The Bottled Water syndrome.

Today's Tids Issue #2,333
Opening Stuff:

Meal of the week: Blackened shrimp, hush puppies and the best crab stew you ever ate at a redneck bar by the side of a Georgia road...And the Red Sox game on TV! Talk about Southern hospitality!

The Repubs are dead if they can't come up with a better 2012 strategy than hoping that unemployment stays high.

How do you expect an America that spends about $30 Billion per year on bottled water to get excited about Congressional extravagance that is tossing the economy into a black hole with no bottom? Everybody thinks that their irrational spending habits are responsible.

I'd say that after two final Two's in a row, we have to stop over looking Butler. Calling them a "Cinderella". And stop being surprised when the so-called mid majors knock off the so-called giants. Tonight, I'm picking UConn because I'm provincial new England lunkhead.

The Question:
The Interstate Highway numbers actually have a meaning. What do the prefixes to interstate numbers like 2, 3, 4 mean? Why are some interstate numbers low and others high?

The Headlines:

--Flash: House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan Releases Republican 2012 Budget Which Would Cut $ Trillion (With A Capital "T") Over Ten years; Would Alter Medicare And Medicaid; Dems Will Scream You Are Murdering Old People.
--Notre Dame Women Upset UConn Machine.
--Prez Officially Declares candidacy For 2012.
--Desperation Mounts In Japan As Radiation Leak Still Elusive.
--Blago Asks Judge To Turn Over FBI/Obama Interview Notes.
--Katie To resign From CBS News Post.
--Southwest Finds Cracks In thre More Planes.

Back to More Stuff:
The use of this word "Extreme" is a bit...well...extreme. It has become more of a common slur than anything meaningful. The Dems love to label the Tea Party as extreme, but to me they look like a bunch of regular people fed up with stupidity, deceit and general all around lying. I am actually proud of what I am, which is a person who believes that society runs better if adhered to the Ten Commandments. You know, no murdering, no lying, no stealing. That governments and people in general shouldn't spend what they can't afford. That the strangling of of America's future with debt interest higher than almost of the world economies put together is bad for everybody including people on the freebie train. Stuff like that. Call me extreme and I'll say thanks.

I saw an air conditioning repair truck with the sign on the side saying: "586-0007: Licensed to Chill".

Well at least we know that Michelle Obama isn't Marie Antoinette! Michelle says "Take away their cake"!

Almost Near: Chapter 14 Continues. --It didn't take long for Samantha to learn very little. The woman, Barbara Hersch, was pleasant. She basically iterated what she told Samantha to lure her into Barbara's lonely kitchen. But, Samantha smiled and prodded hoping that there might be something tucked away in her lonely mind. Samantha finally rose and reached over to shake Barbara's hand and say thanks. Barbara came arond the table, and they passed through the living room where the teen lay zoned in front of a computer game, Barbara said, "How stupid of me. Wait here." She turned and ran up stairs.
With seconds she was back down slightly out of breath, but with a big smile on her face. "Here. This is the card of the detective who interviewed me about your missing relative."
Samantha took it and sat on the steps. "So, do you remember what he asked, what you said.?"

Have you noticed that most companies now say: "Look for us on FaceBook." Why? Isn't that like, Redundant. Most of those who say that to me I don't know anyhow so I wouldn't know who to look for unless I had a gigantic list of people/companies who said that in my pocket. What was wrong with "see us at www..."? Do you sometimes get the impression that most new big money growth companies are just supplanting other big money growth companies with superficial window dressing?

I'm really impressed with seeing eye dogs. I saw one in a restaurant the other day and was taken by its restraint. I know that if I were a seeing eye dog laying under a restaurant table I'd be a problem. "Sniff. Sniff-sniff. Sniff, sniff,sniff. Ehhh, ehhh, ehhh (That's heavy breathing.) Is that gravy? I hope, I hope, I hope. Chicken? Beef? Merlot sage reduction? Maybe he'll drop something. Maybe if i just raise my head fast and nudge his hand...."

I was riding up in a hotel elevator and noticed the guy taking up most of the cab with one of those luggage caddies hotels provide. On it he had a large wheelie suit case and a complete "Desktop Computer". I said, "most people just bring a lap top." He looked at me and said "I hate laptops". Of course I laughed at his little joke only to find he wasn't kidding at all. He started explaining the problems with a lap top and I knew he was serious. I wanted to say, "Then an IPad must be totally out of the question", but I decided, you never know who may shoot you these days. Do you know how hard it is to suppress a good laugh.

Basically, the only thing many of these Congress people know about budgeting is that saying "They're going to kill your children" is a good strategy.

The Answer:
All main Interstates have one or two digit numbers. Odd numbers run north to south and even numbers east to west. The lowest north south numbers start in west (i.e. I-5 in Cal) and the lowest east west numbers start in south (i.e. I-10 in Fl). Circumferential routes off main interstates are 3 number routes with an even prefix of 2, 4, or 6. (These change if there are multiple cities in one state with circumferntial roads (i.e. 295, 495, 695). Spurs off these circumventing roads wild use odd prefixes like 195, 395. Get it? Travel made easy.

The End:
If there is a gov shutdown, it is the result of the Dems wimping out from their congressional responsibility during the months before the last elections. That is the only reason we have a problem today.

Today is the anniversary of MLK Jr.'s assassination, Many groups (Read that union organized protests) appear to be poised to use this solemn occasion to protest State and Local governments getting their financial house in order. I don't seem to remember that King's dream for America was about sendign the country into financial ruin.