The Last Boobie of 2008

As another year fades away, the Boobie makes plans for 2009. Starting with a new administration.
And putting a damper on Christmas, 2008:R.I.P, Eartha Kitt and Harold Pinter.

White Christmas

"Yes, Virginia, there WAS a Santa Claus"

Well, whether I want it or not, I'm getting a white Christmas. We've received a fair amount of snow (around 3 feet) over the past week, but tomorrow we're supposed to get the heaviest yet. The forecast is calling for "blizzard conditions" for most of the day. Luckily, I don't have to go anywhere. While a friend is hosting a Christmas potluck dinner that would be fun to join in on, if the weather is as bad as predicted I'll stay home. Even the best of the seasons good cheer doesn't serve well when frozen.

Actually, I haven't got much Christmas spirit this year. Not having any family nearby, and being extremely broke, I'm grateful for the friends around me. But that's true year round, not just seasonally. I'm wishing all good cheer to all, all year long.

So I hereby wish you all a happy, warm holiday.

Basic Philosophical Differences

Perhaps the most simple fundamental change that I hope to see from the Obama administration is one in basic philosophy. That is changing the government mindset from 'reactive' to 'proactive'. Shrub's administration followed the Gingrich philosophy of "shrink the federal government down to where you could drown it in a bathtub", and thus was only able to react when crisis' occurred. I'm hopeful that Obama will try to build government foresight in such a way as to prevent some future crisis'.
The clearest example so far is our current financial disaster. While the terms "bailout" and "stimulus" have been badly abused for rhetorical purposes, there is a fundamental difference in their actual meaning.
Shrub's plan to deal with the economic crisis is to give major financial institutions a whole lot of taxpayer money. This is a "bailout" and is a reactive response to the problem.
Obama's proposed plan is based on infrastructure projects and alternative energy development. This is "stimulus" and is proactive.
The difference is that one is an attempt to fix a past mistake, while the other is an attempt to develop a stronger future. And they represent a major difference in the fundamental philosophy of government.
There is no guarantee that Obama's plan will work, or that he'll engage in a proactive plan in other areas of government, but it's a good start.
(Now if they'd just send me some money)