Catching up & predictions

With the changes in the US political climate, and the election of Barack Obama to the White House I feel that it's time to resurect my blog (and it also seems like a good time to do some catching up).

I spent two weeks in India for work in April. I wasn't sure what to expect as I'd heard of a number of bad experiences from co-workers and family. Thankfully, my visit went very well. I had the opportunity to finally meet some of my Indian coworkers, experience their culture and do a little bit of sight seeing. I'm hoping to have the opportunity to visit again (with a little more time to see the sights). The worst parts of the trip were: 1-all the vaccinations my employer required, and 2-the return flight from Mumbai (fka Bombay) to Frankfurt on Air India (I recommend that any visitors to India avoid the state-run airline at all costs -- which is a challenge becase they are code share partners with Lufthansa). I've got a few of my pictures from the trip posted on my facebook page so look me up there if you have an account.

My oldest cat, Sfuzzy, lost her battle with cancer in August of last year. I still miss her terribly (she's been my companion all of my adult life). On the bright side there are three new kittens in my life (yes, that makes six cats).

I'll be visiting Jamaica (again) for the US Thanksgiving holiday -- I'm really looking forward to the trip and the opportunity to see the friends I've made there.

Andy bought a fish/aquarium store in June, and I've been helping out there as my time allows. My responsibilities include most of the backoffice work (payroll and bookkeeping for the most part).

There's a lot more going on, but the biggest revelation to myself over the last year is that I LOVE politics. I know, you might be thinking "great, someone else that can't get enough of Obama" but that couldn't be further from the truth. I did not support Obama in the 2008 election. I proudly proclaim my support for the McCain/Palin ticket and am very concerned about the current political climate and the changes that are in store for the US under the administration of President Obama (aka Barry the Redistributor).

Here are my predictions for the first year of his presidency:
1. Within six months there will be attacks on the first and second ammendments. Think of the fairness doctrine where liberals in congress will attempt to regulate talk radio the same way pornography is regulated. Obama's record in the Illinois legislature clearly shows that he believes guns should be outlawed.
2. There will be a second terrorist attack inside the US by the end of 2009. This scares me more than anything else.
3. There will be no tax cut -- taxes will go up across the board, including taxes on the 40 million Americans that are not currently paying taxes. Everyone will have less during Obama's presidency.
4. Obama will not lead from the center as he's promissed. Just look at his record -- everytime he's broken with the dems his position has gone even further to the left than his party.
5. I expect buyers remorse to set in within nine months as it becomes apparent that Obama's promise of change was nothing more than a bunch of empty platitudes.

I hope and pray that I am wrong about my predictions, but the writing is on the wall and only time will tell.

With all that said, what do you think is going to happen when President Obama orders a full withdrawl from Iraq? What about the 4000 Americans who have given their lives to bring the Iraqis freedom? The troop surge worked and violence is at its lowest levels since the war started. Iraqis are enjoying freedoms that they've never before had and a full withdrawl will rip those freedoms from their hands and return power to warlords and dictators. What about the cost you say? Couldn't this money be better spent elsewhere? In a word, yes. However, given the investment we've already made it would be a HUGE mistake to take a step back and allow Iraq to return to a despot.