Political commentary/genealogical interests

So what is this all about?

Use of the Internet has become an everyday occurrence for most of us. Just like turning on the TV. We take it for granted. We assume we can go visit any website we want, just like we change channels on the TV to watch the news or a movie or a sitcom whether it is on ABC, CBS, or FOX.

We want to get on the Internet and move around on it at the fastest speed we can. We want to watch videos, listen to a podcast, send an instant message or e-mail to someone any time we want. We share pictures with our families. Research our family trees. Buy books on Amazon. Write blogs. Visit Facebook.

But don’t just assume it is always going to be that way. Ever hear of Net Neutrality? Net Neutrality is the guiding principle that preserves the free and open Internet. That means internet service providers cannot discriminate between different kinds of content.

Want to learn some more about Net Neutrality and what big corporations are up to? Take a look at Save the Internet. As Senator Al Franken told the Netroots Nation last weekend in Las Vegas: “Only you can stop a corporate takeover of free speech.”

FactCheck says “But Angle’s ad attempts to attribute all these woes to Reid personally; Angle repeatedly says ‘he’s done’ these things. That’s questionable, to put it mildly.”

Brian Sandoval, when asked on Univision TV, about police stopping his children on the street for their papers, said his children do not look Hispanic.

Sandoval denies making the statement, but Univision stands by it.

Pahrump’s brand new website is now on line.

Really well done. Take a look at Pahrump Website.

Recent Senate Votes

Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 – Vote Agreed to (59-39, 2 Not Voting) The Senate passed this bill to extend unemployment benefits through November 30, making the extension retroactive to June 2 when the last extension expired. Because it was amended by the Senate, it was sent back to the House for final approval. Sen. John Ensign voted NO……send e-mail or see bio Sen. Harry Reid voted YES……send e-mail or see bio Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010 – Vote Rejected (46-51, 3 Not Voting) The Senate rejected the House’s amendment to this legislation funding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and providing for additional funding for foreign aid and disaster assistance. The amendment would have added $22.8 billion in additional domestic spending. The House is expected to approve the bill without the amendment. Sen. John Ensign voted NO……send e-mail or see bio Sen. Harry Reid voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 – Vote Passed (271-152, 9 Not Voting) On Thursday, the House passed this bill to extend unemployment benefits through November 30, making the extension retroactive to June 2 when the last extension expired. It was then sent to the president, who signed it the same day. Rep. Shelley Berkley voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 – Vote Passed (271-152, 9 Not Voting) On Thursday, the House passed this bill to extend unemployment benefits through November 30, making the extension retroactive to June 2 when the last extension expired. It was then sent to the president, who signed it the same day. Rep. Dina Titus voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010 – Vote Passed (271-152, 9 Not Voting) On Thursday, the House passed this bill to extend unemployment benefits through November 30, making the extension retroactive to June 2 when the last extension expired. It was then sent to the president, who signed it the same day. Rep. Dean Heller voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Sharron Angle spoke to her 1,100 conservative supporters at Right Online today. It was a friendly audience for her. She spoke and promptly left without taking questions.

She outlined her positions:

“It’s one nation under God, not one nation under the government.”

She has “the right ‘Angle’ to defeat Harry Reid.”

She supports repeal of the estate tax.

She proposes paying left over stimulus money left over from TARP to Social Security “to save it.”

She proposes to abolish the Department of Education.

She advocates tightening the borders. “Every state needs at least one sheriff like Joe Arpaio.”

She wants to audit the Fed and liquidate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

[Source: Washington Wire]

She wants to withdraw from the United Nations.

She supports banning same-sex marriage.

She wants to phase out Medicare and Social Security.

She is against water fluoridation of drinking water

She wants to eliminate the Internal Revenue Service.

She opposes legalization of marijuana and feels the same about alcohol.

She does not believe in “anthropogenic global warming.”

She would repeal regulations that prohibits offshore drilling, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and development of American-owned petroleum resources.

She supports the three coal-fired plants in Ely.

She favors Yucca Mountain as a profit center for reprocessing.

[Wikipedia]

I was born Wednesday, June 7, 1933 in Oklahoma. It was a partly cloudy day. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President. The country was in the grip of the Great Depression. While doing some genealogical research I began to wonder just how things were the day I was born. I consulted NewspaperArchive, a subscription website I use, to read the Ada, Oklahoma daily newspaper. I was born not far from Ada.

Prices were obviously less back then. But incomes were far less than those we see these days. The Ada Evening News issue of June 7 presented an ad for S&Q Clothiers. Arrow shirts were on sale for $1.65. You could buy woolen suits from $12.65 to $16.65. Not only that but they offered extra pants from $2.10 to $4.10. Imported Linen fabric suits made in both single and double-breasted models. Sizes 34 to 42. A $10.75 value—for $7.75. Montgomery Ward & Co., was selling pressure cookers from $10.95 to $13.75. Sloan’s Taxi would deliver parcels for 10 cents.

The cartoon page featured Freckles and his friends. The newspaper carried a piece about “Sweat Shops” in Oklahoma. It was asserted by state Senator Nat Taylor that “I found women working at lunch and drink stands for $1 and $2 a week, depending upon tips for a fair salary. These tips sometimes run $1 a day and sometimes 50 cents or less.” He proposed setting a minimum wage at $10 a week for women and $12.50 a week for men engaged in 48 hours work a week. No mention, I noticed, of equal pay between men and women.

The editorial page observed that “President Roosevelt seems to be gaining and not losing in popularity with the general public.” When have you seen a comment like that with respect to President Obama? As to congress the editorial stated, “The inability of congress to handle affairs has been pretty well proven.” Roosevelt was a Democrat. The congress was under the control of the Republican Party. Current media coverage of congress indicates little change in the public’s perception of that institution.

Veterans of World War I were being recruited by the Veteran’s Bureau into the Civilian Conservation Corps. Those hired would be assured of six months’ work at $1 per eight-hour day, on a five-day workweek. Jobs were harder to find then than they are now, it would seem. There was not mention of illegal immigration or of illegals taking American jobs.

Automobile manufacturer Henry Ford had a letter published in the newspaper’s issue. He stated, “Almost every new Ford V-8 car we have built so far this year, has cost more to manufacture than its selling price was. As you buy them at only $490 to $610; we have to depend on increasing volume to make up the difference.”

Indiana voted 2- 1 to repeal Prohibition. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt arrived on the West Coast from Washington, D.C. Will Rogers, the humorist, was on hand to personally welcome her at the airport. She had come to the West coast to be with her son, Elliott Roosevelt, who was undergoing a divorce in Nevada.

An ad for Chesterfield Cigarettes claimed in an ad that “…a cigarette like this is worth sitting up nights for! They”re milder. They satisfy.” The ad clearly targeted women, who had yet to undertake smoking on a mass scale.

Some things haven’t changed since 1933. A senate subcommittee sought authority to investigate income tax returns of partners of J. P. Morgan and Company. The subcommittee was having difficulty in questioning O. P. Van Sweringen, a “noted railroad operator” who proved to be forgetful. He kept answering question with “I don’t recall” or “I don’t remember.” About all he could remember was that he and his associates received from Morgan and Company two loans totaling almost $40,000,000 on October 21, 1910.

If you are curious about what the current events were when you were born, run a Google search and see what you can find out. It is interesting to compare those days with the current.

I’m so angry I could spit!

I’ve been having constant daily problems securing an Internet connection for well over a month now. My ISP is HughesNet. You’ve heard of them on TV. They’re the outfit that can provide you with broadband Internet Service so long as you have a “clear view of the southern sky.”

I have that clear view. HughesNet provides their service via satellite.

For sometime now, since the temperatures of the Nevada have been at and above 100° my connection to the satellite has dropped and doesn’t return until it cools down to below 100° and the sun goes down.

I’ve made numerous calls to their “technical support.” What that means is I am connected to someone in India who tries to solve problems from there. They do a pretty good job of it too. But the problem is with the equipment here—in Nevada—and no one in India can do much about that.

They then refer the problem to what they call an “advanced technician” in the United States who make “house calls” and try to remedy the problem.

For the Pahrump area that means someone comes out to Pahrump from Las Vegas to work on the problem.

I’ve had 4 such visits over the past few weeks.

The last visit was about 4 weeks ago. The technician told me he was going to replace the “head” on the arm of my satellite dish. Then he told me the replacement head was on backorder. That was 4 weeks ago and I haven’t heard from him since.

Yesterday I called HughesNet technical support again. A fellow named Mac in India told me a technician was scheduled to come to my house today. That was news to me. Had to call India to learn that. “Advanced technicians” aren’t very communicative. One would think they’d phone and schedule an appointment to be sure I would be home. Not the way it is.

So, I’ve been home all day awaiting the visit from the illustrious technician. It is now passed 6:00 p.m. and no technician has shown up or called or anything.

So I phoned HughesNet Technical support again. This time I’m talking to a fellow named Jude. I gave him the case number (they’re real big on case numbers). He then spontaneously said “You are calling about the technician?” Yes, I answered. Haven’t seen hide nor hair of him.

Jude then tells me he is scheduled to be here Monday, July 26. Today’s Friday. That is another three days away. Then Jude tells me he will be here at 8:00 p.m. Monday.

Fat chance I thought. But good old Jude apologizes for the technician for something Jude had nothing to do with. Then he volunteers to credit my ISP account with three days credit against my bill.

Anyway, I have sort of figured an interim solution to my connection problem. I have wrapped the electrical components on the arm of my dish in a sponge then attached my garden hose to it. Using the mist from the hose nozzle sprays the mist over the overheated component cooling it enough to get the connection to the satellite. The downside to that is that it reduces my signal strength but at least I can get connected.

So, we’ll see if anyone shows up on Monday the 26^th at 8:00 p.m. (I’m not at all optimistic.)

If they don’t get this thing fixed Monday I’m going to switch to some other broadband ISP. HughesNet tells me if I do they’ll charge me $1,000 because I still have 18 months to go on my subscription. That after having used them for 8 years!

I’m not going to shell out $1,000 to HughesNet. They have breached the subscription contract by failing to provide Internet service 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Recent Senate Votes

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act – Vote Agreed to (60-39) The Senate passed the final version of the financial regulation reform legislation. The president is expected to sign the bill into law this week. Sen. John Ensign voted NO……send e-mail or see bio Sen. Harry Reid voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Telework Improvements Act – Vote Passed (290-131, 11 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would set standards for federal employees working remotely. It would require the head of each federal agency to establish and implement a policy that would allow employees to work remotely as much as possible without diminishing agency operations or performance. The bill now goes to the Senate. Rep. Shelley Berkley voted YES……send e-mail or see bio Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act – Vote Passed (329-90, 13 Not Voting) The House passed this legislation that would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program through September 2015. The bill heads to the Senate next. Rep. Shelley Berkley voted YES……send e-mail or see bio Recent House Votes Telework Improvements Act – Vote Passed (290-131, 11 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would set standards for federal employees working remotely. It would require the head of each federal agency to establish and implement a policy that would allow employees to work remotely as much as possible without diminishing agency operations or performance. The bill now goes to the Senate. Rep. Dean Heller voted NO……send e-mail or see bio Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act – Vote Passed (329-90, 13 Not Voting) The House passed this legislation that would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program through September 2015. The bill heads to the Senate next. Rep. Dean Heller voted YES……send e-mail or see bio Recent House Votes Telework Improvements Act – Vote Passed (290-131, 11 Not Voting) The House passed this bill that would set standards for federal employees working remotely. It would require the head of each federal agency to establish and implement a policy that would allow employees to work remotely as much as possible without diminishing agency operations or performance. The bill now goes to the Senate. Rep. Dina Titus voted YES……send e-mail or see bio Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act – Vote Passed (329-90, 13 Not Voting) The House passed this legislation that would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program through September 2015. The bill heads to the Senate next. Rep. Dina Titus voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Harold Wasserman wrote a letter to the editor of the Las Vegas Sun. Harold wrote:

Recent editorials and letters to the editor have taken the Republicans to task for fighting extensions of unemployment benefits and financial reform. This obviously falls on deaf ears within the Republican Party because it is to the GOP’s political advantage to keep unemployment high and have people with short memories dissatisfied so they will blame their problems on the current administration.

The Republican Party has shown time and time again its disdain for the average working person. It also has shown how easy it is to get the uninformed voter to consistently vote against his or her best interests.

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I agree with Mr. Wasserman. It is is beyond me how the GOP figures it is bettering its political position by blocking extension of unemployment benefits. It doesn’t make sense to me either that peoplewith short memories would blame Obama or the Democratic Congress for the actions of the GOP.