I have not written in awhile, much to the delight of many, but here to share a few thoughts on this and that today.
Marriage and Blending Families
I have been married for a month now, and the hardest thing for me is blending families. My boys are at a different stage of their lives than Candice's daughter, so this makes coordinating schedules and getting family time difficult. Plus my boys and me are not used to having girls around, just as Candice and her daughter are not used to having boys around. For me, having a woman around is certainly a change of pace. Learning each other's quirks, habits and preference is an adjustment. Learning to work with her as a team is both fun and challenging. But these are challenges that can be overcome. I would much rather face this challenge than be single. Like I said in an earlier entry, marriage is not for everyone, but it is for me.
Paul Ryan's Speech
After reading the text of Rep. Ryan's speech last night that he hit all the points he needed to hit. Of course, the commentary on the speech was quite predictable. Conservative pundits loved it, liberal pundits hated it. Click on this link for a complete text of the speech. The best line from the speech, in describing the Obama presidency was, "(n)ow all that’s left is a presidency adrift, surviving on slogans that already seem tired, grasping at a moment that has already passed, like a ship trying to sail on yesterday’s wind." I like Paul Ryan. I like that he had the guts to put out a plan as a valid alternative to what the Democrats were offering. However, his speech did not tell the whole truth. For instance, in talking about Medicare, he said, "You see, even with all the hidden taxes to pay for the health care takeover, even with new taxes on nearly a million small businesses, the planners in Washington still didn’t have enough money. They needed more. They needed hundreds of billions more. So, they just took it all away from Medicare. Seven hundred and sixteen billion dollars, funneled out of Medicare by President Obama." While this statement is factually correct, Ryan's original plan (since modified) called for cuts in Medicare to finance a tax cut. He did not mention this, as you might expect.
This was consistent throughout his speech. From the Bowles-Simpson debt reduction committee, "He created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report. He thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing." Which is factually true. He did not mention that he was on the committee and voted against the committee final report since it would be seen as his endorsement of ObamaCare. (Click here to see what Erksine Bowles, Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff, thinks of Ryan). I think Ryan could have been more forthcoming with some of his statements. Overall I give his speech a B. It hit the President in a fair and firm manner, but some more disclosure was required.
Paul Ryan's Speech
After reading the text of Rep. Ryan's speech last night that he hit all the points he needed to hit. Of course, the commentary on the speech was quite predictable. Conservative pundits loved it, liberal pundits hated it. Click on this link for a complete text of the speech. The best line from the speech, in describing the Obama presidency was, "(n)ow all that’s left is a presidency adrift, surviving on slogans that already seem tired, grasping at a moment that has already passed, like a ship trying to sail on yesterday’s wind." I like Paul Ryan. I like that he had the guts to put out a plan as a valid alternative to what the Democrats were offering. However, his speech did not tell the whole truth. For instance, in talking about Medicare, he said, "You see, even with all the hidden taxes to pay for the health care takeover, even with new taxes on nearly a million small businesses, the planners in Washington still didn’t have enough money. They needed more. They needed hundreds of billions more. So, they just took it all away from Medicare. Seven hundred and sixteen billion dollars, funneled out of Medicare by President Obama." While this statement is factually correct, Ryan's original plan (since modified) called for cuts in Medicare to finance a tax cut. He did not mention this, as you might expect.
This was consistent throughout his speech. From the Bowles-Simpson debt reduction committee, "He created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report. He thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing." Which is factually true. He did not mention that he was on the committee and voted against the committee final report since it would be seen as his endorsement of ObamaCare. (Click here to see what Erksine Bowles, Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff, thinks of Ryan). I think Ryan could have been more forthcoming with some of his statements. Overall I give his speech a B. It hit the President in a fair and firm manner, but some more disclosure was required.
Tax Cuts
After some pondering, which I am prone to do, I do not believe the tax cuts advocated by the Republicans at this time will have a beneficial economic impact. I believe that tax policy should simultaneously do two things: 1) maximize government revenue, and 2) maintain a prosperous economy. Tax cuts today would reduce revenue, and there would be no economic benefit. With S&P 500 companies holding record cash, there is already plenty of money available to invest in new businesses and plenty of money available to create jobs. Why are theses companies holding onto the cash? The answers all point back to the Obama Administration and its policies, and to the lack of confidence the business community possesses regarding the Administration. A tax cut on upper income people would be more productive if there was a slew of great ideas waiting to be unleashed on the market with no capital available to make that happen. However, there is plenty of cash available, but risk investors are clearly waiting for a more favorable environment in which to invest. Once businesses and investors have a more favorable outlook for the economy, we could see a terrific recovery.
Campaign Rhetoric
I get a kick out of liberal commentators that can recite scripture and verse why Romney/Ryan should be not elected. Some reasons are valid, some are absurd. But I cannot find one that can tell me why the President deserves re-election. What has to be even more depressing for liberals and Democrats is that the President's main focus seems to be....his opponent's tax returns! Really? He does realize his own Secretary of the Treasury (and IRS regulator #1) is a confirmed tax cheat? You would expect the tax return rhetoric from low level partisan hacks (re: Swift boats), but not from the President. He is the imcumbent. He has a record. He should run on his record and state his case for re-election based on that record. The fact that he spends so much of his time trying to define his opponent says two things: 1) his record is not worth running on; 2) he and his Administration are intellectually bankrupt. They have no answers and no solutions.
College Football
College football starts this weekend, and it certainly marks an exciting time on the calendar for me. I truly enjoy college football, but this season sure feels different. Conference realignment has taken some terrific rivalries off the schedule this year. Missouri, for example, could play the next 100 years in the SEC and not come close to the rivalry they shared with Kansas. Same with Texas A&M and Texas. These type of regional rivalries are fun, and part of what seperates college sports from their bretheren in the professional ranks. College football, and college basketball, will not be the same without these rivalries.
Mom of the Year Award...NOT!
A recent contestant on the show "Toddlers and Tiaras", a four-year-old named Destiny came out on stage smoking a fake cigarette, a la Olivia Newton John from "Grease". Huh? First, I find it appalling that a four-year-old is even in a beauty pagent. Second, said four-year-old is glamourizing smoking? And Mom is proud of all this? And we wonder why it is a screwed up world. Let the kid be a kid. If she wants to dress up, let her play with Mom's clothes but do not put this on display for the world to see. It is unfair to the child, and no parent should be allowed to put their own stupidity on display.
Stupidest Politician of the Year Award
This is not even close. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo) takes the cake for his "legitimate rape" and "the female body has ways to shut these things down" comments. I thought the President's "you didn't build that" comment was a classic. And it was. But Akin takes stupidity and insensitivity to levels never before imagined. And he even stayed in the race! Does Rep. Akin really thinks he will win? Akin does not just win Stupidest Politician of the Year Award, he has earned a lifetime honor in this Hall of Shame.
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