They Were Fighting Over This?

Last night, at the 81st Academy Awards, Sean Penn won his second Oscar for his portrayal of politician and gay rights advocate Harvey Milk, and he had this to say in his acceptance speech:

"For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect, and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes as they continue that way of support. We've got to have equal rights for everyone."

I believe in 50 years, our society will look back on the fight against gay marriage the same way we now look back at the civil rights movement of the 1950s, or interracial marriage, or slavery, our country's original sin. "They were fighting over this?" they'll ask. On a long enough period of time, social progressives will overcome social conservatives every time. And if our textbooks are any indication, history will not judge well those who try keep others from enjoying the same freedoms.

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You

In my January 6 & 13 posts, I discussed my feelings on how Roland Burris should not be/have been seated in the senate seat vacated by Barack Obama, and I pointed out that it was Sen. Harry Reid's lack of backbone and leadership that allowed the debacle to happen. And now what? Mr. Burris may be facing perjury charges after conveniently forgetting to mention during impeachment testimony that he had contact with Rod Blagojevich's brother prior to his appointment, and that funds were solicited from him. Find out more here.

Way to go, Mr. Reid. Don't you love it when your ineptitude comes back again and again?

Yeah, I Can Afford That

Today, President Obama will travel to Denver to sign the new stimulus plan into law, and we all need to hope that it works. After that, he will be traveling to Phoenix, AZ, to announce his new plan to save the county's abysmal housing market (because Arizona is the hardest hit state).

I saw a segment on CNN this morning that made me stop and stare at the TV, mouth hanging open. It was a story about an Arizona school bus-driving mother of two (who apparently has a husband that was neither seen nor barely mentioned in this piece) who got a letter from her bank warning of impending foreclosure on her home. Like many Americans, her family is in over their heads when it comes to their mortgage, having been sweet-talked into a house that they could not afford. The price of this house? $800,000. You've got to be kidding me.

I don't know how much a school bus driver makes in Arizona (or what her husband brings in), but the fact that she thought she could afford an $800,000 home simply leaves me utterly befuddled. And she's not the only one. A while back I saw a segment on another channel about a woman who makes somewhere between $30,000-40,000 a year and decided to buy a $700,000 home.

Its true that many homebuyers got suckered into deals that they thought were favorable only to turn around and find that the situation had soured. And there are homebuyers in the country who truly need the government to come up with a plan to stop the spiral of foreclosures. But there are also those who simply do not know how to handle their personal finances, and the fact that the government might be directing money their way makes me uneasy.

24, the Stimulus, And Backwards Corporate Logic

24
I am somewhat disappointed in what was once my favorite show on TV, 24. Seasons 1-5 were great (I own all 5), but last year's seasons was mediocre, and this year's season has some elements that I need to take issue with. Specifically, the plot line involving the President's husband requires, for me, an extraordinary suspension of disbelief, and I'll explain why (warning, spoilers do follow):

First, a few episodes ago, the First Gentleman had a private meeting with a person of interest on the banks of the tidal basin in Washington, DC, in plain sight of everyone, with the Jefferson Memorial in the background. This would never happen in real life, as there is massive security and press anywhere the First Lady goes. But that isn't my main complaint, it's this...

In the episode on February 2, the First Gentleman was out of contact for over any hour. He wasn't answering his phone, and the one agent that he was with was not answering his radio. The response to not being able to find the First Gentleman? The Secret Service put out an APB. What? That's absurd. If Michelle Obama's whereabouts were unknown for an hour, I wouldn't be able to leave my house. The country would be shut down, especially DC, where this season takes place. How great a twist would it have been for Jack Bauer (who is working off-books) to have to chase a terrorist through a Washington, DC, that is being quickly and systematically shut down by the Secret Service? It would be very great. But I don't work on the writing staff of 24, so instead they rehash old story-lines with new characters. Which brings me to...

The Stimulus
Everything would be so much easier if Nancy Pelosi were not Speaker of the House. I think that she is noticeably hurting President Obama's attempts at bipartisanship, as she has a shove-it-in-your-face attitude. Yes, you won, but you don't have to be so mean spirited about it. Is this bill perfect? No. Could it be made perfect? I don't know -- perfection varies in everyone eyes. But I wish they would make the bill solely about stimulating the economy and not about simply funding ideas and programs that couldn't get support under George Bush.

I think one of the provisions in the stimulus should be money for 24 to hire new writers. Let's face it, while seasons 1-5 were extraordinary television, I think that the writing team may have reached it's full potential with the 5th season. Its time for some new blood, and more money to pay out will attract the best writers available. A better storyline would mean more viewers, leading to higher ad-spot costs, leading to higher pay for 24 and Fox employees, leading to higher spending by those employees, and it's quickly apparent how my plan will save the US economy. How about a storyline where Jack Bauer has to infiltrate and destroy...

Wells Fargo
Anyone who watches the news may have heard about this already, but I will thrown in my 2 cents:

In short, the CEO of Wells Fargo took out a full page ad in numerous high profile newspapers claiming that the money it received from the federal government was not used to pay for corporate junkets or getaways -- those, he claimed, were paid for out of profits. What? You can't claim to need money, take the money, spend it on a party, then claim that you didn't use the borrowed money to pay for it. Money doesn't work that way. Idiot. It seems to me that Wells Fargo is trying to scam the government, and Jack Bauer needs to make things right.

Thanks to the PFD

I want to take a moment to say "Thank You" to the Poughkeepsie Fire Department.

Just before 10:30PM last night, I saw flashing lights outside my house. I went onto the porch only to see firetrucks arriving, and smoke rising up from the back of the house across the street. For the next 2 hours, members of the PFD (along with PPD and Alamo EMS) worked in the blistering cold to make sure the situation was under control.

Due to the quick response of the firefighters, no one was injured and the house was saved, as were the surrounding houses.

Thanks for keeping us safe.