After a bumbling response during pageant finals on Sunday, Miss Utah USA took a second stab at the interview question that launched her to brief Internet infamy.
So track star Lolo Jones is disappointed in the amount of pay a U.S. Olympic bobsledder makes. Wait, we PAY bobsledders! She posted a Vine video of her $741.84 check for what she said is seven months of training for the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (Yes, we have one of those.
Surprisingly, the rest of the Olympians who DON'T have endorsement deals based on their good looks or virginity, are none to pleased with her complaint.
While Ms. Jones claims she is only trying to bring awareness to the issue that Olympians in pseudo-sports played once every four years (and then ignored for another four years) are not paid like NBA stars, I doubt most people would be surprised at this revelation. As a matter of fact, I was under the mistaken belief that Olympians competed for the love of their sport and Country. Silly me.
Maybe Ms. Jones should have dedicated her time to an endeavor that would pay her what she obviously thinks she's worth … like dating Tiger Woods.
In our perpetually "offended" society, some women's groups are outraged (OUTRAGED I tell you) that Kraft would DARE use a shirtless man to pitch salad dressing.
So let me get this clear. It's perfectly OK to use scantily clad women to sell products to men, but a shirtless guy selling salad dressing to moms is out of bounds?
What happened to equality? The right to be exploited equally in our society is part of our Founding Fathers' dream. I may have read that part wrong.
You'd think people would have something more important to get worked up over. Advocacy groups honestly believe that a coffee mug, printed to look like a prescription bottle, will lead to the misuse and abuse of prescription painkillers.
Seriously.
While I do not deny that prescription drug overdoses and abuse are a real problem, it strikes me as odd that they think this is where they should focus their energy. The next (and first) time I hear of someone drinking their bottle of Vicodin after being influenced by a coffee mug, we'll talk.
Coffee mugs are quickly becoming the last bastion of comedy and we must defend this medium before all the "World's Greatest Dad" and "Hang in there, Friday's coming" mugs go the way of the lawn dart.
Meanwhile, in the time it took for you to read this, 1,000 new prescriptions for painkillers were written because someone's toe hurts. We're doing it wrong.
Sadly, I'm sure it's news to some people that there is a U.S. Flag Code.
That's right, a list of LAWS governing the use, display, lighting and even destruction of the American flag. The fact that people can't be prosecuted for violating those laws is another argument entirely.
But nobody at cable network HGTV probably ever heard of the U.S. Flag Code. That's the only reason one can imagine why it thought using a flag as a tablecloth was a nifty idea to spruce up your Fourth of July picnic table. And the suggestion to use a nylon flag so you can more easily wipe up spills is almost more offensive than the original idea.
And before the geniuses at HGTV get any more bright ideas, American flag swim trunks, seat covers and oven mitts are a bad idea as well.
To borrow the words of one veteran, "No one dies for a tablecloth."
It's official. I am more worried about my Government than I am from any "terrorist".
In the name of "keeping you safe", the National Security Agency obtained a secret court order to spy on EVERY American who uses a Verizon phone. But don't worry, they pinky-swear it's all in the name of catching terrorists, bad guys and people that want to hurt you. I call BS.
As an American citizen, your chance of being impacted, injured or killed by a terror attack are as likely as you getting to walk on the moon. The odds of your Government spying, snooping and using your private information against you are becoming as likely as the sun rising in the morning.
In the name of the "War On Terror" the Federal Government has trampled on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and most sane people's idea of personal privacy. And only the sheeple who think every bump in the night is an Al Qaeda plot will defend the Draconian tactics of this (and previous) administration's intrusions into your private phone calls. Oh, and if you think they are only tapping Verizon customers, I have a bridge to sell you.
Why is ANYONE surprised that the IRS spent $50 million on conferences and videotaped themselves dancing at them?
It's amazing how you can justify spending other people's money (OPM) and things necessary to the basic functioning of government, such as lavish conventions in far-flung locations, all on the taxpayer's dime. But it's way too easy to poke fun at the "wisdom" of any taxpayer-funded entity living it up on "OPM," so we'll let the video speak for itself.
Here's a sobering thought: The IRS is understandably under the microscope these days in the wake of their other lapse in judgment. You know, the one where they targeted a specific political movement that just happened to be opposed to the party in power. People are going through their business with a fine-tooth comb and uncovering all kinds of interesting things.
Well how many other conventions, conferences, Electric Slide competitions and hoe-downs do you think YOU paid for last year? How many other government departments pulled out the old credit card and flew the whole office to Vegas for a weekend of "meetings?"
I'll concede the need for a meeting or two, even though I have a long-standing hatred for anything and everything that happens in a "conference room." The problem is the IRS, HUD, Justice Department (and about 100 other groups you and I pay for) think they can act like Google and celebrate by spending on their employees.
I mean, they work hard, hit their goals and deserve the perks, right? WRONG.
NONE of them actually produce anything useful and certainly aren't capable of operating anywhere near the efficiencies of the private sector. The idea there is a penny extra to spend on travel, catering or off-site meetings would be funny if it weren't so frustrating.
Next time the IRS wants to hold a convention in New Orleans to plan new ways to screw the American taxpayer (while dancing on Bourbon Street), let's hope they are forced to do it in the atrium of their offices in Denver. During their lunch hour.
Benghazi. IRS. Associated Press. "Scandals" by some definitions, I call them proof of Government ineptitude and corruption.
Told ya so.
Granted I started with the belief that Government IS the problem and President Obama's desire for a larger, more intrusive role in my life has been a point of contention from the start. It's a fundamental belief that I am a better judge of what is right (or better) for me as opposed to an entire floor of paper pushers in Washington D.C.
So what have we learned from the past few weeks?
If you are an Ambassador or a member of the Diplomatic Corps, you are effectively in charge of your own security. Don't expect help to come running just because you called for it, we may need to convene a "working group" first to discuss the pros and cons of getting involved in your emergency. Oh, and don't expect anyone to tell the truth afterwards especially if there is an election to be won.
If you are the party in power, it is perfectly acceptable to use all the tools, branches and power of Government to punish and marginalize your opposition or detractors. The end justifies the means and if fewer groups can raise money, organize and or basically cause trouble for the party in power, it's perfectly acceptable.
And if you are abusing power, stealing or generally wasting tax payers' dollars, just stamp your work "Top Secret". This won't stop anyone from finding out about your wrong-doing, but it will allow the Government to go after the reporters who exposed it. That'll teach ‘em.
So while some are "shocked and dismayed" by the recent scandals, don't put me in that group. Rather, I'd like to ask you what has Big Government ever done to make you think they WOULDN'T act this way?
Do I think President Obama ordered the IRS to make life hard on the Tea Party? No.
Is it an impeachable offense? Get real.
But I do think it reveals a bigger problem that crosses party lines and should concern ALL Americans: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
On Twitter, Bette Midler cheered the IRS for going after the Tea Party, apparently ignorant of the fact that the party in power changes from time to time in Washington. And if she is OK with an arm of government exacting revenge on a political rival in 2013, she better not be surprised when, under President Rubio, the IRS decides to audit her taxes...for the past 11 years.
My "trust" is government can't go much lower, therefore this story neither shocks nor surprises me. Sadly, I expect it with our current political culture and don't see much change ahead. The ends justify the means rules the day in politics and for all the complaints about what happened last year, the Democrats still won the White House. Mission accomplished.
Every American citizen should be outraged anytime the United States federal government starts acting like some tin-pot dictatorship by pitting the people against one another and using its own agencies to intimidate, punish and hold on to power.
