After the arguing and the political bias, it breaks down to this.  The budget has allowed a 20% increase over prior spending.  Then it is going to be frozen as part of Pres. Obama's "spending freeze."  The 20% is coming from money already designated for the stimulus. 

Now, in my opinion, it's not a spending freeze if you've already given 20% extra in the budget.  It's a spending increase.  I mean, if I added 20% to my monthly budget (using money that I don't have), I don't call that decreasing or limiting spending.  I'm increasing my budget. 

So, a question for you, my dear readers.

Does this policy qualify as a "spending freeze" or is it a political gimmick to make Washington look good?

I'll admit it...I was actually impressed with some of the things Pres. Obama said during the speech.  Some of it was the usual, but there were some good ideas buried among the sound bites.  Here's the good and the bad. (I highly recommend reading the whole thing: Transcript of speech, but if you don't have time, the "big points" are below). 

Great-
1- Freeze on government spending for three years.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Now will you guys actually do it? 
2- Bipartisan fiscal commission.  The senate already blocked this, making me think this could be a really good idea. 
3- Re-institute the "pay as you go" law.  Please, please, please.  But I wouldn't hold my breath on the congress actually passing this. 
4- Publication of all earmark requests on a single web site.  Yes!  No more trying to wade through hundred page bills, which are posted in different versions on the senate/house sites.  Trust me. I've spent more time trying to find the correct revision of whatever bill I'm studying, and then wading through pages of special amendments trying to find the one I'm looking into. 
5- "And that's why Michelle has joined with Jill Biden to forge a national commitment to support military families"...exact quote.  Hey, I'm a military wife.  My husband goes out to sea.  I can handle anything around the house and don't cry when the car breaks.  I can fix just about anything around the house, and if I can't, I can find out how to.   If I had kids, I would never have to say, "Wait until your Dad gets home."  If they can give us a bit of help, I'm not going to complain.  They get to keep my husband six months a year...I could use the occasional pat on the back. 

Good-
1- Building some clean energy jobs include building clean, safe nuclear reactors.  Finally.  While nuclear reactors may not be everyone's first source of energy, it currently is the best chance we have of getting off of the oil.  
2- Efforts to reduce costs for college.  Thank God.  I've been to college (I didn't finish, for those of you who are wondering...but I had a 4.0 for the two years I went).  My God.  We had to use my husband's entire re-enlistment bonus to pay back the student loans.  And that was after we had been paying for about a year. 

Fair-
1- New jobs bill.  This could go either way.  It will depend on how it is implemented.
2- New "financial reform" (aka-regulations on banks).  This could go either way.  I'm betting on "bad", but we'll wait and see. 
3- Repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."  Again, this might go either way.  I've been in the military.  This is NOT going to be popular.  But denying a segment of the population a chance to be themselves and serve in our military is flat out discrimination.  And I won't support that. 

Bad-
1- He tried to rationalize yet another fee for the banks who have already paid back the money they owe.  Get real.  Adding yet another tax to the banks isn't going to get them to lend.  And it isn't fair.  They paid back the money.  With interest and dividends.  How long are we going to add "fees"?  One year?  Ten years?  The next century?  Forever? 
2- National Export Initiative.  Increasing exports is a great idea.  But I don't think government regulation is going to help this in any meaningful, good way.  I think this is going to lead to a very bad outcome. 
3- Health Care Reform.  Give it up already.  And keep your "fuzzy" math about how it is going to REDUCE the deficit to yourself.  No one is buying this.  Not even if you keep covering it with whipped cream and cherries. 
4- "Spank" the Supreme Court on your own time.  Those judges were at your speech to show respect.  You insulted them and subjected them to the insults of the entire chamber.  I would have walked out, but hey, I'm not a supreme court justice. 
5- States he is going to raise the tone of politics in Washington, and them turns around and insults the Republicans in the next sentence.  Another "schoolyard taunt."

Yes, my husband is in the military.  And that technically makes me a military wife.  But I'm not really.  I don't know if it is because I used to be in the Navy myself, or if I'm just determined to be contrary.  Probably the second.

Military wives have five traits that identify them.  I'll be hitting one at a time because they really need expounded upon.  Sorry to the military wives out there if you're offended!  Just be happy you're the exception to the rule.  Or if you're not the exception to the rule...well, maybe you should rethink your lifestyle choices.

#1- Military wives are overweight.

Trust me on this.  I understand that a good portion of the population is overweight.  But Navy wives don't have an excuse.

Gym membership is free.  Yes, you read that right.  We can use the base gym for free.  They even have "girly" classes available.  But every time I go to the gym, there's 50 men and 3 women.  And trust me, the gym on base is open VERY early and very late.  It's usually closed between 10:30 at night and 4:30 in the morning.  That's it. 

Medical care is free.  Yes, you read that right.  We can go to the doctor and explain we're gaining weight and get advice.  FOR FREE!  Hell, the doc can prescribe something and most of the time the base pharmacy has it (again, for free). 

The base grocery store is tax free.  While it doesn't save a lot, it does save a little.  Why don't they use the extra they save to buy some fruits and veggies?

When my husband and I go to military parties, I always bring fruit salad.  Not just because it gives me something to eat, but because everyone at the party falls on it like they haven't seen fruit in a year.  Am I the only one who can find the produce section in the grocery store?

It's horrible to admit, but I am at a healthy weight.  Yep, you read that right.  I'm now in the minority of those people who are in healthy guidelines.  Ignore my husband's job...I am seriously not a military wife. 

First of all, I'm independent.  I vote on issues.  I vote on candidates.  I don't care if you're red, blue, purple, or yellow.  I don't care if your animal is a donkey, elephant, or panda bear.  (I think we should start a panda bear party...remember, you heard it here first!) 

I'm sure you've heard about the Mass. election.  In a state in which Dems outnumber Republicans by 3-1, Republican Scott Brown won the senate seat formerly filled with Kennedy.  But both sides need a little bit a reality check. 

I'll start with the Democrats.  There is a blog I visit fairly regularly.  The author worships at the altar of Obama, taking his weekly speeches as the bread of communion and the concept that everyone who isn't a Democrat is an idiot as his weekly wine.  (or her, I can't find info on the author, and I'm dying to know...anyone this out of touch with reality I want to avoid if I see them on the street). 

Their intelligent conclusion to the election.  (this is paraphrased) "Now that Republicans have 41 seats they can show the country again how much they mess things up."  Now, the Democratic congress has an approval rating 26%.  And the Republicans can now filibuster...but they are a LONG way from a majority.  If Scott Brown manages to personally cause the Congress rating to fall lower than 26%, I'll turn Democrat.  And that's a promise.  This Congress is less popular than Bush!  I mean, that takes serious effort. 

Now on the Republicans.  One election does not define the nation.  Repeat after me: one election does not define the nation.  Yes, this was an amazing election (especially considering how Democrat Mass. is).  And it MAY show a national change of opinion, especially with the other landslides we have seen in smaller elections. But hold off on pouring the champagne. 

Martha Coakley was a horrible candidate...the people hated her, especially after she avoided getting out on the trail like Brown did.   And some Dems are claiming that Mass. was saying by voting for Brown that Obama and the Dems aren't doing ENOUGH...I think that's a b.s., but it is a possibility.  Without exit polls, we can't be sure (what the hell happened to the exit polls!!!???!!!). 

I think both sides need a bit of a reality check (the Democrats more than the Republicans).  At the least the Republicans accept that over half of Americans are against the health care bill.  Pelosi says that Americans have been against bills before, but eventually accepted them.  Uh, am I missing something?  Are you saying you know better than us?  That we need you to make our decisions and we just need to accept your superior knowledge? 

This member of Mensa thinks that both sides are missing the point....
WE, THE PEOPLE, OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...(you should know the rest!)

Now to get to the nitty, gritty of what AA is like.

Meetings run an hour.  They can be speaker meetings (in which one speaker gives a "speech" about how their life was when they were drunk, how it changed, and how their life is now), discussion meetings (in which people take turns talking), or what I call "learning" meetings (in which we study the "Big Book", the 12 steps, or the 12 traditions). 

You have to understand that where I live the majority of meetings are discussion meetings.  New people explain why they want to get sober and older members, with a smug air of satisfaction, explain how hard it is and how wonderful their life is now. 

So, to what you've all been waiting for: "Why I Don't Go to AA"

1) I got sober in order to have a real life.  Spending two hours a day at AA is not having a real life.  It's letting alcohol still control my life, just in a different way.

2) I don't need to spend all my free time at AA.  The old-timers say "if you stay in the middle of AA, you won't fall off the edge."  Well, since only 3% of people are there after the first year....well, there much not be much room in the middle.

3) I don't derive satisfaction out of telling new people how hard it is to get sober.  Get real...if you really want to do it, you will.  If you don't, you won't.  It's a process that requires support and a check of realism- not discouragement.

4) I get tired of having to explain to people why I'm not there everyday.  People will flat out say "where have you been!?" if you take a week off.  F*** off!  I have a life.  I don't have to explain it to you. 

5) I don't fight the urge to drink everyday.  I barely ever want a drink...and when I do, it's a minute or so and then it passes.  If you're still fighting not drinking everyday, you missed something along the way. 

-and-the final and most important reason:

6) YOU'RE NOT MY PARENT JUST BECAUSE YOU SPENT MORE TIME DRUNK THAN I DID.  I'm an adult.  I can make my own decisions (and my own mistakes).  You're not special because you drank for 20 years.  I'm not special because I drank for five years.  We're both drunks who are now sober.  Get over yourself already. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful day!  And to those who drink, enjoy a beer for me!
Jennie

Yes, I'm an alcoholic.  It's all right, I'm sober.  Hemingway was an alcoholic.  So is Stephen King.  So clearly I'm in twisted and mentally disturbed company.  (ha-ha).  And I actually hate(hated) the taste of liquor.  What can I say, I'm a masochist. 

On Nov. 15th, 2009, I hit my three-year sobriety date.  Most people's number one question when they find out if I'm an alcoholic is:  "Do you go to AA?  What's it like?" 

Did you know that at the end of the first year only 3% of alcoholics who attended AA will still be sober? 
Did you know that at the end of the first year only 3% of alcoholics who attend non-AA treatment will still be sober?
Here's the one that will really get you:
Did you know it's estimated that between 3-5% of drug user and alcoholics will spontaneously become better?  (In other words, they'll wise up and stop killing themselves). 

I was a bit surprised...well, that's a lie.  I wasn't really surprised when I found that out.  I did go to AA in the beginning, and knowing that there were other people who had a problem with alcohol did help me realize that being an alcoholic is nothing to be ashamed of.  I didn't like it when people acted like they were powerless over relapsing, though. 

Once the alcohol is out of your system, you don't have an excuse anymore.  I went out about two months after I joined and got drunk.  Almost everyone there patted me on the back, and said "It's ok...it happens to everyone."  Only one person had the guts to be honest.  They told me, "You got drunk because you wanted to get drunk more than you wanted to stay sober." 

Oh, I was pissed.  I'm a redhead, and when I'm pissed, everyone within a block usually knows.  Sometimes people in other states get to hear about it.  After a few minutes, though, I realized she was right.  There was no magical excuse for my getting drunk that would make it all better.

....Part 2 tomorrow!

Question for my readers: Do you know anyone who is in AA?  Do they think it helps them?

While I was shocked and horrified by the images from Haiti, I am glad that the story is getting so much coverage.  It seems lately that so many news stories shouldn't even qualify. 

I don't think a news story has ever horrified me as much as Haiti.  When 9/11 happened, I was 18 and in the Navy.  The base went on high alert, and I didn't see much coverage on TV.  Plus I spent so much time on security detail that life was work and sleep for about three weeks.  And I was young...crisis didn't seem to mean much to me.

When Hurricane Katrina happened, I was disgusted.  Warnings had been given out for a week, and people were providing free transportation out of the area.  But there were fights and I believe (if I recall correctly) one incident with a gun.  People refused to leave.  When aid came, at least one rescue team (I believe it was a helicopter) was SHOT at.  THREE YEARS later, when I was at a doctor's office in Jacksonville, FL, a guy was arguing that he shouldn't have to pay his bill because he was displaced from Hurricane Katrina.  If you've been displaced for three years, hon, you're living there now.  You're not a temporary resident. 

With Haiti, though, there was no warning.  According to the news stories, the smell of dead bodies is in the air.  The Haitian government and media are mostly missing...looting has started, and aid workers are worried that anarchy is only steps away.  Bulldozers are moving buildings and bodies at the same time...some young men are watching the bodies being uncovered as type of attraction. 

Water is becoming scarce.  Food is becoming almost impossible to get. 

Google has organized a crisis response page, with many organizations that are helping in Haiti right now.  Google is also donating $1 million. 
http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/#utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-sk&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=haiti%20donation

You can donate via online checkout, phone, or even your cell phone. 
Please take the time to help these people.

I'm not really a fan of the double-standard, which seems to be high-lighted in the latest news story.

Trent Lott praised Strom Thurmond at Thurmond's 100th birthday party.  It was a pointless, meaningless platitude that meant nothing.  Everyone knew this.  But Lott ended up having to resign because he complimented Thurmond, who in the 40's (YES, THE 1940'S) was a segregationist.

Harry Reid, in 2008, described Pres. Obama as "as "light-skinned" with "no Negro dialect" unless he wants one."

But the point of this post isn't the famous double-standard, which both sides claim on nauseating frequency.  

The point is that everyone, even our wonderful politicians, should be able to say something, even offensive, without having to apologize to millions of people. 
Political correctness has gotten ridiculous.  And I am so tired of hearing about it.

Here's my opinion: you're equal to everyone else when you can take an insult like everyone else without screaming "Discrimination!" 
If you expect special treatment, and everyone to treat your "condition" (whether it be being female, black, purple, gay, straight, from Pluto) as special, then you're not equal.  Get over it. 
If you are equal, take an stupid insult like everyone else does, with a roll of the eyes, and a shrug.  Why are you letting that person's opinion affect you anyway?  

I'm female.  I don't care when guys make sexist remarks.  Perhaps it was my time in the Navy that gave me a thick skin, but to be honest, the average sexist male has an IQ so low that I don't want to talk to them and certainly don't give a s*** about their opinion.  (Oh, god, that was politically incorrect!!  Oh, no.  And I said the "G" word). 

I'm white.  So I can't say I don't care when people make racist remarks.  I really don't care, but it's politically incorrect to say so.  I usually just roll my eyes.  But, with political correctness, I should not only scream bloody murder when someone makes a racist response, I should cry over something that my great-great-great-great grandparents might have done (though I'm pretty sure we were Yankees), apologize, and hand over the scholarship money that I really could have used. 

I'm from Earth.  I do get heated up when people insult aliens from Pluto, though.  I mean, if anyone deserves special treatment, it's Nancy Pelosi.

Question for my faithful (and not faithful) readers:
Has political correctness gone way to far? 
Or am I just an insensitive b****?  (Oh, wait, I can't apply the "b" word to a woman, even myself, it's sexist).

Hello, everyone!  Spooky the fat, black cat here.  I reached 25 pounds, much to my Mom's dismay.  She is horrible at keeping me on a diet...all I have to do is sit by the food dish and "meow" and she feeds me!

I've been watching the weather on the TV while Mom has been cursing as her computer and threatening to throw it out the window.  I gather she posted some blogs about it earlier this week.  I almost wanted to hide the one day....she got MEAN.  The person on the phone asked why she was canceling service with Dot5, and she responded that "she wasn't really canceling service as they didn't give any."  It took the guy on the other end a minute to get it.  She found a much better service now, and is spending all of her time setting up her website instead of petting me!

They delayed school down here in Charleston, South Carolina because of the cold weather.  Mom was laughing because she's from up north where a foot of snow didn't warrant a delay!
Oh, course, when she all the cold weather warnings and record lows, she looked at Dad and said "It's that damn global warming."  She thinks she's so funny! 

Hope everyone is having a good week, and enjoy the cartoons.
Spooky the fat, black cat

1. Leave gets canceled at last minute.
2. Christmas gets pushed off until February instead of just January.
3. Husband is in grumpy mood because leave got changed.
4. Husband is in grumpy mood because of inspection on boat.
5. Leave gets canceled at last minute. 
6. Did we get a pay raise this year?  I'll guess we'll find out on payday?