westdil's Blog

"Poor George, he can't help it; he was born with a silver foot in his mouth" - Ann Richards.

If I could draw an editorial of President Bush, it would depict a medieval warrior with sword raised high, facing Iraq and proclaiming victory.  Behind him would be a picture of the US&A in ruins and Wall St. destroyed.

I really feel for President Bush.  He presidency took a horrible turn when the attack occurred on Sep 11.  I believe he had to act against terrorism and had this gut response to go get the bad guys.  With great hindsight it appears that he overreacted.  He apparently didn't hear that there are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world who don't want the US&A in the Middle East.  He didn't hear about the Sunni, Shiite split.

The events that have unfolded are a result of his single-mindedness on Iraq, in my opinion.  The piling on of national debt, hurricane Katrina, the loss of popular support, high oil prices, the collapse of the banking system are linked in my mind.  

I write this today because the news is that the government is making a deal to bail out Citigroup.  We are talking about securing $300 billion of bad debt that we know about.  Analysts this morning are citing another trillion are so still out there of more bad debt. 

Meanwhile the news is that the Obama team will pump in another $700 billion to stimulate the economy soon after taking office.

I wonder if their are any buyers for Hawaii (maybe China) and Alaska (maybe Russia) and how much we could get for them to balance our national budget.  It's getting that bad folks.

Game Over; Time to Vote

It’s the last of the 9th.  Republicans are at bat and down by one run to the Democrats.  There are two outs (Bush & Cheney) and Palin is on third.  McCain is at bat.    Obama winds up and throws a strike while McCain takes.  Another pitch;  McCain swings, and the umpire signals “strike 2”.   The final pitch, McCain makes contact and …………….

I wish this election were as professional as a baseball game; but it is not.  As with past elections, it has sunk to the level of mud wrestling.  You would never know that important issues are at stake.  So, the game is over for me and I have voted.

If I had to characterize how I voted it would be independent, moderate and non-ideological.  I did not vote for candidates per se.  Both parties and candidates have strengths and weaknesses that put them at parity.   I voted for best solutions to problems; not Democrat or Republican solutions.

I voted for a new atmosphere in Washington.  We need people who can work with each other to solve problems in America’s interest.  We need to rebuild trust in Congress and the Presidency.  I am fiscally conservative and voted for small government that lives within its means and achieves a lowering of the national debt.

I voted for a new economy based on energy independence.  Economic growth requires an aggressive plan to look at all forms of energy and energy conservation.  Through energy independence we strengthen our national security poster.  With alternative energy we have the potential to lower the cost to manufacture goods in this country and bring jobs to America.   We also lower carbon emissions.

I voted for comprehensive immigration reform that includes border security and work place enforcement.  More importantly, I voted for a guest worker program with a system of tracking those in the country and granting of legal status (not citizenship) to those who have a work history in our country. 

I voted for a new approach to terrorism; a more robust diplomatic effort and less militaristic, bellicose foreign policy.  I voted for political solutions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Israel.  I voted to broaden the ability of our intelligence agencies to gather human intelligence and use covert/special operations to deal with terrorism. 

I voted to address Social Security & Medicare.  We currently are going deeper in Federal debt without addressing these programs. 

The current administration and Congress are equally responsible for what is transpiring in this country and I hope there is an electoral shakeup across the United States.  We the people are ultimately responsible for who we send to Washington. 

It is time to vote.

6TH INNING OF THE ELECTION

 We have had two presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate now.  By my count we are in the 6th inning of the election ball game.  I am still waiting for the 7th inning stretch before I decide how to vote this cycle.

 President Bush is throwing nothing but curve balls and wild pitches which have given the Democrats a slight advantage over the Republicans in nation-wide polls.  It’s the economy, stupid!  

 In the latest debate, I thought nothing more was said from the first debate.  I rate it neutral and give a slight edge to Obama in style.  

 We keep electing ideologues to Congress & the Presidency.  It makes no difference how I vote as an independent in Texas because we will give our electoral votes to the Republicans and probably reelect our Republican Congressman who has been in lock step with President Bush.  What’s that saying about voting for the same people and expecting a different outcome?

 No one has a clue about the economy.  We keep electing lawyers who are dependent on Wall Street guru’s like Rubin, Bernanke & Paulsen to tell them what to do.  The foxes are guarding their den.  Too much of our wealth is flowing into overseas coffers.  The biggest argument from the debates is about raising or lowering taxes.  Folks, the way the Fed and Treasury are printing money to backstop the financial institutions, the national debt and the Social Security/Medicare crisis will all result in raising our taxes and/or lowering our standard of living.

 How much more do we have to give Iraq?  There are 19 million Iraqi’s and we have trained a million soldiers, police & militia.  Folks, that’s one for every 20 people.  The latest news on Afghanistan and Pakistan is that Saudi Arabia is brokering a peace deal with the Taliban who are turning against Al Qaeda.  A political solution must be found in both Iraq & Afghanistan.

 Energy independence is the key to solving many of our foreign policy and domestic issues.  Through personal sacrifice, conservation and a sound energy plan (all forms of energy) we need to achieve energy independence in 10 years.   Alternative energy will allow for a rekindling of low cost manufacturing in the U.S. & A., if done properly.

 I guess I’m in kind of a “Throw the bums out” mood.  If at the end of the day we have Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Christopher Dodd, Barney Franks, Charles Rangel, Charles Schumer, Hillary Clinton, Dianne Feingold, Barbara Boxer and many more setting policy, then nothing will change.

Woefully, I can only vote for President and Texas candidates.

This website has some interesting photos of Hurricane Ike damage:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but
_eventful_life_of.html

This is a recap of the many comments I have made to the Fox 7 blogs.  I enjoy the variety of comments from the left to the right.  I try to stay objective and balanced in what I post.

 HOW WILL I VOTE?

 I have been locked in an independent mode for this election cycle and can’t decide how I will vote.  Maybe I should vote “present”.

 I voted for President Bush but am disillusioned with his presidency.  In my view, hardliners in the administration saw an opportunity to take out Saddam after the 911 attacks.  They were ill prepared for a sustained occupation.  They didn’t listen to those who warned of the risks of involvement in Arab/Muslim politics.  President Bush put his cowboy boots in the middle of a Shiite/Sunni cow plop.

 There was an opportunity after 911 to focus this country on energy independence (as in the ‘80’s when McCain and Biden were in Congress).  I wrote to our Congress, Senators Hutchinson & Cornyn that we needed a different approach in Iraq and that success meant troop reduction and a political solution.  I agreed with the Democrats at this point.  Our Republican Senators followed President Bush down the path of more involvement and more military action.  No matter that the majority of Americans thought we should not increase our presence in Iraq.   I do not want permanent bases in the Middle East.  These bases are a magnet for Arab extremists as the case in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. 

 The Republicans are focused on foreign threats while we have become overburdened with problems at home.  The global economy is not working for the American people.  Not only are jobs going overseas, but wealth is transferring to Russia, China, India, & the Middle East.  We are helping to build a middle class in these countries. More U.S. companies are going international and garnering income from foreign investment and trade.  Housing, finance, oil, immigration are all manifestations of problems that are undermining our country.  More and more foreign governments and companies are buying or investing in American corporations.

 The Republican philosophy of trickle-down economics and free market capitalism has been shaken.  This philosophy has resulted in staggering debt, a financial bubble, weakening dollar, and high oil prices.  We have competing interests for resources that have stagnated our government.  We need a clear vision and plan from the Federal Government at this time; not free market talk and ideology.   

 The Republican philosophy also calls for small government.  Well, on Bush’s watch we now have the Transportation Security Agency, The Director of National Intelligence, and most recently, the nationalization of Fannie, Freddie and numerous banks.   What next; the airlines, utilities, automakers; more banks?  President Bush may wind up with the record for spending and budget deficits.  Again, with the war on Arab extremism, President Bush had the opportunity to rally the American people to conserve, tighten Federal spending and reduce our use of foreign oil.

 MY SOLUTIONS:

 We don’t need ideologues in Washington.  We need people who can work with each other to solve problems in America’s interest.  There are times when “trickle down” works and times when it doesn’t.  There are times to lower taxes and times to raise taxes.  We need to rebuild trust in Congress and the Presidency.

 Energy independence requires a time phased, aggressive 10 year plan to look at all forms of energy and energy conservation.  We also achieve security gains and support the reduction of carbon emissions.  With alternative energy we have the potential to lower the cost to manufacture goods in this country and bring jobs to America.

 Immigration requires a comprehensive approach that includes border security and work place enforcement.  More importantly, we need a guest worker program, a system of tracking those in the country and granting of legal status (not citizenship) to those who have a work history in our country.  Guest workers need to get in line for citizenship in my view.

 A more robust diplomatic effort and less militaristic, bellicose foreign policy is needed.  Afghanistan requires a political solution.  Russia, China and others need to be listened to and respected.  We need to broaden the ability of our intelligence agencies to gather human intelligence and use covert/special operations to deal with terrorism.  We need to contain the extremists as we did with communists.  We should not have permanent bases in the Arab world.  They leave us alone, we leave them alone.

 The biggest overhang that no one talks about is Social Security and Medicare spending.  We currently are going deeper in Federal debt without addressing these programs.  Healthcare and education are social issues that need to be addressed.

 SO HOW SHOULD I VOTE?

 McCain:

 My biggest concern is his maverick, fighter pilot, high risk reward attitude.  Sound familiar?  President Bush has extended until next year the reduction in Iraq combat forces.  This is convenient for McCain to leave troop levels as they are for 4 more years.  Can he handle international events diplomatically or will he revert to a militaristic approach?  Will he risk war with Pakistan to chase Usama Bin Laden to the “gates of Hell”?    Can McCain control the Congressional Republicans and work with an almost certain Democratic majority in Congress?  Will McCain push for a permanent presence in the Middle East?  Will he get totally focused on foreign pseudo-threats?

 McCain has proven himself not to be an ideologue.  He has voiced support for energy independence and comprehensive immigration.  He has a proven record in the Senate of trying to reduce federal deficits, stop earmarks and reduce lobbyist domination.  Can he put forward an agenda that appeals to both sides of the Congress?

 This Sarah Palin buzz leaves me cold.  She is a newcomer to Washington politics.   If “moose stew” Palin thinks she is tough, wait until she encounters the media and the Washington bureaucracy.  Her presence balances out the Democratic (experience & youth) ticket but leaves another big question mark for voting Republican.  Is she a right wing ideologue selected to satisfy the conservative right?  She is talking like one on foreign policy.  What are her instincts if she were to become President?

 Obama:

 Is Obama a liberal extremist?  Is he a left-wing ideologue?  In case you didn’t notice, he is black (actually multiracial)?  We don’t know how he will perform as President.  We do know Joe Biden’s record and his experience provides balance to the Democratic ticket.

 Can Obama set and control the agenda with a Democratic majority in Congress?  My greatest fear here is that he and Congress will veer to the left and address gun control, woman’s rights, gay unions, etc.; instead of focusing on the issues I think are important.  My greatest fear is not Obama, but Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and where they may take the country. 

 I think the Democrats are in a better position to achieve comprehensive immigration and energy independence.  They are in a better position to dictate an energy policy to industry and provide strong government incentives.  We’ve heard enough trickle-down talk for now.   In general they will focus more on social and domestic issues such as health care and education.  Historically, though, the Democrats are a coalition of one issue ideologues.  Can they compromise from their base of unionists, environmentalists and social liberals? 

 I like Obama’s message on reducing our presence in Iraq and do not want permanent bases in the Middle East.  I favor a diplomatic solution in Afghanistan. Talibanistan anyone?  I agree with his view that we need to advance our diplomatic initiatives with Iran and other countries.   We need to listen to and respect Russia and China and other major powers in the world.

 Did I mention he is black (actually multiracial)?  This will be the determining factor as independents enter the polling booth in November in my opinion.  My grand pappy from Mississippi will be rolling in his grave if I vote for Obama.

 OH MY, HOW SHOULD I VOTE?.

 We are in the 5th inning of the ball game.  We know the players and their positions.  We know the position of the parties.  We know we need change.  Someone coined the term “electile dysfunction” to describe when neither choice is very good.

 I am going to wait for the 7th inning stretch (after the debates) before deciding.  Then again maybe I will just vote “present”.

 

I watched most of both the Democratic and Republican conventions on PBS/18.  They covered the main speeches and provided commentary from 7:00 to 10:00 pm each day.  Their coverage and analysis, in my view, was objective and balanced.  This is what I seek from the media and journalism.

I thought Crystal Cotti did an excellent job in her posts from the Democratic convention.  I felt the excitement of being there through her posts.  She seemed excited about the ticket.

On the other hand, I thought Tony Dale's posts were off the mark and uneven in giving us a feeling for the convention.   He seemed unmotivated about the ticket.

I wonder if there are any Republican, computer literate journalists at Fox 7, Austin who could have covered the Republican convention.  Hmmmm!

This email story on the internet is about a Yankee moving to Texas.  It seems appropriate given the current weather conditions to share with all.

Dear Diary:
June 10th:
Just moved to Texas! Now this is a state that knows how to live!! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! It is beautiful. I've finally found my home. I love it here.
 
 June 14th:
Really heating up. Got to 100 today. Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshiper.
 
June 30th:
Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing the lawn for me. Another scorcher today, but I love it here.
 
July 10th:
The temperature hasn't been below 100 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least, it's kind of windy though. But getting used to the heat is taking longer than I expected.
 
July 15th:
Fell asleep by the community pool. (Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body). Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.
 
July 20th:
I missed Lomita (my cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning. By the time I got to the hot car at noon, Lomita had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag, then popped like a water balloon. The car now smells like Kibbles and (expletive). I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat. Good ol' Mr. Sun strikes again.
 
 July 25th:
The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!! And it's hot as hell. The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.
 
July 30th:
Been sleeping outside on the patio for 3 nights now. $225,000 house and I can't even go inside. Lomita is the lucky one. Why did I ever come here?
 
Aug. 4th:
It's 105 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today. It cost $500 and gets the temperature down to 85. I hate this stupid state.
 
Aug. 8th:
If another wise (expletive) cracks, 'Hot enough for you today?' I'm going to strangle him...(expletive) heat. By the time I get to work, the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!!
 
Aug. 9th:
Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts, and when I sat on the seats in the car, I thought my butt was on fire. My skin melted to the seat. I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and butt . . . Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried butt, and baked cat.
 
Aug 10th:
The weather report might as well be a (expletive) recording. Hot and sunny...Hot and sunny...Hot and sunny...It's been too hot to do (expletive) for 2 (expletive) months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it ever rain in this (expletive) state? Water rationing will be next, so my $1700 worth of cactus will just dry up and blow over. Even the cactus can't live in this (expletive) heat.
 
Aug.14th:
Welcome to HELL! Temperature got to 110 today. Cactus are dead. Forgot to crack the window and blew the (expletive) windshield out of the car. The installer came to fix it and guess what he asked me??? "Hot enough for you today?" My sister had to spend $1,500 to bail me out of jail. Freaking Texas ...  What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here?? Will write later to let you know how the trial goes...

The following link has got to be the story of the day.  This guy deserves the Jesse Jackson award  ( two balls carved of ebony ) for outrageous comments.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380143,00.html


I took the trouble to see what a black hole and white hole consists of.  Wiki says that in astrophysics a black hole sucks up matter and a white hole in the vernacular basically regurgitates matter. My understanding then is that a black hole cleans up the Universe and a white hole creates a mess that would take 4 sheets of Bounty to clean up.  In other words black is good and white leaves a mess.

If we follow  this Dallas commissioner's logic and political correctness, we would:

Change the name of the Milky Way or milk for that matter,

Change the colors of chess/checker pieces,

Outlaw black & white cowboy hats,

No more grooms and brides dressed in black and white,

and in general strike the colors and words black and white from our vocabulary.

As far as I'm concerned this councilman is a real "A'hole" and should be the one to apologize.  This story reflects poorly on Dallas County and tells me that there is a lot of racial tension there.

The following link is to a report by Chris Coffey "DTV Boxes Running Out? Last Edited: Monday, 30 Jun 2008, 9:37 PM CDT"

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?co
ntentId=6883950

I think that the advertising and reports concerning digital television (DTV) are misleading and confusing to many consumers.  The lady in your story, Mildred Bethany, lives in Caldwell County and uses an over-the-air (OTA) antenna.  I would guess that she can currently pickup either Austin or San Antonio stations with her analog TV.  She is a light user of TV and probably has only one set in the home.

This scenario is similar to mine. I bought a LCD DTV last year with digital tuner for $400 at Walmart.  This tuner has an input for the antenna cable.  I am getting good reception from  Austin stations with my existing antenna setup. 

If I had an analog TV, I would consider an upgrade to a DTV.  All DTV's are required to have digital tuners with an antenna cable input.  The price of 19 -26" LCD DTV's is coming down and is currently in the $300 - 400 range.  If my analog TV was getting old, I would consider buying a new DTV instead of buying a converter.  If your analog TV fails, your converter will be worthless.

Anyone who can pickup the Austin stations with analog OTA transmission will be able to pickup these stations with digital OTA.

Cable and satellite company ads, government discount coupon promotions and media coverage are not presenting the full range of options.

Just something to think about folks!

Well the Hippy Dippy Weatherman, George Carlin, has passed away.  If you haven't seen his routine the blogosphere is abuzz.  A lot of his humor was laced with the drug cult of the late '60's but some of his better lines are still humorous today.  His name, Al Sleet, was funny for starters.  On the evening weather he forecast dark and for the morning, scattered light.  He retired after giving the ultimate forecast that the weather will change over the next few days, weeks and years.  Thinking about him might give us a little drought relief.

No blogs get more attention than those dealing with politics and skin color.  There is an undertone that in this election cycle it really boils down to black versus white.

Well, I think John McCain is too white.  I mean he is a ghostly, pale, anemic white and he has white hair to boot.  He needs more time in the sun if he expects my vote.

This Obama guy has more the skin color that light skinned people want to have.  I mean we worship a good sun tan.  So I should be leaning towards voting for Obama.  I would think that Hispanics, and other darker skinned people would also vote for Obama based on his skin color.

Of course with modern software such as Photoshop we can color the candidates any way we want.  So opponents of Obama can color him darker and proponents can color him a light tan.  We can color McCain tan with black hair.

If what you have just read makes sense, don't read on.

I believe we need to vote on issues and not skin color.  We are not electing a king or dictator.  We are electing candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties.  These candidates must deal with a Congress, do the people's bidding and do what is best for America.   The parties have positions on the major issues facing our country.  In this particular election cycle there is a very clear choice between the candidates and parties.

I believe we need more independent voters and fewer straight ticket voters.  I believe we need visionaries, team players and problem solvers in Washington DC; we do not need idealogues.  John McCain has demonstrated these traits.  Barack Obama has leadership traits even though he has a short track record.  I think we have two excellent candidates that represent different views and courses of action on domestic issues and world events.

Let's keep an open mind as we watch the election play out over the next 4 months.


 

I've been using aluminum foil for more years than I care to remember. Great stuff, but sometimes it can be a pain. You know, like when you are in the middle of doing something and you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time.

Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box.  And written on the end it said, "Press here to lock end".  Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there?  I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too.  I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too!  I can't count the number of times the Saran warp roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover something up.

I hope I'm not the only person that didn't know about this.  

I was in Vietnam in Dec 1971.  Our unit held a Christmas party for our VNAF counterparts and their children.  I have pictures and remembrances of this event that last after the bad memories of the war have passed.  My counterpart was Major Pham Van Thiet.  I learned years later that he was sent to a rehabilitation camp near Hanoi, where he died.  Some of his relatives are in the U.S. today.  As traumatic as the Vietnam war was, it is a joy to me to see how well the Vietnamese have adapted and contributed to our country.

Fast forward to Dec 2007.  The picture below shows a soldier in Iraq with an Iraqi child.  The child has been given a new pair of shoes donated from the U.S.  I can guarantee that this child's family and this soldier will have memories, like mine, that last a lifetime.

Support our troops and God bless our troops for the work they do.

The events in China and Burma are devastating to the children of that region.  China has allowed adoption in the past to foreigners and perhaps they will again as a result of the earthquake.  This would be a good time to consider and inquire about adoption.  I have personal experience with the following organization:

http://www.childrenshope.com/

Typically a group of parents travel together to the country to pick up children.  These parents form support groups that meet periodically.  It has turned out to be a wonderful experience for one of my relatives and his wife who could not have their own children.



The picture is at an orphanage in Vietnam.  The little boy is being adopted.  The little girl has a shirt on that says "I'm the big sister".  She was adopted from China 3 years ago and is an all American kid, now.  Look at all the children in the picture awaiting adoption.

I watched your newscast Thursday evening and said to the wife "look at that storm pattern, it will break up before reaching our area".  Well, I was wrong and the weatherman and model were right.  In fact I was awakened earlier on Friday morning than anticipated by severe storms and a anxious dog.  I got up, looked at the computer and the "Super Tracker" and saw that hail was in the area but no tornado activity.   Good call and good technology!  By the way I got 1.5" of needed rain.