There's a heated debate going on over at Facebook right now. Someone posted an Obama approval poll and so far he has a 68.8% Disapproval score (9.5% Disapprove, 59.3% Strongly Disapprove).
The comment section is scrolling faster than I can keep up with. Some well-thought out responses from both sides, but the usual flame war keeps rearing it's ugly head.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Undiscovered Talent...
A former high school classmate, Kevin Munroe, and I found each other on Facebook. No biggee. People are always finding former classmates there. Heck, we were little more than acquaintances at best back in the day. I never had anything against him. We just ran in different social circles that occasionally overlapped for parties and whatnot.
Anyhow, he started posting some photographs both on Facebook and at Zazzle, a site where you can market your own designs for a variety of things. I honestly don't know all that much about Zazzle.
Some of the images are heavily modified in some interesting ways, such as this picture of A Rustic Ford Tractor. The filters he used make it look like a painstakingly detailed oil painting, but it still maintains a rustic feel.
What I found the most intriguing are the nighttime, delayed exposure cityscapes that he took in and around Denver. Most of these have little, if any, post-production work yet they have an ethereal quality that just doesn't exist in the real world.
His nature photography is great too. He has a good eye for framing and lines, especially cosidering his limited artistic training.
You can check them all out here -->HERE<-- there.
Great stuff, Kevin.
Anyhow, he started posting some photographs both on Facebook and at Zazzle, a site where you can market your own designs for a variety of things. I honestly don't know all that much about Zazzle.
Some of the images are heavily modified in some interesting ways, such as this picture of A Rustic Ford Tractor. The filters he used make it look like a painstakingly detailed oil painting, but it still maintains a rustic feel.
What I found the most intriguing are the nighttime, delayed exposure cityscapes that he took in and around Denver. Most of these have little, if any, post-production work yet they have an ethereal quality that just doesn't exist in the real world.
His nature photography is great too. He has a good eye for framing and lines, especially cosidering his limited artistic training.
You can check them all out here -->HERE<-- there.
Great stuff, Kevin.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
My Palin Prediction...
After listening to Sarah Palin's resignation speech and reading the response from the Left, I'm starting to believe she has been seriously underestimated by everyone...myself included.
I applaud her decision to resign. It has to be extremely difficult to raise a family and run a state while constantly being forced to defend yourself from a highly aggressive media.
I can understand (but don't approve of) their attacks on her character during the 2008 campaign. What's a political race in the U.S. without a truck load of mudslinging? What has me baffled is why it continued so long after the elections?
She's up to something and the Liberals are veritably trembling in fear. Look at the total lack of substance to her announcement in the Comments section of this article. Lots of name calling, but nothing that really shows her being a bad governeor. I'll copy/paste some of my "favorites" here:
"Great speech, I did not know Trig was such a good speechwriter!" -b93950
"She brought it ALL upon herself. She didnt have to say yes to running for VP. And after the election was over. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut! Plus the fact that she was still parading her children around in public in thel ower 48, when she should have been in AK doing the peoples business. No sympathy from me." -Oldgeezer1
"More material for Stewart and Colbert! Yay!" -Harmony1812
And on and on...
Joe Biden doesn't believe she has been the target of a "political blood sport". There are simply way too many examples of this to site here. Do a google search and grab a sandwich.
None of this matters anymore. She's out of the political scene for good. There is no way she can hope to obtain political office after her resignation. I view that as a good thing.
Now she's free to say what she wants when she wants and to whomever she wants without concerning herself over GOP nominations. I, for one, can't wait until she does. I think, based on her resignation speech, she's really going to put the screws to the current regime.
I think the liberals know this too.
I applaud her decision to resign. It has to be extremely difficult to raise a family and run a state while constantly being forced to defend yourself from a highly aggressive media.
I can understand (but don't approve of) their attacks on her character during the 2008 campaign. What's a political race in the U.S. without a truck load of mudslinging? What has me baffled is why it continued so long after the elections?
She's up to something and the Liberals are veritably trembling in fear. Look at the total lack of substance to her announcement in the Comments section of this article. Lots of name calling, but nothing that really shows her being a bad governeor. I'll copy/paste some of my "favorites" here:
"Great speech, I did not know Trig was such a good speechwriter!" -b93950
"She brought it ALL upon herself. She didnt have to say yes to running for VP. And after the election was over. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut! Plus the fact that she was still parading her children around in public in thel ower 48, when she should have been in AK doing the peoples business. No sympathy from me." -Oldgeezer1
"More material for Stewart and Colbert! Yay!" -Harmony1812
And on and on...
Joe Biden doesn't believe she has been the target of a "political blood sport". There are simply way too many examples of this to site here. Do a google search and grab a sandwich.
None of this matters anymore. She's out of the political scene for good. There is no way she can hope to obtain political office after her resignation. I view that as a good thing.
Now she's free to say what she wants when she wants and to whomever she wants without concerning herself over GOP nominations. I, for one, can't wait until she does. I think, based on her resignation speech, she's really going to put the screws to the current regime.
I think the liberals know this too.
The Cigarette Tax...
The cigarette tax in Florida went into affect this week. Combined with the earlier federal tax increase, that brings us close to an additional $2.00 a pack on smokes. Mind you, there was no additional tax placed on cigars.
It's forcing me to quit. With the price per pack now at a state average of $5.50 it's just becoming too cost prohibitive.
Here's the thing that's always bothered me about these tobacco tax hikes. If the government is out to get the big tobacco companies so desperately, why do the tobacco companies continue to support poilticians? On the surface it seems like paying someone to shoot you in the foot.
With the addition of tobacco to the FDAs portfolio, it really seems as if the government is looking out for our best interests. They'll be able to closely monitor the nicotine levels in the cigarettes and keep the addictive properties down to a minimum.
The tax hikes are also a measure taken to encourage people to quit. This is a no-brainer. If they cost more, you're less likely to buy them. Especially people with low incomes...who ironically make up the majority of smokers.
Why is it, then, that the elected officials talk about the revenue they expect to generate as a result of the tax increases? Governor Crist seems really excited about how much money Florida stands to rake in as a result of the increase.
If everyone is being encouraged to quit, how does the government expect to generate any additional revenue?
That's when it all started making sense.
You see, the FDA is so effective at their job that I have heard of no less than three food recalls this week. In addition, there's a lot of hub-bub about acetaminophen and it's destructive capabilities to the liver.
Remember how safe Tylenol was supposed to be?
With the FDA now looking over big tobacco's shoulder (and into its wallets), it's a fairly safe bet that nicotine levels will continue to increase in the future, making the product even more addictive. A more addictive product garners a more loyal following who will pay any price to get their hands on that product.
The government then raises taxes on this highly addictive product under the guise of looking out for your best interests, but knowing full well that people...even extremely poor people...will continue to buy the product that they are so addicted to.
The tobacco companies are then "forced" to raise their prices to cover the costs of these new taxes.
More profits for the tobacco companies, more political contributions to the politicians and more government employees to oversee this fiasco.
I saw a similar transition amongst cocaine dealers back in the 1980's. Their product wasn't pulling in quite enough capital to satisfy everyone involved, so they made a more addictive product...Crack.
It seems as if our politicians are taking lessons from their dealers now.
It's forcing me to quit. With the price per pack now at a state average of $5.50 it's just becoming too cost prohibitive.
Here's the thing that's always bothered me about these tobacco tax hikes. If the government is out to get the big tobacco companies so desperately, why do the tobacco companies continue to support poilticians? On the surface it seems like paying someone to shoot you in the foot.
With the addition of tobacco to the FDAs portfolio, it really seems as if the government is looking out for our best interests. They'll be able to closely monitor the nicotine levels in the cigarettes and keep the addictive properties down to a minimum.
The tax hikes are also a measure taken to encourage people to quit. This is a no-brainer. If they cost more, you're less likely to buy them. Especially people with low incomes...who ironically make up the majority of smokers.
Why is it, then, that the elected officials talk about the revenue they expect to generate as a result of the tax increases? Governor Crist seems really excited about how much money Florida stands to rake in as a result of the increase.
If everyone is being encouraged to quit, how does the government expect to generate any additional revenue?
That's when it all started making sense.
You see, the FDA is so effective at their job that I have heard of no less than three food recalls this week. In addition, there's a lot of hub-bub about acetaminophen and it's destructive capabilities to the liver.
Remember how safe Tylenol was supposed to be?
With the FDA now looking over big tobacco's shoulder (and into its wallets), it's a fairly safe bet that nicotine levels will continue to increase in the future, making the product even more addictive. A more addictive product garners a more loyal following who will pay any price to get their hands on that product.
The government then raises taxes on this highly addictive product under the guise of looking out for your best interests, but knowing full well that people...even extremely poor people...will continue to buy the product that they are so addicted to.
The tobacco companies are then "forced" to raise their prices to cover the costs of these new taxes.
More profits for the tobacco companies, more political contributions to the politicians and more government employees to oversee this fiasco.
I saw a similar transition amongst cocaine dealers back in the 1980's. Their product wasn't pulling in quite enough capital to satisfy everyone involved, so they made a more addictive product...Crack.
It seems as if our politicians are taking lessons from their dealers now.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Tonight We Get Environmental...
With all the Cap & Tax and Cap & Trade talk fluttering around I figured this would be a good time to put in my 2 cents (plus an additional $.50 to cover Obama's Freedom of Expression Tax).
First a little environmentalist anecdote. My wife and I were in traffic the other day and scrawled across the back of an SUV (with only one person in the vehicle) was the phrase "South American Oil is destroying the Rain Forests"...or something to that effect. Think about that for a second.
It gave us a good chuckle.
Environmentalists like to spout off about how we're "destroying the world". It's one of their favorite slogans. "Shame on you! You're destroying the world!"
Take every aerosol can currently in existence and start spraying. Put every single factory on full-tilt production until the chimneys are belching smoke. Crank up every car in the world and gun the engine until the tank is empty. Guess what? The world won't even blink an eye.
We're not destroying the world. We're just making it really difficult to continue living on it. The world could care less what we do during our brief stay on it's outer crust.
Global warming is a good one. We've been told over an over how our emmisions are causing the world to heat up. This, despite the fact that we've been in a cooling trend for the last 15 years and have just had two years of extremely harsh winters.
By the way, take some time to go through the article I linked above. There is some interesting reading in there. All of which can be researched for authenticity.
Now on to Cap and Trade.
What this silly bit of legislation does is allow companies to buy their way out of the emissions standards set up by the EPA by purchasing waivers from the government. Buy enough waivers to cover your emissions and it's business as usual.
Unfortunately, there aren't enough of these waivers to go around. They go to the highest bidders first in an online auction. Those who can't afford them must refit their facilities to comply with the government regulations or be seriously fined. For private industries this means they have to cover these increased costs through some other means. Higher prices, layoffs or a reduction in quality of their goods. Many will choose to take the less expensive option and relocate to a more forgiving country.
For companies that provide energy (electricity, natural gas, home heating oil, etc) relocating isn't an option, so they are forced to drastically increase their rates. This is felt first by the individual consumers in higher electric bills and home heating costs. The trickle effect is that the manufacturers...even those with waivers to cover their emissions...have to pay much more for their energy, thereby causing an increase in the price of their product, increased layoffs or moving their operations overseas.
Yeah, a 50-90% increase in your home electric bill is pretty staggering, but imagine how much it costs to power the average auto plant or grocery store. I've personally seen electric bills for relatively small factories that top $100,000 a month.
On a related note, hospitals are huge consumers of electricity. Is there room in Obama's Health Care Plan to cover these increased costs?
All of this to "help the environment" and "reduce our carbon footprint". You can see that it really does nothing at all, environmentally speaking. The environment is just as screwed as ever. More people (or carbon-based life forms to you Trekkies) in the US are without jobs. The economy sinks even further. More people line up for the government bailout.
It's a vicious cycle he's trying to put into effect. One that will surely bring about the financial and political collapse of our nation within our lifetime.
Hmm...maybe we can all cross the border into Mexico. Turn-about is fair play after all.
First a little environmentalist anecdote. My wife and I were in traffic the other day and scrawled across the back of an SUV (with only one person in the vehicle) was the phrase "South American Oil is destroying the Rain Forests"...or something to that effect. Think about that for a second.
It gave us a good chuckle.
Environmentalists like to spout off about how we're "destroying the world". It's one of their favorite slogans. "Shame on you! You're destroying the world!"
Take every aerosol can currently in existence and start spraying. Put every single factory on full-tilt production until the chimneys are belching smoke. Crank up every car in the world and gun the engine until the tank is empty. Guess what? The world won't even blink an eye.
We're not destroying the world. We're just making it really difficult to continue living on it. The world could care less what we do during our brief stay on it's outer crust.
Global warming is a good one. We've been told over an over how our emmisions are causing the world to heat up. This, despite the fact that we've been in a cooling trend for the last 15 years and have just had two years of extremely harsh winters.
By the way, take some time to go through the article I linked above. There is some interesting reading in there. All of which can be researched for authenticity.
Now on to Cap and Trade.
What this silly bit of legislation does is allow companies to buy their way out of the emissions standards set up by the EPA by purchasing waivers from the government. Buy enough waivers to cover your emissions and it's business as usual.
Unfortunately, there aren't enough of these waivers to go around. They go to the highest bidders first in an online auction. Those who can't afford them must refit their facilities to comply with the government regulations or be seriously fined. For private industries this means they have to cover these increased costs through some other means. Higher prices, layoffs or a reduction in quality of their goods. Many will choose to take the less expensive option and relocate to a more forgiving country.
For companies that provide energy (electricity, natural gas, home heating oil, etc) relocating isn't an option, so they are forced to drastically increase their rates. This is felt first by the individual consumers in higher electric bills and home heating costs. The trickle effect is that the manufacturers...even those with waivers to cover their emissions...have to pay much more for their energy, thereby causing an increase in the price of their product, increased layoffs or moving their operations overseas.
Yeah, a 50-90% increase in your home electric bill is pretty staggering, but imagine how much it costs to power the average auto plant or grocery store. I've personally seen electric bills for relatively small factories that top $100,000 a month.
On a related note, hospitals are huge consumers of electricity. Is there room in Obama's Health Care Plan to cover these increased costs?
All of this to "help the environment" and "reduce our carbon footprint". You can see that it really does nothing at all, environmentally speaking. The environment is just as screwed as ever. More people (or carbon-based life forms to you Trekkies) in the US are without jobs. The economy sinks even further. More people line up for the government bailout.
It's a vicious cycle he's trying to put into effect. One that will surely bring about the financial and political collapse of our nation within our lifetime.
Hmm...maybe we can all cross the border into Mexico. Turn-about is fair play after all.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
John McCain...
John McCain really pisses me off. It's not his political views that have me so upset. It's not his stance on the economic issues currently plaguing our nation. It's not his stance on the Iran situation.
Let me preface by saying I don't think John McCain would have been a great president. I believe he would have been a stabilizing element at a time when we needed stability.
What pisses me off about John McCain is his timing.
Throughout the entire presidential campaign, he was quiet. Some would say timid. He refused to sling mud in spite of the lambasting he received from the Obama camp. During the debates, he clearly outspoke his opponent. His delivery was clear, controlled and concise while Obama stuttered and floundered his way through the questions. Unfortunately, McCain seemed to lack the killer instinct to take full advantage of this.
Once the elections were over a transformation overtook the reserved McCain. He got angry. He lead the floor in fervently opposing the stimulus plan presented by the Obama regime. When Obama failed to offer words of support to the protesters in Iran, McCain was not shy about expressing his dismay. He is constantly on the news opposing the ludicrous plans being formulated by the Obama team in regards to the healthcare reform.
Where was this McCain during the campaign?
Let me preface by saying I don't think John McCain would have been a great president. I believe he would have been a stabilizing element at a time when we needed stability.
What pisses me off about John McCain is his timing.
Throughout the entire presidential campaign, he was quiet. Some would say timid. He refused to sling mud in spite of the lambasting he received from the Obama camp. During the debates, he clearly outspoke his opponent. His delivery was clear, controlled and concise while Obama stuttered and floundered his way through the questions. Unfortunately, McCain seemed to lack the killer instinct to take full advantage of this.
Once the elections were over a transformation overtook the reserved McCain. He got angry. He lead the floor in fervently opposing the stimulus plan presented by the Obama regime. When Obama failed to offer words of support to the protesters in Iran, McCain was not shy about expressing his dismay. He is constantly on the news opposing the ludicrous plans being formulated by the Obama team in regards to the healthcare reform.
Where was this McCain during the campaign?
My Dad...
My father has begun posting a blog now that he's retired. I would be remiss in my duties as a son if I didn't do my part to help him get some traffic.
He also does some foreign language courses...or are they courses for foreigners who wish to learn English? Either way, his blog and links to his other websites can be found HERE.
Read, comment, enjoy.
He also does some foreign language courses...or are they courses for foreigners who wish to learn English? Either way, his blog and links to his other websites can be found HERE.
Read, comment, enjoy.
Middle of the Night...
It's 3:30 am and I'm at work. Don't expect anything profound in the following bit. I'm just going to ramble for a while to kill some time.
My job is to sit with old people and help them with various tasks. Sometimes it's just companionship, sometimes it's cooking meals and doing light housework, sometimes it's changing diapers and assisting with hygiene.
Tonight's client is one of the more hands-on clients. Incontinence, breathing disorder that could result in suffocation while sleeping, and stage two Alzheimer's. Yeah, it's a fun one.
He's a great guy. Retired Air Force colonel with a 30 year military career under his belt. He still possesses a great deal of his former strength. When I help him to the bathroom, I have to position my hands carefully in his or he grinds my wedding ring into the neighboring fingers.
Anyone who gives that much of his life in the service of his country deserves the best care I'm capable of giving. I'd like to think that's exactly what I do.
In spite of that, I become extremely irritated with the whole case. There's some intangible aspect to the case that just grates on my nerves. There is no justification for this. For the most part, I'm free to sit here and play video games while he sleeps. I'm an avid World of Warcraft player and this case has allowed me to really grind out some levels on my various characters in the game.
Maybe it's the way he picks at his face, or his unerring ability to wake up when I'm in the middle of a fight. Meh...doesn't matter. I'll continue to give him good care. It's what I do.
Tonight my internet connection is less than ideal for gaming, so I'm reading blogs and news articles. I was watching some videos from Penn Jilette (of Penn & Teller fame) on YouTube. He's entertaining and not afraid to express his opinions on even the most controversial subjects. I don't always agree with him, but I respect his willingness to voice them. Go ahead and check some of them out. I'll wait...
Done? Good. I hope you enjoyed them, or, at the very least, they gave you some food for thought.
Earlier I went out for a smoke. Yeah, I smoke. I took a book with me. The first in the Black Company series by Glenn Cook. I strongly recommend them. This will be my fourth time through the series.
I was crouched down, sitting on my heels. Smoke in one hand, paperback in the other. I noticed some movement in front of me at the base of a tree planter. A black widow had built a web there and was busy feasting on a beetle. Further investigation revealed two more webs within inches of the front door, each containing another black widow. Each of them also feasting on bugs attracted by the porch light. I left them to their feasts. Their presence concerns me considering that they are just outside the front door of the home of an old couple. One bite and they are goners.
In spite of this, I just couldn't bring myself to kill them. They are beautiful creatures. They aren't that aggressive, usually only biting when molested in some way. I've always had a special place in my heart for black widows. I'll tell the lady of the house about them in the morning and let her spray them.
Time for another smoke. Hopefully my next entry will come sooner and will contain something of substance.
My job is to sit with old people and help them with various tasks. Sometimes it's just companionship, sometimes it's cooking meals and doing light housework, sometimes it's changing diapers and assisting with hygiene.
Tonight's client is one of the more hands-on clients. Incontinence, breathing disorder that could result in suffocation while sleeping, and stage two Alzheimer's. Yeah, it's a fun one.
He's a great guy. Retired Air Force colonel with a 30 year military career under his belt. He still possesses a great deal of his former strength. When I help him to the bathroom, I have to position my hands carefully in his or he grinds my wedding ring into the neighboring fingers.
Anyone who gives that much of his life in the service of his country deserves the best care I'm capable of giving. I'd like to think that's exactly what I do.
In spite of that, I become extremely irritated with the whole case. There's some intangible aspect to the case that just grates on my nerves. There is no justification for this. For the most part, I'm free to sit here and play video games while he sleeps. I'm an avid World of Warcraft player and this case has allowed me to really grind out some levels on my various characters in the game.
Maybe it's the way he picks at his face, or his unerring ability to wake up when I'm in the middle of a fight. Meh...doesn't matter. I'll continue to give him good care. It's what I do.
Tonight my internet connection is less than ideal for gaming, so I'm reading blogs and news articles. I was watching some videos from Penn Jilette (of Penn & Teller fame) on YouTube. He's entertaining and not afraid to express his opinions on even the most controversial subjects. I don't always agree with him, but I respect his willingness to voice them. Go ahead and check some of them out. I'll wait...
Done? Good. I hope you enjoyed them, or, at the very least, they gave you some food for thought.
Earlier I went out for a smoke. Yeah, I smoke. I took a book with me. The first in the Black Company series by Glenn Cook. I strongly recommend them. This will be my fourth time through the series.
I was crouched down, sitting on my heels. Smoke in one hand, paperback in the other. I noticed some movement in front of me at the base of a tree planter. A black widow had built a web there and was busy feasting on a beetle. Further investigation revealed two more webs within inches of the front door, each containing another black widow. Each of them also feasting on bugs attracted by the porch light. I left them to their feasts. Their presence concerns me considering that they are just outside the front door of the home of an old couple. One bite and they are goners.
In spite of this, I just couldn't bring myself to kill them. They are beautiful creatures. They aren't that aggressive, usually only biting when molested in some way. I've always had a special place in my heart for black widows. I'll tell the lady of the house about them in the morning and let her spray them.
Time for another smoke. Hopefully my next entry will come sooner and will contain something of substance.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Louisiana Governor Fights Back...
It looks like the governor of Louisiana is going to decline stimulus money. Here's a transcript of his radio interview:
Hugh Hewitt interview with Governor Jindal of Louisiana
Keep in mind, he's only refusing money that mandates changes in state law. Those monies that help the state without changing laws will still be accepted. Here's his official legislation proposal. It's dry reading, but near the bottom is where he goes into his official reasons for declining portions of the stimulus package.
For clarification purposes, here's an article explaining the stimulus bill measures being introduced and the constitutional laws that are being violated by the force-feeding of stimulus money.
Keep in mind that each state is effectively a nation onto itself. All the states in the union agree to work together for the common good. Hence, the "United States of America".
The Federal government is the system established by the states to handle affairs that affect the nation as a whole. Foreign affairs, military defense against outside threats, etc.
State government serves it's citizens and Federal government serves states. This is a very simplified explanation of the responsibilities of the various levels of government, but should help you understand how our system was designed and how these responsibilities are being shuffled around or usurped.
If you're interested, read the comments on the legal explanation. One poster said (s)he was all for the abolition of state government and having a centralized national government. I nearly fell out of my seat when I read this. This is the mindset Obama's administration is fostering.
The United States is unequaled throughout history for average quality of life, technological advancement, financial strength and overall happiness of it's citizens.
Our system has it's flaws, but it works amazingly well when the Constitution is adhered to. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.
Hugh Hewitt interview with Governor Jindal of Louisiana
Keep in mind, he's only refusing money that mandates changes in state law. Those monies that help the state without changing laws will still be accepted. Here's his official legislation proposal. It's dry reading, but near the bottom is where he goes into his official reasons for declining portions of the stimulus package.
For clarification purposes, here's an article explaining the stimulus bill measures being introduced and the constitutional laws that are being violated by the force-feeding of stimulus money.
Keep in mind that each state is effectively a nation onto itself. All the states in the union agree to work together for the common good. Hence, the "United States of America".
The Federal government is the system established by the states to handle affairs that affect the nation as a whole. Foreign affairs, military defense against outside threats, etc.
State government serves it's citizens and Federal government serves states. This is a very simplified explanation of the responsibilities of the various levels of government, but should help you understand how our system was designed and how these responsibilities are being shuffled around or usurped.
If you're interested, read the comments on the legal explanation. One poster said (s)he was all for the abolition of state government and having a centralized national government. I nearly fell out of my seat when I read this. This is the mindset Obama's administration is fostering.
The United States is unequaled throughout history for average quality of life, technological advancement, financial strength and overall happiness of it's citizens.
Our system has it's flaws, but it works amazingly well when the Constitution is adhered to. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Misunderstanding of Earmarks...
Earmarks. That word has been popping up a lot since Obama got his $410 billion omnibus bill put through. It contained nearly 9000 earmarks.
Republicans are slamming Obama for not following through of his promise to cut earmarks. Democrats are slamming Republicans for having so many earmarks in the bill. So on and so forth.
Do you know what an earmark is? Our good friends at Wikipedia define a political earmark thusly:
"In US politics, an earmark is a congressional provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees."
What that means is an earmark clearly states what the money is supposed to be spent on. It creates transparency and helps insure the money...OUR money...is used for it's intended purpose.
Each branch of the Federal government used to propose their own budgets for the coming year. Then some lunkhead came up with the bright idea of just doing one big budget plan, assigning it to the Executive branch and letting it dole out the money.
Only ~2% of the $410 billion federal spending bill (omnibus) was earmarked. Guess who gets to decide where the rest goes? That's right. The president does. What's worse, since the executive branch is now responsible for doling out the funds, it can do so at it's discretion with little, if any, oversight. Kinda makes you wonder why Obama is such a proponent of earmark elimination, huh?
Every single penny of that bill should have been earmarked so that we know where our money is going.
Earmarks in and of themselves aren't bad. It's where the earmarks direct the money...the contents of the earmark...that are bad. The omnibus bill contained earmarks for lobster research in Maine, termite research in New Orleans and a rodeo museum in South Dakota just to name a few.
An awful lot of our money is being given to a very few people. Without oversight, without earmarks, what's to keep them honest?
Republicans are slamming Obama for not following through of his promise to cut earmarks. Democrats are slamming Republicans for having so many earmarks in the bill. So on and so forth.
Do you know what an earmark is? Our good friends at Wikipedia define a political earmark thusly:
"In US politics, an earmark is a congressional provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees."
What that means is an earmark clearly states what the money is supposed to be spent on. It creates transparency and helps insure the money...OUR money...is used for it's intended purpose.
Each branch of the Federal government used to propose their own budgets for the coming year. Then some lunkhead came up with the bright idea of just doing one big budget plan, assigning it to the Executive branch and letting it dole out the money.
Only ~2% of the $410 billion federal spending bill (omnibus) was earmarked. Guess who gets to decide where the rest goes? That's right. The president does. What's worse, since the executive branch is now responsible for doling out the funds, it can do so at it's discretion with little, if any, oversight. Kinda makes you wonder why Obama is such a proponent of earmark elimination, huh?
Every single penny of that bill should have been earmarked so that we know where our money is going.
Earmarks in and of themselves aren't bad. It's where the earmarks direct the money...the contents of the earmark...that are bad. The omnibus bill contained earmarks for lobster research in Maine, termite research in New Orleans and a rodeo museum in South Dakota just to name a few.
An awful lot of our money is being given to a very few people. Without oversight, without earmarks, what's to keep them honest?
Great online learning site for young kids...
My wife found, thanks to her mommy friends on JustMommies.com, a terrific website with educational games for young kids.
It's called Starfall. Preschoolers seem to be the target audience, but there are more advanced activities.
We were starting to get concerned about our 3 year-old son's lack of progress with his verbal skills. Within days of his using the site, they began to improve dramatically. He's also becoming more verbal. Instead of grunting and pointing, he's asking for things by name. Now he's a little pro at it. Another added benefit(?) is that his computer use skills are being developed.
What's best is we don't have to force him to use it. He loves it. In fact it's difficult to get him off it at times.
It's so cute to watch him cruise through the sites many activities. Of course, now we fight over the computers.
It's called Starfall. Preschoolers seem to be the target audience, but there are more advanced activities.
We were starting to get concerned about our 3 year-old son's lack of progress with his verbal skills. Within days of his using the site, they began to improve dramatically. He's also becoming more verbal. Instead of grunting and pointing, he's asking for things by name. Now he's a little pro at it. Another added benefit(?) is that his computer use skills are being developed.
What's best is we don't have to force him to use it. He loves it. In fact it's difficult to get him off it at times.
It's so cute to watch him cruise through the sites many activities. Of course, now we fight over the computers.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
As mentioned in my previous article, many states (up to 30 at last count) are considering invoking the 10th Amendment which allows states to ignore Federal laws which they find to be Constitutionally outside the authority of Federal government.
Keep in mind, the Constitution clearly states which areas the Federal government may enact laws governing. As stated earlier, these areas are finite and may not be added upon. Any other area is governed at the state level.
A few of the states have brought the subject to a vote in their respective state Houses. An interesting pattern is developing in these results.
Arkansas representatives voted the proposal down 10 to 8. New Hampshire representatives also voted down the bill 216 to 150. Washington didn't even bother, instead shelving the proposal and effectively killing it.
Here's the interesting bit. In Arkansas, all "No" votes came from Democrats. Same with New Hampshire...in spite of the fact the street in front of the Statehouse had hundreds of citizens (the linked article lables them "activists") voicing their support for the proposal. The Washington chairman who decided to not even bring it up for vote was also a Democrat.
See what's happening here? The Democrats have control and plan to abuse that control for as long as they can. To be fair, if Republicans had majority I'm sure they'd do the same thing. This isn't a question of party so much as it is responsibility. Our elected officials are behaving irresponsibly. They are doing nothing to protect our rights.
This next bit is purely opinion based on the hundreds of articles I've read, videos I've watched and legislation and bills I've forced myself to decipher (dreadfully boring stuff).
Due to an overwhelming amount of ignorance amongst the general populace of the United States we are steadily giving up everything that makes this the best nation on Earth. The last presidential election had an amazing turnout, but it was comprised of voters who had no idea what or whom they were voting for.Obama won not because he was the better candidate. Not because he was more experienced...two years as a junior senator (a position he "won" by forcing all opponents to drop their bid) and absent for 75% of his term (look at the number of "Not Voting" in his senate voting record). He won because he had more money to spend, looked better in front of the cameras and most importantly because he was black (even though he isn't really).
Seriously folks. Wake up already. Our kids have to grow up in this country. Our actions will determine what kind of country they will inherit from us. The government works for us, not the other way around.
However, if you want the government to continue to make your decisions for you then, by all means, keep up the good work.
I mean, it worked so well for the Soviet Union. Why shouldn't it work here as well?
Keep in mind, the Constitution clearly states which areas the Federal government may enact laws governing. As stated earlier, these areas are finite and may not be added upon. Any other area is governed at the state level.
A few of the states have brought the subject to a vote in their respective state Houses. An interesting pattern is developing in these results.
Arkansas representatives voted the proposal down 10 to 8. New Hampshire representatives also voted down the bill 216 to 150. Washington didn't even bother, instead shelving the proposal and effectively killing it.
Here's the interesting bit. In Arkansas, all "No" votes came from Democrats. Same with New Hampshire...in spite of the fact the street in front of the Statehouse had hundreds of citizens (the linked article lables them "activists") voicing their support for the proposal. The Washington chairman who decided to not even bring it up for vote was also a Democrat.
See what's happening here? The Democrats have control and plan to abuse that control for as long as they can. To be fair, if Republicans had majority I'm sure they'd do the same thing. This isn't a question of party so much as it is responsibility. Our elected officials are behaving irresponsibly. They are doing nothing to protect our rights.
This next bit is purely opinion based on the hundreds of articles I've read, videos I've watched and legislation and bills I've forced myself to decipher (dreadfully boring stuff).
Due to an overwhelming amount of ignorance amongst the general populace of the United States we are steadily giving up everything that makes this the best nation on Earth. The last presidential election had an amazing turnout, but it was comprised of voters who had no idea what or whom they were voting for.Obama won not because he was the better candidate. Not because he was more experienced...two years as a junior senator (a position he "won" by forcing all opponents to drop their bid) and absent for 75% of his term (look at the number of "Not Voting" in his senate voting record). He won because he had more money to spend, looked better in front of the cameras and most importantly because he was black (even though he isn't really).
Seriously folks. Wake up already. Our kids have to grow up in this country. Our actions will determine what kind of country they will inherit from us. The government works for us, not the other way around.
However, if you want the government to continue to make your decisions for you then, by all means, keep up the good work.
I mean, it worked so well for the Soviet Union. Why shouldn't it work here as well?
The 10th Amendment to the Constitution states:"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
What this means is that the powers of the Federal government are clearly defined and finite. They may not appoint themselves more powers. Any powers not given to the Federal government are to be handled by the States or the citizens.
Now stop and think how many powers our Federal government has that aren't given to them by the Constitution:
Gun control
Drug Enforcement
Education
Health Care
etc. etc.
So, from a Constitutional standpoint, anyone arrested and convicted by a Federal law enforcement agency or court for drug offenses is being arrested, tried and held illegally.
The Constitution clearly defines what the Federal government may and may not do. Our elected officials have been systematically siezing these powers right under our noses.
Of course, we're to blame because we let them do it.
What this means is that the powers of the Federal government are clearly defined and finite. They may not appoint themselves more powers. Any powers not given to the Federal government are to be handled by the States or the citizens.
Now stop and think how many powers our Federal government has that aren't given to them by the Constitution:
Gun control
Drug Enforcement
Education
Health Care
etc. etc.
So, from a Constitutional standpoint, anyone arrested and convicted by a Federal law enforcement agency or court for drug offenses is being arrested, tried and held illegally.
The Constitution clearly defines what the Federal government may and may not do. Our elected officials have been systematically siezing these powers right under our noses.
Of course, we're to blame because we let them do it.
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