Tonight's Top Comments features a letter from our financial planner. His headline:
I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!!!!
with, yes, four exclamation points.
This two-page rant from the Republican financial planner who invests our stagnant-to-dwindling retirement account (sadly, there are no other kinds of investment planners 'round here) just came in the mail.
What sent him over the top? Herman Cain's 9-9-9 Pizza Plan that doubles taxes on the middle class? The paucity of coherent candidates for his party's nomination? Gridlock in Washington? The lack of a Jobs Plan? The ravages of Obamacare (nee RomneyCare)? The growing Occupy Wall Street demonstrations?
None of the above. Follow me below the orange gnocchi-doodle to find out what's got him pulling out his remaining hairs.
But First: A Word From Our Sponsor:
Here at Top Comments we strive to nourish community by rounding up some of the site's best, funniest, most mojo'd and most informative commentary. We depend on your help with talent spotting. If you see a comment by another Kossack that deserves wider recognition, please send it to topcomments at gmail by 9:30pm Eastern. Please please please include a few words about why you sent it in as well as your user name (even if you think we know it already :-)), so we can credit you with the find!
REMEMBER: Top Comments come from YOU: The Readers!
Heretofore the only letters we've gotten from this man in the past 5 years are account updates, invitations to company picnics and invitations to come in and review our portfolio as the market changes, so this letter was quite the departure from his standard businesslike communications. I can't reproduce the entire letter here but will hit the high points:
I'm mad that the media continues to paint those people who strive to make a better life for themselves and their families as greedy or somehow taking advantage of the system. Since when did having positive goals in life become undesireable? Since when should any of us (including most of the seniors I work with) who are financially independent be made to feel guilty about this point in our life, thereby ignoring the work ethic and sacrifice that many of us made to get where we are?
I sure haven't seen that in the media. My entire life I've seen the media showcase those who strive to make a better life for themselves as shining examples of what anyone can potentially accomplish themselves. And the media drums on and on and on that "Anyone can make it in America."
I should think his seniors would be far more alarmed at the prospect of their Social Security and MediCare, which doubtless contribute to their financial independence, being abolished
I'm mad at the overabundance of new regulations that have been imposed on businesses in the past year which has stifled earnings and made those same employers we should be helping less likely to make new capital expenditures or hire new employees any time soon...
When you live in the reddest area in a state that is blue overall, it causes that red area to be extremely over the top red...so much so that paranoia and delusion rules. Does he
really think the
13.8% unemployment in Butte County is due to onerous regulations on businesses? The
major employers in Butte County are predominantly governmental agencies, the State University, Enloe Hospital, and other public and private health care providers, all of which have been either facing severe budget cuts or laying people off. Regulations don't have much, if any, to do with this picture.
In 2010 alone there were 3,753 NEW rules which led to over $1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) in compliance spending. Our country's economic strength is the strongest in the world shown by the fact we produce more goods and services than our citizens can consume. Some of our economic problems are actually a result of over production, not lack of it.
If anything, there has been more and more deregulation. I've seen nothing about $1trillion having to be spent by companies to comply with 3,753 new rules. FOX News and CNBC would have drowned us with that stuff. Didn't happen, did it? Ummm...companies hire when there is demand for products and services. That happens if people have money to spend. Producing stuff DOES NOT make the economy grow. DEMAND for stuff does. Demand doesn't come from people without disposable income.
I'm mad at the media for continuing to downgrade the greatest country on earth when they should accentuate the positives we have so citizens can have a more accurate picture of America.
News flash: It was Standard and Poor that downgraded the country, based upon the fact the GOP purposely brought us to the brink of defaulting on our debt obligation
I'm mad at the "financial experts" who are hyping all the bad news, hyping gold as the cure-all for investments and throwing fundamental investment knowledge out the window.
Suggestion: Turn off Fox News and quit listening to Glenn Beck.
He finished with an inspirational quote by noted hippie Steve Jobs, and an invitation to come in and review our portfolio.
Honestly, I'm not good at responding to this kind of diatribe. I'm sure you'll do better in the comments.
And Now, On To Top Comments
Thanks to tonight's Top Comments contributors! Let us hear from YOU when you find that not-so-ordinary comment.
Twas an especially light-hearted day for TC submissions!
from RhodaA:
LaurenMonica agreed that the GOP isn't dumb enough to run Herman Cain, despite some of their other nominees, including the Witch.
from Hound Dog:
paradise50 brings us the funniest video clip of the day in in today's J Town that brought me quite a laugh. Even after 70 or more years Bob Hope shows us his stellar comic timing and deadpan set-ups that put him in a class of his own.
And, on a more serious side, CassandraCarolina nails Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan as
the most Draconian tax plan envisioned by anyone - ever. It's devastating to the poor and the middle class, while pandering shamelessly to the 1%.
in a great analysis in my diary, Hermain Cain Surges To Lead GOP Presidential Poll, Says NBC/WSJ, Obama Leads Head-To-Heads
SoCalSal is recruiting another generation of active Democrats who will contribute to presidential campaigns, with her daughter’s first political contribution to President Obama here. It's great because it turns out her "baby" is 44 years old.
from belinda ridgewood:
In Horace Boothroyd III's supplementary pootie diary devoted to "pootie porn" (adults only!), Horsefeather's cat Andy offered himself as centerfold material but found himself in competition with Debbie in ME's ever-photogenic Loki. Sparring continued until one participant retreated to the local public house.
and from yours truly, smileycreek:
IndyScott suggested a winning campaign slogan in response to the f/p diary, President Obama to Fox's Ed Henry: 'I didn't know you were the spokesperson for Mitt Romney':
If Mitt Romney had been elected President in 2008, the American auto industry would be dead and Osama Bin Laden would be alive.
dewey of the desert had the perfect characterization of Elizabeth Warren in his longer comment in bobswern's Vanity Fair: “The Woman Who Knew Too Much.” (Elizabeth Warren, “I’ve done brutal.”):
Elizabeth Warren will be the Lioness of the Senate.
And Now, a Little Top Mojo!
(excluding Tip Jars and first comments)
Got mik!
1) Dear Jesus: by Saint Jimmy — 184
2) My letter would be far shorter: by TheOrchid — 180
3) This is the new face of our elected officials. by badscience — 123
4) Reminds me of a verse by Edwin Markham by Geenius at Wrok — 119
5) It is not illegal to peacefully assemble on public by Wendys Wink — 107
6) Also Tweeted. This vid is even more powerful after by Eileen B — 106
7) I have seen exactly 2 anti-semitic signs at #ows by MinistryOfTruth — 104
8) That'd be my letter, too, coupled with a hearty... by Corporate Dog — 97
9) Shared to Facebook, It seems our Government by JL — 92
10) Great work, MoT. by TomP — 87
11) Related: No, the Troops Don't Make Us Free. by Gooserock — 87
12) Too rich for anybody else's good by Dallasdoc — 86
13) It's hard to lift yourself up by RudiB — 85
14) Hi everyone! by Lightbulb — 85
15) One Thing I've Noticed, As I Am Sure Others by webranding — 84
16) Glad you are keeping up on this. by TomP — 82
17) Amen to this! And a 200% luxury tax.... by G2geek — 79
18) Don't Forget, They Also Have to House Grandparents by Gooserock — 78
19) Dear Saint Jimmy: by TDreamer — 78
20) The American Dream by Quackerz — 77
21) Nowhere are permits mentioned. by FishOutofWater — 75
22) It's not about wooing black voters. by JamesGG — 75
23) This guy married into the 1% by Shockwave — 72
24) Too rich is right by Grassroots Mom — 69
25) Lucky for us by squidflakes — 64
26) Yes, it's a bullshit charge. by TomP — 63
27) Anti-trust legislation was once a great idea by lgmcp — 62
28) People, well some of them by twigg — 61
29) I have 30,000 by llbear — 61
30) The biggest facepalm in the World by godlessmath — 60
31) stochastic terrorist, by sodalis — 60