McCain picks Palin

Well the Democratic ended Thursday with Obama's acceptance speech (which looked more like mega concert with ticket prices to match). They were definitely coming off of a high from the week but that had to have changed on Friday. McCain's choice of Sarah Palin ends the speculation of who he would choose as a running mate.

As a (Reagan) conservative, I am personally excited about the choice. Palin has the qualities that I am looking for in a candidate:

• Pro-life - she carried to term a baby she new was a special needs child
• Pro-gun - a lifetime NRA member and hunter
• Pro-oil - she wants to use the resources we have to supply our needs
• Fiscal conservative - she controlled spending and reduced taxes
• Smaller, efficient government - she rooted out corruption in Alaska and eliminated government waste

What's not to like with Palin? Granted her experience is limited. But not less than Obama. She has served in executive positions where she has to deal with outcomes. Obama does not have that on his resume.

The Democratic leadership had to be reaching for the aspirin bottle yesterday. The Palin choice came as a surprise to a lot of people (conservative and liberals). It is a great choice for the Republican ticket because:

1. Palin appeals to the conservative right and evangelicals of the Republican party. This will quiet some of the questions of McCain being a moderate. Conservatives are already getting excited about her.
2. She will play well to undecided female voters. She comes from a working family background and is self made as far as politics. Obama's choice to pass on Hillary for VP (and the 18 million that voted for her in the primaries) might haunt him.
3. She is a maverick / Washington outsider. With Obama's choice of Biden as VP running mate, he has chosen a long term insider who has been playing the political game since 1972.
4. She has held several elected executive positions - mayor and governor. She has had to make decisions and live with them. Obama (and Biden) can not claim that.
5. She is young and vibrant - as much as Obama is plus she is three years younger.

Personally I am excited. Friends (fellow conservatives) were over last night and we were watching the political commentaries and are now interested in the election. This is not what the Democrats wanted to hear a day after their shining moment at their convention. Maybe I should mail them a case of aspirin...

Property Tax Notices Are Arriving

Have you received your 2009 property tax notice? I got mine the Monday when Tropical Storm Fay hit. That was a real irony when I opened it and saw the numbers.

I was expecting my taxes to go down some, but more than just the 1% when I looked at the bottom line. We were promised relief with the state tax bill that went through earlier this year. I knew it was not going to be an end all solution, but after the gouging local municipalities have done through the real estate boom years they needed to be roped in.

So what are some of the reasons behind this:

• The appraiser increased the assessed value by the maximum 3% allowed under law even though property prices are depressed (to be kind). Why? The assessed value is still under the market value. Most people will probably fall into this unless you bought in the last year or two. (The market value on the statement was down 20% which added to the depression on Monday...)
• The new $50K homestead is not visible. There is an explanation on the back that it is in the calculations but difficult to calculate. Okay it might be complicated but I did test out of college calculus. At least give me a chance! The citizens should have transparency to see the deduction. (Could we apply the Sunshine law here?)
• City of Fort Lauderdale charges for fire and debt have gone up over last year. Basically they raised the tax rates. (It is also ironic how they have open positions and threatened to cut services despite all of the new condos and apartments downtown.)
• What happened to putting the millage rate on the tax bill? Is Lori Parrish scared to show the ugly truth that the government is just raising the rate on us? The truth is the local governments raised the tax rates on us.

The local governments had a boom in revenues for several years as property values increased and people upgraded their homes or made investments in real estate. Now they are going through lean times just like everyone. It appears that they still have not learned anything about fiscal management. They continue to want more money.

You and I know that in good times we have to save some of the surplus for lean times. The City of Fort Lauderdale needs to tighten their belts just like us. Now I am not saying to cut back basic services like education, police and fire but cut government waste and things that can be deferred (i.e. more pavers in the street).

At least the citizens will elect a new city government in March. Hopefully we can bring some sanity back to managing the city's finances.

What Ever Happened to Sin?

A politician next door
Swore he'd set the Washington arena on fire
Thinks he'll gladiate them
But they're gonna make him a liar

Well he's a good ol' boy
Who was born and raised
In the buckle of the Bible Belt
But remember when you step
Into your voting booth
He'll never lie
He'll just embellish the truth

Promises were made to be broken, right?
You've gotta play the game to win
When you need supporting
Tell them that you're born again
Whatever happened to sin?

Lyrics from "What Ever Happened to Sin?"

by Steve Taylor from the album Limelight

Politicians somehow seem to loose their moral compass when elected. The news is just littered with stories of corruption and dishonesty with politicians.

The latest story has been about Senator John Edwards' affair and the child he has had with the women. This is a man that cheated on his wife while she was battling cancer for a second time. He admits that he made a mistake and only told the truth 99% percent of the time. He said he should have confessed earlier. How long would he have kept it secret if he wasn't caught? What else is he hiding?

Another fine example is U.S. Representative Robert Wexler. His residency was his in-laws condo in a retirement community in Boca. He has not actually lived in FL for the last 11 years. (I wonder what he puts on his tax returns.) He says it was for quality of life with his family and to be close to DC. Yet he has one of the worst voting records. The local paper slapped his hand somewhat and allowed him to write his own column defending himself. (On the flip side local officials want to arrest and jail parents for enrolling children in schools outside their district.)

FLL City Commissioner Cindi Hutchenson mis-used city resources to send out a mailing for her mayor campaign. After she was caught she said it was a misjudgement on her part. What would she have done if she was not caught?

This is not a new story. (Remember Alcee Hastings in the 90s?) It is not a red or blue issue either. It is a sin issue where we have allowed politicians to do as they please without enough consequences to dissuade them.

Edwards was right in saying that there are two nations in the US but he was wrong about who they really are. We seem to have a different standard for politicians than ordinary citizens. They are able to get away with things that you and I would be jailed for.

The founding fathers would roll over in their graves (if that was possible) if they knew what politics has turned into today. People make careers out of politcs. That was never the intention of the founding fathers. It was supposed to be a service to your fellow citizens.

Somewhere along the way we lost that and have allowed greed and power to corrupt. I say it is time to vote them all out and start over. Let's bring government back to what it was intended.

Is BBQ God's Favorite Meal?

This past weekend I broke out my smoker and put a pork roast in it overnight. It came out really good. I took it to a party and everyone devoured it.

As I was chopping up the pork, I thought about it and asked my self some questions:

• When did BBQ really begin?
• Isn't it really one of the oldest forms of cooking?
• Who invented BBQ?

I bought my smoker a little over a year ago and been "experimenting" or "perfecting" how I make my BBQ. I have learned that you have to take things slow and low. Here are the basics of how I fix my BBQ:

• Ribs / whole chickens - 8 hours
• Roasts - 12 to 15 hours depending on the size of meat.
• Temperature - between 200' and 220' - I prefer closer to 200'
• Fuel - I use a gas smoker. The pros say use charcoal but natural gas is easier. I cook stuff overnight so I can let it go for 8 hours without worry.
• Wood - I prefer hickory. You only need it to smoke for the first couple hours to get the flavor.
• Liquid - I prefer part fruit juice (like apple juice) and part water to start. Make sure you keep liquid in the pan so it doe not dry out.
• Rub - A secret blend rub that is slightly spicy. I put it on fairly generously on the meat. (OK - I can't give away all of the details on my BBQ cooking!)

My friends rave about it. If I invite them over for dinner they do not turn me down. One couple even moved a birthday dinner with their family in order to come over for BBQ.

To me, great BBQ is like a gift from heaven. It is an opportunity to enjoy food and friends. Is BBQ from God?

The Old Testament says that God ask the children to make burnt offering to Him. It also describes how God "consumed" those offering and found pleasure in them.

Maybe BBQ is God's favorite meal after all. If it is that is fine by me.

BTW - I belong to the other PETA - People Eating Tasty Animals.

The Olympics Are Here

The opening ceremony of the Olympics is here, but do people care about them?

NBC, ESPN, the newspaper have been doing count downs to the start. Well they are hear and the questions is who is going to be watching?

I will probably watch some USA Basketball and see how Dwayne Wade performs in anticipation of the upcoming Heat season. (I'll watch the Australian women's basketball team for a different reason - tall, athletic blonds - how can I pass on that?) I will try to watch cycling but its mostly on the internet at 3am in the morning...

It is just not the same as when I was young(er). The Olympics used to be a special event that drew the attention to amateur athletes competing in events that were unique or unusual. Now it seems to be dominated by more common sports - basketball, soccer, hockey (yes, I know that is a winter sport). Even golf and tennis are Olympic sports now (and I still don't watch them). On top of that it is also dominated by high paid professional athletes (even in track and field).

We have lost interest in the events like the decathlon where an individual completes in 10 individual events to prove he is great in all of them (like Bruce Jenner did). I used to remember watching events like fencing, Greco-Roman wrestling, boxing, and weight lifting when I was young. Today they get almost no exposure.

I do not think this is a China thing (political) or a time zone issue. The Olympics are just not what they used to be. I watched the movie "Chariots of Fire" again the other day. I think that captures what the modern Olympics were intended to be. I just don't feel that spirit today.

I may sound down on the Olympics but I do want to see the US athletes (and the Australian women's basketball team) do well and make us proud!

What is the CEO of Home Depot Thinking?

I have come to dislike Home Depot.

Unfortunately it is my only choice in east FLL unless I truck 15 minutes east to Lowe's. The little guys just don't carry a large enough selection either.

When I go into Home Depot, I am shocked at how bad their inventory control is and the dumb self service checkout. The other day I went in to get sprinkler parts (what should be a common in South Florida since we need year round). They had no 1/2" risers in plastic. How do you run out of such common items?

A few weeks ago I was buying PVC connectors. The $0.24 part rang up as $34.98. The check out girl did not bat an eyelash and threw it in the bag. I said something and she looked at me a bit dumbfounded. I finally told her just to remove it because I was not about to wait for a price check (it would be quicker to drive to Lowe's).

One of the big problems is that their inventory control system and order entry (checkout) systems are not linked. They do not know how much stock they have left based on sales - someone has to inventory it.

The self service checkouts are also a joke as well. I rarely get through without assistance. Pricing / bar code issues and the crazy sensor on the bag stand that thinks you put an extra item in without scanning it.

I have talked to employees in the stores who have confirmed some of these things. They are also unhappy with changes with new pay structures, shift schedules, and other cost cutting measures. I realize the economy is not great, but when you do these things you wind up discouraging your customers and driving them elsewhere.

The current CEO is trying to return Home Depot to its glory days when it was run by the founders. Being penny wise and pound foolish might make you profitable today, but not in the long term. They should look at their customer service and inventory control if they really want to get back there.

Fort Lauderdale Green?

Is Fort Lauderdale really the green city that the city government is promoting? Maybe, but not in the ecological sense. As I did my morning ride I looked around and saw the waste that ordinary citizens are not supposed to do.

Examples include:

• Most of the public have there spirinklers running every morning. Resicents are only allowed to water twice a week.
• Traffic lights cycle for no apparent reason stopping traffic unncessarilly.
• The city has crews out most mornings pressure cleaning the sidewalk along the beach (or they have gas blowers blowing sand in the street.
• Bridges like Andrews and 3rd Street on the New River go up for boat traffic in the middle of rush hour creating traffice jams downtown.

The city might be green, but it is green about tax revenues not conservation. They are more concerned about paver and streetlight projects than being good stewards of the citizen's tax money. As I look around it erks me to see how they using the money I pay in taxes.

Granted, I beleive in conversation and preserving natural areas but I am not tree hugger. I beleive that we should preserve wilderness and use natural resources wisely (not wastefully).

Hopefully with the upcoming mayor and commission election in Fort Lauderdale we will see a change for the better. (I hope, but that is another blog!)