Confirmation...

Over the past week, several folks have questioned my lack of comment on the John Roberts' confirmation hearings. Well, I guess I'll stop the silence.

As you may have guessed, I was glued to C-Span. I watched these hearings at home, streamed them on my desktop at work, and watched the reruns at night. For geeks like me, this was a true World Series. And I took great joy in seeing it.

Watching Sen. Kennedy question this brilliant judge, well, I have to admit that I could not help but imagine a manatee and a tiger playing tag. Take your own guess as to which was which as Kennedy clearly was reading staff written questions and had no idea what the questions (let alone their answers) meant.

But anyone watching could clearly see that Roberts is a great legal mind. One of the greatest of his generation. Further, he is a gentleman and a man of high moral character, as has been testified to time and time again by a host of witnesses.

So why then was I not outraged by the grilling he received from Democratic members of the committee? Why was I not shocked and appalled at the prevailing winds of disrespect spewed forth by these liberal blow-hards? Why should I be?

Such hearing are primarily pageantry. Certainly most senators knew exactly how they'd vote before the hearing had begun. I doubt any of the undecided were concerned with the questions and answers themselves, but rather will opt to vote as the polls suggest.

This is a fine and beautiful and still educational pageant that offers a great deal of insight into the man who will surely become our next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Yet it is predictable in its tone. The beauty is in the execution. Maybe rather than a sport, we should compare it to a play. And the actors here were superb. So to me, this was a thing of joy and beauty.

God Bless America.

An Open Letter to Our Republican Representatives

Like all Texans, and all Americans, my heart aches for the losses
dealt by Katrina. Certainly we must do a great deal to assist in
rebuilding this area and supporting nature's victims as they find
their feet. I watched the President's speech from New Orleans, and
echo his sentiments. Likewise, I support the general concept of the
plans he laid forth.

As always, we who you represent, rely on you to assure that these
plans are carried out in a fiscally responsible, transparent,
accountable, and prudent fashion. Should the authorizing legislation
NOT guarantee sufficient results in these areas, I pray you will find
the moral clarity to correct that situation.

Further, I must urge you, find a fiscally prudent method to pay
for such reforms and relief efforts. That method clearly should be
reduced spending in other areas.
Across the board, non-defense cuts are an obvious option, as is
delaying new programs, or simply wiping a few from the slate entirely.
But I'd also warn you not to over-look recent mistakes.

I'll remind you that the Republican Party is made of a variety of
conservatives. Social, fiscal, foreign policy: yet, we all unite under
one tent: fiscal. Truth is half the Democrats out here in the real
world join us on those principals. Here in our own households we have
to live within our needs, and even less as we try to save for rainy
days. We feel you in Washington should do the same.

Of course I say this to reassure you that the recent universal
failing, in the form of a pork-laden Transportation Bill, has not been
missed here in the trenches. Frankly, we were shocked and outraged. It
is not unusual to see those with only a casual interest in politics
feeling disgusted and distrustful of politicians. But to see these
same feelings of abandonment from within the ranks of the party loyal…
I am truly ashamed and disheartened.

Perhaps this is one of the silver linings we might find from
Katrina, an opportunity for you to step back and right recent wrongs.
To repeal this self-indulgent legislation, strip out the pork and free
up those funds for disaster relief.

Knowing full well that such action may not completely cover
costs, I feel without such a gesture, credibility within the party
will be inevitably lost. This is a vital first step in growing the
confidence of our Republican brethren as we approach mid-term
elections. Our faithful need to know you remain with us. We need to
know that we are electing accurate representation.

God speed and God bless,

Austin Moore

A blog without ideas...

Haven't posted much lately. Been busy. Been brain dead. Been a long week. I'll try harder next week...

In Tribute to a Passing Great...

"O thus be it ever when free-men shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
- Star-Spangled Banner v.4, Francis Scott Key, 1814

Farewell, Justice Rehnquist. We shall miss you.

Northgate, Nerds, and Nincompoop Legislatures...

Okay, so just a quick post of outrage.

So I'm a nerd. And the other day while flipping channels, I stumbled across a rebroadcast of our city council discussing the drinking ban in the Northgate promenade. Yes, I stopped and watched, for a good while I watched. I am a nerd.

Now here's the quick deal about Northgate and the promenade...

Northgate is the main bar district in College Station. Oh, we have restaurants and a few retail shops there as well, but its known for its beer. Ever heard of the Dixie Chicken? Its there. So a few years ago, in order to move drunks off the sidewalks in front of Northgate (one of the busiest streets in town), as well as for economic development and to just make the place look pretty... our city council spent $18 million dollars...still not sure how they did that...creating the Northgate promenade. This is a nice little place behind the bars with brick pavers and benches and whatnot. And its nice. They did a nice job building it even if they over-spent by about 17..5 million

Point was, on a nice night, you could walk out with your beer or drink of choice and sit with your friends in the night air and be safe and joyful. Now, some dipwads started bringing their own booze and blah blah blah, the police claim there was an escalation of crime and so on. Now, I dunno. I'll accept their word.

But how does the city respond, and this is where I get ticked off, by banning drinking in the promenade. Great, they just created an $18 million dollar park that no one would visit unless they were drinking, and they ban drinking there. Brilliant.

But to their credit, its not all their fault. The state regulation on liquor licenses is so bought and paid for by lobbyists, and thus SO complex that the city really didn't have much choice anyhow. It seems there every bar could agree to pay for licensing part of the promenade, so long as they barricaded between these. However, the state is okay with that barricade being cheap orange construction fence, of course...

Basically, its ridiculous. I'm pissed at the city council for wasting $18 million dollars without bothering to even look into legality, I'm pissed at the legislature for making such ridiculous laws, and I'm pissed because writing all of this is making me mighty thirsty for a Killian's, and its only 8:43 am.

Sooner-Loser...

I just got my new Lexus RX400H, but returned to the dealer the next day, because I couldn't figure out how the radio worked. The salesman explained that the radio was voice activated.

"Watch this," he said. "Nelson!"

The radio replied "Ricky or Willie?"

"Willie!" he said... and "On the Road Again" came from the speakers.

I drove away happy, and for the next few days, every time I'd say "Beethoven" I'd get beautiful classical music, and if I said "Beatles" I'd get one of their awesome songs.

One day, a couple ran a red light, and nearly creamed my new car, but I swerved in time to avoid them. I yelled A**HOLES!" and....

"Boomer Sooner" blared out of my speakers.

GO POKES!!

My Busted Bum...

Okay, not much to this story, but I couldn't resist the headline. Come on, "My Busted Bum" that's friggin GOLD, baby!!!

So what story there is...

Cave begged, implored, blubbered, and whined until I consented to play racketball tonight. Now, most of you know that if I had an animal spirit guide, it'd be the tree sloth. What can I say, I'm sedate. But hell, even a sloth likes a good sweat now and then.

Let me also add that I haven't played racketball since my freshman year at OSU. 10 or 11 years folks. But none the less, off we trudged to the Rec. Smoking all the way, naturally.

Well, since I still barely remembered the rules, and yes, was coughing my way through the first game, he smoked me. 15-2, if I remember. And I think the 2 was only sympathy, or maybe so as not to ace me.

Regardless, and jumping ahead, I did do fairly well picking the game back up. I managed to rally and take a 9-8 lead in the 3rd before faltering and losing 15-9.

Oh, and to be fair, this was the second time today that Cave played. And during the first set he DID take a racket to the head leaving a goose egg the size of my busted bum, oddly. So its fair to say that at full speed he'd have smoked me straight through.

But now that's not the point then, is it? You wanna know about the broken bum. The poor, aching, sagging lump of flesh I now sit happily on.

Well, somewhere in the 2nd, Cave launched a monster into the corner...shot, not fart. Naturally, I was standing about 5 feet too far forward, but heck, I'm nothing if not stubborn and I CAN hit anything...accuracy not withstanding.

Now remember the "sloth" statement a few paragraphs back. Well, sloths don't actually jump, we stretch. And so I stretched. This was no normal stretch. This was more like Jane Fonda running for President of the NRA. Olympic quality strech. Problem was, I reacted late and so stretched not just up, but back. WAY back. WAY WAY back. (Note: if you find two missing vertebrae on Court 1 of the A&M Rec, gimmie a call, I MIGHT be the long lost owner.) So at some point, the forces of gravity decided to ignore me, then suddenly smother me with affection, in a very S&M sorta way.

I'm not sure, but before I came down, I think I actually achieved a 15% angle from the ground, though I'm not quite sure how high I was at that point. Let's say 90 ft, just to be conservative. Well, needless to say, in the final seconds of my freefall, both me feet and my head had a higher elevation than my ass. And landing on your ass does indeed rattle your teeth.

So, there you have it, the story of my, okay, not broken, but definitely aching, busted bum.

Goodness, that was fun.

Wizard Proud!!!

In the last week, I've had at least 5 different conversations where different friends hung their head in shame and quietly admitted to loving Harry Potter. Several of those were held in whispered asides, as if there was some great shame in enjoying literature of any sort in this day and time ruled as it is by brain-sucking cathode tubes...and I'm a video producer, I know of what I speak here.

Well, dammit, not me. I LOVE HARRY POTTER, and I'm not afraid to say it. The books are vivid, exciting, escapism at its finest. J.K. Rowling is truly a gifted story-teller with an ability to evolve characters like few others. She is to be adored for her remarkable talent and praised for the beautiful dreams she's writen down so that we may all make her rich.

I wish I had attended Hogwarts. I want to play Quiddich. I can't wait for Ron and Hermione to hook up. And dang it, I wanna give Hagrid a hug! Yes, I admit it, I LOVE the world J.K. has created and can't wait for the final book to come out.

I'm a grown man of nearly 30 years and I am not ashamed.

University Tire Center...

Okay, not much a curmudgeon thing, BUT, I have to rave for a second on my mechanics. I took my car into them on Tuesday with a wild problem. Dumb engineers. Anyhow, it took them most of the day to varify that the problem was real, and then had to wait overnight to get the part. Once replaced I picked up the car and we shortly discovered that the problem was deeper than we thought, so I took it back today and low and behold, they knocked one out of the park. Got it right, did it with a smile, didn't charge for the extra work, and were all around nice guys. Not something you often see with mechanics these days. But heck, I'm thrilled. So if you are in BCS and need some work done, I highly reccomend the guys at Univeristy Tire Center on South College.

Okay, let the grumpiness return.

Fairtax Part II: Prebates (or Why the Poor love the Fairtax)

If your ears now perk up and you begin hearing talk about Fairtax in the press, one of the most common complaints you'll hear is that "this plan will be hardest on our poor." EHHHHH, not true. In fact, the Fairtax plan assures that poor Americans do not pay Federal taxes.

This is done through the "prebate". But first, let's recognize two important points. First, consumer costs will remain virtually the same as embedded taxes are removed from retail costs. On average, goods and services have an embedded cost of 22% (the actually cost per sector varies by 4 or 5%, but I don't have the numbers in my head at the moment). So a 23% tax will on some goods will cost slightly more than current prices, for others slightly less, and for most the difference will be negligable because of the second point...

We'll all be bringing home more. Currently, even if the Federal government "refunds" every dime you've paid in taxes, you've still lost money in opportunity costs. You could have invested those funds and earned intrest, or even more likely for many of us, paid off debts (mortgage, credit cards, etc.) and reduced the cost you've incurred from those debts. Under the Fairtax, payroll taxes including Federal Income Taxes, Social Security Taxes, and Medicare Taxes will no long be withheld. In fact, they will be collected through the retail sales tax. So we will all be bringing home more money.

Now the "prebate".

At the begining of each month, every American household will receive a check from the government to reemburse that household to the level of taxation at the poverty line. Let me explain it another way...

Every household has to spend a certain amount of money to subsist, well, at least we can calulate that amount on average. This minimum amount is called the "poverty line". The amount it takes for basic, no frills life. LIke a car with no cd player or air conditioner.

The Fairtax calculates the amount of taxes each household would pay to this limit, then "advances" those funds to each house. In other words, you'd get a check each month to cover the cost of taxes you'd pay to live at the poverty line.

In 2005, a married couple with no children would hit the poverty line at $19,140. The amount of tax you'd pay to that line is $4,402. Divide that by 12, and you'd receive a check each month for $367.

For a single individual such as myself, $9,570 is the poverty line this year. So the first $2,201 in taxes I'd pay would be refunded. That's a monthly check for $183.

And that is BEFORE you pay the tax. In otherwords, this check offsets any taxes you might pay. And if you spend less by growing your own food or making your owe clothes or being energy effiencient as possible, then you can bank the money, invest it, or otherwise spend it how you like.

Keep in mind you paycheck no longer includes withholding. So you are bringing home MORE money. AND prices will remain virtually unchanged.

Another point to be made, that poor and middle class often buy used items. These are never taxed. Used clothes, used cars, used homes. No taxes.

So you can see that the poorest of us will not pay taxes. In fact, studies of spending habits show that this is be a vastly more progressive tax than we currently have in place with the rich paying a far greater share of the national tax burden.

Let's talk taxes...

Sounds horribly boring, I know. But stay with me for a second, and try
to imagine...

-The term 'take-home pay" loses all meaning since FICA, Social
Security, and Medicare are no longer withheld from your paycheck.

-We stop ranting about our companies moving overseas, and instead
swell with pride as foreign corporation after forgein corporation
moves here.

-The drug dealer down the street is paying every bit as much in taxes
as you are, probably more.

And that's just the start. I'm talking about the Fairtax, of course,
better known as HR 25. That's right, an actual bill before congress,
and the same plan you see flying off bookstore shelves as written by
Neil Boortz and Congressman Lender. The national sales tax.

Now that last phrase is worrisome. A new tax, just what we need,
right? Well, YES. The key being that this single tax replaces Federal
Income Taxes, Social Security Taxes, Medicare Taxes, Corporate and
Business Taxes, Estate Taxes, Capital Gains Taxes and so on and so on
and so on. REPLACES! All current Federal taxes would be stripped away and replaced with a single, simple 23% inclusive tax on new, retail goods.

Does that sound like alot? Its not. You are already paying on average,
22% in retail good on everything you buy. These are embedded costs
from corporate and business taxes currently paid at EVERY level of
manufacturing. Remove those and allow competition to drive down prices
and sudedenly, you are paying roughly the same total amount with the
Fairtax as you pay now without it.

This is not a Republican vs. Democrat plan. The Fairtax is revenue
neutral. We can talk about cutting taxes and spending later. For now,
its about getting a better plan. A better way to pay taxes. And the Fairtax is that.

Our current system is corrupt. Send your tax information to 50
accountants this coming year and you'll get 50 different returns. And
chances are, none of them would be right. Right enough to get by?
Probably. But that's how ridiculous our current system is.

Further, it lends itself to political exploitation. Its based on the
concept of buying votes for tax credits, cuts, or manipulation.And thinkf or a second what our current tax system does. It punishes those that achieve. Those that work to better themselves. At the same time, it rewards those who embrace failure and poverty. Meanwhile the Fairtax neither rewards or punishes behavior. Its simple across the board, buy something new, pay the tax.

Okay, I need to get back to work now, but more to come. In the
meantime, I urge you to visit fairtax.org and see how the experts lay
it out.

Testing things out...

Just a test. Only a test. If this were a genuine blog is would contain
much self-important ranting and raving.

Quitting sucks...

Just to be clear, sure and absolute: I LOVE NICOTINE.
I want more in my life, not less. Damn this sucks.

Dang them Gilmores...

Okay, so you are born. You learn to walk, to read, that girls have cooties, how to hit a slider, that girls don't have cooties, algebra, driving, mom's weep at graduation, keggers are fun, jobs aren't... and then it seems to level out. You are adult, but you don't feel so much different. Very gradually, you've become an adult.

But then one day, out of nowhere, someone walks in and slaps you in the face with a giant rolled-up newspaper featuring a headline in giant black print that reads "You are OLD!!!"

It's not gradual and it hurts.

Tonight, watching Gilmore Girls with my girlfriend, I discovered this about myself. I am old. I am a fogey. A crusty old man. And I am NOT comfortable with Rory as a sexual being.

Just ain't right, dagnab it! Pass me a cane.