IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER...

I fully understand that around half of the people who vote in the United States are happy with President Obama.  I'm in the half that think his re-election is tragic for our country.  There are too many reasons why I feel this way to address in one blog.  Suffice it to say that there are numerous reasons that I'm disappointed.

I am, however, going to try to express my reasons, without much sarcasm, in the next few blogs.  In no particular order, I'll choose a topic and pour out my heart.

Not because it's the most important reason, but because I've been thinking about it lately, today I want to talk about Hispanics, Republicans, and Immigration.

I love people from Mexico and South America.  Growing up in San Diego I had lots of Mexican friends.  I've always enjoyed their culture.  And their food!!  I'm in favor of re-writing our immigration laws to make it easier for all peoples of the world to come here legally.  I know a number of illegal immigrants.  The ones I know try to be good people.  Most of them work hard.  They're good, family-oriented people.  Because we make it so hard for people to come to America legally, many if them skip the legal parts of coming here.

Many Republicans think we have to be more inclusive and understanding of Hispanics and their issues.  I'm not sure what that means.  Do we need to forget our basic beliefs that immigrants need to come here legally?  In order to get their vote, is that our only course of action?  Do we have to advocate open borders to earn their votes?  I hope not.

Many of us have the gut feeling that Hispanic people are conservative, at heart.  I think that's mostly true, but with one caveat.  I think they favor, want, and in many cases, need the American "safety net."  They want to know that if all else fails, they can get food, medical care, and other necessities through various government agencies.  What that boils down to, in my mind, is that they want the "Santa Claus" policies of the Democrats.  When they have to choose between Republicans saying, "We want to make sure everyone who wants to work has a job and we want you to come here legally," and Democrats saying, "Come on in.  Welcome home.  If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," which are they likely to choose?

I don't see much chance of Democrats wanting to be involved in any kind of immigration reform.  Why would they want to be?  They have the Hispanics right where they want them.  Needing/wanting the government for help and mainly voting for Democrats.  Sounds like a good deal for the Dems.  

I hope we (Republicans) don't give in.  We have to do a better job of reminding Hispanics (and Democrats) about rugged individualism, American exceptionalism, and working to improve one's position in life.  

I'm not smart enough to tell the Republicans what they need to say and how they need to say it, but I will tell them that this Republican (conservative, actually, but that's another blog) doesn't want us to become Santa Claus Republicans.  We just need to find a better way to explain our position.  The old, American way doesn't work anymore.

I agree with Charles Krauthammer:  

"Romney is a good man who made the best argument he could, and nearly won.  He would have made a superb chief executive, but he, like the Clinton machine, could not match Barack Obama in the darker arts of public persuasion.

"The answer to Romney’s failure is not retreat, not aping the Democrats’ patchwork pandering.  It is to make the case for restrained, rationalized and reformed government in stark contradistinction to Obama’s increasingly unsustainable big-spending, big-government paternalism.

"Republicans:  No whimpering.  No whining.  No reinvention when none is needed.  Do conservatism. but do it better.  There’s a whole generation of leaders ready to do just that."

  

WHAT A DIFFERENCE IN CULTURES

Secretary Clinton apologized to Muslims around the world for the "disgusting and reprehensible" anti-Muslim video that no Muslim in the Middle East has seen. She reassured the world that the U.S. government had nothing to do with the video. Still, Muslimdom is burning, rioting, and killing.

I'm waiting for her apology for the insensitive Book of Mormon musical. It makes fun, in very vulgar way

s, of many of the things I hold sacred. Some critics have called it vulgar, profane, and disgusting. As far as I know, no Mormons have burned, rioted, or killed anyone over this musical. In fact, the Church took out an ad in the "Book of Mormon" musical playbill telling people that the book is even better than the musical.

What a difference in cultures.

Here's an article that says it far better than I.  I found this AFTER I wrote the above.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444450004578002010241044712.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

HELLO

Well hello, Friends and Family.  I know.  I'm inconsistent.  Inconsistent, heck, I haven't been here since February.  It's not that I don't have anything to say.  It's just that with facebook and email, I'm communicating my life without using my Blog.

But, I don't want to disappoint those who aren't my facebook friends or on my email distribution list, so I'll try to blog more frequently.

I love this time of year.  I love the cool weather.  Nights are getting down to mid- to high-50s and days are hitting about 80, at the highest.  Life is good.  I'm happy and working hard to control my Diabetes.  I've seen an Endocrinologist and he's whipping me into shape.

The main reason i"m here today?  I'm 65.  I feel pretty good.  I'm still excited about my job and hope to work another 5 years.  I work with great people and excellent customers.  I still enjoy traveling for work and Karen enjoys me being gone.  When we get back together, we actually like each other (for the most part).  I have a great family.  Great kids.  Great kids' spouses.  Great grandkids.  Wonderful parents, both deceased, but still play a big role in my life.  They taught me much.  Great siblings...one deceased (who I miss very much) and two living.  One very old and one young and getting herself in good physical shape.  Like me, she's getting body parts replaced (two total knee replacements).  I'm getting my right shoulder replaced in a couple of weeks.  I've been in a lot of pain and have minimal range of motion.  Unfortunately, my left shoulder isn't far behind.  Also, I have great nieces and nephews and other relatives.  All in all, a great family.

I love the Lord and his Gospel and am actively engaged.  I have great neighbors and friends.  We love our old house.  There's always lots to do, in the house and the yard.

So, as you can tell, there's not much to complain about.  Life is very good.

Oh, one other thing.  You know I'm a little political.  I think we have a distinct choice between President Obama and Mr. Romney.  When thinking about this, I try to be as objective as I can and in my view. our choice is between more government: for example, hiring more teachers, firemen, policemen (public sector jobs).  Having government in more control of the goings on in our lives.  And, less government, making it easier for the private sector to create jobs and, hopefully, reducing the impact of government in our lives.  I realize that's barely scratching the surface, but those are the basics.  I've always been a "private sector" guy, so my choice is obvious.  I hope yours is, as well.  I'm very confused about those who are still "undecided."  As the old saying goes, "Poop or get off the pot."  It's time to decide.

Thanks for your time.  Talk to you later.. 

THE DARK ROOM AT THE END OF THE HALL

There's a room at the end of our upstairs hall. Well, it's not really a room. It's a closet. But, there's a door at the end of the hall that I've never opened, 'cause I'm scared of what might be in there.

Last night, Karen and I cautiously opened the door and found about a ton of crap. Not really crap, in the defecation sense of the word, but more like a mess, refuse, rubbish, junk, litter.

So, we emptied the closet and threw most of the contents away or put it in the Deseret Industries Bag.

Now it's clean and neat and organized. I will now open that door regularly.

My niece, AmyWW, inspired me to do some cleaning and culling, and this was my first attempt. I liked it. I'm moving on to another place. Here's
what it looks like now:



This is a table on the west wall of my office. (See if you can spot my niece's daughter, Alisa? Not my niece AmyWW, my niece JennieWW. You might have to double click on the photo to see Alisa.)

By tomorrow (or so), it will be clean and tidy.

Thanks for the inspiration, Amy.

Thanks for the BIG help, Karen.

GREAT CHOICES

I'm satisfied with the Republican Presidential Candidates that are left in the race, with the exception of Ron Paul. I know his supporters are rabid about him, but I'm just not. I've never been. Like any candidate, he says some things I really like, but he has too many goofy things to say for me to ever be able to support him. If you support him, you know what you love. If you don't support him, you know why. If you don't know, look up some of his speeches and debates. In my humble opinion, a vote for Ron Paul is a vote for President Obama.



I am pleased with the rest of the field. Here's where I stand on them:

Rick Santorum looks pretty good on economic issues. Strong on Welfare Reform, taxes, tax cuts, balanced budget amendment, and Social Security, but weak because of his love of spending earmarks, support of large government expansions like Medicare Prescription Drug Bill, and trade protectionism. He'd be a good President and would probably drive America in a pro-growth direction. He's obviously a solid social conservative. I could vote for him if he became the candidate.



Newt Gingrich has become my least favorite Republican candidate lately. I really wanted him to run and I was excited when he joined the race. He's been killer in the debates. He's very smart. He knows as much about politics and Washington and history as anyone who has run for President in my lifetime. BUT (and, yes, that is a big butt), the way he has attacked the other candidates and most recently, the way he's beat up on Romney, I've lost a little (okay, a lot of) love for Newton. Don't get me wrong. I think questions have to be asked of all of the candidates and those questions need to be hard and probing, but I am a FIRM believer in Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment..."Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." Mainly because of that, I'm a bit bummed with Newt at this time, but I'd vote for him if he became the candidate.



Finally, Mitt Romney. Like Reagan, Romney has become more conservative over time. He has moved from supporting the laws regarding abortion to being against them. He has moved away from his more moderate or even liberal positions to solid conservative positions. No one flinches when democrats move from, say, anti-abortion to pro-abortion, like Al Gore, but conservatives just don't seem to believe republicans when they move towards more conservative positions. I believe anyone can grow and learn and, yes, change their positions.

Mitt is my choice. I think he can lead us out of this economic morass that we've slogged in over the last decade. He has committed to cutting taxes and, more importantly, cutting spending. He has committed to overturning ObamaCare. I like his positions. I hope he's our Presidential Candidate. I will vote for him if he's our candidate.

WELCOME 2012

Yep. Hard to believe, but it's 2012. I was born in the middle of the last century...December 2, 1946. Many of the years since then have been fantastic. Some have been sad and disappointing. For the most part, I have loved my life.

I'm now 65 years old. It doesn't seem possible. I feel like it was just a few weeks ago that I was running around and playing softball and acting like a kid and having no physical limitations.

In some respects, it disappoints me that there are things I'll never be able to do in this life. Some things that I used to do are simply out of the question. I can't really see me playing any of my favorite sports. For most of my life, I've been able to say, "I'm young enough, I could start over in a new career. I could go back to school and become a (fill in the blank)." Not any more.

However, that doesn't mean I'm sad or hate my life or feel like I'm just waiting to die.

I'm excited to be alive. I have a wonderful family. From my wife, to my kids and grandkids. To my siblings and parents and all those other relatives, like nieces and nephews and aunts and uncles and in-laws. Yes, I do have a wonderful family.

I have great friends. People who inspire me and treat me well, even though I don't always deserve it. People who make me want to be a better person.

I have my faith. I love it. I love the culture of being a Mormon. We're weird and we know it. Most of us do. (I wonder about some of us.) I love the stuff we do. The Gospel, itself, is true and perfect. The Church and its members are a bit shaky. The Gospel won't change, but the Church and its members have the opportunity to change every day. Being led by a living Prophet, the church can and will change as new information is received. Because of our Lord and Savior, we can all change...and hopefully, we are.

I live in Utah. More specifically, I live in Utah County. I love it here. What a wonderful place to live. Great neighbors and friends. Great influences. Great teens and young people.

I have a dream job. So does Karen. My job is perfect for me. I hope to continue with it until I'm 70. If not, I'll get a job locally and work somewhere until I'm 70.

So, what do I want for 2012?

I want to be a kinder person.

I want people to know that I love them. Even if I have to tell them.

I want to serve the Lord.

I want to serve my neighbors.

I want to be successful (by my own definition) at work.

I want to clean my office and keep it clean!

I want to take care of projects around the house as they come up, instead of when I get around to them.

I want 2012 to be my best year yet!

Will it be perfect? Not a chance, but the opportunities will be there for me to make it great.

Have a great New Year!

YOU CAN EXHALE NOW...I'VE DECIDED!!

After witnessing months of debates, gotcha interviews, mud slinging, and following some calm, cool analysis of all of the Republican Presidential Candidates, I've made my decision and am ready to back one of those candidates.

Every single one of them has heavy baggage. Some more than others. I've considered that baggage. Many of them have wildly positive ideas about the direction they want to take the country.

In my oh-so-humble opinion, there are 4 main areas of focus that are important in picking a candidate to support.

First, can this candidate beat President Obama in 2012? Without that, nothing else matters...see #2, #3, and #4.

Second, will this candidate repeal Obamacare? It must be stopped and if it isn't stopped by the new Republican President, it will be impossible to stop. After 2012, if President Obama wins the election, future Republican Presidents and Republican dominated Congresses will only be able to make Obamacare less costly and intrusive. They'll never be able to elimintate it.

Third, our borders must be secured and we must adopt a sane immigration policy that allows honest, law-abiding, productive people to enter the United States. Without that, President Obama will ensure that the US becomes just like California, awash in debt and ridiculous regulations, nearing bankruptcy, with an endless supply of new democrats illegally crossing the borders on a daily basis. That, obviously, brings an end to the Republican Party. I'm not necessarily in love with the GOP, but at this time, it's the home of conservatism, which is where my loyalties lie.

Fourth, we need a President who will turn us 180 degrees from the Nanny State that Mr. Obama and his party wants. Our new President in 2012 must reduce the size and influence of the Federal Government. Obviously, that includes major cuts in entitlements and the elimination of loopholes, fraud, and favoritism in the tax code.

Considering all of that, looking carefully at baggage, temperament, experience, and history, I've concluded that my choice for the 2012 GOP Candidate for President is Mitt Romney.



I'm not going to go into the reasons why the others aren't my choice. Suffice it to say that I find Mr. Romney is the only candidate that qualifies under the four requirements I listed above.

I've very carefully tried to put on blinders to the obvious reason I'd have to support Mr. Romney...our religion. I think I have done that very well. If religion was important to me, Mr. Huntsman would have been in my short list...and he was not.

So, take it for what it's worth. One American's opinion. As of today, I support Mitt Romney and will through his 2 terms as President, unless he lets Washington own his soul. If that happens, I'll work towards replacing him in 2016.

OCCUPY

I can't help but think that our Community Organizer in Chief is involved in the Occupy movement.

He and most of the left (do I still have to say, "and the media," or do we all understand by now that the "left" and the "media" are one in the same?) are very supportive of the Occupiers. They constantly remind us that protesting and demonstrating is as American as apple pie.

I don't see these yahoos as being very American. Sorry.



I happen to believe that capitalism is American.



No, they're not protesting a war or the draft. They want to be forgiven their student loans. They took out the loans, they signed on the dotted line, but now they want someone else (anyone...you, me, the banks, mommy and daddy...SOMEONE!!!) to pay their loans off.



They're even demonstrating in Syria about student loans. See above? No. Wait. That's not Syria. That's Oakland, CA...America.



They want us to walk away from one of our closest allies. President Obama has been doing that already, so I'm not sure why this old guy is protesting about that. The Left is pretty much all in favor of deserting them. So, again, President Obama's fingerprints all over this movement.

Even Provo, UT has had it's own Occupy Protest. It wasn't very well attended. There just aren't that many anarchists and idiots in Provo.



Now, that's my idea of a successful demonstration. Only 10 - 12 people show up and then go home after realizing they look stupid.

And, yes, that is the Occupy Provo Protest. Tee hee.

NEW POSTS

For some unknown (to me) reason, I feel like I can't write a blog unless it's about something important. And, frankly, not much happens to me that is very important. So, I go weeks without blogging.

I'm going to try to not worry about sounding like a goof and just write some thoughts...more frequently than I've done in the past. (I started to say I was going to do it every day, but that really overshoots the mark!)

So, stay tuned for some generic, boring thoughts. I'll try to add humor and photos whenever possible.

KILLING HEADS OF STATE

I'm trying not to be a partisan. I just keep thinking about recent assassinations and murders applauded by Americans on both sides of the political aisle.

Obviously, the most recent one was Muammar Gaddafi (spelled however you want to spell it).



Another one was Osama bin Laden (again, spelled however you want).



From President Obama's own words, it appears that we have others in our sights. Are we now going after leaders in Syria? Sudan? North Korea? Iran? We've sent troops into central Africa to help rid the world of Ugandan Joseph Kony. Who? The leader of the Lord's Resistance Army. He's a bad guy. All of these dead men were bad guys.

My concern is, is this how we want to cause regime change? Is this the right way to change the world for the better? By assassination and murder?

I'm not blaming President Obama. The House and Senate both voted unanimously last year to send combat-equipped U.S. troops to "rid" central Africa of Mr. Kony. All Republicans and Democrats.

I think we should keep our celebrating of assassinations and murders to a minimum. I'm worried that we're going in the wrong direction in this regard.

Our President won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. We're now in more wars than we were when he took office. I'm missing something here.

Frankly, I'm confused.

We preach democracy, but do we live it?

THE ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT

President Reagan popularized the "11th Commandment," which was created by then California Republican Party Chairman, Gaylord Parkinson. Personal attacks against Reagan during the Primary were so heavy and continuous, that Parkinson came up with this Commandment:

"Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican."

Although I'm not on the Romney bandwagon (I haven't chosen a candidate to back yet), Mr. Perry is rapidly sliding towards the bottom of my list every time he speaks or runs an ad.

We don't need our candidates beating up on each other, weakening each other, so when the general election comes, our candidate is 1) out of money from running defensive ads and 2) weakened to the point that they can't win.

Come on, Mr. Perry, attack President Obama, not other Republicans. I want to see what each Republican candidate likes/dislikes about President Obama's performance and what they will do differently and, hopefully better, than him.

President Obama is very beatable at this time. I don't want the Republicans to blow it by not following the 11th Commandment.

Right, Mr. President?


Right, Bob.

WHY ALL THE HATE?

I'm not a Tea Party follower or supporter. In fact, I'm not sure which of the current crop of GOP Presidential candidates are Tea Partyers and which aren't. I wasn't even aware of exactly what they believed in until I spent a little bit of time online reading about them.



I found out that they don't sit around a table drinking tea! Nor do most of them practice tea bagging.

The main thing I found is that they aren't the crazies the the media would have us believe they are. They simply have some unofficial tenets that seem to me to be pretty common sense stuff. Kind of like the Boston Tea Party folks.



As I said, they don't seem to have an official list of beliefs, but here are some of the common ones I found:

* They seem to believe in and honor the constitution and consider it the supreme law of the land.

* They stand for limited government.

* They want their governments to be fiscally responsible. Most favor a balanced budget amendment.

* Are supporters of all the Amendments to the Constitution, but seem to love the 2nd and 10th. That's not too strange, to me.

* They want secured borders and a fair, simple way for outsiders to get into our country legally.

* They seem to be avid supporters of capitalism and free enterprise and don't want bailouts.

I found other beliefs, but most of them fell under the ones I listed.

So my question is, why all the hate? If believing in these things makes one a Tea Partyer, I guess that's what I am, 'cause I think they all sound reasonable and, frankly, pretty great!!

Oh well, it's not the first time I've been affiliated with a controversial organization or group. I'm still not a tea partyer, because I don't think it's an official, orgnized party or group, but I support them in their beliefs.

I expect the left to hate these tenets, but I don't see why the media hate them. Well, I do. It's just a shame that we don't have an unbiased media in the USA. We used to, but not in the last 20 - 30 years.

Oh well, Viva Tea Partyers!!

TRADITION TERMITES

Lately I've been missing some of the things I used to take for granted. Traditions. Our culture is being eroded and I don't like the "termites" who are chewing away at our traditions and our culture. Most of the traditions don't really amount to much; they're not a big deal, but over a lifetime of seeing these traditions and cultural norms eaten away, I find that I really miss them. Or, conversely, I really hate what has replaced them.

Here are just a few:

• Men wearing baseball caps in restaurants. To me, it's low class, dirty, and offensive. I know, I sound like a 65 year old man...well, I will be 65 in December, so I guess it's okay for me to sound like one! Then, there's the very special breed of low-life, mullet-wearing, redneck, bumpkin, inbreds, who wear their baseball caps backwards, so they can look like official dorks while they gobble their food.

• Talking on cell phones while conducting business. You see it all the time...a customer approaching a clerk or server or whomever, while on the phone and giving that person a minimal amount of attention while trying to conduct business with them. You're not so damned important that you need to be talking to someone every minute of the day. Hang up your phone, stupid, and show some respect for the person who is trying to help you.
  

• The movement away from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. When I pledge my allegiance to our flag, I'm recognizing that I'm a proud American. I love my country. I fought for my country in...I mean, I was a typist for my country in the Army, in Germany. I feel so blessed to live here and enjoy the freedoms we have. I appreciate those who have given their lives so we can have those freedoms. I'm thinking about all those things, and more, when I recite the Pledge of Allegiance and I'm sort of bonding with those around me, as fellow Americans.

• Different last names/living together. When new neighbors moved in, back in the day, once your heard their last name was Smith, you felt comfortable calling them Mr. and Mrs. Smith, until you learned and were invited to call them by their first names. You knew they were Mr. and Mrs. because they lived together. Now, people live together without the benefit of marriage and use their individual last names or they marry, but the woman keeps her last name or hyphenates his and her last name. Come on, Mr. and Mrs. Smith was so easy. When I was a young boy growing up in San Diego, the lady next door, Mrs. Green, had a series of boyfriends who lived with her over the years (months?). When the first one left and a new boyfriend started hanging around, I told my mother that, "...there is a new Mr. Green next door."

• Respect for Teachers and ones elders. I've always been a class clown and a trouble-maker, but when I got in trouble for disrespecting my teacher, or any of my elders, for that matter, not only did I get in trouble with them, but when my parents found out, I got in trouble at home, as well. The trouble at home was much more severe. There is way too much litigation in America today and a lot of it comes from parents who sue because someone offended their precious little offspring. Because of this, we have a disrespectful bunch of adults, young adults, teenagers, youth, and children, whose parents have trained them to believe they should bear no responsibility for their actions.

Well, that's probably enough for now. I'll mention some others later.

MY PRESIDENTIAL SHORT LIST

Oh, to have President Reagan back. But, that will never be. So, who will I vote for in the 2012 election?

I've given it a lot of thought. I really dislike President Obama's policies. Plus, he's just too snarky, arrogant, and classless. Plus, even though the left ridicule President Bush for his speaking abilities (or lack thereof), Mr. Obama can't put two sentences together without a tele-prompter. He's a complete idiot. He's not the genius his supporters purport him to be. He's a dolt and he's unAmerican.

He considers those with whom he differs as enemies. Americans as enemies! Amazing. He's worried about giving Usama bin Laden a proper Muslim burial, but I'm his enemy.

Anyway, don't get me started on that goofball. As has been said many times in many places, Barrack Obama is the least qualified person in any room he enters.

So, here's my short list of Republicans that I would be proud to vote for in the 2012 election:

Newt Gingrich

Chris Christie

John Bolton

Gary Johnson

Buddy Roemer

Michele Bachman

Herman Cain

Sarah Palin

Rick Santorum

Jon Huntsman

*Mike Huckabee

Tim Pawlenty

Mitch Daniels

Rick Perry

Mitt Romney

*Ron Paul

*Would only vote for these people if they won the nomination. Last resort, but better than Obama.

I really look forward to the 2012 election. It can't come soon enough.

One more thing. Here's the abbreviated version of most every speech he makes:

"I want ... I believe ... I've seen ... I've heard ... I said ... I will be ... I'm asking ... I don't know ... I challenge ... I urge ... I set ... I know ... I'm proposing ... I ask ... I took ... I made ... I would ... I intend ... I've ordered ... I will not ... I've heard ... I am eager ... I'm not ... I'm not ... I'm not ... I am ... I've proposed ... I care ... I recognize ... I'm willing ... I've proposed ... I created ... I don't agree ... I am prepared ... I hear ... I will submit ... I ask ... I will veto ... I will travel ... I call on all ... I know ... I stand..."

He's the "I" man! Nobody else exists in his world.