Why is it I only eat cranberries on Thanksgiving? Any other time... gross. Thanksgiving... excellent addition to the turkey.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. After a refreshing one day Holiday break, I am back to the work grind and… loving every minute? Did anyone do anything special and/or fun for Thanksgiving this year? I did the same thing I have done for 23 years. The family hopped in the car, drove to Menomonie, Wisconsin and enjoyed a feast of epic proportions at my Aunt Velma’s house. It is definitely a slice of Americana. The women huddle in the kitchen area putting the final touches on their pecan pies and other assorted deliciousness. There are many hugs, a little bit of gossip, and lots of smiles. The men gather in the other room to watch football and comment on the once again sorry state of the Detroit Lions. Naturally there is a lot of friendly trash talking between the assorted Packers, Vikings, and Bears fans and everybody always has a good time. This Saturday I will celebrate Thanksgiving with my Dad’s side of the family.

1. It is looking bleak for Democrat Al Franken to win the senate seat in Minnesota. Wednesday, the State Canvassing Board rejected Franken’s attempt to count once rejected absentee ballots. This is of course a huge win for Norm Coleman. In case you were wondering why the absentee ballots were rejected, there are four legal reasons for an election judge to reject an absentee ballot: a voter's signature doesn't match up with her registration card; the return address on the mailed ballot doesn't match up with his address on the ballot; the ballot was sent to the wrong precinct; or the person already voted in person. I can understand the last one. You can’t and shouldn’t be able to vote twice. But the other reasons are pretty vague. If I want to vote but I accidentally send my absentee ballot to the wrong precinct, then my right as an American citizen is just discarded? In Minnesota, there are 6500 ballots that fall under this criterion. With Coleman hanging onto only a 200 vote lead, you can understand why Franken desperately wants these absentee ballots to be counted because there is a chance that in the 6500 might be enough Franken votes to give him the lead. Franken’s lawyers are already promising that they are planning on suing the State of Minnesota. No doubt that many of these absentee ballots are from young people or immigrants who would likely vote for Franken. There is never a dull moment in Minnesota politics. Naturally, Cyclonejohn will keep you posted.

2. My thoughts and prayers to go out to the people of Mumbai, India after Friday’s terrorist attack. I just cannot understand or offer any sympathy to terrorist organizations. What a bunch of cowards! There have been many examples through the world’s history where groups have banded together to fight an evil dictator (Cuba, Italy, Spain), malevolent monarchies (French Revolution, American Revolution) but there methods were very different than let’s say Al Qaeda. Let’s use Cuba as an example and I will simplify things here as not to bore you the reader. Cuba was run by an evil Spanish puppet government and their leader, General Fulgenico Batista. Castro did not just organize bombings and kill innocent people but instead freed Cuba from their Spanish chokehold by declaring war on Cuba’s existing military. Let’s use the American revolution as example number two. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson didn’t just organize a bunch of rubes to kill random and innocent Brits, but instead attacked British military until finally becoming their own country. My point is that there is a major difference between ethical revolution and terrorism. These cowards in India, and much of the Middle East are nothing but brainwashed thugs whose only goal is to instill fear. They are not heroes but instead meek deadbeats. America is doing their best in the first on terror but other countries are not doing enough.

Getting the ladies in Spades

Pardon me while I have no sympathy for Notre Dame football. The most famous football team in the world is at probably its lowest point in its history and you will get no tears shed from me. The ghosts of Knute Rockne, and other Golden Domer legends may be crying, but not me. How can you forget Notre Dame throwing the other colleges under the bus by signing their own television contract with NBC? How can you forget the unfair firing of Ty Willingham for going 9 – 3 while winning (and losing) with complete class? How can you forget Notre Dame awarding Charlie Weis the richest contract in the history of coaching to a first year head coach who was winning with another coach’s players? All of you Irish fans who are begging for Weis to get fired, it is time to get real? His buyout is reportedly $20,000,000. Don’t blame Weis for this. Anyone of would sign this dream contract. I blame the Irish administration. Despite all of this, 5 star recruits beg the South Bend football gods to let them play. Last year, despite only having three victories, the Irish finished with the #2 ranked recruiting class in the country. Last Saturday, the Irish lost at home to maybe the worst Division I team in America, the Syracuse Orange. Next week they go to USC where they should be prepared to lose by forty points. But that’s not why this is the lowest moment in their history. Last week, the student section for nearly the whole 4th quarter, instead of watching the game, continuously pelted the players and coaching staff with ice/snow balls. There are stories of some players protecting the injured players and other players challenging various students to come down and fight. Tough break Irish but you will get no sympathy from me.

1. This story made me laugh. I was driving into work today and I was listening to 830 am WCCO (the news station) and the reporter and commentator were laughing at two University of Iowa fans who were in town for the game and they were arrested for “making love” in a men’s metrodome stall while apparently two dozen fans cheered them on. As the police came in, instead of sending them to prison, they were instead turned over to their respective husband and girlfriend who, get this, were at the game!! You can just file this story under the you can’t make it up section.

2. Is David Spade the most attractive unattractive man in history? While flipping channels last night, I came across the show TMZ. Before the hate comments, I really cannot stand the gossip show TMZ and I really was just flipping channels. However, I stopped when I saw that they had multiple sources confirming that David Spade and former model and now Desperate Housewives star, Nicolette Sheridan are now dating. What is it with him that women go crazy after? I did a little bit of Wikipedia research and I found out that in the past he has dated, Heather Locklear, Lara Flynn Boyle, Julie Bowen, Krista Allen, and let’s not forget he has a child with former Playboy playmate of the year, Jillian Grace. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not angry or anything. He seems like a nice enough guy who has never been arrested for doing cocaine or urinating on a cop’s car. I just find it interesting.

3. I saw the movie Kung Fu Panda yesterday but I fell asleep after about an hour. It’s not that the movie is boring, it’s just that it is definitely a kids movie. I thought this Pixar movie would be more Toy Story, Ice Age, and Shrek like, but this is definitely a for kids only movie.

4. A friend of mine said that the indie film Slumdog Millionaire is the best indie film he has ever seen. I am excited to see it.

5. Another story in the you can’t make it up category is President Busy commuting (reducing) the sentence on former Fugees rapper, John Forte. Forte was arrested for having 31 pounds of Cocaine with the intent to distribute. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison but after Bush commuted him, he only will have served seven. I can’t say I know a lot about this story but who knows? Maybe W is a huge Lauryn Hill fan and feels she hasn’t been the same since leaving the Fugees.

Miami sounds real nice right about now...

Andrew will be pleased. I had a very busy and productive weekend and did more than just sit on the coach and watch seasons of TV. Friday night I was a rare night owl. I branched out of my comfort zone at pretentious restaurants/bars Cosmos and Bellanote in Minneapolis, danced a bit at Sneaky Pete’s (I shudder to all innocent bystanders who had their evenings ruined by my dance moves), and mingled a bit at 508. It was a long night but very fun. Note to future partiers in Minneapolis. We did a little experiment. A cosmopolitan at: Sneaky Pete’s - $7, Bellanote - $12.50, Cosmos - $14.50. $14.50 is a LOT for one beverage. Needless to say Johnny’s wallet to a bit of a hit. Saturday during the day was pretty mellow. I slept in, ate some dinner, played some basketball at the gym with Mike, and then Saturday night I went to the Gopher football game (more on this a bit later.) Sunday, I actually spent a large portion of the day in Northfield, MN doing a presentation. After I got home, I did a bit more work before I rented a movie – Tropic Thunder. I give that movie a C/C+. It has a few parts of it which are unbelievably funny but there are large stretches where it was really quite boring. Tom Cruise has a small role as an egotistical movie executive. His conversations with Matthew McConaughey (who plays Ben Stiller’s agent) were extremely funny. Other than that… meh.

1. Saturday night, I am all excited for the football game. It is a nice rivalry game for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy between the Gophers and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. Although the Gophers have a huge lead in the series, the last decade, the trophy has basically been traveling back and forth between Minneapolis and Iowa City. Bottom line, Hawks came to play, Gophers didn’t and needless to say the Gophers got crushed. That’s not why I am upset though. As I was entering the stadium on a chilly November evening, I noticed there was an abnormal amount of activity outside the Metrodome. There were beer cans everywhere, a man puking on the sidewalk, and already more trash talking and fighting than in any other game I have ever witnessed. As I entered the dome, and was greeted to a sell out crowd, I knew this would not be a typical football game. To give Iowa credit, they came in large numbers from Iowa City; I would guess around 10,000 Hawk fans showed up. However, the Iowa fans were by far the most drunk, obnoxious, unclassy, embarrassments I have ever seen in my life. I have been to stadiums all over the country. I have also seen approximately 100 football games in person. I have seen warm, welcoming crowds like at Nebraska, apathetic crowds like at Northwestern, bored and unenthusiastic fans like Michigan, et cetera. The whole game, the Iowa fans taunted obscenities, spilled beer everywhere, and just acted like asses. I have no interest in ever going to a game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City and be surrounded by such lunatic clowns. Iowa has surpassed other teams to now be my most hated team in the country.

2. How exciting is this Minnesota senate race? About half way through the recount, and incumbent senator Norm Coleman has only a 180 vote over challenger Al Franken. It is just amazing that after three million people voted, it will come down to 0.01% difference.

3. You know what one of the worst feelings in the world is? When you work out but only one side of your body is sore. I did some leg work but only my right quadriceps are sore. It’s really annoying to walk when only one side is sore and the other feels great. I feel all out of balance.

4. I read in the paper this morning that Michael Jackson is in court again because he is being sued by some Sheik for $5 million over a loan. I just read the headline. The whole Michael Jackson thing makes me sad. One of my hidden bands to listen to when I am feeling down and want to be cheered up is the Jackson 5. Plus, it is absolutely undeniable the brilliance of all of the 1980’s music MJ made. His videos were groundbreaking. His dancing skills are legendary. Unfortunately, he has had a rough decade and I wish him the very best.

Warning about gift cards

This was forwarded to me by a friend. Consider it a Cyclonejohn public service announcement:

It would be better to give cash or a present. Here's why. Stores across America are being scheduled to close after the Christmas season due to economic difficulties and bankruptcy. If the store closes, the gift cards would be no good. Here are some of the announced closings. Of course these companies would love you to give them money for a gift card that would be no good later on. Perhaps some home made jam or a $5 bill would be safer, since once a store declares bankruptcy they don't have to honor their gift cards. Better yet, give the gift of food storage.

STORE CLOSINGS AND LAYOFFS: By the end of Oct. 2008 as announced

Circuit City Filed Bankruptcy, they promised to keep all stores open for the holiday season, but afterwards, they plan on closing 155 stores nationwide.

Ann Taylor closing 117 stores nationwide. A company spokeswoman said the company hasn't revealed which stores will be shuttered. It will let the stores that will close this fiscal year know over the next month

Eddie Bauer to close more stores. Eddie Bauer has already closed 27 shops in the first quarter and plans to close up to two more outlet stores by the end of the year.

Cache closing stores. Women's retailer Cache announced that it is closing 20 to 23 stores this year.

Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, and Catherines closing 150 stores nationwide. The owner of retailers Lane Bryant , Fashion Bug, Catherines Plus Sizes will close about 150 underperforming stores this year. The company hasn't provided a list of specific store closures and can't say ! when it will offer that info, spokeswoman Brooke Perry said today.

Talbots, J. Jill closing stores. About a month ago, Talbots announced that it will be shuttering all 78 of its kids and men 's stores. Now t he company says it will close another 22 underperforming stores. The 22 stores will be a mix of Talbots women's and J Jill, another chain it owns. The closures will occur this fiscal year, according to a company press release.

Gap Inc. closing 85 stores In addition to its namesake chain, Gap also owns Old Navy and Banana Republic . The company said the closures - all planned for fiscal 2008 - will be weighted toward the Gap brand.

Foot Locker to close 140 stores In the company press release and during its conference call with analysts today, it did not specify where the future store closures - all planned in fiscal 2008 - will be. The company could not be immediately reached for comment

Wickes is going out of business Wickes Furniture is going out of business and closing all of its stores. Wickes, a 37-year-old retailer that targets middle-income customers, filed for bankruptcy protection last month.

Goodbye Levitz / BOMBAY - closed already The furniture ret ailer, which is going out of business. Levitz first announced it was going out of business and closi! ng all 76 of its stores in December. The retailer dates back to 1910 when Richard Levitz opened his first furniture store in Lebanon , PA. In the 1960s, the warehouse/showroom concept brought Levitz to the forefront of the furniture industry. The local Levitz closures will follow the shutdown of Bombay .

Zales, Piercing Pagoda closing stores The owner of Zales and Piercing Pagoda previously said it plans to close 82 stores by July 31. recently, it announced that it is closing another 23 underperforming stores. The company said it's not providing a list of specific store closures. Of the 105 locations planned for closure, 50 are kiosks and 55 are stores.

Disney Store owner has the right to close 98 stores The Walt Disney Company announced it acquired about 220 Disney Stores from subsidiaries of The Children's Place Retail Stores. The exact number of stores acquired will depend on negotiations with landlords. Those subsidiaries of Children's Place filed for bankruptcy protection in late March. In the news release, Disney said it has also obtained the right to close about 98 Disney Stores in the U.S. The press release didn't list those stores.

Home Depot store closings Nearly 7+ months after its chief executive said there were no plans to cut the number of its core retail stores, The Home Depot Inc. announced Thursday that it is shuttering 15 of them amid a slumping US. economy and housing market. The move will affect 1,300 employees. It is the first time the world's largest home improvement store chain has ever closed a flagship store for performance reasons. Its shares rose almost 5 percent. The Atlanta-based company said the underperforming U.S. stores being closed represent less than 1 percent of its existing stores They will be shuttered within the next two months .

CompUSA (CLOSED) clarifies details on store closings Any extended warranties purchased for products through CompUSA will be honored by a third-party provider, Assurant Solutions. Gift cards, rain checks, and rebates purchased prior to December 12 can be redeemed at any time during the final sale. For those who have a gadget currently in for service with CompUSA, the repair will be completed and the gadget will be returned to owners.

Sprint Nextel - 125 retail locations New Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse appears to have inherited a company bleeding subscribers by the thousands, and will now officially be dropping the ax on 4,000 employees and 125 retail locations. Amid the loss of 639,000 postpaid customers in the fourth quarter, Sprint will be cutting a total of 6.7% of its work force (following the 5,000 layoffs last year)! and 8% of company-owned brick-and-mortar stores, while remaining mute on other rumors that it will consolidate its headquarters in Kansas . Sprint Nextel shares are down $2.89, or nearly 25%, at the time of this writing.

Ethan Allen Interiors - The co! mpany announced plans to close 12 of 300+ stores in an effort to cut costs.

Wilsons the Leather Experts - all 260 mall stores.

Pacific Sunwear will close its 154 Demo stores after a review of strategic alternatives for the urban-apparel brand Seventy-four underperforming Demo stores closed last May.

Sharper Image: The company recently filed for bankruptcy protection and announced that 90 of its 184 stores are closing. The retailer will still operate 94 stores to pay off debts, but 90 of these stores have performed poorly and also may close.

KB Toys posted a list of 356 stores that it is closing around the US as part of its bankruptcy reorganization.

Dillard's to Close More Stores Dillard's Inc. said it will continue to focus on closing underperforming stores, reducing expenses and improving its merchandise in 2008. At the company's annual shareholder meeting, CEO William Dillard II said the company will close another six underperforming stores this year.

Starbucks: Starbucks will close approximately 600 company- operated stores in the U.S.

Pier 1: Announced that they would be closing an undisclosed number of stores.

Kirklands: A chain of home decor stores will be closing nearly 130 stores nationwide.

Sprint: to cut 4500 jobs. and 125 stores.

Linens 'n Things: Is closing 120 stores nationwide

Dell Inc . closed its 140 kiosks in the United States

Liz Claiborne Inc . said it's closing the entire 54-store Sigrid Olsen chain.

Lone Star Steak House: 27 stores closing.

84 Lumber : 12 stores closing

Rite Aid: 28 stores

Big Dollar: dollar stores closing 10 stores

1. Someone told me yesterday that now that University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) won yesterday, Iowa State now has the longest road losing streak in the country. Apparently is has been about three years since Iowa State won a game on the road. That is incredibly embarrassing.

2. I see that Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz had a song yesterday and named it Bronx Mogley Wentz? WTF mate. Maybe I will go with a Jungle Book theme as well to my future son's name? Baloo Fidler perhaps?

A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions.

Yes, this is another plug for USA TODAY, the newspaper I work at, but if you have a moment, please check out today’s paper. It has a really fascinating article on the difference in America’s secondary educational system and a lot of countries. This article in particular highlights South Korea’s (SK) system vs. America’s. Here were a few stats that amazed me. 93% of SKs graduate from high school. 76% of Americans graduate from high school. That fact alone scares me. Another fact that scares me is this generation is the first in recorded American history that more of our parents’ generation will graduate high school than the current generation. This might be why we have fallen to a desultory 18th among the nations examined by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and development. By the way, are education system according to that report is right around Estonia’s. I have been to Estonia and sir, America is not and should not ever again be compared to Estonia. Here is where money factors in. SK spends three times per child on secondary education than America. Professor Richard Freeman when writing about education said it best, “It’s not that we are doing horrible. It’s that other countries are moving faster.” In addition, teachers in SK are paid 25% more. According to this article, teachers are revered in that country in a way that America should be embarrassed by their treatment of teachers. One interesting point that this article highlights is that America is a country of haves and have nots when it comes to education. If you go to a “wealthy” public school (the article highlights Fairfax County, VA) there is a 97% chance you will drop out. The drop out factory of the world, the Detroit public education system only has a 37.5% graduation rate. That statistic is beyond repulsive and all Americans should be abashed that we have public school systems where only a third of their children graduate. Investing in education is an investment in the future of America. I have always said that one of the main problems with politics these days is we have an uneducated electorate. As many of you know, I have always greatly enjoyed reading about military history, one of America’s great military leaders during Vietnam, Admiral James Stockdale once said about education, “A liberally educated person meets new ideas with curiosity and fascination. An illiberally educated person meets new ideas with fear." Admiral Stockdale is exactly right. One of the reasons that politicians have been able to rule with fear for so long was of how unbelievable uneducated we Americans have become. It is not a secret that slave owners almost never allowed or wanted their slaves to read or become educated in any such way. Knowledge does equal power and slave owners feared the slaves gaining any slight power. We as a country must invest more and more wisely in education. But I stress more wisely. As Mr. Brand has correctly pointed out, just blindly giving schools money with referendums is a terrible way to increase the success of our educational system. President elect Obama I implore that you work the state education systems to make college more affordable, give tuition benefits to those students wishing to major in teaching (especially in special education, the hard sciences, math, and foreign languages.) But that’s not all. Please work with governors to demand more safe after school programs for the inner city students who struggle with poverty on a day to day basis. It is time for radical changes to be made to the failing education system. I understand the importance of fixing the economy and right now your mind is on the auto companies’ potential buy-out. I know you have wars to take care of, a failing health care system, the environment and health care. Please don’t forget about education and the children. They are the future of America.

1. I think we have officially found the new Harry Potter. I have never read any of Stephanie Meyer’s teen vampire love stories – the Twilight series – but I see that the first four books in the series occupy the top four spots on the NY Times’ best seller list. Twilight is becoming a phenomenon. I might have to pick up a copy and see what all the scuttlebutt is all about.

2. All of the rumors are that Hillary Clinton will be named soon to the position of Secretary of State. This displeases me greatly. Hillary Clinton is an enormous talent and she should be used accurately. I can see her much better used as Attorney General of the United States. In reality, what I would love to see happen is Harry Reid get thrown out as majority leader of the senate and replaced with Miss Clinton. Never in the history of America has a woman been majority leader of the senate. 2008 is a good time to start. In addition, even though many countries (including America) have made great strides in gender equality, one problem with Condi Rice as the current Secretary of State is many other countries do not take her serious due to her gender. If we want to be able to negotiate with countries like North Korea and Iran, we have to have a Secretary of State that other countries respect and will listen to. I actually think Bill Clinton would do a great job as Secretary of State. However, my guess is that this deal was negotiated several months ago when Hillary was dropping out. She probably told Obama, “I will drop out of the race, and implore my followers to support you with their votes, their money, and their volunteerism, but I will accept nothing less than Secretary of State.” Obama probably obliged and obliged quickly. That’s politics.

3. Currently listening to "Guns and Cigarettes" by Atmosphere. Album: Lucy Ford.

A Hazy Shade of Winter

We all have our faults in life. At my worst I have been called too frugal, too lazy, too immature, et cetera. I’m far from perfect and I will be the first to admit that. One thing I have always tried not to be is a man who cannot admit when he is wrong. Stubbornness is a huge problem. Regarding politics, the hubris of some politicians retards the advancement of positive ideas which can help America. I think I may have been wrong a week ago when I wrote that the government should not bail out the auto industry. After I posted that on my blog, I received several emails and one particular phone call that appear to have made me do a reversal… I flip-flopped. My bottom line came down to what is good for John Fidler is good for America. Meaning, what is good for a middle class hard working American is good for everybody. My initial thesis was that spending $50 billion of taxpayers’ money was a waste of money. My basic reason for reversing my stance is it will cost the taxpayers’ more if the big three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) collapse. I did a bit of research on the subject. Right now General Motors has 120,000 American workers, Ford has 80,000 and Chrysler has 60,000 employees. If you take into account the Big Three’s dealerships, we are looking at another 740,000 American workers. If you add that up, we are looking at one million American jobs that are tied to the big three. That does not include the 1.6 million Americans who work at jobs that are tied to the big three (parts distributors, tires, metal, et cetera). That number is according to CNN. The Big Three is losing about a billion dollars a month. If they are not helped out, they will all go out of business by the end of 2009. The personal income of all of the Big Three employees equals $150 billion per year. (Please note that I got that statistic from General Motors website; please take with a grain of salt.) There is more grim news. About two million Americans have health insurance from the Big Three. If they go out of business, many of those families will be uninsured. Also, there would be enormous losses to the American economy with huge losses in the media, and whole towns would collapse if the Big Three were to shut down. Modern day ghost town would arise, primarily in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania that will look similar to former mining towns. Think of how much the government would have to spend in additional welfare and unemployment benefits. As I said before, I truly believe I was incorrect in saying that we should just let the auto-industry fail. We should help them out but with conditions. The Big Three are basically at the mercy of the U.S. government. We must be firm but fair with them. We must demand that they put an immediate halt to gas guzzlers and instead spend their time and money on fuel efficient hybrids and plug in cars. You can’t tell me the demand isn’t there. The waiting list for Toyota Priuses is about half a year. Toyota can’t make enough of them to satisfy America’s needs. Why don’t the American car companies have an answer to the Prius? Critics say that Americans love trucks and SUVs too much and they always will. That’s their right. There are many fuel efficient trucks and SUV’s. I have a co-worker who drives a hybrid Jeep. If I were the president I would demand that all future trucks and SUVs be hybrid. This way the people who love their big, loud, trucks can be happy because they can still drive their hogs and America would win by reducing our carbon footprint. There is much more that would need to have happen. The government on behalf of the Big Three would have to sue the United Auto Workers regarding the ridiculous pay, and retirement benefits that are bankrupting them. My bottom line is that there is a scenario that everybody can win. This is the first step for President elect Obama and his next administration. I will be watching carefully.

1. Chicken Florentine is back at Subway. In case you don’t remember, I became a bit obsessed with this delicious sub. I would say I was averaging about four a week this past Spring. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the Florentine is only available for a limited time. Maybe they will continually tease me like McDonald’s does with their McRib sandwich. Damnit McDonald’s! Make it a permanent member of your menu instead of offering it once a year for a few weeks. That also goes for your shamrock shake.

2. 52,000 jobs to be cut at Citigroup. Biggest layoff since 1993 when IBM laid off 60,000. Their shares have gone from $32 - $8 in a matter of months. Just another sad day for the economy. Surprise surprise, the stock market plunges after seeing that news.

3. I am very disappointed in the Democrats in office. Not only did they not throw Joe Lieberman out of the Democrat caucus, they allowed him to remain chair of the Homeland Security committee – maybe the most powerful chair in all of the senate (minus the allocation committee). The spineless democrats, led by their idiotic leader, Harry Reid, said that we Democrats can be manipulated and walked upon without any repercussion as long as you apologize. Let me be the first to ask Senator Harry Reid, the senior Democrat from Nevada, to step down from his senate majority post as soon as possible. A recent poll of Democrats I read showed that only 15% of self-described Democrats say Harry Reid is doing a good job as Senate Majority leader.

4. It is amazing if you think about it. Just a few months ago, Sarah Palin was an unknown Governor from outside the continental United States and now she is reportedly being offered $7,000,000 for her autobiography.

Take it to the bridge!

Yesterday I finished up watching the HBO mini-series John Adams. It took me a while to get through all seven, 90 minute episodes, but it was well worth it. I learned an incredible amount about American history, political science, and just more about the great revolutionaries who helped form this great country. John Adams is a man that we all can look up to and might be the most underrated president of all time. (I could argue Truman but that’s for another time.) Adams grew up with a very modest upbringing, the son of a farmer. Despite these poor upbringing, in a time when family heritage, and class warfare meant everything, Adams relied on his own hardwork and natural intelligence to succeed. He enrolled at Harvard at age 16, and after graduation quickly became an attorney known for his fairness, intelligence, and sharp mind. This mini-series is based on David McCullough’s biography on Adams and is known to be historically accurate. Adams rose to fame quickly after the famous 1770 Boston Massacre in which British soldiers opened fire on a mob of Bostonians, killing many. Adams represented the side of the British soldiers and won, despite immense political pressure from prominent Bostonians who wanted the soldiers hung. His most ardent critic might have been his friend, and cousin, Samuel Adams. Overtime, John Adams became more and more frustrated with the British King George, and he joined the first continental congress. The movie goes into great lengths to describe his friendship and working relationship with Ben Franklin, Aaron Burr, Thomas Pinkley, and of course his best friend, Thomas Jefferson. As war approaches, we learn how John Adams was instrumental in securing monetary and military relationships with Holland and France which of course helped America win its independence. One thing I liked about the series a lot was explaining about the man, not just the politician, John Adams. It went into detail about his close relationship with his wife Abigail, his children, including a son who died of alcohol poisoning and a daughter who died of breast cancer. I marvel at the advancements of medicine when the movie showed his daughter getting a mastectomy. Unlike today with the help of anesthesiology, and other pain killers, in the movie, Adams’ daughter is first instructed to basically get drunk. Next she is tied down and given a mouth guard of sorts to bite. The surgeon then takes an extremely sharp knife and slices the cancerous breast off. Again, the only pain killer she is given is alcohol. This practice, although barbaric, was simply the only way available. After the war, John Adams becomes the nation’s first Vice President to General Washington. Despite being respected, but not liked, he was elected to be the nation’s second president. We learn a lot about the souring relationship between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Jefferson was viewed basically as an anarchist and would be regarded as a libertarian. He basically wanted no government whatsoever. In addition, Jefferson was sympathetic to the French Revolution and wanted America to declare war with France against Britain. Adams said the country was too fragile after their own revolution and Adams demanded peace. Despite being John Adams’ Vice President, their relationship got so bad that Jefferson actually formed the first party, the Democratic Republicans, and called Adams a Federalist. The Federalists were modern day Democrats. Jefferson and Adams relationship got so bad that they basically became bitter enemies until the very end of their lives – in particular after both Adams and Jefferson had lost their wives. Both Adams and Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years to the date of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson wrote the Declaration but it was edited by Adams and Ben Franklin. All in all, I thought that the HBO mini-series did an excellent job portraying John Adams. It did not shy away from his faults. He had a temper; he was stubborn, and often egotistical. But it also showed how helped lead America during the Revolution and without his work convincing France and Holland to help us out during the war, we might all still be British subjects. I cannot put Adams in my top five presidents of all times though for two distinct reasons. 1, although absolutely opposed to slavery (Adams on principle never owned slaves), for political reasons, he was afraid to bring up the subject. 2, after America’s independence, and during the French-British war, Adams signed the Alien and Sedition Acts. This basically stopped the 1st amendment. Please go rent this when you have some time.

1. Did anybody watch Saturday Night Live this past weekend. The Beyonce/Justin Timberlake skit called “single ladies” might be the best skit that Saturday Night Live has ever done.

2. How was everybody’s weekend? Mine was eventful. Friday and Saturday night consisted of going to gopher basketball games. I mentioned I have season tickets so if you’re interested in college basketball, give me a call. Besides that, it was good to get out and play a little basketball with Mike, and enjoy a quiet, serene weekend before a very busy work week.

3. Currently listening to the band, Stellastar*. Song: My Coco. Album: Stellastar*.

I'm shoo shoo shakin

Excuse me for being a radical conservative on this, but the government has gotten way too big and it is destroying America. I don't mean to be sarcastic, when it comes to the nation's finances, I am just sickened. I took a fairly moderate stance on the 700 billion dollar bail-out of the banking institutions. I basically plead ignorance. I have often said that one of my weakest subjects in school was economics and if all the great American economists say we needed to bail-out the banks then I guess we did. But we must stop there and not bail-out any other industries. We are completely screwing with the American economic system. Specifically I am talking about the automobile big three (Chrysler, Ford, General Motors) asking the government 50 billion dollars in bail-out money. To the proponents of this plan, I would ask them... Where does the government get that money? You and me. Our taxes would have to be raised. I do not want my taxes to be raised to pay for the mismanagement of the auto companies. The majority of the bailout money would go toward the health and retirement costs of former workers. I am normally a fan of unions but the United AutoWorkers Union has absolutely bankrupted the auto industry. 10 years ago General Motors stock was at about $80 a share. Today it is at $3.00 a share. 10 years ago Ford stock was at about $40 a share. Today it is at $2.00 a share. There is no doubt about it; the automobile industry will be bankrupt in America in a few months unless the government comes in and bails them out. I say good riddance. Through America's history, we have had lots of industries come and go and be replaced by stronger and better companies. It's not like people would stop buying cars. We would instead be buying more Hondas, and Toyotas and less Fords and Chryslers. I just think this sets a terrible precedent if the government just bails out any failing industry that has screwed themselves so badly that they are desperate. If I were Obama, I would offer a deal that looks like this. "Okay American auto companies, we will give you the money but only if you agree to it on our terms. No longer will you make hummers, or other gas guzzlers. Instead, you will take your enormously overpaid union workers and put them to work doing research on, designing, and building fuel efficient hybrid and electric cars. " That way Obama wins by saving jobs, and allowing the auto industry to not file for bankruptcy, plus he wins in the minds of people like me. I will say to myself, "Well, I am not thrilled with my taxes being raised but at least I know that it will be for the good of mankind." Thoughts?

1. Yesterday I was flipping stations on the radio and I came across WLTE's, 102.9 "The Lite" in Minneapolis. Normally, they wait until the day after Thanksgiving to begin playing Christmas music. To my surprise, apparently the Pilgrims wanted to celebrate our Lord's birth a bit early this year, because the sweet sounds of Perry Como and Bing Crosby sing their Christmas classics. This means one thing ladies and gentlemen... I may, without any sense of guilt, go through my Christmas CD box in the basement and get my Jackson 5 Christmas CD. Heaven.

2. I got a bit nostalgic after reading that MTV's TRL is being cancelled. Even though I have not seen the show in probably eight years, I do remember my days as an 8th grader, getting home, turning on the TV, and say to myself if Carson Daly can date this beautiful women, then I should be able to as well. I mean c'mon... Carson Daly?

Trickle Up Economics

Most political scientists around the country believe that the United States is a moderate to moderately conservative country. There are countless examples to prove that. (i.e. flat out asking people where they fall on the political spectrum, how they vote, et cetera.) I think for the most part that is true. Despite voting for Obama, a liberal’s liberal, the country voted against issues like gay marriage, gay adoption, and properly funding schools. Andrew, you and I will have to politely disagree on school referendums. However, what irritates me the most is American’s views on taxes. Let’s get this out of the way. Nobody enjoys paying for taxes. I don’t but I also understand their importance. If you were to ask the average American, do you want a strong military, police, and fire units? Do you want clean air and water? Do you want a good educational system? Do you want effective bridges and safe roads? Do you want a nice library? Do you want a strong Food and Drug Administration to protect us from potentially dangerous food and prescription drug issues? I can go on but I would guess that 99% of us would say that we would answer yes to all of those questions. I think the problem, most Americans agree on, is that we pay too many and too much taxes. That is of course a matter of opinion but something I can sympathize with. I feel things like social security, and multiple wars are a terrible waste of money. Other people think we spend too much money on the education system, the environment, the arts, or on our poor. In this great country, we are all entitled to our own opinion. But here is what gets me. Why on earth do so many people favor Republican style economic philosophies?! We have tried supply side economics (aka trickle down economics) numerous times in the past and it never works. I blame a mixture of brain-washing and ignorance. The wealthy have scared the rest of us into thinking that if these socialist Democrats raise taxes on the wealthy, American businesses will all crash!! Republicans have successfully convinced Americans that by significantly reducing taxes on the wealthy, they will in turn take all of their extra money and spend it on hiring more employees, investing in more stocks, and starting new business. Therefore, more and more jobs are created and everybody wins! Here’s the problem; this type of economics has never worked. This theory was made famous by Ronald Reagan when he took office in 1980. George W. Bush is also a big backer of trickle down economics. Back in 1980, the richest 1% of Americans had 8% of the wealth. In 2008, the richest 1% of Americans own 20% of the wealth. Basically, by giving the rich tax cuts, they don’t do as their supposed to… they just get richer themselves! There is an old economic joke about horses and sparrows regarding the trickle down theory. The horses are supposed to represent the wealthy and the sparrows are the poor. Horses like to eat oats. Sparrows like to eat oats. If you just give the horses all of the oats, they will eat and eat and eat until they become as fat as a cow. The horses won’t share any of the oats but the sparrows are free to eat the oats that the horses shit out. That’s exactly what happens in trickle down economics. Ronald Reagan cut taxes on the wealthy by as much as 47% for the top earners but because he did not limit government spending, and because the rich just kept the extra money, all that happened was our deficit ballooned out of control and the economy later took a nose dive – essentially killing George H.W. Bush’s presidency. It is funny how history often repeats itself. Fortunately, presidents like Bill Clinton saw the problems in trickle down economics and instead gave breaks to the middle class. Clinton is hardly an economic socialist. How about another liberal – FDR as an example of how liberal economic theory has helped America. FDR immediately raised taxes on the wealthiest and took that money and gave it to the poor in the forms of government jobs to repair our infrastructure. This “New Deal” with America greatly helped us get out of the Great Depression. To put it in real dollars, the Gross Domestic Product of America when FDR started was 200 billion dollars. When he left, it was almost 900 billion. (Fairness in conversation though – FDR also started Social Security which will eventually bankrupt America unless restructured.) One reason I really like Obama is his interest in creating a 2008 New Deal. He wants to raise taxes on the wealthy (those making more than $200,000) and cut taxes on everybody else. He then wants to give that money back in government jobs. He wants to greatly expand Teach for America, the Peacecorps, Americacorp, and he wants to start a new one… the Greencorps where Americans work for the government cleaning up the environment. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a socialist. I am a firm believer in free market economics. But to sum up this long post, I feel the best way to improve our economy is to give the money to the middle class – you know, the people who will actually spend money. The middle class will then buy more goods which will create jobs and get our economy back on track. I think my argument was fair and backed up with facts. Thoughts?

I fly like paper and get high like planes.

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. It is good to be back in the less than glorious November weather in Saint Paul, Minnesota. How was everybody's weekend? I had a really nice, fun weekend. Friday night, I went out with a local celebrity, Cool Tieds, to a bar in downtown Minneapolis called Sneaky Pete's. I loved it. I don't know how to describe it. It's not a dive bar, it's not a lounge, it's not a "classy" bar but it isn't a shady bar either. It's a lot like Bootlegger's or 508 in Minneapolis. LOTS of beautiful people were out, which made the evening enjoyable. It was myself and half a dozen of Mike's friends from college and high school. I didn't know anybody but the crowd was very welcoming and I was out until about 2:00. Saturday was pretty chill. My Dad and I went to the Gopher football game against Michigan and then I went home and watched the Iowa State collapse against Colorado. I was pretty tired Saturday and I elected just to watch a movie and relax. I wanted to rent the movie Kung Fu Panda but no such luck. Instead, I rented the first disc of the HBO mini-series, John Adams. I love it so far!!!! It is based on the David McCullough biography of our second president. As a history buff, I have learned a lot and I have been extremely impressed with Paul Giamatti's ability to play President Adams. The mini series is fairly long - I think it is eight 90 minute episodes but really good so far. I have seen the first three episodes.

1. Please go to a gas station and buy the latest Newsweek with Obama on the cover. I read the whole magazine cover to cover. It had great behind the scenes looks at the Obama and McCain strategy teams. It is about 100 pages but I breezed through it.

2. As I have written about, probably the best movie I saw in 2008 was the British comedy Death at a Funeral. I was excited to read at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i2a6531019c4147a655297098ee9dc115
that Chris Rock is planning on making an American version of the movie. I don't know what I am looking forward to most in 2009? The new Iron Man movie? The Cleveland Show on Fox? The new Harry Potter movie? Or this.

3. Currently listening to M.I.A. "Paper Planes" from the album: Kala.

The future... Conan?

Happy Friday everyone. I don’t know about you but I am ready to get the heck out of the cube farm and enjoy the weekend. As part three in my post election blog series, I am going to write about what I would like to see from the Obama administration. This list is not necessarily in any order.

1. Across America, the average senior graduating college is looking at about $25,000 in debt owed to their alma mater. This is a staggering amount and is no doubt greatly hurting America’s economy. Obama, through his universal and refundable American Opportunity Tax Credit, any high school graduate will have their first $4,000 of tuition covered. There is a catch though. Before you get your check from Uncle Sam, you first have to complete 100 hours of community service. Not only are you learning the values of civic responsibility, but you are also getting paid $40 an hour to build your resume. I think this is a great first step by Obama but not nearly enough. I would like this to be offered each year (for up to four years). That would mean the average student would then only have $9,000 in debt instead of 25K. That is much more reasonable. On the issue of education, Obama has promised many things that I like and I hope will happen. I like his plan to double the funding for after school activities. I like his plan to radically alter the No Child Left Behind Act. Obama, as a legislator has a history of supporting programs like GEAR UP, TRIO, and Upward Bound that help low-income students make college a reality. I look for the education system to improve with an Obama administration.

2. On Health Care, Obama and I do disagree. Health Care is my number one issue and is a primary reason why I was a supporter of Hillary Clinton and her universal health care plan. Obama fails miserably in this area. If you go to his website, he has lots of plans to fix health care. The only thing that I like is his plan to regulate health insurance companies more. The Health Care industry is one of the most unethical and corrupt industries in America and we should be ashamed at ourselves for allowing it to go this long without significant changes. I do like that companies now will have to at least offer health care. He also will force insurance companies to take patients with pre-existing conditions. Every American deserves health insurance. Period. Obama claims that by the end of his administration, the average family will be paying $2500 less in health insurance a year. I will believe it when I see it.

3. On taxes, I love Obama’s plan. His plan is actually more conservative than Bill Clinton’s but more liberal than George W. Bush. It’s real simple, if you make under $200,000 a year; you will get a tax cut. If you make over it, your taxes will be raised. A person making $45,000 a year is looking at paying about $500 less in taxes than under George W. Bush. Obama also promises a bunch of other stuff on taxes like simplifying the tax code, cutting taxes for firms that invest in America, but I will believe it when I see it.

4. On poverty, this is an issue that Obama cares deeply about. He spoke often about the pain he sees everyday living on the south side of Chicago. Obama would like the minimum wage to be raised to $9.50 an hour by 2012. Obama would like to create a federal green job corps of new government jobs that directly engage the disadvantaged youth by giving them option to work in jobs that will help strengthen their community and the environment. There are many other things I like. Right now, three out of every four low income worker has no guaranteed six days. Obama would like companies to offer up to seven paid sick days. Obama believes in more affordable housing and has worked to create legislation on prison-to-work options for ex-cons so they don’t end up back in a life of crime.

5. The environment is another issue that I care deeply about. I am almost giddy about the improvement in the environment that will surely happen vs. what happened under the Bush administration. Bush gutted the Environmental Protection Agency and did virtually nothing to help the environment. Obama wants to expand on Bush’s tax credit for those buying hybrid cars, push for different sources of energy so we can get off of our addiction to foreign oil. Obama has a goal of 10% of America’s electricity to come from renewable sources (wind, water, or solar) by 2012. This seems like a reasonable goal and one I support. Obama believes in the plug in hybrid car and has a goal of one million of them on the road by 2012. His plan is to offer financial incentives to American car companies to make this a reality.

6. I share Obama’s view on Iraq and Afghanistan. Get the troops home in a responsible, and safe manner. We have been engaged in war since early 2002 and it is time to move on. I understand that he can’t get all the troops home by February, but I expect a gradual troop withdrawal of about 10,000 troops a month beginning in January. If you are wondering how we are going to pay for all of the things listed above… So far America has spent almost three trillion dollars on the war. Enough already. It is time for the Iraqi government to take control of their country, and use their OWN troops and spend their OWN money to fight insurgents. Let’s get our brave men and women home as soon as possible. I am fairly moderate when it comes to the military, possibly even calling myself slightly conservative. From what I have read, so is Obama. He doesn’t necessarily want to slash the military budget but instead reexamine where the money is being spent. He wants more money on special forces, civil affairs, foreign language training, and to spend more money on veteran benefits. I completely agree. No one is more courageous than our soldiers and when they come home, they should be treated as heroes and the government should support them in every way possible. It is shameful at how underfunded Walter Reed Medical Center is. It is shameful how many of our veterans are homeless because of the disabilities, both physical and mental, they got after serving to protect us. It is shameful that they do not get free medical exams and prescriptions for their war wounds – again both physical and mental wounds. If a soldier loses a leg in Iraq, the least the government should do is pay for a new leg and subsequent physical therapy. The same goes for mental issues. If a soldier comes home and is suffering from deep depression, we should fully fund his anti-depressants and psychiatry until he is better. I will hear no arguments against this point. I will proudly pay more taxes if that ensures that our military remains the sharpest, and best cared for, in the world. It will be very interesting to see how President Obama deals with foreign policy issues regarding Iran, Russia, and other threats. I wish him the best.

Obviously there are many other issues I care deeply about but I think I have listed six issues that can realistically be changed for the better – college tuition, health care, taxes, poverty, the environment, and foreign policy. If Obama can improve these six issues in the next four years, he will enjoy another landslide election. Here’s to hoping that happens.

Beating back expectations

As I read the paper yesterday and watched the talking heads on radio and TV talk about what an Obama presidency will be like, I came to one conclusion. Obama’s worst problem right now might be the incredible expectations placed upon him. I am amazed at the love affair – not just by the media, but by friends, family, and colleagues. I guess I am a little bit more patient. I think people feel that by this time next year, the economy will have rebounded, our troops will come home, we will be protected from any future terror attacks, our health care system will drastically improve, our debt will be erased, and more. Obama is only one man and unfortunately, before he can go on with his own agenda, he has to start cleaning up the mess. However, I have many future posts where I will address what I want out of Obama and what I think will actually happen. However, I will focus this post on the current situation of the Republican party, what they need to do to fix it in my opinion, and the future of the party.

The Republican party is a mess. The Republicans not only suffered damaging blows to all areas of congress this election, they also did in 2006. If they don’t do something soon, they could be in big trouble by the 2010 elections. Right now there is a battle going on. There are three heads to the Republican dragon.

A) One head is the socially libertarian, fiscally conservative head. Popular by the wealthy, well educated Republicans, these types of Republicans rally around politicians like Rudy Giuliani, or Michael Bloomberg. This group has done very well in big city suburbs.
B) Head number 2 is the evangelical Christian head. Popular by the Baptists, and the Deep South, politicians like Mike Huckabee run this group. Less interested in financial issues, this group cares deeply about issues like gay marriage, and abortion. This group has done well in the South, and rural small towns all over America.
C) The third head is the neo-conservative military wing. This group is the Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld led group that believe fighting terror is the only issue that matters.

Obviously, Republican don’t just fall into three easy categories, but for the most part, most Republican friends I know do fall under one of those three categories. This is why George W. Bush was such a brilliant choice in 2000. He was born in Connecticut, educated at Yale, and Harvard and grew up with a silver spoon in each hand. His family came from privilege and he took advantage of that. However, he was not like his Yale brothers, he was a good ole’ country boy, and a born again Christian who preferred watching baseball and tending to his ranch rather than discussing Noam Chomsky’s latest essay Kenya’s economic crisis. He also showed very quickly that he was pro-military, and heavily boosted the military budget and engaged in the “war on terror”. The real question for me is, what direction will the Republicans go? I think we will have a pretty good idea after they name their new Republican National Committee Chair in a couple of months. In 1992, Democrats won the presidency, and had control of both houses of congress (sound familiar); the Republicans were in turmoil, and their future looked dim. Then in 1994, the Democrats, with brand new House leader Newt Gingrich came out with their Contract for America where they succinctly laid out their vision for America. The Republicans were unified, motivated, and ultimately they were successful because in 1994, they recaptured Congress. I would look for the GOP to have Contract for America #2 to come out about this time a year from now. In the mean time, the Republicans will have to do an image make-over. They have to move beyond being the party of old, white men. I would look for non-white politicians, like Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal, to have a place. I would look for women like Olympia Snowe of Maine to become new leaders of the party. The reality is America is becoming more diverse, not less diverse but Republicans have been slow to realize that. Why are there no Hispanic Republican leaders? That will change and change soon. Why are there no Asian-American Republican leaders? That will change and change soon. Who are the young, Republican leaders? (I am thinking of people under 45.)

You can call me Mr. Negativity

With my stomach full of victory steak, my clothes with the rich scent of victory cigar smoke, and with my breath, despite vigorous brushing, with the faint smell of victory champagne, I am currently in a relaxed, and satiated mode. After eight years of a failed president, I am absolutely thrilled with President-elect Barack Obama. My early prediction was we would know Obama was president by 10:00 Central time. At ten sharp, CNN projected Obama won. He did not just squeak by with a victory but instead won 364 electoral votes; McCain had 173. I will have several posts in the future about what I want out of Obama, what I think will happen, the future of politics, and more. However, during this post, I am going to talk about the bad news. Not everything went well last night and in fact several things happened that made me upset.

1. Besides voting for Obama, all of my other candidates I wanted to win... lost. Republicans had a very nice day in Minnesota. In district 3, my district, former Marine captain and Democrat Ashwin Madia lost a close battle with super conservative Eric Paulson. District 3 represents the Minneapolis suburbs. In addition, crazy woman Michelle Bachman narrowly defeated Democrat Elwin Tinkleberg, the former mayor of Blaine. In addition, after almost three million votes, Incumbent senator Republican Norm Coleman has a lead of only a few hundred votes over comedian Al Franken. It just proves how weak of a candidate Norm Coleman is if Al Franken barely beat him. This race will go to a mandatory hand re-count but it will take a miracle for Franken to win.

2. Besides Minnesota, there are three other close races. Democrat Jeff Merkeley and Republican Gordon Smith are locked in a tight battle in Oregon that could go either way. Probably the most slimy candidate, Republican Saxby Chambliss is in a tough re-election battle against challenger Democrat Jim Martin in Georgia. Chambliss has a slight lead but Georgia has an interesting rule that if neither candidate reaches 50% of the vote, they go to a run-off election. Here is where I am most upset. What the hell is wrong with the people in Alaska? Last week, 84 year old senator Ted Stevens was indicted of seven felonies. Despite that, he has a small lead over challenger Mark Begich. Are you kidding me Alaskans?!?!?! Seven f'ing felonies! If Stevens does get re-elected, which it looks like he will, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the Senate will expel him from congress. Even the Republicans will be happy to get him out of there as he is a black eye on the party. The problem of course is if Alaska is like Minnesota, if a senator dies, resigns, or is removed from the senate, the governor appoints a senator to finish out the term. I have a feeling Governor Sarah Palin will not appoint a Democrat. In fact, the early rumors are that she might appoint... herself.

3. Being Mr. Negativity today, I have more things stuck in my craw. There were several huge ballot questions that went against liberalism. Here are just a sampling of my favorites:

-Nebraska voted to ban all Affirmative Action.
-Three states had gay marriage on the ballot (Arizona, California, and Florida.) All three states voted to ban it permanently.
-Arkansas prohibited homosexuals from adopting children.

4. As usual, about twenty suburbs in the twin cities put questions on the ballots begging for more money. If I remember correctly, only two suburbs voted yes on the referendum to give the school districts more money. I will never understand why citizens don't find fully funding schools important. This is a shout-out to fiscal conservatives, if your school system is good, that increases the value of your house! I know you don't care at all about the children so think of yourself and your house value!

5. Now a note to Democrats... You have 56 senators, Republicans have 41. Throw Joe Lieberman out of the Democratic caucus, strip him of all leadership positions, do not campaign for him, do not send him any money. He has every right to be a senator and he has every right to run for office, but he has does not deserve to run as a Democrat. It is one thing to not vote for Obama. It is another thing to vote for McCain. But he has gone WAY out of bounds with the constant lying, misleading, and attacks on Obama. He's gotta go. Connecticut is obviously a very liberal state and I have no doubt that Democrats will be able to take the seat without Joe Lieberman. The only bad news is that Lieberman will not have to run for re-election until 2012.

Steady as she goes

I hope everyone had a really nice Halloween weekend. I had a lot of fun. I went as the Tooth Fairy… Needless to say most people enjoyed the costume. I tied for 1st place in the Office Halloween costume and the costume was a big hit later in the evening. After work, Elyse (who went as Cleopatra) met up with two other friends at Bootleggers in downtown Minneapolis. It might have just been because it was a nice night out, but it was one of the best sightseeing nights in memory. Lots of Sarah Palins, Joe the Plumbers, a few Amy Winehouses, Anderson Cooper, Pac Man, and even a “sexy” ghost buster highlighted the evening. I always find it amusing the ways women go to make normal outfits “naughty”. I saw several naughty nurses, police officers, sailors, et cetera. The favorite Halloween story I heard t from a colleague was a group of women who went to a party as Britney Spears throughout the years. One woman had the school girl outfit, one had the red latex, one had coked out/shaved head Britney, and more. That is an awesome idea! What did all of you do for Halloween? The rest of the weekend was pretty casual. Saturday afternoon my Dad and I went to the Metrodome to watch the Gophers lose a heart breaker. That was the second heart breaker of the past 72 hours. Thursday night I went to a MN Wild game and watched them lose 2 – 1 including the Wild being 0 – 10 with the Power play. Saturday night was pretty relaxing. I watched Texas Tech upset Texas and then watched another great Saturday Night Live. I have to hand it to John McCain. He was really funny.

1. What is everybody doing for the election? I’m pretty pumped. It looks like Mike, Andrew and I are going to get together to watch the election results. I assume at Mike’s place. I decided that I am going to save some sleep and just vote after work and then head over. I hope hope hope that there is not like a two hour wait. All of the past elections, I have done absentee ballots. I wanted to actually do the old fashion voting in the booth thing at least one time.

2. As some of you know, I write a column for an internal USA TODAY newsletter. It’s just a fun, volunteer position and each month I write about a different state. It is obviously satire. This month was about Iowa:

Iowa – Apparently there’s more than just corn

As a life long Minnesotan, I grew up looking at Iowa as Minnesota’s little brother. It tried to tag along but it was always picked last in kickball and all of the pretty girls made fun of it when it wasn’t looking. It’s not Iowa’s fault; when it has a handsome older brother just up Highway 35, it is easy for Iowa to get overlooked. My view of Iowa radically changed right before autumn of 2004 when I enrolled at Iowa State University. I had taken several recruiting visits across the country where coaches primarily wanted to use me as a Fullback/Tight End hybrid. I was nicknamed “The Polar Bear.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t so much for my ferociousness - but rather for the paleness of my skin and the furriness of my chest. But I digress; I was at a recruiting trip at Stanford in Palo Alto, California when my tour guide sheepishly said, “I heard you were looking at going to Iowa State… Sometimes, quietly to ourselves, we like to consider ourselves the Iowa State of the Pacific.” It was right there, that I knew I would be an Iowa State Cyclone.
I wasn’t the only celebrity that lived in Iowa though. There are famous actors Donna Reed, John Wayne, and five time Tony Award winner Ashton Kutcher. There is the legendary pitcher Bob Feller and Shawn Johnson, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist. Let’s not forget the 31st president, Herbert Hoover.
Politically, the state of Iowa might be most known for its caucus – which is held in January of an election year. A caucus involves people gathering in homes or public places and choosing their candidates, rather than a primary, which most states have - where you cast a secret ballot.
With no professional sports teams, the state of Iowa vociferously cheers for one of its four Division One colleges – Iowa, ISU, Drake, and Northern Iowa. The “Iowa Super Bowl” is held every September between the Hawkeyes of University of Iowa, and the Cyclones of Iowa State.
All in all, Iowa really is a great state. It has great golf courses, beautiful walking and biking paths, and the city of Des Moines is growing by leaps and bounds. The first Europeans to discover Iowa were French Explorers in June of 1833. If the French can live here, then it can’t be that bad… can it?

3. Currently listening to "Steady As She Goes" by The Raconteurs. Album: Broken Boy Soldiers.