To Laugh? Or To Cry?

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Economic issues, education, History, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I can honestly say I don’t know whether to laugh or cry over some of the latest news stories.  At first, I chuckle, maybe even let out a guffaw.  And then, I ponder … and soon the corners of my mouth turn downward as I growl.  A few examples …

In Iowa, the House Republicans have proposed new ‘restrictions’ on food stamps and what a person can purchase with them.  Mind you, food stamps are intended to help lower income people feed their families healthy meals so that they can survive, maybe even grow up healthy.  Among the restrictions are:

  • No white grains — people can only purchase 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice and 100% whole wheat pasta.
  • No baked, refried or chili beans — people can purchase black, red and pinto beans.
  • No fresh meats — people can purchase only canned products like canned tuna or canned salmon.
  • No sliced, cubed or crumbled cheese. No American cheese.

I fail to see the method to the madness here.  They cannot buy sliced cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches, but can buy unlimited amounts of unhealthy soft drinks?  I seriously doubt this proposal will get past first base, but then again … it’s Iowa … who knows?  The very fact that they want to place those in need under their thumbs is, in my book, unconscionable!

It appears that the U.S. Department of State, led by Antony Blinken, has its priorities lined up, and one of them is … wait for it … what font to use in its communications!  OH YES, be still my heart!  I’ve always hoped that someone would dedicate their life (and our tax dollars) to deciding on a universal font for public communications!  What, after all, could be more important than that???  (Sarcasm intended)  From an article in Politico …

Earlier this week, a memo from Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN directed all department personnel in the agency’s Foggy Bottom headquarters and posts around the world to use Calibri, a large sans-serif font, for all official documents. His deadline: Feb. 6.

“The Times (New Roman) are a-Changing,” the cable was titled.

The change, a spokesperson for the State Department said, was recommended by the secretary’s office of diversity and inclusion as a way to make the print easier to read for people who use screen readers or other assistive technologies. It grew out of the agency’s iCount campaign last year, an effort to create a more inclusive workplace for employees with disabilities.

It happens that my Word program is set for Calibri, for I do find Times Roman and other ‘serif’ fonts more difficult to read, but … does it really require a federal directive???

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is a racist.  Full stop.  He neither respects nor likes the Black people who comprise some 16% of the people in his state.  He has banned the teaching of Advanced Placement (AP) African-American history, a program that has been approved at the federal level by the U.S. Department of Education, and that will be taught in all other 49 states of the union.  Names like Harriet Tubman, Medgar Evers, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Rosa Parks and others may never be taught in Florida schools if DeSantis has his way. Their contributions to this nation were as important as those of any white people!  Maybe more so!  Floridians will be stupid in regards to the history … the factual history … of this nation because their parents kept voting for a racist.

WAKE UP, RON!!!

DeSantis likes to throw around the word ‘woke’ as if it were some horrible thing to be.  Let me tell you something, Ronnie … I am ‘woke’ and because I am woke, I go to bed every damned night with a clear conscience.  Because I care more about living beings – both human and otherwise – than I care about money and ‘things’, I am ‘woke’ and damned proud to be so!  I don’t know how DeSantis and his ilk can even look at their own face in the mirror without cringing.

Okay … enough of my grousing … go enjoy the rest of your weekend!

40 thoughts on “To Laugh? Or To Cry?”

  1. I think limiting people to what they can use their food stamps on is nobody’s goddamn business. But then again, neither is telling women what they can do with their bodies. Arg! 😦 ❤

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  5. On your second item: My paid occupation relates to documentation, and I can understand the desire to normalise presentation of information to make it more accessible. Far too many choose bizarre fonts (Comic Sans is the classic one) because (to them) they think it adds something; they don’t realise that it does anything but. Other pet peeves of mine are the apparently universal desire to Use Initial Capitals on Things Some People Consider Important, and use full justification everywhere (left-aligned text has been proven to be much easier to read, as the jagged right-hand edge lends the eye a clue where to track to for the beginning of the next line).

    So, I can sympathise with the desire to mandate such things. It doesn’t actually cost a lot to issue such edicts, although policing them is, naturally, more costly – mainly due to the time wasted dealing with push-back from those who don’t understand and consider such rules needlessly bureaucratic. If they could just shrug, accept it and move on with their work in their own area of expertise, life would be much better all round.

    Regarding the Iowa food thing: That does seem pretty daft to me, though I freely admit that I’m just a phlyarologist; I’m neither a nutritionist nor an agronomist, and not privy to the reasoning behind these rules. I accept that it’s entirely possible that there may be factors that might justify them of which I’m not aware.

    As for the racism of De Santis (and far too many others): That’s just plain wrong.

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    • Well, I see your point about a standardized font, but I still don’t see why the head of the Department of State has to spend his time on it … seems he has far more important things to deal with! (As re comic sans, I love it and use it for email quite often, but never for anything public)

      I think the Iowa food thing is yet another attempt to make those in need feel like they are … substandard, somehow, not deserving. It’s denigrating and cruel … in my view.

      And yep, DeSantis is a jerk as are far too many these days!

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    • Yes, DeSantis is a grade-A jerk! He doesn’t like LGBTQ people, doesn’t like Black people … and the scariest part is at present he’s the most likely candidate to be the Republican nominee for president next year! I’m not sure which would be worse — DeSantis or Trump!

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  7. It’s pitiful…can’t believe I live in a state with this many old racist farts and redneck hillbillies who both worship trump and anyone just like him. The more racist they are the more they like them….maybe so many old people (of which I’m one) and lots of small town rural “never left the state” mentality.

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    • I can’t either! Every one of my Florida friends hates DeSantis and his lack of integrity, lack of humanitarian values, and yet he won re-election by a significant percentage. I don’t get it! I only know that if I lived in Florida, I’d be trying my best to get out. Sigh. I feel for you, my friend.

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  8. When I used to work for Revenue Canada (think IRS) they used to pay bonuses to anyone who came up with ideas to make tax forms easier to use. As it turned out, only friends of the Minister of Revenue ever got these bonuses, and the changes they suggested seldom made anything easier, just different. It was just a scam to enrich cronies, without seeming to be patronage.

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  10. Pingback: To Laugh? Or To Cry? — Filosofa’s Word | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

    • It would be a hardship just about everywhere, I imagine, and … so pointless! The only goal I can see in it is to further demonize the poor, which it seems the Republican Party enjoys doing.

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    • I have no problem with banning white foods, they have so little food value jn comparison. But even so, especially fresh meat for meat-eaters, that’s negatively affecting their health. This is going too far. People eat what they want and need. Trying to control what people eat should come back to haunt anyone who agreed to this plan.

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      • I have a problem with banning anything that is a food product. Every family has its own preferences and tastes, and they shouldn’t be penalized because they are economically disadvantaged and need a little help. I can see not allowing alcohol to be purchased with food stamps, or tobacco, but white rice??? And, as you say, they cannot buy chicken legs, but can buy canned salmon, which is quite more expensive than chicken legs!

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        • I was only commenting on the food value content, not actually agreeing on the ban. But Americans have it a lot better than Canadians, at least in Alberta. Since the bird flu attack a few years ago, chicken has been a premium protein cource. Canned salmon is much cheaper than chicken. To me this is just another example of price-gouging, but I ‘m not sure by whom. The farmers are bitching just as loud as ever.

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          • Ever try to get a kid to eat canned salmon? To me, this is another way of making people in need feel denigrated, feel like they are of less value to society … of controlling and manipulating. I don’t like control or manipulation.

            As re the price of chicken (and eggs), it IS, in part, price gouging. But it’s not the farmers who are doing it or who are benefiting financially, it is the processors — companies like Tyson who process the chicken and package the products … it is their bottom line that has seen a healthy rise.

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    • Yes, we are in a rather dark, depressing period that is likely to continue for a time, I’m afraid. Every now and then, take time to get away from the news, take a walk in the woods, or just sit by a pond and remember the good things in your own life. We cannot bury our heads in the sand, but we also cannot let it consume all our energy. Take care, my friend.

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