OPEN A NEW WINDOW OPEN A NEW DOOR

GOOD MORNING WORLD

From MAME the musical:

Open a new window,
Open a new door,
Travel a new highway,
That’s never been tried before;
Before you find you’re a dull fellow,
Punching the same clock,
Walking the same tight rope
As everyone on the block.
The fellow you ought to be is three dimensional,
Soaking up life down to your toes,
Whenever they say you’re slightly unconventional,
Just put your thumb up to your nose.
And show ’em how to dance to a new rhythm,
Whistle a new song,
Toast with a new vintage,
The fizz doesn’t fizz too long.
There’s only one way to make the bubbles stay,
Simply travel a new high way,
Dance to a new rhythm,
Open a new window ev’ry day!

I have mentioned once or twice that I love the movie and book ‘Auntie Mame’.  The musical is good as well.  I believe it is her resilience that I love.  That is what America has – resilience.

I am stymied to the vote that was cast in our country yesterday.  I could not believe the results.  I still cannot as I type this.  It is my belief, along with a little less than half of the other people here that we are going the wrong direction.  What happened yesterday was no mandate for anyone.  We have voted more stagnation.  Well perhaps with the exception of the House of Representatives who reinforced their numbers against  pseudo hope and change.

The saddest thing for me is that negative advertising won.  President Obama advertised that Mitt Romney would take away birth control and abortion.  The facts are that no President can do that.  There are laws on the books protecting both of these issues – Griswold vs. Connecticut and Roe vs. Wade.  It would take congressional action to over come these.  That will not happen.  The Senate we have today has not passed a budget in over three years.

I also do not understand why 52/53% of our country that believe we are on the wrong track did not vote that opinion.  I do not understand how 41% of Catholics could vote  when Obamacare is making Catholic Institutions sue the government of our country.  I do not understand the 10% that gave the win to Obama that said the current President had more empathy for the middle class.  I do not understand why if Florida’s Cuban-Americans went for Romney that Florida voters gave the win to Obama.

Some other stats are that:

52% of men voted for Mitt Romney.

55% of women voted for Obama

60% of the youth vote went to Obama – down from 68% of 2008

45% of people polled said Obama’s response to Sandy was important

15% of voters said the response to Sandy was most important

25% ONLY said they were better off today than yesterday

50/50 split of military vote

I was asked what I was going to write after the election and Mitt Romney won?  No reason to worry now.  I have much fodder.  I can follow up on the Benghazi issue where the President lied to the country.  Not opinion as this is fact as proved by CBS.

I will bone up on Obamacare which is going to cost this country much.  We are going to go more into debt with the taxes associated with Obamacare.  While we are hoping house sales will increase to help the housing market each sale that goes to someone with an accumulated wealth over $250,000 will now pay a 3.8% tax on the profits to pay for Obamacare.

Our manufacturing will go to other countries as businesses are not going to pay the taxed here.  Unemployment will increase.  The Republican congress will still be blamed for the lack of leadership coming from the White House.  Sadly I will have much of which to write.  Our country has voted for stagnation.  Who is Obama  going to blame the mess of the last four years?

While I will not trust this President anymore today than I did yesterday I will move forward.  I will keep my pantry stocked.  I will not spend and become a better saver.  I will get up each morning and look forward to the day with enthusiasm and vigor.  I will enjoy our family.  I will revel in the accomplishments of our grandchildren.  I will move forward with plans for our retirement.   I will continue to go to church, help my neighbor and try to change the world.  I will continue to pray for our country.

The song continues:

If you follow your Auntie Mame
I’ll make this vow, my little love,
That on the last day of your life
You’ll be smiling the same young smile
You’re smiling now, my little love,
If you wake up ev’ry mornin’
And you pull aside the shutter,
And you promise me that these’ll be
The first words that you utter
Open a new window,
Open a new door,
Travel a new highway,
That’s never been tried before…..

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

ELECTION DAY 2012 – WHAT MORE CAN BE SAID?

GOOD MORNING WORLD

Today is the big day and the first result has a tie.  Dixfield Notch, NH voted last night at midnight and the vote was 5 to 5.  In the rest of the country 30 million have already voted.  Let the cheering begin.

Dixfield Notch, NH has been the first to report their results, voting begins at 12:00AM election Day.  This is a tradition that began with their railroading history.  Since 1948 when the vote was at 7AM the voting has been early so that people working for the railroad would not have to take off unpaid time from work.  Then began a race with a nearby town, Hart’s Location with 35 voters, to be the first to report results.

What more can be said about this race?  The discussions are all done.  Tonight or even early tomorrow we will have a President once again.  When you think of it the process we go through in this country it is wonderful.  While not without strong language it is without violence, despite the Black Panthers standing in uniform monitoring at a polling place in Philadelphia in 2008 and today.   One day we have one man as a President and the next day, if there is an incumbent, it could be the same man or another.  No guns no bombs quiet and orderly.  God Bless America and the wisdom of those who went before us.

To fill out the page this morning I decided to look at the superstitions and folklore surrounding our elections.  Growing up in Maine I heard “As Maine goes so goes the nation” my whole life.  This has now switched to Ohio.  It is said that no one can be elected President without winning Ohio.

Another little tidbit that I found was the sports items.  There is the “Redskins Rule”.  For those not sports minded the Redskins are the football team – Washington Redskins.  This rule has predicted the last 17, out of 18, White House winners.  The rule is that if the Redskins do not win their last home game before the election that an incumbent will not hold the White House.  The Washington D C Redskins lost to the Carolina Panthers 21-13 in their last home game at Fed-Ex Field.

The next concerns the actual date, November 6th.  Since 1860 when Abraham Lincoln won election only Republicans have been elected on this date.   The most thorough information I could find about this was on breitbart.com.  Check it out for yourself for the full article at:

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/10/30/The-Streak-Republicans-Have-Won-Every-November-6th-Presidential-Election-Since-1860

Starting in 1792, states had a range of dates on which to conduct presidential elections, but in 1845 Congress standardized the date so it would always be the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Since then presidential elections have been held on dates ranging from November 2nd to November 8th with each date coming up about six times in a fairly regular pattern. The date November 6th has always been a good one for Republicans:

1860 – Abraham Lincoln over Stephen Douglas

1888 – Benjamin Harrison over incumbent Grover Cleveland

1900 – William McKinley over William JenningsBryan

1928 – Herbert Hoover over Al Smith

1956 – Dwight Eisenhower over Adlai Stevenson

1984 – Ronald Reagan over Walter Mondale

There was another curiosity that said that a Senator cannot be elected President.  That of course has been debunked in our history with the elected of Sen. John F. Kennedy and Sen. Barack Obama.

There is also a superstition that before the election of General Grant in 1872 that a man that used his middle name could not be elected a President a second time.  This was an interesting tidbit for me as I did not realize how many Presidents used their middle names.   There were 7 that had and/or used their middle names that were not re-elected.  They are: John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison,  James Knox Polk, Rutherford Birchard Hayes, James Abram Garfield, and Chester Allan Arthur who were not reelected. Grant, who interrupted the pattern after Polk, may have eluded this by only using his middle initial.  It gave me pause to wonder had President Kennedy lived would he have been re-elected?

You have to love Trivia!  I am certain there is more out there that I have not found.

I was asked recently what I was going to write about when the election was over.  Since my blog is eclectic I am certain there will be much more to fill the space.  If Barack Obama is re-elected I have no worries as we have not yet the full information about Libya.  I also will scrutinize Mitt Romney to see that he keeps his promises.  By the end of 2009 there were a number of books already out with facts and figures about how Barack Obama had not kept his ‘first day’/’first year’ promises.  It must be no different for Mitt Romney when he becomes President.

As the votes are being cast and counted I am feeling like a kid on Christmas morning waiting for the best gift ever with a Romney win.  I really do not believe I will be disappointed.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

VOTE – VOTE – VOTE IF YOU WANT THE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN

GOOD MORNING WORLD

I get the biggest kick out of people who complain about our government.  Well we all do at one point.  I am talking about the ones that complain and when asked – did you vote they say NO.  I have taken to telling them then they have no right to complain.  Our ‘constitutional right’ of complaining comes when we execute our constitutional right to vote.

As voters we are hiring a person for the job of President of the United States.  Both of the candidates meet the requirements.  So who is the best choice.  When hiring a person one looks at the resume and other factors.  We of course want to hire the top talent and we have gone through a process to find the best two candidates.

From Inc.com I found an interesting synopsis:

Four hiring practices of highly successful organizations
The study revealed that the organizations with the most effective hiring policies were more likely to use the following four practices:

• Job interviews in which candidates are asked to describe specific examples of their skills
• Automated resume screening and search
• Assessments that predict whether candidates are motivated by the factors associated with a particular job or a company’s  values and ways of doing things
• Simulations that gauge specific job-related abilities and skills

I believe the interviews, resume screening and search are completed as we have President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney vying for the job.  The candidates are now openly describing their skills so that first bullet is completed as well.  It is for the employer – the American People –  to now make assessments to see if the candidates are motivated by ‘a company’s values and ways of doing things’.  We can also judge if they have the skills and abilities to do the job.  So let’s look as clinically as I can.

JOB SKILLS (ways of doing things):

Candidate Obama proceeded with bankruptcy of the car companies with public funds.

Candidate Romney believed in a structured bankruptcy with private funds and govt. guarantees.

 

Candidate Obama pushed through a partisan government run insurance plan Obamacare.

Candidate Romney work with a Democrat legislature to implement Romneycare.

 

Candidate Obama said he would work across the aisle and bring bi-partisanship back to DC.

Candidate Romney worked with a 85% Democrat legislature as Governor.

 

Candidate Obama pushed green energy to the loss of stimulus money.

Candidate Romney believes we must use resources we have and be energy independent.

 

Candidate Obama has a record of spending and not working with Congress.

Candidate Romney has a record of working across the aisle and balancing a budget.

 

Candidate Obama has no business experience.

Candidate Romney has run successful businesses as well as the Olympics.

 

Candidate Obama has regulated small businesses to closure.

Candidate Romney believes small businesses run this country.

 

VALUES:

Candidate Obama attended a church where the minister said things like “G__D__America”

Candidate Romney served as a minister in his church.

 

Candidate Obama was very open in his books about his recreational drug and alcohol abuse.

Candidate Romney has never used recreational alcohol or drugs.

 

Candidate Obama criticizes America.

Candidate Romney praises America.

 

Candidate Obama wants to transform America.

Candidate Romney wants to restore America.

 

On Nov. 6th we will all hire the man we believe can lead America for the next four years.  I believe we need a man of character and strength and I believe that man is Mitt Romney.  I have not been quiet about this fact.   I voted in 2008 and that gives me the right to complain.

I have been critical of our current President.  He has given me much of which to criticize.  I look to a candidate running for office to keep his promises as an act of character.  The President has kept few.  His most recent acts call his character back to mind for me.  In Benghazi there was much confusion. I am not sure a clear picture is out even now almost 2 months later.  The one thing that is blatantly obvious from what we do know is that the President knew what was going on and for weeks he and his staff were not truthful about the incident with the American Citizens – his employer!  Another item is his response to Sandy – he was there in one day!  It took him 7 days to get to the JoplinMO disaster, 14 days to the oil spill in the Gulf and ignored the flood in Tennessee. Hurricane Sandy happened the week before election day.  You make your own decision on these character points.

One of my favorite quotes is “Character is what you do when no one is looking.”  I want to hire a man to run our country who is a man of character and believes in service to country and others.  Mitt Romney is a man of character.  I challenge anyone to prove otherwise.

We are hiring a man to run the United  States of America.  Let these, their own words, speak for the candidates.

 

Candidate Obama said this week that ‘Oh no don’t boo – vote.  Vote. Voting is the best revenge’.

Candidate Romney said this week that we must ‘…vote for love of country’.

 

If you want the right to complain about how President Romney runs the country you must vote Nov. 6th!

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURES…

POLITICAL PANDERING PERPLEXING PERCEPTIONS OF POLLS and more…

GOOD MORNING WORLD

Yesterday I finally wrote a note to Comcast our cable provider.  For the last few weeks I have noticed a side bar on my email inbox page.  On the right of the screen is a side bar that hold ads.  No problem to me as I usually ignore them until recently. 

I’ve noticed that this space has been occupied by ads for Barack Obama.  It scrolls between pictures of him to pictures of Michelle to pictures of the two of them interspersed with ads for Norwegian Cruise Lines and a fat belly-busting product.  I decided to time them and they changed every time I hit a new email.  There has not been one ad in this space for Mitt Romney.  It became investigation time for me!!!

I clicked on the ad info that was below it and up popped a survey of sorts.  I was able to look it over and put comments in specific boxes to submit.  The Comcast disclosure said:  

Regarding candidate/political advertisements:
Comcast delivers paid advertisements from many sources that represent a wide range of viewpoints. With respect to candidate advertisements, the amount of advertising distributed for a particular candidate is determined by the candidate. Comcast maintains an objective position and will neither accept nor reject ads based on agreement or disagreement with the advertiser’s viewpoint. If you have a comment about the advertisement you saw, please contact the sponsor of the commercial, the candidate or the candidate’s political committee. The sponsor’s contact information is usually available on their website.

I filled out the survey and left this quick comment:

I timed the ads for a few minutes and on the right of my email inbox screen there is a almost continuous loop of Barack Obama and Michelle – what about equal time on a public service – is this in compliance with the laws of campaigning???  …..I believe this is partisan and not sure it is legal – think I will take it to facebook or my blog to share…your statement says you maintain an objective view – I do not see that – since I began to notice this not once have I seen an ad run by the Romney campaign in this space….

This led me to thinking about what we are hearing throughout our media.  I have written about this before.  It is the consensus I believe that most Americans believe the majority of the media supports re-electing Barack Obama.  Networks, not cable, are supposed to give equal time for ads and I believe they probably do.  They cannot however control the opinions of commentators that clearly lean left to the Democrat Party.  The polls have the potential to be skewed as well.

Last night on one of the cable talk shows that we watch there was a very interesting discussion about polls.  Karl Rove tried to demystify the information and it seemed very clear to me.  Regardless of the messenger at least let me share the message.

He had two small white boards.  One was for Florida and one was for Ohio.  The explanation that I am about to share is my interpretation of the information that I heard and I hope it makes some sense to you.  It did to me.

The way polls are done is to use a matrix and the one they use usually is the results of exit polls from the past to project the future.  Rove said the polls are not dishonest we just need to look carefully at how they are done.  So here is what he said using the exit poll matrix.

In Florida in ’08 the exit polls had +3% more Democrats voting than Republicans.  In 2004 Florida had -4% more Democrats than Republicans and in 2000 Florida had +2% more Democrats than Republicans voting.  Are you with me?

It is his contention that the CBS/NYTimes poll that has Obama (Democrats) winning the election in November by +9% is way out of reach.  This means that this poll believes there are three times more Democrats in Florida that will vote Democrat this November than there are Republicans that will vote.  Are Democrats in Florida 9% more excited about this election this year than they were in 2008?  It is for us to decide if this poll is right.  We need to have the real information about how it is compiled to understand.

In Ohio he gave the same information.   In 2008 Ohio was +8% for Democrats.  In 2004 it was a -5% and a +1% in 2000.  The CBS/NYTimes give this a 9% Democrat win as well.  While Rove believed the race closer in Ohio he believed the margin was somewhere between the +8 of 2009 and the -5 of 2004.

The other point to add here is that the polling finds that Romney is winning the Independents by 3 points so how can these margins in these two states be so high?  All this information and the margins of errors and the way they figure the polls are on the websites of each individual poll.  It has to be ferreted out and searched for and it is there to check the websites and the instruments by which they conduct their polls.  Real Clear Politics polls and Pollster.com have the race has Obama winning by 4 points.

In 2008 the Rasmussen Poll was the most accurate throughout the election cycle.  I like Scott Rasmussen when I catch him speaking.  His poll is an independent poll and he seems like a no nonsense kind of guy.  They do daily tracking of many different things.  Their last poll of the Presidential race was last week and it had the race as essentially a dead heat.  Obama was up 2 in Florida and up by 1 in Ohio.

As I have said, I believe the media is a major force in helping Obama get re-elected.  We as the electorate have to be informed.  We need to find information anyplace we can.  I believe that we have to share it as well.  What I hear may not be what you hear. I am committed to passing on all I can for everyone to make a clear choice. 

I hear you out there – yes of course I want to elect Mitt Romney.  That does not take away from the fact that we have to be informed.  Polls can keep people home from voting.  I have said it myself.  Why bother going as it is a foregone conclusion that “?” will win.  I voted anyway as I do believe with all my heart that every single vote counts.

I also believe in the American people.  I do not believe, contrary to many, that they are just sheep who can be directed to a candidate by what the media says.  Dr. Larry Sabato, the Director of the UVA Center for Politics said it very well last night.  He said, ‘People are not empty vessels into which the media can pour opinions.’  He added, ‘We all have perceptual screens and we screen out things with which we disagree.’  It is important to have all the facts to filter through those screens.

If I am wrong, and Dr. Sabato is as well, then let me add my information to the din to help all make an educated choice even if it is not for Mitt Romney.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…  

 

HOPE – OPTIMISM – THE BEST WAY TO LIVE

GOOD MORNING WORLD

THE COCK-EYED OPTIMIST from South Pacific

When the skies are brighter canary yellow
I forget ev’ry cloud I’ve ever seen,
So they called me a cockeyed optimist
Immature and incurably green.

I have heard people rant and rave and bellow
That we’re done and we might as well be dead,
But I’m only a cockeyed optimist
And I can’t get it into my head.

I hear the human race
Is fallin’ on its face
And hasn’t very far to go,
But ev’ry whippoorwill
Is sellin’ me a bill,
And tellin’ me it just ain’t so.

I could say life is just a bowl of Jello
And appear more intelligent and smart,
But I’m stuck like a dope
With a thing called hope,
And I can’t get it out of my heart!
Not this heart…

Growing up in my house we had a record player which was a huge piece of furniture.  It held a turntable and a radio all in one using the same speakers.  It was not new and we only had three LP records that I can remember. 

What is an LP you ask?  Records in those days were 12″+/- across and held 5-6 songs on each side.  They were placed on a spinning disk and you physically placed a needle on them so the sound would come out.  I am not trying to talk down to anyone.  I am trying to be clear as there may be people who have not ever touched one of these records.  The LP which stands for long-playing came in a sleeve that was heavy cardboard and decorated to tell you what was inside.

We had an LP with the music from the Broadway play ‘South Pacific’.  One was the music from the play “Kiss Me Kate”.  There were 4 as we had Tommy Dorsey Band and Glenn Miller Band records.  I used to be able to sing all the sings from ‘South Pacific’ and ‘Kiss Me Kate’.  My favorites were ‘Cockeyed Optimist’ and ‘Bloody Mary’ from ‘South Pacific’.  I loved ‘I’ve Come to Wive it Wealthily in Padua’ from ‘Kiss Me Kate’.

The words ‘stuck like a dope on a thing called hope…’ from ‘The Cock-eyed Optimist’ were specifically written for me I believe.  When I sang them I would almost scream them as important.

I live in a state of hope and have most of my life.  Full disclosure I have had moments of depression – most of my first year of college would qualify for this description.  There were other various times in my life when I have been ‘blue’ or ‘down’.   Few would know that I was feeling unhappy as I tried to not let it show.  For the majority of all these years I will claim upbeat and residing in a state of hope. 

I have been a cheerleader literally and metaphorically.  I believe it is the best way to live.  When I am faced with negativity it feels hurtful like I am being physically assaulted.  I try to remove myself from these situations as quickly as I can.  I look for the best in people.  Everyone has some ‘best’ in them I have discovered.

I refuse to look at the outcome of anything as negative.  It is my belief that looking with hope leaves one in better shape to work toward a positive result.  For instance in the case of the Presidential Election I want Mitt Romney to win.  I am upbeat and I really believe he WILL win.  The pundits say he will not win.  If this comes up in conversation I point out that it is better to live with hope and be optimistic.  I figure, and someone actually has said so, that an optimist is only disappointed once.  In this case I have lived very happily in the hope and belief that we will have a President Romney come November.  Others that want the same outcome and do not believe it are disappointed right now.  If he loses they will be disappointed again.  I on the other hand will not be disappointed at all as I am convinced he will win!!!  Take the case of John McCain.  In that case I was disappointed in Nov. only.  Lived in hope all throughout the whole race!

I believe it is a heavy burden to live a life without hope.  I believe it is visible.  Look at the homeless for a glimpse of lost hope.  Look in the eyes of an addict.  Look into the eyes of someone who is terminally ill.  Many are hopeless.  Their situations could change on a dime and yet they cannot see it as they are bogged down in the depths of a dark world. That is the reality that they may live. Yet once in a while there is a glimmer of hope.

The ill person has a good run of terrific test results and their eyes light up as hope comes into them.  Offering an addict a place to recover so they can choose to change their habits can give them a glimmer of hope.  Suggesting to the homeless that there is another way and then taking them to an agency to find it is offering hope.  Perhaps the simple offer of a cup of coffee and some company can bring hope to someone.  A phone call can bring hope.  A letter or an email can contain hope.  A smile to a stranger walking on the sidewalk or in the mall can give hope.  We have no idea what is going on in their lives.  Remember my post ‘A Smile and A Wave’.  It is simple to spread hope.  I believe our world needs it more today than ever.

Many people have referred to me as naïve.  Well fine with me as I am…’a cockeyed optimist – immature and incurably green’ AND naively  ‘stuck like a dope on a thing called hope…’

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

ROMNEY VS OBAMA – CHARACTER CHOICE

GOOD MORNING WORLD

I have not had many political posts of late.  I have no idea why.  I am still interested.  I am still involved.  I watched the RNC and hope to catch what I can of the DNC.  Certainly the speeches by Biden and Obama.  Perhaps my lack is that I was too involved watching the Convention.  

I thought this was a very well run event.  It appeared that most things were on schedule despite Isaac.  I didn’t get to hear much before 8 or 9 o’clock at night.  I was really pleased to meet and hear more from the people we do not see often.  The Governors were terrific.  I was already crazy about Chris Christie and his efforts to do what he said he would do in NJ.  I liked Nike Haley and Jan Brewer as well for standing up for their states.  I had not heard much about Gov. Martinez and thought she was a real role model.  I thought that Sen. Marco Rubio was electric in his introduction of Gov. Romney.  The thing that struck me most was the positive focus of the whole thing.    

One of the lines that Mrs. Romney said was about Mitt Romney’s generosity.  She said he ‘…sees service as a privilege, not as a political talking point.’  That was such a telling insight into this man in his private life.  The other part of the convention that was real was the series of testimonies by people that Mitt Romney had helped.  He supported and cared when no one was looking.  It was nice that the opportunity availed itself to have this shared.  The Olympians as well were empowering for the Romney-Ryan ticket too.  It was a great convention.  Now the work begins.  The tearing down has already begun.

I want to turn from the issues and look at the men running for the highest office in the land.  I want to look at their character.  I believe we know more of Mitt Romney’s from this convention.  I am also certain that more will come out.  He does not drink or smoke or do drugs.  Presidential candidate Mitt Romney received no salary as an intern in the governor’s office for eight years, as state president of his church for ten years, as president of the Salt Lake City Olympics, and he only took a ceremonial salary of $1 as governor of Massachusetts.  He gave away his father’s inheritance. 

I make note that I am only writing facts here not opinions.

What of Barack Obama’s character?  By his own words he said, “I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years.  Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it.  Not smack, though.  …”

There has been much controversy about Barack Obama’s life. He did attend the schools he listed.  The thing I could not find was any information about extra activities he might have done to help others.  I know his aunt lived illegally in Boston for years.  I believe he helped her stay in this country.  That was quite public as I remember.  What of his brother George who lives in a hut in Kenya?  I wonder if there are ‘good deeds’ from his years as a community organizer that might come out.  Perhaps the DNC will bring more light into the character of our sitting President.

My favorite quote is, “Character is what you do when no one is looking.”   I believe we need a man of character in the Office of the President to lead us.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

THE HUMMINGBIRD/BUTTERFLY EFFECT

GOOD MORNING WORLD

John Popper the front man for Blues Traveler is not going to vote for Barack Obama!  That is news for me.  John is an independent voter leaning to the Libertarian side.  He voted for George Bush  2004 and Barack Obama in 2008.  He says he is going to vote for Mitt Romney in 2012.  He says it is not the man it is his stance.  He believes Obama has done a poor job.  One more vote for the Romney Ryan team.  It will happen I am convinced as one vote at a time is changed. 

Even more highly profile people like real estate and newspaper mogul Mortimer Zuckerman and of course Brad Pitt’s mom have been vocal about their votes.  Black Pastors are openly discussing why not to vote for the sitting President.  Young voters are doing the same.  It is my belief that much of the Catholic vote that he had the last time will not be there this time.   I believe that voters are smarter then the media makes them out to be in the news.  There is no war on women.  I am not saying that Mitt Romney does not have to sell himself – he does.  I am saying that the aura and era of Obama is fading away.

I had no idea what I was going to write about this morning.  My mind was blank last night as I headed for bed. It had been my desire to rough out a submission before then.  I could not think of one thing to write.  I finally got into bed and my mind raced for some time.  This morning I was brought back to an old theme when I heard a bird saying its name – Phoe…be    Phoe…be.  At least the clock read 6:24 so I had 5 hrs of sleep!!! 

That is the struggle for me of open windows and fresh air and I love both.  After being cooped up in air-conditioning most of the summer it is wonderful to have breezes.  When I get at the cottage I open the windows wide and they do not go down again until I leave unless it rains.  I sleep better and breathe better!  Fresh air is good.  I’ll take the birds!

Another thought I had about what to write is the lack of pressure I feel in this place.  Any pressure is self-imposed.  I can almost physically feel my body unwind like a spring uncoiling.  I walk slower and move slower and evidently I think slower as ideas are not popping to my head to write the blog.  Last night for the first time I was nervous about facing this blank white page.  I began to wonder if I would really make the year. 

I thought I could write about jobs I have had.  I’m taking Dad to Bangor the VA tomorrow to see about his hearing aids and I thought I could tell stories about hearing aids as I used to sell them.  I thought perhaps a post about nicknames or clichés or hometowns.  None seemed to stick.  I was grateful for the morsel of news to start my fingers moving to cover the white.

One of the things I like most about being at our cottage is that my folks come for coffee every morning.  We planted a butterfly bush in the front of our cottage last year.  This year it is above the windows.   Daddy commented on how entertaining it was to watch as he had his coffee.  He even saw a hummingbird.  We got talking about hummingbirds and how far they fly.  Of course the information junkie in me took hold once they left.  I found the following:

 http://www.worldofhummingbirds.com/migration.php

 Each time before a hummingbird starts migration, they need to eat a lot of insects and nectar to fatten up. A hummingbird will gain 25-40% of their body weight before they start migration. If a larger bird gained that much weight, they would not be able to get off the ground. During this time you may notice a hummingbird swarm around your feeders.

While hummingbird migration occurs on the same common fly zones, they do so alone. The best analogy is that hummingbirds are like commuters on a freeway, all going the same way on the same road, but doing so alone to get to their own individual homes. Hummingbird will migrate alone for many reasons. First of all, hummingbirds are so small that most predators have difficulty seeing them. If they flocked together, they would be a larger, more readily seen, target. Also, a hummingbird must stop frequently to feed at a flower or feeder, even during migration. To have a flock of hummingbirds waiting in line for a flower to refill doesn’t work. Plus, during hummingbird flight, there is just not enough body mass to make a wake in the air currents for others.

When hummingbirds are migrating, they usually do not stay very high off the ground. They have been reported to fly just above treetop level over land or pretty much skimming the top of the water ways. It is believed they do this to keep an eye out for a food or nectar opportunity on their long journey.

While migrating, hummingbirds generally will fly during the day and sleep at night. When the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are flying over the Gulf of Mexico during migration, there is no place to land to sleep, so they must keep on going. Many years ago, fisherman and oil rig workers would report seeking hummingbirds zip by them out in the gulf 200 miles away from land. The hummingbirds could be seen flying low over the water toward shore. The workers started to notice this happening every year, recording the common migration routes taken by the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds. It’s amazing to think that these little tiny fluffs of feathers would travel over 450 miles of water with a 20 mile an hour headwind (with more than 20 hours of travel time) to make it to their favorite breeding grounds. It must be love.

Many hummingbirds will also have to cross other obstacles during migration, like the Mojave Desert. There have been reports of an occasional Rufous Hummingbird falling out of the sky on the migration route to and from Alaska.

…….and there was more hope you check it out.

The urge for information is even stronger in me this morning so I looked up Butterflies and I thought they migrated as well.

 http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/monarch-migration.html

 Monarch butterflies are not able to survive the cold winters of most of the United States so they migrate south and west each autumn to escape the cold weather. The monarch migration usually starts in about October of each year, but can start earlier if the weather turns cold sooner than that.

The monarch butterflies will spend their winter hibernation in Mexico and some parts of Southern California where it is warm all year long. If the monarch lives in the Eastern states, usually east of the Rocky Mountains, it will migrate to Mexico and hibernate in oyamel fir trees. If the monarch butterfly lives west of the Rocky Mountains, then it will hibernate in and around Pacific Grove, California in eucalyptus trees. Monarch butterflies use the very same trees each and every year when they migrate, which seems odd because they aren’t the same butterflies that were there last year. These are the new fourth generation of monarch butterflies, so how do they know which trees are the right ones to hibernate in? Monarch butterflies are the only insect that migrates to a warmer climate that is 2,500 miles away each year.

The Monarch butterfly migrates for 2 reasons. They can not withstand freezing weather in the northern and central continental climates in the winter. Also, the larval food plants do not grow in their winter overwintering sites, so the spring generation must fly back north to places where the plants are plentiful. Would you like to help track monarch butterfly migrations? Visit Monarchwatch for lots of information on tracking migrations with a color map.

I discovered the migration has begun!! How topical of me!  Again check it out:   http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/

It was ever so much fun to share this information with my grandniece Phoebe (aged 4) when she visited this morning with my sister, her grandmother LaLa, and her littlest sister Cassidy and cousin Jolene both 2yrs old.  It was a Phoebe day I told her from birds to butterflies!

AND there it is.  Blog written!  I faced the white page and began writing.  I stopped to enjoy family, relaxed and allowed the topics of the day take me through fear of a blank page to visits, conversations to information.  The Butterfly Effect of letting things interact not making them do so!  Life is good!

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT DOES HARM MEDICARE SEN.CARPER

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Sir:

I have to strongly disagree with Sen. Tom Carper’s letter of 8-16 and his view on the Affordable Care Act’s ability to strengthen Medicare.  Obamacare robs Medicare of $700B plus according to the CBO.  President Obama himself said a November 2009 interview (can be found on youtube.com) that he was in fact taking $500B out.  Sen. Carper’s assessment I believe is making a few assumptions.

In his fourth paragraph he says that the law reduces overpayments to private insurance companies.  How is a law going to do this?  A private insurance agency can charge what it wants.  If Medicare continually pays less the private insurance company will stop dealing with Medicare.  The next line in the same paragraph is that he says that the law encourages hospitals and doctors to increase efficiency.  How is a law going to do this? If a hospital or doctor receives more and more regulations from Medicare they too will stop taking Medicare patients or simply shut down.  The common wisdom at this time from many in the medical community is that doctors will stop practicing. 

He also said the law encourages hospitals and doctors to reduce infections and lower the number of times patients are readmitted.  I am certain all hospitals and doctors are doing their very best right now to reduce infections and lower readmissions. How is a law going to do this?  How do you measure encouragement?  It does not translate to dollars and cents. The Act does not strengthen Medicare it robs it.

I find it important to also comment on Sen. Carper’s referencing Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan. This plan is no longer in discussion except as a Democrat talking point.  It is important to remember it is Mitt Romney running on the top of the Republican ticket for the Office of President.  Paul Ryan himself has said the same. 

I suggest interested people go to Mr. Romney’s website mittromney.com.  There you can read his plan for fixing Medicare.  He will do nothing to the program right now.  The seniors, people 55 and older, now will see no change in their plan.  He is in favor of a newer bi-partisan plan that was put forth by Congressman Paul Ryan AND democratic Senator Ron Wyden.  The following is taken right from the mittromney.com site.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mitt’s Plan

What are the immediate effects of this plan?
This plan has no effect on current seniors or those nearing retirement. It will go into effect for younger Americans when they reach retirement in the future.

How is this different from the Ryan Plan?
Shortly after Mitt presented the proposal described here, Congressman Paul Ryan and Senator Ron Wyden introduced a bipartisan proposal that almost precisely mirrors Mitt’s ideas. Unsurprisingly, the Obama administration immediately rejected the proposal. Mitt has applauded the Ryan-Wyden effort and looks forward to working as president with leaders from both sides of the aisle to implement meaningful reforms that will preserve Medicare for future generations.

What I gathered from reading on the site is that Mr. Romney wants to work with the congress to fix the Medicare system with a bi-partisan plan.  He wants to wait and actually talk to the Representatives and Senators and come up with a plan after he takes office.  

The fact is that the plan has to be fixed or it is going to go broke.  Younger people are going to have to understand that their Medicare will be different than it is today in order for them to have it.  This change can be seen as the similar to the changes made to social security such that full payments now do not happen until age 66 instead of age 65.   This change was made many years ago to affect people turning 66 now.

While I respect Sen. Carper’s office I think he should read all there is to read about Obamacare when he wants to share information with his constituents.  If the President says he has taken $500B out of Medicare and the CBO now says it is $700B plus then I am thinking it might be correct information?  Then again I hold no office at all.

Sincerely,

I had to submit a shorter version as the limit is 250 words – we will see if it is printed.  To read Sen. Carper’s letter you can go to delawareonline.com.  The shorter version of my submission is the PS.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

PS:  LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Sir:

I strongly disagree with Sen. Carper’s view on the Affordable Healthcare Acts ability to strengthen Medicare.  The Affordable Care Act robs Medicare of $700B plus according to the CBO.  President Obama, himself said in a November 2009 interview (available on youtube.com) that he was in fact taking $500B out of Medicare.  

In drawing a line to point to Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan, it is also important to remember it is Mitt Romney running for the Office of President.  Paul Ryan’s Plan is not what is on the table.  If you go to Mr. Romney’s website mittromney.com you can read his plan for fixing Medicare.  He will do nothing to the program and seniors now will see no change in their plan.  He is in favor of a newer bi-partisan plan that was put forth by Congressman Paul Ryan AND democratic Senator Ron Wyden.  What I gathered from reading on the site is that Mr. Romney wants to work with the congress to fix the Medicare system with a bi-partisan plan to be announced once he takes office.

While I respect Sen. Carper’s position I think he should read all the information to share with his constituents.  If the President says he has taken $500B out of Medicare, the CBO now says it is $700B plus then I am thinking it might be correct information?  Then again I hold no office at all.

Sincerely,

TRUTH TUESDAY

GOOD MORNING WORLD

Well here we go again.  It is time for we voters to sort the wheat from the chaf.  We have to listen to the ‘noise’ of the Presidential campaign and sort out what is true or what is untrue.  After listening to yesterday’s news shows I am even adamant that I want to be part of the truth telling.  I am hoping that I can contribute to this with my blogs if I write one on politics.  While I am a registered Republican I will not shrink from calling them to task either.

Today is the first.  I watched the head of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman-Schultz sit on the Fox News Sunday talk show and deny knowing anything about an ad put out by the Priorities USA Super PAC.  After being shown the clip of the ad she said, “I have no idea the political affiliation of folks who are associated with that Super PAC.” 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/13/wasserman-schultz-wont-condemn-priorities-ad-but-tried-holding-romney-to-same/

The head of Priorities USA is Bill Bolton who was a deputy press secretary to President Obama.  She looked quite uncomfortable when John Roberts, the guest commentator, called her on it.  As a Senator and head of the DNC I am sure she knew about this.  If not perhaps they need to look for another person to run the party. She ‘walked’ it back on Monday.

The ad is about a man who leads the viewer to believe that he lost his job and his wife died as he had no health insurance due to Bain Capital and Mitt Romney.

There are facts that surround this ad.  The steel plant was closed.  The man in question in the ad was offered a buy out not fired.  His wife had her own insurance and did not die until 6 years after he left the plant.

Wolf Blitzer interviewed Bill Bolton who is one of the people involved with Priorities USA four days before the interview the DNC chair gave on Sunday.  Perhaps she should have watched the news before her interview.  Blitzer’s is really a good interview and you can find it at:

http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/08/bill-burton-responds-to-ad-controversy/

In the end of it Wolf Blitzer does not agree with what he has heard and the last bit of dialogue is:

BLITZER:  So even though so many fact checkers says it is inaccurate, it’s not responsible, it’s misleading, you’re still going to go ahead and play it?

BURTON:  Well, Wolf, just like we just talked about, what we are – what this ad does is it tells a story of one guy and the impact that Mitt Romney had –

BLITZER:  It’s misleading to tell.

BURTON:  Well, this is your opinion.

Got to give Mr. Blitzer  kudos for a good interview and we need more just like this.  We need all interviewers to be as strong.

In a letter to the NY Times last week, on August 6th, Bruce Weinstein, author of “Ethical Intelligence” and “Is It Still Cheating if I Don’t Get Caught?”asks that politicians from here on out not try to distort what their opponent says.  He asks that they share their vision for America and to represent that vision accurately.  He also acknowledges that his may be seen as a naive request.  He believes that truth-telling must be the call.  We no longer have the ‘luxury of cynicism’.

(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/opinion/sunday/sunday-dialogue-daring-to-tell-the-truth.html?pagewanted=all)

In searching to find out who tells the truth most in politics it was interesting that each party believe they are the best.  I could not find a definitive poll.  I am certain it is caught in ebb and flow of varying degrees of half truths or white lies. 

The Tampa Bay Times politifact.com was most interesting.  The promo said, ‘PolitiFact.com is a project of the Tampa Bay Times to help you find the truth in Washington and the Obama presidency.’  This site has a truth-o-meter.  My favorite rating was a flame and the words, ‘pants on fire”.

There are also other websites like factcheck.org, snopes.com and then you can read whatever you choose and sort out if it is truth or not.  For me I rather hear the people speak the words themselves as I have said before.  In order to be an informed voter we must be informed with the REAL truth – not a biased source’s brand of truth.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

TIRADE TUESDAY ON TAX RETURNS

GOOD MORNING WORLD

The headline for the weekend was all about Harry Reid calling for Mitt Romney to provide more tax returns.  Sen. Reid did this from the floor of the Senate where he enjoys immunity and could make an unsubstantiated claim that he had heard that Mr. Romney paid no taxes for the last ten years.  Mr. Romney in a speech said this was not true and called for Sen. Reid to put up or shut up.  The head of the RNC this weekend called Harry Reid a ‘dirty liar.’  Are we having fun yet?  I decided to do a little looking on my own to find some facts.

Fact number 1 that to run for President of the United States of America you have to be 35 and a natural born citizen. 

Fact number 2 is you have to file intent with the Federal Election Commission.  They have a Candidate Registration Tool Kit handy and ready for you.  The paperwork alone would stop many people.  You have to fill financial disclosure forms.  These forms looked to be like the liability and assets forms we fill out when we buy a house or take out any loan.  There are other ‘Tool Kits’ for PACS and others that will help with your campaign.

Fact number 3 and perhaps the most pertinent to this post is that no candidate is required to present his tax returns to run for President.  In fact according to the Tax History Project at http://www.taxhistory.org/www/website.nsf/web/presidentialtaxreturns:

Individual income tax returns — including those of public figures — are private information, protected by law from unauthorized disclosure. Indeed, the Internal Revenue Service is barred from releasing any taxpayer information whatsoever, except to authorized agencies and individuals.

 Like all other citizens, U.S. presidents enjoy this protection of their privacy. Since the early 1970s, however, most presidents have chosen to release their returns publicly. In the hope of making this information more widely available, the Tax History Project at Tax Analysts has compiled an archive of presidential tax returns.

From what I gathered a lot of the disclosure of tax info came after Vice-President Spiro Agnew ran into trouble with his taxes and was replaced.  In the past few years many Presidents have released multiple returns.  Three or more were the norm.  HOWEVER, President Gerald Ford only released a summary of the last few years of his taxes.

Mitt Romney has released all of his 2010 taxes.  This includes taxes for (again from the Tax History Project):

Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney
2010 | 2011
Ann Romney
2010
Ann and Mitt Romney Family Trust
2010
Tyler Charitable Foundation
2010

He said he will submit his 2011 when they are complete.  That is sufficient for me as a voter.  I am not reading them.  I file long form for us and that takes multiple pages.  Cannot imagine the paperwork required for the Romney’s with all their interests.  Once all is said and done and the Romney’s took all the deductions that they are legally allowed they may not have paid many taxes.  Change the tax laws do not penalize people who use it. 

The other part of this is if Mitt Romney had not filed nor paid taxes in ten years do you not think he would be in jail or at least in court?  The IRS went after Wesley Snipes and Willie Nelson.  Would they not go after the Romney’s?  

Paying taxes aside, the Romney’s certainly give away much of their wealth.  He gave away his whole inheritance from his father.

As for Harry Reid, “Shame on you.”  The Senators are called to fill out personal financial disclosure forms.  Harry Reid has filled these out and not submitted tax returns.  This form I believe is similar to the financial disclosure that Presidential candidates are required to fill out in the ‘Tool Kit’.

I have to agree with some of the news that I have read on this issue that seem to believe that Reid is just blowing smoke.  No one from the Democratic Party has affirmed his innuendo as fact.  The Presidential spokesman, Jay Carney sidestepped it with saying that the reporters knew Harry Reid.  Is making a statement that cannot be proved like yelling ‘Fire’ in a movie theater when there is none? 

Perhaps here Nancy Pelosi may be right.  She said you have to pass it to read it so would that not translate to – let’s elect Mitt Romney then we can see his taxes?  This tax stuff is just smoke indeed! 

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

 

 

 

FIRED UP FRIDAY – sort of…

GOOD MORNING WORLD

Today is the opening of the Olympics.  A friend suggested that politics be put aside and we all focus on the red white and blue of the festivities.  A wonderful idea. 

I have not been much of a fan of the Olympics.  I love to see some of them such as the opening festivites and swim competitions in the summer.  In the winter I like the skating and some skiing..  Those of course are the sports in which I have participated.  The rest of it, for me, drones on in starts, stops and waits and I find it fairly dull.  I do like that it unites our country in one voice at this time.  As for the competition, it is not for me.  I really only compete with myself anymore.  I rarely win.

Uniting as an American country is what I have been speaking about in many of my posts.  I believe we need to get to civility and discussion not divisiveness and polarization.  A cousin of mine, who is also a writer, sent me an email saying that she rarely discusses politics as she does not want that to be her public face nor does she think she is qualified.  I loved this honesty.  My blog, my public face,  is not predominantly political.  There have been my days when I have been fired up.  There will continue to be those as well.  I told her that I do not believe that I am necessarily qualified to speak about politics.  I am, like any other voter who is, trying to understand our system through the prism of my own values.

Another point she shared was her work with the government.  For many years she wrote law and legislation.  She knows all too well all the work that goes into this and shared some insights with me.  It is important to read bills.  I remember once when I was talking about getting social security at 65, I was told I would not be able to do so as the law had changed.  After much research I discovered indeed it had.  The change had been tacked onto some other bill.  I had not been aware of this. 

President Obama promised to run the most transparent administration.  He promised to have use C-Span.  Have these promises been met?  He said there would no longer be red states or blue states.  Has this happened?  

What it appears we have in this country at this time is a competition of who can speak the longest and loudest to win an argument.  We need discourse based on reality.  Not my perception of reality – reality as it is – taken from news sources that show the people speaking.  Our President really did say to John McCain that ‘Elections have consequences.”  Nancy Pelosi really said. “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it”.  Mitt Romney really said, “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.”  Those quotes are real.  What the press does with them is another thing.  It is their interpretation.  We in America as Americans have to determine for ourselves what they meant.  As my cousin also said, we can then express ourselves in the ballot box.

Americans need to think for themselves once again.  Listen to my words if you choose.  Most likely try as I might on occasion to be impartial my post will reflect my values and beliefs.  The posts of left leaning bloggers and news people will reflect theirs.  We need to see it all.  It is not a competition as to the loudest voice winning.  America needs every voice to be informed and expressed in the ballot box to win.

As we compete with others nations at the Olympics we are united in hoping America wins.  Let us also enjoy the competitiveness of our own athletes as they compete against each other.  I think the men’s swimming will be very interesting.  May we win much gold!

When we get back to politics as usual – if it ever stops – let us listen openly.  Let us discuss not to change each others minds.  Let us listen to hear beyond the words.  I am sure the people making those three quotes did not mean exactly what their words said.  Words are important.  Just as important is our ability to discern what the speakers were saying.  That is our part.  Not a competition, discernment and these are very different things.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…