Yes, Christmas Approaches

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Yes, it is the Holidays. For most everyone I know it can be a very busy and hectic time of year. I love Christmas. I love waking up on Christmas morning to see my children's faces as they check out what might be under the Christmas tree for them. I love stocking stuffers. When I was young, many moons ago, there would always be a tangerine, a comb, a piece of chocolate, and then maybe a Matchbox car or Hot Wheel car. Not a lot, not expense, just something small. We would play with the stocking stuffers until everyone woke up and moms' special Christmas breakfast was ready.

My wife and I have tried to carry on those traditions and add our own. I believe it is most important to remember the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh coming to save his people. So, we always read the Christmas story from the book of Luke.

To me one of the best memories of the holidays is being with family and friends. One friend of mine has a party of year that he ans his family decide to throw and invite everyone with two days notice the week before Christmas. You know, "I don't know if we are going to do it this year..." So, I am anticipating a call in a day or two. It usually is a lot of fun. They regifting game (some call it the Red Elephant game)  is always great because someone always brings one really goofy one and it gets passed around until the end.

I hope your town has a special Christmas lights area. I love seeing how much effort someone else put into their decorating. I always wonder where they keep it all.

I wish you all a great Christmas. Signing off for now,
PTVoice

Parenting and Scouting, Pop Tarts and Smiles

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The problem with being an A Type personality is it is next to impossible to just to a little of anything. My dad once bought 2 shopping carts full of Pop Tarts, because they were good. I have never bought 2 shopping carts of any one item, but, I find myself diving in head first and going full boar or not going at all. 

I have been consumed by my sons' Cub Scout Pack as of late. I shared on an earlier post how I was volunteered as a leader. I don't  mind. I like working with people and more importantly I want to see my son have a great experience as a Cub Scout. The former leader was a man of many words with little action. I know I can be a man of MANY words but, I hope I back them up with actions a plenty. 

I rechartered our pack. I attended the University of Scouting. I called a parents planning meeting. I sent out flyers to schools in the area (my wife actually did the bulk of the work, she's awesome). I am learning all the things we should of been doing. 

I am blessed to have some great parents in the Pack. Some are beginning to step up and help. And you know what? That really is what being a parent is all about, doing what you need to do so your child can have a great scouting experience. My philosophy of parent involvement is that if you want your child to enjoy something or be successful at it, it is up to you. I want my son to enjoy scouting, so I am doing what I need to do to make that happen. Now as an A Type personality, I have dove in and found myself knee deep in Cub Scouting and to be honest, I am having a great time. More importantly, my son is enjoying being  a Cub Scout too. Two weeks ago, one of the fathers, a member of the Coast Guard arranged for the pack to visit the hanger where the Coast Guard helicopters are housed and repaired. If you could of seen the smile on my sons face when he was being lifted up in the rescue basket and into the helicopter...I swear if he was eating cake the frosting would of been on his ears...that is what scouting is about. 

Just a Little Cannon Fire

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It has been a horrible time for Californians.
A foolish group of State legislatures who legislated over 1.2 million jobs out of California in the last 5 years alone.
A Democrat in Republican clothing of a Governor.
Next, a clueless populace that votes in the same group that put them into the mess they are in.
And we voted for a simple majority to eliminate the check and balance of legislature.
Schwarzenegger AND the legislature have been lame all around.



Until we have a President and a Congress that understands that America needs to produce products and that the governments jobs is to make that not only possible but probable, we will just become a has been nation.
Why is China doing well? Their government understands that to make money they must produce. And produce they do.
Who is lending to who?



After 22 years in education from Compton and Vernon to San Pedro, Elementary to High School, parents make the school. Yes, good teachers and administrators are helpful,but, if the parents are not insistent that their children succeed, educational success will just be a mirage. Parents must read with their children and monitor their school work.
My children attend a decent school district. The teachers are OK. But, it is still the parents that do what they must to ensure success, whether that means going over homework with their children or getting them a tutor.
Going charter will not change anything unless the parents change.



"We are looking at a $25-billion deficit," Leno said. "Voters need to understand what damage would be done if it were resolved with cuts alone."
Here we go my fellow Californians. Damage to what? The legislature moronic budgets that do nothing but create debt and drive businesses and jobs out of state?
Revenue for the state, less money in the taxpayers' pockets, the way of the liberal, that is Jerry's plan.



The La Habra teachers  are pretty gutsy striking in this political and financial climate.
They should take the furlough days but avoid the pay cuts and be very careful of the pay for "some of the health benefits" stuff.  
I went through a strike and pay cuts in LA. It took over ten year to get our pay back up to what it was before the cuts.
By-the-way, teachers salaries should make up the bulk of the budget because they do the work of teaching (a bit obvious).

Thanks for Volunteering, You're the New...

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A funny thing happened on the way to enjoying my son's Cub Scout Meeting, I became a Den Leader and the CubMaster. This is now the third year in scouting for my son and I. I have met some great people and....some other people as well. 

When we first started the Den leader for my son was insistent that she run the show. After a few months, I remember standing in front of the scout house with my friend and his son wondering if it was the right night. As things go, we ended up doing what we needed to do to get our boys their badges and tried to have some fun. We were told we were co-leaders and needed to get trained.

The next year at the first pack meeting I was saying my hello's when the leader greeted me with a hearty, "Great to have you back! You're the new Cub Master. All you have to do is..." It turns out the Cub Master is sort of the master of ceremonies and since one of my alter-egos is a game show host it is not a bad fit. Plus, I got to wear one of those cool shirts with a Cub Master patch on it.

This year the Committee Chair, who really runs the pack, texted me just a few hours before the first meeting with a message that pretty much said he was bailing. Which, in the end may turn out to be a blessing because he was ALL talk with just a smidgen of action. We have since pulled ourselves together and are putting together what hopes to be a great year for our sons. I myself am learning the art of "Welcome back, you're the new...." 

No Tax Tuesday: Yea Yea Fair Share

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Happy No Tax Tuesday! I work with a bunch suicidal liberals who are always trying to indoctrinate me into the propagandistic left. Just yesterday my union rep (I work in education) was trying to tell me, once again, how the rich needed to pay their fair share. Of course he's not going to be happy with President Obama for agreeing with Republicans on a tax deal. Oh well, he'll get over it.

Here's the deal. The idea that the "rich" do not pay their fair share is based upon...upon what? I don't know. Simple math shows that 10% of $100,000 (= $10,000) is greater than 10% of $50,000 (= $5,000). Now if a person makes $1,000,000...that's $100,000. So, in that sense, the more you make, the more you pay.

I think the idea that fair means just as painful may be what's behind some of my liberal friends thinking. At least that is what is sounds like. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "But the rich don't feel it as much." OK, so what is your point? Is the point of taxation to punish those who make more money than me? Does paying more percentage wise make taxation fair? The rhetoric just sounds so childish to me. So what if someone makes more money than me.

Finally, for the life of me, I can not get a liberal to give me a reasonable answer to why businesses should be taxed and taxed more. The sorry excuse for logic is always that businesses need to pay their "fair share!" Now, my liberal friends can not explain how taxing a business allows it to grow, increase wages and provide more jobs. More taxation on businesses just means more money for an ever growing, less efficient government. How is that fair? It is just foolish, not fair. 

Loose Cannon Fire 12 4 10

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Lock an load, duck and cover. enjoy the loose cannon fire of the week.

Four years ago all we would of heard is how Bush has ruined Americas image and blame Bush, Blame Bush, Blame Bush.
Who will Obama blame now?
Mr. President, how will YOU assure Americans that our national interests are being protected? Or is this just some form of "transparency"?

"In essence, the LAO concludes that the budget is already out of whack because the Legislature and governor papered over the state’s fiscal problems."
Same Legislature with a governor of the same political party (as the Legislature) that was 100 days late on one of the most pathetic attempts at a budget ever seen. Is there hope that they will care if Californians suffer while they play politician? None at all.
Now we have all Democrats, all the time.
Show us the jobs. Show us the prosperity.

Why tunnel when they can just walk across? And if we don't let them, they can just ask the US Attorney General to sue on their behalf.



Really? I wonder what Winston Churchill would have to say about "transparency.? If the whole world was nice and everybody was nice and only nice things happened transparency would be lovely. But it's not always a nice world. Sometimes there are real enemies who only want to destroy us. To them transparency is just a way for them to know where we are weakest and easiest to defeat. Sort of like leaving the door unlocked when you know a killer is in your neighborhood.

I think the main thing is that the time is better for teaching and testing. Whether I agree with the emphasis on testing or not it is real and determines quite a bit. As it is now, the month of school is pretty much a throw-away.

Centrists? That is why the Tea Party came about, because centrist is a sneaky way of moving leftist.



Why does the ACLU spend so much time, money and effort on the criminal element? If they were truly about civil liberties shouldn't they be more concerned with the victims?



Runaway Girl - Red flags all around on this one.
The good news is that at least one foster parent seemed good and trustworthy enough to the 13 year old to try to seek refuge there.
The concern: What or who was she trying to "avoid"?



Firefighters - It is a pay cut..
It may be a necessary measure to balance the books. It will take along time to get back that pay.
If you work in the private sector, don't be angry at the firefighters for having a good benefit program. Negotiate yourself one.



It is incredible that states must seek to pass measures to get their governments to do what they are supposed to do.
If this is to happen the measure must be somehow protected (in its' presentation and appeal) from the insane and venomous propaganda of the left. You know, "Pete Wilson hates Mexicans" bologna.

Wilkileaks: Pro of Con

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The good book says that if  someone speaks with the tongue of men or angels but has not love he is but a clanging symbol. Is Julian really altruistic in his motives? Or is he just an American hater? 

Julian Assange, of Wilileaks claims to seek truth via transparency. It has been said many times that you could tell a tree by its fruits. The proof is in the pudding. Well, what is the fruit of Mr. Assanges' efforts? Are they helpful or harmful? When I was in college I met guy who was hell bent on "being truthful and honest." I remember he told this young lady she was fat. The young lady was a bit over weight but far from obese. Of course it hurt her feelings. But, according to Mr.Just Saying It Like It Is, he was just being honest. I told him he was a horses ass. Just being honest. The point is that some people use the idea of openness and honesty as  an excuse for their meanness and spitefulness. 

Wikileaks and their reports sort of reminds me of my children. You can tell when one of your beloved angels is "telling" on their sibling because of some real eminant danger or because they are just trying to get their sybling in trouble. A quick look at the Wikileaks site and you see what is really on the mind of Mr. Assange: "Cablegate:250,000 US Embassy Diplomatic Cables", "War Diary: Iran War Logs", "War Diary: Afghanistan War Logs", "Video: Collateral Murder." All against the United States. Nothing about his homeland. Is he still allowed to live there?

The problem for the current administration is that it enjoyed this type of information about Bush and the Republicans and found it a useful tool in their smear campaign against the right. But, the immaturity of it all is seen in that it wasn't just opinions against Bush and the Republicans, it (to the rest of the world) was against the United States of America regardless of political affiliation. You know, cut off your nose despite your face foolishness.

Back to Wikileaks and Julian Assange. Is the release of documents helping America? I don't see it. He can claim openness and all the crap but, let's have a look at his computer files. I wonder where he has been? Julian Assange likes to come off like a crusader for truth but he sounds like clanging symbolism to me.