Monday, March 23, 2009

News day about my ICD

I have a busy morning scheduled today so this post was written over the weekend and not this morning. I mention this to you because some of the things I’ll discuss are from the weekend news and there could be developments not included here. There are occasions, however, when my thoughts have to take a back seat to necessary real things.

Like today. My morning began very early as I had to do all my usual morning chores before 6:15 AM. Little things, like showering and the other things people must do to prepare for a day. Even breakfast was consumed between 5 and 5:30 because Gator Wife leaves for her part time job shortly after 5:30.

My first appointment, which has been scheduled for the last six months, is an easy one. The hygienist at my dentist’s office is an early bird and I have an appointment for 7 AM to get my teeth cleaned. It’s not a big deal, but very bad early experiences with my childhood dentist caused me to punish him by not taking care of my teeth. I guess I don’t have to tell you who got punished. I’ll probably have cavities.

The second appointment was made just last Friday, and it’s the much more important one for today. By mid to late morning, I could be released from all my restrictions following the insertion of a cardiac device at the end of January. That device will be tested at the cardiology office to be sure it’s working properly and it’ll also give them a record of the activity of my heart for the last seven weeks. If it all works out as I’m hoping it will, any and all remaining restrictions, except arc welding, shooting of guns, and MRIs, will be lifted.

The best part is that I have to have today’s test every three months; but after today on test day I’ll put a device on my chest and while I’m sleeping that night, it’ll call the cardio place and transmit the readings. I’m told I’ll never know it’s happening.

All that necessary and special activity is why I’m posting today’s comments Sunday to be revealed by Blogger this morning.

Now for some thoughts on the weekend news. I had planned not to spend all my time on President Obama and his administration this week. Those plans are not looking too good.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has told members of Congress that the spending by Congress and President Obama’s projected budget are causing a much worse projected deficit than previously reported. The new project says that over the next ten years, the deficit will reach to more than $9-trillion, more than $2-trillion over the President’s projection.

The proposed budget for this year is forecast to be about $200-billion more than the President has told us. Many of his key plans for “hope and change” haven’t even been revealed yet. He still wants to expand universal health care, increase education spending, develop efficiency in energy use, and reduce the deficit by a half.

One very difficult part of all this is most of us, truly including me, have precious little concept of what a trillion dollars is. Or a billion dollars, for that matter. We do know it’s an awful lot of money and we can understand that it will be our children, grand children, and generations yet born that will be paying for all this spending.

As I said on numerous occasions, when you and I have overspent our budgets and find ourselves in a hole (deficit), we have to make serious adjustments and cut some of that spending. We cannot, like the federal government is doing right now, head to our printing presses and pour out more money to pay for our extravagance. The feds are printing more than a trillion dollars with nothing to back it up as I write this.

Like Maine Democrats, the Washington ones believe the answer to all things is increasing taxes. Never mind that most of us cannot afford to spend any more on taxes as Maine’s projected tax collections are demonstrating, just increase the taxes. No direct quote here, but it’s almost like President Obama and the Congress, and Maine government officials, have the attitude of “Don’t worry about it. Just do it.” I think they’ve ever heard of reducing spending.

I think they do have one thing going for them. Because the numbers are so far above honest comprehension, most of us don’t really understand what the government screw ups are costing us and just how much the Democrats desire to change from a democracy to socialism is going to cost hard working, honest Americans.

To be continued. A discussion of Maine’s economic projections is also right around the corner.

And a note on a different topic. The NCAA basketball tournament is underway. I love basketball games when officials allow the kids to play the game, sometimes very hard, and only blow the whistle when the flow is interrupted. And most games at this tourney level are played that way. Not last Friday night’s Pitt vs. East Tennessee State. I have nothing in this game. My Gators aren’t even in the tourney and who wins matters not to me. Top seeded Pitt won as they should have, but the officials did all they could to show they were the most important people there. I thought it was one of the worst post-season officiated games I’ve seen.

GiM

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