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| Visitors Out: 2009 |
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| Addicted To Oil |
| 2008-05-20 18:05:28 |
While listening to a discussion about the cost of a barrel of oil hitting another new high, I heard that irritating phrase "addicted to oil". I think this is an absolutely ridiculous way to describe our dependence on oil. It's not like there is a choice between using oil or something else. It is like saying we are addicted to food, clothing, and shelter. These things are necessities and we have created a society where oil is pretty much a necessity. We were warned in the 1970's about the danger of relying so heavily on oil. Instead of creating new alternatives, this country's leadership not only did nothing, but kept us on a path to make us more dependent on oil. By saying we are addicted to oil it's like they are absolving themselves of any blame. Instead of saying we are addicted to oil, I'd like to hear it said that our leadership's lack of vision has left us stuck on oil....
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| Poll Prognostication |
| 2008-05-14 18:18:10 |
If you've watched the coverage of the Presidential Primary elections, then you are familiar with the never ending number of polls that keep coming. It seems like there about a half dozen new ones every day. The political pundits play up the importance of these polls, but rarely report on their accuracy. On numerous occasions the numbers have been way off and at times the polls have been dead wrong. Polls for events in the far future have been even more inaccurate than the short term ones. If we look back to the beginning of this whole process, Clinton and Giuliani were way ahead in the polls. Nobody was looking at the polls and talking about how Giuliani would be knocked out early and that Obama would be leading Clinton. It is hard to take these polls seriously, especially ones that are used to predict an election that is over five months away.Even though these long term polls have proved unreliable, the political pundits will still play up the importance of them. Even the exit p...
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| Special Education Week |
| 2008-05-12 07:40:53 |
This week is special education week in New Jersey. Being the parent of a disabled child in a time where we hear the phrase "jobs that Americans won't do", we should be thankful there are people who are willing to work in this field. If you know someone who works in special education, please take time to say thanks and let them know their efforts are greatly appreciated. Below is a letter that I sent to my son's school, please feel free to copy and pass it along to someone you know.To all special education teachers, therapists and paraprofessionals: My wife and I would like to say thanks for all that you do and want you to know that your hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated. In a society where greed and selfishness run rampant, you are a beacon of light for selflessness. The care and compassion that you give the children is truly awesome. As many people pursue the big home, big car, and big screen TV, I often wonder if they are aware of the big hearts that you possess. ...
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| Operation Chaos |
| 2008-05-07 18:27:28 |
In a previous entry titled Throwing Your Vote, I wrote about the disgraceful behavior of using your vote for the sole purpose of creating mischief. I was angry about it then, but after watching the media coverage of this issue, I am even further angered. All the political analysts talked about throwing your vote like it was a cute little sideshow. Although I believe the impact from this shameful act was minimal, even one person doing it or one person suggesting others do it, is an outrage. Violating the principles of free and fair elections is not the American way. The media should have harshly condemned this behavior. By covering it the way they did, it gave the appearance that throwing your vote is no big deal and acceptable behavior.Ironically, the people who suggest and support throwing your vote, are the same ones who declared themselves the patriotism police. They act as if they are true patriots by judging everybody else's patriotism. These people ...
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| With Us or Against Us |
| 2008-05-05 18:24:28 |
In a stump speech promoting the gas tax holiday, Hillary Clinton invoked the first rule of polarization 101, "if you're not with us, then you are against us". It is this mentality that has led to our country being so deeply divided. This is the same thing as, if you don't support the war, you don't support the troops; or, if you don't support immigration reform, you don't want to do what's right for America. Why can't I be with you, but want to do it a different way? To use the with us or against us line is like saying, if you don't want to do it my way, then you are the enemy. I also want to see relief from the high gas prices, but how about lowering them by strengthening the value of our weak dollar, which has contributed to the rise in oil prices and basically everything we import. Better yet, how about creating an environment where wages are dramatically increased so we can afford the high gas prices along with the rising food prices? I have to say, it is somewhat offens...
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| Gas Tax Holiday |
| 2008-05-04 18:02:45 |
Is the gas tax holiday a realistic proposal or is it just political pandering? FactCheck.org does a great job of analyzing it and showing that it is not a good idea. It seems that most, if not all, economic experts feel the suspension of the gas tax for the summer is a questionable proposal. If this isn't political pandering, then it means that Hillary Clinton and John McCain feel they know better than the experts or have economic advisers that may not be giving good advice. Either scenario is not a good one. We don't need another President who believes he or she has good instincts and surrounds themselves with cronies who give bad advice. Of course, the gas tax holiday most likely is political pandering. It is nothing more than an attempt to buy votes for the possibility of a few dollars a week during the summer. The sad part is that most likely it will work. Political pandering is just like negative campaigning, we say we don't like it, but it usually is eff...
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| Hillary vs. Huckabee |
| 2008-04-27 19:15:24 |
In both the Republican and Democratic Primary we have seen a situation where it has become unlikely that the runner-up could overcome the delegate math to win their party's nomination. In both instances there have been calls for that person to drop out of the race before the leading candidate secured enough delegates to become the nominee. Although each circumstance is different, there is also a big difference in the way each candidate has handled it. Mike Huckabee's message was simple; since nobody had reached the required number of delegates, he was going to stay in the race to give the voters a chance to have their say. Huckabee just continued on with his campaign and maintained a fairly consistent message. When his opponent won enough delegates to secure the nomination, he bowed out gracefully. Looking back, I would have to say Mike Huckabee handled things in a very professional manner. Even if you disagree with his policies, he is certainly worthy of respect.Faced with ...
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| Pain in the Gas |
| 2008-04-25 20:23:58 |
Gas prices continue to rise and there is no telling how high they will go. Even worse, there is nothing to indicate that gas prices will ever return to the high amount we were paying just a year ago. Higher gas prices not only affect us when we fill up our tank, they also affect other aspects of our finances. Everything that we buy is shipped, the higher prices for shipping will eventually mean higher prices for everything. Then there is the effect on government, from the federal down to the smallest municipality. Police cars, fire trucks, school buses, and basically everything that runs on gas increases the operating costs for all budgets. The revenue needed to cover these increased costs will have to come from somewhere, or I should say someone. Of course we must not forget the increased cost to our military, which becomes even larger since we are at war. Again, more tax dollars will eventually be needed to pay for the increased costs.&nb...
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| Closing Out Hillary |
| 2008-04-23 05:41:12 |
With a big victory in Pennsylvania the political pundits are raising the question, why can't Barack Obama close out Hillary Clinton? These are the same people who, at the beginning of the campaign, declared Hillary the inevitable candidate and that nobody could beat her. They talked about the unstoppable political machine that is the Clintons. Not only was Hillary considered to be the eventual nominee, but that she would most likely be the next President. Now that she is no longer the inevitable candidate and is not likely to be the next President, these political pundits want to know why she can't be knocked out of the race before it is over. It seems to me that if these so called experts would go back and look at their own words they would find the answer to their question. Like her or hate her, Hillary is a tough candidate and it is not unreasonable to expect she would at least go the distance if she can't win.These same pundits are asking why is it that with the math on Obama's si...
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| The Dividing Democrats |
| 2008-04-21 18:34:47 |
One of the hot topics for the political season is how the Democrats are risking an irreconcilable division as a result of the negative campaigning. There are many who feel the tone of the campaign is going to leave the Democratic party unable to unite for the General Election. These are probably the same people who said that Republicans would not get behind John McCain and the party would be left divided. All the talk we are now hearing about a divided Democratic party is the same talk that we heard about the Republican party. The truth is that emotions were running high then and they are running high now. Several months ago there were Republicans saying they would never vote for McCain, now we hear none of that talk. Now we are hearing about how Obama and Clinton supporters won't vote for the other candidate if their candidate loses, and several months after there is a nominee we will hear none of it. All of this is nothing more than a perfect ...
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| Consumer Spending vs. Consumer Buying |
| 2008-04-17 19:15:36 |
I was listening to a report on consumer spending this week that left me unsure about the statistic. After reporting that consumer spending was up a little bit last month, the reporter went right into the fact that prices are also up. There wasn't much detail given, and I was left wondering if consumer spending was up because things cost more or if it was because people were buying more things. With some of the sharp increases in prices we have been seeing, it may be possible that we could buy less and actually spend more. Is consumer spending based on the dollar amount spent or the quantity of product bought? This seems like another economic statistic that could be misleading. I'm no economic expert, but I think there is a big difference between how much we are spending and how much we are buying. If we are spending more and buying less, this would be a bad sign for our economy. Like most economic statistics, I think we need a little more information on this one....
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| The 21st Debate |
| 2008-04-17 03:35:16 |
If you wanted to see where the candidates stand on the issues that matter for moving America in a new direction, there wasn't much in last night's debate. I think ABC did a horrible job. Almost the first half of the debate was spent on controversial issues that have already been endlessly jammed down our throat. This debate seemed to be designed more to help the media than it was for the voters. It was as if they were looking to create more controversy so the news media would have more material to help with their ratings. I don't believe there were any questions about education, Afghanistan, or resolving our national debt. Along with other topics of greater importance, these questions could have replaced all the controversial garbage that wasted our time. I understand that these controversial topics deserve some coverage, but lately it seems like there is a whole lot of coverage of controversy and not so much on the issues. The quest for higher ratings by the news media has depri...
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| Now Words Mean Something |
| 2008-04-14 19:00:02 |
For the last month or two both Hillary Clinton and John McCain have made comments about how Barack Obama is nothing but speeches and empty rhetoric. They have made the case that he offers only words and that words mean very little. But now that words might bring political gain, they are suddenly of great importance. As usual, Hillary Clinton wants to have it both ways; when it doesn't help her campaign, words mean nothing, but when it might help her campaign, words mean everything. By Hillary's standard, Barack's comments about Americans being bitter over government's failure to address the needs of the working class should be considered empty rhetoric and meaningless words. I guess by her standard, only words that bring hope and inspiration have no meaning.In this campaign we have seen what words can do, Hillary has used them to take this Primary from issue based to controversy based. We no longer hear much about health care, Iraq, or even the economy. The controversial top...
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| Tax Reform |
| 2008-04-14 03:49:45 |
No matter what our level of income, everybody would like to pay less taxes. Unfortunately, they are a necessary evil if we want to have things such as a national defense and sound infrastructure. At times there are those who talk about reforming our current tax system. Maybe this is something we need to do, but we must first consider if our tax system has failed us or if we have failed our tax system. Every year there are people who find ways to beat the system. The wealthy look for loopholes or move their money to offshore accounts. In an interview on NPR it was reported that the offshore accounts cost us over a trillion dollars in lost revenue. Even if tax reform was able to solve this problem, these people would find other ways to beat the system.Even those who aren't wealthy find ways to avoid paying taxes. Some people just lie when filing taxes, while others deal in cash to avoid paying taxes. I don't know if the lost revenue from all this lying and ...
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| Bitter Moments |
| 2008-04-12 20:14:18 |
I guess silly season has come to an end and now we are moving on to completely stupid season. Barack Obama made some comments about how the working class is bitter about government's failure to replace lost opportunity, and somehow it has become a big issue. The Clinton campaign has accused Obama of being elitist, demeaning, and out of touch. Being a member of the working class, I have to say I can't understand what the hell she is talking about. I have read the comments over and over and just don't get it. I even read them with the intent to be offended and still couldn't come up with anything. Maybe you have to be worth tens of millions of dollars, as Clinton and McCain are, to understand it. I'm not the brightest guy, but I'm smart enough not to be offended just because some politician says I should. If this is the best that Clinton and McCain can do to show they are better candidates, then they must be truly desperate. There have been some stupid issues this election cyc...
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| Success of the Surge |
| 2008-04-10 19:00:00 |
It has been my belief that we won't truly know if the surge in Iraq was successful until those troops come home. We know the results our troops can bring while they are there, but can these achievements be maintained once we leave? If we pull the troops out and the Iraqis keep things in check, only then will we know that the surge was successful. If we pull the troops out and all hell breaks loose, only then will we know that the surge was a failure. All this political posturing about the results of the surge are ridiculous. Enough troops are coming home that we should be able to gauge the success of the surge. It seems doubtful that we would be able to increase the number of troops that are already scheduled to come home anyway. Like it or not, there is going to have to be a period of time after this round of troops come home to see what happens. We've already had the surge, we may as well see the results from it. The politicians should quit bickering and start prepari...
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| Iraq's 30 Billion |
| 2008-04-09 18:20:56 |
As America continues to run up huge debt, it seems that Iraq is running with a surplus of more than 30 billion dollars. Given the fact that we are borrowing about 12 billion a month for this war, I think this is an outrage. If Iraq has any surplus, it should be used to help pay for this mess. This 30 billion dollar surplus could cover two months of the war, money we wouldn't have to borrow. At the very least it should be used to rebuild their infrastructure or to help lift people out of poverty. Maybe the Iraqi government could pass a stimulus package to help stimulate the economy. I'm sure the two million refugees who were displaced as a result of the war could use some of that money. How about helping with the cost to care for the American soldiers who were seriously injured and now find themselves permanently disabled or compensation for the families of American soldiers who lost their loved ones? I just find it ridiculous that Iraq is able to have a surpl...
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| Extinguishing the Olympic Torch |
| 2008-04-07 19:17:21 |
As the Olympic Torch makes its' way around the world, there have been protests to send a message to China that people are unhappy about their actions in Tibet and lack of regard for human rights. In France the emotions were running high and the torch had to be extinguished several times and taken onto a bus for safety. In San Francisco, protesters made the dangerous climb up the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge to hang a sign which read, "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet '08". We have also heard politicians chime in and talk about boycotts. Is any of this really going to matter? I highly doubt that the government of China is really going to care. Even if every country in the world decided to boycott the Olympics, I doubt it would change China's stance on human rights. I don't think there is anything that any politician can do to get China to show a greater respect for human rights.Although there is nothing the politicians can do, the people of the world can do something that...
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| Cutting Jobs |
| 2008-04-07 03:31:22 |
Each month we get the statistics for the number of jobs that have been cut. We get a little insight about these jobs such as what sector of the job market, but are we getting all the information? After listening to a report on NPR about a La-Z-Boy plant that is closing and moving jobs to Mexico, I got to thinking about it. I think that when we get the statistics for the number of jobs cut, it should also include what happen to those jobs. How many lost jobs were just due to a company going out of business? How many of them were moved out of the country or to another state? Last month there were 80,000 jobs cut, I'd like to know where they went. I would also like to hear what was the average pay of these lost jobs. This statistic should be coupled with the average pay of jobs created. I have a feeling we don't get this statistic because the numbers wouldn't be good. Most likely, the average pay of jobs lost is higher than that of jobs which have been created. It's b...
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| McDonald's Mischief |
| 2008-04-03 18:31:34 |
Earlier this year I came across a situation that I found most peculiar. Occasionally I like to get a sausage , egg, and cheese bagel from McDonald's. I usually go to the one that is closest, where it costs $2.67 for the sandwich. On one particular morning I was closer to a different location and was surprised to find myself paying $3.31 for the same item. This left me wondering why it costs 24% more for the same sandwich. The two stores are only about five miles apart. The one with the lower price is located in a commercial area near a mall, plazas, and right next to an interstate highway. The other is in a residential area and sits on a four lane highway. Based on their locations I would have expected the McDonald's with the lower price to be the one that charged more. Of course I still wouldn't expect such a substantial difference.As I thought about this further, I realized there are several apartment complexes near the more expensive McDonald's that would be consider...
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| Causing Seizures |
| 2008-03-31 19:00:48 |
There isn't much that surprises me these days, but there is still plenty that leaves me filled with anger and disgust. In a story on WIRED it was reported that someone or some people maliciously posted links on an epilepsy support message board that brought up images of flickering lights. This strobe light effect can cause seizures or migraines in people with epilepsy. This is a horrible and despicable act. I don't support torture, but would find it difficult to protest torturing the perpetrators of this evil. I don't know if these people can be caught or if there is even anything they can be charged with, but something should be done about it. It's bad enough to try and cause someone to have a seizure, but what if that seizure resulted in a fall that caused serious injury or death? These sick and twisted people put the lives of others in jeopardy and should face some kind of consequence.I must confess that this story touches me on a personal level. I have a d...
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| Changing Views on Communism |
| 2008-03-31 16:48:08 |
In the days of the Cold War there seemed to be a different view on communism than there is today. The Soviet Union was regarded as the evil empire and was looked upon with great suspicion. So how is it we have become so accepting when it comes to communist China? It certainly is a different brand of communism, but it still represents the type of government that was hated and feared for so many years. I can't understand how China isn't looked upon with the same suspicion that we applied to the former Soviet Union. We seem to accept behavior from communist China that would have brought outrage had it been done by the Soviet Union.China has been accused of manipulating currency to gain an advantage on trade with us. They do little to stop the practice of copyright infringement. China also provides subsidies and tax breaks for businesses that violate international trade laws. Militarily they have pushed the envelope with tests to blind satellites, sneaking up on our navy with their submar...
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| Bush's War |
| 2008-03-29 19:25:07 |
PBS recently aired a documentary titled Bush's War; I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but find myself thinking about the title. Will this war be remembered as the Iraq war or will it be remembered as Bush's war? I don't think it is proper that a war should belong to a President, it should belong to all of us, but this President has done very little, if anything, to make the American people a part of it. The war is being paid for with borrowed money and the President has asked no one to help pay for it. Our military is stretched thin and he never asks for volunteers to help ease the burden on our brave men and women. This President has asked us to sacrifice nothing, only that we continue to shop. President Bush has been more concerned about maintaining political support for this war than he has been about making the American people a part of it. Of course, if the President did make us a part of this war, would we support it? Would we support the war if asked to pay a wa...
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| On Reverend Wright |
| 2008-03-26 20:23:26 |
I've been waiting to weigh in on the Reverend Wright issue until I received more facts, but it doesn't appear they will be coming. All I have is a handful of video clips and very little other information to go on. As usual, the news media only gives us the information that will create controversy and stir up emotions. Reverend Wright delivered sermons for over thirty years, even if he only did one a week for thirty years that would be over 1,500 sermons. Surely he must have said some positive things during that time. The things the Reverend said in the video clips are definitely deplorable and show him at his worst, but shouldn't a responsible media also show him at his best? I hear very little about any good the Reverend has done and have seen no video clips of him saying anything uplifting. If he hasn't done anything positive, this is information I need. Were deplorable comments made every week? What percentage of his sermons contained this kind of speech? It is hard to pa...
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| Political Loyalty |
| 2008-03-24 19:00:00 |
Last week, Bill Richardson gave his official endorsement of Barack Obama. With this endorsement came criticism of his loyalty to the Clintons, even being referred to as a traitor. I don't know if Bill Richardson was just looking out for himself, but this whole question of being loyal to a person or political party is absolutely insane. What about being loyal to the United States of America? Let's say Bill Richardson was telling the truth and he believes that Barack Obama is a once in a lifetime leader. That being the case, then I think he owes it to his country to make this endorsement. If he didn't, then Bill Richardson would be putting his loyalties to a person before his loyalties to his country. This is the problem with today's political atmosphere--people's first loyalty is to themselves, their next loyalty is to their political party, then maybe their loyalty is to their country. Even the news media puts their first loyalty to ratings. If we are to get Americ...
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| Our Greatest Threat |
| 2008-03-21 19:33:06 |
If Americans were asked what is our country's greatest threat, an overwhelming majority would most likely say terrorism. Although terrorism certainly is a great threat, it is not our greatest threat. The terrorists may be able to commit horrific acts that cause death and destruction, but are they able to do anything which would result in the collapse of our government? Only a threat that could result with the end of democracy is our greatest one. Some will say that the terrorists could commit an act which would set in motion a chain of events that could lead to collapse, but I would strongly disagree. Any act that the terrorists commit will only pull our nation together. I am confident that there is nothing the terrorists could do, which couldn't be overcome by a united America. The threat of terrorism is real and should be taken very seriously, but we shouldn't let it distract us from a greater threat.To take it a step further, I don't believe there is any external threat that c...
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| Michigan and Florida |
| 2008-03-19 18:43:38 |
This whole controversy over the Democratic Primary in Michigan and Florida is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. If we go back to last year and all the way up to the first Primary, there was virtually no one complaining and making it a big issue. Now there are some who are making it a big issue. Where were these people last year? All of a sudden there are politicians who care about the voters in Michigan and Florida. If these people truly cared, they should have stood up when the decision was made to strip these two states of their delegates. Hillary Clinton comes across as a total fraud. Even after agreeing to the decision by the Democratic National Committee, she still had plenty of time to speak out about this issue. Hillary didn't care about these voters when it appeared like she didn't need them. Now that Hillary needs these voters, she is singing a different tune. Florida Governor, Charlie Christ, is another one who comes across as a total fr...
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| Rating Congress |
| 2008-03-18 18:48:38 |
We hear many people in the news media criticize the politicians, we the people talk about how they are crooks, and the approval rating for congress is around twenty percent, but what will happen come election time? After being told what a lousy job our elected representatives are doing, already believing most politicians are corrupt, and highly disapproving of the job that Congress is doing, we will send most of them back to Washington. We will send back most of the same people who haven't solved any of our nation's problems for the last 25 to 30 years. The same ones who continue to drive up our national debt and future financial obligations. The same people who we will again give low approval ratings. Who is at fault here, the politicians or the people that keep electing them? Election time is when the true approval ratings come out. If we truly disapprove of the performance of our elected representatives, then there should be very few of them returning to Washington.Part o...
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| Winning the Big States |
| 2008-03-16 19:23:56 |
Since it looks like Hillary will be unable to win the most pledged delegates, the ones the voters actually select, she is looking for other ways to secure the nomination. The only way possible will be by convincing the superdelegates to override the will of the people. One of Hillary's arguments is that she is winning the big states. I find this argument weak in that what happens in the Primary doesn't necessarily mean it will happen in the General Election. Trying to win your party's nomination and trying to get elected President are two completely different things. Besides, even if Hillary wins the big states like New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California, it doesn't mean diddlysquat. Both Al Gore and John Kerry won those states, but neither was elected President. Al Gore even won the popular vote, another case Hillary is hoping to make. Winning the big states are nice, but winning enough states to get the required number of delegates is more important....
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| National Debt: 100 Billion in Just 19 Days |
| 2008-03-13 18:43:39 |
I don't know what to say about the national debt anymore. Since reaching the 9 trillion dollar mark, I have written an entry each time another 100 billion is added. It usually takes just under two months, but this time it only took just 19 days to add another 100 billion dollars. On February 21st the debt crossed the 9.3 trillion dollar mark; in less than three weeks it now exceeds 9.4 trillion dollars. I've complained about the lack of media coverage on this issue. I've complained about the lack of attention from our elected representatives. Now it is time to complain about we the people. Does anybody care that our country is accumulating debt at an unimaginable pace? There is no easy way to say this, but we are selling out our children and grandchildren. We are mortgaging their future so that we might avoid inconveniencing our present. The financial burden that we are leaving for future generations will make them look back on us with hatred and animosity. "As parents, we can ha...
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| Now That McCain is the Nominee |
| 2008-03-11 19:00:00 |
Before the Republican Primary was decided there were many people who claim to be true conservatives that said there was no way they would vote for John McCain. These people talked about staying true to conservative principles and were willing to suffer defeat in order to send a message that their party needs to change. Now that John McCain is the nominee, these people seem to have disappeared. The talk of restoring conservative principles has faded away and been replaced with talk of getting behind John McCain. I would actually have great admiration for someone who was willing to stick to their principles, but it appears that people were just speaking emotionally and didn't really think before speaking. The truth is that no matter who was the nominee, the loyal Republicans would get behind him.The Democratic party is no different. We are now hearing talk about a divided party, but once the nominee is chosen, all the loyal democrats will get behind him or her. For all th...
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| The Dream Ticket |
| 2008-03-10 19:02:22 |
I hate to break the news to the Democrats, but the dream ticket is only a dream to them. If Obama were to put Clinton on the ticket as VP it might even be a dream ticket for the Republicans, but for many independents like myself, any combination of the two is a nightmare. I believe Obama would lose a majority of his independent support and virtually all of his Republican support if he took Clinton as his Vice President. It would also be a gift to the Republicans who will rally around McCain if Hillary is on the ticket. If Barack Obama is the nominee, not only does he not need her, but I think Hillary would hurt his chances of winning. On the flip side, if Clinton is the nominee, she probably would need him. Again, this ticket would lose most of Obama's independent vote and all of the Republican vote. And again with Hillary on the ticket, especially as the nominee, the Republicans would rally around John McCain. The Democrats who support this dream ticket represent ...
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| The Polarization Queen |
| 2008-03-09 20:00:00 |
If you want to get an idea of what a Clinton Presidency will look like, just take a look at the direction of the Democratic Primary. It appears that Hillary will do whatever it takes to win, even if it means dividing the Democratic party. If she somehow gets the nomination, I'm sure Hillary will do whatever it takes to win the Presidential election, even if it means dividing the country. This division grew under Bill Clinton and has become even worse under George Bush. Although there isn't much room for further division, there is plenty of room to become more deeply divided. The next President must not only be able to overcome the division, but somehow soften the animosity and bitterness that exists. I don't believe Hillary has any shot of doing this. It seems as if she is able to bring out the worst in people. Hillary is kind of like Wal-Mart, you either grow to love her or hate her. America cannot afford to have another Presidency like this.I am reminded of a news spe...
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| CEO Pay |
| 2008-03-06 18:04:05 |
In an effort to show the American people that they are actually doing something to help, Congress will be holding hearings where they will question CEO's and take on the issue of CEO pay. I seriously doubt that anything will come out of these hearings that will help the American people. This will be nothing but a show and it will neglect to cover the real problem. The problem isn't that CEO's are making too much money, it is that the American worker isn't making enough. Even if Congress could wave a magic wand and reduce CEO pay to one-hundred thousand dollars, the American worker would still not be making enough money. If the working class was making plenty of money, they wouldn't even care how much the CEO"s were making. The failure of our elected representatives is that they haven't done anything to create an atmosphere where the wages of the American worker are pushed up. It seems to me that Congress is taking their failure and trying to blame it on the CEO"s. Instead of...
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| It Still Works |
| 2008-03-05 17:41:06 |
As I said in my last entry, negative campaigning works. I can't say that it is the reason for Hillary's victories, but there was definitely no backlash. Last night's voters had an opportunity to let all political candidates know that it is no longer acceptable. People talk about wanting change every election, but it appears we only want it if someone else will make it happen. Every election the politicians give us a chance to reject negative campaigning and every election we let the politicians know that it is acceptable. If we really want change, then we need to make the first move. We need to elect the person who is best able to move America forward, not the person who is best able to tear others down. If someone can't prove they're the best candidate, they should not be rewarded because they can run the best negative campaign.The big question is, where do things go from here? Hillary is saying that she is just getting started, so I guess we can expect more negativity...
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| Negative Campaigning |
| 2008-03-03 18:12:53 |
The Clinton campaign seems to be taking on a very negative tone. They talked about a "kitchen sink" strategy and it appears we are witnessing it. About a month ago I was listening to a talk radio show and the caller made the statement that people are tired of negative campaigning and that it wouldn't work this year. My reaction at the time was that even if people are sick of it, the tactic still works. The politician who can best portray their opponent in a negative way usually wins. I sincerely hope that this year will be different, but I fear it will be the same. Once negative campaigning works it sets the tone for the rest of the campaign. Until recently this campaign has only seen minor negativity. Now that it is being stepped up we will get to see if it works. I guess if you can't show that you're the better candidate, your only choice is to convince others that there is something wrong with your opponent.The media is of course loving this. You no longer see Hillary tal...
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| US Leads World in Prison Population |
| 2008-03-03 02:48:14 |
In a recently released report, the United States is ranked number one in the world for the largest prison population in both number and percentage. I know we are supposed to be a world leader, but this isn't something where we should be leading. No matter how you look at it the ranking is sad, but there are some details that should be taken into account. The article states that China, although more populous, finishes a distant second. The article fails to mention how many Chinese prisoners get executed. Maybe they have less of a prison population because more inmates are executed. How about fair treatment? I know our prisons are no picnic, but there are many horror stories of inhumane and abusive treatment in prisons around the world. I'd be willing to bet our prisons are the most humane in the world. I would also be willing to bet we have the least amount of innocent people in prison. Our system isn't perfect, but we would have to be at the top of the list of countries...
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| Prince Harry in Afghanistan |
| 2008-02-28 18:07:31 |
It is the war that had to be fought. It is the war that should have been won quickly and decisively. It is the war that should have sent a clear message to terrorists and the nations who support them. It is the war that should receive just as much attention, if not more than Iraq. Yet, we hear very little about what is going on in Afghanistan. Now there is a report that Prince Harry has been fighting on the front lines and suddenly there is all kinds of coverage. Nothing about the American troops that have sacrificed their life. Nothing about the status of Al Qaeda or the Taliban. Basically, nothing but coverage of Prince Harry. I don't think that there has been this much coverage of Afghanistan since the first few years of the war.Again the news media shows itself to be an absolute disgrace. Their priorities are completely out of order as far as doing what's right for America. I heard some in the media admit that they failed to do their job when it came to holding our government...
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| Media Bias |
| 2008-02-28 04:56:25 |
The Presidential campaign has been going on for over a year now. In the beginning when Hillary was the media darling and declared the inevitable candidate there was no complaint from the Clinton campaign about unfair media coverage. If there was a complaint to be made, the second tier candidates like Biden and Richardson certainly had just cause. I don't recall Hillary calling for equal coverage of these candidates. I do remember that she was calling for less attention with her comments about not including everyone in the debates. Now that things have changed, we hear the Clinton campaign whining about unfair media coverage. Maybe someone needs to remind them that Hillary just lost 11 contests in a row and that she trails in delegates, votes, and states. This is the reason that Hillary is now receiving less attention. In everything the media covers, the losers always get less attention. If Barack Obama was in her position, the only media coverage for him would be about how he should g...
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| Hillary, Tough or Nasty? |
| 2008-02-26 06:09:39 |
During this campaign the question has been asked, how can Hillary look tough without coming across as a bitch? There are probably several answers to this question, but skipping the sarcasm would certainly be helpful. Over the weekend she put on a display of sarcasm that almost makes me understand why there are so many anti-Hillary people. I can understand her being angry about a mailer that does appear to distort her views, but her campaign is guilty of doing the same thing. If we compare Obama's reaction to Hillary's distortions, he comes across as being in far greater control. Her reaction looked like she was flying off the handle, not very Presidential. To make matters worse, Hillary had to throw in the bit about enough with the speeches and rallies. What do the speeches and rallies have to do with a mailer? She took what would have been a legitimate complaint and then overshadowed its legitimacy by displaying too much anger and sarcasm.Following this ...
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