Sarah Palin on the Economy

This totally reminds me of that dumb pageant woman... But better.

The Waldo Ultimatum

I'm Voting Republican

A Year in the Life

So, as you may or may not remember, the kid is a year old now (actually he's 14 months, but it's taken me 2 months to get around to this). I figured I'd do a review of the things I've learned about being a dad and having a kid.

Things you miss:

• Happy Hour - Doesn't occur without lot's of planning.
• Dinner and drinks with the wife - Again, must have a babysitter and enough energy to stay up for it.
• Being able to go places without at least one bag of supplies.
• Sleep - Our guy wasn't too bad overall, but some nights were rough
• Free Time - Only get times to watch movies or play games after his bedtime.
  

Things you didn't know you'd miss:

• The child - Leaving him in the morning is always a bummer.
• The smile - When you walk into a room and he sees you and just BEAMS at you because now you're there.

Things you definitely wish you could miss:

• Poop - Not fatal, but definitely not fun, even in it's safest forms. I've been really good and don't think I've talked to any of my friends about his poop. I think I get a medal for that.
• Spit-up - Also not fatal, but more dangerous because there's nothing containing it. It can happen at any time and can be even grosser than poop.
• Waking in the night - Thanks to modern technology you can now hear every time your child breathes in his room 50 feet away. Due to now being a "parent" even the slighest changes in breathing, coughing etc. will awaken you with worry. This will happen 4-400 times per night.
  

Things to remember:

• Your wife is just as tired and grumpy as you are, try not to kill each other.
• All of the bad stuff is instantly forgotten as soon as some of the good stuff happens. For example, this makes you completely forget about this.
• Take lots of photo's - It's amazing how quickly and how much they change. Looking at photo's from the last year there are some I don't even recognize as being him.
• If you've got family or friends take advantage of them! It's great to be able to get out once in a while with your wife, remember the love that got you in this trouble in the first place!

All in all, this whole kid thing is a wonderful experience. It's always changing and always gets better. There can be some trying times, but like anything else, being able to persevere is just the icing on the cake.

This post will probably be edited because I'm sure I've forgotten to mention a lot of the great stuff I tried to remember. If you want, the three of you can add your experiences.

[Edit] I remembered 2 other things:

• People who design kids clothes with buttons instead of snaps obviouslt DON'T have children.
• Kids books MUST RHYME! I'm not talking some kind of strange dactylic rhyme, just a nice easy rhyme that makes sense.

Ok, back to ranting about the economy or politics!

McCain gets Barack Roll'd

Jon Stewart. Best. Ever.

Damn Those Pesky Mics

Be sure your mic is turned off before you start ridicuing your party's choice for VP....

The Great Economic Inequality

So, I ran across this article in the New York Times, which talks about how different people (rich, poor, and otherwise) have been affected by the different parties since WWII.

It talks about how the Rich (over $180,000/year) have been better off when Republicans are in office, but how the Not Rich (less than $180,000/year) have benefitted from the Democrats in office.

The stark contrast between the whiz-bang Clinton years and the dreary Bush years is familiar because it is so recent. But while it is extreme, it is not atypical. Data for the whole period from 1948 to 2007, during which Republicans occupied the White House for 34 years and Democrats for 26, show average annual growth of real gross national product of 1.64 percent per capita under Republican presidents versus 2.78 percent under Democrats.

That 1.14-point difference, if maintained for eight years, would yield 9.33 percent more income per person, which is a lot more than almost anyone can expect from a tax cut.

Some of my family seem to think that they will be better off financially when the Repulicans are in office, but I am fairly sure that none of them make over $180k. so, if they really want to get richer, they should be supporting the Democrats and Barack.