Right As Usual

I haven't seen campaign donations as suspicious as this since the days of VP Al Gore trolling in Buddhist temples for the dough - and coming away with thousands from vowed-to-poverty monks & nuns. How suspicious? In a letter dated June 25, 2008, the FEC asked the Obama campaign to verify a series of $25 donations from a contributor identified as “Will, Good” from Austin, Texas. Mr. Good Will listed his employer as “Loving” and his profession as “You.” A Newsmax analysis of the 1.4 million individual contributions in the latest master file for the Obama campaign discovered 1,000 separate entries for Mr. Good Will, most of them for $25. In total, Mr. Good Will gave $17,375. Following this and subsequent FEC requests, campaign records show that 330 contributions from Mr. Good Will were credited back to a credit card. But the most recent report, filed on Sept. 20, showed a net cumulative balance of $8,950 -- still well over the $4,600 limit. There can be no doubt that the Obama cam...

I normally don't pat myself on the back about beating bloggers to the punch , but, when it's Bill Whittle... Rats! I just checked the date on his new piece in the National Review , and he pre-dates me. By a whole day. Doesn't matter that I didn't read it until now. However, I CAN say that great minds think alike. From Whittle: And this is my concern about the $700 billion kidney stone the economy is trying to pass. It seems to me that if we are going to change behaviors then the people who got us into this mess need to feel a little pain. If the hospital was handing out free Dilaudid every day my first question would be “what time do you guys open?” I’d pass 50 kidney stones a day if I could get to play with the unicorns instead of suffering for it. Every decision we make is based on a risk/reward calculation. If we take away the consequences of risky behavior, we will see more of it. And if there’s a money-back guarantee for greedy and stupid decisions, we’re in rea...

The longer the debate goes on, the more I don't like it. I'm not the only one - part of the problem is that we were told "act quickly, or the opportunity will disappear!" by Paulson. It has the feel of a VERY high-pressure salesman, looking to get his hands on your cash, before you have the chance to think about it. SC Conservative (just added to the blogroll) has a breakdown that gives voice to some of my feelings. I'm not seeing activity that gives me the feeling that The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling - at least, not for real. The major issue we have right now, in the greater Charlotte region is the lack of gas. We have been hard hit by the offline Galveston refineries - many stations limit customers to 10 gallons. With my husband and I having a daily commute to Charlotte of about 30 miles each way, it's been challenging. School activities have been limited for the duration of the shortage, if they involve the need for transportation. Really, the ar...

OMG! Does Ace of Spades explain it all to Obama about why meeting with world leaders is not a chance to Jimmy Carter it up, wide-eyed, eager to talk, ready to be The Healer? You know what would happen if an Obama administration asked to meet face to face with Khamenei? If Obumble-mumble was lucky, his request would simply go unanswered. That's hoping that Obumble-mumble didn't make the request public, but did it through back channels. If he was unlucky, no matter how quiet the request, the Iranians would make the request public and still not answer. Khamenei would make Obama his bitch. In public. The Islamists like Hezbollah would be repeating it from one end of the ME to the other, showing their followers and wanna be's the power of the Ayatollah to dis the President of the United States. See, he comes on bended knee to the most powerful man in the Middle East. Whatever Syria was thinking about their US relationship, they'd hedge into the Iranian camp further. It is a...

I'm getting really torn about this. My first impulse was to say, "yes, of course, we can't have the risk of a meltdown". I'm not so sure now. It's been several days, and the stock market isn't in free-fall yet. What MAY happen is that financial institutions that made butt-head decisions may take a hit. Some may even be bought out. I can't say that I really understand why someone would want to buy a failing bank or financial company, but they keep getting scooped up by another company. The new, larger bank always seems to handle it. Of course, that does leave some workers on the street. Which is tough - particularly for the older workers, who may experience great difficulty getting another job. There's a lesson here, I think. No matter how great your income, no matter how big the company you work for, you have to be prepared to lose it all. So, pay down your debt while you have the money. Don't buy the biggest house you can qualify for (...

I thought the Couric interview (the parts that I saw - I missed some, due to a telephone call) was not great for Palin. She appeared over-coached and stiff. I think one of the problems is that she's become afraid of making the Ultimate Mistake - the one that sinks the campaign - and is working hard to stay within the set phrases she's been told to use. They don't sound like her, however, and it shows. What can she do? Keep interviewing - with the small-town paper and radio stations, and with local television. They'll love the opportunity, and it's a chance to get practice without too much pressure. Nobody's great, at first - it takes some time to make it all seem natural. Do the hardest thing - tape yourself, and listen to the critiques. It is embarrassing to hear yourself, but it's worth it. Use the words "for example" - she can't just repeat herself with sound bites. She needs to give concrete examples of her statements. For example, ...

I found a reference to the Lily Ledbetter case - she's the one who charged her employer with discrimination, only to be told that she had filed too late. She says that she couldn't have known the men were being paid more, until years later. Oh, yeah? Not so. Powerline has the post , and demolishes her claim. Pity that the MSM won't correct their deferential coverage of her "plight". Guys, I'm all for raising hell when there's a real injustice. And, for some women, pay differences are an injustice. But, this case isn't one of them. Further, she contradicts her story - in her own words: Ledbetter claims that "the only way that I really knew [about the pay discrimination] was that someone left an anonymous note in my mailbox showing my pay and the pay for the three males who were doing the same job, just on different shifts." According to Ledbetter, "when I saw that note, it just floored me. I was so shocked at the amount of differenc...

Go over and hook a sista' up, would you? Even with the leftward bias on PBS, Palin is comfortably on the positive side.

I just saw a reference on iGoogle's Reader (a handy way to get updates on your favorites bloggers) to a Bill Whittle piece - The Undefended City. He is writing about the meaning of today's political contests - which will result in setting up America's defenders for at least the next 4 years. And Mr. Whittle is doing it through the lens of time. He is reflecting on 2001, when the Lord of the Rings came out. The Lord of the Rings was written between 1937 through 1949… years of dark waters, indeed. A few years before Tolkien put pen to paper, an event took place that a man of his education would have undoubtedly been aware. On February 9th, 1933, the ruling elite of the world’s great Civilization held a debate in the Oxford Union. With thunderclouds growing dark across the English Channel, at a time when resolute action could still have averted the worst catastrophe the world has ever known, these elites resolved that “This House will in no circumstances fight for its King...

I've been dragging for the last week. I was sick the second week of school, and I've not returned to my usual energetic self. I'll be posting on the weekend, and on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next few weeks. Hopefully, I'll be feeling better at that time, and can resume more frequent posting then.

Obama is quite clear about his goal to be the Education President. He wants to (according to HometownLife.com: invest in early childhood education, close the achievement gap, pay teachers more money in exchange for more accountability, make college affordable for everyone, in exchange for community service. My answer to that? This country HAS tried to invest in early childhood education. While Head Start hasn't reached every eligible child, it has sufficient data to assess the program. And, the program has limited effect. Wikipedia says that "The long term effectiveness of Head Start is controversial, with various reports reporting positive, negative, or no impact." Not exactly a glowing recommendation for a very expensive program, is it? Close the achievement gap? Gee, when he finishes that, I'd like to see him walk on water. It's hard to do. Even now, after many years as a teacher, I find that sometimes my efforts pay off, and sometimes they don't. I...

I found this survey on Line 46 : Bold the items that apply to you: 1. Father went to college 2. Father finished college 3. Mother went to college 4. Mother finished college 5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor 6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers. 7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home. I guess I am somewhat privileged. 8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home. 9. Were read children’s books by a parent. 10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18. (Violin - about 4 months, and ballet - 9 months. Quit when my parents ran out of money) 11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18. 12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively. 13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18. 14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs. 15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs. 16. Went to a private high scho...

I found a great post on the current gas price situation via iGoogle. The short story: There are two ways to ration a short supply of a commodity. You allow the market to price it accordingly, and those who really need it will buy it, or you let the government come in and set the price. As a small government supporter, I favor the former. We're still dealing with the fallout of Nixon's wage and price controls from 40 years ago. Anyway, that's what happened. Bulk storage facilities were acting to minimize the price of fuel and got caught short when the supply was interrupted. Barring major damage from Ike, supplies should be flowing again in a couple of days, and prices will resume their freefall. Folks, I remember price controls - it wasn't pretty. The disruption it caused to our economy lasted far beyond the immediate time of the controls. It made jobs hard to get, and caused shortages in basic, price-controlled commodities. It was like a short sentence to live in ...

Whoops! Forgot to mention the link that took me to the article that prompted this post - Kim du Toit. http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif I've been reading criticism about Sarah Palin for the last few days, and one that I just don't understand is the fact that she didn't even possess a passport until a few years ago. Neither did I, until this year. I didn't need one. I traveled to Canada & Mexico before passports were required. This year, to attend a meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers, in Edmonton, CA, I finally went through the process - it wasn't cheap ($ 85), and it took 2 trips to the county courthouse. This isn't Europe - y'all can travel quite a distance without ever entering another country. In that travel, you can cross climate zones, go from below sea level to a mile above, see plains, savannahs, mountains, valleys, seashores, deserts - the range of terrains is broad - and mix among residents speaking a variety of la...

Jake takes a lookhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifs at Sarah Palin's position on immigration.

It's very early in the morning, and I couldn't sleep. I've not been that active in blogging lately - just, no time. By the time I reach home, I'm almost ready for sleep. Last night, I was so tired I skipped dinner, and, shortly after, went to bed. Today, at school, the ROTC program and the band will be putting on the ceremony in the quad. I'll take my Global Leadership group (kind of like a homeroom, but more) outside to listen. Other than that, I have no plans for the day.

This is really getting tiresome. Found this link on Sexism Watch (ya gotta bookmark it): Most women in all occupations, including ones of great power and influence, routinely take maternity leave, a minimum of six weeks. It's considered to be best for the mother and the baby. This is an incredibly important time for mothers and their babies to bond. What does it say about a woman who goes back to work on day three? Is this okay because she brings her baby with her? You cannot care for an infant at the same time you run the state of Alaska. You are either paying attention to the baby or to the state. Multi-tasking is not an asset here. Have these people not got a CLUE? Sarah Palin gave birth before her due date - about a month before. It's fair to say that she wasn't completely ready to go on maternity leave. She probably had loose ends to tie up. So, she did what any responsible person would do if they found themselves unexpectedly sidelined - she took herself into wor...

I've been MIA for the last few days, missing the gigundo story of the election, All About the Palin Uteruses. I started school last week (officially - that was the week that the kids started), and then yesterday, I was poleaxed by a nasty stomach bug. I'm not 100% yet, but I'm much better, and will go to work today. Therefore, you can understand why I missed the Palin speech - I hear that she was tough and passionate. The word on the MSM is that she was in attack mode. I get the feeling that she will be just as tough on the stump.