Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Obama's Stimulus Cost MORE than 8 Years of War

I'm not making that title up. There's even a handy dandy little graph to prove it.

Check out the article here.

* Obama's stimulus, passed in his first month in office, will cost more than the entire Iraq War -- more than $100 billion (15%) more.

* Just the first two years of Obama's stimulus cost more than the entire cost of the Iraq War under President Bush, or six years of that war.

* Iraq War spending accounted for just 3.2% of all federal spending while it lasted.

* Iraq War spending was not even one quarter of what we spent on Medicare in the same time frame.

* Iraq War spending was not even 15% of the total deficit spending in that time frame. The cumulative deficit, 2003-2010, would have been four-point-something trillion dollars with or without the Iraq War.

* The Iraq War accounts for less than 8% of the federal debt held by the public at the end of 2010 ($9.031 trillion).

* During Bush's Iraq years, 2003-2008, the federal government spent more on education that it did on the Iraq War. (State and local governments spent about ten times more.)

I tried to find a concise explanation of said stimulus plan. No go. It's basically $787 billion of tax cuts and government spending. Have you seen the road signs "Putting America to Work." Yea, that's stimulus money.

Interestingly, I did find an article from Reuters in February that states that Obama actually saved America from a depression with this stimulus. However, today CNBC says we are actually in a depression...

Sunday, August 8, 2010

60000 illegal immigrant births per year in Texas

I bought a book at the Dollar Tree the other day, "Let Them In," by Jason L. Riley. I bought it because I am interested in reading an opposing point of view on the immigration issue. And the author promised to debunk all the common arguments made against immigration.

Unfortunately, I have been busy the last couple days and have not yet had a chance to read it. (There are actually a LOT of books on that list of "have not read yet.")

This morning as I was sipping my morning coffee, I came upon this article regarding illegal immigrant births in Texas.

It appears to me that the one side of the argument is that these helpless children have no where to go...that America cannot turn them away just because their parents broke the laws.

The other side is looking at the 14th amendment line that states "all peoples born within the borders of the United States become its citizen," and saying that it isn't necessary in the birth of the child to automatically make it a citizen.

First of all, I would be interested in seeing a comparison between the handling of the babies born in prison and the babies born to illegal immigrants. Both parents broke the law...how are the children treated relatively speaking? Children born to mothers in prison are in a very similar situation, and I believe, they end up in our debacle of a foster care system...

Second of all, the section of the 14th amendment that has been bastardized to allow illegal immigrants to give birth here was meant to protect slaves. It made illegal the state laws that prevented slaves from becoming citizens and from being treated as property.

Maybe that is why there is such animosity between the hispanics and the blacks?

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Vicky Gray Deaton's Note Regarding Marriage

I have no idea where Vicky Gray Deaton got this note. I do not know if she wrote it, or if it happened to someone she knows or if it was just an email forward she received. I do not know. My intent is not to steal it or take credit for it. I did not write this. However, I want you to read it. I want you to learn so many things from it. I want you to feel how the husband, the wife, the son AND the mistress felt. I want you to get a more clear picture of human interaction, human emotion and the human condition...Will you achieve all of these goals I have for you? I do not know, but I PRAY that you at least try.

MARRIAGE...A MUST READ! Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 7:03pm

MARRIAGE

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.

She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.

When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.

She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside
the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.

On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.
My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

Monday, August 2, 2010

4318 from home to home. Wow. Time for another oil change. LOL
Soooooo close! Just wanna sleep! This summer of travel has been dyn-o-mite!! But I'm ready to be home.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Now that i know my house clean, super xcited to?go home
Sunset in Nevada was unreal
Zion is indescribable. The canyon in AZ from UT on I15 is pretty awesome too.
Still trying to make Vegas by nine...
Fire in Utah near Kolob :(
179 to LV
Made it from Evanston to Nephi without stopping...SLC is way more beautiful than I ever expected. The suburban sprawl seems a little extreme, though...
388 to LV
If ever in Evanston, WY, do not bother stopping at Paul's Diner. It took almost an hour to get served less than mediocre food.
If we stop at Hoover Dam to show Brytin one more cool thing, we'll probly be home around 7 AM Monday.
By 9 pm and SD another 6 hrs later, or by 3 am.
SLC to LV is 419 miles. That's about 7 hrs with no stops. (Or at least 9 hrs with my travelling companions). So, if we dont make anymore stops, we'll be to LV
Stopped for breakfast at Paul's Diner in Evanston. Had no intention of stopping, but figured Brytin and my mom should probly eat!
144 to SLC
100 miles from Utah.
I'm taking over the driving. We have half a tank of gas. We're somewhere on the 80 in Wyoming. I think we're about 18 hrs from home.
Prairie dogs make the weirdest noise! We fed bread to bunnies, chipmunks, prairie dogs, birds an Jax. Super fun!!
I dont think I've been to WY before. Unfortunately it is dark and I am tired, so I still havent seen Wyoming.