Election Day 2012

I may wind up doing several posts today, depending on how things progress, or I may wind up just editing this one.

I have lived in my house since 1995, and have voted in the same precinct since then; in presidential years since 1996. I showed up there this morning at 6:03, trying to beat the crowds.

I was too late. 1996 was busy, but not like today. 2000 wasn't too bad. 2004 was similar. 2008 was a walk-in.

6:03 AM this morning I waited in line for 20 minutes to vote. Based on the number and variety of yard signs I have seen locally, I am pretty sure I know who they were there to vote against.

The map above shows the current electoral map, based on the latest polls. Currently its 201 Obama, 191 Romney. But there are problems with this map and the polls.

The map below is probably more accurate, based on some polls. I created this map, following what I think are more accurate polls.

This map shows Obama 201, Romney 280, 10 more Electoral votes than Romney needs to win. It also doesn't include Iowa or Wisconsin, which are rumored to be leaning Romney as well.

Today is the only poll that counts, and the only one in which YOU select to participate or not. 11 hours from now we'll find out whether I'm right or not.

UPDATE: Its 6:45, and the polls have closed in Kentucky and Ohio. Ohio matters, because our news stations come out of Ohio. In a few minutes I will be comfortably ensconced in my recliner, ready to view a few hours of election returns and sip a little bourbon.

I happened to pass by my polling place twice today; each time the lot was full. I expect they had a busy day. When I was there this morning I made some comment on how busy they seemed to be. One of the poll workers said it wasn't too bad; they had 700 ballots. After that they were locking the doors. I'll bet today they used all 700 ballots.

8:00 is returns time. I have a big, dark Churchill in my humidor that I am itching to light up, but it's too damn cold to sit outside.And I will not light up in the house; its too dangerous. My recliner does not back up to a wall, and I don't want to get hit over the head with something.

As you can tell, I am preparing for a celebration. I am also praying. Not for Romney to win, but for God to smite down the fraudsters. Romney can win on his own, but only God can smite the fraudsters.

I saw a Facebook post a few days ago from a liberal friend, one I expect has unfriended me, since I posted my Monday blog post to my Facebook page as well, which asked "Why Conservatives think they know who side God is on?" My unposted answer was "maybe because we talk to him?"

It is either going to be a short night or a long one. Either way, I hope I have enough bourbon. Another update in a couple of hours.

UPDATE 2:

Gee; I hope this ratio holds.

Or this ratio:

Are You Voting Tommorow?

Friends, tomorrow is important.

Although there are several Presidential Candidates on the ballot, only two really matter; Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. If you have read my blog you know how I feel about each of them. You also know how I feel about this country, and the personal liberty the Constitution provides us.

If you are a supporter of Obama, you probably have very good reasons. I hope those reasons have been arrived at by a careful review of the facts, a consultation with your conscience and some thought on where your choice will lead us in the next four years.

In Obama's case, you have the last four years as a guide. For Romney, all we have is his word. He does have a record as Governor of Massachusetts, and as a leader of the Olympics and at Bain Capital. Are those jobs any indication of his ability to lead this country?

Who knows? We'll have to elect him to find out.

But we know how Obama has lead this country; deeper into debt. And save your breath on Bush and his 'off the books wars'; at lest he was ABLE TO PASS A BUDGET. Something Obama has not done, although it is Constitutionally required, for 3 and a half years.

We know how Obama has lead this nation in Foreign Policy; Egypt, once our second strongest ally in the Middle East and the only predominately Moslem nation to have a treaty with Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East, is now, for all practical purposes, in the hands of Al-Qaeda. The hard won peace in Iraq is disintegrating, because Obama failed to negotiate a Status of Forces Agreement with the country of Iraq and our stabilizing forces are being forces out, again by an arm of Al-Qaeda.

And Libya. Where Obama fought an undeclared war for a year to "LIBERATE" the country, and turn it into another Al-Qaeda partner. Where a faction of Al-Qaeda stormed an American Consulate and killed 4 Americans, including our Libyan Ambassador.

If that isn't bad enough, for two weeks every member of the Obama administration to address the attack blamed it on a 'spontaneous demonstration' because of a YouTube video critical of Mohammed. Really? and this 'spontaneous demonstration' just happened to occur on September 11th? Ah; but Obama had wiggle room. He happened to mention the word terrorism in his speech on September 12th.

But it couldn't have been Al-Qaeda; they disappeared when Osama Bin-Laden was killed, right?

It was only after the pressure from the New Media became overwhelming that their story was corrected, and it was acknowledged that the demonstration was actually a terrorist attack.

Then of course there was the comment Obama made to the Russians that he would have "More freedom after the election". What was that supposed to mean?

Do I even need to mention the list of long time allies, like England and Israel, that Obama has treated poorly? Queen Elizabeth has worked with every US President since Truman. Obama gave her an iPod. Or the disrespectful way Obama treated the Prime Minister of Israel?

Obama also has not treated the military well. His statement that we need fewer bayonets at the last debate displays his ignorance of the military and its weaponry. Each Marine is still issued a bayonet. But I guess someone who fails to recognize the pronunciation of the word corpsman when it appears on his teleprompter can't be bother to understand how the men under his command are armed.

Our power and influence has been diminished in every corner of the globe.

And then we have Gay Rights, Abortion and Illegal Immigration. Obama manages to fall on the wrong side of each of these issues. This election though I am considering these issues minor. Yes, it is good news that Romney has a (currently) pro-life stance, but right now it is our budget that is most important.

We need to get our spending under control. Yes, it means cutting Welfare, Medicaid and Food Stamps. Yes it means changes to FUTURE beneficiaries of Social Security and Medicare. Yes it means cuts to military spending. And it may mean tax increases.

But I doubt it. Once we get at least some of the 47% who are not producers back into producing and paying taxes we should have an increase in revenue that will offset the need for an increase in the rates.

Or we can once again lease timber, oil and gas and mining rights on Federal land. The income from these sources will also help offset both the debt and the deficit.

And easing EPA requires on coal will lead to cheaper energy, again boosting the economy and manufacturing, creating jobs and taxpayers, not tax burdens.

You will note I haven't linked to any articles, blog posts or reports to back up any of my assertions. I did that on purpose. If you are concerned about any of these topics then you have done the research yourself; hopefully with more than a quick search of MSNBC or CNN (because 'Faux News' lies so much). If you aren't interested, then you wouldn't follow the links anyway, and adding them would be a waste of my time. Or you already know the facts as I have presented them, and the links would be superfluous.

Tomorrow we have a clear choice. We can continue down the road we are on (as one quick wit said: Re-electing Obama is like backing up the Titanic to hit the iceberg a second time), knowing how Obama leads and where he is leading us, or we can (hopefully) change direction by electing Romney.

I can't guarantee where Romney will lead us. We may be running him out of office faster that we ran Obama. But I do know he offers a chance at a change, and that is a chance I am willing to take.

The Obama supporters in the crowd may not still be reading, but if you are, thanks for taking the time to consider a position other than your own. Please consider your choice for President carefully. I don't say lightly that the future of the country is at stake in this election. If, after very careful consideration, you are still voting Democrat, then by all means do us all a favor and sleep through tomorrow. Yes; I'm kidding. But only vote once.

Yes, I'm kidding again.

Romney supporters: VOTE!!!!!!!

Last Man Standing

Last night I watched two new shows I have been looking forward too for a month or so; Last Man Standing and Malibu Country.

Malibu Country was okay, and I hope for better shows in the future, but Last Man Standing was an absolute hoot, especially the last weekend before the election. It was pretty much an Obama slam down, but the Romney opponents will get a few chuckles too.

This is the second season for Tim Allen's show. I liked it last year, and last nights episode had me laughing so much I hardly had time to drink a beer. Basically, Mike Baxter (Tim Allen) is the marketing director at a sporting goods store. He lives with his wife, three daughters and his grandson, his eldest daughter's child. Last season the 'baby daddy' was nowhere to be found, but this season he has reappeared.

Mike gets into some pretty funny rants, but last night a quarter of the show seemed to be a fairly funny rant about Obama, broken up by some jokes about fantasy football leagues. At one point Mike is talking to a break room full on employees at the store, all of whom are on laptops, doing their fantasy football teams, and Mike tells them to get back to work. "I have a Fantasy Team of Employees; none of you guys are on it" he says.

Mike is unhappy with the way his grandson is being raised, and last night at the end of the show he asks Boyd, the grandson, "Hey; wanna go out in the backyard and blow something up?"

My kinda Grandpa.

I also think we are seeing the beginning of a shift to more conservative characters on TV who not there just to be a butt of a joke. More and more Hollywood types are coming out of the Conservative closet. That says to me that there are now enough of them that their political persuasion is no longer a career ender, as it was a few years ago.

As with all things we'll have to see where it leads, but so far its a trend I like.

And you gotta see this review of  both shows, but only for the YouTube clip of Archie bunker talking about the Democrats in 1978.

Pretty applicable to Democrats in 2012 if you ask me. How much has changed, and how little has.

New Jobs Report

The jobs report is out, and it kinda looks like good news for Obama.

Except....

Here is the thing; people are hiring, finally, not because of Obama and his policies, but becasue employers are becoming more confident that Romney will win next Tuesday.

If he doesn't; so what? Dump them new employees. All they have invested is a couple of weeks pay.

If Romney wins, then are a couple of weeks ahead of the curve.

Or the numbers have been manipulated.

Take you pick.

Post Halloween Sugar Crash Blues

There are really only two days a year when it is permissible to over-indulge in sweet treats: Halloween and Easter. Easter has the added benefit of being the one day of the year when you have tacit permission to eat chocolate for breakfast.

But like any high, an inevitable crash follows. That was today. Unless you are still able to over-indulge in candy. Then the crash is tomorrow. But there will be a crash.

Kind of like November 7th. This election cycle has been a massive high in some respects. No matter which side you are on you have been riding a HOPE high; either a hope for four more years, or hope for no more years for the incumbent. Either way, we a have invested a lot of emotional energy into next Tuesday's outcome. And Wednesday's crash will be difficult, win or lose.

The losers will have obvious reasons for the blues: How will they survive the trip down the wrong road the country has decided to take?

The winners will have another few days of being 'UP'; but then reality sets in. Then comes 4 years of being required to govern, and not just carp from the sidelines.

Unless your a Democrat; then you just spend the next four years padding the pockets of every special interest group you have ever been associated with, instead of governing. Or developing a budget. Or leading.

Unless its from behind.

Sorry; How could a simple post about Halloween candy suddenly take a turn like that?

Well, that's what the crash does to you. Makes you mean. Unsettles your disposition. Makes you unwilling to listen to reason.

Like Obama for the last four years. He came down from his high and realized the job of President is hard work. So he left somebody else in charge and grabbed a basketball. Or some golf clubs. Or he went off on another campaign trip.

Sorry; its that dang sugar crash again.

But I'm looking forward to November 7th; I'll be high as a kite. Either Romney wins, and Obama goes home to Kenya (sorry; I just had to include a birther joke. I ran out of Milky Ways about an hour ago. Bite size my ass; I need 3 or 4 of 'em to make a bite), and I am looking forward to the next 4 years, or Obama wins, and I quit my job and let the rest of you working stiffs pay my bills. And I'll run down to Kroger's and get me a 'boma phone.

Win-Win either way.

YAHOO! Its Over; Romney Wins!

How do I know?

Oh; just a wild guess.

But a rather informed one.

Like my post the other day discussed, The election will most likely boil down to Ohio, and Ohio will boil down to Hamilton County.

And less than a week from Election Day Obama cancels a rally in Hamilton County.

The published polls are showing a Romney surge, and like we discussed the other day as well, what are the internal polls showing?

I think this cancellation shows what the internals are showing.

Obama's decision to stay in Washington to "deal with Hurricane Sandy" is, in my opinion, a euphemism for the euphemism of 'wanting to spend more time with his family'.

I ain't pouring the bourbon yet, but I am pulling a dusty old bottle down off the shelf and polishing up a bourbon glass.

Corruption? What Corruption?

Here is a great (and fairly balanced) article on where this race will boil down to.

Basically the author believes that for Romney to win he needs to have more Republican voters turn out in Hamilton County Ohio than Democrats turn out in Cuyahoga County Ohio. Some very interesting numbers in the article.

Such as 916,000 registered voters in Cuyahoga County. Out of a population of 1,270,294; 22.3% of which are below the age of 18, 283,276 residents. 1,270,294 minus 283,276 equals 987,018, more simply, over 92% of the eligible folks in Cuyahoga County are registered to vote. Amazing number ain't it?

Given the same rate for the entire state (population 11,544,951; Sal-ute!), there would be  8,217,419 voters in the State of Ohio as of October 2012, there were about 7.7 million registered voters. Quite a difference; about half a million voters. State wide only 87% of eligible residents are registered to vote.

But in primarily Democratic Cleveland, 5% more.

Hell, Cuyahoga County is so corrupt even the press had to finally take notice. And these are just the guys they caught.

So; it looks like the entire election between Romney and Obama will be determined by whether or not Cuyahoga County is still as corrupt as it was in 2008/2010.

I am being to see why the Dems are so confident of a victory, no matter what the polls say.

13 days and Counting

We are now less that 2 weeks away from the election that will decide the fate of the country. I hope.

I say I hope, because I am hoping Romney WILL change the course of the country, and not just be Obama Lite, and just send us down the road to a Socialist Hell more slowly. I have hopes, but I also have doubts.

I also believe Romney will win. If Obama didn't have his willing accomplices in the press and the lingering doubts that there will be massive voter fraud in every key state this election would not even be close.

If Obama had the press badgering him on high gas and energy costs, like they did Bush, and constantly dragging the issue of homelessness into the limelight, again, like they did with Bush, and fabricating a scandal out of every decision they didn't like, again, like Bush, this would be a landslide  of Reaganesque proportions.

But they're not, won't and it wont be.

With this administration they wouldn't have to manufacture a scandal; hell; they have any number to pick from. Fast and Furious; Benghazi; Acorn; Black Panthers. And those are just off the top of my head.

But not a word. I guess if CBS can't create some 'Fake , but Accurate" documents for the scandal, they're not interested.

Yard Sign Balloting II

I was going through Ft. Thomas again the other day and did another sign count. This was a different route, so I saw different signs.

This time no Obama. A few Romney, but more of the down ticket signs. But do you know what sign outnumbered them all?

For Sale signs. If I saw one I saw a dozen. They were everywhere.

Most of these homes were in the $120,000 to $350,000 range; mostly older homes, in the 70-110 year range, but a couple newer.

But what do the signs mean?

Are these the signs of a recovering housing market, or are they the signs of desperation, folks finally giving in? That is a key question. The answer is, who knows?

Personally I don't think it is a recovery sign. The ones I looked at were all listed near their Tax appraised value, and all were privately owned; no foreclosure dumps. All had been owned by the current owners between 6-10 years, and all were listed for very near what they had been purchased for a few years previous. That may sound like good news, but this area never had the massive run-up in values that some other parts of the country had.

Here is what I think; I think that after 4 years of sitting on their hands and checkbooks, people are figuring this is the new normal, and its time to get on with their lives. They aren't scared anymore. I also think there is a little optimism showing. Folks are seeing a recovery coming, and are preparing for it.

It also depends on what you see as a 'Recovery'. Anyone expecting a return to the 1990's will be disappointed. Unless something drastically changes, a change I don't foresee,  housing is no longer a short-term investment.

There is a lot riding on November 6th. I sincerely hope we are on our way back. It won't be easy, and I see a lot of fiscal pain in our future. Reagan did it once, 30 years ago. Can Romney do it again?

Two Against One Isn't Fair, Is It?

Well, there's two hours of my life I'll never get back. Apparently Obama tore a page out of Biden's debate prep book.

What an angry mess Obama was last night. I lost track of how many times Obama called Romney a liar. And each time Obama was the liar. Well, Obama or the moderator, Candy Crowley.

The many injuries of Fortuano, sorry, I mean Crowley... But the worst was her agreeing with the President on his terrorism remark on the Benghazi attacks.

How much worse can you get? Because when he was talking about the attack on the Benghazi he used the word 'terrorism' that means he called the attack a terrorist attack? Even though he used it in a completely different context? And was not used as a descriptor of the attack itself?

I guess he got lucky. Other wise they would have had to create the same conclusion by saying something like this:

"In 2011Obama used the words "Terror" and "Libya" in the same speech, and then in March of 2012 he said "Benghazi, Libya", so its plain he called attack an act of terrorism."

This same statement would have been parroted on every network and cable news channel. Even now they will claim this one random reference will mean more than the next 14 days of calling the attack a 'riot gone bad'.

Come on November.

Debate; Part Deux

Well; time for some more self inflicted pain. Another round of Obama-Romney.

I have probably mentioned before that I always found the folks on the left who said they couldn't stand to hear George Bush's voice tiresome. He was the President; how could you hate a man you never met that much?

And then Obama was elected. I turned off his acceptance speech after less than 30 seconds; his voice irritated every nerve I had. In actual fact, I heard more of his voice two weeks ago in the first debate more than I have in his entire presidency. Combined.

And tonight I will force myself to listen to another 45 minutes of him, give or take 20 minutes, depending on when and if the moderator can shut him up.

Tomorrow's post will again be a review, but I expect Romney to again be the victor by a wide margin, even with two opponents; I fully expect the moderator to be Obama II, doing her best to keep Obama from looking like a complete moron again.

The talking head consensus is that Obama will do better because of the Town Hall format. I don't see why this format is any different than the more formal style, He still won't be able to use a teleprompter.

Yard Sign Balloting

I was just 'owt and abowt' as the saying goes, and did a Romney- Obama sign count. I went through a fairly affluent area so I expected a few Obama signs. I saw two.

A few houses were displaying signs for other, local races, Like Sheriff and other county offices, but I didn't see a single sign for the Congressional race that going on for either side. I saw about a dozen Romney signs, which was unexpected. I figured where I was at was a liberal Democrat stronghold. Based on the Democrat for Sheriff signs I saw, it most likely is. But they ain't proud of it.

I also noticed that the campaign signs aren't bunched, on either side of the aisle; almost like nobody wants the top of the ticket to contaminate those further down.

And I can't even use the excuse that its early; Election Day is 3 weeks tomorrow.

This is going to be an interesting election. I think we are starting to see some enthusiasm for Romney, as opposed to just the Anti-Obama vote. But I don't think we are seeing much Average Joe enthusiasm for Obama. He has his rabid support- Unions, Gays and the other Democratic coalition fringe groups. but I think I am seeing the Reagan Democrats becoming Romney Democrats.

They know the direction the country is heading in is wrong, and just can't bring themselves to vote for another 4 years like the last.

Right now they are leaning away form Obama, but not yet Romneyites. Green Party, or maybe Libertarian, but not yet Romney. Not so much because Romney isn't an appealing candidate, but because he is a....; a....

Republican

How can they face their freinds and neighbors, knowing they voted for a....; a.....

Republican 

Friends, and I am talking to those of you who can't bring yourselves to vote for a....; a....

Republican 

Remember this:

It's a secret ballot! No one will ever know but you, and when the country turns around in the next four years you can smile to yourself in the mirror, and take credit some of the credit.

Business Math 101

How about a quick lesson in business economics?


First; you have a business, selling the always popular widgets.

In order to make your widget you need 3 things: A place, materials and labor.

The place is first a capital cost, like your house. You have to either pay cash and tie up a lot of capital (Money); purchase with a loan and make a monthly payment, or rent. A mortgage or rent is a monthly cost that needs to be factored into the cost of your widget. If you tie up cash in the place then you are costing yourself the interest that money could make somewhere else, like the stock market. This is, for our example, COST A. We’ll say its $.25 a widget.

Then you need materials. Unless you are making your widget out of thin air, or a commodity that someone else is ready to give away to get rid of, materials will cost. And those costs will vary depending on a multitude of things, including the cost of the fuel to ship the materials to you. With a contract for delivery you can sometimes regulate the cost so it will be consistent over a year, but that is usually the best you can do. If fuel costs double in the course of 4 years, then your raw material cost may go up 5%-25%, depending on how fuel dependant the process is. And fuel is just one factor.

You also need to figure in equipment as a capital cost, unless your workers can walk in with bare hands and produce quality widgets. As well as other overhead costs like accountants, advertising, attorneys, support staff in the office that does not make widgets, but designs widgets, purchases materials for widgets and maintains the equipment that makes widgets.

This is COST B. We’ll say its $.25 a widget as well.

Then you need folks to make your raw materials into your widgets. Each employee will have a compensation package, consisting of hourly wage and benefits; plus the cost of taxation. For our argument our employee will make $1.00 an hour. So his hour of labor will cost you a buck, right?

Wrong. Social Security makes his hour cost you $1.07. And then you have the benefits. Two weeks vacation? $85.60, plus you need someone to replace the work while he is out. Call it another 5 cents an hour, spread out over the rest of the year.

Health insurance? And here we enter a whole new world of costs well beyond your control. This year the coverage per individual is $208 a year; about $.10 an hour (I love doing math when I can make up my own numbers), but what new regulation will the state or federal governments add that will raise costs? Assuming a 10% increase means the per hour cost of the policy goes to $.10 an hour. It doesn’t sound like much, but multiply that by 2080 hours a year (a 52 week, 40 hour work week) and then multiply by 100 employees. That penny an hour is now $2080.00 extra cost a year.

Let’s assume it takes a man an hour to make a widget. Labor is now $1.22 a widget. This is COST C.

So far we have $.25 plus $.25 plus $1.23; a total of $1.72 per widget.

Now we get to sell our widget.

We can sell our widget for $1.72, but that does not earn a profit. After all, as owner of the company you have capital tied up in the building and the equipment, plus you have to pay taxes. $1.75 is the least we can charge for a widget and make a profit.

Now we go see Martwall to sell them widgets. Our evil competitor is in another country, and even including the shipping costs from the other country, they can price their widgets at $1.77. We sell them at $1.76, undercut the competition and make a $.04 profit on each widget.

Until another new regulation hits, like say, OBAMACARE. Instead of insurance costing $.10 a widget, it now costs $.14 a widget. Not a problem; raise the cost of a widget by $.04. Except now we are more expensive than that foreign widget. If we do that, we can no longer sell widgets to Martwall. We have to hold the line at $1.76. We need to cut costs in order to still make a profit.

We can’t change buildings because of the capital tied up in the building and the cost of a move. We can’t cut material costs, in fact our suppliers are faced with a cost increase as well- same Obamacare- and are talking about raising prices to cover the hit to them.

Looks like labor will take the hit. But we won’t cut wages; we will just increase the cost of the insurance to the employee. Our costs will stay at $.10 for insurance an employee, but the employee, instead of taking home $1.00 for an hour’s work, now takes home $.96. And resents it.

He finds another widget maker, or a maker of getwids that will still pay the $1.00 and changes jobs.

This example is so simplistic I am almost ashamed of myself. But it does illustrate the vise employers are in. The value of what they sell, based on what the market will pay, pushes from one side, and the costs associated with making the product are pushing from the other side. And what’s left is what you, as the owner get to take home.

At what point do you take your capital, invest it in something else that will make easier money, with less work, and stop making widgets?

See No Evil; Hear No Evil; Speak No Evil

 

There seem to be a lot of Obama chickens coming home to roost.

Most of them seem to be scandals of some type or kind; the most recent seems to be a replay of the campaign donation scheme from 2008. Apparently Obama's campaign makes itself available for illegal international donations by turning off a verification code requirements for its credit card on-line donations.

The Lame Stream Media haven't picked up on it yet (what a shocker!), but Fox and the talkers are full of it.

Here's that part that will sound funny; The Obama Campaign did the same thing in 2008. Ain't that a laugh?

So whats the downside? Obama had it all figured out. If he won, his Justice department wouldn't investigate him, now would it?

If he lost, McCain's Justice department wouldn't investigate; professional courtesy and/or you don't make the loser look worse by claiming he cheated, and cheated so poorly he still lost.

2012, and here we are again. Same campaign cheating. Same low risk of getting caught. If he wins, his Justice department won't investigate. If he loses, Romney will let the cheating slide, just like McCain would have.

And the value of a vote and an election just keeps getting cheaper. McCain, Romney, Obama, Boehner, Pelosi, McConnell: what do they care? They have their power, their wealth, their position. So what if a candidate cheats a little bit? Who does it hurt?

I'll tell you who it hurts. It hurts me and my children, and my grandchildren. The only power we have in this country comes to us through the ballot box. I don't like having that little bit of authority diluted even further by shenanigans, like illegal contributions, people voting more than once, or having a vote cast for them.

And when the people we have elected fail to take the value of that vote seriously, its just another mark against that value.

Where is the Federal Election Commission? Has there been a charge of illegality brought against the Obama campaign? If their is evidence, then why no charges? and if there have been charges, why is there no public outcry.

Allegedly Obama will raise and spend a billion dollars this election cycle.

A BILLION DOLLARS. $1,000,000,000.00. All of it spent legally, on ads and staff and offices?

Yeah; I bet.

And the value of my vote drops again.

Convenieeeent; Ain't It?

Am I the only one to notice the how convenient the new Unemployment numbers were?

I didn't think so. I don't think Obama is even fooling his choir in the Lame Stream Media this time.

Just how much more can we accept? These numbers are supposed to be facts; not partisan playthings that the President can shuffle around as he pleases.

How far are we from a puppet regime when the facts and figures we trust to be honest, and are drivers of the economy, are used as political toys?

This will come back to bite Obama in the ass. People, even the sycophantic lefties in the Lame Stream Media don't like being used.

The real numbers will come out. We will have our 44th month of over 8% unemployment.

And Obama will be left mumbling, with egg on his face.

Hopefully all this will happen before November 6th, but if we depend on the LSM to make it happen, I have my doubts.

The Debates

What is there to say?

Romney looked like he was enjoying himself, and Obama looked like he was undergoing a root canal.

There were a couple of times I saw this:



And thought this:



Hopefully I wasn't the only one.

Romney was short on specifics; Obama was long on ........ 'Inaccuracies'; inaccuracies that Romney was calling him on. McCain never challenged Obama. Romney did, and it threw Obama off his game.

Early polls show Romney as the winner; I find that easy to believe.

If Obama does just as well in the second debate in two weeks, don't look for a third debate; instead look for a 'CRISIS' to develop, meaning the debate will be 'postponed'.

I watched last night hoping Romney could sell me.

So far I'm not sold. But I'm not leaving the store either.

Tonight Things Start in Earnest

 

The Debates; Chapter One.

I said awhile back I would need to watch the debates, not to make up my mind, but to see if Romney can sell me on him.

And to watch the Train Wreck that I hope Obama becomes.

Or would; if we had a fair and balanced press.

As is, I expect the questions to be more like this:

Gov. Romney; please explain in detail in 2 minutes how you intend to fix the economy.

President Obama; please describe the best breakfast you have had in the White House.

Gov. Romney; please explain in detail how you intend to repair the healthcare crisis.

President Obama; have you ever shot a hole in one?

Gov. Romney; how does it feel to be such an incredibly successful Presiden... Sorry; wrong question. Gov. Romney; who do you intend to bring unemployment down to less than 4%?

I guess you see where I'm going with this?

The Presidential debates will be a chore for me to watch, but I'll do it.

The Vice Presidential debate should be interesting. Especially if Biden gets asked who exactly has been murdering the middle class for the last 4 years.

More From Mike Rowe

Out and about on the Internets this morning I ran across this post, and then this comment from a commenter named Benjamin:

Mike’s career is fine. Do you really think leftist weenies sit around watching Dirty Jobs and ads for Ford Superduty trucks?


And now that I have your attention, the context!

I found a link to the post through Instapundit, talking about Mitt Romney's campaigning schedule, and specifically how Mitt would be appearing with Mike Rowe, of Dirty Jobs fame, at an Ohio event. A previous comment was concerned about Mike's career, after being seen with Mitt Romney.

And then Benjamin's comment.

Read the post, and as usual the comments are the best part.

Nostradamus I Ain't

I was reading this article yesterday. Amazing what the press won't report with a Democrat in the White House, ain't it?

I normally don't like making predictions, because predictions can go so disastrously wrong. So many little things go into an event, and all it takes is one of the steps to turn out B instead of A and you look like a damn fool.

Think "Dewey Defeats Truman".

But in this case I feel secure in my predictions. Because they are based on recent history.

I predict that once Romney is elected- and no, that's not a prediction; that is a fervent hope- we will start again hearing about the cost of the wars. We will start having body counts again on the evening news, and pictures of flag draped caskets in full color on the evening news.

I predict that once Romney gets elected, we will start hearing about the homeless problem in this country. We will see images of homeless children, living in cars, and barely surviving. The numbers of homeless won't go up or down, but the attention to them will increase dramatically.

I predict half of the people in this country will starve to death once Romney is elected, or it will at least seem that way. Every time an elderly person is found dead in their home it will be because of 'recent' changes to Medicare an Social Security.

I predict that after Romney's election half of the bridges in the country will collapse, or it will seem to appear that way. Every time a backwater two lane bridge is closed for repair it will be because of 'recent' cuts in the transportation budget.

I predict Romney's Presidency will result in a dramatic increase in teen pregnancy, teen suicide and teen alcoholism. All because of 'recent' changes to Federal programs. At least, that's what the media will try to convince you of.

 I also predict that there will not be any change in any of these areas. There maybe slight drops in some rates- a change that will not be mentioned anywhere, or you risk a charge of heresy- because despite the trillions of dollars cast at these problems for the last 40 years, there has been no dramatic change on the rates of any of these issues.

But all of the issue we have not heard a peep out of for the last 3.5 years will suddenly become urgent, and drastically increasing in urgency.

Just like they did when Clinton was President; all of these issues disappeared, from the press anyway, for 8 years, only to appear cicada-like moments after George Bush was sworn in.

That's why I can make these predictions so confidently; I have seen the media's playbook.

The Issue is Jobs, and Work

I have been a fan of Mike Rowe's for years. You can't beat on hour spent with Dirty Jobs. When I found this bit on Instapundit this morning I was not surprised. Mike did something similar a few years ago (I linked to a shorter version then) in a video. Its long- about 20 minutes- but really for the first time somebody with at least a modicum of authority, and a healthy respect for what work is defends working and workers.

And I have been saying the same thing for years myself.

Most of the job and labor related government agencies are not about protecting jobs, but all about destroying manufacturing in this country. OSHA and EPA are the worst.

Lets face it; you take some college educated idiot who has most likely never worked a day in his life, much less in the industry he- or she- is now in charge of regulating, and now they have the authority to force a manufacturer to change any aspect of their process for any reason. Or, more importantly, no reason at all, other than the agencies say so.

For instance, in the early part of the video Mike talks about castrating lambs. He runs through the procedures as approved by PETA, SPCA and a few other alphabet soup outfits. He then sees how the process is actually done, and then compares it with the results of the process as approved by the folks who don't do it.

What a surprise; the approved method is a mess, compared to the way it is done, if done without interference.

OSHA has determined first and foremost that you, as an employee, are stupid, and will not do anything to protect yourself from being killed. Having spent 20 years in industry, I have met these people. They are out there. We don't need a million regulations to stop most people from harming themselves; we need one regulation allowing an employer to fire the idiots.

I have worked with folks who have reached into an operating machine, and damn near lost an arm because of it. Guys who finished welding two pieces of metal together, tried to grab the hot metal with a welding glove on, couldn't, and then removed the glove to grab the hot metal, and seriously burned their hands.

I could go on, but you get the picture. Have you ever read the warning labels on, say... a bottle of shampoo? Warnings like "Do not take internally"? Your first thought is: 'who would be that stupid?' That warning is there because somebody WAS that stupid, and either he or his heirs won a lawsuit over that stupidity. Its the same in manufacturing.

A new machine tool- a machine meant to process a raw material into a finished good, like a CNC Mill or Lathe- has probably a dozen or more labels; each one named after the lawsuit that caused it. In each case, somebody too damn stoopid for their own good did something that harmed them, and their reason for getting hurt was that nobody told them what they did was stoopid. And for some reason employers can't fire you for being stupid.

Instead they need to listen to some fool who never worked a day in their lives tell them how if they had done such and so, the incident wouldn't have happened, so so now they need to do such and so and the other thing as well. The employer smiles and nods (he really can't do anything else), implements the new procedure, and few a few weeks puts a disciplinary report in the "Permanent File" of any employee who violates the inane new rule, and then quietly goes back to letting intelligent folks get the job done.

The question is why? I see three options:

1) The Federal Government is so concerned about YOU that they will use the full power of the government to protect YOU:

2) The Federal Government wants to end manufacturing in this country:

3) A Federal bureaucrat sees a way to make sure next year he has more money to spend; more peons to boss around and a bigger salary, if he can prove this is a BIG issue.

Yeah I tend to lean toward 2 and 3 myself.

Lets hope we can change that come this November.