Blast from the past...

A funny thing has happened here in Dubya land...... somebody (the always brave commenter "Anonymous") left a scathing comment on a post I wrote.

Normally this wouldn't cause any type of curiosity on my part.... except -- this "anonymous" commented on a post I wrote on September 26th.... of 2005! Yeah, this person commented on a post I wrote 3 years ago, shortly after returning to work after baby #1 (the 'lil dubya) was born.

Weirder.... oh yeah, it gets weirder

Some nice person "Mary" commented.... defending me against this "anonymous" commenter. Thanks Mary.... you, clearly, have some inkling what it's like to be a mother.

I don't care enough about some "anonymous" commenter who doesn't know me (or maybe does know me, but doesn't like me very much) -- but just for fun I thought I'd point out a few things.... help him/her get a grip

1. Hey coward, use your name

2. Invest in spell check -- although I'm really glad you "LOTS" 35lbs I find all of your typos distracting as "ahould" you

3. I don't know what kind of rotten parent you are, or what rotten childhood experience you endured -- but, let me set you straight -- even on the most challenging of days "mommy-hood", as you refer to it, is the furthest thing from a burden I could ever imagine. I pity you if you feel otherwise. It's truly the greatest gift I've ever been given -- and if that means I have a c-section scar, regularly arrive at work with oatmeal hand marks on the back of my sweater.... or that this extra 6lbs is with me forever..... that's fine by me -- I've given the world three extraordinary people who will do exemplary things.

4. If you are going to read blogs and then comment on them..... learn to actually read. I didn't say I hated my friend, I said that "I enjoy my friends’ perfection"and that it's "perhaps even something to strive for"

5. Lastly, learn how to use tense. See, you say that you "used to be a fat, frumpy, catty, pathetic loser too always admiring other people" -- pahlease -- who are you kidding? you still are a pathetic loser..... "used to be" is a phrase reserved for people who have changed.

So.....

Dear Mr/Ms Politician,

So, I'm starting to think it's unavoidable.... my taxes are going up. Necessary evil? maybe... maybe not -- but, the little economy called "Mr & Mrs Big Dubya" is my responsibility -- and well, we've got to balance our budget and so..... some cuttin' needs to happen to make up for the increase.

Mr Big Dubya -- you've got to start ironing your own shirts -- yeah, I know you've got a great deal down at Santoro's -- but, we've got to trim the budget and every little bit helps.

You are also gonna have to start mowing the lawn again -- I know, I know -- that takes up a huge chunk of your Saturday Daddy & Kids time, but.... we just aren't going to be able to pay that guy to do it for us anymore.

The newly reinstated date night? yep, that's gotta go too -- the graduate student who watches the kids while we go out one night a month.... she doesn't do it for free and the restaurant... well, they expect us to pay for that burger -- and sorry honey, we are in cost cutting mode -- so buh-buy date night.

Cleaning Lady (that I hired when we got a tax cut) -- sorry, you do a great job -- but, you are fired.... it's no longer in the budget.

I haven't had a pedicure in months -- and well, I won't be getting one any time soon.

And here, Mr President (whomever you may end up being) is your lesson in economics -- you raise my taxes, and well -- people lose jobs. The dry cleaners will have to cut their staff if people eliminate the luxury of sending out their shirts. The landscaper may only make $30 off of us -- but a few other families cut out his lawn mowing services and well, that's one less helper he needs. Babysitter? Restaurant worker? Cleaning lady?..... all small businesses that are hurt by tax hikes.

So government, why don't you do some cost cutting and leave my already-too-high taxes alone.

Sincerely,
Mrs Big Dubya

Halloween

Remember the days of Halloween from our childhood?

It was before kids opted to have a Halloween party rather than to "risk" going trick-or-treating.

It was before hospitals offered to X-ray a kid's candy before it was deemed safe enough to take home to eat.

It was before malls hosted trick-or-treating because it was "safer" than going door to door in your own neighborhood

To collect our loot, we had an old pillow case or a plastic bag that the bank gave out for free.... now kids have embroidered treat bags from Pottery Barn.

Our parents picked up a costume in a cardboard box.... it looked something like this

Today, Batman looks like this

When did we lose the simplicity?

Date Night

On Saturday night.... we did the unthinkable!

We got a babysitter and we went out for dinner and a few beers -- totally casual, but it was really, really nice.

We struck up conversations with strangers...

We ate our dinner while it was still hot...

We talked about stuff that didn't necessarily revolve around the 'lil Dubya's continued fascination with his paci, the 'lil Dubyette's desire to use the potty even though she's not ready or the 'lillest Dubya's poop (or lack of) issues.

We laughed at the other patrons and their "fashion don'ts"

And when the babysitter called to tell us that the 'lil Dubyette had made herself throw up.... we didn't panic (she does this a lot)

We've been together 10 years on Thursday..... and this was our first date in a long time..... it was really nice .... and we need to do it more often.

Fall In New England

As much as I hate the cold winters...... this was a darn near perfect autumn weekend in New England, so we went shopping for pumpkins!

Bail Out?

I'm not going to go on and on about whether or not I believe in this bail out -- and I don't think "the democrats" created the mess or that "the republicans" are responsible..... there's more than enough blame to go around -- but I would love to hear the answers to these questions

http://www.LauraIngraham.com
October 1, 2008

Eight Bailout Questions

How many times over the last few days have we heard politicians, talking heads and other self-proclaimed "experts" tell us the reason the $700 billion bailout is so wildly unpopular is that we just don't understand it. The economy is complicated. Just trust Congress, President Bush and his royal highness, Hank Paulson. They'll fix it. Don't worry about that $700 billion number. It only sounds high.

Well. If that's the case - if we're really too dumb to understand what's happening - perhaps Congress can show us how much they know. To start, here are some questions I'd like answered.

1) Since the White House introduced the bailout last week, a number of alternative ideas have been proposed. For one, Michigan Republican Thaddeus McCotter wrote a 10-point plan that carries no cost to taxpayers. Others, like George Soros', are significantly less expensive and, in his estimation, likelier to be effective. Can you explain why this bill is the best option, despite being the most expensive?

2) We're told the bailout could actually turn a profit for taxpayers. Assuming that's true, how can we be sure the money actually ends up back in taxpayers' hands? For years the Social Security system took in more money than it paid out, yet instead of putting the surplus revenue toward future benefits, Congress snatched that extra cash for general expenditures. Likewise, Fannie and Freddie's "profits," were used for congressional pet projects. With this track record, how can we trust that this program will be any different?

3) The McCain campaign yesterday pointed out that the most recent housing bill gave the government nearly $1 trillion to purchase mortgages. If this is true, why exactly does Congress need to pass this monstrous legislation?

4) Does the latest version of this bill still "allow the government to purchase troubled assets from pension plans, local governments, and small banks that serve low- and middle-income families"? Americans are having a hard enough time swallowing the idea of a bailout for irresponsible home, car, and student lending. The notion that we'll be on the hook for insolvent pension plans administered by awful, union-controlled lawmakers in cities like Detroit and New York is simply insane.

5) Does the bill's preamble still proclaim that the law "provides authority to the treasury secretary to ... ensure the economic well-being of Americans?" Does anyone know if there are limitations to this seemingly unbridled authority? Otherwise, what prevents the Treasury secretary from becoming a de-facto dictator? This strikes me as especially worth discussion.

6) Are there still no meaningful curtailments of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Does the bill contain anything even hinting at accountability?

7) What concrete assurances do taxpayers have that the turmoil's provenance - Carter and Clinton-era social-engineering dictums that upended safe-lending practices in favor of higher minority home ownership - will forever be outlawed? How do we know taxpayers won't be asked to finance another $700 billion bailout in 10 years? What has Congress learned from its past mistakes?

8) After Enron's collapse, former CEO Jeffrey Skilling, then-CEO Ken Lay, and then-CFO Andrew Fastow, were called to testify before Congress. According to the Business and Media Institute, Fannie's and Freddie's overstated earnings were 19 times larger than Enron's fake numbers. So when can we expect Congress to call Jim Johnson, Franklin Raines, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and the rest of Fannie's and Freddie's enablers to testify before Congress?

At the end of the day, we're not being asked to bailout Wall St. so much as we are the Democratic Party. For $700 billion, answers to the questions above are the least Congress can do in return.

---