From time to time I come across a tribute or website that gives thanks to our soldiers, servicemen and women, for their sacrifices and commitment to keeping us free that really grabs my attention.
The Iraq war for all the political hype that the press constantly puts out, is a war. Men and women are putting their lives on the line day by day for me, for you and for all Iraqis. Words cannot possibly express my thanks and heart felt gratitude for their valiant efforts.
I came across this link today which comes close. You can find the original article at backyardconservative.blogspot.com.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Post Katrina - Whose to blame?
It has almost been a year since Katrina brought her fury ashore in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and left a disaster of epic proportions in her wake. New Orleans received the most in both aid and publicity of their plight and probably because it was the largest city in the disaster zone.
Parts of the city remain uninhabitable, with clouds of mosquitoes, festering sludge and stagnant water, dilapidated houses and buildings, and a rescue and rebuilding effort in tatters. Who is to blame? The Mayor? FEMA? The President? The Governor? The French for being foolish enough to build a city on top of a swamp?
All of them, including the homeowners for not leaving the city. I understand the plight of many and how they were caught in the seemingly endless and empty-filled promises of assistance and fervently believe that once help is offered the agencies have a responsibility to provide that help and not take a year to do it. However, in looking back it’s important to realize the many mistakes that were made which will hopefully prevent us from making them again.
The French were / or should I say ARE the biggest idiots of all. Nobody with even the slightest amount of common sense would in their right mind build a city on top of what is basically a swamp. Of all the dumb things they could have done, this is the biggest. Swamps are by their very nature unstable, and with New Orleans sitting approximately 8 feet below sea level, you would think that someone would have stood up and said "This is crazy! We are asking for trouble here." Nobody did, and now we can see the result - billions upon billions of dollars in reconstruction costs which at the end will simply put us back at the same point we started at.
The Army Corps of Engineers for the most part is a solid organization that does their job and does it right; HOWEVER!, after spending this past year dealing with engineers, I have come to the conclusion that most of them have spent little time reviewing disasters and preparing for them. One aspect of software design and engineering that is beat into the heads of mush at every college and university is that you TEST, TEST, TEST, and TEST the TESTS. You look for problems; you consider every possible point of failure and make adjustments for each one of them. If a programmer can get it right, I fail to see why an Army Corps Engineer cannot. Their planning of the levee system and shipping channel was a complete disaster and had they considered and double checked their own work and that of their contractors they could not have possibly missed the problems that were inherently built in.
Hours before Katrina came ashore, Mayor Ray Nagin had at his disposal, hundreds upon hundreds of city and school buses which he could have used to ferry the residents out of harms way. Did he do it? Nope, he sat on his ass and played the blame game. Now, what I cannot for the life of me figure out is why after this debacle, the residents of New Orleans in their infinite wisdom reelected this fool. Nagin may be a nice guy, I have no issue with that; however, his inept handling of this tragedy borders on the criminal. He ** LEFT ** people to die whereas if he would have simply used the brains that G-d gave a horse he would have saved hundreds if not thousands of people.
FEMA - What can one say about this organization besides that it should be dismantled, everyone fired, and reorganized. Federal Emergency Management Agency should be renamed "Federal Emergency MISMANAGEMENT Agency. They screwed everything up from not preparing for the oncoming storm, to wasting hundred of millions of dollars, to making unfilled promises in a political attempt to cover up their own ineptness. I understand that the FEMA director is a political appointment, but come on Mr. President, this idiot had trouble managing horses let alone a Federal Agency.
The Governor of Louisiana completely and utterly failed in her job. I am not sure if Katrina was more than she could handle or if she simply froze? Either way, she failed and because of that failure people died. There is nothing else that can be or should be said.
I lay far less blame at the feet of the President, he has staff to handle these agencies and problems and he cannot personally respond to each and every single one; however, he committed hundreds of millions of dollars in reconstruction money (which I believe was a huge mistake), and then failed to deliver it. One tenet of Judaism is to not make promises and commitments unless you are willing and able to deliver on them. PERIOD. Helping others is a Mitzvah and it is an important part of Judaism, but that does not require you to throw good money after bad.
Rebuilding New Orleans in the same fashion as before will only result in 10, 50 or a hundred years from now our grandchildren having to face the same type of disaster we are paying for.
The best thing that could happen at this point is to bulldoze the city under, return it to the swamps and give every homeowner $200,000.00 to move elsewhere. It would be cheaper and more efficient use of our tax dollars. The delta would eventually restore the area to its natural setting and we would not have to worry about the destruction of a city called New Orleans again.
Parts of the city remain uninhabitable, with clouds of mosquitoes, festering sludge and stagnant water, dilapidated houses and buildings, and a rescue and rebuilding effort in tatters. Who is to blame? The Mayor? FEMA? The President? The Governor? The French for being foolish enough to build a city on top of a swamp?
All of them, including the homeowners for not leaving the city. I understand the plight of many and how they were caught in the seemingly endless and empty-filled promises of assistance and fervently believe that once help is offered the agencies have a responsibility to provide that help and not take a year to do it. However, in looking back it’s important to realize the many mistakes that were made which will hopefully prevent us from making them again.
The French were / or should I say ARE the biggest idiots of all. Nobody with even the slightest amount of common sense would in their right mind build a city on top of what is basically a swamp. Of all the dumb things they could have done, this is the biggest. Swamps are by their very nature unstable, and with New Orleans sitting approximately 8 feet below sea level, you would think that someone would have stood up and said "This is crazy! We are asking for trouble here." Nobody did, and now we can see the result - billions upon billions of dollars in reconstruction costs which at the end will simply put us back at the same point we started at.
The Army Corps of Engineers for the most part is a solid organization that does their job and does it right; HOWEVER!, after spending this past year dealing with engineers, I have come to the conclusion that most of them have spent little time reviewing disasters and preparing for them. One aspect of software design and engineering that is beat into the heads of mush at every college and university is that you TEST, TEST, TEST, and TEST the TESTS. You look for problems; you consider every possible point of failure and make adjustments for each one of them. If a programmer can get it right, I fail to see why an Army Corps Engineer cannot. Their planning of the levee system and shipping channel was a complete disaster and had they considered and double checked their own work and that of their contractors they could not have possibly missed the problems that were inherently built in.
Hours before Katrina came ashore, Mayor Ray Nagin had at his disposal, hundreds upon hundreds of city and school buses which he could have used to ferry the residents out of harms way. Did he do it? Nope, he sat on his ass and played the blame game. Now, what I cannot for the life of me figure out is why after this debacle, the residents of New Orleans in their infinite wisdom reelected this fool. Nagin may be a nice guy, I have no issue with that; however, his inept handling of this tragedy borders on the criminal. He ** LEFT ** people to die whereas if he would have simply used the brains that G-d gave a horse he would have saved hundreds if not thousands of people.
FEMA - What can one say about this organization besides that it should be dismantled, everyone fired, and reorganized. Federal Emergency Management Agency should be renamed "Federal Emergency MISMANAGEMENT Agency. They screwed everything up from not preparing for the oncoming storm, to wasting hundred of millions of dollars, to making unfilled promises in a political attempt to cover up their own ineptness. I understand that the FEMA director is a political appointment, but come on Mr. President, this idiot had trouble managing horses let alone a Federal Agency.
The Governor of Louisiana completely and utterly failed in her job. I am not sure if Katrina was more than she could handle or if she simply froze? Either way, she failed and because of that failure people died. There is nothing else that can be or should be said.
I lay far less blame at the feet of the President, he has staff to handle these agencies and problems and he cannot personally respond to each and every single one; however, he committed hundreds of millions of dollars in reconstruction money (which I believe was a huge mistake), and then failed to deliver it. One tenet of Judaism is to not make promises and commitments unless you are willing and able to deliver on them. PERIOD. Helping others is a Mitzvah and it is an important part of Judaism, but that does not require you to throw good money after bad.
Rebuilding New Orleans in the same fashion as before will only result in 10, 50 or a hundred years from now our grandchildren having to face the same type of disaster we are paying for.
The best thing that could happen at this point is to bulldoze the city under, return it to the swamps and give every homeowner $200,000.00 to move elsewhere. It would be cheaper and more efficient use of our tax dollars. The delta would eventually restore the area to its natural setting and we would not have to worry about the destruction of a city called New Orleans again.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
sj-r.com article on dog shooting smacks with anti-semite comments
The State Journal Register posted an article today about a man who apparently shot a neighbors dog after the dog apparently chased after his turkey which was apparently running loose on the dog owners property. Now, if that is not enough to confuse the hell out of you; your better than I am.
As with most articles posted on the sj-r.com website, readers can leave comments on the stories which has certainly brought about some rather lively discussions. This one happens to have what appears to me (and this of course is only my personal opinion), a comment that smacks of anti-semitism.
This of course has nothing to do with the article or its subject matter, but the reference was clear to me.
"To: rondmon wrote at 8/17/2006 9:18:56 PM
Have them put up a yelloe flag & we will get to them...Do you want an Air Force jet(ours) or a F-16 piloted by a Jew?"
It is amazing how some people fail to stay on topic and then without any provocation, decide to bring up the "Jews". I would almost like to run into this moron just once, but then again its the Sabbath now, so I will mind my manners and just say "Shabbat Shalom".
As with most articles posted on the sj-r.com website, readers can leave comments on the stories which has certainly brought about some rather lively discussions. This one happens to have what appears to me (and this of course is only my personal opinion), a comment that smacks of anti-semitism.
This of course has nothing to do with the article or its subject matter, but the reference was clear to me.
"To: rondmon wrote at 8/17/2006 9:18:56 PM
Have them put up a yelloe flag & we will get to them...Do you want an Air Force jet(ours) or a F-16 piloted by a Jew?"
It is amazing how some people fail to stay on topic and then without any provocation, decide to bring up the "Jews". I would almost like to run into this moron just once, but then again its the Sabbath now, so I will mind my manners and just say "Shabbat Shalom".
Justice can be extremely slow
At the time of the Jon Benet Ramsey murder I was living in Wheat Ridge, Colorado; just a few minutes from her home and spent a considerable time in and around the Boulder area. It rocked the entire community including Denver.
I had little doubt then as I do now that the Boulder PD blew this case. They lost evidence, allowed police personnel to walk in discriminitely throughout the house and grounds, allowed Mr. Ramsey to wander through the basement area - and it was here that he found his daughter.
It has been ten years, ten years of a little girl going without justice, ten years of parents operating daily under a cloud of suspicion, ten years of accusations from wannabe reporters and freelance writers accusing Patsy Ramsey of her daughters murder, ten years of screwing up a case by the Boulder PD.
Justice can be slow, and although I have no idea if John Karr is in fact the killer, only time and the courts will tell us for sure, however if he is justice may be extremely slow but it eventually shows its face.
I had little doubt then as I do now that the Boulder PD blew this case. They lost evidence, allowed police personnel to walk in discriminitely throughout the house and grounds, allowed Mr. Ramsey to wander through the basement area - and it was here that he found his daughter.
It has been ten years, ten years of a little girl going without justice, ten years of parents operating daily under a cloud of suspicion, ten years of accusations from wannabe reporters and freelance writers accusing Patsy Ramsey of her daughters murder, ten years of screwing up a case by the Boulder PD.
Justice can be slow, and although I have no idea if John Karr is in fact the killer, only time and the courts will tell us for sure, however if he is justice may be extremely slow but it eventually shows its face.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Cease Fire - will it last?
Doubtful, you need to remember what the purpose was behind the Hezbullah attack to start with. They had two primary goals in mind, extract prisoners Israel is currently holding for crimes they committed against the Israeli people and to create a backlash against the Israelis from within the Muslim community. As a secondary goal, if they could goad the Israelis into attacking it would whip up anti-semitism throughout the world and thus continue their quest in destroying Israel.
By crossing the Israeli and kidnapping two members of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), they thought they could extract some prisoners from Israel through an exchange (which Israel has mistakenly done in the past). How did Israel react? They hit back this time and hit back hard; unfortunately not hard enough.
What amazes me is that if Hezbullah had done this with any other country, the reaction would have been far different and certainly more devastating. Could you imagine what the United States would do if Canada or Mexico without provocation, crossed our border and kidnapped two of our soldiers? Now you say "Well, Hezbullah isn't Lebanon". To which I would reply - BULLSHIT! Hezbullah has been allowed to control the entire southern region of Lebanon for better part of the last 20 years, if that does not make them a part of Lebanon, nothing will.
Israel has also been very restrained in their response. Case in point. During WWII the Germans launched well over 4,000 boms and missiles at the civilian areas of England; their goal was to completely destroy England. They did this over an 18 month period. That time frame is important here. The Allied response was to drop bombs and missiles in such a manner that they killed over 100,000 military and civilian personnel. That included men, women and children.
In less than 31 days, Hezbullah has launched over 3900 bombs at Israel; bombs packed not only with explosives, but glass, metal fragments, nails, staples, etc. In effect creating the worlds largest claymore mine. These bombs have been specifically directed at civilian areas with the purpose of exacting as much civilian loss as possible on the Israeli side. Israel's response has been to target known military and command positions. What hezbullah has done (which is a war crime in and of itself), is position these military and command operations right in the middle of civilian areas.
Now, what is Israel supposed to do? Not destroy those operations and allow them to continue bombing their country? You cannot possibly think that any other sane country would allow the same would you? I thought not.
The cease fire that has been in place for a few hours now will calm the region down some, but with Hezbullah's refusal to disarm and their penchant for causing havoc and their blood thirsty desire to completely destroy Israel will unfortunately cause this case fire to fail.
Lebanon made their bed with Hezbullah and now is suffering the consequences of that action. You may feel for them and understand their plight, but they made the bed and it is up to them to fix it themselves. Without fixing it, they will never have peace.
By crossing the Israeli and kidnapping two members of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), they thought they could extract some prisoners from Israel through an exchange (which Israel has mistakenly done in the past). How did Israel react? They hit back this time and hit back hard; unfortunately not hard enough.
What amazes me is that if Hezbullah had done this with any other country, the reaction would have been far different and certainly more devastating. Could you imagine what the United States would do if Canada or Mexico without provocation, crossed our border and kidnapped two of our soldiers? Now you say "Well, Hezbullah isn't Lebanon". To which I would reply - BULLSHIT! Hezbullah has been allowed to control the entire southern region of Lebanon for better part of the last 20 years, if that does not make them a part of Lebanon, nothing will.
Israel has also been very restrained in their response. Case in point. During WWII the Germans launched well over 4,000 boms and missiles at the civilian areas of England; their goal was to completely destroy England. They did this over an 18 month period. That time frame is important here. The Allied response was to drop bombs and missiles in such a manner that they killed over 100,000 military and civilian personnel. That included men, women and children.
In less than 31 days, Hezbullah has launched over 3900 bombs at Israel; bombs packed not only with explosives, but glass, metal fragments, nails, staples, etc. In effect creating the worlds largest claymore mine. These bombs have been specifically directed at civilian areas with the purpose of exacting as much civilian loss as possible on the Israeli side. Israel's response has been to target known military and command positions. What hezbullah has done (which is a war crime in and of itself), is position these military and command operations right in the middle of civilian areas.
Now, what is Israel supposed to do? Not destroy those operations and allow them to continue bombing their country? You cannot possibly think that any other sane country would allow the same would you? I thought not.
The cease fire that has been in place for a few hours now will calm the region down some, but with Hezbullah's refusal to disarm and their penchant for causing havoc and their blood thirsty desire to completely destroy Israel will unfortunately cause this case fire to fail.
Lebanon made their bed with Hezbullah and now is suffering the consequences of that action. You may feel for them and understand their plight, but they made the bed and it is up to them to fix it themselves. Without fixing it, they will never have peace.
What a weekend
What a weekend this has been; all in all it was a very enjoyable one. Unfortunately the kids did not have the level of success they experienced on Thursday or we had hoped for; however, we did enjoy watching them go through the program and hopefully will have better success in Louisville.
Since the schedule for them was relatively light, we were able to get out and around the fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday. I would like to congratulate all the 4-h'ers on their respective projects, there was nothing there that I did enjoy. You made the effort, expended the time and resources and even if you did not win you can take away the knowledge that you have improved yourself because of it. Good luck next year!
I have to say that the conservation area has been greatly improved! although there are a few tough hills in the area, all in all Dawn was ab le to get around with just Oxford (service dog) assisting.
I would be remiss if I did not at least say hello to Bo, it was good running into you and hopefully you won't lose my number AGAIN!
Since the schedule for them was relatively light, we were able to get out and around the fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday. I would like to congratulate all the 4-h'ers on their respective projects, there was nothing there that I did enjoy. You made the effort, expended the time and resources and even if you did not win you can take away the knowledge that you have improved yourself because of it. Good luck next year!
I have to say that the conservation area has been greatly improved! although there are a few tough hills in the area, all in all Dawn was ab le to get around with just Oxford (service dog) assisting.
I would be remiss if I did not at least say hello to Bo, it was good running into you and hopefully you won't lose my number AGAIN!
Friday, August 11, 2006
Slow weekend
It will be a bit slow around the blog this weekend. Dawn and I will be attending the Illinois State Fair to watch her nieces and nephew as they show their cattle in the respective classes.
The two youngest won their respective showmanship classes yesterday, so it is turning ot to be a very successful trip.
The two youngest won their respective showmanship classes yesterday, so it is turning ot to be a very successful trip.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
The more I think about CWLP
The more I think about CWLP and how they handled this Sierra Club agreement the madder I get. The self appointed King of Springfield got upset when he lost the vote last week. So what does he do? He calls it back for another vote and that worthless wuss Mark Mahoney who was absent for the first vote knows he controls how it will end and there is no way he can vote against the self appointed King.
Mahoney was playing pure politics earlier today when he was critical of how it was handled, but he damned well knew he was going to vote for it.
The figures as put forth by CWLP just do not add up and they know it. They lied about the alderman being told previously (Todd Renfrow is someone whom I could never trust now) and are lying about the numbers and frankly they (Renfrow and his chief alien engineer) should be immediately fired. Do not hold your breath though, this King only fires Republicans.
Mahoney is a liar, a turncoat, a wuss, too damn chicken to stand up on his own two feet and I am fearful this moron is really going to screw some of us over on a proposed deal with Calvary Temple.
I can only hope that when its time to vote the next time the voters remember this fiasco and toss both of these leftists out on their preverbial ear;.
Mahoney was playing pure politics earlier today when he was critical of how it was handled, but he damned well knew he was going to vote for it.
The figures as put forth by CWLP just do not add up and they know it. They lied about the alderman being told previously (Todd Renfrow is someone whom I could never trust now) and are lying about the numbers and frankly they (Renfrow and his chief alien engineer) should be immediately fired. Do not hold your breath though, this King only fires Republicans.
Mahoney is a liar, a turncoat, a wuss, too damn chicken to stand up on his own two feet and I am fearful this moron is really going to screw some of us over on a proposed deal with Calvary Temple.
I can only hope that when its time to vote the next time the voters remember this fiasco and toss both of these leftists out on their preverbial ear;.
Mike Wallace shows his true colors
Mike Wallace apparently has become smitten with the Iranian President. Mr. Wallace recently completed an interview with the terrorist (why do old out of date reporters feel the necessity to interview these killers?) Ahmadinejad.
"You'll find him an interesting man," the 88-year-old Wallace said. "I expected more of a firebrand. I don't think he has the slightest doubt about how he feels ... about the American administration and the Zionist state. He comes across as more rational than I had expected."
Interesting? Sorry Wally, I find him nothing more than a killer and murderer whose hell bent on destroying Israel, interesting? No, I find this maggot deplorable, and unfortunately I now am finding myself labeling you the same way.
"You'll find him an interesting man," the 88-year-old Wallace said. "I expected more of a firebrand. I don't think he has the slightest doubt about how he feels ... about the American administration and the Zionist state. He comes across as more rational than I had expected."
Interesting? Sorry Wally, I find him nothing more than a killer and murderer whose hell bent on destroying Israel, interesting? No, I find this maggot deplorable, and unfortunately I now am finding myself labeling you the same way.
Mark Mahoney is a wuss
Alderman Mark Mahoney caved in to the self appointed King of Springfield tonight and voted to approve the Sierra Club deal that CWLP negotiated in secret.
Mahoney had previously stated that he had not made his mind up on the issue, which is a bald faced lie. Mahoney had no intentions of voting against this because to do so would have meant challenging the idiotic Mayor.
Thanks Mark you proved me right again punk.
Mahoney had previously stated that he had not made his mind up on the issue, which is a bald faced lie. Mahoney had no intentions of voting against this because to do so would have meant challenging the idiotic Mayor.
Thanks Mark you proved me right again punk.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Preferential treatment in employment
There have been numerous conversations, blogs, and editorials written on this particular subject and I really really really mean it when I say that I hate to bring this up again. HOWEVER! I was reading on the sj-r.com tonight a discussion regarding the Governors intern and employment policies and one of the posters caused me to really think about one particular issue.
As it currently stands in Illinois, Veterans are given preferential treatment when applying for jobs with CMS, the Governors office, and othere state agencies. In addition, many federal jobs have the same status applied to them (postal service to name just one). I fully support our military, they deserve far more than they are currently receiving but I have to admit that there are times that I get irritated when someone is given preferential treatment in employment just because of their service, etc.
This is a difficult subject matter for me for several reasons. First and foremost I am dating the most wonderful young lady that has ever graced the face of this planet. She is funny, witty, honest, compassionate, loyal to a "t", pragmatic, diligent, a great conversationalist, opinionated, tough as nails, kind, considerate of others, tolerant, gorgeous, sexy, and most of all she has the ability to put up with me for more than a few minutes at a time. She is also disabled. She cannot walk due to a hiking accident approximately 20 years ago and is confined to a wheelchair.
Prior to meeting her I had given the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) less thought than I had about the internal workings of the fertilizer industry. That said, I had some misgivings about some of the requirements that were being placed upon businesses by the ADA. I have now seen up close and personal the benefit this law provides to countless individuals and how even with the law, some still, although I believe it is unintentional, discriminate against these same individuals. The law is not perfect but it does provide some sense of normalcy to a life that is anything but normal; where an everyday task becomes a major obstacle for many.
I have no problem with providing these individuals some assistance in acquiring suitable employment in an environment that treats them with respect and dignity; yet, I do believe that you need to be first qualified. That is one factor that I think in some circumstances is missing when employement preferences are granted.
I would take it personally if she were denied employment on the basis of her condition (which is extremely difficult to prove - hence the preferences to avoid even the appearance of such a denial) and I mean VERY PERSONALLY!. So please understand that I am coming from a unique perspective here.
When it comes to granting preferences to someone who has no disability, who has seen not a second of combat and served the minimum allowable time in the military; I have a really tough time seeing how giving them preferential treatment somehow benefits society. I know I am going to really irritate some in the military and I truly mean no disrespect, they have my utmost respect for their service, yet it is only the few that I take to task.
Back to the discussion on www.sj-r.com tonight, Ashrak made the following suggestion when it comes to employment preferences for those in the military:
"Every soldier that serves in combat should be exempt from federal income tax. Then, remove all forms of preferential treatment for any hiring except the merits of the applicant's ability to do the job."
It got me thinking........I could agree with that statement! However I would change it to the following:
"Every soldier that serves either for a period of not less than 10 years or one that has served in a combat role shall be exempt from all federal and state income taxes, provided that if at any time that soldier should be elected to either a statewide office or federal office the exemption shall become null and void".
My thought is if you give 10+ years of your life to the military (that would include Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard), you deserved a break and what better break to give someone than to eliminate their need to pay into federal or state income taxes. This would also apply to any military personnel who serves in a combat role. The exception would be that if you decide to run for public office you give up that exemption. I do not think politicians should benefit from a tax exemption after the huge pensions and health care plans they already get.
Then, remove all military preferences from employment. In effect a soldier would be receiving at the very least a 17% increase in take home pay.
Any thoughts? Am I way off base here or is this something that many could agree with?
As it currently stands in Illinois, Veterans are given preferential treatment when applying for jobs with CMS, the Governors office, and othere state agencies. In addition, many federal jobs have the same status applied to them (postal service to name just one). I fully support our military, they deserve far more than they are currently receiving but I have to admit that there are times that I get irritated when someone is given preferential treatment in employment just because of their service, etc.
This is a difficult subject matter for me for several reasons. First and foremost I am dating the most wonderful young lady that has ever graced the face of this planet. She is funny, witty, honest, compassionate, loyal to a "t", pragmatic, diligent, a great conversationalist, opinionated, tough as nails, kind, considerate of others, tolerant, gorgeous, sexy, and most of all she has the ability to put up with me for more than a few minutes at a time. She is also disabled. She cannot walk due to a hiking accident approximately 20 years ago and is confined to a wheelchair.
Prior to meeting her I had given the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) less thought than I had about the internal workings of the fertilizer industry. That said, I had some misgivings about some of the requirements that were being placed upon businesses by the ADA. I have now seen up close and personal the benefit this law provides to countless individuals and how even with the law, some still, although I believe it is unintentional, discriminate against these same individuals. The law is not perfect but it does provide some sense of normalcy to a life that is anything but normal; where an everyday task becomes a major obstacle for many.
I have no problem with providing these individuals some assistance in acquiring suitable employment in an environment that treats them with respect and dignity; yet, I do believe that you need to be first qualified. That is one factor that I think in some circumstances is missing when employement preferences are granted.
I would take it personally if she were denied employment on the basis of her condition (which is extremely difficult to prove - hence the preferences to avoid even the appearance of such a denial) and I mean VERY PERSONALLY!. So please understand that I am coming from a unique perspective here.
When it comes to granting preferences to someone who has no disability, who has seen not a second of combat and served the minimum allowable time in the military; I have a really tough time seeing how giving them preferential treatment somehow benefits society. I know I am going to really irritate some in the military and I truly mean no disrespect, they have my utmost respect for their service, yet it is only the few that I take to task.
Back to the discussion on www.sj-r.com tonight, Ashrak made the following suggestion when it comes to employment preferences for those in the military:
"Every soldier that serves in combat should be exempt from federal income tax. Then, remove all forms of preferential treatment for any hiring except the merits of the applicant's ability to do the job."
It got me thinking........I could agree with that statement! However I would change it to the following:
"Every soldier that serves either for a period of not less than 10 years or one that has served in a combat role shall be exempt from all federal and state income taxes, provided that if at any time that soldier should be elected to either a statewide office or federal office the exemption shall become null and void".
My thought is if you give 10+ years of your life to the military (that would include Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard), you deserved a break and what better break to give someone than to eliminate their need to pay into federal or state income taxes. This would also apply to any military personnel who serves in a combat role. The exception would be that if you decide to run for public office you give up that exemption. I do not think politicians should benefit from a tax exemption after the huge pensions and health care plans they already get.
Then, remove all military preferences from employment. In effect a soldier would be receiving at the very least a 17% increase in take home pay.
Any thoughts? Am I way off base here or is this something that many could agree with?
Is Hillary in trouble?
A recent poll in New York among likely Democratic voters, 45% of them have an unfavorable view of the Senator.
The question now is, will this translate into a loss at the polls?
We can only hope!
The question now is, will this translate into a loss at the polls?
We can only hope!
Anti-Sematic Huffington Blog
Sen. Joseph Lieberman has been fighting for his political life in Conneticut and it seems that some on the faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar left cannot resist the temptation to toss about some of the worst of Anti-Sematic towards Sen. Lieberman.
The Senator is a Democrat and I am a Republican, that will place us on opposite ends of the political spectrum, however, I cannot and will not ever tolerate the anti-Sematic comments being directed towards the Senator.
Sen. Lieberman is a man of integrity and without any doubt, loves his country. His ethnic and religious background has no place in this debate.
The Huffington blog has led the way in this hate filled rhetoric and it is deplorable. I can only hope that Senator Lieberman is able to defeat these hate mongers and send the likes of Huffington and moveon.org back to whatever rock they crawled out from underneath.
The Senator is a Democrat and I am a Republican, that will place us on opposite ends of the political spectrum, however, I cannot and will not ever tolerate the anti-Sematic comments being directed towards the Senator.
Sen. Lieberman is a man of integrity and without any doubt, loves his country. His ethnic and religious background has no place in this debate.
The Huffington blog has led the way in this hate filled rhetoric and it is deplorable. I can only hope that Senator Lieberman is able to defeat these hate mongers and send the likes of Huffington and moveon.org back to whatever rock they crawled out from underneath.
Blog change
When I set this blog up I misunderstood one of the settings (sign of old age) in that I was having to approve all of the posts.
I am not inclined to censor every single post and after figuring out how to change that setting I have changed it to allow the immediate posting of comments.
I still reserve the right to remove any post which I deem is libel or in bad taste.
I am not inclined to censor every single post and after figuring out how to change that setting I have changed it to allow the immediate posting of comments.
I still reserve the right to remove any post which I deem is libel or in bad taste.
Mayor Davlin cant stand losing
Mayor Tim Davlin of Springfield played a political game last week when he called for a vote on the Sierra Club agreement knowing ahead of time that he did not have enough votes to pass the ordinance. I have no doubt that the Mayor thought he could force one or more of the alderman opposed to the deal into voting for its passage if for no other reason than fear of the voters. He was wrong and ** HE LOST **.
That irritated the Mayor and because Davlin cannot stand losing anything, has decided to call for a special meeting of the City Council on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 to try again.
Last week Todd Renfro pulled some magical numbers out of his ass about how the refusal of passing the deal would cost the rate payers hundreds of thousands of dollars per day was a lie and he knows it. He has refused to supply answers as to how the numbers were arrived at and our Mayor is now quoting those same numbers. Numbers that he knows are a lie and he is using them simply as a scare tactic.
Mayor, you lost the vote, you lost credibility, and your "my way or the highway mentality" has no place in city government.
I personally would like to see Davlin resign from office over this fiasco, but with the likes of Sam Madonia (a so called Republican) supporting this hose job, I seriously doubt it will happen. We can only hope that someone else files suit so it nullifies the deal immediately.
That irritated the Mayor and because Davlin cannot stand losing anything, has decided to call for a special meeting of the City Council on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 to try again.
Last week Todd Renfro pulled some magical numbers out of his ass about how the refusal of passing the deal would cost the rate payers hundreds of thousands of dollars per day was a lie and he knows it. He has refused to supply answers as to how the numbers were arrived at and our Mayor is now quoting those same numbers. Numbers that he knows are a lie and he is using them simply as a scare tactic.
Mayor, you lost the vote, you lost credibility, and your "my way or the highway mentality" has no place in city government.
I personally would like to see Davlin resign from office over this fiasco, but with the likes of Sam Madonia (a so called Republican) supporting this hose job, I seriously doubt it will happen. We can only hope that someone else files suit so it nullifies the deal immediately.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Democrats use two faced tactics with Delay
Having previously argued that Democrats should be allowed to replace candidates unwilling or unable to run for political office, the Democratic party has switched tactics and argued the opposite when it came to Rep. Tom Delay.
The Texas Republican Party had sought to replace Delay's name on the ballot after the Congressman had resigned his seat and moved to Virginia, however the courts ruled that was not permitted under Texas Law.
I happen to agree with the ruling, the law is the law and should be enforced, but I do find it somewhat intriguing that the Democrats have argued both sides of this issue (talking out of both sides of their mouth when it suits them) depending on whether it would benefit or hurt their electoral chances.
Supreme Court Justice Scalia rejected a stay petition earlier today without comment, which leaves the lower courts ruling in effect.
The Texas Republican Party had sought to replace Delay's name on the ballot after the Congressman had resigned his seat and moved to Virginia, however the courts ruled that was not permitted under Texas Law.
I happen to agree with the ruling, the law is the law and should be enforced, but I do find it somewhat intriguing that the Democrats have argued both sides of this issue (talking out of both sides of their mouth when it suits them) depending on whether it would benefit or hurt their electoral chances.
Supreme Court Justice Scalia rejected a stay petition earlier today without comment, which leaves the lower courts ruling in effect.
Sheehan - "I'm a Texan Too"
If buying land in a state makes you a native then I must be a native of Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, etc. Because at one time or another myself and / or my ex spouse have owned property in all of those states.
I really would like to see Cindy Sheehan waltz her tail down through downtown Midland and with a bull horn call herself a Texan and see how long it takes those residents to show her what the true meaning of being a Texan really is!
My last comments on Sheehan were a bit harsh, and I will admit that I really took her to task; I have no issue with her grief or that she is upset over the loss of her son. However, she has taken this to new heights and extremes. When someone starts taking up sides with the likes of Venzuelan president, Hugo Chávez, I start taking issue with them.
I grieve over the soldiers who have given their all in Iraq to our country, and I most certainly grieve for their families; Cindy Sheehan though is one I have a tough time feeling sorry for. Tell ya what, I will feel sorry for her ex-husband and will await the day that Ms. Sheehan is permanently out of th news.
I really would like to see Cindy Sheehan waltz her tail down through downtown Midland and with a bull horn call herself a Texan and see how long it takes those residents to show her what the true meaning of being a Texan really is!
My last comments on Sheehan were a bit harsh, and I will admit that I really took her to task; I have no issue with her grief or that she is upset over the loss of her son. However, she has taken this to new heights and extremes. When someone starts taking up sides with the likes of Venzuelan president, Hugo Chávez, I start taking issue with them.
I grieve over the soldiers who have given their all in Iraq to our country, and I most certainly grieve for their families; Cindy Sheehan though is one I have a tough time feeling sorry for. Tell ya what, I will feel sorry for her ex-husband and will await the day that Ms. Sheehan is permanently out of th news.
PeoriaPundit Restored!
I am glad to see that peoriapundit.com has been restored and now all is good with the world, well at least the blogger world in Central Illinois.
PeoriaPundit Hacked
It appears another punkass wannabe computer guru has hacked the website of Peoria Pundit. I can only hope that Bill is able to determine who did it and nails their sorry ass to the wall.
This is partly why I refuse to use Micro$oft for web servers.
Good Luck Bill.
This is partly why I refuse to use Micro$oft for web servers.
Good Luck Bill.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Hezbullah rejects cease fire agreement
Wow, what a suprise! I was positive that Hezbullah was going to accept this cease fire agreement as it was negotiated between the United States and France...... ** NOT ** !
The Lebanese government through their complicity with Hezbullah rejected the cease fire agreement today and why? Because as long as the war continues they have something to blame on Israel.
Israel has shown great restraint in this whole conflict; they could, if they so wanted, completely destroy the Lebanese government, the infrastructure, and occupy all of its territory. Anyone who actually doubts this is apparently lacking in their history of the Israeli military and their ability to get the job done.
Hezbullah on the other hand, has only one purpose in mind and that is to be a thorn in the Israelis side and on a grander scale to see to the complete destruction of Israel. What they forget is, they have yet to beat the IDF in a single conflict let alone an entire war.
If Hezbullah keeps this up, the Israeli military establishment will grow weary of their strike and hide mentality and really go after them.....I only hope it comes sooner rather than later, for the sake of the innocent Israeli children.
The Lebanese government through their complicity with Hezbullah rejected the cease fire agreement today and why? Because as long as the war continues they have something to blame on Israel.
Israel has shown great restraint in this whole conflict; they could, if they so wanted, completely destroy the Lebanese government, the infrastructure, and occupy all of its territory. Anyone who actually doubts this is apparently lacking in their history of the Israeli military and their ability to get the job done.
Hezbullah on the other hand, has only one purpose in mind and that is to be a thorn in the Israelis side and on a grander scale to see to the complete destruction of Israel. What they forget is, they have yet to beat the IDF in a single conflict let alone an entire war.
If Hezbullah keeps this up, the Israeli military establishment will grow weary of their strike and hide mentality and really go after them.....I only hope it comes sooner rather than later, for the sake of the innocent Israeli children.
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