Tiger Woods

It's official. Tiger Woods has made his much anticipated return to professional golf...and an earlier than expected exit. Now, people are starting to ask questions. Is he the same Tiger as before? Is his knee really healed? Can he still play at the same level as before? In my opinion, all of these questions are complete nonsense. They guy takes 8 months off to rehab a restructured leg, and the golf world still expects flawless performances. We had to expect some rust in his first appearance. And, he ran into the only guy who didn't made a bogey in the first two days of play! Tiger's swing looks great, and I don't think it is too optimistic to expect an entertaining show at the Masters this April.

All of the good Tiger talk said, if I have to hear him say something about how it feels good "not to have [his] bones moving around" when he swings, I am going to do something serious. Like, blog about how annoyed I am. Tiger, we all know that you are great, nobody else in the world could do what you did 8 months ago, and we can't imagine swinging on a broken leg. Now, quit talking about it and just come back to the PGA and win some more majors.

Obama Speaks

Barack Obama is the most talented orator that I have ever heard. Talk about getting people motivated! He sounds exactly like he is saying all the right things. The problem is, he isn't. During his address last night, I found myself getting kind of pumped up. He started to be a cheerleader for America, saying that it is our duty to not pass down an unpayable debt to our children and grandchildren. He takes a defiant stance against ear marks in our spending. Well that's just pork-tacular. Here is a small list of what he have coming in the next spending saga*:

• $185,000 for coral reef research and preservation in Maui County, Hawaii




• $55,000 in meteorological equipment for Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.




• $9.9 million for science enhancement at historically black colleges in South Carolina.




• $764,000 for the Lake George Watershed Protection Initiative in New York, requested by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Democrat




• $9.9 million for South Carolina's historically black colleges and universities, requested by House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, South Carolina Democrat




• $1.1 million requested by Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander and Sen. Bob Corker, both of Tennessee, for water treatment plant improvements in Tennessee's Unicoi County, as well as $300,000 for a sewer extension project in another county.




• $713,625 Woody Biomass at SUNY-ESF. Walsh and Schumer sponsors




• $951,500 Sustainable Las Vegas. Berkeley and Reid sponsors




• $24,000 A+ for Abstinence. Specter is sponsor




• $300,000 Montana World Trade Center. Rehberg sponsor




• $950,000 Myrtle Beach International Trade and Convention Center. Graham sponsor




• $200,000 Oil Region Alliance. Peterson sponsor




• $190,000 Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY for digitizing and editing the Cody collection. Barbara Cubin is the sponsor




• $143,000 Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Las Vegas, NV, to expand natural history education programs. Sponsored by Harry Reid




• $238,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Honolulu, HI, for educational programs. Sen. Daniel Inouye is the sponsor




• $381,000 for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY for music education programs. Jerrold Nadler is the sponsor




• Rep. Jerry Lewis of California, the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, would spend $3.8 million on a Needles, Calif., highway




• Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the top Republican on Senate Appropriations, backs earmarks including a $950,000 nature education center in Moss Point, Miss

This spending bill is over 1,000 pages in length, 775 of which are filled with earmarks. Listening to Obama speak is one thing. Listening to his words is a completely different matter. He knows good and well the pork that's in this latest spending bill. So, next time our President speaks, try not looking at the tv and listening to his words.

* Source: GlennBeck.com

Norman, Okla

After letting the results of last night's road game digest, it is now time to write a little bit about it. Regarding this game, the biggest discussion on the 'net is whether or not Blake Griffin would have changed the outcome.

It would be naive to think that Blake Griffin isn't a play-maker and a difference-maker. He is clearly a front runner for the NPOY and clearly means a lot to the Sooners. He is also a game changer. However, just because a player is a game changer, doesn't necessarily mean that he is an outcome changer. There is no doubt that last night's game would be played differently had Griffin played. Both teams would have changed their offensive and defensive strategies. Cole Aldrich would likely not grab 20 rebounds, and Cade Davis likely would not have seen the floor. Willie Waren would not have had to put up 23, but Ryan Wright wouldn't have had the opportunity to miss 5 free throws.

My point is this: Who knows what would have happened? When game styles change, players' roles change. And, while this has the capacity to change the outcome, it may not. There is no reason to call for "an asterisk" to accompany this win because that's how the ball rolls; it's part of the game. I can relate to the Sooner fans though. If we lost a game without Collins or Aldrich, it would be easy to point there as a reason for the loss.

Let Em' In!

Yesterday, I heard the most outrageous story that I have ever heard...ever. Roger Barnett, a rancher in Arizona, has made it a mission of his for the past decade to stop illegal aliens from entering our country through his property. His ranch, Cross Rail Ranch, spans 22,000 acres in southern Arizona and has become a hot spot for illegal aliens hoping to cross into the United States. During the week, he works in his office near Sierra Vista. On the weekends, he can be found at his ranch near Douglas; this is the time that he catches intruders. During the past 10 years worth of weekends, he estimated that he has prevented 14,000 illegal immigrants from entering our nation by turning them in to the border patrol. They vandalized his property by breaking into his water tank (in which he installed a faucet to prevent further damage), stealing trucks, killing calves, destroying fences and gates, and breaking into his home. They also littered his ranch with trash 10 inches deep, including human waste, used toilet paper, soiled diapers, cigarette packs, clothes, backpacks, empty 1-gallon water bottles, chewing-gum wrappers and aluminum foil - which supposedly is used to pack the drugs the immigrant smugglers give their "clients" to keep them running.

Now, in our litigious society, he is being sued by these intruders for "severe emotional and mental distress," including fear, anxiety, humiliation, stress, frustration and sadness because he decided to right this wrong. The incident in question occurred in 2004, when he approached illegal aliens with a pistol and a dog for his protection against immigrants and drug smugglers, who are often armed. Oh, and he allegedly kicked a woman. Roger Barnett addressed that particular accusation on Fox last night, saying that she was unresponsive while sitting on the ground, so he nudged her in the foot. Many of the aliens are residents of Michoacan, Mexico. Four live in Illinois, one resides in Georgia and another in Michigan. All of the plaintiffs currently living in the U.S. listed pseudonyms in the lawsuit due to "fear of adverse action based on immigration status." Ten of the illegal alien plaintiffs didn't show up to the trial, but the remaining six said they were given permission to re-enter the United States and testify against Barnett. Each of the 16 illegal aliens sued for $1 million in punitive damages and $1 million in actual damages. Some of the charges were dropped, but Mr. Barnett is still being held liable for $77,000 in damages. However his attorney, David Hardy, plans to appeal the case siting the following argument:

"The law is skeptical of infliction of emotional distress because everybody gets their feelings hurt at times," he said. "So one of the requirements was that whatever is done must be so severe that the average person would be physically disabled by the distress – suffer a complete mental breakdown. The judge wouldn't put that in the instruction. That's straight Arizona law."

On top of that the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) paid upward of $1 million for 9 attorneys - many of whom were from a New York law firm, to represent these people.

Are you freaking kidding me?! How in the world do non-citizens have the same rights in this country as hard working, tax paying citizens? When did we lose the right to bear arms? When did we lose the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? This man did not hurt anybody and was simply defending his property. As far as I can tell, he has done as much as the entire border patrol in keeping illegals out of our country; why hasn't he won some sort of "I Am Awesome" award? And how out of control has our law system become, that these kinds of issues are occurring? This defies all logic and rationale.

You can find some more information about this from the professionals at the Washington Times and the World Net Daily.

Greenspan calls to nationalize some banks

I bring this blog to you from the commute to Leavenworth. Don't worry,
I'm not driving today.

You know it's getting bad when Alan Greenspan is calling for nationalization. I'm not really sure what the rationale is here. And now, it is being reported that Obama is in Arizona trying to help people keep their houses. As I understand it, homeowners will only be required to pay 31% of their monthly income toward their morgage, and the government will make up the difference to the lenders. How about this: WE are making up the difference! Where does this nonsense stop?
I was never on board with the insurance companies, auto makers, or banks, but now we are bailing out individuals? My head hurts...but that could be because I am typing in the car.

By the way, as an example of the kinds of idiots that are out there, read this transcript from Glenn Beck's morning radio show. He punks this guy...

Doc

So I lied in my profile, when I said Alicia and I have zero children; we have a dog. Doc is about a year old and is a mix between a terrier and a pointer; we love him very much. Here is the history of our beloved canine:

My mom, Jamie, found him at Table Rock lake when he followed two of our family friends home from a morning walk. He had been shot in the back with some sort of pellet gun, and his tail had been broken in three different places, likely the result of being hit by a car. However, he was extremely friendly excited to be around humans. Ever the bleeding heart, my mother took it upon herself to find a home for this little dog. Alicia and I happened to visit Bartlesville when she was keeping him and immediately fell in love. We brought him back to Lawrence that weekend in early August, and immediately took him to the vet again for a check up. The vet discovered that Doc was missing half of his soft pallet and was amazed that he survived that long as a "wild" dog.

I have always had dogs in my life, and I can safely say that Doc is one of the funniest dogs that I have ever known. It is difficult to put into words, so I will provide some video evidence - even video doesn't truly capture the hilarity. He loves to get up in the mornings, and LOVES to be fed. Below is the routine that we go through every single morning, and it definitely makes me less tired.

The funny thing is, after these morning shananigans, he pays almost no attention to his food. He simply enjoys the process. I can't say that I'll never buy a dog from a breeder, but, after seeing how Doc has adapted to a family lifestyle, I can say that I will look at the shelters first.

KU in Manhattan

00:31 left, and we are up by eight. I am really hoping that it is safe to start typing now. Ok, final score: 85 - 74.

Left, right, left, right, left, right, standing...standing...standing...SIT DOWN!**

If you closed your eyes, would you think you were sitting in a high school basketball game? 1 win in the last 26 home games against the Jayhawks, and suddenly the Grapes have some swagger. And, with this win, KU enters its 20th straight 20-win season; now that calls for some swagger. The Hawks showed some serious moxie to win this basketball game, coming off a tough game at Missouri, into a hostile environment in Manhattan, and being down 16 early in the first half.


In my opinion, the obvious MVP of this game was Cole Aldrich. The guy puts up 21 points and grabs 7 rebounds; the new Rip Hamiltonesque mask works well. As KU fans have come to expect, Collins came to play as well, scoring 19 points just over a 1:1 (6 and 5) assist to turnover ratio. But, the unsung MVP of this game has got to go to Marcus Morris. McMorris was an absolute spark plug for the Hawks today, effective from all over the floor on both ends. He was the catalyst for our team when we started our comeback in the first half. He finished up with 15 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, and only 1 TO. Sherron Collins had this to say:

“That’s the real Marcus, aggressive, making plays, hitting threes, jumpers, posting, doing it all. He keeps teasing us, showing glimpses of it, but he is coming around, turning the corner. I look forward to seeing more of that from him.”

It is great to watch Wildcat fans leave their own building with over 1:00 left in the game, and, as a fan, I could not be more impressed with the poise of our young team.

To throw K-State a bone, I have been pretty impressed with Denny Clemente over the last couple of weeks. He makes shots from all over the floor, and plays pretty solid defense. It really is too bad he's such a thug... Oh, and KU has won 38 of the last 40 meetings with the Wildcats.

**In reference to the KSU student section after Tyshawn Taylor and Brady Morningstar fouled out. After rewatching the game, I have concluded that Tyshawn is a genius. After his 5th, he waited until Denis Clemente was in the middle of shooting his free throws to sit down. Those Grapes, thick-headed and short-sighted, still yelled, and Clemente missed both free throw attempts. It was beautiful.

Peter Schiff

Look, this guy is ridiculously awesome. If you aren't familiar, check out this video:

I posted a comment on YouTube regarding this video saying something like "Why isn't this guy on Team Obama? Maybe it's because he doesn't meet the qualification of owing more than $100,000 in back taxes." Those may not be the exact words, but it was something witty like that. I received a response from some numb scull that said "Or possibly because he is rabidly conservative and now a complete laughing stock for making a terrible movie that denies evolution."

I don't care if Peter Schiff is a tree hugging liberal and believes Satan and a camel conceived Jesus Christ, who later when on to write the Koran (separation of church and state?)*. The fact of the matter is, that he had the knowledge and foresight to predict our current situation using information that was readily available at that time. As evidenced by the above video, all of the "experts" ridiculed Mr. Schiff for his predictions. How can the Obama administration not receive any sort of counseling from this guy? And, to the point about his movie: what movie? I have googled, wikipediad, and asked jeeves about that to no avail; those guys must be slow on the uptake.

Big game for the Hawks in about an hour and a half. If we lose this one, like we did in Columbia, I will not be blogging before games anymore. Let's just hope I have a chance to write an uplifting post about them!

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!

*To be clear, my religious views are vastly different than that. I was simply trying to make a point.

The Stimulus Package: A Trojan Horse for Welfare Spending

Disclaimer: This post is comprised largely from smart people's research. I have not the time, nor the burning desire, to parse through 647 pages of infrastructure "improvements" (how many bridges do we really need?), analog converters for those who cannot afford them, and other government handouts. However, if you feel up to it, you can find the House Bill on the site of my favorite publication, The Huffington Post.


Clearly, President Obama is not backing down from a staple of his campaign, Share the Wealth. Of the $789 billion stimulus plan, $264 billion (roughly 33%) is new means-tested welfare spending; this figure represents about $6,700 in new welfare spending for every poor person in the U.S. Means-tested welfare spending programs give cash, food, housing, medical care, and social services to poor and low income individuals. What is not widely realized, is that this bill sets in motion another $523 billion in new welfare spending, and will bring the total 10-year fiscal burder, added to the national debt, to $1.3 trillion! If your household pays income tax, this is going to cost you around $17,000. Here are the facts from Robert E. Rector, dubbed the "intellectual godfather" of welfare reform by National Review Editor, Rich Lowry.

"Even without the extra spending in the stimulus bill, means-tested welfare spending is already at a historic high and growing rapidly. In 2008, federal, state, and local means-tested spending hit $679 billion per year. Without any legislative expansions, given historic rates of growth in welfare programs, federal, state, and local means-tested welfare spending over the next decade will total $8.97 trillion. The House stimulus bill adds another $787 billion to this total, yielding a 10-year total of $9.8 trillion. The total 10-year cost of means-tested welfare will then amount to $127,000 for each household paying federal income tax."

A major new welfare program in the stimulus bill is Obama's "Make Work Pay" refundable tax credit. Costing $23 billion per year, the credit will provide up to $500 in cash to low income adults who do not pay income tax in the first place; these are able bodied adults without dependent children! Talk about spreading the wealth... It is becoming very apparent that President Obama and his staff intend to make this "stimulus" a permanent part of a new, much larger welfare state.

Now that the facts are out of the way, we can move on to some original thoughts.

As I take some rhetoric from our President, let me be clear: I am not against giving aid to those in need. However, I do not believe that our government is duty-bound to do so! In my opinion, the effect of this new welfare program is going to be exactly opposite of its intent. If individuals can continue to be supported while loafing around and having 14 babies because they want to, how are they motivated to get out of poverty? Give them the tools that they need, not the means.

By the way, this entire stimulus process does not make any sense at all. Try this exercise: buy 17 vacation homes with borrowed money, wait a few years (all the while failing to make payments and running yourself deeper into debt), and then go ask your bank for some additional funds to distribute to your friends. Then, let me know how much money your bank gives you. It doesn't work that way, and it should be common sense! How in the world can you climb out of debt by substaintially adding to it? Even if the package delivers the promised 2 -3 million jobs (which it won't), we are spending nearly $270,000 per job. Last I checked, the average household income in America was somewhere around $45,000 - $50,000. Things are not adding up. We clearly have our 21st century FDR, now where is our 21st century Henry Ford?

To cap it off: Two Democrats on an Escalator.

The Border War

It's never good to go to bed when you are depressed. The feeling usually carries over into the following day, and you have a seemingly extra long hour commute to work. Then, your day at the office seems a little slow, so things start to look up. It's a nice day outside, and you think, "Hey, maybe everything will be alright." Lunch is good (leftover taco salad), and the weekly team meeting starts off as per usual. Then, out of nowhere...BAM! Your project manager informs you that he has put in his letter of resignation.

It just goes to show, life is bad after losing a close one in Columbia. Seriously, let's look at this ballgame after .7 seconds left in the first half. Tyshawn Taylor converts a fantastic finish to put the Hawks up by 14 going into the break. A 14 point lead! Obviously, you can guess how the second half went. All we had to do was play a bad second half, that's it! Not good, decent, or mediocre. Just plain bad. A "bad" half is one that you lose by 10 points; a bad half wins the game. Instead, our entire team decides to lay one huge, far-past-its-expiration-date egg. But, it's the first Border War for a majority of our team! But, Missouri plays "40 Minutes of Hell" defense! But... Bill Self said it best:

"I can handle getting beat,” Self said. “We can learn from getting beat. We didn’t expect to run the table or anything like that. When you put yourself in position to be up 14 at halftime, 11 under 10 minutes and seven under four (minutes), as a coach you feel you need to win those games"

Looking at his quote, maybe I'm exagerating a little bit on the full half being so unbelievably pitiful. For fairness' sake, let's peg the final 8 minutes of the game as terrible: missed free throws, not looking inside, not making a bucket from 8:00 remaining until 0:29. And, most importantly, giving up 46 points!

The only silver lining, here, is that thick-headed Mizzou fans still rush the court. That exemplifies the light in which we are portrayed by fans o' the Tigers.

Oh, and Leo Lyons had this to say: "I just know this means more to them (fans) than a national championship does."

It's good to see they have the right goal in mind.

Mobile Blogging

I was researching the blogging options, and I found that you can
simply create an email address, send an email to that address, and
have it publish as a blog! Don't anybody try to guess the email
though; it is super secret. Currently, I am at the office (see right).

Now, people will think that I am playing with my phone, instead of blogging! Genius!

Later today, expect an in depth analysis and rant on last night's Border War.

The Inaugural Post

Welcome to my much anticipated blog. I expect to see halves of dozens of visitors by the end of this year; please help! I know, I know, it's about time that I posted a picture of my living room to the World Wide Web. If you are wondering -let's get real, you are- that is a delicious bowl of taco salad that my wife so lovingly made me this evening. I rapidly devoured my dinner as I watched How It's Made, which featured baseball gloves, manhole covers, and fabricated firewood. I plan on this picture being the first in a vibrant series of John Kane's "Places I Have Blogged." Although, folks in my office may think it weird that I am photographing my desk. Just another drop in the bucket...

As the description of this blog states, there is no real agenda or purpose of this blog; I plan on writing whatever I feel like writing. I tend to get frustrated with various aspects of our political world, and I like to express my opinions. I love the University of Kansas and am passionate about everything associated with the institution. T-minus 20 minutes until the Border War in Columbia, and, with Missouri looking surprisingly decent this season, I am a little nervous about the Hawks going to the Paige...err... Mizzou arena. So, thanks for visiting, and I appreciate any feedback you may have.