Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Stephen King writes something that will probably ONLY scare the crap out of rich people. Boo 1 percenters!

Courtesy of the Daily Beast:  

At a rally in Florida (to support collective bargaining and to express the socialist view that firing teachers with experience was sort of a bad idea), I pointed out that I was paying taxes of roughly 28 percent on my income. My question was, “How come I’m not paying 50?” The governor of New Jersey did not respond to this radical idea, possibly being too busy at the all-you-can-eat cheese buffet at Applebee’s in Jersey City, but plenty of other people of the Christie persuasion did. 

Cut a check and shut up, they said. 

If you want to pay more, pay more, they said. 

Tired of hearing about it, they said. 

Tough shit for you guys, because I’m not tired of talking about it. I’ve known rich people, and why not, since I’m one of them? The majority would rather douse their dicks with lighter fluid, strike a match, and dance around singing “Disco Inferno” than pay one more cent in taxes to Uncle Sugar. It’s true that some rich folks put at least some of their tax savings into charitable contributions. My wife and I give away roughly $4 million a year to libraries, local fire departments that need updated lifesaving equipment (Jaws of Life tools are always a popular request), schools, and a scattering of organizations that underwrite the arts. Warren Buffett does the same; so does Bill Gates; so does Steven Spielberg; so do the Koch brothers; so did the late Steve Jobs. All fine as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough. 

What charitable 1 percenters can’t do is assume responsibility—America’s national responsibilities: the care of its sick and its poor, the education of its young, the repair of its failing infrastructure, the repayment of its staggering war debts. Charity from the rich can’t fix global warming or lower the price of gasoline by one single red penny. That kind of salvation does not come from Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Ballmer saying, “OK, I’ll write a $2 million bonus check to the IRS.” That annoying responsibility stuff comes from three words that are anathema to the Tea Partiers: United American citizenry.

Let me first go on record as saying that Stephen King is my ALL time favorite writer.  In fact I used to have  a bookshelf in my home that contained nothing except King books.

However even if THAT were not true, I can tell you that after reading this articl he would certainly NOW be my favorite author of all time simply for having the guts to speak out against these assholes who bitch and moan about high taxes while lighting their cigars with $100 bills and having caviar face cream rubbed on their mistresses.

I urge you to read the entire article, but be prepared for some rather colorful language and some no holds barred truth. 

After all Mr. King has quite a lot of experience writing about the evil that lurks beneath the surface, and the scary things that go bump in the night, waiting for the opportunity to prey on the weak and defenseless, so this is right up his alley.

33 comments:

  1. After reading his latest book, 11/24/63; it occurred to me that Stephen King is becoming more brilliant as he ages. It does not seem possible but it appears to be true.

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  2. Gryph -- I read that yesterday. The line about setting one's dick on fire and dancing to Disco Inferno had me rolling.

    And I knew I loved you for more than you good looks! The Stand is one of my absolute favorite books of all time. (The original version.) I read it in college waaaaay before the TV miniseries. (Yes, I'm that old.)

    Reading Carrie back in the day was an incredible, almost shocking experience. Stephen King has such a unique voice; there's no one like him.

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    1. The Stand is still my all time favorite King book, but the one that got under my skin was Pet Cemetery.

      I was married to my daughter's mom then and was trying to read the end of the book at bedtime. My wife insisted I turn off the lamp by the bed which resulted in my reading it under the covers with a flashlight,

      That is NOT the way to read this story!

      No WAY was I going to sleep after that!

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    2. pol...

      I love ALL of Stephen King's books! Some of which I've read over and over...including Carrie! You should read "The Dome" also by King...the bad guy in it LOVES him some Baldy Palin!

      And The Stand is one of my all time favorites of his too...along with "Swan Song" by Robert McCammon.

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    3. Gryphen -- Thanks for your great comment!

      I hear you about Pet Cemetery. That was one of saddest and scariest for me. I still to this day imagine the scene with little Gage running across the lawn. And the last line -- "'Darling', it said." Yaaaaaaahhhhhh! Hair standing on end.

      The scariest Stephen King scene for me will always be from The Shining -- with the fire hose chasing little Danny down the hallway. I read that one fall Sunday afternoon, in the dusk, alone in the house. (Not quite under the covers but close!)

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    4. To GinaM -- I will definitely check out The Dome as well as Swan Song. Thanks for the recommendations!

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    5. Alright pol! Another good book by an author similar to Stephen King is Dean R. Koontz...his book "Watchers" is why I got a golden retriever! He also wrote a great time travel book called "Lightning" that I have in my collection and read at least twice a year!

      Oh and I just finished reading the 3 book series "Hunger Games"..."Catching Fire" and "MockingJay" by Suzanne Collins! Now I have my 13 year old daughter reading them! And after she finishes we're going to go see the movie "Hunger Games"!

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    6. Gryphen..."Pet Cemetery" was a book I only read ONCE...that book was so tragic and sad.

      How bout "It"! That book I only read in the day time! Didn't care for the mini-series...I thought it was really terrible.

      And the books "Cujo" and "Christine" were also the shit...but the movies...uh...not so much! LOL!!!

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    7. Anonymous4:25 PM

      Cujo and Christine were a relief on the screen compared to the other stuff.

      Frank Darabont (the one responsible for The Walking Dead) did an incredible job on The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.

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    8. To Ms. GinaM -- Thanks so much for commenting upon my wee post! Hubby and I don't have wee ones (to our sadness) but my sister keeps me in the loop on all of the fabulous new young adult book series coming out. I devoured the Hunger Games books... Not to mention Harry Potter!

      Wasn't Cujo so sad as well? If I had any smarts I'd think about suggesting a course about horror/tragedy and their correlation.

      Thanks so much for commenting.

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    9. The Stand is my all time favorite. Dome is Great and the Dark Towers incredible. Glad Stephen is willing to speak out but always knew his was a class act.

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    10. Oh Wow...didn't realize so many IM'rs are "voracious" readers *WONK*!

      AnonymousMay 1, 2012 05:25 PM...I had forgotten that King had written "Shawshank" and "The Green Mile"...but I remember that The Green Mile was a serial King had written titled..."The Two Dead Girls" which I waited to read after he concluded the entire story!

      pol...Harry Potter is the Holy Grail(just kidding for our resident holy rollers) in my house! I watched all 8 movies in one sitting over the Christmas holidays!

      When the final book came out..."The Deathly Hallows"...I was at Walmart at 7:30 in the morning getting two copies...one for me and the other for my daughter and started reading it at 8:00 am and finished it by 8 that night! Love me some Harry Potter! LOL!!

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    11. Anonymous7:11 PM

      Good grief! When did Gina M assume the crazy avatar? I am ROFL.

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    12. AnonymousMay 1, 2012 08:11 PM

      *in my Bugs Bunny voice*

      Ain't I a stinker! LOL!!

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  3. lostinthemidwest12:36 PM

    'In fact I used to have a bookshelf in my home that contained nothing except King books.'

    USED to??? Good God man! They only get better with each re-reading!

    And yes, he is quite brilliant. And honest. And has never forgotten what it's like not to be in the 1 percent. An American treasure in so many different ways.

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    1. lostinthemidwest -- I think it was his intro to The Four Seasons in which he described his writing as "awkward" sometimes, and yes, he said it was "painful" to admit that. Totally honest in his stories and his approach to writing.

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  4. Anonymous1:28 PM

    Every whack job self-serving nefarious scum-bag in his books reminds me of a lot of Valley folk, the kind that are heavy on jingoism but light in charity.

    He taps into small town meanness, ugliness, and closed-door hidden pathologies, so they don't want to hear it.

    Remember this, when Sarah Palin was bored of being a hockey-mom housewife, her thin resume boasted being a 'taxpayer' as a qualification or quality for running for public office, you know, to put her servant's heart to use.

    Her tune changes, etch-a-sketch Palin, when if affects her bottom line.

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  5. Anonymous1:37 PM

    OMG, what is with these Alaskan names? A beretta is a fucking GUN!?!

    http://www.berettausa.com/

    Breeze Beretta Johnston: Levi Johnston & Sunny Oglesby Announce Baby Name

    Levi Johnston's second child will be a girl named Breeze Beretta, his pregnant girlfriend, Sunny Oglesby, told Inside Edition in an interview to air Wednesday. Beretta is the name of an Italian firearms manufacturer, and Oglesby confirmed that the child will be named after a gun.

    She also talked about the accidental nature of the pregnancy.

    "We were out at the cabin for like, four days, and forgot the birth control," she said.

    Johnston told Inside Edition that he plans on doing things differently with Oglesby than he did with Bristol Palin, the mother of their son, Tripp.

    "I'm actually in love...not doing it just because we had a kid together," he said.


    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/01/breeze-beretta-johnston_n_1468670.html?ref=politics

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  6. Beldar Mittens Conehead1:40 PM

    O/T: Rmoney says he too would have ordered the Bin Laden raid if he had been president. Tho he argues he would have been humbler about it than President Obama has been and would have instructed Seal Team 6 to dispatch the elusive terrorist with a single efficient kill shot in place of Obama's grandstanding head shot/chest shot fusillade.

    Vote Rmoney 2012!!
    "If it was God's Will, You'd be Rich, Too"

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    1. Anonymous2:17 PM

      Rmoney.... hee hee I caught it .

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  7. Anonymous2:02 PM

    Great article...I do love this guy, even more now.

    The Shining was my fav, Carrie a close second.

    His article needs to circulate, we need to be pissed.

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  8. Anonymous2:17 PM

    Great article! I have always enjoyed Stephen King's books, but after I saw him speak at a local event last fall, I became a raving Kingbot. He was a very entertaining speaker and not shy about his liberal views in what is a VERY conservative part of Texas. Really, it was awesome.

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  9. Anonymous2:18 PM

    I was reading your article to a co-worker and he pointed out that Mr. King donated X amount of money to fix up all the little league fields around his home town. I thought that was nice.

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  10. MissSunshine4:06 PM

    Mr. King is a class act all the way, and has never forgotten his early days when he and his wife were on a shoestring budget.

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  11. Anonymous6:01 PM

    Stephen King is a righteous Dude. 'Love him. Haven't read any of this books though....Too scared to.
    M from MD

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    1. Anonymous10:09 PM

      "a righteous Dude"

      "Baby can you dig your man? He's a righteous man..."

      Sorry, was getting a little Larry Underwood groove on ;-)

      Loved this post! I'm a king fan from way back. I've even initiated my husband to some audio books by King on long trips. We're almost done with "Duma Key" and he's likin' it, big time!

      Of course he's a brilliant mind with a heart to match. Stephen King, that is. Well, hubby too ;-)

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    2. Anonymous5:42 AM

      Points for the Larry reference!!

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  12. Anonymous7:09 PM

    I am absolutely in his court when it comes to our collective responsibility to act to mitigate the effects of global warming. Demand our government respond! Only 1 percent of us are obscenely rich, but 99 percent of us have some skin in the game to keep the environment working for the benefit of the planet and future generations. Our children and grandchildren deserve it, after all we brought them into this world.

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  13. Anita Winecooler8:49 PM

    I had a shelf of King's work as well. When we purchased this house, the kitchen was done with the same wallpaper as the kitchen in "Kujo", it gave me the heebie geebies so much, I scraped the paper off myself. The Stand and Pet Cemetery were my favorites, and Shawshank was my favorite film version.

    Anyway, after reading this article, I've gained a healthy dose of respect for this man's philanthropic work and willingness to pay more taxes than he has to. Now that I'm addicted to kindle, I know i'll be purchasing more of his works, but they can get so damned intense and gripping that I can't put them down.

    I remember him recounting the accident where he was walking and got hit by a car, how it changed his view on the world and affected his ability to write for awhile. I can't imagine being so talented and afraid to not be able to use it fully.

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  14. He sounds like a patriot.

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  15. Anonymous5:05 AM

    I always admired Mr. King for his ability to spin a yarn but it wasn't until I read his memoir/instructional guide to writing called "On Writing" that I realized exactly how brilliant he is, and what a magnificent writer.

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  16. Anonymous5:06 AM

    Gryp:
    You like King, so maybe you will like this also. After reading "The Dome" I have oftrn thought this would be a perfect solution to Wassilla. Have a dome placed around this place filled with "Palinites" who believe in or are very afraid of them. The rest of us could then live free, of all that is Palin. However "Toaddy" would find it rather difficult to continue in his business and he may just dry up. Hopfully taking "The Sarah" with him, along with all his prodigy. (at least they, think of themselves as very talented)

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  17. Paul - Minnesota8:33 PM

    Bravo. Well done Stephen King.

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