An Update

I've been summond to update my blog (Autumn and Ashley). Well...we've been busy with Dave returning to work and school. Dave is on track to graduate next spring and hopefully will be moving on to pharmacy school after that. Dave was called as the financial clerk in our ward. It's nice that he has a Sunday only calling for now. A couple of weeks ago I had mastitis...painful and no fun. I'm glad it's over now. I'm hoping I will get my energy back soon so that I can be more involved with my children. I would love to be able to take them to the park, play games with Jaron and go on walks again. I hate not being able to be the mom I would like to be. I just need to be patient...which I'm not good at.

Jaron is growing up more an more everyday. It's hard to believe he's going to be 2 this month. We got his hair cut 2 weeks ago. Dave's happy that Jaron's not being confused as a girl anymore. Right now he is really into Pixar's Cars. He has over 50 words now and more continue to be added almost everyday. I'm glad he's talking now, the pediatrician had been worried. I'm glad that at his next doctors appointment we do not need to push to not have him see a speech therapist. A week ago Jaron figured out how to open the doors in our apartment. We put the childproof handle covers on the doors...two days later he took them off. He continues to be our little Houdini. He is such a spirited child. Some days we just want to pull out our hair...ok, so it's like almost everyday. I think I need to find one of those parenting books on how to raise a spirited child. Suggestions are welcome. It's crazy how one minute I want to take a very long break from him, and then he does something that melts my heart and I'm so glad he's my child again.

Jaron with long hair

Jaron after his haircut

Lara is growing up so quickly. She's 3 1/2 months now. We can't believe she's been with us that long, it seems like we just came home from the hospital with her. She was 16 1/2 pounds and 26 inches the last time we checked. A couple of days ago she rolled over from her back to her stomach. Jaron did not do that until he was closer to 5 months...I think. She is teething and is miserable. We are not sure what to do. Jaron was not bothered by his teeth coming in. She refuses to nurse during the day...she will only take a bottle. We were not sure if she was refusing to nurse because she is sick or teething until today when I felt her gums and felt the tooth that is coming in. I hope it comes in soon so she feels better and we can get things back to normal again...and that she doesn't bite me. Lara loves to talk and look at everything. She likes to lay on the ground...she gets mad sometimes if she feels we are holding her too much. I love hearing her laugh and the smiles she gives me when she sees me. She is such a joy to our family. We took her 3 month pictures a few weeks ago. Here are some of them.

Obama's Pattern

Recently, while listening to one of the several conservative radio shows I listen to, the host pointed out that it appears Obama's is already planning his campaign for re-election, or even that he is running for President of the World. I have noticed that all his actions are set up to make him look good if it succeeds yet cover his bum and blame someone/something else if it fails. Case in Point: even though Republican votes were not needed to pass his Porculus Bill, he campaigned long and hard to get some to vote for it to make it look like a bipartisan effort. That way, if it turns out to be a huge failure (and it will) he can wash his hands of it and say "but the republicans voted for it too." And on the other side of it, when he signed it into law, he did it in a ceremony with much fanfare, but just him. He didn't invite the authors of the bill to stand by his side when he signed it to give credit to them. That way, if it were to be success, he can take all the credit.
But after the radio host mentioned that Obama is acting like he is already campaigning for the next election, I stumbled upon an epiphany: Campaigning is the only thing in politics he knows how to do. He started his political career as a "community organizer." As far as I understand it, all a community organizer does is (more or less) campaign and rally people together for his cause. From there, he campaigned for, and won, a seat in the senate. Did he do much as a senator? No, as soon as he got sworn in, he started campaigning for the presidency. Although he didn't do it overtly, it is clear that he had the presidency as a goal. Now that he has won the presidency, he has said that he doesn't want to be in the white house and he has constantly been traveling across the nation having town hall meetings, as if he is preparing the next election. Does this look like the signs of an effective leader? If he spends so much time trying to get people to like him, is he going to be able to focus on the issues that are really important for the nation? I think not.

"Who is John Galt?"

As I was driving to school this last Thursday, I heard Rush Limbaugh make another reference to Atlas Shrugged while talking about Obama's economic plan to "spread the wealth around" and the porculus bill that recently passed. I had heard about that book but didn't know anything about it or what metaphor was being made with the title. So I googled it and found this article on wikipedia. After reading the article, I have decided that it would probably be a good book to check out sometime.
The very basic plot is set in a future where the "men of the mind" (inventors, artists, business leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, etc.) are hampered with unneccessary and urdensome regulations, undervaluing their contributions while at the same time confiscating their profits and damaging their reputations. This sounds eerily familiar to Obama's plan to punish the hardworking and successful of society and give to those that are lazy and unwilling to work because "when you spread the wealth around, its good for everybody." However, the book shows that when that happened, the men of the mind decide to go on strike, refusing to make any kind of contribution. I feel the same way. If I'm not going to be rewarded for my hard work, why should I work hard. If that illegal alien is going to get my money because he doesn't work, I'm not going to either.
Ayn Rand goes on to show in her book what would happen if that came to pass. TSOAK states "The peaceful cohesiveness of the world begins to disintegrate as each of these men of ability slowly disappears and society loses those individuals whose mental effort allows it to continue functioning. The strikers believe that they are crucial to a society that exploits them, denying them freedom or failing to acknowledge their right to self-interest, and the gradual collapse of civilization is triggered by their strike."
This brings me to the title of this current blog-post: In the book people often ask that same question as a way of saying "don't ask important questions, because we don't have answwers." It turns out John Galt is an inventor who becomes totally disgusted "that non-productive members of society use laws and guilt to leech from the value created by productive members of society, and furthermore even exalt the qualities of the leeches over the workers and inventors." He then vows to to never live his life for the sake of another and starts the strike among the "men of the mind". The title is a reference to the Greek titan who held the world on his shoulders. One character in the novel states that if he could suggest one thing to Atlas, it would be to shrug, thus relieving himself of the burden. The "men of the mind" are Atlas and do, in fact, shrug when they go on strike.
If I had the time, energy, or mental fortitude to become a commentator on the political world, especially during this current epoch of political and economic thinking, I would probably do it under this pseudonym. I would not have the courage to stand up as myself. Courage comes with anonymity, that's partially responsible for the mob mentality, but that's a whole other rumination. I like the idea of referencing a previous figure in your pseudonym. In the Ender Series by Orson Scott Card, Ender's siblings take on the pseudonyms of John Locke and Demosthenes to comment on the political climate while hiding their true identities. On a similar note, I encourage you all to check out the blog that belongs to "The Poached Frog". I think his writing is excellent. I do happen to know him personally, but since I don't know how anonymous he wishes to remain, I will not reveal his identity.
I apologize for the long post. Please share what you think. If you've read Atlas Shrugged, do tell.

Hello, McFly?!

En los Estados Unidos, hay muchos días festivos que se han puesto tanta comercial. De hecho, muchos de los días festivos ya no tienen significado sino por las compras. ¿Cuántas personas no saben que el Día de San Patricio celebra el milagro de San Patricio de echar fuera las víboras de Irlanda? Piensan que solamente es un día para tomar y emborracharse. Semejante a aquel día de fiesta es el Día de San Valentín. ¿Para qué celebramos este día? ¿Cómo empezó? Casi nadie sabe las respuestas a estas preguntas. La mayoría están satisfechos que es un día para dar dulces y flores a nuestras novias o esposas. Especialmente las mujeres se sienten así. Creo que, si se inspeccionara a los hombres, la mayoría de ellos se sentirían el opuesto. Los novios y esposos no querrían hacer el esfuerzo comprar chocolates, flores, pijamas, ositos, o así. Pero, si no hiciéramos estas cosas, nuestras parejas nos enojarían. Aun cuando dice que no quiere nada somos obligados a estar románticos. Esta obligación fue creada por las compañías que fabrican los chocolates y ositos y que cultivan las flores para que compremos y gastemos mucho dinero. Es increíble cuánto aumentan los precios de estas cosas directamente antes del Día de San Valentín. Es tiempo que todo ser humano, macho y hembra, estudie la historia de los días festivos y rechace los deseos de los vendedores. Es necesario que simplifiquemos nuestras vidas y ahorremos nuestro dinero por no comprar chocolates, etc., para nuestras amores.

Ahorita vivimos en un tiempo de mucho instabilidad económica. A la vez, es un tiempo histórico en la escena político con un nuevo presidente que ha hecho muchas promesas grandotas y que dice que va a salvarnos como un Mesías. Como presidente, es su derecho a elegir, o sea, escoger cierta gente por su Consejo de Ministros. No creo que sea una buena suerte que, por lo menos, tres de sus selecciones tienen problemas con la IRS y dos de estos se han retirado a causa de sus problemas. ¿Se parece como el presidente sabe a corregir los problemas económicos? También, él ha propuesto un proyecto de ley que va a “estimular la economía”. Pero, si estudiamos el proyecto, la mayoría del dinero está reservado por todos los grupos liberales de interés especial que ayudó al presidente ganar la elección. No tengo fe en que el presidente va a corregir estos problemas. Históricamente, una recesión siempre dura dos años y se necesita seis años para recubrir totalmente de ella, a menos que el gobierno inicie las leyes incorrectas. Y parece que este comandante en jefe va a iniciar las leyes que prolongará la recesión. Además, no me gusta a mí la idea de redistribuir la riqueza. Es socialismo marxisto y yo soy un creyente firme en el capitalismo.

groundhogs day

happy groundhogs day everybody. just anothwr one of those fake holidays that some people put too much energy into. its a bunch of bull anyway. punkstawny (sp?) phil in pitsburgh didn't see his shadow but the one in ny did. what does it all mean? beats me. those poor groundhogs get man-handled once a year to try to predict the weather. the one in ny looked like he was trying to get away as best he could. but this holiday did give rise to a great movie. that's all. did anybody watch the superbowl?