More From Mark

I don’t make it to the gym as often as I should, in fact I had a chance to go today and instead decided to watch reruns of The Wire.  But when I make it there one thing is certain, I won’t be able to find a treadmill or bike that’s open for the next few months.  The reason? New Years resolutions!  Gyms will be packed with people promising themselves they will get in shape.

Is it a little bit of a pain? Yes.  Will I have to worry about it long? Certainly not.  Because just as resolutions are a reliable annual event, they never last long.  By late February I will have the free weigths all to myself again.

I’m not judging, mind you.  My resolutions are always cheap and never last long.  Every year I find myself using a cop-out resolution like ‘I’m going to eat less peanut butter’, but it’s not long before I’m on my third PB & J day in a row.

So this year I resolve to pick resolutions I can follow.  My list for 2010:

-I will refrain from using any ‘Top 10′ lists this year.  Maybe just a Top 5 or two.

-I will make myself follow important political events even if it’s frustrating (so…)

-I will try not to roll my eyes when talking about politics.

-I will eat less peanut butter (one year it has to be true).

-I will update this blog more often, twitter too.

-I will refer to reality shows on MTV as ‘that trash on TV’… but I might still watch a little.

-I will not use the ‘working hard? hardly working’ joke (that’s going to be a tough one).

-I will encourage dog owners not to say ‘you smell my dog on me don’t you?’ when meeting another dog.

-I will volunteer more of my time

-I will call my mom more often just to check in, my dad too.

-I will get better at tossing popcorn in the air and catching it in my mouth.

-I will give to those in need because it’s the right thing to do.

-And finally, I will make fun of the Packers when they are eliminated from the playoffs.

I know, that last one doesn’t sit well with some of you, but it’s going to be a lot more fun than the popcorn thing.

So, there’s the list.  If you want to check back to see if I’m following through, you probably only have to wait until March.

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I’m a little tired today, I have to say.  I was up until 2 a.m. this morning watching a crucial Senate vote on health care reform.  I tweeted about it, you can find it @nc8mark.  It might be a little excessive to stay up that late for a cloture vote, and l maybe a little nerdy to Tweet about it, but I’m just trying to keep tabs on things.

There have been very few times in our history that it has been this important to keep tabs on our elected officials.  This health care bill can make or break our nation.  It can either fundamentally change the way we treat the sick in our country, or it can bankrupt the future generation.  That’s why I’m uneasy with the feeling that not enough people are paying attention.

And it’s not just to the health care debate, it’s everything about the political process.  We have become so detached from what goes on in Washington D.C. that our lawmakers are openly lying to us on a regular basis and noone seems to care all that much.

I remember when a politician getting caught it a lie was a big deal.  Now, it’s a punchline.  Part of my job is to point out these lies, point out the inconsistencies.  I just hope when I do, you care.

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A quick update on Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty’s quest for the White House.

According to AP, Pawlenty is reaching deeper into Sen. John McCain’s campaign structure by luring away a top fundraiser for his upstart Freedom First political action committee.  Pawlenty’s PAC announced Friday that Brian Haley will be its finance director.  Haley has held the same role for the Country First PAC, which McCain formed after the Republican presidential nominee’s 2008 loss.

Haley was also deputy finance director for the McCain presidential campaign in 2008.

Pawlenty has been touring the country raising money he plans to spread around to GOP candidates in 2010 races. It’s a move often taken by party leaders ahead of a presidential run.

Many involved in the Pawlenty effort were McCain advisers in 2008. Pawlenty spokesman Alex Conant noted the governor’s team also includes past aides to GOP candidates Mitt Romney, Rudy Guiliani and Ron Paul.

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Senator Harry Reid has opened the debate on health care reform.  This promises to be a whopper with both sides of the aisle pulling out all the stops, and special interest groups throwing money around like it was a water balloon fight.

How will it end? Who knows.  What is certain is that emotions will run high and there will be fact mixed with fiction.  Both sides NEED to win this debate, it will join the economy in deciding the next election, so it’s going to get rough.  It is also one of the most historic pieces of legislation our country has ever seen.  I’m looking forward to it.

Almost as important (read with sarcasm in your voice), Tiger Woods continues his media black out in the wake of his one-car accident.  I don’t want to write about speculation and I don’t want to just laugh about how hilarious I think this all is (although it’s hard not to laugh).  I just want to touch on the idea of the public’s right to know.

Tiger has decided to avoid any specific statement about what happened, for whatever reason.  If he were an elected official this would be totally unacceptable to me.  But he is a golfer, an entertainer, someone to cheer for on Sunday’s.  We, the public don’t have any RIGHT to know anymore about what happened, even if it had something to do with drugs or an affair or Elin chasing after him with a pitching wedge.

I know this not what you wanted to hear.  I’m not saying I don’t care about what happened, I really want to know! But Tiger has decided not to tell us, and that’s that.  Is this going to work for him? Maybe, I doubt it, but maybe.  In the mean time I’m going to sit on my couch and think of as many ‘FORE!!’ jokes as I can.

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Wow, am I looking forward to a belt-busting Thanksgiving meal with my family tomorrow.  I’m sure many of you feel the same.  But I hope some of you take the time to remember that Thanksgiving can be a great time to give to those in need.

I just finished a story about the Hunger Task Force and Wafer here in La Crosse.  They are doing their best to make sure people get the food they need this holiday season, but at times it can be a losing battle.  The economy is affecting us all, but most of us still have a meal to go home to, not all.

So take just a little time this week and drop off food at a local pantry.  While we are looking forward to a big holiday meal, many people are just hoping they have something to eat.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoy your family and friends and travel safe.

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