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Saturday, January 26, 2008

What would you do if you were President?

Interesting question. I got thinking about this question here. I really did not read too much of the site as I get bored quickly. I do not suffer from ADHD, but lets just say on occasion, especially when reading a lot of words is involved... lets go ride bikes!

I wonder what kind of president I would be. Like I say in my "about me" section, I am a conservative. I have to admit that this year's crop of candidates for the Republican party really disappoint me. Oh yeah... I said that in an earlier blog... Did I mention I have a short attention span?

Anyway, if I were President of the United States, what would I do? 

First, I would try to get Anne Coulter and Alan Colmes, appointed to the cabinet. Not because I necessarily agree with either one of them, but can you imagine how funny that would be. I have to admit though, it would be hilarious to watch Coulter wipe the walls with him everyday. 

I really believe that I would have to start with fixing immigration. This would mean protecting our borders better. I would listen to private industry and the people working on the borders as to how the best way to do this is. I would then push Congress to give tax incentives and breaks for the companies who would be implementing the plans they come up with. If necessary, temporarily, any National Guard Troops not deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan would be deployed along the Norther and Southern borders to assist the already stretched border patrol.

Now don't get me wrong, I am all for immigration. My wife is a great example of a legal immigrant. She works hard, obeys our laws but mostly she respects out culture. When she chose to leave the Philippines for the US and join me here she left the Philippines in the Philippines. She came here (legally) with every intention of assimilating into out culture, not making a little Manila here in the US. I think that this is the main point of contention in the immigration battle. There are people, like me, who want people to come to the US and have their dreams while assimilating into our culture. Then there are those who want to others to be here chase their dreams, but not have to assimilate. You see that is a huge problem in my eyes... Immigration without assimilation makes America well... less America.

The other area of disagreement is how we determine who is in the country. There is nothing wrong with us knowing who is here legally and obeying the laws of our country. If you have violated our Visa policies or slipped into the country across our Northern or Southern border, I am sorry, but you are here illegally. That means you are a criminal. This opinion, held by me and many others is not based out of fear or bigotry, but it is based in reality. If you are here against the standing laws of our country, you are here illegally, that means you are a criminal.

Once we know who is here in our country legally and illegally, then we can start the process of rounding up the people here who are here illegally and getting them back to the country they are from. If they have had a child here who is a legal citizen of the US, they will be deported, and the citizen will be allowed to come back to the US when he or she is 18. At that point they will be allowed to petition the government to bring their family here as any US citizen can do. 

As far as a temporary workers program, we already have one in place. It is called a work Visa, and if an employer truly needs your skills so badly that they can not find a legal US citizen to do it, they may apply for that Visa and bring you here. Wonder why this is not done more often? It is expensive and time consuming to do. Probably more expensive and time consuming than paying a US worker a living wage to do the same job. Interesting how US laws were once set up to protect US workers and not give benefits to those who would take their jobs instead.

Well... that is my rant for today. Tomorrow I will address another issue that bugs me... or not... hell... I really don't know what tomorrow will bring... I can barely plan far enough ahead for tonight, which is mostly gone.

Prayers

Pisio

Friday, January 25, 2008

Blogging

My wife's blog has been approved as a pay per post site. She really amazes me at how hard she works to support our family. While I am in school she is the primary bread winner for us. It isn't by much, but she makes more than me. Now it seems she found a way to make money by writing about products and services that advertisers ask her to write about. I am so proud of her. 

I actually am considering making a blog that would just be one for advertising, but for now I think that I will just keep my two. I am not sure where Pisio's Ponderings* is going to go, but it will probably be daily Bible reflections aimed at teenagers and young adults. We shall see how that goes in time. It should be up and running with posts in the next couple of days.

This has been a fun week. I think that last week sometime I made my first post in the blogosphere. While I still wonder why the thoughts of random strangers are so interesting to the modern world, I can see why it is so popular. I have had fun checking out other people's thoughts and postings. Everything from life through photography to blogs about making money on-line are all available right at the tips of your fingers.

One of my favorite spots so far has been mybloglog.com. I believe it is a Yahoo! service, but it allows each blogger their own community. Members can join if they are interested, or simply add the user as a contact and communicate with them in other ways that may be a little more personal. It has been fun meeting new people again.

As an aside, my wife and I met on-line. That is another story in itself, but maybe down the road it will be a post here. Only time will tell.

To the people who have been stopping by and getting a glimpse into the random thoughts of a quickly approaching middle aged man, thank you. It has been a fun week or so. I look forward to hearing from you at mybloglog.com, or through your comments here. So far, only mauiboy has commented here... He and I have been friends for many years now. Thanks buddy. I miss the hikes and talks till all hours of the morning.

God Bless you all!
Prayers,

Pisio

*I have changed Pisio's Ponderings to a private blog. If you are interested e-mail me and I will open it up to you.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Long Day

And, it will be a long semester. 

Today I got my first homework assignment for my retake of Calc II. I figured that seeing how I have taken this course already that it would be easier that the first time I took it. The problem is, I took it a loooong time ago. I do not remember how I even managed to pass it the first time I took it. The ten years between now and then probably have something to do with it, but in all honesty, this is just something that I need to overcome...

I think that I have mentioned this before, but I like to think, and I consider myself a thinker. The people who helped form my mind ranged from Catholic priests and nuns in grade school to socialist professors in college, critical thinking has never been a problem for me. The wide range of people who have taught me though contributed to not only my growth as a thinker, but my knowledge that everyone has an agenda.

Each and every person who is in a classroom has an agenda. It does not matter if they are left or right wing, the agenda is there. Rather than just present information and let the students in the class decide what it means, and arrive at their own opinions, so much of school anymore is being spoon fed and taught to regurgitate answers. No wonder America is losing the intellectual battle. Our kids can not longer think critically and in some cases are afraid to go against those who should be encouraging free thinking the most... their teachers. 

Perhaps this is why I like Science and Math so much (even though I find them so dang hard right now), there is an objective solid answer that no one can dispute. It is not like humanities where anything goes, or English where you can write about your feelings and opinions... it either is, or it isn't... right or wrong. Even in the realm of religion, you can not come to objective truth without faith. Somewhere along the line faith has to come into it. In Science that is not the case... it is either "true" or "false".

Take global warming for instance. It either is, or it is not. Now please do not get me wrong, as global citizens we have to take care of the planet that God has given us as a gift. But are we really so arrogant to think that we can destroy it, and that the gas we exhale would be the main pollutant to cause our own demise? Where the heck is the rational thought there? Also, do you really think that our Carbon Dioxide Emissions can cause the earth to heat? I think my main problem with most global warming computer models is that they do not take into account solar activity...

Think about it this way. The sun is the largest producer of energy in the solar system. It produces more energy in a matter of minutes than all the cars on the planet can produce in a decades, and yet it is ignored by global warming die-hards. An interesting thing happens when you add in solar activity to the warming trend seen over the last 10 - 50 years, and even back through history... When the sun heats up, the planets that surround it do as well. Guess what? The sun has been heating up. Doesn't it logically follow then that the earth would heat up as well.

Also, why the heck in the charts that AlGore uses do the CO2 lines increase after the temperature rises? If CO2 were causing the warming, wouldn't they rise and then the temperature follow suit? That would make sense to me, but then again I only have my high school diploma... I haven't been able to use scare tactics to scare people into a lecture and nobel prize yet... but it is coming MUHAHAHAHAHA!

Ahh... what does it really matter. The earth has a way of taking care of parasites like the human race. She will do what she do, and we will either adapt or die. Isn't that why we are here now anyway? Along the way we have adapted better than most, and been able to thrive. Thank God for human intellect, free will and the ability to think. 

Like I said... it was a long day. I really want to sleep, but my mind is racing a little too much for that. It is 1:00 am, and I have to be at school by 9:25, but I need to slow my mind down. Thank you for letting me ramble tonight. I really needed to. 

Prayers, 

Pisio

p.s.: In the next few days I will be opening another blog... daily reflections on Scripture... "Pisio's Ponderings" is coming soon.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Political Randomness

I have no clue about a lot of things that I seem to be more and more concerned about. Take politics for example. This new brood of vipers vying for my vote remind more and more of the snake oil salesmen of old. Everyone promises me that they are looking out for my best interests, underneath it all though I know that once they get elected all the campaign promises will be forgotten.

I like to think about things, and here are some of my thoughts on the front runners from both parties:

John McCain... I lived in Arizona with him in the Senate the state would be better off with out him. Anyone who can claim to be from Arizona and be for open borders hasn't seen what uncontested illegal immigration will do to a state and an economy.

Mike Huckabee... stereotypical pastor Skip. I admire the man's religious convictions, but he would grow government way too much for me. That and he plays on people's emotions too much.

Rudy... admittedly pro-choice, but has proven he can lead in tough times. Unfortunately for the religious right that whole pro-choice thingy gets in the way. Despite his promise and past record of appointing constructionist judges if nominated he would further divide the Republican party.

Mitt Romney... If anyone can fix the US economy it is him. The man rebuilt the reputation of the winter olympics, and figured out a way to make money off of hurling... HURLING. Unfortunately his records on taxes is a little shakey from what I've heard. But hurling...

Now for our friends in the Democratic party...

Billary Clinton... we all know this is really Bill's third term... do we really need 8 more years of a guy who needs a definition for the word is. Not to mention if he and his wifey were really the civil rights advocates they claim to be they would gladly take a second place finish to Barrack Obama. Instead of step aside and let the first viable black candidate for president have his day, they are happy to drag him through the mud and discredit him the same way they have every republican they have faced.

Barrack Obama... likeable, honest, charismatic, someone who could honestly unite the country... socialist. Enough said.

John Edwards... ambulance chasing hypocrite. Anyone who can claim to be the candidate of the poor while living in a 1500s style manor that is located across from one of the US' most impoverished areas has no business representing America.

One thing those three all have in common is that they want to redistribute the wealth of America... that is as long as it is my money they are giving away, and not their own. Philanthropists they are not.

So, there you have it... my analysis of the seven people most likely in line to be the next president of the United States. 

Lets be honest people... not much choice out there this election cycle.

I try not to hide my political and religious views, and this will be one of those times where I don't. Regardless of who the nomination is I have to vote party over person. As much good as I think Obama could do on the social front for the country, his socialist leanings would destroy the greatest force for freedom, individual liberty and prosperity the world has ever seen. Hillary just scares me, as does John McCain.

When Thompson resigned yesterday I actually breathed a disappointed sigh.  The one candidate who represented me and my beliefs the best out of any candidate was out of the race. Now I really will have to choose between not who I think is best suited to run the country, but who will screw the country up the least in the next 4 - 8 years. Perhaps if I was not going to get the looney left, but only the moderate left, with Obama I would go there. Unfortunately with Obama will come Hillary and Pelosi, Kennedy, Kerry and Schumer. AAAGH.

God have mercy on this country.

Prayers,

Pisio

P.S.: Rest in Piece Heath... may you get the rest you deserve.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Rant

It is kind of funny to me the advice I have been getting from people about blogging. I just have to be honest about this. I did not start doing this to make money. It is more of a release for me. I do not have a lot of free time, but writing relaxes me and allows me to release tension and think through things that I may be dealing with in my life. If anything else, I am here to entertain you my reader. 

You will not read about how to make money blogging or about the latest get rich quick on-line scheme that may be out there. I will do this the same way one of the major influences on my life built his talk radio empire... By writing about things that interest me and hopefully entertaining you the reader along the way. 

Perhaps you will be touched or changed by something I write or choose to discuss. Perhaps you will agree with me, or I may sway your opinion about one of the subjects that will eventually inevitably come up. Being a highly opinionated person is both a blessing and a curse, but usually if nothing else it is entertaining. I think more than anything if I am honest about my opinions, research them well and present them in an educational and informative way (all the while throwing in my personality and experience) eventually people will be hooked on what I write.

If you like something you will support it and it will grow. Naturally and probably slowly. If not, it will just fade into obscurity. Yet if you are doing what you like and find enjoyable you never have to worry about obscurity. For me, wether people read this blog or not, it will serve its purpose in my life... a way to vent, explore and express my thoughts. Why become a slave to other people and what they want or care about. Once you do that, wether it be in writing or another form of art you loose your freedom. That loss of freedom will also kill creativity and any desire to continue down the path you originally started out on.

If you are here for pearls of wisdom, they may not ever come. If you want to get rich quick, this is the wrong blog for you to be reading. However if you stumble across a posting here that interests you and you want open, honest and non-politically correct discussion on then you are in the right place.

Prayers,

Pisio

New Semester

Well, the new semester started today, and of course I miss my class. Well... I guess miss is more a relative term. I actually just did not go. I showed up, looked in and saw that the room was full, so I left. Calc II, the second time around. No, I did not fail Calc II the first time, it has been almost 10 years since I took it though, and I need Calc for my upper level Physics classes. So I get to retake it.

I also found out the I get to teach 2 Astronomy lecture labs this semester again. That is really good news. Not only do I get both sections, but I have small classes. Last semester I had a class of 25 and a class of 18. This semester I have a class of 11 and a class of 8. I really prefer the small groups as it allows me to get to know the class better, and truly meet their needs. Having to learn 50 new names and faces each semester is rough, not to mention grading all those papers is time consuming, and a pain in the rear.

Tomorrow, Chemistry... woo hoo!

Prayers,

Pisio

Monday, January 21, 2008

School

I have had a lot of great life experiences that I would not have had if I had enrolled in college right out of high school. Yet now, I am a husband and father. We are in the process of buying a house and I have to work full time while I am in school. It seems like despite my business I am never really getting anywhere.

I am at a point now where I am going to be cutting my credits per semester back... way back. I have to. I am already in a situation where I have to work full time to afford school, plus I have my son and wife that I have to make time for. I have no time for myself to sit back and re-energize. Being an introvert that is a problem. 

In order to maintain my sanity after this semester I am going to have to cut my credit hours back to 3 - 6. Currently I am doing 9, and I seem to just get more and more tired as the days go on. School is not something I look forward to as I did when I returned a year and a half ago. Now it is just one more thing that I have to do that day. Initially when I returned to school I thought that I would be able to graduate in under 3 years. Cutting my credit hours back though, I am looking at adding maybe being able to graduate by the time my son (now 15 months old) is 5 - 6 years old. I guess that important thing though is that I get through.

I am not sure how old any of you who are viewing this may be, yet I assume that eventually some of you will be stumbling across this in your later high school years. If you are unsure that college is right for you now, don't rush it. Some of the best people I know have never graduated college. And now, as I return to complete my degree I see more and more non-traditional students who did not go the conventional route of entering college right out of high school. Most of us are doing just fine.

Despite the time constraints we have, the lack of financial aid we qualify for and our age being almost double that of some of our fellow students, I think that overall we appreciate and enjoy the experience more than our younger class mates. I guess with the life experiences we have had, we realize the campus politics and fraternity or sorority issues we run into are nothing like those you will eventually have to face. In the grand scheme of things, they are probably pretty petty. 

I realize that this post started out pretty negative, yet one of the good things about writing is it allows you to voice your feelings and randomly think things through. Welcome to the world that I live in. One full of daily, if not hourly, changing emotions. I guess getting me writing again is just one more thing I have to thank my wife for, and be thankful for her in my life again.

Prayers,

Pisio

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Herding Cats

Well, I guess I can not say that I had enough for a herd of them, but it was a loooong weekend. And no, it was not cats, but 6th - 8th graders. For those of you who are not familiar with the age group, they have a ton of excess energy and the attention span of gnats. You can tell them something and two seconds or steps later (which ever comes first) it is gone. Try to get them on any type of schedule with limited adult supervision and you have a recipe for trouble.

Thankfully out of the 170 tweenagers on the Diocesan Middle School Youth Rally, only 9 of them were my responsibility. And even better they were 9 who probably could have done good without me there, they were relatively easy. It was the other 161 youth there that drove me nuts. Well, I guess just a little farther nuts than I already am.

You see, the other youth ministers and chaperones seemed to have little or no control over some, or most of their youth. Granted, the two young men who came with our group went a little nuts at the dance, and when their door closed for the night, and our girls got a little restless on the excessive down time, but I think that is expected and it is easily fixed. These other kids were running (literally and figuratively) wild throughout the rally sessions, their off time, Mass and the hallways all night long. 

The behavior from the youth is expected. They were just doing what kids do when they are allowed to do it. A lot of this could have been stopped if one of the chaperones from the group they came with would have disciplined them a little. Yet none of that discipline came. The kids ran free and embarrassed themselves, their families, their parish and the larger Catholic Church. I will probably never look at the youth ministers and staffs from those parishes the same again, and I am sure I am not the only one.

For me anyway, lovingly disciplining a child helps to mold them into responsible and engaged young adults and adults. I am sure you are sitting there wondering why I didn't step up and correct the behavior I saw as embarrassing. The thing is I did, and when I did the child would run to one of their chaperones and tell them what had happened. For me, no problem the person, by correcting the behavior, not only saved me the time of doing it but also gave me the chance to teach about discipline and discipleship (curious how they share the same root). Yet for these other youth ministers and parents I, by correcting the 4:00 am tag in the halls, the 3:30 am  blind room calls, text messaging during prayer and downright disrespectful behavior going on during mass, was being a kill joy.

Yes, the Church is supposed to be a loving and open place for all, yet that does not mean that we have to tolerate behavior that is disrespectful to our beliefs. That also does not mean that we have to tolerate behavior that is disrespectful of others and their time in the name of tolerance and openness. Christ is a very loving and forgiving God, but He is not tolerant. In the Gospels those who came into contact with Him left changed. Their behavior, their attitude and their lives were changed when they came into contact with Him. They became more disciplined for the most part as well.

I guess the point underneath these ramblings is that as followers of Christ we should strive to be like Him in all aspects of our lives. We should attempt to be like Christ in our capacity as parents, teachers and youth ministers. This even includes lovingly disciplining those who Christ chooses to allow us to shepherd, even if it is like herding cats.

Prayers,

Pisio