Our Government at Work

I had two encounters today in the span of about 10 minutes with two government entities, and neither one of them was pleasant.  No, I was not pulled over by a police officer for speeding or for any other infraction.  In fact, there were no police involved at all.  Both of the encounters took place in the same transaction, as it were.

First, let me recount an event from earlier in the month.  In a previous post, I had recounted how my autistic son is eligible for SSI benefits.  Since he is living at home, and not paying rent or for his own food, the Social Security Administration determined that he was receiving in kind support from us and reduced his eligible benefit by one third.  In the post, I discussed possibly charging him rent in order for him to get his full benefit.

In October, I wrote a letter to the Social Security Administration asking them to reconsider the reduction in his benefit.  We informed them that he was using the money to purchase his own food, which amounted to about $200 per month.  We also were going to start charging him rent of $300 per month.  Shortly after sending the letter, I received a letter from Social Security saying they wanted to review his file and eligibility.

That appointment was scheduled for November 7th.  I brought all of the documents that were requested and went to the meeting.  The meeting itself went fairly well.  I explained the situation of how we needed our son to begin contributing to the household expenses.  The woman I met with ended the meeting by telling me that our son would begin receiving his full benefit on December 1st.

Grumman LLV photographed in USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A week or so ago, I received one of the regular communications that we get from Social Security regarding my son's benefit.  That letter said that their would be no change in his benefit amount.  I called Social Security and was told that there would be no change for December, but January 1st would be the full amount.  This was no problem as I was originally told it would take three months to make the change.

This brings me to today and my two encounters.  I was leaving the house to go to my pizza delivery gig when I saw the mail truck at our mailboxes.  I opened our mailbox and there was a card saying there was a certified letter for my son that they were unable to deliver because we weren't home.  Fortunately, the truck was still in the parking lot so I approached the mailman.

I asked him what time the post office closed so that I could go pick up the certified letter.  He replied that he had it right there in the truck.  He didn't try to deliver it to our house because our outside light was on, and he assumed we weren't home.  Well, you know the old saying about when you ASSume something.  No wonder the post office is losing money.

Seal of the United States Social Security Administration. It appears on Social Security cards. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I signed for the letter and went inside.  It was a new letter from Social Security.  At the top was written "Second and Final Notice."  It also went on to say that they needed to see me to discuss my son's case and that if they didn't see or hear from me before November 30th, that they might stop paying my son's benefit.  Needless to say, my first thought was, "WTF?"

I can only hope that the letter from Social Security is a clerical error that can be cleared up with a phone call.  The letter was requesting the exact the same information that I had taken with me to the last meeting.  I really can't afford to take another day off to try to clear this up when I already had a meeting with them.

The thing that really steams me is the postman.  Had he not still been in the parking lot of our townhouse complex, I would not have gotten the letter today.  If I hadn't seen the truck, I most likely would not have gone out to get the mail. I am not sure that I would have been able to get to the post office tomorrow to get the letter since I have to work early tomorrow.  I know that I would not have been able to pick it up during the regular week.  His assumption, and really his laziness in not doing his job properly, could have been disastrous for us.

Cicada Ice Cream

Image via Wikipedia

The restaurant patron called his server over and asked, "Waiter!  What is this fly doing in my soup?"  The waiter looks down and replies dryly, "The backstroke, sir."  Yeah, I know it is an old joke, but it helps set up this post.

I hate the thought of any kind of insect in my food.  One time, while drinking a glass of wine, I felt something in my mouth.  A fly had landed in the wine and when I took a swig, it ended up in my mouth.  Needless to say, I could not finish that particular glasss of wine.

Now, I know that in some parts of the world, some insects are considered a delicacy.  I have heard of folks eating chocolate covered ants.  Grasshoppers and crickets can be prepared a number of different ways.  The thought has no appeal to me and to be perfectly honest, grosses me out.

Back in February, I talked about an ice cream shop that had created an ice cream recipe made from human breast milk.  The thought of having ice cream made from breast milk didn't exactly make me want to give it a try.  However, given my prediliction against insects in my food, this next ice cream variety may top it in the gross out factor.

Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream shop in Columbia, MO has developed a variety of ice cream made with cicadas.  The cicadas were boiled and then covered in brown sugar and milk chocolate and then added to a brown sugar and butter ice cream base.  The first batch sold out the first day.

Sadly for Sparky's their success is over before it ever got started.  A local health department official has asked them to no longer use the cicadas as an ingredient because the food safety guidelines do not have any rules regarding how to safely prepare cicadas for consumption.

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New Maryland Cell Phone Law

Image by bjosefowicz via Flickr
It saddens me whenever the government decides to pass legislation that basically isn't needed.  Particularly if existing laws already encompass the act in question.  Tomorrow is a day that will particularly sadden me because of a new law that will take place in my home state of Maryland.

Beginning tomorrow, it will be illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving in the state of Maryland, making Maryland the 8th state to pass such a ban.  For now, it will be a secondary offense, meaning that you can only be charged if you are pulled over for some other offense like speeding or running a red light.  However, I predict it won't be long before they make it a primary offense. (God I hate living in a Blue State).

I do not disagree with studies that show that folks that talk or text on their cell phones while driving increase their chances of being involved in an accident.  Studies show that 28% of accidents are caused by people using their cell phones in some manner while driving.  In total, 80% of accidents are caused by some form of distracted driving.

Here is why I have an issue with making cell phone use illegal.  First, under current law, if a person is involved in an automobile accident and is found to be at fault, they will be charged.  It doesn't matter whether the accident is caused by using a cell phone or some other factor.  Second, of accidents caused by any form of distracted driving, based on the studies linked above, only about a third are caused by cell phone use.  You are just as likely to have an accident while eating a Big Mac, putting on eye makeup, or changing the CD in your car stereo.  Those you can still do.

I admit, that I have been frustrated on more than one occasion because I got caught behind somebody driving under the speed limit.  Sure enough, more often than not, when I was able to get by that driver they were talking on a cell phone.  For me, that frustration isn't enough to warrant making cell phone use illegal, especially when there are so many other activities that can cause an accident.  This is just another example of what the Heritage Foundation calls the "Overcriminalization of America."     

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Hands Off My Happy Meal!

Image via WikipediaFirst the folks at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) protested rather graphically about the treatment of chickens used in the creation of McDonald's Chicken Nuggets, calling them "Unhappy Meals." Then you have the killjoys at CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) threatening to sue McDonald's for using toys to "lure" children to eat unhealthy foods.  Now the City of San Francisco is proposing an outright ban of toys in kids meals that they deem to be "unhealthy."

I live by a very simple rule of thumb; give me information and let me make an informed decision about how to live my life.  I do not try to force my belief system on you, and for God's sake don't force yours on me.  Unfortunately folks like those at PETA and CSPI don't live by the same credo.  Instead, they want to force their belief systems (agenda) on those of us who don't think like they do.  In their worldview, we are simply too unenlightened or too stupid to know what is good for us.  That seems to be a common behavior from those elites on the left.

It is bad enough to have groups like PETA and CSPI trying to force their lifestyle choices on us, but now we have the ever present nanny state trying to step in to raise our kids, because we are not capable of doing it ourselves.  Is there no end to their reach?  I guess we really shouldn't be surprised that such proposals are coming from that bastion of liberalism that has given us Nancy Pelosi, the People's Republik of Kalifornia as frequently referred to by Capitol Commentary.

I really do not need some government hack telling me what to feed or how to raise my kid.  They say it is to try to help stem the very real problem of childhood obesity, but it is more about taking more of our freedoms away from us.  The bottom line is that the same people that keep saying that we need to keep the government out of the bedroom (in order to promote their gay rights agenda) are the same people that want to take away my rights to eat what I want to eat.  The occasional hamburger and fries from McDonald's isn't what is making kids fat.  It is more a sedentary lifestyle. What next, are we going to ban Playstations and other video games? 

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Another Reason Hoyer Must Go

It never ceases to amaze me how full of shit politicians are, especially my Congressman Steny Hoyer.  Hoyer actually had the nerve to call the expiration of the Bush tax cuts a "Republican" tax increase, and he says it with a straight face.  Hoyer seems to have a really bad case of selective retention going on.  The only reason that the tax cuts have an expiration date is because his party refused to allow the cuts to be passed as a permanent tax cut.

I have become more impressed with Charles Lollar the more I hear from him.  My guess is that he has a pretty good opportunity to beat Collins Bailey in the primary.  Here is hoping that Lollar gets the GOP nod and has the juice to send Hoyer out to pasture.  It way past time for that to happen.

Charles Lollar vs Collins Bailey

I have mentioned a time or two that I am not a fan of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who also happens to represent the Congressional District where I live in the state of Maryland.  Unfortunately, in a Democrat stronghold like the state of Maryland, it will be difficult.  There are two Republicans currently running for the GOP nomination to try to unseat Hoyer; Charles Lollar and Collins Bailey.

Both men are successful businessmen, husbands, and fathers of four.  More importantly, both men espouse conservative virtues.  Lollar is a Major in the USMC Reserves, has been very active in the Tea Party movement, and is one of a growing number of African-American Republicans.  Bailey promotes adherence to the Constitution, fiscal responsibility, and the FairTax.  Either one would get my vote over Hoyer in November.

If social media like Facebook and Twitter are any indicators, the edge in the upcoming primary would appear to favor Lollar.  On Twitter, Lollar currently has 412 followers, while Bailey has 218.  On Facebook, Lollar has a much more dominant following with 2794 fans compared to 463 for Bailey.  Both also have a fairly high profile endorsement listed on their websites.  Bailey has been endorsed by Texas Congressman, and former Presidential candidate, Ron Paul, and Lollar has appeared on and received the endorsement of conservative commentator Sean Hannity.

The primary takes place on September 14, 2010 which will give the winner a mere seven weeks to launch a successful campaign against Hoyer who has held the seat for nearly 30 years.  It is time for new blood.  Whichever man, Bailey or Lollar, that wins the primary will have my vote come November.  May the best man win.

Charles Lollar for Congress

This morning, I ran out to the grocery store to pick up a couple items for dinner.  At the traffic light where I needed to turn to get to the store, there were two African American gentleman passing out campaign literature.  Usually, I pass by anybody at a traffic light passing out info, asking for donations, or selling something.  However, these gentleman were passing out campaign literature for Charles Lollar.

I had seen Lollar on the Hannity television show a few weeks ago, and was impressed.  Lollar is a Major in the USMC (Reserves), a businessman, a husband, and a father of four.   Lollar is running for Maryland Congressional seat in the 5th District, which happens to be the seat currently held by one of my least favorite politicians, Steny Hoyer.  He still needs to win the Republican primary against Collins Bailey, but so far I have seen Lollar's name out there a lot more than Bailey's.  Both men would be a major improvement over the status quo.

Lollar joins a growing number of minorities running for office this year as a Republican.  After years of being labeled the "Party of Old White Men," it is good to see a little diversity in the GOP.  Sure, you had your occasional African American Republican like JC Watts or Herman Cain, but they were few and far between.  In 2006, we had Michael Steele running against Ben Cardin here in Maryland, but unfortunately fell short.  Here is hoping that folks like Lollar, Allen West, and Star Parker, among others can continue to rise in prominence in the GOP, and help draw other minorities away from the Democrat Party.

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Brownies and the Government

If you want to know why so many of us want less government in our lives, here is a prime example.  Below is a recipe for scratch brownies that I found here.  If you printed this recipe, it would probably take up about half a page.

Scratch Brownies
* 1 cup butter or margarine (melted)
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla flavoring
* 2 eggs
* ½ cup cocoa
* 2 cups plain flour
* optional - nuts, raisins, chocolate chunks, caramel pieces

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream margarine and sugar. This works well with a mixer, but you can do it by hand.
3. After the creaming stage, do switch to a spoon for mixing. Brownies tend to get tough if worked too much.
4. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix just until smooth.
5. Pour in cocoa and flour. Again, mix until smooth and lumps are broken up. But, don't go to wild on the mixing.
6. If you want to add extras, just fold those in easily.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes in 2 pans size 8 inches by 8 inches. You can use a larger pan like the 9 x 9 and cook for a little longer-25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. If you use a single pan, then the Scratch Brownies are thicker.

However, when the government and their massive bureaucracies get involved, a simple one page recipe takes on new dimensions.  The regulations issued by the Pentagon for brownies comes to a whopping 26 pages.   

Bob Ehrlich for Governor

Image via Wikipedia

Today is a good day for the state of Maryland.  At the very least, it is a day that gives me some hope for the future of the state that I have called home my entire life.  Former Governor, Bob Ehrlich ended months of speculation by announcing that he will be running to recapture the governorship that he lost to Martin "I never met a tax or spending program I didn't like" O'Malley in 2006.

When Ehrlich was elected governor in 2002, he was the first Republican to be elected in the state since Spiro Agnew held the seat in 1967.  At the time, Ehrlich inherited budget deficits running $4 billion dollars.  He brought fiscal responsibility to the state, created a business friendly environment, and left O'Malley with a $2.3 billion surplus and a healthy "rainy day fund."  O'Malley quickly squandered it all.

Folks have been clamoring for Ehrlich to have a rematch with O'Malley for months.  For his part, Ehrlich had been noncommittal, only stating that he was weighing several options and would only run for office if he thought there was a realistic chance that he could win.  He was also weighing the possibility of running against Barbara Mikulski for the Senate seat she currently holds.  I would have supported him for that as well.

It is interesting.  About a month ago, I received a phone call from a group conducting an opinion poll on local politics.  I do not usually respond to polls, but this particular night, I decided to answer.  They asked several questions about my feelings about the general state of affairs in Maryland, and specific questions regarding O'Malley.  Then they led into questions concerning a potential rematch of Ehrlich and O'Malley.  It makes me think the pollsters were working for Ehrlich, and I hope that my participation in the survey in some small way helped encourage Ehrlich to run again.

Music Monday-Damn Yankees "Don't Tread On Me"

There is a foul odor coming from the District of Columbia. It smells like tyranny. In light of Congress and the White House passing legislation directly in opposition to the will of the people, I decided for something a little different for my Music Monday choice. Somehow, Damn Yankees and "Don't Tread On Me" seems appropriate today.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Our Government in Action

I was checking a few sites checking looking for anything that I might want to blog about this evening.  I stumbled upon a few things on Neal Boortz's website in Nealz Nuze.  Boortz had a link to a post at Axis of Right on more wasteful census spending.  Axis of Right received a letter from the Census Bureau announcing that in the next week they would receive a census form, and they should fill it out and return it. 
  
OK.  Is there anybody out there that doesn't know that the census is coming out?  The government spent $2.5 million to advertise it on the Super Bowl.  I keep hearing radio commercials during my drive to and from work each day.  It has been all over the news.  Talk radio has been talking about all the temporary census workers that will be hired that will cause a decline in the unemployment numbers. 

Is there really a need to send everyone a letter announcing they would receive another piece of mail in a week?  Sal from Axis of Right proceeded to give an estimate of how much it must have cost to send the letter.  Conservatively, the price came in at over $42 million dollars.  Granted, that isn't a whole lot of dough when billions are tossed around like carrying around money, but it is indicative of the waste involved in our federal bureaucracy.  

Important Issues for the Maryland Legislature

Image via Wikipedia

Today, I received a call from Mrs. Dickster asking me if I had heard about any more snow on the horizon.  Apparently, some woman she ran into told her they were forecasting another storm for next week that was going to drop another 14 inches of snow on the area.  Needless to say, I started searching Al Gore's internet for a forecast.  Fortunately, I did not see any impending doom on any of the news sites I frequent.

Instead, though, I did find an interesting article about what my state (Maryland) legislators are doing with their time.  Maryland, like many states, has been hit hard by the economic difficulties of our time.  In spite of Governor Martin O'Malley's tax increases, we are seeing revenues in the state drop.  Revenues have dropped so much, that the state faces a $2 billion budget deficit.  So our legislators have taken up the important debate on whether or not to recognize "Sassafras Sandy Loam" as the official state soil for the state of Maryland.

That's right folks.  $2 billion in deficit and we must tackle the important issues like naming an official state soil.  I also discovered that in addition to a state flag and state seal, Maryland has several other official state symbols.  I knew a few of them, like the state bird and flower, but I was not aware of several of them.  For your edification, I will list them below, followed by the year they were adopted.

1. State Bird-the Baltimore Oriole (1947)
2. State Crustacean-Maryland Blue Crab (1989)
3. State Dog-Chesapeake Bay Retriever (1964)
4. State Flower-Black Eyed Susan (1918)
5. State Insect-Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly (1973)
6. State Tree-White Oak 
7. State Boat-Skipjack (1985)
8. State Folk Dance-Square Dancing (1994)
9. State Drink-Milk (1998)
10. State Fossil-Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae (1984) it is an extinct snail shell
11. State Reptile-Diamondback Terrapin (1994)
12. State Theater-Center Stage (1978)
13. State Summer Theater-Olney Theater (1978) I guess it wasn't enough to have just a state theater.
14. State Cat-Calico Cat (2001)
15. State Dinosaur-Astrodon Johnstoni (1998)
16. State Fish-Rockfish (1965)
17. State Horse-Thoroughbred Horse (2003)
18. State Sport-Jousting (1962)
19. State Team Sport-Lacrosse (2004)
20. State Gem-Patuxent River Stone (2004)
21. State Dessert-Smith Island Cake (2008)
22. State Exercise-Walking (2008)

So there you have it.  All of the official state symbols for the state of Maryland.  I am so glad to know our legislators have such important issues to tackle when we are facing a $2 billion budget deficit.

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Cell Phone Bans Don't Reduce Accidents

Image by Will Merydith via Flickr

More and more jurisdictions across the country are implementing bans on using cell phones.  On the whole, I am against these bans and have talked about it here and here.  The main reason that I am opposed to banning hand held cell phones is that I believe that existing reckless driving laws cover cell phones. If you cause an accident, you are at fault, whether it was caused by using a cell phone or some other distraction.

A recent report issued by the Highway Loss Data Institute shows that in those states that have banned the use of hand held cell phones, there has been no impact on the number of accidents.  The studies do show that the use of hand held devices has declined in those states.  The study cites that the reason for the lack of decline is that even with hands free devices a driver can become distracted by just the act of carrying on a conversation.

I don't know if the release of this study makes me feel any more justified in my belief that banning of cell phones isn't necessary.  I do know that when I am driving that if I do come upon a driver not keeping up with traffic they usually have a phone up to their ear.  So now there are some that are even calling for the ban of any cell phone, even with hands free devices. 

Where does it end? There are a number of things that can distract a driver whether it is eating or drinking, using a cell phone, trying to read a map, or putting on makeup.  Having your kids in the car can distract drivers, especially if they are arguing.  Are we going to get to the point where we are going to ban every activity that could possibly distract a driver?  Let's take out the radio and CD player.  No more GPS devices.  Do we have to have the government telling us everything we can and can not do?    

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More Unintended Consequences

There is something about this story that makes me laugh, and makes me glad that I don't live in Cairo, Egypt.  Earlier this month, I posted about how I felt that the government seems to operate in a vacuum and they do not fully think through all of the consequences of the laws they pass.  It's good to see that is not something that is unique to the US experience.

Currently in Cairo they have a major garbage problem.  The roads in Cairo have never been considered clean, especially compared to our suburbia, but the problem is taking on epic proportions.  The garbage in the streets continues to pile up and is rotting in the streets. 

The problem came about earlier this year when the Egyptian government tried to take some proactive action to head off the potential swine flu pandemic.  Their solution was to kill all of the pigs in the country.  Oops, the swine flu isn't transmitted by pigs.

This error has led to the current garbage crisis.  The pigs, along with goats, used to eat the organic garbage in the streets of Cairo.  The goats are still out there working, but they just can't keep up without the assistance of the pigs. 

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Obama, FDR, and the Great Depression

Image by State Library of New South Wales collection via Flickr

There are a number of reasons why I am against the unprecedented expansion of the federal government and the massive debt we are accumulating.  First and foremost, there is so much that the government has no business being involved in.  As if I needed another reason, here it is.

The Institute of Economic Affairs has released a pamphlet stating that Barack Obama is repeating the same mistakes that FDR made in handling the Great Depression.  The study has been endorsed by economist James Buchanan who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1986.  The paper was written by economists Charles Rowley of George Mason University and Nathanael Smith of the Locke Institute.

The authors argue that FDR's interventionist policies and tax increases delayed the recovery by several years.  They see "troubling similarities" between FDR's policies and Obama's.  They believe that the large deficit spending and government involvement will hamper long term economic growth and may delay full economic recovery by several years. Furthermore, they fear that the US could face the same fate as Argentina which slid from First to a Third World status.

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Cash For Clunkers

Image by latemodelresto via Flickr

Earlier this year, the Obama administration made the US taxpayers the major shareholders of two of the three "Big Three" automakers by bailing out General Motors and Chrysler. Ford decided it did not want to subject itself to the government conditions and decided to go it alone. In an effort to stimulate the auto industry, the government then implemented the "Cash For Clunkers" program.

The government's "Cash For Clunkers" program ended a week ago to mixed reviews. The program was designed to provide funds to encourage consumers to trade in their gas guzzlers for more efficient automobiles. The initial allocation of $1 billion was gone the first week. After an additional $2 billion was infused into the program it lasted another couple weeks.

So for the goal of getting people into the auto show rooms and buying new cars, it had a level of success. Unfortunately, the government has been slow in reimbursing dealers for the deals that have been made. Some dealers actually stopped participating because of the slow response of the government.

Auto manufacturers have started releasing their sales figures for the month of August, and initial results of the success of the program are rolling in. Ironically, the two recipients of government bailouts continued to show sales declines over the prior year. Ford, Toyota, and Honda each showed increases over the prior year, with Ford leading the way with a 17% increase in sales.

So the big winners in the "Cash For Clunkers" program are the people who were able to take advantage of the program by having additional dollars towards a new car. In addition, Ford, Honda, and Toyota were the industry winners.

The losers are Chrysler, General Motors, the government, and the US taxpayers. The taxpayers are on the hook for bailing out GM and Chrysler and for funding a program that did nothing for the two companies that the taxpayers basically own. The other losers are those people who would have been willing to buy a used car but will see used car prices rising because of all the "clunkers" taken off the market reducing supply.

The cynic in me believes that it is no coincindence that the two auto manufacturers who received bailout money are the two biggest losers in the "Cash For Clunkers" program.

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My Congressman: Steny Hoyer

Image via Wikipedia

I first encountered Congressman Steny Hoyer when I worked for a grocery chain and he attended the grand opening of one our stores. I wasn't very impressed. That was a good twenty years or so ago. He really hasn't done much in my mind to change my opinion of him, especially after two stories that I read over the last day or so.

During his weekly news conference on Tuesday, a reporter from CNSNews.com asked if Hoyer supported a pledge stating that Representatives should read the entire bill before voting on it and having the bill available to the public for 72 hours before voting on it. Hoyer's response was to laugh. CNSNews quotes Hoyer, "If every member pledged not to vote for it if they hadn't read it in its entirety, I think we would have very few votes." I put that kind of attitude right up there with Harry Reid not wanting to ready any of Sonya Sotomayor's legal opinions before deciding if she is fit to be a Supreme Court Justice. Our leaders in action.

The second story involving Hoyer may be a bit more troublesome. ABC News reported that a Maryland firm, Smartronix, received an $18 million contract to re-design the Recovery.gov website that is to track the stimulus spending. In addition, since 2000, Smartronix has won $260 million in other government contracts. So what does that have to do with Hoyer? The leaders of Smartronix have given $19000 towards Hoyer's election campaigns. There is no record of anybody from Smartronix donating to any other campaign. A spokesman for Hoyer has told the Washington Examiner had no involvement in awarding the contract to Smartronix.

It probably won't come as a surprise, but I have never voted for Congressman Hoyer. I can't see any conceivable possibility where I could bring myself to pull the lever for him.

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Presidential Address

In a couple hours, our illustrious leader, Barack Obama will address both houses of Congress and the American people.  I still have not decided whether or not I am going to watch it or not.  Right now, I am probably leaning against it.  I have two reasons to not watch, and two reasons to watch.

First, I am really tired tonight and might just want to go to sleep a little earlier than usual.  I had a really bad day at work today.  Traffic to and from work was particularly bad, so I got to work late and got home late.  We also got some "not so good" news in regards to compensation and benefits.  Like a lot of companies, they are cutting back in some areas because of the economy, but at least nobody is losing their job.

Second, I really can not stand to hear the man's voice.  Every time I hear him speak I find myself shouting at the television or radio.  After the day I had today, why would I want to pile more aggravation on top of all that? 

When the election was over and I expressed some of my concerns about where Obama would take the country, my friend UBM tried to assure me that Obama was too smart to govern from the left and would govern from the center.  I wonder if he still feels that way, because there has been nothing in the first five weeks of his presidency that I would even remotely agree with.

For instance, let's take Obama's stance on getting off our addiction to foreign oil.  I am all for doing that, but let's be realistic.  Alternative energy is not anywhere close to being developed enough to provide for all our energy needs.  They need to be explored and developed, but until they are viable, we need to also take advantage of the oil in ANWAR and in the continental shelf.  We also need to explore increasing our use of nuclear power.  Neither of those options seem to fit in with Obama's plan.

About the only compelling reason that I have for staying up to listen to the speech is that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is giving the Republican response to the speech.  Everything that I have heard from him has been impressive.  It would be nice to hear everything for myself instead of just soundbites and commentary through the media, but I really am leaning towards hitting the sack early. 

UPDATE:

In all fairness to President Obama, if there is anybody's voice I can't stand more than his, it would be Nancy Pelosi.  Oh, and Harry Reid pretty much sucks as well.

UPDATE #2:

Like a fool I have been watching it.  Right now it is about 9:45.  Is it just me or does Joe Biden look pissed every time that ignorant bitch Pelosi stands up to applaud? (I actually wanted to use a stronger description of her, but I edited myself.)

The Latest Government Bailout

Say it isn't so. Breaking news on the latest request for a government bailout.

George Bush Addresses Iranian President

Here is what President Bush would like to say to Iranian President Ahmadinejad. Caution for strong language.