End of summer
Had an awesome night with the kids, I made grilled chick, acorn squash and broccila from the farmers market. All I have to do is put fresh garlic on veggies and kids devour them. We then played football, Ethan is really getting into playing catch with me and punting it. The little shit even told me that Terrie throws the football better than me 
Then we made a bonfire and hung out talking. I took them both for a long walk and then we went to bed since Deb moved out it has been so much easier to disclipline them and get them in a routine. Ethan now cuts the grass and they both stack and unstack the dishwasher. The house was in pretty bad shape as Deb and her kids lived like disgusting animals. Terrie has been helping to clean and get everything organized.
quiet times
Deb and her kids moved out. Its actually been very nice. Totally enjoying peace and quiet and able to focus on and enjoy my kids more. Went for a walk with kids and gonna hit Gilles for ice cream
Chicago
In Chicago for day meeting with a BCBS partner, went very well. Took them to lunch at an awesome place and I had seared tuna, yum I took the train in and slept most of the way. I had to get up at 3:45 AM to catch train 
Bullseye
Ethan got 3 bullseye’s in the BB gun activety which he was quite proud of, they have a little free time before lunch and most of them are on bunks just chillin and talking. One boy was taken to medical station becuase he tried to pick up a rock and it fell and crushed his finger against another rock. Looks like he is going to lose a fingernail but otherwise will be ok. The staff and scout leaders have stressed many time NOT to pick anything up. Headin to beach after lunch to swim and go canoeing. We went to Bog after breakfast and learned in order to be called a bog it needs to be formed by glaciers. It has ph level of 4.5, human stomach is only 2.5..interesting
Camp
Well day 1 of camp and both ethan and I are having a blast. Kids went to sleep and played some poker with the adults. I won everyones chips (blind luck) but still was a lot of fun. Ethan passed expert swim test and scout leader thinks he set a camp record for being youngest kid to pass the test, he had to swim a half mile, tread water for so long and float on back for so long, swim lessons at YMCA paid off. I am so proud of him.
Mauthe Lake
So came back to Mauthe lake camping with kids as we left for couple days due to thunderstorms. Dam racoons slit a hole in tent and ate all the smore stuff, hoped they puked on it. Had a nice dinner with hot dogs from Brockmans meat market, yumm went out for ice cream and came back for campfire and kids lit off some sparklers. They again stated they were beat and asked to go to bed, gotta love that. I made some yummy Vida coffee after dinner so I am not tired yet. Chillin by campfire listening to frogs as our campsite is only about 30 feet from the lake. I got some thick bacon for breakfast and homemade punpkin pancakes that Ethan loves. Deb made some the other week and the leftovers ethan hid in the fridge so the little stinker could eat them himself. I musta went swimming in our pool with them yesterday for 3-4 hours, they love the pool. Should have the bathroom downstairs completly done within a few more days. Can’t wait. Well gonna snack on some bing cherries and then crash. Gonna hit beach tommorow and make a huge sandcastle with kids. Oh and deet free bug spray sucks!!!
4th of July Parade
At the 4th parade and poor Ethan is almost dead last, poor thing on the way here he turned to me and stated “I will make you proud dad” I wanted to cry, I love them both so much. Gonna get some fireworks and grill out. Gonna be a blast.
day 2 camping
Well both kids asked to go to bed at 930 as they were both up at 545 this AM were gonna hit the beach tommorow and they both were already planning on how big they are going to make the sand castle. I got a new car and really like it, its a Pacifica. I brought the camcorder and will take some good video and pictures to post. Just had a smore with one of the huge marshmellows and now stuffed makenna used the bathroom which is like an outhuse and she started yelling how nasty it was and smelled and then ethan stated “just don’t look down and it will be ok” lol
camping
Taking kids camping at mauthe lake for 11 days, got a spot right on the lake, forgot my sleeping bag, woke up like a popsicle, bringing tent heater tonite
mobile boarding passes
I just had my boarding pass emailed to blackberry and didn’t need to hassle getting a paper boarding one. I pulled up the boarding pass via email and the machine scanned the image, pretty slick. They are still rolling this out to airports but pretty soon they will all do it. I can’t wait to see the kids I really miss them. I am told I need to shake ethan so he wakes up when I get home I think I am gonna. Lol
Charleston South Carolina
In SC for three days for a conference. Its warm as heck here I am coming back late thursday and then go on Ethans field trip on Friday. All signed up for Ethans cub scout camping in June, gonna be a lotta fun. He is all excited too. The kids behavior has improved dramatically and they are still going to see Darlene for counseling and that helps a lot.
Ethans field trip
Went on a field trip to maywood with Ethan. It was a blast. We went down to pond with nets and wading boots and caught bugs to look at under microscope. We learned earthworms are not native to WI and they do more harm than good in forests. The weather was warm and sunny. Ethan and Makenna have moved up to next karate class due to them progressing so well. Ethan will be testing for orange belt soon.
St. Louis
Headin out to St. Louis for three days for work. I will miss Deb and the kids but also nice to get a break. I will be at a TPA conference. Grass is almost long enough to cut UGG….kids are nagging to set up the pool ….too cold. Waiting to be warm enough to go camping.
Financial Reform
Let’s hope that there is enough common sense among our legislators to realize there is no need to rush into anything which we will later regret. No matter how much Obama beats the drum and tries to create an emergency, there is always time to do it right.
There are already agencies in place who were supposed to oversee and regulate investment firms and mortgage lenders. They claim the reason for failure was the size of bureaucracy led to confusion and overlap of authority. Is creating another layer of bureaucracy really the solution? Do we really want the people responsible for our financial collapse to write the new rules?
Stop the runaway growth of the federal government, figure out how to put some teeth back into the existing regulatory agencies, and stop this constant “legislation thru panic” from Obama.
bonfire and turtle
The kids found a pretty big turtle in the woods today, they wanted to keep it as a pet, hell no!! Having a bonfire and makin smores, I am thinking I like the smores more than the kids I went into makennas lunch to coax her to eat more. Due to meds she just doesn’t wanna eat lunch. I took her to see darlene today. I found out some good information in how to help her.
Waging War on Obamacare
Michael G. Franc and Gary Andres
April 15, 2010 4:00 A.M.
Waging War on Obamacare
Obama and his allies won the first battle. Market-oriented reformers can still win the war.
The cloud of Obamacare has a faint silver lining. Both the substance of the bill and the way it was passed have boosted the electoral prospects for right-leaning candidates in November. That’s a critical first step toward repealing the most consequential expansion of government’s role in our daily lives in many decades.
Let’s be clear, however: To repeal or even defang Obamacare will require a combination of skill, luck, and the right political environment. And it will require conservative reformers in both parties (yes, both parties — the only bipartisanship on display this past year, it is worth recalling, has been bipartisan opposition to Obamacare). It’s doable, but it won’t be easy.
As long as President Obama is in the White House, his veto pen can stop any reform bill. A veto override requires two-thirds supermajorities in both House and Senate — a wholly unrealistic prospect unless Republicans make unprecedented electoral gains and scores of politically queasy moderate Democrats openly rebel against their party leaders.
But each day seems to bring news that should make moderates queasier and liberals less cocky. Less than a week after passage of the bill, major U.S. companies like AT&T, Caterpillar, and John Deere announced billions of dollars in writedowns to account for the new law’s financial impact. And thousands of Americans eager to sign up for their “free health coverage” learned they’d have to wait four years before Washington would start delivering on that promise.
More negative news is on the way. A long list of new tax burdens and regulations will create additional unintended consequences. The CEO of Medtronic Inc., for example, believes the new 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices will force his firm to eliminate a thousand jobs. The CFO of Massachusetts-based Zoll Medical Corp. warns that his company may have to relocate 650 Bay State jobs overseas.
This fall, millions of seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans will receive notices of benefit cutbacks or even the termination of their plans, thanks to Obamacare’s $200-billion cuts in the popular program.
With these developments looming on the horizon, President Obama and his Hill allies hope to focus attention elsewhere: on jobs and the economy. If Republicans, the conservative grassroots, and the media become preoccupied with other concerns, they hope, the voters will soon calm down.
Center-right America should not let itself be distracted.
A coalition of Republicans and a few courageous Democrats can jettison Obamacare if they gain the trust of voters on health-policy issues. That’s already starting.
Obamacare has not won the people’s hearts and minds. Despite wildly positive media coverage and the triumphant White House signing ceremony, surveys find public support for the new law dropping like a stone. Support in the most recent CBS poll has fallen to a dismal 32 percent, with opposition up to a new high of 53 percent. The same trend was apparent in polls conducted by Fox News and Rasmussen. Nearly six of every ten voters now support outright repeal, according to the most recent Rasmussen survey.
The polls reveal that frustration is particularly acute among political independents. Over half of the independents in the CBS poll, for example, thought the new law would increase their health-care costs; only 13 percent thought their costs would come down. Similarly, 42 percent expect Obamacare to deliver lower-quality care; only 13 percent expect it to deliver better care. By six to one (67–11 percent) they dismiss outright the claims by the president and Hill leaders that the new law will cut federal deficits.
Such intense animosity offers an opening for lawmakers who want to build voter enthusiasm for a market-oriented approach to health-care reform, which would be far less costly and would give Americans far greater freedom.
Democrats used to have an advantage in public opinion on this issue. Over the past two decades, however, Gallup surveys that have asked voters which party they trust to handle the health-care issue found that the gap between Republicans and Democrats narrowed whenever the GOP actively promoted its market-oriented alternative view.
The gap shrank in 1993 (after Republicans fought the Clinton health-care bill). It narrowed again in 1997–98 (when the GOP promoted a balanced budget, including provisions to slow the growth of health-care entitlements). Now, after a year of debate on Obamacare, the gap has closed once again.
A recent Rasmussen survey echoes the Gallup findings. It found that likely voters give Republicans a significant edge over Democrats (53 to 37 percent) on health care, a sea change compared with a year ago. The same poll shows that the GOP enjoys an even larger advantage among independents (58 to 22 percent), also a considerable improvement compared with November 2008.
In the past, lawmakers espousing free-market ideas on health care would abandon the playing field to liberals once the media ceased focusing on health care. Like a scrum of six-year-old boys following the soccer ball, they would pursue the next hot issue while liberals kept plugging away, adding new layers to Medicaid and transforming what once was a relatively modest program for children’s health insurance into a mushrooming entitlement that now covers childless adults with middle-class lifestyles.
This time must be different. Republicans and the moderate Democrats who opposed Obamacare must remain on the playing field. They must keep highlighting the many problems with this legislation and work tirelessly to convert nascent voter trust into a more permanent attachment. Only then will we have a realistic shot at replacing Obamacare with a better, market-oriented alternative.
The best way to do this is to broaden that playing field. Obamacare, after all, will not just lower the quality and increase the cost of our health care. It will also wreak havoc in many other areas of our lives. Federal and state budgets will explode; new tax burdens on investors and medical-device innovators will stifle job creation; tomorrow’s students and young workers will have to shoulder even greater fiscal burdens. And so on.
Specifically, reformers must:
Understand that the repeal effort should be waged at the state level as well as in D.C. Work closely with governors and other state officials in both parties to highlight the negative budgetary consequences and likely unconstitutionality of Obamacare. Recall that Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, was the first governor to openly criticize Obamacare’s impact on his state Medicaid program;
Educate younger voters on how the new insurance regulations will increase their costs and dim their prospects for upward mobility;
Draw in the 9 million or so seniors who will bear the brunt of the Left’s crusade to destroy the only competitive corner of Medicare: Medicare Advantage;
Give platforms to entrepreneurs in the health-care sector to explain how the regulatory spawn of Obamacare will impede the development of next-generation medical breakthroughs;
Ditto for employers, who, as they encounter the harsh realities of Obamacare, will opt to scale back their workforce, farm out operations overseas, or simply leave their employees to the tender mercies of the Obama health exchange; and, finally
Give a voice to the tens of thousands of practicing physicians who see how Obamacare will eviscerate the doctor-patient relationship, robbing millions of patients of the quality care they deserve.
It’s hard to keep public attention focused on an issue once Congress acts. But history demonstrates that lawmakers who tout commonsense solutions to difficult problems gain credibility and trust when they persevere.
When it comes to health care, the GOP and like-minded Democrats must stay engaged and active, or else Democratic progressives will press ahead with implementing Obamacare, in the process exploding state and federal budgets and hindering upward mobility, while making health care more expensive and reducing quality for everyone.
— Michael G. Franc is vice president of government relations for the Heritage Foundation. Gary Andres is vice chairman of research for Dutko Worldwide.
Ethans class
I went to Ethan’s class today for junior achievement and he was thrilled to pieces. It was his class and one more. It was a lot of fun. Makenna and Ethan are at Kellys and I miss them a lot. I have been getting swamped at work. I am going to St. Louis for three days soon and then off to South Carolina for three days. I will be sure to pick the kids up some shirts, that’s been my tradition to get them a shirt from places I travel too.
Easter sunday
Took kids to park yesterday, chopped firewood and had bonfire last night. We had a lot of cleanup from full bathroom being put in the basemet, concrete floor had to be cut and drilled for drain, lots of dust. Two bedrooms are fully finished now. We had to have a lot redone in one bedroom because it was built pretty shoddy. Taking the kids to zoo today as they have egg hunt and Easter parade. Wish mom was here to celebrate Easter but she is having fun. Makenna is doing really well on new med. Makenna. and Ethan have been nagging Deb and I to get married, pretty funny actually. I will take tons of pics and video today and post on web. Marna and Bill are coming over sunday, it will be fun. I took a look at rings for Deb and holy cow are they expensive. There is no way I am using rule of 2.5 months of salary …..lol kids are done with swimming lessons, off to zoo.
Junior Achievement Business Challenge at Acuity
Check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8IzrFY07s8 Its Junior Achievements Annual Business Challenge hosted by Acuity. I made this video to hopefully spread it around by students to recruit more students. They literally give away over $80k in scholarships. I had a fun time shooting and making the video….
Night at the muesum
Well we survived the night at the museum, Ethan and I had a blast. He really enjoyed the flashlight tour of the dinosaur exhibit and the I Max dinosaur movie. We slept on air mattress in the Indian exhibit. We didn’t get to sleep until almost 1:00 AM oh god I am getting old. I am usually asleep by 9:30 PM lol. Taking Deb to Weill Center show tonight for Pink Floyd tribute band. I guess Rolling Stone rates them the best. Gonna celebrate Makenna’s B day on Monday night with family due to mom leaving soon for Europe. I am so tired gonna take a nap lol. They had about 75 scouts there and had a raffle and question was how many dinosaur species was in exhibit. Ethan started thinking out loud eliminating species such as lizards, Woolly Mammoth, etc and said oh about 8, HE WON THE PRIZE as he guessed it right.