Pastaguini

So Israel is suddenly ready and willing to discuss peace terms but that gosh darn rascal trump is up to his ol’ mischief and is rallying against it because it’s going to make Kamala look too good?

I don’t buy it.

A few weeks ago, I was taking an evening constitutional when, out of nowhere, a wayward bat flew into my face. Fortunately, no biting occurred by either party, and after we collected ourselves and exchanged information, we parted ways with no ill will between us. Being the cautious type, I chose to seek medical council. Bats are frequent carriers of rabies, and I quite enjoy being alive. Little did I realize that I was about to encounter the true blood sucker: not the bat, but the American Healthcare System.

I arrived at the hospital and was advised to receive the rabies vaccine. I obliged, being the #trustscience resistance lib that I am. After all, I opted for the better employer-provided insurance plan available to me. How bad could it be? I received three shots: in the arm, the leg, and the butt. However, there was a secret fourth shot: one directly in the wallet.

After three more shots spread out across as many visits, I got the bill. I could feel the joker makeup materializing on my skin as I read the amount: almost $40,000 before insurance, of which I owed almost $6,000.

Reader, if the hope of this treatment was to prevent me from frothing at the mouth, all efforts were unsuccessful. I was shocked. Surely, this must be a mistake. I reviewed the bill with someone familiar with the putrid, demonic world of medical billing. No mistake was to be found. They actually called the insurance company to negotiate on my behalf. No dice.

Despite spending over $100 on insurance each month, I’ve been saddled with an exorbitant debt that will take months to pay off. For no reason other than to add to my mental anguish, I looked up the CEO of my insurance company. Rather than finding the old west style wanted posters of this clear outlaw I expected to encounter, I found only LinkedIn posts lauding her #girlboss nature, effusive accolades and awards, and a spot on Forbes’ most powerful women list. This for an individual whose livelihood is based on withholding potentially lifesaving healthcare from those who need it for exorbitant costs.

An economy, on paper, should be built on the production and sales of goods. Unfortunately, we live in hell, where instead of an economy, individuals are arbitrarily saddled with debt to be paid off in installments.

It’s too late for me. I exist now not as a human, but as a half-alive creature writhing in the churning maw of the healthcare-based debt creation machine. But perhaps, through voting blue no matter who, asking politely, and owning enough republicans in epic debate, future generations may have some of their medical debt forgiven, granted they are a Pell grant recipient who opens up a business serving an underprivileged community for three years. Then, and only then, will this nightmare be over and we will be free to walk again with dignity and humanity intact.

There is hope.

New York State will probably go red at some point in the next twenty years. It’s got an incredibly rare combination of some of the wealthiest capitalists in the country living in the same electorate as some of the poorest and most disillusioned. People forget that Trump was born, raised, and became wealthy in this state. That it has one of the most overfunded police departments on the planet. This kind of rhetoric would be expected from someone like desantis, but instead it’s coming from New York. Crazy.

Probably going to see a few more cases like these with some of the other large corporate landlords. If Biden had any political sense he’d campaign on the fact that his dept of justice is cracking down on corporate landlords whose greed presents direct material problems in people’s everyday lives but he won’t for some unknowable reason.

Joaquin Phoenix gives the absolute worst performance of his career as Napoleon Buonaparte, choosing to portray one of history’s most famously charismatic leaders, as a wooden cutout. No movie these days would be complete without Reddit/Marvel-tier quipped dialogue, and this screenplay provides it in spades. Many of the events that would naturally adapt to the big screen are skipped in favor of shots of Phoenix crawling under tables like some fucked up dog. No mention is made of Italy, and Spain and Haiti are skipped over as to avoid portraying the subject in any kind of negative light. Irresponsible and reactionary filmmaking shines through in a script that truly feels like it was written by chatgpt. The film concludes with him suddenly dying in a part that reminded me of the poochy “my planet needs me” bit. Do not waste your time. I was expecting a cheesy Hollywood retelling and it didn’t even do that, despite having more than enough source material to do so.