Stimulus Shmimulus!

A million here, 3 trillion there; what the hell are these people doing with our money. I say 'our money' like the damn stuff really exists physically. Does it? I mean I can't ever imagine what a trillion dollars looks like, can you? Someone on Fox last night said that if you stacked a trillion donuts on top of each other you could reach one of the planets that orbit our solar system......Really? I mean, has anyone ever tried it? That's pretty damn far. I'm sure some math major with no life has the answer.

Then we hear about how they want to use it; like re-sodding the national mall for a couple of million bucks (I have dibs on any leftovers, my yard could use it). How about for birth control? Why birth control, the more future taxpayers there are, the faster we can pay back this amount of dough. Here's my favorite.....the National Endowment of the Arts. I like art, pictures, and things of that sort, but I don't think BG&E would accept any of them as payment for a monthly bill. Maybe in the checkout line at Safeway;"will that be credit, debit, cash, or art?"

I think we all get the point, here. The banks screwed up big time over the years and now time has come to pay the pauper. People are losing their jobs, savings, retirement funds, their homes, unable to send their kids to college, forced to work till they're 70, and there is no immediate end in sight. Meanwhile, some giant financial institutions continue to rub it in our faces by providing their executives with large bonuses, that are paid them directly from the bailout money they got from the government. Do they really not get it, or are we just that naive.

The President, meanwhile, continues to press for yet another giant stimulus package to 'jump start the economy'. You want to jump start the economy, Mr President? You want to help solve the housing crisis, Mr President? How about telling all working Americans that we can live tax free for the coming year. I don't know the exact numbers, but I bet it would go a long way towards 'jump starting the economy'; probably more than that stimulus package you are pursuing.

That's right, NO TAXES!

Man, The Things That Tick Me Off!

I'm just sitting at my PC, it's about 7:45 in the evening and I just turned on Fox News. I'm greeted with the helicopter coverage of a police pursuit of some apparently mentally deranged chick who is driving a U-Haul truck, which has been apparently stolen, up the Pacific Coast Highway. This really isn't the reason for this post, but it goes to prove the presence of nuts at the mere pushing of a button!

Just returned from a nice dinner with friends at the local diner. Had the swordfish, and would recommend it highly to anyone. All was fine until the bill made it to the table. Lord and behold, we noticed that the gratuity had been added into the final amount. I have to tell you, this just absolutely sets me off, and I made it quite clear to the server when asked if everything was in order. Of course this will not change the policy, but at least I made my opinion known.

PS: Back to the U-Haul. This lady has avoided spike strips in the road by crossing a median and going full speed against approaching traffic; all without collision.

Biting The Hand That Feeds You

Take a good look at this aircraft! Why, you ask. Because it's yours, that's why. Just when you thought you've heard it all about the financial bailout, we finally can top it. Today, Citigroup who recently was recipient of a $45 billion bailout, went out and bought a new corporate jet for $50 million. To make this revelation even more bizarre, the aircraft isn't even US made. It was bought from a French company, so not even one American worker was involved in its' assembly! How the hell does that help the economy? This poor judgement is the result of simple arrogance and greed. These people just don't get it. People are losing their homes, their employment, their life savings, their retirement funds, and these alleged investment experts frivolously waste our money. I see a simple solution to this chunk of stupidity, withdraw their bailout funds and require they pay it back to us with interest.

And The Winner Is....

Kirsten Gillibrand (left) has been chosen by New York's Governor to occupy the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton after her selection by President Obama to be his Secretary of State. The seat had previously been sought by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy. In a brief one sentence statement, Kennedy announced that she was withdrawing her name from consideration for personal reasons. Sources listed tax issues as well as nanny problems as playing primary roles in her decision. There was also an unconfirmed rumor of marital problems as well.

He's Done It

With the stroke of a pen, President Obama signed an Executive Order to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay Cuba within one year. What exactly is to be done with the current inmates that occupy it has not yet been determined. Apparently, some of them could conceivably wind up in US prisons, given that other countries are not actually lining up to take some.

This looked to me like more of a campaign promise fulfilment rather than a carefully thought out plan. (I can remember a recent former president being strongly criticized for not thoroughly thinking out his attack of Iraq). It seems that Obama supporters are all for closing Gitmo, but cannot come up with an answer as to what to do with the terrorists held there. My friends, it's all a simple case of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

THE GOOD: Liberals see nothing but good in closing down this facility, as they are more concerned on how its' ruthless occupants are treated.

THE BAD: I strongly encourage anyone reading this to carefully look at the picture of the 911 mastermind below. Now, can anyone truthfully say they wouldn't mind having him live in their country, much less in their neighborhood?

THE UGLY: Just imagine these people being put into our justice system. Any loophole or technicality could return any of them to the street. Do we really want this?

It's bad enough that they want to kill us, so let's just simplify their goals by bringing them into our country! Bad decision Mr. President.

Kind Of Says It All

'In His Hands'

Potential Costly Mistake

Glenn Beck of Fox News tells it like it is. Today, President Obama announced that he had ordered the closure of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay. I personally don't think that the new administration thought this thing out too carefully. There is a lot more to this than closing the prison. There remains the fate of the prisoners currently incarcerated there. Keeping in mind that they are all terrorists with ties to Al-Quaida, they would have to be transferred to other locations on the mainland.

While the idea gets many kudos amongst liberals, these same people don't want these criminals in their back yards. Whatever happened to 'you can't have your cake and eat it too'? Not to fear, though, Glenn Beck proposes to send them to Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. True, it's located in House speaker Nancy Pelosi's district, but because she supports the President's idea, maybe she should be in charge of housing them! It's important to remember that many of these people return to the battlefield once they're released, as has been discovered in recent raids. Just think of it this way, Madam Speaker, every one of these suspects you release could cost many of our brave soldiers their lives.

Kennedy Out

Caroline Kennedy issued a statement shortly after midnight announcing that she would no longer be seeking to become Senator for the state of New York. When Hillary Clinton vacated the seat to accept the Secretary of State position in the Obama Administration, Kennedy expressed her interest in the office. She sited 'personal reasons' for her intention reversal. The whole thing reeks suspicion in many ways. Kennedy's reluctance to reveal her financial information, and yet another undisclosed issue regarding a housekeeper, make her withdrawal decision probably a very wise one.

Oath of Office (take 2)

On President Barack Obama's first full day as Commander-in-Chief his schedule was a full one. Dealing with cabinet positions, a late morning service at the National Cathedral, and making phone calls to several world leaders, were some of the things that kept him well occupied. All were scheduled on the agenda, but at the end of the day there was one piece of unfinished business that was abruptly added in sort of as a precaution. The president's last visitor to the White House was Chief Justice John Roberts who dropped by so that he could administer the oath of office to the new president. Because of the slight blunder in the oath at the swearing in, it was decided that in order to cast away any doubts (legal or otherwise), that they would do it over in order to satisfy the Constitution. There was no bible used for this retake, but everyone was assured that the oath was still legal and binding. With a less noisy setting, both men executed flawlessly. This marked the only time that the oath of office has been re-administered to an incoming president.

Back To Reality

It was spectacular, mind boggling, flawless, and sometimes a little tear jerking. But that was yesterday and now the time is here for reality to return to our lives as we know it. Time for our new president to begin denting the mound of business that awaits him for the next four years. All the campaign claims, promises, accusations, etc have all given way to what he faced shortly after noon yesterday; reality! Now I'm from the old school and have grown up respecting the office of the presidency, so I truly wish our new leader well, and actually believe that with the right attitude on our part, he could succeed. For the good of the nation, he must succeed.

A Reminder Of The Past.

And so, after all the anticipation, the moment finally came today where history was made in the United States of America. Shortly after 12 noon, the oath of office was administered to the nation's first African American president, Barack Obama. Regardless of one's political affiliations, we can all be proud to be Americans on the day when our country shines at its' best.

I don't think I've seen this many people on The Mall in Washington since July 4th 1976, when the nation celebrated its' 200th anniversary. I remember because I was there in person at the base of the Washington Monument to watch the fireworks, and abruptly leaving wasn't an option. No matter where you looked was a sea of humanity.....just like it was today.

Nothing Short of a Miracle

In less than five minutes from takeoff from New York's La Guardia Airport, a US Airways Airbus with 155 people on board was forced to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River. The aircraft had collided with a flock of Canadian Geese, resulting in the loss of both engines. Thanks to the swift response of the pilot who realized that he could not set down at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport, all the people on board survived.

Once the pilot's decision was made, he quickly warned the passengers to prepare themselves for a hard landing, and proceeded to head for the Hudson River. Once he barely avoided the George Washington Bridge, he brought the craft down in the river. With a few bumps and bruises and some minor injuries, the passengers and crew were able to calmly exit onto the wings and were rescued by life rafts and awaiting boats.

To quote a witness , this incident was truly a 'disaster with a happy ending'.

Danger Zone!

With the Super Bowl fast approaching, there is a distinct possibility that two teams from the same state could be competing. Both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be battling for their conference championships on Sunday, and if successful, would represent their conferences in the Super Bowl. The problem is not the teams, but rather their fans. While Philadelphia boasts the meanest fans in the NFL, Pittsburgh fans hold up their share of the title as well.

Philadelphia fans once booed Santa Claus while he was making an appearance at a game, while Pittsburgh fans chanted that they were number one only to display it with the wrong finger. Should this match up occur, it may be necessary to call out the National Guard to keep the fans in order. The players in the meantime, can battle it out on the field, which, given the circumstances, sounds a lot safer to me!

'The View' On Single Mothers

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter appeared on The View last week to promote her new book entitled "Guilty". Her book addresses the issue of single motherhood, listing statistical examples including how 80% of inmates in the prison system as well as 70% of all runaways are products of single mothers. Not known to walk away from a fight, especially in this hostile liberal surrounding, Coulter managed to hold her own. They were able to attack her character, but not one panelist ever attempted to question the statistics.

This One's 'Organic'!

While driving home from work a few hours ago, I had my radio tuned into my usual Fox News channel, where I happened to hear the story of a doctor who had donated one of his kidneys to his critically ill wife. Compassionate, loving, unselfish, to be sure, however this tale turns bizarre at this point. Four years after the husband's saving her life, he learned of her having cheated on him around the time of the surgery. After attempts to save the marriage wound up failing, the doctor ended up filing for divorce and sued his wife for over a million dollars.

To label this lady as cold would not be too far off base. It makes me wonder when this infidelity all started, and why. Surely there must have been some sign of unhappiness on her part, or was her husband too busy with his practice to notice. Whatever the reason may be, the wife showed no regard for his feelings and took advantage of him.