Hello...hello

LONG time since I posted. Lots going on. Things I've discovered:

1. Rather than buying stuff for your kids when shopping, give them a little bit of money and let them decide what they want/need. When we were at Disney World a few weeks ago, we loaded up a couple of gift cards for the kids and trusted them to spend their OWN money. Both did a good job managing this, and my youngest even had about $15 left over on his he was "saving" to spend on Club Penguin merchandise when we got home. I needed to set up my own gift card for my own usage as the Credit Cards came out more than I would have liked for stuff I wanted.

2. Surprising kids are great. We surprised them with the trip to Disney World, and we've decided to plan low cost, simple things without necessarily telling them what we're doing. LOVE IT!

3. I spend a lot of time listing to Podcasts. ESPN daily offerings, WDW Fanboys, BS Report (with Bill Simmons), Vinylmation, Adam Carolla, WDW Today, Firewall & Iceberg, Kevin Smith stuff (I can't keep up with his daily stuff, and I'm kind of pulling away from him a bit, REALLY VULGAR and differing points of view than me). Other than the Foo Fighters, can't remember the last time I listened to much music. I must be getting old and my podcasts are to me what WBBM talk radio was to my father.

4. I don't read enough books. I read A LOT, but it's either newspapers, news articles, twitter, linked articles, and research for work. We're starting a family reading program this summer and WE'RE ALL reading the same book. In Cameron's case, I'm reading to him.

5. I think I'm getting too old to make new friends. As I've gotten older, I've found I'd rather spend time with my family, old friends, or alone, than to reach out and make new friends. This is kind of sad, but I think who I am becoming.

6. I'm eating less and working on my cardio a lot more. I hit the eliptical probably 5 or 6 times a week. Not for an extended period, but I'll crank out about 3.3 to 3.5 miles in a half hour, and burn around 400 calories. Since I've started reducing my food, I'm down about 8 or 10 pounds. Need to start back on the push ups.

All for now. More later

TICKLED!!!!

I don't know what headline on Drudge tonight made me happiest, so I'll let you choose:

1 The Day Healthcare Died.
2 Pelosi: House Lacks Votes to OK Senate Health Bill...
3 Brown Heads to Washington
4 UN Abandons Climate Change Deadline
5 Chief Admits Mistake on Himalayan Warning
6 Air America Ceases Live Programming, Will File for Bankruptcy

I just don't know which one makes me smile the widest....

Health care reform means more power for the IRS | Washington Examiner

Health care reform means more power for the IRS | Washington Examiner

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New Weezer!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hf1SPR6W8E

LOVE IT!!!!!

Town Hells

I don't want socialized medicine, and I believe the majority of Americans don't want it either (there were polls and if I recall correctly almost 70% are happy with their current health care). So when the August recess rolled around and members of the House started holding town hall meetings to try and "sell" their cockamamie health care takeover, they started getting an earful.

The rush to jam this omnibus through was to avoid anyone saying anything before it was too late. The guy spent six months picking out a freakin' family dog, and this overreach has to be passed in a few weeks, before the bill could possibly be completely read, and it's not even really finished.

Apparently to eliminate our right to peaceful assembly and dissent, Obama is enlisting Union thugs to muscle us out (oh, and Unions are to be exempt from the "universal health care" bill that is currently circulating, and government employees won't be part of it either). If only the mainstream media weren't in his pocket and complicit in his election, you might hear more about this.

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

Punch back twice as hard? He's taking the theoretical class warfare and making it physical.

Welcome to Chicago Politics America!

Pieces of My Adolescence...Gone....

Two stories are in the ether these days that touched me.

The death of John Hughes

The retirement of Jeremy Roenick

Both are only related in the intersection of who I was when I was younger and who I'd ultimately grow into. John Hughes's movies were fantastic and spoke to me. I never saw "Pretty in Pink" as I never really dug Molly Ringwald, and James Spader was creepy. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" was just an inspiring movie. The whole "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around, you might miss it" is still good advice today (and some that I think I need to heed, with the boys growing so quickly). "Weird Science" was funny and a little naughty but had a similar theme that anything was possible. Not that you could make a barbie doll into Kelly LeBrock (when she was SMMMMMOOOOKIN' HOT!!!), but that two social misfits to rise above, be popular, and get the girl, so I guess the whole thing was a fantasy. Add into it "The Breakfast Club" and then "Sixteen Candles" (one of the most quotable movies this side of Caddyshack) and you have something REALLY special. I didn't even know he wrote "Vacation".

JR. The first personalized jersey I ever bought. And I bought it when you had to have the letters and numbers put on at a specialty shop, rather than one off the hanger at "the Sports Authority" or from NHL.com (no, there wasn't an NHL.com when I was a kid, there wasn't even a .com when I was a kid). I bought it as a consolation prize. I had ordered an authentic Montana Jersey at a Merle Harmon's Fanfair for a girl I was dating at the time. The relationship went bad and the jersey wasn't in, so rather than give it to her anyway, I couldn't return it for cash, only store credit. So, I got a home Blackhawks jersey and took it to get the 27 on the back and sides, and ROENICK across the back.

He was a great interview, played MUCH bigger than he was, and he was REALLY FREAKIN' talented. "Swingers" was right on with his rating in NHL '94.

He never should have been traded for Zhamnov and a bag of magic beans (cardinal rule in trading, ALWAYS GET the marquee player in the deal), and really until last year it extinguished the flame that was my passion for Blackhawk hockey.

I was really befuddled that the Blackhawks didn't sign him to a one day contract so he could retire a Blackhawk. When I read about his press conference, I knew why and it was because the Sharks gave him the chance to leave the game on his terms. Bravo!

At least he'll be a Blackhawk when inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Global Warming and Developing Nations

If you know me, you know I'm skeptical of the global warming alarmists out there who insist that if we do not reduce our economic output the polar ice caps will melt and people will die. The fact that this has been one of the coolest summers in Chicago in my memory seems to me to justify my stance (to be fair, I have relatives in Nevada who are suffering through their third week of 100 degree days).

Anyway, I've been dubious to the efforts of the Democrats to pass the "Cap and Trade" bill for a number of reasons, some of which are that it transfers more power to the Government and away from private industry (you know, people who create JOBS), is a hidden HUGE Tax increase on Americans, and it's based on inconclusive science that anybody who questions it has been demonized.

Lastly, my concerns were no matter how badly we damage our economy, people lose their jobs and cannot provide for their loved ones because of this, the efforts would be in vain because few other countries are pushing this agenda as well.

Whatever production we shut down will be increased in India and China because they are emerging economies and like to have discretionary income.

Anyway, I saw George Will's column and it crystalized it for me. Please hit the Post and read (it was also printed in the Chicago Tribune as well today).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/22/AR2009072202415_pf.html

Figured Out Why There's a Hurry...

To pass health care "reform" before the August recess. It's because the President can only delay his economic update so long and he's hoping to jam down this NEW round of spending we as a nation cannot pay for (and expand the power further of his administration) before it's released...wait for it...DURING THE AUGUST RECESS!!!!

That economic update will show how badly Team Obama "misread the economy" (those are Joe Biden's words, not mine), how the last thing the nation needs is ANOTHER round of spending, and if he truly cared about the economic health of the Nation, he'd put his vanity project on hold until later.

It's like rushing out to buy a new car you don't need before the bill is due on your mortgage you cannot afford.

It's all right here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072002277_pf.html

Feel free to highlight and paste in a new browser.

See, It's SIMPLE!!!

No need to debate Free Market Healthcare, just RAHM it through!!!!

What is the Rush?

So, the Dems in the House fashioned a cap and trade bill just tonight (Wednesday), and are going to vote on Friday. So, is this bill, simple, straightforward, short, and solves the "problem"? The answer to all of this is "of course not", which is why they want to vote on it less than 48 hours later, before ANYONE has time to read it, much less figure out the pros and cons and then have a debate.

This happened before with the stimulus bill (which hasn't stimulated ANYTHING except government waste). Didn't we learn from that?

If the Republicans had tried this nonsense, the Mainstream Media would have had a field day. ABC couldn't be reached for comment because the President told them not to.

Somewhere Algore is smiling, before jetting off somewhere else to lecture the masses about pollution, while promoting his personal business interests.

Here's the link to the WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124579482359843937.html

Lakehurst

Ahhh yes....TOO MUCH TIME spent there as a youngin. Aladdin's Castle, The Gift Tree, Shaver's World, Chess King, JR's Records, The Athlete's Foot, Joker's Wild, THIS PLACE HAD IT ALL!!!

Loved it!

There are a Number of Reasons Why I Haven’t Been Blogging:

• You’re right I’ve been busy.

• I’m on Facebook probably too much right now (NEVER while at work, EVER!!!!).

• The wind is out of my sails politically right now. The Republicans have nothing. They’ve done nothing. There’s no credible opposition in the current march toward Socialism that’s going on right now in Washington, and nobody is bothering to cover it. Unemployment jumps another 345,000 and the media couches it as “a good thing”. Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.

• Local politics have beaten me down. All they talk about in Springfield is raising taxes and there’s a budget deficit of like 12 Billion dollars (or something like that, the numbers are TOO BIG to have any meaning and they’re all starting to run together for me), yet they find the money for a women’s war memorial, a new footbridge, and the zoo. Yet, if they don’t raise taxes NOW, they’ll lay off all the cops, empty out the prisons and close the schools. They accept the most toothless ethics “reforms” ever and the only people covering (and doing it well) are the Tribune. GOD BLESS THEM. Nobody else cares.

• I’m tired of how politicians and celebrities say completely contradictory things and nobody calls them on it. Just because Burris claims he didn’t try to buy that Senate seat doesn’t mean he didn’t try. When did this become an option? LIE TO THEIR FACES and there’s no concern for it coming back to bite you. I hear those transcripts and think the Burris didn’t do it because he was incapable of it, not because he didn’t want to. He offered, but was impotent when it came time to do the deed. How is it my best interest as a citizen of Illinois to have this bozo representing me? He can’t even cheat right.

• I’m tired of the Drew Peterson’s of the world. How is this guy STILL in the news? The amount of energy and money devoted to giving this creep a platform astounds me. GO AWAY!!!

• I’m tired of reality television, and yes I know I’m part of the problem because I watch it from time to time, but really, shows like “Rescue Me” are too few and too far in between. Do we need “I’m a Celebrity, Get me Outta Here.”? Who are Heidi and Spencer Pratt and should I be embarrassed because I know their names (but not what they do)?

• Why does having 8 kids either by yourself or with your wife (who you apparently hate because she’s apparently psycho) make you noteworthy? Why do people think I care?

I've apparently turned into a grumpy old man

D-Day and Obama Beach

At least he didn't apologize for that, so I guess it's a step in the right direction.

Tax Dollars At Work

Almost $400,000 of them.





I don't fault Obama for dumping the news (with the rest of the trash on a Friday afternoon), because W used to do it before him and Willie did it before him (and probably Bush 42...)

At least someone got fired for causing a collective flashback to 9/11 for millions of New Yorkers.

It's Over!!!

The checks and balances I mean. With Spector flipping to the Democrats, and Stuart Smalley maneuvering his way to the Senate in Minnesota, there will be the magic 60 votes in place to break any filibuster the impotent Republicans could muster.

Goodbye tax cuts, innovation in healthcare, 2nd Amendment, School Vouchers, Secret Ballot, world class healthcare, and Capitalism.

Hello tax increases, cap and trade (a FARCE), Gun Control, Card Check legislation (BIG UNIONS), socialized medicine, inferior healthcare and Socialism.

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid can pass whatever laws they want and NOBODY CAN STOP THEM!

Let's give the media, sheep that followed them, and LOUSY leadership of the Republicans a round of applause.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!

"Never Let A Good Crisis Go To Waste"

Not my words, but those of Rahm Emanuel the POTUS Chief of Staff (or the "tiny dancer" as a friend of mine calls him in a nod to Rahm's time as a Ballet dancer).

Anyway, Global Warming is a sham and the Democrats are cowards who would rather plug their ears and say "lalalalalalalala" rather than have a serious debate.

Witness their desire to have Al Gore, the global warming "expert" himself testify without allowing a counter point on how dire it is for the government to hammer out the Cap and Trade taxes on businesses (in a recession no less, did these clowns even bother studying economics) without debate NOW.

The Republicans flew in Lord Christopher Monckton, a former science advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to testify and the Democrats refused.

Here's the link: http://www.climatedepot.com/a/429/Report-Democrats-Refuse-to-Allow-Skeptic-to-Testify-Alongside-Gore-At-Congressional-Hearing


The global warming emperor has no clothes and the party in power would just assume we didn't notice.

Out of Control!!!

I was a Commercial Banker once upon a time. Take a look at these financials:

Figures on government spending and debt

Total public debt subject to limit April 16 11,125,587
Statutory debt limit 12,104,000
Total public debt outstanding April 16 11,183,899
Operating balance April 16 257,351
Interest fiscal year 2009 thru February 148,762
Interest same period 2008 198,518
Deficit fiscal year 2009 thru February 764,525
Deficit same period 2008 264,541
Receipts fiscal year 2009 thru February 860,877
Receipts same period 2008 967,153
Outlays fiscal year 2009 thru February 1,625,402
Outlays same period 2008 1,231,694
Gold assets in March 11,041

Interest is down, but that's a function of interest rates in the market, NOT outstanding debt.

The deficit is up 500,000 (I assume this is in millions, so it's 500 Billion), receipts (I assume taxes collected) are DOWN 100,000 (again, it's 100 Billion) over the same period last year, and spending is up 400,000 (again, it's 400 Billion).

This is a recipe for bankruptcy. STOP THE SPENDING!!!!

I Watched "the Watchmen"

I think that cartoon sums it up nicely....NOT!!!!

SPOOKED!!!!

The American Consumer is scared. Holman Jenkins wrote a fantastic piece on the WSJ about how the supply of money isn't really in short supply, it's the demand. Americans are caught in a vicious cycle of savings!!!!

Now, I'm joking slightly, but the truth is because we're told how bad things are out there, how they're only going to get worse, how for the last 18 months we heard about "failed policies" ad nauseum, and we watch Congress and the President cram though enough spending to fund the Iraq war (AGAIN) in three weeks, it scares us. Lots of folks have lost their jobs (so they can't be spending), but I know personally, after we got a little bonus, we went a little crazy with spending, but we've dialed back too.

I've lost my faith that the government can spend our way out of this mess. My friend Geoff suggested to me that the government could consider, rather than giving the money to the banks and demanding they lend, give it to the homeowners (ALL of them, not just the idiots who borrowed too much because someone said they could) a one time voucher to be used to substantially reduce their first mortgage debt. It would help with the folks who's mortgages are inverted, spur purchases and refinances, and ALL the homeowners would benefit.

How about it???

Promotion Across Multiple Platforms=AWESOME

So, Brooke and I were catching up on "How I Met Your Mother" or HIMYM and I'm dumbfounded that this show doesn't have stronger ratings.

One plot line had Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) speaking of his "video resume" on www.barneysvideoresume.com (it was LEGENDARY) and I figured I'd see if it really exists, and yup, it does.