Shocking! Not So Much...

I see Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are getting divorced.  There have been rumors about this since about five minutes after he jumped up and down on that stupid couch on Oprah. And rumors especially since they have not been seen together in months. It is always her and Suri, alone.

Some celebrity magazine had a spread the other week about "long-lasting" celebrity marriages that are all like a decade long. Most involve one part of the couple who have been divorced. I know I've written about this, but there are so few who make it for the long haul.

Marriage is tough, and it seems even tougher for multi-millionaires who have already been divorced a couple of times previously.

People calls the divorce "shocking."

It's not.  It was utterly predictable. Her contract ran out.  Most skeptics noted that she had about a seven year contract, and the couple became engaged in June 2005.  You do the math. And expect her to rejoin the Catholic Church soon, too. 

Obamacare Fail

Well, that was unexpected this morning, wasn't it? That the commerce clause argument did succeed; it was not constitutional. But it is a tax. A tax despite Obama saying it was not a tax increase, the legislation using the word "penalty."  And it was not Kennedy that defected, but the Chief Justice. Wow, John Roberts.

Now that there has been a few hours to absorb the decision, a few people questions. Can this be a new Marbury v. Madison?  How much is Congress thwarted going forward under the Commerce Clause?  Was Justice Ginsburg outlining another constitutional challenge to the mandate--if religious liberties questions were violated?  Was the dissent originally the majority? 

And most imortantly, what will happen in November? I gave my first presidential donation today to Romney. Repeal is the only answer.

I will leave you with the Scalia/Kennedy/et. al. dissent:

Whatever may be the conceptual limits upon the Commerce Clause and upon the power to tax and spend, they cannot be such as will enable the Federal Government to regulate all private conduct and to compel the States to function as administrators of federal programs. That clear principle carries the day here.

Thoughts on Politics this Week

Has Biden never heard this expression: "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his."

Obamacare prediction? Individual mandate goes, the rest stays intact. Hoping it all goes down.

Contempt for Eric Holder with Democratic support?  Sure, at least twenty.

Dems just don't want to go to Charlotte.

Anticipation

July is going to be a crazy month.

There's the family visit and 4th of July next week. Soooo excited for nephew Joey to come! And then the SLC and trips to Miami and Philly.  And then TX and South Padre and beach time.  And Uganda. And then our 4th anniversary, a trip to LA, a weekend in Cincinnati, and then it'll practically be Labor Day.  Where did the summer go? And the craziness starts this week with Obamacare. Yeah, because that is all connected.

I have big plans for the Fall, too, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. I really need to savor the moments.

Good with the Bad

Every once in a while, you hear some news that just takes your breath away. Like C&B's sad news about their 28 week-ish baby not having a very good chance to survive. And it's your worst nightmare in so many ways, because the anticipation and love is so great, and you have made it so far. And hope is so slim.

And then you hear of Liz's baby being born, and you feel happy.  And you pray that another set of friends gets that, too.

Amazing Statistics

By year's end, Michigan is expected to have lost 950,000 jobs since 2000, or 20.3 percent of its workforce, according to a recent University of Michigan report, largely because of dramatic restructuring in the U.S. auto industry. Per-capita income in Michigan has fallen from 16th to 33rd over the same period. In the first quarter this year, 10.4 percent of all Michigan mortgages were past due -- the fourth highest of any state.
More on Obama's visit here.
So we pay their mortgages, their college education, and then what: their food bills (food stamps)? Clothes? Cable? Internet? It never ends...

Beautiful

I need to look at some beautiful colors that aren't also paint colors from Benjamin Moore. Here are some gorgeous shots of Michigan. Lovely.

Random Thoughts: Politics Edition

Executive privilige, President Obama? Really? Though Drudge's morphing of Obama with Nixon is a bit much (or is it?. Here's more on his hypocrisy. 

It would be oh so ironic if Pawlenty gets the vice presidential nomination after his botched campaign.  Ironic because if he had stayed in, he never would be in contention. Though if he had stayed in, perhaps he would have beat Romney?

If Marion Barry wasn't so shameless, I could almost get behind the challenge to the streetcar.  And I hope that Catania's firm has been fully vetted. But after all of the investment and infrastructure, and the decrepit state of the X2 bus line, it's ridiculous that he is playing politics.

And is my home state in play? 

Oh yea, it is the summer solstice. Yes, I get sad as sunlight diminishes. Though this is interesting.

Lite Reading

So I broke down and ordered the Fifty Shades trilogy. Yep. I caved. It's horrible writing. and yep it's cliched and yep it's a waste of time. But it's addictive and dreamy and an escape from everything that is causing anxiety and stress. So it's ok to have an escape route every now and then, and it's ok to let your mind wander. A true guilty pleasure, correct?

I'm filling out of sorts. Tired. Needing a real escape, like a week or so on a deserted island with nothing more stressful to decide than what flavor of daiquiri to order. So failing that happening, this is what I get. An hour at Panera with a trashy book and a healthy salad. And it's ok to waste that time to give me some solace.

Weekend Rest

It was nice not to have many plans this weekend. We ate at Big Board on Friday night will Bill and Jen then did some paint homework. And I got my haircut on Saturday, ran errands, cooked, etc. It was nice and quiet and too short. Isn't every weekend too short? I value some quieter times more often, and I am looking forward to finishing this painting project.  God do I hope we get that done in the next couple of weeks. So much to do with all of that.

I also got a couple of decent runs in. It's about to get hot and humid, so no more of these 65 degree mornings for awhile. Boo. But I need to regain my running mojo to keep up with you know who.