YES, MOST OF THE KIDS are gone and a week of quiet is always a nice respite. But unless you're a teacher, the much ballyhooed Spring Break isn't for most adults. In addition to trying to make a huge effort to finish mudding, taping and texturing CJ's room and repairing a dainty little chasm in the dining room wall (don't ask!), I have also decided to expand my blog empire.
Today I launched "Ahab's Revenge", a daily look into my seven-week "Targeted Excercise and Metabolism-Raising Menu Program, my effort to finally smote the great white whale I have become since I jumped behind the keyboard of a digital profession some 14 years ago. Tomorrow we will unveil "On Stage Tonight", a once-or twice weekly review of one of the 150 or more live concert recordings I picked up during my days in that industry and (gratefully and joyously) still find in my mailbox in my mailbox from time to time, compliments of friends I met along the way. This will, of course, necessitate a reduction in visits from The Three Dot, but hopefully not too much so. I do love my Lounge...
WHILE LAST FRIDAY marked the annual showing of "The Movie" for our EB 5th graders, the day before brought forth a celebration of another kind; the annual, District-wide, Fifth Grade Musical, "Let Freedom Ring" . Each year, fifth-grade students from all 12 Idaho Falls elementary schools plan, rehearse and prepare for a night of song, and commentary to celebrate the freedoms that being an American affords us all. These amazing young students, with the help of District Elementary Music Specialists Leo Eaton, Kathy Wells, Linda Jones, and Jennifer Korenke selected and performed 12 songs that provided a complete look at just how lucky we are to live in this great land. We'll get some video clips of a few of the highlights posted, hopefully tonight. Check back, because it really is inspiring to see that, all the party affiliation crap aside, our schools are still teaching our kids what is important...
BACKSTAGE PASS DEPT: Though there wasn't enough time to seep through the layers and procure passes for our pseudo groupies Patti and Pam, word is the two had a fab-o time from the sixteenth row at last week's John Mayer show at the HiP. The girls made it back safely to Patti's that night and plans are for a dozen-or-so AVHS Class of '78 grads, all women mind you (the guys never get invited to the good mini-reunions), are getting together tomorrow night at a top secret eatery in WC. Have fun gals, and drive safe...Next up on the Mini-Reunion schedule: '78 grads Rob and Michelle LaVeira-Flores' daughter Renee will be tying the nuptial knot in Lake Tahoe on June 19. Don't be surprised if an impromptu gathering of AVHS alums descend on the CHICAGO/DOOBIE BROTHERS show at the Harvey's Ampitheater that evening...
AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR...Early comments are that Duke 's win on Sunday saved the Final Four from becoming a class in mass boredome and a ratings disaster. I can understand the latter, as the ratings for the last weekend of Madness in March is made up casual fans and office "bracket watchers". The Devils being the only #1 seed to survive, it's a sure bet that without them, the Neilsen Numbers would equal the number of Harry Reid supporters at a Tea Party rally. But boring? Not on your life. That only one top-seed is still on the floor for the final songs at the Big Dance makes this one of the best closing weekends ever. So here's the deal: I'm taking Butler, and let slip the (Bull)dogs of war!...
Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Fear and Loathing in the Fifth Grade
After six predecessors and as many fearful, "longest walks of their lives" down that mile-long corridor to the library, today our family marks the final step across the threshold to adulthood and eternal uncertainty, as our eleven year old gets his turn at...The 5th Grade Sex Ed Movie.
Yesterday afternoon, our youngest, Charles, returned home from his day of matriculation, lost and bewildered, as though he had just watched a super-slow motion video of a family of chicklings being transformed into road kill by a Mack truck. After repeated inquiries I sat beside him and, putting my arm around his shoulder, said, "Charles, did something happen at school? What's wrong, buddy?" Looking up with tears streaming down both sides of his not-yet adolenscent face, he replied,
"They're showing that movie at school tomorrow, and I don't wanna see it".
I don't recall having the same abiding fear of "the movie", which was actually a filmstrip (complete with the "beep" to turn to the next graphic), when we got it 38 years ago. But things have changed quite a bit in regards to how the public education system helps our young men begin that journey from pre-pubescent lover of all things sports or action-film related to neighborhood studmuffin.
First off, where my sixth grade class got the whole shi-bang as a class in one 60-minute filmstrip, now they seperate the information into two years; 5th grade focusing on body changes and personal hygeine, 6th grade on sexual development and reproductive roles. The film/discussion class are now also seperated by gender and the parents are invited to come along for support and participation.
Looking back, I think both changes in teh presentation are excellent ideas. Not only does it break the information into more age appropriate levels, but the seperation of boys and girls serves two purposes; removing the uncomfortability of inevitible eye contact with the cute little red headed girl during a discussion on insemination and the more relaxed, gender specific audience making it a little more likely that questions will be asked instead of staring at the clock and hoping the torturous experience will end soon.
I also think it a stroke of genius to invite the parents to participate. This also offers two wonderful opportunities; to have some input into how this information is for presented to your child, and also to take what, as yesterday's conversation proved, can be a highly emotional and borderline terrifying event and transform it into a strong, positive bonding experience. The tradition in this household is that "The Movie" is immediately followed by an extended lunch period at the pizza parlor of the child's choice (although I think maybe Lisa and Caroline did Olive Garden, but I don't really remember, having completely erased both her fifth and sixth grade "movie days" from my mind for all time and eternity, having protested, to no avail, that she should have been made to wait until she was at least 30 to be exposed to such corruptably influential information).
Some things, however, have not changed. I recall during the summer in between 5th and 6th grade, some older kids on the block who had already been subjected to and survived "the filmstrip" told us tales of imagineable horror and eventual embarassment beyond description. That time honored tradition continues today. I asked Charles why he was so upset by having to see The Movie, imagining that instructions inside a box of tampons would prove more embarassing to an 11 year old boy than anything he would hear or see tomorrow, and that in fact, all the children had been made keenly aware of the content of tomorrow's class.
"Dad!", he bellowed, "I don't wanna see a movie of people...doing it! That's just sick!".
Explaining to him in excrutiating detail about what tomorrow would be about and how there would be little if any mention of sex or sexual activity and certainly no video of such things, he relaxed and a few minutes later was happy and smiling at the kitchen table attacking his math homework. Go figure.
Last night, I thought about my little guy's fear and loathing at even the ridiculous suggestion that he would be forced to sit with his class and watch two people having sex, and it made me think about when I was in the 5th grade. Our teacher, Mrs. Tout had us make these racing cars out of dish soap bottles, which we could decorate to our liking. The three self-ordained "top dogs", Bill Connelly, Mark Santos, and Shaun Reilly, adorned their racing machines with the number "69", making sure everyone in class knew that was the coolest number and then made a point of asking every boy in the class if they knew what it meant.
As I recalled this oddly memorable moment of my upbringing, I thought about how my youth was vastly different from that of my children. We didn't have MTV or network sex. When I was 11, Mike and Carol Brady were a big deal because they weren't in single beds. Our Madonna was Karen Carpenter, our Brad Pitt was Paul Newman. And where today, unsupervised children can pull up the Internet and find hardcore sex clips in an instant, we had the underwear section of the Sears catalogue.
That grimacing look of disgust on Charles' face as he explained the reason for his angst yesterday, at the moment made we want to laugh. Thinking back on it, however, I smile and am grateful.
Not that he will always find physical intimacy to be disgusting; there will be other "talks", and hopefully, the lessons of love and respect and privacy I have learned will override the "locker talk" he will no doubt overhear. But as I watched him eating his breakfast this morning, the daily commics dutifully splattered with milk and his hair loking as though it had never been introduced to the prickly end of a hair brush, I thought to myself...
He's 11. Maybe a year or so more filled with the fear of "girl cuties" isn't such a bad thing.
Yesterday afternoon, our youngest, Charles, returned home from his day of matriculation, lost and bewildered, as though he had just watched a super-slow motion video of a family of chicklings being transformed into road kill by a Mack truck. After repeated inquiries I sat beside him and, putting my arm around his shoulder, said, "Charles, did something happen at school? What's wrong, buddy?" Looking up with tears streaming down both sides of his not-yet adolenscent face, he replied,
"They're showing that movie at school tomorrow, and I don't wanna see it".
I don't recall having the same abiding fear of "the movie", which was actually a filmstrip (complete with the "beep" to turn to the next graphic), when we got it 38 years ago. But things have changed quite a bit in regards to how the public education system helps our young men begin that journey from pre-pubescent lover of all things sports or action-film related to neighborhood studmuffin.
First off, where my sixth grade class got the whole shi-bang as a class in one 60-minute filmstrip, now they seperate the information into two years; 5th grade focusing on body changes and personal hygeine, 6th grade on sexual development and reproductive roles. The film/discussion class are now also seperated by gender and the parents are invited to come along for support and participation.
Looking back, I think both changes in teh presentation are excellent ideas. Not only does it break the information into more age appropriate levels, but the seperation of boys and girls serves two purposes; removing the uncomfortability of inevitible eye contact with the cute little red headed girl during a discussion on insemination and the more relaxed, gender specific audience making it a little more likely that questions will be asked instead of staring at the clock and hoping the torturous experience will end soon.
I also think it a stroke of genius to invite the parents to participate. This also offers two wonderful opportunities; to have some input into how this information is for presented to your child, and also to take what, as yesterday's conversation proved, can be a highly emotional and borderline terrifying event and transform it into a strong, positive bonding experience. The tradition in this household is that "The Movie" is immediately followed by an extended lunch period at the pizza parlor of the child's choice (although I think maybe Lisa and Caroline did Olive Garden, but I don't really remember, having completely erased both her fifth and sixth grade "movie days" from my mind for all time and eternity, having protested, to no avail, that she should have been made to wait until she was at least 30 to be exposed to such corruptably influential information).
Some things, however, have not changed. I recall during the summer in between 5th and 6th grade, some older kids on the block who had already been subjected to and survived "the filmstrip" told us tales of imagineable horror and eventual embarassment beyond description. That time honored tradition continues today. I asked Charles why he was so upset by having to see The Movie, imagining that instructions inside a box of tampons would prove more embarassing to an 11 year old boy than anything he would hear or see tomorrow, and that in fact, all the children had been made keenly aware of the content of tomorrow's class.
"Dad!", he bellowed, "I don't wanna see a movie of people...doing it! That's just sick!".
Explaining to him in excrutiating detail about what tomorrow would be about and how there would be little if any mention of sex or sexual activity and certainly no video of such things, he relaxed and a few minutes later was happy and smiling at the kitchen table attacking his math homework. Go figure.
Last night, I thought about my little guy's fear and loathing at even the ridiculous suggestion that he would be forced to sit with his class and watch two people having sex, and it made me think about when I was in the 5th grade. Our teacher, Mrs. Tout had us make these racing cars out of dish soap bottles, which we could decorate to our liking. The three self-ordained "top dogs", Bill Connelly, Mark Santos, and Shaun Reilly, adorned their racing machines with the number "69", making sure everyone in class knew that was the coolest number and then made a point of asking every boy in the class if they knew what it meant.
As I recalled this oddly memorable moment of my upbringing, I thought about how my youth was vastly different from that of my children. We didn't have MTV or network sex. When I was 11, Mike and Carol Brady were a big deal because they weren't in single beds. Our Madonna was Karen Carpenter, our Brad Pitt was Paul Newman. And where today, unsupervised children can pull up the Internet and find hardcore sex clips in an instant, we had the underwear section of the Sears catalogue.
That grimacing look of disgust on Charles' face as he explained the reason for his angst yesterday, at the moment made we want to laugh. Thinking back on it, however, I smile and am grateful.
Not that he will always find physical intimacy to be disgusting; there will be other "talks", and hopefully, the lessons of love and respect and privacy I have learned will override the "locker talk" he will no doubt overhear. But as I watched him eating his breakfast this morning, the daily commics dutifully splattered with milk and his hair loking as though it had never been introduced to the prickly end of a hair brush, I thought to myself...
He's 11. Maybe a year or so more filled with the fear of "girl cuties" isn't such a bad thing.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Spring Cleaning 2.0
WE BEGAN A BLOG on Spring Cleaning back on the ninth, but somehow got sidetracked. With the unusually warm weather were experiencing (and thanks to Exxon/Mobil), and some outdoor space to temporarily move "stuff", today The Lounge cleans house of excess baggage, useless trinkets and assorted "ordures" form the land of the never-again-needed.
THE NO CAR GARAGE: As lamented earlier, more than seventy cardboard boxes remain setlled into that area of our home designed for automotive cover. From Fisher Price toys lovingly put through their paces by youthful trolls a decade ago to hurricane lamps I couldn't dump on eBay to three-wide car seats that have no car, our garage makes your community Goodwill store look like a well stocked Neiman~Marcus. Among the first items to go will be bikes; none of them in working condition, mind you. However, if you're in SE Idaho and need a bike part; frame, wheel, handlebars, chain, or sprocket, chances are you'll find it tossed, without thought, throughout this erfuge for rubbish. Then, with some floor space cleared, we'll go after the boxes. If you don't hear from me in three days, send in the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne, will ya? Anything to get Chris a little closer to home...
OFFICE WITHIN AN OFFICE: When Caits moved out, Caroline took her room and Liney's room then became my office. Was a good little office too, until it began doubling as a storage area for event supplies. And painting supplies. And ornament supplies. And out of season clothing. And old computers. And old financial records. And...wouldn't this all look wonderful in the garage?
TECHNO SHUFFLE: With the advent of the MP3 and the external hard drive, I am thinking I can free up a lot of space in my office by transferring all my cd's (studio recordings and boots I've collected over the past 30 years) to digital format. So be looking for info here here in a few days about how you can pick up some wonderful, rare, and otherwise impossible to find pop, rock, hard rock, folk, blues, jazz, and country shows recorded during the last 50 years. A true-blue triple play this; You get some amazing live musical peformances, I get to move through my office without having to navigate an obstacle course, and together we'll all raise some much needed funds for the local students and classrooms here in I.F. that there just isn't enough of. Uh, classrooms and money that is. We always have plenty of students...
MRS GUMP WAS RIGHT: Stupid is as stupid does. A couple of years ago, I heard the tale about how my mother-in-law used to roll newspaper into logs, soak them in water, and when they dried out, would serve as long-lasting logs for the fireplace. At the time we had three paper routes eminating from our home so it seemed like a natural. 100 or so tightly wrapped, bound and soaked paper logs were soon neatly stacked alongside our house awaiting the coming winter, only to realize as large as we'd made them and tightly as they were wrapped, they wouldn't burn more than a few of the outside pages. So I am thinking this Saturday, the homeade logs will find their way to a nearby recycle bin and Huck will need to find something else to chew and spew forth over my slowly greening backyard. "Rits about rime, Raggy! Arf!"...
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER: Lots of talk about the Kindle, the iPad and other technologically superior replacements for the endless number of books that fill the shelves throughout our home. To borrow from the late and formerly great Charleton Heston..."From my cold, dead, hands!" I am all for efficient development and progress, but with the all-too-rapid life-style advancements of the past 20 years, books are one of our last connections to a civilized and elegant society. Call me a Norman Rockwellesque neo-realist if you must, but there are still few things I enjoy more, when I have the opportunity, than sitting in my great-grandmother's 100 year old birch-wood rocker with a large cup of cocoa on the hearth, and by the light of a well-stoked fire, burning an evening immersed in a well-penned novel. I apologize to those of you who recently ran out and bought the latest, over-priced version of "faster, sleeker, but not necessarily better", but the excitement of young Jim Hawkins eavesdropping from inside an apple barrel or the plaintive thoughts of Tom Joad as he meanders along a lonely country road just can't be fully appreciated from an LED screen, while you're sitting on your chrome-plated Crate & Barrel bar stool, waiting for your turn at Wii Bowling. What's next...reading our grandkids Winnie the Pooh via video conference? Here's hoping that out there in one of those boxes, somewhere, is the old Royal typewriter my grandfather had refurbished for me when I took up journalism in high school. I can't think of anything I'd rather recover from the carboard depths. I think Mr. Caen, who a week from Friday would have been 94, would doff his chappeau to it as well.
So...what's on YOUR mind?
THE NO CAR GARAGE: As lamented earlier, more than seventy cardboard boxes remain setlled into that area of our home designed for automotive cover. From Fisher Price toys lovingly put through their paces by youthful trolls a decade ago to hurricane lamps I couldn't dump on eBay to three-wide car seats that have no car, our garage makes your community Goodwill store look like a well stocked Neiman~Marcus. Among the first items to go will be bikes; none of them in working condition, mind you. However, if you're in SE Idaho and need a bike part; frame, wheel, handlebars, chain, or sprocket, chances are you'll find it tossed, without thought, throughout this erfuge for rubbish. Then, with some floor space cleared, we'll go after the boxes. If you don't hear from me in three days, send in the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne, will ya? Anything to get Chris a little closer to home...
OFFICE WITHIN AN OFFICE: When Caits moved out, Caroline took her room and Liney's room then became my office. Was a good little office too, until it began doubling as a storage area for event supplies. And painting supplies. And ornament supplies. And out of season clothing. And old computers. And old financial records. And...wouldn't this all look wonderful in the garage?
TECHNO SHUFFLE: With the advent of the MP3 and the external hard drive, I am thinking I can free up a lot of space in my office by transferring all my cd's (studio recordings and boots I've collected over the past 30 years) to digital format. So be looking for info here here in a few days about how you can pick up some wonderful, rare, and otherwise impossible to find pop, rock, hard rock, folk, blues, jazz, and country shows recorded during the last 50 years. A true-blue triple play this; You get some amazing live musical peformances, I get to move through my office without having to navigate an obstacle course, and together we'll all raise some much needed funds for the local students and classrooms here in I.F. that there just isn't enough of. Uh, classrooms and money that is. We always have plenty of students...
MRS GUMP WAS RIGHT: Stupid is as stupid does. A couple of years ago, I heard the tale about how my mother-in-law used to roll newspaper into logs, soak them in water, and when they dried out, would serve as long-lasting logs for the fireplace. At the time we had three paper routes eminating from our home so it seemed like a natural. 100 or so tightly wrapped, bound and soaked paper logs were soon neatly stacked alongside our house awaiting the coming winter, only to realize as large as we'd made them and tightly as they were wrapped, they wouldn't burn more than a few of the outside pages. So I am thinking this Saturday, the homeade logs will find their way to a nearby recycle bin and Huck will need to find something else to chew and spew forth over my slowly greening backyard. "Rits about rime, Raggy! Arf!"...
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER: Lots of talk about the Kindle, the iPad and other technologically superior replacements for the endless number of books that fill the shelves throughout our home. To borrow from the late and formerly great Charleton Heston..."From my cold, dead, hands!" I am all for efficient development and progress, but with the all-too-rapid life-style advancements of the past 20 years, books are one of our last connections to a civilized and elegant society. Call me a Norman Rockwellesque neo-realist if you must, but there are still few things I enjoy more, when I have the opportunity, than sitting in my great-grandmother's 100 year old birch-wood rocker with a large cup of cocoa on the hearth, and by the light of a well-stoked fire, burning an evening immersed in a well-penned novel. I apologize to those of you who recently ran out and bought the latest, over-priced version of "faster, sleeker, but not necessarily better", but the excitement of young Jim Hawkins eavesdropping from inside an apple barrel or the plaintive thoughts of Tom Joad as he meanders along a lonely country road just can't be fully appreciated from an LED screen, while you're sitting on your chrome-plated Crate & Barrel bar stool, waiting for your turn at Wii Bowling. What's next...reading our grandkids Winnie the Pooh via video conference? Here's hoping that out there in one of those boxes, somewhere, is the old Royal typewriter my grandfather had refurbished for me when I took up journalism in high school. I can't think of anything I'd rather recover from the carboard depths. I think Mr. Caen, who a week from Friday would have been 94, would doff his chappeau to it as well.
So...what's on YOUR mind?
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Life Fix
Kids today have a generationally-expectant "LOLspeak" phrase, "FML" or "f" my life. And while I am nowhere near the point where that sentiment would be even remotely accurate, with the constant and ever-ramping up of contention in today's society, the child-like bickering of our national leaders, and the general unsettling in virtually every facet of life, I really am getting tired of it all.
Now fear not, there is no garden-hose-in-the-gas-tank in my future. There is however a big change a commin', because I have always been a huge believer that, while we are expected to struggle and overcome during our time here on earth, the God of my/your/our choice surely meant this to also be a time and place of great joy and excitement and of wanting anticipation about the coming day; and quite frankly, I haven't felt that in quite some time.
And I don't think I'm alone.
Therefore, as today is Hump Day, the day we here at The Lounge find something and "fix" it, today we are going to describe exactly how to fix...life.
Step 1: HAVE A REASON TO GET UP
I find having both a long term and a short term purpose most effective; the long term provides me a structure on which to base my beliefs and priorities, the short term helping to provide motivation and those priorities, to optimize productivity.
For me, the long term is my faith. If you do not subscribe to a particular spiritual belief, it could be planning a trip to the next Summer Olympics or retiring comfortably before you turn 60. (And yeah, if you're looking for a good spiritual path, I'd be happy to share mine, because it rocks).
The short-term could include anything from making your monthly nut or putting your kids through college, to things as basic (yet still important) as making a difference in your community or keeping a perpetual smile of the face of your Significant Other. Whatever it is that will motivate you each and every day and help you to buzz through that ever-changing list of tasks that will get you there.
Step 2: BUY A TANDEM BICYCLE
Life was not meant to be lived alone. To the contrary, I believe that a life suffered alone is not lived at all, but merely experienced, and even then, not fully. This does not suggest that if you find a partner with whom you share a mortgage, a bed, and turns taking out the trash that you are sharing your life. That means you have a roomate.
Find someone who means more to you than anything or anyone on the planet, and to whom you mean just as much. That is not to say that this person will override your love and priority for your children or your own individual interests (or you theirs), but rather that it will be important for them (and you) to be a part of the others. And no, this will not require your S.O. to be a part of everything you do, or visa versa; that would insure disaster and this is not a lecture for Co-Dependents Anonymous. What it means is that you want them to be a part of most of the elements of your life and for those activities that are yours alone, you're excited to tell your loved one about it...because you know they'll be interested.
Often in today's society, I think people get married for the wrong reasons; not wanting to be alone or needing to feel loved among the most common, and the most likely to end in heartache. There is nothing wrong with wanting to not be alone or wanting to feel loved. But make sure that you and your prospective paramour share common interests. Know that laughter you share now isn't forced, and that the "little things" you presume you'll get over or aren't a big deal won't end up as dealbreakers. Does this person criticize everything you do, or are they always making corrections about even the smallest thing? Are you always being told you need to pay attention because you never remember a conversation correctly? These attributes don't make this person a bad human being, not at all. But if you find yourself biting your tongue a lot, or needing to rationalize things this person does , it most likely means the two of you would be much better off being good, close, respectful friends and not looking to run off into eternity together.
3. REDUCE THE GUEST LIST
Neighbors. Family. Church Members. Co-Workers. Little League Parents. Spinning Classmates at the Gym. Now that you have set the priorities and goals in your life and you have someone with whom to share the journey, you need to free up some time and space so that you can not only reach your goals, but enjoy the ride. The old axiom says: "if you try to do two things at once, you will either do both poorly or neither well", and I couldn't agree more.
I am not suggesting you lead a "tunnel vision" life, focusing on one singular interest. If however, you find you need to have a bi-weekly meeting to coordinate schedules and rearrange your personal activities, chances are you have too much on your plate and nothing that you do accomplish will be anywhere near it's optimum level.
Do you have a dozen "best friends" in your church, or is it more like two couples that you really enjoy spending time with and ten others who are the "cool folk" that you just want to hang with? Do you have time (or even really want) to coach the youth soccer team this season, or are you merely afraid you'll look like an uninvolved parent if you beg off for a year? Do you head to the gym three days a week because you want to get yourself (and keep yourself) healthy and in shape or because of the really groovy people you've met there?
You have a have person at the top of your totem pole, and of course you each have your own friends to whom the other has no or little interest or involvement. But the two of you have a few close friends you like being with and maybe a couple of rug rats and all that comes along with them, and sure, you have to make an appearance at the company picnic, the Pee-Wee Football Fund Raiser and your annual high school reunion.
Do yourself a favor. Get a 3x5 card and write down a dozen or so plausible excuses why you can't make it to all 27 Christmas parties, serve on the next committee, or head over to your brother's house every weekend when he breaks out the bar-b-que. You have a life, and you have already determined who you want to share the bigger portion of that life with. Try to be a friend to and accommodate everyone, you're either going to be a poor friend to all of them, or not a very good friend to any of them.
STEP 4. GET OUT OF THE RACE
Plasma. iPod. Prius. Telluride. The E Series. There is nothing wrong with wanting nice things, until it gets to the point where you are so busy and angst-ridden trying to pay for it all, you don't have time to enjoy any of it. So, quit trying to keep up with the Joneses (except this one, because I'm easy!) and start being a much happier you.
Here are a few tips:
* You can get a nice 32" flat-screen plasma for around $400. If you need bigger, you're just compensating for something else that is smaller and hey, we love ya anyway.
* Let the bottle-bleach blonde with the new chest and inflatable lips down the block do the 8mpg SUV thing. If you need to cart your starting five to practice every day, save yourself 20k and hook up with a Dodge Grand Caravan; 22 mpg, roomy as all get-out @ half the price with tons of fun extras. Or just stick with the beat up Chevy step-side. The kids'll think it's cool to ride around town in the back anyway.
* The Touch Screen-iPod-Fantasy-Turbo-Mobile....IT'S A PHONE!!!! Please tell me when it because necessary for everyone to be accessible, 24/7, to every information and communication medium known to man? I swear, I am this close to proposing an amendment to the Constitution to make it illegal for a mobile phone to BE anythng but a mobile phone. TWO Motorola Moto340 phones - from Verizon - FREE. 1700 anytime minutes, no roaming charge, picture mail, unltd photo and txt mssging - $89.99/mo.
* You don't ski, catch cold easy, and suffer for vertigo. So why did you pay 12% over market for your "winter place" outside of Aspen? There are some very nice vacation spots...uh...anywhere in the world, with no leaky roofs or out of season vandalism to worry about. And if this summer comes quicker than you expected and you don't think you'll be able to afford the trip you've been promising, just put it on the Underhill's American Express card. Want the number?
Step 5. Burn The Mortgage
I don't mean to your home, although if you can make that one extra payment a year (which you should be able to easily now that you've gotten rid of all the CRAP in your life), you'll be able to torch that puppy in half the time and save yourself about 100k.
This step in about burning the mortgage to your life, because now YOU OWN IT! I'm dead serious Lounge Lizards, most of what I've proposed takes nothing more than a couple of hours of clear, uninterrupted thought and the unfortunate realization that far too many of us believe we exist on this big ball of dirt only because a few decades ago, our parents had too much tequilia.
Now I certainly do not claim to have all the answers. In fact, while I have a few of these things already figured out, more of them need, if not a do-over, then a serious remodel. But after literally months of deep-seeded soul searching, long nights that have lasted well into that coming day of prayer, and acceptance of the hard to accept, what I do know is this...
Give me a true and loving and righteous God with a fail-safe plan, a good, honest, vibrant, positive woman who will allow me to love and respect her and who can love and respect me right back, a vocation with which I can make a positive difference in the world, a couple of ankle biters to love and raise and worry about, a safe home in which we can all live, a few very good friends to enjoy every once in a while, a healthy dose of humility, the first three Jackson Browne lp's, and a DVD of Nicklaus winning the '86 Masters, and I'm a happy camper.
Because gratefully, I have learned, that when I am gone from this Earth and standing in line at the Pearly Gates, waiting to be judged...
all the rest of it will not have made a darn bit of difference.
Now fear not, there is no garden-hose-in-the-gas-tank in my future. There is however a big change a commin', because I have always been a huge believer that, while we are expected to struggle and overcome during our time here on earth, the God of my/your/our choice surely meant this to also be a time and place of great joy and excitement and of wanting anticipation about the coming day; and quite frankly, I haven't felt that in quite some time.
And I don't think I'm alone.
Therefore, as today is Hump Day, the day we here at The Lounge find something and "fix" it, today we are going to describe exactly how to fix...life.
Step 1: HAVE A REASON TO GET UP
I find having both a long term and a short term purpose most effective; the long term provides me a structure on which to base my beliefs and priorities, the short term helping to provide motivation and those priorities, to optimize productivity.
For me, the long term is my faith. If you do not subscribe to a particular spiritual belief, it could be planning a trip to the next Summer Olympics or retiring comfortably before you turn 60. (And yeah, if you're looking for a good spiritual path, I'd be happy to share mine, because it rocks).
The short-term could include anything from making your monthly nut or putting your kids through college, to things as basic (yet still important) as making a difference in your community or keeping a perpetual smile of the face of your Significant Other. Whatever it is that will motivate you each and every day and help you to buzz through that ever-changing list of tasks that will get you there.
Step 2: BUY A TANDEM BICYCLE
Life was not meant to be lived alone. To the contrary, I believe that a life suffered alone is not lived at all, but merely experienced, and even then, not fully. This does not suggest that if you find a partner with whom you share a mortgage, a bed, and turns taking out the trash that you are sharing your life. That means you have a roomate.
Find someone who means more to you than anything or anyone on the planet, and to whom you mean just as much. That is not to say that this person will override your love and priority for your children or your own individual interests (or you theirs), but rather that it will be important for them (and you) to be a part of the others. And no, this will not require your S.O. to be a part of everything you do, or visa versa; that would insure disaster and this is not a lecture for Co-Dependents Anonymous. What it means is that you want them to be a part of most of the elements of your life and for those activities that are yours alone, you're excited to tell your loved one about it...because you know they'll be interested.
Often in today's society, I think people get married for the wrong reasons; not wanting to be alone or needing to feel loved among the most common, and the most likely to end in heartache. There is nothing wrong with wanting to not be alone or wanting to feel loved. But make sure that you and your prospective paramour share common interests. Know that laughter you share now isn't forced, and that the "little things" you presume you'll get over or aren't a big deal won't end up as dealbreakers. Does this person criticize everything you do, or are they always making corrections about even the smallest thing? Are you always being told you need to pay attention because you never remember a conversation correctly? These attributes don't make this person a bad human being, not at all. But if you find yourself biting your tongue a lot, or needing to rationalize things this person does , it most likely means the two of you would be much better off being good, close, respectful friends and not looking to run off into eternity together.
3. REDUCE THE GUEST LIST
Neighbors. Family. Church Members. Co-Workers. Little League Parents. Spinning Classmates at the Gym. Now that you have set the priorities and goals in your life and you have someone with whom to share the journey, you need to free up some time and space so that you can not only reach your goals, but enjoy the ride. The old axiom says: "if you try to do two things at once, you will either do both poorly or neither well", and I couldn't agree more.
I am not suggesting you lead a "tunnel vision" life, focusing on one singular interest. If however, you find you need to have a bi-weekly meeting to coordinate schedules and rearrange your personal activities, chances are you have too much on your plate and nothing that you do accomplish will be anywhere near it's optimum level.
Do you have a dozen "best friends" in your church, or is it more like two couples that you really enjoy spending time with and ten others who are the "cool folk" that you just want to hang with? Do you have time (or even really want) to coach the youth soccer team this season, or are you merely afraid you'll look like an uninvolved parent if you beg off for a year? Do you head to the gym three days a week because you want to get yourself (and keep yourself) healthy and in shape or because of the really groovy people you've met there?
You have a have person at the top of your totem pole, and of course you each have your own friends to whom the other has no or little interest or involvement. But the two of you have a few close friends you like being with and maybe a couple of rug rats and all that comes along with them, and sure, you have to make an appearance at the company picnic, the Pee-Wee Football Fund Raiser and your annual high school reunion.
Do yourself a favor. Get a 3x5 card and write down a dozen or so plausible excuses why you can't make it to all 27 Christmas parties, serve on the next committee, or head over to your brother's house every weekend when he breaks out the bar-b-que. You have a life, and you have already determined who you want to share the bigger portion of that life with. Try to be a friend to and accommodate everyone, you're either going to be a poor friend to all of them, or not a very good friend to any of them.
STEP 4. GET OUT OF THE RACE
Plasma. iPod. Prius. Telluride. The E Series. There is nothing wrong with wanting nice things, until it gets to the point where you are so busy and angst-ridden trying to pay for it all, you don't have time to enjoy any of it. So, quit trying to keep up with the Joneses (except this one, because I'm easy!) and start being a much happier you.
Here are a few tips:
* You can get a nice 32" flat-screen plasma for around $400. If you need bigger, you're just compensating for something else that is smaller and hey, we love ya anyway.
* Let the bottle-bleach blonde with the new chest and inflatable lips down the block do the 8mpg SUV thing. If you need to cart your starting five to practice every day, save yourself 20k and hook up with a Dodge Grand Caravan; 22 mpg, roomy as all get-out @ half the price with tons of fun extras. Or just stick with the beat up Chevy step-side. The kids'll think it's cool to ride around town in the back anyway.
* The Touch Screen-iPod-Fantasy-Turbo-Mobile....IT'S A PHONE!!!! Please tell me when it because necessary for everyone to be accessible, 24/7, to every information and communication medium known to man? I swear, I am this close to proposing an amendment to the Constitution to make it illegal for a mobile phone to BE anythng but a mobile phone. TWO Motorola Moto340 phones - from Verizon - FREE. 1700 anytime minutes, no roaming charge, picture mail, unltd photo and txt mssging - $89.99/mo.
* You don't ski, catch cold easy, and suffer for vertigo. So why did you pay 12% over market for your "winter place" outside of Aspen? There are some very nice vacation spots...uh...anywhere in the world, with no leaky roofs or out of season vandalism to worry about. And if this summer comes quicker than you expected and you don't think you'll be able to afford the trip you've been promising, just put it on the Underhill's American Express card. Want the number?
Step 5. Burn The Mortgage
I don't mean to your home, although if you can make that one extra payment a year (which you should be able to easily now that you've gotten rid of all the CRAP in your life), you'll be able to torch that puppy in half the time and save yourself about 100k.
This step in about burning the mortgage to your life, because now YOU OWN IT! I'm dead serious Lounge Lizards, most of what I've proposed takes nothing more than a couple of hours of clear, uninterrupted thought and the unfortunate realization that far too many of us believe we exist on this big ball of dirt only because a few decades ago, our parents had too much tequilia.
Now I certainly do not claim to have all the answers. In fact, while I have a few of these things already figured out, more of them need, if not a do-over, then a serious remodel. But after literally months of deep-seeded soul searching, long nights that have lasted well into that coming day of prayer, and acceptance of the hard to accept, what I do know is this...
Give me a true and loving and righteous God with a fail-safe plan, a good, honest, vibrant, positive woman who will allow me to love and respect her and who can love and respect me right back, a vocation with which I can make a positive difference in the world, a couple of ankle biters to love and raise and worry about, a safe home in which we can all live, a few very good friends to enjoy every once in a while, a healthy dose of humility, the first three Jackson Browne lp's, and a DVD of Nicklaus winning the '86 Masters, and I'm a happy camper.
Because gratefully, I have learned, that when I am gone from this Earth and standing in line at the Pearly Gates, waiting to be judged...
all the rest of it will not have made a darn bit of difference.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
TEN TRUTHS ABOUT HEALTH CARE REFORM
My new friend at Politifact, a non-partisan, political fact checking organization, Angie Drobnic Holan, forwarded me this list of what she considered the Top Ten facts about the actual health care legislation that every voter should know. PolitiFact has read the bill from cover to cover and checked hundreds of claims about health care reform by politicians and special interest groups. They do not support or oppose the bill, nor do they align themselves with any party, ideology, or position.
Agree with the bill or not, here's what it intends to do and where the big unknowns are.
1. The plan is not a government takeover of health care like in Canada or Britain. The government will not take over hospitals or other privately run health care businesses. Doctors will not become government employees, like in Britain. And the U.S. government intends to help people buy insurance from private insurance companies, not pay all the bills like the single-payer system in Canada. The key parts of the current U.S. system -- employer-provided insurance, Medicare for the elderly, Medicaid for the poor -- would stay in place. The government would create health insurance exchanges for people who have to buy insurance on their own, so they could more easily compare plans and prices. This will help foster competition in a true "free market" and lower premiums.
2. Insurance companies will be regulated more heavily.
They will be told the minimum services they must cover, including preventive care. They will have to pay out a certain percentage of premiums for patient care. By 2014, when the exchanges open, insurers won't be able to deny customers for pre-existing conditions or cancel coverage for chronic illnesses.
3. Everyone will have to have health insurance or pay a fine, a requirement known as the individual mandate. The government intends to cap premiums for people who make below a certain income. For people who buy insurance on the exchanges, a family of four making $88,000 would have a cap of 9.5 percent of their income. Lower incomes would have lower caps. The fine for not having insurance would be a minimum of $695 per person per year, with exemptions for financial hardship and other special cases.
4. Employers will not be required to buy insurance for their employees, but large employers may be subject to fines if they don't provide insurance. But Congress wanted to encourage employers, especially large employers, to offer insurance. So they created a fine for employers with more than 50 workers: If those employees buy insurance on the exchanges and qualify for a low-income credit from the government, then the employer would have to pay a fine. Fines are calculated based on number of employees; for large firms, the fines could be significant.
5. The vast majority of people will not see significant declines in premiums. When President Obama talks about premiums going down, he usually means they won't go up as much as they would otherwise. For the 4-out-of-5 who get their insurance through their employer, the savings would land in the 0 to 3 percent range by 2016, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, or CBO. People who buy insurance on their own, but who don't qualify for government subsidies, could actually see their premiums rise by as much as 10 to 13 percent, but that's largely because they'll be getting beefed-up policies that would pay for more basic services, especially preventive care. Low-income people who qualify for new credits to buy insurance would see the biggest drops.
6. The plan might or might not bend the curve on health spending. Critics say there aren't enough provisions to reduce waste or fraud, but Democrats say they're not being given enough credit for new cost-saving pilot programs that could be rapidly expanded. The most recent estimate of the plan, released Thursday by the CBO, said that it would spend $940 billion over 10 years. But new taxes, penalties and cost savings would offset that spending, according to the CBO, so that overall the plan pay for itself, dropping the deficit by slightly $138 billion over 10 years. Obama has said the plan will save more than $1 trillion in the second 10 years, but that estimate, according to the CBO, is highly speculative.
7. The government-run Medicare program will keep paying medical bills for seniors, but it will begin implementing cost controls on health care providers, mostly through penalties and incentives. The legislation would reduce payments for hospital-acquired infections or preventable hospital admissions. For Medicare Advantage, the federal government intends to reduce extra payments, taking away subsidies to private insurance companies. Insurers will likely cut benefits in order to not lose profits. The bill does not address the "doctor's fix," an expected proposal that Congress usually passes to prevent doctor's Medicare payments from severe cuts.
8. Medicaid, a joint federal-state program for the poor, will cover all of the poor, instead of just a few groups the way it currently does. Right now, to qualify for Medicaid, a person has to be poor and also disabled, elderly, pregnant or a child. Under the new plan, all poor adults would qualify.
9. The government won't pay for elective abortions. But under the Senate plan, people will be able to buy insurance that covers abortion on the new health insurance exchanges, as long as the insurance company pays for the services with patient premiums, not taxpayer subsidies. Medicaid has an exemption for cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
10. No one is proposing new benefits for illegal immigrants. Some House members had hoped that illegal immigrants would be able to buy insurance with their own money through the new exchanges, but that now appears unlikely.
Now, for those of you who came to The Lounge from my FB page, if you have a comment or question yo uwould like a response to, please make it here, as I no longer discuss politics via FB.
And for all of you, now that you've read through this...
What's on YOUR mind?
Agree with the bill or not, here's what it intends to do and where the big unknowns are.
1. The plan is not a government takeover of health care like in Canada or Britain. The government will not take over hospitals or other privately run health care businesses. Doctors will not become government employees, like in Britain. And the U.S. government intends to help people buy insurance from private insurance companies, not pay all the bills like the single-payer system in Canada. The key parts of the current U.S. system -- employer-provided insurance, Medicare for the elderly, Medicaid for the poor -- would stay in place. The government would create health insurance exchanges for people who have to buy insurance on their own, so they could more easily compare plans and prices. This will help foster competition in a true "free market" and lower premiums.
2. Insurance companies will be regulated more heavily.
They will be told the minimum services they must cover, including preventive care. They will have to pay out a certain percentage of premiums for patient care. By 2014, when the exchanges open, insurers won't be able to deny customers for pre-existing conditions or cancel coverage for chronic illnesses.
3. Everyone will have to have health insurance or pay a fine, a requirement known as the individual mandate. The government intends to cap premiums for people who make below a certain income. For people who buy insurance on the exchanges, a family of four making $88,000 would have a cap of 9.5 percent of their income. Lower incomes would have lower caps. The fine for not having insurance would be a minimum of $695 per person per year, with exemptions for financial hardship and other special cases.
4. Employers will not be required to buy insurance for their employees, but large employers may be subject to fines if they don't provide insurance. But Congress wanted to encourage employers, especially large employers, to offer insurance. So they created a fine for employers with more than 50 workers: If those employees buy insurance on the exchanges and qualify for a low-income credit from the government, then the employer would have to pay a fine. Fines are calculated based on number of employees; for large firms, the fines could be significant.
5. The vast majority of people will not see significant declines in premiums. When President Obama talks about premiums going down, he usually means they won't go up as much as they would otherwise. For the 4-out-of-5 who get their insurance through their employer, the savings would land in the 0 to 3 percent range by 2016, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, or CBO. People who buy insurance on their own, but who don't qualify for government subsidies, could actually see their premiums rise by as much as 10 to 13 percent, but that's largely because they'll be getting beefed-up policies that would pay for more basic services, especially preventive care. Low-income people who qualify for new credits to buy insurance would see the biggest drops.
6. The plan might or might not bend the curve on health spending. Critics say there aren't enough provisions to reduce waste or fraud, but Democrats say they're not being given enough credit for new cost-saving pilot programs that could be rapidly expanded. The most recent estimate of the plan, released Thursday by the CBO, said that it would spend $940 billion over 10 years. But new taxes, penalties and cost savings would offset that spending, according to the CBO, so that overall the plan pay for itself, dropping the deficit by slightly $138 billion over 10 years. Obama has said the plan will save more than $1 trillion in the second 10 years, but that estimate, according to the CBO, is highly speculative.
7. The government-run Medicare program will keep paying medical bills for seniors, but it will begin implementing cost controls on health care providers, mostly through penalties and incentives. The legislation would reduce payments for hospital-acquired infections or preventable hospital admissions. For Medicare Advantage, the federal government intends to reduce extra payments, taking away subsidies to private insurance companies. Insurers will likely cut benefits in order to not lose profits. The bill does not address the "doctor's fix," an expected proposal that Congress usually passes to prevent doctor's Medicare payments from severe cuts.
8. Medicaid, a joint federal-state program for the poor, will cover all of the poor, instead of just a few groups the way it currently does. Right now, to qualify for Medicaid, a person has to be poor and also disabled, elderly, pregnant or a child. Under the new plan, all poor adults would qualify.
9. The government won't pay for elective abortions. But under the Senate plan, people will be able to buy insurance that covers abortion on the new health insurance exchanges, as long as the insurance company pays for the services with patient premiums, not taxpayer subsidies. Medicaid has an exemption for cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
10. No one is proposing new benefits for illegal immigrants. Some House members had hoped that illegal immigrants would be able to buy insurance with their own money through the new exchanges, but that now appears unlikely.
Now, for those of you who came to The Lounge from my FB page, if you have a comment or question yo uwould like a response to, please make it here, as I no longer discuss politics via FB.
And for all of you, now that you've read through this...
What's on YOUR mind?
Monday, March 22, 2010
That's Just The Way It Is...
OK...yesterday saw the passage by the House of the HealthCare Reform Act, helping to provide affordable insurance to 32 mil who were without. And with that came the expected whining session from rapid, anti-Obama conservatives, from the airwaves to the blogosphere. The Lounge's final word on this topic is, this was not a perfect bill, but the access and retention to quality healthcare is now better for the poor, the working middle class, and small biz owners than it has ever been. Besides, the bill still has to pass the Senate, and you can be sure there are a lot of insurance-fed Repugs in the upper house who will do anything they can to obstruct passage. The Lounge has two final thoughts on this...First, we don't care one way or the toher how this turns out, can we just get it done, one way or the other and move on? And lastly, What ever happened to the mantra during the Bush admin of "Elections have consequences"?...
MORE MADNESS: What happened to the NCAA? When I woke Saturday, I had 22 wins in the 32 games played thus far, my son was getting married, the weather was gorgeous and all was right with the world. I return home from a spectacular day and my bracket looks like a prop left over from the last Chuckie movie! But then, that's what makes the Tournament the unique sporting gem it is. The worse you do in your bracket, the better Tournament you have. This year, there are eight teams seeded 5 or higher advancing to the Sweet 16, including three who began play as a double-digit seed. Last year, there was 1. Let the Madness continue...
BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: Last week brought with it a sad goodbye to a wonderful woman whom I admired and will always be grateful to, whom I will forever only think of as "Mrs. Smith". She was the mother of a dear friend from my Stockton days, and back during the three weeks or so during junior high, while suffering from a severe case of "the crushes" on her daughter, Mrs. Smith was kind and thoughtfull to this terrified and timid puppy when she answered the phone. My most sincere and heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to Carl, her husband of 61 wonderful years, her daughters Darla and Connie, and her three treasured grandsons, Matt, Vaughn and Alex, as they mourn the loss of this warm and tender soul. Fare thee well, Alma. The streets of Heaven are a little more crowded with Angels tonight...
A POT OF POURRI: Patti and Pam, two friends from AVHS a "few" years ago are headed to HP Pavillion this week to check out the John Mayer show. Two of the best natured and good hearted women I know, but given the history of this sweet-talker with the ladies, I am giving second thoughts to trying to score them backstage passes for a Meet-n-Greet. You know how them "musicians" can be. Have fun, girls...Congrats to Josh Miller of Pleasanton for being invited to try out for the Under-15 NorCal Lacrosse Team that will represent at the National Tournament in Orlando, FLA later this summer. Note to proud dad/sports journalist/editor Dennis: When he gets to Johns Hopkins or Duke in a few years, I'll be expecting tix to the collegiate chmapionships...
WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME: The Golden State warriors announced yesterday that owner Chris Cohan has officially placed the team on the selling block. It is all but assured that Oracle owner and CEO Larry Ellison, whose company already has their name on the arena where the Warriors play their home games, will replace Cohan, who was only a slight improvement over previous, long-time owner Franklin Meulli. This, Lounge Lizards, is a very good thing...
THE I'VE SEEN IT ALL DEPT: It was announced today that 80 year old Buzz Aldrin, the second man to step foot on the moon 41 years ago this July, will be a contestant on the upcoming "Dancing With The Stars". Next Up: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former President Bill Clinton, and number 1 PGA Professional golfer Tiger woods will be co-chairing a National Town Hall Meeting on Marital Fidelity.
AND FINALLY: The Lounge would like to ask everyone to "pass the word" to all your friends. Whether you post a "Share" on your FB or MySpace or email a link to those in your address book, we'd really like you to invite everyone to our daily little get-togethers. And hey, while we're at it....in that little box at the bottom....
What's on YOUR mind?
MORE MADNESS: What happened to the NCAA? When I woke Saturday, I had 22 wins in the 32 games played thus far, my son was getting married, the weather was gorgeous and all was right with the world. I return home from a spectacular day and my bracket looks like a prop left over from the last Chuckie movie! But then, that's what makes the Tournament the unique sporting gem it is. The worse you do in your bracket, the better Tournament you have. This year, there are eight teams seeded 5 or higher advancing to the Sweet 16, including three who began play as a double-digit seed. Last year, there was 1. Let the Madness continue...
BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: Last week brought with it a sad goodbye to a wonderful woman whom I admired and will always be grateful to, whom I will forever only think of as "Mrs. Smith". She was the mother of a dear friend from my Stockton days, and back during the three weeks or so during junior high, while suffering from a severe case of "the crushes" on her daughter, Mrs. Smith was kind and thoughtfull to this terrified and timid puppy when she answered the phone. My most sincere and heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to Carl, her husband of 61 wonderful years, her daughters Darla and Connie, and her three treasured grandsons, Matt, Vaughn and Alex, as they mourn the loss of this warm and tender soul. Fare thee well, Alma. The streets of Heaven are a little more crowded with Angels tonight...
A POT OF POURRI: Patti and Pam, two friends from AVHS a "few" years ago are headed to HP Pavillion this week to check out the John Mayer show. Two of the best natured and good hearted women I know, but given the history of this sweet-talker with the ladies, I am giving second thoughts to trying to score them backstage passes for a Meet-n-Greet. You know how them "musicians" can be. Have fun, girls...Congrats to Josh Miller of Pleasanton for being invited to try out for the Under-15 NorCal Lacrosse Team that will represent at the National Tournament in Orlando, FLA later this summer. Note to proud dad/sports journalist/editor Dennis: When he gets to Johns Hopkins or Duke in a few years, I'll be expecting tix to the collegiate chmapionships...
WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME: The Golden State warriors announced yesterday that owner Chris Cohan has officially placed the team on the selling block. It is all but assured that Oracle owner and CEO Larry Ellison, whose company already has their name on the arena where the Warriors play their home games, will replace Cohan, who was only a slight improvement over previous, long-time owner Franklin Meulli. This, Lounge Lizards, is a very good thing...
THE I'VE SEEN IT ALL DEPT: It was announced today that 80 year old Buzz Aldrin, the second man to step foot on the moon 41 years ago this July, will be a contestant on the upcoming "Dancing With The Stars". Next Up: Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former President Bill Clinton, and number 1 PGA Professional golfer Tiger woods will be co-chairing a National Town Hall Meeting on Marital Fidelity.
AND FINALLY: The Lounge would like to ask everyone to "pass the word" to all your friends. Whether you post a "Share" on your FB or MySpace or email a link to those in your address book, we'd really like you to invite everyone to our daily little get-togethers. And hey, while we're at it....in that little box at the bottom....
What's on YOUR mind?
Friday, March 19, 2010
Taking Out The Trash
OUR SON COLE is getting married tomorrow, in the Idaho Falls Temple, to the lovely, talented, and bright as a penny, Miss Heather Ann Hazelett. A wonderful edition to the family and cause for much celebration. So, because of the usual last minute details, running around, etc., that comes with such a blessed event, today in The Lounge, you get a veritable fountain of (mostly) useless information and some relaxing, lighthearted tunes from Mr. James Bartholomew Buffett. Always good for stress relief. And yes, photos will follow...
THE TURNING TIDE: I haven't been a big fan of the Nothing-but Corrupt Athletic Association since the olden, golden days when Marcia's dad, Ced Dempsey, was running the family...er..maf...er...organization. They did, however, do one thing right, when the NCAA decided to feed their benefactors (the fans who wach the Tournament) by making every single Tournament game available online...for free (http://mmod.ncaa.com). How good was this decision? The first three games of yesterday's opening round: #11 Old Dominion upsets 6-seed Notre Dame, 10-seed Florida takes #5 BYU into double-overtime before finally succumbing, and #15-seed Robert Morris and #2 seed Villanova (who yours truly has slated for the Final Four) ran their game into overtime before the 'Cats finally squeaked it out. By the end of the first day of play, a 3 seed, a 4 seed, an 8 and a couple of 6's were one and done, we saw two buzzer beaters, three games go into O.T. and there were enough other close games to easily double the number of upsets. And only half of the Tournament teams have played their 1st round games! In the 40-plus years I've been following the Tournament, this was one of (if not the) biggest day of 1st round upsets and otherwise great basketball; yet another testament to the iconic reminder of ESPN anchor Chris Berman: "THAT'S why they play the games"...
GAME OVER: It looks as though this weekend, the House will finally vote on the Healthcare Reform Act, it will pass, and the beginning of next week, President Obama will sign it into law. Not being able (or interested) to understand the incoherent gobbledy-gook spewing from the mouths of our useless representatives and the idealogues of the Tea Party and MoveOn.org, here's my final-final: This is by far a perfect bill. Partly because Dem leaders Pelosi and Reid are too busy playing politics to govern well, and partly because leaders on the other side of the aisle have been doing exactly the same thing, in fighting every provision of the bill from the get go, instead of accepting the good and proposing better alternatives for the bad parts. It can and will need to be amended as times goes on, but for now, here's the deal...The American Taxpayer, you and I, are already paying for the healthcare of the 32,000,000 people who can't afford insurance. When they need a doctor, they go to the emergency and you and I end up footing that bill. When this bill is finally encated, we will still be paying their medical bills, we'll just be paying a whole lot less. In addition, there are some excellent provisions that will benefit everyone, such as the absence of pre-existing conditions clauses in everyone's insurance, such as lifetime caps for those of us who have to face chronic or catastrophic illnesses. It not great, but it is better than the nation has ever had, and it is going to pass. So let's just move on, ok? Next up, bouncing the leaders of both parties' congressional delegations out on their ear in Nov...
FOUND (Fountain Of Useless Nowledge Dept): I learned today that actor Dick VanPatten (daddy dearest on the 70's tv show Eight is Enough) is the founder of Nature Balance Pet Foods...In 1995 the Republican House, led by supposed savior Newt "Sure I had Affairs, But Clinton Was Immoral" Gingrich, actually enacted the Houses much touted Contract With America using the same Pass and Deem procedure the Dems will use on Sunday to pass the Healthcare bill. "That which does not kill us surely come back to bite us in the a**"...That recent Nor'easter that knocked out power to thousands and killed at least six people in the metro NYC area, generated more calls to 911 than 9/11 did...General Mills does not sell Lucky Charms to the UK, but the majority of business done in a Baskin/Robbins ice cream parlour is for--vanilla ice cream...
YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: Did you know that the White House will send your newborn a birthday card? All you have to do is send the following information: Baby's name, address, and birth date to: White House Greetings Office, Room 39, Washington, DC 20500 Or Fax Your Request To:202-395-1232. Am wondering if this doesn't belong in the section directly above...
BLAST FROM THE PAST: the other day I was perusing my FB Wall and who do I find but Walla2's Sally Barker Shafer, a stalwart from the Woodstick days and perhaps the most talented female guitarist-vocalist without a record deal. No joke, folks; imagine a brunette Bonnie Raitt with just a taste of Tina Weymouth. This gal is a five-tool player: Vocals, guitar, writer, cute as a bug, and cool as the other side of the pillow. I am still amazed someone hasn't put this sweetheart on vinyl (yes, I am old), but one thing's for sure, she'd kick tush in any club West of the Mississippi. If she wasn't so cool, I'd suggest she go after the next "Idol". Game over on the first night. Great hearin' from ya Sal...
And so concludes our daily scribbling (and pardon the typos). Here's hoping you all have a magnificient weekend, that your bracket picks all show up, that the weather stays clear, dry and sunny, and that you will each take one moment to "Share" The Lounge with your FB Friends. We always believe the more, the merrier. And while we're at it...that little box below...
What's on YOUR mind?
THE TURNING TIDE: I haven't been a big fan of the Nothing-but Corrupt Athletic Association since the olden, golden days when Marcia's dad, Ced Dempsey, was running the family...er..maf...er...organization. They did, however, do one thing right, when the NCAA decided to feed their benefactors (the fans who wach the Tournament) by making every single Tournament game available online...for free (http://mmod.ncaa.com). How good was this decision? The first three games of yesterday's opening round: #11 Old Dominion upsets 6-seed Notre Dame, 10-seed Florida takes #5 BYU into double-overtime before finally succumbing, and #15-seed Robert Morris and #2 seed Villanova (who yours truly has slated for the Final Four) ran their game into overtime before the 'Cats finally squeaked it out. By the end of the first day of play, a 3 seed, a 4 seed, an 8 and a couple of 6's were one and done, we saw two buzzer beaters, three games go into O.T. and there were enough other close games to easily double the number of upsets. And only half of the Tournament teams have played their 1st round games! In the 40-plus years I've been following the Tournament, this was one of (if not the) biggest day of 1st round upsets and otherwise great basketball; yet another testament to the iconic reminder of ESPN anchor Chris Berman: "THAT'S why they play the games"...
GAME OVER: It looks as though this weekend, the House will finally vote on the Healthcare Reform Act, it will pass, and the beginning of next week, President Obama will sign it into law. Not being able (or interested) to understand the incoherent gobbledy-gook spewing from the mouths of our useless representatives and the idealogues of the Tea Party and MoveOn.org, here's my final-final: This is by far a perfect bill. Partly because Dem leaders Pelosi and Reid are too busy playing politics to govern well, and partly because leaders on the other side of the aisle have been doing exactly the same thing, in fighting every provision of the bill from the get go, instead of accepting the good and proposing better alternatives for the bad parts. It can and will need to be amended as times goes on, but for now, here's the deal...The American Taxpayer, you and I, are already paying for the healthcare of the 32,000,000 people who can't afford insurance. When they need a doctor, they go to the emergency and you and I end up footing that bill. When this bill is finally encated, we will still be paying their medical bills, we'll just be paying a whole lot less. In addition, there are some excellent provisions that will benefit everyone, such as the absence of pre-existing conditions clauses in everyone's insurance, such as lifetime caps for those of us who have to face chronic or catastrophic illnesses. It not great, but it is better than the nation has ever had, and it is going to pass. So let's just move on, ok? Next up, bouncing the leaders of both parties' congressional delegations out on their ear in Nov...
FOUND (Fountain Of Useless Nowledge Dept): I learned today that actor Dick VanPatten (daddy dearest on the 70's tv show Eight is Enough) is the founder of Nature Balance Pet Foods...In 1995 the Republican House, led by supposed savior Newt "Sure I had Affairs, But Clinton Was Immoral" Gingrich, actually enacted the Houses much touted Contract With America using the same Pass and Deem procedure the Dems will use on Sunday to pass the Healthcare bill. "That which does not kill us surely come back to bite us in the a**"...That recent Nor'easter that knocked out power to thousands and killed at least six people in the metro NYC area, generated more calls to 911 than 9/11 did...General Mills does not sell Lucky Charms to the UK, but the majority of business done in a Baskin/Robbins ice cream parlour is for--vanilla ice cream...
YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: Did you know that the White House will send your newborn a birthday card? All you have to do is send the following information: Baby's name, address, and birth date to: White House Greetings Office, Room 39, Washington, DC 20500 Or Fax Your Request To:202-395-1232. Am wondering if this doesn't belong in the section directly above...
BLAST FROM THE PAST: the other day I was perusing my FB Wall and who do I find but Walla2's Sally Barker Shafer, a stalwart from the Woodstick days and perhaps the most talented female guitarist-vocalist without a record deal. No joke, folks; imagine a brunette Bonnie Raitt with just a taste of Tina Weymouth. This gal is a five-tool player: Vocals, guitar, writer, cute as a bug, and cool as the other side of the pillow. I am still amazed someone hasn't put this sweetheart on vinyl (yes, I am old), but one thing's for sure, she'd kick tush in any club West of the Mississippi. If she wasn't so cool, I'd suggest she go after the next "Idol". Game over on the first night. Great hearin' from ya Sal...
And so concludes our daily scribbling (and pardon the typos). Here's hoping you all have a magnificient weekend, that your bracket picks all show up, that the weather stays clear, dry and sunny, and that you will each take one moment to "Share" The Lounge with your FB Friends. We always believe the more, the merrier. And while we're at it...that little box below...
What's on YOUR mind?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Grateful Birthday Madness
HOT BIRTHDAYS: Extreme B-DAY wishies to my dear old friend, Jim McGuinn, the "Head Poop" and Walla Walla's Hot Poop, the world's only Bing Bang full service music store. When I first moved to WallyWorld some 18 years ago this May, I was a fish out of water. But the dam was soon opened the first time I walked into "the Poop", and found one of the finest Deadheads I'll ever know. Here's to ya, Jimbo...Also to Becky Redgwick Pounds (AVHS Class of '80), Bishop Steve Bates (one of my many spiritual mentors, but more importantly a good, dear friend, and to my nephew Duston Turner, all brought onto this big ball of dirt on this day, a good day, indeed...
EXECUTIVE MADNESS: As noted yesterday, I had intended to dedicate an entire blog to NCAA's, which begin this afternoon. 30 years ago, this would have been the lead story around the nation, but these days there's just too much going on. Suffice it to say that regardless of the routes we took to arrive there, including yesterday's disheartening announcement by CAL coach Mike Montgomery that starting power forward Omondi Amoke has been suspended for the entire Tournament for disciplinary reasons, Presidnet Barack Obama and I ended up with the same Final Four picks: Kansas, Kansas St., Kentucky, and Villanova, both of us picking Kansas to take Kentucky in the Final. And while we do agree on many things, including the madness of March, no, we don't agree on everything...
AIKO AIKO: Color me rainbow and call me Wavy Gravy...this week saw long time Grateful Dead / Dead bassist Phil Lesh turn the big 7-0. Beyond stunned as I picked up the news from Jess Barsotti's FB page, kudos to her big bro Dharma for the excellent floats he and his staff created for the inside of the BG Memorial Aud for the sold out shindig. Phil will always hold a special place in my heart. The last night of Winterland, I accidentally parked the Blue Bomb behind his car in the hall's underground garage and for a good portion of the evening, was continually reminded that a bounty had been placed on my head. Here's hoping there is a statute of limitations on such things. Belated Happy Birthday, Philly!...
IT'S ALWAYS GREENER: An old friend from Stockton (by way of Austin, TX), Cameron McDonald tossed me a quick FB chat this morning, noting that today starts the SXSW Music Conference, which he will be attending. The envy is all mine, kind Sir. Have a great time, take excellent pix and if you can get a directional mic in the joint, yes, I'd love a copy...Also from the FB front: I read from Jan Simmons' page today that during her gym workouts the last couple of months, she has found the Stones "Exile" lp a great musical motivator to get her through the elyptical. I responded that while that is an excellent choice, I really love my boot from the Stones Saturday show in '81 at Candlestick. For many years, Jan was Bill's right hand, perhaps never moreso than during that 81-82 US and European Tour, which we coordinated for the Glimmer Twins, et. al. So YEAH!...like she's going to need MY copy of that show. My apologies to Janny for my putz-like post and sure hon, if you'd like to upgrade my version of that show with a copy of your own, I'd be more than obliged...
THERE MUST BE A PILL you can take for this. Many March Widows have declared that sentiment ever since the NCAA started March madness, but I've never seen a case so desperately in need of medication. AVHS AND UCSB alum Mark Schellman seems to be posting a nutty after hearing the words of sports talkinghead Jim Rome, who yesterday predicted the Gouchos of Santa Barbara to upset the Numero Dos seed Buckeyes from THE Ohio State University in this weeks tournament opener. Hey Mark, I'll bet you those killer speakers you had in your apt. on Abrego against EVERY bootleg CD (more than 150) I own, that your boys don't get within 10 pts. Not meaning to spoil your fun buddy, but it's always a good idea to have a reality check before tip off...
AN EARLY GIFT: Less than an hour after yesterday's Lounge comments, encouraging Master Golfer of the Universe, Tiger Woods to get back in the game and play in the upcoming Masters Tournament, had hit the blogosphere, el Tigre released an announcement that indeed, he would be returning to the front lines of the PGA by teeing 'em up at Augusta. Now I don't really believe that Woods decided to play simply because the tourney starts on my birthday this year, but unless Lisa can find someone to watch the kids and is able to book the "Rio" room at the Destinations Inn (http://www.destinationsinn.com/), this is about the best way to celebrate the Big 5-0 I could have come up with.
EXECUTIVE MADNESS: As noted yesterday, I had intended to dedicate an entire blog to NCAA's, which begin this afternoon. 30 years ago, this would have been the lead story around the nation, but these days there's just too much going on. Suffice it to say that regardless of the routes we took to arrive there, including yesterday's disheartening announcement by CAL coach Mike Montgomery that starting power forward Omondi Amoke has been suspended for the entire Tournament for disciplinary reasons, Presidnet Barack Obama and I ended up with the same Final Four picks: Kansas, Kansas St., Kentucky, and Villanova, both of us picking Kansas to take Kentucky in the Final. And while we do agree on many things, including the madness of March, no, we don't agree on everything...
AIKO AIKO: Color me rainbow and call me Wavy Gravy...this week saw long time Grateful Dead / Dead bassist Phil Lesh turn the big 7-0. Beyond stunned as I picked up the news from Jess Barsotti's FB page, kudos to her big bro Dharma for the excellent floats he and his staff created for the inside of the BG Memorial Aud for the sold out shindig. Phil will always hold a special place in my heart. The last night of Winterland, I accidentally parked the Blue Bomb behind his car in the hall's underground garage and for a good portion of the evening, was continually reminded that a bounty had been placed on my head. Here's hoping there is a statute of limitations on such things. Belated Happy Birthday, Philly!...
IT'S ALWAYS GREENER: An old friend from Stockton (by way of Austin, TX), Cameron McDonald tossed me a quick FB chat this morning, noting that today starts the SXSW Music Conference, which he will be attending. The envy is all mine, kind Sir. Have a great time, take excellent pix and if you can get a directional mic in the joint, yes, I'd love a copy...Also from the FB front: I read from Jan Simmons' page today that during her gym workouts the last couple of months, she has found the Stones "Exile" lp a great musical motivator to get her through the elyptical. I responded that while that is an excellent choice, I really love my boot from the Stones Saturday show in '81 at Candlestick. For many years, Jan was Bill's right hand, perhaps never moreso than during that 81-82 US and European Tour, which we coordinated for the Glimmer Twins, et. al. So YEAH!...like she's going to need MY copy of that show. My apologies to Janny for my putz-like post and sure hon, if you'd like to upgrade my version of that show with a copy of your own, I'd be more than obliged...
THERE MUST BE A PILL you can take for this. Many March Widows have declared that sentiment ever since the NCAA started March madness, but I've never seen a case so desperately in need of medication. AVHS AND UCSB alum Mark Schellman seems to be posting a nutty after hearing the words of sports talkinghead Jim Rome, who yesterday predicted the Gouchos of Santa Barbara to upset the Numero Dos seed Buckeyes from THE Ohio State University in this weeks tournament opener. Hey Mark, I'll bet you those killer speakers you had in your apt. on Abrego against EVERY bootleg CD (more than 150) I own, that your boys don't get within 10 pts. Not meaning to spoil your fun buddy, but it's always a good idea to have a reality check before tip off...
AN EARLY GIFT: Less than an hour after yesterday's Lounge comments, encouraging Master Golfer of the Universe, Tiger Woods to get back in the game and play in the upcoming Masters Tournament, had hit the blogosphere, el Tigre released an announcement that indeed, he would be returning to the front lines of the PGA by teeing 'em up at Augusta. Now I don't really believe that Woods decided to play simply because the tourney starts on my birthday this year, but unless Lisa can find someone to watch the kids and is able to book the "Rio" room at the Destinations Inn (http://www.destinationsinn.com/), this is about the best way to celebrate the Big 5-0 I could have come up with.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Solution Stew - The U.S. Congress
THIS BEING HUMP DAY, I was looking for ingredients for this week's "Solution Stew"; a situation requiring a solution, preferrably one not connected with the federal government. Originally leaning towards offering my always stellar *cough* picks for the NCAA Tournament which begins on tomorrow, I was stopped in my tracks.
Yesterday afternoon, I read, sadly, that the Democratic Leadership, pushed to the brink by a non-cooperative, equally non-representative Republican House and Senate members, had delved into the depths of parlamentary procedure and discovered a way to pass the Healthcare Reform bill without even having to cast a vote. We'll get into the details in a moment, but for now let me say, as I have been saying to Republicans (at least the obstructionist buffoons among them) that the process is far more important than the outcome, and if all you can do is find little hidden tricks and subvertive measures to get things your way, then you should all be sumarily dismissed, replaced, and allow the Nation to continue as it was meant to.
OK...here's what happened. Some stories racing through the Internet have implied that there would not be a vote.
This is true in the sense that there would not be a DIRECT vote. But the health-care bill would be voted on INDIRECTLY, tucked into what's known as "the rule." The rule essentially outlines the rules for an upcoming vote -- in this case, it would be the vote on the package of reconciliation fixes.
By passing "the rule," the House also would "deem" the Senate bill passed (with a "hereby" statement. "We hereby deem..."). The House would then vote on the package of reconciliation fixes. But the Senate health-care bill would be considered passed even if they never vote on the reconciliation fixes.
The "rule" can be written several different ways to include passage of the Senate bill. Though no decisions have been made -- including whether or not the rule will be used -- there are two scenarios most often discussed, according to a Democratic aide knee-deep in the process.
Scenario No. 1: The Senate bill is deemed passed with the passage of the House Rule for debate. So once the House passed the rules for debating the reconciliation package, the Senate bill could immediately be sent to president for his signature.
Scenario No. 2: The Senate bill is deemed passed with the House's passage of the reconciliation bill. Since the vote on "the rule" happens before the vote on reconciliation, this would delay the bill being sent to Obama.
Under any scenario, the aide says, the bill must be signed by the president before the Senate takes up the reconciliation.
Now, there is a great deal more that could be said, a great many more points offered in support or opposition to this process. But for me, it ends here because the healthcare issue has now become secondary to what members of the House and Senate on both sides of the aisle have done, and continue to do, that would be far more harmful to our Nation than having to pay for the poor to receive access to adequate healthcare insurance.
Members of both parties are engaged, albeit for reasons they each believe righteous and good, in subverting not only the letter of the Constitution, but also the core principle on which this Republic was founded: honest, sincere representation of their constituency; the citizens of the United States of America.
And that is not something you mess with.
History
"Deem and Pass" has been used often and by both parties. Democrats point out that Republicans used it quite a bit in the 1990s for tax cuts for the wealthy and already profitable corporations, as well as for numerous lots of corporate welfare, a reduction of oversight for the financial sector, and little things like warrantless wiretaps and exemptions for certain companies to do business with countries like Iran, where such allowances were made a federal crime by the same Congress just months prior. In this Congress, Democrats used "Deem and Pass" for raising the debt ceiling, which was tucked into the PayGo bill. So both sides have played this card, and no one is blameless.
But once again, it is the incessant hunger for power, the inability to give and take for the good of all, and the unfortunate need of those in power to acquiesce to those interests who can and will fund their next campaigns, that has led us to the point where our representative government, of either fashion or flavor, in reality, no longer exists.
Yes, this country desperately needs and should be wholly embarassed for not having an optimal healthcare system that is accessible to every one of its citizens.
Yes, the elected officials who have been saddled with the daunting task of finding a way, the best way, to make this a reality have some tough decisions to make and yes, some of those decisions will put their congressional seats in jeopardy, because they will not be popular.
So what?
As per the Constitution, those representatives are required, by law, to represent the people in their Districts or States and vote in the light of what is in the best interests of ALL whom they represent.
Not just of those who agree with them.
Not just those who will vote for them in the next election.
Not just those who will donate funds for their next election.
And certainly NOT for their party.
The solution? It's a two parter, and quite simple really...
First: Each one of you reading this, pass it on to everyone you know. And as soon as you do that, send a letter to your Congressperson and to your Senators and explain to them what you believe is the right thing to do. Explain to them that you are embarassed by the manner in which their body has performed (or not) thus far and regardless of what the eventual outcome on this issue is, that if you see one hint of further political subterfuge and games being played and that if they do not start acting honorably, in the manner of our Founding Fathers, that come the next time their name is on the ballot, they will not receive your vote.
Second: Follow through. Regardless of how this ends up, if your elected representatives don't pull their collective heads out and start acting with the proper intent and motivation, they should become 535 added to the millions of unemployed they helped create the next time election day rolls around.
Oh and by the way...if you don't follow this procedure, or in some way let your elected officials know they are going to be held accountable for their actions...then please, and with all due respect...sit down and shut up.
Because this is no longer about healthcare reform, or about progressive vs. conservative.
This has now become about the preservation and sanctity of the foundation of our nation. This is about protecting that one unique element that makes America...well, America. This is now about maintaining a representative form of government, where We The People actually means something.
And if you're going to be silent now, you have no right to complain later.
Yesterday afternoon, I read, sadly, that the Democratic Leadership, pushed to the brink by a non-cooperative, equally non-representative Republican House and Senate members, had delved into the depths of parlamentary procedure and discovered a way to pass the Healthcare Reform bill without even having to cast a vote. We'll get into the details in a moment, but for now let me say, as I have been saying to Republicans (at least the obstructionist buffoons among them) that the process is far more important than the outcome, and if all you can do is find little hidden tricks and subvertive measures to get things your way, then you should all be sumarily dismissed, replaced, and allow the Nation to continue as it was meant to.
OK...here's what happened. Some stories racing through the Internet have implied that there would not be a vote.
This is true in the sense that there would not be a DIRECT vote. But the health-care bill would be voted on INDIRECTLY, tucked into what's known as "the rule." The rule essentially outlines the rules for an upcoming vote -- in this case, it would be the vote on the package of reconciliation fixes.
By passing "the rule," the House also would "deem" the Senate bill passed (with a "hereby" statement. "We hereby deem..."). The House would then vote on the package of reconciliation fixes. But the Senate health-care bill would be considered passed even if they never vote on the reconciliation fixes.
The "rule" can be written several different ways to include passage of the Senate bill. Though no decisions have been made -- including whether or not the rule will be used -- there are two scenarios most often discussed, according to a Democratic aide knee-deep in the process.
Scenario No. 1: The Senate bill is deemed passed with the passage of the House Rule for debate. So once the House passed the rules for debating the reconciliation package, the Senate bill could immediately be sent to president for his signature.
Scenario No. 2: The Senate bill is deemed passed with the House's passage of the reconciliation bill. Since the vote on "the rule" happens before the vote on reconciliation, this would delay the bill being sent to Obama.
Under any scenario, the aide says, the bill must be signed by the president before the Senate takes up the reconciliation.
Now, there is a great deal more that could be said, a great many more points offered in support or opposition to this process. But for me, it ends here because the healthcare issue has now become secondary to what members of the House and Senate on both sides of the aisle have done, and continue to do, that would be far more harmful to our Nation than having to pay for the poor to receive access to adequate healthcare insurance.
Members of both parties are engaged, albeit for reasons they each believe righteous and good, in subverting not only the letter of the Constitution, but also the core principle on which this Republic was founded: honest, sincere representation of their constituency; the citizens of the United States of America.
And that is not something you mess with.
History
"Deem and Pass" has been used often and by both parties. Democrats point out that Republicans used it quite a bit in the 1990s for tax cuts for the wealthy and already profitable corporations, as well as for numerous lots of corporate welfare, a reduction of oversight for the financial sector, and little things like warrantless wiretaps and exemptions for certain companies to do business with countries like Iran, where such allowances were made a federal crime by the same Congress just months prior. In this Congress, Democrats used "Deem and Pass" for raising the debt ceiling, which was tucked into the PayGo bill. So both sides have played this card, and no one is blameless.
But once again, it is the incessant hunger for power, the inability to give and take for the good of all, and the unfortunate need of those in power to acquiesce to those interests who can and will fund their next campaigns, that has led us to the point where our representative government, of either fashion or flavor, in reality, no longer exists.
Yes, this country desperately needs and should be wholly embarassed for not having an optimal healthcare system that is accessible to every one of its citizens.
Yes, the elected officials who have been saddled with the daunting task of finding a way, the best way, to make this a reality have some tough decisions to make and yes, some of those decisions will put their congressional seats in jeopardy, because they will not be popular.
So what?
As per the Constitution, those representatives are required, by law, to represent the people in their Districts or States and vote in the light of what is in the best interests of ALL whom they represent.
Not just of those who agree with them.
Not just those who will vote for them in the next election.
Not just those who will donate funds for their next election.
And certainly NOT for their party.
The solution? It's a two parter, and quite simple really...
First: Each one of you reading this, pass it on to everyone you know. And as soon as you do that, send a letter to your Congressperson and to your Senators and explain to them what you believe is the right thing to do. Explain to them that you are embarassed by the manner in which their body has performed (or not) thus far and regardless of what the eventual outcome on this issue is, that if you see one hint of further political subterfuge and games being played and that if they do not start acting honorably, in the manner of our Founding Fathers, that come the next time their name is on the ballot, they will not receive your vote.
Second: Follow through. Regardless of how this ends up, if your elected representatives don't pull their collective heads out and start acting with the proper intent and motivation, they should become 535 added to the millions of unemployed they helped create the next time election day rolls around.
Oh and by the way...if you don't follow this procedure, or in some way let your elected officials know they are going to be held accountable for their actions...then please, and with all due respect...sit down and shut up.
Because this is no longer about healthcare reform, or about progressive vs. conservative.
This has now become about the preservation and sanctity of the foundation of our nation. This is about protecting that one unique element that makes America...well, America. This is now about maintaining a representative form of government, where We The People actually means something.
And if you're going to be silent now, you have no right to complain later.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
These Days
SPIT AND POLISH: Last Wednesday's blog stated that ACES: The Premiere Northern California Golf Lifestyle Magazine will hit stands inside your favorite pro shop and high-end hotelier this summer. Editor/co-Owner Dennis Miller shot me a note, reminding me that the last week of May isn't quite summer. My bad, but even though it's early in the round, I'm taking a Mulligan on this one...Yes, and those of you who know were quick to respond. My friend Stacy Beintema who celebrated her 29th birthday for the 22nd time yesterday is in fact, the one and only Stacy Carmine, famed of song and story, who graduated from AVHS crosstown rival Foothill High in '77. That was the first graduating class from the now-perennial football powerhouse, whose gridiron program, by-the-by, has been led by former AVHS football and baseball standout Matt Sweeney for a quarter century. And no, loyalists of the Purple and Gold don't think of Matty as a traitor. When he wins (which is far more often than not) we simply refer to the school as "Amador West"...
POWER OF PRAYER: Good thoughts, a prayer, and a drop of oil to Cameron Carson of Thornton, Co., while he recovers from surgery for a torn achilles. There is an investigation looking into possible foul play by a rival ward, as the star power-forward's injury occurred just prior to the start of his stake's end-of-season tournament. I'd always heard the rumors about Church Ball being agressive, but c'mon guys. Hang in there Cam...On Saturday at a church Primary function, I noticed a young man about 8 years old whose face was scabbed from forehead to chin, and pulled him aside to inquire as to what had happened. He stated, matter of factly, "That's the blessing I got from falling off my scooter." Upon my asking how such a devilish injury could be looked upon as a blessing, the young lad smiled. Leaning in to whisper, he replied, "The next day at school, three girls came up and asked me if I was ok". Yesindeedee folks, Spring has sprung...
SPEAKING OF WHICH: Following the social networks' tiresome, whinny, bellyaching posts worthy of a 60 second Glenn Beck spot, coupled with the unusually low attendance in church on Sunday (both brought on by Saturday night's "springing forward" of our clocks by an hour), not a few Lounge Lizards have requested a petition be passed, eliminating the annual loss of an hour that could, should and would have been devoted to sleep. But not eager to give up the same skeepy-time interval gained in the Fall, IF's Ben Pickett suggests we lose the springtime adjustment, continue the fall resetting of the clocks, and every quarter century get an extra day off. Sitting next to Ben, fellow EQ member Matt Svedin clarified, "Yeah, a PAID day off!". Obviously not on the "management" side of the line of scrimage at the company football game...
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: As I've opined here before, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke and will be as long as Rolling Stone publisher and Head "Suck-Up-to-the-Stars", Jann Wenner, is involved, but at least they got one thing right. At last evening's induction ceremonies from NYC, the Presentation Committee selected Carole King to hand out the Ahmet Ertegun Award to fellow songsters Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich, Jesse Stone, Otis Blackwell, and Mort Shuman. Deserving each, and a more appropriate presenter and quality songwriter than Carole there is not. See Jann, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while...The top honorees at the suaree included ABBA, Genesis, The Hollies, Jimmy Cliff, and The Stooges. I suppose a case could be made for Genesis, Cliff, The Stooges, and even The Hollies, but ABBA? You know the HOF is nothing more than a POS when these artists are placed among the historical elite while groundbreakers like Dire Straits, Chicago, Yes, Heart, Neil Diamond, and Stevie Ray Vaughn have yet to be invited. A couple of years ago sitting backstage at a show in Blackfoot, Idaho with CHICAGO keyboardist/songwriter/lyricyst/arranger Robert Lamm, I asked the renowned author of CHI staples "25 or 6 to 4", "Saturday in the Park", "Beginnings", etc., if he was ticked off the band had not yet been inducted. After a solid fifteen seconds of from-the-gut laughter, RL smiled and politely said, "No, not at all". 'Nuff said...
ANOTHER RAINY DAY IN NYC: AVHS Alum and tennis standout Marilyn Morrell Kristal finally arrived in the Big Apple for a vist and week-long tourista run with her twin daughters. However, following a 3 hour delay in CHItown, where her girls karmically spent an overnight in the terminal the night before (more delays), Mo was, as of her FB post at 9:07PM zulu time, sitting on the runway, waiting for another carrier to clear her gate so her plane could disembark. I love that city that never sleeps, and would love to go back again, but the more I hear about the travails of air travel, the more I think, I'll wait for the movie...
FROM THE SANDBOX: Former Denver Air Traffic Controller extrordinaire Dave Baratta dropped me a note yesterday from Abu Dabi, where he has taken on a two year contract to keep the big metal birdies of the UAE from crashing into one another. He writes: "...didn't even know about Lebanese food a month ago. But now I am pretty sure they put crack in the garlic paste! This stuff is INCREDIBLE. Picture a dog going after a pudding cup."...
NORTH TOWER BLUES: A little birdie tells me that there is work afoot to open a new music club/restaurant in Mill Valley, following the farewell of the Sweetwater, one of Marin's oldest and most beloved hangouts. Known as a top spot for breakouts and medium sized acts to work out bugs, it was, for more than 30 years, the place where well known Marin-ites like Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, Jerry Garcia, Bonnie and Chris Hayes (former of the Wild Combo, the latter one of Huey's News-mates), David Crosby, David Grisman, Merle Saunders, Sammy Hagar and others would pop-in and sit-in with whomever was on stage. More info as the birdie chirps...
THE LAST WORD: Less than three weeks until The Masters tees off and still no confirmation as to whether or not Tiger Woods will be ending his self-imposed exile and make a run at another green jacket. I've been pretty much mum on this, until now: Tiger old boy, you screwed up, BIG TIME (truly, no pun intended). But son, you seem to have done what you've needed to do with your family, and I wish you all the best on that end. So, with that said, it is time to get off your duff, dust off the webs, and get back in the ballgame. Best way to put this behind you IS to put it behind you, and the best way to do that is do what you do best. And if that ain't enough of a reason, opening day at Augusta is my birthday, the Big 5-0. So just grip it and rip it, Big Daddy.
POWER OF PRAYER: Good thoughts, a prayer, and a drop of oil to Cameron Carson of Thornton, Co., while he recovers from surgery for a torn achilles. There is an investigation looking into possible foul play by a rival ward, as the star power-forward's injury occurred just prior to the start of his stake's end-of-season tournament. I'd always heard the rumors about Church Ball being agressive, but c'mon guys. Hang in there Cam...On Saturday at a church Primary function, I noticed a young man about 8 years old whose face was scabbed from forehead to chin, and pulled him aside to inquire as to what had happened. He stated, matter of factly, "That's the blessing I got from falling off my scooter." Upon my asking how such a devilish injury could be looked upon as a blessing, the young lad smiled. Leaning in to whisper, he replied, "The next day at school, three girls came up and asked me if I was ok". Yesindeedee folks, Spring has sprung...
SPEAKING OF WHICH: Following the social networks' tiresome, whinny, bellyaching posts worthy of a 60 second Glenn Beck spot, coupled with the unusually low attendance in church on Sunday (both brought on by Saturday night's "springing forward" of our clocks by an hour), not a few Lounge Lizards have requested a petition be passed, eliminating the annual loss of an hour that could, should and would have been devoted to sleep. But not eager to give up the same skeepy-time interval gained in the Fall, IF's Ben Pickett suggests we lose the springtime adjustment, continue the fall resetting of the clocks, and every quarter century get an extra day off. Sitting next to Ben, fellow EQ member Matt Svedin clarified, "Yeah, a PAID day off!". Obviously not on the "management" side of the line of scrimage at the company football game...
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: As I've opined here before, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke and will be as long as Rolling Stone publisher and Head "Suck-Up-to-the-Stars", Jann Wenner, is involved, but at least they got one thing right. At last evening's induction ceremonies from NYC, the Presentation Committee selected Carole King to hand out the Ahmet Ertegun Award to fellow songsters Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich, Jesse Stone, Otis Blackwell, and Mort Shuman. Deserving each, and a more appropriate presenter and quality songwriter than Carole there is not. See Jann, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while...The top honorees at the suaree included ABBA, Genesis, The Hollies, Jimmy Cliff, and The Stooges. I suppose a case could be made for Genesis, Cliff, The Stooges, and even The Hollies, but ABBA? You know the HOF is nothing more than a POS when these artists are placed among the historical elite while groundbreakers like Dire Straits, Chicago, Yes, Heart, Neil Diamond, and Stevie Ray Vaughn have yet to be invited. A couple of years ago sitting backstage at a show in Blackfoot, Idaho with CHICAGO keyboardist/songwriter/lyricyst/arranger Robert Lamm, I asked the renowned author of CHI staples "25 or 6 to 4", "Saturday in the Park", "Beginnings", etc., if he was ticked off the band had not yet been inducted. After a solid fifteen seconds of from-the-gut laughter, RL smiled and politely said, "No, not at all". 'Nuff said...
ANOTHER RAINY DAY IN NYC: AVHS Alum and tennis standout Marilyn Morrell Kristal finally arrived in the Big Apple for a vist and week-long tourista run with her twin daughters. However, following a 3 hour delay in CHItown, where her girls karmically spent an overnight in the terminal the night before (more delays), Mo was, as of her FB post at 9:07PM zulu time, sitting on the runway, waiting for another carrier to clear her gate so her plane could disembark. I love that city that never sleeps, and would love to go back again, but the more I hear about the travails of air travel, the more I think, I'll wait for the movie...
FROM THE SANDBOX: Former Denver Air Traffic Controller extrordinaire Dave Baratta dropped me a note yesterday from Abu Dabi, where he has taken on a two year contract to keep the big metal birdies of the UAE from crashing into one another. He writes: "...didn't even know about Lebanese food a month ago. But now I am pretty sure they put crack in the garlic paste! This stuff is INCREDIBLE. Picture a dog going after a pudding cup."...
NORTH TOWER BLUES: A little birdie tells me that there is work afoot to open a new music club/restaurant in Mill Valley, following the farewell of the Sweetwater, one of Marin's oldest and most beloved hangouts. Known as a top spot for breakouts and medium sized acts to work out bugs, it was, for more than 30 years, the place where well known Marin-ites like Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, Jerry Garcia, Bonnie and Chris Hayes (former of the Wild Combo, the latter one of Huey's News-mates), David Crosby, David Grisman, Merle Saunders, Sammy Hagar and others would pop-in and sit-in with whomever was on stage. More info as the birdie chirps...
THE LAST WORD: Less than three weeks until The Masters tees off and still no confirmation as to whether or not Tiger Woods will be ending his self-imposed exile and make a run at another green jacket. I've been pretty much mum on this, until now: Tiger old boy, you screwed up, BIG TIME (truly, no pun intended). But son, you seem to have done what you've needed to do with your family, and I wish you all the best on that end. So, with that said, it is time to get off your duff, dust off the webs, and get back in the ballgame. Best way to put this behind you IS to put it behind you, and the best way to do that is do what you do best. And if that ain't enough of a reason, opening day at Augusta is my birthday, the Big 5-0. So just grip it and rip it, Big Daddy.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Monday Morning Quarterback
LET'S START THE DAY by wishing the happiest of birthday celebrations to three of the most interesting people I know: Lori Anderson Schmucker, Stacy Beintema and Dharma Barsotti. Lori, a long time "secret pal" from my high school days at Pleasanton's Amador Valley High who is involved in everything from School Security and Muni Services to Mary Kay Cosmetics (in addition to being a full-time wife and mother); Stacy, a close friend and the former warden at Stockton, CA's Willow Glen, who now is a key supporter of other people's birthdays through her work with the American Cancer Society; and Dharma, a once scrawny kid running around backstage at concerts during my BGP days, who has now, among his other artistic endeavors, has built for himself a reputation as the master of creative environments and decorative splendor. The world is constantly changing and not always for the better, but of these two facts I will always be certain - the world as we know it is certainly a richer and more colorfull place because of these three individuals, and I will always be grateful that each of them crossed my path. Happy Birthday, gang...
MORNING BEVERAGE: Finally someone has come up with an answer to the supersillious waste of time the national political arena has become. In response largely to the well intentioned but calamitously mismanaged Tea Party circus, a group of folks from around the US have joined together to form The Coffee Party. No joke, this. In an attempt to keep the focus of radical, often incoherent mouthpiece organizations like Tea Party and MoveOn.org on topic, The Coffee Party asserts to keep the national debate on the issues instead of ten word answers and catchy slogans; the thought being to engage a conversation with the sensible 80% of citizens in the middle of the political spectrum and leave the 10% on either end to themselves, wasting time on talk radio and cable tv. And it looks like this puppy's got some legs. After just a few weeks, The Coffee Party boasts more than 160,000 members on FaceBook and has had premiere coverage in both Newsweek and The Nation, while with almost a year in existence, The Tea Party boasts just over 110,000, and the majority of the press has passed them by; not because there is a bias but because their Convention flopped and now even the untre-Conservative wing of the 'Pubs are using them for fodder at cocktailparties (no pun intended). For the first time in almost two years, since the passing of former Meet the Press host Tim Russert, it feels that someone has the backs of common sense Americans and not just the yahoo wackos on the far right and left. I am sure Timmy is smiling...
SPREADING THE WORD: My thanks to friend Colleen Costello-Kreidler, another dish from the "Don" days, who quite unintentionally, I'm sure, hooked me up with the NING Network, an "immersion-based" social network of passions, interests and vocations. Take a look at NING.com, what I believe to be the future of the Internet. There will certainly be more on this in the days to come. Colleen, a fine writer at SDSU and now in Davis, CA., who is still putting pen to paper (I hope!), is married to award winning scribe (Six Good Innings* was selected as Top 10 Sports Books of the Year by Booklist) / morning talk show host (The Rise Guys Show, Sports 1140 AM KHTK) Mark Kreidler. I am wondering if young Patrick and Ryan have their futures mapped out, as ink does seem to be in the genes. Though the word is Ryan swims like a fish and Patrick swings from the right side of the plate in a way NoCal hasn't seen since Matty Williams was guarding the hotbox for the Gnats two decades ago. Where does the time fly?...
SPREADING PT. II: Many thanks for those of you who leave comments about The Lounge on my FB page, but I'd really love it if you'd leave them here at The3Dot and maybe we can build a group of regulars and get a discussion going. More heads are always better than one. And yeah, in the historic words of Alan Whatshisname...Tell a Friend!...
MORNING BEVERAGE: Finally someone has come up with an answer to the supersillious waste of time the national political arena has become. In response largely to the well intentioned but calamitously mismanaged Tea Party circus, a group of folks from around the US have joined together to form The Coffee Party. No joke, this. In an attempt to keep the focus of radical, often incoherent mouthpiece organizations like Tea Party and MoveOn.org on topic, The Coffee Party asserts to keep the national debate on the issues instead of ten word answers and catchy slogans; the thought being to engage a conversation with the sensible 80% of citizens in the middle of the political spectrum and leave the 10% on either end to themselves, wasting time on talk radio and cable tv. And it looks like this puppy's got some legs. After just a few weeks, The Coffee Party boasts more than 160,000 members on FaceBook and has had premiere coverage in both Newsweek and The Nation, while with almost a year in existence, The Tea Party boasts just over 110,000, and the majority of the press has passed them by; not because there is a bias but because their Convention flopped and now even the untre-Conservative wing of the 'Pubs are using them for fodder at cocktailparties (no pun intended). For the first time in almost two years, since the passing of former Meet the Press host Tim Russert, it feels that someone has the backs of common sense Americans and not just the yahoo wackos on the far right and left. I am sure Timmy is smiling...
SPREADING THE WORD: My thanks to friend Colleen Costello-Kreidler, another dish from the "Don" days, who quite unintentionally, I'm sure, hooked me up with the NING Network, an "immersion-based" social network of passions, interests and vocations. Take a look at NING.com, what I believe to be the future of the Internet. There will certainly be more on this in the days to come. Colleen, a fine writer at SDSU and now in Davis, CA., who is still putting pen to paper (I hope!), is married to award winning scribe (Six Good Innings* was selected as Top 10 Sports Books of the Year by Booklist) / morning talk show host (The Rise Guys Show, Sports 1140 AM KHTK) Mark Kreidler. I am wondering if young Patrick and Ryan have their futures mapped out, as ink does seem to be in the genes. Though the word is Ryan swims like a fish and Patrick swings from the right side of the plate in a way NoCal hasn't seen since Matty Williams was guarding the hotbox for the Gnats two decades ago. Where does the time fly?...
SPREADING PT. II: Many thanks for those of you who leave comments about The Lounge on my FB page, but I'd really love it if you'd leave them here at The3Dot and maybe we can build a group of regulars and get a discussion going. More heads are always better than one. And yeah, in the historic words of Alan Whatshisname...Tell a Friend!...
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday Fishwrap
REUNION FEVER DEPT:So I am perusing through on-line versions of the old hometown papers yesterday and I see, much to my astonishment, that two brothers in Pleasanton, CA were busted for running a full-blown meth lab on the premesis of their family home where both were residing with their mother. Certainly not the normal occurrance in the beautiful, quiet, mostly upscale East Bay community. Then comes the shocker...one of the brothers was an old classmate, Rob Magoon, the other his 40 year old brother, Matthew. Now I support my alma mater and those who have walked its hallowed halls, but if the reports ring true (and it looks like they will) and the brothers are convicted, here is hoping we don't see ol' Rob at a reunion for several decades. I'm all for rehabilitation and making ammends and all that, but when I see once decent people from a life of relative privelage making this particular choice, it makes me want to reopen Alcatraz...
THE TRICK NOT even David Blaine could pull off. It is my guess the forms being sent home to parents of IF Dist. 91 students right after this coming week's Spring Break ought to stir up quite a controversy, and understandably so. It seems the US Government, in yet another case of its infinite stupidity have decided that Hispanics, the fastest growing segment of our nation's population, are no longer considered a race. Nor is Latino, both now being placed under the category of culture rather than race. So now, those citizens with Spanish or Mexican heritage whill have to claim themselves as one of the following: Caucasian, Black, Asian, or Native American. Any chance the motivation might be that, if Hispanics no longer carry the race card, they can also no longer play the minority card, cutting a rather large swath in the entitlement budget. Hmmm...I wonder if we can arrange the same disappearing act for Stupid Old Elected White Guys?...
DISSENTION AT THE TOP?: Though such is noit stated anywhere within the Constitution, the conservative majority of SCOTUS recently ruled that corporations, and other groups were granted the same First Amendment freedom of speech rights as individuals. So much for the "by the letter of the law" mantra of the strict constructionists. I guess that only applies when they're trying to keep people from having rights. But that's not the big item here. Arguably the most conservative of the Justices, Clarence Thomas, spoke yesterday before a group of law students at Georgetown Univ. and when asked about quotas stated: "I don't believe in quotas. America was founded on a philosophy of individual rights, not group rights." Now we'll hold the question of Thomas being admitted to both Holy Cross and Yale Law by way of the very quotas he rallies against for another time. My question now is how does the conservative wing of the bench justify ignoring the group rights of unions, gays, students and others while handing Big Biz an invisible seat in the 1st Amendment? No politics on the Court? Pshaw!...
PRODUCTION INTERRUPTUS: My apologies to those of you who popped in yesterday and failed to find the Thursday edition of The Lounge. EGD (Emergency Grandpa Duty) popped up and well, sometimes (ok, everytime) I just gotta say yes! Fortunately, about the only item of interest yesterday would have been Republican candidate for California Governor Meg Whitman's bungled taping for her 30-minute campaign infomercial. Slated to run throughout the Spring and summer at a cost of more than 100 million dollars, the leak of its existence has the state Dem's frothing at the mouth. It seems they are preparing to run an ad of their own, either immediately preceeding or following each airing of the former eBay CEO's ads that among other things, will highlight Whitman's appearances on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, and several Faux News programs, denouncing a similar one-time run nationally telecast ad by then-presidential candidate Barack Obama the week before the '08 presidential election. I am beginning to think that Bush isn't the only member of the GOP with pointy-hat credentials...
REUNION DEPT, PART DEUX: Oh Happy Days, kudos and thanks to fellow AVHS (Class of '79) Alum Carolyn Hill for her fantabulous Boomerang Project, a company that works with educators and students to create positive school climates and productive work environments. One of the amazing offhsoots of Boomerang are BoomBoom Cards ( http://www.boomboomcards.com/ ), a part of the rapidly swelling Boom!Boom! Revolution, an army of ordinary, everyday people looking to spread good will through "intentional acts of kindness". Whether you are single or married, an empty nester or have a housefull, if you are tired of the same old dreary news, focus and outlook on the world many of us feel compelled to participate in, I urge you (with a smile!), to bop on over to Boom Boom Cards and check it out. This magic little idea of Carolyn and her friends will help you to brighten any rainy day...
THE TRICK NOT even David Blaine could pull off. It is my guess the forms being sent home to parents of IF Dist. 91 students right after this coming week's Spring Break ought to stir up quite a controversy, and understandably so. It seems the US Government, in yet another case of its infinite stupidity have decided that Hispanics, the fastest growing segment of our nation's population, are no longer considered a race. Nor is Latino, both now being placed under the category of culture rather than race. So now, those citizens with Spanish or Mexican heritage whill have to claim themselves as one of the following: Caucasian, Black, Asian, or Native American. Any chance the motivation might be that, if Hispanics no longer carry the race card, they can also no longer play the minority card, cutting a rather large swath in the entitlement budget. Hmmm...I wonder if we can arrange the same disappearing act for Stupid Old Elected White Guys?...
DISSENTION AT THE TOP?: Though such is noit stated anywhere within the Constitution, the conservative majority of SCOTUS recently ruled that corporations, and other groups were granted the same First Amendment freedom of speech rights as individuals. So much for the "by the letter of the law" mantra of the strict constructionists. I guess that only applies when they're trying to keep people from having rights. But that's not the big item here. Arguably the most conservative of the Justices, Clarence Thomas, spoke yesterday before a group of law students at Georgetown Univ. and when asked about quotas stated: "I don't believe in quotas. America was founded on a philosophy of individual rights, not group rights." Now we'll hold the question of Thomas being admitted to both Holy Cross and Yale Law by way of the very quotas he rallies against for another time. My question now is how does the conservative wing of the bench justify ignoring the group rights of unions, gays, students and others while handing Big Biz an invisible seat in the 1st Amendment? No politics on the Court? Pshaw!...
PRODUCTION INTERRUPTUS: My apologies to those of you who popped in yesterday and failed to find the Thursday edition of The Lounge. EGD (Emergency Grandpa Duty) popped up and well, sometimes (ok, everytime) I just gotta say yes! Fortunately, about the only item of interest yesterday would have been Republican candidate for California Governor Meg Whitman's bungled taping for her 30-minute campaign infomercial. Slated to run throughout the Spring and summer at a cost of more than 100 million dollars, the leak of its existence has the state Dem's frothing at the mouth. It seems they are preparing to run an ad of their own, either immediately preceeding or following each airing of the former eBay CEO's ads that among other things, will highlight Whitman's appearances on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, and several Faux News programs, denouncing a similar one-time run nationally telecast ad by then-presidential candidate Barack Obama the week before the '08 presidential election. I am beginning to think that Bush isn't the only member of the GOP with pointy-hat credentials...
REUNION DEPT, PART DEUX: Oh Happy Days, kudos and thanks to fellow AVHS (Class of '79) Alum Carolyn Hill for her fantabulous Boomerang Project, a company that works with educators and students to create positive school climates and productive work environments. One of the amazing offhsoots of Boomerang are BoomBoom Cards ( http://www.boomboomcards.com/ ), a part of the rapidly swelling Boom!Boom! Revolution, an army of ordinary, everyday people looking to spread good will through "intentional acts of kindness". Whether you are single or married, an empty nester or have a housefull, if you are tired of the same old dreary news, focus and outlook on the world many of us feel compelled to participate in, I urge you (with a smile!), to bop on over to Boom Boom Cards and check it out. This magic little idea of Carolyn and her friends will help you to brighten any rainy day...
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Solution Stew: The Federal Government
HUMP DAY: Middle of the week. The Center.
I have long believed the main reason the nabobs in WADC can't get anything accomplished is because the nut jobs (the 10% at either end of the spectrum) are yelling so loudly, no one can hear the semi-sensible 80% in the middle, including themselves. So, beginning today, the menu for Hump Day at The Lounge will be Solution Stew. We'll take a single topic for which there is a current disagreement, and we'll solve it. Your comments at the bottom of every column are, of course, more than welcome.
Today's topic: The Federal Government
"WOW!", you say to yourself as you read this. "Either this guy is an absolute genius for being able to correct the inefficiency and incompetence of the Federal Government, or a blithering idiot for believing he can".
While I am quite certain you'll find more people who believe the latter rather than the former, if we look at the actual cause of the problems in Washington, the answer is really quite simple. I took the "Backwards Approach", defining the problem, and then taking the logical steps backwards to where I wanted to end up.
The problems stem from the quite understandable desire of those interested in serving in elected office to be re-elected. This desire, combined with the high level of competitiveness for these relatively few positions, leads to an increase in the effort and thereby the resources (read: money) that are necessary to attain victory on election day.
Being that money does not grow on trees, persons wishing to win said election need to raise necessary financial resources, and therefore look at what they have that would be of value to those who can provide it. The answer: Should these candidates be victorious and attain a seat in either house of Congress or the Oval Office, they would then be in a position to vote for or support legislation that would be looked upon favorably by those heavy ticket contributors.
This has completely changed the dynamic of our political sysytem as it was meant to be. The individual is no longer a "representative", but a "politician", and the priority for the politician is no longer about representing the constituents of their district, state or nation, but rather about getting elected (or re-elected). The decisions they make, the votes they cast, and the laws they sign or veto are now at the behest of those individuals, organizations and large corporate interests who can help insure their continued stay in washington, instead of the electorate, and now you have the mess that currently exists.
So, how do we fix it?
Well, if the problem is created by the financial influence of the special interests, then that is what needs to be eliminated.
So the question now becomes: "How can the electoral process be financed so that these special interests have no influence?"
The answer is to make the electorate the only special interest. In other words, if "the people" fund the elections, then that is who the repesentatives will be beholden to.
So the question now becomes: "How can the people (the government) afford to finance the elections?"
To find that answer we need to ask one other: "Where do the government's funds that would be used for such a purpose come from?"
The answer of course is, from the individual and corporate taxes we pay.
"Oh!", but you say, "we're already paying too much in taxes, we can't aford any more and we certainly can't afford to put our nation deeper in debt. How do we do it?"
This is the easy part. And you'll be amazed to find the answer is to actually lower the tax rates on virtually all Americans and corporate interests. Now I can hear those of oyu on th efar left already screaming about "Trickle Down" and taking food from the plates of the poor. Relax, nothing could be further fromthe truth. And here's why...
In 2007, presidential candidate Ron Paul's campaign did a massive study on what the effects of a flat tax system. The study found that the current Federal Tax Code was made up of nearly 80% of exemptions, set-asides, deferments, and deductions for a very small number of qualifying citizens or corporate entities. The results of this study, that the federal government would be much more financially solvent were they to elinimate these special interest deductions and simply lower everyone's taxes to a set, flat rate, were corroborated a year later when Mobil/Exxon posted 92 BILLION dollars in PROFITS for fiscal year 2008 however, because of the more than 3,400 pages devoted specifically to corporatins of which they were the only one fully qualified to take advantage of them, paid less than 112 million dollars if federal income tax in that same fiscal year.
Paul's idea in theory was brilliant, however being that he was running for office, the proposal was skewed just enough to hopefully attract voters, but also to make it wholly ineffective. Now, using Paul's research, I have devised the following Flat Tax Program:
1. Eliminate ALL individual and corporate tax incentives, deductions, set-asides, deferments and exemptions and reduce the Federal Income Tax Rate to 15%. This will now include ALL business done, world wide, by any business or corporation based in the United States. If those businesses choose to relocate outside the US, there will be a 22% tarriff on all goods and service transactions here in the US.
Small businesses (those with less than 100 employees and or a profit of less than $1 million), will have a FITR of $12%.
Individuals earning between $14,000 and $19,500 will have an FTR of 10%, with those earning between $9,500 and $13,999 will have an FTR of 5%.
Those earning less than $9,500 will be exempt from Federal Income Tax. Social Security, pensions, and 401k will also be exempt from taxation.
With regards to inheritance taxation, liquid assets (cash, stocks, bonds, real property, and saleable goods will be taxed at a rate of 10%, with non-durable goods (transportations, machinery, etc.) will only be taxed at the time of any future sale of the asset by the assignee.
Capital Gains tax will also be reduced to a flat 15%.
By making the stated tax burden for everyone the actual tax burden for everyone, and by eliminating the tax advantages for the privelaged few, conservatives will be getting what they have been clamoring for, for as long as anyone can remember...a fair and equal taxation system. Progressives will in turn, be getting what they have been shouting about for just as long, profitable corporations to pay their fair share.
What the American people will receive from this is the following:
1. Funding to rebuild or update EVERY public elementary, middle and high school as well as to provide states with subsidies to start ALL public school teachers at 100K per year, with raises (and job security) to be based on performance. Tenure no longer exists.
2. Funding for research into alternative fuels and 100mgp hybrid engines.
3. Permanent solvency for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid as well as a government funded universal healthcare coverage for those who can not afford coverage themselves. The universal "public option" will create a "real" competition in the insurance market, causing ALL insurance rates to drop and with the drop in lower and middle class FITR's, evryone should be able to afford their own coverage, thereby reducing the financial burden to the government.
4. Funding for transportation and utility infrastructure, those jobs helping to thereby decrease the unemployment rolls and welfare entitlements AND increase governmental revenue.
5. Increase funding for local, state and federal law enforcement as well as to our military and border patrol efforts.
6. And most important, full funding for all congressional, senatorial and presidential elections, thereby returning the jobs of our elected officials to be as they were always intended, to repersent the electorate.
The only real downside to this is the temporary increase by 65,000 to the unemployment rolls, as the lobbyists onK Street will now be out of work.
Now for the bad news.
This will never happen, because it does not benefit one very small group of American citizens.
The American Politician.
Were this to come to fruition, there would be no more tax payer funded flights for officials and their families to exciting, overseas locales, where they have no business in teh first place; no "junkets" to the golf courses and resorts on the islands while they research the rising tides and their effect on the economy of Jakarta; no more African safaris to help determine the need for protection of the three-toes sloth.
If the blowhards in the Tea Party want to make a difference, do this. If the American people want to get their government back and see the American dream truly be a reality accessible to ALL its citizens, here's your answer.
Continuing to vote for the next politician who tells you what you want to hear and expecting his or her fairy tales to come true...that will just make YOU the punchline at the next Georgetown cocktail party.
Note: We are grateful for the many, MANY e-mails we have received on this new blog. However, we would greatly appreciate if you would add your comments or questions to the "Comments" section at the bottom of each day's postings and if you would encourage others, through your FB or MySpace or your personal e-mail list, to join, visit, and participate. The more the merrier...
and the next round is on us.
I have long believed the main reason the nabobs in WADC can't get anything accomplished is because the nut jobs (the 10% at either end of the spectrum) are yelling so loudly, no one can hear the semi-sensible 80% in the middle, including themselves. So, beginning today, the menu for Hump Day at The Lounge will be Solution Stew. We'll take a single topic for which there is a current disagreement, and we'll solve it. Your comments at the bottom of every column are, of course, more than welcome.
Today's topic: The Federal Government
"WOW!", you say to yourself as you read this. "Either this guy is an absolute genius for being able to correct the inefficiency and incompetence of the Federal Government, or a blithering idiot for believing he can".
While I am quite certain you'll find more people who believe the latter rather than the former, if we look at the actual cause of the problems in Washington, the answer is really quite simple. I took the "Backwards Approach", defining the problem, and then taking the logical steps backwards to where I wanted to end up.
The problems stem from the quite understandable desire of those interested in serving in elected office to be re-elected. This desire, combined with the high level of competitiveness for these relatively few positions, leads to an increase in the effort and thereby the resources (read: money) that are necessary to attain victory on election day.
Being that money does not grow on trees, persons wishing to win said election need to raise necessary financial resources, and therefore look at what they have that would be of value to those who can provide it. The answer: Should these candidates be victorious and attain a seat in either house of Congress or the Oval Office, they would then be in a position to vote for or support legislation that would be looked upon favorably by those heavy ticket contributors.
This has completely changed the dynamic of our political sysytem as it was meant to be. The individual is no longer a "representative", but a "politician", and the priority for the politician is no longer about representing the constituents of their district, state or nation, but rather about getting elected (or re-elected). The decisions they make, the votes they cast, and the laws they sign or veto are now at the behest of those individuals, organizations and large corporate interests who can help insure their continued stay in washington, instead of the electorate, and now you have the mess that currently exists.
So, how do we fix it?
Well, if the problem is created by the financial influence of the special interests, then that is what needs to be eliminated.
So the question now becomes: "How can the electoral process be financed so that these special interests have no influence?"
The answer is to make the electorate the only special interest. In other words, if "the people" fund the elections, then that is who the repesentatives will be beholden to.
So the question now becomes: "How can the people (the government) afford to finance the elections?"
To find that answer we need to ask one other: "Where do the government's funds that would be used for such a purpose come from?"
The answer of course is, from the individual and corporate taxes we pay.
"Oh!", but you say, "we're already paying too much in taxes, we can't aford any more and we certainly can't afford to put our nation deeper in debt. How do we do it?"
This is the easy part. And you'll be amazed to find the answer is to actually lower the tax rates on virtually all Americans and corporate interests. Now I can hear those of oyu on th efar left already screaming about "Trickle Down" and taking food from the plates of the poor. Relax, nothing could be further fromthe truth. And here's why...
In 2007, presidential candidate Ron Paul's campaign did a massive study on what the effects of a flat tax system. The study found that the current Federal Tax Code was made up of nearly 80% of exemptions, set-asides, deferments, and deductions for a very small number of qualifying citizens or corporate entities. The results of this study, that the federal government would be much more financially solvent were they to elinimate these special interest deductions and simply lower everyone's taxes to a set, flat rate, were corroborated a year later when Mobil/Exxon posted 92 BILLION dollars in PROFITS for fiscal year 2008 however, because of the more than 3,400 pages devoted specifically to corporatins of which they were the only one fully qualified to take advantage of them, paid less than 112 million dollars if federal income tax in that same fiscal year.
Paul's idea in theory was brilliant, however being that he was running for office, the proposal was skewed just enough to hopefully attract voters, but also to make it wholly ineffective. Now, using Paul's research, I have devised the following Flat Tax Program:
1. Eliminate ALL individual and corporate tax incentives, deductions, set-asides, deferments and exemptions and reduce the Federal Income Tax Rate to 15%. This will now include ALL business done, world wide, by any business or corporation based in the United States. If those businesses choose to relocate outside the US, there will be a 22% tarriff on all goods and service transactions here in the US.
Small businesses (those with less than 100 employees and or a profit of less than $1 million), will have a FITR of $12%.
Individuals earning between $14,000 and $19,500 will have an FTR of 10%, with those earning between $9,500 and $13,999 will have an FTR of 5%.
Those earning less than $9,500 will be exempt from Federal Income Tax. Social Security, pensions, and 401k will also be exempt from taxation.
With regards to inheritance taxation, liquid assets (cash, stocks, bonds, real property, and saleable goods will be taxed at a rate of 10%, with non-durable goods (transportations, machinery, etc.) will only be taxed at the time of any future sale of the asset by the assignee.
Capital Gains tax will also be reduced to a flat 15%.
By making the stated tax burden for everyone the actual tax burden for everyone, and by eliminating the tax advantages for the privelaged few, conservatives will be getting what they have been clamoring for, for as long as anyone can remember...a fair and equal taxation system. Progressives will in turn, be getting what they have been shouting about for just as long, profitable corporations to pay their fair share.
What the American people will receive from this is the following:
1. Funding to rebuild or update EVERY public elementary, middle and high school as well as to provide states with subsidies to start ALL public school teachers at 100K per year, with raises (and job security) to be based on performance. Tenure no longer exists.
2. Funding for research into alternative fuels and 100mgp hybrid engines.
3. Permanent solvency for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid as well as a government funded universal healthcare coverage for those who can not afford coverage themselves. The universal "public option" will create a "real" competition in the insurance market, causing ALL insurance rates to drop and with the drop in lower and middle class FITR's, evryone should be able to afford their own coverage, thereby reducing the financial burden to the government.
4. Funding for transportation and utility infrastructure, those jobs helping to thereby decrease the unemployment rolls and welfare entitlements AND increase governmental revenue.
5. Increase funding for local, state and federal law enforcement as well as to our military and border patrol efforts.
6. And most important, full funding for all congressional, senatorial and presidential elections, thereby returning the jobs of our elected officials to be as they were always intended, to repersent the electorate.
The only real downside to this is the temporary increase by 65,000 to the unemployment rolls, as the lobbyists onK Street will now be out of work.
Now for the bad news.
This will never happen, because it does not benefit one very small group of American citizens.
The American Politician.
Were this to come to fruition, there would be no more tax payer funded flights for officials and their families to exciting, overseas locales, where they have no business in teh first place; no "junkets" to the golf courses and resorts on the islands while they research the rising tides and their effect on the economy of Jakarta; no more African safaris to help determine the need for protection of the three-toes sloth.
If the blowhards in the Tea Party want to make a difference, do this. If the American people want to get their government back and see the American dream truly be a reality accessible to ALL its citizens, here's your answer.
Continuing to vote for the next politician who tells you what you want to hear and expecting his or her fairy tales to come true...that will just make YOU the punchline at the next Georgetown cocktail party.
Note: We are grateful for the many, MANY e-mails we have received on this new blog. However, we would greatly appreciate if you would add your comments or questions to the "Comments" section at the bottom of each day's postings and if you would encourage others, through your FB or MySpace or your personal e-mail list, to join, visit, and participate. The more the merrier...
and the next round is on us.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Spring Cleaning
MORE IS LESS: Is it just me or has the constant need for bigger, better, larger, louder, more flashy and too trashy brought us to a point where we have a lot less really good entertainment and a lot more...CRAP? The music of Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Buffett has been replaced by the incessant noise of Marilyn Manson and Lady Gaga. Instead of movies like The Godfather and On Golden Pond , cineplexes now offer us The Wrestler and Hannah Montana: The Movie. Where we once had M*A*S*H* and The West Wing, the networks give us The Bachelor and American Idol. Classic tales in novels like Exodus and To Kill a Mockingbird have been replaced by Going Rogue and yet another tome of soft porn by Danielle Steele. Perhaps another blog may be in order...yeah...Quality.com...reviewing retreads which even 20 or 30 or 40 years later are far superior to the dung heep we're presented with today...
STICK A FORK IN HER: Until she does something else incredibly stupid (read: about a week or two), comedy is really the only value Sarah Palin has left to offer. Following last week's 'Snatch and Dash' in the pre-Oscar party Swag Suites, Ms. Foot-In-Her-Mouth spoke before a partisan crowd in Indiana where she defended using crib notes on her hand so that when asked, she could remember what her priorities were, by comparing herself to God. Then the next day, before a group of conservative Canadian legislators, Granny Sarah changed the facts of a story she told during her infamous "Wink and Strut" speech at the 'Pub Nat. Convention. Did she think no one was going to remember that convention speech or notice the changes? Persoanlly, I am thinking Lettermen has her on his payroll. She's just giving him too much material to be doing it for free. Ands since you're on the way out Sarah, could you please take Nancy and Harry with ya?...
IF MEMORY SERVES...just following the first year of the Reagan presidency, Ronnie was bottoming out in the polls and needed something to get himself back on track and more importantly, get the American people with him. He wallopped the Air Traffic Controllers Union and then stood up before the tv cams and said, "THIS is how it's going to be, end of story". Right or wrong, the people loved him for having a plan, sticking to it, and not letting congress push him around. It's time Pres. Obama followed suit. Lay out the "original" ideas you had for healthcare reform, tell Pelosi and Reid they either get in line and play nice with the other side of the aisle or you're going to take a couple of visits out west this summer...on behalf of their opponents...and kick those two to the curb. And yes, I know that's two items in a row where I suggest the political demise of the Dumbnamic Duo, but this is that important and they are that bad...
THEY DID WHAT?: My sports-fix guru Dennis Miller, editor of ACES: Northern California's Premiere Golf Lifestyle Magazine ( www.acesgolfmagazine.com due to hit news stands with the debut issue this summer!) tells me that San Francisco 49ers team owners Denise and John York have gone and signed yet another FORMER #1 NFL draft pick, this time Houston Texans' reject David Carr, at the QB spot. Two thoughts here: 1. These people must have inherited their wealth, because no one can be successful and still be this stupid, and 2. Football intelligence is NOT hereditary. Denise, do the world a favor and on his next brithday (or better yet, for St. Patty's Day!), give your brother Eddie back his team. Trust me, after what you and your hubby have done to this onc storied franchise, the NFL will not only welcome EddieD (owner of the epic Niner teams of the 80's and 90's) back to the fold, but if you play it smart (meaning have someone else lead the negotiations), you can probably get the league to pony up for the new stadium...
WALKING THE DOG this morning, I was thinking about the 72 cardboard boxes that remain, untouched, in my garage, where they have resided since we bought the Brandon Drive house more than two years ago. Lisa and a friend are going on a three-state Temple-hopping tour in late June and I was thinking this may be the perfect time to move the stuff we'll never use from the garage out to the storage unit. But then I figured, this WILL be the summer we'll decide to pull out the peuce and fuscia fondue pot...
TOMORROW THE LOUNGE will offer up it's Hump Day pot of Solution Stew. But for today, here's a quick and easy fix to stop the spitefull bickering and useless arguing between the people who are supposed to be representing us and doing our work in the nation's capitol: FIRE 'EM ALL! The ULTIMATE Spring Cleaning Job. If every voter commits to select the challenger, and all the incumbants from BOTH parties in BOTH houses of Congress are shown the door, then the new kids in town can start over, doing what we want them to do, instead of appeasing the lobbyists and their election donations. Stop and think for just a second...how totally cool, and American, that would be.
STICK A FORK IN HER: Until she does something else incredibly stupid (read: about a week or two), comedy is really the only value Sarah Palin has left to offer. Following last week's 'Snatch and Dash' in the pre-Oscar party Swag Suites, Ms. Foot-In-Her-Mouth spoke before a partisan crowd in Indiana where she defended using crib notes on her hand so that when asked, she could remember what her priorities were, by comparing herself to God. Then the next day, before a group of conservative Canadian legislators, Granny Sarah changed the facts of a story she told during her infamous "Wink and Strut" speech at the 'Pub Nat. Convention. Did she think no one was going to remember that convention speech or notice the changes? Persoanlly, I am thinking Lettermen has her on his payroll. She's just giving him too much material to be doing it for free. Ands since you're on the way out Sarah, could you please take Nancy and Harry with ya?...
IF MEMORY SERVES...just following the first year of the Reagan presidency, Ronnie was bottoming out in the polls and needed something to get himself back on track and more importantly, get the American people with him. He wallopped the Air Traffic Controllers Union and then stood up before the tv cams and said, "THIS is how it's going to be, end of story". Right or wrong, the people loved him for having a plan, sticking to it, and not letting congress push him around. It's time Pres. Obama followed suit. Lay out the "original" ideas you had for healthcare reform, tell Pelosi and Reid they either get in line and play nice with the other side of the aisle or you're going to take a couple of visits out west this summer...on behalf of their opponents...and kick those two to the curb. And yes, I know that's two items in a row where I suggest the political demise of the Dumbnamic Duo, but this is that important and they are that bad...
THEY DID WHAT?: My sports-fix guru Dennis Miller, editor of ACES: Northern California's Premiere Golf Lifestyle Magazine ( www.acesgolfmagazine.com due to hit news stands with the debut issue this summer!) tells me that San Francisco 49ers team owners Denise and John York have gone and signed yet another FORMER #1 NFL draft pick, this time Houston Texans' reject David Carr, at the QB spot. Two thoughts here: 1. These people must have inherited their wealth, because no one can be successful and still be this stupid, and 2. Football intelligence is NOT hereditary. Denise, do the world a favor and on his next brithday (or better yet, for St. Patty's Day!), give your brother Eddie back his team. Trust me, after what you and your hubby have done to this onc storied franchise, the NFL will not only welcome EddieD (owner of the epic Niner teams of the 80's and 90's) back to the fold, but if you play it smart (meaning have someone else lead the negotiations), you can probably get the league to pony up for the new stadium...
WALKING THE DOG this morning, I was thinking about the 72 cardboard boxes that remain, untouched, in my garage, where they have resided since we bought the Brandon Drive house more than two years ago. Lisa and a friend are going on a three-state Temple-hopping tour in late June and I was thinking this may be the perfect time to move the stuff we'll never use from the garage out to the storage unit. But then I figured, this WILL be the summer we'll decide to pull out the peuce and fuscia fondue pot...
TOMORROW THE LOUNGE will offer up it's Hump Day pot of Solution Stew. But for today, here's a quick and easy fix to stop the spitefull bickering and useless arguing between the people who are supposed to be representing us and doing our work in the nation's capitol: FIRE 'EM ALL! The ULTIMATE Spring Cleaning Job. If every voter commits to select the challenger, and all the incumbants from BOTH parties in BOTH houses of Congress are shown the door, then the new kids in town can start over, doing what we want them to do, instead of appeasing the lobbyists and their election donations. Stop and think for just a second...how totally cool, and American, that would be.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday Recap
MANY OUTSTANDING MOMENTS during Granpda Weekend. Aiden hangin' with Huck; like Rick and Louis at the end of Casablanca, the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The heart-melting smile the first time the little cowboy turned the light switch off by himself (it doesn't take much to entertain a 10 month old). The classic Bubblebath/Rubber Ducky Hour to bring a quiet end to each day. But for this extended four-day weekend, nothing topped the precursor to yesterday's mid-morning nap. 10:30 hits and like clockwork, a rabid case of the "crankies" set in...imagine Chucky having a really bad day. But a diaper change and a chilled bottle of 2010 Infamil Private Reserve...which usually sends him right into Sandmanland and...Mr. Cranky Pants still wants more. So, I fix him another bottle and when I return, he's not the least bit interested; instead, perfectly content to lay in my arms and have me rock him to sleep with a couple of less-than-stellar James Taylor covers, Long Ago and Far Away and Sweet Baby James. Fortunately, the lad has no musical ear yet, so my ick-apella lullabys were enough to put him to sleep...and I got to walk around the rest of the day with a case of the uber-warm fuzzies...
THE OSCARS FOR this family is as follows: didn't watch it, weren't all that interested in who won. I remember back in the days when Oscar Night was a "big" deal; in fact maybe the first actual "Must See TV". Mostly I remember the hosts. I recall Bob Hope when I was younger, then the Carson Years of the late 70's/early 80's, followed by the Billy Crystal/Whoopi Goldberg 90's, probably the longest stretch of great Oscar nights, highlighted of course by Crystal's opening sequences that were always funnier and more creative than any of the movies nominated. If the Academy was smart, they'd pay Crystal whatever he wanted, give him 100% control and sign him to a lifetime contract. As for last night, my thanks to gal pal Patty Santin for her live updates via FB chat while I was sitting at the keyboard catching up on work I put off to spend the last four days with Mr. Smiley Face...
AL GORE DEPT: Here in IF, two years ago we had our last substantial snowfall on June 11. Last year, May 21. Yesterday, March 7, was our third consecutive day with temps over 35 and the second in a row over 40, and in every yard on our street, it was hard to find more than a melting snowman's worth of the white stuff. Being a NoCal boy, I'm as happy as Tiger Woods in a hotel room full of b-cup bleach blondes, but I am wondering how the anti-GW crowd will explain this one. Maybe passing it off as a reasonable result from all the extra driving we've been doing since our community-minded friends at the oil companies lowered pump prices to less than $3 a gal? Uh....yeah! I am sure the eco-folks are glad the guys at ExMob are finally starting to see the light...
NEXT UP, MARCH MADNESS: Today, my 13 year old heads back to school, while the 11, 15, and 17 year olds have the day off. Reason: The elementary and high schools on this side of the Snake are on Trimesters, while the Junior High, located directly next to and across the street, respectively, from each, is on a Semester schedule. Public Education at its finest...Always a day late and several million dollars short, our local, county, and state governments, along with a couple of dozen large corps are hosting a mini economic summit and jobs faire at the Civic Aud. here in IF today. Among the scheduled speakers will be Idaho Governor Butch Otter and IF Mayor Jared Fuhriman. Coming on the heels of last week's Labor Dept. announcement that new job losses were 7.2% less than expected last month, do ya think if they'd had job faires like this all over the US two years ago, we might have avoided this whole economic slump all together? Personally, I think if the gov required the banks to either lend every last cent of bailout money to businesses for expansion or give it back, with interest, we'd have all been back in black months ago...Final madness of the month: my good friend Stacy Beintema, late of arch rival Foothill High in Pleasanton and the Grupe Co. of Stockton, CA, where in 1984 she lured me into the maelstrom of property management when I began my slow departure from the peace and quiet of the rock and roll biz, turns...a year older...on the 15th. Once again, the Ides have it, and I'd say she's doing ok. A retired SJCO cop for a hub (and a fabo guy in his own right), two awesome kids (one war hero and one recent Fresno St. grad who is taking the "girls always fall in love with men just like their daddy" WAY too seriously), and a fulfilling career helping people stay alive at the American Cancer Society. Not bad for a salty (not) old gal who still doesn't look a day over 35. Happy Birthday, B...
THIS WEEKEND WAS also my brother Bob's 48th birthday. He, his lovely wife Susan, and their daughter Alex celebrated a week early in Maui, where they took a much needed vaca. Not surpisingly, I received notice on their 3rd day in paradise that they had been "Bartmaned" again. It seems everytime these two leave the continental US, disaster ensues. Nine years ago, nary a month after their wedding, they hopped a honeymoon flight to Ireland (the lengths my lil' bro will go to play a new golf course!). In the middle of their trip...9-11. Last Saturday, it was the Chilean earthquake and the very real, albeit temporary, threat of tsunami waves overrunning the islands. In the end it was an oddly enjoyable afternon for them and the thousands of other tourists bunking beachside to pack up, cart their rental cars up to high ground and watch the tide come in and out until the all-clear was given. The NTSB has politely requested the next time they are looking for a get away spot, they should try Kansas. Happy Brithday, Bubba...
AND SO ANOTHER week begins. Senioritis has already started setting in on school teachers (along with some students), geese are starting to head back to Canada, ticked they missed the Olympics, and I'm sticking pins in voodoo dolls of my friends back in Cali who are enjoying their home golf courses while, because of the snow that remains, I'm lucky to scare up a good game of Wii Golf. But we live, we love and we pray for the best, all the while remembering how blessed we are just to be able to experience the madness.
THE OSCARS FOR this family is as follows: didn't watch it, weren't all that interested in who won. I remember back in the days when Oscar Night was a "big" deal; in fact maybe the first actual "Must See TV". Mostly I remember the hosts. I recall Bob Hope when I was younger, then the Carson Years of the late 70's/early 80's, followed by the Billy Crystal/Whoopi Goldberg 90's, probably the longest stretch of great Oscar nights, highlighted of course by Crystal's opening sequences that were always funnier and more creative than any of the movies nominated. If the Academy was smart, they'd pay Crystal whatever he wanted, give him 100% control and sign him to a lifetime contract. As for last night, my thanks to gal pal Patty Santin for her live updates via FB chat while I was sitting at the keyboard catching up on work I put off to spend the last four days with Mr. Smiley Face...
AL GORE DEPT: Here in IF, two years ago we had our last substantial snowfall on June 11. Last year, May 21. Yesterday, March 7, was our third consecutive day with temps over 35 and the second in a row over 40, and in every yard on our street, it was hard to find more than a melting snowman's worth of the white stuff. Being a NoCal boy, I'm as happy as Tiger Woods in a hotel room full of b-cup bleach blondes, but I am wondering how the anti-GW crowd will explain this one. Maybe passing it off as a reasonable result from all the extra driving we've been doing since our community-minded friends at the oil companies lowered pump prices to less than $3 a gal? Uh....yeah! I am sure the eco-folks are glad the guys at ExMob are finally starting to see the light...
NEXT UP, MARCH MADNESS: Today, my 13 year old heads back to school, while the 11, 15, and 17 year olds have the day off. Reason: The elementary and high schools on this side of the Snake are on Trimesters, while the Junior High, located directly next to and across the street, respectively, from each, is on a Semester schedule. Public Education at its finest...Always a day late and several million dollars short, our local, county, and state governments, along with a couple of dozen large corps are hosting a mini economic summit and jobs faire at the Civic Aud. here in IF today. Among the scheduled speakers will be Idaho Governor Butch Otter and IF Mayor Jared Fuhriman. Coming on the heels of last week's Labor Dept. announcement that new job losses were 7.2% less than expected last month, do ya think if they'd had job faires like this all over the US two years ago, we might have avoided this whole economic slump all together? Personally, I think if the gov required the banks to either lend every last cent of bailout money to businesses for expansion or give it back, with interest, we'd have all been back in black months ago...Final madness of the month: my good friend Stacy Beintema, late of arch rival Foothill High in Pleasanton and the Grupe Co. of Stockton, CA, where in 1984 she lured me into the maelstrom of property management when I began my slow departure from the peace and quiet of the rock and roll biz, turns...a year older...on the 15th. Once again, the Ides have it, and I'd say she's doing ok. A retired SJCO cop for a hub (and a fabo guy in his own right), two awesome kids (one war hero and one recent Fresno St. grad who is taking the "girls always fall in love with men just like their daddy" WAY too seriously), and a fulfilling career helping people stay alive at the American Cancer Society. Not bad for a salty (not) old gal who still doesn't look a day over 35. Happy Birthday, B...
THIS WEEKEND WAS also my brother Bob's 48th birthday. He, his lovely wife Susan, and their daughter Alex celebrated a week early in Maui, where they took a much needed vaca. Not surpisingly, I received notice on their 3rd day in paradise that they had been "Bartmaned" again. It seems everytime these two leave the continental US, disaster ensues. Nine years ago, nary a month after their wedding, they hopped a honeymoon flight to Ireland (the lengths my lil' bro will go to play a new golf course!). In the middle of their trip...9-11. Last Saturday, it was the Chilean earthquake and the very real, albeit temporary, threat of tsunami waves overrunning the islands. In the end it was an oddly enjoyable afternon for them and the thousands of other tourists bunking beachside to pack up, cart their rental cars up to high ground and watch the tide come in and out until the all-clear was given. The NTSB has politely requested the next time they are looking for a get away spot, they should try Kansas. Happy Brithday, Bubba...
AND SO ANOTHER week begins. Senioritis has already started setting in on school teachers (along with some students), geese are starting to head back to Canada, ticked they missed the Olympics, and I'm sticking pins in voodoo dolls of my friends back in Cali who are enjoying their home golf courses while, because of the snow that remains, I'm lucky to scare up a good game of Wii Golf. But we live, we love and we pray for the best, all the while remembering how blessed we are just to be able to experience the madness.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sunday Brunch
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Mormons.
As this is the first Sunday offering of The Lounge, let me begin by announcing that while every Sunday column will be spiritual in nature, it will never be a sermon; while I will as a matter of perspective, discuss from time to time my own and other faiths, I will never proselyte, and while I will offer my personal opinions, I will never feign to speak for the leaders or masses of my own, nor disreguard, disrespect, or denegrate another faith, or those without.
That said, on this initial Sunday, The Lounge is serving up not its usual panoply of multi-topic morsels, but rather a huge Sabbath Brunch that has been simmering in my heart for many months.
I believe that, to the best of my knowledge and however well intentioned, the humanity of the leaders of my Church overshadowed Church doctrine, their personal opinions and beliefs overuled the true meaning of their revelations; and I believe they ignored the existing, sacred foundations of the Church that have stood for 173 years, when they involved themselves and the Church in the fight for the passage of California Proposition 8, to make illegal the legal right for same sex couples to be married.
And I'd like to tell you why.
On August 17, 1835, adopted as and in Section 134 of the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, were the following passages:
"We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life."
"We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul."
"We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience."
"We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy."
The above four paragraphs are direct quotations and in so many words state that as a collection of people, we should not, can not, and will not use our organization, resources, faith, or influence to inflict that faith or our beliefs on others nor take or support any action that will deprive others, regardless of their beliefs, of the same legal and spiritual rights we enjoy.
Interestingly enough, the following paragraph explains this point in even more refined and exact detail, to the extent that had this quotation from the D&C been written specifically about Proposition 8, it could not possibly have been more accurate:
"We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied."
These are points of contention that, unless and until my education is increased and I can be shown my interpretation misguided, no reasonable person can state that at the very least, there is a strong case for misstep by the Church heirarchy. Now these are good, decent, honest men, whom I look to for guidance, direction and direct revelation. I furthermore wholeheartedly believe they did look to prayer for revelation on how to address this particular issue. They are also however, human, and therefore capable of error, and while I am wholly unqualified to make that determination, I, in my heart, after an equal amount of prayer and consel, belief the facts support such a possibility.
These, however, are not even my most heartfelt points of disagreement nor my weightiest argument towards the proposition that the Church's actions on this matter were a gross miscarriage, of not only justice to the citizens of the state of California, but of our Heavenly Father's will.
From the day Church members attend their first Primary class in Sunday School, they are taught that the reason we are on the earth is so that we may learn, through experience in our earthly bodies and so that we may, with this knowledge, excercise the right of agency, of free will; to follow those commandments and laws put forth in the restored Gospel and to become worthy to rejoin our Father in Heaven, or, to reject them outright, and spend eternity in a lesser existence.
The choice is ours, as was always intended, since before the Creation.
Now, aside from the aforementioned examples of Church doctrine that have been ignored, can someone, anyone, please explain to me where or how any group of persons, much less those in His restored Church, have or were ever granted the ability and the right to take away from every person this all important right and ability to choose; a right that, was not only given to us by our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, as the lone gift that could, can and will restore us to His presence, but is in fact the only reason we were put here on Earth in the first place?
Now, does this mean I accept or agree with the idea of same sex couples being wed? It does not. In my heart, I believe He put each of us here with a plan that includes the creation of a family headed by one man and one woman. What it does mean is, the only person I have a place or right to make the choice to follow that plan, is myself.
Does it mean that I will tell people who are in or support same sex marriages that they are wrong and that my faith is the only way. It does not. I will be open and honest and explain that I believe my Heavenly Father did not include same sex marriage and homosexuality as a part of His plan for eternal life. I will explain that I believe every person has the ability to choose their path and I believe the greatest happiness will come from following His teachings. And I will tell anyone who asks that, because my Heavenly Father has instructed me to be respectful of all beliefs and those who hold them, including those that carry no belief at all, that I will always love them and be there for them should they ever need my counsel, support, or prayers.
What it means mostly is, I will never, as per my Heavenly Father's commandment to not do so, ever support any action that so resolutely and emphatically seeks to strip away from His children the one and only gift given us that will insure that we may return to His presence.
The right to choose.
As this is the first Sunday offering of The Lounge, let me begin by announcing that while every Sunday column will be spiritual in nature, it will never be a sermon; while I will as a matter of perspective, discuss from time to time my own and other faiths, I will never proselyte, and while I will offer my personal opinions, I will never feign to speak for the leaders or masses of my own, nor disreguard, disrespect, or denegrate another faith, or those without.
That said, on this initial Sunday, The Lounge is serving up not its usual panoply of multi-topic morsels, but rather a huge Sabbath Brunch that has been simmering in my heart for many months.
I believe that, to the best of my knowledge and however well intentioned, the humanity of the leaders of my Church overshadowed Church doctrine, their personal opinions and beliefs overuled the true meaning of their revelations; and I believe they ignored the existing, sacred foundations of the Church that have stood for 173 years, when they involved themselves and the Church in the fight for the passage of California Proposition 8, to make illegal the legal right for same sex couples to be married.
And I'd like to tell you why.
On August 17, 1835, adopted as and in Section 134 of the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, were the following passages:
"We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life."
"We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul."
"We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience."
"We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy."
The above four paragraphs are direct quotations and in so many words state that as a collection of people, we should not, can not, and will not use our organization, resources, faith, or influence to inflict that faith or our beliefs on others nor take or support any action that will deprive others, regardless of their beliefs, of the same legal and spiritual rights we enjoy.
Interestingly enough, the following paragraph explains this point in even more refined and exact detail, to the extent that had this quotation from the D&C been written specifically about Proposition 8, it could not possibly have been more accurate:
"We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied."
These are points of contention that, unless and until my education is increased and I can be shown my interpretation misguided, no reasonable person can state that at the very least, there is a strong case for misstep by the Church heirarchy. Now these are good, decent, honest men, whom I look to for guidance, direction and direct revelation. I furthermore wholeheartedly believe they did look to prayer for revelation on how to address this particular issue. They are also however, human, and therefore capable of error, and while I am wholly unqualified to make that determination, I, in my heart, after an equal amount of prayer and consel, belief the facts support such a possibility.
These, however, are not even my most heartfelt points of disagreement nor my weightiest argument towards the proposition that the Church's actions on this matter were a gross miscarriage, of not only justice to the citizens of the state of California, but of our Heavenly Father's will.
From the day Church members attend their first Primary class in Sunday School, they are taught that the reason we are on the earth is so that we may learn, through experience in our earthly bodies and so that we may, with this knowledge, excercise the right of agency, of free will; to follow those commandments and laws put forth in the restored Gospel and to become worthy to rejoin our Father in Heaven, or, to reject them outright, and spend eternity in a lesser existence.
The choice is ours, as was always intended, since before the Creation.
Now, aside from the aforementioned examples of Church doctrine that have been ignored, can someone, anyone, please explain to me where or how any group of persons, much less those in His restored Church, have or were ever granted the ability and the right to take away from every person this all important right and ability to choose; a right that, was not only given to us by our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, as the lone gift that could, can and will restore us to His presence, but is in fact the only reason we were put here on Earth in the first place?
Now, does this mean I accept or agree with the idea of same sex couples being wed? It does not. In my heart, I believe He put each of us here with a plan that includes the creation of a family headed by one man and one woman. What it does mean is, the only person I have a place or right to make the choice to follow that plan, is myself.
Does it mean that I will tell people who are in or support same sex marriages that they are wrong and that my faith is the only way. It does not. I will be open and honest and explain that I believe my Heavenly Father did not include same sex marriage and homosexuality as a part of His plan for eternal life. I will explain that I believe every person has the ability to choose their path and I believe the greatest happiness will come from following His teachings. And I will tell anyone who asks that, because my Heavenly Father has instructed me to be respectful of all beliefs and those who hold them, including those that carry no belief at all, that I will always love them and be there for them should they ever need my counsel, support, or prayers.
What it means mostly is, I will never, as per my Heavenly Father's commandment to not do so, ever support any action that so resolutely and emphatically seeks to strip away from His children the one and only gift given us that will insure that we may return to His presence.
The right to choose.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
And the Oscar Goes To
IT LOOKS LIKE the 'Pubs nominee for Mrs. Wholesome America, Sarah Palin, has some 'splainin' to do. After openly chastizing her former, future son-in-law, Levi Johnston for being "too Hollywood", here was Alaska's "I quit" Gov. with her uber-wholesome...cough...daughter Bristol sliding into Tinsel Town in the middle of Oscar Week. Not a biggie you say; they can go anywhere and if they're in LA when the Oscars are being presented, so what?
Well they did go anywhere; to three pre-Oscar bashes (including loading up on freebies from several gifting suites; according to witnesses, like an impolite, starving child wolfing their way through the all-you-can-eat at Chuck-a-Rama). That was of course, in between the Queen of Crib Notes and Survivor producer Mark Burnett taking several Hollywood meetings, shopping a reality show for the "so not Hollywood" hockey mom, while her not-so poster child of conservative values daughter was taping a guest spot on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager". Yeah, Levi is the one who has become too Hollywood.
You know, the neocon talking heads think the libs are afraid Palin will run for the Oval in 2012. I'm neither a neo, or a con, or a lib for that matter, but at some point each and every day, I do say a prayer that she will throw her newly gifted designer chappeau in the ring. It'll be 18 months of incredible comedy and our current CIC will get another four years to try and finish the job of AGAIN correcting the mistakes of yet another failed Bushie admin...
BETTER THAN OSCAR in the last ten years is the a debate of the Top Ten movies of all time. I love this discussion partly because my list is constantly changing, depending on my mood, and partly because I always hear at least one title I have never heard of or wouldn't have considered, which sends me surrying off (yes, I scurry) to Walkers (the local rental here in IF) to give it a try. AFI of course always puts Citizen Kane atop the list, and for filmmakers I undestand why. But as one of the regular folk who don't give two hoots about the technical aspects of a flick, I might put it in the top 15. For this time around, here, in order, are my Top 10 (and I'd love to hear yours): 10. Pride of the Yankees 9. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 8. Dead Poets Society 7. Patton 6. Field of Dreams 5. The Sting 4. The Ten Commandemnts 3. Braveheart 2. 12 Angry Men 1. On Golden Pond. And if you're wondering, I just realized that my top two both star Henry Fonda. Complete coincidence I assure you, but hardly surprising. We miss ya Hank...
ANTI-TRUST DEPT: We are a family of big movie watchers and so we go through two of the 24-bag boxes of micro-wave pop corn a week. Looking to trim a buck (and cholesterol point) or two, I suggested we go back to the air popper. Figuring I could snag one for a good price, I headed over to the local Wal-mart and found...nothing. Nada. Zip. The first two W-M associates I asked for help had never even heard of such a thing. Knowing the highest profit margins come from their grocery aisles, I wonder...would they really go so far as to not offer an inexpensive air popper just to hike up the sales of Orville's nuked product? Oh, the things we give up in the name of capitalism. If anyone knows where I can find a good Hamilton Beach...
DEATH OF A SALESMAN: Hazzahs to James Cameron for his groundbreaking work with Avatar, however, seeing that the next two summer blockbusters (including the next Harry Potter installment) will be released in 3D to capitalize on the phenomenon, I fear this is the beginning of the end of the movie going experience as we have come to know it. At the Edwards theater here in IF, the non-3D version of Avatar is going for $7.50 a pop, with the 3D ducats hiked up to $11.50. Now add to that $13 for popcorn, soda and the obligatory box of Red Vines and you're talking $25 per person. $50 bucks for a movie date and that's not counting dinner beforehand. Remember the days when a guy could take his gal to dinner, a movie and hit Inspiration Point for less than 20 smackers. Well ok, 21, considering the smack she gave you at the Point...
WHO SAYS GOOD parenting is going out of style? Overheard at a local movie house last week. Boy: Well, can't I even put my arm around you? Girl: No, my parents are sitting in the back row. Boy: No they aren't. Girl: Yes, they are! You think they'd let me go on a date with you by myself? I'm only 16! Sure enough, at the end of the movie, the boy and girl head up for the doors and meet up with the girl's parents and leave the theater together. I sure hope my daughter Caroline, who turns 16 in June wants to go see the Matt Damon movie this summer...
A SURVEY FROM Good Housekeeping states that 87% of all diets or weight reduction programs begin on January 1st. So is it just bad marketing or utter cruelty towards the masses that causes the Girl Scouts to hold their annual cookie onslaught less than 2 months later? Can't you imagine how many more boxes of tagalongs they;'d sell if they did this in October? Personally, I smell a conspiracy with the people at Jenny Craig and think Congress should investigate. Nah, they have enough on their hands already. I'll just wait for the movie...
Well they did go anywhere; to three pre-Oscar bashes (including loading up on freebies from several gifting suites; according to witnesses, like an impolite, starving child wolfing their way through the all-you-can-eat at Chuck-a-Rama). That was of course, in between the Queen of Crib Notes and Survivor producer Mark Burnett taking several Hollywood meetings, shopping a reality show for the "so not Hollywood" hockey mom, while her not-so poster child of conservative values daughter was taping a guest spot on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager". Yeah, Levi is the one who has become too Hollywood.
You know, the neocon talking heads think the libs are afraid Palin will run for the Oval in 2012. I'm neither a neo, or a con, or a lib for that matter, but at some point each and every day, I do say a prayer that she will throw her newly gifted designer chappeau in the ring. It'll be 18 months of incredible comedy and our current CIC will get another four years to try and finish the job of AGAIN correcting the mistakes of yet another failed Bushie admin...
BETTER THAN OSCAR in the last ten years is the a debate of the Top Ten movies of all time. I love this discussion partly because my list is constantly changing, depending on my mood, and partly because I always hear at least one title I have never heard of or wouldn't have considered, which sends me surrying off (yes, I scurry) to Walkers (the local rental here in IF) to give it a try. AFI of course always puts Citizen Kane atop the list, and for filmmakers I undestand why. But as one of the regular folk who don't give two hoots about the technical aspects of a flick, I might put it in the top 15. For this time around, here, in order, are my Top 10 (and I'd love to hear yours): 10. Pride of the Yankees 9. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 8. Dead Poets Society 7. Patton 6. Field of Dreams 5. The Sting 4. The Ten Commandemnts 3. Braveheart 2. 12 Angry Men 1. On Golden Pond. And if you're wondering, I just realized that my top two both star Henry Fonda. Complete coincidence I assure you, but hardly surprising. We miss ya Hank...
ANTI-TRUST DEPT: We are a family of big movie watchers and so we go through two of the 24-bag boxes of micro-wave pop corn a week. Looking to trim a buck (and cholesterol point) or two, I suggested we go back to the air popper. Figuring I could snag one for a good price, I headed over to the local Wal-mart and found...nothing. Nada. Zip. The first two W-M associates I asked for help had never even heard of such a thing. Knowing the highest profit margins come from their grocery aisles, I wonder...would they really go so far as to not offer an inexpensive air popper just to hike up the sales of Orville's nuked product? Oh, the things we give up in the name of capitalism. If anyone knows where I can find a good Hamilton Beach...
DEATH OF A SALESMAN: Hazzahs to James Cameron for his groundbreaking work with Avatar, however, seeing that the next two summer blockbusters (including the next Harry Potter installment) will be released in 3D to capitalize on the phenomenon, I fear this is the beginning of the end of the movie going experience as we have come to know it. At the Edwards theater here in IF, the non-3D version of Avatar is going for $7.50 a pop, with the 3D ducats hiked up to $11.50. Now add to that $13 for popcorn, soda and the obligatory box of Red Vines and you're talking $25 per person. $50 bucks for a movie date and that's not counting dinner beforehand. Remember the days when a guy could take his gal to dinner, a movie and hit Inspiration Point for less than 20 smackers. Well ok, 21, considering the smack she gave you at the Point...
WHO SAYS GOOD parenting is going out of style? Overheard at a local movie house last week. Boy: Well, can't I even put my arm around you? Girl: No, my parents are sitting in the back row. Boy: No they aren't. Girl: Yes, they are! You think they'd let me go on a date with you by myself? I'm only 16! Sure enough, at the end of the movie, the boy and girl head up for the doors and meet up with the girl's parents and leave the theater together. I sure hope my daughter Caroline, who turns 16 in June wants to go see the Matt Damon movie this summer...
A SURVEY FROM Good Housekeeping states that 87% of all diets or weight reduction programs begin on January 1st. So is it just bad marketing or utter cruelty towards the masses that causes the Girl Scouts to hold their annual cookie onslaught less than 2 months later? Can't you imagine how many more boxes of tagalongs they;'d sell if they did this in October? Personally, I smell a conspiracy with the people at Jenny Craig and think Congress should investigate. Nah, they have enough on their hands already. I'll just wait for the movie...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
