Wow... some REAL questions for the Obama campaign!

These are the real questions that should be asked of the candidates.  Bravo to WFTV for this interview with Joe Biden.  See if you can count how many lies come out of Senator Biden's mouth in less than 5 minutes:

Gadget Recommendation: Eye-Fi SD Card

Ok kids, if you know me, you are aware of the fact that I am a big technology / gadget guy, so you shouldn't be surprised to see tech recommendations on my site from time to time.  So here's a little technological marvel that will save you all kinds of time and can help you update photos on your blog / website a lot more regularly:

If you have a digital camera that takes an SD memory card, and you have a wireless network at home, I highly recommend that you look into one of these cards.  Basically, these cards have an antenna built into them that will wirelessly transmit your pictures to the destination of your choice.  There are three different cards, each with different capabilities:

• Eye-Fi Home (Blue)
• Will wirelessly transmit the pictures from your camera to a folder that you designate on your computer.  Take your pictures just as you normally would and when your camera comes within 45 feet of your wireless network, the pictures will be copied to your computer.
• $79 on Amazon 

• Eye-Fi Share (Green)
• Same as the version above, but it can also upload automatically to a photo sharing site that you have an account with (some are free).  Supported Sites 
• I have this one and it is awesome.  I use it with Phanfare and set it to put the pictures in a private folder.  Check it out.  All I have to do is go on and move the ones I like to a public folder.  I never kept our site updated until I got this.  Sooo much easier.
• $87 on Amazon  (Note that the one at Amazon is orange but has the same features)

• Eye-Fi Explore (Red)
• Has all of the features mentioned above, but also can upload from 10,000 other wireless hotspots around the world (not just your home network.)  Another feature is geo-tagging, which captures where you were when you took the picture and saves it as part of the file.
• $117 on Amazon 

I recommend the second one, here's a diagram that illustrates how it works.  Don't worry, these are secure.  You don't have to worry about you pictures going to anyone else.  Each card has to be configured on the computer that the photos are going to.  The setup process is fast and easy.  I have to admit that this was one of those "gifts" that I got Allison, but it was really for me.  (Geek factor took over).  Thankfully, it ended up ok... she LOVES it!

ALL of my thoughts about the bailout bill...

Okay boys and girls...

I want to encourage you to call your U.S. Representative about the bailout vote that will be taking place on Friday.  Here are some details that you might not know about:

• You and I will be on the hook for up to $700 billion, to purchase bad mortgage securities from companies on the verge of collapse.
• $700 billion = $10,000 / household in America.  Of course we can't pay it all right now, so we will just print money to pay for it, which means that the dollars in your pocket will be worth quite a bit less.  Hello $6 milk!
• Companies who get "bailed out" will become partially owned by the U.S. government.  Our founding fathers would have a stroke!
• "Experts" say that the "taxpayers" will make a profit off of this deal.  Do you really believe that you will ever see a single penny of that money when (if) it is paid back?  More likely, the "profit" will go to fund some great government venture like universal health care, or a bailout of another industry like airlines.
• This mess all started back in the 1970's when President Carter signed a bill that required lending institutions to lend money to people who couldn't afford it.  You're wondering why they would do this...  It is called, "affordable housing."  People who get people into their own house (even if they can't afford it) tend to get more votes.  The Clinton administration expanded this program and accelerated the problem by publicly threatening banks who did not make these risky loans, with tough fines.  Also, banks wanting to merge with one another would both have to prove that they made these risky loans, "to help Americans have affordable housing."
• The problems we see today are the fruit of seeds that were sewn many years ago.  Bottom line:  Government disrupted the natural balance of the free market through regulations, and now they want to be the ones to "fix" the problem through more regulation and with a huge pile of money that will decrease the value of your money and mine.

I think we really are in a big mess and something has to happen.  I have a huge problem with giving up on capitalism, blaming this on "greedy" Wall Street, and saddling my grandkids with this debt.  Five weeks before an election, we are told that we have two options:

1)  We all die

2)  Fix the problem with THIS bailout plan

Someone accurately described the bill that failed in the House of Representatives as a "crap sandwich."  So what the Senate did was take the same "crap sandwich" and put cheese whiz on it.  This new bill is just as terrible as the first, but now it has extra stuff in it that they think will keep people from losing their seats in Congress in the upcoming election.  This new bill isn't about the addressing the concerns of the people.  It's about staying in office.  I want my leaders to have some principles about the role of government and stick to them.

If this situation is truly as bad as they say it is, why can't the government agree to slash their spending, cut taxes on companies, roll-back some of the new accounting rules that make things look worse than they really are on a company's balance sheet, and watch our economy take off?  ...POWER!  A good chunk of our leaders have no desire to see the government get smaller, because it means less power for them.  They are not where they are to serve the people, but rather to be in power.  Tomorrow, our nation will likely turn a corner that we will soon regret.  Unfortunately, I don't know that we will ever get back what will be lost if we do that.

If you are of the same mind as I am, please call your representative to tell them how you feel about this.  I've never been as much of an activist as I am today, but I've also never felt less represented.

Lookup your representative here!

Just showing off the ladies in my life...

Writing my representative

Representative Boozman:

I am writing to voice my displeasure with your recent vote on the economic bailout bill. There are conservative solutions to the issues that our nation is facing. Why not propose a cut in corporate or capital gains taxes, along with federal budget cuts in order to provide the needed liquidity to our economy?

Frankly, I think that the problems we are experiencing today are a direct result of Washington interfering with the free market, and today we are sliding ever closer to a socialist state because of it.

Please do not compromise on our conservative values.

Thank you,
David Bellomy

___________________________________________________

I don't know where you stand on the bailout, but either way, I encourage you to voice your opinion here to your representative in Washington.  Remember... THEY WORK FOR US!

Common Sense

First of all, I'd like to send a shout out to all of my comment homies up in the hood! One of you mentioned that the addition of Sarah Palin has prompted you (as a woman) to get involved in your local government.  Way to go!  The sudden popularity of Gov. Palin has confirmed in my mind something that I have long suspected...  The average American citizen can do a better job running this country than the career politicians in Washington.  Could you imagine what common sense in the White House, Congress, and our court system would do for our nation?  Political elites have long distanced themselves as the "governing class."  My hope is that normal folks around this country will start rising up to answer the call to public service and affect REAL change from the local level - all the way to the Federal level.  I certainly have had the thought of getting involved, myself.

Palin Article

Ran across a great article on Sarah Palin.  Check it out!

McCain's VP pick

So, I've been letting this one marinate for a little while before making up my mind on what I think about John McCain's choice for vice-president.  Turns out, I like her a lot more than I like McCain.  Let me talk about Governor Palin for a moment, and we'll swing back around to Senator McCain another time.  Here are the three main reasons that I like her:

• Motivation
  I get the real sense that Palin truly is a public servant who feels compelled (or called, if you will) to the offices that she has held.  In a way, she strikes me as being the inverse of Barack Obama, who has carefully calculated the fastest course to the presidency.  I may be completely misreading her on this, but I get the feeling that she doesn't really give a flying crap about her "political career," but simply wants to help make things better, which brings me to my next point...
  
  
• Principles
  She operates out of her principles, rather than the circumstances of the day.  Sarah Palin says that she is pro-life and the decision to have her son was not even a decision in her mind because her principles guide her actions.  SHE REALLY BELIEVES WHAT SHE SAYS!  Her principles include ideas like, "tax dollars belong to the people", "Americans have the right to bear arms", and "environmentalists should not be allowed to compromise our national security."  These principles have resulted in the following actions:  She sold the private governor's jet on Ebay and chose instead to drive, in order to save taxpayer's hard earned money.  Sarah Palin is a member of the NRA and a pretty good hunter too.  She also supports drilling in ANWR and has fought for a pipeline that will help America gain energy independence.
  
  
• Experience
  My favorite thing about Palin is that she is not a typical career politician.  She happily served her small local community for a decade before appearing on the state scene.  The fact is, that every person on the planet has life experiences.  Mine are different than yours and hers are different than 95% of the politicians in Washington.  I don't understand how congress has a 9% approval rating. ...NINE PERCENT!!!  And yet, the widely accepted profile for a presidential candidate is that they have experience in Washington.  Seems to me that voters need to elect more local people, who have common sense and share their values, to run our country.  If we keep doing what we've always done, we're going to keep getting what we've always gotten!  I love the fact that she has no experience in Washington.

The biggest issue that I have with Sarah Palin is unions.  Every time I here her say, "my husband is a proud member of the American Steel Worker's Union," I just cringe, close my eyes, and wish that she hadn't just said that.  She seems to be a dead on conservative on so many issues, but this one is just completely out of left field.  It's like getting a new pastor who's doctrine is completely on target and every single thing is wonderful except for the fact that he smokes 2 packs a day.  Is that a deal breaker?   Well........  Maybe?........  I don't know.

I feel that unions are a big reason why several industries are being driven overseas.  They are self-serving and short-sighted in their demands on businesses.  I'm afraid that I can't get on board the union train with her, however this wouldn't likely be a deal breaker for me.  In fact, if she were on the ticket for president, I'd vote for her in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, Palin is not running for president, and I don't know if I can vote for McCain.  I know most of you probably think I'm nuts for that, but I'll explain my case next time.

By the way, I have no idea if anyone is reading this, so please leave a comment so I'll know if the past hour of writing this post was a waste of time.  Thanks!

You took a date to prom???

Last night, we had some of our favorite friends over for dessert.  Now, for some reason, we are surrounded by friends who are the fit, athletic type.  Of course, I’m allergic to activity, period.

In a prior conversation, the “fit” wife mentioned that she had never gotten along with a non-athletic person as well as she gets along with me, before.  (That’s code for, “you are my first fat friend.”)

Keeping this in mind, here’s an excerpt from our conversation:

• Fit Guy:  “So how do you like the new mini-van?”
• Allison:  “It’s ok, but isn’t sporty enough.  Your car is sporty.”
• Fit Guy:  “Are you kidding me?”
• Dave:  “Yeah, I drove a car like yours to my senior prom.  I think it is pretty sporty”
• Fit Girl:  “You took a date to the prom?”
• Dave:  “Yeah, heavy people have dates too…  Of course she had to do it as part of her community service hours.  Or maybe it was a dare or something.”
• Everyone but Dave:  Multiple rounds of laughter.
• Dave:  Cries on the inside.

That was fantastic!  Her name was Misty and she was a lovely young lady, and NO, I wasn’t related to her!

This whole “fat friend” thing takes some getting used to.  :-)

Random is my middle name

I added a little widget on the right that displays the albums I have purchased from iTunes.  Am I the most random fella on the planet or what?  “The Meters” album is my favorite right now.  Click the album to preview.  I can already name 3 people who will immediately roll their eyes, 2 who will laugh out loud, and 1 who will be mad that I spent money on it (sorry honey!)  :-)

By the way… iPhone voting (see right bar) ends on Friday morning.  (because I’ll be at the store at 8 AM.)

So far, I think I would feel a little insecure if I got the white one.  We’ll see, though.

Reading…

I’ve never been much of a reader, but lately, current events have persuaded me to take some personal responsibility for knowing what is going on in our world. 

Recently, two subjects have grabbed my attention:

1.  The US economy.  In an election year when neither mainstream candidate seems to align with my conservative values, I have a real concern for where the liberal (progressive, left-wing, socialist… take your pick) economic agenda will take our economy.  One fascinating read for me was, “The Forgotten Man” by Amity Shlaes.  It’s a sobering historical account of how the US entered the Great Depression, and how misguided policies by the president at the time (FDR) served to prolong the depression many years beyond what the rest of the world experienced.  Unfortunately, our current political, social, and economic climate is eerily similar to that of 1929.

2.  The progressive movement in our country.  After reading “The Forgotten Man,” and learning about some disturbing political movements that were active at the time, I decided to dig a little deeper into the origins of the “progressive” movement that liberals are so eager to identify themselves with these days.  This second book is called, “Liberal Fascism” by Jonah Goldberg.  I know the title and picture on the cover evokes some powerful emotions in people, but I assure you that he isn’t equating modern liberals to nazis.  The flavor of this read is more closely aligned to the notion that fascism comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes and Hitler / Mussolini were part of an extreme variety.  The author argues that modern progressive ideas are generally mildly fascist in nature, however nowhere near the level of the bad guys mentioned above.  He calls it “fascism with a smiley face.”  (Which we should still run from as a people!)  I’ve just started this one, but I’ll be sure to come back with my final verdict, however I can already tell that it will be a worthwhile read. 

 

Fascism:

"A philosophy or system of government that is marked by stringent social and economic control, a strong, centralized government usually headed by a dictator, and often a policy of belligerent nationalism." (From The American Heritage Dictionary)

Honestly, I didn’t know what the word meant (and this is just one definition,) but the idea is that the government is big and the people are small.  This is exactly opposite of how our founding fathers designed this country to be, but listen to our candidates (including our current president) talk about the “programs” that they want to put in place that will essentially make our government bigger.

Because I’m in the car for an hour and a half each day, I normally listen to audio books, as I prefer to love on my family while I’m at home.  So, the pictures above will take you to the iTunes store, or you can easily find the books at Amazon.com.

Apple iPhone 3G: Daddy Like… Daddy Like

 

 

July 11th is the big day!  Apple is coming out with the new iPhone that will completely rock.  Chances are pretty good that I’ll be camped out in Tulsa waiting in line to buy one. (Yes, I will have to cancel meetings with clients to make that happen.)  You see, I dropped my current phone a couple of months ago, and now the space glass has a big fat crack across the front of it.  Of course my policy is to ALWAYS say no to crack, sooooooo… yeah.

Honestly, the iPhone is the best phone you can buy, as long as you aren’t blind and have fingers.  If you fall into that category and you are remotely considering a new phone, this one would have my strongest endorsement.

The only question is whether to go with salt or pepper?

Bus Driving Story

I had a flashback to my old bus driving days when a new bus driver called in over the radio and said:

"Unit 47 to Dispatch...
…I've got green fluid dripping out of my rear."

(The engine was in the back of the bus and she was referring to a coolant leak.)

NICE!

 

Screw the Caribou… Drill Alaska!

I’m so going to get one of these!

I've got lots to say about our country’s energy policies, but I’m too tired to get into it tonight.  Thankfully, I’m rather satisfied with just putting this little nugget out there for now.

“How are you doing today?”

Perhaps I’m just getting calloused and cynical, but I have a mounting frustration with the guy that runs the Starbucks drive-thru.  Every time I go there, he greets me with the following line:

“Good morning, welcome to Starbucks…
How are you doing today?”

I know you are wondering what the big deal is.  My problem with this guy is that he is being disingenuous.  He doesn’t care how I’m doing!

He asks every single customer the same fake question everyday, expecting the same fake answer every time… “Fine, thanks.”  One tale tale sign that he doesn’t really care is the fact that he obliviously asks the same question when my window is rolled down in the pouring down rain.  My philosophy is to be genuine.  I don’t ask how someone is doing if I’m not interested in hearing the real answer.

Can you imagine what he would do if I actually unloaded how I’m really doing on a particularly bad day?