Val Vigil Blows Leafs, Doesn't Sweep

Politician, Real-Estate Broker, Accountant, and just an all-around busy person, is running for City Council. I already did a post on that (at: http://thorntonwilliamsfamily.blogspot.com/2009/09/dont-vote-for-val-vigil-for-thornton.html ), and why he should NOT be elected.

I'm finally getting around to posting a video I took on September 17 2009 ... of Val leaf-blowing the sidewalk in front of his house. I thought it was funny and really sad because of several reasons: (1) he claims to be environmentally minded, (2) in the 1 1/2 years I lived across the street from him, he NEVER used a broom to do this, and (3) well, it's obvious that he's banking on people not finding out that he isn't what he claims.

I'm not a bitter person. He did make our lives hell while we lived there, but we're now gone (thank goodness!) and it's time people found out that the sweet concerned man people THINK they are electing.... well, really isn't.

Here's the link to his contributions: http://www.cityofthornton.net/cclk/Election/Reports/Val_Vigil.pdf ... wow, $250 then another $300 from Jared Polis. Well, I guess since Val helped to get Jared elected... one hand washes the other. But ... where are the contributions from his neighbors? And how come the balance remaining in his election fund for reporting on Friday, October 30 2009 (10/9 thru 10/25) is $4,585.62? Was it all spent these last few days? What did it go for?

Anyway... here's the video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D_rgTva3IU

Vote for Ralph Moore. I met him, and chatted with him for a while. Twice! He's a good man who is very concerned about the Thornton community. Elect Ralph this November 3 2009 election day.

Keywords: election, City Council, Val Vigil, Ralph Moore, Thornton, politics, state representative, revitalization, RTD, property rights, environmentalism, carbon footprint, rules, regulations, neighbors helping neighbors, lies, community, meticulous, leaf blower, laziness, broom, recycling, respect, candidate, contributions, vote, November 3 2009

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Update: Unfortunately Val won. Sorry Thornton. You made a baaaddd choice! Nov 5 2009

AutoMakers Bailout

We read these links today:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_on_go_co/congress_autos
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/04/news/companies/senate_hearing/index.htm
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/04/the-big-3-1-and-the-b-word/

Are they kidding us? Just because the Big 3 went back to Washington in their hybrid cars instead of their personal jets, means we should now trust them? And Ford doesn't actually need the money, that it's "just in case"?

If we ran our business like them, would we get a bailout? NO. Mom and Pop stores, necessary for local small-town economies, are going out of business but can't qualify for a bailout. Hell, they can't even get a call returned.

We realize that the auto-makers have a lot of people depending on them: factory workers, parts suppliers, auto dealers, etc. But we, the taxpayers of the good ole US of A didn't mis-manage the businesses. THEY DID.

We are surprised at how our government is acting. Its socialism for the wealthy and capitalism for the general public. This bailout and these banks, insurance giants and and now automakers are making this out to be a joke, using our hard-earned taxpayer dollars to give false-props to bad business models.

Listen here, you elected people in Washington, you want to bail them out? Do this...

1. If you give them any money, take complete control in how it's spent.
2. Request the top 10 people in each 3 companies step down, with no bonus or payoff or severence, etc.
3. Require a complete disclosure of their books over the past 5 years, to be reviewed by an upstanding accounting firm and made public.
4. Require a management consultant team to oversee retooling the plants and complete operations. Give Frank Cogswell in Louisville, KY a try. He might come out of retirement.
5. See that their offers to reduce pay to $1 a year is followed through. Or if the top execs are replaced, make sure the replacements take only $1 a year.

That's how we feel.

Stop wasting our money and time. Focus on fixing this country and our economy, not placating old-town political supports who screw up again and again and again and....

You get the picture.

Oh, and once again, we plead for the termination of Paulson from his position. Really, get someone in that position who doesn't have people in his pockets or a political agenda.

Obama's choice of Clinton

Congratulations to Hillary Clinton for being chosen as the next Secretary of State. President-Elect Obama - good choice. She's saavy, smart, and completely right for the job.

Bee Controversy in Denver

There's a story in the Rocky Mountain News about how bees are a big controversy in Denver. Like there's nothing more important.

Here's the link: http://m.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/17/to-bee-or-not-in-denver/

Basically, a women with three bee hives in her yard was fined and threatened with jail. A councilwoman took up her cause and now there's the issue to be decided: to BEE or not to BEE. Some people realize the bee population is decreasing (Colony Collapse Disorder) and we need as many bees as possible. The other side says but what about everyone who is allergic to bees? It's not fair to them!

People need to understand bees before taking up one side or the other.

Remember, if we don't have bees, we don't eat. They pollinate most of our food crops.

AIG and the MOAB (Mother of All Bailouts)

What's this we hear about using the Bailout Package to "help", again, A.I.G.? Huh? We must be hearing this wrong. The money that was supposed to be for the mortgage system and so forth. With A.I.G.'s record on overspending perks and compensations, why on Earth is the U.S.A. taxpayer's hard earned money going to help A.I.G. again?

Yes, this time they will be held accountable. No more perks, and major accountability.

... ... too little too late.

Instead of using our MOAB (coined by http://www.survivalblog.com/), take the money from the top executives of A.I.G. and their line items for expensive retreats, et al.

Listen here, Mr. A.I.G. Corporates and Politicians Responsible for Spending the Bailout Money: Don't allow anymore of this nonsense. Stop being greedy little babies. Take responsibility for your bad bad behavior.

Now...

Attention Mr. I-Am-Rich-So-Tough-Luck-You-Poor-Americans-Paulson: WHAT??? The package presented to Congress was what they voted on. You altering the plan now, 5 weeks later, should be construed as misrepresentation. YOU SHOULD BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!!!

George W. Bush - you better not leave office with a bigger mess than even last week. Get Paulson under control NOW!

Doug and Vikki - http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

Election Night in the USA

I'll update this blog as we go through the night.
Vikki

7:02 p.m.: Polls just closed here in Colorado. Luckily we voted last Wednesday so we're sitting at home, eating pizza, and nervously watching different sites on our computers and on the television, ABC News "Vote 08". As of this moment, according to MSNBC, according to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27539428/, Obama has 175 electoral votes and McCain has 70.

As of 7:51 p.m., according to http://abcnews.go.com/, Obama is 200 and McCain is 130. Wow, it's close. Nervewracking comes to mind. But it's amazing that there are so many differences between CNN, ABC, MSNBC, Fox, and so on... some accept the "early predictions" and some are more cautious, waiting for more of the precincts to give their reports.

At 8:30 p.m. I needed a break so took the dog for a walk. She very much appreciated the exercise, as did I. Good stress reliever. Sure my doc would happy that I took a break away from the stress (my heart palpitations).

At exactly 9:00 p.m., as Charlie Gibson said the polls on the West Coast were closing and he will NOT predict a winner until Barack Obama passes 270 electoral votes, he interrupted himself by saying California went straight to Obama, in addition to Washington and Oregon, giving Barack Obama a total of 284 electoral votes and 145 to John McCain.

Barack Obama has been declared by ABCNews.com as the next President of the United States of America. Congrats, President Obama and Vice President Biden.

As of 9:09 p.m:
Amendments for Colorado (with lots of precincts still to report):
46 - no, 51 to 49
47 - no, 54 to 46
48 - no, 75 to 25 (yippee!!)
49 - no, 60 to 40
50 - yes, 58 to 42
51 - no, 61 to 39
52 - no, 63 to 37
53 - ??
54 - yes, 52 to 48
55 - ??
56 - ??
57 - ??
58 - no 56 to 44
59 - no, 56 to 44

Referendums:
L - no, 55 to 45
M - yes, 65 to 35
N - yes, 72 to 28
O - no, 51 to 49

(D) Mark Udall won against (R) Bob Schaffer, 54 to 42%
(D) Betsy Markey won against (R) Marilyn Musgrave, 58 to 42%

As of 9:14 p.m., the electoral votes are: Obama 306 to McCain 145.

I'm pretty sure that once the numbers are final, all mail-in and provisional and ALL ballots are counted, Barack Obama will still be President.

I'm signing off now. It's been a late night, and there are many other websites with more details. Keep good thoughts for our Country as we enter a new era.

Vikki
http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

11/01: Halloween and John McCain's RoboCall

We had an interesting Halloween. It was our second as a family, and our first as homeowners. We weren't sure how many kids to expect so Doug bought two huge bags of assorted candies at Sam's. We didn't decorate much: a plastic skeleton on the cucumber/green bean trellis (it looked like it had died "on the rack") and some glowing pumpkins in the window.

Spirit, the dog, and I (dressed as a hippie witch) stayed behind to hand out candy while Doug (dressed as a hippe) and Weslee (dressed as Superman) went trick-or-treating. They left around 6 p.m. and within 15 minutes, children began stopping by and kept on coming. Spirit growled at some kids and others, she didn't even stir from her nap. Weslee's foot (from the surgery) gave out by 8:30, and the candy was pretty much gone by the time we turned off our lights at 9 p.m. Dog and boy were sound asleep by 9:30 or so.

But ... while I was handing out treats, the phone rang. Guess who? Yes, at around 8:15, John McCain's camp called again. Another RoboCall. Geez, didn't he get the message that we've already voted? We cast our ballots Wednesday afternoon, now leave us alone.

And today, at around 4 p.m., our doorbell rang. The same front door that says "no soliciting". Yep, it was a poller or somebody, wanting us to vote a certain way on certain Amendments.

Tuesday isn't coming fast enough for us.

Vikki
http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

10/28: Politi-Speak (Politics)

We call it "politi-speak" (yes, Doug and I coined this phrase). It's this nonsense that bombards us on TV, radio, newspapers, and yes, those little flyers found on our cars and in our doorways. It's the mean-spirited comments, and mud-flinging. It's the he-said-she-said, and the "she spent too much on that dress" or "he needs better shoes".

Today is Tuesday, the 28th of October, at 8:14 p.m. In just 7 days and a few hours (hopefully - barring any unforeseen problems like hanging chads), we'll know who the next President of the United States will be.

Thank God.

Vikki
www.newviewgroupllc.com

McCain's RoboCalls continue... STOP THEM!!

From Doug - a need to VENT!:

The supposedly non-existent RoboCalls continue. I have now received 5 of them on my cellphone and have left 3 messages with the McCain campaign headquarters and attempted to leave a fourth one only to have the system hang up on me. Vikki, my wife, sent one e-mail through the contact form at www.johnmccain.com and left at least 3 message that for some reason the office seems to ignore. I would encourage anyone else who has received these harassing calls on cellphone or at home to leave messages with Republican National Commitee's Office, your local office of the RNC, and John McCain's campaign office as well.

Tonight I left a message the Colorado RNC office for the Communications Director. Funny thing that he seems to share a voicemail with the Inhouse Legal Director. I wonder if this is because of all the RoboCalls and the complaints from people getting them? I also attempted to leave a message at the National RNC office but darn if their general voicemail box wasn't full as well!

So I am going to send e-mails to the Director and CoDirector stating my complaints to them. I may also cc MCI's harrassment area and the Complaint area of the FCC.

If you would like to join me in letting the RNC know how much of an issue this is here are the numbers and e-mail addresses to the National RNC, Colorado RNC, and the number to John McCain's campaign office.

John McCain Campaign office: 703-418-2008 or use the contact form at www.johnmccain.com, National RNC headquarters: Comment line: 202.863.8790, Phone: 202.863.8500, Fax: 202.863.8820

Office of the Chairman
Mike Duncan, RNC Chairman
Email: Chairman@gop.com

Office of the Co-Chairman
Jo Ann Davidson, Co-Chairman
Email: Info@gop.com

For those of you who may live in Colorado and read this blog, here are the phone numbers, address and e-mail addresses for the Colorado branch of RNC:

Colorado Republican Headquarters
5950 S. Willow Drive, Suite 220
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Office: 303.758.3333

Dick Wadhams
Party Chairman
dickwadhams@cologop.org

Michael Britt
Executive Director
michaelbritt@cologop.org
(w) 303.758.3333 x107

Ryan Call
Political Director / In-house Legal Counsel
ryan@cologop.org
(w) 303.758.3333 x108

Elizabeth Adams
Finance Director
elizabeth@cologop.org
(w) 303.758.3333 x105

Randy Hildreth
Communications Director
randy@cologop.org
(w) 303.758.3333 x108
(c) 720.233.4769

Matt Milner
Press Aide
Matt@colovictory08.com
(w) 303.758-3333
(c) 970.213.0825

Emily Kinzer
Deputy Political / EDO Director
emily@cologop.org
(w) 303.758.3333 x109

If you're as upset as I am with the RoboCalls, let the GOP and John McCain know how you feel because for some reason our "dear friend" is oblivious as to how people are feeling about their calls.

If you like these type of calls, then enjoy them and pay as much attention to this blog entry as your candidate does about the mood of the country.

Doug

10/23: John McCain's RoboCalls STILL Going!

After my posting yesterday, I thought those RoboCalls to my husband's cell phone had stopped. Boy were we wrong!

Doug was out walking the dog last night when he got another one. This one I listened to later - about how Obama associates with drug dealers and criminals. Said it was sponsored by the Republican National Committee, and the phone number of 866-558-5591. However, the phone listed on our caller i.d. said 866-520-5769. Isn't that against the rules?

Anyway, Doug and I have both called the above numbers numerous times - last night and today. We've opted out again and again but still, John McCain's campaign is NOT listening and NOT following the rules.

Mr. McCain: Even if we had thought about voting for you, you and your campaign have so thoroughly ticked us off by using our cell phone minutes and wasting our time that there is NO WAY on this Earth that we would vote for you.

Vikki www.newviewgroupllc.com

10/22: John McCain's Robo Calls

It looks like we're not the only people plagued with robo calls from John McCain's campaign. Unbelievable!

Here's the result of my "mccain robo calls" search:
http://www.google.com/search?q=mccain+robo+calls&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7SUNA

Now see our October 16 blog entry:
http://thorntonwilliamsfamily.blogspot.com/2008/10/1016-bits-and-pieces.html

We didn't bother to listen to the entire messages left by his campaign so we're not sure of their content. However, we do know since our blog posting on October 16 and our e-mail via their contact form, we haven't received any more robo calls - either at home or on our cell phones.

Hmmmm.....

Vikki http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/


p.s. Check out this story on cnn about Sarah Palin:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/22/palin-takes-heat-for-saying-vp-in-charge-of-the-senate/

10/16: Bits and Pieces

There is so much going on that sometimes we don't have time to update this blog. Our apologies.

Kid Whispers:
Something's happened to Weslee, my almost 12-year-old. Yesterday he asked me to take him today for a buzz haircut. Today, while we were at Wal-Mart waiting for our turn at the stylist, he saw a lady struggling to put a cart away, and ran over to help her. He's thanking me for his meals, and his showers are shortening to 5 minutes. He willingly does his schoolwork, and takes the dog for 2 or 3 walks a day.

He's always been loving, running up to hug the biggest scarriest bikers when he was just a toddler. Weslee melted many hearts, with his quick smile, bright laughter, carroty-bronzy curly hair and cleft chin.

For the past several years, though, he's been obstinate and, well, just not nice. Argumentative. Struggling to find himself, and to justify his love to child-type things (cartoons) while growing up. He's been difficult to live with.

While I was his sole parent for the first 10 years of his life, I now share the responsibility with my new husband. We're still finding our way as a family, and it's been hard.

Our mantra: Patience. Space. Love.

Now my tween is growing up. He's outgrown pants he wore comfortably only 4 months ago. His voice is changing. He's growing hair in other places (ah mom!). But most of all, I think he's starting to accept it's not just him and me against the world, that we have Doug in our corner. Oh, and our new dog, Spirit!

Our new mantra: Trust. Responsibility. Honesty. and Patience. Space. Unconditional Love.

Backyard Grocery:
We had a couple nights of hard freezes this week. Good thing we brought in everything that could be harvested, including a butternut squash that wasn't quite ready yet. We also brought in the blueberry bushes, pots with the asparagus, and several tomatoes, among other things. Doug has attached a grow light in the family room, and still has two more to put in the front window for the tomatoes.

We brought the rest of the tomatoes from the backyard to the front porch. Due to the warmth of the house, they all survived the freeze, so we'll have lots of tomatoes still to come.

I've decided, though, that I don't like Autumn. All of these plants that we babied through the first sprouts peeking through the dirt, through the extreme heat and drought of Summer are beginning to die. The gourd leaves blackened from the freeze. The corn stalks are dry and white. The peppers, squashes and eggplants are withered. Sad.

But... we are blessed. We have enough frozen and dehydrated fruits and veggies, along with Winter squashes and drying sunflowers stored in the basement to last us to the Spring.

This was our experiment year. Next year we'll correct our mistakes and by next Autumn will have enough to last not only TO Spring but through it and into Summer.

New View Group LLC:
We finally found a forum hosting service so we've added that to our website. Over the next week, we'll add lots of topics to the forum, and we still have articles and other info to add to the website. Be sure to use the chat setup too!

Politics:
I'm supposed to reduce stress to help with my heart palpitations, but against doctor's orders, I watched the (last) presidential debate last night. Or tried to. I kept switching channels because, frankly, I expected better.

I expected McCain to not be mean this time. To give details about his plans. To put a positive spin on his issues.

And I expected Obama to stand up to McCain a little more. To give a few more details about his plans. To not let McCain get away with so much.

I understand that a lot of people who are pro-gun plan to vote for McCain/Palin because Palin is so pro-gun. And I understand that a lot of people who are against abortion will support McCain because he wants Roe Vs Wade overturned.

Don't vote for just ONE issue. We need to vote for what's overall best for our country, the United States of America.

John McCain's Campaign:
For the past several days now, Doug's cell phone has been getting recorded messages. Daily. Using up our minutes. We called them once to tell them to take the cell phone number off their list, but so far, it's been ignored. (These calls are called "robo calls".)

I just went to McCain's website. I thought about calling (Phone: 703-418-2008 ) but they'll just capture my cell phone number and use it! I thought about writing (John McCain 2008 // P.O. Box 16118 // Arlington, VA 22215) but that would take too long.

So .... I left a message using their contact form. It said:

We keep getting your taped messages on our cell phone and it's using up our minutes. STOP immediately or we'll send you a bill for the overage. Vikki and Doug Williams [cell number].

Let's hope that works.

Vikki http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

10/12/08: Politics

Doug and I just watched the debate on 9-news (Denver, CO) between Betsy Markey and Marilyn Musgrave, running for the 4th Congressional District. Unbelievable how, even though one candidate stated she'd like to see the mud-slinging stop, the other candidate not only ignored that remark but continued to be mean and nasty in her remarks.

Talk about the economy. About foreclosures and decreasing home values. Talk about ending the war and national health care. Talk about issues that affect us and our basic needs.

When political ads interrupt TV shows, we automatically hit "mute" now. No longer do candidates state what they will do for us, the American citizens. They take every chance possible to demolish reputations and cast doubt. When was the last time we saw a political commercial giving good information about a candidate's plan? It's been a while but we're not quite sure because WE MUTE!!

Unbelievable.

How can we teach our almost 12-year-old how to be a good and nice person when he hears commercials and these debates of mean and nasty mudslinging campaigns?

Vikki www.newviewgroupllc.com

9/22: Bits and Pieces

Mabon / Our Harvest Celebration:
We had a few people over to our house this past Friday to celebrate the wonderful produce we grew in our garden. Tres and his family, Doug's mom and sister, and our real estate agent Kris attended. I made a big crockpot of chili (almost forgot the garlic - eeeek), Doug picked string beans, Weslee picked tomatoes and helped me harvest the corn, eggplant, sweet and banana peppers, carrots and celery. I also grabbed one of the spaghetti squash because the vine had completely died - placed it in a nicely arranged display of our harvest. We ate and talked and toured our magnificent (ok, dying) garden. Thanks to all who came - we enjoyed your company!

Family:
With our chores mostly out of the way on Friday before the party, we expected a nice quiet weekend of working on the business and catching up on sleep. Not to be. Weslee must have had too much fun or sugar or something Friday before our weekend was miserable from some major misbehavior. For an 11 yr old, we expect him to not sneak and do things we've specifically said were off limits. And to work hard and steady at things like schoolwork (make-up time since we needed his presence doing chores on Friday) but he took 6 hours to do 1 hour of schoolwork. Why oh why? We're working to find a solution; constructive comments would be appreciated.

Business:
After much research and asking many questions, our business (http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/) had signed on with Vtribes on August 8 2008 to supply the community software for two websites we wanted to start: http://www.kidwhispers.net/ and http://www.backyardgrocery.net/. Beyond the huge amount of bugs in the software, the sometimes "server down" problems and the infrequency of returned phone calls, we are very upset about a "glitch" they have where they keep taking from us their "monthly fee". This "glitch" tried TWICE A DAY for approximately 2 weeks, which, needless to say, did not set well with our bank account. Doug and I are beyond frustrated. Has anyone else had such an experience with Vtribes?

Economy:
Where do I start? A $70 billion bailout that does NOT in anyway directly affect the individual taxpayer? Whoopi Goldberg on "The View" this morning suggested that everyone who has a mortgage should have half of it paid off - giving them additional money to make the other ends meet. Not sure about that, unless along with it would come a refinance package. For example, if someone still owes $100,000 on their mortgage at $1,000 a month, and received Whoopi's suggested $50,000, then they should be able to cut their mortgage payment also in half.

Attention U.S.A. Government: STOP bailing out these companies who mis-managed their money. Help us little people - the taxpayers who pay YOUR SALARY - get out of our financial holes. We're, for the most part, being responsible with our money. But certain companies make it difficult.

Credit Cards: WHY is it so easy to get a credit card fo a college student, or even your pet? And the interest rates are unbelievable? People - stop using credit cards! Cut them up! We personally don't have any because, believe me, they can get a person in major financial trouble.

Check Cashing Places: These companies should be regulated. The interest rates they charge is close to being loan sharking. Even if I was desperate, I would never use one. Wal-Mart will cash your check and not charge an astronomical amount. And if you are low on money for groceries, try a food bank, and CUT OUT the pricey cup of gourmet coffee.

Local Politics:
This morning while I was watching the news at 5:00 a.m. this morning, I half-heartedly counted the political ads in between the news bits. In one "commercial break", there were 7 political ads and NO other ads. This family has gotten to the point where we mute almost ALL commercials. As soon as a show goes on a break, we hit the mute.

Here in the Denver area, Mark Udall and Bob Schaffer are slamming each other and neither one of them look good. How are we supposed to choose between Dumb and Dumber? Evil and Mean? Geez. Hope there's an independent running against them.

TV:
The new season of "Heroes" starts tonight. I loved the show at the beginning but the path the show ended on last season upset me. Guess I didn't want it to go so dark. Tonight will be interesting.

I have watched, off and on, "All My Children" since my mother got me hooked in my teens. I was thrilled when Susan Lucci finally won her well-deserved daytime Emmy, and now, we get to see her doing something real life: "Dancing with the Stars". So exciting! Go Susan (and Cloris Leachman)!

"Terminator - the Sarah Connor Chronicles" airs, I believe, it's 2nd show of the season tonight. At the same time as the recap of "Heroes". I like this show because it shows what might kinda possibly happen. And I heard another "Terminator" movie is being made, not to include Arnold. Bummer about Arnold but this movie is supposed to show what happened immediately after Skynet went off.

The 2nd hour of "Dancing" airs at the same time as the new "Heroes". Guess I'll have that channel changer in my hand - switching between the two.

Health:
It seems Doug's ear problem has mostly gone away - pressure is gone but still has some ringing. Turns out it's a family thing. However, Weslee's ingrown toenail and my heart palpitations prompted me to make doctor appointments for both of us this afternoon. Fun fun fun. NOT!!

Guess that's all for now. Be sure to check out www.newviewgroupllc.com until we can figure out what to do with our business problem! Vikki

Politics

It's just been so busy that finding time to update this blog, not to mention even turning on the computer, has been difficult.

This past Thursday was the last day of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Since Channel 12 (KBDI - PBS in Colorado) prefers to talk, analyze and comment above the speakers and entertainment, we decided to put on Channel 6 (the other PBS station) for Thursday's broadcast. It was a little fuzzy so we got out the laptop, hooked up speakers and streamed in the convention direct from the DNC's site. We (Doug, me and son Weslee) sat there for close to 5 hours, getting up to dance when Stevie Wonder sang, or fix dinner in between speeches.

Very powerful. Perhaps the Democratic ticket will pull in more than the McCain ticket (will the addition of Sarah Palin really balance it?).

My 11 yr old son isn't supposed to get into detail with civics this year (6th grade) but because this is a historic Presidential election, and because he's showing interest in the topic, I've searched our local school supply store (Bank's on Irma in Northglenn, CO) and found several books to use in my self-created lesson plan. We'll watch campaign ads, discuss government overall, and election basics, and track election results the morning after. This will be an interesting school year!

Vikki www.newviewgroupllc.com

Clinton, Obama, McCain, Bush

I'm not an experienced political analyst or a professional blogger, but I am bothered and need to write the following:

Doug (my husband) and I watched Hillary Clinton's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention. We were moved beyond words, sure that her eloquence and passion united the Democratic party under the nomination of Barack Obama. We were wrong.

Some (unknown how many) of the delegates who voted for Hillary Clinton for President are saying they would rather vote for John McCain than Barack Obama. Why? Because Obama is black? Because they are hurt that Hillary didn't get the nomination? WHY???

I watched a news report this morning where the reporter said something to the effect of: 'although not everyone may agree with everything about John McCain, no one can say John McCain cannot run this country.' That hit me hard. Yes, he can run the country. So could my 11 year old son. But they couldn't do it well - not well enough to get out from under George W Bush's legacy and to get us out of the problems we're in. Does McCain even understand what the middle and lower classes are going through?

I'll tell him:

We struggle daily with finances, trying to decide between new school supplies for our children and medicine for our ADHD child, between mac-n-cheese for dinner and gas for our car, between rent paid in full and required vaccinations for school-age children.

We feel the weight of the world upon us. We are supposed to and often do care about global warming but when we HAVE to put $4.02/gallon gas in our car to get to a minimum-wage job, how can we possibly consider buying an electric car? We want to grow some of our own food, but our salaries dictate us to live in a high-rent/low-space/crime-ridden apartment building with little or no sunshine, and we take a chance every day we pick up a bit of fresh produce from the grocery (is it contaminated or not?).

We feel crushed by our obese bodies, but know that the package of ramen noodles costs a lot less than a bag of carrots. Our children get bigger and riddled with diseases like diabetes, autism and ADHD but we can't afford decent health care or healthy foods while we have to pay the exorbitant costs of transportation.

I see the future. With 4 more years of the weight of the world crushing us, our world will crumble. I see people who owned homes and cars struggling down the street begging for a bit of food for their children. I see people lined up in front of free clinics for samples of antibiotics and free flu vaccinations. I see children peering up at schools, unable to attend because of no permanent address or inadequate clothing and school supplies. I see the ocean floor buckling from the loss of structure and foundation from drilling. I see smog-filled days of choking breaths and nights of incredible heat and drought trading off with drenching floods. I see small businesses closing when passersby can't even afford to window-shop. I see sales of luxury items like sailboats, campers, jewelry and soda pops dropping, as we struggle to the nearly-empty foodbanks to get the last available loaf of bread. I see the incidents of crime rising as people grasp lives of theft and anger.

Don't let the future I see come true. Please.

We, the American People, need someone in charge of the American government who KNOWS what is really going on, and can DO something about it. Whether you supported Hillary because she's a woman or because she's a Clinton or because she's white or because you found her platform inviting, it's time to accept she's not the Democratic Party presidential nomination. Move your vote to someone who can really make a difference.

We beg of you.

Thank you for reading ... Vikki www.newviewgroupllc.com

7/31: Temperature, Exxon, Obama, McCain

Today the Denver area reached 97 degrees (it varied from station to station - from 95 to 99). We broke the 18-day streak by today becoming the 19th day in a row of over 90 degrees. Tomorrow we're supposed to be at 101. I'm melting! As did our poor corn beds; we had to give them an extra deep drink today. We did harvest 1 cucumber (our first!), 2 more yellow straightneck squash, 2 roma tomatoes and a handfull of string beans. No pic today - sorry!

Heard today that Exxon reported a 2nd quarter earnings of 11.7 BILLION. Excuse me?!?! Just my own thought here but what the hairy-heck do they think they are doing? They are helping to gouge us plain folk's pocketbooks and they have all this extra money going into theirs? Something about this isn't right. Perhaps WE should gouge Exxon's pocketbooks and BOYCOT their pumps.

About McCain's latest "celebrity" ditch ad about Obama with Britney and Paris and blaming Obama for the rising gas prices ... tsk tsk tsk. Mr. McCain, is this really how you want to run your campaign? Do you really not have much positive to say about your plans and policies and choices that you need to viciously attack your opponent? Do you really believe that one senator has (or had) so much power that he singlehandedly is responsible for the rising gas prices? Did he convince the President how to vote for particular fuel bills? Did he start the war on the other side of the Atlantic that convinced the world we're no longer a force to be reckoned with but a country to be toyed with? Do you really believe that this senator has such a celebrity status that he is equal to the "panty squad" of supposed airheads Britney and Paris? Does he go out and party just for photo ops? Does he dress provocatively?

Oh Mr. McCain... what are you thinking? Who are you listening to? Don't attack. Explain. Tell us... Do you have a plan to bring this country once again to greatness? To get us out of a war that is called "War on Terror" but isn't really? To help people afford their homes and basic everyday costs again? To help us put food on our table without giving up prescriptions? To stop people in government from lying and cheating those of us who put them there? To help our children learn how to be healthy instead of serving them junk food and sodas in the cafeterias while recess and arts programs are abolished? To solve our fuel problems by finding alternatives that are renewable?

Senators Obama and McCain: these are the issues important to me and most of America. What will YOU do for us? Vikki