U racks up a win; USA racks up a deficit

As a University of Utah graduate, whose husband and half of her kids went the same route, I was thrilled to see the Utes beat Alabama convincingly in the Sugar Bowl last Saturday. I'm sure you can imagine the glee, elation, and raucous celebration that took place in my family room that night. Sunday afternoon the good times kept on rolling with the in-your-face, U-of-U-bragging-rights tie proudly worn to church and flaunted on the stand by my husband. (Please note: We are numero uno in every way that matters, whether Florida wins or Oklahoma. Just sayin'.)  

So Utah is doing great, and that's the good news. The United States of America, on the other hand, is having a very bad run...and it seems like the situation is going to get a lot worse before it gets any better. Hearing President-elect Obama mention yesterday that the deficit is on track to hit a trillion dollars in no time at all was a bit of a downer, to say the least. His follow-up comment that "potentially we've got trillion-dollar deficits for years to come" struck me as very bad news indeed. (But maybe I'm just an old sourpuss.) 

I confess that on September 30, 2008, the end of our last fiscal year, I was shocked to learn that the federal deficit was approximately $455 billion. But hey, that was nothin', kids, because now Obama is urging Congress to approve a $775 billion stimulus plan! How's that for deficit enhancement? Apparently it's the President-elect's feeling that this heavy spending is necessary to spur the economy. (It's my feeling that I'm gonna lose my lunch, dinner, and tomorrow's breakfast.) I mean, this takes heavy spending to a whole new level!! 

All I can say is I hope he knows what he's doing...or that his advisors know what they're doing...or that somebody in Washington DC somewhere has some kind of plan for getting this country back on its feet again (a viable plan by someone with the authority to back it up would be good).

It's like we just got a new pitcher for the last game of the World Series, and we're all crossing our fingers that he's another Nolan Ryan but we've never even seen him play. I'm on the edge of my seat about this thing.

So, here's the deal. No one will be happier than I if Obama turns out to be a major asset to the "team"...a real hurler that clocks over 90 mph...with a knuckleball AND a slider. I even hope he has a screwjie, as long as he doesn't throw it at his fellow Americans.