Chopped, the home version

I threw a very nice bottom round roast into the crock pot yesterday at lunchtime. By dinnertime the enticing smell of cooked beef scented the house better than the most expensive potpourri. Some mashed spuds, broth, asparagus and nice yeast rolls made for a fine Monday dinner.

I cleaned up the kitchen while the boy headed off to do homework and the wife sorted laundry.. We all have our jobs outside of work, don't we? As soon as the dishes were washed and/or put into the dishwasher I got out the big bowls and flour and sugar and chocolate chips to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

I love to cook, that is art.  Baking, well it is more like chemistry class. I hated chemistry class. Making a pot of chili you can throw in a little pepper, a dash of hot sauce and it is all to taste and whim. Cookies; one has to measure and concentrate and follow the freaking rules. Plus, it takes forever to bake cookies.  By the time I am putting the third dozen in the oven I am just plain bored with it all. I occupied myself with some Robert Louis Stevenson and his classic Master of Ballantrae in nine minute snatches.

But I persevered and the wife and boy were happy as clams with their sweet gooey chocolaty cookies.

No banjos were played while writing this post.

How I spent my Saturday

You have to watch a commercial, then you can get a sense of the Indy Superbowl Zipline

Human Magnets Are We

It is funny how two people with so little in common can find a life together. My wife and I are like that. We don't like the same music or food. Her idea of a good time is an afternoon at the mall. She would would be happy to never go to a museum or discuss history. If she sees a big crowd she heads straight toward it to be part of the action, while I head straight the opposite way. Yet somehow we have been together more than 34 years as a couple (almost 28 married)

Saturday she decided we were heading to downtown Indianapolis to check out the festivities surrounding the upcoming Superbowl. The whole time we were getting ready to go I imagined the crowds, the pain of street closures, the reported difficulty in finding suitable parking. It was windy and cold. I was fully prepared to be miserable.

There was little traffic. We found a great place right under Circle Center Mall -- right in the heart of downtown. The crowds were terrible, so I do have that to hang on to. We checked out the NFL painted IndyCars, the giant Roman Superbowl numerals. We mingled with the crowds. The primary attraction for the wife was the Zipline. Billed as the longest temporary Zipline in the United States it towers 100 feet above Capitol Ave in the heart of the Superbowl Village. You can se pictures here. The presale tickets were long ago sold out, but there was a chance you could buy tickets at the gate.

I could bore you with long details, but we finally got a chance to Zip around 8:30 in the evening. Here is a shot of the happy couple just seconds before we stepped off into space with nothing but a far distant ground below our feet:

The Zipline was a blast. The cold was not so bad and we survived the crowds. In all we had a a good Saturday.  But I am still tired of hearing about the damn Superbowl and I am ready for it to go away.

Just one note to the city of Indianapolis.  temporarily renaming the downtown streets after NFL teams is a horrible, awful idea.

I need a little help here

Do any of you know where the wife stashed the box her little Nikon came in?  The charging cord for the rechargeable battery and for transferring pics to the 'puter were in that box. She put it in a place she would know right where it was when she needed it. Now she has no clue.

Help a brother out will ya?

Ruminations

Sometimes life is weird. I met up with a couple of old colleagues this week. One I met for lunch, the other on the phone. I worked with these guys back in my first real professional job. We were all on the same sales team, a small very effective bunch of guys who knew their shit. I was the customer service manage that dealt with these two outside guys (there were actually six of us total) and they convinced management I should be an outside guy too. I guess these men can be responsible or to blame for who I am today, professionally.

I have not spoken to either of these guys for a long time.  One guy I have not been in contact since 1996 or 1997. It was good to relive old times and old stories. The company we worked for was sold and split up, we all went our separate ways.

There is a dusting of snow on the ground this morning. Only the grass is covered. The wind is blowing and the coffee is hot. As often seems the case the magic iPod knows exactly the music to play on this quiet Saturday morning. While reading the news and catching up on your blogs I heard The Judds, Bob Marley, a little mellow Neil Young and one of my favorite Sinatra tunes.

Have a great weekend.

Dear President Obama,

I have a situation that will anger you even more than the inequity of taxes paid by Billionaire Warren Buffett and his secretary. Your "That's Unfair" meter will peg full on to "outraged".

My son will pay an effective marginal tax rate of 15%. He is a line cook at a local Italian eatery.  He works part time. I will pay a  6% tax rate, even though I am an extraordinary widget salesman and I will make significantly more income than my son this year. Do you call that fair?

Of course I am comparing my son's federal income tax rate and my local sales tax rate. But hey, we do not want to confuse the electorate do we?  Buffett pays a different rate on his investments than his hardworking secretary does on her income. I understand, it is the message not the facts, Barrack my man.  I get it, you are all about the class warfare this election aren't you? I follow your logic Mr. President.  You have to capitalize on the misery and hard feelings your economy has spawned.  You cannot very well run on your record, I suppose. As blamer-in-chief this fits well with what you do best; blame someone else.

This election you will blame the more successful in life.  Your massive increases in spending cannot be responsible for the large deficits, the rich just are not paying enough. Hey, how about we confiscate all of the wealth of all of the people making ten million or more? What, it will not make a dent in the deficit? What? The richest 50% pay ALL of the taxes? The richest 10% pay 50% of the taxes?  I guess we have to redefine "fair".

Mr. Obama there is one point upon which we do agree.  It is shameful Warren B's secretary pays a 35% tax rate.  Add in local and state taxes and that hard working woman is giving more than one half of her wages to government. In the olden days that was called indentured servitude.  The old company store worked on a similar principle. The Government has plenty of money fueling the coffers.  It is the spending that is the problem. It is time to wean the Government off my paycheck. Like I said, let us not let actual facts get in the way of a good campaign.

Because we're here, lad. Nobody else. Just us.

Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville (1835–1885)

I am not sure how it escaped me.  I guess I am getting forgetful in my old age.  I seriously thought the anniversary was January 29th. But last Sunday, January 22, marked the 133rd anniversary of the Defense of Rorke's Drift and the Battle of Isandlwana. Eleven Victoria Crosses for heroism were given out in the former, and the latter marks one of the worst defeats in British Military history.

At Rorke's Drift less than 150 British soldiers defended a small mission station and hospital against an estimated 4,000 Zulu warriors through the evening and night. You can read a rather good description of the battle here

If you want to read what I consider one of the finest books on the Zulu Wars, I recommend The Washing of the Spears by Donald Morris. I have read my copy at least twice, parts of it multiple times.

Of course action movie lovers will know the movies Zulu Dawn, and Zulu. While both take some liberties with historical accuracy, they are great fun. I give them each a huge thumbs up.  In fact, I plan to watch both before the week is over. What?  You have not seen Zulu?  Here is a teaser:



Yeah, the whole movie is like that. Catch it on Netflix, or at your favorite video store or streaming service.  Trust me, you will glad you did.

'Splain this Lucy

The Republicans in charge tell me the best candidate is the guy who lost to the guy who was trounced by Obama last time. 

My other choice is a big government insider named Newt.

Yuck.

But even the guy who pushes carts out at my local WalMart would be better than the guy currently playing golf while living in the White House.

If I can't do it in three years...

State of the Union Preview

I have obtained an unedited copy of The Obama's rehearsal for his upcoming State of the Union Address this evening*:



Remember the main themes:

-Tax the rich

-Spend more, except the military.  We have to eliminate the military.

-Create jobs, unless it involves oil or gas or coal or actually building something like a pipeline What he means is to create Government jobs.

-Help the middle class, except when making their energy bills skyrocket.

--Remember America is great, so we have to change everything about it.

--Mostly tax the rich


Read this

h/t PRS


* yes, I know I have done this before, but the song really does sum up the Obama position perfectly.

I have answers

Want to know why those folks who are citizens of the World but not of the US are clamoring to get here? Looking for answers of why a person would risk life and limb to wade the Rio Grande, dodge the hated Border Patrol, and risk dying in the deserts of the American Southwest? 

Curious as to why the vast majority of the Third World hates us?  Concerned about the roots of Muslim anger against "The Great Satan"?

It is not our blue jeans, our music, our movies or our decadent culture.  The love/hate attitude of the world is not our wealth, our lifestyle, or our big gas eating automobiles. Global envy is simple to surmise.  It can be summed by three things we have and they want: Gravy, Bacon, Corn Bread.

The Northeastern media elites hate the citizens of flyover country not for our bitter clinging love of guns and religion, but rather the wholesome goodness of a pan of white gravy., the smoky wholesomeness of our bacon and the pure greatness of homemade cornbread. The Anthony Bourdains of the world look down on Paula Deene and her butter/fried culinary inspirations, but you and I know they just have bacon envy.

I fried up some chicken last night, mashed some spuds and baked some biscuits. I topped it all with a delicious batch of white gravy and I knew I was living the High Life.

Sucks to be you world.

Ice

A Haiku for Jean:

ICE

Needed for cocktails
Perfect for skates and hockey
On streets, not so great

It also makes walking down the drive to fetch the paper at O'dark thirty a bit hazardous.  My Nike's do not have ice treads. I should have put on my golf shoes. I will take snow any day over ice.

Blame Obama

When gas hits $4.00 or more per gallon, blame Obama.

When we continue to depend on foreign regimes who are not our friends for oil imports, blame Obama.

When terrorists take money we spend on Mideast oil and use it to build bombs and weapons to be used against us, blame Obama.

When companies fail to provide new shovel-ready jobs, blame Obama.

When unemployment continues to hover at high levels, blame Obama.

When Union jobs are lost, blame Obama.

When the Chinese are finding steady sources of oil right in our backyard, blame Obama.

When allies like Canada turn their back on us politically and economically, blame Obama.

When you read that the Keystone XL Pipeline has been stopped dead in its tracks, blame Obama.

When you scratch your head and wonder how a decision can be so poor that the Obama-fanboys at the Washington Post thinks it is bad, blame Obama.

Read this

Read this

Super sick of it

I love the NFL.

I am utterly, completely, totally sick of hearing about the Superbowl in Indianapolis.  The next few weeks cannot come and go fast enough.

Dear NFLPA

Really?  The NFL Players Association wants join in the union protests over Right to Work legislation in Indiana. This legislation would make it illegal to force a person to pay union dues as a condition of employment. It would not stop unions from collective bargaining for wages and benefits.  It would not prevent anyone from joining a union or organizing any workplace.

The NFLPA is so gung ho on union membership it actually DISBANDED as a union about a year ago. That is right, the NFLPA decertified the union allowing each member to individually bargain and negotiate wages, etc. You might remember Brady et. al and their law suit against the NFL? I guess the NFLPA is OK with their members opting out, but they insist the poor UAW schmuck making a decimal point of the wages the average special teamer earns must pay into the union no matter what.

I guess those football players did not study the definition of irony in English class.

The taxpayers of Indiana are being robbed.

Refuses to work, still takes the pay

I see the crybaby Democrats are continuing to refuse to come into session in the Indiana House. They cannot defeat legislation they do not like so in true fleebagger fashion the Indiana democrats refuse to participate.

Democrats say they want a referendum on the RTW bill. Well except it is unconstitutional. But let us not let facts get in the way. Dear Democrats -- want a referendum? The true referendum will be at the ballot box.  If the Democrats are right and the People of the State do not like the law, then they will vote out the Republican majority and the new leadership can bring back unioncentric policies. It is really that simple. In the meantime, show up and vote.

Democrat lawmakers who refuse to do the work they were elected to do are stealing from the people of Indiana. Just as any employee who takes the pay and refuses to work, they should be fired. A vendor for the State who took payment and did not deliver the contracted goods and services would be guilty of fraud and theft. Representatives who refuse to show up and vote, who refuse to do the work of the people, are frauds and thieves. Last year this same group of Democrats took the pay of a Legislator and then fled to Illinois to sit in the hot tubs and bars of Champaign. Now they are stealing from us again.

This is not about good or bad legislation. That is a different argument.  This is about the failure to live up to the oath of office, about taking from the People of Indiana without conscious.

You should each be ashamed.

Today's Earworm

Doom dada doom dada doom...I dig it that boots are back in style.



I like the original better, but Simpson is hotter.

Here is Miley Cyrus taking a stab at it:



How about a dance version with a hot brunette?:


Here is Siouxie without the Banshees:


This tune seems to be a favorite of punk bands the world over.  You know where to find other versions.

Voter ID

Seriously, is there any true arguments against voter ID laws? Why is it unreasonable to expect one to prove his identity to vote when you have to prove you are you to cash a check, buy beer, get unemployment or welfare?  You have to have proof of ID to board a plane. The franchise is among the most precious of our freedoms, and any measure that protects that Right is worthwhile in my view.

As long as the State offers free identification cards, it is a stretch to find a person who is really inconvenienced by having to show an ID to vote. Unless you hail from Chicago or the numerous Democratic strongholds where even the dead routinely vote (early and often), I cannot see it as a problem.

I would be happy to see arguments against Voter ID in the comments.

I think our feckless Attorney General is tilting at windmills on this one.  Perhaps he should focus on Voter Intimidation at the polls instead of promoting potential voter fraud. maybe he should look into the massive voter fraud perpetuated every election by Acorn? Methinks he doth protest too much.

I'll be damned

I just figured out yesterday's Federal Holiday had nothing to do with MILK, but rather it celebrated Martin Luther King -- MLK.

This is how your lose a Republic

In the last decades of the Roman Republic the Senators discovered it was just easier to let a strong executive run things than it was to actually govern. Political power was far more important than rule of law.

In a similar fashion, Harry Reid is willing to ignore Constitutionally mandated Senate responsibilities to ensure his party gets the power it craves. Reid is willing to give up long-term checks and balances for a short-term victory for his President. His hypocrisy is sickening and his sudden reversal in position should worry Americans of every political stripe.

Rest assured Obama's abuse of the recess appointment provisions of the Constitution will be repeated by future Presidents.  Some who will not be liberal Democrats.  The Harry Reids and everyday liberal bloggers who pretend this is no big deal will rue the day.

Without a trace of hyperbole, I believe there is no doubt we are witnessing the slow decay of the Republic. How far are from that one Big Crisis and a recommendation we suspend Congress so the President can manage the problem without Congressional and political infighting. Reasonable people will agree that is the best path. And then there will be the next crises and another and soon we will have a permanent Caesar ruling the nation. We are not there yet. But the continuous strengthening of the Executive Branch has gone on for a while now. Congress has given away the legislative power to various agencies and even the courts.

Think it cannot happen? Open any history book at random and read. The timeline of history is replete with examples of Caesars, kings, emperors and dictators. The list of successful Republics is short.

The Hoosierboy Code

i did not post anything yesterday in a rare example of self control. It is not complicated, I had nothing to say.

I know what you are mumbling under your breath, "So, it never stopped him in the past". Maybe. you are right, but I prefer to believe any nugget of truth that travels from my fingertips to your monitor or screen is worth reading. Someday there will be entire religions dedicated to my every word, deed and thought. Or Not. Only time will tell and none of you will be around to see it.  Who made you the next Nostradamus anyway?

And the marching band refused to yield

I am late in surfing the interwebz waves this chilly Saturday. I sorta slept in. The boy had a school thing very early, so I got up a little before five in the aye em to get him moving -- and stayed up until he left to keep him on schedule. As usual, he did not require any vocal cattle prodding, he is a responsible young man.  After he left I went back to bed and slept until just before 8:00.

After a  perusal of the paper, breakfast, and coffee, here I am bloggifying my boring life while Don McLean sings about pie and rye and levies and nonsense in the background.

It has been an exciting week in my little town.  We have had killers caught, shooters shot and there is a dick-waver on the loose. I am not surprised our newsworthy pervert failed to make n appearance Friday morning to point his tiny dick at unsuspecting school girls. Wind chills were below zero and a shriveled blue tally-whacker titillates no one. I can picture it. Shivering in the cold, our fearless flasher throws open his raincoat to a huddled group of elementary kids waiting at the bus stop.

"Look at that idiot", says Tina. "Hey Mister, aren't you cold? Where are your pants?"

Is that a Smurf hanging between your legs?" inquires Emily.

"Look, Dude's got no balls" laughs Mark.

I presume flashers are not looking for ridicule. I think we will not see the our man again until warm weather returns.

Triskaidekaphobia

January has finally arrived here at the old homestead. Blowing snow - albeit not a lot of it -- along with a strong west wind is giving us temperatures in the teens and below zero wind chills. It is hard to complain about our weather up to now in this New Year. It has been mild and virtually snow free.

Now winter is here. At least for a few days.

Mr. Sandman, send me a dream......

I was at a party, a reunion of sorts. All kinds of people from my past were there. I was only a little surprised to see Ernie standing next his wife. who was talking to my buddy Daryl. I headed that way. It was good to see Ernie, and even better to talk to him.  He has been dead for 25 years. He looked good. Daryl and Elaine were deep into their own conversation.

I asked Ernie what he was up to, and he said mostly looking out for Elaine. He asked after my wife and if I had kids.

I told Ernie my brother would be so excited to see him. I asked if I could call Otter and have him come over. Ernie cocked his head and looked at me inquisitively.  Ernie's eyes narrowed and he frowned for a mere second. "Have you ever seen that Bruce Willis movie?" he asked, "the one with the kid?"

"I see dead people" I moaned...

Obama as a Failure

From an objective viewpoint The Obama is an all-around failure as a President. The reasons a Conservative is angry and disappointed are numerous. The big government liberal economic policies, record spending, and endless class warfare rhetoric makes Obama the prototypical tax and spend Democrat. His policies have brought the first financial downgrade to our Governmental bond rating. Obama and company have increased our debt more than all previous Presidents combined.

The President's foreign policy blunders, his courting of Muslim extremists, bowing to foreign potentates, gifting iPods and all around apologizing for any and everything are an anathema to any died in the wool Reaganite.

Obama's continuation of the hated Bush's War on Terror policies must make the progressive liberal leftist socialist Democrat white with rage. The Code Pinkers and Cindy She-hags of the world must suffer blood pressure levels bordering on stroke-inducing. Yet somehow their bitter anger is not enough to protest the White House and camp out near The Bamster's homestead. We have not seen the Code Pinker's saggy tatas waving free in the wind cooling their wrinkled cooters in the sun as they protest the various wars in far off lands.  Where were the chants of "blood for oil" as Obama opened new war in Libya and continued in Iraq and Afghanistan? 

We have not seen the comparisons to Hitler, yet Gitmo operates as before.  The TSA, Homeland Security and Patriot Act restrictions are stronger than ever. All of the actions the left hated  most about 'The Shrub' continue unabated under Obama, yet we do not see the same level of protest, anger, old lady nudity.

Is it that the actions are more tolerable if the man in charge has a (D) after his name? Is it that the biased press does not report the anger?

Mostly we have a President who would rather play golf and campaign than govern. He pouts when he cannot get his way. He is petulant and lacks the ability to compromise. Obama is like the little kid who learns to dog paddle and thinks that qualifies him to jump from the high dive. The end result finds him in way over his head in deep water, no water wings to be found.

Four more years?  I am not sure we can stand four more months.

Back in the saddle again

Its been lonely in the saddle since my horse died...

Anyway, my attempts to post via my Kindle Fire did not work so well. I think it is more an issue of operator error than technology or hotel internet. I could get the text into the box, but I was not able to edit the content or the spelling -- and I need to edit the spelling, trust me. This is especially true on the little electric keyboard with my stubby fingers. Fs came out as Ds and Hs as Us. It was as if the proverbial monkeys were typing away at the proverbial typewriters, but well before Shakespeare was produced..Hrer ois a nexanmlpe.

My first swing through the northern extremes of the Hoosier State was good in that it was January and there was no snow to be found. That is a good thing.

hola readers

Interwebz connections are a bit spotty here in my sooper sekrit location. Talk among yourselves.

Is there even one ethical Democrat?

Is there not one single Democrat willing to stand up and denounce Obama's recent unconstitutional power grab?

Has power and Party usurped all that is good and decent? Can no Democrat read or understand Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution?

Is there not a Federal Judge that will issue a restraining order?

A recent commenter wondered why I say Fuck You Democrats.  Now you know.  They have no ethics, no integrity, no sense of honor.

I challenge any liberal, progressive or Democrat to explain why this action is acceptable. Then tell me why you would have taken the same position had the President been named Bush.


Read this -- a more intelligent statement of the issue.

False Alarm

My pseudo-cold symptoms have regressed. It could be I am a hypochondriac. Or..it could be the bug has taken on unheard of stealth capabilities, lying in wait to ambush me with symptoms so severe, so baffling to the medical profession Dr. House would throw up his arms in frustration.

He would then drop his cane and fall over, but that would be merely a funny distraction from my true misery.

Choose your own adventure...

I hope a car battery to the testicles is not next

"They" --and you all know about the evil "They"-- have attacked me in my sleep. Like fanatic members of the Cult of Charlie Manson, "They" have entered my house in the dead of night and tortured me.  Imagine my skull clamped tight in a vice while icepicks and small fillet knives are thrust into the soft tissue of my right eyeball. My body was beaten with the latest in composite material baseball bats,  The slugger was skilled at his art of torture, knowing how to bruise and damage every muscle fiber, yet not break the bones, leaving  me at a level of pain just short of passing out. Albert Pujols could not have handled his Louisville Slugger with more effect. Through the blur of pain I was punched in the guts repeatedly by a wavering image with the skill and strength of Mike Tyson.

That is what has happened to me.

Or maybe I am just getting a cold.  I popped a couple of Advil in any case.

I get up, I get down

I did not post political stuff for about a month.   Iguess I have made up for it the past few days. Every top of the hour news story, every glance at the home page, everywhere I turned the past few days I see the abuse of Big Government and my blood pressure climbs...

But it is Saturday, the coffee is hot and black, the tunes on th iPod are first rate and I am in a good mood.

The wife had some things to return to the mall last night so we ventured to the big city. The mall eventually closed and she headed toward one of the Big Department stores that was staying open late for a sale or something.  I went to the car. I drove around to the outside entrance of the Big Department store and fired up my iPod on the bluetooth audio system.

After a while she came out and I left my music on.  Now the wife is a pop music kind of girl. If she is going to listen to what she calls "oldies" it is going to be hard rock. Me? -- if you have read here long you know my tastes are a bit eclectic. To be an ass, I decided to make her listen to my music all the way home. I skipped a few I knew she would hate, and even a couple she would not mind.  Finally just the right song came on.

Yes is an squired taste and the song "Close to the Edge" even more so. The disjointed notes and weird time signature of the beginning prompted her to mumble "It sounds like they are all playing a different song". This was a live version, so the track comes it something over 18 minutes. She made it about 12 minutes before she said finally told me "This song really sucks". I just laughed and said I was waiting to see how long she could take it. I shuffled to the next tune and some Rolling Stones filled the air. We were almost home at that point anyway.

The point of this post?  It is possible that you, Dear Reader, may picture me as this sweet humble lovable teddy bear.  In your mind's eye I am a caring, considerate, polite citizen of the world.You see me as a model spouse, quick with a joke and helping hand.

In reality I am kind of an ass, sarcastic and bitter. I am prone to childish acts of revenge and cling to petty anger for way too long. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Please, Please stage a strike at the Superbowl

Screw you NFLPA. If Union membership is so very important why did the players DECERTIFY their own union to change their bargaining power? So I guess it is OK to NOT belong to a union if it suits your purposes? Give me a break.

Polls show a vast majority of Hoosiers favor the Right-to-Work legislation. Work stoppage and a strikes at the Superbowl will not bolster the Union cause, it will hurt it. Please, disrupt the Superbowl.  Union popularity will drop even further.

chirp, chirp, chirp

Liberals who were constantly up in arms and gnashing their teeth about George 'The Shrub' Bush trampling the Constitution. I am waiting for the hue and cry over The Obama's blatant unConstitutional power grab.  You cannot make a 'recess appointment' when Congress is not in recess. The Founders put checks and balances upon the Executive branch for a reason.  We don't need a fucking king or a dictator.  Why is it the leftists who always force their will upon the People by dictate?

And if you believe that appointments to the NLRB are essential to job growth and improving the economy your are a stupid fuck. I am surprised you do not need written instructions reminding you to breath. This is a blatant power grab and nothing more.

read

read

Dear Democrats

Can we all quit pretending you just admit The Democratic party the official political arm of the AFL/CIO, SEIU and the Teamsters?

After all, when the head of the Indiana AFL/CIO actually sits in caucus with you, there is really no more pretense is there?

If the "Occupiers" were truly angered about lobbyists and undue influence in politics they would be all over this. The head of the SEIU has spent almost as much time at the White House as The Obama has on the golf course. Almost. But the Occupy movement is more about destroying capitalism, isn't it?

Grow Up Democrats

You remember their type from your childhood days. A bunch of kids are playing and little Patrick always had to be in charge. He had to be the Chief. If you were playing Monopoly he had to be the race car or he would not play. If the gang voted play Hide n Seek when he wanted to play Kick the Can, then he just went home. If you were in a middle of a sandlot game of baseball and called him out at first, he cried, stomped, pleaded and if he did not get his way he took his ball and went home, leaving you with your bat in hand. You know the type.

Those guys all grew up. Most of them banded together to join the Democrat Party. Their motto -- Its Not Fair!  Once again Indiana Democrats led by the man with a snazzy hairpiece, Pat Bauer, have learned the hard way that elections have consequences. Using their full complement of fingers and toes they have counted and determined Democrats lack the votes to stop legislation they do not like.

Instead of being adults, they refuse to participate.  Last year they hightailed it to Illinois.  This year they are locked in their offices, crying, screaming in fits of rage "It is not fair", clutching their tattered worn baseballs tightly to their sunken hairless chests. The cause of their tantrum is pending Right to Work legislation. The measure says there are no longer closed union shops in Indiana. If an employee does not want to join a union or pay dues, he does not have to. Nothing stops devoted union members from belonging to the United Steel Workers, The UAW , The IBEW, The Teamsters or any other union. But no one has to either. Any workplace can still be organized. Wages, benefits, and work rules can be negotiated and bargained. But, as an employee, you do not want those benefits -- you do not have to pay union dues or belong to the Brotherhood. It seems reasonable to me.

The crybaby Democrats would have us believe the Right to Work legislation is unfair and unpopular with the voters of Indiana..Reasonable elected officials would vote their conscious and win or lose as the votes are tallied. If the new law really is unpopular, then it can be overturned in the next election and will serve as fodder for the upcoming campaign. If the people of the Hoosier State want to change things back they will pull the electronic lever in favor of the Democrat in the fall elections. Just as Obamacare ushered in a strong Republican majority in the US House of Representatives, Right to Work could bring about a strong Democrat victory in Indiana.

Except Hoosiers are in favor of Right to Work by an overwhelming majority. The Democrats know only the unions are against the measure -- who would pay union dues if they were not forced? The Democrats know they will not get a chance to overturn a popular law, so they return to their childhood, spoiled brat tendencies. The Democrats hide in their closet, refusing to play by the rules. They would rather stick a knife into their red rubber kickball.  No one gets to play if they cannot make up the teams.

I despised those kids in my youth, and, my attitude has not changed in the interceding decades -- FUCK YOU Democrats.

Obama goes into full campaign mode, actual Governing is just too boring

Seriously, have we EVER had a President with such a poor work ethic, and even worse leadership skills?

I suppose, you could argue it was Wilson during the last months of his Presidency. But Wilson had suffered a stroke.

Yeah, but...

It is cold, but not too cold.

My nose is running, but I am not sick.

I am hungry, but I can wait until lunch.

The world may end in December, but since it is leap year we will get an extra day.

My wallet is empty, but tomorrow is pay day.

I got nuttin', but you still get a post.

Who the Hell put Iowa in charge?

I am not going to lie to you.  I look at the crop of candidates for President and I can at best generate a big yawn. That is not entirely accurate, my real reaction is more akin to "is that the best we can muster?" .

Perhaps instead of tearing each other down, the GOPers should be telling us how they are going to dismantle and impede the socialist/progressive/liberal track the current administration is determined to pursue. Maybe they should be outlining their vision to reign in the debt and Government in general.

I have resigned myself to the prospect of a RINO or worse occupying the White House.  We must get true conservative leadership in the House and Senate.  The GOP must garner a filibuster proof Senate majority. Only then it will not matter what the President wants.

To accomplish this task we must convince the DINOs to vote for a conservative candidate. What, you have not heard of DINOs? Like their Republican counterparts these guys are labeled Democrats but are actually conservatives in disguise. They are the Reagan or Blue Dog Democrats. Unlike RINOs, the DINOs keep on voting Democrat, even when they do not agree with the direction the Party is going. RINOs, on the other hand turn their back on fellow Repubs at every opportunity.

I have a good friend.  He is a Postal Service Lifer; a union guy through and through. He has always voted for the Democrat, likely because his dad always voted Democrat, and his grandad before that. It is the mufti-generational Hoover/FDR effect. A quick conversation with my friend will tell you he hates government spending, thinks we need real welfare reform, is a big gun owner and hunter, thinks Obamacare will destroy the health system, likes a strong military, wants some real immigration reform and would rather eat dog turds than vote Republican. My friend will tell you Obama is a disaster, but better than a Republican. We don't argue politics. There is no point.

I guarantee you my friend Tony is not an exception to the rule.  There are lots of Democrats like him. Many are union members, many work construction, the auto plants, the blue collar jobs that run the American economy. Like you and I , they go to the polls, hold their nose and vote for a guy they don't want.

Polls show an overwhelming majority of Americans are conservative. Our two-party system gets in the way of a better Government.  The power brokers in both parties like it that way..

Easing into it

My holiday break is over. I am back to work today. I last worked on December 20, I had vacation use-or0lose days, plus the company-paid holidays. My work muscles are squeaking like the Tin Man's knee joints. I kid. The phone has been silent all morning and only one new email has crossed my screen. Most of my customers are closed today.  I have my December expenses to do today and my monthly report is due on Friday. I fully expect a slow morning followed by a slower afternoon.

We took down the Christmas tree last night. The house looks so bare and gloomy. If the weather cooperates I will get the lights down outside in the next day or two. Then we have the long gray cold days of January and February to survive. Spring is coming. Just not for a while.