We had the house painted last week...more of a desert coat. The house looks good...now all we have to do is get the front yard landscaped...that's August's project...maybe September!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Road Trip!!
So we leave Thursday on a 8 day golfing road trip through 5 states...Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, & Idaho...good times!
We are planning on golfing 6-8 courses along the way...plus see the Custer Battlefield in southeastern Montana.
On the way home we are meeting Loren, Yesenia & the girls in Vegas for a fun-filled weekend July 24th through the 27th including seeing the blue man group...I've always wanted to see them.
I'll take alot of pictures and psot them when I get back...
We are planning on golfing 6-8 courses along the way...plus see the Custer Battlefield in southeastern Montana.
On the way home we are meeting Loren, Yesenia & the girls in Vegas for a fun-filled weekend July 24th through the 27th including seeing the blue man group...I've always wanted to see them.
I'll take alot of pictures and psot them when I get back...
Steve & the Lottery
Strangest thing happened a few weeks ago...my brother Steve won the lottery! He plays the powerball and matched 5 numbers (everything but the powerball) so he won a whopping $200,000!!
Of course, the feds & state quickly knocked off $60,000 of but he still got a check for $140,000...not bad. He paid off his bills and still has a hefty nest egg left over...he deserves it! He has always helped any member of the family whenever he can so I am glad he won.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Hypocrisy
This week the second prominent Republican in as many weeks admitted to an extramarital affair. I had a friend ask once why we Democrats get so worked up about these things and I had a simple answer: We don't stake out the moral high ground on this issue...Republicans do when they wailed away at Clinton & others since...
Both Sanford in South Carolina & Ensign in Nevada were publicly critical of Clinton's affair in the late '90's. They both called for him to resign and said that a "leader without a moral compass" is "not fit to lead". Tough talk...
...both Ensign & Sanford have said that they will not resign their positions (US Senator & SC Governor, respectively) because they owe it to the people to finish out their terms...
Surprise, surprise!!
Both Sanford in South Carolina & Ensign in Nevada were publicly critical of Clinton's affair in the late '90's. They both called for him to resign and said that a "leader without a moral compass" is "not fit to lead". Tough talk...
...both Ensign & Sanford have said that they will not resign their positions (US Senator & SC Governor, respectively) because they owe it to the people to finish out their terms...
Surprise, surprise!!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
I hope Mike is right...
This is a great article I recently read in TIME...I like Mike Murphy, for a Republician, he's not half bad!
For Republicans, the Ice Age Cometh
By Mike Murphy
Despairing Republican friends have been asking me what I think we should do to rebuild the GOP and begin our certain and inevitable comeback. My answer disappoints them: "Build an ark."
I say this because I've made a career out of counting votes, and the numbers tell a clear story; the demographics of America are changing in a way that is deadly for the Republican Party as it exists today. A GOP ice age is on the way.
Demographic change is irritating to politicos, since it works on elections much as rigged dice do on a Las Vegas craps table: it is a game changer. For years, Republicans won elections because the country was chock-full of white middle-class voters who mostly pulled the GOP lever on Election Day. Today, however, that formula is no longer enough. (See pictures of Republican memorabilia.)
It was a huge shock to the GOP when Barack Obama won Republican Indiana last year. The bigger news was how he did it. Latino voters delivered the state. Exit polls showed that they provided Obama with a margin of more than 58,000 votes in a state he carried by a slim 26,000 votes. That's right, GOP, you've entered a brave new world ruled by Latino Hoosiers, and you're losing.
In 1980, Latino voters cast about 2% of all votes. Last year it was 9%, and Obama won that Hispanic vote with a crushing 35-point margin. By 2030, the Latino share of the vote is likely to double. In Texas, the crucial buckle for the GOP's Electoral College belt, the No. 1 name for new male babies — many of whom will vote one day — is Jose. Young voters are another huge GOP problem. Obama won voters under 30 by a record 33 points. And the young voters of today, while certainly capable of changing their minds, do become all voters tomorrow.
Rather than face up to all this, too many in the GOP are stuck in a swoon of nostalgia. Most of our party leaders come from bloodred GOP states or safe districts, so they are far more at home in the tribal politics of Republican primaries than in those of the country as a whole. You could say their radio dials are stuck on AM. The result is we hear a lot about going back to "the winning ways of Ronald Reagan." Well, I love Reagan too. But demographics no longer do. In 1980, Reagan beat Jimmy Carter by 10 points. If that contest were held again today, under the current demographics of the electorate per exit polls, the election would be much closer, with Reagan probably winning by about 3 points. (See pictures of polarizing politicians at LIFE.com.)
It is true that attitudes change. A magnificent Republican renewal may still be possible. Conservatism is traditionally energized by a reaction to liberal excess, and the unabashedly leftish tilt of the Obama Administration's domestic agenda does give hope. But demography is a powerful force. Waiting and hoping didn't do much for the Whigs. I prefer a Republican reformation right now.
Young voters need to see a GOP that is more socially libertarian, particularly toward gay rights. With changing demographics come changing attitudes, and aping the grim town elders from Footloose is not the path back to a Republican White House. The pro-life movement can still be a central part of the GOP — it has support among all ages (and a slim majority of Latino voters) — but the overall GOP view on abortion must aggressively embrace the big tent.
Latinos need to see a quick end to the Republican congressional jihad on immigration. That shouldn't be a hard lesson for the GOP to learn; every 2008 presidential-primary candidate who went for the cheap applause of the anti-immigration right couldn't win even the Iowa caucus, let alone the nomination. Instead, the GOP should support practical immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship. Republicans should differentiate themselves from the left by heating up the lukewarm American melting pot with a firm insistence on learning English and a rejection of the silly excesses of identity politics. A smart GOP would be deeply in the microloan and free-English-lessons business in immigrant communities. Illegal immigrants can't vote. Their children will.
Much of this is still heresy to the party as it stands now. Many will support an alternative strategy: stand pat, fight it out on fiscal issues on which the GOP has strong support and exploit liberal-Democrat excess. In the short term, that could work, but eventually the demographics will win out. Saving the GOP is not about diluting conservatism but about modernizing it to reflect the country it inhabits instead of an America that no longer exists.
Murphy is a GOP political consultant and writer.
For Republicans, the Ice Age Cometh
By Mike Murphy
Despairing Republican friends have been asking me what I think we should do to rebuild the GOP and begin our certain and inevitable comeback. My answer disappoints them: "Build an ark."
I say this because I've made a career out of counting votes, and the numbers tell a clear story; the demographics of America are changing in a way that is deadly for the Republican Party as it exists today. A GOP ice age is on the way.
Demographic change is irritating to politicos, since it works on elections much as rigged dice do on a Las Vegas craps table: it is a game changer. For years, Republicans won elections because the country was chock-full of white middle-class voters who mostly pulled the GOP lever on Election Day. Today, however, that formula is no longer enough. (See pictures of Republican memorabilia.)
It was a huge shock to the GOP when Barack Obama won Republican Indiana last year. The bigger news was how he did it. Latino voters delivered the state. Exit polls showed that they provided Obama with a margin of more than 58,000 votes in a state he carried by a slim 26,000 votes. That's right, GOP, you've entered a brave new world ruled by Latino Hoosiers, and you're losing.
In 1980, Latino voters cast about 2% of all votes. Last year it was 9%, and Obama won that Hispanic vote with a crushing 35-point margin. By 2030, the Latino share of the vote is likely to double. In Texas, the crucial buckle for the GOP's Electoral College belt, the No. 1 name for new male babies — many of whom will vote one day — is Jose. Young voters are another huge GOP problem. Obama won voters under 30 by a record 33 points. And the young voters of today, while certainly capable of changing their minds, do become all voters tomorrow.
Rather than face up to all this, too many in the GOP are stuck in a swoon of nostalgia. Most of our party leaders come from bloodred GOP states or safe districts, so they are far more at home in the tribal politics of Republican primaries than in those of the country as a whole. You could say their radio dials are stuck on AM. The result is we hear a lot about going back to "the winning ways of Ronald Reagan." Well, I love Reagan too. But demographics no longer do. In 1980, Reagan beat Jimmy Carter by 10 points. If that contest were held again today, under the current demographics of the electorate per exit polls, the election would be much closer, with Reagan probably winning by about 3 points. (See pictures of polarizing politicians at LIFE.com.)
It is true that attitudes change. A magnificent Republican renewal may still be possible. Conservatism is traditionally energized by a reaction to liberal excess, and the unabashedly leftish tilt of the Obama Administration's domestic agenda does give hope. But demography is a powerful force. Waiting and hoping didn't do much for the Whigs. I prefer a Republican reformation right now.
Young voters need to see a GOP that is more socially libertarian, particularly toward gay rights. With changing demographics come changing attitudes, and aping the grim town elders from Footloose is not the path back to a Republican White House. The pro-life movement can still be a central part of the GOP — it has support among all ages (and a slim majority of Latino voters) — but the overall GOP view on abortion must aggressively embrace the big tent.
Latinos need to see a quick end to the Republican congressional jihad on immigration. That shouldn't be a hard lesson for the GOP to learn; every 2008 presidential-primary candidate who went for the cheap applause of the anti-immigration right couldn't win even the Iowa caucus, let alone the nomination. Instead, the GOP should support practical immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship. Republicans should differentiate themselves from the left by heating up the lukewarm American melting pot with a firm insistence on learning English and a rejection of the silly excesses of identity politics. A smart GOP would be deeply in the microloan and free-English-lessons business in immigrant communities. Illegal immigrants can't vote. Their children will.
Much of this is still heresy to the party as it stands now. Many will support an alternative strategy: stand pat, fight it out on fiscal issues on which the GOP has strong support and exploit liberal-Democrat excess. In the short term, that could work, but eventually the demographics will win out. Saving the GOP is not about diluting conservatism but about modernizing it to reflect the country it inhabits instead of an America that no longer exists.
Murphy is a GOP political consultant and writer.
Disneyland
Maygen & I went on this canoe trip...I about had a heart attack...all we did was damn rowing. 
I always wanted a picture with Micky...FINALLY!!!
If you have noticied...all my daughters love self-portraits...
Awh...
That hat cost me $34...outrageous!
We barely unpacked from Denver when we went to LA last weekend to visit some Yesenia's family and sneek in a trip to Disneyland. A $1000 later we had a great time and the girls really enjoyed it. It had been almost 10 years since we had been there and it was a great day. We stayed for the fireworks show...I guess its new...and it was awesome.
Busier than I thought...
I am finishing my third week of not working and find myself 1/3 of the way through mu summer of no work. I have some observations...
1. Not working is not as great as you might initially guess. The morning starts off slow and by the time the afternoon rolls through its kinda sleepy. Then the evening is here and you feel kind of depressed because you feel like a slug for wasting a day. You stay up late because you took a nap and watch mindless late-night TV until you fall asleep...rinse and repeat...
2. The girls and I have come up with a system to combat the summer sluggishness. Every afternoon we spend an hour or so cleaning the house and then we make dinner together and watch a movie together (Thank God for Netflix!). This system has kept Momma happy and gets us up and moving. Plus cooking every night keeps the fast food blahs away...
3. I am wrapping up my Masters with 3 online courses which are kicking my butt. I have been going to school since June 2004 when I enrolled at UOP with 0 college credits. I am so tired of college that I am having trouble staying motivated. The courses are not incredibly taxing but motivating myself is so hard to do...
4. Not working is expensive! First of all...snack time requires some serious stockpiles when there are 4 of us hitting the pantry. Second...after you spend a few days in the A/C environment of the house you want to get out to...another A/C environment (Its Yuma after all...its supposed to be 110 tomorrow!). This usually involves the ladies dragging me to a store to "look"...girl code for spending money on crap we don't need...
I could go on but I think you get the idea...
1. Not working is not as great as you might initially guess. The morning starts off slow and by the time the afternoon rolls through its kinda sleepy. Then the evening is here and you feel kind of depressed because you feel like a slug for wasting a day. You stay up late because you took a nap and watch mindless late-night TV until you fall asleep...rinse and repeat...
2. The girls and I have come up with a system to combat the summer sluggishness. Every afternoon we spend an hour or so cleaning the house and then we make dinner together and watch a movie together (Thank God for Netflix!). This system has kept Momma happy and gets us up and moving. Plus cooking every night keeps the fast food blahs away...
3. I am wrapping up my Masters with 3 online courses which are kicking my butt. I have been going to school since June 2004 when I enrolled at UOP with 0 college credits. I am so tired of college that I am having trouble staying motivated. The courses are not incredibly taxing but motivating myself is so hard to do...
4. Not working is expensive! First of all...snack time requires some serious stockpiles when there are 4 of us hitting the pantry. Second...after you spend a few days in the A/C environment of the house you want to get out to...another A/C environment (Its Yuma after all...its supposed to be 110 tomorrow!). This usually involves the ladies dragging me to a store to "look"...girl code for spending money on crap we don't need...
I could go on but I think you get the idea...
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