And the sign says

I read the following story today:

Yard sign supply for Obama, McCain dwindles in Dallas-Fort Worth area | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Dallas-Fort Worth Politics | The Dallas Morning News

And it got me wondering. What effect do yard signs have on voting? The family four houses down who I have never talked to has a McCain sign, yet the dude across the street who I waved to once is supporting Obama. What do I do?

In other words: I couldn't give a shit who any of my neighbors vote for, unless the country goes to pot. Then I can blame them for voting for the son of a gun in. I really can't think of any purpose they serve other than providing the news stories about running our, or "funny" stories of people having their signs stolen or vandalized.

Maybe I am wrong and they sway a bunch of people, but I am betting I'm not.

A little history

The great Dallas Federal Judge Barefoot Sanders passed away earlier this week. My earliest memories of him was growing up, and hearing his name in the local news. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I just loved that name: Judge Barefoot Sanders. It was until much later that I learned the stories were about the case that would define his career: the desegregation of the Dallas school district. A case which he over saw for years.

After reading his biography he is one of those people who did so much good that I think he rose above normal political crap. Even though he was a Democrat.

If you have some time I would highly recommend reading this article about him. It gives great details on his political and judicial career both locally and on the national scene.

Texas Lawyer - In Memoriam: Barefoot Sanders

Discuss this title amonst yourselves

Batten down the hatches!: After checking in with the Travis weather center it seems like Hurricane Ike will still be Tropical Storm Ike when it hits here early Sunday morning. This could all change by tomorrow of course. This is the first hurricane I can remember that will still be pretty strong once it reaches here since Hurricane Alicia back in 1983.


I am so glad I don't live in Dallas proper any more: I read this story earlier today. Essentially $500,000 and 2 years was spent on a scale model for the Trinity River Project, and they didn't even finish the models of the most important parts: what the bridges will look like. The models they used look like a diving board that just ends mid-air. This is a model for a project that the Army Corps of Engineers has said can't be done without flooding downtown Dallas.

I constantly read articles of what is going on in Dallas politics and items like the one above and it always just pisses me off at what goes on down there.

UPDATE: If Ike continues on its current track and hit the Dallas-area as suspected it will either be a Tropical Storm or maybe even a category 1 hurricane. The biggest tropical storm to reach Dallas since Hurricane Carla in 1961.

Berklee

New Job Responsibilities: Collecting money is going okay. One customer was having fun at my expense. Transferring me to back to herself as the Accounts Payable Department. Then asking me who I pissed off to get stuck with this job. Good times, good times.

Rock the vote: Well for the first time since 1999 I am registered to vote again. I am less excited to vote in the Presidential election as I am in the more local votes. Even with my cynicism about politicians over on Rob's blog, I do enjoy exercising my right. I just wish I had gotten my card a few months earlier to vote on some of the city elections we had. Of course my vote for the Frisco late night referendum (allowing bars to stay open past midnight) wouldn't have mattered as it got crushed.

What to do: I am thinking about upgrading my computer. Not sure how I want to do it. Back up the important stuff and wipe my drive and essentially rebuild it. I might get a barebones system and slap my hard drive in there and fire it up. My current computer is a hodgepodge of being ancient (my cpu and motherboard) and top of the line (my video card).


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Now playing: (International) Noise Conspiracy, The - Ready Steady Go!
via FoxyTunes

Kind of, but not quite.

DNC bans lobbyist money - Yahoo! News

That is one heck of a title for a news story, but it isn't quite true. I'm not really going to debate campaign fundraising, and how much and who it should come from, but this seems like they are really going to limit money from federal (only) lobbyists and PACs completely.

My favorite part though:

Obama's ban on lobbyists money is not ironclad. He does accept money
from lobbyists who do not do business with the federal government and
he also accepts money from spouses and family members of lobbyists.

Because the wife of a lobbyist is soooo much different from the lobbyist himself. That is a loophole I could pilot a Star Destroyer through. Plus, these new policies that Obama wants to institute only applis to the DNC, not any other fundraising group for the party. Which the article indicates is "the least successful fundraising operation the Democratic Party." As far as I am concernced it is a whole lot of nothing.