So I've been doing some math to figure out what our new President is really saying.
First, he said that his plan will create or save 3.5 million jobs. Or 4 million. Or 3 million. The number changes, but that isn't so important. Create or save? How do you count how many you saved? Easy, I'm figuring. If you didn't create them you must have saved them. So, if he didn't create a single new job, but there was no net loss, he accomplished his goal. A low standard, since he came to office on the heals of six million losses. So, if no one gets their job back, but none others are lost, he has accomplished the goal. Four million saved. Pretty slick.
Second, the Deficit. This is a really good one. He says he will cut the deficit he inherited in half. That's ripe. He claims what he inherited was $1.3 trillion. Let's pretend that's a real figure. Of that, $.75 trillion was the November stimulus package, and .15 trillion was the spring stimulus package, both one time payments that aren't "budget" items (which is the real issue - we budget more than we make). Take those out ($1.3 minus $.90), and the "real" deficit is $.4 trillion, or, $400 billion. So, by him saying he will cut the deficit in half (one half of $1.3 trillion is $.65 trillion, or, $650 billion)(he actually said it would be $533 billion), he is giving himself some real wiggle room. If the "real" budget deficit were cut in half, the $400 billion deficit would be cut to $200 billion. Instead, the President has proposed that he INCREASE the end-of-the-Bush-era budget deficit from $400 billion to $533 billion by the end of this first 4 years...a number he is touting as the LOWEST number of his administration. Whew.
Here's the thing. If he feels he needs those kind of numbers because the country is in a mess and he has to run up the bills to fix the mess, then why not tell us the truth, not mask it behind number-puzzles?
Did I write about the 60 pages of the 400 page spending part of the stimulus package that is devoted to MANDATORY FEDERAL COMPUTERIZED HEALTH RECORDS? How does that stimulate you? For me, more of the same.
So, it depends on what you mean by the word "transparency".
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Charles Town gambling
Our esteemed corporate benefactor in Charles Town who owns our race track claims to be a big contributor to our community's well being. They boast about how much the give, and will be expecting us, the voters, to approve them to add table games to their repertoire of gambling devices to help them help us.
Wow.
We need them to take money away from us to give some back?
What a great deal!
Out of almost $500M in revenue a year, they recently made a big splash (1/2 page) in the local paper for giving $62,000 to the local schools. Yes. Sixty Two Thousand dollars out of their almost Five Hundred Million dollars!
Is this help or political showmanship at virtually no cost to the company?
Are we, the citizens of Jefferson County, so naive that this pathetic "gift" will move us off our position (56% against) that we don't want our community changed from a peaceful, country community to a playground for their gambling clientele?
It's bad enough that the argument is about money instead of values, but with them insulting us with a "gift" that gives back slightly more than one one-hundredth of a percent we should all plant our feet more firmly than ever.
Does anyone else out there feel this way?
Wow.
We need them to take money away from us to give some back?
What a great deal!
Out of almost $500M in revenue a year, they recently made a big splash (1/2 page) in the local paper for giving $62,000 to the local schools. Yes. Sixty Two Thousand dollars out of their almost Five Hundred Million dollars!
Is this help or political showmanship at virtually no cost to the company?
Are we, the citizens of Jefferson County, so naive that this pathetic "gift" will move us off our position (56% against) that we don't want our community changed from a peaceful, country community to a playground for their gambling clientele?
It's bad enough that the argument is about money instead of values, but with them insulting us with a "gift" that gives back slightly more than one one-hundredth of a percent we should all plant our feet more firmly than ever.
Does anyone else out there feel this way?
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Leave her alone...it is none of your business
It's a sickening place we are in.
There is a woman out west who recently gave birth to octuplets. These 8 little ones are added to the 6 she already has.
Wow!
Miracle?
Rejoicing?
Congratulations?
No.
The press has lathered itself up condemning this mother and the medical staff who assisted her because THEY don't approve of the CHOICE she has made. (I am quite sure if she had made the choice to kill them everyone would be happy). She decided quite consciously to have this large number of children and we are left with the questioning of the press as to (1) should anyone have this many children? (2)how can she afford them? (she lives with her parents) and (3) is it right that our society should let anyone have this many kids?
Read it yourself http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601202&sid=au75gZCr7Gd0
WHAT?!
This isn't China I don't think...or maybe since we get so much else made in China we are now importing our population control policy.
Does everyone else see what is happening here?
We are becoming a herd society, slowly but surely, where the good of the whole supersedes the good of the individual. Has anyone ever before tried to contorl the population by saying who can have a baby, how many, and then, what sex, and then, what hair and eye color....?
It really is a product of our society's addiction to blaming the government for everything and to the converse, expecting the government to solve all ills. The number one argument against the mom of 14 is that she is likely to need assistance, and since she is, the government ought to be able to tell her how many children she can have. Who would you pick to make the choices for her?
Congress? (here...take a trillion and see me in the morning)
If we lived in a society where each of us takes it upon ourselves to share our blessings to take care of those who need help rather than ask the President to do it, the argument would be out.
Where are we going when we call it immoral to have children and applaud killing them by sticking a probe in their head as they emerge from their mother or we dissect them in the womb to make sure they aren't born at all?
Equal justice for all.
There is a woman out west who recently gave birth to octuplets. These 8 little ones are added to the 6 she already has.
Wow!
Miracle?
Rejoicing?
Congratulations?
No.
The press has lathered itself up condemning this mother and the medical staff who assisted her because THEY don't approve of the CHOICE she has made. (I am quite sure if she had made the choice to kill them everyone would be happy). She decided quite consciously to have this large number of children and we are left with the questioning of the press as to (1) should anyone have this many children? (2)how can she afford them? (she lives with her parents) and (3) is it right that our society should let anyone have this many kids?
Read it yourself http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601202&sid=au75gZCr7Gd0
WHAT?!
This isn't China I don't think...or maybe since we get so much else made in China we are now importing our population control policy.
Does everyone else see what is happening here?
We are becoming a herd society, slowly but surely, where the good of the whole supersedes the good of the individual. Has anyone ever before tried to contorl the population by saying who can have a baby, how many, and then, what sex, and then, what hair and eye color....?
It really is a product of our society's addiction to blaming the government for everything and to the converse, expecting the government to solve all ills. The number one argument against the mom of 14 is that she is likely to need assistance, and since she is, the government ought to be able to tell her how many children she can have. Who would you pick to make the choices for her?
Congress? (here...take a trillion and see me in the morning)
If we lived in a society where each of us takes it upon ourselves to share our blessings to take care of those who need help rather than ask the President to do it, the argument would be out.
Where are we going when we call it immoral to have children and applaud killing them by sticking a probe in their head as they emerge from their mother or we dissect them in the womb to make sure they aren't born at all?
Equal justice for all.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Bee uuutiful
So today it is the big break from the cold weather. Sunny, warm, and a good day to check in on the bees. I knew from a quick survey a week ago that I still had 7 of my 7 colonies alive. A very happy result...
I prepared last night for this visit by making bee candy to feed them. It is really a formula for rock candy, made with molten sugar, with the addition of a protein product called "MegaBee". This product was invented by a scientist in Tucson, AZ. I think it is illegal for bees involved in professional sports to take MegaBee.
Anyway, you pour the molten mixture into molds (best done on the garage floor in case there is spillage)and let it set overnight. The result is a brownish bar of strange smelling candy. I like to taste it. As a matter of fact we had a visitor who wanted to see it, I let him try it....don't think he was as impressed as me and the bees.
So today I suited up in the hot part of the afternoon and opened the hives up. Very nice - inside each hive was a reasonably large colony of bees who were - well - busy as bees. I took a quick peak to assess their population and put a chunk of candy inside each of them.
Now my the bees are guaranteed not to starve. There is a threat of that as they are beginning to raise a new generation of brood at this time, they've eaten most of their winter food supply, and during the warm days they fly out to poop. While they are flying they forage for food, and, of course, they don't find anything...nothing is flowering yet.. (although I did spot a few coming in with pollen on their legs...probably left over from last year). This is the time for starving colonies. Mine will find the delicious sugar candy and MegaBee...the protein will be good for the brood and in amoth or so I should start to see some realy nice, large colonies...boiling with bees.
I prepared last night for this visit by making bee candy to feed them. It is really a formula for rock candy, made with molten sugar, with the addition of a protein product called "MegaBee". This product was invented by a scientist in Tucson, AZ. I think it is illegal for bees involved in professional sports to take MegaBee.
Anyway, you pour the molten mixture into molds (best done on the garage floor in case there is spillage)and let it set overnight. The result is a brownish bar of strange smelling candy. I like to taste it. As a matter of fact we had a visitor who wanted to see it, I let him try it....don't think he was as impressed as me and the bees.
So today I suited up in the hot part of the afternoon and opened the hives up. Very nice - inside each hive was a reasonably large colony of bees who were - well - busy as bees. I took a quick peak to assess their population and put a chunk of candy inside each of them.
Now my the bees are guaranteed not to starve. There is a threat of that as they are beginning to raise a new generation of brood at this time, they've eaten most of their winter food supply, and during the warm days they fly out to poop. While they are flying they forage for food, and, of course, they don't find anything...nothing is flowering yet.. (although I did spot a few coming in with pollen on their legs...probably left over from last year). This is the time for starving colonies. Mine will find the delicious sugar candy and MegaBee...the protein will be good for the brood and in amoth or so I should start to see some realy nice, large colonies...boiling with bees.
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