"An iPod In Every Ear!"
'Cause You Can't Put A Price On Tunes
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in Featured Stories | Policy — Comments (16) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Apparently, that is the Fifth Freedom. Or something.
You know you want to read on . . .
We have come to the conclusion that the crisis Michigan faces is not a shortage of revenue, but an excess of idiocy. Facing a budget deficit that has passed the $1 billion mark, House Democrats Thursday offered a spending plan that would buy a MP3 player or iPod for every school child in Michigan.
No cost estimate was attached to their hare-brained idea to "invest" in education. Details, we are promised, will follow.
The Democrats, led by their increasingly erratic speaker Andy Dillon of Redford Township, also pledge $100 million to make better downtowns.
Their plan goes beyond cluelessness. Democrats are either entirely indifferent to the idea that extreme hard times demand extreme belt tightening, or they are bone stupid. We lean toward the latter.
We say that because the House plan also keeps alive, again without specifics, the promise of tax hikes.
The range of options, according to Rep. Steve Tobocman, D-Detroit, includes raising the income tax, levying a 6 percent tax on some services, and taxing junk food and soda.
We wonder how financially strained Michigan residents will feel about paying higher taxes to buy someone else's kid an iPod.
That they would include such frivolity in a crisis budget plan indicates how tough it will be to bring real spending reform to Michigan.
In honor of this government-funded iPod disbursement, I propose that the following songs be included free in a playlist entitled "Nanny State":
- Alice Cooper, "Billion Dollar Babies."
- Destiny's Child, "Bills, Bills, Bills."
- Stevie V, "Dirty Cash."
- Ruff Ryders, "Dope Money."
- The Commodores, "Goin' To The Bank" (which we wish the Michigan Legislature would do instead of engaging in this nonsense. But I digress.)
- ODB "Got Your Money." (Alas, for the good people of Michigan, the Legislature serenades them with this one quite often.)
- Nine Inch Nails, "Head Like A Hole." (Self explanatory.)
- ABC, "How To Be A Millionaire" (Psst: Don't spend like the Michigan Legislature!)
- Everclear, "I Will Buy You a New Life" (Doubtless this will be an expenditure in the next fiscal year.)
- The Notorious B.I.G., "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems."
- Prince, "Money Don't Matter 2 Night." (Or any night in the Wolverine State.)
- Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke, "Pennies from Heaven." (Someone has to fund this.)
- Suicidal Tendencies, "Send Me Your Money." ("So we can waste it!"--Michigan Legislature.)
- Steve Miller Band, "Take the Money and Run." (The taxpayers see this all the time.)
(God bless Wikipedia. It has its uses, I tell you.)
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"An iPod In Every Ear!" 16 Comments (0 topical, 16 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Who were produced by the Beatles on Apple records. The song is from the movie The Magic Christian with Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr.
But pardon an old foggie here, but the Beatles either covered it or badfinger covered it.
I have the Beatles anthology and its on the second disc of the third volume. I'll take a look and check the copyright info.
BTW a fun if somewhat strange movie.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Paul McCartney wrote and produced it for Badfinger who had the hit with it. He did the original demo himself, which is what appears on the Beatles Anthology.
I knew The Beatles were connected to it, but had no idea Paul has recorded a copy of it. I was so in love with the Beatles as a teenager in the 70s. I would have loved all the info there is about them now!
I used to go to bookstores and music stores all the time searching through music-oriented magazines to try to find any possible tidbit of info about my favorite artists. Now, it's all there with a couple clicks of the mouse!
were their understudies, if any one of the beatles could not make a session or a tour, then the corresponding badfinger was supposed to take their place. That is why they sounded so much like the Beatles.
I find I can still listen to them because their stuff was not so overplayed like all the Beatles junk.
One bad thing about getting old is that all the lame old top forty junk from the sixties and seventies that they played too much back then, still comes back to haunt you in every mall, restaurant, and waiting room.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
is how the "Classic Rock" radio stations get away with playing that same songs over and over and over... when I was a teenager in the 70s (before disco), we had an excellent radio staion in Chicago, WDAI, that would play not only the "hit" songs off the albums, but would play the "deeper" cuts. There were also lots of lesser known artists and songs long forgotten because the radio stations that claim to play classic rock only play about 25 songs over and over and over... {sigh}
I curse the day "Santa Claus" brought them to my two daughters.
I now have to "restrict" my youngest from it at times because she is connected to the d*mn thing all.the.time.
Nanny state indeed!
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The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas-a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.-Reagan
Particularly enjoyed the NIN reference; it's perfect for the Michigan legislature. "God Money, I'll do anything for you / God Money, just tell me what you want me to..." (Or, for that matter, the pre-chorus for the taxpayers: "No, you can't take it / No, you can't take that away from me...")
Of that list, I would propose adding three songs:
"Everclear - I Will Buy You A New Life" - Sounds like statist philosophy at work, no?
"Barenaked Ladies - If I Had $1000000" - First off, they're Canadian (close enough to being Michiganders!), secondly, I'm sure the legislature would like said million (a couple thousand times over), and third, the last line is the sort of economic wishful thinking that the state would love to capitalize on ("If I had $1000000... I'd be rich.").
"Eiffel 65 - Too Much Of Heaven" - I realize most people here only know one song of this group (the title of which I refuse to type, lest it get stuck in my head again), but a passage from the chorus could be a bit of a chiding reference to the state legislature as well: "It's called money dependence today / People just keep on going on looking at the dollar bill and nothing else around / There's no love, no friendship, nothing else / Just the dollar bill going on into the pocket"
"I could explain, but that would be very long, very convoluted, and make you look very stupid. Nobody wants that... except maybe me."
"I could explain, but that would be very long, very convoluted, and make you look very stupid. Nobody wants that... except maybe me."
For the Democrats...
"...Idiot wind, blowing every time you move your mouth..."
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"Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm." -- James Madison
"Taxman" - The Beatles
Honestly, all kidding aside, as a Michigander, I am not even surprised anymore by stuff like this. I wish I could be but being surprised would result from our State Legislature fixing real problems. I just sigh, take a deep breath, and dream about living elsewhere.
http://michiganformccain.blogspot.com/
"In war, my dear friends, there's no such thing as compromise. You either win or you lose."
-John McCain
I moved from Troy, (outside Detroit), to Jackson, Wyoming, two years ago.
While I do miss seeing my friends there every day, this and other political/economic debacles in the past few years do remind me why I made the choice to take myself and my business elsewhere.
Geez, I'm only 23 and I know that one.
Let me tell you how it will be
There's one for you, nineteen for me
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman
Should five per cent appear too small
Be thankful I don't take it all
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah I'm the taxman
If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet
Don't ask me what I want it for
If you don't want to pay some more
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman
Now my advice for those who die
Declare the pennies on your eyes
'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman
And you're working for no one but me
Evil prevails only when good men do nothing.
was a stupid idea, until I saw your proposal to include ODB's "Baby I Got You're Money."
Well worth the investment.
Applicable verses
If you want it anytime I can give it
But you'd better hurry 'cause it may not last
Did I hear you say that there must be a catch?
Will you walk away from a fool and his money?
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777