Tom Friedman writes about our man in Kabul. If what he says is true, then it makes a very compelling case for withdrawing from Afghanistan entirely.

President Obama to open significant areas for offshore drilling.

A deluded Democrat thinks Republicans are deluding themselves. The great thing about this is that we will have an answer, one way or another, in November. If the majority of Americans who vote are satisfied with the direction of the country, and the lead of President Obama and the Democrats in Congress, then Democratic losses will be minimal, and they may even gain seats. If, on the other hand, a majority of voters are unhappy, we will see GOP gains. If people are really, really, really unhappy, we will see a historic Democratic defeat. Stay tuned.

Pat Buchanan gives us some historical perspective on the issue of incivility and violence during political debate.

Fred Barnes has this piece on why Nancy Pelosi's economic theories don't make sense. Pelosi herself remains defiant, especially when speaking before adoring crowds in her ultra-liberal home district.


Of course, the real problem is that working-class white people are too stupid to know what is good for them.


"This editorial will not appear in tomorrow's New York Times."


Here comes the insurance death spiral.


Meanwhile, the leaders of our fifty states are struggling to find ways to balance their budgets and maintain their bond ratings. I don't know why anyone would want to be a state governor these days.


Finally, here is my take on the debt and deficit problem, recently published via Associated Content. Friends, please check it out (I get paid based on page views for that site). Thanks.

SO FAR, SO GOOD

Watching the politicians in Washington do their work, I am reminded of an old joke. A man fell from the roof of a 20-story building. As he fell, he was heard to say as he passed the open windows of each floor, "So far, so good...so far, so good...so far, so good..."

We seem to be dealing with the onrushing reality of fiscal disaster in the same way.

Robert J. Samuelson writes about why the new health bill makes the situation worse.

So far, so good.

Fred Hiatt writes about the President's promise to deal with the situation.

So far, so good.

Irwin Stelzer writes about how the President intends to transform America into something like Western Europe.

So far, so good.

Moody's warns of a downgrade in the status of U.S. Treasury bonds.

So far, so good.

The Congressional Budget Office, in its analysis of the President's budget (including the health bill), says the annual deficit will hit $1.5 trillion in 2010 and $1.3 trillion in 2011.

So far, so good.

The CBO report says the total debt of the U.S. will rise from $7.5 trillion at the end of 2009 (53% of GDP) to $20.3 trillion at the end of 2020 (90% of GDP).

So far, so good.

Get the picture?

Mark Steyn adds up the numbers, both the tax and spending numbers, that result from Obamacare, and sees either slow decline or catastrophe ahead.

Tony Blankley compares Obamacare to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

One of the most worrisome aspects of recent actions in Washington is the fact that they are adding to our record accumulation of debt which, according to Michael Barone, is now making the bond market nervous.

Bill Kristol hopes a message of repeal will work for the GOP, this Fall and in 2012.

Jim Wallis makes the case for social justice and against Glenn Beck's interpretation of same.

Here is a story about a really worthwhile project to collect the memories of WWII veterans before they all pass away.

Daniel Foster has some thoughts on the potential for dropping poll numbers concerning Obamacare by looking at how the popularity of the stimulus bill has dropped over time. The bottom line? If people feel like the solutions don't work, or make things worse, they'll react negatively. It's the economy, stupid.

The main reason I believe the poll numbers for Obamacare will drop is that, over time, people will discover more things in the new law they will not like very much.

Jonathan V. Last writes about Obama's poll numbers, and why they may be worse than we think, and why that is very bad news for other Democratic office holders seeking reelection.

Kevin O'Brien of the Cleveland Plain Dealer calls for repeal of the health care law. Congressman Paul Ryan is also calling for repeal.

Paul Krugman believes the right-wingers are crazy, and trying to take over the Republican Party.

Meanwhile, the Tea Party folks (who liberals like Krugman believe are racist lunatics) are at work in places like Utah, peacefully entering the political system at the lowest party level in order to influence the system. In the case of Utah, it is about whether or not Senator Robert Bennett should be nominated again by the GOP to be their candidate for Senate. If the Tea Party folks, working within the party, get the votes necessary to nominate another candidate...well...isn't that how the system is supposed to work? Why, yes it is.

Steve Forbes warns of a Venezuelan style media crackdown here in the United States.

Ralph Peters says U.S. diplomacy suffered one of its worst days in history the other day.

Charles Krauthammer says Obamacare, and the increasing cost of the other entitlement programs, will lead inevitably to the adoption of a European-style Value Added Tax (VAT) in order to pay for it all.

How many employers will find it cheaper to drop health insurance for their employees? If they do, how long before Congress decides a single-payer government health plan is the only solution?

Jeffrey Anderson already fears that Republicans will waffle on the issue of repeal. He is right to be fearful.

The year of reckoning always seemed so distant...but now it is here. Social Security payouts will exceed revenues THIS year. That means the Social Security Administration will begin cashing in those Treasury bills they accrued over the years of surpluses (it is really just an accounting measure, as the program was always run as pay-as-you-go, so the surpluses went into the general fund, and now money will be transferred from the general fund into Social Security). While the program is not insolvent, it will now become even more burdensome as it requires more and more general revenue to continue paying out promised benefits. This will act much in the same way that the growing amount of interest on the debt does to the budget as a whole, taking up more and more as a percentage of the total, and squeezing out other programs and responsibilities. Pressure will continue to build on Congress to either raise more revenue through new or increased taxes, or cut spending in other areas, or borrow even larger amounts of money. Someone once said, 'if something is unsustainable, it will not last', or words to that effect. This pattern is unsustainable. It must, and it will end. Time to choose.

New Hampshire ski areas may suffer at the hands of the new health reform law.

Conservatives in America may benefit from some emerging societal trends.

For your edification...from The National Review, read Jonah Goldberg on the new health care reality (which is that health insurance companies are now heavily regulated public utilities), former Senator Jim Talent says, fiscally speaking, our representatives in Washington are still in the galley doing the dishes while the Titanic sinks, and Tony Blankley channels Winston Churchill when he writes about the appropriate political response to the health reform bill.

From The New York Post, Michael Goodwin says this health bill is all about the ego of Barack Obama. Goodwin also writes about how much money will be siphoned from New York City as a result of the bill.

From The Weekly Standard, Fred Barnes gives us a little historical perspective about health cost projections.

Congressman Paul Ryan tells his constituents in Wisconsin about the consequences of the health reform bill which he opposed.

Even before this bill was enacted, the Obama Administration was set firmly on a course to expand the size of government, and to increase the rate at which money is siphoned out of the economy and spent at the will and the whim of the people in Washington. Here are the numbers, courtesy of The Heritage Foundation.

This year, according to the Congressional Budget Office analysis of the President's proposed budget, we will spend $1.556 TRILLION more than we take in on the Federal level.

Next year? $1.267 TRILLION. In 2012? $829 billion. In 2013? $727 billion. And so on. Over ten years this budget projects to add $9.086 TRILLION to the debt.

By 2020, if the current projections are accurate (and they are, in all likelihood, lowball numbers, unless the economy expands at an enormous rate over the next decade), the public debt of the United States of America will reach $15.4 TRILLION, or 98.1% of the country's Gross Domestic Product.

These figures, by the way, do not include the health reform bill. The President says his bill will lower these debt and deficit projections.

I do not believe him. Do you?

Now that I have gotten past my initial depression concerning the passage of the so-called health care reform bill, it is time to examine the consequences.

A person commenting on yesterday's post said I was too caught up in the political process, and not concerned enough about the money. My apologies to those who don't know me well enough to know that politics is a passion of mine. I am fascinated by the process. I also believe that understanding the process is a vital part of understanding how the overall system works, and can be helpful in predicting how things will go in the future. So let's look at the politics first, which may help in understanding what the future holds, for our health system, but also for our entire economic and political system.

As has been repeatedly pointed out by people far more learned about these things than I am, this piece of legislation is the most significant government intervention in our economic system to ever be passed with a narrow, party line majority. Social Security and Medicare were passed with significant bipartisan support. It seems to me that this will have enormous political consequences.

First, since they did not support this bill, and were unified in their opposition, it will be politically easy to run on the issue of repeal, as Bill Kristol advises. Conservative allies in the press, like the editors of The National Review and The Wall Street Journal, can continue to hammer away at the bill's deficiencies, and the GOP can use their ideas and research, along with their own, to make the case that passing the bill was a mistake the country cannot afford. Like the Contract with America in 1994, it can act as a unifying idea to coalesce the energy of the Tea Party movement and the general dissatisfaction, especially among white, middle-income men, with the status quo, the President, and the Democratic Party.

Second, many of the benefits of the bill do not appear until 2014, while some of the tax implications are immediate. I expect, as Megan McArdle does, that premiums will go up and small insurance companies will be taken over by larger ones. Higher taxes and higher insurance premiums will have the double effect of dampening any possible economic recovery between now and November, and cause more immediate and personal financial pain to rank-and-file voters.

Therefore, I agree with folks like Jay Cost and Pat Caddell who foresee a very bad mid-term election for the Democrats, that may even be enough to cost them control of the House, if not the Senate.

Now, as to the long-term implications of the bill. People like Richard Cohen want to see a Western European style system here in the U.S., not only for health care, but for the economy in general. What they seem unable or unwilling to recognize is that the Western European system is unsustainable. What we are watching unfold in Western Europe (and Japan, which follows a similar model) is a slow motion collapse. Demographically, the populations of these countries continue to age. More and more retirees are being supported by fewer and fewer young workers. Entrepreneurship and innovation are stifled by higher taxes and more regulations. Eventually, all it takes is a significant economic downturn to create a crisis, which we are seeing already in Europe, especially in Greece. They may weather this crisis, but another one is inevitable. Eventually, economic activity will be at such a low level (or so much of that activity will have fallen below the legal radar, with taxes being unpaid and rules and laws being ignored), that the state retirement and health programs will be unfunded, and the political system will collapse.

This process will happen here, too, unless we stop it. How to stop it? That gets us back to politics. Somehow, we must convince a critical mass of people who are already receiving or are about to receive benefits that it is wrong, and dangerous, to eat our seed corn. Somehow, middle class people must understand that they should not receive Social Security, if they have a private pension or some other government pension earned as an employee, or if they have sufficient income from their lifetime of investments. It is called means testing. The same applies for health care. If you can afford to pay for your own care, why should you get a government subsidy? It isn't about poor people. If our social welfare programs were limited to the poor, we would not be facing a fiscal crisis down the road. No. The expansion of the welfare state is so dangerous precisely because it expands to the middle class. Somehow, as a political matter, this must be made plain to the majority of voters. If it is not, then they will continue to support efforts to transfer money from the public treasury into their own pockets, which will result in economic disaster. History teaches us that economic disaster oftentimes leads to tyranny, especially if the disaster is caused by or accompanied by a financial meltdown of a government. Our American Republic survived the Civil War and the Great Depression. Will it survive the fiscal meltdown caused by runaway entitlement spending? I would rather we faced the problem before the crisis, rather than after we begin to feel its full effects.

OUR POISONED POLITICS

Well, when I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Late last night the House passed the Senate version of health reform without a single Republican vote. I had thought that significant public opposition would, as in 1994, derail the plan. I was wrong. President Barack Obama, Speaker Pelosi and the other Democratic leaders believe their health reform plan was the right thing to do, and they believe that it must be done despite the opposition of a majority of the people.

What we are now seeing is not just a significant change in the relationship between the people and the government, as Mark Steyn and Victor Davis Hanson write, but also the consequence political gerrymandering of Congressional districts. The vast majority of House members now represent districts that have been drawn to encompass ideologically homogeneous groups. This means people like Pelosi represent extremely liberal districts, and other members represent extremely conservative districts. This has added exponentially to the extreme partisanship we are seeing.

While I have no idea as to the consequences of the bill itself (although I expect it will accelerate government deficits, among other things), I do believe the partisan manner in which it was passed will poison the atmosphere in Washington at least for the remainder of Obama's Presidency, if not beyond.

It is still uncertain whether or not the Obama health reform bill will pass. Michael Tanner predicts what things will look like if it does.

Megan McCardle believes if it does pass, it will not be repealed.

I will not even try to predict the consequences of this bill if it passes. There are just too many variables. Essentially, to predict the consequences of this bill, one must determine how 300 million Americans will react individually to whatever changed circumstances they face as a result of the provisions of the bill. If my health insurance costs go up, what will I do? If you are a young person, forced to buy insurance, what will you do? If you are a doctor who finds your reimbursement rates go down, what will you do...and so on. Other factors will also come into play, as the strength or weakness of the overall economy will contribute to the mix. In the end, because of what I believe will be continued economic weakness and a high jobless rate, I believe whether they pass the bill or not the Democrats will be crushed this November. After that, I cannot say.

Democratic leaders in the House believe they are getting close to the number of votes needed to pass the health reform bill. Here are the highlights of the bill. Note that most of the important provisions don't go into effect until 2014.

Fred Barnes is correct in his assertion that passage of the bill will not end the controversy, or the fight.

Paul Krugman makes one final argument for passing the bill.

According to this Pew poll, 48% of Americans are opposed to the bill.

Peggy Noonan has some thoughts on health care, the President, and America's image in the world.

State officials in Hawaii are getting tired of all the e-mails requesting Obama's birth certificate, so much so that some lawmakers want to make it legal for officials to ignore those requests entirely.

Has there ever been, in the history of American football, a player who generates more buzz than Tim Tebow? An unprecedented number of people attended his workout at Florida's pro day yesterday. What is so interesting about this is that Tebow, who led his teams to national championships and won the Heisman Trophy, may not be able to play quarterback in the NFL.

So, did Sandra Bullock somehow not realize what she was getting when she married Jesse James? If she didn't then, she does now.

At last, after failing twice during the 20th Century, the Germans rule Europe.

Michael Barone points out that on the health care issue what is good for House leaders is not necessarily good for House members.

In Washington State, Walgreens decides to stop filling prescriptions for new Medicaid patients. This, unfortunately, could be a trend as state governments (and the federal government) continue to struggle with rising Medicaid costs, and find one solution in the practice of lowering reimbursement rates to providers. At some point, providers will just stop taking Medicaid patients. Of course, then politicians will pass laws forcing providers to keep taking those patients. Then, of course, providers will either get out of the business or, more likely, pass along the costs to their other patients. Health care costs will rise even faster as a result, leading politicians to pass more laws making an even bigger mess.

Capping health insurance costs for business through state government regulation is a bad idea.

Michael Gerson says the Democrats are showing their true colors during the course of the health reform debate.

Finally, after using the same standards and techniques for the last 30 years, the Army adopts new methods for physical training. Gone are five-mile runs and bayonet drills. Soldiers will now train based on the experiences of combat veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq (and, in many cases, by Drill Sergeants who are themselves combat veterans). This is a good thing.

Thomas Sowell on the fiscal realities of the health care reform plan.

Ralph Peters writes about the brutal murders of American consulate employees in Mexico, and the drug war going on in that country.

America's top commander in Afghanistan brings Special Forces under his wing. The special operators are being accused of murdering civilians, among other things.

Obama's health care strategy may mark a permanent change for the Democratic Party. That change may result in lost majorities in Congress.

Since they may not have the votes to pass the bill, House Democratic leaders are looking for a way to enact health care reform without a vote.

Arthur Herman says the Biden visit to Israel was part of a missed opportunity for the Obama Administration.

Drug gangs in Mexico decide the U.S. is a paper tiger. How else to explain why they would gun down American consulate employees and family members.

Is China's Politburo spoiling for a fight with America?

Paul Krugman says, "bring it on."

If the health care plan passes, this piece explains why it will be a jobs killer.

Robert J. Samuelson explains why the President is not being honest about health care.

Rep. Paul Ryan explains his plan to deal with health care reform.

Bill Kristol calls for courage.

Ralph Peters writes this piece about why our post-modern Presidents fail. He asserts that the three greatest post-WWII Presidents were Truman, Eisenhower and Reagan, and compares them to Clinton, G.W. Bush and Obama. Essentially, he says, because Truman, Eisenhower and Reagan all had to work their way back from failures, they knew something about life and leadership that the three Ivy Leaguers do not. It is a good point. Still, personal character and character flaws also play a role (Johnson and Nixon, both from poor backgrounds, come to mind). In the end, whether or not we get a great President, an OK President, or a flawed and dangerous President, is really just a matter of luck.

The FCC has a plan to expand Internet access in the United States.

Victor Davis Hanson wonders if Tom Hanks is unhinged? No, just a Hollywood liberal.

Jay Cost continues to count heads on the health reform vote.

An Obama pollster says the American people want Obamacare.

If it kills jobs, as this piece asserts, then they won't like it for long.

Irwin Stelzer says the Presidents and Congressional Democrats will not like policies that could produce more jobs through free trade, which is why they won't pass them.

I am looking forward to watching The Pacific on HBO. Here is a review, and another. The first episode is on Sunday night at 9 PM.

Glenn Beck says Christians should leave their church if they find the words 'social justice' as part of the creed or mission of that church, causing some backlash.

Two Democratic pollsters warn that the Democrats will pay a very high price in November for pushing through a deeply unpopular health reform bill.

Nouriel Roubini believes we are in danger of a double-dip recession.

Michael Barone believes the Democrats are caught in a no-win situation with the health reform bill, even if Pelosi can get the votes to pass it, which Barone believes may not be possible.

Jay Cost thinks Bart Stupak, the pro-life Democrat who leads like-minded colleagues in the House, may have a problem getting a provision in the health bill that would prevent Federal funding for abortions.

I still do not believe they will pass the bill. If they do, like Barone, I believe the Democrats will not gain any political momentum from passage. The bill does not contain the thing that gets their Liberal base all fired up, which is a public option. It does contain stuff sure to fire up opponents, and once it begins to have an impact on non-ideological people, it will certainly cause even more anti-Obama and anti-Democrat enthusiasm.

Andrew C. McCarthy explains why the so-called 'Al Qaeda 7" matter. If you have not heard, he is referring to the ad campaign being run by Liz Cheney, Bill Kristol and others about the seven unnamed lawyers now working in the Justice Department who did pro bono defense work for Al Qaeda terrorists now locked up in Gitmo. They are demanding that the AG reveal their names. My view is this...I understand the long tradition of lawyers representing people the rest of us loathe, it is a cornerstone of our system (Ken Starr brought up the name of John Adams, who represented the British soldiers who perpetrated the "Boston Massacre"). But I think the more appropriate analogy is made by McCarthy when he refers to "Mob Lawyers". These are lawyers who make a living representing mobsters. My guess is that most of them do it for the money. I would like to know why these Justice Department lawyers chose to represent terrorists. Glenn Reynolds asks if there would be more of an uproar if they were seven lawyers who had done pro bono work for white supremacists. I'm certain there would be more outrage from the Left if that were the case.

Watching the election unfold in Iraq, Jeff Jacoby believes we are closer than ever to saying, with conviction, "Mission Accomplished."

Michael Goodwin says the American people are no longer buying what President Obama is selling.

Michael Gerson wonders what happened to the middle path on health care reform.

Rich Lowry indicates Pelosi might have the votes to pass Obama's health plan, but that won't mean the fight is over.

Another anti-American film, written, directed, produced and funded by Americans or American companies. It can't be about making money, since these Iraq War movies that take the side of our enemies all flop at the box office. It must mean that the people who make them and fund them are anti-American.

Could it be the end of the road for Barack Obama?

New polling data shows Obama and the Democrats are losing ground on the issue of national security.

Mark Steyn has this piece on why the Democrats are willing to do nearly anything to pass their version of health care reform.

Thomas Sowell thinks one of the consequences of increasing the government's role in health care will be a rush to the exits by the most experienced doctors.

Even as the President continues to push for passage of his health reform bill, still no signs of honesty about what it will all cost, and how we will pay for it.

Al Hunt says there are signs of disarray inside the White House.

Californians face the prospect of bankruptcy.

Son of Hamas founder, Christian, and Israeli spy.

Some words from Glenn Reynolds about the concept of 'consent of the governed'.

Robert J. Samuelson wonders if the Millenials will become the chump generation.

Another Democrat bites the dust, this time a New York Congressman who was accused of sexual harassment by a male aide. The district went for McCain in 2008, so it goes into the growing column of districts that might flip in November.

Irwin Stelzer says the recently released economic data contains good news and bad news. The good news? Some signs of economic growth. The bad news? No assurance that it is a real recovery, or that it is sustainable.

Matthew Continetti points out that a government fiscal disaster is looming. Unlike natural disasters, like the recent earthquakes, this is a disaster we can do something about, but we seem politically paralyzed, so far, concerning the issue.

Jay Cost is keeping a running tally of the House Democrats who might not support the health reform bill if it is pushed through the Senate via reconciliation.

Jeff Jacoby is critical of the President's efforts to further nationalize education standards.

Another Democrat decides to throw in the towel. This time it is Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts. He says the controversy over the Bishop case is not the reason. He says the political climate is not the reason. He just says it is time to go (he is 68 years old). No matter the reason, it provides yet another opportunity for the GOP to pick up a seat in November.

Finally, a politician speaks the truth. Congratulations to Governor Christie of New Jersey for his unvarnished remarks to the mayors of his state about the budget, public employees, and taxes.

David Brooks compares the Tea Party folks with the New Left of the Sixties.

Charles Krauthammer writes about the decision by President Obama to press on with his health reform plan without any Republican support. The game is now in the House, since it appears likely that the Senate version can pass through that chamber via the reconciliation process. But the House still has to pass it, and it is the Democratic members of the House who are most politically vulnerable at this time. I'm sticking with my prediction that nothing will pass.

Andrew C. McCarthy explains why Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky was right to block the extension of unemployment benefits, not because he is against helping people, but because the program, and the manner in which it is implemented, is a symbol of how and why our deficits are exploding and our debt is growing to unsustainable proportions.

President Obama ups the ante as he calls for one last push to pass his health reform bill.

The bill contains a little bit of Republican window dressing, but is essentially the same government takeover of our health system. If it passes, the Democrats may find themselves in the wilderness for the next ten years.

Fred Barnes says anti-Obama sentiment is a big part of the general anti-Washington sentiment that is sweeping the nation.

Another Democrat decides not to run for reelection. He says it is over his health issues, but it may be a sex scandal.

President Obama will reach out to the GOP on health care one more time. Either they play ball, or he will tell Senator Reid to proceed with the political 'nuclear option'. I tell you, folks, I'm as happy as I can be about all this. As the President says, this is what elections are for. The Democrats won in 2008. They want a more socialized health care system, so they are going to ram it through. This will give us the contrast we need as voters to decide what we want in November of this year.

The editors at The Wall St. Journal are, not surprisingly, very upset at the possible use of reconciliation to pass the Senate health reform bill, calling it an abuse of power. They also predict an electoral backlash.

Meet the House Democrats lining up to be part of Nancy Pelosi's health care by reconciliation (or any other method) suicide squad.

Niall Ferguson argues that empires do not necessarily decline slowly, but can sometimes collapse precipitously. He leaves such a collapse as an open possibility for our own empire, groaning under the weight of an enormous and growing debt.

Ralph Peters says Obama's penchant for backing leftists in Latin America, like the Kirchners in Argentina, is a betrayal of the movement for freedom and, in the Argentina case specifically, a betrayal of our best ally.

Tom Friedman, while adding his usual praise for the Chinese, also makes the case for lowering corporate taxes here in the U.S. in this piece.

Michael Barone examines Rick Perry's big primary win in Texas last night.

Irwin Stelzer examines the financial crisis in Greece. He predicts they will muddle through. Because I agree with Niall Ferguson's analysis of how human social and political systems work, I think a better possibility is a sudden collapse. I have no idea what will emerge on the other side of that collapse.

Thomas Sowell, known for his ability to get to the heart of the matter, gets to the heart of the matter concerning health care...which is that health care is a service provided by people to other people. The providers need to get paid. If the customer is not the one directly paying the bill, either in whole or in part, then they will use more of the service than they would if they were paying directly. Health costs are distorted by this simple fact, and every plan out there to reform the system is undermined if it does not take this fact into account.

Robert J. Samuelson is also known for his ability to cut through the rhetorical fog, which he does in this piece about the unwillingness of political leaders on both sides to speak frankly to the American people about our exploding deficits and massive accumulated debts. The truth? We must cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid spending by massive amounts. If we are not willing to do this, we must raise taxes by massive amounts to continue benefits at their current levels, or we must do some combination of significant spending cuts and significant tax increases. Choose.

Peter Beinart believes the Democrats need to be wary of the scandal surrounding Congressman Charles Rangel of New York.

Anne Applebaum points out the differences between Chile and Haiti in the aftermath of deadly earthquakes.

I'M BACK IN THE 21ST CENTURY

If you live in New Hampshire, you probably know why I have not been posting since Thursday, February 25. That night we were hammered by a winter storm that gave us sustained 40 and 50 mph winds, with gusts over 60. Our power was restored late yesterday afternoon, and just moments ago we got our phones, cable TV and Internet connections restored (all Comcast, so you lose one, you lose them all). My generator worked for one day, then quit. My car is in the shop (hydraulic lines were shot and are being replaced). Truly, I find myself at war with the machines, and they are winning.

Back to normal posting tomorrow.