No Runny Eggs

First, an aside:

For both of you who have been kind enough to have read my previously regular blather, I owe you an explanation. 

I have not lost interest in the topics of the day or blogging.  I couldn’t be more passionate about either.  No, the reason you haven’t seen much from me lately is that I’ve taken a new role in KY (go Wildcats!) and have been commuting between there and my family back in Minnesota.  With a new role that is all consuming and a family who would like to be all consuming, I just haven’t had the time to sit down and pen much.  I hope that in the future I can rebalance work and life and get the time to get back to my avocation.  OK, on to the meat….

Being involved in a loved one’s death can be an emotionally and physically trying experience.  Oh, I’m not referring to the occassional parental notion to eat their young, I’m referring to the actual physical death of a loved one’s earthly body.  While I haven’t experienced the death of a member of my immediate family despite several close calls, I have watched the impact as Mrs. Shoe has lost both her oldest brother and her father.

In the case of Mrs. Shoe’s oldest brother, he had a long, debilitating battle with mesothelioma.  I saw as this large, robust specimen of a man was reduced to something approaching a 98 pound weakling size as the cancer took its toll.  I also watched as his family, including Mrs. Shoe, dealt with the inevitable while hoping and praying for the miraculous.  I don’t remember exactly the time frame but, I believe it was about three years that the family dealt with the continuous deterioration and in many cases, the hopelessness of the disease, before he passed.

In the other case, of Mrs. Shoe’s father, while he too had a debilitating disease, emphysema, no one really considered the likelihood of his death much until we got the call.  Mrs. Shoe’s dad had contracted pneumonia while on vacation.  While in the hospital, his doctor put him on a ventilator to allow his lungs to heal.  Unfortunately, what was intended to heal, ultimately led to his death.  It turned out that Dad’s lungs, once relieved of the daily effort of providing for the body, never wanted to work on their own again.  After a few days, dad slipped into a coma and the family was left with the decision of waiting, hoping, praying or “pulling the plug.”

Of the two experiences, I’m hard pressed to determine which is preferable.  On the one hand, a long drawn out illness allows the family to adjust.  On the other hand, the adjustment is continual and you go through some real emotional roller coasters as you get a bit of hope only to be dashed by a new, negative prognosis.

When looking at an “end of life decision,” the good is you only have to make the decision once.  The bad is that you have to make the decision at all.

At this point you may ask, “Why the morose litany Shoebox?”

It is now clear that no matter how the Democrats ultimately vote on Placebocare they are watching the death of the Barack Obama Presidency and likely, the Democrat party as we know it.  All the polls are showing a solid majority of Americans against Placebocare.  Moreover, the anti Placebocare is not just a passing fancy.  The folks who are against it are against it vehemently.  When you look at the state by state and district by district polling, there is no way that the Democrats will maintain the House and it is becoming more likely that they could lose the Senate.

If the Democrats pass Placebocare they may placate their base.  By doing so they may be able to give Obama a “victory” which might allow him to at least appear like he is in charge until November or more appropriately, January of next year. 

If the Democrats don’t pass the Placebocare, President Obama immediately becomes a lame duck President.  The Senators up for election and the entire Democrat caucus of the House will immediately go into self preservation mode.  The result will be that no legislation proposed by Obama, other than supporting a proclamation for Mother’s Day, will get any support from either House and President Obama will be politically neutered.

In the final analysis, for President Obama and the Democrat party the end will be the same, they will die politically.  The only question in my mind is whether the Democrats will pass Placebocare and watch Obama and the party waste away to a 98 pound weakling before succumbing or whether the Democrats will have the courage to “pull the plug” and save us all the interim agony?

Nancy Pelosi wants the Placebocare bill passed.  She wants it passed so badly that she has lost any ability to think rationally about anything other than passing the bill.  As an example of Nancy’s irrationality, listen to this quote from CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday:

“They’ve had plenty of opportunity to make their voices heard.” “Bipartisanship is a two-way street. A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes. Republicans have left their imprint.”

Bipartisan huh?  You mean like the amendments to prevent Placebocare from paying for abortions that were shot down?  That bipartisan?

Or maybe Pelosi means the amendments to add tort reform that were shot down.  Maybe that’s the bipartisan she refers to?

Oh wait, I know.  I’ll bet Nancy is referring to the bipartisan nature in the way Congress agreed to have the Placebocare plans impact themselves just like any other American.  Maybe that’s Nancy’s view of the bipartisan impact there has been on the bill?

If Pelosi’s definition of “bipartisanship” is the one that should be used rather than Websters, we’ll need to rewrite a few sections of history.

From now on, it will be understood that Germany’s invasion of Poland during WWII was actually a bipartisan effort. From now on it will be understood that West Germany influenced the erection of the Berlin wall enough to make it a bipartisan effort. Of course, it will forever more go with out saying that the US and its allies were wrong for using military force in Kuwait as the Iraqi occupation was bipartisan.

Representative John Kline spoke at the Republican convention I attended on Saturday.  To paraphrase Kline, he said that there was only one good thing coming out of Congress and that was that Pelosi was not going to be Speaker after this term.  That’s the kind of bipartisanship I can get behind!

If Placebocare passes via the reconcilliation path, it will need to originate in the House.  There is a lot of speculation as to whether Pelosi can whip the required number of votes to pass Placebocare out of the House.  While whether she does or not is yet to be seen, two things are certain, there will be no Republican votes passing it out of the House and there will be Democrat votes voting against it.  I doubt this is what she had in mind but Ms. Pelosi, the only thing bipartisan about the vote on Placebocare will be in those who oppose it.  I hope the bipartisan vote prevails!

Once upon a time there was Global Warming.  Al Gore and others made up a bunch of data and went on evangelical tours to convince people that “The End Is Near!”  Increased hurricanes, increased tornadoes, melting glaciers, rising ocean levels, extinction of polar bears, destruction of food crops were just some of the horrific results that we were supposed to experience if we didn’t act immediately to move our economy back to one that reflected something from the 18th Century.  We were told this was urgent!  We were told we only had ten years to change our ways or go beyond the point of no return.

We didn’t change.

Some time passed, actually most of the ten year urgent zone, and something odd was noticed.  Hurricanes and tornadoes didn’t increase, their occurrence rates stayed flat or even reduced.  Polar bears didn’t disappear, they actually increased in numbers.  Worse of all, temperatures were no longer increasing, they were flat or (HORRORS!) in some cases, even decreasing.  How could any of this be?  None of this was supposed to happen with “Global Warming!”

The warming zealots condescendingly chided us for asking “what happened to the warming,” and explained that “Global warming was only part of the equation.”  As they fully understood the complexities climatic interactions, they told us that “warming was only a part of the equation.  Actually,” they continued, “cooling can also be part of the equation.  While our concern was originally focused on warming, the real issue is “Climate Change” which includes any variation in climate that we can use to fool you into believing our desire to control your actions!”

And so, the term “Climate Change” was born not as a definition of reality but as a result of sleight of hand where just like a magician, they didn’t want you to pay attention to the real issue and the real action of the trick.

For months there has been concern about what would/will happen if China, the largest holder and buyer of US treasuries, decided they were full and didn’t want to obtain any more.  This past week, the US held another treasury auction.  We found out at that auction that indeed, China is now full.  Not only did China not buy many treasury offerings, they became and net seller of treasuries in December of ‘09.

If indeed China is full of treasuries or worse, if China is net selling treasuries, the financing of President Obama’s massive deficits will become a big challenge.  If US debt is not absorbed in the open market and no change is made in the debt required due to the huge spending budgets, the solutions become ugly.  Dramatically higher interest rates and force inflation are just two of the prettier ways of dealing with the situation.  Other options are far less attractive.

One would think that the Obama administration would be paying attention to the change in China’s attitude.  One would think that if Obama were really serious about his newly announced appreciation for fiscal conservatism, he would be using this event as an indicator of our need for change.  He would point at it and say “we’re at the end of our borrowing limits, we need to change now!”

One would think.

When asked what if anything, the change in China’s treasury appetite meant, Top White House adviser Lawrence Summers said:

The truth is that these numbers fluctuate and that there’s a wide range of holders of Treasury debt.

Like “Global Warming” before it, President Obama’s concern for “budget deficits” appear to be transforming underthe  inconvenient and untimely facts that face it.  As “Global Warming” became “Climate Change”, a “debt crisis” is now just “portfolio diversity” according to Larry Summers.

Yeah, right.  Now, let me tell you the one about the three bears!

For at least the past two years, Democrats have been putting conservatives and Republicans down as a bunch of nobodies.  At a fund raiser in April, 2008, then candidate Obama, called us a bunch of bitter clingers.  In April, 2009 as the tea party protests were gaining momentum, Nancy Pelosi called us astroturf.

A recent Gallup poll had President Obama in a statistical dead heat with an unnamed Republican candidate.  The same poll showed that when a name was put in for the Republican candidate, the highest support was for Mitt Romney at 14%.  You might ask, “What does this mean?”  Well, what it means is that “nobody” is the favorite Republican candidate and, as of today, Nobody is in a dead heat against President Obama in the 2012 Presidential election.

I read the headline of the poll story today, thought about it for awhile and an idea hit me like broken clasp off of Dolly Parton’s bra…I’m a nobody!

Don’t mistake my comment.  I’m not lamenting or feeling sorry for myself.  Actually, I’m elated!  Based on all of the comments from Democrat leadership over the past couple of years I’m Nobody.  Gallup says that with a little effort, I could be the next president!

As I was contemplating whether it was conceivable to run for president (this is all rather sudden), Stephen Green aka Vodkapundit tweeted back:

Problem is, “Nobody” probably polls better against Obama than any of the likely GOP somebodies.

Upon hearing this, I first thought “Now I have trouble.”  But, after thinking about it a bit more it dawned me; I’m not a GOP somebody.  In fact, I’m a general Nobody and I’m also a GOP Nobody!

The way I see things there is no one who is a bigger general Nobody than me.  Even if there was, there is certainly no one who is a bigger GOP Nobody than me!  Based on Gallup, I can be President in 2012 with less effort than it takes me to write a post here a few days each week.

Therefore, after considering the “encouragement” from Vodkapundit, with no further ado, I, Shoebox, the biggest Nobody within the GOP, announce my candidacy for President of the United States! Please note that while Ralph Nader will also likely run as a nobody, he will not run as a GOP nobody!

While I would appreciate you telling other people about my candidacy, don’t bother, I’m Nobody so they won’t know me!

Here’s my first campaign poster.  What do you think?

After over two decades of work with large wireless companies, you can bet that I’ve been exposed to nearly every main stream theory or philosophy on change management that has existed. Do this, don’t do that. Encourage these people, use a stick on those people etc. etc. While I don’t buy all of the theories, I have to admit that I did learn a few things from the training and put that knowledge to work in some of my current engagements.

One theory that was not precisely a change management technique but has application there is call a BHAG. A BHAG is a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. The BHAG was popularized by James Collins in his book “Good to Great.” Collins used a BHAG as a goal that an organization could focus on. While they may have been so large that they weren’t always attained, they provided a focal point for everyone in the organization to measure against and see if the work they were doing or the plan they were looking to implement, moved them closer to or further away from the BHAG.

The translation of a BHAG for use in change management worked like this. Let’s say you had a company that typically saw sales growth of 5% annually. Let’s also say that you needed to improve on that and get to 10%. In many institutions, a change like that will be met by numerous people who tell you how and why that growth can’t be achieved. Knowing that that would occur, on a few occasions, instead of saying we wanted to grow by 10%, we’d say that we wanted to grow by 20%. Upon saying that, we would get the same group of folks telling us how and why we couldn’t achieve that growth. We’d then sit down and put a plan together with our teams for achieving 20% growth. At the end of the plan, the same people who were complaining at the start were typically still complaining. Once we completed the detailed plan we’d come back and tell folks that after taking the input, 10% is a more attainable goal. In nearly every instance, once we let them back to 10%, people would let out a collective “Whew,” and move forward executing on the 10% plan which is what we wanted all along.

By using the BHAG approach, we went through the same caterwauling and planning that we would have gone through had we originally set a 10% target. But, by using the BHAG, we allowed people to expand the belief in their own abilities beyond that what they otherwise thought they could do. If we had started at 10%, it would have been very likely that we ended up with a plan that had 6% or 7% growth.

What’s this got to do with anything?

President Obama has invited Senate and House leadership to a televised meeting to discuss Placebocare. Ostensibly, President Obama wants to find a way for the Republicans and Democrats to “come together” and pass a plan.

Folks, there is nothing about this plan to like. Short of starting all over, there should be no negotiation of any kind.

I’m afraid that the Republican leadership will not have the spine or knowledge of their own principles to stand up to this takeover of health care. I’m afraid that what could happen is that Obama views the current plan as a BHAG, that he might come back and offer a couple of Republican carrots; say something like, “we’ll look at tort reform,” or “we’ll look at more competition across state lines,” without any commitment to actual legislation. The problem with this is that if the Republicans allow this line of discussion, they will get caught in the BHAG trap and end up looking like the losers of this event.

I was discussing this concern with Birdman today and he had the perfect approach to avoiding the BHAG trap. Read the next post to see if you don’t agree with his approach.

I’ve periodically translated different phrases that President Obama uses on a recurring basis.  As an aside, can anyone think of a prior President who was so dependent on a small, recurring set of phrases?  Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve published these in a coherent fashion.  As Obama and the Democrats become more vocal as they try to figure out which direction is up, I thought it would be helpful to publish these so that you can have them in the back of your mind as you hear published statements.

If you have any phrases that you’re aware of and that I haven’t captured, drop them to me at Shoebox@norunnyeggs.com.  I’ll provide a proper translation and include them in future updates.

I don’t want to run – should always be followed by “but I will take over.”

As I have repeatedly said – the fact that you haven’t agreed with me in the past on this issue is not a reason that I should reconsider my position. Rather, it is a reflection of your lack of intelligence and reverence for my omnipotence.

Shovel Ready – any project that rational taxpayers would vote you out of office for if you had voted to fund it.

Stimulus – a spending bill that contains “Shovel Ready” projects that is passed only with Democrat support

Uniquely Qualified – an individual who is either a tax cheat or has other ethical issues such that they wouldn’t be hired for and can only get a role through appointment to a Democrat legislator or Democrat Administration role.

Czar – An unelected, unaccountable bureaucrat, whose purpose is to expand government programs, imposes regulation, hire more conscripts for SEIU and reduce freedom for ordinary Americans.

Let me be clear – A phrase preceding a statement that certainly won’t be clear and is probably a lie.

Unprecedented – Does not mean “unprecedented” in the context of American history. Rather, it is unprecedented in the experience of Obama. Thus, he has no reference point from which to view or address the specific issue.

Inherited from the previous administration – I know this has nothing to do with other administrations. If I couldn’t blame those guys, how else could I get you to agree to the suicidal proposal that now follows?

I will not rest – I really don’t care what you or anyone else says about this matter. I will push this issue no matter how unpopular or how damaging it is to America. In fact, the louder you complain, the more sure I am that I am right!

You’ve probably heard about the arrest of James O’Keefe of ACORN scandal fame.  He and several associates were arrested at Senator Mary Landrieu’s office.  Several of the original reports suggested that O’Keefe and his companions were attempting to bug or wire tap Landrieu’s phones.  It turns out that reporting wasn’t exactly accurate.

According to Patterico, the affidavit filed said nothing about bugging, intercepting or wire tapping.  It did talk about an allegation that they attempted to access the phone equipment closet.

Patterico guesses:

I believe they pretended to try to access the telephone closet, to tape the reaction of officials: “Why? It’s not like there’s a problem with the phones in Sen. Landrieu’s office!”

I think Patterico is on to something. 

With Landrieu getting the “Louisiana Purchase” and the heat of the placebocare debate, there is no doubt that Landrieu’s office was being swamped with phone calls.  My personal experience with Senators that didn’t have the profile of Landrieu is that for the several weeks prior to Scott Brown’s election, your odds of getting someone to answer your call were slimmer than getting to talk to Rush Limbaugh. 

Thinking about O’Keefe’s warped sense of humor I think they had been working to see how many times they could get through to Landrieu’s office.  Finding that the number was only fractionally above zero, they set up the scenario in Landrieu’s office where they would feign working on the phone system under the guise of numerous reports from constituents that the phone system was broken.  I’m sure they would have gotten responses on tape denying any malfunction of the phone system and O’Keefe would have his “gotcha” moment.

Hey, I didn’t claimed it was great theatre but I think I’m on the right track.  I’m hoping for O’Keefe’s sake that it is that simple.  It would be good to have a quick end to this for O’Keefe.

Update:  I’m so damn smart!  From Hotair.com

The government has now confirmed what has always been clear: No one tried to wiretap or bug Senator Landrieu’s office. Nor did we try to cut or shut down her phone lines. Reports to this effect over the past 48 hours are inaccurate and false. …
I learned from a number of sources that many of Senator Landrieu’s constituents were having trouble getting through to her office to tell her that they didn’t want her taking millions of federal dollars in exchange for her vote on the healthcare bill. When asked about this, Senator Landrieu’s explanation was that, “Our lines have been jammed for weeks.” I decided to investigate why a representative of the people would be out of touch with her constituents for “weeks” because her phones were broken. In investigating this matter, we decided to visit Senator Landrieu’s district office – the people’s office – to ask the staff if their phones were working.

The Brits have always had a difficult time separating reality from fiction.  Watching shows like “Dallas” or later, “90210,” shaped much of the British view of what America, and in turn Americans, was and were.

I think in some similar ways, Americans pick up on stereotypes of the the Brits.  Fawlty Towers was a long running british farce about a hotel manager played by John Cleese, and his hapless staff running a hotel.  If you haven’t seen the show, please do.  John Cleese is incredibly funny and as a hotelier getting into odd situations with his staff, was years ahead of Bob Newhart.

While at the time, Fawlty Towers may have given us the false impression of the Brits as hospitality idiots, it now looks like it was just ahead of its time.

A Holiday Inn in London is now “offering a human bed warming service!”   Yup, you read that right!  You can get somebody on their staff to put on an all-in-0ne “sleeper suit” and have them crawl into your bed to warm it before you hop in!

Apparently, there are benefits to a warm bed.  According to some scientist who knows about this stuff, a warm bed helps us fall asleep.

Dr Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said the idea could help people get off to sleep.

I was thinking that if the right person crawled in to some beds, you could drop the last two words of the Dr. Idzikowski’s statement!

Listen, I live in Minnesota and know all about the desire for a warm bed.  From late November until as long as I can get Mrs. Shoe to leave them on, I like my flannel sheets!  I hate crawling in on cold percale sheets!  Better yet, at least in my world, is to get both of our dogs to lay on my side of the bed while I’m getting ready for bed.  About five minutes of the two hounds laying where I’m about to crawl in and the temperature of the sheets is just right for my winter’s nap!

Now, I’m not suggesting that Holiday Inn should go to putting dogs in each of their rooms.  However, I suspect that with some of the dental problems that the Brits still have, it’s entirely possible that that would inadvertently happen, if you catch my drift!

No, no need for dogs but before they went down the path of human bed warmers, did anyone consider the possibility of an electric blanket?  I suppose they might have, unless the “bed warmer” is just code for something else?  Hmmmmmmm?