Recent Blog Posts: The Northwest Voice

Would You Vote For Me - Part 2

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:12:14 PDT

With all the talk about who is going to be our next President, I thought I might share my own platform for President.

Part 2 - Welfare System

Effective immediately, no able bodied person will get a free-ride, single Mother's included! We all make mistakes, and i understand that in this country it is so very diffuicult to make something of yourself (sarcasm). However, if you are blessed enough to have sound mind and body, then the check you receive should come from working.

Eligibility will not be granted without legal documentation that the recipient has full parental custody/guardianship of a child.
Each receipient will be interviewed, given training and placed to work.
Checks will no longer be issued without submission of monthly timecards, utility bills, and rental/mortgage receipts.
Receipients will be randomly tested for drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
All food stamps will be replaced by WIC vouchers.
Bus & Rail passes will also be given to all receipients.
A yearly tax incentive will be given to recipients who currently have at least 1 child and voluntarily undergo sterilization.

This new program will naturally require an increase in staff and costs to regulate. The costs and staff will be provided from within the program. For example, those who are capable of becoming a day care provider will do so, and priority will be given to receipients needing child care, in order to attend these jobs.

Other jobs such as teachers Aids will be filled. Imagine what benefit would come from having 2 or 3 assistants to every teacher! Our roads and parks would be immaculate, and graffiti would be a thing of the past!

Mom Entrepreneur quoted in interview with two-time Apple guru, Guy Kawasaki

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:33:39 PDT

There’s a review/interview on Truxtun Avenue where I give my opinion on the passions and toughness of working on a start-up company. The article centers around Guy Kawasaki’s latest book “Reality Check,” which hits stores Oct. 30. Check out the great article and leave a comment on Truxtun Avenue. I would love to hear what you have to say! Here is an excerpt from the article:

If ever there was a writer with a book that both creates and finds a new pool of irreverent-minded, work-passion-obsessed entrepreneurs, that’s Guy Kawasaki. Notice, the key word wasn’t "help," but “find.” That’s because his latest book, “Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition” may just be the perfect tool for those who are smart, hard-working, and benevolent-minded enough to not just have a successful business start-up, but perhaps network with a man who has a golden touch.

It’s a bumpy ride, though. So after you get a copy, you might want to Velcro yourself to that office chair. >>Read the entire article >>

Kawasaki helped direct from the front lines on two different occasions on the Apple/IBM advertising wars. He is director/advisor for a slew of golden companies. Guy Kawasaki is the man behind www.alltop.com. I’m eager with anticipation for Guy Kawasaki's latest book to be released. I personally feel as though I know Guy from reading his column in Entrepreneur Magazine for many years. He is bright, sincere and to the point. I look forward to more of Kawasaki’s great advice.

Yes on 8... and here's why

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:05:14 PDT

It's not even a political issue, but because people like to push boundaries, it becomes one. Proposition 8, defining marriage as between a man and woman only, is not discriminatory. Same sex "Life Partner" couples are already given rights. This proposition is a line drawn in the sand, a line of common sense. If we don't draw the line, then crazy people will push it even farther because we open the door for them to do it.

"But Kevin, two people who love each other should be allowed to marry."

"OK, so what if I want to marry my cousin? My Aunt? My sister?"

"Well, no Kevin, that would not be ok. If you have children there are a range of possibilities of physical concerns."

Ya, that's called nature (who, by the way, is smarter than you about itself) telling you what doesn't work. Telling you what shouldn't mate. In case the talk your parents gave you didn't cover it, you can't mate with the same sex. It's the same reason we laugh at our male dog for mounting another male dog. It's pretty obvious.

Now, let's think this out. If we decide to recognize marriage between same sex couples as acceptable and normal, we tell nature that nature has had it wrong all these years. If we do that, allow the unnatural, somebody is going to make the argument that that should be able to marry a relative. Or what about their pet chimp? There is mutual love. Why not? What about a corpse? What about man's best friend?

"That's crazy, Kevin."

So was gay marriage only decades ago, but here we are.

Proposition 8 is not about gay rights, gay acceptance or marriage. It is about putting a stop to our slide down a slippery slope that will one day let me marry a computer.

It's about common sense.

I am all for the government staying out of people's lives. But when the people are being outright ridiculous, I agree with the government making rules to reinforce the laws of nature, laws that should be extremely apparent to everyone, but people are people, and people like to do silly things. That said, it is really sad that we have put it on the government to explain the obvious.

Chad Vegas & Bob Hampton!

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:55:31 PDT

The Bakersfield Californian threw its hat in the political ring Sunday and endorsed (surprisingly!) Chad Vegas and Bob Hampton, the encumbants, for KHSD Board of Trustees! I don't know about anyone else, but I about fell out of my chair this morning as I was reading the paper!

Any comments?

Read the article here.

Bailing Out the "Den of Vipers and Thieves"

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:58:38 PDT

"Gentlemen, I have had men watching you for a long time, and I am convinced
that you have used the funds of the bank to speculate in the breadstuffs of
the country. When you won, you divided the profits amongst you, and when
you lost, you charged it to the bank. You tell me that if I take the
deposits from the bank and annul its charter, I shall ruin ten thousand
families. That may be true, gentlemen, but that is your sin! Should I let
you go on, you will ruin fifty thousand families, and that would be my sin!
You are a den of vipers and thieves. I intend to rout you out, and by the
eternal God, I will rout you out."

Andrew Jackson
to a delegation of bankers - 1832

Apparently, times have not changed all that much. I have been stewing about the "bail out" situation for quite some time, and after reading an article by Chuck Baldwin, I decided to blog so that the 2 people that actually read it could comment and commiserate with me.

I'm trying to understand why John McCain is not taking this opportunity to simultaneously knock Obama off his feet, separate himself from George Bush, and do the right thing by the American people all in one fell swoop. I mean, what is going on here? If there ever was an "original maverick", it would be Andrew Jackson, wouldn't it? Why doesn't McCain call it as Jackson and all the regular Americans see it and take a position against "bail outs"?

All I can say is that we are currently and corporately being taken advantage of, and I for one am enraged by the politicians who are at fault. As they do this, they have the nerve to get on TV and talk to us as if we are little babies who can't handle the reality of the nightmare our economy is in. They have the audacity to think that we can't take care of ourselves, and that they must do it for us, even if we protest! These politicians, by the way, come from both sides of the isle. These "Republicrats" can't seem to agree on many things, but they sure can find a way to agree on pillaging the tax coffers of the American people. Note - Kevin McCarthy doesn't belong in this category, take a look at his voting record and you'll see that he didn't go along with this.

What I didn't want was congress to use 700 billion of our tax dollars to buy a bunch of bad loans off of large companies that shouldn't have gotten involved in those loans in the first place. Quite simply, it gives those companies a "get out of jail free" card, while simultaneously assuming a lot of risk for innocent tax payers. While the congress said they didn't want to do this, they felt they had to in order to stop a domino effect of failing companies that would eventually reach companies and taxpayers that shouldn't be effected. The main problem cited over and over again was that normal companies and individuals would not be able to get needed credit to run day-to-day operations.

My proposal would be as follows. If a possible "credit crunch" for honest companies and individuals is the major problem here, why don't we use the $700 billion to establish a temporary government lending organization to make sure that those who have good credit can get loans going forward as we get through all of this? This would relieve the "credit crunch" without rewarding the organizations that got us into this mess in the first place. It would also ensure that the tax payer's money is actually invested in something that has a much higher probability of being profitable.

But that is not all. There is one other little thing that must be done to fix our economy. Individuals, companies, and governments need to live within their means. No one can create legislation that forces everyone to do that. The only counter measure that ensures that everyone lives within their means is the fear that exists when they know that if they don't, they'll be ruined. It appears that financial ruin has been taken off the table for large banks and corporations, and the next step is to take it off the table for everyone down to the individuals who knowingly took on more debt than they could reasonably handle. For all of those people, you can reply with your thanks to my blog. Apparently, I am one of the people who will be paying for it. While you are at it, thank my children, too.

NORTH HIGH CLASS OF 2010 NEEDS YOU

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:46:01 PDT

As representative of the NHS Junior class, I am here to inform you that we are seeking local assistance in creating our homecoming float for the October 24^th game against South high school.
In 2007 as sophomores, we defeated all the other classes with our rendition of “Caesars’ Palace” and now we are striving to defend our title of Best Float Creation by depicting the high school movie “Step Up” on a 24 foot-long flat bed truck. However we are struggling finding certain materials and are limited financially. In order to overcome this obstacle and accomplish this task, we will need the following supplies:

- Ply Wood

- Paints

- Lights

- Rope

- Glue

- Fabric for curtains

- A prop/real fire-hydrant

- Scraps of plastic, metal, mirror or glass

- Cardboard

- Bricks

Also, we are looking for anyone with pluming/pool experience that is available to aid us in creating a water fountain

WE ALSO NEED A FLAT BED TRAILER APP. 24' LONG & TRUCK.
We will need to flat bed from October 18th-Oct. 25th, and will only need the truck Sat. the 18th to transport trailer to work location and then will need it the day of Friday, the 24th. We already have a driver signed up if one will not be able to assist.

We ask that if you are able to assist us in any of our needs possible, or can sponsor us with a cash donation, please contact our class adviser. If you or your business submits any donations, your business name will be displayed on the reverse of our float, your name will be announced and thanked during the half time float show, and also you will receive a spirit pack with thanks from the North High Associated Student Body.
Thank you for your time and help in fulfilling our needs!

Junior class advisers:

Anne Reynolds or Tsoguik Broutian

(661) 399-3351

Or, please contact myself, Kara Frankhouser, @ Kmfrankhouser@hotmail.com for further information.

Fukudome attire is being threatened by "the man"

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:26:45 PDT

So I have a 12-year old son that is in his first year of junior high school. I know you feel sorry for me. But don’t, he really is a good kid for the most. Every evening we gather around the dinner table to partake in a delectable meal that mom has prepared, and swap stories about our day. First there is the 5-year old, whose excitement for the day is whether or not she received a green ticket in class. Usually we know if she received a green ticket, because she is bouncing along when she arrives at the bus stop. You see a green ticket means a sweet reward for her and punishment for us.

We then turn our attention to the boy and his amusing anecdotes. Mainly, ones surrounding girls and the latest middle school gossip. Ah, the 12 year old mind. However, this particular days recollection was about a certain t-shirt that he had worn to school. It was a shirt my wife had purchased for the new school year. You see one of the school administrators had questioned whether or not this particular shirt violated the schools dress code. The reasoning, the style of lettering. Now I may be a little older, but the particular shirt in question did in no way promote or invoke any affiliation or would distract any student from obtaining the realms of higher education.

Right now your probably asking, so what does this have to do with sports?

Earlier this month a sophomore at Elgin High School in Elgin, IL, was asked to remove her Chicago Cubs, Kosuke Fukudome jersey and wear a gym t-shirt to class because of a misunderstanding about how to pronounce the All-Star right-fielder's last name. The incident began when the schools dean stopped her and asked what the name of Cubs player was, and she pronounced foo-koo-DOUGH-may. The school staffer wasn't so sure and consulted with other faculty. The dean then told the girl the jersey was inappropriate and made her remove it.

Maybe we should also ban the study of Uranus in astronomy class as well as ban any atlas or globe that shows the location of Phuket, Thailand.

By late afternoon, common sense -- and proper pronunciation – prevailed as the Associate Principal announced that students could wear the Fukudome apparel at school.

This issue is not just reserved for high school students. It was revealed that one Oklahoma woman was asked to remove her Kosuke Fukudome jersey during work hours because the F-U-K-U letters may be offensive to some. Yet Doris in accounting wearing her Dick Trickle NASCAR jersey is totally fine.

Well good thing neither one of these young ladies didn’t buy a Yankees pitcher, Chien-Ming Wang jersey.

Would You Vote For Me - Part 1

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:55:18 PDT

With all the talk about who is going to be our next President, I thought I might share my own platform for President.

Part 1 - Tax Policy:

I've worked hard my whole life to acheive what I feel is my own personal success. My first job (age 11) was sweeping hair and cleaning windows for the barber down the street making $5.00 on a saturday. Anyone from the IRS reading this, I confess to you now, that income was not reported.

Personal: Everyone would have a percentage based on a formula: Income(s) + Investment Profits - Education Expenses - 50% Utility Expenses = Taxable Income.
Businesses: Profit = Taxable Income (Provision will be made to prevent companies from claiming higher losses than actual.)
Taxable Income x Flat Tax Rate of 22% = Taxes Owed
$5,000 Credit for each child
No Marriage Penalty
If you donate to Education, you can deduct every cent.
25% of charitable donations, plus the satisfaction of helping someone.

Aside from a predetermined percentage of taxes going toward necessities such as education, safety, military, roads, parks, etc., each taxpayer will fill out a form that allows them to choose which social programs your taxes go to.

Read my lips...no new taxes unless something happens that requires an increase, in which case it will be necessary so please vote for me even if i need to raise taxes but hope i won't because i want your vote!

Parent's Effect of Youth Sports

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:22:14 PDT

Without parents, organized youth sports would be nothing more than a pipe dream for most kids. Parents often sacrafice to make sure that their kids registrations are taken care of... they go that extra mile to ensure that they have all the equipment they need and that they are on time to practices and games (often at the cost of their own social lives), and most parents do all of this while making sure that fun is the highest priority for the kids involved - making sure that they never know the hard work that goes into letting them participate in youth sports.

But do some parents go too far?

We’ve all seen the national (and local) stories where parents get into brawls or yelling matches with officials or a coaches. Many of us have experienced the over-zealousness of a parent who is pushing their child to the point of burn out. We hear tales of those ever-present parents who live out their lives through their children.

Do you think this happens locally?

What should the role of parents become in the youth sports experience once the basics are taken care of?

How can parents spoil the experience for the young athlete, and what can we do to avoid this from happening?

Drawing a line in the sand

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:00:32 PDT

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and you disagree? I found out recently that some people draw a line in the sand as soon as you disagree with them. This tends to leave an awkward silence; thus resulting in the changing of the mood and of the subject.

Wether it be a conversation about a favorite movie or something touchy as politics, I have encountered peoples attitudes change as soon as I disagree with their opinion. Key word is opinion. Everyone has an opinion, but everyone does not have the social maturity to be able to process any other opinion but there own.

In order to sustain a healthy relationship, be it personal, family or business. One needs to be able to listen and hear the other persons thoughts and opinions in order to get a clear understanding of the other persons beliefs or ideas.

One may not necessarily agree, but to automatically put up a wall and draw a line in the sand is only showing an extremely closed mind. Of course, that is only my opinon.

Mommy, give me independence...

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:50:26 PDT

At one time, my 22 month old daughter would dig into the trash like a dumpster diver. If I turned my back for a moment she would pull out of the trash what she thought were treasures. Yuck!! Therefore, for safety purposes and to save my sanity we went through the pain stacking, multi-hour task of putting child cabinet locks in place. Now, with reluctance of watching my lil “baby” growing up, I took the child safety lock off the trash cabinet door. My daughter thinks she is a big helper and now puts her trash in the appropriate place. For some this may not be perceived as a big deal. For me it marks a pivotal point of my daughter growing up and wanting her independence. Doesn’t she remember all the previous days when she wasn’t so independent? Days spent crawling and babbling. Days spent needing me to sustain life? Those days appear to seem long forgotten. Although, I’ve seen evidence of her growing up before, I choose to ignore it. Today is just another day I’m realizing my daughter is growing up much too fast. I’m not ready for her to grow.

All other cabinet locks will remain in place until I’m slowing ready to give her more independence.

www.WhereMomsConnect.com

Talladega Frights ~

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:49:45 PDT

Thanks to the North West Voice, and of course, Dana Martin, we received tickets to 'opening night' @ Talladega Frights! What a SCREAM! It was great, and to think I tried to back out, literally. Some of these rooms were just too SCARY, for me. My eight year old son, a brave little man, refused to hold mom's hand, go figure. I think I was the fraidy cat in this case. If it wasn't for Dana, our wonderful Editor, I would have left, never knowing, but thanks to her and her husband, they managed to 'PUSH' me through it ~ literally! My son laughed, I yelped, My son pulled away, I reached out for him, my son asked if my pants were dry, I of course replied, "Who's your Mommy"? He has a little still to learn, lol! All in all, as much as I am addicted, insanely, to scaring other people, I had the Nerves scared right out of me!

I recommend the scaredy cats 'STAY HOME'! But for those who think they can handle it, go for it! Just so you know, I ran out of there RUNNING & SCREAMING!

Good Luck, you'll need it...... !

Kassandra

Here Comes the Judge!

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:22:08 PDT

We're getting close to election time, but instead of focusing on the presidential race, let's discuss a local election. How about the race for Superior Court Judge?

Is it just me, or do you find it frustrating when you get ready to cast a ballot and realize that you don't really know anything at all about any of the candidates for a local office? I like to make informed choices, but it is difficult when hardly anything is published about these local races. Superior Court Judge would be a good example, but this problem often applies to school board positions or even city and county board positions.

One thing that I love about the evolution of technology and the Internet is that information about candidates and issues is now more accessible from your own home than ever before. Case in point, I'm writing today on behalf of a candidate so that those of you who regularly read my blog can be more informed about your choices. Be happy, I'm not even charging you for the information!

On Thursday, I had the pleasure of meeting and conversing with Charles "Chip" Brehmer at the Valley Baptist Men's Power Lunch at Hodel's. At these lunch meetings, there is always a speaker who tells his or her personal testimony regarding their faith and usually includes an inspirational story.

Chip came to do exactly this, and did his best to keep politics out of his personal discussion. Unfortunately for him, none of us would let him do that! As soon as he asked if there were any questions, they started coming, and they were all on the subject of attorneys, judges, politics, and his opinions on current issues. Everyone there looked at this as an opportunity to get to know a candidate for office that we might not otherwise have personal contact with.

Let me tell you, Chip has got his act together. He was an extremely cool customer as he answered our questions thoughtfully, respectfully, but with authority. All candidates for Judge are attorneys, but rarely do first time candidates come with a substantial amount of experience as a judge. Chip has served as a "fill in" judge, called a Judge Pro-Tem, on some 200 cases. He didn't get paid for that, so his involvement as a Judge Pro-Tem in Kern County reveals a heart for service as well as a commitment to preparation. A Servant's Heart...

Chip was asked what he would do if he came across a situation as judge in which he could not make the decision that the law required without compromising his faith in Jesus Christ. In a room full of Christians, it would have been easy for him to say that he would make the decision based on the law of God rather than the law of the land. Instead, he indicated that a situation like that would require him to remove himself from the case. He then eloquently discussed the importance of impartiality in this position, as well as higher judge positions, and the damage that has and can be done when judges allow their own perceptions to cloud their professional view of the law. Courage...

After Chip spoke, I had an opportunity to chat with him about a number of things personally. He offered to contact someone on my behalf that was in a position to help me with something that I brought up. I gave him some information regarding that, but truthfully didn't expect much. However, Chip did what he said he would do, and he did it that day. Integrity...

Folks, I'm not one to endorse candidates all the time, but this one earned it. To learn more about Chip Brehmer, use the technology that you have in front of you and visit his website.

Screaming Through Talladega Frights

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:15:22 PDT

Unexpected treats don't generally fall in my lap, so when Dana Martin generously offered me two free tickets to Talladega Frights, the event was made all the more special. My husband and I went on Thursday's opening night and laughingly screamed our way through the maze of rooms. The cast uses each moment as an opportunity to startle patrons, and I felt my eyes constantly darting around, bracing for the next Gotcha!

Upon entering, our first exposure was to a fog-laden graveyard, the scene of "Thriller" - complete with risen corpses doing the famous dance. From there, we felt our way through pitch-black rooms, some with flashing strobe lights or purple bulbs, surprised the entire time by spooks jumping out from the sidelines. Clutching to one another, we jumped and I shrieked, rattled but cackling through the entire experience. An insane asylum haunted by young women was the most frightening to me, while my husband enjoyed the polka-dotted, spinning room. Getting lost in the woods, being closely followed by werewolves, was particularly memorable. The spooky characters popping out of the well-done scenes don't touch anyone, but they certainly get your pulse racing.

Talladega Frights makes for a unique evening out and we would definitely recommend supporting this NOR event!

*Thanks, Dana and the Northwest Voice, for such a fun night!!

It's the Economy, Stupid

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:06:36 PDT

It’s the economy, stupid. The problem is that I can’t figure out who the stupid are. If the question were asked, “who understands the economy?” my hand would not be one going up. But if our country’s leaders can’t figure it out, we’re in deep doodoo.

On September 15^th, amid a stock market in the tank, and the housing market and financial institutions in meltdown, John McCain said that the fundamentals of our economy are strong. Not if you’d picked up a newspaper lately. He later said what he meant by fundamentals was the American worker. No he didn’t. He said what he meant and he meant what he said… at the time. President Bush said basically the same thing back in mid-August, quote: "The fundamentals of our economy are strong. ... Job creation is strong. Real after-tax wages are on the rise. Inflation is low." I’m quite sure the President was wrong on ALL counts. Then, just over a week ago, President Bush is on national television (a rare occurrence in itself) to say basically, THE SKY IF FALLING.

I don’t doubt that the financial sky is falling. And now the 700-billion dollar bailout is a done deal. Actually, it’s probably closer to a trillion. Not only that, but it’s full of pork, or earmarks, or whatever you want to call them. I’m not sure any politician has a firm grip on the underlying problems. I’m not sure if either candidate for President has a good understanding of what’s going on.

I understand a little bit about the free enterprise system. You start a business. If you sell a good product and run your business properly, you can prosper. If you don’t, you fail. Many in the banking industry have failed. They should be allowed to go under, allowing banks that have not made stupid, greedy mistakes to take over. Let’s not give billions of taxpayer dollars to the very people who caused this mess, but alas, it’s too late.

Yes tough times are ahead. I’m quite sure a serious recession is just around the corner, if it’s not already here. Whoever gets elected President, I hope he surrounds himself with people smart enough to figure how not to stick it to us middle class folks. Five bucks says that this bailout isn’t going to help the middle-class or the working poor at all.

All we can do is watch… and hope… and pray… major emphasis on pray.