A few thoughts about Obama's speech tonight:

INTRODUCTION:

"I won’t bore you with the details of every plan or proposal, but basically, the debate has centered around two different approaches." -- I want details!  I'm not an idiot, and I do not believe everything I hear on TV.  I want the details of BOTH plans, so I can decide for myself which is better.

NOT OBAMA'S APPROACH:

"... let’s live within our means by making serious, historic cuts in government spending." --YEAH!!  It's about freaking time!!

"Let’s cut defense spending at the Pentagon by hundreds of billions of dollars." --OK, not as good.  However, I've never known Obama (or any politician for that manner) to give fair and accurate reporting on an opponents plan, policies, or practices. I'll wait for actual facts before judging this point.

"Let’s cut out waste and fraud in health care programs like Medicare" --YEAH!!! Again, about freaking time!!

"Finally, let’s ask the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to give up some of their breaks in the tax code and special deductions." --We'll get back to this one in a few minutes.

OBAMA'S APPROACH:

"It would reduce the deficit by around $4 trillion and put us on a path to pay down our debt." --I don't want to be 'on the path' I want a balanced budget.  I have to live on one, why doesn't Washington?! 

"And the cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a drag on our economy" --You're talking like all of this will happen overnight.  NOTHING in Washington happens overnight.

"While many in my own party aren’t happy with the painful cuts it makes, enough will be willing to accept them if the burden is fairly shared." --We'll get back to this one too.

"That’s not right. It’s not fair. We all want a government that lives within its means, but there are still things we need to pay for as a country -– things like new roads and bridges; weather satellites and food inspection; services to veterans and medical research." --You're right.  It's not fair.  But I have to forgo a LOT of the things I am used to.  Why doesn't the government?  Why can't Washington make every penny count?  What's so wrong with telling some researchers that they have a really great project, but there just isn't enough money in the coffer to help out? 

"And keep in mind that under a balanced approach, the 98 percent of Americans who make under $250,000 would see no tax increases at all.  None.  In fact, I want to extend the payroll tax cut for working families." --And now I come back to the two points that I skipped.  How is this any different than the last point in the plan that you didn't like?  You have 2% of Americans making up all the new revenue, while you give more tax breaks to 98%.  How, exactly, is this a burden evenly shared?  Do you not pay attention to what happens when you tax an entity (person or corporation) more than others?  It just happened in California ... they leave your tax jurisdiction.  FYI, they take their money with them.

THE PROBLEM, AS OBAMA SEES IT:

"Now, what makes today’s stalemate so dangerous is that it has been tied to something known as the debt ceiling -– a term that most people outside of Washington have probably never heard of before." --Great.  Now we're idiots, and have no clue what is going on.

"Understand –- raising the debt ceiling does not allow Congress to spend more money." --You'll have to go into depth on this one, because I am really not getting it.  If Congress doesn't need to spend more money to pay the country's debts, WHY does the debt ceiling NEED to be raised?

"In the past, raising the debt ceiling was routine.  Since the 1950s, Congress has always passed it, and every President has signed it." --Yes.  Isn't this why we are in trouble now?

"We would risk sparking a deep economic crisis -– this one caused almost entirely by Washington." --Um ... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't federal spending completely in the control of Washington?  So, isn't the whole reason that you had to interrupt my TV show, to insult me, Washington's fault?

"But the new approach that Speaker Boehner unveiled today, which would temporarily extend the debt ceiling in exchange for spending cuts, would force us to once again face the threat of default just six months from now." --Good!  I want Washington to keep this item on the agenda, to have the threat of default hanging over their heads until they BALANCE THE DAMN BOOKS!!  If this means having a temporary measure passed, and the issue is forced in another 6 months, then fine.  But BALANCE THE DAMN BOOKS!  NOW!!

"We know what we have to do to reduce our deficits; there’s no point in putting the economy at risk by kicking the can further down the road." --Maybe it will finally get it through your thick skulls that the American people want the DAMN BOOKS BALANCED!

"Again, they will refuse to ask the wealthiest Americans to give up their tax cuts or deductions." --You mean unlike point four in the plan you don't like?

CONCLUSION:

"I’ve told leaders of both parties that they must come up with a fair compromise in the next few days that can pass both houses of Congress -– and a compromise that I can sign." --If a compromise passes both houses, sign the damn thing.  If it has a good chance of working, and is constitutional, why in the hell would you refuse to sign it?!

"Now, I realize that a lot of the new members of Congress and I don’t see eye-to-eye on many issues.  But we were each elected by some of the same Americans for some of the same reasons." --Yes.  The American people want a change, and they didn't think that the current powers that be (first the Republicans, now you) could/would make it happen.

"If you want a balanced approach to reducing the deficit, let your member of Congress know. If you believe we can solve this problem through compromise, send that message." --Seriously?  Call your congressman and tell them to vote for my plan?  Why?  You haven't given ANY details about your plan.  All you've done is break into my normal TV programing (again!), insult me several times, give some vague assurances that 98% of Americans won't see their taxes increase, and threaten not to sign any plan that isn't yours.  Are you six?

For those of you interested, all of the quotes from Obama were taken from the White house's website.  You can find his whole speech here.  Thanks for listening to me rant.

It's a girl!

So, apparently I had a fling with the pool guy (in my defense, he was really ripped) and got knocked up.  It's a girl!  She will weigh 9 lbs 8 oz and measure 21" long.  She will be darling, sporting brown hair and hazel eyes.  (Boy, these pregnancy tests get more detailed all the time!  EPT is soooo jealous.)

Should you want to see if a blessed event is about to descend upon you, click here.  No lab work needed!  Results are 100% guaranteed*!

*The result is guaranteed, NOT the accuracy of said result.

Christmas in July

If any of you have the chance to read this book, I highly recommend it.  I've been reading it, off and on, for the last 6 months.  Recently I've been using it to burn through those pesky 30 minute waits at the doctor's office, as my body decides if my allergy shot is going to kill me.  (Judging from some of the welts, it's been a close call.  But I diverge.  Back to the book.)

I thought I'd share a paragraph that completely sums up what I like about this book.

Enter the bee. "What we can smell, honeybees can smell.  There is not a big difference," explains German scientist Randolf Menzel.  This is good news for smell research, for there are plenty of things you can do to a bee that you dare not do to a human. 
The Physics of Christmas, Roger Highfield, pg 197.

Highfield expertly combines research from many different disciplines in an entertaining and witty explanation of what is really going on during the holidays (at least science wise, no one understands aunt Imogen's fruit cake).  Everyone needs to read this book.  How can we have a functioning society if everyone doesn't know about Santa's genetics, the trippin' reindeer under his command, or what King Tut's beer tasted like?!