I see where Captain Brain Worm, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., our new Health & Human Services director, believes people who take anti-depressants are “addicts.”
His strategy for releasing them from this awful addiction? A few weeks, months or years spent at labor camps – excuse me, “rest farms” – where they could rediscover their connection with nature by digging up beets, slopping hogs, you know, all that nature-y stuff.
I suppose he would know a thing or two about addiction, seeing as how he was an addict himself for many years. Except he wasn’t addicted to anti-depressants. No, he was addicted to the good stuff. Hard-core narcotics. Heroin.
And as we all know, heroin never touches your brain. You could come out of a multi-year addiction to heroin without once thinking a worm was eating your brain, or that a dead bear beside the road needed picking up and hauled off to be dumped in Central Park, or that fluoride in drinking water causes autism (do Americans actually drink the water that comes out of their taps anymore?). Those are perfectly reasonable suppositions to draw after looking at all the evidence.
I saw a headline on a legit news site that asked a rhetorical question: Can RJK Jr. make America healthy again?
I had to laugh, not at the headline, but at the fact it was even asked.
Why do we treat this guy as a legitimate health professional? He’s a kook; he’s crazy; he’s fried his brain with heroin.
What we need to do is pat him on the head, put him in the corner and ignore him for the next four years until we can get rid of him AND the people who gave him a position of authority in the first place.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.
I see where Captain Brain Worm, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., our new Health & Human Services director, believes people who take anti-depressants are “addicts.” His strategy for releasing them from this awful addiction? A few weeks, months or years spent… READ MORE
I like cake but I don’t want to eat it every day
If you’re not a fan of my daily rants, I get that. Some people want social media to be an escape, an oasis of positivity or just fun entertainment. Nothing wrong with that.
I see it this way: My country slides into fascism only once, and it’s my duty to #resist in every way possible, from calling my senators and congresslizard to volunteering for the loyal opposition and, yes, evangelizing online. I plan to continue these posts for as long as I can stomach doing it, or until I’m banned from this platform … or arrested.
Which brings me to today’s subject.
I’m on all the major social media platforms – this one, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Twitter (yes, I still call it “Twitter”), TikTok, YouTube – and it seems in all those venues, I’m surrounded by pain and suffering. WAIT! Don’t be one of those condescending twits who says, “The algorithm gives you what you ask for.” I’m aware of that. I’m also aware that I happen to give a shit about things. It ain’t all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows.
This social media gloom is coming from people who’ve lost their jobs – they’ve been laid off or fired. Government workers, civil servants, former park service personnel, nuclear facility workers, aid workers, employees of the FAA and so on. I guess what infuriates me more than anything else is the reason for these firings. They’re not being done because the nation has hit a wall and the budget must be balanced or the debt paid down.
It’s so the Republicans can take the money they save by dismantling the government and give it to people like Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos in the form of a big, fat, juicy tax cut.
They’re not balancing the budget or paying down the debt. They’re making it worse, borrowing another $4 trillion to $5 trillion. Did you know every year, a chunk of the federal budget amounting to about 17 percent goes to PAY THE INTEREST on the debt?
I wonder just how much of this punishment we’re expected to take? They’re wrecking the economy, destroying our foreign relations and making life in this country damn near impossible for anybody who earns less than a couple of hundred grand a month. What are the rest of us supposed to do? Die?
Yesterday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest of what’s happening in this country. You barely saw mention of it in the media. Rachel Maddow – I hear she’s giving the protests extensive coverage. The media are focused on the weather, not the upheaval in our government.
It's massively frustrating, and it's depressing. I was hoping in my old age I could live in a country that cared about people, and the future. Certainly not this bitter kleptocracy.
I like cake, guys, but I’m not going to eat it every day.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.
If you’re not a fan of my daily rants, I get that. Some people want social media to be an escape, an oasis of positivity or just fun entertainment. Nothing wrong with that. I see it this way: My country… READ MORE
America’s abandonment of Ukraine is shameful
Imagine you’re getting divorced.
Your ex, their lawyer, your lawyer, and the judge are all meeting. You aren’t there. You weren’t invited. You don’t know what they’re saying. You don’t know what they’re deciding. You have no idea what the future holds for you.
That’s the situation Ukraine faces with the shameful meeting between the United States and Russia in Saudi Arabia right now.
Basically, America and Russia are carving up Ukraine, just like Britain, France and Germany carved up Czechoslovakia in 1938. It’s the Munich Agreement, 2025 Edition.
After they’re done with Ukraine, then what. Are the Baltic States next? Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which by the way are members of NATO. If Putin sends his tanks into the Baltic States, will NATO fight back, especially if it doesn’t have the backing of the United States, which it probably won’t.
What about Poland? If Putin moves into Poland I know the Poles will fight, but will NATO help them?
Maybe this is what Donald Trump wants. Maybe he wants a conflict between Europe and Russian, which would weaken both parties and leave China as the only serious obstacle to American global hegemony.
I’m just speculating here, just spitballing. But in one possible scenario, the world could be rendered in Donald Trump’s image.
That scares the hell out of me.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.
Imagine you’re getting divorced. Your ex, their lawyer, your lawyer, and the judge are all meeting. You aren’t there. You weren’t invited. You don’t know what they’re saying. You don’t know what they’re deciding. You have no idea what the… READ MORE
The GAO does what DOGE does and does it better
I submit DOGE itself is a significant source of waste and fraud.
It is at least a duplication of services, as another government agency already exists that is tasked with finding wasteful spending: the GAO.
The GAO, or Government Accountabity Office, has existed for decades and has a verifiable record of saving taxpayer dollars. For instance, last year the GAO saved American taxpayers almost $70 billion in wasteful spending. Since 1999 GAO has targeted over $1 trillion in waste.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have not revealed one penny of legitimate fraud or waste. When they are asked to prove their bombastic claims, they produce lists of agencies and individuals who they don't like. Hate to say it but just because you don't like an agency or individual doesn't mean they're guilty of fraud or waste.
These are enemies lists and nothing more. In fact, some of the names on these lists are agencies or individuals who exercise regulatory authority over Elon Musk and the conduct of his business interests, which suggests they are being eliminated so that Musk's businesses can operate without oversight or accountability.
Folks, I can't overemphasize the danger this country faces at the moment. We have a president who may or may not be cognitively impaired and has handed the keys to the government to a foreign national who is changing the nation's digital infrastructure in ways nobody knows or understands.
If this isn't a recipe for catastrophe, I don't know what it.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.
I submit DOGE itself is a significant source of waste and fraud. It is at least a duplication of services, as another government agency already exists that is tasked with finding wasteful spending: the GAO. The GAO, or Government Accountabity… READ MORE
The media fiddle while Rome burns
I’ve been watching the national news the past couple of weeks, and I haven’t seen any significant coverage of the protests against fascism I know are taking place around the country – I’ve seen the video clips and mention of them online.
In fact, I watched ABC News last night and their lead story was …
Snow.
Um, hello, ABC News. Guess what? It’s winter. It snows. It snowed last year, it’s been snowing this year, and I’ll bet it snows next year.
But it’s not every day your country goes up in flames, is it.
I got so mad I went to ABC’s account on twitter – yes, I still call it twitter – and left them a message, something like this:
“Why aren’t you covering the protests against fascism in this country? Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, is supposed to be a national day of protests. DO YOUR JOBS!”
I left the same message for NBC and CBS News. Then I went to their Facebook pages and left the same message.
The nearest protest is in Tallahassee, which is too far to drive. Plus my knee isn’t doing so great today.
But maybe this small act of #resist will do some good. We’ll see. I haven’t heard anything from them yet.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.
I’ve been watching the national news the past couple of weeks, and I haven’t seen any significant coverage of the protests against fascism I know are taking place around the country – I’ve seen the video clips and mention of… READ MORE
Trump wants to criminalize adult content? With his checkered past?
Donald Trump wants to criminalize the possession of adult content – books, videos, that sort of thing – and forgive me, but I’m confused. Maybe you can help me figure it out.
Let's see if I understand the situation correctly: It’s OK if Trump allegedly pays hush money to a porn star, and is successfully sued by another woman for sexual assault; it’s OK if Lauren Boebert visibly gropes her date’s crotch, in the presence of children, at a theatrical presentation; and it’s OK if certain members of Congress have sex with minors and give them drugs, but if you are sitting in the privacy of your own home, minding your own damn business, partaking of a constitutionally protected form of speech involving consenting adults, you can be arrested, fined and go to jail? Am I reading this right?
Because if I am, then this is one more confirmation that the current administration has two sets of standards – one for itself, and an entirely different set of standards for everyone else. It’s the “Do as I say, not as I do” administration.
These people effing suck.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.
Donald Trump wants to criminalize the possession of adult content – books, videos, that sort of thing – and forgive me, but I’m confused. Maybe you can help me figure it out. Let’s see if I understand the situation correctly:… READ MORE
Hegseth must be holding out for that special gold-plated paint
Secretary of Defense Pet Hegseth. Image by Gage Skidmore. CC license
Our new secretary of defense, that drunk, Pete Hegseth, doesn’t want to do what other secretaries of defense have done and find his own housing. He wants to live in military housing. And get this – he wants taxpayers to… READ MORE
What can ordinary Americans do to resist what’s happening in D.C.? Here are some suggestions
Image by Ted Eytan.
The United States appears to be teetering on the brink of a coup, with Elon Musk, an unelected adviser to Trump, now having access to the U.S. Treasury’s payment system. Federal officials, watchdogs and gatekeepers are being replaced en masse… READ MORE
Mr. D was a decent human being and a good publisher
Image by Del Stone Jr.
We had a memorial service for Marvin DeBolt on Saturday. Maybe you remember him. He was the publisher of the Playground Daily News, then the Northwest Florida Daily News, from 1980 to 2004. Mr. D was known for many things… READ MORE
My Kiwi friend shows us how we could be living
I have a friend who lives in New Zealand.
Not long ago I asked him what he thought about America. He sent a lengthy reply. He prefaced it with a description of how people in New Zealand live.
As I said, this is long, but I think it's worth every minute of your time because it will show you once and for all how the people of enlightened democracies live, and how WE could be living were it not for our selfishness and stupidity.
---
My impression of the American government and its system. This is from someone looking from the outside in and may not be correct but before I start with that this is what it is like in New Zealand. Here in New Zealand, we base our lives on caring and helping others that may need a helping hand. Our health system is geared up where most of the cost is covered by the government. There are waiting times for surgery, but you can go private and it will be done straight away. There is social housing for those who need it both at the government level and at the local council level. It is not all rosie, as you do find people on the streets and there are beggars. You just need to be careful as it is a living for some and at the end of the day they go home to their own houses. Our lives are not ruled and controlled by the need to work as we put a lot into a well-balanced work and social life.
We have 4 weeks paid holiday where you are encouraged to take two weeks off in one go to spend with the family. The other two weeks are used how and when you like. There is two weeks sick leave, and you are encouraged to take time off if you have a cold as going to work will spread it and more people will be off. You can have 3 days off without a doctor’s certificate but after that you need to get one to cover more time off. You can take up to one week’s bereavement leave for each death in the family. Companies are very supportive and will often send flowers as a show of respect. Sick leave is accumulated and so when (my wife) went through her breast cancer a couple of years back, I was off work for six weeks supporting her during that time as I had accumulated so much leave over the years.
Pensions are paid by the government every two weeks to everyone over 65yrs no matter how much money they have and it is not means tested. When I work, the job is considered my first income and is subjected to a tax scale while my pension is considered secondary income and taxed at a higher rate. During the three winter months I receive extra payment to cover heating costs. We get a “Gold Card” that allows me to travel on the public transport system at reduced cost and in some cases no cost. The card allows me to get cheaper petrol at one set of stations and is a guaranteed 15 cents off per litre. The card can also be used on a Tuesday to gain 5% off your grocery bill at one company stores.
There is maternity leave for the woman as well as the father that is government paid for up to six months. There is no cost associated with having a child and there is subsidized childcare for the young and free schooling. The first year at university is free then you apply for an interest free loan from the government. Once you finish university, the loan must be paid back over a period of time at an amount you can afford, however if you leave the country then you start to pay interest on the loan. There is free dental care and doctor’s visits for children up to the age of 18 and reduced doctor fees for the over 65’s.
People work a 40hr week normally consisting of 5x8hr days. If you are required to work outside of these hours, then your pay rate becomes 1.5 normal rate for the first 3hrs and then 2.0 normal rate after that. You can also add in meal allowances and other extras. I once had a job where I was paid dirt money, height money and wet money for working outside in the rain. We have a minimum pay rate of about $24/hr so there is no need to pay tips. You can if you want but it is not necessary. We do our best to look after people in need.
Our government is elected every 4yrs. One leading party is into social justice and green issues. The other side supports farming, business and infrastructure. Under that government I have always done well and was always a high-income earner never needing government support in any way. When it is time to vote the parties tell you what they want to do and you vote on those principles. There is no bribery of officials to try and get things done and no underhanded things happening. Everything is above board.
Getting back to your question. (In America) I see two parties with people wanting to feather their own nests even taking money to help get things passed into legislation. The GOP seem to be the worse and are only there for get the most for themselves and their friends. I see the government running out of money to pay their employees at times because it is being held to ransom by the other party.
The court system seems to be a mess where judges are appointed for life by a president who will protect him with outlandish rulings in his favour, I refer to Judge Cannon. How can a convicted felon be able to gain office is beyond belief.
You have an incoming President threatening to take over Greenland and the Panama Cannel. He has indicated that he will add 25% tariffs to Canada and Mexico. He does not seem to realize that it is the American people that will be paying the 25%, not the exporting country, all they will do is find another market for their goods when Americans stop buying them because of the high price.
Nepotism seems to be rife with the incoming President giving key positions to family. It reminds me of a third world democracy and is very dangerous to producing a dictator.
I have a Kiwi friend living in America for the last 25yrs, he does not like Trump but voted for him anyway. He could not give me an answer as to why he did it. The lies told during the campaign such as immigrants eating the cats and dogs of their neighbors is outrageous and yet people believed it.
You have a great country that would be one of the richest in the world but there does not seem to be any social and moral obligation to the poor and needy. Our police are not armed here in New Zealand where yours are, I get why they need to be, but when a child can take a gun to school and kill teachers and fellow students then there is something wrong with society.
Our ambassadors to other countries are career people and retired politicians. They are selected by the government to represent the people of New Zealand; they are not given the position due to how much money was donated to elect a president or because he is a friend.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.
I have a friend who lives in New Zealand. Not long ago I asked him what he thought about America. He sent a lengthy reply. He prefaced it with a description of how people in New Zealand live. As I… READ MORE
