Deep Thoughts...

Okay, well maybe they're not that "deep," but I'll let you be the judge... :)

Thought #1: Is anybody else ready for this election to just be over?! I'm getting so tired of hearing the same old, same old from the candidates, hearing campaign ads everytime I turn on the TV (oh, and don't forget "infomercials"!) and the polls never changing (despite the fact that there are interesting twists and turns every week related to the campaign). I'm especially tired of hearing the phrase, "We can't afford four more years of the same failed policies!" and the ever-popular words "Change" and "Bill Ayers." While I'm not ready for Obama to win (which I'm predicting will happen - heaven help us, and I mean that literally), I'm just so tired of all this campaigning and partisan bitterness. It will be nice to have life finally get back to being "somewhat normal" in 6 days...

Thought #2: However, since the election isn't completely over yet, I found this creative experiment on Obama's tax plan to be quite interesting. It was performed by a citizen and reported in the Eagle Tribune...

"Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read 'Vote Obama, I need the money.' I laughed. Once in the restaurant my server had on an 'Obama 08' button , again I laughed--just imagine the coincidence. When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight. I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful. At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient needed the money more. I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application."

Hmmm... Some food for thought. And speaking of food....

Thought #3:

Boston Butt Roast. Mmmm... sounds appetizing! Either our food "lingo" is slowly going downhill with the rest of our language (didn't the proper word for this used to be "rump"?), or Kent's Market is trying to keep people from eating it.

Thought #4: Why is pumpkin carving always portrayed as a family affair when really the parents do all the work? I hardly trust myself with a knife, let alone my young kids, so why would I let them anywhere near this event? And yet, every year we venture into this "family tradition", trying to get the kids involved, only to find that Greg cleans and carves the pumpkins, I clean and bake the pumpkin seeds, and the boys end up in a completely different room playing with toys. Some "family tradition..." :)

Gavin and Ty with "their" pumpkins. Right...

Not bad, eh?

Well, there you have it - my first installment of "deep thoughts." Okay, okay, so maybe they weren't that deep, but give me some credit for even writing after 2 weeks! :) -Ash

Beware... Political Ranting Ahead!

*Read at your own risk!* :)

So I've been debating for two days now about writing this blog, but with all the pent up frustration and anger I've been feeling lately with Obama's political plans, I'm hoping it will help me vent and chill out a little. Trust me, I am in no way, shape, or form trying to change other people's political viewpoints - I am just using my blog as a forum to vent! :) (And please don't send me a nasty comment if you are an Obama supporter. I am already quite sure he is going to win, so just let me have my moment... Plus, I'm not a die-hard McCain fan either. I just feel like he is the lesser of the two evils at this point. Thanks! Ha ha.)

Point of Frustration #1: As you have all probably heard by now, Obama says he will give 95% of Americans tax breaks and will only raise the taxes of those that make over $250,000 or more. "Income redistribution," as he so aptly explained when he talked to Joe the Plumber. While my family would most definitely be included in these tax breaks (as I'm sure just about all of you would be too), I still feel like this is extremely unfair and dangerous. Here's why:

1) People that make over $250,000 or more stimulate our economy a whole lot more than we may think they do. Not only do they spend a lot of money, but they also own their own businesses and corporations. In other words, they supply jobs to those of us in the middle class. When you start taxing these people (up to 60% of their income - $140 billion dollars total, while the rest of us are most likely not going to pay any taxes at all), there will be a huge dip in our economy. Not only will the upper class stop spending as much, but they will make financial adjustments in their businesses. In other words, a bad recession could potentially go to depression.

2) Obama says he will not tax small businesses at this same high rate (I'm not so sure about that, but whatever). Okay, well what about the big corporations and even mid-market businesses? I still feel like it is unfair to tax them at such a high rate because this tax hike will not just affect the head guys in the company (like Obama wants) - most likely, it will trickle all the way down to the middle-class Americans that Obama is trying so hard to help. Case in point: Greg works for Qwest - a large corporation. If they are taxed higher, it will be reflected either in his job wages or potentially in job loss. How could Qwest not make those kinds of adjustments with that high of a tax rate? The thought of it is downright terrifying to me when we have already had such a hard year financially with our different job situations. We can't afford to have either of these happen, and I'm sure most middle-class Americans are the same way right now.

Point of Frustration #2: I will be the first to admit that our country needs some serious help when it comes to health care. We had to pay for our own plan a few months back and it was extremely expensive, with dismal coverage. However, I don't feel like universal health care is the way to go. First and foremost, it will once again put our country into a horrible economic situation. It will be so expensive, and we will never be able to balance the budget (in fact, an independent study that I saw said that Barack Obama's plans would leave us $1 billion dollars in the hole when all his plan are complete - our country is already that far in debt as is!). I also worry that if universal health care is available, employers will stop offering their own group plans. Why would they keep offering it if everybody could get on the government's plan and the employer didn't have to pay for it anymore? Then we would have a horrible health care crisis like in Canada where people have to wait for months to be seen by a doctor. It's a complete disaster waiting to happen...

However, along with all of this, I still don't feel like John McCain's plan is the way to go either. I definitely do not agree with taxing benefits like he does, and I'm hoping if by some miracle he makes it into office, that that bill will not pass. But as they both stand right now, I still think McCain's plan is much better and more sensible for our country.

Wow, I can't believe how much I've already written and I have SO much more I could write, but I think this is enough. In fact, I already feel a little bit better! :) So thanks for listening to my rantings, if you were brave enough to go past the first line! But just one last thing. I really am not a huge McCain supporter either. I sincerely wish we had a better conservative candidate in there right now who is getting extremely upset on the voter's behalf and vowing to get the people who screwed up our economy. But from what I am seeing as an average American at this point, I feel like McCain's plan is 10 x's better than Obama's. The last thing we need right now is a President sending us into even worse financial problems (as a government and individuals) - a frightening thought considering the state of our country right now. I understand that people want "Change" - I do too. But I just hope all Americans understand what kind of "Change" Obama stands for. Our country will be changed alright - but it won't necessarily be in the positive way everyone is believing. Anyway, I need to go do something happy now to get my mind off all this madness, but please forgive me if I ruined anybody's day with my negativity. I promise my next post will be happy! :) -Ash

It's A Miracle!

After much bugging (and begging) from her highly intelligent older sisters, my younger sister Kristin has finally started a blog! Yay! I just thought I would let you all know since a lot of you know Kristin and may want to check it out. The web address is: http://www.kristinanddan.blogspot.com. It's really cute, so check it out! -Ash

A Week Late... But Better Late than Never!

My parents were kind enough to have me and my crazy little boys down for 3 days last weekend, and we had a great time! Over the past few years, it has become a tradition for our whole family to get together for Conference weekend, and of course, we always have a great time just being together (although it can be incredibly hard to hear the speakers with 4 rambunctious little boys running around!). Here are some highlights of the long weekend:

Playing in the yard with Poppy (when it wasn't pouring rain, of course).

While playing outside with Poppy, Gavin found a katydid and had absolutely no qualms about picking it up and playing with it. He is SO his father's child!

Picking the pumpkins out of Poppy's garden and "decorating" with them (seriously, Gavin loves to help me decorate... should I be worried?!).

And my favorite part - Sunday Brunch.

Every Conference Sunday, my mom puts on a lavish brunch with waffles, bacon, muffins, fruit, and homemade syrup. It's AWESOME (as Gavin's face is so appropriately showing...).

Anyway, we had a great time, so thanks again for having us, Mom and Dad! Sorry if your nerves were shot by the time we left... :) -Ash