Bus Subsidies Suck!

18 01 2010

I am in a really bad mood.  The other day I went down to New York to visit one of my friends after he had just gotten off of work.  The plan was for me to take a bus down to Penn Station, meet up with him, grab some dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant in Manhattan and grab drinks at a bar afterwards.  Since we were going to rendezvous at seven, I logically bought a ticket for the bus leaving South Station at three in the afternoon.  I was standing in line to grab my pre-purchased ticket from the ticket booth at 2:45.  You would think that I had plenty of time.  I was in for an unwanted educational experience on the efficiency of our subsidized bus industry.

For fifteen whole minutes I stood in a line which wasn’t that long to begin with to pick up my Peter Pan bus ticket.  The line dragged along like a snail as the brain-dead subsidized drones behind the counter took minute after minute to take care of trivial requests.  On top of that, there were four of them and they would still only serve one customer at a time.  I started counting down minute after minute, realizing that I might not make the bus in time with all the stalling.  3:00 rolls around.  I finally get up to the booth.  I toss the lady my reservation and emphasize that I’m running late.  She gives me my ticket not a moment too soon. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Craziness, Economics, Life

Traditional Irish Blessing

17 01 2010

A very good friend of mine showed this to me recently.  It is a strong and inspiring prayer.  Now I call it one of my favorites.  And not just because I’m Irish (although you can’t blame me if I have a wee bit of a bias.)

And here’s the Flash version:


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A Promising New Film

7 01 2010

This trailer shows a new film depicting the events of 2009, when the Tea Party Movement really got off the ground.  And it is an inspiring story indeed.  The full impact of this movement may not be felt universally for years to come, but that’s no reason that it is any less relevant a topic for today.  This is the story of how Americans all over the country have discovered their power as individuals.  They have what it takes to make a difference.  They should not rely on the government to provide for them.  They should not have to pay excessively high taxes for programs that don’t work.  After a century of “progressive” and socialist trends, the individualistic spirit of personal liberty from 1776 is making a comeback.

I do hope that this film sufficiently emphasizes how the establishment media went to war with the Tea Party and tried to silence them, but was ultimately unsuccsessful.  Or, at the very least, I think that this should be part 2 of a trilogy.  The first part would be how the seeds of the movement were planted by Ron Paul supporters in the presidential primaries of 2008.  The third part would be how the Tea Party wins over Congress in 2010.


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Categories : News, Patriotism, Politicians

A New Soldier Joins The Fight

6 01 2010

Erick Erickson, the guy who started the blog RedState.com is inserting himself into the heart of the 2010 Congressional elections, where he hopes to bring some more Common Sense to Washington.  In the nature of following the Tea Party protesters and others who believe in Personal Responsibility and more accountability in Washington, he has promised to help elect not just new Republicans, but better ones.  He has cited three points as his main goals as a new soldier for the movement:

• Beating Gov. Charlie Crist and electing Marco Rubio as Florida’s junior senator.

• “Taking out” Republican Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah because he’s a centrist.

• Ensuring the Republican establishment receives no credit for whatever success the GOP has in November.

If I were him I would be careful to emphasize that last point a little more.  Ensuring that the establishment does not get credit is the only way that the insurgents can continue to have success in the future.  Getting the right spin put on the message is more important than any one or two victories.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Internet, News, Politicians

Curse These Judges

5 01 2010

The State Supreme Court of Montana has apparently decided to have their state join Oregon and Washington in going along with the whole “assisted suicide” rouse that Kevorkian and his henchmen started back in the day.  “Assisted suicide” is a nonsensical oxymoron since suicide by definition involves ONE person.  “Sui-“ being oneself and “-cide” being killing.  Killing oneself.  Suicide is an act taken by an individual.  Simple logic shows therefore that assisted suicide is not suicide at all, but homicide.

I’ve heard the argument that people make about sick people wanting to “end their life with dignity.”  The fact is that suicide is an irrational decision no matter what the circumstances.  Everyone who survives suicide attempts goes on to realize that their action would have been an awful mistake if successful.  It is an emotional impulse decision made by people at the most pathetic times in the lowest of spirits.  There is ALWAYS something new to live for.  People who commit suicide are losers who quit the game of life. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : News, Personal Responsibility

New Decade’s Resolution: Overturn Roe

4 01 2010

So the New Year is finally here.  Everybody marks the occasion in their own way.  I myself went to a comedy club down in Stratford to see Rich Vos, who placed third in the 2003 Season of Last Comic Standing.  Others may celebrate with the traditional champagne party or perhaps the more simple watching the ball drop.  And, as usual, people like to make New Year’s resolutions.  I myself made a couple.  But don’t forget that this year – 2010 – is also the start of a brand new decade:  the 2010s.  So this brings about the rare opportunity to make not just a New Year’s resolution, but a New Decade’s resolution.  A New Decade’s resolution can be considerably more ambitious than an ordinary New Year’s resolution.  And I’m making a really ambitious one.  It’s not one I would hope to accomplish alone.  Anyone and everyone who holds Common Sense and a good conscience is invited to join in and call the resolution their own.  Here it is:  strike down that abomination of a Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade once and for all!

This of course is the case which enabled seven activist judges to legalize the horror of abortion throughout the United States.  It was decided in 1973 along with its companion case Doe v. Bolton.  Since then nearly 50 million babies have been ruthlessly murdered.  Barack Obama recently became inaugurated the eighth President under which this has been held the law of the land.  With over a million dying every year because of this precedent, I strongly believe that it has been around long enough! Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Abortion

New Year, New Blog

1 01 2010

Wow, 2010 always seemed like such a long day away.  I can barely believe that its finally come.  Its a whole new decade now – and 10 years since Y2K.  Almost 10 years since September 11th.  Time sure does go by fast.  I hope everyone’s got a good New Year’s resolution that they intend to follow through on.  I know I do.

Anyhow, I recently got one of those new Flip cameras that allow you to make a video with ease – just push the big red button in the center twice – one to start and once to stop.  And its got a USB connecter in the side that you can use to unload the footage right onto your computer when you’re done.  Stores about two hours.  I’ve been using it a lot and I’ve had a couple moments where I’ve thought – hey, that one might look good on Youtube.  So I’m going to be making myself a second WordPress blog and posting the link to it soon.  Unlike Pure Common Sense, this will be more of a personal blog and the focus will be on videos.


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Now That’s Good Parenting

26 12 2009

There are all too many parents these days who have panzied out of giving their children real disciplines and truthful quality lessons on life.  This mother from Ohio is not one of those.  She doesn’t spoil her kids.  She does not even bat an eye about punishing them adequately when they mess up so that they never do it again.  I have high hopes for her kids.

This reminds me of a movie – can’t remember the name – where a man talks about how he stole something from a market when he was a kid.  His father threw him in the cellar for three days to show him what a life of crime was like.  After that, the boy would be able to make his own decision.  Did he steal again?  Nope.  Here’s to parents who don’t panz out.  God knows we need more of them today.

Conventional Wisdom may make it seem that the mother over reacted.  Think about it this way:  that little brat will not ever have the thought of shoplifting cross her mind again as long as her mom’s on the case.  The kid is unscathed and a very strong valuable lesson about the morals of stealing has been taught in a way that will not soon be forgotten.  This mommy deserves a medal!


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Categories : Common Sense, News

Happy Bernie Goetz Day!

22 12 2009

T’is the season to be jolly – also known as the holiday season.  Around this time of year we got it pretty packed.  There’s Hanukkah, Kwanza, New Years and, naturally, Christmas.  The Christmas season is a time of many days celebrations – especially if you factor in the fact that many people open their actual presents on Christmas and many start up early on Christmas Eve.  In the holiday spirit of this time of year, I think that it is appropriate that we add one to their number.  This would be December 22nd – Bernie Goetz Day, to commemorate the events of exactly 25 years ago today in New York City by a courageous individual.

On the afternoon of Saturday, December 22nd, 1984 on a subway line in Manhattan, four young adult delinquents cornered Mr. Goetz and attempted to mug him.  This was during an era where the crime rate in New York City was far above its current rate and in a time where most citizens probably would have considered themselves cornered, Goetz decided that he was going to be a man and refuse to pander to the filthy crooks and degenerates that run wild on the streets.  He made a quick calculation of action and proceeded to shoot the four criminals into incapacitation.  Goetz gained a great deal of media attention in the month following the events of Saturday, December 22nd.  The press often described his actions as vigilantism, even though they can much more accurately be described as self-defense. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Common Sense, Craziness, Culture, History

RIP Brittany Murphy

20 12 2009

Wow.  Was NOT expecting that one.  I just saw the story on Yahoo.  I didn’t bother to see most of her major movies – Clueless is the best one I can remember.  I watched that with a friend shortly after it came out.  Apparently she was also the voice of Luanne on King of the Hill, but I was not aware of that until I looked it up.


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Categories : Culture, Fads, News

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