Went for coffee with an old friend from college yesterday. Had a wonderful time, the best in a very long while. Still more catching up to do. Plus, I lust after the boat ride on Lake Ontario she has promised me for next summer.

Preferred Care still has not sent insurance cards though they have cashed the September check. No bill for October, either. Brian Trowbridge promised to call me a week ago Friday with my member number and never did. I’ve paid out of pocket nearly $350 for two prescriptions so far, and will need more refilled by Thursday of this week. I’m afraid I will not see most of that money back if the insurance comes through because of the delays.

I never did PT for the shoulder I had surgery on. Could not afford the co-pay and now have no insurance. I have also postponed the MD followup visit. And, Highland Hospital sent me a bill for $75.00 for the surgery. The good news is that about half the time I have no pain and range of motion is pretty good. Scar really does look like I got bit by a zombie, that zipper type scar.

I’m going to be helping out and may have a temp job at a local business. We’ll see if they can afford another employee. Won’t pay very much but the unemployment has run out. Congress never passed an extension to unemployment benefits, so I’m broke.

The lovely wife is doing ok. We need to get insurance because she needs a neuro evaluation for her Social Security disability claim, which is currently in limbo. We both need to get out of the house and out of each other’s hair more.

Mystery of some cat pooping in middle of living room floor this past week. Finally have been moving a litter box into the living room at night and no problems.

Poopy butt Sarah is getting washed as often as we remember. How do you put one cat of four on a diet?

Hey, take a look at some of the ads, would ya? Christmas is coming.

Here is a list of the top slackers and shirkers in the United States Senate. We elected them to represent their state, and to be ‘about the people’s business”. If you and I took this amount of time off, especially if it was to look for another job, we’d be fired.

The Washington Post has a list for the Senate and for the House. Fire Congress!

Please note the irony that the top five lousy Senators include four who ran for President and a brain damaged guy. Maybe I don’t understand the meaning of the word “irony”.

See: Allen West for Congress 2010

Lt. Col. Allen West Stands With Gov. Palin: Sen. Obama Is “Not One of Us”

In response to the inflammatory racial statements made by Congressmen Meeks D-NY, Towns D-NY, and Jackson D-Ill. in the Jason Horowitz New York Observer article, “Black Congressmen Declare Racism in Palin’s Rhetoric,” (Ret.) Lt. Col. Allen West, congressional candidate for Florida’s district 22, wrote the following:

“I have just finished reading an article written by Jason Horowitz in the New York Observer, “Black Congressmen Declare Racism in Palin’s Rhetoric,” and I am absolutely appalled. I refute the inflammatory comments of Rep. Meeks, Towns, and Jackson and I challenge them to debate me on the issue of race. Yes, I am a black conservative congressional candidate from district 22 in South Florida. This is a congressional district that is approximately 92% white. The tremendous support I’ve received in district 22, and throughout the country, doesn’t jibe with Rep. Towns’ claim that, “racism is alive and well in this country.”

With that said, I reiterate the comment made by Governor Palin: Senator Obama is “not one of us”. We are freedom loving Americans that believe in the Constitution, and shun marxist/socialist dogma. Sen. Obama’s political and social allegiance with William Ayers proves he is, “not one of us.” Let me bring to mind a simple maxim that my mom and dad taught me growing up in Georgia, “folks will know you by the company you keep.” And as a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel I shall share a simple point: because of Senator Obama’s associations, he would not be able to pass a background investigation in order to receive a security clearance. Yet, he seeks to be the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces?

It has become apparent that any person taking a stand against Sen. Obama’s campaign will face the “Brown Shirt” intimidation tactics of individuals seeking to stoke racial fires.

I am sick and tired of the 21st century version of plantation overseers that pass themselves off as black leaders but only keep the black community hostage. When I win this congressional race it will be interesting to see if the Congressional Black Caucus will open their doors to me. I suggest that the door be opened, but then again, would they be racist for not allowing me membership?”

Best Regards,

Lieutenant Colonel Allen B West (US Army, Retired) Candidate, Florida’s US Congressional District 22

Allen West For Congress

Via Gateway Pundit

Read this. Send it to all your friends. Send it to your enemies and even strangers. This is the absolute truth about the Congress. No bull.

Steve Schippert posts at Wizbang:

We are witnessing a failure in government. Our Congress cannot work together to provide an immediate fix to a problem it created in the first place: forcing the American financial sector to extend mortgages to those who were high risk borrowers in order to champion to the American people that more minorities own homes than ever. That worked well under a booming economy. But when the natural cycle of economics turned downward, fear dismissed became reality unavoidable. The house of cards came tumbling down.

And even still, amid all the haggling and fighting going on in Congress over how to shore up the financial cash crisis, not a word is mentioned about changing the counter-intuitive practices forced upon mortgage lenders in the first place. In this respect, it’s not unlike how Congress and the White House chose to address illegal immigration: by trying to deal with those already here first rather than initially addressing the cause: the influx of illegals that continues to flow unabated.

Make no mistake, if we wake to Black Monday this week, the responsibility lies squarely upon Congress and the electorate which has put them there, not our banks. Our banks’ hands were forced by mandates from Washington, not their boardrooms.

And here we are. With a Congress so polarized that they are incapable of working together.

We elected them. We pay their salaries. If they mess this up, each and every one ought to be voted out of office in November. Complete turnover. Fire their asses. You and I both know that if we were even half this bad at our own jobs, we would have lost them a long time ago.

Fire Congress!

The Democratic majority went into recess for five weeks today over the objections of the Republicans. Many Republican Congressmen are refusing to leave.

CSPAN has been shut off. The lights turned off. The sound system was down until they managed to discover the password to turn it back on.

A number of Republican Congressmen are on the floor of the House of Representatives, calling for action on energy policy. The only media broadcast is coming from Twitter and Qik messages sent by Blackberry.

• We are fighting to give the american people a vote on drillig for more oil! Rep. Mike Pence
• Congressman Michael Burgess of Texas here. We are trying to keep the House of Representatives open to force a vote on energy production.
• I’m Adam Putnam of Fl, on the House Floor to stand up for more American energy! Congress can’t go home without solving this!
• Cong Virginia Foxx speaking now – says Speaker Pelosi telling America “Let them eat cake”
• Cong Bill Sali speaking now
• I am Roy Blunt, the GOP Whip, and it an outrageous move the Democrat Leadership has adjourned the House for 5 weeks.
• Cong Ted Poe now speaking – just give us a vote to drill here drill now
• Now Cong Tom Price of Georgia – congress has gone on vacation while America is suffering w high gas prices
• Am Congressman John Shimkus of Illinois. We need American Energy and American Jobs. We are fighting for a vote on supply.
• Min Whip Blunt speaking now describing our bill to drill here drill now to get us through the next 10 to 15 years till we can get new tech
• Cong Mike Rogers says every day Pelosi wastes America sends 50 million to Putin 200 million to Saudi Arabia 180 million to Hugo Chavez
• This Cong mike rogers. Please stand up for an american made energy!! For our national security and our economic security!! Your voice counts
• Cong Rob Bishop says we have to solve energy problem for poor Americans who cannot afford 4 dollar a gallon gas

How will Hillary Clinton be a Senator from New York and a candidate for President at the same time?

On May 20, 2003, I quoted the following about the 2004 Presidential race:

Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) has missed 162 votes in the House this year – 85 percent of the total … Gephardt has missed every vote on energy-related issues this session. House records show Gephardt also missed votes on other issues that are frequent themes in his presidential candidacy, including welfare reform, human cloning, healthcare, homeland security, education and tax cuts…

Other Democratic presidential aspirants also have missed votes, but to a lesser degree than Gephardt. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) failed to add his voice in 63 instances this year, 34 percent of Senate votes. (Not included in this total are two votes he missed in February due to prostate surgery.)

Last Thursday, when the Senate considered the House version of President Bush’s global AIDS initiative, Kerry used a floor debate to decry a provision in the legislation that required 33 percent of funds to be spent on abstinence education.

“We should not tie the president’s hands … I will support an amendment to strike this earmark.”

Later in the day, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) proposed just such an amendment. Kerry missed the vote on the proposal, which failed 45-52…

On August 4, 2006, I took on Congressional freeloaders, those missing when Congress is taking action:

Here are the ten worst, cheating you and me out of our hard earned money paid in taxes:

1. Lane Evans, IL-17, Dem, 38.7%
2. Jim Davis, FL-11, Dem, 23.2%
3. Ernest Istook, OK-5, Rep, 15.8%
4. Donald Payne, NJ-10, Dem, 15.3%
5. Ted Strickland, OH-6, Dem, 15.0%
6. Harold Ford, TN-9, Dem, 14.9%
7. Luis Gutiérrez, IL-4, Dem, 14.8%
8. John Sweeney, NY-20, Rep, 14.2%
9. Juanita Millender-McDonald, CA-37, Dem, 13.4%
10. Leonard Boswell, IA-3, Dem, 13.3%

[snip]

Layne Evans has been ill this year, dying of Parkinson’s Disease. He is supposed to be retiring at the end of this term. A court is appointing a guardian for him, which suggests that he should have retired long since.

Jim Davis is running for Governor of Florida, on the taxpayers’ dime. Instead of serving in Congress, he’s home, politicking for yet another taxpayer financed office. He should be turned down by the voters.

Istook is doing the same thing in his home state of Oklahoma. He’s running for Governor while being paid as a Congressman. Do the people of Oklahoma really want their pockets picked like this?

Ted Strickland is also running for Governor, in Ohio, while sucking down the gravy as a Congressman. Doing his job appears to be a low priority with him.

Harold Ford is running for the Senate in Tennessee, while serving poorly as one of its Congressmen. His relatives and their attraction to the wrong side of law enforcement combine with his poor work ethic to make him an unattractive choice for the Volunteer State.

Recent history shows that we, the taxpayers and voters, are very poorly served by politicians who run for another office than the one we voted them into. Unless Hillary resigns her Senate seat, the people of New York can look forward to a year and a half or more of lousy Senatorial representation by our elected rep. We pay her salary, and we should have the right to demand that she do the job we pay her to do.