So Sad...My Fantasy Year is Over

I am the founder, commissioner and namesake of my Fantasy Football League, the UNCFL.
We have a travelling trophy and everything.

However, i was one of only 2 teams not to make the playoffs this year and was greeted by the rude news when I accessed my team, "Unc in the D."

Well, better luck next year.

'Twas The Night Before The Elections

I had to put this up now, as the day before the elections might be too late. All of you...Get Out and VOTE. Let's suprise the "pundits!"
(Thanx to Dave P. for forwarding this from Bob H.)

'Twas the night before elections
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys

They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink

He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!

" On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi"
He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think
On this one final note-
IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

A Simple Way to Understand Tax Cuts

I found this brief dissertation from an enonomics professor at the Unuversity of Georgia that gives us a better understanding of those evil tax cuts.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes,it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. ‘Since you are all such good customers,’ he said, ‘I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.’ Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

‘I only got a dollar out of the $20,’declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,’ but he got $10!’

‘Yeah, that’s right,’ exclaimed the fifth man. ‘I only saved a dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I got’

‘That’s true!!’ shouted the seventh man. ‘Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!’

‘Wait a minute,’ yelled the first four men in unison. ‘We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!’

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works!!

The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Here's Something to Ponder!

If Barack Hussein Obama would apply for a job with the FBI or with the Secret Service, he would be disqualified because of his past association with William Ayers, a known terrorist.

If he is elected President, he could not qualify to be his own body guard!

UND vs UNC...and the truth about Ty

First, a tough road battle this weekend which will tell us where we have and if we have progressed since the trip to East Lansing.
This is a tough Carolina team with a top notch coach. We have to pass well to open up the run, and NOT PLAY SO CONSERVATIVELY to start the game like we did at MSU when we squandered our first 3 possessions. Get off early and shut up the crowd!
With the 4 quality wide outs we have and the emerging tight end, we should be able to score. At some point this defense needs to put together a great game...this one on the road would be a great boost for the team.
A couple field goals are in order as well...he cannot be THAT bad.
UND-27;
UNC-24.

Second, you have to read this link about Ty Willingham. (Copy & Paste in your browser)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/65809-willinghams-scorched-earth-aftermath-of-bad-recruiting-classes-for-uw


I have always told my Skunkbear and Poisin Nut friends that Ty wasn't fired for 7-5 and 6-6 (his last 2 seasons). He was fired for sloth on the recruiting trail and it looks like history is repeating itself at UW.
Our team owes him for the hell he put them through last year when he left this cupboard SO BARE that we had to play boys against men, and thus 3-9 ensued. I am hoping they run it up on him big time when they visit UW later this month as the men they have become!

Still So Many Questions About the Man Who Would Be President

I have read the outlines of the memoirs and reseached what I can and there are still a number of lingering questions unanswered about Barack Hussein Obama, the man who would be our President and Commander in Chief.



(There, I said it, "Hussein, Hussein, Hussein")



Around 1979 Obama started college at Occidental in California. He is very open about his two years at Occidental, he tried all kinds of drugs and was wasting his time but, even though he had a brilliant mind, ne did not apply himself to his studies. "Barry", (that was the name he used all his life), during this time had two roommates, Muhammad Hasan Chandoo and Wahid Hamid, both from Pakistan. During the summer of 1981, after his second year in college, he made a "round the world" trip. Stopping to see his mother in Indonesia, next Hyderabad in India, three weeks in Karachi, Pakistan where he stayed with his roommate's family, then off to Africa to visit his father's family. My question - Where did he get the money for this trip?

When he came back he started school at Columbia University in New York.
It is at this time he wants everyone to call him "Barack" - not "Barry". Do you know what the tuition is at Columbia? It's not cheap! to say the least. Where did he get money for tuition? Student Loans?

After Columbia, he went to Chicago to work as a Community Organizer for $12,000. a year. Why Chicago? Why not New York? He was already living in New York. By "chance" he met Antoin "Tony" Rezko, born in Aleppo Syria, and a real estate developer in Chicago. Rezko has been convicted of fraud and bribery this year. Rezko, was named "Entrepreneur of the Decade" by the Arab-American Business and Professional Association".

About two years later, Obama entered Harvard Law School. Do you have any idea what the tuition is for Harvard Law School? Where did he get the money for Law School? Morestudent loans?

After Law school, he went back to Chicago. Rezko offered him a job, which he turned down. But, he did take a job with Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. Guess what? They represented "Rezar" which Rezko's firm. Rezko was one of Obama's first major financial contributors when he ran for office in Chicago. In 2003, Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendelland claims was instrumental in providing Obama with "seed money" for his U.S. Senate race.

In 2005, Obama purchased a new home in Kenwood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (less than the asking price). With ALL those Student Loans - Where did he get the money for the property?

On the same day Rezko's wife, Rita, purchased the adjoining empty lot for full price. The London Times reported that Nadhmi Auchi, an Iraqi-born Billionaire loaned Rezko $3.5 million three weeks before Obama's new home was purchased. Obama met Nadhmi Auchi many times with Rezko.

Now, we have Obama running for President. Valerie Jarrett was Michele Obama's boss. She is now Obama's chief advisor and he does not make any major decisions without talking to her first. Where was Jarrett born? Ready for this? Shiraz, Iran! Do we see a pattern here? Or am I going crazy?

On May 10, 2008 The Times reported, Robert Malley advisor to Obama was"sacked" after the press found out he was having regular contacts with "Hamas", which controls Gaza and is connected with Iran.

Recently buried in the back part of the papers, Iraqi newspapers reported that during
Obama's visit to Iraq, he asked their leaders to do nothing about the war until after he is elected, and he will "Take care of things".

Oh, and by the way, remember the college roommates that where born in Pakistan? They are in charge of all those "small" Internet campaign contribution for Obama. Where is that money coming from? The poor and middle class in this country? Or could it be from the Middle East?

And the final bit of news. On September 7, 2008, The Washington Times posted a verbal slip that was made on "This Week" with George Stephanapoulos. Obama on talking about his religion said, "My Muslim faith". When questioned, "he make a mistake". Some mistake!

Will we make this big mistake and elect this man because of his great oratory skills while ignoring the questions of his life to this point?

Cardinal Sin?

That's what it'll be if we lose to Stanford.
Their mascot isn't a person anymore, or even an animal...but a color! How can our leprechaun beat up a color?
Gimme a break.
We can run on these guys and they cannot cover Tate and Floyd.
They can rune the ball and that has been our weakness, stopping the run, so we need to respond this week.
Harbaugh will have them ready...I have always liked him as a player and a coach, but:
ND-31;
Stanford - 10.

ND Season Decided in the Next Two Weeks

The next 2 weeks will determine if this ND team will merely meet expectations (7-5 or 8-4) or exceed them (9-3 or 10-2 ). We have to defend our home turf against 2 teams we should beat.
I had MSU as a loss in my 9-3 prediction starting the season and they didn't do anything that dissuades me in that prediction.
MSU was just too big and pushed ND around on both sides of the ball. However, ND's 2 turnovers deep turned the tide from what could have been a close game. As Floyd progresses this year, we'll see fewer and fewer mistakes like that and more and more great plays. It is so good to see ND with a couple gamebreakers (Floyd & Tate).
Purdue will try some of the same pushing around, but they don't have the same talent this year as in past years, but ND will need to score points.
That means pass first and set up the run!
ND-31; Purdue-17

Mr. Payments Last Game

This was shared on Rock's House this week:

"When I was a kid, before the days of the NBC contract, Notre Dame games were on cable more often than they are now. My parents didn't get cable, so I watched all of those games at my neighbor's house, Mr. Payment. He was an Irish-Canadian immigrant and loved Notre Dame football as much as anyone I know. Some of my best memories as a kid were watching those games with Mr. Payment. He would always "send me in" to the game. If there was a big offensive play, he would ask, "can you get in there and throw a block, Joe?" I'd say I could, and if the play worked, he'd congratulate me.

Now, I send my kids in the game.

When I was a teenager, Mr. Payment's son was my confirmation sponsor. I don't remember why, exactly, but Matt couldn't be there on the day of my confirmation, and Mr. Payment stood in for him. We were in the parking lot of the church listening to the ND-Tennessee game on the radio, and the confirmation mass was starting, with ND driving at the end of the game. I asked Mr. Payment what we should do, and he said, "It's Notre Dame. God'll understand." ND missed the kick to win the game, and I missed part of my confirmation. I'm glad I did.

Mr. Payment has been dying of cancer, and I went over to his place this week to watch the Michigan game with him. I asked him if he could get in there and play, and he said he'd run the defense. He did a stellar job. I held his hand during the alma mater, and he cried during it. He new it'd be his last one. He was right. Thank you, team, for winning this game. It means more to me than every other ND game I've seen put together, because it was Mr. Payment's last one.

You sent him out with win."

Posted by The Rock at Thursday, September 18, 2008

Time for the Michigan Sweep

A very good friend of mine from Rotary, Judge Mike, was an ND grad and always celebrated here in the Land of the Skunkbear when the Irish vanquished both Michigan teams in a 2 week period.
Though I have vowed to carry on the tradition, I have had scant few opportunities as Sparty has had ND's number in South Bend.
Two years ago, my son Charlie and I saw a great ND victory in East Lansing when the Irish came back in a furious 4th quarter rally to beat Sparty.
Sparty was so concerned that the Irish were as classless as them that they had already prepared for defeat and had posted "guards" on the 50 yard line to prevent the Irish players from performing a similar classless ritual as they had performed in South Bend the year prior. Of course, the Irish came directly over to their fans and saluted them, then sang tha alma mater.
This is an image that will always define Sparty for me.
ND-31; Sparty-21.
GO IRISH!

I'm Voting Democrat Because...

I'm voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I'm voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

I'm voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as they see fit.
I'm voting Democrat because I believe three or four elitist liberals need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe element who would NEVER get their agendas past the voters.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that when the terrorists from over there come over here, I don't want to have any guns in the house to fight them off.

I'm voting Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I've decided to marry my horse.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.

Makes you wonder why anyone would ever vote Republican, right?!

You Go, Girl!

So, the Dems had the first shot last week at their convention and all we heard was, " Evil George Bush and his buddy John McCain" from one speaker after another...including BHO, who really surprised me with how much time in his speech he took to take shots...below his dignity as a Presidential candidate, but I guess that comes with experience (oops, there's that word again). How many days until we get the good old morphing faces commercial from the Dems or Move On . org?

And now, the party of great platitudes and their minions in the press have nothing to say except to spout off half truths about the VP nominee. Harry Reid even referred to her as "shrill," not a word he has used about any man. And questioning whether she has the time to run with children at home...gimme a break, the gender police would skewer a Republican if he/she said that, but Dems get away with it. (Same way JoeB got away with his "clean and articulate" remark)

The Dems are scared to death, especially after she did so well last night and with the teleprompter operator continually screwing up. She actually did better than Rudy under similar circumstances and he's supposed to be a veteran. I loved a number of her quotes and it is worthwhile to watch the speech if you can.

They'll have a tough time connecting her to PRESIDENT (by the way) Bush as she has sued his administration numerous times over 10th Amendment issues.Go, Sarah, Go. She is going to Washington to serve the people. Amen!

ND Opponents Have Mediocre Week One

Irish opponents had a mediocre week one at 5-6:

Cal Poly 29 – San Diego State 27 (SDS had no running game, but still should beat anyone with Polytechnical in their name for crying oput loud);

Utah 25 – Michigan 23 (It'll be one long year for the skunkbear);

California 38 – Michigan State 31 (MSU actually played a quality opponent tough);

Stanford 36 – Oregon State 28 (Nice start for Harbaugh with a conference win);

North Carolina 35 – McNeese State 27 (NC should beat McNeese State worse than this);

Oregon 44 – Washington 10 (Gee, is there a coaching problem in Seattle?);

Bowling Green 27 – Pittsburgh 17 (Wannstadt will be gone at this rate before we face Pitt);

Boston College 21 – Kent State 0 (Pretty lackluster game and crowd);

Navy 41 – Towson State 13 (Middies show their one dimensional offense is enough for Towson);

Northwestern 30 – Syracuse 10 ('Cuse is bad again this year);

USC 52 – Virginia 7 (SC is loaded and Sanchez looks like the real thing);

Purdue didn't play as the MAC was all tied up with the rest of the Big Ten.

Although some have criticized this schedule as weak, I would point out that 10 of 12 opponents are from BCS Conferences (Navy and SD State are the only non-BCS Conference Opponents). In addition, there are NO Championship Division opponents (that used to be 1-AA).

As a contrast, Skunkbear only plays 9 BCS Conference Teams (their Big Ten schedule and ND) and OSU plays a 1-AA (Youngstown State) and 2 non-BCS opponents. I maintain that a BCS team should be penalized for playing a 1-AA opponent. It is a tainted win at best.

Year in and year out I'd put the ND schedule against any in the country.

Hubba, Hubba, Hubba!

I can only quote a great American on this brilliant choice of VP:

"Babies, Guns and Jesus...Hubba, Hubba, Hubba!"

On to More Important Things - ND Football

They're baaack!
With a fury, the Fighting Irish return.
Make no mistake, this is not the National Championship year, but we can see it from here.
The top flight recruits are a year older; the offense and defense have an attitude; there are actually a few upper classmen and the schedule is not the brutal one as a year ago.
I believe this is a 9-3 year and a mid major bowl game. Just the warmup we need for the 2009 Championship run.
Here is how I see it:
Wins - SDS, Skunkbears, Purdue, The Trees , UW, NC, Pitt, Navy & 'Cuse
Losses - MSU, BC, SC
We won't make it look easy as several of these teams are getting better (Stanford and NC come to mind) and a couple cannot get much worse (Pitt and 'Cuse). Michigan will be a strange one only because of the unknowns of RichRod and his offense and we have a chance to beat MSU though it'll be toughter with a coach we cannot depend on to get stupid (see John L). Also, the BC game is no gimme for them with a new QB and not loaded with 5th year seniors like a year ago, but the game is up there and I cannot in good conscience say they're going 11-1 with the only loss to USC.
I'll be at MSU and would love to make one Home game, but we'll see what the cards have in store for me this season.
Meanwhile we get to see a couple good games this weekend (MSU at Cal will tell us alot and Utah at Michigan has got to be interesting) while also tolerating the usual early season blowouts (thank the Lord I can get the Big ten channel now, I'd hate to miss Youngstown State at OSU).
Off we go...say NO to Politics and Yes to Football!

Now THAT Would be CHANGE!

Let's see if BHO can finish his "World Tour" today without criticizing the U.S. while on foreign soil. THAT used to be the standard for American leaders travelling abroad, but the dems have pretty much trashed that concept over the past 8 years.
Oh, by the way, where is the main street media who criticized President Bush for being rigid and not changing his Iraq policy a couple years ago, now that BHO is doing the same (ie. the fact finding will not change the beliefs, even when the facts get in the way...see his answer on how the surge worked and whether he would have supported it knowing how it turned out).
Anyway, it'll be nice to have him back in the USA as the press hates to kiss his butt in that Jordanian heat.

Liberals and Other Peoples' Money

One thought for today from a great American who has passed,

“Liberals, it has been said, are generous with other peoples’ money, except when it comes to questions of national survival when they prefer to be generous with other people’s freedom and security.” —William F. Buckley

I'm back

It's been a year since I started this blog, and this is just my second post.

With the presidential election fast approaching, I thought it was important to talk about important things like Notre Dame football! Since that won't take all of my time, I'll talk about the election, too, and other things not so critical to the survival of mankind.

Go Irish!