ran 0.3 miles
Happy Easter! Today ends week thirty-four of running against Obama. I got sick earlier in the week and have not made much progress. I only managed to run 10.7 miles for the week, averaging 1.53 miles per day. I think I will be able to start hitting the roads again tomorrow.
1,395.1 miles to go.
Day237 Saturday 04/23/11
ran 0.2 miles
Gasoline prices have nearly doubled since Barack Obama took office. While it is convenient to blame Obama entirely for this staggering inflation, it is not entirely his fault. There are many factors involved; you have to give him that as a cushion. But, this is happening under his administration and that alone admits reason to question him and his actions.
For one thing, it is common knowledge that Obama does not frown upon outrageous gas prices because in his mind it encourages Americans to re-examine their carbon footprints and to drive less or to purchase more economical cars. However, given the circumstances of his awful polling numbers and his steadily growing unpopularity, he is going through the actions, like presidents in the past have during times of high gas prices, of investigating any abuses in the oil companies that might be making these prices so high. It is a transparent farce.
When President Obama took office a gallon of regular gas was approximately $1.79. Today the national average is $3.86 a gallon, and it will more than likely continue to rise even more before it subsides.
Obama continues to insist that the long-term drive to develop alternatives to fossil fuels is imperative. At a time like this, in an economy like this, in a country like this, which is atrophying at every ligament and joint from the weight of its burdens, this is yet another unrealistic Obama solution that has nothing to do with the present reality we are all breathing air in right now.
Obama has given a costly stimulus package, which had no real impact, and he and his counterparts excuse for its lack of results was that it was not enough. What exactly is enough? It’s never enough, that excuse is the only weak argument to be made for wasting such an exorbitant amount of money. ObamaCare is another example of introducing something absurdly expensive to a struggling economy and a nation of voters, half of which who do not and never did want it, in the name of the future. And then we come to alternative energy sources and the potential end of drilling. This is simply not the time to say or legislate such counterproductive ideas to the crises we are facing right now.
1,395.4 miles to go.
Gasoline prices have nearly doubled since Barack Obama took office. While it is convenient to blame Obama entirely for this staggering inflation, it is not entirely his fault. There are many factors involved; you have to give him that as a cushion. But, this is happening under his administration and that alone admits reason to question him and his actions.
For one thing, it is common knowledge that Obama does not frown upon outrageous gas prices because in his mind it encourages Americans to re-examine their carbon footprints and to drive less or to purchase more economical cars. However, given the circumstances of his awful polling numbers and his steadily growing unpopularity, he is going through the actions, like presidents in the past have during times of high gas prices, of investigating any abuses in the oil companies that might be making these prices so high. It is a transparent farce.
When President Obama took office a gallon of regular gas was approximately $1.79. Today the national average is $3.86 a gallon, and it will more than likely continue to rise even more before it subsides.
Obama continues to insist that the long-term drive to develop alternatives to fossil fuels is imperative. At a time like this, in an economy like this, in a country like this, which is atrophying at every ligament and joint from the weight of its burdens, this is yet another unrealistic Obama solution that has nothing to do with the present reality we are all breathing air in right now.
Obama has given a costly stimulus package, which had no real impact, and he and his counterparts excuse for its lack of results was that it was not enough. What exactly is enough? It’s never enough, that excuse is the only weak argument to be made for wasting such an exorbitant amount of money. ObamaCare is another example of introducing something absurdly expensive to a struggling economy and a nation of voters, half of which who do not and never did want it, in the name of the future. And then we come to alternative energy sources and the potential end of drilling. This is simply not the time to say or legislate such counterproductive ideas to the crises we are facing right now.
1,395.4 miles to go.
Day236 Friday 04/22/11
ran 0.2 miles
Still sick. I only made it to the end of the street and back again today. Here are some facts about New Hampshire and some good news about the Health Care Compact:
Also on Wednesday, the Texas House passed approval to join the interstate health care compact.
Senator Elbert Guillory of Louisiana and Senator Larry Grooms of South Carolina have recently introduced the Health Care Compact to their Senates.
Georgia is the first state to have its governor sign the compact and Arizona is right behind them. The way this compact works is once a state’s governor signs off on the bill, it is ready to go to Washington and upon Senate and House approval the compact becomes law. Barack Obama’s signature, or any other president’s, is not necessary for the compact to become law. In the event that enough states pursue this route, if the number is overwhelming enough, it could be a real possibility.
Oh, and one last thing. The heroes who risked their lives a decade ago by running into the World Trade Center Towers as they crumbled to the ground are being forced to get screened for the terrorist watch list as a prerequisite to receiving medical benefits for the health issues they are currently suffering at the cost of being at ground zero and risking their lives to save others. But we don’t screen welfare recipients for drug use. We do want to give bottomless amounts of taxpayer money to illegal aliens in the form of health care and education. But we don’t want to tighten our borders. Forty-seven percent of this country does not even pay income taxes, yet…I’m rambling. So, in a country that cares so little to screen for things that count so much, in what right mind is this measure necessary in comparison to all of the massive, widespread problems this country faces at such a larger scale?
1,395.6 miles to go.
Still sick. I only made it to the end of the street and back again today. Here are some facts about New Hampshire and some good news about the Health Care Compact:
- New Hampshire was the ninth state to join the union on June 21, 1788, four days before Virginia and one month after South Carolina.
- Population, as of 2010, is 1,316,470.
- Senators are Kelly Ayotte (R) and Jeanne Shaheen (D).
- Representatives are Frank Guinta (R) and Charles Bass (R).
- New Hampshire, one of the original thirteen colonies, has four electoral votes. The state has participated in all fifty-six presidential elections. Historically, the state has voted red for six out of the last ten presidential elections. Four out of the last five elections, New Hampshire voted blue. Although, surrounded by blue states, New Hampshire is considered a swing state. Barack Obama won by nine percent over McCain in 2008.
Also on Wednesday, the Texas House passed approval to join the interstate health care compact.
Senator Elbert Guillory of Louisiana and Senator Larry Grooms of South Carolina have recently introduced the Health Care Compact to their Senates.
Georgia is the first state to have its governor sign the compact and Arizona is right behind them. The way this compact works is once a state’s governor signs off on the bill, it is ready to go to Washington and upon Senate and House approval the compact becomes law. Barack Obama’s signature, or any other president’s, is not necessary for the compact to become law. In the event that enough states pursue this route, if the number is overwhelming enough, it could be a real possibility.
Oh, and one last thing. The heroes who risked their lives a decade ago by running into the World Trade Center Towers as they crumbled to the ground are being forced to get screened for the terrorist watch list as a prerequisite to receiving medical benefits for the health issues they are currently suffering at the cost of being at ground zero and risking their lives to save others. But we don’t screen welfare recipients for drug use. We do want to give bottomless amounts of taxpayer money to illegal aliens in the form of health care and education. But we don’t want to tighten our borders. Forty-seven percent of this country does not even pay income taxes, yet…I’m rambling. So, in a country that cares so little to screen for things that count so much, in what right mind is this measure necessary in comparison to all of the massive, widespread problems this country faces at such a larger scale?
1,395.6 miles to go.
Day235 Thursday 04/21/11
ran 0.2 miles
Some polls and stats from Rasmussen Reports:
This is the worst I have felt in a long time. I got the usual lineup of medicine, cortisone shot and five days of antibiotics, first thing this morning and slept all day. Yesterday’s run was a small distance and today’s was hardly worth mentioning. I only walked to the end of my street and slowly made my way back home. One day at a time.
1,395.8 miles to go.
Some polls and stats from Rasmussen Reports:
- Barack Obama’s presidential index rating shows that 25% of American voters strongly approve of his performance while 40% strongly disapprove, giving Obama a presidential index rating of –15.
- Overall, 46% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of Barack Obama’s performance and 53% disapprove.
- Only 22% believe America is heading in the right direction. This matches the lowest level of Obama’s time in office.
- Among American voters, 61% oppose U.S. citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants.
This is the worst I have felt in a long time. I got the usual lineup of medicine, cortisone shot and five days of antibiotics, first thing this morning and slept all day. Yesterday’s run was a small distance and today’s was hardly worth mentioning. I only walked to the end of my street and slowly made my way back home. One day at a time.
1,395.8 miles to go.
Day234 Wednesday 04/20/11
ran 1.4 miles
chapter4
“Carmen Elise Sanders?”
Jonas hadn’t felt this confounded since 2002 when he first saw a television commercial for a prescription drug that claimed to remedy anxiety even though one could contract outrageous side effects such as infection, injury, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, constipation, decreased appetite, sleepiness, dizziness, sexual side effects, nervousness, tremor, yawning, sweating, abnormal vision, weakness, and insomnia. Furthermore, in the event that one was a teenager, which was a very loose term, one should also watch out for increased suicidal thoughts or actions, severe changes in mood or behavior (example: being anxious, agitated, panicky, irritable, hostile, aggressive, impulsive, severely restless, hyper active, overly excited, or not being able to sleep). Finally, abruptly stopping the medication can result in dizziness, sensory disturbances, electric shock sensations and tinnitus, abnormal dreams, agitation, anxiety, nausea, sweating, mood fluctuations, headache, fatigue, nervousness, and sleep disorders. May also be present in breast milk so tell your doctor if you are nursing.
Once again, Jonas was nearly speechless. Carmen was the first and only girl he had ever cared about. She was his first kiss and the closest he had ever come to being in love. They had spent their time rediscovering the stars together at night and had made their own constellations. Under a blurry cotton-balled sky they spent their days together talking about how they were going to change the world. She was going to be his queen and he was going to be her king.
They had been together for two years before losing their virginity to one another at an obscured echo point within the heavily wooded property of a Natural History Museum. A bricked path had led to a small cul-de-sac whereupon people could stand in the center and create rhythmic waves of sound with their voices. It was on the dark, grassy earth behind a bench lining the circumference of the bricked echo circle that Jonas and Carmen decided to break up and then unexpectedly made love like two awkward and disoriented uncommon species.
The one thing that was supposed to be a final bridge to their commitment to one another ended up being an undermining act against everything television, their parents, and society attempted to convince them of for their entire lives. They felt deceived and victimized for being born into a societal epoch of lowered expectations where everyone around them was already so convinced that the shackles on their wrists were lifeblood and that the routines they performed daily were actually as meaningful as they thought. In the name of everything that was wrong with the world, they sexually rebelled and never spoke again, until now.
That was a long, young time ago and neither Jonas nor Carmen could fully understand the extent of their actions during that time. However, the act they had made was a powerful statement of why youth was increasingly waking up and acting out. They could not put their fingers on what the problem was but they knew something was wrong with the world each day as they woke up.
The media was a poisonous mushroom of lies that looked appealing to any starving consumer of misinformation. Through whatever medium news was broadcasted its sole purpose was to scare the consumer nearly to death, regardless of age, and to control that person with fear. Teachers were scolding and condescending toward twelve-year-old boys and girls in an attempt to purge through humiliation their child-like natures in order to hasten the process of dying into an adult, only to justify their own misunderstood existences. Parents spent little to no time with their children expecting that televisions and computers would rear them properly, and then wondered why they were all of a sudden pubescent and simultaneously pregnant or arrested. The media, teachers, parents and many others, never once suspecting that they had anything to do with the problem, had convinced themselves that everything was alright by telling their poor, misled children and future generations a certain few words of encouragement.
“Welcome to the real world. It only gets better from here.”
Their sarcastic tone of voice, their condescension, their having given up on themselves, their pessimism, and their wish to simply roll over was an inappropriate disaster that they had no right to impress upon the young, sponge-like minds that would be their future.
It appeared that Carmen had turned over to the other side and became exactly what the system desired her to be, weak and powerless. Jonas had to admit that the chances of him running in to her today, under these circumstances, were astronomically incalculable. He was at a complete loss of not only what to say but how to react in any physical or emotional aspect, whatsoever.
It was as though a mighty fist had grabbed Jonas by the spine and squeezed with such paralyzing force that he could not twitch a toe or blink an eye. The other fist of irony had squeezed Carmen into paralysis, as well, allowing only a lone tear to slowly flow down her soft, delicate misguided face.
There was an emotional stupor and a physical silence that briefly demanded their pebble of the universe to stand still. For a moment they both traveled back in time and grinned inwardly. Jonas remembered her shy smile and how she would blush when he’d tell her she was beautiful. He remembered her strength and all the goals she’d had. Carmen remembered the night at the echo point with Jonas and how innocent he was. She remembered being certain that Jonas was the best man she would ever find. Carmen remembered how good Jonas once made her feel.
And then it was over.
Carmen rubbed her eyes dry and Jonas wiped the surprise off his face. All of a sudden, as though a defense mechanism had clicked, like a safety pressed on a gun, they both pretended to not know each other. It was easily the most awkward position either of them had ever been in.
They were now in a standoff to outdo one another with indifference.
Carmen went right back into character and Jonas reclaimed his mission to find a light. With a fair amount of melodramatic sass, Carmen reached into her purse and put on a set of dark sunglasses to avoid eye contact with Jonas.
“Do you want to follow me?”
Jonas was still tangled in the ether of impossibility that this was really happening. He had worshipped and hung upon every single breath this girl had taken for two years and now she was a prostitute offering herself to him for thirty bucks.
“There’s a spot in the alley behind Ike’s.” She ran her fingers along his arm smiling in denial.
Out of options and at a gross loss of ideas, Jonas played into the act like a giant wooden dummy with the hand of an impatient, heartless ventriloquist forming his words.
Jonas turned down her advances, grabbed her roaming hands, and looked her right in the eyes. Through her gawky, tinted sunglasses he penetrated her with a glance of deference until he knew she understood that he was not going to bite into a rotten apple.
“I’m sure your shorts are full of sugar but I’m just looking for a Bic or a match. That bump on the road over there may be dead and you are the only other person around. Got a light?”
With an understood amount of attitude Carmen lit up one of her own cigarettes and handed it to Jonas. As he reached for it she broke it in half between her fingers and let it fall to the ground. He had expected no less of a reaction. Jonas picked up the lit end off the cold, damp concrete and ignited his own cigarette with it. They exchanged a confused and meaningless look at one another.
Things were not always like this.
1,396.0 miles to go.
Day233 Tuesday 04/19/11
ran 3.8 miles
From WashingtonExaminer.com, in an article written by Senior Political Analyst Michael Barone, he questions whether Barack Obama took Tax 1 in law school. Following Obama’s speech at George Washington University on April 13, which was coincidentally the day before Standard and Poor’s elected to reduce the government’s credit rating to “negative”, he seemed to be implying that he could acquire all the money we need to balance our budget by placing higher taxes on the rich.
Actually, according to the Wall Street Journal, if the government were to confiscate every dollar from those claiming a taxable income in excess of $1 million in 2008, that amount would not have reached the $1.3 trillion needed to close the current federal budget deficit.
Barone elaborated on a concept that he paid attention to when he was in Tax 1 in law school and that concept was the fact that when you reduce income tax rates, high earners have more taxable income and when you raise them they have less. As odd as that sounds at first glance, you can either go attend a semester of Tax 1 at a law school to fully understand it or accept the fact that there is a deliberate reason why federal tax revenues since World War II have gravitated to a solid 18 or 19 percent of gross domestic product, regardless of tax rates. The reason for this is, historically, higher rates tend to result in less taxable income.
If you need a breath of fresh air, check out Fairtax.org. It is the most effective and feasible solution to America’s economic woes. And future presidents and members of Congress would not be able to abuse this method of taxation as a deceitful tool to confuse and rob tens of millions of Americans. Barack Obama, for one, would have no leg to stand on or any arguably productive ideas to submit under the Fairtax. It says a lot about the role of Washington when a system as functional and as positive as the Fairtax is so difficult to pass in Congress.
1,397.4 miles to go.
From WashingtonExaminer.com, in an article written by Senior Political Analyst Michael Barone, he questions whether Barack Obama took Tax 1 in law school. Following Obama’s speech at George Washington University on April 13, which was coincidentally the day before Standard and Poor’s elected to reduce the government’s credit rating to “negative”, he seemed to be implying that he could acquire all the money we need to balance our budget by placing higher taxes on the rich.
Actually, according to the Wall Street Journal, if the government were to confiscate every dollar from those claiming a taxable income in excess of $1 million in 2008, that amount would not have reached the $1.3 trillion needed to close the current federal budget deficit.
Barone elaborated on a concept that he paid attention to when he was in Tax 1 in law school and that concept was the fact that when you reduce income tax rates, high earners have more taxable income and when you raise them they have less. As odd as that sounds at first glance, you can either go attend a semester of Tax 1 at a law school to fully understand it or accept the fact that there is a deliberate reason why federal tax revenues since World War II have gravitated to a solid 18 or 19 percent of gross domestic product, regardless of tax rates. The reason for this is, historically, higher rates tend to result in less taxable income.
If you need a breath of fresh air, check out Fairtax.org. It is the most effective and feasible solution to America’s economic woes. And future presidents and members of Congress would not be able to abuse this method of taxation as a deceitful tool to confuse and rob tens of millions of Americans. Barack Obama, for one, would have no leg to stand on or any arguably productive ideas to submit under the Fairtax. It says a lot about the role of Washington when a system as functional and as positive as the Fairtax is so difficult to pass in Congress.
1,397.4 miles to go.
Day232 Monday 04/18/11
ran 4.6 miles
Here’s what I don’t get. I would rather be overcharged by health insurance companies from the private sector than be forced to pay the federal premiums for ObamaCare in the potential near future. Am I selfish for that? Am I a bad person for feeling that way?
First of all, under ObamaCare I would be “forced”, and a competitive market has nothing to do with forcing any one man or woman to do anything, regardless of whether it is a good or a bad idea. Our current health care system is not as good as it could be. No one is arguing that it is. But a possible transition of the magnitude ObamaCare possesses in America is the deafening crescendo of a decades-old collective product of politics run-a-muck, corporations thirsting for dollar amounts that will never be enough, and ordinary Americans who lost sight of the principles that make this country so great.
Nearly half of America pays no income tax. Precisely 47% of this nation does little enough to not contribute to society in the form of government programs subsidized by taxpayer money. And the solution under the current administration is to tax the rich more and to enable greater percentages of people to take advantage of the system, a system that actually seems like a decent, humanitarian idea on paper, but, much like Communism, the reality bears no resemblance to the idea.
It is frustrating to see the story of America being written the way it is right now when talk of raising taxes and spending mindlessly work in tandem to deconstruct America, as we know it. Only 53% of this country pays income taxes, yet 47% reap the unearned rewards of the federal government’s imbalanced toils.
So, here’s what I don’t get. Why is the argument I hear most from the left one that involves selfless compassion and a circumstance in which someone like me is only “fortunate” and every single person who has less than me, and I don’t have much, is a victim who deserves federally subsidized alms?
My solution would be to start a program that severely encourages the other half of this entire nation to pay federal income taxes and to give them the opportunity to fully embrace the “risk and reward” concept, which defines America.
Will Someone Else please stand up? Someone Else, 2012.
1,401.2 miles to go.
Here’s what I don’t get. I would rather be overcharged by health insurance companies from the private sector than be forced to pay the federal premiums for ObamaCare in the potential near future. Am I selfish for that? Am I a bad person for feeling that way?
First of all, under ObamaCare I would be “forced”, and a competitive market has nothing to do with forcing any one man or woman to do anything, regardless of whether it is a good or a bad idea. Our current health care system is not as good as it could be. No one is arguing that it is. But a possible transition of the magnitude ObamaCare possesses in America is the deafening crescendo of a decades-old collective product of politics run-a-muck, corporations thirsting for dollar amounts that will never be enough, and ordinary Americans who lost sight of the principles that make this country so great.
Nearly half of America pays no income tax. Precisely 47% of this nation does little enough to not contribute to society in the form of government programs subsidized by taxpayer money. And the solution under the current administration is to tax the rich more and to enable greater percentages of people to take advantage of the system, a system that actually seems like a decent, humanitarian idea on paper, but, much like Communism, the reality bears no resemblance to the idea.
It is frustrating to see the story of America being written the way it is right now when talk of raising taxes and spending mindlessly work in tandem to deconstruct America, as we know it. Only 53% of this country pays income taxes, yet 47% reap the unearned rewards of the federal government’s imbalanced toils.
So, here’s what I don’t get. Why is the argument I hear most from the left one that involves selfless compassion and a circumstance in which someone like me is only “fortunate” and every single person who has less than me, and I don’t have much, is a victim who deserves federally subsidized alms?
My solution would be to start a program that severely encourages the other half of this entire nation to pay federal income taxes and to give them the opportunity to fully embrace the “risk and reward” concept, which defines America.
Will Someone Else please stand up? Someone Else, 2012.
1,401.2 miles to go.
Day231 Sunday 04/17/11
ran 4.5 miles
Today ends week thirty-three of running against Obama. I ran 27.4 miles this week, averaging 3.91 miles per day.
I found these videos at theblaze.com. The videos contain expletives and vulgarity. You've been warned. The videos are from the Oregon Tea Party Tax Day Rally, which took place on April 15, 2011. The rally was in Portland at Pioneer Courthouse Square and the Tea Party was anticipating union supporters to be present and to oppose them. Having taken a pledge to avoid violence, the Tea Party was heckled and ridiculed throughout the rally as the videos depict.
Free speech is free speech, but this is some pretty disturbing footage.
1,405.8 miles to go.
Day230 Saturday 04/16/11
ran 2.2 milesI saw “Atlas Shrugged” today in Baton Rouge. The movie stayed true to the book, only omitting what was necessary for time’s sake. Some things had to be cut as the original story in novel form is nearly as long as the text in Obama’s health care law, though far more interesting. The movie was a difficult and stirring depiction of a possible near future in America.
The message in Ayn Rand’s story, written over fifty years ago, fell right into place in a mere future look at America in 2016. If you’re in a city with a theater playing “Atlas Shrugged”, see it! Here is a list of the states and the few cities that are screening the movie.
1,410.3 miles to go.
The message in Ayn Rand’s story, written over fifty years ago, fell right into place in a mere future look at America in 2016. If you’re in a city with a theater playing “Atlas Shrugged”, see it! Here is a list of the states and the few cities that are screening the movie.
1,410.3 miles to go.
Day229 Friday 04/15/11
ran 3.6 miles
I’m driving to Baton Rouge with a friend tomorrow to see “Atlas Shrugged”, based on the novel by Ayn Rand. I had read the novel years ago and it has been on my “top three” list since. I highly recommend seeing this movie because it deals with many of the political issues America is dealing with presently, even though the book was written fifty years ago. The parallels between fiction and reality are stunning.
In the spirit of Ayn Rand and “Atlas Shrugged”, the video above gave me goose bumps when I saw it. Rand Paul, in Washington D.C., actually cited one of Ayn Rand’s other novels, “Anthem”, to convey his message on the direction America is taking in not utilizing its own natural resources.
I, for one, appreciate any form of art or philosophy or metaphor that is exhibited in our Congress to deliver the message that our accepted state of politics, the loopholes, closed doors and deceit that define our politics, at least sometimes needs to step away from its curious routine of doing whatever it is they do, which so few of us understand.
In closing, here are some stats and facts about Nevada:
I’m driving to Baton Rouge with a friend tomorrow to see “Atlas Shrugged”, based on the novel by Ayn Rand. I had read the novel years ago and it has been on my “top three” list since. I highly recommend seeing this movie because it deals with many of the political issues America is dealing with presently, even though the book was written fifty years ago. The parallels between fiction and reality are stunning.
In the spirit of Ayn Rand and “Atlas Shrugged”, the video above gave me goose bumps when I saw it. Rand Paul, in Washington D.C., actually cited one of Ayn Rand’s other novels, “Anthem”, to convey his message on the direction America is taking in not utilizing its own natural resources.
I, for one, appreciate any form of art or philosophy or metaphor that is exhibited in our Congress to deliver the message that our accepted state of politics, the loopholes, closed doors and deceit that define our politics, at least sometimes needs to step away from its curious routine of doing whatever it is they do, which so few of us understand.
In closing, here are some stats and facts about Nevada:
- Nevada was the thirty-sixth state to join the union on October 31, 1864, three years before Nebraska and one year after West Virginia.
- Population, as of 2010, is 2,700,551.
- Senators are John Ensign (R) and Harry Reid (D).
- Representatives are Shelley Berkley (D), Dean Heller (R) and Joe Heck (R).
- Nevada was one of only two states to join the Union during the Civil War. The state has had only three electoral votes from 1864 until 1980. Nevada’s population has more than tripled since 1980. The state has voted red for the majority of presidential elections since the late 1960s, excluding the Clinton years and Obama. Barack Obama defeated McCain by a margin of 55% to 43% in 2008.
Day228 Thursday 04/14/11
ran 3.4 miles
The state of Oklahoma has officially rejected a $54.6 million federal grant for ObamaCare. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said the state would alternatively use state and private money to improve its health care system. Oklahoma firmly believes a system can be achieved for an amount less than the federal grant albeit a $500 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year for the state.
Unlike the news we read and hear about everyday, this single action speaks volumes of what is really going on in this country. This action does not need an elaborate article written about it to understand what it means. A state that is already in the red by half a billion dollars is turning down $54.6 million from the federal government to get ObamaCare rolling and Oklahoma feels that this grant causes more harm than good.
In a related story, the Health Care Compact, which would restore authority and responsibility for health care regulation to individual states, is leaving a steady wake of progress. The Georgia State Senate passed legislation for the Health Care Compact today and it is now on the desk of their governor. Arizona’s State Senate passed the compact on Monday and it is on their governor’s desk.
The Health Care Compact has been introduced in 12 states and has passed the State House of Representatives in Montana and Missouri and State Senate in Oklahoma. In addition, in more than 36 states, citizen groups and state legislators are actively considering the Health Care Compact with legislative activity expected in the coming weeks.
"Our health care system is too large and too complex to manage at the federal level -- and too important to be debated outside the earshot of citizens. That is why today's passage in Georgia will enable citizens to engage in the policy process at their state level, and to prescribe laws that match the needs of their communities."
Here are some polls from Rasmussen Reports to close the post:
The state of Oklahoma has officially rejected a $54.6 million federal grant for ObamaCare. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said the state would alternatively use state and private money to improve its health care system. Oklahoma firmly believes a system can be achieved for an amount less than the federal grant albeit a $500 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year for the state.
Unlike the news we read and hear about everyday, this single action speaks volumes of what is really going on in this country. This action does not need an elaborate article written about it to understand what it means. A state that is already in the red by half a billion dollars is turning down $54.6 million from the federal government to get ObamaCare rolling and Oklahoma feels that this grant causes more harm than good.
In a related story, the Health Care Compact, which would restore authority and responsibility for health care regulation to individual states, is leaving a steady wake of progress. The Georgia State Senate passed legislation for the Health Care Compact today and it is now on the desk of their governor. Arizona’s State Senate passed the compact on Monday and it is on their governor’s desk.
The Health Care Compact has been introduced in 12 states and has passed the State House of Representatives in Montana and Missouri and State Senate in Oklahoma. In addition, in more than 36 states, citizen groups and state legislators are actively considering the Health Care Compact with legislative activity expected in the coming weeks.
"Our health care system is too large and too complex to manage at the federal level -- and too important to be debated outside the earshot of citizens. That is why today's passage in Georgia will enable citizens to engage in the policy process at their state level, and to prescribe laws that match the needs of their communities."
Eric O'Keefe, Chairman of the Health Care Compact Alliance
Here are some polls from Rasmussen Reports to close the post:
- Barack Obama’s presidential index rating shows that 23% of American voters strongly approve of his performance while 38% strongly disapprove, giving Obama a presidential index rating of –15.
- Overall, 49% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of Barack Obama’s performance and 50% disapprove.
- Only 23% of U.S. voters believe America is heading in the right direction.
- Remaining consistent, 51% favor health care repeal.
- Among American voters, 65% believe significant long-term spending cuts to be unlikely before 2012 elections.
Day227 Wednesday 04/13/11
ran 4.5 miles
chapter3
Jonas unclenched his hands, not realizing how tightly he was frivolously gripping at the steamy air in front of his face, and took another step toward the door. He raised his right hand slowly as though a weight was upon it and pressed through his cloud of breath with the intent to knock. His hand fell effortlessly into question. Unsure, like a squirrel that couldn’t decide whether to stay on one side of the road or the other as cars drove by, Jonas’ thoughts scurried left and right of right and wrong. He placed his knock back in his pocket, turned around, and mashed a new path of red and yellow tracks.
Next to what remained of a skeleton-like crepe myrtle Jonas found a seat on the curb of a quiet road a few blocks over. Lining the concrete edge were numerous cigarette butts, smashed acorns, occasional beer cans, endless leaves, random fallen branches, and unidentifiable scraps of paper. Nestled between a busted shoe and a faded can of beer was a wet dollar bill nearly torn in half. Out of the corner of Jonas’ eye was what appeared to be a wayward bum curled up in the fetal position, sleeping. His body was a crescent shape like that of a cat or dog trying to keep in their body heat.
Jonas was amazed that such things would simply be found on the side of a road. He picked up the dollar bill and put it in his backpack almost unconvinced that it was real. He was one block from a set of train tracks, a halfway house was across the street, a police car was advancing in his direction, an unsavory prostitute was giving him eyes and skin from the parking lot of a closed down barber shop on the other side of the road, a man was sleeping on the curb of a street next to him and, amidst all of this, he happened to find a dollar bill.
He thought nothing more of it and took a seat among the rubbish. Jonas pulled his book of unknown poems out of his back pocket and opened it up to page thirty-four as randomly as if he had opened to page seventy-eight.
The type of poetry Jonas liked most, as though quality and good craft were a gaping pair of incorrigible bucked teeth, tended to be strikingly inferior and poorly crafted. His opinion was that anything widely popularized was almost automatically incredulous. Wide popularization was the money idea put forth by the same opportunists who placed Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” on coffee mugs and made Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” a ring tone on cell phones. Inferiority and poor craft, according to Jonas, were equally as beautiful as anything else and stood no chance of being ruined or diluted by mass production, corporate sponsorship, general commercialization, or posthumous infringement of original intent and purpose. Jonas felt that a long road of potential progress before him was far greater than reaching an ultimate end of exploitation and misunderstanding. Jonas felt sorry for any fool who spent his entire life trying to make millions of people from any one given region concur on a single topic, an idea or a painting, foolishly conjectured or crafted in the name of politics or art. These people ended up on t-shirts, coffee mugs and posters until their messages and their ideas became so generalized and unremarkable that the most undeserving and uneducated minds available picked them up in thrift stores because they were fashionable five years before.
The poems in this book were important to Jonas for the one reason that the book had no author, no name, and all of the poems were untitled. At a garage sale, under a set of fluted plastic salt and pepper shakers and on top of a broken clock radio, Jonas had found the book and purchased it for $0.37. He had talked them down from $0.45. It drew him in as an act that another person had made with the full knowledge that there would be no payoff. Why would somebody spend hours writing letters, words, sentences and paragraphs on pieces of paper when they knew there would be no distinguishing factor or monetary reward, thereafter? It made perfect sense to Jonas and that was exactly why he had been carrying the untitled book around for three years.
He tucked the book back into his pocket and stood up. He breathed in the urban decay of his own generation’s self-wrought surroundings, ignored the redheaded hooker at what used to be Ike’s Barber Shop, and advanced in the direction of the crescent figure sleeping on the curb. Jonas gave him a mild nudge. When the man did not respond he gave him a restrained push. All Jonas wanted was a Bic or a match but he could see that nothing short of accosting the prostitute or standing on the man’s despondent head would get his cigarette lit.
He attempted to glance unnoticeably at the young woman across the street. She saw him looking in her direction and gave him a wink. Jonas stepped over the curled up man, brushed by the skeletal crepe myrtle, and walked to the old barbershop. She saw him coming and smacked her gum a little harder like an excited dog wagging its tail for attention. She spit out the gum and lit a cigarette as though inhaling smoke through her lungs and blowing it out of her mouth somehow made her seem like a better product or a more attractive business proposition. She was playing the role of whore like an amateur porn star in a poorly directed, underfinanced, failed adult film.
Jonas contributed nothing in capturing the scene as he walked up completely disinterested in everything she represented. As he got closer and closer she suddenly fell out of character. She tucked the hint of flesh she was teasing him with back into her armpit-soiled tube top and quickly zipped up her raggedy jacket. She took an unnaturally long drag from her cigarette and stood paralyzed with disbelief. Under her breath she mumbled three words as though she were asking an impossible question.
"Jonas Martin Cassidy?"
1,419.5 miles to go.
Day226 Tuesday 04/12/11
ran 3.3 milesA series of common themes I came across today led me to the subject of this post. First, I saw a story about George Soros speaking to Bloomberg Television concerning the U.S. economy---the debate over cuts versus government spending. He suggested that the U.S. could take on more debt and should stop obsessing about budget cuts. Soros argues that America should take on more debt and spend it on infrastructure.
Perhaps I should take the money I usually spend for my mortgage, burn it, invest in a pool and patio for my backyard with a credit card at an excessive interest rate, and further disable my complete inability to pay for any of it.
Second, I came across a story about Adam Klugman, host of the radio show “Mad as Hell in America”, and he said that he was sick and tired of liberals running from the term “socialism”.
He had this to say after progressive listeners called in to criticize his comments, inquiring as to whether he had ever read “Mein Kampf”.
“People have been brainwashed by the right into associating Socialism with Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia and not with free, highly successful democratic nations like Norway, Finland and the Belgium. And that’s why I said it. Because I believe it’s time for us to stop making up nice words to describe ourselves so Republicans will tolerate us. Liberal is not a bad word. And neither is Socialist. The fact that we’ve completely given up on these ideas demonstrates a defensive mindset that always keeps us on the losing side.”
Third, I saw that Obama is addressing the nation tomorrow to explain his “spending plan”. In contrast to our president’s interest, Paul Ryan has submitted a “budget plan”, which is receiving a lot of criticism for being too radical. The media has distinguished the two sides of economic paths with the two oppositional terms “spending” and “budget” plans. In an economy like this, I find it hard to believe that anyone would desire to label their plan to reconcile a budget deficit as a “spending” budget. But that’s what his agenda is. Spend, spend, spend.
Next, I read that the IRS, once it was definitively established after the ratification of the sixteenth amendment (the Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes…) in 1913, is actually a Marxist concept straight out of the Communist Manifesto’s second of ten planks: A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. This tenet is what we Americans have come to know as the misapplication of the sixteenth amendment.
And the final thing I came across, like a breath of fresh air, was a feasible solution to reroute the direction our president and his liberal counterparts are leading this nation. If you have never heard of or don’t know much about the “fair tax” I highly recommend you check up on it. Here is their site. There is a Fair Tax calculator that will help you understand how the tax works and how it would effect you.
The guidelines of this tax are 133 pages. The IRS tax code is 72,000 pages. That is a stack of paper eighteen feet high. The bill currently has 67 co-sponsors in Congress. And $22 million makes the Fair Tax the most researched piece of legislation regarding tax reform in American history, backed by over eighty of America’s top economists.
The Fair Tax abolishes the IRS and achieves taxation in a way that most benefits the economy and the taxpayers. It’s a real possibility that is rapidly gaining momentum and definitely worth reading up on.
If you haven’t caught on to tonight’s theme it is the Marxist direction in which our nation is being led. Barack Obama has successfully united half, if not more, of America together to fight against his ideas to a degree that is incomparable to anything we have seen since the Civil War. So many states striving to avoid his health care law, the Fair Tax threatening to abolish the IRS and its 72,000 pages of possible ways to take advantage of taxpayers and ridiculous tax laws for businesses, and the birth of the Tea Party threatening so many of the choices he has made to compromise the values we define as Americans---these are just a few of the sleeping giants of defiance he has awakened with his hope and audacity.
1,424.0 miles to go.
Perhaps I should take the money I usually spend for my mortgage, burn it, invest in a pool and patio for my backyard with a credit card at an excessive interest rate, and further disable my complete inability to pay for any of it.
Second, I came across a story about Adam Klugman, host of the radio show “Mad as Hell in America”, and he said that he was sick and tired of liberals running from the term “socialism”.
He had this to say after progressive listeners called in to criticize his comments, inquiring as to whether he had ever read “Mein Kampf”.
“People have been brainwashed by the right into associating Socialism with Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia and not with free, highly successful democratic nations like Norway, Finland and the Belgium. And that’s why I said it. Because I believe it’s time for us to stop making up nice words to describe ourselves so Republicans will tolerate us. Liberal is not a bad word. And neither is Socialist. The fact that we’ve completely given up on these ideas demonstrates a defensive mindset that always keeps us on the losing side.”
Third, I saw that Obama is addressing the nation tomorrow to explain his “spending plan”. In contrast to our president’s interest, Paul Ryan has submitted a “budget plan”, which is receiving a lot of criticism for being too radical. The media has distinguished the two sides of economic paths with the two oppositional terms “spending” and “budget” plans. In an economy like this, I find it hard to believe that anyone would desire to label their plan to reconcile a budget deficit as a “spending” budget. But that’s what his agenda is. Spend, spend, spend.
Next, I read that the IRS, once it was definitively established after the ratification of the sixteenth amendment (the Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes…) in 1913, is actually a Marxist concept straight out of the Communist Manifesto’s second of ten planks: A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. This tenet is what we Americans have come to know as the misapplication of the sixteenth amendment.
And the final thing I came across, like a breath of fresh air, was a feasible solution to reroute the direction our president and his liberal counterparts are leading this nation. If you have never heard of or don’t know much about the “fair tax” I highly recommend you check up on it. Here is their site. There is a Fair Tax calculator that will help you understand how the tax works and how it would effect you.
The guidelines of this tax are 133 pages. The IRS tax code is 72,000 pages. That is a stack of paper eighteen feet high. The bill currently has 67 co-sponsors in Congress. And $22 million makes the Fair Tax the most researched piece of legislation regarding tax reform in American history, backed by over eighty of America’s top economists.
The Fair Tax abolishes the IRS and achieves taxation in a way that most benefits the economy and the taxpayers. It’s a real possibility that is rapidly gaining momentum and definitely worth reading up on.
If you haven’t caught on to tonight’s theme it is the Marxist direction in which our nation is being led. Barack Obama has successfully united half, if not more, of America together to fight against his ideas to a degree that is incomparable to anything we have seen since the Civil War. So many states striving to avoid his health care law, the Fair Tax threatening to abolish the IRS and its 72,000 pages of possible ways to take advantage of taxpayers and ridiculous tax laws for businesses, and the birth of the Tea Party threatening so many of the choices he has made to compromise the values we define as Americans---these are just a few of the sleeping giants of defiance he has awakened with his hope and audacity.
1,424.0 miles to go.
Day225 Monday 04/11/11
ran 5.9 milesYou may not know this, but appropriations bills in the fiscal year 2010 contained 9,499 earmarks worth $15.9 billion. Leading this spree of irresponsible spending were Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss) and Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii). Combined, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, these leaders among earmark recipients secured $890,023,850 in 2010.
Follow this link to see how much you contributed to 2010 earmarks and what percentage your income bracket paid.
Here is something else you may not know. In February of 2009, Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, otherwise known as the “Stimulus package”. Early estimates had put the stimulus package at $787 billion. The most recent estimate by the Congressional Budget Office is $75 billion more, putting the total at $862 billion.
Follow this link to see what your share of the economic stimulus package is.
And here’s one more. Mandatory funds in the health care law are estimated at $105 billion. Mandatory spending is controlled by separate laws other than appropriation acts and these mandatory funds could possibly remain available to Obama and his administration to spend even if Republicans were able to defund the health care law.
Follow this link to see what your share of the beginning of socialized health care in America looks like.
To the right of any three of these links is a list of taxpayer calculators dealing with various projects our tax dollars are being spent on.
1,427.3 miles to go.
Follow this link to see how much you contributed to 2010 earmarks and what percentage your income bracket paid.
Here is something else you may not know. In February of 2009, Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, otherwise known as the “Stimulus package”. Early estimates had put the stimulus package at $787 billion. The most recent estimate by the Congressional Budget Office is $75 billion more, putting the total at $862 billion.
Follow this link to see what your share of the economic stimulus package is.
And here’s one more. Mandatory funds in the health care law are estimated at $105 billion. Mandatory spending is controlled by separate laws other than appropriation acts and these mandatory funds could possibly remain available to Obama and his administration to spend even if Republicans were able to defund the health care law.
Follow this link to see what your share of the beginning of socialized health care in America looks like.
To the right of any three of these links is a list of taxpayer calculators dealing with various projects our tax dollars are being spent on.
1,427.3 miles to go.
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