Thoughts on the Health Care Reform Summit

I watched about two hours of that monstrosity. I wasn't expecting any earth shattering agreements. I wasn't even expecting any bipartisanship either. What I did expect was to see people of good will, who are elected representatives, try to accept what they agree on and go from there. All I saw was "talk" of what they agree on and then focus for the vast majority of the time on what they disagree upon. In short, nothing was accomplished. As many predicted, this was more of a photo op for the president. President Obama wanted to make an appearance of trying to reach across the aisle to the minority party. He made that attempt look good. But, whenever Republicans would try to bring up Republican talking points, he would dismiss them in his role of the moderator. The disparity in time allowed (about 2:1 in favor of Dems) proved to me that talk of trying to accomplish something at this summit was nothing more than a ruse.

Neither party has any intention of backing down from their agenda. So, now, we will go to reconciliation aka nuclear option. This will be forcing healthcare down the throats of the American people where the latest poll demonstrates only 25% support. If the Democrats do this, they will commit political suicide. Surely, they realize this. If the Republicans don't attempt to join in with the Democrats, to pass some type of healthcare reform that will do something about insurance companies monopolistic excesses, they too will face the wrath of the public. If ever a third party would have a chance to gain a political foundation, it would be now.

I Thought The Recession Was Over

The Commerce Department reported yesterday [article link] that new home sales dropped 11.2% in January. This is a record low since records were started over half a century ago. Winter storms were said to have contributed (???) to this descent of home sales. Economists expressed surprise at the record low. This data is another hint that home sales will continue to lag in 2010. Housing supports, such as the $8K incentive for first time home buyers, will expire as the year continues. The worry about new home sales is that this is a leading indicator about a recession.

I could have sworn President Obama told us in January that the worst of the recession was behind us. New home sales are dropping to historic lows, unemployment continues hovering around 10%. Consumer confidence dropped again last month, meaning that due to high unemployment, people are going to hold onto their money. And it is tougher to get credit now thanks to the banking disaster. So, where and how does the economy start to pickup? We were told the $787 billion stimulus package would halt unemployment at or under 8%. Instead, more jobs have been lost since that bill passed. Sure, Dear Leader and his lemmings like to say 1-2 million jobs were saved. Apparently the CBO agrees. But, what the CBO didn't state is where are those jobs. What kind of jobs were they? More federal jobs were created since last February than private sector jobs. So, where are the private sector jobs that were "created or saved" that the CBO, the "nonpartisan government agency," and President Obama bragged about? About 10% of Americans, along with another 7-10% who are under employed, want to know.

Oh...and the obligatory "it's all the fault of George W. Bush" that we are in this mess.

Nature Wednesday

This week for Nature Wednesday, we have mama bird at feeding time, a curious monkey and a nap time for some baby ducks.

Answers to Some Questions in Email

I received some questions in email this past week. Rather than answer them all individually, I will do it here.

No, I am not a writer. I never claimed to be. I have said I was an "amateur writer" in the profile above. I do have a novel [Diary: Alone on Earth] that I am trying to get published. I have entered it in the prestigious Amazon-Penguin Publishing Contest for 2010. There are 5000 contestants. I am not confident of my chances with that many people.

In regard to my new blog, (on wordpress) "David's Short Stories", has one story that is close, very close to actually being a novella instead of a short story. The story in question, "The Insurrection" had just over a 8500 word count. I think stories are considered short stories up to 7500 words. Someone can correct me on that if they wish.

At this time, I have no desire to self-publish my novel. I appreciate the offers. I am going to try to go the traditional route for a while longer. Self-publishing may just be in my future if I want to publish this novel.

I like to discuss politics. That is why you will see a lot of political posts here. I try to even it out with other topics. But, with what is going on in D.C. right now, it is difficult not to comment.

I have no desire to place ads such as adsense, bidvertise or any other such advertising on this blog at this time. I do make commentary on those who wish for me to review a product, site or service for a fee. Contact me by email for further details.

Thanks to all who sent the emails last week.

Captain Phil

I must be living in a cave. I wasn't aware that Captain Phil Harris, of Deadliest Catch on Discovery, died on February 9th [article link]. He suffered a stroke on January 29th and had a 12 hour surgery to relieve cranial blood pressure. He was 53 years old, five years younger than me. He lived a rough life, and was a chain smoker. The pressure was immense as he struggled to fill his catch quote every year.

Captain Phil Harris had experienced nose bleeds in an episode last season. That should have been a warning to him. He had periods when he couldn't breath. It was unbelievable to me he didn't try to take better care of himself. Perhaps he knew he didn't have much time left even at age 53. So, smoking, drinking and just the everyday pressure of Crab Fishing just took their toll on him. He was my favorite of all the characters we saw each week on Deadliest Catch. He'll be missed.

The Restaurant Employee

I went, last night, to one of those chain restaurants you see advertised on TV. It's less than a mile from my home. They serve good food and are reasonably priced. Now, most of the time, I will order a steak when I go. I have always been a steak and potatoes man. I always will be. So, I ordered the 12oz sirloin and with all the usual entrees. As usual, we had an excellent waitress and she kept our glasses of ice tea (down south, it's considered almost a sin not to have ice tea with your meal) full.

Right after she filled our glasses the last time, a cook brought out our food. The cook said, a bit too authoritatively, for me to cut the steak to make sure it was medium well as I had ordered. Notice I didn't say he "asked" me to cut it. I looked at my companions, said nothing and told the cook (I am assuming he was a cook) it was just fine. He then said is there anything else I can bring you (meaning all of us). I told him I wanted A-1 steak sauce. The look he gave me was one of incredulity. "Well, you really don't need steak sauce with the seasonings added it to it, sir," said the cook. My companions then looked at me a bit stunned. I looked up at the cook and said, "Tell you what...when you buy a steak, you eat it the way you want. But, with me, I want A-1 steak sauce with my steak," I replied. The cook then rushed away and I didn't see him again. I told the waitress what happened, she apologized and brought me the A-1 sauce. I was still mad about it. I thought about discussing it with the manager. But, was talked out of it.

Two of the people with me asked me why I was so rude to the cook. I was already mad and that made me even more mad. I have always been the type of person to treat people the same way they treat me. You treat me well, I'll return it. Treat me bad, I'll return that also. The way I looked at it, he got off on the wrong foot with his "demand" that I cut the steak to see if it was cooked to my satisfaction. I realize that is standard procedure from a cook or waitress when you order a steak. There is a difference in asking someone to do something and telling them to do it. A significant difference. Maybe I made a bit too much of it. I don't know. I think if I had said something to the manager that would have been a bit too much. Maybe I was wrong. I'm curious what others would have done in the same situation.

High Unemployment Next Two Years

The Federal Reserve issued a bleak forecast [article link] yesterday by stating Americans face another two years of high unemployment. The last unemployment figures had the U.S. unemployment picture at 9.7%, which is down from the previous month's 10%. The Federal Reserve believes American businesses will be very cautious due to a high deficit, slow growth of consumer goods sales and the belief the recession could reignite.

I'm not sure how much more good news we can take from the federal government. They state in that article that unemployment will remain between 9.5-9.7% for this year. That could prove disastrous for the Democratic Party in November if that prediction holds true. And, I do not believe the bravado from the Obama Administration that the worst of the recession is behind us. New home sales rose 2.8% in January. However, construction applications fell 4.9 percent to a rate of 621,000 units [article link]. According to the article I linked, "Applications for new home construction are viewed as a gauge of results and watched closely. The drop in applications came after two consecutive months of increases." Businesses are still folding nationwide. I'm sure the Obama cultists will point to the rise in construction of new homes as an indicator the recession is behind us. But, like their idol, they point only to what appears to be "good news." This recession is still hurting Americans. And, I know it's all the fault of George W. Bush. I'm just curious when does this economy become the fault of President Obama and his big government spending solutions?

To quote Harry Truman, "It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours. I suspect there are a lot of depressed Americans today. And, their anger will be displayed in November.

Nature Wednesday

Today for Nature Wednesday, two squirrels and one obvious photoshop. Enjoy!

Mardi Gras: Fat Tuesday

Today is Fat Tuesday in New Orleans and Mobile, AL. While there is still argument over who started Mardi Gras (Mobile insists it started there with a Mr. Joe Cain...hence Joe Cain Day on Sundays), there is no doubt that NO has the biggest and best Mardi Gras. But, this Mardi Gras, at least in Mobile, attendance has been lagging. One could say that was due to the world economic turmoil. That would probably be a safe bet. Another factor has been the unseasonably cold weather we have experienced in the deep south. Mobile got snow Friday for the first time in....well, God knows how long. It was the first time Mobile public schools had ever been cancelled due to snow. That is a record, in and of itself, in Mobile.

Thus far, this has been a fatality-free Mardi Gras. That probably sounds strange. But, violence is well known to happen at Mardi Gras. I've never understood the logic of fighting over penny candy (ok, in today's world, maybe 3 cent candy). I don't attend Mardi Gras. I have not done so for many years. I just can't stand the crowds and the fascination with it all. But, that's just me. Thousands upon thousands love it. And, they are welcome to it.

Things I Miss

I was just thinking this past weekend of some of the things I enjoyed as a kid. Some things, the younger generation wouldn't have a clue as to what I'm talking about. Here are a few I miss.

The Mom and Pop Drive-ins. Grandma always said if you find a drive-in that puts their hamburgers in while wrapping paper, it is a good hamburger. Of course, that wasn't always the case. But, these old drive-ins had the best tasting food. I guess maybe it wasn't processed food like you get at the major fastfood restaurant chains today. But, I miss those places. Very few, if any, left today.

6 ounce bottles of coke. Back in the day, you could put in your dime and pull out a small 6 ounce coke out of a machine that had them encased in ice water. I've seen some at Cracker Barrel. But, those cokes were real cokes. They burned your throat on the way down the way a coke is supposed to.

Full service gas stations. I remember when my father would pull up into a gas station, a gas attendant would run out to ask how much gas you want, ask if you want him to check under the hood and have him bring the oil dip stick to my father to inspect. Also, when you came up to the filling station, the "ding-ding, ding-ding" alarm would go off. I miss the gas wars, the glasses, dining-ware and other stuff you could accumulate based on the amount of gas you bought.

S&H Green Stamps. Speaking of gas stations, I miss the S&H green stamps that the gas attendant would give you, again, based on the amount of gas you bought. My very first baseball glove was bought by my grandma at a S&H Green stamp store. I don't think they took cash to buy stuff. It was based on how many books of green stamps you had to purchase.

Paperboys. Yes, there was a time when kids 12 years old or even younger would throw your morning newspaper in the bushes for you. The newspapers forced the kids to collect the money from the subscribers. That sometimes caused problems. Now, you pay in advance. Of course, there will be a day soon when I say I miss my morning newspaper. They are all slowly dying.

Cartoon Saturday. For the longest time, cartoons started about 7AM on Saturday morning, and went on to around noon. Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Johnny Quest, Space Ghost, to name just a few were the order of the day. Now, it's rare to find any cartoon on Saturday morning networks like CBS, NBC and ABC.

Drug stores with a soda fountain. The best ice cream sundays, floats and hamburgers could be found at the drug store's soda fountain. Damn...I'm making myself hungry. I better stop now.

Spam and Malware

One of the problems I had last October was Spam. I had gone about 18 months of this blog with virtually no spam at all. I think I could count on one hand the amount of spam I received in those first 18 months. For some reason, I started getting a tremendous amount of spam in October. I was deleting 25-30 comments a day. The vast majority was when people would use the "anonymous" option to post. I really hated to do it, but I had to cancel that option for people reading this blog. I got a lot more comments with the anonymous option in place. I also got a few headaches for allowing that option (and NO, Juli, I'm not talking about you...wish you would post again). After I ended that option in Blogger, 90% of the spam ceased. There were still some people who felt they could post comments with a google account and I wouldn't catch them. Every comment to this blog is emailed to me. So, I went to comment moderation for posts older than two weeks. The spam was killed off by 99%. I still get a spam comment once in a while. It's usually someone just wanting to leave a link for e-store or some other marketing enterprise. I won't allow that due to charging people to have a permi-link to this blog. Anyway, I hated to end that anonymous option because I lost some valued comments to this blog. But, the situation with spam was untenable. It takes maybe five minutes to get a google account. I don't understand why people are reluctant to do that.

As I stated last week, I have started back to dropping Entrecard after an absence of about a year. Since that time, I have gotten two viruses and one trojan. I've gotten more spyware than you would believe. I have my anti-virus enabled to catch this stuff. But, it can't catch all of it. Avira is the best anti-virus program around, in my opinion. And, it has caught far more than it lets slip through. I really don't want to end my Entrecard dropping after less than a week. But, I don't remember getting this much malware when I was a steady dropper a year ago. What has happened? I doubt most of the site owners are even aware they have malware on their site. Entrecard should be making this a priority if they want to stay in business. Or maybe I'm the only one experiencing this. I don't know.

A Couple of Political Thoughts

Bipartisanship. That word means different things to different people. President Obama says it means he has to come around to all of what the Republicans want, while the Republicans do not give up anything. Republicans feel the reverse is true about him. So, why have a summit (Feb. 25) on a healthcare bill that is not going to be passed in the first place? Why even discuss a bill that his own party could not pass with a super vote majority? The reason, of course, is to score points against the Republican Party. He felt he did so well portraying the GOP as the "Party of No" at the Republican retreat, that having a summit on healthcare would give him the opportunity to continue to hammer at this opening. And, this guy wants bipartisanship while he continues attacks on the GOP??? This President puts Bill Clinton to shame when it comes to political maneuvering. I thought President Clinton was the best in the business. But, I have to hand it to Obama; he is all about politics. He thinks a televised opportunity where he can continue to bash Republicans will help him with the much sought after healthcare victory. He doesn't even know what is in the healthcare bill, which puts him on an even keel with everybody else in D.C. It is apparent the President just wants a victory, regardless of the consequences to the American people.



Where is Al Gore? When it came out that emails were hacked to discover that Global Warming numbers were skewed to reflect what the Global Warming alarmists believed, Al Gore took a low profile. Since that story first broke out, more and more scientists have spoken out that Al Gore and his lemmings are out to lunch on this theory. So, Al Gore has sunk into oblivion even more. Now, with the historic snow storms on the eastern seaboard, of the USA, no where can you find the proponents of this scam. Is the earth warming? Maybe. But, you wouldn't know it based on how this story has taken a backseat in the news. Al Gore, like so many of the Global Warming alarmists, has made big money on this scam, while the lemmings are the people walking around with cold mud on their faces. What will we hear next from these idiots? Why, Global Cooling, of course! Oh wait...they already did that back in the sixties. Never mind.

Nature Wednesday

Today, for Nature Wednesday, we have a bat dropping in for "lunch," a cat chasing his lunch and three owls looking for lunch. Enjoy!

My Short Stories Blog

I've made mention of my new blog, "David's Short Stories" in posts in the past few weeks. I am nearing the end of my second story, "The Insurrection." This story revolves around a boy who is bullied, beaten and harassed by the town bully, a grown 32 year old man named Luther Thompson. It takes place in the Mississippi delta town called "Ruleville." Luther is a despicable human being who takes delight in the suffering he inflicts on others around him, including his tenants, co-workers at the local mill and especially small boys who he views as a threat to him. Finally, two small boys decide they can take Luther no longer. And, they lead an "insurrection" against him. I hope you'll come by and take a look.

I'm still in the process of trying to get my novel, "Diary: Alone on Earth" published. I have decided against self-publishing at this time. The idea that most self-published novels sell less than a 100 copies was enough for me to forgo that idea right now. I have entered my novel into a contest with Amazon.com. They take the first 5000 entries in two categories, general fiction and juvenile fiction. They then take 1000 from each category and go from there. I'll give updates on how this is progressing. I'll keep plugging away to try and get Diary published. But, I find what one writer told me after I completed my story, to be prophetic; "Completing the novel was the easy part. Now, here comes the hard part (getting published)." How very true that statement was as I discovered.

Super Bowl Thoughts

As I type this, the Super Bowl battle between the New Orleans Saints and the Indy Colts is still 3 1/2 hours away. I'm quite ambivalent about the game itself. I followed the Saints, somewhat, when I was a teenager. That was mostly due to New Orleans being less than a three hour drive from my hometown of Mobile, AL. I was always more of a Green Bay Packer fan most of my life. But, I can't tell you the last time I actually watched an NFL game from start to finish. College football has always been my thing and always will be. However, I'm not denying the significance this game has with so many people. Probably, this is the most watched sporting event in the USA. An argument could be made for the World Series. But, that is usually stretched out over multiple games. No, I would have to say the Super Bowl is the marquee game that garners the most attention of a single sporting event.

I can remember when the Saints came into being as an expansion team in 1967. They were horrible that first year and brought new meaning to the word "mediocre" over the years. Actually, mediocre would have been a compliment to that franchise. Many times, they dwelled at the bottom of the standings with 10-13 losses a season. I believe the Saints fans were the very first to wear paper bags over their heads at games. Many times the New Orleans Saints were referred to as the "Aints." They wallowed in their ability to pull defeat from the jaws of victory. It wasn't that long ago the Saints finally won more games than they lost in a season. They went two decades before having a winning season. Now, over four decades later, they finally make it to the Super Bowl. New Orleans fans are ecstatic today. This is something for which the entire city of New Orleans can be proud to finally witness. Who do I think will win? It's hard to go against Peyton Manning and the Colts. Manning is at the top of his game as an NFL QB. Still, there is a part of me hoping that the Saints can win. After so many losing seasons, after almost a half-century of losing, it would seem only poetic justice that the poster child of losing, the New Orleans Saints, would win sports ultimate prize; the Super Bowl.

This and That

Just a few things to talk about...

We had some high, high wind and rain about three weeks ago. I was sitting in my living room with Ralph, my beagle, and we heard the drip, drip, drip of water. Ralph went to the fireplace, I went looking up at the ceiling. I turned on all the ceiling lights to see where the leak was located. Could not see anything. Ralph kept looking at the fireplace. So, I followed Ralph to the fireplace. Sure enough, there was water leaking down into the fireplace. I thought, how is that possible with the chimney cap? After the rain let up, somewhat, I went outside and noticed the chimney cap had been swept away. Could not locate it anywhere in the yard. That must have been some mighty powerful wind.

As I stated yesterday, my practically new Golds Gym treadmill is still dead. A treadmill tech is supposed to come out here by the end of the week. At least, that is what I was told. No call, no nothing since I paid (in advance, mind you) for the repair of my now very costly treadmill.

I know this is of little consolation to those up north. But, down south, we have been experiencing one of the worst winters we have had in many years. Yes, we have had highs of 50 degrees. But, that is unusual for us on the gulf coast. That bitter spell in January is still very much the topic of conversation down here. Must be all that global warming Professor AlGore has warned us about.

Finally, I have started using a new web browser. I had been using Firefox and a Firefox clone, Flock, for many years. I have gotten tired of the heavy use of resources that both those browsers utilize. I am now using Opera and could not be more please. Opera is what Firefox used to be; fast loading, and a not a load on memory or computer resources. I highly recommend it.

Golds Gym Treadmill

I mentioned on this blog I purchased a Golds Gym Trainer 550 Treadmill last September. I have had two previous treadmills, one was a Nordictrack, the last one was a Weslo brand. I never had trouble out of either one of those two previous treadmills. I worked them to death. But, each provided at least five years trouble free service before finally dying.

My Golds Gym treadmill went out on me after just four months of steady use. I mean, it completely died on me. I really, really wish I would have noticed that the warranty was for only 90 days. My previous two were for six months and one year respectively. The people at Golds Gym informed me I would have to pay to have a treadmill technician (honestly, I didn't even know they existed) to repair the treadmill since I was outside the warranty period. Cost? $149.00 plus taxes, plus another $55.00 if a part was needed. In short, I could easily pay another $200.00 for a treadmill that cost me $570.00. I admit I should have not bought a treadmill with only a 90 day warranty. That is my fault. But, I expected to get more use than just 4 months out of a new treadmill.

My advice; if you are looking for a new treadmill, stay far, far away from any treadmill from Golds Gym. In fact, my advice is to stay completely away from any of their products.

Nature Wednesday

For Nature Wednesday this week, we have a "Mother and Child Reunion" (with apologies to Paul Simon), a bouncing baby boy (I think) and Oooh Happy Day...I think you'll understand. Enjoy!

A Couple of Things Regarding This Blog

After about a one year absence, I have started dropping on Entrecard, once again. Why did I quit? A couple of reasons. One, I was heavily involved in my blog-novel, "Dairy: Alone on Earth." Secondly, I just got tired of it. I not only had to drop for this blog, but for Diary as well. I deleted Entrecard from my "Diary" blog since they deleted me from their system. The reason given to me was because there had been no new entries in a year. No, I didn't even bother to let them know it was a completed blog-novel. I made a lot of friends by dropping EntreCard. One of them that appears to be gone is Matt of "Matt-Speak." I truly enjoyed his blog. Matt lost a brother about this time last year. His blog is now no more. Miss you, Matt.

Also, you will see I brought back the followers widget. It was causing my blog to load very slowly last year. So, I deleted it. I am going to try it again. You will also notice I have brought back the "Shoutbox" after an absence of six months or more. I got tired of the spam, the profanity and vulgar messages. I now have more control over this Shoutbox. I can ban entire IP addresses with this. So, feel free to either comment on a post or in the Shoutbox. I'm going to try this thing one more time. I have misgivings about going through this headache again. But, I enjoyed about 98% of the interaction with visitors who didn't feel like commenting on a post. We'll see how things go this time.

February Events in My Life

The month of February always has special significance to me. February 2nd is Ground Hog Day. I will always think of that movie on that day. February 3rd is the wedding anniversary of my parents. If they both were still alive, they would have been married 62 years! Wow...that's hard to imagine. February 14th needs no explanation. Valentines Day was always a day of special importance at school. You found out who liked you (girls, of course). Sadly, it was also a day for those boys and girls who were considered outcasts. February 14th was a bitter experience for them. February 17th is a day that will always live in infamy for me. It was on February 17, 1972, I was "volunteered" for duty in Vietnam. February 22nd is a birthday for two of my cousins. No, they are not twins. They are separated by 3 years, I believe.

February 23, 1973 is a day I was involved in a motorcycle accident in Naples, Italy. Strangely, I was not severely injured. But, the motorcycle wasn't so lucky. I totaled that bike and I had for only 3 weeks. It was a brand new Triumph 650cc. February 27, 1970 is the day I left Pensacola, FL for three years of Navy duty in Naples, Italy (except for six months in Vietnam). Of course, we don't have Leap Year this year, but February 29th is special for at least two old friends I know. They claim they are only 14 years old since they were born on that day. Oh, almost forgot...February is the 2nd month of the year! What happened to January?