Wanna see my vacation pictures?

It's odd to me how politics is all the talk around the water cooler, yet here on Blogger people seem to be going out of their way to talk about the weather, the grand kids, what they had for lunch, anything BUT politics.  This seems like a very non-confrontational group.  I'm not looking for "confrontation", but just a good healthy discussion and exchange of ideas.  I guess I'll just have to have that exchange with myself.  So be it.  Y'all can relax.  I've got this.

Anyway, I thought last night's presidential debate was a good one.   Both candidates came prepared and it showed.  Neither fell on his face like Obama did 2 weeks ago.  The consensus this morning is that Obama narrowly won the night, and I guess I wouldn't argue with that.  It seems pretty obvious that these two don't like each other....it's become personal.  

I'm guessing Romney thought it a good thing that he got to go first, based on a coin flip.  Trouble was, it meant Obama got to speak last, with no time for rebuttal.  Obama in essence had a closing statement, and Romney didn't.  This is where Mitt's 47% quip was brought up again and eloquently hammered home, and was left in the audience's mind to ponder overnight.  Shrewd or just luck, I think it will show up in this coming week's polls.

Speaking of polls, have any of you ever been polled by Gallup or ABC or CNN any of the more prominent companies?  I haven't, nor do I even know of anyone who has been.  Part of that might be because I live in Texas, which means the pollsters just consider me and everyone else here a Red Stater, so why bother polling me?  Because of the fairly wide discrepancy in results, I'm thinking polls get waaaaay more attention than they deserve.  That's what I think.

S

When have you won a debate?

When your opponent resorts to name calling. When we were kids you knew it was over when the other kid said, "Yeah, but you're fat!"  


Then during the hey-day of Saturday Night Live the line Dan Aykroyd would say to Jane Curtin was, "Jane, you ignorant slut."


Now, it's "You're pompous and arrogant."  


I guess that's progress.  ;)

Or to turn it around, how do you know when you've lost a debate?  When your wife says so.  ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Does anyone believe statistics anymore?  On today's news some local politician was arguing the value of giving a tax abatement (tax break) to a company if they would move to his city.  Of course another employer in the area would be a good thing, but how good?  $6.235 million dollars a year benefit, that's how good.  Really?  Not $6.364 million?  Drink 2 cups of coffee a day an you'll have 23% less chance of developing gut cancer, but if you drink 3 cups, odds are you'll have a 4% greater chance.*  Unless you use cream.  Or sugar. Then your odds....

*The odds are as high as 91% that these statistics were totally made up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What's the deal with this heat?  It's always hot here in Texas, but new record highs are being set daily coast-to-coast.  I've figured out how I'm going to choose my candidate this November:  I'm going to vote for the one who promises to lower the temperature the most.   'Cause, you know, they're all-powerful and they never lie.


Stay cool everyone.


S