NRA

Now before anyone gets all fired up, I believe all Americans of sound mind and body should be able to own guns. I repeat, I think we should be allowed to have guns if we want them.

I will say, I am not sure why we need AK-47s but that is for another discussion.

In AZ we have had very little political advertising. Nice. I know some of you are in states that are hotly contested.

I did hear an ad on the radio today that got my attention. The NRA ran an ad in support of John Shadegg, AZ congressman. They said, "2nd Amendment rights is his top priority."

Wow, the economy in the U.S., like most of the world, is in the tank, Social Security is going to go broke, our banks have been socialized, education in the U.S. is in serious decline, immigration is broken, health care is broken, blah, blah, blah, .........etc..........Yada, Yada, Yada.

And Congressman Shadegg's number one concern is guns. What an idiot. Unfortunately he isn't in my district so I can vote against him; against, not because he wants to protect my right to own a gun, but because his prioritizing skills are not reasonable.

Backhanded Compliment

I find it interesting when McCain, Palin, etc. give Barack Obama that backhanded compliment, "he is an eloquent speaker." I have heard many criticize him for being so........literate, I guess.

Has Bush dummied-us-down so much now that a person is criticized for being too good of a speaker? I get they don't like his message and the substance is lost on them. Fortunately it isn't lost on a HUGE portion of the population.

If one doesn't like the message, that is okay with me, I just find it unreasonable to be critical of his clear command of the language and literacy.

Especially after 8 years of Bush-isms.

Poor, Poor Exxon

I am sure the CEO at Exxon is sweating the election. If McCain wins then poor, poor Exxon will have a fighting chance to survive. After all, they are just barely scraping by. What they need is another McCain tax break to help them.

Oh.......wait......this just in:

Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500), the leading U.S. oil company, said its third-quarter net profit was $14.83 billion, or $2.86 per share, up from $9.41 billion, or $1.70, a year earlier. That profit included $1.45 billion in special items.
The company's prior record was $11.68 billion in the second quarter of 2008.

Now, what is reasonable is for each of us (voters all) to think about the $4 gas we purchased in the 3rd quarter. Talk about redistributing the wealth! Poor, poor Exxon will most likely not break another record in the 4th quarter, what with gas dropping below $3 and a barrel of oil below $100.

Poor, poor Exxon.

Election

I heard on the news that many people would prefer the President to be a Democrat (Barack Obama) and the congress to be controlled by the Republicans. That would be good. Since I believe all members of the congress should be fired, in my little world the Republicans would get control of the house and the Senate would remain a toss up, as it is now - kind of.

Currently there are 235 Democrats in the house and 199 Republicans. 1 Guy is dead - but I suppose he is still voting! If they were all fired and people didn't elect Green Party or Libertarians, Socialists, Communists, etc. then, Voila' Republicans in charge of the House!

Unfortunately in the Senate, only 35 are up for grabs and most of them are Republicans. Currently there are 49 Dems and 49 Reps and two independents who tend toward the Dems. Since they should all be fired, the Democrats would control the Senate. Note: (follow with me here) Senator Joe Biden would effectively be fired from the Senate, but pick up the most powerful seat in the Senate - the Vice Presidency. (Just kidding, Sarah!)

Not going to happen - The congress looks like it is going to snowball toward the Democrats. More proof of how torqued the average person is these days with the Republican right wing that has socialized American banking and insurance and redistributed the wealth to the elite 1% of Americans.

P.s. I didn't figure Senator Stevens or Senator Biden in my calculations since they basically offset one another!

An Open Letter to Senator McCain

Dear Sir:

The election is a few days away and you are most likely going to lose. In some ways I feel very bad about that. However, as a Republican I believe you make decisions and must live by them. You, sir, are no different in that sense.

You should know Senator that I will vote for your opponent. And you should also know I am a Republican who has never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. I am not really voting against you as much as I am voting for Barack Obama. However, I do think you missed the proper time in 2000. I know you tried in 2000 and got summarily trounced by George Bush. We now have, and you know this to be true, the results of Bush and his Right Wing pandering - disastrous results.

So in 2008 you made a decision to pander to that same part of our party. Too bad you didn't learn the lessons of history. I'll give one - Jimmy Carter ran for Governor of Georgia as a segregationist, ala George Wallace, and was trounced. No one believed that he was really a segregationist. He just was told that this was the only way to get elected. Wrong - he won the Governorship when he was true to himself. You too could have been elected had you been true to yourself and stuck with your "Maverick" ways and courted the majority of the Republicans - those who believe in smaller government, fair but equal taxation and the ability of people to be their own best advocate.

Mr. Senator, you should know that many Republicans believe we already lost in Iraq. Not militarily (maybe), but in the court of world opinion. You are very experienced in foreign policy and you know that Bush and his "I am not talking to you" foreign policy was a disaster. I know you had to defend it and try to make Senator Obama look weak here, but we all know that being the bully anymore isn't going to work. You know it, I know it, moderate Republicans know it.

If you win, which seems unlikely but polls have been wrong before, then please use your love of this country, which is evident, to make America great for everyone, not just Republicans, and CEOs, and business owners. Make it right for Joe the Plumber who makes $40K per year, and minorities who have had to overcome giant obstacles, just like you did in your past.

If, in fact, you lose this election Mr. McCain, please use your considerable experience and knowledge, to help President Obama to work with your side to solve problems that face this country. Become the elder statesmen that you can be in the twilight of your career. In 2012 help a new Republican understand the value of us moderate Republicans. Encourage him or her to stay away from the Rush Limbaughs of the world. They are divisive hateful people with no ideas and, worse, are hypocritical.

God Bless you Senator McCain for you service to this country and God Bless America.

An Open Letter to Senator Obama

Dear Sir:

I have decided to give my lone, singular vote to you in 2008. I am not General Powell or Warren Buffett, but my actual ballot counts exactly the same. It is a precious thing, my vote, and I don't use it lightly. I have thought, pondered, listened, cringed a few times and was inspired a few times and have decided to use this precious vote on you.

You should know that I do not approve of what for years has been termed, "tax and spend liberal" policy. I take you at your word that you are not cut of that cloth. Tax when necessary and somehow find smart people to wield the "scalpel" you have talked about.

You should know that I do not want tax money given to people who don't want to work, or are lazy, or otherwise capable but simply unwilling to account for themselves. I have believed all along that people have abilities and they need to utilize them. I believe you have done just that. You appear to be smart and clearly are ambitious. Good for you - this country has always rewarded that type of person. Please be sure that doesn't change.

You should know that I think Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Congress were voted into office in 2006 because the nation was showing its first total displeasure with the Bush administration. Nancy and her group have done very little. Please, please work to rein her in. Bill Clinton had to operate with a Republican majority, forcing him to "reach across the aisle" or in other words, compromise. You will most likely have a Democratic congress but you must some how not let Nancy run roughshod over the rest of us.

You should know that I think you are uniquely qualified to continue, and in fact accelerate, the process of healing between races. This must happen. George Bush, as an oil man, was uniquely qualified to step up and move us away from our dependence on oil and he failed miserably. Please don't make decisions based on skin color, but use the skills and intellect with which you were blessed to try to show minorities, white folks, and bigots of all colors that skin color is a pigment - nothing more. Lead this, the greatest country on earth, as an American. Lead all Americans, not just the down trodden or minorities. I take you at your word that you will do just that.

You should know that I don't believe we can "win" in Iraq. We have already lost; perhaps not militarily but in the world's eye. In the old days that didn't matter but know in the world economy it does matter. Use every fiber of your being to listen to and evaluate all that you hear to try to get us out of Iraq in the most efficient manner - and in a safe manner for our troops. When you bring them home, reverse the shameful way in which they have been treated by the Bush administration and the congress as well. It is not enough to say, "our brave men and women" and then turn our collective back on them. I take you at your word that you relish these folks. Show them, not me.

It is a short time to the election and I think you are going to win. If you don't win, do all that I said above anyway and maybe next time you will be able to achieve your goal.

God Bless you Senator Obama, and God Bless America.

Are You Smarter Than a Third Grader?

Yikes. I am reminded of Al Haig getting confused about the order of succession in the event of the death of the President. Al seemed to think he was in charge when Ronnie Reagan was shot in 1981. Any way, I digress.

Sarah Palin:

The subject of the vice president's duties came up as Palin sat for an interview with KUSA-TV in Denver, which has a feature called "Question from the Third Grade." The interviewer asked, "Brandon Garcia wants to know, 'What does the vice president do?'"

"That's a great question, Brandon, and a vice president has a really great job, because not only are they there to support the president's agenda, they're like the team member, the team mate to that president," Palin said. (Blogger's note: so far, so good.)

"But also, (oh, oh.......) they're in charge of the United States Senate, so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom. And it's a great job and I look forward to having that job," she said.

Please, someone in the McCain camp, inform the VP candidate that she can't "get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes." She gets to be the ceremonial head and cast the vote in the event of a tie vote. Nothing more -sorry Sarah.

Senators - Tough to Become President

Here is an example of why it is hard to become President once you have been a Senator.

Senator Obama said, and this is true by the way, "The irony is, is that when George Bush proposed the original tax cuts that lowered tax rates for the wealthiest Americans, who objected? John McCain, who said these were irresponsible and said that they would prevent middle-class tax relief -- that they weren't properly targeted."

"Now was John McCain a socialist back in 2000 when he opposed the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans?"

No, John was not a socialist, he was a moderate Republican who couldn't get elected because the party was hi-jacked by Bush and the far right.

Sarah Palin

Today we are embroiled in some discussion about Sarah Palin's clothes and hair stylists and the amount of money Republicans spent dolling her up.

Who cares?

It is only reasonable to stick to the issues that matter.

P.s. I wonder if Tina Fey gets the same budget?

Buying the Election

Did you ever wonder how George Bush got elected President in the first place in 2000? Click on this chart to see more detail.


I don't recall my Republican brethren saying George purchased the election. Now that McCain has been out spent my Obama - it is an issue. In fact, if you look at McCain on this chart, you get a feel for why he has fought hard for campaign finance reform. Bush out spent him by double.

What shouldn't be lost here is that since PACs etc. are limited, most of the dollars are now raised by individuals and there is a limit on the amount they can give to any one candidate. So, it could be argued, successfully I believe, that the amount of money raised, and spent, is directly related to how the general public feels. Apparently right now they have decided to give it to Barack Obama. I wonder why?

Perfectly Reasonable Request

I was asked to keep this message moving - reasonable request.

"We have all been touched by cancer, somewhere in our lives, please read below and keep it going.

I have been asked to keep this going and hope you will keep it moving too.

The October M&M colors:Pass this on to all of your friends. There are many women out there who have breast cancer. Let's do all we can to support this cause. Pink & White M&M's only during the month of October. The maker of M&M candies has teamed up with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to raise funds through the sale of their 'pink & white' M&M candies. For each 8-ounce bag of the special candies sold, the makers of M&M (Masterfoods) will donate 50 cents to the foundation.

The next time you want a treat, please pick up a bag (now sold in stores nationwide) - you will be donating to a great cause and satisfying your sweet tooth. Just think... If each of us buys one bag or two.... how much will be donated.

Buy a bag for a friend......"

General Powell

What would have happened had General Powell been elected President instead of George Bush? Sadly, we will never know. Had the far right not been in charge of the Republican party, perhaps we may have known.

At any rate, General Powell has decided to back Barack Obama. Here it is - a thoughtful response that he clearly understood deserved full disclosure because it would carry weight. Totally reasonable.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/10/powell-obama-en.html

Decisions, Decisions

As I have stated in the past, I believe this is the most important election in which I have had the privilege to vote. It isn't that I didn't always understand the importance of the privilege, it is that I didn't always spend sufficient time deciding for whom I should vote. And, I do have a bad habit or two, so I will start with those.

• Always vote no for all Judges - my rationale is that they get reelected at a 97% clip anyway - I guess I use this as my protest vote. Silly really.
• Typically vote straight Republican - in the end I generally think elections are about economics and I like a traditional Republican (not to be confused with today's Republicans) stance on this issue. I also believe that people will usually solve a problem better than government. I have waned a bit on this one as letting the market go wild over the last 10 years or so to create prosperity has been a disaster. Turns out greed is king.
• Think any local proposition or initiative that requires a constitutional amendment should be voted down - actually, I still think this and will vote no here in AZ for anything that requires a constitutional amendment -even if I agree with the intended outcome.

So back to the national election and other random thoughts:

• In fact, I start with this random thought - I hope Nancy Pelosi is not reelected in her district and if she is, I hope she is not retained as Speaker of the House. I must admit that I don't know much about how that Speaker position gets moved to someone else. Does the incumbent just get to keep it? It will be a challenge for Barack Obama or John McCain to contain her since it seems likely that the Democrats will keep the majority.
• After paying very close attention to what the candidates themselves have said, and most certainly NOT what the talking heads have said, I am going to vote for Barack Obama. In other words, I am for the first time in my life going to vote for a Democratic Presidential candidate.
• I am going to vote for the challenger in all races for the House as the current batch should be fired. They have failed miserably as a group. I don't care if they are a Democrat or Republican, they have collectively let this nation down with their bickering and partisan politics. Shame on them.
• All politicians are prone to say things and at some point in their lives associate with people that they probably shouldn't have - Obama/Ayers and McCain/Keating. You can debate which was worse - I personally find that McCain was an adult who helped Charlie Keating steal and bankrupt retired folks - 23,000 of them. He went on 9 vacations with Charlie.

Back to Barack Obama - I think he is smart and will represent this country with dignity. I believe he has earned my vote and I will take him at his word on his plans, taxes, and other plank items like energy and health care. My hope is he will surround himself with Warren Buffet and other smart people who didn't participate in destroying the markets. I know the argument that he will be a champion of only minorities. I see nothing in his demeanor or past to suggest that is the case. He appears to me to be a guy from fairly humble beginnings who used his brains to attain a great education and to use that education for something in which he believed. In other words, he tried to make a difference as a person rather than a government entity. A very Republican attribute which, as I stated above, I admire.

If the next 4 years go well, with even modest gains in the markets, and some restoration of our place in the world community, I may vote for him again. I think that he and Senator McCain are naive to think they can cut taxes and get out of this mess at the same time. Whoever is elected will find that out.

In the mean time, I hope that the Republican Party will look for a new leader, one that is not beholden to the oil companies (Bush - Cheney) or to the religious and far right of the party. Their self appointed spokesmen, Rush et.al. are divisive human beings who think that talking loud makes them right. It doesn't.

As for Sarah Palin - she should have listened to Nancy Reagan and "just said no." She has the chops to make a national run, but she needed time to learn about the issues and to learn that you can't run on a platform that says you like hockey and shooting things and that the U.S. has better protection from the Russians than our Alaskan neighbors looking across the strait. She, like the next candidate (assuming she will go into oblivion ala Geraldine Ferraro) needs to begin to appeal to the centrist, majority of the Republican Party.

In the end, I encourage you to simply vote - I don't even care for whom you vote.

Lucky We Don't Live In Ohio

If we lived in Ohio, we would be paying for other people's mortgage even though Laurie and I worked hard, raised our family, and paid for our home. Plus, I would apparently be paying "Joe Plumbers" taxes as well.

Oh, yea.....we are paying for other people's mortgage even though Laurie and I worked hard, raised our family, and paid for our home. Well, at least I am not paying for Joe Plumber. Poor Ohioans.

October 15, 2008

Republican President with Republican financial team -

the first day of a Socialized America.

Mark this date, October 15, 2008 down and two years from now and 4 years from now when the Republican candidates yell that the Democratic President Obama and the Democratic congress have turned the U.S. into a socialist country, we will all know who to blame.

The door is open. Ronald Reagan is definitely rolling over in his grave right now. Even McCain knows that Bush is the man who opened the door. Not the near Communist Nancy Pelosi and her do nothing Congress. George W. Bush. McCain even used it to his advantage in the debate - finally saying he is not George Bush.

Must be lonely being "W"

What a shame for a man who, in my opinion, brought us through a horrible time after 9-11. He showed Leadership with a capital "L". There was promise of a good Presidency.

Too many Dick Cheneys, Karl Roves, and too much pandering to the far right and really rich thieves on Wall Street derailed the promise. Iraq killed it completely as it led to our fallen image around the world and helped build the largest deficit known to mankind.

A Republican President, with 6 years of a Republican congress, should never have let this happen. It's, well......Un-Republican.

Debates

Finally the debates are over. Clearly Bob Schieffer won the contest of best moderator of any of the 4 debates between McCain and Obama or Biden and Palin.

Like most of what I have read, I think they did nothing but shore up their own supporters. McCain reminds me a little of Al Gore when he was debating Bush all those years ago, where he would smile and sigh and make faces while George was talking. Very annoying. Al probably would have won the vote (yes I know he won the popular vote, but I mean the electoral vote) and the presidency if he wouldn't have been so annoying.

Kennedy won the presidency because he didn't sweat on TV like Richard Nixon. George W. won because Gore couldn't stop that sighing sound and making annoying faces. McCain was not well served by the forced, fake smiles, especially in comparison with the very controlled Obama.

McCain did well to differentiate himself from Bush. Had he done that from the beginning and stayed with his more centrist message from 8 years ago, he wouldn't be in this mess. In the end, most people side with the Democrats, but Republicans are much better at voting. Too bad McCain didn't pander to the majority of Republicans - fiscally conservative folks with a basic belief that people will always out perform government. These are not the folks who are listening to the hypocritical drug pusher/abuser Rush Limbaugh or Don Imus of "nappy headed ho" fame.

Less than 3 weeks left to the world longest campaign and one of the most colossal wastes of money one could imagine.

Partisanship

I find it sad and very troubling that partisanship is so bad in this country now that "good Americans" are at rallies around the U.S. for McCain/Palin and yahoos are yelling out "off with his head" or "terrorist" in response to the name Barack Obama.

To John McCain's credit, at least he has toned it down and has tried to quell this trend. That was a "Presidential" thing to do - LEAD. Perhaps Congress and the next President can do the same - lead the American people to find solutions to important, far-reaching problems.

I know this for certain - CNN/liberal media cannot solve our problems. I know for certain that Rush Limbaugh and the other spewers of hate cannot solve our problems. They are both part of the problem.

We as people must think for ourselves and quit listening to the propaganda about one side or the other. Only when we the people demand that congress work together as Americans, will they do it. Otherwise, we will continue to have good ideas pushed by one side on the other with no compromise and with more good ideas ignored based on ideology.

As to the American people who simply hate others with differing views, they should move to an autocratic country of their liking. Otherwise, stay in the greatest country in the world and try to work with those who have differing ideas to find common ground and move our country forward. We can't have it both ways.

A Sad Day

The world's financial markets are careening out of control downwards and the best John McCain can muster today is attack ads in regard to Ayers and Obama. Is there any doubt that similar ads attacking McCain and Charlie Keating are close behind?

As a long standing Republican and an Arizonan, I am embarrassed that this is as good as our Republican candidate and fellow Arizonan can do.

Charlie Keating travelled with McCain on 9 family vacations, paid for in part by the retirement accounts of 23,000 elderly Americans. So that McCain would discuss Ayers is ludicrous. Keating's shenanigans were related to a banking crisis that you and I paid for - Billions. Sound familiar?

McCain would have been smart to have won the nomination without pandering to the extreme right wing of the Republican Party - he would have won any way - and worked with the other 75% of Republicans to present a coherent plan based on the realities of today on how to restore our economy and our position of prestige in the world. Smaller government, fair and low taxes, support for the business community can work but you must apparently account for greed of the richest among us. He could have done it had he tried and been surrounded by the more moderate, majority of Republicans.

Had he done that, then he could have garnered more support for what is becoming McCain's war in Iraq. That is the thing near and dear to his heart for whatever reason. Now, he is reduced to running smear ads about something that happened 40 years ago and most assuredly bringing his relationship with Keating to the forefront.

Even if Ayers/Obama is not good, at least Obama was not a sitting U.S. Congressman telling regulators that 23,000 peoples lives didn't matter. In the end, we should all be careful who we associate with. And, even if we do that, we will still make mistakes. So what - move on and discuss something important - Economy, greed, Iraq, education, infrastructure, ............

Challenge

Here is my challenge to you, the reader.

I apologize for using the word challenge so many times. Its my blog so it is reasonable for me to use whatever word I want. It is a bit much though.

1. I challenge you to vote.
2. Since not too many people read my blog, I challenge you to challenge others that you know to vote - even if you don't like how they will vote!
3. I challenge you to think critically about important issues - God gave us a brain to use, we should use it.
4. I challenge you to challenge others to think critically about important issues.
5. If you are a Republican, I challenge you to watch only CNN between now and the election and to research what you hear using unbiased sources. There is no point in listening to and reading only things that pander to what you already believe. You learn nothing new.
6. If you are a Democrat, I challenge you to watch only Fox between now and the election and to research what you hear using unbiased sources. There is no point in listening to and reading only things that pander to what you already believe. You learn nothing new.
7. I challenge those of you who are undecided or an independent to do the same - only you have to watch and listen to both sources. Sorry for the extra work.
8. I challenge you to prioritize what is an important issue and commit your research time accordingly.
9. I challenge you to apply some common sense to things you hear. Are they hypocrits when they say it? The following theory sums this up, "Thou doth protesteth too much...."
10. Lastly, I challenge you to try a simple religious principle - put yourself in someone else's shoes and try to understand why they have the view they do. Congratulate them for having a view!

This is a reasonable list.

545 People Who Should Be Fired

This was sent to me. Makes perfect sense and is reasonable to think about - even the part about the House being in charge of the budget.

However, the little piece about the Democratic House seems a little weak since for most part between 1995 and 2007, the Republicans controlled both houses. (In the wake of the unpopularity of President Clinton's impeachment trial the 107th Congress (2001-2003) saw the Democrats and Republicans split control of the US Senate 50-50, ending effectively tied; though Republican Vice-President Dick Cheney did have the tie breaking vote in the Senate during the first four months of 2001 as well.)

Anyway - I digress - here is a good analysis:


"Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does. One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank. I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ . If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation,' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!"

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

Do You Need a Wooden Arrow?

Before the bailout was passed in the House yesterday, Laurie found the bill online and read it since the Senate had already passed it the day before.

Somewhere, buried deep on page 300 was an interesting little tidbit. This is from the actual bill (the numbers are just line numbers on this legal document):

20 SEC. 503. EXEMPTION FROM EXCISE TAX FOR CERTAIN
21 WOODEN ARROWS DESIGNED FOR USE BY
22 CHILDREN.
23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (2) of section 4161(b)
24 is amended by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subeparagraph (C) and by inserting after subparagraph (A)
2 the following new subparagraph:
3 ‘‘(B) EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN WOODEN
4 ARROW SHAFTS.—Subparagraph (A) shall not
5 apply to any shaft consisting of all natural
6 wood with no laminations or artificial means of
7 enhancing the spine of such shaft (whether sold
8 separately or incorporated as part of a finished
9 or unfinished product) of a type used in the
10 manufacture of any arrow which after its as
11 sembly—
12 ‘‘(i) measures 5⁄16 of an inch or less in
13 diameter, and
14 ‘‘(ii) is not suitable for use with a bow
15 described in paragraph (1)(A).’’.
16 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
17 this section shall apply to shafts first sold after the date
18 of enactment of this Act.

I sure am glad they took care of this critical item - I could hardly sleep.

These people are in going to provide oversight for our bailout money?

Very Interest(Ing)

This was featured on a full page in the AZ Republic. I assume Ing Direct ran this in other papers as well.

It is titled "We, The Savers"

There's no denying it: America is in a tough financial spot, and some of the people in our financial industries have got a lot to answer for. Eventually, they will. In the meantime, there is no way to turn back the clock on this crisis and not much the average person can do to alter its course. It has to play itself out, and we have to believe - and insist - that those responsible Will play their parts in fixing it.

But what we can do is make sure, as the song says, we don't' get fooled again.

This is a 10-point plan for exactly that. If you live by it, you'll be in control of your financial life. If everybody lives by it, we'll live in a stronger Nation. We urge every American family to read it, talk about it together, commit to it. Then tear it out and tape it to your refrigerator door. It's a declaration of financial Independence that will put your future into your own hands, where it was always meant to be.

Our Declaration of Financial Independence.

1. We will spend less than we earn. Saving a little out of every dollar we bring home is the foundation of independence. Without it, we can't build equity in our home, we can't invest for the future, and we can't be ready for challenging times. We promise to pay ourselves first, always.
2. We will use our home as a savings account. Besides shelter and comfort for our family, the role of a house in our financial life is to build equity. We Will have a healthy down payment when we buy. We'll choose the mortgage that lets us pay down the principal fastest. And then we'll leave that equity safe where it is instead of spending it on things that don't last.
3. We will take care of our money. It's not enough to have money in a bank. We will put it where it will grow. We'll keep track of it. And we'll check every account we have every year to protect ourselves against fraud or escheatment.
4. We will defend our credit worthiness. Good credit is going to be precious in the years to come. We will pay our bills on time. We'll borrow only when we need to and in amounts we can comfortably pay back. And then we'll do just that.
5. We will ignore unsolicited credit card marketing. We decide when we need a credit card, not some marketer. And mostly, we probably don't need another one at all. We won't even open those solicitations. We'll shred them.
6. We will know the cost of borrowing. The interest lenders charge us is real money, too. When we buy a mortgage or fiance a purchase, we'll figure out what the interest is really going to cost in dollars, add it to the purchase price, and ask ourselves if it's still worth it.
7. We will invest for the long term. Futures are built out of patience and prudence, not luck. We will not put off being a saver because we think there's a lottery win in our future, in Vegas or on Wall Street.
8. We will take care of the things we have. We work hard for our money, and it's disrespectful to waste it - or the planet - by treating our possessions as disposable.
9. We will remember what matters. We are not the things we own. If we have to spend and spend on bigger, more impressive things to keep up with our friends, then they are not our friends at all.
10. We will be heard. Our representatives in government and corporations we deal with need to know that we are paying attention. If we're silent, we're accepting the status quo, and the business practices that got our country into this situation will continue. We are not going to accept that.

Seems like really good advice even if it is basically an ad for a financial resources company. Good advice indeed.

Bailout Vote

I wish that I trusted George Bush and his lieutenants. I don't know enough about the intricacies of the world market place to know if they should pass this bailout bill or not.

I know that I think markets should be corrected by their own means. I know that so-called Main Street shouldn't be bailing out thieves who stole from the public and caused all of this mess. Gordon Gecko was not correct when he said, "Greed is Good." (yes I know G.G. is only a movie character.)

I know that I think individuals who financed their gas guzzling SUVs with equity from their home and have now lost all should not benefit from those of us who showed restraint.

I know that members of the House are not economists and are partisan politicians who are not capable of making this decision either. What a dilemma.

Since President Bush is unable to take blame for his Iraq mess and has had to change his war reasoning on several occasions, I don't trust him. So, do I believe him or not about the economy?

My gut says we need to do something, and soon. If they ultimately vote not to provide a bailout, then we will see the true ability of the markets to correct themselves. A Petri Dish of sorts.

Maybe that would be best.