Facie’s Ramblings

Although I am so very glad I won't have to suffer through dozens of political ads for at least a little while, it looks as if I will be listening to, watching, and reading the strong opinions of friends, relatives, bloggers, the media, etc., for the foreseeable future. So many people think their way is the only way. But is it possible there is not just one right way? I can see the beauty of gray, so why can't others? Why must so many refer to those on the opposite side as crazy, extreme, out of touch, socialist, racist, greedy, idiots, morally bankrupt, gun-toting, stupid, lazy, uncaring, religiously fanatical, and smelly? I am only partly kidding about that last adjective, but I do find it sad that conservative and liberal have become "bad" words for many people. I am neither all-knowing nor able to predict the future, so I have no idea how this will turn out. I do find it a little sad that a lot of young people who were so jazzed about the 2008 election did not ...

Ah, election season. Who does not love watching snippets of lies, exaggerations, empty promises, and unflattering photos (good thing I avoid getting my picture taken as often as possible)? I am a regular voter. I try to vote even in the primaries, even when there is not much at stake. After all, about 90 years ago, women could not vote in the US. As I have stated in previous posts, I have taken Jordan with me a number of times, to hopefully instill the importance of this right. But I can see why some people never bother. It seems as if so many candidates promise a bunch of crap and don't bother (or are unable) to fulfill half of it. I remember when Tom Ridge first ran for governor of PA. One of his campaign promises was that he would not vote himself a pay raise. That was all I needed to hear; he got my vote. But, alas, he broke that promise at some point during one of this terms. And I have never forgotten that, as small of a thing as it was. Honestly, I don't remember i...

Today teachers in the Penn Hills School District went on strike. I have followed the Pittsburgh Business Times Western PA Guide to the Schools since 2005. Unfortunately, since then, Penn Hills' rank has dropped from 91 to 98 out of 105 (ranking is based on PSAA scores). And since 2002, school taxes have increased 25 percent. I don't necessarily have a problem with increased taxes (even though I don't use public schools), when there is positive correlation. After all, we, as a community, should feel some responsibility for producing productive, educated citizens. But how can PH justify ever-increasing taxes when scores keep dropping? But, alas, it is never cut-and-dried. I have no doubt that most of the PH teachers work very hard, probably harder than most teachers in the "good" school districts, considering the number of PH students (and parents too, I bet) who really don't care about school and are discipline issues, as compared to those in more affluent ar...

At the beginning of 2008, as anyone who read this blog knows, I was irritated about the drink tax. It seemed unnecessary to me, and I took issue with the Port Authority getting this money. But after a few months, I just got over it. A big part of the reason is, I don't go out that often or drink that much (at least not since the office holiday party in 2007). So I am figuring this tax probably cost me and Brian between $15 and $25 this year, a rather paltry amount when you think about it. That notwithstanding, now that the tax has been lowered to 7 percent, does anyone really think that many businesses are going to lower their prices? Show of hands? I think I see one, although she might have been fixing hair. Should the Port Authority have gotten that money to begin with? And now there is debate about the excess. Considering the condition of our roads, I am mostly for the overage being spent there. I read today that if the county does not get that money for the roads, which a judge...

Today we took down our past-its-prime Christmas tree. I normally like to keep it up the weekend after New Year's Day, but it was looking pretty pathetic, and it was my last weekday off, so I figured I might as well get it done. Besides, with live Christmas trees (at least in our house), we will be discovering needles probably through the middle of February, so the season will keep going! I did manage to stay up until midnight for NY's Eve this year, and it felt good and bad. I am trying to be hopeful for this year, and I am somewhat, but the pessimist in me thinks things will probably get worse before they get better. Penn State started off the year in the wrong way, but what can you do. Hopefully the Steelers will do better, but I am not so sure there either. Mostly I am just glad the Steelers end up in the playoffs more often that not. Like most of Steeler Nation, I expect it. I also ended up coming in third for fantasy football, but you can't win the Super Bowl every yea...

I am a bit of a homer (or whatever the term is called for people who think the hometown person should win, get the break, whatever). But I also let emotions affect my feelings in sports, which makes me a such a girl (which I clearly am, though rarely act like). When Rocco Mediate, a Greensburg native, tied Tiger Woods in yesterday's US Open, I was pulling for him, not only because he lives less than an hour from Pittsburgh, but also because I thought of how great it would be for him to win a major, something he had never done before. Tiger has won something like 3,297 majors at this point. I lost count. When the round ended in a tie, I actually considered praying that Rocco would win. I know it is silly and unfair in some way to bother God with that sort of prayer, but someone has to win, so why shouldn't it be someone who has never won before? Think of how great that feeling would be. For Tiger, it is just another green jacket or piece of hardware or whatever it is you get wit...

I thought I would write about Britney Spears. Just kidding! No, today's rambling will be about my views on political issues. I have taken a couple of those "find your candidate quizzes" and even when I answer questions differently at different times, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee , and Duncan Hunter tend to end up in my top four, in different orders, though Paul is often first. About the only republicans who never seem to show up as being aligned with my views are Romney and Rudy. I consider myself a moderate conservative, but some would disagree, I am sure. I feel the most strongly about keeping and increasing tax cuts, keeping/getting the economy going, and limiting federal spending. I am a capitalist, and I don't think the rich should have fewer tax cuts, as some people do. But I also don't like caps on things once you make a certain amount, so long as we have the awful tax system we do now. Seriously, where does our money go? PA is pretty bad when it co...

Cursed insomnia visited last night. I do not do well on four hours of sleep (or anything much less than eight most nights really). I fell asleep before 11, having a caught a few minutes of Bob Pompeani's Nightly Sports Call (or whatever that is called), but could not bring myself to stay awake for the end of the NE- Jax game. I was pretty sure I knew how that was going to turn out. But when I woke up, wide awake around 11:45, I had to turn on ESPN to confirm what I was dreading. And, yes, Bill Belicheat and his Pats won. How can a quarterback be so nearly perfect? For one thing, not being with your child's mother and up every time your baby gets up probably helps. And why does Belicheat always look so grumpy? Is it because someone cut off a few inches from his sweatshirt sleeves? I would rather watch Jack Del Rio wear suits on the sidelines (or JoePa wear floods). I guess I am a little bitter still about the Steelers not being in the playoffs. But that was a great game. ...