Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Invasion of the Booty Snatchers!

If there is one thing that is sacrosanct in Donald Trump's approach to misgovernance, it's the promotion of the economic interests of himself, his family and his select group of fellow plutocrats--his appointees. We can rest assured that their interests will be served as Mr. Trump leverages the power and prestige of the American presidency for all that it's worth.

Companies like United Technologies are delighted to receive handouts like Mr. Trump’s proposed tax plan that will cost about $6.2 trillion in lost federal revenues over a decade, and which mostly benefits large corporations and the wealthy. 

Friday, December 09, 2016

Most dangerous GoPro Footage – captured in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl

Thursday, December 08, 2016

The Parvenu's Indulgence

Arguing that premium cigars are more of a recreational product with fewer health risks than cigarettes, the industry has been separately pushing members of Congress to enact legislation that would broadly exempt “premium cigars” from the new F.D.A. oversight. (NY Times, December 2016)

S.441 — 114th Congress (2015-2016) Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2015 Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.

Tobacco usage is an unhealthy addiction of the working class; however, when enjoyed in an expensive, hand-rolled cigar, tobacco consumption becomes an affectation of the leisure class. The difference between the laborer's $3.00 Garcia y Vega and the stock broker's $30 Cohiba Esplendido is merely one of perception.