We woke up to a world of white this morning after getting a couple inches of snow last night. The kids threw snow gear on as quickly as possible to get out and start playing by 7:30 AM. It was still snowing and they were in heaven. I was able to take some pictures before heading off to work.
Race Information
Run to Feed the Hungry has become an annual holiday tradition for countless area families. Beginning in 1994 with only 800 runners, the event now ranks as Sacramento Valley’s largest annual run & fun run/walk. In 2008, over 28,000 participants attended and we met our goal of raising $750,000 for Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. As we approach our 16th year we look forward to another record crowd and donations topping $800,000.
We are all registered and ready to race on Thanksgiving morning. Yep, the whole gang is coming. The two little girls will be in strollers, and Cade and Anika will tread it out with me and Aubrie. Assuming we can navigate the traffic and crowds okay I think it will be a fun experience. Most importantly, we want to help those whose holiday table will not be so abundantly blessed as ours. And we want the kids to see the power of charity, especially when it comes from 30,000 strong. I will hopefully have a recap afterwards, but I want to help promote the event. Check it out and have a happy Thanksgiving!
I’m becoming increasingly concerned that the remarkable rally we have seen over the past 6 months is nothing but hot air. I’m done with bailouts and government spending. I’m tired of the political incompetence we have seen from both Democrats and Republicans for as long as I have been voting. I hope we do not fall into the trap of apathy that will certainly result in the decline of our nation. Americans need to know what’s going on, talk about what’s going on, and figure out how to fix this.
Below is an excerpt from a Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis article that I read this weekend. You need to read the whole article to fully understand what is going on, but here is Mish’s take at the end of the article:
Where’s The Outrage?
I don’t know about you, but I am outraged.
I am outraged and not just about Goldman Sachs, but about a process that allows, even encourages political pandering, by time and time again rewarding leveraged riverboat gamblers and failed institutions and at taxpayer expense.
I am outraged that real people are suffering massively while the influence peddlers have stolen the country for their own personal benefit.
I am outraged at a political system that is totally unresponsive to the American people.
I am outraged by campaign contribution and lobbying processes that allows corporations to buy votes with donations.
I am outraged how legislators ignored the wishes of the people who clearly did not want these bailouts in the first place.
I am outraged that very little of this is in mainstream media. Why is this stuff not on the frontpage of every newspaper in the country or at least in the editorial pages?
I am outraged that the average US citizen is not aware of any of this, instead depending on CNBC, or “The View” for their interpretation of the world.
I am outraged how special interest groups have exercised their power to monopolize the economy for the benefit of themselves, US citizens be damned.
I am outraged that all these bailout programs are doing nothing to alleviate the massive consumer debt problems. Every program, virtually every program was designed to bailout lending institutions, not consumers.
I am outraged at fees charged by banks receiving bailouts.
I am outraged over government pension plans and government pay scales massively out of line with the private sector.
I am outraged that Congress and this administration thinks the solution to massive budget deficits are still higher budget deficits in excess of a trillion dollars.
I am outraged about indictments. Paulson Admitted Coercion to force a shotgun wedding between Bank of America and Merrill Lynch yet no indictments were handed out. Let the Criminal Indictments Begin: Paulson, Bernanke, Lewis.
I am outraged that US citizens are not concerned enough and not educated enough to demand change.
I am outraged that the two party system has failed. Neither party has delivered meaningful change on budgets, on taxes, on social security, on deficit spending, on the size of government, on military spending, or fighting needless wars.
I am outraged at a Fed that purports to be “inflation fighters” when the only source of inflation in the word are central bankers, and their fractional reserve lending policies.
I am outraged that Greenspan and Bernanke could not see a housing bubble that 1000 bloggers could see.
I am outraged at the selective memory of Bernanke when speaking to Congress about these problems.
I am outraged that Bernanke’s one sided response to asset bubbles, letting them grow without end, then bailing out the financial institutions that cause them.
I am outraged the Fed exists at all. It is a useless organization that cannot see bubbles, that panders to banks, that supports inflationary policies that are tantamount to theft by fraud.
I am outraged that the Obama Administration promised changed and did not deliver. “Yes We Can” was a lie. The reality is “It’s Business As Usual, Only Worse, With Higher Deficits”.
I am outraged there is not enough outrage over this.
Where the hell is the outrage?
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite authors.
I have come upon some forks in the road recently, and I am humbled by our God given agency, or ability to choose whichever path we may. I recently read Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss, and it is very apropos. Here is an excerpt:
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
I hope your brains and feet take you to the places you dream of!
I believe we are all strange, most of us stranger than we realize. But there are also those people who skirt along the fringes of society and embrace the “scary dude” persona. I’m dwelling on this today because my lunch today produced the second strange encounter for our family in as many days.
Yesterday Aubrie was pulling out of the driveway and had to stop for the cross traffic. She was suprised to see a hobo standing next to our mailbox. While she was stuck there he approached her window (rolled up) and started talking to her. She rolled it down a bit to see what was up, and he wanted to know how far he was from Newcastle. She told him just a mile further down the road, but he didn’t seem to understand. There was an opening in traffic so she pulled out and saw him have a little spasm in the rear view mirror. It was unusual and a bit disturbing to have happen right outside your house.
Today I went to the Vernon Street Grill for lunch with Matt, Josh and Roy. It had been a while since I threw down a Boston Bomber (one of my favorite sandwiches…full of meat and cheese), and since I’ve exercised the last 5 days in a row I went for it. Despite some really good humor going on at our table, the entire lunch was dominated by a stranger sitting across the cafe who literally stared down Josh and I through most of the lunch. Just a blank stare for minutes at a time. Then he would get a smile on his face. Then he would stare at the table in front of him. Homeboy was on something! He also put away three beers while sitting there. Eventually he put on a metal helmet and approached some not-so-lucky girls at a table across from us. Roy ended up getting a picture on his phone. Leave it to Josh to strike up a conversation as we are leaving and helmet guy asked if I was Chuck. Josh replied, “Yes, that’s Chuck.” And helmet guy responds, “No it’s not.” Alrighty then.
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