The Weekend...I'd have to describe this past weekend long, although not necessarily bad. It was very nice spending some time with Katrina. Parts of Sunday were stressful, but it picked up nicely in the evening.
New Year's Resolutions...I have resolved to think through all of the things I want to accomplish during the upcoming year in a timely manner. A resolution to have my resolutions in order before the year begins if you will.
And So This Is Christmas...I have to figure out what I'm going to do Christmas decoration wise. I know, time is a-run'n out on that one, but hey, at least I am thinking about it. Perhaps some kind of small, 100% man-made materials from China tree deal. That almost sounds depressing, but in reality it is not: in point of fact I'm probably more "festive" this year than I have been in years past.
Michael Bloomberg...has said categorically that he is not running for President. That's too bad, as although I don't think he is the best qualified person for the job, I do dig his magazine (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) and he's fairly open-minded when it comes to social issues. Oh, and he has done a reasonably good job running the most complex governmental entity in the country...outside of Washington DC...namely New York City.
Vacation Days...I have Wednesday afternoon off, which coupled with another day and a half, brings my number of un-used vacation days down to 12.5. That's far too much, and although I wish my employer would just buy them off me, I can carry them over into next year. So what does that mean? Basically that I'll have even more vacation days that I will end up not taking next year. Can you say "snowballing"?
Bush Tax Cuts...I haven't said too much about the Bush Tax Cuts being extended, basically because there isn't much point to the argument. It was a forgone conclusion that the tax cuts were going to be extended in some manner; most members of Congress earn more than $250,000 per year and in fact I think most members of the Senate are millionaires. Self-serving? Well I don't think that is the primary motivation here, but it does point to something else: Congress in general (and the U.S. Senate in particular) is not exactly full of people who can really, truly sympathize with what it is like to be in working middle class.
Bill Clinton...I was watching Bill Clinton during the press conference with the President on Friday (I think it was Friday...) and it was kind of sad in a way, as he looks so gaunt. I want the McDonalds Cheeseburger Clinton back. Seeing Bubba getting older is distressing, but then again getting older in general is distressing.
NSA Wiretapping...Show of hands: anyone out there think that the government is engaging in less snooping on the American people in the Obama administration than it was during the Bush (v 2.0) administration? Funny, but we really don't talk about that any more. To answer my own question, I'm not sure, mainly because no one in the media is talking about this subject. There are times when I truly believe that the American people are very poorly served by the media. It is assumed that President Obama wouldn't be as guilty of this kind of stuff, but how do we know? We don't, and that's a problem.
Scranton's Budget...I'm still waiting for the miraculous Scranton City Council budget that...
a) Doesn't raise taxes
b) Keeps lots of voting public safety union members employed
...and is somehow balanced by "cutting administration fat". Call my cynical, but I'm thinking that there isn't enough fat to go around. More pandering, less leadership.
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