billion dollar Big Mac revisited

I once did a post about the minimum wage, McDonalds, and the Big Mac. I used the publicly available information at the time, and I did the math (FUN!). That was six years ago. Time flies and statistics change. How would that post read if written today?

Let's do it!

	McDonalds 2013	McDonalds 2018
Company Owned Locations	6,738	2,770
Franchise Locations	28,691	35,085

We can already see that McDonalds has shed many company owned locations in favor of franchise owned. This distributes the liability of employees to the franchisees. So there is one direct impact of the minimum wage that will affect local, small businesses to a greater degree than it will the large corporation. Raised wages will cripple the small business owner, and only trickle-up to the corporation.

Company-operated restaurant expenses ($millions)
Food & paper	3,153.8
Payroll & employee benefits	2,937.9
Occupancy & other operating expenses	2,174.2
Franchised restaurants-occupancy expenses	1,973.3
Selling, general & administrative expenses	2,200.2

They directly employ 210,000 employees as of 2018. I don't have how many are employed by francisees. So we'll have to extrapolate franchise employees. If we do, we get about 2.5 million franchise employees. Previously, only about half of all employees were US-based. So, let's say only 1.25 million franchise employees are in the US, and we will ignore the McDonald's corporate employees, because we're not sure how many are salary versus hourly. And if we say 20% of the franchise employees are salary, that gives us a cool one million employees to work with.

1,000,000 McDonalds employees in the US

$7.50 minimum wage

$15.00 desired wage

550,000,000 Big Macs sold per year

Let's do math! (FUN!)

1,000,000 x ($15.00 - $7.50) = an additional $7,500,000 to employ all McDonalds employees for one hour.
but they don't all work at the same time... let's assume there are many more part-time workers than full time... and let's estimate each worker works and average of only 20 hours during any given week... we'll estimate low, just y'know, because we don't want to be unrealistic.
$7,500,000 x 20 = an additional $150,000,000 to pay for one week of all McDonalds employees.
there are 52 weeks in a year... usually.
$150,000,000 x 52 = an additional $7,800,000,000 to pay the additional wages of all McDonalds employees for one full year.
that's 7.8 Billion additional dollars... that has to come from somewhere... like raising the price of Big Macs.
$7,800,000,000 / 550,000,000 = an additional $14.18 per Big Mac.
what are they now, like $4.39?... so a Big Mac would cost $18.57 plus tax... no fries... no shake.

We just learned a few things. In the last six years since I first wrote the "Billion Dollar Big Mac", McDonalds has undergone some changes. First, they've shed corporate employees, but overall employment has risen. Second, the price of a Big Mac has nearly doubled. Lastly, the effect of the minimum wage has only worsened.

And who does it still effect? The poor and the small business owners.

the "rich" don't pay for Big Macs... it's the working poor... it's the same people who work at places like McDonalds who then shop and eat at places like McDonalds... it's us... we have to come up with $7.8 billion dollars.

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sources:
https://rvolt24.blogspot.com/2013/08/billion-dollar-big-mac.html
https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/investors-relations/financial-information/sec-filings.html
http://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0000063908/94ad07bd-66c3-433c-a81e-94f1587b0ed8.pdf
https://www.reference.com/food/many-big-macs-sold-day-225cf538abc342ab

EDIT (2021-03-09):
Proof: https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28506/w28506.pdf

how do you #selfie your soul?

STOP SKINNY SHAMING!
seriously, this nonsense has to stop... people keep writing articles about how it's "Fat-Shaming" whenever someone posts a picture of themselves looking skinny, fit, or just good... apparently, this makes fat people feel bad about themselves.

honestly, maybe they should feel bad... seriously... being fit is being healthy... "i can be fat and healthy," says the offended... sure you can... you can smoke cigarettes and not get cancer... you can sky-dive and always have your parachute open... Evel Knievel can jump over the Grand Canyon and not plummet to his doom.

but let's be real about statistics for a moment... if you have excess body weight, you (statistically) will have higher triglycerides, cholesterol, etc... you are (statistically) at a higher risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc... your mortality rate (again, statistics) goes up.

for those who haven't made the connection:

• if you're fat, not fit, you're going to die sooner... if you're fit, you live longer.
• hell, if you're fit, you feel better.
• you can walk up stairs without having to sit down half-way up.
• sex is even better (and who doesn't want that?).
• on that note, excess body fat obstructs the base of the penis... that's right... the fit, skinny guy has a longer penis.
• skinny women receive greater penetration during sex... no thunder-thighs to get in the way.
• more sexual positions!... if you're fit, you can have sex in those damnable small bathtubs... (trust me, two whales mating in a puddle isn't pretty... don't Google that!)
• if you're fit, you can wear a greater variety of clothes... not because you look good in them, but because they make your size... the Big And Tall shop is a misnomer... tall has very little to do with it... it should be called, to paraphrase Gabriel Iglesias, "Big and Damn!"
• if you're fit, your children are more likely to be fit... that's right, if you live longer, so will they!

but, no... people have to get pissed of whenever someone else feels good about themselves.

like this turd... she gets all holier-than-thou about a lady who is internet-famous for her butt... she takes "selfies" of her own tush... along comes this lady who calls it "objectification of women"... so, a woman feels good about herself, takes a picture of her butt (which she obviously worked hard to get), posts it online because she's proud of it, and somehow she's objectifying herself.

let me get this straight... if i, as a guy, put on a tie, get a haircut, spruce myself up and decide "damn, I look good", the moment i share a photo of myself, i've objectified men?... because that's what you're saying women are doing... "damn, I look good"... *click*... *post*... objectification.

what... the... hell.

back to the "turd"... here's some of her bitching:

Someone needs to say it: Ladies, get a grip. Face selfies are one thing; butt selfies are another.

And yet, the problem with butt selfies and all manner of obsession with the female backside is old as time: It’s the objectification of women.

It’s great for Ms. Selter to promote #hardwork and #cleaneating, among other healthy lifestyle choices. It would be even better for someone to come along and remind us that we are cutting ourselves short when we focus purely on the physical.

if you can't take photos of yourself, what are you allowed to take pictures of?... you go to the gym, lose weight, feel great... take a photo of the car you drove to the gym?... won't that offend people with older model cars?... or, worse yet, no car?... that lady who had three kids, looks great, and challenges others to do the same; somehow she should take photos of something else?... what, her vagina for giving birth?... would that cause labia-envy?... the lady who showed off her six-pack abs just days after giving birth; should she take photos of her college degree?... or would that offend the illiterate?

i'd just like to know something... how in the hell do you take a selfie of your soul?

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source:
The Case Against Butt Selfies, by Erin VargoErin Vargo | TUE. MARCH 25 | Acculturated
Mom Angers World After Showing Off 6-Pack 3 Days After Giving Birth by Ericka Sóuter December 2, 2013
'Hot Facebook Mom' Still Wants To Know: 'What's Your Excuse?' The Huffington Post | by Cavan Sieczkowski 03/07/2014

billion dollar Big Mac

• 1,700,000 McDonalds employees worldwide
• 800,000 McDonalds employees in the US
• $7.50 minimum wage
• $15.00 desired wage
• 550,000,000 Big Macs sold per year

thanks redstate.com for image

if we raised the wages of all US McDonalds employees (because we don't care about international employees) to their desired demanded wage of $15.00 per hour, what would we have to raise the price of the Big Mac to cover those costs?

let's do the math (FUN!)

800,000 x ($15.00 - $7.50) = an additional $6,000,000 to employ all McDonalds employees for one hour.

but they don't all work at the same time... let's assume there are many more part-time workers than full time... and let's estimate each worker works and average of only 20 hours during any given week... we'll estimate low, just y'know, because we don't want to be unrealistic.

$6,000,000 x 20 = an additional $120,000,000 to pay for one week of all McDonalds employees.

there are 52 weeks in a year... usually.

$120,000,000 x 52 = an additional $6,240,000,000 to pay the additional wages of all McDonalds employees for one full year.

that's 6.24 Billion additional dollars... that has to come from somewhere... like raising the price of Big Macs.

$6,240,000,000 / 550,000,000 = an additional $11.35 per Big Mac.

what are they now, like $2.99?... so a Big Mac would cost $14.34 plus tax... no fries... no shake.

i know... McDonalds would raise the price of everything in small amounts, not just one item... but you're obviously already missing the main point here... of course, if you've read this far, you're probably smarter then the average fast-food worker, so maybe you do see the problem.

$6.24 billion dollars has to come from somewhere... it doesn't just magically fall from the sky or spout from the mouth of a geyser... it comes from consumers... it comes from average working-class citizens like you and me... maybe not even you, because you probably wouldn't deign to enter such a bastion of capitalism like McDonalds, so maybe it's just coming from me... and people like me.

the "rich" don't pay for Big Macs... it's the working poor... it's the same people who work at places like McDonalds who then shop and eat at places like McDonalds... it's us... we have to come up with $6.24 billion dollars.

and if you are still arguing for higher wages, you are too stupid to be worth paying more than minimum wage... like the Ouroboros, you think you're getting fed by eating your own tail.

and i bet you wonder what the head tastes like.

http://unsider.deviantart.com/art/Ouroboros-Drawing-271330221

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source:
http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company.html
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/63908/000119312511046701/d10k.htm

Obama takes on Rutherford B. Hayes

who writes this stuff for Obama?... today, Obama has repeated the equivilent of an urban legend, and he thinks it's true!... he attempts to get a cheap-shot at Republican President Hayes, but it turns out to be false... worse, his insinuation is that Hayes was backwards on issues and on progress... turns out, again, Hayes was more forward thinking than any Democrat president of the last twenty-five years!

One of my predecessors, President Rutherford B. Hayes, reportedly said about the telephone: 'It’s a great invention but who would ever want to use one?' That's why he's not on Mt. Rushmore.

He's looking backwards, he's not looking forward. He's explaining why we can't do something instead of why we can do something. The point is there will always be cynics and naysayers.
- President Obama

yeah... Hayes sure was a backwards-looking president... or was he?

let's look at some fact (for a change):

After a year of study in a Columbus law office, he entered Harvard Law School and received his degree in 1845. He began his law practice in Lower Sandusky. Not finding many opportunities there, he left in 1849 for Cincinnati, where he became a successful lawyer. His opposition to slavery drew him into the Republican Party.

In 1864, while still in the army, he was elected to Congress (despite his refusal to campaign). He was reelected in 1866. The following year Ohio voters elected him governor. After winning a third term in 1875, the Republican Party chose Hayes as its presidential candidate.

His sound money policies helped make business and industry stronger. He initiated civil service reform, aimed at ending patronage, and appointed men with sound qualifications to government positions. He also signed a bill that, for the first time, allowed women attorneys to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Honoring his commitment not to accept a second term, Hayes retired.

Hayes was the first president to have a telephone in the White House.

Hayes was the first president to have a typewriter in the White House.
- The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center

President Obama, you just can't help yourself, can you?... every time you open your mouth, something stupider than the last comes flowing out.

why don't you just take the higher, moral road that President Hayes took... retire after one term.

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source:
Obama knocks Rutherford B. Hayes - POLITICO.com By BYRON TAU | 3/15/12 11:41 AM EDT

The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center

ReBlog - squat Wall Street

"I’ve been smoking and drinking in here for eight days now,” said Dave, booze on his breath and his eyes bloodshot as he lay sprawled on a tattered sheet of cardboard. “I need to get some methadone. Every day, I wake up, and I’m f--ked up.”
Drugs can be easy to score -- a Post reporter was offered pot for $15 and heroin for $10.
They’ve already fueled at least one violent incident, when a wasted nut job socked a medical volunteer in the face before others hauled the attacker away.
“We are trying to keep everything calm and work with the police, but there are some crazies in here,” said Paul, a security volunteer.
“The other day, there was a guy charging people $5 to use the McDonald’s bathroom. He was on LSD or high on something.”
But the creeps can’t give a bad name to the group’s overall anti-greed message, protesters said.
A coalition of religious leaders and their followers yesterday marched from Washington Square Park to the encampment with a makeshift golden calf in the shape of the Wall Street bull, leading protesters in such spirituals as “We Shall Overcome” and “Down by the Riverside.”
The crowd chanted, “We are the 99 percent!” -- referring to the millions of Americans not among the top 1 percent of the country’s earners -- along with priests, rabbis and imams.
“You are fulfilling the words of the prophet Isaiah. You have thrown off the yoke. Occupy, occupy, occupy!” shouted Warren Goldstein, chair of the history department at the University of Hartford in Connecticut.
The golden calf sat atop a brown platform that marchers carried on their shoulders. On the platform were the words “false idol.”
The clerics -- some holding signs that read, “Jesus is with the 99%” -- said they were there to support the movement.
“You have woken up all of us ... We will stand with you in every city, every state and every country across this globe,” said Michael Ellick, minister at Judson Memorial Church near Washington Square.
Hundreds gathered around philosopher Slavoj Zizek as he gave a speech and answered questions.
“They tell us we are dreamers. The true dreamers are those who think things can go on indefinitely the way they are,” he said. “We are not destroying anything. We are only witnessing how the system is destroying itself.”
Some protesters have said that in addition to being against Wall Street greed, they also are for a withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq and more help for Haiti.
But as the protest ground on for a 23rd day, it was evident that there were challenges.
Zuccotti Park smelled like an open sewer -- with people urinating and defecating in public.
And some couples have taken advantage of the free condoms distributed by organizers to do the nasty in full view of other protesters.
“It kinda makes me think of what Woodstock must have been like,” said one protester, Sarah, 19 from the Upper West Side.
“I haven’t hooked up with any guys ... but one of my friends did have sex in a tarp with a guy last night.”
The free chow offered to protesters was boosting the crowd.
“People say they are here for the cause, but the real reason is the free food,” quipped Cameron, 26, of Jersey City.
“On my third day, they had smoked salmon with cream cheese. You know how much smoked salmon is a pound? Sixteen dollars. I eat better here than I do with my parents!”
Many of the protesters said they are here for the long haul -- and predicted trouble if cops try to clear the park.
“When the weather starts getting cold, we’re already talking about bringing tents in here,” said Robert, 47, of Pennsylvania. “I’m not going anywhere.
“I lost my job of 22 years, and someone has gotta pay,’’ he said. “Civil disobedience is something we may need to keep this site occupied. If everyone does it at once, the cops won’t be able to do anything.”
Three protesters took their sleeping bags and tried to camp out on Wall Street near Nassau Street last night. When police told them to move, one demonstrator, Zachary Miller, 20, from California, was arrested for disorderly conduct, cops said.
At one point yesterday, a speaker from Washington, DC, told protesters how to break out of zip ties and handcuffs in case they get collared.
The protest vet, Ryan Clayton, 30, demonstrated how use a bobby pin to spring the cuffs open -- while claiming he was “not encouraging people to break out of restraints.”

Sex, drugs and hiding from the law at Wall Street protests
By LACHLAN CARTWRIGHT and BOB FREDERICKS
Posted: 3:28 AM, October 10, 2011
Additional reporting by Hannah Rappleye and Andy Campbell

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source:
Squatters and drug addicts invade Zuccotti Park and Occupy Wall Street protests - NYPOST.com

i hate being right

this is something i've noted before... but first:

Obama’s Economists: ‘Stimulus’ Has Cost $278,000 per Job | The Weekly Standard

The report was written by the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors, a group of three economists who were all handpicked by Obama, and it chronicles the alleged success of the “stimulus” in adding or saving jobs. The council reports that, using “mainstream estimates of economic multipliers for the effects of fiscal stimulus” (which it describes as a “natural way to estimate the effects of” the legislation), the “stimulus” has added or saved just under 2.4 million jobs — whether private or public — at a cost (to date) of $666 billion. That’s a cost to taxpayers of $278,000 per job.

wait... let me gloat for a moment... let me bask in the sun of "Being Right"...

damn... doesn't feel as good as i thought it would.

the problem is evident in the basic arithmetic of the bailout... my Ramblings post from October 8, 2010, looked at the simple numbers... and i quote:

is anyone doing the math on this?... they have awarded $218 BILLION and made 750 THOUSAND jobs... that is the US Government, your tax dollars, paying $290,924.15 PER PERSON to create or save their job... has this not sunk into your heads yet?... they are actually saying, even admitting, that they are paying an average of a QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS to create a single job... and the government, our government, is okay with this!

and the worst part is not THAT it happened... but the EXTENT to which it happened... when i posted back in October, it was $218 billion... this has ballooned to $666 billion... and we keep letting them write checks!!!

if this were a business, the CEO and CFO would be terminated and possibly sued for their negligence and incompetence... but this is government... they'll just run for re-election.

flake vs flake

a rebuttal from Mark Levin and Jeffrey Lord to George Stephanopolous's column. John Quincy Adams a Founding Father? Michele Bachmann Says Yes...

by Mark Levin on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 9:51am: "George Stephanopolous: Flake"

George Stephanopolous has revealed his own flakiness and ignorance in his effort to pile on Michele Bachmann.

The fact is that a number of prominent Founders did attempt to end or at least take on the issue of slavery, including Virginia's George Mason, who was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. The inability to end slavery was among the reasons he refused to support the Constitution. While he was a slave-owner, he nonetheless opposed the institution going forward. Mason was no light-weight, either. He had authored the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which later served as the basis for James Madison's draft of the Bill of Rights.

Thomas Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration specifically condemned the treatment of blacks by the Crown as a basis for America declaring its independent from Britain.

Importantly, the final draft of the Declaration that was adopted by all the states contained the crucial recognition of God-given unalienable rights that belonged to all human beings. The phrase was borrowed by Jefferson from philosopher John Locke, who was anti-slave.

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By Jeffrey Lord on 6.28.11 @ 1:38PM - The American Spectator: "Levin: Stephanopoulos Is Foolish in Lecturing Bachmann"

"[A] French observer wrote that [James] Madison, "a young man (who)... astonishes…by his eloquence, his wisdom, and his genius, has had the humanity and courage (for such a proposition requires no small share of courage) to propose a general emancipation of the slaves." - James Madison, by biographer, Ralph Ketcham

'Hamilton became a prime mover in the early abolitionist group. He pressured the (New York) state legislature and helped to raise money to buy and free slaves. The society's founders…elected Hamilton chairman to draw up recommendations for "a line of conduct" for any "members who still possessed slaves." He also established a registry for manumitted slaves, listing their names and ages, "to detect attempts to deprive such manumitted persons of their liberty."' - Alexander Hamilton: A Life, by biographer Willard Sterne Randall

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personally, i think they're both (George and Michelle) a bit flaky... i want news from my journalists... and i want legislation from congressmen(women)... journalists should know how to research and interview... congressmen should know law and history... it's clear that neither of these people can do their jobs.

how can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?

School's food is the only option for some kids - chicagotribune.com

Little Village Academy on Chicago's West Side, students are not allowed to pack lunches from home. Unless they have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria.

Any school that bans homemade lunches also puts more money in the pockets of the district's food provider, Chartwells-Thompson. The federal government pays the district for each free or reduced-price lunch taken, and the caterer receives a set fee from the district per lunch.

During a recent visit to the school, dozens of students took the lunch but threw most of it in the garbage uneaten.

how many rights are you willing to give up?

mark of the beast

Want a U.S. passport? Were you circumcised? - Travel - Travel Tips - msnbc.com

Please list all of your residences inside and outside of the United States starting with your birth until the present.
Please list all of your current and former places of employment in the United States and abroad.
Please list all schools that you attended inside and outside of the United States.
Please describe the circumstances of your birth including the names (as well as address and phone number, if available) of persons present or in attendance at your birth.
Was there any religious or institutional recording of your birth or event occuring around the time of birth? (Example: baptism, circumcision, confirmation or other religious ceremony. Please provide details including the name, location of the institution, and date.)

so... illegal immigrants are welcome here, but we're not?

i don't believe in atheists, Pt 1

atheists annoy me... not because they don't believe in a religion, but because they have such horrible reasons not to believe... and before you stop reading, know this: I WAS AN ATHEIST... and many of the reasons i hear from others are the same arguments i had; which i used to support my beliefs... (Note: atheists have beliefs... they call them facts, but they're just beliefs in the end)

annoying reason #1:

"That is stupid."

first, let's get the terms right... stupid means to lack ordinary keenness of mind... it comes from the Latin, stupere; to be numb or stunned... it is a pejorative, implying that the person lacks the capacity to reason at a level of the ordinary individual... this kind of argument is used to belittle the target, usually in an effort to raise the attacker's sense of self worth.

often, what the atheist is attempting to say is, "You are incorrect due to your ignorance of other information which contradicts your viewpoint"... but they don't say this... because it can be easily turned on the attacker in the form of, "Present this information for consideration and debate"... this often ends with showing the atheist as being ignorant of their own facts, and woefully ignorant of the defense's facts.

the ideas which the atheist defines as "stupid" are concepts which require deeper understanding than most people, atheist and religious alike, are willing to achieve... for example, people often think it is stupid to believe in something which cannot be observed... yet they readily accept much of science, even though much of it cannot be observed... we cannot see quantum particles, yet through their effects we believe they exist... by scientific method we determine that these particles have certain properties... so, using indirect evidence, we believe in electrons and leptons and quarks... we construct our beliefs around them, even though we cannot see them.

the only thing more stupid would be to dismiss something on the basis that you cannot discern it... while you'll often get the Flying Spaghetti Monster response, you should (gently) remind people that almost all of science depends on an open mind... bacteria, atomic energy, and most of modern science had to pass through respected scientists who sternly said it couldn't be seen and therefore did not exist.

dismissing other viewpoints, including the theistic, is a sure sign of stupidity.

illegal people

i keep hearing these bleeding-heart liberal types saying the most moronic things... the one i've heard lately is really bad... not only does it show their methodology of changing the framework of an argument to meet their own narrow-minded needs, but of their outright ignorance and, yes, stupidity... they say:

Don't call them "illegal immigrants". That's not right. A person cannot be illegal. Human beings cannot be illegal.

here's my "polite" response, which i used on the comment portion of a news article... feel free to use it:

Wow... you really read that as "the person himself/herself is illegal"?
Maybe english is your second language, but the term "illegal" is an adjective to the noun, "immigrant", thus modifying the person's immigrant status. If they said, "Garcia, an experienced lumberjack," then you would not criticize the writer for implying that Garcia is experienced at being a person, would you? Garcia is an immigrant. As an immigrant, her status as an immigrant is "undocumented", which is illegal.

my "not-so-polite" response, i don't recommend using...

IM IN UR BANKZ EATIN UR JEBUS

Feds Force Okla. Bank To Remove Crosses, Bible Verse - Oklahoma City News Story - KOCO Oklahoma City

[Federal Reserve examiners] from Kansas City deemed a Bible verse of the day, crosses on the teller’s counter and buttons that say "Merry Christmas, God With Us." were inappropriate.

[They] believed, the symbols violated the discouragement clause of Regulation B of the bank regulations. According to the clause, "...the use of words, symbols, models and other forms of communication ... express, imply or suggest a discriminatory preference or policy of exclusion."

The feds interpret that to mean, for example, a Jew or Muslin(sic) or atheist may be offended and believe they may be discriminated against at this bank. It is an appearance of discrimination.

The Simplicity of Being Young

sometimes (actually, ALL the time) it's easier to be young... when you're a child/teen/adolescent, some adult is always looking out for you... in rare cases of neglect, this may not be true... but in general terms, someone has your best interest in mind... be it parent or teacher or pastor, someone is protecting the youth from harm... sometimes, we even have to protect them from themselves.

often (actually, ALL the time) youth don't appreciate what has been done for them... and when they become an adult, they are surprised at all the dangers which "suddenly" face them on a daily basis... but it's not that the dangers are new... it's that the danger is new to them.

i just read an example of this... it's a "friend of a friend of a friend" situation, so there's no need for names.

this young man (i.e. new adult, 20-something) contracted a viral infection... being young, he just felt tired... he wore out more easily than he did the week before... so he drank more caffeine and moved on... shortly thereafter, he was exposed to (what he was told was) "black mold", which can be toxic and cause several health issues... to combat this, he used "Broncaid", which is a medicine to ease and relieve shortness of breath and coughing associated with bronchial asthma... he also moved from coffee and soda to energy drinks, like Red Bull... while all of this got him through the day, it didn't solve the problem... so, thinking if a little does a little good, then a lot must do a lot of good, he took a couple extra Broncaids, along with his Red Bulls... about five Red Bulls.

he woke up in the hospital, where apparently, he flatlined (i.e. died) at least once.

so, if an adult (i.e. parent, teacher, pastor, police officer, crossing guard, etc.) doesn't let a child do something that they want (i.e. stay up late, drink energy drinks, eat sweets, drive across state lines, see R-rated movies, etc.), it is generally for the good of the child.

when this young man has a child (thus, becoming the defacto adult), you can bet the experience gained will frustrate his child... his child will probably want to stay up late, drink energy drinks, and take cold medicine... and the adult will say, "No, no, and no".

and his child will mutter under its breath how stupid adults are... but maybe, just maybe, they won't end up in the hospital on a ventilator.

Nanny State watching you eat

Calories on vending machines: Health care bill requires calories on vending machines - chicagotribune.com

FDA estimates 14 million hours annually to be spent complying with Obamacare law... so THAT's where those "jobs created or saved" figures are coming from!!!

Federal Register (GPO) FDA estimates

that's just freaking great!... and those costs are going to be passed on to the consumer... now my Little Debbie snack cake is going to require financing!

i wonder if i can get a sub-prime loan for a Twinkie?

John Boehner To Campaign With Rich Iott, Candidate Who Dressed As SS Officer

huffpost shows their idiocy (again)... it's called historic reenactment... and to show the history, everyone cannot dress as US troops...

i can't believe how sheep-like some of the comments have been... the DCCC doesn't even think to ask "why" was he wearing this?... apparently, if you wear a costume, you must subscibe to those beliefs... if you wear a Michael Vick jersey, you must support dog fighting... whatever you do, don't dress like a witch this Halloween, or you'll have to start attending Wican ceremonies!... heaven forbid you dress like a ghost in a sheet!

ridiculous, narrow-minded idiots.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Call me Mr. Negative, please

i planned on writing to this blog much more often... but since i was laid-off, though i have the time, i don't want to write what i really want to say... despite what many may say, i'm not a negative person... i don't LIKE saying things that are negative or hurtful... i like to think of it as honesty... and, like it or not, the truth is more often than not very, deeply painful... the classic "does this make me look fat?" usually ends up with "yes"... because if you have to ask, it probably does... if i tell someone that they said or did something stupid, it's not that they're stupid, themselves... it's a warning that they should reconsider their point-of-view, because there are bad consequenses that they should be aware of...

most would consider me negative because of this... i'm not negative... tactless, maybe... but sugar-coating a poison pill doesn't make it less poison... it just masks the warning signs... if someone is going to bathe a baby in scalding water, you don't explain the thermal transfer characteristics of the infant epidermis... you snatch the baby away from the idiot!... if you hurt their "feelings", that's just too bad... maybe they're the one with the thin skin...

so, i don't know if i will write on this blog as often as i had first hoped... my honesty will probably force me to say something along the lines of "i'm still jobless because i was stabbed in the back by people i thought were friends, or at least should have appreciated what i did for them"... but i might be accused of being "negative"... bite me.

i will still go back through old journals and see what i feel is worth posting... there's a few really good ones... there's a lot of juvenile crap, too... much of these old writings, while deep and thoughtful, were written by a college student who knew everything... youth is wasted on the young...

and i may give my commentary on current events... and i know i'll be accused of being negative on that... but i might as well be Nero while Rome burns, for all the good it does... every day i see idiots doing stupid things, and i want to shout from the roof-tops and warn them... but i'm just called names... often by people i thought were friends...

but i'm the negative one...