Happy New Year

While I doubt it will ever happen I hope this is the year of the politicians working for the people. May all your wishes come true. Oh and that awesome health care bill if it passes will do nothing but charge taxes for a few years. If it was so important then why not require coverage right away.

Bowl Week

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday season. It is a time to give. Let us take joy in giving to those around us. My kids got a wii from their grandparents. I told them that they have to have a certain area clean to play it. Hopefully that will help them not be so messy.

We now have a health care bill. I don't know why Obama isn't more involved in writing it. He seems to understand some things, but why is he relying on Reid and Pelosi. Doesn't anyone wonder about back door deals to get votes. I bet some senators hold out just for a back door deal. I would if that is what it took. Nebraska scored a lot of money by having a senator hold out.

Time for football. This week there is football on all day and night. You can't ask for anything more. Its wonderful to be able to watch a game at anytime. NFL regular season is almost over, college football is ending and then we will have the NFL playoffs. Sports are a part of my life. I would love to have someone to cuddle with while watching though.

Sell Out on Health Reform

I do realize that health care needs to be improved. But why did they bribe states. Democratic moderate Senators wisely held out their votes until their states got money that other states won't get. So let me just point out the issue here. If you are from a Red State with Republican Senators your state got screwed. If you are from a Blue State with Democratic Senators you probably got something. If you are a Red State with a Democratic Senator you got a windfall. Nebraska will have the federal government pay for some of their bills and this wasn't given anyone else. It was the purchase of a vote to pass a bill. Time will tell how good the bill is, but here is the kicker. Many insurance company stocks are going up. Why? They should be losing and analysts should know it. I think the wool is being pulled over our eyes. We are in for a big downfall. The next 50 years of politics will largely be based on two things.

Republicans will be for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, although the longer they go on with Democratic control the less they will be viewed as a Republican issue. Also for some reason the bailouts which were passed largely by Democrats in Congress. Another thing that could come back on Democrats.

Democrats will be judged on how health care reform improves lives and holds down costs. Ironically with everything happening the Democrats could be viewed as the bad guys in all these things and that would politically harm the party. Wow things could get very interesting politically in the next 10 years. Maybe another political party takes over? That would force compromise. American people deserve this from these two parties which haven't shown compromise in 20 years.

Christmas is coming

My birthday and Christmas are within days of each other. As a kid I never really cared for either. One Christmas I had 1 gift under the tree and my siblings had 5 or 6 each. Birthday was the same way. My Grandma felt bad and suggested moving my birthday celebration to July when I was 10 years old. Well I'm a little older. I enjoy Christmas so much more. I do much more giving and really don't care if I get anything. I feel silly for how I felt as a kid and my birthday really doesn't mean much to me anymore. With that said here is my Christmas wish list.

Dear Santa for Christmas this year I want a job that pays me enough to pay my bills. That is it. I would also like honesty in climate change science that is unbiased and a health care plan that has tort reform so that health costs will truly go down. The true winners of health care are the lawyers and medical malpractice insurers.

Get a Clue

Why is it that people act suspicious surrounding a family member who is missing. The guy in Utah who went camping when his wife disappeared didn't show up to work or call in. Now why would you not check in? If a spouse disappears you will be suspect number one. Then they waste taxpayer time and money on looking for someone when they know exactly where that person is. This is something that has played out many times. It comes down to honesty. Could he be being honest? Yes. But actions speak volumes.

I was happy that Obama called out the banks. They are being closed and aloof towards the people who bailed them out. They took taxpayer money and are foreclosing on their homes. They borrowed and are not showing any remorse for the economy. I would threaten banks like you wouldn't believe. They need to be pumping money into the economy. Jobs and homes were lost because of them. I think that credit ratings should be looked at differently. But banks also need to help people stay in homes. They are refinancing less than 10% of requests. They have no incentive. I think Obama is working on giving them incentive. Good smart move. Maybe these banks will get a clue.

Alabama has its Heisman

Congrats to Mark Ingram for winning the Heisman. I would have voted him first place too. I honestly think Eric Berry of Tennessee is the best player in college football though. Imagine him and Mayes of USC. In 5 years they will both be the two best safeties in the NFL.

I saw some questions around the ethics of global warming are in question. I know there is a big push to save the planet and we are causing a lot of heat. I still think that every aspect of what is causing our planets temperature to rise is not being considered. Why has the earth had different warm periods in the past. I think scientists trying to push us in the direction of conservation are missing other factors and are not looking into them properly. I will admit that we need to conserve and not use fossil fuels. We need to help save the planet as much as we can, but that doesn't mean we don't need to know all the factors involved. If the planet suddenly cooled we would need to know the reasons for that as well. I don't think all the money being spent on climate change is fairly spent on independent honest research. I think it is all skewed to how perception is.

Health Care Costs

Under the plan in congress an independent study has found that the costs will not go down. I don't know how much this shocks us. Its amazing that we can spend $1 trillion on this and not lower the costs at all. Here is the link to the cost information.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091211/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul

I need to find work. If you know of any let me know. I have a finance degree and have been working as a business analyst for 7 years. I work on IT software, but am not a programmer. I have written a couple ksh scripts, but that is about it. Maybe a few batch files too. Pass the word along. I need some income.

My Heisman Ballot

Well I have seen some of the best players, and this is how I would vote if I had a vote

1. Mark Ingram - RB Alabama
2. CJ Spiller - RB Clemson
3. Colt Mccoy - QB Texas
4. Ndamukong Suh - DT Nebraska
5. Kellen Moore - QB Boise St

Now for the NFL Hall of Fame voting. How is Cortez Kennedy not one of the final 25? There are many offensive linemen in the Hall that needed help double teaming him. He is better than most and gets no credit.

On the political side we are now looking at a jobs bill. Why do economists feel you can spend your way out of a recession. Japan tried it and it really didn't work. Why drive up the debt. Now they are going to use funds that were meant for something else as a slush fund. The TARP money. I think this is why Republicans voted against it. With 40% of Americans being Independent why are there only about 15% of lawmakers in this group. Many moderate lawmakers move left or right when in Washington DC. If there were a moderate party then I think they would be in control. We need a strong central party. This is what people will want. Voters are tired of far left and far right. Well almost half are. The rest are divided between left and right. My heart is in the middle.

Finding Work

Finding work seems to be very difficult. I talked to a guy who hires people and says he gets hundreds of applications for each position he has open. Computers are used to weed out the top candidates now days. So a computer scores each resume based on words within the resume and then the top however many are put in front of the hiring manager. So if everyone is equal then the odds of getting your resume to the hiring manager are less than 10%, probably less than 5%. These numbers will grow. I am trying hard to find full time secure employment. I don't know if it exists anymore. Since things likely won't be much better for the next election in 2010 expect a different congress. Congress has been controlled by Democrats for the last 3 years. While Bush still is blamed they controlled the House and Senate during the downturn and if it doesn't go up fast will be in control during those elections. After 4 years of Congressional control expect some backlash from the public.

College football figures out who plays for the national championship today. I am hoping for a game of TCU vs Alabama. Wouldn't Alabama be ticked losing to a Mountain West team two years in a row? The only issue with this is Boise St. Two years in a row would probably be left out of a BCS game while going undefeated during the regular season. Lucky for them Texas probably has only a 3% chance of losing. UNLV basketball is doing well too. 6-0 with wins over Louisville and at Arizona. Looks like March will be a fun month too.

My Heisman ballot right now,

Kellen Moore - Boise St.
Colt McCoy - Texas
CJ Spiller - Clemson
Mark Ingram - Alabama
Toby Gerhart - Stanford

I'll put my final one up next week. Don't care much for the award as it is more of a campaign than anything else. Seems players from the same schools win it all the time. Alabama and Tennessee have never had a winner with all the great players that went to those schools.

Thanksgiving

It has been a while since I said I was thankful. I am glad to be living in this great country. We have so much and take a lot for granted. While I understand the need to protect the environment and the need to reform things like health care I also know our country has a rift and half the people will never be happy. It would be so much better if we agreed on things. I know this is difficult as my family can't even agree on what to have for dinner. I am thankful for the opportunity to voice my opinion, even if nobody listens or agrees.

UNLV beat Louisville in basketball and Tennessee beat Kentucky in football. Seattle Seahawks just won too. All this helps make me thankful.

Football

My Seahawks are struggling. The Tennessee Vols are barely bowl eligible. If they beat Kentucky then they will go somewhere. UNLV is not bowl eligible, but the UNLV basketball team is 3-0. They have a big game against Louisville at home on Saturday. Its Thanksgiving week. Which is a football week. I just wish my teams were doing better. My Heisman ballot would be as follows.

1. CJ Spiller - Clemson
2. Kellen Moore - Boise St.
3. Colt McCoy - Texas

Heisman for CJ Spiller

This is part of the fun and problem with opinions. In politics everyone has an opinion and it is hard to prove who is right and who is wrong. I would disagree with many of the guitarists on this list.
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1916544_1921867,00.html

I do agree with some people on the list, but Gene Simmons and Eddie Van Halen are missing. I am a big Hendrix fan also. Politics are similar. Some people would agree while others would not. For instance Solar energy is expensive. Some day the price will drop. I have a 19" TV I bought in 1993 and a 27" TV I bought in 1999. Guess which cost less. Yep the 27" was cheaper and they are the same brand. Solar and wind power could have the same cost improvements, but only if used enough. I think this is why discussions have to occur. In government the big problem is if there is a mistake they won't cut funding and end it. Or will spend so much that they might as well finish. So overspending is never a good thing.

CJ Spiller for Heisman. Of all players I love watching him play. Lets get it right. Moore of Boise St. would be ok also, but if I had a vote I would give it to Spiller.

FAA

The FAA had a "glitch" that caused some issues. I read where they said they needed upgraded systems. Why doesn't an important system have a fail over? Computers can have backup systems that step in when a problem occurs on one and then everything runs on the other. If these systems are way behind then why didn't we upgrade them as part of the stimulus? Charge each passenger an additional $1 FAA fee and you will pay for your systems. I've been hearing these complaints since I can remember. Whenever a situation occurs the FAA says "we need more funding."

Its been good working. It is good for my development of patience. Tomorrow is my last day on the contract I am working. The feedback I get is I have done good work. I wish it was good enough to get me a job.

Medical Suggestions

Well here is an article I find troubling. It suggests that mammograms should not be given to younger people. My wife died of breast cancer at the age of 36 and was diagnosed at 33. This is not a great approach. The younger you get it the more deadly it is. Is this part of the death panel approach? Mistakes are not to be made when it comes to lives. This article shows that the government would rather save money than a few lives. I think younger people should get them every 5 years or so starting at 25, not wait till they get older.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_med_mammogram_advice;_ylt=AtNmS4hJmomWf5L3CsEmsY9H2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTJxMjgwbW9mBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMTE3L3VzX21lZF9tYW1tb2dyYW1fYWR2aWNlBGNwb3MDNQRwb3MDNQRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA3NraXBtYW1tb2dyYQ--

Conservatives vs Liberals

I look at everything going on in this world. Why do people let others form their opinion for them? With the environment can we clean it up? Yes. Are there causes other than human activity? Yes. But we let one opinion squash the other and that usually doesn't lead to the best solution. Iraq, Afghanistan? 80% of the population wanted to go to war, now they claim to have been misled. In today's world a politician is going to do what 80% of the population wants. We take our opinions from the media and let them funnel us to a belief. The liberal media blasts the conservative media and it works the other way too. The people of this world need to determine what is best and stop letting others influence the way they think. Do we want the hole in the Ozone to grow? No. What if we can create jobs while fighting this? Great. How about nuclear power and reprocessing since it is clean energy? Sounds good. Why do some things and not all things? Because we let a few people ruin it for the whole. Its time we worked on solutions that benefit the majority. I always wonder about cell phones. How many people are upset with the environment and use them along with cars and have 4 legged mammals for pets? Each of those things is bad for the environment. Gore buys offsets instead of sacrificing his lifestyle. He is not doing one thing for the environment personally. He is a spokesman who will leave a huge carbon imprint compared to me. If he was truly fearful of the catastrophe then maybe he would cut down on his own personal pollution.

College basketball is starting and that is a good thing. I look forward to a great college basketball season from UNLV. They have a lot of talent. Its young and should mature when they get to conference play. The schedule will be tough, but I think they will get good quick. They have a lot of new starters, hopefully they gel together quickly.

Gay Rights

It is going to be difficult for elected officials to pass gay marriage bills. Most people are straight and the other issue is that it is still a minority issue within the democratic party. African Americans vote democratic, but are more conservative as a group. So they can't be counted on for these votes. I understand why Obama is pushing for a few things for the gay community. He needs their votes. Gays vote and donate in a block. This way they have a voice as a group. In talking to my daughter who is in High School more and more kids are saying they are gay. I personally don't believe that you are born gay. I think it is a personal preference and therefore a choice.

While gay marriage is something I personally am against sexual orientation is something else. Gay people should be protected against discrimination. The same way sex, race, and religion are. This would mean that harsher punishments should occur if it is proved that a crime was committed against an individuals sexual orientation. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Read the Bible. Churches who say it is OK to be gay are going against their teachings 200 years ago. God doesn't change, people change. So I am against gay marriage, but I am for fair treatment of all humans.

Time

I wish there was more time in a day. How come when you are working there is not enough time and when you are not working you can never fill a day? How life changes. I now have no time for anything. Can we get an extra two hours into a day and not lose sleep? I think that is Obama's education reform. I just think teachers will demand more money.

Global Warming

Is the earth getting warmer? Yes. Is it caused by humans? I would be careful drawing that conclusion. Why is it that when someone suggests that it is not human caused congress and environmentalists throw them under the bus? Environmentalists are are out for their own cause. In the US we don't build factories, nuclear power plants, oil refineries, or much else because of them. They haven't seemed to stop the building of cell towers though. In some area's they complain about windmills. Now they have most people believing we are heating up the earth. Temperatures on Mars and Pluto are rising too. Why can't scientists study this? The learning about the temperatures in the solar system and how they interact with the sun may have more value.

http://seoblackhat.com/2007/03/04/global-warming-on-mars-pluto-triton-and-jupiter/

I have longed learned never to trust everything you hear, because these people are being paid to have an outcome. That is the biggest crime. They are being paid to support a point of view. What they need is to have a true love of the science and curiosity to determine an undetermined outcome. That isn't what is happening.

Niall Lyons

I just wanted to post a link. Niall was a friend of mine in HS. We hung out and he will be missed. We put a special time capsule item in together with a couple other friends for our 20 year HS reunion. I wasn't able to make it to the reunion and haven't talked or seen Niall since 1988 when we graduated from Shadle Park HS in Spokane WA. RIP Niall and may God Bless your family.

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/news/local/article/dothan_man_remembered_after_fatal_afghanistan_helicopter_crash/105171/

Old Government

Often times while looking for work I see and read reports that many government employees are going to be retiring soon. The government work force is old. Many times we here how inefficient the government is. Could the two be related? Over the last 15 years we have moved to computers and applications that constantly change. It is my guess that a younger government workforce would be able to adapt quicker raising efficiency. Something to think about. Its one of those types of jobs that once you get you just keep.

Swine Flu

I know a lot of people are nervous about the Swine Flu. Most people who get it will run a high fever for two or three days along with sniffles. The high fever is the problem. The other problem is the overall health of people. With all the prepared and fast food that people eat people are not as healthy as they should be. This could cause the flu to be worse. Most kids don't get proper nutrition and that can cause more issues. So maybe the best thing people can do is start eating better.

Americans better brace for a housing nightmare. Selling a house could be costly and very difficult. We will see if the credit markets punish people due to economic conditions. Hopefully everyone will have a fresh start. I think it will be difficult on the economy for a long time if the credit markets punish people for difficulty in the current housing market.

Homeowners

I own a home. I hope for a long time too. The homeowners association gets picky when doing inspections. I was replacing the pine straw in the flower beds with red mulch. Some grass was growing through. This is a vine Bermuda grass. I got roundup and have been spraying and killing the grass. Then when the roots are dead pulling it out. So I put a thin layer of mulch down and keep adding to it. My house doesn't pass inspection. It looks tons better than some neighbors and the red mulch looks better than pine straw. The project should run $500 of which I have spent $350. I need to get a better barrier and then fill in more mulch. They act like it is my front yard driving down home prices in the neighborhood. Well what about all the bad mortgages. The people running the homeowners association can't afford their homes and are on interest only. They need them to be worth as much as possible, so they are getting picky.

I have been watching SEC football. I think Alabama is better than Florida right now. Tennessee will be very good in 2 more years if they get a QB. LSU is on a slight decline as is Georgia. Notre Dame gets more respect than they deserve. I just don't want them to take Boise State or TCU's spot in the BCS. They would just get beat badly again. USC is good for being led by a freshman QB and having so much talent leave. Not sure if they are elite again. Yankees got CC and AJ for this reason. You have to beat them to win a series. I think Anaheim can, not sure about LA or Philly.

Working life

I forget as a single parent the demands of get up early for work, get through the day, get home as quick as you can, and take care of cooking and taxi driving. Is there more to life? Anyway, I just described my typical work day. Boy do I prefer working.

Working

It is odd working again. Going into work and getting the kids schedule is a challenge. My daughter was sick and its the first time she was sick in a long time. She did miss a couple school days when her wisdom teeth were pulled. Things have been good. Its nice to have a job and be able to be productive.

Had a discussion with some people. Economics is a driving force and I am amazed at how misunderstood it is. If more people understood economics then I think more people would understand our government. I still laugh that uneducated people are democrats. I would be careful catering to that part of the population as the amount of college educated people is growing to a higher and higher percentage.

MLB Baseball

First off I will talk about the Nobel Peace Prize. It is an honor to receive such a prize. This year Obama won it. Now I am not sure if he has done anything to deserve such a prize with the exception of giving well written speeches. Maybe his speech writers should get a bonus? He has inspired many people with hope. Not just in the US, but around the world. I am a moderate, so am not happy about a liberal agenda. I see talk of including Republicans, but when they won't give Republicans anything then they just pass it and say they tried. There is no way a Republican bill will be passed in the current congress. Moderate bills will be passed only if the Blue Dogs fight and hold out for it. Either way there is hope. I am now thinking I should have been nominated for the prize, but nobody knows who I am. Does this prize force Obama to actually make a difference? I hope he and our stupid congress don't push issues beccause of it. Time will certainly tell.

On to the World Series. I like the Rockies and the Phillies series. This should be a great match up. I played fantasy baseball and won my keeper and public league. I finished second in my annual league. So I have done quite well in baseball this year. I think the LCS will be Colorado vs LA and Anaheim vs NYY. I think the series will be Anaheim and Colorado with Anaheim winning. I say this because I think they have the right match ups. Phillies have a home run park which helps Colorado. I do not like the Yankees, but they now have a home run park which helps Anaheim. I really like Morales. I just don't like the Yankees pen. The Twins and St. Louis just seem outclassed this year, no offense to Big Albert.

Back Yard Video

My Back yard has a rock vein in it. So it causes runoff during rain. Here is a video of the vein and runoff. The other issue is growing grass on it. I let the weeds grow and hope to help the erosion of my yard.

Government Health Care?

Here is the deal. When I lost my job I tried to get insurance for my kids. It took over 3 months. I got the insurance in May. It was government run Medicaid. I tried for the SCHIP but didn't make enough. They denied me cause unemployment was too little and I ended up with Medicaid. I have a 5 week job coming up. Since I have to report the change I called to see what the rules were. The lady took my info and said the kids will have their account terminated on the last day of the month. Then I can apply for the SCHIP insurance and at the end of Nov reapply for Medicaid. Does this sound like people and rules we want running our insurance. I agree that my 5 week job will pay over the amount allowed by Medicaid. But temp jobs must be treated different. The problem is it discourages people from taking these types of jobs. So because I took this job my kids go off insurance and if one has a problem during this time I could easily lose more money than I made. How long till my kids get covered again? I want insurance and premiums based on income, but it needs to be based on tax returns. renewable annually. This is a big issue.

College Football

Watched college football today. It is an interesting game. I love football, but college football can be unpredictable. Usually in the NFL the players don't make mistakes the same way. In college they just mess up. LSU had a running back score somehow to win the game against Georgia. I watched Washington lose to Notre Dame. I didn't like that result. But Michigan beat ND and Mich St. lost to them, yet Mich St beat Michigan. College football has the worst postseason. But the regular season is awesome. UNLV lost again. I expect them to hire an AD and fire the coach.

Obama took a trip to Europe and pitched the Olympics for Chicago. Would he have gone if it was Charlotte or somewhere else? Supposedly Chicago was super close, but quickly got eliminated. I thought the world loved Obama? The media portrays it that way. I think Rio had a good case though. Its time to put the Olympics on every Continent. Well maybe not Antarctica, but I bet that would be a good place for the winter games. Africa needs it. Probably South Africa, but I think the continent needs a chance to put on the games at least once.

Video of my yard when it rains.

Unemployment

Unemployment is around 10%. I am part of this statistic. I got a short term contract job today and it is a good position. It is not a temp to perm, but it is a temp job. Anyway I am working hard to find work. Jobs are few and far between here. I've been turned down for a few and there are some that want travel or working nights and I can't do either of those.

Our government is trying to figure out how to have health care affordable and available for everyone. This is going to be tough. After the bill goes through how many amendments will need to be done to the bill. Will it be easy to accomplish. This bill will have issues that need to be worked out. Congress will need to work to do it. I'm pretty sure we are getting a Democratic bill. Congress won't work together. We should vote them all out and start over with new ones. I like Obama, I just don't trust Reid and Pelosi. Obama seems to be letting Reid and Pelosi write the legislation for his agenda. I do not like this approach and if he isn't careful they will keep him from a second term.

Universal Health Care

The following paragraph was taken from an article on yahoo. Interesting that in the article it says that the legislation will raise health care costs, not cut them. Democrats decided to go ahead with the legislation. Almost like everything else. Politically they can claim victory while causing Americans to suffer. This is what all politicians have become. They want to gain political victories instead of victories for the American people. They claim its a victory for all Americans, but we are getting hurt. So now we see our energy prices will go up and health care costs going up. Debt is skyrocketing and taxes are going up. If they tax employers more and raise costs on businesses to pay for this stuff then consumer prices will go up too.

Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf warned lawmakers the legislation that he has seen so far would raise costs, not lower them. Elmendorf was asked by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.S., if the bills Congress is considering would "bend the cost curve." The budget director responded: "The curve is being raised."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul;_ylt=ApiWo6uH8_lIXhImS8GgaFlAw_IE;_ylu=X3oDMTJpMGU1bHVyBGFzc2V0Ay9hcC91c19oZWFsdGhfY2FyZV9vdmVyaGF1bARjcG9zAzMEcG9zAzMEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNob3VzZWRlbW9jcmE-

On the bright side my son had a baseball game on Thursday. He is learning to be a catcher and caught the first inning. He caught well. He also went 3 for 3 with a single and 2 triples. 8 RBI and 3 Runs scored. He pitched 2/3 of an inning striking out one. Band camp starts in 2 weeks.

At church they split our congregation. They have us going by geographic location. My subdivision is on the south side of the border. This means that friends from church a few minutes away go to a different building and at a different time. My only issue is when I need a ride for my kids during activities. I have friends on both sides, just the transportation issue for me is going to make it more difficult.

Unemployment

Well here it is. I have been out of work for over 5 months. I talk to people I know all the time about positions that may be available. They all tell me the same thing. I checked and we are not hiring in that area right now. Every once in a while I get an email about a job they hear about, but I don't have an inside person. I can't work nights or weekends. I learn new things quickly. What I really want is a position where I can work as a Business Analyst for a financial company. It would be great if I got a position like that. I love finance and understand it and could couple it with my experience.

Supreme Court changes are always odd. It is funny how the law can be judged both liberally and conservatively. Abortion is a big issue of course. I am sure Obama asked the new judge if she was pro life or pro choice. He then told the Pope he wanted to reduce the number of abortions. He is pro choice, but I don't know if he feels that it is right. We need to not reduce abortions, but rather reduce unwanted pregnancies. So many kids today have issues cause they really were not wanted. They live with a relative. When my Grandmother died she was 83 and was taking care of her Great Grandchild. She got the shingles and died of emphysema.

I was against the way the first stimulus was done, they would have to really improve on the next one. And maybe even more important the health care. We need to reduce household spending on health. Our health system is great. We live longer than before. We are more conscious of our bodies and have the best medications. People don't smoke as much. People don't eat well either. I think the reduction of health spending is huge especially in the medicare system that much of our population is moving to. I would like to get insurance. I need it. I don't want a government run one though. Where your premiums would be tied to income and wasteful spending would occur. The system would be hammered by every President and Congress. Maybe if they did a subsidy it would be OK, but I do not see a government run insurance company working well. Like medicare it would eventually run out of money and everyone who doesn't use that health insurance would still be paying for it through taxes. Not a good idea.

Smart Voters

Here is an article on how independent voters are trending.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090709/pl_politico/24717

I feel the same way. The debt is mounting. I think Americans are now seeing that policies that run a deficit are difficult to get out of. Clinton did a very good job, but he was more of a moderate Democrat than a liberal one. It costs like $100 million a month for the economic stimulus package in debt. Citizens need to get out of debt quickly. The time is coming when all this will bite us all. When that happens the we need to have cash to survive. I think this is resonating with many Americans as they see what happens when they owe $200K for a house worth $140K. The government is going down the same road. Democrats in congress have had 3 years to make an impact and have done nothing but drive up spending. This might have a lot to do with the voters shift in attitude. Independent voters are going to vote for who they feel will help the most. Usually its against the Presidents party.

Credit Card Legislation

I need to talk about this new legislation which was done in order to protect credit card users. Here is the big issue with the new law. It was written to protect those who have a balance, not those who are responsible and pay off their balance monthly. So since I pay off my balance monthly and do not pay interest these credit card companies are going to hammer me with new fees. The new law does not prevent this. Here is a link to an article on USAToday. http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/credit/2009-05-20-credit-cards_N.htm?obref=obinsite

The fees I am expecting are reduction in rewards. I use a credit card which I get cash from equating 1 or 5 percent depending on the purchase. So every few months I get a check. Well that will probably go down to a small amount. I can't count on 5% on certain things anymore. I will also pay an annual fee. I have 2 credit cards I never use. I will end up canceling them to avoid paying for something I don't use. One of them I got 17 years ago.

There is a price to pay, but this law was to protect those that are in over their heads not the responsible users. Why is it that our government is so into helping everyone in trouble that they will not help those that are not in trouble from getting into trouble. There are no restrictions in the law to keep credit card companies from just creating new fees. So instead of interest that they can't charge or the transaction fee they charge retailers they will just fee the consumer. Brilliant. While I am sure this legislation will help the majority. It is going to cost me money. I will let you know when it does.

Global Warming

We need a new name. Global Climate Change or Global Temperature Change. It is a fact that slight warming of the earth can cause ice to melt and some islands and low land areas to experience a flood that will swamp or devour the land. It is also a fact that temperatures on Mars are rising also. We know that humans are putting harmful gases in the air. By reducing the amount of trees we are also not eating up the carbon dioxide and possibly cutting into our oxygen supply. Scientists seem to only say human activity is creating a warmer earth. Is this true. It does help. We do contribute. Way back when we did away with aerosol cans. Aerosols in the upper atmosphere deflect sunlight and cool the earth. Were we creating global cooling?

I think it is time we keep up with our environment. I believe in global warming. It is a fact. Earth is heating up. Many plants and animals will thrive in a warmer planet. Humans live longer and as a population, grow more during warm planet times than cold planet times. We need to take care of what we can. I think we need to create the "green energy" not for global warming, but for less oil bought from the middle east. Nuclear power and reprocessing of spent fuel rods in the US is the quickest way. Wind power can't be relied on. How many more dams can be built? If we reprocess spent fuel rods we will cut down on the nuclear waste that exist within our country. Not a bad thing at all. Many people will point to the two nuclear problems that have existed in the world. Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Three Mile Island had a reactor meltdown, no major radiation increase was detected outside the facility. The reactor safety measures built into the facility properly contained most of the radiation. That should be viewed not as a failure, but as a milestone. Chernobyl is not the same. Radiation cloud circled the planet. It raised radiation levels in West Richland Washington where I was living at the time. The Nevada desert can be turned into a large solar energy plant. Hopefully with all the new windmills and solar energy that we are about to build birds will avoid the propellers and stay away from super hot solar panels and tubing.

One other note. Stop clear cutting land and burning of trees. Fire breathes oxygen and breathes out carbon dioxide just like humans. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. More humans equals more carbon dioxide. We as humans produce a greenhouse gas. Trees counter it. When we burn a tree we turn oxygen into carbon dioxide. Obama has it right, but power companies will charge much more than $150 a year. We need to use less oil. When it comes to power generation we use coal and natural gas which is abundant in America. We need to change driving habits. Businesses need to allow more workers to Telecommute. Changing of driving habits will have the largest effect.

Steroid Accusations and HGH in MLB

I know for many years it was easy to say that players were using steroids and we know who the culprits were. Sosa, Bonds, Conseco, and McGuire. We knew they used PED's. Its hard to say current players are using them when they get tested though. I was watching a game and saw that some blogger accused Ibanez of using them. As a Mariner fan I always knew he was good. Going to a hitters park made me pick him up for Fantasy Baseball. I knew his numbers would improve greatly. The biggest issue I have is with HGH. When a test for HGH is viable it needs to be administered without anyone knowing it is being given. Then when the test results come back surprise they are caught. Since most players know it is hard to detect I believe it is the current PED (Performance Enhancing Drug) of choice. I am not an expert, but I coach youth baseball. These kids look up to MLB players. They loved Sosa, Bonds, and many other cheaters. I also am disappointed in ARod. While I don't think his performance improved much, he played more games at Texas and didn't need as many off days. That helped his overall numbers. Lets make sure that our youth are aware and not going to take this same road. Testing needs to start in High School and somehow needs to be affordable. PED use can not be tollerated at any level.

Scout Camp

My two boys are in scouts. My youngest is not too much into it, but enjoys camping and some of the activities. He would rather do sports than scouts. Anyway I took both boys up to scout camp and they had a good week. The youngest learned first aid, weather, art, fingerprinting and horsemanship. The older one citizenship in nation and world, swimming, art, fingerprinting and horsemanship. He also got a qualifying archery score. This was a good camp. When I was a scout there were not nearly as many merit badges as now. I think that makes it easier for the kids to do stuff they are interested in.

A lot going on in the world. I saw that Obama's went on a date. I have no problem with that and I also saw they went to Paris. I don't really have a problem with that. But with the deficits that we are running I don't want my tax dollars to pay for their world tour. They deserve a break and to spend time together. I don't think they need to spend all their time in DC, so its not a problem to me. I am curious though with all the complaining about Bush being in Texas if things will be different for Obama. Here is the funny part. In today's world you can work from anywhere. Why would the President be any different. If he needs a night out and thinks of a solution for N. Korea then that is good. I just don't want tax dollars running up deficits that my grand kids will have to pay at the expense of Obama's family world travel.

Make A Wish

I have a niece who is handicapped. She has had over 40 brain surgeries. She has died on an operating table more than once. Until this weekend I had never seen her. My brother lives in Utah and the Make-A-Wish foundation sent my niece to Orlando to Disney world. Due to my kids being in school I decided to go down and visit. Me and my kids spent one day at Magic Kingdom in Orlando. It was the first time any of us had seen our niece. She is blind and has many other issues. This charity provided them with food, lodging, tickets. The whole family had a good time. I could see how the one child who needs so much attention has made things difficult on the other children. They have become independent and have learned to ignore everything going on around them. It is difficult on the whole family, but I did notice how this experience made a difference. All the kids had fun. My kids enjoyed their day. We got to do almost all the rides and a few of them more than once.

Charitable contributions must be saved as a tax deduction. It is charities like this that would suffer if the tax codes were changed. I know Bush was opposed to any tax changes that would eliminate the home interest deduction and the charity deduction. Our tax code is complex. We as citizens are taxed very little. Health care is one reason why and our corporate tax rate is one of the highest. I don't know all the answers, but people who make over $200,000 which is 5 times higher than the average person could use a boost in their taxes. Especially now that our government owns banks, AIG, Auto Manufactures, etc. Should Americans buy GM and Chrysler now. I contend that since they own those companies as taxpayers they should consider it. Car companies and the union should fight to save jobs. Pay cuts is a normal way around that. Why we pay people two times the national average to put tires on a car on an assembly line is crazy. A $20,000 per year pay cut would keep them well above average, but in a better situation.

Remember to support charities. My brother told me that this one week helped his family greatly. That it helped them to have fun and get away from all their worries. My niece can't speak. She has a trachea and is on oxygen 98% of the time. But you could see her smile on the rides. The motion and sounds made her happy. What a difference our donations can make in the life of one child or one family.

17 years

Today would have been the 17th anniversary for me and my wife. It does not seem like that long ago that we got married. Our life together had the usual ups and downs. We had stress and financial issues. We had children and we had fun. I know things would have been hectic had she overcome her cancer. The bills were high, just because of the copay that came with many doctor visits. We miss her. I will be planting a flower for her. It has been on the table since mothers day and we will plant it. It is something we are going to do every year in memory of her. It may not be a flower, but we will plant something in the yard to remind us of her.

It has rained a lot this spring. The problem is when the sun comes up. My yard has some issues in that they had to blast rock to put this house in. Well there is no topsoil. The only thing that grows well is the weeds and the yard is not flat. When it rains there is a lot of erosion. I am working hard to get as much erosion control as I can. Very difficult. One of the neighbors took a bobcat to the rock vein in the back and screwed up the water runoff. Now dirt ends up all over the place and makes it worse. Lots of work to be done.

Youth Baseball

All parents know who to pitch and who not to pitch. We were playing a select team. A select team is one who is put together for the sole purpose of winning, the players are selected by the coach and this is a team that has been together for many years. Same players and coaches. When our starting pitcher struggled the parents all murmured. The second pitcher whom almost beat a select team a week ago same thing. The 5 or so errors committed by these same parents kids does not matter. I guess its the same situation. The other coaches want their kid to pitch every game. They never question when their kid does poorly. Our team is about half kids that didn't have a coach. These kids struggle. With all the rain outs we just haven't been able to practice. This has been a huge issue. Practice is the key to improvements. It is frustrating that these parents get upset when we are dealing with player development. They would just prefer their kids get all the opportunities. Winning helps kids spirits. They know when they are playing well and not playing well. We have a lot of kids that have missed games too. Lack of commitment on the parents side doesn't help.

Single Father

I just decided it was time to put in this post. I am a single father. I am unemployed. HP bought the company I worked for and laid off everyone in my office. I was a good employee who worked hard. I did whatever was asked of me and did it well. In my last position I resolved numerous issues and they kept piling on the work load. I resolved the issues quickly and I started improving quality. I learned many things quickly. I learned a VOIP application in a few weeks. When I first started working in IT I learned the basic UNIX command line OS in about 2 weeks. After 2 weeks I was working by myself while they trained the night person.

Being a single father is difficult. I know my daughter is uncomfortable discussing her woman issues with me. I know women have a natural nurturing instinct that they rely on. I don't have it. I do well enough to make dinner. I want these kids to do well and probably put too much pressure on them. Its not intentional. I just want them to succeed. Being unemployed causes stress too. I have lost out on 4 jobs now because I couldn't and wouldn't work evenings and have a flexible schedule. One of my recruiters told me she has had jobs I would be perfect for, but since I can't be flexible she couldn't recommend me as they requested flexibility. These two situations cause problems. I know single mothers deal with this all the time. The working world has made exceptions for them. I just am not sure that they are making exceptions for working fathers.

If you know of a good job let me know. http://www.linkedin.com/in/dbwhite5

Bipartisanship

Where has it gone? In the 90's the Republicans had some good ideas. The Democrats in congress had been in control for 40 years. They felt invincible and said no, no, no. Then Newt had an idea, lets do a Contract with America. We will give the people what they want. Well they did. Clinton had a Republican congress. Why is it that liberals credit Clinton and not the congress he worked with? Clinton realized he was gone if he fought the Republicans. Smart man. Then we elected Bush who had green light legislation. Now Obama who has green light legislation. What scares me is that Reid and Pelosi will soon be running the United States. With their majorities they won't even have to work with the President. We need a balance. How long till the American people are tired of a leftist government? They are tired of a rightest government now. If both sides of Congress could work together I think the people will be happy. Some bills make sense. Congress feels entitlement. Reid and Pelosi feel they have political capitol. At some point soon people will stop blaming the Republicans for the bailouts. They won't blame Obama either. They will blame Reid and Pelosi. Why as a taxpayer do I have to bail out a company that would just as soon take my house? That is the sad part. Homeowners money is used to foreclose on their home and bailout the banks. These people will look to Reid and Pelosi. If some bipartisanship was used maybe this would solve the problem.

That brings me to gay marriage. In the last election democrats were swept into office. Many people who voted yes to Democrats voted no to gay marriage. I saw Maine is now going to have gay marriage. How many independents are going to blame this on Democrats. Most independents like me are moderates and will be against gay marriage. Almost all other independents I know are like this. If the Democrats are quick and start allowing gay marriage they will find it difficult in the elections as independents will slide back to Republicans. More and more people are becoming independent from party affiliations. I think this is great. Didn't Bush win a second term because people were afraid Kerry would allow gay marriage. That legislation would be more of a lightning rod than abortion is today. We are allowing the subject to determine the Miss USA pageant, imagine that.

One other quick note. I notice that the torture memos were released quickly by Obama. I feel there is a lets keep the American people angry at Bush mentality going on in Washington. Bush is old news. Lets focus on the future and what Obama is doing. Do not ever give any politician a free pass.

Rainouts

Well my son was supposed to play 3 baseball games last week. The first team went to the wrong park to play and they forfeited to us. The second game the team only had 7 players and they forfeited. The third game was called with the first batter in the 2nd due to rain. I have found a lot of parents that signed their kids up are not committed to baseball. Their kid may not get a chance to play in High School here in Georgia because of it. Sad but true. Very few non travel ball kids get to.

I am still looking for work. Not fair it seams at time. Many IT managers want someone who is flexible. I can't be. I have kids at home and can't be home when they are at school and at work when they are home. My kids deserve better of me. Besides I have been improving my sons reading greatly by being at home.

Politics is the same stuff. I will be curious how the Obama administration deals with the torture information. Yes information was gotten out of the terrorists. What other means were tried first to get this information. I think that is the key. If non torture methods were not tried first then that would be a major problem. I am all for letting people off and changing policy. I am concerned that the Democrats could go after the previous Republican government and this may set a precedent that we don't want in our political environment. I felt the same way about Clinton. Clinton did commit a felony while in office. Going after the other party in general would not appeal to the public.

I am starting to not like the media. They seem to feel Obama can do no wrong. Obama is changing a lot of policies and seems to be contrite in dealing with less than friendly countries. If he won't take a hard line anywhere we will get pushed over. I would still rather a Republican congress. I do not trust Reid or Pelosi. Both are governing from the left. I want a centrist government as that would appeal to most people. I am pro life and abortion is wrong in my opinion. I do believe people can have their own free will, but I do not agree with abortion. Maybe cause my wife died and I see the value of a human being. I could see a law where when having an abortion you can do so legally if you get fixed and if the father is paying for the abortion he must get fixed too. I also am against gay marriage. I just don't feel it is a right. I also wish people would take care of the planet. One good thing about being unemployed is I do not drive near as much and am burning less fossil fuels. Although I've always taken public transportation when I could and kept my vehicle miles to a minimum. My cars are 12 and 7 years old.

Swine Flu

I know all Americans are worried about the swine flu. I hear that pork sales are going way down which is good. Maybe I will be able to get some cheap meat. What bothers me the most is the whole blame game by politicians. How can you blame a President? Its like blaming a President for an earthquake or a Volcanic eruption. Please be aware that this is something that came up and just happened. President Clinton changed the way flu shots were done. It used to be that many different companies would manufacture the flu shot. Clinton made it so one company would manufacture them. Then when it appeared there was an issue Kerry brought it up and blamed Bush. Well he should have blamed Clinton for the policy change.

Many choices made by Presidents don't show themselves right away. Take social security for instance. JFK is always thought of fondly. Nobody mentions that it was him who made possible the government spending social security. He rolled the social security into the general fund. Looking back that was a bad move. We tend not to overly change the views of if a President was good or Bad. Regan was thought of fondly while Carter was not. Not much has changed over the years. Bush will be criticized forever, but what if he did keep America safe? I think he screwed up the planet by not worrying about pollution, but he did not buy and drive all the SUV that were out there causing oil demand to increase as well as greenhouse gasses. We as Americans have more control as a group. I found many people complaining about the environment don't do anything to help it. They just complain.

Politicians are no different. Don't blame Obama. Although I think many still blame Bush I find it funny that they will allow Obama a free pass. Obama requested and lobbied for the bailout money that a democratic congress passed and yet Bush is blamed for it. Are people that naive or influenced by the media? Republicans don't have answers and neither do Democrats. Every once in a while we need a change if for nothing else to look at everything from a different viewpoint. Don't just think whatever Obama does is good or whatever Bush did was bad. They both did and will do good things, but they both did and will do bad things. Control what we can control. Don't complain about our environment while driving a gas guzzler. The big thing is don't blame one party and not the other. Too many people get hung up saying Republicans are horrible. That approach by too many people will only take us where we don't want to go. Opposition is good in all things. By changing majority control of our government from one party to another is our only way of reminding our elected officials who is in charge. We as Americans need to be the ones in charge.

Back

I am sorry for being gone for a while. Things are real hectic when you are a single parent. I have had some bad news lately. I was laid off on Jan 30. While I have more time with my kids I am working on trying to make some money. I moved in June and haven't sold the old house. Finally I got the old house under contract. Then found out there was a leak in the water line. I dug it up and replaced it yesterday. That was a lot of work. Plumber wanted $750 for the work. The parts cost me $45.

Well I feel we are really messing up. Why am I, as a taxpayer, paying for the auto industry to be given money. Can't they buy cars at least. That is my biggest complaint about the bailouts. We as taxpayers are paying for all this stuff and getting nothing back. Banks are dumping homes they have taken from the same people that are giving them money for nothing. Here is the issue for me. I am selling my house for less than I paid for it in 1997. Why, foreclosed homes in the area that are 3 years old are selling for the same amount and half of the original amount. You know that they are writing off the losses and costing taxpayers. Here is my big complaint about this. Everyone says it was Bush. Well he was President, but it was Pelosi and Reid. They are the ones who pushed the legislation. Give the Republicans credit for being against it. Then Obama wanted more money before he took office. Americans need to be careful to assign this completely to Bush. Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are just as responsible and maybe even more responsible for this and they seem to be getting a free pass while the media and public are blaming Bush. I am not obsolving Bush, just assigning blame to all of them which all have a hand in the great give away. One fear I have is that while Obama does seem to have a head on his shoulders and seems to understand what needs done, Pelosi and Reid can ruin him if he can't control them. People love Obama, but hate Reid and Pelosi.

Spector screwed the Americans. He may have lost his primary so for personal political reasons he switches parties and gives a super majority to the Democratic Senate. As a supposed moderate he has issues with both parties, so its stupid that he says he has dissagreements with Republicans. He should have dissagreements with both parties. I do. Stupid.