Watcha Gonna Do?

Well, it ain't call Ghost Busters. If it's useless or not making any money and you're President Obama, you're going to throw money at it. Programs that cost $38,000,000,000.00 (that's billion) last year, and deemed "not performing" by President George W. Bush, are going to be continued and, in some cases, get a raise.
What would you do about waste like this? Here's what O is going to do. He's going to change the way these progams are evaluated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) because they are (get this) "too focused on ratings".

(The USA Today strory here http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-05-25-budget_N.htm )

Amtrak is going to get $1.5, an increase, even though the OMB judged it "ineffective" under W.
Learn and Serve America, which encourages students to volunteer, would receive $40 million, an 8% increase.
Health Professions, which provides grants to train nurses and doctors to serve in low-income neighborhoods, is going to get $406 million (a 13% increase) even thought the universities that got these grants didn't send any more doctors or nurses to these neighborhoods than without the grants.
A Department of Labor program that trains migrant and seasonal farmworkers for new jobs would receive $83 million, the same as this year. OMB found in 2003 that similar training was available elsewhere. Why not? We've got the trains to keep em migrating.
So in a time when O is counting paper clips and buying Post Its in bulk for all of government in the US, he's not going to be bothered with that pesky little $38 billion. He's going to make sure everyone uses their #2 pencils all the way down to the erasers.

How To Honor

Never forget why.
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S946776.shtml?cat=1
Thank You

Dick and Nancy

So, why is it we have to wait for people to leave public office to hear what they should have been doing in office?

Cheney is my kinda guy. Not entirely because of his ideology or political views, but because he will 'usually' speak his mind. There is no doubt where Dick stands. If he doesn't like you, he'll let you know. Ask Patrick Leahy who was told by Dick, in public, to "fuck off". That's more of what we need. None of this, "my good friend from California" crap that you here when they speak of each other. I'll gaurentee you they're not good friends. You won't see these two stopping off for a beer Charlies Bar & Grill.

Today Speaker Pelosi said she isn't going to talk anymore about her claim that the CIA lied in 2002 about waterboarding. Why not? Seems to me that if you have that strong of convictions about not waterboarding, you would remember exactly what was said and when. You wouldn't have to read, word for word, a carefully prepared statement, then when asked a question have to refer to the statement using only those words. It just seems to me that if you're telling the truth, you wouldn't have to try to remember how and when you feel about something. It just seems to me.

When former V.P. Cheney spoke at the AEI a day or two ago, he spoke of what happened during those days saying "I do so as one who was there every day of the Bush administration who supported the policies when they were made, and without hesitation would do so again in the same circumstances." Granted, he was reading a prepared speach, but he would tell you the same thing if asked about it.

There's no doubt where Mr. Cheney stands on those issues, where Ms. Pelosi won't elaborate about her claims that the CIA lied, due to lack of prepared statements.

I didn't use these two of an example of where I stand, but a shining example of the hypocrisy that exists in our elected officials. We elect people for what they tell us while running for office. Thankfully some poloticians don't follow through after finding out what the office entails, but wouldn't it be nice if just a few were honest and stuck to the principles that got them elected?

Comeback?

It's only fitting my first post on the Pack is about Brett. After all, he is thee quarterback's quarterback. Since 92 he's had Packer fans jumping up with the touchdown signal.

Today it's the queen fans hoping he has a little of that school yard magic left. It sounds like Brett has to meet with a surgeon to determine the severity of the repair to his semi-torn bicep.

For all he has done for us Pack fans, I hope his dreams to come back are realized, just not against us. I also hope that his reputation isn't tarnished any more, like it was with the Jets last year. He gave us 17 years that most football fans (like queen fans) only dream of. I'll never forget that cold January night in 97, when we danced in the streets of Hudson Wisconsin, mooning all the cars with mud duck plates. I can only hope that Brett will never be as embarrassed.

Good Night Irene

October 4th, 1920 - May 3rd, 2009

Ann and me

Seems the day I've been dreading is very near. My Mother is refusing her meds, food and even her dentures. Ann Coulter lost her mother last week and I just came across that info a few minutes ago.

While staying in my hometown to be with Mom, I stayed in a, sort of, motel room at the nearby hospital. That room hasn't been available lately and won't be until May. That, I am certain, will be too late. Being a cripple that doesn't drive, I don't have many choices in that area as the nearest motel/hotel is thirty something miles away.

In Ann's column she talks about the last time she saw "her beautiful face". I remember the last time I saw Mom's beautiful face. I was at the door to her room in the nursing home. I waited there until she gave me a faint smile, then turned away to leave. That memory is burned into my brain and will never leave. Her beautiful face.

Government Approved Conscience

Let me introduce Nora. Nora is my representative. She represents the wishes of people in her district. I may be wrong, but I haven't heard a large uproar to stop people from smoking in their cars if they are transporting a child or minor.

Shall we outlaw sharp knives in homes where children reside? What about all those life threatening stairways. Has anyone taken into consideration what all those electrical outlets, in our homes, could do to a child should they put one of those sharp knives in one?

Let's go back to our cars. Has Nora taken into consideration what a high speed impact could do to a child? Shouldn't there be reduced speed limits for people transporting children? Shouldn't they at least be required to wear Nascar approved helmets while the car is moving?

How about just the smoking issue? Is Nora going to decide that a law should be invoked on smokers state wide that they will not smoke in homes where children reside? How long is that smoke dangerous? Will people be required to stop smoking ten hours before a child is allowed to enter it? Will smokers be banned from sidewalks that children might walk on?

Nora, you're leaving a lot of unanswered questions. A lot of holes in your quest to protect children. A lot of laws unwritten. It's not only smoking Nora. What about driving children through an industrial area of town? What about driving children past a home with a wood burning fireplace?

I know the answer Nora. Let's make common sense law. At least require people to stay within camera shot of government video cameras at all times.

UPDATE = Turns out Nora didn't get her way this time, as her proposal was voted down. Some how, I don't think this is over.

Valentine

What? Not quite the image you had in mind? That's the heart I'm thinking of right now. With the country heading the way it is, a lot of these will stop for no reason. Wait a minute, I take that back. For horrible reasons. In the (so called) stimulous bill is hidden the beginnings of socialist's healthcare. Gone unchecked, some one in the government will decide who gets what care, what pills and what treatment. Your doctor, that you've been seeing for years if not your life, won't have the choice of giving you life saving advice or help. You will be given the standard pill that Capitol Hill has decided you take. You might not even be seeing that doctor any more. You might be getting on a bus and traveling far away to have your orders stamped and processed and given photo copied instructions for your treatment.

Thankfully the Valentine that I will be traveling to see this coming week, didn't have to go through that nightmare. She is 88 with failing health in a nursing home. The same one that Kent Hrbek's Wife's Grandmother stayed in, she likes to recall. She's a big Minnesota Twins fan and rarely misses a game on tv. She really loved it when Kent came to visit his Grandmother Inlaw until her passing.

She has more than 88 years of memories but it looks like that may come to an end soon. She couldn't have done it without the help of small town doctors, nurses and aids. After a terrible fall in her home years ago, her healthcare was taken over. She has been able to live on and create many more memories with people she has grown old with and has become a part of her family. All of which could never have happened in our near future.

Please, everyone that reads this, fight to keep our healthcare in our hands. Life doesn't end because we can't produce a widgit anymore, and shouldn't be thrown away. Life is too important. My Valentine's weakly beating heart is too important. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day Mom.

Workmanship

When's the last time people really stood behind their products or service?

Other than the occasional food server, who has tried to truely satisfy you just to satisfy you?

My Wife and I decide that it would be nice to upgrade our satelite receiver in our bedroom to a dvr. I go online, order the dvr easy enough and get a confirmation. It's on its' way in 2 to 5 days.

Day 2, nothing. Day 3, still waiting. Day 4, I saw the delivery truck looking around the neighborhood but no dice. Now it's the weedend and I think back to the confirmation. They said 2 to 5 workdays. Now mind you, I fought tooth and nail with the townhome association to get my dish for 4 years. (the prez didn't like the look) So I've literally fought to get their business.

Monday, day five. I've had to sneak away a couple time for a few minutes, all the while hoping the truck didn't come while I was away. Surely I would have to sign for something like this. They wouldn't just leave a dvr out in the snow. Noon, nothing. Two pm, nothing. Three, four, nothing. Does the working day end at four? Five pm and still nothing. By the way, I've been tracking it online, and it got to town on day 3. I'm wishing they would have used brown cuz they almost always get things here on day 2.

About ten after five my doorbell rings and my dvr is left out in the cold where anyone could have taken it.

I unpackage it and find I'm missing one of the cables their list says I should have. I save stuff like this, so no real big deal. Just one more person not doing their job.

I start unplugging the old receiver and two of the cables, that were installed by a contracter, broke in my hands. No unreasonable torque was applied. They just fell apart. Obviously made for one time use. I finally get it hooked up and call the satelite company to get it activated. All sorts of options are gone through on the phone. All but the one I wanted. After being hung up on twice, I tricked it into talking to one of their techs. Nothing works. I had all the serial numbers, cables hooked up correctly, and nothing. I went through a couple tests, rehooked cable up (for no damn reason) and whollah. It worked. After exalting the tech as my savior I hang up and go to try out the new dvr.

So, I start flipping throught the channels and get a looking for satelite message on the screen. What the? Nothing I do can get it to work. Back on the phone I go and trick the machine into talking to a tech. We go through the whole ritual again and try a few new (for no damn reason) tricks. Nothing. I recheck serial numbers on the back of the, what I find is a reconditioned made in Mexico, receiver and nothing works correctly. They can send some one out as early as the next Sunday afternoon. Six days from now.

Everything is hooked up right. I use to build high end cd players and other audio equipment, by hand, component by soldered component, so I know a thing or two. I find that after running one of their onscreen tests, I can get it to work. Change the channel and it's gone. Pretty sure it's the receiver.

Why was this receiver reconditioned? Why is it still broke? Why was a cable missing? Why did it take five days when, at most, it should have taken three. Why does it take six days for some one to come look at a receiver I paid for a week ago?

Not to pick on this one company for this. It just seems to be the norm when dealing with a lot people that are suppose to be serving you. Is this why so many products we buy are imported? Because we are just too stupid/lazy to build reliable products? Does the price we pay for many things built in the US have a stupid factor built in?

amBUSHed

So Frankenslime might be taken down by the same decision http://kstp.com/news/stories/S770581.shtml?cat=1 that gave W the Oval Office in double ot. I can't tell you how sweet that would be to me.

What would really put the icing on the cake would be for W to call the slimester and congratulate him on his hard fought campaign. I would love to see the contortions his face would go through then.

If that were to happen though, I might have to drop my moniker of kow. (King Of the World) Naugh. I came up with that a month or so ago when it looked like Frankenslime might take the Senate seat for sure. With him in office, I would never run out of material to complain about.

Norm hasn't exactly been the kind of Senator I want, but he's better than that scardy cat Dayton. He might come out from under his desk to run for Governor and give me some more material. (not that there's a lack of material in this state) BOO! heh heh......I love doing that to him.

Then we've got Ellison, who's always good for a laugh. Mondale, Jesse, we just never run out of em.

Yup, who says times aren't good.