The diner consisted of a conversation between Andrew, Mark and Anne, all of whom are residents of St. Louis. Pictured above is Andrew, who was celebrating his nineteenth birthday yesterday with us. Andrew is the son of our good friends Bob and Noreen, former St. Louis residents. They now live in Rochester, New York. Andrew is attending Fontbonne University for his first semester. He and Dave make up the St. Louis/Rochester student exchange program. Andrew is studying advertising. He seems to really like school. His father, Bob will be in town on Thursday. I plan on taking that day off to hang out with them.
I am no longer just a mere blogger folks, I am now a political analyst or pundit if you will. Yesterday’s post was about the Tour of Missouri bike race and how it has become an issue in this election year’s race for Lieutenant Governor. Today a Team Kaldis teammate, Sandi, emailed me a response she had gotten from the Sam Page (D) campaign. In the emailed response, Bret Bender, the Communications Director for Sam Page tried to answer her question about Sam Page’s position on the Tour of Missouri by refering her to this website. I don’t think he knew we knew each other. She forward me the email. Thank you, Sandi! You’ve made my day.
Fact follows fiction, Wednesday’s edition of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, asked the question what qualifies a person to be a political analyst. This question is posed seven minutes into the show, or right after the first comercial break. Check it out. As Jon puts it my naivety has been converted to gravitas. Or as he better put it, “Who the F@#k is That Guy?” 😉
Happy Birthday, Andrew.
Mark and Anne
Before you leap to the conclusion that any cut in Medicaid balances the budget on the backs of the poor, weak, and sick, shouldn’t you determine just exactly what those cuts are? Or do you want to pay huge amounts in taxes to provide Medicaid benefits that break the backs of the overtaxed middle class and drive jobs away like we do in New York State.
You too can pay 3.5% of your property value in taxes and 7.8 percent in income taxes. Just move up here.
It is too cold up there. Andrew commented yesterday about how weak we are in STL when it comes to winter and I have agree. It got down to 50 this week and I’ve broken out my winter coat.
I don’t see why it takes any particular qualifications to be a pundit. It seems to be an evolving term and phrases like “*presumed* to be an expert” and “*offers* opinions to the mass media” pop up in various definitions obtained via a quick and dirty Google search.
Anyway, after listening to an “expert” like Alan Greenspan say he was “shocked” to hear about the housing bubble this week (not even trying to quote exactly), who can tell who knows what. I’m just an old baggy old swamp woman and I couldda told ‘im that 10 years ago.
Anyway, I’ve done enough blathering on your blahg for today and The Commander has kicked me out of her kitchen (won’t even put me on KP duty), so I’ll head back out into the swamp where I belong. Pundit away to your heart’s content! 🙂
Budget concerns aside, isn’t it my responsibility to care for the sick and poor? I seem to remember this from Catholic theology. No amount of private contributions will make up these shortfalls in public funding. So we are on the horns of a dilemma. Do we do the right thing, abet not in the best way or do we not?
Let us turn that around. No amount of public funding will make up for the shortfalls in private contributions. The right thing is for charity to be charity, not entitlement. When the government gives it, it is entitlement. When Catholic charities gives it, it is charity.