Afternoons are crazy in my house.  Just after 2, Thing 2 will wake up screaming from her nap, if she went to sleep at all.  If not, then I’ll usually rescue her from her evil crib at that time.  Then we fight over what she should have for a snack.  She always wants a cupcake.  And I always say, “No cupcake!”  At which point she collapses into a fit of sobs and tears.  Eventually she’ll decide that she really does want the cheese/fruit/triscuits/other tasty wholesome snack, pick it up off the floor where’s she’s thrown it and eat it.

After that debacle, it’s usually time to go pick up Thing 1 from school and run an errand or two.  Today we had to get some new tires for my truck.  We went to Costco because I had some giftcards, plus you can get ice cream while you wait.  Into the tire center.  I know I need two at least, but think, “Hmm, do I really want to be back here in 3-6 months to replace the other two?  Nope!”  So I order up four new tires.  The very polite service guy rattles of a price of eight hundred dollars and change.  I’m not sure exactly, he lost me at eight hundred.  Two new tires will be just fine thankyouverymuch.  I tried not faint or choke or vomit as I forked over enough money to buy a plane ticket to Hawaii.  Then I spent some time day dreaming about Hawaii.

Of course I was slammed back to reality when Thing 1 tipped over Thing 2’s stroller in the tire department at Costco.*

Thankfully there was no line, so it was only a 45 minute wait.  We got some ice cream to share and I got a diet coke.  I haven’t been buying it regularly any more, because I can’t find find a twelve pack for less than $5, and let’s face it: that’s extortion.  I blissfully sipped my chemically caffeinated goodness while Things 1 & 2 raced to see who could eat more ice cream faster.  Turns out Thing 1, although she paid for it dearly with a massive brain freeze that I refused to listen to her whine about.

New tires, sugared up children, and a broke Jenny headed home.  I opened up my laptop and tweetdeck, trying to ignore the cacophony of, “I don’t want to do my homework!!!” and “Cupcake!” surrounding me.  And I saw avatar pics of terminator sheep with glowing red eyes.  And lots of tweets with the hashtag #demonsheep.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

So I tweeted: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is with the #demonsheep??

And I was immediately rewarded with links.  I love Twitter.  It satisfies my impatient nature.

The evil terminator demon sheep appear in an ad for Carly Fiorina, a sometimes fiscally conservative running for the republican nod to run against Senator Please-Don’t-Call-Me-Ma’am-Boxer in California.  The ad slams an even more liberal republican than herself, Tom Campbell. And for some reason, it’s filled with demon sheep.

It made my whole day.

Demon Sheep

*No toddlers were harmed in the making of this post.  Unless you consider cupcake denial to be harmful.  In which case, it was torturous.

I was planning on having an elaborate post for you all on why I plan to vote against all the propositions in the special election tomorrow. However, a teething baby has ruined my plans. Because my responsibility to be a good mother comes above my responsibility to be a good blogger, the post is not to be.

For the record, this conservative chica is voting a big fat NO on all the props tomorrow.

We don’t need more of our tax dollars to be poured into the infrastructure, we just need it to be better spent.

Please, can we let the sea lions go before we let the firemen go?

The money is there already, it just needs to be better budgeted.

Please vote NO tomorrow and force the CA legislature to reallocate bureaucracy bucks into bucks that will actually do some good for our bankrupt state.

During the Miss America Pageant last Sunday, Miss California Carrie Prejean may have sacrificed the crown in exchange for her honesty on a hot button topic- homosexual marriage.

Prejean was asked by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton (who is incidentally is openly gay), “Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?”

The drop dead gorgeous and obviously courageous Prejean might have briefly wavered, but stuck to her convictions and replied, “Well, I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage…And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be – between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.”

Perez has since called her a “dumb bitch” on his infamous website. Hmmm… what happened to, “Dissent is patriotic,” which was the war cry of the left for the eight year duration of the Bush Presidency? On that note, Carrie is not even technically dissenting, since she stands with the majority of Californians that voted yes on Prop 8 last fall.

I have to wonder what would have happened if she had worded her response differently, perhaps saying, “I agree with President Obama on this issue. I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian — for me — for me as a Christian, it is also a sacred union. God’s in the mix… Because historically — because historically, we have not defined marriage in our constitution. It’s been a matter of state law. That has been our tradition. I mean, let’s break it down. The reason that people think there needs to be a constitutional amendment, some people believe, is because of the concern that — about same-sex marriage. I am not somebody who promotes same-sex marriage, but I do believe in civil unions. I do believe that we should not — that for gay partners to want to visit each other in the hospital for the state to say, you know what, that’s all right, I don’t think in any way inhibits my core beliefs about what marriage are. I think my faith is strong enough…that I can afford those civil rights to others, even if I have a different perspective or different view.“

Guess what? That italicized text came directly from the Chosen One’s silver tongue last summer during the Saddleback Presidential Forum.

Just some food for thought.

Why should you say hello to this ugly, slimy little sea kitten? Because he is the reason your water bill is going through the roof and may be the cause of water rationing soon, as Governor Schwarzenegger declared California in a state of drought emergency.

All reports in the mainstream media are claiming that after three years of practically record low rainfall, of course there isn’t enough water for all of us to use and enjoy to our hearts’ content. It is true that we haven’t seen as much rain as usual in the Golden State these past few years, but anyone that knows anything about geography knows that much of California is a desert climate, and historically has seen cyclical shortages of rainfall.

So why are we now in a state of drought emergency? In addition to a few years of less rainfall than average, there are California court-ordered restrictions on pumping from the *environmentally sensitive* Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, home of the smelt! We wouldn’t want those ugly little buggers to go extinct, after all.

Save the Smelt!

Save the Smelt at the expense of all the repercussions that will come from cutting California residents off from one of their main water supplies. Not only will you be paying more for that precious H2O commodity, but you’ll be paying more for unemployment of others, as farmers are forced to abandon their crops and fire their workers. No water=no plant growth. Also, get ready to pay exorbitant amounts of money for those groceries that do make it to your local supermarket. They were grown with expensive California water, or they were transported in from afar; either scenario will jack up the price.

Say Hello to the Smelt?

I say GOODBYE Smelt!

My husband and I have never relied on tax refunds. I know many people that get so excited each year when they open that big refund check from the government. I have gotten blue in the face trying to explain to them that it is not a “check from the government”, but rather the government paying them back the money that they themselves loaned Uncle Sam.

If you get a tax refund check, it means that you had too much money withheld from your paychecks throughout the previous year. That’s money that you earned, the government borrowed, and then gave back to you, without the benefit of even the slightest bit of interest. Tell me, have you ever borrowed money from someone without having to pay it back with interest? Ok, maybe your parents…

California has been spending taxpayer money like it’s controlled by zealous liberals (oh wait, it is!) for years, and now we can no longer borrow the money from special funds or Wall Street investors due to the current credit crunch. State Controller John Chiang has decided that the best way to make up some of the $41.6 billion deficit is to deny repayment of the interest-free loans that California citizens so generously, or unwittingly, provided.

It’s a good thing that I wasn’t looking forward to that repayment check! I urge everyone that got a large refund on their taxes last year to take a look at their withholding status, and make sure that they are getting paid the money that they earned and are owed with each paycheck.

Prop. 1A asks voters to approve the issuance of $9.95 billion of general obligation bonds. This would partially fund a $40 billion, 800-mile high speed train under the supervision of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The train would run between San Francisco and Los Angeles, with Anaheim, California, designated as the southern terminus of the initial segment of the high-speed train system. Estimates are that the train system would be completed in 2030, and that it would take passengers between San Francisco and Los Angeles in about 2 hours and 40 minutes.

I’m voting NO. Our state government is already operating at a substantial deficit and to take on this substantial debt would be irresponsible considering that there is no guarantee the project will ever be completed, there is no current business plan, the actual cost likely to reach $81 billion, and the estimates that Prop 1A supporters have made as to how many riders the system would have are grossly overstated, so the system, if built, will have less revenue, and huge unpredicted cost overruns.

Prop 2-Standards for Confining Farm Animals

Prop 2 will create a new state statute that prohibits the confinement of farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.

NO to this one as well. If a person feels bad for the chicken, they can spend their money buying cage-free eggs. Since when did a chicken’s right to stretch its wings become more important that an unborn child’s right to life anyway?

Prop 3 -Children’s Hospital Bond Act

Prop 3 authorizes $980,000,000 in bonds, to be repaid from state’s General Fund, to fund the construction, expansion, remodeling, renovation, furnishing and equipping of children’s hospitals.

NO. California passed Prop 61 in 2004, which authorized $750,000 for the same purpose. Half that money remains unspent, why do they need more already?

Prop 4 -Abortion Waiting Period and Parental Notification Initiative

Prop 4, aka Sarah’s Law, would prohibit abortion for unemancipated minors until 48 hours after physician notifies minor’s parent, legal guardian or, if parental abuse has been reported, an alternative adult family member.

YES, because if my fourteen year old daughter got pregnant and thought the only solution was to kill her unborn child, I’d want to know about it and present her with some options that Planned Parenthood might have skipped over.

Prop 5-Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act

Prop 5 requires California to expand and increase funding and oversight for individualized treatment and rehabilitation programs for nonviolent drug offenders and parolees. It reduces criminal consequences of nonviolent drug offenses by mandating three-tiered probation with treatment and by providing for case dismissal and/or sealing of records after probation. It limits court’s authority to incarcerate offenders who violate probation or parole, and shortens parole for most drug offenses, including sales, and for nonviolent property crimes. It creates numerous divisions, boards, commissions, and reporting requirements regarding drug treatment and rehabilitation and changes certain marijuana misdemeanors to infractions.

NO. Is there really such a thing as non-violent drug trafficking? Just say no to this “Drug Dealers’ Bill of Rights”

Prop 6-Safe Neighborhoods Act

Prop 6 targets youth for adult incarceration by deeming any youth 14 years or older who is convicted of a “gang-related” felony must be tried as an adult, targets poor people by requiring recipients of public housing subsidies to submit to annual criminal background checks and withdrawing the housing subsidies of people with recent criminal convictions, targets illegal aliens by denying bail to those that are charged with violent or gang-related crimes and requires local sheriffs to inform Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the arrests.

YES, because I got the above information off a website opposed to Prop 6. God forbid teenagers old enough to be in a gang and kill/rape/steal cars/*insert felony of your choice here* should be deemed old enough to be tried as an adult. This is not a case of an 8 year old getting ahold of Daddy’s gun and accidentally shooting his little sister. And how dare we take away government subsidised housing from criminals, or report the crimes of illegal aliens to ICE! Geez louise!

Prop 7-Renewable Energy Initiative

Prop 7 would require California utilities to procure half of their power from renewable resources by 2025. California utilities will be required to increase their purchase of electricity generated from renewable resources by 2% annually to meet Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements of 40% in 2020 and 50% in 2025. Under current law, investor-owned utility companies must comply with an RPS of 20% by 2010

NO for the same reason as Prop 2. I’m a supporter of the free market when it comes to consumables like eggs and energy. Plus, it’s not good for our economy at all. It will force small wind and solar companies out of the market by excluding renewable plants smaller than 30mw from counting towards the new requirements. Nearly 60% of contracts under California’s renewable requirements are with these small providers; forcing these companies out will eliminate a major source of clean power and thousands of jobs. It contains a provision that virtually guarantees that electricity consumers will pay 10% above market rates for renewable power forever – even when the costs of solar and wind sources become more competitive.

Prop 8-California Marriage Protection Act

Prop 8 will amend the state constitution to say “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California”.

YES. It protects children from being taught things in public school that greatly differ from views held by some parents. If they can take Christmas out of schools because it offends some atheist parents, they should take homosexuality out because it offends some Christian parents. It also protects religious universities, adoption providers, psychologists, doctors, and photographers from prosecution for practicing their religious convictions.

Prop 9-Victims’ Rights and Protection Act of 2008

Prop 9 amends the State Constitution and various state laws to expand the legal rights of crime victims and the payment of restitution by criminal offenders, restrict the early release of inmates, and change the procedures for granting and revoking parole.

YES. Crime victims should not be victimized a second time by the courts.

Prop 10-California Alternative Fuels Initiative

Prop 10 would set up a rebate program to give a rebate to people who purchase vehicles that are powered by fuel sources other than regular gasoline, as well as a rebate for people who buy fuel-saving vehicles (like the Toyota Prius). The state government would pay for the rebates, up to a total of $5 billion.

NO. Give yourself a big ol’ green pat on the back if you buy a Prius, but don’t expect me to slap a greenback in your hand if you do so.

Prop 11-Voters FIRST Act

Prop 11 would change the process that is undertaken once every ten years of setting (which sometimes means re-drawing) the geographic boundaries of the state’s 120 legislative districts and four Board of Equalization districts. At present, the task of setting these boundaries falls to the state legislature itself. If Proposition 11 passes, that task would instead be given to a new, 14-member commission.

This one’s tough… The ACLU supports it, Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi oppose it. Hmmm… I’m going to say YES. Because the Legislature draws their own districts and, essentially chooses their own voters, 99 % of incumbents are reelected to office. As a result, they have very little incentive to be responsive to constituent concerns or make tough policy decisions – and they remain beholden to special interests, rather than voters. Plus, I can’t imagine ever agreeing with Barbara Boxer or Nancy Pelosi on anything.

Prop 12- Veteran’s Bond Act of 2008

Prop 12 authorizes issuance of $900 million in bonds to create a fund that assists veterans who are purchasing farms, homes and mobile home properties.

YES, because I have a soft spot for vets that have served to protect our country. The loans provided are repaid by the loan holders at no expense to the taxpayers. There have never been any costs to the taxpayers under the previous authorizations. Plus, the program helps reinforce the housing market in California and Cal Vet loans generate thousands of housing industry-related jobs resulting in millions of dollars in annual payrolls.