Congress and the Budget

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall.   No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.   The president can only propose a budget.   He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.   Who is the speaker of the House?   She is the leader of the majority party.   She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

And also the when Barrack Hussein Obama and his party point out that the GW Bush approval rating is so low they forget to mention that the approval rating for the Democratic led Congress is at an all time low and is actual about a third (10%) of the Presidents(30%).  But then again reality or the truth has never been their strong suit.

Getting Cold

Well I knew summer was pretty much over with already but having to wear a jacket and gloves to work in the yard yesterday was a real eye opener - and it sucks!

I hate winter and cold weather and ice and all the stuff that goes along with winter.  I mean you can't even take out the garbage without weather a coat and gloves and boots - and if I haven't already said it "it sucks".  

But with all that said we did manage to get most of our outdoor Halloween decorations up yesterday.  And I did manage to clean and repair the gutters on the house.  I really need to pay more attention to those gutters as it had been so long since I cleaned them there was actually plants growing in them (small - but still there). 

We were too late to get the corn stalks we use to decorate outside with where we usually get them;  so I guess we will have to actually pay for some - rats!

The weather man last night said we might see snow this week.  Remind me to send him a nasty note expressing my distaste for snow and cold weather.

Presidential Debates 2008

The final debate is now over and I for one am very glad.   Most of the country had already decided on who they were voting for anyway so it is kind of an outdated and useless process.    I would have rather seen an old re-run of Law and Order myself but my dear wife had it on so I was forced to endure it;  I just wish she had watched it on FOX instead of one of the major Barack Hussein Obama media networks.

 

One thing that did  become more clear than ever was that the Democratic party should change it's name now to the Socialist party and be honest with the American people now.    Over the years I kept thinking that someday I might go back to the Democratic party which I grew up in, but that party does not exist anymore - too bad, I guess it is true you can never go home again.

 

Something that did come out of this election is that I will no longer split my ticket but from now on I will go down the line and vote all Conservative.     And this is from a guy who once voted twice for Jimmy Carter - probably the nicest man ever to reside in the White House.

Economy: Recession, Depression or What

Friday night as my wife and I went out for dinner and a movie we observed that the restaurants were full and at the movies there were full theaters (at least for the movie we chose).    Didn't appear that many people here are afraid to spend money. 

And today we drove north to Schroon Lake for a little relaxation and briefly stopped at the outlets in Lake George and guess what - full parking lots and many of them from out of state.    No one seemed afraid to use gas even at these higher prices and definitely not afraid to spend money on these shopping trips.

The media seems intent of trying to scare us to death about the economy but most of us who don't invest in the stock market are working and spending and living as usual.    And most of us are mad as hell that the government are bailing out the people who caused the current problems.

Music

Lately I have been listening to a lot of jazz. I have found it to be very relaxing and listen to it in the car during drive time before and after work. Some of the artists I have music for are:
Theloneous Monk
John Coltrane
Ramsey Lewis Trio
King Cole Trio

But I need more, lots more of it.

Depending on my mood I also in spurts have been listening to a lot of classic country music. From the older artists who actually sound like country music. Artists like Hank Snow, Stonewall Jackson, Hank Williams Sr, Webb Pierce, Hank Locklin and others.

Some of todays artists I like are Sugarland, Josh Turner, K.T. Tunstall, Feist,and, Shania Twain.
There are others I just can't remember right now.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Well after two pre season games my Buc's are looking pretty good. The quarterback position is doing well but they just need to decide who is in the number two slot. I personally like Griese. Maybe things will come together for them finally. Heres hoping.

My two sons are Chicago Bears fans and it doesn't look too great for them right now but we'll see when the real season starts.

Mean America

A certain presidential candidates wife is not proud of America, in fact she says America is "mean". Well if it wasn't for this mean country there would be millions more people around the world starving and/or dieing for lack of medical care. This mean country under the Bush administration increased aid to Africa from 1.4 billion annually to over 4 billion annually; and U.S. trade with Africa has doubled since 2001. As a matter of fact this mean country is the single largest donor of foreign economic aid.

I notice that this country isn't so bad this candidate and his wife have ivy league college education and both have been sucessful in their careers. This country is not so bad that they have moved to more progressive and nicer country. . . . . beause there isn't any. . . . .

I wasn't a big John McCain fan until I started learning more about his opponent and those he surrounds himself with (including his wife). Now I definately will be voiting Republican; or should I say against the Democratic candidate.

I am proud of my country. I am proud of the way we send aid and support to 3rd world countries. I am proud of the way that our citizens volunteer to help those in need all over the world. In fact I know a number of people in my church who have gone on mission trips to the Phillipines and Zimbabwe; as a matter of fact one man has left for an extended mission trip to zimbabwe.

Diet - Ugh!

Well I have been doing the weight watcher points diet for almost 3 weeks now and am very happy with it. I have not only lost 9 pounds but also my blood sugar readings have been very good.

The best thing is that if I stay with low point foods I can satisfy my hunger and stay well within my alloted points for the day. I have been keeping a daily journal of what I eat and have been careful to weigh everything so I can accurately assign the proper number of points to each food.

Dan

Hanna Montana

When my youngest grand daughter fell in love with Hanna Montana (Miley Cyrus) I was happy to see her taking to someone who had good values, unlike most of the entertainment crowd. We even tried for the longest time to get her tickets to the concert she was putting on in this area and even bought a music CD to listen to.

How disappointed I was to hear about and see the photographs of Miley Cyrus with her unclothed and with a sheet draped around her giving us that come hither look. Now she is sorry she did that and appologizes; well I have seen and heard that routine too many times over the years from these entertainment types. I will no longer buy CD's and try to get concert tickets for my grand daughter for Hanna Montana; I just hope Disney has someone else they can push who is going to be a better role model than Miley.

Spring?

 

Well, we have had some nice weather lately and the trees are growing new leaves and the tulips are flowering;  and everything is just beautiful.  But today it is raining, but admittedly we do need the rain as everything is fairly dry and they are warning against open burning.

I drive through Washington Park in Albany to and from work everyday and it is just beautiful with everything blooming and people are starting to come out and walk and sun bathe and throw frisbees etc.    It is so alive right now,  it's great!