Tuesday, September 30, 2008

*Sniff*

For a millisecond I had the candidate I wanted in these elections...and now the McCain PC crew have descended upon her. It's reminding me a bit of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

As if we didn't have enough problems...

So you know this current crisis we are going through, because some well-intentioned (and some not so well-intentioned), but ridiculously naive legislators decided it would be nice to make affordable housing, forcing banks to take on risky debts, driving up the housing market because so many new homeowners were entering it, making housing now less affordable and mortgages even higher?

You with me here?

Okay, so what does the current mayor of Los Angeles think would be a good idea right now?

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled a $5 billion plan to provide 20,000 affordable homes in the city over the next five years, but acknowledged he'll have to reach far and wide to raise the funds amid the financial meltdown.

Hmmm…$5 billion divided by 20,000….$250,000. Seriously? You are going to put people into quarter of a million dollar homes? Granted in Los Angeles that doesn’t mean much now, but still…that’s a big chunk of money.

This is the least affordable big city in America," the mayor said at a press conference Monday. "I'll go to Washington and New York. I'll go to the Middle East, to China. We'll knock on every door that we have to."

Oh, so because we can’t afford this at home in the US, and because no one is going to lend him the money, he’s going to, get this, China and the Middle East to get loans…genius.

It gets even better:
One of the plan's more controversial elements is likely to be a requirement that developers set aside 12.5 percent to 22.5 percent of projects with more than 20 units for low- or moderate-income residents.

So, the way they are going to make it work, is by forcing developers to make this housing, which is a tax of sorts on them. So, how will they make up for this? By charging more for the houses they build: thus taxing people who can afford housing. That’s what I call “trickle down taxes”.

I emailed my mother this story and she responded with: “The Daily News is currently exposing the financial hoopla going on in the school district. Administrators have increased about 20% over the last 5 years while enrollment has decreased 6%. Over 51% of the employees earn over $100,000.- a year. Now Villagaroisa has taken over the school I think it will get even worse. And scores keep on dropping….. He thinks that anything that keeps him in the spotlight is great, he’s a political climber, probably got his eyes on GOVERNOR then PRESIDENT.”

Things are starting to look a lot like Atlas Shrugged

Monday, September 29, 2008

Southern Style

I grew up in Hawaii, where surf wear was a fashion statement...even if you didn't surf, you wore surf related t-shirts, shorts, hoodies, etc...

I now live in an area where hunting camo is considered fashionable. I think there are even hunter-wannabe's who wear the print just for style....

I bought some used baby clothes on Craigslist and there was even a hunting camo onesie...yeah, hunter chic for the baby.

$700 billion

That's so high of a number that it's kind of impossible to grasp.

To put it into perspective: there are give or take 300 million Americans.

That's $2+ billion for every person in America (we can even throw the illegal immigrants into that pool).

This bail-out is so scary. The government is mixing with the free market, so it ain't so free anymore.

Gah.

Update: Okay...major brainfart here: $2000 a person....not $2 billion....jeeesh...can I blame sleepless nights due to the baby?

And I am still not sure on the math...

Thursday, September 04, 2008

The only thing that could save Obama now...

...is if Biden were to step down for personal reasons (or any reason), and Obama were to name Hillary Clinton as his running mate. Then this might be a close race.

I am really wondering if that might "magically" happen.

Interesting Palin factoid

I did not know this, though it might be old news to some:

Sarah defeated incumbent Republican governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary and former Democratic governor Tony Knowles in the general election, garnering 48.3% of the vote to 40.9% for Knowles.

That's HUGE. Alaska had a Republican governor. Usually a party nominates their incumbant candidate for re-election. But Alaskan Republicans were so taken with Palin, that they chose her over their incumbant...and she went on to win the election. Fabulous!

A little side note: How freakin' adorable was that when Piper Palin was lovingly holding Trig during their mom's RNC speech, oblivious to the hoopla, staring at him and stroking his hair. And then she licks her palm and smooths his hair? Did anyone else catch that? Also, I loved it when Sarah Palin mentioned her daughters, and Piper gets up and urges her other sisters to stand up too...man, that kid is so real. Norman Rockwellian. Untouched yet by being worried about what others might think...

Update: Nicole has a You Tube link to the Piper hair care treatment.

I *heart* Sarah Palin

Taking a break from baby blogging right now.

So I HAVE to blog about the Sarah Palin VP pick. To quote Jesse and Chester in “Dude, where’s my car?”: “Dude!” “Sweet”!

Okay, I’ll admit, when I first heard she was the pick, she was a complete unknown to me, and my first thought was that this was the Republican Party saying to the Democratic Party: “I raise you your blackness, with my femaleness.” I really thought Palin was a token woman candidate.

Those thoughts stopped dead in their tracks with her Dayton, OH intro speech.

As soon as it was over, I shot Sarah an email saying: “Can we get rid of McCain and just take her?”

My eldest brother, also still a British citizen, although he had many years to become an American as he is 38 years old, jokingly asked: is it too late to become an American citizen in time for the elections? I agree: never before have I wanted to vote in a US election more than now. I went from being completely apathetic about the race, to rooting for the McCain/Palin ticket.

I have heard a few complaints from people saying that Palin is a token woman, and how insulting that she has been chosen, and that had a male candidate with her same credentials been chosen, it wouldn’t be the same fanfare. And I agree. Not with the token woman, but that if Sarah Palin were male, we wouldn’t be as enthralled.

As a working woman, wife and now mother, I can tell you that any woman who holds a high level management job, runs a company, or in Palin’s case, a state while being pregnant and raising a young family, is someone who can juggle a lot. If it were Palin’s husband running, it wouldn’t be nearly as impressive. My husband is a wonderful and supportive man, but when it comes down to it, I do more in the household and more in the childcare department, but also equally support our family financially through my job. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. I am not trying to be sexist, or a feminist or toot my own horn. I am an “equalist” and a realist. In reality, unless the father stays home and takes care of the kids and the household, in the case of a working mother and father, the mother will usually end up doing more.

So for me, it is BECAUSE Sarah Palin is a mother of 5 young children that makes her seem so inspiring and such a leader…not the fact that DESPITE being a mother of 5 she has made it so far. She pulls it all off with a smile, and doesn’t seem stressed or overworked. She is a freight train and a force to be reckoned with.

I think it was a brilliant move by McCain to have chosen her. In doing so, he has regained support from many Republicans he previously alienated with his more socialistic stance.

Both Obama and McCain chose running mates to make up for what they lack: Obama chose an old white politician to make up for his lack of gray hair and experience and perhaps placate voters who were a little hesitant about voting for a black president. And McCain chose a conservative, charismatic female to make up for his socialist leanings and his seeming lack of sincerity (he always seems a little uncomfortable on the podium). But McCain seems to have gotten more bang for his buck. Whereas Dems are excited about their presidential candidate and couldn’t care less about their VP (I bet you that many Dems couldn’t name their VP candidate if asked), Republicans are excited about their VP candidate, while also holding a healthy respect for their presidential candidate.

What a rabbit in a hat Palin was and I thank McCain for choosing her, and making Alaska share her with the rest of America!

Okay...I can't resist. Here's a picture I have called: Man Boobs: