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.

Dingle, County Kerry Ireland

Democratfix

So - tonight I watched a little bit of the Democratic convention. I watched Hillary's speech. It was really good. I was impressed with how it sounded like she meant everything she said and I think it had a good chance of changing some people's mind.

I've been wanting to do a political blog for a while and I think I've pondered enough to let it all go! In Chris fashion I'm going to make it a list entry.

3 in 10 Hillary Supporters are now "uncommitted" or voting for McCain
Look, I understand that you're miffed about Hillary not winning the nomination, and not really being considered for VP either, but truthfully, it was her own doing. Her campaign got so many things wrong that there was no way she could win. So now you want to take your toys and go home? That's the Democratic spirit! When the going gets tough CAVE.

Let's look at some of the overwhelming similarities on her two big issues that make it easier to choose McCain over Barack:

Abortion:
Hillary - Pro-choice, not pro-abortion I suppose that this clarificaiton needs to be made to avoid the republicans calling her a baby killer any more than they already do.
McCain - "I have stated time after time after time that Roe v Wade was a bad decision..."
Conclusion - Well, pretty much a no-brainer (which may be just enough for this 30 percent). I would say in general Democrats are pro-choice and that would pretty much put them on the exact opposite side of the spectrum as John McCain.

Healthcare:
Hillary - Require all americans to have health insurance.
McCain - "I've made it very clear that what I want is for families to make decisions about their health care, not government..." ( TEV - it's worked well for the 47 million without healthcare so far)
Conclusion - Again, while you may be pouting about Hills not being the woman, Barack's healthcare plan is MUCH more like hers that McCains ever could hope to be.

Anyway, it seems completly ludicrous that ANYONE who was supporting Hillary Clinton 2 months ago would now switch sides just because she lost the race. If you're truly contemplating voting for McCain over Barack then fuck you. You're dumber than the republicans and you deserve them.

Attack Ads 5 Minutes After VP Announced (and feigned outrage of said attacks)
Moments after Biden was announced as the VP, there were ads on the Internet bashing Obama using Biden's words. I'm sure the republicans had 3 different versions of this ad ready depending on who was actually selected as VP.

One thing I can't stand are these attack ads.They don't actually acomplish anything but try to create fear or doubt. Then of course the atackee gets in a big huff about it, complains about how the other guy is not talking about the issues and is muckraking. Then 20 minutes later they launch their barrage of misleading attack ads and the process continues until november. Wow, what a great way to campaign.

Are conservatives racist, greedy, or just naive?
Racist: So the republicans seem very into keeping those illegal immigrants out. Of course one of our borders seems to be much more 'protected' than the other. I don't see any freaking walls going up between here and Canada. They continue to talk about these immigrants taking our jobs, but these days you can barely get 16 year olds to work at McDonalds, let alone clean toilets, pick fruit in the scorching hot sun, or wash a thousand dishes a day. You know who has no problem doing that? Illegal immigrants. Don't give me crap about taking american jobs, I don't know a single person (remember I grew up in Denver and there were a lot of "those" people) who lost their job or couldn't get a job because some illegal got it. C'mon, really?

Greedy: This is the one I hear a lot when I'm talking to my family, a few of who vote republican. "the Democrats are just going to raise my taxes but the republicans will help me become rich". As if we somehow forgot that "trickle down" economics (aka Voodoo Economics) didn't work in the '80s so we should try it again in the 2000s. See, the problem with trickle down economics is that not enough money ever trickles down to help the people who so desperately want it. They give tax breaks and funds to bussiness owners in the hopes that the money will work it's way down to all the little people. You know what? It never trickles that far. When my brother, who had been unemployed for way too long says that Bush is going to help the economy I can't even bring myself to try and educate him because he is so ignorant of the actual workings of the world that it pains me (I do love my brother, I just hate that he thinks republicans want to help him.)

Naive: My favorite people are the Libertarians. You know the people who say that big governement is bad. They say that the democrats create big government (wrong)and spend way too much money (wrong.) They also like to say that the government shouldn't over-regulate our lives. of course when asked about things like abortion, stem cells, or gay marriage, their views seem to change. "Well, of course we need the government to regulate those things, I mean those things are important!" You can't have your cake and eat it to libby libby libby! Either you want smaller government or you want George Bush. Either you want to curb governmental spending or you want George Bush. Either you want the government out of your private lives or you want George Bush. Of course McCain isn't as bad as Bush, but neither is my cat and I don't want her being the president. (FYI - I don't really have a cat)

In conclusion I'd just like to say:

Stop being whiny little bitches and vote for Barack! Don't act like a fucking three-year old who doesn't get to play red light, green light. Instead, play the next best thing; Simon Says!

Tev wins the Olympic Gold!

Well, my wonderful company is holding an office olympics this week and last week. I've participated in most of the events, but today's event was easily the most fun (and less painful than chair soccer).

Today we performed our ball floor routine, which is where you use a yoga ball and choreograph something wonderful... You can check out our performance below. We did win the competition, but it was a bit of a downer as all the other teams were unable to field teams to go along with it... I guess the three of us were the only ones who didn't mind looking like fools (or actually being fools?) So, we would have won no matter what.

That win gives us the gold medal/trophy/certificate for this years olympics! There were some events we did well at (Segway obstacle course, Chair Soccer and the Ball Routine) and others we didn't do so well at (water balloon tossing) but overall it was a good time and of course the taste of victory is very sweet!

Water Amazement

Will Obama be a Slave? A Slave to Bush's Terrible Fiscal Policies

Check this article out, it's very well written. There's some information provided by Ross Perot (remember him?)
The article basically tells how the next president will be forced to clean up the mess that Bush has put in place. Of course no one will mention the "T" word because taxes aren't the way to get elected, but unfortunately that's about the only way we'll get out of the crap we're in now.

Some Economic Information for You

This is a rather long article that examines the history of our national debt. It examines the increases in spending since WWII and shows who is mainly responsible for. Some highlights:

• As President, Reagan entered office in 1981 he repeatedly called for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, yet never submitted a balanced budget himself.
• It appears that the frequently referenced Reagan’s Conservative mythology is contrary to the truth, he was an award winning, record setting liberal spender.
• The fact is that Reagan was able to push his tax cuts through both Houses of Congress, but he never pushed through any reduced spending programs. His weak leadership in this area makes him directly responsible for the unprecedented rise in borrowing during his time in office, an average of 13.8% per year. The increase in total debt during Reagan’s two terms was larger than all the debt accumulated by all the presidents before him combined.
• In 1993 President Clinton inherited the deficit spending problem and did more than just talk about it; he fixed it. In his first two years and with a cooperative Democratic Congress he set the course for the best economy this country has ever experienced. Then he worked with what could be characterized as the most hostile Congress in history, led by Republicans for the last six years of his administration. Yet, under constant personal attacks from the right, he still managed to get the growth of the debt down to 0.32% (one third of one percent) his last year in office. Had his policies been followed for one more year the debt would have been reduced for the first time since the Kennedy administration.
• When President Bush II came into office in 2001 he quickly turned all that progress around. With the help of a Republican controlled Congress he immediately gave a massive tax cut based on a failed economic policy; perhaps an economic fantasy describes it better. The last year Mr. Clinton was in office the nation borrowed 18 billion dollars. The first year Mr. Bush II was in office he had to borrow 133 billion.
• As a result of all his [Bush II] tax cutting with no cutting in spending, in 2003 President Bush set a record for the biggest single yearly dollar increase in debt in the nation’s history. He did it again in 2004, increasing the debt more than half a trillion dollars. Since 2003 total borrowing has exceeded $500,000,000,000 per year. Even Mr. Reagan never increased the debt that much in a single year; Mr. Reagan’s biggest increase was only 282 billion, half of GWB’s outrageous spending. As a result of the fact that the debt was already pretty high when Bush II entered office, his annual rate of increase is only averaging 7% per year so far. In 2006 he was holding press conferences bragging that the debt was increasing at the rate of only 300 billion dollars a year, yet in reality it was twice that. Again the facts do not match Neo-Con rhetoric.

So, again, people wonder how the economy got in such bad shape, well, here's a bit of the answer. Of course some people (my family) think that trickle down economics works, history has shown that it really doesn't. Somehow they think that voting another Republican into office is just what the country needs. Unfortunately, there too history shows us that another Republican increasing spending and decreasing taxes is not what we need. We need someone responsible enough to cust spending, stop tax cuts for the rich and reign in spending. I can't say for sure that person will be Barack Obama, but I'm pretty darn sure it's nopt going to be John McCain.

My favorite paragraph in the article:

While it is a great jabbing sound bite, the facts show that the “tax and spend” rhetoric Republicans often spew about Democrats is not as bad as it sounds. Taxing before spending actually reflects good government. The facts also show that it most often takes a Democratic President to control and reduce spending. The truth is that the Republicans are the party of “borrow and spend”. They hate taxes, but love to spend; their solution is to put off paying till later for our security today. They prefer to see our children pay for their debt. Neo-Conservative thinking has run up over an 8.5 trillion dollar debt that will not be paid off for a generation or more, and is still increasing at an astounding rate with no end to deficit spending in sight.

The Two Faces of Bush

Well, I don't have time for a long rant, but check this crap out.

From 2004:

"If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is," Bush
told reporters at an impromptu news conference during a fund-raising stop in
Chicago, Illinois. "If the person has violated law, that person will be taken
care of."

From 2008:

"President Bush has asserted executive privilege to prevent Attorney General
Michael Mukasey from having to comply with a House panel subpoena for material
on the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. "

I guess we can see how much he really wants to know who it is... I suppose the point is that he already knows who it is, he just doesn't want the Democrats knowing who it was....

That's How I Roll...

My friend Rick sent this to me and it was too good not to post!

FISA It's Everywhere You Want to Be

Well, the Democrats rolled over again yesterday and bowed to the wishes of president Bush. The Senate pased a 'compromise' FISA bill. The FISA bill basically set up how the administration can spy on it's own citizens. Another convenient benefit is that it gives immunity to the telecoms who have already allowed the White House to spy on Americans without a warrant.

The new bill basically allows for the ability to spy on Americans without a warrant for 6-12 months. It's all a part of playing the game. Start spying, then work on getting a warrant, if you can't then just appeal it, by continuing to play the game they can get more than 6 months withough ANY judicial oversight. I'm not sure what the compromise is, because I don't see anything that the White House gave up, or that the Democrats didn't. Now there are more protections for Americans living in other countries, but it's not them I'm worried about.

Almost more upsetting is the fact that Barack Obama changed his view and voted to pass the bill. Back in January, when he was trying to win the nomination he was totally against the bill, and now that he has it he's decided the time is right to kowtow to the republicans in order to try and turn some of them.

I spoke with a friend about this and his point was that the bill was going to pass anyway and that he just did it to try and appease the more conservative voters on the fence, like this would show that he's not soft on terrorism. I can understand that rational for a politician, try to get as many votes as you can, give the other side less to go after. But you know what Barack Obama is supposed to be a NEW kind of politician, is supposed to bring change to politics. All this is just more of the same and it bothers me that I fell for it.

I'm sure I'll vote for Obama, after all, what other choice is there? But I'm certainly not going to fall for anymore of his "change" rhetoric. I'll just hope for a slightly higher-caliber politician than we currently have. We'll see how that works out.

For more information on the FISA bill check out:
Ars Technica- They explain how this isn't just about immunity.
Salon- Joan Walsh feels betrayed by Obama too.
Here's a good video too:

The End of Trance as I Know It

So, I got into trance music while working in Holland in 2000. When I returned and got my current job (about 5 years ago) there were a couple people who were also into trance and got me deeper into it. I have since become very much into the great trance music: Above & Beyond, Tiesto, BT, Solarstone, and just about anything on Anjunbeats and Anjunadeep. I should mention that I've always been into electronic music, but I've always disliked the typical BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT without any melody (I also generally prefer songs with words!). Don't get me started on drum & bass, ooof.

Anyway, I've seen A&B twice in the past, the first time was amazing (December 6, 2006) the second time I was not so into it (June 6, 2007) I wasn't sure why; it seemed like they weren't playing any of the stuff I recognized from their albums, label or radio show.

So, I recently saw BT and Tiesto at USC 11 in Seattle I was totally excited because I had aways wanted to see both of them. This was going to be a night to remember. Now, BT did what is known as his "Laptop Symphony" I had never really been able to tell what exactly that was. I figured maybe it meant he didn't have a band (duh) but that he still played a lot of his stuff (kinda like Howard Jones in the '80's). Well, anyone wondering what the laptop symphony is: it's him DJing using a laptop instead of turntables. Woo Hoo. No, wait that sucks. So - he he ended up playing none of his own stuff and it was all just loud, beat beat beat. He did play a couple A&B songs (which ended up being the highlight of the night) but overall I was completely unimpressed.

Tiesto was up next, I knew he was promoting his In Search of Sunrise album, which hadn't even been released yet, but I figured that he would play some of the stuff that I recognized from his other albums. Well, I was wrong, I didn't recognize any of the songs he played and actually ended up leaving early.

I was beginning to wonder what was going on. I know several people who really like going to the shows and have a great time, but I just wasn't getting it anymore.

A couple of weeks ago I went to see Above and Beyond for the third time (June 20, 2008). I was very excited because they had Jaytech opening and I really like the stuff of his that I had heard. He started playing and I realized, "Oh crap, here we go again". He didn't play any of the stuff that I knew and it was all pretty much (sing along with me Chris) beat, beat, beat, beat.
At this point I was starting to really get down and I began trying to figure out why these shows weren't turning out the way I was hoping.

There was still one more hope, A&B had a new album coming out (as Oceanlab) so I figured we'd get to hear some of the new stuff. As you may be guessing, I wouldn't be writing this if they had, in fact, saved the day. They played the same unintelligible stuff with the constant 4/4 beat. There was a bit of melody with it, but generally nothing else.

As I sat there, drowning my sorrows in Red Stripe, I seriously considered where my problem was. I think I figured it out, I think it goes back to my older concert experiences, seeing people like Depeche Mode (numerous times), Curve, Joe Jackson and Peter Murphy. These artists generally were touring in support of an album and often played just about everything off the new album (no matter how crappy it was) and threw in a few of their well know tracks for good measure.

As I sat in the Showbox, pondering, I realized that DJs don't come out to play stuff off their albums or even the same stuff they play on the radio shows. They come out to get people dancing and get some killer energy.

The people who come to the shows know this and are there for the same reason. For them the beat beat beat beat works and gets them moving, a change in tempo/volume/melody is all they need to have a great time. I've realize that I need more than that to enjoy a concert.

I need some great songs (preferably discernible from each other), at least a few songs that I recognize, and I need to be able to hear the melody, and/or vocals over the constant beat. Knowing what I now know, I seriously doubt that I will go to another trance show, which makes me really sad. I'll just have to crank up some Trance Around the World in my ipod, hang out with a strobe light in the basement, and bring my own Red Stripe to kick things into gear. This time, in the basement, I won't be wallowing, I'll be enjoying the exact show I was expecting.

Dear Religious Zealots...

Well, apparently today is chainmail day....

Dear Religious Nuts,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. How should I deal with this?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as it suggests in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may buy slaves from the nations that are around us. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans but not Canadians. Can you clarify?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 10:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 20:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear prescription glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Goodbye Red States!

Dear Red States:We're ticked off at the way you've treated California and we've decided we're leaving.

We intend to form our own country and we're taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren't aware that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast.

We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly:

You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.

We get stem cell research and the best beaches.

We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.

We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand.

We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.

We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.

We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs.You get Alabama.

We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red statespay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro choice and anti war and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home.

We wish you success in Iraq and hope that the WMDs turn up but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and SevenSister schools plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, RushLimbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

We're taking the good pot too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Sincerely,Author Unknown in New California