For the past several years a local radio station has held a fund raising drive to buy phone cards for the soldiers from Fort Hood deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The always hold the drive in November in order for them to have the cards for calling family and friends during the holidays. Each year the drive gets more popular and this year they have raised $80,000, so far.
All of us can relate to the feeling of loneliness from being away from home during the holidays. Some of our greatest memories are of good times with our families for Christmas, Thanksgiving gorging ourselves into a food coma, and extra time away from work. In their situation about all they can look forward to is a pretty good Thanksgiving and Christmas meal, although I guess it is a holiday meal in Obamaworld. Back in the day, before worldwide instantaneous communication rode around in our pockets, the brightest moment of each day was mail call. The day was made when you received mail and ruined when you didn't. Well, these soldiers kind of still live in that world. They do not have cell towers on every high spot in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, calls from that area of the world get kind of expensive. So when someone walks up and gives you the opportunity to talk to friends and family back home it's a great day!
The drive is almost over as I think they are collecting online at www.590klbj.com through Sunday, November 15th. If you have a few bucks (or many bucks for that matter) take a few minutes at halftime of the game to give it to "Operation Call Home". Many people in Central Texas have come together for this project and we can always use a few more. For the sacrifice our men and women in the military make for us this is a nice payback from us, don't you think?
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Political Correctness Run Amok
Have you ever wondered how, in the aftermath of a tragedy such as what happened at Columbine, 9/11 and just recently Fort Hood, all this information comes out about how the perpetrator(s) were sending up red flags that should have caused those sworn to protect us to do everything in their power to prevent such massacres? But yet again we find out that everyone had their heads in the sand (or another place) and this time 13 people met their maker. Think of the lives wrecked by this terrorist and how a little dot-connecting might have prevented the whole thing!
Apparently Hasan has been making noise for some time. Spewing his hate at Walter Reed hospital got him a bad performance review so what happened? They promoted him to major and set him up to deploy to Afghanistan. Of course being the coward that he is he immediately bit the hand that housed, fed and educated his sorry butt and ratcheted up hate speech in an effort to avoid deployment. So this was his solution? Who is minding the store in the Army? Somebody dropped the ball big time on this one.
Why in the world would they want this fool in the Army to begin with? Because the Army is so caught up with sensitivity towards the American Muslim community that they let the warning signs past right by them for fear of offending someone. And every time law enforcement does act to prevent such people from carrying out their plans they have to deal with the ACLU will cover them up with lawyers. What was the first things we heard from these Muslim leaders? "We deplore the violence and are worried about a backlash against other Muslims". If they deplore the violence then why didn't they go to the authorities and turn Hasan in. They knew how crazy he was and what he was preaching because he posted it on their websites! He even was rejected by the Iman of Killeen in his attempts to be named a lay member of the Islamic community at Fort Hood because of his views. But no one came forward and the military, the FBI and law enforcement agencies all laid prostrate before the great god of political correctness.
I am truly saddened by this senseless loss of life. It should serve as a wake up call to our leaders that we are at war with people like Hasan that will walk into a room of unarmed people and start shooting. Or a crowded marketplace with a bomb strapped to them. Generally they are not all that good at disguising themselves or their intentions. We just need to remove this veil that keeps blinding us.
Apparently Hasan has been making noise for some time. Spewing his hate at Walter Reed hospital got him a bad performance review so what happened? They promoted him to major and set him up to deploy to Afghanistan. Of course being the coward that he is he immediately bit the hand that housed, fed and educated his sorry butt and ratcheted up hate speech in an effort to avoid deployment. So this was his solution? Who is minding the store in the Army? Somebody dropped the ball big time on this one.
Why in the world would they want this fool in the Army to begin with? Because the Army is so caught up with sensitivity towards the American Muslim community that they let the warning signs past right by them for fear of offending someone. And every time law enforcement does act to prevent such people from carrying out their plans they have to deal with the ACLU will cover them up with lawyers. What was the first things we heard from these Muslim leaders? "We deplore the violence and are worried about a backlash against other Muslims". If they deplore the violence then why didn't they go to the authorities and turn Hasan in. They knew how crazy he was and what he was preaching because he posted it on their websites! He even was rejected by the Iman of Killeen in his attempts to be named a lay member of the Islamic community at Fort Hood because of his views. But no one came forward and the military, the FBI and law enforcement agencies all laid prostrate before the great god of political correctness.
I am truly saddened by this senseless loss of life. It should serve as a wake up call to our leaders that we are at war with people like Hasan that will walk into a room of unarmed people and start shooting. Or a crowded marketplace with a bomb strapped to them. Generally they are not all that good at disguising themselves or their intentions. We just need to remove this veil that keeps blinding us.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Getting the Message
Yesterday, in a story overshadowed by other political stories, the state of Maine rejected same sex marriages handily. That makes 31 states rejecting this perversion when given the opportunity to vote on it. In fact, no state has ratified legislation passed by their legislature and signed into law by their governors. Now had Maine voted for it their would have been dancing in the streets, men kissing men, and front page reporting. But the measure did not pass, thank God.
So let's think about this for a minute. They have found acceptance in the statehouses but not on Main St. The last I checked those idiots in the state legislatures that approved same sex marriage are accountable to the people that rejected it. If I were a resident of one of these states I would draw a bull's eye on everyone of them and do my damnedest to remove them from office. I doubt I will ever have to face such a situation because, as you know, I live in Texas. 'Nuff said!
So where do we go from here? Supporters of the same sex marriages vow to carry on their fight. Opponents are just as entrenched. The solution is to do nationally what was done in 30 states: pass a constitutional amendment against same sex marriages. Of course this is never going to happen, especially with the Dems in power. They are in bed with the gay/lesbian lobby (pardon the pun) and see it as part of their big tent. Obama is in big trouble with them now because he hasn't come through as quick as they thought he should with his campaign promises. The best we can hope for is that good men and women will step up and fight back the next attempt to ratify the legislature's nefarious activities. Maybe if they get their noses bloodied 19 more times they will get the message. Probably not!
So let's think about this for a minute. They have found acceptance in the statehouses but not on Main St. The last I checked those idiots in the state legislatures that approved same sex marriage are accountable to the people that rejected it. If I were a resident of one of these states I would draw a bull's eye on everyone of them and do my damnedest to remove them from office. I doubt I will ever have to face such a situation because, as you know, I live in Texas. 'Nuff said!
So where do we go from here? Supporters of the same sex marriages vow to carry on their fight. Opponents are just as entrenched. The solution is to do nationally what was done in 30 states: pass a constitutional amendment against same sex marriages. Of course this is never going to happen, especially with the Dems in power. They are in bed with the gay/lesbian lobby (pardon the pun) and see it as part of their big tent. Obama is in big trouble with them now because he hasn't come through as quick as they thought he should with his campaign promises. The best we can hope for is that good men and women will step up and fight back the next attempt to ratify the legislature's nefarious activities. Maybe if they get their noses bloodied 19 more times they will get the message. Probably not!
Changing Tide?
Yesterday two states elected Republican governors in their general elections. In the aftermath of these elections the question being droned on be the media is "how does this affect Lord Obama". Is this a sign of more defeats for the dems? Has Obama lost his charm? Does the country really care?
The Republicans are giddy as you might imagine. Let's face it, they really haven't had much good news lately. After butt-kickings in the last two general elections they are grateful for anything that resembles a victory. So they are finally getting some media attention because, as we all know, the media are a bunch of whores and will boot you for the exciting story. However, before we start extrapolating these two victories into running the liberals out of Washington let's examine why the the Republicans won.
In the case of Virginia you really need to discard the results of the 2008 election as an abberation. Obama was the beneficiary of a national sentiment for change and got people out to vote because of the historic nature of his candidacy. Many of those folks had never voted before and likely did not vote yesterday. Therefore the usual suspects in Virginia carried the day; a solidly red state in recent memory.
In New Jersey, an historically Democrat stronghold, John Corzine lost to the Republican, Christopher Christie. This is the first time a Republican has won a statewide election since 1997. Obama campaigned hard for Corzine and this was seen as a test of Obama's coattails. The problem is there aren't enough coattails to cover a bad candidate. Corzine was pretty much universally disliked with some approval ratings less than 20%. You can dress a duck up but he is still a duck! In this case a butt-ugly one!
The more important thing the Republicans should take from these elections is that pocketbook issues still rule the day. In the illustrious words of our former Phillanderer in Chief "It's the economy stupid". If we are still looking at high unemployment, anemic growth in the economy, and an administration grasping for good news where little exists, you will most likely see net gains by Republicans. So the Republicans should take a page from the Dems playbook and relentlessly talk down the economy for the next year. It doesn't have to be true, just say it often enough and it will become fact. The challenge they face is getting the same play the Dems get in the media.
So take heart, Republicans, but don't get cocky. You had the power for years then squandered it. That's why you are where you are. Governing is about more than just the chase. You have to know what to do with the power when you get it.
The Republicans are giddy as you might imagine. Let's face it, they really haven't had much good news lately. After butt-kickings in the last two general elections they are grateful for anything that resembles a victory. So they are finally getting some media attention because, as we all know, the media are a bunch of whores and will boot you for the exciting story. However, before we start extrapolating these two victories into running the liberals out of Washington let's examine why the the Republicans won.
In the case of Virginia you really need to discard the results of the 2008 election as an abberation. Obama was the beneficiary of a national sentiment for change and got people out to vote because of the historic nature of his candidacy. Many of those folks had never voted before and likely did not vote yesterday. Therefore the usual suspects in Virginia carried the day; a solidly red state in recent memory.
In New Jersey, an historically Democrat stronghold, John Corzine lost to the Republican, Christopher Christie. This is the first time a Republican has won a statewide election since 1997. Obama campaigned hard for Corzine and this was seen as a test of Obama's coattails. The problem is there aren't enough coattails to cover a bad candidate. Corzine was pretty much universally disliked with some approval ratings less than 20%. You can dress a duck up but he is still a duck! In this case a butt-ugly one!
The more important thing the Republicans should take from these elections is that pocketbook issues still rule the day. In the illustrious words of our former Phillanderer in Chief "It's the economy stupid". If we are still looking at high unemployment, anemic growth in the economy, and an administration grasping for good news where little exists, you will most likely see net gains by Republicans. So the Republicans should take a page from the Dems playbook and relentlessly talk down the economy for the next year. It doesn't have to be true, just say it often enough and it will become fact. The challenge they face is getting the same play the Dems get in the media.
So take heart, Republicans, but don't get cocky. You had the power for years then squandered it. That's why you are where you are. Governing is about more than just the chase. You have to know what to do with the power when you get it.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Conventional Wisdom
This week I am attending the 59th Annual Texas Health Care Association Convention in Dallas. As a general rule I avoid such endeavors like the plague but my corporate masters had other ideas so here I am.
The THCA represents the interests of long-term care providers in Texas. The purpose of this convention is twofold : raise money for their political action committee and provide an excuse for otherwise responsible individuals to make idiots of themselves out of town. As an attempt to legitimize the whole thing they offer seminars on topics relevant to the industry that satisfy the license requirement for continuing education. I am all over that part.
I am kind of a newbie in this line of work but it became pretty apparent that this convention is all about raising money. It offers several opportunities each day to pony up for the cause. Of course the cause is greasing the palms of maggot politicians that may have some influence on Medicare and Medicaid funding. That's business as usual. The urgency this year is what the maggots are planning to do to health care funding for the elderly in the so-called health care reform working its way through congress. The cuts in funding on October 1st made believers out of the providers and there is almost an air of panic. It appears that our fearless leaders plan to pay for health care for the reprobates by cutting benefits to the elderly. How's that hope and change working out for you?
What a colossal waste of time and money! Generally the participants are not getting anything out of the educational offerings either because they are boring or the participants have other things on their mind. As I sat through one of these courses today I saw very little attention being paid to the presenter. I was bored senseless; most people were texting. We were enduring the droning just to get that piece of paper with credit hours needed to renew our licenses. I expect that each participant for the 4 day convention will spend at least $1,000, including registration, travel and lodging which of course, is tax deductible to the corporations. So therefore you and I, the taxpayers, are subsidizing this folly to the tune of $350 or more for each participant. Not to mention the time away from the facilities for the leaders of the buildings. Time does not stand still in long-term care.
I know I sound like an old curmudgeon! The point of this is that if the long-term care industry is really hurting all that bad and it is really concerned about funding levels for Medicare and Medicaid, maybe they should curtail such waste and focus on managing costs a little better. Maybe it's stuff like this that gives the maggots the ammo to go after our funding. And believe me they don't need much encouragement! So you better get use to it. Reimbursements are going to get tougher to come by and we are going to have to justify the services we bill for. The dems are going take on the long-term care industry just like they did the auto industry. God forbid they take over the care of the elderly!
The THCA represents the interests of long-term care providers in Texas. The purpose of this convention is twofold : raise money for their political action committee and provide an excuse for otherwise responsible individuals to make idiots of themselves out of town. As an attempt to legitimize the whole thing they offer seminars on topics relevant to the industry that satisfy the license requirement for continuing education. I am all over that part.
I am kind of a newbie in this line of work but it became pretty apparent that this convention is all about raising money. It offers several opportunities each day to pony up for the cause. Of course the cause is greasing the palms of maggot politicians that may have some influence on Medicare and Medicaid funding. That's business as usual. The urgency this year is what the maggots are planning to do to health care funding for the elderly in the so-called health care reform working its way through congress. The cuts in funding on October 1st made believers out of the providers and there is almost an air of panic. It appears that our fearless leaders plan to pay for health care for the reprobates by cutting benefits to the elderly. How's that hope and change working out for you?
What a colossal waste of time and money! Generally the participants are not getting anything out of the educational offerings either because they are boring or the participants have other things on their mind. As I sat through one of these courses today I saw very little attention being paid to the presenter. I was bored senseless; most people were texting. We were enduring the droning just to get that piece of paper with credit hours needed to renew our licenses. I expect that each participant for the 4 day convention will spend at least $1,000, including registration, travel and lodging which of course, is tax deductible to the corporations. So therefore you and I, the taxpayers, are subsidizing this folly to the tune of $350 or more for each participant. Not to mention the time away from the facilities for the leaders of the buildings. Time does not stand still in long-term care.
I know I sound like an old curmudgeon! The point of this is that if the long-term care industry is really hurting all that bad and it is really concerned about funding levels for Medicare and Medicaid, maybe they should curtail such waste and focus on managing costs a little better. Maybe it's stuff like this that gives the maggots the ammo to go after our funding. And believe me they don't need much encouragement! So you better get use to it. Reimbursements are going to get tougher to come by and we are going to have to justify the services we bill for. The dems are going take on the long-term care industry just like they did the auto industry. God forbid they take over the care of the elderly!
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