Monday, October 13, 2008

Just a quick note before hitting the campaign trail...

I'm not sure how this happened, but I am humbled...
http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=357563&altf=Kfoojgfs&altl=NdDmpsz

Gotta run! Got lots to do! :)
-Jenn

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Some words from the man who SHOULD be running for President...

Many of my buddies are staunch Liberals. Most wouldn't understand why I've been more conservative for most of my adult life. Here I have some words from Mike Huckabee which will show you why I love this guy, and why I'm saddened that I won't be able to place a vote for him in just a few short weeks. People like The Huck are what I believe the Republican party SHOULD be about. The following is from his show "Huckabee" on Fox News Network:

"Members of Congress are busy congratulating themselves for the passage of the massive and staggering bailout of Wall Street, but the only cheers from most Americans is the Bronx cheer for the bodacious Beltway Bailers.

"On behalf of the hard working American people, here’s my message to Congress:

"We recognize that you felt compelled to “do something” but you wonder why we aren’t breaking our hands applauding you for it. Let me explain: Even the people who supported your $700 bailout did so only because they felt there was no other choice. Any congratulations you get will have to come from those really smart guys on Wall Street because outside your rarefied bubble of high priced air, the whole thing stinks.

"For the most part, your bosses are not happy—I’m talking about your REAL bosses—the ones who struggle to pay for groceries and gasoline each week and the ones you ought to spend more time with. These folks are in fact, not just unhappy, but livid, furious, raging, and seething with contempt. The problem, we’re told, is with the regulators. Actually, that’s not true. The problem is that you failed to regulate the regulators….that was supposed to be your job, but you guys instead filled your campaign coffers with ready cash from the nice people at the big Wall Street houses and looked the other way while these starched collar crooks put hundreds of millions in their pockets and walked away obscenely rich and left the tab to the taxpayers.

"I don’t resent that people make money. God bless those who do, as long as they do it honestly. But Franklin Raines piloted Fannie Mae right into the ground and walked away from the crash with $90 million cash. Nice work when you can get it…. Some retired teacher’s pension fund in Kansas went from comfortable to comical… You saved Freddie, but taxpayers are going to take it in the Fannie.

"People are really, really mad, and I hope the anger carries to the ballot box. It’s time to make real changes in this country-- real restructuring of the systems that have led us to this economic free-fall.

"Congress, the crisis is not in the credit market—it’s in the credibility market. And it’s YOUR credibility that’s in crisis… 47 million people are uninsured, but you haven’t fixed it because you are insured. Millions of Americans have seen their pension values drop to nothing, but you haven’t stopped it because your extraordinary pension is protected.

"Instead of asking my future grandchildren to co-sign a $700 Billion note so you could convince yourselves that you had “fixed” this, you should have made some really bold decisions that might have actually addressed the root causes. Getting rid of capital gains taxes, changing the mark to market accounting rules that created some of the artificial devaluation of assets, and insuring bad loans instead of actually buying them are all ways that the situation would be addressed without such a huge risk. Instead we just are being asked to write a big fat check.

"The high flying Wall Street wizards who wanted to make big profits in a hurry without assuming the responsibility of the risks are not unlike the teenager who gets addicted to drugs, but knows that his ever gullible parents will always be there to rescue him. They have become “bail-a-holics” and the government has become the ultimate co-dependents, enabling and empowering the recklessly irresponsible with the credit card you borrowed from us.

"Well, this time, Americans are mad. Really mad. They might actually figure out that they DO have the power to do something. They can do what would happen to them if they simply didn’t do the job they were hired to do—they would be fired.

"Maybe it’s time for some of you to experience what many Americans will experience because of you. Maybe some of you should lose your jobs in Congress and come home to live with the rest of us. Just don’t expect a big party to welcome you home. Neighbors can’t afford it. They’re just trying to pay off that big bailout you proudly voted for."

And for today's shoe:
These are the shoes I reach for when someone needs an ass-kicking (pardon my language). And right now that's what Congress needs. A major kick in the ass.
Their story:
I was strolling through my favorite vintage/resale shop and spotted these. I thought, "They're not pink, they don't have a spike heel, there are FLAMES on them, but yet I am still drawn to them." So I bought them. (Along with a cute pair of pink, kitten-heeled mules - just to make sure some balance was kept in the universe.)

*stepping off my shoebox*
-Jenn

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Jenmac vs. Caribou Barbie von Mooseburger

As the election draws dangerously close I started thinking about how well I would match up against Sarah Palin...(and because, well, that's just the sort of thing I do for fun - makes lists of pros and cons, etc. I told you before, I have WAY too much time on my hands.)

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that this is just for fun. I have friends on both sides of the fence in this battle. I myself am a Libertarian. And since the Libertarian party has as good odds of winning this election as a blind man winning a skeet shooting contest, I'll be voting for Stephen Colbert.

And so begins my own debate, Jenmac vs. Sarah:

Politicians we've encountered:

Palin: Well, she recently met John McCain...

Jenmac: Both Clintons (Bill twice - once as Governor and then again during his first presidential candidacy, Hillary was the speaker at my graduation from Arkansas), grew up around Mike Huckabee and his family, went out with a Senator's son a few times, grew up with a current member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, Ross Perot was a buddy of my grandfather's, had ice cream with Senator Blanche Lincoln - who is a big fan of my son, worked on a PAC for US Congressman John Boozman, lived with a cousin of Homeland Security's Asa Hutchinson (and also interviewed him for an article about his candidacy for US Senate while doing time as a journalism student at Arkansas), decorated the house of an ex-Senator from Arizona (no, sorry to disappoint, it wasn't McCain)...

Advantage: Jenmac

A little bit about our respective states:

Alaska: Population - 626,932, Polar bears, the pipeline, snow-mobile driving rednecks, the Aurora Borealis...

Arkansas: Population - 2,673,400, North America's only Diamond mine, home of Walmart, 4-wheeler driving rednecks, the Ozark mountains...

Advantage: I've gotta call this a draw... wait...we have diamonds...okay....Arkansas wins.

Foreign Affairs:

Palin: She can see Russia from her house!!!

Jenmac: I haven't dealt with foreign politics. However, during my tenure with Wal-Mart International, I worked with colleagues/customers in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, China, Korea, and Canada. I also have firsthand knowledge of NAFTA and how it affects American businesses trying to export products to Canada and Mexico. (You're impressed, aren't you?)

Immigration:

Palin: I suspect Alaska doesn't have many immigration problems. In all fairness, I'm not sure as I haven't lived there. But I've never heard stories of Russian immigrants swimming the Bering Strait seeking asylum within our borders, or desperate Canadians hiking the frozen tundra into Alaska.

Jenmac: I live in an area greatly affected by illegal immigration (sometimes even referred to as "Little Mexico" by some of the locals). I've seen the effects. I have been taken out of consideration for jobs because I didn't speak fluent Spanish. I want to find ways to keep America open to those seeking her shelter, but also protect her current citizens as well.

Advantage: Jenmac (because, well, you've gotta admit, that last sentence would make a great soundbite.)

Women's rights:

Palin: Believed women who were victims of sexual assault should have to pay for their own rape kits.

Jenmac: Horrified I had to type the last sentence. (Yes, I know she has changed her mind since then, but still...)

Advantage: Jenmac. (And I'm not touching the abortion issue as I don't believe there is a winning side to that one. There will ALWAYS be fervent supporters on both sides. No one will ever win. We should drop it as a platform for elections.)

Where do you get your news:

Palin: she claims that she has researched a lot to stay in touch with American politics, but couldn't name any magazines, papers, etc. in her interview with Katie Couric despite Katie asking her repeatedly to name just one news outlet.

Jenmac: too much to list here - a lot of thanks goes out to my worster pals who post every article they can find, making it easy to locate meaningful pieces about everything political - from the UK, to Alaska, to Australia and back again (Newsweek, Time, Washington Post, even Rolling Stone offers stories regarding our world, CNN, MSNBC...)

Advantage: Jenmac (if for no other reason than the fact that at least I can name national publications.)

And now let's get down to business and deal with the truly pressing issues:


Beauty pageants:

Palin: 2

Jenmac: 0

Advantage: Jenmac (sorry Sarah, gotta go with brains over beauty)

Number of kids:

Palin: 5

Jenmac: 1

Advantage: draw - Jenmac would have more time to devote to running the country, but Sarah has already been leading a small army of her own.


Wardrobe:

Palin: red and black

Jenmac: open to every color of the rainbow (except navy blue - never been a fan, couldn't say why.)

Advantage: Jenmac. (Sarah, we know you love those Wasilla Warriors, but really...it's okay to wear colors other than those of your high school alma mater.)


Accent:

Palin: Sounds like Frances McDormand in "Fargo"

Jenmac: Sounds like Vivian Leigh in "Gone With the Wind"

Advantage: Jenmac.
And just to prove it: Let's look at every election since 1976. Either the President or Vice President on the winning ticket was a Southerner: GW Bush (twice), Bill Clinton (twice), George H.W. Bush (3 times, including 2 terms as VP), Jimmy Carter.

Wow, what do you know! I'm ready to take on the 2nd most powerful job in the world! Who would've guessed!

Now, I shall don my Tina Fey glasses and to quote the not-often-intentionally funny Paris Hilton, "I'll see you at the debates, bitches."

(And Sarah, if you're reading this: No hard feelings okay. Maybe we could get together for coffee sometime. Who knows, you may have some free time around November 5th.)

(Thanks to my fellow worster, she_is_so_random, for the Palin nickname.)

And now for today's shoe:
These are a great example of adding fun colors to your wardrobe!











Their story:
They're fierce. I bought them. The end.
(Sometimes the best story is the most simple.)

*stepping off my shoebox*
-Jenn