Government spending and Saran Wrap

When I was growing up, a conservative was someone who wanted less government regulation and less government spending, especially on social programs, but generally advocated fiscal restraint and a balanced budget if at all possible, as opposed to "tax and spend liberals." But something odd has happened; our most recent Democratic president inherited a huge deficit but turned it into a surplus by the time he left office. Now the current GOP gang has run up another huge deficit and has no plans to actually pay for anything, other than suggesting maybe people should try to conserve fuel a bit. So... if I avoid jackrabbit starts and turn down the thermostat a degree, that'll pay for New Orleans, Iraq and tax cuts? Yeah. As Joan Venocchi pointed out in today's Globe, Bush's philosophy is even worse than tax and spend -- he wants to spend WITHOUT taxing, so we're REALLY going into the fiscal crapper. And don't even get me started on procurement, Halliburton, etc. Gaaaaaagh!

Who cares about all this political junk when you have kids who drill down to your heart faster than an Exxon oil platform in the Gulf? Last week I cut myself rather badly at the base of my thumb, believe it or not, on the serrated edge of a Saran Wrap box. This takes real talent, as many have pointed out to me. Anyway, I must have nicked a nerve because I get a shooting pain when I bump my hand, and poor Becky did this inadvertently the other morning in the kitchen. I involuntarily yelled (inarticulately and not at Becky) and jerked my hand away-- which caused Becky to immediately say "I'm sorry!" and burst into tears. Even though I couldn't have helped it, I felt like the lowest kind of worm and hugged Becky on the floor in my lap for quite a while as I explained it to her. She understood that I wasn't yelling at her but was very sad that she had accidentally caused me pain. This is one of the oddly non-happy times that makes being a parent so worthwhile...