Scott Mintz = Everything That's Wrong With Liberal Yuppies in Obamanation

Scott Mintz is a chiropractor in Los Angeles who bought 4 homes, renting out 3 of them. He is now up to his ears in debt. Rather than declaring bankruptcy, he instead wants the taxpayers of America to bail him out. What a greedy yuppie asshole! You can read the full story and see a video of him here.

Many people had a lot to say about this jerk. The best of the lot was this one:

From Kate I.: "This story amazes me...As a former realtor, I get so angry I have to turn off CNBC when I hear them talking about the housing crisis...What a bunch of baloney. I would venture to guess as much as 40-50 percent of the foreclosures are people just like him. I know several personally who are losing 2 or 3 "investment" (i.e. get rich quick) houses...not their primary residences mind you...the ones they bought because the stupid, greedy, irresponsible lenders let them lie about income, lie about occupying the house as primary residence, and buy with no or little down payment. I sat in many, many closings where everyone around the table, including the mortgage broker, knew exactly what was going on...my fellow realtors were just as greedy, raking in the commissions and hoping to ride the gravy train for as long as it lasted...knowing it would come to a screeching halt! OK, thanks for letting me vent...my blood pressure is getting too high so better end my rant!"

The Ugly Truth of the Modern Yuppie

Today, a friend and I went out for lunch to a popular sushi restaurant on Broadway near Cambie. It was very crowded, which kept the two servers extremely busy. I'm quite sure they were also the owners. We were sat down at a table for two, with an identical empty table right beside us. A few minutes later several groups of others came into eat: one couple, one threesome, and another couple. There were precisely three empty tables at the time: the one for two people beside us, another two-person table elsewhere, and a table for four.

The first couple were the perfect looking aging yuppies: late 40's / early 50's, perfectly coiffed hair - the woman blonde, the man slightly grey, sunglasses covering both sets of eyes. There was clearly an area to line-up but with their righteous noses in the air, they plunked themselves down at the table for four, even though they absolutely knew that there were others behind them.

The male owner, who was running his feet off at the time, quickly surveyed all the waiting patrons and politely gestured for the two yuppies to instead sit down at one of the tables for two. They refused and marched out in a huff. The threesome were seated at this larger table and the other couple quietly sat down at the other table for two.

But the little drama wasn't yet over! A minute or so later, Mr. Yuppie came marching back in, thrust his face toward the owner and exclaimed, "I hope you know that you've now lost two permanent customers!!!" I looked toward the door and saw his female companion waving her finger in scolding disappointment at the poor bewildered owner. They then both marched out a second time.

Whoah! All of this in supposedly laid back, polite Vancouver. I've long sought a comprehensive definition for the term "Yuppie". On the surface it's supposed to just mean "Young Urban Professional". But today I saw a first hand example of what it really stands for: Arrogant, stuck-up, multiple illusions of grandeur, selfish, a completely phoney facade, and just downright RUDE!

Sadly, I see this sort of behaviour all the time in Vancouver. These same sort of people are precisely the ones who won't hold open a door for anyone, be they elderly or handicapped, because doing so would mean actually having to acknowledge that a lesser being was in their midst. If you fit the archetype of a yuppie, please consider spending 1 minute of time injecting yourself with some compassion for every 10 minutes you spend perfecting your outward appearance.

Pampered Dogs on Brickell Key

There are lots & lots of dogs walked daily on Brickell Key. While some people treat their dogs as DOGS, others clearly have been afflicted with "Replacement Child Syndrome". Note the feet of these two pampered pooches:

This Environmental Hypocrisy Has To Stop!!

I received the following e-mail from an acquaintance of mine:

Hi. I hope this subject justifies a mass emailing. This is a time when the power of the Internet could be effective.

Cheers, Graham

Begin forwarded message:

A GLOBAL WARMING RALLYING CRY --- PLEASE SEND THIS TO YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND CO-WORKERS. LET THEM KNOW YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE --- YOU'LL FIND OUT THEY ARE TOO ---

The 1st of February 2007:

Participate in the biggest mobilization of Citizens Against Global Warming!

The Alliance for the Planet [a group of environmental associations] is calling on all citizens to create 5 minutes of electrical rest for the planet.

People all over the world should turn off their lights and electrical appliances on the first of February 2007, between 1.55 pm and 2.00 pm in New York, 18.55 for London, and 19.55 for Paris, Bruxelles, and Italy. 1.55 pm in Ottawa, 10.55 am on the Pacific Coast of North America.

This is not just about saving 5 minutes worth of electricity; this is about getting the attention of the media, politicians, and ourselves.

Five minutes of electrical down time for the planet: this does not take long, and costs nothing, and will show all political leaders that global warming is an issue that needs to come first and foremost in political debate.

Why February 1? This is the day when the new UN report on global climate change will come out in Paris.

This event affects us all, involves us all, and provides an occasion to show how important an issue global warming is to us. If we all participate, this action can have real media and political weight.

Please circulate this call to your utmost ability to your network.


Graham's a nice guy and I'm absolutely certain his intentions are genuine and sincere. But such faux efforts of yuppies everywhere REALLY annoys me. Why? Let my response to him explain:

Hi Graham,

Thanks for this. But I must tell you with great candor that I think the problem is with "us", the citizens of the world, not the politicians [of any stripe]. Rather than turning off one's electricity for just 5 minutes, what about:

* Turning it off for 8 hours a day, every day.
* Stop driving for all but 2 days per week.
* Having only one car per household.
* Telling the government to instantly triple the price of gas via taxes.

For if people are really serious about meeting the goals of the Kyoto Protocol then this is what's really required. Making a symbolic change like this 5 minute thing is akin to putting a "Free Tibet" bumper sticker on one's car. Do the people who do this really want to free Tibet? You & I both know that if the actual steps were taken to do that then these same people would be screaming about that.

Sorry, but you've touched a raw nerve on the hypocrisy front. Maybe you live your life in an environmentally friendly way. And I commend you for that. I certainly do. I gave my car 4 years ago and now walk, bicycle, and take transit everywhere. I live a very simple lifestyle when it comes to consumerism. But I don't wave a green flag around.

Do you realistically think most Canadians would vote for a party that advocated the 4 bullet points I've listed above? I don't. So this symbolic stuff really annoys me because it further perpetrates a lot of hot air but no real action.

Robert

Well Dressed Dog

I normally repel when I see dogs dressed up by their owners. But these photos are pretty cute:



They were sent to me by Sherilyn Hunter, owner of Hunter Couture. An uncle of mine owns one of these Shitzus. I don't think she would ever allow herself to be dressed up though!

If you're so inclined to have such a well dressed dog then here's a little blurb about a new store opening:

We take great pleasure in inviting you to the grand opening Lady Seville Couture, an elegant new custom fashion line and boutique in Seville Tailors’ new downtown store. There will be a draw for a custom suit for a man or a woman, roses for the ladies, a Canuck ticket giveaway and wine and nibbles for all … plus a sneak preview of our adorable new Pet Seville Couture Custom pieces.

Thursday February 1st, 2007
5 pm to 10 pm
1110 Seymour Street, Vancouver