Narrowing The Field

Fox's Republican candidate debate took place last night. I thought it was a good debate that defined the positions of several of the candidates. I think that the Republicans have several candidates who would make a worthy president. There is only one that I would outright disqualify.... Ron Paul. And I feel that there were two clear winners last night: Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. There are two other candidates I like very well: Michelle Bachman and Rick Santorum. I feel that Perry and Huntsman are weak candidates, but could still make good presidents.

Ron Paul, more or less disqualified himself with his stance on national defense. He is even weaker than Obama and Obama would like to give away the farm. One thing we must all remember, our nation was bought with blood, maintained by blood, kept free by blood, and it will require more blood to stay free. The best way to prevent bloodshed is through a very strong military. It must be the strongest in the world. The USA must chart it's own course and not be followers of the rest of the world.

Michelle Bachman did well, but she needs to stop attacking Newt because Newt is able to take care of himself and can turn the tables. I think she has great ideas and would have the resolve to be a good and disciplined president.

Santorum was good in every way. He just didn't say anything that was rememberable. I think He would make an excellent president, but the key is to win the election. All good ideas are moot unless you win. He needs a little more fire. There appears to be no skeletons in his closet.

Perry could make a good president but can't win the election.

Romney is the big pleasant surprise for me. He clarified several positions. He is also even tempered and well spoken and has a certain Charisma. He ranks very high on presidential credentials. I especially like his stance on foreign policy and national defense. I went from liking him but distrusting him to liking him more and trusting him more.

Newt. Well, Newt is Newt. I didn't like him because of things I had heard and because of his personal life. He seems to have those things taken care of. But this man is brilliant. Obama could never effectively debate him because Newt has the ability to turn the tables. Also, this man is the greatest reason President Clinton was successful. He would make a great president.

I have it narrowed to two probables: Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. I hope that who ever loses would consent to being vice president. A vice president with a more active roll. There is too much talent here to waste.

Who is the Republicans worst enemy? Donald Trump and Ron Paul. Why? because they both have the ability to split the party and ensure that Obama gets re-elected.

That's the way I see it.

Enjoy your coffee.

Tebowing

"Tebowing" is a new term and one day may make it into the dictionary. When a person "Tebows" it simply means that he is taking the pose that was made famous by Quarterback Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos. When Tebow Tebows it is sincere. He is simply on one knee thanking and praising God, or praying. Others may Tebow for a variety of reasons. Some people like it and some don't.

I read an article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday about Tim Tebow. After reading this article I have had to conclude that Tim Tebow is genuine through and through. He is the same off the field as he is on the field. He is unabashedly a Christian. Like it or not, that is who he is. I prefer to like it.

There is growing criticism made of Tebow's public prayer. It is a matter of discussion on talk shows around America. Many are claiming that there is no place for these public displays in the NFL where people can see it on national TV and are made uncomfortable. I disagree. First of all, the cameras do not have to zoom in on Tebow while he is Tebowing. They could just leave him alone and let him be who he is. Secondly, that feeling of discomfort may be the result of our own shortcomings. Mr. Tebows openess with his Christianity is an example of what other Christians should be doing, but are not doing, and therefore the sense of discomfort and guilt. I know that is true in my life. I should be doing more and should be more open with my faith. I haven't decided whether to "Tebow," but I have decided to be more forthright.

The world will be watching Mr. Tebow for him to make his first mistake. When he does, or if he does, all hell will break loose. He will get labeled as a hypocrite and the world will take comfort in that. We will all feel better because he will join the rest of us hypocrites. Misery loves company.

But I think I will "Tebow" right now and pray that Mr. Tebow will continue to be himself and that he will not fail those of us who need a shining example to make us feel uncomfortable so that we will get off our dead ends and do what we should also be doing. No, I'm not talking about "Tebowing". I'm talking about the Christian acts of faith and charity that makes Mr.s Tebow who he really is.

Come on Timmy. I'm pulling for you.

The One Percent

President Obama has for some reason set himself against the "one percent." That is the 1% of our population that makes up the wealthiest Americans. Of course, he and his cronies are excluded because for some reason they are the good guys while the rest of the wealthy are the bad guys. One thing is for sure, that when Obama is finished with his presidency, which I hope is soon, there will be fewer one percenters. America's wealth is diminishing.

But not only will there be fewer one percenters, there will also be fewer in the middle class, whom he claims to champion. I believe that my wife and I fit in the middle class somewhere. But during Obama's presidency our financial position has not improved. Quite the contrary. Obama wants to tell the middle class that is is for them, but the stark reality is that his policies hurt them. Obama calls this fairness.

What is fair? Well, to Obama it means that everyone should be financially equal. Therefore, tax the rich and give it to the poor. But, wait! the middle class is also getting taxed and their money is also being distributed to the poor. Who are the poor? Who's getting my money.... and yours?

What seems fair to me is that those who educate themselves, invest in their careers, take risks for potential earnings, and who work at it everyday should be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor and investments. What does not seem fair is for their financial gain to be confiscated through taxation and given to those who have made no effort to educate themselves, invest in their future, or work hard to advance themselves. Does it seem fair to you that a man should own a business, make all the investment, take all the risk only to have those who work for him make the same money, or as in some cases, make even more. Yes, "the laborer is worthy his hire." But should the guy who employs the laborer we worthy of something, too?

Yet, it is the employer that Obama stands against. Does he think I own my own press to print money? The government may be able to to that but I think there are laws against counterfeiting. It just so happens that large corporations, small companies, and the one percent whom Obama hates are the ones who can provide the jobs that other American's need. So, while he is endeavoring to tax the H out of them, how does he think they will be able to provide jobs? He needs a class in Economics 101.

Also, this president is involved with class warfare, he is racist, he is endeavoring to divide Americans, and he is failing to uphold the constitution. He acts like a guy with an IQ of about 70.

Electing someone else would make my Starbucks taste really good.

RLS

I know that it is debated, but RLS is a real disease. That's restless leg syndrome. I know because I have it, and today it was very obvious.

Typically it manifests itself more in the evening and at night. Many nights I have tossed and turned due to jerking and aching legs. When this manifests itself there is no way to be comfortable. Sometimes painkillers relieve the ache and make it bearable, but that does not stop the sudden and unexpected jerking. Sometimes it is much worse than others and sometimes I have no symptoms at all.

Today was one of those times that I was reminded once again that I have it. The MRI lasted thirty minutes. During that time my legs had to be absolutely still. I didn't think much about that until about halfway into it. Suddenly my legs wanted to move. I was going wild. It was a mental challenge to keep them still. The MRI is a $1,000 test and who wants to pay for it twice? I was so relieved when it was over.

The tech, who is not qualified to read the MRI, told me that there is no new growth, and that it looks like the growth is very old.... which is good news. I hope the doctor has the same opinion.

Over the years I have had doctors say it is a cyst, others said it was calcification, a couple of doctors asked me when I broke my leg. My knee surgeon thought it might be a bone tumor. This is the first time they have really felt the need to take a look at it. I guess I'll find out in a few days what it really is.

Anyway, back to the subject. RLS is a real disorder. It is my hope that with the knee replacements there will be less pain and therefore the RLS will diminish.

That's worth celebrating with a fresh cup of Starbucks.

Skeletons

Just about everyone has skeletons in the closet. This, of course, means that there are things in your life that you are not proud of that only you over very few others know about. And they are skeletons only if they are thinks you want to keep secret, or you don't want to have them published.

Candidates running for president of the United States need to really think this through before they become candidates. I mean, there are some really smart people like Herman Cane, who may have done some really stupid things. Does this mean that he would not make a good president? Probably. And I say that because in the first place he is probably not electable based upon the skeletons he may or may not have. And secondly, because he would eventually lose the respect of Americans if he were president.

I understand that one one is perfect. We have all done things that we later regret. So it depends on the seriousness of these skeletons whether someone should become a candidate for president.

This doesn't mean that that a man or woman cant change their mind. Their rivals like to call this flip-flopping. All of us have changed our mind about something or other. It's a good thing we do or we may continue down a wrong path. All presidential candidates can be accused of a flop-flop or two. What they thought was good at one time they now think is wrong. So be it. I appreciate the fact they can admit to the error and move on. That's part of building integrity. But that is far different than a skeleton (some hidden sin).

Obama has no skeletons that we know of. He has been fully vetted and we know what kind of crap comes out of this administration. Newt Gingrich has no skeletons because everything is out in the open. We just have to determine whether he is now genuine. He does have a few flip-flops. Mitt Romney has no skeletons that we know of, but does have a few flip-flops. Michelle Backman has no skeletons that we know of or flip-flops. Donald Trump may have skeletons as he has not been vetted and I know of no flip-flops. Ron Paul..... well, he's Ron Paul but will never be president. Richard Perry is an also ran so it doesn't make any difference. Herman Cane is out.

I see the top Republican contenders as Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Michelle Backman, and Donald Trump. Ya, Ya, I know, Donald Trump is not a candidate! Don't kid yourself. He will run as an independent, which, in case you haven't noticed is the largest voting block in the country right now.

Enjoy your morning coffee!

Do you like the Stock Market?

Wow! yesterday was something! The DOW Jones surged 490 points. Hey, it's about time! Right? Well, ya, but don't hold your breath. A lot of money was made yesterday. But a lot will be lost again when they once again sound the alarm about the world economy. For the real players on the stock market, volatility is the name of the game. That's where the big money is made. That is also where your hard earned money is generally lost. That's because you have to play by different rules.

The market makers can sell short and can also move the markets with option trading, and of course by distorting the news so you panic and they gain. In your 401K you probably cannot short sell or deal in options. You can only go long and are therefore destined to lose on the bad news days. Not fair!

Here's how it works: If you own 500 shares of a stock such as GE. Traders have the right to borrow your stock that you paid for and short sell it. This nearly guarantees a loss for you and a profit for them and they don't even own the shares. Once the stock runs down they buy to cover their shorts which can drive the stock back up. They win on both sides and your 401K only goes up and down like a yo-yo.

If the SEC was serious about stabilizing the market they would ban the short selling of actual stock and restrict it to options trading only. After all, would you knowingly give someone permission to borrow your shares so they could sell it short and cause you to lose money? Probably not.

Enjoy the surge while it lasts. It will change, and sooner than you think.