Citizen Dain

12 Resolutions for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:54:00 +0000

Here are my New Year Resolutions for 2012:

1. Volunteer more often. I am going to try and volunteer at least 4 times this year.
2. Travel to a foreign country. I am looking at you, Vancouver, British Columbia.
3. Travel to a state I have not yet been too. I have been to all but the following: Alaska, North Dakota, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine.
4. Eliminate the Puka Shells. They had kind of been a staple of my "look" since high school. I think it is time to move on.
5. Go fishing. An activity I liked a lot as a child, I probably haven't been fishing in 15 years.
6. Shoot a gun. I always wanted to go to a firing range and shoot a gun. Sounds like something I should at least try.
7. Brew some beer. I am going to brew a brown ale that is going to blow away all of the poseur craft brewmakers attempts at making the one and only.
8. Make the basement into usable space. Right now, it resembles our garage from a year prior, prior to organizing it. Let's take the same tact to the basement and make it a usable, functional part of the property.
9. Grow grapes. I have been wanting to put in some grapes along one of the sides of the house for a while now. In the words of Kevin Greene, "It. Is time."
10. Movie Night. I am thinking once per month, I take the misses out to see a flick.
11. Eat more carrots. I am going to make a conscious decision to attempt to eat a helluva lot a carrots. I like them. They are tasty raw and cooked. They go with everything. And I want to have a John Boehner hue to my skin.
12. Meet Aaron Rodgers. I think it is do-able. There are two golf tournaments in the area that he goes to.

Thoughts? What are your 12 for 2012?

What's the best college in the world?

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 06:14:00 +0000

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the NL Pennant...

noreply@blogger.com (J. D. Hein) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 15:41:00 +0000

On September 10, the St. Louis Cardinals had 350-to-1 odds to win the NL Pennant. So, I bet $40.00 on them.

What does this mean? Well, if the Brewers win the NL Pennant, my life-long goal of seeing the Brewers play in the World Series will be accomplished. And if they don't, I win $14,000.00.

Pretty nice scenario.

Milwaukee Brewers to Play for NL Pennant

noreply@blogger.com (J. D. Hein) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 01:33:00 +0000

... after a walk-off hit by none-other than Nyjer Morgan (a/k/a Tony Plush a/k/a Tony Clutch).

See the video on MLB.com, here.

UPDATE:

Here is Hall of Famer, Bob Uecker's call of the NLDS walk-off.

Milwaukee Brewers Win 2011 NL Central

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:18:00 +0000

It had been the single most enjoyable season, thus far, in this Brewers fan's life. And then last night happened.

The Brewers clinch the division on a late, 3-run HR by the Hebrew Hammer (oh-by-the-way, it was a no-doubter, smacking the bottom of the frame of the scoreboard in straight-away CF) followed by the Cubs beating the Cardinals and old-man La Russa on a 3-run HR by Soriano (also a no-doubter). Then it became pandemonium in Milwaukee.

You could see the stress of the season release from so many players as they celebrated. Those who played well and those who did not. Granted, I wasn't in the hip pocket of guys like McGehee, Fielder, Counsel, Braun, but from the images coming across the flat screen at Cheaters, I could see jubilent men-turned-into-boys. And I could sense relief.

Now that this goal has been accomplished, the team can rest and re-load for the next goal - the NL Pennant. No, I do not know that the Brewers will be able to accomplish that goal. However, I give them a heckuva chance. Of the teams in the playoffs or nearing the playoffs, the Brewers (as remarkable as this may seem given their quality of play in September versus August) are going in as the hottest. Their big three (Gallardo, Greinke, Marcum) are pitching very well. Their back-end bullpen (Saito, Hawkins, Rodriguez, Axford) have been, in a word, unreal. And their stars (Braun, Fielder, Hart, and Weeks) are hot and itching for something special. So, whoever comes to Milwaukee better be ready for a team that is not just happy to be here, like they were in 2008.

And finally, the Brewers have a future. Yes, Fielder might be gone. He and Rodriguez could very well find solace together in the Big Apple again. So be it. That being said, there are more bats and arms waiting in the wings to re-stock this team. And the Brewers are relatively young when compared to their chief rivals in the division (Cardinals, Reds) and have a willingness to spend money when compared to their future rivals (Pirates). So, last night could be the start of something special - a 2-5 year run in the playoffs.

(Images from JSOnline.com).

NFL Turning Point Disappoints

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:39:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but I was REALLY excited when Versus (soon to be NBC Sports) announced it would have a new program debuting during the season called, "NFL Turning Point". From its title, explanation of the show's premise, and involvement of the NFL, NFL Films, and NBC, it lead me to believe it would be a cool combination of ESPN's NFL Match-Up (note - the single best analysis show out there, bar none [unsurprisingly, the least hyped/promoted show on ESPN's weekly scheduled]) meets NFL Network's NFL Sound FX - meaning the intersection of beautiful footage and relevant/accurate gametime analysis.

So, what have we gotten the first two weeks so far? Basically, a repackaged NFL Sound FX. There is basically little to no analysis of the actual critical "turning points" of the games selected. Rather, just a voiceover talking about the difficulties a team was facing.

Really, what needed (and still needs, hint-hint FOX/CBS) to be done is someone needs to do an actual turning point show. Pick 2-3 of the best games from the week prior. Boil them down to one critical juncture - one play that turned the tide. Then, the show should interview the players/coaches involved in that play, show the film footage from multiple angles as to how the play worked. Show the film footage from any plays prior in the game that influenced the one critical play. Show footage from previous games that influenced the one critical play. Show footage from training camp, practice, and film study that influenced the one critical play. Now that would be an AWESOME show. And it would really demonstrate that football and the NFL is a game of inches.

From Instapundit - Remembering 9/11

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:47:00 +0000

Lee Harris’s Civilization And Its Enemies:

Forgetfulness occurs when those who have been long inured to civilized order can no longer remember a time in which they had to wonder whether their crops would grow to maturity without being stolen or their children sold into slavery by a victorious foe.

...

They forget that in time of danger, in the face of the Enemy, they must trust and confide in each other, or perish.

They forget, in short, that there has ever been a category of human experience called the Enemy. And that, before 9/11, was what had happened to us. The very concept of the Enemy had been banished from our moral and political vocabulary. An enemy was just a friend we hadn't done enough for -- yet. Or perhaps there had been a misunderstanding, or an oversight on our part -- something that we could correct. And this means that that our first task is that we must try to grasp what the concept of the Enemy really means.

The Enemy is someone who is willing to die in order to kill you. And while it is true that the Enemy always hates us for a reason -- it is his reason, and not ours.

Full post here.

Oh, Why the Hell Not...

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:11:00 +0000

Brewers Are on the Cover of Sports Illustrated

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:42:00 +0000

Huzzah!

Whoops!

Brewers Celebration Antics

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:33:00 +0000

An awesome comment today from a JSOnline reader:

I'll never understand how anybody can be upset by Beast Mode or the old "untuck" celebration. I know the Cardinals were the leaders of the anti-untuck movement, but within the context of it being a tribute to Cameron's father signifying a hard day's work being over, it was very inoffensive. The Cardinals acted like the Brewers won the game, ran over to their dugout, and peed on them. Beast mode is even less offensive because it's taken from a kids movie. I'm sure the people against these minor celebrations were also against the high-five when it first debuted.

Apt Quote from Robert Heinlein

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 19:09:00 +0000

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded--here and there, now and then--are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all "right-thinking people". Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, mankind then slips back into abject poverty. This is known as "bad luck".

Tax Cheats Awarded with Stimulus Money

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:13:00 +0000

From the Associated Press: Hope or Change?

Thousands of companies that cashed in on President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package owed the government millions in unpaid taxes, congressional investigators have found.

The Government Accountability Office, in a report being released Tuesday, said at least 3,700 government contractors and nonprofit organizations that received more than $24 billion from the stimulus effort owed $757 million in back taxes as of Sept. 30, 2009, the end of the budget year.

The report said the tax delinquents accounted for nearly 6 percent of the 63,000 contractors and grantees examined and cautioned that the real number might be higher because the known tax debt does not measure such factors as income underreporting.

Among the examples was an engineering firm that received a $100,000 stimulus act contract but owed $6 million in taxes. The IRS called it "an extreme case of noncompliance." A social services nonprofit that received more than $1 million in stimulus funds owed taxes of $2 million.

The GAO referred those two cases and 13 others to the IRS for further investigation.

Important Advice (image)

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Mon, 09 May 2011 03:10:00 +0000

What happens the day after we hit the debt ceiling?

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:27:00 +0000

Apocalypse later: what happens the day after we hit the debt ceiling | Conn Carroll | Columnists | Washington Examiner

The United States has reached its debt limit three times in the past thirty years and not only did economic Armageddon never materialize, but not a single Social Security check was late. First in 1985, then in 1995, and then again in 2002, Congress failed to raise the debt ceiling for months after the limit was reached. Contra Geithner, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security payments were all made. No interest payments were missed. The world economy did not collapse. Nothing that Geithner warned about came true.

That is not to say that none of those things could happen. In August 1996, the Government Accountability Office produced a report on the legality of steps taken by then Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin during the 1995-1996 debt ceiling showdown.

Among other actions, Rubin delayed reinvesting interest payments from government employee trust funds into new Treasury securities, redeemed some pension trust fund bonds early, and even recalled cash balances Treasury had parked at some large banks. The GAO found that all of these actions were perfectly legal.

The GAO reports highlights the tremendous discretion Secretary Geithner has over how and when the federal government pays what bills. So the only reason June Social Security checks might not go out, as Geithner warned they might not, is if Geithner chose not to send them.

Obama: Mistakes? Can't think of any. | Byron York | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner

noreply@blogger.com (J. D. Hein) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:03:00 +0000

Obama: Mistakes? Can't think of any. | Byron York | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner

The president began his response haltingly, pointing out that he has actually been in office just two and a half years, and "I'm sure I'll make more mistakes in the next year and a half." But what mistakes has he already made? "There are all sorts of day-to-day issues where I say to myself, oh, I didn't say that right, or I didn't explain this clearly enough," Obama said, "or maybe if I had sequenced this plan first as opposed to that one, maybe it would have gotten done quicker."

But the president mentioned no actual mistakes. Next, he brought up the health care battle, not to admit error but to praise the work of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi...

At that point, Obama decided to steer away from the subject of mistakes altogether. "I think the best way to answer the question is what do I feel I still have to get done," he said. He briefly mentioned the deficit and immigration reform. And then it was on to energy. ...

By then, it was hard to remember that Obama's long and rambling answer was in response to the question, "If you had to do anything differently during your first four years, what would it be?" Obama's answer, even with all its twists and turns, was smoother than Bush's had been seven years earlier. But in substance it was no different.

President Whatever finds things not going his way | Michael Barone | Politics | Washington Examiner

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:17:00 +0000

President Whatever finds things not going his way | Michael Barone:

"Most important, it requires the General Accountability Office to conduct an audit of the waivers from the Democrats' health care bill that are being issued in large numbers by the secretary of Health and Human Services Department.

This will raise an uncomfortable question. If Obamacare is so great, why are so many trying to get out from under it? And, more specifically, why are so many Democratic groups trying to get out from under it?

The fact is that HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has granted more than 1,000 waivers from Obamacare. Many have been granted to labor unions. Some have been granted to giant corporations like McDonald's. One was granted to the entire state of Maine.

By what criteria is this relief being granted? That's unclear, and the GAO audit should produce some answers. But what it looks like to an outsider is that waivers are being granted to constituencies that have coughed up money (or in the case of Maine, four electoral votes) to the Democrats.

If so, what we're looking at is another example of gangster government in this administration. The law in its majesty applies to everyone except those who get special favors."

16 Tons from Iowahawk and Tennessee Ernie Ford

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:14:00 +0000

(hat tip to Instapundit)

I Hope this Belief Comes with an Expiration Date

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:25:00 +0000

President Obama on the defense budget - "We're going to have to conduct a fundamental review of America's missions, capabilities, and our role in a changing world."

Needless to say, President Obama did not similarly propose a fundamental review of America's missions, capabilities, and role in a changing world when it came to discretionary spending or entitlement reform. To do so would be an abhorrent thought about changing the basic social compact of America.

President Obama said, "we do not have to sacrifice the America we believe in." This seems to me to be a tacit suggestion that he would rather sacrifice America's solvency and vitality to preserve his own ideals. What leadership!

Everything President Obama Says or Believes Comes with an Expiration Date

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:11:00 +0000

Jake Tapper captured it perfectly by comparing two quotes from President Obama.

At the House Republican retreat in January, 2010:

We’re not going to be able to do anything about any of these entitlements if what we do is characterize whatever proposals are put out there as, “Well, you know, that’s — the other party’s being irresponsible. The other party is trying to hurt our senior citizens. That the other party is doing X, Y, Z.

Yesterday:

One vision has been championed by Republicans in the House of Representatives and embraced by several of their party’s presidential candidates…This is a vision that says up to 50 million Americans have to lose their health insurance in order for us to reduce the deficit. And who are those 50 million Americans? Many are someone’s grandparents who wouldn’t be able afford nursing home care without Medicaid. Many are poor children. Some are middle-class families who have children with autism or Down’s syndrome. Some are kids with disabilities so severe that they require 24-hour care. These are the Americans we’d be telling to fend for themselves.

62% Say Cut Spending and Services instead of Raising Taxes

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Should taxes be raised to eat into huge federal deficits? Among the public, 62 percent say they favor cutting government services to sop up the red ink. Just 29 percent say raise taxes.

See Associated Press for more information.

47 Ways to Say "IRS"

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:38:00 +0000

Good Karma for Mission Cheese and US Cryotherapy

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 05:04:00 +0000

Two friends of mine are having their grand openings of their new businesses tomorrow. How exciting! As this does not happen every day of the week, I thought it appropriate to give them both a shoot-out.

Mission Cheese, a boutique cheese-monger shop/bar/restaurant, is opening tomorrow in the Mission District of San Francisco by my friend, Sarah. You can read about the grand opening here. The shop looks gorgeous and I am sure Sarah's smile and charisma will sell many curds alone. Also, Sarah has a blog that captures her journey from corporate america to cheese-traveler to cheese-entrepreneur. Congratulations and best of luck - remember, now you are in the fun part!

US Cryotherapy is the first cold therapy treatment center in the nation designed to enhance sports performance, aid fast muscle and tissue recovery. It is being opened by the Kramer family - a father and three sons, one of whom I played baseball with for two years, Todd - in Roseville, California, a suburb of Sacramento. Cryotherapy is localized or whole-body exposure to cold temperatures to decrease inflammation, pain and spasms, and promote healing. It is not a medical procedure: rather, it is a way to quickly get the same effect as submerging yourself in a "cold tub" - full of ice and ice cold water - without having to get wet or fill a tub full of ice and ice cold water. You can read about the grand opening here. And here. The investment looks promising, with US Cryotherapy already securing some celebrity endorsements.

I am really happy for Sarah and the Kramers. They had the patience, confidence, and diligence to see their dreams and ideas through. As I mention above, now comes the fun part - of getting to share that dream with others. It still will be work, but, I hope with all of the time, blood, sweat, and tears already invested, you will realize it was all worth it. So best of luck.

I look forward to my own visit in the near future.

Couldn't Agree More

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 05:32:00 +0000

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. ... Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that 'the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem."

What crazy Teabagger said such a thing on the floor of U.S. Senate, you ask? Why, that would be Sen. Barack Obama in 2006 - when Congress was previously forced to raise the debt limit.

I'll Take Violation of a Fiduciary Duty for $500, Alex

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 06:45:00 +0000

Shocked and appalled. Or not (from POWIP):

AFSCME, SEIU, and the WPPA all willingly threw their own members right under the bus in order to make sure they REMAINED members and paid FORCED UNION DUES for another 33 months. It wasn’t about providing certainty to union members at all. Rather, it was about providing certainty to union BOSSES, who couldn’t afford to lose access to automatic extraction of dues from all of those lovely, lovely government employee paychecks.

So, now members of four of the above-mentioned bargaining units are bound by 33-month contracts that amount to sugar-sprinkled crapola. What do they get for a substantial net loss in pay, benefits, and security…? The privilege of continuing to pay union dues, whether they like it or not. And if you think those dues will now be decreased “in solidarity” with the plight of Wisconsin workers…? Hey, I’ve got some land in Florida I can sell you real cheap, right on the water.

No one should think for even a moment that this was an isolated incident. If AFSCME, SEIU, and the WPPA pulled this maneuver in Sauk County, you can bet your bottom dollar that union reps around the state were racing to make similar raw deals that benefited not their members but instead union coffers and leadership.

Well played, union bosses, well played! [Insert thunderous applause here.] Absolutely gorgeous how you’ve suckered those who trusted you. Brilliantly diabolical how, without their even knowing it, you held a gun to the your members’ heads when you thought you might no longer be able to hold it to taxpayers’. So breathtakingly obvious are your self-interested motives at this point that it almost carries me away with awe. Though, it’s entirely possible that awareness of this little triumph will fail to evoke further ecstatic, fist-raised shouts of “SOLIDARITY!” from the rank-and-file you’ve shafted…or from those who suspect you may shaft them next.

A ‘Tea Party’ budget - TheHill.com

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 04:33:00 +0000

A ‘Tea Party’ budget - TheHill.com

I especially love the comment:

Here is a summary of Federal 2010 finances.

$ 2,200 Federal Tax Revenue (billions)
$ 1,300 Borrowing (the deficit)
—————
$ 3,500 Total Spending
$ 0 Total Saving

$14,500 Entire economy (GDP)
15.2% Taxes as % of Economy
9.0% Borrowing as % of Economy
24.2% Total spending as % of Economy

What if (say) Bob's family budget operated like the government, in proportion? That gives a feeling for our situation:

$50,000 What Bob can spend from his income
$29,900 Bob borrows this
—————
$79,900 Bob's spends it all
60% more than Bob's income
$ 1,400 The GOP cut in proportion

The proposed House GOP cut in spending of $61 billion is just 1.8%. For Bob, that would be $1,400.