The Audacity of Hope

With my Border’s card and a 30% off coupon, today I purchased The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama.

How cool is it that our President-Elect has already written not one, but two books.

I’m about 30 pages in and I have to say I like how this guy thinks and writes.

Seriously, don’t you just love the title? I’m excited about our future.

Since we are on politics…

Today Hunter and I were in the living room. He was looking at a piece of mail we had received… it was political propaganda and it had pictures on it of the GOP Presidential candidates. Hunter looked at it and said “John McCain”… wtf! Thankfully, when I pointed to Sarah Palin… he didn’t know who she was… but he does keep calling Barack Obama… John McCain. Do you know how hard it is for a two year old to say Barack Obama…?

How does my son pick this crap up???

NaBloPoMo - day 8

Can you feel it?

Can you feel it?

It feels like a new direction … a renewed sense of patriotism… a new world for my son to grow up in.

I hope all the new voters now get it; voting really does make difference. And I hope they continue to vote for many years to come.

For me, this feeling comes in waves. The other part of the tide? The same ole crap in my community. An increase in mills that didn’t pass yesterday means more layoffs and a possible take over by the state. I think the increase in mills not passing has more to do with mistrust of the officials as opposed to not wanting or being able to put more money out for property taxes. It is a strong passionate community.

Until changes can take place, I’m hopeful I can harness the optimism I feel nationally and make it work locally. I hope that for everyone.

I think regardless of who our country’s next President was going to be, it was going to be historic and there was going to be change.

I’m just glad, as a country, we decided on someone who is calm… rational, well-spoken and closer to my age than anyone before him.

Also? I’m glad I won’t be receiving any more calls from Joe Knollenburg, the Humane Society (telling me not to vote for Knollenburg), Rudi Gulliani and even President Elect Obama himself. Even though I would appreciate it if Sarah Palin would actually call me back, I do have a couple of questions for her.

Ok, I know… there will be pictures soon. I’m still mourning my election shot that never happened.

Now… I have to watch the TAPS reveal show (Ghost Hunters) from Halloween. Shit, I am so hooked!!

NaBloPoMo - day 5

Sheryl’s Bailout Plan

This whole financial debacle has been weighing heavy on my mind lately. I have been listening to the news channels at lunch and on my way home from work (gotta love Sirius). Yesterday, I finally did it… I checked the value on my retirement funds. WTF. I’ve lost $14,000 since January. I’m not freaked out. But I’m also not planning on retiring anytime in the near future. I understand that I have time for my funds to build back up… but still… what. the. fuck.

Just for the record, I’m not on board with this bailout plan. Now I have to admit, I don’t know the specifics. However, when you talk about ‘creating’ money and increasing the national debt to bail out corporations with no benefit to John Q. Public, I have issues.

I heard an idea on the news and it started me thinking… The U.S. population is currently around 305 million. If you were to split up that $700 billion they are planning on using for the bailout, which would only equate to $2,300 per person. That’s enough to severely bankrupt the average family if they had to pay it out. But not enough to do any real good if it was given to them.

According to this article, investment bankers have been selling mortgages for “pennies on the dollar.”

Hey, I know, why don’t you sell ME my debt for pennies on the dollar? If you lower my mortgage payments to ¼* of what they are I could use my left over money to help stimulate the economy. I’m guessing many people would buy vehicles… that would help the auto industry. Many more people would then be capable of affording to pay their mortgage payments and theoretically they would actually make them. Those of us who can (barely) afford our mortgages, could now use the extra money to go out and buy things… thus stimulating the economy.

This just seems so clear to me.

…and I didn’t even have to miss work today to come up with this plan.

* I didn’t just pluck this number out of the sky… according to this article I linked to above: “In July, Merrill Lynch, struggling to bolster its finances, sold $31 billion of tricky mortgage-linked investments for 22 cents on the dollar.”