The Damage is Done

Packers roll, and with it hand Detroit their season of imperfection. 0-16 is an impressive feat.

Just Give Me A Simple Life

Sometimes life gives you lemons. It's what you do with the lemons that determines success and failure in life. Do you hold onto them for all their worth, never enjoying the sweet taste? Or do you squeeze them for every drop, knowing full well that you only live once?

It doesn't take much to make me happy. Give me a place to live, good food, friends, family, and a sense of purpose in life. The past week of family, friends, not to mention GREAT food really reinforced my yearning for family. A holiday season presented a festival of good times for all it seemed. It didn't matter if you were 50+, under 10, or anywhere in between. Good times were had by all. It was a simple week filled with laughs. It was a simple week filled with mispronunciation (Oh-bam-uh, Grun-olm), partisan and nonpartisan politics, beer, spoons, and illegal bread bowls. Talk of college, career, and portfolios was a given, but there was plenty of talk about root beer floats, hand grenades, and Rosie O'Donnell as well.

The Porter family leads a simple life.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

After all, we're lead by example.

Over

Coming This January...

Socialism Fails in the Big 3 For Another Day

With the refusal of the $14 billion helper from the United States taxpayers by the U.S. Senate, the auto industry in America faces uncertain times. Let us not forget, however, that they’ve brought this on themselves with poor management and lack of foresight for energy efficient vehicles. The one thing they couldn’t predict, however, was this “perfect storm” credit crunch. The auto industries are unable to get any line of credit through private investments and lenders. This is a sign of not only the lack of trust that they can be paid back, but it also points back to the inability of the Federal Reserve to tame the problems of debt increases in America.

When I was young I always looked to my parents, immediate family, and teachers/mentors for advice and example. What easier example could we look at than our own government? This is where we’re lead astray. For years we’ve racked up a federal deficit that’s uncomprehendable by even Bill Gates’ standards. Living by a credit card, and a line of credit courtesy of Communist China – we’ve outstretched our own Treasury. This has lead to an increase in credit gouging by everyday Americans. It is said that the average American has 5 credit cards in their possession at a single time.

So what has the “lame duck” George Bush done in this time of economic uncertainty for the Big 3? He’s simply kicking the can down the road, waiting for Barack Obama to take over. The President has given in to the left and is agreeing with anything they put on his desk at this point. Bush was on board with the $700 billion package for Wall Street, and is now on board with the $14 billion for the auto makers. A Republican approach should be from the standpoint of defiantly dividing private from public when it comes to industry.

U.S. House Passes Auto Bail-Out

Michigan Republicans Roll-Call:

Camp - Yes
Ehlers - Yes
Hoekstra - Yes
Knollenberg - Yes
McCotter - Yes
Miller - Yes
Rogers - Yes
Upton - Yes
Walbert - Obstain

And, to think, you call yourselves REPUBLICANS?

Get out the shovel, why everything you know is wrong.

GM's Commitment to the American People

Well, they sure have gotten desperate, haven't they? Today GM released a letter to the American people explaining their mistakes of the past years, along with what they plan to do with a possible bridge-loan. It's no coincidence that this is due to the negative response country wide from congressional constituents. On a FOX News poll, over 70% of those who answered said they did not want to see a "bail-out" or "bridge-loan" of billions of dollars to the auto industry. The letter is pretty effective, as it specifically spells out some of their mistakes over the years. However, does this really mean we should still bail them out for 30 years of mismanagement and poor product? You make the call.

I figured I'd take the time to come out with my own idea of what the auto industry should do to reform its ways.



True GOP's 4-point Plan



-Produce Quality Vehicles

Reform the way Americans perceive domestic brand automobiles. Get creative and bring back some of the great looks that lead people to them in the first place. The easiest way to attract someone to a vehicle is with a flashy look. Spend time coming up with quality interiors. Spend time coming up with quality body styles. Don't settle for the old look that worked before. Continue to lead the field, rather than follow.
Overhaul the engine quality and efficiency. For too long the auto industry rolled out SUV after SUV without paying attention to rising oil prices. The American people want common sense vehicles that are still fun to drive. Focus production toward hybrid cars and crossover vehicles. The future of America is not going to rely on gas for $1.55 a gallon. America has the best workers in the world, let them lead the world in technology and production.


-Reorganize Top-End Management

Rick Wagoner had his chance to shine, however, throwing out the top CEO and replacing him with a person from the government is not the right choice. Leave him in there to get them out of the mess he contributed to. Consolidate management by eliminating positions that overlap. This will make management decisions more smooth and will reduce the budget for the top-end management structure. Cut Wagoner's pay - when times are tough we all need to make cuts.


-Restructure Deals With the UAW

Everybody needs to make a living wage. However, when someone with a high school education works on an assembly line they should know that wealth is not in their future. The UAW has crippled the auto industry with renegotiation of contracts at their mercy. While it's true that they haven't received a penny that the companies didn't give them - that doesn't make it right. Ron Gettelfinger needs to continue on his word that he will restructure deals with workers to make wages and benefits competitive with other automakers.


-Consolidate

Consolidate plants and dealerships that overlap. Toyota sells just as many vehicles as GM with 1/3 of the dealerships. Dealerships don't need to be found within 15 miles of each other. Consolidate these dealerships and cut costs of vehicle transport and wages. Also, plants that overlap in production and purpose need to be consolidated into one functional, efficient shop. Parts makers, window makers, and vehicle assembly lines make up a huge part of the infrastructure in the Midwest. The consolidation of these companies will cost jobs, but cutting a percentage of jobs is much more beneficial than cutting all of them if they were to fail.


General Motors is in a lot of trouble, along with DaimlerChrysler and Ford. Common sense consolidation, restructuring, and reorganization will lead the U.S Automakers out of this - not taxpayer money.

Day of Birth

So, yes, yesterday was my birthday. 19 years ago I hit this Earth, and my mind has yet to stop turning. I've picked up a lot of hobbies along the way, but it seems as though I've finally hit my stride and found what I want to do with my life. So, it seemed fitting that on my birthday I studied and attended my weekly RHA meeting. RHA is Residence Hall Assembly and we allocate money for on-campus programs. We run our meetings much like that of the U.S. Senate, except we have 3 delegates from each Res. Hall. It's a pretty neat way to get involved on campus. Anyway, we decided to do what all good Senators do, and that's bring home some of that budget for ourselves. We allocated money to buy a catered dinner from Max & Emily's that included salad, sandwiches, and cheesecake. All in all it was pretty satisfying.



Thank you all for the birthday wishes!

Gone, but Not Lost...

The Chippewas couldn't muster up the 4th quarter heroics they needed to send the Chippewa fan faithful into a frenzy on a frigid evening. With the overturn of the interception, and LeFevour driving the ball down the field, it felt as though things were all adding up for overtime. However, with one lame duck pass over the middle, that all changed.

The keys to the game:


CMU Defense

The defense showed signs of improvement, coming up in big situations. However, laced throughout the games were instances where they seemed too lax - Ball State took advantage. Gashes in the running game, big pass plays, it all took a toll. By the fourth quarter, the defense was sucking air, and just sucking. Why can't the defense seem to stop anyone? They look like they have all the tools to do it, but just can't quite execute. The secondary is always a step behind the opposition's receivers, and the linebackers are always a half second late to the play.


Ball State Running Game

I don't know his name, and I don't feel like looking it up. But whoever that midget carrying the ball for Ball State is, might just be the real deal. His ability to stay low to the ground and find a hole or cutback lane was surely impressive. 177 yards by himself was enough to tell the story.


Dan LeFevour

This guy was magnificent. Every time we needed a big play, Dan came through, either with his arm or his legs- he just got it done. He shredded the defense for over 300 yards in the air, and ran for over 80. This guy single handedly kept CMU in the game. He will sure be a force in his senior season that's a year away. Watch for this guy, folks.

That's about all I feel like saying right now. It was a gutsy performance by Dan LeFevour, and the rest of the CMU offense. The defense gets no respect tonight.

Attention Everyone!

Make sure you watch the CMU/Ball St. game on ESPN tonight. I will be close to up front I'm guessing, because I'm getting there 2 hours early. So make sure you look for me!

This game is huge, with Ball St. ranked in the top 15, and CMU knocking on the top 25's door. This would be the first time CMU has ever been ranked!

Needless to say, it's arguably the biggest game in CMU history, and certainly the biggest regular season game in their history. The winner will go to the MAC Championship.

7PM! ESPN!

Ron Gettelfinger...

is an idiot.

Google him.

BRADY! BRADY!

Ok, so maybe it wasn't a great performance, not great enough to get a shrine at least. However, I was impressed with Quinn's poise toward the end of the game. Plus, I need to be able to not hate Notre Dame players for this week at least - due to the fact I will be in South Bend Saturday with the Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin (I shouldn't need to name which ones).

This MNF game was extremely entertaining. Marshawn Lynch ran the ball like a mad man, and both young QBs played very well when it counted, the 4th quarter. That's about all I've got, other than Braylon Edwards need to start catching the football.

Enjoy the win, Sarah, it might not be so great on Saturday :D

All is Not Lost in the GOP

Found this today, pretty much sums up how I feel about the GOP


By Christopher Coffey
Republican Political Consultant

We Republicans lost fair and square in 2008, even though some in the party were boasting a few years ago of a “durable” Republican majority in Washington.

All is not lost. While this election at first glance, looked like a Democratic realignment, it was not. According to an American University study, voter turnout in 2008 was the same as in 2004. The big difference was lower Republican and increased Democratic turnout.

If the GOP makes some quick changes, it can revitalize the base and remain competitive. Here are a few suggestions:

Return to Basic Principles. Democrats might be the party of tax and spend liberals, but Republicans have become a party of spend and borrow conservatives. Gone is any philosophical foundation from which voters can distinguish the GOP from the Democrats. Republicans can remedy this by swearing off its present addiction to big government.
A growing, assertive government is a root cause of many of our nation’s ills. Look at the recent financial panic: the federal government fueled irresponsible lending through lax oversight of Fannie Mae. The government does few things better than the private sector and Republicans must never forget this.

Unplug the Robots. Not only did Bush-era Republicans lack a philosophical base, Bush communicators delivered a humorless, robotic message. The Republican message lacks any persuasive power whatsoever. If it were a food, it would taste like old wheat cereal served cold in foam cup. Time to recruit new communicators.
Write off bad assets. There are some bad eggs in the party, as evidenced by the recent attempts by anonymous Republicans to destroy Sarah Palin. For too long the party provided lucrative careers to dispassionate, if not pitiless, martinets. We need to send them packing.
Change the Playbook. Voters are not machines that can be activated by Excel spreadsheets and “robo-calls.” The GOP relies too much on technology such as “micro-targeting,” which appears to be a fancy name for phone calls and voter identification. While this can be an effective marketing tool, the party still needs a winning product to market and has to develop a big message before it can deliver small messages by phone.
Address the Tough Issues. The greatest tragedy of this cycle was the unwillingness of candidates to engage in meaningful debate on entitlement spending. Obama made a few vague proposals but Republicans were reluctant to join issue. Time to engage on the tough issues facing our nation.
These of course are initial suggestions. The Republicans must also focus on nurturing the next generation of leaders and party officials; leaders who will lack the churlish demeanor of the present beltway crowd. That might be the toughest challenge of all.

Mr. Speaker

So now that the election is over, Newt Ginrich has made a few appearances again. Most notably, he did not rule out running for president in 2012 on Hannity and Colmes. This is what I was hoping for!

A couple reasons were laid out tonight on the O'Reilly Factor as to why Gingrich knows how to get this economy moving again.

Newt said a couple things I LOVED.

First

He called for the elimination of the capital gains tax for the next two years. China and Hong Kong have both done this. It results in huge amounts of money being pumped into the market in order to make a profit. This stabilizes the market. Also, it encourages buying and selling of homes, due to lower losses if you look to make a profit on real estate.


Next, he called to cut the corporate tax rate to 12%. I like McCain's idea of cutting it from 35 to 25%, but 12% is even better. Ireland currently has expanded the most in the business world in the past twenty years, and their corporate tax rate is 12%. Huge amounts of corporate growth result in huge amounts of job creation. The benefits are astronomical. This will create a larger tax base to help cover the costs of government programs.

O'Reilly also asked Gingrich how he intended to finance everything will all of these tax cuts. He said exactly what I think! He was talking about being fiscally responsible. Cutting huge amounts of useless government programs. Cutting useless management. He also called for the elimination of the treasury spending. This would save us hundreds of billions a year. (800 billion and counting just from the bailouts, which he is completely against.)

I'd also like to talk a little about the auto industry 25 billion dollar bailout.

I think this entire bailout plan is ridiculous. Paulson and the other Bush cronies need to stop this before it gets any worse. Everyone has their hand out looking for this government handout. AIG received enough to buy their entire company 10 times over. You could buy GM, Ford, and Chrysler for 1/5 of their bailout package. Why should we be paying for 30+ years of mismanagement in these corporations? I say let them go bankrupt, and our county's bankruptcy laws will force them to restructure their management. If I plan poorly, I don't see the government running in to take stake in my assets!

My Thoughts

So I've given a lot of though already to who could run for the Republican party in 2012. Although Sarah Palin may end up running, she wouldn't be my first choice. I decided I'd throw my dream ticket out there. I've been talking to my roomate, Scott, about this for a while. I think this is the Republican Party's best combo when it comes to a small government, welfare reform, and conservative social issues.

The top of the ticket:



Mike Huckabee

The VP:



Newt Gingrich

Damn

Long lived individual liberty and free market America.

Please

I come to you all today to ask you to stand up for American beliefs. Dating back to the Revolution we fought against a tyrant, and vowed to never fall back into a situation we were in in England. Under the King, we had outstanding taxes, with no representation coining the famous phrase 'taxation without representation'. This finally sparked a revolt, sending the Colonists into a frenzy of insurmountable displacement with the King. When the British offered a large gift of tea in order to settle the Colonists, we did what was right. We threw that damn tea in the harbor where it belonged. We stood up to a tyrant and said "This is America, this stops now."

We built our country on free principles for free people.

We built our country on the idea that anyone can achieve anything.

We built our country to reflect the ideals and opinions of all Americans.

We built our country to protect those who wished to live the dream, The American Dream.

Now, more than ever, we need to protect these ideals, these philosophies that the Framers of the Constitution held so near to their hearts. We need to protect these things that people died for in mass amounts to protect.

Barack Obama's plan to raise taxes on small businesses strips us of our right to own a business. High taxes in the private sector will set off a shock-wave of repercussions, closing the door on people living the American Dream. Now, Obama wants to implement unionized labor groups in small businesses. The small business owners cannot handle these burdens. For too long, Obama has had a free pass from the media. For too long, we've had to hear his socialist ideas, but nobody presses him on them.

I'm asking you to visit this site, and watch the videos. There are many unanswered questions about Barack Obama.

www.goptrust.com

Please watch those videos.

Please vote for John McCain.

Stand up for the principles of our forefathers.

Stand up to proctect our students from hypocritical public school systems.

Stand up to protect our small business people.

Fight for a brighter tomorrow.

Fight for a chance to live the American Dream.

Fight to uphold the Constiution

Fight for a candidate that fought for you.

Fight to kill socialism.

Fight against national healthcare, for fair wages for doctors.

Fight for competition in the public school system.

Fight for a man who fought for us since he was 17 years old, and has the scars to prove it.

Fight for a man who's not afraid of the fight, but ready for it.

Stand up and fight for equality for all.

Stand up and fight for John McCain!

Vote for John McCain tomorrow!

Kill It

What we are seeing in American politics is a power struggle between two fundamental beliefs. The financial crisis has surmounted huge amounts of uncertainty. With global panic, it invites a power source. When Hitler rose to power he did it by burning the parliament building, setting off a nation wide crisis that left Germans vulnerable, so he then claimed executive power. The people didn't say much because they needed someone to save them. Few people bite the hand that feeds. In September of 2001, the world trade center in New York City was blasted by two planes. This blood being shed right on American soil left the door open for George W. Bush to claim an enormous amount of power through global panic. The establishment of the Patriot Act, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Global War on Terror were made possible by this attack. Now, with this global financial crisis, we have seen enormous seizures of banks and other big companies. This is where we come to today.

The two grassroots movement groups right now are as follows.


The Obama Supporters

The most liberal member of the Senate since the 1930s, Barack Obama has offered a promise of change to Washington, the United States, and the world. His message has been strong.


The Socialist Movement

"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs."
-Karl Marx

Through the past two weeks we have seen an enormous socialist movement across the nation. If you've ever read animal farm, most of these followers are like the sheep, sadly. The message sounds as promising as the mind could imagine. We'll have a Robbin Hood in the White House, someone looking out for the everyman. Someone who gives back to the less fortunate. This is the fundamental movement that scares me the most, and should scare you too.

What a Socialist movement could lead to...

First, we will continue to see government bail out big business. Like the fire department, the government heroes will burst in to put out the flames. But when the flames are put out, will the fire fighters move in and take control of the household? Will they impose their beliefs on how you live your life, tell you how you should take care of your kids, how you dress, and what you make for dinner? In a socialist society, these government authorities will stay in the banking system. They will run the banks, and most likely run them into the ground.

Second, health care will be socialized. When it comes to socialized healthcare, the government dictates what the doctors are paid. In order to save money, they will slash doctor wages just like the governments do in France, Spain, Germany, and the rest of western Europe. This leads to lack of incentive. Where will the motivation be for someone to stay in med school for 7-10 years to become a doctor if they don't make more than a plumber? We will have a massive overturn in the way our medical world works. We will have a shortage of doctors, just like in western Europe. You will have to drive further to clinics and maybe change doctors. Socialized health care sacrifices quality for 'affordability'.

Third, riots will break out. As if anarchists aren't anti-government already, imagine what it will be like with an all powerful democratic left wing House, Senate, White House, and Supreme Court. A left wing agenda will lead to massive growth in the Federal Government, along with more regulations on how you live your life, how you run your business, what cars you buy, and what you do with your body. An anti-socialist movement will be enormous from the far right, and even moderate right wingers, who comprise over half of American voters.


The Anti-Socialists

America won't peacefully fall into the likes of socialism. There will be a huge resistance on the front of freedom and individual liberty. Those who want a true free market will be out in full force, desecrating everything in their path. The uprise of this now-silent majority will not be pretty. An enormous wave will cry out to kill socialism before it kills our country, and it will be years before democrats are trusted again.


So, I ask you, before you vote for Barack Obama, look at what you're voting for. You're voting for a man who surrounds himself with terrible people (Rezko, Wright, Ayers, ACORN). You're voting for a man who wishes to redistribute huge amounts of wealth (the top 1% already pay 40% of the national tax burden). You're voting for a man who would rather sell out his beliefs than lose an election (nuclear power, off shore drilling). You're voting for a man who preaches tearing down the very foothold that established our country (taxation without representation). Most of all, you're voting for a man who would rather settle a score with the wealthy, then lead our country through tough economic times.

I hope you think hard about whom you're voting for.

Signing off.

A Fresh Perspective

This is Ron Paul's view on the government's involvement on drugs. It's an interesting take, with a valid point at the end.

Nervousness-ocity

I'm really nervous right now.

My debate starts in an hour.

Changing Seasons (Not Political, I promise)

So I want to thank you all for your input on my last post. I encourage everyone's opinion and having open discussions in my comments; I love input. I figured I'd take a night off from politics since I've worked about 10 hours today, and it was entirely political. So without further adieu..


The Transition of Summer to Autumn


As we have all noticed it's not summer anymore. We no longer have the hot days capped off with warm, mostly clear nights. Baseball is in its final games, and football is in full force. The trees have just about lost their leaves, and this time of year starts to bring out some new seasonal items. This leads me to be curious. What are some of your favorite fall-time classics? It just so happens I have some of my own.


Pumpkin Spice Latte

I love coffee, and I love espresso, which means I probably like lattes. I do, in fact, like lattes. I'm glad we made progress with those last two sentences, but I'm leaving them in - unedited. Back to my point, anything with pumpkin spice in it has to be good. I don't make many trips to Starbucks, but I have to go at least once in the fall for this tasty classic.


Thanksgiving

In case you guys didn't know it, I love being around you. Our family is so unique and insightful - not to mention nothing short of hilarious. I like to think that when we were all together at my Open House that it was one of the most fun times we've ever had as a family, since I rarely see all/any of you. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to at least see a few of my family members, so that definitely makes the list. Also, you can't pass up Grandma's cooking (or yours, Dad), or Aunt Carla's green bean casserole, or Aunt Carrie's cookies (or her rendition of Great Grandma's lard pie crusts) - can't forget those suckers.


Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Just kidding!

That's it, get out your lists.

Signing off.

Fun Topic!

So this is a fun topic:

Abortion.

Everybody loves talking about abortion, right?

My stance:

Abortion is wrong in any trimester, even the first.

Clause:

Unless the mother is a victim of rape, incest, or it endangers the mother.


First Trimester


I think that life begins at conception. It's no secret that I'm not exactly "religious", so you can take that out of the equation. I feel as though there is never an "excess" of human life - that no human life, or POTENTIAL of human life, is expendable. You don't have to be religious to still believe in the sanctity of human life.
Maybe you're asking yourself, "Well, John wants the government to stay out of our lives as much as possible, why does he think that a governing body a thousand miles away has any control over our bodies?"

Well, that's an excellent question. I don't buy into the supreme court ruling Roe vs. Wade that says the Constitution gives a woman "privacy" for personal issues. The Constitution says no such thing. So, then, you start looking for Core Democratic Values. You are directly violating that embryo's right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.


Partial Birth Abortion


Partial birth abortion sickens me. Currently banned in the United States, Barack Obama wishes to lift the ban on partial birth abortion. If you're not informed on how this type of abortion is carried out, let me quickly inform you with as little detail as possible.

First, the woman is put into labor prematurely, around 21-22 weeks (5 months). They pull the baby out feet first, while leaving the head inside. They take fore snips to the head, open it, and remove the brains with a suction tube. I realize that was less than vague, but it's extremely tortuous and horrific. Again, Obama supports to lift the ban on this.

Source:
http://www.nrlc.org/ABORTION/pba/diagram.html


Infanticide


This practice, known as infanticide, might be even more gruesome than partial birth abortion. This is downright murder. At 21-22 weeks, again, the woman is put into premature labor. The baby is born (completely throwing out the liberal belief saying when a baby is born it now has human rights), and then left in the biohazard material room to die. They literally leave the newborn in a basket of soiled linens to die.

Barack Obama voted to keep this practice 3 separate times in the Illinois state legislature. To give you an idea how radically liberal Obama is on this, the US Senate voted on the same bill and voted it down unanimously 98-0. Senators such as John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, JOE BIDEN, and even Harry Reid voted this down.


I don't expect that I have more than one or two readers left, especially since Aunt Carrie and Dad are about the only ones who read any of my blogs anymore due to lack of political interest - but I don't really care. Your passion is your passion, and I'm not afraid to talk about things people don't want to hear about.

Signing off.

Push Comes to Shove

Finally, I'm back to the blogging world that we are all too familiar with. Yes, I've been reading others' posts and commenting, but I haven't posted anything with any sort of content in well over a week. Well, here it is.


What I've Been Up To


Well, a lot really. As Summer turned to fall and Autumn soon to ashes, the deep slumber that is ahead for the living world hasn't been evident in my life. Things have picked up dramatically for me in the past weeks leaving me to believe that the old saying "life ain't easy" will reign true throughout the rest of my being. Work weeks have consisted of more hours, class periods have been growing longer, exams more frequent, and sleep hours less prevalent. Some of the things I've been working on at work as of late have included:


Terri Land Event

Basically, I had to have people at the office to meet our Secretary of State. Mrs. Land came in to a crowd of around 25-30 people, including a few local Republican candidates, and Bill Caul - our 99th District State Rep. Mrs. Land then proceeded to meet the volunteers/candidates, and then found the farmer's market across the street where she brought back apple cider that ended up staying at the office for my enjoyment, thank you Mrs. Land! I must say it was about the most delicious apple cider I've had to date.
Earlier in the day, I rose bright and early (keep in mind this is a Saturday which is a precious sleeping day for us college students) to put together 1,000 literature packets for this event. We ran about 400-500 of them by the time we noticed a nice little typo in which said "Vote for Expereince". (If you can't find the typo, the word experience is spelled wrong). We killed the production and printed the new ones. This left us scrambling, but we didn't end up needing all 1,000 for that day anyhow.
Relieved? Yes.
The event went pretty well I thought. It wasn't phenomenal, but it was pretty decent. Whenever I look decent at my job it's a plus.


Mardi Gras Parade

This event was handed to me about 2 days ahead of time. We had to get volunteers around for a Friday parade through the city of Mt. Pleasant. We got plenty of support, and the event was a huge success. Quite a few of my friends came, and Bill Caul bought us pizza afterwards. It was nice to have dinner with a State Representative, it humbles you in a way.


CMU Homecoming Parade

This event went really well. We had to go through town again as a unified Republican Party. U.S. Congressman Dave Camp (Representing Michigan's 4th Congressional District) lead the way, along with local candidates, and again, Bill Caul. We had a large amount of candidates and volunteers, it was a lot of fun.

Now that we've caught up a little on what I've done, I want to share a little bit about how I feel about the Presidential Race.

First off, before you all exit out of my blog, it's worth noting that I will be taking part in a Presidential Debate Night! event on this Sunday the 26th at 7:30PM. It will either be located in Kulhavi Hall, or Anspach 161 or 162. I will be representing John McCain, and will be debating a representative of Barack Obama.


The Real Debate

Finally, John McCain came out swinging. This time he wasn't ranting and raving about terrorists and affiliations though. This time it was substance, socialism, and character. John McCain started off by taking a hard line that he is for the small businessman, the backbone of our economy.


Joe the Plumber

Why is a plumber relevant? Because Barack Obama finally made the mistake I've been waiting for. Obama is a socialist, there's no tip toeing around that. His plan is to tax the highest 5% of Americans and write a welfare check to those who are in the bottom 30%. This is a form of income redistribution. He said he wanted to "Spread the wealth around." As a direct beneficiary of this specific plan, I can see how wrong this is. I always use my very successful uncle in Pennsylvania as an example in arguments. I always say:
"Why should my uncle in Pennsylvania, who's worked his butt off his entire life, pulling 50 hours, 80 hours a week, traveling all over the world to get where he is today - why should he pay for my healthcare? Why should I get a piece of his success? If he wants to give me a gift, he gives me a gift. If he wants to donate to charity, he donates to charity. Where is it the government's responsibility or right to tell him that he's been too successful and they think it's more fit to spread his wealth elsewhere?"
This is my common accusation of Robbin Hood Economics, where you rob from the rich and give to the poor. Joe Biden would tell you that it's "Patriotic to pay more taxes." This is funny to me considering he didn't even pay for his own house, his campaign money did. How is that anything short of socialism, or even take it a step further, communism?


Healthcare

What has the government ever run that has been successful?

Social Security?
Nope.

The Airlines?
Uhh, nope.

Fannie May and Freddie Mac
Wow, this is getting ugly.

Why would we want to trust our government to run a socialized, nationalized healthcare plan? Not only this, once again, where is it the government's responsibility to take the top 5% and say they're responsible for funding this? When you look at national health care plans, such as the one in Canada, there is a huge problem. Canadians can't get into hospitals for emergency situations. Everyone is in to the hospital for the common cold, so emergency treatment is usually done in the United States at full price. That should tell you something. If we implement this, it sacrifices our quality for expense. If Doctors don't make more than a plumber, why would they have any incentive to stay in Med School for 7-10 years? A lack of quality healthcare leaves us with a bigger problem than lack of insurance.


The War

I think that the greatest gauge we have about what's going on in Iraq is to ask the soldiers themselves, agreed? They're the ones putting their lives on the line, they probably know whether the battle is worth it or not. Can we all agree on that?
I hope you said yes.
The polling came back today from members of the United States Military. They overwhelmingly support John McCain, 63% to 32%. I think that this says where the mindset of our United States Armed Forces is at. They believe the surge has worked, and they think we should finish the job we started, regardless if we went in for the right reasons.


ACORN, William Ayers, Jerimiah Wright, etc.

Is this stuff relevant? Is the fact that Barack Obama worked with a domestic terrorist that bombed the US Capitol, along with the Pentagon and was totally unreluctant of doing so, is that a reason to question Obama? Why not? Sure, voter fraud, knowing a domestic terrorist, and associating with a nut job preacher might not make Barack Obama a national security threat, but it questions his judgement. Why is it that Obama didn't sever his ties with Wright until the media found out that he was a total nut? Why is it that Obama associated with, fundraised with, and served with a domestic terrorist - only to claim he didn't know about Ayers' past when caught?
Again, do I think Barack Obama is a dangerous person?
Absolutely not.
Do I think that who a person surrounds themself with can be a direct judgement of character, judgement, and reason?
Yes.


A Much Needed Phrase

"Senator Obama, I am not George Bush. If you wanted to run against George Bush you should have ran 4 years ago."

Thank you!

A True Story

This was not rigged. It also works with 'Vote socialism 08' on occassion.

Winner Winner, Cookie Dinner

I know, the real phrase is "Chicken Dinner" but I felt my version was more appropriate.

My Future Plans

I've given much thought to what the future holds lately, and I had decided to keep my plans under wraps for a few weeks to make sure it wasn't just a "spur of the moment" type thing. I figured I had to let this stew for a while so that I could proclaim it as one of those 'Porter Goals' that you must achieve once making public.

Well, here it is.

I've recently discovered that my preferred major doesn't really hold a lot of job availability. Political Science is a great field of study, but it's not a great major. This is why I've decided to shift it to my minor. My major is a field in which will start to grow at a huge rate due to current crises. My major is Economics. I won't be a single class behind with this switch, and hopefully it's my last switch so I never fall behind. I have great intentions to graduate in 4 years or less.

Goal number two:

I don't like it at CMU. It seems like everyone is "going out" 7 days a week, and they always come back staggering drunk. I realize that stuff happens in college, but here it's literally every night. It's disgusting really. Then you get to hear about how nobody can afford to pay for this or that, yet they have enough to buy beer every night? This brings me to my next plan. I plan on transferring out of CMU. Where, you ask?

George Mason University

They are rated as the #1 up-and-coming University in North America. They are nationally accredited in Economics and Political Science. They are also located a couple miles from Washington DC. This is perfect for any type of internship or work study experience. Also, their out of state tuition is within $100 of what I'm paying at Central. They also have a great class transfer rate, which could save me a lot of money as well. This move just seems to make sense on so many levels. I get to go to a better school for the same price, I would get to go back to somewhere that I absolutely loved for the month I was there, and I could get some experience that I could never have here in Michigan.

It's official, I said it - now I have to deliver.

We're Just Stuck in a Rut

I tell you what, this is shaping up to be a "more of the same" type year. As political campaigns lavish each other, gas prices stay high, and summer turns to autumn - this is all shaping up to be just another year like the previous. The Cubs still can't win in the playoffs, OJ Simpson is on trial, and GM just can't seem to turn things around.

This leads to more of the predictability, or lack thereof, of Michigan. U of M wins their Big-10 opener, just like every year. Grand Valley is destroying every team they play in football. The Tigers are out of the playoffs. The Tigers are under .500. The Tigers can't beat the White Sox. The Tigers underperform for their expectations (is there a pattern here?). A Republican can't carry the state of Michigan. The leaves turn yellow and orange, and as soon as they do they slip away under a cover of snow until what seems to be late July.

Now there are some things that might suprise some people around the state of Michigan. U of M is struggling in football. Coleman has won 3 games this year, which is more than the past 4 years combined. The unemployment rate is up to 9% (oh wait, that's not a suprise).

What are some things that you guys have noticed that are redundant in your states, and what do you think is out of the norm this year?

I'm Voting Democratic

A "Reliable" News Source

With all of the talk of reliable news sources, and complete idiots - let's see a real one.

Keith Olbermann.

It sickens me when he gets to the part about the President giving up golf. I think that President Bush had a good point about how he shouldn't be playing golf during a war, that people don't want to see him out playing a game while American lives are being lost.

Why should someone get a show every night to do this to your own President?

Nobody's keeping Keith Olbermann in this country.

He's truly shameless.

Now here is a sociopath.

Thank You, America

Finally, the day we've been waiting for.

Capitalism lives to see another day.

The Bailout Bill failed, the country has spoken.

Kill Socialism before it becomes our reality.

Why aren't the people calling for Nanci Pelosi's resignation?

Rest in Pieces

To the catalyst that got me around Washington DC.

To the one thing that was always by my side while seeing things such as the Capitol Building, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and countless other places of interest.

To the item that became a canvas for my political propaganda.

You held my John McCain button, my Fred Thompson button, and my Proud to Be A Republican button.

You held the necklace given to me by a peace activist.

You held my camera for me.

You were mocked, ridiculed, and cast off as a "man purse".

You made the trip back to Michigan with me, holding all of my precious DC memorabilia.

You carried my books and my computer for my first month of school.

...And for all that, I thank you.

Your strap may be broken, but your courage, spirit, and memories shall forever live on.

Here you are in your glory days, back in good old Arlington, Virginia.



Here you are in shambles.



Rest in pieces, good friend.

Some of My Favorites

I'm taking a short break from politics. It's the weekend, while I'm away from work for the weekend I'm trying to stay out of politics a little bit. So I've decided to post a couple of my favorite Family Guy clips, they're nothing short of hilarious.

Now For the Response

As promised yesterday, I would answer my own question after you all did. So here it is...

My feelings on the Fed's bailout of a number of institutions are a mixed result. Let's look at some of the finer aspects of this deal.

Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton encouraged legislation that would help more people get home loans. They saw it unfit to "discriminate" lower income households, and in turn encouraged financing to these families that couldn't quite afford to have a house. Fannie May and Freddie Mac saw a huge pay day in this field. While the housing market skyrocketed due to more demand, times were perceivably good. People were building huge houses on middle class wages. Anybody could get a loan. Fannie May and Freddie Mac were absolutely gouging the market, putting them in the Fortune 500. Now, fast forward to recently. Two years ago John McCain pushed legislation to turn back the clock on these loan programs. He saw how people were buying houses that couldn't afford them. Fannie and Freddie were now making huge economic gains while the economy grew more and more uneasy.

I like to relate this to a water balloon. When you're filling it up, you're trying as hard as you can to get as much water in as possible. You see it get bigger and bigger and get so bent on how much water it can hold that you're completely dismissing the fact that at any minute the balloon that's holding the precious water will bust from all of that pressure.

Fannie and Freddie, along with greedy country leaders, didn't know when to stop filling up the balloon.

Back to present time. As I said, John McCain pushed legislature to make it harder for Americans to take out loans on houses. What was Barack Obama doing about this that last two years? Look at the numbers. Barack Obama took the second most amount of money from Fannie and Freddi for his campaign then anybody else. He then appointed the representative of these huge companies to find his VP choice, which turned out to be Joe Biden. Remember Joe Biden's ties to MBNA? Not such a coincidence now, is it? So, basically, while John McCain had foreseen this problem, and aimed to fix it where it started - Barack Obama was busy lining his pockets with the huge abundance of revenue created by Fannie May and Freddie Mac.

Now back to the question. Do I think that the American taxpayers should be put on the hook for these huge government bailouts?

Hell no.

Do I think the American taxpayers need to help the government bailout some of these companies?

Sadly, yes.

When it comes to Fannie May and Freddie Mac, if we let them go under, the market will face enormous repercussions. This is also true with AIG. So, as I undoubtably feel like you do, Aunt Carrie, I don't see another possible solution. We're essentially paying for what the government chose to overlook because it was in the best interest of their wallets and their lobbyists. We need to make not only the government accountable for their actions, but Wall Street. There can't be any more loss of public trust in the market, or I'm afraid that it will crash. We need to hold leaders accountable. There is only one candidate promising to bring transparency to the budget, to Wall Street, and to Legislation. There is only one candidate that saw this housing crisis coming, and tried to do something about it. Also, there is only one candidate that put his self interests first, rather than his country when he ignored the crisis so he could line his pockets for his Presidential run.

It's time to put "Country First".

In the Midst of it All

So, something worth noting. I was privileged enough to attend a meeting this past Monday with all of the county Republicans whom are seeking election this fall. There were many of them there, along with the State Rep. Bill Caul. It was a great opportunity for me to introduce myself to all of them, tell a little bit about myself, and get to sit on the meeting. I also got to have a pretty good discussion with a small business owner about how raising the minimum wage puts the middle class in a crunch.

Overall, it was a really good experience. I get to attend these meetings every month, and we're even supposed to be working on a fundraising event in the area. I trust that all of you locals will attend. Obviously, I don't plan on seeing any of you from Wisconsin or Pennsylvania there.

I figured while I have you all here, I'd like to get my voice out there about the current "economic crisis", as it's been presented in the media. There's no doubt that what's happening in the market isn't a good thing. With the buyout of Fannie May and Freddie Mac, we saw how the government stepped in and saved these mortgage finance companies. Although it's imperative that we keep these companies in business, this is going to cost the American tax payer a lot of money. The $85 billion to bail out AIG in the past 2 days is another scary thing altogether. When these top rate companies start to fall, it creates uncertainty in the market. Uncertainty leads to massive selling. This is why we've seen the Dow drop by over 5% in the past two days. These are huge gouges in the market.

So here is my question to you:

Should the American tax payers really be put on the hook to bail out these mismanaged private corporations?

I want to hear your answers to this. I already have mine, I'll post it after I hear from you all. Even if you're not really into this sort of thing, I want to hear from you. Give me an honest opinion, please.

Good Old Biden

I'm going to make this clear. I do not think that what happens in this video reflects Joe Biden as a person. I just want it to be known that Joe Biden is infamous for saying things at a bad time, or just saying the wrong things. This doesn't make him any less qualified as a Vice President, I just get a kick out of how big of a mistake he made with this.

Keep in mind, the man he's talking to is in a wheel chair.

Gotta Love Chuck

Charles Woodson.

'Nuff Said.

Packers roll.

Blehhh

Ok, Sarah, you win this year. I'll hand it to you, ND beat Michigan fair and square. You will never win with 6 turnovers.

However, let's look at my CMU prediction!

CMU comes out firing on all cylinders. Their offense dominates Ohio's defense. Their defense bends but doesn't break. LeFevour passes for 350+ yards.
W CMU 41 - Ohio 17

Well, the final score: CMU 31 - Ohio 28

Not quite how I expected it to turn out a couple weeks ago, but considering Ohio's near upset of OSU last week - it can be said that I may have been slightly worried about my Chips today. My prediction of LeFevour was spot on though! 361 yards for Dan the Man today with a rushing touchdown.

CMU Predictions: 3-0

ND/Michigan!

Remember last year? Mich 38 ND 0

How about the year before? Mich 47 ND 21


What will it be this year?

My New Job

So it seems funny that the blogs have turned political just in time for the season! It is also funny that I happen to have a job working for the Republican Party so close to election time! I figured I'd take some time while I'm here at work to blog. Why, you ask? It's September 11, which means politics pretty much come to a standstill for the day. Our office is still open, but we are required to keep the political tone down today. We can still distribute signs and such, but we aren't making any phone calls or doing any campaigning.
So I really am employed by the Republican Party. My wages are salary between now and November 4th. The salary I'm being paid is actually quite higher than I would have ever expected. If I work 15 hours a week, it equals out to over $10 an hour, which is excellent for a starving college student! My job title here is a "Volunteer Coordinator". Basically, I'm in charge of getting people in here to volunteer for local candidates, state candidates, and even national ones. I'm actually getting some interest from a few students around campus to help out. My other responsibility of the job is to man the office. The other person who has an office here, Bill Caul (our district's state Rep, you may also remember his wife Sandy), is only in a few times a month. So, basically, I'm here by myself. There are two other people who sit in the office, Brent, and a new lady that they just hired full-time. I don't see these people except when we change shifts. While I sit in the office, I am responsible for answering the phone, giving out signs, stickers, etc. to people who come in, and I do any side project that Matt asks me to do. I expect I will be doing some campaign work for Bill Caul soon, he told me back in the winter that I could help out.
So, in a nutshell, that is my job here. It's great to already have my foot in the door with the Republican Party. I love my job so far. This is the first job that I haven't dreaded going to - I even look forward to it!
So I guess that's all for now - hope everyone is doing well!

Please pay your respects today, not only for the victims, but for every American dedicated to preserving our rights and freedoms. Whether you're a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green Party, Libertarian, or an outsider to politics, we can all respect the sacrifices made every day by countless individuals.

Spark

So I was requested to blog about why I'm a republican and not a democrat. That seems like a fair request to me. There are many reasons that I am a republican and I will try to hit on as many as I can.


The Economy

Ask any economist and he or she will tell you that a free enterprise system, such as America's, expands when people spend money. This means that the cash flow from consumers to businesses is a huge way to jump start the economy. This is why everyone received a "stimulus" check. The government was hoping that people would get this money and go out and spend it. The reason that the stimulus package didn't work as well as hoped was because so many Americans are behind on their bills right now, so they used it for that - resulting in little to no economic gains. However, as I was saying - money in consumers' pockets is a good thing for the economy. This is why every single tax cut, break, and refund directly affects the economy. All of these cuts trickle down to businesses. If a person is taking in more money, they tend to buy more groceries, more gasoline, and/or more leisure activities. For example, take a middle class family that is doing just fine right now. They receive a $1200 check for an economic stimulus package. Since they're caught up on their bills, have a head start on retirement, and have everything they need to get by - they might invest this money. That's good for the economy too! Putting money in the stock market makes the market stronger.
You might be asking, well what does this have to do with you being a republican? Well, historically republicans have slashed taxes on EVERYONE. This myth stating that they only cut taxes for the rich is bologna. They cut taxes evenly (by percentage) across the board. The democratic style of "Robin Hood Economics" as I like to say, isn't fair. Why should the wealthy be forced to hand over a much higher percent of their money? The wealthy aren't responsible to finance the country. They worked hard for that money in most cases, and/or took huge risks to get to where they're at. Secondly, you need these guys to stick around. Many people involved with business are looking to make big profits, it's a fact. Wouldn't you be trying to make big profits too? So, if we raise corporate taxes (like the democrats like to), they're just going to ship jobs overseas at an even faster rather than they do right now!


Morals

The republican party is infamous for their strong morals. While the democrats are out pandering for votes by telling women that they're pro-choice, pro-same sex marriage, and on board to legalize marijuana - republicans tell it how it is. Most are against same sex marriage, most are in belief that life begins at conception, and most think that harmful drugs are best left out of the hands of the citizens. Now, yes, there are often very strong religious reasons behind these - but is that so bad? I have a great perspective on this, because I'm not religious in the least. However, religion has such a great values system that I couldn't care less if "under God" is in the Pledge of Allegiance. The fact is, religion instills such a great group of core fundamentals and values in a person's life.


Foreign Policy

To me, democrats don't get it when it comes to foreign policy. Congress overwhelmingly approved the war when it started. However, as soon as Americans lost a shred of hope, the democrats in Congress saw it as an opening to make George W. the scapegoat. They harassed him, said he committed "war crimes". If they're so sure he committed war crimes, why isn't there a testimony against him? Because they know that he hasn't! We're in a war, ladies and gentlemen. The President has the authority during war times to claim Executive Power - and that's what he's done. Democrats hounded the administration when Bush introduced his surge strategy. Barack Obama said it was a terrible idea. He pushed to cut off funds to the troops, he said it would never work. He said we had lost. However, John McCain and George W. Bush had faith in our troops. Grandpa told me that "...we can't whip those people...", I said "Watch us". Now who's right? We were. The republicans were. Obama said it himself this week, he said that the surge far exceeded his expectations.


Limited Government

This is where I do not follow George W. Bush. Many people hate the president and it drives me nuts. Why, you ask? Because they can't tell you why! They usually tell me, "It's because he started a War." Sorry, hunny, you're wrong. Article II Section II of the US Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare War, not the President. Congress did declare the war.
However, I'm getting off track.
George W. Bush has done way too much expansion in his time as President. Organizations, private courts, new cabinet members, all of this has racked up a huge deficit. Granted, most of the deficit is from the War (don't forget that!), but he hasn't helped with his expansion of government. I heard a quote a couple years ago that I've grown to love. It said "Government should be small enough to where, if needed, we could drown it in a bathtub." Democrats seem to believe that the government has some sort of responsibility to take care of you from birth to death. Why would we want to slumber our way through life while the government takes care of us? Being free means independence. Our own Gerald Ford had a quote during the 1996 Republican National Convention that basically sums up my views on big government.
"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
The republicans have always been for a small national government. Democrats have always been about expanding government. Special programs, special interests, and the like have always been at the top of their lists.

I realize that I rambled quite a bit, but those are just a couple of things that really make me a republican. I support John McCain 100%. I did not vote for him in the primary because I just wasn't sure about him yet. However, if the primary was today, I can't think of anyone else I'd vote for.

A Dream Come True

**EDIT**
Did anybody notice how close I was on my first game prediction for CMU!?
Real Score - Georgia 54, CMU 17
John's Predic. - Georgia 44, CMU 20
**EDIT**

So after about two weeks of anticipation, I finally got an answer from the interview I had a couple weeks ago.

You are all reading the blog of the new Volunteer Coordinator for the Isabella County GOP Office! I'm so excited for this internship. The best part - the money isn't my main excitement! This is basically a dream job for me. It's in the field that my major is in, and I'm still in college! It's not career material, but it is a perfect college job. Basically, I'm in charge of getting people to volunteer for various Republican campaigns. Some to note are Bill Caul, Dave Camp, John McCain, and all of the local Drain Commissioner, and other electable officials.


I think you can see why I'm so excited to start tomorrow!

Obama: Recession Could Delay End to Bush Tax Cuts

To quote Joe Biden,

"...that's not change, that's more of the same."

Why does Obama criticize John McCain's view on the economy if he has seen the writing on the wall? Obama went on to say that taking away these tax cuts could send us into economic turmoil.

Then why does he want to raise taxes?

A free market economy grows from people spending money, people investing money, and people saving money. People have to have money to spend it.

Coolidge cut the tax rate from 74% to 24%, which resulted in the biggest economic gains in the history of the US. Years later, Reagan cut the marginal tax rate from 79% to 28%. I think we all know how the economy grew when Reagan was in office. $600 billion in added revenue during the Reagan era. That was during the Cold War!

Does anybody else see the pattern?

Something I'll Never Forget

I got to experience something today that I will never forget. It was a time that made me so proud to be an American. Only my Dad knows where I was today. I don't know why I kept such a cool thing a secret, I guess I haven't had much time to let it sink in yet. If you haven't guessed yet, let me give you a hint...



That should give it away, but in case it didn't...here's another.



Getting a little more obvious now...



By now I hope you've realized that I attended a John McCain rally. The only thing that could have made this better would have been an actual appearance from John McCain and Sarah Palin. However, since they just wrapped up the convention yesterday, we all knew it was extremely unlikely for them to be there today. However, miracles can happen- right?


Do these two look familiar?



That's right. They were there. The best part, we had VIP passes. We were in the 8th row. I was about 15 feet away from John McCain and Sarah Palin when they concluded and shook hands with many of the guests in attendance. I couldn't quite get to the front though.



This experience was unreal. I can't even explain it through the internet. I would be more than overjoyed to tell anyone about it in person. So remind me next time you see me. The whole thing made my skin crawl. The place was electric with hope and belief in America's tomorrow.

What the Heck!?

So I was looking over MLB.com, and something caught my attention. The rookie of the month voting. I look at the faces and the names and saw something that caught my eye.
"The AL nominees are Minnesota starter Glen Perkins, White Sox second baseman Alexei Ramirez and Minnesota outfielder Denard Span The NL nominees are St. Louis reliever Chris Perez, Cubs' reliever Jeff Samardzija"

wait....

Jeff Samardzija?

Is this the same Jeff Samardzija that played wide receiver for Notre Dame?

So I Wikipedia-ed it.

It sure is.

I knew that Jeff was going to play baseball instead of football, but I had no idea he'd be nominated for Rookie of the Month as a reliever for the MLB Cubs this soon.

I hope you're happy, Sarah...

My Apologies

I know you all were just so excited to read my political post tonight. However, I have a German test tomorrow morning, and I don't know how to say all of the family members yet. Therefore, my apologies. However, I will run through my predictions for our CMU football team this year.

First off you should know that our Junior Quarterback, Dan LeFevour, is on the list of Heisman hopefuls this year. This is so exciting for a MAC team. I believe the last MAC player to be considered for the award was Byron Leftwitch and Ben Rothlesberger. Also, CMU is the favorite to win the MAC Championship - which would be the third year in a row.

Now on to the expert analysis.

August 28 - Eastern Illinois
CMU already won this game. It was a pretty safe bet to say they'd win. LeFevour looked a little rusty to start out. His passes were a tad off, but that's usually what we see week one. CMU's defense looked very shaky, especially in the secondary. However, in the second half CMU dominated both sides of the ball.
W CMU 31 - Eastern Illinois 12

September 6 - #1 Georgia
Let's get this straight...CMU is good, but not ACC Champs good. Georgia's defense will keep LeFevour and the Chippewa offense in check, and exploit the defense. LeFevour will be in the national spotlight, and will show off some of his valuable tools - but he won't look spectacular.
L CMU 20 - Georgia 44

September 13 - Ohio
CMU comes out firing on all cylinders. Their offense dominates Ohio's defense. Their defense bends but doesn't break. LeFevour passes for 350+ yards.
W CMU 41 - Ohio 17

September 20 - #25 Purdue

This was a barn burner in the Motor City Bowl last year. I expect more of the same this year. This is an upset special though, LeFevour stays on a roll, along with CMU.
W CMU 34 - Purdue 31

September 27 - Buffalo

Buffalo will fall hard to the Chips when they return home. LeFevour will climb back into the Heisman Hopeful catogory. He will shred the Buffalo defense. The defense for the Chips will look impressive against Buffalo's sluggish offense.
W CMU 30 - Buffalo 7

October 11 - Temple

CMU falters this week. In front of Homecoming hopeful fans they look sluggish. Temple controls the tempo of this low-scoring affair. Upset special, not in favor of the Chippewas.
L CMU 13 - Temple 17

October 18 - Western Michigan

CMU comes out on a mission. They will not let Western beat them at home. LeFevour plays like a Heisman hopeful once again. The offense looks outstanding, reminiscent of earlier weeks. The defense looks decent, giving up a lot of yards, but not a lot of points.
W CMU 34 - Western Michigan 25

October 25 - Toledo

CMU keeps things rolling against MAC rival Toledo. LeFevour and Sneed combine to torch the defense on the road. The defense does enough to win.
W CMU 31 - Toledo 27

November 1 - Indiana

CMU looks tired in this game. Their offense doesn't get rolling, and the defense is sluggish. A moral upset for the Chippewas. A missed opportunity to beat a Big-10 team.
L CMU 20 - Indiana 31

November 12 - Northern Illinois

A great game for LeFevour and Sneed. They combine for over 450 yards of total offense. Northern Illinois fights back, tearing up the Chippewa defense. This one comes down to the final possession.
W CMU 38 - Northern Illinois 35

November 19 - Ball State

A relatively boring game here. Ball State's defense keeps LeFevour in check. CMU's defense does enough to keep Ball State's team out of the end zone for most of the game.
W CMU 17 - Ball State 10

November 28 - Eastern Michigan

An important game for CMU. The final game of the season. CMU will still need this game to get into the MAC Championship. The offense rolls, the defense looks surprisingly good. LeFevour takes big numbers into the Championship game.
W CMU 40 - Eastern Michigan 20

MAC Championship
CMU Wins for a three-peat.

Overall Record: 10-3
MAC Champions
Dan LeFevour is invited to the Heisman Trophy presentation, but comes in a distant 4th place.

Pheww...

My first big night of homework. I've been working steadily on it from around 6 until now - 12:27 AM. Granted, I took a little time out to watch part of the Republican National Convention, but that's sort of homework too. We were supposed to watch it for my Poli Sci class. I would have watched anyway. But yes, I will probably blog tomorrow night from in front of the TV about the RNC - I know how much everyone looks forward to politics!

I might get my CMU prediction in as well - we'll see.

Goodnight!

A Serving of Gov. Palin, With a Side of Fiscal Responsibility...

Catchy title, eh? I think it might be a book soon. As many of you may know, my major is Political Science. So, for a moment, let's get scientific about politics. Many of you might not even care, which means you're not fulfilling one of your most American and responsible rights as a United States citizen.


The Convention

Hosted at the Pepsi center, and then Mile High Stadium, the Democrats were just that - high. Did Hilary really think she was fooling anybody when she said "Barack Obama is my candidate."? She didn't fool me. No matter how many times Hilary says she is on board with Barack Obama, she isn't. There is obviously underlying discomfort between the two - why wouldn't he have picked her for his Vice President if he respects her so much?
Bill Clinton's speech was simply ridiculous. I don't think I've ever heard a speech geared to elect someone else that turned out to be so selfish. Clinton said so much about himself and his own policies, and so little about Barack's. He spoke about a balanced budget, and he did balance the budget - there's no denying that. However, he did it by cutting the U.S. defense by so much that we hardly spent any money on military defense for this country. It took George W. many years to get the defense budget back to where we could actually fend off enemy intruders - God forbid that were to ever happen.


Obama's VP Pick

Barack Obama - Change We Can Believe In
I used to cringe every time I heard this little phrase. However, as I keep watching and watching, I realize it's just a political ploy. Obama is the same puppet having his strings pulled as anyone else in Washington. First off, his major sponsor is AT&T. I don't know if anyone follows AT&T, but they were just pardoned for committing illegal acts. You see, under the Patriot Act, AT&T monitors your phone calls - every single one. They sit in the room and listen to conversations of Americans to see what's going on. Is this really right? Is this sense of "guilty until proven innocent" really what the founding fathers intended when they drafted the Constitution?
Back to Obama's VP pick. Joe Biden is experienced. He brings a lifetime of experience to Barack Obama's campaign. This is the same experience that Obama claims is bad for Washington. If Obama is running on the theory that Washington is broken and it needs to be fixed, why would he pick the 4th most senior member of the Senate as his running mate? Joe Biden has been there far longer than almost every Senator, leaving him directly accountable for what's happening in Washington.

Joe Biden voted for the war in Iraq.

Joe Biden is a major stockholder in MBNA, one of the biggest and wealthiest banking systems in the U.S.

Joe Biden can use his own words against himself, "That's not change, that's more of the same."


Gaining Traction

John McCain has pushed all the right buttons in the past two weeks. This is not just coming as a McCain supporter, hear me out here.
Barack Obama's biggest strength is his ability to deliver a high caliber, people motivating speech. His speech at the DNC fell short of what most people expected of him. After the DNC, Obama recieved about an 8 point jump in the polls. This put him up on McCain 48% - 40%. This was the minimum amount that the Obama campaign hoped for. Usually the candidate jumps around 10% after their own convention in the polls. The day after Obama made his speech at the convention, McCain revealed his VP pick, essentially stealing the spotlight from Obama's speech. The media had no chance to talk about his speech. This is a huge move on McCain's part.


The Wild Card

A little known candidate from Alaska. Gov. Sarah Palin brings with her a strong track record - albeit short. Her fiscal responsibility has left her well known for "cutting the fat" by limiting ear marks on bills passed through legislature. Her pro-life beliefs back John McCain 100%. Little is known about Palin so far, but I do know this - she's a woman. Try as we might, we will never stop strong feelings from many women voters out there. Many women went to the polls for Hilary Clinton for that very reason alone - they wanted to see a woman in that seat. Now, however, the closest we can get to having a woman in office is having one as Vice President. Voting should never come down to whether the candidate is black, white, man, or woman - but polls show that it sometimes does. I think McCain sewed up many bitter Hilary Clinton supporters with his choice of a female for VP.

Whether it's McCain or Obama, we're making history this election season. I encourage everyone to get active, learn about the candidates. Don't listen to the media, they only give you their side of the story. Now, I realize I was extremely biased in my little ramble session - that was the point. In a world full of liberal journalists, we have to fight back.

A Different Perspective

If you'd like to read about the comedy routine at CMU through the comedian's eyes, he has a blogger account! : ) He talks about his trip to Central and a little about the crowd (which if you read my blog this morning, you'd know I was a part of).

Check it out!
http://www.johnnywalkercomedy.blogspot.com/

Heeere's Johnnnyyyy

So my first night on campus was great. My roomates seem to be pretty cool guys, and I even had two high school friends come visit. I've become really good friends with our RA, and even met a couple other people already.

Since my friends were here, we figured we had to figure out something fun to do on campus. So, in RFoC...my dorm's dining area, there was a comedian. His name was Johnny Walker - and he was simply hilarious. I really encourage you to check out his website, or maybe look him up on youtube.

www.johnnywalkercomedy.com

In his act he talked about a specific youtube video that I looked up this morning and found to be hilarious. In his act, he claimed to have watched it 42 times in a row. I encourage you to watch if 3 or 4 times, since it's only 5 seconds long.

Standing on the Edge of A Cliff

...and looking down.

That's how I feel tonight. At 10:00 AM tomorrow, I will start perhaps the biggest chapter of my life thus far. Tomorrow is the day in which after 18 years, I leave home. Granted, it's only about 20 miles, but still. Words cannot describe that feeling. I'm in a state of awe to know that my life will never be the same come 10 AM. How can 11 hours separate such a big moment in someone's life? Don't get me wrong - I'm not regretting it in any way, shape, or form. I am extremely excited about this. I've been waiting for this moment for the past month. Ever since baseball got over with I was ready to go to college. Now that it's on the horizon, I'm ready to eat it up.

Note(s) to self...

Helpful notes for myself. Feel free to add these to your own lists.

1. Never fly with Sarah.
I have enough stress in my life, why would I want to be delayed every time I'm planning on going somewhere?

2. Don't ride fair rides.
They're never as fun as you wish they'd be. Also, who wants to spend 20 bucks to inhale carny smoke?

3. Don't eat yellow snow.
It's usually not a lemon snow cone, especially if a teenage boy that has no access to either a blender nor lemons hands it to you. He's not smiling because it tastes good.

4. Don't listen to political commercials.
John McCain doesn't love faltering economies, and Barack Obama probably isn't Paris Hilton.

5. Step on a crack, break your momma's back.
Fault lines count too!

6. Turn around and smoke the crack...break your mother's heart.
Okay, so that one wasn't mine - thank you Bo Burnham.

7. He probably didn't go to Jared.
What a bunch of awful TV commercials.

8. Don't expect much out of the Tigers.
100 million dollars and they're 4 games under .500? Is this the mid-May Yankees?

9. Expect even less from the Lions.
Bring back Harrington!

10. Don't tell Brett Favre he's done.
Who are you - oh the guy who keeps retiring. I thought that was a one time gig?

11. Don't tell Heath Ledger he's dead.
Hello, Oscar.

12. Don't trust Kwame Kilpatrick.
Must have read those text messages wrong.

13. Don't mistake The Onion for a serious newspaper.
The same goes for the Detroit Free Press.

14. Michigan roads have always been, and will always be closed for construction.
Does anybody have stock in those cone producing factories?

15. Root for Michigan football.
There's a 90% chance they'll be better than Notre Dame.

: )

Lookie Here

No words to be needed here. : )

Can ANYbody?

So as I sat in Burger King watching the Olympics, I thought of a clever blog topic. I was watching Roger Federer play tennis against someone and wondered to myself - can anybody effectively return a Roger Federer serve?


Can anybody sing like Axl Rose from Guns 'n' Roses?


Can any white male jump like Sam McGuffie of U of M?


Can anybody throw a fastball like Joel Zumaya? (keep your eyes on the radar gun)


Can anybody lie like Slick Willy?


Can anybody beg for change like this man?


Can anybody smile and laugh as awkwardly as this man?


And finally...
Can anybody stammer and mess up as much as this man?

A Much Deserved Vacation

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And if the Sun Comes Up Tomorrow...

Tonight's song is just an absolute must have for every iPod, .MP3 player, computer, record collection, 8-track, cassette, and anything else music related.

Hootie and the Blowfish was one of the greatest bands of the 1990s. They inspired ingenuity and diversity in all kinds of music. If you ask me, they have one of the best voices in all of rock music. Let Her Cry was probably their biggest single, and for good reason. The song just moves people. It's your classic "make your skin crawl" love story filled with disappointments and hardships.

I don't think anyone will have any trouble getting all the way though this song.

Let's Compare

Now, remember way back when when I got on my soapbox and complained about almost anything and everything to do with politics?

As we get closer to election time, I think it needs to be very clearly acknowledged that you cannot listen to most of the media out there. Journalists are gold diggers. Every journalist is out there looking for the big story to set their career off. Let's compare two interviews with Barack Obama, for instance. Charles Gibson is a humble man that appears to be doing his job for the right reasons. Keith Olbermann, however, has one goal. His goal is to tell everyone who will listen just how dumb Conservatives are.

Watch as he tosses up question after question for Barack Obama to just absolutely nail. There is no contest by Olbermann. I wonder who he's voting for this fall...hmmm.



--Also, as a side note - notice that Obama said right at the beginning that he knows that 20,000 extra troops wouldn't reduce sectarian violence in Iraq...now that the surge has been proven to have worked in Iraq, maybe he's changing his story.

Now, take a look at Charles Gibson drilling Obama with tough questions. Keep in mind, Gibson has taken a lot of heat from ABC for giving Obama such a hard time.


Would they say the same if he was drilling John McCain?

You bet your bottom they wouldn't.

Just something to think about.

New Idea, Sort of...

So I had this new idea for my music. However, this new idea is already used by my "Older than Dirt" Aunt, along with my Dad. I'm going to post a different song in my player every week, or two days, or two hours...etc. Basically, whenever I'm feeling a certain song, you're gonna hear it. (or shut it off mid-song)

Tonight's song is A Tout Le Monde by Megadeth.

Historically a 90's Metal band, Megadeth was on the front page of many magazines along with their much more sold counterparts Metallica. Megadeth blazed through the 90s with a unique voice, and a heavy metal influence. With hit songs such as Sweating Bullets - a tantric melody of a man who sits in jail talking to himself about all the wrongs of his life and how "hindsight is always 20/20, Symphony Of Destruction (which we sang at prom), and now A Tout Le Monde.

A Tout Le Monde is a song about a man who is at the end of his days. A Tout Le Monde is french for Set Me Free, which is also echoed throughout the song.

It's just a great song to listen to.

Give it a try!

Attention: Pause your music players now! I just realized this isn't the studio version...so it's pretty rough. The studio version is much better. Click on the link below and then on "A Tout Le Monde" in the music player to give it a spin.
:D
http://www.myspace.com/megadeth

À Tout le Monde

It was a great ride while it lasted.

You were the face of a franchise that was left in shambles.

After a record setting 119 losses in a single season - you made it possible to draw marquee players like Magglio Ordonez and Gary Sheffield.

You always had faith in where the team, owner, manager, general manager, and assistants were going with the team.

You played every out of every game that you were asked to play, including a 17 inning marathon with the Seattle Mariners.

...And you did it in catching gear.



You nabbed 37.4% of base stealers - at the age of 37.

Your career batting average is a jaw dropping .302 - unheard of from a catcher.

You won 13 Gold Glove awards.

You've won a world series.

You've played for 18 seasons at the Big League level.

You may not be a Detroit Tiger anymore, but you will live in our hearts forever.

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, you were a team player who did all you could for the Detroit Tigers.



And for that I, and any other true Tigers fan, will always be in your debt.

Enjoy your time in the Big Apple, and thank you for all you've done.

To My Dearest Father...

This will excite you, and then make you cringe.
Just copy the link and paste it into your browser URL.

Enjoy :D

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080727&content_id=3206371&vkey=news_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det

I Made A Song!

So I've been playing around with this program on my Mac called Garage Band. With this program, you can make music by using almost any instrument imaginable. You can even record yourself singing or playing instruments and publish them. I used purely computer instruments since I can't play any of my own. I put about 3 hours of work into this song, so you had better all listen. Even though the link below says "download", you don't really have to download it. All you do is click on the link and it takes you to a website that hosts the song and plays it. It's a lot like photobucket.

So, enjoy it already!

Download John Porter - Lie to Sleep

Pop it and Lock It

It's Tuesday, July the 22nd, of 2008. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. As I sit here, I am thinking in anticipation about college. So many things excite me and confuse me about college.

First off, just so we're clear, I'm attending Central Michigan University in the fall.



Central is a promising school for my intended major, which is Political Science. A Poli Sci degree doesn't limit you to becoming a politician, however, what could be better than working 4 days a week with a large salary and never having to work holidays? That's not even mentioning all the great benefits and pension plan.

Some good politicians:





Also, coming with college is my next level of responsibility. I will be out on my own, living by myself. Well, I will be living with 3 other people, but you know what I mean. I will be staying in Kesseler, which is one of the new towers on campus. They are 4 person, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, and living room suites. I am so relieved to not only have my own room, but AIR CONDITIONING!

I applied to a couple on-campus jobs recently. Shae, you will be proud to know that I applied to SBX, but I haven't received a call back yet. However, I have an "in" to be on the maintenance crew for the Towers. How great would that be? To be a maintenance person in my own buildings! It would be so convenient, and it'd be the work that I like doing the best.

I hope that this will put an end to at least some of the whining coming from someone who only writes about one thing anyhow.

Oh, the possibilities...

So, I sit here with one of my friends and we come across a great question.

Is S-Y-R-U-P pronounced See-Rup, or Sir-Up...?

What does everyone think, and why?

Sweet Caroline

Baaah baah bah...

If you're wondering why I'm so excited right now, it's because I am coming to all of you from a MacBook!

I'm very sorry that I don't have the pictures that I promised. My batteries were dead! And then I couldn't find any more AA batteries. So for that I'm very sorry. As soon as I get my batteries for my camera, I will show you all my new baby.

:D:D:D:D

The Number of the Beast

Yes, today is the day that I hit 666 profile views. I figured that was incentive enough to post a new blog. First off, I get my computer either tomorrow or Saturday, so be expecting a good blog with pictures of me getting it! It may have to wait until Sunday night depending on how the staining goes the next couple nights, but I'm sure I will want to try out my new computer in the blogging world. I got my iPod touch yesterday and it's as amazing as I thought it'd be. I'm finally in the iPod world! Anyway, I'm headed out to stain, so have a good night everyone.

Exhaustion

I know, long time no blog, right? Well, to be quite frank - I've been busy. Lately I've been working 8 hour days 4 days a week, and then I've been devoting 12-14 hours each Friday, Saturday, Sunday to watching baseball and softball. And while I've been having a lot of fun and earning a lot of money, it's left me out on the blogging world for the most part. I'm proud to say that I picked up a side job staining everyone's favorite teacher's house, Mrs. Walton's. I'm also proud to say that because of it I put in my first 14 hour work day today.

So please excuse me while I pass out until 7am when I will get up and do it again :D

The Big Dogs

Since the term "Big Dogs" seems to be used quite loosely today, I figured I'd comment on how my own day with the Big Dogs of Ontario went. On Stubby's advice, we took his boat out on his special lake. (Yes, Dad, his secret lake - be jealous.) I will not name this lake in fear that I'd get the crap kicked out of me by a Ukranian man.

Anyway, the day started out glorious.


We took off in the 16 foot vessel and went through some small creeks to get to the lake of our desires. I was put in the front to watch for rocks...but when the water was considered deep enough, Stubby cut that boat through there like a prize winning sports car.



We got out there and the old man had to put on his bait.



And along the way, I realized just how hardcore these big dogs that I have been running with really are. Look at this wild bunch.



We all caught our limit of Walleye, 2 for me, 2 for Grandpa, 4 for Stubby, and 4 for Eddie. Also, we managed to catch two nice Perch which Grandpa forced into the basket whether Stubby liked it or not. At the end of our fishing day, we cut the motor and just sat in the middle of the lake to eat our lunch.



It was a good day for me and the Big Dogs I run with.