As you might have gathered in reading the newspapers or listening to the TV, or following the many blogs where the news seems slightly more reliable, depending, of course, on which blog you read. that the country is going to hell, rather quickly unfortunately.

Well, I have decided to do something about it:

I am going to take a vacation on Catalina’s Vineyard Island. (Formerly known as Catalina Island – off the coast of So. California)

I will not be out of touch with developments because I am taking my whole staff with me. I have a beautiful room lined up in a one-star motel overlooking the Miniature Golf course. Not to worry, however, I am taking my iPhone, iPad and laptop computer with me while I am on the links. My caddy has been vetted by the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, BAFT and DHS (and Mrs. eGrumps) so that shouldn’t be a problem. When they found out he was not here legally, but had not committed a serious crime while here, he passed with flying colors. They even gave him a temporary green card and made him promise to marry a citizen so he could qualify for immediate citizenship and voting rights.

The vetting process took about 15 minutes since everyone was having coffee at Starbucks, but once they realized the importance of the task they were asked to do, they finished their first cup, refused seconds and went to work. Mrs. eGrumps and I are very pleased with the efficiency that they acted to make sure I was safe on the links and that the top secret information I was receiving through Facebook would remain secure.

While there I intend to review the action taken by the Department of Homeland Security, taken in Washington, where 300,000 +/- people who were slated for deportation would not be slated for deportation. Except, for hardened criminals, the rest could stay. As “he” said, we don’t want to deport college kids and maids. No mention was made of maids who had committed serious crimes. Well, I think that might be a good policy if Congress had passed such a law, but, of course, they hadn’t. So — small detail. Me, I would expand those entitled to stay to include gardeners, busboys, parking lot attendants and lettuce and tomato pickers. If maids can stay, why not the rest. No sense in making them go to college – or was that the DREAM act which also did not pass Congress. I intend to review this whole situation at the 19th hole, if I’m not too tired.

I also intend to review the actions of the Environmental Protection Agency in promulgating rules to reduce carbon dioxide which will shut down about 35% of the coal fired plants in the United States. Rolling blackouts will, by every one’s projections, follow. I am aware that a full 3%, maybe 4%, of the carbon dioxide in the air comes from human emissions. If we have another volcanic eruption, that percentage will decline. I intend to talk to the caddy about this – hope he speaks English. Of course, if Congress had made carbon dioxide emissions subject to the EPA, it might have been more acceptable to the caddy.

I also intend to issue a Procamation congratulating GM in not honoring any warranty work on warranties issued before they went through bankruptcy and received their government “loan.” I want to make sure they are commended in doing their best to hold down the government deficit by keeping GM fiscally solvent so they can repay their loan before 2049. Patriotism must be recognized.
I’m really tired thinking about this before I leave for my vacation, but I must keep going. America needs a fully rested eGrumps so it can face the challenges ahead.

I had intended to think about the operation Fast and Furious matter, or Operation Gunrunner as it was called, when I was gone, but since the BATF promoted the people who were in charge, there was no sense in going into that. Besides, since I am sure that none of the AK-47s that were sold to the drug cartels will find their way to Catalina, it really isn’t my problem.

I’ve been thinking about contemplating the rule the NLRB is working on concerning so-called “ambush” elections and their failure to allow Boeing to move to South Carolina, but enough is enough.

I’ve been scouring the Catalina telephone book looking for McDonald’s so Mrs. eGrumps and I, not too mention the 100+ members of my staff can eat a healthy breakfast. I hope they will take my credit card, unless it has maxed out again. I didn’t really ask for this aggravation, but it’s a tough job, and someone has to do it, and the buck stops here, or at least stops with Mrs. eGrumps. She can handle the pressure. She has put up with me for 61+ years.

There is at least one other matter that I want to consider while I am away. I have asked my staff to come up with a way to change the state boundary lines so that we can have more Democratic leaning states and fewer Republican leaning states. Gerrymandering works on the state level to determine congressional seats, so why can’t it work on the federal level to determine the political make-up of the Senators? I truly believe the Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers, (once known as The Mamas and The Papas) not to mention the Founding Kidlets, would have intended this if they knew how many red leaning states there are.

I’m getting a headache with all these future plans to consider while I am on my vacation. The way things are going, I really think Congress should lake a longer vacation.

I want a new era of civility and politeness to enter the political debate. I think the standard has been set by Rep. Maxine Waters who said “the tea party can go straight to hell.” Thank you Maxine, for setting a clear baseline on civility that we can all follow.

That’s about it for now – I’ve got to pack and head to Air Force 329 (employing the latest in glider technology to reduce pollutants) so I can leave.

Question of the day: Why should I have to press “1″ for English?

2nd Question of the day: Why do technical support people (generally speaking) in foreign countries not speak English loudly and clearly?

3rd Question of the day: Why do technical support people (generally speaking) in foreign countries almost always have to go to their supervisors to  answer anything but the most simple  questions? Why don’t they connect us to the supervisors in the first place.?

4th Question of the day: Whose time is more valuable – the foreign tech. support people or mine? (Don’t answer that)

Most Important Question of the Day: How many technical support people in foreign countries does it take to answer your question? (Damned if I know – I don’t understand their answer anyhow, so I could be talking to the same person, each time using a slightly different accent). Statistics, however,  show the following:

1: The American operator who first answers the call and transfrers you to the foreign operator.

2. The foreign operator who asks who you want to speak to.

3. Assuming you don’t know the name of the person, then you get a new foreign operator who asks you the name, product number and serial number of the item in question.

4. The foreign operator who tells you where the serial number is located, and then puts you on hold while you crawl on the floor to find the damn number.

5. The new foreign operator who picks up the phone after you are disconnected while on hold by the first operator while you searched for the damn number.

6. The three new operators who repeat the questions in “2″ “3″ and “4″

7. The techical support person who asks you the same information you gave twice before about product name, etc. Now, however, he wants your name, address, last four digits of your SSN, driver’s license number, credit card number, date of purchase of the product, where you bought it, the invoice number and the date of registration. Sometimes you are asked for your Mother’s maiden name, but not always. (If they don’t ask, give it to them anyhow, it’ll save time in the long run).

8. The foreign librarian who looks up the answer in the manual so that the person in “7″ can answer the question.

9. The supervisor who tells the librarian she pulled the wrong spec sheet and sends her back to the tech. support person – who now talks to you in the dialect of Southwest Lower Slabovia giving you the correct answer, maybe, from the new spec sheet.

You add them up, I don’t have that many fingers, and besides my computer calculator doesn’t work, which is why I called in the first place.

Having successfully dealt with the accusations against former VP Gore, the Portland PD announced that the procedure employed with Mr. Gore will become Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for persons accused of crimes.

In investigating the guilt or innocence of the ex-VP, he was allowed to answer 14 written questions that were furnished to him to be answered at his leisure at home (or his lawyer’s office) some time prior to their decision not to prosecute. His attorneys, and anyone else for that matter, were allowed to help him with his answers.

The Portland PD announced that was so successful, from now on anyone accused of a crime would be questioned in the same manner. They considered two sets of questions, following the good cop bad cop interrogation proceedure, but it was deemed impractical.

The spokesperson announced that this would cut down on the number of policemen employed in Portland and certainly reduce the jail population. In the future – all personnel would be supplied with written questions to be given to the suspect to answer. Miranda rights would be typed at the top of the form. For those citizens of Portland who, having graduated from High School in Portland, could not read or write, special assistants would be furnished. For those good citizens of Portland who spoke only a foreign language, translators would be furnished. The Police would not be allowed to ask the immigration status of the non-English speaking suspects.

The Mayor’s office proudly announced that this was the most humane and forward looking police procedure ever adopted and he looked forward to great success in reducing the crime rate in Portland.

The national “I-Got-A-Bridge I Want to Sell You”  Award for 2010 (so far) has been awarded to President Obama, ex-President Bill Clinton, Rahm Emanual and the rest of the senior White House Staff (excluding chefs.) The Award goes, each year to those who put out the most gullible news story, which, asks the public to believe it is true. In effect, the award goes to those who say “if you believe this story, I have a bridge I want to sell you.”

In a news conference on Thursday, May 27, President Obama stated that the “offical” story would be released on May 28th as to the offer to Rep. Sestak to withdraw from the Democratic Senatorial Primary against Sen. Specter. The Official story is that Emanual contacted Clinton who contacted Sestak and offered him a job as an unpaid  member of a Presidential Advisory Panel if he would not pursue his Senatorial dreams by running against good old Arlen S. Of course, Sestak, I think, was inelligible for the job since he already was on the federal payroll as a Representative, and the job didn’t pay any money anyhow, but that’s a small detail. In any event, it hardly seems credible that such would be offered to induce someone to withdraw from a Senate race.

No one thought to ask the President on May 27th what the unofficial story was, but again a small detail.

One can only speculate as to why it took the White House so long to respond with an official story, but that’s another  small detail, but I digress.

eGrumps confesses he does not know the truth of the story, but frankly, it does not pass the smell test. Actually, in eGrumps humble official opinion, the White House  official version is not credible.  So – the award of the I Got a Bridge I Want to Sell You for 2010 (so far) goes to the above mentioned recipients on the very logical theory, that if you believe that story, I’ve got a bridge I want to sell you – cheap.

But, hard as it is to believe, eGrumps could be wrong.

Reacting strongly to criticism for not visiting the oil spill, and related environs, the Office of the President issued the following press release:

“The President is deeply upset about the storm of unpatriotic and seditious criticism that has been released against him for not visiting the oil spill sooner. He wanted the public to know that he has been very busy with affairs of state, and decided to stay in D.C. However, he has decided to book rooms in Hilton Head, South Carolina, at the leading golf resort on the East Coast, to observe the oil spill first hand.

That way he will be able to observe the oil spill while it works its way North, while at the same time he will be able to polish his golf game. He can thus combine business with pleasure. His spokesman issued the following statement: ‘Once you have seen one oil spill, you have seem them all. The crisis has been severlly exaggerated and the President feels his observation of the spill from the golf course will be just as good as if he had flown down there immediately after the oil rig collapsed. He is mindful of his responsibilities, one of which is to keep his physical and mental health strong, by playing golf on a regular basis while at the same time fulfilling his responsibility by observing the spill in great detail from the comfort of a golf cart, which has already been reserved for him. He also felt, the spokesman went on to say, that by hiring a caddy, he would be doing his part to reduce the unemployment rate in the US.’ “

Reacting to harsh criticism the Governor of Arizona has announced a policy designed to prevent any hint of racial profiling:

The spokesperson announced: “For those illegal immigrants who may temporarily be visiting the great State of Arizona, and who are afraid they may be called upon to prove their legal right to continue their stay in Arizona – in order to prevent racial profiling they should take the following step to protect their civil rights:

GO HOME!

That course of action will spare them any embarrassment and protect their privacy. If they go home, their civil rights problem in Arizona will be solved.

Printed cards will be distributed, in English and Spanish, so that this advice will not be forgotten.

A simple solution to a difficult problem:

GO HOME!

American citizens will be given a free copy of their birth certificates which they are encouraged to carry in their wallets.

Illegals spare us a lot of trouble and expense, please:

Go Home”

When President Obama,  Attorney General Holder, Home Security Czar Janet N. were asked about the new policy, all said they had not read it, but it sounded illegal to them and unconstitutional unless a comprehensive solution to the “problem” could be made.  All said they preferred amnesty since it seemed the more humane course, and, of course,  that way, the illegals could all be made wards of the state and allowed to vote in America’s elections.

Expressing great concern over the law enacted by Arizona regarding illegal aliens (aka undocumented workers), a spokesperson for the Governor of the Great Insolvent State of California announced that California was erecting a fence between Arizona and California to prevent those targeted by the Arizona law from fleeing to California.

Stating that the federal government could not, or would not, act to prevent this anticipated invasion of California from those fleeing the tyranny of Arizona. “Let them go to Las Vegas,” the Governor’s spokesperson said.  ”They have plenty of employment opportunities for those willing to roll the dice, so to speak, on the economic climate of Nevada.”

“Our facilities are severely taxed now. It has gotten so bad in the Emergency Rooms of our hospitals, and our schools, and our welfare departments, that our own illegal immigrants are being denied certain basic rights. There simply is no more room or money to finance the basic needs of our own California illegal immigrants, yet alone Arizona illegal immigrants. We are not going to take this any longer. If the federal government will not act, we will,” he stated.

“Our fence, between Arizona and California, will be a civic project of which  all true Californians will be proud” he stated “We have hired the best fence-builders and fence decorators in the world.”

No word has come from Washington D. C., except for a brief announcement from the Dept. of Homeland Security that the Administration was appointing a Wall Czar so that all internal fences in the U.S. could be coordinated with common aesthetic features. Preliminary plans show that all guard towers will be concealed, but they will be acceptable to the Administration provided that at least 100 feet separate each guard tower. The new Wall Czar has stated: “We are proud of all Californians and their ability to face, and solve, an internal problem, in a civilized manner, without bloodshed – at least so far.”

The Administration has announced a new Immigration Policy which should solve, once and for all, the problem of illegal immigration -

By Executive Order, henceforth all illegal immigrants will be required to either be married, or get married within six months after they cross the Rio Grande, or wherever they are entering. All males must be accompanioed by their wives, or someone else’s wife – small detail – AND, here’s the important part. all females must give birth to a child within one year of their arrival, or their husband’s arrival, or their significant other’s arrival. The law is still being written, and Congress will know what they have passed within a reasonable time after passage.

These little heirs of the illegal’s, by virtue of being born in America, will under out Constitution and the foresight of the Founding Fathers (and Mothers) be American citizens. Now, so will their parents. Their families can remain united in a free country.The new law will provide two things to remove the stigma of illegal entry:

1: Since the children will be citizens, ALL parents of a child, who have entered the country illegally, (the parent, not the child) will automatically become American citizens upon paying a citizenship fee of $2.50 AND signing an irrevocable voter registration card for the Democratic party. An ability to read and write English will be helpful, but not an actual requirement since it would violate the American principles against racial profiling, and

2: All such children, and their parents will automatically be granted the right to vote, no matter what their age. Children, however,  must be either over the age of five, or toilet trained, whichever comes first in order to vote. The Administration was unwilling to take a chance on dirty diapers in the polling booths of America. Since their may be an inability of such children to vote because they may be unable to physically fill out the ballot, any precinct worker will be empowered to actually fill out the ballot, depending on the wishes of the child. If the child cannot clearly express such wishes, the precinct worker can infer his wishes based upon the irrevocable voter registration card filled out by his parent (see #1 above).

“We have finally solved the illegal immigration problem, amnesty and citizenship for the immigrants.” the Administration spokesman said. “No more divisive fights. It is a win-win solution for America. Americans, fair minded citizens all, should rejoice in this simple solution  which has evaded so many politicians for so long. The Country is secure once again, governed by the rule of law, which has made America such a great country, a haven for the poor of the world. George Washington would be proud.”

The Obama Administration has issued new guidelines for Bills to be submitted to Congress.

1. No Bill will be less than 1,500 pages, single spaced.

2. All Bills will be submitted to Congress no earlier than three days before the vote.

3. All Bills will contain at least one section that the Republicans will be unable to accept and the public will not understand why they are unable to accept it.

4. All bills will be surported by all Democrats who will take the position that any opposition will lead to inevitable violence. Strong opposition will be consider sedetion, or even treason. Some bills will contain a preamble that states that the purpose of the Law is to satisfy all good American citizens and to prevent a recurrence of the Oklahoma City bombing by disgruntled individuals.

5. All bills will establish a commission to regulate the Tea Party Movement, requiring weekly rosters on members, financial statements, fingerprints and compulsary DNA testing.

6.  All Bills will contain an appropriation for Community Organizing Groups., particularly ACORN, or its successors. No audit would be required for the funds received.

The Administration Spokesperson stated that the length of the bill was vital. It was felt no human being could read 1500 or more pages in the three days before the vote, thus leaving all Congress people in the dark as to what they were voting on. This would enable the Administration to set up numerous separate departments, all of whom would employ out-of-work citizens, whose jobs would depend on the fact that if the Republicans take control of either the Senate or the House, they would lose their jobs if the Law was repealed.

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