The National News Blog

Stimulus or not to stimulus

2009-03-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

Bigger government is not a stimulus. Bigger government is a strain on the economy and costs more.

Idiotic spending does not create long term jobs.

More taxes do not stimulate the economy. More taxes stifle growth.
More taxes cause businesses to spend less, hire less, and lay off or fire workers.

More taxes on the rich do not stimulate the economy. The rich pay the most taxes now. The rich also spend more. Raising their taxes makes them find ways to pay less taxes or not pay any and to spend less. They stop investing in the economy.

Stimulus explained - sort of

2009-02-13T21:36:00.000-08:00

8 billion for a Vegas to LA supertrain

Millions for tooth decay and dental floss

46 billion for transportation projects, including $27 billion for highway and bridge construction and repair.

Individuals would see about $13 a week, (tax cut would be scaled back from $500 for most workers to $400, with couples getting $800 instead of $1,000).

$20 billion to increase food stamp benefits by 14 percent.

$14 billion for one-time $250 payments to Social Security recipients and veterans receiving disability and pensions.

$40 billion to provide extended unemployment benefits through Dec. 31 and increase them by $25 a week

100 million for science - what science - not explained.

Pelosi's (mouse) slated for $30M.

New York state's aid will go to Medicaid, the federal-state health plan for the disabled, elderly and impoverished: about $12.6 billion over nine quarters.

New York also should get $800 million for special education and $1 billion for Title I school aid.

New York will get $1 billion to modernize highways and $1.3 billion for mass transit upgrades.

New York City will get $390 million for public housing, out of the national total of $4 billion.

New York will get $98 million for community development grants, $142 million for homeless prevention and $251 million for affordable housing programs. Neighborhood stabilization programs will get $51 million.

$19 billion is dedicated to health-information technology, calls for mass digitization of medical records with little regard for the security or integrity of the sensitive personal data.

$6.5 billion for medical research.

States will receive $87 billion to help pay for Medicaid and states will still face huge Medicaid deficits in the future.

Social Security recipients will receive a payment of $250.

$2.3 billion fund called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families has been created.

Tax breaks for buying a new car as long as the buyer earns less than $125,000 per year.

$54 billion general fund to help schools.

$16.5 billion in the food stamp program.

$7 billion in rural access to high-speed Internet

$4.6 billion to increase the earned income tax credit, on a temporary basis, from 40 to 45 percent of earnings for families with three or more children who have low incomes.

Helps General Motors Corp. avoid a $10 billion tax liability,

Stimulus Bloat

2009-02-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

Our country is facing one of the greatest economic challenges of our lifetime and smart action is needed to help our economy move forward again. People are worried about their jobs, home values, retirement savings, and businesses, and we need an economic plan that brings immediate relief, creates jobs, and strengthens American production.
This so-called stimulus bill falls short of what is needed. What was initially advertised as an effort to boost economic growth has become bloated by misplaced spending and lack of attention to the real problems facing the nation. Massive amounts of money will be spent years after this bill is signed into law that will help special interests groups.
The tax relief provisions will not adequately spur investment and business activity, which are critical for job creation and economic growth.
This bill is not which is what a stimulus bill should be.
Obama promised to have legislation in the sunshine. This bill has been changed and amended so many times no one has time to read it.

Stimulus vs spending

2009-02-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

The difference between the Obama stimulus package and the Republican package is simple.

The Obama stimulus is two to one: Spending vs tax cuts.

(Or big government vs people in charge of their own money.)

The Republican stimulus would be two to one: Tax cuts to spending.

President Obama blames the recession on President Bush.
He forgets for six years Bush had a great economy -- Bush warned in 2002 that the problems of the mortgage had to be addessed -- until the out of control spending of the mortgage industry, giving unqualified loans to people who couldn't afford them, and unrealistic bonuses, caught up to them.

What about the Democrates loading this package big up with anit-global warming legistlation -- has is that going to help someone get a job?
Most of the money in this goes of construction which will only benefit a certain segment of the economy.
None of this bill addresses the credit issues of the car industry.
This bill doesn't loosen up credit markets enough nor does it put enough real money in people's pockets.

Obama calls this massive spending 'Direct Investments': spending is spending.
Unwise spending is terrible for the economy at this time.
The more the government spends on the more is has to pay back.
With the government spending so much there is that much money available to for the banks to lend.
The banks will have to get on line behind the government to get money to lend.

The economy will fix itself sooner or later, sooner if the government doesn't get in the way.

Big Brother is alive and well in Oregon

2009-02-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

Big Brother is alive and well in Oregon

The Oregon governor is looking at GPS-based mileage tax to fund roads. Governor Kulongoski is proposing a mileage tax that would eventually replace the gas tax altogether, and make use of GPS units to determine just how far each person travels and bill them accordingly.

Oregon governor Kulongoski wants to put GPS devices in car so they can record the miles driven on Oregon roads and collect taxes. They don't want to add anymore onto the already high gas tax. And they complain about not getting road tax money from electric cars and the new hybrids.

They say they want to get the money for Oregon roads. But what about bicycle usage? What about people who only drive into Portland or to the Portland airport from Washington. Are they going to be stopped at the border? Is there going to be a special tax added on at the airport?

And what about truckers with those gigantic gas tanks that can drive across the state without filling up. Is the highway patrol going to pull them over and give them a tax ticket?

This is an invasion of privacy. Now officials in Oregon can tell where you've been, where you're going and where you stop. They say they won't, well maybe they won't at the start, until they get caught.

Well, their might be a good side of this. We a little help from hackers the people will know where elected officials are and when.

911 and the Recession

2009-01-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

After 911 the airline industry operated in a diminished capacity and congress stepped in to help.

The ripples the airline industry caused in the economy gave some in congress an excuse to step in with mishandled regulation and misguided regulation. Greed and unfounded future prospects rippled through the free market. The struggling economy absorbed these changes (and rising gas prices) as best it could until the ripples became a tsunami.

When the stock market and the mortgage industry ruptured so close together (from abuse and misguided regulation) their closeness increased their lack of viability and the recession carved a deeper destructive path in the economy.

First Ten Days

2009-01-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

The first hundred days of a president's term are important
because they set the tone of his presidency. So far Obama's tone
seems to be do the things that cause disapproval (like allowing
government funding for abortions) quietly, some might say secretly.

His call for an open government seems to be for everyone else to
be open while his aides do things behind the scenes, so if
anyone does anything wrong, he can say he didn't do it.

While the world turns around -- no, not the title of a new soap opera --
Obama has been strangely quiet. Where is the moral high ground he
talked, some might say bragged about doing his campaign.

Obama has remained strangely quiet about Blagojevich.

Has been quiet about the goings-on in Minnesota.

Is this the brave new presidency we have heard so much about
or more of the same.

My Last Rant

2009-01-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

This will likely be my last blog, as I am giving up blogging for the world of print media. My final blog centers around this, here is a report from a major four year university (not the one I attend) in relation to a dorm:

"Joints litter the tile floors of the bathroom and bargaining with weed is frequent among residents. communal areas are used almost exclusively to enjoy the effects of ganja. the people who occupy the hall do little to conceal their recreational activities. the hall reeks, and this seems to be a source of pride. Interaction among the guys almost entirely is concerned with "blazing," "getting baked," what have you.

What is the point of spending thousands of dollars on college and tuition if this is the outcome? The liberal leanings of administrative officials means that they do not try whatsoever to clamp down on such horrible activity. The acceptance of these dangerous substances on campus and the blind eye that the administration turns can lead to years and years of drug abuse. I hope that the parents of the school find out and sue the university for gross negligence as it's their job to turn out bright young minds, not potheads.

Speaking of potheads, what about the parents? Are they so blind as to what is going on or is it a culture that if they did it then their children are allowed to? What happened to holding your children to higher moral principles than you were? What happened to trying to make your children better than you were?

In the end, it won't change, in fact, marijuana may soon be decriminalized, and only until people start dropping like flies from cancers and car accidents start occurring because people are high will we realize that maybe it's time to hold people responsible for their actions, expel the people with pot, fire the administrators and sue them for negligence and finally, tell the parents to actually raise their children, only that will make American kids on a level with others around the world.

Al Franken, stealing an election

2008-12-22T17:11:00.000-08:00

This vote went for Franken... how? I don't know, something to do with that there was no duplicate...
but here you see shameful and the unabashed attempt by Al Franken and his canvassing board cronies to steal the Minnesota Senatorial election.
For all of you rooting for Franken, that's nice... but please recognize that he's cheating. If you wanna argue that Bush in 2000 stole the election, that's fine but show me some proof like this as well.

If this isn't good enough for you, then here's some more stuff:

This went to Franken due to the x through the bubble

This one went for Franken also...

And this one

I don't know whether all the counters were released from mental institutions or they're getting paid by the Minnesota Democratic party, but this must stop... hopefully Tim Pawlenty will stop this before it's too late and the board declares Al Franken the cheater (oops, I mean winner).

Liberal hypocracy strikes again... this time in Washington

2008-12-11T23:08:00.000-08:00

Governor Christine Gregoire decided to let an anti-Christian sign stay up in the capitol, right next to a nativity scene (for political correctness... the baby in the manger could be any baby, and the three kings are not from Orientar... yeah, right).
I have to say that between that and her "holiday" tree Gregoire is moving at quite a rapid clip along on the slippery slope toward complete anti-Christian bigotry.

(bigotry~ stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own.)

Like renaming religious symbols (see: "holiday" tree).

Here is what the sign says:

"There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens our hearts and enslaves our minds."

So here's why it should be taken down.

Like it or not, America is a Christian nation, the founding fathers were all deeply religious men, and the majority of US citizens are Christian. In fact, the founding fathers, in their letters to one another professed that the 1st Amendment was to protect the different branches of Christianity. Now this sign isn't only anti-Christian, it is anti-Jewish,anti-Muslim,anti-Hindu, and anything else that can be considered a religion.

What if the sign said something against... oh let's say Islam, or Hinduism, or African-Americans. Now let's keep in mind that for Christians this is one of the holiest days on the calendar (for those of you that do not know, Easter, not Christmas is the most important holiday in Christianity).

The sign is anti-religion, now what if the sign said something like that next to a menorah? Then it's anti-Semitic... leads to neo-nazi plot... leads to locking up whomever wrote it. The sad part is that the governor of Washington just doesn't give a damn when it comes to protecting a majority.... and let's be clear, this sign is hate speech. It may be hard for you to see it, because the target is not a minority, but it is hate speech against those of all religions, and, considering the timing, it is quite inappropriate.

I also have another bone to pick with the governor, over a so-called "holiday tree". If the prior event isn't crossing the line, this truly is. While the Christmas tree may have come in a little late in the game, it doesn't mean that it too is not a religious symbol that the governor has deemed worthy of bastardization as it might "respect an establishment of a religion".

Herein lies the difference between conservatives and those liberalest of liberals.

The conservative (and true) idea of the religious part of the 1st Amendment is to support the practicing of faith, so if someone wants to put up a menorah, that's fine, if someone wants to put up a tree, that's fine. However, said objects shall be recognized for their religious significance and shall not be spat upon by the state during their display.

The liberalest of liberal meaning is more in line with the ideals of Soviet Russia... that the 1st Amendment (I don't know how they get this idea from it) in fact says no one can publicly practice religion... especially Christianity.

This is Christmas, a holiday that means a lot to everyone, even to many atheists Christmas carries a special meaning of giving and love. I'll admit that Christmas has been over commercialized... still, the message and the spiritual significance are still stronger than ever.

Here's an idea, an amendment to the state constitution saying, "The State of Washington recognizes the importance of faith, henceforth, major faith holidays and observances shall be recognized for what they are and celebrated as such. There will be no discrimination against any faith through the secularization of objects nor intolerance of regular religious practice."

And before you tell me it's unconstitutional, remember the first word of that section in the 1st Amendment, "Congress".

The states can do anything they want, so let's do something right for a change.

And if atheists want their anti-religion sign, they can have it, but not next to a Nativity scene, and not right before Christmas. After all, their religion is quite capable of hardening hearts as well.

Obama's, campaign promises... one broken, many more coming

2008-11-21T16:01:00.000-08:00

Two months before his inauguration, and Obama has started the task of not living up to his campaign promises (not counting public campaign financing).
In the past week, the "Office of the President-Elect" (apparently there's an office of that now) has announced many of the incoming President's cabinet picks, revealing much about the composition of his cabinet, Including:

1) It's not bipartisan. Tom Daschle, Hillary Clinton (expected) and his Chief of Staff (not cabinet but quite relevant) Rahm Emanuel are about as liberal as you can get. Even if Antonio Gates stays on, it'll probably be for only a few months until a "suitable" (read, liberal) replacement can be found..... (I'm sure Wesley Clark is calling every day asking about that job availability)

2) It is the most Washington insider cabinet since well... a very long time. An expected 60 years of Washington experience means that it'll twice as Beltwayish as current President Bush (30) and slightly more so than Bill Clinton (58). Of course the same people preaching change are now moving over to the message of experience...(if you cared about that... then why didn't you vote McCain?)

3) And it will not consider all viewpoints. Putting Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff and Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State is an obvious move to line up the left in the house and senate under the Obama plan. These two partisans will fight for partisan values and I highly doubt much support from republicans for anything pushed by those two.

Let’s be frank, I and hopefully you knew Obama wasn’t going to shake things up, and he probably would’ve won just running as a democrat. However, this first departure from an important promise, shows that there will indeed be many more down the road.

Take taxes for instance. Barack Obama promised a tax cut for middle class Americans. He also promised massive spending increases, and he wants billions more in bailout money. Obviously, something has to give. If he does not raise taxes or cut spending, then the value of the dollar will drop even more from all these programs. For those living on a narrow margin, the effects will be disastrous. So, Obama must either cut out his programs, or, raise taxes. By raising taxes, Barack Obama will be following the same precedent of campaign lie set by Bill Clinton when he raised taxes. Clinton blamed the economic situation set forth by his predecessor even though he knew the situation coming into the office and had promised the cuts up to the election. All Obama has to do is drop the “H” in H.W. from Clinton’s speeches and he’s good to go.

The next campaign promise to fall will involve lobbying reform. It is pretty hard to believe that the second highest recipient in campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac isn’t going to keep the current system. To be fair, both parties over the years have taken handouts from major corporations (though it only gets coverage when republicans do it). Yet, it does not excuse someone to promise that they will crack down on the handouts, and then not do so. And that is what Obama will do.

In the end, I admit this is all just speculation. Obama might come to Washington and actually stop lobbying, find a way to fix the economy through bailouts without raising taxes and inflation. Pay for alternative energy research, healthcare, and tax cuts, and, finally, completely ignore David Petraeus and successfully pull troops out of Iraq regardless of what the military genius says.

This could all work… but wait...we’re not talking about the messiah, we’re talking about Obama…

Oops.

Automotive bailout coming?

2008-11-15T22:33:00.000-08:00

There is an ongoing debate in congress about whether or not the big three automakers should receive a bailout. I sure hope they don't. Do you really want to risk your money on the success of GM? Now others are saying that without a bailout the companies will fail and wreck the economy, however, there is another solution.

It's called bankruptcy.

Declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy will allow the automakers to get a huge debt monkey off it's back and protect the overall vitality of the companies. Furthermore, the taxpayer will be much limited in what he/she has to pay. Although stockholders are screwed... the company will survive and, like United airlines, may continue to function while under bankruptcy.

But how did we get here?

1) Poor choice of product. As gas prices rose, the big three failed to change their cars to be more fuel efficient. There's a reason why Toyota's profit margin is still over 6%

2) Unions: Ford, GM, and Chrysler are all unionized through United Auto Workers. UAW has pushed for higher and higher pay and prevented layoffs. Now this is all well and good except for the fact that companies aren't really treating their workers like crap at all. I'm sure GM would love to raise wages if it wasn't losing money... so why should they have to? This isn't about protecting a profit margin (there are no profits), it's about realizing that the big three can't afford some of these high labor costs. Earlier in the year, GM wanted to buy out Chrysler, this would make the companies better off, and management was for it. However, streamlining would also cut 10k jobs... the UAW didn't like that and that is one of the reason why they're still separate entities. This doesn't even begin to mention all the lawyer fees and other miscellaneous fees that have to be kicked up to the UAW.

It is also worth note that profit making Toyota does have plants in the US, but, they're not unionized.

3) Bad economy: Besides of the bad economy pushing down sales of gas guzzling SUVs, the credit crisis has halted borrowing to the big three. This is bad as the big three need credit when they;re losing money to survive.

Hopefully this bailout won't happen as it's just sustaining the companies without restructuring them. Even then, I doubt it'll happen until at least Jan 20th. Because Democrats are pointing a shotgun at Bush, and he doesn't want to get the blame for when the plan fails. Hopefully he can dodge this bullet.

Product Wars! Part 2, Apple v Microsoft

2008-11-12T01:01:00.000-08:00

Apple v Microsoft

This is a big one. In one corner you have HALO 3, MS-DOS, MS Office, Windows, and the xBox. In the other lots of tiny gadgets that everyone tells me are awesome and then a month later complain about them breaking in some way. Needless to say, Microsoft wins here.

The corporation itself: winner is Microsoft

Sorry Steve Jobs, but William H Gates, other than from being (depending on stock price) the richest man in the world... is also the head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has done wonders for many poor peoples all over the world. Microsoft has a greater diversity in products, and bucks the California trend, by having it's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, which, although less sunny then California, is a pretty nice suburb of Seattle. Apple, on the other hand , has it's small little Cupertino, where the median income is over 100k, which makes the town, in my mind, seem a bit too fake. As for business practices, it's not Microsoft's fault it's better than everyone.

Macintosh v Microsoft Windows

Since the Mac OS can only be found on the Mac, it is only fair that I include a look at the highly overrated Macintosh computer. The Mac cannot easily be upgraded. This kinda sucks compared to your average PC, where even the laptops have quick access to the battery, hard disk, sometimes the wi-fi card, and RAM. Macs are also notorious for heating issues... in their effort to be chic, many Macs lack the powerful and effective cooling systems in other computers.

The Macbook air is a joke, while it can fit in a plain Manilla envelope, it lacks such necessities such as more than 1 USB port, and an ethernet jack. Don't even mention an integrated optical drive.

This and it's more expensive!!! Oh joy! (as a disclaimer, I use a 17" Toshiba laptop... never had a problem with it)

Now for the OS... ah well, don't you love the Mac OS? I mean look at all the third party function??? And isn't it great how you can buy the Mac OS in the store and put it on a non-Mac computer? Obviously these two statements are false, the Mac OS, contrary to popular belief, sucks. How many times have you heard the question when buying software "will this be compatible with wondows?" Never.

Plus, Macs do have problems, I've had to use them, and they're no better than Windows, heck, at least when Windows breaks I can fix it.

While Vista may not be perfect (read somewhat crappy at times), it still beats the Mac OS whatever, hands down.

iPod v Zune

This only takes one line.
iPod= in style, Zune=FM radio tuner and wifi capabilities

Apple’s other stuff v Microsoft’s other stuff

Microsoft makes Age of Empires, Flight Simulator, the xBox, MS Office aka that word processor/spreadsheet maker/publisher thingy/presentation thingy that everyone uses. I don’t know what else Apple makes of use.

I didn’t even mention Gears of War, Forza and the of course HALO 3

Product Wars! Part 1

2008-11-11T23:20:00.000-08:00

After a very long election cycle, I think it is best we all take some time to kick back and so I'm gonna post a random blog about battles between products and their competitors and which product is better. The winner is in BOLD.

Coke v Pepsi

This classic battle features Coca-Cola, one of the most famous products in the world, against Pepsi, best known as that soft drink that one orders when coke is unavailable. Or, as the soft drink in that Britney Spears commercial (before she went bonkers). Pepsi has more sugar than coke, an inferior taste, and is just plain second rate to the beverage. People all over the world drink coke... however finding a Pepsi can in over 200 countries may be a little tough. So the nod goes to Coca-Cola.

Ben and Jerry's v Haagen Dazs

This is another easy pick for most people. Whereas a few hippies may point to Ben and Jerry's "fair trade" policy as a reason to give it the nudge. I would like to point out that ice cream is not about making really weird flavors and being hypocritical when it comes to ownership. For all of it's portrayal as being operated by two ex-hippies from the Northeast, in fact, Ben and Jerry's is owned by foreign food conglomerate, Unilever. On the other hand, Haagen Dazs was started by two Polish immigrants. Yes, the company was eventually sold, but it was to the American company Pillsbury, later bought by General Mills, another American, and not foreign interest. To go farther into the products, not only does Ben and Jerry's fail at providing a decent supply of normal flavors (like vanilla), it, for all it's hippie appeal, has some interesting ingredients, such as Guar Gum And Carrageenan. I admit I don't exactly know how they're processed, but I'm sure you can find that out. Haagen Dazs has a much better ingredient list.. Cream, Skim Milk, Sugar, Egg Yolks, Natural Vanilla. I think I know what all of those things are... and they're all vital to the ice cream process, rather than just weird additives to improve shelf life. Nod goes to Haagen Dazs.

Burger King v McDonalds

Everyone knows that Burger King produces a superior framebroiled burger.
Nothing else is needed to be said.

finally

Gatorade v Powerade

Everyone knows Powerade is just a knockoff of Gatorade (similar to Pepsi which is ironic since Pepsi owns Gatorade and Coca Cola Powerade). Gatorade offers a little more potassium and more sodium... that combined with it's forefather tradition gives Gatorade the slight edge over Powerade... however, unlike other products, Powerade is indeed quite an acceptable substitute.

A word about Proposition 8

2008-11-07T22:45:00.000-08:00

While many liberals were celebrating Obama's victory... conservatives had a nice reminder that, while people may be pissed off at the Bush Administration, American values remain unshaken. In the state of California, Proposition 8 passed. In case you were out of the country, prop 8 defines a marriage as only between a man and a woman. This was needed as the quite liberal California Supreme Court overturned an earlier ballot measure saying it was "unconstitutional". Of course, we all know the framers of the California Constitution were all for gay marriage... right?

Ellen DeGeneres... someone who
is quite pissed about
prop 8 passing

Ironically enough, one may credit Barack Obama for it's passage. As it was him who brought out the African American vote. African Americans also

voted as much as 70-30 in favor of prop. 8. Also, Hispanics, many of whom identify with the Catholic Church, showed their support for the measure. Coming out faithwise for the Proposition was a smorgasbord of Christian denominations, from Catholics, to Evangelicals, to Mormons, The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Asian Heritage Coalition, and a couple of different Muslim organizations as well.

Of course, it isn't surprising that the ACLU is challenging the measure. Give me a break, if their real role was to "protect the constitution" shouldn't they be supporting a new constitutional amendment??? Of course that isn't the case and they're hoping the liberal Supreme Court overturns it. How? I have no clue how one can overturn a constitutional amendment... but don't fret... I'm sure they'll find a way to make an argument. Even now there are protesters out on the streets.

For those who are calling supporters bigoted, I would like to remind them that the definition of bigot is someone who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his or her own.

Like maybe those who do not tolerate the opinions of the religious right based upon fundamental moral values of the religion?

And no I'm not calling all prop 8 opponents bigots, just hypocrites for not examining their own revulsion to the idea of other beliefs having importance. In a way, by saying that marriage is a term that implies to all, opponents of prop 8 are enforcing their belief system on others.

We live in a society governed by the opinion of the majority, anything else just doesn't make sense. For those who liken the opposition of gay marriage to civil rights, remember the Civil Rights Act of 1964? That was passed through proper legal channels by a majority of congressmen. Same goes with the 13th-15th Amendments. Remember how the women got the right to vote? The 19th Amendment.

What I'm pointing out is a wish that those people would follow due process... if opponents of proposition 8 want it repealed, they should try a ballot measure for 2010. I doubt it'll pass, but that is the fair and democratic way to do it not through a couple of judges.

And as the picture in the caption, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Ellen being really upset... heck I would be too if someone told me how to live my life. But I'm asking that she recognizes the duality to this, that others, in fact the majority of people believe marriage, just in the term, is special. And while homosexual couple still deserve the same rights as hetero couples, marriage still has a place amongst many as a sacred bond between a man and a woman.

I say good job for Californians for voting their values rather than live in fear due to opinions of some celebrities.... and conservatives can look at this to see that while they may have lost the White House, socially conservative values still matter in this country. Republicans should remember that when 2010 rolls around.

Obama wins election

2008-11-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama just won Ohio which means that McCain has about a 0% chance of pulling this election out. Whether you like it or not, Senator Obama will now be our next President. He has a lagging economy as well as conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to take care of.... and it is clear that his job over the next four years will be extremely difficult.

What if... the gains and losses of either party's candidate winning.

2008-10-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a look at the pros and cons of if each candidate wins not taking into account specific politics.

What if Obama wins:

If Obama wins, America's likability worldwide may slightly benefit. Furthermore America will no longer be considered racist (though the ones calling us racist at times have worse racial tensions). Also, for all you democrats reading this. They will have control of two branches and the ability to put a firm grip on the Judicial branch as well. Meaning that the liberal agenda (whatever you interpret that as) will be put into motion.

The negative? Pressure. for the past eight years, George Bush has been able to be scapegoated for everything regardless of his actual fault in the manner, as he has been a great figure to put the blame on.If Obama is a failure, Republicans are free of blame. In fact, an Obama failure may put the republican party back in complete power as blame can only fall on Democrats (though I'm sure the media will try and find another). As a con, the liberal agenda (whatever you interpret that as) will be put into motion. Finally, according to Joe Biden, people may try to test Obama, we do not need that.

What if McCain wins:

If McCain wins, the rest of the world will have to continue to respect America. There will also be a rue cost-cutter in office who may help get the budget closer to even.He will also prevent a complete liberal control of the government as well as a liberal judicial branch.

As a con, he will be a figurehead for all the blame of the democrats. Since they control Congress, do not expect Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid to actually let John McCain try and solve our problems. Also, John McCain is old, which means he might die, if so, I know all my liberal friends are really looking forward to hearing the words "President Sarah Palin".

McCain finds a message, closing with Obama

2008-10-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

John McCain has finally found a message most Republicans and Independents can agree with him and support him on.

It's called, class warfare.

And of course, it stems from Obama's talk with Joe the Plumber.

Joe is not the wealthiest guy, but he asked Obama a simple question about Obama's tax policy. Obama responded in (for free-market capitalists) the worst way possible, promising to "Spread the wealth around".

Basically income redistribution. What else could that mean other than taxing the rich, and giving it to the poor. Some people are even saying the "S" word.

Unfortunately for Obama, most Americans like the free market more than Europeans. And people are used to the bad economy, so the shock vote has worn off.

And now Obama is only up by 2...

McCain has found a message, and he needs to use it. While McCain may not be the most free market person, he can still be the more republican, the more pro-free market, and the more low tax person, and that might be enough.

Obama can Keep his Campaign promises, but do we want him to?

2008-10-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama has proposed massive spending increases totaling a several hundred billion dollars. He has also promised to cut taxes for 95% of Americans, the amount he is promising to raise taxes by will not come close to funding all his proposals. So... how will he do it?

There is only one way without raising taxes. It's simple, it's proven, it would enable him to get all the money he promised, and it would screw us all over.

The solution?
Print more money.

Printing more money enables Obama to fund all his pet programs, however, it also provides a backdoor tax on the American consumer. This backdoor tax is known as inflation. By printing more money, your dollar is worth less and less. Meaning your income cannot fund as much as it used to.

This backdoor tax would hit everyone, from the richest of the rich, to the poorest of the poor. Even those who don't pay income taxes will see their purchasing power harmed.

In all fairness, McCain has promised spending increases too, but nothing like Obama, and has also promised spending cuts too. Still, it is likely both politicians will end up devaluing the dollar.

Last Presidential Debate Wednesday

2008-10-14T23:38:00.000-07:00

The last Presidential debate will be held Wednesday. Expect the Economy to take center stage. Here's what the candidates need to do.

John McCain:
He's down, but by no means out. Pay no attention to Obama's lead in the national polls as it really doesn't matter. Obama can win the popular vote by a very wide margin and still lose the election. McCain is down by about 5 points in the battlegrounds, and that is all that matters. He can still do it, but McCain must realize that this is it, his last chance to be on a national stage with this much viewership. Not only in his campaign, but probably his life as well. If McCain is to become President he must, at this debate "Stand up and Fight". If McCain comes out swinging, with some heart and with some basic fiscal conservative principles, then he can win this thing yet.

Barack Obama:
Obama has the lead, his primary concern is not to choke. That said, we still remember the Bradley effect (change in polls v. votes due to race). He only leads by 5% in the battlegrounds, and if the Bradley effect takes place in those regions, Obama can still lose the election. So while he has the inside track by a fair margin, he is by no means across the finish line. Expect the McCain=Bush charge all evening as it's safe and effective.

A Simple talk about "Troopergate" Results

2008-10-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

What would you have done if you were Todd Palin? If the ex-husband of your sister-in-law had repeatedly threatened and abused your family and had photos and documents to prove it?

Would you tell others? Try to get someone who's responsible for the wellbeing of citizens however clearly has a screw loose canned?
Of course you would.

What we have found out about this whole thing is that Sarah Palin didn't know her husband was talking to others, and when she did find out, Sarah told him to "drop it".

Meanwhile, documents also show the Public Safety commissioner Monegan was fired over a budget dispute. A simple, ordinary government firing that takes place every day. Other documents also show an effort by Monegan to take his department out of the governor's control which also would make for a very reasonable firing. So, you see it makes perfect sense that he was fired and had nothing to do with any State Trooper.

But, regardless, if you were Todd Palin, wouldn't you want Trooper Wooten fired?
I hope so.

What is really sad is how the person who brought this up, a democrat, was talking "October surprise." Now there's nothing wrong with an investigation with reasonable suspicion, and it might have had merit to have one. However, when the person in charge of it is a democrat named Hollis French who specifically mentions purposefully timing the release for right before voting day, then we have a problem. It would be like ACORN being selected as the official vote counters. A terrible and flawed investigation from the beginning led by someone purposefully trying to ruin someone with a 65-80% approval rating, which has proven nothing, and only shown that for some people, politics are more important than justice.

Good for Todd Palin, bad for State Senator Hollis French.

The Bright Side of the Stock Mess

2008-10-07T23:58:00.000-07:00

Here's some positives from how much the DOW will be hammered tomorrow (check the Nikkei 225 to see why a fall is to be expected).

1) The dollar will get stronger.
Remember how hard it was to get the bailout passed between two groups? The EU has a whole bunch of groups, principally the UK, France, and Germany. They all have to agree for Europe to get some bailout done. So, expect the Euro to drop relative to the USD. And Japan seems to be getting hammered more, in all, people will invest in the dollar, and that is good.

2) Oil is falling.
As Donald Trump has pointed out, oil prices are falling quite fast. Oil is very important to our economy, and it's about to get cheaper.

3) Bargains
With the decline in stock prices, there are many good companies that are undervalued. Just have to predict the bottom.

4) It'll get better
Stuff has a way of going up and down, that's the business cycle. So expect it to go up sometime, just don't expect me to predict when.

5) Your mortgage and bank account will be fine
As long as you pay your mortgage on time, you will continue to reside in your house. And, as long as the FDIC exists, you will still have your bank account intact. If the FDIC cannot protect your bank account anymore, then you have worse problems then your money...

In closing, be strong, there are some bright spots, and don't panic... for now at least.

What McCain and Obama need to do to win the debate.

2008-10-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

John McCain is down in the polls right now. It's not that his policies are actually worse than Obama, his economic policy has been said by many economists to be less detrimental to the budget deficit, as well as create more jobs. McCain can make an argument about the economy, and needs to. Most Americans think Obama's economic policy is better, but the facts can be argued.

For him to get this across, he needs to, quite frankly grow a pair and rip into Obama. His RNC speech was well received due to the ending, McCain needs to repeat that as he's down right now. It is a town hall format, which will help him.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama is up, but polls have a way of closing closer to the election. Plus, there is the scary possible 5 percent factor that some Obama internals talk about. What the factor is that some Americans are unwilling to admit that they will not vote for an African-American, this effect has been documented before as having a 5 percent swing. Plus, many of his supporters are students and African-Americans, which, although they may respond to polls, still some worry on whether or not they will turn out. For instance, 25,000 people were supposed to vote early in Ohio, only 4,000 people actually showed up.

Still, Obama has a decent lead, here's what he needs to do to keep it.

Mentioning McCain/Bush connections is probably the most obvious tactic. Regardless of the truthiness, it's a good connection to make for him. Secondly, Obama needs to continue to portray McCain as out of touch, and talk about all his new social programs, even if the country cannot afford it, he can still talk about them. Obama is friends with Warren Buffet, emphasizing that three times will certainly help too.

Palin, Biden spar during debate, Palin wins?

2008-10-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

So all of us who watched the debate saw that Joseph Biden was much better at raw facts and figures. However, I doubt anyone cares. Because in the most watched VP debate in history, people were not tuning in to see Joe Biden. They wanted to see Sarah Palin. After some well publicized gaffes in major interviews, the choice of Sarah Palin was starting to be questioned. However, there were no significant mistakes by Sarah Palin this time around (Biden really didn't have any either), and her folksy attitude, evident from her first miked comment of "can I call you Joe", provided a favorable contrast to Biden's overly academic tone.

While most will probably say Biden as far as arguments go, "won" the debate. Don't be surprised when the polls indicate the opposite, as Sarah Palin once again emerged as a breath of fresh air (basically the conservative Barack Obama except with a little more new car sheen) and certainly showed an adequate knowledge of the issues.

The next debate between McCain and Obama is only three days away, it will be quite interesting to see what the short turnaround has on the polls.

VP Debate Moderator Gwen Ifill in the Tank for Obama?

2008-10-02T16:33:00.001-07:00

The debate moderator is a PBS reporter known as Gwen Ifill. Usually we woudn' care that she is the moderator for this much hyped VP debate. But, Ifill has written a book. A book that is due to come out on Inauguration Day. Titled The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama, this book represents a major conflict of interest.

If Obama wins, this book will be at the top of the NY Times Bestseller List and Ifill will make hundereds of thousands if not millions of dollars. If McCain wins, no one will care about the work.

We'll see tonight whether or not Ifill will be biased, however it is clear that this debate matters for once. If Palin fails in this showing, then people will cry inexperienced, and to have a woman who has that much to gain from a Republican defeat is dangerous.

Hopefully it won't matter and she'll be fair. We'll see in an hour.

October stock market forecast

2008-10-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

Red October just isn't a movie starring Sean Connery, it may also represent the American investor's earnings this October. Congress will probably do at least something in the next week or so, however October is still infamous for being extremely hard on investors. With the credit crunch and every pundit making 1929 comparisons, October is quite scary for most, here's why.

If there's no bailout or other legislation a major revaluation may occur, and not a good type either.

Heated political debates and stock market uncertainty are not a good thing.

History... the infamous crashes of 1929, and 1987 were both during this month.

Personally, I predict that this October won't be 1929, nor will it be 1987. However, that doesn't mean it will be a good October.The bailout will provide a little relief, but still do not expect a good month. But remember, there are other stocks outside of the financial sector, and sometimes, a big plunge is an opportunity as well to buy undervalued stocks.

(I am not a broker, nor do I pretend to be, ask someone who actually knows what they're doing before you invest or disinvest)

Palin v Biden VP debate preview

2008-10-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow there will be a debate which may rightfully be called the most anticipated VP debate in history. the debate will feature Sarah Palin, who is accused of knowing nothing, and Joe Biden, an admitted John McCain fan with a propensity to stick his foot in his mouth. One thing is certain, with these two people going at it, at least one of them is going to say something pretty damaging to their respective campaigns. Here's a preview of their strengths and weaknesses.

Sarah Palin:

Strengths
More eyes on her
Still has more experience with executive power
A victory would be a major upset and might actually shift the polls

Weaknesses
Not as experienced with national issues
The spotlight will be extremely bright on her, so if she slips up...
The moderator penned a prObama book... she's gonna be balanced, not.

Joseph Biden

Strengths
More national experience
Has a "gift of gab"
Expected to win means burden lays on Palin

Weaknesses
Sticks foot in mouth quite often
Boooooorrrrrrring (because he's an oldish white guy)
Must watch himself in how he goes after Palin, or he will be seen as nasty

That's it, check your listings tomorrow evening for where you can find the debate?

Bailout Bill Fails, stock market plummets.

2008-09-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

Today the DOW fell 777 points. Worse pointswise then after 9/11, or any other time in history. 40% of Democrats voted against it as well as 2/3rds of Republicans. This was after approval by leaders of both parties as well as President Bush, however Congress would have nothing of it. Nancy Pelosi gave a speech before voting which, according to many, was laced with partisan rhetoric. Some blamed that as why the bill failed. Also, many members are in an election season, and while they may want the bill to pass, they don't want to be accused of redistributing 10k per family to large corporations and joined in on voting no.

Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset and continues until sunset Wednesday. Until then, 30 House members will not be in session and so nothing until then can be voted on. Until then, it may not be very pretty. Japan's Nikkei index will be closely monitored tonight to see what's going on tomorrow.

There is one bright spot. Oil fell $10, and as predicted by Donald Trump and others, will continue to fall for quite some time no matter what OPEC tries to do as it goes back down to a more realistic price.

Economic Update

2008-09-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

President Bush has invited both Senators/Presidential Candidates John McCain and Barack Obama to partake in talks for this emergency legislation. The idea being that if McCain and Obama agree, then the legislation will likely be balanced and will pass... one can only hope.

The Presidential debate is still on from Obama's standpoint... a week delay would definitely be better but we'll see what happens.

Meanwhile I suggest that if you have stocks... remember about the stop loss order... you might need it soon. This is due to President Bush's remarks, which hinted of a depression (he said there was a risk of a "long and painful recession" which is a depression) and were extremely pessimistic, definitely a different tone than previous speeches.

In the end, the US taxpayer may be on the hook for 700 Billion dollars of mortgage exposure... how much we may have to actually pay is unknown. Obama's spending ideas and healthcare plans if he's elected will have to be put on hold for at least awhile.

And if the bill doesn't go through, if lawmakers can't reach a decision... well

1) make sure you have no more than 100k in any bank account and 500k in a stock account so they're covered from bankruptcy.

2) Be prepared for a historic day at the stock market... not the good kind either.

3) Don't expect to be getting much of any credit if your financials aren't perfect.

4)Your job???

Hopefully that will not happen, and it shouldn't.... but it might, and that my friends, is quite scary.

Economic Collapse Coming?

2008-09-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

700 Billion Dollars. $10,000 per household. That's a lot of money. Two Iraq wars, more than anyone can fathom. About two times the revenue of a complete year's sales of every Wal-Mart in the entire world. And it's your money, at least for the next little while. The government wants to use the money to bail out all the companies. There is talk of panic, collapse, and everything else.

McCain wants to postpone the Presidential Debate and is temporarily suspending his campaign. The Presidential Debate commission doesn't want to comply with his idea. No word yet on Obama.

More coming.

DOW plunges almost 450... more coming?

2008-09-17T13:25:00.001-07:00

After the news that AIG had to be saved by Uncle Sam, stocks moved down 450 points. Call it revaluation, call it a plunge, but we do not know how bad this is gonna be. Tomorrow stock will probably move higher, but that does not necessarily mean that the bottom has been reached. Are other banks going to fail??? We just don't know. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Washington Mutual all plunged heavily and are under tight scrutiny for fear of another failure. Are they also too big to fail? Or should we let them???

In a way purging the system might be good for the economy, obviously we can't let the banks call in their debts because then we're back in 1929, but is it better to put a ship in drydock, or fix it on the water (aka caulk the joints like we're doing now)?

However, it seems the government has chosen the latter. So the question is when will there be a bottom? Don't worry, there will be one, the only question is how long will it take and how bad it will be for the stockholder, and even the average American.

AIG didn't even do housing mortgages, they did other types of insurance. But they were posting losses, and credit was drying up, so the government stepped in. They did so because AIG is the largest insurer in the world... and if they fail then we're all screwed, don't even think about the consequences... massive and global they will be because the states guarantee policies purchased, so if AIG was to fail... guess who would foot the burden??? Then again, with the government bailout... guess who still foots the burden?

Although, if people are looking out for bargains... now might be the time to jump in (AIG bailout= backstop to price?).

ALSO BREAKING: Washington Mutual may be up for sale... another one bites the dust (don't worry, a sal shouldn't affect your savings in the bank) that said, remember if you are lucky enough to have over $100,000 in an account... you'd better switch it up, or your money isn't safe.

*I take no responsibility for any investment decisions taken after reading this blog, I am not nor a specifically qualified individual for financial advice all decisions about finances should be made through contact with a qualified broker.

Crowding :Hillary skipping out on anti-Iran rally to avoid Palin

2008-09-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

Senator Hillary Clinton canceled an appearance at an anti-Iran rally at the UN Monday because she wasn't the only famous woman politician invited. The Clinton campaign discovered that Sarah Palin was also attending. Apparently her staffers found this bit of info out on the news, oops.

Now, the Clinton campaign cited the reason for their cancellation as "politicization" of the rally. It is understandable that she would not want to share the spotlight with Palin as that might nudge some former Hillary supporters over to the other side. Still...

It's a sad commentary when politicians cannot find a way to attend a rally that should unify the country for fear of losing votes for their party. Certainly there has to be a way for Hillary to attend the event without necessarily promoting Palin. Maybe show up at a different time and not mention her?

However, Senator Clinton took the wimp's way out and failed to stand up for a cause for fear of helping the other candidate. Shame on her.

The O.J. Simpson Trial

2008-09-15T23:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, there's a whole lot of more important topics, like Hurricane Ike aftermath, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, the DOW's 550 point drop today, The 2008 Election overall, Charlie Gibson's interview with Sarah Palin, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, (you get the point).

However, it's O.J., and he's on trial and we (meaning the 90% of people who thinks/know he did it) can finally get our revenge on him.... or can we? Today one of the main witnesses may have had a heart attack while on the witness stand. The government put forward a kidnapping charge which is iffy at best, and at worst, undermines the more legitimate side of the case.

Furthermore, there are 12 white jurors... can someone hear an appeal based on racial bias? and the whole thing is sleazy (you can't steal stuff if it's yours, but is it?)

The case is, if you don't know, O.J. broke into a off-the-strip Vegas hotel where a manager "had his stuff" aka autographed things that belonged to him. He came in armed and with others, took the stuff, but not before he told everyone to stay put (hence the kidnapping charge). So authorities arrested O.J., charged him for weapons, trespassing, threat of deadly force, theft, and others.

The max is life, and any weapons conviction will put him in the slammer for at least a little while. The jury is supposed to disregard O.J.'s prior conviction, we know they won't and that is a good thing.... because, we all know he did it.

Venezuela "kicks" out US Ambassador and Axis of Evil Update

2008-09-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

In a move that can easily be seen as an appeal to ego, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez kicked out the US Ambassador, a Mr. Patrick Duddy.

Chavez, who recently allied himself with Russia with a joint fleet exercise in the Caribbean (I wonder who this exercise may be targeted against?) also now has Russian strategic bombers in his country. He used his best bluster to show his countrymen who is in charge, telling the media quite flamboyantly that "the Yankee Ambassador has 72 hours to leave." He also recalled the Venezuelan ambassador.

Unfortunately for Chavez, all this bluster is easily seen through by anyone outside of Venezuela. Because, the US Ambassador isn't even in Venezuela right now, he is in fact, back in the United States. Oops, his bad.

I would go as far as to say that there is a new threat to the United States. Russia is giving Iran nuclear material for a civillian reactor, which is iffy, and is doing stuff with Venezuela of a way that one must compare to the Soviet union and Cuba.

So, who is the real threat to America, Russia? Iran?, Venezuela? The terrorists? or North Korea

Probably a mix, because, although it's unlikely Chavez is as stupid, nor has the balls to really piss us off, he is an egotistical jackass.

Speaking of evil countries. The apparent stroke of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is actually quite a scary proposition. Beforehand, we knew who "the boss" was... now???? Due to this, the United States, South Korea, and China are discussing "contingency plans" aka. the carving up of the country.

So that's the recap, and remember, dont fret, we have nukes (at least until January, but that's for another time).

Why Obama is FAILing in the polls

2008-09-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama was the biggest thing in politics ever. If Obama picked his nose, you knew about it. With George W. Bush's lack of popularity. It seemed certain that Obama would be in the Oval Office. However, Obama now trails by five points to John McCain. Here are some reasons why that might be:

1) McCain and Palin are doing well

Someone can be winning. John McCain had a pretty good crescendo in his speech, and everyone's fired up for Sarah Palin. Obama is far left, McCain is moderate-right. People aren't stupid. they see that. So which views, just politically, appeal to more people. It might be John McCain.

2) The "newness" has worn off

Obama has been the irst African-American candidate running or President for awhile. His race is not a big deal anymore. Surprisingly to some, that might be a bad thing.

3) Joe Biden=booooring

He picked an old white guy for Vice President who's served forever. Yep, nothing says change like old white guy. On the Republican side, old white guy John McCain picked a chick. Maybe Obama should've rethought that Hillary pick, maybe.

4) Former Clinton voters still pissed off

OK so half of Democrats liked Clinton, so 25% of all voters like Clinton. If eight percent of those were voting for Hillary just because she is a woman, then there's a two percent overall boost for McCain.

5) Not a "man of the people"

A problem may be that Obama talks over people's heads. That doesn't mean people are stupid, but rather no one cares about the different facts and figures. He doesn't provide enough simple answers. It seems that when choosing President, who would you rather have a beer with and go to for important advice, beats who you would rather have defend you in a court case. McCain seems to speak a little more simply, and that may indeed matter greatly.

Furthermore, did you hear Obama in his interviews? Obama - prepared speech= No magic

6) The Palin effect

Republicans are now fired up, end of story.

7) Stupid young people

Remember all those young people fired up for Obama. Well, they're too busy now to respond to your telephone poll, if polls even go to your cell. It remains to be seen if young people will show up to the polls in any appreciable number.

The New Facebook.... SUCKS

2008-09-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

You may not know about the new Facebook, nor may care about it. However, I would like to say that while it has solid grounding, the "new" Facebook needs a whole lot of work. Facebook Chat is nice, as is the live feed. But couldn't that just be incorporated into the screen of the old Facebook?

The "new" Facebook makes it hard for one to view applications as well as the wall. What happened to the wall??? It's been consumed.

Here is really what the "new facebook should look like"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
normal buttons at top (like inbox NOT applications)

live feed(from new facebook but in old fbook location)

left side old stuff______________________old style profile stuff

__________________________________ WALL

Application boxes (like bumper sticker) in old fbook style

chat down at the bottom (except improved to AIMish style)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know you Facebook developers will not see this, and if you do, I fear for the safety of my profile. But I know people who use facebook will agree with me and hopefully you developers will finally get it too.

RNC Recap.

2008-09-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

The RNC delivered big in terms of viewership. In a huge upset, John McCain's speech tied, if not beat Barack Obama's in the ratings. Marred by protesters from the radical left group Code Pink, his speech still rose to a climax without which it might have felt a little flat. The climax came when McCain was starting his closing remarks, rather than stop for applause, he listened to an advisor and continued through it, making a so-so speech into one worth remembering. The climax can be viewed here:

However, the most well received, and possibly most important speech of the convention was that of Alaska Governor turned VP candidate Sarah Palin. Her speech garnered over 37 million viewers, only 1 million shy of Obama and McCain (and MUCH MORE than Joe Biden's speech). Palin is rallied the conservative base, and turned an otherwise mundane, hurricane shortened convention into one worth watching. Afterwards, Palin was polled with a 59% favorable rating among voters. Making her currently the most well liked candidate running for either President or VP this cycle. Part of her speech is here:

Overall, polls show a closing of the Obama bounce, and by Tuesday there is a good chance we will be back at even. Then the next big events will be on Sept 26 when we have the first Presidential debate, and October 2nd, when we have the only VP debate (which will get a huge amount of people tuning in). This convention could have gone badly, after the hurricane people may not have watched it. But Palin was nominated, so people watched her, then they wanted to watch McCain. And so we now have a higher rated RNC then DNC. So much for the Obama movement.

Gustav Aftermath

2008-09-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

Gustav was no hurricane Katrina. But it still may have been much worse if it was not for the efforts of the Army Core of Engineers, the National Guard, FEMA, Homeland Security, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, President George W. Bush, and finally, NO mayor Ray Nagin.

All of these parties worked together on an unprecedented level. Bush got his ducks in a row much better than in Katrina, Jindal was really on the ball, and Nagin made an excellent call with the curfew.

I had criticized Nagin just two posts ago for Katrina, but I will not do so in this post. He did an excellent job, as did President Bush (who got much of the post-Katrina blame).

Still it was close, the industrial canal levies were almost overtopped by water. It took daring efforts by the Core of Engineers to stop three ship from crashing into the levies, as well as the efforts of one man to swim into the torrent, and tie up a large propane tank, which, if it exploded, could have broken the canal just as well.

A day later, we still do not know the whole damage of Gustav, and there might be more coming as the storm halts over Texas and unleashes a torrent of rain. There also is another hurricane named Hanna that is likely to scrape Florida and hit the Carolinas. Tropical storm Ike is forming and might head up the Gulf, and Josephine looms off of Africa. There is still a lot of work to do, and a lot of danger ahead. Hopefully, after Gustav, FEMA will be ready for more.

The Anatomy of a VP Decision - Sarah Palin

2008-08-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

This will attempt to describe how a relatively no-name governor is now in good position to become the first female VP in US History as well as document my own run in with the Palin Push. I do not pretend to know inside the minds of the McCain campaign, but I will attempt to do so anyway.

One might call this the first real Internet influenced major political decision. As credit for the decision really needs to be given to Adam Brickley who started palinforvp.blogspot.com WAAAAAY back. It started in Feb. 2007, well before we even really knew who was running for President. Over time more and more people got on the bandwagon. But still, most of the buzz was online.

Conventional Wisdom would be for the pick to be someone like Pawlenty and Romney. Palin was up in Alaska and she really wasn't at least overtly campaigning for anything. However, after reading her story, they to started talking about her.

I started this blog in April. While being conservative, I have tried to keep this blog relatively fair. My personal run in with the Palin buzz was in may of this year. I was breaking down GOP VP choices (here's the link) and as you see I didn't include Palin. The blog was a look at McCain's BBQ which had a couple of participants that were considered top choices. After the article, someone named "Ted" made a comment about this woman named Sarah Palin (and if you read this, many thanks for the tip Ted). After reading Sarah Palin's bio, I felt she was worth a mention (here's the original post) .

Over time, there was a major anomaly on my stats, namely people reading about this Palin woman. After putting a picture of her on my blog, the amount of redirects reached a major high.

I was on the bandwagon, but still found her chances at near impossible and the online conversation grew.

In August, the time for a pick arrived. Now, after the Palin push had reached massive levels (I was STILL getting hits on Sarah Palin for that May post), the media started to take a little notice. Nothing big, just a two second mention on FOXNews with the other longshots. On August 22nd and 23rd, I made two more short (like two word) mentions of her. My stats spiked again.

So now it's time to look at the situation for McCain's point of view. Obama, snubs the obvious female VP choice of Hillary Clinton and he's looking to capitalize on that. Also, Obama is talking change with an old white guy beside him, so McCain needs to counter that as well. Don't forget, conservatives are also prodding McCain that he needs a strong conservative with good values.

So if you're McCain... who do you pick??

Obviously Sarah Palin

And so here we are. I will not say that I called this or influenced McCain's choice one bit, but I will remember how I once wrote a blog in May about this relatively unknown woman and ended up in on (if just the outskirts) of one of the greatest Internet movements (think Snakes on a Planeesque except important) ever.

And if you haven't read about the young female governor from Alaska yet, I urge you to just click on the link right here.

A Message to the inhabitants of New Orleans

2008-08-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

I have a single, simple request. Get out. Leave. Evacuate.

A death from a hurricane is, in this day and age one of the most avoidable tragedies possible. You know where Gustav is, you know that it is coming. After Katrina, we had to watch as people waited on roofs even though they could have been far, far away from the city.

If it is at all humanely possible to leave (read, if you are not in a coma) then do so. Please, we do not need another Katrina, and while your house may be flooded, you will survive. As long as you leave. If you have a car take it. If you don't then take a bus. But please, just go.

And to you Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans, stop complaining about the Feds, get your school buses, put people in them, and move the buses away from the city. Maybe then, I'll have more respect for your finger pointing.

No one wants another Katrina, but while there's little to nothing we can do about Gustav's path, no one has to die in this storm. All you have to do is evacuate, and if you can, and you don't, then you're an idiot. And no one should be blamed except you.

McCain Picks Palin!!!! Not KIDDING

2008-08-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

I posted one or two things in support of Sarah Palin, but her being McCain's running mate? Like that was ever going to happen...

Except it has.

Multiple stations have confirmed that Alaska governor Sarah Palin will indeed be McCain's running mate. She brings a strong conservative record and a blue-collar past to his ticket. Oh yeah, and Sarah Palin will be only the second woman ever nominated to the office of VP, and possibly the first to have a real shot at winning (like Reagan wasn't going to get reelected). So republicans can rejoice a little at this pick. Because when compared to another old white guy like Joe Biden, she strikes an extremely youthful contrast, and may be a strong appeal to former Clinton supporters.

I will go on to say one more thing, if elected, Mccain's age may mean that this is the greatest shot our nation has ever had to date at in the near future having a female President (besides of maybe Hillary). It is clear that McCain wanted flash with his pick, and now he has it. Her first speech will be in Dayton, and you can bet it will be well covered.

Obama's DNC Speech, and McCain's VP pick

2008-08-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

The finale of the Democratic National Convention as always featured the presidential nominee. Barack Obama delivered a very strong speech. However, Karl Rove pointed out a key mistake in Obama's speech where Obama started with the words "If you don't have a record to run on, then you try and paint the other...". But, for now the speech is playing quite well, especially amongst Democrats. Joe Biden also has been proven to be quite a tenacious attack dog, if not relatively boring. The real star seemed to be Senator Hillary Clinton, who I still think is waiting for 2012 to roll around. But now more about Obama's speech.

As for the main focus of the speech, it seemed to be this phrase Bush/McCain policy. Now John McCain was not the major architect of George Bush's policy, but the link will clearly be the main effort that Democrats will undertake in the fall. He also tried to bring out his working class roots as well as his ties to the middle class. Obama promised to change the current course of the country and cut taxes to the middle class. Whether you believe any of this BS is your call, but it at least played well.

The Republicans weren't silent during this last day either. McCain released a very intriguing ad praising what Barack Obama has accomplished not only due to his race, but his prior economic status and background as well. The ad allowed Mccain's name to stay in the news without attacking Obama during the convention (which is a major no-no).

Finally, there is the VP question. At this time, Mitt Romney is coming to Dayton, so are Pawlenty and Ridge, Lieberman is on vacation but hasn't said anything. Fortunately, Bobby Jindal was not vetted. Nothing would look worse than the Governor of Louisiana accepting the nomination, while his state is getting pummeled by a hurricane (expect later news on this).

So the convention was in the end a major love-in, Obama hasn't won the race nor has he lost, and after the Republicans have their turn, we'll probably be back to where we started.

Clinton's speech more important than Obama's at DNC.

2008-08-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

The race for President is a dead heat. Polls for key swing states are within the margin of error (RealClearPolitics.com), and Joe Biden does not seem to have helped. So what to expect during the 2008 Democratic Convention? After Ted Kennedy's return to the Democratic Convention and short emotional speech, there are still many more important events attempting to get votes to Barack Obama.

The main story is the Democrats' attempt at unity. There are still a few disgruntled Clinton supporters, and those few may make the difference on who is elected. So here are the biggest events still coming on the docket:

1) The speech by Hillary Clinton: In about an hour, Hillary Clinton will speak at the DNC. In this humble blogger's opinion, Senator Clinton's speech is more important than Obama's. Barack Obama will give a decent speech. He'll link McCain to Bush, talk about his trying childhood, and his plans for America. It will be decent, and people will clap, but that is expected, and I predict that even a repeat of 2004 won't necessarily lock up his election. Because, everyone knows, he's a good orator with talented speechwriters, but what else?

On the other hand, Senator Hillary Clinton, if she gives a brilliant speech, will reaffirm Democrats' ties to Barack and only Barack Obama. This may produce more bounce than any other speech. Clinton can also hurt Obama's run, if she sounds too ambitious, too much about her, then there will still be a split.

2) The actual convention voting. We have no clue how Hillary's delegates will respond, it could go extremely smoothly, or it may not. This will be key for the General Election.

3) The Bill Clinton/Joseph Biden speeches. Both have been known for gaffes, and both (especially Clinton) will be thoroughly examined for how they act.

4) And finally, Barack Obama: His acceptance speech is still the culmination of the whole convention, and it should be a very good one. Whether it is just an "ordinary" great speech, or, one that people might actually talk about will be very important. As in 12 hours John McCain will look to steal Obama's thunder with his VP selection.

Obama Picks Biden

2008-08-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Joseph Biden, an experienced Senator from Delaware, will be Obama's running mate. Biden has a load of foreign policy experience and is a respected figure amongst Democrats. He also is an old white guy, which may matter if one wants to infuse race into the mix. Biden will make his first campaign appearance Saturday.

So what to do about the 800 pound blond gorilla? We shall see what Hillary thinks of this snubbing and how hard she works for Obama to be elected. My guess is that Hillary is thinking 2012, not 2008.

Meanwhile, the McCain camp now knows their adversaries. Biden may be a "safe choice" but he brings no pizazz to the Obama ticket (not that it needs any), rather the choice was quite expected and even predicted during this last week. McCain can make a much larger splash with an interesting pick of his own (Govs. Palin or Jindal). Or, he might just play it safe like Obama and go with Romney. His turn will be on the 29th, one day after the Democrats' National Convention.

UPDATE... and due to the massive amounts of hits I've been receiving from people... I would like to continue to point out that the main page is nationalnewsblog.blogspot.com...
for all your political economic, and other news/opinion stuff.
To subscribe: http://nationalnewsblog.blogspot.com/atom.xml

stances:
http://www.ontheissues.org/Joe_Biden.htm

Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden

Pro Biden:
http://biden.senate.gov/
http://www.barackobama.com/learn/meet_joe.php

Anti Biden:
http://www.gop.com/notyouraveragejoseph/?s=google&t=rncgeneral&r=biden
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/08/the_case_against_joe_biden.html

Upcoming Veep picks,

2008-08-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

Obama may have given something away when he referred to his running mate as "he". If that is so, one will expect some Clinton supporters to be quite upset. It is vital that Obama pushes this person into the limelight as soon as possible (many sources have told the press he's doing it Friday) or else the convention might actually elect a running mate for him, as they have the power to do. Joe Biden mysteriously has his phone number in limbo...

McCain will probably announce his pick on August 29th, a day after the DNC. With this he hopes to take the buzz out of the Democrats. The pick may be Mitt Romney, Minn Gov. Pawlenty, or maybe a sleeper like Sarah Palin.

OBAMA IS GAY!!!

2008-08-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

Actually Obama is anything but right now, the Russia-Georgia conflict is bringing a foreign policy focus into a campaign that was seeming to be about economics. McCain still has a solid lead when people think of the foreign policy guy, and it's highly unlikely there's any way for Obama to completely overcome that shortfall.

However, as the header indicates, this story really is more about sensational journalism without an ounce of truth, like saying Obama is gay. Yes my post may be on a lowly blog, but everyday there are major media outlets posting potentially inflammatory comments whose truthiness (thank you Stephen Colbert) has yet to be determined. An example was the NY Times posting the now infamous report of McCain supposedly having an affair with a lobbyist. Of course legions of people lined up to defend McCain as the story was complete BS.

Other stories involving Barack Obama include him being labeled a secret Muslim extremist and a current drug addict (since he admitted to using in high school).

Coming up next will be a blog on a factual scandal involving a US politician that you have probably heard of...

Is China cheating in Gymnastics? The age question.

2008-08-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, China upset the favored US team in gymnastics. But did they cheat while doing so? Here is a picture of "16" year old He Kexin

Does she look 16? Most people would say no. The age of 16 is so important because one has to be at least 16 in 2008 to compete in Olympic Gymnastics. The official Chinese newspaper, Xinhua, proclaimed her age was 13 on November 3rd of last year, meaning she would be ineligible for these games.

After the AP got wind of this, the page "magically" disappeared from the website as well did a couple of other "erroneous" reports from other sources.

Now, I'm not trying to be a sore loser, the US team made mistakes and China as far as performance is concerned deserved the gold medal, but not if they are cheating.

The International Gymnastics Federation and International Olympic Committee consider that only a passport is needed to prove one's age and China's gymnastics people claim they wouldn't have the power to falsify documents, yeah right. The Chinese government wants to win lots of gold medals, and why can't they cheat while doing so? The Chinese government printing out a fake passport would be exceptionally easy (like the US Mint printing out money) and of course, the passport would be 100% authentic.

So is China cheating? Well since Big Brother can destroy the information, and bury any proof, we may never know. To close here is a picture of Chinese gymnast Deng Linlin.

Hope she enjoys sweet sixteen, sometime in 2010-2012.

War in Georgia

2008-08-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

First of all, I don't mean the place north of Florida, I mean the country:

The fighting is over the little thingy in the north known as Ossetia (I mean little), Georgia as a whole is smaller than South Carolina.

Georgia had been trying to reclaim and pacify Ossetia. However, this little altercation got specifically nasty just recently when Russia decided to join the party claiming reports of ethnic cleansing (the inhabitants of Ossetia are more Russian and the separatist government is supported by Russia). Russia has sent troops, planes and tanks into the region.

The history between the two countries may also be a factor in this invasion. Georgia was a former Soviet republic and is actually doing quite well economically. Georgia recently has attempted to join NATO and, there are some American military advisers in Georgia. Since Georgia is not part of NATO, they are somewhat exposed to attack from the neighboring power. They have yet to ask the Pentagon for support, but it is most likely that the Pentagon must tread lightly for fear of this thing getting really nasty.

Meanwhile, President Bush and Russian Prime Minister (read Premier) Vladimir Putin are both in Beijing for the Olympics and have been talking about the situation and hopefully can resolve this problem peacefully (and stop Russia's possible land grab attempt). There may be 1,00 death as of now, and more may be forthcoming.

The case for Drilling in ANWR and other new drilling

2008-07-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is, depending on who you talk to either unspoiled wilderness, or a desolate wasteland. Both presidential candidates think of it as the former, and so it is unlikely that there will be drilling on the coastal plain. But why not? The following few pictures will show why drilling shouldn't be that big a deal:

The first picture is of the coastal slope on ANWR. If you have been to Yellowstone, contrast this for yourself. In fact Yellowstone has a lot more cars and such in the park that ANWR ever will, with or without oil. The second is a picture of an oil derrick in Alaska, notice the wildlife and the footprint of the oil derrick. The third is of the Trans-Alaskan pipeline, with a footprint slightly larger than that of power lines 20 feet into the woods, and you wouldn't even know that its there. At points the pipeline is buried and raised for wildlife to cross as well.

Now ANWR can only supply a small percentage of the nation's oil needs, there still needs to be drilling off our coast. This has been accomplished through the raising of federal restrictions on drilling. Arnold Schwarzenegger pointed out that it still allows the states, such as his own, to restrict locations at their choosing, and so lifting the law allows the people of the region to actually make their own decision (the Governator is against drilling off his coast).

With enough drilling, being opened up, oil prices will drop. Now, certain people argue it'll take ten years to exploit the oil resources, they then turn arouns and offer their own ten year oil plans (example: Barack Obama). But the price will fall once the drilling is opened up. Take this past week, on Monday, President Bush lifted the Executive Ban on Offshore Drilling (his father's ban), oil plummeted from the all-time high of $145 Monday, back to $128. The lowest in over a month. Now I'm not saying that other factors aren't at play but it did play a role in the drop.

So, until we get hydrogen and/or electric cars, and while transitioning to more energy sources, we will still need oil, and nothing will drop the price more than drilling, or at least looking like we are.

US and Israel vs. Iran (aka Gulf War 2.5), it's coming.

2008-07-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

Iran is still pushing it's harsh words towards Israel and the UN's attempt to stop Iran from having nukes. Recently testing missiles and taking part in Naval operations. The Iranians can claim and are threatening to attack Tel Aviv with those missiles, obviously the Israelis aren't happy about that.

Meanwhile, the United States is involved in Iraq and Afghanistan, not really in an ideal position to go to Iran, but at least the assets are on the ground already. Plus the American main ground assault unit, the Abrams Tank is somewhat free because huge tanks really don't work that well in tight city streets. The Iraqi PM also wants a timetable for US troop withdrawal. This may actually be convenient for the US, now the troops will just be moving over one country.

Here is an overview of how the steps to war may unfold:

1)Iran says something that pushes Israel over the edge (may have already happened)
2) Israel responds with a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities
3) Iran fires back at Israel and possibly US targets
4) And we have war (and even higher oil prices).

The United States will not fire the first shot in this conflict and that will help Bush's ability to argue for a response. It might also help the United States test weapons in actual combat. Expect US attack subs sinking Iranian ships in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean, F-22s against Iranian F-14s and more.

This still (hopefully) may not happen. But don't be surprised if it does.

Texas man kills burglars, grand jury declines charging him.

2008-07-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

A Texas man shot and killed two burglars. Investigators thought he may have shot one of the men in the back, however according to the Texan, the burglar swerved while rushing him. Eventually, charges were taken to a grand jury to try and indite the man, however the jury would have none of it and the man was let off.

Here was the conversation with a 911 dispatcher:

Joe Horn: "I've got a shotgun. You want me to stop him?"

Dispatcher: "Nope. Don't do that. Ain't no property worth shooting somebody over, OK?"

Joe Horn: "Hurry up, man, catch these guys, will you? Because I ain't gonna let them go. I'm gonna kill him."

Dispatcher: "OK, stay in the house."

Joe Horn: "They're getting away!"

Dispatcher: "That's all right."

Joe Horn: (Shouts to suspects) "Move, you're dead."

(three gunshots)

Some people will call it a deterrent, others will complain that violence leads to more violence. I, for one, think what he did was just, after all, the burglars were on his neighbor's property, and certainly had the intention to do harm to their belongings and possibly himself as well. So the man shot them. The Grand Jury determined the man was inside Texas law while doing so regardless of the dispatcher's instructions. Certainly, any burglar could be an armed and dangerous burglar, and of course the dispatcher knew that the police had no chance of catching the men if they were to leave because it was dark and an ID would be impossible. So the man shot them, good for him, they deserved it.

Interestingly enough, the two burglars were illegal immigrants, just thought that was interesting (and people say illegals don't commit crimes).

Supreme Court Recap... guns and cruel and unusual punishment talk

2008-06-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

There were two major rulings by the Supreme Court this last week. One I agree with, the other I do not.

Ruling #1.... child rape and the death penalty

The Supreme Court ruled that a law, that allowed the execution of a convicted child rapist, is illegal as it violates the 5th Amendment about Cruel and Unusual Punishment. This is stupid. Whatever your moral argument may be, the job of the Supreme Court is to interpret the Constitution. Well, in the late 1700's, horse thievery was punishable by death. Forgery, a nonviolent crime was punishable by death. Treason, which is in the constitution as a capital offense does not cause immediate bodily harm on anyone. So why can't the heinous crime of child rape be a capital offense? Why is that cruel and unusual? I don't honestly know why. And I don't understand how you can reason it that way either.

In fact, Barack Obama would agree with me as well.

Ruling #2... GUNS GUNS GUNS

The Supreme Court, in what may be the most landmark decision of the year, affirmed that The Second Amendment does affirm the INDIVIDUAL RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS. So now it is on the books, a person has a constitutional right to own a gun. The National Rifle Association is already opening up lawsuits in San Francisco and Chicago. In Chicago, the mayor was extremely upset. Saying that we have a court system for a reason. News to mayor, we do, and it says we can have guns.

Now the real fear is that the ruling will be applied to anything up to and including a tank. Fortunately, Justice Scalia said in his ruling that reasonable restrictions can be made on such a law, like a ban on assault rifles.

As for a quick breakdown of the 100 page ruling, the idea is that a "well regulated millita" refers to a group of private citizens who have guns and that the government has no right to take the weapons away. Thinking from there, free elections would go next. And the right "of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed" means the right was pre-existing and natural. Anyway, people can own guns, and there's nothing the government can do about it.

Latest airplane Hassles

2008-06-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege (if you could say that) of flying on an airplane this week and I discovered that it has gotten worse.

I remember when you could call a flight attendant, and she would give you anything that you wanted, now? nothing. On my last flight I was given grade B soda (not Pepsi or Coke, or Sam's Club even) a Grade B pack of Raisins and a tiny paper napkin. Of course I don't blame the flight attendants, I blame the companies.

Then there's security. I witnessed a high school girl's bag get thoroughly searched and her stuff confiscated because she had in her plastic bag a lotion over the allowed size. What's she going to do, squirt lotion in a passenger's eyes? Mind you she was already cleared through Seatac with the bag and somehow gets held up a a tiny muni? What about common sense? I also heard of a four foot ten young adult, blonde hair, blue eyes, who set of the chemical warning alarm. The reason? here high school lab book had traces of the last experiment on it. Still, they had to do a complete search (AKWAAARD) and interogated her for quite a while. So as you can see, these high school females with their strange rituals are obviously the top threat to our safety today.

Meanwhile, the government is scared to death of doing a more complete search of Middle Easterners for fear of being sued for racial profiling. You might think that someone named Abdul Haidar who spent two months in Western Pakistan might have a slightly greater chance of being a terrorist then Jane Smith who's never been outside the United States.

Finally, there's the worst offender, that fat person next to you. Here's an idea, if someone weighs over x weight, charge them for two tickets adjacent. That way, you wont be scrunched into a corner seat with only your thoughts of, "well, Bear Grylls had it worse climbing Everest" to comfort you as the other's lard permanently alters the way your hip is shaped.

So for those of you flying, good luck and godspeed, it may be the safest and quickest way to travel, but at least if you drive, you don't have to go through security and you can choose the company.

Severe Flooding in Midwest

2008-06-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

As rivers rise in the Midwest, evacuations are being ordered around many rivers. There is now a voluntary evacuation in effect for downtown Des Moines, Iowa. A general word of advice is, if you live in a low lying area in the Midwest oe near a river, get out now. Homes can be replaced, people can't.

In the meantime, the next 24 hours are supposed to be critical in determining how bad this is going to be.

Also, residents of Mondamin, Iowa are still recovering from the twister that killed 4 boy scouts, hopefully this weather sill subside soon, however until then if you live in one of those areas, be on high alert.

Big Brown Upset at Belmont

2008-06-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

At the top of the far turn, all looked ready for Big Brown to be coroneted. Despite some recent hoof troubles and an akward start, jockey Kent Desormeaux had the horse right where he liked. Unfortunately, when it became time for Big Brown to go, the horse had nothing. Kent Desormeaux was forced to pull the horse up as Big Brown looked in obvious discomfort, however it is unknown what that problem may be (fortunately not life-threatening).

It may have been the heat, it may have been the pole position, or the fact that Big Brown was kicked (horses are kicked a lot during a race). Other possibilities include the short rest, the quarter crack, and finally, maybe it just wasn't his day. Any way you have it, there'll be no triple crown winner this year.

Unemployment Worsens to 5.5 percent

2008-06-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

The unemployment rate worsened to 5.5 percent as jobs were cut in manufacturing, construction, retailing, and professional services. This comes after expectations that the economy would be getting better. It is of note that while 5.5 percent is considered bad by today's standards, historically this is pretty modest.

Of course, don't say that to those who just lost their jobs. Wages did rise .3%, however that still comes nowhere close to making up for price increases. With gas up, those who have lost their jobs are going to have a tough transition period and many entry level jobs are, of course, the ones that are being cut.

Also, don't expect interest rate cuts any time soon with how inflation is. All we can hope is that it'll get better soon, and with an election coming up, don't expect congress to go ape over helping the American people (it'll get credited/blamed to Bush whether he deserves it or not)

Obama would want Bill's campaigning?

2008-06-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama today said one of the most crazy things I have heard him say the entire campaign “I think Bill Clinton is an enormous talent, and I would welcome him campaigning for me.”

This coming from a man who had a front row seat for Bill's dismantling of his wife's campaign through poorly thought out comments that undermined all love and respect democrats had for the former POTUS. It probably is just Obama trying to make nicey nice, however, if it isn't than we need to seriously rethink what Obama said about quitting drugs in high school and his ability to be commander and chief. We even had the classical womanizing allegations going on.

I do know one thing, Bill Clinton should make for a very funny and ultimately doomed, Presidential Bid.

Celtics Take Game 1 of NBA Finals

2008-06-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Game 1 goes for the Celtics in an NBA usual closer-than-it-looks 98-88 victory. In fact, the game was in question until with about 2 minutes in the game Kevin Garnett rebounded a 3 point shot and dunked it home. After some poor time management by the Lakers, the game was over.

The Lakers led by as much as five points during the third quarter, however by the fourth quarter, the Celtics had retaken the lead and they held it for the duration.

Game 2 is Sunday night, 9PM ET in Boston on ABC

Clinton will officially suspend campaign on Friday

2008-06-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

Hillary Clinton is calling it quits. She suspended her campaign and in that way can keep her delegates, however it is a clear sign of her concession. Barack Obama is putting together a search team to pick his VP, but if Hillary keeps her delegates into the convention, she can probably have it if she wants it. However Senator Clinton may not want the ticket, if she supports Obama, but stays out of it then she's the top Democratic gun in 2012.

Also, the RNC has a mix tape ready of all of Hillary's bashes on Obama, including times where she points out McCain's experience vs. Obama's lack thereof.

Barack Obama and George Soros, a disturbing link.

2008-06-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

(From Federal Elections Committee)
Click on image for higher resolution picture

February 27th, 2004. Half a year before Barack Obama would make his now famous speech in front of the Democratic National Convention. Now one knew him outside of his home state. Of course we know that four years later he becomes the Democrat Nominee for President. But, how did he get on that stage? Who gave the DNC the cue to put him in the spotlight? It might be George Soros.

Here's something you may not know, on February 27th, 2004, long before George Soros jumped onto the National stage, George Soros gave Barack Obama $12,000, more than he's given any single candidate prior to Obama, by a whole lot. The link to that record is here. Now Soros might have known about Obama, he might have listened to a speech, he might.

Or, Soros may be the "invisible hand" that pushed him into the spotlight. He may be the one that got Obama on that DNC stage in the first place. Obama may not have been the candidate that came out of nowhere, but the one that has been peomoted in the backroom through vast funds.

So Obama is charismatic, but has he been bought out? Is Barack Obama running for President, or is George Soros? What does this say about Obama's agenda and talk of bringing America together (one must remember that Soros is the chief financier of moveon.org)? What does this say about Obama promising to fight special interests? Nothing good obviously.

I have not seen into the backrooms, and so I do not know what the exact story is. But if someone is to give a nobody 12,000 and that nobody becomes a somebody, there's more there that meets the eye and I wonder what he has promised Soros.

So congratulations to Barack Obama for winning the Primary. He may indeed make history if he is elected President. But who'll be serving the first term?

Obama Officially Declares Victory

2008-06-03T19:15:00.001-07:00

Obama Declared Victory in Minnesota today. He congratulated his rivals with the campaign. Extending a longer congratulations to Senator Hillary Clinton saying she will be "central" to later actions. What does this mean? you be the judge.

Hillary Clinton wins South Dakota

2008-06-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

In what might end up as a little embarrassing to Barack Obama. On the day that he is to lock up the nomination, his rival later on wins a primary. Maybe it was good that Clinton stayed in the race, or else who would Obama be losing to?

John McCain officially kicked off his general election run. His speech was not unlike another President from awhile back. He talked in a Reaganesque style about small government while distancing himself from the Bush administration. Later he continued with highlighting Obama's lack of experience both domestic and foreign and stated his summary of Obama's campaign as "that's not change you can believe in".

Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination

2008-06-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama clinched the nomination today after the superdelegates pushed him over the top. More are expected to commit to him and the Montana and SD primaries also show he'll have greater separation.

Obama will speak tonight in St. Paul Minnesota, in the same stadium that the Republican National Convention will be in come September. The symbolism of the moment will be used. Meanwhile Hillary Clinton has expressed openness to becoming the VP, however her husband bashed the media for being pro-Obama today as well, so the Illinois Senator will have a decision to make.

John McCain will also speak in New Orleans tonight for the first time in many months, he'll have an official target to go after, Barack Obama. Expect McCain to talk about Obama's inexperience, Foreign Policy, and his view of how to fix the economy. McCain may also0 be expected to use the location to show his separation from President Bush in many issues, including how Katrina should have been handled.

Clinton campaign primary update

2008-06-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

The chairman says that reports of the Senator dropping out are "100 percent incorrect"...figures. Besides a still running for President Hillary Clinton has to be reckoned with a lot more than a dropped out Hillary Clinton.

AP Reports Clinton to acknowledge Obama's victory tonight

2008-06-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press has said that Hillary Clinton will acknowledge that Obama has the delegates needed for the Democratic presidential nomination. However, I deem it unlikely that Hillary will do anything beyond suspending her campaign. This is in order to keep her pledged delegates in alignment and in that way have an enormous amount of influence in the convention, maybe even a VP spot.

If Barack Obama wants to keep Clinton off the ticket, there are a number of ways to combat her. The best is probably two weeks before the convention to announce his choice for VP. The convention couldn't possibly go against his declaration without major problems. Another would be to offer her a cabinet position instead, some have even said a Supreme Court seat (now that's scary). Whatever the case, expect he official ending of the campaign to come very soon.

UPDATE: The Clinton campaign chairman says report is "100 percent incorrect"... figures.

Bill Clinton signals Hillary's campaign ends tomorrow.

2008-06-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

In a speech today, Bill Clinton said “This may be the last day I’m ever involved in a campaign of this kind."

As expected, the last day comment has been a signal to the press that his wife may drop out of the race however his wife has denied those rumors. That said, under the current conditions, the delegate number is 2,118. Obama is only 40 delegates shy of that number. After tomorrow's primaries, he will be almost at that number, and with the endorsement of the House Majority Whip, he may indeed be there. The only question to Clinton is, will she drop out?

Iraq War Deaths at a four year low

2008-05-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

The death count for the month of May is at a four year low of 21. This is only one more than the lowest monthly total for the war of 20. This latest news is very encouraging to all hoping that we might be able to turn Iraq around and get this thing over with in the best way possible and leave in a way that we won't be returning. Iraqi deaths also dropped to 532, which is half of April's death count. Iraq is not perfect yet, but it's getting better for example, if you're an American a month in Iraq is half as dangerous as spending a year as a Venezuelan (don't even get into those East African nations). This comes a day after the CIA Director says Al Qaeda is weaker, maybe there's something to that after all.

For some political analysis John McCain will say that this is a good sign, and if it continues, Iraq may not be as large a negative on his campaign as expected. Which will not only make McCain look better in his call for the surge, but will vastly increase the foreign policy skill gap. Obama will of course say 21 deaths is 21 too many and he'll be right about that point (though less than one death a day is pretty good for any nation at war) and in that way keep most of his anti-war supporters on his side. However, if Iraq isn't a big issue in November, then we've just got a far leftist against a centrist. Advantage McCain.

DNC decides on unseated delegates

2008-05-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

The word from the DNC is that half of the Florida and Michigan delegate votes will count. All the delegates will be allowed to go, but only half will be seated. Hillary Clinton has signaled that she may still take the decision to the credentials committee which would mean that the race will not be decided until the convention.

Outside the meeting was a large number of suffrage protesters and Hillary supporters complaining
of disenfranchisement. Seating all the delegates with half a vote might have a larger effect of counting all the popular vote in Florida and Michigan. Add them to the popular vote total, and it may very well be that Senator Hillary Clinton will lead in the popular vote. Will she be "Al Gored" at the Democrats on convention, quite possibly.

In further news, Barack Obama finally cut ties with Trinity United Church of Christ. Jury's still out on whether it will stop the bleeding.

Lost Tribe brings interesting Ethical Questions

2008-05-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

A tribe was discovered in Brazil that has never before had any contact with the modern world. This tribe was in a specific "ethnic preserve" or an area that is off limits to outsiders in order to keep the tribes separate. The few photos of the tribe show healthy warriors and six large communal huts. They were firing arrows at the airplane.

The question is, what to do with this and the 200 or so other uncontacted tribes that remain?

Some schools of thought is to let them be. That they are living in a "paradise". But isn't it just a paradise of ignorance (thought not their fault)? Living in a world that has put a man on the moon and has things like indoor plumbing and climate control? What is their life expectancy? What could we learn about them from contact? There might be some very important native medicinal remedies that could be of use to our society.

It is clear to me that they must be contacted. It should be done in the most careful way possible, as disease is of extreme risk to them. We all remember how contact with Native Americans decimated the population with hardly even lifting a finger. They will most likely be hostile to others and we may not be able to communicate with them using native dialects from contacted tribes.

Even with all this, don't we have a responsibility to lead them out of the "cave"? We most certainly do. Not necessarily to enforce our religion, or our society, but to teach them about our world, history, and let them decide what path their future will follow.

(Tribal info from ABC news)

FLDS children to go back to families

2008-05-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today the Texas Supreme Court upheld a prior ruling that the sect's children must be returned to their families. The ruling technically applies to only 126 children of the 450, but it likely will carry over for the time being. The Judge that first ordered the removal can still request future protection measures such as monitoring, however this ruling will clearly make future action more difficult.

Meanwhile, the investigation is still continuing and charges of abuse, incest, and others may still go to trial.

Hopefully the state didn't jump the gun, because if this FLDS sect gets off this time, then the second try will be even harder.

Rachael Ray "terrorist" ridiculousness

2008-05-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Rachael Ray recently did an ad for Dunkin Donuts. Here is the ad:

Can you make out the scarf that she's wearing?
Enraged yet?
I don't think so
What if I told you it looks like a keffiyeh?
What's that?
A keffiyeh is a traditional Arab headress.
Still care?
Probably not.

Anyway, some bloggers did care and threatened to boycott Dunkin Donuts (the ad was pulled by the company) and some people have even called her a jihadist sympathizer.

DId these people even think? Reason 1, calling Rachael Ray a terrorist sympathizer is idiotic even without thinking. That does not need much further explanation.

With thinking, we look at her name, Rachael is a common variant of Rachel, which has a Hebrew ancestry. Not all Rachaels are Jewish, but an appreciable number are. So that is reason two for the person to be an idiot in that you may very well be calling a Jew a Muslim sympathizer. Not that all this is needed after Reason 1, but it's worth pointing out. She probably was wearing a fancy scarf from some designer store and had no clue (as did none of us) that it resembled anything strange. Even then, does an Arab headress make one a terrorist sympathizer? Of course not.

So I would kindly ask those calling Mrs. Ray a terrorist sympathizer, to think twice and move on to actual stuff.

China Earthquake Update.

2008-05-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

Due to the massive earthquake, rubble has blocked off streams and rivers and formed lakes. These lakes have a very short lifespan and could burst at any time. So, the Chinese Leadership is being forced to evacuate 80,000 more people in order to blow a dam. This action horrible, but unfortunately necessary in a way similar to blowing a side of a slope to stop an avalanche. There was also a magnitude 5.7 aftershock recently that injured five as well. The confirmed death tool is at over 67,000 with over 20,000 still missing.

China is also allowing more journalists into the nation then ever before. Probably a way of getting more sympathy and translating into more dollars for the country, but at least they're smarter than Myanmar when it comes to getting aid.

Idiot of the month goes to Sharon Stone, who blamed the deaths of 60,000+ innocents on China's treatment of Tibet. She called it "Karma". Imagine what certain people would have said if it wasn't a liberal Hollywood actress who had said that.

Obama's Nazi Death Camp Gaffe

2008-05-27T17:40:00.001-07:00

Barack Obama said a few days ago that his Great Uncle had taken part in the liberation of Auschwitz, one of the notorious Nazi camps. There is a slight problem with this statement, namely it was the Soviet Red Army that liberated Auschwitz.
The Senator later (after it was pointed out that he screwed up) corrected himself and said that the camp he was referring to was Buchenwald (which does line up with his story).
There is no reason to disbelieve the Senator, some simple fact checking by those with proper sources can prove what division his great uncle served in and so Obama is most likely telling the truth.
However, this does show how little we know about him and his past. John McCain has an extremely well documented family history. His father and grandfather together have a ship named after them. We know exactly where McCain graduated in his class and his struggles and time as a POW, etc. Obama isn't as clear, and that should worry people.

Memorial Day Reflections

2008-05-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

It is on Memorial Day that we recognize the sacrifice of American Soldiers on the battlefield. I feel that at this time we should reexamine the gallantry and the courage that American soldiers have shown over our 232 year history and tell naysayers one thing, "support the team or get out of the stadium."
It is one thing to oppose the war. There has been opposition (in varying levels of stupidity) to every war we have fought (there was even a knucklehead congresswoman who opposed WWII). However, it is another completely different idea to oppose American troops. I saw a protest on my local liberal "public" station that suggested all American soldiers in Iraq are war criminals. Needless to say, I was shocked and offended. Sure, Eugene, Oregon is liberal.... but come on, maybe those people should try to live under the rule of Saddam? Or maybe if they don't like American military protection, they wouldn't like other government provided services (like all the welfare money I shell out to them, especially the ones who don't try to better themselves). What they said was ridiculous and those people should be publicly shamed and humiliated, rather than lauded.
Now I disagree with anti-war people on many issues. But there should be a distinction. For instance I really dislike John Kerry, but I do think he is a decent American who opposes the war, but at the least supports the troops. I think the majority of those opposed to the war are like that.
The other part of the anti-war movement is made up of jackasses like Code Pink. Code Pink is trying to remove a military recruiters office from downtown Berkeley. What did the recruiters ever do to them? nothing. Is anyone forced in our country to sign up? No, we have an all volunteer army. so what is Code Pink complaining about? I don't really know, except that they're a bunch of stupid hippie idiots who're trying to recapture their youth, or whatever they can remember in-between all the illicit drugs.
Then there's the people that are secretly rooting against the US soldiers. Whether it is consciously or not, they are gleeful when they hear Iraq is going badly, because that means they can hide their far left agenda behind bringing troops home. I don't think Obama is rooting against US soldiers, but doesn't he benefit from them dying? It may be an unfortunate circumstance for him, but it is a real one.
So this Monday let us reflect on what our soldiers have done for our country, and whether you are for the Iraq War, were for or against Vietnam and all the others. Wish them the best, because they keep us safe, are real heroes, and deserve it.

Peace talks between Israel and Syria in Trouble

2008-05-24T16:18:00.001-07:00

There was somewhat hopeful news earlier this week that Israelis and Syrians were working on a peace deal. However, recent reports are that Syria is refusing to cut ties with Iran and militant groups such as Hamas. So it indeed looks like these talks are going to come to nothing.
What really is stupid is that the Syrians lost a chance to get the Golan Heights back and to make peace in a way that Egypt did many years ago. It will most likely be Syria's last chance as Israel will probably have a conservative Likud Party PM in a pretty short time. Expect Syria to pay for their unwillingness to make friends in the short, and the long term.

McCain VP race update.

2008-05-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

In an update to my earlier post, Joseph Liberman is attending McCain's barbecue. This latest revelation (although it could be that they're just good friends) makes him an intriguing outside VP choice worth upgrading into kinda likely if McCain feels the need to run a truly centrist campaign. Also, McCain is quite comfortable with Lieberman. I still think this has a far outside shot, but it is a shot, and there you have it.

In another note, a choice for VP may indeed be Sarah Palin. Current governor of Alaska. In response to a post on my blog about Governor Palin, I feel it is worth mentioning her so:

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is the current governor of the State of Alaska. She was elected to the governorship in 2006. She is a lifetime member of the NRA and belongs to Feminists for Life ( a pro-life group). She shares McCain's maverickness as she took on fellow republicans on ethics issues.

Pros: A young and vibrant face to balance out John McCain's age. Obscenely high approval ratings (mid80's to 90's at points in her term) in a time when current governments are unpopular. Effective move with the Hillary Clinton situation either as a counter or an appeal to pro-Clinton democrats.

Cons: Lacks the name recognition of some of the other contenders, comes from a geographically isolated state with little electoral weight and that is a surefire red-state anyway.

Saudi Arabia Contributes 500 million to WFP

2008-05-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

Saudi Arabia officially no longer sucks more than usual.
A few weeks ago. Fox News reported on OPEC failing to contribute any money whatsoever to the World Food Program. A report that I picked up on and published myself. This of course came at a time of record oil profits coming mostly from our own wallets.
It seems that with the negative coverage Fox News and other people (like me) gave OPEC, and maybe a nudge by President Bush, Saudi Arabia has pledged to contribute 500 million USD to the program. This would place Saudi Arabia in the upper echelons of contributors to the World Food Program. One might say it's about time (in fact, that's what the Secretary General said).
So while Saudi Arabia may be off our collective mental wall of shame, we should not give the same recognition to all of OPEC. Only Saudi Arabia gave money to the WFP, all the other nations still FAIL when it comes to giving to the World Food Program or anyone else for that matter. So good for the Saudis, but still not good for OPEC.

For more information: see my earlier article on the matter here

McCain VP race down to three?

2008-05-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Three people are scheduled to meet with John McCain tomorrow. Governor Mitt Romney, Governor of Florida Charlie Crist, and Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana. Some circles have thought that this pertains to McCain sizing up possible VP spots. Here are some pros and cons of each.

Mitt Romney:

Pros: Has a lot of money for McCain to use (of course with public matching, this isn't as big a deal). Experienced in Economics and is popular with the conservative base. He is also a familiar face with excellent name recognition and is popular in Michigan.

Cons: Governor of a state that will go Democrat. His faith may give a couple of voters pause. And he may not be popular with moderates (polls show that he and McCain aren't the most popular ticket)

Charlie Crist:

Pros: Experienced Governor of a swing state. Popular with conservative Republicans. A "safe" choice

Cons: Looks a little long in the tooth/doesn't bring much youth or excitement to the ticket.

Bobby Jindal:

Pros: Young Indian(the subcontinent)-American is Governor of Lousiana, which is a state that isn't a surefire red state (Hurricane Katrina). Extremely popular with conservatives (Limbaugh called him the next Reagan) and not well known enough to leave a bad taste in moderates' mouthes. He also is a very gifted speaker. He also holds very conservative positions on most all issues.

Cons: First Indian-American is underrated by media so don't expect a lot of positive Obamalike coverage. He is more experienced than Democratic supposed nominee Obama, but still is quite inexperienced on a campaign that may hinge on that.

Other candidates not metting with McCain include:

Mike Huckabee: Was actually invited to this "sitdown" but declined (promised to go sailing with his wife), gifted speaker but seen as a joke by many and his view on the "age of the world" will come into play.

Condi Rice: The current Secretary of State would balance out ticket racially, but is quite affiliated with Bush and will take many hits for that.

Joseph Lieberman: A long shot worth mentioning is this man. Already ran for VP (as a democrat) and would really make a statement abut moving to the center. However, he will be unpopular with conservative republicans as he is perceived by many as way too moderate.

My personal pick: I'm going out on a limb and predicting that Bobby Jindal will be the VP. He offers a good deal of excitement and something new to this race while holding on to many conservative views.

Obama wins Oregon, claims pledged delegate victory.

2008-05-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama, after winning Oregon by a sound margin, declared pledged delegate victory over Senator Clinton. Now the only way Senator Clinton can win is through a superdelegate coupe. She has made no gestures towards backing out and indeed put the bar for overall victory at over 2,200 delegates, which means that she is now counting Florida and Michigan in the results.

It should also be noted that Obama also suffered a humiliating defeat in Kentucky just hours prior to his "victory" speech, he will really have to work on his popularity there.

Ted Kennedy Diagnosed with Brain Cancer

2008-05-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

The Massachusettes senator, after having two seizures, was discovered to have a malignant tumor in the left parietal lobe. The tumor itself is inoperable and the prognosis is that if he's lucky, the Senator has only five years. Hopefully the prognosis is wrong.
One of the things that people may be wondering is about his Senatorial future. Well, Senator Kennedy is not up for reelection until 2012, four years from now. The chemotherapy and radiation may weaken him and so don't expect him to be as active in Congress as he used to be. If he is to resign later on, the state will have to elect someone between 145-160 days after his resignation.
Of course my thoughts and prayers are with the Senator, while I may not agree with him, Senator Kennedy has devoted his life to the country and I hope that he stays strong and can somehow beat this illness.

Hillary Clinton wins Kenutcky

2008-05-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

The New York Senator is the projected victor of the Kentucky primary by a possible 2:1 margin over Obama. However, expect Obama to strike back with a solid Oregon win. Enough so that he may even claim victory after the expected Oregon win.
The vote continued to outline problems with Obama's ability to reach the average white guy, something that the Obama campaign will be sure to look at as they now seem to be focusing on the general election.
That said, Hillary Clinton is still there... maybe hoping for some scandal about Obama, maybe looking for one, and still in the race.

Joseph Lieberman holds key to GOP Senate Coupe.

2008-05-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

The Senate is led 51-49 by the Democratic party. However, one of those 51 Senate members is McCain supporter and recent Democratic Party critic Joseph Lieberman, and that begs of the question, "why not ask Lieberman to switch sides?"

There are certain bills that Senator Lieberman, like any other Senator cares about. The Democrats are sure to ignore these bills after his percieved betrayal of the party by supporting Iraq and McCain. Why doesn't the GOP extend the hand of friendship to Senator Lieberman?Promise a quick up or down vote on Lieberman's bills? and in turn tie up the Senate 50-50, which, with the VP's tie breaking vote would give the Republicans control of the Senate, at least until November.

The circumstances may dictate that this is impossible. For instance, maybe Lieberman doesn't want to switch affiliations due to electability concerns. However, it should be tried. The benefits of this would be enormous, not only would it be a major change in momentum in this perceived Democrat year, but it would ensure that Harry Reid does not get a podium from which to criticize the Republican Party whenever he wants to, and Republicans could determine which bills they want to be put up for vote.

So, with all this, one must ask, what's taking so long?

Big Brown Wins Preakness

2008-05-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

This time it wasn't even close. Big Brown had a great break and settled into third off of Gayego and another. At the far turn, Big Brown started his kick and passed everyone, winning by a deceptively close 5 lengths and he could've run a whole lot faster, in fact, the jockey had to keep in in check. Coming up, The Belmont Stakes and a shot at the triple crown.

In an interesting story for the Belmont, a major upcoming challenger is Casino Drive, who began his career under the radar with a win in Japan, and then won the 1 1/8 Grade II Peter Pan stakes at Belmont park. However, in his Peter Pan win, Casino Drive was ridden by Kent Desormeaux who will be somewhat busy on June 7th, riding Big Brown.

Double Amputee Pistorius allowed to run

2008-05-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland ruled Friday that double amputee Oscar Pistorius is allowed to attempt to qualify for the South African Olympic team and if he earns a spot, run in the Olympic games. Of course he still has to qualify in the 400 for the games and that will take some shaving off of his time. However, if South Africa wants him, and they probably do, Pistorius can run, or be an alternate in the 4x400 meter relay without qualifying.

Pistorius was born without fibulas in his legs and so his legs were amputated at the knee before he was a year old. He showed some skill at running with prosthetics and was fitted with state-of-the-art "Cheetah" blades that helped Pistorius move into the upper echelons of not only papaolympic games but regular competitions against non disabled athletes as well. He has yet to make the official 400 meter qualifying time and has a ways to go (Personal Best=46.56, Qualifying Time=45.45) but can at the least start running in major competitions for the London games in 2012.

Obama an Appeaser?

2008-05-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

The Controversy
In a speech to the Israeli Congress (Knesset) American President George W. Bush said:

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: ‘Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.’ We have an obligation to call this what it is - the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history,"

It was seen by many as an allusion to Obama's foreign policy and so the President's remarks were promptly criticized by the Democratic party, including Obama opponent Hillary Clinton, who said: “President Bush’s comparison of any Democrat to Nazi appeasers is both offensive and outrageous, on the face of it and especially in light of his failures in foreign policy,” Furthermore, in a break with usual action, Republican soon-to-be-nominee John McCain and Independent supporter Joseph Lieberman did not condemn the remarks by the President, instead, McCain made a statement against Obama's Iran stance.

Analysis

If you believe that the Iran regime counts as terrorists, then these remarks may have some validity. By talking to the Leadership Obama is legitimizing a group that says Israel should be wiped off the map. The fact is that Iran won't agree to disarm in talks unless they get something in return that is probably not in the interests of Obama. If Iran makes advancements through an opening of relations or a lack of shunning without giving anything up, then this IS APPEASEMENT. As it is giving a foreign power leverage without them giving anything up, it is not nearly on the level of Neville Chamberlain, but it is appeasement. So if Obama does talk to Iran without stipulations, then he is to a small degree appeasing him.

Karl Rove said in the Wall Street Journal that Republicans need to stand for something, maybe this is the thing that Republicans and John McCain need.

China Earthquake toll may rise to 50k

2008-05-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

Over three days after the magnitude 7.9 Earthquake in China, experts say that the death toll may rise as high as 50,000. A rescuer interviewed by ABC News also said that after 5 days, the chance of finding survivors drops precipitously the rescue becomes more of a recovery operation. China has been trying its best to free these people, however in a country where many of the buildings are quite old and much of the countryside is quite poor, death tolls can be expected to be very high, almost as high as a poor third world nation.

It must be remembered that high death tolls are nothing new to China. In recent memory, there have been floods that have killed over 1 million people. And this quake may serve as somewhat of a wakeup call to the Chinese government that maybe its time to remodel many of their older buildings.

John Edwards endorses Obama

2008-05-14T16:01:00.001-07:00

Tonight John Edwards will officially endorse Barack Obama. This is a big deal as not only can Edwards nudge his delegates, who can vote for whomever, into voting for Obama. Furthermore, Edwards is one of the few remaining big people out there who have yet to endorse someone and more superdelegates may go Obama's way because of it.
Another intriguing possibility is an Obama/Edwards ticket. This would make sense as reason that Edwards is seen as someone who may be able to reach out to those white working class voters that have so far shunned the Illinois Senator. Also it wouldn't take the reconciliation that bringing Hillary Clinton into the fold might require.
On the other hand, Edwards ran in a campaign as VP before, and that campaign as we all know lost. Also, many people are still unsure to Obama's viability of winning a southern state in the general election so Obama may focus on someone from a more geographically important location. Of course Senator Clinton still hasn't dropped out and so until June, if not later, this conversation is somewhat pointless.

Hillary Clinton Wins West Virginia by a WHOLE LOT

2008-05-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Hillary Clinton won West Virginia today by a huge margin (possibly the largest save for her home state of Arkansas), early results say as much as 2:1 Exit polling (usually pro-Obama) is 68% to 32% in Clinton's favor. The Senator from NY may have done Senator Barack Obama a favor by staying in, because it would have been much worse if Obama had lost to an officially lame duck. Senator Clinton still hasn't talked about quitting and this victory will likely promote more questions about Obama's ability to win the white middle class. The dislike of many Clinton supporters shown towards Obama, 1/3 say they'll vote McCain, another third said they won't vote and, over half (just Democrats) think Obama shares Reverend Wright's views, and not a single demographic (except the few African-Americans in the state) went even close to down the middle, even educated voters broke to Clinton by a large number. This cannot be seen as a racial vote, but is clearly a vote of ideals of experienced classical liberal policy of Clinton, vs. a relative unknown.

Senator Clinton may not get her 80-90% tonight, but it looks like a quick exit is unlikely as Obama will be nowhere close to 2025 by convention time and seeing the final races as Montana, South Dakota, Puerto Rico and Kentucky, and the lone Obama possibility in Oregon, it looks like Hillary Clinton will have quite the momentum boost, even if Obama is about at the finish line.

On the Republican side, the outcome looked quite encouraging for Senator McCain's chances, a poll said McCain would have won the state against Obama by double digits. A Democrat hasn't won office in fourty years without West Virginia. Now Senator McCain must reach out to those Hillocrats in West Virginia and across America and try and get some moderate liberal support against Senator Obama. It will be the economy that McCain will have to work for with low taxes and a pro-growth policy.

Ron Paul... Not Dropping Out

2008-05-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

John McCain has locked up the Republican nomination. However, Mr. Ron Paul still hasn't officially dropped out of the race. At times resorting to what may be considered by some to be dirty pool, Paul and his supporters keep racking up small, but significant amounts of delegates. He has no shot at becoming VP or even President at that matter, but he is trying to get a speaking role at the convention. Republican officials decide who gets the speaking role, and so it is hard to imagine that Ron Paul will get a major speaking role, especially in front of Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani, all of whom were also former candidates and are much closer to the standard party line.
In Nevada, Paul's supporters crashed the state convention and managed to change the rules about how delegates are elected to the national convention, it subsequently elected Ron Paul supporters to the convention instead of the expected McCain contingent.
Ron Paul is a radical, and does not represent anything close McCain's or the modern republican viewpoint and so I see no need why he has to be a speaker at the convention.

Disagree Paul supporters? Comments welcome.

New Oil Drilling in Los Angeles

2008-05-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

The presence of oil in and around Los Angeles has been known for many decades. However, the high price paid by companies to extract it made the process uneconomical. Even now, drilling has to be camouflaged in order to keep environmentalists of the companies' back. But recently, it has been worth the cost and drilling has restarted. Not with new wells, but mostly the resumption of old ones.
To make a new well in L.A., one first has to buy the land, then, submit the dozens or so of required applications, which is sure to take some time. If the company still wants to try, they'd better get a good legal team, as they then have to fight off a dozen lawsuits from environmentalists alleging major damage the ecosystem or the disruption of native ceremonial grounds. Still there have been a few new wells proposed because the payoff is huge, and transportation to a major hub is a cinch, because you're in one already.
If people were smart, they'd let the companies drill in L.A., as long as certain precautions are taken to avoid sinkholes, it can help alleviate foreign oil requirements, bring down the overall price, as well as provide work for local citizens. Besides, what environment is there to destroy in the concrete jungle?

Obama Takes Superdelegate Lead... may "claim victory" on May 20th

2008-05-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama took over the superdelegate lead today with the endorsements of two superdelegates from the Virgin Islands, a US territory. The delegates were Carole Burke and Kevin Rodriquez. As we know by now, sperdelegates are people of importance within the democratic party who make up about 20% of all total delegates. They have one vote for the democratic nomination and can vote for whomever they want to. With these new pledges, the IL Senator now leads over Senator Hillary Clinton both in Pledged delegates from states and superdelegates. It indeed looks like the end may be near for Hillary Clinton, but if she keeps her word about not quitting until Obama raches 2025, then that end may not be until the convention.

There also have been reports that Sen. Obama may release a statement claiming victory after his presumed Oregon victory on May 20th, after he has an officially unsurmountable lead in state primary and caucus delegates. That said, it is expected that Senator Clinton will indeed win Kentucky and West Virginia by a solid margin, but it will most likely be too little, too late.

In other political news, John McCain released a new Mother's Day ad featuring his 96 year old mother. The Republican Nominee-in-Waiting also is holding multiple finance receptions across the country as he tries to make use of this bonus time until the real campaign starts.

Sharpton owes $1.5 million to IRS

2008-05-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

It has been published that the Reverend Al Sharpton owes about $1.5 million in back taxes. The IRS is investigating the extent of these tax violations. Given Sharpton's status and his reasonable explanation that his charity has grown larger than he was prepared to fix, don't expect any jail time, but just a very hefty penalty. According to Sharpton though, these actions by the government are supposedly more deliberate he stated:

"Whatever retaliation they do on me, we never stop," he told the AP. "I think that that is why they try to intimidate us."

Of course Sharpton, in this circumstance is an idiot. There is no specific targeting taking place, he owes $1.5 million to the IRS and they will get their money. It probably will not mean jail time, as a lot of the money is owed through businesses where he may not have the liquidity to pay. but the government will get its deserved cash.

It is also worth notice that Rev. Sharpton's group has been fined for "tens of thousands of dollars it owes for failing to properly maintain workers compensation and unemployment insurance." Someone should tell the Reverend that he should practice what he preaches and provide benefits to the workers. And on July 30th of last year Sharpton had a certain Chicago Reverend speak at the opening of his new Civil Rights local Headquarters. While one can never be sure, he probably knew about Reverend Jeremiah Wright's prior sermons. Al Sharpton is a hero of the Civil Rights Movement and deservedly so, but one must look at his recent actions and hope that the Reverend gets back on the right track.

Why OPEC Sucks More than Usual

2008-05-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

OPEC, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries hold a virtual monopoly on oil exportation in the world. Contrary to popular opinion, the world is not currently running out of oil, we have plenty, but OPEC determines how much to pump and the refineries deterime how quickly it can become gasoline, heating oil, etc. However, those oil companies including Venezuela owned CitGo, are a separate issue.

As we all know, many of these oil producing countries have tons and tons of money for their size and national requirements. In some cases they don't even share it with their own citizens:

(Venezuela makes a really good example... doesn't it)

Anyway a report was released that showed that of the contributors to the UN World Food Program, OPEC finishes las (as in not on the chart)... behind the very wealthy nations of Panama, Nepal, and Bhutan (see here for complete lists). This is especially troubling since THEY ARE THE ONES CAUSING THE FOOD CRISIS ANYWAY!!! After all, many people and factories in poor nations need gas too. It's despicable how OPEC tries to be on its high horse about establishing quotas to combat global warming (and make more money) and then fails to do the simplest things. A million bucks would be enough, but Saudi Arabia didn't even give a penny. OPEC is a monopoly and we should treat it as such by splitting up the cartel into their member states.

Obama/Clinton '08? Maybe... but Obama/Gore more Likely

2008-05-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

After Obama's performances in Indiana and North Carolina, it looks as if the Democratic race is over. Obama may want to pick Clinton to prevent former Clinton supporters from jumping off the Democratic boat, however, Bill Clinton's recent unpopularity, her attacks on Senator Obama, and her supposed unwillingness to accept the VP nomination may complicate matters.

A workaround may be popular Democrat and Nobel Prize Recipient Al Gore, who brings experience and popularity to the ticket. Gore might also stop Clinton supporters from defecting. His loss in 2000 is seen as more of a shafting in many liberal circles and he is quite experienced as well. If Gore wants the job, I predict he, not Clinton, will be the one that gets it.

Myanmar Government Delays Help to Cyclone Refugees

2008-05-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

The government of Myanmar has been preventing aid to it's civilians displaced, injured, and endangered by the cyclone. New estimates are that the death tool in Myanmar may reach 100,000.

To show the devastation in Myanmar, look at these two images:

Before:

And after the cyclone:

What you can see is that much of the Southern region of the country is now under water and may be so for quite some time. Eventually people will get into these regions and help these people, but it'll take years to rebuild the country, and the government isn't helping. So are they to blame???

OF COURSE... cyclones aren't completely unexpected occurrences, the government had a pretty long time to prepare for the worst and they just watched it happen. While property can't move, people can. Furthermore, their preparations and post disaster efforts make FEMA's handling of Katrina seem genius. One has to wonder, while we can't let these people stand by and die, should we really support their military dictatorship by helping them? Something needs to be done about that government, not necessarily an invasion, but it's getting very tiring having our country and other wealthy nations have to pick up the pieces.

Obama dominates in NC, but Hillary won't quit

2008-05-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

With 91% of the vote in, Barack Obama is up in NC by about 15%. While his winning percentage may not translate into a major gain in delegates, it puts Senator Clinton about mathematically eliminated from the race even if Florida and Michigan were counted. However, it is unlikely that Senator Hillary Clinton is calling it quits. The aren't many more delegates to be awarded and due to the proportionality system, Obama will not have officially won the nomination until the convention.

Right now, the thing Obama has to do is rectify the racial disparity in his voters. 91% of African-Americans voted for Obama. However, Senator Clinton held strong majorities in both the white vote and the Hispanic vote. This Senator Obama has to fix and fix soon or else he won't be walking up the steps of the capitol in January. So now, Obama's general election campaign can just about begin. His first decision will be about the matching funds, then it will be how many debates to hold with Senator McCain. He's done worse in debates than in other mediums, but there'll have to be some.

But until then expect a last gasp by Clinton.... and more primary madness ahead.

All USS Cole Bombers Free

2008-05-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today we found out that six men convicted of the attack on the USS Cole have been freed or have "escaped" from Yemen prisons. Yemeni officials explained that "the terrorists aided in other suspected arrests". However, there is a major problem when a country lets people go that have killed 17, wounded 40, and committed basically an act of war against another nation. Two others are (thankfully for once) being held in Guantanamo. The escapees tunneled out, but no attempt was made to stop them, and another detainee comes and goes from jail as he pleases. Of course the same can't be said for Guantanamo bay. It seems that for once, the Detention Center is doing it's job of keeping known terrorists behind bars.

When someone hears things like this, it makes one wonder how much certain Middle Eastern governments want to help us stop these radicals. In fact the Yemen government won't even allow the extradition of these terrorists to the US to face a fair prosecution by jury for their heinous acts. Yemen, is a democracy (if fragile) and is supposed to be helping America. But this latest allegation should make our country rethink its position towards the country.

As Americans we have to realize that maybe some of the people will not help us, and while we can't invade every country in the Middle East that we don't see eye to eye with, maybe it's time to rethink how much we give to Yemen, even if it is only $25 million. It should also be noted that was found by a Federal Court Judge that officially Sudan is also to be blamed as it helped give safe haven to these terrorists. And this is why you shouldn't blame the US government for Guantanamo, but the countries that make it necessary.

(For more information... the latest government report on US-Yemen relations is here)

Microsoft finally calls off Yahoo! merger

2008-05-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

After a couple months of speculation, Microsoft finally gave up efforts to buy up Yahoo! citing a lack of desire to up its bid to $46 billion dollars (for comparison's sake that's over half the money that Bush recently asked to fund the Iraq War with).
The offer was valued at around $31 a share when first asked, and Microsoft was willing to go to $33. But Yahoo wanted more, at least $37 a share (~5 billion dollars overall). Microsoft was unwilling to try a hostile takeover for fear of the souring of relations and possibly selling out Yahoo's search service to Google pre-takeover.
Yahoo is still a company in major trouble and there is a real risk of it being swallowed up by another corporation, even Google and Microsoft still wants something in the search real to compliment it's current MSN Search. In any case, expect more news from Yahoo! in the near future as they try to keep their heads above water.

If you want to read Microsoft CEO Steven A. Ballmer's letter to Yahoo!, here is the link.

Big Brown Wins Derby

2008-05-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

Today Big Brown dominated the field at the Kentucky Derby and won by an easy 4 3/4 lengths. The undefeated 3-1 favorite had to break from the far outside (20th) position. He started out in a comfortable position right off the pace. Jockey Kent Desormeaux had to hold Big Brown back on the back stretch, but midway thorough the final turn, the horse started it's full kick, passed the leader and accelerated to a ridiculous pace and after the race was over it certainly looked like the horse could've run a little more as well. On a sadder note, derby runner up Eight Bells broke both her ankles after the race, and had to be immediately euthanized. Now it's only two weeks until The Preakness and the continuation of Big Brown's run at the Triple Crown.

US Loses 20,000 jobs... but it could have been worse.

2008-05-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Employers cut jobs of 20,000 workers last month, making it the fourth straight month of job loss in a row. The hardest hit areas were (not a big surprise here) construction, manufacturing, and retail.
While any job loss is of course bad, the nation was expected to be losing many more than just 20k. According to marketwatch.com, analysts actually expected 80k jobs to be lost this month, and so right now, the DOW and S&P 500 are actually up (for now) on this seemingly bad news.

However, also according to marketwatch, total working hours fell by .4%, that is never a good sign for overall productivity, and wages only increased by 1 cent, which is definitely not keeping up with inflation (yes people, your average 1 cent wage means you are in fact losing money).

So... where to go if your looking for a job? The service sector, especially health care, professional services, and leisure and hospitality, added 90,000 jobs so if you are unemployed, and reasonably qualified, maybe that's where you should look.