Obama Endorsement

The Houston Chronicle does a good job at making its case for Obama. The Chronicle is historically very conservative. It is the first time that it has endorsed a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964 when it endorsed LBJ.

I agree whole-heartedly with the endorsement. It's time for change.

Rant: Politics (read at your own risk)

I've been really perturbed with the recent tactics employed by McCain and his camp. Among the biggest sticking points for me are the attacks against Obama's tax proposal. So McCain claims Obama is a socialist for believing in "spreading the wealth."

As I struggled to find the eloquence to express my feelings about this, I happen to stumble upon this comment on a Digg article about all the political labeling going on that I couldn't possibly agree with more.

Political and social constructs overlap. It's dangerous and misleading to quote a line or two from one philosophy and label anyone who agrees with the quote as a believer in all aspects of the philosophy. I'm a fiscal conservative and social liberal. I believe that we should use our country's resources with profound respect and accountability. I also believed that a truly functional society requires that people take care of each other. All taxes spread the wealth around. The current administration did a massive redistribution by raising taxes on the middle class while lowering taxes on the wealthy, which contributed to the economic mess we're in. The "trickle down theory" has failed twice, spectacularly. The middle class is worse off by far now than 8 years ago. Obama's tax plan is breathtakingly simple: the wealthy will pay an additional 3% on taxable income over $250,000. (No change for taxable income below $250K.) The middle class will receive a necessary tax break with which to regain their financial footing. I aspire to be among the wealthy someday. I will not quibble about paying more if I ever break through that $250K level. I want to live in a society that values the health and fiscal well-being of all citizens.

Pre-Season Basketball!!!

I love this time of year. Plus, the second presidential debate is tonight. My DVR will be busy.

Lots of big announcements from Ninty

A lot of intriguing news came out from the house that Mario built yesterday. Here is a quick rundown:

News that made me happy:
-the new DSi (who didn't see that coming?)
-a new Punch Out!!! for the Wii
-a new Sin and Punishment 2 for the Wii
-the upcoming WiiWare titles

News that made me sad:
-Ninty's "storage solution" involves using SD cards (we want a HD!)
-all the awesome Japan-Only games (like Tatsunoko vs Capcom!!!)

News that I'm lukewarm about:
-the GC remakes for the Wii

Check out some of the screenshots here.

Whoops...there goes September

Man. That went by in a blink...