Well... am keeping one new year's resoluton...

in that I listen to more local news on the radio... and have to open my eyes very wide at what is going on.....

More on that in a minute.

The Hungarians have seemingly gotten what would be most likely one of Rick Snyder's wet dreams... what he intstituted as governor of Michigan got enacted for the entire country of Hungary. And that in their constitution, yet!

Snyder overrides city elected officials by appointing robber barons.... errrm... 'emergency managers' for cities that aren't doing well. Or for cities that have public lands rich people want to build on but were gifts to the city for everyone to use 'in perpetuity'... which no longer means forever, seemingly.

So uhhhh... these robber barons... errm... emergency managers... go in to a city they target... which will most likely lean to voting for democrats, and they basically shut out the elected officials, and act on whatever their munificent benefactors wish. And the officials like the mayor and city council who were ELECTED, remain as such in name only, have no say in any matter, and are virtually powerless.

So what's that do do with Hungary? Well they had elections, and an extreme right party got the majority in parliament, and the chancellor, so they did a Scott Walker, and overnight, slipped a provision into the constitution installing a new sort of official. And HIS duty is... he can veto anything the parliament passes if the powers that be don't like it. After a democratic passing of any bill... the guy can nix it.

Same principle, Preciousses.

Although far worse, actually... it's taking Snyder's ruse to a new level.

So for the New Year on the first, tens of thousands of Hungarians arose to protest in Budapest, and are outraged.

I've seen no local headlines, have no tee-vee, but there was one good ten minute coverage of it on our most reputable radio station, and I thought, 'Whoa!'

I mean, they're our next door neighbors, one of them...

The Socialists refuse to bargain with the conservatives, who are in the minority and whining about it... much like the rethugs.

And the conservatives? Well they got them some big idears, all right. Wanting to go after the unions, who are strong, much in the way it started in the US, and I KNOW they take their playbook from over there. Right now it's , 'well they're gonna have to sacrifice something too.'

Unemployment is lowest in the EU... 4.6 %. Which is good.

And the progressives came up with an idear.... we all get 14 salaries a year. Two in June for vacation time, and two at the beginning of December, for the horridays. I know I'm not alone in saying it would have been better to just distribute that throughout the year with better salaries, but people sort of depend on those two 'windfalls', so the monthly earnings were lower. They always win in the end, hey...

The progressives would like to eliminate the two extra salaries for the topmost income bracket... after all, they are wealthy, so it isn't as if they NEED it, right?

The conservatives reaction was the personification of indignance. But hey, the public workers, and unions? They can sacrifice something, ya know?

Sound FAMILIAR?

I've always said, whatever crap idear the rethugs there have, it finds it's way here in a heartbeat. That's why they are called international conglomerates, they pipe them the tune to sing.

Otherwise, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Lots of injuries to young people via fireworks... and one kid misjudged the time, or it was defective and got him in the head. And he died. 18 years old, and this is why I've always thought the damned things should be banned for personal use, but, hey they make millions and millions on em.

A former minister is involved in a scandal... laundering money and tax evasion for starters which evinced a yawn from me. What else is new, hey?

Last night a four family house caught fire in Melk... but the firemen had to wait for a herpetologist before they could go in to fight it... because, you see, one of the tenants told them there was a terrarium full of venomous vipers in the basement, where it started. And snake man had to round them up before they could do their job. There were seven of them and the largest was five feet long. ewww Snakes in the Cellar!, hey.

Another guy in Vienna turned on the gas in a four-party house on New Years Eve... supposedly a suicide attempt and he sorta made sure everyone else was out. It blew up. Reason? His girlfriend had dumped him. That he made three families homeless? Na ja...

I 'think' he died... not sure, but if not, he should have.

So... we're four days into the New Year, and everyone was 'oh, it's such a time of optimism', to which I shocked them and replied 'Bullshit'. And yeah, all the bills to be adjusted are coming in, and of course you pay more for everything. As if that were new. What I did not like was the tone when the radio told me us pensioners are gonna get about thirty euros more a month. Sort of whadda we need it for anyway snark, and its LOTS.. uh-huh.

Well my rent just went up thirty-FIVE, so what, I'm supposed to do a Snoopy dance, or something? Because it's only five???? And won't even discuss how the heating cost rose. Oh yeah, lots to be optimistic about. Peter will get more gaga, and I really can't think how anything would make me look on the bright side at present.

So... that's a widening of the news front, but as you see... what happens there is happening here as well, as long as the politicians can get away with it. I usually listen in the morning ´while slaughtering orks, and shaking my head lots. If anyone were to see me from outside, they'd think I have Parkinson's.