The Ultimate Vintage NES Auction

Mr. Edwards, if you are reading, this one's for you. Check this out. I'm speechless. This has got to be the coolest eBay auction item ever!

SOTU

I always try to watch, read, and/or listen to the President's annual State of the Union address to Congress. Despite multiple interruptions, I was able watch and then read much of the speech. While there was nothing particularly new or groundbreaking in the speech, it was interesting nonetheless. Here are a few of my thoughts:

• "Madame Speaker" Pelosi was unusually generous in introducing the President. Is this the same Nancy Pelosi that recently derided the President as being incompetent?
• The President gave a nod to bipartisanship in stating that both sides must be willing to cross the aisle when there is work to be done. We all know that this will never happen. I think the Democrats will be nothing but vindictive after so many years of Republican majority in Congress.
  
• President Bush rightly touted the economic growth that has occurred on his watch. Too bad his critics in Congress and in the news media refuse to acknowledge that the President's tax cuts have led to unprecedented prosperity that trickles down to all walks of life in our society.
• Did I detect a hint of fiscal conservatism in the President's remarks about balancing the Federal budget by reducing spending rather than raising taxes? I am a strong supporter of the President, but I believe that a significant number of Republicans in power right now have abandoned traditional conservative principles (fiscal responsibility among them). I hope this signals a return to those principles.
• The President paid lip service to entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.). He had a prime opportunity to spearhead Social Security reform with a Republican-led congress for the past seven years, but didn't get 'er done. There is no way this is going to happen now, and he knows it. This is a real hot-button issue for me, and should rightfully be the subject of a future post. In a nutshell, I do not think that the Federal government is capable of managing my retirement funds better than I can. They should stop stealing my money, which, under the current system I will never get back (stealing is considered a crime in most parts of the world), and let me manage it myself. It's called individual accountability, and there is precious little of it left in our society.
• I think the President's proposal to create a tax deduction for health care coverage is a sound one. However, a Democratic congress will never settle for anything less than full-blown socialized medicine. Boy, don't get me started on that one.
• Immigration is one area that I strongly disagree with the President on. He can call his plan whatever he wants, but it amounts to amnesty. We simply must stop the flow of illegal immigrants into this country. They have broken the law by entering this country illegally. They should not be rewarded by being put on "the path to citizenship." They should be deported.
• I missed the whole section on energy reform, due to a call from Melinda's cousin, Jerry. But after going back and reading this part of the speech, I think it is safe to say that the Presidents goals for energy reform are admirable, but ambitious at best.
• I also missed much of the speech on the Iraq war. Let me just say that I do not think that going to Iraq was a mistake, and that we simply have to succeed there. The Democrats are calling for a withdrawal, a retreat, a strategic redeployment, or whatever you want to call it. That would only make things worse. All those men and women who have fought and died will have done so in vain if we lose our resolve now. Certainly, mistakes have been made, but I think the President's new strategy at least deserves a chance. As long as we are there, shouldn't success be our objective? Apparently the Dems do not think so. I did see Jim Webb's weak response to the SOTU, in which he called for renewed diplomatic efforts, rather than boots on the ground. News flash for Mr. Webb: You cannot negotiate with Islamic terrorists. They would view an American retreat as a sign of weakness, and would surely step up terror attacks on US interests abroad, if not in our own country. The Democratic stance on this issue is a pre-9/11 mentality, and it is just plain wrong.
• Call me old-fashioned, but the President's Oprah-esque vignettes spotlighting several special Americans had no place in a SOTU speech.
  

In the Beginning, There Was Orange

Well, here is my first ever blog post. I'll use this blog to write about myself, my family, and our adventures with the one and only Orange Beast (our 2003 Hummer H2, 6" lift, 38" Nitto Mud Grappler Tires, custom Fabtech off-road suspension, color: Sunset Orange Metallic--hence the name Orange Beast).

Oh, yeah, I may share some of my views about various current events, as well. I tend to follow politics, current events, and all sorts of electronic gadgety things. Should be fun!