Gone Rantin'

Not much progress to report on the diet front - simply chugging along. Although I will note that I'm turning into what I hate - I'm getting more discouraged by my progress on a daily basis. This is despite the fact that I KNOW that I'm not going to actually notice progress from day to day. It takes time, and you simply have to accept that. I think the biggest issue is the fact that the one spot where I want the fat to come off - the midsection - is going to be the last place it comes from. It's unfortunate, but true. I do think other areas are starting to look a bit leaner, which means things are trending in the right direction. I just have to keep that in mind.
On to the rant. I don't comment much on politics, because I simply don't pay much attention to them, and, contrary to the average American, I try not to speak much on topics I'm not well-versed in. That said, I heard about another rich dickhead (Warren Buffett being the other I know of offhand) saying he should be paying more in taxes. Which brings me to this:
1. If you want to pay more, you can. There is no law against it. If you feel you should be paying more, then take initiative and do so. I'm sure he would tell his employees something similar - don't wait to be told to do something; if you see something that needs done, take the initiative to do it. Yet these fuckwads can't take the initiative to give more money to the government (I'm not saying they should pay more, but if they think they should, then they fucking should).
2. People seem to be operating under the assumption that the only way out of the current hole is by increasing income. Apparently people forget that we can cut spending, while keeping income steady, in an effort to reduce the deficit. Generally, when peoples' incomes go down, they reduce their spending to atone for this; they don't simply look to people to hand them more money.
3. The previous statement is also akin to the bailout supporters - because we've always had X amount of car makers, we must always have X amount of car makers, not realizing that, if they were worthy of staying in business, they would have done so. They wouldn't need the help of the government. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Where there is a void in the marketplace, someone will come along and fill it, if the financial incentive is strong enough.
4. Finally, when will people realize you simply can't legislate being a good person. All the stories you hear about CEOs or other rich business people helping those in need or taking lower salaries to give their employees better benefits - they did that because they chose to do so. They weren't legislated to do so, and no amount of legislation will change it, either. Rather than requiring people to do nice things, how about we all simply try to be better and help out others? Instead, everyone seems to be going around seeing what others can do for them. And then wonder why things are going down the shitter. Ugh.