On Health Care Reform - I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Barack Obama. He made his 1,324,278th speech on health care reform today. Pretty much every time he speaks on this, public opinion goes down. The Republicans are against it, and are actually being reasonable...asking simply to start over with a clean sheet so we can get something everybody wants, rather than something nobody wants. But, what's more surprising is the Democrats are not unified on this. They see the writing on the wall, and they no they are in trouble come November. The Dems know that this is political suicide for them, but unfortunately their leader won't let it go.
This is actually why I feel a little sorry for Obama. Based on his behavior, this is obviously the first time in his life that he's been told no, and he doesn't know how to react. Instead of compromise or rethink this entirely, he's just digging his heels in and continuing to push a failed agenda. Sort of sad, isn't it?
On Jim Bunning - This week Senator Jim Bunning held up an extension of unemployment benefits because the Senate didn't have a way to pay for it...imagine that. This measly $10 billion dollar bill was supported by both parties, but Bunning decided that the Senate should actually start enforcing their rule of "Pay as you go" or "Paygo." Because of this, he was met with overwhelming ridicule from the media and the Democrats. They did their usual "the poor people without jobs will be hurt, yada, yada, yada." Finally, Bunning caved last night and agreed to the measure under the promise that the Democrats would find $10 billion to cut somewhere else.
This entire thing shows just how pathetically out of touch the Democrats are, and how illegitimate the left wing media is. Frankly, the media doesn't even try to be unbiased anymore. The amount of money we are talking about, $10 billion, is nothing to the Federal Government. They could have easily taken $10 billion from the bailout or TARP funds, but rather than even try to look for the money, they were just going to drive us farther into debt. What Bunning did is a start...hopefully next time the Democrats try this (I blame the dems because they are the party in power), more Republicans will stand with Senator Bunning. This debt is going to crush us...Washington politicians have run wild for too long, and it's about time a someone said "enough"! Nice work Senator Bunning!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Book Review: "Titan's Curse"
"Titan's Curse" is the 3rd book in the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series. Only 2 more books to go! "Titan's Curse" was a fast read, mostly because it was really hard to put down.
In this 3rd installment of the series, Percy is now 14 years old. Unlike past books, this one takes place in the winter. Percy (a son of Poseidon), along with his friends Annabeth (daughter of Athena), Thalia (daughter of Zeus) and Grover (a satyr) meet at a private school where Grover has found 2 half-blood children. Just as Percy and the gang are about to rescue them, evil arrives in the form of a really kick-butt monster. Just as the heroes are about to be overwhelmed, Artemis (goddess of the hunt) and her hunters arrive to save the day. In the melee Annabeth is lost. Soon after Artermis herself is lost. Now, Percy, Thalia, Grover and 2 of the hunters must set out on another impossible mission to find the goddess and Annabeth before the winter solstice.
"Titan's Curse" was great! The action was there, along with humor on par with "The Lightning Thief." Percy is proving to be a resourceful hero, and the Greek mythology woven throughout is very interesting. I'm actually interested in learning more about Greek mythology because of this series.
The only part of the series that I'm not liking is that, while Percy seems really adept at figuring out difficult prophecies and finding his way out of impossible trouble, it seems like he's always the last to figure out other critical plot items along the way. Sometimes it seems that everyone but Percy knows what is going on...including the reader! Anyway, just slightly annoying...not enough to keep me from reading on. I've already started the 4th book, "The Battle of the Labyrinth."
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Movie Review: "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" and other Stuff about Movies
Look, I'm not going to waste much time on this. I watched the 2nd installment in the "Family Guy Star Wars" saga, "Something, Something, Something Dark Side." Frankly, it wasn't that funny...2 stars.
I think I'm really at the point in my life where I've outgrown movies like this. I think everyone reaches that point, and I'm there. A friend and I have often discussed how you have to see certain movies at certain stages of your life, or they are totally lost on you. I think that's how it is with me and the latest generation of spoof films. I will always love "Airplane", "Spaceballs" and the "Naked Gun" films...and nothing can top "Monty Python", because I saw these when I was in my teen years, and it happened to hit my more crude sense of humor then. But I don't think I'm ever going to be able to really like the "Scary Movie" type films. They just seem stupid to me. Apparently my sense of humor has evolved.
With some movies, I think it's more nostalgia for how you felt when you first watched it. Or it could be that you remember how good that movie was at it's time, and there's a sense of appreciation there. I know "Ghostbusters" will always be one of my favorite movies, because it was so cool when I was a kid. But watch it now, and it's not so impressive. I can't imagine my kids really getting into that movie when they see the 1980's world it's set in.
Further proof of this can be taken from my own childhood. My dad used to love to watch the old westerns and war movies, but I just thought they were really lame compared to the latest films of the day. But for my dad, he appreciated the times when those movies were made, and it probably brought him back to his childhood somewhat.
Anyway, I got nothin' to tie this all together nicely. That's the point of having random ramblings...sometimes they are just random. Enjoy your movie watching!
I think I'm really at the point in my life where I've outgrown movies like this. I think everyone reaches that point, and I'm there. A friend and I have often discussed how you have to see certain movies at certain stages of your life, or they are totally lost on you. I think that's how it is with me and the latest generation of spoof films. I will always love "Airplane", "Spaceballs" and the "Naked Gun" films...and nothing can top "Monty Python", because I saw these when I was in my teen years, and it happened to hit my more crude sense of humor then. But I don't think I'm ever going to be able to really like the "Scary Movie" type films. They just seem stupid to me. Apparently my sense of humor has evolved.
With some movies, I think it's more nostalgia for how you felt when you first watched it. Or it could be that you remember how good that movie was at it's time, and there's a sense of appreciation there. I know "Ghostbusters" will always be one of my favorite movies, because it was so cool when I was a kid. But watch it now, and it's not so impressive. I can't imagine my kids really getting into that movie when they see the 1980's world it's set in.
Further proof of this can be taken from my own childhood. My dad used to love to watch the old westerns and war movies, but I just thought they were really lame compared to the latest films of the day. But for my dad, he appreciated the times when those movies were made, and it probably brought him back to his childhood somewhat.
Anyway, I got nothin' to tie this all together nicely. That's the point of having random ramblings...sometimes they are just random. Enjoy your movie watching!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Ohno - Organized Chaos
Over the past 2 weeks, I have been able to enjoy a little bit of the Winter Olympics, though not as much as I would have liked. One sport that I have been able to watch quite a bit of is Short Track Speed Skating. It's part speed skating, part roller derby. There are crashes and insane passes.
For those who don't know, short track speed skating takes place on the same ice that hosts the figure skating. They set up a ring around the outside, and these athletes fly around the ice like crazy. You almost have to see it to believe it.
The best American short track speed skater is Apolo Anton Ohno, and last night he won his 8th career Winter Olympic medal (a bronze), a record for an American. In a sport where any medal is considered a good medal, because of the chaos involved, Ohno has won his 8 medals in 12 events. Ohno is 27 and this might be his last Olympics. Watching him skate has been the highlight of the last 3 Winter Olympics for me, and I'll be sad to see him go. Hopefully his example will spur other American men and women to become short track speed skaters. This is one Olympic sport I will anxiously look forward to in 2014.
For those who don't know, short track speed skating takes place on the same ice that hosts the figure skating. They set up a ring around the outside, and these athletes fly around the ice like crazy. You almost have to see it to believe it.
The best American short track speed skater is Apolo Anton Ohno, and last night he won his 8th career Winter Olympic medal (a bronze), a record for an American. In a sport where any medal is considered a good medal, because of the chaos involved, Ohno has won his 8 medals in 12 events. Ohno is 27 and this might be his last Olympics. Watching him skate has been the highlight of the last 3 Winter Olympics for me, and I'll be sad to see him go. Hopefully his example will spur other American men and women to become short track speed skaters. This is one Olympic sport I will anxiously look forward to in 2014.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Clock is Ticking
I've been more irritated than usual about politics lately, and today I finally figured out why. This all started earlier this week when President Obama unveiled his health plan. My first thought was, "didn't this end when Scott Brown was elected?" Apparently not!
Here's where my irritation comes in. This is a waste of time! Nothing is going to pass on health care reform this year...even the Democrats are saying that. But, to continue the waste of time, there is a Health Care Summit tomorrow at Blair House. President Obama doesn't get it. Congress doesn't get it. Or maybe they do get it and distracting us with this is the only way to keep us from looking at the real 800 lb. gorilla in the room.
I don't think the American people get it. There's only 1 thing that matters right now, the debt! And to take it a step further, the unfunded liabilities of the U.S. Government matter. Right now, you are probably thinking "What are you talking about Jake?" I'm talking about the US Debt Clock. While talking about debt is a popular thing, almost nobody talks about unfunded liabilities. On the debt clock, it shows the liabilities promised to Medicare, Prescription Drugs and Social Security. The total is a whopping $107.5 trillion dollars. What makes this worse is the fact that the total national assets amount to $75.4 trillion dollars, so we're $32 trillion in the hole! In other words, we can't pay for what we've said we are going to pay for.
This is the only issue that really matters! Our federal government has created an unsustainable situation. What makes this worse is we stood by and let it happen, and we're continuing to let it happen today. We took our federal money whenever we could get it. We didn't make a stink when Social Security became part of the general fund. We have gladly had our cake and eaten it to.
So, how do we fix this...well, I have a couple ideas.
1) Balance the federal budget and write a balanced budget amendment. Without this, no meaningful changes can happen.
2) Raise the retirement age for Social Security to 80. Sorry, but if you want to retire early, save your money. When Social Security was implemented, the average life expectancy was 60, and you could start collecting at 62. Now people live to be almost 80 on average.
3) Reform medicare...there has to be cuts to the program. In general, the size and scope has to be reduced. This is true across all government, but especially in medicare.
4) We have to take a hard look at defense spending. There is waste and inefficiency in every bureaucracy, and the military has to find it.
5) Look for duplicate federal government duties and cut the waste.
6) Cut the Department of Education...that's a state's responsibility anyway.
7) Consider raising taxes, if and only if, they are accompanied by 1-6, and only if they go towards retiring the debt. Once the debt is retired, the taxes go away.
I have no time for any politicians who aren't willing to tackle the tough problems. In my mind, that includes everybody currently in Washington D.C., so come November, I'm pushing for a vote the bums out campaign. If you see (i) next to someones name, vote against them, regardless of party affiliation. That's what I'm going to do.
It's time we reign in our spending and get our country back on the right track. The debt clock is ticking...I don't want my kids to have to pay for the sins of prior generations. I'd much rather fix it now and bear that pain, than pass the buck to them.
Here's where my irritation comes in. This is a waste of time! Nothing is going to pass on health care reform this year...even the Democrats are saying that. But, to continue the waste of time, there is a Health Care Summit tomorrow at Blair House. President Obama doesn't get it. Congress doesn't get it. Or maybe they do get it and distracting us with this is the only way to keep us from looking at the real 800 lb. gorilla in the room.
I don't think the American people get it. There's only 1 thing that matters right now, the debt! And to take it a step further, the unfunded liabilities of the U.S. Government matter. Right now, you are probably thinking "What are you talking about Jake?" I'm talking about the US Debt Clock. While talking about debt is a popular thing, almost nobody talks about unfunded liabilities. On the debt clock, it shows the liabilities promised to Medicare, Prescription Drugs and Social Security. The total is a whopping $107.5 trillion dollars. What makes this worse is the fact that the total national assets amount to $75.4 trillion dollars, so we're $32 trillion in the hole! In other words, we can't pay for what we've said we are going to pay for.
This is the only issue that really matters! Our federal government has created an unsustainable situation. What makes this worse is we stood by and let it happen, and we're continuing to let it happen today. We took our federal money whenever we could get it. We didn't make a stink when Social Security became part of the general fund. We have gladly had our cake and eaten it to.
So, how do we fix this...well, I have a couple ideas.
1) Balance the federal budget and write a balanced budget amendment. Without this, no meaningful changes can happen.
2) Raise the retirement age for Social Security to 80. Sorry, but if you want to retire early, save your money. When Social Security was implemented, the average life expectancy was 60, and you could start collecting at 62. Now people live to be almost 80 on average.
3) Reform medicare...there has to be cuts to the program. In general, the size and scope has to be reduced. This is true across all government, but especially in medicare.
4) We have to take a hard look at defense spending. There is waste and inefficiency in every bureaucracy, and the military has to find it.
5) Look for duplicate federal government duties and cut the waste.
6) Cut the Department of Education...that's a state's responsibility anyway.
7) Consider raising taxes, if and only if, they are accompanied by 1-6, and only if they go towards retiring the debt. Once the debt is retired, the taxes go away.
I have no time for any politicians who aren't willing to tackle the tough problems. In my mind, that includes everybody currently in Washington D.C., so come November, I'm pushing for a vote the bums out campaign. If you see (i) next to someones name, vote against them, regardless of party affiliation. That's what I'm going to do.
It's time we reign in our spending and get our country back on the right track. The debt clock is ticking...I don't want my kids to have to pay for the sins of prior generations. I'd much rather fix it now and bear that pain, than pass the buck to them.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Movie Review: Surrogates
"Surrogates" is the latest sorta weird Sci-Fi action movie that I've take the time to watch. At only 90 minutes, it wasn't that much time on a Friday night. I've been having a bad run of movies lately, so I was really hopeful with "Surrogates" because Bruce Willis rarely makes a bad movie.
In this movie, 98% of the world's population is living out their daily lives through robotic surrogates. Basically, these people sit at home in a chair and are connected to their robot selves who are out living life. This is said to be safer, cleaner and all around better for everyone...until the death of a surrogate causes the death of it's controller. That's when we meet Special Agent Tom Greer (Bruce Willis), who is charged with unravelling the mystery of how this could happen. When he nearly dies using his own surrogate, Greer ventures back into the world as a human, only to find the plot is much bigger than even he could imagine.
I liked this movie, but I didn't love it. I always like Bruce Willis movies, and I've gone back and forth on whether this is a 3 or 4 star movie...so lets call it 3.45 stars. Here's what I did like about this movie:
-The overall idea of the movie...surrogates being controlled by people in chairs is a good Sci-Fi theme
-The fear the non-surrogates (humans) have of the surrogates
-The new twist on the standard Bruce Willis tough guy character
-The ending
Here's what I didn't like:
-Agent Greer's wife and that entire subplot...it was tedious and annoying
-The length of the movie...90 minutes wasn't enough
-The relative ease that brought about the ending
I think Sci-Fi fans will like "Surrogates" but will maybe feel a little short changed like do. For everybody else, you can just skip this one.
Book Review: Sea of Monsters
Lately, it seems that all do is review books and movies. Where is the cutting edge commentary on the political events of the day? Where are the rants about sports? Where is the offbeat humor? Well, I've just been too busy to think about those things (yes, I do think before I blog). I haven't even been able to watch much of the Olympics, and I love the Olympics.
But, I have made time to read before bed each night. The latest book is the 2nd in the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series..."Sea of Monsters." In this installment, Percy is a year older and a little wiser. He has befriended a street kid named Tyson, and is actually having a good year of school. Until, he starts having dreams of his friend Grover being held captive by a Cyclops. That's when Annabeth shows up, and Percy's life gets interesting again.
"Sea of Monsters" is a good follow up to "The Lightning Thief." I thought it had some interesting Greek mythology sprinkled in and a good bit of action. However, it was lacking a little of the humor from the first book, but I still found it funny. The addition of Tyson is a nice touch, and we get to meet Hermes, the Messenger of the gods, who is a different, but very likable character.
Overall, "Sea of Monsters" falls a bit short of "The Lightning Thief" but was still a good book, and hasn't stopped me from wanting to read the last 3 books in the series.
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