Iron Bowl

Unless you've been locked in a basement for 20 years, you know what is going on today in the state of Alabama. For those who are unaware, today is the Iron Bowl - the annual meeting of the two powerhouse football programs in the state. As a hardcore Auburn fan, I'm really hoping my struggling tigers can pull out some tricks today. Last time I checked, though, Vegas had the spread at +14.5. Personally, I think that's a bit much. UAT probably is actually that much better than us this year, but those setting the line in Vegas have failed to recognize how big of a rivalry this game really is. This game is very rarely a blowout for either side. That being said, Auburn has been so inconsistent all year that we could easily fall behind very early to the Crimson Tide who also seem to score a lot of their points early. That has seemed to be their mode of attack for the entire season. However, they also tend to let up some after gaining early leads. Hopefully, we can find some way to take advantage of this today.

It's not as if I really know enough to make an accurate assessment of how the game will be played out today, so I will stop trying. I will leave you with my prediction, though:

Auburn - 23

Alabama - 20

War Eagle!!!

An Old Assignment

As I was taught to do by many of my old elementary school teachers, such as Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Johnson, and many others, I haved decided to make a list of things for which I am thankful:

• My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - nothing else is really worth anything without him
• My wonderful wife - she makes waking up every day worth while...and she's pretty hot, too
• A steady job - it's a really good thing to have since, according to the media, we are already in another depression. But seriously, I'm very grateful that I don't have to worry about how to pay the bills every month.
• Our family - both sides of it. Although it takes a long time to drive and see our families now, it is really nice to get to spend holidays and other events with them.
• My golf clubs - bring me a lot of good times
• A dependable vehicle - unreliable ones I've had in the past weren't very much fun
• My blog - it's fun to share stories, pictures, and express my views sometimes
• Leroy - although I don't get to see him very often, I still love him

I'm sure my list is not very complete, but I thought it would make some of my early educators proud.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Feeling Ignored?

Liberals are not going to listen to you! Want some proof? Every time they allow people to actually vote on an idea and it results in an outcome they don't like, it is immediately taken to the courts. They're like the spoiled kid that gets a "no" from dad, so then proceeds to ask mom the very same question (something I never once attempted in childhood.)

The latest example is what took place with the election results that banned gay marriage in Arizona, California, and Florida. As a matter of fact, Arizona and California have already turned down this proposal once before. The liberals and the gay mob didn't like what the people had to say the first time, so they just demanded a "do-over." Unfortunately for them, the people gave them the same answer again. So, in the natural course of events, this vote "by the people" is now being appealed in the judicial system.

Wouldn't it be much easier to accept the will of the people and just give up on this one? One would seem to think so. However, those leftists trying to force the homosexual agenda on America refuse to see it that way.

Another example of the deafness of the left can be seen in the way that the bailouts are being handled. As if Americans weren't outraged enough by the initial bailout to the banks, these big government politicians seem to feel that we want them to give more of our tax dollars to failing, poorly run businesses. Doesn't it make sense that if we thought Ford, AIG, GM, and the others were worthy of our money, we would already be utilizing the goods and services they offer? If that were the case, they wouldn't even be considering asking for a government rescue.

In the case of the auto makers, the American people are making their voices heard with their wallets by saying their products aren't good enough to buy at current prices. Maybe a $40,000 Chevrolet truck is not really worth that much money. If Toyota and Honda are able to more effectively control production costs and ultimately be more profitable because of it, shouldn't they be allowed to rise in the industry? In some places, I think that's what is commonly referred to as the "free market." Furthermore, I can't even begin to describe how grossly unfair and unconstitutional it is that the government would step in and prop up only certain failing businesses of their choosing. I guess that fact is so ridiculously obvious that it has eventually become hard to comprehend.

FWIW: B. Hussein Obama is currently preparing another economic stimulus plan that will cost us an additional $800 billion. Yippee!!!

In spite of all that, I do understand that it's not just the Democrats who are ignoring the views of the people on the current bailouts. There are way too many Republicans who jumped on that bandwagon, too. The most disappointing of all was President Bush himself, who with many others in his party seemed to throw a lot of their conservative principles out the window on this one. But in the end, the majority of men and women in Congress whose voices did seem to reflect the sentiment of the American people were sitting on the right side of the aisle (links and references available here.)

It really is completely our own fault, though. We are the ones who keep putting these apathetic dirt bags back in power. In fact, I noticed that nearly every, and possibly all, incumbent Congressman in Tennessee retained his or her seat. I can't help but assume that this is only due to name recognition and not necessarily support of one's policies. As you saw in one of the videos fromy my last post, people (especially democrat voters) seem to know very, very little about a politician's specific policies. I suppose that sometimes it is just cool to vote for a certain candidate...everyone in Hollywood is doing it!

Some Afternoon Viewing

How accurate do you think my assumption is that 99% of the people in this video voted for Obama? On an even sadder note, every one of these people admitted to doing so!

GET INFORMED!!!

These People Want Pity?

Did anyone not see this coming? Are our government leaders really this ignorant and naive? Anyone with the least bit of common sense would know that once billions of dollars were given to bail out the big banks, other institutions would quickly follow suit with similar requests. And now, we are subjected to hearing the major automakers whine about how much help they need to get out of their own self-made predicament.

I do have a novel idea for them, though. It would be sure to help their situation. Here it is: quit catering to the crooked unions!

Because of the influence of the sleazy unions, these companies have been forced to give their average employee upwards of $75 dollars an hour in benefits and monetary compesation. This is in stark contrast to the typical worker at any other job who makes around $25 an hour. The differences here are completely absurd. Did they really expect to stay afloat while overpaying their employees to that extent?

An employee with around 14 years of experience also gets a reported 35 vacation and holiday days a year. That's 7 whole weeks! Again...completely absurd! Your typical employee at any other place of business with comparable experience is given only 4 weeks of paid time off and nowhere near the same healthcare benefits.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe the big automakers completely have the right to do whatever they want with their money and their employees. If they decided to cater to the evil unions and suffered because of it, that is their own problem. And that is exactly it...their OWN problem! Why should we as just everyday people have to deal with all their problems? These are not our dilemmas; they are the self-inflicted problems of Ford, GM, and Chrysler. However, they have the audacity to show up on Capitol Hill and declare how deserving they are of taxpayer money to remedy their own mistakes. Is this bold or arrogant? I've decided to go with the latter. They didn't even bother to make this trip in the automobiles their own companies made!

On another note, they claim that we should be worried about the stockholders. But, why? The automakers have had these problems for years. If stockholders weren't wise enough to see them and get out while they could, why should we feel sorry for them now?

The best conclusion for this situation would be to simply let the automakers go bankrupt and cancel all their excessive contracts with their employees. They could then use these same employees and give them fair, competitive wages and benefits. Maybe, just maybe, they would then be forced to produce cars that match the quality of the prices they charge. Even if they weren't able to break down and make a better automobile, they could at least sell theirs at a lower price that more Americans could afford.

The auto industry should in no way at all get a bailout to help fund their failing business model. Their approach to business will not change and they will continue to use the same flawed stratefies as before. Unfortunately, the precedent was already set by handing out billions to the banks, so now every business in a little bit of trouble wants their share. But, who is next? Will it be the owners of professional baseball teams? I wouldn't be shocked at all.

Nothing Too Serious

First of all, I just want to apologize for not blogging in nearly a week. (Don't even try to pretend that my absence has not deeply saddened you). I've had computer problems, was out of town for the weekend, and spent 15 hours at CVS on both Monday and Tuesday. Therefore, my blogging time has been severely limited. I know many of you have been disappointed to not hear what is going on with the Hatchers or to know how I feel about any current events, and for this, I am deeply sorry.

Anyway, Betty Clair and I went to Auburn for the football game this past weekend. Our alma mater was almost able to get away with a surprising win over the top-10 ranked Georgia Bulldogs but came up a little bit short in the end. I wasn't too surprised by the result, but we still had a lot of fun. Nevertheless, the team does finally seem to be showing signs of improvement. Hopefully, they have just been saving their best performance of the season for the final game of the year. I also must use this space to give thanks to John Aldridge, my brother-in-law, for providing us with the tickets for the game. This was very kind of him.

Today was my first day off of three in a row, which will be very relaxing. I almost feel a bit lazy about it, though. I did, however, call our district office and try to see if there were any open shifts I could pick up at other stores. That gave me somewhat of a clear conscience about it. Betty Clair and I also found out earlier that I will be working on Thanksgiving Day and she will be off. We were originally told that we would both be able to work on Thanksgiving (and get holiday pay), but CVS has decided to close more stores than previously planned in an effort to produce better fourth quarter earnings. They have also cut employee hours for all stores, so the next couple of months should be really exciting...but not in a good way.

Being Lazy Today

There are many things going on in America that I could write about today. I could tell you about how AIG was caught using your tax dollars they were bailed out with to go on yet another luxury vacation. Yes, this was the second time they've done it since they got their excessive handout. I could discuss the audacity that the "Big 3" automakers have since they are now asking for government assistance. Here's an idea for them: get rid of the unions! I could talk about all the loony liberals that Obama is planning to put on his staff and at various cabinet positions. Can you believe that Gore's name has popped up for any position with authority? However, I don't really feel like getting into any of it right now. Maybe my feelings will change later tonight.

I do have some good news, though. No, I did not just save a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. It's even better than that. Click here to check out what will be released next month!

Happy Veterans Day!!!

If you're a veteran, you might like this. Who doesn't like free food? If you're not, tell one about it.

That is all. I have to go to work now.

Pictures from Chattanooga

Here are some pictures that I promised yesterday. I apologize for not posting them earlier as I said I would. I failed to realize that I was working the 7a-10p shift today and wouldn't have very much time to play on the computer.

Travelin' in Tennessee

It has been quite a few days since my last post. That is because Betty Clair and I have been out of town. We went on a little trip across the state this past weekend and spent Friday and Saturday night in the lovely town of Chattanooga (pictures coming soon).

We had a wonderful time while on our little get-away. We were able to tour the Chattanooga Aquarium on Friday, and we then made stops at both Rock City and Ruby Falls on Saturday. According to my mother, I've been to Ruby Falls before, but I have no recollection of this ever taking place.

The aquarium was very enjoyable, but we both admitted to enjoying the outdoor sights on Saturday a little more. From the main viewing area at Rock City, we were able to see at least a small part of seven different states...which I think is pretty cool! Since the leaves are aso now changing to their Autumn colors, the view was made even more impressive.

The claim to fame at Ruby Falls is that it boasts the tallest underwater waterfall in the world accessible to humans. The hike to reach this attraction was not particularly strenuous, but it would have been worth it even if it was. During this little trek, we were also able to witness many intriguing and fascinating geological formations. This brought up a little debate between Betty Clair and I about the difference between stalactites and stalagmites. I'll let you guess who was right on that one.

Overall, the weekend was very enjoyable and relaxing. It was nice to be away from home for a little while and see some beautiful sights. We are headed to Auburn this coming weekend to watch one of our biggest rivalry games with Georgia. Since we probably won't witness much there that will be enjoyable, I am glad we were able to do so these past few days.

Check back tomorrow for some pictures.

Time to Wake Up

We are really in trouble now. Yeah, I know that sounds blunt and simple, but the truth often is. As you already know, unless you live under a rock, B. Hussein Obama won the presidential election yesterday. This does not bode well for our country. The changes he will try to bring to this nation will be extremely damaging.

For example, Obama want to initiate a universal healthcare program to cover every citizen (and non-citizen) in this country. As if covering the lazy and unmotivated wasn't expensive enough to begin with, this would cost us more than anything this coutry has ever done. Yes, that even includes the "stupid" war. And how does he propose the county pays for this? Since he's promised tax cuts for 95% of us, I have no idea how it can be done. In fact, there is not way it can be done while still giving tax cuts. Wait a minute...I think I understand now. There will be no tax cuts! Maybe he should just wait on his rich supporters like Oprah and Julia Roberts to give him money for everyone's healthcare. But in all reality, when did it become the job of the government to pay for your cholesterol medicine or chiropractor visits or your abortion, anyway? Last time I checked, those things are not in the Constitution.

Since I just mentioned the abortion issue, let's stick with that one for a minute. This is one of the things that I worry the most about when considering what president-elect Obama will try to do with his position. A lot can be inferred from his comments here. Since "punishment" is universally a pretty negative term, why would anyone want "punishment." Therefore, let's just get rid of it. Let's do the math first, though. If babies=punishment, and we do not want punishment, then let's get rid of babies. Of course! It's so simple. Kill all the babies! Need I even dicuss how he wants to let babies born alive after botched abortions simply die on the table, as was evident from his stance on this bill?

Other issues that weren't covered so much during the election (because the media knows how Americans really feel) include the following: a) your gun right may be severely limited, b) affirmative action policies will become rampant and excessive, and c) the global warming agenda will be rocketed forward. I won't even begin to debate how intrusive, unfair, and absurd, respectively, these ideas are because that would take far too long. Just don't be shocked when you see it coming down the pipe.

My only solace is that I know who really controls everything...and it is not the new president. So, I will just keep my faith in God and continue to pray for this country. Actually, I also am comforted when I remember that it took a Jimmy Carter to bring us a Ronald Reagan. Maybe something similar will happen four years from now.

Here's a funny video for you to check out, too.

Even ESPN Is In On It

How far does it go? I've been watching ESPN during most of my tv time today because I don't want to hear any more about Obama winning the election. But, guess what? Even ESPN can do nothing but gush about the new messiah.

Earlier today, they ran an interview with the honorable Kobe Bryant and allowed him to brag on Obama and how he is so anxious to "hoop with him." Really? Since Kobe likes him so much, maybe I should too. Wait, Kobe is a dirtbag adulterer just like a lot of popular liberals. Maybe I shouldn't follow his lead.

Maybe I should think like Donovan McNabb, who was also just in an interview on ESPN praising our next president. Nevermind, I just remembered that he's racist moron who likes to throw pity parties for himself.

Are these the most honorable Obama supporters that ESPN can come up with? Who's next...Nick Saban? Just kidding! That was just my little jab at Bama fans.

Here we go again. ESPN just flashed a clip of Lebron James wearing his Obama t-shirt to his game tonight and made it out to be so cool. At least Lebron hasn't shown himself to be a dirtbag. I'll give him credit for that and give him the benefit of the doubt that he deserves a little more respect than Kobe or McNabb.

I also remember the Stuart Scott interview with B. Hussein Obama a few weeks ago that was aired on ESPN. It almost made me gag. Scott was so obviously infatuated with Obama that it looked like he was about to reach out and kiss him. I guess that would be similar to an interview with the always authentic Katie Couric or the hard-hitting Chris Matthews. It also became very apparent in this interview that Obama knows very little about sports, but the same can also be said for Stuart Scott who is employed by ESPN. While an expansive knowledge of sports is not a mandatory trait to be a good president, his lack thereof is another display of how out of touch with real people he actually is.

This Guy Says It Pretty Well...

...probably better than I ever could. Check out what he has to say right here as an appeal to Christian voters. I'm not really sure how you could see it any other way. If you know, please explain. I'd really like to understand that one.

Pray for America tonight! Then vote pro-life tomorrow!

More on Socialist Policies...and Golf

If you haven't been able to realize it yet, Obama's tax plan will not be good for the "middle class." Check out the examples described here to see what will happen to the average American.

I will probably be posting again later since I'm off all day. Check back and see. First, I have to go pick up my irons (3-SW) that Stan Smoot put new grips on for me this weekend. Mine have been held on by electrical tape since high school, so I figured I could indulge a little bit and have them replaced. Look out Ryan...I'm improving my equipment and coming to get you!

Vote Pro-Life tomorrow!