My mom always told me if I don’t have something good to say, don’t say anything at all.  Given that, after what I’ve seen in the past few weeks I just have one question that seems acceptable to ask:

Is there still a protocol office in the White House?

I wonder if the hundreds of millions proposed in the new stimulus package for family planning include measures to help pay for fertility treatments? I mean, aren’t those treatments meant to help plan for new family members?  And wouldn’t funding for those treatments put WAY more dollars into the economy WAY sooner since the procedures are so expensive?

Sadly, I think their definition of “family planning” might be a little different from those that have such a hard time conceiving.  I’m still trying to get a handle on the code phrases so I can understand what they REALLY are planning to spend my tax money on.

UPDATE:  SOUNDS LIKE OBAMA HAS CALLED CONGRESS AND ASKED THEM TO TAKE THIS ITEM OUT OF THE STIMULUS PACKAGE.  I NEVER SAID HE WAS A STUPID GUY.  CLEARLY, HE IS SMARTER THAN PELOSI AND REID COMBINED.

If your school-age kids are wondering what all the fuss is about, it’s very simple to put the idea of redistribution in terms they can understand.

Just ask them how they would feel if they had worked really hard to receive an “A” on an assignment and the teacher decided that it was “fair” to take some points away and give them to a child who had not worked as hard so they could both wind up with a “C” on the assignment.  It would be more equal and fair that way.

Fair:  free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice

I know it sounds simplistic, but the feeling of getting something you earned taken away by someone else who thought it would be more “fair” to give it to the person of their choosing and lower the reward you get from hard work is a feeling I think we all can understand.  I also think if a kid knew the best they could do no matter how hard he or she worked was to score a “C”, then naturally they would do enough to earn that “C” and nothing more.  It’s basic human nature.

Fair, my a&^.  Injustice is more like it.  I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with this new definition of “fair”.  Sure, it’s “fair” for the kid who only worked hard enough to get a “D” or the guy who didn’t earn the money because he’s getting a better grade or free stuff someone else had to earn.  It certainly isn’t fair for the kid who did enough to score an “A” or the guy who earned the money, only to get it taken away and given to someone else who didn’t think it was worth the effort.

So….will you be able to earn an “A” or a “C” for your work?  It’s a question we all should answer before we vote.

I think it’s time for another one of these lists, since I can’t seem to come up with anything really coherent to say.  So here goes….

1.  Ike’s a bad guy.  But he didn’t really seem to make his presence known here in Dallas that much.

2.  Good thing, because The Boy had his first debate tournament this weekend.  Semi-finals on his first go.  Not too shabby.

3.  Also, he looks good in a suit.

4.  I made curtains for all the windows in our kitchen over the past week or so.

5.  Did you know it takes a long time..I mean a REALLY long time to prepare for a debate tournament?

6.  Okay, enough of the small talk.  I gotta talk a little about politics.

7.  Why do some people hate…I mean HATE Sarah Palin or merely the idea of a Sarah Palin?

8.  What’s so wrong with a successful working woman having five kids and conservative views?

9.  How does that ruin it for NOW-oriented women?

10. I mean, unless NOW is way more about abortion rights vs. the rights of women in general, that is.

11.  Because otherwise, why would they be hating on her so bad?

12.  Why is it called a “tax break” when people that don’t pay ANY taxes at all get a refund check?

13.  Isn’t that just a welfare check?  Or a wealth redistribution check?  I would really prefer it if politicians would call things what they actually are, and if people would realize they are really just on the dole maybe they would try to do something to get off of it.

14.  Sorry, I forgot.  It’s much easier to remain on the dole.  My bad.

15.  But I’m not a big fan of increasing wealth redistribution checks.  Can you tell?

16.  As I’ve said before, I’m all for giving someone a helping hand when they’re down on their luck.

17.  I don’t even mind the government helping them with health care or living expenses if they are in a bad place.

18.  But if they want free health care merely because they chose to buy a new flat screen T.V., new computers, expensive clothes, and two new cars they can’t afford….then I’m not a big fan of paying the bill for people that could afford to buy health insurance but chose to buy other things instead.  People that make bad decisions should experience the consequences that result from them, but people that are in a bad spot due to outstanding circumstances deserve a helping hand to get back on their feet.  At least, that’s what I think.

19.  Congress really screwed up when they used their oversight to allow Fannie and Freddie to lower mortgage requirements and make REALLY bad loans to people that had no business buying houses.

20.  I don’t think most people realize it’s the democratic congress that has oversight responsibility for those institutions.

21.  I do believe it’s true that some people didn’t know what they were signing.  But I think many others were just trying to get something for nothing.

22.  And now we ALL will pay the price for poor management by congress, shady guys making the deals, and people defaulting on their loans instead of restructuring them when they were warned their rates would go up.  That makes me really angry.  And somehow congress is blaming the administration for this…and it’s working with the help of the mainstream media.  I wish people would pay more attention to what’s really going on vs. what biased reporters say is going on.

23.  If socialized medicine is so great, why do Canadians, Chinese, U.K. Citizens, etc. come to America if they can afford it and receive treatment here?

24.  Since when did we refer to illegal immigrants as Americans?  Oh…right…when we (well, you know….he…) started adding them into the tally of “Americans without health insurance.”

25.  Did you know that Sarah Palin never banned a book?  That all her ear mark requests are in the light of day instead of hidden at the last minute at the back a bill?  That a state trooper was never fired, but his superiors were notified that he had made death threats against Sarah and her family and he is still a trooper?  That her daughter’s personal life is nobody’s damn business?

26.  But it is true that she got some facts wrong about how much energy Alaska provides to the U.S.  And she did list the Governor’s jet on eBay but it never sold there.

27.  The bottom line is she’s a politician just like all the others currently on both tickets.  The difference is has she done anything?  Did she confront corrupt politicians in her own party, create a surplus in her state’s budget and return tax money to its citizens?  Is she a reformer?  Do you think she has the intestinal fortitude to face down Putin?  How long would it take her to make a decision vs. your choices on the other ticket?

28.  There are people out there that will not vote for McCain based on Palin’s personal views and the fact that she is a woman, no matter what happens.

29.  But there are a lot of people who will vote for McCain and Palin because they want people in the white house that don’t spend so much time nuancing a decision that they lose the chance to protect us or to make a deal that will benefit all Americans.

30.  That’s something to think about.

31.  When I vote, I try to vote based on logic, records, positions, facts, and past history as it relates to proposed policy platforms.

32.  But there are a lot of people out there who seem to make their voting decisions based on emotion.

33.  During the primaries, someone told me they “felt good” about voting for Obama.

34.  Let’s face it…I’m not a big fan of wealth redistribution, socialized medicine, or a systematic dismantling of our military, especially with what’s going on with N. Korea, Russia and Iran.  If you’re a pacifist, I guess this is a good plan.  But it scares the hell out of me.  You should follow the link and go watch the video if you have about a minute.  I feel it’s always better to see for myself all the information this is available.  You won’t see that video on the liberal cable news or main stream media stations.

35.  I wonder if they bought Tina Fey a rifle and a flag bikini to wear for the Sarah skit tonight?  I bet it will be funny, whatever they come up with.

Okay, I’m done ranting.  If you made it through the list, at least you still have an open mind and want to know what other people think.  So that’s a good thing.  Keep reading and watching all different views, and I will do the same….so we can make our voting decisions based on facts vs. feelings.

Okay, so we’re back from our trip up north. I saw my nieces and nephews, sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, mom and step dad. I got to see my newest nephew be baptized live and in person…by a really cool Nigerian priest. Seriously, the guy represented all that is good in a priest from his calm, comforting demeanor to how patient he was with the toddlers at the service to how carefully he treated the babies. A very, very nice man. We also spent time at the lake where The Boy and the spouse caught a mess of fish which we fried up and ate. Yummy.

Anyway, this was the second trip we took with the new Pilot vs. packing, standing in long security lines, and hopefully waiting for seats in crowded airports. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, so here are some pros and cons to consider when deciding whether you should drive or fly:

Driving: You leave on your own schedule

Flying: You sure as hell had better not be late or they will give your seat away…no exceptions.

Driving: You can pack whatever you want in the BIG bottles, in big-ass suitcases and nobody will complain but your spouse who has to figure out how to fit your bags into the car.

Flying: One small carry-on and one small bag which are both searched thoroughly by a power hungry TSA person and are lugged everywhere by you since baggage handlers tend to “misplace” checked bags.

Driving: These days, gas costs a LOT of money. Even in the Pilot which gets good mileage for an SUV.

Flying: There is a fuel surcharge, but it nowhere near matches the cost of filling your tank three times a day.

Driving: You get to sit in your own car, drinking your own beverage of choice, stopping to eat and for bio-breaks wherever and whenever you prefer, and you get your OWN pillow and blanket-free of charge. Plus, you get to watch your own movies and play your own games on your own computer…for free. Oh, and make phone calls. On your cell. As many as you want provided you can stand the dirty looks from the spouse who is trying to listen to his music.

Flying: You get to sit next to a huge guy that invades all your space and insists on putting the arm rest up so he can lean into you, he smells bad, he burps, he has gas, and he snores. You’re lucky to get a coke and you probably won’t get even a pretzel or a peanut unless you’re willing to pay through the nose for a pretty bad sammich. Just when you have to “go”, they turn on the fasten seat belt sign and allow nobody to go to the privy for the duration of the flight. No phone calls, unless you want to pay through the nose. In-flight entertainmnet? Well…maybe they’ll run some commercials and cut sit-coms….maybe some movies on longer flights you can see if you’re lucky enough to have a seat where it’s visible or an individual unit that works. But don’t count on seeing the whole flick….chances are there will be weather or too many announcements thrown in there to finish any one movie and still be able to hear/see it. And the food? Well, we all know the deal there. Even the first class stuff really isn’t that great.

Driving: No annoying people to deal with (except at the restaurants where you can at least get your own table). No screamning kids (except your own). And nobody kicking your seat or leaning back so they knock your drink and food into your lap.

Flying: All the bad things about other people in the mix listed above.

Driving: It takes a long-ass time to get anywhere!

Flying: It doesn’t take that long….but is it worth the hassle? I have to say sometimes it is if it’s the only way to get somewhere when I need or want to, but overall it’s a PITA.

All in all, even with the additional time, after these last two trips I have to say I prefer driving because I get to have all my stuff with me, make my own choices, and wear sweats until I get there (no I’m not comfortable on the plane in sweats…it’s like wearing PJ’s….I’m casual but not THAT casual).

What say you? Driving or flying? These days, which to you prefer?

Is it just me, or does the term “Ordinary American” seem just a little condescending?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel so ordinary.  In fact, I feel very extraordinary for the things I’ve accomplished so far in life.  Whenever a certain presidential candidate uses the term “Ordinary Americans” what I hear is “The Little People” – as if spoken on high from someone that believes he has achieved so much more greatness than me and knows so much more than I could possibly ever understand.

The term offends me…can you tell?

I don’t think I could ever vote for someone who holds me and many other Americans in such low regard.  Oh…and there’s that small thing about wanting to have a friendly chat with the country that likely paid for the truck bomb that almost killed the spouse (you can read all about that here).  Yeah…sorta hard to vote for someone that would willingly coddle the likes of that country.

Anyway….I’m going to take my extraordinary self off to do my extraordinary every day things that make up my extraordinary life.

P.S.  Did you get a load of Hillary’s speech?  Yes…I watched all three speeches.  If you don’t watch and listen, you truly can’t understand all sides is what I say. 

Because seriously….this is cool.

Who would you rather receive a chest bump from? Hillary? Barack? McCain? You decide. Oh no, it’s not who you’d rather drink with anymore. It’s…who would be willing to give you a chest bump in return for volunteering to serve your country with honor? Yeah, baby. And THAT’S why he’s our President. I don’t care who you are. I think it’s really cool that he said yes when asked. After all, wasn’t it the least he could do for a guy who is giving up years in double digits in service for our country’s protection and freedom? Hell, yes!

P.S. Maybe it’s just me, but Hillary would not be my first choice for a chest bump. And also, even though I would probably vote for him I am afraid I might break McCain with a chest bump. But I’m sure he would willingly give one to any service member who asked.

Hey, Barack….what’s up with wearing the flag pin all of a sudden?

Oh, right….you didn’t want us to get distracted with what you may or may not have said about not wearing the thing.

Hey, Hillary…what’s up with the drinking beers and shots a few weeks ago, and then last weekend chugging beers in Puerto Rico?

Sorry…seriously…if I were you I’d need a drink or two every now and then as well.

Hey, McCain….would you pick a running mate already?

Oh…yeah. It has to be the right mix between youth and experience. I get it. Just get it over with and give Mitt a call.

Hey, Barack….how come you haven’t visited Iraq since the surge was executed?

Oh…right…if you actually see progress and hear there is progress from the soldiers and commanders on the ground, you lose one of your key talking points. Sorry, I forgot.

Hey, Hillary…..about your position that the popular vote’s what matters….with your “shared” delegate system, doesn’t it always come down to the nominee is selected by the Super Delegates because nobody can get enough elected delegates anyway?

Oops…did I just ask that out loud? Of COURSE you would never admit that while campaigning. I mean…if people actually realized their votes count for nothing in the nomination process, why in the world would they donate to your campaign or bother to make the effort to vote? Sorry, my bad.

Hey, Barack….why are you making such a point to let people know McCain had a closed door fund raiser with Bush? I mean…don’t you do those things all the time with people like Sorrows and others currently in the news?

Aaaahhhh…now I get it. You’re just mad because there aren’t any leaked disparaging, condescending remarks about liberals made at the fund raiser currently being played on the cable news programs.

Hey, Barack….what’s up with the recent comments from a guest speaker of your new pastor about Hillary being a white supremacist? I thought this guy was supposed to be so much better than Wright?

Oh…right…..you weren’t in the pews and you weren’t aware of those comments. Sorry. UPDATE:  BARACK HAS ACTUALLY DENOUNCED THESE COMMENTS AND RIGHTFULLY SO.  GOOD MOVE, BARACK!

McCain….still waiting….running mate?

Okay, we’ll wait until your next bio break is over. But after that, you better start making some calls!

One more thing….Barack….how come you have not held one single hearing about the progress in Afghanistan? Last time I checked, you did chair the sub-committee that oversees that stuff…what gives?

Oh…right. You announced your run for President as soon as you were given that position. All that campaigning is just too much of a burden so you don’t have time to actually do the business of government. I guess Afghanistan will have to stay in a holding pattern until it’s politically correct enough to replace you in that position. Sorry, soldiers in Afghanistan….Barack’s campaign is way too important to put on hold even for a few days to take care of getting updates on your progress.

Well, those are all my questions. I’m sure you all have some of your own (with answers). I can’t wait to hear them! Only current candidates, please. We get it…half of you hate Bush. Move on (he he….move on).

What is the difference between talking to the guy (without preconditions) who sets the bombs that kill our guys and talking to the guy that pays for and transports the bombs that kill our guys?

Because, according to some, clearly, there is a difference.  Is there?  Really?

Okay, so….I like a clean house.  By clean, I mean always picked up (with the exception of The Boy’s room and the table in our bedroom).  Picked up means all the mail thrown away or in the bill basket as appropriate, everything off the floor and surfaces (except what belongs there), and no visible bits on the floor.

So anyway, it takes me four or five hours a week to do the “weekly” cleaning, plus the picking up through the week.  I try to vacuum twice a week and brush the cat once a week, but that doesn’t always happen.  So..I was wondering…if I provide you with a checklist of all the tasks I do during the weekly cleaning extravaganza (because I try to do it all in one day due to the fact that I actually DETEST cleaning)….could you tell me if you think it’s too much?  Because the spouse and The Boy seem to think it is:

1.  Swiffer all floor boards.

2.  Swiffer all vent covers and light fixtures and ceiling fan blades and tops of ceiling fans as well as light fixtures (yes, I tape an extended Swiffer to a broom pole and Swiffer the lights fixtures and light bulbs hanging from the 20 foot ceiling in the living room an and entry and all the high A/C and heating vents every other week).

3.  Swiffer in between the spindles on both flights of stairs.

4.  Pledge or lemon oil (every other week, switching) every wood surface in the house.

5.  Swiffer all picture frames.

6.  Scour toilets, shower stalls, tubs, sinks, vanities, faucet fixtures.

7.  Swiffer and Windex all glass surfaces, mirrors.

8.  Swiffer all electronics, including computers, mice, monitors and T.V. screens, backup power things, game consoles, etc.).

8.  Swiffer all blinds and window sills.

9.  Sweep and Swiffer or mop all tile surfaces.

10.  Vacuum all rugs.

11.  Comb the cat and wipe him down.

12.  When scouring the sinks and counters in the kitchen, make sure the drip pans and underneath the drip pans are also scoured on the stove (every once in a while, clean the filter in the fan trap in the stove).

13.  Wipe off refrigerator, dishwasher, stove and handles, inside and outside of microwave.

14.   Wipe off all white cabinets in kitchen and bathrooms, and doors as appropriate.

15.  Sweep the front porch.

16.  Wash the sheets and re-make the beds.

Yes.  Every week.  Except the every other week thing on the high dusting things.  Full disclosure: when the spouse is home, he helps.  Usually with the floors.  Probably because the more he helps, the sooner it will be over.  I guess I can understand that.

So…considering that I am allergic to dust and we are all allergic to the cat…..does this seem excessive to you? I mean, it’s not like I wash the outside of the windows or anything…..you do the same stuff, right?  In my house, it takes four or five hours.  That’s not much, right?  Just a day, really…with a lunch break.  Right?