Some of you noticed I’ve been away for a bit. Okay, two of you noticed. And one of them was Frank. And that was only because I owe him some money. I forget why. I think I lost a bet. But I’ll get that back on September 3rd in Athens.

Anyway, I’ve been away. I took vacation from work the week of Sarah K’s birthday. I’ve taken that day, or the whole week if possible, off work every year for 17 years in a row. The last time I worked on her birthday was in 1993, and that’s because I was stationed in Korea.

During the week of July 19 (Sarah’s birthday), I went to Valdosta and spent some time with my son. That was fun. Wife and I then spent some time in Montgomery. And, yes, that was just as much fun as it sounds.

Spent some time adding an Xbox to the Internet TV setup. For ESPN 3. Not for gaming. Because video games are stupid and dumb. And I won’t be playing games on it. Or adding a 250 GB drive to it. Or buying a second controller. Or adding Microsoft points to my account. Or customizing an avatar. Or playing Peggle. Or customizing a Game Room. Or several rooms in Game Room. Or any of those other stupid things that people with Xboxes do. Nope. Not me. ESPN3 only for my Xbox.

Also spent some time worrying about my grandson, who broke his arm at football practice. He’ll be okay. Other grandson is still playing, so we’ll be attending some of those games.

All this doesn’t take all that much time or interfere with much. But there’s this one other thing going on: work.

I don’t blog about work. So, when I don’t blog, it’s about work.

So, while I was away, what did I miss?

Gold was 1,596.95/ounce the last time I posted something here. It’s 1,852.10/ounce now.

The Dow was 12,479.73 when I last posted. It’s 10,817.65 now.

The last time you heard from me, Obama was doing a piss-poor job as president and the economy was tanking. Today, Obama is doing a piss-poor job as president and the economy is tanking.

I’m not sure if my being away made things worse. But, just in case, you’ll be putting up with me some more now.

You have been warned.

This is a true story. And as I lived it, I came to realize that it’s a good example of just how our country got into this financial mess.

It’s my own mini, but true, version of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House and it started a few weeks ago. Wife was inspired. She decided that we needed to paint the bathroom walls. She wanted to change from a blue-scheme wallpaper to green painted walls. So she picked out some $40-something a gallon Martha Stewart paint.

Turns out the paint didn’t go on the walls. It went on the base paint. That was around $20-something a gallon. So in order to cover the walls, it was actually $60-something a gallon.

After the walls were done, the floor didn’t match. Because they were a blue theme, those cheap floor tiles had to go. Wife wanted wood floors. So, that’s what we got. I lost count of how much the wood, stain, polyurethane, and all such cost. But it did look good.

But now the vanity top didn’t match. It was blue. So, she picked out a new one. A white marble top with a molded sink. A little over $200. And it looked really good.

That meant we needed to change the faucet. The old one didn’t look good with it. Really, it didn’t.

So, she found one. It’s oil-rubbed bronze, or Venetian bronze, or Tuscan bronze, or some sort of bronze or something. And the spout looked like an old-style hand pump spout. And it was a little under $200. But it looked really good.

Of course, that meant that the drawer handles, door handles, and hinges on the vanity cabinet didn’t match. So we had to find new ones in oil-rubbed bronze, buy those, and replace the old ones. The hinges were hard to find. I had to order them from a place in Spokane, Washington. Which jacked the price of the 4 hinges up from under $4 to about $20.

Oh, and the towel rack needed to be replaced so it would match ($43). And the hand towel rack ($21). And the toilet paper holder ($21). And the bath robe hooks ($25).

And the door stop. And the door handle. And the door hinges. And the handle and hinges on the bathroom closet door as well. That all totaled around $80.

And the light fixture didn’t match. But a new one that did ran $99.

Oh, and the shower curtain rod. Needed one that matched. It was $50 for one that was the right style and color.

Remember the new white marble sink? Now the toilet didn’t match. So, we had to replace it. That was around $240 for a chair-height, elongated, dual-flush white toilet.

Then, of course, we had to get new bath rugs and accessories — fuzzy mat outside the tube, fuzzy mat in front of the vanity, the little fuzzy thing that goes around the toilet base, and a fuzzy toilet seat cover — and towels and such. Which together totaled a little under $200.

If you’ve been adding all this up as we’ve gone along, you’ll realize that we passed the $1,000 mark some time ago. And that’s only because we did the work ourselves. Well, us and one of the sons-in-law.

What we ended up with was a lot of work and a lot of money spent. But it all matches the shower curtain.

The shower curtain? Yes, the shower curtain she bought on sale for $10 from the K-Mart a while back. We did all that painting and replacing stuff so the bathroom would match a $10 shower curtain.

And that’s how the country ends up spending too much money on stuff.

Of course, now you understand how one thing leads to another, and that good intentions can end up with unexpected consequences and unexpected expenses.

The difference, though, is that we didn’t decide to begin a series of things that cost way too much money and have you pay for it. We paid for it ourselves. So, it’s not a financial impact on you. And we aren’t passing the debt along to your grandchildren.

The government, who has even less sense than we do, ends up spending 130 times as much as it should on stuff — but they make you pay for it.

It makes you want to beat a politician with a stick.

I don’t have a stick. But now I got a spare shower curtain rod. It ought to do the trick.

The 235th birthday of our country, it may be a good time to re-read this document:

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock

Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple

Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott

New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

We shouldn’t limit our reading — or understanding — of this document for anniversaries such as today.

Here’s the story:

When Fred Thompson had his radio show, Westwood One hired me (Harvey, in case you don’t read bylines) to run the show’s website. After Fred moved on, Westwood let me switch over to running the site for the Doug Urbanski Show. If you don’t know him, he’s a solid conservative who’s previously done fill-ins for other conservative talk show hosts (Laura Ingraham, Michael Savage, Fred Thompson, Tammy Bruce, Jerry Doyle, Rusty Humphries, Dennis Miller, Bill O’Reilly, AND Rush).

Well, 4 months in, the Westwood Powers-That-Be are suggesting that I start promoting him outside the show’s website.

Here’s the problem: I sincerely love Doug’s show. He chews on Obama like a puppy on a bacon-flavored slipper, plus he gives me a pretty free hand posting commentary on the site. I don’t have to hold back or be nice, because Doug enjoys playing hardball.

Just to give you a taste, here are some of the words Doug has used to describe Obama (in no particular order, and not all on the same day):

Liar, thug, bully, punk, Marxist, Statist, socialist, communist, community organizer, Serial-Liar-in-Chief, Comrade Obama, appeaser, politically tone-deaf, fool, disaster, bizarre, unprepared, neglectful, immature, self-absorbed, agitator, the enemy, violent, epic failure, disgrace…

You get the idea.

So I honestly think you guys would like his stuff, and I’ve thought about sharing it here before, but I thought it’d make me look like a sleazy corporate shill, one step above a random comment spammer.

So, I figure, I’ll give you one thing. If you like it, I’ll give you more. If not, I won’t. Here’s a recent quote from the show and a link to the audio clip:

There is a fundamental difference here between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans believe that the government is there to provide an atmosphere for you to succeed. The Democrats wish to use the government to protect Americans from those who want to succeed.

I’d post the audio here, but the Powers-That-Be want to see site traffic, so click through for the whole thing.

But please, don’t click through as a favor to me. Click through if you want to hear a human being saying these words because they’re something you want to hear.

Oh, and let me know what you think of it. Brutal honesty is appreciated.

All that fancy technological computer stuff that the Twitterz uses knows that the media thinks just like Barack Obama.

Here’s a screen capture from Obama’s Twitter page:

See that down in the corner? Where it lists other Twitter users that are similar?

See? I don’t see anyone from Fox News listed. Actually, I don’t see anyone from CNN listed, either, which sort of surprised me.

When I did a refresh of the page, CBS News did come up. Did a lot more refreshes. George Stephanopoulos, some critter from NPR, and … Twitter.

Which means that those of you who kept saying Twitter was teh ghey … may have been right all along.

UPDATE: Twitter chief picked as Obama telecom advisor. Well, that explains something.

Saturday morning, me and a few thousand other close personal friends will be at the Herman Cain campaign announcement in Atlanta. I’ll also be at the reception for breakfast beforehand.

I don’t know what kind of access I’ll have to Mr. Cain. But who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to get a few minutes to ask a question or two.

Remember when I asked for questions for a Congressman a while back? Yeah, that didn’t go too well.

Maybe this will go better. Maybe.

So, let’s ask Herman Cain some questions.

If you had the chance to ask him a question, what would you ask? Serious questions would be okay, too.

I have sent a link to this post to the Cain campaign, so they can decide if they want to answer any of them. I’ll have my video camera, and record him answering your questions and play it back for you.

If he takes the questions.

He might not. Seriously, would you answer a bunch of questions from this group? If you wanted to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate, that is?

I didn’t think so.

But, Herman Cain is a smart man. He may be able to answer your questions and still remain a serious candidate.

Leave your questions in the comments. Really, what could go wrong?

UPDATE 20-May-2011 7:37 AM
For some of the questions received so far (climate change, Obamacare, golf) I have videos or columns by the candidate that address them, or excepts from print interviews that touch on them.

If I have the opportunity to ask questions, I will include them on the list anyway. But, I’ll have some answers based on prior statements, just in case.

UPDATE 22-May-2011 9:22 PM
Some of the questions were answered. Sort of.

Savannah.

It’s the first city in Georgia, founded in 1733. And it’s full of history.

Forsyth Park. Fort Jackson. Fort Pulaski. River Street. The Squares. Tybee Light. Johnny Mercer House.

Don’t know how much you know about Savannah. I grew up near there. Well, within TV-watching distance. My high school was in the same region as the Savannah schools, so there’d be travel to games throughout the year. Savannah was close, so I’m a little familiar with it.

But, no matter how much you know about Savannah, there is one aspect that you surely know about, even if you don’t know about its connection with Savannah.

Girl Scouts.

The Girl Scouts were founded in Savannah in 1912.

Whatever you think of the Girl Scouts, you gotta admit: they make good cookies. I always look forward to the sale of Girl Scout Cookies. I stock up. You can freeze them, you know. They’ll keep. And you can enjoy them year-round. At least, I think you can enjoy them year-round. They don’t usually last that long around me.

Anyway, you can buy Girl Scout Cookies now. They’re selling them.

Only, you can’t buy them at the home of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts.

Nope. The address 10 East Oglethorpe Avenue is off-limits to the sale of Girl Scout Cookies.

Seems somebody complained last year.

So, the Girl Scouts cannot sell cookies in front of the home of the founder of the Girl Scouts.

I tell you, this country’s going to hell in a handbasket when Girl Scouts can’t sell cookies in at the home of the founder of the Girl Scouts.

I wonder who complained. Whoever it was complained hates America. I mean, really. Stopping little girls from selling cookies? Sounds like something somebody who voted for Barack Obama would do, that’s how un-American it is.

I’m thinking about heading to Savannah and offering to buy a busload of Girl Scout Cookies in front of the Juliette Gordon Low House. And, if anyone complained, they could bite be. While I’m biting into some Girl Scout Cookies.

I know. Some of you thought today was “Presidents’ Day.” Don’t let that bother you. Some of you believe in the Loch Ness Monster, UFOs, and that Elvis works at a Burger King in Michigan.

Where I come from, we usually look at such people and say “Bless their heart.” That’s Georgia-speak for “What a dumbass.”

I know, the calendar you got at the kiosk at the mall has “Presidents Day” written in the little block for today. Well, about those people that made that calendar? Bless their heart.

I know, all the TV and radio ads talk about “Presidents Day” sales going on today. Those people that wrote those commercials? Bless their heart.

Today’s a federal holiday. And, it’s “Washington’s Birthday.” Take a look at United States Code 5 U.S.C. 6103 and see what it says. Sure enough, it says “Washington’s Birthday.”

Now, the truth is that George Washington’s birthday isn’t until tomorrow. In fact, the official federal holiday for Washington’s Birthday never falls on his actual birthday. Who else but the government could screw up a birthday so bad? And some folks want them in charge of health care. Bless their heart.

Why do I make a big deal about what today is called? Because I think it’s bad idea to ignore history. George Washington was actually a pretty important guy in American history. Important enough to actually give a holiday for his birthday.

George Washington

George Washington was born on February 11, 1731. You see, the colony of Virginia, like all of Great Britain, was using the Julian calendar at the time. When Britain and the colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, a lot of dates changed. New Years Day moved from March 25 to January 1, and 11 days disappeared. You can read all about that craziness here.

The upshot is that the old style date of February 11, 1731 became February 22, 1732. And that’s George Washington’s birthday.

George Washington became a surveyor, joined the Virginia militia, fought in the Seven Years War (AKA the French and Indian War), married a rich widow, fooled around a lot, and became a successful businessman.

As tensions mounted between the colonies and the British Crown, Washington led the American forces in the Revolutionary War, culminating in the British surrender and recognition of the United States of American as a soverign nation. After several unsuccessful governments were established under the Articles of Confederation, a new Constitution was adopted in 1787 (ratified in 1788). The presidential electors unanimously selected Washington as the first President, the only person ever so honored.

Washington served two terms, retired, and lived a quiet life until 1799.

As a military officer and a statesman and politician, Washington was one of the most respected Americans. And, his birthday was celebrated by the states. In 1879, Washington’s Birthday became the fifth federal holiday, joining New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

Holiday confusion

In 1968, the movement to change many holidays to a nearby Monday began. In 1971, Richard Nixon issued Executive Order 11582, beginning that process. Still, the holiday is officially Washington’s Birthday, and has always been Washington’s Birthday. (Snopes has a write-up about this, too, by the way.)

Some states observed Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12). Some still might. And some people got the idea that the new federal holiday in February was for Washington and Lincoln. Bless their heart.

Somewhere along the way, people began to call today’s holiday “Presidents’ Day.” Whether by design or not, it contributes to the ignorance of Americans. It ignores the importance of George Washington. And it causes many Americans to either forget or never understand the contributions of George Washington in the formation of this great country.

So, I wish you a very pleasant Washington’s Birthday today. Some of you are off work. Others, like me, have a regular work day. Whatever your plans are, take some time to remember George Washington.

And, if you’re celebrating Presidents Day today? Bless your heart.

Walmart wants to put a store the District of Columbia. Four, actually. Including one at Georgia and Missouri Avenues.

Brenda K. Speaks

That’s a bad idea, according to Brenda K. Speaks, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, Ward 4B05. Why, you ask.

No, really. Go ahead and ask. I’ll wait.

Okay, since you asked. She doesn’t want Walmart because it will cause kids to steal:

Addressing a small, anti-Wal-Mart rally at City Hall on Monday, Speaks said young people would get criminal records when they couldn’t resist the temptation to steal.

Got it? Walmart doesn’t create jobs. It causes theft.

So, if some punk steals from Walmart, it’s because of the temptation created by Walmart, not because the kid is a little thief.

Keep this in mind if you ever get robbed. It’s your fault. Not the fault of the little punk that sticks a gun in your face and takes your money or your car. Yours.

Now, aren’t you ashamed that you have a job and a computer and stuff? You should be. Your are the cause of all things that are wrong with this country.

At least, if you think like Brenda K. Speaks.

I wonder what else is your fault? We need to keep an eye on the likes of you.

Ft. Wayne, Indiana, is looking for a name for its government center. And they’ve opened it up to suggestions via the city’s feedback Web page.

The top suggestion so far? Name it after the city’s longest-serving mayor, Harry Baals.

Baals – pronounced “balls” by the then-mayor but “bales” by his descendents – became the Republican nominee for mayor in 1934 and was elected for three successive terms. He returned to politics in 1951 by winning a fourth term but died in office in May 1954. His accomplishments include elevating the railroads in town and negotiating the contract with the Army to establish Baer Field as an air base.

The city’s Deputy Mayor, Beth Malloy, says the building won’t be named after the former mayor. Apparently, she doesn’t care for Harry Baals.

A lot of people, though, like the idea of Harry Baals on a building.

I don’t live in Ft. Wayne, so I don’t have a say in the matter. I could go to the feedback site and make suggestions. But I won’t. And I could encourage you to go to the feedback site and make suggestions. But I won’t. The residents of Ft. Wayne should decide for themselves how they feel about Harry Baals.

The voting, by the way, ends this week. And the 10 finalists from the voting will be given to the mayor. I wonder how his staff will handle Harry Baals. Or the other finalists.

If they do select the former mayor’s name, there will be some residents that won’t like it, I’m sure. It may be that many residents of Ft. Wayne will just have to learn how to live with Harry Baals.