Congrats to President- Elect Obama to a well earned win and for taking on this massive job of cleaning up and attempting to set right so much that has gone wrong.
Thank you Hillary for getting him ready to run in the general - you tested him and his organization and it all worked.
Classy exit for Sen. McCain - too bad that McCain wasn't around for the whole campaign.
Gov. Palin? May you and the First Dude find the strength and wisdom to deal with all the needs of your youngest child - you will need it.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Keeping August Simple
Iraq and Afghanistan, the Olympics, political conventions, running mate selection talk/text, NFL pre-season games, Russia/Georgia two-step.
All important stuff for the late summer days we are in.
Thankfully, there were the Little League World Championship playoffs to watch – little boys doing big things and having fun doing it. Sure there was some stress, some tears and the process of overcoming fears. Much of the latter quickly dissipated as they returned to their selves, their age and onto the next steps in growing up.
Never mind who won it all, it was just nice to watch kids give their all for something, good or bad, that they could share together.
It was nice to see a competition where everyone didn’t get a trophy, letting the motivational teaching message to be sent that losing doesn’t feel good and that winning it all does.
All important stuff for the late summer days we are in.
Thankfully, there were the Little League World Championship playoffs to watch – little boys doing big things and having fun doing it. Sure there was some stress, some tears and the process of overcoming fears. Much of the latter quickly dissipated as they returned to their selves, their age and onto the next steps in growing up.
Never mind who won it all, it was just nice to watch kids give their all for something, good or bad, that they could share together.
It was nice to see a competition where everyone didn’t get a trophy, letting the motivational teaching message to be sent that losing doesn’t feel good and that winning it all does.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The Inevitable Collapse
To read the latest campaign email revelations about the failure of the Clinton campaign to secure the presidential nomination that are currently being listed on the Atlantic Magazine website (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200809/hillary-clinton-campaign ) is to wonder how the “inevitable” nominee – Hillary – could have even set the alarm clock for 3 AM, much less answer it.
The circular firing squad that was formed by her senior campaign staff and spouse, Bill, gave her decidedly different ways to deal with a novice, first term senator with the funny name.
The Mark Penn/Bill Clinton wing wanted to go ugly early and often – lay out the negatives and keep ‘em coming. The Wolfson / Ickes side wanted to deal with Hillary’s high negatives and show her positives.
And what did Hillary want? She never decided. The would-be president couldn’t decide in broad daylight, never mind at 3 AM, on how to deal with Obama during a political campaign. She just let it fester, giving no clear path for HER staff to follow.
How can that be?
Look around the world today and think about that type of decision process being applied to it.
If she had been successful and did become president, one would expect that many of these campaign “advisors” would have found themselves working for her in the White House.
How would they have dealt with the current Russian incursion into Georgia? What would they have advised Hillary to do? Call John Edward’s at his girlfriend’s house and ask him about the newly founded 2 Russias?
Read the emails, read ‘em and weep – this could’ve been in the White House.
The circular firing squad that was formed by her senior campaign staff and spouse, Bill, gave her decidedly different ways to deal with a novice, first term senator with the funny name.
The Mark Penn/Bill Clinton wing wanted to go ugly early and often – lay out the negatives and keep ‘em coming. The Wolfson / Ickes side wanted to deal with Hillary’s high negatives and show her positives.
And what did Hillary want? She never decided. The would-be president couldn’t decide in broad daylight, never mind at 3 AM, on how to deal with Obama during a political campaign. She just let it fester, giving no clear path for HER staff to follow.
How can that be?
Look around the world today and think about that type of decision process being applied to it.
If she had been successful and did become president, one would expect that many of these campaign “advisors” would have found themselves working for her in the White House.
How would they have dealt with the current Russian incursion into Georgia? What would they have advised Hillary to do? Call John Edward’s at his girlfriend’s house and ask him about the newly founded 2 Russias?
Read the emails, read ‘em and weep – this could’ve been in the White House.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
War Peace And The Homefront
So we watched as the world came together in China and a war broke out between the Soviets & Georgians.
U.N. forces that were located in Georgia were asked to leave the area and when they did, the bombing began.
Foreigners were invited to China and 2 Americans were attacked, with one killed.
War and peace, Putin & Bush together in Bejing and have dueling press conferences against a backdrop of gushing reports about the greatness of the opening ceremonies.
Throw in the adulterous affair of a former presidential candidate and the angst of another loser in the primary about whether she should have her named placed into nomination process and it makes you sit back and shake your head. This is especially true when a video from Paris Hilton seems to be the sanest thing out there.
You see, this year unlike others, there are more people paying attention during these dog days of August – all of those who have been forced by the lack of money in our pockets to take a “Staycation”.
Now comes all of the passing of municipal budgets and their increases, further underlining the need for not going on a relaxing foray.
Yeah, we’re home and we’re watching.
U.N. forces that were located in Georgia were asked to leave the area and when they did, the bombing began.
Foreigners were invited to China and 2 Americans were attacked, with one killed.
War and peace, Putin & Bush together in Bejing and have dueling press conferences against a backdrop of gushing reports about the greatness of the opening ceremonies.
Throw in the adulterous affair of a former presidential candidate and the angst of another loser in the primary about whether she should have her named placed into nomination process and it makes you sit back and shake your head. This is especially true when a video from Paris Hilton seems to be the sanest thing out there.
You see, this year unlike others, there are more people paying attention during these dog days of August – all of those who have been forced by the lack of money in our pockets to take a “Staycation”.
Now comes all of the passing of municipal budgets and their increases, further underlining the need for not going on a relaxing foray.
Yeah, we’re home and we’re watching.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
On State Aid, Energy And Housing
Municipalities in this state are dealing with a lot of budgetary angst of late and it is interesting to see some of imaginative ways that some are incorporating to deal with it.
With so many negative influences coming to bear on their funding sources and expense outlays, some governing bodies have begun to react on behalf of the pocketbooks of their residents, while others merely talk about the situation and seemingly do nothing.
Some immediate actions include the closing the town hall on Fridays and lengthening the 4 remaining workdays to compensate for the shortened availability of municipal office availability and workers time. (Hmmm, at the end of the week, aren’t the lights, computers, air conditioning, etc still being used for the same amount of hours?)
Others are looking at possible fuel alternatives for their police cars (hybrids, propane, etc). The patrols are needed, but the costs are killing budgets across the state.
With state cut backs in aid to towns, costly energy crunch and a severe downturn in a housing market that, with a retiring baby boomer sales glut, will continue to be depressed for the foreseeable future, I’m thinking that towns need to look at generating electricity themselves (solar, wind, etc) to sell it back to the utilities at the state mandated retail rate.
Open areas that are currently designated as "areas in need of redevelopment" can be developed as energy farms – solar panels, wind turbines – that will require much less zoning/planning headaches, school population impact and environmental concerns, traffic/parking concerns.
IF the initial set-up of such a program can be done with grants and subsidies from state and federal sources to help offset some, if not most, of the start-up costs for the municipality, the eventual return from the sales of generated power could provide meaningful relief for the average town and in turn, its’ residents.
With so many negative influences coming to bear on their funding sources and expense outlays, some governing bodies have begun to react on behalf of the pocketbooks of their residents, while others merely talk about the situation and seemingly do nothing.
Some immediate actions include the closing the town hall on Fridays and lengthening the 4 remaining workdays to compensate for the shortened availability of municipal office availability and workers time. (Hmmm, at the end of the week, aren’t the lights, computers, air conditioning, etc still being used for the same amount of hours?)
Others are looking at possible fuel alternatives for their police cars (hybrids, propane, etc). The patrols are needed, but the costs are killing budgets across the state.
With state cut backs in aid to towns, costly energy crunch and a severe downturn in a housing market that, with a retiring baby boomer sales glut, will continue to be depressed for the foreseeable future, I’m thinking that towns need to look at generating electricity themselves (solar, wind, etc) to sell it back to the utilities at the state mandated retail rate.
Open areas that are currently designated as "areas in need of redevelopment" can be developed as energy farms – solar panels, wind turbines – that will require much less zoning/planning headaches, school population impact and environmental concerns, traffic/parking concerns.
IF the initial set-up of such a program can be done with grants and subsidies from state and federal sources to help offset some, if not most, of the start-up costs for the municipality, the eventual return from the sales of generated power could provide meaningful relief for the average town and in turn, its’ residents.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A Side Dish
Have you ever bought milk at Costco? The square one gallon containers?
Ever try pouring a glass of milk from one of those babies?
Yeah, if your like me, you’re either glad you have a dog or cat or you spend a lot of time cleaning up the inevitable spill that such an exercise produces.
Even when I’ve tried being real careful about it, the spill happens.
My dog is re-a-a-l happy.
Ever try pouring a glass of milk from one of those babies?
Yeah, if your like me, you’re either glad you have a dog or cat or you spend a lot of time cleaning up the inevitable spill that such an exercise produces.
Even when I’ve tried being real careful about it, the spill happens.
My dog is re-a-a-l happy.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
FISA And The Fourth Amendment
In an article entitled “Who Voted 'No' to Protecting National Security?” the conservative website Human Events had this to say:
Posted: 06/20/2008
HumanEvents.comIn an article entitled:
The following congressmen voted 'no' or did not vote on today's important FISA Amendment Act.
The only Republican to vote against the bill, Rep. Tim Johnson (Ill.), is listed in italics. HUMAN EVENTS spoke with Johnson's press secretary as to why Johnson voted against protecting our national security with the FISA Amendment Act. He responded that Rep. Johnson "feels he voted that way in protection of our civil liberties…the powers that Department of Justice and other law enforcement officials need already exist. That system is working quite effectively."
My headline would have read:
Who Voted 'No' to Crushing Our 4th Amendment Rights:
(Link to 4th Amendment: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment04/ )
This newer version of the FISA amendment is the bill that gives amnesty to the telecoms that enabled the Bush administration to eavesdrop on American citizens without a court order under the prior version of this act (even though the administration had up to 3 days to get a court order from a secret court that had been specifically set-up to handle this program) after the wiretapping had already commenced. That the telecoms never asked for or demanded the court orders on the 4th day or later is, at the least, a criminal act).
By passing this new version, those that voted yes to this amnesty for the telecoms also voted to give themselves amnesty for going along with the first FISA Amendment and its’ assault on the 4th amendment.
I’m sure each of the following representatives want to get the bad guys too, but it can be done without our changing what WE stand for as Americans.
Voting NO
Abercrombie (Hawaii)
Holt (N.J.)
Olver (Mass.)
Allen (Maine)
Honda (Calif.)
Pallone (N.J.)
Andrews (N.J.)
Hooley (Ore.)
Pascrell (N.J.)
Baldwin (Wis.)
Inslee (Wash.)
Pastor (Ariz.)
Becerra (Calif.)
Israel (N.Y.)
Payne (N.J.)
Blumenauer (Ore.)
Jackson (Ill.)
Price (N.C.)
Brady (Pa.)
Jackson-Lee (Texas)
Rangel (N.Y.)
Braley (Iowa)
Jefferson (La.)
Rothman (N.J.)
Capps (Calif.)
Johnson (Ga.)
Roybal-Allard (Calif.)
Capuano (Mass.)
Johnson (Ill.)
Ryan (Ohio)
Carnahan (Miss.)
Johnson E.B. (Texas)
Sánchez Linda T. (Calif.)
Carson (Ind.)
Jones (Ohio)
Sanchez Loretta (Calif.)
Clarke (N.Y.)
Kagen (Wisc.)
Sarbanes (Md.)
Clay (Miss.)
Kaptur (Ohio)
Schakowsky (Ill.)
Cohen (Tenn.)
Kennedy (R.I.)
Schwartz (Pa.)
Conyers (Mich.)
Kilpatrick (Mich.)
Scott (Va.)
Costello (Ill.)
Kucinich (Ohio)
Serrano (N.Y.)
Courtney (Conn.)
Larsen (Wash.)
Shea-Porter (N.H.)
Cummings (Md.)
Larson (Conn.)
Slaughter (N.Y.)
Davis (Calif.)
Lee (Calif.)
Solis (Calif.)
Davis (Ill.)
Levin (Mich.)
Speier (Calif.)
DeFazio (Ore.)
Lewis (Ga.)
Sutton (Ohio)
DeGette (Colo.)
Loebsack (Iowa)
Thompson (Calif.)
Delahunt (Mass.)
Lofgren Zoe (Calif.)
Tierney (Mass.)
DeLauro (Conn.)
Lynch (Mass.)
Towns (N.Y.)
Dingell (Mich.)
Maloney (N.Y.)
Tsongas (Mass.)
Doggett (Texas)
Markey (Mass.)
Udall (N.M.)
Doyle (Pa.)
Matsui (Calif.)
Van Hollen (Md.)
Edwards (Md.)
McCollum (Minn.)
Velázquez (N.Y.)
Ellison (Minn.)
McDermott (Wash.)
Walz (Minn.)
Eshoo (Calif.)
McGovern (Mass.)
Wasserman Schultz (Fla.)
Farr (Calif.)
McNulty (N.Y.)
Waters (Calif.)
Fattah (Pa.)
Meek (Fla.)
Watson (Calif.)
Filner (Calif.)
Michaud (Maine)
Watt (N.C.)
Foster (Ill.)
Miller (N.C.)
Waxman (Calif.)
Frank (Mass.)
Miller George (Calif.)
Weiner (N.Y.)
Gonzalez (Texas)
Mollohan (W.V.)
Welch (Vt.)
Grijalva (Ariz.)
Moore (Wis.)
Wexler (Fla.)
Hall (N.Y.)
Moran (Va.)
Woolsey (Calif.)
Hare (Ill.)
Murphy (Conn.)
Wu (Ore.)
Hill (Ind.)
Nadler (N.Y.)
Hinchey (N.Y.)
Napolitano Neal (Mass.)
Hirono (Hawaii)
Oberstar (Minn.)
Hodes (N.H.)
Obey (Wis.)
Not Voting
Brown-Waite Ginny (Fla.)
Cannon (Utah)
Gilchrest (Md.)
Gohmert (Texas)
Jones (N.C.)
Paul (Texas)
Peterson (Pa.)
Reynolds (N.Y.)
Rush (Ill.)
Stark (Calif.)
Tiahrt (Kan.)
Visclosky (Ind.)
Weller (Ill.)
Posted: 06/20/2008
HumanEvents.comIn an article entitled:
The following congressmen voted 'no' or did not vote on today's important FISA Amendment Act.
The only Republican to vote against the bill, Rep. Tim Johnson (Ill.), is listed in italics. HUMAN EVENTS spoke with Johnson's press secretary as to why Johnson voted against protecting our national security with the FISA Amendment Act. He responded that Rep. Johnson "feels he voted that way in protection of our civil liberties…the powers that Department of Justice and other law enforcement officials need already exist. That system is working quite effectively."
My headline would have read:
Who Voted 'No' to Crushing Our 4th Amendment Rights:
(Link to 4th Amendment: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment04/ )
This newer version of the FISA amendment is the bill that gives amnesty to the telecoms that enabled the Bush administration to eavesdrop on American citizens without a court order under the prior version of this act (even though the administration had up to 3 days to get a court order from a secret court that had been specifically set-up to handle this program) after the wiretapping had already commenced. That the telecoms never asked for or demanded the court orders on the 4th day or later is, at the least, a criminal act).
By passing this new version, those that voted yes to this amnesty for the telecoms also voted to give themselves amnesty for going along with the first FISA Amendment and its’ assault on the 4th amendment.
I’m sure each of the following representatives want to get the bad guys too, but it can be done without our changing what WE stand for as Americans.
Voting NO
Abercrombie (Hawaii)
Holt (N.J.)
Olver (Mass.)
Allen (Maine)
Honda (Calif.)
Pallone (N.J.)
Andrews (N.J.)
Hooley (Ore.)
Pascrell (N.J.)
Baldwin (Wis.)
Inslee (Wash.)
Pastor (Ariz.)
Becerra (Calif.)
Israel (N.Y.)
Payne (N.J.)
Blumenauer (Ore.)
Jackson (Ill.)
Price (N.C.)
Brady (Pa.)
Jackson-Lee (Texas)
Rangel (N.Y.)
Braley (Iowa)
Jefferson (La.)
Rothman (N.J.)
Capps (Calif.)
Johnson (Ga.)
Roybal-Allard (Calif.)
Capuano (Mass.)
Johnson (Ill.)
Ryan (Ohio)
Carnahan (Miss.)
Johnson E.B. (Texas)
Sánchez Linda T. (Calif.)
Carson (Ind.)
Jones (Ohio)
Sanchez Loretta (Calif.)
Clarke (N.Y.)
Kagen (Wisc.)
Sarbanes (Md.)
Clay (Miss.)
Kaptur (Ohio)
Schakowsky (Ill.)
Cohen (Tenn.)
Kennedy (R.I.)
Schwartz (Pa.)
Conyers (Mich.)
Kilpatrick (Mich.)
Scott (Va.)
Costello (Ill.)
Kucinich (Ohio)
Serrano (N.Y.)
Courtney (Conn.)
Larsen (Wash.)
Shea-Porter (N.H.)
Cummings (Md.)
Larson (Conn.)
Slaughter (N.Y.)
Davis (Calif.)
Lee (Calif.)
Solis (Calif.)
Davis (Ill.)
Levin (Mich.)
Speier (Calif.)
DeFazio (Ore.)
Lewis (Ga.)
Sutton (Ohio)
DeGette (Colo.)
Loebsack (Iowa)
Thompson (Calif.)
Delahunt (Mass.)
Lofgren Zoe (Calif.)
Tierney (Mass.)
DeLauro (Conn.)
Lynch (Mass.)
Towns (N.Y.)
Dingell (Mich.)
Maloney (N.Y.)
Tsongas (Mass.)
Doggett (Texas)
Markey (Mass.)
Udall (N.M.)
Doyle (Pa.)
Matsui (Calif.)
Van Hollen (Md.)
Edwards (Md.)
McCollum (Minn.)
Velázquez (N.Y.)
Ellison (Minn.)
McDermott (Wash.)
Walz (Minn.)
Eshoo (Calif.)
McGovern (Mass.)
Wasserman Schultz (Fla.)
Farr (Calif.)
McNulty (N.Y.)
Waters (Calif.)
Fattah (Pa.)
Meek (Fla.)
Watson (Calif.)
Filner (Calif.)
Michaud (Maine)
Watt (N.C.)
Foster (Ill.)
Miller (N.C.)
Waxman (Calif.)
Frank (Mass.)
Miller George (Calif.)
Weiner (N.Y.)
Gonzalez (Texas)
Mollohan (W.V.)
Welch (Vt.)
Grijalva (Ariz.)
Moore (Wis.)
Wexler (Fla.)
Hall (N.Y.)
Moran (Va.)
Woolsey (Calif.)
Hare (Ill.)
Murphy (Conn.)
Wu (Ore.)
Hill (Ind.)
Nadler (N.Y.)
Hinchey (N.Y.)
Napolitano Neal (Mass.)
Hirono (Hawaii)
Oberstar (Minn.)
Hodes (N.H.)
Obey (Wis.)
Not Voting
Brown-Waite Ginny (Fla.)
Cannon (Utah)
Gilchrest (Md.)
Gohmert (Texas)
Jones (N.C.)
Paul (Texas)
Peterson (Pa.)
Reynolds (N.Y.)
Rush (Ill.)
Stark (Calif.)
Tiahrt (Kan.)
Visclosky (Ind.)
Weller (Ill.)
The $4.00 A Gallon Trip Wire
So now we have the Saudi’s promising to up their oil production to ease fears and concerns about the impact of high oil prices around the world.
We also have John McCain pulling a move to have offshore oil drilling along the coasts of America, a change in stance so drastic that a devotee of the game Twister would be left with their jaw agape.
Seems that the $4.00 a gallon trip wire has emitted a tune so sour when it was plucked that desperation and exasperation have merged to provide an impetus so strong that to match it would require the combined strength of both Hercules and Superman.
At $4.00 a gallon alternate fuel sources and their development look good. OPEC wants none of that, so they’ll pump more, just enough, to keep the price at $3.00 to $3.50 a gallon. It won’t happen as soon as we think, some are even saying that we’ll have to get a lot nearer to the $200 a barrel price before we’ll see anything in the way of serious decreases, perhaps the first effects in 6 months or so, but that’s where it will settle.
Could you imagine rolling up to the pump and having 3 or 4 energy sources to choose from to fuel your car? OPEC wants to make sure that scenario remains an expensive dream to develop.
Does the idea of having these many choices at the pump sound crazy? For those of a certain age, I’ll remind you of a time when there was only one phone company and it was hard to imagine a second or a third.
At $4.00 a gallon, we have, in addition to John McCain, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (who by this move shows he REALLY wants to be McCain’s VP) & South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham (BIG McCain supporter/reminder/corrector) both attempting to get whiplash by changing their long standing positions AGAINST offshore drilling.
All three cite the need to lease these areas ONLY with a state’s approval, (which might cause a problem if a bordering state says yes and its’ oil spill washes up on the shores of a neighboring state that said no – but I digress) and offer this as a plan for the beleaguered American taxpayer.
Or is it really just a case of pandering to potential campaign donors who own lots of oil stock (who are flush with cash) by handing out even more leased land to the oil companies before Bush leaves office? More land NOT to explore and develop in addition to the huge amount that these companies currently have and do nothing with already.
We also have John McCain pulling a move to have offshore oil drilling along the coasts of America, a change in stance so drastic that a devotee of the game Twister would be left with their jaw agape.
Seems that the $4.00 a gallon trip wire has emitted a tune so sour when it was plucked that desperation and exasperation have merged to provide an impetus so strong that to match it would require the combined strength of both Hercules and Superman.
At $4.00 a gallon alternate fuel sources and their development look good. OPEC wants none of that, so they’ll pump more, just enough, to keep the price at $3.00 to $3.50 a gallon. It won’t happen as soon as we think, some are even saying that we’ll have to get a lot nearer to the $200 a barrel price before we’ll see anything in the way of serious decreases, perhaps the first effects in 6 months or so, but that’s where it will settle.
Could you imagine rolling up to the pump and having 3 or 4 energy sources to choose from to fuel your car? OPEC wants to make sure that scenario remains an expensive dream to develop.
Does the idea of having these many choices at the pump sound crazy? For those of a certain age, I’ll remind you of a time when there was only one phone company and it was hard to imagine a second or a third.
At $4.00 a gallon, we have, in addition to John McCain, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (who by this move shows he REALLY wants to be McCain’s VP) & South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham (BIG McCain supporter/reminder/corrector) both attempting to get whiplash by changing their long standing positions AGAINST offshore drilling.
All three cite the need to lease these areas ONLY with a state’s approval, (which might cause a problem if a bordering state says yes and its’ oil spill washes up on the shores of a neighboring state that said no – but I digress) and offer this as a plan for the beleaguered American taxpayer.
Or is it really just a case of pandering to potential campaign donors who own lots of oil stock (who are flush with cash) by handing out even more leased land to the oil companies before Bush leaves office? More land NOT to explore and develop in addition to the huge amount that these companies currently have and do nothing with already.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Russert: A Significant Sign Of Respect
The two leading candidates for president, McCain and Obama, gave a small, but significant, tribute to Tim Russert today at his funeral mass, they sat side by side.
With the ramping up of the general election rhetoric and the staking out of familiar positions by both campaigns, it was refreshing to see that all of the flotsam and jetsam was set aside so as to allow for the civility of the moment to show through.
They will return to their respective ramparts in short order, no doubt, but for a few moments the decency of both allowed for the underlining of the respect they and so many others had for Mr. Russert.
With the ramping up of the general election rhetoric and the staking out of familiar positions by both campaigns, it was refreshing to see that all of the flotsam and jetsam was set aside so as to allow for the civility of the moment to show through.
They will return to their respective ramparts in short order, no doubt, but for a few moments the decency of both allowed for the underlining of the respect they and so many others had for Mr. Russert.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
On Russert
While I and many other devotees of Meet The Press, and in turn, admirers of Tim Russert will miss him a great deal, I do believe that the on air tributes, as deserving as they are, needn’t be stretched over 2 days.
I understand that his death has/had a real “kick-in-the-teeth” essence to it to those who worked so closely with him and I admit that I cannot ever recall having a boss who deserved such devotion.
However, there has to come a time for those who worked with him to stop and listen to what they themselves are saying about how he influenced their professional lives and get up from behind the desks and go out and actually get back to doing what he guided them with – reporting.
As a long time viewer, I have the sense that he wouldn’t want all this attention focused on him, that he would have wanted the current floods or the recent deaths of 4 soldiers in Iraq, etc. covered instead, rather than having these talented reporters sitting around for 2 to 3 days telling stories about him.
I understand that his death has/had a real “kick-in-the-teeth” essence to it to those who worked so closely with him and I admit that I cannot ever recall having a boss who deserved such devotion.
However, there has to come a time for those who worked with him to stop and listen to what they themselves are saying about how he influenced their professional lives and get up from behind the desks and go out and actually get back to doing what he guided them with – reporting.
As a long time viewer, I have the sense that he wouldn’t want all this attention focused on him, that he would have wanted the current floods or the recent deaths of 4 soldiers in Iraq, etc. covered instead, rather than having these talented reporters sitting around for 2 to 3 days telling stories about him.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Hillary: An Amazing Speech
I listened to the formal concession speech today that many thought was going to be given this past Tuesday night when it became fact that Obama was going to be the Democratic Party’s nominee.
Hillary undid whatever damage the Tuesday night “rant”, as some were calling it, with this heartfelt, dignified exit, that when done, left a sweeter taste in the mouths of all who had been disappointed with the previous effort.
I do believe she will work to get him elected in November, I do believe that she has been able to provide a path to all of those who put 18 million cracks into the last and highest of glass ceilings.
She has my respect and admiration for what (and how) she delivered today – both herself and her supporters to help unify the party.
We’ll see her again, I feel and I think she will be met with a much better reception after today’s speech.
Hillary undid whatever damage the Tuesday night “rant”, as some were calling it, with this heartfelt, dignified exit, that when done, left a sweeter taste in the mouths of all who had been disappointed with the previous effort.
I do believe she will work to get him elected in November, I do believe that she has been able to provide a path to all of those who put 18 million cracks into the last and highest of glass ceilings.
She has my respect and admiration for what (and how) she delivered today – both herself and her supporters to help unify the party.
We’ll see her again, I feel and I think she will be met with a much better reception after today’s speech.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The Day After
On this the day after, she hesitates to formally concede, thinking that somehow there is leverage in the delay.
There is none.
Those that have supported her on the issues will wind up supporting Obama, simply because their mutual stances on so many topics are so closely aligned.
Those that supported her just because she is a woman (couldn’t that be called sexism?) will not find any comfort in the likes of John McCann – a guy who could very well appoint Supreme Court justices that will erode some, if not many, of the rights that have been gotten as they relate to women’s issues. Staying home in November will accomplish the same for McCann.
If Obama had lost and delayed like this in conceding, and for him to think that I, a supporter, was a bargaining chip of some sort for him to use while he pouted and contrived to improve his own person position, he’d been sadly mistaken. I do not blindly follow nor do I willingly cede my vote for anyone else’s view without my consent.
Does Hillary think her 18 million are any different – if so than maybe they need to reconsider their allegiance.
I won races and lost a close race (7 votes the other way and I would have an unbeaten record of 4-0). Losing sucks, especially close ones. I went through 1 recount – to settle my mind that an 8 wasn’t seen as a 3 or a 7 taken as a 1.
This is the first time Hillary has lost a race with her name on the ballot. As they say, the first cut is the deepest. I’d give her 72 hours to talk and concede and then gracefully move on with or without it.
He’s been bending over backwards to give her the room to sort things out, but that, like the primary campaign needs to end.
There is none.
Those that have supported her on the issues will wind up supporting Obama, simply because their mutual stances on so many topics are so closely aligned.
Those that supported her just because she is a woman (couldn’t that be called sexism?) will not find any comfort in the likes of John McCann – a guy who could very well appoint Supreme Court justices that will erode some, if not many, of the rights that have been gotten as they relate to women’s issues. Staying home in November will accomplish the same for McCann.
If Obama had lost and delayed like this in conceding, and for him to think that I, a supporter, was a bargaining chip of some sort for him to use while he pouted and contrived to improve his own person position, he’d been sadly mistaken. I do not blindly follow nor do I willingly cede my vote for anyone else’s view without my consent.
Does Hillary think her 18 million are any different – if so than maybe they need to reconsider their allegiance.
I won races and lost a close race (7 votes the other way and I would have an unbeaten record of 4-0). Losing sucks, especially close ones. I went through 1 recount – to settle my mind that an 8 wasn’t seen as a 3 or a 7 taken as a 1.
This is the first time Hillary has lost a race with her name on the ballot. As they say, the first cut is the deepest. I’d give her 72 hours to talk and concede and then gracefully move on with or without it.
He’s been bending over backwards to give her the room to sort things out, but that, like the primary campaign needs to end.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Hillary, It’s Over
So now Hillary wants us to count the Electoral College votes that would be had from her wins vs. Obama’s. She wants this new facade in place for the super delegates to look at, so they won’t move to Obama’s side.
It’s a façade of straws, twisted in so many ways that the gust of one more win by Obama in any of the upcoming states will, like the big bad wolf, blow it down.
Then what? Will we be asked by her campaign to count only those states that were in the Union before 1865 or other such nonsense?
Her campaign’s desperate premise is based on the notion that Obama, as the party’s nominee, would not win any of the states in a general election that she has won.
With the last gasps of redo’s in Florida & Michigan in the rearview mirror, it’s really time for the fantasy to stop, for the what ifs of a divisive campaign to give it up and shut it down – it’s not going to happen.
It’s a façade of straws, twisted in so many ways that the gust of one more win by Obama in any of the upcoming states will, like the big bad wolf, blow it down.
Then what? Will we be asked by her campaign to count only those states that were in the Union before 1865 or other such nonsense?
Her campaign’s desperate premise is based on the notion that Obama, as the party’s nominee, would not win any of the states in a general election that she has won.
With the last gasps of redo’s in Florida & Michigan in the rearview mirror, it’s really time for the fantasy to stop, for the what ifs of a divisive campaign to give it up and shut it down – it’s not going to happen.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
On The Democrats Primary Problems
Why?
Why are the Democrats at this juncture in the primary process, a place where “super” delegates are being treated as if they are political eggs or sperm to be frozen in place until such time that they are removed from refrigeration, thawed and inserted into the political world, perhaps only in Denver during the month of August? Is it because the party’s surrogate Mommy & Daddy are still fighting with each other and are refusing to let them move?
As far as I can see, the real mommies and daddies (the voters) have been letting the political world know what they want done with their “supers” in an ongoing fashion with the results of the primaries and caucuses. The “supers” should be broken down in direct proportion to the popular votes cast in their respective contests. This may make some declared “super” supporters uncomfortable, no doubt, having to take a side not entirely comfortable – but too bad, your elected or appointed position that entitled you to the “super” designation is, at its’ root, subservient to the voters. This includes the Howard Deans, Nancy Pelosis, etc of the party.
For that portion of the votes that have gone to candidates no longer in the race and their proportional delegate count – follow the lead of Iowa and reconvene at the county level and allow those delegates to move to the remaining candidates.
Notice is hereby given to all the supposed Type “A” personalities that are running this party throughout the country – you all agreed about penalizing Florida & Michigan for their early primaries – stick to it. They don’t count at the convention. If that causes a problem, then it’s between the voters in those states and their state party- some of whom make up their state “supers”.
Deduct the total of delegates (“super” and pledged) from Florida & Michigan from the 2,025 needed for nomination and make the result the required number for nomination. No re-do’s or reruns, no “yeah, but’s”, none of that.
I believe this would be consistent with the two campaigns, the same campaigns that signed off last year on the agreement that these two states would not count if they moved up their primaries – which of course they did.
When it comes to the kids, even a divorcing Mommy & Daddy must be consistent, lest the children win by playing one off against the other.
Why are the Democrats at this juncture in the primary process, a place where “super” delegates are being treated as if they are political eggs or sperm to be frozen in place until such time that they are removed from refrigeration, thawed and inserted into the political world, perhaps only in Denver during the month of August? Is it because the party’s surrogate Mommy & Daddy are still fighting with each other and are refusing to let them move?
As far as I can see, the real mommies and daddies (the voters) have been letting the political world know what they want done with their “supers” in an ongoing fashion with the results of the primaries and caucuses. The “supers” should be broken down in direct proportion to the popular votes cast in their respective contests. This may make some declared “super” supporters uncomfortable, no doubt, having to take a side not entirely comfortable – but too bad, your elected or appointed position that entitled you to the “super” designation is, at its’ root, subservient to the voters. This includes the Howard Deans, Nancy Pelosis, etc of the party.
For that portion of the votes that have gone to candidates no longer in the race and their proportional delegate count – follow the lead of Iowa and reconvene at the county level and allow those delegates to move to the remaining candidates.
Notice is hereby given to all the supposed Type “A” personalities that are running this party throughout the country – you all agreed about penalizing Florida & Michigan for their early primaries – stick to it. They don’t count at the convention. If that causes a problem, then it’s between the voters in those states and their state party- some of whom make up their state “supers”.
Deduct the total of delegates (“super” and pledged) from Florida & Michigan from the 2,025 needed for nomination and make the result the required number for nomination. No re-do’s or reruns, no “yeah, but’s”, none of that.
I believe this would be consistent with the two campaigns, the same campaigns that signed off last year on the agreement that these two states would not count if they moved up their primaries – which of course they did.
When it comes to the kids, even a divorcing Mommy & Daddy must be consistent, lest the children win by playing one off against the other.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Your Town's Upcoming Budget
An editorial cartoon in the Asbury Park Press today:
As to our State Senator Joe Kyrillos' legislative efforts to force the mergers of smaller municipalities by some type of state committee, I can see that, whether it is through their planning and zoning boards or "areas in need of redevelopment" efforts, it would also not be an unexpected development that there might be an upturn in the efforts of some towns that find themselves close to that 10,000 population marker to increase the size of the residential population to meet that figure by the next census (2010). To do so could probably insure that these towns would not to be subject to any future independent state commission’s recommendation of a forced merger with another municipality.
Page 6 of the governor’s recent 2009 budget summary had the following:
“The budget will also include a reduction in the level of aid to municipalities. The budget will provide over $1.8 billion in aid to municipalities, a decrease of approximately $190 million, which represents less than 10% of the amount provided in the current year.
A portion of the reduction in municipal aid will be targeted to those municipalities with
populations of less than 10,000. This group of towns will be given priority standing in
the awarding of the $32 million in grants from a state fund that encourages consolidation
and shared services.”
Similar state monies to cover the cost of surveys for these smaller municipalities were made available in the current 2008 state budget to see what, if any, municipal services or departments could be consolidated with surrounding towns.
My guess is that not to many municipalities sought any of these funds, that very few surveys were done and that consolidation of any kind is something that will be given lip service to rather than being acted on in any meaningful way.
Residents of any town facing any proposed municipal tax increase should rightfully expect that their elected local officials requested and used the state's 2008 survey funds last year, that the surveys have been done and as a result of these findings that all operating expenses that could be saved have been saved before any new taxes be considered for a municipal 2008 budget this year. Copies of all municipal surveys should be made available to their residents so that a more complete understanding can be had by all.
“The budget will also include a reduction in the level of aid to municipalities. The budget will provide over $1.8 billion in aid to municipalities, a decrease of approximately $190 million, which represents less than 10% of the amount provided in the current year.
A portion of the reduction in municipal aid will be targeted to those municipalities with
populations of less than 10,000. This group of towns will be given priority standing in
the awarding of the $32 million in grants from a state fund that encourages consolidation
and shared services.”
Similar state monies to cover the cost of surveys for these smaller municipalities were made available in the current 2008 state budget to see what, if any, municipal services or departments could be consolidated with surrounding towns.
My guess is that not to many municipalities sought any of these funds, that very few surveys were done and that consolidation of any kind is something that will be given lip service to rather than being acted on in any meaningful way.
Residents of any town facing any proposed municipal tax increase should rightfully expect that their elected local officials requested and used the state's 2008 survey funds last year, that the surveys have been done and as a result of these findings that all operating expenses that could be saved have been saved before any new taxes be considered for a municipal 2008 budget this year. Copies of all municipal surveys should be made available to their residents so that a more complete understanding can be had by all.
If these residents find that nothing in the way of surveys have been done in this past year, then it is clear that the question of "Why Not?" be asked of these local officials as they bemoan these latest state cuts in local aid. The state has been withdrawing aid from municipalities in recent years in a variety of ways, including the areas of pension funding for municipal employees and extraordinary aid.
With much of the local costs being based on contractual obligations, it is long past the time that shared services be done. To not have this information as to what areas within which this could be achieved, garnered from already completed surveys, at hand at this time is inexcusable, especially when the state had money sitting there to pay for it this past year. The residents see, on a daily basis, that the costs of living in NJ are going up and they expect their local officials to have noticed this too and respond accordingly.
As to our State Senator Joe Kyrillos' legislative efforts to force the mergers of smaller municipalities by some type of state committee, I can see that, whether it is through their planning and zoning boards or "areas in need of redevelopment" efforts, it would also not be an unexpected development that there might be an upturn in the efforts of some towns that find themselves close to that 10,000 population marker to increase the size of the residential population to meet that figure by the next census (2010). To do so could probably insure that these towns would not to be subject to any future independent state commission’s recommendation of a forced merger with another municipality.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thanks, Kids
As I sat there watching my Sunday morning news shows, I realized that more than once on the Democratic side of these discussions, the question of voter’s preferences when it came to a black male vs. a white woman came up.
The initial startle to me was that they were still talking about that aspect of it this late in the contest. I had been under the impression that we’d had gotten past this segment of the discussion after Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008.
But there it was still echoing around the dial by the supposed pundits and it left me a bit disappointed for I contrasted these round table media discussions with the images of yesterday afternoon.
You see, I was at a Pop Warner awards program that centered on the kids and their accomplishments. Boys and girls – black, white – Hispanic, Irish, Italian, etc- and their parents mixing it up, having a good time. I noticed that children who were getting a little rambunctious were mindful of the corrective orders of adults, related to them or not – neither group was concerned with heritage, skin color or gender. The elders spoke and the kids did as they were told.
With a few exceptions that will persist in some places, I believe that for the most part, the electorate, like this Pop Warner group, has moved on from wanting things to be filtered through gender, skin color or heritage. Rather, their focus is on each other’s commonality, whether its’ financial, health, family or any of a thousand other topics that affect our lives each day.
We’ll see.
The initial startle to me was that they were still talking about that aspect of it this late in the contest. I had been under the impression that we’d had gotten past this segment of the discussion after Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008.
But there it was still echoing around the dial by the supposed pundits and it left me a bit disappointed for I contrasted these round table media discussions with the images of yesterday afternoon.
You see, I was at a Pop Warner awards program that centered on the kids and their accomplishments. Boys and girls – black, white – Hispanic, Irish, Italian, etc- and their parents mixing it up, having a good time. I noticed that children who were getting a little rambunctious were mindful of the corrective orders of adults, related to them or not – neither group was concerned with heritage, skin color or gender. The elders spoke and the kids did as they were told.
With a few exceptions that will persist in some places, I believe that for the most part, the electorate, like this Pop Warner group, has moved on from wanting things to be filtered through gender, skin color or heritage. Rather, their focus is on each other’s commonality, whether its’ financial, health, family or any of a thousand other topics that affect our lives each day.
We’ll see.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
So, Where Is The Snow?
The snow blower has been sitting in the shed and, to borrow a line from the Rudy campaign, it is “Tested. Ready. Now.”
(Thanks to Rudy for spending $40 million, garnering his 1 delegate and coming up with that line.)
With a little over a month to go until it’s official end, winter has gone wimpy, giving only the occasional below 32 degree cold snaps to us. In doing so it has deprived many with the need to find the sleds, to watch our steps on the ice (“just walk like a duck” my mom would say and I would mumble something about not having webbed feet), to throw a snowball.
We have also been spared driving behind cars and trucks whose drivers failed to clear the tops of their vehicles and watch the snowy projectiles coming at us as the clearing process took place at 60+ miles an hour.
I know about the global warming process and the changes it has invoked upon us, but I wish, just once, we can be harmlessly stopped in our busy lives by nature for a day or two, with a good 8 to 10 inches of the white stuff. Things have a habit of becoming real local then, real intimate.
The family all watch the weather reports together or are asking about the storms progress, wanting to know what impact or restrictions Mother Nature might be imposing on their lives. The looks out the window become longer as the snow falls and at night, the streetlights are sought out to inform us of wind and density.
The planned activities first succumb to the "maybes" then fall by the wayside to "the can’t".
Winter has made its’ presence known in no uncertain terms.
But so far, not this year. It’s looking like we may have to settle on the outside chance of tulips and snow.
Then again, maybe I should just go out and make sure that the lawn mower is “Tested. Ready. Now.”
(Thanks to Rudy for spending $40 million, garnering his 1 delegate and coming up with that line.)
With a little over a month to go until it’s official end, winter has gone wimpy, giving only the occasional below 32 degree cold snaps to us. In doing so it has deprived many with the need to find the sleds, to watch our steps on the ice (“just walk like a duck” my mom would say and I would mumble something about not having webbed feet), to throw a snowball.
We have also been spared driving behind cars and trucks whose drivers failed to clear the tops of their vehicles and watch the snowy projectiles coming at us as the clearing process took place at 60+ miles an hour.
I know about the global warming process and the changes it has invoked upon us, but I wish, just once, we can be harmlessly stopped in our busy lives by nature for a day or two, with a good 8 to 10 inches of the white stuff. Things have a habit of becoming real local then, real intimate.
The family all watch the weather reports together or are asking about the storms progress, wanting to know what impact or restrictions Mother Nature might be imposing on their lives. The looks out the window become longer as the snow falls and at night, the streetlights are sought out to inform us of wind and density.
The planned activities first succumb to the "maybes" then fall by the wayside to "the can’t".
Winter has made its’ presence known in no uncertain terms.
But so far, not this year. It’s looking like we may have to settle on the outside chance of tulips and snow.
Then again, maybe I should just go out and make sure that the lawn mower is “Tested. Ready. Now.”
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Clemens Congressional Fiasco
With his appearance before the Waxman Congressional panel investigating the use of steroids and Human Growth Hormones (HGH) in baseball, premier pitcher Roger Clemens accomplished one thing – no matter how many ballots his name appears on - he will not be going to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
His willingness to play the stubborn fool in desperately trying to cling to his fantasy that America will accept his actions of throwing his wife under the bus for her usage of HGH for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit layout and trying to label his best friend Andy Pettitte as deaf (“he misheard –misremembered- me”) will not work.
As a Yankee fan since 1961, I have followed this team and it’s players through good and bad, ups and downs and the mediocre and never once, not once, have I ever heard a bad thing being said by anyone in baseball about Andy Pettitte. “Stand up”, “honest”, “hard worker”, “family man”, “Born Again Christian” are the words and descriptions that are most often heard when Petitte’s name is brought up.
Pettitte came right out and admitted using HGH twice and that he was told by Clemens that he (Clemens) too had used it. They even had some discussions about how Clemens would respond if asked by the media about whether he used these drugs or not.
Forget the trainer, Brian McNamee, and his statements. Forget the former Senator George Mitchell and his report’s findings; forget Clemens’ former teammate, Chuck Knobloch and his endorsement of the McNamee statements.
It comes down to who you believe – Andy Pettitte or Roger Clemens.
Andy does not necessarily have a place in the Hall of Fame waiting for him – a good pitcher, but not an automatic famer. In his written testimony to the committee, a deeply religious Pettitte mentioned how he had to tell the truth, that one day he would have to stand before God and account for all he had done.
I'll believe Andy.
Until he opened his mouth yesterday, Roger Clemens was a first round definite Hall of Famer.
Not anymore.
The best he can hope for now is maybe getting together with Mark McGuire for some batting practice and that the tests on the saved syringes from McNamee's injection sessions come up as a negative match to Roger's DNA.
His willingness to play the stubborn fool in desperately trying to cling to his fantasy that America will accept his actions of throwing his wife under the bus for her usage of HGH for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit layout and trying to label his best friend Andy Pettitte as deaf (“he misheard –misremembered- me”) will not work.
As a Yankee fan since 1961, I have followed this team and it’s players through good and bad, ups and downs and the mediocre and never once, not once, have I ever heard a bad thing being said by anyone in baseball about Andy Pettitte. “Stand up”, “honest”, “hard worker”, “family man”, “Born Again Christian” are the words and descriptions that are most often heard when Petitte’s name is brought up.
Pettitte came right out and admitted using HGH twice and that he was told by Clemens that he (Clemens) too had used it. They even had some discussions about how Clemens would respond if asked by the media about whether he used these drugs or not.
Forget the trainer, Brian McNamee, and his statements. Forget the former Senator George Mitchell and his report’s findings; forget Clemens’ former teammate, Chuck Knobloch and his endorsement of the McNamee statements.
It comes down to who you believe – Andy Pettitte or Roger Clemens.
Andy does not necessarily have a place in the Hall of Fame waiting for him – a good pitcher, but not an automatic famer. In his written testimony to the committee, a deeply religious Pettitte mentioned how he had to tell the truth, that one day he would have to stand before God and account for all he had done.
I'll believe Andy.
Until he opened his mouth yesterday, Roger Clemens was a first round definite Hall of Famer.
Not anymore.
The best he can hope for now is maybe getting together with Mark McGuire for some batting practice and that the tests on the saved syringes from McNamee's injection sessions come up as a negative match to Roger's DNA.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Merla's Going Away Interview
Role models cannot be repeatedly tempted with the option of wrongdoing. Eventually they will have to do the wrong thing.
Such was the explaination offered by John Merla, the former mayor, to the citizens of Keyport, on why he took the money offered by a surrogate of the FBI in it's Bid Rig undercover operation.
We learned that valuable lesson from a going away interview with a local weekly newspaper.
The former mayor likened himself to a ten year old faced with cookies - and the uncertain moral certitude associated with that age group when faced with a delicious offering.
However, the adult version of this senario replaced the cookies with envelopes of cash (ironically referred to by those on the take as "doughnuts") and their ethical standards having been filtered through such processes as asking for the voters trust, taking an oath of office and repeatedly stating your innocence in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary that you knew to be true.
If we use the former mayor's definition of the term "role model", then all of those fine people who, along with him, were named to the Keyport Hall of Fame will also be found to have the moral certitude of ten year olds and will have to do the wrong thing when faced with temptation.
Fortunately for Keyport, wiser thinking pervails in the community. The Keyport Board of Education voted to remove the former mayor's photo from the ranks of true role models.
He says he will use his prison time constructively, looking to educate himself about a new business venture he intends to take up upon his release.
Perhaps during his stay in prison he will get the fact that what he has done is wrong.Then again maybe not. We'll know for sure if, in two years, the former mayor is seen in the early morning hours walking down the streets of Keyport muttering to himself "time to make (or take) the doughnuts..."
Such was the explaination offered by John Merla, the former mayor, to the citizens of Keyport, on why he took the money offered by a surrogate of the FBI in it's Bid Rig undercover operation.
We learned that valuable lesson from a going away interview with a local weekly newspaper.
The former mayor likened himself to a ten year old faced with cookies - and the uncertain moral certitude associated with that age group when faced with a delicious offering.
However, the adult version of this senario replaced the cookies with envelopes of cash (ironically referred to by those on the take as "doughnuts") and their ethical standards having been filtered through such processes as asking for the voters trust, taking an oath of office and repeatedly stating your innocence in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary that you knew to be true.
If we use the former mayor's definition of the term "role model", then all of those fine people who, along with him, were named to the Keyport Hall of Fame will also be found to have the moral certitude of ten year olds and will have to do the wrong thing when faced with temptation.
Fortunately for Keyport, wiser thinking pervails in the community. The Keyport Board of Education voted to remove the former mayor's photo from the ranks of true role models.
He says he will use his prison time constructively, looking to educate himself about a new business venture he intends to take up upon his release.
Perhaps during his stay in prison he will get the fact that what he has done is wrong.Then again maybe not. We'll know for sure if, in two years, the former mayor is seen in the early morning hours walking down the streets of Keyport muttering to himself "time to make (or take) the doughnuts..."
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
6 Days to go.....
So we’ve found out that Rudy and Judy will not be the first couple, that John and Elizabeth gave it the old college try and that Ron Paul still (as of today) has more money than John McCain – the current version of the “frontrunner” for the Republicans.
Huckabee? He’s the Jed Clampett of the bunch running for president, living off the land, “shootin’ at some food” and looking for some crude.
Hillary found her voice in New Hampshire and a funny thing happened when she got to South Carolina – she sounded a lot like Bill. He talked so much that she actually left the state to go to California. While she was gone, Bill went ahead and flew off the handle and threw Hillary’s campaign off the track. Obama routed the two of them in the election – yes he beat Billary - by a 2 to 1 spread.
Suddenly the no delegate rich Florida contest on the Democrats side was all-important to Billary. Because Florida decided to move up their primary, the DNC said that under no circumstances would Florida delegates be allowed to be seated nor be able to vote at the convention. So severe was this primary date movement that all Democratic presidential campaigns promised not to campaign there.
Billary will try and undo all those penalties, will try to rewrite the rules after the fact because they will do and say anything, at any time, so long as it’s in their best interest – forget everyone else.
Billary wants us to vote for a four-year term of this type behavior.
Billary – take a hike, your time has come and gone.
Huckabee? He’s the Jed Clampett of the bunch running for president, living off the land, “shootin’ at some food” and looking for some crude.
Hillary found her voice in New Hampshire and a funny thing happened when she got to South Carolina – she sounded a lot like Bill. He talked so much that she actually left the state to go to California. While she was gone, Bill went ahead and flew off the handle and threw Hillary’s campaign off the track. Obama routed the two of them in the election – yes he beat Billary - by a 2 to 1 spread.
Suddenly the no delegate rich Florida contest on the Democrats side was all-important to Billary. Because Florida decided to move up their primary, the DNC said that under no circumstances would Florida delegates be allowed to be seated nor be able to vote at the convention. So severe was this primary date movement that all Democratic presidential campaigns promised not to campaign there.
Billary will try and undo all those penalties, will try to rewrite the rules after the fact because they will do and say anything, at any time, so long as it’s in their best interest – forget everyone else.
Billary wants us to vote for a four-year term of this type behavior.
Billary – take a hike, your time has come and gone.
Monday, January 21, 2008
On February 5th, 2008……
I will be casting my vote for Barack Obama for President.
Yes, this 52 year old white guy will be looking to give the United States a chance to begin with a fresh start, a fresh face and a fresh perspective that Senator Obama provides.
While there are those that question his “experience”, I see him as having enough of that to know how the current system works and the ability to see where corrections need to be made in that system. I believe he approaches this with the understanding that these corrections, or changes, will need to be done by those he will choose, based on his strong suite of judgment, rather than the more current method of who you “owe” a favor to.
I have watched how he has not been sucked into the race debate – the “is he black enough” – that those within my party would use to validate there own position as being important and in turn, who see their subsequent endorsement as a “necessary” check off to acquire the party’s nomination.
Much to their dismay, Obama has worked at a level above this – causing them to have to play catch-up to him. These supposed kingmaker’s frustrations are beginning to show as they see his ability to garner both white and minority votes without their influence in the mix is viewed as a threat and something that needs to be dealt with in an untested manner. They failed early on to correctly gauge the level of Obama’s potential appeal and in doing so, failed to plan how to deal with it in a constructive way.
Unfortunately for Hillary, her one time asset – her husband, the former president Bill Clinton has become more of a distraction of late. His utterances that casts doubts upon Obama’s abilities are becoming more and more viewed as signs of both a divisive and desperate approach by her campaign. Add to it that she cannot control his off the campaign script actions and one is left to wonder what a newly christened Clinton White House would look like -and be received on a daily basis on the world stage- given an uncontrollable First Husband. The impact of off-the-cuff remarks that differ from a national U.S., Hillary Clinton instituted, policy could very well be monumental and would not be easily undone by some warm and fuzzy moments with Tyra Banks.
Another unfortunate fact for Hillary is her very high negatives going into a general election - and most of them having nothing to do with her gender, but rather a prospect of revisiting the nightmarish headlines of the prior Clinton era.
Speaking of gender based votes, why do I have the feeling that an all female ticket of Elizabeth Edwards / Michelle Obama would dwarf Hillary's candidacy for it's ability for garnering votes and prevailing in the fall general election? Is it a not so outrageous proposition for the Dems to consider at a brokered convention? Forget their husbands and wrap your mind around an Elizabeth/Michelle ticket for a moment or two. Two intelligent, well spoken people, lawyers both, who are passionate and genuine in their approach to any subject that has been handed them to dissect in an impromptu setting. Both are just as "tough" as Hillary (they are mothers, after all) and know first hand the travails of a campaign. Is this that far flung of a notion? Just a thought.
There are many more reasons that I could cite for my upcoming vote for Obama, but I fear that anyone reading this may fall prey to the process of glazing over of eyes and the stifling of yawns that could soon start, so I’ll just end it here.
Yes, this 52 year old white guy will be looking to give the United States a chance to begin with a fresh start, a fresh face and a fresh perspective that Senator Obama provides.
While there are those that question his “experience”, I see him as having enough of that to know how the current system works and the ability to see where corrections need to be made in that system. I believe he approaches this with the understanding that these corrections, or changes, will need to be done by those he will choose, based on his strong suite of judgment, rather than the more current method of who you “owe” a favor to.
I have watched how he has not been sucked into the race debate – the “is he black enough” – that those within my party would use to validate there own position as being important and in turn, who see their subsequent endorsement as a “necessary” check off to acquire the party’s nomination.
Much to their dismay, Obama has worked at a level above this – causing them to have to play catch-up to him. These supposed kingmaker’s frustrations are beginning to show as they see his ability to garner both white and minority votes without their influence in the mix is viewed as a threat and something that needs to be dealt with in an untested manner. They failed early on to correctly gauge the level of Obama’s potential appeal and in doing so, failed to plan how to deal with it in a constructive way.
Unfortunately for Hillary, her one time asset – her husband, the former president Bill Clinton has become more of a distraction of late. His utterances that casts doubts upon Obama’s abilities are becoming more and more viewed as signs of both a divisive and desperate approach by her campaign. Add to it that she cannot control his off the campaign script actions and one is left to wonder what a newly christened Clinton White House would look like -and be received on a daily basis on the world stage- given an uncontrollable First Husband. The impact of off-the-cuff remarks that differ from a national U.S., Hillary Clinton instituted, policy could very well be monumental and would not be easily undone by some warm and fuzzy moments with Tyra Banks.
Another unfortunate fact for Hillary is her very high negatives going into a general election - and most of them having nothing to do with her gender, but rather a prospect of revisiting the nightmarish headlines of the prior Clinton era.
Speaking of gender based votes, why do I have the feeling that an all female ticket of Elizabeth Edwards / Michelle Obama would dwarf Hillary's candidacy for it's ability for garnering votes and prevailing in the fall general election? Is it a not so outrageous proposition for the Dems to consider at a brokered convention? Forget their husbands and wrap your mind around an Elizabeth/Michelle ticket for a moment or two. Two intelligent, well spoken people, lawyers both, who are passionate and genuine in their approach to any subject that has been handed them to dissect in an impromptu setting. Both are just as "tough" as Hillary (they are mothers, after all) and know first hand the travails of a campaign. Is this that far flung of a notion? Just a thought.
There are many more reasons that I could cite for my upcoming vote for Obama, but I fear that anyone reading this may fall prey to the process of glazing over of eyes and the stifling of yawns that could soon start, so I’ll just end it here.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Keyport Condemns Toll Hike Plan
At it's 01/15/08 council meeting, the Keyport Council asked it's Borough Attorney, John Wisniewski (a state Assemblyman), to formulate a resolution condemning the recently introduced toll hike plan of Gov. John Corzine.
Keyport Council President Joe Sheridan cited the disproportinate burden being placed on communities like Keyport, whose locale to the major toll roads forces their residents to be, in essence, "taxed" unfairly as he introduce the idea for the resolution.
At issue is the premise that only some of the citizens of this state are being asked to unfairly shoulder the escalating costs of government and that other ways need to be explored and utilized to insure that every citizen is asked to either help pay the cost or to deal with any cuts in the state budget that might need to be made in place of this unfair approach of raising tolls.
The resolution is expected to be formally introduced and voted upon by the full council in the very near future.
The expectation is that if the resolution is passed, it's final version will be forwarded to the Governor and state representatives of Keyport. It will also be made available for all other municipalities to copy and adopt it for themselves and forward to their respective state representatives.
Thank you Mr. Sheridan for speaking for the hard pressed taxpayers.
Keyport Council President Joe Sheridan cited the disproportinate burden being placed on communities like Keyport, whose locale to the major toll roads forces their residents to be, in essence, "taxed" unfairly as he introduce the idea for the resolution.
At issue is the premise that only some of the citizens of this state are being asked to unfairly shoulder the escalating costs of government and that other ways need to be explored and utilized to insure that every citizen is asked to either help pay the cost or to deal with any cuts in the state budget that might need to be made in place of this unfair approach of raising tolls.
The resolution is expected to be formally introduced and voted upon by the full council in the very near future.
The expectation is that if the resolution is passed, it's final version will be forwarded to the Governor and state representatives of Keyport. It will also be made available for all other municipalities to copy and adopt it for themselves and forward to their respective state representatives.
Thank you Mr. Sheridan for speaking for the hard pressed taxpayers.
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