Going Forward......

  This entry will be a departure from my previous posts because it is about this blog. I will not be railing against the many faults of the politicians that "know best for us" but about who gets these rants, who reads, them and who doesn't. As you might have guessed I write these entries as an outlet of my frustrations with things I perceive as out of kilter. I welcome comments but rarely get any. It is really not about getting into arguments with anyone. I enjoy political debate as much as the next guy but in this day of people getting offended if you look at them wrong I generally don't engage folks anymore. And that's fine. As a child of the 60's we cut our teeth on very defined arguments so I bring my "A game" to every fray.

   So here is the deal. I have been writing this blog for over 5 years. Actually more that 6 years as the first entry was on May 24, 2007, but the commentaries started in earnest in August of 2008.  As I sit here this morning I think it is time to do some housekeeping. Some of you have been with me from the start, some are recent additions. I am needing to know whether I should keep sending you the notifications of posts in the future. This is going to require a positive response to the email you get with this post. If I do not receive a positive response to keep sending them to you by next Friday, January 3rd, I will remove you from the distribution. No hard feelings I just don't want to be "that guy" sending unwanted emails. Times change, perspectives change, and my rants may not do it for you.

   When I started this blog I always intended the distribution to be limited. I never promoted it, never posted my entries to social media, or any such wide broadcast. It is apparent that my opinions do not mesh with the current political climate and that is okay. I do not apologize for anything I have written here and, if I continue, my opinions will remain unvarnished. The truth is the truth no matter how many politicians and lawyers try to tell you different!

   So I will await your response; or not. Regardless, Happy New Year!

Expectations

   We live in a world where instant gratification is the demand of the day. I find myself telling my computer to "come on, hurry up" as it is loading the requested web page. The fact that the speed of loading is determined by the band width I purchased (which was the cheapest offered) doesn't phase me. I want that page to instantly appear on my screen and have very little patience otherwise. I give the amazing technological advances of the last 20 years credit for catering to this whim.

   So a big story on the news last night was about U.P.S. and FedEx failing to get their packages delivered by Christmas, as was promised. And I guess if I had ordered something and they guaranteed it would be here by Christmas I would be upset too. And upset the people were! Social media was ablaze with the vitriol aimed primarily at "Brown" because their failure appeared to be the most widespread. Shippers like Amazon were quick to make amends to the customers and because they are a huge customer of U.P.S. I can imagine that sometime after the holidays their C.E.O. will have a none to pleasant visit with Amazon's C.E.O. Apparently there was a decision made to reduce the number of seasonal workers hired to cover the Christmas increase in shipments. Uh Oh!

   As you might imagine I have a different take on this. For many years, when the postal service had a monopoly on how we shipped things, we groused about their incompetence. You could never count on them getting the package to its destination on time so you made allowances. You still do if you are using U.S.P.S., which we do for most of our shipments. But I have found that the postal service has become much more reliable and makes quicker deliveries than they did 10 to 20 years ago. What is the reason for this change? Competition, plain and simple. FedEx was created because of the incompetence of the Post Office and have done an amazing job of carving out their place in the world. U.P.S. has gone along for the ride and compete on price and massive online shopper contracts with FedEx. Both of these carriers have kicked the ass of the postal service and taken away a ton of their business. They offer speed and reliability and the perception is that the post office doesn't.

   How will this affect U.P.S. and FedEx? No doubt it will cost them some money and tarnish their image. They have been riding a white stallion that got a thorn in its hoof. They will learn from their mistakes and be better. Otherwise someone might come along and take away a big chunk of their business. It can happen; ask the Post Office! And the lesson they should take away from this is that you don't promise what you can't deliver. Your customers deserve to be able to trust what you tell them otherwise you are no better than the lying politicians they keep reelecting.

   A final thought on this subject of expectations. Each year Christmas is celebrated on December 25th and, as a general rule, we have a pretty good idea of who we need to shop for. With online shopping being the trend I dare say that there is no excuse about not being able to get to the store to make purchases. Even so, a little planning would have had that gift purchased and delivered well before December 15th. The rather unrealistic expectation of the consumers that U.P.S. would pull their fat from the fire for procrastination should be noted. They can't ship it until you order it so if you order it a little earlier, like more than two days before Christmas, you have a much better chance of happiness on Christmas morning rather than disappointment. But it appears that U.P.S. and FedEx will absolve them of their responsibility in this matter so carry on, I guess.

  

Christianity Lite

  Last night Emma and I attended Christmas Eve services at the Presbyterian church in Luling. This service is one of my favorites of the year so I look forward to the songs, the scriptures and the sacraments. It is also where you see folks you generally don't see on Sundays. But that's another blog.

  What I am trying to figure out today is why I am so disappointed in the service last night. I can't honestly say it was a bad service. It was the first special service for our newly ordained minister and she had some stumbles. But that is to be expected. The scriptures covered both the old and new testaments so the story was properly told. It seemed we were all just going through the motions with most of the people there just to make Granny happy. They had places they would rather be. Maybe that's it. The service was not that special.....

   If it seems that I am struggling with my faith I really am not. What I am really having a problem with is the conventional approach to worship. All established churches have an order of worship, the liturgy, and customs. We become comfortable with this and changes are not well received. But isn't that the antithesis of Christ's message? From his birth to his death he challenged the order of the day. After his death he sent forth his apostles to spread the good news, which was not well received. Somewhere along the line the descendants of Martin Luther lost their spunk and, as a result, the churches are just buildings.

   I don't have a fix for this. I have a hard time keeping myself going the right direction. But someone in the established church had better wake up and smell the coffee!

Getting a Fair Price

  It seems these days our country is fixated on getting the best price for our money. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that as competition is always good for the consumer. In a time when so many of our expenditures seem not to be negotiable people want to make the most of an opportunity to save.

  Christmas seems to display this attitude in spades, almost to the point of silliness. The retailers play into this mentality with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday sales to initiate the holiday shopping season. I have my doubts of whether the real savings is worth the hassle of joining the fray so I generally don't. I saw a long discussion about the price of tamales the other day. Should I feel stupid because I willingly pay more than what appears to be a "good price"? I had several items in my cart on Amazon this weekend on which the price changed from the time I put them in the cart to the time I pulled the trigger on the purchase. You snooze, you lose, or sometimes gain?

  I think it is time for a little reality check. Some of my more seasoned readers will tell you that there is nothing new about getting the best deal for your money. During hard times it could mean the difference between meat or beans, or anything to eat. Growing up in a poor family of six it wasn't a matter of a new television. It was paying the utilities before they were turned off! So it is somewhat amusing to watch someone spend all day on Thanksgiving in line to save a few hundred bucks on a big screen TV. Why is that so important?

  Here is my theory. I really don't think it is about the money. It is about people wanting positive recognition. In their way of thinking making a "good deal" makes them look more savvy than the dude that paid $200 more for the same TV. It's a victory to stack up against the losses on taxes, utilities, and healthcare costs where they have little say in what they pay. They beat the system and it feels worth the 12 hours they spent in line to do it. It seems to me a pathetic way to get your validation but, hey, it's a free country!

  So you should never expect to see me anywhere near those doorbuster sales. I will continue to pay $9 per dozen for my tamales because 1) they are great tamales, 2) I have made more tamales than any other gringo man I know and appreciate the work that goes into them and 3) because that two dollars difference is much more crucial to Maria than my being able to brag about paying $7. My eye is on the ball of taxes, utilities and healthcare costs. I achieve small victories from time to time and that works for me.

 

Speaking Your Peace

  There has been much talk today about free speech. Seems as if a television reality star stated his beliefs as regards to homosexuality. He did this in an interview with a magazine reporter so when it came out the network broadcasting his show suspended him immediately. No doubt this was in reaction by gay/lesbian advocates. Supporters of the "offender" are raising hell, claiming his rights were being violated. Oy!

   This is really a simple matter. The best I can tell the TV star stated his opinion without fear of incarceration. His opinion was based on his religious beliefs so no one abridged his right to exercise his choice of religion. So it is really not a free speech issue. However, there is no constitutional protection from consequences for what you say. He really has no constitutional right to a job. So the network, after determining the economic impact of their association with him decided to cut him loose. That is totally legal. Only time will tell whether their calculation will prove accurate.

   Look, Phil Robertson and I are contemporaries. Granted he lives in Louisiana but I dare say that we probably aren't far apart on the issue of homosexuality. I usually don't judge people by a couple of sentences in a magazine article. We read the same Good Book. And perhaps his faith is stronger than mine in that he publicly voiced his belief where I doubt I would so vociferously. And, as far as I know, he is not whining about the suspension. He made a choice and it cost him.

  To be a Christian is to endure persecution. Been that way for over 2,000 years. His attitude toward homosexuality is mild when compared to that of the billion or so Muslims in the world but, for some reason, they get a pass from the media. There is an open season on anyone and anything related to Christ so we Christians have to recognize that going in. Most of us have been cowled into public silence as the homosexual minority flexes its political muscle. Each time a state approves same sex marriages it is trumpeted loudly and proudly by the press. At the same time the genuine good works of millions of Christians across the country are discounted or ignored and they are deemed intolerant.

Like I said, it really is a simple matter. Economics is what drives the suits at A&E network and they made a business decision. It's up to the supporters of Phil Robertson to determine if their calculations were correct. When a business mistreats me or mine it will be a cold day in hell before I darken their door again. If enough people take that attitude I think the network will be proved to have miscalculated. Won't be the first time. Anyone remember New Coke?

Failure is Always An Option

Winning. There are lots of definitions of it. Different standards, different expectations, different goals. Society measures it in games, won/loss records, in business, the bottom line, in life, lots of adoring friends and family makes you a winner. Everyone wants to be a winner. No one wants to be seen as a loser. Right?

Fortunately that is not the way it works. Losing happens much more frequently than winning and we all get to deal with it. I say fortunately because failure, in my opinion, is much better for us than success. Failure drives us to do better, take a different path, use talents that may have laid dormant had victory come easily. World famous authors will display their stack of rejection letters received before they had success.

In the age of participation ribbons, everyone plays, and not keeping score, I am concerned for our future generations. The helicopter parents of today are so concerned that little Johnny be safe, protected in every way, seek to shield them from failure at all costs. Self esteem is to be elevated and enhanced. Positive reinforcement no matter how much they suck at what they do.

I grew up in a different time. When I tried out for the sports teams I found out pretty quickly that athletics was not in my future. I worked my ass of to be an average baseball player and football rejected me derisively. At the age of 12 I had to face the facts of life. I just wasn't good enough. Not for sports that is. I had talents in other areas which I explored because of my failures with athletics. I found success because of failure. This experience has been replayed throughout my adult life and I attribute my success to knowing how to deal with failure.

Children need to experience failure. It hurts to lose and none of us want to see our children unhappy. However, there will come a time, after they leave our protective shield, that reality will slap them up beside their heads and they will lose. And it will no doubt be something infinitely more important than some junior high football game. And how they deal with the loss will be crucial to their future as functional, successful adults. So it's best they learn this lesson when the stakes are low. They will grow from the experience.

The New Religion

A couple of thousand years ago, give or take, a Savior was born and died, bringing us eternal salvation. To a large chunk of the world that was a pretty significant event. And to mark it's significance we annually celebrate it with lots of drinking, spending money on crap we don't need, and eating too much. Sure some put a couple of dollars in the kettle and call that philanthropy but for the most part the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ has come to resemble Spring Break on South Beach!

But this is not about that. This is about a new religion that has evolved over the past several decades. And like Christianity you have your devoted followers, your deniers, and those hypocrites that invoke it when it suits their purpose. It is all the rage and very politically correct to wear its colors. Its devotees kneel at the alter and take the crusade to all nooks and crannies of the world.

What? You haven't heard of it? Sure you have. It is called Environmentalism. The goddess they worship is Mother Nature and the world is their temple. What started out as a fairly good idea has become perverted and distorted and has evolved into something resembling a fanatic religious movement. And it has finally made it to Lockhart, Texas, the place that time forgot! But like most things religious in Lockhart, Texas the environmentalists are superficial and only "down for the struggle" if they see personal benefit in it. It has to be something in the water!

Before I go any further and get burned in effigy let me define the object of my scorn. I am talking about people who have been going along for the past twenty years oblivious to environmental concerns right under their noses. Less than 10 miles away the world could be crumbling but they couldn't care less. As long as they are not screwing with me or mine, cool. All of a sudden their world is shattered! Someone wants to build a (fill in the blank ______) near me! Their first concern is how does this affect my property value. Then they look for ways to stop this from happening. Enter the Environmentalist! All of a sudden these folks take up the crusade to save us all from the evil polluters. Yeah, those people.

Like I said earlier the environmental movement in its foundation was a good idea. We have learned a lot about the little things we can do to make our world a nicer place to live and most of us, under threat of having your money taken from you, are compliant. When was the last time you poured chemicals or motor oil in the storm drain? When was the last time you threw trash on the road from your car? Do you recycle? All of these are courtesy of a long period of education/indoctrination by environmentalists, enforced by your friendly governmental regulatory agency, whose sole purpose is their continued existence through ever increasing regulations and sucking money from your pockets. It is alphabet soup these days. EPA and TCEQ immediately come to mind. So like good citizens only wishing to keep a portion of what we earn comply with the laws. It's life in River City.

Unfortunately that is just not good enough. These latter day Environmentalists enlist the Jerry Falwells of the movement to fight their battle. Because the internet geniuses, armed with a laptop and the Google search engine, are infinitely more qualified to determine environmental impact than scientists that actually went to school and have experience in such matters. And of course they will beat you down with every kind of "study" written by either some environmental whacko in their mom's basement or a religious zealot long on commitment but short on actual proof. All of a sudden the people we hire at the regulatory agencies are either incompetent, shills for the industry they are charged with overseeing, or both? Reality check time!

I am not real happy with organized religion right now. People are rejecting it because somewhere along the line the church lost its soul and turned into a social club. The Ten Commandments have become the Ten Suggestions and the Protestant denominations are so into appeasement to keep from offending someone that they will accept almost any behavior. I have a similar attitude toward the latter day Environmentalist. Their religion is a facade that is deserving of scorn, not respect. Global warming has been debunked as a hoax but yet it is touted like it is written in the Gospels.

We are supposed to be a representative republic in the good old USA and, for better or worse, are governed by laws enacted by said representatives. They established the regulatory agencies that oversee all things environmental and processes that should be followed. Private property rights, one of the things that separate our country from most of the rest of the world, have been severely curtailed by this process but at least there is an equitable pathway to allowing them to use their property as they see fit. A screaming rabble of junk scientists should not impact the process. We shall see.

Getting in the Spirit

Christmas. What does in mean? If the world around me is correct it is about spending money and currying favor with the people you know and love. It's a great excuse to throw a party where people drink too much and make fools of themselves. It's about putting the guilt trip on the fortunate on behalf of the less fortunate. Oh yeah, somewhere in there we celebrate the birth of our Lord and savior.

For the past several years I have tended to check out of the festivities of Christmas. To clarify, the secular festivities. The crass commercialism is overwhelming, to be sure, but I have successfully delegated that responsibility to Emma. My total involvement in the gift buying is severely limited, which is a good thing. The grandkids would probably be disappointed if I was in charge. So Emma enjoys spending money, the grandkids love the gifts, and I get credit too.

So for me it's work to get in the spirit. It generally takes a healthy dose of Christmas music, a couple of good sermons, and lots of prayer. I got the Christmas music this past Tuesday when we attended a performance of Handel's Messiah by the Austin Symphony and Chorus Austin. Usually the best I can do is listen to the CD but this year we splurged. Great investment! Nothing quite as exhilarating as the Hallelujah Chorus performed by real musicians. I'm breaking out my Manheim Steamroller albums tonight to continue the mood. I'm actually looking forward to church Sunday because the story of the birth of Christ never gets old!

All I need now is lots of prayer. That's not for the Christmas season necessarily but to rescue me from the dark moods brought on by the evil in this world. Its hard to watch the deterioration of our society without despair setting in. It seems the path is set. I will be fervently praying that it changes.

So I am feeling pretty good about it. The evil will always be there but so will the hope. At a time when its hard to put your faith in people it's comforting to know that the grace of God will always be there. Merry Christmas!

The Benefits of Experience

In the course of a 38 year career I have used pretty much all of the runway. I have worked in public accounting, government, manufacturing and long term care. In public accounting I served clients as varied as the Yellow Pages. Blessed with a great memory and a solid education I gained a wealth of experience throughout the years. And although some of the career changes probably cost me financially I would do it all again the same way. It has not been boring!

Why am I telling you this? Because I have noticed of late that experience is a much discounted commodity. In a time when Google makes us internet geniuses it seems that the opinions of people that have ACTUAL experience are beat down by obscure and irrelevant links. Whoever said there is no substitute for experience has been dead a long time.

But is information a substitute for experience? Can access to unlimited information equal the value of having actually done something? I guess it depends on the importance of the matter. If I need heart surgery I want someone trained and experienced cutting on me. If it is some inane trivia contest I'm not sure years as an English professor are required. You can only read so much and eventually have to get your hands dirty to get experience.

And therein lies the problem. While it seems like there is never a shortage of opinions finding one that is backed by actual experience is rare. One reason for that is because such opinions usually cost money. And nobody wants to pay for anything! Lawyers, doctors and CPAs are always sought for free advice as if their knowledge and experience was in the public domain. So you will occasionally see professionals giving free advice generally it is worth what you pay.

So here is some free advice. There are times when the prudent thing to do is find someone with experience to help you solve a problem. I know more about the law than most non lawyers but wouldn't think of preparing my own will. If you have a real estate issue find the professionals that can get you through it. You will have the benefit of their experiences to back you up and someone to hold accountable. Google is not going to be there when you screw up!

Making Things Last

Emma and I have a history of keeping things a long time. As long as something is functional we keep using it. There are exceptions, of course but generally we take care of things and they last. This has saved us a lot of money over the years and it is a good plan for us.

Sadly we have moved rapidly toward a disposable economy. Cheap products are designed to be replaced rather than fixed. We had a microwave go out on us recently. We had bought it 4 years before for $140. Fixing it, if you could find someone to work on it, would be aggravating and cost prohibitive. So I went and purchased another one. How long should it last? Its predecessor lasted about 8 years. Does that mean the new one will be gone in 2 years? One wonders.
Somewhere along the line price became the only consideration in making a purchase. Companies found cheap sources of labor outside the U.S. and it was game on! Things got cheaper and cheaper and that blender that had cost $40 is now $24. Of course the $24 is a piece of crap that may blow up if you really use it. So I dread when our 18 year old washer cashes in its chips because, in all likelihood the replacement will be inferior.

Is this trend irreversible? Do we want to reverse it? There hasn't been much of a backlash that I can see so maybe the world is happy with all things disposable. I can't remember the last time I saw a kid in cloth diapers. Relationships seem to be just as disposable, lacking more than a superficial commitment from either party. It used to be a lucky person that had 5 good friends but social media gives us hundreds at the click of a mouse. And when it seems to be the social norm to have an ambiguous description of your most significant personal relationship (used to be called a marriage) maybe our lives are becoming disposable as well.

Where our society goes depends on the example we set for our children and grandchildren. They watch us intently and learn from our behaviors much more than our words. They will be the ones to decide what a marriage is and whether we will continue to be a disposable society. I pray they are smarter than we were!

Reality Check

Each year about this time I usually attend some kind of income tax seminar that updates CPAs on tax law changes for the upcoming filing season. As I do not work full time with income taxes it gets my head into the game for year end to assist my clients in planning to minimize their tax burden. I just completed an advanced update the past two days and, needless to say, there was a lot of information imparted. While it may be thoroughly stimulating to me (not) I will not bore you with the details. I will give you a brief snapshot of the state of income tax law and what you have to look forward to.

Much of the time and discussion over the past two days centered around the Affordable Care Act, it's requirements for compliance and the penalties if you don't. I consider myself pretty up to date on current events so I was not surprised that the material in the course, which was prepared about 3 months ago, was outdated. That was before the much touted roll out of the Healthcare.gov website and its abysmal failure. This was also before BHO was caught in one of his many lies. And before he went on TV to announce changes, delays, etc., that, the last time I checked, will require an actual change in the law to affect. So the takeaway from the seminar was "this is the law, subject to changes by Congress, executive order, or regal edict". There are a couple of things that are unlikely to change: you will be required to be covered by insurance for 2014 and if you are not you will be assessed a penalty on your 2014 income tax return. This penalty is assess on each month you are without qualifying coverage for each person on your tax return. And most people, including me, have no clue what the specific requirements for the insurance will be as the government will be making this up as they go along, apparently. So my clients and I will be having a discussion soon about the requirement to get the dialogue started.

And this debacle pretty much characterizes the state of current tax law. Since it's inception 100 years ago the collection of federal income taxes has been used for social engineering. How was the government funded the previous 130 plus years with out it? Then when FDR dreamed up the Social Security Act in 1937 and Lyndon Johnson the Medicare Act in 1965 the fix was obviously in. Most of the complexity in tax law is a result of making a commitment to redistribute wealth from one group of citizens to the other and the back door deals it takes to appease those that were just stolen from. The problem is that we haven't truly paid for all of this since the sixties and the piper needs to be paid. The deficit spending can't go on and I anticipate that, absent Draconian spending cuts, increased taxes will be coming to a return with your name on it! We haven't had adults in charge of this mess for a long time.

I have been a Certified Public Accountant since October 5, 1978. I began preparing income tax returns in 1976 and my longest client was my first in that year. Most of my clients are older folks and I will continue to get them through this mess as long as they want me to. For me it is not about the money. I believe our government will be unleashing an assault on the bank accounts of the achievers and people that have worked and saved and I will work to mitigate that assault as much as I can within the law. The tax code is much too complicated for the average taxpayer to understand and I just don't believe we can trust the government to look after our interests. It's a sad state of affairs but reality usually is.

Being Thankful : It's Not Just for November!

I get a lot of my material by watching Facebook comings and goings. I am more of a voyeur with it, usually sharing funny or thoughtful posts of others, and occasionally commenting of them. Sometimes my particular brand of wit is not appreciated by the masses for I reserve it for smaller groups that appreciate it.

One of the things people do each November is to post about things for which they are thankful, one each day leading up to Thanksgiving. It appears to be a "woman thing" as I rarely see a man participating in the endeavor. They all seem to start out the same, thanking God for their blessings, then their families, and then their great friends. It is always interesting, and somewhat amusing, to read the posts after about the 3rd of November. Many just post a variation of the earlier posts but some get real creative. For some it seems to turn into a contest of who can be the most thankful. I'm not sure how posting a litany of things you are thankful for means anything but if it puts people in an "attitude of gratitude" I guess it serves its purpose.

Gratitude, or thankfulness, seems to be an action falling on hard times. I a time where we are spoiled with the comforts and conveniences beyond the dreams of our parents we take it all for granted. Worse yet, we complain because it's not better! I see people, sitting at their computer, complaining that their lives aren't perfect, don't have every conceivable convenience at their fingertips, We are like the child who makes a Christmas gift list that would bust the family budget and pouts because they don't get EVERYTHING on the list! I have a hard time finding people that appreciate what they have and demonstrate that appreciation in a meaningful way.

And before you start in with the pot/kettle accusation I readily admit I am guilty as well. I am not as good about thanking people as I should be and especially in thanking God. I pray but it is usually asking for something such as comfort and healing for the sick. I work on it but my guess is that I am still a disappointment to the Big Guy....

Being thankful is really not about words. It is about actions. The old saying that "actions speak louder than words" is very true in regards to gratitude. For the mere mortals in your life it is about recognizing what they mean to you. Not only telling them but showing them! A simple conversation in which you listen twice as much as you talk is a way of demonstrating your appreciation of the value they bring into your life. Random acts of kindness have the same effect. Being in a thankful state of mind is contagious and is usually paid back in spades! If you think about it there are many people that make your daily life special, from family to co-workers and friends. And they do it all year, every year! Make note of these contributions and be grateful for them!

Moving past the mortals, we are woefully lacking in showing our thankfulness to God. He who provides us with the air we breathe, our very lives, talents and being, we probably show less appreciation to Him than to the mortals. The goal of society these days seems to be to marginalize God's contribution to our lives to the point of irrelevance. We are so arrogant to think WE are responsible for our existence and do our best to ignore God's contributions.

So how do you show appreciation to God? I have read some eloquent prayers, each one a literary masterpiece. And yet, in my opinion, they are hollow and empty if not followed up by action. Thankfulness is an action! You demonstrate it by following the teachings of God as laid out in the Bible, serving God AND your fellow man. Leading a spiritual life and avoiding the trappings of sin, all while recognizing that we are sinners and are bound to come up short. But the effort is required nonetheless. Because God has provided us with our lives and our beings and asks us to share our blessings with others. Opportunities abound in our daily lives to show gratitude through service. You just have to open your eyes!

So I guess this is my thankfulness message. It is being sent to you because you are my friend or family and I really don't get to see any of you enough. We have shared a life and you have enhanced mine more than you can imagine! I look forward to the next opportunity to show you.

  

Friday Night Fever

If you think this blog entry is going to be about football, you are right. However, before you shut it down you might want to read it because there's a slant that might surprise you.

A little background first. I never played the game, not in an organized fashion at least. Growing up in a time where real competition decided who played, not some PC rules set to build up self esteem, I was never a good enough athlete to make the team. However I was smart enough to recognize this and turned my interest to music and playing in the band. I was pretty good at that, participated in the game, and didn't get the crap kicked out of me every Fall Friday night. So I was never a member of the club, but I watched it, studied it, and understand it. All modesty aside I probably know and understand the game better than most of the rabid fans in the stands every Friday night.

With all that said, there is nothing so surreal as football season in a small town, especially if the team has a winning record on the last Friday in September. By that date the local heroes have played either four or five games and have a shot at the playoffs. And is the local team doesn't have a particularly storied history of state championships (in other words they generally suck) the hopes and dreams of most of the community ride on every game. Having lived here and observed 35 seasons of Lockhart Lion football the scenario usually plays out in one of two ways. The first and most predictable is that the team sucks from the gitgo. They end up winning two or three games and the coach is usually gone at the end of the season. The other way is the season will start out good. Maybe they are 3 wins, 1 loss at the end of September. Hope springs eternal and Lockhart Lions fans do a poor impersonation of Chicago Cubs fans. Then, true to form, the Lions fold like a cheap suit and limp to a mediocre season. In the odd season that they make the playoffs, the coach finds a better job at the end of the season and they start over next season.

So this season falls into the latter scenario, the team being 3-1 after last night's game. It's a weak three wins, but hey, a win is a win, right? So the seasonal insanity has set in. Otherwise rational adults wearing high school football jerseys, attending pep rallies on the square, breaking out team pictures of the few teams from the past that actually made the playoffs. Will this be the year? Why doesn't the Austin paper cover Lockhart? Marquees around town will have "Go Lions" on them and all will be great. Grown men meet every Thursday with the head coach to discuss football at a local BBQ joint! This enthusiasm will continue as long as they continue to win. They better hope the place kicker doesn't stub his toe!

If it sounds like I am complaining you are about half right. We all have our fantasies and I don't begrudge these high school football fans theirs. My complaint is that they expect EVERYBODY to participate in it! God forbid that you don't go all RAH! RAH! over a bunch of high school kids playing a game. I am not a cretin because I don't go to the games. I could about throw a rock from my house to the football field and wouldn't go to a game if they paid me to go! That would change obviously if my grandkids were playing but that's not the case so my time is better spent unwinding from a trying day, falling asleep on the couch, organizing my sock drawer, etc. If this makes me officially old, so be it! GET OFF MY LAWN!!!! (shakes fist)

There are a few of us in this town but we have learned our lesson. We avoid huddles of middle aged men as a general rule because the conversation will be about a particular play from the last game. I hang around women that I know really don't care about football. As long as they don't have high school aged kids they are pretty safe. I do not own a piece of clothing that says Lockhart Lions on it and never will! I read a lot.My cloak of invisibility is usually activated by September 1st. 

We could get into the detriments of this societal obsession but that is for another blog. My prediction is that the team will lose the next two games, the community will take this kick in the teeth, and start the chant about next year. I guess it is a somewhat harmless diversion, unless you consider stunted intellectual development a detriment. If not, carry on! GO LIONS!!!!!

Not In My Back Yard!!!!

Lockhart is a city on the cusp of explosive growth. You would not believe how long that statement has been uttered here. And if you believe it you obviously do not understand the community and it's mindset.

A little history is in order here to illustrate. Shortly after arriving here in 1979 Lockheed decided to locate a new manufacturing operation on U.S. 183 just south of Austin. I was involve in economic development in Lockhart as a member of the Lockhart Industrial Foundation so the optimism was palpable. The talk was that supporting businesses would sprout up and people would move to Lockhart as a closer alternative to work than Round Rock, which was just starting to take off. Lockheed came and went and the explosive growth never materialized. The next big event was the relocation of the Austin airport to Bergstrom AFB. Same story, different verse. The difference is that the airport is not going away but the economic impact to Caldwell County has been minimal. The latest is the events predicting "explosive growth" is the construction of the 130 Toll Road, the final leg completed less than a year ago. Again the optimism is high and everyone is on the edge of their seats waiting for it to happen.

And that is the problem. It seems that the community expects this explosive growth while they sit on their asses and do nothing. Or worse, they sit back and complain and block opportunities because "it's not the right kind of growth" or "we don't want Lockhart to be identified by this". I have come to believe that the community only wants growth where THEY want it, on their terms, or GO AWAY! The City Council regularly thwarts businesses through a convoluted zoning plan to try to force them into an industrial park, owned by the city. Locally it is known as "the place where businesses go to die". But it is not just the City Council's doing. Apparently the neighbors have veto power over a zoning change regardless of their rationale. The Council jumps through their butts to please the neighbors without consideration of what is best for the community as a whole. Pandering is a way of life in small town Texas and I am sick of it!

The latest example of the NIMBY attitude is the proposed location of a landfill/recycling plant about 5 miles north of Lockhart. In this case Lockhart has little to say in the matter as it will be outside the ETJ of the city and the county has very little legal authority to control it. As you might imagine the people living in the vicinity of the proposed site are not pleased. Their only option is to convince the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the regulatory body that permits landfills, that the environmental impact would be so onerous that the permit should be denied. Those are the parameters on which permitting should be based. Not the potential economic impact, positive or negative, from the location of the business there. Not on whether the neighbors do not want to live near a landfill.  The problem they opponents are facing is that the science is not on their side and the TCEQ is not made up of small town elected officials that can be browbeat into giving the neighbors what they want. TCEQ is all about environmental protection and, as long as the business meets the standards set by the regulations, they should be allowed to operate. So the fight is on! The company wanting to build the facility, having built hundreds of them around the country, have started their PR campaign to sell the project. And their are offering financial enticements that would be substantial and benefit the community for years to come. The opposition has formed and is mounting a negative PR campaign of their own. The opposition is woefully out funded in this battle and will most likely lose this fight. The permitting process with take several years so it's not going to happen soon.

When a business decides to locate somewhere there are several factors that are considered. The suitability of the location, costs to get operational, and availability of a stable workforce. Generally they have a number of options that they choose from. If one community is receptive to business development they are going to be given more favorable consideration than another community that obstructs and rejects as a general course of business. Reputations are hard to overcome and can sometimes be based on perceptions rather than fact. Such is life. The obstructionist label is on Lockhart and is responsible for the economic growth train passing us by. It is going to take time and effort to overcome that image.

What does the future hold for Lockhart? If we check back in 20 years will it still be "on the cusp of explosive growth"? Will the neighbors defeat the landfill and keep the Lytton Springs area safe to exist in its unregulated squalor? Will the toll road be our economic salvation? One thing is certain. If the "leaders of the community" continue as they are nothing will happen.

Good Works

   It's been a while since I wrote an entry on this blog but I hit upon this subject as I was reviewing the agenda for this morning's Commissioners' Court meeting. There are a couple of items addressing funding for emergency services in the rural areas of Caldwell County. For the uninitiated the responsibility for fire protection outside of our incorporated cities has been borne by the volunteer fire departments. Two of them are supported by a small tax assessment but most are self funded. The County chips in a monthly stipend but it is a very small part of the cost to run these operations. When all is said and done much of the burden for the cost of equipment and personal gear is paid by the guy on the end of the hose. You got it. The guy that volunteers countless hours toward training and being on call gets to pay for the privilege to do it.

   Having always lived in the city I will admit that I kind of take it for granted that if my house catches on fire the firefighters will come and attempt to put it out. I pay taxes to keep a group of firefighters ready in the event that happens. A good investment, in my opinion. And I always make sure my insurance is current! However, I'm not sure how much those living in the rural areas have considered this. Sure there are great advantages to living outside of those never ending ordinances of the cities. But there are perils as well. A small grass fire from your neighbor's trash pile two miles away can turn into a fire line headed right for your dream house. In most cases the only thing between that fire line and your castle is some of your neighbors that have volunteered to drop everything when the call comes in and stop that fire. He does it for various reasons, not the least of which he realizes it could be headed for his house next time.

   This is an opportune time to bring it up for another reason. Labor Day marks the beginning of fund raising season for the VFD's in this county. Chili Cook-Offs, plate lunch sales, raffles, auctions, you name it, are on tap most weekends in September and October. These organizations raise a significant portion of their operating funds through these events and, as a side benefit, generate an awareness of the job these volunteers are doing. They are a great local charity to support and I encourage you to do so. There are several of these events that Emma and I make a point of attending.

   I did have another thought. I was watching some posts on Facebook about a local motorcycle club having a rally to raise money for Juvenile Diabetes research. While I can ride a motorcycle I don't own one nor will probably ever own one again. The same can be said for about 90% of the population. So it seems that this rally was and excuse for a bunch of middle aged Hell's Angels wannabes to get together, get drunk, and act "dangerous". Does giving a little bit of money to Juvenile Diabetes Research somehow make their behavior "legitimate"? Sadly, were it not for the rally most of the participants would just spend it ALL on playing bad ass! Why does our writing a check depend upon some entertainment being provided? It seems to me that the worthiness of the charitable pursuit should be the determining factor and the money they have to spend to entertain the donors could be spent on their charitable purpose. I know, radical thinking!

   Hey, my little blog with its limited distribution is not going to change anything. I am still going to support those charities and attend their fund raisers and do what I can to support their efforts. I would encourage you to reevaluate your charitable giving to include deserving local charities, such as Volunteer Fire Departments. You get the most bang for your buck with them!

A Place To Worship God

A few weeks ago the largest church in our small town made a decision to end their 20 year relationship with a Boy Scout troop due to the decision by the national organization to allow homosexual boys to participate in scouting. The church's governing body saw their sponsorship as tacit approval of a homosexual lifestyle for kids and that was just something they couldn't accept. So the scouts are looking for a new home, which should not be a problem.

Since this all went public there has been a steady stream of criticism of the church. Some of it despicable, some of it thinly veiled threats toward the church. Most all of it from various folks with an ax to grind on organized religion. I have seen them pilloried for being intolerant, hypocritical, boy haters by people that don't know the members of that church and rarely darken the door of any church for that matter. It seems that the referendum on churches has come back and they are guilty one and all!

As a person who attends church pretty much each Sunday I want to take a few minutes to defend them in general and the offending church in particular. Churches in our community are a safety net for the poor and impoverished. The food bank is funded and run by an alliance of churches and are the major sponsor of the local meals on wheels program. More importantly is that the churches provide a spiritual refuge for souls in need of one. The reason I keep going to church is because it is a place to commune with God. Maybe it's just me but I find prayer and reflection more fulfilling in a church setting.

Now as to the church in question, I wonder if they were thanked for the 20 years that they sponsored the scouts? What about their part in the maintaining of the safety net? Admittedly their decision is not politically correct but nobody denies they have a right to do it.The members of that church are local residents, many that have paid taxes, reared children, coached and supported any number of youth activities in the community and are good solid citizens. They support their church with their money and, as Christians and Americans, still have religious freedom. So what if their church doesn't follow every politically correct rabbit trail that our society lays out there? Seems like that is what has got us where we are today!

Small towns love gossip and controversy but they are generally short-lived. The Boy Scouts will find a new home, the Baptist Church will continue to do what they do. The next controversy will come along and nobody but the Scouts and the church will remember this one. The recriminations against the church will not be forgotten all that easily and those that publicly castigated them will know what payback is.

Stemming the Tide?

Last night the Texas Senate passed the so-called Omnibus Abortion bill and sent it to the governor for signature. It took two called special sessions but it looks like the most restrictive laws on abortion will soon go into effect. The pro choice side has promised to fight this legislation in court and I am sure they will. The courts gave us legal abortions and I have no doubt they feel they have an ally in the folks that wear the black robes.

Before any of you get your hackles up and want to rip me about staying out of your womb, keep the government out of your business, etc. let me say I get it. I don't want the government involved in this matter anymore than you do but it is a fact that "your right" to have an abortion was granted by the Supreme Court in 1973 so, whether we like it or not, the government is involved. Move on!

Those that bothered to read the legislation know that it makes abortions after 20 weeks of life illegal. Exceptions are made for the when the mother's life is in danger but for the most part the law is 20 weeks. That is close to 4 months on my calendars. That's a lot of time for a woman to decide whether she wants to have a baby or not. Meanwhile that little guy or girl is doing what nature requires of it, thriving to survive, grow and develop, oblivious to what the adults breathing air are considering. This limit is ostensibly when the baby will experience pain so the logic follows that we don't want to kill it if it is going to hurt?

I saw a graphic last night that indicated that almost 1 million abortions had been performed in Texas since 2001, resulting only in 5 deaths. Of course they are talking about the mothers. Because, had the abortions not been performed, most of those 1 million zygotes would have become living, breathing human beings. Would they all have been perfect, brought into perfect lives? Absolutely not. But we will never know what those tiny Texans might have contributed. They were not given the opportunity!

So if this legislation makes it harder for irresponsible women to get abortions, I am okay with that. I have seen the faces of women hell bent on aborting their baby when they see the ultrasound of it. That makes it more than a D&C. That makes it real. It needs to be real! And it shouldn't be done cavalierly as a means of birth control.

Listen, we could debate the issue for the next 100 years and no mind will be changed by the debate. So don't throw that liberal crap at me because I will, until the day I die, believe that life begins at CONCEPTION, and that we as a civilized society, governed by laws, have a responsibility to those defenseless souls that cannot defend themselves. I don't march, protest, throw feces at people that I don't agree with, or any of the other behaviors exhibited by some. Laws are subject to change and, as a citizen I have the right to participate in that process.

Will this law be upheld by the courts? Who knows! But this is too important an issue to lay down and give up on.

Open Wide Please........

In a landmark decision today the Supreme Court, in a 5 to 4 vote, ruled that the police could take a DNA sample from anyone arrested for a "serious or violent crime". It was a strange cadre of justices ruling in the affirmative including liberal Stephen Breyer and schizophrenic Anthony Kennedy. Scalia voted with the liberals. Go figure.

Now before you nod off let's think about this. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Everyone agrees that this decision is going to help protect the innocent from wrongful conviction. It is also going to convict the guilty easier. If that is as far as it goes maybe it's a good thing.

But wait. Who decides what a serious crime is? Will this DNA database be perpetual or will your sample be destroyed if you are exonerated? As damning as DNA evidence is would the fact that your DNA is at or near a crime result in an almost certain conviction? We leave our DNA behind all the time so it's proximity to a crime is a possibility.

It's a tough question and the Supreme Court's decision is going to have to address some of the above concerns in future rulings. But for now I think the police will need to be watched. There is a tendency in law enforcement to overreach in their zeal to solve a crime. This, as well as tunnel vision by prosecutors have resulted in far too many wrongful convictions. It should be just as important to exonerate the innocent as convict the guilty!

The burden of proof still lies with the state. A suspect is still innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. The defendant cannot be forced to testify against himself. I am wondering if this is going to result in a shift in the defendant having to prove his innocence. Time will tell but the canary in the mine shaft may be Scalia voting with Sotomayor. He may be on to something....

Enforcing the Law

We are a nation governed by laws. Over 226 years ago our founding fathers adopted a constitution to serve as a framework for our governance. Over the years it has been amended but, battered and bruised, it is still the standard by which we live. However the laws by which we are governed are established by legislative bodies in thousands of jurisdictions across our great land. The requirements of the law can vary greatly from city to city or state to state. The only standard by which they are all judged is whether they are within the boundaries set by the constitution.

Why, you ask, am I blogging about this at 5:00 am? That is because the lead story on the 5 am news is a live report from the Austin PD about the results of their "no refusal weekend". For the uninitiated this is a program, passed by ordinance of the Austin City Council, in which drivers suspected of driving while intoxicated are required to submit to whatever sobriety test that the police officer deems necessary to prove sobriety, up to and including forcibly taking a blood sample. These "no refusal weekends" generally are on holidays when the dumbasses are out in force, driving drunk. And, as you might expect, it is like shooting fish a barrel. The program is advertised and reported on in hopes of convincing these fools not to drive drunk but they still do and people still die in alcohol related accidents. Sadly, no matter how much we try we cannot legislate stupidity from existence!

So what's the problem? Well that pesky constitution for one. In our zeal to make everyone safer we are ignoring several of the principles of criminal justice system. A person is innocent until proven guilty by a jury of his peers. He can not be compelled to testify against himself. The police cannot conduct a search without probable cause. Forcibly taking a blood sample could be construed as testifying against oneself or an illegal search, in my opinion. For the most part the burden of proof has been shifted to the "defendant" in that he must prove that he is sober, or not guilty. Why is this allowed? Because laws are presumed legal until proven unconstitutional. That means John Roberts and the Supremes. The process for taking a case before the Supreme Court is expensive and can take several years. Meanwhile these violations go on.

Does the means justify the ends? So we trample on a few constitutional rights but we get those damn drunks off the road so that is okay? They just announced the stats from the Memorial Day weekend, 2013 vs 2012. Arrests were up to 99 in 2013 from 89 last year. So it doesn't seem to be deterring anyone. But maybe it is. The enhanced enforcement may be paying off but at what cost? Just the rights of some drunks.......

Look, I decided years ago that if I am going to drink away from the house I will either have someone else drive, i.e. a designated driver, or make sure that it is limited to ONE DRINK. This was way before the current initiatives. So far it has served me well. Blame it on maturity, the deterrence of the costs associated with a DUI or whatever I will not be doing a "Rosemary Lemberg" for you!

But more to the point if the enforcement is allowed to encroach upon constitutional protections for DUI enforcement, why not other crimes? The old slippery slope argument comes to mind. So, for me, we only have one constitution, and there is an amendment process. Let's do it right!

Patriotism 101

Recently there was an event that took place in Caldwell County that brought the subject of patriotism to mind. Defining it can be difficult but hopefully in a couple of paragraphs you will know my definition. If not my next reading material will be concerning persuasive speaking.

A few weeks ago it was announced that three busloads of wounded warriors would be coming through Caldwell County, making a brief stop, and continuing on to Port O'Connor, Texas for a fishing trip that had been organized for them. The fishing trip sounded like a nice thing to do for these guys and gals but I really didn't understand why they were stopping in Lockhart. Well the people of Lockhart turned out, including the high school band, ROTC, and drill team as well as every politician that could claw there way to the parking lot of Kruez Market. It was an all out effort to show our "support of the troops" and I think the folks of Caldwell County did a pretty good job.

Is that patriotism?

May 18th was Armed Forces Day. I saw any number of posts on Facebook reminding us of that fact but saw very little else being done to recognize our currently serving military men and women. Can a comment or two on Facebook thanking our military for all they do be defined as patriotism?

Memorial Day will be observed on May 27th this year and many observances will be held around the country. While probably 70% of the population will have a holiday on that day probably fewer than 10% will attend any kind of recognition of these men and women who died for our country. Their sacrifices made what we have possible.

Is that patriotism?

The answer to all of the above, in my opinion, is HELL NO!!!! Patriotism is not about a public display, a few hollow words on a social media site, or solemn ceremonies that few attend. Patriotism is about loving your country and fighting to preserve the precepts on which it was founded. And that fight belongs to each and every citizen of this country, not just those that wear the uniform!

Here are a few characteristics of a patriot as I see it. First and foremost, involvement in the process. That means V-O-T-I-N-G! It is appalling to see elections that are decided by less than 20% of the registered voters. We are a representative republic which means the people we elect represent all of us. Isn't it pathetic that less than 1/5th of us make that decision for all of us? True patriots educate themselves and go to the polls!

Answering the call to duty is an obvious sign of patriotism. While most people would assume I mean serving in the military I am really thinking much more broadly. During WWII the vast majority of people serving in the military were young men. Even today the military is male dominated. But I submit that those women that became "Rosie The Riveter" in the factories during the war were just as patriotic as the men on the front line. They were doing their part to contribute to the ultimate victory. While the men fought in foreign lands the women and children endured rationing and separation and hardship at home. Sharing the sacrifice is something we all do as patriots. There really is a lot we could learn from that generation!

Finally, holding those that lead us accountable! Politicians will try to get away with all they can. The founding fathers always intended to have a citizen legislature where our representatives return to their lives and careers after a short period of public service. Unfortunately our government has evolved into a cadre of professional politicians that have done very little in life but working for the government. And this is on all level of politics! Our current representation is due for a major turnover and it is our job as patriots to do that when they are not service our country's best interest.

So on Monday, May 27th, when you are enjoying your day off from work, I ask that you do remember those patriots that made the ultimate sacrifice for us. Some were drafted, most volunteered, but all answered the call to duty that ended their lives. Their futures ended on the beaches at Normandy, in the middle of the oceans, or any of other countless foreign battlefields on which we have engaged. Their patriotism makes our holiday and everything else we hold dear in this country possible! The least we can do is step up to the plate to preserve the country for the future generations!

The Way The Wind Blows

We live in a time of opinion polls. This is not to say that this is a new phenomenon but that it seems they drive our society more today than I can ever remember. Used to be polling agencies lived on political campaigns and scrounged for business in between. Sometime in the last 10 years that changed and now hardly a day goes by that the news media isn't trumpeting statistics from a variety of polls on an unlimited number of subjects. It seems that they are telling us what we are thinking and nobody seems to be questioning their validity.

A perfect example is public opinion concerning same sex marriage. Through a coalition between the mainstream media and gay/lesbian groups it seems that the American public is in favor of it. Of course five years ago we were overwhelmingly against it. What changed? Did all of the "homophobes" leave the planet, one way or another? Did God speak to his people saying "I was just kidding about that abomination thing, it's cool"? The best I can read the bible still says the same things it did the first time I read it. And yet you have Protestant denominations embracing the gay/lesbian lifestyle in their clergy. The Boy Scouts today decided to allow openly homosexual boys into their troops. It seems that everyone has their finger in the air trying to anticipate which way the wind is blowing so they can make sure that is the way they are going as well.

I ask again what changed? Did 30% of the heterosexuals in this country all of a sudden decide to try the other side of the fence? No, I don't think so. How did it become cool to be gay?

The answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind.........

The moral fiber of our country is gone. The nuclear family is an oddity these days and you better not say that it takes a mother AND a father to raise a child!The definition of family in our society seeks to absolve everyone of the stupid mistakes they make and to legitimize these mistakes. The stigma of being a dumb ass has been removed and it is being celebrated!

And who learns the lessons that society is teaching us today? That would be the next generation. Because Susie having two mommies or two daddies is supposed to be just fine. The boundaries are falling hard! What are "traditional families" supposed to teach their children? Is any behavior beyond the pale?

I was raised during a time of black and white. Right and wrong. Good and evil. Behaviors that went against the teachings of the Bible were considered wrong and evil. The last thing you did was to glorify these behaviors!

Today, however, there is no right or wrong. If the clerk gives you back the wrong change you keep it. Old Joe fathers several children in the community and fails to take responsibility for any other them but that's okay. Teenagers change sexual partners more frequently than they do their underwear. In this age of moral relativism it doesn't matter. And that makes me sad.

The genesis of the above rant was the decision made by the Boy Scouts today. It was not totally unexpected but disappointing nonetheless. I was a Boy Scout from age 8 to 14. If working had not become more important I would have probably made Eagle. Scouting was very important to me during that time and helped to keep me going in the right direction. It was always a good compass for me and millions of other boys since 1912. It was a constant that I thought would be there indefinitely, I guess. But today they waived the white flag of surrender to political correctness. It is merely a formality before gay leaders will be running the show. How long will it be before they remove God from it?

Listen, you can call me what you want, I can take it. My values and principles do not change because Gallup says everyone else did. I know the basis of my beliefs and those have not changed either. God will sort it all out soon enough and I will put my money on my positions any day!

The Important Things in Life

Most Mondays I have the distinct "pleasure" of touring the sausage factory that is county government. To say it's acrimonious is kind of like saying I'm a little overweight. That's just putting lipstick on a pig!

Anyway, during an executive session about some nonsense I was talking to a regular attendee of the meetings about the stock market, the economy, and the future. Being a C.P.A. gives off a certain aura to those around me as if I am anointed with some special knowledge that the rest of you mortals are not privy to. Not to destroy the myth I give him my take on where we are and what we face, much of which I have shared with you. We commiserated about the national debt, now almost $17 trillion headed for $20 trillion. We talked about how delicate the balance is and that if interest rates were to return to even normal levels we could see runaway inflation. As you might have guessed this guy is retired and is concerned about his future on a fixed income. He was a successful engineer, retiring with what he considered adequate resources to live comfortably for the rest of his life. But things change. He probably didn't expect that he could live into his 90's, but that is likely. He didn't anticipate that the corpus of his assets would not grow at all over the past 10 years due to an economy that stumbled around like a drunk on St. Patrick's Day. So for him the "macro" economics of our country are pretty important. Everything else is just noise.

This brings me to the main point of this entry. To hear the news media tell it the most important thing in life is how the Supreme Court decides a couple of cases this week concerning same sex marriages. The lead story on every newscast was a recap of the arguments on the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, a law passed by the citizens of the state essentially outlawing same sex marriage. As has become custom if you disagree with the will of the people then you sue hoping to find a succession of judges to overturn said will. Thousands of hours of air time have been spent in the past couple of weeks seeking to legitimize same sex marriage, presumably to put pressure on the conservative justices to support the "will" of the people. Which people? The people of California or the mythical 51% of the U.S. population that supports same sex marriage? Regardless how you fall on this issue the media is trying to tell us that this is a high priority. I guess to Jack and Joe who seek to have state sanction for their relationship it is pretty important. But to me and most of the population it is a minor distraction.

Just how important is the issue of same sex marriage stacked up against the following:

1. The aforementioned national debt resulting from runaway government spending and fiscal irresponsibility.
2. The general decay of our societal values and the nuclear family.
3. The wanton disregard for human life but utter reverence for endangered species. Maybe we should declare human embryos as "endangered" and they may have a fighting chance!
4. The woeful lack of treatment available for a growing mental health problem in this country.
5. The war on drugs that has turned into a money and power grab rather than to address the real issue of drug addiction and treatment.

Those are just off the top of my head. I'm sure each of you could add to the list and each would be more important than what the media thinks. But it seems that they like distractions and this court case provides one for them. That way we can avoid the elephants in the room that truly threaten the future of our way of life.

So as this plays out pay close attention to who pander to the media and special interest groups and who keeps their eye on the ball.  This goes for "friends" as well as politicians. How either prioritize things in life says much about their character. Because it is going to take a principled and diligent population to save this country from social and economic demise. The jury is still out on this one as well.

The Fix Is In!!!!

Yesterday a few of us were discussing the frustration level that seems to exist in our society. All you ever hear from people is bitching and complaining. If you are a Facebooker you will immediately recognize what I am talking about. Someone makes a post for a recommendation of a veterinarian for their dog and before you know it people will be fighting over the virtues of one vet over the other or, more likely, scathing attacks on a particular vet, by name, for perceived wrongs in the past. We live in a small town so one negative side to a story can really hurt.

Possibly one of the causes of the increased frustration level is our expectation of immediate gratification for our every desire. Back in the day if we needed some information it was anything but quick. Either you made a call, went to the library, or pulled out your 1982 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia. You had to work to get the correct answer or, as was usually the case, you made up a story to impress your friends. This was a pretty safe ploy as they were just as lazy as you and not likely to do the work either. Today that just isn't the case. with search engines you can acquire sufficient credible information with just a few key strokes to answer just about any question. Then, so can your friends! The BS card can be played by anyone! But that is the world we live in. We spend most of our waking hours within arm's length of some computerized device that throws information at us at an alarming rate. Unfortunately there are still a few questions, especially those dealing with human interactions, politics, and government that just aren't that easy to answer. Not coincidentally, those seem to be the ones that are throwing us.

Politics is the proverbial sausage factory and is a painful thing to watch happen. Why you ask? Because there are a very few wonks that really get into it, usually for their own deep-seated desire for power and control. The rest of us are generally ambivalent only getting involved when they are jacking with us. So you have a relatively small number of people, I will call them Freaks, that want to take your money and restrict your freedom, for what THEY deem the collective good. Of course a straightforward approach like that would never go over so they must convince you that they are really putting in the time and effort for YOU! That they really want your input, that they care about you and your children, etc. So every election they roll out the same commercials, kiss the newest crop of babies, and get reelected at an alarming rate. Are they serving our best interest? Of course not! They are spending our country so far into debt so irresponsibly it borders on treason. Sadly half the population is standing there with their hand out for their "juice".

The truth is that there is a ruling class in this country. The rules are different for them from us. They exempt themselves from the constraints of those pesky laws they put into place to protect us. This ruling class is not interested in your opinion, only that of the big money donors that will feed the monkey for the next election. They are as hooked on power as any drug addict you see trolling the aisles of the Walgreens is on his drug of choice. So when they have public hearings, tell you to email them, or that they REALLY want your opinion, don't waste your time. They really don't care what you think!

IN my opinion the fix is truly in! And I don't have a solution for it, other than raising the IQ of this country by about 50 points each. Considering the deterioration of the family unit, the educational system, and the general moral decay of our society that will not likely happen in my lifetime. My golden years are upon me and the die is cast for them. I am likely to finish my years as a ward of the state, totally dependent on the government for my existence. Pretty cheerful, huh?

So I bequeath this mess to the next generations. I know, we created it but you are the ones that will live to suffer it's consequences. Good luck with that one!