Libraries

I consider myself politically moderate with a right lean, but with some issues I get on a serious libertarian streak. I don't dislike government, but I think a lot of times it is too big. Recently, I have been thinking about whether I think public libraries are wasteful spending. Ann Arbor has a great library system. We watched five seasons of 24 for free using the library. I loved it, but sometimes I wondered why others should subsidize our obsession with Jack Bauer's torture methods. Tonight we went to Borders after having dinner at Potbelly's and I again was reminded of the library issue that I have been contemplating. As we were leaving the store, I decided to articulate my well-reasoned thoughts on libraries to Megan. She DESTROYED my argument. She argued that it really was not that expensive, and that it was money better spent than many other government programs. She asked whether I thought it would be good to have an illiterate population with no reading skills. She mentioned the Dark Ages as the last time society did not have access to books and pointed out that this worked out really well for society (note sarcasm). She also reminded me that I had benefited from libraries, and I remembered that my mom took me a lot when I was a kid. Certainly we could not have afforded to buy all of the Box Car Children and Hardy Boys books that I read. I owe my keen sleuthing skills to the public library system. I quickly realized my error, and that my idea was pretty dumb. Ok, really dumb. I also realized that in no less than five minutes, Megan had convinced me to migrate from library skeptic to staunch defender of the public library system. I will now forever defend public libraries:

"There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration."
-Andrew Carnegie

Thanks to my wife, I could not agree more.

MITTigan

The Michigan Primary was on the 15th and Mitt Romney won by almost 10%. I have been supporting Romney's campaign for a couple months now, and I even did a couple hours of phone calls at his headquarters on Friday. I like the package Mitt brings to the table: Free market principles, family values, and significant executive experience making difficult decisions. It sounded like a winning combo to me, and apparently the people of Michigan felt the same way. This win also makes Megan and I happy because we are not big fans of Romney's two main rivals in the state: John McCain & Mike Huckabee. I was originally leaning towards McCain at the beginning of this race (he was my Senator when I lived in AZ), but I have since realized he is way past is prime. Not only has he lost touch on a lot of issues (especially McCain-Feingold, which I am writing my Law Review Note on and hate) but he is not as sharp as he used to be. Huckabee thinks my religion is a cult & he is a populist, so he is 0-2 in my book. Back to Mitt! Megan and I decided to go to our first campaign event by driving to see Mitt's victory speech. It was exciting, and we both shook his hand. In the picture with Mitt, you will see my hand in the middle with the red sleeve. If Romney wins, I will always be able to look at my hand and remember how I was a part of it. It's a rocky road however to the election, so we will see what happens.

Niagara Falls

Megan and I went to Niagara Falls for the first time this weekend, and we had a lot of fun. Megan subscribes to an e-mail called TravelZoo that advertises travel deals. For $125, we had a nice suite with a hot tub that overlooked the falls. The deal also included a $45 gift certificate to TGI Fridays and a free breakfast buffet. And this was all in Canuck dollars which is great since the exchange rate is really bad for Americans right now. Here is a picture of Megan that I took sitting on our bed.

Wii Fund

We had a good Christmas yesterday, and I have started a Nintendo Wii fund with gift money I received. Right now I have $130. I started with $150, but I decided to buy a three month subscription to the Economist. While that purchase will delay my perfection of an uppercut punch and a split finger fastball, it will improve my knowledge of politics in Kenya and debt markets, so it is still a worthwhile investment. When coupled with my Wall Street Journal subscription, it makes a powerful combo. My goal is to be able to but my Wii by my birthday, which I think I will be able to do. Megan says she will give me $100 dollars if I meet my weight goal for my diet. I have lost 23 pounds so far. I worked across the street from the original McDonald's World Headquarters this summer, and I think the location subliminally made me addicted to McDonald's. This lead to disastrous results which I am only now remedying because I travelled so much at the beginning of the semester. If I lose 7 more pounds then I will be playing Wii by my 25th birthday. This will suppress my inner-desire to play constant video games. I blame this phenomon on the "videogame neglect" that I was inhumanely subjected to as a child due to my mom's strict no-Nintendo policy. It's a sad chapter of my life that I still try to suppress.

I Was Forced To Do This

Megan made me start a blog, since she was starting one. I will try to make it interesting, and I hope at a minimum my mom will be a regualar reader.