Man Without a Party

The Wall

2005-02-04T09:36:00.000-06:00

I have hit the proverbial Wall with this website. Even with all of the excitement of the inaguration and state of the union, I just don't have a burning desire to post about politics.

I think the lack of comments and back and forth with readers is really what took the wind out of my sails. That and the fact that I am busy at work. Maybe I will recreated my site, something more along the lines of Paul Katcher's(link on the side)...

Well... I'm out.....

Eagles- A member of the access of Evil

2005-01-24T15:29:00.000-06:00

When Bush talked about the Evil Empire or Axis of Evil, for some reason he left out the Eagles. How evil are the Iggles????? If the Eagles played Al-Quaeda, I wouldn't be rooting for the Eagles.

No more Christian Conservative Nonsense.....

2005-01-21T09:08:00.000-06:00

OK, I think its time to change the name of the site from Man Without A Party to How Ridiculous are the Christian Conservatives???

So Sponge Bob and other cartoons promote homosexaulity? So 6-8 year old kids no what homosexaulity is? Get over it. Homosexaulity is something you are born with. Oh wait I forgot, the Christian Conservatives shun scientific evidence such as evolution, etc.

Just let kids be kids and watch a show with a goofy happy SOB like Sponge Bob.

OK, Figure this one out.....

2005-01-14T13:03:00.000-06:00

The basis of this site is a man without a prty, essentially caught in the middle of partisan politics, mostly because I am a moderate and in Centerfield. So if that is the case, why in the hell am I linking a Pat Buchanan article?

I think he does a fair and partisan job of speaking of the dire situation in Iraq. He uses factual info from Generals, and former Dem and Repub National Security Advisors. Buchanan lists three paths that Bush can take, keep dumping troops and stay the course, continue to send troops and train the Iraqis for a year, or call in the UN or NATO.

I obviously vote for the third option. I also believe they should do it before the potential Iraqi election nightmare. I certainly believe that this election will not be a success and that Civil War is possible. Others clearly agree.

Unfortunately I believe as long as some of the neocons, Rummy mostly, are around we will not admit failure with regard to the war and the election. And we certainly know that Dubya doesn't like to admit mistakes, much less correct them. So my guess is Dubya will go with the first option for now, claim the election a success. Than a year from now when we are further decimated with regard to troops, he goes to #2, declaring another year of training Iraqis and then a pull out.

But what do I know....

2005-01-13T15:23:00.000-06:00

Its almost time for the inaguaration. As Dubya would say, "In Aug U Ray Shun" in slow mo. So which Ball are you going to? I think I am heading to the Texas Wyoming or maybe the Patriots, oh what the hell the Independence. Unfortunately I didn't give $100,000 to get a candelit dinner.

Moss and the FCC- Odd couple?

2005-01-10T10:16:00.000-06:00

So Randy Moss angered people with his fake mooning yesterday? Big deal, he is a certified jackass. Oops, I said ass, which Fox bleeped out when Moss used the word.

After Moss did it, the Fox announcers made a big deal, with Joe Buck even saying he was sorry it was aired live. Sorry why? Because he is a clown? He didn't pull his pants down, he didn't do anything wrong. Was it unsportsmanlike? Sure, but profane? Give me a break. After the game they bleeped the word ass, which is all over network TV these days. Then the studio goes ripped in to Moss for his act.

To me this really a sign of the FCC's influence. This is football, give me a break. The only thing he is guilty of is being a schmuck.

PS- I love the fro.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

2005-01-07T13:29:00.000-06:00

Here is today's reason why we need to end the litigous nature of our American Society... Man Sues Fear Factor

OK, let me get this straight, Fear Factor went too far with a rat eating episode, it makes you puke, so you sue? Awesome logic, a show you voluntarily watched, in which you know shows nasty crap made you puke, so you sue?

This idiot wants to "send a message" and doesn't even think he will win $2.5M. The better message is stop watching crappy TV shows....

2005-01-05T13:14:00.000-06:00

This is ridiculous......

Things that make you scratch your head.....

2005-01-05T13:10:00.000-06:00

Ok this is the head scratcher of the day, and in the early lead for the year.....

Supermodel Heidi Klum, Seal Engaged

I'm back

2005-01-04T13:47:00.000-06:00

I'm back and its a new year. Tsunami's and laser pointers seem to rule the day at this point...

On this week's Meet the Press my main mna Bill Saphire predicted Evan Bayh and Bill Richardson as the 2008 Democratic nominees. I, and I would guess most of America, wouldn't know an Evan Bayh if he fell on me. So I looked him up and this is what I found: Sen Bayh Bio

I like what I see-former Governor so he has decision making experience and now a Senator. I also like this paragraph

Before his election to the Senate, Bayh served two terms as Governor of Indiana, where he established the state as one of the strongest, most financially secure economies in the nation. "Mr. Bayh's record," reported The Wall Street Journal in 1992, "is one of a genuinely fiscally conservative Democrat." Stressing fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, job creation and lean government, then-Governor Bayh's list of achievements are remarkable: eight years without raising taxes; the greatest single tax cut; the largest budget surplus in state history; national leadership in moving people from welfare to work; more dollars for schools every year; high academic standards and new college opportunities; over 375,000 new jobs; tougher laws; and improved environmental quality.

If thats true this guy has some solid qualities that a man in the middle like myself would be interested in... But then again, this is a bio written by him, so I would have to do some more research....

Merry X-Mas, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Festivus....

2004-12-16T15:01:00.000-06:00

Time to take some time off for the holidays... But before he ran off to Vietnam, my friend and yours David wnated my readers to have this gift....

Biden and his heinous hair

2004-12-09T14:10:00.000-06:00

So Joe Biden is Gunning for 08??? Well good for him, but he has got to do something about this heinous as hair before then.

Iraq

2004-12-07T16:40:00.000-06:00

What has happened to the outrage of Americans about the war in Iraq????

Over the last few days we have a CIA Report that paints a poor picture of the future in Iraq, not only callin in to question the current Iraqi government, but saying improvement is not in sight. Now keep in mind this is written by someon who the CIA director Porter Goss has not fired for not "being on board". Yet. (Couldn't resist this cheap shot).

Then throw in the out and out misrepresentation of facts in the Pat Tillman tragedy. I mean,we all know that military intelligence is an oxymoron, and what SNAFU means(For those that don't know, situation normal all fucked up), but come on. This flat out stinks of lies.

Not to mention what I discussed last week.

So what has happened to the outrage? Has the Bush victory sucked that much life out of people? Has the anti-war crowd packed it in? Have people just resigned themselves to four more years and are going to sit back and take? Is it a combo of all of these factors???

I haven't got a clue, but I think its sad that things are not getting better, nor does it appear they will anytime soon. We need to escalate our voices, not succumb to defeat, as many young American lives are at stake.

Contradictions....

2004-12-02T16:36:00.000-06:00

OK, let me get this straight, per Dubya, the elections must go on in Iraq. They must be held by 1/30/05. But at the same time, we are incresing out troops in Iraq. So if this country is now on its feet and ready for democracy, why are we expanding the stays of 10,000 troops????

Clearly the fact that we have more troops on the ground a year and a half after Dubya landed on the aircraft carrier. So the war was over in May of 2003, but now we have more troops on the ground?

If this is no an admission that either a) We didn't have enough troops in the beginning or b) Iraq is still a mess and we are no closer to getting out than the day we got in in March 2003. Not that any of us didn't already no that both A & B are correct, but here is some proof....

And the elections in Iraq? Oh who cares, the whole thing is a sham anyway. The guy the US wants will win in either Januaray or some later election date.

Posting, Ukraine, Thanksgiving

2004-11-30T13:42:00.000-06:00

My motivation to post lately has been minimal. Not sure if it is because I am not pissed off about anything politically or is still the election hangover. I guess most of my posts are bitching about something, so maybe nothing has pissed me off enough to post. Maybe I could try and post something nice. Doubtful.

Thanksgiving should be all about football as far as I care. Don't eat turkey, but I make up for it in football viewing. Finally the Cowboys win another game....

So on to politics. This Ukraine thing is crazy. Just think back to earlier this month when our election went smoothly. Hell think back to 4 years ago when it didn't. People in our country remained calm, and respected the system. Maybe its because there was no outright fraud as there is in Ukraine, but we followed the rules and let things play out. Its hard to imagine what would have happened in our equally as divided nation if something like that happened here. So are the Ukrainians so angry because it reminds them of Soviet oppression? Or are they pissed off because their guy didn't win??

I am happy that we avoided this mess in 2004, because it could have been ugly....

Matalin vs. Carville

2004-11-23T14:14:00.000-06:00

Who else here can't get enough of their act????? I find it hilarious. Particularly when Jimmy boy smashed the egg all over his face on Meet the Press 2 weeks ago.

Despite the egg incident, this quote by Ms. Matalin has stuck with be

I think there's a big values issue they always miss: Americans are aspirational and hopeful. They don't hate rich people. They aspire to success and wealth. The people they know in their town that are "rich" are the local construction company owner or the car dealer or people who are the first guys to line up when their library needs a new wing or there's a charity event, or they're the ones that hire people. They don't--you demonize your enemy as a--to delegitimize him, as opposed to coming up with some idea.

You have not put one idea on the table, not one 21st-century idea. You gave people nothing to vote for.

I think these are overlooked notions. I for one fit into the aspirational category. I am young, have a post graduate degree, as does my spouse, and I plan, not hope, to be very successful. I do not disdain those with more money than me. But that was part of Clinton and Kerry's speeches at the convention, how they were willing to give money back, and how they didn't need all that money, etc. Well, I wouldn't be so generous if I earned that money like Slick Willie did. So I think Matalin has an excellent point, the majority of America do not disdain rich people, and the Dems should realize that to help the unfortunate, one does not have to destroy the fortunate.

The second point speaks for itself. Not that the Republicans have any 21st century ideas of their own. But the Dems were known as progressive and needed something. I guess some would argue that Kerry's healhcare plan was a new idea. I still argue it was a pipe dream....

So in the weekly Matalin-Carville debate, Jimmy went down as hard as his LSU Tiger's BCS hopes did this year...

I'm back

2004-11-21T14:58:00.000-06:00

Alright, I am back from a mini-vacation and avoiding the rain this afternoon. My Cowboys are hiedeous right now....

Check out this article by David Broder discussing how the Delay, Rove, and the boys drove out Rep. Charlie Stenholm, a 13 term very middle of the road Democrat. When they recarved the Texas districts, they placed several key Democrats in districts to do battle with incumbent Republicans. This one featured incumbent Rep. Neugebauer.

The main issue the article points out is that moderates like Stenholm would have helped on tough issues like social security reform. That is a key point, but the article does not point out that those in Stenholm's district will suffer greatly due to the greed of Rove & Delay. See, Stenholm was the ranking member of the house agriculture committee, as he was a former cotton farmer himself. The majority of the district he was defeated in is home to numerous cotton farms. Stenholm out, an individual from the upper midwest in as ranking member, and no more goodies for the cotton farmers.

So who wins? Bush? maybe, by sheer numbers in the House, but Stenholm was a veteran Rep. and a very moderate one at that. And as always the constituents lose the game of tug of war.

A message from Gay America

2004-11-14T15:47:00.000-06:00

I found this in many of the opinion pages this weekend and believe it is a great read.

Gay Citizen to America

My favorite part is this:
The only things I want are the same simple legal -- not religious -- responsibilities and rights that the rest of you get to enjoy without question. The right to share my life responsibilities with the person of my choosing without interference. Joint ownership of property. The ability to make a will that cannot be contested or nullified. The right to designate legal and medical powers of attorney. The right to purchase health insurance for a partner at no different cost than that required for a spouse. And yes, just like you, the responsibility to pay no more than my fair share of income tax when in a committed relationship with one other person.

I am not gay. I maybe have one gay friend. Have I told gay jokes? Of course. How would I feel if my son way gay? Thats a tough one, I guess you don't know unless it happens. But I am not a homophobe.

I truly believe people are born gay. So to me, denying them the rights in the above passage is no different that denying them to minorities or women or whomever. I just don't get how two men or two women getting legal rights to file jointly on a tax return or to become legal heirs is a big deal. If you don't want to call it marriage, fine, call it a civil union, but give them the same rights you and I are afforded.

Scott Peterson Trial

2004-11-13T10:13:00.000-06:00

I was pretty shocked that he was convicted on 1st degree murder. Not so much that I don't think he did it, but I thought the defense did an excellent job and that there was no real evidence of premeditated murder, which is necessary for 1st degree conviction.

To me the circumstantial evidence was there. I mean, who buys a boat, but then only buys a 2 day fishing license? Who buys a boat but has never fished before? But on the other hand, if someone knows they are going to kill their wife, why pay a big medical bill the day before? And the cheating on your wife and being a liar does not equate to murder.

Who knows, one thing I have had in the back of my mind was that the two got in an argument over Frey, got pretty heated and then physical. Still murder, no premeditated.

At the end of the day I guess justice was done if you believe he did it. But did the jury really have enough evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt. No eye witness, no murder weapon, no confession, no irrefutable DNA evidence. Its kind of scary that all of this circumstantial evidence is enough for a conviction. But I guess it works both ways.

All I know is if I am ever on trial, I want Mark Geragos on my side....

FCC

2004-11-11T13:48:00.000-06:00

Boy are we regressing in this country if stations across the nation are afrad to air Saving Private Ryan. ABC plans to show an unedited version of the film, which I realize is violent and has curses. But why is ABC doing that? Because this film is excellent, and last time I checked today is Veteran's Day and we should not only honor the veterans, but educate ourselves about what happened.

The FCC is obviously out of control, if these stations are afraid to air an award-winning movie, that is as fair as it comes with regard to war movies. If you are offended by cursing, change the channel. If you can't stomach violence, watch something else. If the show is too much for your young children, make sure they don't watch it. Again, this is another area where the government overregulates.

I guess we have Janet Jackson and Timberlake to blame. Even thats ridiculous, like you could see anything on the live broadcast anyway. Give me a break. Now I know why Stern is moving to satellite.....

Palestine

2004-11-09T14:02:00.000-06:00

I truly believe the Palestinian people will have the greatest opportunity to show the world what they truly are about and what they want. With Arafat clearly on his way out as the face of the nation, they now have a great opportunity.

The opportunity is to have a well respected diplomat, and not an outright terrorist, as their leader. They need someone with a clean background, someone that can verbalize the need for their freedom, but at the same time, gain the trust and admiration of the rest of the world. Israel appears on the verge of relenting and moving settlements out of Palestine. This is their opportunity. Appoint someone who can talk about freedom and reduce the violence.

Obviously this easy for us to say in America where religion does not make us hate our neighbors, nor do we utilize violence to increase our political power.

Please Palestine, follow a diplomat, its time you got your freedom and peace, its rightfully yours.

Election Hangover

2004-11-08T09:07:00.000-06:00

I seem to have gotten past the election hangover and its time to post again.

What I find really interesting is that Kerry is a Mass. Catholic, much like JFK. Way back in 1960, many feared that voting for a Catholic would be disasterous because a vote for JFK was really a vote for the pope.

Fast forward 40 plus years, and no one has an issue with a Catholic running. But he is not "religious" enough for many. He doesn't have faith. So the country and the religious right vote for Bush and his moral values.

So my question is this, have we progressed enough in 44 years that Kerry being Catholic was not an issue, or have we regressed to the 1950s when the morals and ethics dominated a social policy as progressive a flea....

My vote is that we have sadly reverted.

Healing, move to the center, etc.

2004-11-04T09:36:00.000-06:00

I truly believe there are a high number of people out there who are in the same spot as me, really without a party to identify with. I think the results showed that the Republicans continue to move to the right and the the religious right is as strong as ever after 9/11. Boy does that scare the living shit out of me. Maybe its because I am a student of history and remember what this country was founded on.

So will the Dems move to the center? On what issues would it matter? What issues can they move to the center on? Fiscal spending control? Bush hasn't displayed that, so that won't work. They clearly can't move to the center on social issues such as abortion, gay rights, etc. So where do they do? Do they all of a sudden get religion to try and compete in the south and midwest? I don't know the answer.

Bush and Kerry talked about healing the wounds and uniting. Its a novel idea, but why does anyone think the Repubs need to? They are stronger than ever with the control of the House & Senate, not to mention their strength in state governments.

CNN is reporting Ashcroft may resign. Thats great if they bring in someone who is not further right than Ghengis Khan. Have also read Rumsfeld will "retire". Thats great, should have happend 2 years ago. These folks leaving could be a positive, but the grass is always greener....

Results

2004-11-03T08:39:00.000-06:00

My thoughts:

So much for the increased voter turnout hurting the Republicans.
Surprised by the Dashcle upset. Not a big fan personally, but how much does your home state benefit by voting out one of the most powerful people in the Senate?
What does the map say when the red and blue lines are drawn upon geographic regions?
I must be out of touch, how in the world will 11 states ban gay marriage???
The Dems should slow down on Obama, come on, he beat a guy who wasn't even from the state of Illinois.
Ralph Nader, you have jumped the shark.
Where in the world does the notion that only Republicans have morals come from????
Dear Pres. Bush- this is not a mandate to move to the right, its a mandate to move to the center.
Dear Pres. Kerry- You have only yourself to blame for not running a good campaign. Not to mention picking a running mate from the south, it didn't help you a lick.

Lets hope the lawyers are kept out of this.

Voting Demographics

2004-11-01T14:40:00.000-06:00

Really interesting facts on Chris Matthews Show yesterday.

Among voters with a high school education Kerry has lost 25 percent of what Gore got just four years ago. But for voters who went to college Kerry has picked up 19 percent over what Al Gore got last time. There's a similar pattern when you break the votes down between blue collar and professional workers with Bush way ahead of his blue collar vote just four years ago, and Kerry way ahead of Gore's vote with professionals

That is an amazing stat, people with college degrees have shifted to Kerry, and the non-college grads have shifted away.

The best explanation on the his show was that the blue collar, hard working man is attracted to Bush and his blunt attitude, as well as is supportive of the troops and soldiers. Seems plausible.

Is this the NASCAR DAD shift that I have heard so much about??? I'd like to hear your thoughts on these stats.

My Vote is In!!!!

2004-10-29T09:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I survived the long voting lines at the early voting place and my vote has officially been recorded.

First let me set the scene at the early voting facility. I waited in line for 45 minutes to vote due to the sheer number of people voting. My wife went the day earlier and waited about 35 minutes. The workes said it has been like that all week. I estimated thatat its peak the line was about 100 people, with 10 machines in use. What struck me was that I could count the non-white voters on one hand. As a pecentage that would be say 10 out of the 200 people I saw(99 in front when I got there and 100 in back when I voted). Thats a small percentage, considering I live in one of the largest counties in the US.

The line moved well and everything seemed to be organized appropriately. I have voted early for several other elections and never had to wait for 2 minutes. It was clear many of the voters are not voting in the municpal elections from the conversations I heard. Many of them had never used the electronic machines, which have been in place for a few years, nor did they think that early voting was always at this hotel(which it is).

So now for my vote.....
Well to be honest, it was a gametime decision. In my state there were only 3 options-Bush,Kerry, or Bednarik. Bush was out for me. I voted for him last time and I am still glad he beat Gore. But I think his failings in Iraq and his inability to take any responsibility for those failings is inexcuseable. But to me whats worse is that fact that not one person has been fired over the poor advise, how can no be accountable???

So that leaves Kerry and Bednarik. I was leaning Bednarik for most of the way, because I just don't like Kerry and I think Edwards was a horrendous choice for VP. A one-term Sen. and a trial attorney???? Come on. So that left Bednarik. I agree with a lot of what the Libertarians say and I am in a total Rep. state, so these electoral votes are already Bush, so no worries on the 3rd party vote.

But something changed days before the election. The announcement of Rehnquist's illness struck me. The fact that Kerry has flat out said he will appoint justices who will uphold abortion swayed me. I am sick and tired of the religious right, they have singlehandedly run me off of the Republican Party. I am pro choice and I am all for gay rights. The continued preaching and forcing their views on America is in direct conflict with what this country was founded on and its time to change that.

I still don't like Kerry. I don't think his healthcare plan is plausible. I am not a big fan of raising the taxes on those over $200K, I am still a trickle down economist. I think his Iraq position is better than Bush's in that he does want to get out, but he still is talking 4 more years over there. I also think its too late to internationalize it like he proposes. And it sickens me that Edwards is a VP candidate, because I strongly support tort reform.

At the end of the day, my vote is not 100% ant-Bush, but more anti-religious right.

So there you have it.

Early Voting

2004-10-28T10:56:00.000-05:00

I live in a state with early voting, and I plan on doing so after work today.

I'll let you know my experience and reveal my vote tomorrow.

9/10 or 9/12

2004-10-28T10:47:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to see Fred Barnes speak at a conference recently and in his analysis, there are 2 types of people these days, 9/10s and 9/12s. 9/10s believe the world did not fundamentally change on 9/11, while the 9/12s believe it did.

I guess I am a 9/10. Terrorism is not a new revelation. The world has been filled with terrorists for years. The US as a terrorist target is not a new phenom either. The USS Cole is the most recent example.

So what changed? I believe it opened peoples eyes that we are vulnerable here, as are people all over the world. The size and scope of the terrorist attacks was new, as the simultaneous and sheer complicated nature of the attacks may have been new.

But the world didn't change. We became more aware, and in return we became more vigilant. I certainly see how 9/12's believe the world has changed, but I don't think it has. Has America been effected? Absolutely. Is it something we can overcome? Absoultely. Can we ever eliminate all terrorists threats? Absolutely not.

Why the Electoral College Stinks

2004-10-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

The Electoral College stinks. It was truly exposed in 2000, so much so that even a real believer in the political system like myself now knows that if you are a in a solid red or blue state, your vote doesn't matter. Whats said is that only votes in a few states matter.

According to the latest Cook Political Report only 4 states are truly toss-ups, with 5 others that could possibly be considered toss ups. That means the other 41 states are in the bag so to speak.

The 4 pure toss-up states are Florida, Iowa, Nevada, and New Mexico. Those four sates combine for 44 of the 538 electoral votes. Additionally, they account for population of 24.079 million people, a mere 8.3% of the nations population.

So what that means is that 8% of the country will decide who is the most powerful man in the world over the next 4 years. Amazing. I sure hope that the hookers in Nevada, the swamp dwellers in Florida, and the farmers in Iowa realize the pressure they are under.

If this election ends up with one candidate winning the popular vote and not winning the electoral again, I think its time we abolish the system....

2004-10-25T13:12:00.000-05:00

This is exactly why I think the Electoral College Blows!!!!

Red State vs. Blue State

2004-10-24T19:02:00.000-05:00

Today's Houston Chronicle editorial section carried two great, contrasting points of view. One about a Dem living in the heart of Dixie,Blues and the other a Repub living in the liberal bastion on NYCReds.

Both passages do a phenomenal job of not only showing the great divide, but the great despise as well. Its amazing to me how people can not accept that everyone does not see eye to eye, and that if you don't you are wrong. Do you deserve to get the middle finger in Mississippi? Come on, the Ole Miss-Miss St Egg Bowl rivalry is one thing, but over the presidency? These are politicians, don't get so worked up about. Being Republican in NYC is anti-intellectual?? Brave is more like it. (I do find it amazing that NYC is not at all impressed by Bush's pounding of his chest over 9/11 and War on Terror).

I think the divide is great. But can either of these people close the gap? Is there an end in side to this partisanship??? I don't see it, and that is just as sad as American's flipping of other American's who choose to exercise their Constitutional Right and vote....

Nader

2004-10-19T15:53:00.000-05:00

Basically as the premise of this blog, one may think that I am a long time believer in 3rd part candidates, etc. That is not the case at all, as I have never voted for a 3rd party candidate. If and when I do, it will not be Ralph Nader. I do not agree with much of his politics, but I respect him. This is an interesting article about how he is going to be campaigning in 10 states, with 5 of them swing states crucial to John Kerry.
Nader-Swing States
This is my favorite quote "Our campaign is not designed to get either votes for Bush or Kerry, it's designed to take away votes from all parties," Nader said. Basically what he is saying is I am in this for my ideas and my candidancy, not to help the Dems or Repubs. I love that attitude. He goes on to say how the Dems have done a poor job focusing on issues and that they have run poor campaigns.

I like what Nader is saying here. He is saying the same thing I am saying, just about different issues. He wants to push his agenda and get in front of voters who may not identify with voters in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsy.

Now if Kerry will lose one of these states, all with serious electoral numbers, by a few hundred voters, will the Dems blame Nader? Of course, but if they would listen to what Nader is saying, they should blame themselves from not doing enough to define themselves and really stand out on certain issues.

TSA

2004-10-17T19:14:00.000-05:00

Many moons ago I worked for the government. I worked for the INS, and boy was that the worst experience of my life. After leaving for the private world, I reflect on that as how not to run an organiztion, how not to treat employees, etc. Here is a great website that chronicles the ridiculous nature of the INS. I am not the author of the site, and the site does not credit an author, but I can tell you that everything you read is true. I lived it.
Good Riddance To INS

Now I travel a lot for work, and I can't tell you how useless I think the TSA is. It was one thing after 9/11, when the agency was in its infancy, and when everything was a bit more unknown. But now that they have been around for a few years, shouldn't we expect a bit more? Are these people any better than the private security people? Doubtful. Remember this Sleeping TSA Screener? They have better tools and technology, which is great. But do they have any common sense?

Where do they find these people? I looked it up at TSA Careers and the only qualifications for the job are that you are a US citizen and You must have a high school diploma, GED or equivalent; OR at least one year of full-time work experience in security work, aviation screener work, or x-ray technician work. But wait, it gets better, your training is a whopping 56-72 hours of classroom training.

Can we set the bar any lower? Why did we make this a federal positon, paying the federal wage scale, giving federal benefits, etc.? They are essentially mall security guards. They are not law enforcement individuals. They use no logic at all. The rules differ from airport to airport. Apparantly my sneakers need to come off in Baltimore and New Orleans, but in LAX and Newark they are safe.

Should we have this security? Absolutely. But should we be scrutinizing the 80 year old guy traveling with his grandon? How about the poor family going on their first family vacation? Certainly a threat to open up all of their luggage and strew it all over a table. Lets use so common sense. Lets review passenger lists and further inspect specific individuals that would fall into a pattern. Sure its profiling, but profiling works.

And I'm not the only one who feels this way... Tom DiLorenzo's take

In the end, lets make travelling reasonable again.

Saudi- What an ally

2004-10-13T14:50:00.000-05:00

What an Ally we ahve in Saudi Arabia. They are such an advanced group of people. Democratic elections finally. Open to men only. No time to allow women by next year. Can they vote next time, in five years? Well, if we decide to do this voting thing again, they probably can't vote either.

What an Ally....

Our Friend-Saudi Arabia

Select Smart

2004-10-12T09:58:00.000-05:00

Check out this link below

Select Smart-Candidate Selector

The website allows you to weigh in on your personal prefernces on over 16 policy pints,as well as allowing you to rank what priority you place on each area.

How accurate is it? For me, not very. I came up with the Green Party. I find that hilarious, because quite honestly the environment is the least of my worries and is the lowest priority issue. Not to mention I am at the complete opposite of the spectrum with regard to fiscal policies.

Kerry and Bush were low, with the socialist guy beating them out.

I'm interested in your feedback on which candidate it selected for you.

Nice win by the Astros last night, and lets go Red Sox.

Kerry Quote

2004-10-11T13:45:00.000-05:00

''We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus
of our lives, but they're a nuisance."

-Sen. Kerry, as told to Matt Bai of the NY Times

The Elephants seize the opportunity to attack. But why? Ever since 9/11, should Kerry's quote not be our goal? Its certainly mine. I am sick and tired of raising the alert levels every holiday because of increased chatter, but no specific threats. Maybe we have thwarted threats that way. Who knows, we certainly haven't heard about. But back to the quote, I see nothing wrong with it, because quite frankly they are a nuisance to our every day lives. But the Republicans see this as weak. Maybe they want to make the terrorists the modern day Commies, so they have someone to beat on.

As a former law enforcement person, I know we're never going to end
prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to
reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't
threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally, it's something that
you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life

-More Kerry

So this is where the Repubs have an issue. He compared terrorism to gambling and prostitution. But did he? He is saying the problem is similar, you can't eliminate, its a matter of containing it and living your lives.

I truly long for the day where no cares about the color level we are at. I also long for the day where the first story on the evening news isn't about some secret government source discussing increased chatter. Lets remember, its been over 3 years since the last attack on US soil.

Rumors, Inuendo, and Politics

2004-10-07T13:07:00.000-05:00

I guess those three things pretty much go hand in hand. But what I find funny is how many people believe many of the rumors and become completely misinformed. For instance the draft issue. Charles Rangel, a Democratic Congressman from NY, sponsored a bill ages ago to bring back the draft. To me the only difference between Rangel and Al Sharpton is the fact that Rangel has won an election. But hey, thats just my opinion. Well this bill sat there and went no where. At the same time, our troop strength and bench strength has deteriorated rapidly. For whatever reason over the last several months, people have the idea that Bush wants a draft. Kerry certainly realized that, no different than him and the President 30+ years ago, no one wants a draft. So Kerry claims that if you re-elect Bush he will sponsor the draft. This then turns in to some wild fire rumor, spreading rapidly via e-mail. Well college campuses and parents of teens and early 20s were now nervous. But when did Bush ever say he wanted a draft? Hell, it was a Democrat that sponsored the damn bill, and we all know the last time Dems and Repubs agreed on a bill.... So the Republicans are feeling the heat on this non-issue, so as the majority party, they push this bill to the House floor. The vote is a real nail-biter, a whole 402-2. Even Rangel voted against it.

So whats the real deal? Well the real deal is the Repubs sure did play politics by pushing the bill to the floor without going through the proper channels. Now the Dems are calling them out for it. Thats fine, but its the Dems that were accusing Bush of wanting the draft to gain voters. Bush is then quoted on the campaign trail that the draft ain't coming back while he's in charge.

End result- A typical brew haha over nothing.

MTV's take on the issue
http://www.mtv.com/chooseorlose/headlines/news.jhtml?id=1492008

Pork

2004-10-04T16:58:00.000-05:00

John McCain once again is setting out to battle the dreaded pork that is doled out by his fellow members of the legislative branch of the US Government. This is an issue that I am truly torn on. On the one hand I hate unnecassey government spending and am a strong believer in smaller government, less regulation. But on the other hand, the fact that each individual district and state representative actually does something for their constituents is a refreshing idea.

Take West Virginia. Not to slander the state, but realistically the state does not have an overwhelmingly large population, it does not have a large tourist revenue stream, it does not have numerous Fortune 500 type companies headquartered there, and is not a major trading port area either. Yet for decades, Sen. Robert C. Byrd has brought an unbelievable amount of money to his state via pork. It can be attributed to his tenure and powerful positions in the Senate, but he still kept bringing stuff home to the state. If I was a citizen of WV, I would certainly continue to elect him(maybe not 8 times...) because he actually brought home the bacon.

Should there be limits? Sure. But I truly believe that public officials are elcted to represent their constituents and to give each voter a voice in DC.

On the other hand, I appplaud McCain for fighting for something that essentially pisses of his colleagues.

Debate, etc.

2004-10-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

It seems like I have been on the road non-stop lately and I was out with clients and missed the debate Thursday night. Plus my wife did not Tivo it. So much for this aspiring political blogger...

Related to the debate, I still find the whole undecided category intriguing. My neighbor said to me the other day that he doesn't understand how anyone is undecided, because its like choosing between the Mets and Yankees. I certainly see his point. I attended a luncheon with an economist, and he put it this way, 25% of the country thinks the world will end if Bush wins again, another 25% thinks the world will end if Kerry wins, and the other 50% of us don't care either way. His point being that the rhetoric is dominated by the extremes, and the majority of the country is silent.

My take is that those who are decided likely don't like either candidate, and are trying to decide if they really ahte Bush enough to vote for Kerry, or if they think Kerry is so incompetent that they will vote for Bush.

Boy, has there ever been a time where we need a viable third option more....

By the way, I encourage everyone to post comments on the blog, as well as e-mail me at manwithnoparty@yahoo.com

Sports & Politics Part II

2004-09-28T16:59:00.000-05:00

Well, my last post went too long so I split this one out. The sports/politics intersection came into play, where else, but the nation's capital. Everything is fair game there, so why not baseball too??

The nation's capital has been deprived of the national pasttime for the past 33 years, as the Senators played their last game at RFK Stadium in September of 1971. The team did not exactly tear it up the diamond, as they never made the playoffs, nor did they have a player win an individual award. They picked up and moved to Texas and that was that.

At the same time, the Baltimore Orioles were one of the best franchises in baseball. It seemed like they won their division every year in the 70s, as they finished on top in 70, 71, 73, 74, & 79. They won the World Series in 70, and lost to the NL representative in 71 & 79. With the Senators out of the way and the closest team to the south was the Atlanta Braves, the Orioles could not have been dominant at a better time. They were then able to expand their area of influence, now giving them exposure in Maryland, parts of Western PA, Virginia, DC itself, and now down into the Carolinas. This span is obviously a highly populated one, with some areas of strong per capita income, making the Orioles one of the top revenue teams in the sport.

Now it appears that their monopoly in that market, and along with it substantial revenues, is a thing of the past. Baseball is expected to finally announce the relocation of the Expos from Montral to DC. The city will of course help fund a new stadium in the Anacostia waterfront area in the southeast portion of the district. The team will play in RFK Stadium until the $400 Mil+ stadium is completed.

Well that brings us to Peter Angelos and the Orioles dilemma. Baseball owners have been crying poverty for years, but the Orioles have reportedly done well. In 2001, Forbes estimated the team had a value of $335 Mil, well above the league average. Forbes also ranked them 8th in revenue, once again well above average. But want effect would losing the TV revenue of the DC market and potentially the VA and Carolinas, the Orioles fans in those areas, as well as the mighty merchandise sales have??? Again, thats what brings us to Angelos.

Who is Angelos? Angelos is the Orioles owner for the past 11 years. Angelos got his money as a trial lawyer battling what used to be known as the asbestos manufacturers. Sure asbestos was bad, but boy did Angelos do a number on them, hence they are formerly know as.. Well Angelos is a tough negotiator and never goes down without a fight. When the Ravens got a new Baltimore stadium a stones throw away form Camden Yards, Angelos claimed the stadium officials gave the football counterparts a better deal dn he then demand additional concessions and money for improvements to Camden Yards. So imagine what kind of fit he would have thrown if DC, just 40 miles away, would receive a new team? Bud Selig, commissioner for life, and Angelos are friendly and Selig reportedly insisted that DC was not the only candidate and for Angelos not to worry. But, hello, who would trust Selig.

So Angelos has been fighting the award for months, and possibly years, but DC really was the best option. I am not familiar with the area of the stadium, so I can't speak for its viability, but DC is certainly a viable metropolitan area. The district itself was the 21st largest US City after the 2000 census. But that number is misleading, because you must factor in Southwest MD and Northwest VA, adding another 3.5 million residents. Then consider the fact that the metro area is home to well paid government contractors, as well as well paid government bureaucrats, and its not hard to rank DC over places such as Vegas(heat, per capita income), San Antonio(per capita income, metro area), Portland(come on), Puerto Rico(oh yeah, that worked), etc. But Angelos could care less about this or the good of baseball. I mean, the Expos are a joke. Right now MLB owns them, 5000 go to their games, and they have had to play in Puerto Rico where no one seemed to care. But screw that, since the Orioles income statement might suffer.

Well, Angelos hasn't lost his sense for teh jugular, as he seems ready to give in with some concessions. The MLB has now had to guarantee a purchase price and an annual revenue minimum to the Orioles. So if the Orioles fail to reach a certain level in sales or Angelos attempts to sell the team and can't get the predetermined number, the league makes up the difference. Some reports also have the team receiving additional profit sharing, but that is unconfirmed.

What a joke. Since when did free enterprise go out the window. Remember when teh NFL battled the USFL?? Well the NFL won, but the law sided with the USFL and awarded the whopping $1 judgement. But seriously, what other industry could this happen in? Imagine if when Southwest expanded their service to Philly, if US Air was guaranteed a certain sales number or value for its business? That completely un-American, completely against free enterprise. I truly believe in free enterprise and believe in fair business practices. Thats why I find it appalling that these rich team owners get these concessions from teh league and from the cities that they reside in.

The Orioles can still do well. Camden is a phenomenal facility, they have loyal fans, and the new DC team will likely struggle for its identity and in the W column for a while. The Inner Harbor is a great place to visit and see a game, and in the summer and on weekends, families pack in the tourist attractions and hotels just a short walk from the stadium.

Bottom line is still winning. If the Orioles start to win like they did in the 70s, or even in the mid 90s(damn that Jeffrey Maier!!) when they were battling the Yankees, the financial side should not suffer. But with the guarantees Angelos got, there is no need to worry...

Links

Baltimore Sun Story

ESPN Story

Sports and Politics

2004-09-28T15:39:00.000-05:00

Adam Clayton, bassist for the rock legends U2(my favorite lads if I can say so myself), once said,

People say you shouldn't mix music and politics or sport and politics, or whatever, but I think thats bullshit

Well, I think that is a telling quote. Much like music, sports is not immune from politics. And being that sports and politics are two of my favorite subjects, I can't agree more with my Irish friend Mr. Clayton.

One big intersection of politics and sport lately has been related to public funding of stadiums. Some cities have loaded up on new stadiums, with local pols backing them noting economic development. Houston for example has 3 new stadiums(corporatel named Reliant(football), Minute Maid(formerly known as Enron(insert your own joke here...)baseball), and Toyota(b-ball) all within the last 10 years. Have they economically benefitted for fitting the bill? Well the Super Bowl was there in January and the city has estimated revenue of $350 Million, as well as an upgraded downtown business and entertainment district. Thats not too bad. But the Super Bowl may not be back for another 10 years, so amortize that revenue over that time and how much did you really earn considering all of your costs? Who knows, but it is certainly correct that without supporting Reliant's construction, the Super Bowl wasn't coming.

Well Houston is just one example of the city ponying up or backing the new facilities. America's Team is looking for a new home. IMO they need one, Texas Stadium is a flat out dump. Well, Jerry Jones and the Boys make money hand over fist, so why do they need the government's backing? Well, it certainly limits their down side and makes borrowing money and their own cash flow easier to manage, but IMO its because the precedent has been set by so many other cities.

But why should the taxpayers foot bill? Well thats a good question. No one wants more taxes. And certainly, no one wants an additonal tax for something they will not benefit from. Hey, look at senior citizens and how they fight additional property taxes for schools because they don't have any more kids. Just imagine an Eagles or Redskins fan living in Dallas, imagine how pissed they would be!!!

Well, the pols sure have a deal for you... They have gotten creative once again. What have they done? They have gone ahead and taxed people who certainly won't benefit from the stadiums. What? Well, how about taxing someone who will not benefit, but can not vote you out of office?? That sounds great, so lets raise hotel taxes, rental car taxes, and charge event fees to those who lease the arena. Now thats an idea. These people have zero choice but to pay the taxes and they likely won't even know that those taxes will go to some shiny new arena.

Sports and Politics Part II is on the way... Its the Case of Peter Angelos v. MLB & DC

2004-09-23T09:55:00.000-05:00

Here we have the top 3 in our batting order...

Hastert: Batting 3rd in the lineup...

2004-09-23T09:14:00.000-05:00

Thats right, Rep. Dennis Hastert, aka the Speaker of theHouse, is number 3 in our lineup. What do I mean? Well If something were to happen to the President and Vice President, the House Speaker is third in line. Well, lets take a look at what our #3 hitter said recently:

At a campaign rally Saturday in his Illinois district with Vice President Dick
Cheney, Hastert said al Qaeda "would like to influence this election" with an
attack similar to the train bombings in Madrid days before the Spanish national
election in March.
When a reporter asked Hastert if he thought al Qaeda
would operate with more comfort if Kerry were elected, the speaker said, "That's
my opinion, yes."

That is taken from this cnn.com article http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/19/hastert.remark/

OK, so what you are saying is in your opinion, one in which includes a tenure in the House of 18 years and tenure as speaker of about 5, that al Qaeda gives a shit who our president is??? How do you figure? Did you have a conference call with Osama? Did al Qaeda's lobbyists meet with the Kerry campaign? Give me a break. And this guy once taught government and history.

al Qaeda is an extremist group, plain and simple. They have pure hatred for the US, regardless of who lives on Pennsylvania Ave. in DC. Does anyone really think who is President will effect when, how or why they attack?? I don't buy it. They are terrorists, their goal is to attack early and often. My other thought is the rank and file law enforcement and intelligence people are government employees, they do not change when a President changes. Maybe policy or methods change, but their goal, to serve and protect, remains the same. You can't tell me that FBI Agent Johnson will not vigorously go after terrorists because the President has changed, therefore we are not safe???

So Hastert plays politics, whats new? To mean its the grandstanding, the out and out pure exaggeration and fearmongering is new. If you believe the polls, and I take them with a grain of salt, but these kind of tactics work. People feel safer with Bush.

It pains me to think fellow Americans will vote for Bush under the premise that al Qaeda prefers Kerry.

Initial Post

2004-09-22T17:35:00.000-05:00

It was time for me to get a blog. I have an opinion on everything, so why not share it. Well, wait, I already do share. I guess this will be for people who care. Or not care. Regardless, this should be a lot of fun.

The main rantings and ravings on my blog will be about politics. I consider myself a political junky. I majored in Political Science at a large Northeastern university. At one point I would have loved to move to DC and get involved, but the low pay, long hours, and quite frankly ass-kissers turned me off. I'm not an ass-kisser. I know I work hard and that I'm intelligent, and I do my job the best I can, therefore no need to kiss ass. See, I've already started to ramble on.

The blog is a Man Without a Party because the Elephants and Donkeys don't get it IMO. I am fiscally conservative, middle of the road socially, and am a non-religous person. I also can't stand the partisanship that is unavoidable these days.

I hope to analyze things and get in an hope debate with those of you who actually read this thing.