The things I'm pondering on a Friday morning...

have a lot to do with something that's politically related, but it isn't really about politics.

It's about discourse regarding politics.  Why are we so polarized that Democrats say Republicans are the lowest form of life, and Republicans say the same about Democrats.  Not in those specific words, but the accusations flow freely and the negativity of politics only increases with the passage of time.

I think it may be related to the emphasis on winning at all costs, even though it doesn't mean that the winner will be free to impose their agenda.  But because people feel the stakes are higher than ever, winning becomes everything. 

But any further discussion leads back to the Centrist party idea and that's not today's topic.

Why is it that California allows retailers (including gas stations) to impose a credit price and offer a cash discount, but not have a cash price and charge a surcharge for credit card purchases?  Is there really a difference?  If I want to charge two percent more for credit card purchases I just set my credit price at 102% of my cash price and voila, same thing.

What would cause a man to choose the nickname "Bubba the Love Sponge"?  What the heck does it mean?  And to legally change your name to that?  Writing checks must be a real pain in the neck.

Would you have done what Allen Smith did?  He got a check from the VA, supposedly his usual monthly stipend to help with the cost of education.  Normally it's around $650.  But this was was for $690 billion dollars.  Now I know that there would have been a slight problem if he'd tried to deposit or cash it, but still, giving it right back was awesome.  I'd have had to at least think for a minute or two about taking it to Switzerland.  Then I'd turn it in.

But if you think that's a big mistake, I'm also pondering the poor woman in France who got a phone bill for nearly 12 quadrillion euros.  That's not just nine zeroes, it's 12 zeroes.  It represents thousands of times the annual Gross Domestic Product of all of France.  The funny thing is when you get a bill like that you know it's a mistake.  But when you call, like she did, and are told there's nothing the phone company can do, except offer you a payment plan, that's gotta suck.

Why is it some weekends there are only one or two movies that I want to see, and some weekends like this one, there are at least five?  Okay, my interest in "Here Comes the Boom" is very mild, but "Argo", "Seven Psychopaths", "Smashed" and "Middle of Nowhere" are all movies I want to see.  I'll probably settle for three if I'm lucky.  The chapter we're doing over the weekend is more involved than earlier chapters, for class.

I am not a fan of Jerry Sandusky.  I think what he did to those boys was disgusting and loathesome.  But I just can't wrap my head around the purpose of a law that requires him to forfeit his state employee pension due to his conviction.  You don't go into the employee/employer relationship with the state with the advance notice that you could lose your pension if you're convicted of a crime after you retire.  Even if that crime took place while you were a state employee.  I especially don't get the people demanding that he be forced to repay nearly $1 million he got from his pension before he was convicted.

I can grasp why Facebook wants to charge businesses that are using the social media site to promote their businesses, for "promoting" a message they post.  But why would they expect individual users to pay $7.00 per post for "promotion"?  Is there some change that means all of my friends on FB won't see something I post?   Will people who aren't my friends see my post if I pay the money?  I don't get it.

I understand the concept of a woman scorned, but seriously, what was the rationale of a Florida woman who phoned in a phony bomb threat aboard a cruise line where another woman was enjoying a cruise with the first woman's ex-boyfriend?  Was ruining part of their cruise experience worth the year she's going to do in federal prison?  That conviction will follow her the rest of her life.  Must be some serious scorn she's holding onto.

Why is it that banks are happy to lend money to you right now only if you don't need it?

Why is it that a parking meter's purchased time should disappear when the person who purchased it pulls their car away from the space?  Was the time not paid for?  Does it matter who occupies the space?  I think this constitutes theft.  I don't get a refund for the unused, paid time.  Why shouldn't it go to whoever else can pull in and use the space?  Someone should sue.

The Dodgers spent a fortune in acquiring new players with big contracts and didn't make the playoffs.  Will Dodger fans support higher ticket prices and parking fees next season in light of these acquisitions?  Will it cost more to buy a beer or a Dodger dog?  What happens if this very expensive line-up doesn't make the post-season next season?

Somewhere, there's a device you can aim at someone's cell phone and "zap" it into not working, although they aren't readily available.  I wonder if someone will ever invent one that you can point at a person who annoys you with their talking and "zap" them into silence.  Maybe it stops the vocal cords from working.  I'd sure take one of those to the movies with me, because whispering people seem to get louder from month to month.  I swear, I was at a movie a few weeks ago with an elderly couple who thought they were in their living room watching the film all alone.  They talked in normal voice.  Fortunately, someone was more bothered by it than I and she went and got a theater employee to shut them up.  If I'd only had a "zapper".