WillsPerspective's Xanga

"If I had more time I would have written a shorter letter..."

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:02:18 GMT

Just random curiosity, does anyone read Xanga anymore? I don't, but hey, logic only counts for so much.

It's amazing to see how much an individual can change in a year. It's also amazing to see how much time you can waste in a year. At the time I wrote my last post, I would have sincerely prayed that today I would be far more prepared for college entrance exams. I'm not particularly. I would have hoped to have landed some significant internship or academic endeavor. I haven't.

I wonder how one's own standard for greatness lead to mediocrity. As long as I'm on an Eliot kick, I wonder "if you're not in over your head, how tall are you?" I've decided I'm really an idiot, at least. Most of my less productive endeavors would have been better spent on school and getting ready to take ACT, ACT, BST, etc.

Oh well.

I was fairly certain a week ago that I was going to apply to intern with TeenPact next year, but Dad and a few friends have pretty much convinced me I need to take a school year. Take chemistry and geometry at a community college this fall, physics and algebra II next spring (and take a couple of tests), work for McCain or the state GOP this fall, somewhere in Little Rock a little next spring, maybe Rep. Boozman's office through the summer, apply for college and take Trig in the fall, then apply to intern with TeenPact the next spring (2010).

Then I'll graduate in 2014, get married in 2015, graduate law school in 2016, be in a comfortable job y 2020, be involved in politics by 2026, write a book by 2030, have a decent salary by that time, have a decent retirement savings by 2036, clip my toenails in 2039, have a haircut at 10:00 AM, January 19, 2041, be involved in President Philip Williamson's reelection campaign that year, retire by 2046, get my golf handicap under 20, move somewhere comfortable, travel the country making Clintonesque speaking fees for speaking engagements and book signings, and die in 2075.

I'll probably get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Houston Open

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 02:51:55 GMT

I got a job at the Governor's office as his spokesperson.

April fools. Mike Beebe is a liberal Democrat anyway.

The Houston Open was incredible. And quite large. Except, it didn't seem like it was. We dropped in double octas, but Marshall q'd in OI, and lots of cool people did incredibl well. You know who you are, and congratulations.

Edit: Oh my goodness, this is hilarious. President Bush:

He addressed the firing of eight U.S. attorneys: “I have to admit we really blew the way we let those attorneys go. You know you’ve botched it when people sympathize with lawyers.” And he had a zinger ready for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “Speaking of subpoenas, it’s good to see Speaker Pelosi tonight. Some have wondered how the two of us would get along. Some say she’s bossy, she’s opinionated, she’s not to be crossed,” he said. “Hey, I get along with my mother.”

“President Clinton, of course, wrote a very successful presidential memoir, with 10,000 pages or something. I’m thinking of something really fun and creative for mine. You know, maybe a pop-up book.” As for how this year has been different from last year, the President said: “A year ago my approval rating was in the 30s, my nominee for the Supreme Court had just withdrawn and my Vice President had shot someone.” Allowing a pause, he concluded, “Ah, those were the good old days.”

David Letterman: “Top Signs It’s Spring In New York City”: Tourists are getting mugged for their decongestant; The subways smell like urine and Starbucks iced coffee; Instead of convenience stores, thieves are sticking up Jamba Juice; Rosie O’Donnell has started a feud with her allergist; Katie Couric is doing the news in a tank top and hot pants; Donald Trump’s hair has begun to bloom; Stranded JetBlue passengers are on the tarmac in lawn chairs.

Jay Leno: I love when they say this [attorney firing business] is a constitutional crisis. Oh, please. We haven’t used the Constitution in years. ... It is officially spring. Al Gore blamed the end of winter on global warming. ... Al Gore returned to Congress. Everyone said Al Gore was treated like a rock star. I think the rock star was Meat Loaf. ... Al Gore testified that if we act now, we can still save the planet. Well, the whole planet except Florida. He’s still a little upset. ... Hillary and Bill Clinton appeared together at a fundraiser in New York last weekend. They’re appearing together again this weekend. Bill wants to be there to support her campaign. She wants Bill there because it’s Spring Break. ... Former presidential candidate Tom Vilsack says he’s now officially endorsing Hillary Clinton. Well, that should put her over the top! Unless, of course, Walter Mondale comes out for Dennis Kucinich—then it’s wide open again. ... According to a new poll, 29 percent of U.S. households do not have Internet access and have little hope of getting it. You know what the technical name is for people with no hope of Internet access? AOL customers. ... There was a big scare at the John Edwards campaign headquarters. It was evacuated after a staff member opened an envelope containing white powder. Turns out it was just some of John Edwards’ age-defying make-up base. ... I guess in Al Gore’s office they found some white powder too. But that was just from his powdered doughnuts.

The Ribeye

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 02:42:28 GMT

There are some things in life you wish you'd have realized earlier and developed more, appreciated more, and cherished more. Some are deep theological concepts, others are simply observations of altruism.

I had my first ever ribeye steak tonight. I've had lots of sirloins and t-bones. They're all right. But, my goodness... I found the best evidence for a Deity I've ever seen in my life.

Cheers.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 05:17:10 GMT

Our home school basketball team likely won't have enough players for a team next year. This presents a substantial problem, thus we brainstormed. And, being the geeks we are, the best idea we came up with was to start a golf team. We're pathetic.

Cheers to all my fellow 35 handicappers.

We leave Saturday for New Mexico. We'll spend half a week at Farmington, NM for a pre-regional tournament, then for the second half we jump the border into Durango to go skiing. I've never been skiing before--well, I was a ski school dropout at six and sort of went down a green or two--and Marshall's never been, but it'll be great.

More posts up at the policy blog and more policy analysis at the now-launched Rebirth of Freedom Foundation.

David Letterman: “Top Messages Left on Fidel Castro’s Answering Machine”: “Yo, it’s Raul. Where’s the key to the humidor?”; “Which fatigues do you want to be buried in, the olive green ones, or the slightly darker olive green ones?”; “It’s Kim Jong Il—when you’re gone, can I have your Playstation?”; “Mel Gibson here. I think we both know who’s responsible for this.”; “Does this mean you’re dropping out of ‘Dancing With The Stars’?”; “It’s Saddam Hussein—See you soon!”; “Wow, congratulations on having Cuba’s only answering machine!”

Jay Leno: Congress began hearings [last week] on the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. They’re just investigating Hurricane Katrina now? You know, that’s pretty sad when the government’s investigation to the government’s slow response to Katrina is slower than the government’s response to Katrina. ... Hillary Clinton is hard out on the campaign trail. Hillary is expected to attract the woman vote and, of course, Bill will attract “the other woman” vote. So between the two of them they should have the female vote locked up. ... Is anybody really that surprised that Hillary Clinton is running for president? I’m not surprised. I mean, if you were married to Bill Clinton, wouldn’t you want to be able to tap his phone, read his mail, and torture him? ... Sen. Joe Biden, on the day of announcing his candidacy for president of the United States, called Barack Obama “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate, bright and clean.” I think we’ve seen the shortest presidential campaign in history. ... Biden is making the Democrats long for the comedy routines of John Kerry.

For the Record...

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 03:25:48 GMT

Ghirardelli chocolate pretty much rocks.

I thought I should make that public.

(And more policy posts up, they're going to start coming about once to twice a day).

Edit: A Question= The FlatTax or the FairTax? I've long been a FairTax supporter, preferring the moral implications of consumption tax without income or payroll tax.

I'm a huge Steve Forbes fan, however, and lately I've been intrigued by the economic successes of Estonia, and some of Forbes' arguments.

It would make Congressional Session (wow that's a freaking geeky thing to say) to see either of them implemented, and it won't happen. Both are certainly preferable to the heavy progressive income tax. But I'm quite fascinated to know which would make a better system.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 05:05:56 GMT

More posts up on my blogspot.

It's snow-ing... Well, it snowed yesterday, and Seth loved it. We tried a bit of sledding, it would have been easier with another two inches. Dad tried to teach me a bit of skiing, but that didn't go so great.

Weird Al? In what I predict is the dying breath of blockbusted Air America, famous political satirist and democrat Al Franken-stein has announced his show will be officially over on Valentines Day. Speculation in Minnesota and Washington is that Franken will seek the democratic nomination to senate to run against Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minn) in 2008. Sen. Coleman seen as one of the most vulnerable senators up for re-election next year.

Mitt and Mike. I've lamented before about the gaping hole in the list of potential GOP candidates in 2008 that creates a vacuum for a Reagan Republican to fill. Given the current slate of candidates, and my current knowledge about them, I'm halfwittedly contemplating support of Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA). In a field with severely limited options, he's perhaps about all there is. A solitary issue is preventing me from announcing my support of Romney in the given field of candidates, and that is gun control. I've given a verbal rundown of the election to a number of you, thus I suppose I might as well post it here.

Rudy Giuliani is a hawkish democrat. Anti-gun, anti-traditional marriage, pro-abortion, etc. He's a grand American, excellent on defense, school choice, spending, and tax cuts. Sadly, not someone I'm going to go all out for. I'd vote for him slated against Edwards, Clinton, or Obama, but I wouldn't put a bumper sticker on the car or donate. Minimal support other than a vote from me, no support in the primaries.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) will always remain the unpredictable rebel. While he would be decent on defense and more than likely land pro-life, my Irish Alzheimer's (where you forget everything except your grudges) brings back memories of opposing tax cuts, McCain-Feingold, and Gang of 14 like a lost eBay bid. The tax cuts are the one major economic bragging point of the post-2000 GOP, McCain Feingold is the single greatest suppression of free speech to come of of "reform" legislation for twenty years, and Gang of 14 effectively shot a major campaign leverage tool for us (while sacrificing valuable appointees). His opposition of the marriage amendment will damage his appeal with "values voters" to boot.

Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) has potential to pull a Reagan 1960 and lurch right. At this point, he's probably my slight favorite. He's either making a move away from overbearing government and liberalism to '94 conservatism, or he's plotting a move for base appeal. Reagan went from being FDR's best defender to a radical Goldwater Republican in twenty years, based solidly on conviction and ideological reform. Peggy Noonan explained it thus, "You knew he was a good man and you knew he meant it. So you understood how he could be the biggest supporter of FDR and the New Deal in 1944, and the most persuasive voice for Barry Goldwater in 1964. He'd thought it through and changed, not overnight but in time and with effort. He could change his mind on abortion in the same way, and not because he feared the base. Reagan was the base." Whether or not Romney can deliver in the same way, I don't know, almost assuredly it won't be as dramatic. Some similarities would include he's a fabulous orator, a red governor in a blue state, and he keeps people relatively happy when they disagree. Obvious differences include, most notably, he has yet to recognize and develop the philosophical depth, understanding, and passion Reagan exhibited so classically. Romney's stand against the grain on Massachusetts marriage was admirable, his health-care plan (while often misunderstood and highly controversial) was probably the best he could possibly do in his circumstances, plus he has proven himself a reasonable spending hawk and, while no Steve Forbes, a fair advocate of tax reform. The lone issue that has me withholding support, however, is gun control. When, thank God, the federal assault weapons ban expired, Romney promptly signed a state ban with his admonition that the ever arbitrarily labeled "assault weapons"* served no purpose. While he would likely be at least coerced into opposing a UN handgun ban, it wouldn't be aggressive opposition.

Major concerns: Being a Mormon won't help him any in the primaries. It shouldn't hurt him too much if he keeps cooing the AFA/Focus on the Family groups. Abortion keeps coming back with Romney. I was fairly convinced with the Paul Gallagher bit that everyone changes, and accordingly Romney had completely flopped on abortion--notably, as I mentioned, just as Reagan did-- until I saw The Weekly Standard report that in 2002 Romney answered a Planned Parenthood survey by indicating he not only supported Roe, but additionally supported allowing Medicare funds to cover abortions for low-income women. The preposterous liberal diatribes have whined about such funding for years, but it quite shocked me for a Republican in 2002 to say that when he's running in '08. A pair of 2005 Romney vetoes on life measures were reassuring, though.

Bottom line: he's my top pick, though I wish I could support him even more.

Senator Sam Brownback (R-KA) Sen. Brownback is a fine senator. In the senate. One of the better ones there. The Senate chamber, that is. I hope he can stay there for many years to come. Legislating. That's different than the executive branch, you know. Brownback has proven himself as a senator. In the senate. Participating as a legislator. In the senate. With other senators. Doing things that senators do. In the senate. Good, Godly, honorable, proud senator. (You thought I was going to say, "In the Senate" again, didn't you? Ha!) He's my favorite guy running, but he's not going to land the Oval Office. It will be a lovely thing if I'm wrong.

Fmr. Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) If I resided in any state other than Arkansas, my vehement support would be thrust behind him. I'll preface this by assuring all people, if Huckabee is a driving force in the primaries and pulls away as the conservative, I'll throw everything I have behind him. If he wins the nomination, I'll work on his campaign harder than Bush/Cheney '04, probably donate, et cetera. His platform is impeccable with the notable exceptions of amnesty in immigration and school choice. If one is to read his budget and taxes issue page, they will find him quoting Milton Friedman and Ronald Reagan. Fabulous rhetoric and specific ideas. If I may border on violating Reagan's 11th, I have to agree (being from Arkansas) with some of The Club for Growth's criticisms of Huckabee on taxes. He's slick, and has viable excuses, but some of it is difficult to alleviate.

Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) A libertarian icon and the Buddha of John Stossel dittoheads (of which, by the way, I'm a loose member), Rep. Paul gave the libertarians a shove after his presidential bid under them that flopped like an OJ Book, and decided to give those darn egalitarian republicans a try. I adore his loathing of government, and adamantly support his economic policies centered around Von Mises and the Austrian school of economic thought, but he has no comprehension of how to combat islamofascism and the global threats we have today. His foreign isolationist policies would be disastrous. His repeated calls to impeach Bush deeply disappointed me. Impeachment over USA PATRIOT? Does he really want President Dick Cheney if he has such a gripe with Bush? A bloody shame.

Fmr. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) Newt is perhaps the ideal President, and a lousy candidate. The profile picture of the 1994 Revolution, a dynamic speaker, and a deep understanding of the issues doesn't always translate into election success. As the Sir Galahad's fallacy of politics goes, "I will win because I am right" always fails. Perhaps Rudy should run with Newt as his running mate, then resign the day he is sworn in... Just as a note, he has to be dreading a little roadblock with what should be a key constituency, the "religious right." They'll have a hard time wondering if he's doing any better with this wife than the last few ones that didn't quite work out.

Tommy Thompson (R-WI) is a George W. Bush with a couple of slightly more right slantings, and he isn't a cowboy. Nothing impressive.

Duncan Hunter (R-CA)...uh...Chuck Hagel (R-NE)...yeah right...George Pataki (R-NY)....yeeeeow!

If I could appoint someone President of the United States, it's interesting to ponder who it would be. If I could have anyone, I think I would go Neil Cavuto/Brit Hume. From this list, it might be a Gingrich/Brownback administration. Others I would like to see include Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) who pretty much gone, and Steve Forbes (I love that guy! Why did he have to be a political dud). JC Watts who would have to get back in politics first, or he would be excellent.

Regardless of the current circumstances, 2008 is going to be a fun run.

*"Assault Weapons" could just as easily be translated, "Guns that Dianne Feinstein finds scary."

Debt as a percentage of GDP

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 03:18:51 GMT

The budget deficit is skyrocketing! We're more in debt than ever! Or something like that. Obviously, I pointed out earlier the deficit is a bit lower than expected (around two hundred billion) and substantially lower than years previous. Something I've been reading a lot in the Wall Street Journal lately and was reinforced on Greg Mankiw's blog is that, in all actuality, the national debt as a percentage of the GDP is around normal (or lower than average) levels that it's been throughout the post WWII level.

Fascinating.

I think I'll post something a bit more in depth about this on my policy blog in a few days.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 01:14:58 GMT

Something happened at Masters for the first time in any tournament.

As I was sitting down for the awards ceremony, I wasn't nervous (that's happened before, it's the next thing that was a first timer). I realized something- I didn't give a rip about the awards. Yeah, you get Jonathan Wolfson's lectures every year about not placing your emphasis on awards, but everybody wants them. Only I didn't care. Through the ceremony, I didn't get any huge joy walking up and shaking Mrs. Moon's hand. All I could think about was how much I would miss all these people.

And I do.

Of course, I regret not signing up for debate week, but even so... I think I'd be about as dissapointed for the week to end if I had gone to it.
_____________________________________________________

David Letterman: Top Surprises in President Bush’s “60 Minutes” Interview: Interview was conducted in the Camp David hot tub; Announced his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election; While walking through the woods, constantly ducking Cheney buckshot; Vowed in the future he’ll make much better mistakes; All the Heineken empties; Paused for a CIA briefing about likely Golden Globe winners; Bush’s tearful admission he bet entire United States budget on the Chargers.

Jay Leno: It was so cold out [in L.A. today] that even celebrities stopped talking about global warming. ... [Meanwhile], 2006 has been officially named the hottest year on record. When he heard this Al Gore said, “Yes! Oh wait... that’s terrible I mean.” ... Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd is running for president. He says that he was been having conversations with the mirror over running. The mirror first said, “Who are you again?” The bad news is today the mirror said that it favors Barack Obama. ... John Kerry is hiring staff and preparing another run for the White House. He is telling people he will not make the same mistakes again. This time, all new mistakes. ... Apple unveiled their first combination iPod and cell phone. They say their goal is to create the most annoying person ever to sit behind you in a movie theater. ... Have you heard about this thing? It’s an iPod, cell phone, and also a camera. It allows you to surf the Internet too. How about a cell phone you can actually talk to people on—and hear them? Why don’t we try that first? ... Would you watch movies on a cell phone? How blind would you be then? As if people don’t have enough car accidents. “I can’t take this call, I’m watching a movie.” ... Taser international has begun selling a new stylish cell phone size stun gun for regular use by ordinary people. It’s $350, and sends 50,000 volts for 30 seconds and can be used 50 times before re-charging. Look, if you live in a neighborhood where you have to stun attackers 50 times before you get home, you might want to move to a better neighborhood.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 19:01:08 GMT

I finally got a serious blog.

I'll start updating it after Masters. It's there, nonetheless.

Cutting speeches gets hard when your thematic is fifteen pages long. Eeesh.

Extemp must not be nearly as exciting as I thought. I found out I'm one of ony two people to major in it at Masters.

EDIT: I've been watching Your World w/Neil Cavuto more lately, and I've discovered that I've found my 2008 Presidential pick.

Cavuto '08!

Let's have a Fox News administration... Neil Cavuto/Brit Hume '08.

Kerry in Iraq

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:45:33 GMT

Well, John Kerry made a trip to Iraq. Interesting, this is him eating breakfast one morning at the US Embassy. One lucky reporter snapped this shot of him eating...er...alone, and it was posted on the Patriot Post site.

Seriously kids, if you're a politician and you can't keep a joke straight, don't tell jokes.

Personally, I think he didn't botch anything, and said what he was thinking, but regardless above point stands.