Romney vs. Obama #1

Personally I think Romney blew Obama out of the water, but content-wise, I don't think there was all that much new on either side.

Almost more interesting were the Tweets... Twitter said 4million Tweets were posted during the debate!

I didn't expect Romney to be warm and approachable. He might very well be a very loving man with his family, friends and parishioners but the bottom line is he comes across as a bit of a stuffed shirt. (Perhaps it's his mom jeans... Just kidding!). That said, he *was* strong and confident, speaking TO the President directly.

Obama, however, didn't look at Romney when he spoke; he probably looked at Lehrer 95% of the time... Hash tag #lostwithouthisteleprompter! I think he was a bit surprised by Romney, and that, plus the fact that he's not a good extemporaneous speaker? Definite disadvantage this time out...

I hope the next couple of debates are stronger, content-wise.

And just two comments about Jim Lehrer: did he have an eye lift?!? I found his buggy eyes very distracting. I don't remember him looking like that before... And I don't think he had control of the candidates.

Ryan vs. Biden 10/11/12. I REALLY dislike Biden and have since I met him while I was in college. My family and I were walking along the Green and Biden did his big smile/handshake thing with my dad (completely ignoring my mom, btw). When my dad said we weren't Delaware residents, he just walked away! No "thanks, anyway" or "hope you vote in your home state." Nothing!! Rude, condescending, ignorant... And I'll never change my mind...

I agree with BO this one time...

Anyone who knows me knows I am NOT a fan of our current President.  But in the interests of historical accuracy, I must say that I am happy he has come out in favor of gay marriage.  I actually AGREE with him on this issue.

I know not all of you will agree with me or BO, and I'm not posting this to spark any discussion or controversy, but I've thought long and hard about this issue and thought I might just put my thoughts into words here on my blog.

Sometimes I wonder how much my opinions are influenced by the metropolitan area in which I live, what I'm exposed to each and every day.  Certainly living in the NYC area, even though I was raised in and still live in a suburban neighborhood, certainly that must make me a bit more aware, perhaps, of different lifestyles, different people, different traditions. 

But I was raised in a conservative, faith-filled home, a home filled with love and respect.  It's what I grew up wanting for my own:  a husband, children, a family.  My parents were old-fashioned and traditional.  My mom still is.  I wish my dad were still alive so I could talk with him about all of these issues.  I have a funny feeling he would be much more open-minded than many might expect.  I had a very traditional upbringing in many ways, and in others, my parents were way ahead of their time:  for instance, it was never even an option that we would not go to college.  We were raised to respect our elders.  (Any since we're being honest here, I am now officially one of those elders I had to respect when I was a kid!)

What I wish for each and every one of my children, my nieces and nephews, my friends and their children, is that they find a person they love, who loves them right back at the same time, who makes them happy, who values their love.  I hope they find their own version of MY husband.  And if that person happens to be of the same sex, so what?  I want my children, my family, my friends, to be HAPPY. 

I don't understand why anyone thinks they have the right to prevent someone from finding that love.  It's rare in this world, and if you find it, grab it with both arms and hold on tight.  It's so worth it. 

We fought long and hard in this country to eliminate slavery, to give women the right to vote.  It's been and will continue to be a long hard road to reach that point when gay marriage is, in general, okay with the rest of the world.  I'm hoping that day comes sooner rather than later.

Separation of church and state?  Did I imagine those words?  Sure, that means that despite what the "law" says, the church doesn't have to agree (and the reverse is true as well).  We see plenty of those issues floating around (are any of you Roman Catholics on birth control?).  Why then can I not get married in my church without a marriage license from my city government?  My sister got married by the mayor.  She was no less married than I am, except in the eyes of her church.  Then why did I need a marriage license?  Marriage?  Civil union?  To me, they are one and the same.  There are a lot of people who aren't strong and faithful believers.  But they get married, they buy that marriage license and perhaps a mayor performs the ceremony, or a justice of the peace.  There are many faithful getting married, and instead of just getting married one weekend by their priest or minister, they have to take a day off from work and apply for a marriage licence.  I know I'm ranting about this, but this just makes no sense to me.  Why is my sister's marriage a marriage, MY marriage is a marriage, but if her husband had been a woman, that would not be "allowed" by some people our there.  It would not be a marriage.

Oh yeah???  It would be civil.  It would be a union.  It would be a marriage. 

I don't believe we can define marriage as only between a man and a woman.  I just can't wrap my head around that.  And I don't have some earth-shattering sentence with which to wrap up this post, so...

I will vote to "allow" gay marriage, on any state or federal ballot.  I can't be responsible for yanking that chance for happiness out of the grasp of anyone.

Happy 100th, Mr. Reagan!!!

You would have been 100 today.  You were one of our greatest presidents, in my humble opinion, at least one of our greatest contemporary presidents.  You were a patriot, dedicated to your country, you had faith and valued your faith above all else, allowing it to guide you in all your actions.  You were funny - and your one-liners reminded me of my dad's humor, delivered with a straight face and followed up with a smile once you knew we all "got it."  Oh, how I wish you were still President!!!  Those are some mighty big shoes to fill...

Immigration and Illegal Aliens

I wouldn't be here today, or for any of these past almost 50 years if my mom hadn't come to the US from Poland, by way of Siberia, Kenya, the UK..., met my dad, gotten married and had me.  The thing is, she came here, applied for citizenship and is right proud of being an American!  I'm an American, too, a 1/2-Polish one, one of Polish descent, and proud of that, too.

But anytime I try to put words to feelings, I get all caught up in defending my opinion and guess what!  I don't have to do that here! 

This is my blog and I'm going to refer you all on over to Miss Hope's blog if you're at all interested in how I feel about these controversial issues.  Even within my family illegal immigration and illegal aliens can cause a loud and angry discussion. I'm not posting this here because I want any responses and I certainly don't want anyone of my few readers taking issue with Miss Hope. I'm just linking you on over to Miss Hope at Hope on the Edge so you can see what I would have written if I had any brain cells left over to help me put words together...  Please respect her blog and her opinions as much as I do.

I've closed comments on this post because, quite frankly, this is MY opinion and I'm not interested in debating it.  So come on back tomorrow when we'll be open for comments and discussing such cutting edge topics as the fall clothes I bought a couple of weeks ago, the beautiful christening I attended yesterday, and the new kitchen my sister is getting!!!

Thanks, Miss Hope!!!

Listen to Past Shows | Ric Edelman

Listen to Past Shows Ric Edelman

If you do nothing else, listen to the first five minutes of this radio broadcast. Just click through to the 3/27/10 broadcast. Ric addresses the direct costs of the new healthcare legislation, in dollars and cents. Costs to you, costs to businesses.

THIS is why I did NOT want this plan to pass, in its current form.

I have no objection to working together, both Congress and the people and businesses of the United States, to come up with a plan to help those who, for reasons beyond their control, cannot help themselves at this time.

I do NOT believe in a giant welfare program for people who do not want to help themselves - that hits a little too close to home for my comfort.

There are certain things I have no problem with - a tax on tanning salons, for instance. That's a luxury, whether or not you believe in them for health reasons, and if I have to pay a tax when/if I use one, so be it.

I DO have a problem with a 62% increawse in Medicare payroll tax in 2013. I will still be working and this DOES affect me, directly.

I DO have a problem with a NEW 3/8% tax on investment income, which includes divident interest, rental income, capital gains - I already pay taxes on this income.

I don't have a problem with a flat $2.00 surcharge on my insurance plan. I'm paying my premiums already and this will not take food out of my mouth or clothes off my back, and it is a way to generate some incremental money that can be used to supply care to people who need it.

Which brings up another point: health insurance is not a right. It is a privilege. If you pay for it, you can have it. If you can't afford it, you are not tossed out into the street without healthcare. You can go and get care in any hospital, which is obligated by law to provide it to you whether you have insurance or not. And of COURSE, those who go into ERs for a cold or the flu increase costs to those of us paying for those same services. THIS is where we have to come up with some sort of alternate plan. BUT to arbitrarily pass this bill, in its current form - NO EFFIN' WAY. I am against it and will be until it's in a form that works for all and penalizes none.

I do NOT have a problem paying sales tax on medical devices and I thank them for excluding eyeglasses, contacts and hearing aids. This is another way to earn a little extra money for the program. If this is ANOTHER 2.9% tax, on top of my current sales tax, which is 7%, then YES, I DO have a problem with that. Why not address the current tax code and direct current sales tax incurred on medical devices, and paid for by me and everyone else who buys them, directly to healthcare for uninsured people?

For employers with 50+ employees who do NOT provide healthcare for said employees, there will be a $2000 fee PER EMPLOYEE to be paid to the government. ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

Due to the elimination of any government subsidy to employers for providing retirees with prescription plan, there are seniors who will not have access to a prescription plan???? Those people are on limited incomes - can my mother afford her medication without some sort of prescription plan? NO! Will I be able to? NO? Will my husband? NO.

I am currently punished for being in relatively good health; regardless of how much I spend out-of-pocket, if it is $1 shy of 7.5% of my AGI I can't deduct it. And that's going UP to 10%!!!

Thanks to Ric Edelman for putting this out there. This broadcast should be played everywhere, aired everywhere, so people can really hear what they just voted into being.

Surprised by politics...

I went to a scrapping event last night. There were 9 of us, I believe, just sitting around talking about organizing our scrap stuff and organizing for a crop, and at the end of the night, one of the women made an off-the-cuff comment about BO. We weren't talking politics and no one had asked a question about the recent healthcare plan...

The comment wasn't derogatory or mean, but it was quite obvious that she's not a fan of BO or of the plan.

What surprised me was that all of a sudden, with the exception of one woman who simply said nothing at all, every single woman there made a comment that they were against the healthcare plan that just passed.

This is not a rant against the plan. This is not a rant against BO, although I could go there in an instant if I wanted to! I'm not against reform, per se; in fact I think tort reform and insurance industry regulation is absolutely required, but what surprised me was the wild assortment of women in the room:
older, younger; with children, without children; with pre-existing medical conditions, without; with young children, with older children, with children out of the house and on their own already; women who owned their own homes, women who were renting; with mortgages, without; with debt, without; women whose husbands were working multiple jobs to keep afloat, women whose husbands were unemployed and looking for a job; women benefiting from government subsidies because they needed help, women just working and paying their taxes and collecting not a dime of assistance for anything; women who are Democrats, women who are Republicans, women who are Independents...

A real, honest-to-goodness cross section of female Americana. And none of our Democratic representatives listened to us.

Thanks to our Republican representatives who voted with us.

To our current Democratic representatives: enjoy your jobs until election day rolls around. I'm not so sure you'll be there for another term!

And I'd like to take a minute to address anyone reading this whose knee-jerk reaction is to defend BO and the healthcare plan and go off me in the comments: it's not necessary.

I didn't write this to beat up on BO. I'm not here to criticize the plan. I don't want or need to be "taught" by you that I'm wrong. I have an opinion and I'm entitled to it. This post is simply a comment on the wide assortment of women who got together for reasons unrelated to politics and, surprisingly (to me, anyway!), despite their politics, found that they all had some other things in common - that there are a lot of opinions and beliefs that cross political boundaries, that you can be one thing and think another, that they truly believe in something, and that they now know for sure that their representatives aren't representing them!

An enlightening evening...

Voting in a Special Election

Pardon me while I climb on my soapbox for a moment.

Regardless of your party affiliation - you should be registered to vote!!! I don't care if we agree when it comes to politics. You are entitled to your own opinion, as am I. I hate the crap that your vote cancels out my vote - if you don't vote, you haven't got a leg to stand on when you complain and cry the blues that you don't like the way things are being run.

Yesterday there was a special election held in my hometown. My mom asked my sister to take her to the polls so she could vote.

I talked to Mom today and she was complaining that when she went into the booth to vote, they had combined the two issues into one: she had only a single yay or nay vote. So she voted, and the fact that the issues were combined forced her to vote only one way and that changed the entire election for her.

Take a look at this: http://www.essexclerk.com/election/ElectionFrame.html

In a town of 48,000+ people, there are 27,964 registered voters.

In this election, only 2,278 people bothered to vote.

8.15% of the registered voters.

I find this COMPLETELY OFFENSIVE. Have you no civic pride, people? Don't you realize that your vote REALLY DOES COUNT? Here's the perfect example: both issues were defeated by 110 votes. 110!!!

If another 10,000 voters voted, the results could have gone in the opposite direction. Hell, if 111 more people had voted, we could have had a different result!!!

Aside from the fact that money for the high school and for the town's stadium was voted down, ONE of those issues might have passed if the Board of Elections hadn't combined them on the ballot. The advance ballot that was mailed to my mom clearly had them separated out, she said (admittedly I didn't see the ballot). This would have allowed her to vote for or against each individual expenditure and one of them might have passed! But by combining them, voters were forced to choose all or nothing. And obviously "nothing" won!

I will freely admit that I have not voted in every single special election since I turned 18. Sometimes I was out of state and quite frankly, at that young age, I didn't care about budgets and taxes. But since I grew up, since I realized that it's MY MONEY all these elections are spending, I haven't missed a one. NOT.A.ONE. Not in years and years and years.

And I won't miss one, either. I guess I'm not like those other 25,686 Bloomfield voters.

Yea, I'm talking to YOU!

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize.

WHAT.A.JOKE.

What exactly has he done?

* Has he achieved peace in the Middle East? No. And he won't be able to. The only ones who can reach a peaceful end to the crisis in the Middle East are the people involved.

* Are we still at war in Iraq? Yes. I don't want to be at war, but I support the war.

* Are we still at war in Afghanistan? Yes. Ditto my comment above.

I HATE that we have lost thousands of young Americans in this war. But we have a VOLUNTEER army, people. Every person who joined the military knew there was a chance he or she would have to "man" up and fight. I don't care why they joined: free tuition after you serve? You deserve it. A job after you put in your time? You deserve it. But remember, just 'cause we're not at war today (September 10, 2001) doesn't mean we won't be at war tomorrow. Who knows what could happen tomorrow? If you join up today, you're going to be fighting the fight tomorrow, if it happens. Okay? Okay.

* Has he spent one thin dime to solve the problems the people of the US are suffering from? No. There are still starving children, homeless families. We are in the midst of a recession that was NOT caused by President Bush, even though BO supporters seem to blame Bush for everything. My grandchildren, and their grandchildren, and generations after that will be paying off the debt BO has created.

* Has he spent trillions of dimes to give money to big business? Yes. What has that accomplished? Are all those employees working again? A jobless recovery? What a joke. There's no recovery in sight. When every one of those people who have lost their jobs is employed and making what they were making before? THAT'S when there will be a recovery.

Do NOT mention all those foreclosures and bad debt, either. WE have to take responsibility for OURSELVES. It is absolutely possible to live the American Dream. Want to know how to do it? It's no big secret. Here it is: LIVE.WITHIN.YOUR.MEANS. If you have $200K to spend on a house, if you can afford a mortgage payment for a $200K home, SPEND $200K. Just because you "qualify" for $400K does NOT mean you have to buy the McMansion. JUST.SAY.NO. Buy a used car, you don't have to lease that Lexus. Buy your clothes at Walmart or Target, whichever suits you better. You do NOT have to wear a label that costs a ridiculous amount of money.

Oh, wait, no. This is America, people. Don't forget, you can be a "community organizer" in Chicago, become President, take 7 vacations in your first 9 months of office,... The American Dream!

The deadline for submission for the Nobel Peace Prize is FEBRUARY. Tell me what BO accomplished between his inauguration on January 20, 2009, and the cut-off. What a fix.

I find this so totally offensive that I just can't even write any more.

I'm worried about what's going on here...

If you're concerned about the US, read The Man on the Edge today.
I like the way he thinks.

BO, Stephen Colbert, and the Troops

Please visit Jessica at It's My Life. She has a clip from Stephen Colbert's show, where he shaved his head in support of the troops in Iraq, and at the order of BO!!! This is a fun clip and for once, I have to say I enjoyed BO's appearance via satellite!

She should be so embarrassed!!!

This is a blog entry that my sister posted after she clicked on the link below. Please read her blog entry, then click on the link, then read my comments below...

"June 10
Federal promise to keep the rich - well, rich!
http://dailybail.com/home/there-are-no-words-to-describe-the-following-part-ii.html

Had to paste this link here Krys, I may have to send it out to a more global audience! While I have been all for change, I was against bailouts before the election & still am. This is a disgrace. If this interview took place at one of my corporate meetings, her pink slip would be on her desk by Monday. Imagine her resume?

"Hi, I'm responsible for overseeing the Federal Reserve. I do so by reviewing on a general basis that does not include specifics that say where the money has gone to. It is highly efficient, as I prevent all kinds of scandals from being disclosed, I make sure the wealthy have the capability to remain wealthy by whatever anonymous means necessary. I waste no money, as I take it & do not pour it into actual work. All money that comes my way ends there. My office does review non-specific uses of federal money without actually learning anything. We hesitate to "investigate" as the connotations that term implies may not be favorable to our clients. Oh, excuse me while the young intern behind me tells me what to say -- err, I what Imeant to say, my advisor is informing me of another trillion from our balance sheet that is accounted for by a number of non-specific transactions that are under review but we do not have to actually identify specifically, as this office is not obligated to do so.""


Okay - it's Krys again. Oh.My.God.

Are you kidding me?????

Now my sister voted for B.O. She had numerous reasons for doing so, some political and some, in my humble opinion, not so political. While I disagreed with her and her reasons, this is America and she had every right to vote for the candidate of her choice. (As did I.)

And I am encouraged by a couple of her sentences: "While I have been all for change, I was against bailouts before the election and still am. This is a disgrace."

Who's bailing YOU out? Who's paying off your credit card debt? Who's paying your mortgage or rent when you can't afford it? Who's giving you a pass on paying college tuition? While, I might add, you spend all your money on parties and clothes and travel! Is someone giving you a big chunk'o'cash so you don't have to worry about paying your bills? Bills that you incurred by your own actions?

Trillions of dollars. More money than ALL PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS HAVE SPENT COLLECTIVELY. Did you hear that? MORE MONEY THAN ALL PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS HAVE SPENT COLLECTIVELY. In his first 100 days!

You're right, that is a historic accomplishment! Not one I'm all that happy about, though!

This video is just atrocious. It made me literally feel nauseated to watch that woman sit there and avoid answering the question. She basically said she can't answer because they're investigating but they haven't found anything out about what they're investigating while they're investigating and she can't answer the question she doesn't really understand (can you repeat the question?) because the investigation is ongoing and they haven't investigated that yet.

C - you're right. I'd certainly have gotten fired for answering our previous boss like that. In fact, I'd get fired now for answering my current boss like that.

That woman should be ashamed of herself.

As should this country.

Please read this and think about it.

I just read a blog entry on one of my favorite blogs, The Man on the Edge. Fred is a Navy man, on the cusp of retirement. He is a family man who loves his wife and children, and loves and honors his country. He has served his country, happily, voluntarily, despite the sacrifices he had to make to do so.

He has a remarkable way with words and created this blog a while ago, in response, I suppose to what he saw coming down the pike here in America. He loves America. He doesn't love what he sees happening in and to this great country.

And I agree with him. Wholeheartedly.

His post yesterday scares me. Please read it; click on the link at the beginning of this post.

This is America, people. Land of the free, remember? With the right to assemble, where we've been promised freedom of religion?

Obama a one-term president? (One can only hope!)

Found this article online: Obama a one-term president? By Alex CastellanosCNN Contributor

"Editor's Note: Republican strategist Alex Castellanos was a campaign consultant for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign and has worked on more than half a dozen presidential campaigns. Castellanos is a partner in National Media Inc., a political and public affairs consulting firm that specializes in advertising. For a rival view, click here

(CNN) -- Things I learned Tuesday night from President Obama's press conference:

Obama and congressional Democrats are angry that greedy Wall Street executives took $165 million in bonuses that the president and congressional Democrats gave them.

We have made them give it back, but they have to keep the trillion-dollar bailout.

Apparently, our education system is worse than we thought. Neither the president nor Democrats in Congress actually read the bailout-bonus bill.

Per-family household debt more than doubled from 1989 to 2007, going from $42,000 per family to $97,000 per family, in inflation-adjusted dollars. Most of it, 85 cents of every dollar, is home equity or mortgage debt. This is not the consumer's fault for borrowing it, nor Congress' fault for legislating it, nor the Fed's fault for enabling it, nor Fannie Mae's or Freddie Mac's fault for packaging it. This is all Wall Street's fault.

It is also all George W. Bush's fault.

If there were an inheritance tax on problems, Obama could pay off any deficit.

Taxpayers living next to a toxic waste dump is a bad idea. Taxpayers buying a trillion dollars worth of toxic assets is good idea.

Taxpayers borrowing a trillion dollars to buy those toxic assets is an even better idea. Though it is still Bush's fault.

Obama isn't on the ballot next year, but Democrats in Congress are. You can make money betting they will lose more than 25 seats, but not as much money as by purchasing toxic assets with taxpayer dollars.

The problem with America's economy is that the last bubble, the "home-mortgage, derivative, credit default swap bubble" popped, as all economic bubbles eventually do. We must never let that happen again.

It is imperative that we re-inflate this bubble immediately.

If we all loan a lot of money we don't have to each other, we will all be more prosperous.

An Obama press conference offers hope to everyone. Both those who want to drive the deficit up and drive it down receive encouragement.

A dollar when given to failed auto companies or hollow banks has great stimulative value for the economy, but there's almost no dampening cost to the economy when the dollar is taken from taxpayers, who will have to pay our debt back.

If he does not drive the deficit down, within this decade, interest on the Obama debt will total more than a trillion dollars a year.

Bush was laughed at for saying, "Yes, we are getting the job done. It's hard work," though it's OK for Obama to say only hard decisions reach his desk.

Enhanced border security was a bad idea when Sen. John McCain and Republicans proposed it but a good idea now that Obama is for it.

Trickle-down economics from Republicans got us into this mess. Trickle-down government from Democrats will get us out of it.

Washington was doing such a great job making things work before the meltdown that we should give it more to do, like running health care, the energy industry, banks, Wall Street and the car business.

Our economy is so complex that millions of Americans can't plan for it, but Timothy Geithner and a couple of other smart guys in Washington can.

Political greed is more noble than corporate greed.

We have to short-change charities that help people, so government can help people.

Wall Street and the U.S. government are too big to fail though the American taxpayer isn't.

The Barack Obama experiment, conducted by this 47-year old man, is the riskiest economic wager the world has ever seen.

Next year, when this experiment in European-style socialism isn't working, the Democrats up for re-election will panic and make the spending this year look like an appetizer. To appear responsible, they then will raise taxes on "upper-income taxpayers" to the stratosphere, paralyzing investment and the economy.

Obama's communications gifts are powerful and poetic -- but round-the-clock campaigning on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "60 Minutes" and this press conference won't save bad policy. Nothing kills a bad product quicker than good advertising. iReport.com: What did you think of Obama's press conference?

Obama has never built a business, created real wealth or produced tangible prosperity. His understanding of our economy is theoretical and academic.

Obama is a privileged young man who has not yet made many mistakes in his life. Having a president who belongs to the Harvard elite and the community-organizer streets is not the same as having a president who has lived a long life among middle-class Americans and understands them.

Impatience lies not deep beneath the surface of Obama. There is no shortage of self-confidence in this young man. It is a short step from such confidence to arrogance.

Arrogance in a politician is not healthy. Hubris, combined with inexperience, can be fatal. Obama could be a one-term president.

Obama is looking a little older. There would be nothing wrong with acting like it.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Alex Castellanos."

Awww, poor BO...

Now, this news report is from the UK, not from some right wing, biased conservative website. This is the kind of impression BO (and his administration) is making in the world.



He was tired. We all get tired. But I know when I have to make a good impression. And I know when to be respectful to my boss, or his boss, or a visiting executive, or one of our co-publishing partners...

An Obama staffer said the UK is not all that important, they're just as important as any of 190 other countries in the world. I'm paraphrasing, yes, but the gist of it is on the money.



And, yea, a bunch of DVDs, what an awesome "It's nice to meet you, Prime Minister" gift.



Classy sort of guy...



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4953523/Barack-Obama-too-tired-to-give-proper-welcome-to-Gordon-Brown.html



To say nothing of this photo of our esteemed President (and I use the term loosely):

And supposedly we're overreacting, those of us who object to a picture like this. You know, you're right. What he does on his off time is his business. But what happens if he has a few, goes home, goes to sleep, and that phone call comes, the one in the middle of the night, the one he has to answer with a clear head... "Sure, wtf, I'll push the damned button!"

And don't bother responding to this (unless of course you agree with me!): I'm entitled to my opinion. This is my blog.

Sometimes it's just this simple...

Got this email from a friend of mine...

"From a teacher in the Nashville area.

"Who worries about the cow when it is all about the ice cream?

"The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching third grade this year. The presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest. I decided we would have an election for a class president. We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote. To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members. We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have. We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot.

"The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids. I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support. I had never seen Olivia's mother.

"The day arrived when they were to make their speeches. Jamie went first. He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best.

"Everyone applauded. He sat down and Olivia came to the podium. Her speech was concise. She said, "If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream."

"She sat down.

"The class went wild. "Yes! Yes! We want ice cream!" She surely could say more. She did not have to. A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? She wasn't sure. Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it? She didn't know. The class really didn't care. All they were thinking about was ice cream. Jamie was forgotten.

"Olivia won by a landslide.

"Every time Barack Obama opened his mouth he offered ice cream and fifty-two percent of the people reacted like nine year olds. They want ice cream. The other forty-eight percent of us know we're going to have to feed the cow and clean up the mess."

Please explain this to me...

Didn't someone promise less spending? Or was I listening to someone else's campaign promises?

$819 BILLION. With a B.

Unanimously rejected by the Republicans (thank you, guys!). Passed, obviously, by the Democrats. With the possibility of increasing this spending/port bill by ANOTHER $71 BILLION when it gets to the Senate.

Supposedly too much spending, not enough tax cuts.

Well, where would he get the money to distribute if he actually cut our taxes?

I missed the number of pages: 600+? 800+?

As I've mentioned before, I don't believe in a single party system. We have multiple parties for a reason. Someone has to ride herd on the other party (regardless of which way it goes: Republican > Democrat or Democrat > Republican).

I'll be voting party line this next election, just to be sure that he doesn't have free reign.

Remember "checks and balances"?

???

Please explain this to me.

President Obama invited some people to the White House (or the Capitol, wherever) to discuss his trillion dollar stimulus package (think I'll get more than $1 this time?!?!?).

He plans to increase benefits for low-income workers who pay no income taxes.

WTF???

And who is paying for this? Me. And you. Those of us who actually are paying their income taxes will have to pay more so that he can give more benefits to low income workers who pay no income taxes.

I have a huge problem with this. It just doesn't jive with my "help those who help themselves" philosophy. What it does is reward those who work the system.

Please don't jump down my throat about those low-income people who can't afford to pay all those taxes and live in this country 'cause it's too expensive. I don't buy designer clothes or name brand anything unless I can afford it, and yet I'm behind a guy paying with foodstamps who's wearing $100 sneakers and a $300 leather jacket. Me? My $8 Wal-Mart winter jacket. Hmmm.

Fair Tax please. Just read it. If you buy it, you pay tax on it. If you don't, you don't. You get to bring home your salary. What a concept! Get what you earn, instead of thousands of dollars less.

And by the way, "don't listen to Limbaugh"??? [Insert another WTF??? here!!!] Last I checked, this is America. I can say anything I want, so can Rush, and if I choose to listen to him, you have NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT.

I won't be discussing yesterday yet...

All it's going to do is cause me to have to defend my feelings and I don't think I should have to do that.

Suffice it to say that I did NOT enjoy the reference to "3 First Ladies," I did NOT enjoy Aretha's version of My Country 'Tis of Thee, I did NOT like the poet, her reading or her poem, and I REALLY did not like the benediction. I thought MB looked lovely, and the girls looked so cute! I resented the hugeness of the inauguration - I thought he wanted to spread the wealth, not spend the wealth. I think personally they're a lovely family - I liked seeing his daughter give her dad the thumbs up and take pictures with her tiny camera. I liked seeing his wife lean forward to put her hand on his shoulder and give her husband a little squeeze. They truly looked so happy together while dancing at the balls last night. (Although I didn't like her gown.)

I hope with all my heart that he does a good job. I don't believe in him or in his plans. I think he has a lot of people fooled. I think he will make decisions that the people do not like, even his own supporters, once he's in office and privy to all the information. And for that I'm truly sorry. There are a lot of people in for, in my humble opinion, a huge disappointment.

But if we're all very lucky, he'll do a good job, make good decisions, not steal from me to give to those who didn't work as hard as I did to have what I have now. GWB has already begun to implement the return of our troops, and BO will be taking full credit for it once it happens 'cause it will/might happen on his watch. And that's how it goes. The one to blame is gone, and the one taking all the credit for what's been already started will be there to take that credit.

He is the President, though, and I will support my president as I believe all Americans should have supported GWB during his administration. I will most assuredly be critical when I don't agree, but this is America and I am allowed.

I'm off to find an email address for GWB - I want to send him a thank you note.

P.S. Those of you who know me know what I think about reading. I read anytime, anywhere, anythingl. Well, I read a great blog post today and I wanted to share it with you... Go to Zen Habits and read what Leo Babauta wrote about learning to enjoy reading.

I feel sorry for a lot of comedians...

According to CNN, the Bureau of something-and-something else announced earlier this week that, TA-DA! We're in a recession and have been since December 2007!

Duh. I'm no economist but I could have told you that!

Last night I was listening to Mark Levin and he said something that set me thinking... I really feel sorry for a lot of comedians. We're in a recession and in a little over a month, they're going to have nothing to do. No job. No income. And BO will be taking whatever money they've accumulated over their careers so he can spread the wealth...

They will not make fun of BO like they made fun of George Bush, or John McCain, or Sarah Palin. They have not made fun of Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid like they've made fun of Rumsfeld or Cheney.

Whatever will they do? BO will be taking their hard-earned money and giving it to those who have less 'cause it's only fair that we all have the same thing even though all of us didn't earn it. We're all entitled to have what everyone else has 'cause it's not fair that someone can have something bigger and better than someone else, even though he paid for it with his own money. "I want it, so give it to me and give it to me NOW!" (When I was young, that was called either being selfish or stealing!)

I was taught patience. I was taught to work and do a good job and get a salary and save money and when I had enough, I could spend it any way I saw fit and I could buy whatever I wanted for myself. And if I wanted to buy something and give it to someone who had less, I could do that and it made me a good person. That's called sharing and charity.

But having someone TAKE it from me against my will to give it to someone who has done nothing to earn it? THAT is not sharing. THAT is not charity.

THAT is socialism. And socialism, my friends, does NOT belong in the United States of America.

From Wikipedia:
Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and an egalitarian society characterized by equal opportunities for all individuals. Modern socialism originated in the late nineteenth-century working class political movement as well as the intellectual movement that criticized the effects of industrialization on society. Karl Marx posited that socialism would be achieved via class struggle and a proletarian revolution which represents the transitional stage between capitalism and communism.
Socialists mainly share the belief that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of society that controls capital and creates an unequal society. All socialists advocate the creation of an egalitarian society, in which wealth and power are distributed more evenly, although there is considerable disagreement among socialists over how, and to what extent this could be achieved.

We HAVE opportunities here in America. That's what makes this country so wonderful. Opportunities, my friend. NOT a free ride.

OMG. Don't watch this video on a weak stomach.

Found this at The Man on the Edge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm1KOBMg1Y8

All this does for me (other than give me a stomach ache) is offer more proof that there were too many people voting who had no idea what or who they were voting for. [And I'm not apologizing for ending that sentence with a preposition!] And this is not a slam against Obama (even though we all know I'm going to be riding that "I told you so" train throughout his administration). I'm quite sure there were many McCain/Republican/conservative voters who were equally uninformed. But their candidate is not going to be in charge of this great country. He's not going to be the one who runs it into the ground. And he was not elected because of his skin color. Or because "it was time for a change." [Note to all who used that as a reason to vote for BO: you voted against Bush, rather than for Obama. Anyone who is not Bush would have been a "change" - why vote for someone who's going to hurt this country???]

And admittedly, I am no expert. And there are a lot of people out there who know more than I do about the Republicans, conservatives, McCain, etc. What I know is I voted for the person whose morals, ethics, goals, experience all were most in line with mine. There were plenty of places where I didn't agree with McCain, but there were more where I did.

At least I knew who I was voting for, and who I was voting against.

And for the record, Tina Fey DOES.NOT.EQUAL. Sarah Palin.