Which Hard Choices?

Here is what President Obama said Sunday on controlling the debt: "Somehow people say, why are you doing that, I'm not sure that's good politics. I'm doing it because I said I was going to do it and I think it's the right thing to do. People should learn that lesson about me because next year when I start presenting some very difficult choices to the country, I hope some of these folks who are hollering about deficits and debt step-up because I'm calling their bluff. We'll see how much of that, how much of the political arguments that they're making right now are real and how much of it was just politics."

My first reaction is that listening to Obama speak of deficit reduction is like listening to Jimmy Swaggart preach against succumbing to the lust of the flesh, or Adolf Hitler denouncing racism.  It just doesn't resonate when a crime's biggest offender says they are going to change next year without offering any indication of that change.  Yet I will give him the benefit of my doubt.  He may cut deficits.  My worry would then turn to how.  He claims that next year he will present difficult choices to the country.  My speculation on those choices would be:

• Complete withdrawal from Iran and Afghanistan without consideration for conditions on the ground.
• Gutting of the military. He would need to cut funding by 50% to make a substantial reduction in the budget deficit.
• Giant tax increases on producers (people who work for a living).
• New taxes on businesses to be passed on to consumers.
• Increase capital gains tax.
• Social Security retirement age moves to 70.

What I don't expect:

• Cut entitlements.  This is Obama's base, so he cannot upset them.
• Cut his health care legislation.

Sometimes I worry more about him keeping his promises than not keeping them.

You Don't Need to Look Very Hard

The Mainstream Media is biased towards liberals.  They may not realize they have the bias, but you never need to look very hard for proof.  The death of Senator Robert Byrd provided a new proof point.  There is only one comparison to Byrd's Senate career - Senator Strom Thurmond. Strom died 7 years ago, nearly to the day.  Strom was a conservative Republican.  Byrd was a liberal Democrat.  Both of their Senate careers were long, both came from southern states, and both had segregationist beliefs in their youth.  USA Today reported both Senator's deaths, but notice the difference:

Former senator Thurmond dies



By William M. Welch, USA TODAY


WASHINGTON — Former U.S. senator Strom Thurmond, who took the political stage as the nation's most prominent segregationist and left it as the most enduring political figure of the century, died Thursday night at age 100.

The writer was compelled to mention Thurmond's past support of segregation in the first sentence.  Now, look at how USA Today reports Byrd's death:
 
Senate stalwart Robert Byrd dies at 92
 
By Kathy Kiely, USA TODAY



WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Byrd, who rose from West Virginia's impoverished hollows to aid, counsel and sometimes chastise presidents from the Senate seat he occupied for more than a half-century, died early Monday morning. He was 92 and had served in Congress longer than anyone in the nation's history.

In act, it is not until the eighth paragraph that his affiliation with the KKK is mentioned:
 
Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s and a participant in an epic but ultimately unsuccessful filibuster against landmark civil rights legislation in 1964.
 
The depth of his affiliation was more than just membership.  At minimum, Byrd provided council to the Grand Poo bah.  From a different story:
 
At a time when Byrd claimed to have withdrawn his membership [from the Klan], he was in fact advising Grand Imperial Wizard Samuel Green on whom to appoint to important posts in the hierarchy of the hate group. In a letter to Green, Byrd urged, "the Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia" and "in every state in the Union."


A year later in 1948, Byrd opposed President Truman's initiative to integrate the Armed Forces - and he did so using the language of a very much active Klansman.

The powerful Senate Democrat vowed then that he would "never submit to fight beneath that banner (the American flag) with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds."

Remember these words when you hear about the distinguished career the Senator from West Virginia had.  Need more proof?

STROM THURMOND, FOE OF INTEGRATION, DIES AT 100


ROBERT BYRD, RESPECTED VOICE OF THE SENATE, DIES AT 92

Both obituaries were written by the same writer, Adam Clymer. The headlines appeared in the The New York Times.

The Mainstream Media are simply distorting the legacy for one of their own.

New Car

I am amazed at how much the car industry has changed since I bought my last car.  A few days ago I blogged about the tactics I have used when purchasing a car.  Not many of those worked well this time.

Terri and I started our car shopping day with a trip to the Chevy dealer we have done business with before.  I had made contact with their Internet salesman earlier in the week to describe what we were looking for - a Equinox, not white or black, 4 cylinder, with leather, heater seats and premium sound system.  The salesman assured me they had a vehicle that met this criteria, plus many others to choose from.  We arrived at 9:15 AM to see the lone Equinox on their lot.  Not only was it the only one, it was not equipped anywhere near what we wanted.  Okay, so maybe they have access to others.  We asked the first salesman who approached us.  Nope, this was the only one.  They would get 2 more at the end of July. 

Disappointed, we moved on to the next Chevrolet dealer.  They also had only one - a black one.  It was at this second dealership that we began to look at the Traverse, the next model up from the Equinox.  We liked it a lot and began to deal on one that met our option list.  Our trade-in was evaluated which returned the exact value we thought it should.  So far so good.  As is normal, the dealer's first offer was at sticker price.  I countered a number that I thought would at least begin the serious discussions.  Instead, the dealership's general manager dropped by with the dealer invoice.  To my surprise, there was only around $1,000 mark up.  I had offered $7,000 less than sticker, $6,000 less than invoice.  Obviously the dealer was not going to go that far, no matter how long we dickered.  We excused ourselves and left.  There was no attempt by the salesman to continue negotiations.  First new car-buying lesson learned - mark up on new cars is not as much as it once was.

Terri and I then broke for lunch where I began calling other dealerships to inquire on the availability of Equinoxs.  I learned that nobody had more than one, and it as usually black or poorly equipped.  One Internet dealer informed me that if I seriously wanted a new loaded Equinox, I would need purchase it before it was delivered to the dealer lot.  This was not something I am inclined to do.  Second new car-buying lesson learned - all prior tactics do not work when you are pursuing a popular model of vehicle.

So we then began expanding our potential car models.  We drove a Kia, then a Subaru.  Both had good points, but neither had he smooth quiet ride of an Equinox.  We  then decided to go to a GMC dealership and look at their version of the Equinox.  We learned that version was called the Terrain.  The local dealership had 3 on their lot.  One met our needs.  Within a couple hours we reached a deal with the salesman.  Our new car is shown below. 

Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill

How many times have you heard the current gulf oil spill referred to as Obama's Katrina?  I am getting a little tired of the comparison on several levels.  Let me explain.

When Katrina hit New Orleans, whiny liberals everywhere saw the suffering of the local New Orleans minorities and immediately blamed the Bush administration for not responding fast enough.  While mostly unsaid, they were charging racism.  They wanted the federal government nanny to swoop down and save Americans from their suffering.  No time was spent discussing whether the federal government should have led the relief effort, or simply support the state's and city's effort. 

Jump ahead several years to the current gulf oil spill.  Republicans are now taking their pound of flesh from Obama as retribution for the attacks on George Bush during Katrina.  Just as then, local efforts should lead,  with support from the federal government.

I for one do not want to solely rely on the feds to "take care of me", so I will remain consistent and not blame Obama for the federal response to the gulf disaster. While I feel the oil spill is not Obama's Katrina, there are plenty of things I do blame him for.  I would rather the national media focus on his health care legislation that will ruin the best health care system in the world, the piling up of the national debt and his socialist tendencies.  He deserves scathing criticism over these items, but not so much on the oil spill.

My tolerance of the tit-for-tat political wrestling matches is also at the end.  Fire them all.  Let's start with a new Congress.

Buying a Car

Terri and I are considering buying a new car.  Since I only replace one of our two cars every 3-4 years, I use this time to remember how I go about getting the best deal.  I learned from a master - my father.

My father was brutal to the car salesman.  His strategy was to ensure the salesman became more emotionally invested in the deal than my father would be with the car.  My father would draw negotiations out for days or even weeks.  He would grind the last $50 off the price of the car, and then go for another $50 on the trade in.  By the time he agreed to a deal, the saleman had many hours of effort invested.  It would convince the salesman that any profit was better than nothing after the expended effort.  Eventually, they would give up their best price.

I don't have the patience for days of negotiations.  Instead, I have 2 tactics that I use every time, and couple of potential opportunities that I use when they present themselves.  These tactics and opportunities have worked well for me in the past.  I feel I get good prices without spending more that a couple hours with the salesman.

The first tactic is the most important.  Get smart.  Before you begin dealing seriously, you must know what the dealership paid for their vehicle.  This is now pretty easy since all the information is available over the Internet.  You do not necessarily need to know the invoice cost of the base model and every option.  A little study reveals that mark up is pretty consistent.  Last I remember (5 years ago?) the base price of a vehicle was marked up 8% and each option was marked up 14%.   Once you learn this, you can calculate the invoice cost while on the lot. 

If trading in a vehicle, an honest assessment of the vehicle's condition can be used to determine the fair trade in value.   Knowing both the dealer cost and trade in value of your car will make is simple to determine if the salesman is dealing in good faith or looking for maximum profit.  If their interest in not in your best interest, (and they never are initially) my second tactic is used. 

I have used my second tactic almost every time I have purchased a new car.  I simply thank the salesman for their time and excuse myself.  The intent is to signal to the salesman that I am not invested in the specific car under negotiation, and quite willing to go to another dealership.  This action is guaranteed to get a better price immediately.  If you are not impressed with their next offer, you probably will not reach agreement with the salesman so it is time to end it and move on. 

Many opportunities can make buying a new car very easy.  Here are these opportunities I look for:

• End of model year or end of month - Dealers will sell a car below their cost when 1) they need the room on their lot for new models, or 2) when meeting a sales goal increases their percentage of profit for all cars they sold during the month.  I once bought a $44k car for $34k for this one reason.
• Pick a green, wet-behind-the-ears salesman -  New salesman don't make much money and will sacrifice a full commission just to make something.  I once had a brand new salesman agree to a $50 commission just to make the sale.  You will never get this from a salesman with awards on their office wall, a large mortgage and a tuition payment to make.
• Network - If you know someone in the dealership, see if they can help.  I once got a good deal because my Sister In Law Lisa (SILL) was in the finance department of a local dealership.  I also once worked at the same company with the son of a salesman.  He allowed me to see the best deal already made that day, and gave me the same deal.  Both of these negotiations took less than 30 minutes.

I am just starting my new car quest, and will update the blog when a deal is made. 

Sacrifice

Modern day Americans are so lucky.  We have little idea the kind sacrifices made by our ancestors in building this country.  Only our military families sacrifice today.  They separate and go off to fight our enemies, while the rest of us occasionally watch on TV.  It hasn't always been this way.  You can still see evidence of past sacrifice in prior generations.

I remember my grandmother, who everyday after retrieving the daily newspaper would carefully untie the string around it, add it to her ball of string in the kitchen.  I didn't think much of it then, but now have come to believe this behavior was learned from her parents who were only a generation removed from the pioneer days of America.  If my ancestors needed string, they could travel a mile or more into town to the local mercantile , which might have string for sale.  If not, they could order string to arrive in several weeks.  Or they could make their own string.  How inconvenient.  If I were in the same situation, I too would save small pieces of string so that I would have it when needed. 

The pioneer days were not the only era that fostered this behavior.  We can also see it in our parents and grandparents.  My mother in law would wash paper plates and reuse them.  My father in law will use left over paint instead of buying new paint.  Nothing of even minimal value is discarded.  They are not hoarders.  Their behavior was probably passed on from their own parents and collective experiences of life during world wars.

War time behavior was that our nation would scrimp and save everything to support the troops.  Metal drives would donate tons of scrap iron used to build guns, ships and tanks.  No scrap was too insignificant to donate.  Gasoline and food rationing would ensure that our troops had what they needed to survive.  War bonds collected billions of dollars from a less than affluent citizenry. Everyone sacrificed.  Nothing was thrown out.

I believe this mindset still exists in our parents.   It has died with my generation.  We began the disposable society.  We throw it away when done.

Parasite?

I got a kick out of the local man's attempt to vent along a major highway in the area.  It seems that a few other people don't like his message, or feel he is undeserving of free speech.

Some one has attempted to destroy his trailer/sign by burning it down on a couple of occasions.


But who can argue with the message?  You are either a provider or one who relies on those who provide. 

The definition of a parasite is:

• an animal or plant that lives in or on a host (another animal or plant); it obtains nourishment from the host without benefiting or killing the host

• leech: a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage

Doesn't that accurately describe those who live off the American worker by living off of welfare and unemployment?  So if his message is factually correct, his right to free speech must be their quarrel with him?

I Like Soccer, but ...

This World Cup soccer championship is hard for me to understand.  I realize that soccer is the dominate world sport outside of the United States, but this world championship tournament is dull.  I know soccer talent is better outside of America, where kids start playing as soon as they begin to walk.  They are simply better than Americans at the game because they have played more.  It is not the talent, but the international game I am having difficulty with.

Just look at the scores from the World Cup.  Most are ties and many are 0-0 ties.  Is there any other game in the world where two teams compete for nearly 2 hours and neither score?  I would not call a 0-0 game a tie, I would call it a colossal waste of everyones time including the fans.  And why would any world championship allow individual bouts to end in ties?  Doesn't that set the final result up for ridicule and second guessing?  For example, say that England won it all.  Wouldn't the US have a valid claim that England is no better than they are since they played each other to a tie?

I also have a problem with a sport where a 2-1 game is described as an offensive explosion.  Three total goals?  Give me a break.  Three goals in 2 hours is just a slightly better than absolutely boring. Irritating if you consider the incessant vuvuzela blowing by fans.

I like soccer, but I will not waste my time watching men exaggerating their falls and subsequent pain, and then play each other to a tie.  Give me a good old competitive youth soccer game any day.  Let them use shoot outs to break ties.  I see why international soccer has never become a major professional sport in the United States.  Chess is more exciting.

Wrapping Up Our Vacation

Since driving from Sunset Beach NC to KC last Saturday in 20 hours, I am definitely back in the old grind.  We made the straight through drive so that we could relax a bit on Sunday before my return to work.  It was well worth it.  By 8:30 AM on Monday, I was covered up with over 400 emails, another group's project that had failed and took down my team's operation, and a requirement to communicate salary or bonus reductions to over half of my staff.  The relaxation of the 2 week vacation and kicking back on Sunday wore off quick.

I finally came up for air and wanted to share a few of the pictures and memories from a very special vacation.

This is what a relaxed couple looks like.

Here is another good example.  The subjects are Brother in law Lloyd (BILL) and Sister in law Cindy (SILC) who graciously offered to share their time share in Destin with us.

This is a good picture that illustrates why many people consider the Destin beaches as some of the most beautiful in the world.

At least once each trip to the coast, we are entertained during dinner with a thunderstorm.

I am still quite impressed with the shutter speed of my new phone.

I remember playing this hole 20 years ago when I first went to Destin.  It is simply a beautiful spot on earth.

Last Day of Vacation

Well, the 2 week vacation is winding down.  Our last day happens to be my birthday, so we went to downtown Myrtle Beach for a special lunch.  The food and service was better than advertised at left.

I had to include a picture of the oil spill (below).  Looks pretty bad, right?  Worse than the press is telling you, correct?  Actually, this picture is of our table top at the place we ate lunch.  I thought it looked suspiciously like a few of the oil spill pictures we have seen coming from Louisiana.

This last picture is from the restaurant we ate lunch at.  Myrtle Beach is a beautiful place.  Their beaches are not as picturesque as Destin's, but close. 

We finished the day with 18 holes of golf. I shot my age twice; 50 on the front and 54 on the back nine. Dinner was at a favorite place called The Grapevine. We continued our tradition of ending the vacation sitting on the front porch of the Creamery having a dish of ice cream and watching the sun set.  We drive home Saturday.  Should be there by Sunday morning.

Beauty and the Beast

Today we played at one of the most beautiful golf courses in the entire area. It is named The Pearl. Our tee time was 7:00 AM, which provided the unique beauty of playing while the dew was still fresh and the sun was low in the morning mist.


















The Pearl is also a difficult course that punishes a golfer who is not on his game. (That would be me). I really enjoyed the beauty of the course, but hated the torture of tight fairways and water everywhere (some of which cannot be seen from the tee).

Notice the high finish and perfect footwork. Terri hits them straight on tough courses.

Terri was looking for one of my errant shots when she stumbled across the critter below. They don't move out of your way like snakes or other animals do. I played like the crocodile hunter and snuck up to within 15 feet to snap this camera phone picture.

Big Golf Day

We woke up early today and were surprised by unexpected cool temperatures. We took advantage of the weather and played 36 holes. The first 18 were played at Sandpiper Bay. The next 18 at the Brunswick Plantation course we are staying at. Even with the nice weather, we are worn out. The only other noteworthy thing today was that Terri started a new streak of strawberry pancakes meals for lunch. Two in a row and counting. Golf at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning.

Mid-vacation Musings

Just a few thoughts as we pass the halfway point in of our summer vacation.

• Destin was relaxing, hot and for a couple of days, crowded. We left the day the oil arrived.
• Destin golf was better this year. Greens were in much better shape. We were only rained out of one round after playing 11 holes.
• Destin food was fantastic. I could eat blackened amberjack and maui maui every day.
• We came across a crime scene when leaving town at 5:00 AM. Just east of the condo there were an army of police and state troopers at 3 locations. One was at a unoccupied pick up truck, the second at a branch bank with a damaged front door, and the third at an ATM machine in the middle of the highway. Even a brain damaged person like me could figure out what happened.
• We witnessed a traffic accident just a few hundred feet in front of us. When entering a construction area, a white convertible suddenly veered left into the temporary concrete barrier. The car went air born for a moment. I was thinking it would flip over, but it landed on all four wheels and crashed into the right side barrier. As we pulled up behind the totaled car, I was expecting a bloody scene. Instead, a hand went up to the rear view mirror to adjust it. After seeing that traffic had stopped behind her, a 60 something year old lady stepped out of the driver side completely unhurt.
• We arrived in Sunset Beach after a 11 and a half hour drive. After a 4 year absence, not much has changed. All of our favorite restaurants are still open including the breakfast place where Terri once ate strawberry pancakes 6 days in a row. We stopped there Sunday morning and Terri began a new streak.
• One of our favorite golf courses, Angels Trace a 36 hole course, is closed and overgrown. Sad to see a nice course let go to weeds.
• Played 18 holes on Sunday at the resort we are staying at. Nice course, and very inexpensive. We were both impressed.
• Calabash does not serve amberjack or maui maui. They don't do blackened. Most seafood is fried, not broiled. I need to switch to fried clams.
• Hush puppies and cole slaw are great here. Best we have every had.
• BBQ is interesting, but not great. They broil the BBQ pork to make the top crispy. Not much else is that good about it.

Tee times are made through Thursday. May do 27 or 36 holes a couple times.

It has been 4 years since we were here. I remember the last night we were here 4 years ago. I sat in a rocking chair at the local ice cream parlor, watching the sunset and wondering when we would return. I expected that answer to be far less than 4 years. But the next few years brought health problems for Terri and I.

This is the place I associate to a relaxing vacation. While it has changed over the past few years, it is still that special spot.

Caption Please

My caption is: SILC: "Where is that reflection coming from?"

What is yours?

I'm Eating Fish!

I can relate to a scene in one of my favorite movies "What About Bob?" In the movie, Bill Murray played an excessive compulsive patient of Richard Dreyfus, the shrink. One of Murray's phobias was his fear of water. He would not go sailing. Towards the end of the movie, he conquers that fear in a scene where he and his life jacket are lashed to the mainstay of a sailing boat. He is happily screaming "I am sailing! Look at me, I'm sailing! I am a sailor!".

For 4 years during high school and a year after graduation, I worked at Red Lobster. I saw first hand how shrimp could quickly go bad. I saw how one rotten oyster could fill the entire restaurant with a foul odor that persisted for several minutes. I could not bear to eat any type of seafood. Just in the last few years I have tried to develop a taste for seafood again.

While in North Carolina I would regularly order crab cakes. In Destin, I began to try fish. I found that I like broiled or blackened amberjack and maui maui. Vacation to the Gulf now means a regular diet of seafood. Look! I am eating fish! I am a fish eater!

Vacation Defined

There really are only 2 things we do much of when on vacation. The first is eat. We have our favorite places whether in Destin or North Carolina. The picture on the left is from Dewey Destin's, a eclectic shack on the inter coastal between the Destin barrier island and mainland Florida. The restaurant's kitchen is located in a trailer behind the main building. You stand in line to order your food through a window. There is no menu. You select your meal from a large chalk board. After ordering, you sit on weathered picnic tables located outside on the dock. Gulls and herons circle above you, sometimes a little too close for comfort. This is one of our favorite places. There is also The Crab Trap, Pompano Joe's, Stinky's Fish Camp, The Doughnut Hole, Nick's, The Lucky Snapper and many other fine eating establishments. We really haven't found a bad place to eat.

It is wonderful, both the atmosphere and the food. The place is always crowded, and the seafood is spectacular.


Then there is the golf. This shot was taken of my lovely bride hitting her tee shot on a course named Windswept Dunes. The course is in great shape, and lightly used. This leads to a casual, unhurried round that is enjoyable for all.

We love playing golf with SILC and BILL while on vacation. BILL is an accomplished golfer capable of shooting in the 80's on any day. SILC is playing golf in her third year. While not accomplished, she is steadily improving and will be kicking my butt as soon as BILL buys her decent equipment.

We feel very blessed to enjoy this time with people we consider to be close relatives and friends in such a beautiful location.

I Like to Eat - Nick's Eclectic Seafood House

Yesterday I learned a new word. Eclectic. As we were traveling back to our condo SILC (Sister in Law Cindy) wanted to stop at a small gift shop she had seen earlier. She described it as a quaint, eclectic shop. I think quaint is a color - a shade of teal. Eclectic I don't know.

Several minutes later we arrived at the gift shop. It was a dump. So I guess eclectic is another word for dump.

Later in the day, we decided to eat dinner at a crab place referred to us by NILK (Nephew in Law Kelly). They are known for the blue crab. I snapped the picture at the right of Nick's Seafood House. It is kind of a dump, or shall I say, an eclectic seafood restaurant.

We went there to try the blue crab. I was the only one in our party to order crab. I found it to be very tasty, but far too much work. I think you could lose weight eating in the shell crab. I think I burnt more calories getting at the crab that what I consumed.

The restaurant was located right on the bay. From our window we watch 20-30 chickens (future dinners) wander about the beach. In the distance, porpoise were surfacing. The atmosphere was nice, but eclectic.

Dumber than a Dog

You don't need to drive too far east or south of Kansas City to find an animal far dumber than any type of dog (even a Poodle). Occasionally you will see a dead dog on the side of the road. I have even witnessed many that will even chase cars. Darwin's law of natural selection usually removes these animals from the living. But I have found that another mammal is consistently more stupid than a dog. You will find Armadillo carcasses littering the highways in great number. The further south you go, the more carcases you see.

I believe what little intelligence the Armadillo has is used to find the closest highway and navigate their way into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Before automobiles, there must have been billions of Armadillos in North America. They had no natural predators until Henry Ford began mass producing the automobile. I am sure their numbers are low enough now to place them on the endangered species list.

You don't see treehuggers out with signs and bumper stickers saying "Save the Armadillo". Why? Probably because not only are they stupid animals, they are very ugly. Every Armadillo looks to have fallen out of an ugly tree .... and hit every branch.

So I have self corrected. The dog is not the most stupid mammal. The Armadillo is. Dogs come in second.