Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

The Rhode Island legislature, in its latest moneygrubbing bid to suck up every dime that isn’t nailed, glued and welded down, has passed a bill requiring Internet companies including Amazon to collect, report and pay sales tax in Rhode Island. This is true even though Amazon has no offices in Rhode Island. The reason given for this misguided and unconstitutional legislation is that Rhode Island has decided that Amazon’s affiliates are de facto offices in the state.

As a result, Amazon has closed all Rhode Island affiliate accounts. Including yours. (Go ahead. I’ll just wait here while you check your account.) You will no longer receive any commissions for the sale of books from your website.

Most Amazon affiliates are small businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals who are trying to create multiple small streams of income. And why are they trying to do that? Because many of them cannot find work in the area, have no unemployment benefits, and are trying to cobble together a living.

While the official unemployment rate is over 10% in Rhode Island, that official rate does not include those whose unemployment benefits have run out, who are struggling along in part-time positions without benefits, and those who have just plain given up trying to find work in this benighted state. Some of the more entrepreneurial among these have worked hard to start online businesses, many of which provide income from affiliate programs from companies that include Amazon. For not a few Rhode Islanders, those affiliate programs provided a financial safety net.

And now the Rhode Island legislature has effectively taken away even that.

This is just another in a long string of anti-business moves made by our shortsighted state government. It seems our legislators won’t rest easy until every last business has shut its doors.

There is one thing you might do. If you agree that this legislation was a very bad idea, please find out if your state legislators voted in favor of it and let them know how you feel. Even better: stop voting for these chuckleheads! Throw them out of office and replace them with intelligent people who aren’t beholden to Rhode Island’s usual suspects.

Atlas is shrugging, folks.

The Minnesota Senate race is finally settled, and former Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken has been declared the winner.

At a press conference outside his home in Minneapolis, I was more than a bit surprised when Franken, known for his sharply clever comedy writing, said:

“So even though Franni and I are thrilled and honored by the faith that Minnesotans have placed in me, I’m also humbled,” he said, “not just by the closeness of this election, but also by the enormity of the responsibilities that come with this office.”

Oh! The enormity!

Surely not?

Contrary to common use, “enormity” isn’t really about size at all. It may sound as though it means “enormousness,” but in careful usage it does not.

“Enormity” actually means outrageousness or extreme wickedness. (I’m pretty sure that the dictionary meaning doesn’t encompass the New England usage of “wicked:” “Being Senator is a wicked cool job!”)

So, let’s see. Does the new Senator mean:

“…the extreme wickedness of the responsibilities that come with this office?”

or perhaps

“…the outrageousness of the responsibilities that come with this office?”

I certainly hope it is not the former. That would be such a disappointment, although certainly not to, say, Rush Limbaugh. The second choice might apply if Senator Franken uses his maiden speech on the Senate floor to try out some new, blue stand-up material.

Oh! The enormity!

Could the word “swill” be making a comeback?

Several news reporters and commentators quoted President Obama’s sentence in his inaugural address that used the word. It’s probably one of the very best sentences in what was a thoughtful, considered, and well-delivered speech.

I generally like recycling, especially the recycling of useful bits. So it’s nice to see a useful old word come back into use, especially one as descriptive and direct as this.

This even gives me a bit of hope that, perhaps, a President who is not afraid to call things by their real names will not be afraid to do the real things that need doing.

Did I hear our new President use the word “swill” in his inaugural speech?

We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

Yes, indeed I did! I think the only other person I’ve ever heard use that marvelously descriptive word is my grandmother, and I know I’ve never heard it in a public speech before.

“Swill” is quite an old word, deriving from the Old English swillan, and means liquid or partly liquid food for animals, especially kitchen refuse given to swine. It can be traced back to at least 900CE, when swillan had the meaning or “to wash” or “to gargle.” The more modern noun usage traces back to the mid 16th century. (Sources: Random House Unabridged Dictionary and Online Etymology Dictionary)

How refreshing it is to have a President who uses words so deftly and calls things by their right names!