Itchy Itchy Chickenpox

We had all three of them vaccinated, but that didn't stop them from getting the chickenpox earlier this month. Peter was by far the worst, and he was really uncomfortable for a couple days. Annie helped ease the pain with oatmeal baths, and calamine lotion. The other two guys had mild cases, but they all stayed home from school for a week. Now that we know a little more about chickenpox, we consider almost a blessing that they got it. There were a bunch of parents that expressed interest in letting their kids come over to play, just so they could get the chickenpox over with... but we had no visitors (all talk, no action).

Obama Wins

The 2008 election is over, and Obama will be the 44th President of the United States. This marks the first time in my life that I voted for a democrat. Here are some clips from emails that I wrote leading up to the election.

4/30/2008
My support for Obama is weakening, and it's growing for McCain. I especially like the McCain Health Care plan. It sounds more rational than the Clinton / Obama government sponsored plan that relies on the employer / insurance combo system. The above link goes to a Washington Post article that describes McCain's plan.


5/12/2008
I like Obama. But that whole Pastor Wright thing really bothered me. He's done a good job lately of turning away from Wright, but I just don't get why Obama and his wife would attend a church like that for so long. It's sick.

Regarding the Health Care thing... what I don't like about the democratic health care plans is their reliance on the insurance companies. I hate insurance companies. I think it's kind of like organized crime. They want to insure you for everything just to give you some twisted piece of mind. House insurance, heatlh insurance, car insurance, disability insurance, death (life) insurance, loss of job insurance, mortgage insurance. Where does it stop? And why do we need an "insurance" plan to provide us health care? It's just another way for big corporations to make big money. Taking care of people is secondary to making money, and if the government is going to get more involved with providing health care for everyone in America (which I hope they do), then I hope they do it without anything to do with health insurance.

Seems to me they should either administer it themselves, or do something like McCain is suggesting and setup self-funded health care accounts. McCain should setup some other level of service to help poor people get free health care. But again, I'd like to see it setup without an "insurance" system. That's basically where I'm at. I see health care as being one of the biggest issues in this election. One, because of the rising costs. Two, because everyone in this great nation should have the right to good health care, regardless of their personal wealth.


7/21/2008
This presidential race reminds me of the Clinton - Dole race. You have a young, good looking, charismatic guy... going up against some old geezer with no personality. What is the Republican party thinking!? You don't even hear about McCain in the news these days unless it's something negative. The guy doesn't have a chance in the world. Obama is said to be up about 7 points in the polls.. I bet that's up to about 15 points by Nov.


7/27/2008
I wish I could go back and re-live the Clinton days. I would be a big Willy backer. Bush helped push me more left. He has been a horrible president, and I don't like what he's done to America. The thing is, I like Obama's stance on the war, but I like McCain's stance on health care.


10/18/2008
I've gotta say, I completely agree with Tom Donahue. If you look at Bush's record, he's ballooned the government way out of control. He created the Homeland Security department, and a whole new entity underneath it, the TSA. Then he caved on Prescription Drugs, spent $1+ trillion on the war, and $1 trillion bailing out all the rich guys. The only conservative thing he's done is appoint a couple judges, and lowered taxes. But most of his tax cuts went to the rich, so it doesn't really count for the average Joe. I'm not sure Kerry or Gore would have been much better. I'm just depressed about politics, and I've lost a lot of hope for this country. Obama talks about hope, but we are so far in debt, and going further and further into it, the future of the good 'ole USA looks pretty bleak. Hope I'm wrong.

I'm going to vote for Obama. Why? Not because he's black, and not because he talks circles around McCain in the debates, but because it just doesn't matter! I voted for Bush, thinking I'm getting a conservative, and he's been one of the most liberal presidents in history. Maybe if I vote for one of the most liberal senators in the country, then I'll get a conservative. I'm completely serious. All the conservatives blasted Clinton for 8 years... and Clinton was 10 times better than Bush.