And when I say 10%, I really mean 5.7%, or sometimes 1.9%.

I know I'm not surprised.

Remember all that hoopla about reducing our insurance rates this last legislative session? Remember how Papa Joe Cheerleader was just all jazzed about doing away with third party bad faith suits because they were so harmful to insurance companies that they couldn't possibly make a profit? Remember, this was going to translate into tangible bucks in your pocket in the form of auto insurance rate reductions?

Remember when people like Jill Cranston Bentz (insurance lobbyist and chief industry whore) were all excited about how this was just going to be sooooooo great for both the industry, AND the policyholders? Remember when the number that kept getting kicked around was a 10% rate reduction? "Eliminate third party bad faith suits, and we (the insurance companies) would reduce rates 10% to policyholders," was the battlecry from the insurance industry.

Well, they got their elimination of third party bad faith suits.

And look what seeps out of the Insurance Commission's bowels on Friday afternoon, after all the major media has gone into shutdown mode for the weekened. Nationwide ponys up to the bar, and offers less than a 6% decrease, and Geico (you know, the one able to afford umpteen gazillion tv ads with some stupid assed cartoon lizard) offers a whopping 1.7% decrease.

You know that weird feeling you are getting in your rectal regions right about now? It's not gas.

Like I said, I know I'm not surprised.

I'm baaaack. Next up on the target list, Danny Wells, Swinger 'Stache, Hoppy Kercheval, and others.

As you can see, I haven't updated much in the last couple weeks. I've been lax, and will strive to do better. I had air conditioner malfunctions last week during that beastly hot spell, and it was just too damn hot to do anything, let alone blog. And once it got fixed, I was just so relieved to be back in the coolness, that I couldn't get the blood pressure up enough to need the steam release that is this blog. Now, after a few days back in the comfort zone of about 68-70 degrees, I'm ready to start smacking some people around again. There have been some very naughty people out there who need a couple hours in the Sweatbox, more than I'll be able to cover in one blog session. So I'll be fairly quick with the updates in the next few days.

Let's start with an easy one, Danny Wells. He did his usual "bash boxing" column the other day in the paper. Again, he laments that people's lives have been ruined by boxing. He even goes so far as to mention that one guy, Ruben Contreras suffered a seizure and is in bad shape after being hit, and Dannyboy goes out of his way to emphasize that the seizure was NOT related to a pre-existing condition. I wonder if Dannyboy is reading this blog, because I sort of mentioned the distinction about pre-existing conditions contributing to injuries in other sports (like football) in a previous blog entry about Wells' anti-boxing fetish.

I guess Dannyboy doesn't like to talk about all the football players whose lives have been ruined by football, like Nick Buoniconti's son who was paralyzed from a hit on the football field. Or Darrell Stingley, or any number of other football players who've been seriously injured on the field, and not just at the pro level. And that doesn't even mention those guys like Steve Courson or Lyle Alzado (and God knows how many others) who died because of what they did to play football (most likely steroid related). No, he doesn't mention any of those guys, let alone even touch on the danger that is NASCAR. Come on, Danny, show us how concerned you are about people's safety in sports. Write a column and say that NASCAR is dangerous and should be outlawed. If NASCAR was outlawed, we'd still have Dale Earnhardt Sr. with us. Instead, we honor his death (directly caused by his sport), by making state license plates with his #3 emblem on them.

I bet Dannyboy doesn't have the stones to go there, now that he needs the votes of the NASCAR lovin' West Virginians to perpetuate his sucking at the public trough.

Let's see, who's next? We haven't taken any shots at ol Swinger 'Stache Agnello lately. I know there's a couple of you out there who live for the shots I take at the ol' Chicago Furlip. Lately, 58 Live looks like it's trying to change its name to "M Radio," kind of like how we got MTV in the 80's. Except the "M" in "M Radio" stands for Meth. Every damn day, it's at LEAST a half hour about the evils of Meth and what informational meeting about meth Mr. Cheeseball is hosting or attending. I just want to know where the money for all these informational meetings is coming from, and why is Agnello pimping them so hard. I wonder if he's financially involved in putting those meetings together somehow, because he sure as hell spends a lot of time at them, and even more time hyping them up on his show. I know meth is a problem, and needs to be addressed, but for crying out loud, give it a rest once in a while and talk about something else for a change.

Plus, today he had to read the autopsy results from Terry Schiavo, basically proving that all his whining 3 months ago was unjustified. He whined her husband smacked her around, and even insinuated he caused her condition, on more than one occasion. He basically parroted the line of bullshit spewed by the Hannity's and the Limbaugh's and the other goofballs who were convinced there was some nefarious activity responsible for her condition, and blaming Hubby for it. And that she was responsive to all this stimuli and she wasn't a complete vegetable. And the autopsy report released today basically said bullshit to all that. There was no evidence of trauma. Her brain had atrophied to 1/2 it's normal size. She was also completely blind. All those videos we saw of her "responding" to her parents or music or whatever? All bullshit, according to the autopsy report.

Hey Agnello, I've got a nice big greasy crow sandwich for you. Get busy.

Who's next? Let's put ol' Hoppy Kercheval and a couple others on the spot for a minute. He's lately gotten on this anti-gambling kick to bash the little slot parlors that have sprung up across the state. He thinks the situation is somehow worse than it was before the slots were legalized in the commentary I linked above. I'm not sure what State Hoppy lived in during the 90's, but I know in West Virginia, you couldn't go into a convenience store or gas station anywhere, and not trip over the "gray machines." Now, at least you have to make an actual effort to actually see them by entering one of the slot parlors. There's no more machines now, than before. They just are in their own little buildings. And, you can't even actually SEE the actual machines, unless you specifically go looking for them. Somehow, he thinks this constitutes a "headache." He talks about how New Martinsville is putting a moratorium in place for new slot parlors. They don't want them to spring up in residential neighborhoods. Well, get some damn zoning laws you idiots. Hell, these businesses are (should) be paying B&O taxes to the cities, and at least employing a few people. And the cities are mad why exactly? Sounds like a lot of whining over revenue they wouldn't otherwise have. Hell, it's actually economic development, which we keep hearing politicos tout and trumpet. Now you actually HAVE some economic development, and they don't like the "kind" of ED they are getting. What a bunch of idiots.

And Hoppy mentions that many fraternals are being "hurt" by the local slot parlors. Being "hurt" how, exactly? These "fraternals" (like the Moose, Elks, etc) give money to the community, like money for new little league uniforms and stuff like that. But, if you look back over the fraternals' histories, you'll find they were HORRIBLY corrupt when it came to their bingo and raffle fundraising. Do a search on them in the newspapers from a couple years ago. By law, they are only permitted to keep up to 25% of the bingo and raffle proceeds. They are supposed to donate the other 75% to charities. Often, they just pocketed huge chunks of that 75%. In some cases, the amounts pocketed were in the realm of a million dollars or more. In fact, they were SO corrupt with their finances, the State Tax Department cracked down on these fraternals, and yanked some of their bingo and raffle licenses several years ago. It's all considered public knowledge, call the State Tax Department and see for yourselves if you don't believe me. The fraternals were flat out ABUSING their privelege to run charitable bingo and raffle games, and were pocketing the proceeds, instead of donating the proceeds to charity. And this doesn't even count the money they were taking in on their "gray machines" that they also stuck right in their pockets. So don't come and whine to us now about how the slot parlors are hurting your fundrasing and poor little Johnny's little league team will have to wear old uniforms this year. Their first priority has always been filling the fraternal's coffers. Not any sense of philanthropy.

Hoppy, get over the damn slot parlors. There's nothing wrong with the slot parlors. What could be more fair, from a tax standpoint? The only people who PAY the tax are the ones who PLAY the machines. The tax is TOTALLY voluntary. You don't want to pay the tax, don't play the machines. There is no fairer tax in the entire world, than sin taxes (booze, cigs, gambling, etc).

In conjunction with this gambling/slot thing, is another guy who needs to get a foot up his ass from us here at the Sweatbox. The Wetzel County Prosecutor, Tim Haught seems to think cashing checks, is considered extending credit. In his refusal to prosecute people who write bad checks to the slot parlors, he states that checks are credit, and therefore are prohibited by the slot machine regulations. What the hell? Didn't this idiot ever hear of negotiable instruments? Checks, properly indorsed, operate essentially as CASH, not credit, you jackass. How did this dumbshit even get out of law school, let alone pass the bar? If he wants to take a prosecutorial discretion stand and say "I know it's a crime, but I'm not going to prosecute" that's one thing, and hell, I'd at least give him credit for taking that stand. But to say he's got some legal justification to not recognize it as a crime, on the credit/check thing is just plain, flat out ignorance of the law. Someone should actually check and see if this Haught dumbass has an actual license to practice law.