How close are we to living in an idiocracy?

I watched the movie Idiocracy last night for the first time, and I couldn't help but keep thinking how close to reality it already is. We are living in a society that is increasingly commercialized and bought and paid for by the corporations. For anyone who may not be familiar with the movie, let me summarize the plot. Basically, Luke Wilson gets frozen in a military experiment and then thawed out 500 years in the future. In the future he is the smartest person alive, and ends up saving the country by telling them that they should put water on the crops instead of the Gatorade substance they have been pouring on them because some corporation thought it would help their profits if they eliminated the use of water for everything except toilets. It seems far fetched in some respects, but in many ways it's very close to the reality we live in today.

Just look at the health care bill and the finance reform bills. These are two examples of where what is best for the corporations won out over what is best for the country. It would have certainly been better for the country if we had adopted something other than what ended up being adopted. While there are some provisions that are good in the health care bill, such as the mandate to cover pre-existing conditions, it doesn't do a whole lot to help those who can't afford insurance.

As far as the finance reform bill goes, the banks managed to kill most of the provisions that protect the little guy. It is very likely that the finance reform bill will not do anything to prevent another banking crisis from happening. As I understand it the finance reform bill does nothing to limit the size of banks, and let's them continue many of the practices that led to the mess that the economy is slowly recovering from now.

Until we as a country stand up and take our country back from the big corporations we are destined to one day live in an idiocracy.

BP Should be Fined in Addition to Paying for Cleanup

I just watched an interview that Anderson Cooper did with an attorney for the families of the workers on the Horizon. After watching this interview, I am convinced that the oil spill happened because of negligence on BP's part. This being the case they need to be fined in addition to paying for the cleanup and for lost wages to fisherman and others impacted by the spill.

What the attorney said was that BP decided to cut corners to finish the drilling sooner, and that is what led to the accident that caused the oil spill. If that is the case, I believe that the government should throw the book at BP so to speak. BP is acting like this was just an unfortunate accident,  and from what I'm heard from this attorney, that's just not the case. Evidently, there were some steps skipped in the drilling process because BP wanted the well completed faster. If this is truly the case, which I believe it probably is, then BP should be punished to the full extent of the law. 

I need your help.

 I need the help of all of the fans of the Brandon Kinney Show with 2 things. Those 2 things are getting the word out about the show, and ideas for show topics and guests.

First, help me get the word out by telling all your friends about the show, and tell them to tell their friends to tell their friends. At this point I don't have a budget for promoting the show so I am relying on word of mouth to help the show reach more listeners.

Second, I would like to know what topics you would like to hear about on the Brandon Kinney Show. Also if you feel you would make a good guest on the show then contact me and let me know that too. You can email me at brandonkinneyshow@gmail.com or send me a message on facebook at www.facebook.com/brandonkinneyshow.

I have an idea to stop the oil spill leak faster.

I think I know a way to stop the oil spill faster. I think that the Federal Government should let other companies come in and try to fix the leak. They could have a contest to see who could stop the leak. If another company is able to stop the leak before the relief wells that BP is drilling are finished then the other company should get to take over the lease from BP. If they don't then BP gets to keep the lease. Of course BP would still be responsible for cleaning up the spill, but I think that it would be a fitting punishment for the accident if BP loses the right to drill in that area of the Gulf. I know it's a crazy idea, but it might just light a fire under BP's butt if the government proposed something similar to this. More about the oil spill and a lot of other stuff on the Brandon Kinney Show.

Hetero-centrism or Hetero-sexism is just as bad as homophobia.

A lot of people may not be familiar with the terms hetero-centrism or hetero-sexism, so in order to explain why they are bad I will first need to define them. Hetero-centrism is the implicit belief that everyone is heterosexual, and hetero-sexism is the belief that heterosexual relationships are better than homosexual ones.

The reason these things or just as bad, if not worse than homophobia is that most times the person espousing views that are hetero-centric or hetero-sexist doesn't even realize they are hetero-centric or hetero-sexist. Some examples of this are when a talk show does a story about how to have better romantic relationships and they talk about men and women instead of romantic partners. They may not intend to be leaving homosexuals out, but they are. I know a lot of people at this point are probably saying that I should just get over it, and accept the fact that most people in this world are heterosexual. However, I do accept that fact, but I think that by not including gays in such stories like this you are unintentionally saying that we are not going to talk about homosexual relationships because they are not as legitimate as heterosexual ones. I also think that if more people would make an effort to include gays, more people would start to understand that gays are not really that different from other people, they just love people of the same sex. Another example of this would be when strangers or even co-workers are making small talk and they ask someone if they have a boyfriend or girlfriend depending on what sex that person is rather than asking if they are dating anyone or seeing anyone. By asking a gay guy if they have a girlfriend you are putting them in the awkward situation of having the inner dilemma of answering with a simple no, or coming out to you. I could probably come up with other examples of hetero-centrism and hetero-sexism, but I think you get where I'm coming from.

As always I welcome your comments and/or questions regarding this post. Be sure to tune into the show tomorrow night on www.brandonkinneyshow.com from 9pm to 11pm. We have two great musical acts coming on tomorrow. In the first hour we have Caine Carangi, and in the second hour we have Transistor Tramps.

One more thing. I am going to try my best to post at least once a day on my blog so be sure to check it out every day to see what I'm going to talk about that day.

Is Rand Paul a racist because of his views on the 1964 Civil Rights Act?

Do I think that the Republican Nominee for US Senate from Kentucky, Rand Paul is a racist? No, I don't think he is a racist, but I do think his idea about how far government should go in limiting discrimination is wrong. Let me begin by explaining where I think he is coming from because I don't think that he has been real clear on what he means when he has addressed this issue. From the interviews that I have read and watched, it seems to me that his view is that private businesses should be allowed to decide who they will serve. His argument is basically a free market option. He seems to think that if businesses are free to discriminate that the market will eventually correct for that, and those businesses that discriminate will go out of business. He also seems to argue a states rights issue, and a free speech one as well, all of which I think are wrong when it comes to this issue.

First, let's tackle the free market argument. Paul, and others like him have a very libertarian view of what government should be able to regulate. His idea is that businesses should be free to decide who the will serve because he thinks that to tell businesses that they have to serve anyone is to overreach government's authority. Free market people like him think that the market will decide issues like this. I wonder if there are other issues related to businesses where he thinks the government goes too far. For instance, does he think that OSHA shouldn't be able to regulate workplace safety, but I digress. The point is that sometimes the market does not take care of bad behavior on the part of businesses. The free market allowed discrimination at lunch counters in the South to flourish 100 years after slavery was abolished.

Next, let's tackle the states rights issue. I think most people would agree that if the southern states were left to their own devices they would not have ended racial discrimination in education or any other arena. In more than one southern state it took the National Guard being called out to force them to integrate colleges and court orders to force integration of public schools.

Finally, we come to the free speech argument. This one is a little more tricky. Freedom of speech does mean that people have the freedom to express racial views, but I do not believe that they should be able to express those views by discriminating against people in the marketplace.

In conclusion, I think the debate that Paul is raising is one of just how far the government can go in limiting what businesses can do. He seems to think that government should not be able to tell private businesses who the have to serve. This does not make him a racist, but I do think he is wrong. As always, I would like to invite you to tell me your thoughts and opinions on this matter. You can post your comments here, post them on my wall at www.facebook.com/brandonkinneyshow, email them to me at brandonkinneyshow@gmail.com, or call in on Wednesday to the Brandon Kinney Show at 214-556-6239.

What does equality mean to me as a gay person?

I have been thinking a lot lately about what equality for gay people should include. I think that different people have their own ideas about what equality means to them, but I thought I would take a stab at explaining what equality means to me.

In order to define what equality means to me, it is necessary to first explain what it is not. Equality to me does not necessarily mean that I can enter into a state sponsored union with the partner of my choice, although it could include that. What I mean is that I would be just as happy with the government getting out of the marriage business altogether. In other words what I'm saying is that it is more important to me to be equal than to gain the same rights that heterosexual people have. That's not to say I don't think that equality couldn't be achieved that way. I'm just saying that to me that if we are truly honest with ourselves we should admit that it is heterosexual people that have special rights under current law in most states. To me equality for gay people means that gay people have the same rights and privileges as straight people. If that means that gays are allowed to marry so be it, but I think that some in the gay rights movement have overemphasized marriage as being the end all, and be all of gay rights. I just don't think that is the case.

At this point some of you are probably saying, then what do you think equality for gay people means? Now that I have got your attention, I will tell you. Equality to me means that I should be able to go anywhere in this country and express myself in the same ways that a straight person is able to. I shouldn't have to go to a special bar to be able to dance with someone of the same sex. I should be able to walk into any bar and if someone of the same sex is willing to dance with me it should be no different than if I as a white man was dancing with a black woman. Now, I realize that in this respect, there are still a lot of people who would have a problem with an interracial couple dancing, but hopefully you are beginning to see what my idea of equality is. Let me give you another example. Equality means that I should not have to worry about the possibility of my sexuality meaning that I could be denied employment or be fired because of it, anymore than race should be a factor in employment. This also includes employment in the armed services. Equality means that I should be able to express my affection for my partner in the same ways, and in the same places as deemed appropriate for straight couples. That is to say that if it's wrong for gay couples to hold hands in public then it should be wrong for straight couples as well, but if it's okay for straight couples, then it should be okay for gay couples as well.

I welcome your questions and comments about this blog post, and anything that you hear on my show. Feel free to post your comments her or email them to me at brandonkinneyshow@gmail.com. Thanks for your time, and thanks for listening to the Brandon Kinney Show.

Website, Old Shows, and more!

First of all I would like to say thanks to everyone who listened last night. We had our biggest audience in the history of the Brandon Kinney Show. Thanks to One Red Martian for coming on the show. They're an awesome group. The website for the Brandon Kinney Show is finally up. Yay! The address is www.brandonkinneyshow.com. Be sure and check it out. You can listen to the show there when it is live by clicking on the listen link. Also, you may have noticed that I have put a button on this blog that links you to a site where previous shows are posted. I now have all of the previous shows posted there including last night's show. I welcome any comments you may have about any of the shows. You can post your comments here or on my facebook page or email them to me at brandonkinneyshow@gmail.com. Also, I am now hosting karaoke at a bar in Euless for anyone who wants to come see me in person. I will be there every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night until further notice. The times are 9pm to 2am on Tues, Thur, and Sun, and 8pm to 2am on Fri and Sat. That's all for now. See you on the radio!

If you lost something, would you wait 5 days before you started to look for it?

Let's say you lose your wallet. No, let's say you lose your friend's wallet. Would you wait 5 days before you go looking for it? Well, American Airlines seems to think it's okay to wait 5 days before they start looking for your luggage if they lose it. American Airlines lost my friend's bag when he flew back to DFW from Puerto Rico, Luckily, he's going to get it back, but I wonder how many people don't ever get their bags back. You see American Airlines does not track your luggage from point to point. The way it was explained to me is that they enter the bag into the computer when they check it, then they basically don't know where that bag is until it ends up at the final destination. According to one of American's representatives, they lose less than 2% of bags, but think about how many bags they handle every day. Saying less than 2% sounds small, but if they handle half a million bags a day, then 1% would be 5,000 bags that are lost every day. According to the American representative, most bags are reunited with the passenger within 24 hours. I don't understand how they think it's logical for someone to assume that a bag will just turn up when there is no way to know where the bag is until it reaches it's final destination. Then if the bag doesn't turn up after 5 days they have you fill out a claim form. I didn't ask how long it takes after that because I was kind of dumbfounded that they think it's alright for them not to have any idea where your bag is for 5 days before they start thinking about doing something to make up for it. If other businesses did business like this, they'd be out of business pretty quick. I'm going to talk more about this on my show on Wednesday, and I think this little fiasco with my friend's bag has inspired me to start a new segment on my show which I'll introduce after I talk about this on my show. So be sure and listen on Wednesday to hear all about it.

The Pope Needs to Go

I mentioned on my show last night the possibility that the Pope may need to resign because of the sex abuse scandal. The more I think about this, the more I think that is exactly what needs to happen. It appears to me from everything I have heard that he and others in the Church knew what was going on and did nothing but cover it up. I believe that the Catholic Church needs to conduct an exhaustive investigation into the matter and get rid of everyone responsible for the cover up, even if that means the Pope ends up being fired. Yes I said it. The Pope needs to be fired. I welcome any comments about this post and anything else that I discuss on my show.

Cancelling Co-host Contest, But You Can Still Be on the Show

So I decided that the guest co-host contest wasn't that great of an idea. Mainly because know one decided to enter, but also because I have decided that it wasn't the best way to attract advertisers. Instead what I want to do is let you know that I want to know what I can do to help you market your business. Email me at brandonkinneyshow@gmail.com and tell me what your advertising needs are and let's work out a package that will suit your needs. You'll also notice that I moved the PayPal link from the bottom to the top, and modified it a bit, but don't even worry about that until we work out a package. After we work out a package that will suit your needs, then we will work out payment options. Again, I want to know what I can do for you. I am here to serve your advertising needs. Now, to the matter of those that would like to come on the show. I would like to extend an invitation to anybody who is thinking about advertising on my show to come on my show and promote their business free of charge, then we can discuss later if you would like to advertise on the show. If you are interested in this opportunity, email me at brandonkinneyshow@gmail.com. And, of course, don't forget to listen to the show tomorrow night from 9pm to 11pm. You can link directly to the Fishbowl Radio Network by clicking on the link near the top of the page.

Guest Co-host Contest

As announced on my show, I am having a guest co-host contest for people who advertise on my show. Here are the rules. You must buy at least a $15 simple ad to be entered in the contest. Write at least one paragraph about why you should be my guest co-host. Your entry must be received by 5pm on April 2nd. The essay part of the entry should be emailed to brandonkinneyshow@gmail.com with your ad text. The winners will be announced on my show on April 7. Remember if you buy a more expensive ad you get more chances to win. If you buy a 30 second ad you will get 3 chances. If you buy a 60 second ad you will get 5 chances. Ads are to be purchased right here on my blog using the PayPal button. Good luck, and I hope to get lots of good entries.

Instructions for Buying Ads on the Brandon Kinney Show

If you would like to buy an ad on the show, then send me an email at brandonkinneyshow@gmail.com. After we work out a package for you I will direct you back to the page where you can select the appropriate option, and once I see your payment in my account I will put your ad on my next show. I'll detail this process more on my show on Wednesday. In the meantime feel free to email me if you would like to advertise this Wednesday.

The Passage of the Health Care is a Good First Step for Health Care Reform

So, the Democrats managed to get the votes to pass the health care bill. We are now one step closer to joining the rest of the industrialized world in ensuring that all our citizens have health care. However, this bill is only the first step toward making that happen. This bill will create a system that is far better than what we have, but it still won't be nearly as good as other industrialized countries. The most important things that this bill does is ban the practice of not covering pre-existing conditions and dropping people for becoming ill.

No, this bill is not perfect by any means. There are still many reforms that need to be added to get us where we need to be, but this bill is a great first step. Hopefully, in the coming years we will continue to work as a country to catch up with the rest of the industrialized world. I will talk more about this on my show.

Just one more quick note before I go. I'm thinking about having an auction/contest to find a co-host for my show. I'll announce the details on my show as soon as I get them finalized. Be sure to listen Wednesday from 9pm to 11pm on www.fishbowlradionetwork.com in the Silver Studio. Also feel free to call in at 214-556-6239 to weigh in with your questions and comments.

Welcome to My New Blog

This is the first installment of my blog. I hope to use this blog to create more interest in my radio show and for my listeners and myself to have a forum for various topics. I plan on trying to write at least one post a week, and hopefully more. Be sure to listen to the show every Wednesday from 9pm to 11pm on www.fishbowlradionetwork.com from 9pm to 11pm in the Grey Studio.