Some Thoughts

I am going to start making some observations about life, politics, issues, random pet peeves, in my Some Thoughts sections.

There were a lot of people who were mightily upset about Floatopia a month or so ago, the floating liquor fest that skirted the beach booze ban by floating rafts and drinking in the water.

Besides the issue of the beach booze ban being pretty much a crock of shit anyway, these people complained that Floatopia found a loophole in the law and was exploiting it. No duh!

And why shouldn't they, as ordinary citizens do what corporations and politicians do all the time, not obey the spirit of the law, but use high priced lawyers to find ways around it.

Take health car reform. Now you may not agree with it, I will save that argument for another post. But it passed. And within two weeks, reports came out the insurance companies were finding ways around it, so not to insure kids. So it is a big damn surprise when young people fine a way around the beach booze ban huh?

You think this is unusual? This is status quo!!!! A few years ago, Congress decided to try to regulate cable companies, and passed some laws governing rates. (It seemed a big deal at the time OK). The cable companies immediately started finding ways to increase their rates, skirting the specific language in the law, so they could keep getting the profit margin they had set, out of the consumer.

Really, Floatopia was exploiting loopholes? What an effing surprise...these people see it done every day, by companies and corporations.

And take campaign financing laws. Sure, the politicians say that the system for elections is broken, and pass a law or two to try and look like they are fixing it. But they also build in loopholes into the law so they can just keep on doing business without losing a buck. They may have to term the money they get a bit differently, but they still get it, and we get the short end!

So---why is there any outrage or surprise that people are finding ways around a bad law ( I will discuss that in a future post too)? Because the example they get teaches us all to disobey the spirit of the law any way we can. In fact, it teaches us to get around the law EVERY way we can, just like these leading companies, corporations and politicians.

So save the outrage, grab a beer, swim out to a raft and take a drink. Because that is what THEY do every day...why shouldn't the little guy?!