Senior in Denial "SID"

OBAMA LEADERSHIP...NOT

2010-06-03T03:52:00.000-07:00

May 30, 1979 the worst airline disaster in U.S. history occurred in Chicago when an American Airlines DC10 crashed on takeoff. Over 250 died on the plane and on the ground. I was still working in New York, a mid level manager for American and witnessed first hand what real leadership looks like.
Bob Crandall, the then President of American, demonstrated what leadership is all about... taking charge, laying out plans, being visible and demanding results.
He was faced with 2 issues. One, the crash and its aftermath and the other being American's biggest competitor announcing a unique marketing initiative that could result in a long lasting competitive disadvantage if not acted on.
The day of the crash, he immediately summoned his top brass and appointed one of them to be on point for the crash, the other to answer the competitive challenge. They each determined the management resources needed and went to work. Crandall was given daily briefings on both issues and communicated the status to everyone. He did it often and was most visible. Everyone knew what was happening and that we were doing all that we could.
So how does this relate to the oil spill and Obama's handling of the matter? Well, unlike Crandall, Obama has had no executive experience at all. From community organizer to professor, to state senator to senator in DC, he has never had the executive opportunity to lead. So when faced with this oil crisis, he can't seem to walk and chew gum at the same time.
What would Crandall do or for that matter any qualified executive?
First, divide the crisis into 2 parts; plug the hole and protect the beaches.
He can't solve the former as the government is ill equipped having no technology and little experience in such a venture. BP is obviously in charge and more than anyone, wants this leak plugged. Keep the pressure on BP, demand updates and have the VP or some other top executive give daily briefings on the progress.
Where he can have an impact is by marshaling all the resources and manpower of the federal government to relentlessly attack the oil in the gulf and on the beaches. Do this very visibly and communicate daily. This is where he has failed miserably and even his democratic allies have said so. Obama needs to take a cue from Bobby Jindal, the Governor of LA, who is on the front lines everyday, taking charge, orchestrating activities and demanding results.
So why is Obama not doing this.. simple, he doesn't know how to lead nor has he anyone around him who does.

The new Thelma and Louise

2010-03-24T01:51:00.000-07:00

We all remember the end of the movie, Thelma and Louise, smiling, confident, defiant...holding hands, peddle to the metal driving the car over the cliff. Yeah, they showed those cops, nothing was going to stop them, they knew exactly what they were doing, to hell with everyone else, they were going to get their way even if it killed them.

Well, you know where I'm going with this... Obama and Pelosi just pulled a "Thelma and Louise". They just took this country over the financial cliff and they don't give a rip what the majority of Americans think. Nothing was going to stop them from imposing their will on us, they know what's right. They know what's best for this country, and they are prepared to die a political death proving it.

Well, that's really not true. Obama is not going anywhere for 3 years and Pelosi's House seat is firm in that wacky San Fransisco district. So whats' the political death? Well, sticking you finger in the eye of the public with this monster of a bill will likely cause the Democrats to loose House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. Many of those House members who "rode in the car over the cliff" will be traded-in by the voter for a new model in November... and you can be sure it won't be a GM [Government Motors] brand.

So what's the financial beef with this bill? Why is it hated by so many? Well, I'll keep it short and as Joe Friday said on Dragnet, "just the facts"...
Simply put, the numbers just don't add up:
-Basically it starts with 10 years of revenue to pay for 6 years of benefits. [most benefits don't kick in until 2014]
-The revenue comes from 1/2 trillion dollars in new taxes and 1/2 trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare. [fat chance that will happen]
-Medicare currently has unfunded liabilities of over 40 trillion dollars and they are going to cut 1/2 trillion from Medicare, not to help shore it up but to start a new entitlement.

Fuzzy math runs throughout this bill and most people who are not on the dole, understand the cost to be $2.3 trillion in the next decade and not the savings of $138 billion lauded by the Administration.

This blog will be too long to lay out all the gimmicks in the bill and there are many. However, all you need do to understand this fiscal "Frankenstein" is to Google PauL Ryan [Rep from Wisconsin] and see him deliver a financial knockout blow to Obama at the recent "Healthcare Summit".

So what's Obama's motive? Why this political suicide for his Party?
Its very clear, Obama, wants the legacy as the only President to pass universal healthcare in over 100 years of trying and Pelosi wants to ride those coat tails as his principle lieutenant.
Lets face it, Obama has an ego as big as the bill he signed.... and Pelosi well, she's just stupid.

Now I've heard it all...

2010-02-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

Well, you won't read this in the NY Times or see it on MSNBC but Joe, foot in my mouth Biden says the surge success in Iraq is one of the best achievements of THIS ADMINISTRATION! Say what?
In an interview with Larry King, he said that with a straight face and the next day Gibbs, in front of the White House press corp [or should I say corps like our President] said Biden is right. Now even the most ardent Lefties would remember how Biden said the surge would not work even if we sent 100,000 troops and in fact Iraq should be partitioned to its natural religious provinces.
No one was more demonstratively against Bush and his Iraq policy than Biden. And now he says Obama's administration gets the credit for the success...Unbelievable!
Back to Gibbs, he actually said Obama's candidacy and he opposition to the war was most influential in getting Iraq to move toward political reconciliation...What unmitigated gaul from a guy who wants the credit from Bush's successes and yet continues to blames him for everything else that's wrong in America today.

Obama lives in a virtual dream world... If only the public would listen to ME, they would understand everything I've been doing is in their best interest.
Through my vast experience, he would say, I know how to fix the health care system and add 35 million uninsured to the system at no cost.
I understand the perils of man made climate change and the need to save the world from hydrocarbons.
I know how to protect and defend this country and at the same time endear the us to the rest of the world. We will show them [our enemies] how a democracy works and how we uphold the rule of law.

Back to reality, this administration needs to listen to the public.
They do not want universal health care... they do not want Cap and Trade legislation and they do not want us to give Mirada right to terrorists.

If Scott Brown's win did not get his attention, come Nov 2010, he will hear the public sentiment about his policies loud and clear.

Obama the new warrior?

2010-01-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

There's no question the Christmas "pantie bomber" was another wake up call to most of America. I say most, as there are still many loons out there who still believe this whole terror thing is part of the fear mongering right wing establishment.
Lets for a minute though forget that group and focus on what the Administration believes and what are they doing about it...

What is clear is from the beginning of his administration and even during his campaign, Obama has played down the threat and the overall "war on terror".
What were his goals....

-get out of Iraq
-fight the "right" war in Afghanistan
-change how America is viewed in the world

Now to his credit, he is listening to his generals and moving judiciously, to exit Iraq. He has essentially signed off on the military agreement between Iraq and the Bush administration. It's pretty clear there will not be any precipitous withdrawal but a measured one based on conditions on the ground.
In Afghanistan, he certainly took long enough to make the decision but has again listened to his generals. Much to the Lefts displeasure, will add 30,000 troops to fight there. However, in order to soften the blow to his Left, he has said he will begin to withdraw the troops after 18 months

So what's my beef and how has he played down the threat?

Lets start with his grand plan to reset America's image in the world by, as he said in his Inaugural address, "extending a hand if our adversaries will unclench their fists". This was manifested in his first few months in office by what many call his around the world "apology tour". Those speeches were crafted to say the 8 years of the previous administration and it's truculent attitude, are over. In its place would be a softer, gentler America with hope, change and a deep desire to once again be loved by the world community.

So with that as background, he will close the prison at Guantanamo and will stop so called torture. He will uphold the rule of law and extend the rights of U.S. citizens to terrorists by using our courts for their trials. There will no longer be enhanced interrogation of enemy combatants but they will get Marandized"... exactly what we do to common criminals. We will not try the confessed terrorist architects of 9/11 in the Supreme Court approved Military Tribunals, but in a civilian court in NYC where again they will get unwarranted rights. In fact, we no longer have terrorist or even a "war on terror". We now have "man made disasters".

Speaking of disasters, the aftermath of this Christmas "almost bomber was a series of miscalculations from the many involved. For now, forget about the "dots" that were not connected by all the intelligence agencies. That was bad enough but having worked in the industry, I'm flabbergasted that security in Amsterdam would let him, or for that matter, anyone board an international flight after buying a one way ticket with cash and checking no bags. This has always been "rule one" and for that reason alone he should have not been allowed to fly until he was checked out thoroughly.... end of story!

So is Obama the new warrior? I think not!

He needs to "connect his own dots"...the ones in his mind. His silence about the killing of the soldier in the recruiting office by a Muslim radical was upsetting. His reaction to the Ft Hood massacre as a criminal act and not connected to our overseas adversaries was disturbing. He initial "lone extremest" statement about the Christmas bomber was unconscionable.
He has recently changed his description to a "war against Al Qaeda"...so maybe that's a start

However, unless and until he manifests the grit and determination to crush those who wish us harm with all the power of the U.S., the answer is a resounding NO!

What's an average "Joe" to do?

2009-12-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

Things seem to be hurling out of control and you can't seem to do anything about it. What is happening in Washington is just plain scary and you feel helpless to stop it. All you hear is distortions, half truths, and basic lies from the folks who are suppose to represent you and the best interests for this country. You ask yourself, why is this happening??

WELL, ITS ALL ABOUT POWER AND A BELIEF THAT THEY KNOW MORE THAN YOU ABOUT EVERYTHING... ESPECIALLY WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU.

HEALTH CARE: "We need to have universal health coverage and lower premiums for all Americans"

They forget to tell you that:

-it won't be universal [~10-15% uncovered] and illegals will be eligible
-you must get the coverage or you will pay fines and/or go to jail
-it will require a 1/2 trillion dollar cut in Medicare and $500 billion in new taxes to pay for this for the first 10 years. The second 10 years the costs balloon to over $2 1/2 trillion. [the first 10 years has 10 years of revenue and 6 years of expense]
-the CBO [Congressional Budget Office] says premiums will rise should a public option be established.
- Medicare has $36 trillion in liabilities for future users so how can we now establish another 30 million people as we move the age requirement to 55!

ENERGY POLICY: "We need to pass Cap and Trade legislation to save the planet".

They forget to tell you that:

-the evidence that says man is causing climate change is not conclusive. In fact, evidence to the contrary has been suppressed.
-China and India [worlds largest polluters] will not participate in slowing their economy by curbing their industrial output
-actions proposed by this legislation will result in increases in the cost of just about everything as energy prices will rise dramatically
-finally, part of the global conference agenda is that the UN will control the hundreds of billions to be doled out to the underdeveloped countries by all the "rich " countries... are we nuts yet?

FINALLY, THE ECONOMY: "we need to focus on jobs, jobs, jobs"

They forgot to tell you that:
- the $787 billion [liberal wish list] stimulus program has failed to GROW jobs and that job LOSSES are slowing but that's do to the Fed printing trillions of dollars.
- health care legislation and cap and trade are based on more taxes and regulation which is a clear job killer. This plus the deficit reaching 1.4 trillion makes the private sector uncertain of the future and reluctant to hire.
-with Obama's poll numbers plummeting, he now finally wants to adopt some Republican initiatives such as tax credits for small businesses. Will he use stimulus money to do this? NO, he wants to use TARP money left over from the banking crisis. That money, by law, is supposed to be returned to Treasury to reduce the deficit.
-finally, he want to allocate $10 billion to "weatherstripping" our homes.. now how stupid is that... that really will create lots of jobs

So what's the average "Joe" to do? Do what I do.. e-mail and call key Senators and Congressman and tell them to wise up. Tell them they are ruining this country and they will loose their seat next year if they ram this garbage through.

We can also hope and pray that the Democrats will loose control of the House and Senate and Pelosi and Reid will be history

THE FIRST DAY OF THE END OF OBAMA

2009-11-03T18:20:00.001-08:00

So what exactly does the victory in N.J. and VA mean? In short, it means the public has finally awakened to Washington's unbridled spending, their total disregard for our personal freedom and the notion that the American people are stupid. Now that sounds like a real stretch for two races for governor but those results represent the underlying feelings of what was called in the 70's the "silent majority"
One year ago Obama carried both those states in the election yet this year he lost big time in VA and handily in N.J. In fact, the Democrat loss in both states represented a big double digit swing against his policies of tax and spend with Independent voters leading the way. The Obama glow, represented by the black and youth vote was no where to be found in spite of his many visits to both states.
Now the spin by the White House, Pelosi and Reid is this was just a state issue, driven by local concerns. They had a poor candidate in VA who didn't embrace Obama's policies soon enough and their N.J. guy was saddled with the local economy, huge property taxes and corruption. Now no one, except some main street media types and left wing loons believes any of that.
So what are the implications for the Administration post this election.
Well for one, they are now playing big time defense. That is, they will have a hard time convincing scores of Democratic Congressman and Senators, up for reelection in "red" states next year, to sign on to their pending legislation. Cap and Trade and Obamacare have been wallowing in the Senate because of these "blue dogs" and now they are virtually dead in their present form. In fact, Cap and Trade has yet to get out of committee and Reid has now said he can't get Obamacare to the floor this year. Remember, it was to be completed by Labor Day, then Thanksgiving then Christmas and now...maybe by the State of the Union address.

Obamacare is 2000+ pages of dribble that will be the final straw in bankrupting this country.
A 1 trillion dollar "investment" [as the Dems like to call it] that doesn't reform health care or cover most Americans. Rather, it's a bloated, deficit fueling disaster that will virtually cripple one sixth of our economy.
Although they have offered many amendments to curtail the effects of Obamacare, the Republicans have been shut out of the negotiation. They have finally come up with their own formal plan. A 230 page document, packaged and designed to reflect the critical components of real health care reform without adding to the deficit or raising taxes:
- The ability to purchase insurance across state lines stimulating competition and driving down premiums
- Implementing tort reform eliminating defensive medicine and frivolous law suits
-Allowing small businesses to pool their efforts and negotiate better rates from health providers
-Provide tax credits and health saving accounts to help individuals purchase insurance
-Deal with the coverage issues of portability and pre-existing conditions.

In short, they FIX THE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS rather than build a new government run bureaucracy on top of Medicare and Medicaid already burdened with commitments of 36 trillion dollars is future liabilities.

So at the end of the day, these 2 elections have emboldened Republicans and placed a new level of fear in some Democrats which will begin to turn the tide in the "right " direction.

Now we all remember the line in Love Story... "this is the first day of the rest of my life" Well, we
can all hope, in a political sense, that these elections represent the first day of the end of Obama and his legislative ambitions.

A LOSER, ALL THE WAY AROUND

2009-10-04T03:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since my last post. Why? because I've been depressed about what's going on in the country and I spent almost 3 weeks in Russia....now that's really depressing but for another day.
So why the sullen mood? Well, I reviewed my earlier posts since I started this gig and my view of our President was pretty bad. My depression stems from the fact that what has transpired during this administration since my first blog is worse than even I thought.

On the domestic front ...I wrote about "The Honeymoon is Over", "The Road to Socialism", "Passing the Smell Test", "Obama the Controller", "Fiscal Responsibility" and other home front issues. At the end of the day, I believe I understated the fix this country is in..

Lets Recap...
-Obama said many times, he will be a truly bipartisan president
-He said he didn't want to run anything
-We were to trust him with our financial future
-His administration will be the most transparent ever
-and my favorite, it's not about him...

Well, he has taken over practically all of our financial institutions and our auto manufacturing industry. He is still determined to control the energy sector and of course he will fix our health care problems....and what have we got?
Our economy is still in big trouble! Unemployment has hit a 30 year high [9.8%] The famous Stimulus Package has not delivered as promised [unemployment will cap at 8%]
The deficit and the debt are going to bury us and the next generation. The Fed has printed so much money, inflation is sure to hit us hard in the months and years to come.
He has shown no, zero, Nada, fiscal discipline as Obamacare will add another couple of trillion to the deficit and raise taxes on the middle class.
He has appointed over 40 czars reporting to him to run various sections of the economy [avoiding Congress's scrutiny] and his legislation is passing without being read by Congress or posted on the Internet as promised.
He has tried to stifled the opposition, [Tea parties, FOX news, talk radio] and has spent twice as much time on TV than Bush and Clinton combined! Lets face it, his plan all along was to be the next FDR and pass a series of laws to control society from Washington DC....God help us all

Now how about the International front...
Here I have a couple of good things to say but on the whole he's still a Loser....
He has essentially maintained Bush's Iraq policy and not removed our troops precipitously. He has sent more troops to Afghanistan, importantly, maintained the elements of the Patriot Act.

However, has continuously blasted America's past and Bush's policies on the world stage. His "apology tour" is a disgrace. He announced the closing of Gitmo, for international public relations without any plan to house the worst of the worst. He is investigating Bush era interrogation practices for crimes, in spite of earlier, non political justice officials saying no crimes were committed. We no longer have a "war on terror" but have renamed it something non offensive to Muslims. He now may be changing his Afgan strategy due to pressure from the left. After setting the strategy in March and appointing a new general, he may not deliver the troops the general says he needs to avoid US failure. He now says he wants to have the strategy right before he sends in more troops. ....say what?

Finally, he has let the leaders of Iran play him like a Stradivarius... The people revolted because of a fixed election there and he shows little of no support. He "offers his hand" and they smack it away by secret enrichment plants and new missile testing provocations. We may now get inspectors back in to see the plants but that was always part of a UN resolution anyway. Does anyone remember the 14 UN resolutions passed against Iraq?

It is so bad now that the French are now believed to be more hawkish than US. What has the world come to??
Finally, as Romney said in a recent speech ... " I'll bet you never thought you'll say you miss the good old days of the Carter administration." Need I write anymore...

Obama's CIA Head fake

2009-08-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

Now help me understand this.... April 09, the President says we need to move forward and not pursue the CIA interrogation techniques that kept us safe for 8 years. Now in Aug, 09, the Justice Department, headed by Eric Holder, says we need to look again and find where the CIA went too far to protect us. This is after the Bush Justice Department's [non political ]Inspector General and career prosecutors decided no laws were broken in their investigation in 05.

Just imagine this.... In addition to the "horrible" waterboarding, of the perpetrators of 9/11, the interrogators supposedly fired a weapon in another room, held a power drill and hand gun next to their head and God forbid, kept them from sleeping.

Well, I'll tell you why this is happening. The extreme left in this country, driven by the ACLU, has pressured the Administration to reopen this. In addition, Obama's health care policies are failing to take hold and his rating in the polls is collapsing. So what does a desperate President do to distract from his problems? He goes back to his tried and true game plan and moves the dialogue to the previous administration. ... he uses Bush for his cover. It was Bush who allowed torture to occur...blame it on him.

Well, the American people are too smart for him and they see right through this nonsense. Most Americans take the position we were safe for 8 years because we employed aggressive interrogation tactics with terrorists and prevented additional attacks. Too bad we made them feel threatened for their lives. Too bad we made them think they were going to die. They gave us information that saved American lives and we should send thank you notes to the CIA folks responsible.
If the Obama administration has their way, we will lose our best and brightest in the CIA. Why would anyone there risk losing their reputation and risk going to jail?
Guess what, they won't and when we're attacked again, everyone will say ...how did this happen, why did we not see it coming and why didn't we "connect the dots"

Then it will be too late...

The whole truth about Whole Foods

2009-08-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

My contact with Whole Foods has been very limited. I've been in their store twice however, I eat their products almost daily. My wife practically shops there exclusively at least that's what our checking account tells me.
It's founder and CEO, John Mackey, is a very liberal guy and I'm sure I have very little in common with what
he believes or feels [ a liberal trait ] about most things. However, he recently published an editorial in the WSJ concerning the current health care debate and by golly, he hit the proverbial nail on the head. So much so that many liberal groups have decided Whole Foods products are no longer worthy of their pallet and are raising the boycott flag.
So what's got these folks so riled? Here's a snapshot of what Mackey has suggested...

Equalize the tax laws so that employer-provided health insurance and individually owned health insurance have the same tax benefits. Now employer health insurance benefits are fully tax deductible, but individual health insurance is not. This is unfair.

• Repeal all state laws which prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines. We should all have the legal right to purchase health insurance from any insurance company in any state and we should be able use that insurance wherever we live. Health insurance should be portable.
• Repeal government mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover. These mandates have increased the cost of health insurance by billions of dollars. What is insured and what is not insured should be determined by individual customer preferences and not through special-interest lobbying.

• Enact tort reform to end the ruinous lawsuits that force doctors to pay insurance costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. These costs are passed back to us through much higher prices for health care.

• Make costs transparent so that consumers understand what health-care treatments cost. How many people know the total cost of their last doctor's visit and how that total breaks down? What other goods or services do we buy without knowing how much they will cost us?

• Enact Medicare reform. We need to face up to the actuarial fact that Medicare is heading towards bankruptcy and enact reforms that create greater patient empowerment, choice and responsibility.

• Finally, revise tax forms to make it easier for individuals to make a voluntary, tax-deductible donation to help the millions of people who have no insurance and aren't covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Radical huh? Well, most American think not based on how the polls are dropping for Obamacare.
All I know is I now don't feel as badly about all the money we spend at Whole Foods

Our Community Organizer

2009-08-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

His claim to fame is living with the people, feeling their pain and organizing on their behalf. Yes, Obama the community organizer, did all he could to "save" the people from the greedy Chicago private sector for most of his career. So how do you square that position with his slamming those citizens who are now organizing their community to challenge his healthcare and other excess spending ways. He now has his minions and other lackeys demeaning the protests, saying it was organized and they are lying about his policies.
August will be a bad experience for those Congressmen and Senators who try to explain why America needs this healthcare bill. The initial proposition was there are 45 million uninsured people and it is a moral imperative that the government do something. We've since found out that over 10 million are not citizens, and many millions more are young people who can afford but have elected now to buy healthcare. Finally, there are many millions who just can't pay for health insurance. So now the Administration is moving the rhetoric to suggest the healthcare system is broken and the insurance companies are at fault. However, they have not changed the 1 trillion dollar House bill designed to overhaul all of healthcare by putting the government in charge.
The Republicans have offered many bills to deal with the "legimate" uninsured but have been shut down. Two come to mind:
- To drive competition, and thus lower costs, folks should have the ability to buy health
insurance across state lines. [ I don't know why the Dems don't like this]
-Eliminate defensive medicine through excess tests and procedures, by reforming the tort laws.
[Dems are not in favor as they are beholding to the law lobby]

Oh, and one more thing, the White House has asked supporters to send them
blogs and e-mails of those folks whose views are "fishy".
Ratting on your fellow citizen..shades of Fascism?

At the end of the day, the current House bill will not pass. Make no mistake, healthcare needs reforming, Medicare is going broke [we have a $36 trillion obligation] and the deficit is unsustainable. Obama will fail in his signature effort, which defines his legacy, unless he is willing to listen and adopt Republican ideas.

Your government at work

2009-07-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

It will cost over 1 trillion dollars of additional debt to finance Obamacare. A lot of money you say for the government to run our health care system. Indeed it is and clearly we can't afford it. However, the issue goes well beyond cost as it strikes directly at our governments ability to organize and execute ANY program.
We all know about Amtrak, the Post Office, Medicare but the latest and best indication of our governments ineptitude, is the "cash for clunkers" initiative.
Only 1 Billion dollars was allocated to this program to stimulate new car sales. Just bring your clunker in an receive up to $4500 plus other incentives the dealer may offer. Sounds like a plan...well it is! But guess what, after 1 week, it was so popular, the government ran out of money! Now how can that happen? Well, the program gave money back to individuals for trading your old car for a new one.... It gave money back. Everyone can understand that process and it's crazy that the Liberals in Congress could not see how that logic applied in the "stimulus boondoggle." WHY DID THEY NOT JUST GIVE THE STIMULUS MONEY BACK TO THE PEOPLE?? Less than 10% of the $787 billion has been spent and the "jolt" to the economy is now a "2 year plan".
So now they are stumbling to find more money for the new car program. How stupid, inept and inaccurate could they be just allocating only 1 billion dollars?. Actually, it is clearly emblematic of their handling the 1 trillion dollars for healthcare.
Folks, if the car rebate program doesn't tell you all you need to know about your governments ability to run ANYTHING, then you need to move to Cuba.

It's not about me

2009-07-22T06:03:00.000-07:00

Does anyone really believe that what's going on in Washington today is not about Obama, his style, his policies and his legacy? Lets be clear, he has pushed "change you can believe in" as his mantra and fewer and fewer folks are buying it. The poles are reflecting a drop in his favorable rating putting him at a pace rivaled only by Jimmy Carter.
How could things change so fast? Well, here's my take....
First of all, he never ran a business, was never in the private sector and therefore has zero leadership experience. He mistakenly delegated the Stimulus bill, the Cap and Trade bill and now the Health care bill to Nancy Pelosi and her liberal team. The results are clear....
The Stimulus bill, designed to prevent unemployment from exceeding 8% has failed. It's now at 9.5% and some economists believe it will reach 11%. The bill was a $787 billion liberal wish list
and we are still waiting for the "shovel ready " projects to kick in. Only 11% of the money has been spent and now the Administration is pitching the bill as a "2 year project". I recently read where it would have been less expensive and arguably more effective if in January and for 6 months, all taxes; income, FICA, state were not collected by the government. Imagine what that would have done to stimulate the economy!
The Cap and Trade bill [ Crap and Shame see my previous blog] passed in the House and is dead on arrival in the Senate.
Now we are dealing with health care and the notion that we MUST fix what represents 1/6th of our economy before the August recess. Obama has bet his administrations reputation and legacy on getting this done now. So when he says its "not about me" no one really believes him.
He single handily has put the country on a financial footing that he himself has said is unsustainable. The trillions and trillions we and our children are being saddled with under the guise of "change" is looking to be the biggest tragedy for our country since the great depression.
However, hope is eternal and it appears his efforts will fail. Many is his own party are so troubled by the content and cost of this bill, and the reaction from their constituents, they are not signing on.
This is beginning to look a lot like 1993 when Clinton failed with his health care proposal and the Republicans took 53 house seats in the 1994 election....we can hope history repeats itself.

Cap and Trade or "Crap and Shame"

2009-06-30T02:34:00.000-07:00

Cap and Trade legislation, is a bill over 1000 pages long, written in the House of Representatives and few, if any members, read it. An amazing 300 page addendum is added at 3 in the morning and it was passed yesterday by a very slim margin.
How can this be you say? Why would anyone vote for a bill without reading its contents? This is not Cap and Trade, its really "Crap and Shame"

What we have here is a political machine [the Pelosi train] totally out of control. Two of the most liberal members of congress, Waxman of California and Markey of Massachusetts are the sponsors so folks, hold on to your wallets. This is the largest TAX increase in the history of the country as the cost of gasoline, heating oil and gas and electricity will undoubtedly rise.
In an insane effort to "stop global warming" and "reduce our dependence on foreign oil", we have been blessed with the latest government intrusion into the private marketplace.
In short, the aim of the legislation is to charge industries that emit excess CO2 into the air and reward those who reduce emissions.
The fundamental problem is that the science of man made global warming has not been proven and even if it were, China and India will go their own way and continue to build coal fire plants at the rate of 1 every 2 weeks. Therefore, the earth will still get hotter [NOT] and we will have abdicated our manufacturing base to them with the loss of millions of jobs.
In addition, "green power" will never replace the need for oil and gas. Therefore, slowing down our own production and exploration of fossil fuels will only necessitate our need for additional foreign sources of energy to make up the shortfall.

When are we going to stand up and yell... " Obama and Pelosi, get out of my life"?

Media Bias Personified

2009-06-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

Evan Thomas, of Newsweek magazine recently appeared on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. He was reflecting on the Reagan years and how Reagan 's "morning in America" was just about America and that's not what Obama is all about. He said Obama is above all of this, has a more appropriate "world view" and is " above it all ..."godlike". He said lots of other things as well.

My wife took issue with the comment and wrote a letter to the editors of Newsweek. Here it is and I'm sure she speaks for most of us.

"Reagan was all about America and now Obama is above that. Does that mean that Pres. Obama is not about America? Are you saying that Americans should not feel pride when we raise our flag? That the 4th of July should no longer be celebrated? That we should get rid of our own constitution and have a world constitution? And , my goodness,the hyperbole of calling Obama as a sort of God. My goodness, man, have you lost your senses? Obama is a MAN. He breathes, he eats just like the rest of us. So, does Mr. Thomas also have a shiver down his leg when he sees or hears Obama? This is the kind of blather that makes the 55 million people who didn't vote for Obama stop buying magazines like Newsweek. No wonder most of the media is in financial trouble. Sure, blame it all on the Internet not on your own bias.The media in the US now bows down to the alter of Obama. The thing is... he's a false idol."

Needless to say, she hasn't heard back from Newsweek

The Rodney King Initiative

2009-05-26T07:55:00.002-07:00

"Why can't we all just get along" That was the memorable phrase Rodney King used after the LA riots back in the 90's. Somehow, it fits very nicely with how President Obama is dealing with international issues today. True to his word, he has made it known he is willing to talk to any of the well known thugs that run the 1/2 dozen or so rogue regimes on this planet. What is striking and what few expected, is that the key thugs running Iran and North Korea, do not want to talk to him! Both want nuclear weapons and our great orator is not going to talk them out of it.

So whats' a new president to do? Well, having North Korea set off a nuclear device and fire some missiles offers him a great opportunity. Here's what he will do.....
He will get the UN to condemn the North and they may even put out a resolution...BIG WOOP.
We should remember, the UN issued 14 resolutions against Iraq resulting in absolutely nothing. It took the U. S. to do what years of wasted UN speak could not do....end a rogue regime.

It appears the olive branch from Obama will result in a total rebuff from his would be friends. Back to Rodney King.... he wanted everyone to just get along and last I read, LA is still the conflict ridden, racial polarizing city it was 20 years ago.!
So, I suspect the same results for the "anointed one "
His oratory skills will fall on deaf ears...no doubt about it.
I only hope we can survive until 2012

2009-05-26T07:55:00.001-07:00

Please, give me a break

2009-04-27T03:43:00.000-07:00

Three seals raise their weapons and with great expertise and calm, blow the brains out of 3 pirates off the coast of Africa. Flying over Pakistan at the control of an airforce officer in DC , an unmanned drone fires a hellfire missile and eliminates a suspected terrorist and most of his family. The first action is viewed as an act of super precision and cheered by virtually everyone. The second is hailed as Obama's strong tactics in the "war on terror" [sorry, "overseas contingency operation"] and marveled as superior American military ingenuity.
However, pouring water over the face of an individual, responsible for planning the killing 3000 Americans, to determine the nature and timing of another attack is not only morally wrong but criminally libel. Keeping someone awake for a prolonged period, slapping, pushing against a flex wall, and God forbid, putting a caterpillar in with a terrorist is horribly wrong and "not what America is all about". PLEASE, GIVE ME A BREAK!
What have we become as a country when it becomes evil and illegal for us to protect ourselves from a clear and present danger.
We are still at war and may I remind all of you that after 9/11 it was very clear in the minds of most of our leaders, that we would be attacked again and soon. This is important because we have lost our frame of reference which had a critical impact on our actions at that time.
The context then was 19 individuals, representing no country, but simply an ideology based on hatred of America, used airplanes as weapons and attacked two of our cities. These men did not wear uniforms, nor did they represent any country. They represented only evil and hatred of America and therefore deserve nothing, zero, nada, from us except their total elimination.
So the daily headlines and winning about how misguided and evil the Bush administration was; how sorry we are for those actions and what a dark day our country has experienced, just makes me want to puke....

Obama the Controller

2009-04-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Now I've heard it all. Our President today ordered his Cabinet to put on their eye shades, sharpen their pencils and dig deep to help cut the waste from his budget. He set a goal of a whopping $100 million [what the government spends every 13 min.] and he expects their noses to be to the grindstone for as long as it takes to reach that goal.
Now, for any of you who have been in the business world and worked for even a small company, understand how much of a sham to the budget process this action represents.
The 2010 budget he presented and is currently before the Congress, amounts to 3.67 trillion dollars! This represents more expense and debt to this country than the combination of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan plus what we spent on Katrina.
Thus one can understand the outcry from the people, expressed at the recent "tea parties" that the government is out of control and we are dooming the financial stability of this country for generations to come.
Asking the members of his management team to buckle down and cut $100 million is tantamount to my purchasing a $100 thousand home theater and then telling my wife its OK, it comes with free movies!!
He said during his campaign he will go line by line in the budget to find waste and abuse. If this is the actions that meet that campaign promise, God help us!

Our Great Orator

2009-04-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

I stole this article from my wife's blog who had stolen it from the Drudge Report who picked it up from the Guardian in London. [ Nick Robinson is a reporter for them and asks a question at the British press conference]

It's priceless and speaks for itself...

Nick Robinson: "A question for you both, if I may. The prime minister has repeatedly blamed the United States of America for causing this crisis. France and Germany both blame Britain and America for causing this crisis. Who is right? And isn't the debate about that at the heart of the debate about what to do now?" Brown immediately swivels to leave Obama in pole position. There is a four-second delay before Obama starts speaking [THANKS FOR NOTHING, GORDY BABY. REMIND ME TO HANG YOU OUT TO DRY ONE DAY.] Barack Obama: "I, I, would say that, er ... pause [I HAVEN'T A CLUE] ... if you look at ... pause [WHO IS THIS NICK ROBINSON JERK?] ... the, the sources of this crisis ... pause [JUST KEEP GOING, BUDDY] ... the United States certainly has some accounting to do with respect to . . . pause [I'M IN WAY TOO DEEP HERE] ... a regulatory system that was inadequate to the massive changes that have taken place in the global financial system ... pause, close eyes [THIS IS GOING TO GO DOWN LIKE A CROCK OF SHIT BACK HOME. HELP]. I think what is also true is that ... pause [I WANT NICK ROBINSON TO DISAPPEAR] ... here in Great Britain ... pause [SHIT, GORDY'S THE HOST, DON'T LAND HIM IN IT] ... here in continental Europe ... pause [DAMN IT, BLAME EVERYONE.] ... around the world. We were seeing the same mismatch between the regulatory regimes that were in place and er ... pause [I'VE LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT AGAIN] ... the highly integrated, er, global capital markets that have emerged ... pause [I'M REALLY WINGING IT NOW]. So at this point, I'm less interested in ... pause [YOU] ... identifying blame than fixing the problem. I think we've taken some very aggressive steps in the United States to do so, not just responding to the immediate crisis, ensuring banks are adequately capitalised, er, dealing with the enormous, er ... pause [WHY DIDN'T I QUIT WHILE I WAS AHEAD?] ... drop-off in demand and contraction that has taken place. More importantly, for the long term, making sure that we've got a set of, er, er, regulations that are up to the task, er, and that includes, er, a number that will be discussed at this summit. I think there's a lot of convergence between all the parties involved about the need, for example, to focus not on the legal form that a particular financial product takes or the institution it emerges from, but rather what's the risk involved, what's the function of this product and how do we regulate that adequately, much more effective coordination, er, between countries so we can, er, anticipate the risks that are involved there. Dealing with the, er, problem of derivatives markets, making sure we have set up systems, er, that can reduce some of the risks there. So, I actually think ... pause [FANTASTIC. I'VE LOST EVERYONE, INCLUDING MYSELF] ... there's enormous consensus that has emerged in terms of what we need to do now and, er ... pause [I'M OUTTA HERE. TIME FOR THE USUAL CLOSING BOLLOCKS] ... I'm a great believer in looking forwards than looking backwards.

So much for all the Bush bashing about his speaking skills

The Beginning of the End

2009-03-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

"People won't care how much money they make they will care more about what they do" That's a quote from Tim Geithner, our Treasury Secretary on Meet the Press this past Sunday.
Think about it, the whole notion of working hard to advance and earn more money will not be
part of our hopes and dreams..... maybe we are all dreaming and this administration is not really the nightmare it has become....fat chance!

In addition to the financial dance with the auto makers, [who should have declared bankruptcy already] Treasury wants to not only control the banking system but wants unprecedented powers to seize any institution that may have a "systemic risk" to the economy.
What does that mean? What is systemic risk, when does it occur and who makes the call? Then, what happens...the government takes over? Point me to any government run organization.
[Federal or State ] that we look to with pride and admiration. The Post Office, Fanny and Freedie, Amtrack and state motor vehicle bureaus are emblematic of government ineptitude and inefficiency.
What we have now is an administration planning to involve itself in just about every aspect of our lives.
They are taking over private companies, firing executives and determining their pay.
They are telling us:
-What cars we must drive
-What temperature setting we should have in our house
-How our medical insurance needs to work
-What schools we send our children

That's what 10 trillion dollars in debt will buy...more than the combined debt by all the Presidents since George Washington.

Our Economic Leader

2009-03-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

As I watched the President's news conference last night I could not stop thinking why he believes the American people are so dumb. He claims his budget, the financial plan he has for the country, is built on sound logic and reason and will solve our economic ups and downs forever. No more, he says will we have these annoying capitalistic driven recessions every few years. No more will we need to rely on those foreign countries for oil to run our cars and heat our homes. No more will anyone want for health care and no more will our children have to contend with such poor educational opportunities.
Welcome to the land of OZ...
First of all, recessions are part and parcel of a capitalistic society. They are a cleansing of our economic ills and if handled properly should be short lived and not too debilitating. To suggest otherwise is either a lie to the American people or shear ignorance.

Obama's economic plans call for expenditures to triple the budget deficit. The bipartisan OMB [Office of Management and Budget] indicated his deficit will be 2.6 trillion more than what the administration projects or over 9.5 trillion in the next 10 years. His response... well their growth assumptions are more pessimistic in the out years. His budget deficit this year, as a percent of GDP, is as big at what it was at the height of WWII.
And what his he spending it on?
Energy... don't drill safely in Alaska and off the coasts for oil and gas, NO pass a carbon trade bill that will raise energy costs on all Americans who drive or heat their homes....all of us.
Education.... yeah, pour billions of dollars in the failing public school system without getting to the real problem of teacher unions. I wish one of the reporters would have asked him what would he say to a family in DC that just lost their school vouchers and now had to send their child to one of the DC public schools. [ 2 children in his daughters school are among over 1700 families impacted in the voucher cancellation]
Health Care.... he says reducing the cost of health care is imperative if you want to reduce the deficit. Well he does this by putting a down payment of over 650 billion dollars in his budget to make that happen. Who is he kidding?
Imagine all this verbal garbage coming from a guy who needs teleprompters to spew it..

"The chickens have come home to roost"

2009-03-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

That was the famous phase used by Obama's mentor Rev Wright describing how ones actions do eventually come back and bite you in the ass. He was of course foolishly describing how the Bush administration's actions caused 9/11.

However, this thought process has relevance today. You may recall, during the campaign, the left was convinced Obama was the guy to take charge and run the country. They refused to believe executive experience and leadership skills were important. The events of the last few weeks, the total ineptitude displayed by this administration, now have many people admitting he is screwing up because he's never run anything and doesn't know how to lead.

Well folks...." the chickens have come home to roost"

Where's Shara Palin when we need her?

2009-03-10T04:36:00.000-07:00

Shara Palin has executive experience. She managed a budget, hired and fired people and actually had to make decisions. What about our President?
Well, we all remember during the campaign when the Republicans were saying Obama never ran anything and has no executive experience.....A Harvard graduate and a community activist who doesn't know a balance sheet from a bed sheet.
Our current financial crisis requires a leader with excellent communications skills AND executive experience. ...What about our President?
The President has the former but it's clear he misses big time on the latter.
Executive experience drives a CEO to first find the message to get the stakeholders [management, employees and suppliers] in this case, the public, to understand the nature of the problem. Next he rallies the troops with the overall objective on how to solve the problem including clear, understandable strategies and tactics.

Obama has done neither. What he has done is confuse the public with a series of grand initiatives designed to foster his liberal political agenda. Seems each day he gets behind his teleprompter and outlines another program. One day its health care, the next day it's energy and next we hear about education....no wonder the stock market is tanking ...it's like trying to follow the bouncing ball.
Mr President, focus and clarity on the banking problem is what the market needs and your Treasury Secretary is hiding under his desk.
Get out from under there Sec. Geithner and deal with the problem...Now!

The rush to Rush

2009-03-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

Why in the world would the Obama administration decide to pick a fight with Rush Limbaugh? After all, he's only a radio guy who happens to have strong conservative values and a solid following. Umm.. a sinister motive in the offing? You bet!

Obama's plan is to get the media and Rush all fired up simply to divert the discussion away from the current financial mess. Imagine his Chief of Staff secretly planning this with key democratic strategists... He seems to have succeeded at least for the moment. The media, especially cable, is all over this feud as it's great for ratings. So much so that Rush's following has gone from an average of 14 million listeners on a given day to 25 million!

His proponents are saying it's a brilliant move to position Rush, with an approval rating of 15%, as the leader of the Republican party. Lets face it, this is simply a political move and most folks would wonder why do it.... He won the election. The Congress is run by the Democrats ...he is in total control! Well, it demonstrates once and for all that Obama is just like any other politician...so much for "change we can believe in". Get real folks, what people are beginning to believe is this country's economy is going south and Obama's "change" is fueling the effort.

The fact is that the Republicans have many excellent leaders... Mitt Romney, Eric Kantor, Paul Ryan, Mark Sanford, to name a few, have all voiced opposition to the administrations proposals and offered solutions of their own. What is needed now is a more balanced media to outline these alternative views. [ yea and maybe I'll win the lottery]

Here's their short list:

-Cut marginal tax rates for all those paying income taxes.

-Freeze all payroll taxes for 6 months

-Freeze government spending for 2009 at 2008 levels.

-Spend more on infrastructure projects and spend it in the next 18 months.

-Have a real "summit" on fixing the banking and housing crisis with the smartest business minds out there .. [Obama's last 2 "summits" were on healthcare and "fiscal responsibility" ...NOT [see my previous blog]

The bottom line .... Obama is using this crisis to put forth the pent up liberal wishes of the past 40 years. He sees himself as the next FDR... that's just great as he is now viewed by many historians as having extending the great depression by 10 years. What we need now is to make enough noise to prevent this administration from taking the country down that same road.

Fiscal Responsibility?

2009-02-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

I am so outraged; I can't see straight. How can anyone with a brain not see through the total incongruity of Obama's economic policies. Proposing the biggest growth in government spending in the history of the world and at the same time conducting a summit on "fiscal responsibility". I just loved that exercise at the White House... Obama, from the mount, setting the tone for the day to a gathering of "intelligentsia" and then sending them off to their "break out rooms" to find the answers. Its gets better. He actually then expects them to return at 5pm the same day to present their solutions... This is nonsense. It reminds me of how sales management 101 is conducted to help increase revenue. How in the world can he address the 3 trillion dollar budget deficit and ask the team to solve it....in one afternoon? It takes a mountain of "hutspa" to believe the American people are that dumb. It helps to recall just how this government process began. It all started with the "stimulus package". What I found most upsetting is no one read the 1000+ page document. All this was suppose to be transparent and we were all to see it online for 48 hours before signing. Never happened and the Republicans were kept out of the deliberations.... So much for bipartisanship. Senator Lindsey Graham said if this is bipartisanship, "we are screwed".

Now, on the heels of this "stimulus", the Democrats are proposing a 400 billion dollar budget from March to September 2009 and the President is now outlining his multi trillion dollar proposals for fiscal 2010. And now he says he will cut this deficit in half by 2013 on the backs of all those rich families who make $250 thousand a year...all those small businesses who create 70% of the jobs in this country...raising taxes in a recession...what a joke!

Most folks are against all this wasteful spending but if you saw Obama's town hall meetings, you saw the dredges of our society fawning over their "messiah". You actually witnessed people asking their government for a house, a kitchen and better pay at McDonald's. At one point, a middle age white women is seen mouthing "I love you Barack" .... Do you believe this is happening? We are now the "bailout society" where nothing is allowed to fail. We will be indebted to this administration for many generations and it's not over yet.Lets face it, we are seeing the demise of capitalism.... so get used it.

PASSING THE SMELL TEST

2009-02-09T03:58:00.000-08:00

As anyone who has ever worked for a successful corporation understands, when it comes to spending money, you better have someone on your financial team who knows how to say NO!

In the private sector each year, corporations focus on their spending needs for the following year and presents same to the one individual ... the controller. He and his team are the ones who demand the rationale for the spending, and ask the tough questions. They know the various departments have "padded" the requests and their job is to sift through the detail and cut, cut, cut. This process is long and agonizing and at the end of the day, the requests that are approved are the ones with the appropriate rationale and justification that pass the "smell test"

Where is the equivalent process in government? Who is the "controller" and who says NO? Obama promised a Performance Chief to go line by line presumably to ensure the quality and value of spending proposals. Well, she has back out because of tax problems and you have yet to see a mention of a replacement. The question is will her replacement have any real power..

There is no "smell test" in Washington ... the politics of power do not allow for real dissent. There is great deal of noise and wind but no one with real authority and a sharp pencil to bring true rationale to spending. The OMB [Office of Management and Budgets] is the current unbiased "noise and wind" but it has little or no power to influence decisions . So what's a republic to do and how are we in such a financial pickle? Well, one reason is that you'll find the majority of our leaders are lawyers having never run any business or gone through a real budget process..... If there ever was a time for "real change" it is NOW. We need to have a clarion call for term limits... we need to change management in Washington and get some real business leaders to run the show.

The Road to Socialism

2009-02-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

The signing of the "s" chip legislation is officially the fist step in this government's move toward socialism. Why you say? Well, taking 75000 children off private insurance and putting them on the public dole is step one in the nationalization of the health care system. Health care expenditures represents 1/6th of this country's GDP and Obama's stated universal health care plan requires government control. What control you say?
How about "bailing out" the car companies on the one hand and with the other, allow states to set emission standards so as to raise the cost of building cars by the billions.
Ask the financial industry what are the implications of government intervention in their business... Its started with executive pay, its moving to when and how to spend marketing dollars [Wells Fargo incentive trip] and watch, next it will be hiring/firing practices and so on.
Lets face it this administration plans on growing government at an alarming rate. How many layoffs have you read about taking place in Washington? You won't find this administration reducing payroll... Its only growing!
What we need in this country is failure... companies that can't cut it, need to fail. That's why we have bankruptcy laws. We need to hit bottom or we will not begin to grow out of this mess and grow healthy. When the government steps in to save failing companies it interferes with the very core of capitalism. The governmental role should only be to make sure the proper "rules and regulations" are put in place to prevent the wild greed on Wall Street from occurring again. Capitalism is the very reason we've become the greatest most successful nation in the history of the world. Capitalism is what will keep us there.

The Honeymoon is Over

2009-01-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

This Senior in Denial hasn't had a honeymoon in many years but I still remember how, as a newlywed, you kinda went easy on your requests and tried to be accommodating with each other on most issues. It lasted for quite while....maybe even into year two of the relationship.

However, for President Obama, it lasted just about a week, yeah just a week, for all this bipartisan, honeymoon love-in stuff to become just a joke. What happened to the the "change" mantra? Making Washington and government different was the "change we could believe in". Well, nothing has changed!

Just because the President had friendly discussions and listened to the "loyal opposition", did you really think he was going to be fair, accommodating and act on their proposals? No way! In the end he told them in very clear terms ..."I won" or said differently, "my way or the highway".

His spending proposal [packaged as an economic stimulus bill] is so bloated with "fat and pork" if it wasn't so serious, it would be laughable. What ever happened to that guy he hired whose job it was to go "line by line" in the budget and cut out the pork?? Is he still around or was he fired?The other joke is the OMB [Office of Management and Budget] says only 13% of the $500+ Billion [the non tax cut provisions] will be spent in the first 18 months. How could they say this a stimulus? As the WSJ said, this is nothing but a laundry list of liberal wishes for the past 40 years.

Not one Republicans should vote for this bill unless and until Obama delivers on his change mantra and allows for realistic, real stimulative counter proposals to be included. Inclusions such as a lowering of the corporate tax rate [just about the highest in the world] cutting capital gains taxes, and lowering the marginal tax rates...

This "SID" hopes for a public outcry so loud to deny this bill any life in its current form.

why "SID"

2009-01-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

As I begin my first post what strikes me is I'm the oldest person of all my friends,...all of them. No one's older in my golfing crowd, my friends at the club are younger by 3/4 years and some even more. My none-country club friends are younger still, by as many as 20 years! Now maybe I have this cadre of young friends because my wife is 27...just kidding she a very young 55 . The point here is no one believes I'm 65... and neither do I! Thus, Senior in Denial "SID"

The number 65 isn't really the point here and you've heard all the cliches ..."you're as young as you feel" and Jack Benny's "I just turned 39". The point being you are as young as you act and it helps if the act comes from a 6 ft tall, 175 lb frame. My genes are responsible for most of that look but I do see a trainer once a week and I workout 2 or 3 times more on my own. My hair is a problem [loosing it] so what you do is cut it very short and make sure most of your friends are shorter that you

So now what's this posting have to do with being a "SID"..well allow me to walk you through a typical week of said "SID"..

Let's start with Sunday night. I used to hate Sunday night when I was working. All that thinking about the upcoming weeks work; this project, that decision, the anticipated traffic in the morning ...not to mention having to SET THE ALARM! The only thing I looked forward to was my daughter's phone call...every Sun and Wed just like I did with my parents when they were alive. Now Sunday nights are worry free. Still get the call from my daughter, but the rest is 60 Minutes and a good book until the magic hour when my eyes close...about 10pm.

Monday, like the rest of the week , I'm up and about around 6. The cats get restless about that time but 8 hours is plenty of shut eye.

Now here's where I believe my mind takes over and my "SID" attitude takes charge..

After breakfast [cereal and fruit] I turn the t.v. on to Morning Joe. Typical MSNBC show; a bunch of liberal commentators with an occasional conservative face. I like the show because I hear and better understand the liberal dribble that's out there. I send 2/3 e-mails to "Joe" [the conservative host] each week usually begging him to make this or that conservative point or to challenge some vapid remark from "Mika" [the liberal co-host] I never get a reply but I sometimes see my e-mail come alive with this or that remark...kinda cool to get your point of view heard.

After a while [they start to repeat themselves] I get the WSJ and jump to the editorials and read about how they beat up some liberal thought or idea. I do get to the financial news and the other world events, but the editorials rule. I then go online to the Drudge Report, CNN.com, FOXNews.com, and the AJC business section [I wont read anything else in that rag] to get up to speed in what's happening elsewhere.

OK, now comes the fun part. If I'm not golfing, [4-5 days a week] or reading, cleaning the house or working outside, I'm listening to talk radio. Laura Ingraham, Neil Bortz, Rush and Michael Medvid are my favorites. These are the folks who set the tone for most conservatives and you n call them and give your opinion to the discussion at hand. I've called them all [except Rush, I won't wait on hold for over an hour] and spoken to them all. I've also sent e-mails but that's not as much fun and getting on the air

Being fair and balanced, I'll tune in CNN to see what trash Wolf Blitzer is spewing then I"ll watch Hardball with Chris Matthews [ MSNBC ] where once again the liberal point of view is the order of the show. I e-mail him as well and most of my comments are rants. He is the "Hannity" on the left but once again, I learn something each night a 5pm. At 6 I move to Special Report with Brit Hume [ now Bret Baer] on FOX. This is the best news show on television. The last 20 minutes are dedicated to hearing from a liberal, conservative and a moderate on current issues.

Of Course, the conservative columnist [Charles Krauthammer] has, without a doubt, the best mind on t.v. and in print.

Dinner, then O'Reilly at 8pm with the History, Science or the National Geographic Channel now coming into play. That's my week in a nut shell.

In future posts, I plan on sharing with you more specifics on how this "SID" deals with the events that keeps him thinking and feeling younger each day.