Christmas Adds from the Presidential Candidates

http://www.youdecide2008.com/2007/12/19/video-2008-presidential-candidate-christmas-ads/

The Site above contains all the presidential Christmas adds. The fascinating thing about these adds is they sort of tell you how the campaigns are doing and what they are up to.

John Edwards.
In the add John talks about the poor and homeless. One point he makes is that 1 in 4 homeless people are Vets. hmmmm.... I would like to see source material on that. I find that hard to believe. He also says this is the season of Miracles, peace, hope (insert tired platitude). I feel like John made the mistake of wrapping up a political statement in Christmas cheer, and a very depressing political statement at that.
Ok John, you perform one of the following Miracles then I will seriously consider voting for you:

1. Walk on Water
2. Feed 5000 people with two fishes a small loaf of bread.
3. Turn water into wine
4. Carry you home state of North Carolina in the Dem Nomination

Clinton.................... .31%
Edwards................. .26%
Obama................... .24%
Different candidate. .12%
Undecided.............. . 8%

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_120407.pdf

Hillary's is just silly. The Government is now Santa Claus and she is wrapping it up for you. What the hell is universal pre K???? It desperately tries to make her seem warm, human and loving and fails miserably. It feels so forced and fake. This is such a microcosm of her total campaign. Here is her campaign in a nutshell, "I'm going to make them like whether they like it or not". Hillary also made the mistake of wrapping up a set of political statements in christmas cheer, I really don't think people like that. Hi jacking christmas to promote your political career. I also think she added a bullet in the Republican attack weapon with this add. It plays directly into one of the primary arguments against liberals. They want to make the Gov't into Santa Claus.

Rudy's is kind of funny but it sort of feels like he is celebrating being mean. He always comes across as one strong and mean SOB. Even when he is being funny. His add is also a political statement wrapped in Christmas cheer. I think John, Hillary and Rudy made a mistake with that approach. Barack and Huckabee did not. They definitely win the add war this Christmas.

Baracks is very good but it always makes me nervous when people bring out their children for political purposes. however, he makes you feel warm and connected to him. It was very well done. He does have very cute kids.

Huckabee is amazing. I don't like this guy for president but he comes across so personable and warm and competent. I think his add is the best. However, once you use the word Jesus Christ, you will alienate some people. Not a great political move but I can respect someone who speaks his convictions.

The 2nd coming according to Oprah

I watched the McLaughlin group and they pointed out the religious overtone of Oprah's speeches. I was shocked by the religious overtones of Oprah's speeches in Iowa and South Carolina. I don't mind talk like, I follow God or I'm trying to do what pleases God but this seems to make Barrack Obama equal to Christ. It seems to border on blasphemy.

A few Quotes I wrote down while listening to her speeches. This was very scary for me.

The Man who has a new vision for America


When you strip us down, We are American at our core, ... What we really have is an abiding faith, an abiding faith in the possibility that life can be better for every one
of us.

With our many colors, religions and languages but we have one government ... one congress ... one president ... and because we can only choose one that choice should be Barrack Obama


We do not want to reinvent the same reality we are now all experiencing but stand strong and united for the potential ... the potential with in us and the potential that lies before us.

when you do the same thing over and over you get the same results. But it is time to dream America new again by supporting Obama.

We need somebody committed to the welfare of all Americans, we need Barrack Obama, we need a new way of doing business in America,

You can not see through the political vale of other politicians. When you witness Obama, you witness a very rare thing, a politician with an ear for eloquence and a tongue dipped in the unvarnished truth.

We need a president that can proceed with moral authority. (This one surprised me, if we have anything today, we have that)


It is a dangerous imbalance when we do not realize that all human hearts are the same.


In order for humanity to evolve (and that is the reason we are on this earth) we have to learn to treasure our uniqueness and each others diversity.

These are dangerous times, you can feel it, you can sense it in the air. We need a leader who shows us how to hope again... faith again... in America as a force for
peace.

Just as Barrack Obama has seized this moment, we need to seize this opportunity to support a man that as the bible says, loves mercy and does justly... loves mercy and does justly.

none of us is God and none of us knows the future so we should seize this
moment...

Are you the one? are you the one? Well I have the answer. I'm here to tell you that he is the one, he is the one.

For the first time I'm stepping out of my pew, I've been inspired. I've been inspired. Dr King dreamed a dream but we can vote that dream into reality

A man who knows who we are and what we can be.

Each one of us has a calling to do good things on this earth
and he knows that and know us.

If you could vote against a president, Hillary wins

They did an interesting poll. If you could vote against a president then Hillary wins with 40% of the vote. Rudy comes in second with 17% and Barrack with 11%.

I was surprised by the 11%.

Mark

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3856557

Is it better to feel good or be pragmatic

Some organization is out trying to give a laptop to every poor child in the world.

http://www.dailygut.com/index.php?i=3485

It costs about $200 and is designed to be rugged.

Of course 500 million children live in serious poverty and hunger and 15 million of those die from starvation every year. So what they really need are laptops. Really.

Is this really about making a real difference or is it about making people feel good about themselves. Wouldn't that $200 dollars be better spent in building schools, paying for teachers, food, farming equipment, hospitals, medical supplies, sending doctors there, building infrastructure like electrical plants, water processing plants, Roads and bridges, etc....

Is our goal to provide for the poor and impoverished people in this world, (you know the ones that can't read, don't have electricity, a house that pours water through it when it rains and no locks on the door to protect any thing of value in it, works 12 hours a day for pennies) with the all important ability to blog, down load porn, surf their friends on myspace and get all the junk email they could hope for. Don't forget all that ad revenue when they click on those Google add sites.

I think this maybe one of the most uncaring acts I've seen in a long time.

Mitt Romney and Mormonism.

I believe and love the freedom of religion this country has and I hope one day every country in the world will embrace that. I believe everyone should pretty much be free to practice almost any religion as long as it doesn't cause serious harm to anyone associated.

I don't believe freedom of religion means that I should ignore the fundamental beliefs of presidential candidates. What a person chooses to believe and base his life around should be a personal decision but when you decide to run for office, especially the presidency, then it should matter what religion you have followed your whole life. A person's actions are almost always based on his beliefs. If I believe I can meet a nice girl at a bar, I believe meeting a nice girl would make me happy, then I'm hanging out at the bar. Change what a person believes and you will change his/her behavior.

Until 1978 the mormon church would not let a black man be a preist. Mitt Romney was in his 30's and a practicing mormon.

That the current prophet running the church today is speaking for God and is to be obeyed as if he is God.
http://www.lds-mormon.com/fourteen.shtml

"Always keep your eye on the President of the church, and if he ever tells you to do anything, even if it is wrong, and you do it, the lord will bless you for it but you don't need to worry. The lord will never let his mouthpiece lead the people astray."
LDS President Marion G. Romney (of the first presidency), quoting LDS President (and prophet) Heber J. Grant "Conference Report" Oct. 1960 p. 78

The husband gets to heaven by pleasing God, the wife gets into heaven by pleasing her husband.

"Celestial" marriage, as this eternal marriage is often called, is essential for Mormon women. Without being celestially married to a holder of the priesthood, a woman cannot be "saved" (Green 154). Mary Ettie Smith, a Mormon woman who left the church and Utah in 1856, said that "women do not amount to much in themselves," and that women in those times were often celestially married to men they had no intention of ever living with, so that they could have a man who would be able to get them into heaven (Green 154). In the temple marriage ceremony, women are given secret names known only to their husbands, for identification purposes, so their husbands can pull them through to "the other side" after death (Laake 118). During the marriage ceremony, until 1990, men made their temple covenants directly to God, while the women had to make their temple covenants to their husbands (Laake 328).

The Mormon Church currently claims about 11 million baptized members worldwide (5.2 million U.S., ranking it 5th among the largest 25 U.S. denominations), up from about 2.5 million in 1970. 1970. Over the last decade, nearly 300,000 individuals over the age of eight have joined the Mormon Church every year. Membership is expected to grow to over 23 million over the next two decades. It is growing fastest in Latin America and Asia

The Mormon Church collects at least $6 billion a year from its members, and generates at least another $5 billion in sales from its various business enterprises; total church assets exceed $30 billion. (At least 100 companies are controlled by the Mormon Church, and some estimate its total annual revenues in excess of $20 billion! The church also owns 18 radio stations in the U.S.) Part of the Church's income goes to operate an elaborate internal welfare system so its members avoid any governmental assistance. The Mormon Church also has a 58,000-plus missionary force working in more than 160 nations in 102 languages. The Church's Provo, Utah, 26-acre Missionary Training Center receives 500 new missionaries a week into its 3-9 week intensive missionary training program. (All boys, once they turn 19, are expected to dedicate two years of their lives to missionary service.) Fielding missionaries is a $500 million per year effort and currently reaps more than 300,000 new converts each year.

As of year-end 2002, there were 114 operating temples of Mormondom worldwide, with another 14 under construction or approved (albeit less elaborate than the 50 temples in existence at the end of 1997). (Approximately 65,000 members must be in an immediate area to qualify for a temple.)


God was once a man like us.
God has a tangible body of flesh and bone.
God lives on a planet near the star Kolob.
God ("Heavenly Father") has at least one wife, our "Mother in Heaven," but she is so holy that we are not to discuss her nor pray to her.
Jesus was married.
We can become like God and rule over our own universe.
There are many gods, ruling over their own worlds.
Jesus and Satan ("Lucifer") are brothers, and they are our brothers - we are all spirit children of Heavenly Father
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father by having sex with Mary, who was temporarily his wife.
We should not pray to Jesus, nor try to feel a personal relationship with him.
The "Lord" ("Jehovah") in the Old Testament is the being named Jesus in the New Testament, but different from "God the Father" ("Elohim").
In the highest degree of the celestial kingdom some men will have more than one wife.
Before coming to this earth we lived as spirits in a "pre-existence", during which we were tested; our position in this life (whether born to Mormons or savages, or in America or Africa) is our reward or punishment for our obedience in that life.
Dark skin is a curse from God, the result of our sin, or the sin of our ancestors. If sufficiently righteous, a dark-skinned person will become light-skinned.
The Garden of Eden was in Missouri. All humanity before the Great Flood lived in the western hemisphere. The Ark transported Noah and the other survivors to the eastern hemisphere.
Not only will human beings be resurrected to eternal life, but also all animals - everything that has ever lived on earth - will be resurrected and dwell in heaven.
Christ will not return to earth in any year that has seen a rainbow.
Mormons should avoid traveling on water, since Satan rules the waters.
The sun receives its light from the star Kolob.
If a Gentile becomes Mormon, the Holy Ghost actually purges his Gentile blood and replaces it with Israelite blood.
A righteous Mormon will actually see the face of God in the Mormon temple.
You can identify a false angel by the color of his hair, or by offering to shake his hand.

Healthcare Costs - Supply and Demand

I've been talking recently about Tort reform and how it could impact the cost of health care. Helping to make health care more affordable and thus increasing health care so that we can achieve universal health care with out completely giving control of health care to the Gov't, the good people that brought you public restrooms, Medicare, Medicaid and the post office.

One of the ways to manage costs is to increase Supply and reduce Demand.
Lets talk about Supply first and then Address Demand later. Increasing Supply requires us to increase the number of Doctors, Dentists, Nurses etc.. working. We actually have a lot of Doctors but many of them simply don't work or limit the kind of work they do because of the cost of insurance. I believe a key impediment to Doctor is the extreme cost of becoming a doctor and the huge debt one must go accumulate to become a Doctor and of course how difficult the training is for This. I'm not sure I want to address how difficult this is, I think I want it to continue to be difficult to be a doctor from the work load and how much you have to learn. However, I feel that the one area the Gov't can and should get involve is not to pay for Insurance but instead to pay for our Doctors' education. I think anyone who can get accepted to Med School should be able to get a full ride from our Gov't. I believe this would significantly enable and increase the number of doctors entering the workforce. I also believe that if a person got a free education from the Gov't they are required to pay it back by giving 10% to 20% of their time and earnings to Needy people and Free Clinics. Focused mostly on Preventive care. In fact I think most preventive care could be paid given away by those that received a free education. This would actually increase the cost of health care some what. Because then for the doctor to make his money he would have to charge 10% to 20% more for the other work he is doing. However, This is going to be much cheaper than the taxes required for the Gov't to create another bureaucracy to create a health care system that covers all Americans.

By increasing or even making free most or all of our preventative health care work, we would see a significant decrease in the amount of emergency and truly expensive work we are doing now. Such a large portion of our population is waiting to see the doctor at a point where the work is very expensive and less likely to be effective. We actually find that people with Insurance spends less on health care because they get the maintenance and preventive care that so many do not.

By removing the cost barriers of becoming a doctor and getting them to pay it back in preventive care for the poor, we increase Supply and reduce demand.

tort reform and contigency fees

A contigency fee is where an attorney recieves a portion of the winning if they win the case.

What the contigency fee does is two fold: First it builds up the lawyer lottery. To win the lottery you have to play and the more you play the more likely you are to win. So the more the lawyer sues people the more likely he is to win the lottery. The lottery is the right combination of suffering and pain combined with activist judges and money happy juries that can result in out of control settlements. All you have to do is keep playing the lawyer lottery and you will get that big judgement. Then once you get that judgement you get 25% to 50% of all that money. Of course you can build up fear of paying out on the lottery and get insurace companies and corporations to just give you money to go away. Then you can take 25% to 50% of that also.

Secondly it takes money from those truly suffering. For example, I recently hear of a family that was rear ended on a free way. The individual responsible for the wreck sold cars for a living. The car had been loaned to him as part of his employment. A look at this mans record would have indicated a history of unsafe driving and therefore loaning cars to this person was unwise and put the car lot as part of the responsible party in the accident. So now this case is interesting to a lawyer because there are deep pockets and they can maintain a percentage of responsbility. This creates a lottery situation. Notice that if this persons record was clean then there was a much smaller chance a lawyer would take this case. so the lawyers begin pursuing the lottery. In response the insurance companies decide to avoid the potential pay off and settle for around 5 million in suffering and lost wages to the family and spouse of the wife killed in the car. The lawyer takes 1.5 million of this money. The family's suffering, medical bills and lost wages are calculated out at 5 million and the lawyer get 1.5 of it. for what? If the money is for those truly hurting, how does this much money go to a lawyer. Take a paralyzed person for example. I've heard lawyers talk about how this is the biggest lottery ticket. Because that person can sit in the courthouse and juries are going to feel awful on top of the incredible money they can ask for concerning long term medical costs. therefore if a paralyzed person needs 2 million to pay medical costs, how does a lawyer justify taking 600K to 1 million of that in contigency fees?

options:
1. reduce the allowed amount to around 10%.
2. eliminate this as an option and force costs to be charged. I don't like this because then lawyers would be incented to delay the action to bill more time.
3. force the loser to pay for courts costs. again we have the issue of lawyers delaying action to increase billable time.
4. all lawyers go on the gov't as salaried employees or work for corporations as salaried employees and bonus them on how quickly justice is served.

Wikipedia list the strengths and weaknesses as
[edit] Advantages
A contingency fee arrangement provides access to the courts for those who cannot afford to pay the attorneys fees and costs of civil litigation. Contingency fees also provide a powerful motivation to the attorney to work diligently on the client's case. In other types of litigation where clients pay the attorney by the hour for their time, it makes little economic difference to the attorney whether the client has a successful outcome to the litigation. Finally, because lawyers assume the financial risk of litigation, the number of speculative or unmeritorious cases may be reduced..

[edit] Disadvantages
Contingency fees do not guarantee civil justice, or even access to the courts. Lawyers sometimes "cherry-pick" only the strongest claims which are most likely to succeed. Not all cases are immediately transparent. Some require extensive investigation before the chances of success can be properly assessed. Such cases might be turned away because even the initial assessment of their strength is costly and risky.

NoChance.com

According to a recent zogby poll. Hillary clinton would lose in a genral election against every major republican candidate.

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1393

No chance at all!

Tort Reform - Addressing the argument against

One of the key arguments against Tort Reform has:

"We've lost our system of legal accountability, said N. Alex Winslow, executive director of Texas Watch, a consumer advocacy group. "Just having more doctors doesn't make patients safer. It remains to be seen who is coming to our state."

This argument is weak at best. What tort reform does do is limit the cost to society of an out of control system that has become the opposite of what it was intended for. Right now law suit after law suit is filed. It like playing the lottery. Their is little cost and eventually you will hit pay dirt. Just the threat of huge payoffs cause insurance companies and corporations to pay out on dubious claims just to avoid the risk of finding that dangerous combination of activist judge and crazy jury. By reducing, not eliminating, the amount a person can win in non economic costs to $250,000 per entity the state of Texas has significantly reduced the number of lawsuits being filed, decreased the health care insurance premiums by over 21% and increased the number of people acting as doctors in the State.

But lets look at an argument on the other side. An classic example is the Ford Pinto case. Here we learn that the automobile industry calculate the cost of lawsuits versus the cost of recall to decide if they want to recall a vehicle that they know is dangerous to drive. If we have tort reform then the automobile industry will reduce their number of recalls and maybe even safety controls and therefore hurt the safety of Americans.

However, what they didn't have in the seventies like they have in the 21st century is serious competition. If Ford begins to make a lot of unsafe cars then they are out of business. IF they are not already close to that already. The free market system and a free press will correct this problem. We don't need a bunch of lawyers getting rich off the pain and suffering of people before the market or company makes the required correction.

Lets look at another issue. Tobacco. Many of those opposed to Tort reform point to the work done on the Tobacco industry. Well this is ridiculous because anyone who honestly looks at this knows that the only thing that came of those lawsuits was a lot of money went into the lawyer pockets just so that Tobacco could avoid being sued by all the people that were actually made sick. So now the Lawyers are rich, Tobacco can continue poisoning people and where is real care for those suffering from lung cancer, Heart disease and the host of other diseases killing Americans.

Tort Reform - We really do need this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tort_reform

http://www.atra.org/wrap/files.cgi/7964_howworks.html

I feel like one of this country's biggest problems is the money made on lawsuits. This kind of wealth movement for little to no real value is killing innovation and our health care systems.

Today I was thinking about how the left is looking for it's "Contract for America" and Reagan-esque ideas that would help champions it's causes and how they seem to be moving toward universal health care. I think Universal Health Care is the worst of ideas. The same people who brought you public restroom, the Post office, Medicare and Medicaid and the American/Mexican Border are now going to be in charge of your health care. On the other hand, I know a lot of people who work hard, are wonderful members of society but have no health care and desperately need it. So something truly does need to change. The primary issues that is killing access to health care for millions is the continual rise of cost of health care and health care insurance. The rise of health costs can be partly if not mostly attributed to rising health care provider insurance. Especially in pediatrics. A significant burden to insurance companies is the lawsuit factor. Not only is the number of lawsuits and the crazy pay outs that happen often driving the cost of health care and health care insurance out of reach for the lower middle class, it's also choking off important funding that companies could use to innovate and improve itself. So many potential companies fail to achieve their potential because of the risk of lawsuits.

I believe one important move to make health care available to 100% of our working members of society is to do something about Tort Reform.

Recently Texas enacted some of the toughest Tort reform rules a state has ever had.
http://www.tortreform.com/node/433
In the following article and excerpt to follow, Texas has seen a 21.3% drop in health care insurance premiums. That has resulted in many more doctors moving to Texas and real savings for those using health care.

Four years after Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment limiting awards in medical malpractice lawsuits, doctors are responding as supporters predicted, arriving from all parts of the country to swell the ranks of specialists at Texas hospitals and bring professional health care to some long-underserved rural areas
...
For pain and suffering, so-called noneconomic damage, patients can sue a doctor and, in unusual cases, up to two health care institutions for no more than $250,000 each, under limits adopted by the Legislature. Plaintiffs can still recover economic losses, like the cost of continuing medical care or lost income, but the amount they can win was capped at $1.6 million in death cases.
...
The increase in doctors - double the rate of the population increase - has
raised the state's ranking in physicians per capita to 42nd in 2005 from 48th in 2001, according to the American Medical Association. It is most likely considerably higher now, according to the medical association, which takes two years to compile the standings. Still, the latest figures show Texas with 194 patient-care physicians per 100,000 population, far below the District of Columbia, which led the nation with 659.
...
Adding to the state's allure for doctors, Mr. Opelt said, was an average 21.3 percent drop in malpractice insurance premiums, not counting rebates for renewal.
...

Turning Lead into Gold and taking Shots at each other.

Turning Political Lead into Political Gold
I have to say I was very impressed with Mike Huckabee on Fox News with Chris Wallace this weekend. Chris Wallace brought out a lot of accusations that Mike faced as Governor of Arkansas and Mike handled himself as well, if not better, than Bill Clinton himself. When confronted by multiple accusations concerning his use of the Governorship to increase personal wealth, he give a very good explanation for each item. Here is the part that was impressive. After each explanation he explains how this is the way things are done in Arkansas and how this has given him the ability to run a very effective campaign and go the distance. It was so impressive to see someone getting beat up politically on national TV by professional journalist (politically bullies) and see him turn it into nothing but smoke and then twist it into this amazing positive about what a great person he is. This man can turn lead into political Gold. However, I don't think he has a chance at winning the nomination. He will do well in Iowa and probably not in a state as secular as New Hampshire. He is an ex-Baptist preacher. But come Super Tuesday, he is Toast. He does not have the money to do the kind of campaigning super Tuesday will require and he doesn't have the time to come up with the cash on hand. What he can do is make Rudy much more acceptable to the Christian Right as his running mate. We will see that? I think Rudy would be smart to consider it.

That brings up another important point. Super Tuesday gives many states more of a say in who is elected president and reduces the importance of Iowa and New Hampshire as one of the key decision points. that kind of thing would be good, just look at the results of John Kerry. That was a bad idea all the way around. What it also does is force the election to be more about how much money you have and less about who you are and what you are really saying day in and day out. Super Tuesday campaigning will be done on TV, not at the local eateries, state fairs, pancake breakfasts and Chili cook offs of Iowa and New Hampshire. I'm not convinced we have done ourselves a service with this Super Tuesday thing.

Taking Shots
Recently Novak claimed that Hillary was claiming that she had bad dirt on Obama but wouldn't share it because she cared too much for the Democratic party to be so ugly. So Obama charged her with getting honest with the people and share it. They also claimed that this was just like an awful Republican trick. Of course the Hillary campaign responded with the claim that anyone who has any experience would recognize the finger prints of the GOP behind this scam and would just ignore it. I love this comment, the carefully worded slam against Obama's primary weakness, experience. Of course Obama was going after her primary weakness, She is just plain evil and does as much if not more evil than the Republicans. It's fun to watch the Democrats out hypocrite themselves while vacillating between self righteous talk, wounded victim and just plain evil innuendos.

HillaryHasNoChance.Com

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1376

At the top of the list as to people would NEVER vote for is Hillary Clinton at 50%. As of October 2007, over 50% of likely voters would never vote for Hillary. People would be more likely to vote for Dennis Kucinich than Hillary. Ron Paul does better than Hillary.

Obama's real chance.

Does Obama have a shot at the winning the Democratic Nomination? He has one according to Juan Gomez of NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1930705
and Fox New Sunday with Chris Wallace.

If John Edwards attempt at nomination dies, then which way will those supporting John Edwards go. For the last several months we have seen Hillary's poll numbers rise. I think that has come mostly from those originally support Edwards and think Hillary is an acceptable alternative. However if he falls apart, like his getting booed this weekend, then I think the 12% to 21% polling that he gets
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/iowa.html
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/zogby-national-polls.html

would then go to Obama. Notice in the national poll, there is 18% undecided. Undecided is interesting because that is a group of people not supporting Hillary. How much more do you need to know to decide whether to support Hillary. It think that is 18% hoping someone comes around that they can support besides Hillary. Add the 12% John is getting to the 18% undecided and then to Obama's 24% he is getting and that's 54%. Can he get all of that 12 and 18, probably not but all he needs is more than her 38%. I suspect if he begins to pull closer to her, we could see that 38% erode. Realize that Bill Clinton was originally elected by 43% of the electorate thanks to Ross Perot taking 20% of the vote. Right now Hillary is winning by splitting those voting against her between John and Obama. Can Obama turn that around. We will see.

Is the "B" word the new "N" word

Hillary is now calling out John Edwards for acting like "B"ush because he is attacking her and dividing people like a "Bush". John Edwards is saying that planting softball questions in town hall meetings is acting like a "B"ush.

Has it really fallen this far. Has the sitting president of the United States become a curse word for Democrats. Is the real enemy George Bush, really. Can the leaders of the Democratic party be so irresponsible as to paint our president as the bad guy. Look at the slow deterioration of Democracy and Capitalism by the KGB inspired leadership of Yeltsin, or the dangerous Rhetoric of Hugo Chavez, The nuclear weapon empowered nutcase running half of Korea, the Genocide in Rwanda and the Rampant HIV plague killing millions in Africa, Nuclear weapon empowered Pakistan lies at the doorstep of Anarchy, and Iran continues to help kill our troops every day. And the problem the Democrats face is George Bush. Is he doing a great job? I can't see that anyone is offering a better plan other than, I would talk to them more. Really, what these problems needs is more talk. Wow, how disconnected from reality can we get.

In a sign of the increasingly bitter feud between the leading Democratic presidential contenders, Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign Monday accused John Edwards of acting like President Bush and dividing Democrats.

On Saturday, Edwards, while campaigning in Iowa, criticized the Clinton camp for planting a question in the audience, saying the practice is "what George Bush does."

"George Bush goes to events that are staged, where people are screened, where they're only allowed to ask questions if the questions are favorable to George Bush and set up in his favor," the former senator from North Carolina said.

But it is Edwards who is acting more like the sitting Republican president, the Clinton camp says. "What George Bush does is attack Democrats and divide the country," Clinton campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee said Monday. "Sen. Edwards' campaign resembles that more and more every day."

Edwards comments came after the Grinnell College's "Scarlet and Black" newspaper reported a student's account of being pulled aside before a campaign stop in Newton, Iowa, and asked to pose a specific question.

Starbucks, Service and Sexism

Here is a study full of correlation and a complete lack of Casuality. A very poor study, dismal science but begins an interesting point.
http://ideas.repec.org/p/mdl/mdlpap/0711.html


1. When the barrista is male a woman will have to wait on average 20 seconds longer for her sugar laden, over priced, caffeine addicting cup of delicious heaven
2. When the Barrista is male or woman and the customer is male then they get their cup of heaven faster than all groups.
3. If the patron is below average in looks then they tend to wait longer also.

What does this mean. It means people are starving in Africa and we are worried about 20 seconds spent in line at over priced coffee shops.

Finally someone truly fighting for the Environment. Eat your heart out Mr. Gore

http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/020207/loc_020207074.shtml

This Guy, In LubbockTx, Where I went to College, set up wires at neck level, broken glass and nails on Bike Trails to protect the environment. Really, Bike Trails. This place is the Mecca of Bad farming practices and Feedlots that destroy top soil and poison the ogalla aquifer and he is fighting for environment by hurting the 18 people in Lubbock that ride bikes.

Wow, talk about misguided.

Tolerance or Freedom, Make your choice. You can't have both.

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/582

This lady was fired after expressing an opinion about water boarding and the good people at the daily Kos went after her. I'm very disappointed to see an news agency, damn Canadians!, cave to what amounts to book burning. Where is the all the understanding and tolerance gone from our liberal friends at the Daily Kos. It always amazes me how much intolerance is justified by a cry for tolerance. Give it up, there is no such thing as tolerance!!! Fight for freedom and justice, but tolerance can not be enforced. It just makes you intolerant. Tolerance is only a personal choice, not a lifestyle to be slammed into the faces of people.

Recently I heard a senator claim that the war should end because our soldiers have become targets in Iraq. Really, we have put soldier in harms way and people are trying to kill them. Isn't that sort of the point of being a soldier. Isn't that the damn job! Has a segment of our population become so emotionally invested in our failure in Iraq that the possibility of success has driven them completely insane.

I do want to say that the left is right about one thing. A solution can not happen purely by Military means. To eventually succeed we do need the Iraq gov't to become a fully functioning gov't. Of course our gov't is barely functioning right now and that's because someone might run a negative add and hurt their chances of election. There, their family, friends, work comrades and even themselves could be killed. Iraq can never become a fully functioning gov't with out military action. Iraq will never achieve it's potential if we cut and run. It's going to take 20 or 30 years, just like it did in Germany before they are a fully functioning Gov't and society. But it is worth it. It was worth it in Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Korea and a host of other countries we have freed from oppression and set on the path of Democracy, Freedom and economic prosperity.

Rudy and Robertson, I'm speechless

I saw John McCain on the Sunday morning political talk show circuit and his response to the Rudy and Robertson announcement was "I'm speechless"

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/politics/2007/11/10/giulianis-good-news-and-bad-news.html

So I've watched the McLaughlin Group, Meet the Press and This week all talk about it. Everyone looked at it and predicted it would come falling apart. It was done with the worst motivation (This one is probably true). Robertson doesn't have the influence he once did (yeah, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have influence). I find all the liberal leaning lefties delightfully talking about how the Right doesn't agree with it self because they are willing to support a person that doesn't believe all the things that a powerful block of voters believe in deeply. Of course there was little talk when strongly religious black gospel singers who are very outspoken against homosexuality sing at Barack Obama events. Watching the Chris Matthews show was almost embarrassing on how little they understood or maybe wanted to admit what is driving the Rudy run for President. He is the Republicans best chance at beating her, and I think he wouldn't be all that bad. I still like McCain. He is just one tough guy!

Here is the one thing That the marriage of Robertson and Rudy says. Sure we don't all have to agree on things like abortion and Gay civil unions but the one thing we can all agree on is... NO Hillary Clinton in the white house. Rudy offers the Republicans the first real chance at turning many democratic states into Republican states. If Rudy can carry New York and most of the standard Republican states. Then he is president. If Rudy can Carry New York and several of the middle of the road states like Ohio, Michigan, PA and the Northeast then he wins in a land slide. I don't think Hillary has any chance of turning traditional Republican states into Dem states. Her negatives are just too high. Obama has a shot at it.

This is why Rudy is leading the polls and Robertson endorses him. Not because Robertson just loves Rudy, but because Pat fears a much worse fate for the country, President Hilary.

P.s. Rudy is also probably one of the most likable people in the election besides Obama. Come on, that guy is almost too likable. I watched Obama for an hour on Meet the Press. Very nice guy, very likable. However, for someone giving Hillary a hard time on not being specific, he could have given her lessons in this interview.

Einstein

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. Albert Einstein

Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions. Albert Einstein

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. Albert Einstein

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein

Love is a better teacher than duty. Albert Einstein

Pelosi and Reid play politics with the lives of our Troops

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hcWJu9bbzrJZ7uNHjvMn0BuTGqHQD8SQ1F7O0

By all sane accounts the Surge has done an amazing job in quelling violence in Iraq. The civil war is at an end, the Sunni insurgency is over, Al Quaeda has no area in which it can operate in and this is what Pelosi said this week.

"This war is the biggest ethical issue we're facing in our country. ... This is not working. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. We must reverse it," Pelosi said, adding that she planned to end Bush's believe that Congress is his "ATM" for Iraq.

So they are creating a spending bill a quarter of what he is asking for and refusing to do anything else this year if he vetoes this one. Which we know he will do if she can even get this one passed. It would be one thing if this was a bill to build a museum for Woodstock but this about giving our troops the support they need to stay alive and fight a very tough war. Is this a time for political games man ship or a time for leadership.

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Democrats face "unfortunate timing" because of the military progress being made in Iraq.

"While our troops are quelling violence and defeating terrorists in Baghdad and throughout Iraq, Democrats in Washington are trying to choke off funds for our troops in the field," he said.

Leiberman Rocks

Below is an example of Lieberman's comments concerning the Democrats and their stance on foreign policy. I think Lieberman (Al Gore's running mate in 2000 and current independent) is just about the only sane person caucusing with the Democrats in Congress and the Senate when it comes to foreign policy. The Dems have chosen a path of partisanship and political manuvering over meaningful dialogue and solutions for our foreign policy. Kerry in the 2004 election basic foreign policy stance was, I don't like what the president is doing. so you ask him what he would differently and basically he would do everything the president was currently doing only much better and everyone in europe would love him for it. Come on, why would we change presidents then! So now it's take another tack so we can start winning elections. That tack seems to be oppose everything the president is doing no matter that we have no solutions to the real problems he is trying to solve. All we here from the three Democratic front runners is how much they hate the war but when confronted about pulling troops out or deadlines they went running for the hills. All they have is complaints, whining and hate speach but nothing meaningful that will help make us and the world a safer.

On Thursday, Lieberman waxed nostalgic over foreign policy giants Democrats like Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John Kennedy, but said that after Vietnam, it took until the Clinton administration to regain an internationalist, interventionist attitude among Democrats. Just as soon as that attitude returned, it left again once the Bush administration took the reins in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, atmosphere. He said President Bush's call for the spread of democracy across the globe followed a campaign in which, as Lieberman described it, Bush was less interested in foreign policy than his Democratic opponent, Al Gore. Lieberman was Gore's running mate."The Bush administrations post-9/11 ideological conversion confronted Democrats with an awkward choice. Should we welcome the president's foreign policy flip-flop? Or should Democrats match it with a flip-flop of our own?" Lieberman said.

"I felt strongly that Democrats should embrace the basic framework that the president articulated for the War on Terror as our own — because it was our own. It was our legacy ... But that was not the choice most Democrats made. Instead, they flip-flopped," he said.

Lieberman said Democrats aren't being guided by principle, but partisanship.

"Even as evidence has mounted that General Petraeus' new counterinsurgency strategy is succeeding, Democrats have remained emotionally invested in a narrative of defeat and retreat in Iraq, reluctant to acknowledge the progress we are now achieving, or even that that progress has enabled us to begin drawing down our troops there," he added.

Robot Cars, Whatever (rolling my eyes!)

http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaTechnology/idUSIndia-30329820071104

Enough with the Robot crap!!! When you have a real robot that really does something useful, like dishes, sweeping, driving, mowing, cooking or just plain working on the house... give me a call.

Other than that, stop getting my damn hopes up. I'm sick of all the promise and none of the pay off. BTW, I don't want someone else driving my car, I LIKE driving!!!! unless it's a long trip! Then we should have trains that move around my car.

Drugs not Hugs

recently a girl got detention at school for giving her friends a good bye hug.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21661718/

Can we say ridiculous. I realize that this is done with the best of intentions. OH MY GOD we have to protect our kids!!!!! They are being HUGGGEEEDDDDD, stop all this caring and human warmth. Someone might take advantage of all the friendliness.

Here is the deal. At some point our kids have to be put in difficult situation and develop the ability to say no for them selves. It is important that a woman or man learn to say "no, I don't want to be hugged by you" in a nice and meaningful way when the consequences are limited. At school, someone gets mad at you for a week. At work, your co-worker who later becomes your boss thinks you are a mean bitch and you never get another raise or promotion.

Yes, inappropriate PDA's should be stopped in almost all situations but can't we trust the judgement of our teachers to make the call. Why does it have to be all possible human contact. Can we just trust the judgement of our teachers to allow nice hugs to happen and when it is inappropriate or causing school disruptions when out of control, then just step in and put a stop to it. Do we really need a school system wide policy against all human contact because sometimes it becomes ridiculous or some disturbed person misuses the kindness of our youth.

One of the most important things that happens at public school over home schooled is putting our children in situations where they develop human interaction techniques and practices. They discover how to have and promote their healthy boundaries in this important social ritual. When we take away all human contact to protect them from this stuff, it's stealing vital learning opportunities that they need to make it in today's world.

This is not protecting our children, it's hurting them! Start trusting our teachers!!! Correct the situation when a teacher does not do the right thing!

Republicans vote to impeach Dick Cheney

I love this move by the Republicans. Dennis "UFO boy" Kucinich along with 21 other Democrats decided to bring articles of impeachment for Vice President Cheney. This is my favorite part, for speaking out against Iran and using the data that supports his argument. As opposed to using the data that doesn't support his argument. Dennis claims that using data that supports your point is misleading the American people.

The Republicans were going to block it and vote against it. Then in the middle of the vote, the Repubs reversed their vote and approved it. Why did they do that. Well they decided that instead of protecting the Dem's from their crazy, extremist, left wing nut jobs that have no real idea what it takes to deal with the world as it is, let them become successful. Let the American people see what they are really trying to do and what it would really mean to the world if these people truly did set policy.

One of my biggest problems with the attempts of Dennis and his ilk is that it is around hate and whipping up emotion. It is not a reasoned argument around what are the real options and what is the best option that keeps America safe and promotes freedom and democracy in the world. Dennis doesn't want to go to war with Iran. Well neither do I nor does any right thinking American or human being. But what options do we have. Do we sit back and let the most dangerous country in the most dangerous area of the world get the ability to kill millions if not billions. Where is a solution for that problem. Impeaching Cheney is a stupid waste of time and most of the Dem's knew it:

Here is what they had to say about his behavior

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has previously stated that she did not want the impeachment articles to come to a vote. High-ranking Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings, who was himself impeached while a judge in Florida, said he was not happy with Kucinich's attempts to raise the matter on the floor in an attempt to circumvent the normal legislative process. Kucinich "is on a quest of his own. He sees flying saucers and he acts like one," Hastings said.

A description of what happened:

The resolution arose when Kucinich made a procedural maneuver to bring up his resolution for a vote, despite opposition from Democratic leaders. During the action, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, acting in accordance with Pelosi's wishes, moved to table the resolution, which would have effectively sent it into the Ether.

Republicans had originally decided to go along with Hoyer and kill the resolution, but halfway through voting GOP lawmakers en masse changed their "yes" votes to "nays." Bringing a vote on the impeachment resolution would put Democrats on record over impeachment, a move that Republicans figured could end up a political advantage in a year that has been marked by little progress from the Democratic-led Congress.

When Republicans succeeded on a 162-251 vote to allow the resolution to be debated, Hoyer then moved to send the resolution, which had not gone through traditional channels, to the Judiciary panel for consideration. That motion passed, but Conyers could decide to bury the legislation.

The Juggernaught or the Silly Boys, You Decide. I can't

Obama Decided to take a new track in his attempt to bring home the Democratic Presidential bid. He began hitting her on the issue of Social Security. He claimed that she doesn't have a detailed definition of what she would do to save social security. I believe the quote went something like "The American people deserve a presidential candidate that would be honest and detailed about what they plan to do about social security". Very daring. It has the chance of hitting a real blow to her but also hurts his chances of getting a VP nod or even a cabinet post.

In all fairness she has little detail as to what she would do but has put together a list of actions she would preform to build a detailed plan. Very shrewd. all the promise with out any of the consequences of a real plan. My favorite part of this story is her response. She put out an add attacking President Bush on his record regarding social security. WOW! That was political astuteness at it's greatest. It attacks the thing her base hates the most, keeps her hands clean from hurting Dems, she is going to desperately need Obama's supporters to win the race and subtly emasculates Obama.

http://www.thestreet.com/s/dems-lets-see-a-real-debate-on-medicare-social-security/markets/marketfeatures/10387278.html?puc=_googlen?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA


So what did our astute Republican candidates do recently. Well Mitt shows up to get on the New Hampshire ballot and claims that Fred Thompson is a Johnny come lately to the illegal immigration issue. He claims that Fred was in the Senate for several years and did nothing about illegal immigration. So When Fred show up to get on the New Hampshire ballot and is confronted with what Mitt said, he responds that Mitt is a flip flopper on the issue of illegal immigration. Supposedly Mitt was for the recently failed immigration bill and when it got ugly changed his position.

Talk about silly boys. At least they are being honest. A little childish but honestly immature. I don't feel anything Clinton does is honest. However, Fred Thomson seems to have accomplished very little as a senator and I'm not clear as to why he retired. I would like to know that. Mitt on the other hand seems to say whatever he thinks people want to hear. I don't agree with Rudy on a lot of issues but I like him better because he seems to honestly believe it and I feel he is genuine. Of course Ron Paul and Chris Dodd are probably the most honest, but being honestly crazy is not a good thing.

So who do I want for President. The very shrewd politically Juggernaut, the person who did nothing for years in the senate or the flip flopper. Maybe the guy that sees UFOs, Dennis Kucinich:
http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2007/10/kucinich_see_ufo_new_book_clai.html

Government Subsidies Gone Right

Something I found quite funny.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1537366.html


The Danish government is under attack for paying for its disabled citizens to have sex with prostitutes.

Finally A government mandated Health care system I could "Get Behind"!!!

Mark

Boxer, Dodd and what is wrong with Politics these days.

Recently Barbara Boxer claimed that the equipment and people needed to fight the fires raging in California are not adequate because they are all in Iraq.

Senator Dodd said:
"In a Dodd administration never again will our houses be on fire because our troops are taking fire in Iraq. Never again will our first responders be left without the support they need because our president failed to do what it took to keep our community safe."

Anyone who is actually paying real attention to the issue and not trying to figure a way to win political points would see that the Gov't is doing it's best to deal with this issue and doing a good job. Before we really even understand how devastating this issue is we found ourselves surrounded by people who will say any horrible thing to ingratiate themselves for political gain and power. One of things most upsetting about this kind of hate speech is the pandering to the worst part of the human nature. The hate and evil accusations that do nothing but tear at the fabric of our society and demean us as a people. Their is nothing good for our society that can come from this kind of hate speech. It only separates us farther into factions. Soon we will be like the Sia and Sunni in Iraq. Killing and plotting each others deaths with no idea how it got this awful. Each blaming the other with out taking the responsibility or our action.

Here is the good news people. We can stop the hate speech. We can end the societal destruction that our political leadership is wreaking on us in order to promote their own political and power hungry ambitions. How can you do this. It's simple.

Stop listening to it. Recognize it for what it is and reject it. Stop giving your time, your attention and your money to anyone that promotes hate, anger or division. Anyone who demonizes another for their own political and power hungry purposes is no friend of yours, society, our country nor the world. Turn a deaf ear to people who promote hate.

Mark