The Raging Tech

Light at the End of the Tunnel

The financial crisis in the economy has some light at the end of the tunnel, at least for me. I realized today as I started to get a knot in my stomach about how tight things had become in my budget, that there’s plenty of hope and I’m not at all in a bad situation. First of all, I work for the state, in an IT position. My job is probably a lot more secure than a lot of people. I’m glad I didn’t try to go freelance or go start my own business just yet, because a lot of people will be tightening their belts and not hiring freelance writers or computer repair guys. 

Secondly, I bank at a credit union, not one of those giant corporation banks that has investments on Wall Street that could make or break them. My mortgage was not a sub-prime mortgage and while things are tight now (because of my house payment, not because of the economy), they’ll be better for me soon. 

Good news that affects me: the new home owner’s tax credit is still on for this tax season. It’s basically a $7500 zero-interest loan from the government that gets paid back over 15 years. I’ve been trying like crazy to refinance my credit card debt to all lower interest rates, and I’m pretty sure $7500 will cover my debts (including what I owe Mom) and you just can’t beat zero percent interest. That’ll leave me with just my car, student loan, and house payment and regular utilities, groceries, and gas. I recently deferred my student loans until 2014, because I’m back in grad school, paying for it out of my pocket. 

So basically, I just have to be poor until after taxes are processed, and then when the tax credit comes in I have to solemnly swear to spend it all on knocking out debt, and not crazy stuff I don’t need. Knocking out debt feels great. When I got my inheritance money I paid off my Bank of America card entirely and closed the account. It felt SOO good, and now I don’t have that monthly payment anymore. If I can eliminate all of that, I’ll be a good ways on my way to being debt-free.

My house will probably be the last thing I pay off, and I hope I can do it in less time than the 30 years my mortgage is supposed to last. I’ll figure that out later, though. Maybe eventually when I’m out of all other debt I can put that same amount towards the principal on my house that I was paying every month, and get it paid off sooner. 

I hope for all of you that if things get bad, you’ll look for hope, and if you aren’t sure where to find hope, look to Jesus. He’s our provider and He always takes care of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (That’s in the Bible, kids).

It May Already Be Too Late

I am not usually too easily swayed by comments on a Digg.com article, but today I most certainly was alarmed, intrigued even. Digg was running a story about an army brigade being stationed here in the U.S. for domestic missions, including Federal response to man-made disasters, terrorism, or to provide support in case of natural disasters like Katrina or Ike. Here’s the comment, which was in response to someone else claiming this could lead to Martial Law right under our noses:

Leepil is referring to Posse Comitatus. It is not part of the Constitution but is a well established part of US Federal Law, going back to 1878 - after the Civil War.
Wikipedia: “Posse Comitatus Act”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act
The Bush White House in their usual style goes about asking neo-Fascist lawyers for an interpretation of US Laws that favors their side of the argument. And of course Congress plays right along. This is all part of the Unitary Executive which is nothing less than a plan to create a Fascist Dictatorship.
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See this article for more information on the Unitary Executive.
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20060109_b …
Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense:
In America, the law is king. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other.

The unitary executive doctrine conflicts with Paine’s principle - one that is fundamental to our constitutional system. If Bush can ignore or evade laws, then the law is no longer king. Americans need to decide whether we are still a country of laws - and if we are, we need to decide whether a President who has determined to ignore or evade the law has not acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government.
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See also the “Federalist Society”. It’s no surprise that belonging to the Federalist Society has been a pre-requisite for getting a job in the Bush “Justice” Dept.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Society
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People, it is much later than we think. All Bush needs is a Declaration of a State of Emergency. That “emergency” could be a war, or a financial crisis, or a natural disaster, or civil unrest. In which case he will declare himself to have Dictatorial Emergency Powers. I sometimes think that this is why Congress is so afraid to stand up to him.

In fact we are already living under various States of Emergency. Bush declared a state of emergency after 9/11. He used those powers to declare “enemy combatants”, and to violate the FISA laws. The Federal Reserve had to declare a financial emergency to beg

in lending money and acquiring private corporations. Under its normal charter, it is not authorized to do that. And now we have US military, fresh from a brutal war in Iraq, that will be patrolling our streets!

I’m not saying any of this is what’s actually going on, and I don’t want you to think I’m “reporting” in any official capacity that this is legitimate. But as Americans, patriots, who’s ACTUALLY watching our backs? Does anyone else get the sinking feeling that either we really aren’t go

ing to have an election, or that it doesn’t matter who wins the election? 

Look at the facts: Obama is a charismatic and dynamic speaker with leadership qualities that people admire. I won’t bring up race issues, but I think America has grown up enough that that’s not as big of a deal as it would have been years ago. Joe Biden - I don’t know much 

about him, honestly. I think he’s a man who can stand by Obama and follow his plan. On the other side, John McCain, is old, stuck in his ways, but he’s also a bull-dog, or a rhino as I heard someone say. But his running mate is a joke. Sarah Palin? Come on. Ridiculous. I feel like this whole thing is a dog and pony show and America is just too dumb to see it for what it is. How is it, that out of a country full of hard-

working, honest, amazing leaders we couldn’t cull out anyone better than this? Why is it that if you step back, it looks like both sides of the party lines are pushing us towards Obama? Conspiracy? Maybe.

Or maybe it’s just a big show to distract us from Bush while he sets up the New Bush Order, a fascist dictatorship where we can say goodbye to voting and representation and anything else that used to make this country great. If the financial apocalypse hits, and it probably will, I wouldn’t be surprised if people didn’t riot, and Bush declares martial law before November 4th.

“Dogs and cats, living together, MASS HYSTERIA!” - Peter Venkman, Ghostbusters

Sunday, Yummy Sunday

I’ve been pretty busy here at home in the kitchen over the weekend. Friday I fell asleep (more or less passed out) on Marq and Melissa’s couch down the road, and woke up Saturday morning and came home. I realized I needed to take advantage of the weekend to get some pre-cooking done. Now that I’ve got a house payment, the money doesn’t stretch as far. I had (hopefully) gotten out of the grocery store with a month’s worth of food for about $100.

Yesterday I made some lasagne hamburger helper type stuff, and made plenty so that I’d have leftovers for lunch or dinner later. Then, I baked up 24 biscuits (3 cans worth) and two pounds of sausage (patties), and put together 11 days worth of sausage biscuits for me to take to work. Total cost was way less than buying those Jimmy Dean microwavable biscuits. I have them frozen in sandwich bags in pairs of two, so I just have to grab a bag in the morning and take it with me to work. Work actually gave us a t-shirt and a purple thermal lunch bag for Employee Appreciation Day, so now I have something to keep my lunch in when I pack it.

Today I ate my free Quaker Oats cereal bar that I got in the mail, and one of my Verve energy drinks. That is what substaniated for my breakfast this morning, unless you count my communion at church. Oh, that’s right - I forgot to mention - I went to the Methodist church this morning around the corner from my house (gas is killing me right now) and it was pretty cool. It was apparently World Communion Day or something like that. I went up to the front of the church with about 1/4 of the people and kneeled along side of this rail thing. They gave me bread and handed me one of those communion shot glasses. Then we stayed kneeling while the leader prayed, and then went back to our seats. They also had a greeting time, where they said “Extend peace to those around you,” and people came around and some said “Good Morning, nice to meet you, etc.” and some said “Peace be with you,” so I thought of Dane Cook and I said “And also with you.”

I’ve been watching a lot of cooking shows, and trying to find the simplest and easiest recipes. I realize now in retrospect there’s a lot of things I wish I’d bothered to ask my Mom to teach me to cook before I left the house. She taught me a lot still, but occasionally I come up with things I want to know. For example, yesterday I realized hey, I have eggs, bread, milk, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, flour, sugar, and salt. I think that’s all I need to make French Toast. I looked up some recipes and realized I could use some Hawaiian Sweet Bread to make it even more awesome and thick.

The French Toast I made was amazing. Especially amazing for the first time I’ve ever made them. I cut them really thick, used the recipe to get the ingredients in proper proportions, and then I drowned the sweet bread in the custard (egg mixture) and threw it in a hot pan long enough to brown both sides. Here’s how they turned out (Click Photo to view Full Size):

Get Off Your Butt and Register to Vote

Tuesday is it for many of you. You have to have your voter registration in the mail and to the board of elections by your registration deadline, or you don’t get a say in America’s future. My friend posted this video on MySpace, and I thought about several of my friends who I’ve heard say “this election is bull****, both candidates are going to ruin this country.” They are pretty sure they’re not going to vote. Watch this video, and please, please, please, go register to vote and then ACTUALLY VOTE.

“Caribou Barbie” Sarah Palin Loses VP Debate

I said a while back I wouldn’t put forth any clearly political blog posts… well, I’ve turned hypocrite (or maybe liar, at least) and have decided to renig on that promise. Today I sent an emailed Letter to the Editor at the newspaper in the town where my job is, because the town where I live really doesn’t have much in the way of newspapers. So here’s the letter I sent:

Dear Editor,

Joe Biden clearly won the debate on Thursday against Sarah Palin. Palin did a great job giving her canned and well-rehearsed answers, but she was ridiculously condescending in the way she refused to answer questions asked by the moderator. While it may seem cavalier and bold to do so, she showed complete disrespect for the moderator and the purpose of the debate.

Palin’s talking points all seem like a retro-rewind of the same-old same-old we’ve had from the Bush administration for eight long, insufferable years. Calling pulling our troops out of Iraq “a white flag of surrender” is not only a mud-slinging scare tactic, she’s basically puppeting John McCain from last week. We heard nothing new here, and getting our boys out of harm’s way is in no way a failure, especially if we do it correctly, turning power over to the Iraqi people.

I’m sick of all the talk about huge tax cuts on corporations. It’s not punishing them for being successful, as many will claim. It is also not, as John McCain would have us believe, to keep them from moving business over seas. Taxes alone are not what makes doing business in America a great thing. It would be exponentially expensive for major corporations to move their entire operations off-shore to save on taxes.

What’s important is what Biden said about the middle-class driving America. We are the ones who make America go. We drive trucks, we sweep floors, we serve your food, we answer your calls for help, we defend this country and it’s freedoms. It’s not a Robin Hood take from the rich and give to the poor situation. It’s not being foolish and giving the wealthy a break but leaving Joe Blue-Collar to struggle.

People complain Obama doesn’t have enough experience to be President. I say, he doesn’t have the years of corruption and indebtedness to lobbyists and PACs to influence his decisions. Yes, he’s got big ideas and not all of them will be able to be done with the budget he’ll be working with. But now, more than ever, people need to vote with their heads and not just their hearts, and not just for whoever’s the most popular in the news. Check your facts, know what’s real about the issues. Don’t vote for Obama just because he’s about “Change you can believe in” and don’t vote for John McCain just because he’s not Obama.

It is time for a change, America. We don’t need four more years of the same old song. Let’s be the America we were meant to be, the best country in the World, the *United* States of America.

see Sarah Palin pictures

Eat, Drink, or Die: Thomas McMuffin

Today while surfing around the intertubes at work, I found this awesome web site - it’s like Food Network meets Video Blogging. They have regular chefs and shows, just like any other cooking network, but the hosts are awesome and the food they make isn’t always something fancy.

Case in point: my favorite simple recipe I saw today is Jon and Vinny’s “Thomas McMuffin” - their take on the famous breakfast food, the McMuffin, using Thomas English Muffins. It’s dead simple, and you probably have some form of the ingredients available at your house (unless you’re me, and you don’t really eat English Muffins all that much).

The best part of Eat, Drink, or Die is that the community can vote on each video - “Delicious” or “Die.” They have recipes for vegetarians and vegans, as well as meatatarians like me. Check out Jon & Vinny’s “Two Dudes,” “Tastes Like Home Cooking,” and Chris Wilson’s “Comfort Food” series.

Vampire Mode: Activate

It’s that time of year again - it’s starting to get chillier during the day and freezing cold at night. The leaves are turning colors, and the jerks from Florida are up in the mountains driving 10 under so they can look at the foliage. Shorts are becoming more and more inappropriate apparel for the temperature, but I’ll keep on wearing them till December anyway.

I’ll stack together my sleeveless t-shirts, shorts and sandals and put them in a box for the back of the closet and say goodbye to them for at least four-to-six weeks. Now that there’s global warming, the winters aren’t freezing cold for quite as long as they used to be. We get less snow, and even less often do we get snow that sticks to the ground.

It’s long been a puzzle in my brain as to whether or not I have that weird mental disorder where you’re in different moods based on whether or not it’s summer/spring or fall/winter time, and whether or not it’s day or night time. I think I have the opposite version though. Instead of being happy in bright warm weather, I’m happier in the middle of a cold winter night. Nothing feels better than knocking off the chill in a heated room, and then getting a little too hot and opening the door or cracking a window to cool off a little. Night time snowball fights are awesome. The only other thing I like as much is walking along the beach on a breezy spring night from dusk till the sky is pitch black and you can’t see the horizon between the sky and the black waters.

I love the night time. When the sun is up, it feels oppresive and reminds me of those annoying people who are super happy all the time and enthusiastic to the point of nausea, you just want to punch them in the eye. I’m definitely a night owl. I find that I force myself to go to sleep at night now around 1am, because I know I’ll regret it more in the morning if I don’t. My sleep schedule is off, and I think if I slept when it felt right I’d be asleep from 3am - 2pm, and then would want to go to work and then come home to chill around 11pm. Unfortunately, that’s not how society works unless you have one of those glorious second or third-shift jobs. My sister works third shift, but that makes it hard for her to interact with people who don’t.

If I ever hit the big time with internet business, I’m just going to conduct my business at night and do things ahead of time or get up just for conference calls and the like. Maybe I could be an online writer for an overseas publication in a time-zone that matches my sleep schedule. That would be awesome.

A final thought: I may have sleep apnea. My mom has it, and they say it is genetic. It can cause, among other things, insomnia and fatigue, diabetes, heart problems, and more. So, if I go get tested and they get me one of those masks with the machine that makes you sound like Darth Vader breathing, that might fix some things.