New Developments in the UCCSN Budget

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I spoke last night with a coworker who told me that similar budget cuts have been implemented in the state university system in a crisis. Since the legislature won't want to be saddled with responsibility for implementing the governor's sweeping demands, they will be reticent as before to pass anything during the 120 day legislative session, thus necessitating, at additional future expense, a special session to deal with education cuts. ON top of that, they can't fund anything else until they fund education, so everyone else will be hanging on a whisp of a prayer until sometime later this fall. He told me that last time, layoffs came just before Christmas, but by then people had been drawing paychecks for six months of the biennium.

As opposed to what we originally heard, they froze all tenure, meaning that some of the professors who are not held in high regard are now vulnerable to layoffs. Furthermore, if the governor called for a state of emergency, tenure would be meaningless, because you can lay off one tenured professor and hire two full time adjuncts for the same price, getting twice as much work at the same expense. This professor is worried because he's in the 45-60 demographic where they like to lay people off, but I would like to hope for him and myself that they would recognize who gets the job done and retain people who carry the workload.

Ultimately, the dean apparently carries a lot of weight. I hope she likes me.

Global Warming is a Gas

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Years ago, I used to play a joke on friends of mine talking about how dihydrogen monoxide poisoning threatened all of our waterways, estuaries, and aquifers. It was in our cities, in our food, and now that I think about it, it's in the air all around us. Of course, my scientifically minded friends soon realized that dihydrogen monoxide, nefarious though it may sound, is actually water, and then the joke was on them for their concern.

The fact of the matter is that the joke is still on everyone who believes the global warming hype. Like it or not, water's primary responsibility in protecting and preserving life is as a buffer- whether it be temperature, pressure, pH, etc. The water cycle regulates temperature. When the temperature rises, evaporation occurs as water absorbs most of the heat (very few things can absorb as much energy in the form of heat as water) and hydrates the air, eventually leading to precipitation when the atmospheric concentration of water vapor exceeds the loading limit. As water falls from the sky, it cools the earth even further, setting us up for the cycle to repeat itself. In fact, this oscillatory cycle occurs every year in the form of the seasons.

No matter how much carbon dioxide may be in the atmosphere, there is always more water vapor as a total component. Where there is less water in the air per capita the climate borders on being arid; where it is high, we term that tropical. If you run a total dissolved CO2 measurement in those climates, you will see that it's statistically insignificant. Dihydrogen monoxide is the major greenhouse gas. It traps heat under clouds, blocks the sun, absorbs heat, and bears most of the burden of regulating temperature. As opposed to other chemical species, water's rate of transmission of energy from heat is slower, given the activation energies at the points of phase transition. Water, unlike CO2, occurs naturally on earth in every phase- solid, liquid and gas, and it can move between them in this world without help from man.

The world doesn't need our help either. If man really got in the way of upsetting the buffer, the earth would eliminate us as a constraint.

Elections Have Consequences

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If you've lost equity in your home, don't you dare vote for a liberal in 2010.
If you've lost value in your 401K or retirement plan, don't you dare vote for a liberal in 2010.
If you're paying more for gas and food and utilities, don't you dare vote for a liberal in 2010.
If you've lost your job, don't you dare vote for a liberal in 2010.

As much as they try to pin the blame for this on our last president, the Democrat party has controlled both houses of Congress for the last two years, which is the time during which I saw everything in my life cost more or lose value. Obama and his friends only want to use power to empower themselves. This is not about helping the little people. He won't even send his brother in Kenya $20 to double his annual earnings. He doesn't care about you. He cares about what he can extract from you. Taxpayers according to Obama exist to serve the government, and you will see that as his presidency unfolds.

Not one Republican in the House of Representatives voted for the bailout today. When this plan fails, as it inevitably will, it will hang like a millstone around the necks of the 242 Democrats who betrayed you in a vain attempt to concentrate power. The ESP (European Socialist Party) has taken over the Democrat party of Thomas Jefferson. They voted against the Constitution which establishes limited government, against capitalism which creates wealth and prosperity. There is nothing wrong with the principle of Capitalism or Federalism- there are only bad people who claim to be adherents thereunto. In my book Responsible Liberty, I talk about conscientious capitalism, but even a corrupted version of capitalism is better than socialism in any form.

I hope that some of the elected officials live lives of corruption because they know not what they do. I believe that unless people are woefully ignorant or irredeemably wicked that if they disagree with me it's not because they truly want to destroy what I want but because they really believe their ideas will get them what they want. There are many yet on the earth who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men and who are kept from the truth because they know not where to find it, wherefore that we should waste and wear out our lives bringing to light the hidden things of darkness and lead men into the light. If you've never read in Plato about the Cave analogy, you should (Plato's Republic). I know it's hard to look at the light when you're used to seeing shadow and it's easy to sit back down in the dark and watch shadows of the truth. For my own part, I love the animating contest of freedom more than wealth or servile tranquility, which is why I choose to live as Don Quixote.

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

Remember, remember, on the 2nd of November 2010. Stand up for liberty; stand up for the Constitution; stand up for those who love lower taxes and smaller government. Get behind people who understand what the Founding Fathers had in mind. Our nation, no matter what Nancy Pelosi says, was founded on a platform of lower taxes. I will never forget that about Governor Gibbons, and I will continue to advocate for that in every letter I write no matter how many canned responses they return to me. On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Godspeed the right.

Yakkity Yak, Back From Iraq

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Monday, I went to lunch with a friend who just returned from a 13 month deployment in Iraq with the USMC. I found his commentary and insights interesting notwithstanding his humble rank (he's an NCO), and illustrative of the larger conflict and world order.

From what he told me, his deployment in Iraq was actually rather boring. Despite being in Al Anwar province which was once the scene of vicious fighting and frequent bombings, nobody in his unit was wounded or killed, and most of them neither saw combat nor even an IED explosion. True, they drove vehicles for the specific purpose of finding and destroying those weapons, and true the Iraqi forces to which they were attached took casualties, but his job consisted mostly in training Iraqi units and routing out dissidents and moles from their ranks.

Much of the multinational force is gone, and most of our troops have already left Iraq, leaving only what few are necessary. My friend tells me that if he redeploys he knows he will serve in Afghanistan instead, as Iraq has largely quieted down to a low rumble such as is common in that part of the world.

What my friend missed most was friends and family. He spent 13 months in close proximity to other men, and while they share a brotherhood in the Corps, he seemed happy and at ease in our company. Despite that, he's eager to serve, and I respect that, even if I think he's crazy. I think he and his wife have been married less than two years, and he's ready to go right back out if necessary to serve.

Insult to Injury

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As if to add insult to injury, our new president hastens to appease our enemies at the cost of the people. Rather than address us with his hopes, dreams, and aspirations for American greatness, he chose in his inaugural address to talk about how hard the times are. In a talk given at the BYU commencement in 1980, Jeffrey R Holland, then president of BYU painted a picture of America that could be the same today, verily in every respect. Rather than show us the way, Obama runs to an Arabic network for his first presidential address to show them “I can be your friend”.

Obama picks Arab network

President Obama uses his first formal TV interview to send a message to the Muslim world. » 'Not your enemy'

Why not see them as they really are- our enemies. They are on a jihad, which can only end when either they or we become extinct.

Hollywood's Dichotomy of Error

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The activities in which Hollywood starlets engage create more global warming per capita than anyone else.

In order to live the lap of luxury, it demands expenditures of generous amount and dubious value to the individual and the world at large. Many Hollywood starlets, much as they tout green vehicles and conservation own more vehicles than they "need". While they may only drive one car at a time and it may be efficient, they usually own several vehicles, as well as recreation luxury items such as boats, jetskis, corporate jets, and the like, the manufacture and operation of which depends on fossil fuel expenditure. To maintain their image, Hollywood starlets engage in the purchase of products whose manufacture hurts the environment. Forget the animal testing of cosmetics, but the manufacture of lipstick, deodorant, hairspray/gel, ad infinitum, not only involves the expenditure of chemicals and fossil fuels but also ladels poisons such as aluminum into their bodies, not to mention the compressed CO2 in aerosol products.

Advanced medical care that keeps the rich looking young, flawless and pure, also comes at a high energy cost. Some caller on Mark Levin's show Monday mentions that botox comes shipped with dry ice which sublimates into TONS of CO2 as it disappates. In point of fact, virtually all medical care involves this process, as many things come shipped with dry ice or must be stored at low temperatures only made possible by the expenditure of fossil fuels. Like it or not, solar and wind generators remain unable to generate enough energy to run a -80F refrigerator.

Liberals foster companies they frequent and punish everyone else. It's ok if Starbucks executives have corporate jets because they all hang out there, but when GM executives fly in on corporate jets it's bad. Not six months ago they couldn't shut up about "windfall profits" of "Big Oil". Now, nobody hates Chevron, Shell, etc., but they have got to be hurting, especially since OPEC is cutting production to stop the price freefall. Face it, the environmentalist movement was never about the planet; it has always been about other people getting control of you. If they were serious about the environment, thehy would shut down research and plastic surgery instead.

Statistically Speaking

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My Applied Statistics professor in college really liked my project and presentation. He didn’t like it because it proved something wonderful that he could patent or because it was pretty or because we did something about which he was personally passionate. He liked it because I got up in the summary and said that the statistics were insufficient to demonstrate any statistically significant correlations between the groups on the demographics we chose to examine.

Everyone talks about this past election because of its historic nature, but as Rush Limbaugh says, the only thing remarkable about it is that we saw another peaceful transition of power despite the millions who did not vote for the new president. Obama talked about statistics in his inaugural, so let's talk statistics. The fact of the matter is that this, like so many other agenda-driven items, is not statistically relevant.

According to Mark Levin, 2 million is about average for an inauguration. In fact, he remembers when the Fliers won the Stanley Cup and 3 million people poured onto the streets of Philadelphia. We need to deal here with a segue to an economy of scale: at the nation's founding, there were only 2 million people in the whole country, meaning that if Obama had managed in 1792 to bring that many to his inauguration it would have been truly astounding. The fact of the matter is that less than 1% of our current population went to Washington to watch the inauguration, yet at that same scale, it would have taken only 20000 people watching Washington to rank a comparable crowd. Considering that he likely had that many soldiers present alone in Philadelphia (granted he took the oath inside in the building adjacent to Independence Hall) his inauguration was at least as impressive statistically speaking.

Obama’s presidency is mediocre so far at best, no matter how the media spins it. Sure, they find young people in the crowd who talk of how his election has made their life better, but so far nothing Obama has done or mentioned he plans to do will elevate the life of the average person in America. How sad of a life you must have when the most important thing that's ever happened in your life is that Barack Obama took the oath of office.

So he completed a full day, a full week even as president. Well, give that man a medal. That's what we PAY him to do. But what has he really done? It's all political, short on specifics and entirely a matter of pandering to interests. Empty promises do not give me reason to marvel. So far, on inauguration day he signed a bill creating another National Day of Something-or-other, and yesterday he signed some executive orders. His tax relief bill is loaded with Government pork- none of which will help create permanent jobs in the private sector.

Instead of securing the nation, Obama has turned hard left in an attempt to secure socialism in perpetuity in this country. What he’s done so far is sign a series of executive orders, thereby effectively skirting the checks and balances system by passing by the rest of the federal process and leaving the legislative branch twiddling their thumbs. Furthermore, those executive orders have made America more vulnerable to attack from terrorists while he makes ovations of appeasement. He would do well to remember Patrick Henry. “I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land.” Our enemies mean to win. Obama just showed them that he doesn’t.

Governor Gibbons Kills Higher Education

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Although I'm not entirely sure about all the rumored numbers flying around, Governor Gibbons has, in an attempt to meet state budget without raising taxes, proposed huge cuts to higher education. For a man who ran on a platform of Education First, this strikes me as duplicitous and confusing. To meet his demands, the University system for which I work will take a roughly 40% reduction in budget on top of 6% pay cuts, a freeze in COLA and merit pay increases, an increase in copay from 20% to 40% and an end to the PERS retirement system. This is huge.

Like it or not, the governor created this mess. He was a driving force behind the constitutional amendment that requires that education be funded before anything else. I voted against that. this means that if he funds education to its full extent or to our actual need, there remains very little money in the budget to fund anything else...anything else. Doubtless, he promised funding to other endeavors, which he cannot deliver until education is paid for.

Jim Gibbons will go down in history as the man who tried to destroy Universities in Nevada. UNLV has threatened to increase tuition fourfold to $13K/year to compensate, or commensurate with the cost of attending UC Berkley which is arguably a better school. I am at risk for a layoff, and some people are being threatened into retirement or shown the door already.

There are plenty of people without whom we could manage. If 50% of the Nevada budget goes to salaries, Nevada has too many people on the public payroll. Repeated attempts at persuading the governor to lay off bad teachers have gone unanswered and unheeded. Doubtless, he fears the unions, which are keeping people employed who do not belong because they do not perform. Meanwhile those of us who show up for work every day on time and are willing and excited to teach are going to be the first ones cut.

Woe, woe unto the young people of Nevada. Woah, woah, Governor Gibbons. This is a fight you lost before it ever began. You dug your own grave on this one. Instead of cutting that, there are other things you should have gone after- the Springs Preserve, road projects, new government buildings, etc. By going after education first, you have virtually guaranteed yourself a loss in 2010. Smooth move.

Twenty-Five Things You May Not Know About Me

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1. My Favorite color is blue. It's been that way most of my life. When I was really young, it was my maternal grandmother's favorite color. People also tell me it's the color that looks best on me, but I buy other things to shake things up after a girl I liked told me at a dance once that if I continued to dress in only blue, people would only notice my socks and my teeth (which are slightly stained).

2. I attended HS in FL: I actually went to the "poor" high school because it was only about a half mile from where I lived, so I walked home at least. We drove to school unfortunately because we had seminary in the morning at the church 12 miles away and then had to drive back to where I lived to go to school. We got let out early at least a half dozen times for bomb scares and at least once because the Air Conditioning went out. I was also almost suspended once because they had this unwritten rule about suspending a white kid with a black kid (it was about 65% black, and then split evenly after that between whites and Hispanics).

3. While living in FL I was once stung by a jellyfish: we were out playing in the ocean just before spring break and my legs started stinging like mad. I had been hit by fragments of tentacles that had broken off of the jellyfish coming in, and I couldn't sit still for about a week.

4. My mom made us learn piano for five years, then I played clarinet in HS band and I took up the guitar in 2008 as one of my goals. My sister was amazed at my ambition and ability, but she tells me I have bad form ;).

5. The last time I played an organized sport was in the MTC and I got injured sufficiently playing soccer that I was almost reassigned stateside. Although nothing broke, now that I jog a lot, I can tell there was damage that was never detected or treated.

6. My favorite movie has almost always been the Princess Bride. If I trim my mustache, I do a wicked Wesley impersonation

7. My favorite gift: one year, dad gave us this race car track kit, and we played for hours and hours and hours, year after year after year...I have no idea why, but we loved that thing.

8. My favorite thing to eat is salmon because I like the taste and it's easy to cook, not that I don't prefer other foods, but I don't cook them because I'm too lazy.

9. According to the USAF, I am 5'11", which is why I am not in the military because I thought I was 6', so I didn't make the weight cut. I do now.

10. I think the prince into whom the Beast transforms in Beauty and the Beast is the ugliest prince in any Disney movie. That gives me hope since Belle is like the cutest babe.

11. Back in college, I had an 8AM lecture class every semester. Two semesters I had an 8AM lecture class every day M-F. I also graduated in 3.5 years, only staying that last semester for two classes because my major offered no summer courses.

12. One Christmas, I really did want my two front teeth. At my grandmother's birthday that year, we were playing baseball in the park, and I refused to move off the plate when my brother wanted to hit a ball, so he tossed it anyway, swung, and knocked out my two front teeth. They didn't come until the next year, but at least it was baby teeth and not permanent ones that I lost.

13. When my sister's having a bad day, I sometimes offer to play Barbie: Queen of the Prom with her. Although I've come close on many occasions, I have never won, though I often manage to get Pointdexter as my prom date.

14. I prefer to run a little behind the current technology for practical reasons. For example, by the time I buy something, the price has basically bottomed out, and as other people I know upgrade I can sometimes get their cast-offs for free. I regularly pick up free VHS tapes and cassettes that people are just giving away, and so I have a steady stream of free entertainment for the price of the fuel it costs to drive over and pick it up, which I would have to pay any way to go shopping.

15. I have never received all of my income tax withheld back any year I've filed tax returns. When I was 12, I inherited some money and invested it in the stock market, and so I've had to pay capital gains since I was 16. In fact that year, since I earned so little, they didn't withhold any tax, and when I filed I had to write a check to the government for $40 for the $400 I earned in capital gains that year. Stupid Clinton tax policies… It did a lot to shape my politics and accounts in large part for my conservative views.

16. Unless I write something down, I tend to forget it. When I write it down, more often than not I don't actually have to refer to it in order to remember it. I seem to have a great knack for memorization and managed to memorize the following: The Declaration of Independence, Patrick Henry's Liberty or Death Speech, and the first three pages of Common Sense.

17. Although I don't usually remember sleeping dreams, but if you want to talk about dreams for my life, I really wanted to be a cop. For all of my life, I've been a real stickler for law and order so much that people hate following me anywhere because I drive the speed limit and all that. Although I passed the Nevada and Idaho Highway Patrol exams and the Vegas Metro test, I was ultimately rejected for two reasons: first that I didn't have a college degree in criminal justice or any classes appertaining thereunto (I have an MS in Biochemistry) and secondly because they weren't sure I would make it through the physical portion of the academy.

18. One thing that never fails to make me laugh is that line from Beauty and the Beast where Cogsworth tells Lumiere "I know it's a girl…" Of late, we've had lots of occasion to say that, and that line just makes me laugh, even when it's used without context at all.

19. One of the most profound things I've thought about of late is the Genie's limitations on wishes in Aladdin. First off, he forbids wishing for more wishes. The unlimited expansion of having whatever you want whenever you want is a fundamental concept of the cosmos- that there are rules that must be followed and that you can't overcome them simply by passing a law that oblates a priori law. It also sets precedence for unlimited power, which is also contrary to happiness and order. Secondly, he talks about bringing people back from the dead. First of all, I think that's very, very cruel. Last night I watched Hellboy where he gets this corpse in the graveyard to help him find Rasputin. When the corpse plummets to its second death, it almost looks relieved. Cursed lives, half lives, and shadows of what they were, in all fables and stories that involve the reanimation of dead tissue except for Christ, they are all dark, fearful, and end badly. Finally, the genie forbids him to mess with love. The affairs of the heart also relate to agency and from cupid to Love Potion Number Nine reemerge in popular culture as a theme. Forcing love is a form of control. Everyone wants to marry for love, and everyone wants to get what they want and deserve. In a related sense then, everyone who plays tricks with the heart even without genie influence does every one of us who is honest in our pursuit for love, acceptance and affection a disservice. Eventually people stop believing in "true love" and brave knights, and cynicism and bitterness become the rule of the day and behavior. Sad but true.

20. During High School, I CLEP tested out of Chemistry lecture but not out of lab, but I was in my second year before I finally got around to making up the lab. So, at 22 years old, while taking Organic Chemistry lab, I also had to take General Chemistry lab too. One day in class while we were sublimating or something, the girl next to me shoved a beaker in my face, she knowing I was an upperclassman and a bit more adept at Chemistry than she, and asked me, "Does this smell like bromine to you?" Bromine gas is a caustic and toxic chemical similar to chlorine which was used as a weapon in war. Fortunately for me, the only thing that happened is that it burned out the inside of that nostril. So, on cold days, my nose will just randomly bleed, and it impeded my sense of smell and also in effect my ability to taste. When people tell me I have no taste, I smile and respond, "You have no idea..."

21. My idea of a perfect date is April 25th because it's not too hot or too cold. All you need is a light jacket. It also happens to be my birthday, so kudos to the writers of Miss Congeniality for forever ensconcing my birthday in pop culture.

22. Well, I think the last song I listened to was "Silver Bells" from Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas. I have that on a cassette in my car and I listen to it from about October-April every year at which time I finally stop listening to Christmas music.

23. Back when we moved from Florida, I got interested in photography. The movers were horrible, and my random pictures also served as proof of things we owned that didn't arrive when the truck got there, and so the moving company reimbursed us for things that were stolen. I've always been interested in photography. My parents worried in HS that on Friday nights I would go develop film and prints in the garage instead of going out on dates. I spent the better part of the last two years photographing Nevada for a book I'm putting together that will go to press in 2009.

24. Unlike most people of religious persuasion, I do not consider ass, hell and damn to be profanity. Since they are used in scripture and if used in the proper context, not as interjections or exclamations, I do not feel uncomfortable using them in every day speech. Most people use them as substitute words when other ways of expression fail them. I however do not feel uneasy talking about natural things like menstruation, because in the right context certain words and phrases are completely innocuous, or should be. Don't make me share your disease for an expression when there's no need for it. Passing on your shame to me is cowardly.

25. The night I attended Gordon Hinckley's 90th birthday concert on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, I purposely did something dangerous. As we walked home, crossing through the park on the way to my grandparents' condo where we parked, I noticed two men involved in a knife fight. After watching for a few minutes as other attendees in their fine vestments walked by without stopping to look or gawked without interceding, I turned to my mom and told her I was going to intervene. The one man was bleeding profusely from some cuts and appeared to be unarmed. Both men were inebriated. I sent my mom back for the policemen we'd passed a few blocks away and I stepped out onto the grass. As soon as I did, the man with the knife ignored his original target in favor of coming at me. Since I have a black belt, don't drink, and knew what I was doing, I was able to keep away from him and distract him until the police arrived and took him into custody. I also kept trying to check on the bleeding man who seemed grateful to sit there and bleed without having to fend off more attacks. I have always found it odd that of all the people who watched that spectacle I was the only one to intervene.

This is My Oath

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I have decided to wage an all-out war against satan. If successful, this war will last me the rest of my life. Tomorrow morning, I will be at the Salt Lake City MEPS weighing in preparatory to joining the USAF. I consider today the day I enlisted in the Army of Liberty, but unlike the demagoguery with which our new President meets us today, I make my oath that same sentiment first coined by the President for whom I hold the most respect.

I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. --Thomas Jefferson

This image is proprietary.

Obama's Presumptive Hubris

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Abraham Lincoln was until 2006 my favorite president hands down. In part, I think his image has soured for me because of how Barack Obama garbs himself in the mantle of that great man, with whom he shares no commonality other than also hailing from Illinois.

I stand in awe at the gall of this man. To walk around as if he were Lincoln, who is arguably one of our greatest presidents, when Lincoln himself would have never done what Obama proposes smacks of a hubris I rarely encounter. Our country is not the country Lincoln inherited...she is only divided because the Liberals have tried to resist Lincoln since 1861. Although at war, we are not divided between ourselves and the casualty rates and scope of gore don't even begin to compare, but then again why should that surprise me when liberals bewail Vietnam, in which fewer men were killed than in a single battle of the Civil War at Gettysburg.

Leading up to the speech, Obama seems to be setting the stage for a new message. Instead of "Yes we can" and "Hope and Change", it sounds more like "Not so fast" and "Lower your expectations". Obama claims that the nation's problems are so severe we need him to heal our wounds and that more hardship is coming...sounds like Lincoln's 2nd inaugural, but it's no way that bad. I am quite frankly irritated by this demagoguery. Two weeks ago, I stood at that monument. I sat in front of the reflective pool, loaded down with a melancholy because I knew that when he came to office he would waste the fruits of my labor. Obama is one of the Looters, legal thieves, who take from those who earn and give to others who would never do what is necessary to honestly acquire it themselves.

Like Chicken Little, Obama tells us that the sky is falling. Yet, his life smacks of ironic hypocrisy; he speaks of warming even while he takes an unnecessary flight to Philly to take a train back to Washington for the sake of an image and nothing else. Despite his allegations, the country is not in such dire circumstances. I was born during the darkest time of American history- the Carter Administration, when we had double digit inflation and unemployment and interest rates.

If I picked one word to describe Obama, it would be dichotomy. He preaches sacrifice but won't, as the millionaire member of his family, spare $20 to double the standard of living for his brother in kenya. While he whines about economic dire straights and spends four times as much on his inauguration as any other predecessor. He wants to create jobs but threatens to punish those who create them. He says he wants tax cuts, but promises trillions in budget that cannot be covered without increase in taxes. Productive, virtuous, and honest people are his enemies. Talk about Hubris.

Obama's supporters want us to get behind one man with one ideology and not question him, because it's too important that he remain to solve the problems. Hello! Bush is gone...ding, dong the Bush is dead...let's fall into step with Obama. Why do some republicans even want this to work and set aside their views? Good riddens to Newt Gingrich. Looks like Ensign was right about him. Any man who sets aside his views for peace doesn't believe in anything. While on the surface, Obama claims to share our values, he's all about big government...he's a Demogogue. I just finished reading Aristotle on Politics last night, and I could not have done so at a better time- the Obama Oligarchy is an intellectual ruse, duping the people into a change in regime by promising them things they want to hear but to which he cannot be henceforth held and which it was never in his heart to give us.

Every man who parrots the cry of "stand by the President" without adding the proviso 'so far as he serves the Republic' takes an attitude as essentially unmanly as that of any Stuart royalist who championed the doctrine that the king can do no wrong. --Theodore Roosevelt

For Your Own Good

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"Of all tyrannies a tyranny exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. "- C.S. Lewis

Overwhelming Majority

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The media keeps talking about how important it is to get behind the new president given what they call how an "overwhelming majority" of Americans support him. Since when is 52-48 overwhelming? This must be an example of new math from those who never learned the old. If I ran against Obama in 2012 and beat him 80-20, would they get on their broadcasts and demand that everyone get behind me even though 20% of the populace opposed my election? Anyone who believes that needs a CAT scan.

Media and Obama supporters take his election as a mandate, but they never gave Reagan credit for a mandate when he swept the election in 1984 by much more. Despite the millions who elected the new president, remember that millions of people voted against Obama. Why should we lay down and give up everything we want just because we were beaten 52-48? That's not a sweep or a skunk in sports, it's a simply victory, but if Obama had won by a single vote, they would have still said he had overwhelming support. The fact of the matter is that it's not about the numbers; it's about the image- the way they crop and angle their shots to make it look like Obama is loved by everyone. I was in DC two weeks ago, and I heard an Obama protest from a black man.

Even the street vendors selling souvenirs don't seem very excited. Business selling Obama merchandise isn't booming, it's "ok". The purveyors on the street all had dour faces, as did their fellows in the stores. They reflect the sentiment of the administration that this is a dark time for America.

Our future president talks as if we're not doing enough already, yet he, the millionaire, who has arguably far more capability to help than I, does the least personally to alleviate the suffering of people around the world. In fact, until he ran for president, Obama had given less to charity in his entire life in absolute dollars than I have, notwithstanding the large differential in our incomes. Where much is given, much is required, and the Declaration of Independence teaches us that those who have the capability have the responsibility. If it comes from each according to his capability, Obama should show the way instead of signing mandate passing the buck to us.

Whatever Happened to Recess?

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Although there are no facilities where I work for real play, I had a sudden inexplicable urge to go out and use a playground, to run around, kicking a ball, playing tag, or something like we used to do when we were kids. I don't often feel this way, and more often than not when it comes because facilities are absent or people are not amenable to that the feeling simply passes without being acted upon.

Back when I took Oganizational and Interpersonal Behavior as part of my business minor in college, we learned about organizations that offer recreation to their employees during the day. Companies like Hewlett Packard do this, not only as a perk of employment but also to strengthen the workforce by giving them an opportunity to recreate during the day and recharge. Studies show that if you exercise, it increases productivity, and if you have a break to look forward to in the middle of the day, it can help stave off the afternoon slump.

Recess taught kids important lessons. It wasn't just to give teachers pause and help us keep focused. I remember fondly learning to keep score, to count, to be counted on, to play games together, to see who got selected. I earned most of my massive marble collection on the fields at recess. I miss learning to play together, for I see a great weakness in our world today of people's ability to get along and play together.

While watching a friend's small girl play with a neighbor girl, something interesting dawned on me. Although neither girl could take, somehow, they both managed to communicate as they played, and they seemed to get along swimmingly. Unlike these children, the education of today focuses instead on how best to snub, exploit, and beat one another.

The Internal Combustion Engine is Here to Stay

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A Yahoo article today on Gasoline powered cars told the entire story. In it, the CEO of Daimler had the following to say about that technology:

The internal-combustion engine "will likely remain the backbone of mobility for the foreseeable future," said Daimler AG Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche. He said his company has been able to improve the efficiency of gas and diesel engines by about 23% and "there is still further to go."

He didn't tout solar or hydrogen or anything else the no-growth environmental Marxists advocate. He told us where the market is driving sales, what the people want, and where automakers are and should be vesting their efforts- in the internal combustion engine. Personally, the more I learn about this, the more I feel awe for those who came up with it. Today Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) announced a $4500 rebate for old gas guzzlers will go before the Senate. Considering my car is worth tops $1500, that's a killer for me once I finally give up on my 1995 Saturn SL1.

If gas were on the way out, they would not be vesting money developing a more efficient and more powerful engine that uses it as a fuel. It's still the most efficient and effective mode per capita of moving people around. What are the practical applications? Drill, drill, drill...if Daimler-Chrysler's CEO says this, we'd better listen or else the USA will be left in the dust.

What I Want From Obama

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I really want this guy to write my campaign speeches.

From the Big Hollywood Blog

Update on Governor's Plan

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When I returned from my trip to DC, my boss gave me the latest news on the governor's proposed actions to reduce spending. Since my job hangs on the chopping block depending on the level of reduction the governor requires and since buying a home and so many other things hang on whether I get to keep this job or not, everyone is anxious to find out if they're going to have to do without me.

The governor's new plan calls for a 14-15% reduction, which was the lowest level I believe coupled to a 6% salary reduction. This essentially rolls me back to before my merit increase or eliminates the COLA I've received thus far, to the tune of $150-200/month reduction in pay. Some people out there say that nobody in government is cutting back; to them I point their attention to our unpopular governor who I appreciate for having kept his promise not to raise taxes. I disagree with his plan, as I told him this morning:

Sir-

Much as I appreciate your efforts to forestall layoffs through a proposed 6% pay cut to state employees, I have to say I differ in my opinion on this. That being said, I have been notified by CSN that depending on the reduction for which you ask I may myself be laid off, and if I acquiesced to this new strategy it would protect my job. I want to keep my job, but I feel that the government has become bloated in every sector- that we could always do with fewer people, however surgically they might need to be excised. I know there are people at CSN we do not need despite what President Richards says and despite the fact that my department can't do without me in particular. The tenure system protects people without whom we would be better off, and connections protect others, but I will not get into the politics of that. I have no connections on which to hang my hat; I rest on my laurels and my ethics and trust that God will deliver me. For my own part, I prefer a permanent reduction if possible in the number of people on the public payroll. I have been laid off in the private sector and survived just fine, despite the so-called Bush recession. I prefer to risk my own job security for the greater good of reducing the state work force over your payroll deduction, which would cost me $200/month.

I appreciate as heretofore that you have decided not to raise taxes to solve the crisis. I know you take lots of flak for this. Whatever other faults you have, I salute you sir for this resolute refusal to run the same race as Republicans around the country. They say nobody's doing what is right as a steward. They have apparently not heard about you. May God bless you in your personal pursuits for acting in good faith as a steward of the fruits of our labor. Godspeed.

When the chair notified me that my name was on the list, he told me that there were people with whom he preferred to dispense, but the tenure system renders them safe. Other people are protected by connections, and other people are being paid on administrative leave. If we have gotten along without them for the entire time I've been here, why do we need their positions? I say cut them, but by all means stop paying them to do no work. Have we already forgotten former judge Halverson who never heard a case in her term but still collected full pay? At least she lost the election...

Why Drilling Matters Most

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Now that gas prices have fallen, we hear very little about new energy sources or windfall profit taxes. The problem is that our supply remains the same, so if there's a sudden surge in demand, prices will return to previous levels and some suppliers like OPEC are cutting supply in order to bolster prices, further exacerbating the problem.

These countries have, by their actions, declared where their loyalties lie- in profits. Despite the altruistic rhetoric of politicians around the world, they care only about money same as "evil corporations" in America seem so to do allegedly. The recession has hurt the ability of these nations, many of which hate America, to wage war against us, either through terrorism or through diplomatic means. They're so busy dealing with problems at home they can't deal with us.

If, as Mark Levin said, the low price of oil hurts our enemies, one of the most patriotic things we could and should be doing is driving the price of oil into the ground, thereby putting them out of business. Terrorists depend on oil profits to fund their schemes. We need to deny them access to a steady state specie circular and in so doing bleed them dry of any power to exert authority and fear over us. Go explore for oil wherever we can and stop sending those who let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth any more money with which to wage a war of annihilation against us.

It's a Choice

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This morning I noticed on the Yahoo news feed that Obama has narrowed down the choice of dog to one of two breeds. I'm so glad that he found time for that in his busy schedule because I need a president who understands the canine crisis. I believe that we elected men who know and understand what really matters- pets, not the economy, the Somali pirates, unemployment, or anything else. Way to see to your priorities.

During my trip to DC last week, I grew quickly tired of all the Obama merchandise and the scaffolding that obfuscated the view of the capitol building. I saw some of you fawning over him for his "hotness" in the smithsonian and talking about how he's so much better than Bush. While I'm no Bush fan, I think that Obama is destined to be the worst president we ever had, which is saying something. For the better part of my life, I've said that I was born in the darkest part of American history- the Carter Administration. As for all of you who think that he will heal the land, you have another thing coming. A friend of mine told me today that someone asked him:

why are you tired of hearing about Obama? does the fact that the world will be perfect in a few weeks bother you because you won't have anything to complain about?

There was a protestor at the Chinatown subway stop in DC (who was himself a black man for the record) who among other criticisms reminded any who heard that Obama will not make their lives better. Only they can make their lives better.

A good friend of mine once put up as her status message somewhere online these profound words: It's a choice. The choice is up to you. The power is yours. If your life isn't what you want it to be, make it better. And when you make decisions, put first things first.

Obama would do well to remember that a presidential pooch is not part of his responsibilities- but protecting this country is.

Like a Criminal in My Own Country

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After I returned from Washington DC, a friend of mine asked me about the crime there. It was ironic that he asked because I felt more like a criminal at times than that I was surrounded by them, and so I thought it relevant to explain my feelings here.



As we passed from building to building, I suppose new DHS laws required them to at least look through our bags. Some places exerted more scrutiny, scanning us with a metal detector or asking for ID, etc., while others let us in without too much fuss. When exiting the Customs building as I looked at all the guards frisking people, I felt like a criminal in my own country, but I remembered as we walked toward the White House that in most places you can't get that close to the King, Emperor, Dictator, etc. no matter who you are.



Only at one point did I see any crime. Well, everyone drove like a maniac, and there was some jaywalking, but this person tried to steal a camera. Otherwise, you couldn't tell it was a major metropolitan area at all. That being said, 95% of all crime in DC occurs on the floor of Congress, and since they wouldn't let me in with water bottles in my backpack, I was kept safely away from that section of town.



Maybe I felt completely safe because of the company, but I have not been so at ease in a long time. True, at the beginning, I wondered about my wallet and my backpack in the crowds, but eventually I just had a good time.

Good Advice

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Ed Rollins offered some good and funny advice in his column today that I wanted to pass on.

First to the Democrats:

Remember the game is now all yours. If you get the problems solved, the glory is all yours, too. If you fail, you don't have Bush and Cheney to blame anymore -- or any other Republican, for that matter.

Don't be rushed by current events. Do something Congress has never done before. Plan. Read the bills that you are passing. And think of the kids who are going to have to pay for all this in the future.

To my Republican friends in the House and Senate:

Be a real opposition party. Articulate what you stand for and stand up to the president and the Democrats with ideas that can counter the direction they will be taking the country.

Realize you are going to be in the wilderness for a time. The country needs an opposition party and you're it. Along with the Republican governors, you are going to have to cobble together the concepts and solutions that will attract voters back to our party.

To the president-elect:

Beware of your own party. Republicans are not your problem. Each member of Congress will think they are your constitutional equal. The more senior they are, the more they will test you.

You will have to remind them from time to time that if they want to be the constitutional equal, they need to bring the other 434 members over to your office.

Either that or they can go get another 66 million or so votes to add to their congressional total to be your equal. Many will have their own agendas and some of their ideas will be good ideas. Many more will be disastrous.

I thought the references to planning for the senate were funny. Also, they constantly point to doing things for the children all the while saddling them with debt before they're ever born. You think you have debt? Your unborn children have not even begun to pay.

For the Republicans, McCain's campaign pointed out that appeasement doesn't work for them. The Rockefellers got exactly what they wanted in a candidate and lost their shirts.

I also found it telling that Rollins points out that Obama's biggest problems will come from his own side. With basic majorities in both houses, he can get most of his agenda passed as long as he can convince his party to adopt his agenda as their own. He's young and inexperienced, and they know that. They will try to assert the Congress over the Executive and put him in his place.

Turn Up the Heat

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I read this article on Yahoo about the caloric implications on regular metabolism when you start the day with vigorous exercise. I particularly like it because it affirms my own ideas and validates the pattern of behavior I adopted for myself.

According to the article, if you start the day with some kind of exercise, you can jump-start your basal metabolic rate for the rest of the day. In the example given, simply light preparations prior to Christmas dinner can raise the metabolic rate by 20% (clearing tables, setting out cutlery, etc.), but if the woman started the day with a vigorous 45 minute jog for example can raise her total metabolic output by 70%.

So, on days when I get up and exercise, I raise the morning metabolic rate and trick my body into thinking it needs to maintain that energetic level for the rest of the day. As actual demand wanes, the total output peters out towards evening, but having been elevated for much of the morning I burn far more calories than I would otherwise sitting at my desk. The reason why this is less effective at night is that as soon as you go to sleep, REM metabolism drops to about a third of daytime metabolism, ablating much of the additive advantage.

Contrary then to popular belief and to comfort as well, it’s most important to exercise as vigorously as possible on the morning of holidays when we normally gorge ourselves on not only rich foods but also on higher levels of foods we regularly consume. Most American holidays revolve around food, yet we just sit around together and eat and store fat, truth be told. My grandparents thought I was crazy for running 4 miles on Christmas morning, but that’s why I managed to get through the holidays without gaining any weight.

Taking Control of Your Destiny

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My friends know I aspire to be a do-it-myselfer. Everything I control I like to control, and everything I can do myself for less money than someone else will charge me puts money in my pocket. In this time of economic crisis, the ability to take control separates the survivors from the scared.

Since I'm still at least 30 years from retirement, I'm not terribly worried about the economy. I'm mostly worried about what other people will do politically that will affect the economy's ability to recover. Every time politicians meddle, they tip the scale too far and prohibit its ability to recover as quickly as would be preferable. I hear that the federal government intends to raise gasoline taxes to compensate for lost revenues with a decrease in total gallons sold. This comes as the price per gallon is once again on the rise. Smart, very smart.

While our politicians may not be smart, it doesn't mean we can't be. Here are a few things I found that other people suggested that put you in control and cut costs on things you may do anyway.

• Buy a bread maker. You can buy one for $55. If it saves you just $4 a week on store-bought bread, that's $208 a year. A 280% return.
• Get a credit card with a great sign-up bonus. Like the AirTran Visa card. Cost: The $40 annual fee. After your first purchase you get enough reward miles for a free flight, saving maybe $250. Then cancel the card. Return: 525%.
• Take out a local library card. Cost: Nothing. If it saves you $10 a month on books, that's $120 a year. Return: Infinite. Note: Some libraries now let you borrow electronic books over the Internet as well.
• Order a packet of seeds and plant them in a window box or garden. Growing your own herbs, spices, and even vegetables – depending on the amount of space you have – is a great investment. If you spent just $10 on seeds and saved a mere $50 in the year, that's a 400% ROI.
• Switch to a prepaid cellphone. Cost: $20 for the phone, and maybe $100 a year for minutes. Move the rest of your talk-time to free Internet calls, and stop hemorrhaging $60 a month on a cellular plan. ROI: 500%
• Start making your own coffee to take to work each morning. Cost: $20 for a Thermos, $10 for a filter and papers, and $60 a year for ground coffee. Then skip the $4 a day drive-thru. If that saves you $1,000 a year, the return is more than 1,000 %.

I have a friend whose parents pay exorbitant amounts of money for common car repairs because their passions and interests lie elsewhere. For things you do anyway, doesn't it make sense to shop around? I did when I bought my first home, and it saved me $200/month on the mortgage.

Take control of things you control. Then the things you don't control won't loom so large.

New Year Analysis

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Unlike most people I know, 2008 was actually a very good year for me.

With one exception, I finished every goal I set for myself by August. Granted, I didn’t set goals that depended on the agency of others, like I have to some degree this year, but I felt really pleased with myself in August when I had done all those things.

Vocationally: I finally got a job in my field, managed to get promoted in a budget crisis and obtained an adjunct teaching slot over people with longer histories with the state.

Educationally: I found out about opportunities to get the education I want and need to advance myself and my career. I also read, thanks to a good friend, over 50 books this year, including DeTocqueville, von Mises, and others, which are arguably difficult and long works.

Fiscally: I am worth more today than at any point in my life heretofore except one, and that despite the Panic of 2008

Socially: I tried to go out more and go on some dates. The fact that it didn’t go over well isn’t my fault entirely because I got better at it at least in frequency.

Spiritually: I came to peace with myself and God this year and undertook some writing projects that will affirm and confirm my beliefs and leave something for my descendants, if I ever get any.

Physically: I lost 32 pounds this year, even after gaining muscle mass obtained through my exercise regimen. I only had one migraine, didn’t get sick more than periodic diarrhea, and I had only two Charlie horses all year. Also, my back seems to have recovered. I try to weekly: run 5 miles 3 days per week, bike 15 miles 3 days per week, and either lift weights or swim ¾ mile twice per week.

I also came up with a list of reasons why girls should date me. I won’t share that. I know what I’m worth, and it’s their loss.

Do I have regrets? Yes. Am I sad about some things? Yes. Am I better than I was last year? YES, YES, YES! Not many people I know would or could say that. The year of our Lord 2008 was a good year for me, and I thank God for the myriad of blessings He found fit to shower on me. God never lets me down, even if he forces me to wait longer than I want for what I know I deserve.