Why the Tea Party and Conservatism will lose

It is over. We have lost the war to return to a limited Government.

Do not get me wrong,  full-on socialism has not yet engulfed our beachhead, but the waves of collective nanny state big government are inching forward in an inexorable tide.

We will win more elections. Maybe even the next one. There are some young conservatives on the Supreme Court. There will be some reforms and some roll backs, The States will hold out for a while.

But there is no denying we are in the midst of the Conservative equivalent of the Battle of the Bulge. In 1944 Hitler gambled on one last great offensive to to beat back the British and Americans. He faced steady pressure from the Soviets in the East and he hoped to defeat the Western Allies in a big battle to allow him to find a peace in the West and concentrate on defeating the real enemy -- the USSR. Even Hitler knew socialism was the real danger! In reality, the War was lost, but the mighty Huns put up a big fight to stave off the inevitable.

That is where we are today in America in our fight against Socialism. Newsweek claimed after The Obama victory we were all Socialists now and sadly, they were right.  The victory is in sight. It will just take another decade or so to tally the final victory.

Yesterday I read in my local paper a story that confirms my dire analysis.  A regional foodbank is combining with the schools to provide meals for "hungry" children on the weekends. Kids that qualify for "free" lunch will get a pack containing food for six meals when they leave school on Friday afternoon.  This means we, the taxpayers, are providing 16 of 21 meals a week. In return we are teaching a whole generation of young parents -- and more importantly -- the children, that the Government is there to provide your every need.

How do you teach a young girl or boy to work hard and to be self-reliant when the counter message screams loud and clear -- do nothing and others will provide?  They go home and see a family life where welfare checks and food stamps are the norm.  They live in homes where the Mom or Dad does not work.  Many do not even try. These kids are the future.  Today's elementary school children are tomorrow's voters. Most people do not like to give up the freebies. We have lost the war for the heart and minds of future generations.

Less you think this is just over-reaction to an isolated incident, consider in my wife's kindergarten classroom. All but four kids get breakfast served at school.  Dumping some milk into a bowl of dry cereal is too much for their parents to handle of a morning. The schools, through the Feds (thus from your taxes and my taxes) even provides lunch in the summer! There is a health clinic in the middle school providing "free" healthcare to any student on free or reduced lunch. How can any student not think the role of Government is to provide their needs? When free food and medicine is provided, can housing be far behind?

More Americans than ever are on food stamps.  We the taxpayer are paying for meals for these "hungry" youngsters already.  We give enough to feed the family in foodstamps, with no deductions for the breakfast and lunch provided by the schools. Now we are covering the weekend eats. Will there be a corresponding reduction in food stamp payments? I think we all know the answer.

The tales of food stamp abuse are legion.  I am sure there is not one of us who has not stood in line at the grocery to buy our hamburger and generic foodstuffs while the couple in front bought steak with food stamps. Anecdote is not data, but it happens enough to make it reality.

I begrudge no human a meal. The notion of starving and hungry kids makes me almost weep in frustration. In the local school system nearly 50% of the students are on free or reduced lunch. In a survey taken at registration, more than 80% indicated they have internet access at home. I would further bet most of those families have cable and cell phones. This county boasts some of the highest smoking rates in the state and nation. Yet, I am asked to pay for food for these same families. I am surely missing something? Do we now live in a society where cell phones and internet are deemed necessities?

We are done, finished. The Roman Emperors learned the way to stay in power was to give the populace free bread and circuses. The modern left hates religion and Christians ion particular.  Can the spectacle of the Colosseum be far in the future?

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

From Otter

We are now starting into Birthday season around here. Today marks my Daughter's twenty-fifth lap around the sun. Here is she is in younger days:

This is from one of her many dance recitals. She did not routinely strut around in sparkly clothes and makeup at a young age. Boy, that seems like only yesterday. She has changed somewhat since this picture was taken. But she is still my little girl.

Reading for fun and profit

I know for certain most of you sit around thinking about me. I get it. Your first action after turning on your modern computing device and connecting to the interwebz is to click the link connecting you to this source of wisdom, humor, and guide to living the perfect life.*

As such, I am sure most of you wonder what I have been reading, but are too shy to ask. I am more than aware my awesomeness invokes a sense of unworthiness and timidity in my gentle readers.  You might see yourself akin to the humble supplicants Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion before Oz. But I am no man behind the curtain, you do not need to bow before the Great and Powerful Wizard that is the Hoosierboy Average Joe. Ask away, good readers! We are friends here. I will require of you no deeds of heroism. I do not hide behind flash and flame.

It has been a while since I last reported my daily reading habits. I have completed 54 books since I received my Kindle last Christmas. Here is the list of books and authors since I last reported in June:

The Graduate                             by Charles Webb
Midnight Cowboy                           James Lee Herlihy
Fighting the Flying Circus                 Eddie Rickenbacker
Hilda the Wicked Witch                  Paul Kater
Hilda - Snow White Revisited          Paul Kater
Eyewall                                           HW "Buzz" Bernard
Cadillac's Comin'                             Mike Dennis
Social Blunders                               Tim Sandlin
Carte Blanche                                 Jeffery Deaver
Don't Mean Nuthin'                         Ron Lealos
The Love You Crave                      John Locke
No Merci                                       Ron Lealos
Einstein' Refrigerator                       Steve Silverman
The Virginian                                  Owen Wister

I am currently in the midst of the Legends of King Aurthur by Sir James Knowles. It is tough sledding, but once i get used to the rhythm of the language I enjoy it more. It is one of those books easy to put down and hard to pick up, if you know what I mean. I have more than 90 other tomes waiting in queue to be read, so I do not have to suffer through books I do not want to read.

What are you reading?

* Or maybe not

Random Ramblings

I took a customer to dinner last evening and on the way home I saw a farmer harvesting corn. I thought it pretty early in the season, but I am no farmer. I never even played one on TV. Most of the corn and soy beans in the area are still sporting a bit of green.

I went for a walk after I got home.  Too bad I lack the vocabulary and skill to describe the beauty of the moon as I walked eastward down School Street. It rose full and giant and tinted with an orange hue so beautiful it made me smile. I did not think to snap a picture with my trusty iPhone! This morning Chuck the weather guy said this is the harvest moon, so I suppose the farmer in question knows his business.

A friend of mine bought a series of university lectures on various subjects. He loaned me the disks and I have been listening to them while I walk the neighborhood. I have completed courses on the Civil War and WWII.  I am in the middle of a long course on American History. The past few lectures have been on the 1890s and the birth of the Progressive Era. One of my favorite courses in College was on America in the 1890s, and I am enjoying the lectures immensely. Each lecture covers about 30 minutes, so I usually get in a couple every day. The wife says she would fall asleep walking if she had to listen to history lectures. I just chalk such comments up as example 1,037 of things we do not have in common.

I scheduled a couple of college visits for the youngest this morning. I cannot believe he is a senior in high school. Long time readers remember him as a youth playing little league and pee wee football. Where have the years gone?

Remembering September 12

I have not done a 9/11 post for several years. The reasons ar varied and I am not always sure I understand them myself. I was bothered yesterday. Krugman in his sickening NY Times article ( no, it will not be ,inked here) was right, the the anniversary was subdued.

I am not sure what I want. In typical male fashion, I am more than certain I cannot accurately, or remotely articulate my feelings. I do not want to listen to a recital of the victim's names.  I want the names of the evil Islamic Terrorists recited. I want the names of those murderers reviled with the likes of  McVey, Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot. 9/11 should live as a Day of Infamy equal to December 7.  I want America to remember, to know who did this. I do not want to see a peaceful waterfall and reflecting pool as the reminder of that awful day, I want the images of the towers burning, the helpless Americans jumping from the burning building in a hopeless attempt to escape the flames. I want American to remember the cheering, the joy in Palestine over the senseless slaughter of innocents condemned for having temerity to believe in a different God, to live in a different culture.

Every time a court in Dearborn, Michigan tries to enforce Sharia Law, I want the people of this country to remember the fate of the men and women of 9/11 and rise up crying "Hell, no!". We have equal justice under the laws of the Constitution for every one.

When the multiculturalists try to tell us all cultures are equal, I want John and Jane Citizen to know that idea is nuts.  A culture that advocates women as second class citizens, advocates female circumcision, takes joy in killing others because they believe different from the tenets laid down by a pedophile sheepherder deserves no legitimacy as long as the basic foundations of human freedom are excluded. I can not consider the killing fields of Pol Pot or the Gulags of Stalin an equal cultural decision, and I refuse to give credence to terrorists and butchers of mankind in the name of religion.

I refuse to listen to the apologists as they decry Western Civilisation for past crimes. Yes, evil was done in the name of the Christian God. Yes, we were slavers, the treatment of the Jews over the ages is deplorable. But it was this same Western Culture that overcame their Dark Ages culture, that brought us the Enlightenment, threw off the yoke of slavery, granted equal rights to women and people of color. Is it perfect? Of course not, but in modern democratic societies we no longer wield the torture of the Inquisition, suffer honor killings of our wives and daughters and sell of our female relatives like cattle. We do not behead the infidel, we do not terrorize mankind for thinking different thoughts. To make excuses is mere rationalization.  No standard of living, no religious belief, no history of oppression can ever justify the actions of September 11, 2001.

I don't want to spend my 9/11 thinking of the slaughtered as victims of a terrible, unnamed accident. The men and women who breathed their last that September morning were each and every one murdered. I am still angry and I am not ready to let it go. I am not interested in monuments to peace or a couple of rusty pieces of metal stuck in the ground in Indianapolis, Memphis or Omaha. When I was in New York last winter, the hole in the skyline brought up not sadness, but anger.

The death of a Hoosier soldier in Afghanistan this weekend should hammer the point.  The dying from 9/11 is not yet over. There may be some who deplore the War on Terror. They may say we are not at war on anything. Well, I have news for you -- Terror is still at war with us, and the perpetrators are all members of one single religious faith. Not all Muslims are terrorists, that I know and believe.  But every terrorist in today's world is a damned Muslim. That is fact.

Yes, I feel today the same white hot anger I felt on September 12, 2001. That is what I choose to remember.

September 11

If you need a to be reminded of the significance of this day, then you will find nothing here.  Not today or any day.

Reflect as you see fit.

Bumps and depressions and ridges, oh my.

Once upon a time, for about three months, blogging was way cool. In those halcyon days before Facebook and Twitter, we would be drawn like moths to a light to witness firsthand the tragedy of life bared full on the pages of the Internet in the blogs of The Acidman and Bane. Big Dick entertained us with his Fatty Friday and the DuToits educated us. The cool kids told us tales of blog meets and we lived vicariously through the posted stories and tales of blogging buddies throughout the world.

Some of us lesser men and women looked around and told ourselves we could do that too, most with limited success. As many blogs dried and died as were launched, it seemed. Because we listened to Rob Smith when he told each of us to post every day. no matter what, we were often abandoned by the Muses, left staring at the evil cursor as it blinked its mocking  beacon of failure on the computer screen.

Most bloggers resorted to the standby post. When all else failed, there was always a meme floating around. The me me was a survey, a list of questions that helped us learn our personality.  Which character were we in a Charlotte Bronte novel -- the meme would tell us. Which sporting event best matched our personality -- the meme knows. Are you conservative, liberal, a shrub or tree, what breed of dog suits your personality, what fish would you like to be? Are you a handgun or a rifle, a shoe or boot, a yeast or jelly donut? The meme told us what we were dying to know.

Alas, the me me fad died one winter night in 2007. At least I hope so. But now I am lost. I need constant reassuring. Who am I? What do I believe? What are my strengths and weaknesses? I could spend a lot of money and time going to a trained professional analyst. I could spend Friday afternoons with my shrink. But that could take years and untold treasure to determine. I need an interwebz shortcut.

I have hit upon another plan. While washing my hair it occurred to me I have a bunch of ridges and bumps on my skull. In olden days each of these bumps and depressions told the astute practitioner of phrenology all he needed to know about my personality. While modern science has debunked the usefulness of cranium measurement and study, I am mollified by the knowledge that some scientists think AlGore knows something about weather.  Supposed smart people gave The Obama a Nobel Prize.

So I call upon you, remnants of the Blog World. Go to your library, find hidden in the musty stacks the tomes regarding phrenology and the study of the human brain. Educate yourselves, post a map of your cranium for all to see.  Expose for the world the scope of your benevolent organ, your combativeness, your ideality.

Skateboards and hula hoops made a comeback. Miniskirts and beards have come and gone from the fashion scene. It is time to revitalize the pseudosciences. I vote for phrenology.

Are you with me? Plus, I am a little concerned this ridge along the top of my skull means I was born to a life of chronic masturbation, or useless blogging. I have to know.

I'll be damned

Even the AP thinks the "it don't cost nuthin'" jobs plan does not pass the smell test.

It is all about the gravy

Friday is upon us. It looks like I have beat the wolves from the door yet again.

I fried up some chicken last night.  I served the old yard birds with some mashed spuds, biscuits and green beans.  I made my usual batch of fine gravy. I am a decent cook, but my gravy is top notch. White and silky and rich and so good on the potatoes and torn up biscuits. Why yes, Dr. Peters, in the unlikely event you have stumbled upon this post, I far exceeded my carb intake for the meal (potatoes, biscuits gravy are all carbs, and carbs are sugars, and sugars are highly regulated for us diabetics). But damn, the meal was good.

I half-watched The Obama last night while cleaning up the supper mess. There was a little less blaming going on than I expected. I am not sure, but I think the Defaulter-in-Chief wants Congress to pass his legislation.  Since he did not give specifics, I guess we will have to wait and see the details at some point in the future. For the record, ideas are not a plan, speeches are not legislation. You see, Mr. President, in real life, plans include details. In Community Organizer World it may work to say "Hey lets go down to city hall and protest". In business and life one needs a plan with details.

Could someone tell me what construction jobs we missed with the $800 billion stimulus passed a couple of years ago?  And why The Obama thinks massive Government spending will work this time? Also, the top 53% of wage earners pay 100% of the Federal Income Tax. Just what is their fair share? Should these mysterious "rich"  give up everything? Does The Obama understand the very "wealthiest Americans" he wants to soak ARE the small business owners?  You know, the guys he claims are the ones who will create jobs.

Sorry, but a $4,000 tax credit will not encourage any business to hire anyone.  The cost of adding a bloke to the payroll likely eats up that tax break. If there is no work, then how do you expect the employer to pay the new employee -- from the owner's checkbook?  Oh wait, that extra cash just got confiscated by the IRS in Obama's new higher taxes! In addition, the employer will be forced to offer healthcare benefits under ObamaCare, so you have to add in that added cost of hiring a new employee. $4,000 sure does not go far, does it? Chock this nutty idea as further evidence of The Presidents total lack of understanding regarding business and economics. Life as a student and Community Organizer does not prepare one to run a Taco Bell, forget running a Nation. The intern at our corporate office will have more real life business experience than The Obama at the end of this semester. Chew on that. Maybe a little homemade gravy will help?

BTW, if all of these "savings" are out there to help pay for theis version of Porkulus II, why didn't The Obama trot them out in the budget negotiations a few months ago and put those pesky, rascist, hate-filled, terrorist Tea Party folks in their place?

There was a good football game on last night. I did not really care who won, other than I have a historic loathing of the Packers dating from my youth.  I have a hard time rooting for the Saints after they beat the Colts in Superbowl XLIV. Plus, every time the Saints play we are subject to more Katrina stories. Blah, Blah poor New Orleans.  I am sick of it.

Disasters strike all of the time.  Mother Nature is a vengeful bitch. It sucks. Ask the people of Florida about Hurricanes.  Ask coastal North Carlina about double hurricanes just weeks apart in the mid 1990's.  Talk to the flood victims of the Dakotas and Iowa.  Ponder the ice storm in Kentucky and Illinois a few years ago, the floods in Vermont last week. How about Joplin and the massive tornado that destroyed so many lives earlier this year? People's lives are screwed by weather. Everywhere but New Orleans cleans up, pulls up their big boy pants and moves forward. New Orleans just stands there and cries a plaintive "help me", like some mutant fly in a evil spider web.

Now look, you have gone and made me rant on a cloudy Friday. I hope you are all happy. Go eat some cake. Me, I have a conference call to attend.

Who fact checks the "fact checkers"?

The AP has taken great pains to "fact check" the Republicans in last night's debate.

Can we assume we will see a similar "fact check" of The Obama's claims in tonight's big speech?


Yes, I was laughing when I wrote this post, why do you ask?

In one of those moods

I  have a major case of the blahs this morning. Perhaps it is the weather, the steel gray skies and chilly temps are a steady reminder that fall and winter are not just around the corner, but are trying like hell to parallel park out front. Thank goodness they are too far from the curb. Crap, now they just hit summer's front bumper. Maybe fall and winter might have to drive around the block and look for a different spot.  I hope...

I am off to have some work done on the car today: routine maintenance stuff. I can think of many better things to do with my time, but it has to be done.

The boy spilled a glass of milk this morning. Why doesn't anyone in this family ever just spill water? Milk is the worst, it is sticky and smelly and nasty to clean. And I just washed towels yesterday (while I was supposed to be participating in an online sales meeting -- Yes it was that boring).  I remember one time I dropped a jar of peanut butter and it shattered. How do you clean up a mess of smooth Jif filled with shards of glass? You cannot sweep it. You cannot mop it. You cannot wipe it up. You cannot pick up the glass and then wipe/mop/sweep. I guess spilled milk is better. One thing is certain -- I am not going to cry over it.

I don't want you to cry over it either -- not even you, Argentina.

Secret White House Papers

Hoosierland Intelligence Agency operatives have managed to steal The Obama's crib notes for his big jobs speech tomorrow. These are his notes in case the Teleprompter and the teleprompter backup goes down.

Here are the bullet points:

Good evening Fellow Travellers Americans
Bush's fault.
Things worse than we knew.
GOP fault.
Grand Compromise.
Greedy rich Americans fault (corporate jets / millionaires and billionaires not paying fair share)
Bankers fault
Tax credits for those who do not pay taxes.
Rich people do not pay their fair share.
GOP fault
Stimulus (Construction job bank/schools/infrastructure).
Green jobs.
Green Energy (mention GOP wants dirty air, water, unsafe food)
ObamaCare will save the day
Spend / tax/ spend
Tsunami/Arab Spring/Earthquake/Hurricane/fault.
Blame the GOP. .
Spread the wealth
Bush's Fault
Tea Party hate at fault
Goodnight.

 There you have it.

I am confused

I continue to be amazed at the escalating war on the "Tea Party". How in the world is it racist to ask the Government to live within its means? How is it racist to want to keep my own hard-earned money? Why is it wrong to advocate for lower taxes, smaller Government and less regulation?

In what world does anyone claim that I "owe" my fellow man part of my wages? If  I do not want to support second third fourth generation of families on welfare, does that make me racist? How is believing in a smaller, less intrusive Government wrong?

I seriously invite any liberal, any Democrat, to show me the error of my ways. I am serious. I promise polite, debate.

I read comments to a despicable editorial in the Indy Star over the weekend (I refuse to link that hate-filled garbage) claiming that defending oneself against charges of racism was proof of racism! Was Clinton wanting a return to Jim Crow when he signed the Welfare Reform Acts?  After all, he was our first "black President". If members of Congress formed a caucus exclusively for whites would that be racist?  When members of Congress formed a caucus exclusively for blacks, it is not?  Is Allen West a racist?

Show me the error of my ways.



Thanks PRS for turning me on to Sunny.

Wadda ya want fer nothin'?

Wow, here we are, Tuesday already. I have a bunch of phone time scheduled this week.  A call-in meeting later this morning, an on-line sales meeting for Wednesday, and a customer conference call is slated for Friday. My monthly report for August is done, my expenses for the past several months -- well I hope to get caught up this week.

The MLB baseball season is winding down. It has been another disappointing, but not surprising, season for my Cubbies. The College football season is underway and the NFL gets started this week.

Politics will heat back up as Congress returns from vacation and The Obama continues his re-election campaign.  The Republican field is still to be defined.

The new TV season will be underway in a few weeks.

My point?  Well, I really have nothing to offer on this Tuesday, but it looks like there is to be plenty of blog fodder in the coming weeks. Hang in there, faithful readers.  I will do my best to keep you entertained. At the very least I guarantee you will get your money's worth. Hey, like Elwood says, "Wadda ya want fer nothin'?:

Shoestrings confiscated

Half of the sports fans in Indiana are now on suicide watch.

What is that weird kid doing now?

I suspect my parents often just shook their heads in wonder. The neighbors looked out the big picture windows and muttered about the weird kid over at the Hoosierboy home. Looking back through the mist of time I am pretty sure I was a weird kid. Frequent commenter Otter, who happens to be my brother, will likely attest to this fact.

The picnic table at the end of the patio often became my poop deck. I stood on the table and sailed the seas, a pirate, an admiral, Captain Blood. Standing on the table, I directed heavy cannon fire across the yard at enemy ships plunging in the waves. I shook my tiny fist at the neighbor's house and brandished my sword in imaginary scuffles on slick, bloody decks. The sword was not a couple of pieces of garden stakes my Dad nailed together for me and half- sharpened to a rounded point, but a heavy cutlass, a fencing foil, my personal instrument of skill and death.

I tipped the benches in and climbed under the table to make a pillbox to mow down the evil Japs. It was my log cabin as I lived the life of Jim Bridger and the Mountain Men. The privacy fence was my stockade as I battled Indians and the British with my toy flintlock.

My red stingray bike was a horse, croquet mallets were battle axes. Jarts were elaborate hand grenades and softball bats served as war clubs. I walked around the block carrying my toy guns.

I jumped off the roof of our modest ranch-style house as a Green Beret, Superman, or just for the hell of it. When I went to drop school, it was no feat to learn to collapse and roll upon landing, I learned how when I was nine through trial and error. I can still hear old Mr. Berry, who lived behind us: "What are you doing jumping off the roof, Joe? Don't you know you could break your leg?  Knock it off or I will tell your Mom".  Ha, Mom already told me to stop! That is why I was now jumping off the top step of the eight foot step ladder instead.

I remember the awesome summer of 1972,  the neighborhood held our own Olympics. Neighbor girls cut and colored paper medals of gold, silver and bronze, while the multitudes that lived in the area competed in running, wrestling and gymnastic competitions on the old swing set out back. The fun ended when a bunch of crazed Arabs assaulted the real Olympic Games in Munich, killing 11 Israeli athletes and coaches. Serious, sad, and confusing stuff for a ten year old.

I am sure, if you were to track down the many neighbors that surrounded our house in that subdivision, their lasting image of me was as a small skinny kid with wavy dark hair and perpetual snotty nose.  I was the strange kid who sat on the front stoop and read, who sat at the picnic table and read.  I was the kid who put up the hammock and read. I was the weird kid standing on the wooden table gesturing and shouting at foes and adventures only I could see. The kid who hid behind trees and in the grass, pretending to be Geronimo, whom I had read could hide in plain sight by just lying still.

Oh, and I was also the kid who was smoking cigars out in the shed at eight years old and sneaking an occasional beer from the garage 'fridge. That was me who was streaking -- in 1970's fashion -- around the block on warm summer nights when my parents thought I was peacefully sleeping in the tent beside the house.

It is always the quiet ones you have to watch.

Stuff you may not know -- so what? edition

John Hanson was the first President of the US. Look it up. Here, I will do the leg work for you. The pop music star brothers of the same last name of the 1990's may or may not be related. MMMBop, Bop.

The last time the Island of Britain was successfully invaded was in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings. After the war, Bill the Bully changed his name to William the Conqueror.

It is estimated that more than 1/10th of the entire population of the Soviet Union perished in WWII. We are talking military and civilian casualties.amounting to more than 23 million.  If we add up the estimated military and civilian deaths in Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland, France Japan, Australia, the UK, and the USA, the total does not even reach 20 million.  Ponder that for a moment. Now consider this, one rarely thinks about China in the Second World War.  The fighting between Japan and China was especially brutal.  It is estimated China lost 10 million in the war. see this

The name "Wendy" was made up by J.M. Barrie for the book Peter Pan.

Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson was incurably seasick.

At one point this morning I had totaled 180,081 visitors to this piece o' crap blog. I like number patterns.

My Great Grandmother was named Josephine. My only aunt was named Patricia Jo. My name is Joe. My daughter's middle name is Jo. Cue the soundtrack from Fiddler on the Roof -- Tradition!


Instead of this worthless crap, read a good blog post on this Labor Day weekend:

Whether to Golf or Work -- a handy guide

Maybe, just maybe, The Obama should have devoted his attention to the economy and blessed us with his great jobs plan last month instead of going on another vacation. Then we would have had a jobs growth greater than ZERO in August.

Perhaps the President could have spent some time on the economy in lieu of playing 70 or 80 rounds of golf this year.

Maybe.

Sie Mich Zum Flughafen

I had the strangest dream this morning. It was entirely in German. I could speak it (slowly yet perfectly) and understand every syllable spoken to me. In real life, my German consists of please, thank you, beer, airport, and counting to seven. I also know a few curse words. I cannot understand anything said to me. But in my dream I sure could. Is it possible there is hidden knowledge deep in my genes from my German ancestors? Drei Bier, bitte. Perhaps the whole thing stems from visiting the land of the Cheeseheads this week.  I had a great dinner of knackwurst and bratwurst and kraut one night.

It looks like we are going to see some serious heat again today, with the temperatures expected to hit 100. I know folks in Texas and Arizona are just laughing.

Based on a phone message I got last night, it looks like I am going into the long weekend on a downer.  I suspect I am about to lose a chunk of business from a major customer. I will know later today. If this happens I will be able to take some small comfort in the knowledge the decision was not based on anything I did or could have done. It is just business, but pride does come into play and it is my job to grow business, not let it slip away on my watch like a deserter out the back door of the barracks.

Dear Republican Party

The first order of business Tuesday, when you return to work, should be to introduce a bill extending the payroll tax cuts.

If tax cuts spur the economy (they do) then you should move forward.

Take the wind out of The Obama's sail.  Do not let him bundle a good idea with a plethora of bad policies like more stimulus.

Make The Obama veto a tax cut or let him agree tax cuts are good for the economy and job growth. The American people get a win, the Republican Party gets a win.

Or you could just sit around and react. That has worked so well in the past.

Dear Andre Carson

Is it true that some of the liberal Democrats who are members of the Congressional Black Caucus just want to rape white women?

While some may not actually want to rape every white woman, your policies of increasing Governmental control of our daily lives and unsustainable debt amount to rape. I stand by my position.

What?  Why would that offend you?

BTW, I think I heard some unnamed members of the Congressional Black Caucus shouting "Cracker" while walking on the Congressional grounds last year after the Obamacare vote.

My Preseason Superbowl Prediction

I do not play fantasy football. There are people out there that can quote you stats and trends and know their NFL inside and out. Here is one thing I know, Green Bay will not win the Superbowl this year. The odds of a team repeating are about 1 in 6. I will take those odds. 

Now the odds are a little better because there is absolutely Zero chance the 49ers or the Bengals will be in the Championship.

So bookmark this post, Cheeseheads.  Feel free to come back in February and rub my face in my wrongness. But you will not, 'cause I won't be wrong.

Still, there is my preseason Superbowl Prediction.

Friday Covers -- Tuesday Edition

Lennon and McCartney get the justifiable credit as the song writing geniuses behind the Beatles. as such I think sometimes George Harrison does not get the credit he deserves.  He wrote some of the most beautiful songs. Nearly every tune he penned is filled with love, emotion and thought. It was not in George to spend twenty minutes cranking out a pop song.



Some of Music's heavyweights covered this song:





I think Frank describes the song best in his intro.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Look at my desk. Do you see that pile of papers just left of the laptop? No, not that one, the one with the giant black clip. Yes, the one that is about one inch thick. Do you know what that is?  That is right, my quarterly forecast. I have to take every part number for every customer and fill in how many pieces they are going to buy per month for the next twelve months. Lets try and do the math, shall we?

21 customers.
approx. 200 different part numbers.
12 months.

Hint: so far this year I have sold 1,982,335 pieces. Aproximately. As of last Friday.

So if you came to the conclusion that posting is going to be light, you are correct.

Have a good Monday.  Alas, I made other plans.

Now with smell-o-vision

Didja miss me yesterday? I was up all night Friday Night sick. I bet I did not get 2 hours sleep and spent most of Saturday still not feeling well. Trust me, you really have no interest in the details. I will opine that eight straight hours of making butt gravy makes one pooped tired.The only bright spot is the 1980's era Frank Sinatra concert I caught on PBS. Sadly, I missed out on the chance to donate. I just plain forgot to write down the number during my 1,257 trips to the head. Image hearing Frank croon "Come Fly With Me" to the background music of explosive diarrhea.

...and the a one man band...ooohmmp phlaaat  splash..bzzzhhhhttt bhuckphat  splash...will toot his flute for you...gurgle whooffkkttt pklauuutt splash...come fly, come fly, away...

The whores on the cooking shows often lament there is no smell-o-vision. I think you all would thank me for the inability to post and share accurately the odoriferous compounds emitting from my sore derriere and twisted gurgling bowels late Friday night / early Saturday morning.

Unlocking Facebook Secrets

I got back from a quick business trips to the western most part of the northern most of the Carolina's. I had the crappiest, ugliest rental car in history. Behold:

I saw a dude wearing suspenders -- with sweat pants! I saw bunches of people wearing winter coats. Unless these folks are arriving in Charlotte from the southern parts of South America, or Alaska, I cannot imagine what climate they are used to that persuaded them they needed  fur-lined outerwear in August in the USA

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More of my favorite movies

Probably one of the greatest war movies ever made:




Gotta get my manly on after yesterday's posting.

Reason number 6,153,218 to hate lawyers

Just over a week ago a strange gust of wind hit the Indiana State Fair grandstands just before a scheduled concert. The wind was a precursor to a late summer storm. The wind toppled parts of the stage superstructure killing seven and wounding dozens of others. It was a tragedy of epic proportions. I was not surprised to see the families of the deceased file suit. I will withhold my opinion on the merits until after the analysis of the wreckage is complete. Sometimes bad things just happen.  We all know Mother Nature is a humorless bitch. If you are attending an outside concert and the sky is turning black and ugly, do you need someone to tell you to take cover?

OK, I guess I did not hold back on my opinion.

But this is too much:

The class action lawsuit was filed Monday in Marion Superior Court by the Indianapolis law of Cohen and Malad on behalf of Angela Fischer. She was not injured in the stage collapse but said in the lawsuit she suffered “severe emotional trauma” from witnessing the carnage. source  (emphasis mine)

Seriously, need I say more? I am not advocating we search out the lawyers involved or MS Fischer and beat them senseless and give them real trauma, but have we reached the point as a society where we are to be free from any unpleasantness in our lives? Is it really up to the taxpayers to pay because someone was disturbed by tragic events? Were the unfortunate who saw the event on the interwebz less traumatized? Should we all sue? If we put in some real tort reform -- charged the loser all court and opposing attorney fees, this nonsense would stop.

Hey, as a young child I was disturbed by an image in a pictorial history of WWII showing a beheaded Chinese with a cigarette in his mouth. Should I sue Japan?  How about the photographer?

These are a few of my favorite scenes -- Volume Eleven. This one's for you, Rita

"I'm gonna feed you to the yak..."



I love movies. I am just man enough enough to admit I really dig romantic comedies. I like musicals too. Heck, since we are in blog-confession mode,  I own a whole collection of Esther Williams DVDs. Ummm, yes, I do like her for her acting. You believe me, right?

Anyway, this is one of my very favorite romance flicks. Do you know this movie?

Bonus trivia that has nothing to do with the movie:  yak milk is pink.

These are a few of my favorite scenes....part 2

At this point in the week my head is usually filled with unwritten posts. Not so much today. With the Congress on break and the President on vacation from playing golf, there is not much political news to discuss.

The wife and boy are fully into the school routine and we are entering the time of year when the Midwest weather is almost perfect. There is nothing new on the work front. I cannot do the sci-fi book club thing that is making the rounds because I don't read science fiction. I admit it, I have never read even one book by Heinlein. I have read most of the crap produced by Vonnegut and all of the Douglas Adams stuff.

In other words, my life is boring. So, I offer you another video clip. Here is a scene from another of my favorite movies.  I searched for the scene of the US Navy troops marching through the streets to contrast with last week's The Wind and the Lion clip, but that part was not available.  At least I could not find it.

So watch the mighty Steve McQueen (Hoosier born) in action:



Do you know this flick?  If you have not seen it, it is a couple of hours well-spent.

You did ask, didn't you?

Bologna on white bread with American cheese, chili cheese Frito's, and a vanilla chocolate swirl sugar free pudding cup all washed down with a Diet Dr. Pepper.

How about you?

Living the American Dream

Sooooo,

Let us say an inner city family, sick of living in a crime-filled, drug dealer dominated neighborhood decided to move out to the suburbs. They found a nice house in a nice neighborhood and moved in.

What if the house they chose was not theirs? What if they just found an empty house, one for sale, to move into? You know, maybe the Grover's house.  He got transferred to Houston, if you remember.

What if the  new neighbors started taking produce from your garden? Perhaps they grabbed a steak or two from your freezer? Would it be OK if they slipped into your garage and borrowed tools, or your car? How would you feel if your new neighbors asked if you could take them to the hospital?  Would you agree to pay the doctor bill? Are you willing to pay for their kid's college?

Why should you object? The new neighbors are just looking for a better life? They are just trying to do the best for their family.

Is there a difference between this scenario and that of illegal immigration?

Reflections on the Great War

On November 11, 1918 Germany surrendered, ending The Great War. It would not be known as WWI until after WW!! ended, for obvious reasons. Have you ever considered Germany's military position at the signing of the armistice?

Germany had won the war at the Eastern Front. On the Western Front, Germany still occupied northern France and Belgium. There was no fighting in Germany, the war remained primarily in France.

The Germans had moved with a major offensive early in 1918 and were repulsed, with the aid of the newly arrived American Doughboys. But for the most part, the lines on the Western Front were the same as they had been in 1916!  As late as August of 1918, it looked as if the Germans were still winning.  In September they were no longer on the offensive, but they were far from defeated. The war had not moved to German soil, The nation's industrial capacity had not been disrupted in any way. The means of making war were intact.

One could argue the leadership could see the writing on the wall, that Germany had spent its last efforts in the 1918 failed offensive. The flood of American men and materiel would tip the balance to the Allies. One could argue the nation was war weary, the costs of the war on the German citizenry was too much.  Deprivations had already contributed to the booting of the Kaiser. There were severe food shortages. The industrial might of the nation was geared for war, not consumer goods. The losses in men and animals were staggering. There was not a village or family in Germany untouched by the terrible toll of the War in France. But the same could be said for England and especially France as well.

As American we tend to greatly over-emphasize our efforts in the Great War. I can think there is little doubt the influx of the American troops changed the tide of the German 1918 offensive, but the overall contribution was small compared to the British and French. The Germans came remarkably close to taking Paris in 1918, and the fall of Paris likely would have had such an impact on French moral they might have capitulated.

I think the German High Command knew they could not win and rather than bleed another million men and expose the German Homeland to the destruction of war, called it quits, akin to a heavy weight throwing in the towel in the 15th round. But no one, even with the hindsight of history, can claim the Germans were defeated in the fall of 1918.
 

Saturday Morning Musings

The morning fog is starting to burn away as I glance out my office window. The coffee is warm and good this morning. I have sent off a couple of work emails, too lazy and angry to do it yesterday afternoon upon returning from my customer visit.  A good week of work marred by ill-considered knee-jerk reactions. That is life and that's work.  As long as I take another man's pay I have to play the game with his ball on his court.

My belly full of Lucky Charms I ponder today's activities. I need to mow, the flower beds need some major work. I have to get in a walk today, it has been a few days since I got my exercise.

I washed my car in preparation for a customer visit this week. For once, my clean car did not call down storms like some primitive Indian rain dance. Instead, I found the highway blocked by an overturned car.  Emergency vehicles surrounded the stricken automobile and we were forced to take county roads to detour the accident. Three of the roads were gravel.  One could see the dust cloud from the cars and pickups ahead of me for a great distance down the road. Clean black cars and gravel roads are not a good combination.

But, I slept well last night, God has granted me another day upon this Earth and I intend to make the most of it. I hope you do to.  Happy Saturday, Dear Reader.

My left bicep has been twitching for two days

I could post some insightful diatribe against the political class. I could offer up a stunning depiction of life in the Average Joe household. I could entertain you with a humorous anecdote, a joke, a comic picture or cartoon. I could make you think with a pithy commentary. I could even deliver up a short history lesson on the Zulu Wars, the Great Sioux Uprising, the Civil War or the French Revolution. We could have a literary discussion on my latest read or talk movies and classic film. We could discuss dinner last night or my plans for lunch. I might even deign to post a snippet of my poorly written fiction.It is entirely possible I could spend a paragraph or two discussing the vagaries of the local weather.

It is Friday and I have a major case of I-don't-give-a-shit, so you just get a post about what you ain't gonna get around here today.

I will offer you the best wishes for a happy Friday though.

Hostiles to the Left

 

Scratchin' my head here, boss

Hump day is upon us. It is also the first day of school. There were some dragging asses around the old homestead this mroning. I got up a few minutes early and made the boy his favorite breakfast -- cinnamon rolls. That improved his spirits somewhat as he begins his senior year in high school.

It seems like yesterday I was posting stories about him playing in Little League. Now we are thinking about college and graduation.  He had his senior pictures taken earlier this week. It is crazy how time flies.

I read an editorial in the local paper by Clintonista and liberal Donna Brazile yesterday.According to her  "[w]e can't lose sight of the real role of government -- to protect us from greed". You know, I went back and reread the entire Constitution last night. You would think that if the role of government was to protect us from greed, that the word "greed" would appear at least one time in the Supreme Law of the Land. I looked up the Indiana Constitution as well.  You know what, it does not mention greed either.

You see, that is the problem with your modern liberal. They hate the Constitution. They like the idea of a "living document" so they can decide the law is whatever they want it to be. It is no accident it is most often the progressive/socialist/communist type governments that move to dictatorship.

The King is Gone

Elvis ate his last fried 'nana and peanut butter sandwich 34 years ago today.

The King is gone, but not forgotten.  I think I will watch some Elvis movies tonight.

Then there is this semi-tribute to The King:



'Cause why pass any opportunity to play some George Jones?

Remind me to tell you sometime about my trips (yes, plural) to Graceland.

Dear Warren Buffett

If you and all of your rich friends think you are way undertaxed, feel free to write a check of any size to the US Treasury.

I think you just wanted to find a way to brag that you paid almost  $7 million in taxes last year.

I am willing to bet you would not tolerate for one moment the profligate spending exhibited by the Federal Government in any of your Berkshire Hathaway companies or in your own household.

What is it about Liberals that they feel guilty all of the time?

A new week brings changes

A sense of panic is settling in around the old homestead. School starts Wednesday. We can bellyache all we want about it being too early, but that is the start date. The wife is looking at the list of undone projects she had planned to do. The boy is looking at the list of books he was supposed to read (Bullshit I say to assigning homework over summer break for a class you have not yet started). Only a few items are ticked off the wife's list.  Only about 1/2 of 1/4 the books on the boy's list are done. C'est la vie.

So this week the late night video sessions, the sleeping in to lunch time all comes to an end. I will have the house to myself on office days.  The routine will again be my own.

There will be lots of complaining around the house for the next several days. For once it will not be my complaints!

I hope my new glasses come in today. The pair perched upon my Germanic nose were purchased in 2005. Not only are they way out of style and too wide for my face (I have lost more than 50 pounds since I got them), but I can't see out of them. I know I should have had them replaced long ago. But when you have kids in college their needs come first. Plus I always found excuses not to go. Call it a personality quirk. I hate to go to any doctor -- dentist, physician, optometrist, it makes no difference.

I find myself curiously unmotivated as I enter this work week. I really am just not in the mood. I am half-tempted to call in a vacation day. I rarely find myself in this kind of mood. I don't want to waste a vacation day with nothing planned, so I will force myself to get busy. The stack of unfiled expense reports needs to be done. I have receipts dating to June. I promised never to get so far behind again, but there you go. I guess procrastination runs in the family.

Have a great Monday.

I can't believe I ate the whole thing

Artist rendering of the author after consuming the greatest sandwich in the universe

My arteries are crying, eating ice cream straight from the carton.

My cholesterol meds have surrendered like they were French.

My stomach and intestines are in stark open revolt.

My taste buds are sitting on the couch smoking. They have the pleasant glow of sexual satisfaction on their little taste bud faces. I caught one or two passing covert high fives.

You see, I ate the most awesome sandwich last night.  A fried porkburger patty, smothered in pulled pork, topped by bacon, and crowned with ham and melted cheddar cheese. The monster was about four inches tall and served on a hoagie bun.

I know.

Friday Five -- Saturday Edition

Atlanta Braves slugger Dan Uggla extended his consecutive game hitting streak to 32 games last night against the Cubs. To point out the painfully obvious -- that is more than a month of hitting safely in every game. Imagine adding another month to the total.  That is what it would take to break what I believe is the single greatest record in sports -- DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak in 1941. Since then no one has come close. Joltin' Joe's streak is more impressive when you think he played far more day games, and far more double headers. In 1941 the teams traveled by train, not luxury jetliners. One could make the argument there were fewer teams so the pitching was tougher. I am not sure I buy that argument as the pitching specialist was not yet developed. Further, fewer pitchers means the batters got to know the pitchers better. Today, a batter may see a particular pitcher only 8 - 10 at-bats per season.

Thinking of DiMaggio's hit streak got me to thinking about some other great sports records. Here are five of what I think are the greatest records in sports, and like Mr. Marilyn Monroe's hit streak are not likely to be broken soon:

1. DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak in 1941

2. Wayne Gretzky's NHL career point total of 2,857. Put in perspective, the guy in second place is 970 points behind, despite playing 269 more games. In addition it is unlikely any one can touch The Great One's single season point record of 215 in one season ('85/86)

3. Pete Maravich's NCAA points record. Pistol Pete scored 3.667 points in just three years (NCAA rules prohibited freshman from playing varsity sports). He averaged 44.2 points per game. There was no three pointer in the NCAA at the time.  Number two in career NCAA points is more than 400 points behind.

4. Nolan Ryan's 7 no hitters. Sandy Koufax had 4.  No one else is close.

5. Pete Rose 4,256 hits. If a young player came up at age 20 and averaged 200 hits per season for 20 years, he would still be short of the record. Put in perspective, Derek Jeter has just over 3,000 hits.

Bonus. Cy Young's 511 victories. The next closest is Walter Johnson with 417.  In addition, Young has 749 complete games. In today's era of pitching specialists that record is unreachable. Roy Halladay has the most complete games of any active pitcher -- 63.

What do you think is the greatest sports record?

A Friday slice of life

We find ourselves in front of the old computer on a Friday morning. I suspect you are all about politicked out.

I started this dying blog as a means to vent, to tell some jokes and write. My writing skills have deteriorated, of that there is no doubt. You have heard all of my boring stories and lame jokes. I bet you roll your eyes when I start in, just like my wife. She thinks I don't see her do it, but she is wrong.

But things are what they are. I get pissed and vent my political frustrations here. No one else wants to hear it in my real life, so you get the benefit of my wisdom. Lucky you.

There is a sense of panic around the old homestead. School starts next Wednesday. The boy begins his senior year and the wife goes back to work. The boy is swimming and staying with friends and hanging out as much as possible. Video games are on until the wee hours of the morning. The wife suddenly remembers every project she meant to do and is trying to cram months worth of work into days. My oldest son is moving into a new house with his band and my daughter has taken a new teaching job, so we have been helping her move her accumulated junk to the new school. I did miss out on the back-to-school shopping when i was on a business trip last week. Good for me!

Change is in the late summer air. So far not for me, and I hope it stays that way.

Had some routine blood work done yesterday. My doctor is happy as can be. I had significant improvement from the last blood work in the spring. My lipids were down to 127 from 221last time. Bad cholesterol was down to 78 from 145. A1C was 6.2 only slightly down from a previous 6.3. But far better than the 7.9 it was last fall.

There are some good things about living in a small town. How many people can go to the lab on a Thursday morning and have the results back and get a report from the doctor by two in the afternoon?

There you have it, a boring post without a trace of politics. I hope you have a great Weekend.

What this nation needs is some gladitorial games

It seems to me the stock market has offered a clear referendum on President Downgrade and Congress.

The US Government is just like you and I.  Our credit rating does not get better with more spending and taking out more credit cards. If you find yourself in a credit crunch do you keep buying new TVs and iPads or do you cut out the luxuries? Do you keep taking vacations and buying jewelry?

I have read several editorials and commentaries from the typical liberal press. The common theme is that Tea Party Republicans were unreasonable and insisted on cuts and risked default in order to "win". This is not about wins and losses. This is not about helping the Republican Party or hurting the Democrat party. The debate is about doing the right thing.

I cannot be more clear. I want my representative to move the nation to a more fiscal conservative policy. I want to return to a more strict interpretation of the Constitution. I want a smaller less intrusive Government. I will vote for any candidate that supports that concept. The RINOs in charge of the Republican Party better heed the message we sent last November, or they will go the way of the Whig party.

Confession

I am not the smartest guy in the world. Like Clint Eastwood said in Magnum Force "A man's got to know his limitations". I am not stupid either. I can tie my own shoes and carry on a basic conversation.

I was educated as a historian. History is a hobby, not my vocation. I do not believe history repeats itself, but I do believe we can learn valuable lessons from those who went before us. That said, I do not understand the modern liberal mindset. I am honestly, truly confused.

If you were to tell me the sky is green and the grass orange it would be no less disconcerting. At no time in history has the policy of big government spending and high taxes led to a prosperous society. Socialism has been a dismal failure everywhere it has been tried. High taxes do not lead to an improved economy. The Romans lost their empire when they decided it was more important to buy the populace bread and circuses instead of defense of the realm.

I truly do not understand how taking from one citizen by force his hard-earned wealth and giving it to another is a definition of fairness. History is rife with examples of the utter failure of the "each to his abilities, each to his needs" policy. We need look no further than the example of the Pilgrims early days in the New World. It took little time for the most productive to realize they were breaking their backs so the lazy could eat. One by one the productive entered the ranks of the non-productive.

Governments around the world are moving to austerity programs. The socialist model does not improve the lot of society, it leads to bankruptcy. Yet, the pundits and liberals decry efforts to cut spending.  They claim the Tea Party is destroying the economy. Wake up people, spending is out of control. Do you believe the path to prosperity in your own home is to rack up massive debt? That Cadillac may be a good deal, but not if you cannot make the payments.

It has been repeatedly shown in the last 100 years that lower taxes always increases economic activity and increases tax revenue. Each tax cut was followed by long-term economic activity. In the face of this evidence the modern progressive insists on higher spending and higher taxes.  I just  do not get it.

How can any sane person look at our current situation and insist we need to spend more.  Non-discretionary spending will consume 100% of revenue in a little over a decade. We must address Social Security and Medicaid. Raising the age for eligibility, means testing, and reform are essential. I know of no one who is opposed to a helping hand.  It is the handouts we resent.

I am serious. Can someone explain to me the liberal point of view in a way that makes sense? The logic escapes me.

Is it me?

I was all set to go drop the price increase hammer on another customer. He called yesterday and cancelled the appointment. At least I had not already driven, hoteled etc. I am starting to think it is me. Does my breath stink?  Do I have unusual amounts of ear hair that freaks out your average purchasing manager? Di I have lingering body odor? Do my customer think hiding will prevent new pricing? Damn if I know. Maybe, just maybe, the guy had something come up.

We finally had some significant rain last evening. The yard, what flowers are still alive all needed it.  I am sure the area farmers are jumping with joy, but I fear it may be too little, too late.

The answer is tax and spend

I listened to The Obama's petulant whining speech yesterday afternoon. The guy is clueless. As near as I could tell, Obama believes S&P is crazy, that running up debt at a record pace with no means or plan to repay said debt should not hurt your credit rating,

The President thinks extending tax cuts is a good thing and rhetorically shook his fist at Congress exhorting them to keep the cut in payroll taxes to spur the economy. The President's position is if Americans have more money, it is good for the economy. For once he is right.

Obama fell back on the old tired rhetoric of tax and spend, tax and spend, tax and spend.  The only program today's Democrat understands. Obama called the $20 billion in cuts this year and $80 billion in cuts for next year "historic". That $100 billion is the equivalent of you or I saving ONE dollar out of a monthly budget of $4,000. Historic? In spite of increasing spending to levels never before seen in our nation's 230 plus year history, Our Dear Leader actually said he thinks we have now cut spending to the bare bones and there is nothing left to cut. We can only raise taxes.

But I thought giving American's more of their own money to spend will help the economy? But Joe, you Progressive types will say, we must tax the wealthy, they have to pay their fair share.  If fairness is what the President wants, then he would be advocating a tax on the 43% of workers who pay no Federal taxes. What is fair about Tom paying 30% of his hard earned wealth, Tom forking over 20% of his wages and Harry paying zero, zip, nada? If we really, really need more revenue, then we all must pay the price -- all.

You see Obama is not about fairness, he is not about raising revenue, it is about the tireless pursuit of income redistribution, of spread the wealth, of socialism. There is no other way to look at it. We do not have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.

Finally The Bamster started in on the tired and failed ideas of shovel ready jobs, infrastructure, construction, blah, blah, blah.  We already spent $8000,000,000 on these supposed "shovel ready jobs" to spur the economy. Not only did it not work, but how many more of these projects are out there?  Maybe if we had spent the money on real projects instead of saving frogs and wetlands in Nancy Pelosi's Congressional District the stimulus might have helped. But then again, wasn't it this very same Obama who joked a few months ago that there really were not any "shovel ready jobs"?

So let us recap. The Obama says we just need to tax more and spend more and we will get out of this mess. Hasn't that been his plan since the day he took office? It has not worked.  If we just do more taxing and more spending all will be fine. The Obama is starting to remind me of the Kevin Bacon character at the end of Animal House -- "All is well!"

And he claims S&P is not based in reality?

Starring Walter Matthau as Harry Reid

Here is your basic Democrat.

Stolen from my man Ed B.

A big yawn post

I actually yawned when I wrote the title to this post. I am sure most of you know that if you yawn, about 50% of us will yawn also. I yawn just thinking about it.

Yesterday I trimmed the bushes in front of the house and did some general yard work. I also trimmed off some low-hanging branches from several of the trees around the compound. It was hot as Hades. When I came in my shirt and shorts were soaked with sweat. Even my tighty whiteys were wet. For some reason my fair spouse declined my request for a big hug.

I went to WalMart to do some grocery shopping. When I got there a white Dodge Durango, flecked with rust and filled with white trash people was parked right in front of the entrance. I did my shopping, including searching the store for some crap the wife wanted. I waited in a long line to check out (are there ever short lines at WalMart?). The person in front of me was paying with the food stamps debit card and had to separate the juice and milk and pay with the WIC coupons. When i left the store, my cart full, the piece of shit white Durango filled with piece of shit white people was still blocking the entrance.

While walking Saturday morning, I passed going the other way another walker.  This is not unusual in our subdivision. In fact, the person was a Japanese woman I see quite often while walking. I gave her my small wave. I mouthed 'morning. What made the encounter strange is that she was wearing long pants, a coat and a scarf (bandanna) around hr face. A black ball cap covered her hair. The temperature was in the upper 80's! She pulled down the scarf to say something as we passed on opposite sides of the street, but I had my headphones plugged in and missed what she said. Perhaps she had allergies? The outfit looked like a sure way to die of heat exhaustion.

That was my weekend.

Dear Politicians

I am going to state the obvious, but this is directed to both Republicans and Democrats (with a very special shout out to The Obama). I am going to type it slow so you can understand.

Businesses, people, governments do not get their credit downgraded because they did not borrow enough. People do not get a higher credit score because they convinced Visa to up their credit limit on a maxed-out credit card. Municipalities do not get a higher bond rating for issuing more bonds.

We do not need to raise taxes. We need to cut back the onerous spending the Democrats put in place over the past three years. The ObAma Administration has tripled federal Spending. The Stimulus-that-did-not-stimulate cost more than all of Bush's wars. ObamaCare is going to crush us.

We do not need to raise taxes. The top 10% of earners pay more than 80% of the taxes.  We have the highest corporate tax rates among the G8.

BTW, It was Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and the Democrats who put in the tax shelter for corporate jets.

The American people have spoken. The credit rating agencies have spoken. CUT SPENDING NOW.

A lame joke for a Sunday

God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael the archangel found him, resting on the seventh day.


He inquired, "Where have you been?"

God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."

Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?"

"It's a planet," replied God, and I've put life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance."

"Balance?" inquired Michael, "I'm still confused."

God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things."

God continued pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."

The Archangel , impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?"

"That's Indiana , the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful rolling hills and Prairies, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and the plains."

Then God Said, "This is Indiana , the center of America .

The people of Indiana are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of good things."

Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance."

God smiled, "I will create Washington , D.C. Wait till you see the idiots I put there."

I've got mothing, so how about a funny cartoon?

Stuff I learned this week

By 1865 Great Britain was the most powerful nation on Earth. It was said the sun never set on the British Empire, and the global holdings back up that claim.

click to biggerize

The Brits had holdings in North America, The Caribbean, Africa and Asia.  She had defeated Napoleon and won the Crimean War. Pax Britannica ruled the world. British commerce drove the global economy and Queen Victoria's soldiers enforced the rule of law in the various colonies. The Royal Navy protected the shipping routes and supported the troops in "Queen Victoria's little wars".

But even though the British economy suffered significantly during the American Civil War, Britain did not intercede. Britain was the world leader in textile production and the United States supplied 95% of the cotton to the British mills in 1860. By 1865, the US supplied only 5% of the cotton while lower quality cotton from India and Egypt only provided about 40% of the pre-war cotton requirements.  There was significant unemployment in Brittan by 1863 due to the cotton shortages.

Some historians point to the South's position on slavery as one reason the British remained neutral. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation put slavery to the forefront. The South never demonstrated a clear ability to win the war. Lee's early success was overshadowed by Southern losses in the west.

Most importantly, I think, was Britain did not want to get into another war in North America. Only one Navy had demonstrated a real ability to take on Her Majesty's fleet -- The United States Navy. To even recognize the Confederacy risked war with the United States. Canada was vulnerable.

But there was one more surprising fact in play. In 1865 the United States possessed the most powerful navy in the world. It had more ships, more men, more ironclads, more steam warships than any navy in the world -- including Great Britain.

I bet you did not know that.

I am very afraid

I am off later this morning to get some new glasses. It is long overdue. I am  little afraid. The next time I look in the mirror I will actually see what I look like.

Republicans want to kill your dog.

Wow, based on the media reporting you would think the Republicans were asking for the death of every American's first born in the recent negotiations and compromised by stripping our bank accounts.

One columnist I read today likened the Tea Party position to your neighbor demanding possession of your dog and threatening to shoot it if you did not comply.

You would think the Federal Budget was like that of a lower middle class family, living paycheck to paycheck. The evil Republicans were coming along and demanding pay cuts and putting sugar and sand in your transmission.

There is no reality to the actual bloated Federal Budget and the sheer amount of spending we have seen for the past decade.  We have doubled spending in the last three years alone! But somehow trying to reign in that spending is a crazy idea. When you have maxed out your credit cards the answer is not to keep spending! can anyone dispute that? Seriously. Argue in the comments to your heart's content.  I will give you the keys to this piece o' shit and let you post your argument.

If you had gone out and bought a new sports car, a big screen TV and taken a couple of vacations expecting a cut back when your credit cards are maxed is not unreasonable. The Democrats say you should buy a motor home and take another vacation. Doing less is draconian. They propose you take on another job if necessary, but do not, under any circumstances buy less. In fact, Democrats believe if you would just buy more stuff -- how about a computer, a new camera, and a jet ski -- your finances will improve.

You don't believe that works in real life, why do you think it works for the Government?

My God, I am really starting to think you have to be dumber than a bag of hammers to support the Democrat Party.

A glimpse behind the curtain

Yesterday I got up, did the Email thing, read some blogs, and put up a hasty post.

I hit the road. I lunched with some good customers and hit the road again. I arrived in da region and my hotel room was not ready. I walked around in a nearby mall. I bought myself a new Cubs hat. I do not often make impulse purchases, but I did in this case.

I checked into my hotel.  Answered a few more emails. Made some phone calls. I sat and read for a while and simultaneously half-watched Judge Judy. I ate Mexican for dinner. I returned to the room. I watched the Cubs game while simultaneously half-reading. I walked the wife through some printer issues. This stuff never happens when I am at home.

I slept like a baby -- up every two hours or so. You would think in 18 years of travel I would be used to sleeping in a hotel by now. You would be wrong. The first night is always rough. I woke up to all sorts of bad news. I realized I forgot my medicine. That fact should have come to light last evening. So, I missed my diabetes meds and my cholesterol meds last night. I will miss them again this morning. I do not have to take insulin, so it is not life-threatening. Checked the old blood sugar -- slightly high but not dangerously so.  When I checked my Email this morning, my customer has cancelled my appointment for today.

I will check out of the Hampton Inn later this morning. and drive home. I tried to get some alternate appointments but lining up a customer visit with a few hours notice is impossible.

I wasted an afternoon and night. Paid for a meal and hotel. Bought something I likely would not have and skipped taking meds for nothing. Wrote a post using a boatload of sentence fragments. It is good to be me.

I think I will take old State roads home instead of I-65, just for the view. If you have ever travelled in North Central Indiana, you know that last line is funny.

rain

I woke this morning to the sound of rain. It was short-lived. When I went to get the paper the ground was damp but the air was so filled with moisture it was like a steam room. I do not think the tiny bit of rain will lower the temperature, but it did put a tiny bit of moisture into the parched ground. Mostly it was just enough to put spots all over my just washed car.

Dear President Obama

Are you clueless? We do not have a revenue problem.  We have a spending problem:

Look, those "draconian" cuts from the "terrorists" in the Tea Party will not " destroy the American way of life".

The cuts are not really cuts at all. One billion from a budget of over four trillion.

If you are spending $4,000 a month and decide to save $1, that is not much of a cut. Not even if you promise to do it for ten months.

Dear Biker Guy

I get it, you are into the biker lifestyle. The heavy duty Harley Davidson brand boots, your leather vest emblazoned with the orange and black Harley shield, the leather doo-rag over your long gray hair all scream "I am a biker".

You lost a little credibility with the bluetooth headset and jaw mike, but I guess modern biker dudes get calls when on the road. In today's world we are all connected. I suppose it is hard to handle a cell phone when riding your iron horse.

I am no expert on biking, but watching you swagger out to the parking lot and seeing you climb..... into your conversion van -- well, I think you are the very definition of a poser.

Truth

Quick political hits

Here is what I think.  Part of the back-room budget deal our politicians just worked out will mean higher taxes for us all. It is not in the print but I suspect there has been a handshake deal to let the Bush tax cuts expire.

Politicians from both parties cannot help themselves.  The lure of spending other people's money is just too strong.

I think it hilarious The Obama was tossed a bone by Congressional leaders when they let him announce the proposed deal.  The White House has been on the outside looking in for weeks, and Obama's impotence has never been more apparent. Only a blind Democrat hack believes The Obama had a roll in this compromise. Harry Reid called the Bamster and said "Here is what WE decided". You know it, I know it, the world knows it. Our President has not looked so weak since the days the Islamic nut cases attacked our Embassy in Tehran. It is increasingly evident we are living the second term of the Carter Presidency.

In the end, this budget deal does not do much. Let us say you have racked up $140,000 in credit card bills. The mortgage company is calling, the bank is hounding you for late car payments, the credit card folks are getting mean. You try and calm them all with an announcement you have a plan. You are going to stop going to the movies, you are switching to gas station coffee instead of Starbuck's and you just bought a bunch of store brand veggies. Your grand plan is to cut spending by 150 bucks over ten months. Did you cut much spending? What if you considered not spending as much as you wanted to a cut?

You want to buy that snazzy new pair of shoes. You balk at the $250 price tag.  Instead, you go to the discount store and buy the knockoffs. You pay a cool $87 instead.  Can you claim you saved $163?  That is how Congress saves money.  If they do not spend as much as they thought, or if spending does not go up as much as planned, it is a cut.

No wonder we have such a low opinion of our Government.

Vote them out.  All of them. We must have term limits.

The best cookie I ever ate

I had a blistering post half-written blasting the Democrats and The Obama for failure to react on the debt ceiling. I decided not to bother. If you follow the pitiful saga you know what is what. Nothing I write will change any one's mind.

I am sick of venting. It looks like a nice day outside. I think I will peruse some blogs while I drink my coffee and then go for a walk.


Enjoy your Sunday.

Me and Elvis

I think I told you before how I have been having weird dreams. In the time before I wake, I replay the same dream over and over, kind of like my brain is editing and rewriting things.

This morning this paragraph played out repeatedly with varying changes:

The King and I walked into the room.  The bar was dim and smoky, but the woman immediately drew our attention.  She was dressed in a tight white dress that showed all of her curves. Each was in just the right place. The dress was low cut and shimmered an icy blue when it reflected the light. She only had eyes for Elvis, but he had no intention of being sunk by that iceberg. Me, I was changing my name to 'Titanic'

Weird stuff, I know. I never hung out with Elvis Presley. But the scene was not played out in my dream, the words were. I was writing this. Still an hour or so later I cannot get it out of my head. Do you know what bugs me the most? It is not even good writing.

I hope you have a good Saturday. Keep cool out there, it is summer, you know.

Friday Covers

I am up and at it early this morning. I am going to breakfast later with my daughter. She and I have not hung out for longer than I can remember. I see her a lot, and we talk, but I cannot remember the last one-on-one conversation. It will be fun.

It is finally Friday, this has been a long week. I am not sure why. Each work day seems to last about 10 hours. Probably because I have been waking early and sitting at the desk.  I start in on Emails around 6:30, then break to do this blogging bullshit, and then back to work.  When 4:30 or 5:00 rolls around I have been at the computer for ten hours! It is just that some of the time is spent screwing around the interwebz.

Here is some music for you on a Friday morning. This song has been stuck in my skull for a couple of weeks now. It is not a particular favorite (I don't hate it either). It was part of the setlist the performer did at one of the joints the wife and I visited on vacation. The band at last weekend's wine tasting also played it. I heard it on the radio last night. I just cannot seem to escape the tune. Maybe sharing it with you will get it out of my head?:



This is the Dobie Gray version most of old farts remember.

Here is a version by Uncle Kracker:


And finally, here is a cover of the song done by The Rolling Stones I never knew existed. One can learn something every day:

Reason 2,937 getting old sucks

I made myself a nice lunch today. A sandwich of hard salami, pepper jack cheese and colby jack cheese was accompanied by some Cheetos and apple turnover yogurt (Lite!). A diet Dr. Pepper washed it all down.

About halfway through the sandwich I got a nasty bite of salami. It was chewy and I spit it out into my napkin. I took another bite and could not even chew it. That bite too went into my napkin. I decided to pick the salami off the bread and just eat cheese. I figured I should not get the Store-brand lunch meat next time.

As I pulled apart the meat I noticed the paper that separated the slices of cheese was on the sandwich. A nice half moon of a bite was gone from the waxy paper. It was not gristle and bone in the hard salami -- it was the cheese paper.

After picking out the paper, my lunch was pretty good. In addition, I answered an age-old philosophical question. I still don't know if a tree makes a noise when it falls in the forest if no one hears it, but I do know you can be embarrassed when no one else is in the room.

Why I guess we are all wrong, Hanoi Jane

Poor Jane Fonda. History has done her a bad turn. According to her, she went to Hanoi during the Vietnam war because she supported the US Military! She went to make sure the POWs were treated well, to take them letters. Jane was not a traitor after all. I guess posing with our enemies is not traitorous. Apparently actively supporting our enemy is not treason. I suppose giving aid and comfort to the enemy is not treason. 

WTF? The knuckleheads who comment on how great  Hanoi American Hero Jane is, are the same fools who believe The Obama is doing a good job.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are about 2,000 proving Jane Fonda is damn traitor and should have been tried and executed upon return to American soil:

With Joe at the beach

I am sure you guys are more than sick of politics and the debt ceiling. Here is a picture of happier times -- mainly my happier times. But then I am sure you agree that as long as I am in a good mood, we should all be in a good mood. I was not happy yesterday. I had to put new brakes on the wife's SUV. That may explain your sudden mini-depression bout yesterday afternoon.

Today I offer you a glimpse of the author last week while in deep Southern climes, enjoying the sand, surf and sun:

See how relaxed and happy I am? Look, stare, live vicariously!

The left's new mantra...

...the debt crisis is just manufactured agitprop by the Right to make the Democrats look bad or something. The Obama is falling into the trap. The Lefties believe we do not have a debt problem, all would be right if we just had more Government spending. If we could just raise taxes on those billionaires making $200,000 a year. But mostly we just need to spend more. Because in magic Progressive land money grows on trees and unicorn turds are collateral for debt. In Progressive Land you never have to pay for anything, you just have to buy more.

When my son was about eight he wanted a new toy. I told him I did not have any money.  He told me to just "write a check". At eight he would have made a good Democrat. The difference was he understood when I explained you have to have money in the bank to write a check. Democrats do not get that concept.

Why do we need to cut spending? I cannot show you this graph from Doug Ross often enough:

Since Lefties/Progressives/Democrats do not seem to understand, any bar UNDER the line means the Government is writing checks without money in the bank. You cannot do it at WalMart Whole Foods, and your friendly Government can't continue to do it either.

Sadly, as our Community-Organiser-in-Chief is learning, spending other people's money is easy.  Paying it back is difficult.