Voting Glitches

November 4th, 2008

Many precincts all over the United States are reporting problems at polling places. Didn’t we learn anything with the hanging chad situation that cost Al Gore the Presidency, and ultimately the many lives lost in Iraq?

 I go to the ATM way to often. Occasionally I get to the gas pump (I don’t own a car) with my moped and motorcycle and use a credit card. I pay all my bills online. I file my taxes online. I’ve never caught a mistake. Why the hell can’t we vote online? I’m sure there are folks at American Idol that think we could even text it. This would ease the burden on the process and save us all a hell of a lot of money. Who set up the IRS payment website? Let them do it. Enough of this.

Mark Ida

Matson Fuel Surcharge

November 3rd, 2008

Kudos to Matson for lowering the fuel surcharge rate so quickly, and to Horizon for following suit. I don’t personally use their services, but I know most everything I buy gets here by ship and have confidence this savings will be passed on to me. The airlines blamed fuel costs for all the new wacky charges they have recently imposed. Something tells me not to hold my breath for them to rescind these outrageous added fees. Mahalo again to Matson and Horizon!

Mark Ida

Election Eve 2008

November 3rd, 2008

There are lines all over America filled with people waiting to vote. I can not recall a time when this has happened. This is the first year that “early voting” has become so popular and it’s been going on for days now. I’ve known about absentee ballots, but not early voting.

Now what makes this election so different? Hmmmm? Do Republicans really think the lines are for McCain? If you listen to them on the airwaves this the eve of the election, they are going to surprise Obama. If they do, we should all kill ourselves, I may.

Mark Ida

Aloha, Toots

November 3rd, 2008


So sad that a day before Barack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States, his beloved Grandma he called Toots passed away. All of us wonder, now she’ll never know. Trust me, she knew. If she didn’t get that from watching TV, I’m sure Barack kneeled at her bed and said, “Grandma, I’m going to be President. Thank you so much for all the love and support you gave me. Soon the world will be a different place, and you will be in my heart always.”

I wondered about this situation. There is no way in hell I would ever be the President, win an Academy Award or anything else of great significance. I could be the Mayor of Honolulu, be awarded Businessman of the Year, or perhaps a porn award for best director, those are all possible but not on the near horizon. So I asked my Mom if any of those things happened, and I threw in whom I eventually married and having kids, would she feel shortchanged. She said, “No, it’s no biggie. I already no you could do all those things.”

What I come away with is that it is most heartbreaking for those left behind. Perhaps then the sadness we feel is self-indulgent. I’m starting my first film, any ladies want to get naked?

Mark Ida

No Vote, No Grumble!

November 2nd, 2008

We have all heard this one. I think there is some truth to that, but would take it further. One shouldn’t vote, just because they can. If they don’t know the issues they should stay out. I wouldn’t even say just leave what you don’t know blank, because sometimes that is an automatic no vote.

There are only two days left to go until Barack Obama becomes President of the United States of America. Can you believe that many people are undecided? Are you fricken kidding me? It’s like finally deciding on which entree to order while your friends at the table have all finished dessert.  Just sit out if you are undecided at this late juncture.

Mark Ida

 

 

Presidential Experience

October 18th, 2008

The major knock on Barack Obama is his lack of experience. What kind of experience would qualify? Many years ago my friend Randy Nakagawa made a great point that Governors more than Senators make better candidates for President. He reasoned that Governors are executives and thus shot callers, whereas Senators rule by committee. This made sense and I bought into this.

 I’m putting my faith in Obama regardless of this. I think there are just born leaders and he is one of them. The JFK of my time.

How is anyone qualified for anything? Teacher to principal, reporter to legislator, pageant queen to weather girl (this is Hawaii, so the last two are ok), actor to President, daughter to mother? Some times we just have to take a calculated chance.

 In the argument of experience, isn’t the only person that is truly qualified, one who has already served a four-year term. Maybe that’s why we gave Bush another four. He was “experienced”.

Mark Ida

McCain Smear Tactics

October 7th, 2008

The only apparent talent Sara Palin has is wisecracking. Do her supporters really think that her style will win over our allies or have a prayer with our enemies around the globe? Can you see her sitting across from Vladimir Putin? Would Putin be carefully listening to her concerns or would he be thinking, “Hey, she kinda looks like a stripper!”

 When they should be telling us how they are going to get us out if this grave financial crisis, the McCain/Palin ticket is resorting to character association smear tactics. During her debate with Biden, Palin said she didn’t want to talk about the past, only the future. So much for that.

 This is all an act of desperation. I remember McCain swearing he would make his campaign about issues not personal attacks. So much for that.

 If they keep it up, will someone call Maya Soetero-Ng and tell her to tell her brother to play the adultery card. All the accusations of Obama’s relationships take an incredible amount of imagination. Was eight-year-old Barack helping William Avery wire up bombs to blow up Federal targets? Was Barack crafting offensive sermons late into the night with Reverend Wright? But there is absolutely no need for imagination to see that John McCain’s current marriage to Cindy McCain is a product of good old American adultery. What is most unsavory about his story is that while faithfully waiting for her husband during his imprisonment in Vietnam, Carol McCain was in a serious car crash. She was ejected out the front windshield and suffered severe injuries. She didn’t allow news of her accident to reach her husband’s ears while he was imprisoned. When McCain finally came home, he reunited with his wife, a former model, only to find that she was now 4 inches shorter, on crutches and quite a bit heavier. Just a few years later here in romantic Hawaii, the married John McCain fell head over heels in love with Cindy McCain. He then divorced his wife Carol and a month later married Cindy.

 If a man’s own wife can’t trust him, how can all the people of the greatest nation on earth trust him? What I find most curious about this, is that all the bible thumpers seem to overlook this very important, relevant trust issue. Thou shall not…..?

 If this race is close and the vote from women could make or break, it is time to unleash the truth. Last I checked, women aren’t very fond of adulterers.

 And if any thing more is needed, the Obama camp can always point out that Cindy McCain was a narcotic addict and stoled her drugs from a non-profit charity. The DEA was involved and she faced a twenty-year prison sentence.

 Mark

Clay Aiken is Gay?

September 25th, 2008

Whoa, that is a total shocker. Even more shocking……Ruben Studdard just announced he is black!

MIA

September 20th, 2008

So much has happened since my last post in February. Where have I been? Since I’ve returned to Honolulu it seems like all I do is manage one crisis after another. This is not what I had originally planned for. But then when can I look back in my life and see a time where it was crisis free. Uh, never.

I’m sure that goes for all of us. What to do? There is always a high just around the corner that erases what ever pain in the ass I had. I’ll not only let you know when that high comes around but I’ll also let you know just what the hell I was up to these last few months in future posts.

 Mark Ida

 

Was That Tina Fey?

August 29th, 2008

 

Whoa, that was crazy. Did McCain just pick this Governor from Alaska as his VP? She is a wisecracker, I thought she was Tina Fey when she first came out. She is so not a statesman. They just sealed their fate, Obama wins!

Mark Ida