My dad, the legislative Watchdog

I heard that people at my dad's job were persecuting him, because he was featured sleeping in a KSL news clip. I thought I'd add to the persecution. :)
Skip to 2:05 and pay close attention to the man on the right.

There's Something Fishy Going On...

I've been reading text of the bailout legislation. I will not discuss in this blog whether I think that the idea is a good one or bad one, but I WOULD like to discuss some of the wording in the legislation.


What is up with Section 8?

"Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."

Is anyone else uncomfortable with this? I know I am!

*********Addition***********

I thought I'd add these words from Thomas Jefferson as something to think about:

"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue
of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks
and corporations that will grow up around them (around the banks),
will deprive the people of their property until their children will
wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." Thomas
Jefferson, 1802

Also, I think this lady has some interesting ideas.

Pop vs Soda vs Coke

Finally! Statistics worth writing about. (Click on the Map for a larger view)

Growing up in Utah, I was trained to use the word "pop" for carbonated drinks. I thought that's what everyone called it. I remember thinking it was so weird when I found out that people in other regions of the country wouldn't know what I was talking about if I asked for a "pop." It practically shattered my universe. After getting over the shock, I slowly realized that "pop" was kind of a stupid name. At that point, I began exploring other common names for carbonated drinks. I figured that if I found the right one, then I would never have to switch again. I found out that other terms besides "pop" included "coke," "soda," and "soft drink." I didn't like using "coke" for everything. That was a worse description than "pop." It made absolutely no sense.

-"Do you want a coke?"
-"Sure."
-"What kind of coke do you want?"
-"Oh, I'll have a root beer."

Ridiculous. For some reason, I didn't really like "soda" either, although I'm feeling quite partial to that term at the moment. In my early teens, I finally settled on the use of the term "soft drink." It was what fast food places called the stuff, so I went with it. It seemed a bit more professional than "pop." However, I'm now wondering if I should switch to "soda." Using the term "soft drinks" only makes sense if you know that they were originally called "soft drinks" in order to differentiate them from the harder stuff (i.e. alcohol). But, I don't think people know that piece of information, generally. I didn't know it till I read this article. So here I am, once again questioning my terminology usage and not knowing which one to choose. It's a tough decision to make and I probably have a long road ahead, but I think it's a subject worth exploring. Let's take this journey together, won't we?