The observant among you might have noticed over at the right (just to the right of my rather accurate caricature) a slight change in the home base of this blog.
The change hasn't actually taken place yet but will within about a week. The Ol' Guy and Not-Nearly-So-Old Wife are headed to South Florida where the Ol' Guy has landed a spiffy new job in Naples, FL.
In the mean time, we're spending long frustrating hours downsizing about 20 years of our lives as we get ready to move into a condo that's about half the size of our Champaign house. (And costs approximately twice as much, coincidentally.) Amazing what all you can collect over the span of a few decades living in the same place. Anyone want to buy a snow blower and a couple snow shovels? I won't be needing them anymore. The garage sale is Friday and Saturday. (If anyone's truely interested in the sale, message me and I'll provide the address).
Nevertheless, South Florida presents a new challenge, a new lifestyle and a new climate. It's time for a change and why not make it in paradise?
What this is coming to is that while the Ol' Guy blog isn't exactly ending, it's most likely not gonna see a lot of posts in the future. I've spent much of my time over the last almost 2 years commenting on local issues and local folks. Doubt many of you CU folks are gonna care much that more smugglers are beginning to favor the Naples area for smuggling in Cuban refugees. That's the big news down there.
I may weigh in on a national issue or two, and may make a comment when the Chief's Traveling Minstrel Show finally is retired and when CU finally goes smoke free, but don't expect a lot to be happening here.
After all, there's an incredibly beautiful beach a mile from my front door. And loads of sunshine and warm winds. And the Gulf of Mexico.
Could YOU blog in that kind of environment?
Me neither.
And so it goes.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Slap slap
OK, OK, I was wrong. And boy does it feel good.
-- I honestly did not think the Democrats would take the U.S. House. It turned out to be more of a referendum on Iraq and GeorgeW's failed administration than I had counted on. So now the Dems not only have a majority, they have a nice majority.
Of course, being free-thinking, free range Dems, it still remains to be seen whether they can muster a majority vote on anything. You can call the Dems a lot of things (and most of you have) but you can never call them a rubber stamp for anyone or any thing.
-- And now the late breaking news is that the Dems may also have taken the Senate as well. That's still up in the air because the races are so close in Virginia and Montana (when's the last time those two states ever worked together on anything?) but it would seem the worst that could happen is an evenly divided Senate. As I write this, the Dems in both states would appear to have won. But by extremely slim recountable margins.
-- Has the GOP cried voter fraud yet?
And locally:
-- Democrat Mike Frerichs barely edged out Republican Judy Myers for our state Senate seat. This was one of the nastiest, mean-spirited and least issue-oriented campaigns I've ever seen. Neither party has any right to be proud of this campaign.
-- Timmy Johnson won again, but in case anyone noticed, it was a lot closer than many people expected. Maybe it'll spur Timmy to actually serve his constituency. Naaah. Never happen. He still thinks his constituency starts and ends with his rich lawyer friends and his CEO buddies. Anyone still remember when Timmy ran on a term limits platform? Apparently he doesn't.
-- Gov. Blago got re-elected. This, too, was a pretty distasteful campaign. But it would seem the voters rejected the George Ryan brand of corruption for the Blago style. It's too bad there aren't many honest politicans in Illinois. Is 'honest Illinois politician' an oxymoron?
-- Shame the GOP couldn't put up any opposition for Naomi Jacobsson. She was clearly better than Rex. But who isn't?
-- The Champaign County Board stayed in the hands of the Democrats despite some backhanded and moldy campaigning. That tactic got really moldy really quick. Never resonated with the voters, nor should it have. It was a manufactured controversy by the designated county GOP hack artist and never caught a foothold. (And congrats, Matt. Good to have a blogger on the board.)
-- Finally, you out there: You can call Mike Frerichs tall. You can call him a (shudder) Democrat. You can whine that he went to an Ivy League college. But now, you have to call him Senator.
And one last comment: I never in my life have been so glad for an election to be over as I am this year. This was from top to bottom the nastiest, meaniest and ugliest campaign I've ever lived through. And that takes in a lot of elections. No one involved in the process should be proud of their part in it.
And so it goes.
-- I honestly did not think the Democrats would take the U.S. House. It turned out to be more of a referendum on Iraq and GeorgeW's failed administration than I had counted on. So now the Dems not only have a majority, they have a nice majority.
Of course, being free-thinking, free range Dems, it still remains to be seen whether they can muster a majority vote on anything. You can call the Dems a lot of things (and most of you have) but you can never call them a rubber stamp for anyone or any thing.
-- And now the late breaking news is that the Dems may also have taken the Senate as well. That's still up in the air because the races are so close in Virginia and Montana (when's the last time those two states ever worked together on anything?) but it would seem the worst that could happen is an evenly divided Senate. As I write this, the Dems in both states would appear to have won. But by extremely slim recountable margins.
-- Has the GOP cried voter fraud yet?
And locally:
-- Democrat Mike Frerichs barely edged out Republican Judy Myers for our state Senate seat. This was one of the nastiest, mean-spirited and least issue-oriented campaigns I've ever seen. Neither party has any right to be proud of this campaign.
-- Timmy Johnson won again, but in case anyone noticed, it was a lot closer than many people expected. Maybe it'll spur Timmy to actually serve his constituency. Naaah. Never happen. He still thinks his constituency starts and ends with his rich lawyer friends and his CEO buddies. Anyone still remember when Timmy ran on a term limits platform? Apparently he doesn't.
-- Gov. Blago got re-elected. This, too, was a pretty distasteful campaign. But it would seem the voters rejected the George Ryan brand of corruption for the Blago style. It's too bad there aren't many honest politicans in Illinois. Is 'honest Illinois politician' an oxymoron?
-- Shame the GOP couldn't put up any opposition for Naomi Jacobsson. She was clearly better than Rex. But who isn't?
-- The Champaign County Board stayed in the hands of the Democrats despite some backhanded and moldy campaigning. That tactic got really moldy really quick. Never resonated with the voters, nor should it have. It was a manufactured controversy by the designated county GOP hack artist and never caught a foothold. (And congrats, Matt. Good to have a blogger on the board.)
-- Finally, you out there: You can call Mike Frerichs tall. You can call him a (shudder) Democrat. You can whine that he went to an Ivy League college. But now, you have to call him Senator.
And one last comment: I never in my life have been so glad for an election to be over as I am this year. This was from top to bottom the nastiest, meaniest and ugliest campaign I've ever lived through. And that takes in a lot of elections. No one involved in the process should be proud of their part in it.
And so it goes.
Thursday, November 2, 2006
The local news
I've said this before, but I think it bears repeating.
I still do not believe the Dems are gonna take the US House and/or Senate. I really don't care what the polls say.
The problem with the polls is they really aren't measuring the election from the local perspective. Ask any voter if he wants to throw the barsturds out and given the GOP track record the last 6 years, a good majority will shout "Hell Yeah!"
Problem is, then you have to ask question two: Does that mean you're gonna vote against YOUR GOP Congressman/Senator? The answer likely will be "Hell No!" I want all the rest of them barsturds out, but I'm still voting for Tim. Or Denny. Or whomever.
I just want YOU to vote YOUR crooked congressman out, OK?
Given that's the way it really works, I don't see a Democratic takeover of Congress. I see Democratic gains. Just not a majority.
Sorry.
--------------------------------------
NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:
Shortly after the election, the Old Guy blog likely will be shutting down. It looks like the Old Guy (and Not-So-Old Spouse) will be packing up and heading to much sunnier climes. Permanently.
I'll likely still be reading the local blogs, but it's gonna be difficult to comment on local goings-on from 1,300 miles away. Especially when there's important beach combing and sun gathering to be done. (This isn't, however, retirement. Not yet, anyway).
We'll see what happens.
And so it goes.
I still do not believe the Dems are gonna take the US House and/or Senate. I really don't care what the polls say.
The problem with the polls is they really aren't measuring the election from the local perspective. Ask any voter if he wants to throw the barsturds out and given the GOP track record the last 6 years, a good majority will shout "Hell Yeah!"
Problem is, then you have to ask question two: Does that mean you're gonna vote against YOUR GOP Congressman/Senator? The answer likely will be "Hell No!" I want all the rest of them barsturds out, but I'm still voting for Tim. Or Denny. Or whomever.
I just want YOU to vote YOUR crooked congressman out, OK?
Given that's the way it really works, I don't see a Democratic takeover of Congress. I see Democratic gains. Just not a majority.
Sorry.
--------------------------------------
NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:
Shortly after the election, the Old Guy blog likely will be shutting down. It looks like the Old Guy (and Not-So-Old Spouse) will be packing up and heading to much sunnier climes. Permanently.
I'll likely still be reading the local blogs, but it's gonna be difficult to comment on local goings-on from 1,300 miles away. Especially when there's important beach combing and sun gathering to be done. (This isn't, however, retirement. Not yet, anyway).
We'll see what happens.
And so it goes.
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