Degree of Madness

Derrick Thomas elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

Good news today:

Linebacker Derrick Thomas, the ferocious pass rusher and cornerstone of the Chiefs’ teams of the 1990s, was elected today to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Thomas, who played during 1989-99 and died from injuries sustained in a January 2000 auto accident, was elected in his fifth year of eligibility.

Thomas, an All-American from the University of Alabama was the fourth overall pick of the 1989 draft.  Joe Posnanski, writing for the Kansas City Star yesterday made the case for Thomas:

Well, here we go again: Writing once more why Derrick Thomas should be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s hard to write this column year after year because Derrick Thomas’ Hall of Fame credentials seem so blindingly obvious to me. It should have happened his first year of eligibility. It should have been open-and-shut.

But it wasn’t open-and-shut. Last year, for the third straight year, Thomas was a finalist but did not get into the Hall of Fame...

He made it this year.

Derrick Thomas was not perfect but I will leave his shortcomings for someone else to write about.  He was much more than an outstanding football player.  Former Missouri Senator John Ashcroft, speaking on the Senate floor in February, 2000:

“Yesterday, the Kansas City Chiefs' great linebacker, Derrick Thomas, died of cardiorespiratory arrest, a complication from a tragic automobile accident of January 23. The accident occurred on a snow and ice-covered stretch of Interstate 435 in Clay County, MO, as Derrick and two of his friends were headed to the airport to fly to St. Louis for the NFC championship game between St. Louis Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To Derrick's many loyal fans, the news of his death is stunning and saddening -- profoundly saddening.

“The life of Derrick Thomas, who lived but 33 years, should be celebrated. His accomplishments on the field and off the field were substantial. An All-American at the University of Alabama, he became an instant star with the Kansas City Chiefs after his selection in the first round of the 1989 draft. He was named as an All-Pro in each of his first nine seasons in the league. Derrick ranked ninth on the all-time list in career quarterback sacks.

“Chiefs fans will never forget the day in 1990 when No. 58 set the amazing single-game record of seven sacks in a game against the Seattle Seahawks on Veterans Day. What some people don’t know is that Derrick dedicated his efforts on Veterans Day to his father, an Air Force pilot killed in Vietnam in Operation Linebacker II when Derrick was just five.

...

“Derrick will, no doubt, enter the pantheon of Kansas City’s great athletes -- George Brett, Tom Watson, and Len Dawson, just to name a few. But Derrick's accomplishments off the field are worthy of note as well. He was that kind of special star who took all that he gained from his talents and gave back with generosity, energy, and joy to his community. Very early in his career as a Kansas City Chief, he began an inner-city reading program called the ‘Third and Long Foundation.’ As part of it, he read to children at local libraries on Saturdays when he was home in Kansas City during the season.

Thousand points of light:

“He was No. 832 among President George Bush's celebrated ‘Thousand Points of Light.’ He was named the NFL’s Man of the Year in 1993. Two years later, he received the Byron “Whizzer” White Humanitarian Award from the NFL Players Association for his service to the community. In addition, he received the Genuine Heroes Award from Trinity College in Chicago.

...

“From time to time, we are compelled to pause and consider the real and lasting value of the things we hold dear. For Missouri football fans like me, today is a reminder that, as much as we love the game, it is just a game.

“To those to whom we look for examples, we extend our thanks, and we give our thanks to Derrick, for he was one who excelled not just on the field but inspired us by an example and called us to our highest and best.

“Friends such as Derrick Thomas are a rare and special gift to each of us. We will miss him. Our prayers are with his family his friends and each other as we, his fans, across the Nation and certainly across Missouri and Kansas City are saddened by this very substantial loss.”

Congratulations, Derrick. 

The Fair Tax is The Solution

Another day, another politician with tax problems.  Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader and Barack Obama's pick to be the new Secretary of Health and Human Services is the latest:

ABC News has learned that the nomination of former Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to be President Obama's secretary of health and human services has hit a traffic snarl on its way through the Senate Finance Committee.

The controversy deals with a car and driver lent to Daschle by a wealthy Democratic friend -- a chauffeur service the former senator used for years without declaring it on his taxes.

There's more:

ABC News has obtained the Senate Finance Committee Report on Tom Daschle's nomination to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which indicates that Daschle's tax problems were even more substantial than earlier reported.

The report indicates that Daschle's failure to pay more than $101,000 taxes on the car and driver a wealthy friend let him use from 2005 through 2007 is not the only tax issue the former Senate Majority Leader has been dealing with since his December nomination prompted a more thorough examination of his income tax returns.

Mr. Daschle also didn't report $83,333 in consulting income in 2007.

Daschle "deeply regrets" his mistake.  I know the feeling. 

New York Democrat Charles Rangel also had a few problems with the tangled tax code.  And Obama's pick for Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, Turbo-taxed his way into a tax mess as well.  Will another "tax cheat" sail through confirmation? 

I suppose some would call me a tax cheat.  I prefer the term "tax procrastinator".  On top of the thousands of dollars I send Uncle Sam and his nephew in Alabama every year, I still owe more.  And I pay more.  I do not attempt to avoid interest and penalties, I just suck it up, no excuses.

I hate the IRS and the tax code with a passion.  Ten or so years ago I took the Enrolled Agent exam. It was (still is) given in three parts, all three of which I passed the first time.  I never became an EA because by the time I got through the exam my hatred for the tax code, which was already pretty strong, went off the charts.  The exam covered individual and corporate taxes and if you are not convinced our tax code is a convoluted, complicated, confounding mess, just sign up to take it yourself.  I weep at the number of trees that had to die so I could study for it. 

There is a solution and if Congress would put it on the front-burner and seriously consider it Daschle, Rangel, Geithner and millions of other Americans would no longer have anything to "deeply regret" when it comes to doing their patriotic duty.  That solution is the Fair Tax. 

I believe one of the reasons our Senators and Representatives are so willing to forgive is the fear that one day they might discover they have erred in reporting and paying taxes.  It's not that hard to do.  While it seems improbable Geithner, Rangel and Dashcle did not know they owed taxes, there are no doubt  millions of "honest tax cheaters", politicians and ordinary Americans, who have made mistakes on their tax returns.  Congress blindly passes tax bills year after year, adding more forms, more lines, more convoluted calculations, without regard to the burden it places on taxpayers.  IRS agents, supposedly highly trained can't even keep up with the changes.  I dare say politicians who vote on these bills have no earthly idea what in the hell they are doing.  And pure Hell is the best way to describe what many of us go through just to survive April 15. 

Make April 15th just another day. 

Gitmo prisoners. Murtha says he'll take 'em.

I don't get it.  What is the difference between a prison in the United States and one in Cuba?  Why are liberals so determined to close Gitmo just to move the prisoners here?  A prison is a prison.  Why must they be moved here?  By all accounts Gitmo is pretty fine, for a prison.  I doubt the ones here are any better, most are probably much worse. 

At any rate, Gitmo must be closed and thankfully we have a place for the soon to be displaced prisoners. John Murtha says his district would be a great place for them.  I say, Hell yes. Just keep them out of Alabama, if you don't mind.  We've got enough problems already.

Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., says he'd be willing to house prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in his congressional district if President Obama makes good on a plan to close the U.S. prison there. 

President Barack Obama has said he will shut down Gitmo within the year.  Sounds like a plan.  Send them all to Murtha's district.  Folks there seem to love Murtha, they keep electing him, so I'm sure they'll be pleased with his plan.

"Sure, I'd take 'em," said Murtha, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war. "They're no more dangerous in my district than in Guantanamo." 

You can have 'em.

Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean granted early release

President Bush commutes sentences of Ramos and Campean:

In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush on Monday granted early prison releases to two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer fueled the national debate over illegal immigration.

This is not the pardon so many had hoped for but Ramos and Compean will get out of jail and that's great news.  They will be released March 20.

Finally.

Farewell Mr. President

For the last time:

Fellow citizens: For eight years, it has been my honor to serve as your President. The first decade of this new century has been a period of consequence – a time set apart. Tonight, with a thankful heart, I have asked for a final opportunity to share some thoughts on the journey we have traveled together and the future of our Nation.

That journey was filled with peril for our country.  President Bush stood up to the threats we faced and never wavered.  He showed strength and courage, yet so many vilified him.

As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11. But I never did. Every morning, I received a briefing on the threats to our Nation. And I vowed to do everything in my power to keep us safe.

Through all the bitter opposition he faced, he stood strong for the American people.  And he did keep us safe.  He endured with dignity and grace eight years of near-constant Bush bashing.  Bush Derangement Syndrome is real and it is vicious.  More from the President's speech:

Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks. There are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right. You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made. But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions.

There are many tonight who do agree.  And say Thank You.

Gateway Pundit:  He Liberated Millions...He Kept Us Safe

The Anchoress:  Thank you, President Bush

Lorie Byrd:  Farewell

Conservatism With Heart:  Bush Thank-a-thon Continues

Lisa Fabrizio:  George W. Bush, Winner

To change the subject a bit.  From a developing story at Drudge, did Barack Obama skip the speech?:

At 8 pm, just as pres bush began his farewell speech peotus obama left blair house for the 30 second drive to equinox restaurant on connecticut and I st.

(via Kim Priestap on Twitter)

A State of Emergency Declared for Lincoln's Obama's Inauguration

The most expensive inauguration in history:

President Barack Obama's inauguration next week is set to be the most expensive ever, predicted to reach over $150m (£102m). This dwarfs the $42.3m spent on George Bush's inauguration in 2005 and the $33m spent on Bill Clinton's in 1993.

Part of the spending includes emergency funding announced by the White House on Tuesday to help with the soaring costs. Most of this new federal funding will be to deal with the huge influx of people, estimated 1.5 million to 2 million.

A White House statement said that President Bush "declared an emergency exists in the District of Columbia".

Barack Obama and Joe Biden will be riding the train into Washington, just as Abraham Lincoln did.  Lincoln's favorite foods will be served at a luncheon after the swearing-in ceremony:

Obama's jampacked Abe-apalooza moved into high gear with an announcement from the Congressional Inaugural Committee that it will hold a luncheon next Tuesday following the swearing-in ceremony that's modeled after foods Lincoln enjoyed.

Seafood stew served in puff pastry, root vegetables and pheasant. Nothing says "New Birth of Freedom" like puff pastry and root vegetables.  And port-a-potties.

And $150 Million.

U-verse install

I finally got my Internet and phone service working, a simple transfer that took three weeks!  And now I'm about to change it all.  Well my Internet at least.  I'm having AT&T's U-verse installed today and, much to my dismay, I just found out they will be changing my DSL as well.  I'm already on AT&T and did not know that would be affected.  I'm a little nervous.  If it goes as planned (considering not much has lately I'm not optimistic) I will have faster Internet, better TV choices, and a much lower monthly bill.  I sure wish someone at AT&T would have told me about U-verse when I requested the service change, I found out about it during one of my many calls to find out why my phone wasn't working. 

The "inside" guy is here, waiting for the "outside" guy who will disconnect me for a bit.  The "inside" guy assures me all will be well when they are finished.