Happy Halloween!

This may be the first year that Jamie wasn't horrified by trick or treating w/me, because I didn't dress up! It was too hot for the football uniform and I didn't want to deal with juggling the kids/dog in football pads.

Chase made out like a bandit. We met up with his friend Peter (who didn't come over the other night b/c he's been sick) and trick or treated with his family for a while. The firefighters and police were all over the neighborhood in their ladder truck and Hummer handing out candy, the weather was beautiful, and it was our best Halloween yet!

Victoria Jackson is stumping for McCain on O'Reilly and she just called Obama a communist. It's kind of hard to take her seriously with that voice...but her comparision to 1984 with Obama all over the media completely cracked me up. Janine Turner is a little less nuts and a little more credible, I think...

Little Comedians

So I think Jamie and I are going to break down and buy a king sized bed. We HATE our current bed (Select Comfort--I swear it's really a $20 air mattress) and since the kids wind up in there w/us more nights than not these days, we're feeling the squeeze in the queen. Just doing our part to help the economy. ;)

The reason for the title is that the kids are cracking me up. Cassie does this thing where she opens her mouth wide like a little baby bird when she wants some of what you're eating. Chase was just eating candy from school and since Cassie can't have Sour Patch Kids, she just sat there opening her mouth like a little bird whilst he stuffed himself full of sugar. Hrm, it was funnier than it sounds.

I think we're off to walk Sherman and see if his BFF Lennox is out. If Jamie is late coming home tonight, I may see if Chase's friend Peter would like to come play after dinner. We have our first Cub Scout field trip tomorrow night (fire station) and then Friday is trick or treating. Woo hoo! I'm still battling a sinus infection and will be glad when the constant headache is gone.

So my sister and I had an interesting conversation this morning while I (unsuccessfully) coat shopped for Cassie. She may just be one of the few members of the MSM who isn't employed by Fox News and isn't a left-wing nut job. I'm so proud. She gets it.

I'm a little fuzzy-brained today, I've got a wicked cold. I'm really trying to suck it up and muddle through, but it's hard when you can't eat b/c drainage is taking the place of meals. Gross? Tell me about it.

So I'll leave you with Jamie's joyous news: he got a monster elk (waaaay bigger than Elvis, his current elk) and a mule deer last week in Colorado. Apparently they were both in the field (he got lucky). He shot the elk, then turned and shot the deer. Yes, he IS a walking advertisement for the NRA. Add those two antlered monstrosities to the pronghorn antelope he got in Wyoming a few weeks ago and I'm not quite sure where all the new "trophies" are going to go...

I'm too tired to post anything original. My darling daughter was up from 4:40am until 7am. I don't know why. But I'm really tired. So enjoy the cartoon, my thanks to conservative Molls!

PS--Maybe I've mentioned it once or twice before, but I HATE HUNTING TRIPS. Grrrrrr.

The End is Near

I'm convinced the apocalypse is near. Tonight I had to get a sitter for the kids b/c I had bunco and it's shootin' time for Jamie. We have a teenaged sitter (she's fabulous) who we've used since Chase was a baby. Tonight Chase was perfect. Cassie was AWFUL. She cried pretty much the entire time I was gone. I don't know who I feel worse for, my daughter or my sitter...

Sherman really is the best behaved of my brood...do you think it is the cage or the pinch collar?

PS--Her ears are fine. I can't explain why she didn't sleep last night, but it wasn't her ears...Mama needs a vacation. Va-ca-tion.

Quick Update: kids and politics!

Kids first: Cassie's ear infection doesn't appear to be improving. We've got an appt. w/our ped tomorrow--I'm sure she'll get another round of antibiotics. Thank God she likes Amoxicillian, unlike her big brother. Giving meds is so much easier when they are willingly taken (as opposed to force-fed). She's quite happily polishing off the pasta and veggies from my bowl of minestrone right now and will go down for her nap shortly.

Chase is still too smart for his own good and mine. He had a playdate w/a neighborhood friend last night. We walked over to get the friend and walked him home. That's an easy way to get a few walkies for Sherman in. ;) I picked up his Halloween costume this morning--he's going to be Obi Wan Kenobi. Since the baby Yoda costumes are all sold out, I think I may wind up dressing Cassie in her Tigers cheerleader outfit and wearing my dad's old football uniform and the two of us can be a cheerleader & football player. I'd love for Jamie to be Darth Vader...we'll see. I picked up a t-shirt for Sherman this afternoon--I figure we'll take him trick or treating w/us. Woody was always "Snoopy the Flying Ace" w/a pleather bomber jacket for Halloween. I doubt this shirt will fit Sherman after this year, but he's going to be the cutest little athlete doggie ever...

For the politics thing, I'm copying an email I got. Yes, it's lazy but it's also relevant and sums up my feelings well! Enjoy!

Wise Words.
During this political season let us be reminded of these words:-

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.-
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.-
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.-
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wagepayer down.-
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.-
You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and
independence.-
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them, what they could and
should do for themselves.

The above was credited to Abe Lincoln. Apparently he's the anti-Obama. ;)

Seriously though, as I plow through Liberal Fascism, I'm starting to realize that like everything else in life, politics is a cycle. And with the fall of the Soviet Union now 20 years in our history, I realize that many of those who are most gung-ho for Obama don't remember the communist-bloc countries. They simply can not grasp that socialism has already failed numerous time throughout history. Our own country's "experiments" with socialism are failures. Look at the social security system, arguably Roosevelt's crown jewel of the New Deal. Generations of people neglected their own retirement savings expecting the government to support them in old age. So much for accountability and personal responsibility. The system is a shambles and the baby boomers will undoubtably bankrupt Social Security. Yet according to Gallup, 52% of Americans want to elect a man running on a Robin Hood platform promising MORE government entitlement programs. Sure, he calls them "tax cuts" but research into his so-called "tax cuts" reveals them for the entitlement programs that they are. And as Hawaii axes it's universal heath care program after a mere seven months b/c the costs spiraled out of conotrol, we're going to elect a man promising universal health care on a national level. Fabulous. Because the US Government has such a strong history as responsible stewards of our tax dollars.

I've steeled myself for the inevitable four years of an Obama presidency. The fact of the matter is, even the biggest morons over age 18 in this country can vote--and I guarantee those morons are voting for Obama. The general mood of the country is a sense of frustration with the Republicans. And even though Democrats have had control of Congress for two years, their blame Bush tactics are working. So I'm trying to be optimistic. I figure after four years of Pelosi, Reed, and Obama, in 2012, we'll see a Republican Revolution similar to what we saw in 1994. And that is the only silver lining I see to four years of higher taxes, more ridiculous entitlement programs for those who won't do for themselves, and craptastic national security. We survived the 30s and that "experiment" with socialism. God-willing, we'll survive the next four years, too.

Kids instead of politics

So as I watch my daughter destroy the playroom (hey--that's why we have it), I thought I'd post the pics I took of her this week. She's playing with all the musical stuff and dancing. She cracks me up.

Why "PROGRESSIVE" really means socialist and how socialism is related to fascism.

I'm currently reading "Liberal Fascism" by Jonah Goldberg. I'm about a quarter of the way through it and I have to say, it's the history lesson I didn't learn in college or through any of my American government classes. I highly recommend reading it, although I have to tell you, it makes the idea of "President Obama" even more repulsive.

Bottom line--Barack Obama is a progressive. He is a socialist. Barack Obama is a fascist. Goldberg disagrees, but I think Goldberg is wrong. And here's why: Barack Obama believes in income redistribution. This means he wants to take money away from some taxpayers to give it to others as he (and the ridiculously liberal Congress) see fit. Previously, this was called welfare. Obama calls it a tax break, which is absolutely brilliant marketing. But it is no tax break, my friends. It's welfare. And he wants to take YOUR money to create it. Obama wants the federal government (the state) involved in every aspect of our lives: gun control, nationalized health care, welfare, state-funded abortions...the list goes on and on and on. The fascism (vs. socialism) comes into play b/c of Obama's nationalist tendencies. What distinguished fascism from ordinary socialism or Marxism is the nationalist aspect of fascism. I believe Obama's black pride (as evidenced by his long association w/Jeremiah Wright) is what makes him a fascist, as opposed to your garden variety socialist or Marxist.

While fascism has been the term the left has used for years to describe people they disagree with on the right, in reality, fascism is a leftist political leaning. It took on a negative connotation because of the violence and militarism associated with it through Nazi Germany, but in reality, fascism and it's insertation of the state into every aspect of life is the epitome of the left, not the right (and our calls for laissez faire economics and a small federal government).

The great Ronald Reagan once said that the scariest words in the English language are, "I'm from the federal government and I'm here to help." Barack Obama wants the federal government to help us all, whether we want their help or not. Barack Obama wants Congress to determine what kind of gun you hunt with. Barack Obama wants your tax dollars to fund abortions (including partial birth abortions). Barack Obama wants the federal government to "fix" our health care system (as if they've done anything but a deplorable job with veterans' health care). Barack Obama thinks the state can run your life better than you.

Given the current state of the economy, and the fact that Obama's looney leftest libs on the Hill Barney Frank and Chris Dodd are responsible in large part for this mess, do you really think that MORE government intervention is the answer?

So Chase totally busted me on the butternut squash thing...

But Cassie and I enjoyed it anyway.

Dinner tonight

So last night Chase had Easy Mac. He was going to eat baby carrots w/his Easy Mac, but they were rotten (bad mommy). So he got off veggie free. Not tonight. We're having this:

1 butternut squash, halved and seeds removed
1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 box of bowtie pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
A pinch of nutmeg
A pinch of cinnamon
5 to 6 sage leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
A handful toasted almonds, to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place squash halves on a baking sheet and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon EVOO, salt and pepper. Place them cut side down and transfer to the oven. Roast until tender, about an hour. Remove from oven and cool.
Once cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the squash and transfer it to a food processor. Process until smooth.
Place a pot of water over high heat for the pasta. Once at a boil, add some salt and the pasta, and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and return it to the pot it was cooked in.
While the pasta water is heating up, place a small skillet over medium-high heat with the butter. Once melted, add the flour and cook about a minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until the liquids come up to a bubble and the sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes. Add the squash puree, nutmeg, cinnamon and sage, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the sauce to the pot with the reserved cooked pasta and toss to coat. Turn everything out into a baking dish and sprinkle the top with both cheeses. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cheese is brown and bubbly, 10-15 minutes.
Garnish casserole with the toasted almonds and serve.

I'm substituting whole wheat rotini for the bowties, but you get the idea. The pureed squash (did that while Cass napped) is yummy! We'll see what the kids (and Jamie) think though. I tried sneaking sweet potatoes into mac and cheese once and Chase totally busted me. That Deceptively Delicious stuff isn't deceptive enough for him. And while he eats a ton of fruit and SOME veggies, I'd like to move beyond raw carrots and broccoli. I suppose this is the silver lining to Cassie's double ear infection--I watched Rachel Ray yesterday while I was rocking her before an early nap.

Laundry calls...

No politics today

I'm too tired. Cass was up until after 4am w/a double ear infection.

The market is up today. Molls and I are taking all the credit after our discussion on Saturday...

Freedom of Speech (or--why I take issue w/banning "hate speech")

Hate speech is a favorite term of lefty libs. Often you'll find that freedom of speech applies, excluding "hate speech." I'm pretty sure that when our Founding Fathers wrote the constitution, they were protecting ALL speech, regardless of whom it offended or whether it fell into the recently coined category of "hate speech." And I'm guessing my Barack Bling over there (thanks, D!) would probably be classified by some as hate speech, hence why I'm displaying it so loud and proud!

A favorite tactic of lefty libs is selective use of the whole freedom of speech thing. Recently I left a comment about Joe Biden's incompetence in a reply to a friend's Facebook status. She was trashing Palin, I merely pointed out that 30 years of foreign policy "experience" doesn't count for much if you're on the wrong side of every issue during those 30 years. I received a private message requesting I not leave my (conservative) opinions on her site since they differed from her (liberal) opinions and offended her. This is a classic liberal move. Freedom of speech is fine and dandy, so long as the libs agree with you. If they don't...then the First Amendment doesn't apply. Of course, they can't admit to their selective use of the First Amendment (personal responsibility--what?) and call it what it is, so instead they apply the vague PC term "hate speech" to shut you down and call it a day.

ETA Point of Clarification: This sort of behavior is what will evenutally lead to gross violations of the First Amendment. I have a right to my opinion and I have a right to voice that opinion. You don't have to agree with that opinion and you don't have to like that opinion, but you darn well better respect my right to say and vocalize it, regardless of how "offensive" you may find it. If you were to check out my Facebook page, you'd notice lots of comments from Conservatives and Liberals alike. I don't agree with everything (or really anything) my Liberal friends post, but if I'm going to put my opinion out there (and I do), I respect their right to disagree and put THEIR opinion out there. This exchange of ideas is a healthy part of our political process. The exchange of ideas is also what allows conservative talk radio to function as a fair counterpoint to NPR and the mainstream media. Yet Democrats in Congress have tried to LEGISLATE talk radio because they don't like what they hear on it. I'm sure Conservative politicians don't like what they hear on NBC, but I haven't seen any legislation coming from them trying to smack down or censor NBC. I can't say the same thing about the left.

Recently a friend was soliciting information about the Presidential candidates and asked why people liked the candidates they did. The most common answer given about Barack Obama was, "I love him." or "He's great." or "He's wonderful." Policy, political stances, past legislation--none of that matters. An entire generation has been sucked under the spell of a charismatic socialist.

When asked about McCain, policy (vs. charm) generally made up the answers given. Now I realize that there are people voting for Obama who genuinely know, understand, and agree with his socialist agenda. More power to them. I think they're crazy. But that's their right. What bothers me is how many people have been suckered into voting for an underqualified junior senator b/c he offers "hope and change." SO DID HITLER. And look where that got Germany seventy some odd years ago.

I'm not saying that Obama is going to round up all of our Jewish citizens and exterminate them in concentration camps. On the other hand, did you hear about the "Obama Truth Squad?" Go ahead and Google it, I'll wait. Now, read all about that and tell me that if that one gets elected that your First Amendment rights won't be smashed for the "common good." (Hello, common good--Marxism, anyone?) Turning law enforcement officials into members of a "truth squad" is a bit too KGB for me. How long until his "truth squad" starts rounding up people who merely disagree w/Obama? How long until Congress passes legislation to muzzle Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and the like?

I'm just saying...

ETA--I'm not the only one. Michael Barone says this: http://townhall.com/Columnists/MichaelBarone/2008/10/11/the_coming_obama_thugocracy

One More Thing

I got this email from a friend while I was writing my political manifesto. Remember what I said about Bush? This sums it up PERFECTLY:

BUSH'S RESIGNATION SPEECH

The following 'speech' was written recently by an ordinary Maine-iac [a resident of the People's Republic of Maine ]. While satirical in nature, all satire must have a basis in fact to be effective. This is an excellent piece by a person who does not write for a living.

The speech George W. Bush might give:

Normally, I start these things out by saying 'My Fellow Americans.' Not doing it this time. If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer.

I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you: There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office.

The reason I'm quitting is simple. I'm fed up with you people. I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world. Or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours. And the majority of you are too damned lazy to do your homework and figure it out.

Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and the news media.

Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too damn stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than your economic security.

We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this 'blood for oil' thing.. If I were trading blood for oil I would've already seized Iraq 's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to hell. And don't give me this 'Bush Lied...People Died' crap either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be 'discovered.' Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty.

Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official US policy before I came into office. Some guy named ' Clinton ' established that policy. Bet you didn't know that, did you?

Now some of you morons want to be led by a junior senator with no understanding of foreign policy or economics, and this nitwit says we should attack Pakistan , a nuclear ally. And then he wants to go to Iran and make peace with a terrorist who says he's going to destroy us. While he's doing that, he wants to give Iraq to al Qaeda, Afghanistan to the Taliban, Israel to the Palestinians, and your money to the IRS so the government can give welfare to illegal aliens, who he will make into citizens, so they can vote to re-elect him. He also thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons, and we should stop our foreign aid to Israel .. Did you sleep through high school?

You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during the cold war, there were two major competing political and economic model s squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally, the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to out spend and out-tech them.

That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can. But they are. They want to kill you, and the bastards are all over the globe.

You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more of us here in the United States since September 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that. When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and difficult fight.. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight amounts to a single season of 'Survivor.'

Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.

Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy. Every time you buy th e New York Times, every time you send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dang it, you might just as well FedEx a grenade launcher to a Jihadist. It amounts to the same thing.

In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times, USA Today, or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter. Most of you would rather watch American Idol or Dancing with Stars.

I could say more about your expectations that the government will always be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to leave a city that 's below sea level and has a hurricane approaching.

I could say more about your insane belief that government, not your own wallet, is where the money comes from. But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right over your heads.

So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an energy-efficient house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully self-sufficient for years. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America fall.

Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means Pelosi is your new President. You asked for it. Watch what she does carefully, because I still have a glimmer of hope that there are just enough of you remaining who are smart enough to turn this thing around in 2008.

So that's it. God bless what's left of America .

Some of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.

PS - You might want to start learning Farsi, and buy a Koran.

Why I Support John McCain...

One of my friends asked me why I'm so die hard McCain. I started to reply in an email and managed to lose the whole thing. So I decided to blog about it instead. Think of it as my political manifesto. Keep in mind that I've been a free-market capitalist, traditional values, small federal government conservative Republican since I could think independently (I hated Jimmy Carter as a toddler, but adored Reagan as a kindergartner). In 1992, I co-founded a Young Republicans group at my high school. My parents were registered Independents, my sister was apathetic, and I was basically Alex P. Keaton with a vagina. I've been a political junkie just as long as I've been a dyed in the wool conservative. I believe the Conservative way is the true American way--we the people can (and will) succeed if the government gets out of our way and lets it happen.

I am voting for John McCain because I believe the most important issue facing us this century is National Security, specifically Islamic Extremist Terrorists who want to destroy our great nation and all it stands for. It is no secret that John McCain and George W. Bush had an ugly, ugly battle for the nomination in 2000. They aren't exactly friends (Obama's portrayal of him as Bush's buddy is downright laughable). Bush is not a popular President and the Iraqi war is even more unpopular. Yet I believe that history will be kind to President Bush. Under his leadership, we've avoided another terrorist attack on our soil. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have put the battle in the terrorist's backyard, not ours. And more importantly, it our wonderful military who is fighting that battle, not our civilians!

IRA Leader Michael Collins said, "The goal of terrorism is to terrorize. It is the only way a small country can hope to defeat a large country." George Bush and John McCain understand this, so they're keeping the terrorists busy fighting our troops overseas. General Petraeus's surge is working. Iraq is well on it's way to being a free, democratic society after decades of a brutal dictatorship. Yet Barack Obama voted against the surge and wanted to cut and run in Iraq. Let's see: thousands of angry terrorists, no real leadership, and a nuclear Iran next door wanting to bring on Armageddon--surely I am not only person who doesn't see how that best serves our national interests? And yet that's exactly what Barack Obama wanted.

John McCain has decades of military experience. He uniquely knows the absolute hell our enemies can put our troops through because he spent five years in a North Vietnamese prison camp. Simply being an American hero doesn't qualify him to lead our troops as Commander-in-Chief, though, his leadership experience and proven record of acting in the best interest of our Country, despite whatever the personal cost, does. He knows what it means to serve and will not send our troops into harms way unless absolutely necessary. But by that same token, he's also not going to prematurely pull our troops out of Iraq and announce to our enemies, "Yeah, we'll be completely out of here in 12 months, 15 days and 4 hours! So y'all just hang tight until then." Idiotic. Did Truman announce the arrival of our bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Or release the plans for D Day well in advance? Of course not. Because telling our enemies how we're going to fight them is nothing short of lunacy. But that's exactly what Barack Obama wanted to do when he voted against the surge and in favor of a "timetable" for troop withdrawal. Without going into his great love of the UN, I simply do not think he is capable of acting in our country's best interests re: National Security.

I know, I know, seven years have passed without a terrorist attack, the tide has turned (thanks to the surge) and we're winning in Iraq, the "real" issue these days is the economy. And that's one more example of how the policies of the left have completely screwed things up. In the 90s, the Clinton administration decided that it was time to bring affirmative action to homeownership. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were mandated (by the then-democratic Congress) to increase lending to low and middle income borrowers. Welfare payments and unemployment benefits were seen as valid income sources to qualify for a mortgage. In 2001, Bush's chief economist, N. Gregory Mankiw, warned this was creating a huge risk for the entire financial system. He was pooh-poohed by the Democratic establishment as an alarmist. Apparently giving huge loans to people who can't afford them in the name of "fairness" is sound economic policy to Barney Frank (the fact that he was sleeping w/a big shot at Fannie Mae had nothing to do with any of it, I'm sure). When the housing bubble burst, the people who wouldn't have traditionally qualified for mortgages couldn't sell their homes to get out of the mortgages that they could no longer afford and hence the current credit crisis. Of course, Barack Obama says it is all George Bush's fault because Bush is currently in office. But make no mistake, it was the policies of the Clinton Administration and their efforts to bring equality to housing, that caused your 401K to lose probably half of its value and push your retirement back another 4-7 years.

Do I agree with McCain's current proposal to buy a bunch of bad mortgages? No, I don't. Frankly, four and a half years ago we bought a house we could afford and I don't really think my tax dollars should subsidize those who didn't do the same. Moreover, I think we need LESS government interference in our economy, not more. The markets (housing and stock) will eventually correct themselves and recover. The sooner the government backs off and lets that happen, the better.

Speaking of the government backing off...let's talk about health insurance. Barack Obama says health insurance is a right, but that if I like my HMO, I "can keep it." How very generous of him. I don't want his government granting me permission to keep my HMO. I don't think health insurance is a right. We pay for our health insurance: we have co-pays, deductibles, and monthly payments on top of that. Just like we pay for our car insurance, homeowners insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance and life insurance. Are those all rights too? Of course not. So why is health insurance a fundamental right? No one is denied care in this country. As a human being, it is my responsibility to take care of my health. As a mother, it is my responsibility to take care of the health of my children. It is NOT the responsibility of the federal government to provide that care for me or my children. When has the federal government ever nationalized anything and done it better than the private sector? Anyone? Our system may not be fair, but since when is life fair?

If this were a book (I know, if you've made it this far you're surprised it's not), this chapter would be titled: Hey Lefty Libs, clearly your mom forgot to tell you that life isn't fair. In a free-market, capitalist society, there are going to be haves and have nots. And some of those haves are going to have a lot (google Kennedy, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Pelosi, etc) and some of those have nots are going to live in abject poverty. And while abject poverty in the US is hardly abject poverty in, say, Somalia (most of our poor have it better than my parents did growing up in the 50s: they have cars, a/c, television), it sucks. However, the thing that makes this country great is the one thing everyone has in common. That is the opportunity for more.

Millions of people cross our borders every year looking for that opportunity. But I fear the land of opportunity is about to become the land of entitlements. When people start depending on the government, they stop depending on themselves. This is not what our founding fathers envisioned when they wrote our constitution, nor is it the shining city on a hill that Reagan saw. Rather it is far more like the ever-increasing socialism seen in Europe. Google France's economic situation--as bad as things are here, they'd kill for our current unemployment rate. France's unemployment rate has been in double digits for decades because of government interference and nationalization of what should be private sector markets. With a democratic Congress and the most liberal President since LBJ, that's exactly where we're heading.

Despite his claims to the contrary, Obama can NOT provide the entitlements he wants w/o raising taxes across the board. 20% of our taxpayers pay 80% of our taxes. By further increasing the taxes of high wage earners, Obama will effectively stifle economic growth and innovation. Why earn more than 249K when you're just going to have to fork it over to subsidize someone else? Obama has voted to raise taxes 94 times. He wants to immediately repeal Bush's tax cuts. Joe Biden called paying higher taxes "patriotic" on national tv. If Obama is elected and you pay taxes--your taxes will go up. Anything to the contrary is just political spin. Obama isn't "for" the working class or the middle class--look at his political connections! Tony Rezco (a multimillionaire developer on his way to prison) and Bill Ayres (a domestic terrorist) are hardly your average middle class taxpayers.

Obama doesn't share my value for human life, either. He once said that if his daughters should wind up with an unintended pregnancy, they shouldn't be "punished" with a baby. Unintended or not, I don't look as any infant as a "punishment." Despite refusing to take a real stand on many issues as a state senator (he voted "present" an astounding amount of times), he did twice argue in favor of a law that would prevent medical intervention on behalf of aborted babies born alive. There was a particularly well publicized case in the state of Illinois in which an RN found one such baby in a linen closet (where the doctor stuffed her after the botched abortion). The infant, who had Downs Syndrome, was held by that nurse for the remainder of her short time on Earth. If Obama had his way, that baby would have lived out its time in that linen closet or a trash can. That's not the kind of values I want in the man serving as my President.

I don't have time to get into illegal immigration (which is a huge national security issue) or gun control (also a national security issue, IMO), but suffice to say, the McCain/Palin ticket is far more in line with my values on those topics than Obama/Biden. I don't always agree with McCain (the mortgage bailout completely burns me, for example), but I can't think of a single issue in which I agree with Obama. Not a single one. Which is why I picked up my McCain/Palin yard sign this morning from my local RNC HQ and proudly popped it into the yard.

The line of the night

Jamie and I were having a serious discussion about our finances tonight. I asked him exactly what debt we had (credit cards, cars, mortgages) vs. the state of our assets (real estate & stocks, etc). He mentioned the van and I asked about his car--he told me he paid cash for it. I looked at him and said, "You paid cash? Why didn't you pay cash for mine then? Oh yeah--we got 0% interest, that's why." And he said, "I took that cash and invested it." And I said, "What's it worth now?" And he said, "A lot less than 30K." To which I replied, "Who'd have thought that a Toyota would be a better investment than the market?" Oh well, you win some and you lose some. Thank God we've got a few decades to recover.

I'm looking at a few charts regarding long-term investing. The market was basically flat from 1906-1924. It went up the next five years and then crashed. There was a slow recovery, but it was basically flat from 1937-1949. There was an increase between '49-'66, then it was basically flat until 1982. There was a sharp increase between 1982 and 2000, but it's been largely flat since then. Of course there are peaks and valleys on this chart, but if you look at the big picture, the market always goes up. I get this. So my main economic worry right now is that Obama is going to get elected. And I would like to point out that his policies are largely similar to those of Carter. Anyone remember the economy under Carter? Aye yi yi.

My dad is hoping Obama gets elected--he thinks if things go to hell in a handbasket w/Pelosi, Reid, and Obama in charge, he'll see Republican leadership for the rest of his life. But this "soccer mom's" biggest fear is National Security. The first WTC bombing happened under Clinton's watch. The second was planned during his administration. He could have had Osama Bin Laden and didn't take him.

Michael Collins (IRA leader) favorite saying was "The goal of terrorism is to terrorize. It is the only way a small group can take down a large country." Our enemies understand this and will use it against us. John McCain will keep us safe. Barack Obama will not. I truly fear for the safety of my family under Democratic leadership...but our safety has been largely forgotten because of the economy. Which is a shame b/c another terrorist attack would further decimate our economy...

Happy Post

So, despite Cassie waking up 6:30am this morning (YIKES), we had a great day! Chase spent the night w/Grandpa Bill last night and when he got home from breakfast w/Aunt Mikki and fam, I put Cassie down for a nap. Jamie and Chase took Sherman for a run (Chase rode his bike). Then the boys fixed the grill (b/c Chase discovered that the ignitor that wasn't working had a dead battery--who knew?) and Sherman and I did some obedience work. The boys left for baseball & I fed Cass lunch. Then we headed to the game. Chase had quite a cheering section: Jamie, Cassie, Sherman, & me, plus Grandpa Bill, Grandpa Jim, Grandma Mary Ann, Aunt Mikki, Uncle Bud, Hayden, Brady & Brewer. He was five for five at his last five at bats--it was his final game (well, double header) of the season. I think they won both games--it's kind of hard to keep track when you're juggling multiple conversations, a puppy, and a toddler though. Hayden LOVED Sherman and would like Aunt Christi to buy her a puppy just like him for her bday. I offered her Sherman but her Mommy wasn't too cool with that. ;)

When we got home, Cass took another nap (two naps--woo hoo) and I took Sherman roller blading while Chase biked. Sherman is blessedly EXHAUSTED and sleeping on the floor. The kids are sleeping and Jamie and I are watching the Tigers stomp the Huskers. Woo hoo! I think he finally understands why I live to exhaust the dog now...

51 to 10. I think they can take Chase Daniels out of the game now... Go TIGERS!

Alexander's Horrible, Very Bad, No Good, Rotten Day

I think that is the title of one of my favorite preschool books. I had a day like that today. Chase is going through a challenging phase right now (which is my polite way of saying that he's being a royal pain in the butt). He doesn't listen. I swear that kid is me, with Jamie's looks and a penis. It is SO frustrating. I mean, me as a man?! Bad news, people. It is bad news.

I remember spending much of my childhood in la la land. I remember hearing my dad tell me not to step off a step in a jacuzzi at the Holiday Inn in Junction Springs, Colorado. I also remember doing what I wanted to do (as opposed to what my dad TOLD me to do), stepping off that step, going under super hot water, and damn near drowning in a jacuzzi (who makes a jacuzzi five feet deep anyway?). Somewhere in heaven, my mom is sitting on a cloud, watching me pull my hair out and laughing her ass off. Seriously. Because as my dad ever so gently points out--the traits of Chase's that drive me the most crazy are the ones he inherited from me. I think that's what frustrates me the most, I don't want him to repeat my mistakes. Even though I know he has to learn from HIS mistakes, not mine. But it's so hard to watch.

And Cassie? She's Chase, part 2. Another one with Jamie's looks and my personality (including the temper). She's tougher about certain things, but the drama. Oh the drama when you tell her "no." I remember when Chase was a baby and I asked my mom when parenting would get easier. She said "Never." Mom was right...