It seems that even more "Isn't Funny ..." ideas occurred to me after the first such posting was put up. I even got a few suggestions from friends such as Brad Reynolds that needed to have a place somewhere in a listing. Like the previous list, these little bits of life's ironies are not in fact, the periodic WTH (pardon my capitals)
moments that suddenly occur to us, but more in line with the overall ludicrous nature of what we laughingly call civilization in general, and
our legal and political systems in particular. Because these are additional offerings in a second posting, I couldn't decide how to phrase this one. I therefore chose to both applicable word usages in yet another bit of irony. (Though I suppose that 'Isn't It Also Funny would be a more proper grammatical form. Get over it.)
- Isn't funny that one of the centers of liberalism in this country (Hollywood) makes much of its money from movies depicting things that Liberals absolutely abhor and the rest from traditional Conservative values?
- Isn't it also funny that the government pays people to produce more of things that it says are bad (tobacco and oil), then makes other people pay them in turn (cigarette and gas taxes) for using what are supposed to be the bad products produced under such government encouragement?
- Isn't it funny that the only thing more annoying that a politician giving another fairly well-written, but seemingly endless set of teleprompter prepared remarks are the hours of even more boring analysis, historical perspective, and critical parsing of those remarks by 'inside the beltway' pundits?
- Isn't it funny that some of the worst acting on television comes from those working in reality TV shows that are attempting to portray ... themselves?
- Isn't funny, speaking of reality shows, that many of them are people who are rich or attempting to become so, at a time when those of wealth are considered little more than an object of scorn?
- Isn't it funny that the more channels that you have on your cable system, the less likely that you will be able to find something you want to watch on TV?
- Isn't it funny that after queuing up hundreds of movies on Netflix that you want to make sure to watch at one point, that you can go down the entire list later, unconvinced that you want to give any of them the 90 minutes required?
- Isn't it funny that some of the same states that have very strict laws against driving while under the influence also have drive-thru liquor stores?
- Isn't it funny that wineries take great pains to provide stopper systems to keep air out of wine, but recommend that you let a recently opened bottle 'breathe' before serving it?
- Isn't it funny the longer these lists get, the less amusing any of this becomes?
Yeah, I'm still not laughing either...
Every now and again, we have to take a look around us and recognize the ludicrous nature of the world we live in. I'm not talking about the periodic WTF (pardon my capitals) that most of experience on a regular basis, but instead about the ludicrous nature of what we laughingly call civilization in general, and our legal and political systems in particular. Since many of you out there may have neither the time, inclination, or the twisted perspective seek the 'Pretzel Logic' under which most of us live (and yes, that is in fact a Steely Dan reference).
- Isn't it funny that after being in a potentially life-threatening automobile accident (even a single car one) police will site you for a seat-belt violation?
- Isn't it funny that one of the largest impediments to beginning the necessary infrastructure projects that the federal government has been tell us that we're falling dangerously behind on is the endless regulatory review process that this same federal government imposes on these very same projects?
- Isn't it funny when a municipality installs red-light cameras, not for revenue, but for safety; then resets the timers to shorten the duration of the yellow lights not for safety (in fact making these lights less safe), but for revenue?
- Isn't it funny that the banking industry in this country is ultimately controlled by the policies set up by the Federal Reserve, which is an independent organizations made up of ... (wait for it) ... bankers?
- Isn't it funny that so many called for 'Mandatory Minimum' sentences for drug users, sellers, and distributors? Then they called for the removal of these minimums since it was unfair to some of those convicted of crimes since it didn't allow for proper judicial discretion. Now the call is going out for Mandatory Minimums for those using a gun ....
- Isn't it funny that when Republicans refused vote on bills passed Democratic members of the national legislature, they quickly became known as "the Party of No", but when the roles reversed and Senate Democrats refused to vote on bills passed by a Republican-controlled House, so such designation was forthcoming?
- Isn't it funny that the Republican Party which claims to be the most fiscally conservative booted the most fiscally conservative of their party from their Congressional Committee positions?
- Isn't it funny that the Securities and Exchange Commission has special
laws to keep anyone from using 'Insider Information' to profit from
stock trades, but allows members of Congress to do so without penalty?
- Isn't it funny that the Republican Party is considered to be racist in spite of the fact that not only was the Civil War begun in large part because of the election of the first Republican president and his stand on slavery; but that all of the significant civil rights legislation was passed by a Republican-controlled Congress (against strong Democratic objection) some 100 years later?
- Isn't funny that 'Federalism' stands for a principle in which the central (or in our case Federal) government shares power on an equal footing with respective State governments and 'Anti-Federalism' is about providing more power to that Federal government and less to the States?
- Isn't it funny that you have to show identification of some sort of identification at the Department of Motor Vehicles in order to obtain a form of identification like a driver's license or State ID?
- Speaking of a driver's license, isn't it funny that you have to pass government mandated curriculum of a bare minimum of knowledge in order to receive government issued license to drive, yet no such standard is allowed to be used when it comes to voting?
- Isn't it funny that tax cuts granted by Congress normally have an expiration or renewal date, and tax increases are almost always permanent?
- Isn't it funny that almost no other laws than the tax cuts passed by Congress have expiration dates?
- Isn't it funny that Republicans are being called obstructionist for wanting to negotiate areas of the nation's finances, and the President and Democrats are not for refusing to do so?
- Isn't it funny that the Federal Government is apparently going broke over Pension and Medical Care programs that Congress refuses to address in a fiscally responsible or logical way in spite of (or because of) the fact that they have no vested interest in these programs; having put their own medical and pension benefits outside of them?
Isn't it funny that I'm not laughing either?
