Fed up yet???

Has anyone else been following the fun at http://factcheck.org? It's only August and I'm already sick of the spin and lies from both candidates, or more appropriately from their campaigns. For all the talk of "change" this campaign season is turning out to be more of the same....lies, distortions, and soundbites taken out of context.

My only consolation is there seems to be a groundswell of support for some sort of energy plan. On the chance you've been under a rock the past few months and haven't already heard, billionaire oil man T. Boone Pickens is pushing a plan to wean us off of foreign oil. Check http://pickensplan.org. Some might take issue with his motivation, claiming he stands to make big bucks if his plan is adopted. However, I think the guys genuinely trying here. I mean at 80 (or thereabouts), how many more billions could he really want? Maybe this is his shot at an altruistic final chapter to his life...similar to the Rockefellers and other oil barons from generations prior. Regardless of motivation, the plan makes sense. Use our own resources, provide and INTERIM bridge for the next big idea, and don't drop our eye off the goal ife oil prices drop to tolerable levels.

Going, going, gone!!!

Check out the following story. All I can say is..."Classy move!" I wish all coaches and parents could instill such a sense of fair play.

MoveOn.org....come on now....

MoveOn.org....

On its surface MoveOn sounds somewhat noble. From their own website...
The MoveOn family of organizations brings real Americans back into the political process. With over 3.2 million members across America – from carpenters to stay-at-home moms to business leaders – we work together to realize the progressive promise of our country. MoveOn is a service – a way for busy but concerned citizens to find their political voice in a system dominated by big money and big media.

Progressive promise....progressive is good, right? Giving concerned citizens a way to find their political voice in a system dominated by big money and big media. Gee that sounds good too. So, one might conclude this group would be a forum for action and information that stands above the mudslinging so typical of political campaigns. After all, I have to think that most Americans would not believe that our "promise" as a nation is best served by manipulative, deceptive politics. Treat us like adults! Tell us the truth! Stop the lies, cross bridges, and get some freaking work done in Washington! Well if this is your idea of the "promise" of America, then you might want to think twice about supporting MoveOn.

For all the feel good language in their "about us" page, MoveOn.org's deeds are just more of the same that many Americans are disgusted with. Lies, half-truths, and hyperbole are the hallmarks of many of MoveOn's ads that they've funded. Just read the text of an ad (plus supporting "facts") targeting McCain for escalating the war in Iraq. http://pol.moveon.org/iraqad/facts.html The "facts" cited in support of their claim are taken out of context, and misleading at best....deceptive propaganda at worst.

Call me crazy, but I see just a few flaws in their arguments:
1) The surge while advocated by McCain was not solely "his" idea.
2) Equating McCain's statement "the presence of additional brigades should be tied to completion of their mission rather than to some arbitrary deadline.…A time-limited deployment would have, on a smaller scale, the same negative effects posed by a national timetable for withdrawal.” [AEI Speech, 1/5/07] with the assertion that he plans to keep troops in Iraq with no timetable for bringing them home....come on! Technically yes, no timetable...McCain did not cite a specific date for withdrawal or drawdown. But, he's not saying leave troops at current surge levels indefinitely forever and ever. He's saying keep them in place only as long as necessary to complete their mission. Now perhaps a clear definition of that mission is in order, but if that's the quibble, make it. Don't take the giant leap and falsely imply an intent to escalate and keep troops in Iraq indefinitely.
3) The surge was intended to address a key complaint of the Rumsfeld doctrine toward Iraq....many military leaders warned that we did not go in with enough troops to secure the territory and keep the peace once Iraq's military had been defeated/disbanded and Saddam removed from power. For years after the 2003 invasion the security situation in Iraq decreased in part because we did not have sufficient forces to deal with the aftermath. Say what you will, but the surge stabilized and improved the security situation in Iraq.
4) McCain has gone on record numerous times expressing the opinion that troops in Iraq should be brought home as soon as possible. Something MoveOn fails to mention. Frankly his words are quite similar to statements made by both Hillary and Obama. The difference (besides party affiliation) is in defining "as soon as possible".

MoveOn....move over....you've become as corrupt and manipulative as the "establishment" that you set out to oppose.

Something fun...

I'm not sure why, but this made me smile.


My early support for the War in Iraq has waned somewhat in recent years. The bungling of Rumsfeld and the attempts to police a country with far fewer forces that we brought to Gulf War I caused endless headaches. Yet our soldiers sucked it up and made the best of the situation. I think we've turned the corner, and congressional response to General Petraeus's upcoming report should be interesting. Now doubt both the Republicans adn Democrats will pick it apart each certain that the report 'proves' they were right. Eveyone keep some open ears and listen for yourself.

My brother-in-law is on his 3rd tour...fingers crossed, and hopeful prayers that he'll return safely and not have to redeploy. The thing is, I know he'd go again if asked. He doesn't like it there, but knows there's work to be done. He's a soldier...an American soldier. May we be so lucky as to have thousands more like him...in times of peace and times of turmoil. Let's just see if we can't get a few of those fellows some dance lessons :-) Who knows maybe it's cut down on the PTSD.....check the vid.

Sad but true.....

I was stuck in an airport due to a missed connection....no this isn't the sad part. The airline gave me some courtesy vouchers for food as a token for my inconvenience. (Tip to Northwest, next time just push the gate back to the plane. The time spent dealing with four irate passengers...nearly 10% of the possible load for the CRJ...all even more irritated since the plane was still at the gate...could have been better used to get us and our carry-ons onto the plane.) But I digress again...this isn't the sad part either.

I chose to use part of my courtesy vouchers for a meal at good old Mickey D's in the terminal. Now pay attention...we're getting to the sad part. The tab came to $7.98. The vouchers were in $5.00 denominations. Unsure just how long I might be stuck or whether I could get change, I opted to use one $5.00 voucher, and pay the balance in cash. I handed the cashier one $5.00 voucher and one $20 bill. Now quick...how much change should I have received? Got the answer....good. Took you what...2? 5? 15 seconds to work it out? You now know where this is going...

The SAD Part
The cashier was stumped. First she asked whether I had any smaller bills. I assured her that I didn't. After staring at her register for a few more seconds, time to call in the support. Evidently their register/terminals didn't have a button for the vouchers (which I'm sure they get all the time), so she had to resort to using her elementary arithmetic skills. Yeah right. A quick call to the manager on duty. He too had difficulty with the task. They eventually worked out this complex calculation and dutifully handed me $12.02. I politely pointed out that they still owed me another $5.00. Momentary "deer-in-the-headlights" look, and then a moment of recognition/annoyance by the manager, and I'm handed my other $5.00.

Now, sure I've had those brain-fart moments where even simple math momentarily stumps me. We all have. But two people back to back? I took my order (and my change) and headed to my table silently wondering whether these two slipped through the cracks of their educational institutions, or if they were just plain dumb. But the sad story doesn't end here.

As I'm seated, I notice a pool of water (or some other fluid) leaking from underneath the self-serve soda fountains. There are two other McDonald's employees (presumably on break) sitting at a table a few feet away. One of them also notices the fluid and gets up to put a couple "Wet Floor" warning cones near the fluid....and then sits back down...maybe she told someone on duty to get a mop and I missed it. I don't know. As I'm eating, I'm glance over and notice the puddle has breached the boundaries of the bright yellow cones. A few moments later, the employee who placed the cones sighs, and gets up heading behind the counter. Finally...someone's getting a mop...or is she? No, our intrepid and resourceful employee returns with 2 more yellow "Wet Floor" warning cones. She adds the two new cones and and readjusts the originals, forming a type of barrier surrounding the puddle. You can imagine how much more effective this is than a mop. Content that she has this time stopped the flood, our employee returns to her table to finish her break.

I finish my meal, get up, navigate my way around the cones (and the puddle which is again threatening to breach the invisible barrier established by the cones), dump my tray in the trash, and leave....slightly amused, but also slightly depressed by what I had just seen.

If it weren't so damn pathetic, it would have been really funny. I had just witnessed several common stereotypes for bad service, and uneducated fast-food employees in a single visit to THE epitome of the fast food joints. Thankfully I didn't order anything with Mayonnaise. The way my luck was going, that stereotype/urban legend would have surely come true as well. While someone with some talent and wit might have turned this into an amusing comedy sketch, what I had seen was REAL. Two people (one a manager) had failed to perform some simple math necessary to complete a retail transaction. Another had twice attempted to contain a leak using invisible force-fields between some plastic cones. At least she tried SOMETHING....however ineffective it may have been. Several other on-duty employees witnessed the mini-pond growing near the soda fountains, and did nothing.

Lastly though....I did nothing. I didn't call for help, didn't point out the inconvenient and marginally hazardous situation with the water, nor did I chime in right away with the amount of change I was owed. While I was saddened by the apparent incompetence of these employees and the possible issues with society and/or education that contributed to their incompetence, I've come to realize that I'm probably most saddened that I didn't do or say something. I'm neither incompetent, nor dumb. It didn't have to be mean...it might not have mattered....but I had the potential and opportunity to change things, yet I didn't. What does that say about me?

Not your average economy car....

If you have any interest in improved fuel efficiency (and with gas over $3/gal who doesn't), please read this article (Motorhead Messiah). If even half of what this guy claims is true this could be huge! Basically using existing components (GM duramax diesels), some bolt on kits, and a intuitive knack for figuring out how to make engines run more efficiently, Johnathan Goodwin has figured out a way we might have our cake and eat it too. Fuel efficiency AND power AND full sized (hell large) cars/trucks. I don't know about his claims of 60-100mpg for his conversions, but given that Mercedes now sells an E-series with a diesel capable of over 35mpg and 0-60mph under 7 seconds....who knows? Maybe a little of John's hot-rodder mentality is just what we need to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Sure tweaking an off the shelf engine for great economy/performance gains sounds improbable, but I can recall in the late 80s or early 90s my dad (a mechanic) showing me an article on what was then the latest incarnation of Chevy's small block V8. In large part by reversing the coolant flow through the engine, it ran cooler, allowing for higher compression ratios which helped it develop more power, and improved fuel efficiency....this from a basic design that traced its roots to the 50's. Now I'm sure some other factors came into play, but if simply changing the direction of coolant flow could have a dramatic impact on the performance of a 40-50yr old design, why isn't it possible that Mr. Goodwin from Kansas has performed some measure of mechanical alchemy? Has he devised a way for us to have powerful automobiles that deliver enough economy to wipe the smug "We're Greener than you!" grins off the faces of thousands of Prius owners?

Oh yeah...this is the same guy that was responsible for an MTV Pimp My Ride episode that converted a 65 impala to a high performance diesel. How high? 800 hp, doubled fuel economy from 12 to 25mpg, and Smoked a Lambo in the 1/4 mile!


Whoever is elected President....I have a suggestion for the director of the Department of Energy. On second thought....keep John in the garage until I can afford one of his conversions. I have a '94 Chevy K1500 that could use an upgrade. :)

Burns my bacon.......

OK, so I'm watching TV and one of those ads comes on for some attorney or law firm promising IRS debt relief. Several satisfied clients proudly claim that the service helped them reduce their IRS debt to pennies on the dollar....$40,000 settled for $500....or some such nonsense. For some reason, that ad just sent me through the roof. Never mind that I think the claims are about as legitimate as all the "satisfied clients" using male enhancement products. It's the fact that someone thinks it's OK to encourage people to seek out a service that effectively screws the honest citizens paying our share of taxes every day.

Maybe it's because tax season is looming, maybe it's my background in collection systems, maybe I'm cranky about not getting enough sleep...but this ad really pissed me off. Now I'm no fan of the IRS, nor do I wish to see insult added to injury with interest and penalties piling on to the point that a person can't see how to dig out from their burden. But cry me a river if you owe several thousand in honest to goodness taxes because you "forgot" to file a return for the past 5 years. Seriously, these jerks are offering to help negotiate your debt to practically nothing. Do you think the lawyers and services really care why you have that unpaid debt? Guess what...if Joe Blow isn't paying his fair share who do you think is picking up the tab? That's right...all us honest folk.

Thankfully there's more of us than them, but the sheer boldness of these ads just burned my bacon. Such ads are likely casually dismissed by most of us as harmless. Nobody stops to think about what's being promised and who is likely to take them up on that promise. What if they were advertising to help you settle some nasty old alimony or child support debt? Wouldn't people have some sense of outrage? How dare they take money from those poor children or spouses! Yet promise some schmuck to help stick it to the IRS, and well we all just collectively ignore it (some may even applaud it) while unconsciously bending over to grab our ankles. It's not the IRS they're sticking it to.

Now before you pile on about extenuating circumstances, I'm not heartless. Lost your job, home wiped out in a national disaster, nearly bankrupt from trying to pay for medical care for an extended illness or injury....sure, I'll gladly grant you time to pay off the tax debt. First things first. If I had the choice between paying taxes or paying for my child's cancer treatment, of course I'd pay the doctors first. But I would also pay my taxes as soon as I could...it's how I was raised. I can't imagine how an honest person would agree to having a substantial portion of ANY legitimate debt wiped out. (Let's ignore for the moment whether Federal Income Tax is legitimate, legal or constitutional...another time, another blog.) Now, if someone or some group offers charity to help pay that tax debt for you...fine, no problem. Someone agreed to pay more than their share for you. God bless 'em for their selfless choice. However, I won't trust an attorney or law firm to be so scrupulous when choosing to represent a client in their quest to alleviate tax debt...or rather, pass that debt on to the rest of us.

Another 4 yrs?....Remix....

Wow, another 4 years already?

I started this blog on a whim 4 years ago, and it's gathered dust during most of that time. Yet, in reviewing an earlier post against the backdrop of this latest round of "Pick The Prez", I'm struck by how little has changed. Red states, blue states, here we go again. Yet there are some signs of change...

I guess I have a few answers to some of my earlier questions.....
"Should moderates try to take back their own parties, wresting control from the more extremist members who currently have the reigns? Or are we moderates just too darn lazy to put up much of a fuss, and we'll be resigned to picking the lesser of two evils for decades to come?"
To the 2nd question, I won't speak for all moderates, but I obviously was too darn lazy to put up much fuss. One blog in 4 years? Ok, I'm pathetic. No effort to get involved in a campaign, or even at a local level. No real political movement or discourse...other than the occasional rant and enthusiastic "hell yeah" when Dennis Miller or Jon Stewart so artfully express my current frustrations with the status quo. Yep....lazy might be an understatement.

As to the first question....should we moderates take what's rightfully ours? I don't have firm stats, but I have to believe that most registered members of either party would rightfully shun the label of "conservative right" or "liberal left". And there would seem to be glimmers of hope. While Obama may never be confused as a moderate, he is at least different...outside the mainstream (or as outside as you can be and still hold the title of Congressman). As for the GOP, a supposedly moderate (Sen. McCain) is all but certain to be the Republican nominee. This despite the fact that most of the press (traditional and other) had written him off as unappealing to the "conservative base". Heck if you believed Rush or Ann Coulter, he's not even worthy of calling himself a Republican. Say what you will about Huckabee and Romney splitting the base, but I think the GOP primaries unveiled a dirty little secret that the talk radio conservatives and pundits would rather not admit....all Republicans aren't Right Wing conservatives.....in fact most probably don't appreciate being lumped in with Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and the Moral Majority.

So how do we end up with this minor turn of events? Dumb cosmic luck, or were some of you moderates a lot less lazy than I? Did this shift in the Republican power come from the fed up moderates taking control of their party? Have those in the Democratic Party who are tired of business as usual, finally put forth a candidate who appears to be anything but business as usual?

I don't know....but I do know that in spite of my cynicism for the process....I'm once again drawn in. Like a moth to a flame --or more likely a rubber-necker to a broken down minivan at rush hour-- bring on the polls....show me who's bringing in the single-latino-upwardly-mobile-mother vote this minute! CNN, MSNBC, FOXNews.....wow me with all your little graphs and maps. Let the pundits make predictions, and then don't hold them to task when they're flat out wrong. Just please...in between the eye-candy and the fluff...please, give me some substance. You know "Issues"? At least give me and my lazy compatriots a shot a finding out where the candidates stand so that this time when we vote for the lesser of two evils, we are casting that ballot content in the knowledge that we have an "informed" opinion and aren't wasting our votes.