Stick a Fork In It!

You know you are getting old when New Year's Eve at 8:17 pm you are writing a blog in your underwear listening to Steppenwolf play Born to be Wild. The funny thing is that Emma and the dogs have gone to bed so relatively speaking, I am the wild man!

So with just short of 4 hours left in 2012 it would be a great time to wrap it up. On a scale of 10 I would give the year an 8. The only reason it is even higher than a 5 is because young Nathaniel Crimmins was born on November 5th and it's hard to call any year with a new baby a bad year!

I always start each year full of hope. I see the possibilities before me and usually look forward to challenges to come. 2012 was the transition year back to accounting from running nursing homes so it was really hard to look forward to the challenges because the work I was doing was not very challenging. So other than trying to get a full time job done on part time pay the challenges were few and far between. However I did discover that local politics, like high school, is pretty droll and sparring with County politicians was like getting into an ass kicking contest with a one legged man. Occasionally amusing, often frustrating, rarely challenging. And as if to prove my point the local electorate chose the village idiot and his wife to elected positions. Amazing!

On the positive side I met some great people, had some fun stirring up stuff and put together a great team at work.  We changed churches after years of watching the one we went to die away but found a great little church to replace it. My health would be excellent if I could lose about 100 lbs. Emma is still sticking with me after 38 years and none of my kids hate me.

If the above appears incoherent it is because I am NOT drinking (unless you count Peach Tea).

For 2013 I have plans to continue to stir the pot, sharpen my sarcasm, and take out a few wing nuts. And this time next December 31st I will be another year closer to retirement and, God willing, Emma will not have grown weary of me. If I am still gainfully employed and working my plan it will be a good year.

So as Jerry Lee Lewis plays Great Balls of Fire I will wish you a Happy New Year! 

When There Is No Explanation....

None, zilch, Nada. No answer.

I can impart a lot of wisdom at times but this is not one of them. How can one human being visit so much evil on others? How does a parent understand that the child they sent off to school this morning healthy and full of hope will be buried in the next few days? No clue? How do we keep things like this from happening again? We don't know that either, apparently.

In August of 1966 I was a 16 year old growing up in Austin, TX when Charles Whitman killed a bunch of people from the UT tower.Who knew that would be the first of countless mass shootings in our country? Years were spent trying to understand Whitman with little success. Writing it off as a brain tumor causing him to go off is pretty lame. The fact is that anyone that contemplates such evil is deranged. Predicting what a mentally ill person will do is a crap shoot as well.

But we want answers. We want to understand. We think that if we can explain why it happens we can prevent future tragedies. Nope. It seems they happen more frequently.

Here is all I know. People die every day. Some die slowly from illness or disease, and some die because some fool with a gun decides that today is their day. The enormity of the Sandy Hook killings grabs you by the collar and shakes you. But for that parent that loses a child in a car accident the loss is just as intense. Sandy Hook is a stark reminder that our lives are very fragile and that not everyone lives to the rip old age of 80. We must cherish the days we have, thanking God for blessing us so much, and express your gratitude often.

So I pray for those lost yesterday just as I pray for my friend with leukemia. I don't understand either but I continue to believe in miracles. Maybe the next kid contemplating such evil will get the help he needs and a tragedy can be averted. Ignoring him definitely is not the answer. Treatment is needed for both my friend with leukemia and a young man with a mental illness. Ignorance doesn't fix anything!

Where Charity Begins....

The American people are the most generous and giving on this planet. If there is a tsunami in Asia you can bet your last dollars that some American has started raising money to help the survivors. At this time of year millions of kids are the beneficiaries of that kindness through churches, Blue, Brown and Red Santa, the Salvation Army, you name it. Yesterday a local radio station raised over $18,000 in one hour for their annual Bikes for Kids program. We have huge hearts and we always have had.

So what is the problem you ask? Well, in my opinion there are two. The first problem is that the recipients of our charity have turned from an attitude of gratitude to an attitude of expectation. Our government throws our money around all over the world in an effort to buy friends. Mind you that is money we have BORROWED!!!! Add to that the in kind contributions by being the world's policemen and it is a staggering amount of money that is given away. And what do we get in return? We are resented worldwide by all of them and their allegiance to us is good only until the ink dries on the check. If they don't play nice and we tie some strings to the foreign aid scalded rats couldn't squeal any louder.

Same goes for our own people. When I was growing up being "on the dole" was akin to having a scarlet letter emblazoned on your chest in Hawthorne's day. Yes there was a need and it was generally addressed on a local basis. Churches helped people and allowed them the dignity to work for what they got. But there was a stigma associated with it and any self respecting man finding himself in that situation would do anything he could to get out of it. Having grown up in what today would be called a working poor family memories of having little money and payday being a week off are emblazoned in my mind. There was no money for extras and those only came because I worked for them from a young age. I am not complaining because those experiences taught me the value of an education and guided me to a successful life.

But the attitude has changed 180 degrees. Nowadays kids that were in similar circumstances as mine are not afforded that opportunity to learn. They are taught from a young age that the government will take care of them and that the "check" they get is an entitlement, not benevolence for a short term financial difficulty. Fathers have been replaced by the government, thereby removing any male influence in the households. Young people see no need to work so they breed, creating more dependents on the state.

The second problem is that it has somehow become evil to attain a comfortable standard of living and accumulated wealth. It amazed me how a man like Mitt Romney, who 20 years ago would have been regaled for his success in the business arena, was pilloried by the press and the Democrats as the epitome of evil. So if you have worked hard, become educated, and make a decent living you did that on the backs of the poor. And especially at this time of year! We are assaulted daily with stories of kids that will not have Christmas because of George Bush, and how we must take care of them. And we have been made to feel so guilty about our level of comfort we roll over like a lap dog and empty our pockets. The numbers of families served by The Salvation Army, Blue, Red and Brown Santa organizations, Toys for Tots, etc. are staggering! This doesn't include the churches that will adopt families independently. I have been involved with these organizations over the years and in some cases the children of these disadvantaged families make out better than the kids of the families donating the gifts. I have delivered gifts to these families and money always seemed to be available for late model cars, flat screen TV's, cigarettes, wine, etc. But each year we are made to feel guilty, we give more money, and the dependency increases.

So how do we turn this around? Well, it doesn't look like that is going to happen anytime soon. With unemployment being around 8%, Obamacare about to be implemented, and a larger percentage of the population relying on the government for their daily bread I am not optimistic. And with me creeping ever closer to the pasture of retirement I doubt I will see it. The government continues to borrow money we have no hope of repaying, are trying to increase taxes on the producers to a confiscatory level, and expect everything to be just hunky dory.

The answer to the title above is that charity begins at home. That means you take care of your own first. Taxes are going up next year for everyone, regardless what those liars in Washington tell you. That charity in the form of federal income tax has incurred my wrath and you can bet I will not pay one cent more than I legally have to! I am on a mission and this is an area I know something about. I will still support my church and local charities because I can see the need and see that money is not being wasted. But until I can see the government using my money in a responsible manner I have declared a war on federal income taxes! I may not win but they will know they have been in a fight!

Focus, Larry, Focus!!!!!

Those of you who know me know that I still have always had an amazing memory. It's nothing I work at just a blessing from God. I do credit it with being fortunate to be in the company of intelligent individuals, trying to stay abreast of current events, and being able to compartmentalize and focus when I need to. An example : I love watching game shows, especially trivia shows like Millionaire and Jeopardy. I will not tell you I get all of those inane questions correct but I know the answer to 90% or better. Don't ask me how I know but I do. You can verify that with Emma because I will call out the answers and gloat every time I get it right. Of course when the contestant gets it wrong they get berated by me for being a dumb ass. I know, it's weird but in the privacy of one's own home.....

Unfortunately I see myself starting to slip. I still am a voracious reader and have a group of friends that are really sharp (Agenda 21 :) ) that keep me on my toes. The problem is work. As most of you know almost two years ago I left the long term care business and returned to accounting. I have been a CPA for 34 years so it's like riding a bicycle, right? Then about 15 months ago I took the position of County Auditor for Caldwell County. Normally this would be primarily a supervisory position but because of circumstances "grunt work" is involved. It had been about 15 years since I was on any kind of grunt level! I won't bore you with the details because I am boring myself but suffice it to say it has been a journey. The long and short of it is that I was bored with accounting when I left it 9 years ago and, much to my chagrin, I am still bored with it! But it currently pays the bills so I must do what I must do.

So I guess it is time for some TM, aversion therapy, whatever. Something to get me focused on the work! I find myself daily being distracted by the politics of working in the courthouse. I know, it's like watching a soap opera with mentally challenged actors but it's kind of fun. And jacking with some of the wing nuts is really fun! But it sure takes away from time that should be spent (ugh) doing accounting. I need to lock my door, station Guido outside of it, and dedicate at least 5 days a month to accounting. It's not hard work, just time consuming and boring. sigh..........

I am fortunate that I have been able to assemble a great staff. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel where I can delegate this boring crap to them in the near future (lookout Ezzy). But for now I am still doing it.

So I need some suggestions please. As long as sharp implements are not involved I am willing to try it. How do you make the mundane interesting?

Being Thankful

I've noticed many of my Facebook friends, almost exclusively women, are posting what they are thankful for each day of the month. This begs the question: are men not thankful or do women just want you to know? The interesting thing is how similar their lists are. Some will get a little obscure after November 15th but generally they are thankful for God, family and country.

So if you think you are going to get some trite list out of me forget it! I learned a long time ago that being thankful is not something you think about in November. It is how we should live our lives daily, with an attitude of appreciation and gratitude. I give thanks to God for each day on this earth because that is another day to serve. I count my blessings for the talents bestowed upon me and work hard to honor Him.When I see a lonely person I am thankful for the relationships I have in my life that make it more full. 

As you go about your daily toil, trouble, hardship, joys, successes, failures and, in short, life, be thankful for it all because God loves you and that is the best blessing of all!

A Change in Scenery

On Monday, November 5th, our family was blessed beyond words with the birth of Nathaniel John Crimmins! And as is tradition in our family we ganged up to go to New York to celebrate this event. For those that don't know our daughter Emily married a New Yorker and moved up here about 5 years ago. Daniel their oldest son is almost 4 and Nathaniel rounds out the crew. So we arrived yesterday for a short visit for me, a little longer for Emma.

I could go on and on about how wonderful our grandsons are but I want to share my feelings more about where we are. To begin, we are not in the city. Emily and family live in Upstate New York near the capitol, Albany. This area is about as different from New York City as Lockhart is from Houston! The small town they live in is about 50 miles from the Vermont border and 20 miles from Massachusetts and is more akin to New England than what we think of as New York. They get a lot of snow here annually, the fall foliage is truly amazing, and the people are genuinely friendly. Don't get me wrong. I love Texas and the snow and ice up here are a pain in the butt but it seems to be a nice place to live. Or it would be if it weren't for a couple of problems : jobs and taxes.

New York has a tax for just about everything. The reason for this is that they have a social welfare benefit for just about everything. For example, I found out yesterday that giving birth qualifies you for disability income. Huh? Someone figured that one out over a Jack Daniels, neat. Sure it's a great benefit and allows mothers to stay home longer with their newborns but is that something the taxpayers need to cover? Apparently the nanny state of New York thinks so. I guess this is okay during times of plenty if that's what they want to do but what about during a recessionary period like we just went through? Incomes go down, tax revenues go down, but the costs of these programs just keep going up. At what point does the government say "enough"? Apparently we are instead doubling down with the full implementation of Obama Care just around the corner. I am not real sure how this is all going to work out but my prediction is that things will change in these state giveaway programs because the cost will be impossible to bear. The Cadillac plan will be gone and the Ford plan will be your choice.

Now about the jobs.The October jobs report showed NY with an 8.9% unemployment rate. Neighboring Vermont is at 5.4%. Obviously New York is lagging behind the rest of the country. And with 7.9% being the new normal how long can it be before New York gets down in the 6% rate? Probably never.

It's always good to come up here to give me perspective of how good we have it in Texas. Yes it makes hell want to send us air conditioners during the summer. But taxes are low and jobs are available. Count your blessings!

Out of Touch

You will have to forgive me if I'm a little down today. I was up until after midnight last night watching election returns. I had difficulty getting to sleep after that so I'm cranking on a couple of hours of real sleep. But I have this missive in my head and I had better get it out.

Forty years ago I voted in my first presidential election. I remember distinctly voting for Richard Nixon when I was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Rigel - AF-58 in Norfolk, VA. He was running against some old hippie named McGovern so there really wasn't much of a choice. If memory serves, which is sometimes doubtful at this age, I have voted in the next 10 presidential elections. Votes were for Carter, Reagan, Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 41, Dole, Bush 43, Bush 43, McCain, and Romney. As you can see I have only ever voted for one Democrat for president and I claim a case of '70's temporary insanity. You will also note that in most cases the candidate I voted for won the election. They weren't all great presidents but each of them understood leadership and connected with me and my generation.

Last night I got skunked on all levels. If you are drawing a breath you know Romney lost, but the Republican party locally got lost across the board. In fact, I called my boss this morning, a Republican judge running unopposed, and told him I was glad he eeked out a win! We have been hashing out what happened and came up with some plausible explanations but the bottom line is that I am out of touch with the majority of my fellow Americans. My thinking does not represent the mainstream of thought in this country. And sadly, I doubt it ever will again.

So what, you might ask? While some might consider this a badge of honor; a distinction from their peers. My generation burned their draft cards, protested the war, experimented heavily with drugs, etc. Real counter culture activity. But that was never me. I have always prided myself in having good political instincts and understanding the psyche of America. But it looks like I lost that instinct back in 2008 but only came to realize it last night. So I am looking for a rudder right now to get my ship back on course.

Here are the new truths I learned last night:

1. $16 trillion is considered "manageable debt"
2. If the media loves you there is no accountability.
3. Not following through on any of your promises is okay.
4. Permanent dependence on the government is a good thing.

While I have a hard time wrapping my head around these I have decided that I am going to give mainstreaming a try. Here is my plan:

1. I have about $30,000 in line of credit on my credit card accounts. While this is a far cry from $16 trillion relatively speaking it's a nice chunk of change. I have worked hard to keep the balances paid off to avoid interest but I ask myself why. So henceforth I plan to max those puppies out, only paying the interest. Hey, it works for the feds, why not for me?

2. Old conservatives generally have a hard time becoming media darlings. We are such sticks in the mud, always whining against abortion, paying for contraceptives, and immoral behavior. So in an effort to charm the local media I will come out in favor of late term abortions, free birth control, and more than equal pay for women. I should have the press eating from my hand in no time!

3. For the old me my word was my bond. If I told you I was going to do something you could count on it. How old fashion can you get?! In the future I plan to tell you what you want to hear and forget about it as soon as I do. I will get credit for saying what I am going do and not accountable for what I didn't do.

4. It is fess up time! I have already begun my dependence on the government. My wife has been drawing her social security for the past 5 years. Gasp! She never worked a lot during our marriage so the check is very small but hey it's hers! Our next step is to get her on Medicare. I don't think I qualify for food stamps but I could probably lie and get those too. In another 10 months I could start drawing my social security but then I could only make about $20K a year if I did. Then I definitely would qualify for some kind of assistance. I need to do some figuring but I think I can work part time and do pretty well. Those other guys will pay for it so what do I care?

While the above sounds ludicrous it is close to the mindset of mainstream America. We have devolved from a society of self sufficient hard working independent people to one that looks to the government for it's daily bread. 47 million people on food stamps. Almost half of all households relying on the government for at least part of its monthly income. Medicare and Medicaid is the largest health care insurance program in the country. We are borrowing $0.40 of every dollar we spend, much of it going to these social programs. At this rate our national debt will be over $20 trillion when 2016 comes to an end.

So who will pay for all of my stuff? Not me! I have decided that YOU are rich, probably because your are evil and you need to pay your fair share. My income is so small I shouldn't have to pay any taxes but you don't need as much as you make so fork it over!!! Oh, while your at it I am old and fat and not in the best of health so I need to to buy my health insurance, no limits, and make sure I am taken care of. But I understand that if an Independent Payment Advisory Board (death panel) decides that the cost of my care exceeds my value I'll be cut off and allowed to die. Yeah I won't live as long but what I do will be at your expense!

Over the years this blog has been my bully pulpit, preaching against the rising national debt, excess government spending and waste, and for fiscal conservatism. Mine has been one of many such voices that have been ignored. The reelection of Barack Obama tells me just how out of touch I am. So I am getting on board with the rest of the country and start relying on the government to take care of me. So if you see Lloyd Doggett tell him I need him to stop by Dairy Queen and bring me a Butterfinger Blizzard. And make it quick!

A Celebration Indeed!!

A couple of weeks ago I lost a friend. A couple of you knew her and will recognize who I am talking about. But the rest of you will know someone like her and can learn the same lesson I did.

I met Bobbie, like so many other great people, when she moved into my nursing home. I recognized her beautiful spirit immediately and we soon became fast friends. Administrators are admonished not to get close to their residents but I always ignored such advice. Besides, Bobbie was different. It wasn't that she was abandoned by her family. Quite the opposite! The family and friends doted on her and she never wanted for anything. The thing about Bobbie was that she loved people. She didn't necessarily like everyone but the ones she did she had no trouble showing it. So she took a liking to me and I was grateful. That is because no matter how bad my day was going she always had a smile and kind word for me. She could always make me laugh and a fifteen minute conversation with her would make my day.

After I left the nursing home last year I continued to visit Bobbie and other residents, just not as often as I wanted to. Work has a way of getting in the way of what you really want to do. I had planned to go see her the day she passed but she had gone to the hospital. That one last visit was not to be.

But this story doesn't end there. No, something remarkable was to happen at a little church in the boondocks outside of Luling, TX. You see, Bobbie was a Christian lady and she loved Jesus! I knew she went to church when she could get a ride but didn't know where. I had met several of the church members when they visited but I had no clue until I walked in the church. The church was packed and, because I got lost we were late. But some folks made space for us. Members of the congregation were taking turns talking about my friend. But there were no tears! Laughter yes! Shouts of praise to the Lord, absolutely! They talked about salvation, how she loved the Lord, and how wonderful it must be! The preacher, an elderly gentleman, painted a picture of the glory of heaven and God. Then, as the service ended, the congregation sang "I'll Fly Away" followed by "When The Saints Go Marching In". It was no funeral dirge. They followed the casket out, singing, to the little cemetery behind the church. She was interred there, we visited with the family, then went about the rest of our Saturday.

The lesson I learned that day is something we Christians should know but choose to ignore. We see death for what we lose rather than what we gain. True I will never see my friend in this life. For that I am sad. But I do believe in the reward she has gone to and plan to join her one day. I hope that my funeral will be a celebration for my loved ones for that reason.

Writer's Block?

As some of you might have noticed I haven't been writing very frequently of late. I'm not sure why that is but I'm sure I can come up with excuses. Some of you may be glad not to receive a rant from me. Having posted 145 over the past several years I get a little concerned that I am repeating myself at times. If I do it is because I feel the subject is important to emphasize  again. Hopefully I have been consistent or, in the rare case that I may change my position on an issue,  I have sufficiently supported such a change. Frankly I can't remember that happening but maybe it did.

Work is the most obvious diversion from my writing so I will play that card. While the workload is significant the distractions are more so. It is an election year and I work in a county courthouse. I am privy to such juicy information and political futures ride on this election and what happens if so and so is defeated, etc. You get the picture. Being a long-time political junkie I eat this stuff up! But it is so time consuming! Since I spend the mornings at the courthouse and the afternoons at my private office I usually spend the afternoons getting the work for the county done that never got accomplished because of the phone calls, drop bys, political maneuvering, etc.

However, the most obvious impediment to my blogging is, without a doubt, Facebook. Yes, I am on Facebook way too many hours of the day. And with my new Nexus 7 tablet it is so much easier to piddle with it while purportedly watching TV, in bed, in the bathroom, you get the picture. I try to avoid it at work but it is so seductive! A notification will hit my smartphone that "Emily Crimmins posted -----" and, of course, I NEED to go see it because she is 8 months pregnant or has posted a cute picture of #1 grandson Dan, or one of her liberal postings that I could do without :) (take the good with the bad). Well that does it because then I see a posting to the local groups to which I belong and I read those and have to post my opinion that Lockhart could not live without. Then, of course, one of the OTHER Facebook geniuses tells me how full of crap I am and then it is game on! The next thing you know an hour has passed and nothing resembling work has occurred.

So yesterday I am talking to my boss about all of the projects I have on the table with my "part-time" county job and I have an epiphany. I need to quit screwing around! Here is a list of some of the things on the horizon for the next 6 months:

1. Two independent audits of the County books by two audit firms
2. Convert to a new accounting system
3. Complete the year end process. (FYE 9/30)
4. Assist on a major construction project
5. Prepare and shepherd legislation through the Texas Legislature ( making sausage the ugly way)
 Those are just before noon.

In my private business, such as it is I have tax season looming and continuing education courses to take in preparation for it.

Of course we have the holidays, a trip to NY for the new baby (YEA!!!) and at least a couple of nights where I get some sleep.

I could bore you with the details of each of these projects but you probably are already yawning so I won't.  

So drastic measures being in order Facebook is to be relegated to a home activity only. It has been removed from my phone, I will delete the bookmarks on both work computers today. Facebook will only be accessible from my tablet and home computer from this day forward. I expect to recoup about 1 or 2 hours a day from this. It adds up, trust me!

I know right now you are saying to yourself "how will the Facebook millions live without Larry's witty repartee throughout the day?" I'm sure that by 10 am this morning an APB will be put out on me and rumors will begin to circulate that the Sheriff made good on his threat to "put that damn auditor in jail". I know it will be tough on them not being shown the errors in their thinking by me but maybe someone will fill the breach. I know it is hard to believe but there are somethings more important than being the resident Facebook genius.

So the blog entries will probably be infrequent as well. I think I have said enough about the candidates in the national election, the sad state of our economy, the moral decay of our society, etc. For those one or two that may disagree with me (Emily) I still love you regardless of how misguided your thinking may be.

On the other side of April I will update you on the successes and we can all revel in them together.

Small Town Perspective

Many years ago we made a decision to move our family to the small town of  Lockhart, Texas. Some of that decision was connected to a job but a big part of it had to do with where we lived at the time. You see there was a lot going on in Austin, Texas in January 1979 that told me to get the hell out. After years of court battles the Austin ISD was beginning to implement forced busing of students to "racial balance" their schools. Nobody seemed happy about it but it was about to happen. Another issue was that Austin was on the cusp of tremendous growth. My wife and I had both grown up in Austin and were not impressed by the changes the growth was bringing. So when an opportunity to move to a small town only 30 miles from Austin we felt like it was a good move. We had three children and felt like a Lockhart would be a great place to rear them. So I took the job, we bought a house and moved.

Sounds like a happily ever after moment, doesn't it? Well, ever after is a long time and, believe it or not there are some drawbacks to small town life. To begin, small towns are usually small and stay that way because people want it that way. They like the idea of being a big fish in a little pond, knowing all of their neighbors, and being able to circumnavigate the city in about 10 minutes. The crime rate is low as are the taxes so whats' not to like about that? I soon discovered that my plan to work and live in Lockhart, Texas could soon be live in Lockhart and commute 25 miles to work somewhere else. Lockhart for me became a bedroom community like probably 80% of the people living here at the time. The Chamber of Commerce worked to get new businesses to move here with limited success. The excuse was that we were not on the interstate highway, or we didn't have adequate rail siding, or any number of other excuses that the companies chose elsewhere to locate. When Wal-mart moved to town in 1980 bringing 100 jobs you would have thought that someone shot the community's milk cow. "It was going to kill the small businesses in town" was the claim. The jobs were sneered at as not paying a "living wage" . The town went from 4 grocery stores to 1 in about 20 years and the people complained about not having a choice.So, as it turns out, unless you have lived here all your life and inherit the family business or work for the government, a decent paying job in Lockhart has been about as rare as the Plum Creek Monster (don't ask).

Fastforward about 30 years. We have had a nice influx of young, educated people that have moved to Lockhart much for the same reasons we did. Some of them are trying to establish new businesses here because the "growth is coming". They have some great ideas brought from other places they have lived about how to enhance the city and our quality of life. Of course their input is received with open arms and they are embraced as valuable members of the community, right? NOT HARDLY!!! They are admonished for "not understanding the way it's done here" or "we have never done it that way" or "you're new here right?" The fact is that those that stay will probably have to take jobs in Austin and do what I did all those many years ago. Kind of depressing how things don't change in a small town, isn't it?

Here is my theory about it and this will probably piss off some of my readers but I am past the point of caring. Small towns like Lockhart will never be successful because the people that stay here, the ones in charge, do not want it to be successful. Why you might ask? Because success in a town attracts competition. If you are a long-time lawyer in town and the town grows other lawyers might move in. They might be better than you and take some of your clients. So the old timers say the right things but can always find something wrong with every new idea brought forward. They think all change is bad because you can't always control it and they may not be in charge if it does. This attitude permeates this town and I am sick of it!

I am winding down on my career and don't have the fight left in me to tilt that windmill. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results defines insanity so I plan to skip over that diagnosis, thank you.

Adios, My Friend

Have you ever known someone who makes you feel like a better person having known them? Someone who lives the example that you on your best day would have difficulty measuring up to? Well I did and we lost him last night after a valiant battle with cancer. If you will please indulge me while I tell you about him I would appreciate it.

I met Jake Royall, and his wife Gwen, in 1997. We had just transferred our membership to a Disciples of Christ church in Luling and they came to the church about the same time. He and Gwen were officially "retired" but I soon understood that there was no rocking chair on the porch for them! They had a ministry where they traveled around the country doing repairs at various church camps. They were a blessing to these camps as most of them had troubles keeping the doors open let alone having money to pay for much needed skilled repairs. If they weren't in church in Luling, Texas you could bet the farm that they were at some church camp being the "worker bees" that got things done. I don't know how many years they did this before I met them but this continued until around 2002 when they felt they needed to get off the road. So reluctantly they ended this ministry and headed for the porch and rocking chairs. Hah! You apparently didn't know Jake & Gwen!

During their travels they met a group of retired folks, I believe in Florida, that had started a ministry that they really liked. These people were building Personal Energy Transportation vehicles, or PET's for people in Third World countries. You see, these countries are not friendly to the conventional wheelchairs that we use in the U.S. No sidewalks, very few paved roads, lots of uneven terrain. So they designed a three wheel cart, which you pedaled with your arms, with hard rubber tires. They would build them in Florida and then send them to missionaries, primarily in Central America. They were an instant hit with the disabled population because for many the only way they could get anywhere was at the benevolence of others. The PET's represented independence and dignity to these people.

Well Jake and Gwen didn't hesitate. This was their new ministry! This is how they would serve "the least of these" for God! So with the help of Joe and Karen Svboda, they formed The PET Project, Texas. Jake did most of the work in filling out the application for 501(c)3 status, with a little help from yours truly, and away we went. The next five or six years (forgive me Gwen) they were either on the road getting donations or in the shop building PET's. I don't know the total number built before they had to give it up but I do know that hundreds, or maybe thousands had their daily lives improved because of the efforts of PET Project, Texas.

I could tell you much more about Jake but I think I will close it with a personal testimony. I believe I am a better man, a better Christian, and an overall better human being for having known Jake Royall. I learned much from him and will miss him terribly. Tell our Brother Jesus hi for me!

Not For Sissies!

As most of you know I spent eight years (2003-2011) working as a nursing home administrator. For those not yet blessed with exposure to nursing homes each home is required to have a Licensed Nursing Facility Administrator on staff to direct EVERYTHING associated with the day-to-day operations. To do this job you had to understand and in some cases do everyone's job that is working there. Public relations is very important in maintaining census. It was the toughest job I ever had and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Well that chapter is somewhat behind me and, while I miss the residents, I do not miss the aggravation of dealing with government funding. The Medicare and Medicaid regulations make the Internal Revenue Code looks like a Dick & Jane book. And I know them both so I speak from experience. I spent a couple of hours yesterday with a friend facing the prospect of placing someone in a facility and after that talk it hit home how convoluted the whole system is! Funding is being cut and requirements to meet "medical necessity" have been ratcheted up to the point that someone that is still lucid has trouble qualifying for government assistance for their care. And with the monthly cost of nursing home care averaging around $4,000 per month fewer and fewer people will be able to carry the whole nut themselves. This puts added stress on the families because, in many cases, the only choice they have is to move the person into their home and try to provide the required care there. The whole system sucks so if you can qualify for long-term care insurance buy as much as you can afford!

All of the above is really just background information for the subject of this blog entry : my mother. As I said I am not totally out of the nursing home business as my mother has been in residence at a local nursing home for the past 5 years. I am what is called the responsible party so I am the go to guy when there is a problem or they need something signed. With my background in the business this is not a problem and being my mom's advocate is not a big deal for me. However it is for the nursing home.

Let me explain. Mom spent most of her adult life working in healthcare. While she was a late bloomer professionally she ended her career working as an RN in the mental health field. From all accounts she was a great nurse. The blessing is that she has lost very little of her cognitive abilities. If she had to qualify for nursing home care today it would not happen. She has retained much of the knowledge from her career and is not bashful about pointing out the shortcomings of her young caregivers.  It was amusing the other day when I got a call from the Director of Nurses reporting a medication error on my mom. It was a defensive move on the Director's part because she assumed my mom had called me. She had not. So the funny thing is that my mom is the one who caught the medication error, told the nurse she made the error, and then reported it to the Director, who begrudgingly admitted it to me. Fortunately their were no serious repercussions from it but I dare say she is one in 1000 that MIGHT catch it.

Mom just turned 79 on August 4th. She has many health problems and really needs someone managing her care. She reads at least two books a week (thank God for her Kindle) and is the unofficial greeter at the home. She knows everyone and all their business that they will share. Truly a blessing right?

Not so fast. The problem is that while she is truly blessed not to be afflicted with dementia unfortunately most of the other residents are. There is a cognitive test that must be failed nowadays and most of them do. So she still has interest in current events, politics, and the outside world and most of the folks around her are not as blessed as she is. Meeting her cognitive needs is not a high priority for the home so she gets bored a lot. They rarely take the residents out of the facility so she sits there day after day. My weekly visits are anticipated but rarely do any of her friends visit her there. So she talks on the phone nightly with a sister-in-law, we talk for a few moments on the phone, my sisters visit infrequently, and she reads books. And is bored. And sometimes practices nursing by "helping" her caretakers. And reporting wrongdoings by staff members like yelling at residents, not answering call lights, etc. She looks after some of the more helpless ones. As you might imagine she is REAL popular with some of the slackers on the staff!

Hence, the title of this blog entry. She has been a tough old bird as long as I have known her and continues to handle a difficult situation with purpose. I dare say I would whine infinitely more than she does were I in her circumstance.I get frequent calls about her and some of them are not too nice. She deals with most of their complaints herself. However she knows I have her back if she needs me. And so do the nursing home folks. And my reputation precedes me!

I don't know how much longer will have her but I plan to use all of the runway while I do! Getting to go out to dinner is a special treat for her, unexpected flowers, a hug and an "I love you" mean so much. I saw so many old folks admitted to the nursing homes I ran that never had visitors. If you still have your parents, love and appreciate them! You will never regret it!

WWDS?

Many of you never had the pleasure of knowing my dad. Charles Roberson was one of a kind! He died of a massive heart attack at the age of 61, in April 1989. But in his 61 years he used all of his runway and a little of someone elses. As I approach that age it amazes me how much I look and sound like him and that is a little scary. Why you ask? Because there was never a less politically correct man placed on this earth! So as you read this blog entry just think of me as channeling my dad.

There has been a lot of attention being paid to same sex marriage these days. Could be because the president is trying to shore up his base with the gay/lesbian folks. Election is coming you know. Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-Fil-A started a firestorm the other day by daring to speak out in favor of the traditional definition of marriage, that being between one man and one woman. The immediate reaction from GLAAD was to call for a national boycott of his restaurants. Jim Henson decided to pull their Muppet toys from meals sold at Chick-Fil-A. Apparently it is not allowed to have a difference of opinion. So the fight is on and the Christian groups are lining up being Chick-Fil-A and politicians, Hollywood types, and the gay/lesbian folks are trying to brow beat the public into supporting their side. Mind you Mr. Cathy has not been accused of discrimination against anyone. He is guilty of having an opinion that is not shared by some people. The last I checked that was still allowed.

So I got to thinking WWDS? (what would Dad say?) Let's pretty this up by saying that Dad was a 100% heterosexual male who would take offense at the presence of a gay guy. Back in his day homosexuals had good reason to stay in the closet because coming out would be detrimental to their health. I had a conversation with him about this subject shortly before his death and to say he would be against same sex marriage is an understatement. His opinion was very mainstream back then and to even suggest same sex marriage was ludicrous.

Times do change and thankfully so have our attitudes of acceptance of the lifestyles of others. For whatever reason not all of us are wired the same way so what I see as "correct" may be diametrically opposite of you. God will sort it all out soon enough and I have more important things to do that beat you up about who you sleep with. Choices will be made, consequences will be suffered. I do think that too much effort is being made on both sides to legislate a definition of morality that includes whichever side your group happens to be on. The government has no place in defining relationships and should not be dictating to businesses how they perceive it. If Mr. Cathy and his company chose to support the traditional definition of marriage what is it to the government? The answer is that the government with its GLAAD allies want to shove their definition down his throat and make him pay for benefits of same sex "spouses". I am glad they are the tolerant ones!

In seven weeks I will turn 61. I am different from my Dad just like he was different from his. I am more educated and a little more tactful but the values have not changed. He taught me right and wrong and I tried to teach that to my children. Unfortunately it is a constant battle to maintain those definitions when society keeps moving the ball on you. I suspect Mr. Cathy was taught similar values and is not afraid to stand up for them. It will probably cost him and his company some money. The thing it will not cost him is his self respect. He'll be okay.

So the next time you see a Chick-Fil-A will you drive by or stop and have a sandwich? I will be having a sandwich or two.  

Looking For A Reason

Since everyone and their liberal dog is talking about it I guess I will too. "It" is the murderous event that occurred in Aurora, Co. on Friday morning. Note that I do not call it a tragedy, or a massacre, or any of a number of euphemisms used by the press to describe what happened at that movie theater just after midnight on Friday morning.  My inclination would be to call it what it appears to be; wanton, willful, premeditated murder. We can spend endless hours contemplating whose "fault" it is but the long and short of it is that this 24 year old man decided to commit these murders and if all indications are true should rot in Hell for doing so!

What I am going to explore is an observation I am sure most of you have made - the political machine never sleeps! In our 24/7 news/entertainment cycle we see the worst of this illustrated. It is not as important to be accurate as it is to be first it would seem. For example, the television media is never content to report what happened or is happening. They want to draw a political connection to everything. Upon learning the name of the perpetrator Brian Ross, a veteran reporter with ABC news researched the Tea Party records and found a man named Jim Holmes was a member of that group. And of course he puts that out as fact on national television. The problem is that it was a different Jim Holmes, he being 52 and the perp being 24. Fact check Brian? More importantly, what possessed him to search the membership of the Tea Party to begin with? The same thing happened in Arizona right after Congresswoman Giffords was shot. There was an attempt by the news media to draw a connection to the Tea Party in both cases without any information being released that indicated a link. Moreover why is the media prejudging the Tea Party as a group of violence when nothing could be further from the truth? The simple answer is that The Tea Party has challenged the status quo and every step to discredit them will be taken. A correction was released later but the damaged was done. Can't unring that bell!

The media will defend itself by whining about the pressure to be the first to release the information. Obviously it is a different environment for them than it was for Walter Cronkite and Tom Brokaw. So? Whose job has not changed in the past 20 years due to the internet and other technological advances? Do they not understand how low their credibility is with the public? Much of this can be attributed to their obvious bias but some is also because of the inaccurate information put out at the expense of being first. So the cost of being first is very high indeed!

I guess it is human nature for us to try to find a reason someone goes off like this guy did. As if that will make everything better? Some want to blame his parents, many the availability of firearms, still more some kind of mental instability. What reason in this world could justify that kind of carnage on a bunch of people watching a movie? You put a room full of Rhodes Scholars on this question and they will get bupkiss.

The simple conclusion I draw is that there is evil in this world and it was visited upon that movie theater in Colorado. Just like it is visited on millions of people around the world on a daily basis. Admittedly when you have an event such as this with the injuries and loss of life it is more sensational. However evil is evil and should be confronted and defeated! The abusers that do it for years without challenge are just as bad as this guy. We have a responsibility as human beings to identify evil, bring it out of the shadows, and bring it to justice. We have stuck out heads in the sand too long and it's time we called a spade a spade! Truth be told someone knew this guy had the potential but ignored it or didn't want to get involved. Sorry that doesn't cut it with me!

So as the dead are buried, the wounded recover, please don't write this off as an aberration. Hopefully you will never witness such an event but if you pull your head out you will see other less dramatic events where you can make a difference in someone's life. Please don't pass on the opportunity.

JR & The Supremes

It was an interesting week. The Supreme Court finished its term and released some significant rulings that, depending on your point of view, either destroyed the republic or saved the lives of millions of uninsured Americans. Thankfully it did neither because the republic is much stronger than that and the lives of millions of uninsured Americans were really never at risk. No, the two rulings released on Thursday represented major thefts by an overreaching government abetted by a bunch of out-of-touch lawyers.

I would like to talk about the one that was overshadowed by the healthcare case. That was the case challenging the constitutionality of the Stolen Valor Act. The essence of the law was to make it a crime to lie about military service, medals and awards, etc. Apparently with us being at war for well over 10 years and sending millions of young men and women into battle a cottage industry arose of people that would lie about military service, usually to defraud patriotic yet somewhat gullible public. People claiming service where there was none took resume' enhancement to a new level. The approach of the challenge to the law was that lying was protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution as free speech. The Supreme Court agreed and struck down the law as unconstitutional, thereby forever making it legal to tell a lie. Mind you it doesn't make fraud legal just the lies you tell to commit that fraud. How do you separate the two? More work for the Court next term I guess.

As you might have guessed my opinion is not favorable to this ruling. In light of the Court ruling flag burning as protected free speech a few years ago it really wasn't a big surprise. My problem with the Court on this one is they took a spray gun to try to touch up a portrait. In other words they struck down a specific law that dealt only with specific misrepresentations and struck it down under the broad brush of free speech. It was if they thought that the law, or their ruling, would make all lying illegal. Just think of the people you know that would go to jail? Maybe they were trying to protect their brethren of the bar. Lord knows lawyers tell a disproportionate number of them!

But my main problem is the people it hurts. We have men and women that have served valiantly for their country and should be respected and honored for their service. The honor belongs to them and not to someone who never served or who served but not to the capacity they embellish. So do we need to do a background check on everyone that claims service before we honor them? Does this ruling do anymore than validate what I see as a societal leap of the cliff of honesty and somehow legitimize it? Not too long ago if you were asked about military service it was assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that you were telling the truth. However, when purchasing a car last week the company offered a $500 discount if you had served in the military. But ONLY if you could produce a copy of your DD214, the record of your military service. How many people, besides me, can lay hands on that document 38 years after discharge? Apparently the Court has no problems with lying. Unless you lie in Court, in Congress, etc.Then may God help you!

The second ruling is the one that set everyone's hair on fire was on the Affordable Healthcare Act, Obama's signature piece of legislation. The lynchpin issue was whether the government could compel someone to purchase health insurance. The law said that if you are breathing you had to purchase insurance or pay a penalty. Interestingly, the Court ruled against this, seemingly giving a victory to the opponents of Obamacare. Not so fast, Bucko. In the majority opinion, obviously inspired by some hallucinogen, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that Congress could basically tax anything and that the penalty was not a penalty but a tax. Huh? The law calls it a penalty, Obama argued it was a penalty, but Roberts and his fellow trippers decided to rewrite the law and call it a tax. Mind you I am just a layperson trying to make sense of a ruling that will be analyzed by great legal scholars for generation. Apparently it is a done deal and it is full steam ahead. 

The theft in this case is in the form of money and is basically the largest transfer of wealth in our country's history. And I am not talking about the rich paying to take care of the poor. It is a generational theft of epic proportions! Our generation has already left a sorry legacy of greed, avarice, overindulgence and general wastefulness that our children and grandchildren will be paying for in the decades to come. My national debt calculator is well over $15 trillion and rapidly growing. Regardless how they cook the books this Affordable Care Act will add significantly to the national debt. Add to that increases from deficit spending each year for the foreseeable future and We will probably be looking at a national debt in the neighborhood of $25 trillion by the year 2020.

How long is it going to take to pay off $25 trillion? The first thing you have to do is stop the bleeding. QUIT SPENDING MORE THAN YOU BRING IN!!!!! That means balanced budgets by the year 2020. Then after 2020 you will need a budget surplus to start reducing the balance of the debt. How much that will need to be will depend on the interest rates we will be paying on that $25 trillion. Right now would be the best time to reduce the debt because interest rates are at an historic low. But we keep borrowing more! What the Hell?  Even though the most optimistic estimates do not show a balanced budget in 10 years lets assume we are there by 2020 and interest rates are running at 4%. The interest on that will be $1 trillion per year. So to balance the budget you have to include that trillion and then to reduce the debt another trillion. A simple question: where is that money coming from?

This has nothing to do with whether people should have healthcare. In fact the Affordable Care Act does very little to improve healthcare. What it does is improve accessibility, albeit forced, to regular healthcare for a few million people. The theory is that there are two kinds of uninsured people : those that can't afford it and those that choose not to buy it. It goes on to assume those without insurance are subsidized by those that do because the uninsured will get care but not pay for it. So the government knowing what is best for us we get the Affordable Healthcare Act. It forces insurance companies to allow parents to keep their children on their insurance until the age of 26. Also, it prevents insurance companies from considering preexisting conditions when insuring clients. And they are precluded in charging anymore for these benefits. There are dire predictions of the death of the private healthcare system and the single payer system that Obama wanted but couldn't get. Many predict that all healthcare will be administered by the government, state or federal, within ten years.   Businesses, seeing the penalty being cheaper than the insurance may decide to drop healthcare insurance shifting the burden to the state pools. Times they will be a changing!

There appears to be a disconnect in this country. I will blame it on the Baby Boomers for lack of a better scapegoat. We are a society that demands instant gratification in every aspect of our lives. Young couples expect to own a home when they get married and some overindulgent parents mortgage their retirement to make that happen. Nobody waits for anything! So we want everything and as long as the credit card has "room" on it we get it. As regular citizens we eventually meet reality and either we go bankrupt or cut up the cards and pay them off. Hopefully a lesson learned. But the country has a Black American Express Card, no limit! Right now it's at $15 trillion and growing. Will our creditors get nervous eventually and pull back on the reins? Maybe. At what level? Do you think they are comfortable now? I wouldn't be.

If we are to survive as the great country we are, the envy of the rest of the world, we need to grow up and take responsibility. We have set a bad example for our children and the rest of the world and it's about time we changed.

Losing the Language

Old Man Alert! Old Man Alert!

It's time for another installment of "The Old Man Shakes His Fist at the Kids".

A few weeks ago we had a hotly contested school board election in our town and the natural discussion accompanying it was the sorry state of public education. Teachers are frustrated, parents are as well and are taking their kids out of the public schools in favor of private education or home schooling, and taxpayers are frustrated because it seems we are not getting a good return on our investment of hard earned tax dollars. So when I tell you my tale you will either nod in agreement or tell me to get with the times.

Once upon a time, back when I roamed the Earth WITH the dinosaurs, we were taught, handwriting, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and diagramming sentences. I remember having spelling tests that I would drill on for two or three days and always did real well on it. No, I would never win the National Spelling Bee against those automatons of today, but I took pride in putting together a coherent thought or two. When I would write a paper I would actually read it through several times before turning it in. You will catch me in a grammatical error occasionally but I do try to avoid them.

Apparently somewhere along the line they quit teaching those things in school. Adults roam the Earth now who can't spell, can't put together a sentence, and generally are illiterate. An easy scapegoat would be the short hand of texting but I think it goes much deeper than that. I think it goes back to how we first learned to read and write. Very few people under 40 write in cursive handwriting. I doubt it was emphasized like it was when I was in school. We are all doing everything on the computer. It's just not the same as developing that hand to eye coordination necessary to form letters, words and sentences. The result is a whole generation or two of people that write in abbreviations, truncated words and symbols. It is appalling to me to see some of what passes as written communications today!

The question we have to consider is whether there is a cost for this loss of literacy or is it something we need to accept and move on? I contend that if we continue along this path in a couple of more generations literacy will be the exception rather than the rule. Even writing as marginal as mine will be considered an oddity. The language is already bastardized with tech-speak so for many that is a foreign language. So I think it would be a tragedy to lose it without putting up a fight.

What do we do? First, practice writing to maintain your skills. Work to improve them if they have slipped. And don't be sloppy, even on line! Second, don't count on the schools to teach your children or grandchildren. With standardized testing the only writing skills they seem to be teaching is how to completely fill in the circle with the correct answer. Introduce them to reading first and writing as soon as they are able. Teach them to communicate in writing as effectively, or more, than with the spoken word. And teach them to spell, for God's sake!

I will now return to my porch.......... 

Being A Dad

Father's Day, the stepchild of special days, is today. I call it that because, it comes 5 weeks after Mother's Day and how do you follow that act? Mother's Day is the busiest day for restaurants; Father's Day he usually gets to grill for the family. Mothers are showered with gifts and flowers; fathers get coffee mugs and socks. This was totally understandable when we were raising our kids because my bride was their constant companion and I brought home the paycheck and they hardly ever saw me. So Mom was the go to parent until they needed money.

Father's Day never meant that much to me growing up as my Dad and I rarely agreed on anything. In fact it wasn't until a few years before he died that we had a civil relationship. I think having my own family gave me an appreciation for what he had to put up with out of me. But we survived and respected each other, which is better than I thought it would be. He has been gone for 23 years now and I sometimes think he is indwelling me because I hear myself saying some of his sayings. God be with me!

My experience of being a dad began on the day I married almost 38 years ago. I was 22 years old and had two boys 8 and 3. What I lacked in knowledge I made up for in confidence. I was sure I would be a great dad because mine wasn't. Figure out that logic! I figured out pretty quick that my dad wasn't as bad as I thought and I wasn't as good. Somehow we managed to get them, along with a daughter, to adulthood and adult responsibility, at least in two of the three. It was an experience I wouldn't trade for but boy am I glad they are raised!

Today the role of the father in the family has expanded greatly. Watching my son-in-law in his tireless efforts of raising Daniel, as well as many other fathers of young children I observe, I realize the dads of today are more equal partners in parenting than my generation ever was. Some of that could be due to the mothers also working full time outside the home but that's not all of it. I sense a genuine commitment to and joy in being engaged in their child's life. Another part is that men are becoming fathers at an older age and understand the responsibility associated with the job. Whatever the reason I see it as a positive change for our future.

One final comment on being a Dad. Medical technology over the past 20 years seemingly has sought to relegate men to the role of sperm donor. Increasingly women are raising children, either by choice or circumstances, without the benefit of a father in the child's life. As a result our society has produced children that are confused about gender roles and their own identity because there hasn't been a father in their lives or the one that has been did them no favors by being there. There is a reason God required a woman AND a man to create life! Fathers must be involved in the lives of their children so women must choose CAREFULLY who they choose to honor with that gift. Because fatherhood should be a gift from God and the woman you love. Not from an insemination specialist and a random sperm donor!

Happy Father's Day to all of the great fathers I know out there!!!

Are We Ever Satisfied?

Do you ever find yourself sitting at your computer, swearing under your breath for it to hurry up? Have you ever been annoyed that you can't just go down the street and purchase that perfect squash in November? Do you lose patience when someone tells you that you will have to wait or come back later?

This is the nature of life in these United States these days. We all expect immediate answers for every question. I am including myself in the "we". I can't tell you the number of times recently that I have Googled something to get an immediate answer. We don't even have to be at our computers because we can do it from our phones! The art of study and research has gone from a trip to the library to keying a few characters into a phone. Or at least that's what we all believe. We take the first answer that pops up and off we go. Hey, it's on the internet so it must have been on the tablets that Moses brought down the mountain! We are in such a hurry to move on to the next item on the list that we sometimes neglect to finish the first item, thereby doing a shoddy job of it.

When did we get in such a big hurry? What made us believe in the instant gratification we all expect? Are we ever satisfied?

The short answer is Capitalism. The much longer answer is the consumer based economy that we are a part of has resulted in the sellers being increasingly required to compete for the buyers dollars in order for their businesses to be successful. For example, do you have a smart phone? If so, why did you get it? Was there a more basic cell phone available at a much cheaper price. An on this smart phone do you get a new one only when the old one is not operational? No, if you are like me you get the newest, fastest slickest model available and the old one goes back in the box or donated to some third world country in desperate need of an obsolete smart phone. Then we are happy until the IPhone 16 comes out and we are told how much better it is than the IPhone 15. Then we go for that. You know the drill.

If you think I'm going to break out in the Karl Marx song and dance decrying the evils of capitalism you don't know me. I love the standard of living we enjoy and attribute much of it to our semi-free market system. The problem I see is we seem to have a crack-like habit associated with technology and instantaneous information that it is pushing out many of the normal parts of our lives. Human interaction for one! I find myself typing more and talking less every day. I am addicted to the phone and it is rarely out of reach. And that is expected of me, because, should I leave the house without my phone and someone calls they get annoyed when they get a voice mail. If I were a doctor I could understand it but I am a CPA for God's sake! How many accounting emergencies do you think I have to deal with daily? Exactly!

So, having arrived at this epiphany, I am going to try a little experiment over the next two weeks. I am going to use my phone only for phone calls. I am going to access social media only at home at night and not from the phone or at work. If you call and I don't answer please leave a message because I don't plan to be carrying my phone around the Courthouse. I do have land lines everywhere so I won't be totally out of touch. My absence from some discussion groups will be cheered but that's okay.   I am hoping that at the end of the two week period my productivity has increased, I have gone through the withdrawal process, and will no longer be a slave to the phone.

Will it work? Who knows? I'm not as bad as some I know but I recognize the problem so the next step is addressing it. Wish me luck!

In An Instant!!

Sometimes crap just hits you in the face. When you are least expecting it something happens that grabs you by the collar, draws you close and says "PAY ATTENTION". If we are fortunate the experience is not accompanied by long-term consequences. Sometimes,  however, they do.

Yesterday was a typical busy Saturday for us. We started it with our oatmeal breakfast which has been a favorite of ours for the past several months/ Not that instant stuff; Old Fashioned Quaker Oats. Then at 8:00 I joined my fellow Kiwanians in building a wheelchair ramp. That being manual labor and something I don't usually do I took a couple of hours downtime before we went for a visit with Mom at the nursing home. Our plans for dinner at Mamacitas completed we headed toward the Texas State Campus to our favorite frozen yogurt store for desert. We never made it. From that point on the day was anything but typical!

We were sitting at the red light. The light changes to green and I start a normal acceleration. WHAM!!! We are rear ended by a car at a very high rate of speed. The impact drives us through the intersection and my car comes to a grinding stop. The first thing I do, of course, is check myself and Emma. The seat belts prevented our heads from colliding with the windshield or dashboard so we were both conscious and apparently unharmed. So my next concern is for the other driver. His car had continued on about 100 yards and he had pulled off the road. By that time he had gotten out of his car and was assessing the damaged. He didn't seem to be concerned about us at all. I called 911 and, it being San Marcos, found the accident had already been reported and a police officer was driving up. We got my car out of the roadway and the investigation begins. Meanwhile the EMS arrives and while they are checking out Emma I am checking out the behavior of the other driver. It is apparent that his day had included chemicals of some kind, probably alcohol, and that he was clearly under the influence. To confirm that another driver stopped and reported to the officer that the same vehicle was going about 70 on the access road and nearly ran her off the road a few minutes before.

While I would like to have dealt with him there my main concern was Emma and we decided that she needed to go to the hospital to be checked over good. As we were leaving in the ambulance the police were administering the field sobriety test on the other driver. Later, as I waited for Emma to return from a cat scan, the police marched him in, in hand cuffs, presumably to draw blood for evidence. The good news for us was that everything checked out fine for Emma. We are both sore today but feeling blessed that it wasn't much worse.

We all hear these stories. Many, sadly, end with people severely injured or killed. At a minimum there is property damage, significant inconvenience, and an unnecessary disruption of lives. In the case of the young man that hit us his troubles are just beginning. If found guilty of a DWI he can expect to spend a minimum of $5,000 defending himself and paying fines and court costs. He will most likely lose his privilege to drive and, if he does retain it,  his insurance rates will be astronomical. I suspect he spent the night in jail and had to call his dad to bail him out. Not a fun call to make! But all in all, he is a very lucky young man. Nobody was injured and this just may be his mulligan.Let's hope he learns from this mistake and avoids making the same one with graver consequences.

And the lessons that were reinforced for me? Those seat belts are pretty great! I love my wife and am so grateful that neither of us was injured. Another thing is that I can always count on my baby sister when I need her and hope she knows the same thing goes for her. Finally, we never know what kind of adventure is around the corner. Make each day a good day for you and someone else. It may be your last chance.

The Fist Shake

I am beginning to show my age. Some that know me would argue that I have been an old man for about 40 years but they are just haters so I choose to ignore them. But I have come to the conclusion in the past few days that I probably have attained the status of old man.

This is not something I accept gracefully. While my appearance may reflect an older man I have always ascribed to the notion that you are as young as you think and I have had  a pretty good handle on contemporary culture. I listen to the current tunes and can even remember the lyrics to some. But, alas, I am finding that my perspective is backwards rather than forward so I must be getting old. Here are a few indications I have found:

1. Do you listen to a lot of music by dead singers?
2. Do you find yourself referring to events of many years ago in conversations about contemporary issues?
3. Do you scowl a lot?
4. Are you mystified by people under 30?
5. Do people, in general, piss you off?
6. Are you usually the oldest person in the room?
7. Do people usually refer to you by your last name?
8. Are you finding the need to "get it off your chest" more frequently?
9. Have you totally lost patience with idiots?
10. Do you find yourself more territorial about your yard?

If you see yourself in the above 10 items then you may have joined me on the last roundup. In my case I believe I have reached this point prematurely but reached it nonetheless. So rather than dwell on it and get all depressed I have decided to embrace my inner codger. Having worked at a nursing home for many years I have many examples from which to draw. I even have some good examples of dirty old man to go by if I just had the energy.

So here is what you should expect of me going forward:

1. I will talk incessantly about the weather. Not that I know much about it but that is what I am supposed to do. And I need to get a rain gauge so I can compare what I got to the guy on the next street over.
2. I will eat dinner earlier and earlier. The excuse to now has been to beat the crowds so we go to restaurants between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. The sad thing is that is about the time we eat dinner at home. I full well expect to be at Luby's or IHOP for their early bird specials real soon.

3. I will complain about my health. That's a tall order because, other than being too fat, I don't have a lot wrong with me. But, as I said, many examples are ingrained in my brain so I am confident I can go there. A companion issue is comparing medications with other old farts.

4. I will look forward to retirement. This is a tough one because I anticipate that I will be retired at some point rather than that decision of time and place being of my choosing. Were I independently wealthy it wouldn't really matter when it happened. However, the market has not been good to me and I really need to work until Social Security kicks in as well as vesting in my current retirement plan which will occur about the same time.  So in about 5 years that harmonic convergence will occur. Will I pull the trigger? Who knows? I can see myself working until 70 but that is going to depend on work being available for me.

5. I will dwell upon the end of my days. Fortunately this doesn't usually happen until you retire and have a lot of time on your hands to consider it so see #4.

While the above is a tongue-in-cheek look at aging I will close with this statement. There are friends of mine that did it right. They remained active as long as they could and loved life to its fullest. THOSE are the people I will try to emulate!

Sacrificng to the Nth Degree

From the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the present day our country has been involved in one military conflict after the other. The most costly in American lives was, ironically, when we were fighting against ourselves in the Civil War (if that is not an oxymoron I don't know what is). I could chronicle each one but would probably forget about one along the way. The commonality among all of these conflicts is that they were started by people who generally stayed out of harm's way and the ones that paid the ultimate price were generally poor and uneducated members of our society. A careful analysis of each conflict will find that imperialism on one side or the other was one of the driving factors. Politicians start wars. Plain and simple. And this is not unique to our country. My question is what induces the masses to offer their lives for no more than some flowery rhetoric from some weasel politician?

Before you start to think that maybe I have had too many margaritas let's examine this. A couple of historical examples will be illustrative. There were a number of reasons that the Southern states seceded in 1861. The south had an agricultural based economy and relied heavily on slave labor to maximize their profits. With the abolitionists in the North on a mission the Southern states decided they wanted the status quo and took their marbles and went home. Okay then why did they have to fight? Apparently the federal government saw secession as an act of war and could not tolerate it. It was one group imposing it's will on another. The issue could of been how thick the bacon was sliced. However, the issue was the fundamental right of freedom. That was enough to get both sides to work their citizenry into a fever pitch and start fighting each other. Four years and over 600,000 lives lost and the issue was settled, right? No, it took 100 years more to implement the true emancipation of the slaves and some of their descendents would argue that they are still in a struggle.

Second example, Vietnam. After two world wars the concept of "limited war" or undeclared war was ushered in with the Korean Conflict. Vietnam took it to a new level. Eisenhower sent the first military advisers into Vietnam to prop up the South Vietnamese government. At the time we were deep in the Cold War and there was a Communist under every rock. The Domino Theory was the rationale for defending South Vietnam, because if they fell the rest of the countries in Southeast Asia would fall under the control of Communism. We had a big investment in the Philippines and that was the closest thing to a democracy at the time so let's get it on. So for almost 20 years we were involved at some level in the conflict (never a declared war) losing over 58,000 men and women. A small number by world war standards but because we saw pictures of it on the 6 o'clock news it made a bigger impact.

The commonality between these two conflicts is the soldiers that fought them. In the Civil War the average Southern soldier did not own slaves, or land for that matter. They were largely uneducated and were made promises that could not be kept. They got caught up in the fervor and rhetoric of war and were poorly trained and inadequately armed. Toward the end of the war desertion was common
as the fight left them. It was commonplace for the rich land owners to pay a poor man or sharecropper on his land to go to war in his stead. So as I said the rank and file generally did not include the privileged .

Fast forward to Vietnam and not much changed. Still the poor were most of the rank and file but there was a twist this time. World War II saw the integration of the armed services which opened up "opportunities" for Blacks to serve their country more easily. The rich could not pay someone to serve in their stead during Vietnam so they found another way : college deferment from the draft. The children of the privileged went to school while the poor were drafted and immediately sent to the rice patties.

Tomorrow is the day set aside to honor those that died in service to their country. If you have the TV on you will see the President lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I'm sure he will make an appropriate speech about those young men and women whose lives were cut short by a conflict started by men Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Stalin, or any other nutcase in history. These men and women were called to service by their country and willingly gave up their lives to defend the ideals of freedom. THEY are what make our country great, not the maggot politicians that always seem to make their sacrifice necessary! Without our military pulling their fat out of the fire our way of life would be much different!

So in a way to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice I propose we do all we can to limit the number in the future that will join their ranks. Choose better leaders and keep a better eye on the ones we do choose. They get away with only what we allow! As you are enjoying your day off tomorrow remember those lost in service to our country. They made it as well as your way of life possible! 

Special People

Many years ago, back before the internet, I started a quest to trace my roots back as far as I could. My mother-in-law had published two books on her family and her husband's family so that spurred my curiosity.  Also, the miniseries Roots was on TV and the entire country it seems had an interest in their geneology. I somehow found the time and pieced together a pretty good chronology of the Robersons.  The end result was less than impressive; no royalty, no significant leaders of times gone by. Bottom line: ordinary people leading ordinary lives.

My initial reaction was one of disappointment.  You read stories about ordinary people finding that they descended from this Duke or that baron. Nobody descended from common laborers of their times. I felt that I was special and that someone in my lineage MUST be special as well! Alas, if that person be there he or she kept a low profile!

We all want to make our mark upon the world. Sadly, it is like a dog marking his territory.  The human ego drives us to leave a legacy. I had grandiose plans when I was younger. As I matured I set more realistic goals and have been fortunate to reach most of them. It is a common exercise for men to take stock of themselves and their deeds and readjust where necessary.

Andy Warhol,  I believe,  coined the phrase "we are all looking for our 15 minutes of fame". The fact is that most of us never get even close to that much. Most of those that do achieve infamy,  not fame, through their crimes or misdeeds.  Do you think Bernie Madoff or any of his "victims " are enjoying their 15 minutes?  Or the survivors of 911? Don't you think they wish every day for that humdrum life they had on 9/10/01? Be careful what you wish for!

Today, in the era of the 24 hour news cycle, the internet, and instant communication with the multitudes, a new kind of legacy seeker has emerged. Those are the people that spend most of their time scouring the internet in search of "the truth". And, low and behold,  they found it! Of course finding it and knowing it is not sufficient.  YOU MUST TELL THE WORLD!!!! The world must know that:
1. They are very smart
2. They have found the truth
3. The government doesn't want you to know the truth.
4. You must head the warnings before it is too late!

There are many variations on the theme, most having some basis in Biblical prophesy. And of course should you fail to heed the warnings you are stupid or part of the conspiracy. 

A healthy skepticism of the government is always in order. Nowadays government's first allegiance is to itself and that needs to change!  We have the ability to change the government by throwing out the bums and getting new representation on board. But the job is never done. They have to be held accountable and the voters must do it.

Those are the special people in the world. The people that are engaged in their communities, rearing good citizens that will do the same. They work to change things from within, not clubbing everyone as they go about their lives. The special people are invested in making life a little better for them and others around them.

In the final analysis my special people will probably not make it to the history books. But how important is that really?

That and $1 Might Buy You a Cup of Coffee

This blog is about my opinions.  I do not apologize for them but understand that they are not universally shared. I have had limited feedback simply because my distribution is very limited.  However, I am open for debate and welcome any discussion. I have been tempted to share some of these to Facebook but don't think the general public is quite ready for that. However, if you are a friend of mine of Facebook don't be surprised if you see one of these show up as a post. Especially in the fall.

Enough of the disclaimers. For the last 9 1/2 months I have enjoyed a catbird seat in the eye of the hurricane that is county government in Caldwell County, Texas. And, with this being an election year, it is especially tumultuous. In Texas County Government the term of office is 4 years. Some offices follow the presidential election cycle, the rest the Texas Gubernatorial cycle. As this is the year we FINALLY get to send Obama back to Chicago we will be electing a Sheriff, 4 Constables, 2 County Commissioners and the Tax Assessor/Collector. There are any number of state and national elections but I will save them for another entry. And, if you think I am going to tell you who to vote for, don't hold your breath. The last thing this old boy needs is some mad politician jacking with me while I am trying to do my job. What I will do is make some observations about the process.

Texas usually holds its primaries in March in the even years. This year it is on May 29th! Not because the candidates wanted more time to campaign but due to a battle over redistricting. For those mathematically inclined here is the formula:

Republican State Legislature + Republican Governor + Democrat Administration in Washington, DC

=

LAWSUIT!!!

After months of gerrymandering and undoing the gerrymandering we finally had the lines set and the elections could go forward. AND MAGIC HAPPENS!!! Incumbents become accessible, challengers show up for meetings involving the position they are running for, and they ALL are your friend and really care about your opinion. Never was this so obvious as when I worked in a nursing home a few years ago. To begin, I think it is despicable for someone to show up during the election cycle to solicit the votes of lonely old folks when they don't show their ugly mug until the next election. Yes, I know who they are, no I will not tell you, and no, they will NOT get my vote! Generally these people draw challengers and sometimes it is too late to rehab their reputations. Oh well........ 

So the primary is just over a week away and, barring runoffs, everybody gets to back down somewhat until Labor Day. Yes, they will still be shaking hands and be your friend and care about what you think, just not as hard as they will in September. The general election occurs on November 6th and , THANK GOD!, it will be over for another 18 months. Then we start the process all over. 

Here is what is wrong with this system. The County Government model used by Texas originated in the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. The Texas Legislature, in an effort to keep the carpetbaggers out or at least under control, set up elected offices for just about any and every function performed by the county government. So you have elections for the District & County Court Clerks, Treasurer, Tax Collector, Animal Control Officer, Justice Courts, etc. Some really obscure offices went by the wayside. None of these jobs have any particular skill set requirements , just be a qualified voter of legal age. So the person collecting the taxes doesn't really need to know anything about it, just get more votes than the next guy. The Treasurer, who is responsible for disbursing and investing funds needs no formal education. In fact, outside of the lawyers, the only person required by statute to have a formal education level and receive continuing education is not elected at all. He is none other than yours truly, the County Auditor. You add on top of that someone, like me, who spent most of his career in the private sector, and you can imagine the gulf that occurs. There is a general distrust of those "college boys" to begin with and I end up getting lumped in with the lawyers. 

Another thing that is wrong with the system is that the salary scale is such that it discourages qualified individuals from running for office. The pay cuts they would be required to take are substantial! Occasionally a retiree that is not quite ready to sit on the porch will run and straighten things out. Maybe that's what I'll do.........

So if I were king the first thing I would do is eliminate the Offices of Sheriff, County Clerk, District Clerk, Tax Assessor/Collector , Constable and Treasurer. Commissioners and the County Judge would be limited to two 4 year terms, as would Justices of the Peace and the District Attorney. District Judges would not be elected either! Each of these functions would be filled by qualified professional earning a salary commensurate with their experience and qualifications. Shezam!!!

But alas I am not king and the Texas Legislature, not known for it's political will, will never do anything to change the system. And for the next 5 years or so they will shuffle the deck every two years and I will have new and exciting challenges to face. I may throw in a session of the legislature or two just to keep it interesting. You never know.......

The Home Stretch

I looked at the calendar the other day and realized several things. First the year is almost half over and second we will elect a President in less than 6 months. And you know what those two things have in common? I CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT EITHER!!!!!

So instead of regaling you with a tirade against Obama, the Democrats, the Republicans, or even the moral corruption of America, this blog is going to be about another favorite topic: ME! I give you this warning so that you can ignore the rest of this if you don't want to read some narcissistic drivel. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

Last September I attained the ripe old age of 60. Such a milestone brings with it the obligatory retrospective look at one's life, accomplishments, failures, great moments, terrible moments, and everything in between. It also prompts one to look at your bucket list a little closer, maybe revising it, so that you can focus on the things you really have a shot at doing. For example, will I walk on the Great Wall of China or see the Pyramids in Egypt before I die. It seems doubtful now as my career got thrown a curve ball last year. Traveling to China or Egypt are probably not in the budget. However, riding a motorcycle across Texas could happen just as visiting those remaining 18 states that I haven't. Only time will tell.

The fact of the matter my time may be shorter than anyone might think. When I look in a mirror I see my Dad. He died at the age of 61 years, 2 months and 5 days. He was at least 100 lbs overweight, didn't exercise, ate crap that was real bad for him and a couple of other habits I won't mention here. He had two heart attacks in one month. This first one weakened his heart and the second one took him out. The snapshot of my life isn't much different. He set such a fine example for me you would think that I would take his lifestyle and do the exact opposite. NOT HAPPENING!!

For the sake of argument let's say I get the religion and start eating healthier, start exercising, using my C-pap machine, and generally leading a better life. Do I get more years? Maybe but there are no guarantees. Jim Fixx, the father of the modern-day jogging movement, dropped dead at 45 WHILE HE WAS RUNNING!!!! Does a steady diet of straw guarantee a longer life? Conventional wisdom says that I have better odds of adding more years at a healthy weight than at my present 300 plus pounds so lets put that on the new bucket list. I'm not telling anyone how much I will exercise or how much I will lose but both need to happen so I will.

Okay, it is now Spring of 2013, I am svelte, well rested, and still gainfully employed. What else needs to happen? How about career goals? At this stage in my life I should have that worked out but things are much different now than they were even 20 years ago. I know many people still very active, living independently, into their 80's or 90's. That could be me! Do I want to work until 66 or 70 or 75? If so, what do I do? County Auditor is what I am doing now and the challenges will be there for a couple of years. Do I stay at that for 5, 10 or 15 years? My investments are not at a point where I can retire early so I know I will be doing something. I still have my Nursing Home Administrator license do I consider that? Or do I do something totally different? I need to assess this and see if there is anything in the area of career that I need to do.

One of my wishes was to see our grandson Dan graduate college. He is 3 1/2 now so we are talking about me living into my 80's. Likely? My genes wouldn't say so but who thought my Mom would have lived as long as she has? I would love for this to happen but what I would love more is to be a part of his life WHILE he is growing up. We just returned from a visit to NY and we had a good time. But when I see my contemporaries with their grandchildren, daily or weekly interactions, I realize that our relationship will never be that close. He sees us two or three times a year for short periods of time. How can he really know us?  I would have no problem relocating but I am not the only one to consider in the matter. Suffice it to say that what we have now is probably the best we can hope for. So other than a possible motivation to live into my 80's.........

One final area to consider is where we will spend the rest of our lives. Emma is content to stay right where she is for as long as she lives. And circumstances favor such a decision. We have lived in the same house for over 33 years, it's paid for, it's a great place to live, and I have a job 1 mile from the house. But what about after work ends? Do we cash in our chips? Move closer to Dan? By that time he will be past the point of needing Grandpa and Grandma so what would that accomplish? Or do we leave the country? Become ex-pats in Costa Rica or the Caribbean?  As I said Emma is happy right where she is............

So I am going to create a new bucket list in the next week or two and share it with you. Some of the items will come from my current list but some will be new. Things I have done will be gone so that I can start to plot a strategy for completing this new list. Of course, you know how to make God laugh? Make a plan! In the final analysis how much life, who I spend it with, and the quality of said life are really in his hands. I will continue to live the best life I can until he has had enough amusement from me! 

Topic of the Day : Same Sex Marriage

Things must be doing really well these days. The War on Terror is over, everyone that wants to work is working. The federal budget is balanced. The economy is humming like there is no tomorrow. All of these things must be true because the most important topic to the Democrats today seems to be repealing the Defense of Marriage Act.

Yes, my friends, Bevis and Butthead (Obama and Biden) along with their willing accomplices in the main stream media have decided that it's time that Bruce and Paul be able to get married. Same for Sherry and Mary. They are tired of those wacky right wingers denying them their rights and they are not going to stand for it anymore.

For the record, I personally think gay marriage is an abomination and goes against God. That being said I have plenty of faith that God can handle this without the help of the Prez, VP, Congress or me. The first clue should be that God didn't make very many of us hermaphroditic so for a man to give birth or a woman to inseminate another woman would require some divine intervention or some seriously screwed up doctors. Nonetheless, as God said of the Jews in the old testament, they are a stubborn and stiff-necked people. So it has been the most important issue in the presidential race: who will let me do what I want?

Of course this is an issue tailored made for those Godless Democrats. Their big tent has room for every perversion known to man and a few only known to the beasts of the field. Those evil Republicans, clinging to their Bibles and guns, want to set human rights back to the days of the Puritans. Do I have the lines drawn correctly?

Boys and girls this is political theater, nothing more! The whole purpose of this exercise is for both parties to shore up their bases so that they can lock those votes down and start chipping away at the political jellyfish better known as the moderates. Does either side really think that 20% of the population is going to have an epiphany and change their position either way? No! In fact if you poll the likely voters on the important issues of this election I doubt that same sex marriage is on the radar for either party. Those darn voters are more concerned about the economy, jobs, the war, or even who is going to win American Idol. So why do the media sycophants find it necessary to regurgitate everything that dumb ass  Biden says, regardless of the inanity of the subject? Because that is the game plan. This is no black helicopter conspiracy, just common sense observation.

So this drivel will die down in a few days and then we will get back on another hot topic like paying for some college girl's birth control medication. Then the old standby, abortion, will rear it's head and it will be game on! Meanwhile the 8.1% unemployment rate, which is more like 14% really, will languish in that area. Obama will spend money we don't have to put lipstick on this pig of an economy we are living with so that we will believe that a 2% annual growth rate in our economy is great.

The problems facing the country can be fixed by getting the government out of the way and let the capitalistic engine start humming again. In my opinion we had too much government when Reagan left office and it has done nothing but grow since then. I'm not real optimistic that Romney will be able to reduce the size of government but at least I think he will try. I will hold my nose and vote for him because I know the Chucklehead in Chief will NOT do anything to lessen government in our lives.

So please don't take your eye off the ball! Most of what they are talking about is not important and when they do talk about something important you can't get past the platitudes. Another 4 years will Obama will be disastrous!