Archive for February, 2009
Posted by madjillmom on February 28, 2009
The Corner is posting quite a bit on reducing your income in this time of government expansion under Pres. Obama. These posts generally involve a change in priorities. People don’t want to work harder to pay someone else’s mortgage. One of our friends expressed a plan to lower their income Thursday night. Combine this phenomenon with overly rosie scenarios for budget projections and my own desire to not work too hard to get my taxes correct, and the deficit will grow and revenues will dive.
Perhaps I should reconsider my desire to rejoin the work force with a part-time job. How much would I realize? Would I be better off putting my efforts toward reducing our expenses? Cook more, use coupons, look for really great deals, grow a garden, stock the larder, buy ammunition, build the bunker we joked about for Y2K? It’s so easy to cross over to the extreme side in this time, isn’t it?
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Posted in Make Yourself Heard, The Economy | Tagged: Recession | Leave a Comment »
Posted by madjillmom on February 28, 2009
Yesterday, Pres. Obama told the troops at Camp Lejuene about his plans for the ongoing wars. Going to pull out of Iraq by August 2011. For almost a year there will be 50,000 noncombatant soldiers to help with things before the August 2011 pull out. Last week announced 17,000 additional troops in Afghanistan. One report said he met 24 times with his military advisors. I am not sure I believe that. He split the difference. He wanted 16 months, General’s wanted 23, 19 it is. That will show them who is boss.
Never once did he say the Surge worked. Nor did he use the work Victory. One of the Dems complaints about Pres. Bush was that he would never say he was wrong. Apparently, Obama has this same foible. Also, the agreement between the Iraqi government and the United States was taken down off the Whitehouse website.
I keep wondering if, after talking with George Clooney on Monday, he will deliver a Friday speech and let us know how many troops will be dispatched to Africa for some special humanitarian mission.
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Posted in Afghanistan War, Iraq War, Obama Administration, Pet Peeves | Tagged: George Clooney, Pres. Obama Speech | Leave a Comment »
Posted by madjillmom on February 28, 2009
Probably not when they are freshmen. One of our college freshman wanted to come home this weekend. So on Thursday, I drove to pick him up. The freshmen do not have cars at school. Yesterday, he ran the streets most of the day and then asked if a few friends could some play video games for “a few hours”. They got home at 11 pm. The dogs woke me at 5 am this morning. The kids were still playing video games. This means he will be useless today. I thought he was coming home to rest and study. Yeah, right.
I have been able to suspend some of my worry about where they are and what they are doing. I hope and pray they make good choices. I talk myself into thinking they are doing pretty good in making choices. Then they stay up all night playing video games and I am back to square one.
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Posted in Make Yourself Heard, Pet Peeves | Tagged: Our Kids | Leave a Comment »
Posted by madjillmom on February 25, 2009
As a woman with no particular sense of style, who mostly shops at Walmart, I reserve my right to say something catty about some important women at Pres. Obama’s address to the nation last night.
First Lady Michelle Obama – Sleeveless seems inappropriate for an evening in the house chamber in February. The color was ok and she has nice arms. Still, I think a nice dress with jacket or skirt and jacket would have been more appropriate.
Speaker Pelosi: Puke green is not a good color. Plus, everytime she stood to clap, I realized that she has a little belly on her. That made me feel good. I thought she was thinner. Usually she dresses very sharp, but last night was not inspired.
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Posted in Pet Peeves, Prominent People vs. Ordinary People | Tagged: Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Pres. Obama Speech | 1 Comment »
Posted by madjillmom on February 25, 2009
We don’t have the details of TARP 2, the “Save the American Automobile” Committee hasn’t given us anything, the Omnibus Pork bill is looming in the near future, there is no HHS secretary designate, the economy is in a inherited tailspin, and the Pres. complained on Tuesday that he has enough on his plate without the economic concerns. Somehow Pres. Obama did find some time to meet with George Clooney on Monday. That is just great. I know I feel better now. Everything will soon be just fine. Apparently they talked about Darfur. I wonder if Sec. of State Hillary was in the meeting?
Isn’t Obama a big enough star to not be impressed with stars? Guess not.
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Posted in Obama Administration, Pet Peeves, The Economy | Tagged: American Auto Industry, George Clooney, Recession, TARP 2 | Leave a Comment »
Posted by madjillmom on February 25, 2009
Where are the details?
Omnibus Pork you will cut?
Educational programs that don’t work you will cut?
Military procurement on last century’s weapons you will cut?
Healthcare programs you will start?
Social Security Reforms?
It seems to me he is saying that he has his people working on this stuff and he will get back to us on the details. Goody.
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Posted in Government Healthcare, Health Care, Obama Administration, Tax Reform, The Economy | Tagged: Pres. Obama Speech | 1 Comment »
Posted by madjillmom on February 25, 2009
First off, let me say, I believe VP Joe Biden is a clown. Further, I believe that he was chosen by Vladimer Putin and brings very little to the position other than overstatement and gaffes. However…
Last night, for the second time in 8 days, Pres. Obama laughingly refered to VP Joe Biden. “..nobody messes with Joe”. The chamber erupts in laughter. Last week, it was a reference to the fact that the Pres. didn’t really know what Joe was talking about. The press corps erupts into laughter. I think this will serve to make Joe Biden even a bigger joke than I think he is. Why is Pres. Obama doing this? It seems that the Pres. feels comfortable turning over the oversight for responsible government spending to this “laughing stock”.
I am checking into Recovery.gov again to see if Joe is doing his job. Under Accountability there are two memos posted. One is a two page initial implementation memo and the other is a 1 1/2 page detailed guidance memo. There is an announcement about this memo on the site. Detailed it ain’t. I am less than impressed with both memos. They are just clutter. From the timeline posted, there are no milestones until May. What happened to March and April? Didn’t Obama say he was sending money to the states for medicaid later this week. Isn’t that a milestone? Which states got how much money? I sent them a message asking for info on programs and projects that benefit Texas and Austin County. Let’s see if they answer.
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Posted in Obama Administration, Obama's Stimulus Bill, The Economy | Tagged: Obama's Stimulus Bill, VP Joe Biden, www.Recovery.gov | Leave a Comment »
Posted by madjillmom on February 25, 2009
Gregory Kane of the DC Examiner has a good piece about racial issues that need to be discussed. He brings up some very good points.
Pres. Obama’s address to the nation last night only lightly touched on some issues that have racial and ethnic overtones when he talked about parental responsibility. School starts at home. Responsible parents send their children to school. When does Obama address these issues to the black and latino community, the groups that have the highest dropout rate?
If you have the time, American Thinker has another great article about race by Ed Kaitz. Eric Holder’s Tragic Prison Thispiece is really scary. Should Eric Holder and Pres. Obama be talking about stuff like this?
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Posted in Obama Administration | Tagged: DC Examiner, Gregory Kane, Race/Racism | Leave a Comment »
Posted by madjillmom on February 24, 2009
David Brooks writes this opinion in the NYT. I am having a hard time understanding exactly what he is trying to say. Can someone translate. I am going to get my dictionary.
“crooked timber school of public philosophy”
“epistemological modesty”
“epistemological skepticism”
OMG
How do you eat an elephant? All in the first 100 days before the country can figure out what is going on!!
If Obama succeeds, conservatism is discredited. I don’t think so. I think I understood Bill Buckley better.
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Posted in MSM, Strange Things | Tagged: David Brooks, New York Times | Leave a Comment »
Posted by madjillmom on February 24, 2009
I remember some of my school busy work. Sometimes you were given a worksheet and told to put the events in the proper order. Did Pres. Obama and his cabinet have the same kind of worksheets.
Put these events in a logical order:
- Pres. Obama announces he will close Guantanamo – campaign promise fulfilled
- Drop charges against al-Nashiri, one of the masterminds of the USS Cole bombing
- Meet with the Families of the Cole and some 9/11 families and assures them administration will review all detainees files before deciding what to do about closing Guantanamo
- Put out report that Guantanamo is up to Geneva Convention standards
- Release Binyam Mohamed to UK – no real explanation given, was his file reviewed?
- Announce Bagram detainees have no constitutional rights – same as Guantanamo detainees
- Send AG Eric Holder to Guantanamo – no press allowed – to check on the situation
It seems to me that the Obama adminsitration shoots first, then asks question later. Or rather annouces policy, then studies the situation. Wasn’t this the charge always leveled against Pres. Bush.
Who in the Obama administration/transition team went to Guantanamo prior to AG Eric Holder’s visit? Why was no press allowed on the Holder trip? Would they have asked him questions about his coward remark?
I do not think that anyone can put the events in order because the proper thoughtful order would eliminate the first event. Study the issue first than decide what to do about it. That is what I would tell my kids.
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Posted in Obama Administration | Tagged: Guantanamo | Leave a Comment »
Mama Bin Cranky 