Monday, September 29, 2008
Happy Bday Landon
Happy late B-day to Landon. He turned 6 years old and is in school for the first time. I am so proud of him and can't wait to see him. Landon, you and I will play Grizzly Bear the next time I see you.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Are you Serious
If JOHN McCain does not go to this debate and any of you vote for him, you should have your voting rights revoked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
more on the tax issue
FACT CHECK: Obama wants to raise taxes?
McCain says Obama wants to raise taxes. True?
The Statement"First of all, Sen. Obama wants to raise taxes," John McCain said in an interview on CNN's "American Morning" on Tuesday, Sept. 16. "I'm not going to raise anybody's taxes … ."
The FactsWhile it's impossible to know what policies any candidate would implement in the future, as described by his public statements, Obama's tax plan would increase taxes in 2009 on the wealthiest 20 percent of households, while offering tax cuts for the other 80 percent. The largest increases would be on the top one-percent of earners. That's according to analysis by the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan research group whose staff of experts includes former economic advisers to the White House and Congress under both Republicans and Democrats.
By comparison, the Tax Policy Center analysis says McCain would offer tax cuts across the board. Those at the top end of the scale would get the biggest percentage cuts under McCain, while households with the lowest incomes would receive the largest percentage cuts under Obama's plan. Obama's plan would offer a tax cut for people earning up to $111,645 a year, according to the analysis. McCain also would offer relief to those taxpayers, but his cuts would be smaller.
The center has different figures based on how the staff and economic advisers of both candidates have described the plans — as opposed to what candidates have said in their speeches. According to Obama's staff, even the top 20 percent of earners would, on average, get a small tax cut — with the top one-percent seeing the largest increases. McCain's staff says his cuts for people making roughly $66,000-$111,000 a year would get a slightly higher cut under his plan than Obama's and that his cuts across the board would be slightly larger than what McCain has said they would be.
McCain says Obama wants to raise taxes. True?
The Statement"First of all, Sen. Obama wants to raise taxes," John McCain said in an interview on CNN's "American Morning" on Tuesday, Sept. 16. "I'm not going to raise anybody's taxes … ."
The FactsWhile it's impossible to know what policies any candidate would implement in the future, as described by his public statements, Obama's tax plan would increase taxes in 2009 on the wealthiest 20 percent of households, while offering tax cuts for the other 80 percent. The largest increases would be on the top one-percent of earners. That's according to analysis by the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan research group whose staff of experts includes former economic advisers to the White House and Congress under both Republicans and Democrats.
By comparison, the Tax Policy Center analysis says McCain would offer tax cuts across the board. Those at the top end of the scale would get the biggest percentage cuts under McCain, while households with the lowest incomes would receive the largest percentage cuts under Obama's plan. Obama's plan would offer a tax cut for people earning up to $111,645 a year, according to the analysis. McCain also would offer relief to those taxpayers, but his cuts would be smaller.
The center has different figures based on how the staff and economic advisers of both candidates have described the plans — as opposed to what candidates have said in their speeches. According to Obama's staff, even the top 20 percent of earners would, on average, get a small tax cut — with the top one-percent seeing the largest increases. McCain's staff says his cuts for people making roughly $66,000-$111,000 a year would get a slightly higher cut under his plan than Obama's and that his cuts across the board would be slightly larger than what McCain has said they would be.
info for luke this is just for one year
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- More than 34,000 civilians were "violently killed" across Iraq last year, with an average of 94 killed every day, according to a new United Nations report.
The bimonthly Human Rights Report of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, covering November and December, tallied the casualties of nearly a year of relentless sectarian strife, which skyrocketed after the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra on February 22.
The grim figures came on a day when shootings and bombs, including a "massive" car bomb near a university, killed dozens of Iraqis in Baghdad. (Full story)
"According to information made available to UNAMI, 6,376 civilians were violently killed in November and December 2006, with no less than 4,731 in Baghdad, most of them as a result of gunshot wounds," the report said.
"Compared to the number killed in September and October, there has been a slight reduction. It is evident however that violence has not been contained but has continued to claim a very high number of innocent victims. During 2006, a total of 34,452 civilians have been violently killed and 36,685 wounded." (Watch how civilians killed during U.S. actions are compensated )
The death toll in the U.N. report is nearly three times the number reported by the Iraqi government, according to The Associated Press.
The Iraqi Health Ministry did not comment on the report, which was based on information released by the Iraqi government and hospitals, AP reported.
The bimonthly Human Rights Report of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, covering November and December, tallied the casualties of nearly a year of relentless sectarian strife, which skyrocketed after the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra on February 22.
The grim figures came on a day when shootings and bombs, including a "massive" car bomb near a university, killed dozens of Iraqis in Baghdad. (Full story)
"According to information made available to UNAMI, 6,376 civilians were violently killed in November and December 2006, with no less than 4,731 in Baghdad, most of them as a result of gunshot wounds," the report said.
"Compared to the number killed in September and October, there has been a slight reduction. It is evident however that violence has not been contained but has continued to claim a very high number of innocent victims. During 2006, a total of 34,452 civilians have been violently killed and 36,685 wounded." (Watch how civilians killed during U.S. actions are compensated )
The death toll in the U.N. report is nearly three times the number reported by the Iraqi government, according to The Associated Press.
The Iraqi Health Ministry did not comment on the report, which was based on information released by the Iraqi government and hospitals, AP reported.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Small Government Really??????????????
President Bush has presided over the largest overall increase in inflation-adjusted federal spending since Lyndon B. Johnson. Even after excluding spending on defense and homeland security, Bush is still the biggest-spending president in 30 years. His 2006 budget doesn’t cut enough spending to change his place in history, either.
Stephen Slivinski is director of budget studies at the Cato Institute.
Total government spending grew by 33 percent during Bush’s first term. The federal budget as a share of the economy grew from 18.5 percent of GDP on Clinton’s last day in office to 20.3 percent by the end of Bush’s first term.
The GOP was once effective at controlling nondefense spending. The final nondefense budgets under Clinton were a combined $57 billion smaller than what he proposed from 1996 to 2001. Under Bush, Congress passed budgets that spent a total of $91 billion more than the president requested for domestic programs. Bush signed every one of those bills during his first term. Even if Congress passes Bush’s new budget exactly as proposed, not a single cabinet-level agency will be smaller than when Bush assumed office.
Republicans could reform the budget rules that stack the deck in favor of more spending. Unfortunately, senior House Republicans are fighting the changes. The GOP establishment in Washington today has become a defender of big government.
Stephen Slivinski is director of budget studies at the Cato Institute.
Total government spending grew by 33 percent during Bush’s first term. The federal budget as a share of the economy grew from 18.5 percent of GDP on Clinton’s last day in office to 20.3 percent by the end of Bush’s first term.
The GOP was once effective at controlling nondefense spending. The final nondefense budgets under Clinton were a combined $57 billion smaller than what he proposed from 1996 to 2001. Under Bush, Congress passed budgets that spent a total of $91 billion more than the president requested for domestic programs. Bush signed every one of those bills during his first term. Even if Congress passes Bush’s new budget exactly as proposed, not a single cabinet-level agency will be smaller than when Bush assumed office.
Republicans could reform the budget rules that stack the deck in favor of more spending. Unfortunately, senior House Republicans are fighting the changes. The GOP establishment in Washington today has become a defender of big government.
Friday, September 12, 2008
The real point
The reason I put this article on my blog was not to highlight the fact she did not know what the Bush Doctrine was (there is no disputing the fact she was clueless and she should have known what it was). It was to highlight she has no foreign policy credibility. After 8 years of a President who had no foreign policy experience entering the white house and destroyed any credibility we had around the world, I can not in good conscience vote for a potential President who has travelled to less countries than I have and is twice as old as I am. I have an issue with any party that thinks it is a good idea to elect a candidate that has little knowledge or respect of Muslim culture, yet thinks it is a good idea to force our culture and beliefs on them.
Do I think that democracy is wonderful and it should be realized by all? Yes........However, it is important to have respect for other ways of thinking and cultures before trying to change them. There are better ways of spreading democracy then through war!!!!!!!!
When I vote for a potential President or VP, I am looking for a person who is much much more intelligent than I am when it comes to economics, energy, and global issues. A McCain/Palin ticket may have been something that I would have considered 8 years ago, but we live in a different world Post-Bush and I know that Obama is the man for that job or at least I really hope he is.
A great article about the Republican vp
Clueless Palin Peddles Cliches Under Gibson's Glare: Commentary
Commentary by Jeremy Gerard
Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The question of experience came up again last night: Was the man of the moment prepared for the difficult task at hand? Did he have the chops?
ABC News anchor Charles Gibson got the get, the first mano- a-womano sit down with the Republican vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin. He had the chops.
Palin may not have blinked when John McCain asked her to be his running mate. Last night, however, found her frozen in the Klieg lights as the dogged interlocutor set his sights on his visitor.
Peering down at Palin through reading glasses set at the tip of his nose, foot circling over knee ever more impatiently, Gibson, 65, wouldn't let her coast. Yes, she had mastered the pronunciation of Georgia president Mikhail Saakashvili's name, not to mention that of Iran's Mahmud Ahmadinejad. And maybe that would have been good enough on ``Good Morning America.''
But no-one had coached her in something called the Bush Doctrine. Doctrine? What doctrine would that be, Charlie?
Palin, 44, apparently never heard of the Bush Doctrine until yesterday. She flashed a smile nearly as frozen as her running- mate's and did that tenth-grader thing of tap-dancing around the question, skittishly ad libbing her way with gibberish about Bush's ``global vision.''
Gibson was having none of it, pressing her for specifics she didn't have at her command and finally -- his glare set to iceberg blue, foot circling like a lasso -- he impatiently explained what the doctrine is, when it was introduced, and gave her another chance to answer.
Few Overseas Trips
My sympathy for Palin lasted only as long as it took me to remember that it was Palin who had insisted, at the top of the interview, that she's ready to lead the country on a moment's notice. Asked whether she had ever been outside the U.S. before her recent trip to the Middle East, she answered, ``Canada. Mexico.'' Asked what heads of state she had dealt with, she referenced all those trade delegations that came to Alaska looking to do some business.
When the interview turned to Iraq and Iran, Palin's innocence of diplomatic nuance, not to mention global politics, was something she couldn't dance around. We're America, she said, we don't have to put up with those uppity Eye-ranians.
Does she believe we are doing God's will in Iraq? ``I wouldn't presume to know God's will, Charlie,'' she answered gamely. Gibson was ready with a clip of her sermonizing not long ago in church and she danced around that one, too.
Gibson didn't ask the candidate if she has any clue about the principle of separation of church and state on which her beloved United States was founded. I wish he had.
Commentary by Jeremy Gerard
Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The question of experience came up again last night: Was the man of the moment prepared for the difficult task at hand? Did he have the chops?
ABC News anchor Charles Gibson got the get, the first mano- a-womano sit down with the Republican vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin. He had the chops.
Palin may not have blinked when John McCain asked her to be his running mate. Last night, however, found her frozen in the Klieg lights as the dogged interlocutor set his sights on his visitor.
Peering down at Palin through reading glasses set at the tip of his nose, foot circling over knee ever more impatiently, Gibson, 65, wouldn't let her coast. Yes, she had mastered the pronunciation of Georgia president Mikhail Saakashvili's name, not to mention that of Iran's Mahmud Ahmadinejad. And maybe that would have been good enough on ``Good Morning America.''
But no-one had coached her in something called the Bush Doctrine. Doctrine? What doctrine would that be, Charlie?
Palin, 44, apparently never heard of the Bush Doctrine until yesterday. She flashed a smile nearly as frozen as her running- mate's and did that tenth-grader thing of tap-dancing around the question, skittishly ad libbing her way with gibberish about Bush's ``global vision.''
Gibson was having none of it, pressing her for specifics she didn't have at her command and finally -- his glare set to iceberg blue, foot circling like a lasso -- he impatiently explained what the doctrine is, when it was introduced, and gave her another chance to answer.
Few Overseas Trips
My sympathy for Palin lasted only as long as it took me to remember that it was Palin who had insisted, at the top of the interview, that she's ready to lead the country on a moment's notice. Asked whether she had ever been outside the U.S. before her recent trip to the Middle East, she answered, ``Canada. Mexico.'' Asked what heads of state she had dealt with, she referenced all those trade delegations that came to Alaska looking to do some business.
When the interview turned to Iraq and Iran, Palin's innocence of diplomatic nuance, not to mention global politics, was something she couldn't dance around. We're America, she said, we don't have to put up with those uppity Eye-ranians.
Does she believe we are doing God's will in Iraq? ``I wouldn't presume to know God's will, Charlie,'' she answered gamely. Gibson was ready with a clip of her sermonizing not long ago in church and she danced around that one, too.
Gibson didn't ask the candidate if she has any clue about the principle of separation of church and state on which her beloved United States was founded. I wish he had.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
A Secret that has been killing me
I have been dealing with this for some time now and it has become to much for me too bare. For far to long I have been hiding something from all of you. Something that I was ashamed of. Many nights I would lay in bed not able to sleep because of the thoughts running through my head. I was content to just be silent about who I was. To be honest it was easier that way. Easier because I, like many others, made fun of these people. To myself I said,"I am different from them ", but a night when all the lights were off and it was just me alone I realized I am not so different after all. So I say this to all of you. I will no longer be ashamed. I will no longer be silenced because there comes a time in every man's life when he must stand up and be exactly who he is and say "I too am a blogger".
My first official blog
Watching the Republican Convention the other night, there was a familiar face missing. Who you might ask? The one the only George W. Bush. I asked myself why would the leader of the Republican Party for the last 8 years not show up to the Republican convention. Your guess is as good as mine.
"Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances," -James Dobson
What is the word I'm looking for..............flip.......flip......oh yeah flop.
James Dobson also has stated on many occasions that he thinks that women with children should stay at home with them. I think it is a bit ironic that he supports Sarah Palin as she has 5 children, one with Down syndrome and one that is pregnant. Seeing as Vice Presidents should be ready to replace the President should anything happen (a very likely scenario given that her running mate looks like he could die at any moment) we should view Mrs. Palin as we do a President. I would like to ask the mothers in our family (mom, auntie, sara, charis) that have more than 4+ children, if they believe that they could raise their children the same way if they also had to run the free world. Now, I am all for women working and running for political office, and could not be more pleased to see our country progressing in this election to have two major female candidates, as well as, a black candidate, however, it must be stated that either the country would suffer or her children would. I just do not have the stomach for a candidate who represents the “moral high ground party”, but was married only 8 months when her son was born and has a 17 year old daughter that is knocked up. I cannot even imagine the shit that would hit the fan if Obama had a daughter who was having an illegitimate baby that was only a couple of year younger than its uncle. What is this Father of the Bride part II? The Republicans are trying to spin this and say, “Oh look she is just like everyone else with the same problems and she is so heroic in her efforts to keep her family together.” Blah Blah Blah I just wonder how heroic the Republican Party would have thought Hilary Clinton was if Chelsea Clinton(not sure who would have sex with her) had gotten pregnant during the Clinton administration. They would have painted her as a bad mother who should be spending more time at home and not trying to further her political career. Would they have been as forgiving and acted with as much class as Obama did?
Quote of the Day:
“I’m a f….in’ redneck who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes. But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s… and just f…in’ chillin’, I guess. Ya f… with me I’ll kick ass.” and “I don’t want kids.”
-Levi Johnston
Now that is excitedly who I would want to marry my daughter.
"Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances," -James Dobson
What is the word I'm looking for..............flip.......flip......oh yeah flop.
James Dobson also has stated on many occasions that he thinks that women with children should stay at home with them. I think it is a bit ironic that he supports Sarah Palin as she has 5 children, one with Down syndrome and one that is pregnant. Seeing as Vice Presidents should be ready to replace the President should anything happen (a very likely scenario given that her running mate looks like he could die at any moment) we should view Mrs. Palin as we do a President. I would like to ask the mothers in our family (mom, auntie, sara, charis) that have more than 4+ children, if they believe that they could raise their children the same way if they also had to run the free world. Now, I am all for women working and running for political office, and could not be more pleased to see our country progressing in this election to have two major female candidates, as well as, a black candidate, however, it must be stated that either the country would suffer or her children would. I just do not have the stomach for a candidate who represents the “moral high ground party”, but was married only 8 months when her son was born and has a 17 year old daughter that is knocked up. I cannot even imagine the shit that would hit the fan if Obama had a daughter who was having an illegitimate baby that was only a couple of year younger than its uncle. What is this Father of the Bride part II? The Republicans are trying to spin this and say, “Oh look she is just like everyone else with the same problems and she is so heroic in her efforts to keep her family together.” Blah Blah Blah I just wonder how heroic the Republican Party would have thought Hilary Clinton was if Chelsea Clinton(not sure who would have sex with her) had gotten pregnant during the Clinton administration. They would have painted her as a bad mother who should be spending more time at home and not trying to further her political career. Would they have been as forgiving and acted with as much class as Obama did?
Quote of the Day:
“I’m a f….in’ redneck who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes. But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s… and just f…in’ chillin’, I guess. Ya f… with me I’ll kick ass.” and “I don’t want kids.”
-Levi Johnston
Now that is excitedly who I would want to marry my daughter.
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