When voting to increase your property taxes. . .

[Politifact.com] “We first checked with the Romney campaign, which said the figure came from the College Board, which produces an annual study of college costs. The College Board found that for the school-year 2008-2009, the average published tuition and fees for in-state students at public four-year colleges and universities was $6,585. By the 2011-2012 school year, it stood at $8,244. That’s an increase of slightly over 25 percent. So the claim has a grain of statistical truth.  “

Then Politifact goes on to do a different statistic—all costs—and claims since that cost is around 20%, the add is mostly false!  Also it was working with a Spanish language ad and didn’t like the translation.

Why put this in a campaign? It's about state supported colleges. Well, states are struggling to support our state institutions because they have all those mandates from the feds--and Obamacare will only increase that as more get bumped from employer insurance to Medicaid. That said, when I stroll across the campus at OSU, I can't believe the plush, lush, extravagant buildings and perks students of the 21st century have. College tuition and fees today are 559% of their cost in 1985. Makes medical costs look like a bargain.

Where are the yard signs against issue 51?

A friend’s daughter is trying to do a photo essay on our local school levy, but can’t find a yard sign to photograph.  I don't support issue 51 , but I see no yard signs either. The Vote for Issue 51 signs are standing next to both Romney and Obama signs.

In a suburb next door to OSU, not voting for a school or library issue is tough going. Issue 51 is a 5.8-mill operating levy for Upper Arlington City Schools on the Nov. 6 ballot. If approved by voters, the levy would cost homeowners an additional $178 in annual taxes per $100,000 in property value and generate about $9.2 million per year for the school district. We have an exceptionally good school system, but 86% of the money goes for wages and benefits.  Ohio is not a Right to Work state, so these teachers are protected by both the union and the STRS.  Their retirement package will be 3-4 times what someone on Social Security will get, with far fewer years of service. 

UA schools are especially fine for those going to college (others are the children left behind--my friends suggest moving to Worthington if you have special needs children), but it's pricey and gets the same results as other districts that spend far less. UA cost per student is $15,172; at Olentangy district schools it is $9,465. Hard to find a website or an article, but here's one:

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/upperarlington/news/2012/10/03/anti-levy-campaign-educate-ua-seeking-lasting-district-reforms.html

The debates—Obama is being swamped

Watching the debate—Obama is being Obama

David Gelernter on the debate: "Remember that Obama is Richard Nixon in a JFK suit. He can do a fair imitation of charm for the right audience, for a short time. But he is dour, sour, full of himself, and mean. He is a patronizing man who cares (and always has) about winning elections—not governing; not the United States. Romney just has to let Obama be Obama."

Lehrer appears to be cueing Obama and clarifying questions for him. This is like watching a massacre—Obama is a stumblebum without his teleprompter, he’s punch drunk, using scatter shot whereas Romney is taking aim and hitting the target.

But we all know how the MSM pundits will see it:  Obama has won!

Fat Man Demands Bank Loan.

At Roland Lane’s FB page—I’m assuming he’s the author.

So I entered my friendly neighborhood bank with whom I have no relationship and asked to take out a loan.
"Do you have an account here?" asked the friendly banker.
"No," I replied.
"Would you like to open an account?"
"Yes"
"Do you have some ID?"
"Well," said I, "Nothing with a picture on it."
"You will need a picture ID."
"Not so fast, sir," I replied. "I do not think that I need a picture ID. You see, I am somewhat large, perhaps some would say fat, and I am sure that fatness is a civil liberty. I am sure that being fat is on the PC lists. It is a civil right."
My friendly banker was now less friendly. "Sir," said  he, "Childhood obesity is in the news every minute. Childhood obesity is no longer on the PC list. It is no longer OK to be a kid and fat. It is no longer a civil right for kids because Michelle Obama picked that up as the Presidential wife thing. All President's wives have a thing, dating back to Betty Ford and alcoholism. Once she made alcohol rehab fashionable by going to a clinic it was OK to be an alcoholic and it became PC, more or less a civil right. Unfortunately, Michelle Obama's actions have taken childhood obesity off the PC list.
"But," I protested, "I am not a child, Michelle has not addressed old fat people therefore we are still on the PC List and for me, a fat old person, it is still a civil right. I believe your demand for a picture ID to get a bank loan is a direct attack on fatness, adult obesity if you please. Back off or else."
Pausing a moment, the friendly bank person glowered at me but asked: "What ID do you have?"
"I have a copy of my electric bill with my name on it and I would like a loan of ten thousand dollars."
Now the most unfriendly banker asked, "How do I know you did not cut and paste and photo shop the electric bill?
Well I replied, "I regret to inform you that you can ask that question but I do not have to answer. Where do I sign for the loan?"

Blog is now nine years old

Yesterday was my 9th blogiversary--I've been blogging since Oct. 2, 2003. Then I back dated to Oct. 1, to add some links, and just because librarians like to be tidy. My first blog was to explain why I was blogging. In the "old days" there was no Facebook or Twitter, or any other new fangled social media.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2003/10/1-most-of-my-writing-has-been-sent-via.html

Oops! Somebody stole a T

Not four more years of tax and spend!

When the rich take legal deductions it’s called loopholes

Liberal media are the enemy of the American people

Mitt Romney is not running against Barack Hussein Obama.

Governor Romney is running against a liberal media complex — Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth” — and Barack Hussein Obama.

Robert J. Avrech, observant Jew, a religious Zionist, a conservative Republican, and a member of the NRA.

Buried alive for 4 years—Joe Biden

Available at a Romney Ryan site.

He’s not stupid, but if you vote for him again. . .

Would Barack Obama ever work the garbage truck?

From Mitt’s account (not the one in the opposition’s ad):

"During my campaign for governor, I decided to spend a day every few weeks doing the jobs of other people in Massachusetts. Among other jobs, I cooked sausages at Fenway Park, worked on asphalt paving crew, stacked bales of hay on a farm, volunteered in an emergency room, served food at a nursing home, and worked as a child-care assistant. I’m often asked which was the hardest job – it’s child care, by a mile.

One day I gathered trash as a garbage collector. I stood on that little platform at the back of the truck, holding on as the driver navigated his way through the narrow streets of Boston. As we pulled up to traffic lights, I noticed that the shoppers and businesspeople who were standing only a few feet from me didn’t even see me. It was as if I was invisible. Perhaps it was because a lot of us don’t think garbage men are worthy of notice; I disagree – anyone who works that hard deserves our respect. – I wasn’t a particularly good garbage collector: at one point, after filling the trough at the back of the truck, I pulled the wrong hydraulic lever. Instead of pushing the load into the truck, I dumped it onto the street. Maybe the suits didn’t notice me, but the guys at the construction site sure did: “Nice job, Mitt,” they called. “Why don’t you find an easier job?” And then they good-naturedly came down and helped me pick up my mess." No Apology, p. 251

Women who have no choice

I'm on the PDHC prayer list. I pray for women who have come to them for ultrasounds or pregnancy concerns. This week was typical--here's three:

* college student; had ultrasound done; boyfriend wants abortion
* single woman, mother of one; is 6 weeks; wants to parent but her mother wants her to have an abortion
* woman 7 weeks; has two daughters; in abusive relationship; has no support

If you are "pro-choice," keep in mind that 65% of the girls/women who have abortions have no choice--someone else is making it for them. Parents, husband, boy friend.

My friend Kelly says, “I had a friend in that exact situation in college. At the last minute she used her choice, and allowed friends to help her raise a beautiful baby in college. (It was even fun for all of us). She went on to do a Ph.D. and now has a wonderful 32-year old son.”

Don’t confuse a Democrat with facts

He promised us one term if he couldn’t turn it around.

Our aching backs brought us together

My very first Medical Library Association meeting was in Boston.  I think it was 1989. I can usually spot someone who has a bad back, and so I started chatting with Jerry, who like me, was standing against a wall during a presentation, even though there were seats available.  Sitting is the worst possible position for some back problems.  We’ve been friends ever since.  The following year I stayed at her home in a suburb of Detroit, and I think we roomed together at some conferences.  She was a hospital librarian and eventually took a wonderful job setting up a library on a Caribbean island.  We’re both retired now, but on Facebook recently there was an update about her back: “The less invasive procedure in April did not do the trick. Have a ruptured disk, stenosis, spondylethesis and degeneratie discs. “  Ouch.  Mine never got that bad, and when I get twinges, I wear a back brace. Prayers for my good friend. Love you Jerry.

                   

Here we are in San Antonio in 1994.

Do pollsters lie?

I know Democrats who supported Edwards to the bitter end.  Probably were fooled by his own staff.

"Under oath, Hickman admitted that in the final weeks of Edwards's 2008 bid, Hickman cherry-picked public polls to make the candidate seem viable, promoted surveys that Hickman considered unreliable, and sent e-mails to campaign aides, Edwards supporters and reporters which argued that the former senator was still in the hunt —even though Hickman had already told Edwards privately that he had no real chance of winning the Democratic nomination. . .

“Hickman acknowledged sending a series of emails in November and December, and even into January, endorsing or promoting polls that made Edwards look good. Asked about what appeared to be a New York Times/CBS poll released in mid-November showing an effective "three-way tie" in Iowa with Hillary Clinton at 25 percent, Edwards at 23 percent and Obama at 22 percent, Hickman acknowledged he circulated it but insisted he didn't think it was correct.

"The business I'm in is a business any fool can get into, and a lot can happen. I'm sure there was a poll like that," the folksy Hickman told jurors when first asked about a poll showing the race tied. "I kept up with every poll that was done, including our own, and there may have been a few that showed them a tie, but... that's not really what my analysis is. Campaigns are about trajectory, and... there could have been a point at which it was a tie in the sense that we were coming down, and Obama was going up, and Clinton was going up."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2012/10/a-pollster-under-oath-137100.html

"

This year’s flu shot

Today my husband said, “Let’s get our flu shot.”  “OK.” So he called to make an appointment.  But the recording was so confusing with instructions of how to go to the emergency room, or how to get English, or how to wait for our doctor, we just got in our car and went to his office.

I had just been there in July, but apparently another Obamacare computer change was in the works and things were chaos.  This time our Medicare cards were scanned instead of photocopied, she recorded our race and ethnicity, and the computer took our photo to add to our records.  One of the staff members came in carrying her portable/lap top version and was about to have a meltdown.  The staffer at the desk mumbled and grumbled that she’d prefer a notebook and pencil to all this nonsense.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/qa_fluzone.htm

“Why is a higher dose vaccine available for adults 65 and older?

Human immune defenses become weaker with age, which places older people at greater risk of severe illness from influenza. Also, ageing decreases the body's ability to have a good immune response after getting influenza vaccine. A higher dose of antigen in the vaccine is supposed to give older people a better immune response and therefore better protection against flu.”

Are these Julia’s lady parts?

We knew the left didn’t think much of women, but this e-card for the Obama campaign confirms it.  To politicians like Teddy and Edwards, Fluke, Clinton and Obama, a woman voter is the sum of her “lady parts.”

Prom dress code

I was a bit surprised to see this in a prom dress code (Utah?) in 2012:

"Strapless dresses are prohibited unless a jacket or shawl is worn. 'Plunging' necklines are prohibited. The backs of dresses should not show more than 1/3 of the back (directly below the armpits)."

Have they looked at a Bride's Magazine lately? Or at a 1956 prom photo?

Junior Prom, May 1956, Mt. Morris, Illinois