Post Show Blogging: Catching up

Good Morning... I was hoping the Blue Screen of Death would be banished from my computer this morning but alas...not to be. So I had to post show blog. I feel like I'm cut off from the world while we're out on that set without a computer. Another reason I may break down and just get an iPhone 4 rather than waiting for the 5. Lets Catch Up Budget1 So the Federal Budget is on a deadline again. They have to get something on paper by tonight so they can vote on it by Friday. That would mean no Government shut-down. So the deadline is really today. I have to say the rhetoric on this one is pretty lame from both sides. I get that a lot of these Freshman Republicans were elected to cut the budget. Good, lets trim spending. But you can't just come in and lop off billions in the budget. Big decisions need to be made...funny that no one seems to be willing to deal with the really big problem...entitlements. On the other side of the aisle Democrats break out their greatest hits to paint Republicans as heartless barbarians who are trying to make sure public school kids starve to death in a filthy room with no teacher, or that Veterans remain homeless because...who cares about the Poor. You can't paint with a broad stroke here. The federal budget is complicated. Frankly I think all of the people who created the Tea-Party wave would be OK with cutting spending by 35 billion this year...as long as they continue the process of finding smart ways to cut the budget next year and the year after. that's not a Tea Party Sentiment...I think most people want their lawmakers to scrutinize government spending. Budget II At the State Level the Governor is trying to give school district a heads up...here's how much money you have...even if the state gets more...your ongoing expenses should be scaled back. Democrats argue we shouldn't plan that far ahead because...what if the situation improves? We MIGHT be able to afford it. That's like a family saying, "hey maybe I'll get a raise next year...lets make reservations for a tip to Mexico." What if the boss comes back and says you didn't get a raise? What if your pay gets cut? You can always spend more next year if the economy improves. What's the harm in waiting? The harm is that Union jobs might be cut in the meantime and Dems don't like that. Dart So I would take the bus if it came by my house at three in the morning. It doesn't. The Des Moines Metro is one of those placers that's in between. We are big enough for some sort of Public Transportation, but not big enough to make it available to most of the population. I tell you, those alternatives are looking a lot more attractive as gas prices go up. So what would make you ride the bus to work? DART is listening. The times of three public meetings (2 today and one tomorrow) are on our website. Southwest Anyone else going to grab hold tight next time the airplane your in starts to make a groaning noise? Air travel is one of the safest ways to get around...and those 737s have been the workhorse of a lot of Airline fleets for a long time. But that's the problem. The NTSB is going to be looking into the idea that shorter flights, the planes going up and down and the skin of the plane contracting and expanding with the air pressure may have some effect on the lifespan of the metal used. So here's something I learned in one of the articles about this incident. I read that if the cabin depressurizes 1t 30,000 ft you have about 25 seconds of useful air to breathe before you pass out. That's why they tell you to put your mask on first. You're no good to your kid if you don't have a mask on yourself. The pilots did an amazing job getting that jet down to an altitude where people could breathe. Some other thoughts: -I could use 200 million dollars...thankfully I have the chance to win it in the Lottery this weekend -The national Championship game wasn't worth staying up for. -Some co-workers told me about http://www.mapmyrun.com/ I love it. One of the things I don't like about running outside is not knowing how far I'm going. This makes it really easy to figure out. I am going to try to run more as the weather warms up. We have a track at the gym but running in circles that long is boring. -I can't say I'm doing back flips over Missouri's new Head Basketball Coach. I know...a lot of you didn't even know we needed a new coach. -Now your Moment of Zen for the Day Why we stop spinning in circles for no reason when we grow up:

I hope you have a good day!

PWD