Not Having Fun at the Party

I love gathering with family for the holidays. My sis-in-law asked if I had heard the James Carville quote that ‘if Hillary gave Barack one of her balls, she’d still have more than him.’

Stoopid American Thots:
1. Because Hillary has hers and Bill’s? I dunno. I guess Bill is the only one who would really know, right?...
2. I researched this a little and found that the well-known Democrat strategist said this during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast…I’m kinda admiring his cojones. :^) Hillary + Carville + Obama = how many balls?
3. Wow. Those are some mighty disillusioned Dems.
4. The only way I could put up with James Carville is if I was drunk. And in that case, it would be a HOOT. Actually, Too Much Fun. Which makes me wonder if it is the same for his wife Mary Matalin, the well-known Republican party consultant. We all need to start watching her more closely for signs of intoxication.
5. I’m laughing the hardest about the “apology” given to CNN: “If I offended anybody, I’m not sorry and I don’t apologize," he said. Pure awesomeness.

Corn-fed Babies

Most of what we Americans eat is some arrangement of corn. First, there are the boxes of food that has been “highly processed” in factories using corn as a main ingredient or filler. Then there’s the huge category of “food” to which “high fructose corn syrup” has been added, because it extends the shelf life of food (and has altered our taste buds as a nation to require everything taste sweet). Lastly, meat. Yes, from my understanding, the cows and chickens have been fed corn, because it’s cheaper than grass-grain) until now they’re susceptible to disease. Their digestive systems cannot deal with corn, you see. The Food People are now beginning to feed corn to the fish we eat.

So, we’re sitting around noshing on burgers and Cheetoz and Froot-Loops and fish, but it’s all corn.

That can’t be right, you’re thinking. Let’s check my pantry.

Cap’n Crunch: first ingredient listed is Corn Flour.
Count Chocula (I have a teenage boy…): first ingredient is Whole Grain Corn plus modified corn starch, corn syrup, corn meal – a Monster Cereal, indeed.

Sure, those things are obvious. What about not so obvious?

RICE Krispies: High fructose corn syrup – fifth ingredient
Original Premium Crackers: High fructose corn syrup – fourth ingredient
Bush’s Baked Beans: Modified corn starch
Progresso Plain Bread Crumbs: both high fructose corn syrup and regular old corn syrup

What if we are like the animals and our digestive systems are not suited to corn? And it leads to sickness and disease like…oh, say, cancer and diabetes. So, has anyone ever looked at the big picture and compared cancer numbers to when we increased intake of corn-food? Assuming we can find accurate numbers that haven’t been home-cooked or spun…which I doubt. How long has “cancer” been around? Cancer is just abnormal growth of cells…is there a difference between modern and ancient abnormal cell growth? Actually, I spent an hour of my life trying to do just this thing. Not easy. For some reason, cancer stats are sliced into specific cancers, genders, races…differing survival rates, interpretations of diagnosis, undiagnosed?…and of course, if you have more people, you’re going to have bigger numbers for everything, right.

One very recent (Aug 2010) study at UCLA found that cancer cells grow and multiply faster when fed fructose. The article also stated that between 1970 and 1990, U.S. consumption of high fructose corn syrup increased more than 1000 percent, and HFCS makes up more than 40 percent of sweetener added to food and beverage.

Anyhow, check out this poster from WWI found in Cooter’s history text. Isn’t that cute little boy quite the trooper! Saluting, yes sir, gimme more corn!

Of course, we didn’t intend to poison ourselves or create new diseases. Just another one of those awesome outcomes from the decisions of the Greediest Generation this country has ever seen. The corn is cheap. We can make a lot of money sticking it in everything. We can feed a huge growing population with it – a huge, stoopid population rife with physical and mental impairments. Actually, I can’t lay Widespread Greed just at the feet of the Baby Boomers. The seeds for that were planted before they were ever conceived, when soldiers returned from WWII, but I’ll save that for another article.

So, what does the future hold for us? We may have to look to some place like Israel, for God’s sake, to find something healthy to eat. How ironic, considering many of us Americans have rejected the idea that “God” has rules for what we eat, to maintain optimum health for His children. Meanwhile, Israeli Jews have managed to keep intact Kosher Law and standards.

I’m starting to sound like some sort of Food Nazi. Maybe the answer to this problem is I just need more corn squeezin’s in my whiskey and more whiskey, period.

History

I'm thinking about my grandma today. She and grandpa often disagreed on politics and he would try to get her to change her vote, arguing wifely duty to vote his will :^) and her vote canceled his out, so they might as well stay home. Her vote was very important to her. Wild horses wouldn't stop her from voting for the 1st woman governor of the state of Oklahoma.

Here's a picture of my grandmother holding my mother. Mom had a heart procedure 4 days ago and is not supposed to drive. She drove to the church and voted this morning.

Please go vote.

In My Backyard

Both our D and R gubernatorial candidates here in Oklahoma are women, which is pretty exciting because it means that whoever wins, we will be electing our first female governor. We can all slap ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves for being so forward-thinking, cutting-edge, new-world-orderish, say just like electing a “black man” as POTUS – we’re so cool and evolved. But unlike the electing of Obama, let’s now take that irrelevant bulls*** off the table and focus on the credentials, character, and intelligence of the candidates.

I really do want to like the Democrat Jari Askins, pictured here to the right of Republican Mary Fallin. My eldest son loves her, says she gives great hugs, she’s kind and concerned, like a grandmother. I’ve noticed some of my stalwart conservative friends supporting her, so I definitely want to give this lady a good looky-loo…

Let’s look at their responses to questions posed by the local newspaper. I chose this on which to focus my “issues” analysis because of the stringent Q&A format the media outlet has followed. (I believe future campaign reform is going to have to push the media into strict Q&A to overcome its current rampant bias. They just can’t seem to stop interjecting themselves into the story whether the question itself is worded in a ridiculous manner or editing candidates’ responses, shifting context, etc.) I was also drawn by the “sexy” headline: “Gubernatorial candidates answer science, technology questions.”

Q: Do you support the state's continued investment in EDGE Fund and if yes, what options would you choose to fund expansion of the trust fund?

Jari Askins:
In 2003, when Governor Henry first announced his comprehensive economic development plan, Economic Development Generating Excellence, I served on one of the committees formed to study and make recommendations for strengthening Oklahoma's economy. One of the results of this effort was the proposal to create a $1 billion research and development endowment as an investment in Oklahoma's science and technology. In 2006, I authored the bill creating the EDGE Fund and also voted to provide the initial funding. It is one of the important components, along with OCAST and i2E, which combine to make a successful technology-based economy.

Mary Fallin:
I do support the continued investment in the EDGE fund. Before we can consider expanding that fund, however, we need to grow our revenue base and get out of this recession we are currently in. I can't promise to spend money the state of Oklahoma does not have, which is why as governor I will immediately work to eliminate government waste and grow our economy. When we do that, we'll have the tax revenue base we need to properly fund EDGE.

Now, let’s analyze. Did Jari answer the question? No. I’m going to assume her answer would be yes to the first part, and IDK to the second part. What she did say was: she was appointed to ONE of many committees formed by our current D guv to STUDY how to improve economy, three years later she wrote a bill to spend $1 billion to form a STATE fund to give money out in the name of “science and technology.” Okay, I support this sort of economic development. But it’s now 2010. Four years later, what has her EDGE fund done? If there were great results, why wouldn’t she have enumerated them? Can I assume there have been none? Actually, I did read in the paper a few days ago that despite our best efforts to get a piece of the bio-tech action, we’re still laughably small potatoes. But she wanted us to know her role in all this, and yet, side-stepped actually answering. Why are we not getting a bigger piece of that pie? Is it “under-funded” actually? Does she have the nerve to suggest it needs MORE money to successfully compete against other states, etc.? Just tell me…

Mary’s response: Answers both parts of the question directly and immediately. Continue, yes; expand, not until other things happen first. She then suggests it’s not properly funded and needs this expansion eventually. What I heard loud and clear: I will not spend money we do not have and perhaps we can identify some wasteful spending and shift it to this.

Move on to Question 2.

Q: The state reaps a greater return in taxes paid by companies in the Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park than it gives out in tax credits and state sponsored grants to these companies. Under your administration, will tax incentives play a role in encouraging technology-based economic development? What creative ideas do you have for how the state can invest in research and make the state more attractive for investors?

Jari Askins:
Eliminating tax incentives has the potential for creating unintended consequences. However, there is a demand for more transparency and more accountability in order to make them useful for encouraging technology-based economic development. We need to consider ways to help our state's research institutions and our startup technology companies in an effort to strengthen our economy by providing more high quality, high wage jobs. We need to stimulate local investment as well as provide ways to attract federal dollars. I would utilize the collective know-ledge and experience from existing resources to provide impacts, funding recommendations and new creative ideas for how the state can further invest in research to make the state more attractive for investors.

Mary Fallin:
Yes, tax credits will play a role in encouraging the development of technology based companies in my administration. However, each and every tax credit I support must be creating jobs and leading to long-term growth and investment that would not otherwise occur. If a tax credit does not meet those criteria, it is a handout, not an investment.

Jari’s reponse: WOW. Okay, now is when I’m going to have get a little harsh. She starts speaking a foreign language which I don’t speak, politician-buzzword-BS. She has no creative ideas (which is the second part of the question) – she’s going to “utilize collective know-ledge (sp) and experience from existing resources” (in other words, ask everybody else at some point in the future)…as to the first part of the question, she does not answer. Tax incentives – yes or no? Her answer is rambly and weird: A demand for more transparency and accountability will make the incentives more “useful”? Huh? This poor lady has not a clue how economic development works…didn’t she sit on a governor’s committee for ED?

This is the deal: OK and TX go head to head for the locating of a new tech start-up. The company picks whoever comes with the best pitch, the best package in incentives. It’s usually not us. I don’t see where transparency and accountability have diddly-squat to do with it, unless to make the ED person’s job harder, because now they have to explain to the OK public how TX had more and better incentives, better infrastructure, better worker base, less taxes, a more business-friendly environment regarding law suits, etc. One thing did stand out in Jari’s answer: ATTRACT FEDERAL DOLLARS. That’s her answer to economic development? Otay….it’s a typical idiotic answer in the ED world that does not involve a real company with a real market demand and real customers and real value and real revenue and profit… Geez. The sweet lady is over her head and needs a life preserver. I know I’m being harsh, but in Texas, I worked with the technology incubators in Israel to find real markets for real technologies with real value creating real jobs. The endless merry-go-round of government funding should NOT be relied upon and should NOT be sustainable.

Mary’s answer: Simple and to the point. Yes, but it better meet criteria because I’m not in the business of government hand-outs. Awesome. She has got the message loud and clear from the people. I think Mary is smarter than Jari, based on these two questions.

I have watched Mary criss-cross this state relentlessly campaigning for the last year. One Saturday morning, she tried to attend five events in five little towns, renting a plane to make it happen. I just have not seen the same sort of effort from Jari, and even wondered at one point if Jari had health problems preventing this same level of effort.

Okay, I’ve given Jari every opportunity I can to change my mind. Mary is smarter. Mary has campaigned harder, wants it more. What about character? I am disappointed in Mary’s clumsy attempt to say in one of the recent debates something like this: “You should vote for me because I’ve raised a butt-load of kids and Jari has never been married and has no kids.” Very clumsy, earned her a little national notoriety in the media, too. I happen to agree with her, though, privately, because it’s not PC to say it out loud. I don’t think you should hold it against people if they’ve never been out there on the edge of madness as a parent, but really, it’s a special kind of battle stress. When I find out people have never had kids, I’m kind of taken aback…and my head starts spinning, wondering what THAT would be like, to not have huge obstacles to navigate, huge responsibilities to shoulder, huge stress to manage…anyway.

Credentials: They’re both politicians. Jari is a judge-type, focusing in the pardons and parole area, then became a state lej. Mary had a real job at the beginning – hotel management. Then a state lej, then our first female Lt. Guv, then a federal lej. Mary has worked in D.C. – had a front-row seat to the BS. Feels our pain. She gets it.

Mary wins for me, hands-down. Analysis over.

A Call to Arms

I was against Obamacare. No big deal, a lot of people were (some say 70% of the citizenry). But I was OUTRAGED by the manner in which it passed. Our system is supposed to protect us from a king or dictator pushing his will upon us.

I have become more involved in the following months - listening, learning, reading - becoming angrier each day by the astronomical, unprecedented stoopidity and unethical behavior I see everywhere. I have been called names, insulted, ridiculed, verbally attacked, as I aligned with the TEA party (who want the spending under control) and Libertarians (who want the government to butt out).

Please join me tomorrow in beginning the long process of re-claiming our representative form of government.

Our government is like a car-crash/train-wreck/terrorist-bomb/hallucinating-druggie guy stumbling into the ER. First Aid requires we stop the bleeding now (throw out all the Democrat, liberal-elite, tax-and-spend socialists). Brain surgery can come later.