The morning after

A Facebook friend who lives in Wisconsin posted this morning that he went to bed in a blue state and woke up in a red one – something that usually only happens to him when he travels. I'm grateful this morning that West Virginia has remained blue in the Senate. We only have three Congressional representatives, though, and two of them are now Republicans.

I'm grateful that my Congressman is the lone Democrat left representing West Virginia. My county elected him and our new moderate-Democrat Senator by about a 2-to-1 margin. But I'm disappointed that so many voters stayed home, not just here in West Virginia but throughout the country. I'm astonished that voters are disappointed in President Obama after less than two years in office, trying to untangle the twisted mess he inherited from his predecessor.

My hot-button issue is health care, a tepid law which Republicans and Tea Party candidates across the land have vowed to repeal. According to this blog, that's not likely to happen. But it's also not likely that the current law will be improved.


I voted for President Bush the second time, and my reasoning – flawed as it was – was because I thought he should clean up after himself. Well, a Republican majority in the House of Representatives has the opportunity to do that now. I hold slim hopes that they will. Their puffy speeches last night about reducing the deficit and creating jobs and "fixing" the economy are all talk and no action. I don't expect much of anything in the way of progress in the next two years. But I'm not going to say it can't be done. If they truly want what's best for the country, here's their chance to prove it.

Aren't you glad the election is over? You won't have to listen to my political drivel for another couple of years.

I walked 4.08 miles in 71 minutes yesterday morning. A little bit of jogging was involved in the fourth mile, and I felt pretty good for the entire walk. My weight stayed the same this week, which was disappointing after logging nearly 25 miles for the week. I'll just hope for a good loss next week. No travel plans, I'll be in charge of the kitchen, maybe that will tip the scales. So to speak.