Five Hundred Words

Russ Carnahan was elected to represent my district after living here somewhere south of four years.  While certainly a longer tenure than Hillary’s few months before becoming New York’s senator, it still seems odious that he came here to first become a Missouri House representative, and then landed the Federal job after Dick Gephardt retired.

I would pretty much vote for a ham sandwich rather than be represented by a carpet-bagger. Worse, Carnahan proved to be to the left of even Dick Gephardt.  He voted for TARP, Porkulus, and Cap and Trade.  He’s all for Obamacare.  It has been as if San Francisco has two elected representatives.

Over the years, the GOP has fielded candidates, each slowly inching closer to the critical 51% mark to unseat the incumbent. Russ won in 2008 with a surprisingly narrow 53%.  Had he not been buoyed by President Obama’s historic election, William Federer may have been our Representative. God bless Bill, he is sitting this election out.

I had lunch with Ed Martin the other day.  He’s an attorney who will run against Carnahan in 2010.

Ed is no ham sandwich.
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My aging Dodge minivan began to show its age a few months ago. Already on its second transmission, the old gal’s 3rd gear began to intermittently jump in and out at highway speeds. This van was assembled in 1994, four years before the Germans took over, 13 years before Cerberus and 15 years before the Government took it over and arranged a shotgun marriage with Fiat.

I can say it has been a solid used car. I have never, and probably never will, buy a car new. Used cars make far more financial sense, even accounting for repair … Continue Reading

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I have a beat up hat.  Khaki in color, it has the emblem of the American Red Cross, a logo as recognizable as anything in the world, save for Coca-Cola.  Composed of fairly sturdy cotton with a nice stiff brim, it features a Velcro closure.  This last is vast improvement over those wretched plastic doo-dads with the holes and the knobs you snap together.  With my giant melon, I always have to mate the last knob on the last hole. I think it makes my head look like someone is trying dress up a pumpkin to look like a trucker.

My … Continue Reading

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Monday begins my second week working out. Today I weighed myself, and learned that the modest dieting and moderate to heavy exercise has netted me a .012% loss of my total mass. I am quite pleased, though I am realistic about staying on this trajectory. I am packing my lunch, bringing along many small items that I eat every hour or two. I read somewhere that it takes about 100 calories to fire up the digestion engine. Eat three 800 calorie meals, and you expend 300 calories digesting 2400 calories for a net of 2100 … Continue Reading

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First Monday of the new year I purposed to go back to the gym regularly. I have never been a gym rat, but when my gym was just across the street it was a good deal easier to get into the habit of working out over lunchtime.

I don’t enjoy exercise, with the exception of cycling. I do love to ride my bike, and can be found doing just that when the weather gets somewhat agreeable. Toward the end of 2008 I was not able to saddle up and spin very much, and now I fear I have … Continue Reading

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I am ready for 2008 to be over. I can’t tell exactly because it has been dreadful, or because I am just weary of the roller coaster ride it has been.

On the plus side, a lot of good things have happened. My son was married to an adorable young woman who has been his sweetheart since high school. This improbable event was unthinkable not too long ago. If anything, I know that I have worries, God has purposes.

Normally I have a skeptical eye for media histrionics on the economy. Our economic engine has climbed … Continue Reading

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Saturday night and Sunday afternoon were spent toiling away in my workshop, cobbling together the raw parts for a set of Christmas gifts for my two sons and daughter-in-law.

I am indeed a cheap weasel, but my goal was not to transform scrap plywood into inexpensive presents doomed to a landfill, but to help the grandkids make something for their moms an dads. Both my boys work hard and their kids love them. I wanted to give them the opportunity to express that love with their hands and spend some “grandpa” time with them.

You would be surprised how much time it … Continue Reading

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Kaylee, my little blond granddaughter, has for most of her life been Grandma’s girl. Gemey picks her up almost every week, and they hang out together. Sometimes it’s just the two of them, many times with her two cousins. Kaylee seems to enjoy both situations, the former because it is always cool to have an adult with a credit card all to yourself. The latter because a girl just can’t have enough boys to boss around.

I have observed over the years that there is a division in our grandchildren’s development. My wife is a nurturer … Continue Reading

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