Political Independence

Tort Reform

2010-02-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

Isn't it funny that the Democrats are against tort reform? Why? Because the trial lawyers are against it and they are funding Democrats. How is it that the single most cost saving issue to fix Health Care is left out? Here is the issue. Republicans are being bought by insurance industries which don't want more regulation. Democrats are being bought by trial lawyers who could care less about malpractice insurance rates. The Congressional Budget Office has notified congress that the tort reform would resolve these costs more than any other measure. How can Democrats deny this is necessary. People still need to be able to sue when a Dr. screws up. If my neighbor wins $500k when he sues his Dr. who pays for it? I do every month when I buy insurance. Everyone does. The money goes back in the system. Problem is you have to allow for the lawsuits. How much is allowable is the big question, but one that needs addressed.

Cold

2010-02-10T11:27:00.001-08:00

Warmer air holds more moisture allowing for bigger snowstorms. So while people who are anti climate change may say something about the big snowstorms there is a possibility that they were bigger due to climate change. I am amazed at how cold it is here in Atlanta. I like it here, but it has been cold and my gas bill has reflected it so far.

Saints

2010-02-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

New Orleans finally won a Super Bowl. I am hopeful that someday my Seattle Seahawks will do the same thing. They have the richest owner in the league, so money won't be a problem. I hope that when Paul Allen is gone whoever takes over will keep them winning.

John Edwards

2010-01-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

How lucky are we that he is not the President. He was an ambulance chasing lawyer. He created the health care issues we have today. But I understand he made a sex tape with a mistress while running for President. How stupid is that? I would guess that we are lucky that someone who doesn't seem to always think clearly isn't our President.

State of the Union

2010-01-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

If Obama wants to get reelected it starts with the speech tonight. People are upset about businesses being bailed out while family, friends, and neighbors lost everything. Its time for the POTUS to fix it. He needs to impose on business that it create jobs. Tax cuts for the next 5 years would probably be enough to fix it. He needs to punish those that created this problem. I saw this coming long before it happened, I can't believe nobody else did. I still think the best approach is to hire from unemployment rolls the best people to replace baby boomers in the govt. He should tell those that have a job and can retire to please open their job to someone who needs it. It is time for Americans to stop being greedy and to have a caring heart for those unemployed. I would suggest creating a national unemployment insurance and hitting big companies hard with it whenever they lay off a worker.

It is time America start having a heart for fellow Americans. We give to Hati, but what about the unemployed here. I am not saying to not give to Hati, but rather those that have can help people here too. Americans are very giving, but those in power are greedy and don't show a heart. Money is the root of all evil. Look what it has done. Everyone should have known that income and housing prices are completely related. Finance executives need to be held accountable. I think that a bonus tax should be implemented. 70% of bonus income for those making over a certain amount. I know that people will find a way around it. Also banks are at a disadvantage with funds who give out as a capital gain. Change the capital gains tax to one attached to income. Any money made over $200,000 needs to be heavily taxed right now. Fix the deficit and cut down the greed.

Super Bowl

2010-01-26T14:36:00.000-08:00

Go Colts. I usually root for the NFC, but since I went to Tennessee for my freshman year have been a big Peyton Manning fan. I was hopeful he would win the Heisman which was the biggest sham year for voting I could ever think of. Was it his fault his team gave up 62 points to Florida. He plays QB, not safety. So a couple Super Bowl rings would be a fitting makeup. I do like Brees and never knew why San Diego got a high round QB when Brees was obviously getting better. I can't help but to root for the Colts. My question is which team will actually play defense?

Conservatives vs Liberals

2010-01-21T16:16:00.000-08:00

I do not know why after winning the Senate seat in Massachusetts the conservatives think they are all right and liberals are all wrong. Liberals got a lot of power cause the conservatives didn't do things right. I said a long time ago any one party having too much power and control is not a good thing. This is showing so true. Americans, including me, need jobs. Our economy is in very bad shape. Businesses can't hire right now. If there are any Baby Boomers that can retire and haven't given up their position they need to. The government needs to just hire more young people and let the ones that should retire go. I think the problem is many of these people want to work, but it is going to hold back our economy because of the amount of people who need to work can't get those jobs. Businesses would win cause they can pay less to the younger person. Our economy will grow. Businesses also need to realize that they can not send jobs overseas so readily. Yes it helps other countries, but it needs to be a created job. Too many times they move a job and lay off an American to hire someone else. If they keep America working, but create a job overseas then I do not have an issue with it. Business, Conservatives, and Liberals all have this as a rally point. They all need to create jobs

Super Majority in the Senate

2010-01-20T10:17:00.000-08:00

I think the independent voter has spoken. More than ever both parties are going to have to appeal to the centrist independent voter. It is the largest group of voters and is the group that decides the election. If they can take away the super majority in the Senate in a very liberal Democratic state then they can change any outcome. Here is what I hope. I hope both parties recognize it. The Independent voters will vote for the best candidate, this is what makes us a force. More important I think they realized how much they should keep one party from controlling everything.

Conference Championship Games

2010-01-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

Two things I think on Football. The Colts are very good, but wouldn't it be fitting if they lose to the Jets who made the playoffs cause the Colts decided to rest starters while winning and ended up losing to them. If Manning plays well the Jets will lose.

The Saints have never been to the Super Bowl. Is this the game that the Vikings Farve takes some extra chances? I hope so. Colts vs Saints is the game I want to see.

Looking for work

2010-01-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

Of US workers 1 in 10 don't have a job and about 1 in 20 are looking cause theirs isn't good enough. It isn't a great market out there to find anything. Interviews are few and far between. I am wondering if employers are going to weed out their poor performers and take a look at the available talent.

Now employers are being cautious. They don't want to be sued. They want to hire a good worker. The US Government is really good about this. Your resume and interview mean far less than how you answer questions online about what you have or haven't done. If you can stretch the truth just a little you can pass far more qualified, but they are being objectionable. I had a 3 question interview and then 150 question survey to fill out. The survey is what they will use to choose. Frustrating.

Oh just one thing I saw and wanted to add to this post. Obama wants some 2.3 billion dollars for tax cuts that would produce 17,000 jobs. That is $136,000 per job. Do these people do math?

Laying Blame Where its due

2010-01-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

Here we are. People are seeing how much more we should blame congress for what goes on in our lives. Congress makes are laws and spends our money. The President leads. Obama has allowed congress to take a lot of extra blame by not getting overly involved in writing the health care bill, but instead laying out the plan. And Americans are looking at a huge majority. They know who is leading our country. Here is an opinion poll. The important numbers are going to be the independents. They make the difference.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T14:56:00.000-08:00

While I doubt it will ever happen I hope this is the year of the politicians working for the people. May all your wishes come true. Oh and that awesome health care bill if it passes will do nothing but charge taxes for a few years. If it was so important then why not require coverage right away.

Bowl Week

2009-12-29T05:44:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone enjoys the holiday season. It is a time to give. Let us take joy in giving to those around us. My kids got a wii from their grandparents. I told them that they have to have a certain area clean to play it. Hopefully that will help them not be so messy.

We now have a health care bill. I don't know why Obama isn't more involved in writing it. He seems to understand some things, but why is he relying on Reid and Pelosi. Doesn't anyone wonder about back door deals to get votes. I bet some senators hold out just for a back door deal. I would if that is what it took. Nebraska scored a lot of money by having a senator hold out.

Time for football. This week there is football on all day and night. You can't ask for anything more. Its wonderful to be able to watch a game at anytime. NFL regular season is almost over, college football is ending and then we will have the NFL playoffs. Sports are a part of my life. I would love to have someone to cuddle with while watching though.

Sell Out on Health Reform

2009-12-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

I do realize that health care needs to be improved. But why did they bribe states. Democratic moderate Senators wisely held out their votes until their states got money that other states won't get. So let me just point out the issue here. If you are from a Red State with Republican Senators your state got screwed. If you are from a Blue State with Democratic Senators you probably got something. If you are a Red State with a Democratic Senator you got a windfall. Nebraska will have the federal government pay for some of their bills and this wasn't given anyone else. It was the purchase of a vote to pass a bill. Time will tell how good the bill is, but here is the kicker. Many insurance company stocks are going up. Why? They should be losing and analysts should know it. I think the wool is being pulled over our eyes. We are in for a big downfall. The next 50 years of politics will largely be based on two things.

Republicans will be for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, although the longer they go on with Democratic control the less they will be viewed as a Republican issue. Also for some reason the bailouts which were passed largely by Democrats in Congress. Another thing that could come back on Democrats.

Democrats will be judged on how health care reform improves lives and holds down costs. Ironically with everything happening the Democrats could be viewed as the bad guys in all these things and that would politically harm the party. Wow things could get very interesting politically in the next 10 years. Maybe another political party takes over? That would force compromise. American people deserve this from these two parties which haven't shown compromise in 20 years.

Christmas is coming

2009-12-18T10:41:00.001-08:00

My birthday and Christmas are within days of each other. As a kid I never really cared for either. One Christmas I had 1 gift under the tree and my siblings had 5 or 6 each. Birthday was the same way. My Grandma felt bad and suggested moving my birthday celebration to July when I was 10 years old. Well I'm a little older. I enjoy Christmas so much more. I do much more giving and really don't care if I get anything. I feel silly for how I felt as a kid and my birthday really doesn't mean much to me anymore. With that said here is my Christmas wish list.

Dear Santa for Christmas this year I want a job that pays me enough to pay my bills. That is it. I would also like honesty in climate change science that is unbiased and a health care plan that has tort reform so that health costs will truly go down. The true winners of health care are the lawyers and medical malpractice insurers.

Get a Clue

2009-12-14T13:03:00.000-08:00

Why is it that people act suspicious surrounding a family member who is missing. The guy in Utah who went camping when his wife disappeared didn't show up to work or call in. Now why would you not check in? If a spouse disappears you will be suspect number one. Then they waste taxpayer time and money on looking for someone when they know exactly where that person is. This is something that has played out many times. It comes down to honesty. Could he be being honest? Yes. But actions speak volumes.

I was happy that Obama called out the banks. They are being closed and aloof towards the people who bailed them out. They took taxpayer money and are foreclosing on their homes. They borrowed and are not showing any remorse for the economy. I would threaten banks like you wouldn't believe. They need to be pumping money into the economy. Jobs and homes were lost because of them. I think that credit ratings should be looked at differently. But banks also need to help people stay in homes. They are refinancing less than 10% of requests. They have no incentive. I think Obama is working on giving them incentive. Good smart move. Maybe these banks will get a clue.

Alabama has its Heisman

2009-12-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Mark Ingram for winning the Heisman. I would have voted him first place too. I honestly think Eric Berry of Tennessee is the best player in college football though. Imagine him and Mayes of USC. In 5 years they will both be the two best safeties in the NFL.

I saw some questions around the ethics of global warming are in question. I know there is a big push to save the planet and we are causing a lot of heat. I still think that every aspect of what is causing our planets temperature to rise is not being considered. Why has the earth had different warm periods in the past. I think scientists trying to push us in the direction of conservation are missing other factors and are not looking into them properly. I will admit that we need to conserve and not use fossil fuels. We need to help save the planet as much as we can, but that doesn't mean we don't need to know all the factors involved. If the planet suddenly cooled we would need to know the reasons for that as well. I don't think all the money being spent on climate change is fairly spent on independent honest research. I think it is all skewed to how perception is.

Health Care Costs

2009-12-11T12:20:00.001-08:00

Under the plan in congress an independent study has found that the costs will not go down. I don't know how much this shocks us. Its amazing that we can spend $1 trillion on this and not lower the costs at all. Here is the link to the cost information.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091211/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul

I need to find work. If you know of any let me know. I have a finance degree and have been working as a business analyst for 7 years. I work on IT software, but am not a programmer. I have written a couple ksh scripts, but that is about it. Maybe a few batch files too. Pass the word along. I need some income.

My Heisman Ballot

2009-12-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

Well I have seen some of the best players, and this is how I would vote if I had a vote

1. Mark Ingram - RB Alabama
2. CJ Spiller - RB Clemson
3. Colt Mccoy - QB Texas
4. Ndamukong Suh - DT Nebraska
5. Kellen Moore - QB Boise St

Now for the NFL Hall of Fame voting. How is Cortez Kennedy not one of the final 25? There are many offensive linemen in the Hall that needed help double teaming him. He is better than most and gets no credit.

On the political side we are now looking at a jobs bill. Why do economists feel you can spend your way out of a recession. Japan tried it and it really didn't work. Why drive up the debt. Now they are going to use funds that were meant for something else as a slush fund. The TARP money. I think this is why Republicans voted against it. With 40% of Americans being Independent why are there only about 15% of lawmakers in this group. Many moderate lawmakers move left or right when in Washington DC. If there were a moderate party then I think they would be in control. We need a strong central party. This is what people will want. Voters are tired of far left and far right. Well almost half are. The rest are divided between left and right. My heart is in the middle.

Finding Work

2009-12-05T05:53:00.000-08:00

Finding work seems to be very difficult. I talked to a guy who hires people and says he gets hundreds of applications for each position he has open. Computers are used to weed out the top candidates now days. So a computer scores each resume based on words within the resume and then the top however many are put in front of the hiring manager. So if everyone is equal then the odds of getting your resume to the hiring manager are less than 10%, probably less than 5%. These numbers will grow. I am trying hard to find full time secure employment. I don't know if it exists anymore. Since things likely won't be much better for the next election in 2010 expect a different congress. Congress has been controlled by Democrats for the last 3 years. While Bush still is blamed they controlled the House and Senate during the downturn and if it doesn't go up fast will be in control during those elections. After 4 years of Congressional control expect some backlash from the public.

College football figures out who plays for the national championship today. I am hoping for a game of TCU vs Alabama. Wouldn't Alabama be ticked losing to a Mountain West team two years in a row? The only issue with this is Boise St. Two years in a row would probably be left out of a BCS game while going undefeated during the regular season. Lucky for them Texas probably has only a 3% chance of losing. UNLV basketball is doing well too. 6-0 with wins over Louisville and at Arizona. Looks like March will be a fun month too.

My Heisman ballot right now,

Kellen Moore - Boise St.
Colt McCoy - Texas
CJ Spiller - Clemson
Mark Ingram - Alabama
Toby Gerhart - Stanford

I'll put my final one up next week. Don't care much for the award as it is more of a campaign than anything else. Seems players from the same schools win it all the time. Alabama and Tennessee have never had a winner with all the great players that went to those schools.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T13:32:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I said I was thankful. I am glad to be living in this great country. We have so much and take a lot for granted. While I understand the need to protect the environment and the need to reform things like health care I also know our country has a rift and half the people will never be happy. It would be so much better if we agreed on things. I know this is difficult as my family can't even agree on what to have for dinner. I am thankful for the opportunity to voice my opinion, even if nobody listens or agrees.

UNLV beat Louisville in basketball and Tennessee beat Kentucky in football. Seattle Seahawks just won too. All this helps make me thankful.

Football

2009-11-23T17:07:00.000-08:00

My Seahawks are struggling. The Tennessee Vols are barely bowl eligible. If they beat Kentucky then they will go somewhere. UNLV is not bowl eligible, but the UNLV basketball team is 3-0. They have a big game against Louisville at home on Saturday. Its Thanksgiving week. Which is a football week. I just wish my teams were doing better. My Heisman ballot would be as follows.

1. CJ Spiller - Clemson
2. Kellen Moore - Boise St.
3. Colt McCoy - Texas

Heisman for CJ Spiller

2009-11-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

This is part of the fun and problem with opinions. In politics everyone has an opinion and it is hard to prove who is right and who is wrong. I would disagree with many of the guitarists on this list.
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1916544_1921867,00.html

I do agree with some people on the list, but Gene Simmons and Eddie Van Halen are missing. I am a big Hendrix fan also. Politics are similar. Some people would agree while others would not. For instance Solar energy is expensive. Some day the price will drop. I have a 19" TV I bought in 1993 and a 27" TV I bought in 1999. Guess which cost less. Yep the 27" was cheaper and they are the same brand. Solar and wind power could have the same cost improvements, but only if used enough. I think this is why discussions have to occur. In government the big problem is if there is a mistake they won't cut funding and end it. Or will spend so much that they might as well finish. So overspending is never a good thing.

CJ Spiller for Heisman. Of all players I love watching him play. Lets get it right. Moore of Boise St. would be ok also, but if I had a vote I would give it to Spiller.

FAA

2009-11-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

The FAA had a "glitch" that caused some issues. I read where they said they needed upgraded systems. Why doesn't an important system have a fail over? Computers can have backup systems that step in when a problem occurs on one and then everything runs on the other. If these systems are way behind then why didn't we upgrade them as part of the stimulus? Charge each passenger an additional $1 FAA fee and you will pay for your systems. I've been hearing these complaints since I can remember. Whenever a situation occurs the FAA says "we need more funding."

Its been good working. It is good for my development of patience. Tomorrow is my last day on the contract I am working. The feedback I get is I have done good work. I wish it was good enough to get me a job.

Medical Suggestions

2009-11-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

Well here is an article I find troubling. It suggests that mammograms should not be given to younger people. My wife died of breast cancer at the age of 36 and was diagnosed at 33. This is not a great approach. The younger you get it the more deadly it is. Is this part of the death panel approach? Mistakes are not to be made when it comes to lives. This article shows that the government would rather save money than a few lives. I think younger people should get them every 5 years or so starting at 25, not wait till they get older.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_med_mammogram_advice;_ylt=AtNmS4hJmomWf5L3CsEmsY9H2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTJxMjgwbW9mBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMTE3L3VzX21lZF9tYW1tb2dyYW1fYWR2aWNlBGNwb3MDNQRwb3MDNQRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA3NraXBtYW1tb2dyYQ--