Christmas

Boy, Christmas is much easier when your kids are older. My daughter, who's, Autistic is 21 and totally focused on the WWE (Autistics get focused on something for a while, and it's their whole life) was easy to shop for. I long for the days when she would obsess about, "The X Files". Wrestling? Really? Your parents went to college and we don't live in a trailer. Wrestling? Whatever.

My son is 13, and video games on line with his soccer team buddies is all that's important if they are not actually, playing soccer. And he's old enough to not have to bother with the whole, "Santa Myth". Which is a lot like the whole, "Jesus Myth" which is the, "reason for the season" for religious nuts.

I was born on December 25, 1958. I share a birthday with a, "Deity". Jimmy Buffett. And a lot of people's imaginary friend, "Jesus".

I've SEEN, Jimmy Buffett. Many times, in person. Jesus? Not so much.

Have a happy holiday season, no matter what holiday you like. And to all, a Good Night.

Bowl Games

BYU embarrassed, Oregon State. Wyoming, who was picked to be last in the Mountain West Conference, beats, Perennial, "winner", Fresno State. Utah kicks the crap out of, CS Berkley, who was not ranked (the Utes were ranked 23rd in the Country by the BCS) and Cal was a THREE POINT FAVORITE? WTF?

How bad is the, "BCS Bias"? It's TERRIBLE! It's all about the, East Coast Time Zone. And the, BCS. CAL is better than, Utah? Really? Bullshit.

The BCS sucks, and we need to destroy it, and have a playoff. 16 teams. Until you do, anyone who claims to be, "National Champs" is a jerk off, joke. The BCS sucks.

Health Care, sort of...

I'll go along with, Klugman on this. We had to hold our nose, and vote for it. He's a lot smarter than me. So, it PASSED! It's good. But it's not ALL good. I still need a public option. As does my daughter, and my wife. But it's a start.

Reconciliation, with the majority being smart (meaning, Democrats) could be the answer. I hope so. We have the votes to override the ignorant, rich, self serving, working people hating, "R's". So this COULD happen.

If everything works out right? We might, actually have, a Public Option/Single Payer Health Plan in THIS country, in OUR life time! Like they do in the REST of the civilized world!

WHOO-HOO!

Too much to ask for? I think not. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and, Civil Rights were all passed while we were alive (I'm talking to you, "MHS 77" folks). So it's NOT too much to ask for! It works in France, and, Canada, and, Mexico, and, England, and, Mexico, and, Cuba and I've been to ALL of those countries, and SEEN it work.

Trust me, we need it here. This is a good start. But not an end.

Health Care REFORM

So, it's come to this. We have to kill the bill to save it. Sounds like, Viet Nam when someone said, "We had to destroy the village to save it". MI Ly, I think it was?

The Democrats in this Administration don't have the balls to do the right thing! Pass a public option, a single payer system, a National Health Care program, Medicare for EVERYONE! Call it what you will. And they let a loser, like the moron, Joe Lieberman do this to them? He doesn't like you, he left the party! Why is he still a committee chairman? WTF!

OK, here's the question I have to ask all the, Dem's in congress? HAVE YOU PAID NO ATTENTION TO THE LAST EIGHT YEARS!? When you have the majority, you do what you want! In YOUR case, it's the right thing. In the last eight years, it was the WRONG thing! Just vote down the bill, bring it back through, "reconciliation" from the House, and put in all the stuff above.

Oh, and remove the requirement that people purchase health insurance from the corrupt, and evil health insurance companies! I'm rich, and it would bankrupt ME! It's a bad idea. Don't' do it!

Every other nation in the, "First World" has a national health care system. Why do we have insurance company's running ours? Our health care system isn't the best in the world. We have the best facility's, the best machines, the best care. No question. But MOST of our citizens can't access it!

"Droopy Dog", Lieberman fucked this up for all of us! Why do YOU in the Senate listen to this jerk? Kick him to the curb, vote the bill down, and let it start again in the House. Reconcile this thing through. And don't count, Lieberman as a, Dem. He's an idiot, so he's an, "R" vote. Fuck him. Only the, "R's" are this stupid.

The rest of America WANTS a public option, so cram it down the, "R's" throat. Like they did, Iraq to you. Destroy the Health Insurance Industry, and give everyone in this country health care. We don't need them. They were forced on us.

Health care

How is it, that with a majority in both the House and Senate, the Dem's don't have the guts to tell, Joe (Sheriff Droopy Dog) Lieberman, to take a hike, and pass a bill with a public option? I know, I know, they don't want a filibuster. But would it matter if they did filibuster? Don't' we have the votes to pass it when it was over? Are they going to drag out debate for three more years? Or are they just waiting until after the first of the year, so they don't miss any Christmas vacation?

"God" (every, Republican's, "imaginary friend") only knows.

Glenn Beck is advising his following of mouth breathers who only buy books at Costco, to buy gold. Good advice. Two years ago! Gold is at record high prices right now, and the company's who sponsor his show and sell, you guessed it, gold, are charging a 40% retail markup for THEIR gold. He has a, "3 G's plan": God, Gold, and Guns. Yeah, that will help you through the bad economy that, "W" left us to help his oil/banking/pharmaceutical buddies. As, Stephen Colbert said tonight, he probably has another plan as well. One with, "3 K's in it". Ever seen a, Black guy at a teabag/9-12 rally on TV? Didn't think so.

I went downtown today, which I rarely do since I quit working. My wife likes to take some, "care packages" if you will to the children at, The Road Home every Christmas. She enjoys putting them together, and I put on a concealed weapon, since I arrested a lot of people in that area of town over the last 20 years, and I take her. I'm a Grinch. I can't help it.

I was struck by all the men standing around outside. No where to go, no jobs, and they can't just stay in the shelter all day, I know the rules, as much time as I spent in there as a Probation/Parole Agent for 23 years. And it made me think of something my mother told me about when I was a kid.

She grew up in West Virginia in the, Great Depression. Her father was an, Engineer on the B&O. Died climbing into his locomotive in the 1960's. A railroad man all his life. And during the depression, President Roosevelt created the, Public Works Administration, known as the, "PWA". My mom says the letters stood for, "Papa Works Again" around her house. She had three brothers and a sister.

My wife talks about her father's stories of, PWA work, long before she was born.

It made me wonder, have we made a mistake by bailing out the banks, when we should have just put people to work rebuilding our infrastructure, or improving our National Parks like they did in the 30's and 40's?

Was it the right decision to save the banks that issued the bad mortgages instead of employing the folks who lost their houses, so they could PAY those mortgages? There by saving their house, and the banks at the SAME time?

I'm not an economist, and I admit, I might have NO idea how this really works. And right now, I'm rich, and don't need to work, and my investments are making it so I can stay retired, and not have to go back to work.

But I don't manage them. I pay a guy who knows about this stuff, to do it for me. And four times a year, I meet with him, and do what he tells me. And he does it for a fee of 3/4 of 1% of my money. So If I make money, he makes money. It's a win/win for the both of us.

And, all signs of every previous recession/depression in this country's history shows that unemployment peaks, and sometimes at REALLY high numbers, just as the recovery starts, so it's started now.

But, wouldn't have putting people back to work lowered the unemployment rate, AND saved the banks since people could pay their mortgages? I'm asking, not asserting. I really don't know. And when, Paul Krugman and Thomas Friedman read this (I bought their books, so I'm SURE they read my blog. Right?) maybe they can answer the question.

If anyone knows, Joe Lieberman personally, please tell him the only Democrat in Utah thinks he sucks.

Public Option

Democrats have a majority in the House, and Senate, and they still can't pass a bill with a, Public Option? WTF? I NEED a PUBLIC OPTION! My wife is going blind, and my 21 year old, Autistic daughter takes $300 worth of drugs each month just to function.

And the Republican's in the Utah Legislature took away my retirement health care a few years ago. After promising it to me for 20 years. But they kept it for themselves.

Serve 20 years in the meth labs, and prisons of Utah, in Law Enforcement? You get nothing. Serve a few years in the Legislature? You get lifetime PEHP for you and your family.

Republicans suck ass. And if you work for the State, and vote for any of them? You're an idiot. They hate you. And they will keep screwing you.

And, Ki Willis is the dumbest person in the world, because he works for the state., and he's a, Republican. It's because he didn't really go to college. A total Moron.

If you WORK for a living, you're a, Democrat. Even if you don't knonw it.

Bullshit Championship Series

OH! How much does the BCS suck? So much, that it's worse than Global Warming!

TCU is playing, Boise State, in the Fiesta Bowl. Really? Well that get's the BCS schools out of having to PLAY them! Because they would embarass the BCS school's like, Boise did to Oklahoma and, Utah has done TWICE . To, Pitt. And, Alabama last year.

And last year's embarassment of, Alabama, by, Utah is the whole reason they rigged the system to put, Cinncinatti ahead of TCU, even though, CU barely won over a mediocure, Pitt team yesterday.

TCU is the best football team in the country this year. As, Utah was last year. But the BCS won't let us play for the championship. It's RIGGED!

Texas sucks. And they play in a lousy conference. Iowa State? Any school in Kansas? Baylor? And always, perennial overatted, Iowa and Missouri, who will lose to, "Troy State" in the second or third week of the season. Oklahoma State? Really? They have all the money in the world, and still can't compete.

The BCS sucks, and they say we won't do well against their teams? Well, PLAY us, assholes! You refuse to play us in a, home and home deal! The BCS sucks. And Oklahoma? They suck the most, becasue they can't win the big one, and they lost this year to a MWC team. They wouldn't finish in the top half of the MWC. They stink on ice! Total losers.

Hey, Michigan! Would you like to play, Utah again? In a home and home series? No? Well, I thought so. Notre Dame, we're coming to your place next year. You want to return the favor? Nope? Thought so.

Pitt, you have some balls to play us home and home next year and the next. Good for you.

Hey, Florida! You want to play us home and home? You want to play us at ALL? Nope? Figures.

Yoh! Alabama. You want to play us? No one is returning the call.

Yeah, the BCS says we don't play, "any one".