Lack of Direction

My friends and I have discussed on numerous occasions the discrepancy between all of the agendas that President Obama wanted to pursue versus his involvement in actually pursuing them. It's funny that he was called out for this very thing by an outspoken member of his own party. Check this out. Senator Al Franken of all people laid into the administration for pushing for this Health Care bill, but not providing any direction as to what should be done to finish the job. hmmm, that sounds eerily familiar to many of our local conversations! Check out the Politico writeup here.

Funnies

Here are a few good jokes from the past month as told by the late night comedians. Enjoy!

Jay Leno: "President Obama last night ordered 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban, but on an 18-month timetable. In a related story, the Taliban announced they are on a 19-month timetable."

Jay Leno: "The good news, Obama said he expects to start bringing our troops home in two years. ... The bad news, Bush said the same thing seven years ago."

Craig Ferguson: "Everybody's talking about President Obama's speech last night. ... He's sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Right now, in Scandinavia, the Nobel Committee is really rethinking the whole peace prize."

Stephen Colbert: "Yesterday, the Dems officially dropped from the Senate healthcare bill both the public option and an alternate plan for 55 to 65 year olds to buy into Medicare. At this point, the only reform left in the bill is government-mandated post-appointment lollipops."

Conan O'Brien: "During an interview last night, Oprah Winfrey asked President Obama what grade he would give himself for his first year in office and he said a 'B-plus.' ... Then, Oprah shook her head and said, 'I didn't pay for a B-plus.'"

Conan O'Brien: "A new poll asked Americans who their ideal next-door neighbor would be. The number one answer was the Obama family...mainly because the Obamas are the kind of neighbors who would lend you a cup of sugar or a trillion dollars."

Jimmy Kimmel: "Congratulations to President Obama on becoming an uncle. His brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, and his wife just had a son in Oregon. Or so they claim. Lou Dobbs is demanding to see the birth certificate."

Jon Stewart: "I know that the Yemen thing complicates the war on terror, but on the plus side, getting attacked is really the only way we Americans learn about world geography."

Jimmy Fallon: "Everyone around the country is still focused on healthcare. President Obama recently said, 'We've spent so much time talking about the House bill versus the Senate bill that we haven't been able to talk about how great the bill is overall.' Then someone asked him how great it was and he was like, 'Not that great.'"

Jay Leno: "Well, this is kind of embarrassing. At a speech to school kids in an elementary school in Virginia, President Obama used the teleprompter. He had a teleprompter set up to talk to the kids. The topic of the speech: Never taking the easy way out by bringing a cheat sheet to school."

Jimmy Fallon: "Well, the Oscar nominations were announced today, you guys. Best Actor nominees included George Clooney for 'Up in the Air,' Jeremy Renner...for 'The Hurt Locker,' and President Obama for the 'State of the Union.'"

Jimmy Fallon: "I read in 'The New York Times' that the Obama Administration is planning huge changes to President Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' law. The new law will be called, 'Let's Face It, Some Kids Are Just Duds.'"

Jay Leno: "Here is a historical fact. It was on this day in 1690, the first paper...money was printed up in the colony of Massachusetts. The pilgrims realized that when they ran out of money, they could just print more. Thus, the Federal government was born."

David Letterman: "President Obama's having a big Super Bowl party. This is very shrewd. He has invited a group of Republicans to come to the White House for his Super Bowl party. He's going to seat the 'you lie' guy next to the 'not true' guy."

I hope you enjoyed these, had a laugh or two, and that it brightens your day!

State of the Union follow-up

The State of the Union address last night went as could have been expected. We saw that inspirational speaker from the election, which we haven't seen in a while, make a return to the stage. Whether or not you liked everything he said, he did give a good speech. Personally I liked some of it and some of it was not my favorite. Overall, I was happy with what was said and the focus of the speech.
That focus: jobs. Let's hope that when we look back in the coming months, that we will see growth in that area. If it truly is # 1 on his agenda, results will surely follow.

The Republican Response last night, given by governor Bob McDonnell, was probably the best response I've seen. The last one given by governor Bobby Jindal was lacking to say the least. I was happy to see that McDonnell stepped up to the plate and delivered the way in which he did. In his response he mentioned some items contrary to Obama, but I was happy to hear him also give due attention to the job market. If we have both sides pushing for full employment, we're in much better hands.

I would say that it was a good night from both parties and came across as a success. It was nice to see it play out this way. Now the coming months will be the true test.

State of the Union

Tonight is the State of the Union Address. I always enjoy these speeches, as well as the opposing party's response which follows. Tonight's lineup will include both current president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, giving the State of the Union address, and current Virginia Governor, Bob McDonnell, giving the GOP State of the Union Response immediately following the Obama's Address. Call me a dork, but I love this stuff and can't wait to see how it plays out. Rumor has it that the focus of this year's address will be a proposed spending freeze. I find this extremely interesting for a couple of reasons. Not necessarily bad, just interesting.

The first glaring reason is that Obama himself was against this very approach back during the election when Senator John McCain was endorsing an "across the board spending freeze". Does anyone remember the hatchet vs scalpel analogy? Anyone? Anyone? I do. At the time I actually loved that analogy and was eager to see how he would use that scalpel to enact his plans. Recall that quote from November of 2008,

"We will go through our federal budget – page by page, line by line – eliminating those programs we don’t need, and insisting that those we do operate in a sensible cost-effective way."

I digress, but there are two points. First is that I've yet to see that scalpel in action. By the way, I'd still really like to see it used! Second is back to our topic of the spending freeze; why the hatchet now? I'm not against it, but it's against some of the very principles and positions that got him elected. Why now? Why following the tremendous bailout? The two don't seem to be in the same line of thinking.

The second reason I find this approach interesting is the application of the spending freeze. Granted, I have not heard every detail of this plan but from what I have gathered, it makes many cuts (which may be worthwhile or not) but avoids some of the major spending areas. Those areas include Entitlement spending and Defense spending. Who would not agree that these are some of our largest cost buckets?

Those are two reasons that I find tonight's upcoming speech interesting and am quite eager to see how it plays out during both the original address and the Republican rebuttal. Can I reiterate what a dork I am?! hahaha. I can't wait!

Talking the Talk

Since he busted onto the scene not too long ago, I have been very impressed with the comments and speeches made by Barack Obama. Whether you like him or not, you have to admit that he is a very good speaker.

However, it sometimes seems that there needs to be a little more walking the walk that follows the talking of his talk. Granted, he was and is faced with some monumental decisions. I'm not taking that away from him, but I do wish that his actions would follow closer suit to his inspirational speeches.

Obama continues to say the right thing. In an interview yesterday he made a few comments that I really liked and thought were worth repeating. Regardless if you align with the Left and like what agendas he is pushing or whether you align with the Right and want him out of office soon, you have to like these comments that he made:

"I'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president"

"You know, there is a tendency in Washington to believe our job description, of elected officials, is to get reelected,... That's not our job description. Our job description is to solve problems and to help people."

Political Shout Out

If you know me well, you realize that I do not claim a party affiliation. I support candidates, not parties and I always vote a split ticket.

The latest politician to storm onto the scene deserves a shout out for sure. Scott Brown just seized the 41st Republican seat in the Senate. That was quite a task considering who recently vacated that spot. The seat in question was not only held but basically owned for 47 years by the late Ted Kennedy. If you don't know who that was, you may stop reading...

Brown's victory marks a huge shift in the power struggle in Washington. The "super seat majority" held by the Democrats is no more. When that majority was originally established, I was happy about it due to the fact that I assumed that some items may actually get passed. The gridlock that typically exists in Washington, although very necessary, is quite annoying because it seems that nothing ever gets accomplished. I thought that the super seat majority would be beneficial to help alleviate some of the gridlock and push some items through, but after seeing the way things have progressed I'm happy to see that majority dissolved.

Perhaps Brown's victory is more of a testament to people wanting to stop the Health Care Bill than it is to his own merits, but either way the seat is his. Congratulations to him for that. In addition to the actual victory, I have to say that the one item that deserves a little attention is his statement concerning who that seat belongs to. It was one of the best comments I've heard from a politician in a while and deserves repeating. When asked if he would be the one to sit in Teddy Kennedy's seat (to block the Health Care bill), he responded:

" with all due respond, it's not Kennedy's seat and it's not the Democrats' seat. It's the people's seat.."

Awesome! That is why Scott Brown deserves today's political shout out!

To be a South Carolinian

I actually like where I live. There are a lot of great things about South Carolina. I have a great job at Southeastern and I love the workplace, including both the work and the people. My kids attend Satchel Ford elementary school, and to be honest I am very impressed with education that my kids have received thus far. I enjoy South Carolina beaches and Myrtle Beach specifically is a huge draw, having more golf courses in one area than any other place in the country.

South Carolina has it's high points, but why is it that we tend to look so bad?
(1) Education: South Carolina is 42nd in Academic Achievement (this may have changed. that was based on the 2007 Report Card of Academic Achievement)

(2) Unemployment: 11.8%, ranked 46th overall

(3) Governor in the news - Sanford and his affair was not favorable in the media, but even worse was his handling of the situation after the news came out. You all know the details so I wont bother elaborating, but it made him and us by association look pretty bad.

(4) Joe Wilson - the latest of the SC bad points. There are certain rules to follow according to the situation.
In sports, if you're at a football game you can cheer all you want. However when you watch golf, there are times to cheer (after a great shot) and times to be quiet (during a shot). In much the same fashion, in the political arena there are rules or norms to follow. At a town hall if you don't like what is said, by all means, speak up. However, during a presidential address hold your tongue. It's not the right venue to bring attention to yourself. When Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" at Obama when he disagreed with the accuracy of a statement that was made, he made himself look bad and once again made SC look bad. No, he didn't throw a shoe at the president, but were just as inappropriate. Why did the person making the comment have to be someone else from SC? ugh.

How about we start making South Carolina look good for a change?

23 days

That is how long it's been. 23 days since my last post. Why? I have no idea for what reason I've lost my inspiration to share, but I just don't feel inspired to elaborate on any one subject. So, for tonight I'll make a few short comments on a number of subjects (10 to be exact):

(1) My boys
I can't believe Jackson is nearly done with first grade... and Alex is nearly finished with daycare. Wow, how time flies. They're getting so big and they're a strangely independent duo for a 5 and 6 year old.

(2) Family
I'll finally have family in town and I'm very excited about that. My brother Matthew and sister-in-law Laura are moving to Columbia and I couldn't be more pumped about it. They won't be living next door or even down the street or anything like that, but having bought a house near Sandhill they will not be too far away. Not to mention, there is always a reason to head out to Sandhill. Now we'll have one more.

(3) American Idol
I think that this season, America has been choosing well. My two favorites are still in, and nearly everyone has been voted off in an order I approve of. There is a good five left. I'm still not a fan of Kris, and I hope he goes this week but even he has done well. Danny Gokey deserves to be runner up, and if Adam Lambert doesn't win it will be a total farce and as big of a shock as it was to see Daughtry voted off early a few seasons back.

(4) Stock Market
I've recently opened an eTrade account. I am enjoying learning the market and doing a little investing. It is really amazing how volatile the market is and it's crazy that something like the swine flu even has an impact on financial stocks... go figure. Anyway, I'm learning and I like it.

(5) First hundred days
There has been much press for Obama's first hundred days. I guess we'll here more tomorrow during the address, but my take so far is that I'm impressed with what he is getting done for the most part. I'm also impressed the he is getting congress to pass the spending he wants. I am, however, not impressed that congress has yet to buy in to his revenue building or cost cutting ideas. There are two sides to that coin. If you're gonna spend more, you'd better bring in more too....

(6) filibuster-proof?
Arlen Specter pulled the old switcheroo today. After serving 5 terms as a Republican Senator, he decides to head to the other side of the isle due to his "moderate philosophies" being more in line with the Democratic party.... or more importantly, he didn't think he could win a sixth term as a Republican. Either way, with his becoming the 59th Democrat, when/if Al Franken takes that crazy Minnesota seat... well, do the math. With a united front, those numbers are Filibuster-proof.

(7) Golf
I had an awesome golf weekend a few weeks ago. Three fun rounds, 16 guys, 3 beautiful days in Myrtle Beach. It was awesome. Although I didn't play fantastically, I definitely have the bug. This weekend I'm playing in a Captain's Choice tournament with some friends. 2 of the 3 of my teammates were also in Myrtle so we should be well-practiced, and the fourth can hit the ball a mile so I think we really have an opportunity to score well. We will see.

(8) Travel
Stacy is traveling again. I lose track sometimes. She goes through long periods without leaving Columbia, but when the travel starts it seems to happen quite a bit. Last Monday through Wednesday it was Pensacola. This Monday through Thursday it's El Paso (which happens to be where I was born). Next Monday through Wednesday she is on the road again... I forget where. When she is on the road I think I play the single dad role well. It's tiring but also fun. I tell you what though, it's always great to see Stacy return home. Anyway, at times it is a lot of travel and I think she enjoys it. I wish I could work in a little travel too (in addition to my golf outings!)

(9) Work
It's amazing how much work I get done without actually accomplishing any goals. On Friday afternoons when I look back at the week I typically feel like I spend so much time working on the small things that pop up, that I rarely actually accomplish what it was that had intended to knock out on Monday morning.

(10) Running
Stacy has signed up for her first Marathon. It's the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, DC. I have to say that I'm impressed and a little jealous. We have both jumped into running road races over the last year, which we are both really enjoying. So far, we only have 5Ks and 10Ks under our belts. I fully intend to run a Marathon...one day. I have a short term goal of a half marathon before the year's end and I feel like that goal is plenty for me. Stacy on the other hand is taking it to the next level. She has already worked her mileage up quite a bit. Before long her Saturday runs will be over 10 miles! All I can say is... wow.

So after 23 days, those are my 10 subjects. I hope you enjoyed.

The Good, The Bad, and The Politics...

One disclaimer before reading any further. I am neither Republican nor Democrat. I always vote a split ticket. I have a mix of liberal and conservative views, but do feel that I lean much more toward the average Democrat than the average Republican. Take that and what I say below however you like.


The recent election was one of great significance. There was a changing of the guard. For better or worse, we will now have a federal government that is controlled by the Democratic party. This is not so different than what we saw during a portion of the Bush administration. It may be different in terms of what issues are deemed important, but is very much the same in terms of one party having a lot of power. That fact may scare some Americans. My own inclinations are nor of fear; rather I am very excited about it. Not because my votes helped this happen, but because I like progress. I was equally excited when the Republican part had total control. I was excited because I assumed that a united front would mean much progress and few roadblocks. Is that what we saw happen? I would argue that we did not. Now the control has shifted and the Democrats find themselves with the power in their hands. What will they do with it? That is the question that I am wondering about. As I've already mentioned, I hope that the current makeup of government leads to less "politics" and much more progress. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.

As a side story to the election and the political issues is the story that has gotten a lot of press. Of course I am talking about the issue of race. For the first time ever, we will have an African American man as the president of the United States. This has been a big story in the media and in many of our conversations over the past week. The talk has been both good and bad in my opinion. This is what I've seen and how I feel about it.

The good:
(1) Our mentality as a nation has progressed. There was a point when a candidate for any office would not stand a chance only due to the color of their skin. We've progressed to the point that we are now basing our votes on the person, their stances and their ability to lead... and NOT based on their ethnic makeup. I'm proud that we've made such progress and proud to be an American.

(2) It has been a major issue that a minority has won the presidency of the United States. A lot of focus has been put on that fact. I see this as a good thing. In some discussions I've had with others, they feel that this is being fussed over too much. I disagree. I do agree that race should not be THE issue of the election, but is AN issue and one of importance. It's significance is that anything is possible....for anyone, regardless as to which race they may be.
To elaborate on this topic a little bit, I grew up somewhat privileged to a white family. When my parents told me that I could do anything I wanted I took that as a fact. At a young age it was easy to accept such a statement from my parents, especially due to the fact that when I looked up to the people I may aspire to be like (coaches, doctors, lawyers, elected officials), I saw people that looked like my family members. As hard as I can try, it is difficult for me to fully understand how a "non-white" child feels when he or she is told that same thing. When they look to those same occupations (or at least in the past), they see mainly white guys. I would hope that this would not dissuade the child from believing what they could or could not accomplish, but I have to assume that it at minimum made their dreams seem a little less believable. As time has gone on and we have progressed as a nation, this has become slightly less of an issue and as of November 4th, all expectations have been rewritten. I am happy about that.

The bad (2 things I've heard people say repeatedly):
(1) Even though our mentality as a nation has progressed, I still still many who are lagging behind.
For instance: I have lost count how many people I've heard say (in one way or another), that "we will have a black president and I'm ok with it". I'm sure they are saying such things with the best of intentions, but to me if you tell me that there is an issue that you are "ok" with, then your telling me there was an issue to be decided upon. In my mind, there is no issue. Maybe it's unfair for me to expect others to share my view or maybe I'm reading too much into what people say, but dont think so. I'm glad they are "ok with it", but I hope soon they will realize that they are either happy or unhappy based upon the person and not which group he/she falls into (whether that be race, gender, or even political affiliation).

(2) After having seen how American voted, I've heard many "Christians" say or write that "now I have to pray for America". I take issue with this for multiple reasons.

First: we live in a post September 11th America, we have thousands of troops over seas fighting every day, there are many homeless and high needs people here in the America, and we are in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, yet the one thing that leads them to pray for our nation is that Barack Obama has been elected president. Wow. That baffles me. I'm not telling everyone that they should pray, but if you are a person that does pray (as I am) then I would hope that you were already praying for our nation and if you were not and it took Barack Obama winning this election to prompt to you pray, then praise God that Obama won.

Second: I really dont understand the disdain Evangelical Christians have with Obama...or with Democrats in general for that matter. I can only assume that it has to do with his stance on Roe v Wade. If that is the reason and that one issue is important enough to ignore the of the other dozens of issues, then so be it. I personally think that all of the issues (or at least many of them) matter and that a vote can not be cast based on a single issue.
That being said, many of the other issues that the Democratic party focus on seem very Christian to me. Many of their stances are for the protection and assistance of those that lack the ability or means to help themselves. Restated, I see one fundamental Democratic focus is helping the poor and those that are less fortunate. Without going into any specifics (which would make this about 20 more paragraphs long), I see this as one major difference in where the two major parties diverge. I would assume that the focus on helping those that are less fortunate would be a point that would draw Evangelical Christians to the Democratic Party, but this is not the case. Evangelical Christians are a strong Republican base and I just don't get that. To me it is just a confusion distinction that I've never understood. I have this listed under the "bad" category because for many people that I've seen, the individuals that fall into this category happen to be the same people that fall into the first category that I have listed under "bad". In reality, it may not be all bad. It may be (as I've already mentioned) the focus on a single issue (abortion)... or it may not. Judge for yourself.


There you have it. The Good, The Bad, and Politics that we've already seen and are yet to come.

Joe the Plumber

I think we should all defer to Joe. He is obviously the one that both candidates were competing for during the last debate. It was crazy how oft they addressed Joe, rather than the American people. I found some humor in that fact.
As a whole: did McCain close the gap? Did Obama pull away?
I'm not sure, but I will say that:
(1) The finger pointing and blame game has gotten worse. It's not flattering for either of them.
(2) McCain was better at getting his points across than he was in the last two debates. He also had a more mocking tone in his responses to Obama's points... whether this will be perceived as good or bad I dont know.
(3) Obama continued to do a good job getting his points across. Negatively, he got hung up on his words a few times... taking a little away from his being such an eloquent speaker.
(4) McCain called out Obama more than before. However Obama responded to each allegation very well and seemed to diffuse the attacks.

Due to a combination of 2 and 3, I'd say that this debate was more even than the last, but was not the huge showing that McCain needed to surpass Obama.

Take my comments for what they are worth. I'm not an undecided voter. I have made my choice, but I try my best to give an unbiased opinion.

Proud to be an American

Looking back through recent history, there are so many reasons to be proud of being who we are. The United States plays a major part in much of what transpires around the world. Some think we play too large of a part, and that is definitely a subject for debate, but that is not what this post is about. We are lucky enough to live in (arguably) the most powerful country in the world. I feel a debt of gratitude to God for allowing me to find my place in the world here rather than in some impoverished country, where I may struggle to succeed or even to eat. I feel a debt of gratitude for all those who risk their lives protecting ours. I'm proud to be a part of "America" (and by America I mean the US, not the countries comprising North and South America!).

Also, in the recent "friendly" competition between nations that we know as the Olympics, the United States soared. I don't know anyone that didn't get at least somewhat wrapped up in the dominance of the US swim team, or the big wins by our gymnasts. I felt both excitement and pride anytime any of our athletes won an medal. I think many others shared that sentiment.

Perhaps one of the reasons I am most proud to be an American is our current political situation and the underlying meanings associated with it. Stepping back any number of years, I'd have a hard time seeing this race happen. We are living in a country that has progressed to the point that we have a viable presidential candidate that is a minority. Not only that, but we have come to this point in the presidential race, without the issue of race really coming into the picture. I am proud to be a part of the process, to be here and see it all happen.
I hope that this race is a testament as to how far we have all progressed in terms of our views of race. I guess the months to come will really shed some more light on the subject. Here are a few questions that will help to do that:

(1) Will the presidential race still continue to be about the issues?...or will the McCain campaign find themselves in a position where they feel they need to "pull out all the stops" and introduce the race card?

(2) If Obama wins, will he be celebrated as the candidate who won (while acknowledging his race) or will the big story be "the first black president"? That is definitely A story, but it should not be THE story.

(3) If McCain wins, will the votes be seen as an "us" versus "them", where the white voters had larger number? I'd hate to see a country dived by race.

(4) Will those that focus on the issue on racial inequality admit that through our policies we have achieved much progress?

(5) Regardless of who wins, will many of the supporters of the losing candidate support the new president? To an extent this is not a completely fair question, due to the fact that there are some who never support political figures from the other party.

(6) Basically restating number 4, after the race is over and we have a new president, will we unite behind him regardless of who he is and what party he represents?

I think if you look at these questions and how the answers play out, you'll see where we really stand. I have hope for promising answers. Those that know me best know that one issue that is EXTREMELY important to me is equality. Whether the issue in question is religion, race, gender, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status, I feel that it is very important that we all be treated the same. Call me an idealist if you must, but that is how I feel.
Wrapping up and tying back in to the original topic, I am proud to live in a place where I can witness this race and how it plays out. I just hope it plays in a way that we are all proud of.

More on the Debates

We're 3 debates in and I have to admit that McCain's is in need of an amazing showing in the last debate. In my opinion, in addition to already being ahead in most polls, Obama won both presidential debates and Biden won the VP debate. I dont think they were landslide victories for the Democrats but they were victories nonetheless, building a little more on to that lead.

I have enjoyed following the race progress up to this point, but to me beginning about a week ago they delved into the finger pointing portion of the race. All along each candidate has pitched his stances and a portion of time pointing the finger at the opposition. As time as progressed it seems as though the focus on their own stances has lessened and the finger pointed has increased. Maybe that is just my perception, but that is how I see it. It was very evident in the last debate.

I will continue to follow the race and all it has to offer, but as I've stated in the past, my mind is made up and it would take something large to change it. For anyone just catching up, I neither Republican or Democrat. I like both candidates, and dont feel either is a bad choice...but much like a South Carolina native that is neither anit-Clemson nor anti-Carolina but must pick a side before the big game, there comes a time that a voter you must choose.

I'm not secretive about my views, but I haven't broadcast them either. Those that know me well, know that Obama has been my front-runner since way back when there was a stage full of candidates...but that doesn't mean that I was decided at that point. Since then, my support has solidified and the debates have done nothing to dissuade my opinions. I will support whomever wins an be happy about them as the leader of our country. Whomever it is will have their hands full, and I'm eager to see how he handles the situation.