April Fools’ Day is celebrated in the Western world on the 1st of April of every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools’ Day, April first is not a legal holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day which tolerates practical jokes and general foolishness. The day is marked by the commission of good humored or funny jokes, hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, work associates, etc.
Friday, 4/1/11, Public Square
Filed under The Public Square
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
I’ve always listened when Robert Reich speaks and found him to be insightful and reliable. Maybe I’ll pretend this is an April Fool’s joke (for a few seconds anyway)…
“The Truth About the Economy that Nobody In Washington Or On Wall Street Will Admit: We’re Heading Back Toward a Double Dip”
http://robertreich.org/post/4218613020
6176, If you haven’t already read it, here’s one I thought might interest your nerdy side —
http://gizmodo.com/#!5787574/why-photoshop-for-ipad-marks-the-end-of-the-desktop-computing-era
I have told you how much admiration I hold for nerds, haven’t I? Some of my most favorite people are nerds!
Dang, now all of Fnord’s friends are wondering if she thinks they are one of the nerds.
Jeez, this is enough to keep me up all day.
George W. Bush’s inauguration day should have been April Fool’s Day – IMHO.
At least in that scenario that entire 8 years could be passed off a joke that just went horribly, horribly wrong.
Speaking of jokes……..I hope this turns out to be just a prank, but in today’s world – it fits right in there with being totally stupid.
Snooki of JerseyShore fame was paid $32,000 for her advice on life…
Hmmm……where are those Republicans with the education budget axe when you need them?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/01/snooki-rutgers_n_843448.html
P.S. – is it just me or does Snooki look like a mini-me of Sarah Palin. Maybe it’s the hair and then the voice spouting much the same nonsense.
Oh, and the ability to get someone to pay you $32,000 for a speech….
Caption for the above photo:
“Don’t let this happen to your Country!!”
Do you think GWB is the only president in recent history that has not traveled the world like Clinton or Carter has?
I suspect there is a good reason why….and your hammer hit that nail squarely on its head.
Shrubism:
“Furineers would be OK, ‘specially if they were born here and talked Ingleesh!”
George W. Bush does not want the US to pull out of Afghanistan because ‘women will suffer’?
Please, somebody pass the barf bucket…….
How wonderful this Republican and his lovely wife are so concerned about the Afghanistan women but yet are part of the political party that has the agenda to redefine the definition of rape, has consistently voted against equal pay for women, is now on the quest to gut every social program that benefits a majority of women and their children.
But yet this good and loyal Republican wants the US to continue to give billions to a foreign leader who by all accounts is corrupt because the ‘women will suffer’.
Oh, please, better make that three barf buckets …..this line of B.S. is just too much to take….
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/01/bush-withdrawal-afghanistan-women-suffer_n_843537.html
God, it’s hard to say this and have it not be considered an April’s Fools Joke, but in comparison to the Cons that are running amok today, GWB looks positively benign.
Really. With some of the totally loony, hardcore Tea Partiers that fill today’s headlines, George appears almost MODERATE.
Damn, and in comparison to some, he seems well-read, informed and, dare I say, articulate.
(Sorry, now I need to lie down for a while. I’m feeling a bit dizzy and slightly nauseated.)
Do you need one of my barf buckets?
Seriously though, you do make a very good point. How sad and pathetic is that to say?
Lookee here and see who got their own fox news segment…….
so, all that birther nonsense was to get his own show segment, boost his ego even further or to pad his pockets even more -or all of the above?
Let me further suggest that Trump get Snooki to help him do all that investigative reporting. Now that she has become a paid speaker for Rutgers.
Republicans – God love em…….
Have you ever heard the saying – God watches out for babies and fools and you’re no baby? That’s what I think of each time when I see or hear one of these New and Improved Republicans.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/01/donald-trump-gets-fox-new_n_843474.html
Newt is making headlines again….seems he has a special financial backer who is a bigtime casino mogul while e Newt is donnign the white robe of evangelical christianity.
Will those on the far-right Evangelical Christian GOP even care about this casino mogul’s money – or have they proven to everyone that all they care about IS money and they really do not care where the money comes from?
I think we have all come to know just how sincere these Religious Righties are about their love for their God and christian way of life. Money talks and B.S. walks…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/01/newt-gingrich-casino-owner_n_843644.html
Does the fact that 1 in 5 moms have kids by multiple dads affect our society?
It seems by this study that women with kids by multiple fathers tend to be in the vicious cycle of low income. Is this really what is good for America’s future?
Is now a good time for Republicans to be on their quest for gutting education budget, demonizing working class people, gutting social programs that are at least a lifeline to their survival, and demonizing women at every turn?
What is the answer to this or is this even a problem? I know some women who have been married twice and their new new husband wanted his own child with the woman. I can understand that scenario and I must confess, those women I know are not low income.
But I also have seen women with a bunch of kids and each one had a different father. These women were definitely low income and did not see any reason to get off welfare because with that many kids – where in the world could they work to make enough money to keep them all house, fed and clothed – let alone the day care costs.
Is our society set up to fail? Do we reward this behavior by giving them those social programs? Do we set the standards bar too low?
Or do we let these men who impregnate these women off the hook while condemning the women they impregnated to a life of uncertainty?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42364656/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/
This is a large problem, indy. One can certainly argue that this is an unintended consequence of many social programs. I don’t have the answer to the conundrum posed.
Given that (in Kansas) the applicant mother is required to provide the name of the father (or fathers) as a condition precedent to receipt of assistance, the sperm donors aren’t necessarily let off the hook. This, however, is in theory. While there is better interstate cooperation, along with income tax refund intercept programs on the federal and state levels (to repay SRS, e.g.), it is relatively easy for the male to avoid the system if he does “cash only” work, files no income tax returns, etc.
A drastic measure might be to limit assistance to two children. There would be fraud, and there would be arguments about “freedom of religion” to be made, but it might take something this Draconian to make any difference.
I think our society has the moral obligation to help people when they need help; so I support keeping the social programs in place.
But if my desire to help is only being abused by people that are out to game the system – then is it morally wrong for me to want to stop helping people?
To me, that is the crux of the problem.
Plus, if 1 in 5 moms have kids by different fathers – how is this going to affect the future generations? Will this be considered the ‘norm’ in a few decades?
While I am strongly against labeling families into just a heterosexual, married man and wife with 2.5 children as being the only appropriate or proper family , I also want all families to be stable.
And how can that be accomplioshed if 1 in 5 moms are low income?
But the way things are going job wise in this country – how many middle class are going to be low income sooner than they ever dreamed?
Our priorities are wrong in this country. We seem to have no limit for taxpayer money to spend for wars or for corporations – but then our basic societal structure – the family – is under siege – IMHO.
And I am not talking about gay marriage – like some of these Republicans do. The homosexual issue has no bearing on 1 in 5 moms having kids with different fathers.
There is one place in which I think the GOP is really off the mark….
Just a FOOL here,
checking in here on
MY SPECIAL DAY!
Hey, dude! I check in sporadically myself.
A belated happy 2nd anniversary from someone who remembers one of the thoughtful and sharp-witted co-founders of this blog.
Naw, just kidding. You is really a fool! ;–)
Thanks man!…. I mean it.
Once I quit trying to fix the world, and kinda’ just “let life flow over, around me, and soak it up”, I believe my happiness level soared!
Some truth to “happy idiot”?
Naw, happy fool suits me!
Some quick thoughts about the religiously-inspired, murderous attacks on UN officials in Afghanistan:
1) Hey, way to go, Pastor Terry! The First Amendment protects your right to be an asshole. Satisfied now?
2) Religion fundamentalism, of any kind and whatever the motivation behind it, sucks. It about finger-painting over the Mona Lisa on the basis on some alleged morality.
3) This asshole in Georgia simply lit a match to what was already a huge pile of gasoline, so to speak. Even understanding that these are enormously complex situations, just what the hell are we trying to do in Afghanistan, and how is it benefiting anyone, even in the selfish, short-term Realpolitik sense?