Bee-otch of the Day: March 2020

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

3.31.20 Heroes of the Day: critical workers

BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!

Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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A SPECIAL HERO OF THE DAY!

Name: various
Age: various
Occupation: those working during these tough times
Last Seen: everywhere
Awarded For: putting others first

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When March began, we were all loaded with hopes and dreams.

We were all thinking about March Madness and prepping our brackets. Thoughts of getting drunk on green beer on St. Patrick's Day were on the tops of our minds. The 2020 presidential elections were on our minds.

But then, a virus that people thought would be a 'here today, gone tomorrow' thing like SARS and Ebola exploded out of nowhere.

Soon, the coronavirus started to become rampant, especially when Americans started to get infected. When a member of the Utah Jazz got COVID-19, the NBA suspended their season with the NHL following suit. NASCAR switched to virtual races and March Madness was canceled. The WWE ended up moving Wrestlemania to its tiny performance center in Orlando.

On March 16 here in Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered all movie theaters, schools and other huge places of mass gatherings to close. A week later, the edict was extended to nonessential businesses, such as shopping malls and clothing stores.

The virus has had its effect on the famous, infecting actor Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, Prince Charles, Kentucky senator Rand Paul, actor Idris Elba and just today, CNN host Chris Cuomo. Among those killed by COVID-19 include Country music legend Joe Diffie, Manu Dibango, the African jazz saxophonist whose 1972 hit "Soul Makossa" was an early influence on rap music and Alan Merrill, who originally wrote "I Love Rock 'N Roll" for his band The Arrows in 1975, but was made a bigger hit for Joan Jett and The Blackhearts in 1982. Because of Merrill's death, all three members of Arrows are now dead.

As of this writing, 857,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 worldwide, killing 42,000. Here in America, nearly 187,000 have the coronavirus and over 3900 have died from it. It has now killed more Americans than on 9/11.

It's true that Drumpf didn't hardly do a damn thing to stop COVID from happening in America. Same with Dubya with 9/11. Yes, we can point fingers and yes, we can play the blame game. But in reality, we have to look at the good in a dire situation like this.

Nineteen years ago, first responders sifted through the rubble of the World Trade Center day and night for months. The impact of the collapse of the Twin Towers was so intense, that what was inside of the buildings disintegrated into dust. Today, many of those on duty are either dead or dying.

When Bush's fake wars began, many Americans simply refused to join the military, like myself. But some had no choice but to and those wars took 4,500 of our brave men and women. It's a shame when one has to take a bullet for Uncle Sam. But now, many are taking many more in our own war against COVID-19.

Just today, I was talking with a nurse online. She told me that she cried a bit yesterday from the stress. She worries about losing a loved one but she can't quarantine herself. She couldn't even go on social media because of the pandemic. The same goes with all the other nurses and doctors who have no choice but to be on the front lines during this pandemic. Tonight on the NBC Nightly News, they showed a nurse who forced herself to quit her job because she could no longer deal with it.

As we all know, it's not just nurses and doctors who are on the front line daily. There's grocery workers who have to deal with sick people and people who have the virus but don't know it yet. Just today here in Grand Rapids, a man with COVID-19 died and the only place he ever went to outside of home was the supermarket. There are those who work in factories, like me. My shop is still open through this crisis since we're essential enough to stay open. I worry that since we're short-handed, we might end up with a temp worker who can't stay home because they don't have any type of sick pay. Trust me, we had a temp who came in with the flu and SNEEZED ALL OVER THE MEN'S BATHROOM SINK AND DIDN'T CLEAN UP HIS SNOT. I was exposed to that shit and I got sick myself.

And of course, there's my mother, who works in retail. I worry about seeing her when she cooks dinner for me. Even my father told me not to go see her, and I ignore him because, well, he's more paranoid about the pandemic than I am. Watching Fox News Channel nonstop will do that to you.

Look, this has been a tough month. It's tough knowing that we all can't be perfect when it comes to social distancing and self-isolating. We still need to do things like grocery shop and for some of us, work. Every time we get out of the house, we're at risk.

To those who are now risking their lives to make others better, thank you. Without you, this world can't rotate. As somebody whose aunt was an RN herself, I owe those who work in hospitals my deepest gratitude. We need more of you.

And for everybody out there, take care of yourself and each other. And yes, wash your hands.

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Got a Bee-otch to nominate? E-mail us @ chuck69dotcom@gmail.com. All suggestions (except for me) are welcome!

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Monday, March 30, 2020

3.30.20 Hero of the Day: karma

BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!

Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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A SPECIAL HERO OF THE DAY!

Name: karma
Age: ageless
Occupation: the decider of fate
Last Seen: everywhere
Awarded For: punishing those who need it

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As we enter another week of the dreadful COVID-19 pandemic, I hope many of you are able to stay home whenever possible. And if you have an essential job where you have to work, God bless you.

All weekend, I, like many of you watched the Netflix docu-series Tiger King. For those hiding under a rock, it details the story about Oklahoman zoo owner Joe Exotic. He was a right-winged, gun-toting, gay polygamist kook who had an affinity for tigers. For years, he had a feud with Carole Baskin, a woman who owned another sanctuary in Florida. Baskin accused Exotic for abusing his tigers while Exotic accused Baskin of killing her first husband, a millionaire who disappeared in 1997. After Baskin successfully sued Exotic for copyright infringement in 2011, Exotic started making threats against her. Just this past January, he was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for hiring a hitman to kill Baskin.

Now, if you've seen Tiger King, it's a no-brainer. Both Exotic and Baskin are wackjobs, albeit from different backgrounds. It's hard to tell who's the good guy in all this since they both kept and bred an animal that deserved to live in the wild as opposed to in their view of captivity. But, the lesser of the two evils seemed to be Baskin since she did things with civility while Exotic was a whiny little bitch who sought revenge. In the end, karma wasn't nice to Exotic, but who knows if it will happen to Baskin.

Yes, I've been talking about karma a lot since I've been treated like shit all my life. And I'm happy to say that when I see the people who tried to fuck me over get fucked themselves, I get a feeling called schadenfreude.

According to Wikipedia, schadenfreude is a feeling one gets when one witnesses the troubles, failures or humiliation of another. For me, it's when I hear that whomever fucked me over gets fucked themselves. I try to be nice to people, and in the end I get fucked over. A lot.

You see, I started this site 21 years ago because I got tired of the horrible ageism people my age at the time in northern Michigan were getting. I had family in Grand Rapids and Detroit and they were treated a helluva lot better since they could go to concerts and didn't have to hit the seek button every three seconds on the radio. Up north, I was stuck with five different stations that felt that they had the right to play wuss music all the time. Their excuse? "Northern Michigan is not an Active Rock market".

Twenty years later, they now have a well-programmed Active Rock station that's neck-and-neck with the shitty Boomer Rock station I was forced to grow up with in the ratings. And that Boomer station, WKLT, was recently sold because the previous owners made some fucked-up mistakes. And one of them was killing off the most-popular CHR station in northern Michigan at the time, 106.7 The Peak. They bought the station for $3 million in 1996. Just recently, it was sold for a mere $215,000 to - of all people - the owner of The Peak's rival, 106 KHQ.

The thing is that people agree with me about KLT. It's old and the music mix screams MAGA. One time, I was on Facebook and somebody commented that back in the 1990s, radio was so bad that they had to load the car up with CDs when they went up north. But, KLT and Northern Broadcast didn't care. They were the McDonald's of radio and had the ratings to prove it.

For years, people agreed with me about how fucked up northern Michigan radio was. And when they read my articles, they mostly agreed.

But yes, I've had my problems. In 2000, northern Michigan's alternative rocker, 95.5/94.5 The Zone ditched the wuss music for the bands that I *ACTUALLY* wanted to hear. Lilith Fair was out and nu-metal was in, and the ratings reportedly soared. Guess what? Some douchebag - who was probably a plant from KLT - begged me to give The Zone's Programming Director, a woman named Kimberley Fox the Bee-otch of the Day. He claimed that she was a drug addict and he was her ex-husband. Sorry, I don't sell out like that. I FINALLY had a radio station I liked listening to 24/7. Too bad I moved to Grand Rapids shortly thereafter.

Over the years, people tried to fuck over The Zone and the station that replaced it, Rock 105/95-5. But, let's remember something: northern Michigan is one giant small town. When those people tried to fuck it up, the people spoke out.

I know. Howard Stern is now on SiriusXM and northern Michigan has an Active Rock station that does a shit ton better in the ratings than the likes of WCCW-FM, Z93 and *probably* Lite 96.3. But, I have had a ton of battles - personal and on this very blog - that all ended with karma hitting my enemies on their sorry asses. Just ask Matt Hanlon, my ex-stepfather and a lot of his family, my ex-boss and the fat retard and his Rethuglican buddies who all started a collective user name on a popular broadcasting message board to bully me out of there.

You see, just the other day, I was reading that very board - and no, I haven't posted on there in years, and for good reason - and I shook my head. I was reading a thread about Governor Gretchen Whitmer's order for residents to stay indoors. Some jerkwad posted that Whitmer needed to be recalled since it would "ruin the economy" and the board's moderator got into a war with him. Well, guess what? One of the board's long-time posters stated that he was "another King Chuck". Sadly, another asshole poster said that "liberals like King Chuck are incredibly stupid" and the aforementioned poster claimed that I "wasn't anything politically".

Now, here's the scoop. The asshole who compared me to the Whitmer basher is this two-faced asshole. On the outside, he works with the homeless and children. Not only that, he's a part-time morning host on a college radio station that's programmed by old farts playing kayak paddle bonks. Sadly, he thinks he's a liberal, but since he admitted that he voted for some Republicans a few years ago and he lives in a hoidy-toidy part of Traverse City, sorry, he's not. He allegedly owned several radio stations some years ago and probably still has money left over from the sale.

Of course, the loser this prick was talking to claimed that I was booted off of the board. Not true. I quit because I got tired of fighting with losers and people who judged me for not being them.

Look, nobody's life is perfect. Mine sure isn't. I'll admit that it's a helluva better now since my last boss retired and my current one took over and gave me much-needed raises. I know. My 20s were rough thanks to Bush. People lied to me and told me that I would be getting raises over the years. Ten years after I started working for my ex-boss, I was donating plasma just so I could buy groceries. He retired, sold his business to his partner and not only did the raises come and now I'm living decently, but my ex-boss punctured his foot on a sharp pole while attempting to dock a boat.

And guess what I - and my fellow co-workers - felt when that happened? Yep, schadenfreude.

Tragically, the majority of that broadcasting board's posters are right-winged kooks. They probably worshiped Reagan for cutting taxes on wealthy assholes like them and their parents. Thanks to COVID-19, they have no choice but to sit on their ass and bash those who all want Drumpf out of the White House. But, there's a reason why they're sitting on their ass, and it's because of his ignorance.

And by the way, I'm not a "liberal". I'M A PROGRESSIVE. There's a difference. I don't worship Clinton or even Obama. Personally, IMHO, the greatest president of all time was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Had he lived longer, we would have universal healthcare, free colleges and better income equality. Sadly, since his death, the Democrats have sold their souls to the wealthy. And what do we get in the end? Drumpf and his ignorance toward COVID-19. Make America Great Again my ass.

But ya know? There's good karma in all this. Los Angeles isn't loaded with smog anymore, and you can actually see it from a distance. The Earth will be able to heal and gas prices are at its lowest in a long, long time. Once it warms up, the coronavirus will start to disappear and life will return to normal.

I guess the moral is simple. Joe Exotic tried to kill his enemy and got bit in the ass in the end. Yes, I have my enemies. But ya know? I let karma take care of my problems. It might not be instant like John Lennon sang about, tomorrow, or even ten years down the road from now. It might take a lifetime.

But in the end, we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars and the sun.

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Thursday, March 26, 2020

3.26.20 Bee-otches of the Day: anybody who wants privatization of everything

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Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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Name: various
Age: various
Occupation: various
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: not learning their lesson

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By now, I think we're all tired of hearing about the coronavirus.

Here in Michigan, 2,900 people now have the virus, which has killed 60 so far in this state. In America alone, we have officially beaten China - the virus' originating country - as the nation with the most cases of COVID-19 with 82,500 people. The virus has now killed 1,200 people in America alone.

We all know where it all began: a meat market in Wuhan, China where animals are slaughtered on the spot. The market also sold animals that many of us would never eat, like dogs, cats and the animal linked to the virus, bats.

In China, there's hardly any government looking over the meat industry, which is why people got sick in the first place. Of course, the country deserves credit since they quickly built hospitals to treat the virus. Now, COVID-19 is all but a memory in China itself. As a matter of fact, movie theaters have reopened in the country.

The sad truth is that here in America, there's folks who all think that the government doesn't need to look over our backs and breathe down our throats. Those fucktards all think that EVERYTHING should be privatized, including Social Security and even the Post Office. They get scared when the subject of universal healthcare is raised. However, there's lots of socialized services that America has, like fire and police departments, schools and libraries.

Hell, there's the USDA, which inspects the food we eat. I remembered as a kid hearing about an Arab-owned supermarket in Detroit that sold meat that was ten years old. They kept relabeling the packages' expiration dates and they were caught. Sadly, there's other stores elsewhere who have all done this and the USDA won't take their shit.

Of course I mentioned the Post Office. Virtually every community in America has one, even in towns where there's maybe a few dozen people. Now, I grew up in BFE and my post office covered a lot of real estate. As a matter of fact, it was 8.6 miles away. To us, it was a convenience if we had a package, especially one that was too big for our mailbox. Now, just imagine if the Post Office was privatized. Let's say that the government was nice enough to sell it to some firm that decided to save money on their end by closing all of the Post Offices in rural areas and forcing people to drive 50 miles to pick up or deliver packages. Or even worse, they can determine that a certain area is too small for their company, so they will have to close. Where I'm originally from in northern Michigan, there's 143,000 in the Traverse City micropolitan area vs. 200,000 in Grand Rapids alone. Traverse City has seen some successful chain businesses close because the owners no longer saw them to be profitable enough to stay open.

Look at healthcare in America vs. other countries. If you get cancer here in America and survive, you end up bankrupt. In other civilized nations, you'll be just fine. Why? Because here in America, healthcare is privatized. In other countries - you guessed it - it's government-run. Not only that, other nations pay a helluva lot less in healthcare than here in America, where the CEOs of health insurance companies are millionaires.

Also, look at broadcasting and journalism. Government-run broadcasters like the BBC and CBC are often lauded for their journalism. Here, we have the corporate-owned media, which tends to skewer the news for their own good. Decades ago, TV and radio HAD to report both sides of a story. If the station manager gave out a commentary, a local could give a counterpoint free of charge. It was all because of the Fairness Doctrine, which president Reagan revoked in 1987. Because of Reagan, AM Talk Radio stations could now air far-right-winged morons 24/7 like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. OTOH, lefties like Thom Hartmann others are now being demoted to community-run stations with few listeners. Things only got worse with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which allowed companies to have virtually no limit on what they could own. Companies bought up too many stations and in the end, many of them, like iHeartMedia and Cumulus all ended up bankrupt. Here in Grand Rapids, all three big radio groups ended up in bankruptcy. In Traverse City, there were once five big radio companies, and now there's three. One just sold four of their six stations for way less than what they paid for one station 20 years ago. Another group has all of their stations off the air due to poor management. In Ludington, long-silent WMOM 102.7 - which previously aired a CHR format - just sold for a mere $44,000 to one of the owners of WION-I1430 in Ionia and WGLM-M106.3 in Greenville.

And don't get me started on Traverse City's TV situation where the owners of NBC WPBN 7&4 and CBS WWTV 9&10 created backroom deals where 7&4 now operates WGTU ABC 29&8 and 9&10 operates Fox WFQX 32. To make matters worse, 7&4 and 29&8 are now operated by ultra-conservative broadcaster Sinclair.

The thing is, WE THE PEOPLE need to tell the government to do their fucking job and stop being lax to corporations that won't do their jobs! This is why we need more government regulations and not less. WE THE PEOPLE should have the right to work in a safe place where we don't risk dying daily. We demand to eat good food, get our damn mail daily and to watch newscasts where they intentionally make Bernie Sanders sound like Charlie Brown's teacher.

The fact that AMERICA now has more COVID cases than other countries should make us wake up. If Drumpf wins in November because his supporters are like, "OH, GOODY! HE PAID ME TO SIT ON MY ASS FOR THREE WEEKS!", we're doomed.

It's time to smell the roses. But, we'll do it after it warms up and COVID is gone because warmth will kill it.

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

3.25.20 Bee-otch of the Day: Donald Trump

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Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.
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Name: Donald Trump
Age: 73
Occupation: old wrinkled cheeto
Last Seen: Washington, DC
Bee-otched For: being a bad predictor

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Right now, we're all making tough decisions and making gambles.

We all need to stay home to avoid the coronavirus. However, some of us have to work. Some of us need to go shopping and do it in a store where somebody with COVID-19 might be present. True, we can have our products delivered, but if you live in a place where the nearest supermarket is miles away, you're fucked. Same goes if you have a dying relative and travel is a necessity.

The reality is that some are hoping that the pandemic will end soon. Yes, staying home flattens the curve, but with the mandate ending a day after Easter and COVID cases rising by a ton daily, will it end by then?

It's true: many companies will hurt severely with non-essential businesses being forced to shutter. I know some who work for companies still open during this tough time who are trying to get out of their jobs; one of them is a pregnant woman. Another person I know is Vietnamese.

Yes, I understand. You work, you make money. You don't work, and you're fucked. That's life. I'm sad to admit that since the coronavirus outbreak started, I've lost a third of my retirement. When companies close up, they can't make money.

But, it's Drumpf to the Rescue.

Yesterday in a speech, the de facto president told the press that he wants to "reopen the country" by Easter. However, he acknowledged that he's been told that the pandemic will continue until Summer. But then again, another billionaire, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban claims that the CDC told him that the pandemic might end mid-May.

Look, I'm no scientist, but here's the deal: if the three weeks are up and coronavirus cases drop, then yes, the country should reopen. But by the rate the virus is going, it would be stinkin' thinkin' to do so. Right now, hospitals are full of COVID-19 patients and that number might explode.

Drumpf ain't a damn scientist and needs to shut up. He needs to listen to real people who know when the pandemic is supposed to end. If it does, then yes, it's time to reopen. But for now, stay home.

Also, it's a shame that the Rethugs are bitching about how the Dems tried to throw "pork" into the bill to help Americans through this crisis. One of the provisions would be to fund Planned Parenthood, which is a vital organization not just for women, but everybody. Granted, $1,200 for us is nice, but considering how much Drumpf saved for his billionaire buddies, it's simply not enough. It's a blank check to America in hopes of buying the November election.

All I can say is that I hope America will be back in order sooner or later. But, we need scientists to determine that and not a bully who bankrupt several businesses.

For now, we simply need to wash our hands. In November, we need to flush this asshole out of the White House.
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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

3.24.20 Bee-otch of the Day: any employer that forces their employees to work during the COVID-19 crisis

BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!

Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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Name: various
Age: various
Occupation: business people
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: forcing people to work

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Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Yesterday, I told you that I'll be off work for three weeks because my governor, Gretchen Whitmer ordered everybody to stay home during the COVID-19 crisis. Originally, my employer thought that they were not essential enough to stay open under the governor's edict.

Well, my first day off was indeed peaceful with me sleeping in and watching the crossover episodes of Let's Make a Deal and The Price is Right. I felt like a kid out of school again. But at 12:30, my boss called and he and the rest of the powers that be finally decided that our shop could stay open. So, I'm back at work tomorrow morning.

In a way, I kinda feel like a kid who lives in the only school district closed while all the other school districts are closed. And yes, that's happened to me before because my superintendent while I was growing up was an asshole.

But, I'll give my shop a lot of credit. They have latex gloves and masks for those who are germ conscious. Plus, they have Lysol to kill whatever germs exist in the company. Also, I don't work around people, which is a plus. Also, my boss has told me that if I don't feel comfortable working, I can take vacation time.

You know, I should be lucky since I have benefits. Vacation time is indeed one of them. If I woke up sick, I can tell the boss that I'm not well and all will be fine and dandy. Others aren't as lucky.

Under Whitmer's order, grocery stores and restaurants that have take out or delivery can stay open. But, what if that person prepping your food is sick? True story: several years ago, I chatted with a woman online who had the flu. But, she had to work because she didn't have any type of sick pay. Her employer? Taco Bell.

Yes, Taco Bell, the beloved fast food chain whose employees make maybe $10 to $12 per hour. Their parent, Yum! Brands is worth around $4 billion. They also own KFC, Pizza Hut, WingStreet and just this past week, fast-growing burger joint The Habit (oddly enough, Yum! once owned rival A&W).

Now, would you like a sick person making your meals? Would you like somebody touching your food after they've touched others, even a few that MIGHT have COVID-19? I think not. After all, I love Five Guys and guess where somebody got COVID-19 here in Grand Rapids? Yep! The Five Guys at 28th and East Beltline.

What really pisses me off is that one company trying to stay in business through all this is Hobby Lobby. Their founder and CEO, David Green is worth $8 billion. Not only that, he's a Jebus freak. A few days ago, Green sent his employees a letter regarding the coronavirus. It stated that he had planned to keep their stores open because his wife, Barbara was told by God to do so. Because of this, the Greens are getting a lot of flack from their critics. But since the letter was made public, the company has been closing stores, especially in states like Michigan where non-essential stores have been told to close.

Look, the Greens will not go bankrupt or hungry during the crisis. As-is, they label themselves "Christian" and yet they worship somebody who told a wealthy young man that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to Heaven. Selling art supplies is not a crucial business. If anybody wanted to be their own Bob Ross, they should have bought the damn supplies before the virus crisis or at a store like Meijer that's open because they sell crucial items. Now, if Hobby Lobby sold food, that's a different story. But, this is yet another reason why I personally boycott them and just about any business that keeps closed on Sundays.

I know, these are tough times. But, it's better to be poor and healthy than to be rich and dying. Not only that, even those who are currently jobless and have no benefits can work at a grocery store or any business out there that is hiring. But, when one works in retail or the food industry, they might be screwed.

I agree that we should boycott any business that's not essential during these times, and that business owners need to pay their employees in full until the crisis ends. Yes, many small businesses will be hit in all this. But, sadly, it's true that when a horse breaks its leg, it's best to shoot the horse to save the leg.

Once the lift is banned, we should help small businesses when we can. They need the help they can get. Big box stores will survive the lockdown with their billionaire owners. But, if a business is putting people at risk for no reason, employees have the right to report them to the proper authorities to have them severely fined for putting them at risk.

Let's remember that the coronavirus is making a lot of wealthy people sick. Maybe karma's a good thing.

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Monday, March 23, 2020

3.23.20 Bee-otches of the Day: the two-party system

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Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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Names: The Republican and Democratic parties
Ages: 166, 192
Occupations: the two-party system
Last Seen: Washington, DC
Bee-otched For: being the virus

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When we were kids, we were told that television just simply isn't our friend.

We all were told in PE that we should go out and play with our friends and to avoid sitting in front of the TV and video games. Even now, most doctors would tell us all to walk 10,000 steps per day.

Well, the tables have been turned.

Now, we've been told to avoid going out, period, because of the dreaded coronavirus. Today, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered all residents to stay home and not to work unless they work in an essential occupation. Her definition of an essential worker includes healthcare workers, first responders, food workers, the media, child care and financial services.

Her edict goes into effect at 12:01 am and is scheduled to end April 13th.

And since my occupation is not considered to be "essential", I've been told to stay home for those three weeks. Two of them will be paid, though the final week might be questionable. Thankfully, I have vacation time. But, if Whitmer's order is extended, I will have to file for unemployment.

Right now, Michigan has 1,328 cases of COVID-19 and 15 people have died. Just this weekend, the Upper Peninsula had its first case of coronavirus, a man with a medical history in the Sault Ste. Marie area.

When I first heard of the coronavirus, I was just like everybody else. I was thinking about SARS, Ebola, H1N1 and other viruses that came and went. But now, COVID-19 has been proven to be a monster.

But, here's what's sad about all this: several politicians cashed out of the stock market just before the coronavirus hit the US. Those people included senator Richard Burr from North Carolina, Georgia senator Kelly Loeffler and Oklahoma senator Jim Inhofe. And guess what? ALL ARE REPUBLICANS! And guess what? A DEMOCRAT, CALIFORNIA SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN ALSO SOLD OFF HER STOCKS! Bear in mind that Feinstein is a corporate Democrat who does not believe in universal healthcare and bashed Bernie Sanders throughout his campaigns for president.

Sadly, with Drumpf cutting everything that Obama worked hard for as president, this is what we get. Dubya ignored the warning signs for 9/11 and 3,000 people died, plus 4,500 more in the fake wars over oil that he started. Now, 40,000 Americans have COVID-19 and 583 people died simply because they couldn't get tested fast enough.

I know, even countries with better healthcare than we do are suffering with COVID-19. Even today, UK PM Boris Johnson ordered a similar edict to Whitmer's, barring people from going out except for essential needs. Hell, look at Italy: 64,000 cases of COVID and 6,000 deaths. However, more people have recovered from the disease than here in the US: 7,500 vs. a mere 178 here in America.

The sad truth is that every country has been affected by this virus, universal healthcare or not. It's sad that we didn't do enough to stop it from affecting America and now, we have to pay the price. Instead of eating out, we have to have food delivered. Hell, the question is that because restaurant workers usually don't have decent benefits nor sick time, can we trust them to cook our meals? Instead of watching movies at a cinema, we have to watch them at home. Thanks to the virtual world we live in with high-speed internet, it's become our best friend.

But after the virus is hopefully a thing of the past, what will life be like? Tragically, I think there will be a lot of businesses - especially in the non-essential retail sector - that will go under. Bear in mind that the retailers that will thrive during this time will be chains that are essential, like Walmart, Meijer, Target and Costco. They not only sell food, but also clothes, which is bad news for traditional mall stores like Macy's, JCPenney and the already-ailing Sears.

If Drumpf knew all about COVID-19 and let it infect the States, I think he's in HUGE trouble. I hope there's an investigation into all this, even though the aforementioned senators probably won't get slammed with anything. It's business as usual for them. For most people with an (R) after their name and even some with a (D), it's all about fucking people over, plain and simple.

But in happier news, Kentucky senator Rand Paul (R) has the virus. However, he made the announcement after it was announced that he was still working six days after he conducted the test. The 57-year-old was also using the senate gym, which might be a health hazard, especially for the most-elderly members of the senate.

Look, our government should have done a better job prepping for this disaster. And now, we're paying the price. Then again, this is the product of busting the unions and shipping our high-paying jobs to China in the first place. America needs good-paying jobs. But now, factories are closing simply because the products we buy are made by assholes who love their disgusting bat soup.

This is why we need Bernie Sanders. Under him, unions will be stronger and we won't need China at all. The coronavirus is the rich man's punishment for their greed and I'm happy to say that a lot of its victims are quite famous and are total assholes, too, especially the member of the Utah Jazz who decided to touch everything at a press conference on his diagnosis.

But in the great words of Monty Python, always look on the bright side of life. With factories closed and less people on the roads, it means less pollution in the air. With climate change being a problem - and a probable reason for the coronavirus explosion - I hope Mother Earth will see some healing in these next few weeks.

But, if you work in the service industry and your paychecks have disappeared, you do have my thoughts. All things must pass and so will this. I hope in these next few weeks, something positive will happen. Thankfully, there's still a ton of businesses hiring, even in these rough times.

Last, but not least, it's not over for Bernie. There's no primaries this week, but there's 24 more states to go in this year's Democratic race. I hope the coronavirus situation will rekindle the public's trust for Bernie and will make people realize that Joe Biden is simply too senile to be president. And if Biden is the Democratic nominee, I hope at least he'll choose a progressive for his running mate. I doubt it, but it's ideal for a one-two punch against Drumpf.

See, I told you that by the end of Drumpf's first term, shit will happen!

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

3.18.20 Hero of the Day: Floyd Bloss

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Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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A SPECIAL HERO OF THE DAY!

Name: Floyd Bloss
Age: was 93
Occupation: entrepreneur
Last Seen: up in the heavens
Awarded For: being one smart businessman

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On Sunday morning, one of the shows I enjoy is NBC's Sunday Today with Willie Geist. Towards the end of the show, he has a segment called "A Life Well Lived", which honors a person who passed away recently who accomplished positivity in their lives. Usually, that person was a war hero, or an inventor or somebody who made people's lives better.

Of course, I would never expect Floyd Bloss to be mentioned on that segment.

Bloss died last month at the age of 93 from dementia. When he died, he was given no media attention. His obituary, which is on his funeral home's website talks about him being married to his now-late wife, Lyla. It also mentioned his years of service with the military and the fact that he outlived his three children.

The obit talked about the fact that he had "successful businesses in Hawaii, Las Vegas and Michigan." What it didn't mention was what the businesses were. They were movie theaters.

Since the first movie theater opened nearly 130 years ago, they've brought lots of love, laughter and joy to millions of people around the world. But, they've had their challenges, especially in the financial sector. In the late 1920s, theaters had to convert to sound. In the 1950s, they have to widen their screens for Cinemascope. Just a few short years ago, they all had to go digital or else the studios would not send them the latest movies.

Back in the 1950s, the cinema world had a monster of a challenge: television. Throughout the decade, scores of movie theaters big and small shuttered because their once loyal patrons were staying home to watch Lucille Ball and Milton Berle. Here in west Michigan, a lot of neighborhood cinemas thought they had run their last reel of film. But then, Floyd Bloss came to town.

In the 1960s, Bloss purchased some of these theaters and turned them around. He took risks and sacrifices and won. He made millions and his cinemas played to packed audiences.

One of his greatest achievements came in 1966 when a young man named Harry walked into his Eastown Theater in Battle Creek. He was just 23 and had a series of odd jobs beforehand. He reportedly didn't have a happy childhood. His father left him as a child and his mother remarried to a man whom he never got along with. His childhood home had no plumbing, either. He left home at 15 and worked odd jobs, doing everything from slaughtering chickens to packing cereal boxes. He was laid off from working on a railroad when he started working for Bloss. Eventually, Floyd became like the father Harry never had. It was so much so that the two became partners, with the two buying up more theaters.

By 1970, that poor kid from Battle Creek, Harry Mohney was worth $6 million all thanks to Floyd Bloss. A large part of it was because their cinemas didn't show family-friendly Disney movies nor Hollywood hits. They showed nudie flicks.

Eventually, Mohney bought out Bloss' shares of the company. This was mainly because in 1970, Floyd's 18-year-old daughter, Debbie was stabbed to death in the Easttown during a movie. Harry and Floyd were vacationing together in Las Vegas at the time when she died. Another reason for Floyd selling out to Harry was because throughout the 1960s, Bloss had many legal battles. Many of them regarded the fact that at the time, the religious nuts in west Michigan tried to shut him down. True, 1960s skin flicks were quite tame comparing to the porn produced today. But in the 1960s, big, bouncy bare breasts were enough for some locals to call for his theaters to shut down. But in a lot of cases, Bloss won simply because of his First Amendment rights.

After Bloss sold his empire to Mohney, he moved to Hawaii. Mohney himself expanded his output to more cinemas, peep shows and bookstores. Yes, he had his problems, including tax fraud that threw him in jail for three years in the 1990s. Not long before his imprisonment, Mohney's theater empire was crumbling thanks to the rise of VCRs. But he had an idea: convert them into full-nude strip clubs. Deja Vu was born.

Today, there's 168 Deja Vu clubs, which make over $400 million per year thanks to Mohney. Just think that if he didn't walk into Floyd Bloss' Eastown Theatre, men everywhere wouldn't get the lap dances they deserved. Naked women wouldn't get the confidence they want when men come to them with money because they yanked their clothes off for all to see. True, Floyd Bloss had his problems, but he paid the price so all men could have boners.

And that to me, is A Life Well Lived.

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

3.17.20 Bee-otch of the Day: Menards

BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!

Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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Name: Menards
Age: 60
Occupation: home improvement store
Last Seen: Eau Claire, WI
Bee-otched For: cleaning out their customers' wallets

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Many people are doing their part during the coronavirus crisis.

People are staying six feet away from each other. Restaurants are either closed or take out only. Movie theaters are closed and the studios are now planning to release their movies to streaming services to make up for the profit lost from closed cinemas.

But some people simply act like assholes during a crisis like this.

And yes, they're Repukes.

Michigan's Attorney General, Dana Nessel just sent a cease and desist order to the home improvement chain Menards after it was discovered that they jacked up the prices of cleaning products in their stores. According to Nessel, she's received 18 complaints that the company raised prices on everything from bleach to face masks after the COVID-19 outbreak was made official. It was also discovered that everything was tied in with an in-store rebate.

Menards will have 10 days to respond to Nessel's order or her office will further investigate the company, which may result in legal action. Menards is America's third-largest home improvement chain behind The Home Depot and Lowe's. It has 350 locations, mostly in the Midwest. Michigan has 31 locations. Its founder, John Menard is worth $11 billion and is a known for his support for the Koch family. He's also known for his anti-union stances and refuses to hire anybody who once belonged to one. Menard is also the father of Paul Menard, a former NASCAR racer.

A few weeks ago, WOOD-TV discovered that a True Value store in Allendale by Grand Rapids did the same thing by charging $10 per face mask. They have also been served with a warning by AG Nessel. As a matter of fact, she's received over 75 complaints regarding price gouging because of the outbreak.

This hearkens me back to 9/11 when then-future Governor Jennifer Granholm was AG. On 9/11, there were rumors flying that gas would soon rise to $4 or $5 per gallon. My Mom, my now-ex-stepdad and I rushed out to the gas station to fill up our tanks. There were huge lines at the local gas stations out of fear. But guess what? Granholm stepped out to say that under her, if anybody was caught gouging that they would be severely fined. At the time, I lived by Bellaire and several BP gas stations in the area were caught by Granholm for drastically raising their prices on 9/11. The family that owns the stations, the Derrers blamed their supplier, even though they supply their own stations. It's also worth noting that one of the Derrers is a part owner of the Northern Michigan Cinema chain, which owns theaters in Bellaire, Cheboygan, Gaylord, Petoskey and Mackinaw City. Several years ago, one of the company's owners was sent to prison for tax evasion.

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that thanks to the coronavirus, a myriad of service workers are out of a job. In my family alone, two of my cousins are laid off while one of my cousin's girlfriends is totally out of a job. It makes me happy I have a job right now, though I worry about whether or not we'll have work within the next few weeks. Only time will tell. The billionaires in this country have nothing to worry about. But yet, if you live on tips or work in an industry that's been affected by the virus, you're fucked. The only good news is that COVID-19 cases in China have severely dropped in recent days, so there's hope here in America yet.

My area of Grand Rapids used to have a Menards, but it closed when Centerpointe Mall was repurposed as a power center. It's now split between a Planet Fitness and a trampoline park. I've only been to that Menards once and it reminded me of Kmart. There's both a Home Depot and a Lowe's in the area and both are way better stores.

If any business decides to profit off of this virus, they're assholes, plain and simple. I haven't been to a Menards in years and I don't plan to ever go to one, period. Fuck 'em for using this crisis to screw people over. But then again, Rethugs don't deserve much support as it is for helping to make our country the laughing stock of the world since we're a month behind in helping our own people. Thanks to billionaires like John Menard and his cronies, we now have to live in fear. But, we can help by not going to any of their stores.

"Save Big Money at Menards!"? More like "Bend Over and Take it Like a Man!"

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Monday, March 16, 2020

3.16.20 Bee-otch of the Day: morons not taking Coronavirus the right way

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Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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Name: various
Age: various
Occupation: various
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: not taking COVID-19 seriously

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Without a doubt, the fears surrounding COVID-19 have changed how we live.

When we first heard about it a few months ago, words like "SARS" and "Ebola" gave us reminders of plagues past. We all thought that it would disappear within weeks. And boy, were we wrong.

Now, there's only a handful of parts of America that haven't been affected by the coronavirus yet. Two of them are West Virginia and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Early today, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered all restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters and other non-essential places where people can be close together. Of course, grocers and pharmacies are open for business. And talk about pandemonium.

Last Friday, I went to both my local Meijer and Costco. Meijer was packed and out of toilet paper, though it did have napkins. Bottled water was scarce. Over at Costco, they had zero TP, but plenty of water. Today, I had to go to Walgreen's because my mother now has a cold. Well, the place was packed to the hilt. Not to mention that yes, virtually all paper products are off the shelves.

It seems that going out and going somewhere feels like Russian Roulette. You simply don't know if you're coming home alive. It's become chaotic, even if only a small handful of folks have COVID-19 here in Kent County.

I do wonder why the hell people NEED to buy up and hoard all of the world's toilet paper. Are they scared that the zombies are going to come to take all of our precious Charmin away? Are they scared that they're going to have to find alternatives to wipe the dingleberries from their collective anuses? Aren't most people aware that for the same price as loading your spare bedroom with TP, you can buy one of these gadgets that's actually more sanitary than getting poop all over your fingers?

And when you make #2, do you make washing your hands your #1 priority? Needless to say, it's a pet peeve of mine when somebody uses the bathroom and doesn't wash their damn hands. A few years ago, I paid a visit to a girl whom I met online. She was autistic and lived in a Section Eight apartment. Needless to say, she wasn't girlfriend material for me since hygiene was never important to her. Hell, she never brushed her teeth, so they all rotted out of her skull. One day, I gave her dinner and after she ate, she had to use the bathroom. I could easily hear the disgusting sounds of indigestion emulating from her bathroom. She flushed but never washed her hands. Why? The second she flushed, she was out of the bathroom. Well, that was the last time I saw her, especially since she's now transgender.

I know. Women spend more time on the shitter than us men. But that's no excuse to not wash their hands. I've talked to women in that same situation and asked why they never washed their hands. Their excuse? "Soap dries up my hands!" Yeah, and their poop can spread disease. Yes, it's true that 99-point-infinity-nine percent of all of the naked female asses we've ever seen in our lives has had her poop pushed through it. And yes, it's loaded with bacteria and germs that can make one sick if one chooses to go Allison Williams on that ass.

With the closure of many places that serve food and drinks, wait staff, bartenders and others who rely their income on tips are now screwed. Many will be thankful that they will have a job through the COVID-19 melee. It's bothersome knowing that some people - especially part-timers - will suffer tremendously through all this. My father was a school bus driver for many years and he's probably thankful that he quit driving long before all this started. Unlike most schoolteachers, he didn't get paid year round. Once school was out for the Summer or if school was on break, he didn't get paid. During the Summertime, he worked on a cherry farm, working 12-hour days on a tree shaker during harvest. Now that school's out until April per Whitmer, I will bet that many bus drivers are now suffering financially.

But yet, there's morons out there who will give their money to the wrong people.

I do wonder how many assholes gave Jim Bakker a ton of dough for his fake coronavirus cure? The state of Missouri is now suing the fake televangelist for claiming that a product called Silver Solution will kill coronavirus, though scientists have claimed that it's nothing more than snake oil. There's also the preachers who all cry that they still want to hold Sunday services even though they've been mandated not to. There have been many churches doing the right thing by streaming their services via Facebook Live and other platforms.

I know, it sucks that the coronavirus has ruined a lotta plans. Hell, it's sad that today, Drumpf claimed that the coronavirus crisis will go on until June or August. I hope he's wrong. I just checked my 401 (K) today and, well, I hope I'll still have money left over by the time Drumpf leaves the White House (and it's IF he leaves the White House).

It's a shame that thanks to Drumpf's yokel fans and the Democratic National Committee fucking over Bernie Sanders in 2016 that of all the nations on Earth, we're far behind other nations when it comes to curing and diagnosing coronavirus. And thanks to Drumpf, we're heading straight into a recession. Methinks it's worse.

With the primaries in full bloom, I hope people will realize why it's important to vote for Bernie. Our government needs to overhauled big time and soon. We as a nation can't wait much longer for this pandemic to get worse. Businesses need to run, people need jobs and people need toilet paper. All we can do right now is simply quarantine ourselves for now and only go out when we have to, whether it's for work or to shop for necessities. And yes, wash our hands when we use the bathroom.

And please, don't hoard the Charmin. Mr. Whipple's already spinning in his grave as-is.

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Thursday, March 12, 2020

3.12.20 Bee-otch of the Day: Donald Trump

BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!

Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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Name: Donald Trump
Age: 74
Occupation: wannabe golfer
Last Seen: Washington, DC
Bee-otched For: making us sick

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It's funny that it's an election year and the fight for the White House isn't even the top news story.

The media has been pounding the situation regarding the coronavirus up our ass for over a month now. Because of it, TV shows are taping without an audience, concerts like South By Southwest are being canceled and now, the NHL and NBA is suspending games after a player for the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19. The NCAA also announced that March Madness will be canceled. Even strip clubs are giving out complementary hand sanitzer to its patrons.

The pandemic of course started in Wuhan, China at an exotic meat market. Many got sick from eating bats used for soup. Soon, the sickness spread and now, almost every state in America has at least one person with the virus.

Of course, the virus has hurt the stock market. Today was its worst day since the crash of 1987. Gas prices have also crashed as well. Here in Grand Rapids, regular unleaded is now hovering around $2 per gallon.

And whad'ya know? Under the fluffy blonde mane of Drumpf sits a brain of a typical Repthuglican douchebag who can't handle an international crisis.

Since the COVID-19 BS started circling the globe, the US has been slow comparing to other countries in fighting its carnage. While everybody else has hospitals equipped with what it takes to diagnose the disease, right now, an American who feels coronavirus' symptoms could take days to know if they have it or not.

But when you have somebody like Mike "Pray The Gay Away" Pence as the person in charge of fighting the coronavirus, well, this is what you get.

This is why I sure as hell don't want a Repuke in charge when disaster strikes. When the AIDS crisis hit, Ronald Reagan responded with nothing pure disrespect for the LGBTQ+ community, privately claiming that it was their fault that they got it. Of course as we all know, heteros like myself can even get it.

When a Repuke is president, it seems this country will go to hell in a handbasket. Reagan dealt with AIDS, Bush I dealt with Iraq, II dealt with 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq again and now, Drumpf is dealing with COVID-19 and not doing a damn good job at it. Now, he's banning travel to and from Europe, which is creating more friction between him and world leaders.

Yet, this is another reason why I support Bernie Sanders. He's been telling people that if a COVID-19 vaccine was ever created, he'd make it free for everybody. Plus, our hospitals would be better equipped to handle this crisis.

So ladies and germs, er, gents, this is why I want sanity to return to the White House this Fall. If not, well, we're screwed.

But since Drumpf did have contact with somebody with COVID-19, let's hope for the best and have karma hit him hard.
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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

3.11.20 Bee-otches of the Day: the morons who voted for Biden on Tuesday

BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!

Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.
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Name: various
Age: various
Occupation: various
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: not feeling the Bern

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One of the greatest moments in late night television history was the infamous episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he had Dean Martin and Bob Hope as his guests.

The episode from 1969 showed the three rollicking and having a great time. But then, it was time to announce the night's final guest: comedian George Gobel. Seeing how much fun Carson, Martin and Hope were having and feeling left out, he uttered, "don't you hate it when the whole world's a tuxedo and you're the brown shoes?" To many, it was the funniest line of the night.

Maybe it was Gobel who inspired the great George Carlin to say, "it's one giant club and you ain't in it!"

Well, it's official: Bernie Sanders didn't have a good night last night. Even though he campaigned heavily here in Michigan to packed houses, he got soundly defeated by Joe Biden, 53% to 36%. Biden won all of his states yesterday except for North Dakota where Bernie won with 54% of the vote to Biden's 40%.

As of this writing, Washington is still undecided with the two neck-and-neck.

Meanwhile, despite many critics in the Democratic Party asking Bernie to quit, Sanders told the media at a press conference that he will not step down. Right now, Biden has 864 delegates to Sanders' 710. Next Tuesday, the two (and Tulsi "Present" Gabbard) will spar off in Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio. And sadly, polls are all siding with Biden.

What's pitiful is that Sanders won Michigan in 2016. In reality, he had 22,000 less voters than he did this year. Biden had 839,000 votes, 240,000 more than Sanders in 2016.

So what does this all mean? Let's remember that in 2016, there were two primaries and caucuses. True, there's a Republican primary this year, but the media's not covering it worth a shit and Drumpf's going to be the de facto winner as-is. It wouldn't shock me if there's Repukes voting for Biden since it would cause progressives to vote for somebody else or not vote at all. Or maybe, they're tired of Drumpf and the fact that the economy has nosedived severely because of the coronavirus and, well, everything he's doing.

But, yes, there's the fact that Biden won in black-rich Wayne County, where Detroit is. Biden has been a pied piper for the African American crowd, even though he helped to incarcerate them instead of prompting them to have a good education. It might be a huge reason why when he was here in Grand Rapids on Sunday, Bernie personally invited Rev. Jesse Jackson, who endorsed him as president.

But there's another problem: young people. Even though Sanders is a favorite among the Gen-XYZers, they simply didn't vote for him. They think that because it's not the actual election, that any person with a (D) after their name will do. True, I was once naive myself when it came to primaries. But, it all changed with Bernie. You know, it's like calling yourself a fan of The Simpsons and not knowing the name of the bar where Homer gets boozed up. Or, maybe it's like a person wearing a Ramones t-shirt and not knowing one of their songs. To me, it's being a poser and normal people, well, simply don't like 'em.

At least it ain't over for Bernie. After all, there's still 27 more primaries to deal with. New York's is on April 28th, but yes, guess who's in the lead.

Sadly, this is becoming a bummer of a year for Bernie fans, though there's some hope. But if Biden gets the nomination, there's that group who will cry "vote blue no matter who". But then again, there's the group who feel that the Democrats have gotten too distant from the days of FDR and forcing the wealthy to pay 90% of their income in taxes. Since Biden is getting a plethora of support from billionaires and super PACs, the reality is simple. If he's the Dem's nominee, yes, he'll still be the lesser of the two evils, but he'll still be evil.

Look, it's sick that we're a nation where universal healthcare is not a reality. If you have a heart attack or get cancer, you're fucked. Got college debt? Well, you're fucked, too. Working three jobs? Maybe you should have been born with a silver spoon in your mouth, then.

Right now, there's a chance that Biden can still get his ass kicked by Drumpf in the election in November. Why? Progressives won't support him. But, here's an idea: IF he's the Dems' choice for president, he should choose a progressive. Bernie Sanders is a good idea and so is Rashida Tlaib (I'd go with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but she's not 35 yet). Thing is, is that Al Gore lost in 2000 in part because he chose Joe Lieberman as his running mate. Hillary Clinton's veep of choice in 2016, Tim Kaine supported coal mines while Virginia governor. He's also anti-abortion and is not a fan of Medicare for All.

But, if the Dems once again won't allow progressives to sit at the table so they can bow to their billionaire masters, I feel that we should punish them. How? By voting for the Green Party candidate. Yes, there's a "none of the above" on the ballot, and to me, that's the one. If the Dems want to play dirty, me and others will bring it, even if it means four more years of Drumpf. Remember, the whole world lost their asses in 2008 because they kissed Bush's ass. True, Obama acted like a progressive. But, Obamacare proved otherwise.

If I vote Green, my fist shall be seen.
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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

3.10.20 Bee-otch of the Day: Thomas H. Lee Partners

BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!

Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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Name: Thomas H. Lee Partners
Age: 46
Occupation: buyout firm
Last Seen: Boston
Bee-otched For: taking a 2X4 to Art Van

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When one thinks of Michigan, they think of cars, peninsulas, cherries and Art Van Furniture.

For 61 years, the iconic furniture store had been furnishing generations of Michigan homes. My parents bought from Art Van when I was a kid. I still have old furniture that was bought from there years ago.

Soon, Art Van will be no more.

Last week, they announced that all their company owned stores would be liquidated and closed as part of their Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Franchised locations would remain open, however. Even though they're known for their liberal amount of advertising (which includes a cringeworthy ripoff of "We're An American Band" with "brand" replacing "band"), it just hasn't been the same since the family that started it sold the business several years ago.

Art Van was started in 1959 by its namesake, Archie Van Elslander at the corner of Gratoit and 10 Mile near Detroit. In the 61 years since, Art Van grew to over 140 locations in six states. Sadly, Archie died at 87 in 2018. Shortly before his death, the Van Elslander family decided to sell their stores to Thomas H. Lee Partners, a private equity firm out of Boston.

What lead to Art Van's demise was all because of Lee's poor management of the company. They were constantly expanding while sales were being diminished thanks to competition and internet sales. It's also worth noting that the man who filed Art Van's bankruptcy also helped run Kmart and Sears, two companies also run into the ground because of them being leveraged.

Equity firms have a farmers' philosophy, and it's not to have all your eggs in one basket. If one business fails, it's not the end of the world. They'll have other companies that do OK. Lee's investments include Univision, Guaranteed Rate (the namesake of the Chicago White Sox' stadium) and a little company called iHeartMedia. As we all know, that company let go dozens of programmers and DJs from their stations not long ago while giving cancer-stricken Rush Limbaugh another massive contract.

Meanwhile, Art Van owes their suppliers some $20 million. Those companies include Serta, La-Z-Boy and the company that produces their commercials. The company even had to pay an $8 million tariff bill last year.

Because of Art Van's liquidation, customers are now being ripped-off since their warranties are null and void. Long lines are being formed in front of their soon-to-be shuttered stores and some customers are not happy since at some of their locations, their delivery drivers all quit.

Maybe - just maybe - this is why I never buy an extended warranty on anything. Hell, I remember buying stuff from Circuit City and them begging me to get a warranty like Mel Blanc impersonating the Lucky Strike Auctioneer. Gee, I wonder what happened to them?

Look, it sucks that Art Van will soon be a memory. Hell, they saved the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade when Hudson's was begat to Marshall Field's and then (ironically) Macy's. Honestly, I like that parade better since it's not loaded with tacky Broadway dorkiness. But, it's the way of the world, especially when one spends more than they earn. Plus the fact that I know people who bought furniture from Art Van and it broke some time later.

When Art Van goes, it won't be the end of the world. Hell, there's a furniture store on every block where I live. I remembered when Mattress Firm seemed to have a store on every street corner! They too, went bankrupt and scaled way back on their stores. Now, they only have one store close to here.

So Art Van, you'll be missed. Sorta.

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Monday, March 9, 2020

3.9.20 Bee-otches of the Day: people not voting in the primaries

BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!

Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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Name: various
Age: various
Occupation: various
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: primary? Huh?

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Tomorrow is a very big day for the great state of Michigan.

Our primary is happening and the race between Bernie Sanders and Grandpa Biden (and if anybody still cares, Tulsi "Present" Gabbard) is very hotly contested. However, I'm miffed that this morning, I read that sadly, Biden is in the lead here in this state.

By double digits.

In most polls, Biden is leading Bernie. Now, some of the polls only have 'Ol Joe in a small lead. I guess it depends on who you can trust.

Bernie has really made his way across this state. Hell, Calder Plaza here in Grand Rapids was packed to the brim with over 7,000 people on Sunday. I contemplated going there, but with me having a cold, it just wasn't possible. Sorry, but I don't want to infect those voting tomorrow if they choose to do so.

And I do mean IF they vote.

The recent primaries have had a huge problem: the lack of younger voters. True, Bernie and Joe are both old. Bernie just had a heart attack and Joe's senile. I know. I used to never vote in primaries myself. But since I've become more progressive in recent years and less "vote blue no matter who", I've made it a point to vote in every primary.

OK, so if you are, let's say 18-34 and don't know who to vote for, Bernie's more like this and Joe's more like this.

Ya know, once upon a time, I was just like a lot of young people. I was beyond deep in debt and working a low-wage job to make ends meet. I know how it feels to have doors shut in my face because I was young and broke. Thankfully, I proved myself to my new bosses and I'm paying off my bills. It's sick that thanks to Drumpf and other Repukes, minimum wage has not gone up in over a decade. Plus, I've had to pay higher taxes this year while Drumpf and his wealthy friends get tax breaks and play around while I'm the one doing all the work.

This is why I love Bernie. He's for a $15 minimum wage. Think that's too much. Think of it this way: in 1970, minimum wage was $1.60. Adjusted for inflation, that's $10.60 per hour! Today, it's only $7.25.

Thanks to the Coronavirus and Drumpf's stupidity, the Dow is shrinking faster than what it did in 2008. It's fucking STUPID that he has somebody who's anti-science, Mike Pence to be responsible for looking out for COVID-19 for America. Same thing with the other cabinets he's running down, especially education, and the fact that a bitch who never went to public school, Betsy Devos is telling our nation's kids that it sucks to be them.

I know. Some people view Bernie as crazy. He screams and speaks in a Jewish accent. But guess what? Better him over Biden and especially Drumpf. Biden won't help the crises that's affecting this great nation. After all, he approved of NAFTA and other trade deals that have killed American jobs. He built privatized prisons to keep people of color off the street.

True, better Biden over Drumpf if he ends up the Democratic nominee for president. But, ever hear of the Green Party? Basically put, they were created simply because in the past 50 years, the Dems have gotten too far into the middle. Because of corporate greed and their inability of jumpstarting the economy. They've forgotten about FDR and how he created the middle class and unions, plus the fact that he got us out of the Great Depression.

The point is that if Bernie loses Michigan tomorrow, it will screw him hardcore. What's even more pathetic is that he won Michigan in 2016 and when Hillary was nominated, she lost Michigan by only 10,000 votes. Traditionally, Michigan has been a blue state thanks to its long association with unions and the middle class. Drumpf was going around telling people here in Michigan that their jobs were safe while Hillary ignored us.

Now, Biden's here in Michigan, too. He knows how important votes are to him, given how Drumpf has royally fucked over this great state. Truth be told, I sure as hell don't understand why the news media here claims that Biden has double digit numbers given his torrid ideals regarding manufacturing

If Biden wins the Democratic nomination, good, though I won't vote for him. Why? 1) He's too moderate and 2) I want to help pave the way for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run in 2024. I know, some of you will cry that a vote for the Green Party is a vote for Drumpf. FALSE. I want to tell the Democrats that in my lifetime, they've given us two moderates as president and both had their issues. Under Clinton, we got NAFTA and Telecom 96. Thanks to NAFTA, many of our manufacturing jobs are out of the country and in the hands of workers who are probably planning to come here for a better life for their them and their families. Telecom 96 caused too many media mergers to the point where here in Grand Rapids, all three of the major companies that own radio stations have been bankrupt. Up in northern Michigan, there were five radio groups 15 years ago. One of them was sold to another company for $7 million only to be sold back to the original owner for not even $2 million several years ago. Another group bought a popular radio station in 1996 for $3 million. They mismanaged it and ended up selling it to a competitor for just over $200k recently.

True, Obama was to the left of Bill, but he had his problems, too. Obamacare helped a lot of people but didn't help everybody. It's proof that we need single payer universal healthcare here in America. Unfortunately, he didn't get us out of Afghanistan. Plus, he couldn't stop Sandy Hook and other mass shootings from happening.

Sadly, the so-called "liberal media" isn't our friend, either. I think they're rigging Biden to be the winner simply because Bernie's anti-corporate media and anti-billionaire. The cable news networks aren't much help, either, since they're owned by AT&T, Comcast and Rupert Murdoch. Hell, did I tell you that when they do a piece on Bernie, they use the muddiest audio possible? Even their most "liberal" hosts like Rachel Maddow trash Bernie because they're limousine liberals. Hell, Maddow is
worth $20 million, ten times that of Bernie's and a helluva lot more than those who work three jobs and are in immense debt.

Look. During these primaries - and I hope you do vote - please, vote with your heart. Yes, I'm endorsing Bernie. But if you vote for Biden, well, that's your choice. Hell, there's three people going up against Drumpf in the Republican primaries this year (and why the media isn't reporting on it almost doesn't surprise me at all). If you like Bill Weld, Joe Walsh or even Rocky De La Fuente better, the whole world's your oyster. But, this country needs a leader who has never been a sell-out, and that's Bernie.

Michigan, either we swim, or we sink. VOTE.

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