Dear Mr. President:
Have you seen your latest approval ratings? According to the Rasmussen Reports, your approval rating is: “24% strongly approve” of you and your job while “41% strongly disapprove” of your job (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll). This report came out on June 15th, 2010 and it claims that the gulf oil spill has had no affect on your approval ratings. Did you know that President Bush had around a 63% approval rating around the same time during his first term!? (http://www.gallup.com/poll/113641/despite-recent-lows-bush-approval-average-midrange.aspx). Mr. Obama, wasn’t the person you blamed everything for former President George W. Bush? I thought so. Currently, President Bush has a higher approval rating than you do.
Mr. President, do you remember Hurricane Katrina in 2005? I literally destroyed the same region as the current gulf oil spill is destroying. Let me ask you another question: Do you remember your fellow Democrats and Liberal friends blaming Bush for the hurricane? Do you remember Kane West saying “Bush hates Black people” after the hurricane struck. I want to know, sir, why we do not hear that you have caused the oil spill or why we have not heard that you hate the people of Louisiana. Oh, but if we ever heard any of that you and your main-stream media friends we blow that off and say something like: “These people are just right-wing racist fascists’.” A bit of a double-standard, is it not? You can dish it out but you can’t take some criticism.
President Obama, this letter to you is filled with criticism and a different perspective. I hope it sheds some light, but why would you ever listen to a concerned citizen?
Like your Chief of Staff said: “Don’t let a crisis go to waste” you have continued to take that advice; except you are going about it wrong! You have been wrong with the mass spending through bailouts (along with President Bush) and stimulus packages filled with earmarks; you have been wrong in shoving cap and trade down our throats which has only raised taxes and will continue too; you have been wrong on shoving healthcare down our throats and NOT listening to the majority of Americans; you have been wrong about the boarder and Arizona’s immigration law; and you have been wrong on the gulf oil spill and putting a moratorium on deep water drilling. That is quite a long list.
Did you not promise to get us out of this recession and create jobs? May I ask where they are? No, temporary Census jobs do not count, because they are temporary. Did you not promise to not raise taxes? So where is the money coming from to pay for all of your “economy saving” legislation? I didn’t realize that money grows on trees and it is okay to continue to print more money. I think I read somewhere, and I am sure your top economists have read also, that printing more and more money leads to inflation. Maybe it is time to start listening to your “experts.”
I realize it is a good thing to have “experts” on many subjects that can brief you on whatever topic is relevant for the day. Wouldn’t you think that sometimes it would be a good thing to not take every challenge personally? For instance, did you honestly have to get involved in a dispute between a cop and a Harvard professor? Do you have to claim responsibility for everything that needs to get done and accomplished? No. It is impossible for one man, no matter how powerful, to get every little thing done. This is why you have failed as the chief executive; you have no experience in how to govern.
The oil spill has now gone on for over 2 months. I understand that it is a catastrophe and one cannot clean it up immediately but the people on the gulf coast are suffering economically. It is not BP’s fault that it took you over 50 days to meet with them, it is not BP’s fault that your administration has refused help from other nations, and it is not BP’s fault that you have decided to put a 6-month moratorium ban on off-shore drilling. This was your one opportunity to show that you know how to govern and you messed it up. However, the American people know exactly what you and your administration are up to. We understand that you are against off-shore drilling and we strongly believe the reason you have allowed this to go on for longer that it should have was because you want more criticism and more reasons to not drill for oil. Do you not understand how many people are affected by your decision? I thought you wanted to help create and save jobs? You are obviously not doing what you promised. Wouldn’t you think that if you go through with this ban that you should start creating more bans for other catastrophes? For instance, the next time there is a plane crash maybe you should put a 6-month moratorium on airlines. Your logic makes no sense.
I am also not too sure on why you think you can force BP to pay not only for the oil spill but compensate all of those affected by it too. Last time I checked you have a law degree and you should be the first to know that the Constitution clearly states that the government cannot take over something private without due process of law. There has been no legislation saying that BP has to pay people for this problem so where do you get the authority to “make them” do this?
I have a question for you: is your continued support of the ban of off-shore drilling just a distraction for the American people? Your approval ratings keep on dropping and you realize you need to gain political confidence again. You seem to be losing your confidence and you seem to not fully understand what is going on. Maybe this is a sign for you to not take everything so personal. Maybe you should allow those countries that want to help clean up the oil spill help! Maybe you should allow your experts to advise you like they are supposed to.
I hope as the days pass and the gulf continues not to be cleaned that more and more people realize that you have no executive governing experience. I also hope that this oil spill does eventually get cleaned up and the people and economies affected by it return to normal. I hope that another oil rig explosion never happens (even though that is unlikely); I hope that we continue to support off-shore drilling; and I hope we figure out why this happened.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
27 up and 1 missed call.
June 2, 2010 was probably one of the biggest, most historic days in baseball. Two amazing things happened last night, and as you can tell, this will be about the great game of baseball.
First, a tribute to one of the greatest baseball players of all time: Ken Griffey Jr. He has finally decided to call it quits after 22 years of playing in MLB and I am glad he decided to retire as a Seattle Mariner. He is leaving the game with 630 homeruns (5th on the all-time list), 10 gold gloves, 13 all-star appearances, 1,836 RBIs , a MVP in the AL in 1997, and virtually saving baseball in Seattle. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5244661
Unfortunately, Griffey’s announcement last night was overshadowed by one of the biggest missed calls in baseball history.
The Cleveland Indians were visiting the Detroit Tigers last night. I must say, being a Royals fan I hate both of these teams. However, this game was something special. During the Reds at Cardinals Wednesday night baseball game on ESPN, the channel decided to change over to the Indians and Tigers game because it was that awesome! Going into the 8th inning, Pitcher Armando Galarraga for the Tigers had a perfect game. Mind you, this would have been the 3rd perfect game this season, which has never happened.
Now, Galarraga got through the 8th and headed to the 9th. His center fielder made and incredible catch for the first out of the 9th to save the perfect game. For the second out he got and easy ground-out. For the 3rd out…it was blown by 1st base umpire, Jim Joyce. The batter hit a standard ground ball where the Tigers’ first baseman went over to get it and Galarraga covered first to get the 27th out. Jason Donald of the Indians was called safe at first base when he was clearly out by at least a full step! Nobody in the stadium could believe it, nobody watching the game on television could believe, and certainly no Tigers’ player could believe it.
Why is this missed call such a big deal? Well, this could have been the 21st perfect game in major league history and it could have been the 3rd perfect game this season and 4th in two years! This missed call could also be a determining factor about instant replay in baseball. If not a determining factor at least another argument for instant replay in MLB. Personally, I do not think MLB should use instant replay because it is one of those sports based on honesty and human mistakes. However, I feel real bad for Galarraga because it would have been awesome to see since he is not a big name pitcher. I do hope that MLB does reverse Jim Joyce’s missed call and give Galarraga the perfect game.
First, a tribute to one of the greatest baseball players of all time: Ken Griffey Jr. He has finally decided to call it quits after 22 years of playing in MLB and I am glad he decided to retire as a Seattle Mariner. He is leaving the game with 630 homeruns (5th on the all-time list), 10 gold gloves, 13 all-star appearances, 1,836 RBIs , a MVP in the AL in 1997, and virtually saving baseball in Seattle. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5244661
Unfortunately, Griffey’s announcement last night was overshadowed by one of the biggest missed calls in baseball history.
The Cleveland Indians were visiting the Detroit Tigers last night. I must say, being a Royals fan I hate both of these teams. However, this game was something special. During the Reds at Cardinals Wednesday night baseball game on ESPN, the channel decided to change over to the Indians and Tigers game because it was that awesome! Going into the 8th inning, Pitcher Armando Galarraga for the Tigers had a perfect game. Mind you, this would have been the 3rd perfect game this season, which has never happened.
Now, Galarraga got through the 8th and headed to the 9th. His center fielder made and incredible catch for the first out of the 9th to save the perfect game. For the second out he got and easy ground-out. For the 3rd out…it was blown by 1st base umpire, Jim Joyce. The batter hit a standard ground ball where the Tigers’ first baseman went over to get it and Galarraga covered first to get the 27th out. Jason Donald of the Indians was called safe at first base when he was clearly out by at least a full step! Nobody in the stadium could believe it, nobody watching the game on television could believe, and certainly no Tigers’ player could believe it.
Why is this missed call such a big deal? Well, this could have been the 21st perfect game in major league history and it could have been the 3rd perfect game this season and 4th in two years! This missed call could also be a determining factor about instant replay in baseball. If not a determining factor at least another argument for instant replay in MLB. Personally, I do not think MLB should use instant replay because it is one of those sports based on honesty and human mistakes. However, I feel real bad for Galarraga because it would have been awesome to see since he is not a big name pitcher. I do hope that MLB does reverse Jim Joyce’s missed call and give Galarraga the perfect game.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Drill baby, Drill!
The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could not have come at a more inconvenient time. Why do I say this? Well, Congress and the Obama Administration were just about to pass legislation for some off-shore drilling. This is one thing that I like what Obama is trying to do!
This oil spill is one thing that both sides of the aisle can agree on to fix. First off, the people in charge need to figure out how to clean up the spill. If you know me, I am not too big on protecting the environment or hugging any trees. However, this oil spill affects more than just the environment; it affects the wildlife (which I do not car too much about either) and the people who depend on the water and the wildlife as a means of food and income. And I do realize that the oil is now about 20 miles away from the coast line of Louisiana which could create another disaster all in itself.
Unfortunately, the “experts” on this case are still unsure what has caused the explosion. This is not good for people on the side that I agree with. The people who are against off-shore drilling will most likely use this spill/explosion as a reason why we as a nation should not drill off our shores. My counter-argument to that is: an explosion like that is very rare. The chances of another explosion or spill like what has just happened is very slim because of the stricter regulations and more precautions that will be taken.
Before we jump to any rash decisions on whether or not we should drill off-shore, we should weigh the options.
Pro-drilling:
-Chances are slim that another spill will happen again.
- It will start to wean our country of the dependency of foreign oil.
-It would create jobs.
-There is a potential for a decrease in oil/gas costs.
Con-drilling:
-Another spill/explosion could happen again.
-The environment will could get hurt.
-There is a potential of the loss of wildlife and drinking water.
-It could cost too much to do this.
I am not an expert on this issue by any means and I am more than sure that all of you know where I stand on this issue. But on a final note, this oil spill could be a good thing! At least we know there is still oil off our shores! Hopefully this mess can get cleaned up soon and some off-shore drilling legislation will come about.
This oil spill is one thing that both sides of the aisle can agree on to fix. First off, the people in charge need to figure out how to clean up the spill. If you know me, I am not too big on protecting the environment or hugging any trees. However, this oil spill affects more than just the environment; it affects the wildlife (which I do not car too much about either) and the people who depend on the water and the wildlife as a means of food and income. And I do realize that the oil is now about 20 miles away from the coast line of Louisiana which could create another disaster all in itself.
Unfortunately, the “experts” on this case are still unsure what has caused the explosion. This is not good for people on the side that I agree with. The people who are against off-shore drilling will most likely use this spill/explosion as a reason why we as a nation should not drill off our shores. My counter-argument to that is: an explosion like that is very rare. The chances of another explosion or spill like what has just happened is very slim because of the stricter regulations and more precautions that will be taken.
Before we jump to any rash decisions on whether or not we should drill off-shore, we should weigh the options.
Pro-drilling:
-Chances are slim that another spill will happen again.
- It will start to wean our country of the dependency of foreign oil.
-It would create jobs.
-There is a potential for a decrease in oil/gas costs.
Con-drilling:
-Another spill/explosion could happen again.
-The environment will could get hurt.
-There is a potential of the loss of wildlife and drinking water.
-It could cost too much to do this.
I am not an expert on this issue by any means and I am more than sure that all of you know where I stand on this issue. But on a final note, this oil spill could be a good thing! At least we know there is still oil off our shores! Hopefully this mess can get cleaned up soon and some off-shore drilling legislation will come about.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Illegal means Illegal.
As a few days have passed since the passing of Arizona’s new law on immigration, I feel it necessary to bring light on the subject from a slightly different perspective. There has been a lot of talk about the constitutionality of this law and how Arizona could have done such a horrible thing. However, when one truly examines this law (not that I have read the entire law) I strongly believe that this law will hold up constitutionally.
Immigrants have been a key factor to America ever since, well, colonial America. My relatives came to this country trying to start a new life. Most of my relatives came from Ireland and my last name used to be O’ Connor but my great great grandfather wanted to become more American and dropped the “O.” Well, my relatives that came to America to change their lives came over the legal way.
The one reason why Arizona decided to make this law was because of the illegal immigration. If the Mexicans that come to America looking for work would only come over the legal way, there would not be any problems. However, just like most things here in America, the system is a little broke and people take advantage of it. Simply put, people come over illegally because they can.
In the department of Homeland Security we have the Border Control Agency. Their responsibility is to secure our borders and make sure the only people crossing the borders are legal immigrants and travelers on both sides. Since the Border Control Agency seems to neglect their responsibilities and countless presidents have refused to do something to secure the borders America is facing a difficult problem of illegal immigration. This is where Arizona has stepped up to the plate.
Some question the validity of the Arizona’s new law which does not actually take effect until late-July. Those who question this law ask if this law is “legal stereo-typing.” Seriously, how could a country that prides itself on everyone being an individual and privacy ask people if they are citizens or here legally? Well my friends, for one, it is pretty easy to tell who is Mexican when one lives in the Southwest. But, let me remind you that this law does not just apply to illegal Mexicans, it also applies to illegal students who stay longer than their visas allow. The justifiable reason the state of Arizona has in this law is the Supreme Court case in 1968 called “Terry v. Ohio” when the Court ruled with the Fourth Amendment that there is a thing called “reasonable suspicion.”
Reasonable suspicion will help Arizona’s law in courts because the state can claim they had “reasonable suspicion” that this person or that person is here illegally. Arizona’s Governor, Jan Brewer has said that this law will not allow racial profiling (check out the link): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/30/arizona-governor-signs-revising-new-immigration-law/
Let us say the Governor Brewer is right; let us now examine why Arizona would pass such a law. First off, this law was passed because the people of the state are affected by illegal immigration every day. Living in New York, I do not experience this as much mainly because I do not live next to the Mexican border or live on a farm and in need of cheap labor. Studies have suggested that illegal immigration has been the cause of violent crime rates going up in the cities and states that are most affected: http://ccis.ucsd.edu/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg131.pdf
The hope of this law is that by catching illegal immigrants the crime rate will be reduced. Another good source you should check out is this: http://www.dallasfed.org/research/border/tbe_orrenius.html
This site explains the effects of illegal immigration. Back to Arizona’s law we should wonder if this law came in part because the national government has done little to nothing to prevent illegal immigration. Illegal immigration and border control is the national government’s responsibility but states are allowed to have their own policies. Arizona has felt like the national government has not done enough to keep the state safe so they took matters into their own hands. Arizona is more affected by illegal immigration that states like Colorado, Nebraska, Montana, etc. Therefore, Arizona has every right to protect its interests.
Am I concerned with some of the questions that are brought up by this law? Of course. However, I feel that good things can and will come from this law. Just like syndicated columnist George Will: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042702741.html
I feel that this law will help Arizona in the long run. President Reagan and his Administration have come the closest to immigration reform but it did not work in the long run. Their policy was to grant amnesty to those illegal immigrants that were caught. They way they were given amnesty was by having to pay a hefty fine. However, people were just willing to get pay the fine if they were granted amnesty. Arizona has now taken the next step to try and stop illegal immigration. They are actually trying to make something that is already “illegal”, illegal. Hopefully President Obama and national lawmakers see that Arizona is willing to stand up against illegal immigration and start passing national legislation.
My one and only concern of this law is that it could have potential backlash against the Republicans in November. But, I do have faith and I think this is one of the first steps to real change. I hope that all of you who read this get a chance to check out those links I posted.
Immigrants have been a key factor to America ever since, well, colonial America. My relatives came to this country trying to start a new life. Most of my relatives came from Ireland and my last name used to be O’ Connor but my great great grandfather wanted to become more American and dropped the “O.” Well, my relatives that came to America to change their lives came over the legal way.
The one reason why Arizona decided to make this law was because of the illegal immigration. If the Mexicans that come to America looking for work would only come over the legal way, there would not be any problems. However, just like most things here in America, the system is a little broke and people take advantage of it. Simply put, people come over illegally because they can.
In the department of Homeland Security we have the Border Control Agency. Their responsibility is to secure our borders and make sure the only people crossing the borders are legal immigrants and travelers on both sides. Since the Border Control Agency seems to neglect their responsibilities and countless presidents have refused to do something to secure the borders America is facing a difficult problem of illegal immigration. This is where Arizona has stepped up to the plate.
Some question the validity of the Arizona’s new law which does not actually take effect until late-July. Those who question this law ask if this law is “legal stereo-typing.” Seriously, how could a country that prides itself on everyone being an individual and privacy ask people if they are citizens or here legally? Well my friends, for one, it is pretty easy to tell who is Mexican when one lives in the Southwest. But, let me remind you that this law does not just apply to illegal Mexicans, it also applies to illegal students who stay longer than their visas allow. The justifiable reason the state of Arizona has in this law is the Supreme Court case in 1968 called “Terry v. Ohio” when the Court ruled with the Fourth Amendment that there is a thing called “reasonable suspicion.”
Reasonable suspicion will help Arizona’s law in courts because the state can claim they had “reasonable suspicion” that this person or that person is here illegally. Arizona’s Governor, Jan Brewer has said that this law will not allow racial profiling (check out the link): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/30/arizona-governor-signs-revising-new-immigration-law/
Let us say the Governor Brewer is right; let us now examine why Arizona would pass such a law. First off, this law was passed because the people of the state are affected by illegal immigration every day. Living in New York, I do not experience this as much mainly because I do not live next to the Mexican border or live on a farm and in need of cheap labor. Studies have suggested that illegal immigration has been the cause of violent crime rates going up in the cities and states that are most affected: http://ccis.ucsd.edu/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg131.pdf
The hope of this law is that by catching illegal immigrants the crime rate will be reduced. Another good source you should check out is this: http://www.dallasfed.org/research/border/tbe_orrenius.html
This site explains the effects of illegal immigration. Back to Arizona’s law we should wonder if this law came in part because the national government has done little to nothing to prevent illegal immigration. Illegal immigration and border control is the national government’s responsibility but states are allowed to have their own policies. Arizona has felt like the national government has not done enough to keep the state safe so they took matters into their own hands. Arizona is more affected by illegal immigration that states like Colorado, Nebraska, Montana, etc. Therefore, Arizona has every right to protect its interests.
Am I concerned with some of the questions that are brought up by this law? Of course. However, I feel that good things can and will come from this law. Just like syndicated columnist George Will: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042702741.html
I feel that this law will help Arizona in the long run. President Reagan and his Administration have come the closest to immigration reform but it did not work in the long run. Their policy was to grant amnesty to those illegal immigrants that were caught. They way they were given amnesty was by having to pay a hefty fine. However, people were just willing to get pay the fine if they were granted amnesty. Arizona has now taken the next step to try and stop illegal immigration. They are actually trying to make something that is already “illegal”, illegal. Hopefully President Obama and national lawmakers see that Arizona is willing to stand up against illegal immigration and start passing national legislation.
My one and only concern of this law is that it could have potential backlash against the Republicans in November. But, I do have faith and I think this is one of the first steps to real change. I hope that all of you who read this get a chance to check out those links I posted.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The NYT finally got something right! Tea Partiers are being heard!
As most of you know, this past Thursday, April 15th, was tax day. About two years ago there was a protest in Washington D.C. and this group called themselves the “Tea Party.” The symbolism behind this was and is dating back to the Boston tea party when American colonists were fed up with extreme taxes put upon them by the British government. The rationale behind the modern-day tea party protests seems to be legitimate. However, there are those who insist that the Tea Partiers are the following: obnoxious, racist, unrealistic, and uneducated. To those of you that believe this, I am here to counter your argument.
Let us take a look back at why the American people are mad. This all started back during the Clinton Administration, then moved to the Bush Administration, and now the Obama Administration. (I am going to focus more on the Bush and Obama Administrations). Obviously, people are mad that during the Bush Administration there was too much spending with war and at the end, the bailouts (there were other things but I am only focusing on economic policies). Better yet, at the end of the Bush Administration, it was officially announced that we are in an economic recession. We saw the recession as a horrible economic collapse and then we watched Bush bailout the banks and auto industries because those companies were “to big to fail.” As a side note, the bailouts have totaled $8.5 Trillion (this continues into the Obama Administration). Now, during the Obama Administration, nothing has changed, unlike the promise of “change” we expected. Obama is Bush on steroids and has spent even more! The bailouts have continued, a stimulus package has been passed (total, $3.27 Trillion) and a healthcare bill has passed (total $894 Billion*). Mind you, this is all during a recession and the unemployment rate still around 10% (http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=usunemployment&met=unemployment_rate&tdim=true&dl=en&hl=en&q=unemployment+rate).
There are other reasons why people are mad but once again, I am focusing on the economy. The Tea Party protests are trying to get a message across to our elected leaders that this mass amount of spending is getting a bit ridiculous. Economists on both the left and the right can debate all day long on what this spending and bills will do to the taxes. Personally, I believe this will end up raising our taxes. But the real question is: are these people who show up to these protests uneducated? Not according to the New York Times. I will admit that sometimes people do spell things wrong on their signs and posters but that happens in most protests regardless of the issue. In Thursday’s paper (check out the link), they explain these “Tea-baggers” are actually MORE EDUCATED. Mind you, the NYT is one of the most liberal papers in the country and yes, sometimes I do read it but I have learned to filter it. But here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15poll.html?ref=todayspaper
As most of you know, I attended a Tea Party protest on Thursday in Rochester, New York. I thought there were only about 450ish people but I heard on the local news that there were actually around 1000 people. That is a good showing seeing that Rochester’s Tea Party was organized the New York state libertarian party. But the Democrat & Chronicle, Rochester’s newspaper had a very good article in Friday’s paper: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100416/NEWS01/4160351/-1/archive1/Tea-Party-helps-to-revive-N.Y.-Conservative-Party Check it out if you get a chance.
I think that some media outlets and those who do not actually know what the Tea Parties are actually about are using scare tactics claiming all of the above problems. Isn’t that funny how the media outlets and those who are truly uneducated can say a group or political party is using scare tactics but when they do that nobody questions them? Seems a bit contradictory to me. I think the real problem the media has and those who just do not know and only listen to the media, is that they are actually scared because these Tea Parties are being heard and they are a strong force. Those who do not like the Tea Parties realize that the mid-term elections are coming up quickly and these protesters can change the outcome of some elections. I suppose we are going to have to wait and see what happens.
Let us take a look back at why the American people are mad. This all started back during the Clinton Administration, then moved to the Bush Administration, and now the Obama Administration. (I am going to focus more on the Bush and Obama Administrations). Obviously, people are mad that during the Bush Administration there was too much spending with war and at the end, the bailouts (there were other things but I am only focusing on economic policies). Better yet, at the end of the Bush Administration, it was officially announced that we are in an economic recession. We saw the recession as a horrible economic collapse and then we watched Bush bailout the banks and auto industries because those companies were “to big to fail.” As a side note, the bailouts have totaled $8.5 Trillion (this continues into the Obama Administration). Now, during the Obama Administration, nothing has changed, unlike the promise of “change” we expected. Obama is Bush on steroids and has spent even more! The bailouts have continued, a stimulus package has been passed (total, $3.27 Trillion) and a healthcare bill has passed (total $894 Billion*). Mind you, this is all during a recession and the unemployment rate still around 10% (http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=usunemployment&met=unemployment_rate&tdim=true&dl=en&hl=en&q=unemployment+rate).
There are other reasons why people are mad but once again, I am focusing on the economy. The Tea Party protests are trying to get a message across to our elected leaders that this mass amount of spending is getting a bit ridiculous. Economists on both the left and the right can debate all day long on what this spending and bills will do to the taxes. Personally, I believe this will end up raising our taxes. But the real question is: are these people who show up to these protests uneducated? Not according to the New York Times. I will admit that sometimes people do spell things wrong on their signs and posters but that happens in most protests regardless of the issue. In Thursday’s paper (check out the link), they explain these “Tea-baggers” are actually MORE EDUCATED. Mind you, the NYT is one of the most liberal papers in the country and yes, sometimes I do read it but I have learned to filter it. But here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15poll.html?ref=todayspaper
As most of you know, I attended a Tea Party protest on Thursday in Rochester, New York. I thought there were only about 450ish people but I heard on the local news that there were actually around 1000 people. That is a good showing seeing that Rochester’s Tea Party was organized the New York state libertarian party. But the Democrat & Chronicle, Rochester’s newspaper had a very good article in Friday’s paper: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100416/NEWS01/4160351/-1/archive1/Tea-Party-helps-to-revive-N.Y.-Conservative-Party Check it out if you get a chance.
I think that some media outlets and those who do not actually know what the Tea Parties are actually about are using scare tactics claiming all of the above problems. Isn’t that funny how the media outlets and those who are truly uneducated can say a group or political party is using scare tactics but when they do that nobody questions them? Seems a bit contradictory to me. I think the real problem the media has and those who just do not know and only listen to the media, is that they are actually scared because these Tea Parties are being heard and they are a strong force. Those who do not like the Tea Parties realize that the mid-term elections are coming up quickly and these protesters can change the outcome of some elections. I suppose we are going to have to wait and see what happens.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
1991, 1992, 2004, and 2010.
After taking a long hiatus from blogging, I am back and trust me, I have plenty to say. For those of you that know me, you know that I am huge Duke Blue Devils fan. For those of you that did not know that, you know now. Anyways, after Monday night’s National Championship game against Butler I have been reading and watching a lot of sports commentator’s responses to the game. I am going to set the record straight right now and do what sports commentators refuse to do.
Being a Duke fan, I may have a slight bias. However, many casual sports fans and the people that get paid to watch and comment on major sporting events get many things wrong! Maybe there is just a lot of hate on Duke or on any of the big name schools or teams that get to the championship game when their opponent is the “underdog.” Granted, everyone does seem to like the underdog story or the “Cinderella” story. But, I am fed up with it.
Monday night, Duke won the National Championship game. Butler lost. Butler should have lost that game. Butler should have lost to Syracuse, but Syracuse seemed to choke when it counted most. Don’t get me wrong, I was rooting for Butler until they played Duke. When a team reaches the Championship, or any game for that matter, they either win or lose; both teams cannot win the game. Butler deserved to play in the National Championship game because they were playing fantastic basketball. So to you casual fans and “sport experts,” they were not a “Cinderella” story because they won 25 consecutive games to get there! Butler was a good team. Duke was better.
During the game, it was pretty obvious that the NCAA did not want Duke to win. I am not trying to imply that Butler was not playing good, because they were. I am simply saying that the refs for the game were awful! They gave Butler a lot of calls. Re-watch the game if you don’t believe me. As for the last shot, I personally had no doubt that that shot was not going in. I knew it was going to be off. When Duke stormed the court there were smiles all around the Duke team and fans. On the other side, Butler, there were tears of disbelief and sorrow. Guess what sport commentators, Duke won the game and Butler lost. Cinderella missed her carriage.
Butler lost. Butler did not get a moral victory or any other type of ‘W.’ I know that the sport experts are supposed to make story out of these situations. But where is the credit to Duke? You can look at various sport websites and television stations and all you will hear them talk about is how Butler was that close to winning; or, how Butler won for all of those small schools and underdogs out there. Actually, Butler lost. Yes, they were close but close does not win you games. Am I happy that Butler lost? Of course, but that could be because I am a Duke fan. However, it seems like one would never know that Duke won the championship because nobody is giving them credit! Last time I checked, we are supposed to congratulate those who win a major event like that. I realize that UNC fans probably won’t say “Congrats Duke.” But I think Duke needs to be recognized as the winner of the NCAA Championship game.
As for Butler, they played a good game. Better luck next year. However, this does go to show that in the NCCA tournament bracket, anything can happen. Go Duke!
Being a Duke fan, I may have a slight bias. However, many casual sports fans and the people that get paid to watch and comment on major sporting events get many things wrong! Maybe there is just a lot of hate on Duke or on any of the big name schools or teams that get to the championship game when their opponent is the “underdog.” Granted, everyone does seem to like the underdog story or the “Cinderella” story. But, I am fed up with it.
Monday night, Duke won the National Championship game. Butler lost. Butler should have lost that game. Butler should have lost to Syracuse, but Syracuse seemed to choke when it counted most. Don’t get me wrong, I was rooting for Butler until they played Duke. When a team reaches the Championship, or any game for that matter, they either win or lose; both teams cannot win the game. Butler deserved to play in the National Championship game because they were playing fantastic basketball. So to you casual fans and “sport experts,” they were not a “Cinderella” story because they won 25 consecutive games to get there! Butler was a good team. Duke was better.
During the game, it was pretty obvious that the NCAA did not want Duke to win. I am not trying to imply that Butler was not playing good, because they were. I am simply saying that the refs for the game were awful! They gave Butler a lot of calls. Re-watch the game if you don’t believe me. As for the last shot, I personally had no doubt that that shot was not going in. I knew it was going to be off. When Duke stormed the court there were smiles all around the Duke team and fans. On the other side, Butler, there were tears of disbelief and sorrow. Guess what sport commentators, Duke won the game and Butler lost. Cinderella missed her carriage.
Butler lost. Butler did not get a moral victory or any other type of ‘W.’ I know that the sport experts are supposed to make story out of these situations. But where is the credit to Duke? You can look at various sport websites and television stations and all you will hear them talk about is how Butler was that close to winning; or, how Butler won for all of those small schools and underdogs out there. Actually, Butler lost. Yes, they were close but close does not win you games. Am I happy that Butler lost? Of course, but that could be because I am a Duke fan. However, it seems like one would never know that Duke won the championship because nobody is giving them credit! Last time I checked, we are supposed to congratulate those who win a major event like that. I realize that UNC fans probably won’t say “Congrats Duke.” But I think Duke needs to be recognized as the winner of the NCAA Championship game.
As for Butler, they played a good game. Better luck next year. However, this does go to show that in the NCCA tournament bracket, anything can happen. Go Duke!
Monday, March 8, 2010
New York state politics at it's finest...
Everyone loves sketchy politicians. Well, maybe not love, but we do enjoy the stories of pure stupidity. This post is unlike the last post that I wrote about famous scandals. However, this will be mostly on New York State politics (and maybe a few others).
Everything seems to be crashing down on Democrats around the country. First, they lose the Governors races in New Jersey and Virginia. Second, they lose a key Senate seat race in Massachusetts. Third, polls are showing that Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas could be losing some congressional seats to Republicans and Republicans could win the Governor’s races too! Great news if you are a Republican running for office come November.
The last thing that the Democrats needed was some “missteps” in one of their key states: New York. In the past couple of weeks there have been several Democrats in NY taking heat. I will start with Congressman Rangel, the chairman of the House Ways and Means committee.
Congressman Rangel allowed for a private corporation to pay for him to take a trip to the Caribbean in 2007 AND 2008. The Ethics committee originally said it was “ok” for Rangel to go on the trip but then later question how it was paid for. Obviously, Mr. Rangel forgot that he is not supposed to take money to go on trips unless it is coming out of his own pocket. Congressman Rangel has since stepped down from being the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
Sometimes I wish the Governor Paterson was not blind so that he could see all the red he is putting the state in! Obviously, it did not start with him and he was put in a pretty bad position, but he has been in office for almost 4 years now and he now gets the credit for putting the state in more debt than ever before. Well, maybe you have not heard, Paterson is under some heat too. Apparently, stepping in to a close friend’s domestic dispute (that friend also works for him) gets people in high political offices in trouble. He somehow thought that trying to convince the court to brush the problem off their shoulders. Better yet, Paterson also thought he did not have to pay for last year’s World Series tickets. I know David, you can’t see, but there was actually a price-tag on those tickets. I think the best news that has come from this situation; Paterson has said he will not be running again. And if one looks at the polls, they claim that the Governor’s race is wide open but we all know that it will unfortunately go to Andrew Cuomo the current Lieutenant Governor.
The third and final huge misstep for the Democrats in NY is Congressman Eric Massa (NY-29). A couple of days ago he released a statement saying he will not be seeking re-election due to health problems. Almost a day later we found out that Massa approached a male intern. We all know where that leads and we can recall countless examples of politicians that created political suicide for their careers because of this. As of today, March 8, 2010, Congressman Massa decided to resign from office. Now this gets interesting. Apparently there is going to be a “special election” to fill the vacant seat which will guarantee the winner the seat until November 2012. The current front runner is Tom Reed, the former mayor of Corning, NY. However, there are several other interested Republican candidates including Monroe County Executive, Maggie Brooks, and the 29ths former Congressman, Randy Kuhl. If this was my district, I would vote for Reed but that is a different topic for another post. (After the special election I will write-up a summary of that).
My final ranting point for this post is going to deal with Nacy Pelosi. In her infinite wisdom she has said the following statement: “A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes.” Now maybe she knows something that I do not. However, let me explain how stupid this comment is: 1) a bill can only be bipartisan if both parties agree 2) more than 1 person of the opposite party needs to vote for the bill. Now, I realize that some Democrats will cry and say this: “well the Republicans are just the party of ‘no.’” Here is my counter to that statement: you are completely wrong in that the Republicans want to make sure that these bills will not destroy or country and our country’s economy. The Democrats have consistently not listened to any Republican ideas. But wait, aren’t the Democrats the ones who are crying for bipartisanship? Well the Democrats want to shove these bills down the American people’s throats and could actually careless about bipartisanship. That there folks is truly the party of the American people (and just in case you do not have a functioning cerebellum, that party is the Democrats who are doing this). Listen Democrats, you had a super majority and didn’t accomplish anything except make a lot of voters extremely angry. This is why 2010 will be another 1994. Mark my words.
Everything seems to be crashing down on Democrats around the country. First, they lose the Governors races in New Jersey and Virginia. Second, they lose a key Senate seat race in Massachusetts. Third, polls are showing that Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas could be losing some congressional seats to Republicans and Republicans could win the Governor’s races too! Great news if you are a Republican running for office come November.
The last thing that the Democrats needed was some “missteps” in one of their key states: New York. In the past couple of weeks there have been several Democrats in NY taking heat. I will start with Congressman Rangel, the chairman of the House Ways and Means committee.
Congressman Rangel allowed for a private corporation to pay for him to take a trip to the Caribbean in 2007 AND 2008. The Ethics committee originally said it was “ok” for Rangel to go on the trip but then later question how it was paid for. Obviously, Mr. Rangel forgot that he is not supposed to take money to go on trips unless it is coming out of his own pocket. Congressman Rangel has since stepped down from being the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
Sometimes I wish the Governor Paterson was not blind so that he could see all the red he is putting the state in! Obviously, it did not start with him and he was put in a pretty bad position, but he has been in office for almost 4 years now and he now gets the credit for putting the state in more debt than ever before. Well, maybe you have not heard, Paterson is under some heat too. Apparently, stepping in to a close friend’s domestic dispute (that friend also works for him) gets people in high political offices in trouble. He somehow thought that trying to convince the court to brush the problem off their shoulders. Better yet, Paterson also thought he did not have to pay for last year’s World Series tickets. I know David, you can’t see, but there was actually a price-tag on those tickets. I think the best news that has come from this situation; Paterson has said he will not be running again. And if one looks at the polls, they claim that the Governor’s race is wide open but we all know that it will unfortunately go to Andrew Cuomo the current Lieutenant Governor.
The third and final huge misstep for the Democrats in NY is Congressman Eric Massa (NY-29). A couple of days ago he released a statement saying he will not be seeking re-election due to health problems. Almost a day later we found out that Massa approached a male intern. We all know where that leads and we can recall countless examples of politicians that created political suicide for their careers because of this. As of today, March 8, 2010, Congressman Massa decided to resign from office. Now this gets interesting. Apparently there is going to be a “special election” to fill the vacant seat which will guarantee the winner the seat until November 2012. The current front runner is Tom Reed, the former mayor of Corning, NY. However, there are several other interested Republican candidates including Monroe County Executive, Maggie Brooks, and the 29ths former Congressman, Randy Kuhl. If this was my district, I would vote for Reed but that is a different topic for another post. (After the special election I will write-up a summary of that).
My final ranting point for this post is going to deal with Nacy Pelosi. In her infinite wisdom she has said the following statement: “A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes.” Now maybe she knows something that I do not. However, let me explain how stupid this comment is: 1) a bill can only be bipartisan if both parties agree 2) more than 1 person of the opposite party needs to vote for the bill. Now, I realize that some Democrats will cry and say this: “well the Republicans are just the party of ‘no.’” Here is my counter to that statement: you are completely wrong in that the Republicans want to make sure that these bills will not destroy or country and our country’s economy. The Democrats have consistently not listened to any Republican ideas. But wait, aren’t the Democrats the ones who are crying for bipartisanship? Well the Democrats want to shove these bills down the American people’s throats and could actually careless about bipartisanship. That there folks is truly the party of the American people (and just in case you do not have a functioning cerebellum, that party is the Democrats who are doing this). Listen Democrats, you had a super majority and didn’t accomplish anything except make a lot of voters extremely angry. This is why 2010 will be another 1994. Mark my words.
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