Dateline: Northern Virginia

It's Like He Read My Mind...

2011-09-14T14:25:00.000-04:00

I would share my thoughts on the leaders in the GOP Presidential nomination race...but this article sums it up better than I could.

Summer Breeze...Makes Me Feel (Not So) Fine...

2011-08-12T10:21:00.003-04:00

After seeing some of the changes on the blog of a dear friend whose occasional political musings I respect (even if they're "wrong" *snicker*), I realized that I need to once again play catch-up myself. Fortunately, I think it should be relatively easy to sum up my thoughts on the summer political season.

Both former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner and media mogul Rupert Murdoch "screwed" the public with their self-serving actions. Whether one is progressive or conservative, a public or private citizen, greed and egoism apparently does not discriminate.

Usually when a deal is struck in Washington and no one is happy about it, I feel then it must be a good compromise. However, I don't think I would apply that to the debt ceiling agreement. Although I do concede that Federal spending needs to be cut, I also believe there was a missed opportunity regarding higher income/net worth households and corporations. Granted, progressive aspirations to reverse the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts may have had unintended consequences on some of the middle class. However, increasing tax revenues on households earning above, say, one million dollars would have had made a huge difference in closing the Federal deficit.

Perhaps the one saving grace is that if the newly-appointed bi-partisan "Gang of Twelve" does not come to a more specific agreement on spending cuts and tax revenues by December, an automatic trigger goes into effect that cuts defense spending, a sacred cow for conservatives and strict constitutionalists. Personally, I don't know why the spending cut portion of the $1.5 trillion couldn't be spread out percentage-wise through all of the Federal budget, even the holy grails of entitlement Medicare and Social Security. I suppose that would have been too "easy"...

On a final note related to one of the other proverbial hats I wear...apparently the US is loosening its restrictions on visiting Cuba under the premise of cultural tours. This would add to the educational(?) travel packages as well as family visits by Cuban-Americans that are already permitted. While some say this action should not have been taken, I have also read commentary that the US Government is hypocritical since we allow travel into - let alone do business with - fellow Communist China, paper democracies such as Russia and Venezuela, and less-than-benevolent kingdoms such as Saudi Arabia. I believe there is substance to each point of view.

On the one hand, the major difference between Cuba and the other countries I referenced is that the latter countries allow their citizens to leave the country. (Whether there are positive/negative incentives for Chinese citizens to eventually return home is another subject.) On the other hand, I would personally not want to visit any of these places unless/until human rights issues, particularly the ability to travel outside one's borders, are resolved. I hope that I can avoid being put in a position that does not intersect with my business.

A Little Spring Cleaning

2011-05-20T13:55:00.006-04:00

As I’ve been busy with other online and offline ventures, I apologize to the millions upon millions of you who have undoubtedly checked in daily with this blog daily hoping for an update on my musings. Your “patience” has finally been rewarded! LOL Needless to say, while my own world has been busier these last few months, so has the geopolitical world been even more hectic. I’m going to try to distill my thoughts down so I don’t end up creating a novel.

We Got Him. And of course by “him”, I mean Osama bin Laden. While I don’t celebrate his death, I do recognize the initially symbolic victory – and eventually, a very significant coup of information – our country achieved in finding him. Certainly this is not the end of terrorism; but beyond demoralizing al-Qaeda, the US has gained a treasure trove of information that could benefit our efforts tremendously. Back inside the Beltway, those who accused of Obama of being “soft” on terrorism were proven otherwise.

You’re Fired! I used to have a fair amount of respect for Donald Trump, despite his outlandish bravado and shameless self-promotion. I have enjoyed watching “The Apprentice” series – the original not the “celebrity” version - and as a fan of both Atlantic City and Las Vegas, I hoped his ventures in each of those towns there would be successful. I also looked on with curiosity to see how he would present himself as a potential Presidential candidate. While I expected him to be a fiscal conservative, I thought he might surprise people with a moderate social message. Never would I have imagined that the surprise would be that Trump would take the “birther” issue and make it a centerpiece of his quasi-campaign. As a result of that action, I have lost all respect for him. I seriously doubt that I will ever again watch any of his programming - including Miss America - or patronize any of his properties.

Paul Ryan. I will give Congressman Ryan credit for coming up with a relatively comprehensive, if still somewhat vague plan on how to address the budget. I don’t agree with the premise of turning Medicare into a voucher program as I doubt that health insurance companies will hold their inevitable rate hikes to a level equal to that of an increase in voucher funds (assuming the latter would even be supported by Ryan and Company). I also don’t trust that state government would use the Medicaid block grants for the use that they were intended. Just look at the results of the 1998 tobacco settlement. This is another case where I don’t believe charity would be able to make up the difference. And asking the disabled and elderly to pull on their proverbial bootstraps is unrealistic, to say the least.

I do give Rep. Ryan more credit for suggesting the closure of corporate tax loopholes. If his concurrent suggestion to also lower the corporate tax rate would result in the country receiving at least the same amount of revenue we are receiving now, I might be convinced to support it. However, I sense an effective permanent tax cut. Ultimately, I believe the country needs to both reign in spending and increase the share of taxes that higher net-worth individuals and higher-profit companies contribute. How to minimize the impact on middle-class households and smaller businesses is the trillion-dollar question.

Gingrich “Newtered”.While the thrice-married, former House Speaker shot himself in (or tasted) his foot on "Meet the Press" by suggesting that Congressman Ryan’s budget was “conservative social engineering” not unlike what he felt Obama and the Democrats were proposing, I give him credit for speaking the truth as he saw it. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t have an alternative to share or else he may not have found himself backpedaling almost as soon as he left the stage. Gingrich won’t win, but at least, unlike Trump who has also tested the Presidential waters frequently, Newt finally had the guts to dive in the pool…even if he apparently hit his head on the diving board.

Romneycare. Not unlike fellow Massachusetts resident Senator John Kerry’s infamous flip-flop with his vote to fund the second Iraq war, former Governor Mitt Romney supported a version of universal health care in his state before expected Presidential candidate Mitt Romney expressed regret of his decision. I do think Romney is a smart businessperson with more humility (and better hair) than Donald Trump. I think he would be excellent in a Cabinet position. However, I don’t think enough religious conservatives will be able to look beyond their anti-Mormon prejudice to vote him in as President. It’s really a shame since, as the GOP playing field currently stands, I believe that Romney has the best shot of attracting moderates.

President Obama. He’s not perfect. I still wish the economic stimulus package supported a New Deal-type plan that would have focused on revitalizing struggling inner cities and rural communities. He’s had to create or maintain uneasy alliances with countries whose human rights records are far from exemplary. Many of his ambitions are now being held in check by the majority Republican Congress. However, notwithstanding my comments about Romney, I don’t think there is a strong enough challenger to beat him in the upcoming elections. As many conservatives said circa 2004, “you don’t change presidents in a time of war”. And we are indeed still at war; in fact, we are now in (at least) three wars including our secondary albeit significant role in the Libyan civil war. Following his leadership in the demise of bin Laden, it will be difficult for any of the present and presumed Presidential candidates in the GOP to convince enough Americans that it is time to change course. A better strategy would be to figure out how to win back the Senate. That's not to say that I hope for that to happen any more than I wish Obama to lose the election…but there’s my free advice to Karl Rove and Friends.

Karma Chameleon

2011-02-16T08:56:00.000-05:00

I've come to the conclusion that that those conservatives and libertarians who support the Tea Party's message of fiscal restraint will remain bonded as long as conservatives do not start emphasizing their social agenda. Libertarians, who hold diametrically opposing social views, would subsequently break off from the movement. The following article seems to agree with my views, albeit from a more "karmic" approach.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703673604575550243700895762.html

A Progressive Tea Party?

2011-02-14T13:20:00.000-05:00

Not too long ago, in a galaxy not so far away...

"Imagine a parallel universe where the Great Crash of 2008 was followed by a Tea Party of a very different kind. Enraged citizens gather in every city, week after week—to demand the government finally regulate the behavior of corporations and the superrich, and force them to start paying taxes. The protesters shut down the shops and offices of the companies that have most aggressively ripped off the country. The swelling movement is made up of everyone from teenagers to pensioners. They surround branches of the banks that caused this crash and force them to close, with banners saying, You Caused This Crisis. Now YOU Pay....This may sound like a fantasy—but it has all happened. The name of this parallel universe is Britain."

http://www.thenation.com/article/158282/how-build-progressive-tea-party?page=0,1

Brilliant!

Being Human

2011-01-22T23:28:00.003-05:00

So the other night, the lady and I are watching Piers Morgan's new show as he interviews former GWB National Security Adviser and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. While my lady and I each share an admiration for Ms. Rice's groundbreaking accomplishments as a black woman, I am not as enamored with her political views.

When Piers asked "Condi" about her thoughts about President Obama, she expressed her own admiration for his accomplishments as a black man while respectfully disagreeing with his politics. She went on to describe her conservative beliefs, at one point using the phrase "individual freedom" to which I responded "except, of course, if you're gay."

My lady shot me a look and said, "People have the right to feel how they feel!" I said that was fine but I couldn't help but notice a glaring inconsistency when Ms. Rice and other conservatives apply "freedom" to (mostly) fiscal matters but not to social issues. I later thought to myself again about the "God and guns" dichotomy. While I don't begrudge anyone for exercising their legal rights to feel secure, I somehow don't think that "what Jesus would do" would involve open or concealed carry.

I did concede that progressives can be just as guilty. I noted that there are indeed so-called "limousine liberals" who believe in socioeconomic diversity in theory yet choose not to live that reality in practice. It may even work in the other direction as those at the other end of the spectrum - shall we call them "public transit progressives"? - who give lip service to working together with their more comfortable brethren but may not be so crazy about socializing after hours let alone welcoming them as in-laws.

Madison, Wisconsin and Colorado Springs, Colorado are two of America's quintessential small cities. They are also bastions of progressivism and conservatism, respectfully.

As the state capital, Madison's vibe is no doubt influenced by the presence its government employees as well as the University of Wisconsin. I have read anecdotes about Madison that say city residents people are generally eager to embrace "green living" and gay pride but are naive if not skittish about embracing the relatively low number of poorer minorities.

Colorado Springs is the home of the Air Force Academy as well as the Focus on the Family religious organization. While the support for family values is obvious, I would hazard a guess that the definition of such would not necessarily extend to households that included same-sex parents, parents adorned with tattoos and piercings or families who had a generally progressive view of religion. Budding Air Force officers - if not also any Academy staff - who happen to be gay or lesbian probably are likely not encouraged to live openly, the pending repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" notwithstanding.

Both Madison and Colorado Springs seem to live under a "group think" where those who don't toe the party line (no pun intended) will have a hard time getting along in town, despite claims of open-mindedness or benign values.

People do indeed have the right to their personal and political beliefs. When those beliefs seem inconsistent or contradictory, I suppose that is what makes us human.

One and Done

2011-01-14T16:55:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting article about Republican National Chairman Michael Steele, who has just dropped out of the race for re-election, and how he has (not?) affected the number of African Americans in the GOP.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/dailybeast/11826_rncvoteblackrepublicansgrademichaelsteele

And So It Begins....

2011-01-05T13:19:00.003-05:00

While this picture is representative of a typical day in Northern Virginia at rush hour, it's also meant to signify the virtual "gridlock" that I predict that will unfortunately grip the Congress and the White House once again over the next two years.

President Obama may be at least giving lip service to bipartisanship - as did Bush in 2007 - but not only does House Speaker John Boehner already plan as an initial action for to hold a vote to repeal the health care reform law, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has also openly stated his main goal is to make sure President Obama is not re-elected. With that sort of opposition, the likelihood of bipartisanship (in public anyway) seems infinitesimal.

Speaker Boehner obviously knows that his repeal bill may sail through Congress only to hit the wall in the Senate. This is just grandstanding for the conservative GOP base and other who are opposed to the health care reform law as it exists. I would imagine that Boehner will later attempt to repeal individual pieces of the law which he feels may have the best shot at removal. Instead of trying to remove parts of the law, I would rather see him work to add something such as tort reform; that is an idea - at least in terms of subjective "pain and suffering" judgements - that I would support. The trial lawyer lobby was certainly instrumental in preventing the then-Democratic Congress and Senate from including that in the bill.

The new GOP majority in the House - particularly the freshmen Tea Party affiliates - have pledged to cut the federal budget by $100 billion. I would like to support this idea but I continue to have the feeling that the programs Republicans will focus on trimming will generally affect those that need it the most, i.e. social assistance. However, if Congress is willing to look at every government program and department equally, I think there are places where they can find a significant amount of savings.

Let's start with the Department of Defense. In fact, Defense Secretary Robert Gates already has. If his plans come to fruition, that would account for 20% of the Congress' savings by itself! Of course, those who believe that the government's main job should be to "provide for the common defense" may be concerned that the defense cuts may go beyond mere improved efficiency and instead affect the level of human and equipment resources. But considering Secretary Gates is someone who served under the previous administration - thereby fulfilling at least one goal of not changing leaders during wartime - one would like to think that his priorities haven't significantly changed.

How about corporate welfare? I have to wonder if those who were opposed to the bailouts of the banking and automotive industries are also against the money that corporations receive on behalf of research and development. How about we cut back or eliminate the research subsidies that we give out to these private companies?

This may be blasphemous for me to say as I have occasionally benefitted from related opportunities, but let's also take a look at the numerous private government contractors, of which a critical mass exists here in Northern Virginia. And while a fair amount of contractor employees eventually cross over to the government, how about we expedite the process? Bringing these workers into the Federal fold would eliminate the formerly built-in contractor profit margin and slightly reduce salaries in favor of more favorable benefits. In the long run, I would predict this would save an significant amount of funds, much of which would again come from defense-related work.

UPDATE (January 6): Defense Secretary Robert Gates has really come through in the clutch, identifying up to $78 billion in potential savings! With "only" $22 billion left to cut, perhaps the House of Representatives will be more likely to focus on programs that will affect those individuals and companies who can afford to absorb the loss. One can only dream...

President Obama: Radical Centrist?

2010-12-13T22:11:00.002-05:00

Here's an interesting take on President Obama that I stumbled across:

http://www.theroot.com/views/how-barack-obama-became-republican?wpisrc=obinsite

Fair...But Balanced?

2010-12-12T18:55:00.011-05:00

As I've been out of town on business with limited computer access , I haven't been able to comment on recent events in a timely manner. But I'm here now... (smile)

Despite all the posturing and protesting on by various Senators and Congress members, it appears that President Obama's recommended compromise of extending the Bush-era tax cuts to all incomes for two additional years in "exchange" for an additional year of unemployment benefits will eventually pass. The fact that few politicians - and citizens in general, perhaps - are happy about all aspects of the recommendation means that it is a good start.

Nonetheless, I'm still not convinced about the benefit of extending the tax cuts to those in the upper-income brackets. However, just as some question the material effectiveness of the Bush/Obama stimulus package over the last two years, I can also respect the argument that conditions could have been much worse over the last eight years without the presumed reinvestment of Bush tax cuts by the upper class. I don't understand, though, why Obama did not push for two more years of unemployment benefits to balance out the benefit to those who are working or otherwise living comfortably.

It will be interesting to see what happens in December 2012 when this issue is brought to the table again. Conservatives will surely see the current tax cuts as a new baseline from which future spending cuts - and, of course, even deeper tax cuts - should be made. Progressives will see the tax cuts as the temporary measure they were meant to be and will bristle at what they see as the continued loss of an estimated $70 billion in annual tax revenue.

Unfortunately, the cuts that will be made - at least if Republican politicians have anything to say about it - will likely happen to programs involving those who most need the help (e.g. Social Security, Medicaid/Medicare, welfare). I've previously shared my skepticism about an increase in charity by upper-income households. U am also concerned that the objects that some desperate "entrepreneurs" may pull out of their proverbial bootstraps may turn out to be morally and legally unacceptable.

Now if Social Security and welfare are going to indeed take a hit, let's look at other supposed "sacred cows" that conservatives may favor such as defense (as recommended by the bi-partisan Bowles-Simpson commission) as well as capping the tax benefit of mortgage deductions and dividend interest.

Playing The Percentages

2010-11-19T08:36:00.005-05:00

I read an article recently which, in defense of extending the Bush-era tax cuts to the wealthy, claimed that those in the upper-incomes pay seventy-something percent of all taxes. For the sake of argument, let's say that they pay 75%.

I'm reminded of my college sociology class where the professor said that despite stereotypes, people would be "shocked" to hear that white people actually make up the majority of prisoners in the penal system. My first thought was, "That's because there's more white people in the country. Duh!"

By the same token, it would make sense to me that the wealthy pay 75% of the country's taxes as they bring in (at least) 75% of the country's revenue. "Duh!" We're not even accounting for international tax shelters and other options to which the lower and middle classes don't have access.

At best, fiscal conservatives may say that the lack of upper-income tax cuts on financial and employment recovery was due to concern about fighting two wars during the first six years and insecurity about presumably "anti-business" Democratic goals during the last four years.

At worst, I believe that the wealthy, just like most everyone else in these economic times, simply held onto their money to preserve their standard of living.

In the end, it would appear that Democratic Congress members from moderate-to-conservative states who, fearing a later Tea Party-fueled backlash, will not cap an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts during the upcoming lame duck session. Given that the Bush/Obama stimulus packages have had all of two years to work, it will be interesting to see how rapidly the extended tax cuts "trickle down" for the greater good over the next two years.

November 3, 2010 - The Aftermath

2010-11-03T13:57:00.005-04:00

OK...

So I was not too surprised at last night's election results. I had become convinced that the House of Representatives would be switching to the GOP although I had hoped (correctly) that the Democrats would be able to hold onto the Senate. I only hope that the Administration and Congress can find some common ground to move the country forward instead of just pre-gaming for 2012. The Clinton/Gingrich years, where compromises like welfare reform were accomplished, would be a better model than the Bush/Pelosi years which were largely filled with gridlock.

Despite the wishes of Boehner and Co., I don't think cutting both taxes and spending will be any more effective in general than raising both of them. One will have to go in the opposite direction of the other. As I often say here, each end of the economic spectrum can do more to contribute to the common good even in these tough times. However, while the lowest-income households can only contribute increased effort, the highest-income households already possess enough access to informational and financial resources to withstand a temporary sacrifice. I don't believe a combination of voluntary charity and compulsory bootstrap-pulling will be enough to make up the difference.

I predicted two years ago that if Obama and the Democratic Congress emulated the no-compromise style of the Bush Administration and Republican Congress, then they too would lose their government monopoly. Unfortunately, this scenario has come to pass; I just didn't think that it would happen in only two years. Then again, for fiscal conservatives that gritted their teeth through eight years of "Big Government" Republican policies under Bush only to be confronted with "Even Bigger" Government under Obama, the Tea Party was a reaction whose voice was heard. (Edit after first two replies: Granted, Tea Partiers and mainstream Republicans alike have railed against the possibility of the "biggest tax increase in history"...which of course follows the biggest tax decrease in history from which upper-income households benefitted the most. However, the intended "trickle-down" effect from said households appears to have been, at best, no more materially effective over the last nine years at saving or creating jobs than has Obama's two-year-old stimulus package.) At least Boehner admits that this opportunity is not a mandate so much as an audition. Let's just hope that beyond the soundbite rhetoric, substantive work can actually get done over the next two years.

The Pledge To America

2010-09-24T19:24:00.004-04:00

On another social network, a friend of mine posted the Republican-drafted Pledge for America:
http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/pledgetoamerica.pdf.

While I agreed with few of the concepts, I was glad to finally see more specifics about what the GOP aspires to do.

Here is my response to my friend's post with a bit more thorough spell checking:

Much of the first few pages look like they could have been written by Pelosi and Reid four years ago.

I'm cool with medical malpractice tort reform; i.e. a max limit on subjective "pain and suffering" not the actual lifetime medical costs. I'm sure the Democrats had to placate the trial lawyers lobby by not including it.

Letting people buy insurance across state lines sounds good in theory. I have heard that some states currently have very few choices. My concern is that this plan would ironically result in an oligopoly of companies who adopt the "Wal-Mart approach" of undercutting smaller insurance companies and later, after buying or bankrupting said companies, raising their rates.

Interesting graph on page 13. I wonder how much weight they truly gave Bush's bailout spending. At least they made Clinton look relatively good. Imagine that!

I don't agree that the individual mandate to purchase health insurance is a "tax". Every time an uninsured person uses the ER as their primary care facility, we insured people pay a "tax" in higher rates.

Judging from the emphasis on defense spending on pages 19 and 20, it sounds like all we have to do is convince all able-bodied poor to put themselves up on the front lines and that would balance the starvation of social programs to fund the increase in military investment.

Summer 2010 - A Recap

2010-09-10T17:35:00.007-04:00

I'm back!

Yes, it's been a long, long time. As many (okay, just about all) of you that know me offline are aware, it's been a rather busy summer. My biggest project has been a new business as well as an accompanying blog. But more about that in a bit.

It's also been a busy summer on the national and global level, too. It would be impossible to catch up with you on "everything", I do have a few thoughts to share.

It would appear that Obama's veneer has worn off. Of course, he never was the knight in shining armor for fiscal conservatives who thought a McCain Administration would give them what they had been craving for eight years. But even some moderates seem to have become impatient and disillusioned about the pace and type of recovery the country has been undergoing. As for me, I see some success but also some disappointment.

As appealing as I would have found a single-payer health system, I feel that the health care bill that was passed was a reasonable compromise. While Obama, Pelosi and Reid would have done well to include some reasonable Republican ideas such as tort reform on medical malpractice suits, I don't see convincing insurance companies to cover everyone to be a "government takeover". Unfortunately, unyielding/base-pleasing GOP politicians won't give the Democrats credit for that.

On the other hand, I'll admit that when I supported the economic stimulus bill, I had envisioned something akin to FDR's New Deal where unemployed/underemployed people would be put to work helping to restore the blighted areas of their own towns and cities as well as other plans designed to improve the overall infrastructure of the country. While I have heard of a lot of road improvement projects, it seems like more could be done. Perhaps it's because the stimulus funds are being released at a relative trickle.

Speaking of trickling, I do agree with Obama's intention to end the second experiment of Reagan-inspired "trickle-down" regressive tax breaks favoring the top 2% of the nation's wealth. If individuals are indeed reinvesting their excess into their businesses and communities - a scenario of which I am admittedly skeptical - then the effect has far from succeeded in lifting up the other 98% of the country. Then again, Obama's tax breaks for businesses that invest in equipment and even a GOP idea for a payroll tax "holiday" are ideas that I think are worth exploring.

I do think that illegal immigration is a problem, both for the United States and the (primarily Central American) countries whose citizens have left. But I don't think Arizona's SB1070 law - let alone a similar law enacted here in Prince William County - is the right answer. Not unlike how capturing drug lords would be more effective than putting drug users in jail for hard time, so should businesses who knowingly break employment laws face civil and criminal prosecution instead of a focus on deporting undocumented workers. I believe the immigrants are simply following the money. Meanwhile, the offending businesses are shortchanging these workers by paying them uncompetitive and often illegal wages. If/when this situation is resolved, I sure hope there is a gold rush to the seasonal agriculture jobs and low-skilled factory positions by those citizens who feel those opportunities have been "taken away" from them.

And now on a more personal note...

I left my government contracting position by the end of May. Whether I resigned or was let go depends on one's perspective.

Despite my best efforts, I realized by early May that the position just wasn't compatible with my skills. I shared my thoughts with my recruiting manager who said it was essentially up to the client unless I chose to resign as a salaried consultant. I was encouraged to stay until the contract ended in August while receiving a promise to talk to the client about coming to a more expedient resolution. So with the choice essentially out of my hands, I attempted to tough it out and I felt my production was improving if not necessarily at an ideal pace.

When I arrived home on the Friday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend, I received a call from my recruiting manager with the news that I had been dropped by the client due to performance and other trumped-up concerns that I will not share here. The end result was that I was being let go from the salaried consultant program. So basically, the only difference between then and early May was four weeks' worth of pay and a heaping dose of anxiety.

Having mixed feelings about my new found freedom, I took advantage of the opportunity to work on the business that I had opened in March but had done little to promote due to work and school. At this stage, I'm still deep into the "marketing stages" of the business (i.e. not much $$$) but I am optimistic about the future. They say that some of the most successful businesses are started during the recession. I intend to be one of them.

I decided to hire a personal trainer to set up exercise programs for me to follow on a weekly basis. I also returned to my volunteer gig at the nearby library.

Contrary to last year's cross-country experience, this year was spent mostly at home. In lieu of the week-long Vegas BBW Bash, I went to Atlantic City for a couple nights in June with my buddy Frank and attended the rebirth of the Philly BBW Bash with Cathy. Before and after the Philly Bash, we had some visitors.

Cathy invited her two oldest grand kids Ben and Ella to stay with us for a week. It was a special treat for them as they had the opportunity to fly "by themselves" to DC (BWI) courtesy of Grandma. Now, as someone who grew up as an only child and would go on to raise four-legged children, having two youngsters in our home was a bit of an adjustment. But I appreciated the chance to get to know each of them better. I also had an excuse now to see some of the local sights I had wanted to visit for quite sometime: the International Spy Museum, Lincoln Memorial as well as the newish WWII Memorial. Cathy drove the grand kids back to Texas while I played cat-sitter and deprogrammed from an overdose of Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel.

Last but not least, Cathy and I cherished the opportunity to another summer vacation together. It was nice to be able to sleep late and stare into each others' pasty faces without having to rush to get out of bed.

But alas, school has started again and I've been staying focused on the business, getting some household chores out the way, preparing for upcoming travel classes and thinking about when I might put my rusty fingers back on my piano keyboard.

Life could be better...but it ain't so bad at the moment.

Obama and Bush: Peering Into The Reflecting Glass

2010-06-22T13:58:00.004-04:00

It’s been quite a while since I shared. My obligations to work and school took up most of my time and my brain. That’s all changed but I’ll get into that in another post.

I continue to feel that when the Democrats and Republicans in Washington look at each other these days, they should see a reflection of themselves in the previous administration. In many ways, it’s as if they ignored recent history and are therefore doomed to repeat it. There are probably numerous examples but here are some of the most obvious ones.

GW Bush took office shortly before the tragedy of September 11th, an emotional and financial disaster that will take decades to recover from.

Obama took office and shortly afterward expanded upon Bush’s bailouts of the mortgage, banking and auto sectors, an emotional and financial disaster that will take decades to recover from.

The questions surrounding the 2000 Florida vote recount was an ongoing controversy during the Bush Administration. To this day, there are some that say he should not have been elected while others say he simply played by the rules.

The questions surrounding the legitimacy of a Hawaii birth certificate is an ongoing controversy in the Obama Administration. To this day, there are some that say he should not have been elected while others say he (or rather, his family) simply played by the rules.

Bush’s signature goal was to privatize a portion of Social Security, an effort that was met with stiff opposition from Democrats, other progressives, many independents and even a few Republicans.

Obama’s signature goal is to socialize a portion of health care, an effort that, while passed, was met with stiff opposition from Republicans, other conservatives, many independents and even a few Democrats.

Those who opposed Bush’s war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan were painted as “unpatriotic” by his most strident supporters.

Those who opposed Obama’s universal health care plan were painted as “uncaring” by his most strident supporters.

Bush attempted to fill a Supreme Court vacancy by nominating Harriet Miers, a woman who had no judiciary experience.

Obama is attempting to fill a Supreme Court vacancy by nominating Elena Kagan, a woman who has no judiciary experience.

In response to an expletive that Bush declared about a reporter, Vice-President Dick Cheney agreed “big time”.

In response to the signing of the healthcare bill, Vice-President Joe Biden blurted out that it was a “big f****n’ deal”.

The reality of a Republican-controlled Administration and Congress (not to mention Court) spurred the mobilization of such political organizations as Move On as well as news sources such as the Huffington Post.

The reality of a Democratic-controlled Administration and Congress (and aging Court Justices) spurred the mobilization of such political organizations as the Tea Party movement and Freedom Works and news sources such as World Net Daily.

Despite losing the Presidential nomination, the loyal support that Howard Dean received was recognized as he was rewarded by being named the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Despite losing the Vice-Presidential election, the loyal support that Sarah Palin received was recognized as she has been rewarded by becoming the de facto “face” of the Tea Party movement.

Of course, we’ve previously covered the audacious declarations of both Kanye West and Glenn Beck, respectively.

And finally:

Bush was criticized, particularly by Democrats, for his slow response to Hurricane Katrina’s devastation in the Gulf Coast. His response was that he trusted the states to do the right thing.

Obama was criticized, particularly by Republicans, for his slow response to the oil rig devastation in the Gulf Coast. His response was that he was trusting British Petroleum to do the right thing.

Now if we can just keep any potentially dangerous objects out of Joe Biden’s hands, it might tip the scales in Obama’s favor!

Imagine...

2010-04-24T16:14:00.004-04:00

Now the vast audience that reads this blog knows that I love people of all shades and creeds. They also know that I respect if not always agree with those who hold primarily conservative views including those in the Tea Party Movement. And not only do I know that there is a small but significant number of black conservatives out there but I also believe many black Democrats are DINOs (Democrats In Name Only) because of their perception of Republican policies. With that long disclaimer, I'd like to present the following blog that I stumbled upon courtesy of Facebook. Going beyond the "mirror image" experience I predicted when Democrats and Republicans switched positions of power, this piece explains why there is more than a little concern about potential backlash from fringe conservatives about Obama's ascendancy to the White House.

http://ephphatha-poetry.blogspot.com/2010/04/imagine-if-tea-party-was-black-tim-wise.html

(Note at the end of the post that the author is a white gentleman.)

Step Your Game Up

2010-03-07T22:26:00.001-05:00

Fair enough. I mean, "we" did get the Presidency... LOL

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/03/06/lemon.step.controversy.cnn?hpt=T2

If The Onion Says It, Then It Must Be True!

2010-03-05T22:43:00.003-05:00

LOL Too Funny...!

http://www.theonion.com/content/opinion/my_constituents_care_way_more

And in related news...

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/senator_dikembe_mutombo_blocks

Winter... And The Meaning of Life

2010-02-06T00:14:00.003-05:00

My most loyal readers know how much I dislike winter and the colder weather it brings. Of course, I am writing this in the midst of the “storm of the century” where two feet is a realistic scenario. This is on top of the pre-Christmas blizzard where were received the early “gift” of a foot and a half of snow. So to say my Seasonal Affect Disorder has been exacerbated this season would be an understatement. Not to mention my recurring sinusitis and what appears to be the onset of mild arthritis in my knee. But what Mother Nature has brought us is only the literally icing on the cake of what has become a bittersweet time of year.

On the one hand, there are a few causes for celebration: the birthdays of my lady Cathy, my Mom (even though our relationship has deteriorated), and Martin Luther King. Ironically Rev. King and my mother share the same day. But immediately after those dates come some difficult reminders of loss, some of them very fresh. Cathy’s birthday is followed just two days later by that of her deceased son Tommy. By the time I finish writing this, it will be the first anniversary of the passing of Cathy’s aunt Beth whose birthday is a day later. It was a difficult time managing both our jobs with the canine legacies we temporarily inherited just as we had adopted two feline sisters. And those cats arrived in part because of the passing of my own feline buddy Homes two years ago this month.

Thinking about all this loss got me to thinking about death in general. People die every day, of course, in ways that are sudden and agonizingly slow, painful and peaceful. Besides the streak of celebrities that left in 2009, I’m also starting to experience the loss of people that were close to me. I’m starting to acknowledge the reality that both of my parents may not be here in the next ten years. And finally I came to the startling reality that I too am going to die...and that by some measures I may already be halfway there. And that makes me sad... and scared.

As you all know, I’m not particularly religious. So I have no idea what’s going to happen to me after I pass away. Truthfully, no one else really does either, although people’s faith tells them what they might expect. I guess that’s what faith really means: to believe that by following one’s spiritual beliefs that the next existence you’ve been promised will happen. Without that anchor, I’m left to ponder the meaning of life. How did I become fortunate (?) enough to born human? Was I a drop of water before? Will I be a frog next?

I now understand why some people start to have a “mid-life crisis”. But don’t worry; I don’t see myself hopping into a convertible with a Barbie riding shotgun. However, I have been in a slow if economy-hampered process of reinventing my career. Based on my intellectual potential, I’m probably “supposed” to be in middle-management now if not Vice-President of whatever company. Then again, I’ve been surprised by the paths taken by many of the high school alumni I’ve rediscovered on Facebook. So I don’t necessarily feel that “underachieving” is a bad thing. In fact, I’m probably happier now than if followed the so-called traditional path.

Still…I HATE winter.

2010-01-31T17:04:00.003-05:00

Regular readers will probably rub their eyes a few times out of disbelief when they read the following statement:

Scott Brown deserved to win the special election for the Massachusetts Senate seat.

Not that I particularly supported his platform - although I appreciate that he's relatively moderate on some social issues - but because his opponent Martha Coakley basically treated the election as a coronation after winning the primary. (I mean, come on, going on vacation in the middle of a campaign??? Seriously???) And her making fun of Brown pounding the turf around Fenway Park? So yeah, Brown deserved to win. But I'm obviously not thrilled about it.

If anything, his imminent arrival may open Obama up to what I thought were some reasonable ideas from the Republicans in Congress. One being tort reform on doctor malpractice suits. As I may have said before - I'm too lazy to look back on here LOL - I think a cap on "pain and suffering" is reasonable since that is something that is not quantifiable. I don't think there should be a cap on paying for actual medical care as many medical misfortunes can last a lifetime.

I have mixed feelings on the idea of allowing insurance companies free reign on all fifty states. Granted, there are some states where the choices are few and the premiums are correspondingly high. However, I also foresee larger companies using their economies of scale to undercut smaller companies a la Wal-Mart, resulting in an oligarchy of companies.

So has Obama managed to do in only one year what took W a total of six? Well, I'll concede that regaining that 60th Senate seat is not realistic at this point. But I do think some honest attempt at common ground and compromise is good. Like I've said all along, one can draw many parallels between the behavior of certain principals during the previous administration and the complete flip-flop once the current administration began. It would be nice to know that both Democrats and Republicans have learned from being in each other's shoes. One can only hope.

Winter Sucks...

2010-01-09T17:53:00.002-05:00

... but if you know me, you already knew this.

Still, there is a silver lining somewhere between the biting wind, the browning snow and the black ice.

For starters, I'm still employed. ***applause*** I'm certainly grateful for the opportunity to continue to get paid. However, I've discovered pretty quickly how truthful the recruiter and my then-future supervisors were when they told me the learning curve would be rather steep at the beginning. Well, I'm still very much in the "beginning" stage. It's stressful, to say the least. It's definitely motivated me to take more steps towards starting my small business.

Speaking of which, I've taken a few small but important steps towards starting said business. I applied for my federal EIN (Employee Identification Number) earlier in the week. Today I printed off some forms that I will have to turn in to the city. No need to register at the state level at this point, per their information.

The holidays were a time for Cathy and me to appreciate what we had; in other words, we were broke! LOL We were also dealing with nagging sinus issues that affected us in different ways. After I finally went to urgent care last Sunday, I'm taking some medication to address my "acute sinusitis". It's working pretty well so far. I'm looking forward to getting back in the gym and getting my "beach body" ready. (HA!)

As a belated holiday present to my regular readers, I will offer no political commentary in this thread. Happy New Year!

2009-11-29T16:49:00.003-05:00

So far, so good with the new Justice gig. I already realize that I need to work on my concentration as the procedures are simultaneously complex and rote.

Thanksgiving was enjoyable down in South Carolina with my Dad and our extended family there. I try to cherish these gatherings nowadays, not only because my Dad, Aunts and Uncles are approaching an average age of 70, but also due to the untimely passing of one Aunt.

I decided to go "all in" with one of my favorite interests and devote the next few college semesters at NOVA to complete my certificate in Travel and Tourism. I figure in this economy, if you don't necessarily like what you're doing, you may as well pursue something you love. To hedge my bets, I will probably also pursue a certificate in Library Technology in preparation of a Master's in Library Science. But since libraries aren't exactly in a hiring boom these days, I'm in no rush to get started.

I'll say one thing, though: it felt good to be able by some new clothes for the job with the money that I earned from it.

2009-11-11T12:20:00.002-05:00

So it finally looks as if I may have latched onto a long-term gig.

On Monday, I began my new role as a contractor with the Department of Justice. Without getting into any potentially classified details, let's just say I'm reconciling expense accounts. Not too difficult in theory but nonetheless I'm a bit anxious. I will have to learn a lot of new terminology and procedures. Even though I've been told by several that the learning curve usually lasts about three months, I do tend to be pretty demanding on myself for getting up to speed on things. I also would like to make a good impression as this kind of opportunity could open up other doors with the government. Having "cleared" the hurdle doesn't hurt in this area. It would be nice to slide over to the National Archives or Library of Congress one day.

It also feels good to make a more steady financial contribution to the household. Even though The Lady feels that I have contributed in other ways - I could have starred in "Househusbands of Northern Virginia" - I feel more independent and "manly" being able to win some of the bread myself.

I still don't think that I will retire as an accountant... but there are surely "worse" careers to be in these days.

Another Side Of Yours Truly

2009-11-07T17:17:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone,

I've created my new blog and even submitted my first post. While it's a little more elaborate than this one, the graphics are still a work in progress. In any case, here it is:

http://travelandmusicwithtony.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Something New

2009-10-22T14:41:00.002-04:00

When I set out to start this blog, I didn't know what direction it would go in but I knew that it would be a place where I could express my political views without all the partisan rants from either direction that I read in many other blogs and forums. As it turns out, with the exception of a few posts about my "consulting" gigs, it's been pretty much a platform for me to express my liberal/progressive leanings.

However, out of my surely vast and loyal crowd of readers, I'd say at least 50% are afraid they might hurt my feelings, 25% could care less LOL and up to 25% are too busy with life to tend to their own blog let alone read mine.

So I've decided to go in a different direction... and a different blog. I'm still going to keep this one and make commentary when the mood strikes me. I don't want to publish yet another open diary for the masses... but I do think a more light-hearted approach might draw some interaction.

I'm thinking that the theme will be two of my biggest passions in life: travel and music. In particular, I think I will chronicle some tales from the Summer of Love Tour that Cathy and I ventured out for. I have a lot of (mostly illegible) notes from the trip and it would be nice to share them in print. Who knows... it may become a semi-professional marketing device for my future ambitions as a travel agent.

I'll probably need some help designing the cover page as you can obviously see I did not have any imagination - or skill - in designing this one. Anyone... can ya help a brotha out??? :)

Why Is It?

2009-10-13T11:39:00.002-04:00

Why is it that the "typical" liberal would like government to be involved as much as possible... except when it comes to social/personal issues?

Why is it that the "typical" conservative would like to government to be involved as little as possible... except when it comes to social/personal issues?

Now That's What I Call "Fair and Balanced"!

2009-10-07T16:08:00.002-04:00

Despite the fact he always reminds me of Kermit the Frog, I have to commend Fox News Channel anchor Shepard Smith for channeling his inner Alan Colmes when interviewing GOP Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming regarding the inclusion of a public option in health care reform:

SMITH: Over the last ten years health care costs in America have skyrocketed. Regular folks cannot afford it. So, they tax the system by not getting preventative medicine. They go to the emergency room in the last case and we all wind up paying for it. As the costs have gone up, the insurance industry's profits, on average, have gone up more than 350%. And it is the insurance companies which have paid, and who have contributed to Senators and Congressmen on both sides of the aisle to the point where now we cannot get what all concerned on Capitol Hill seem to believe and more 60% of Americans say they would support, which is a public option. This has been an enormous win for the health-care industry, that is an unquestioned fact. But I wonder, what happens to the American people when we come out with legislation now which requires everyone to have health care insurance -- or many more people -- but does not give a public option? Therefore millions more people will have to buy insurance from the very corporations that are overcharging us, and whose profits have gone up 350 percent in the last ten years. It seems like we the people are the ones getting the shaft here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/06/fox-newss-shepard-smith-g_n_311627.html

Nazism + Communism = Socialism?

2009-10-07T15:34:00.006-04:00

It appears that the doomsday wing of the conservative movement has succeeded in getting a lot of press by equating Obama's would-be "socialist" policies with the repressive regimes of Communist-era Russia and Nazi-era Germany. I'm sure that there are more informed people out there (including some well-intentioned Republicans) who realize that a better comparison would be to the many countries in Western Europe that adhere to various degrees of socialist policy, not to mention our neighbor to the North.

Instead of drawing a fake Hitler mustache onto Obama, they could have attached fake muscles a la Hanz and Franz from the old Saturday Night Live skits. Or instead of referencing Russia's hammer and siecle, the protestors could have drawn inspiration from the flags of Norway, the Netherlands, France and other countries who coincidentally draw from the same red, white and blue palate.

Perhaps when it comes down to it, it's the common theme of one-party rule that Germany once represented - and that Russia is apparently backsliding into - and fear of the long-term effects of such an arrangement here in the USA. I could certainly respect that as I endured the same concerns for six years. I would hope that's something conservatives would think about if <shudder> they should ever find themselves again in charge of both the White House and Congress.

By the way, here's a list of the best countries to live per the United Nations. By my count, it appears that at least seven of the top ten countries have universal health care and/or other socialist policies. An easier-to-read summary can also be found here.

I Like Ike!

2009-10-01T15:02:00.004-04:00

Quote:

It's great to know that during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the wealth of the 400 richest Americans, according to Forbes, actually increased by $30 billion. Well golly, that's only a 2 percent increase, much less than the double digit returns the wealthy had grown accustomed to. But a 2 percent increase is a whole lot more than losing 40 percent of your 401k. And $30 billion is enough to provide 500,000 school teacher jobs at $60k per year.

Collectively, those 400 have $1.57 trillion in wealth. It's hard to get your mind around a number like that. The way I do it is to imagine that we were still living during the great radical Eisenhower era of the 1950s when marginal income tax rates hit 91 percent. Taxes were high back in the 1950s because people understood that constraining wild extremes of wealth would make our country stronger and prevent another depression. (Well, what did those old fogies know?)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/les-leopold/the-forbes-400-shows-why_b_306228.html

Glenn, Kanye and Me

2009-09-07T14:18:00.005-04:00

By now most everyone is aware of the recent claim that Glenn Beck made regarding President Obama on the Fox News Channel. Needless to say, I found this rather outlandish considering Obama's maternal family, the people in his administration, and his success in drawing significant support from voters of all ethnicities when he won the election. My first thought (and probably second, third and fourth thoughts as well) was that the Fox News executives should demand that he apologize for his incredulous statement under threat of dismissal. The fact that he apparently not only hasn't apologized but hasn't even been suspended is rather telling and shocking to me.

But then I remembered what Kanye West said about George Bush following Hurricane Katrina. I have to admit that at the time I wondered whether there was more than a kernel of truth to that accusation, conveniently ignoring the prominent positions that Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice each held in the Bush administration. In retrospect, I believe that Bush was not a racist but perhaps a classist. But getting back to Kanye, I wouldn't have been surprised if he suffered a Dixie-Chicks style backlash which would have effectively ended his career. Instead, these days you can't go more than ten minutes on a pop station, let alone an R&B/hip-hop station, without hearing Kanye on a track. Even I must admit that I have enjoyed some of his songs over the last few years.

So it appears that Glenn and Kanye, despite their inflammatory accusations of Presidential-sponsored racism, will each continue to have successful careers due to the support of fans who ignored if not even believed these falsehoods. And that, I believe, truly makes for a sad state of affairs here in America.

Playing Catch-Up

2009-09-01T12:41:00.005-04:00

Hello to everyone out there in Bloggerville!

I just realized that it has been exactly three months since I posted my last blog. Of course, my most loyal readers (ha!) already know behind the scenes that I had quite a busy time preparing for, enjoying, then recovering from a rather busy summer season. But now that I have the time and wherewithall, I wanted to share a few thoughts before what could potentially be a busy fall on the local front. I'll be touching on a number of things, some of which I may expound on later.

First: the Summer of Love tour. That's what Cathy and I called our 37-day, 6550-mile cross-country trip with a not-so-subtle nod to the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. One big difference between that event and ours is the only time we got "high" was in the mountains of the "four corners" states. We even managed to survive both of our family reunions located on opposite ends of the country, hers being in Jackson, MS, mine being in Los Angeles. The logistics of attending those events as well as the Vegas BBW Bash spurred us to hit the road instead of the runway. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to spending that amount of time traveling through 27 states. While I figure that we'll be making pilgrimages to visit family in Dallas - or at least as far as Jackson - I don't think we'll be planning anything that extravagant again in the foreseeable future. I especially won't need to relive spending two weeks in Vegas. I'm grateful to Cathy for letting me indulge in my sightseeing for the first few days while she mostly enjoyed having her feet up and off the brake and pedal. I still think I'll need to leave the Bash property every so often, but I think I'm more likely to repeat my favorite things to see and do in Vegas than to find anything new there. I do suspect that we will be expanding our social circle which I feel would be a plus.

Wow... is 2009 The Year of the Grim Reaper or what? They say "death comes in threes" but this year, it's more like the dozens! Some of the more poignant passings for me include: Farrah Fawcett, with whom Cathy shared a common bond of an unfortunate illness; John Hughes, the "Judd Apatow" of my teenage years; and, Michael Jackson, if only for the surreal coincidence of staying in a hotel in Hollywood on the night before his memorial service. And of course, my most loyal readers would think me remiss if I didn't mention the loss of two members of the Kennedy clan.

The domestic agenda of President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress seems to be mixed in public opinion if not also in its effectiveness. As much as I dislike the idea of corporate welfare, I believe that simply letting the banks and auto makers fail would have had a ripple effect of millions in job losses that would have cost taxpayers more in the end than the stimulus package. And while necessity may well be the mother of invention, not everyone has the entrepreneurial skill and spirit to rely on themselves instead of an employer.

Regarding health care, I consider it to be the right of every American citizen and legal resident. I believe the status quo is not working, unless you're either an upper-income employee who is happy with their coverage... or the insurance company CEO who is happy with their bonus. While I think a government-funded "public option" should be in the mix, I'm not opposed to state health co-ops as a compromise, despite the unflinching views of both staunch Republicans and Democrats in Congress. I do think that GOP proposals like capping doctor malpractice judgments and opening up insurer competition to all fifty states would have potentially detrimental results for most citizens. One of the best models to build on, ironically, would the one that Republican Mitt Romney implemented while Governor of Massachusetts; it makes sense that everyone should pay into it, just as long as everyone is covered. I am surprised he hasn't received more news coverage these days. Or if he has, it must be on news media that I don't frequent.

Peace.

Those Who Do Not Learn From (Recent) History....

2009-06-01T20:34:00.003-04:00

A lot has been happening in the political world that I've wanted to write about. Unfortunately, a lot has been happening in my life that I haven't had the time to get in detail about my thoughts. Suffice it to say, as I predicted six months ago. black has become white... or rather, red has become blue. Democrats and Republicans look at each other in the Congress and Senate and see their own reflection just over five months ago. There are so many parallels, it's almost as if we're experience a repeat of 2001-2007. And that concerns me. Because as I said six months ago, it's hard to be smug when there's a chance that the Democrats will overreach just as the Republicans did.

I don't support corporate welfare so I haven't been a fan of the banking and auto industry bailouts. Regarding the failing banks, I would have supported their assets - and, ideally, most of their employees - being absorbed by smaller, healthier financial institutions. However, dealing with the more tangible goods of the auto industry is something different. Granted, I would have preferred that the least profitable makes and models were allowed to be spun off or closed down. As it is, allowing the companies to simply shut down would have created a dramatic ripple effect that may have had more consequences than the bailouts. However, I do think that we've reached the point that enough is enough. Nonetheless, it looks like we're all going to own a piece of General Motors. I hope that we can all at least get a new car out of the deal...

And finally, Sonia Sotomayor. We all know that she is going to pass the nomination process (save the irony of a Republican filibuster against an Democratic call for an up-and-down vote). And we all know "the quote" about the judge's quote about being a "wise Latina woman" that does look admittedly prejudiced, at least without knowing the context. What I would want to know is what is "that life" that she refers to that would allegedly not be known by a white male. Is it the life of an minority and/or female? If so, then I would understand where she's coming from, albeit in the way that Chris Rock understands O.J. Simpson. If my theory is indeed correct, she would certainly be walking a fine line between the stereotype and reality of white males' relative socioeconomic status and the ability to relate to others outside it. But again, I'm making assumptions, as many of us are, without the total context of the quote. So I'm reserving judgement in the hope that we will see all of that information soon.

Breaking The Law - Part Two

2009-05-25T17:22:00.002-04:00

Not that anyone keeping up with this blog has been waiting with baited breath... but I apologize for not staying more current. Mt latest gig, also located in DC, has taken a lot of the slack out of my evening time so that if I do get online, I don't have the concentration to put together a couple interesting, let alone coherent paragraphs.

If you haven't guessed by now, my client company is involved in the legal profession (hence the title) which just absolutely warms the cockles of Cathy's heart. In the interest of company privacy, I can only say that some dishonesty by a prior employee resulted in a massive cash loss. So my main duty is to help clean up that situation in preparation for an upcoming annual audit.

My boss has instilled a lot of faith in my abilities which in turn has given me a lot more confidence in my decision making and ideas. Also, having to create accurate results from spotty if not also intentionally misleading information went from being from a frustrating endeavor to a growing experience. So I feel like I've gotten a lot out of the experience already.

Both my boss and recruiter have each said to me separately that the company would probably want to hire me if not for the lack of available funds. I'd say that I wouldn't mind either... but after my previous rush to judgment at the wind joint, I'm hesitant to make a similar declaration of enthusiasm. I do know that I intend to make more of an effort to find something permanent when I return from the Summer of Love tour. While I'd like to go further in my transition to other careers, the reality is that I need to make a decent living, especially if I'm going to invest in further education to accomplish those career goals.

George Will:Fashionista

2009-04-18T15:45:00.002-04:00

(Channeling Larry The Cable Guy...)

I don't care what you say, that's funny right 'dere!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Off The Hook

2009-04-18T15:18:00.003-04:00

Progressives and Northern/West Coast states who wanted to move or secede to Canada after the 2004 elections are officially off the hook.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D97J48IO2.html

Texas Gov. Rick Perry fired up an anti-tax "tea party" Wednesday with his stance against the federal government and for states' rights as some in his U.S. flag-waving audience shouted, "Secede!"

I did predict something like this would happen... (See Bush, Part One.)

Breaking The Law - Part One

2009-04-16T19:30:00.003-04:00

The first day on the new gig was cool... but I wouldn't be me if something strange didn't happen. At least it wasn't my fault this time.

I got there at 10:00am as requested only to find out that my lady manager J had called out due to a sudden asthma attack. Since she would be the one to train me, I wouldn't be needed until tomorrow. My future female cube-mate V said that left a message with the agency. I would have probably been underground by then, anyway. Still, I was perhaps a touch miffed that my recruiter hadn't at least attempted to leave a message with me. But when I called him to see about getting compensated for some of my time, he said he had not heard anything about the situation. But he apologized profusely and offered to pay me two hours' travel time at my assignment rate.

I then thought it might be a good idea to go pick up a timesheet from the agency and meet my recruiter. (I was referred to him by another branch office where I had already registered.) He suggested that I take the train for what would be a eight-minute ride. Instead, I decided to take advantage of a rare mild and sunny day and instead chose to walk. After a leisurely half-hour stroll, I entered the office only to have my recruiter tell me that my manager made it in after all and that I was welcome to come in today if I wanted.

Oh what the heck, I didn't have anything else planned so why not! :)

As it was now 11:30, I did ask for some time to eat my lunch before starting back up there which was granted without a problem. Unfortunately I ended up eating the "brown-bagger" on a windy bench as there was no park near enough and my legs, having also spent a half-hour on the recumbent bike this morning, were saying no mas. After some recovery time, I hopped on the Metro and finally started my workday.

The manager J was definitely happy to see me. It was a nice change of pace from Bipolar who, in retrospect, didn't even greet me with a smile when we first met. Apparently quite a mess was created by the person who previously held her position, so I was there to help her clean it up before the arrival of the auditors in two weeks. One of my biggest selling points reportedly was my experience on their accounting software which I had used for three years at my last permanent gig. J said that her knowledge of that software was pretty limited. Although it took me a few moments to get back to speed, I started paying dividends already when I showed J an easier way to find certain information without printing out extraneous amounts of paper. She was very happy about that. I also was able to point out some odd items on the bank account I was reconciling. So all in all, it was a good day. I managed a "three-fer": got some exercise, saw some sights and did some work... getting paid for it all the while! :)

Would You Care For A Spot of Tea?

2009-04-16T19:26:00.003-04:00

The Working Wounded

2009-04-15T11:18:00.002-04:00

Well, just twelve day after The Final Blowback - and perhaps a bit of exasperation - it looks like I will be rejoining the ranks of the working starting tomorrow and for another month, maybe two.

I'll be doing similar accounting work for yet another association in DC. The pay is the same, more or less. (Actually less... but why quibble about another $20. With the last gig, the difference between a full work week and just two hours less actually put me in another tax bracket every time I worked a full-week. I think I need to attend a Tea Party... ha!) It's a small company - a dozen or so - whose sole accountant needs help preparing stuff for their audit. I also happen to have the experience on a certain accounting software that their number cruncher concedes she lacks. I'm supposed to be there until at least the end of May when the audit is expected to end. Depending on how much work is left afterwards and/or how much they like me, I may be asked to stay right up to mid-June, which would be exactly what I had planned for. But considering the last situation, I'm going to be conservative (ha! again) and assume that I'll be finishing up by Memorial Day.

Of course the main benefit - besides not starving, of course - is that I'll be able to do my part in contributing to the big Summer of Love Road Trip coming up in about two months. I was getting a bit concerned but thankfully fate came through in the clutch!

On the other hand, I have a nagging neck and shoulder strain stemming from a workout last Friday morning. It hurt like Slash until I actually got some relevant and useful advice from my Mom to take some pain reliever for the inflammation. Between that and some heating pads that Cathy has been applying on me, the pain has generally lessened over the last few days although it seems to be making a bit of a comeback today. In retrospect, perhaps practicing the piano yesterday wasn't a good idea. For that matter, typing this blog probably isn't either.

I guess I'll be going now...

PS: Shout out to Atlanta Braves' pitcher Tom Glavine who has a rotator cuff injury. I literally feel your pain. I'm not ready to retire, either.

Breaking Wind 4 - The Final Blowback

2009-04-08T22:38:00.003-04:00

April Fools' Day came one day early for me last week.

On the afternoon of March 31st, I went into the office of my immediate supervisor, whom we shall now refer to as Bipolar, to discuss a task with her. While giving me the information I needed, she casually mentioned the fact that this was my last week. I was stunned for a couple reasons. For one, I was told by my recruiter that the assignment would last until May. For another, I was essentially given three days notice. I would have thought that professional courtesy would have dictated at least one week's notice, if not even two, for that length of an assignment.

My manager, for whom I have no witty nickname, approached my cubicle a little later and confirmed that I was being let go because there was "no more work" for me and indirectly apologized for the short notice by alluding to the fact that things had been "crazy" around there. I was a bit confused at this point as things certainly looked "crazy" for Bipolar who still seemed bogged down with work. Curiously enough, when I called my recruiter at the end of the day, her version of the story was that during a budget meeting, my manager discovered that she had less to work with than she thought. So I was therefore the "odd temp out". I'm more inclined to believe the recruiter.

While I was disappointed, I also was a bit relieved. The reason why I call Bipolar "Bipolar" is that one day she could be friendly, even chummy, but the next day, or even the next moment, she could go from hot to cold, especially if a mistake was made (by myself or others) that seemed to inconvenience her. Nonetheless, I was determined to make the best of my last three days.

By about noon on Wednesday, I had finished my latest task and Bipolar suggested that I go to lunch. And so I did. Five minutes later, she comes over with a new task she asked for me to complete before she returned from lunch herself. Wanting to keep the instructions fresh in my mind, I interrupt my lunch to finish the task which took about a half hour. I then return to eating lunch and surfing the 'Net in my cubicle, keeping an eye and ear out for Bipolar, who usually returns to to her office by going by my desk. Time had admittedly slipped away and around 1:45, Bipolar popped up on me mid-surf and asked if I was still on lunch. I responded that I had completed the assignment she gave me during lunch, thinking she'd catch the hint that I had literally nothing else to do beyond working on my thumb-twiddling skills. Instead, she admonished me loudly in front of my other cube-mates, advising me to account for the "extra" break time on my timesheet. So basically because of her own lack of efficiency, I was going to loose a quarter hour's worth of pay. At that point, I was through with being friendly, through with being proactive... I was just through.

Fast forward (I wish I could have at the time) to Friday afternoon when I'm packing up my things. Everyone in the department was polite to cordial as I exchanged goodbyes with them. Bipolar had stepped out to the kitchen area next door which I was thinking was probably for the best. But when she returned and saw me put my jacket on, I figured I could be professional and endure ten seconds of mild discomfort... except that she proceeded to go into the office of an associate and shut the door behind her. That pretty much summed up our working relationship in a nutshell.

In retrospect, Cathy helped me to see that Bipolar definitely had some issues that she projected onto me. She definitely reminded me of a certain family member who deflected responsibilty, albeit less brazenly, for her own mistakes regarding me. It may have been that inefficiency - and perhaps inability to show quantifiable results to my manager, that caused Bipolar to lose her help just when she may have needed it the most. If there is truly such a thing as karma, it hit her at the beginning of this week as I know that Bipolar had to deal with the annual arrival of the auditors without anyone to offload work on or to assist her.

At least Robocop managed to loosen up over the last couple weeks, greeting me with a smile and a "What's up, Man?" virtually every morning. He's so anxious to jump ship himself, the client may be lucky to get three days' notice themselves.

Ironically, I found out that White Chocolate grew up in the area where Cathy and I used to live, graduating from the neighborhood high school. It's too bad I didn't get to know him a little better. Not only could we have compared notes on the past and present in his old 'hood, I also think him and the similarly large lady I saw in one of his desk pictures may have enjoyed attending a NAAFA fundraiser.

I got along with Ho Chi Minh the best, but then he gets along with everyone well. He'll be the one most likely to get a permanent job there... until, of course, they pull the rug out from under him like they did for me. I do hope that he finds the man of his dreams, though.

I'll miss working for a company whose cause I believed in. I'll miss the prestige, such as it is, of working in downtown DC just a few blocks from the White House. And, of course, I'll miss the paycheck. I definitely won't miss the longer commute, albeit still short by DC standards. I won't miss working a half-hour longer than my previous job which, combined with the commute, made my evenings a lot shorter.

And, needless to I won't miss Bipolar's crazy @$$.

"The answer, my friend
Is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind...."

The Canine Chronicles Vol.2

2009-04-08T22:22:00.004-04:00

Case Study #2:

NOELLE

aka Slash, Zombie, Ma Barker and @#$%^!

(Yes, that last one is the same as Buster!)

This tough lady Boston Terrier would probably be at home wearing a gasoline attendant shirt with tattoos on her arm and a cigarette dangling out of her mouth. She's never met a female quadriped - canine or feline - that she didn't try to hump. The one exception to her machisma is her fear of heights, a condition I was reminded of at least twice a day at walking time.

############

Regardless of how I poke fun at these two dogs, I'm glad we had the opportunity to make the best of a tough situation. I like to think that we provided a bridge for them to their next permanent home, even if it isn't necessarily the one that they are in now.

The Canine Chronicles Vol.1

2009-04-08T22:00:00.005-04:00

(Editor's Note: I'm a little late with this series of blogs but the aforementioned job assignment literally drained the life out of me. But anywho...)

Two of the living legacies of Cathy's dearly departed Aunt Beth were our houseguests for six weeks of fun and games. Our cats, being the hospitable felines they were, conceded all but the back of the master bedroom closet and sometimes the guest room bed to the dogs so they could maximize their comfort zone. Between the warm reception I was receiving at work and the cute antics of these critters, excitement was always just around the corner. In fact, it usually was.

Here is Case Study #1:

BUSTER

aka Toto, Benji, Lil' Scrappy, McScruffy and @#$^%!

We discovered recently that this little guy is a Chihuahua-Yorkie mix... or, as we like to call him, a "Chihuakie" (Chee-WAH-kee)... not to be confused with a town in Wisconsin. ;) Don't let the innocent look fool you. He's never met a trash can he hasn't bonded with. But he is an aspiring optometrist as he will literally get "eye-to-eye" with you. Also when taking him for a walk, he is the one more likely to walk in a sensible direction (i.e. not wrap himself around a pole).

Breaking Wind Part Three

2009-03-24T21:14:00.002-04:00

If the assignments I'm doing aren't that interesting, my co-workers continue to be so.

My supervisor runs hot and cold. One day she can be friendly and chummy, the next day she's agitated and annoyed. My manager is a little better, although she tends to assign me the more mind-numbing tasks. But then, who am I to argue if you want to give me accounting clerk work for a staff accountant's salary?

I had a nice talk with Ho Chi Minh while walking to the train one afternoon. He's been at the job site since December. He was originally supposed to take over White Chocolate's duties but that transfer never happened for some unknown reason. He's still keeping busy though. And since he continues to be invited to all the employee meetings - including today's all-staff meeting - it still appears that his formal job offer is imminent.

Robocop has actually started greeting me hello in a friendly way. He's also loosened up a bit with the people he normally works with. Today he asked me how long I was told my assignment would be. Apparently he was told he would be working through this month at first but that now he's been extended to May, which I told him was my end date as well. That would make sense as the company's trade show is the first week of May. Based on my own convention experience, not to mention the company's small staff, I figure that the bulk of their staff will be headed out of town. So there won't be any work for Robocop and me. RC says if he finds another temp opportunity before theis assignment ends, he'll leave, figuring that he may have a long gap between work. I understand what he's saying but I would like to put a couple positive references in my pocket.

Meanwhile, the library has not yet applied a pick-axe to its hiring freeze. *sigh*

BREAKING NEWS: Obama "officially" rejected by Socialist Party.

2009-03-17T20:09:00.003-04:00

It's all right here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/13/AR2009031301899.html

As I said in a previous blog, we're no closer to being a socialist nation now than we were at being a deregulated theocracy under Bush... although I'm sure that there are some at both ends of the spectrum that would have welcome one of those extreme scenarios.

Breaking Wind Part Two

2009-03-02T07:52:00.002-05:00

As I sit here waiting for 8:00am to arrive so I can find out if/when my client is opening today in light of the continuing snowstorm - BTW did I ever mention how much I hate winter...? - I thought this would be a good time to give an update on how things are going there.

I'm actually hanging in there pretty well. My immediate supervisor, a thirtysomething African-American lady, is friendly enough but also means business. I think her attitude could be summed up best as: "I'm glad you're here, my brother, but we got work to do and if you can't do it, I'll cut you as soon as I did the two people that came before you."

I've also come to realize again something I learned the easy way in high school and the hard way in college. The less responsibilities I'm given, the better I tend to do at them. I have given perhaps a half dozen types of tasks to do and while some may be moderately complex and/or time-consuming, I've been able to accomplish them all. While I understood the necessity of taking on other tasks following the downsizing at my last job, I was never able to maintain my efficiency, to say the least.

It's still too early to say where I might fit in the company's future plans, if it all. But the future seems to be looking bright for my fellow consultant Ho Chi Minh. When a department meeting was called, he was included while Robocop and I were not. That's fine with me as I've always needed a Mountain Dew (Code Red, of course) in each hand in order to stay awake in meetings. Nonetheless, it would seem that the only thing keeping Ho from officially joining the staff is the signature of whomever approves the salary budget.

Meanwhile, Robocop continues to stay focused. But he does say Good morning more often. And I actually saw him smile!

All in all, I'd still rather be getting my foot in the door at the library... but given the economic reality of things, there are certainly worse places I could be than at this joint.

W Got A Job Offer!

2009-02-22T20:21:00.002-05:00

He could use the help with his resume, that's for sure...

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2009/02/22/store.offers.bush.job.cnn

Plus-Size Cover Girl

2009-02-22T16:35:00.002-05:00

I thought this might be a good place to discuss articles I find about size acceptance issues... especially since I get virtually no response to similar topics I post in fat-friendly forums.

Cathy came across this article about a plus-size British singer named Beth Ditto who posed nude for the cover of a British fashion magazine that aspires to target people with "realistic" bodies.

While this isn't the first time a lady of size has made a cover - Oprah has the record for most consecutive appearances by default - it is the first "nude" cover I recall that didn't have even more adult content inside. We looked for the magazine at both Borders and Barnes & Noble with no success. Upon further research at home, we discovered that it was a British-based publication that just came out last week. It sounds like something I'll have to look for in an independent bookstore somewhere in DC. So I'll be doing some research during lunch or after work sometime this week.

WHEW!

2009-02-22T16:29:00.002-05:00

Yes, I've posted a flurry of blogs today. As regular readers know too well, it's been hectic times here at Casa Del Antonio y Caterina. So now that we have a moment to catch our breath, I'm taknig advantage of it by catching up on sharing my thoughts with my adoring audience". :)

The Top Presidents

2009-02-22T16:23:00.002-05:00

http://www.c-span.org/PresidentialSurvey/Overall-Ranking.aspx

Some notables:

1. Abraham Lincoln

2. George Washington

10. Ronald Reagan

15. Bill Clinton

18. George H.W. Bush

22. Gerald Ford

25. Jimmy Carter

36. George W. Bush

I Agree With Bush!

2009-02-22T16:02:00.002-05:00

Shocking as it may seem, I actually agree with former President Bush on this one:

http://news.aol.com/article/cheney-furious-with-bush/346823?icid=200100397x1219241268x1201307694

And for the record, I believe Clinton should not have pardoned Marc Rich either.

Stimulating Conversation

2009-02-22T15:50:00.000-05:00

And so the financial stimulus package has passed at a slightly slimmer $787 billion price tag than the $800 billion previously proposed by President Obama. I’m optimistic that it will indeed help to create jobs in the industries that are purported to help the infrastructure of our country (e.g. transportation, alternative energy). I also think that the tax cut portion is a good idea. Of course, I’m going by the assumption that the administration is discarding the “trickle down” method in favor of a “flow up” method. Recent stories of corporate executive excess would seem to warrant an opportunity for the mass of lower-to-middle income households to make their own decisions rather than rely on the would-be wisdom and benevolence of the relative few in the upper-class.

And for the record, I agree that Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer were wise to withdraw their nominations for Health & Human Services Secretary and Chief Performance Officer, respectively, for not paying their taxes in a timely manner. I’ll even go as far to say that the irony of supposed financial wizard Tim Geithner should have been dismissed from consideration as Treasury Secretary for not taking care of his own tax obligations. This has certainly given an early blemish to the Obama administration.

Breaking Wind

2009-02-22T13:03:00.000-05:00

The irony of Friday February 6th was that while it was a very sad day for my lady Cathy’s family, I actually received good news about a three-month “consulting” (i.e. temporary) assignment for a client in downtown DC. Interestingly enough, the client is a trade association that deals with wind energy... and not the kind that Cathy exudes in her sleep! (LOL Just kidding.) Back when electric utility choice was introduced in Pennsylvania, I chose to switch to a company who used wind power. However, when their rates jumped dramatically a year later from the slight premium I was willing to pay, I jumped back to the default utility.

Anyway, back to the job. I impressed my supervisor right away in finishing my first task in the first day. I had apparently accomplished more in the five hours I worked - they asked me to come in at 11:00 to start – than either of the two previous temps who were subsequently let go. Later tasks have become somewhat more challenging but I seem to continue to meet expectations.

One thing I noticed immediately is not only the newness of the office but the many yet-to-be-occupied cubicles and offices. I also knew that the Obama administration was planning to support and encourage alternative energy sources. So I figured that the company was definitely in expansion mode. A field visit from my recruiter confirmed my thoughts as she recommended that I “treat every day as if it were an interview”. My supervisor even admitted that if she had her druthers, she would like to get permanent help with her overabundance of work. So I think she may consider my time there as an audition as well.

The aforementioned recruiter also spent some time with the two other “consultants” in my department. One of them is an affable guy with a Vietnamese surname who seems all but hired. To wit, he is the only temp with a nameplate, albeit made out of paper. With his sensitive lilt to his voice, I’m tempted to nickname him “Geico” after the Asian restaurant owner in the “wad of money” commercial. Since Cathy and I may be the only ones to find that funny, I will instead honor his heritage and re-christen him Ho Chi Minh.

The other temp is a black guy whom I thought by his appearance that I would vibe with on a “nerd” level. However, he was all-business. If he wasn’t talking to his own supervisor, his conversation was pretty limited. For the first several mornings, he didn’t even acknowledge me. Once he even walked by and averted my gaze. He finally broke the ice one day by asking what kinds of assignments I was doing. My cynical side thought he might have been comparing our responsibilities to see how he can position himself better for a permanent position. I do have to give him credit though for providing me with a time card last week when I forgot mine. Still, he will be known from this day forward as Robocop.

Out of the full-time employees, there is one guy that stands out for his own unique personality trait. By his appearance, you’d think he might make a good stunt double for Curly from the Three Stooges… except when you hear him talk, he sounds like the overnight host of the Quiet Storm show on some R&B station. Even the black ladies in the department find him amusing. So of course I call him White Chocolate. It was sure confusing for the first few days as the high cubicles made it hard to tell if it was White Chocolate or Robocop speaking.

A full-time return to accounting isn’t exactly a thrilling idea for me but I do have to be realistic that my other career interests will not provide the consistency let alone income that I need to make. If anything, the ability to save for tuition to get my Master’s in Library Science would be my main motivator. But I have to remind myself not to get too comfortable or nervous – just to stay focused on accomplishing my assignment goals and letting the chips fall where they may later in the spring. In the meantime, I anticipate more interesting stories from the field which I will look forward to sharing here.

No More Excuses

2009-02-09T19:38:00.002-05:00

In the weeks following the elections and especially after the Inauguration, I’ve read a lot of political forum posts as newspaper article comments online whose general sentiment was that with the ascendancy of President Barack Obama African-Americans and other minorities have no more excuses about being held back or marginalized in achieving their goals.

And you know what? They’re right.

President Obama should be an inspiration to minorities that with hard work and determination, one can overcome one’s socioeconomic circumstances to live out their dreams. So-called welfare queens and kings should not look to The Source and Slam for role models so much as Ebony, Essence, Jet and especially Black Enterprise.

On the other hand, it is also time for the old boy network to, paraphrasing President Reagan, “tear town this wall” and officially dismantle the remnants of the glass ceiling. President Obama’s success as well as the excitement over both Senator Hillary Clinton and Governor Sarah Palin shows that the vast majority of Americans are comfortable with the idea of women and minorities in positions of power.

Of course, a gap in educational resources in poorer minority communities still exists. And there is a real shortage of qualified minorities for many occupations that should not be filled with marginal candidates. But these related issues should and hopefully will be given more attention by the current and future administrations.

In the meantime, there is no excuse to deny the vast majority women access to any career for which they can prove to be qualified. Perhaps the biggest sea change will be how families adjust responsibility when more women become the breadwinners. Ideally, “supermoms” will become an anachronism as their husbands are more socially accepted as primary caretakers and/or domestic engineers.

A Simple Solution To A Complex Problem

2009-02-09T19:35:00.001-05:00

Sign me up! Where does the line form...?

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/cheney_dunk_tank_raises_800

John Roberts And Me

2009-01-22T18:51:00.002-05:00

I never thought I'd say this (truly, I didn't) but it appears that I have something in common with Chief Justice John Roberts.

Everyone knows by now how Chief Justice Roberts essentially flubbed administering the Presidential Oath of Office bad enough that President Obama requested a private do-over. But while Roberts may be razzed by others, I actually feel his pain.

I have a tendency to freeze up when I meet someone new or have to speak in front of a number of people. My lady Cathy just loves to tell the story of how I inexplicably introduced her as the name of an ex (who also inexplicably shares the same birthday). And I just "love" when she tells it. (Not.LOL) I can only imagine the pressure that Roberts felt knowing there are not only a couple million people looking at him in the foreground but a billion or more others around the world.

So I guess the moral of this story is that everybody goofs sometimes. You just don't always see it in public. It does make me feel a little better that John Roberts and I have at least that one thing in common.

2009-01-20T21:15:00.001-05:00

As an African-American, I’m going through a lot of emotions regarding the ascendancy of Barack Obama to the Presidency: excitement, shock, anxiety, and pride to name a few.

As a progressive, I am optimistic that President Obama will successfully work with Congress to come up with bipartisan solutions to our most pressing issues while providing a fresh perspective from the previous administration.

Bush, Part Two

2009-01-19T16:00:00.007-05:00

As I said in "Bush, Part One", I feel that there are two underlying reasons that President George W. Bush insisted on going to war with Iraq that, if not officially acknowledged, are an open secret nonetheless.

1. Oil. Certainly a concern to two former oilmen like Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney. After all, they've got their post-government careers to think about.

2. Family honor. George W. Bush admitted as much that he did not appreciate his father George H. W. Bush’s life being threatened by Saddam during the first Gulf War.

Even if one doesn’t believe those two “conspiracy theories”, one should admit that the war in Iraq has not brought us closer to peace but instead has left not only our national security vulnerable but our international support and standing as well. A different “axis” of sorts – China, Russia and Venezuela - has been emboldened to criticize and bypass us. (While the current recession has freefall has especially hurt oil-powered Caracas and Moscow, all three countries will continue to be a cause for concern as the world economy recovers.) Billions of dollars that could have been used to stanch our financial crisis – let alone nullify bin Laden and Al Qaeda - is instead being poured into a country whose citizens never attacked us.

“But now that we are in Iraq, we need to finish the job!”

Fair enough; we should stay in Iraq long enough for their government to reach a certain level of stability and security, although what defines those benchmarks is certainly up for debate. But can we at least acknowledge that it was a mistake to be there in the first place?

It’s okay to be a Republican or a conservative in general and admit that going to Iraq was wrong.

It’s okay to support Bush’s domestic policies and admit that going to Iraq was wrong.

One can be patriotic by supporting the troops accomplishing their missions while conceding that their sacrifice would have held even more resonance if they were in Afghanistan and Pakistan instead of Iraq.

When I originally wrote this a couple months ago, I felt that Bush, would never admit that he made even in his most private moments, let alone publicly, that his motivations for going to Iraq were either different than what he presented to the public or just plain faulty. Shockingly, he did concede to some degree the latter as noted in the press conference referenced above. Time will tell if President-Elect Barack Obama, whom as Senator was one of the relative few who voted against going to Iraq, will diplomatically albeit more directly acknowledge some sort of regret on behalf of the United States after he takes office.

Most conservatives are probably not fond of the catchphrase: “No one died when Clinton lied.” Nonetheless, despite the Gulf War success that the most fervent Bush supporters see, the Iraq War will be as defining a moment of his presidency as Bill Clinton’s ill-advised affair with Monica Lewinsky. Each situation repulsed a significant amount of citizens while somehow galvanizing their respective political bases.

2009-01-19T15:59:00.000-05:00

Those who have heard what might seem to be constant criticism of conservative policies and Republican politicians that I feel that progressive and liberal views are superior and that Democrats are practically perfect in every way. Well that’s not true.

Okay, progressive views are “superior” LOL but conservative views certainly have their place and can provide a healthy counterbalance. When I came of age in Pennsylvania, I was required to pick a party in order to participate in the primary elections. Naturally (for me) I chose the Democrats. When I arrived in Virginia, I was actually glad to find out that the state allows voters to participate in both major primaries without declaring a party. While I’ve considered volunteering for Democratic campaigns in the past, I would not be interested at this point as I no longer consider myself to be a Democrat but simply a generally progressive/liberal-minded person with an occasional nod or two to the center-righton fiscal issues.

Politicians on both the right and left have had their share of misuse of power and overall scandal. Enough embarrassing situations have happened to individuals in both parties that one could essentially call it a draw.

Growing up in the Philadelphia area, where one-party Democratic control of city government was the rule, I saw how entrenched policies and politicians could stymie potential. I think the City Council would actually benefit from more GOP voices – or at least “Blue Dog” Democrats – to keep things more honest there. For my part, regular readers might recall that I voted for GOP Mayoral candidate Sam Katz when he last ran for the office in 2003.

Even here in Fairfax County, an affluent left-leaning area touted for its seemingly harmonious diversity and international culture, more than a few in the higher-income brackets turn into NIMBYs as they purposely avoid or attempt to restrict those of lower socioeconomic means from living in the same neighborhood and being educated in the same schools.

So I recognize that the Democratic Party is far from perfect. But as my views tend to hew closer to their platform, I’ll continue to support them while learning to respect and find common ground with the Republican Party.

Bush, Part One

2009-01-17T22:58:00.003-05:00

I originally started this post not very long after the election. However, I knew that I would need to step away and come back to it. It’s a good thing that I did as the country and the world overall has changed dramatically over the last two months. That is obviously not good news but I was amazed to see one thing that I thought I would never see. What that is, you ask? Read on…

Those who know me would assume correctly that I voted for George W. Bush neither in what I affectionately call The Court Appointment Of 2000 nor when he actually won the popular vote in 2004, albeit not by a landslide. Nonetheless, after September 11th I looked to Bush for leadership like most every other American and trusted that he knew what was best for the country when he chose to go after Saddam Hussein and his regime in Iraq.

Meanwhile, I was certainly not feeling his domestic agenda. Granted, with both Congress and the Supreme Court leaning to the right, one could not blame Bush for attempting to establish a long-lasting legacy of conservative social and fiscal policies. In fact, I would have expected no less. Thankfully he came no closer to instituting a deregulated theocracy than the secular socialist state that some fear President-Elect Obama will foist onto the country with the legislative branch on his side. Politics and jokes about his perceived intelligence aside, I bet I could have a casual, friendly conversation with him about sports and other light topics. That said, as far as his tenure as President goes, I truly, deeply and honestly dislike him for one simple reason.

We should not have gone to Iraq.

It was a grave mistake for which I believe we will be paying, literally and figuratively, long after our lifetimes.

Not only was the connection between Hussein and Al Qaeda found to be tentative at best, but Bush conceded in his last press conference that the “weapons of mass destruction” – the main premise for going to Iraq - did not even exist. The upshot now is that after underestimating - or at least not revealing to the public - how receptive the Iraqi people would be and how entrenched we would become in their country, we’ve lost over perhaps trillions of dollars and more importantly, the lives of over four thousand soldiers.

“But Saddam was an evil, dangerous man!” some may say. Yes, he was a horrible person who even committed genocide on his own citizens. He may have even threatened his neighbors again one day, most notably Israel. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of oppressive governments in the world. Ironically, one of the most oppressive is the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Not only is that country the birthplace of the vast majority of September 11st hijackers but the Saudi royal family itself has more than a passing relationship with the Bushes.

If Bush would have had more overwhelming support from our country for ignoring the United Nations, it would have been to focus on getting the people who actually claimed responsibility for attacking us, dead or alive, whether or not we were welcome in the countries where he was suspected of hiding. But if we couldn’t somehow stay focused on rooting Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda henchmen out of the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, then why did we not choose to assist those fighting for their interpretation of freedom in, say, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Somalia, Chechnya or Russian Georgia?

Even with the absence of WMDs, ridding Iraq of Saddam and helping establish it as a beacon of democracy for the Middle East while theoretically intimidating the other Axes sounds like a logical if aggressive foreign policy. Unfortunately, I feel that there are two underlying reasons that, if not officially acknowledged, are an open secret nonetheless.

The National Black Holiday Weekend

2009-01-15T11:53:00.004-05:00

Happy National Black Holiday Weekend Everyone!

(OK, so the people most likely to read this aren't black... but don't you wish your Jewish friends Happy Hannukah? :) )

The next six days are historic not only for African-Americans but for all Americans.

Of course, today is the birthday of Martin Luther King who encouraged equal opportunity for all by dismantling much of the last vestiges of institutionalized racial discrimination. While some of his personal faults - real and imagined - were uncovered after his death, one can not deny the impact that he had on our nation, let alone wonder how much further we would be along if he had lived a full life.

Tomorrow marks the nationwide release of the movie Notorious, a biography of the life of Christopher Wallace better known as rap artist Biggie Smalls or the Notorious B.I.G. It may seem somewhat facetious to include a hip-hop musician next to MLK, especially if one is not a fan of hip-hop music. And to many "conscious rap" fans, he did not exactly reinvent the wheel on the "gangsta rags to blinged-out riches" formula. Nonetheless, his poetic skills and delivery was appreciated by many in Generation X and Y.

Monday will be the national observation of Martin Luther King's birthday. I'll never forget stumbling across The O'Reilly Factor on that night a few years ago when Bill O'Reilly acknowledged the occasion by reminding viewers of King's alleged ties to the Communist Party. Then Bill went straight to a discussion about Stop Snitchin', an underground documentary featuring would-be Baltimore drug dealers and their efforts to go about their business plans uninterrupted. Way to honor the day, Bill....

The magnitude of the King national holiday on Monday occcuring side-by-side with the inauguration of Barack Obama as our next President on Tuesday can not be understated. In fact, it's hard for me to articulate the significance and irony of it all. Whether or not you voted for Mr. Obama, let's hope that he is able to follow through on finding common ground on solutions for our country so that there will continue to be more diverse choices (including women and minorities) in future elections.

This Weather Sucks!!!

2009-01-14T16:24:00.002-05:00

I don't care if this is typical winter weather... and I feel sorry for people in Minneapolis and Fargo with their negative degree temperature... but this weather still sucks!!!

Bring on the Spring! :)

With Resolve

2009-01-06T18:06:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year! Of course, this is the time of year that people make resolutions; many people allegedly drop said resolutions to the wayside by the end of the month. One promise I kept to myself in 2008 was to kick-start a career change by "firing" my previous employer and exploring different occupations. My 2009 resolutions are essentially continuations from 2008, all of which I've had moderate success overall.

* It's Mostly 'Bout the Benjamins. I don't expect to find my "dream" career this year. It would be nice to get my foot in the door in the library. In a way, it would be almost better to fall back on my accounting skills to temp through at least the spring. It would allow me to fulfill the vacation goals that Cathy and I set out for this summer.

* Voulez-vous parler avec moi ce soir? My return to French has been successful. I hope to restart Spanish this year. Eventually I would like to learn Portuguese and Italian as well.

* Tickling the ivories. I've been hitting and pushing through a lot of plateaus in my piano playing these past few months. Regrettably I haven't been able to focus enough to sit down and compose music as I had planned.

* Pumping Iron. At the ripe old age of <ahem>, I realize that it's more important to be healthy than to train for Mr. Olympia. But despite my regular workouts, I've reached the point where my middle isn't whittling like it used to. Of course, Cathy points out the older males in my family with their paunchy stomachs being my apparent destiny. It would probably help if I weren't so "allergic" to most fruits and vegetables and "addicted" to baked goods and PB&J... but at least I'm eating (chocolate-flavored) yogurt now.

* My Other Half. Regular readers are already all too aware of the challenges that my lady Cathy faces as she continues to recover from her illness. While I attempted to be helpful by assuming the domestic engineer title during my sabbatical, getting involved in other pursuits probably helped to take my eye off the ball regarding spending quality time together. I intend to find more things that we can enjoy and bond over in 2009.

2008-12-25T11:07:00.004-05:00

The second bedroom in our condo has morphed from the Man Room to the Pussycat Lounge.

No fellas, it's not this Pussycat Lounge but the new den for our newest four-legged residents.

In November, still mourning over the early year loss of Cathy's canine daughter Sweetie and my feline son Homes, we came across an local shelter website where we found "Sidney" and "Sheldon", two Siamese cats whose owner (obviously a fan of the novelist) had fallen ill. As they were older cats, we sympathized with the fact that it was hard to find a home for them. And as Homes was about 12 when he passed, I felt that these 11-year-old sister would essentially pick up where he left off.

A week later we were able to bring them home. We also decided to rechristen them "Sydney" and "Shelley". While they are both very vocal, which I found is typical of Siamese cats, they each have their own personalities and preferences.

Sydney (the blue point on the right) is very laid-back. In fact she likes to lay on her back for me to give her belly rubs. Other than whomever is closest to the food at mealtime, she seems to prefer my company.

Shelley (the brown point on the left) is definitely the most assertive. If our alarm clock does not go off, she will not hesitate to let us know what time it is. In fact, she must be on Greenwich Mean Time as she often attempts to wake us even earlier. If Sydney is resting on one of us or otherwise getting attention, she will bogart her way between her sister and us - even when there's no room - to the point of Sydney deciding to concede her position and leave. On the other hand, while Shelley never met a lap she didn't like, she seems to prefer laying on Cathy's belly, often using her head as a battering ram to show her enthusiastic affection for Cathy.

Even beyond the economic situation that most everyone is dealing with, this has been a challenging year for both Cathy and me. The early Christmas present we gave ourselves by bringing Shelley and Sydney into our lives has made a big difference.

God And Guns

2008-12-01T22:35:00.000-05:00

As alluded to in a previous post, I’m admittedly not the most spiritual person in the world. Nonetheless, I support any faith that genuinely encourages peace.

I am not a present or future gun owner but I respect the spirit of the Second Amendment. I do think a “happy medium” should be found between responsible gun owners and those who would abuse the system for personal gain.

What I can’t understand is how some people can be so fervent about both their religion and their gun rights. It is one thing to be, say, a gun owner who believes in God but shows up infrequently in the pews… or perhaps a church deacon who carries protection to negotiate his or her way through a troubled neighborhood in order to serve the parishioners. But for someone to be as enthusiastic about God as they are about guns seems so contradictory to me. The obviously radical al-Qaeda killed over three thousand people in the name of Allah. Yet many people consider the military that we sent over to defeat them to be fighting “for God and country”.

Given all of this, I just have to ask: “What would Jesus do?”

Giving Thanks

2008-12-01T22:05:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone reading this had a very Happy Thanksgiving. My lady Cathy and I went to South Carolina to enjoy the holiday with my Dad and other relatives. It's a relatively recent tradition that my Dad credits me for starting. Unfortunately, this years gathering was bittersweet as it was the first one without my Aunt Willie Mae whose life was senselessly taken away from her in late August by some thugs who invaded her home. After dinner, we decided to head down to her gravesite and share our thoughts. If it didn't bring closure for all of us, at least it allowed some catharsis. All in all, I think we appreciated each other's presence more than ever this year.

2008-11-20T11:03:00.004-05:00

While reading the Michael Steele article in yesterday's edition of the conservative Moonie paper, I happened to stumble across - can you believe it? - a positive article about George Bush! Actually, it's more about Obama than Bush... but here's an uplifting quote:

"In a way, Obama has a tough act to follow: Some of President George W. Bush's Africa initiatives have widely been seen as one of the few bright spots of his foreign policy legacy."

I had heard that Bush had done a lot to help combat HIV/AIDS in Africa but I wasn't aware of the magnitude until I read this article. Rather than the backhanded compliment I gave Bush a couple posts ago, I have to give credit where it's due. This is definitely one example of the "compassionate conservatism" that we had been promised. It just goes to show that, not unlike Nixon and his support of affirmative action, sometimes Presidents defy stereotypes and assumptions. Nonetheless, I do have my issues with the outgoing President - no surprise there - which I will be expounding on soon enough.

The Dream Team(s)

2008-11-20T09:44:00.005-05:00

In these troubled times when much of our nation is still polarized in their views, I think it would be good to bridge those gaps through a twin bill of some of today's leading comics.

How about Steve Harvey and Jeff Foxworthy?

D.L. Hughley and Bill Engvall?

Cedric the Entertainer and Larry The Cable Guy?

It's probably fortunate in a way that Bernie Mac (RIP) isn't around to team up with Ron White as I would have predicted a fistfight the first time that the latter blew smoke inadvertently into the former's face.... LOL

The Man of Steele

2008-11-19T15:20:00.001-05:00

Not to be confused with the guy in the cape and tights - although my lady probably wouldn't mind taking this Clark Kent out for a cup of coffee - here's an interesting article about former Maryland Lt. Governor (and potential RNC chairman) Michael Steele from today's edition of the Moonie paper:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/19/steele-chastises-gop-for-slighting-youth-minoritie/

I absolutely agree with him that there is an untapped source of minority conservatives that has been largely ignored by those in the GOP with the ability to support that effort. I do give W quarter-credit for attempting to address this via his 2004 outreach to black churches regarding same-sex marriage.

Comic Relief?

2008-11-17T09:35:00.001-05:00

I'm a big comic book fan. I've been collecting for over thirty years, save a six-year period in my teens when I thought I was "too mature" for them.

Ironically, it seems like the books have grown up along with their readers with more sophisticated writing and even specific titles made for adults. As for the rest of the books, many of them now come with a rating similar to TV or video games. What's surprising to me, however, is the many titles that don't feature such a rating.

Marvel is relatively consistent with their rating system. But when a DC title like Teen Titans feature a graphic scene of someone being mauled - with no rating whatsoever on the book - I'm wondering just what audience are they trying to target? Even their current Final Crisis mini-series, which is essentially required reading as it has ramifications through on much of their "universe", has some pretty hardcore scenes involving beheadings.

Now, I am far from a prude. Some of these scenes were shocking because I didn't expect it - which I suppose was part of the writers' plan - but I don't know if anyone under 15 or 16 should be looking at most of this stuff these days. To give both Marvel and DC some credit, they do have titles aimed at children with either tamer versions of a storyline (e.g. the Marvel Age books) or kid versions of superheroes ("Tiny Titans"). I just think each could do a better job with their rating system.

Same-Sex Marriage

2008-11-15T21:53:00.001-05:00

(Editor's Note: This is not a response to a certain other blog post. I already had the idea to present my own thoughts on the subject before I saw it.)

The subject of same-sex marriage has obviously aroused passionate opinions and actions by people on both sides of the issue.

Many people that oppose same-sex marriage cite their own personal experience among homosexuals or, lacking that, what they've been taught by their family and/or religious upbringing. As I vacillate between being agnostic and secular, I don't have a spiritual filter to guide my point of view. That leaves me with only my experiences with the GLBT community which have been generally positive and respectful.

I essentially believe that any two consenting adults should be able to legally marry. Short of that, I believe that the word "marriage" should be removed from state laws with the intention of allowing any two adults to enter into a civil union. Churches, synagogues and mosques and other religious institutions would then have the option to choose to recognize the unions through a marriage ceremony.

Some people believe that allowing same-sex marriage will lead down a slippery slope that would legitimize polygamy, pedophilia and bestiality. It should go without saying that I definitely do not condone intimate relations with children and animals. As far as polygamy goes, I have to admit some discomfort with that concept, ironically for the same reasons many oppose same-sex marriage: I'm unsure whether it's something that is positive for children or if it isn't primarily based on lust. That said, I might not theoretically vote against a civil union of some sort, as long as the financial responsibility of tertiary parties is placed solely on the "extended family" and not taxpayers. Sorry, it's just the fiscal moderate in me...

I Feel Your Pain

2008-11-14T21:23:00.000-05:00

To those who are dismayed about the advent of a Democratic President presiding over a Democratic Senate and House, I have to say, in the words of Bill Clinton, I feel your pain.

In fact, I felt it for six years when President Bush held sway over not only a Republican legislative branch but also established a conservative majority in the Supreme Court.

It would be "easy" for me to say that conservatives had their moment in the sun and blew it... but instead, I'm actually nervous.

I'm nervous that the Democrats will see the history of 2001-2007 and doom themselves to repeat it.

As much I as I'd like to see a progressive agenda in the White House, I'm afraid that Barack Obama will overreach and demand that Congress move in lock step with him... just like George W. Bush.

I'm concerned that Joe Biden, using Dick Cheney as a template, will stretch the legal authority of the office of Vice-President even further. As fond as Joe is of Amtrak and other transit, will he have a "Secret Transportation Policy" conference a la Cheney's Energy meetings?

Will Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid invoke the uncompromising spirits of Dennis Hastert and Trent Lott, respectively?

Will the Democratic Senate and House demand "up and down" votes against which it will be the GOP members who will find themselves using a filibuster?

Only time will tell. I truly hope that Obama is successful in accomplishing the commonly agreed upon issues on his agenda so that 2010 doesn't bring a return of the a GOP Congressional majority... and the gridlock of the past two years.

To The Left, To The Left...

2008-11-14T21:10:00.000-05:00

This will be not exactly a shocker to those who know me but I am what you would consider liberal. progressive, left-leaning, etc. But I'm not exactly a "flaming, bleeding-heart liberal" as I've been jokingly called. I wouldn't consider myself a Democrat per se but given that there are only essentially two viable choices, I do tend to identify with them more than the GOP.

I actually have voted Republican in the past, mostly notably for Sam Katz when he last ran for Mayor of Philadelphia. I also voted in Ernie Preate for PA Attorney General. (Unfortunately he would later play us all.) I think I may have even pulled the lever for a local Republican or two when I first became legal back in suburbia; I don't recall social issues being a factor in their jobs.

I consider myself to be socially progressive, perhaps a notch or two below Dennis Kucinich, while also being a fiscal moderate. No one likes taxes but I think they are a necessary evil. I also think that while government assistance is sometimes necessary and beneficial for both individuals and corporations, both should be weaned off and encouraged to earn their keep. Of course, current events would seem to delay that idea for the foreseeable future.

The First Post

2008-11-14T21:04:00.000-05:00

Greetings! Since a few members of my extended family have gotten into this blog site, I figured I may as well join in on the fun. I don't know if my life is that interesting in and of itself. I do figure that this can be a place where I can feel free to share my thoughts and opinions on things. I'll probably find it easiest to discuss my political and social views as I figure to be the Alan Colmes to the "Fox News Channel" fans most likely to read this first. So sit back and enjoy the ride!