From Where I Stand

I Love A Good Laugh, But Come On!

2008-07-15T15:00:00.002-05:00

Unless you have your head in the sand you have likely seen a picture of the front cover of the latest issue of The New Yorker. The issue that was released yesterday was titled "The Politics of Fear" and just in case you have not seen it, it depicts Barack and Michelle in the Oval Office seeming to be in a celebratory mood. They are doing the "fist tap" and smiling at each other.

Obama is dressed in a robe (like the Mid East kind not the bath kind), sandals, and a turban on his head. Michelle is wearing camouflage, combat boots, and has an assault rifle in her hands. On the wall, above the fire place is a picture of Osama bin Laden and in the fire place burning, is the American flag.

I find this cartoon completely tasteless and sick.

The magazine commented that the cover "combines a number of fantastical images about the Obamas and shows them for the obvious distortions they are. Satire is part of what we do, and it is meant to bring things out into the open, to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that is the spirit of this cover."

I am always up for satire and humor, but I see very little that is humorous in this picture. Have these people forgotten that we are in a war? Our men and women are continuing to die in Iraq and Afghanistan and we think that it is funny to show a presidential candidate not just supporting the enemy, but being the enemy.

Would it have been funny to have a cartoon with Hitler's picture in the Oval Office during World War I? At least Hitler did not attack the US on it's own soil as bin Laden did.

The Obama campaign responded with this statement, "The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right wing critics have tried to create, but most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree."

Senator McCain even came out from under his rock and said the cover was "totally inappropriate and frankly I understand if Senator Obama and his supporters would find it offensive."

Barack Obama is not a Muslim, he is a Christian. He never attended a Muslim school, and he did not place his hand on the Koran when he was sworn in as a Senator. He placed his hand on the Bible.

The cartoonist, Barry Blitt, took a fear that some Americans have spread as rumors and gave color to that image. The first amendment protects him and allows him to draw and publish things like this. Although it is protected, this cartoon, just like pornography, is ugly, disrespectful, and repugnant. He owes Senator Obama an apology as well as the friends and families of our solders who are fighting against the Taliban.

This just shows how far removed we are from the front lines of war. Something has to change.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2008-07-10T13:13:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, the Obama family sat down and did an interview as a group. The interview, that was meant for one show, has created a sensation and every major network has aired clips of the interview as part of their news shows. When asked about the interview yesterday, Barack admitted that he and Michelle probably got carried away by allowing the interview and that no other interviews including the children would be taking place.

Now, I understand the need to protect your children and allowing an interview really puts them out there for the world to see, but I think that the interview has shown yet another side to Barack: the family man. I really think that it was a positive thing, but I do understand his hesitancy to do anymore like it.

Growing up in church, and seeing the process of hiring new preachers a few times, I understand how a church hires "the whole family, not just the preacher." That makes sense to me. I see some similarities when electing a president. I really think that it is important to see the potential candidates family and to see how the family interacts together. We are not just electing the president, we are electing the whole family.

There is no question that first ladies play a huge role in the years that their husbands serve as president. They have the potential to do many good things and I think everyone would agree that a good partnership between the first lady and president is a huge plus. The children of a president don't play such a role, but the way people interact with their kids gives a lot of insight to their character.

During the interview, the Obama girls, aged 10 and 7, spoke candidly about their dad, and things he does around the house that bug him. For example, his 10 year old spoke of being mortified when her dad shook the hand of a friend of hers instead of just "waving to her." The family laughed and teased each other, all in good fun. You could tell that this was the way the family acts when they are together, there was no acting or putting up a front. The girls were typical children, but were very polite, well mannered, and respectful. Both Obama and Michelle were also respectful of the girls which showed a really good family dynamic.

In a world where a "functional" family is uncommon and a two parent home is rare, isn't it nice to see a family that respects one another and loves each other? What a great example.

While I agree that children should not be exploited or exposed to the media unduly, I don't believe that this was big mistake on the part of the Obama's. I think it showed another side to the family that was very pleasant and well received.

And What Are You Doing For The Black Community Rev. Jackson?

2008-07-10T12:40:00.002-05:00

It should come as no surprise that Jesse Jackson is not best friends with Barack Obama. Jackson eludes some of the very stereotypes that Obama has broken down or is attempting to, not to mention Jackson accusing Obama very publicly last September of "acting like he's white."

Sunday, as a guest on "Fox and Friends", Jackson made some rather crude, to say the least, comments about Barack Obama to another guest during a commercial break when he assumed the mic was turned off. Unknown to Jackson however, not only was the mic still live, the camera was on as well. The guest apparently asked Jackson what he thought of the recent speeches Obama has made to predominately black churches on morality, to which Jackson began by saying he believed that Obama was talking down to blacks and was not speaking about issues that are important to black communities. Then he made the unbelievable remark, "I wanna cut his male genitals (remember, I try to stay G rated) off." Of course he did not say male genitals, but if you have not seen this clip on TV just use your imagination.

Kind of harsh words coming from Jackson, especially since he was referring to speeches where Obama talked about issues such as absent fathers, opportunity, and responsibility. According to Jackson, Obama's speeches sound as if he is talking down to black people. He believes that Obama should talk to black people about "unemployment, the mortgage crisis, and the number of blacks in prison. Sounds like the same issues, just different subjects within those issues.

When Jackson found out that Fox planned to air the video, he quickly apologized for what he said were "hurtful and wrong" remarks. He said through a written release yesterday, "For any harm or hurt that this hot mic private conversation may have caused, I apologize. My support for Sen. Obama's campaign is wide, deep, and unequivocal." Said as if someone did this on purpose to try to catch him. Good grief!

Jackson also called Obama's campaign to apologize and the campaign released this statement, "He (Barack Obama) will continue to speak out about our responsibilities to ourselves and each other, and of course he accepts Rev. Jackson's apology. Campaign spokesman Bill Burton also emphasised that, " Obama has spoken for many years about parental responsibility as well as jobs, justice, and opportunity for all."

So what prompted these comments from Jackson. My first inclination is to say jealously. Jackson has run unsuccessful presidential campaigns and obviously still craves any media attention that he can get. I also think that Obama poses a threat to Jackson's "plight of the black man argument." If Obama proves successful in November, a black American will have broken down walls, and will have achieved the top position in the country. Any argument about hardships that black people have succeeding will sound weak.

Regardless of the reason, I think Jackson should slink away and lay low for a while. His true colors have been shown and it is doubtful that many people have too much respect for him at this time.

To Be Fair, John McCain Likes Animals Too

2008-07-08T09:42:00.002-05:00

With all the attention focused on Obama and his "Presidential Pup Search", McCain supports should relax to know that if John McCain is elected (Ha!) there will also be the sound of little paws in the White House for the next four years.

The McCain's actually have quite the zoo around their house with a total of 23 pets. The "McCanies" include an English Springer Spaniel named Sam and two Yorkshire Terriers named Lucy and Desi (yes, many voters are too young to even know who Lucy and Desi are). The family pets also include a cat, two turtles, a ferret, 3 parakeets and 13 salt water fish. Do you think John puts on his flippers and cleans out the fish tank?

To John McCain's credit, it does seem that he wins points for being an animal lover. I wonder if the ASPCA has researched if his animals were rescued........

Dog Days Of Summer in the Obama House

2008-07-08T08:35:00.002-05:00

Have you heard the latest news about the Obama Campaign? It seems that the Obama girls have been wanting a dog for a long time and mom and dad have finally relented, telling the girls after the November election, the family can get a dog. The conservative press has had a field day with this sarcastic commenting about the importance of the "dog search" over the war or economy. They are right, but in a way, this dog search makes the Obama's more likable and more reachable to the American public. This could actually help him reach more voters.

The American Kennel Club has set up a poll (as have I) to determine what dog the Obama's should choose for their family pet. The options were chosen based on several criteria. First, evidently the Obama girls have some allergies so the AKC had to choose breeds that were anti-allergy. Since the girls are 10 and 7 breeds had to be child friendly and since part of presidential duties (assuming the Obama's become the first family) include frequent travel, the pet must be a good travel companion. Probably most important, the dog must have a stable and social temperament since he or she will be meeting a plethora of people from White House staff to heads of state. No need to take the Prime Minister's hand off.

The breeds that were chosen include:

Bichon Frise - the fluffy curly haired dog. I think that this is the kind Jessica Simpson has.

Chinese Crested - skinny almost hairless dog that has long hair on it's face.

Poodle - everybody knows what a poodle looks like.

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier - hair is always in his eyes - the dog on Disney movie "The Shaggy Dog".

Mini Schnauzer - adorable little dog - always has a little bow on top of its head.

(Sorry - the extend of my talent does not allow me to upload photos - I tried)

Although family dogs have little to do with running the country, they make the president more real, more down to earth. I can almost see the minds of Americans working, "Well if he picks up dog poop just like me......."

Of course, as with any move a potential president makes, there are critics. The web is full of sites urging the Obama's to adopt a dog from a shelter rather than buying a fancy expensive breed. Of course he will get grief either way I'm sure.

We will see in November who our next president will be and more importantly, what kind of dog the Obama's will welcome into their home.

Um, Senator McCain, Did You Forget About the Election?

2008-07-05T15:23:00.002-05:00

It seems through John McCain's actions of late, he has completely forgotten that he is (or rather should be) actively engaged in the general election. It is any one's guess as to what is going on in a candidates mind, but many are starting to wonder what the plan is for the GOP. Just this week McCain has re-organized his team, but seems to still be lacking in a plan of any kind.

I would not criticize McCain on his patriotism, as some have done, but I do question his reasons for spending time in South American discussing trade agreements just four months from a general election, during the July 4th holiday, no less. Trade is important, essential for our country, but it seems that other topics, (war, food prices, health care) would be much more important for McCain to be exploring at this time. I would also think a couple of well planned "4th of July Picnic" pictures of McCain visiting with the "normal folk" would have been a nice touch to increase likability. Sure he might not have had a child's soccer game to attend this week, but just about every town had something going on yesterday.

When I think about qualities that I would like to see in a president, leadership, organization, and good communication are some that come to mind. These have been missing as of late from the McCain camp. The complete lack of any kind of organization for a general election campaign is a scary start. Any campaign needs a leader who can get things done and we are not seeing that from John. Getting things done starts with good communication.

Sorry John, but this week goes to General Clark, you are a war hero, but it does not mean you will be a heroic president. (I think I said it a little softer than Wesley did, maybe?)

Does America Get a Pinata?

2008-07-05T15:12:00.002-05:00

When you are three and live in South Texas, no birthday party is complete without a pinata, so it should have been no surprise when my three year old asked when we got to hit America's pinata yesterday. After explaining that America was not going to have a pinata, but she would have fireworks and sparklers, which seemed to satisfy the toddler curiosity, I tried to explain the birth of a country. I tried to talk about freedom and rights, but it remains to be seen just how much of it make an impact.

I took a few moments yesterday under the beauty of a small town fireworks show to reflect on America and I said a prayer of thanks for the many who made our country what it is. I am so thankful for those men and women who were braver, smarter, and more optimistic than myself who put everything on the line to create a country where people were allowed to say what they wanted to and believe what they wanted to. I am thankful for the men and women who have continued that fight through depressions, wars, and times of segregation so that we could continue to have a wonderful country where we are free to think as we choose.

I pray that God continues to bless America and I pray that Americans remember to thank God for those blessings.

A Tale of Two Houses

2008-06-30T11:34:00.002-05:00

Some of you have probably already seen this. I got it in an email a while back (thanks Lindsay) and have been meaning to post it here. Very interesting.......

A Tale of Two Houses

House #1 A 20 room mansion ( not including 8 bathrooms ) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool ( and a pool house) and a separate guest house, all heated by gas.In one month this residence consumes more energy than the average American household does in a year. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2400. In natural gas alone, this property consumes more than 20times the national average for an American home. This house is not situated in a Northern or Midwestern "snow belt"area. It's in the South.

House #2 Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university.This house incorporates every "green" feature current home construction can provide. The house is 4,000 square feet ( 4 bedrooms ) and is nestled on a high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat-pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground.The water (usually 67 degrees F.) heats the house in the winter and cools it in the summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas and it consumes one-quarter electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Waste water from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Surrounding flowers and shrubs native to the area enable the property to blend into the surrounding rural landscape.

HOUSE #1 is outside of Nashville, Tennessee; it is the abode of the "environmentalist" Al Gore.

HOUSE #2 is on a ranch near Crawford,Texas; it is the residence the of the President of the United States, George W. Bush.

An "inconvenient truth".

No, Glenn, You Are Not The Only One

2008-06-27T14:24:00.002-05:00

Quote of the day by Glenn Beck:

"Am I the only one who goes to the movies to be entertained and church to be preached to?"

Just think about it.......

James Dobson vs. Barack Obama

2008-06-24T21:17:00.003-05:00

This morning on his talk show, "Focus on the Family", James Dobson denounced Barack Obama for "distorting the Bible" and pushing a "fruitcake interpretation" of the constitution. Dobson has never been one for mincing words and he has been very liberal with his comments against John McCain, but these latest words focusing on the upcoming election have evoked criticism from both sides of the issue.

The speech which Dobson referred to this morning was given last year in June of 2007 to a liberal Christian group, Call to Renewal. According to reports, the speech was very warmly received as Obama focused on a call to tolerance and acceptance.

I have never really gotten on the whole "James Dobson Movement". I used to listen to him on the radio going to work and liked some of the things he would say. I agree with him when it comes to creating strong families and things like that. I have read a couple of his books and they are okay, but my opinion has really been that he is one of those experts who can talk, but has he really practiced any of the advice? I don't know, maybe he has. I don't know that much about him.

There is a new movement out led by Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell that is calling other pastors and Christians to support Barack Obama. They started a website called: http://jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com
This website outlines the quotes that Dobson used on his show this morning from Barack Obama and what Dobson's problem with the quotes were. I am asking my readers to click on the link and read the page. Then come back and comment about what you think. You don't have to register, just scroll down and read all the points that Dobson made. I will see what you guys think and then share my own thoughts.

"Faith Of My Fathers" - The John McCain Book

2008-06-24T12:08:00.002-05:00

I am going to start a short series on some of the books that I am reading to see if I can get to know the two presumed presidential candidates better. I plan on reading several on each man so if you have read any and want to suggest them, please let me know. I am a pro at the "Inter-library loan" process, so I can probably get my hands on a copy of just about anything. I started with the John McCain book, Faith Of My Fathers for no other reason than it was the first one that the library had available.

The book is primarily a memoir of three generations of McCain men. The first quarter of the book focuses on John McCain's grandfather and father, the second quarter, on John's growing up and time at the Naval Academy, and the last half of the book talks about his time as an American POW during the Vietnam War.

When I read a book, I generally will either like it from the beginning or will stop reading after the first chapter. If a book does not capture my attention, I don't waste my time trying to finish it. I had told myself that if I read some books for my blog (and myself) I would have to finish them or risk complete cyberspace ridicule. I had no problem with this one though. It was a really good book.

I have always had a hard time saying nice things about John McCain, and let me affirm as I will throughout this post that I don't think he is presidential material, but this book opened my eyes to another side of McCain, that I knew nothing about. John McCain was (and probably still is) a fun guy. Again, I don't want him as my president, but he would probably be a great guy to go have a beer with. He has got a pretty good sense of humor and actually seems to have a likable personality. Not that I want to help his campaign, but if he would show this side, he might gain some votes.

Though showing a likable side, this side is exactly why we don't need him as president. McCain's grandfather and father were both portrayed as rebels, who, as Naval Officers, followed instructions as long as they served them best. Most of the time their gambles worked, which gave them opportunities to rise in the ranks, both leaving the Navy as Admirals. John inherited this rebellious side which he showed, almost boasted, during the chapters about his education at the Naval Academy,

These chapters in a way really pushed my buttons for dislike of the man. He starts by saying rather arrogantly, that he was in the bottom five in his class during his entire time at the Academy. He makes the statement that he did not want to go there and did not even try to get in, but his father "made a few phone calls" and then "dropped me off for my plebe year". This statement angered me and I continued to think about it as I read about his education.

If you are not familiar with the military academy's here is a summary. The three US Military Academy's (Army, Navy, and Air Force), are the best, most elite education one can receive in the United States. Students must be nominated by their state representatives and must go through a testing process both with academic requirements and physical fitness requirements. The men and women sign a contract of military service after graduation as return payment to their country for providing such a great education. The academy's are military institutions and are run accordingly. There are extremely high academic and fitness standards that must be maintained to avoid expulsion. They are not party schools.

McCain blatantly and arrogantly told of his wasted time at the Naval Academy and boldly makes the assumption that if he was not the son and grandson of two Naval Admirals, he would never have graduated. This is very irritating because he took the place of another student who wanted to go to the Academy. He took the place of someone who might have taken full advantage of their opportunity. The way that McCain described all his pranks and how he broke all the rules "except the honor code" is very telling.

If you have read my other posts, you know that I have great respect and admiration for anyone who wears the uniform of the US Armed Forces. I believe that all of the men and women are heroes, and John McCain is no exception. I found the part of the book about his capture and years as a POW, very interesting and it is probably his rebellious attitude and reliance on himself that allowed him to survive. The POW's are amazing people who survived the worst circumstances, but being a war hero alone, does not automatically make a great president.

I think the ideas that I got from this book that bother me the most about John McCain are his total disregard for the rules, his arrogance, and the way he reacts when dealing with situations (kind of seems to punch first and ask questions later). Now, these are not negative characteristics in all situations. John McCain was a good warrior, no doubt. I do doubt his ability to be a great president.

I am really glad that I read this as it gave me a new side of John McCain to look at. It did however affirm my idea that this is not the guy for the White House.

American Arrogance Gone Too Far

2008-06-19T13:17:00.002-05:00

In case you have forgotten, we are still occupying Iraq. We are still fighting a war. We still have brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters in harms way. We are continuing to send our troops on their 3rd, 4th, and 5th combat tours to Iraq. Our government leaders continue to fight about the war and use politics to force their agendas. I am sick of it.

I consider myself "pro-war". (Keep reading - don't turn away yet....) I believe that there is a time for war and reasons for war. I believe that if American is attacked, we must defend ourselves and our country. I believe that we, as a world super power, must help those who are being persecuted or abused. I believe that if there are evil people in power, we must help their country remove them from power.

I don't believe that we should force American democracy on every other country and remain in their country fighting them until they do it our way.

American democracy works in America (mostly). We have freedom in our country that fits our definition of freedom. Other countries on the other hand have different definitions of freedom. They have different religions, they have different customs. We cannot expect them to welcome us with open arms and allow us to make cookie cutter copies of America. It can't work.

I truly believe that most people want the same things in their lives. They want to have a job, have a place for their children to live and go to school. They want to be able to worship the way they see fit. Most people in the world are happy with a simple existence of basic human rights and dignities. We are no longer protecting the Iraqi people and helping them keep these dignities - we are denying them of their basic human desires. Let me be clear - the US government is denying them the desires. The soldiers are doing their jobs. I support the soldiers 100%, but the government is loosing my confidence.

We love our country, but the Iraqi's love their country too.

We are not allowing Iraq to return to business as usual. There will probably never be one united Iraq. The tribe separations go back as far as history. The American government and its over sized ego is not going to solve the problems of the Iraqi people. We simply do not understand the dynamics and we will not understand the dynamics.

Our soldiers were asked to remove Saddam from power, provide temporary security, and train and advise Iraqis. They have completed this mission and should be allowed to leave. Iraq must pick up and run it's country now.

It is estimated that long term occupation of Iraq will cost upwards of $4 trillion dollars. That is not including the $15 billion dollars that is unaccounted for by the Pentagon, the $9 billion unaccounted for by the Coalition Provisional Authority, and the $1.8 billion in seized Iraqi assets that has disappeared.

Let's just day dream and pretend that we left Iraq and brought our troops home. Where could we spend that earmarked $4 trillion? Well there is that issue with Social Security funds, providing Universal Health Care, alternate energy source research. We could fill a page. Or how about our first priority taking care of the men and women who have risk everything because their country ask them to go.

We need to ensure that disabled veterans are not denied or delayed medical care or funds while they are recovering. We need to ensure that spouses do not loose their jobs while taking care of their injured loved ones. An estimated 20% of troops returning are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Traumatic Brain Injuries. Up to 1,000 returning troops are attempting suicide each month. Currently those representatives who supported the war are opposing a revised GI Bill that gives veterans enough money to complete a college degree. The current bill only provides a fraction of the cost.

America is broken. How can we justify any more money trying to "fix" another country when ours is in desperate need of repair?

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" Matthew 7:3

(Numbers and Facts from Texas Monthly, July edition)

If Ed McMahon Can't Pay His Mortgage, Things Must Really Be Bad!

2008-06-18T14:43:00.002-05:00

It was released this week that Countrywide Mortgage Company filed a notice of default on February 28 for the $4.8 million dollar loan on a home belonging to TV personality Ed McMahon. The media is urging us to feel sorry for McMahon. They are giving plenty of reasons to hate the "big, bad" mortgage company and "save" dear old Ed. Maybe I am callused, maybe I am unable to invoke sympathy, but I have come up with the top five reasons not to feel sorry for Ed McMahon (I would have stayed in true Late Night form and put ten, but then this post would have been too long).

Reason Number 5: Most individuals at the age of 85 don't or can't work any more.

Spokesman, Howard Bragman, has said that the ideal situation would be if McMahon would heal from his neck injury (evidently he fell and broke his neck 18 months ago and has been unable to work) and be able to go back to work. Granted, I am a Dave Ramsey follower, so it makes no sense to me that you don't have any money to pay your bills at 85, let alone have a mortgage at the age of 85. What happened to all that money he has made in the 65+ years he has been working? Was none of it saved? Was none of it invested? I do feel sorry for the man working a minimum wage job who gets hurt and is unable to work to support his family. Ed McMahon has not been working minimum wage jobs. He should not have to work at the age of 85 to pay his mortgage.

Reason Number 4: Hollywood wives don't work.

I watched an interview last night with his wife, third I believe, who has to be at least 30 years younger than him (although it can be deceiving determining the ages of California women). Is her neck broken too? What is stopping her from getting a job? If we were in foreclosure and David was unable to work, do you think that I would be doing nothing? I would be waiting tables, sacking groceries, picking up trash, cleaning houses, anything I could find to make money to keep our heads above water. Maybe she could think of a reality show to pitch.....

Reason Number 3: He has a second mortgage out on the house.

Oh, Ed, never, never use the equity in your home for anything - leave it alone! Evidently in addition to the $4.8 million dollar loan, Ed took out a $300,000 loan against the value of the house. Oh I would love to hear Dave Ramsey talk to a caller with a story like this! That is one of the biggest mistakes a person can make dealing with finances. It would be better to sell everything, cash in 401K's (almost never recommended) or take out a personal loan than to borrow against the equity of your home.

Reason Number 2: He won a $7.2 million dollar lawsuit against a plumber when a bad plumbing job created mold that had to be removed.

I know that he probably spent some of the money to clean up the mold and I know that can be a costly job. I also know that he probably had more than half of the money left after the clean up took place, plenty to pay off the home loan. David and I sit around and day dream sometimes about if we won the lottery (pretty big dreams since we don't even play), but our plans start with giving some to the church, paying off our school loans, paying off our house, setting it up in mutual funds so we will never have to worry about anything, saving for kids college, then we start thinking about new cars, cruises, the really fun stuff. Now, we have never had that kind of money, but I cannot imagine peeing (I try to keep the blog rated PG!) all that money away and having nothing to show for it.

And the number 1 reason I do not feel sorry for Ed McMahon: His house has been on the market two years priced at $6.25 million dollars or half a million over what it is valued at ($5.75 mil).

Yes, I had to read that several times too. The house is valued at $5.75 million dollars. He is asking $6.25 million. Why not talk to Countrywide and negotiate a short sale or maybe listing at the amount owed on the house and see what that does? He is not in a position to gain from his investment. He is $600,000 behind on his loan for goodness sake! Get out from under the house and move on. I will not claim to be a real estate expert, but if a house doesn't sell in two years, isn't lowering the price one of the first things you do to move it?

I tried to put a comic light on this, but I do agree that there are problems in the housing loan industry. Three years ago, buying a home was almost like buying a car from a "no credit no problem" lot. "Do you have a job and a checking account? We can get you moved in this weekend!" Home lenders were offering loans to many people who had no business buying a home. Lenders were offering no money down, interest only, and adjustable rate mortgages that got people in the homes, but took advantage of the situations. Those lenders were wrong and they should have to answer for their actions. But this is not one of those situations. This is someone who did not pay his bills first and now is in a sticky situation. Ed McMahon was not affected by the weak economy or the bad housing market. If someone is working at the age of 85, there should be a plan on how to take care of things if they suddenly become unable to work. He made bad decisions.

What Will Politics Do Without Tim Russert?

2008-06-17T14:18:00.002-05:00

The political world lost a great asset Friday, when journalist Tim Russert died suddenly from a heart attack at the age of 58. Tim is best known for his strong political insight and his ability to make the complex understandable in the world of politics.

Tim was an extremely talented journalist who hosted the Sunday morning program, "Meet The Press" where he sent often sharp and pointed questions toward political figures and made them squirm with his well researched commentary as well as sound bites from their speeches. Though most candidates had been on his hot seat, he remained highly respected for the work he did.

As the lead political analyst at NBC, his untimely death has created an emptiness in NBC's political coverage that will be hard, if not impossible to fill less than five months from the presidential election.

Tim was a huge asset to the political world and he will be greatly missed.

Tim is survived by his wife, Maureen Orth, son Luke, and his father, Tim Sr.

President Obama, Vice President Clinton, and third wheel Bill...

2008-06-05T13:16:00.002-05:00

It could be seen as a two for one deal, choose Hillary as your VP and gain Bill for free! Hardly seems the kind of deal anyone looking to be the President of the United States would want. As they say, nothing is free.

There is no way that Barack could ever compete with a vice president who would never respect him, accept his direction, or relinquish her agenda. It would be a disaster from the top and the unpredictable Bill would only cause more alarm. But can Obama clinch the win against McCain without the Clinton machine? Absolutely.

There is a potential deal breaker before the deal even begins. The Clinton's would have to release all financial records beginning with Bill's big donors to his presidential library. He has thus far refused to release those records and the complications that they could pose for an Obama White House. Those include dealings with the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. That is more baggage than the Obama camp can afford to carry and they would probably, and rightly so, require a full disclosure, before naming Hillary as a VP candidate. It is highly unlikely that Bill would ever agree to that.

Another problem is that the Clinton's have been leaders in the Democratic Party and the Washington scene for more than 16 years. They are deeply meshed in the politics of the city and that completely undermines the Obama message of change and new blood into Washington.

Hillary does have the potential to bring some of her supports who have been reluctant to support Obama, but many believe that her public support for Obama will bring just as much support as a place on the ticket and after a cooling off period, those voters that said they would vote for McCain rather than Obama, will realize that McCain and his policies will only bring them more of the same and they will ultimately decide to remain loyal to the democrats.

It will be a rough next few months for Obama regardless, but I believe that the Clinton's will cause more of a headache and be more of a hindrance than help for his campaign. The democratic party is fragile right now with a lot of emotion, so Obama will have to tread lightly with the next few moves that he makes. He will have to move carefully, he needs the Clinton's, but not as running mates.

What Will He Do With Hillary?

2008-06-05T12:46:00.002-05:00

Oh, Barack, I don't envy your position. One of the first points of business for the new democratic presidential candidate will be to figure out what to do with the Clinton's. He will have to decide how Hillary and Bill will give him the least heart burn in the next few months. It is not going to be an easy job.

I applaud Obama though for stepping back and allowing the tide to calm before he makes any major decision or announcement, and it comes with an extreme advantage to him. By waiting to make any announcement he will be forcing Hillary Clinton to make a decision with no guarantee of what she wants - a spot on the ticket. Could he outsmart the Clinton machine yet again?

Hillary has been over confidant from the beginning. Her major campaign financial difficulties started because she was so sure of walking away with an early victory, her campaign was only budgeted through Super Tuesday (February 5). She so believed that she would pull off a win that she offered Barack Obama the VP slot several months ago, while he was ahead, making voters laugh, when Barack responded by saying, "...the second place person doesn't offer the first place person the second place position. It just doesn't make sense."

And now, Hillary is so determined to gain a spot on the ticket that she is demanding some sort of "coalition government" between herself and Obama, something that is highly unlikely to appeal to the president. Because she wants to try to have her cake and eat it too, she has even been reluctant to concede the election and recognize Obama as the victor. If she did that, she would be forced to either throw her support to him or step out as an independent candidate - thus dividing the party and ensuring a McCain victory in the fall.

What a chance she had Tuesday night to speak about the historical primary that she and Obama fought so hard in. What a chance to appear gracious about the contest they both played. What a chance to congratulate such a major party victory and remark about something good in America, that made many including myself proud of our country and how far we have come to see past the racial divisions. No, instead of taking those chances, it was still all about Hillary. She delivered a completely self absorbed and somewhat delusional speech, seeming to still believe that she had a chance.

Hillary is not however going to get her wish to be immediately offered a position on the ticket. She was hoping she would know quickly so she could plan her next move, instead Obama has formed a committee to research a list of qualified people to ask to run with him. He doesn't have to name a VP candidate yet, in fact he can wait until the convention in August. Unlike Hillary, time is on his side, at least for now.

Like A Puppet On A String

2008-06-03T21:16:00.002-05:00

Hillary Clinton has announced that she will not concede the election immediately, stating that she believes she has "earned" the right to reflect on how to proceed. What is there to reflect on? She lost.

I'll tell you what she is reflecting. She still wants in the white house. She is just trying to decide if she has a better chance as a vice presidential candidate or as an independent presidential candidate. She wants to keep her options open so she can have leverage to negotiate with Obama. She has publicly announced that she would "consider the vice presidency if it was good for the party." What she meant was she would "consider the vice presidency if it was good for her."

Obama has a hard job ahead of him. If he does choose her as a running mate, it would almost ensure the big win in November by gaining the votes of Hillary supporters. If he does not, it will be a hard road to November and the win.

Sounds easy if you want to win right? Wrong. Would you want Hillary Clinton as your Vice President? I picture it something like a ventriloquist with a puppet. Hillary would stand behind Obama, moving his mouth and telling him what to say. Obama would truly become a "status president" with the VP taking charge. Hillary is not going to take a back seat to anyone. It would get ugly.

If she decides to run as an independent candidate, it will be the end of the democratic party as we known it. McCain will win in November. She will divide democratic supporters and probably cause irreparable damage to the party. If she loves her party and country, she will join with Obama either as a running mate or as a supporter.

She needs to make a decision and she needs to look at the best interest of her party and country, not herself, when she makes that decision.

He's The Man!

2008-06-03T21:05:00.002-05:00

Tonight America will go to bed having made history. For the first time in it's history, America has an African American presidential candidate. Barack Obama has gained the magic number of delegates and is now the presumptive democratic nominee for the 2008 Presidential Election.

The count is as follows:

Total Delegates:
Obama 2129
Clinton 1910

Pledged Delegates:
Obama 1750
Clinton 1624

Super delegates:
Obama 379
Clinton 286

In the next 24 to 48 hours remaining uncommitted super delegates are expected to make their choice known. Many, especially current senators, have been reluctant to publicly show their support for either candidate to avoid pushing voters one way or another.

History has been made.

How Can I Join The Rules and Bylaws Committee?

2008-05-30T15:16:00.002-05:00

The "Rules and Bylaws Committee" of the DNC will be meeting Saturday to determine if and how delegates from Florida and Michigan will be seated in August. Doesn't that sound like a fun group? The Rules and Bylaws Committee - Master's of the Universe. Honestly, I had never even heard of the RBC before this week, but evidently, they are in place to make decisions when there seems to be some confusion in rules or procedures of the DNC.

I am having a hard time understanding why the group must give up a Saturday and make a decision on something that all interested parties signed off on last year. The states of Florida and Michigan knew that there would be sanctions against them and that they would loose all voting power at the DNC if they held their elections early. They broke the rules, they must face the consequences. Black and white to me.

So what is the problem? Well when Hillary Clinton and her supporters approved and voted for the sanctions she did not think that she would desperately need those delegates to hold on to a shred of hope to win. In fact, right after voting (prior to the Michigan primary) Hillary said this,

"I personally do not think it makes a difference whether my name is on the ballot. You know it is clear the election that are having in Michigan is not going to count for anything."

My how times change. Hillary is now insisting that she has always been outraged that the "innocent" people of Michigan and Florida will not have voice. Last week she said this,

"I have consistently said that the votes cast in Michigan and Florida in January should be considered."

Really? What about the agreement that she signed in January to uphold the decisions of the DNC about Florida and Michigan? What about the past four months when nothing was said about those poor left out states? Could it be that Hillary could have cared less about Florida and Michigan until she was desperately pulling for every delegate and vote? Could it be that the feeling of being entitled to be president is a little shaky and Hillary thinks this makes her look like she is fighting for the "little guy"? Could it be that the 11 page letter she recently sent to every super delegate telling them just why she was the better choice didn't change anyone?

The RBC will sort things out tomorrow, but they will be doing so amid protests and demonstrations that are being encouraged from Hillary and her campaign. Clinton campaign manager, Terry McAuliffe, said yesterday, "I like excitement, lets all join together to show passion!"

Do you think that the RBC members are they types who will be swayed by demonstrations, uproar, and unruly crowds?

Obama's camp however is discouraging any protests or reactions to protests from its supporters. David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manger said,

"We don't think it is helpful to create a disturbance. In the interest of party unity we're encouraging our supporters not to protest." And Obama just keeps smelling like a rose......

Hillary is pulling so hard for these delegates to count, wouldn't it be ironic if the delegates were divided in such a way that Obama gained 40 more delegates tomorrow? He is only 40 delegates away from the magic number needed to claim victory. I can't be the only one who has thought of this.

A concluding thought to leave with Hillary from Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." I believe I see some stumbling.....

CAT FIGHT!

2008-05-30T15:05:00.002-05:00

Nancy P. vs. Hillary C.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has vowed to "step in" if needed to end the primary campaign season. Since Pelosi has already pledged her support to Obama, we must assume that this means she intends to stop the Clinton madness. It is obvious that just about everyone in the United States can see that the election is over, except for Hillary, but I would just like to ask Nancy, what she thinks that she can do about it.

She can't declare the nominee. She could talk to Hillary, but Hillary has yet to listen to anybody, so why would she listen to someone pledged to support Obama?

Maybe Nancy Pelosi should "step in" and get some things done in congress first before she fixes the nomination process. But then again, she has done nothing that she promised when elected to congress, so why would we think she would start now? Sit down Nancy, enjoy the show, it will be over soon.

A Tribute To A Fallen Hero

2008-05-26T23:59:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I learned of the death of a high school classmate, Army Sargent 1st Class Lawrence David Ezell. David was 30 years old when he died on April 30, 2007. He died while serving his country bravely in Iraq.

David had always shown an interest in serving his fellow man in some way, whether it be through law enforcement or in the military. During high school, he was a member of a special program that allowed students to ride along with local law enforcement officers while on patrol. After graduating from high school, David worked in the Kerr County Jail and was a member of the Army National Guard before enlisting on January 11, 1997.

While in the Army, he served in Iraq from March 2003 to October 2004, Afghanistan from October 2005 to April 2006, and again in Iraq from November 2007 until April 2008. He was asked to become part of a special unit and team and joined with the 71st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group on March 23, 2007. This team disposes of bombs and other explosive devices, making it one, if not, the most dangerous job in the Army. He received many medals including the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Senior Explosive Ordnance Badge.

The day of his death, David was called to dismantle two bombs. He along with two trainees arrived at the location and David assessed the situation. He told his trainees that he had a bad feeling about one of the bombs and asked them to return to the Hummer and not to come out. David dismantled the first bomb and as he started the second, it exploded, killing him instantly. His bravery and heroism saved the two men with him as well as others who might have come in contact with the bomb. His wife will receive for him a Purple Heart and Medal of Honor.

David left behind a wife and two year old son. He was laid to rest with full military honors on May 12, 2008 in Arlington National Cemetery.

This is the first obituary of this blog and hopefully the last. I felt it was appropriate to honor this fallen hero on Memorial Day, the day where we honor all of the fallen who have worn the uniforms of the U.S. Military.

If you are one of my readers, you know that I hold all members of our U.S. Military, past and present, with honor. Those who give the ultimate sacrifice are held in the highest honor. They served willingly, without regard to themselves, and gave everything for their country.

I have been told that God takes the best soldiers to guard the gates of Heaven. I like that thought.

Please join with me today as I pray for the Ezell family and all those who are remembering their lost soldiers this Memorial Day. Pray that the current conflicts can be resolved and our men and women can come home.

Math Update

2008-05-25T16:36:00.002-05:00

I haven't done a delegate count for a while (okay, I have done nothing for a while, but get off my back!) so here are the latest numbers:

Super Delegate Count:
Obama 321
Clinton 280

Total Delegate Count:
Obama 1970
Clinton 1780

Total Popular Vote:
Obama 16,685,941 (+458,427)
Clinton 16,227,514

These numbers are not counting Florida and Michigan, but even if those states get some of their delegates, they are likely to be divided between Obama and Hillary, not making a big change in the numbers and they way they stand.

The magic number is 2026. That is the number of delegates that is necessary for a nomination. Only 57 delegates away, Barack could easily clench that with big wins in the final three primaries. Not to mention the still 175 uncommitted super delegates.

But don't worry Hillary, you still have a chance. Let's make that math work. You currently have 1780 delegates. If you can convince all 175 uncommitted super delegates to vote for you that would bring your total to 1955. I know that you can do this with all the really intelligent, sensitive things that have been coming out of your mouth lately. Then, Hillary you need to win all the remaining primaries. Remember that is Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Montana. With all 86 remaining primary delegates, you can win with 15 delegates to spare!

Reality Check - It ain't gonna happen. Maybe we should bring in some statistics and probability.....

She Said What?

2008-05-25T15:56:00.002-05:00

Subtitle: Why Hillary is Still Running - In Her Own Words

"My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until winning California in the middle of June, remember? Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California."

Hillary Clinton spoke these words last week when asked to explain why she was continuing in the election. Those words are some of the first to bring together Republicans and Democrats. It brought them together against her.

We will begin with the less obvious, the first remark about her husband, Bill. Yes, Hillary, we remember that Bill wrapped up in California in '92, but California has already had their primary, remember. Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Montana do not make California and it's delegate count. The remaining primaries hold only 86 delegates together. Even if you win all of them, you will still fall short of the necessary 2026 delegates to clinch the nomination.

Okay, the fun part. The comment about the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. Oh where to start? What was your first thought when you heard this? Mine was shock that she actually said that she was staying in the primaries in case of an assassination of the front runner Barack Obama. Could that have been what she meant? Is she now keeping her fingers crossed for a national tragedy as a last hope for the nomination? Of course not, she says, she was only making a historical reference to past campaigns that were not complete until the summer months.

She made a public apology, but I believe it is misdirected. See if you get the same thought that I had. She said,

"The Kennedy's have been on my mind lately because of Senator Kennedy and I regret that if my reference of that moment of trauma for our entire nation and particularly the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever. I have the highest regard for the entire Kennedy family."

Any thoughts? Here was my first; I don't think that the Kennedy's are owed an apology. I think the Obama's and his Secret Service detail and their families are owed the apology. It is no secret that Obama's campaign and security detail have been very worried about his personal safety. He was given Secret Service protection long before any other candidate due to his historical status as the first African American with a real chance at the White House. She has only created more anxiety on the part of those protecting Obama and their families. Her comments have possible put them in more danger than before. You know what they say about the power of suggestion.

Maybe someone should take her aside and explain how some thoughts are not meant to be said out loud. She might need some help determining which things are "family conversation" and which things are okay to be shared outside the family.

Obama's team responded with this comment, "Senator Clinton's statement was unfortunate and has no place in this campaign."

Obama himself also commented that her remarks, "were careless, but I accept Clinton's explanation that she meant no offense."

That sounded like a very politically correct answer. I would have liked a response more like this, "You crazy woman! What are you thinking. That is a pathetically stupid thing to say. You are on a short path to insanity and you are taking the party with you! Sick! Disgusting!"

That however does not sound very Presidential and right now, those candidates who are smart are doing their best to sound like the next commander in chief.

The real looser in this is the democratic party. What has taken years to create is being destroyed by one woman in one election year. She is sending democrats over to John McCain one at a time and she is risking the Democrats win in November. Hillary, it is time to move on. Stop now.

For The Love Of The Party Hillary, GIVE IT UP!

2008-05-07T15:05:00.003-05:00

When I start getting tired of politics, then you know it is getting bad. I love to read about politics, talk about it, write about it, but it is starting to become a chore even to watch the news. Accept it Hillary, it is done, back away from the podium and give your support to your party or you risk hurting the election for the democrats in November.

After yesterday's primaries in North Carolina and Indiana, Hillary is no closer to gaining the most delegates than she was before, in fact, she is farther away. Although she did win the Indiana primary, the margin was so small, she made no gain from it.

It has been reported that Hillary has also loaned her campaign another $6.4 million dollars to continue, bringing the total that she has loaned to $11.6 million dollars. Not a good sign when you are the only one supporting your campaign financially.

Hillary said last night that she would stay in the race until there was a nominee, but the pressure from party leaders is increasing for her to step aside. At least four more super delegates have pledged their support to Obama and many in the past few days have left the Clinton team to join Obama.

Hillary, you have got to step aside or you will risk a loss by the Democratic party in November. It is time to bow out. Do it now while you still have a small amount of dignity (instead of waiting until they have to physically remove you, which would not be a bad idea....)

They Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves

2008-05-01T10:44:00.002-05:00

They have done it again. For the second straight quarter, Exxon Mobil has reported record quarterly earnings of $10.9 billion dollars or 17%. This is the second largest US quarterly corporate ever, the first being Exxon's quarterly earnings for the last three months of 2007.

They announced that they were "slightly disappointed" in the less than expected earnings due to crude prices rising faster than the prices at the gas pumps.

Are they living on Mars? What kind of audacity does it take for someone to boast these profits when the US economy is crumbling? I'm not against companies making a profit, but have some sensitivity for goodness sake.

They are not alone. As I blogged yesterday, bp reported a 63% gain from last year earning $7.billion, while Shell and Conoco Phillips reported $9.08 billion and $4.14 billion respectively. Cheveron reports on Friday.

All of this in the mists of news that unemployment rose from 35,000 two weeks ago to 380,000 last week. Consumer spending is up, but only because of higher food and energy costs. More layoffs are expected from GM and retailers including Home Depot, which is reporting that they will be closing at least 15 stores due to lower construction spending.

I Don't Think We Are In A Recession. Do You Think We Are In A Recession?

2008-04-30T15:37:00.003-05:00

Well, are we or are we not? Should we start stock piling flour, plant corn in the back yard, and steal the packets of sugar from restaurants? No one in politics or the media can seem to agree whether or not we are in a "recession". Regardless of what anyone wants to call it, times are not great and the future looks a little rough.

First, lets define "recession". I went to Webster's for this and he says a recession is "a period of economic decline when production, employment, and earnings fall below normal levels."

Sounds pretty much like what is going on, except for the earnings. The oil companies are publishing record earnings. This morning bp announced earnings 65% above last quarter. 65% up! No joke - I had to get gas today and the pump stopped at $75; convenient since $75 is my gas budget for the next two weeks - problem was it did not fill my tank up. Someone please explain how an employee making $7 an hour can support his family when one gallon of gas is nearly $4 a gallon. Public transportation is an answer for some, but most communities don't have that option.

I also heard yesterday that some of the cause of the inflated prices at the grocery store is the increased production of corn for ethanol. This has caused a ripple effect in nearly every aspect of food production directly because there is less corn being used for food and because many farmers are not growing wheat, choosing to produce corn (due to the government mandate for ethanol), so wheat prices are getting higher. Indirectly this is effect on milk, beef, eggs, and more because cows and chickens eat corn. Third world countries are also taking a hit, because corn and wheat are some of their staples and the providers can simply not afford to buy the grains.

Unemployment has hit a high, with manufactures (especially vehicle makers) having lay offs because sales are so low and other companies simply not being able to afford to hire due to increase costs else where.

Okay, so the state of our economy: people are loosing jobs and not being able to find others, gas prices are almost above minimum wage, food prices are getting higher, the housing market is down to the lowest it has been in 30 years, and most companies are reporting losses. Call it what you want, but it sounds kind of like what Webster was defining when he wrote "recession"

I have a suggestion. First of all, quit the bio-fuel, environment saving rhetoric, and dig some wells in Alaska. God gave us this planet and all of its resources to use. He governed man to be over the fish, birds, and all other animals. Drilling in Alaska, would provide immediate relief at the gas pump and create jobs. It would also make us far less dependent on other countries for our energy. I know there are downfalls including a breed of moose (mooses? meice?), but we need to do something. Consumers are hurting and if predictions are correct and gas reaches $5 a gallon this summer, there are a lot of other industries that will be hurting too (trucking, tourism, restaurants, any forms of recreation.......). I think our citizens are more important than some moose(s).

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that we should be good stewards of the land and that we should not just carelessly use resources without thinking, but I also believe that God is not going to allow the earth to last one moment longer than his plan, even if I do recycle my cans and plastic.

I would give some comment about what happens will depend on the election, but at this rate, we need to make some changes now, or the next president will have more on his (or her) plate than expected. Not to feed into the media drama, but another depression could be around the corner. Not like the great depression (I hope), but depressions generally follow a recession. (Depression - a period during which business, employment, and stock market values decline severely.) We are not too good for that to happen.

Come on George, this could be your chance to regain some confidence with the American people. Somebody, anybody do something!

With Friends Like That......

2008-04-28T11:56:00.002-05:00

Well, Rev. Wright is back in full force. The controversial former Pastor of Barack Obama had all but disappeared from the lime light due to security problems, but was back at the pulpit Sunday preaching to a Dallas congregation.

The media has sent shock waves by showing a clip from Rev. Wright's sermon, where he is making fun of democratic hero, John F. Kennedy. Probably not the best news for Barack Obama who has been compared to Kennedy and is highly thought of and supported by many members of the Kennedy family. Wright was mocking Kennedy's strong New England accent specifically the way he said the word "ask" in his famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." Not to stoop to Rev. Wright's level, but if anybody should make fun of the way someone says the word "ask", it should not be an African American. Let me "ax" you a question Rev. Wright.

I think that I have figured out just why Rev. Wright continues to be a thorn at the side of the Obama campaign. If Barack is elected President, it completely negates everything that Rev. Wright has been trying to preach. Having an African American president would be a huge disservice to Rev. Wright's "ministry" that portrays the black man as the mistreated, forgotten stepchild in the United States. If the country elects an African American to the position of Commander in Chief, the highest elected official in the country, it probably means that the majority of Americans don't have deep rooted resentment of the race and is probably a good indication that race relations are not as bad as Rev. Wright would have us believe.

I know that there are still very active KKK groups as well as Black Panther groups, but those groups are a dying breed and the general population has no need for any of that nonsense. Those groups are loud, but very much the minority, and they have little influence or leverage as to what actually goes on in the country.

Go away Rev. Wright. We have all had enough of you, well with the exception of the Clinton's and McCain's. You are helping them, but you are making everyone else sick!

Just A Quote.....

2008-04-28T08:49:00.002-05:00

Don't ask, I will not tell who said it.

"When the economy is bad, private universities have to do whatever it takes to make sure they make money."

Really. I thought so. I wonder what changes Harding and Freed-Hardman have made. I'll have to check on that.

Who's Your Daddy?

2008-04-23T16:00:00.002-05:00

Can you imagine the daunting task of collecting DNA from nearly 600 people, photographing them, and then putting all the matches together? That is what the Heath Department in San Angelo Texas has been doing for the past couple of days.

Since no body seems to know what children belong with what parents from the FDLS compound, all individuals involved have been ordered to give DNA samples. It seems that the children at the compound call all women "mother" and all men "uncle". I guess that would prove confusing when a stranger asks a 4 year old who his mother is and he names three or four different women.

Reports are however that the testing results will not be available until June or July, ensuring that the children will stay in the states custody until then. That causes me to ask, where is Jerry Springer when you need him? When ever he runs DNA tests, he has results before the show is over. I'm sure that he would help. Someone should give him a call.

Most of the children have been placed in group homes, with some of the girls being placed in San Antonio. On the local news last night, one of the reports was live in the helicopter following the police escorted buses that were coming into town. She made a point of saying, "We know where the children are, but CPS has asked that we not reveal their location." What is that about? It is the old fashioned, "I know something you don't know...." How about, "The children have been placed at an undisclosed local location." That is all those kids need, a bunch of crazies driving around to all the local children's shelters looking for the "compound kids."

This is such an awful situation, I feel for all parties involved, but God bless those adults who went on the Today show yesterday. Their legal counsel should really not let them talk. I think they are hurting their case. It would be interesting to know what generation of this sect the adults are, but I would bet it was either second or third. They had obviously never been off the "ranch" and it brings to light the quality of education that the children are probably getting. I don't mean to be nasty, but wow. The women also seem as though they are in a daze, almost in a drug like haze. Scary stuff.

The Clinton Camp Lives To See Another Day

2008-04-23T15:37:00.003-05:00

By now you have heard that Hillary did pull out a victory yesterday in Pennsylvania and she has declared that she is the candidate to beat. So the race continues on with the next meeting May 6 in North Carolina and Indiana. Obama is favored to win in both those states and Hillary is already asking for a debate within the next two weeks.

I think that there has been plenty of debating and the last couple have just turned into mud slinging. Lets get on with the show. Obama is still leading leading the delegate count as he gained 70 delegates yesterday. Hillary's winning margin was only 10% so she only picked up about 80, still putting Obama a head by just over 100 delegates.

I can see Hillary's position, how the two are so close and how she truly believes that she will make the best president, but I also can see how frustrating it is to democratic leaders. The are getting restless for this to end so that they can put forth a focused attack on John McCain.

Changing the subject slightly, I had a great comment from a new reader on my last post, challenging the candidates to balance a budget.

Ok, so your last challenge to the candidates regarding the $41,000 budget is already answered. Look at they say Obama's campaign has been run fiscally in comparison to Hillary's. It's night and day. Obama gets small donations and taps the well over and over again. I heard he has $41 million in cash right now! That's amazing discipline, management, and strategy that puts him such a better footing than ANY candidate. Hillary, like you said, is in the big time red. Obama should point to that mismanagement of funds and poor strategy. I think how the candidates serve as the Executive of their campaigns gives a big indication of how they would serve as an Executive of the Government

I thought this was an excellent comment and it makes perfect sense. Hillary started with a huge amount of money and her campaign is, according to reports, about $10 million in debt right now. Obama on the other hand, got thousands and thousands of small donations, $25, $50, probably even smaller than that. He has obviously management his money much better, because as was commented, he is running with about $41 million in cash right now. Although Hillary has advertised that she has pulled about $3 million in donations after last night, that is just a drop in the bucket toward her debt and toward what she will need to compete in the next couple of weeks. Who do you want handling your money? I think this example makes it perfectly clear. Thanks for the comment!

How Do Your Taxes Compare?

2008-04-22T14:45:00.002-05:00

Americans filed their tax returns last week, some with a groan as they wrote checks to Uncle Sam and others with gleeful laughter as they planned how to spend their refund. Even our three remaining candidates filed their returns and although their income was much higher than my own, thanks to tax laws, it is probably safe to say that they paid a smaller percentage of their income than you and I.

So, what did they report and how did they file?

John McCain, who has multiple income sources from his senator's salary, his Navy pension, and royalties from his books filed separately from his wife, reporting a total individual income of $405,409 for 2007.

Barack and Michelle Obama filed joint returns combining his senator's salary, book royalties, and her salary to report $4.2 million dollars of earnings.

Bill and Hillary report that while she does have a salary from being a senator and royalties from her books and Bill has his former Presidential Pension (did you know that we taxpayers pay a pension to former presidents and surviving first ladies for the rest of their lives?), the majority of their income came from Bill's speaking engagements. What was that income? Oh, just $20.4 million. Not bad for two kids from Arkansas.

I think that I have made it clear in previous posts that I have no problem with individuals making a good living or having money, I do wonder how these people who are wanting our votes, can relate to those of us living on a budget. Do gas prices really mean that much to Hillary and Bill? Do you think that they will stick around New York this summer instead of going on a big vacation because of the price of gas? Do you think that the Obama's are considering buying a cow if the price of milk goes up any more? What about John McCain? Do you think that he has researched going to Canada for medical treatment or prescriptions because of the rising cost of health care?

I think it would be a safe bet to say that the candidates have not had to think about changing their live style because of rising costs of gas, groceries, or medication. but these are just some of the items that are hitting middle class Americans hard. Can these three individuals really understand what life is like on $7 an hour?

Maybe we could test them to see how good they really are. Okay, Hillary, balance this budget: Yearly household income $41,000 (average middle class family income), come up under budget for the year. Make sure you include transportation, housing, utilities (think she even knows how much the average electric bill is?), child care, health care, and if there is anything else left you have to feed your family too. Once everything is balanced, remind her that Christmas is in December, tell her that the kid breaks his arm in June, the car needs repaired in September and just for fun, have the air conditioner break, oh, say, mid August. What do you do with that Johnny boy? How about it Barack, can you make a change I can believe in here?

It Is All In The Numbers

2008-04-22T14:28:00.002-05:00

Today could be the final day for the Clinton campaign. If Hillary does not pull a huge victory in the Pennsylvania primary, there will be a lot of pressure for her to end her presidential campaign. Here's the math.

Today's primary has 158 delegates up for grabs. Hillary must pull at least 65% of those delegates to even have a hope of staying in the race. While current polls are showing both Hillary and Obama almost dead even, there seems to be little hope for her to pull off a large enough Pennsylvania victory, one that would allow her to have a chance to continue.

She is also out of money. Right now her campaign is running in the red, and unless there is a landslide victory, there seems to be little chance that her supporters will contribute any more funds to continue.

But what will she do? She has avoided that question for days now. Will she back away from the spotlight and pledge her support to Barack Obama or will she fight to the end and hope that the super delegates will ultimately decide to have her run in November? It could be any body's guess at this point.

Many democratic leaders are growing restless and wanting this part of the process to end so they can unite in their strategy to defeat McCain in November. There is no denying that McCain defiantly has the upper hand at this point by being able to focus solely on the November's election rather than continue to fight in each state for the primary. If Hillary does loose today, there will be enormous pressure from her party to concede.

She did seem to lean toward supporting Obama at the last debate when asked if she thought Obama could beat McCain, she answered a definite, "yes, yes, yes, " without elaborating, We would have expected her to follow up with something along the lines of, "He could beat McCain, but so could I and I would make the better president...." or at least talk about her experience verses Obama's to deflect the question, but she didn't. She admitted to the party that she believed he could beat McCain. To some democrats that's all that matters - not who the candidate is, but if they can win in November.

Could Hillary let the parties interest overshadow her own and throw her full support behind an Obama run? That looks like the smart thing if she wants to hold on to any political respect that she has left from her party. I'll be watching in the morning, but I wouldn't count her out yet.

Well, Actually They Can.......

2008-04-19T13:47:00.003-05:00

I thought that I was done with this whole ACU drinking mess and I had decided to move on, no matter what new comment was in my in box, but I guess I am just in the mood to respond to this one.

"Who has the authority to tell us what and what not to do? It is not the Church nor the University. Only God can do this. If the Almighty came today and placed a prohibition on Christian drinking, I would change my stance in a heartbeat, and I hope ACU would too. However, we simply do not have the authority to put words in God's mouth, and it's a very good thing we don't."

Wow! I am sure that I have never said that anyone has the authority to put words in God's mouth and I know that in my blogs at least, I have not really gotten into what the Bible says about drinking. If you must know, I don't believe that the Bible has forbidden anyone to drink, but I do think that God warns against becoming drunk.

Now, on to the authority question. You obviously have only read one of my posts to make a comment like that. Such a "me generation" statement. Only God has the authority to tell you what you can and can't do? Yes, God has the ultimate authority, but, there are other's in our world with authority and this attitude is what is wrong with our society: "Nobody can tell me what to do! Blah, Blah, Blah."

First to address the University. ACU is a private university so yes, if you go to ACU, they can tell you what to do and what not to do. Upon acceptance to the university, every student signs paper work that basically says they understand the rules and will follow them. If a student does not like the rules or policies and does not feel that ACU has the "authority" to have guidelines and rules, they can go somewhere else.

The United States also has rules and guidelines called laws. They make society livable for all of us. If someone breaks a law, they are subject to punishment. Elected officials and law enforcement have the "authority" to tell us what we can and can't do. That is the way our country works. Again, if someone is not happy with the laws of the country, there are ways to work to change those or they are free to reside elsewhere where no one has "authority" over them. I believe that if I am going to reside in the United States, I am going to have to follow the laws or face the consequences. I, like probably 99.9% of all citizens, have on occasion, broken laws (don't worry dad, the only one I can think of is driving too fast), but that does not mean the occasional Highway Patrol Officer did not have the "authority" to correct me and punish me.

"If there is anything we can learn from ACU's decision, it is that we cannot cling to the traditions that detract from what we should really be discussing. Our message is not one of don't (don't drink, don't fight, etc.)it is a message of do (do believe, do be like Christ, do drink responsibly, etc.). The blog is right, we do need to "stand for something," but it does not give us the authority to "stand against something" for which we have no right to condemn in the first place."

I agree that there are a lot of "do's" that are important in Christianity, but I also believe that we have to address the "don'ts" or a lot of people will miss out on the whole truth. There are a whole lot of "don'ts" in the Bible, and God did not put those in to be overlooked or overshadowed, but because he loves us and he wants us to have a good life. A trend in religion has been to make everything happy and loving, and while God is a very loving God, he is also a just God and people have to understand that there are consequences, eternal ones, for sin and disobedience. I think you must have a balance. To tie this back in, God does not forbid alcohol, just drunkenness, but have you ever heard about the snowball rolling down the hill? I don't know many college students who had just a casual glass of wine with dinner. I know about a lot evenings that went like this: the wine led to the beer at the bar, which led to getting drunk, which led to ..........you fill in the blank.

Parents can understand that you have to keep a couple of steps in front of your kids. Put the child safety locks on the cabinets before the kid finds the knives, teach them not to go into the street before they can even walk, pre-act instead of having to react. I think that is what some of the rules at ACU are about. It would be ignorant to think that some college students would not experiment with alcohol. The rules that ACU had did not stop this, but the school took a stand, pre-acted to something they knew some of the students would try, and had consequences when students were caught.

".......the Christian institution cannot be a prison for students whose parents cannot trust them...."

The few times that I thought of ACU as a "prison" were the times when I was doing something wrong. It was simply me not being able to admit that I was in the wrong. ACU was the innocent party when I was looking for someone to blame besides myself. No, parents cannot send their kids to ACU expecting the school to police their every move, although I know families who did just that. Those kids found each other and did what they wanted to anyway, and a lot of them did not return for a second year. The school stood strong and did not back down due to political or society's pressure to change.

"ACU should not be a daycare for college students, it should be a place where the student is prepared to be the "light on a hill."

I could not agree with you more, but having rules and guidelines do not make the school a "daycare", they make it a safe, Christian environment, where students can developer and grow into Christian leaders.

You said you are a "former wildcat". My bet is you have either just graduated or are still at the school. I might have said the same thing 10 years ago.

"Big Love" Deep In The Heart of Texas

2008-04-18T13:03:00.002-05:00

By now, I'm sure that you have heard about the raid on the polygamist compound near Eldorado, Texas a little over two weeks ago. Every news program is covering the story, so the public has been forced to look into these people's lives and make their own judgement. I believe that officials have done an outstanding job of emphasising that the reason for the raid is because of the safety of the children and not because of the religious sect. The Texas Attorney General was on the Today show this morning and I was very impressed by the way he handled the questions he was asked. When the possibility of the phone call, that led to the raid, being a hoax was brought up, he answered that it did not matter if the phone call was a hoax or not, the children were believed to be in danger and that is the focus of the investigation.

The press keeps reminding us that CPS officials have not determined the identity of the 16 year old pregnant teenager who made the call for help from the compound. It should come as no surprise to them that no one has stepped forward. Would you? Those children have been brain washed from birth to believe that their situations were okay. They have been told that the rest of the world is the enemy and is only out to hurt them. Can you imagine what those children are thinking right now? They have been told that "outsiders" are dangerous. A big group of outsiders came into the only home they had known, packed them up and took them away. All of the "moms" that came with the children were sent back to the compound, and now a bunch of strangers are tucking them in at night, asking them who they are, who their parents are, and what their lives were like. Those children have no clue what their future holds, and that 16 year old caller, probably believes that she would be harmed if not killed if she were to be sent back to the compound and her identity revealed.

Regardless of how I feel about the religious beliefs of the FLDS members, the children deserve a safe place to call home. The compound was not safe. I don't know what kind of care the mother's gave the children. I'm sure that many were good moms who loved their children and I feel for their heartbreak. The crime here is that the moms stood by and allowed their 13, 14, and 15 year old daughters to be married off to men who were in their 50's and 60's. They allowed and probably participated in the teachings that told children this was fine and part of their lives. The mother's allowed "unruly" boys to be banished from the compound and left with no money, no education, and no training in a world that they knew nothing about. The mother's allowed their sons to be taught that women were nothing more than machines that produce babies and that any way that men treated them was acceptable.

The men, who can be described as nothing more than pedophiles, who have thus far been able to use their religious beliefs to defend their actions, need to spend the rest of their lives in a prison that breeds criminal who don't appreciate people who hurt little children. Grown men do not marry and produce children with little girls who are barely teenagers. It is not acceptable and the courts should come down hard on them.

The poor victims here are the innocent children, born into a lifestyle that is unhealthy and unacceptable for them to grow up in. These children, while probably sad and confused, will hopefully be given the chance to grow up in a normal, healthy environment. But here is the scary part. The Texas Foster Care system is not known for always being a healthy environment. It is completely overburdened and children are added to the system daily. In one swoop, 416 children were added in a single day. There are some great stories of children finding families and their lives being turned around, but there are also horror stories of foster children when things go terribly wrong. Send a couple of those kids down here to South Texas, we have room!

My prayer is that God has a whole army of guardian angles over these children and that none have to suffer any more pain.

Now, What Can We Learn From This.......

2008-04-17T12:41:00.002-05:00

I think that I am finally calming down from my panic attack yesterday caused by my name showing up in the same article as Royce Money, but without my knowledge or consent. I guess I owe a thank you to all of the people who let me know, whether your comments were well intended or not. I am one of those people who believe that everything happens for a reason. I don't believe in random acts. There have been too many times in my life where I can look back and see how a group of seemingly unrelated events came together to make my life better in some way or to help me learn something. That said, I am not someone who just waits around to see what the purpose will be. I go out looking for it. So in my thinking over the past 24 hours, here's what I have come up with.

Everything on the Internet is public. DUH! I knew that, but I have never posted kinky photos (I can hear a collective sigh of relief) and I have never written anything that was inappropriate or against what I believe and would stand up for. I also would never have believed that me, a stay at home mom (with a Master's Degree!!) from a small, south Texas town, would ever even show up in a Google search.
I actually have developed some empathy for Hillary. NO! I have realized first hand just how easy it is for people to take a quote or a tiny piece of information and it can take on a whole new life. I think I knew this and that is why I (kind of) defended Barack on the whole Pastor Wright stuff. Now, granted, they decided to run for public office and the stars decide to be in the public eye. Although I made no such decision, I guess putting my thoughts on an online forum puts me out there. (Especially when I deal with current events and politics.)

So, I've learned a couple of things, I will move on. I do appreciate the comments attached to the last post and the few people who thanked me for what I said. I'll go back to talking about current events and people I don't know. It seems to be safer that way.

First Excitement and Then Panic Sets In........

2008-04-16T14:53:00.002-05:00

When I sat down at the computer this afternoon, I was just going to check my email. Nothing to blog about or so I thought. I opened my email and there were about 60 emails from people I don't know - only three had responded from my blog and the rest - how in the world did you get my private email address? It did not take me long to realize that I had many, many new blog readers and that was not a great thing. After the first blog, I was frantically going on to the Christian Chronicle website. It seems that a Google search brought the Chronicles online editor to my blog and I was quoted in the headline story.

I am still feeling a little nauseous and light headed, even after being assured that the online editor would remove the quote (she was very nice, but assured me that they could quote me without my permission. Could my legal representative respond...Chris?) Anyway, I am still shaking from anger, embarrassment, and humiliation. Thank goodness I had not posted naked pictures huh?

I have read most of the comments and I'm sure that you are reading the ones that were posted here, and let me assure everyone, I do understand what is going on at ACU. To reply to one person who suggested that, "maybe you should take a tour of the campus," I spent four years there. I am an alumni. I know a lot about ACU.

Almost everybody disagreed with me. Everybody seems to think that it is okay for ACU to change the standards and in my opinion, lower them, and why? To help the students and better educate them? No, you can educate people about alcohol abuse without lowering the standards of the University.

I am going to indirectly quote my preacher whom I think will be okay with that. This past weekend, he had an outstanding sermon about "Fast Food Religion". Just like Burger King, everybody wants to "have it their way." Some churches are catering to those people and we are weakening the church by allowing everyone to do what they want because it feels good. This sermon is exactly what ACU is doing. They are weakening the church and their stance by letting everyone, "Have it their way".

I believe that ACU is wrong for doing what they have done and for many other standards that have gone by the way side. I am sad, I am really sad, that ACU allows influences of the world to rewrite their policies.

You Have Got To Stand For Something....

2008-04-14T13:29:00.002-05:00

There is an old country song that contains the lyrics, "You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.." That is the first thing I thought of when I was told at church yesterday morning to check out the Abilene Reporter News web site and look at Friday's front page. When I logged on, staring me in the face was the headline "ACU changes alcohol policy."

The article was not well written, in fact it was almost unreadable in some parts (that's the Reporter News for you), but as I read it aloud to David, I felt a lump in the pit of my stomach. The just of the article states that there will be a new policy for the 2008-2009 school year removing all sanctions for students of legal drinking age who drink off campus.

As we talked about this, we both felt sick and heart broken as we realized that this was just another step ACU has taken, allowing the world's standards to invade the Christian standards that the school was founded on. We have been gone for several years (is it really almost 10?) and so much as changed in those years. I think that I must feel like those "old-timers" (mom!) who remember when girls were not allowed to wear pants to class, and myself feel like an old timer when I think, "What is next?"

Since David and I left ACU, there is no curfew for sophomores in the dorms, they have lifted the ban on faculty social drinking, there are "chapel groups" all over campus instead of the entire student body meeting together three out of the five days a week, you can get chapel credit at night, there are housing complexes that house both men and women, the school allowed a gay rights group to hold a meeting, and now students will be allowed to drink off campus without consequences.

Maybe David and I are getting too old and conservative, but we have some really strong ideas about where ACU is headed and it really bothers us. In the past couple of years, ACU has not advertised record enrollment numbers and in fact, we have read where numbers of enrollment has dropped. Could these changes to be "more like the world", be based on politics and money, rather than finding ways to continue serving God and giving students a controlled, structured environment to learn to make decisions instead of giving them an open door to fall on their faces?

David and I were by far not model ACU students. We both made poor decisions, but I know at least for me, I stopped short of making horrible decisions because of the guidelines of the school (and because I knew that no matter what the school did, what dad would do would be 100 times worse!!). I am so glad that I had a curfew the first two years that I was in Abilene because I know that being required to be back "home", helped me make some of the tough decisions and gave me an excuse to not do some things. By the time I moved off campus as a junior (everyone had to live on campus the first two years when I was there), I had a job, I had gotten over that initial "FREEDOM", and I was much more prepared to make decisions that would take care of me. I am glad that ACU was looking out for my well being when I was trying out my wings.

Now, when I was 18, I would have said just the opposite. I rebelled at the thought of all that control the school had. I stood with the best of them and said, "The school can't tell me what to do!" As an adult now, and as a parent, I sometimes wish they had been stricter - maybe I would not have faced all of the heart break that came from my own stupid and selfish decisions.

I might have done fine at a school where no one cared when or if you came home or what you did. The temptations might not have seemed so good if they had not been forbidden, but I might not have. Only by the grace of God and ACU's policies did I come out as unscathed as I did.

I doubt that David and I are alone when we are very discouraged by the changing policies and the lowering of the Christian standards that ACU continues to act upon. I know that we are not the only alumni-parents who probably will not be encouraging ACU (who knows what they will allow in 15 years!).

ACU, you can change your standards and according to the dean of student life, "make the policy stricter in some ways..." (you are going to allow students to drink off campus - how is that going to be more strict??), but you are going to change the type of students who come to the university. You will loose what you have always stood for. Once you start giving in to the world's standards, it will not stop.

God doesn't change. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God's standard's do not change. The standards of a "Christian University" should not change either.

Hillary, You Might Want To Tell Bill To Move On....

2008-04-11T13:40:00.002-05:00

Hillary has been highly criticized regarding her statement about having to "dodge bullets in Bosnia" when she was visiting there with her daughter several years ago, during Bill Clinton's term in office. The press went crazy trying to find footage of this, but came up empty handed, on the bullets flying anyway. They did find footage of her and Chelsea walking off an Air Force jet in Bosnia, very calmly, greeting people and shaking hands. Leave it to the press to find the actual Air Force pilot who flew them in. She backed away from the story, even making an attempt at joking about it with Jay Leno. The joke didn't work by the way - it would have worked had she not made the original comment herself, but she did, so it didn't.

Anyway, the press was moving on, digging up other stuff, when yesterday, her dear husband made a comment about it at a rally. He said, "She just made a mistake, she was tired, it was late at night." First of all, how do you make a mistake about whether or not you were shot at in Bosnia. I don't know about you, but I don't think that is something I would forget easily or confuse with another event - it is not like she has been shot at so many times. "Just another day at the office!" Second, Matt Lauer made the observation this morning on the "Today Show" that Hillary told the story not once, but three times, and two of those times were on morning talk shows. Can't you hear the conversation tonight at dinner, "Thanks a lot Bill, we had moved on, and you have to bring up the whole Bosnia thing again. Can't you just keep your mouth shut!"

This is not the only story that Hillary has evidently added details to for drama. She has also been criticized for one of her "sob" stories about insurance or lack there of. Recently she has been talking about a woman who could not receive care and subsequently died because she did not have health insurance. When the facts came out, it seems that the woman did have heath insurance and the hospital in question had did not deny her care, in fact they have no record of her ever seeking care.

Hillary really needs to start getting her stories straight. The Internet allows access to way to much information to try and "sneak" on past the American public. Wonder if she has ever heard the one about the boy who cried wolf?

McCain Suprises "Idol" Fans With Humor!

2008-04-11T13:14:00.002-05:00

I have made a big effort to stay away from talking about pop culture for fear that if my readers found out about my addiction to "American Idol" and "Dancing With The Stars", they would somehow respect my political opinions less (if it is possible to respect them any less!). However, last night all three candidates did their part to raise funds for "Idol Gives Back", so I can combine reality TV and the presidential election! Who would have thought?

If you are not an "Idol" fan, for two years now, "American Idol" has held a telethon/fund raiser during the season for under privileged children around the world. Many stars show up, there is a lot of singing, the clips of African children that make you cry, you get the picture. Last year they raised over $75 million dollars and figures from this year are around $60 million so far. Last night, all three presidential candidates spoke out to encourage viewers to give and I can't believe that I am saying this, but John McCain was the most impressive, not because he had great, motivational things to say, but because he was funny - almost human like!

Hillary started off, looking slightly better than death warmed over, and talked about how good it is to help others and we can't really call ourselves Americans if we don't help.....yada, yada, you get the idea - nothing great. Disappointingly, Obama was not that much better. I mean this is his speciality - motivating and pulling heart strings. I felt like I should put wax in my ears before he spoke, like the mythological sailors did as to not be tempted by the sirens singing, but it was unnecessary. He mentioned how his daughters were fans of the show and it is important to give to change the world...yada, yada.

But in between the two democrats, we saw some actual republican humor. McCain started out by telling viewers that there was "really no difference between "American Idol" and the primary elections, except that voters in Florida and Michigan get a chance to be heard" HA! Then after a few worlds about the importance of giving - sorry, I didn't get the exact wording, I was trying to recover from his completely unexpected joke - he said more funny stuff! McCain said that he had to close because "he was going to work on his new immigration plan, so Simon better watch out!" (If you are not a viewer, Simon is the judge from England that no body likes because he tells the truth to the contestants, even when they sound terrible.) I don't know if he watches "Idol" or not, but if not, he has an awesome "Idol" advisor, because to come on with comments like that, made him not only relate to the average "Idol" watcher, but made him almost, for a second, likable.

Thank goodness for TiVo so I could rewind and hear this again. No, this is not going to change my opinion about him as our next president, but it does give me just a hint of faith that he might have some (and I use some very lightly) redeeming qualities. He still doesn't know if we are fighting the Sunni's or Shiite's in Iraq (which is important for our next president), but he does know who Simon Cowell is.

Babies Are Not A Punishment Mr. Obama!

2008-04-07T13:22:00.003-05:00

A few days ago, the right wing press had a field day, when Barack described an unwanted teen pregnancy as a "punishment", when asked about abortion. He said that he "supports abortion because he would not want his daughters to be punished with a baby. " This completely broke my heart and has left a sick feeling in my stomach. I don't think that I was alone when I was really hoping that he had completely misspoken and would come back with some sort of apology or response, but as the days go on and nothing has been said from him, we are being led to believe that he said exactly what he intended to. Would he really feel that way if it was his grandchild?

Mr. Obama, as a father you should know that babies are not a punishment, whether born to a teenage mother or to a married couple wanting a child. Baby's are a blessing. End of story. While teen pregnancy and parenthood is not a good thing or something to be glorified, the baby, the innocent victim, is not a punishment. While I wish things in our society were different, never should we believe that a child, a new life, could in anyway, be someones punishment.

There are thousands of good homes for these "punishments" if teenagers would make responsible choices and place unplanned babies into the arms of parents who are aching for a child, but unable to have their own. There, punishment gone, no baby had to die.

Michelle Robinson Obama: What You See Is What You Get

2008-04-07T12:48:00.002-05:00

Michelle Robinson was born on January 14, 1964 in Chicago where she grew up. She graduated from Princeton in 1985 with a degree in Sociology and African American Studies and then completed her law degree from Harvard.

Michelle and Barack met in 1989 when Michelle, who was an associate at the Chicago Law Firm, Sidley & Austin, was assigned to advise a summer associate from Harvard, Barack Obama. The HR manager in me sees big issues with this!!! The two were married in 1992 at Trinity United, the infamous Rev. Wright conducting the service. Malia Ann was born in 1999 and Natasha in 2001.

Even when Barack was elected to the senate, the two kept their home and family in Chicago, with Barack traveling home every weekend. In 2005, Michelle made this statement in the Chicago Tribune about the living arrangements, "We made a good decision to stay in Chicago to keep our family stable. There has been very little transition for the girls. Barack commutes a lot, but he is the grown-up." I really like this comment, because it tells me that the family is one of Michelle's focuses and the Barack's realize that the children must be looked out for first, long before the desires or goals of the adults.

Michelle has a long resume of public service jobs. After leaving Sidley & Austin in 1991, she became the Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development for the City of Chicago. Two years later she became the Founding Executive Director of Public Allies of Chicago, which is an organization that focuses on leadership training for young adults to develop skills for careers in the public sector. In 1996 she became the Associate Dean of Student Services for the University of Chicago and 9 years later was promoted to Vice President of Community and External Affairs of the University of Chicago Medical Center. During the past year Michelle has decreased her workload to about 20% to ensure that her family is taken care of and to be able to join Barack on the campaign trail.

She has emphasised that with the Obama's "What you see is what you get." She has received criticism for not always putting her husband on the pedestal that one would expect from a candidates wife. She has on many occasions, describe Barack as "just a man who can't get his socks in the hamper and who leaves the butter on the table after breakfast." You never know in politics if someone is being up front and is "real" or if they are reading from a script, but if Michelle has been "scripted" they have a really good advisor. To me, these statements make Barack real, not some unreachable figure head, above the average citizen. This is one of the reasons that I think he has been so successful, because this "just a regular guy" routine has made people feel involved and feel like they really know the Obama's. These words, also make Michelle more likable or more easy to relate to, especially for women. I can see average women feeling as though they are talking to a girlfriend about their husbands and how they can't get them to clean up after themselves. It seems to be working for them.

One of the biggest stumbles in Michelle's support came in February after the Wisconsin primary where she said at a rally in Milwaukee, "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are ready for a change." I along with millions of others have had a hard time swallowing this statement. I have a hard time believing that in her 44 years, there has been nothing that she could have been proud of in relation to being American. She has been able to get an education, she can attend church where she wants to, and she has been able to work in her community without any restrictions. I don't know any American who was not proud of their country after 9-11 and since the race card keeps coming up, I can't believe that Martin Luther King did not stir up any pride. Like all of the candidates and their spouses, things are said in the heat of the moment, and I feel like this could have been one of those times where she did not say exactly what she meant. Maybe not however, maybe she has not had any moments in her life when she was proud of her country. That would be really sad.

Michelle seems to be a smart, down to earth, family first woman, who could, if all of her qualities, prove true, be a huge asset to a president.

Have I Been Too Ugly? Here Comes The Guilt.....

2008-04-05T13:44:00.003-05:00

I am sorry if I have been to hard on the McCain's. They are probably very nice. As with all of our past and present military, I am thankful that John and his sons were and are willing to serve. I know that the organizations that Cindy supports are great and do great work. She has to be a "Super-Woman" to do all that she does, run her business, and take care of her family.

I just think that things that go on in people's lives and decisions they have made tell a lot about who they are and what they really think deep down. Even in college, when I was not making the best decisions of my life, I would never have dated a married man (he was legally married until a month before he married Cindy). I would not have stolen from my charity to support my addiction to pain medication.

I have made questionable decisions in my youth (I am still in my youth, although my decisions are much better) and but all of my decisions tell who I was and to an extent who I still am. Do I regret some of those, yes, as I'm sure the McCain's do too.

I am not attempting to have a gossip blog (there are plenty of those), only to let you know some of the things about the candidates that make an impression on me.

Okay - a little of the guilt of trashing the McCain's is gone! On to the Obama's!

Cindy Hensley McCain: The Young, Beautiful Trophy Wife

2008-04-05T13:20:00.004-05:00

(Although, the "trophy" must be getting kind of dusty, because he has kept her around for 28 years)

Cindy Hensley met John McCain at a military reception in Honolulu in 1979 (side note remember when McCain's divorce from his first wife was finalized? I'll tell you later). According to him, he fell in love that night and they were married on May 17, 1980 (Divorced finalized April 1980) in Phoenix where they still live today. The couple has four children: Meghan, born in 1984, a journalist, John IV who was born in 1986 who is an officer in the Navy, James, born in 1988, a marine, and Bridget born in 1991, who was adopted from Bangladesh.

Cindy lists her occupation as "educator, philanthropist, and Chairman of Hensley & Company (her family's business). She went to college at the University of Southern California where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Education and a Master's degree in Special Education. She taught special education for many years at Agua Fria HS in Arizona.

Cindy founded and ran the American Voluntary Medical Team, a non-profit organization that provides emergency medical and surgical treatment to impoverished children around the world until its was dissolved in 1995 after Cindy admitted to being addicted to Percocet and Vicodin that she took from the organization. Her husband says that was one of her greatest struggles first to rid herself of the addiction and later to admit her mistake. How kind of him.

Currently Cindy is the Chairman of Hensley and Company, which is one of the largest Anheusier Busch distributors in the nation. This is her family company and reports last week said that she is worth about $100 million dollars as head of the company. (Just a side note, in that same article, it said that she and John McCain have a very detailed pre-numptual agreement that secures all of her money. Smart move to her dad or who ever thought of this when she married John McCain. The odds were not in her favor..)

She also serves on the board of several organizations including HALO Trust, a non-profit dedicated to land mine removal and weapons destruction in war torn countries (I bet John helps her with this one, especially if he can be around the weapons before they are destroyed - "Guns, I like guns"), Operation Smile, a non profit that repairs cleft lips, cleft pallets, and other facial deformities of children around the world, and CARE, USA, which fights against global poverty of women.

In 2004, Cindy suffered a stroke, but was able to recover fully. (Guess she is lucky John stuck around)

Currently, she is staying active on the campaign trail with her husband.

Carol Shipp: The Forgotten First Wife

2008-04-05T12:32:00.003-05:00

Did you know that Cindy McCain is not John McCain's first wife? Most people don't. It is not something that the McCain's have gone into great detail about and very little is known about or can be found out about Carol Shipp, John's first wife.

John McCain met Carol Shipp while he was a student at Annapolis in 1964. Carol was a model and single mother who, according to some reports, lost her first husband in Vietnam. The two were married July 3, 1965. John later adopted her sons, Doug, an airline pilot, and Andrew, a business executive, and in 1966 the two had a daughter Sidney Ann, who is in the music industry.

John and Carol divorced in 1980, several years after John, a Vietnam POW, was released.

Robert Tembergy, author of John McCain: An American Odyssey, wrote about the two in his book, "If there was a couple that deserved to make it it was John and Carol. They endured nearly 6 years of unspeakable traumas with courage and grace. (talking about John's years as a POW during which Carol was involved in a serious car accident that left her partially disabled) In the end it was not enough. The conventional view is that John came home not to the Long Tall Sally of his prison imagines, but to a real woman, older, shorter, and crippled. Before long he began to stray."

Oh where can I begin? First of all, John McCain was probably not quite the stud he was before he was held for those five years either. Seems to me he had to go through extensive surgeries and therapy to recover from his injuries. What are the lines to those vows, ....in sickness and in health... According to everything I found, Carol remained a faithful, steady support for her husband in some of the worst circumstances I can imagine, but she just wasn't the hot model he left behind anymore. No, kidding! She had gone through five years of hell, waking up everyday not knowing if her husband was alive or dead, not even fathoming what was being done to him, raising three young children, not to mention, almost being killed herself in a car accident that left her partially disabled.

In Temberg's same book, Carol talked about the break up of their marriage, "The breakup of our marriage was not caused by my accident or the Vietnam was. It might have happened even if John had not been gone. I attribute it more to John being 40 and wanting to be 25 again more than anything else."

What a woman! I'm not sure I could be so kind, but after the passing of time, it seems like she has let go of any bitterness that she once might have had and you have to applaud her for that. My thoughts on John wanting to be "25 again"? Oh well, you are not 25. You have a wife and children and that is the way life is. Grow up, get over yourself, and face your responsibility.

I don't want to make light of the fact that John McCain was held as a Vietnam POW and went through some of the most horrific things that anyone could think of. I was talking to my dad about this several months ago and he told me about how much war changes people. He also expressed just how much something like being held as a POW for that length of time could make you a different person. I know he is right, I know even from the books I have read about the Iraq war and the things that those men and women see could only change the way you looked at things and felt about things. He talked to me about how the men who came back from Vietnam were entirely different people especially those who were held as POWs. But I ask myself, does that release them from their responsibility and commitments that were made before they left? I can't believe that it does. And in John McCain's case, he completely denies that his leaving was even due to the war as he talked about in his book, Worth Fighting For where he said, "My marriage's collapse was attributable to my own selfishness and immaturity more than it was to Vietnam, and I cannot escape blame by pointing my finger at the war. The blame was entirely mine."

He also commented in his book, Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life, "Today in our psychoanalyzed society, sharing one's secret fears with others takes courage. So does escaping a failing marriage." Um, so does sticking with a failing marriage and making it work. Actually I think sticking with something takes more courage than leaving.

Very little is known about the woman who was married to John McCain first. She has stayed out of the press and out of the spotlight, which probably means, she has stayed out of trouble and has lead a quiet, decent life. If anyone ever hears anything else, let me know.

The Other Half: A Short Series

2008-04-05T12:14:00.003-05:00

Since politics has been fairly boring lately, I decided to do a short series on the candidates spouses. There have been some very lovely first ladies, some not so lovely, and some we could notorious. It is hard to define what makes a first lady. In the past 16 years, we have both ends of the spectrum starting with the "Hillary Clinton Type" and the latest being the "Laura Bush Type". Who do you prefer? I'll take a poll and discuss the results in a later post along with some of my favorite first ladies.

Anyway, the series will be short. I am leaving out Bill Clinton. I'm not sure if I hear groaning of disappointment or shouts of relief, but I think that everyone knows much more than they ever wanted to about Bill Clinton and from the readers that I know, few want him to be "first gentleman" (as if you could even put the words Bill Clinton and gentleman in a sentence together!).

I was going to try at first to just state the facts and leave my sarcastic, but sometimes humorous comments to myself, but what fun would that be? Anything that I come up with myself and my editorial comments will be in red.

I will start with Carol Shipp. Who is Carol Shipp you ask? Guess you will have to keep reading....

"There is no such thing as a pledged delegate...."

2008-04-04T09:45:00.002-05:00

That quote is from our lady of the hour, Hillary Clinton. It is a far cry from earlier when she was raving about how many pledged delegates she had. Now we see, when the race is closing in and it seems that all the super delegates are jumping on the Obama train, that her tune has changed.

It is true that a super delegate can change his or her alliance at anytime until the National Convention, but for those who have made a public declaration, it would be unlikely.

You have to give it to Hillary though, she is not a quitter. Current popular vote delegate count shows Obama with a 134 delegate lead or about 740,000 votes. He raised $40 million dollars in March which is almost double what Hillary raised and he is outspending her on TV ads 5 to 1 in Pennsylvania. Is the Clinton balloon loosing air?

Hillary is still holding on to her "non-pledged" super delegate lead of 250 to 219. There are however 255 uncommitted delegates (although according to Hillary, they are all uncommitted). Recently some "uncommitted" Hillary supporter super delegates, most notable governor of Pennsylvania, have said that they would be very unlikely to vote for the candidate who did not receive the popular vote during the primaries.

Hillary, bless her heart, is hanging on like a trooper. As I struggled to stay awake and listen to her on Jay Leno last night, she seems to be loosing her edge. Although she walked out on stage to the music from "Rocky" we will see if she can hold on and be the "come back kid".

Obama's Church Receives Violent Threats

2008-04-04T09:05:00.002-05:00

No Kidding! I couldn't have seen that coming!

Despite the fact that the Rev. Wright made a hasty exit with reports saying that he "retired", he seemed to have left his church high and dry to deal with the result of his hate and rage. While Rev. Wright has canceled all speaking engagements and virtually disappeared, his congregation is being pummeled with threats of violence both in writing and over the phone.

Hum, I don't know who Rev. Wright could have angered or offended with his racial remarks and hatred for American. Maybe 99.9% of Americans? Lets narrow that down a bit. His remarks about American could have offended anyone who actually likes being an American or is as the song goes "Proud to be an American." Not enough for you? Maybe when he said that "white people are an evil force that should be destroyed" some Caucasian individuals were slightly displeased. Side note - Pastor Pete, have you seen this in the Bible? Maybe the comment he made about "Jesus being a 'brother'?" If you find it let me know, chapter and verse, because I haven't been able to reference some of his comments. If that is not enough, maybe, just maybe some of Rev. Wright's own "brother's and sister's", intelligent African Americans might have felt some embarrassment about his comments.

I know as a white individual, I am neither proud or supportive of white supremacists or skin heads or the ever popular KKK. I believe the hatred and non-tolerance they preach is wrong, just as I believe the hatred and non-tolerance Rev. Wright preaches is wrong and his "black liberation theology" is part of a bigger problem of racial division and intolerance. The things that he preaches are no different than the racial division issues that plagued the 60's only this time the parties involved have switched places.

Now then, are the people who are placing these threatening phone calls and sending hate mail to the church justified because of Rev. Wrights actions. Absolutely not. These people (who probably call themselves Christians) are only adding fuel to a burning fire and are not acting as Jesus would. Let's use the popular "What Would Jesus Do" to look at this situation. First of all, Jesus would forgive. Jesus taught us to forgive when people do wrong or when they hurt us. Next, Jesus would embrace those who are hurting. That includes those people offended, the members of Rev. Wright's former congregation, and even Rev. Wright. Finally, Jesus would do everything he could to bring people together with love and tolerance for one another.

When we look at this situation we need to ask who it hurt the most. I think the answer is Jesus. I believe whenever someone spews hate and anger in the name of Jesus, it is so painful to him. It weakens all churches and gives people an excuse to not be part of a church. Maybe if love was shown to Rev. Wright and his former church, from all races, he could then understand what Jesus said in Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

But Chelsea, I Was Only Trying To Help....

2008-03-27T11:59:00.002-05:00

Chelsea Clinton has been active in her mother's campaign for president, spending a great deal of time on college campuses and talking to young people. She has been very careful and thoughtful with her words and has thus far been able to stick to the issues and steer away from personal questions. I believe that she has given the American people a new look at her and what she is now, an intelligent, professional, confident woman.

We saw that again the other day, but with just hint of annoyance when she was asked a question dealing with her father's affair with Monica Lewinsky.

A student at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana asked her about the criticism of her mother that how she handled the Lewinsky scandal might be a sign of weakness and that she might not be a strong enough candidate to be the president.

Chelsea's reply, "Wow, you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question in the , I don't know maybe, 70 college campuses I've now been to, and I do not think that is any of your business."

The answer to me doesn't seem to make since in relation to the question. According to the student, a reporter for the University newspaper, he did not ask the question to cause trouble, but to give Chelsea an opportunity to demonstrate her mother's strength. The student said that he is a Clinton supporter and thought the scandal only showed Hillary's strength.

I understand that Chelsea is not the one running for office and she can refuse to answer any question that she wants to, but I also think that she had to know that at some point this would be brought up. She has always lived in the spotlight, although it was a very well guarded spotlight (one thing the Clinton's did right) and this was a huge event in her father's presidency.

That might have been a question better saved for Hillary, but if she is going to put herself out there, Chelsea will have to face some uncomfortable questions and I'm not totally sure that she gave the best answer that she could have.

"Jeremiah Is My Pastor, Is A Good Friend of Mine"**

2008-03-19T13:25:00.003-05:00

**(as sung to the tune of Jeremiah Was A Bull Frog on the Rush Limbaugh show)

Subtitle: And We Thought Mitt's Religious Convictions were Scary.....

I have been trying to write this post for almost 2 weeks now. To say that I have suffered from "Blogger's Block" would be an understatement. I have written and rewritten many times and I think that I have realized why I couldn't seem to get the words out. I have wanted to write a really negative, hateful post about Jeremiah White (Barack Obama's long time pastor and spiritual advisor), but I just could not get the right words out, but as the week has progressed and we have heard both Hillary and Obama make comments, I can write a much more positive (maybe neutral) spin on things.

There has been a lot of recent negative press around the Obama camp recently due to some of his pastors comments pulled from some of his sermons. The remarks were awful, whether they were pulled out of context or not, they were bad, there is no excuse for some of them. Obama however tried to put them in perspective and it really made sense to me. Obama said recently that we should look at it this way: The man (Jeremiah White) has preached at least 3 sermons a week for over 30 years (that is about 4680 sermons for any of you non math people) and the media has taken the worst of those 30 years and pulled out sound bites making him sound like a monster.

Again, I am not defending White or his words, but there would be very few preachers (with the exception of Pete of course) who could preach 4680 sermons in 30 years without offending someone, especially if their words were taken out of context.

I don't agree with what he has said, I don't agree with him preaching politics from the pulpit (which by the way, is against the law due to separation of church and state), but put this way, it does smooth it out a little bit.

I was also proud of the way that Obama reacted, by speaking out and even condemning Pastor White for certain comments including the comments about the US governments treatment of African Americans. He did not tiptoe around it or just look the other way, but he met it head on and reacted to it.

I can't say however that it does not concern me that this man, who obviously has so much hate and anger focused on white people and the US government, is the spiritual advisor for the man who very well might be the next US president. I believe that this could cause major race issues if Obama is elected and continues to look to Pastor White as an advisor. It is also confusing that Obama has been such a leader in a movement to get people united and to break down race problems and then he still stands with Pastor White.

I believe that Obama may have to come to a decision about this. There might not be a way to have his cake and eat it too with Pastor White.

And The Winner Is......Nobody!

2008-03-13T14:20:00.002-05:00

(Subtitle: What The Heck Is A Super Delegate?)

At the conclusion of the final primary (June 3) we will not have a democratic winner. Unless someone drops out of the race, which is highly unlikely, neither Hillary or Obama will have the necessary 2025 delegates needed to be named the democratic presidential candidate. Currently Obama is leading with 1614 to Hillary's 1482. With only 217 delegates left in the final 6 primaries, nobody will be a clear cut winner.

That leads us to the super delegates! What are super delegates you ask? Basically, super delegates are the big wigs in the Democratic party who represent about 20% of the total delegates and in some cases make the final decision as to who the democratic candidate will be. To be a super delegate a person would have to fit under one of these categories:

Recognized Member of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic President and VP (if applicable)
All Democratic members of the House and Senate
Democratic State Governors
Former Democratic Presidents
Former Democratic VPs
Former Democratic Leaders of the Senate
Former Democratic Speakers of the House
Former Democratic Minority Leaders
Former Chairs of the Democratic National Convention

That number could vary from year to year, but this year there are 795 super delegates (not including Florida and Michigan which would bring the number to 842). In 1968, many democrats believed that a primary only system diminished the role of party leaders and started working on a way to involved seasoned members of the party in the system. The super delegate system, used for the first time in 1982, was also designed to act as a check on ideologically extreme or inexperienced candidates and to ensure that the party nominated the best candidate. Until now, the super delegates have never faced a situation where there is no clear cut winner and where they will be asked to make the final decision.

So far, Obama has 212 Super Delegates who are publicly endorsing him while Hillary has 248 (actually she has 247 since supporter Spitzer has quietly left the NY governor's mansion......). While this shows a small lead for Clinton, the actually endorsements don't mean much since the party rules state that super delegates are bound only by their consciences when placing their vote.

Like I said before, no one has ever really cared about the super delegates and who they would vote for. There has always been a clear winner until now. This has fueled debates on how super delegates should vote. Some say that they should follow the party rules and vote on how they feel, while other say that they should vote according to the popular vote (which currently stands at Obama with 13,280,770 and Hillary with 12,577,044), and still others claim that it is an outdated system that undermines the American public.

Regardless of how many times the experts hash it out, the party rules allow super delegates to vote how they choose. There will not be a clear cut winner in August. It will be very interesting to see how things turn out and all eyes will be on the super delegates.

**Note to my die hard Republicans out there - there is no super delegate system in the Republican party, I am not ignoring you, it just doesn't exist. **

Uh, Mitt, Could, Uh, Would You Be My Wing Man?

2008-03-13T10:23:00.002-05:00

Well, just when you think things can't get any stranger.....I heard through the grapevine a rumor that is spreading through political circles that John McCain's decision is already made and has been made for sometime. That would mean his recent statements about forming a search committee and picking advisers to help him decide who the #2 man in the Republican party will be come November is all a farce. This rumor brings yet another level to a campaign year that has had more twists than any I can remember during my lifetime.

If you haven't guessed by now, it is rumored that John McCain wants Mitt Romney as his running mate. I have very mixed emotions about this. If you are an avid reader of mine (thanks Dad, Lindsay, and Pete - you guys keep me going!), then you know that Romney was my man. I would have gotten the yard sign. That said, I still don't know that I can cast my vote for John McCain - I feel that strongly about him. My first reaction upon hearing this was disbelief and a little disappointment. I just couldn't believe that Mitt Romney would stand beside John McCain. They just don't seem to have the "buddy" factor that you expect to see with running mates. I don't see them holding hands overhead and giving each other victory hugs. I was reminded however that Kennedy and Johnson were not exactly best friends either and they were victorious.

This does answer some questions however about Mitt's sudden and unexpected departure from the primary campaign and his subsequent silence since then. I had high hopes of another Mitt run in 4 years, but if this rumor plays out, we could see him in the White House in 7 months. Mitt could be a good choice for McCain. His economic expertise would be imperative to get the US back on track financially and he has youth on his side when compared to McCain whom some wonder if he could even survive the pressure of the presidency due to his age. He also brings back some of the conservative members of the party who are not McCain fans.

Would the McCain/Romney ticket be enough to fight the democrats? Latest polls show that McCain would have a better chance at beating Hillary than Obama and that could make a difference when the super delegates cast their votes in August. Things seem to be changing daily and I would believe almost anything at this point.

Would the McCain/Romney ticket be enough for me? Wow, just when I was starting to come to terms with myself going to the dark side. I honestly don't know right now. Granted this is only a rumor and we don't yet know who he will run with, but it would shake things up. I am still concerned that McCain does not offer enough change with health care, social security, the war, and home land security to make me comfortable, but with Romney as a team mate, I would feel better about the way the economy was headed.

What am I going to do?????????

Dream Team Nightmare

2008-03-10T14:02:00.005-05:00

The dream team might be a thing of the past before it even starts. The press has been buzzing lately about a dream team democratic ticket (I'm sure they got their idea from me, since I have been talking about this for a long, long time!) with Hillary and Barack as running mates. Hillary actually began talking about this by stating that she would strongly consider Barack Obama as a running mate if she wins the nomination.

To the average citizen that sounds like she thinks highly of Obama and thinks that they would serve well together. To Obama however, it sounded like just another political move. At a rally today, Obama questioned why the second place candidate would offer the first place candidate a VP position. He said that he believed that Hillary was only trying to gain the support of the undecided voters, making them think they would be able to get that "Dream Team Ticket" next November. That makes a lot of sense.

We all know who I voted for, so I will not repeat those words, but if I had believed that voting for Hillary would bring a Clinton-Obama ticket in the fall, I probably would have made my final decision before walking into the polling place. It would have been much easier anyway.

Obama also questioned why she would put him in that position when she doesn't think he is qualified to be president. He pointed out that as VP, he could be called upon at any moment to take over the office. Another good point from the Obama camp. However in Hillary's defense, no president picks their running mate with the assumption that they will die in office. Running mates are chosen primarily because they have something that the Presidential candidate needs to make a complete team and to beat the other party in November. Like I have said before, there is no doubt in my mind that a Hillary-Obama team would be stoppable. What she has, he doesn't and what he has, she doesn't.

I really hope that if Hillary does win the nomination and offers the VP to him, that Barack will accept. I think that the two of them could do a lot of good together. However, if Barack wins the nomination do you think he will ask Hillary to be his running mate? How would that work? I would watch my back, the Clinton's have made people disappear before..........

Are You Smarter Than A History Teacher?

2008-03-10T14:02:00.002-05:00

We really like the game show hosted by Jeff Foxworthly, Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader. If you are not familiar, adults try to answer questions based on what children who are in the 5th grade and below would know. Ready to assist these adults are a team of 6 5th graders who are right 99.9% of the time. Moral of the show? If you want to know facts about subjects long forgotten, ask a kid. In my case I asked my good friend Heather who teaches kids history.

There has been a lot of debate in the media about Bill Clinton and his eligibility to be the vice president. Everyone had settled on no and then it came back up again as a possibility, but Heather cleared it all up for me the other day (and in an understandable way too!)

A person can serve no more than 10 years as president whether those years are finishing a term for a deceased or removed president or terms of his own or a combination of both. For example, a VP could finish up to two years of a deceased or removed presidents term and then serve two four year terms of his own. If a president was removed or died in the beginning of his term and the VP served over two years, he could only serve for one four year term of his own. President Clinton served two four year terms so he would be unable to serve as VP since he might be called upon to serve more than two more years, putting him over the 10 year limit. Does that make sense? Most would find this a relief although Bill just having access to the living quarters of the White House as "First Husband" makes me a little uneasy. (Yes to anyone who is interested, since George Bush Sr. only served one term as President, he could serve with McCain.........HA!)

So thanks Heather for clearing this up. Maybe she can help us make sense of the Super Delegates.......although, at this point I'm not even sure the Super Delegates can make sense of themselves!

Cereal Tastes a lot Better Than Words for Breakfast

2008-03-05T08:17:00.002-06:00

I am eating my words this morning. I really did not believe that she could do it, but Hillary Clinton stopped Obama's winning streak with wins in Texas and Ohio yesterday ensuring that she will remain in the race and determining that the decision for the democratic candidate will go all the way to the convention.

I, like millions of other Texas cast my vote yesterday. Upon entering the church where my precinct was assigned to vote, I slowly made my way to the democratic table voicing to the women behind the table (fortunately not from my small conservative church) that this was my first time to vote in a democratic primary and signed in. Unfortunately, for the next two years my voter's registration card will proudly proclaim that I did indeed vote in the democratic primary - there is no easy way to deny it. On the ride to the polls I debated once again in my head what box I would be darkening. My name is Kim and I voted for Hillary. There it is out in the open. I am among the millions who voted for Mrs. Clinton. This was not an easy decision. Even as I was filling out my ballot, I was cheering for Barack. I really like someone who can unite the masses and create excitement among the public for a formally unexciting task such as voting. I think that Obama has a gift for bringing people together and for giving people hope. I do think however that Hillary has more experience and will make better decisions for our country. That is why I picked her.

The fight continues on. I think in the next few weeks, Barack will be asked to answer some really tough questions about specific plans and I hope he will do a good job. Hillary has picked up some much needed wins and it is still anyone's game at this point.

On the other side of the coin, John McCain will eat lunch with the president today and is expected to gain Bush's endorsement. McCain has a tough road ahead though, as he must find a way to unite the Republican party and gain confidence among conservative voters. This along will be a full time task.

Rock The Vote

2008-03-04T08:40:00.003-06:00

Well, today is the day. If Paris Hilton's comment on MTV, "Voting is HOT!", didn't move you to get off the couch and go to the polls, I don't know what will! As I prepare to make my mark, I have a good idea who will gain my support, but it could still change. My husband has already been there and remarked at how long the line was at the democratic table vs. the cobwebs growing on the Republican one. However, as I have said before, this year breaks beyond party lines and has forced open-minded American's to look hard at the issues and forget their party pulls to vote for someone who will make America better. That better American starts by each person voting today.

It doesn't matter what you think or who you decided to vote for, but it is every Americans duty to vote. We can only live in a true democracy if people take advantage of this right. To not take part in a free society is to turn your back on the men and women who fight and die to ensure that our country stays free. As I watched months back, many Iraqi's stand in lines to vote, knowing that their lives were at risk to do so, I realize how blessed I am to be in a country where I can help choose my leader without risking my life or facing persecution for whom I choose.

The only thing that matters is that each person votes from his or her heart and whom they truly believe will make America better. Everyone is entitled to decide for themselves and no one should be criticized for their decision. So get out there and ROCK THE VOTE!

It Is Not About The Party

2008-03-02T13:23:00.002-06:00

I have said several times in this blog that it is not about a party right now, it is about who is going to be able to get things done in our country. I suppose that I have been hard on the Republican party, but that has been our leadership for the past eight years. There was a new comment and I am going to respond to pieces of it.

"There are, the last time I looked three branches to the federal government. The Executive Branch which is what everyone is talking about is being pulled into realms that never were a part of that branches duty. The legislative branch is the branch that has the responsibilities for ensuring Domestic Tranquility and the only way for that to happen is for them to get out of the way of the entrepreneur and their ability to move the economy forward. The president sets out broad goals and it is the responsibility of the congress to work together to achieve those goals and maybe even come up with a few of their own. No child left behind was the brain-child of one President Bush and a reach across the isle to Ted Kennedy. Want to blame someone for it failing blame the congress for failing to see it thru, they had the responsibility for funding it."

I agree that the different branches have very different jobs and very different duties. I do believe however, that as commander-in-chief of the country and leader of his party, the president has the responsibility of uniting the country. Just like any leader of a country or business, the success or failure of that country or business ultimately is the responsibility of the president. It has been tough for President Bush with a recently democratic-run house, but the blame cannot be on congress alone. Like congress, President Bush has refused to compromise or to meet congress in the middle, both the President and Congress have stubbornly refused to get together on issues. The House doesn't like Hillary and I don't seem them bending over backwards to support her, they don't really favor John McCain either. They are rallying around Barack and that could be an advantage to him if he was to step into an administration that would support him and come together for American.

The president is also in charge of not only the military as commander in chief but also foreign policy to which he has done a fine job along with his very capable and diverse staff. We were hit on 911 but what led up to that attack, 8 years of the man whose wife people want to put back in there and he will be there also. His failed leadership of riding the Reagan economic wave and prayerfully the american people electing a Republican lead congress saved the economy for a while. But then the democrats took over and look at what Bush inheritted, remember the recession right before 911? Remember the investigations into the Clinton Administration for cooking the books and how it stopped because of 911? And we want this type of mentallity back in the white house?

I also agree that the Bill Clinton administration was a disaster and one of my fears of Hillary becoming President is the fact that he comes with her, but Bill, as all presidents do, walked into an office full of left over "Regan baggage." The Regan years were good years on the surface, but underneath it was Reagan who started dipping into the surplus of the Social Security Funds that have lead to the state we are in today. It might have been gravy during the Reagan years, but he left a lot to clean up, just as all presidents do. The lead up to 911 was not all during Clinton's watch, it started long before that with easy access across borders and a judicial branch that refused to support immigration laws.

"...... the Senate and have failed to do anything for me except fight with one another. I say throw them all out and start fresh with a bunch of folks who have some common sense. "

I agree, give me some new choices. The American people have spoken, in some states anyway, and these are our choices, so I am trying to make the best of what we have. John McCain has been one of the leaders of disagreement with the republican party and he doesn't even stand for most of the Republican values. I truly believe that if he is elected, we will be no better off in the next four years than we are today. I know that Hillary has made a campaign about "talking about change is just talk", but John McCain has not even talked about change.

"Katrina was the failure of a democratically controlled state and local government that failed to use the money given to them in the proper place. They failed to evacuate a town that had been warned of the levee's failing in the face of a cat three huricane and they got hit with a cat five. He bares the load for that failure, not the federal government. The federal government could only watch as those who were in charge fail to do their job and the common sense factor never kicked in. Why? Because we created that society, totally dependent on others for everything.

I agree that the brunt of Katrina falls on Ray Nagan, but within hours of the local government failing, the federal government should have stepped in. In the US, we do not let our citizens sit in the heat for days without food and water. I don't care if the people are elderly, homeless, poor, rich, black, or white, we don't watch as they suffer. The federal government has the authority and responsibility to protect and save its citizens. The state of LA made a lot of mistakes, but George Bush had the ultimate authority to send it troops to restore order and bring supplies and he had the ability to get them there fast. The local government failed to use the money correctly? The people failed to take personal responsibility and get out of the city? That does not give the federal government an excuse to stand by and let people die.

We do live in a society of non-responsibility. I agree it is a problem and I don't have the answer for that. A complete revamp of the government aid system would be a great first step, but no one, not Barack, Hillary, or John McCain, has a plan for that.

If we put democrats in the white house that is exactly what will happen. A society that is dependent upon the federal government, that's socialism and I don't want it. I want them to get out of my way and out of my pocket so I can achieve."

So go and achieve. A democratic president will not hinder you. But what about the people who have never been given a break. Outside of the perfect Republican world, there are millions of middle class Americans who work very hard, but cannot provide health insurance for their families either due to cost, availability, or eligibility. These are the same people who pay a higher percentage of taxes than people who make three times what they do. The system has been vamped for the wealthy and the poor. At this time the democrats are providing some answers and hope for those in the middle. I wish the Republicans had a choice that would do the same, but they don't.

What Are They Going To Do For Me?

2008-02-29T12:46:00.002-06:00

When trying to decide on a candidate to support, the issues should be the number one thing that we focus our attention on. I am going to give some details about some of the major issues for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in this post. Simply for clarity, Hillary's views will be in red and Obama's will be in blue. The colors don't mean anything except to make it easier to understand.

Education

Attract more teachers and pay them better
Give new parents support to promote healthy development for children
Increase access to quality early education and create Early Head Start Program
Expand Pre-K programs to include all 4 year olds, not just at risk
End No Child Left Behind Program
Meet funding promises of IDEA to ensure special needs children receive the support they need
Cut minority drop out rate by 50%
Create green schools to reduce energy costs and eliminate environmental hazards
Expand early intervention programs to help at risk youth and commit one billion dollars to identify early and give multiple pathways to graduation
Double after school programs to ensure that 2 million young people have a safe place to go between 3pm and 6pm
Invest $100 million in summer internship programs
Create new $3500 college tax credit
Increase the maximum allowed for Pell Grants
Strengthen community colleges through $500 million investment
Give $10000 college scholarships for those who participate in AmeriCorps full time for 1 year
Get rid of financial aid red flags
Challenge colleges to expand access for low income students

Create "0 to 5 Plan" that provides critical support to young children and parents
Expand Early Head Start and Head Start
Expand affordable high-quality childcare
Reform No Child Left Behind to support poor performing schools rather than punishing them
Make math and science education a national priority
Provide funding to schools to invest in intervention strategies to decrease dropouts
Expand summer learning opportunities
Support college outreach programs
Support ESL students and ensure schools teach them English and complete school
Recruit teachers by creating Teacher Service Scholarships that cover four years of undergraduate education in exchange for teaching four years in a high need field or location
Prepare teachers by ensuring that all schools of education be accredited
Retain teachers with experienced teacher mentoring programs and paid common planning time
Create a new system of teacher rewards

Immigration

Call for comprehensive immigration reform with strong border security
Increase cooperation with border countries
Strictly enforce laws
Provide federal assistance for state and local government agencies in border states
Enforce strict penalties for those who exploit undocumented workers and for those who employ them
Create a path to earn legal status for those who are here working, paying taxes, and respecting the law.

Create secure borders
Remove incentives to enter illegally
Revamp system
Work with Mexico to promote economic development and to decrease illegal immigration
Provide a way for current illegal immigrants to pay a fine and be listed at the back of the line for legal status

Health Care

Create a tax credit to ensure that working families are not paying above a percentage of their income for health care
Require that insurance companies provide coverage with no pre-existing exclusions
Allow Americans to keep current insurance coverage or choose another plan
Provide tax credits for small businesses who provide health insurance for employees
Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage unless you fail to pay premiums

Create a National Health Plan and make available to all Americans
Create a National Health Insurance Exchange which would serve as a watchdog for the insurance industry
Employers that do not offer health insurance would be required to contribute to the National Plan
All children would be required to have health insurance
Fully fund and support disease management programs
Require full transparency about quality and cost of medical services

Economy

Extend middle class tax cuts including the child tax credit and marriage penalty relief
Create new tax cuts for heath care, college, and retirement
Expand the child care tax credit
Provide quality affordable health care for all
Make college accessible and affordable
Solve the problems in the housing market
Assist retirement by promoting savings and investments
Return to fiscal responsibility by moving toward a balanced budget
Create high-wage green jobs

Cut income taxes by $1000 for working families and create "Making Work Pay" tax credit
Fight for fair trade agreements that open foreign markets and support American jobs
Amend NAFTA so that it works for American workers
Provide retraining assistance for workers
Support job creations with federal funding to research and develop high paying secure jobs
Invest in US manufacturing and manufacturing workforce
Provide assistance to US automakers to ensure new fuel efficient vehicles are made by US workers
Increase federal workforce programs that incorporate green job training
Create energy focused youth programs to invest in disconnected and disadvantaged youth
Deploy next-generation broadband
Protect the openness of the Internet
Raise minimum wage to meet inflation
Create Universal Mortgage credit that will provide an average of $500 per year tax credit for homeowners
Require accountability in the sub prime mortgage industry
Mandate accurate lone disclosure
Create fund to help homeowners avoid foreclosure by helping people refinance mortgages
Establish credit card bill of rights
Reform corporate bankruptcy laws to protect workers and retirees
Require full disclosure of company pension investments
Eliminate income taxes for seniors who make less than 50K per year
Create automatic workplace pensions
Expand retirement savings incentives for working families by matching 50% of the first $1000 saved for families who earn less than $75000

War

Require clear viable exit plan from Joint Chief Of Staff, Secretary of Defense and National Security Counsel with 60 days of taking office
Support high level UN Representative with security in Iraq
Convene stabilization group with allies, global powers, and all bordering states of Iraq

End war in Iraq by removing 1-2 brigades per month and have all combat brigades back with in 16 months
Continue to provide security for embassy and diplomats
Press Iraq leaders to reconcile and gain regional diplomacy within the Middle East
Provide $2 million to aid Iraqi refugees

The end! My choice is still about as clear as mud. I will walk in and vote on Tuesday after a few more days of thought and consideration. I'll let you know.....

Sorry To Keep You Waiting.....

2008-02-28T15:58:00.002-06:00

I know that most of you have been on pins and needles awaiting my post of Hillary v. Barack views. I have finished looking at all the stuff and will be posting my findings tomorrow. Except for a few minor details they both have pretty much the same views, but I have found that Hillary Clinton's are more organized, more detailed, and really defend her "more experience" statements. I am still however pulled toward Obama's ability to join people together and make people feel like they can make a difference in their country. To be honest, I like them as a team. I think that Hillary's maturity and knowledge mixed with Obama's charisma and energy could be a dynamitic force to change our country for the better. I am going to post their views on Education, Health Care, Internation Affairs, and Immigration. Those are my main concerns, but if you are concerned about something else, leave me a comment.

On another note, I had a comment left yesterday expressing distain for the democratic party and stating a refusal to associate himself with them. I understand, I have stated many times that I have never voted democratic and really thought that I never would. My feelings however are moving beyond a party affliciation and looking at the whole picture. As a past "straight republician ticket voter" and huge supporter of the party (I have a republician elephant charm on my charm braclet), I am looking at the past 8 years and feeling kind of sick believing that my vote as a republician 4 years ago, might have contributed to the state of our nation today. In 8 years of republician leadership, our economy is crumbling, our heath care system is in ruin, men and women are coming back from war and meeting challenges trying to get even the basic benefits that were promised to them, we are 5 years into a war with not even a hint of a plan for its future, the US has been attacked on its own soil, we have realized that we do not have the ability to provide even basic assistance to disaster areas (Katria), the social security system is about to run out of money, and we have a swinging door on the border. I don't believe that our country is much more secure from terriost threats than it was on September 10, 2001 and our school system is much worse off than before Bush's renowned (scarcasm) No Child Left Behind plan. I find myself hoping that there will be a drastic change next year and I believe that a repbulician will not bring forth that change.

Yes, I am anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, and pro the death penality and hold conservative views on a lot of other issues, but terroists and rising health care costs are more frightening to me than two gay men wanting to marry. I am now thinking about the future of my family and John McCain is not going to cut it for my family for the next four years.

Don't We Deserve Better?

2008-02-26T12:30:00.002-06:00

If you know me, you know that I am one of those people who don't believe in "entitlement" as in we are entitled to something or we deserve something. I believe that people must work hard and earn their way in life. Nothing disturbs me more than able bodied people collecting government money for doing absolutely nothing but cheating the system. That said, I believe that the hard working American people, the one's who are pay the majority of the taxes (that's the middle class), the ones who pay the president's salary deserve better than the choices we have today.

In one week, I will have to go to the polls with a decision made on who I want to lead my country the next four years. I know that it will not be either Republican candidate, nor will I decline to vote in the primaries, waiting to give my mark for Ralph Nader in the fall. I will be voting in the Democratic primary - a first for me - but I am still undecided on what to do.

As I am researching the views of the remaining democratic candidates for my loyal readers (thanks dad and Lindsay - I know that there are others, but those two actually tell me they are reading!), I am realizing that both Hillary and Obama are saying pretty much the same things. They really are unable to debate or criticize each other on the issues, because they agree with each other. That is why things are getting so ugly and why we deserve better.

I was really starting to believe that I would have to eat my words about Hillary bowing out gracefully during last week's debate. She actually sounded genuinely humbled at the fact that she had so many supporters and that she was running against such a great person. I was surprised at her gentle demeanor and actually surprised at the class she showed. Fast forward to the day after an Obama flyer went out basically saying that if Hillary wanted credit for the good things that happened during the Clinton administration, she needed to also understand that she could be held responsible for the negative things. Okay, now the Hillary we all know is back, fangs out ready for a fight. Very soon after telling Obama to "grow up", a picture taken of Obama in Muslim garb, showed up on the web. Wouldn't you know it - Hillary has no idea where it came from. Obama fought back saying that tactics like this were only counting on fear to sway the public vote.

I am very interested in what will happen in tonight's debate from Ohio. We know that the issues will not be debated too much because like I said, both Hillary and Obama agree on most of the issues. This is Hillary's last chance to pull out a must needed win, and I am sure that she will hold nothing back.

Don't we deserve better than a candidate who will stop at nothing to win? Don't we deserve better than an inexperienced candidate who creates excitement and momentum, but has little substance to offer? Unless you are willing to put our nation in the hands of a man who seems to hold his finger on the war trigger at all times, those are our choices. What should we do........?

Can Hillary Loose Gracefully?

2008-02-22T14:04:00.002-06:00

As Barack Obama wrapped up his 11th straight win yesterday with the out of country votes, the buzz has started about a possible loss in the Clinton Camp. To catch up to Barack's momentum, Hillary would have to pull out big, huge wins on March 4. Many, including myself, don't think that she can pull it off.

Here is what I think. The Clinton's are in a dire, desperate, must win situation. If Hillary looses the nomination, this will be possibly the largest upset in political history. It is not just the fact that Barack came from a relatively unknown position, but he, an unknown, came out and defeated the Clinton Machine. I really think that at this point the Clinton's are completely stumped - they really thought that by this time, Hillary would have wrapped up the primaries and it would just be her. No one thought Obama would have such a showing.

From what I have seen both in public and in my life, the person who gets desperate is the one who makes the mistakes. You almost have to feel sorry for Hillary at this point (I said almost). Everything she has tried has come back to bite her. She started off with the experience card and the American public decided that it might be better to have a president who had not spent so much time in Washington, someone with new ways and new ideas. Clinton 0 Obama 1. Then she went on her "words don't me anything..." campaign which Obama responded with some of the most powerful words ever spoken. Clinton 0 Obama 2. The Clinton Camp claimed that Obama's latest speech was copied from other people, accusing him of plagiarism. This however backfired with Obama gaining more support than ever, which led Clinton to claim that it was the press, not her who pushed the story. Clinton 0 Obama 3. It seems that what ever Hillary tries to say to turn people from Obama only pushes them closer to him.

So our question is, can Hillary loose gracefully. My answer is no. Let me make a few predictions. She will not gracefully and professionally send her congratulations to Barack. She will not vow to stand by him to help unite the party. She will instead fight with every breath she has in her to turn it around. She will fight to gain the Florida delegates which were excluded due to the state breaking party rules, she will fight for the Super Delegates, who are expected to vote with the American public. She will pull out everything and lay it on the line. In the end, if she still looses, the Clinton's will be finished in politics. If this were a movie (a comedy), at the end, mental health nurses would drag her away from a stage in a straight jacket screaming something about more experience and what the American people want.

It is going to continue to get interesting......I am not going to miss a thing!

I Didn't Major In Math Either, But I Understand These Numbers

2008-02-14T15:31:00.003-06:00

Oh, sweet, innocent, Preach Boy Mike, told crowds recently that he "didn't major in math, he majored in miracles." I think what he means is that he doesn't really understand the delegate numbers and that it will take a miracle for him to win (or maybe for him to give up). Well, Mike, I didn't major in math either, but when I was in college learning how to teach children math (Thanks Dr. Williams) we learned how to use manipulatives to help children understand. So here's an activity that might help with the math issue: put 825 M&M's on a plate (for McCain) and 240 M&M's on a plate (for Huckabee) and see who has more M&M's. I know a group of toddlers who would understand if Mike is interested in extra help. To win a GOP nomination, a candidate must have 1191 delegates. There are 795 delegates left in the remaining 18 states who have not had primary elections. 240 (the number of delegates that Huckabee has) added with the remaining 795 delegates only equals 1035 delegates. That (to all you non math majors) is 156 less than the required 1191. That number (1035) is taking into account the miracle factor, that Huckabee will win all remaining 795 delegates. I will throw a question out to my preacher friend Pete - could a "major in miracles" make delegates appear (156 delegates to be exact) where the did not exist before? I know the Lord can do anything, but I'm not sure it is the Lord who is running this election. I am thinking farther south, much warmer, lots of fire........

It is only going to get more embarrassing Mike. Leave with the small amount of dignity that you have left. And hurry, because Romney is expected to endorse McCain later this afternoon. Mitt, you are breaking my heart. Could you be holding out for VP? As if this election could not get any more complex than it already is. I really like you Mitt, but not even an endorcement from you will get a check mark for McCain on March 4 from me. I am going to be stubborn and not "go head and vote for McCain" as I heard conservative republicians are being encouraged to do.

On the other side of evil, the Obama Pheonomenon is still sweeping the nation with three more wins in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. I think fear is starting to flood the Clinton camp as they prepare for a possible loss. I say possible very strongly, there is no clear cut winner with the democrats. Either Obama or Clinton could pull this out there are 1071 delegates left and Obama is only leading by 43 delegates. He does have a winning streak going and the more losses you have (Hillary), the harder it is to get the ball rolling again. Although a winning streak does not ensure future wins - just ask the SA Spurs or Tom Brady, it does help to rally the troops. Since March 4 is quickly upon us, I am going to do some research and post in the next couple of days, just exactly what Obama and Clinton are supporting along with their action plans. I need the information as much as anybody. My husband is claiming that I am getting excited about the Obama Change Message and that is dulling my willingness to listen to the issues. I say he is spending too much time with Laura Ingram on "America Right" talk radio. So in the next couple of days, we will look at the issues together.

Barack Sweeps Past Hill

2008-02-11T12:19:00.000-06:00

This weekend was an amazing one for Obama as he won all five states who were holding democratic primaries on Saturday. Most of them, like his last wins held a margin of 10 - 30 percentage points. As if the race could not be any closer, current delegate count is separated by an amazing 28 delegates. Hillary is still holding the lead with 1136 and Obama has 1108.

On the GOP ticket, which saw three primaries this weekend, McCain took one state with Huckabee winning in two. McCain holds a huge delegate lead with 719 to Huckabee's 234. I want to know if it is even possible for Huckabee to win the 1191 delegates needed to advance. I don't know off hand how many delegates are up for grabs in the next few months, but I will let you know.

No question, I'll put my money on McCain being on the ballet next November, but I have not found any source yet that is willing to declare a winner in the democratic camp. The race continues with the next set of states voting on the 19th.

This Seals The Deal For Me

2008-02-07T12:27:00.000-06:00

Well, I know for sure now that I will not be voting in the Republican Primary in March. It sounds dramatic (actually this whole post will probably sound dramatic), but I felt like I was punched in the gut a few minutes ago when I read that Mitt Romney has bowed out of the Presidental race, leaving John McCain and Mike Huckabee on the ballet. Mitt Romney, I believe, was the republician's last hope for a conservative candidate for the white house race. I agree with conservative talk show hosts who said that "a vote for Mike Huckabee is a vote for John McCain." Mike Huckabee cannot win the election, it was obvious last week that he could not win the election, so his reluctance to leave the race gracefully, divided the conservative vote, eliminating Mitt Romney's chance to catch John McCain. Huckabee's actions were selfish and have virtually guaranteed a liberal win in November. John McCain's best bet to gain the conservative voters would be to pick up Mike Huckabee as a running mate (which has been predicted in the media), but I believe that the damage has already been done in reguard to the conservative. John McCain, pure and simple is not a conservative candidate. He believes in liberal ideas and has liberal values that will destroy the GOP as we know it. It is a mixed blessing that he cannot win against either Obama or Clinton.

Conservative talk radio host Ann Colter (she is a little to "right winged" for me) said that if McCain is named the republician nominee, she will campaign for Hillary Clinton. I predict more conservative's will follow dividing between Clinton and Obama camps. On his show yesterday, Dave Ramsey made a prediction that is sad but true. He said that if another candidate was added to the ballet, that candidate would win by a landslide. That candidate's name? "Mr. None of the Above." I have said it before, but I don't understand in a country as large as ours, why this is the best we can come up with for president.

I will not vote for either John McCain or Mike Huckabee. I really feel uncomfortable about Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama - here is your chance to win me over - you better spend some of that money in Texas or Mr. None of the Above may get my write in vote.......

Okay Kim, How Do We Read That....?

2008-02-06T13:44:00.000-06:00

My fancy spacing did not turn out right in the next blog, so here are the instructions (as if you are not smart enough to figure it out!) For the democrats - the first state in each line belongs to Hillary and the second belongs to Obama. For the republicians - the first state is McCain's, the second Romney's and the third Huckabee's.

Closer Than Ever

2008-02-06T13:21:00.000-06:00

I stayed up pretty late last night, watching the numbers come in from the Super Tuesday primarires and it was so exciting that it felt almost like the presidental election does - waiting for numbers and people predicting the outcomes. In case you are not as crazy about politics as I am here are the candidates and the states that they won.

Hillary Clinton Barack Obama
Arkansas North Dakota
New Jersey Utah
New York Alabama
Oklahoma Conn.
Tennessee Georgia
Mass. Illinois
Arizona Kansas
California Minn.
Delaware
Alaska
Idaho
Colorado
Missouri

Hillary earned 728 delegates while Obama is less than 100 behind with 633. One interesting thing that I noticed last night that in the races where Hillary won the state, the voting numbers were very close, with just 7%-15% separating the two, but when Obama won, he won big. He won by 30% or more in several states. I predict that this will be a race to the end. I know that the Clinton's were not expecting this good of a showing and that has to be eating at them. John Edwards has been very quitet since removing himself from the race. You can only think that the vice presidency is on his mind and he would run with either candidate.

On the Republician side:

McCain Romney Huckabee
New Jersey Mass. Arkansas
New York Utah Alabama
Oklahoma North Dakota West Virginia
Conn. Minn, Georgia
Illin. Alaska Tennessee
Arizona Colorado
California Montana
Delaware
Missouri

Not suprisingly, Pastor Mike took home some of the southern states where there is a larger consertative Christian population. Several days before Tuesday, right wing talk radio hosts were proclaming that a vote for Huckabee was a vote for McCain, in essence saying that they were taking away votes that could help Romney. I really think at this point both Huckabee and Romney are out and McCain will gain the nomination. He cannot beat Clinton or Obama though. Delegates on this side have a much farther spread: McCain has 547, Romney has 223, and Huckabee has 145.

Both teams are a long way from having a declared winner. On the democratic side a candidate must win 2025 delegates and the republician must have 1191. The next chance to gain more delegates will be on Feb. 9, where Lousisana, Washington, and Kansas(Rep.) will cast their ballots.

Spelling, speling, spellin'

2008-02-04T15:03:00.000-06:00

Spelling has never been one of my stronger atributes. Spell check was invented for me. Unfortunally, the spell check has not been working on Blogger the past couple of days. So, for any of you who did not notice spelling mistakes, don't look too closely now, but for my teacher friends (especially my English teacher friend) please don't think that I was lying to you when I said I have my master's degree. It is true, I have the student loans to prove it, but I found out while working on that degree that my spell check is worth it's weight in gold! Forgive the mistakes and pray that the spell check starts working again!

Wonder What It Is Like In The Schwarzenegger House?

2008-02-04T14:28:00.000-06:00

As most of you probably know by now, my morning routine starts by turing on the Today Show to see what happened in the world overnight. I really like that show because instead of either just news or just entertainment news (there is a huge difference) they do a pretty good balance of each in the first half hour or so. I do have my real news hour later in the day with WOAI and Nightly News in the evening, but I start my day with Meredith, Matt, and Al. ANYWAY........this morning I was greeted with four smiling women at an Obama rally over the weekend. Those women included Michelle Obama, Caroline Kennedy, Oprah (what is Oprah's last name???) and Maria Shriver. Yes, the first lady of California has chosen to endorce Barack Obama! This is after her husband, the
Gover-nator, endorced Republician canidate John McCain late last week.

To be a fly on the wall at the California Governor's Mansion (although I have heard that they don't live in the governors mansion, but you know what I mean)! This endorcement is a great boost for Obama as it will probably bring him more of the "powerful" female votes that Hillary has been trying to capture.

I am very blessed to have a spouse who shares most of the same views, political and otherwise, as I do. I know that is not the case in many homes, but we agree for the most part. We both are really interested in politics and government. As you might recall from my first post, I started college as a political science/history major and my husband is hopelessly addicted to XM talk radio. We do talk a lot about politics and current events and hope to instill at least a small interest in those to our daughter. We, or I, don't want to force our ideas on our child, I just want to make sure that she cares about the world around her and that she knows as she grows up that the world is much bigger than the United States. There is nothing that saddens me more than the attitude of so many people who could care less about the world around them. My husband, unlike me, probably will require our child to embrace his views. Our child was born in November 2004 (election year) and my husband, her daddy, wore his "Texan's For Bush" shirt to the delievery. He and my doctor compared conservative views in between contractions and I know he was secretly pleased that one of our daughter's first sights was his shirt.

I think that I get my love for history and current event from my dad who knows more about everything than anyone I know. He loves to read and reads everything he can, newspapers, business magazines, books (we have a really great book exchange going). My dad is a great person to talk to about politics or current events, primarly because you can learn so much from him, but also because even if he doesn't agree with you, he listens to your point and allows you to have your own opinion without trying to change you. My husband and I both talk about how much we learn from him and I own my thirst for knowlege to him (and my mom - but she gave me the crafty, sewing, scrapbooking, cooking side, which my friends and husband are eternally grateful for, not the political interest side!!!) I truly hope to show my daughter how important events outside of her small world are to us.

It is so important for everyone to take at least a small interest in our country and our world. We should know that things that happen in the US effect every corner of the world and our decisions make things happen. That is what makes me so sad when people don't care about what happens in the country or when people choose not to vote. Our future depends on the decisions that we make at the polls. Many, many people will vote tomorrow and will tell the canidates what they think by their vote. It is still anyone's game (except maybe for Mike Huckabee, he has a lot of ground to make up if he wants to have a chance), it will be exciting!

Will Super Tuesday Hold The Answers?

2008-02-02T13:51:00.000-06:00

Tuesday promises to be an eventful day with 1681 democratic delegates and 1023 republician delegates up for grab when 21 states head to the polls. Current delegate holdings are as follows:

Democrats
Clinton 256 delegates
Obama 181 delegates

Republicians
McCain 93 delegates
Romney 59 delegates
Huckabee 40 delegates

The democratic canidates need 2025 delegates to win and the republicians need 1191. The official winners will be decided during the 2008 national conventions. The republicians will hold their convention September 1-4 in St.Paul Minnesota while the democrats hold their's a few days earlier on August 25-28 in Denver, Colorado. There is no clear winner yet but many predict that there will be after "Super Tuesday." With as many twists and turns that this campaign has taken, I would not be so sure that we could count on Tuesday's numbers. Primaries take place through the end of May and you know what they say about the fat lady singing. There should be plenty more exciting months ahead.

Will the Kennedy's Continue to Claim Maria?

2008-01-30T21:11:00.000-06:00

It is a well known fact that the first lady of California comes from the well known Democratic Kennedy clan (as in JFK and dear old Teddy). It is also known that her husband is one of the more known leaders of the Republician party as the Governor of California. Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall at Thanksgiving? It is going to get more interesting now that Governor Schwarzenegger has now expressed that he is supporting John McCain for president. This comes just on the hills of the Kennedy family declaring support for Barack Obama. And the web gets more tangled........ Governor Schwarzenegger is not having a lot of luck lately. His heath care bill is all but in the trash and the checkbook of California is completely overdrawn. He still has his looks, but most importantly (to John McCain anyway) he has his popularity.

The media, including Hollywood, could never be accused of being conserative. Very much on the liberal side, there is no question that the media has a great deal of input when it comes to elections. So much so that I am asking myself if the media is trying to get John McCain nominated? Just hear me out. A few months ago, little was know (and few cared) about John McCain, especially among Republicians. He is, what I would consider to be, on the far liberal side of republician issues and values. He could be easily beaten however by either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Mitt Romney on the other hand, might just give the democrats a run for their money. Romney does have the consertive values and brings out the "traditional" republician ways. Many traditional republicians would have a much easier time voting for Romney rather than McCain. Another plus on Romney's side is the fact that he has pretty much an endless supply of cash, McCain on the other hand is running kind of thin and can use all of the support he can get. So if the liberal media can get rid of Mitt Romney, they know that either Hillary or Barack will be in the White House, thus maintaining liberal America. Crazy? I don't know......

And Another One's Down, Another One's Down, Another One Bites the Dust....

2008-01-30T14:10:00.000-06:00

This is our goodbye blog dedicated to Rudy and John, who after loosing again and again have decided to step aside and let the big boys (or girl) continue to fight it out. I have to ask - Rudy, what happened to Florida? John, what about the poor and homeless, what will they do without you? The biggest question has already been answered by Rudy, who has selflessly thrown his support to John McCain, but we are on pins and needles waiting to see who will gain John Edwards supporters. Both Obama and Clinton tried to distance themselves from him earlier, but both are starting to court him with comments about how hard he fights for the poor and what a good race he ran. Since the race is so close, either would gain an advantage by gaining the support of Edward's followers. And talking about close race - there were only 5% points between John McCain and Mitt Romney in Florida. Now both parties will start gearing up for Super Tuesday where there will be elections in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah.

"A President Like My Father"

2008-01-28T09:04:00.000-06:00

Subtitle: "Don't Worry Dad - This is Not About You! You Are Head and Shoulders Above Any of The Candidates."

Sunday morning in the New York Times, Caroline Kennedy formally endorsed Barack Obama with her article on the Opinion Page entitled "A President Like My Father." This was followed later in the day by Senator Ted Kennedy expressing his support for Obama as well. These acts were a hard blow to Hillary, who counts the Kennedy's as long time friends, but will they make a difference in the election?

I think that they could. Although, my personal opinion for Ted Kennedy is somewhat low, he is the second longest seated senator and he does have the distinction of being the youngest brother of John Kennedy. Many of the older democrats (and others) still consider JFK one of the greatest presidents that ever served. This could be a huge swing for older democrats who have considered Obama to have too little experience - Kennedy does have the experience card. Obama has had a great amount of support with younger voters and this possible gain of older voters could help him greatly in the coming weeks. Caroline's article in the Times also could bring in some undecided voters who, like many today, consider JFK a hero, especially among blacks and minorities. The Kennedy name holds a heavy hand with Hispanic voters too, since one of Robert Kennedy's closest friends was Cesar Chavez.

I do see some similarities between JFK and Obama, one of them being hope. I think that JFK gave a lot of people hope for better times and I know that Obama is doing that. I listened to his speech yesterday after the South Carolina primary and it gave me chills in some points. There is no doubt that he and Kennedy will be known for their motivation and ability to get people excited and caring about something. I see that as a real challenge today - to get people to care about something, anything. When people start caring about things (other than themselves), it really does have the potential to change things.

Why the sudden support from the Kennedy's? Is it because they truly stand behind Obama or is it because Ted Kennedy has become increasing disappointed in the "Hill-Billy" campaign and their dirty tactics? He has been very vocal about his disagreement with the way Bill has campaigned and his opinion has apparently fallen on deaf ears with Hillary's people. Hillary also seems to be loosing some of the female support due to Bill's presence. According to many, women were pleased to see such a strong female character, but Bill's attempts to "take over" the campaign have disappointed many.

We were talking about our "personal voting history" yesterday and we cannot remember a single time we voted for a major democratic candidate. We have voted for some independent candidates before, but not democratic and certainly not in the primaries. (We are young though - we have each only voted in two presidential primaries, three presidential elections.) Could we actually go to the dark side this year?!!?? We laughed, commenting that it will depend on who is running the polls when we go vote - in our small town, some of the ladies from our church tend to preside over elections and I would hate to go to church on Sunday where everyone knew that "the Winter's voted in the Democratic primary!" But change looks good to us. The status quo is not very promising for middle class families, just trying to provide for their families and be comfortable. The health care system is in crisis and the social security system that we have paid into for a combined 30+ years won't help us as it currently works. We are worried not only for our future, but that of our child's as well. There is still a long time to go until the Texas primaries and the tables could be completely different by then. I guess we will see.......

A Perspective on Tragedy

2008-01-26T07:59:00.000-06:00

The press has suffocated us during the past week with the "tragic" death of the young actor, Heath Ledger. From reports, Ledger was a young man who had a limitless future. He, according to neighbors, was a doting dad to his two year old daughter, and did not live the "Hollywood" lifesyle, preferring a quite, private life. Sensational journalism abounds, with speculation about the prescription medications found in his apartment and this morning the lack of details about his families decision to have a private memorial service and to bury him in his native Australia. Try as they may the press cannot seem to crack the private life and ultimately private death of this young man. One word continues to be thrown about and that is "tragic". Other actors have said that this is such a "tragedy". While I am sorry for the loss to his family, especially to his toddler daughter, and I am not unsympathetic to their loss, this is not a tragedy.

Webster defines tragedy as a disastrous event and tragic as a calamitous or disastrous. When you read the definition and then reflect on true tragic events, even the untimely death of a young talented actor is small by comparison. Lets talk about a tragic event that has been on my mind lately.

As I mentioned in my first post, I am kind of a military history buff. As the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran, I am especially interested in reading books about that time period. I am currently reading a book called Homecoming. It is an older book, written in the early 80's and contains letters by literally hundreds of Veterans and their families about their experiences coming back to the US from their tours in Vietnam. I am absolutely horrified to read of the stories of these brave men who had spent a year or more away from their families, returning to airports full of protesters who aimed their anger and frustration at these men returning from war. These men were called all kinds of vulgar names and many were spit on as they entered the airports. The anger and spit from these "Americans" was not reserved for those Veterans who walked into airports, it was also done to injured Veteran's who were taken off of ambulances and transported to hospitals. These men, risked their lives, many coming back injured and returned to an ungrateful nation. This is a tragedy.

There is no excuse for the behavior of these so-called "Peace-loving" individuals and I can only hope that they are haunted everyday for their actions. It doesn't matter why we were there, if we should have been there, or what the war was about. The hero's that left their homes and families were treated as the enemy upon their return. One Veteran described it very well when he said, "It was very ironic that these people were spitting on me - my willingness to fight gave them the right to spit."

I believe myself to be pretty balanced, I can read stuff and not really get too emotional. I am not the dramatic kind, but I have had to put this book down several times while reading it because my eyes were too filled with tears to see, because I was too angry to continue reading, and because I was literally sick to my stomach at the events. Any country that treats returning troops as the enemy, has gone beyond tragic.

I am so thankful to the men and women who have risked their lives for 200 years to make this the country it is today. It would never even cross my mind to say anything but praises and encouragement to those men and women and I cannot even imagine the deep anger someone would have to have to spit on them. I hope those men who came back from Vietnam know that they are hero's and that what was done to them by those ungrateful cowards is almost unforgivable.

Say a prayer right now for those men and women who have served and are currently serving our country and pray that a tragic even such as this never, never happens again.

And The Winner Is....The One With The Most Cash

2008-01-24T15:01:00.000-06:00

There is no question that to campaign for president (or any other office) it takes a huge amount of money. Campaign fund raisers are part of the process and it is not uncommon for candidates to host $1000 a plate dinners or other events. Self-funding has also been something that has come to light more recently due to the huge fortune of Mitt Romney and the great deal of his own money he has put into the campaign. This is in strong contrast to Mike Huckabee's campaign where some of the team is refusing paychecks to help the strained finances there.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the candidate who has access to the most money has a much higher advantage of winning. With plenty of financial support, candidates can put out more radio and TV ads, they can travel more, they can travel faster, and they can hire more people to help with the campaign. The candidate that has access to the most money is not necessarily the one who will make the best person in office.

The recent reports of the millions of dollars spent by the campaigns leaves a sour feeling in my stomach. As part of the middle class, I really don't even know what $1 million would feel like, much less the $40 million that it is estimated some candidates have spent so far. I do know however how far we stretch our budget of much, much, much less than that and I know the value of even a single dollar. On the subject of finances, lets pit me up against any candidate. Who do you think would know how much a gallon of milk cost, a well child doctor visit, a well puppy visit (more than the well child visit!!!!), home owners insurance, car insurance, medications, the list could go on. Don't the majority of Americans feel their wallet crunch at the grocery store, the drug store, and the gas station? I can't be the only one, who could feed my family for nearly 20 years on $1 million dollars. It is the waste that breaks my heart and the amount of good that all this money could go for.

Campaign finance reform needs to do much more than just limit what individuals can donate to campaigns, it should limit spending.

Please, Just Tell Me The Truth

2008-01-23T13:53:00.000-06:00

I can take any statement out of context and make it say anything I want it to say. The 2008 presidential candidates seem to have made a science out of twisting the truth and turning statements into something totally different than they were intended. I was looking for something else today on line when I stumbled upon a wed site that strives to separate the facts from the fiction : www.factcheck.org . You can look at some of the statements that some of the candidates have made and find out what the truth is behind them. It was really interesting to read some of the stuff that was listed and just how far some have taken statements to serve their purpose. I was however slightly disappointed (although not surprised) to find out that they are all guilty of stretching the truth to get ahead.

Hillary and Barack have both asked voters the question, "Don't you want a president you can trust? Don't you want someone who will not manipulate the truth or change their stance?"

Yeah, I do. Do we have any Independent candidates yet, because none of the current ones fit the bill.

Obama vs. The Clinton's Round Three

2008-01-22T15:00:00.001-06:00

Wow! If you have any compassion in your entire being, you have to be feeling some for Barack Obama right now. He seems to be on the Clinton's hit list and they are not letting up. The Democratic debate last night gave Clinton and Obama another chance to tear each other apart, with John Edwards, the martyr, standing by saying how he represents the "Grown-ups of the Democratic Party" and "all of the bickering will not get children health insurance or help the economy" (One point for him - yes, I am admitting that John Edwards said something intelligent and that I agree with.) The three are buying for last minute undecided voters in the South Carolina democratic primary this Saturday.

I believe that the problems started when the Clinton team realized that Obama had a real chance to gain the nomination. Before him, I think they (along with a lot of other people in the US) thought that Hillary was unstoppable in her push for the White House. When the primaries started and they realized that Obama was really close to her in the polls and actually beat her in some of the early primaries, they got scared that they might loose. The Clinton's don't like to loose. As the gap in the poll numbers has closed in between the front runners, the attacks have gotten more vicious and much more personal, seeming to criticize every word out of Obama's mouth.

One of the latest "Obama Quotes" that has gotten under the Clinton's skin was where Obama was talking about wanting to be a president who makes an impact in the world. He said, "Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of American in a way that Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton did not." Can you believe that he had the audacity to say that the Clinton presidency did not change the world? (If you know me, you would know that the previous sentence was said with sarcasm and the word "audacity" was emphasised in the sentence - there should be a universal symbol for sarcasm.) The truth is it didn't. Bill Clinton was a good president, but he did not do anything spectacular. The waters were relatively calm, he did not rock the boat, he cruised through 8 years in the white house. Congressional hearings and dealings with interns were all his doing and had nothing to do with making a difference on the world. Reagan on the other hand had the Cold War and the Berlin Wall among other events that made true change in the world. Obama said this and he was correct in this. Talk about a bee in the Clinton's bonnet. Not only did Obama "dis" the Clinton presidency, he talked supported about Reagan - ultimate treason for any good Democrat since Reagan continues to be a face for the Republican Party.

Something that makes this whole campaign even dirtier, is the involvement of Bill Clinton in the hateful remarks and personal attacks toward Obama. Eugene Robinson, writer for the Washington Post has dubbed Bill, Hillary's "cold-blooded political hit man." Senator Ted Kennedy, well known for being outspoken himself has joined with Congressman Rahm Emanuel, another leading figure in the democratic party, to tell the Clinton's to "stop attacking Barack Obama." and Representative James Clyburen from South Carolina said that "Bill Clinton needs to chill." Bill's behavior is made even worse by the fact that as a former president, you expect his demeanor to be more reserved and for his main priority to be to unite the party. Right or wrong he is held to a higher standard because of his position. Wait a minute? Don't we hold the president to a higher standard while in office? Isn't Bill Clinton the one making sure interns were taken care of in the Oval Office? I guess we are expecting too much.......

When asked about the former presidents behavior on Good Morning America, Obama said, "He has taken his advocacy on behalf of his wife to a new level that I think is pretty troubling and I promise to directly confront him when he is making statements that are not factually true." I respect Obama for the way he has tried to continue to remain calm and I respect his right to confront Bill about untrue statements, but has he ever heard the one about winning a spitting match with a snake?

Last night during the debate, Hillary was asked about Bill's "new attack dog role" in the campaign, to which she replied that the "campaign is not about spouses. Michelle (Obama) and Elizabeth (Edwards) are staunch advocates for their husbands and I respect that."

Okay, Hillary, first of all Michelle and Elizabeth have been a quiet, strong support from the background with no attempt to overshadow or make the campaign about them. They have never once gotten up at a rally and attacked Hillary's record, professionally or personally (and we all know there is plenty that they could attack), nor have they made themselves the focal point of their husbands campaign. Having a spouse as a former president could be a huge advantage in a campaign, but the Clinton's have shown their true colors the way they have handled what would seem to be an upper hand in the election.

This has been a hard post, I am very disappointed in the Clinton's. I think that their tactics are becoming more and more immature and that if they continue to down slide, it could be a factor in a loss for them. This post was also hard to write because I had to write that I agreed with John Edwards and Ted Kennedy. I don't know which is worse.......

In Memory of Fred Thompson

2008-01-22T15:00:00.000-06:00

Today we lay to rest the presidential hope of Fred Thompson. Several hours ago, he announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy for president. He has not won any of the primaries, but his finishes have not been embarrassing either. I guess the big question on the Republican ticket right now is who will Thompson throw his support to? He has in the past supported John McCain, but as far as the issues go, he is much more like Mitt Romney than McCain. Thompson doesn't have a huge support base, but as close as the republican race has been, his supporters could be all someone needed to launch out in front of the pack.

How I Plan on Spending My Tax Rebate Check

2008-01-18T14:08:00.000-06:00

President Bush announced today that he wants a nation wide tax rebate to boost the economy or to "give it a shot in the arm" as he put it. The rebate would effect individuals who make under $85,000 a year and couple who make under $110,000. Rebate checks would be between $500 - $1600 and would probably be mailed toward the end of June since the IRS is a little busy right now. This is projected to cost $145 billion. A final decision is expected to be made Tuesday.

I have a couple of questions for the administration along with a few suggestions of my own......

1. Where is the $145 billion going to come from? This money is called "tax relief" and President Bush has cut taxes so I guess it wouldn't come from taxes. We could use the money in the Social Security Reserve, oh wait, we started using that money when President Regan was in office and it is all gone now. We could increase middle class taxes this year since they are the hardest hit anyway, oh wait, we can't do that until 2010 when Bush's tax cuts expire. Let's just pretend we have the money when we don't and increase the national debt. Yeah, that will work....

2. Why are we entering a recession or, excuse me, a "period of slow growth"? The powers that be are blaming a housing slump and a credit crisis for the slow down of the economy. Okay, lets look more into each of those. The housing slump is a direct result of the housing boom of a few years ago. Home buying became like the "your job is your credit" car lots and the end results are looking similar. Anyone who was breathing could get a home loan. I am not against people buying homes, but in the past few years, people who would not have qualified were put into homes with ARM loans, no money down, interest only, and a number of other scam loans that blew up in every one's faces. Congress is now passing laws for the mortgage industry that requires them to only loan money to people who can pay it back. Really, no really, they have to pay it back? What? The credit crisis has basically the same story - banks and lenders were extending credit to people who had no business getting credit - people without jobs, college students, people with poor credit history's, and on and on. It is sad, because the people who are hurting the most are the people who were put into the loans by big companies with deep pockets. We were having a good economy when all these people were spending all their credit........

3. Does the government think that the middle class is stupid? The tax rebate calls for this money to be put in the hands of the consumer as soon as possible. In fact the government has said "putting money into the hands of households and business that would spend it in the near future is a priority." The only way that this tax rebate would help the economy is if everyone went out and cashed their checks and spent them right away. "Spending" that would help the economy does not include paying bills, paying off debt, investing, saving, or paying educational expenses. The government is counting on the middle class and poor going to their local furniture store and buying that king size water bed they have been drooling over or going to Best Buy and taking home that big screen plasma TV. I think that members of the middle class would surprise the government, many are very conservative and movements are going on across the country for people to become debt free (we, personally, are Dave Ramsey converts). The majority of people in this group are not stupid, they are living a quiet life, paying their bills, and saving money for their kids and retirement (because we all know the government will not have the money to take care of us in the future). Of course there are those who will spend every penny of their rebate plus some and will boost the economy that day, but will be back to their broke status the next day. They soon will not be out there spending money.......

........which brings me to.....

4. Is this tax rebate going to solve the economic crisis? Maybe temporarily, but it is not the answer for a soft economy. This will allow Bush to finish his term with a higher approval rating (I love that George Bush, he's gonna send me a check in the mail!), but once the money is spent things will go back to the way they were. What we need is a comprehensive plan to get the economy in shape. We could start with government spending and end with more money in consumer's wallets. Somewhere in the middle we should deal with inflation, getting a handle on credit companies, the national debt, and medical costs. Instead we are going to put another band aid on the problem and hope that it stops the bleeding.

Don't get me wrong, I'll take my check, but I doubt that I will use it to help the economy much. We might go out and eat, but I would imagine that money will fit nicely in our savings account.

Who Is My Perfect Match?

2008-01-15T13:48:00.000-06:00

It is really hard to determine who to vote for. I really believe that everyone should study the issues and determine who is running that would be the best fit for the country. It is not necessarily who we like the best, who has the best hair (that would be John Edwards, hands down), or who has the hottest bod (Fred Thompson anyone?). My friend Tammy emailed me this link. It is a quiz that matches your beliefs about 11 of the most current topics with the candidate who is most like you and then rates all the candidates from most to least in common with you. When I did the quiz, the top two who share my beliefs are not necessarily who I think will make the best president, that person was near the bottom of the list. It is pretty interesting and once you take the quiz there are links to all the candidates web pages and stuff like that. Enjoy!

http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

Who Is The Blackest of Us All?

2008-01-14T14:22:00.000-06:00

This morning I was awakened by the Today Show's breaking news: "More political drama as Obama and Clinton campaigns wage race war." It seems that while speaking at a rally, Hillary said that "the Martin Luther King dream of racial equality was realized only when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964." Granted, I am not paid to look for things to ruin the chances of another Clinton presidency, but this statement doesn't send up red flags for me. It seems to me that she was saying exactly what she said - that due to the Act of 1964, MLK's dreams came true. The Obama campaign however, saw it as diminishing Kings role in the Civil Rights Act. How exactly did she do that? Her team retorted however by publishing a memo that surfaced from the Obama camp that listed examples of statements by Clinton that could be construed as being "racially insensitive." Can you say "Ugly Campaign Tactics?" Of course John Edwards had to get in his support for Obama (or the man he hopes will pick him up as a running mate) by saying," I was troubled recently to see a suggestion that real change came not through Rev. Martin Luther King, but through a Washington politician. I fundamentally disagree with that."

Hillary is not alone in her "racially insensitive" comments. Bill has also been targeted for saying that Obama's Iraq War Strategy is a "fairy tale." The relationship between this statement and racially negative words is not clear to me. Obama's team believes that Bill was insinuating that Obama's dreams of being president (since he is a black man) are a "fairy tale." What?

All of this "strategy" comes a little over a week before the South Carolina primary on January 26 where at least half of all registered voters are African American. That state would be an important win for either Clinton or Obama and would be a good indication of which camp had Black America support in this election.

Historically, the Clinton's have fared well with black voters, and Bill was even dubbed the "first black president" by well known religious leaders in the black community. The Clinton's believed they could count on the black vote, which is becoming increasingly more important to capturing a victory, until Obama made such a showing, gaining support of Oprah and other leaders in the black community as well as much of the white voter support in Iowa. After his Iowa win, while making a speech, Obama's wife Michelle commented that,"some blacks may not think a White America will elect him, but there ain't no black people in Iowa."

I have thought about this and I really don't think think that Hillary Clinton made those remarks as a deliberate charge against Martin Luther King or against Barack Obama. Do I think she is above making remarks that might be derogatory? No, I think she could make very insensitive remarks if she wanted to or thought it would help her. I don't think she did this, because she is too smart to open this can of worms that would look negatively on her right before the SC primaries. Everything that comes out of her mouth is calculated and is part of her bigger plan. This has too much possibility of effecting her negatively and she would not put that out there with that risk. Bill? I don't give him that much credit, but I don't think he was being "insensitive" either.

It sounds too simple, but if all involved would just stick to the facts and how they relate to current issues, the right American might just get elected.

Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest.........

2008-01-12T12:28:00.000-06:00

In the children's movie, Beauty and the Beast, all of the house hold items sing a little song when Belle first enters the Beast's castle. The first line of the song goes something like this, "Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test......" It is funny that this song comes to mind when I think about the immigration issues the US is currently having. I can just picture Americans standing along the border, arm in arm, with the president right in the middle, singing this very song. Come on over, use our schools, our hospitals, drive on our roads, live in our cities, work, don't pay taxes, don't get proper documentation, don't obey the laws, just be our guests. That is the very image that we seem to be showing to all illegal aliens. If we were not, they would not be coming over by the truck load (literally).

Everyone seems to have a new policy, but the problem is not the policy, it is the enforcement. I applaud the Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies, because I know that they are working hard to keep the borders and the border states safe. They are, however a small team, too small and to underfunded to properly keep out all illegal immigrants. We can make new laws, build a fence, and do countless other things, but until we enforce the laws, we will get nowhere.

I am not against LEGAL immigration. I believe that this country is what it is today because of all the different cultures and ideas that have literally come from all over the world. I know that American can offer many things to people from all over the world. There are many people who's dreams can only be realized here. They are welcome, if they go through the proper process to become citizens. There are ways for people to apply for citizenship. There is a lot of paperwork involved and it can take years, but isn't that worth it? Apparently not, when you can just cross the border, work, rent apartments, send your kids to school, have more babies in hospitals, and not have to go through any of the "legal mambo-jumbo."

A common thing seen primarily in border states is to have women in labor, come across the border, go directly to the hospital and have the baby on American soil. That makes the baby an American. Their thinking is that we would not send the parents back because of the child. Maybe we should. The parents could have the option of taking the child or leaving him or her. Cruel? Maybe it would stop this. No where else in the world can you just move to another country and set up housekeeping without going through the proper channels. We have to step up and start enforcing this in American. We are so concerned with hurting feelings, we are being walked all over. What about their rights, liberals cry? What rights, if you are illegal, I didn't know you qualified for rights.

Entertainer-In-Chief?

2008-01-10T15:51:00.001-06:00

Last night Mike Hucklebee graced late night viewers for the second time in one week with an appearance on Dave Letterman commenting that it he is running for president because you get to live in a really nice house in Washington D.C. Last Wednesday he appeared on Jay Leno. I admit that I am a Leno fan. I get a really big kick out of his opening monologue (usually that is all I can stay awake for), and sometimes I will watch if there is a guest appearance by someone I really, really, like. I do not however watch Jay Leno, to get my news, find out about current events, or to help me make an educated decision on who to vote for the next president of the United States. When I think about who would better serve our country for the next four years, my decision has never been based on how a candidate can hold his own with the likes of Dave Letterman. "Oh, he can read a punch line from a tele-prompter, check." I find it much more important for someone to hold their own with leaders from other countries, with congress, you know, people like that.

In my eyes, we are continuing to dumb down American (more on the dumbing down of American in a future post), by making a joke or gaining some laughs from a presidential candidate appearing on a late night talk show. Hucklebee's camp would say that he is reaching out to a different group of viewers, he is spreading the word. I would answer by saying what word? If he actually talked about issues, as Barack Obama did on Ellen a few months ago and as Bill Clinton did on MTV's rock the vote (despite the audience's question concerning boxers or briefs, that Monica Lewinsky could have just as easily answered), that would be a different story. I could be wrong, but from what I have read, it is mostly young, educated, informed individuals who watch Late Night TV for comic relief (you would have to be somewhat informed to catch the full humor in a lot of the jokes, especially Jay's opening ones). Those who would be influenced and make their decision based on the fact that a presidential candidate can play the electric guitar or saxophone are probably watching "The Simpson's" reruns during that hour.

Seriously, there are some major issues plaguing our society today. For starters, our country is at war, we have a financial system disaster, and hundreds of babies are being killed everyday who have not even had the chance to live. Millions of people cannot afford basic health care, illegal aliens are crossing the border at an alarming rate with no resistance, and homosexuals are making a mockery out of marriage. I want to hear about those issues; I want to base my decision of who to support based on their views of these things. That's great if you are funny, can play the flute with your nose or can dance hip-hop, but it would not make me vote for you.

Bad News Barack

2008-01-10T15:51:00.000-06:00

Several entries ago, when I was talking about the good and bad of each candidate, I had very little negative to say about Barack Obama. I based it on the fact that he was young and had a lot of time left to do some really stupid things. I was actually finding myself drawn to the excitement of the Barack Bandwagon, although as of yet no decision has been made on who I will, without a doubt support. Barack seemed to be one of the contenders. Until today that is. John Kerry announced that he was endorsing Barack Obama as the Democratic Nominee for President. Wow! With friends like John Kerry, who needs enemies? One funny thing to come out of this is the fact that Kerry is not endorsing his former running mate for president, John Edwards. Something to think about.....

President Who?

2008-01-09T13:41:00.000-06:00

President Clinton, President Obama, President Edwards, President Romney, President Hucklebee, President Thompson, President McCain......One often overlooked way to determine who to vote for in the election - put every one's last name behind "President" and see which one sounds the best. A very simple tactic, used in by junior high girls to determine who they should marry (who's last name sounds best with my first name), it seems to be as good as any in this years election. So far voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, have given no clear clue as to who will hold that title after next November. Hillary, made a comeback (just like her husband did in New Hampshire, we are constantly reminded in the press), but not a landslide as she would have hoped. It could be Obama's turn next, as he seems to be the poor Chihuahua underdog, beaten up by the pit bull Clinton campaign. Many were moved by Hillary's strategic use of tears the other day, but few, very few have been moved by John Edwards, plight of the middle class campaign that seems to have attempted to jump on Obama's coat tails to use some of his excitement and momentum for his own benefit. Could it be in the back of Edwards' mind that he is not going to be president, but maybe if he can get Obama to notice him, he might stand a chance as vice president?

The Republicans had their own "fruit basket turnover" with John McCain coming out of nowhere to claim victory in New Hampshire. Mitt Romney was a close second and Pastor Hucklebee third. Does a war hero make a good president? We have had a few, but I don't think that having been a POW is a clincher on the resume. I am really big on the personally lives of people who want to lead our country, believing that how a person behaves and acts in their personal lives directly effects how they will act and decisions that they will make in leadership positions. After being released (McCain was held in a POW camp for 5 years during the Vietnam War), instead of returning to his wife and children, he met and started dating another woman whom he later married. I don't intend for this to be full of "juicy gossip", but things like this make a difference to me and the choices I will make at the polls.

Any predictions for the Michigan primaries next Tuesday?

A Time for War

2008-01-08T12:39:00.000-06:00

In Ecclesiastes 3 we learn that "there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." More specifically in Ecclesiastes 3:8, we learn that there is "a time for war and a time for peace." I'm am a really simple person - God said it, I believe it and that is that. I don't need the history channel to tell me that there is scientific proof of the Great Flood, I don't need to see the ark, I just believe, Faith is what that is called. So when God said that there would be a time for war, I believe it. I am not "pro war" or excited about the prospect of war, I simply believe that war is something that is part of time and until the end of time there will be periods of history where there is war. Do I wish for "peace on earth?" Of course, but I don't believe that is a reality.

A big part of the campaign has been what the candidates believe about the war in Iraq. Hillary has told us that every soldier would be home within her first 60 days in the White House. Most of the other democrat candidates had said within their first year in office, the troops would be home. They cannot believe that this can be a reality. For five years, our soldiers have worked tirelessly to help the Iraqi people gain freedom. They have helped make the world a safer place by removing some of those in power including Saddam Hussein and some of Osama Bin Ladin's top officials. I think it says a lot for Homeland Security that we have not had another attack on US soil since '01. Nobody can believe that if we remove all of our troops right now, that Iraq would remain in the state that it is in and that the US would remain a safer place.

It doesn't matter if we should have gone in to Iraq or not. It doesn't matter if we should have done things differently, we are there and we have to deal with the present circumstances. If we leave Iraq now, and our successes there are reversed, all of the work our troops have done, would have been in vain. Many people forget that during World War II, we held a US presence in Germany for 10 years after the war, to ensure that it was secure. If we intend to ensure Iraq's security, we will need to be there for longer than another year. I know the past five years have been hard on our military. They are pulled to the limit. That is one problem with a 100% voluntary military. Other countries have mandatory military service for everyone once they reach a certain age. I don't know if this is a good or bad idea, but it solves several problems. One, there would be a constant refreshment of young, healthy troops to relieve some of the stress of the current military and two I believe mandatory service for ones country gives everyone a different attitude about service, pride, and entitlement.

American has become so diluted with individualism and with people who have no idea what it is to sacrifice. We have all forgotten what it was like during WWII when regular American citizens gave up so much for the war effort. People could not have everything they wanted when they wanted it, items such as meat, eggs, and sugar were rationed so there would be enough for the troops. Today, we just spend more money, increasing our national debt to a point where it is a joke. I cannot name one thing that I have personally given up for the "Iraqi war effort." During WWII, every American believed that they played a part and that led to a surge in American pride, people were proud to be Americans and were even more proud of the men serving the country. I see bits of pride here and there, but as a whole, Americans have continued on with their lives, doing whatever they want, whenever they want, not giving much thought to those serving.

I am thankful that unlike those who returned from Vietnam in the 60's and 70's, our troops today are welcomed home, but they deserve more. Can you imagine the outrage in society if we were asked to ration gasoline to help fund the war? Or what about cloth or products made out of metal? What if we would have to be without electricity for 2 hours a day to help with war funding? There would be rioting in the streets. Would I be willing to give up some of these things, it would be hard, but imagine what good it would do. I am glad that society as a whole supports the troops and the military, but we can do so much more.

Suprise! Suprise! Suprise!

2008-01-04T13:46:00.000-06:00

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of the Iowa Caucuses last night, for the Democrats. I, like many others, really thought that Hillary would blow away everyone else easily. I'm sure even she was shocked by her 3rd place finish. The way I see it, Obama has done several things really well in his campaign: 1. He has really encouraged people to get excited about the elections and has brought in a whole new team of voters. I heard that an estimated 40% of voters yesterday were first timers. Of course that includes people who have just become eligible to vote, but a majority of people were those who have never cared before. 2. He has not stooped to the level of nastiness of others. He has taken his critics with a grain of salt and let most things simply slide off his back. For example, early on, Hillary, made the comment that she had not made it a life goal to be president (some think that voters will like someone better who has not had political dreams to be in the white house) unlike that of Obama, who has wanted it since grade school. Upon winning yesterday, he told reporters that "It feels good, just like I thought it would when I was talking to my Kindergarten teacher about being president." I thought that was clever. And 3. He has Oprah on his team. Enough said.

I don't really know what I expected out of the Republican team, but I was surprised that some made such a good showing, Hucklebee and Thompson, for example. I really expected Romney to do well, but Hucklebee gaining 9% points and Thompson coming in 3rd was unexpected. I find it a little humorous that Giuliani received almost no votes, not visiting Iowa, preferring to put his eggs all in the Florida basket. We will see how that works for him in February.

New Hampshire primaries are next Tuesday so we will see if this surprising trend continues. This is only step one in what I think will prove to be a very interesting election year.

And the race is on.....

2008-01-03T12:41:00.000-06:00

Well, it is the official start to the election year! The Iowa Caucus are when everyone can start getting excited about the next presidential election. Oh, wait a minute, all of the campaigning, mud slinging, and promise of change started at least a year ago and that is being conservative. When the results come in we can start narrowing down the field and really decide who will be the next president or as we have said in our house - who out of the choices will do the least amount of damage to our country. I think that it is really sad, that out of all the billions of people in the United States these are the best that we can come up with to run for president. Yes, some are better than others, but where are the really great people who will lead our country? I have been waiting all year for someone to come out of the woodwork and declare their candidacy, but no one did. I did a spread sheet for some of my friends recently that just listed all the candidates and their views on the very basic issues of this years race. I wanted so badly to put in some of the dirt, some of the good stuff that has swayed me to and from each of the candidates, but I wanted it to be just very "non partisan" and just the facts. But that is where the blog comes in...a chance for me to share the way I feel and the "dirt" that I have read about the candidates. I can think of good and bad for each candidate, and some I can think of really ugly. So here it goes, the good, bad, and ugly on the '08 presidential candidates according to me!

Hillary Clinton: The Good: She knows how to get things done, she has the Washington experience, she will fight for what she wants and I have no doubt she will get what she wants if given the chance. Plus, she has already had 8 years in the White House as "President", most people with that experience would get as far away as possible, but she is back. The Bad: No fireside chats. Maybe a couple weeks at charm school could help the cold, dry personality. She has also lived the Washington experience, possibly forgetting the struggle of the "common American" which many believe is desperately needed in the government. The Ugly: People who have gotten in her way have been taken care of - some of them permanently. I'm not saying that she did anything, I am just saying she has plenty of people who take care of her. I certainly would not want to be on her bad side.

John Edwards: The Good: Has the presidential look? The Bad: I can't see him getting much done. He was a great attorney - won a lot of money, but running the country is a different book. You can't pick and choose the things that you can win, like the cases he is famous for. The Ugly: Encourages people to be environmentally and fiscally responsible yet lives in a 26000 sq ft home -yes that is twenty six thousand, hate to see the energy used to heat that sucker! Look at my Carbon Footprint guys!!! He also pays $400 for haircuts. I don't have a problem with people having money; I don't have a problem with people spending money, I do believe that the leader of the United States should have a good track record of moral/fiscal responsibility. His hair cut is almost my mortgage payment, not the most fiscally responsible thing to do.

Rudy Giuliani: The Good: Reduced taxes in New York by billions; could do the same for the country. The Bad: Wants tax payers to foot the bill for abortions for the poor. I can list about a million things that I would rather my tax dollars fund. Funding abortions is just above Ted Kennedy's next raise. The Ugly: Lived with mistress while wife lived in NY governors mansion. He is running on the moral ticket right......? His own daughter has put her support on Brack Obama. I believe that he used 9-11 for his own political benefit. He was in the right place at the right time to get the glory and credit for being the "hero".

Mike Huckabee: The Good: Takes a moral stance on the issues, the "guy next door" image. The Bad: Doesn't seem to really grasp the seriousness of the issues, especially health care, believing that proper diet and exercise for everyone would solve the country's health care crisis. The Ugly: The Baptist preacher has been a little shady during some of his interviews and on his ads. He claims the innocent card, but when something nasty or suspicious is said about another candidate it is out in the open and cannot be taken back. This can be a very good strategy, much like that of a trial lawyer saying something and letting it be "stricken from the record". The statement is still out there, the jury still heard it - that was the point. Plus do we really need someone else from Arkansas or can we even stomach someone else from Arkansas? Side note, he too was born in Hope, birthplace of Bill Clinton.

John McCain: The Good: Decorated war hero and POW survivor - knows what it is truly like to fight for his country. The Bad: Has voted against tax cuts. The Ugly: After returning home from Vietnam to a wife who stood faithful all the years he was held and who was recovering from a serious car accident, he begins dating and living with another woman, whom he later married. This shows me anyway, a lack of integrity. I can have very little if any respect for a man (or a woman) who is not faithful to their spouse.

Barack Obama: The Good: Lots of young energy; does not deny youthful indiscretions, but admits when he has been wrong. Seems to be one of the more moderate of the liberals. The Bad: Not a lot of international experience. The Ugly: I need readers help on this one. The guy hasn't done anything completely and horrifically out of line, then again he is about 20 years younger than the rest of the candidates - they have had more time to screw up.

Bill Richardson: Who is Bill Richardson????

Mitt Romney: The Good: He stands on the moral side of the issues. Did some great things for Heath Care in Massachusetts. The Bad: Seems to have flip-flopped on some of the issues when it served him to do so. His voting record however defends his statements as of now. The Ugly: The Mormon card - Although, I do not believe that his being Mormon makes a difference on how he runs the country. I don't know if everyone could get over that to support him and give him a chance as president.

Fred Thompson: The Good: Says what means and means what he says - no tip toeing around the words here. The Bad: A little energy and excitement please? I get tired every time I hear him talk. The Ugly: I played a president on TV and it was fun - Maybe I could do it in real life. I liked him on TV, he played many roles well, could this be just another acting gig?

What is going to happen tonight? Historically, results from Iowa are a good indicator of how the rest of the country will vote. I still think that it is any one's game at this point. Is anyone above the right one for president? I don't really think so. My vote this year is going to have to be with the one whom I believe will do the least damage to the country and I am really honestly not sure who that is yet. Good thing I have until March.

Welcome to my world

2008-01-03T12:16:00.000-06:00

Let me start by saying that this is not going to be a sweet blog with news about my family or funny stories (although I have a wonderful family and plenty of cute stories), but more a forum to share my thoughts and opinions about things in the world. I am using this primarily to get a chance to discuss current events and welcome anyone to discuss or debate the issues. I don't know if anyone will read this (except for my dad!!), but at the very least it will allow me to keep my mind and my writing skills active and I will think I have a voice in the world. With the election year in full swing, I doubt I will be lacking for topics to write about, but we will see how things go. Who am I? I am proud to be a wife and mother - that is the greatest job I have ever or will ever have - but there is much more to me than most people are aware of. I hold a masters degree in human behavior and management and worked in the human resource field for 5 years before becoming "domesticated" and staying home to care for my family. I spent almost 10 years in the field of early childhood education before becoming burnt out and returning to school for my masters in "something else - anything else!" I have always been a non fiction sort of person, liking true stories much more that fiction. I have always liked the story behind the seen - the stories of the people involved. For example, since about the 6th or 7th grade, I have been interested in military history, especially the stories of women's history in the services (No - I am not a raging "Femi-Nazi"), but I am interested in the stories behind the wars, the people involved, who they are, what are their lives like. I skip over the parts in the books that describe battles and war strategies, but devour the stories of the families of the soldiers and the lives that they live. I have a great deal of interest in current events and have strong ideas and opinions about them. I consider myself a moderate conservative, as most of my values fall on that side of the fence, but I do hold some ideas that could be considered by some on the ultra conservative - Laura Ingram, Rush Limbaugh - side of things. I am well read and keep up with the events of the world. I am a christian and that dictates a lot of my values and how I feel about different issues. If you are not bored by now, keep reading my posts and lets start a discussion about the events.