claim that The Bachelor is destroying humanity, but I stand by my assertion. Let’s start with the basics.

There isn’t enough time

I’m probably going to keep coming back to this, but come on’. This man moves from one woman to another in a series of one on one dates and exploratory relationship that are laughable in terms of time. There’s a whopping 8 episodes, 3 one on one dates and countless group dates in which the Bachelor spends a max of a couple of hours with each woman.

He doesn’t actually ‘plan’ this crap

Every episode, the Bachelor talks about these elaborate and mind-blowing dates that he’s planned for the women. Helicopter rides, cliff diving, romantic private island get-aways, yachts, sunsets, you name it. And often times these women will pine for the Bachelor. “I can’t believe he planned all of this”. Or even better, “This is my idea of the perfect date! But how did Brad know?”. Seriously lady? How did he know? You don’t actually think he planned all of these dates do you? Don’t you remember, in the 5 Applications and 3 demo videos you sent in to ABC, what you filled out on the Application?

Do you really not remember applying for the Passport and requesting travel in another country? I don’t want to shock you here, but he had nothing to do with this. He didn’t pay for it, he didn’t plan it, and he wasn’t told about it until the day before you two went. He’s not bringing you the magic, the Network is.

It’s not personal

Camera’s, lights, sound, producers, electricians… immense man power required for each and every scene. And they’re there, all the time. Those nice quiet scenes in which they make intimate remarks and reveal their deepest darkest fears and secrets? Camera guy. Sound guy. Producer. Electrician far off in the back ground. There’s no actual privacy, or intimacy. And now is a good time to remind you: It’s a television show. Re-takes, cuts, do-overs, scene deletions. It all happens. Don’t think that it doesn’t.

He’s very physical with you… oh, and those 8 other women
This actually bothers me quite a bit. I love these women who say “The kiss was incredible; I think I’m falling in love”. Lady, he just made out with 4 other women this episode… and they’re your room mates! This guy can get some action from 4 different ladies in a single 36 hour period, and none of them are genuinely upset about it. It’s all part of the ‘game’. And it’s all magical. And mystical. One thing’s for sure. When you’re on the Bachelor, you may not catch the man of your dreams, but chances are you’ll catch something!

It’s not real dating

You can’t form a strong, serious (marriage worthy no less!) relationship with someone under the circumstances above when he’s having the same interactions, both physical and emotional, with that many other women.

In addition to that, the experiences that you’re having are not typical of the kind of relationship or life you would have together. While trips to tropical island paradises are wonderful, they’re not every day life. You don’t form the basis for a healthy, life-long relationship by starting with a honeymoon.

Real life does not consist of helicopter dives and cocktail parties. It’s filled with ups and downs. Jobs, bills, lack of time and conflicting schedules. A relationship built on fantasy would never, ever survive in the real world. Which brings me to my next point:

In 14 seasons and 90 episodes, no Bachelor couple has ever stayed together

The reality of the Bachelor can be found not in it’s plethora of episodes, but in the fruits of the show. In 90 episodes, no couple has ever successfully remained a couple. That means that this show has never produced a single good thing for humanity. It’s contributed to heart break, divorce, and statistics that show our nation is in a continual decline.

You’re worth more than this game show

What level of self-esteem must a woman have to participate in this show? I shouldn’t have to be the one to tell you this but you’re worth more than this show. You deserve a man’s full attention. You don’t need to compete for his attention and affection like some kind of wild animal. You need to take the Disney approach and be like Jasmine: You are not a prize to be won!

He’s not a real man

What kind of a real man would make out with, and lead on, 8 different women at the exact same time? 4 women? 2 women? In the real world, a man who was having an intimate relationship with more than one woman would be branded a dirt bag of the worst kind. But on ABC, he’s the man of every woman’s dreams! A real catch!

A real man has self respect, and respect for women. The Bachelor? Not so much.

It turns moms into bad moms

Okay, I guess I don’t have a right to call a woman a ‘bad mom’. That’s really not my place. A lot of people like to throw around the term ‘to each his own’, especially when it’s more convenient to avoid doing the right thing. This last season featured two single women who had small children waiting at home. That’s right, there were two women, including the show favorite (Emily) who have little kids at home wondering where mommy is.

At the end of the day, I don’t know whether these women are good mothers or not. I’m not that judge. That being said, I feel confident in saying that leaving your child for weeks at a time in pursuit of love on a tv game show is not an attribute of a good mother.

In Summary: It sets a standard that cannot be achieved

As our country falls further and further into the pits of self-gratifying entertainment, our moral fibers literally stretched to the limit, and our marriages and relationships portrayed as nothing but one night stands and ‘starter marriages’, the last thing we need is a television show like The Bachelor. The show is degrading to women, to marriage, to parenthood, and the strength and unity of a genuine family unit.

The Bachelor strives to convince us that intimate, life-long relationships can be formed in a series of 3-hour group dates, surrounded by cameras and lights. Real life just isn’t that way, and as our society pushes marriage and family further and further from it’s heart and mind, The Bachelor will continue to play it’s part in the degradation of our society.

And that just sucks.

Congressman Alan Grayson:

Grayson’s Republican opponent, Daniel Webster:

I don’t endorse either candidate. Why would I? They’re not in my State and I’m not expertly familiar with either of their campaigns… but I’m pretty sure if I lived in his State, Congressman Alan Grayson would not be getting my vote.

This just in: House bill 1337 requires all U.S. Citizens to purchase tooth brushes or receive a 250$ fine, 10 days jail time, or both. Subsidies will be provided for low income families who can’t afford tooth brushes.

The narrow 51/49% vote is considered an enormous win for President Barack Obama and the democratic party, who’s approval numbers had been waining in recent months due to unfair criticism by the media and school yard bullying by the republican party.

“Now even less fortunate people with bad teeth will be able to focus more on their ‘arts and crafts’ project time and less on their dental hygiene.” – Nancy Pelosi

The Congressional Budget Office published estimates for the Bills fiscal impact, based on an implementation date of 2014. the CBO estimates that by 2017, 297 million Americans will have tooth brushes, and 220 million americans will be brushing semi-regularly. They also estimate a 250 million dollar revenue for fines and penalties imposed on brushless naysayers.

the remaining 15 million unbrushed americans are either denture wearers or newborn babies.

Update 3/22/2010 1:07 PM – Amending bill passed:

Now, all US citizens are required to brush at least 3 times a week unless they’re disabled, or on medicare in which case, tooth brushes aren’t covered. Also, members of congress aren’t required to have tooth brushes, although they’ll be provided free of charge for the duration of their term.

Update 3/22/2010 2:10 PM – Executive Order Issued:

An executive order by President Barack Obama modifies the existing legislation so that pregnant woman are encouraged to brush regularly, but won’t pay a fine if they choose not to brush.

Note: This is satire. However, it being as believable as it is should be a statement in and of its self.

FBO.gov is a Federal Website that allows federal agencies to list “business opportunities” and contract fulfillment opportunities to businesses throughout the United States, presumably in an effort to make the Federal bidding and fulfillment process more accessible and fair.

To see the bid solicitation, click here. Or, if you’re having trouble, you can always click the image above.

According to the Department of Education, the Remington  Model 870 Police Shotgun is:

designated as the only shotguns authorized for ED based on compatibility with ED existing shotgun inventory, certified armor and combat training and protocol, maintenance, and parts.

I’m curious. Can someone on the internetz help me understand the following:

• Why does the US Department of Education have an existing shotgun inventory?
• Why does the US Department of Education have certified armor and combat training?
• Why does the US Department of Education need 27 more 12 gauage Shotguns?

Is this part of the No Child Left Behind act? Given the opportunity to theorize on my own, I guess there is a possibility these 27 shotguns are for Federally funded gun safety courses? You know, giving high schoolers the opportunity to learn how to use and an operate a shotgun safely?

Of course, that’s only one possibility. Can anyone shed some light on this topic?

The state Assembly is scheduled to vote on a resolution Thursday calling for a statewide “Cuss Free Week,” to occur annually during the first week of March. If approved, it would go to the state Senate for a final vote on Monday.

via Plainview Daily Herald > AP Headlines.

You would think that with California’s economy being almost completely bankrupt, there would be more pressing issues to work on.

We began talking about Public healthcare in America via private message, and decided that we could gain some new perspective from one another by learning about ‘the opposition’ from the opposition. We’ve had a friendly conversation thus far over facebook, and I thought I’d provide our commentary here. I don’t provide any of this information for ridicule. It’s informational, as it provides insight into both sides of the debate.

What is provided below is unedited. I can’t speak for the other party, but as for me, mine was written quickly. It may not be as articulate as it could be, but I feel it gets the point across.

Updates will occur on this thread as our Facebook conversation progresses:

For public healthcare:
I want an affordable, accessible healthcare system for all citizens of the United States. It is not affordable for uninsured people to go to the emergency room if they have a medical problem. they usually default on their bill which drives up medical costs.

I don’t think private insurance should go by the wayside but, I agree with Obama that there needs to be competition to keep them from overcharging consumers and doctors. Even in this recession, the “earnings” for insurance companies are still rising. Not Acceptable.

Here in Washington, we have a state insurance plan that people can use that is inexpensive but not always accessible because there are only so many spots available and when they’re gone , they’re gone. This year due to budget cuts, many people lost coverage. If we had the ability to get into the system for government employees that Obama talked about in his campaign speeches, medical costs would go down just because people would not be using the emergency room as a clinic.

Why are you against a public healthcare system?

Against public healthcare:
I’m against a public healthcare system that is pieced together using money we don’t have on bill’s we haven’t read with provisions that are unconstitutional.

The government shouldn’t be allowed to create competition in a marketplace. Since the government has free-range access to an unlimited amount of money, they can borrow, borrow and borrow, offering services at a fraction of the cost a real company can. this creates an unfair marketplace in which the government will undoubtedly quickly drive private carriers out of business.

It’s nice that Obama uses talking points and phrases like “There will still be private insurance available for those who want it…” and “we don’t want to remove or replace the existing private insurance”. Unfortunately, the bill’s he’s attempting to have passed (which, by the way, he hasn’t read. I can back this up.) don’t reflect his spoken position.

However, what if the plan were implimented AS the Obama administration says it is (not as the bill is drafted, which is much, much worse). How is one more option (A goverment health plan) going to increase competition enough to lower costs? There are hundreds if not thousands of independent healthcare providers in the United States. If it’s not going to create unfair, unmatchable competition, then it’ll just be one more competitor with no power to drive down costs.

You mentioned that in Washington (If you’re talking about State, I used to live near *****) people are being dropped from the state sponsored plan due to budget cuts. As the legislation is written, it is financially unsustainable. Especially as time goes on, the plan grows, and so do it’s participants. Budget cuts will either toss people from the plan, or they’ll simply have to dump the plan completely. Are we not in the same position when it comes to Social Security?

I also agree that medical costs are ridiculous. I just don’t feel that creating a government bureaucracy is the most adequate solution to that problem.

The United States actually already offers a government run healthcare system to Veterans. And as you may or may not be aware (It depends on whether you have family in the military, I’d imagine), the VA is a complete and total mess.

The US has demonstrated that it is currently unable to administrate a successful public healthcare system for a small group of citizens who, in my opinion, DESERVE that care.

Do we make an effort to correct that broken system? No. Do we mention how we will integrate that existing system into this new, proposed healthcare system? No.

So, I become confused when people tell me they support the President in his current Agenda.

I can appreciate a person finding a public healthcare system to be a desirable thing. But a reasonable person should be able to say: “You know, I want this. Unfortunately, the way they’re going about it is wrong. It’s going to hurt people. They’re rushing it, it’s expensive, they have no way to pay for it, it exploits my freedoms and honestly, it’s just not the way it should be. even though I support the concept, I can’t support the president in taking yet more shortcuts that will only hurt us in the long run”.

Unfortunately, supporters of Public Health can’t do that. They want their fix, and they want it now, even if it’s broken, because “it’s a start”. But any genuinely politically aware person should know that things put into law in the United States don’t get fixed. They only get worse over time, not better.

In my opinion, supporters of public healthcare should take a step back and determine whether or not the costs (figurative and literal) of this program is worth the benefit, despite it’s excessive and even dangerous flaws.

Comments Welcome
Last updated 9:34 MST 7/28/2009

Remember how our paychecks suddenly got a little heavier, as our federal taxes decreased?

The reason for that is that President Obama’s first stimulus act (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) included a $400 tax credit (Making Work Pay Credit) for the 2009 tax year. Unlike a lot of tax credit’s we see however, this one was included at the employer level, paid out over the year in the form of tax deductions. In other words, you’re getting a $400 tax credit, but rather than take it off your 2009 tax bill, they’re giving it back by giving you more of your withholding money.

However, it was a poorly planned tax credit. Unfortunately, in a variety of circumstances, average-joe families may have several hundred dollars in money they’ll need to take out of their 2009 refund, or worse yet, if they usually break even, they’ll end up owing it back.

Situations in which you may be overpaid (Consumerist, CNN, other):

• Anyone who holds more than one job
  • You will get paid the Making Work Pay Credit twice, up to $400 ($800 for a joint filer) from your first employer and up to $400 ($800 for a joint filer) from your second employer
• Joint filers whose spouses work
  • Each spouse will end up being paid the credit for married couples by each of their employers. There’s a twist, too. Because of the way the withholding tables were set up, each working spouse may be paid up to $600 this year – instead of up to the $800, Mezistrano said. In other words, the husband would receive $600 at his job and the wife $600 at her job, for a total of $1,200. Since they’re only entitled to $800 total as a couple, that means they would have to pay $400 back to the IRS – or see their refund reduced by that amount
• Anyone who receives income from a rental property or investment, such as interest and dividends.
  • Your employer only knows about the income you earn at the company. If you receive other income that increases your modified adjusted gross income – or even pushes you past the income limits for the credit – you may end up owing the IRS some or all of the credit you received in your paycheck
• The credit phases out for couples who file jointly and have adjusted gross income between $150,000 and $190,000. So if one of you is getting it withheld, you’ll just end up owing it back at the end of that year, because you never actually qualified to receive it
• Anyone who started receiving their credit at the end of Febuary or anytime in March.
  • The withholding tables are structured so that payments starting in April will add up to $400 for single filers and $800 for joint filers by year end. If payments start sooner than that a tax filer may actually receive a bit more than he’s due by Dec. 31 Conversely, if your employer doesn’t start your payments until the end of April or in May – there’s no penalty if an employer doesn’t meet the April 1 deadline – you may end up getting a little less of a credit than you’re entitled to, in which case you can claim the rest when you file your 2009 tax return

• If anyone is like me, there could also be in trouble (maybe). Last year, before this tax credit, I made a change in my withholding, claiming many more dependents than I actually had to help get a more accurate withholding scheme. Getting more money in my check each money, while still withholding enough to not owe the IRS anything. This is recommended by the IRS. Unfortunately, once this tax-credit is applied, my withholding is so low that I still may not actually meet my 2009 tax withholding obligation. If I don’t change my withholding to withhold more money, I could potentially end up owing money to the IRS for the first time at the end of this year.

http://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/dont_mess_with_taxes/2009/03/making-work-pay-withholding-considerations.html

http://consumerist.com/5192031/good-news-you-got-a-tax-cut-bad-news-you-might-want-to-adjust-your-withholding

Interesting. Makes you wonder what bug they were fixing that accidentally broke a search term for Obama. But I’m sure Google doesn’t mess with their search results…

More people than ever wrote, called, and even protested the first 600 billion dollar stimulus.

It was a historic, record-breaking uprising people hadn’t seen since Vietnam.
And yet, it was passed by our representatives. Not only was it passed, but it got passed with pork pork pork with raceways and Puerto Rican toys.

This time, 900 billion dollars. Even more pork. Less civil uprising, likely because civilians have come to think their efforts are worthless.

I used to think that “if people would just start acting” things could change. However, I’m beginning to think the opportunity for change initiated by The People has passed. Maybe their efforts would be worthless… and it’s not just a misguided perception. I’m starting to wonder whether, my cynicism aside, the people’s power is actually gone, rather than simply fading. These are truly sad thoughts for me, when I consider my future, and the future of my children.

From the DTV2009.gov official transition website: