Pay No Attention to that Money Behind the Curtain

While everyone was focusing on the AIG brouhaha yesterday, a far more serious thing was happening. The US treasury decided to put $1 trillion in to the system by buying up its own bad debt.

This is the same as writing an IOU to yourself. They are taking a trillion dollars from one pocket, and putting it into another pocket. Nothing gets accomplished, and there is still money owed to people.

But no one heard about this, because everyone: congress, the media, the president, were focused on AIG paying :gasp: contractually obligated bonuses to its employees! Bonuses that were perfectly legal because they were promised before the February 1st deadline passed by congress!

Imagine that, a company holding up its end of the deal and fulfilling its contracts! Oh my! Sound the alarm! We need to tax these bonuses at 100% and get this money back! How dare they use the money we gave them to fulfill their contractual obligations!

What else? Oh, Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac ALSO used bailout money to pay contractually obligated bonuses to their employees. Why are people not running after them with torches and pitchforks?

Really, it's all the fed can do at this point. Interest rates range between 0 and .25%, so they can't really go any lower. The US Treasury Department currently consists only of the completely incompetent Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary, and President Obama apparently has much more important things to attend to: like appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

This country is falling apart at the seems. At the G20 conference, a meeting of the top 20 industrialized nations, former Russian Prime Minister Vladamir Putin will propose changing the world bank reserve currency from the US dollar to something else. The dollar has lost all it's clout in the world. Gold rose $50 an ounce yesterday upon news of the Treasury's plan.

The rest of the world wants no part of the US dollar, because they've read a middle school history book and remember the pictures of people bringing wheelbarrows full of money to buy a loaf of bread in Germany Post-World War I. Obviously Secretary Geithner and President Obama never read that chapter. And we are all going to pay for that in the end.

Entertainer in Chief?

News reached today that President OBama will be appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno this week to sell his economic policies to the american people.

Someone needs to give this guy the message that he already won and doesn't need to campaign. Is anyone else not ok with their sitting president appearing on talk shows to sell his policies? I am no OK with my president being equal to some C-list celeb pimping out their latest piece of crap movie.

Or, when I think about it, Obama's economic policies are about on par quality wise with Paul Blart: Mall Cop, so I guess this is the perfect venue for him.

MIA

Sorry, but I am unable to post today, as I am visiting with my grandpa who had surgery today. I'll try to make up for it tomorrow!

Republican Hypocrisy

Yes, you read that title correctly: I'm taking on my own party. However, this is a pretty common thing, despite perceptions of me and my politics. I'm pro gay rights, pro stem cell research, and pro gun control just to name a few disagreements I have with the Republican Party. However, these disagreements are overwhelmed by my agreements with the party's platform.

That, however, is for another post. Right now my beef is the republicans and this $418-ish billion spending bill with 9000 earmarks. Guess what...60% of those earmarks are from democrats. But, if elementary school math serves me correctly, that leaves 40% of the earmarks going to republicans.

I find it almost reprehensible that republicans are stalling the bill and going on television talking about how much they are against this bill and all of the pork in it. However, as soon as it passes they are going to be completely happy to take all the earmark money they receive and take it back to their constituents.

I agree with Senator John McCain- some of these earmarks are necesary and would do good. However, they are directed to a specific geographic location. If they were nation-wide projects they would be more accepted and do more good, but as they are they are lumps of fat in an omnibus spending bill.

Don't get me wrong, I am totally opposed to this. Yes, the government runs out of money on Wednesday, but they've spend like, five years worth of money in two months. You can only print so much money before people stop using it because it's worth less than the paper its printed on, but the government doesn't seem to realize this. I am considering sending President Obama and Senator Pelosi a chapter from a world history book that talks about Germany's economic policies after World War I, so that they can see what happens when money is printed off willy nilly. I doubt it would do any good, as they can't seem to read reports about our own, current economy.

The bill is going to pass. All republicans can do is get popular support against it and hope that their hypocrisy is not pointed out. If the courts gave President Obama the power of line-item veto, maybe that would solve the problem. That, however, is a blog for another day.

Response Time!

No one seems to comment on this blog anymore...this is sad. Look at my sad face- :(

Anywho, I guess I'll just have to response to Noah's novel-length posts. Seriously, anyone else think he writes too much? And what's with his not being obsessed with Britney or Blago? Lame, I know.

Starting with his first post: I must admit that I do not know enough history about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict to properly analyze, let alone judge the situation. I do know that Palestine is currently rules by a terrorist organization, Hamas, and spends most of its time planning how to white Jews off of the Earth. I believe that nations have the right to defend themselves when faced with a threat from an outside entity, like the US and a al Queda, and Israel with Palestine/Hamas/Iran. Proportional responses never get anything done. Israel wants to eliminate this threat to its people and land, and the only way to do that is to eliminate the problem: Hamas. To the best of my knowledge, Israel has no beef with the Palestinian people, only its "government." With the limited knowledge I have on the subject, I see no problem with Israel's military decisions.

I have always thought it interesting that in high school government classes, when you are taught the vague types of people in each party, you learn that Democrats are usually Catholics, yet their party believes in contraception and abortion. I myself have never been a very religious person, hence my barely being welcomed in the Republican party. I am all for sex education, birth control, condoms, and I believe that states should have the ability to decide on abortion. I wouldn't personally have one unless it was a very serious circumstance, but it is not my place, nor the governments, to tell people what they can and cannot do. I don't believe it's a baby until it is distinct cellularly from an ameba or other random grouping of cells. When that is, I'm not sure (I never really paid attention in health class). But I do agree that religion has a very large role in America. I understand churches not allowing gay marriages, but I can't understand the federal government not allowing it. They don't have the ability to enforce this on churches, but they have the ability and, in my opinion, obligation to make this legal.

I also must admit I have basically zero knowledge of the Bible, its creation, or its teachings, so I can't really comment. I respect people who have deep religious convictions and applaud them for their devotion. i myself am only really devoted to Harry Potter. I don't feel anyone has the right to judge a person or demean them for their religious beliefs. It's a personal choice and to each his own.

Finally, Noah's post from yesterday. i find it amazing that he finds such odd things to blog about. I had absolutely no idea who this person was, or that anyone was needed to fill Rahm Emmanuel's seat in Illinois. This woman doesn't really seem, based on Noah's blog, fit to run a cashier at Target, let alone be a state representative. Also, if the seat was vacated by a democrat, I believe it should be filled by one. I hate when people exploit situations to help their own cause (a la Blago). If the people chose a democrat to the seat, the governor or whomever is in charge of filling it should fill it with a democrat in order to uphold the will of the people. As much as I love politics, I hate the games and maneuvering that goes along with it. This would by why I abandoned any political hopes for myself long ago. I refuse to play the game, so I wouldn't ever get far.

Well, that's all! I think Noah had a very good first week, don't you all? Hopefully he cuts down the length of his posts a teeeeeny bit :)


EDIT! I have been informed by Noah that governors do not appoint house seats, but that they are filled by special elections almost everywhere. Oh well, I think I got a nice rant out of it anyway :)

Friday Grab-Bag

Let's start off with some light news: Michael Jackson is playing like, 5 shows in London this summer. Seriously, who DOESN'T want to see this train wreck? If I had the money, I would so be there.I would also be at Britney's comeback tour if I had the money. This thing looks so bad that it is amazing! Yes, I still love Britney, get over it.

Onto more serious topics. It came out today that the Obama's are having lavish parties at the White House every Wednesday. Who does he think he is, Marie Antoinette? The economy is in the sewer and he is wasting money throwing parties every week? Maybe if he stopped with the pinatas for a day, he might be able to fix America.

Rush Limbaugh announced this week on his radio show that he wants to debate President Obama on his show. Is there anyone who wouldn't pay to see this, let alone get it for free? Yes, it is kind of below any president to give in to the demands of a radio host, let alone debate them, but how awesome would a Limbaugh/Obama showdown be?

Anyone else think it's kind of cool that the government ran out of money today? How very "The West Wing," eh? Granted, the House passed an emergency spending act to get us through Wednesday, but was anyone else waiting for Obama to walk to the Capitol building all Jeb Bartlett style? That would have been kind of neat.

That's all I have for this Friday. I'm pretty exhausted from my exams this week. But never fear, tomorrow I will tackle Noah's posts, mostly because they are too long! I will embed an amazing video from this week's The Daily Show:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Our De-facto Leader?

I guess I should put my two-cents into the ring on this Rush Limbaugh fiasco, as everyone else in the known universe seems to be talking about it.

I never was much of a fan of Limbaugh. I usually listened to the Radio Factor during his time slot. The only talk radio other than O'Reilly I listened to was Sean Hannity. I just never had the patience to listen to people talking on the radio. Every now and then I would tune into Limbaugh if I was in the car and couldn't find a station that carried the Radio Factor, and I liked what I heard for the most part. I just always had this idea that he was too far to the right for me, so I didn't want to listen to him.

However, I started listening to him more after the election during the hour after the Radio Factor and before Hannity, and the more I listened, the more I liked. I soon became a fan of El Rushbo and of what he was saying.

Then President Obama said his now infamous "you can't listen to Limbaugh and expect to get anything done," comment, which I already addressed in a previous blog. Doing that gave Limbaugh attention and notoriety, which was probably not the intention of the comment.

Things died down a little...until Limbaugh spoke at CPAC. I LOVED his speech. It was exactly what the republican party needed to hear. He was forceful, funny, and truthful.

That is when the media anointed him the "de-facto leader" of the republican party. The party's official leader is Michael Steel, who is head of the RNC (I am a fan of his too, by the way). He was on talk shows doing damage control, attempting to reassert himself as the leader of the party. The damage, however, was done.

Limbaugh hasn't become the apparent leader of the party because he is the best or only choice. He happens to be the loudest. With a listenership of 22 million, his microphone wields immense power, and has the ability ot spread his and the party's message all over the country. He can rally republicans around his microphone, which is what the party needs. He reminds republicans that they don't need to change their message, they merely need to reconnect with their message and adapt it, not overhaul it. He is the loudest critic of the Obama administration, and has the ability to hold them accountable far more than any other opposition voice.

Limbaugh didn't choose this position of leadership, it chose him. And he has embraced it admirably.

BONUS BLAGO POST!!

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/02/blagojevich-pen-embarrassing-book-dark-politics/

Yes, he is writing a book!!! I AM SO THERE!

14,000, We Hardly Knew Ya

I had to do a double take this morning when I got back from class and saw the DOW at 6,876. Seriously!!! It hasn't been that low, the news tells me, since 1997, and that's probably when it hit that mark to begin with.

Does anyone else remember that wondrous day when the DOW hit 14,000? Ahhh, good times. There was champaign on Wall Street and parties on business shows. I'm pretty sure there was confetti too.

There are none of those things now. People's entire lives have been turned upside down as the market has plummeted. Their retirements are gone, their 401k is more like a 104k, and people who invested everything they had in hopes of making it big now have nothing.

And every time President Obama gets on the television during trading hours, you can watch the DOW fall as he speaks. Try it next time he speaks. This isn't some idea that us republicans have invented, it is a fact. Thank goodness his address to the nation was at 9 PM, or the DOW may have hit 0.

But look back to when this market slide started. It was around last October, when it was pretty certain that Obama would be the next president. On this realization, the markets fell, and haven't stopped. The markets are dead scared of his economic policies, and this continued sell-off shows it.

And it is also because the administration doesn't understand the market. They think that pushing money into government to stabilize it will quell Wall and Broad, but it does the opposite. They don't want the government to come in and bail out companies, CEOs, irresponsible lenders/lendees, or the government itself. They want the government out, taxes down, and not to raise the dividend tax.

I don't think anyone in the Obama administration has taken Econ 101, or else they would see that what they are doing is causing the market crash, not the other way around. The doom and gloom rhetoric of Obama isn't helping either. No one wants to hear that things are horrible and are going to get worse. They want to hear "things are bad, but we are going to fix them."

Maybe a little positivity would go a long way to fix the uncontrolled slide of the markets. Or a few Conservative economic tactics.

Goodbye, For Now

Michelle has decided that she's just not that into politics anymore (as if her lack of posting hadn't given it away). Since she has decided to leave this project, we will be down until I can think of what to do. As always, you can read my thoughts at nospin87.blogspot.com


Thank you for your readership, and hopefully we will see you soon.

"State of the Nation" Thoughts

Last night's speech is being referred to as a "State of the Nation" address, NOT a State of the Union. I thought those were the same thing, but I guess not! I am blogging the speech as it happens, so it might be a little jumbled.

First of all...I never realized how tall the president is. i mean, usually you don't see him around people, so it's hard to judge his height. But dude, he's kind of tall.

First off, I am not a fan of the biblical "day of reckoning" language here. And he is going on about responsibility, yet he is not allowing companies to face up to their responsibilities. A company had sucky policies, it should have to fix itsself, not wait for government to fix it.

And I am still confused about this college credit. Is it $2500 per year for 4 years, or just $2500 for all 4 years?

AHHH...apparently only banks need to be responsible, as Obama says we will save them, but they will be in trouble.

He says we need to have more lending...but we need to make sure we are lending to reliable people. Uncontrolled lending is what got us in this mess.

Ok...I do like his line "The nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it."

His budget will focus on education, healthcare, and energy. Didn't he use up his budget card with the stimulus?

I don't think any politician understands the problem with education. College is overpriced. Make it cheaper, don't send me money to pay for it. Also, let's start emphasizing the arts and english. Math and science are so emphasized that there is nothing for those who are not good at those subjects.

Ok, i do like what he said. We should encourage adults to seek higher education. And he says that dropping out of high school is "no longer an option. You are not failing yourself, you are failing your country and America needs and values the talents of all its citizens." However, I really am too lazy to do community service to get more money for college. And he is absolutely correct in saying that parents need to have a more active role in their children's education. If a parent doesn't care, the children won't care. Lead by example.

Ahhh, time for the debt. I don't like debt, this is why I do not use credit cards. And why is everyone cheering about inheriting a deficit? We shouldn't be excited about the failures of the previous administration, we should be saddened by the failures of everyone and be looking for a way to fix it. Everyone is at fault. the deficit has been around and growing since the dinosaurs roamed the earth, and it isn't showing any signs of stopping. But really, does France still expect us to pay them back that money they leant us in the Revolutionary War?

Obama says that definitively, if you make less than $250,000 a year, your taxes will not go up at all. I guess he's changed his mind from previous tax plans proposed during the campaign.

However, he is totally fine spending forever in Afghanistan, but we need to be out of Iraq...yesterday. I don't get it at all. And closing Gitmo is still a horrible idea. Where are we going to put these terrorists? How are we going to prosecute them?

It looks like we are getting to the local anecdote part of the speech, so I will bid you adieu. I am very sleepy :(

And the Soapbox Goes To...

There is one thing that annoys me more than others.

When people win awards and use that to wax poetic about their political beliefs.

Usually, there is no backlash. Sally Field is doing fine after talking about how "if mothers ruled the world there would be no GD wars" at the Emmys last year.

Michael Moore has not faired as well. After using his win for Bowling for Colombine to go on and on about his beliefs. He lost the award for his second film, and has seemingly vanished.

Last night was no exception. When the writer of Milk won for best screenplay, he used the opportunity to talk about gay rights. Sean Penn did the same thing after winning best actor for the same film.

I know that your film is about a gay rights activist, but I don't want to hear about it. You won an award, say thanks and leave. I don't tune into the Oscars to hear about the political beliefs of actors.

if someone went up there and talked about how they support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I would be just as angry.

It's not hard. Grab Oscar. Say thanks. Leave stage.

Nowhere in there do I want political speeches.

Especially from one who goes down and hangs with Hugo Chavez.

Sorry Guys

There has been a death in the family, so I am taking the week off of blogging. That means it is up to you guys to make sure Michelle does her part!

Sorry :(

Unfortunately, Michelle and I will not be able to blog tomorrow or Saturday, as we will be out of town.

Poor College Kids

You would THINK I'd be more concerned about the economy.  It'd be the mature thing to do.  All of our parents' jobs are at stake, you know?  But it's so hard to care about things beyond tuition when you're in the real-world buffer that is college.

Every time I see an article in our campus newspaper about the economy, it always seems to include a cheerful quote by some higher-up saying that IU will not be TOO affected by the crappy economy.  That should make me feel pretty good, I guess.  Right now, it's all abstract money.  Loans to be paid off when I actually HAVE money.  To semi-quote "How I Met Your Mother," that's a problem I'm going to let Future-Michelle deal with.

Maybe that's why I've been so lazy about blogging.  Want to know a secret, boys and girls?  I despise politics.  And yet I can't force myself to go a day without discussing these kinds of things.

For example, something that DOES affect me in a fairly direct way is the cost of room and board here.  All the dorms here have gone up in price by about $400 per year.  Boo.  No good.

I'm going to be a little critical of Obama here for a minute, so fellow Democrats, try to bear with me.  I really had high hopes that he would make lowering the ridiculous cost of higher education a priority.  But so far, it hasn't been, really.  I don't need a check!  I don't need a rebate!  Why can't we heal the problem at its source, and just TRY to make college less expensive?  People would be getting better jobs, spending more money, living comfortable lifestyles, and be better educated.

I'm dropping the "Michael Savage" rant.  Not because I "don't have anything to come back with," but because I'm exhausted with it.  I can be a Democrat and not support every kind of social freedom.  I never said I was going to align PERFECTLY with the left.  I don't support obscenity like Michael Savage.  Whether it really IS slander (which I'm sticking to) or merely hate-speech, I don't think the man should be paid to puke his hateful guts out over the radio.  End of story.

Back to the economy, though, we've still got Obama campaigning for his Bill.  I know Ashley thinks it's dumb that HE campaigns while IN office, but hey.  He was damn good at it the first time around, so maybe that's just his method.  But if he says anything along the lines of, "We need to act swiftly" one more time, my ears might bleed.  I'm tired of all the writing, and voting, and revising, and re-writing.  That's certainly not the "swift action" Obama's been calling for.  But, it's a little bit of everyone's fault, really.

Woo!  My radiator is fixed!  I'm going to enjoy it.  That's all!

Are You Afraid of the Economy?

So, Michelle has missed another blog...how shall we punish her?

Several times on this blog I have been accused of hypocrisy. I don't believe these accusations are correct, but to each his own.

However, someone else is now a hypocrite...in a HUGE way.

President Obama continuously on the campaign trail denounced the politics of fear he accused the Bush administration of using.

However...he himself is now employing fear to sell this stimulus package.

In his press conference, and his town hall meetings, the president continually speaks of the impending doom that apparently awaits if this package is not passed. Apparently, the Earth will stop spinning and a giant black hole will eat us all if this bill is not passed. At least, that is what the president would have the public believe.

However, this bill will only make things worse. Where will the money come from? No one will lend to us, so we have to print it. And that will cause inflation to skyrocket. I don't know about you, but I'm not strong enough to bring my wheelbarrow of money to buy bread.

Not even that, but there are all sorts of hidden pet projects in the bill, including a measure towards universal health care! I bill call for making all medical records electronic. This is a good thing, as it will allow doctors across the country to receive the files of their patients.

However, this measure also allows the government to approve medical procedures and disapprove procedures they do not agree with I am not ok with the federal government overriding my doctor when it comes to my medical care.

Maybe this measure will be worked out in committee. Maybe the price tag will go down. I highly doubt it though, and the doom the president says will come if this bill is not passed is sure to come if it does.

I Charge $5 An Hour

Before we get to serious matters, a question: who watches the kids when the Obama's go out?

They went to an opera or something the other night, so I started wonders...are there federal babysitters, or is babysitting part of secret service training? I hope it is the later, for I love the idea of secret service agents playing hide and seek, using their walkie talkies to help each other.

Onto serious matters. President Obama is...on the campaign trail? Did he not get the memo that he doesn't have to do that anymore?

He was in Elkhart, Indiana today. Apparently, Elkhart has the highest unemployment in the country, which is odd when you figure that my home state of Indiana is in a surplus and Governor Mitch Daniels is awesome and stuff.

But when you look at the fact that the town's entire economy revolves around the production of RVs, it isn't as surprising. Only diversified economies can survive a crisis, and Elkhart isn't one of them.

The president also took questions from the audience. One woman asked how he can expect Americans to pay their taxes if his own cabinet appointees can't. President Obama told the crowd to stop booing, and that it was a legitimate question. He again admitted his mistakes.

A man told the president that the stimulus needs to stop going to banks and companies and "straight into my mailbox." The president basically told the man that that isn't really possible.

The president touted a part of the bill I knew nothing about: a $2500 tax credit per college student for families. Now, i am all for free money, especially since my parents have a parent plus loan for me hanging over their heads. However, this doesn't tackle the problem. The problem is not that families need money for college, it is that college is too expensive.

People complain about the high cost of health care, and the high salaries of doctors. However, when you see that these doctors graduate college several hundred thousands of dollars in debt, their high salaries are a little more understandable. If you lower the cost of education, health care costs go down as well!

If college is less expensive, it also allows more people to attend. If we have a larger group of highly educated people, our country can improve greatly. However, you can run into a problem there, as people will demand better work and higher wages. But for the most part, it would improve our country greatly.

I am still not a fan of this stimulus bill, mostly because it has been completely distorted by Nancy Pelosi and her followers. Maybe the president's speech tonight will sway me. I highly doubt it, though, as I am missing an episode of House due to it, and am not happy about it.

I am a "good" liberal, whatever that means...

First of all, to Andrew: Perhaps you should look it up in the Oxford English Dictionary.  Slander is most certainly a case of falsehood *OR* defamation.  This is probably most clear in definition #2, but definition #1 states it as well.

Also, the Legal Dictionary at Lawyers.com mentions "slander" as being "false OR malicious" statements several times.

But I didn't need dictionaries to know this, alright?  I go to Indiana University, one of the best schools for journalism on the globe, and I trust that they won't teach us improper meanings of terms.  These people are professors, so who am I going to trust?  You and a few dictionaries, or professionals AND some dictionaries?  Besides, it's pretty childish to keep arguing a technicality when the more important question is of morality, not law.

And we liberals DO have morals, you know.  We're out to benefit ALL people, from the dregs of society to the political masters who rule us all.

Also, you're allowed to voice your dislike for a public figure.  Michael Savage is a public figure, so calling HIM an idiot isn't technically "malicious speech."

On to the issue of me being a "good" liberal or not.  Am I in any way a hypocrite because of my stance on Michael Savage's hate speech?  Let's ask THIS question instead.  Which is worse: An angry man putting down Muslims, blacks, children with autism, gays, and sometimes even women? Or telling him he can't be PAID to scream nonsense over the radio?  Which form of freedom would a "good" liberal support?  Because you can't have both.  Only one.  I choose the less damaging of the two.

Fire Savage.

Now!  If it'll ever be allowed to be DROPPED (my goodness, I hadn't intended to make my "Fire Savage" rants a theme, but that's how the comments ended up flowing, so hey...), I'd like to continue with the current events.

Okay, so we all know that the nearly-trillion-dollar stimulus package has been cut down significantly, but which areas took the biggest hits?  Some things were thrown out entirely, and some were merely reduced.  Personally, I agree with some of the cuts, and disagree with some others that I think could have helped create jobs in America.

For example, I can understand cutting out the $300 million for federal prisons.  I don't see how that would add jobs, you know?  It'd just make prisons "nicer," and in my opinion, prisons are homey enough for lawbreakers.  I understand the cuts from NASA, a few wildlife preservation organizations, and some scientific research.

And I'm GLAD that $600 million was cut from No Child Left Behind.  Personally, I have no idea why that ridiculous act hasn't been repealed yet.  It's such a misnomer!  It HARMS quality education.

But on the other hand, funding for construction of new high schools and institutions of higher education has been eliminated, and I think that's a bad idea.  Manual labour jobs are in pretty high demand right now, with the masses of factory workers being laid off, and I really think that building schools would have been an awesome way to pull an FDR on this recession.  

$40 billion is also being cut from state aid that would help prevent worsening recession on a more local level.  I'm not sure whether or not I even understand how that part works, so I can't really make a decision.  But that part seems to be the biggest controversy.

Overall, though, I guess I'm okay with the stimulus package as it is right now.  Maybe when the most vital things are taken care of, other organizations can receive the money they deserve later on down the road.  I mean, I'm all about the science, nature, and outer space stuff...but maybe they should be separate.  A lot of that stuff wouldn't create too many new jobs, anyway.

But we'll see where it goes.  Currently, the House favours a bill that works primarily on the state and local levels, whereas the Senate is really liking the bit about cutting taxes.  And Obama's getting pretty pissed, it seems, that no one can agree on anything so we can just get this show on the road.

I'm getting pretty impatient too.  This recession had better be over by the time Ashley and I are out of this buffer that is college, because we're big fans of money, and actually having it...

Comments Ahoy!

Ok, it's Saturday! And that means comment response time! Let's get to it!

In response to my post about the "real" Barack Obama...he did campaign on the fact that he was NOT a Chicago politician, that he was a good guy and didn't play the games that the rest of politicians did. However, he always has and he knows it. The book I cite has 50 pages of footnotes and citations and the writer has appeared on numerous talk shows. I believe his work and its credibility.

Hypocrisy is a lovely thing. I do not feel that by holding the president accountable and by loudly voicing my opinions I am going against what I have said I despised from the far left during the Bush years. I cannot tell someone that because they believe in abortion no matter what, believe no one should have guns, and that everyone in Gitmo is innocent that they are wrong and a hypocrite, because they believe those things to be true, just as I believe that Gitmo is necessary, President Bush succeeded in keeping America safe after 9-11 and it was President Clinton's fault Osama bin Laden was allowed to live to do those acts, and that Bush used the politics of FACTS, not fear to get reelected.

And yes, I believe that Congress should listen to the concerns of republicans on this bill, as it will have long-standing and far-reaching consequences. As far as I can recall, although I may be wrong, but there were many bi-partisan bills in the Bush administration. However, Nancy Pelosi believes she is the end-all be-all in the government, and refused to hear from republicans, as she doesn't need them. The Senate, however, did try and has come up with a "deal" that will be further debated. This cut off over $100 billion from the bill, which is a start.

And it was not the fact that President Obama refused to hear republicans' concerns, it was the tone with which he referred to the republican party in his speech, and the mocking language he used. He seems to have no respect for those who do not share and support his ideology, and I find that deplorable. Nearly all of my friends are liberals, and I do not insult them for their beliefs and ideas, I accept our differences and respect them and their ideals.

Just a note: please keep the comments polite. They are starting to become very rude and sarcastic, and that is not what we created this blog for.

Bad Jokes, Bad Bills, Bad Bees

I am writing this Thursday night becasue President Obama has just given a speech in front of a caucus of democrats, and I have a few things to say about it.

For starters, Obama basically yelled for the entire 20-ish minutes. Not very presidential, eh?

He also basically said Republicans needed to just get with it and vote for the package without trying to change it. What happened to the cooperation and working together of earlier this week?

And apparently if this bill isn't law by February 16 all hell is going to break loose and we are all going to die and the stock market will hit zero and the Earth will explode. At least, that's what I'm getting out of this absolute deadline.

Also, it seems the speech was not meant to be televised, as the feed was cut right afterwards, and before the question and answer session. Was this because the White House knew it would be such a strong speech and didn't want to alienate people?

The speech was also filled with many jokes at President Bush's expense and soaring rhetoric that President Obama uses to perfection to distract people from the lack of substance in his speeches.

There is so much stuff in this bill that doesn't belong. I can see the validity of honeybee research and building safe-houses for prostitutes...but it does not belong in this stimulus bill. I hate piggybacking pet projects into bills like this. it slows down the process and prevents help from actually getting to whom it is needed.

The president will be speaking to the public Monday night. Maybe that will be a less-heated appeal for their support of a $920 billion dollar "stimulus package."

Are My Missing Tax Payments In Your Cabinet?

I think Blago has found new employment.

As cabinet appointee researcher for the Obama administration.

Seriously, how can you pick THREE people who all have big tax payment issues for your cabinet?

What's worse, how can Congress approve the worst offender TO HEAD THE TREASURY!!!!

And I love the hypocrisy of Mr. "we're all gonna have to turn our thermostats down and conserve energy." According to Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric was sweating after her interview with the president, and he said the Oval Office was incredibly hot. Seriously? Get a fricken Snuggie and turn the thermostat down. Why should I conserve when he wont? And why is he spending my tax dollars on his heat. I know he's seen the commercials...you can do ANYTHING in a Snuggie!

Buuuuuut I digress. Who would have thought the easiest confirmation in the Obama cabinet would be Hillary Clinton? All the buzz leading up to the confirmation hearings was all about how foreign donors to the Clinton Foundation or whatever would create a conflict of interests, but she got through like nothing compared to these other folk.

Although, I am not surprised by these picks. Knowing the crows President Obama hung with back in Chicago, these people are nothing.


Unfortunately, this post is going to be cut short. I'm not feeling too well today and I have a stack of reading that needs done.

Million, Billion, Trillion

Everyone keeps complaining about the bailout bill, and I'll admit that I have my own doubts.  But today I realized that taking ANY action at all is more than what a Republican administration would do.  Stuff never gets done under Republicans.  Well, it does, but it usually takes a lot longer.  And the economy isn't getting any better on its own.

Okay, so we've got people being naughty on both sides of the aisle, recently.  Two of Obama's nominees for various offices turned out to have shady tax records, and they've decided to step down from his nomination.  Obama even said to the press that he "screwed up," which is something a lot of people have trouble with.  But at least the guy admits his mistakes and fixes them.  Bush never did that.

On the Republican side, we've got business owners using bail-out money to give themselves million-dollar bonuses, while their companies crash and burn at their feet, leaving many out of work and at the mercy of the tight job market.

FACTOID!  I found this at CNN's website: One trillion $1 bills stacked one on top of the other would reach nearly 68,000 miles into the sky.

Christine Romans wrote a pretty interesting tidbit about how people are becoming desensitized to numbers, and how people tend to lump the words "million," "billion," and "trillion" together.  She quotes this math professor guy, John Allen Paulos, of Temple University, who points out, "A million seconds is 11.5 days.  A billion seconds is 32 years, and a trillion seconds is 32,000 years."  I never really thought about it like that, but I guess there is a GIANT difference.  To think that our national debt is 10 trillion!  Yowza.

And this bailout - Which was supposed to be, what, 819 billion at first? - is now nearing one trillion dollars.  I'm skeptical, but Obama promises that the majority of the money goes STRAIGHT to the people, and the remaining money gets put into creating new jobs.  And I do trust his decisions.  He actually LISTENS to his advisors, anyway.  And at least he's taking immediate action.  Experts predict that just standing by for too much longer could make this situation grow exponentially worse.  Yuck.

Remember when a million bucks was a lot?  Well, me either, but then again I'm young.  At this rate, though, I'm willing to bet I'll one day be able to say, "When I was your age, a trillion dollars was a lot."  Ah, numbers, numbers...

To Andrew, my favourite commenter, I'd like to point out that slander means false OR malicious claims.  It's fairly illegal to publicly denounce someone with the intent of damaging their reputation.  And is what Savage said NOT malicious?  Even if the man was openly gay, the way in which Savage worded his ill-formed insults was deliberately harmful.

Sure, Andrew, "sodomite" is the dictionary word for homosexuality.  But remember what kind of connotations come along with the word.  It's derived from the Biblical place, Sodom, and depicted as "sinful," and later still, illegal.  No respectful person in this day and age calls a homosexual a sodomite without malicious intent, especially not in a public setting.  It's the same word that people used to condemn homosexuals, or execute them.  The dictionary may not define it as such, but everyone knows that if someone calls someone else a sodomite, it means they view the act as a crime.  And THAT is defamatory.

At any rate, even if it weren't slander, it is still obscene.  As was the time Savage called autistic children "brats."  If a man started yelling that on the street, he'd be arrested for public indecency.  Radio is public.

Monday Musings

Like the alliteration?  Yeah.

FIRST on the agenda.  Someone said that my open distain for Michael Savage is hypocritical, since I support the first amendment's social liberties.  It's VERY common for people to make this argument; in fact, Savage himself has a "donate money to me and keep the first amendment protected," which, to me, translates to "donate money to me so that my lawsuits are covered whenever I take it too far."

Don't get me wrong.  I'm all about the free speech.  I mean, I'm totally appreciative of the fact that we can have this blog and say what we think without having to worry about getting thrown in jail or shot or something.

But I truly don't believe that the things Savage says should be protected.  In a journalism class I took last semester, we learned that there are actually different levels of protection for various kinds of speech.  Obscenity is the least protected.  I mean, Savage once took a gay caller, didn't let the man get two words in, and yelled at him for being a "pig" and a "sodomite."  A private citizen.  Technically, isn't that slander?  Yeah, folks, it is.

And there's where the line is drawn.  Freedom of speech is limited when it violates others' rights or is considered slander.

The man is a hypocrite himself, anyway.  He's always yelling about how people shouldn't be gay, or that Muslims are all terrorists, or that autistic children are "brats."  And yet things like religion are protected under the same amendment that he so brazenly abuses.  He makes me sick.

Here's a sample of him being ridiculous:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpmTivdGl54

Okay!  On to the news.

People.  I can't believe this is still an issue.  If President Obama doesn't want to wear his suit jacket, he doesn't have to.  People do their best work while they're comfortable.  Give it a rest.  It's not even that big of a deal.

There's a lot of debate recently about whether or not Obama is giving Republican senators higher offices so that their positions in the Senate can be filled with Democrats, giving them a filibuster-proof majority.  I don't know if that's true, necessarily, but I know that I wouldn't MIND it if that were one of Obama's motives.

Filibusters are cheap and completely illegitimate.  I'm not even going to go into it.  If you've got any sense about you, you understand that talking a bill to death is absurd.

A lot of people criticized Obama for having a Superbowl shindig.  McCain ditched, for whatever reason, but was on the invite list.  I don't see any problems with him taking a few hours away from his job to participate in one of the biggest events in American culture of the year.  I, personally, don't follow sports or anything, but I think it's great that Americans make a day of Superbowl Sunday.

Women are starting to take a stand in Iraq, running for council seats in regional elections.  I'm pretty excited about that.  Hopefully these women won't be murdered, like so many have for doing similar things.  Oh, gender.

Well, that's Monday.

The Gloves Are Coming Off

I came to a realization after my last post. I finally, in that post, wrote what I wanted without fear of being too conservative, too republican, or too anti-Obama. And I liked it. I have always wanted to be one who was not blinded by ideology and thought for herself. I still consider myself that type of person, but I have worried about being pigeonholed by others as not. However, I decided today that that doesn't matter anymore. My last post sounded like a rant form a far-Right loon, and that is what I intended. I was incredibly angry about that topic and wanted to express that frustration.

So today, the gloves are coming off. I don't care how trivial, I am going to write about it. Starting with something that irritates Michelle to no end: President Obama's refusal to wear his jacket in the White House. According to those who worked there, President Bush was seen only a handful of times in eight years without his jacket, yet it seems Obama has been seen the same number of times WITH his. This is a huge deal in the cultural of the office. The lack of jacket seems to put out a feeling of disrespect for his office; that his job is not important enough for him to dress the part. When they are out with the people, I am totally find with my politicians dressing informally. But when they are in the Oval Office making like or death decisions, I want me president dressing the part and treating the office with the gravity it deserves.

Point two: I don't know if anyone has given him the memo, but the President of the United States has MUCH bigger fish to fry than changing the college football championship procedures from a ranking system to a playoff system. Seriously, how is this something for the PoTUS to be dealing with! This angers me to no end. You have two wars and a recession on your hands, and you're throwing a Super Bowl party, talking to Matt Lauer, and trying to convince the BCS to go to a playoff system! Someone is vacationing on Planet Blago.

Lastly: Calling out Rush Limbaugh. Um...doesn't the president know that by calling Limbaugh out...he gives him credibility? Yes, the point was to denounce Limbaugh and to take away his credibility, but by putting his name out there the opposite happens. Yes, he is a bit crazy at times, but Limbaugh is the loudest voice of conservative ideology and I think it's a bad idea for the president to try and take him on. Plus, it belittles the president, having him engage in a schoolyard "don't listen to him! he's a meaniehead" argument.

Well, that's all for now. Maybe Michelle will blog today...maybe not. Please leave ideas for punishments for her missing her blog Saturday, and even worse ones if she misses todays too! I'm thinking that making her listen to all three hours of Sean Hannity and blogging throughout would be pretty sweet, eh?

The REAL Barack Obama

The mainstream media chose to ignore President Obama's connection with William Ayers, self-proclaimed domestic terrorist who said he wished he had succeeded in blowing up the Pentagon during Vietnam, and to an extent they ignored his church's pastor, Jeramiah Wright. Seriously, how can you attend church every Sunday for 20 years (which he says he did) and not know your pastor was a racist, anti-American radical?

Well, the old Obama is coming out again, ready to use his deceitful political ways to gain power. If I sound a bit Sean Hannity now, it is because I mean too. This is seriously troubling to me and America needs to open their eyes to the real Barack Obama.

News has gotten out that President Obama intends to nominate a republican senator to the vacated position of commerce secretary. Now, at first glance you think, "aw, that's nice. how bi-partisan of him!" Look a little deeper, though, and the deceit rears it's head.

If the republican senator he nominates accepts, his seat will be filled by the governor of that state. The senators he is looking at...have democratic state governors. So whom will these governors nominate to fill the empty seats? You guessed it, democrats!

Now, if Norm Coleman looses his appeal in the MInnesota recount, and Obama gets a governor to appoint a democrat to a seat vacated by a republican...democrats will have a filibuster proof majority in the senate! And all of his radical agenda will pass no questions asked.

This is not new in the Obama political playbook. When he was running for senate in the city of Chicago, he put together a massive smear campaign against his opponent, who had a tremendous lead in the polls. He accused her of forging signatures on her petition for office and other things that are accounted in the book "The Obama Nation."

Wait...didn't Obama campaign on the idea of being a Washington outside...a new kind of politician...a clean, nice guy who played fair and clean?

Oh, how America was decieved. And now we will all pay the price. No wonder he wants to discredit El Rushbo...the loudest voice of truth and opposition he has to deal with, because what would happen if he was exposed as the fraud he is.

Reagan, Health Insurance for Kids, and Treacherous Snow!

First of all, let ME respond to Ashley's response to my post.  Follow?  Reagan DID use borrowed money.  Having just come out of a bit of a recession, there was an issue with unemployment at the time, and:

[funding benefits for all of those unemployed + his "war on drugs" + everything military-related]

MINUS

[a freak-ton of tax revenue]

EQUALS = A party that needed to be cleaned up.

So yeah, I stand by what I said.

Now, to move beyond my distain for Reaganomics and ONTO my amusement with Blagojevich!  Unless the man decides to write an "If I Did It" type book, I guess we won't be hearing too much about him any more.  Everyone voted him out (I mean, did he THINK he was getting anywhere with his press conferences and interviews?  "The View"?  SERIOUSLY, Blago?!) and he apparently took the state-owned jet for one last bit of glory on his way home.

He's Jesus, you know.  He told me so himself.  And losing his 177k salary is his "personal Greek tragedy," you know.  I never knew Jesus was a Greek!   I mean, some people put the Bible on the same level as Greek mythology, but to have it confirmed by such an honest do-gooder!  Oh, Blago.  You horrid man.

The Senate passed a health insurance bill for children. 11 million children from underprivileged households or who legally immigrated, as well as pregnant mothers.  This is the first time that something like this is pretty much SURE to be signed.  The Senate was enthusiastic about it, and Obama has already said he'll sign it when it crosses his desk next week.

The bill might even be expanded, funded by an increase in cigarette tax to a dollar (from 39 cents).  This is seriously a great idea.  And seriously, it should be made more and more painful to purchase cigarettes.  Smoking is bad.  Healthy little kids are cute.

Bush vetoed a similar bill.  TWO times.  And a few Republican senators were completely miffed about it.  I just don't get you people.  One minute you're all, "SAVE BABIES FROM ABORTION!  HIDE THE GAYS FROM MY KIDS! FAMILY VALUES!" and the next you're upset about this bill.  Good job, guys.   Three cheers for family values.

Anyway, any people who were apathetic during the election have been proven wrong.  In just a week and a half, TONS of things have been put into effect, or at least started to work their way through the system.

Right now, I want two things to happen:

First, I want gay marriage to be made legal.  We didn't vote on YOUR marriage.  Why keep people from being happy just because you think it's "icky"?  If you really think that marriage in general is threatened by the gay community, then your own marriage must really not be very secure.  Also, it won't harm kids!  Sheesh!  You guys are totally just using that as an excuse, and not even a very good one.  Kids already know that sometimes, people are gay.  Do you want your children to believe it's better to live with a lover unmarried, or married?  It's not like I'm saying I think churches should be forced to perform the ceremony - that's up to the church.  But LEGALLY, on PAPER, it should be made possible.

Second, I want that ridiculous "No Child Left Behind" MISNOMER of an act repealed.  This is something I'm very passionate about.  It promotes "teaching to the test" in classrooms and threatens music and art in schools.  The quality of teachers decreases, as they don't have the motivation to go beyond the minimum, and that is REALLY not cool.  I was blessed with amazing teachers in my high school honours classes (who weren't big fans of NCLB either)...but some teachers who taught regular classes didn't seem to be doing their best all the time.  Because they had a low standard to meet.

Okay, that's my rant for the day!  The theme for the rest of the day is: "Ashley and Michelle Attempt to Take a Road Trip to Muncie to Visit Their Friends at Ball State Even Though the Snow is Treacherous and They Might Have to Cancel."  Wish us luck!

Early Post In Response to Others

I will be unable to post tomorrow, so I am posting my blog today instead!. Unfortunately that leaves Michelle free to run rampant tomorrow.

I must respond to Michelle's blog. President Reagan did NOT spend money we didn't have.Keynesian economics is the theory of deficit spending to revive the economy. However, this theory stopped with Reagan and supply-side economic theory. Reagan was a big proponent of balanced budgets and tax cuts, and Reaganomics got America out of the financial trouble of the 1980s, no matter what my history book says.

And I will gladly admit that the Bush administration was no where near as fiscally conservative as myself and many others would have liked. However, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq necessitated an increase in spending.

I saw an interesting graphic on the Glenn Beck show yesterday. It showed the amount of money in circulation from 1920 to today. The of amount of money in circulation had remained virtually stagnate until the 2000s when the amount skyrocketed.

So, it seems that a mentality has developed that we can just print off money like there's no tomorrow and that will fix everything. However, this theory is completely inaccurate. Even during the Great Depression and the depression of the 1980s, capital was not introduced into circulation.

And you know what, we got out of both of those just fine.

I watched a show on the History Channel last week comparing the financial crisis of today to that of 1929. The show said that the New Deal and all of its programs actually did very little to fix the Great Depression. It was World War II that saved America.

Obviously President Obama didn't watch this show, as he was quoted today as saying that the reason the New Deal didn't work was because it wasn't big enough! President Obama's stimulus package includes many initiatives that are similar to the New Deal: public works projects, infrastructure improvement, and others. Yes, these things need done and will improve America. However, history shows that this will not fix the economy.

What will fix the economy? I'm not sure. Decreased government spending wouldn't hurt. The original plan of buying up bad debt from banks should get back on track, as that would greatly increase confidence. And Jon Stewart, despite being a comedian, had a good plan: use the $819 billion and buy up the debt of individuals. If people have no debt what will they do...SPEND! It would work just as the bank bailout was planned to work: the government would buy loans and the taxpayers would repay the government just as if it was any other government spending.

If only President Obama and Congress read our little blog...

UPDATE: Here is the clip from Glenn Beck's program

I DO have some concerns...

Okay, so this bailout bill isn't quite what I was hoping for either.  It's not that different from things we've seen under Bush, and we can all agree that THAT was a bust...  $819 billion is just too much money to gamble on this same failed plan that we've tried in the past...

I am a LITTLE annoyed with Republicans calling him out on it by saying it's stupid to spend money that the government doesn't have, when their GOD, Ronald Reagan, did the same thing.  You can't have both!  If you want to complain about this bailout, you also have to admit that Reagan was throwing a huge party that eventually needed to be cleaned up.

And unfortunately, because this bailout would be so giant and epic, that leaves very little room for the extra bit of tax reduction meant to help the middle class, seeing as there's SUPPOSED to be a $850 billion limit on this thing.  So...yes.  I'm a skeptic about Obama's plans here.

But you know what?  Just because the House passed it doesn't mean it'll come to fruition.  Apparently 11 Dems voted against it, and NO Republicans voted for it.  And when the Senate has to vote on it, it'll need all the Dems and TWO Republicans in order to pass.  So you just know it'll be rewritten, revised, and completely different by the time anything close to it is passed.

I'm still supportive, though!  I'm really glad that Obama's taking a new approach, as far as dealing with foreign countries goes.  For one, I'm pretty stoked about him not backing Israel just because they're, well, Israel.  And as for everywhere else, I'm liking this idea of the world not being divided into "us" and "them."

Something else that I'm pretty excited about is this Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  HOW are we one of the last countries to allow women to be paid as much as men for doing the same job?  Well, step by step, little by little, this is ending.  FINALLY.  This is so long overdue.  We've actually had steps BACKWARDS under Bush.

Superficial news!  What's the deal with everyone getting so miffed about Obama not wearing his jacket around the White House?  Everyone's all, "Oh no, this marks the beginning of a huge 'culture shift,' and it can only mean trouble!"  I don't get it.

Bailout Bonanza!

President Obama repeatedly expressed his desire to have a stimulus package on his desk to sign on the first full day of his presidency.

Well, it is day eight, and still no plan.

One of the things I love most about this stimulus package is the "tax cut" it gives to people. His "tax cut" is a $500 check for individuals and a $1000 check for families. This is a rebate, similar to President Bush's stimulus package, not a "tax cut." People have bad memories of President Bush's stimulus, so by misnaming it, prehaps the president can garner support for the plan.

The plan had originally called for money to be allocated for contraception. Now, I am completely in favor of contraception, as it has loads of health benefits which I feel outweigh its pregnancy prevention. However, I do not think the government should be spending money on this, and apparently the majority of the Congress agrees, as that part was taken out of the bill.

Obviously the president and his advisors have not been paying attention while they were making their moving plans, as the last bailout and stimulus package the government threw out there has done absolutely nothing to help revive the economy. President Bush spent, spent, spent, and it did nothing to fix the economy. President Obama apparently must think the rules do not apply to him, since he is attempting to institute the same strategy.

Another part of the bill that was eliminated was a proposed $200 million to re-sod the National Mall, and $200 million for new cars for government officials. Seriously? Also, on page 147 is a $335 million dollar plan for STD education at the Center for Disease Control. What more is there to teach people about STD prevention than either don't have sex or wear a condom.

I will say that there are some good parts of this proposed bill. There is an increase in food stamps and other government services. The hope is that people will have more money to spend elsewhere if they are spending less of their money on food. This may not work as planned, but giving people on food stamps more money for food could potentially work.

This proposed bill of President Obama's is ballooning to $900 billion. Where is all of this money coming from? Why can't the government operate like people: DON'T SPEND MONEY YOU DON'T HAVE! I only spend money that I have and I get by. The bill is available for all to read and to see what is really being proposed, not just what President Obama and the liberals want to spin it to you as. I urge all Americans to research this bill and to contact their Congressmen about this horrible misuse of nonexistent funds that will drive this country further in debt.

New Schedule

After nearly two weeks of blogging, we have finally figured out how we want this to work. As such, we have found that blogging every day has become a bit overwhelming. Therefore, we have decided to change out schedule to blogs every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Saturday will be addressing comments made on out previous blogs or, if there are no comments, will be a regular blog. Hopefully this lighter schedule will allow the quality of our blogs to increase. Thanks for sticking with us!

Oprah for Senate!..........?! What the heck?

I should probably point out that I get most of my news through RSS feeds from CNN, the NY Times, and the Washington Post.  Yes, it leans to the left, but (in my opinion) doesn't lean as FAR as Fox leans to the right.

Oh Blago, just give it up already.  I'm tired of hearing you on the news...and I hope you realize that people watch your interviews for entertainment, not because they have any sort of sympathy or any OUNCE of doubt that you're a complete liar...  Anyone who considers making Oprah Winfrey the next junior senator just CAN'T have good intentions.  No offense to Oprah, but I doubt he'd have considered her if she weren't a billionaire.

My boyfriend actually called Blago the "new Britney Spears" of television, which is really accurate.  Crazy, shady, and just plain corrupt, the only difference is that Blagojevich actually SEEKS OUT media coverage.

Raise your hand if you thought it was hilarious when he (basically) said, 'I'm not calling myself Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, or MLK, but I am completely Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and MLK.'  That's what I got out of it, anyway.

Oh, and he says that it's okay to use vulgar language if you think no one of significance is listening, BUT that it rubbed off on his wife.  Hmmm!  I wonder if that's his motto...that something is only bad if you get caught?

Props to Ashley for supporting stem cell research.  I always have as well, so it should be no surprise that I was ecstatic to hear that Obama would be supporting it as well.

The embryos are FROZEN.

They would otherwise be THROWN AWAY.

Why not let their lives serve a PURPOSE?

On Stem Cells, Blago, and Editorial Pages

Anyone else think it is a bad idea for Blago to have Drew Peterson's PR guy working to better his name? I don't typically want the people who represented a man who had three wives mysteriously disappear trying to clear my name, but I don't live on Planet Blago.

Blago appeared on every television show known to man today including The View, Good Morning America, and, where I would personally recommend going when you need to restore your credibility and proclaim your innocence, a street interview with Geraldo. This guy is off the deep end, and I love it. His impeachment trial starts today, and I don't think he really cares. Despite the enormous amount of evidence against him, I am fairly certain that he believes he will be found innocent and continue his job as governor of Illinois. In the words of Hermione Granger: What. An. Idiot.

Please sit down before continuing: I am going to praise President Obama. Yes, 911 is the correct number to call if you are having a heart attack right now. President Obama has expressed his commitment to increase funding for Stem Cell research- one of President Bush's handful of pardons. I have always been a supporter of stem-cell research. I believe that this line of medical study holds huge promise, particularly in the area of Parkinson's Disease. I am no expert on the science involved, but my understanding is that stem cells can become anything. Yes, embryonic stem cells can become babies, but they can become livers and hearts and many other things, according to my understanding. Why allow a "potential" person to sit in a freezer when it could be helping to save the life of someone who is already alive? I differ from many Conservatives in that I believe in preserving life that already exists as opposed to life that may potentially exist, and I applaud President Obama for allowing federal funds for stem-cell research.

Lastly, I received yet another example of why I have been refused the position of opinion columnist for the Indiana Daily Student 4 semesters running. Today's editorial page consisted of 4, I believe, editorials praising President Obama, calling him Superman, and congratulating him on closing Guantanamo Bay. It also doesn't help my cause that the opinions editor wrote two articles a few weeks ago expressing his complete love of Hilary Clinton.

Ah, the perils of being a college conservative.

Day Off

Sundays will be a day off for us here at Juxtapinions. A day of resting and honing our wit for the week ahead! Comment away, and we will see you tomorrow!

I need someone to ARGUE with me!

Well, we're starting a tradition where every Saturday we'll post in response to the comments we've received over the week.

I haven't really GOTTEN any negative comments yet, so I have only to assume that our audience is predominantly liberal?  I have no qualms with that, but it'd be nice if it were a little more mixed.  I mean, we're catering to both parties, so...

Republicans.  Take on me.  Take me on.  *sings the rest of "Take On Me" in a high pitched voice*  That song is great.

Someone DID make a point, though.  When I was talking about the situation over in Israel and the Gaza strip, I mentioned that you don't mess with Israel.  What I forgot to mention is my whole stance on Israel's idea of "fairness."  Israel has gone WAY overboard, as they've always tended to.  Some holy land.

Okay, I "get" that having bombs lobbed into your country is grounds for retaliation, but making a comeback with nearly 100 times as many casualties, including several hundred civilians, is just sick.  I'm glad our new President isn't going to stand for that as much.

Maybe people will start LIKING America again.  People both from AND outside of our country.

Comments Rebutted! WEEE

So, every Saturday we will respond to comments left on our posts. This way, you don't have to go searching through every post to find a response to what you had to say!

I'll start with responding to my first post: It is not "lala I'm not listening" to say that people have no idea what the job of president consists of and they have no right calling someone incompetent. Just because someone did things that you do not agree with, but they believed in and stuck with does not mean they are incompetent.

It was President Clinton who passed the buck on al Queda big time. He had fighter jets ready to blow up bin Laden, and he told them to stand down. He had multiple chances to get bin Laden from the Saudis and refused. Bush had been in office 8 months before 9-11 and I'm sure they had not yet sorted through all the blunders of the previous administration to find out where al Queda was then. Yes, we did have a Pear Harbor scenario where there was important intelligence that was passed over, misplaced, misinterpreted, and ignored, but I do not blame the president.

Having been in airports since 9-11 and before, I can say that security is much different now. Port security has been significantly increased as well. Yes, our nuclear facilities are not nearly secure enough for me, but it's a little better. And border security will never improve to anyone's liking until immigration reform is passed. Many people are unaware that the largest unprotected border into the US is actually between the US and Canada. Having gone to Canada, I can tell you that it is a big ordeal to get in, but you are not stopped at all on the way out.

And you know what, I am perfectly okay with capturing people who are suspicious, putting people into prisons indefinitely and yes, torturing them if it gains intelligence and saves American lives. Apparently, Noah, you haven't watched the news since 9-11, but I can remember at least three serious terror plots that were foiled by the Bush administration from intelligence gathered from many means, including the possible torture of those in Gitmo, and I am okay with that.

And up until his election, Obama gave the impression that change would be. When he said otherwise in his victory speech, the faces of the crowd turned to confusion.

On Gitmo: I do not believe that closing the facility is a good idea at all. However, if it is to be closed, it should be decided AFTER a plan has been devised as to what to do with those kept there. So far I have heard no detailed plan from the Obama administration on this matter. It has come out this week that three former prisoners of Gitmo that were captured on the field of battle have been seen back on the field and in al Queda videos. When I said in my post that they were found back on the field, I did not mean that random people we found had decided to hate the US and then join al Queda. I meant that people we captured on the field of battle returned there. If Obama plans to send these people back to their countries (assuming the countries will take them) then they will end up right where we found them.

Here's to the end of our first week of blogging! Thank's for commenting, and keep them coming! See you tomorrow!

The Wonderful Planet Blago

I'm going to come out and say it: I hope Blago is governor of Illinois forever. I hope he becomes a cyborg and lives forever, because he is so darn entertaining.

His press conference today was a complete train-wreck, and I made popcorn and watched! Seriously, how can anyone trust a guy with hair like that and a mafia accent?

He held a press conference today to address his trial for various crimes including attempting to swindle a children's hospital out of money, trying to get people fired from newspaper staffs that were not kind to him, and trying to sell President Obama's senate seat. In the conference, he basically said he didn't care what they did in the trial, because he didn't believe it was lawful.

What made this completely insane press conference better was Shepard Smith's running commentary throughout. Seriously, someone needs to give Shep a late night talk show or a comedy special, because his commentary was hilarious, mocking every word Blago said.

What made it even better was that Blago took questions from the press! He never does that! And when they asked him questions he didn't like, he refused to answer them. So much for taking questions.

Oddly, he didn't quote any poets or dead presidents. A shame really.

Yes, he is possibly the worst governor in the history of the world, but Illinois should really keep him around, just for the money they could rake in from a variety hour composed of only his press conferences.

Sorry for the brevity of this post, but today was a slow news day, and I am incredibly tired.

Some news, and a little anti-Savage message!

About this Kirsten Gillibrand woman...

If you haven't been following, she's going to replace Hillary in the Senate.  Personally, I think it's a little weird to have an upstate person representing New York, since MOST of the people in her state are from the city...  And I just don't know how well someone like that can adequately represent them.

She apparently marks herself as a "fiscally conservative" Democrat.  So, it's good that she's got the social ideas of a Lefty, but I'm not too sure the people from New York City are going to be quite on board with someone with a conservative view of the economy.

I'm really only worried, though, because calling herself "fiscally conservative" AND being from upstate NY could be a bad combination.  Upstate people  are wealthy types, stereotypically speaking.  Born wealthy, raised wealthy, sometimes can't understand people who WEREN'T raised the same way.

Even so, she says she wants to "follow in her footsteps," speaking of Hillary (take that as you will), so maybe she'll put her own lifestyle aside in favour of appealing to her state.  I guess we'll see.

Republicans: No more of this complaining about Gitmo without at least admitting that your guy, McCain, says he backs Obama.  

I admit that I stopped paying attention to all the Blagojevich news after it all started to be the same.  Blago, with his hands up in an "I'm innocent!" pose, saying that he did nothing wrong, lying through his teeth, while his hair wiggles.  I guess I don't BLAME him for wanting newspapers to print stories that defend him...I mean....if I were a greedy nutjob who was forced to stick to his own obvious lie out of pride and fear, I guess I'D be asking the same thing...?

He's proof that Democrats DO go "bad" sometimes...when they become greedy and ignorant, like people on the Far Right.  :D

Speaking of the Far Right, I've been getting fed up with Michael Savage again recently.  Claiming to support the first amendment, and then saying horrible things about other races, religions, and lifestyles...which are ALSO protected under the first amendment?  Not cool.  FIRE SAVAGE!

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Enjoy your Friday afternoon!  The weather has been GORGEOUS here in Indiana!

What? You Want To Ask Me Questions?

Since President Obama's election I have told myself and others that I will support the president and hope for success. I felt it was my duty to support the president and it felt bad to wish failure upon him.

Last night this changed. I was watching an interview with Rush Limbaugh and he said something interesting. He said that he supports the president and hopes he can fix the United States, but does not want his agenda to succeed if that agenda is a far left one.

And you know what, I agree. In the spirit of bipartisanship I blindly decided to support the president no matter what. However, I forgot my values and what I believe in. Why would I support an agenda that is the complete opposite of what I believe and think is best for America? Like Rush, I hope that Obama can fix America, but I do not want a far left agenda to succeed in America. I support Obama as a person, but not his agenda.

To that end, I do not at all support what President Obama has done today. He signed executive orders today that close the facility at Guantanamo Bay within one year and define what are lawful interrogation techniques.

First off, closing Gitmo is a HORRIBLE! Idea. Intelligence shows that those who have been released and returned to their home countries end up back on the field of battle. And what does Obama want to do with those there? Send them back home! And if home won't take them, well, let's just put them in American prisons! Wonderful idea big guy.

The second hinders our intelligence gathering abilities immensely in my view. What he has defined as lawful interrogation techniques excludes many of the techniques that have gained us valuable intelligence. I'm sorry to sound like a horrible person, but I care more about getting intelligence to protect Americans than the rights and physical comfort of a terrorist.

And to top it all off, President Obama visited the White House briefing room...but didn't want to answer questions saying, "I can't end up visiting you guys and shaking hands if I am going to grilled every time I come down here." What did he expect, a tea party? I can understand his surprise, though. I don't know what I would do if the media that treated me like the messiah suddenly was a little more harsh and wanted to ask actual questions about policy and substance.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go listen to Hannah Montana and go into my safe zone, far away from American prisons full of al Queda and meanie press people.

Negotiation > Military Force

I felt really awkward today.  There's a boy in my Econ class who came clad in his military uniform, and it made me feel a little uncomfortable.  On one hand, he gave me a really valid thought.  He said, "Because of this uniform, you can live your life the way you do now."  That really hit me, because I know it's true.  On the other hand, I can't respect someone who supports killing human beings - even if those people are enemies.

I do have to give him one point, though.  None of us ever really think about how great it is to have the freedoms we do here in America.  Hell, in some countries, Ashley and I would be shot for having this blog and poking fun at our leaders!

To cite an example, I'd like to point out that the Inauguration was censored in Beijing, China.  Everything that had anything remotely to do with Communism or the Cold War was removed.  It's good that we live in a nation where things aren't just omitted like that.  Talk about brainwashing!  And I thought the military were bad, with their good posture and droid-like unity, answering to every order they're given.  I guess I sort of "get" what that's all about now, though.

I still have mixed feelings, of course.

On to some praise for Obama.  Remember N. Korea and Iran?  Yeah, we were never really best buds, were we?  Well, this isn't a certainty, but N. Korea has supposedly been considering surrendering their nuclear weapons if the United States will agree to a few conditions, the biggest of those being forming a diplomatic bond.  Iran also wants to work with Obama; apparently they feel that the new President will be open to negotiation rather than threats of immediate hostility.  Awesome?  Awesome.

Bush, Hillary, people don't take too well to their country and the word "obliterate" in the same sentence.  Would YOU be nice to someone like that?  [Enter: Obama]  The scene becomes much less violent.

As for this catfight between Gaza and Israel, I'm wondering how long this halt in bombing will be.  Even under Bush, we never technically declared a "side," but we've always tended to back our pals in Israel.  THIS conflict, however, has the majority of the world saying, "Come on, guys...this is a little ridiculous."  Indeed, you do not mess with Israel.  Personally, I think that what started as defensive bombing has now crossed the line.

I wonder what'll happen next.  I still say that world peace can be achieved by rounding up all the terrorists and making them hug plush teddy bears or watch Wall-e.  That, or get smacked in the face by (gasp) women?

Gitmo, Tax-Cuts, and the Obamas

You can say all the petty things you want about Michelle Obama's dresses or Barack's slightly awkward dancing skills; that First Family is adorable, and you can't deny that.    Sort of like the black Kennedys, only more genuine and with less controversy?  Am I allowed to say that?  What is and isn't "politically correct" changes like mad.

And I want to go on a scavenger hunt in the White House, too.  But not to find the Jonas Brothers.  Yuck.

First of all, about Gitmo: It's not like he plans to free all the prisoners, so this delay isn't necessarily a bad thing.  And if they DO wind up in U.S. prisons for the time being, you can bet they'll be the highly guarded type that people just DON'T escape from.  But Ashley, I DID enjoy reading the phrase "hit up Osama on his cell."

Second, quit calling Obama a hypocrite for borrowing money for tax cuts.  Sure, Bush did the same, but if we can recall, his tax cuts really only affected (directly) those with higher incomes.  And look at how THAT turned out!  DID it "trickle down" to the middle and lower classes?  Nope, sure didn't.

I know it's in the comfort zone of Conservatives to constantly claim that Democratic leaders are for higher taxes, but I think it's time they take their fingers out of their ears and actually pay attention to what's actually happening. You know, as opposed to judging Obama by the history of the Democratic Party.  He has always promoted middle-class tax cuts, and putting money RIGHT into the majority of the people's hands so that they can spend and stimulate the economy.

Well, we'll see where all of this goes.

Who likes superficial and stupid news?  I do!  So far I haven't found out which of the two dog breeds the Obamas are planning to choose.  I used to make fun of the people who care about that, but now I'm strangely curious.  Who DOESN'T love puppies, after all?  They must be drawing it out on purpose, I think.

So.  That's today.

JoBros, Dresses, and Terrorists, Oh My!

If I was bitter yesterday, today I am furious.

Not because of anything Obama did (although, going to balls until 3 AM is pretty impressive, I definitely couldn’t have done it. Especially since you know they were probably up at 5 AM).

No, my grief is now with his children.

While their parents were out at parties, they had a scavenger hunt in the White House to learn about their new home. Well, when they got to the last room they opened the door…

AND THE JONAS BROTHERS WERE THERE!

My dad needs to be elected president STAT so I can go on a scavenger hunt and find the JoBros or George Clooney.

I do feel for the new president though. There was a report today that he dropped his Blackberry. I feel for him, I nearly have a heart attack whenever I drop my Blackjack II. Just think about what would happen if we dropped iPhones. GAH
Although, President Obama probably wouldn’t have any problem replacing his. I would just sit in front of mine mourning over its loss.

Anyway…on to more serious matters…like that hideous dress the First Lady was wearing. Anyone who knows me will tell you, I am impartial when it comes to fashion. But seriously, poof balls? One shoulder? An indeterminable color? And the dress was not flattering of her figure at all. President Obama had it easy- black tux and BOOM, out the door. Guys really do not understand the hardships us women face in the fashion world.

And that dancing? I felt awkward just watching Obama get jiggy with it from my room. Imagine the people around him. Maybe his BFF Ellen can give him some dance lessons.

The major issues of today is Obama’s decision to halt trials in Gitmo. He wants to close the base within a year of his unsigned draft of an Executive Order. And his solution for what to do with everyone there…put them in US prisons! A wonderful idea. I really want Kahlid Sheik Mohammad in the US, the country he planned to destroy. I will definitely sleep better at night knowing a terrorist could break out of prison at any time, hit up Osama on his cell, and blow up a building. I’ve watched enough 24 to know how this stuff goes down.


Oh well, only 1,459 days to go. But who’s counting, eh?

Oh, hush. Lots of presidents stumbled over the Oath!

I had planned on skipping my 11:15 class to go watch the Inauguration among my friends in IU College Democrats, but I didn't.  Fortunately, my Econ prof let us watch the most important bits in class, and I was able to catch up on the rest later.

All I kept wondering was, "How must Obama feel right now, to be taking the most important job in the country, maybe even the world?"  Until now, his recent life has been all about campaigning; I sometimes wonder if he really realized the gravity of assuming the role as President of the United States.

I know I should feel celebratory like mad right now, but I'm also a little bit annoyed with all the bitterness from both sides of the political spectrum.  On the Conservative team, we have angry protesters trying to claim that Obama isn't a US citizen, stubborn rebels who insist Obama is "not their President," and I even heard of someone who literally PRAYS for Obama to die, to God, for the lives of all of the babies that they've been fooled into thinking will die as a result of his administration.  Come on, guys.  If you guys believe in bombing for peace, it's no wonder you also promote hatred to satisfy your religious needs.

He is your new President.  He is a US citizen.  He is not a murderer.  I'm starting to think that, after four years, even if Obama has improved America in every aspect, some of the more narrow-minded individuals on the Right wing will STILL insist he's a socialistic anti-Christ.

On the Democratic side, we have people who are STILL focusing on the Bush administration.  As Bush took off in the plane that was once Air Force One to him, CNN described the waving crowd below as not a heartfelt "good bye," but a resentful, "see ya!"  It's done.  It's over.  Let's look to the future, shall we?

Other than that, I just have to say that those political folk throw one hell of a party!  Yo-Yo Ma, the HUGE number of security personnel, and the Clintons' Walk of Fierceness were some of my favourite things.

Now, let's see if we can't show these Republicans what we can accomplish!  This is our chance.

A Bitter Republican's Expectations for Mr. Hope 'N Change

In a few hours I must but farewell to President George W Bush. I have no qualms at all in admitting I am one of the 22% who currently approve of the job he has done as president, and I have always been in that category. I have always felt that President Bush has done what he felt was right and did the best that he could do. Those who judge him or consider him incompetent probably have no idea the pressures that the job entails and really, have no right to judge his character. I have found the disrespect shown toward President Bush over the last eight years to be completely reprehensible. He was your President. If you don’t like it, move to another country and renounce your citizenship.

To that end, I hope to not see the same disrespect shown toward President-Elect Obama. I will support him, even though I do not agree with him policies, as he is my president. The great thing about a democracy is that there are sometimes not results that you like, but you must live with them nonetheless.

And live with them I will. I wish President-Elect Obama the best. I hope with all my being that he can turn this economic crisis around and continue President Bush’s legacy of keeping America free from a terrorist attack. I hope that he can end the centuries-old conflict between Palestine and Israel. I hope he can make Iran a nuclear-free country, and I hope he can make Iraq a stable beacon of democracy in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, I do not believe that this will happen. That’s the funny thing about hope- it often falters when confronted with reality. During his campaign, Obama implied that all of the change he proposed could happen instantly. That the minute he was elected everything would be better. His acceptance speech on election night, however, negated this, and the crowd was left dumbstruck. Thus hope was confronted with reality, and change was derailed.

Like I said, I hope that Obama can change things for the better and that America can become stable once more. It is unlikely, but that’s another funny thing about hope: it laughs in the face of logic.

Introductions

I'm Ashley and I am a sophomore at Indiana University majoring in Journalism. I am a registered Republican, but by no means do I subscribe to all of my parties beliefs. I'm pro gay marriage and pro gun control. When it comes to my money and security, however, I'm about as conservative as they come. I am not one of those Republicans that hopes for President-Elect Obama's failure or for some sort of tragedy to befall him and his family. I am an American before a Republican, and I wish him well. Not too well, however, as I fully expect a Republican government in 2012! Guiliani/Daniels anyone? I think yes!

You'll find the Dennis Miller rule of comedy in many of my posts. I love humor, and use it and sarcasm to suit my means in getting my point across. Most of it is dry and obscure, and I offer my apologies up front for that.

I hope that even if you disagree with one or both of our opinions, you grow to love us and we become a nice little family. This is a relationship, dear reader. A give and take. We welcome your opinions as well. Although, if they get nasty and/or rude, they'll be gone faster than a hairstylist at Blagojevich's gubernatorial mansion..

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Hey, I'm Michelle! I'm the Democratic counterpart in this little operation. Actually, I'm technically registered as an Independent, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't identify quite a bit with the Democratic party. Anyway, welcome to Juxtapinions.

Now, I know that the two major parties have become ridiculously polarized, but please don't assume that Ashley and I are on "The Far Left" or "The Far Right" in any way. As a matter of fact, those people scare us! Ashley is not a gun-wielding, gay-hating, Bible-quoting toothless barbarian from the country, and I am not a drug-using god-hater. Nor have I ever been a part of any pagan-baby-massacring-vegan-domination-rituals. THIS week. Haha, I jest. We're pretty normal.

Okay, so we've got this INAUGURATION tomorrow! A lot of people I know have managed to travel to DC sometime within the past couple of days; how they managed to score a hotel, I will never know. I desperately wanted to be there, but I am a poor college student... Anyway, we will of COURSE have much to say tomorrow, so BE HERE!

Welcome!

Welcome to Juxtapinions! If you stick around, you'll be in for a treat. Best friends Ashley and Michelle battle it out daily with wit and words over the hot issues of the day. Every day will consist of at least one pair of blogs on a topic, each expressing either the viewpoint of the right, or of the left. We'll try to keep the posts comparable in length, so that no side gets more time than the other, and you can decide fairly with whom you identify most.


Stay tuned for the first pair of blogs tomorrow discussing our expectations of the Obama administration!