Government Watching Your Naked Bits

Our periodic loss of freedom check has a number interesting entries.

1) TRASH TALKIN’ COMPUTER CHIPS: The City of Cleveland has just invested $1.5 million of stimulus money in garbage cans with micro chips. City trash collectors are supposed to use scanners to see who is putting out recycling cans, and who is not. If it appears that a city resident is not putting out the recycling containers with recyclable trash, the garbage collector is supposed to knock on the resident’s door and make inquiries. If the resident continues to refuse to recycle, the resident can be fined up to $500.00. City fathers claim the amount of recyclable versus non-recyclable trash directly effects their landfill cost/reimbursment rates. Maybe so, but I smell a do-gooder. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

2) PHILADELPHIA BLOGGER POLICE: Several bloggers in Philadelphia made around $50.00 in miscellaneous Google ads (see: adsense) and foolishly reported the income on their city income tax. The city is now fining those individuals for failing to pay $300.00 for a business license to do business in Philadelphia. All bloggers, according to Philadelphia officials, need to obtain a $300.00 business license if they want to blog. And you wonder why there are no jobs in this country.

3) SCHOOL VACATION: The City of Los Angeles United School District just opened up a new school on the site of the hotel where Robert Kennedy was assassinated. The cost of the school was $780 million dollars…that is ¾ of a billion dollars…for a school. The per pupil cost of the school is $135,000.00/pupil. The average per pupil cost for a new school in the rest of the United States is approximately $10,000.00 - $15,000.00 per pupil. Of course, the Los Angeles School System is in the hole $3 billion dollars; has had to lay off 3,000 teachers; and the teachers they kept are going to be paid in IOU’s. California can’t help because it is broke, so it is going to ask the Federal government for the money to operate the school system. Translate, you and I are going to pay for that school in Los Angeles. But what the hell, it has talking benches, seriously. What kind of school is your kid going to?

4) NAKED X-RAYS: You know those x-ray scanners that can see your bits and pieces going through airport security? Well, they now make scatter x-ray machines that can be used by local police to see into cars, shipping containers, walls, and of course you clothes. Police can use these things randomly driving up and down a street. Big Brother is not only watching, he’s peeping. Of course, law enforcement says it is only looking for explosives and smuggled people, and that can be a major plus checking shipping containers coming into this country. But what about Barney Fife driving down Main Street looking to see what’s behind curtain number one….or at least Busty’s raincoat. Where is the ACLU when you need it?

5) COUNT THE BLACK FARMERS: For a period of about 15 years, black farmers claimed the USDA discriminated against them. A class action was filed, and Congress is currently finalizing legislation a second round of settlement money to the tune of a billion dollars. Here’s the problem. During the designated time period, there were approximately 32,000 black farmers in the United States. For some reason, there are 80,000 black farmers eligible for compensation with no proof of discrimination other than an allegation. First in line to receive money…Shirley Sherrod…the black USDA employee who was “fired” because of her “racist” comments she made to the press 20 years ago, making jack asses out of the Obama administration. Her complaint? The USDA refused to renegotiate a loan on a failing land trust deal she was involved with notwithstanding the venture was broke, there was a drought, and the business plan was unsustainable. No…it must have been because she was black. She will be awarded $12 million dollars for her trouble. Now you know why she has turned down another job at the Department of Agriculture.

6) C'MON IN AND SET A SPELL: The Department of Homeland Security has decided to dismiss illegal alien deportation cases if the individual has been in this country for two years and has no felony or DUI convictions. Lawyers have shown up in court only to be told to go home..your client is good to go...back into the USA. DHS claims it doesn't have the staff to process all of the illegal alien cases. Others are calling it Backdoor Amnesty. I call it...BS. The only people who apparently have to abide by the rule of law is you and me...and I wonder about you!

7) FORGET SALMONELLA....HAVE A CANDY BAR: The Food and Drug Administration, which apparently does not have the resources to protect us from botulism ridden spinach and salmonella infested eggs...is spending your resources to make sure vending machines list the calorie counts for the candy bars it dispenses. Seriously. Big Brother could give a rat's ass if you get sick eating eggs from a filthy egg producer or die from eating spinach, but he wants to be damn sure you know there is 350 calories in a Hershey Bar. Oh well. Let them eat cake.

Freedom loss is insidious. And I think we are losing ground quicker and quicker!!!!