Wow, I am So Proud of our Government!
March 19, 2009 by Ryan Elledge
First, let me clearly state that I think it is insane that AIG employees are getting $165M in bonuses. Having said that, I think it is borderline criminal for the house to go pass a new 90% tax on these bonuses. Please note that I am supportaive of the government putting restrictions on companies receiving bail-out money (not that I am supportive of giving bail out money, but hey, it’s the world we live in). But, for congress to screw up and not tackle this issue before granting the bailout money and try to correct their mistake now by imposing a 90% tax is, in my mind, theft and criminal. These bonuses, however absurd they may be, were in place before the bailout was given. This is changing the rules after the game, and as a competitor, I find that completely crap. Oh, not to mention that congress had a 2nd chance to solve the issue when they hastily passed the bailout… but no, they stripped language which would have prevented the payouts from their stimulus bill they passed last month. Now, the Pelosi-Obama crew are trying to save face, and this person thinks it is complete crap, all the way around.
I would love to hear some sound logic from those who disagree… and simply saying they don’t deserve the bonuses doesn’t fly since those were legally bound “contracts”, no matter how poorly written.
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Tweet ThisHardly A Vacation
March 15, 2009 by Ryan Elledge
So, Rebecca, Braelyn and Spencer are gone. Rebecca has been in Maui since last Monday. Spencer went to the S.D.’s house last Thursday. Braelyn is in Wyoming with my parents since last Monday. Rebecca and Braelyn return on Tuesday. Spencer was supposed to come home today, but the S.D. is now having him stay another night, so he won’t return until tomorrow. Me and Hoover and the psycho other dog are lazy bums. I am truly bored. I figured this would be a relaxing week, and while it has been, I have done absolutely nothing, and I am tired of doing absolutely nothing. Oh, I have plenty of work I could be doing… don’t want to. I have plenty of Booster Club stuff I could be doing… don’t want to. Maybe a trip to the casino would cure some of my boredom, but then again, it could be costly… I haven’t been in ages.
Sidebar… I referred to the other dog as psycho. Let me explain. On multiple occasions, including moments ago, I have witnessed her very slowly and cautiously walking backwards and staring at the floor in front of her as she does it. It is very methodical. I don’t know if she is seeing things, or maybe our house is in fact haunted, as Spencer often suggests. I don’t know what it is, but I must say it is a bit freaky. Maybe it is from eating too much of Hoover’s crap (yes, she does that all the time and just absolutely disgusts me). I need to get my video camera and set it beside me as I veg in this chair fiddling on my laptop, so I can video it if she does it again. I don’t know about her…
Tonight the NCAA basketball selection show is on… this I do look forward to. I should be putting up a pool on my website, feel free to join. Don’t know yet if I will, but if I do, you should definitely participate.
I have stopped taking guitar lessons this month, but plan to resume in a month or two. Just too much going on with work and stuff that I needed a hiatus from it. However, I have been messing around on the guitar the past few days… I should be getting lots of practice, considering how bored I am, but my fingers get to hurting and so do my ears since I still suck so bad, so it gets discouraging. So, I just sit here and mess around on this stupid laptop.
Sad to say, this morning when I woke up I started my normal routine of reviewing MSNBC.COM to see what the headlines are (surprise, folks, I do not turn to Fox for my news). I couldn’t have been more pissed off reading the article about how Obama is considering taxing some people’s health benefits (aka MINE) to help pay for universal healthcare. Sure, why not… my taxes are already going to be going up, why not hit me again? It is truly sad that I actually sat in the chair getting my haircut thinking about outher countries to move to. I then remember that I do live in the greatest country in the world and would be foolish to move somewhere else. Nowhere is perfect. Now, I know Lisa Hilger and perhaps a few other lefties out there will respond with the traditional leftist line of “now you know how we felt for the last 8 years”. That’s just one of those rehearsed lines, doesn’t prove or disprove any stance, so I am quick to discount things like that.
You know, fact of the matter is, while I do not think GW Bush was the best president, or even in the top few, I can say this… I proudly support the Republican stance on taxes, and whole heartedly disagree with disproportionally taxing the upper class to pay for the lower class. Don’t get me wrong, I most certainly do realize that there are those who are legitimately struggling while working very hard, and that these people do need help. I am reminded to my oldest sister’s struggles a few years back when her husband was very ill, awaiting a kidney transplant. My sister is a teacher (who chooses to teach in a lower economic school, mind you) and my brother in law, at the time, was working for a fire truck manufacturing plant in Casper. Their medical bills were piling up, and finances were most certainly tight. But they worked (literally) through it… Mike continued working as much as he could through it all. They didn’t sit back waiting for the government to bail them out… they perservered. I am proud of them for that. They cut expenses, took some hits on their credit, etc. but today they are better people for it. By the way, I should point out that I am also so proud of my sister for having been an educator for so many years but not a card carrying member of the teachers’ union… er, “professional organization”… you know, the one that protects the very poor teachers that are ruining public education… yeah, that one. Wow, I am all over the place….
Back to my political talking points… I, Ryan Elledge, support smaller government with less interference. I support health care for those who truly need help getting it, but I don’t support mandates to small businesses and penalties to those businesses who just can’t afford better plans. I do not believe in nor support in any way the ACLU. I love GITMO and the fact that it helps keep the really bad people in the world from doing more really bad things. I admire and support our troops and their actions, and I pray that they will continue to get the funding that they need… which, by the way, they need more of (I am thankful that it looks like there is a 4% increase in the DOD budget under Obama… while it is not much more, it is more and not less, so that is a surprise to me from the Big BO). I think unions ruin business… they had there place in history, but now they should be history… and of course I think this because I believe someone who starts a business and puts his/her butt on the line should get to make the rules for the business, not the people working for him/her. I think the legal system is a mess and contributes to a lot of the pitfalls in our country, including our health care issues. I support COBRA, but not the new Obama changes to COBRA where employees terminated for cause get 65% of their COBRA paid by the very business who had to let them go (yes, I know the business will get tax credits, but it creates a financial strain on the business). You know, higher taxes on businesses and making them pay these things ultimately leads to additional layoffs… it is the anti-job creation model. For those of you who don’t understand what I am talking about, just know that I deal with these things daily as an executive for a tech company which employees nearly 200 people). I think I am OK with Obama reversing the stem cell policy of Bush, but I honestly don’t know enough about it to really have a good opinion. I do love the idea that it can help cure other illnesses, and that is why I at least think it might be ok. I, of course, do not like Obama’s strategy of blaming the last administration for every ill that we have, because the President just does’t have that much power… it takes a joint effort of the three branches, and the Dem’s have controlled congress since 2006. I don’t like Pelosi… at all. Ultimate hypocrit right there. Oddly enough, I hear Dems bashing and fearing here, too… just not sure how she is in the position she is in. I just throw my hands up on that one. I do support a major overhaul of the tax system in the United States. On the surface, I like the idea of getting rid of the income tax and turning to taxation on what you buy… get the drug dealers, prostitutes, gamblers, etc. all paying their fair share (oh and guess what, the rich will continue to carry the tax burden since they have the means to buy more). I do not believe in abortion, unless the birth would put the mother’s health at risk or in the case of rape. Better put, I don’t believe in abortion as a form of birth control. I support the legalization of marijuana, and I actually applaud the Obama administration for pulling the hounds off going after state-legalized dispenseries… and no, I don’t support it because I am a user, I just believe that the government and our jails would be better off with the taxes which would be generated from it being legal, the decrease in prisoners who possess/use/distribute it, and the savings to the budget for not fighting it (you should watch Marijuana, Inc. on CNBC if you haven’t already).
Ugh, I am done for now, that is too much for anyone to really read or care about on this fine Sunday afternoon. I just know that I like fairness, and I really don’t feel like we’re heading to fairness right now. I am not implying or suggesting everything was fair under the Bush administration… no doubt there was some BS that shouldn’t have happened and people playing by different rules, but I would be surprised if anyone could ever convince me that the current changes and suggestions are fair. Time will tell, I guess… but I suggest in 2 more years when the problems persist, we’ll still be blaming the previous 8 years.
I miss my Braelyn and my Rebecca (the house is a disaster!). Can’t wait to see you both in a few days. My thoughts and prayers are with my sister Wenday and her family as they cope with having to put down their dog this past week.
Hope you all have a great week, whether you agree with me or you don’t.
–RElledge
Oh Really? You Had Me Fooled For A Minute…
March 14, 2009 by Ryan Elledge
I had know idea what the agenda was, but now it is clear to me…
[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]
Comment on How Do You Say Good-bye by Ryan Elledge
March 12, 2009 by Lecher.us
Big B,
Sorry for your loss, I am thinking of you all. She was a great dog and she definitely lived every day knowing how much she was loved. She was so fortunate to have a great family like yours. So many dogs don’t find their way into families who really make them a part of the family, but Cassey sure did.
Love ya all, thoughts and prayers with you.
Comment on I HATE THIS PART RIGHT HERE! by Ryan Elledge
March 12, 2009 by Lecher.us
Court,
So sorry for the pain you all are feeling right now. Casey has definitely been a great dog. I am reminded of a prayer I see everytime I take Hoover to the vet. The last lines of the prayer, titled A Dog’s Prayer by Beth Norman Harris, reads:
And, beloved master, should the great Master see fit to deprive me of my health, do not turn me away from you. Rather hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest–and I will leave you knowing with the last breath I drew, my fate was ever safest in your hands.
—
You can rest assured Casey lived a great, long life knowing the whole time how much she was loved. I remember feeling so sorry for her as you and your brothers would lug her around, by the neck as you indicated, but she loved every bit of it. One couldn’t ask for a more loyal, caring, good dog. We will all miss her. But, as the Dog Prayer said, she leaves this earth knowing that her fate was always safest in your hands.
Love you Courtney, and all the Lecher’s. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
The Number 43
March 11, 2009 by Ryan Elledge
* 43 is the 14th smallest prime number
* The checmical element with atomic number 43 is technetium
* Former major leagure Dennis Eckersley wore number 43 for the Oakland Athletics, and they have retired that number
* 43 is an Interstate in Wisconsin
* You use country code 43 if you’re dialing Austrailia
* Pink Floyd’s album Dark Side of the Moon is 43 minutes long
* George W Bush was the 43rd President of the United States
* 43 years ago, my mom and dad said “I do” and apparently, they meant it!
Yep, today, March 11, 2009 is the 43rd anniversary of my parents, Steve and Vickie. That makes the number 43 special today, and why I chose to blog about the number. Thanks to Wikipedia for some factoids on the number… sadly, they didn’t have the most important one. To my mom and dad, congratulations and thank you for all you have done for me and our family. Thanks for watching Braelyn this week. I love you both and am so thankful that you two are who you are, and that you have made it so long. Enjoy the rest of this special day and know I love you and miss you both. Happy Anniversary! Love, Ryan March 9, 2009 by Ryan Elledge Please note I did not write the above piece, it came to me via e-mail. I have no idea who John J Wall is, or if it is merely an alias. I find the piece entertaining. I do think it makes some points, though. I do not support two countries being formed, and I don’t like that the two “sides” are so far apart on a lot of items, but it does counter a lot of the left’s complaints against the right. March 9, 2009 by Ryan Elledge Some fun SpAm iS KoOl, passed on to me from friend Eli Bowman. Ryan likes. ==== Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, We’ve stuck together since the late 1950s, but the whole of this So here’s a model separation agreement. Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by land mass, each We don’t like redistributive taxes so you can have those. You are We’ll keep the capitalism, the greedy corporations, the pharmaceutical You can be nice to Iran and Palestine and we’ll retain the right to We will keep the SUVs, the pickup trucks and the oversize luxury cars. And since it so offends you, we will keep our history, our name and Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along other like-minded Sincerely, John J Wall Law student and an American P.S. You can also have Barbara Streisand and Jane Fonda March 8, 2009 by Lecher.us heyy…ryan so i just read your post and since you were to lazy to go back and count my lols i did. HAHA. i changed it. i had 16 lols tho. i think that i just have a great sense of humor…HAHA…not. but the weather sure has droped since tuesday right know it is 24 and i have 3 softball games so that needs to rise a little bit. oh look at the time i only have 5 more minutes to blog cause then it is off to play some ball in the freezing cold. bbbbbbuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrr. i am looking forward to it just not in the cold tho so that should be freezing. haha i hope the temp rasies. well i have no clue what to talk about for 5 more minutes so i will go and get ready for this freezing game… March 8, 2009 by Ryan Elledge at least in the case of losing an hour of sleep last night. I think that is a good thing, because I love the fact that it will be daylight longer. So in this case, losing is good. Speaking of losing… I am in a state of total disbelief on the continued honeymoon period for President Obama. I was going to blog about it earlier in the week, but didn’t get a chance. I read an article on MSNBC.com about how Obama’s popularity numbers continue to rise and are at an “all-time” high. Yet, the same article talked about his policy approval rating heading the other direction. When will the honeymoon period end? This guy is ramroding costly policy through that just doesn’t feel right. Wall Street seems to dislike Obama and his policies, that is for sure. I think if Obama would just stay off the television for a few days, the markets might jump up a bit. And any lefties out there that want to say who cares about what the Street thinks and how corrupt that is… well, the economy needs to care about what the Street is doing. I’ve been looking for a correlation study around Obama talking and signing legislation and the drop of the markets… I’m sure that study is out there somewhere. Enough on politics, I don’t want to ruin t he rest of my last day before Monday. I am not looking forward to tomorrow. I have to get Rebecca and Braelyn to the airport for their 6am flight. Yep, that means my day will start uncomfortably early, as in that 3am hour. And, while I would like to get back home and snag a few hours of sleep before work, that won’t happen as in the 7am hour I will have to take Spencer to school. Yep, tomorrow morning is all about Ryan’s Taxi Service. As tomorrow approaches, I am starting to get sad a bit that I am not going to see my baby girl for over a week! I know she will be in great hands in Casper with mom, dad and all the family. And I plan on seeing her everyday on web cam, but not beginning my day everyday seeing her terrorize my bathroom and giving me that cute grin and kiss is going to be weird. Gonna miss my little angel, that is for sure. Rebecca is headed to Maui with most of the Murphy clan. I am staying back here to work and dog sit. Oh, it will be somewhat of a vacation for me, too… I get the whole bed, not just an 1/8th. Well, I guess that won’t be true because I have a feeling Hoover will take most of the bed while Rebecca is out of town. Speaking of Braelyn, she is coming down with another ear infection… at least her plane ride will only be an hour and a half tomorrow, and we got her on some medicine last night. She seems to be doing fine but you can see it in her eyes that she isn’t 100%. I just hope she will do great for mom and dad. I’m pretty sure she will, but this will be the longest period of her not being with us and it is a bit sad. Sounds like Spencer and his friend just got up and around. Let the noise of the day begin…. I love reading my niece’s blogs. I didn’t realize just how many LOL’s one could fit into a 500 word blog… I should go back and count, but I think I’ll just guess it was about 50. Ok, I didn’t really say much this morning but I thought I would check in. Time to clean up this mess in my office. Catch ya’ll later. –REComment on Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, by Ryan Elledge
Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters,
latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I
know that we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of
future generations, but sadly this relationship has run its course.
Our two ideological sides of America cannot and just will not ever
agree on what’s right. So let’s just end it right now while we can do
it on friendly terms. We can smile, shake hands, chalk it up to
irreconcilable differences and each go our own way.
taking a portion. That’s going to be the difficult part, but I’m sure
our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should
be relatively easy. Our respective representatives can effortlessly
divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate
taste.
welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU.
And since you hate guns and you hate war, we’ll take the firearms, the
cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and
Rosie O’Donnell. But you are going to be responsible for finding a
biodiesel vehicle big enough to haul them around.
companies; we will keep Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have the
homeless, the homeboys, the hippies and illegal aliens. We will keep
the hot Alaskan hockey moms, the greedy CEOS and all of the rednecks.
We’ll keep the Bibles and we’ll let you have NBC and Hollywood.
invade and hammer anybody that threatens us.
You can have the peaceniks and the war protesters. When our allies or
our way of life are under assault, we will provide them with security.
You won’t have to worry about it. We will keep our Judeo-Christian
values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley
Maclaine. You can also have the UN, but we will no longer pay the
bill.
You can have the compacts, the subcompacts and every Subaru station
wagon you can find. You can give everybody healthcare, if you can find
any practicing doctors. We will continue to believe that healthcare is
a privilege and not a right. We will keep “The Battle Hymn of the
Republic” and the national anthem, and I am sure you will be happy to
substitute in their place “Imagine.” I’d like to teach the world to
sing “Kumbaya” or “We are the world.” We will practice trickle-down
economics and you can give trickle-up poverty your best shot.
our flag.
liberal and conservative patriots. And if you do not agree, just hit
delete. In the friendly spirit of parting, I’ll bet you ANWAR which
one of us will need whose help in about 15 years.HEYY!
and 
haha. ok time to go.
LoVe YoU <3
CourtneyLosing is Good…
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