Running From Couches

Followup on my last post

2011-10-17T11:32:00.000-05:00

A couple of people responded to my last Blog post onFacebook where others had linked to the post. I am going to respond herebecause, well, I can. If you haven’t read it, you should before reading this.

JB: First off, a union is a lot less powerful than a corporation,and has always stood on the side of people interests, not the interests of amade up organization that cannot actually experience suffering or punishmentsin any meaningful way. Fining a corporation for breaking a law, or acorporation losing money on a deal, is far different from an employee losing alimb due to unregulated conditions or losing their job and still having to feedchildren.

Response: You make apoint here that really ignores a major point. Today, unions are in factcorporations in every sense of the world. They were born out of a necessity,true, which you allude to in the statement about an employee losing a limb, butthese days there are regulations for these things. And those regulations were broughtabout because of protests of the workers during the birth of the unions. But,to return to your first point, in many senses the unions have more politicalpower than any single corporation as they are able to skirt the donation rules.That will likely change now that some of those rules have been eased but thatis yet to be seen. But, in some cases the unions now have exorbitant power overthe companies they are in contract with, and are as abusive in that the use ofthat power as the companies were during the birth of the unions, sans theworking conditions obviously.

But we also need to look at the history of unions. They wereborn out of necessity and I agree that they were needed. The working conditionsand the way some people were taking advantage of their workers were deplorable.But you can’t sugar coat it either. The protests were violent and destructive.And after the Mob joined in to support it got more so. And they were not justattacking the bosses, they attacked workers that crossed the lines as well as workersat companies that did not take advantage of their people yet did similar jobs.And there are still instances to this day of union agitators intimidatingpeople, and the lobbying by unions to make votes to unionize be through publicballots is one of those. There are also incidents of union leadership makingback room deals in order to pad their own pockets while selling their membersinterests short. So don’t make an absolute statement like unions have alwaysstood on the side of people interests as it is just not true. They have stoodfor some people interests at the cost of others.

JB: The bailouts were given to the banks and corporationsthat were essentially placed into the system by the same banks and corporationsthat received the bailouts.

Response: Had a hard time following that sentence. I thinkyou are saying that they created their own regulations that caused them tofail. That is untrue, they took business risks (and in the case of GM also havea very unfavorable contract with the UAW) that were foolish; coupled withregulations placed on them (in the case of the banks at least) as to how muchin “risky” loans they had to maintain. Add the housing bubble and a recessionand boom! And bailing them out was the absolute worst thing to do.

JB: His quip about the haves and have-nots shows a lack ofunderstanding about how the system works. They don’t have a job, they haven’tbeen able to get a job despite trying, and if they did get a job somehow, thentheir wages would remain stagnant, while they got to watch a system tilted infavor of the rich help the rich get even more wealthy. He’s chasing a dream,and the barriers to keeping him there are the barriers that the 99%ers areagainst.

Response: Pretty sure my “quip” shows that I do understandhow things work. I am responsible for me. If I want more then I need to get offmy butt and go get it. I do not want a handout. Even when I was poor as dirt Inever took anything that I did not earn. I suppose I was poor but proud. Iagree that the unemployment situation is bad, but it is a government meddlingissue, not a corporation issue. If the government creates an environment wherecorporations not only want to hire, but need to hire, domestically, then theywill. Right now that is not happening, and since the majority of the Obama “jobs”bill is just “Stimulus 2.0,” i.e. high investment for low return jobs goingdisproportionately to union work for short term positions, that climate is notbeing created. As for watching the rich get richer, why is it anyone’sbusiness? If they spent more time working on themselves and less drooling inenvy at other people’s stuff they would be much happier.

JB: This started off as a grassroots movement of collegekids, and now unions are involved, and unions at one time were themselvesgrassroots movements.

Response: Yes, it started that way all right. A bunch ofdisaffected people that wanted to protest because corporations are evil made upentities that aren’t doing their civic duty by doing what the protesters thinkthey should be doing. I think. Maybe. But the thing is, the unions taint themessage. Which is exactly what happened when the unions were forming, if yourecall, organized crime got involved in the workers movement thereby taintingthem as well, interesting is it not? Grassroots movements sometimes get hijacked,and just saying something is grassroots does not somehow make it right.

JB: It’s when he got to his red points that I honestlystopped reading. It was just sad to read through, and I’ve got better things todo. Does this person do anything besides watching Fox news? Did he payattention at all in history class?

Response: So you stopped reading when I started discussingthe actual points from the occupy.org site? That was the best part. And I don’twatch Fox news at all. And yes I paid attention, but I also went to schools thatactually taught history.

SB: The second red point was ignorant. There are, indeed, successfulcompanies that are run democratically. Your friend basically coughed up abiased point of view without doing any research. Bless his heart :(

Response: Biased? Well yeah, it is my blog. And this is anopinion piece in response to another opinion piece. But I have done my research,and I am hardly ignorant. There are lots of successful companies that runthrough organizational democracy. But they still have leaders that makedecisions without putting each and every idea to a vote and going on consensus.So they are not truly run democratically as the protesters are demanding, whichis where my point comes into play. Anyone that has ever served in a group thatis democratically run knows how hard it is to pick what to have for lunch, muchless run a company.

But they are also notlimiting their demands to any type or size of business. So, based on theirstatements, if I had a small business and I hired someone then that personshould then have an equal say in the direction of the company. And that isludicrous.

I have a few other things I want to say but I will makethose in another post.

The Occupy People

2011-10-14T14:39:00.004-05:00

I just read an article talking about the Occupy Wall Street folks that really got my back up. You can read it here

Let me start by saying I find the fact that these people claim to speak for me absurd, because I am certainly not one of the 1%. But I apparently am not one of this 99% either. Because I find many of things they stand for, and make no mistake they do stand FOR quite a few things, according to their statements on the web and elsewhere, totally misguided and offensive. So the premise many people espouse, that they stand AGAINST things, but not FOR things is just wrong.

Yes, there is a problem with money essentially buying politicians. But some of the biggest groups doing just that are the very same unions that are protesting WITH them. And as others have noted, those unions are trying to bolster their numbers as well. So, apparently for them it is only when CERTAIN groups buy politicians. But through this their message is already tainted.

Yes, it does annoy that banks took bailouts and then sat on it. But I don't really blame the banks for this. I blame the idiots that gave them the money that so naively ASSUMED that they would use it as they thought it would be used. And did it more than once! Have they never heard the fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me mantra? But again, a lot of that money essentially went to the Occupy groups bed buddies, the unions. Why aren't they enraged about the millions of dollars wasted that went there? And the taint spreads.

But they also apparently believe in so much more.

They believe that the existence of “haves” and “have nots” is unfair. But how is it fair to expect that those that “have,” should give everything to the “have nots?” Based on this belief it is not a question of whether you are a bad person or not, it is simply that you have what they want. And this ticks me off. I started out with nothing, but I have worked my butt off to get where I am now. And while I am still not a “have” (in my opinion, something tells me these people might not agree) I am really hoping to get there someday. And my work should be for me and my family. Not for others that people like this think are worthier of the fruits of my labor. My grandfather would have put this very clearly. GO GET A JOB! Any job is better than none. If you can’t afford what you want either do without, or go get either a better job or a second one.

Oh, and the idea that this is a grassroots movement is silly. If it was then the unions would not be trying to recruit people for it. If it was then the reports out of Chicago that many of the protestors are being paid for their time would not exist. Professional protesters! Hello hypocrisy, are you there?

The OWS website has numerous lists and such and moving on I want to touch on some of them.

This one seems to be who can be one of the 99%. Never mind that logic would say if you are not in the 1% you are by default in the 99. And then there is the simple fact that there is no way 99% of Americans agree with all this. But hey, it looks great on a sign.

1. If you agree that freedom is the right to communicate, to live, to be, to go, to love, to do what you will without the impositions of others, then you might be one of us.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with all of that. But aren’t they trying to impose on the “haves?”

2. If you agree that a person is entitled to the sweat of their brows, that being talented at management should not entitle others to act like overseers and overlords, that all workers should have the right to engage in decisions, democratically, then you might be one of us.

Yeah, you are entitled to the sweat of your brows. But you are not entitled to the sweat of mine. And this idea that all decisions in a business should be made democratically is ludicrous. No company could ever survive like that. You have to have leadership.

3. If you agree that freedom for some is not the same as freedom for all, and that freedom for all is the only true freedom, then you might be one of us.

I think I already covered this. Freedom for all means you can’t take from me and give it to others. Go out and get your own stuff, you have the freedom to do that now. Sheesh.

4. If you agree that power is not right, that life trumps property, then you might be one of us.

Power is not right? Does that mean no one with power is ever right? Because, if so, that is a rather asinine statement, some people with power are right, some are wrong. Look at the power being exercised by some of the union groups. The companies they work for are not able to be competitive because of the insanely high people costs they are being forced to absorb. That is a power being used wrong, but by groups that are welcomed and supported by the members of this movement. And life trumps property? On the surface that seems obvious, but in a bit we will get a little more insight on that one.

5. If you agree that state and corporation are merely two sides of the same oppressive power structure, if you realize how media distorts things to preserve it, how it pits the people against the people to remain in power, then you might be one of us.

The same oppressive power structure? Huh? We aren’t perfect but I have lived all over the world and seen some pretty oppressed places. And America doesn’t even begin to be so. Don’t these people even realize that if it were, they could not be doing what they are doing! Now about how the media distorts things I have to agree. For instance, the media keeps talking about how this is a popular grassroots movement. That’s why there are millions of them. Oh, wait.

After that clever list of inanities they move on to a call for action. So let’s look at that next.

1. We call for protests to remain active in the cities. Those already there, to grow, to organize, to raise consciousnesses, for those cities where there are no protests, for protests to organize and disrupt the system

So basically we want more people. And we want to disrupt things. So essentially calling for civil disobedience. Got it.

2. We call for workers to not only strike, but seize their workplaces collectively, and to organize them democratically. We call for students and teachers to act together, to teach democracy, not merely the teachers to the students, but the students to the teachers. To seize the classrooms and free minds together.

Workers should all strike and seize their workplaces collectively. Wait, I thought they were only against the bankers and rotten politicians. Based on this they are against pretty much ALL businesses that operate for profit. So essentially that picture pointing out the hypocrisy of the protesters using cameras, wearing clothes, using phones, is actually true, and not a straw man statement as some have stated. What makes it even better is how many of these young people seem to have REALLY expensive stuff. 99% huh? Oh and seize the classrooms. Why? Most classrooms are liberal brainwashing centers already. Why would you want to change that? Some issues with self loathing perhaps?

Haven't seen the picture? Here it is...

3. We call for the unemployed to volunteer, to learn, to teach, to use what skills they have to support themselves as part of the revolting people as a community

Well yeah, they should use their skills to support themselves. As opposed to expecting others to support them. I have to be honest here though, I know what they are saying about people being involved in a revolt, but I can’t help but chuckle at the revolting people. Take a shower!

4. We call for the seizure and use of abandoned buildings, of abandoned land, of every property seized and abandoned by speculators, for the people, for every group that will organize them.

Ok, so again with the promoting of civil disobedience. Seizing property? With no real thought to who may own it?

Well that was one of the posts on the official site. Basically these people are a mixture of anarchists and communists. Which is a pretty interesting mash-up in my opinion.

But wait, there’s more!

On September 21st, 2011, roughly eighty percent of Americans thought the country was on the wrong track.

Ending the modern gilded age is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly 15% of Americans approved of the job Congress was doing.

Ending political corruption is our one demand.

Yes, most Americans do believe that the country is on the wrong track, and yes they don’t approve of the job Congress is doing. But what the majority of them disagree with are the socialist policies coming out of the current government. Not an end to a modern gilded age, but I do like the idea of ending political corruption. But I would guess that the country will go in a radically different direction than these people expect if it were.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly one sixth of Americans did not have work.
Ending joblessness is our one demand.

I think learning math might need to be their one demand. 9.2% is way too high, but it is just under one tenth, not one sixth. But demanding it won’t make it happen. We need to have a government that is pro business in order to create jobs. Being pro union is not going to do it. Neither is this crazy idea of creating a democratic workforce that has a say in all decisions.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly one sixth of America lived in poverty.
Ending poverty is our one demand.

That sounds great, but how? If you take from me and give to someone else that just brings me down to the poverty level. You cannot pull someone up that is not willing to work for it themselves. It sucks, but there it is. Creating massive welfare states such as in Europe is proving to fail again and again. It just does not work. But these same people also claim to support Greece’s people in protest of that countries austerity measures. They are broke, and they are finally having to fix that. And they are broke because they tried to end poverty through the creation of a welfare state.

On September 21st, 2011, America had military bases in around one hundred and thirty out of one hundred and sixty-five countries.
Ending American imperialism is our one demand.

That requires a very broad use of the word base. Not to mention that there are 196 countries in the world. We actually have personnel in 148 countries, but in 56 of them there are less than 10 total people present. But I do agree we need to stop being the world’s police. Another thing that the OWS folks ignore is that the majority of those countries we are there by invitation of either the country or at the request of the UN. There are only 13 countries in the world where we have more than 1000 personnel. And considering the fact that we could have turned Iraq into a new US territory and instead turned around and gave it back, the imperialism statement is laughable.

Conclusion

These people are not truly against what they say they are. If so they would not be in bed with the unions that have skirted the giving limits again and again by donating to candidates in the name of each of their members. By allying with groups that use intimidation and corrupt practices constantly they show that they are in fact just what many accuse them of. They are hypocrites.

What cracks me up is their continued support for the people of Greece and other European countries that are either going, or have gone, broke through attempts to do exactly what they desire. How dare they stop paying for things with money they don’t have. Things that they cannot pay for because the tax base is so diluted because there is no incentive to actually work for a living. And even better, they are ticked off at the possibility that America might cut back as well, to try to keep from completely failing like Greece. But hey, who cares if we can actually afford to pay for this crap. That matters little to these folks.

The big thing for me is simply this. There is only one country like America. There are lots of countries that are much more like what they are calling for, granted they are all going broke because of it but they do exist. I propose a trade, we will send the OWS people to them, if they send willing workers that want to make something of themselves to us. Seems fair right?

I'm Back!!

2011-06-29T10:52:00.001-05:00

Ok, I have been seriously remiss in my blogging. In fact, it has been over a year since I last wrote anything. But perhaps it is time to start again. And maybe Melissa will as well.

I graduated from Liberty University with my Masters degree, and now I am left with the same thing that assails graduates everywhere of every age. Now what! I would like to teach, online or in the classroom would be fine. I have considered writing; I do have a novel kicking around in my head. And I have thought of starting my own business. But for the summer at least I am mostly just relaxing. After 7 years of school, on top of full time work and full time parent, it is nice to have a break this summer. But I can’t rest forever.

Midget is doing well, and still working hard at gymnastics. She has taken great strides into truly owning her sport and has shown some amazing dedication. But she is struggling with a bar skill called a kip, and without it she cannot move up to level 5. The only way she will get it is if she continues to increase her dedication by working on certain things at home, which she hopefully will start doing today. Otherwise it will be another year of level 4, which in itself is not really a bad thing, but I would love to see her move up.

On a personal note I decided last month to follow in my Sister-In-Law’s footsteps and take Taekwondo. At 41 this is NOT an easy feat. But so far things are going pretty well, though I am about as flexible as a tree. I am belt testing on Thursday, for a yellow belt. Lets hope I don’t blow it.

Anyway, just a rambling post for my return to the blogosphere, more to come soon, especially on the political front, since there is so much going on.

Tough Decisions

2010-03-03T10:53:00.000-06:00

I hate hate hate having to make tough decisions when it involves Midget. I am not averse to making tough decisions normally, yes I consider them carefully but once Mel and I make the decision I am fine with it. With Midget it is so different. I agonize over them.

Case in point is gymnastics. We have been going to the same gym for the last 2 years and it has been a home away from home for us. The owner and coaches have instilled a deep love and desire for this sport in my daughter and I am forever grateful to them for it. When she made the team she was given a choice to do gym or dance, and since then she has not looked back once. That was a good decision.

But now we have decided to pull her from that gym and move her elsewhere.

And I hate it.

We love the owner, we love the coaches. We trust them. We know that we can leave Midget with them and everything will be fine. We felt like part of the family. And to go with that we know that there is no such thing as the perfect gym. So what is the problem?

Consistency.

While each of the coaches is wonderful, ok, most are. There is little consistency between them. Midget was once taught the same skill over 3 days by 3 coaches in 3 ways. She was getting confused. She was getting upset. And so was I.
I think it would have helped had there been a clear leader among the coaches, an actual head coach. One that made sure everyone was consistent and really ran the team. But we didn’t have that.

So we are moving to a new gym. In fact today is the last day at the old gym. The owner knows we are leaving and I don’t think there are hard feelings. I hope not anyway. Based on what Mel told me I believe the door is still open if we end up hating the new gym. I am glad about that. I am really really glad about that. I feel like we have a safety net.

But I am still agonizing over this. The owner indicated to Mel that she will be putting a coach in charge of each level. Which, as I mentioned above, is the major problem that we feel needed addressing.

I think we are making the right decision, but I can’t help but agonize over it.

The current healthcare bills blow

2010-01-15T11:59:00.001-06:00

So let me see if I have this straight.

Both houses in Congress have passed healthcare reform bills that equal about 4,000 pages. One has a public option and one does not. Both were created under the argument that all Americans, being equal, deserve to have the same access to health insurance. Not health care, health insurance. They have decided that this goal is so important that they are willing to ignore public sentiment (as is their right, they don’t have to poll their voters prior to making a decision) and go ahead even as they acknowledge they will most likely not be re-elected.

But…

Congress themselves are exempted from any and all of the various requirements. They get to keep their own plan forever and ever and it is not considered a “Cadillac” plan.

Some states, because their senators’ votes were in question, got sweetheart deals that basically mean they do not have to pay for any of it.

Public employees and union members do not have to pay the 40% tax on “Cadillac” plans until after 2017, though that date could be renegotiated in the future.

So my questions are as follows:

If this is such a great plan why is Harry Reid trying to sneak language in that essentially makes it impossible to repeal? Something not allowed under the current rules and he does not have the votes to actually pass. Which essentially means that the passage of the bill as written is illegal anyway.

If this is such a great plan why is Congress exempt?

If all Americans are equal how come the majority of the states will be paying for the few that got bought off? If this was such a great plan that would have hardly been needed right?

Why are the unions getting preferential treatment? I mean I know the answer but seriously?

I am not ready to say that we should vote out every incumbent but if someone is coming up for re-election and they voted for either of these piece of crap bills show them the door! Passing something with the idea that it will be fixed later is idiotic.

One last thought…

If you voted for Obama. Good call!

Meet Report

2010-01-14T09:50:00.002-06:00

Midget had her 2nd to last meet Sunday in the UAGL league which is a non-sanctioned relaxed meet. Several of you may recall this is the meet that has the fun announcer that likes to tease the girls a bit during the awards.

We were really looking forward to this one since it is so low key and just fun after the stress of qualifying and competing at States. Plus we are prepping for the last meet which is the Magical Classic in Orlando next month.

The last few weeks have seen Midget and one of her partners in crime uptraining during practices more than anything else but she did spend the last practice before the meet working on the L3 routines.

But I digress.

First up was floor. She has been really consistent but not great on floor all year but she was looking really solid during warm ups. The judge was flying through the girls and I had looked down at my phone and missed the Midget was up. And the camera was still off. OH NO!! But anyway, she did a great job, held the handstand prior to rolling out of it, and looked very pretty. Scored 8.9 and I was ecstatic!!

On to vault. As you all have heard this is her nemesis. Her run has always been bad and she was taught the old dive roll instead of a handstand-forward roll. But she has been working on the L4 vault, which she is much better at, and her coach told her to do the L4 handstand and just roll. She did very well on her first one and got an 8.4. Again I was thrilled.

Bars. She has her Mill Circle now and we were very hopeful on bars this meet. Of course there is always a danger on that mill but her warmups looked good. But the last time she had this judge she got a 6.4. She gave a bit of a second hop on her mount but feet together and toes pointed. Everything was nice and tight and straight. Leg cuts were awesome, and she nailed the Mill! She did bend her front leg as she stopped it but who cares! Score: 9.2!! WOW!!!

Now beam. Midget's best event. She was solid as always so not much to say. She scored a 9.25.

All-Around: 35.75

Placements;
Vault: 2nd
Bars, Beam, Floor, AA: 1st

Midget was on cloud nine. She can't wait for the Magical Classic next month.

She also has not figured out that she is being promoted for sure to L4, even though we know she is. But she wants it so bad. LOL.

Ok, so I stink at blogging

2009-12-10T09:42:00.002-06:00

I havent written anything in a while as evidenced by the lack of anything new being written. ;)

The fact is there is so much going on in the political world that I have been following that I have not been able to settle down and write about any of it. Potential subject overload I guess. But I should be picking things up soon.

For now though let me just say that I am very proud of my daughter for getting 2nd in the state on Balance Beam and 8th All-Around. Bella you rock, and I love you so much.

Also, I want to welcome my new nephew Justus into the world. Can't wait to meet you in person.

Pet Peeves

2009-10-19T15:38:00.002-05:00

I think most people that know me realize that I am a very laid back person. Though I will say that I have been less patient in more recent years than ever before, but I am working on getting that back.

That said, I have some pet peeves.

1) Stopping in the door of a store or some other public place so people cannot get around you is there. Come on, be aware of your surroundings!

2) Generally being so loud you are impacting all the people around you. This is pointed at cell phone users, music players, etc. I love my music loud myself, but in a neighborhood or a stop light I turn it down out of courtesy.

3) Young men, say between like 12 and 50 sitting on their rear ends on a bus while women, children, and older people are standing. This is the biggie for me right now. Seriously, guys what happened to chivalry? At Disney last week over and over I saw this and it was all I could do to start yelling at an entire busload of people about how ridiculous it is.

I know I post about several things I see wrong with the country among other things, but this is really the worst thing. This lack of courtesy and manners is the real issue with everything. I wish I knew what the answer was.

Healthcare: Fun with numbers

2009-10-08T17:03:00.003-05:00

The healthcare debate is still going strong. Obama has been called a liar, Grayson says the GOP wants people to die quickly, Reid wants to slip it through attached to another bill that already passed, and not even Dems can agree on a public option. The one thing almost everyone can agree on is that we do need some kind of reform. And from my perspective it really seems like our representative democracy has forgotten an important part of the whole deal, representing.

I find it interesting that our government has come down so hard on private companies being run poorly and even criminalizing it, yet look at how the country is being run. Obama is spending record amounts that we do not have, and Congress is helping him do it. Might as well throw Bush in there too, he did plenty of damage as well. Enron execs are in courtrooms while these idiots are getting away with much worse! But I digress.

Several stories that Grayson, other Dems, and the State Media have talked about in their attacks on the GOP and push for public healthcare have talked about specific people in the 45K. Several of the stories are about people that got something easily treatable and chose not to go to the doctor because they did not have insurance. This, they say, is how someone dies of not having insurance. I would submit to you, however, that these people died not because they did not have insurance, but because they were too dumb to actually drag themselves to the doctor or hospital. I am sorry they are dead, and I grieve for their families, but this is not an argument for free healthcare for all! (like it will be free really)

I want to dig into some numbers being thrown around. President Obama, right before saying that illegals would not be covered by public insurance and being called out of it by my hero Joe Wilson, stated that 47 million do not have healthcare in the United States. He has since dropped that number to 30 million tacitly acknowledging the truth in Wilson’s allegation by excluding the 17 million illegal aliens in the country. Apparently Grayson did not get that memo as he has been using the 47 million numbers.

Grayson also likes the 45K number that a Harvard study says die a year from not having insurance. I won’t get into how the study was flawed, and even acknowledged as flawed by the group doing it, but I will say that I have looked through the CDC numbers and have yet to come across a cause of death of “not insured.” Instead we get these, actual, causes of death.

Number of deaths for leading causes of death:

• Heart disease: 631,636
• Cancer: 559,888
• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 137,119
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 124,583
• Accidents (unintentional injuries): 121,599
• Diabetes: 72,449
• Alzheimer's disease: 72,432
• Influenza and Pneumonia: 56,326
• Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 45,344
• Septicemia: 34,234

More people died of the flu than of not being insured.

While we are at it, according to the CDC about 2.4 million die each year in the US. Well if 45K of them died because they were uninsured then 2,355,000 died FROM having insurance. Lets dig deeper into this.

If we go by the 47 Million numbers, and 45K died, then 1 in 666 died from not having insurance.

If we go by the 30 Million numbers, and 45K died, the 1 in 1044 died from not having insurance.

307 Million people live in the US, subtracting the 47 million is 260 Million. 2,355,000 died so 1 in 110 died FROM having insurance.

Conclusion: It is better to NOT have insurance.

But this is fun so let’s dig deeper.

47 Million have no insurance. But we take out the 17 million illegal aliens leaving 30 million. Of those there is 25%, or 7.5 Million, that are eligible for Medicaid or S-Chip. 20%, or 6 Million, have an income of over 58K per year and could conceivably afford insurance. And 20%, or 6 Million, have turned down their employer option for whatever reason. The last two numbers it is of course possible to have some overlap so for my purposes I am going to assume an overlap of 50% which gives us 9 Million that either turned down their employer option or make enough already to get their own insurance.

30,000,000 - 7,500,000 - 9,000,000 = 13.5 Million (or 4% of the population) that are slipping through the cracks. That is the number that we need to be targeting in the healthcare debate. We need reform that will help them! Leave the rest of us out of it!

On top of all this we just recently learned that some 63 million dollars in fraud was identified in the Medicaid system in just 5 states! If we just pass that down and multiply it by 10 to get to 50 states that is 630 million dollars! Fix that and pay for the 13.5 million needing help!

Before I conclude I also want to touch on something that people that support public healthcare like to point to. They constantly bring up stories about people being denied coverage on procedures and how it impacted their lives. I understand where they are coming from; I really do, as we ran through a lot of this with my wife and our insurance company recently. But do these people really think that the government run healthcare will never deny a claim? Maybe you need to look at the following chart.

You guessed it, Medicare denies more claims than anyone else!

I am not saying that we do not need healthcare reform. We do. But it is certainly not something to rush into. Take some time to do it right, and listen to your constituents. Or find another job.

Midget's 1st Real Meet of the Season

2009-10-05T11:38:00.003-05:00

Saturday was Midget's first real gymnastics meet of the season. She competes in the United Alliance Gymnastics League (UAGL) which is a fun centered non-sanctioned meet that serves as a great intro to competitive gymnastics. She did really well last year as a level 2 and this year she has moved up to level 3.

When we got to the meet, which is in Paducah, KY and about 2.5 hours away, we learned that she would compete as a 7 year old. This is because she will turn 7 prior to the final qualifier in January. This revelation brought on a small case of nerves for both myself and my wife, and we debated on whether or not we should set the stage for a potential loss due to the other girls being older. We decided not to based on the simple fact that if she did well we would never hear the end of it.

She started on beam and I was a nervous wreck! Beam has the potential to be great but just by the nature of the event it is so easy to fall. Add to that she had earlier admitted that she was nervous about beam because she was afraid to fall and get hurt. This is new for her but it comes from a fall she had a few weeks back on bars where she hurt her arm. She now realizes that getting hurt can happen. But the kid is a trooper. She got up there and she rocked out a 9.05! Best score she has ever gotten on beam, and honestly I think she got scored low, but WOW!!!

Next up was floor, probably her best event. She did absolutely beautiful. A few really minor bobbles but she got a 9.2! 2 9s! Another first for her as she has never gotten 2 9s in a meet before.

On to vault. Vault is funny for her. She has this odd run where she sometimes turns her right foot in and it gives her this weird frog run thing. Her warm-up runs were really awful though no frog run. Instead she did this odd really short steps for the first half and then these long gazelle like bounds for the second half. But it all cleared up for her first vault and she nailed it and got a 9.2!! Oh wow! 3 9s!!

One thing about these meets. There is a Red and a Blue division. Red is for the newer girls, with Blue for the more experienced. If you get a 34 AA you get moved up to Blue in THAT meet. Midget was obviously really close. She just needed a 6.55 on Bars and she was being moved up, and honestly that scared me cause those girls were all much older and were 2nd year L3s.

On bars is where it got just plain odd. First off Midget is really nervous about her dismount ever since she wiped out and got hurt. So she tends to come off the bar too early now. Which makes her wipe out again. Which is what happened during warm-ups. But then she got it again and all seemed good. Her mount was great, but her Mill Circle is still a work in progress. And then she fell on the dismount. Pretty much face planted. But overall not bad, and then the score flashed. 6.4?

Turns out it was a small coaching adjustment. Her leg cuts, and those of her team mates, need to be one motion without resting their legs on the bar. Big deductions for both the cut in and the cut out. Easily fixed according to the coach though. But she missed moving up to the Blue division by .15. She was upset, but I was pretty happy with it as those girls all seemed a bit older and I think several of them were repeating the level.

Apparently everybody struggled on bars though because even with the 6.4 on bars she swept Gold.

Good thing we had not said anything or she would be driving us nuts with "I told you so's."

She is bound and determined to get to Blue next meet though. Should be interesting.

What if everyone could be traded?

2009-09-29T15:24:00.002-05:00

Last night while watching Monday Night Football it hit me, how wild would it be if your company could trade you like is done in sports.

Could you imagine being called into your boss' office to be told that you needed to pack up because you had been traded to Microsoft for a VP and 3 new college graduates?

Just had to share.

Songs praising Obama taught to school kids

2009-09-24T11:28:00.003-05:00

I am just speechless at this point. There is a story on Fox about a video that shows school kids singing songs that praise Obama, complete with lyrics ripped from "Jesus Loves the Little Children." I will post the video link later but for now I have the lyrics to share.

Song 1:
Mm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said that all must lend a hand
To make this country strong again
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said we must be fair today
Equal work means equal pay
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said that we must take a stand
To make sure everyone gets a chance
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said red, yellow, black or white
All are equal in his sight
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

Yes!
Mmm, mmm, mm
Barack Hussein Obama

Song 2:
Hello, Mr. President we honor you today!
For all your great accomplishments, we all doth say "hooray!"

Hooray, Mr. President! You're number one!
The first black American to lead this great nation!

Hooray, Mr. President we honor your great plans
To make this country's economy number one again!

Hooray Mr. President, we're really proud of you!
And we stand for all Americans under the great Red, White, and Blue!

So continue ---- Mr. President we know you'll do the trick
So here's a hearty hip-hooray ----

Hip, hip hooray!
Hip, hip hooray!
Hip, hip hooray!

Note: I had planned on posting about the Narcissist in Chief's use of I and Me almost 1200 times in his 41 major speeches but this had to go first. Look for that later.

Running frustration!

2009-09-21T09:36:00.002-05:00

The last 2 weeks have been very frustrating when it comes to running. Between multiple late nights from working and school and the weather my running has suffered greatly. this morning I woke up to it pouring, with some thunder and lightning thrown in for good measure. I like running in the rain, but there are limits!

Lets hope it gets better.

I Remember

2009-09-11T08:45:00.001-05:00

I remember
The news
The first tower hit
An accident? An attack?
We huddled and watched as it became clear
I remember
Screaming
The second tower hit
The fireball searing my eyes from 1000 miles away
I remember
Stunned
Sobbing
Watching the towers fall
I remember
Pride
Strength
From those that fought back over a field
I remember
Our enemies dancing in the streets
Our allies flying our flag
I REMEMBER
Do you?
-AKM

Obama gives a speech, again

2009-09-10T11:25:00.001-05:00

As if anyone needed to be told this, I am not a fan of Obama. I am also not a fan of Reid, Pelosi, and much of the Democratic Congress. The reason for this antipathy lies in the fact that I am a huge fan of this country, and I feel that they are doing all they can to destroy it. I am sick and tired of politicians ignoring the Constitution, and also trying to tell everyone how they can, and cannot, live their lives.

That being said what I really want to discuss are a few things concerning last night’s speech by President Obama.

First, frankly I am sick of this guy’s speeches. He won, he can stop campaigning. Or maybe he can’t since it is quite apparent that while he convinced people to vote for him he, and Congress, are struggling with convincing the people that they know what they are doing now that they are there. Approval ratings are plummeting, and the credibility of the administration is as well, even as the media continues to shield Obama and his cronies. Yes, the MSM has run some critical pieces, but they are more to try and convince everyone that they are not biased than to really do anything meaningful.

Second, even though it was rude and shouldn’t have been done, Rep. Joe Wilson is my new hero. He flat out called Obama on his lie about whether illegal aliens would be covered by the currently proposed health care bill and he was right. But then again how would Obama know? He has already admitted he has not read the bill, and as I have posted before there are Congressional members that have no intention of reading the bill even as they are voting for it. Essentially refusing to do a key part of the job they were hired to do. Of course Wilson is getting condemned from both sides for his outburst, but where was the condemnation from the Dems when they booed Bush during his State of the Union address? The hypocrisy continues. As usual though I digress, let’s look at the claim by Obama…

Quote: “There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false—the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.”

Fact: Nothing in any of the Democrat bills would require individuals to verify their citizenship or identity prior to receiving taxpayer-subsidized benefits—making the President’s promise one that the legislation itself does not keep.

Interesting isn’t it? Not only does the proposed 1018 page plan not require verification but it also does not specifically exclude illegal immigrants from getting coverage. And something not excluded is tacitly accepted when it comes to the government.

Lastly, Obama also states “Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have. “

Unfortunately the Congressional Budget Office does not agree. The CBO believes that millions will lose their current coverage under this plan. And I think they are understating this issue greatly. The fact is that from a business standpoint if I have to weigh paying out $8,000 a year to cover an employee (based on my coverage which is 2k paid by me and the rest paid by my work) or pay $750 to move someone over to the public option which one do you think will be chosen? Another thing that is in that bill that no one wants to read is the real trap, once moved you can’t move back. It’s like a roach motel.

I believe we need health care reform. The current system is definitely broken. There are people that fall through the cracks all the time and we should do what we can to take care of them. However this proposal is not the answer. Never mind the fact that we cannot afford to put it in place. The American people get it, as evidenced by the reactions at the town halls and various protests as well as the approval ratings. But the real question is will these politicians listen? Considering the speed at which they are moving I think they are listening, but are so bound and determined to get this in place in spite of public opinion, that they are going to rush it through. And that is another issues, if it needs to be done take the time to do it right. Do not slam it through as fast as possible as is being done.

But maybe they are afraid of what will happen in the next elections.

First Meet Was Awesome

2009-09-03T14:10:00.004-05:00

So Midget had her first meet of the season on Saturday. It was hosted at our gym and was considered a 'fun' meet. But regardless we were a little stressed about it. Well, when I say 'we' I mean my wife and I. We had family visiting to watch and wanted her to do so well, and apparently the practices leading up to it were full of struggles.

We really didn't need to worry.

The big things for me that stood out.

Beam - Her mount and the leg swing to push up position were as good as she has ever done them. If you look at last years videos you will see her swing up on her leg and then scoot over onto her rear end, this time she got the swing all the way over and sat perfectly centered, no shifting!! I am not sure if she needed the spot on the handstand or not. It looked good but her coach was right there so maybe I just couldn't tell. I cannot believe she fell on the turn! She never does that. Ah well she handled it great though. Pretty dismount

Floor - Her lines were beautiful. The only things I noticed were some shuffling feet, other than that she nailed it and the 9.3 was the best score she has ever gotten on anything. The whole gym erupted when the score went up, and the grin on her face was so awesome.

Vault - During warm ups she looked like a running frog, legs all over the place, and then she kept hitting the middle of the spring board. Her 1st warm up vault was a crash into the mat. 2nd was pretty good, 3rd I think her head hit the mat edge and caused her to roll over. But then during the real one (after I got the camera focused at the last second) she did awesome, the frog was gone, she hit the sweet spot on the board and she made that nice roll. For some reason they only did 1 vault though but she did great.

Bars - Apparently the Midget told her coach she did not need to stand on any mats to do her mount. LOL Anyway she obviously got it but good lord it hurt my abs watching her holding herself up there before she got pulled over. With the mat she just goes right up and over. Back hip circle was beautiful I thought. Mill circle is still blech, she is so close though. She really nailed the swing part of the dismount and just the one step. Her progression on bars from last year to this year is really the most obvious. It makes sense though as it is her favorite event.

I thought she did great, and the judges are a few of the same ones we see throughout the year so just because it was 'fun' I feel that they were judged well. Her coach said she asked them to score leniently, but not sure that applies to ours. The girl was on!

The one off the wall comment that came out of it was when the Midget watched the level 4s go and she turned to me after a few (from our gym and the others) got spots on their BHS and said "I can do that whole routine, if I can get the spot for the handspring, I want to be level 4." Not sure what to do about that.

All in all it was a great first meet and a great time. I expect we will have a very good year.

I intend to add the video shortly. Have to get the embed from home.

I agree with Obama on something

2009-08-24T13:26:00.002-05:00

Apparently President Obama addressed a group of congressman in Iowa stating that he is willing to be a one-term president if need be to make health care reform his legacy.

I think he was trying to be noble by saying he is willing to be unpopular in order to do what he thinks is right. But what came across to me is that he, and the rest of the Dems pushing for this, are so arrogant that they are willing to force an unpopular measure through for teh good of everyone else.

Gotta love when representatives don't listen to those they represent. And according to some polls out now we are looking at some big swings in seats in 2010. Which is good.

But the part I agree with Obama about? I am willing for him to be a one-term president too.

Bad run

2009-08-20T10:45:00.003-05:00

You know the saying, "Even a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work?" Well I am struggling to decide if that applies to running.

Yesterday I ran what is W9D2 (Week 9 Day 2) of the C25K plan. Basically it is running 30 minutes straight. I know I can do it as I already have once, Mondays run was awesome, and so I had no concerns about it. Maybe I should have.

It was like the perfect storm of bad juju. The night before I was up very late. I woke up late and didn't have my normal amount of pre-run preparation, I like to get up and drink about 16 to 20 ounces of water and then relax for 15 minutes or so before I run, as I gulped down water and then went out the door to run. I ended up struggling because I drank a bunch right before hand as well as then ended up dry as can be because I didn't get enough water into my system. All this came together to slam my energy to the basement.

I actually did my first lap (1.25 miles) only about 30 seconds off my normal pace, but the 2nd lap was agony. In fact I was really ready to come in after the first lap, but Mel and Bella were there and I felt compelled to keep pushing on rather than face them after quitting. That 2nd lap I was off pace by about 3 minutes plus. I was running so slow and still struggling to put one foot in front of the other. But I made it, dreary, limp, and in massive pain. I looked like the last guy crossing the finish line at a marathon. It was awful.

And then later that day I ended up sick and went home and slept from about 4:30 in the afternoon until this morning. Still not 100%, which is why I skipped my run this morning, and if I did not have so much I needed to do today I would have stayed home.

But I did run yesterday. Even if it sucked. So maybe that is better than not running.

Gymnastics Team Picture

2009-08-17T13:02:00.003-05:00

Just had to share this.

C25K, Skipping Ahead

2009-08-17T10:29:00.002-05:00

Last Friday I did W6D3 (Week 6 Day 3) of the Couch to 5K running plan. That had me do a 5 minute brisk walk as a warm up and then 25 minutes straight of jogging. I was nowhere near as nervous about this one as I was the week before, in fact I knew it wouldn't be an issue. I was right.

In fact it went so well that I decided to skip Weeks 7 and 8 and just go straight to the last week. So today I did W9D1, a 5 minute brisk warm up walk and then 30 minutes straight jogging. I was hoping I would make it the full 5k distance in that 30 minutes but it was not to be. I made it 2.71 miles, or 4.36 km, which is close but not there yet. But no worries, it is only a matter of time.

My other change this week is I am going from doing 3 runs a week to 4 runs. I will be running on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I will be doing the same run as above, though hopefully a bit farther, on Wednesday and Thursday and then on Saturday I will push it out to a 5K and see how that goes.

Badges of Honor, Gymnastics style

2009-08-13T09:36:00.004-05:00

I think it should come as no surprise to find that I am extremely proud of the Midget. She has had me wrapped around her little finger since before she was born. I have proof right there on the ultrasound. And she really is a great kid. Last year in Kindergarten she was the only one to not get a single time out, for the whole year! Not to say she doesn't ever get cranky at home or anything, because then it would be like Stepford Child, but she is just really sweet.

I look forward to this year's competitions because I think she is going to do awesome, but at the same time she does not seem quite as intensely focused as she was last year. Don't get me wrong though, I think this is a good thing. Last year she got so upset when she didn't win and was all apologetic about it to us and to her coach. This year I think she is better able to take it in stride.

But I digress.

What I really want to discuss is how she approaches getting hurt.

You see at home if she stubs her toe on a teddy bear she is as likely to play it up as the worst injury since Joe Theismann's leg having its ill-fated meeting with LT as she is to act like it was nothing. Kids a great actress BTW.

But the gym is different. She wipes out on the beam, with its corresponding 4 foot fall, and she hops up and jumps back on. Even when it really hurts she tends to shake it off pretty quickly. And if she gets a 'beam burn,' think rug burn or friction burn, she considers it to be something to proud of.

Last week we added something new. She got a 'rip' on bars. It is a friction blister on her palm from doing the various circles and such. And because she got a 'rip' now she gets to have 'grips.' These are protective gloves that attach at the wrist and then go over her middle and ring fingers to provide protection to her palm. To a girl in gymnastics this is HUGE! It is a rite of passage for these girls as important as getting their backhandspring.

But it really cracks me up. This little girl that needs to put bandaids on bruises she gets around the house never wants to cover her 'beam burns.' She came running over to show me her 'rip' as soon as I walked in the house and would never think of covering it.

Gymnastics Badges of Honor are not always medals and trophies, they are also bruises, knots, rips, and cuts.

I suppose it is all a matter of perspective.

Dissent is Patriotic!

2009-08-11T09:14:00.004-05:00

The last several years you could not drive around town without seeing a Prius with a bumper sticker declaring “Dissent is Patriotic!” These same cars of course ended up with stickers such as ‘Obama 08,’ ‘Hope,’ and my favorite ‘Change.’ I will devote a more thorough look into that one at a future date.

Anyway when protesters interrupted then President Bush with chants of anti-war slogans the media and members of the political left like Pelosi and Reid were quick to defend their right to dissent and to carry on as they were. When liberal activists shouted down speakers at colleges they were quick to defend them. When Code Pink interrupted Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee they thought it was a great show of good old American protest. Even when a non American threw his shoes at President Bush, even though it was an insult to the country not just the man, they were quick to defend his actions as just and right.

Fast forward to today and their opinions seem to be slightly different. Angry Americans at townhall meetings on the proposed health care reform bill are being lambasted by the media and Pelosi as un-American. Pelosi likens them to ‘astro-turf’ saying they are fake grassroots protesters that are instead being bused in as plants by the right, or the insurance companies. And to be honest there may be some plants in there. I mean all those guys in the AFL-CIO jackets are just volunteers right? They are not intentionally trying to block people from getting to the microphones. And the members of ACORN that have been coming to some of the meetings are just concerned citizens, they couldn’t possibly be plants. Saying Pelosi and her ilk are hypocrites is like saying that the night is dark.

But she doesn’t stop with just calling the protesters un-American. Oh no she has to go on and call them ‘thugs’ and ‘Nazis,’ referring to some of the signs that protesters have brought that show a swastika with a big red no sign over it. She and the left accuse the GOP and other groups of using ‘brownshirt’ tactics in coming to these meetings and shouting down the ‘true’ citizens, while ignoring the fact that the ACORN and union ‘volunteers’ are the ones blocking the mics and sometimes the doors.

The videos I have watched have shown well reasoned and thought out questions being asked and only after the congressman essentially refuses to address the question, or in a few cases just ignores it, has the shouting started. Shoving and fighting has broken out a few times as well and honestly from what I have seen it always seems to start from the supporters, not the protesters. But Pelosi and Co says that the protesters are the ones using ‘thug’ tactics in these cases.

It seems to me that in the left’s eyes ‘Dissent is Patriotic’ only applies when it agrees with them. Who is un-American again?

Are we crazy parents?

2009-08-07T16:33:00.002-05:00

The midget loves gymnastics. In fact she insists that someday she will be in the Olympics. And even though that is a serious long shot I want to support her as much as I can in this. But how do we do that with out going over the edge into insane gym parent?

We are not the parents leaning over the observation rail to yell at their kid when they mess up. We are not the parents outside the gym giving their kid a talking to about how they need to get serious. We don't yell, or fuss, or anything like that.

What we do though is try to be what I like to think of as supportive. We do that by paying for privates each week, and having mats, a bar, and a beam at the house.

But is even that over the edge? I mean she is 6 and most gyms don't even compete at level 3.

Part of the questioning of this comes down to attitude. Last year she was so serious about everything and so focused. And this year she seems just a bit more lax. But I am not sure that is a bad thing. And the last thing in the world I want to do is push her to hating what she loves so much.

And who knows, maybe the Olympics are in her future. Or if not that perhaps a college scholarship. Or maybe she will get to be 12 or 13 and decide to throw it all away. I just hope that I support her when she needs it, and push her when it is right. In my personal experience I always have felt that baseball was my game, but one bad experience (bad coach) and I just up and quit and I really think that was a time my parents should have pushed a little. But now I wonder if they went through the same kind of second guessing I am here.

But enough of that, I have a funny story to relate. It does tie into this whole post though.

Midget came to her Mom and said, "Mommy, I haven't gotten to be on TV yet and I want to be."

Mommy, "Well we can try to do something about that, but it will take a lot of work. You will have to pick between TV and gymnastics."

Midget thinks about it for a few minutes and says, "Well I will get to be on TV when I go to the Olympics so I will just do gymnastics."

LOL

Marathon by Rush

2009-08-06T10:31:00.003-05:00

Marathon is one of the songs on my 'Running' playlist, and probably is one of my absolute favorite Rush songs. But it was not always so. In fact when the song first came out I really did not like it. But later as I began listening to the lyrics it really struck me as truly capturing the spirit of a marathon. And now that I have begun running it is even more so. So I must share the lyrics.

It's not how fast you can go
The force goes into the flow
If you pick up the beat
You can forget about the heat
More than just survival
More than just a flash
More than just a dotted line
More than just a dash

It's a test of ultimate will
The heartbreak climb uphill
Got to pick up the pace
If you want to stay in the race
More than just blind ambition
More than just simple greed
More than just a finish line
Must feed this burning need
In the long run...

[Chorus:]
From first to last
The peak is never passed
Something always fires the light that gets in your eyes
One moment's high, and glory rolls on by
Like a streak of lightning
That flashes and fades in the summer sky

Your meters may overload
You can rest at the side of the road
You can miss a stride
But nobody gets a free ride

More than high performance
More than just a spark
More than just the bottom line
Or a lucky shot in the dark
In the long run...

[Chorus]

You can do a lot in a lifetime
If you don't burn out too fast
You can make the most of the distance
First you need endurance
First you've got to last...

[Chorus]

Yesterday was a big day

2009-08-05T13:16:00.005-05:00

Our midget went to first grade yesterday. Where has the time gone? I mean really? 1st grade?

Why am I thinking of the lyrics to Sunrise, Sunset?

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?

Wasn't it yesterday
When they were small?

When did this happen? And can I stop it?

Oh and the day before that she had gymnastics in the new team leos. They are all the same but each level has a different colored stripe (hers are green) and it says Universal Gymnastics on the front and Team on the back. I got to go and they were SO CUTE!!

Why Running From Couches?

2009-08-05T11:47:00.002-05:00

So recently, June 30th recently, I decided to get my overly padded rear end up off the couch and get into shape. My chosen method for this was running. I had previously come across the Couch to 5K (C25K) program and had even recommended it to others. But my following of it myself was pretty much non-existent. But this time was going to be different, and so far has been.

I just completed Week 5, day 2 (W5D2) and it went so great! I ran for 8 minutes, walked for 5, and then ran for 8 more! And I made it! I lived! I actually did it!

I do have to say that what I call running is more like a shuffle. Or maybe a fast walk with a little bounce to it. As I commented the other day on a forum thread of other newbie runners I am pretty sure an anemic turtle passed me as I was running. But I am not stopping at all, I am really enjoying this and for someone that used to live by the motto, "I only run when chased" this is a huge thing.

I have plans to keep working through it. I already know the program I will use after C25K, and even the marathon training program I want to use after that. Did I just say marathon? Durn straight, Disney Marathon 2011 is my goal, I will at least run the half but hope to do the full.

I also want to add road biking and eventually maybe triathlons to the mix.

But anyway, Running From Couches. We came up with the name for our support group on the Cool Running forums because of the Couch to 5K thing. The couch is bad, must get away from it. We created a Facebook Group with the Running From Couches, and as I tried to pick my Blog name it just seemed the right one to use as well. So there you have it. The story behind the name.

Hello world

2009-08-05T11:19:00.001-05:00

Well I decided that maybe I should stop talking about blogging and actually, you know, do it. I am going to use this space to share things going on in my life, so if you read it (hopefully someone will) I will be writing about running, school, work, politics, thoughts and opinions, and my midget gymnasts. I hope you enjoy it.

One thing I want to make clear though. I am pretty opinionated about certain social and political things. But I also welcome debate. So lets do this thing!