National Poetry Month, Day 10

It's April fifteenth
You know what that means
There's no time for blogging
Or much anything.

I know. It's pretty weak as poetry goes. Blame it on Uncle Sam!

(Be back soon.)

Oh, and the above poem is an example of a quatrain, a 4-line poem (or stanza) with an alternating rhyme scheme. 

The Weekend

I am one post behind in my month of poetry. The weekend got the better of me! Phillip has been out of town and I have been playing Cantor in his absence. So in addition to my regular employment there were extra rehearsals and practicing to fit in. Plus, true to form, I left the taxes for the last minute. I spent much of yesterday on them as well as on several articles I have in the works. This morning there were two services as well as another rehearsal; then it was off to the nursing home where I play a couple of afternoons a month. I am now finally home after a stop at the grocery store, and I think I am DONE for the day. Where is my bartender when I need him? (Sigh. He won't be home until tomorrow.)

Will try to get back on the poetry tomorrow morning!

History Repeating Itself?

A few days ago at supper Caitlin and I were talking about Obamacare, the government spending battle, and the looming government shutdown. A little while into the conversation Evan asked, "Is that kind of like the Stamp Act?" He ran to get the the book about Benjamin Franklin that he has lately been reading and turned to the middle of the book:

Most Americans did not want to pay the new taxes. They wrote angry letters to the English government.

I told him that yes, it appeared there were some similarities. A king, or in our case a President, imposes an unpopular measure on the populace, resulting in great unrest and resistance. But further reading revealed that the similarities extend only so far:

Franklin agreed with the letters. He felt Americans should be free to make their own taxes. He worked hard against the Stamp Act.

The English decided they would have to listen to the Americans. They called a meeting. And they asked Benjamin Franklin to tell the American side of the story.

Franklin told the English that the Americans would never pay the new tax. He told them that the Americans would fight before they would pay it.

The English believed him. A few days later the government stopped the hated Stamp Act.

When the news got to America, there was great excitement. People cheered. Church bells rang out. Everyone knew what Franklin had done. He was a hero.

If only. 

Out of the Mouths of Eight-Year-Olds

Today as we were driving home from church Evan asked, "Mom, why do we have toll roads?" I explained that often city and/or state governments will build a new road to make automobile travel easier but will then install toll booths so as to collect fees to pay for the new road. I further explained that while those tolls are often represented as temporary measures, lasting for a set period of time until the road is paid for, they typically become permanent fixtures that ultimately extend in perpetuity, collecting money indefinitely. "Governments like to take as much money from the people as they can, and once they start taking it, they don't like to stop," I said.

My eight-year-old briefly pondered this statement, and then disdainfully responded:

"Government brutality."

Gone to Texas

Word for today from my Forgotten English calendar:

"gone to Texas" - An American expression for one who has decamped, leaving debts behind. It was, and is, no unusual thing for a man to display this notice--perhaps only the initials "G.T.T." on his door for the callers after he has absconded. - Trench Johnson's Phrases and Names: Their Origins and Meanings, 1906

So I guess "gone to Illinois" (as we did a number of years ago) must mean not that you're leaving debts behind but that you're taking them on? That's about how it seems to me, anyway, considering the financial situation of the state of Illinois and the coming 75% hike in the state income tax.

One of these days if you click on my blog and see nothing but a "Gone to Texas" sign you'll know it's because I could no longer afford to live in Illinois.

Tea Party

We went to a Tea Party yesterday--our first one. The day couldn't have been more lovely. Blue sky, 90 degrees, gorgeous.

According to the Chicago Tribune, there were about 500 attendees. I'm terrible at estimating numbers and distances and such, so I don't know if that's an accurate count. Here are some crowd shots. What do you think?

The speakers for the event included former Republican gubernatorial candidates Adam Andrzejewski and Dan Proft and Culture Campaign president and FOX News contributor Sandy Rios. Dan Proft was my personal choice for governor in the Illinois primary. Here's a shot of him speaking to the crowd:

On the way to the demonstration, I tried to explain a little to my son Evan about what we were doing. Not an easy thing to explain to a 6-year-old. It boiled down to something about government wanting to take our freedom and money so they can have more control. I told him about the Boston Tea Party but I don't know if he got that part. But something sank in. After we had been at the Tea Party a little while, he was saying he was tired and ready to go home because he was feeling "government sick." Aren't we all.

One of the warm-up speakers was a 19-year-old firefighter. I am sorry that I didn't get his name, but one of the organizers talked about having met him through his Facebook page and being very impressed with his intellect and writing ability. He was an excellent speaker as well. He talked about having just come from another Tea Party in Rockford and how as he was arriving in Naperville his thought was, "We aren't in Rockford anymore. Man, you guys have some nice stuff."

This morning as I was looking for reports on the tea party we attended, I came across a falsified write-up by a citizen reporter on a CNN site. I couldn't believe the untruths. It was completely made up and included the requisite description of "angry white people." Well, yeah, there's anger. I know I'm angry at what is happening to my country. But anger was not the prevailing mood. Instead, there was hope, love of country, determination, and optimism. There were parents, children, teenagers, working people, and retired people. And they weren't all white (although white people were the majority).

Here's a close-up of one of the angry mob. He's a handsome one, isn't he?

There was one counter-protester that I saw early on, walking around with an anti-Bush sign. The crowd essentially ignored him until he interrupted one of the speakers and was booed.

There was also an infiltrator. About halfway through the rally there was a lull, as the final two main speakers were running late. To fill some time, an impromptu speaker was allowed to come to the microphone. I don't remember who he was or if the organizers said they knew him. But it turned out to be a mistake to let him speak. He began by talking about the government radios that the Nazis provided citizens during WWII, and how those radios were a tool of political indoctrination because they only gave the government side of things. Then he started rattling off a list of conservative talk radio and television personalities. The crowd was cheering the names and probably thinking, like I was, that his point was going to be that these people help provide the balance to the American mainstream media that are so skewed to the liberal perspective. But as he wrapped up his list it became clear instead that he was comparing the list of names he had just recited to the disinformation apparatus of the Nazis. He was quickly asked to leave the stage, and he did so without resisting. The event emcee handled the faux pas well, saying that we don't have to agree with him but he has a right to his opinion.

This should go without saying, but the comparison is completely illogical. A better comparison would be to sites like Yahoo, where many people in this country get their "news," not realizing that their information source is biased and selective.

A few more pictures. I was glad for the fountain, which kept Evan entertained for a while.

We ended up leaving before it was over, due to Evan's government-sickness and everyone else's schedule demands. But it was a great afternoon and I'm so glad we went. As I posted on Facebook yesterday, in home school we spent April 14 learning how to file our taxes, and April 15 learning how to protest them. What a country.

One thing I couldn't help noticing as we walked the few blocks to our car was the business parking lots. Notice the empty spaces. Remarkable, don't you think, that none of the protesters decided to "borrow" those spaces? They must have a healthy respect not only for the rule of law but also for small business. What a surprise.

It's Coming

I have heard it from several people in recent days, most notably Charles Krauthammer. Get ready for a national sales (value added) tax. Obama has had it in his pocket all along and now it won't be long until he pulls it out.

America is speaking, Mr. President. Are you listening?

Earlier this week President Obama referred to Americans who oppose his government-expanding and overspending policies as liars and obstructionists. Yesterday a disputed number of those so-called liars assembled in Washington, D.C. (the estimates range anywhere from tens of thousands to several million). American Thinker has published the observations of several demonstrators, along with a link to a time-lapse YouTube video showing the progress of the 3-4 hour march in just one or two minutes. It is worth noting that there was no violence and no disturbing of the peace, nor was there a big name figurehead spearheading the event. It was instead the result of the vision and execution of everyday citizens across the country, people like you and me, who are tired of being ignored. Similar demonstrations were held in other cities around the nation. Lots and lots of people are trying to speak to this President. The question is, is he listening? And will he truly try to understand instead of assigning to the demonstrators straw man positions that do not represent their true worries and fears?

I don't know if he has yet had any reaction to the march. It would not surprise me if he completely ignored it. To comment on it at all would probably, in his mind, grant it legitimacy and additional media attention. But whether he listens or not, the "Tea Party" Americans are not going to go away, be quiet, or give up. One thing I can give Mr. Obama credit for: I think he may have awakened the proverbial sleeping giant. The question is, does he even care whether or not he and his party retain power? If so, there may yet be hope of putting the brakes on cap and trade and socialized medicine and more harm to the economy, not to mention the ongoing compromising of national security. But my fear is that he and his posse may be willing to fall on their swords if it means furthering their agenda. Perhaps they are thinking that if the power grab is big and successful enough, they will ultimately be able to reclaim control even if they temporarily lose it. If so, they aren't going to listen to the giant, no matter how loudly he stomps.
And that means that this giant better not go back to sleep anytime soon. Because even if he succeeds in ridding himself of the current administration in a few years, he may have to face the effects for a long time to come, in which case he needs to keep on stomping to have any hope of reversing the damage that has been done.

And These Are The People Who Want to Run Health Care?

Back in April, oh around the 15th of the month, my 16yo son wrote a check to the Internal Revenue Service. It's not that he made enough money in wages to owe taxes, but rather that he won enough chess tournaments to do so. You see, prize winnings are not subject to to the same exemption as wages. Taxes must be paid on every single cent. So my son, being the good citizen that he is, sent Uncle Sam his cut.

Imagine our puzzlement, then, when a month or so later he got a bill from dear old "Unc" for unpaid taxes plus interest and penalties. But, but . . . he paid! We checked with the bank and sure enough, the money had come out of the account. So we printed off copies of the cancelled check, front and back, and sent them in, trusting that this would settle things.

Hahahahahahahah. Apparently, Uncle Sam is not only greedy, but his eyesight is going, too. Yesterday another letter came. Apparently the tracking numbers on the check do not meet Uncle's legibility requirements. Another copy of the check has been requested, along with a form on which we have been directed to write down all the numbers that have been stamped on the check in the endorsement area. Let it be noted that these are the numbers Uncle Sam himself stamped on the check. Apparently he can stamp but he can't do so legibly enough that he can go back and read the numbers later. So he needs us to help him with that, poor dear.

So let's get this straight. My 16yo son made a couple of thousand dollars last year at most. A portion of that was prizewinnings. He paid his tax as required by law. The IRS cashed the check. And now for almost six months they have been spending unnecessary time and money harassing a minor about $150 that he already paid them. This is the same government that can't seem to send out the checks it promised to dealers in the Cash for Clunkers program or make timely Medicare payments (don't get me started on that one). And they think they can establish and enforce a huge new bureaucracy, one equivalent to one-sixth of this country's economy, and get it right?

Oh, I forgot. We're the only ones that have to get it right. They're the government. They don't have to actually get it right--they just have to pronounce it right, and it's so. That's what bullies do. Even old, fat, blind, drunk with power Uncles who say they care about you but are really just looking for a few more easy bucks to feed their gluttonous ways.

Memo to Uncle Sam: My son, like so many other young people, is working hard right now so that he won't have to depend on his Rich Uncle in the years to come. Leave him alone, will you?

New Accompanist Orientation, or "We Have Nothing Like That Here"

I have now clocked in six days in my new job as a staff accompanist at a suburban Chicagoland high school. The school is a new one that just opened its doors last week. It is still in the building stage and is currently only welcoming freshmen and sophomores. I am working part-time, approximately 7-10 a.m. mornings and one evening per week.

It has been a long time since I have spent any time as a high school insider. Of course, I was a high school student once, in a small, rural Texas town (my graduating class had around 160). I also spent three years teaching secondary level English in my twenties. So I have experienced high school from both sides of the lectern. But what I have seen in the last week is nothing like what I remember from either of those vantage points. Times, as they say, have changed.

When construction is completed this $125 million facility will include a state of the art auditorium and fine arts wing (with midi labs, practice rooms, and sculpture garden); a football stadium with two practice fields; two soccer fields, two baseball fields, and two softball fields; an aquatic complex; a greenhouse with rooftop garden; and, of course, the latest in computer technology and media. I am impressed by the design of the building, which makes extensive use of natural lighting; windows, expansive and plentiful, are a prominent feature of all corridors and classrooms.

I am also impressed by what I have seen of student life at the school. It strikes me as much more similar to my college than my high school experience. Course offerings are extensive. Students design their own schedules based on educational and vocational goals. The library is immense, the lockers full-size (in my high school everyone had a 50/50 chance of getting a lower locker, which meant a year of stooping and bending and getting bumped on the head). The staff that I have met strike me as well-credentialed, professional, and positive. I hope these students appreciate how blessed they are.

On the other hand, some of the things that I remember from my own high school days are missing, and I think the effect is unfortunate. When I was in high school, teachers were inextricably connected to their rooms. When you entered a classroom you were entering that teacher's world. The way the room was arranged for learning said much about the teacher and his or her personality, values, and style. I have seen teachers whose rooms were furnished almost like homes, with rugs and rocking chairs and refrigerators and microwave ovens (and I'm talking upper level, not elementary teachers). But at this school the teacher's home base is his or her office (or, more likely, cubicle), and the classroom is only a teaching space which he occupies for one period. As a result, the rooms, as clean and beautiful as they are, lack personality. No motivational posters, bulletin boards, visual learning aids, displays of student work, or other teacher-specific content is to be found (except for those rooms where roaming is impossible, such as the choir room, band hall, and art department). When you go to English literature it's just the teacher and a roomful of desks: no Elizabethan timelines, diagrams of the Globe theater, or drawings of great writers lining the walls. And in my opinion something is lost in that paradigm. (Of course, the ability for a teacher to display politically charged materials is also weakened, and that may be a good thing.)

Something is also amiss when luxury items and technology and replace basic learning tools. In the first week of school I have been unable to acquire staples such as paper clips, scissors, index cards, tape, and colored markers: none of the aforementioned were included in the supply package provided to each classroom, and they are apparently not to be found anywhere else on campus (or if they are, they're being hidden and hoarded). In my search for these elusive items, I encountered one sympathetic secretary in the main office who seemed ready to raid whatever stores she could find; but when a clearly more senior secretary gave her the evil eye she demurred. I was told that my department had a budget for such things and that they would have to be ordered through it. So much for that lesson on sharing in second grade.

Then there was the quest for the paper cutter. The choir director with whom I was working had created some ensemble audition sheets to pass out to his students. They were not lengthy, so to conserve paper he put two on a page. My task was to cut the pages in half. Simple, right? Think again. Here beginneth my paper cutter odyssey.

Against my better judgement, I started with the main office. The previously sympathetic secretary, now properly indoctrinated, flatly told me, "We have nothing like that here." So it was on to the grade-level offices. No luck there either, or in the teacher lounge. Finally someone took pity on me and said, "I think they have one in the library." Upon my arrival I was kindly welcomed::cue heartwarming music:: and pointed to the object of my desire. I guess librarians still appreciate the value of sharing--all that book-lending, you know?

Now, perhaps my expectations are set unfairly high. The ribbon cutting ceremony was just last week, after all. But I can't help wondering: if it's possible, on the first day of school, to have fully-equipped computer labs, a portable Lumens in every classroom (these are so totally cool--I would have loved one when I was teaching school), and five octaves of marimbas, is a box of paper clips too much to ask for?

(P.S. One other revolutionary development that I would have loved in my teaching days is the online gradebook whereby teachers can post up-to-the-minute grades for parents to log in and see. No more sending out progress reports or chasing down parents to alert them to their child's falling behind. All they have to do is log in, and it's all there in black and white. It's great because it puts the responsibility on the child and his or her parents. Parents can even set up their account so as to receive an alert when their child's average falls below a certain level. The only problem with that in my Type A community is that according to one of my co-workers there are parents who will set up the alert to come when the average falls below a 92. Sigh.)

Tea Parties

I didn't get to go to a tea party protest Wednesday. In addition to nursing sick children, I had to finish and mail our taxes, attend a funeral, take my son to the orthodontist, and teach piano lessons. But I was there in spirit, and I have appreciated reading articles and blog posts by those who attended and seeing photos and video coverage on television.

Unsurprisingly, however, the MSM are in general not covering the tea party protests accurately. Some outlets have portrayed the protesters as right-wing extremest fanatics and the protests as Republican propaganda. For an example, check out this post by Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake. The MSM just don't seem to get it. People are angry, and it's not just Republicans, but Democrats and Libertarians and Independents and others. And yes, they're angry at Barack Obama--he's the one in power right now--but the anger is directed not just at him. They realize the problem is systemic. But they also see him as making it infinitely worse. I think what bothers me most is how the protests are being played as only a tax revolt. I guess given that they happened on April 15 and hearken back to the revolutionaries who protested taxation without representation, I can't blame reporters for making that connection. But as Jane explains, this is about so much more than taxes. Ultimately, it's about freedom, and the fear that we have come to a place in our history where we are getting ready to lose the basic freedoms that once defined us as a nation.

One of the articles I read about the tea parties described a number of signs carried by the protesters. My favorite by far was this one:

OBAMA: One Big Awful Mistake, America.

The good news is that the ultimate power in this country still resides with the people. But it's up to them to use it. Maybe the sleeping giant is finally starting to wake up and we are seeing the beginnings of something that will lead to real hope and change rather than the narcotic version our politicians will keep pouring down our throats as long as we let them.

Change

It's what he promised. Here's a glimpse into some of the changes we can expect.

Thoughts on the Economy

Have you noticed that while the President-Elect has stated his intention to remain quiet on international affairs until he takes office (not wanting to step on the current occupant's toes), he is not at all shy about speaking out on the economy? (This is not my own observation. I stole it from someone, but can't remember the source.)

Does anyone besides me find it illogical that the government is going to take more money from us so that it can give us more money?

Did you happen to see the Republican response to Obama's economic speech yesterday (or was it the day before)? John Boehner and Mitch McConnell were doing their best to look like it mattered what they had to say. But the glazed looks in their eyes and the whipped expressions on their faces spoke much louder than their words.

It's going to be a very long four years. And yes, I'm holding out for no more than four.

Gambling on the Future

Remember this song?

On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,

I met up with the gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.

So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness

'Til boredom overtook us, and he began to speak.

He said, "Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,

And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.

And if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.

For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice."

So I handed him my bottle and he drank down my last swallow.

Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.

And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.

Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,

Know when to walk away and know when to run.

You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.

There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'

Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.

'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,

And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

And when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,

Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep.

And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler, he broke even.

But in his final words I found an ace that I could keep.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,

Know when to walk away and know when to run.

You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.

There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

(Kenny Rogers, "The Gambler")

Just read an excellent column at American Thinker, a site that all conservatives should know about, that Gambler-like asks and attempts to answer what are right now the two million-dollar questions: what battles--at least for the foreseeable future--have conservatives lost? And in what battles do we still stand a chance of prevailing? If we can answer those questions with some accuracy we can focus our energy where we actually have a chance of making a difference.

The list of areas in which the author, Larrey Anderson, says we have been beaten and should resign ourselves to the Obama agenda is frightening:

1) The Judiciary
2) Socialized Health Care
3) Higher Taxes
4) The War on Terror
5) Bailouts

Here are the areas in which he says we should keep fighting:

1) Illegal immigration
2) Education
3) Freedom of Religious Expression
4) Global Warming/Energy

I encourage you to go read the entire article to see what he specifically says about each of these areas, both the ones he claims we have lost and we ones in which we still have a fighting chance.

Anderson ends with this admonition:

"My advice to conservatives for the next two years: Focus on the fundamentals--especially education and freedom of religious expression. It will be almost impossible for us to stop most of the socialist political agenda that will soon be law. We must educate our children, our neighbors, and ourselves in an effort to insure that next time around 'we don't get fooled again.'"

Good advice for any time, but never moreso than right now. I'm more convinced than ever that Christian homeschoolers may be the force that rises up in the next generation to lead this country back to its roots.

I think I'll go work on indoctrinating a few members of that next generation right now.

An Encouraging Thought

During his campaign, President-Elect Obama somehow managed to paint himself as a tax-cutter. What he did not share with the American people, however, and what most of the mainstream media also did not point out, is his plan to let the George W. Bush tax cuts expire. This will of course amount to a tax increase, not only an increase in tax rates but the disappearance of the child tax credit that has been such a help to American families.

But here's reason to hope. I believe the Bush tax cuts are set to expire in 2010. That means when we pay our taxes in 2011 we will still be benefiting from them. Assuming President Obama does allow them to expire, that means when we all sit down to pay our 2011 taxes, it will be 2012. Now think about this for a minute, my dear readers . . . what happens in 2012?

Exactly. Election year. So either Obama thinks twice about letting those tax cuts expire, or he goes ahead and lets them expire and the American people feel the hit right before they have to choose a president.

Thank God for democracy.

Speak for Yourself, Mr. Obama

A recent column on Barack Obama by Mark Steyn reminded me of one of the Clinton-Obama debates I watched some months ago on CNN. During this portion of the debate, the topic at hand was health care. Of course, both Clinton and Obama are in favor of nationalizing and socializing this country's health care system and paying for it in part by allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire. At one point Obama was asked how if nominated he would counter the Republican charge--sure to come in the general election--that he is just another tax and spend liberal. He essentially acknowledged that fact--for which I respect his honesty--but then went on to argue that because it is "the right thing to do" he is willing to spend the money. According to Obama, the Bush tax cuts mostly benefited wealthy people who can afford to pay more to support such a good cause.

In promoting his plan to raise taxes, Candidate Obama then looked around the audience and remarked on the fine apparel of those present, suggesting that they and he could certainly pay a little more to help provide health care for those who need it. And considering some of the faces I saw in the audience, I'm sure he's right. But I would submit that when it comes to Americans' ability to afford a tax increase, Mr. Obama should speak only for himself, because the Obamas' $480,000 per year income (not counting book royalties) is a far cry from mine and my husband's annual income, and for us the Bush tax cuts & credits have made a huge difference in our bottom line over the past few years. I am panicked at the thought of losing them.

The $480,000 figure comes from Mark Steyn's recent column on "Obama's Pastor Disaster"--it is worth a complete read, and I encourage you to do so by clicking here. But if time is short, at least read the excerpt below:

The song the Rev. Wright won't sing is by Irving Berlin, a contemporary of Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin and Lorenz Hart, all the sophisticated rhymesters. But only Berlin could have written without embarrassment "God Bless America." He said it directly, unaffectedly, unashamedly – in seven words:

"God Bless America
Land that I love."

Berlin was a Jew, and he suffered slights: He grew up in the poverty of New York's Lower East Side. When he made his name and fortune, his marriage to a Park Avenue heiress resulted in her expulsion from the Social Register. In the Thirties, her sister moved in with a Nazi diplomat and proudly flaunted her diamond swastika to Irving. But Berlin spent his infancy in Temun, Siberia (until the Cossacks rode in and razed his village), and he understood the great gift he'd been given:

"God Bless America
Land that I love."

The Rev. Wright can't say those words. His shtick is:

"God d*** America
Land that I loathe.

I understand the Ellis Island experience of Russian Jews was denied to blacks. But not to Obama. His experience surely isn't so different to Berlin's – except that Barack got to go to Harvard. Obama's father was a Kenyan, he spent his childhood in Indonesia, and he ought to thank his lucky stars that he's running for office in Washington rather than Nairobi or Jakarta.

Instead, his whiny wife, Michelle, says that her husband's election as president would be the first reason to have "pride" in America, and complains that this country is "downright mean" and that she's having difficulty finding money for their daughters' piano lessons and summer camp. Between them, Mr. and Mrs. Obama earn $480,000 a year (not including book royalties from "The Audacity Of Hype," but they're whining about how tough they have it to couples who earn 48 grand – or less. Yes, we can. But not on a lousy half-million bucks a year.

God has blessed America, and blessed the Obamas in America, and even blessed the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose bashing of his own country would be far less lucrative anywhere else on the planet. The "racist" here is not Geraldine Ferraro but the Rev. Wright, whose appeals to racial bitterness are supposed to be everything President Obama will transcend. Right now, it sounds more like the same-old same-old.

"God Bless America
Land that I love."

Take it away, Michelle.
--Mark Steyn

My Tax Dollars At Work

Evidence that perhaps my local government officials have a little too much time (and money) on their hands (or maybe they've been hanging out with Shel Silverstein):