Tea Party: Renter's Shouldn't Vote

Initially, when I heard Tea Party leader Judson Philips felt that renters shouldn't have the right to vote, I wondered what "The Rent Is Too Damn High" Party's Jimmy McMillan would say about that. Then I realized he's too busy peddling his action figures and soliciting dates to really care.

On a Tea Party Nation radio show, Philips alleged:

“The Founding Fathers originally said, they put certain restrictions on who gets the right to vote. It wasn’t you were just a citizen and you got to vote. Some of the restrictions, you know, you obviously would not think about today. But one of those was you had to be a property owner. And that makes a lot of sense, because if you’re a property owner you actually have a vested stake in the community. If you’re not a property owner, you know, I’m sorry but property owners have a little bit more of a vested interest in the community than non-property owners.”

Is this really true? I'm a property owner and I do pay annual taxes, but I'm not voting at every community board meeting, volunteering, or running a non-profit community organization. Last I checked, renters are just as capable of doing all those things as me. Sure, I care about my property value dropping, but I wouldn't say I did anything about it this year. Besides, renters are still paying taxes on their groceries, taxes on their clothes, taxes on their income. I think I'm missing the point here.

Some Founding Fathers Theory nut-jobs would argue that only "white, property-owning males over the age of 21" should have the right to vote because that's how it was in the earliest years of our nation. However, the Founding Fathers themselves argued for states' rights.

By and large, the states did dictate who could and couldn't vote until the 15th amendment was ratified in 1870, declaring: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Still, states like Alabama, Virginia and Mississippi levied poll taxes to limit the "power of the people."

As the wise Benjamin Franklin once said:

"Today a man owns a jackass worth 50 dollars and he is entitled to vote; but before the next election the jackass dies. The man in the mean time has become more experienced, his knowledge of the principles of government, and his acquaintance with mankind, are more extensive, and he is therefore better qualified to make a proper selection of rulers—but the jackass is dead and the man cannot vote. Now gentlemen, pray inform me, in whom is the right of suffrage? In the man or in the jackass?"

But perhaps it's not so much about renters as it is about voting bases and xenophobia.

Top 5 Christmas Youtube Parodies

Tis the season to be jolly, but it’s also the season for hilarious Youtube parodies. It’s almost an American tradition to subjugate the true meaning of Christmas to fit our agenda – whether it’s to sell a Lexus, push legislation through Congress, guilt relatives into spending time with us, solicit charitable donations, switch to a new cable service provider, peddle Jehovah’s Witness brochures, or get consumers to open up their coiffeurs and spend, spend, spend!

Here’s a few of my favorite Christmas Youtube videos…

1. JibJab: Year in Review

Well, okay, this first one isn’t necessarily a Christmas video, so much as it’s a New Year video, but this annual JibJab offering always comes out around Christmas, so I’m including it on my list. This one’s a little more fast-paced and hard to comprehend in one sitting than previous years, but it’s no less enjoyable. You’ll fondly recall all of this year’s worst national memories… performed by puppets. Classic!

2. Lady Gaga’s Christmas Album

Just last night, I was telling my father and sister how much I hate the Mariah Carey Christmas album. “Mariah Carey is getting old and she’s probably getting ready to pass on the torch to some younger trick,” I worried. “Just imagine what’s next – Lady Gaga’s Christmas album! Fa-la-la-la-laaaa, Fa-la, La-la-laaaa. It’s going to be bad… real bad.” Apparently I’m not the only one who is concerned about this.

3. Sarah Palin Kills Rudolph

Admittedly, I’m not crazy about Jimmy Kimmel. I do like that he aptly points out the mean-spirited timing behind Sarah Palin’s highly publicized reindeer hunting expedition putting a damper on Christmas, while young kids anxiously await Santa’s and his eight reindeer. Also, as a child of the eighties, I love claymation everything.

4. Joe Biden’s War On Christmas

Just when the Bill O’Reilly followers have declared this year marks a “win” on the War Against Christmas, Joe Biden makes legislators (gasp) do their job the week before Christmas (ho ho hoh-no!) and comes out and makes a statement like “Don’t tell ME about Christmas.” Love his audacity and love this Christmas parody.

5. Antoine Dodson Christmas Song

This video will only be funny if you’ve been following the plight of Youtube Remix Sensation, Antoine Dodson. So if you have no idea what I’m talking about please see Exhibit A and Exhibit B first. Then you may appreciate this latest parody. You know nothing will ever top the original Rapist in Lincoln Park remix, but this gives you something new to quote with your friends at any rate.

Tea Party candidate elect Allen West is already butting heads before he is even sworn in.

It should come to no surprise to anyone who knows Tea Party elect Republican Rep. Allen West of florida that he is not afraid to speak his mind. Allen West was first brought to national attention in 2003 during the Iraq war. Allen West is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. army. In 2003 while in Iraq lets say he got a little over zealous during a interrogation. West thought an Iraqi police officer was with holding information and allegedly shot a few rounds with his .45 next to the police officers head. Lets just say the Iraqi police officer began to sing a like a canary. It was never proven whether the information West obtained through his tactics were factual but West said he would do it again to keep his men safe. Allen West was court marshaled and allowed to retire with full military benefits.

In more recent history Allen West has been accused of being too closely associated with a shady biker gang named the "Out laws Motorcycle Club". He has been photoed at rallies that the Out Laws were sponsoring. Emails were also obtained where it seems West is defending his association with the Out Laws.

Who is Allen West butting heads with now? Come January House Majority leader Eric Cantor of all people. Probably not the best way to make new friends in congress or maybe that West's point. West wrote a letter to Cantor complaining that in the entire month of January their is only 10 days of scheduled work. In the entire year only 123 days of congressional sessions. In the letter West asked Cantor how any progress could be made with all the large looming problems are country faces with only 10 days of Congressional sessions. "As we know, Congress needs to work to create jobs, reduce the deficit, strengthen our economy, limit the size of government and contend with a plethora of national security issues," West wrote in a statement to Cantor. "How are we to do that when, among other things, we start off being in session only ten days the entire month of January?" In response to that Eric Cantors spokesman Brad Dayspring said that more time in Washington does not necessarily mean more work will be accomplished.

I agree with Allen West here, I think are politicians should be setting a new tone in Washington. These are not ordinary times we are in and anything different and positive can help. Who do you agree with Eric Cantor or Allen West.

Huffington Post - Allen West sends letter to Eric Cantor

Tax cut deal: What to expect in your paycheck

Tax cut deal: What to expect in your paycheck

With all this debate back and forth about tax cuts and extensions this is what it all boils down to. Check out the link and see how you will benefit or not. Are you happy about the compromise President Obama made in order to extend the Bush era tax cuts?

Top 5 Notorious Celebrities of 2010

Celebrity gossip is one of those strange phenomena that just sort of seeks you out, whether you care about it or not. Perhaps you glimpsed a headline of a magazine in the checkout line, heard a snippet of the news as you were changing channels, or caught wind of it on your friend’s Facebook page. Somehow our heads are filled with all these useless details, these fixations on other people’s unfortunate breakdowns. With 2010 wrapping up, let’s take a look back at some of the most outrageous and notorious celebrity moments of 2010…

1. Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen is one of those misogynist creeps you really can’t hear enough about. He snorts cocaine, he binge drinks, he parties with hookers, he skips paying the bill on said hookers, he threatens to kill them, he trashes hotel rooms, he yells slurs at the cops – all while playing the role of “Father and Husband.” Oh Charlie, what can’t you do?

This year was a doozy for Mr. Sheen. He spent much of it in rehab for drugs and alcohol, but still managed to make headlines with his wild nights out on the town. The debacle began with a few $5,000 bottles of champagne and some blow at Daniels Restaurant in New York. Then his porn star concubine Capri Anderson refused to have sex with him in the restaurant bathroom because he still owed her $12,000. His assistant found him naked on the toilet with cocaine covering his face.

Later, Sheen had trouble finding his wallet back at his Plaza Hotel room, which caused him to fly into a violent $7,000-hotel-damages-bill sort of rage and lock his naked hooker pal in the closet. This was while he was in town to see his children, with ex-wife Denise Richards staying another room over, mind you. The best way out? Have a spokesperson say you had an allergic reaction to a medication and go to the hospital, post haste.

2. Lady Gaga

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Lady Gaga is a world-class weirdo. Yet, to her fans, it’s precisely this oddball fetish that draws them to her. They love her lavish Marie Antoinette hairstyles and meat dresses. They love her bright red lipstick and her topless crowd surfing at Lollapalooza.

Jerry Seinfeld and Mets fans were not impressed when Lady Gaga got real drunk and flipped everyone off continuously, while wearing a leather jacket and a bathing suit. Later, she caused an even bigger stir when she watched the Mets vs. Yankees game at Yankee Stadium with her bra hanging out of a half-buttoned Yankees jersey. She guzzled her whiskey and sauntered into the locker room like she owned the place, groping herself and seeing if there were any takers. (There weren’t.) Hal Steinbrunner banned her from the clubhouse indefinitely.

3. Mel Gibson

We all like to think of Mel Gibson as heroic Benjamin Martin from “The Patriot” or Scottish rebel William Wallace from “Braveheart.” Maybe you even think he’s a bit romantic, given his roles in “What Women Want” or “Forever Young.” Well, he’s come a long way, baby.

In 2010, his most notorious moment involves his contempt for breast implants. The highly publicized call with Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his lovechild, began with Mel ripping into her for breast feeding with “fake t*ts.” She, of course, denies it and he launches into quite a rant. He told her they look like “a Vegas whore,” that she looks like a “bitch in heat.”

The real contention comes when he told her, “If you get raped by a pack of ni**ers, it will be your fault, alright? Because you provoked it.” Yikes. It’s bad enough that Joan Rivers and Winona Ryder say Mel is a “horrible anti-semite,” but now he had to pull the race card and add another monkey to his back… way to go…

4. Lindsay Lohan

If you were looking forward to seeing Lindsay Lohan cast as Linda Lovelace from "Deep Throat," then you can think Lohan’s penchant for cocaine and boozing for dashing your dreams. Producers find her capricious, unpredictable, up-all-night partying ways to be “100% uninsurable.”

It seemed Miss Lohan just couldn’t stay out of jail and/or rehab this year. It was as if she just couldn’t wait to get out, get busted again, and see what she could get away with this time.

She served 14 days of a 90-day sentence the first time. She stayed at her rehab treatment facility for 23 days out of 90.

She then served a few hours and paid $300,000 bail to get out of a 30-day sentence for violating her probation.

At one of her court hearings, she reportedly had the words "F**k U" painted on her nails, which led many to believe she's not very serious about her recovery.

On October 22nd, she was ordered to remain in rehab at the Betty Ford Center until January 3, 2011. Despite all her weepy theatrics, do you think she’s “trying the best she could?”

5. Alec Baldwin

Of all the characters in the Top 5 of 2010 notorious celebrity list, Alec Baldwin seems the most unlikely to land here. Yet, his firebrand daughter is really pushing him to the brink of insanity. This year, a 2007 voicemail was released where he called Kim Basinger “a thoughtless pain the ass” and his 11-year-old daughter Ireland “a rude thoughtless little pig.” He threatens to hop on a plane to “straighten her ass out,” which doesn’t really sound like father-daughter bonding time.

Three years later, he apologized for his embarrassingly public speech. Yet, in another phone conversation, he told Ireland, “I'm tired of this… I'm going to take some pills… I'm going to end this," prompting her to make a frantic call to 911. He was checked into a hospital to make sure he was in no danger of harming himself and you’d better believe the Paparazzi were waiting for him outside the hospital. When reporters were still dogging him after he got out of work that day, he flew off the handle, paranoid that Kim Basinger had put his daughter up to calling 911, and attacked NY Post photographer Tim Wiencis. Is Baldwin a man pushed to the edge by circumstance, or is this just the beginning of his mid-life crisis?

Voyager 1 Spacecraft Headed for the Edge of our Solar System

In this very moment, 10.8 billion miles from the sun, nuclear-powered Voyager 1 is hurtling towards the edge of our solar system at a rapid 38,000mph. In 1998 Voyager 1 bypassed Pioneer 10 and claimed the honor of being the farthest reaching human-made object in space. This mighty journey that launched in 1977 has brought to the scientific community an incredible amount of excitement and accomplishment for the past 33 years. The constant trickle of information that this unmanned probe reveals to us about our vast, incredibly unknown universe (or, at least for now, our galaxy), is invaluable to our exploration of space and helps us begin to understand it and the wonders it hides. Voyager 1 has been exploring a particular region of space where the solar winds (a 1 million mile per hour stream of charged particles gushing from the sun) eventually slows and converges with thin gasses between stars. As the outward speed of the solar winds drops to zero, scientists are finally seeing the indication they were expecting, telling them that the probe is approaching the edge of the solar system. This area is known as the heliopause. Though it will take an additional four years from now for Voyager 1 to exit our solar system, the wealth of information that we will receive once it reaches interstellar space (as well as the information obtained along the way) will continue to inspire and help the scientific community. Space exploration is coming to an extremely exciting age and is just now able to reach places we could only dream of in earlier decades.

If the thought of interstellar space exploration isn’t enough for you, here’s another bit of fun information that makes the Voyager 1 even more of a catch. Carl Sagan, a well known and loved physicist, along with his associates at Cornell University, assembled a spectacular greeting for intelligent extraterrestrial life (or future humans) should they be encountered. This 12-inch, gold plated phonograph record made for NASA contains a compilation of what Dr. Sagan believed to be a fine representation of the wide diversity found in human civilization. The disk contains a total of 155 images and sounds that are in an assortment of languages and covers many different eras. This compilation encompasses human culture in a nutshell so wonderfully that it would be a shame for intelligent life not to find it. Until extraterrestrial contact is made, however, we’ll just have to be content with the continuing excitement that the Voyager 1’s journey brings those wgi are entrapped by the many mysteries of space.

Is Republican Rep. John A. Boehner a cry baby?

Rep. John A. Boehner from Ohio the newly elected Republican Speaker of the House seems to be a very emotional man . In two recent notable examples he has been over come by his emotions. Even out going House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that Rep. Boehner has cried before while debating hard fought bills on the House floor.

His two latest crying incidents have come when he won re election in November and as recently as last weekend during a interview with Lesley Stahl on " 60 minutes ". In both incidents he was brought to tears by explaining how hard he worked to achieve the American Dream and how hard it is for school children to succeed today. Rep. Boehner is well known for crying at retirement speeches, victory speeches and when it comes to children and education according to his friend Rep. Tom Latham a Republican from Ohio.

I am glad that Rep Boehner is comfortable expressing his emotions but I wonder what people would say if Nancy Pelosi was crying all the time? Rep. Boehner worked at his family owned Pub in Cincinnati Ohio named "Andy's Cafe". I would assume his family was making enough money to employ him, plus it might be easier working for a family business. That in no way to takes away from their success but Rep Boehners rise to the top might not be the struggle one might think when you see him crying all the time. I think he's always crying because he knows that he is a lucky man and those are tears of joy. All of us work hard and try to do are best but we don't whined being Speaker of the House.

The Washington Post - For Boehner, there's crying in politics - and other times, too

Los Angeles Times - A crying Shame

Rep. Boehner Crying at his victory speech.




Cbs "60 Minutes" Interview video with Lesly Stahl and John A. Boehner

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Federal Reserve?

Ben Bernanke's watery, sleepless doe eyes stared placidly at Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes. He spoke softly, but he did not carry a big stick. His face twitched nervously and his lip curled unnaturally. His body language told me to be afraid... be very, very afraid. This was the man trusted with chairing the Federal Reserve and overseeing the economy... you know, the economy that's tanking. It was under his watch that all these regrettable subprime mortgage scams prevailed, banks dried up and stopped lending, the biggest bail-out in history was passed, and 8.5 million jobs were lost.

That's all old news, of course... but what worries me is that Bernanke is openly unhinged about two aspects of the economy -- the unemployment that he says will "likely take five to six years to recover," and worse yet, the possibility that our low inflation will lead to declining prices, falling wages, and a downward spiral much like the Great Depression. To be optimistic, Bernanke tells us that the housing market can't get any weaker: it's already at rock bottom. That's hardly a vote of confidence.

Predictably, this master of financial voodoo is still trying to convince us that the best course of action for the economy is more from the Federal Reserve. The only thing propping us up right now, Bernanke tells us, is the Fed's buying up of Treasury securities to keep interest rates low. He wants to clean up the tax code, close loopholes, lower rates across the board. He wants more regulatory power and oversight of financial institutions like Goldman Sachs and AIG. He believes better education will close the gap between rich and poor.

But as hopeful as Bernanke tries to be in his description of possible solutions, his demeanor tells us he's freaked out. His last words in the interview was, " I think that in the longer term the United States will retain its leading position in the world. But again, we gotta get there. And we have some very difficult challenges over the next few years." Yet, in Bernanke's worst nightmare, the entire budget will go toward Medicare, Medicaid, and debt interest, leaving the country with no defense budget -- completely disarmed and helpless.

Perhaps a new type of nightmare is coming to the Federal Reserve, however. In 2011, Ron Paul will head the House Subcommittee on Monetary Policy. This rogue Libertarian will be in charge of the oversight of Bernanke and cronies. Ron Paul's contempt for the Federal Reserve is not very secret. This week, CNBC asked him, "So you've written a book titled 'End the Fed'. Do you still want to eliminate the Federal Reserve?" His response was, "Oh sure, but I think the Fed will end itself before I'm able to do it."

One can only wonder what sort of wild ride is ahead -- both for Bernanke, with his dreams of heightened power, and for the fragile economy that's propped up by cooked books and crooks.

Senate Republicans say NO to helping 9/11 First Responders

Senate Republicans on Thursday Prevented a measure to provide extra funds to September 11th first responders who have become sick from working at the World Trade Center site. The Bill that was voted down was called the Zadroga Bill after a New York City police officer who died from respiratory disease. The vote came out to 57-42 which allowed the Senate Republicans to hold up the bill.

Republicans vowed not to pass any further legislation until The tax cut and Government funding Bill were passed first. They also had concerns about how the government was going to come up with the estimated $7.4 billion it would take to fund the 9/11 bill. Sadder then the fact that it has been ten years and this bill still has not passed next year with the change in power it's very unlikely the Zadroga Bill will even make it to the house floor.

New york state Sen. Kristen Gillinbrand said "Frankly, it's exactly whats wrong with Washington -- an example of politics put above the people". Sen. Chuck Schumer vowed "to pursue every possible route" before the end of the year to pass the bill. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it's “a tragic example of partisan politics trumping patriotism,” and that Republicans should reconsider.

I just wrote a post about hypocrisy and here you again before the ink dries the Republicans seem to through up another example. I hate to keep on picking on Republicans but when you refuse to pass a $20 billion un employment bill or even worse a $7.4 billion 9/11 first responders bill in order to first pass a $900 billion two year tax extension things seem pretty clear to me. God forbid we have another attack I hope first responders don't second guess doing their jobs because of this lack of support.













BloomBerg - Senate Republicans Block 9/11 Bill


Government Excutive - Republicans block 9/11 health bill

Does The U.S. Have The Balls To Deal With North Korea?

Does North Korea have war on their mind? At this point we can only speculate. There's a lot of tough talk flying around, a lot of tests, a few people killed here and there. This morning, U.S. military officials told North Korea that the United States' commitment to help South Korea maintain their independence is "unquestioned." But when it comes down to it, what sort of clout does the U.S. really carry anymore?

"I do think what that we've seen there is an example of how provocative American weakness can be," Liz Cheney, daughter of former VP Dick Cheney, told Fox News this week. "And I think that unfortunately it is policy of weakness that has expanded back into the Bush administration -- into the last years of the Bush administration," she added, taking a surprising jab at her father's tenure in office.

In 2008, President Bush removed Korea from "the Axis of Evil" distinction and the terrorist list. Even when Kim Jong-il conducted 2001 tests of the Taepodong-1 missile and told Bush that he "wouldn't hesitate" to strike the U.S. first in a military attack, we remained silent. (Click here to see a timeline of our wimpy policy with North Korea.) In the wake of rising aggression, the best we can do is send Bill Richardson on an "unofficial visit" with no real news at all? If North Korea is testing the United States, then we have failed miserably. The truth is, we're more afraid of what China could do if they happened to side with North Korea. At the moment, we're stuck at the impotent round-table of six party talks, as per China's request.

"I think that we've seen time and time again North Korea -- they test a nuclear weapon, there are no consequences, they build a reactor for the Syrians, there are no consequences," Liz Cheney said. "And what they have learned is that their belligerence, in fact, often times yields from us capitulation and concessions. I think that it's time for us to put them back on the terrorist list."

Cheney's proposed solution of putting North Korea back on the terrorist list is a mere technicality. "Sanctions" may be a bargaining chip for minor details, but aren't effective in this situation. The military drills we're conducting with Japan is a smart move. Other bold deterrents might be increasing troop levels in the South Korean peninsula, seeking a UN resolution authorizing use of force should North Korea escalate tensions again, and to encourage talks with Russia that assure North Korea that they will not have access to Russian nukes.

Hypocrisy at it's best the cost of extending the $3.9 trillion Bush era Tax cuts

With the end of the year looming the U.S. Congress has decided to work at a fever pitch to try and hammer out a deal to extend both unemployment benefits and the Bush era Tax cuts. In 2008 then Presidential nominee Barack Obama made it one of his campaign pledges not to extend the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans. It seems now that he might have to go back on his campaign promise in order to assure the extension of unemployment benefits to those in need.

As of today White House Deputy press Secretary Bill Burton has confirmed that negotiations are still on going and negotiators "have been making progress and the president is confident within the next couple of days" a deal will be had. Last week the house of Representatives approved President Obama proposal to extend the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts for those making $200,000 or less but house republicans would have none of that. On Saturday in an attempt to appease Senate Republicans the Democrats proposed setting the limit at million dollars or more before your taxes were increased but that also was not good enough for The Republicans to get on board.

The hypocrisy here is to extend the unemployment benefits its going to cost around $20 billion and to extend the Bush era tax cuts for the must wealthiest of Americans is going to cost more around $3.9 trillion over ten years. When are country was on the verge of total collapse President Obama's economic stimulus plan cost $780 billion and people were having heart attacks. We can have another three stimulus plans of $800 billion and still have a trillion dollars left over if we don't pass the tax extensions.

The Tea Party and the Republicans gained a lot of seats in the elections this November. They ran on the platform of reducing and controlling the federal deficit. The funny thing is that the majority of them support this massive unpaid increase to the national debt. The excuse they have is the same old thing you always hear the trickle down theory . I don't know about you but
over the last ten years I really have not felt anything trickling down into my pocket. The issue that annoys me the most is the Republicans can justify NOT having the money to extend the tax cuts but Democrats have to figure out where they are coming up with $2o billion to pay for unemployment benefits. You be the judge tell us how you feel about the Bush Tax Cut Extensions.

CNN- Obama: Tax Negotiations Continue

Tammy Banovac Stripped searched in wheel chair at Will Rogers World Airport

Now if the stress and rush of the Holiday season has gotten you down this should give you a little pick me up.

Her name is Tammy Banovac and if not already soon will be a national Star. If you think she has a great body your right because she posed in Playboy in 1997. So if your asking yourself, "what the hell is going on in this video?" The answer is Tammy Banovac is making a point and showing how incompetent the TSA is. If this video is not surreal enough for you she actually missed her flight that day because they would not let her through security. The following day Tammy Banovac came back to Will Rogers World Airport to encounter the very same treatment, yes you read that correctly.

The Transportation Security Administration is really embarrassing. This video is exactly the ammunition people need to complain about their civil liberties being violated. Listen I am the first to agree that I don't want to be illegally searched or profiled but when it comes to flying at 35,000 feet in the air I really don't mind a grope here or there. Obviously I am joking but I think you understand my point.

Who Is The Best Scrooge of All Time?

I wonder if Charles Dickens rolled over in his grave when he caught wind that his classic Christmas Carol had inspired Vanessa Williams to play “Ebony Scrooge” in “A Diva’s Christmas Carol” in 2000. Or maybe it was Tori Spelling playing Carol “Scroogette” Cartman in 2003’s “A Carol Christmas” that really agitated his old bones. Either way, there have been an astounding number of Scrooges portrayed in films over the years – some spot-on and some… well… not so good.

Personally, I’ve always imagined Scrooge to be a curmudgeonly Christophobic crank like Alastair Sim (1951), Seymour Hicks (1913, 1935), or George C. Scott (1984). Don’t get me wrong, I love Kelsey Grammer (2004), Henry Winkler (1979), and Patrick Stewart (1999) and all, but they just aren’t haggard enough, raspy enough, or cold-hearted enough to be a real Scrooge for me, in every sense of the world. I just can’t stop chuckling over my favorite episode of Frasier, recalling how The Fonz was so good at getting that dang juke box to work, or picturing Captain Jean-Luc Picard benevolently commanding the Starship Enterprise. (For the record, The Fonz could possibly be one of the worst Scrooges in living memory.)

That is not to say Scrooge needs to be completely conventional. One of my favorite Scrooges of all time is still Bill Murray (1988). He’s just convincingly sarcastic enough to pull it off. We all know someone who is, perhaps not downright cruel, but certainly self-absorbed, conceited, career-centric, and blinded by how one’s actions can affect others. Didn’t your heart just go out to poor Claire Phillips? Naturally, it didn’t hurt to have Carol Kane, John Glover and Bobcat Goldthwaite cameos either. The whole movie was just a delight in a world of Miracle on 34^th Streets and It’s a Wonderful Lifes.

There’s no limit to how we can re-imagine Charles Dicken’s tale. Scrooge has been black, white, male, female. He’s even been by a computer animated Jim Carrey. Some imagine Scrooge’s voice to be a Walter Matthau, while others imagine Tim Curry. There’s quite a disparity there, wouldn’t you say? A Christmas Carol has been translated to Barbie, The Muppets, Daffy Duck, Mickey Mouse, Mister Magoo, and The Flintstones. Given all the possibilities, the question is not will there be another Scrooge in the future, but who will be the next Scrooge?

Readers: What do you think?