Remember Ellie Light? "She" wrote letters to the editors of many US newspapers. I don't think that "Ellie" got a call from the President, asking for the letters to be written. (Yes, Ellie Light is a real person, named Winston Steward. He's 51 years old, and lives in California. He started the letters from "Ellie" with one to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.)
Lives in California, writes to Cleveland and other areas in the US... Hmmm.. I bet he'd never read the Plain Dealer or any other newspaper to which he wrote the letters. Wow. What a great idea! Maybe we could take it to another level. I mean, more people are getting their "news" online than ever before. And, people are listening to talk radio more, too. We could put a webpage up with talking points (No, let's not call them "talking points". That's got a bad connotation. Let's call them "discussion points".) Anyway we can put up one talk show for people to call, whether or not they're listening, and if the line is busy, we can put up a link to click that would change the talk show/number to call. That way we could just keep calling those progressive talk shows and flood them with our calls. Yeah, I know we could make a difference by starting off with Air America. Progressive talk radio has so many listeners it's not even funny.
What? They went off the air in January because they couldn't pay their bills? Oh..
Well there's gotta be a way to get our point across... There has to be a way to make it plain that this health care bill is going to raise our taxes. That health care is going to keep being offered to people who are in the US illegally. That health care decisions are going to be taken out of the people's hands and put into the government's..
WHAT? Somebody already took my idea?
Who in the world would want to do that?
Well, would you look at that.
For some reason, I'm not surprised.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sit down and shut up, John...
I believe that John McCain is a progressive. I'm a conservative, so I have my differences with Senator McCain. However. This morning, the Senator was at the "Health Care Summit", and it was his turn at the mic. He said...
"Both of us, during the campaign, promised change in Washington. In fact, 8 times, you said that negotiations on health care reform would be conducted with the C-SPAN cameras. (and a little smile for the cameras, dunno about that, John..) I'm glad, more than a year later, that they are here. Unfortunately, this product was not produced in that fashion. It was produced behind closed doors. It was produced with unsavory, I say that with respect, dealmaking."
The President's first remark to Senator McCain was this: "Let me just make this point, John. Because we're not campaigning anymore. The election's over."
I was waiting for him to say the same thing he said when Republicans were trying to voice their opposition to the "stimulus" package he signed off on in 2009. He said, "I won." When the "summit" started running long on time, he said, "There was an imbalance on the opening statements, because, I'm the President. I didn't count my time (speaking) in terms of dividing it equally." (between parties, I am assuming.)
Wow - he's good at changing the subject. He did not respond to Senator McCain's statements that:
1. It took over a year for the negotiations to be broadcast on C-SPAN
2. The health care bill being discussed was produced behind closed doors (so much for transparency)
I don't agree with Senator McCain on some things, but what he said was the truth, and the only way around it was with insults? Reminders that McCain lost the election? I suppose when you know you're doing something you shouldn't be doing, and you get caught, you try and talk your way around it.
Reminds me of a song from the 80s, by a group called Berlin. The song was "No More Words".
"You're talking and it all sounds fair
You promise your love, how much you care
I'm still listening and still unsure
Your actions are lacking, nothing is clear
No more words
You're telling me you love me while you're looking away
No more words, no more words
And no more promises of love
Remember when the words were new
They carried a meaning, a feeling so true
I'm looking for a long romance
Not a picture of passion or one time chance
Don't fool your self
Your empty passion won't satisfy me
I know, so don't pretend that you want me
You don't want me
We make love and it's all the same
Your eyes show nothing, no lover's flame
Don't promise we can work it out
You can leave right now if you're feeling doubt"
I haven't seen this video since the early 80s so I had forgotten that it's set in the Great Depression.... how fitting!
"Both of us, during the campaign, promised change in Washington. In fact, 8 times, you said that negotiations on health care reform would be conducted with the C-SPAN cameras. (and a little smile for the cameras, dunno about that, John..) I'm glad, more than a year later, that they are here. Unfortunately, this product was not produced in that fashion. It was produced behind closed doors. It was produced with unsavory, I say that with respect, dealmaking."
The President's first remark to Senator McCain was this: "Let me just make this point, John. Because we're not campaigning anymore. The election's over."
I was waiting for him to say the same thing he said when Republicans were trying to voice their opposition to the "stimulus" package he signed off on in 2009. He said, "I won." When the "summit" started running long on time, he said, "There was an imbalance on the opening statements, because, I'm the President. I didn't count my time (speaking) in terms of dividing it equally." (between parties, I am assuming.)
Wow - he's good at changing the subject. He did not respond to Senator McCain's statements that:
1. It took over a year for the negotiations to be broadcast on C-SPAN
2. The health care bill being discussed was produced behind closed doors (so much for transparency)
I don't agree with Senator McCain on some things, but what he said was the truth, and the only way around it was with insults? Reminders that McCain lost the election? I suppose when you know you're doing something you shouldn't be doing, and you get caught, you try and talk your way around it.
Reminds me of a song from the 80s, by a group called Berlin. The song was "No More Words".
"You're talking and it all sounds fair
You promise your love, how much you care
I'm still listening and still unsure
Your actions are lacking, nothing is clear
No more words
You're telling me you love me while you're looking away
No more words, no more words
And no more promises of love
Remember when the words were new
They carried a meaning, a feeling so true
I'm looking for a long romance
Not a picture of passion or one time chance
Don't fool your self
Your empty passion won't satisfy me
I know, so don't pretend that you want me
You don't want me
We make love and it's all the same
Your eyes show nothing, no lover's flame
Don't promise we can work it out
You can leave right now if you're feeling doubt"
I haven't seen this video since the early 80s so I had forgotten that it's set in the Great Depression.... how fitting!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A Rat By Any Other Name...
I have heard from a lot of people that they have never heard of the Senate using "Reconciliation" before, to pass a bill that won't get 60 votes, which is the Senate rule. Well, it has happened before, but I didn't hear much about it until today. I heard Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh talking about 2005, when President Bush wanted to use a simple Senate majority to confirm a Supreme Court Justice. It was called the "Nuclear Option". They (Glenn and Rush) played sound bites from several Senators who were completely against allowing the simple majority and overriding the Senate rules.
Senator Barack Obama was talking about President George W. Bush and the "nuclear option", saying "He hasn't gotten his way, and that is now prompting, you know, a change in the Senate rules that, really, I think, would change the character of the Senate, forever, and what I worry about would be you essentially have still two chambers, the House and the Senate, but you have simply, majoritarian, absolute power on either side, and that's just not what the founders intended."
I didn't know "majoritarian" was a word. Guess I'll have to "axe" an English teacher about that, and about using run-on sentences.
Senator Hillary Clinton said "So this President (GWB) has come to this majority in the Senate and basically said, change the rules! Do it the way I want it done!"
Senator Schumer said that we were facing a "Constitutional crisis". That "the checks and balances which have been at the core of this republic" were "about to be evaporated by the nuclear option." That it was "amazing, it's almost a temper tantrum".
Senator Feinstein said (this is one of my favorites): "The nuclear option, if successful, will turn the Senate into a body that could have its rules broken at any time by a majority of Senators unhappy with any position taken by the minority. It begins with judicial nominations. Next will be executive appointments, and then, legislation."
Holy cow I think she's on to something!
My favorite quote, though, comes from Senator Joe Biden. He said that the nuclear option "is ultimately an example of the arrogance of power".
Yesterday, Senator Harry Reid said that Republicans "should stop crying about reconciliation as if it's never been done before. It's been done in almost every Congress. And they're the ones who used it more than anyone else." But wait! Harry Reid is the one that said in 2002 that "The right to extended debate is never more important than when one party controls Congress and the White House."
So what is happening now, with Obamacare? The majority of Americans do NOT want it! But instead of going back to the drawing board and making a plan that a majority of Americans can agree upon (doesn't have to be a landslide or anything, we found that out on November 4, 2008), the Democrats in the Senate, along with the President, met and worked out the new bill. You know, the one that's going to be presented to the GOP in the "Health Care Summit" on February 25th. The Democrats are planning to tell the Republicans to take it as it is, or leave it. No more talking, no more stalling, and we're going to do this with "reconciliation" whether you like it or not. Hmmmm, Senator Reid, I thought that extended debate was really important when one party is in control.
Reconciliation = nuclear option = a no-go for all the Senators that I have quoted here, as well as all the others in the video below that I didn't quote.
I suppose reconciliation only means a no-go when you're not the majority.
I dunno, Secretary Clinton, I think you would have impressed the heck out of me if you had said to President Obama what you said to GWB:
"You have to RESTRAIN YOURSELF, MR. PRESIDENT."
Thanks to the 912 project for posting this video, so you can see and hear all that I've quoted, and more, for yourself.
Senator Barack Obama was talking about President George W. Bush and the "nuclear option", saying "He hasn't gotten his way, and that is now prompting, you know, a change in the Senate rules that, really, I think, would change the character of the Senate, forever, and what I worry about would be you essentially have still two chambers, the House and the Senate, but you have simply, majoritarian, absolute power on either side, and that's just not what the founders intended."
I didn't know "majoritarian" was a word. Guess I'll have to "axe" an English teacher about that, and about using run-on sentences.
Senator Hillary Clinton said "So this President (GWB) has come to this majority in the Senate and basically said, change the rules! Do it the way I want it done!"
Senator Schumer said that we were facing a "Constitutional crisis". That "the checks and balances which have been at the core of this republic" were "about to be evaporated by the nuclear option." That it was "amazing, it's almost a temper tantrum".
Senator Feinstein said (this is one of my favorites): "The nuclear option, if successful, will turn the Senate into a body that could have its rules broken at any time by a majority of Senators unhappy with any position taken by the minority. It begins with judicial nominations. Next will be executive appointments, and then, legislation."
Holy cow I think she's on to something!
My favorite quote, though, comes from Senator Joe Biden. He said that the nuclear option "is ultimately an example of the arrogance of power".
Yesterday, Senator Harry Reid said that Republicans "should stop crying about reconciliation as if it's never been done before. It's been done in almost every Congress. And they're the ones who used it more than anyone else." But wait! Harry Reid is the one that said in 2002 that "The right to extended debate is never more important than when one party controls Congress and the White House."
So what is happening now, with Obamacare? The majority of Americans do NOT want it! But instead of going back to the drawing board and making a plan that a majority of Americans can agree upon (doesn't have to be a landslide or anything, we found that out on November 4, 2008), the Democrats in the Senate, along with the President, met and worked out the new bill. You know, the one that's going to be presented to the GOP in the "Health Care Summit" on February 25th. The Democrats are planning to tell the Republicans to take it as it is, or leave it. No more talking, no more stalling, and we're going to do this with "reconciliation" whether you like it or not. Hmmmm, Senator Reid, I thought that extended debate was really important when one party is in control.
Reconciliation = nuclear option = a no-go for all the Senators that I have quoted here, as well as all the others in the video below that I didn't quote.
I suppose reconciliation only means a no-go when you're not the majority.
I dunno, Secretary Clinton, I think you would have impressed the heck out of me if you had said to President Obama what you said to GWB:
"You have to RESTRAIN YOURSELF, MR. PRESIDENT."
Thanks to the 912 project for posting this video, so you can see and hear all that I've quoted, and more, for yourself.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
This has been a CRAZY year (and a month...)
.... but I have to say I have learned a lot. About myself, about my family.. one of the things that I have learned, probably the most important, is that homemade is better, and much less expensive than processed.
For example - beans. Come on, sing it with me... "Beans, beans, the magical fruit..." But seriously. I served my family refried beans, out of a can, heated up in the microwave. They were fine. Then I realized that those same refried beans cost at least a dollar a can. For a dollar or a little more, I could buy dried pinto beans, cook 'em up, and fry 'em up. About 10 times.
Tortillas - corn, thankyouverymuch. Unless they are on sale, a GOOD sale, they're $1.59 for a package of 36 tortillas, at Aldi. They're $1.15 for the same sized package at Mercado Central (a wonderful Mexican market/bakery/restaurant/tortilleria) in Minneapolis. Well, one 4 pound package of Maseca (corn flour) is $2.59. I can get about 200 tortillas out of that package.
And it's not just Mexican food! Or food, for that matter. Need a dish/pot scrubber? Just wad up an empty mesh bag that you bought onions or oranges in. Works like a charm.
It's amazing the things you can come up with, to keep your family's budget down. The internet is a wonderful thing. Swagbucks searches are your friend!
For example - beans. Come on, sing it with me... "Beans, beans, the magical fruit..." But seriously. I served my family refried beans, out of a can, heated up in the microwave. They were fine. Then I realized that those same refried beans cost at least a dollar a can. For a dollar or a little more, I could buy dried pinto beans, cook 'em up, and fry 'em up. About 10 times.
Tortillas - corn, thankyouverymuch. Unless they are on sale, a GOOD sale, they're $1.59 for a package of 36 tortillas, at Aldi. They're $1.15 for the same sized package at Mercado Central (a wonderful Mexican market/bakery/restaurant/tortilleria) in Minneapolis. Well, one 4 pound package of Maseca (corn flour) is $2.59. I can get about 200 tortillas out of that package.
And it's not just Mexican food! Or food, for that matter. Need a dish/pot scrubber? Just wad up an empty mesh bag that you bought onions or oranges in. Works like a charm.
It's amazing the things you can come up with, to keep your family's budget down. The internet is a wonderful thing. Swagbucks searches are your friend!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Agnostic? Really?
It's nice to be back! I had the time of my life on a cruise to Mexico with my wonderful husband, and now it's time to get back to it!
So, here I go...
AGNOSTIC (ag näs′tik)
1 : a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable; broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god
2 : a person unwilling to commit to an opinion about something
Just in case you haven't heard, this is what I'm talking about, as far as the President being "agnostic". According to the Washington Bureau of the New York Daily News, the President has said that he's now "agnostic" about raising taxes on families with incomes of less than $250,000 a year. We'll be able to read the full interview with the President in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, which will be in newsstands Friday.
Since President Obama has said he is a Christian, I'm going to assume that definition number 2 (hahaha... I said number 2.... can you tell I have a 6 year old?) is the one that applies here. I cannot say whether the President is a Christian or not. That's between him, and God. (that's God, with a capital G)
A person unwilling to commit to an opinion about something... wait a minute. Remember this?
That certainly seems like an opinion to me! He also said the same thing in his first speech to Congress on February 24, 2009, but I can't find a video. Sorry. It just appears that he said what he needed to say to get elected. I know, I know, George H.W. Bush said the same thing - "Read my lips, no new taxes." Then when he went back on that, people went ballistic. If taxes are raised on middle-class families, I wonder if anyone is going to call the President out on his words, like Bill Clinton did to GHWB in 1992.
Oh but wait. Anyone running for any office can say anything they want to. Then it'll just get brushed off. This one was about C-SPAN.
"There are a lot of things he was for, on the campaign trail."
I have a feeling that you'll always remember those words, Speaker.
Can't wait to find out what's next!
So, here I go...
AGNOSTIC (ag näs′tik)
1 : a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable; broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god
2 : a person unwilling to commit to an opinion about something
Just in case you haven't heard, this is what I'm talking about, as far as the President being "agnostic". According to the Washington Bureau of the New York Daily News, the President has said that he's now "agnostic" about raising taxes on families with incomes of less than $250,000 a year. We'll be able to read the full interview with the President in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, which will be in newsstands Friday.
Since President Obama has said he is a Christian, I'm going to assume that definition number 2 (hahaha... I said number 2.... can you tell I have a 6 year old?) is the one that applies here. I cannot say whether the President is a Christian or not. That's between him, and God. (that's God, with a capital G)
A person unwilling to commit to an opinion about something... wait a minute. Remember this?
That certainly seems like an opinion to me! He also said the same thing in his first speech to Congress on February 24, 2009, but I can't find a video. Sorry. It just appears that he said what he needed to say to get elected. I know, I know, George H.W. Bush said the same thing - "Read my lips, no new taxes." Then when he went back on that, people went ballistic. If taxes are raised on middle-class families, I wonder if anyone is going to call the President out on his words, like Bill Clinton did to GHWB in 1992.
Oh but wait. Anyone running for any office can say anything they want to. Then it'll just get brushed off. This one was about C-SPAN.
"There are a lot of things he was for, on the campaign trail."
I have a feeling that you'll always remember those words, Speaker.
Can't wait to find out what's next!
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