The Master Socialist Plan

First of all, refresh your memory and read this.

It's really becoming quite clear. The socialization of our country has started. If you read the above post, and read the link that was provided, you should be drawing some conclusions by now. But, let me lay them out.

It started with the "economic crisis". All along Obama said that doing nothing wasn't an option. That doing nothing would certainly plunge us in to another depression. Of course, we know now he was wrong.

But, it made for good politics. Plus, it started the "collar and leash" tactic of the progressives. Everything done with a purpose. In the case of the stimulus, it accomplished two things. One, political payback for supporters. One has to simply look at where the money went to draw the obvious conclusion. Two, grow the voter base. Virtually all of the money went to expand or support government. Sure, there were jobs created. Not many. But, they were all in the public sector. The trillion dollar stimulus had virtually no effect on the economy or unemployment. But, by expanding government, it added to the voter base. In fact, there was no real concern about the private sector. Everyone knows that Obama could have taken another approach and really targeted the private sector with stimulus funds. But, he chose not to. On purpose.

Starting to see the bigger picture?

The private sector is where republicans live. Business owners are more about tax incentives, interest, and market forces. Nothing in the stimulus addressed anything of worth for private business.

Now look at the bail outs. GM . . . unions. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac . . . government controlled. Other bailouts turned in to take overs of another sort in that following the action limits were put on pay and bonuses. Leash and collar.

In the mean time, the economy continued to suffer and unemployment climbed to 10%. For the socialists, this was good news. It simply meant an opportunity to leash and collar more people. Make them dependent on government. Make them democratic voters.

Also, the war was being completely ignored. While not directly related to the leash and collar tactic, successes in Afghanistan would be a distraction . . . and would provide the previous President with some credit. Couldn't have that. As long as hundreds of soldiers weren't dying the war could be ignored for a bit.

At this point, Obama could have focused his attention to the real issue of the economy and jobs. After all, create jobs and the economy improves and people get the healthcare they need through that job. Hopefully, of course. Even if not, much better to have a job than not.

Except, Obama went after healthcare. This, again, was by design. Target those without jobs and those without insurance. . . promise them they'll never have to worry about getting proper healthcare . . . and you've got democratic voters. Leash and collar. This was so important that the socialists took a rather large political gamble. Most of the country was against the type of reform Omarxist was talking about. But, they pushed it through anyway.

I do think the progressives were caught off guard by the huge backlash initially. They weren't ready or armed for such a response at the time. And, word has it, of all the people you might be able to blame for the slow reaction to the backlash is Rahm Emmanuel. Mr. Rahm it through actually wanted the administration to slow down on the issue. I also think they were caught a bit off guard by the Scott Brown win. Not to say they didn't have a backup plan. If anyone thinks they weren't ready to lose that democratic seat, you'd be wrong. What it did mean was that they had to do what they wound up doing . . . push the bill through using any means possible. Sure, they wanted healthcare reform. But, more than that, they wanted voters. Leash and collar.

You might be wondering about the backlash over all spending that occurred. Quite honestly, it didn't matter. One, they would make it look as though Omarxistcare was deficit neutral, that it would bring down the deficit. That's all a bunch of bunk, of course. But, they'd have the CBO release a report substantiating their claim. Between that and other accounting slight of hand, they'd sell it to the public as being deficit friendly. Again, it didn't matter it was a lie. Voters.

At this point, the marxists also passed a jobs bill. It's a joke. But, with the tea parties as geared up as they were . . . and are . . . they needed to do something to show the sheep they cared. The jobs bill is one, a piss in the ocean in terms of cost. And two, does virtually nothing. The tax breaks really only benefist those businesses who are in a position of making new hires anyway. Businesses don't hire simply because of a tax break. They hire because business warrants it.

Now, getting back to the political gamble. At this point, now that the legislation passed, the marxists are exhibiting confidence. Again, you might think this strange with all the opposition. Again you'd be wrong. That's why immigration is next. Not cap and tax. Not a better jobs bill. Not real education reform (what they passed is simply support for the status quo. No significant change). Not the war. Immigration reform. Here they will target all the illegals already here and clear a path for them not only to become citizens, but get on omarxistcare as well. Leash and collar. Millions more voters for the progressives. The marxists will likely move swiftly on immigration. They want those people available this November to vote.

That's why they're feeling confident. They've kept the economy from any real recovery. They've bought or paid off democratic voters. They've increased the public sector thereby increased democratic voters. They passed a bill that they can now sell to the unemployed and soon to be legal immigrants, thereby, again, adding democratic voters. And will soon start the campaign that the republicans are evil. That they opposed this wonderful legislation that provides healthcare to those that need it most.

As I write this, the strategy of painting the tea party protesters as violent has already started.

But, will it work? I don't know. The dems have a long history of out playing the republicans at this kind of game. The one hope is that omarxistcare begins to noticeably fail, and that the tea party protesters continue the fight.

This is a carefully orchestrated plan by marxists of socializing this country. It began with a manufactured crisis. We will go from being a republic to being a democracy. And with that, will for a long, long, long, time empower government. The main reason the constitution was written.

Strangely enough . . . and maybe not . . . the one person, I think, who seems to get it?

Sarah Palin. That's why they hate her so much. She's absolutely right.

I'm still here!

It's difficult to keep up with all what's available to you on the internet. I haven't been posting much simply because of the social networking site. Even with them, however, I can't do them all. Twitter is great. But, it's rather limiting. Blogs are nice. But, sometimes the thoughts are quick and small. Hence, Facebook combines, for me, the best of both worlds.

So, I'll keep this blog open for a while, and I'll likely continue to post. It just won't be as often. Facebook is where I spend most of my time, now.

Sooooo . . . follow me there! My page is open to everyone. So, feel free to come by.

Jim Wheelock on Facebook

Packers vs Cowboys

This was a great game. Not simply because the Packers won, but they beat the Cowboys . . . in Green Bay. I guess it would have been a little sweeter to have done it in Dallas. No matter. Anyway . . .

Not sure if this is the make or break game the Packers are hoping for. It's one thing to play your guts out and beat an opponent who's just a bit better than you. It's another to beat those teams you're supposed to. Looking at the schedule, the Steelers are their only "real" opponent. 49's, Lions, Ravens, Bears, Steelers, Seattle, and the Cardinals are all next. Yes, you could make the case that the Ravens and Cardinals are pretty good teams. I'd rank the Packers on par with those teams. Certainly better than the rest. Which means 10 and 6 ain't out of the realm of possibility.

Whatever. The point I wanted to make is that this game should prove as evidence that when protection breaks down, quarterbacks do badly, and teams lose. Romo certainly didn't look his polished self. Of course, the Packers weren't exactly polished, either. This was a hard fought game. The Packers just did a little more on defense to keep the Pokes from scoring.

Wildcard?

Packers vs Vikings

This isn't that difficult, really. The Vikings are a better team than are the Packers. Most notably, on both sides of the line where football games are won and lost. For as much talent as the Packers have, their worst area is, by far, the offensive line . . . which it is. Not only are they unable to protect Rodgers, but they also cannot open many holes for Grant to run through. Defensively, as we all know, we're in a new scheme. Given just that alone, I think most people fore saw the Packers defense having some problems adjusting the first year. I was shocked to hear that the Packer defense is ranked 5th over all. Certainly, and again, there's talent. But, they're weak at a few positions and execution isn't consistent.

Having said all that, the Packers came close . . . to within 5. Take away the two run backs that gave the Vikings incredible field position, and you might have a different game. Had the Packers played all game they way they did in the 3rd quarter, and you might have a different game. Take away the penalties that really killed the Packers, and you might have a different game.

All of those things are part of the game. Fact is, the Vikings took advantage of all those situations and were able to capitalize. For that, they deserve credit. And, they played a well executed game. Where did this Rice guy come from? Wow.

As for Favre, he played good . . . not great. There wasn't any highlight reel material. Just a good game. 17 of 28 for 244 . . . not awesome. He threw 4 touchdowns. Aaron was 26 of 41 for 287 and 3 touchdowns. Not bad. Those stats and 26 points will win many games. Just not this one.

But, for those who think that Favre is a god . . . and we'd be much better off with him . . . let me ask . . . what planet are you from? Yes. He's playing as good as ever. So is Aaron. What is Aaron doing that Favre would or could be doing better? I've said this before, people forget how foolish Favre can look. Yes, he led us to a Superbowl. Yes, we were 13 and 3 his last season with us. But, in all the time he's been with the Packers it's just ONE Superbowl. A handful of division titles. But, what do they matter, really? Look at the Packer records. There are a lot of 9 and 7, and 10 and 6 years. A few of those 10 and 6 years were good enough to get the Packers in to the playoffs.

What? The Packers constantly losing in the playoffs wasn't Brent's fault?

Exactly.

Getting back to the game . . . I actually thought Aaron looked a little spooked. It took him a bit . . . a long bit . . . to get in to the game. Much like Brent was in domes, and against the Cowboys.

There are 9 games left. The Packers can still win some games and make a run at things. I still think they have a pretty good team, and that Aaron is an excellent quarterback. The biggest problem right now, is that the Vikings have a very easy schedule from here on out. I don't think they'll go far in the playoffs, but it looks as though they'll win the division.

Wild card?

A little piece of innocence lost

My girlie and I recently had our first "talk". She had been sick and was already feeling kind of down when she revealed to me . . .

"Daddy . . . I guess I know there is no Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy . . . "

It was actually a tearful moment. I wasn't shocked, but certainly surprised. A parent knows the day will come. I guess I thought it wouldn't have necessarily been as introspective moment as it was. Jamie was . . . sad. I get the feeling that she was a bit disappointed. Not mad . . . or disappointed in me or Jackie. Just sad. Again, she wasn't feeling well and I'm sure that played a part. Not only in causing a bit of her blues, but also with being sick she had a lot of time to sit around and . . . think.

A few weeks back her friend stayed over night. While playing games that night, her friend lost a loose tooth. Of course, we encouraged her to put the tooth under the pillow even though she was with us. Later that night, Jackie snuck in and put a couple of gold dollar coins under the pillow.

She thought she snuck in.

Turns out, Jamie was awake.

It wasn't that moment that convinced her. Friends at school also talk. Certainly, at 9 years old I think many parents figure most kids will figure it out. That night did provide the evidence, however.

Anyway, I thought I recovered pretty well. We cried a little together. I think we both realized it was a sign of growth, and that some of hr innocence had been forever lost. I told her that we all get to a point when we stop believing in our heads and start believing in our hearts.

She was good with that.

The Nobel Peace token

That's about the extent of it. I think everyone agrees Obama didn't do anything to deserve the recognition. Kinda like Julia Roberts receiving an award for acting. You're like . . . what?

Still, in the grand scheme of things, who cares? Jay Weber was making a bit if a deal about this on his show this morning. Claiming that those Republicans who quietly congratulate Obama are the same ones we should vote out of office. That may be, but he went on about the weakness of the party when there's something to pounce on. I don't know. Pick your battles. I do think the party risks being too whiney if at every little turn they complain about something. I'd like to think we're (conservatives) are above acting like liberals in that regard. There are more important issues at hand.

It's gonna make a funny (that'll be a first) SNL skit.

Babes Gone By . . .

When I heard Nicole Eggert was going to be on the new season of Celebrity Fit Club, I, of course, became curious. She was, after all, a Baywatch babe and pretty hot . . . in her time.

Last season on Celebrity Fit Club, I was shocked at how Erica Eliniak had grown. So, again, I was curious about Nicole.

Here's Nicole "then":



And here she is now:



Not the greatest picture, admittedly, but one can see she's lost a little "luster". Like Yasmine, she's still beautiful. But, I can understand why she'd want to shed a few ounces.

Good luck, Nicole. I'll be watching!

Silver Anniversary

The sad part about being married 25 years, is that your 25 years older than your were when you got married. But, if anniversaries perform any function at all, it's to re-live and share the memories of days gone by making you feel only days older than before.

I know why I fell in love with my wife. She was young, cute, nice, and had a great pair of . . . uh, eyes. Yeah, that's it. I married her mostly because, oddly enough, she loved me and I figured it best not to let her get away. I figured marriage would make that at least more difficult.

But, getting married is one thing . . . staying married another.

First and foremost, Jackie is my best friend. We like being together. At the same time, though, we're able to be apart. Neither one of us are "clingy". But, as a general rule, anytime we do things we like to do them together.

Many of our life philosophies are the same. We prefer to enjoy life rather than take it, or ourselves, too seriously. We're responsible, but know when to put things aside and simply enjoy what life has to offer.

Same is true about parenting . . . we think pretty much the same. We both take parenting very seriously as we both want a nice, respectful, and intelligent daughter. Yet, again, we're not so serious as to not understand the joys of being a kid . . . and having fun together. We cherish our time with our daughter.

There have been "stormy" times. And not everything is entirely perfect. But, in my opinion, there is no "perfect". WIthout sounding too cliche-ish, every relationship is a give and take. Ideally, 50-50. I truly believe we're at that ideal. We respect each other, we talk to one another, we share with one another.

There are a bunch of reasons I could go on about as to why I love my wife. Mostly, though, she makes me laugh. She's a babe. She's MY babe. And I'm gonna keep her.

Happy Anniversary, girlie. I love you. I always have, and always will.

Pieces of Eight site to remain a restaurant

To me, this is good news.

UWM drops plan to put freshwater school at lakefront site

This was one of those issues I thought few people knew about. Anyone I talked to didn't know anything about the plan. Which made it difficult to gather up opposition to the plan. No offense to UWM or the importance of the water center, but the site is a prime location for a restaurant. While a parking structure would have been very functional, that would have sucked, too. Again, considering the location.

The really good news, and an idea I had, is that according to the article, Joe Bartollota may become the new proprietor.

Drunk driving and children

I don't drink. Gave it up when my girlie was born. So, it may be easy for me to take a harder stand on drunk driving than some people. I don't think that matters much. While it's true there are probably some people who can have a few drinks and still function, the fact is, many people can't. And people die as a result.

I know there's no intent to kill someone. And that makes it hard to come down hard on those who do kill people as a result of driving drunk. Still. We're all smart people. We know drinking can impair your ability to function. And it IS against the law. For me it's another instance where we spend too much time on the lives and rights of those who break the law, and not enough on the victims, their friends, and their families who's lives have been destroyed.

But, if I have little tolerance for people who drive drunk, there's even less for those who drive drunk with kids in the car.

Several summers ago, my wife and I heard the tell tale sound of a vehicle crash. It took place on Appleton right down the street where we live. It was a single car crash. A woman hit a light post . . . one of those cement varieties and wrecked up her car pretty good. It was about 11:30 at night. My wife was one of the first on the scene. Turns out there were kids in the car. My wife spent some time consoling a girl about 9 years old. The girl was unharmed. There was also a baby in a car seat unharmed. When I came to the scene, police were already there. They were trying to get the woman to calm down. She was clearly drunk and more concerned about her car and herself than any of the kids in her car.

Including the lifeless clump of a 3 year old boy lying on the floor of the front passenger seat. The woman's car wasn't going that fast. About 40 mph. But, that was enough speed to send the boy, who wasn't buckled in, in to the dash, breaking his neck.

It's one thing to be an adult and make certain decisions in your life. Hopefully experience and the knowledge of consequence will guide one to make smart decisions. If you make a bad decision, and you get hurt, and you're the only one who gets hurt . . . well, the only one you can blame is yourself. You're responsible, you suffer the consequences. But, when innocent lives are lost as a result of the decision to drink, get drunk, then get behind the wheel of a car . . . suddenly the consequences of your actions affect the lives of innocents. People who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Without diminishing the lives of those who died as a result of drunk drivers, I think it's particularly stupid to drive drunk with kids in the car. As illustrated the 3 year old who died, an accident doesn't have to include another vehicle to turn tragic. An adult may see the situation as "iffy" and make the choice to drive home with someone else. An adult might see that a person is impaired and offer to do the driving. An adult can make the decision to fasten their seatbelt. Kids can't make those decisions. They are blissfully ignorant. They look to adults to make the right choices for them. At a young age they don't recognize when certain situations are potentially dangerous.

Right now a first DUI is a traffic citation in Wisconsin. The only state with that provision. The only state. Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) and Rep. Tony Staskunas (D-West Allis) are looking to make a first time drunk driving offense a crime when children are in the car. I think it's important they make that change in state law.

I've often said, the one way to get away with murder is to get drunk and run someone over with your car. In Wisconsin we seem to care little about innocent lives. That needs to change. If you agree, contact both representatives and voice your support:

Jim Sullivan: Sen.Sullivan@legis.wi.gov

Tony Staskunas: rep.staskunas@legis.wi.gov

Creed 2009

Back when Creed announced they were reuniting and touring, I got pretty excited . . . and immediately bought tickets to the concert here. But, both the babemate and I were . . . cautious. After all, Scott Stapp is a well known f*ck up. Would he keep it together enough to make it through a tour? At least to Milwaukee?

Happily, and thankfully, he has and did. Creed played to a "light" crowd at the Bradley Center last night. But, by their performance you'd think they were playing to a packed stadium.

Hoobastank, some LA band, opened. Not too familiar, but Hoobastank hoobastunk. Opening in front of die hard fans of Creed can't be easy. But doing a heavy metal version of Ghostbusters to get the crowd revved up is nothing short of LAME. Their 40 minutes took forever to end.

Creed opened with Bullets. Awesome choice. Immediately one could see a huge difference, aside from crowd size, between the old and new Creed. One, gone were Scott's locks. His head closely shaved. He looked good. Fit. Trim. Happy. Confident. He tore loose with that voice of his . . . he sounded great.

The other change was the addition of a light show. During the open, a row of flames danced behind and above the performers, and in front of a huge screen playing back various images. There were the requisite screen on both sides of the stage and a new and bigger light show. It all played well with the music.

There was also an additional member on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Not sure who he is. One review I read mentioned that he was never mentioned . . . just there. I'm pretty sure he was introduced, but at the time he was playing some introduction that had the crowd screaming so I couldn't make it out. Whatever. What was nice is that he provided background for Tremonti to play a solo every once in a while. James Hatfield has nothing on Mark Tremonti. In fact, few guitarists have anything on him. Verrrrrrry under rated. It was great to hear him shred every now and then. The other thing, let's call him, Member 5, did was provide harmonizing vocals. They sounded great.

Then there's Scott Stapp. The voice. The quintessential front man. He tends to play to the back row of a venue, but that's him. Theatrical. As I mentioned, he looked great. Wore a button up fitted black shirt with dark jeans. Nothing about his demeanor seemed "rock star". In fact, he was very humble. There was no trite and typical rock speak such as "are you feeling good tonight? Who wants to rock? Are ya having a good time?" He repeatedly thanked the crowd and gave a special nod to Milwaukee as it was the first place Creed played many years ago. The crowd, while small, ate it up and answered back. Very loudly.

He did lose his voice toward the end. Not to where he couldn't sing, but he was beginning to sound strained. He couldn't hit some of the few high notes there are in Creed music. Eh. We all have our nights. It didn't take away from an otherwise incredible show. One look at the tour schedule, and one watch of how much he puts in to every performance, and it's no wonder.

I'm not sure if this marks a new beginning for Creed or if Scott Stapp is truly serious about turning his life around. Whatever the case, they put on a great show. I'm happy I, along with my babemate, saw it.

Babes gone by . . .

Remember Yasmine Bleeth? Back in the day, she was the poster child for poster babes. Well, she's 41. Didn't see THAT comin', did ya?

Anyway, she still beautiful at 41 though not quite as bountiful. She developed a nasty heroin habit. Got busted. Went to rehab, and was never quite the same. I don't think hollywierd closed the door on her, I think she just decided to get away. Not sure which bio to trust, but one source says she lives in Arizona, another says Michigan. Both say she married the owner of a strip club. Hmm. Not sure of that's the best way to "clean up", but I haven't seen her name on the marquee . . . I mean, not that I know of.

In the heyday:


These days still gorgeous:

Let's Get Ready to Bunglllllllllllllllllllle!!

In one corner, the MPS School Board. Weighing in at . . . well, bloated. Let's just leave it at that. In the other corner, Mayor Barrett. Weighing in at . . . tall. Very tall.

I'm on the fence about the Mayor taking over the school board. On the one hand, you have the board president putting forth all sorts of initiatives to help the district save money and make the schools competitive . . . and the board votes them down.

On the other hand . . . well, that's the problem. I don't know what's in the other hand. The big issue for me is other than all the caterwauling the Mayor, and the Governor (now suddenly you're concerned about Milwaukee?) have been doing about MPS, lately, there's no mention of a plan. Not specifically, anyway.

As I have a daughter in MPS, I have a vested interest in this. I can't say as I give a rat's tail who runs the district, as long as quality education is provided in a stimulating and safe environment. It's appalling to me that the board would spend time and resources on initiatives for dental hygiene, yet allow quality teachers to be eliminated from school positions. That's screwy.

Having said that, however, the issue of accountability is important. Would a mayor be more accountable than a school board? What about accessibility? Is the mayor too busy with his/her many responsibilities to address concerns when called upon? These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered.

Lastly, MPS has some good schools. I think the bad schools tend to get much of the attention and drag down the entire system. But, let's be honest. MPS cannot provide quality education when it's forced to relieve teachers largely due to inappropriate spending and over sight by the board. I don't want this to become a "punishment" issue. But, the board seems unwilling to take even the simplest of measures to improve. Maybe it is time for change.

Blah's

Continuing with my dribble from my last post . . .

I always got a little blue this time of year. Especially since being out of school . . . yes, some eons ago. I get melancholy. Part of it is certainly just the end of summer. Going back to school, seeing old friends, making news one, it was always an exciting time for me. Not that I long for the days, or are unable to cut the high school umbilical cord and move on, not at all. Just, a time that was once a new start, and lots of good memories.

Part of it are the shorter days. A bit of seasonal anxiety, no doubt. As much as I like fall, fall food, football, and the new TV season, the early darkness just makes the days feel shorter. There's also a let down from summer. Especially with a child, you do so much to take in the nice weather. Virtually every weekend is loaded with fun things to do . . . outside. Between the days getting shorter, cooler, and the kids going back to school suddenly . . . nothing.

Yeah, I know. The fun doesn't have to be over blah blah blah blah blah.

Part of it is what's just around the corner . . . winter. I don't mind winter as a whole. But, parts of it are very . . . taxing. Not so much last year, but two years ago it seemed every time we got our big snow storms it hit during rush hour home. Now, I'm a confident winter driver, and I love my caravan in the snow. But, it takes my travel time from 30 minutes to an hour, and often it's in white knuckle white out conditions. It's nerve wracking.

Speaking of kids, as much as my girlie is ready and wanting to go back to school, I'm not. Sound weird, I know. Just something about sending them off to a new year . . . day in and day out, homework, to bed early, new routines . . . seems unfair.

I suppose I should mention something about how fall and winter dress is less eye catching than summer . . .

Most of all, I guess, is that fall and winter mark the end of another year. It's great and exciting to look upon the new year, but the fact remains, it's another year off a finite number we have. It's up to me to make the most of those, I realize that. But the amount I have left are not.

Depressed, yet? Well, hopefully, like me, you get through it. With fall comes Halloween, my favorite holiday. Soups and stews, football, the new TV seasons of House, Heroes, and whatever news programs there are, school events, the holidays, and, of course, the new year. Yeah, I get a little weird about this time. But, it doesn't last long.

One of those days

One of those days that feels like it was just wasted away. Things to do, my girlie isn't feeling well, and wanting to make more of the day than we could. That, and school starts next week and the end of summer is near.

Ah well, thank goodness for xanax.

Packers early report

Wow. Last night I watched as the Packer first team scored on every possession in the first half. Save for one missed field goal, I think. They took it to a team that made it to the Superbowl last year. A team with a pretty good offense of their own, and a respectable defense. It was preseason, but it was fun to watch. A few observations.

Brent who?

Grant looks to be back in form. He made some great runs off some great cutbacks. This is good.

Finley . . . holy smokes! Bubba who?

Jennings is clearly the stand out receiver on the team. But, the Packers have got to have the best core of receivers in the league. WIth Jordy stepping up, Finley making plays, Jones coming around . . . Rodgers will have no shortage of people who can catch the ball.

Defensively . . . there's some work that needs to be done. But, talk about going after the ball! I'm very confident this new scheme will work out for them. Plus, going in to this season, what films can other teams watch on the Packers defense? None. The Packers may be new at it, but other teams aren't going to know how to read it at first, either.

This team is now a fast break team. THey're the type of team, I think, that can wear out defenses. Hard to say what's going to happen . . . I'm not making my prediction yet . . . but the Packers look like they can play aggressively for 6 quarters. Which could cause some problems for teams with "older" players.

This could be a fun season.

You have to chuckle

Watching TV last night, I had to turn on Obermann for a bit. First thing out of the gate was Keith and Bernie Sanders talking about the town hall meetings that were being hijacked by a small minority group going off scripts to try and make it seem as though the whole town was against Obummercare. That a small grass roots group was responsible for busing people all over the country to these town hall meetings for this explicit purpose.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sanders then talked about how the republicans seem to know nothing more than saying No to Obama and that they have no ideas of their own.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Then, this morning I happened across Joel McNally talking to some stooge, again, how the republicans know nothing more than "no", that they have no ideas of their own, and that if you look at their poll numbers, republicans are in real trouble. Of course, there was no mention of the other unfavorable polls on Obama, healthcare, the stimulus, Congress, the dems, cap and tax, etc.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Then, there's the outrage over the depiction of Obama as the Joker from the Dark Knight movie. "Politically mean spirited and dangerous."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Oh man . . . the libs aren't content to be lemmings in their own party. This stuff is hilarious.

Today's Babe

Eva Green. Eva is one of those I find unusual. Sultry. She was one of the best Bond babes.

You are the center of my world

Without getting in to specifics, I've either read or heard a few things that got me thinking.

As many know, last year I lost my dad and brother. We all get to the point when family members die. It's to be expected. That doesn't mean it isn't sad, nor do I mean to diminish the loss . . . it's a part of life. The end of life.

My wife was just at a funeral. A co-worker of hers husband passed away. But, unlike the expected passing of those who are old or have become weak and sick, this husband was about 30 years old. The couple were married just this past April and were about to leave on their honeymoon to Ireland. They also wanted to start a family right away. Right before leaving for Chicago on business, the husband got sick. It wasn't much. In fact he went on the business trip and upon returning went to the doctor. Several tests later and it turned out he had a clot in his liver. No big deal. They caught it early. Some treatment with blood thinners and all should be well. But, it wasn't. So, in the hospital he goes to undergo surgery to clear the blockage.

He never woke up.

Just like that.

That's sad. Brutal. Tragic. No words can convey how one feels at a time like this. You often read about these kinds of things in the paper. It really hits hard when it's so close to home. I think back to when I had a clot in each lung after my ankle surgery. Was I lucky?

I started this blog not that long ago. I did so after reading a number of other blogs. Mostly conservative leaning blogs, but some that were more personal in content. I thought it a good way to vent and share my thoughts, as well as read news from a different source other than a newspaper.

As a result, I came to know many of these bloggers at Drinking Right, a monthly get together at Papa's Social Club. There we drink, eat pizza, and often discus everything but politics. The people I've met have become very good friends. We've taken in quite a few other activities together . . . the airshows, Hooters, and this weekend, one of their weddings. And that's just my participation. Others get together for a variety of reasons. Getting out to meet these folks has truly been one of the better things I've done lately.

Well, blogging led to Twitter. I've yet to attend a "tweet up", but intend to. Already I've made another batch of friends. Some of them I know from the blogs. But, others are new to me. It's been a lot of fun.

Then, there's Facebook. As a result of facebook, I've connected with a few friends from high school, other "new" friends, and three people from the neighborhood I grew up in . . . 30 some years ago!

You might be wondering . . . first death talk and then social networking?

Life can take an immediate turn down a one way street at a moments notice. Fact is, we have little control over certain aspects of our lives. The other fact is that there is no undo. No do overs. No rewind. No take backs. We live as a consequence of the decisions and choices we make. We only control the choices we make.

Should I be fortunate enough to reach my mid 80's, I'd like to be able to sit back and reflect on my life and, above all else, be content. Certainly, be happy. But, be content knowing that I made the most of my life. But, not because I travelled a lot, not because I felt more knowledgeable than other people, not because I made more money than other people, or have more than other people, not because I felt more talented than other people, and not because I feel as though I accomplished more than other people. I want to be content knowing I spent as much time as I could with my family . . . and my friends. I want to be content knowing that I was a good husband, a good father, and a good friend to the people I've known. I want to be content knowing that I was thought of as a good person. A fun person. A nice person. And remembered as such when I die.

What the blogs, Twitter, and Facebook have all done is added to the humility I already feel. To know that people actively searched me and took time to send a note . . . is incredibly thoughtful. To think that I've stuck in the memory of someone for so many years. It's nice. It's a nice feeling. It's my desire to do the same for others.

That, to me, is what life is all about.

Federal level, State level, and now City level

It's difficult not to make a comment about this. As a taxpayer I have watched as government on the federal level, and our state level have raised taxes and fees. And for all of that spending, particularly here in Wisconsin, what do we get? A huge deficit with no real "plan", other than to continue to raise taxes and fees, to bring the deficit and spending under control.

Well, it finally hit at the city level as the common council voted to increase water fees, snow removal fees, parking meter fees (one that really annoys me) and taxicab fees. All in an attempt to close a 90 million dollar shortfall in the budget. And, it's not over. The spending and tax raising, that is. This is just a start.

JSonline article

As the recession has hit us we cut back. Trimming our budgets of luxury items, things we can put off, things we don't need. We live within our means. Not so with the government. They continue to spend, then just tax and raise fees when the accounting doesn't quite work out. It's irresponsible.

At the heart of much of this is our own alderman, Mike Murphy, who chairs the joint finance committee. Thus far, he has voted in favor of all fee increases. Increases that will affect us all in higher property taxes, and in visiting downtown Milwaukee. I've emailed him several times this year only to get no response.

Trust me, I wouldn't support loosing services. Particularly fire and police. But, those aren't the only things in the budget. Especially after a year in which we've seen so much fraud and criminal activity by our representatives, it's difficult to take any of them at their word.

Who's fighting for the tax payer?

It's time to get these people out of office.