Since the primaries of 2008 the Obama campaign (and now administration) have been grandstanding that they are going to "spread the wealth" in this country. Now if the rest of America is anything like me than you work hard for your money, you savor every penny that you get, because after all we spend most of our lives working. We spend our "good years" working everyday so we can live the American dream. Saving just enough so that when the time comes we can retire, and spend the few remaining years we have left relaxing and finally enjoying life without the constraints of the 8 to 5 workday. Don't get me wrong I enjoy life right now I just want to know that one day I no longer have a boss to answer to, that each day I can just wake up and be free to do whatever comes my way.
I believe in helping those that can't help themselves, I believe in charity for those in need, I believe in being a contributing member of society to help further the great good. The key words here are "those that can't help themselves" those in NEED".......But what I don't believe in is taking my hard earned money and funnelling it into government programs that support people who don't want to work, people who would rather take a handout than perform an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. People who keep reproducing only to raise their children to depend on the system so that the cycle never ends. So this gets me to my point, another program to yet again raise taxes to pay for those who don't want to work. The Obama administration is now talking about taxing our health care benefits to pay for a "public option" for the more than 46 million Americans that don't have health care. Is the government going to tax the "Public Option" plan? Isn't that fair? The adminsitration is going to take my money (by taxing my employer's contributions) to subsidize a plan for those who don't have one? To me taxing them would be fair as well. It's no different than my employer paying out money to subsidize my plan. INSERT GOVERNMENT HERE...
The government can't even figure out how to properly run the VA healthcare system what makes them think that they can do any better managing a healthcare plan for the entire nation?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! How about spreading your own wealth! Leave mine alone! Maybe instead of raising my taxes you should think about the other portion of my money that you're spending. Let's see what could the government cut ? Oh yeah how about the complete misuse of my tax money to fly to New York and take in a lavish trip to the theatre?
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Political Divorce Agreement
DIVORCE AGREEMENT Dear American Liberals, Leftists, Social Progressives, Socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:We have stuck together since the late 1950's, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.
Here is a model separation agreement:
Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell. (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them.)We'll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's and rednecks. We'll keep the Bible and give you NBC and Hollywood...You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide them security.We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N... but we will no longer be paying the bill.We'll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and full size cars. You can take every sub compact car you can find.You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We'll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute Imagine, I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.We'll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag.Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet you ANWAR which one of us will need whose help in 15 years..
Sincerely A True American
P.S. Also, please take Barbara Streisand & Jane Fonda with you.
Here is a model separation agreement:
Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell. (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them.)We'll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's and rednecks. We'll keep the Bible and give you NBC and Hollywood...You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide them security.We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N... but we will no longer be paying the bill.We'll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and full size cars. You can take every sub compact car you can find.You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We'll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute Imagine, I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.We'll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag.Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet you ANWAR which one of us will need whose help in 15 years..
Sincerely A True American
P.S. Also, please take Barbara Streisand & Jane Fonda with you.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Democratic Vice Presidential Pick Joe Biden
Joe Biden -
Joe Biden has represented the state of Delaware in the United States Senate since 1972, when he was elected at the age of twenty-nine. Senator Biden is recognized as a leader in foreign policy, as well as one of the nation's most influential voices on terrorism, drug policy, and crime. Nationally, Senator Biden has earned a reputation for working on a bipartisan basis with Republican colleagues and bringing real results that matter to Americans.
Throughout Senator Biden's career in public service, the people of Delaware have remained his first priority. From preserving White Clay Creek and miles of Delaware's coastline, to putting hundreds more cops on the state's streets, to fighting to cover healthcare costs for all of Delaware's children, Senator Biden is working to improve the lives of Delawareans.
Senator Biden's legislative initiatives often have an immediate impact in Delaware. For example, Delaware was one of the first states to take advantage of the federal resources made available by Senator Biden's Adam Walsh Act, which helps protect children against predators. And fourteen years after Senator Biden first wrote and passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), its programs are still caring for, training, and providing for victims in Delaware.
Agriculture remains Delaware's biggest industry and Senator Biden is committed to preserving Delaware's farming tradition. He believes that the term "family farm" should never become a Delaware legend.
As the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Biden's top foreign policy priority is bringing home American troops without leaving chaos behind in Iraq. Senator Biden and Les Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, have offered a five-point plan that offers a political solution to ending the war - a plan overwhelming endorsed by his Senate colleagues by a 75-23 vote.
"Senator Biden has a very strong commitment to a bipartisan foreign policy and serves as a good example for everyone in Congress. He has a very broad, comprehensive view of the world. He's a good listener, but he's also a strong and effective advocate of his position."
His leadership was also widely hailed for helping to bring stability and peace to the Balkans. In 1999, Senator Biden authored a Senate-passed resolution endorsing air war in Kosovo. Today, Senator Biden is again leading the Congressional effort to end genocide, this time in Darfur, Sudan.
Senator Biden is committed to taking care of the men and women who have put their lives on the line to protect our country through military service. Ensuring that all veterans have top-notch medical treatment in a fully-funded VA health care system is a key priority.
As a long-standing member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Biden is a strong leader on crime and drug policy and has been instrumental in crafting almost every major piece of crime legislation over the past two decades. His Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 - also known as the Biden Crime Bill - put more than 100,000 cops on America's streets and increased dramatically federal support for innovative criminal justice prevention and rehabilitation. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill goes further by addressing the 21st century crime problems such as computer hacking, on-line child exploitation and teenage prescription drug abuse. As the Co-Chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus, Senator Biden was the first in Congress to propose a "Drug Czar," a cabinet level office to coordinate all federal agencies responsible for drug-related programs and devise a strategy to combat illegal drug use and trafficking in America.
One of Senator Biden's longstanding priorities is making college more accessible and affordable for students and their families. Recently, he introduced the College Affordability and Creating Chances for Educational Success for Students (ACCESS) Act which would increase tax incentives, expand Pell grants, and begin college planning as early as the eighth grade.
Over the last thirty-four years, Senator Biden has shown prescience and leadership on the most critical issues facing Delaware and our country. From his instrumental role in passing the bipartisan initiative to create a Commission on Civil Rights in 1983, to introducing the 1986 Global Climate Protection Act, to establishing an annual National Mammography Awareness Day, and to authoring the Rail Security Act of 2007 to regulate the transportation of hazardous materials on American railways, Senator Biden consistently works to tackle America's toughest challenges.
Joe Biden has represented the state of Delaware in the United States Senate since 1972, when he was elected at the age of twenty-nine. Senator Biden is recognized as a leader in foreign policy, as well as one of the nation's most influential voices on terrorism, drug policy, and crime. Nationally, Senator Biden has earned a reputation for working on a bipartisan basis with Republican colleagues and bringing real results that matter to Americans.
Throughout Senator Biden's career in public service, the people of Delaware have remained his first priority. From preserving White Clay Creek and miles of Delaware's coastline, to putting hundreds more cops on the state's streets, to fighting to cover healthcare costs for all of Delaware's children, Senator Biden is working to improve the lives of Delawareans.
Senator Biden's legislative initiatives often have an immediate impact in Delaware. For example, Delaware was one of the first states to take advantage of the federal resources made available by Senator Biden's Adam Walsh Act, which helps protect children against predators. And fourteen years after Senator Biden first wrote and passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), its programs are still caring for, training, and providing for victims in Delaware.
Agriculture remains Delaware's biggest industry and Senator Biden is committed to preserving Delaware's farming tradition. He believes that the term "family farm" should never become a Delaware legend.
As the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Biden's top foreign policy priority is bringing home American troops without leaving chaos behind in Iraq. Senator Biden and Les Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, have offered a five-point plan that offers a political solution to ending the war - a plan overwhelming endorsed by his Senate colleagues by a 75-23 vote.
"Senator Biden has a very strong commitment to a bipartisan foreign policy and serves as a good example for everyone in Congress. He has a very broad, comprehensive view of the world. He's a good listener, but he's also a strong and effective advocate of his position."
His leadership was also widely hailed for helping to bring stability and peace to the Balkans. In 1999, Senator Biden authored a Senate-passed resolution endorsing air war in Kosovo. Today, Senator Biden is again leading the Congressional effort to end genocide, this time in Darfur, Sudan.
Senator Biden is committed to taking care of the men and women who have put their lives on the line to protect our country through military service. Ensuring that all veterans have top-notch medical treatment in a fully-funded VA health care system is a key priority.
As a long-standing member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Biden is a strong leader on crime and drug policy and has been instrumental in crafting almost every major piece of crime legislation over the past two decades. His Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 - also known as the Biden Crime Bill - put more than 100,000 cops on America's streets and increased dramatically federal support for innovative criminal justice prevention and rehabilitation. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill goes further by addressing the 21st century crime problems such as computer hacking, on-line child exploitation and teenage prescription drug abuse. As the Co-Chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus, Senator Biden was the first in Congress to propose a "Drug Czar," a cabinet level office to coordinate all federal agencies responsible for drug-related programs and devise a strategy to combat illegal drug use and trafficking in America.
One of Senator Biden's longstanding priorities is making college more accessible and affordable for students and their families. Recently, he introduced the College Affordability and Creating Chances for Educational Success for Students (ACCESS) Act which would increase tax incentives, expand Pell grants, and begin college planning as early as the eighth grade.
Over the last thirty-four years, Senator Biden has shown prescience and leadership on the most critical issues facing Delaware and our country. From his instrumental role in passing the bipartisan initiative to create a Commission on Civil Rights in 1983, to introducing the 1986 Global Climate Protection Act, to establishing an annual National Mammography Awareness Day, and to authoring the Rail Security Act of 2007 to regulate the transportation of hazardous materials on American railways, Senator Biden consistently works to tackle America's toughest challenges.
Republican Vice Presidential Pick Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin -
An ethics crusader who won the Alaskabngovernor's office in 2006 (including a landslide primary victory over incumbent Republican governor Frank Murkowski) and has remained one of the most popular local politicians in America even as she continued to take on such powerful figures as the oil companies and the leaders of her own state party.
Palin, 44, has been the Joan of Arc of Alaska politics, marching into battle against long odds on such big local issues as oil taxes and construction of a natural gas pipeline only to see her opposition crumble. Days after her 2006 primary victory, an FBI investigation into political corruption involving the oil industry and Republican legislators burst into view with surprise raids of legislative offices. Criminal indictments and convictions followed, often just in time for the headlines to help her win another contest in Juneau.
Though fearless in choosing the outsider's path in politics, she remains relatively untested as a campaigner, a politician and as a governor who has held office less than two years.
BUILDING AN ETHICS BASE
Palin finished a strong second in the 2002 primary for lieutenant governor and was being groomed by the party for higher office when she clashed with state Republican Party chairman Randy Ruederich. They both had seats on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, appointed by Gov. Frank Murkowski, the Republican she would later depose. She accused Ruederich of misusing the job for political chicanery and eventually resigned in frustration. Ruederich was forced to resign the job as well, though he remains head of the state party.
Palin later took on Murkowski's attorney general in a conflict-of-interest scandal that forced his resignation. And when state Sen. Ben Stevens, the son of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, was caught making a dismissive remark about the Wasilla area, Palin appeared in a rebuttal ad wearing a "Valley Trash" T-shirt.
In 2006, she knocked off Murkowski and then Democratic former Gov. Tony Knowles in a campaign that drew on grassroots support, relying on neighbors and friends for staff rather than the party and veterans of big-time campaigns.
She had strong support from social conservatives and often speaks of her religious faith. The Palins have five children, including their first-born, Track, who enlisted in the Army on Sept. 11, 2007. Track Palin is 19 and stationed at Fort Wainwright with the Stryker Brigade, preparing for a deployment to Iraq in September. The Palins also have three daughters: Bristol, Willow and Piper.
The newest member of the family, a son, Trig, was born in April ago after a pregnancy that Palin managed to keep secret for seven months. Trig was born with Down syndrome, which the Palins had discovered through testing.
But as governor, she has not pushed any big-agenda items of social conservatives. She spoke favorably in her campaign of schools teaching the creationism debate with evolution, but lived up to her pledge to do nothing as governor to push the idea. Her first veto was of a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships -- she said she supported the idea but accepted legal advice that it was unconstitutional. This year, she declined to call a legislative special session on two abortion bills because they would have interfered with her top priority, a measure promoting a new natural gas pipeline.
OIL AND GAS ISSUES
Her focus has been on raising oil taxes -- long suppressed by oil-friendly legislators, the taxes seemed ridiculously low once oil prices started rising -- and on launching construction of a $40 billion gasline from North Slope oil fields. Palin took on the oil producers, especially Exxon Mobil, saying they had been dragging their feet on a gasline. She persuaded the Legislature to pass a bill authorizing an independent company to build the line with state subsidy.
The ongoing corruption scandal in the Legislature over influence of the former oil field services company Veco helped Palin force change in the Juneau state capitol. That scandal has spread to include Alaska's two longtime powers in Congress, Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young. Palin has kept distance between herself and those Republican icons and backed ethics reform measures that passed the Legislature.
Palin's clean image has lately taken a shot, however, over charges that she tried to use her office to get rid of an Alaska state trooper who had gone through a messy divorce with one of Palin's sisters. Palin denied any involvement but has conceded a staff member made inappropriate calls. The Legislature has hired a special investigator, with the strongest criticism coming from Republicans antagonized by Palin during the oil and gas battles of the past two years.
She was already under steady criticism from some quarters, including conservative radio talk show hosts in Anchorage and rental car executive Andrew Halcro, a former state representative who ran as an independent in the last governor's race and features almost-daily criticism of her on his blog. Critics call her naive, a panderer in her economic populism and reckless in her dealing with the vital oil industry.
But at a time when state coffers are spilling over with new oil revenues, Palin has remained popular with voters, recently pushing through a $1,200 per person "rebate" to help with high fuel costs.
By Tom Kizza of the Anchorage Daily News
An ethics crusader who won the Alaskabngovernor's office in 2006 (including a landslide primary victory over incumbent Republican governor Frank Murkowski) and has remained one of the most popular local politicians in America even as she continued to take on such powerful figures as the oil companies and the leaders of her own state party.
Palin, 44, has been the Joan of Arc of Alaska politics, marching into battle against long odds on such big local issues as oil taxes and construction of a natural gas pipeline only to see her opposition crumble. Days after her 2006 primary victory, an FBI investigation into political corruption involving the oil industry and Republican legislators burst into view with surprise raids of legislative offices. Criminal indictments and convictions followed, often just in time for the headlines to help her win another contest in Juneau.
Though fearless in choosing the outsider's path in politics, she remains relatively untested as a campaigner, a politician and as a governor who has held office less than two years.
BUILDING AN ETHICS BASE
Palin finished a strong second in the 2002 primary for lieutenant governor and was being groomed by the party for higher office when she clashed with state Republican Party chairman Randy Ruederich. They both had seats on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, appointed by Gov. Frank Murkowski, the Republican she would later depose. She accused Ruederich of misusing the job for political chicanery and eventually resigned in frustration. Ruederich was forced to resign the job as well, though he remains head of the state party.
Palin later took on Murkowski's attorney general in a conflict-of-interest scandal that forced his resignation. And when state Sen. Ben Stevens, the son of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, was caught making a dismissive remark about the Wasilla area, Palin appeared in a rebuttal ad wearing a "Valley Trash" T-shirt.
In 2006, she knocked off Murkowski and then Democratic former Gov. Tony Knowles in a campaign that drew on grassroots support, relying on neighbors and friends for staff rather than the party and veterans of big-time campaigns.
She had strong support from social conservatives and often speaks of her religious faith. The Palins have five children, including their first-born, Track, who enlisted in the Army on Sept. 11, 2007. Track Palin is 19 and stationed at Fort Wainwright with the Stryker Brigade, preparing for a deployment to Iraq in September. The Palins also have three daughters: Bristol, Willow and Piper.
The newest member of the family, a son, Trig, was born in April ago after a pregnancy that Palin managed to keep secret for seven months. Trig was born with Down syndrome, which the Palins had discovered through testing.
But as governor, she has not pushed any big-agenda items of social conservatives. She spoke favorably in her campaign of schools teaching the creationism debate with evolution, but lived up to her pledge to do nothing as governor to push the idea. Her first veto was of a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships -- she said she supported the idea but accepted legal advice that it was unconstitutional. This year, she declined to call a legislative special session on two abortion bills because they would have interfered with her top priority, a measure promoting a new natural gas pipeline.
OIL AND GAS ISSUES
Her focus has been on raising oil taxes -- long suppressed by oil-friendly legislators, the taxes seemed ridiculously low once oil prices started rising -- and on launching construction of a $40 billion gasline from North Slope oil fields. Palin took on the oil producers, especially Exxon Mobil, saying they had been dragging their feet on a gasline. She persuaded the Legislature to pass a bill authorizing an independent company to build the line with state subsidy.
The ongoing corruption scandal in the Legislature over influence of the former oil field services company Veco helped Palin force change in the Juneau state capitol. That scandal has spread to include Alaska's two longtime powers in Congress, Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young. Palin has kept distance between herself and those Republican icons and backed ethics reform measures that passed the Legislature.
Palin's clean image has lately taken a shot, however, over charges that she tried to use her office to get rid of an Alaska state trooper who had gone through a messy divorce with one of Palin's sisters. Palin denied any involvement but has conceded a staff member made inappropriate calls. The Legislature has hired a special investigator, with the strongest criticism coming from Republicans antagonized by Palin during the oil and gas battles of the past two years.
She was already under steady criticism from some quarters, including conservative radio talk show hosts in Anchorage and rental car executive Andrew Halcro, a former state representative who ran as an independent in the last governor's race and features almost-daily criticism of her on his blog. Critics call her naive, a panderer in her economic populism and reckless in her dealing with the vital oil industry.
But at a time when state coffers are spilling over with new oil revenues, Palin has remained popular with voters, recently pushing through a $1,200 per person "rebate" to help with high fuel costs.
By Tom Kizza of the Anchorage Daily News
Thursday, August 21, 2008
McCain verse Obama the Issues
Where the Candidates want to take America
Barack Obama's Vision (in his words)
We find ourselves at a crossroads in America's history. It's a time where you can go to any town hall or street corner or coffee shop and hear people express the same anxiety about the future; hear them convey the same uncertainty about the direction we're headed as a country. Whether it's the war or Katrina or their health care or their jobs, you hear people say that we've finally arrived at a moment where something must change.Ladies and gentlemen, this is our time. Our time to make a mark on history. Our time to write a new chapter in the American story. Our time to leave our children a country that is freer and kinder, more prosperous and more just than the place we grew up. And then someday, someday, if our kids get the chance to stand where we are and look back at the beginning of the 21st century, they can say that this was the time when America renewed its purpose. They can say that this was the time when America found its way. They can say that this was the time when America learned to dream again.
John McCain's Vision (in his words)
I am convinced that a majority of Americans still consider themselves conservatives or right of center. They still prefer common sense conservatism to the alternative. They want their government to operate as their families operate, on a realistic budget, with an eye on the future that spurns self-indulgence in the short term for the sake of lasting prosperity, that respects hard work and individual initiative, and that shows no favoritism to one group of Americans over another. Common sense conservatives believe in a short list of self-evident truths: love of country; respect for our unique influence on history; a strong defense and strong alliances based on mutual respect and mutual responsibility; steadfast opposition to threats to our security and values that matches resources to ends wisely; and confident, reliable, consistent leadership to advance human rights, democracy, peace and security.
Barack Obama's Vision (in his words)
We find ourselves at a crossroads in America's history. It's a time where you can go to any town hall or street corner or coffee shop and hear people express the same anxiety about the future; hear them convey the same uncertainty about the direction we're headed as a country. Whether it's the war or Katrina or their health care or their jobs, you hear people say that we've finally arrived at a moment where something must change.Ladies and gentlemen, this is our time. Our time to make a mark on history. Our time to write a new chapter in the American story. Our time to leave our children a country that is freer and kinder, more prosperous and more just than the place we grew up. And then someday, someday, if our kids get the chance to stand where we are and look back at the beginning of the 21st century, they can say that this was the time when America renewed its purpose. They can say that this was the time when America found its way. They can say that this was the time when America learned to dream again.
John McCain's Vision (in his words)
I am convinced that a majority of Americans still consider themselves conservatives or right of center. They still prefer common sense conservatism to the alternative. They want their government to operate as their families operate, on a realistic budget, with an eye on the future that spurns self-indulgence in the short term for the sake of lasting prosperity, that respects hard work and individual initiative, and that shows no favoritism to one group of Americans over another. Common sense conservatives believe in a short list of self-evident truths: love of country; respect for our unique influence on history; a strong defense and strong alliances based on mutual respect and mutual responsibility; steadfast opposition to threats to our security and values that matches resources to ends wisely; and confident, reliable, consistent leadership to advance human rights, democracy, peace and security.
Presidential Election Decision 2008
Well I haven't posted in a quite some time and with the presidential election just around the corner I've decided to Blog about the facts or fictions surrounding each candidate. I'm still an undecided voter, not sure which way to turn. John McCain or Barack Obama? Typically I vote repulican (actually i like to describe myself as the most liberal republican you will meet.) So I've decide to begin posting information about each candidate here on the Complaint blog. Now I know what you're going to say that isn't much of a complaint, but we'll get back to complaining after the election. I'm sure there will be enough complaints to be filed, hanging chads, uncounted votes, unfair voting practices, faulty ballot machines etc... etc.. etc...
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Bad Day
The morning
It could have gone either way – you know how it unfolds, a series of seemingly insignificant events predicts the type of day that lies ahead. At first it wasn’t looking good. But, I had no major wardrobe malfunctions, all of the left lane putzers actually got out of my way on the drive to work, and the normal morning talk show gibberish about movie stars, farts, and relationships gone bad was miraculously replaced with a series of good songs. By song #3 I declared that this was going to be a good day. That’s right - I said it out loud. Fatal mistake.
It all started to go bad when I got to work and reached into my bag for my diet cherry coke. It wasn’t there. I left the damn coke on the table again; now I have to settle for something caffeine-free. But there were Dunkin Donuts in the kitchen, and the left lane driver and morning music phenomenons couldn’t be dismissed so easily, so I chalked it up to "blessing in disguise." After all, I have a new antibiotic to take today; maybe I shouldn’t take it with caffeine.
The reaction
I believe I would have felt better had I taken rat poison, with or without caffeine. It started with an uncontrollable cough. Loud, hacking, can’t breathe, eyes watering, chest-exploding kind of cough. Then my ears started to itch. Oh god, how do I scratch the inside of my ears!!???? I wanted to rip them off my head. When the boss walked in I had both hands pressed against my ears, elbows straight out, pressing in as hard as I could, tears pouring out of my eyes from the coughing, which I wasn’t even trying to suppress anymore. He didn’t even find this scene to be odd. I didn’t argue when he told me to go home.
All of a sudden my lips started hurting, kind of like hundreds of needles mixed with what I imagine extreme dehydration would feel like. I still didn’t get it. My brilliant solution to horrible sharp lip pain was to pull out my chapstick. I thought it worked because 5 minutes later there was no more pain, there was no more feeling at all. My mouth was numb and swollen – and there was the light bulb. Allergic reaction to the antibiotic.
As the drama unfolds, Tricia is sitting outside my office, listening to my teret-like rants (which actually are not that unusual). This is kind of how it went: cough cough cough, "maybe I will go home," cough cough cough, "My LIPS hurt! It’s like something is piercing my lips! AGGHH!" cough cough cough, "Tricia I think maybe I’m having a reaction to that pill" which came out more like "Twiha I sink maybe I having weaction to pill."
When her eyes got huge at the sight of me, I knew there was trouble. Ok, hopefully this is just a side-effect. I called the doctor. I saw Hitch and figured the cure was a bottle of Benedryl. No such luck. Doc says ER, and now people are gathering outside my office, pointing and whispering.
The hospital
By the time I get there, I wish I could pull off my ears and gouge out my eyes. My whole face feels like I’ve rubbed it in poison ivy. I wander around for a good two minutes trying to figure out where to go. Finally, I find my way to the ER. The ER guy says fill out a pink paper, put it in a basket, and wait, so I do, after only 2 more minutes of wandering to actually locate the pink paper and the basket. I realize my face must be getting worse because people in the waiting room actually stop talking when I walk in. They don’t even bother being discreet about the staring. There is no one in the room with a limb hanging off or a bullet wound, so I decide that my condition is the most important. Evidently not, because I sat there long enough for the disfigurement to worsen, and the itch spread down into my neck and arms.
My ER companions:
After my co-worker reminds them that I’m having an allergic reaction & may stop breathing soon, not to mention I’m getting increasingly harder to look at, they take me into stage 1 – tell us your problem. In the midst of my dramatic tale, I am interrupted by a woman who has a sore foot. She is walking and standing without assistance, has no bullet wounds, knife wounds, or deadly allergic reactions that I can see, but she is persistent enough to get the nurse to walk away from me twice to try and find Dr. G. She must see Dr. G. He told her to come in for a follow up. Now I’m furiously scratching, my eyes, ears, cheeks (not my lips because I can’t feel them), arms, and it’s spreading to my chest. But thank God the woman got to see Dr. G. I hope her foot is feeling much better.
Back to waiting. They’ll buzz me when they are ready. Two Navy women are discussing the boots, how they used to have black but the new browns ones are just as bad. They really make your feet stink. The entire conversation was spoken in what mom calls "outside voices" in a room that was about 10 x 10. The smelly foot conversation actually lasted longer than my first visit with the nurse.
Now my face is purple, eyes are bulging from my head, and I can’t see that great. It’s getting hard to swallow. My buzzer is called, time for paperwork. It’s my lucky day – I got the new girl. She had some trouble knowing what buttons to push "do I push 5 because it happened at work? That is the work button, but it’s not a workers comp. Maybe I should push "other" because I can’t push 4 since she wasn’t at home..." About 5 minutes into this debate I wanted to blurt out that I was a liar. It did happen at home. In fact, I don’t even have a job, just like to wear suits around the house to feel important. So go ahead and push button 4 for "home" please and send me on my way to get some Benedryl. But she decided on "other."
Another buzzer, more waiting, more swelling, more itching. I’m pretty sure I resemble a zoo monkey the way I’m furiously scratching all over my upper body. I went to look in the mirror. Oh God. I’ve now progressed to a grotesque amalgamation of Hitch and Sloth. Smelly foot conversation is still going when I’m finally called back to the ER where I’m filled with more pills and yet another butt shot. That’s three in two days. I wish I had just allowed myself to get pneumonia instead of visiting the doctor yesterday. But, 20 minutes later, no more itch. And 20 more, back to being white instead of purple. And 20 more, I almost look normal, well with huge lips and cheeks, but normal compared to my arrival. Doc asked "do your lips always look like that?" But I’m well enough to give up the room to the next emergency and sit in the hallway to be released. This process takes only another 40 minutes. My hallway companion is Dave. He suffers from itchy feet, a possible nervous breakdown, and an overactive cell phone ("Yeah this is Dave. Yeah man, I had a nervous breakdown" each word yelled even louder than the last. Can you use cell phones in here???)
Forget Dave, there is someone more interesting coming in on a stretcher from an ambulance. They park her in front of Dave and let her crawl onto another gurney. I think security will be coming soon. She’s mad. She’s probably high, she’s crawling onto the gurney backwards and confused, trying to get her eyes to focus on Dave who is still on the phone talking about his nervous breakdown. They have to turn her around. They forgot to belt her in though and within 10 minutes she’s trying to find the way out cuz she wants to go home! She starts yelling at her companion (daughter??) for calling the ambulance. Daughter insists "it weren’t me." This woman wants out bad but the hospital can’t let her go since she threatened suicide which is illegal. (What is the state penalty for suicide???) Interestingly enough, the threat about her breaking the law actually calms her down for a few minutes.
I didn’t get to stay long enough to see how Dave and Psycho made it. My drama ended with more prescriptions and a slightly puffy, but at least human looking face. Still a little puffy today, but I think I’ll just have collagen injected into my lower lip to match the top before I have any more prescriptions filled.
It could have gone either way – you know how it unfolds, a series of seemingly insignificant events predicts the type of day that lies ahead. At first it wasn’t looking good. But, I had no major wardrobe malfunctions, all of the left lane putzers actually got out of my way on the drive to work, and the normal morning talk show gibberish about movie stars, farts, and relationships gone bad was miraculously replaced with a series of good songs. By song #3 I declared that this was going to be a good day. That’s right - I said it out loud. Fatal mistake.
It all started to go bad when I got to work and reached into my bag for my diet cherry coke. It wasn’t there. I left the damn coke on the table again; now I have to settle for something caffeine-free. But there were Dunkin Donuts in the kitchen, and the left lane driver and morning music phenomenons couldn’t be dismissed so easily, so I chalked it up to "blessing in disguise." After all, I have a new antibiotic to take today; maybe I shouldn’t take it with caffeine.
The reaction
I believe I would have felt better had I taken rat poison, with or without caffeine. It started with an uncontrollable cough. Loud, hacking, can’t breathe, eyes watering, chest-exploding kind of cough. Then my ears started to itch. Oh god, how do I scratch the inside of my ears!!???? I wanted to rip them off my head. When the boss walked in I had both hands pressed against my ears, elbows straight out, pressing in as hard as I could, tears pouring out of my eyes from the coughing, which I wasn’t even trying to suppress anymore. He didn’t even find this scene to be odd. I didn’t argue when he told me to go home.
All of a sudden my lips started hurting, kind of like hundreds of needles mixed with what I imagine extreme dehydration would feel like. I still didn’t get it. My brilliant solution to horrible sharp lip pain was to pull out my chapstick. I thought it worked because 5 minutes later there was no more pain, there was no more feeling at all. My mouth was numb and swollen – and there was the light bulb. Allergic reaction to the antibiotic.
As the drama unfolds, Tricia is sitting outside my office, listening to my teret-like rants (which actually are not that unusual). This is kind of how it went: cough cough cough, "maybe I will go home," cough cough cough, "My LIPS hurt! It’s like something is piercing my lips! AGGHH!" cough cough cough, "Tricia I think maybe I’m having a reaction to that pill" which came out more like "Twiha I sink maybe I having weaction to pill."
When her eyes got huge at the sight of me, I knew there was trouble. Ok, hopefully this is just a side-effect. I called the doctor. I saw Hitch and figured the cure was a bottle of Benedryl. No such luck. Doc says ER, and now people are gathering outside my office, pointing and whispering.
The hospital
By the time I get there, I wish I could pull off my ears and gouge out my eyes. My whole face feels like I’ve rubbed it in poison ivy. I wander around for a good two minutes trying to figure out where to go. Finally, I find my way to the ER. The ER guy says fill out a pink paper, put it in a basket, and wait, so I do, after only 2 more minutes of wandering to actually locate the pink paper and the basket. I realize my face must be getting worse because people in the waiting room actually stop talking when I walk in. They don’t even bother being discreet about the staring. There is no one in the room with a limb hanging off or a bullet wound, so I decide that my condition is the most important. Evidently not, because I sat there long enough for the disfigurement to worsen, and the itch spread down into my neck and arms.
My ER companions:
After my co-worker reminds them that I’m having an allergic reaction & may stop breathing soon, not to mention I’m getting increasingly harder to look at, they take me into stage 1 – tell us your problem. In the midst of my dramatic tale, I am interrupted by a woman who has a sore foot. She is walking and standing without assistance, has no bullet wounds, knife wounds, or deadly allergic reactions that I can see, but she is persistent enough to get the nurse to walk away from me twice to try and find Dr. G. She must see Dr. G. He told her to come in for a follow up. Now I’m furiously scratching, my eyes, ears, cheeks (not my lips because I can’t feel them), arms, and it’s spreading to my chest. But thank God the woman got to see Dr. G. I hope her foot is feeling much better.
Back to waiting. They’ll buzz me when they are ready. Two Navy women are discussing the boots, how they used to have black but the new browns ones are just as bad. They really make your feet stink. The entire conversation was spoken in what mom calls "outside voices" in a room that was about 10 x 10. The smelly foot conversation actually lasted longer than my first visit with the nurse.
Now my face is purple, eyes are bulging from my head, and I can’t see that great. It’s getting hard to swallow. My buzzer is called, time for paperwork. It’s my lucky day – I got the new girl. She had some trouble knowing what buttons to push "do I push 5 because it happened at work? That is the work button, but it’s not a workers comp. Maybe I should push "other" because I can’t push 4 since she wasn’t at home..." About 5 minutes into this debate I wanted to blurt out that I was a liar. It did happen at home. In fact, I don’t even have a job, just like to wear suits around the house to feel important. So go ahead and push button 4 for "home" please and send me on my way to get some Benedryl. But she decided on "other."
Another buzzer, more waiting, more swelling, more itching. I’m pretty sure I resemble a zoo monkey the way I’m furiously scratching all over my upper body. I went to look in the mirror. Oh God. I’ve now progressed to a grotesque amalgamation of Hitch and Sloth. Smelly foot conversation is still going when I’m finally called back to the ER where I’m filled with more pills and yet another butt shot. That’s three in two days. I wish I had just allowed myself to get pneumonia instead of visiting the doctor yesterday. But, 20 minutes later, no more itch. And 20 more, back to being white instead of purple. And 20 more, I almost look normal, well with huge lips and cheeks, but normal compared to my arrival. Doc asked "do your lips always look like that?" But I’m well enough to give up the room to the next emergency and sit in the hallway to be released. This process takes only another 40 minutes. My hallway companion is Dave. He suffers from itchy feet, a possible nervous breakdown, and an overactive cell phone ("Yeah this is Dave. Yeah man, I had a nervous breakdown" each word yelled even louder than the last. Can you use cell phones in here???)
Forget Dave, there is someone more interesting coming in on a stretcher from an ambulance. They park her in front of Dave and let her crawl onto another gurney. I think security will be coming soon. She’s mad. She’s probably high, she’s crawling onto the gurney backwards and confused, trying to get her eyes to focus on Dave who is still on the phone talking about his nervous breakdown. They have to turn her around. They forgot to belt her in though and within 10 minutes she’s trying to find the way out cuz she wants to go home! She starts yelling at her companion (daughter??) for calling the ambulance. Daughter insists "it weren’t me." This woman wants out bad but the hospital can’t let her go since she threatened suicide which is illegal. (What is the state penalty for suicide???) Interestingly enough, the threat about her breaking the law actually calms her down for a few minutes.
I didn’t get to stay long enough to see how Dave and Psycho made it. My drama ended with more prescriptions and a slightly puffy, but at least human looking face. Still a little puffy today, but I think I’ll just have collagen injected into my lower lip to match the top before I have any more prescriptions filled.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
