Monday

Will the boss grab the next post? It will be a milestone for our blog. This is post 999 so the next person to post will have the 1000th post. Who will write it, will they care and will anyone read it? I don't know, but hope somebody reads this.

Weekend went too fast, as usual. Finished getting my wife's new computer set up for the most part, some specialty software needs to be set up and will call the tech people on that. Got bills paid and part of my homework done. Need to finish that up. 12 weeks and counting.

On to the news:

The federal deficit (that is the current year income - expenses when expenses are higher) has been falling . . . fast. In April 2004, the deficit for that year was $455 billion. Today it is about $146 billion. The budget will be in surplus by the end of President Bush's term if spending is kept on track for the next two years. Meaning, keeping the current rate of spending with increases for inflation. That should be very doable as there are lots of things that can be cut to give money to areas that need more money. The shrinking deficit has happened without a tax increase, which is why we should nix the AMT tax and extend the tax cuts. But if Congress goes nuts with spending and the President doesn't use his Veto pen, the deficit will increase again.

John Pollard's wife is still trying to win the freedom of her husband. The US Ambassador to Israel said the US showed mercy to Pollard by not shooting him when he was caught spying. I agree, spying for a friend or enemy is bad. Israel is an independent country and their interest isn't always the same as the US'. Israel has sold AWAC's technology to China when the US would rather China not have that technology. Israel will not have to fight China, the US could if a war breaks out between Taiwan and China. Another example is the US selling AWAC planes to Saudi Arabia in the 1980s which Israel wasn't happy about. So we are friends and allies but there are differences between us. Anyone who spies for Israel against the US and is caught, should be treated with the same mercies shown to Walker, Wentworth and Aimes. Hat tip Lucianne.

James Allan has some good comments about the UN and its various international bodies. Hat tip Lucianne.