What options do we have?

Well Its getting closer to annual election time, no seats up for grabs, or Presidents to pick Just local and state initiatives......Two bond Issues to once again prop up the university system with more promised prosperity if we only give em more money for research.......Oh and the Indians want a casino......Bad Indians! No , Not really but that's what happens in the ads, I myself don't Gamble, much. Ive bet on the odd horse race, $2.00 parimutuel or a $6 combination. so theres been gambling in Maine for years, so They decide to add slot machines to the equation. the Vaunted Racino.....Well after all was said and done, it was approved by the voters and the gov. fought it all the way. I guess once again we little people just didn't know what was good for us.....Now they have Hollywood slots in Bangor, not really on the site of the racetrack but it technically fulfills the letter of the Racino law. but they wouldn't let the Indians have a full Casino and golf course with four star hotel in Sanford.....Too much of a good thing.

Look, I don't want Maine to look like Vegas.......BUT Manufacturing is dying a slow death, we still cling but more and more it looks like its just a matter of time before the last of the mills takes the hit......So we are gonna have to adapt. It still Says "VACATIONLAND" on our license plates, so why don't we fully embrace it.....Create Casino Zones around Certain types of Vacation Areas, like the Ski slopes. unbelievably some people don't ski that are in families that do... Why cant sunday river and sugarloaf be the Vail of the east..... We don't support our historical sites most really good living history oe other historical site fall into disrepair or bankruptcy because they are Maine's best kept secrets......If we had vacation Gaming zones we could have a tenet that states the a percentage of the gaming proceeds goes to historical and cultural funding..

so the threatened museums and sites could repair and expand.....not to mention Advertise! so maybe someone would know such places exist...... and do It outside the state.....I ain't got no money to go on a vacation even in my backyard.

More about Me.......

Well I am not sufficiently mad enough right now to post much that is scathing or insightful....Ive lately had this sort of balanced feeling, Ive accepted what I cant change and nothing is going to bother me.......until I see those ads for the brookings institute paired up with the ads on some bond issues.......Ahhhhhhhhhhggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!
Now That we have establish for those who don't know me that I live in Maine I am going to turn inward and focus on some of the boneheaded things that go on in this state,politically. Its a good litmus for the rest of the country of what not to do.....
Back to the ads.....
There is a report by the brookings institute that states that Maine is at a point where we could make an turn for the prosperous, IF we lower income and property taxes, which is pretty much a no-brainer like that ad,wish more people in power took it in......now juxtaposed with ads favoring a bond issue coming up to help manufacturing and the training that goes along with a new industry that will be enticed to this state.....I don't know the particulars as I only saw the ad last night but all I can imagine is that we are going to give more money to the university system.....and then we will have to raise property taxes or some other kind of "fee" (otherwise known as tax, but if we rename it the great unwashed masses will never figure it out)
A few years back they tried to introduce a "fee" by making us register our canoes and kayaks!
luckily it was defeated but do we sense our mentality here.......
Maine is a wonderful place to live, it has beautiful scenery,for now lower crime, and a long and rich history......but the working poor of this state are being ground down by taxes and fees and the high cost of living.....and you either muddle through, move away or succumb to the Great Equalizers and end up on the dole.....these policies have turned some of the people of this great state into trailer park welfare cases,where there used to be workers. Maybe they didn't have much but they did have their pride...........

Cant have your cake.........

..........And eat it too. Ever notice how we always hear the environmentalists rip their clothes and gnash their teeth about fossil fuels and our copious consumption of such carbon based fuels and how it damages the environment. Alternative fuels! that's the answer wind and water and solar power that's the answer!

So lets build a wind generator off the coast of Mass........No wait, cant do that at least not off Hayannisport, might block the view of the Kennedy's place. Not to mention we don't want James Taylor's view obstructed or ruined by the Eco-friendly wind generators....

Ever notice that the biggest screamers are also giving us the "do as I say don't do as I do " treatment?

Al Gores house is an environmental nightmare. not to mention John Edwards crib as well. Al Likes private jets, John, oft spokesman for the poor and downtrodden has alienated all his surrounding neighbors, most of whom are poor and or on a fixed income.

Critical celebs are apt to have several large houses and ride their jets....They aren't flying Economy...Nor are they shopping at Wal-mart.

Here in Maine, where I live there is a movement to "restore" the rivers, meaning lets blow up some dams,Dams that have been in place for a hundred years or so, and some that have been or are capable of generating power, also in Western Maine there was a plan to build a wind powered generator, but came under heavy fire for being an eyesore and the environmental damage it was going to cause......What?. Also there is a movement that comes and goes up here to create a Northern Forest National Park, so it will remain a pristine wilderness that only the rich can live in......I will go into detail on that some other time. Its amazing to me how many of our so Called leaders and socially responsible celebs want to have their cake, and eat it too.

Are you getting tired of the hot button issues becoming the end all be all of the political world?

Can any one candidate fill all the required fields? We all know there is no one that can fill the void.

and the endless debates on things that must have some kind of middle ground.....Compromise, had it been used at the end of WWI maybe we wouldn't have had the WWII.....but that's in the realm of "What if...?" what are the hot button issues?

1. THE WAR

OK its divided into the "cut and runners" or the "stay the coursers" how about the "statehood for Iraqers" after all these years Puerto Rico still hasn't ponied up.....I'm a little tongue and cheek on this one but more or less I'm in the "if this was a war for oil hows it working out?" kind of guy and "put the terrorists head on a pike outside the city gates " guy as well, object lesson for the rest of them.......

2. GAY MARRIAGE

Its simple in my eyes, everyone has to get a marriage license and then the ceremony isn't always performed in a church....its buy justices of the peace or notaries, we all basically have to get a civil union and then a church wedding.....So.....Civil unions for all! and those who want to get married under the eyes of the lord can find a church that is accepting......see compromise all the round! and we don't have to mess with the constitution........

3, ABORTION

its not good, but sometimes necessary, but should be one of the last things considered. with NOW running around shouting as loud as they do about it being a right you would think they had abortion and brunch weekends...."have an abortion and get a free mimosa" but on the other extreme, blowing up or sniping at a clinic is a big no-no....don't do it.

Also allowing minors to get one without parental permission, big mistake. the roles of the parents are being minimized in this world, but that's for another blog.

4. HEALTH CARE/INSURANCE

Everyone has a right............look no one is going to die at the doorway of any respectable hospital....Yeah I know about that one in Cali......like I said respectable......two things that have driven the price of health care up...one, is the people who had full coverage in the past with their companies that they worked for was the overuse of the PRIVILEGE....after all it came with the job right? I knew people who had full coverage from their job for them and their families and they went every time someone had a sniffle or stubbed their toe, those visits cost money and the costs just escalated.......serious maladies only please.....

Two, and listen closely John Edwards, oh spokesman for the Masses, Litigation drove up the costs, Id rather see a truly inept doctor lose his license and or see some jail time then to pull a couple of million dollars from the insurance company just to give it to my layers and not have enough left to pay the hospital bill....and all the money in the world ain't gonna bring em back.

Somewhere in all these issues there is either a middle ground or a common sense solution that may require some sacrifice.....we cant always get what we want.....you cant have any give and take if no one gives.

History Repeating...........

Well here we go again, you would think with all the books at the universities about history and the fact our lawmakers were living it as well, that someone would have taken notice. Ted Kennedy was one of the First to point out the "quagmire" that was Vietnam and attach it to the Iraq War. and now its gotten to the point that our lawmakers are now attacking the troops. The most visual one was Gen. Patraeus in front of Congress. There are others, just as vile but few that were played so much on the TV. A country that turns on its Protectors is heading down a dark path. Its a Time in this world that we haven't been in before. Often people Compare this war with WWII being both have gone on for four years, but what they neglect to point out are the stats from WWII. Like every time we landed on an island in the Pacific we incurred at last as many dead as we currently list for this four year and counting war, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa........the first 15Minutes of Operation Overlord. Daylight bombing......Every bomber had at least ten aboard, 300-1000 bombers in the air, 50% Casualties....You do the math.
If we had gone into Iraq and Afghanistan with WWII numbers we would have been Marshall planning both in three years.........
Support our Troops, And stop Comparing Apples and Oranges

The Black helicopter crowd is back

Last night I was watching a show on 9/11 conspiracies. and I was shocked by the level of .......what do I call It? Ignorance just doesn't do it justice. I have been in some form or another a Firefighter and a student pilot. I worked on a Farm and have used both a welding rod and a cutting torch. So I may not be a degree carrying expert but I can tell you that steel does melt with the application of heat. Maybe not melt but it does become structurally weaker. there was a fire in California some years back that if the fire dept didn't get in under control the engineers said it would have collapsed.....right onto the incident command (made a TV movie about it, Lee Majors was the fire Chief, also an article in Firehouse Magazine) I know there is a movement out there to blame everything on the Govt. More specifically this Administration. But if the Bush white house engineered this they must not be as inept as everyone says.....can't have your cake and eat it too........
Plus the Govt cant get out of its own way. The Press hound the Govt in the most peaceful of times just to get a story.....
So I find the whole concept of the 9/11 shadow government, bush did it thing and insult to the public at large and to those who died as victims and those who died as heroes.

Just who are these people?

Oh I know who they are, I just wouold like to know who made them experts on world affairs? This is Amercia, and everybody gets their say, but when you have celeberty status you actually get to use your soapbox in public.unlike Me, who I use this as a soapbox and probally two or three people will read this and it might as well be the wind blowing. friends and family will think" thats nice so colorful....I like the pictures.." and the person who just is surfing might think"crackpot" or maybe might agree with whats posted. Either way, not a whole lot of people will see it and its not going to influence world events. On the other hand Georgie boy goes to a conference on the war and he gets big press, people listen even if hes talking out of his backside. Some will already agree but some fence sitters might be pushed over the edge. Why? Because George is a nice guy, a handsome guy, he is in the movies and he wouldnt lie to his adoring public, Would he?

I will give Angelina her due, she does give of her wealth and most of the time she is measured and responsible with her press, but every once in a while.....the fruitcake meter goes off......

she is critical of the US govt. and their aid to foreign countries,that are starving I should point out, But we give the most of any other country, but our percentage is lower. The general population of the US gives more than the population of any other country but She doesnt give an attaboy to the people.

Sean Penn, He derserves his own blog on his own, he is such a hypocrite, anti gun, owns several. We forget the whole married to madonna thing where it was rumored or alledged that he beat her and handcuffed her to the kitchen table and not in a good way. Im sorry but his current wife has that kept in the closet look. goes out of his way to slam the bush admin. goes to forign lands to criticize our country. but like the rest lives off the Fat of the land....Shop at wall mart sean. keep only what the average american makes and give the rest of your income to the charities you want, and see how that is for a while.....

All of you soapbox celebs, I challenge you do Sell that Italian Villa in Tuscany, buy a split level Ranch and live as the rest of us live, then tell us how to live,see if the picture is the same. Except you still have those millions a picture to fall back on if the experiment gets old.