In a comment thread from an article on backlash against The Muppets movie, Cookie Monster took the opportunity to explain what the Occupy Wall/Sesame Street is all about, as only Cookie Monster can (emphasis mine):

Yes, there always going to be rich and poor. But we used to live in country where rich owned factory and make 30 times what factory worker make. Now we live in country where rich make money by lying about value of derivative bonds and make 3000 times what factory worker would make if factories hadn’t all moved to China.

Capitalism great system. We won Cold War because people behind Iron Curtain look over wall, and see how much more plentiful and delicious cookies are in West, and how we have choice of different bakeries, not just state-owned one. It great system. It got us out of Depression, won WWII, built middle class, built country’s infrastructure from highways to Hoover Dam to Oreo factory to electrifying rural South. It system that reward hard work and fair play, and everyone do fair share and everyone benefit. Rich get richer, poor get richer, everyone happy. It great system.

Then after Reagan, Republicans decide to make number one priority destroying that system. Now we have system where richest Americans ones who find ways to game system — your friends on Wall Street — and poorest Americans ones who thought working hard would get them American dream, when in fact it get them pink slip when job outsourced to 10-year-old in Mumbai slum. And corporations have more influence over government than people (or monsters).

It not about rich people having more money. It about how they got money. It about how they take opportunity away from rest of us, for sake of having more money. It how they willing to take risks that destroy economy — knowing full well that what could and would happen — putting millions out of work, while creating nothing of value, and all the while crowing that they John Galt, creating wealth for everyone.

That what the soul-searching about. When Liberals run country for 30 years following New Deal, American economy double in size, and wages double along with it. That fair. When Conservatives run country for 30 years following Reagan, American economy double again, and wages stay flat. What happen to our share of money? All of it go to richest 1%. That not “there always going to be rich people”. That unfair system. That why we upset. That what Occupy Sesame Street about.

He/it goes on…

Oil companies get share of our money. It called subsidy. Bankers get share of our money. It called bailout. Defense contrators get share of our money. It called no-bid contract.

If you got rich legitimately – not by gaming stock market or taking advantage of loophole, but by selling product people want to buy – you got rich because of government. Government paved roads you ship products on. Government give your warehouse police and fire protection. Government educate every single person who work for you. Government keep air and water clean and products safe so customers not die before time. Government make sure everyone have comfortable retirement, so they have money to spend on product and not just cat food.

And when me say “government”, me mean “everyone in America”. Because that what government is – it everyone in America pooling resources to provide for greater good. Without that sharing of resources, we not have army, we not have highways, we not put man on moon.

In theory, this country a democracy, where everyone who share resources also have say in how resources used. In practice, ordinary monster have very little say, and super-rich basically do whatever they want and make government do whatever they want. In theory, we have system where everyone pool resources and everyone benefit. In reality, we have system where everyone pool resources, and richest 1% benefit far out of proportion to rest of us.

As me already say, no one using “other people have more money than me” as rallying cry. No one. Me suppose me have to repeat that several times, but as me learn on Sesame Street, repetition is only way to get preschooler to learn, or someone with preschool level of understanding.

[via SF Weekly]

[via NY Mag]

When you’re young, treat you look at television and think, discount There’s a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, sovaldi you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That’s a far more depressing thought. Conspiracy is optimistic! You can shoot the bastards!

— Steve Jobs

Nothing too groundbreaking or shocking here. There’s now as study that confirms what careful observers knew all along.

Those who watched Fox News almost daily were significantly more likely than those who never watched it to believe that most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely), most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points), the economy is getting worse (26 points), most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points), the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points), their own income taxes have gone up (14 points), the auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points), when TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points) and that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points). The effect was also not simply a function of partisan bias, as people who voted Democratic and watched Fox News were also more likely to have such misinformation than those who did not watch it–though by a lesser margin than those who voted Republican.

Curiously, even when dismissing the University of Maryland as an institution as well as the findings of it’s study Fox News presented misleading and inaccurate information.

[via BI]

Back in 2002, anyone that watched HBO’s series The Wire learned about the benefits of prepaid cell phones, or “burners”, to drug dealers and other criminal organizations. Well apparently no one in Congress is a fan of The Wire because they’re just now working on legislating stricter tracking measures for the prepaid phones.

This proposal is overdue because for years, terrorists, drug kingpins and gang members have stayed one step ahead of the law by using prepaid phones that are hard to trace.
– Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)

Long overdue.

[via Engadget]

I’m not sure what’s more impressive, Fallon’s impersonation of Neil Young or the adaptation of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song.

[via Gothamist]

It’s long, but it’s worth it. Brings back so many memories of the greatest show in the history of television. You can never have too much Clay Davis.

[via Kottke]

Microsoft is not often associated with words like progressive, pro-active, adaptive and evolving. But they did prove that the do possess the ability to learn on at least one level. Today Microsoft admitted that their planned sponsorship of a special edition of Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy show might not be such a good idea after all. This wouldn’t be very noteworthy if Microsoft hadn’t been hyping it almost as much as Windows 7, and if it wasn’t something that the rest of the free world already knew.

The Lego house built by James May of Top Gear fame is meeting it’s demise. Apparently he couldn’t find anyone to take the house off of his hands so down it comes.

[Via clusterflock]