Three Options

Obamacare passed late last night. I had a feeling the abortion card would be pulled out at the last minute. The pro-life Democrats that wouldn't budge with federal funding for abortions had Obama sign an executive order stating that no federal dollars would be used to fund abortions. That cleared the way for them to vote in favor of the healthcare bill. It's such a disaster. I'm so disappointed. I want reform. This bill is so full of garbage. It wasn't the way to do it. I wonder what the fallout from this will be. It scares me. We cannot afford it. No doubt there will be constitutional challenges. The whole thing leaves me with three options. #1 - Stick it out in Virginia. We were the first state to pass legislation that protects us from having the federal government impose mandatory insurance upon us. There are 34 other states with bills in process to do the same, but I'm glad to be in a state leading the way. #2 - Move to Texas. The ExxonMobil 5 -7 year plan is to move their headquarters down to Houston anyway, so we can just go ahead and get it done now. Then Texas can secede from the United States and be rid of the healthcare disaster. Now we just have to choose - The Woodlands, Kingwood or Clear Lake again. #3 - Move to Singapore. A position will open up near the end of the year. Brian can start doing some hard core soliciting to get us there. You should have seen poor Ben's face when we mentioned it at all. He was NOT happy. Brian told his parents on Skype about this option and Ben sat on the couch arms folded and pouty faced the rest of the conversation. My dad calls this "pucker lip", maybe mean, but it makes me smile when my kids do the pucker lip as I think of my dad teasing me about my pucker lip years and years ago. One positive thing to say. They did opt against the "deem and pass" option. Thank you for that. I would feel no obligation to obey the law if it wasn't passed in the proper legal way. As it is, there may be rotten, nasty back room deals, but they passed it in proper form with a formal vote. I may be sickened, but I'm an American. I am duty bound to obey the law while I work my tail off to change it. Don't forget to vote in November. Vote out every single "Yes" vote and send a message about what we think. It matters. It really does.

My Heart is At Mason with a Picket Sign, My Body is on the Couch

Obama is speaking today at George Mason University about his healthcare disaster in attempts to gain support. That's about two miles from the house. There is a kill the bill rally this morning and that's where my heart is. Unfortunately, I'm here on the couch. Ben is at school. Maddie and Jakey are three doors down so I can rest. Darn this surgery. I guess the surgery went well. Many aspects reminded me of the accident. You don't often feel pressure on that bone of your upper jaw. It made me uneasy to just sit and let them wiggle and twist. I could have sworn that the bone was going to snap again. I was all queasy inside. I could tell, however, that the surgeon was working with extreme caution. All his movements (with a monster wrench attached to my tooth) were slow and gentle yet really, really strong. I was scared of my bone snapping again because I remember months and months after my accident we would have to make follow up appointments with the doctor, maybe the endodontist? I dont' know. I was only sixteen. Anyway, my upper gums would begin to swell and we'd go in for a quick check. My body was ejecting pieces of shattered bone splinters. They would push them to the surface of my gums out above my front two teeth. The doctor would take a knife, slice open my gums and with a pair of tweezers remove chunks of bone. It was lovely. That's what I was remembering as the surgeon twisted and pulled every so smoothly to remove the root of the messed up tooth. This morning I woke up feeling okay. Turns out it's a bit like having a c-section I guess. You wake up good. Feeling embarassed to have a neighbor help watch your kids. Shower. Get the kids breakfast, dressed and ready to go. All you want to do is take a nap. I'm wiped out. The whole eating fiasco for me is too complicated to deal with while they are around. I dropped them off, cooked some scrambled eggs and let them cool while I type. Guess I should go eat, do the pain meds, wound care (clean it all up, then stop the bleeding) and take a quick nap before it's time to pick the kids up. This better be worth it. I think it will. It just doesn't feel like it today with dry slobbery blood all over my lips and throbbing in my upper jaw. If I get some energy later today, I'll upload the video Brian took of my wounds last night. It's surprising, really. I don't think it's too gross. Maybe I'm wrong. The stitches look like a spider web. There are tons.

Upcoming Vote on Disaster

I don't write on politics often here. Today I will because I am so worried. I am just scared, scared, scared to see what is about to come. In five to seven days there will be a vote in Washington DC to pass the Healthcare Bill. The Senate passed a bill. The House passed a bill. It cannot be law until they have negotiated the two bills and both groups agree on the contents. There is a reason for that process. The new plan totally bucks that system and they are trying to pressure our elected representatives into voting yes. They want to shove a bad bill through into law with such haste it is scary. One of the most amazing things is that they have more or less said, "we know the bill is not right so lets just pass this and then we'll FIX it LATER." Idiots. The bill is a page or two short of 2,000 pages long. So much crap is hidden in this bill it makes my blood boil. Why not fix it now? Fix it before a vote. Just Fix It. THEN VOTE. Telling me you'll fix it later tells me you will just add more later to the bill. There have been numerous sweetheart deals like Nebraska, Louisiana or Connecticut. It will never be combed through and fixed if it isn't done the right way now. The summit between the two sides, two ideas, Democrats and Republicans I thought was probably a good idea about two weeks ago. Even time for ideas. The GOP had been called out as the party of "No" and was providing nothing as an alternative to the Democratic plan. They finally stepped up. Good job. But, it turns out the idea of even time was a farce. Time wasn't split even between the two plans. Obama took a third of the time to campaign for the democrat plan in addition to the democrat leaders, thus giving one side 2/3 time and the other 1/3. On the plus side, for the first time ever they allowed some semblance of talk, debate and negotiation to be broadcast, despite the promises to do so. It was the first time I heard the Republican party present real ideas. That is key. How can the GOP expect support with no platform beyond "No." Now the current plan - It is a complete and total disaster. It creates something on the order of 140 new government agencies/offices. It will demand the people purchase insurance. What right does the Constitution give the government to demand we purchase a product? Next will they require we all buy Cheerios? Flip flops? What right do they have to do this? Insurance by definition is a gamble. You pay in hoping to "win" by having the coverage needed when you get sick. If you make the choice to gamble by NOT buying a policy, especially those in the prime of their life when risk is low, it is a personal decision. No doubt an incredibly irresponsible one, but a choice just the same. Since when do we enforce that our citizens make "good" choices? It is not our right or privilege to do that for others, no matter how stupid they may be. Government should not have that type of control over us. My biggest objection is cost. The nation is near bankruptcy. We simply cannot afford the plan however much good it might do. A one month vacation to Europe would be good for me, but I can't afford it, so I'm not going to go. Remember the Saturday Night Live skit about not buying things you cannot afford? Perfect advise for Obama right now. You CANNOT afford it!! Social security is a disaster. Medicare/Medicaid is bankrupt and twice as likely to deny a claim or care as private insurance. These are the models they plan to follow. This healthcare bill will fail and drag our country down with it. We need major cuts in government spending, not exponential increases. Do not add more spending, waste, corruption and debt. Our children cannot afford it. Our nation will crumble financially. If China calls in our debt it would threaten our nation to collapse. What will they say when we add this colossal obligation to the ledger? The democrats financial projection of saving money is a joke. They tax us five years before they provide any coverage or programs. That's how they screw with the numbers to tell us we'll save. Plus, lots of the "savings" claimed in their projections are based on cutting waste. That isn't a fair projection. There is no actual plan for that saving. If they pinpointed what specifically would be cut, I could possibly buy their claims, but it's just a fluffy non-tangible savings. They just picked a big freaking number out of the air and plugged it in. Stop venting. Okay. We must act. And by "We" I mean YOU. Call your senators. If they are a No Vote, let them know you support them. Then see who is on the fence. Target their offices with your phone calls, emails and personal visits. You are not alone. 73% of the people across the nation do not support the bill. About 50% want it stopped completely. A tiny minority is in favor of this bill at all. Our elected officials need to hear our voices of outrage. When do our leaders have the right to go against their constituency so blatantly? Never. We must stop it. I want a bill. I want change. I want it fixed. This, however, is a disaster. If you are in Virginia - call, visit and email Connolly to make him vote NO. He is a fence sitter today. Based less on the actual bill and more on the fact (in his summation) that his constituency is rich and will end up footing the bill which makes them mad. He gets it to that degree. Work him there. If you care about your future, please call. It takes two minutes. The person that answers the phone will typically be making a simple tally mark on a sheet of paper and recording your zip code so they know you are in their district. It isn't hard or scary. If you've never been involved before, make this the first political issue you take a stand on or make a phone call about. It is important for our future as a nation. Gerry Connolly http://connolly.house.gov 703-256-3071 Annandale Office 202-225-1492 DC Office UTAH PEOPLE Jim Matheson http://matheson.house.gov (877)677-9743 435-627-0880 St. George Office 202-225-3011 DC Office

Contract Issues

Our homeowners association has a contract to have our snow plowed. They chose to change companies effective January 1. They must have ticked someone off in the negotiations. The old company decided that they don't care what happens to us now. We got more than 18 inches of snow and the old/current company couldn't care less. They don't plan to come. They let it accumulate enough that they cannot get us out now. Now it is too heavy for the snow plows to move it. They would have to rent a front end loader to do our roads and they don't want to. Basically they flipped us the bird. The new company is willing to do it, but can't get the heavy equipment either. There are going to be some pretty ticked off people who can't get to work to earn money to feed their families for five days. Chaps my hide. Brian did get himself out and over to an older couples place that he home teaches over by the mall with our 4x4 truck. I suppose it is possible then, but not for the car or most the vehicles in our 176 home complex. I hate politics. For now I will try to enjoy being snowed in. Sort of. You can believe that if given the option tomorrow, Brian will opt to stay home from work and play with the kids one more day. Honestly, who wouldn't.

Politics and the Health Care Disaster

I've copied a post from our political blog that my friend wrote. Check out the blog from LOTS more info. Please voice your opinion by clicking the link and anything else you can do. I am pretty passionate about the health care disaster up for vote soon and am working to stop it. Congressman John Fleming has proposed an amendment that would require congressmen and senators to take the same healthcare plan they enact on us (under proposed legislation they are exempt). Congressman Fleming is encouraging people to go on his Website and sign his petition. I have immediately done just that at:http://fleming.house.gov/index.html, then scroll down to the poll question under Express Your Opinion. Please urge as many people as you can to do the same! If Congress passes this for the American people, the Congressmen should have to accept the same level of health care for themselves and their families.

I.O.U. from the Government??

Is anyone else scared about California deciding that yes, they owe people tax refunds, but they just aren't going to pay right now. What?!?!?! I see the problems California is having creeping to the federal government quickly. It has motivated us to change our election now so that we should not ever get a refund again. If we as private citizens made the same decision because we had overspent our income or had trouble and lost our job, we would still be thrown in jail for choosing not to pay our obligations. Do you think California will pay those people due a refund interest? Penalties? Anything? Of course not. I think with the way this terrible stimulus package was put into law, it is only a matter of time before the federal government begins holding our refunds. I'm outraged by all the trash and pork in that bill. Some govenors, to their credit, are talking about not accepting the money from the federal government. Guess what, the federal idiot wrote into the bill that if the governor doesn't accept the money, the state legistatures can take the money and spend it. Outrageous! Does no one see the MAJOR problems? I hope I owe taxes next year, just so that I can make sure I get my money, just in case the government decides not to pay me back for a year or two.

Offended by Obama

I was excited about the inauguration today. It is a moment in history to be sure. We have elected a black man to the highest office in the country. No one would have believed it possible 50 years ago. With such a historic moment, why then, did Obama choose to make inauguration speech more of a campaign speech? He seemed to take unnecessary swipes at the Bush administration. Things like we will no longer use tactics of fear in the world and we will keep the broken promises to New Orleans. That was totally offensive to me. We weren't in a campaign anymore. It was not an appropriate place to attack Bush. The worst thing though, was that closing prayer. HELLO!!! That was undeniably bad by almost anyone's account. Some sorry old man ranting on about racism...in a prayer no less. What was he thinking? Saying brown doesn't have to give back anymore - so they can be lazy? Let yellow be mellow? Huh? Red get ahead? Can they not now? Lastly, and worst by far, let white do what is right. Idiot. How come everyone blames everything on the white man. Is there no personal accountability anymore? Idiots. All of them. Idiots.

Toasty Warm

This one goes out to all my friends who actually were lucky enough to get tickets the the inauguration today. That is amazing and cool that you get to witness history just a few miles from our houses this morning. Since I have little people who would not fully appreciate the significance of the event (and would wine and cry all day so as to make it a miserable experience) we didn't even attempt to get tickets.

In order to make myself feel better right now, I just wanted to say that it is windy and 19 degrees F. After wind chill is factored in it feels like 10 degrees F. I am sitting inside watching the news coverage and the newscasters worshiping Obama. I have a t-shirt and jeans with no socks. I'm toasty warm. How about you guys?

**Side note** I just went to Microsoft's website to search for a clipart for this post. I put in "united states" and the first TWO clipart pictures that came up were pictures of Obama's face. Hello. He doesn't define the country. Ugh. The country is so enamored with him.

I Voted. Did You?

What a great voting day. Either way you vote in the presidential election, history will be made. Either a woman with be VP or a black man will be president. I am not black, but I recognize what this means. I really think people need to take the initiative and make something of themselves, not claim society held them down as a lame excuse. Obama will hopefully prove that people are beyond racism like we saw in the past. Our country is mostly beyond it and I do tire of hearing excuses. There are still idiots out there, like the skin head men who had planned to assassinate him. Extra diligence will be required to protect him since he is the first to break through this barrier, it will inevitably draw out the freaks and the racist weirdos.

Hopefully though, it will prove, once and for all, that a person of minority status can do whatever he wants to do if they have the backbone to do it. All through the primaries he has been referred to as black. If "black people" don't embrace him after his election like they did before it and ultimately begin to say, "well, he's only half black, so it doesn't count" at any point, I think I may vomit. It will prove that they want to forever exist in the screwed up victim mentality. I do, however, hope that his victory can heal our country and unite all races as has never been seen before. That all people will begin to view themselves as equal to another human being. What a great thing that will be for us all.

Politics at our house...and Ben

Tuesday Nov 4:

We had some friends, the Hyatts, move into the house next door to the school where we vote and the school district gave the kids the day off school. Ben begs to have playdates with the Hyatt boys, so I called up Jana and asked if we could come play on voting day and do a childcare swap while we went to vote. Turns out her husband took the day off work so she didn't need my help, but we went anyway and my kids had a ball playing in an outside fort in the backyard while I went to vote. I totally expected it to be a long process, especially when I showed up and the line was so long it was out the door into the crisp fall weather. To my surprise, the line just whipped right along and I was in and out in under 10 minutes. It did help that we only had 4 things to vote on.

When I came back to the Hyatts, Ben was surprised that I was so fast. He asked who I wrote down that I wanted to be the boss of the Estados Unidos. I told him I voted for John McCain. He looked sad. I asked him who he would have voted for, in his totally well informed four year old logical mind. He said he would vote for Bumack Uhbahma. He just likes the way his name sounds. He asked why I chose John McCain. In my poor attempt to explain politics to a four year old, I explained two quick issues...taxes and abortion.

Abortion - When a mommy has a baby in her tummy like I do right now, John McCain thinks the mommy should keep the baby inside until it's ready to come out. Then if the mommy chooses she doesn't want to be a mommy, she can give the baby to a family that wants to have a baby. Barack Obama thinks it is okay to let the baby die inside the mommy if the mommy doesn't want to keep the baby. No problem. Made sense to him, though he was a little disturbed that someone would let a baby die.

Taxes - Some people work really hard at their jobs to get money to buy their groceries, pay for their house, buy toys and treats and things like that. Some people are lazy and don't want to work. John McCain will let us keep more of our money in our family. Barack Obama wants to take too much of our money and give it to people that don't want to work. Seemed fair and logical to Ben as well. I don't really know that McCain's tax plan would lower my taxes, but I'd more closely approve of how it was spent...if you can really approve of how they spend our money...hello ba-jillion dollars in debt!!

Wednesday Nov 5:

Ben wakes up and we tell him that Barack Obama won and he gets to be the boss of the United States. He seems pleased. Later, at lunch, Ben appears really disturbed by something. Finally, he asks me, "Mom, why didn't Barack Obama come and take all our money away yet?" Okay, not at all what I had explained to him. Poor kid thought Barack was going to come knock on our door and take all our money. We had a talk about how it wouldn't happen exactly like that. It would be more like he send a bill to our house and we pay the money that way. Plus, I explained that we do believe in helping people that are having a hard time and that even if John McCain had won, we would have paid some of our money, just not as much to the lazy people. Ugh. It's hard to simplify issues to such a ridiculous extent.

Thursday Nov 6:

Ben asks what Barack Obama is doing since he's in charge now. I explain that he got the new job, but it will take a little while for him to be ready to go to work. We looked at the map and I showed him that he lives in a different state right now and he has kids and they have a house so they have to take a few days and pack their house and maybe sell it our rent it like we do with our house in Houston, then he'll have to find a new school for his kids to go to here in Washington, DC, etc, etc. Barack Obama will come be the boss after Christmas.

We'll see what tomorrow brings as far as questions...

Undecided Voter or Feuding Neighbors?

This is the view out my back window today.

I can't tell for sure if the signs are far enough apart to be at the two different front walkways of my neighbors or if they are at the same house of an undecided voter. In either case, I think it is kind of a funny sight. Heaven knows our townhomes are super, super close to each other. We better all get along.