Well…I hope you’ve read the latest repub talking point on the stimulus where they are still hammering on stimulus packages as never have been effective in the history of the world and trying to make the point that the stimulus that started to pull us out of the depression should never have been done….as evidenced by the double dip that happened after Roosevelt cut spending while the recovery was still fragile. But the funniest thing I’ve heard lately came from Lindsey Graham, the repub from South Carolina, is the newest talking point that said the only thing that brought us out of the depression was WWII….Lindsey….I have news for you, WWII was the largest stimulus program in the history of the world with huge amounts of deficit spending done by the federal government to build factories and infrastructure that was used to fuel the boom of the 50′s….how stupid can these guys be? I guess you can see it, or hear it whenever they talk…what’s the next talking point repubs? Aren’t you tired of being wrong all of the time?
All posts by James DeVol
It must make it easy…
Well…have been reading a lot about all of the “pledges” that all of the repub legislators and candidates have been asked (or should I day extorted) to take before they will get the support of the radicals that have taken over the party. You have the no tax pledge, the no abortion pledge, the no cooperation with the enemy (read Democrats) pledge, the I love everything about business pledge…well.. that last one I made up but it still fits with the the philosophy that the repubs have adopted. This must make it really easy for any repub that is in congress or running for office…they no longer have to think or hold nuanced positions on the complex issues that face the country today, they just have to call up Grover Norquist and get the day’s talking points…but I think they should go that a step further…why should we continue to pay these guys when they no longer have to research any bill, no longer even have to read them, to know they are against them…why don’t we just get a little piece of software written that identifies all of their hot-button key words and then have the software just say no….then we could eliminate all of the salaries of these so called representatives…what about the people in their districts that didn’t vote for them? Shouldn’t they be represented too? Geez….
July 5th
Well…that was one of the most low key days I’ve had in a while with not a lot to do but watching movies and hanging out….I almost went out for a while but it’s become such a habit not spending any money that I just laid out in the sun instead….it looks like another great weather day today so I am going to go out for coffee and newspapers to start it and then into the normal routine…it looks like the beach for tomorrow since the lake temp is up to almost 70 and with the holiday over, I should be able to find a spot in the GH city park….not much to do today…my kitchen looks like someone died in it so I do need to get that cleaned up and then treat this place for spiders again but that only takes care of the morning…oh, well….I will have topics for later since I’m already behind for the month….I will get to 1,000 this month so look for a celebration…or not…
Some thoughts on the 4th…
Well…when I was out on the bike I had some thoughts about the fourth of July and what it means to this country and what it has meant to the world for the last 230+ years. I won’t make this into a political rant, though..even though those on the right have been wrapping themselves in their misinterpretation Declaration for years now; trying to use it as a weapon to destroy the very government that this wonderful document set out to found. Okay, so that was a little bit of a slam…but when I read that these folks say that the single reason for the Declaration was to stop taxation as evidenced by the Boston Tea Party, they are just dead wrong….the founders had no problem with taxation or a central government…if they did, why did they write the Constitution that formed it?
That’s the last of the political part here….just wanted to add one last thing…that even with all of our faults and mistakes…this is still the best country that has ever existed on the face of the earth….and I hope it is forever….Happy Independence Day!
July 4th
Well…another day…a pretty good day since I won at pool for the first time in almost 6 weeks and I was good when I got home so I feel pretty good today…even slept okay but was still up early so if I ever find a job, I will be ready to get there on time…don’t know what I’m going to do today after I get my workout in and ride the bike….not going to the coffee shop but I think I will go get the newspapers to read them here…..did all of the July 4th stuff on Sat so I think it will just be a day of movies and hanging around here…I think I’ll get out to the beach some day this week since I do need to get in Lake Michigan at least once this year….and the water should be warm enough to swim….more later….
The Gorgeous woman and other tales of the trail…
Well..I don’t know if you remember my description last year of the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen who was running every Sunday morning last year….and that I lamented that I hadn’t seen her in almost a year….but, today she is back and my day is considerably brighter for it. Wow….I just have to describe her again so you get the idea…5 feet 4…brown hair…ripped abs and not an ounce of fat on her…perfectly proportioned, and, since I saw her in two different places today that are almost 5 miles apart, a long distance runner who was doing at least 10 miles today…wowee….
Okay, so I sound a little infatuated…but I can appreciate a good looking woman without being a perv, can’t I? Hope so…..I have been thinking about the hierarchy on the trail for a while now and I think I finally have it straight in my head…..first, you have the nuts like me that go hard and are out there for a purpose…this is broken down into two categories….the road bikers that look like they just came home from the Tour de France….and I think look really nerdy….and the mountain bikers like me….the mountain bikers seem to be more friendly but I think there is a thaw going on since some of the road bike nerds have started to nod and wave to me but maybe it just that I am the crazy old guy….. I do want to comment on the guys that are 50 lbs overweight out there in the skin tight bike clothes…..put on a t-shirt..it does not look good squeezing all of that fat into a two sizes too small shirt…and adjust your seat….damn, It can’t be comfortable when you legs look like they belong on a deranged frog….okay, this one was going somewhere but I got lost…so, I’ll pick this up later…
July 3rd
Well…it was kind of an interesting day yesterday…got a long bike ride in in the morning and then decided to ride over to see the Kentwood fireworks…I just don’t know about people…to avoid having to walk at all, lots of people parked their cars on the sidewalk that I and many others used to get to the area; forcing a lot of us to walk and bike in the street when we were leaving and one idiot even drove his jeep down the sidewalk for almost a quarter of a mile across many peoples yards for some reason….just couldn’t figure that one out at all. The fireworks were okay but the hour that it stated in the paper turned out to be more like twenty minutes and nothing special….adding that with the ride back in the dark and I don’t think I’ll be doing that again…it got me out of here, though, and that was good plus the night was just neat and reminded me of riding my motorcycle when I was much, much, younger. Not much to do today…I do have pool out in Cascade so that should be enough but I will try to get a couple out later….going to take a long ride this morning….in fact, I’m going right now…after I finish the coffee, that is…
July 2nd
Well…it was a strange day yesterday with it raining so much and lots of thunder but no real storms here…I did get the chance to get out on the bike when a small clearing came but I came back muddy….I was feeling guilty about eating twice yesterday so I had to go out no matter what the weather…it looks like a pretty nice day out there right now and I am going to go get the newspapers and make some coffee…skipped that yesterday for some reason that I don’t remember….I did get a lot of stuff done so maybe that’s it…had to buy a new tube for the back tire on the bike since I couldn’t find the leak and got one that has a gel sealer in it that I hope will get me through the rest of the summer with no more flats. Not much to do today…I may go over to see the fireworks later but the summer Daytona race is on so I am a little conflicted…we’ll see….
Thank you Chuck Schumer…
Well….I really do like the fact that “Countdown” is back since it sometimes gives me topics for the day….last night, Sen Chuck Schumer was on and he did something that I have been calling for the dems to do for at least a year now…he said the unthinkable…that the repubs are planning on crashing the economy for political gain and that is what this whole debt ceiling fight is about……I see some heartening signs that the dems are starting to call them on this nonsense not only by sen Schumers remarks, but sen Reid coming out and telling the country that Medicare and Medicaid cuts are off the table period….and they are pushing for the needed tax increases on the rich but coloring them as the patriotic duty of the well off to help the country that has given them so much…I think the tide is starting to turn….I wonder what was put in the water that made the dems grow a backbone? Whatever it is, keep doing it and maybe we can get our country back from the repub thugs….
July 1st
Well…I did make it to 60 for the month but I’m concerned that my political commentary has suffered lately….I do have one of those right after this one so stay tuned….a fun day yesterday after the coffee shop debacle when I met up K and V for a couple and then back here for Burn Notice and a couple of cocktails….back to the not sleeping thing again and I am tired today but I’m still considering going out to the beach this morning….there is a line of storms that is getting ready to come onshore at GH but they should be through by the time I get there…I spent 80 bucks yesterday on groceries but it felt good that I had the cash to pay instead of the credit card…and I have so much bad food to make over the weekend that I’m smiling…burgers and brats..yay….not much to do today…I really should go to the beach just to get out of here and then I have to get some supplies…I do feel a little crappy so I need water and the couch for a while….more later…or right now…