Since I am currently unemployed, I have time to stew and rant.
So that's what I'm going to do.

Has anyone been to the grocery store lately?

$1.69 for a Banquet Pot Pie

What do you expect when you keep raising minimum wage?
Lower employment for the part time teenagers, higher costs.
I understood that concept when I was 16.
That "rising tide raises all boats" concept is true.
The tide in this case is wages. You up the wages, then everything else goes up with it.
So the ones that are making minimum wage do not have increased buying power, even though income is higher.

It's always been a political ploy to fool the unintelligent masses.
And it is running this country into the ground.

Take a hint socialists, we don't want your stinking healthcare!

Health Care Reform
Support for Health Care Plan Hits New Low

41%!

Now it is time for a rant.

My eldest daughter is in the 10th grade. She has been in school for 5 weeks. She has only brought homework home twice, and each time it took her less then 15 minutes to complete. Meanwhile, my 4th grader has had homework almost every night except Fridays, starting the first week of school. At least 30 minutes each night, plus 30 minutes reading time a night.

Bear in mind, I do acknowledge the fact that she might be, you know, stretching the truth. But her school does use PowerSchool, which allows parents to see what's going on. And it appears she is telling the truth. One class, Biology I believe, has only 5 grades posted. 5-10 question quizzes. That's it. Oh, did I mention no text book in Algebra?

Couple that with the fact that they allow cell phone (text) usage in class, and some classes even allow mp3 players. MP3 players!

Oh, and when I was in school, an ISS meant 0's for everything that day, even if you had an exam, and just did "busy work" assigned by your teachers all day. Not now, now they bring the work to you.

She has been allowed to use calculators in math since the 7th grade. Now, even after the endless work I did with her back in the 6th and 7th grade, she cannot even do a simple double digit subtraction problem on paper without the help of a calculator and tears. In the 8th grade the English teacher urged the students to use Word for their papers to make sure the spelling and grammar were correct (like Word can even get the grammar part). I cannot even, for the life of me, to get anyone at the school, not the principle, vice principle, not any of the 5 counselors, or the 2 administrators (yes, all from one school, in the Midwest, where the entire student population doesn't even approach the graduating class of an LA school) to return a single phone call.

They spend way too much time teaching the kids how to put condoms on cucumbers and bananas, telling them how much the US is raping from the planet, and to turn off the water faucet while they brush their teeth. Oh, and never forget they are UNDERFUNDED!

So now when you go through a drive through lane and the pimple faced kid working the window cannot figure out how to count change, you know why. Maybe that is why HP, Dell, IBM, and Intel have to go overseas to find talent. Oh, and I think it also sheds some light on how an inexperienced, obviously unqualified person like BS could get elected.

Here's some HØpe and Change for you:

The dead end kids
Young, unemployed and facing tough future

The unemployment rate for young Americans has exploded to 52.2 percent -- a post-World War II high, according to the Labor Dept. -- meaning millions of Americans are staring at the likelihood that their lifetime earning potential will be diminished and, combined with the predicted slow economic recovery, their transition into productive members of society could be put on hold for an extended period of time.
And worse, without a clear economic recovery plan aimed at creating entry-level jobs, the odds of many of these young adults -- aged 16 to 24, excluding students -- getting a job and moving out of their parents' houses are long. Young workers have been among the hardest hit during the current recession -- in which a total of 9.5 million jobs have been lost.

Something is going to have to be done about Iran, and YESTERDAY:

Iran to test-fire missile that could reach Israel

TEHRAN (AP) - Iran said it successfully test-fired short-range missiles during drills Sunday by the elite Revolutionary Guard, a show of force days after the U.S. and its allies condemned Tehran over a newly revealed underground nuclear facility that was being secretly constructed.
English-language Press TV reported the Fateh-110, Tondar-69 and Zelzal were test fired in a missile defense exercise, but did not give specifics on range or other details. All are short-range, surface-to-surface missiles.
Gen. Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guard Air Force, told reporters Iran tested a multiple missile launcher for the first time. Press TV showed pictures of at least two missiles being fired simultaneously and said they were from Sunday's drill in a desert in central Iran. In the clip, men could be heard shouting "Allahu Akbar" as the missiles were launched.

Venezuela Says Iran Is Helping It Look for Uranium

If only he would just unclench his fist!

And meanwhile, the 0ne is showing his incompetence at being the Commander in Chief:

US drone crashes into Iraqi party offices: military

Pakistan blasts show Taliban's ability to strike

Rush was awesome on Jay last night.
Loved watching him run over Algore, then back up and do it again!
That is all, carry on.

The NEA scandal
The Right's complaints about an Obama administration request for art supporting the president's agenda

'Gay' activist to oversee public classroom 'safety'

Pelosi Seeks to Make Health Reform Bill More Liberal

FBI Terror Probe Expands, Intensifies
Investigation Into Alleged NYC Bomb Plot Includes Nearly All of the Bureau's U.S. Field Offices
Criminal Complaint Suggests Cops May Have Tipped-Off Zazi By Questioning New York Imam, Seizing Car

Police warned of high-profile terror targets

Obama Will Spend More on Welfare in the Next Year Than Bush Spent on Entire Iraq War, Study Reveals

Stolen from my friend Roger

I have been on a hiatus for a bit, but that is about to change.

There is too much going on to keep quiet about.

Between the economy, and resulting layoffs (mine included), and forced social medicine, this country, the country I love and have defended, is dying.

Let's get started shall we?

From the WaPo:

Lashing Out at the Capitol

Tens of Thousands Protest Obama Initiatives and Government Spending

By Emma Brown, James Hohmann and Perry Bacon Jr.Washington Post Staff Writers

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Tens of thousands of conservative protesters, many complaining that the nation is racing toward socialism, massed outside the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, angrily denouncing President Obama's health-care plan and other initiatives as threats to the Constitution.
The crowd -- loud, animated and sprawling -- gathered at the West Front of the Capitol after a march along Pennsylvania Avenue NW from Freedom Plaza. Invocations of God and former president Ronald Reagan by an array of speakers drew loud cheers that echoed across the Mall. On a windy, overcast afternoon, hundreds of yellow "Don't Tread on Me" flags flapped in the breeze.
"Hell hath no fury like a taxpayer ignored," declared Andrew Moylan, head of government affairs for the National Taxpayers Union, urging protesters to call their representatives. The demonstrators roared their approval.
"We own the dome!" they chanted, pointing at the Capitol.
The demonstrators are part of a loose-knit movement that is galvanizing anti-Obama sentiment across the country, stoking a populist dimension to the Republican Party, which has struggled to find its voice since the 2008 elections.
With Democrats in control of Congress, battling the president legislatively has been difficult. But after a spring of anti-tax rallies and summer health-care protests proved to be effective, a growing number of GOP leaders are dropping their wariness and seeing the political possibilities of latching onto this freewheeling coalition. Others are cautious about embracing views that can be seen as extremist.
The protests in recent months come as Obama is trying to regain control of the health-care debate and bolster public confidence in his leadership.
Authorities in the District do not give official crowd estimates, but Saturday's throng appeared to number in the many tens of thousands. A sea of people surrounded the Capitol reflecting pool, spilling across Third Street and along the Mall. The sound system did not reach far enough for people at the edges of the rally to hear the speakers onstage.
"You will not spend the money of our children and our grandchildren to feed an overstuffed government," Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) said of the Obama administration, drawing raucous applause.
"Our history is decorated by those who endured the burden of defending freedom," Price said. "Now a new generation of patriots has emerged. You are those patriots."
The group's sponsors included FreedomWorks, a Washington-based group headed by former House majority leader Richard Armey (R-Tex.), and the groups Tea Party Patriots and ResistNet. They and others involved in the rally comprise a loose coalition of conservative groups that helped organize the health-care and anti-tax demonstrations in the spring and summer.
"Health care is not listed anywhere in the Constitution," said Brian Burnell, 45, who owns an insurance company on Maryland's Eastern Shore. His placard read, "How Is That Hopey Changey Thing Workin' Out For Ya?"
"You want socialism?" said Susan Clark, a District resident marching with a bullhorn. "Go to Russia!"
The huge turnout indicated the growing frustration with Obama among conservative activists and showed that his nationally televised speech Wednesday did little to move his political opponents on health care.
Although it is unclear whether the demonstrators represent a large segment of voters or even of Republicans, Saturday's march illustrated that activists, some of whom are not enthusiastic about the GOP, have been galvanized.
The White House declined to comment on the demonstration, but Democrats said the rally and other protests in recent months represent a small minority of voters and will not slow Obama's proposals.
"There is a lot of intensity on the far right to defeat the president's agenda, but I am not sure that holding up signs that say we have to bury health reform with Senator Kennedy will go over well with moderates and independent voters," said Doug Thornell, an adviser to Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
Saturday's demonstrators spanned the spectrum of conservative anger at Obama, including opponents of his tax, spending and health-care plans and protesters who question his U.S. citizenship and compare his administration to the Nazi regime.
Most signs were handmade: "Socialism is UnAmerican," "King George Didn't Listen Either!" "Terrorists Won't Destroy America, Congress Will!" and "The American Dream R.I.P." Many protesters carried the now-familiar poster of Obama made up to look like the Joker, captioned "Socialism."
"Nobody's standing up for us, so we have to stand up for ourselves," said Phil Chancey, 66, who drove to Washington from Clinton, Tenn.
"We're all endangered!" shouted Dave Rue, 67, a retired Mobil Oil employee who traveled to Washington from New Jersey. "We're endangered because they're pushing socialism on us."
Some came to protest what they see as government interference with gun ownership. Shaun Bryant, 40, a leadership trainer, was among eight people who flew in from Salt Lake City. They fashioned a sign with a drawing of an AR-15 assault rifle and the words, "We came unarmed from Montana and Utah . . . this time!"
Debbie Wilson, 51, of Apollo Beach, Fla., flew to Washington a week ago, driving to Colonial Williamsburg with her husband for sightseeing before the rally.
"We want our country to go back to the roots of doing what our Founding Fathers wanted us to do -- less government in every aspect of my life," she said. "We walked the streets of Williamsburg, and it felt like we were learning how to be a patriot."
Dozens of signs mentioned Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who heckled Obama during a Wednesday night speech to Congress. Dee Meredith, 62, of Callao, Va., said she had never heard of Wilson before he shouted at the president, "You lie!" At the rally, Meredith waved a placard: "Thank You Joe Wilson."
"We're the forgotten people," she said, "and he's given us a voice."
When Armey, speaking to the crowd, referred to Obama having pledged to uphold the Constitution, the protesters shouted at the president in absentia: "Liar! Liar!"
Jeff Mapps, 29, a stagehand and labor union member from South Philadelphia, left home about 6 a.m. to attend the protest. He said he had not been involved in previous demonstrations but that he watches Fox News host Glenn Beck "all the time" and wanted to be part of an event that he thinks will be historic. Beck had drummed up support for the march.
Holding a sign that said "Preserve, Protect, Defend" on a Red Line Metro train packed with conservative activists, Mapps fretted over a "blatant disregard for the Constitution."
"We've been watching it for six to eight months," he said. "It was finally an opportunity to get involved. It's been boiling over. . . . It's not just about health care. It's about so much more than that."
Anna Hayes, 58, a nurse from Fairfax County, stood on the Mall in 1981 for Reagan's inauguration. "The same people were celebrating freedom," she said. "The president was fighting for the people then. I remember those years very well and fondly."
Deriding what she called "Obamacare," Hayes said: "This is the first rally I've been to that demonstrates against something, the first in my life. I just couldn't stay home anymore."