bobsthoughts

Saturday January 14, 2012...It's seems to be building up

2012-01-14T18:12:00.000-06:00

We seem to be building towards another confrontation. Our politicians and news commentators seem angry towards Iran and seem to be looking for excuses to call them out. Just when we finally got out of Iraq and are trying to wind down the war in Afghanistan it seems that some want to start another conflict with Iran.

The Republican presidential contenders have declared their belligerency toward Iranian officials who they accuse of moving toward nuclear weapons. The Iranian regime disputes that charge, claiming they are developing the technology for nuclear power and nuclear medicine.

The inspection teams of the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) that monitor compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which Iran belongs, have entered Iran numerous times and, while remaining suspicious, have not been able to find that country on the direct road to the Bomb.

Israel, with some help from the United States, appears to be conducting a covert war of sabotage and assassination inside Iran.

For many Americans the progression toward war with Iran has the feel of cattle being herded from the stockyard into the slaughterhouse, pressed steadily forward with no turning back, until some guy shoots a bolt into your head.

I only hope that level headed people will take the time to negotiate their differences and avoid another debacle like we started in Iraq. It may be great business for the arms dealers and weapon makers, but it sure doesn't make sense for a country who is already deeply in debt.

Sunday January 1, 2012...A Whole New Year

2012-01-01T12:14:00.000-06:00

It starts with a possible bit of major trouble.

President Obama today signed the highly controversial Defense Spending Bill. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with its so-called Homeland Battlefield provisions, allows, according to many legal scholars, the indefinite detention of US citizens by the US military. What is most striking is a lengthy signing statement by Obama, in which he maintains his reservations about the Homeland Battlefield provisions, saying, 'I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists.' His defense of civil liberties in the signing statement was passionate. Nonetheless, at the same moment, he signed the bill into law. -- ma/RSN

We may have had some of our civil liberties taken away - the same liberties that we fought the revolution for two centuries ago. Now the military has been given the right to indefinitely detain without charges or court appeal any United States citizen SUSPECTED of terrorism. With a paranoid leader, that could be a major problem! You better watch out who you associate with. If one of your members is suspected of ties to terrorism, than your whole organization can be deemed suspect and labeled as terrorist. It reminds one of Gestopo tactics.

Sunday December 18, 2011...It's finally over!!!

2011-12-18T11:16:00.000-06:00

Barack Obama info@barackobama.com

10:54 AM (20 minutes ago)

to me

Robert --

Early this morning, the last of our troops left Iraq.

As we honor and reflect on the sacrifices that millions of men and women made for this war, I wanted to make sure you heard the news.

Bringing this war to a responsible end was a cause that sparked many Americans to get involved in the political process for the first time. Today's outcome is a reminder that we all have a stake in our country's future, and a say in the direction we choose.

Thank you.

Barack

Sunday December 18, 2011...Bill of Wrongs?

2011-12-18T10:42:00.002-06:00

I don't know if anyone noticed, but we have some new rules set out by our "New World Order".

With the defense authorization act just passed and signed, Congress has, for the first time in 60 years, authorized the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens without charge or trial, according to its advocates. This is the first time that Congress has deviated from President Nixon's Non-Detention Act. And what we are talking about here is that Americans could be subjected to life imprisonment without ever being charged, tried, or convicted of a crime, without ever having an opportunity to prove their innocence to a judge or a jury of their peers. And without the government ever having to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

You better watch out, you better not cry. He sees you when you're sleeping and knows if you'been bad or good. Be good for goodness sake.

Wednesday December 14, 2011...Choose happiness

2011-12-14T10:14:00.000-06:00

I just read this short article about the dying wishes of people. What they might have done differently and left them happier. I agree completely and try to emulate these ideas, although it's easy to forget sometimes in the hectic day-to-day living.

Top Five Regrets of The Dying

By Bronnie Ware on November 30, 2011

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

Saturday December 10, 2011...Blog or Facebook?

2011-12-10T09:42:00.000-06:00

I'm thoroughly confused. I started my blog bobpflanz@blogspot.com years ago, before Facebook was around. It was a good place to write down my feelings – happiness, sadness, frustration and anger and to get it out of my system and to share those feelings with whomever cared to read my blog. But, since the advent of Facebook, I find myself sharing little snippets of feelings and referring to articles I've read over my Facebook page in lieu of expounding on my blog. I'm not sure which system really works best for me. The snippets on Facebook disappear, or get buried, after such a short time and then soon get forgotten while the blog entries are there to be read and referred to again and again. Of course, who wants to listen to the frustrations and anger of a particular event or time-frame over and over again? My anger at the Iraq war has tempered with it's diminished effort and my frustration with the Afghanistan war has been relegated to a lower position with the new Occupy movement and the political deadlock. I guess there will always be things to be upset about and things that we have no control over, but wish we could change. Often my focus is towards the negatives and I tend to ignore all the positives that my life contains. I guess I just wish that all men were angels and that we all cared for and looked after each other. There will always be greedy men and there will always be bullies and it is up to the rest of us to help control them.

Anyway, until I can figure out whether to stick strictly to Facebook or to my blog I will stumble along with both and hope for the best. It's still a good way to discuss your thoughts and feelings and to share with others. I find that many folks have a hard time expressing what they feel, but they will either agree with my or debate with me so I suppose I can be a catalyst for them and help them more clearly define their thoughts.

Friday November 25, 2011...781,660 to 1

2011-11-25T15:18:00.000-06:00

A great infographic. A notable stat is that the U.S.'s 400 richest people have a greater combined net worth than the country's bottom 50%.

As of today's date, the United States has a total resident population of 312,664,000

312,664,000/400=781,660

population of California 37,253,956/781660=47.66

population of Texas 25,145,561/781660=32.17

population of New York 19,378,102/781660=24.79

population of Florida 18,801,310/781660=24.05

population of Ohio 11,536,504/781660=14.76

population of Missouri 5,988,927/781660= 7.66

population of Oklahoma 3,751,351/781660= 4.80

population of Maine 1,316,470/781660= 1.67

population of Wyoming 563,626/781660= 0.72

population of New York City 8,175,133/781660=10.46

population of Los Angelos 3,792,621/781660= 4.85

population of Chicago 2,695,598/781660= 3.45

population of Dallas 1,197,816/781660= 1.53

population of San Francisco 805,235/781660= 1.03

population of Washington D.C. 601,723/781660= 0.77

population of Kansas City 459,787/781660= 0.59

So 48 of the richest people have a combined net worth greater than the equivalent wealth of all Californians

or 11 of the richest people have a combined net worth greater than the equivalent wealth of all New Yorkers

or one of the richest people has a net worth greater than the equivalent wealth of all the folks in Washington.

These people have accumulated this wealth from all of our efforts and have amassed all of this wealth and it's accompanying power to the detriment of our greater society. And they want more. They don't want to pay taxes to the society that allowed them to acquire this wealth. They feel that they don't owe us anything. They figure that their efforts are worth more than the efforts of 781,660 people who have worked all their lives for the few things they have.

There is something way out of balance in our society and it is tilting strongly in the wrong direction. What would happen if all of the 781,660 folks stopped working for the one and started sharing between themselves and left the one out of the circle? Would the one care? Would he just gather up whatever he had that was portable and leave? How would he be able to survive without the efforts of the society around him? Communications? Travel? Clothing? Food? The basic necessities of life? Does the one owe something to the many? Aren't we all involved in survival of each other? How did one gain so much more than the many?

Tuesday, November 22, 2011...Job Creators?

2011-11-22T10:02:00.000-06:00

Though disappointed, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said the committee's work "did bring our enormous fiscal challenges into greater focus." In response to a USA TODAY editorial, he said the committee couldn't work because "President Obama and Washington Democrats insisted on dramatic tax hikes on American job creators, which would make our economy worse."

Of course, right now the “job creators” already have tax incentives working for them and they aren't creating any new jobs. In fact they have been losing jobs at a substantial rate for years with all of the tax incentives in place. Many of our job creators have been farming out our jobs to cheaper labor overseas. Boehner's argument is silly. He is just protecting the wealthy and powerful from helping our nation to bounce back from this recession/depression. It would seem that the wealthy and powerful have way too much influence on all of our politicians and the healthiest thing our country could do would be to reform how our political system is funded and how we can protect our politicians from corrupt influences.

Couched in patriotic fervor, our politicians protect the wealthy backers from paying back into the system that made them wealthy in the first place. Greed seems to dominate and care for the poorest and weakest of us has been forgotten. The Occupy Wall Street protests are a cry for counterbalance efforts to help the 99% survive the greed of the 1%. Even when we get to vote, we are limited to choosing the candidates selected by the wealthy who can afford to pay for a campaign. It has gotten way out of hand and is unfair.

Sunday November 6, 2011...Come the revolt

2011-11-06T09:20:00.000-06:00

Per Robert Reich:

"Diffident Democrats on the Supercommittee have already signaled a willingness to cut Medicare, Social Security, and much else that Americans depend on. The deal is being held up by Regressive Republicans who won’t raise taxes on the rich – not even a tiny bit.

President Obama, meanwhile, is out on the stump trying to sell his “jobs bill” – which would, by the White House’s own estimate, create fewer than 2 million jobs. Yet 14 million people are out of work, and another 10 million are working part-time who’d rather have full-time jobs.

Republicans have already voted down his jobs bill anyway.

The disconnect between Washington and the rest of the nation hasn’t been this wide since the late 1960s. "

And you wonder why the Occupy Wall Street crowds are growing? Our politicians have lost touch with the people and are only answering to their wealthy supporters. What's fair and what's right doesn't seem to be realized by them - hence the coming revolt.

Interesting times ahead probably. Hopefully not too dismal.

Friday October 21, 2011...It's FINALLY going to end!

2011-10-21T15:31:00.000-05:00

President Obama announced that the last of our troops will leave Iraq by the end of this year. After 9 years of war and occupation and thousands of lives and trillions of dollars, we are finally leaving Iraq. The inevitable question will be - Was it worth it? In my opinion, NO! We have hundreds of thousands of wounded veterans who will need our help for decades to come and we have left Iraq in worse shape than it was when we went there. Perhaps the Arab spring would have spread to Iraq just like it did in Libya and the people would have ousted their dictator too. We'll never know, because we decided we would be the police force for the world and dictate the policies of the Iraqis for them. It was a waste of lives, money, time and energy. We went into Iraq for reasons that had not been confirmed and acted like the bully of the block. We gained nothing for all our efforts. Although the arms manufacturers did quite well, the rest of us ended up way in debt and now we're paying for it.

Thank God we're finally out of there! Now, if we can get out of Afghanistan and avoid going into Pakistan, maybe we'll have a chance to lick our wounds and heal.

This war has troubled me from the very start when, for the first time, we invaded without provocation.

Tuesday. September 20, 2011...Givers and Takers

2011-09-20T13:30:00.000-05:00

There are at least 2 basic types of people, the givers and the takers.

Most children are takers throughout their childhood. They have to be taught to give and to share. Those that never learn, are deemed selfish and often remain takers for the rest of their lives. If your parents or your teachers are givers, you learn from their example and can often be taught to become a giver. Many of the businessmen who rise to the top of their companies are often talented takers. They know how to take advantage and take control and how to use other people. Givers are usually good workers but are too willing to compromise and work with the group for the advancement of all. A taker is constantly striving to get more and more, never satisfied with what he has. A giver feels good when he has had the chance to help another individual. He often doesn't need to acquire as much as the taker.

He doesn't need status or symbols of achievement to know he has been successful.

Now all of us are not perfectly one type or another. We all have moments of giving and of taking but we know down deep whether we are givers or not. Takers don't always realize that they are using other

people as they take. If you tell a taker that they are takers, they will probably argue with you. But their basic instinct is to take what they can when they can and feel no remorse for the ones they have taken from.

Most great religions preach that giving is it's own reward and that it is better to give than receive. Takers believe they are religious and following the examples set forth in their religions, but often they do not give freely. They will deny help to the needy and food to the hungry if they believe that the person is unworthy. If they were givers they would give with no question and be happy for the recipient.

Think about what type of person George W Bush is and what type of person Barrack Obama is and compare their followers and political organizations to see whether they are givers or takers. It really comes down to whether we are a nation of givers or takers and what type of person we want leading us and what kind of actions we should pursue.

Saturday August 27, 2011...How did we get into this mess?

2011-08-27T18:41:00.000-05:00

Why do I feel like the country is being run by the Tories ('God, King and Country' )and I am one of the rebels?

25 million Americans don't have a full-time job. 46 million Americans don't have health insurance.

American schools are at the bottom of the list of industrialized nations in education. 15 million children live in families who are below the poverty level. 15 million unemployed people. 3½ million homeless people. All this in one of the richest countries on Earth.

This country feels more and more like a monarchy with the wealthy acting as the aristocracy and their puppets running the country per their wishes. I understand that the Tea Party is upset, but I think they are mad at the wrong people. They should be angry with the rich and powerful who are taking over the country. The rich and powerful control politics, finances, business and the armed forces. They have instituted a police state with their Patriot Act and are trying to extend their empire to the corners of the earth through wars and trade acts. The politicians see the polls and know what the people really want, but they act in accordance with their wealthy controllers.

The average citizen holds no control over his elected official. The press is owned and controlled by the elite and they only present the news that they are allowed to. We are given the choice of which of their politicians we want to elect, but they have already financed both parties and win control no matter how we vote. Our choices are diminishing and so are our rights and privileges. The government is eradicating the unions and slowly erasing our social safety network.

Global society is dividing into two blocs: the plutonomy and the rest. Growth is powered by the wealthy few, and largely consumed by them. Then there are the 'non-rich,' the vast majority, now sometimes called the global precariat, the workforce living a precarious existence. We rebels are the precariat. We are definitely the non-rich and the non-powerful.

Maybe when enough people see what's happening we can institute a change in direction and see about helping ALL of the people find the blessings of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. After all, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed and whenever those governments become destructive of the unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, those people have the right to alter or abolish those governments to effect their Safety and Happiness. These thoughts were so eloquently expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution and should never be forgotten.

Now that the blessings of our society are being accumulated in the coffers of the very few, we find our life styles diminishing and our choices narrowing. We stand on the outside, looking in, on the benefits of our society and wondering how we got here.

Friday August 19, 2011...Interesting tax facts

2011-08-19T15:56:00.001-05:00

A great site to review the individual tax structure from 1945 to 2011

http://www.remappingdebate.org/map-data-tool/new-interactive-tool-puts-tax-rates-historical-context

So the Billionaire reduced his taxes from 90% to 35% and increased his net pay by 650% from $100 million to $650 million and the Millionaire reduced his taxes from 66.4% to 32.7% and increased his net pay by 103% from $336 thousand to $673 thousand, while the person earning $100,000.00 reduced his taxes from 28% to 22% and increased his net pay by 8.3% from $72,000.00 to $78,000.00.

It's not hard to see who benefited the most from the changes in the tax laws and who has the most money to influence the lawmakers and the media. They cry crocodile tears while they pick our bones and take away our earned benefits.

Monday August 15, 2011...Unforgettable sayings

2011-08-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.

Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

Procrastinate Now!

I smile because I don't know what the hell is going on.

I'm starting to wonder how bad four years with no president would be.

Sunday August 7, 2011...Entitlements vs Insurance

2011-08-07T11:23:00.000-05:00

Let's not confuse entitlements, paid for by the government, with Social Security and Medicare which are federal insurance programs paid for by the participants.

An entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits based on established rights or by legislation. A "right" is itself an entitlement associated with a moral or social principle, such that an "entitlement" is a provision made in accordance with legal framework of a society. Typically, entitlements are laws based on concepts of principle ("rights") which are themselves based in concepts of social equality or enfranchisement.

Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others.
Actuaries define social insurance as a government-sponsored insurance program that is defined by statute, serves a defined population, and is funded through premiums or taxes paid by or on behalf of participants. Participation is either compulsory or the program is subsidized heavily enough that most eligible individuals choose to participate.
In the U.S., programs that meet this definition include Social Security, Medicare, the PBGC program, the railroad retirement program, and state-sponsored unemployment insurance programs.

Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other special criteria. Medicare in the United States somewhat resembles a single-payer health care system, but is not. "Original Medicare" plans (when Medicare Advantage has not been elected) cover 80% of the Medicare-approved amount of any given medical cost; the remaining 20% of cost must be paid by out-of-pocket via the patient's own personal funds (check, money order, cash, etc.). Medicare Advantage plans are not Medicare Supplements, but take the place of "Original Medicare". In return for a premium, these plans share costs and cap out of pocket expenses.
The Medicare program also funds residency training programs for the vast majority of physicians in the United States.

So when pundits start talking about getting entitlement costs under control, they mistakenly include Social Security and Medicare (which are not entitlements) in their discussions. These insurance programs are paid for by the participants over the years and are a contract between the citizens of the United States and their government.

The Federal government has been taking in our payments for these programs for years and years, just as any insurance company would, but instead of investing that money wisely and having it grow and grow into a large reservoir of money from which to pay the premiums they have bought treasury bills and spent the money on other things. Now we have a stack of treasury bills from which to pay the premiums. And now the politicians are starting to complain that they don't have enough money to pay off the treasury bills. They just need to get some of the tax money back from the people who received large tax reductions over the last 30 years. They need to honor their contract!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011...The Financiers of the Tea Party

2011-08-03T16:37:00.000-05:00

Americans for Prosperity

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ of billionaires +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

You can trust in us!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011...Someday is Now!

2011-08-02T14:33:00.000-05:00

For years we've been saving our pennies and dollars and giving them to the government to save in the various trust funds - Social Security, Medicare, Roads and Highways, etc. (our own piggy banks for the future). Our representatives have said “Thank you very much. Trust us, we will save your money for you. It will all be there for you someday.” Someday is now!.

It turns out that they have spent every cent we ever gave them and borrowed as much money as they could get away with to fund all of their “special” friends interests. They reduced the taxes of their very “special” best friends and acquaintances and borrowed more. They reduced our inspectors and lifeguards who were overseeing the waters and the air and the forests and the food so that their “special” friends could more easily profit without spending more for stupid safeguards. They didn't have to worry about who was going to clean up the mess – leave that for the “help”.

After spending all the money and then some, they are now realizing that where they should have been saving at least some for the pensions and the health care and the education they will now have to either borrow more or reduce or even eliminate the pensions and health care and education. After all, it isn't as though there was a signed “contract” for these promises and besides, they just don't have the money to do all of that any more. It's all gone.

Of course, the “special' friends have been piling up lots of money and acquiring more and more of the wealth of the country due to the assistance of “their” government and they don't want to give any of it back to help the “common” people. They have the power and the money to influence the politicians and the media and just about anybody else they want to, so you can't make them do what you think is right. In fact, many of these “special” friends have pulled up stakes and moved on to other countries that are ripe for exploitation. They don't consider the United States as anything more than a special police force for them to exercise when dealing with “foreigners”. They have moved their plants and their offices to other countries so that they can avoid paying burdensome taxes to the United States. It was nice while it lasted.

We have been building up to the present moments for many years and it seems that now is the right time for these “special” friends to use their muscle to reduce or eliminate the unions and social security and medicare and medicaid and public education and just about any other program that detracts from their profits. They have become much more strident in their messages and much more blatant in their activities. They show little interest in the “common” man and try to flavor the perception of their work as morally correct and fiscally responsible. They take from the poor and give to the rich and are proud of it.

The nation has been sold and now belongs to them.

Until the sheep look up, there will be little change.

Monday August 1, 2011...Who can we turn to?

2011-08-01T13:45:00.000-05:00

So now that Obama has shown himself, by his actions, to be a moderate Republican, the question is: “Who can the DEMOCRATS run for President in the next election?”. It has been assumed all along that Obama will be the Democratic candidate in the next election, but why must this be so? He didn't push for the public option and he caved in quickly to extending the tax cuts for the wealthy and he hired the wall street gurus to run his treasury department, even though they had been instrumental in the collapse of the financial institutions. He didn't push back against the tea party when they held the nation hostage in the debt limit debate and gave into their demands for cuts in spending without any increase in taxes from the wealthy or corporations. He has shown himself to be a weak negotiator and way too willing to compromise way too early. He folds his poker hand before all the cards have been dealt out. He will never win a tough contest, and the more he caves in the more the opposition will push. He apparently is willing to throw in much of our safety net – social security, medicare, medicaid, education, unemployment, etc – to the party of “NO!”.

We need to find a candidate who will negotiate and hold out for the basic interests of the common man. We need someone strong and firm in their beliefs like Bernie Sanders or David Kucinich.

Monday July 25, 2011...Debt limits and talks

2011-07-25T09:35:00.000-05:00

If you read your Constitution, you’ll find that Congress is responsible for the debts, the spending, and the taxes, not the President.

The President can ask for a budget, but it's up to Congress to appropriate the money. All debts and deficits that have accrued have originated in Congress. All taxes that are in place originated in Congress.

They made the laws and it's up to them to change the laws if they want to. That's where the debate starts. Right now they passed a budget that spends more money than we have and they need to approve borrowing that money or change the law that they made that requires the money.

They need to sit down and decide which part of the budget that they passed shouldn't have been passed. It's up to them to change the law or to borrow the money. The question is: which law and which funding is to be changed.

When the little boys, inside the men, decide to walk out on meaningful talks it's like saying “It's MY ball and I'm taking it home”. It's hard to debate the issues with only one debater. Any agreement made cannot be all one sided, compromise is necessary to reach a workable solution.

Saturday July 16, 2011...A Note to the President

2011-07-16T11:30:00.000-05:00

I sent a note to the White House today. I hope somebody reads it.

From the White House Blog 07/16/2011:
One quote stuck with me: “the nature of our democracy and the nature of our politics is to marry principle to a political process that means you don't get 100% of what you want.”
This is a President who believes searching for common ground is the right way to approach solving our problems.

–

Over the years I have been involved in many construction project negotiations. What the President says is a good philosophy to keep to himself for the final decision, but going into the process of negotiations, he needs to draw a firm line from which he initially isn't prepared to go further. If you go into negotiations offering immediate sacrifices, the opponent will push further and further to force more compromises.

If you want to settle for a one dollar increase you ask for two and the opponent asks for none so that you can both win with an agreement of one dollar. If you start at one, the opponent will assume that you are willing to settle for half that or less and won't agree to the one.

The President has started negotiations with the House and Senate for health care and budget reconciliation from what he hopes is his final settlement and naturally the opposition will reject this and try for a lower settlement.

President Obama is sometimes too nice of a guy and too willing to compromise at the beginning. He definitely needs to present a firmer stance and show that he is not that easy to manipulate. We need him to be our strong leader and stand up for us low and middle class voters against the power and finances of the wealthy.

Friday June 24, 2011...This guy made a great speech

2011-06-24T11:37:00.000-05:00

Al Franken, Senator, used to be a comedy writer.
Who would take this guy seriously?
Why in the world would Minnesotans vote him in as Senator?
I didn't know, either. Today I read the speech that he just gave to a conference in Minnesota and was notably impressed. He stated his (and my) beliefs clearly and understandably.

His speech is well worth reading. Here it is:
======================================

The Attack on America's Middle Class, and the Plan to Fight Back

Netroots Nation 2011, welcome to Minnesota!

This is the state that sent Hubert Humphrey, the middle-class son of a pharmacist, to the U.S. Senate, where he cheerfully waged - and usually won - great battles in the name of the young and the old, the poor and the vulnerable, the oppressed and the disenfranchised.

This is the state where Walter Mondale - who, at the age of 20, had helped to organize Humphrey's first Senate campaign - rose to become the living embodiment of common-sense Midwestern progressive values.

And this is the state where Paul Wellstone, a professor down at Carleton College in Northfield, became my hero - and the hero of a generation of progressives who believed, as he did, that we all do better when we all do better. We all do better when we all have health care. We all do better when we all can get a good education. We all do better when we all can earn a fair wage at a good job. We all do better when we all can find a good home and economic security and justice when we're wronged.

Today, 100 years after Hubert Humphrey was born, nearly half a century after Walter Mondale began his legendary career in public service, and two decades after Paul Wellstone won his first race for the Senate, we gather in Minnesota to take stock.

We all believe that we all do better when we all do better. The question is: How are we doing?

And if we're talking about the fate of ordinary families, the answer is clear: We're losing.

The American middle class is in trouble. Median family income is down. Jobs are scarce. Opportunities people thought they'd earned through hard work are disappearing before their eyes. Working families are falling further and further behind.

And that means it's hard for progressives not to feel like we're losing, too. Our movement is about putting the concerns of those working Americans at the forefront of our national agenda.

Now, you can argue that Democrats in Congress should be doing more to win legislative battles - although, as someone who is in the room every day, I can tell you that I don't doubt for a second my colleagues' commitment to moving our country in the right direction.

And you can argue that the Democratic Party should be using different tactics to win elections.

But the fact remains: We as a progressive movement are losing the argument. On issue after issue, we're playing defense.

We're ready to fight for cap-and-trade. But instead, we're forced into an argument about whether global warming even exists.

We're ready to fight for the Employee Free Choice Act. But instead, we're forced into an argument about whether workers should have any rights at all. As proud as we all are of the fight our movement has shown in Wisconsin and around the country in the face of Republican efforts to end collective bargaining, we know that these aren't the conversations we should be having in the year 2011.

And instead of having a debate about what the government should be doing to help the struggling middle class, we're having a debate about what parts of the social safety net we should sacrifice in order to preserve and extend giveaways to the wealthiest few, and to well-connected corporations.

We can urge Democrats in Congress to stand stronger when Republicans hold our government hostage. We can urge each other to work harder to win elections. And you won't hear any disagreement from me on either count.

But if we're going to win these fights, we have to start by reclaiming the upper hand in the argument over what our country should be about. And I want to suggest that conservatives might just have given us the playbook.

For decades, their argument against progressive policies hasn't just been about the substance of our ideas, but about the scope of our vision. They call us radicals. They say we want to do too much, too fast. They accuse us of wanting to remake the fundamental fabric of American society, as if we were proposing to rip a few dozen stars off the flag.

They understand that Americans don't like radical change. We love our country, and are rightly proud of its traditions. We revere our past. And it's easy to offer people a return to the "good ol' days" - when the economy was growing, everyone was optimistic, and we went to bed at night secure in the knowledge that our kids would have better opportunities than we had.

What conservatives miss when they talk about those "good ol' days," of course, is that they were good for a reason. Some of you might have heard me talk about my childhood here in Minnesota. My dad never graduated high school. He was a printing salesman. We lived in a two-bedroom, one-bath house in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. We weren't rich - but we felt secure.

I felt like the luckiest kid in the world. And I was. I was growing up middle-class in a time when growing up middle-class in America meant there would be jobs for my parents, good schools for me to prepare myself for a career, and, if I worked hard and played by the rules, a chance for me to do anything I wanted. Including being a comedy writer and then a Senator. In that order. Between 1947 and 1977, we experienced three decades of incredible growth - growth that flowed to the middle class.

And as we grew, we grew together. Everyone benefited. Income for the top fifth of Americans grew by 99 percent, and the income of those in the bottom fifth rose by 116 percent. I know that's hard to believe. The wages of the bottom fifth grew more than the wages of the top fifth. Really. That happened.

Meanwhile, the middle class could afford to buy more, so there was more demand - and that meant there were more jobs.

And with the tax dollars that came from all this growth, the government built 40,000 miles of straight freeways that greatly reduced the cost of transporting goods, invested in education that prepared kids for the workforce and innovations that created entire new industries, and strengthened the social safety net so that everyone could aspire to the middle class.

Oh. And we sent a man to the moon. Actually, a number of them.

Which brings me to my wife, Franni. When she was seventeen months old, her dad - a decorated veteran of World War II - died in a car accident, leaving my future mother-in-law widowed at age 29 with five kids.

That family made it because of Social Security survivor benefits.

Every single one of the four girls in Franni's family went to college, thanks to Pell Grants and other scholarships. My brother-in-law, Neil, went into the Coast Guard, where he became an electrical engineer.

My mother-in-law got herself a $300 GI loan to fix her roof, and used the money instead to go to the University of Maine. She became a grade school teacher and taught poor kids, and so her loans were forgiven.

She and all five of those kids became productive members of society. They pulled themselves up by their bootstraps - but first, they had to have the boots. And the government gave Franni's family the boots.

These are stories about security and opportunity. These are stories about the American dream. These are stories about the country we are so proud to call our own, the one we all want to protect and preserve.

But they are also stories about a progressive America, one in which the government adopts the principle that we all do better when we all do better.

It was our vision that government should provide economic security for the middle class and provide the boots for people looking to pull themselves up into it.

It was our vision that America should be in the business of making things, and that we should invest in innovation and infrastructure so that we could have an economy where there's enough for everyone.

It was our vision that American workers should earn enough to buy what they produced.

It was our vision that everyone should have basic rights at work, no matter how powerful their employer, and that the law should be a place where anyone could turn for justice.

And although that vision has always remained a work in progress, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale and Paul Wellstone and generations of progressives made this country what we dreamed it could be for millions and millions of families.

And while our vision was broad, the policies we fought for - from the social safety net to workers' rights to investment in our manufacturing sector - were grounded in values that began as "progressive," but have become simply American.

And having built that America we're all so proud of, it's now up to us to save it.

Progressives, in a way, are the new conservatives. We want to conserve what we fought to build. And the right-wingers who call themselves conservatives are the ones who want radical change in the way our government works, and the way our country works.

Newt Gingrich went on "Meet the Press" last month and said that the Ryan plan that would end Medicare was "right-wing social engineering," that it was "too big a jump." He has spent the month since apologizing - but for once in his life, Newt was right.

Actually, that's not fair. He was calling for electronic medical records years before the rest of the country got on board with the idea. So he was right the one other time. Gotta give a guy credit.

But ending Medicare, like privatizing Social Security, is astonishingly radical.

Part of the middle class promise is that, after a lifetime of hard work, you'll be able to retire and enjoy the fruits of that labor. Medicare was established to secure that promise. There was no private insurance market for people over 65 back in 1964. And if Republicans destroy Medicare, there won't be one now. The average Social Security benefit is $15,000. The average out of pocket health care cost for seniors under the Ryan plan would be over $12,000.

So if Republicans eliminate Medicare, America will become a country in which you can never retire - and once you physically can no longer work, you are desperately poor until you die. That is a radical change to our society.

The Republican agenda is a radical vision in which Medicaid is slashed to the bone - in which we start to balance the budget on the backs of, literally, our most vulnerable citizens. Say you have a parent who suffers from dementia and lives in a nursing home. If Republicans pass these Medicaid cuts, you'd better be ready to take that parent in. That is a radical change to our society.

The Republican vision is one in which we cut billions from job training and education and infrastructure - the things that enable ordinary Americans to find good jobs, enable businesses to find the customers and trained workers they need to grow, and enable middle class families to build real economic security. All these cuts, just to fund more tax cuts for people who are richer than any people have ever been in the history of the world.

It's a vision in which workers have no protections from their employers, ordinary Americans have no access to the courts when they're wronged, and big corporations control everything from our media to the Internet to our democracy.

After decades of fighting against any interpretation of the Constitution that secured basic rights for all Americans, conservatives have somehow found in that text special First Amendment rights for oil companies.

The growing gap between rich and poor, the failure of our generation to leave our kids the America we inherited from our parents, and the inability of our political system to respond to these crises - for today's Republican Party, these are features, not bugs.

The right wants America to be a nation of social Darwinism in which the powerful are protected by the government, and the rest of us are on our own.

To achieve it, they'll say things they know aren't true, disown ideas they used to support, contradict themselves on everything from how the legislative process should operate to how weather works. They'll let the government shut down, let us default on our debts, bring our country to its knees to fulfill their ideological fervor.

So how do we stop them? Well, I haven't been in politics my whole life. But I think we always win when we work together and stand on our values. Medicare, and Medicaid, and investment in infrastructure, and public education, and workers' rights, and civil rights, and equal rights under the law - these aren't just good progressive ideas, they're examples of traditional American values.

And when Republicans talk about destroying these things, they're talking about turning their backs on the America we've built. They're talking about ripping apart the fabric of our society. They're talking about a transformation of our country - about undermining our tradition so radically, they might as well be tearing stars off the flag.

And we should say so.

Here in the home of Humphrey and Mondale and Wellstone, I urge you all to stand up for the America our movement helped to build. Stand up for the principle that we should grow together instead of growing apart. Stand up for the principle that we all do better when we all do better.

Be proud to stand for Medicare and Medicaid. Be proud to stand with workers. Be proud to stand for a government that invests in America, a legal system that respects the rights of all individuals, and the progressive values we've fought so hard to defend. Be proud of who we are and what we've built.

We have a tough fight ahead. But it's one we have to win. It's not just the Democratic Party that's depending on us. It's the American middle class. And it's the American tradition, one that we helped to create - and one that we must now protect.

Thank you.

Sunday June 11, 2011...Government

2011-06-12T11:14:00.000-05:00

I and my neighbors and friends don't have time to perform all necessary functions in our community while we struggle to do our jobs and follow our chosen professions. We got together in a community group to form a government to hire those specialized functions to be done by others. We chose our teachers and police officers and sanitation workers and street repairers and a myriad of other function doers to help relieve us of those duties. On a national scale, we got together in a national group to form a government to hire those national functions to be done by others. We chose our military and our foreign relations people and our security people and hired watchdogs to make sure that those of us who wanted to cheat or steal from the rest of us were prevented from doing so. We chose to have standardized regulations set forth so that everyone would understand the limits and know the penalties for cheating. We chose our delegates to represent us in the national meetings and present our views and requirements so that our government can administer our state correctly. The whole idea was for us all to get along under common principles and common laws and regulations so that we could continue to follow our professions with the least amount of bother. This is our government that we chose to create to help us. In effect, we are the government. We choose how and why and what regulations we want to have in our society to help us and how we want it administered.

To do without that administration would allow the meanest of us to take control. We need our regulations administered to keep control. Somehow, the whole process of choosing who will represent us and what regulations we want administered has been taken away from us by those who would use us to their advantage. They have wrested control away from the rest of us and have tried to remove our regulations and safety nets and have tried to have us hire only their people to perform the functions that they sell by privatizing the public work. It's all about how much control they can take away from all of us and how much they can use the whole system to their financial advantage.

I can only hope that we, collectively, will take back the administration of our own functions and revitalize those controls that we need to provide for our own common good.

We don't want to get rid of government. We need government. We just need OUR government to represent US and our wishes.

Saturday June 11, 2011...Aftershock

2011-06-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

Afterthoughts and reflections after reading “Aftershock” by Robert Reich

He clearly drew a picture of what happened to cause the Great Depression (1929-1946) and what brought us out of that financially burdensome time into The Great Prosperity (1947-1975). Marriner Eccles chaired the Federal Reserve Board from 1934 to 1948. His advice and actions inspired the correct financial response by our political leaders and pulled the economy up from the depths. He clearly saw that money had to be available for the common man and his family and that with a healthy financial community the manufacturing would also benefit. He inspired Franklin Roosevelt to help and encourage the poor, the elderly and the working man with jobs and safe banks and secure homes and social security in our old age. Herbert Hoover and the previous administration had been following the old ways and assumed that the economy would self correct. He was wrong to trust the special interests and big bankers. Eccles clearly saw that their way would not stimulate the economy. They wanted to cut government services and let business find the way just as the current Republican Wall Street bankers are advising now. Luckily we had Mr Eccles then. Now is a different story.

The monied interests now control the political system and the business systems and they have no consideration for the poor or the middle class. They are greedy to the extreme and would deny sharing their wealth with the system that gave them this wealth. Even though the very wealthy have more wealth than they can spend, they still reach for more. The politicians need huge amounts to run their campaigns and know that they owe their jobs now and after leaving government service to those with the big bucks. Republican and Democrat alike respond to the desires of the wealthy. They are unlikely to bite the hand that feeds them. We look forward to diminished government services and a much lower standard of living, unless you're wealthy.

One scenario that Mr Reich put forth as an extreme backlash to the present situation was really quite frightening in its implications. A mythical third party wins the presidential and congressional election with a message of zero tolerance of illegal immigrants, a freeze on legal immigration, increased tariffs on all imports, a ban on American companies moving operation overseas or outsourcing abroad, withdrawal from United Nations, World Trade Organization, World Bank, and IMF, refuse to pay any more interest on our debt to China and stop trade with China. They would prohibit profitable companies from laying off workers or cutting payrolls. The federal budget would be required to be balanced. The Federal Reserve would be abolished. Banking would be restricted to deposits and loans. No investment banking. Capping personal income at $250,000 per year – everything above $500,000 to be taxed at 100%. – The stock market crashes, the dollar plummets, banks close, economic calamity.

Robert Reich sees the problem and offers his suggestions on how to solve them without destroying the country, but even he acknowledges that no change will probably occur until the systems crashes and forces reforms. The Great Recession that we are in the midst of wasn't quite strong enough to bring about the required resolve. The future holds the answer.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011...The scale is tilted

2011-05-31T17:11:00.000-05:00

We live on an island in space.

One very small group representing less than 5% of the total population of the island own 95% of the land, produce and resources of the island. The rest of the islanders work and toil to help create more wealth for the 5%. The 5% control the politics and all communications and all produce and all the wealth of the island. The 5% think that this is the way things should always be and they control who gets to be the representatives of the people. The 5% have the 95% convinced that all is well with the world and that there is no reason to complain. They tell us that we are all in the same boat and that they care about us and only wish us success.

You believe them, don't you?

Interesting, but discouraging facts

2011-05-30T19:14:00.000-05:00

Total War Funding by Operation

Assuming an annual level of the current Continuing Resolution (H.J.Res. 44/P.L. 112-4) and

based on DOD, State Department/USAID, and Department of Veterans Administration budget

submissions, the cumulative total appropriated from the 9/11 for those war operations, diplomatic

operations, and medical care for Iraq and Afghan war veterans is $1.283 trillion including:

• $806 billion for Iraq;

• $444 billion for Afghanistan;

• $29 billion for enhanced security; and

• $6 billion unallocated

Of this total, 63% is for Iraq, 35% for Afghanistan, 2% for enhanced security and 1/2% is

unallocated. Almost all of the funding for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is for Afghanistan.

This total includes funding provided in all appropriations act including the FY2010 Supplemental

(H.R. 4899/P.L. 111-212) enacted July 29, 2010, and the 6th Continuing Resolution for FY2011

For example, between FY2005 and FY2009, average annual operational costs per troop were $525,000 for Afghanistan and $462,000 for Iraq.

DOD’s requests for FY2010 and FY2011 generally include sharply higher annual per troop costs for Afghanistan, with operational costs projected to jump from $507,000 in FY2009 to $667,000 in FY2010 and $694,000 in Afghanistan.

COULDN'T THIS MONEY SERVE BETTER PURPOSES HERE AT HOME WHERE PEOPLE NEED HELP?

Saturday May 28, 2011...Remember our Veterans

2011-05-28T11:25:00.000-05:00

We seem to continually remain at war. It isn't the fault of our troops. They perform nobly as their duty prescribes. On this Memorial weekend, remember the boys and men who have given their all in our service.

America continues to be engaged in hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, and young men and women will pay the ultimate price while wearing the uniform of our nation. Let us honor the memory of the 4,454 Americans who have died in Iraq and more than 1,595 who have died in Afghanistan. We also honor the sacrifices of our wounded: 32,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 11,400 in Afghanistan.

Since September 2001, 13,957 troops from Missouri have been deployed from the U.S. National Guard and Reserve. Missouri currently has 4,494 troops deployed, and has sent 42,650 since September 2001. In Iraq, 90 have been killed. 754 have been wounded. In Afghanistan, 40 have been killed. 235 have been wounded.

As we remember their patriotic sacrifices, we renew our commitment to keep our promises to the nation’s more than 2 million troops and reservists, their families, and 23 million veterans, including 505,916 in Missouri.

Perhaps we can bring our participation in these struggles to an end in the near future if the powers that be will let them end. What have we gained from these dead and wounded that couldn't have been gained by negotiation? Looking back over past wars and seeing our former enemies who are now our allies and trading partners you have to think that war accomplishes little other than enriching the people who supply war materials and profit from both sides of a conflict. It's been a long struggle in the middle east with no end in sight and nothing gained by our sacrifice. It's time for this to end. Let's bring our boys home.

Friday May 20, 2011...A Thought

2011-05-20T10:30:00.002-05:00

A thought about thoughts.

Where does a thought come from? What sparks a thought into existence? A completely NEW thought springs from what source? Does it come with a spark or with a big bang? Is a thought comprised of energy? How does it exist and in what form?

We speak about the BIG BANG that started our universe with some form of energy converting itself into all the matter of the universe that we now know in a single instant. Something started that transformation. Before that BIG BANG, there was no matter and no time and all was void. Perhaps we and all that we perceive are nothing more than a thought in the mind of God, whatever or whoever you conceive God to be. From nothing came this instant of creation that brought our universe into being. We are nothing more than stardust leftover from that one instant of creation, that single thought.

Was that thought that created our universe a complete unified and solidified thought or was it something that once started follows it's own course of action?. Can we control our dreams and thoughts and seek solutions to problems or do the dreams and thoughts once started find their own conclusions?

In any event, if we are indeed the result of a thought by some greater force or being, we are a creation of that force or being and our actions, whether controlled or natural, are a direct result of that creation. One can only conclude that any action we take cannot be in opposition to the will of that force or being because we are a consequence of that creation.

The greater question is: What happens to a thought when it has passed? What lies ahead in what we conceive of as our future? Does a thought fade and disappear or does it linger in the memory forever?

Wednesday April 6. 2011...I'm sorry, but I don't understand the logic

2011-04-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe I do - if your object is to help the needy rich and corporate america and take from the undeserving poor, then it all makes sense. Let them eat cake! And be sure that we have a tremendous military to enforce our corporate will upon recalcitrant neighbors.

House Republicans led by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan have unveiled a plan that would spend $6.2T less over 10 years than what President Obama has proposed. With not a sacred cow in sight, except perhaps the Pentagon, Ryan's 'Path to Prosperity' proposes to limit expenditure on Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and scores of other programs. He also wants to cut the top corporate and individual tax rates to 25%. Despite the appearance of radicalism, the GOP plan would still add $5T to the deficit over the coming decade, although it promises to reach 'primary balance' by 2015, meaning that the budget would be balanced except for interest payments on existing debt. The plan wouldn't balance the government's books until 2040.

CUTTING TAXES ON RICH AND CORPORATIONS WHILE REDUCING BENEFITS FOR THE REST OF THE CITIZENS IN THE UNITED STATES. STILL ADDING TO THE DEFICIT UNTIL 2040 AND DOESN'T ALLOW FOR COMING INCREASED INTEREST RATES AND HIGHER INFLATION. ALSO ASSUMES THAT UNEMPLOYMENT WILL REDUCE AND THAT TAXES FROM EMPLOYED WILL INCREASE. Perhaps there is also a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow which we can use to reduce our debt. Or, we could hope to catch a leprechaun?

AND AS FOR REVISING SOCIAL SECURITY

per The House Republicans' 2012 Budget Proposal

"Demographics:

The first is demographic.

This problem is most clearly seen in the financing for Social Security. Social Security is financed through a pay-as-you-go system, which means that current workers' Social Security taxes are used to pay benefits for current retirees. In 1935 when Social Security was enacted, there were about 42 working-age Americans for each retiree. The average life expectancy for men in America was 60 years; for women it was 64. With these demographics, it was easy for the program to generate sufficient revenue to meet its promises to those over 65. The demographic situation has changed dramatically, however, since the creation of the program. In 1950, there were 3.5 million beneficiaries. Currently, there are over 50 million beneficiaries - an over fourteen-fold increase."

per SSA http://www.ssa.gov/history/lifeexpect.html

the average life expectancy at age 65 (i.e., the number of years a person could be expected to receive unreduced Social Security retirement benefits) has increased a modest 5 years (on average) since 1940. So, for example, men attaining 65 in 1990 can expect to live for 15.3 years compared to 12.7 years for men attaining 65 back in 1940.

Obviously the Republican document is in error, although the average lifespan was less back when social security was started, the average lifespan for retiring citizens was approximately the same then as it is now and the tables for computing this were based on this fact. In fact all the demographics were considered and included when computing the actuarial tables for social security. That is why the social security system has built up a surplus over the years of 2.6 trillion dollars and remains solvent for the next 26 years and will only require minimal tweaking to adjust to future situations.

TABLE 1: The Outlook for Social Security (by fiscal year, in billions of dollars)
	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Annual surplus	137	83	91	101	114	131	143	148	148	149	143	132
Surplus excluding interest	19	-36	-26	-13	-2	10	13	8	-4	-14	-32	-55
Holdings	2,504	2,587	2,677	2,779	2,893	3,024	3,167	3,315	3,463	3,612	3,755	3,886
Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities based on Congressional Budget Office, August 2010 baseline projections. CBO has not published complete details for its August baseline; CBPP calculated the Social Security surplus as the difference between the total off-budget surplus — as published by CBO — and the off-budget Postal Service deficit, assuming that the latter figure did not change since CBO’s March 2010 projection.

The system has been working well for the last 75 years and is scheduled to continue being successful into the future. Why disrupt a successful enterprise? I can only suppose that private interests wish to somehow gain control of the investing power of this trust fund and are lobbying their representative agents to help them. While this would gain those special interests much income, it wouldn't be in the best interests of the participants. Recessions and bubbles in investing circles come and go but the system works and keeps working. Let's keep this fund out of special interests hands.

Using phrases that sound sensible for new programs often mislead the public. But seeing that the actual details cause the opposite reactions should warn us that the proposed plans have something else in mind than our own welfare. It all amounts to a tug of war between the average citizen and the wealthy powers that hope to control our country. So far, the powers are winning and they are stepping up the action without hiding their true feelings.

Monday March 14, 2011...Words and descriptions

2011-03-14T15:06:00.000-05:00

WORDS FOR THE POLITICAL DAY

APPLY THEM TO THE POLITICIAN OF YOUR CHOICE

I personally like the last one. It rolls off the tongue – opprobrious. and it has particular appropriateness to the present political situation.

(reference: Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, etc, etc, etc.)

perfidious: deliberately faithless; treacherous; deceitful

ignoble: degraded; dishonorable; ignominious; contemptible

ignominious: degrading; disgraceful; dishonorable; shameful; despicable; ignoble

specious: superficially plausible; false; misleading

meretricious: showy; gaudy; spurious; sham; false

opprobrious: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame;

"Man...has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands"- Rachel Carson; "an ignominious retreat"; "inglorious defeat"; "an opprobrious monument to human greed"; "a shameful display of cowardice"

ignominious; inglorious; shameful; disgraceful;

dishonorable - lacking honor or integrity; deserving dishonor; "dishonorable in thought and deed"

Wednesday February 16, 2011...Adventures in Mexico

2011-02-16T14:13:00.000-06:00

It was a most interesting daily jaunt. I crossed over the border into Nuevo Progresso Mexico on Tuesday.

First impression was the presence of the army. They had armored vehicles with machine guns mounted on them. They also had sand-bagged posts with soldiers manning them. They definitely announced their presence to the hundreds of tourists crossing over from the US.

Second impression was one of a marvelous bazaar with hundreds of small shops carrying all kinds of items for sale. I also noticed many, many pharmacies and dentists. It seemed as though there were as many as 50 of each. Outside of many of the shops were hawkers calling your attention to this pharmacy or that dentist. There were also many sidewalk vendors about. The streets were crowded with tourists and hawkers. People were on the sidewalk and in the streets. Cars and trucks were slowly meandering down the streets.

I had a chipped tooth and went into a dentist's office. He was able to immediately help me. He took xrays and showed me where the root was exposed and that rather than covering it with a filling that would eventually cause great pain, I needed a root canal and a crown. When I asked him how much it would cost I was told the total would be $300. This was about a third of what I had paid for the last such procedure in the United States. I asked him how long it would take and was told it would be ready in 2 days. This seemed such a bargain that I asked him if he did partial plates. I had lost a partial plate on the left bottom of my mouth some months ago and dreaded paying another $1,000 for a new one. He quoted me $350 and that included a newer base of flexible material instead of the metal plate. It will also be ready this week. He was extremely polite and quite knowledgeable. He spoke Spanish and English and wasted no time. I was quite pleased.. I'm going back Friday for the crown and the partial that would have cost about 3 times what I will end up paying.

After coming out numbly from the dentist, I shopped for a bit at a leather store with my sister and brother-in-law. I noticed that my sister was able to barter the price down on a purse from $20 to $15. Unfortunately I had already agreed to purchase 2 leather hats at the marked price, otherwise I might have saved a few bucks. Oh well, you live and learn. I will shop a bit more when I go back for my teeth and perhaps try bartering. We, in the United States, are not used to arguing the price down on objects – so this will be a new experience.

I would also point out that the dentist was located within a block or so of the border checkout, so it was very convenient. A great place to go for dental work and adventure.

Thursday February 10, 2011...I'm innocent!

2011-02-10T10:04:00.000-06:00

It is NOT my fault!!

Everyone is starting to point fingers and rumors are spreading that I brought the cold weather down here.

I was trying my best to escape before the blizzard of 2011 hit Kansas City. It was right behind me all the way. The folks in Waco were wacko anticipating cold that they weren't prepared for. Warnings were out all along the way.

The devil was on my tail, but I kept riding south trying to escape his clutches.

I did get a nice tail wind that improved my mileage, but it still wasn't my fault. The pipes were freezing and the roads closed with ice all around. Probably the crops will fail and people will always remember when Bob came to town.

Schools and businesses closed their doors and people stood shivering in their tee shirts and shorts. Nobody knew what to do. I see groups of people standing about and muttering and pointing fingers at me. Everybody I meet says “so YOU'RE the one who brought this cold weather down here”. It's frightening.

All I wanted was blue skies and warm southerly breezes and palm trees swaying and fresh fruit and vegetables growing. Now I've been down here for over a week and last night it again got down below freezing. To me this doesn't seem bad for February, but this is a calamity for these warm blooded folks down here with little heat and no warm clothes. Next week it's supposed to warm up to about 80 in the daytime and 60 at night, but folks will still remember “the man from Missouri who brought down the cold”.

I hope they'll let me stay till March. I'll try to bring warm weather north with me. I could use a southerly breeze to help my mileage.

Thursday February 3, 2011 SNOW??!! HERE?

2011-02-03T14:29:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am in sunny south Texas escaping the artic blizzard that has struck the midwest.

Unfortunately, the artic air has pushed south even to here. It has gotten down to below freezing and the people down here aren't really prepared for that. Tonight it's supposed to sleet, freezing rain, or snow over much of the area which will affect the citrus crop and the vegetable crops if it stays cold very long. I feel sorry for the folks who don't have heat in their houses or warm clothes. It's supposed to be about 30-40 degrees warmer than it is. I drove 1,000 miles south to get away from cold weather and I didn't expect this. Hopefully, in a few days or a week the weather will return to normal and I will be able to enjoy the balmy weather and bask in the sun.

I'm really good with balmy and basking.

It's been a long cold winter and it's still snowing!

2011-01-21T11:59:00.000-06:00

The holidays came and went and were quite a busy time here at home. My son-in-law came home from the oil fields of Wyoming and North Dakota to spend Christmas and New Years with his family. We had a lot of family time over the holidays and it was great. Now Carole has gone south to Texas for the winter and Chuck has returned to Wyoming and it keeps on snowing and getting colder. I'm really ready for some warmth. I plan on visiting Carole in Texas during the whole month of February. It's supposed to be sunny and warm down along the Rio Grande and I won't mind it a bit. Meanwhile my daughter, Deborah, has gotten her divorce and plans on moving up to Oregon from New Mexico. It's quite a turmoil for her right now, but she will make the most of it - a fresh new beginning.

I love the changes of the seasons, but I get tired of snow really quickly. It's beautiful to look at for a day, but after that it starts to look a bit stark and cold and uninviting. It will be great to see the green grass and orchards of fruit trees of southern Texas. A warm beach with blue skies and puffy white clouds won't be bad also.

My Minnesota relatives love the snow and cold for all the winter sports and activities, but up there it gets cold and stays cold and once you get out the warm clothes you don't put them away till spring. Here it's warm one day and cold the next and snowing one day and slushing the next so your body never quite gets adjusted.

I'll let you know how warm it is in Texas when I get there. Stay warm!

burp! Thanksgiving was great!

2010-11-27T14:26:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving was great - had dinner at sister Janice's house and her whole menu was delicious. My daughter Beth and grandson Zachary went with me, so it was a good family outing. We missed my son-in-law Chuck terribly but he is still in Wyoming and North Dakota trying to stay employed with the oil riggers. The labor market here in town still isn't much, so he has been working far from home and not getting home very often.

Christmas shopping season opened with the plaza lights being turned on. We put up our Christmas decorations and it's now time to think about how to celebrate the season. Many of our relatives are having financial difficulties this year, so we intend to keep it simple. Tonight my sisters and brother and their spouses and I will be getting together for our annual birthday steak dinner at Jess & Jims. We have been doing this now for about 15 years and everyone really enjoys getting together and having a good meal.

I've been in a candy making mood - never tried that before, but it seems to be not that hard. You get in the baking mood or the cooking mood or the candy mood every once in a while and the things you make are always so much better than the commercial product. The only problem is to control your hunger after you make a big batch. I find it's best to enjoy the making and then to enjoy the giving away to others that works best - otherwise I get saturated with too much of a good thing.

I hope that this Christmas all families can be together and share their love enjoy the season.

Sunday November 24, 2010...Excuses from home

2010-11-14T15:01:00.000-06:00

Holy cow!

Has it been that long since I put anything on this blog? Time slips away so easily. I was wrapped up in the election and then thoroughly depressed with the results (that's one excuse). There has been a lot of sickness around this house (Beth, my daughter, and Zachary, my grandson, have been taking turns getting sick with one thing or another (that's another excuse). It isn't that I haven't been thinking, maybe just not as clearly as usual. But now that Thanksgiving is coming and holiday season is approaching, I'm starting to make my lists and checking them twice. Most of the leaves have fallen and the grass has finally stopped growing so I mulched the leaves once and probably need to do that one more time before the winter freeze.

I've been watching the antics of the financial gurus and hoping that they don't completely destroy the economy. Right now I'm seeing more unemployment in our family than ever before in my lifetime, so that tells me that this recession is dangerous and may have long term effects on all of us. It would seem that the high-flying days are over for now and everyone will have to tighten up their finances to survive the coming troubles. It feels like the middle class has really shrunk and that it may not come back very soon. When I was a kid, a high school graduate could usually find a job in the manufacturing field - here in town we had Ford and GM and Pontiac and Vendo and Armco and Western Electric and many other major manufacturers who have mostly gone. Now a kid needs a college degree to find any kind of self sustaining job and many of those are going overseas. For a while it looked like we would have jobs opening up in the service sector but India and China have started taking many of those away.

We are becoming a nation of haves and have-nots with the have-nots growing in number. Perhaps once the financial disarray clears up and our dollar reaches a lower value, we will begin growing the manufacturing base again? It may be a painful adjustment till then. Most of the people today are not aware of the lifestyle changes that had to take place during the depression, in fact many haven't even heard of them. Life has been so good for so long that everyone expects that it will always continue that way - but the future may be a bit harsher. Time will tell. We have had a good run without any serious calamities such as war or famine here in the United States and we have all enjoyed the freedoms and opportunities, so I can't really complain if we hit a snag now. Just keep a level head and look out for your neighbor.

I'll keep looking for that holy cow and write a bit more often.

Sunday September 19, 2010...Check out new recipe

2010-09-19T13:51:00.000-05:00

I made a Taco Casserole yesterday. Very good! Easy and nutritious.
I posted it in the recipes. Try it out sometime when you're in the mood.

Saturday September 18, 2010...Savor the memories

2010-09-18T09:10:00.002-05:00

As more and more parts of me start retiring while the rest of me wants to keep on working and celebrating life, I am reminded of that National Computer Association saying: “They will have to pry my mouse from my cold dead hand” (or something to that effect).

As long as I have strength to sit here at the computer and the sight to see the screen and the ability to type and move the mouse, I will endure. I'm afraid my days of cross country running are over and I'll never swim the English channel or climb Mt Everest, but I will be out there striving to keep up with Facebook and Gmail. It's the little successes that make life interesting.

Enjoy what you can while you can and savor the memories.

Tuesday September 14, 2010...Old Friends, New Friends

2010-09-14T18:17:00.000-05:00

What a JOY to meet old friends again!

I met with and visited with several friends from my high school days. It's been many long years since we had the time to sit and visit. John and Ted and I were in high school together and then John and I were in the same fraternity in college. In fact John was my pledge father and we shared an apartment for a while in those good old college days. Ted married Jane, who was the sister of another of my good friends, Charles. These friends grew up to be wonderful people and I look forward to sharing information about the interceding years. It was so good to see them all again. John was fortunate enough to find a wonderful woman, Margo, who also came to visit. In the relaxing retirement years ahead I look forward to renewing old friendships and reviewing memories of long ago. It will be a treat!

And another thing

2010-09-14T10:16:00.000-05:00

Thinking about books again and life:

Too often, as we grow older, we look back on the written pages of our life and reflect. We should be looking ahead to the unwritten pages ahead and deciding what adventures we have yet to discover instead of looking back on what has already happened. We seem to be a society of observers now – we watch the actions of others on television while sitting in our air conditioned easy chair with snacks at hand. We admire people who actually get out there and experience life while we vicariously enjoy their activities.

Life slips away while we watch – too soon it's too late.

Monday September 13, 2020...Life is a book

2010-09-13T12:29:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about life.

Life may be a comedy. Life may be a tragedy. Life may be a romantic novel. Life may be a series of hardships or of incredible luck. In any case, life is an adventure.

Think of your life as a biographer would write about it. Your life would be a book – it would have a beginning, many chapters and an end. Right now I'm nearing the end of my book and over the years, I have written many chapters. Some chapters were memorable and some are forgotten. The notable ones are worth remembering, even the sad ones along with the happy ones. You learn from your mistakes and from your successes. My book has had some great adventures, though not as wildly adventurous as others. My book has had some tragedies, but not as overwhelmingly sad as others. My book has had some great pictures and great sounds associated with it. My book has been well worth reading.

You never know exactly how your book is going to turn out, but you have some say in what is being written in your book. It's really up to you how you face the adversities of your book and how you deal with them. A successful book will be read well by others and enjoyed by many. A sad book with a lot of mistakes will be overlooked and not enjoyed. You may be in the beginning chapters of your book and haven't decided just where your plot is going – it really is up to you. You may be in the middle chapters and perhaps wandering about without a plan, but it isn't too late to straighten out the plot and redirect the completion of your book to an enjoyable conclusion. If you're in the final chapters of your book, you can do little about how your book has been written, but you still can make sure that the ending is a happy one and enjoyed by others.

I hope my book will leave its readers with a smile on their face and good memories. It has been a book that I have enjoyed writing and sharing with others along the way.

Monday August 23, 2010...Funny Puns

2010-08-23T20:14:00.001-05:00

The pun, or paronomasia, is a form of word play which exploits numerous meanings of a statement, allowing it to be understood in multiple ways for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect

Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.

A rule of grammar: double negatives are a no-no.

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead giveaway).

Experts say the cost of funerals have risen by 50%, they blame it on the cost of living.

Math teachers have lots of problems.

The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.

Seven days without a pun makes one weak.

Thursday August 19, 2020...Quote of the day

2010-08-19T13:40:00.001-05:00

I was sent this quote by email today and decided to pass it along.

There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible.
Henry Ford

A PHILOSOPHY THAT BUILT THE MIDDLE CLASS HAS SOMEHOW BEEN FORGOTTEN.

As we outsource our jobs, creating mediocre products for throw away mass consumption at the lowest price possible while paying the lowest wage possible, we destroy the very market we have come to depend on.

The middle class slowly dies and we are left with the “haves” and the “have nots”. The market economy that helped create this country has given way to the capitalist economy which thrives on separation of classes.

Sunday August 15, 2010...How hot is it?

2010-08-15T11:06:00.001-05:00

How hot is it in southern Texas in August? I'm glad you asked.
I just returned from the Rio Grande valley in southern Texas (Down near Brownsville). I had been told that the heat down there is different because it's a “dry” heat – they LIED!

It's so hot the bees sweat.
It's so hot the armadillos are packing their bags and moving north.
It's so hot the surviving cows give powdered milk.

It's HOT! But there is a nice sweltering moist breeze from the ocean that forces you inside most of the day. It's a nice place to visit (in the winter). There are a lot of Winter Texans (who aren't there right now) who know better than to visit in the summertime. You live and you hopefully learn. Without air conditioning, it would really be uncomfortable. As we were returning north we passed just east of Dallas where it was the 13th day in a row over 100 degrees. Our car thermometer hit pockets of heat in certain areas that topped 107 degrees. It was good to get home to our comfortable 95 degrees.

It's so hot the trees are looking for shade.

Hang in there and really appreciate fall.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010...Another day, another war

2010-08-03T20:02:00.000-05:00

It's starting to play with my mind. I'm remembering the frustration and lost feeling I had when we went to war in Iraq. It's been almost 9 years now since we invaded Afghanistan and we are still fighting over there. It's ramping up more and more and we are losing more and more of our young men in a war that it appears we are not going to win. At this point I'm not sure what we will win if we do win. We will have conquered a country we have no interest in with a population that feels we are invaders. Somehow religion has become involved and the purpose of our being there is becoming lost. I have heard that the Taliban and the Al Queda forces are operating out of Pakistan, so even if we win in Afghanistan they will still be a terrorist force to reckon with. I think back to when Russia with all it's strength couldn't conquer the Afghans and I wonder if we will do the same. I also remember Viet Nam and how we left so much blood behind us when we pulled out without accomplishing anything. Wars are different now and it doesn't seem to be about devastating the country, but rather winning the population to our viewpoint. I don't think that will happen in Afghanistan. I think we don't understand the Muslim faith and the intolerance of the extreme groups. They seem as obstinate as our Ku Klux Klan people here and we don't understand them either. When you're dealing with extremists you can't always reason and rationalize with them.

It goes on and it doesn't feel right any more.

Monday July 26, 2010...Summers of the past

2010-07-26T09:17:00.002-05:00

Life goes on. The skunks have left and we feel less trapped. The swamp has dried out because of the heat of the last few weeks. We've been in the 90s with high humidity every day. One good thing about the weather is that it makes the grass go dormant so mowing is done less often. We did have a strong windstorm a couple of weeks ago. It uprooted trees and broke huge branches off of various trees in the neighborhood. Many limbs fell across streets and power lines so access was limited and power was out for several days. We had to buy dry ice for the freezer and refrigerator. We gathered up many piles and sacks of broken branches for the city to pick up.

Now that the hubbub is over, we can get back to the lazy hazy crazy daze of summer. We can now go outside without fear of mean, rabid skunk gangs.

I miss the large elm trees that surrounded my childhood home. On a hot summer day we would be outside under the trees enjoying the cool shade. Back then nobody had air conditioning so the house had all the windows open and we all hoped for summer breezes. At night we had window fans or the attic fan that would pull evening air across the beds for relief. A summertime drive to cool off and maybe get an ice cream cone was nice on the weekend when dad and the car were there. On a hot day we would run through a sprinkler or soak in a wash tub of cool water. Summer drove everyone outside, so we visited with our neighbors. Evenings would find folks out on their front porches in their porch swings waiting for the house to cool off. We would sit there and listen to the crickets or the cicadas sing their songs.

Summers now drive everyone inside to their air conditioned homes to watch the television. We don't often see our neighbors and get little exercise. We have exchanged our comfort for a whole new solitary lifestyle.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010...Summertime

2010-07-06T16:25:00.002-05:00

It's turning out to be an interesting summer, so far.

My son-in-law, Chuck, got fed up with work at Deffenbaugh industries and was contacted by a previous employer from Wyoming who wanted him to come back to work for them – they have years of work ahead of them up in North Dakota at a big oil field. Chuck worked for oil riggers and drives the big trucks and is a very responsible worker. He decided to take them up on their offer and will commute from Kansas City to western North Dakota on a monthly basis. While he's there, they will be working 7 days a week for 12 hours a day – so it won't leave him much leisure time.

So now, it's just my daughter, Beth, and my grandson, Zachary and me. And we discovered that we have a family of skunks nested under the front stoop and possibly under the garden shed. This presents a possibly smelly dilemma. How do you get rid of skunks without getting sprayed? We really don't want to hurt the mother and 4 little babies – we just want them to move across the street into the forest that lies between our house and the interstate about a half mile away.

I really need to do something to fill up the space under the stoop. A few years ago I had some rather large wasps that built a nest there and the mail service wouldn't come to my house until I had them exterminated. The problem is that I have a courtyard out front that collects rainwater and the courtyard wall doesn't allow it to drain. Over the years, the water has apparently undermined the stoop and found a way out leaving a small cavern. So, as one thing leads to another, I need to shoo the skunk family away, find a way to either stop the rain or establish a new water course out of the courtyard, and then re-pour the walkway and stoop.

Maybe I need to eliminate the courtyard - or at least the courtyard wall. I've always wanted to pave the front yard so that I would have plenty of parking and no mowing. Maybe I could build a big fortress wall all around the property and then pave it all and have a hacienda type garden.... On the other hand, maybe I could just out-wait the skunks and let nature take its course.

Meanwhile, back in the swamp, which is what we call a good portion of our back yard, the rains keep the low area nice and sloshy. It's hard to mow back there unless you get a run at it and splash your way through it. I've thought about planting a bamboo forest to suck up the water, but I hear that it just keeps on spreading and taking over the whole neighborhood. It would eliminate the need for mowing, but I would probably have to hack my way through it to get to the back fence.

Life is interesting and there is always something new and exciting to discover. I like to think of myself as sort of camping out here in my Missouri home. That way, each little trial and tribulation seems really insignificant because other than the few problems now and then life is generally pretty comfortable here.

I wonder what the summer will bring next? It's hard to outguess the fates.

Saturday July 3, 2010...Don't panic

2010-07-03T11:36:00.002-05:00

One thing I've really noticed lately is that panic comes on quickly while confidence comes on slowly.

In the business and financial world panic ensues momentarily with any bad news and a real calamity seems to institute the “herd stampede” mentality. “Head for the hills without thinking” takes over the majority of people involved in most any situation. We seem to be much more cynical about accepting good news and developing confidence.

The stock market drops precipitously with any kind of bad news but will climb slowly on good news and fair weather forecasts. We seem to accept the doom and gloom forecast as if we expected only the worst to happen and that this forecast confirms our expectations. Why aren't we happier and more confident and why don't we expect the best instead of the worst? Eventually, in life, all things work out the way that they will and we accept the inevitable and deal with it. If we accept what life brings us with confidence that it will ultimately work out well or acceptable, we can be much more at ease and a lot less stressed.

Accept the bad news and plan how it can be dealt with reasonably and how best we can adapt to the change it brings. This is what will have to happen anyway, so why not work with it immediately? When the good news comes along, as it always does, accept that as an expected fact and work it into your plan of life also. Level out the road, so to speak, fill in the valleys and reduce the hills and make the road more even and drivable. Save through the good years to help through the lean years. Build for the future and know that the sour makes the sweet more appreciated.

Presently we are experiencing recessionary times and there is more to endure before it gets better, but it eventually will get better. When those better times arrive, don't assume that they are the norm – save for the next cycle of downturn, which will come again. Don't expect the path through life to have no hills or valleys – it will not always be smooth and easy. Don't panic and don't exult – keep a level head and plan for the future. Life will be good and there will be joy as well as sorrow. That's what gives life its flavor.

Thursday July 1, 2010...Humdrum

2010-07-01T06:53:00.002-05:00

Humdrum: Lacking variety or excitement

Not everyday can be full of excitement. Some days are humdrum.

Some days you can just sit back and listen to the mosquitoes humming along. The clouds form little puff balls and then slide across the sky before dispersing. The leaves on the trees just hang there limply waiting for a breeze to tickle them into movement. The squirrels are still busy-busy, but sometimes they freeze into squirrel statues --- before scurrying away. I wonder what they heard that made them stop that way. It's a humdrum day and my world is lazily passing by without a worry or a care. You need some days like that.

It takes a lot of effort to get up from the hammock and go get another icy cold drink of lemonade - maybe later.

For now I'm just going to sit back and watch the world pass by.
Zzzz.....

Monday June 21, 2010...The living is easy

2010-06-21T11:15:00.001-05:00

Summertime and the living is easy.
It's hard to sit down and get serious when you feel lazy. In fact, it's hard to get into gear and do anything when the living is easy and the sun is warm and everything is green and lush. Sorry about that, but my mind has apparently been taking a summer vacation for a bit and didn't feel like putting serious thoughts onto paper. It isn't like the world has stopped being mean and nasty while I've had my hiatus. The oil continues to spout and the senate continues to stall and the world continues to pile up debt while the rest of us try to eke out a meaningful life. Sometimes it's hard to see the big picture and maintain our sense of right and wrong.

I need to stop watching and reading the news. All I see is the BAD news. I need the GOOD news. Even the cartoons can get a bit vitriolic at times. I just need to lay back on the wet grass and feel the summer breeze blow over me and watch the puffy white clouds form into whimsical shapes. It's good to ignore the rest of the world at times and just to BE in your immediate surrounding world. If I good reach inside my mind and attain the peace and quiet of a long forgotten summer day when I was young and less aware, I could relax and be happy once more.

Sometimes I wake up with that peaceful feeling, listening to the morning quiet before the bright sunshine has stirred the rest of the world into its hectic pace. It's a contemplative time when all things are possible and life is good. I haven't shaped my thoughts or made plans yet and have no immediate goals except to lie there and slowly awaken. All my limbs seem restful and supported and my brow is uncreased with no worries. My mind is content to just be there with no pressure and no direction. On those mornings, I will try to gradually focus my mind on one fact – that it's going to be a great day and I have no pains and no worries and only feel joy. It helps to start the day off that way.

Summertime really is vacation time. You don't have to multitask and you can put off those plans until tomorrow because tomorrow will be another bright and beautiful day, just like today.

Stay happy and healthy and enjoy the day.
This day will never repeat.
It happens only once in your lifetime.
Make a memory of today.

Saturday June 5, 2010...I am a liberal

2010-06-05T20:31:00.002-05:00

Definition

con·ser·va·tive
a. Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.
b : the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change

lib·er·al
a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

Maintaining the status quo just for the sake of resisting change doesn't appeal to me when we find ourselves in trouble. I'm all for trying to find new solutions for problems that are overwhelming us and leading us to the brink of disaster. Sometimes tried and true past solutions will not solve modern problems and new solutions are required. The world is constantly changing and the transfer of information and data is accelerating as we watch. Solutions that worked in the old days may lag far behind the creation of new problems these days.

I believe that we should be open to progress and change but be watchful and careful at the same time. I am indeed a liberal because of that belief. I don't begrudge those who are conservative and oppose change, because we all are entitled to our opinions. But, when those who oppose change without true reasoning stand in the way of solving modern problems, I feel they are out of step with needed progress and actually impede solutions to critical problems. Some folks are negative without reason or thought and will not listen to logical arguments nor present their opposing argument. They are belligerent and negative and resistant to any change. These are the conservatives I have much trouble understanding.

I always thought that change for the better was GOOD and progress was what life should be about.

Our country was founded by liberals who wanted to change the status quo and started a revolution in 1776. Since then we have had much progress and much change. Why stop now? Let's keep looking for better answers.

Saturday June 5, 2010...I got my smile back!!

2010-06-05T13:26:00.001-05:00

It really bothered me to have that front tooth missing, but I had to wait until the gum healed where the tooth had been pulled before getting anything done. I didn't realize how often I smiled. It's hard to smile with your lips closed. I didn't want to frighten little children or scare other people away because of my scary toothless countenance. But now I have my smile back and I'm not nearly so self-conscious. Life is good again. Now if I can get the pain in my back to subside, it will be perfect.

It could be worse. Today I am going to a memorial service for one of my high school chums. Dick was the star athlete in our class = good at all sports and great at some. He ended up being a professional baseball player. Now he is gone and I remember his cheery and carefree attitude with a smile. He was one of those natural athletes who just took life in its strides and excelled in all sporting endeavors he tried. It's sad to see fellow travelers drop out of our journey though life. I suppose that this will happen more often as life goes along. Memories are good and may be the only surviving elements of all our lives. I'll try to leave good memories behind and enjoy the moments that I have left - especially now that I can smile again.

Thursday May 20, 2010...HOWDEE!!

2010-05-20T10:58:00.003-05:00

It isn't a pretty sight.

Go ahead and laugh.

I've been fighting a broken front tooth for several weeks now. It was a crowned tooth from my teenage years that finally broke off flush with the gums. I had it pulled (not a pleasant memory). Unfortunately it hasn't been healing from the inside out as it should so I've been stuck with this merry grin to deal with. I'm sure that someday I will be able to look back and laugh, that's why I wanted to show the picture (for laughs). As soon as the healing takes place, I can get a partial plate to replace it. For now, I just have to be very very careful and avoid trying to bite anything.

Anyone for mush? Maybe ice cream?

Sunday May 2, 2010...May flowers

2010-05-02T09:40:00.001-05:00

It's May already and here in the lowlands (elev 1000') the trees are green once more and the grass is growing. Days are creeping into the 70s with spring breezes.

In the mountains out west the snow is melting and the streams are starting to rampage. It's always green in the pine forests, but as the snow recedes, the grass and low vegetation awakes from it's winter slumber.

It's a pleasant time here in the lowlands and I begin to plan for a return to the mountains later when the heat rises on the plains.

Each location has its special appeal at different times of the year. Right now the rolling hills of Missouri are lush and green and the woods are filled with life.

I like May, especially after being cooped up all winter in the gray gloom. It's time for kite flying and outdoor excursions. Enjoy.

Thursday April 29, 2010...Tests

2010-04-29T12:36:00.002-05:00

My grandson was complaining about tests.
“I really hate tests”, he said.

I told him that I really LIKE tests and he groaned.

I had to explain that without tests you wouldn't know how much you were learning or if you really understood what you were studying. I told him that a test was like a game to me and I tried to win the game. I also told him that tests are with you throughout your whole life, so you might as well get comfortable with them.

Each job you do is like a test to see if you can do it and if you can do it with the least amount of mistakes then you are successful.

He groaned again and told me that I was always too positive.

I agreed that I prefer to see things in a positive way and try to accept what I can't change and to change what needs changing if I can. I have striven to see the glass as half full my whole life. I would hate to always be down in the dumps and negative. If you look for the joy in the moment, it is generally there to be seen.

I sure hope that I can pass along this philosophy to my grandson, because life can be so beautiful and joyful if you just open your eyes and look around.

Tests really are fun! Their like games to be won.
You just have to keep trying.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010...Life, Death, Memories

2010-04-27T09:57:00.003-05:00

Generally, we live each day much like any other without looking up and seeing the big picture. But, on occasion, we will be reminded of our human frailty and be forced to consider our place in life.

This past week one of my high school classmates passed away. He was one of our finest athletes and one of our idols. Dick Kenworthy was a prime example of health and energy and athleticism that we all aspired to. His smile and his energy set the example of youth and vigor for us all. His death as well as the death of Richard Copaken one year ago have driven home the impermanence of life. Richard Copaken was one of our brightest classmates and had so much enthusiasm and energy and intelligence that we all seemed dim in his presence. Now with both of these fine examples of our generation gone, our class seems enervated and smaller.

Times like these make us reflect on life and death. Some of us know through our faith that there is more beyond the portals of life. Some of us are unsure and hope there is light beyond the curtain. And some of us assume that there is only life and nothing beyond. No matter what our beliefs, we all cling to the here and now with a tenacious grip on what we know for sure. We cling to each moment and each breath and each memory and hope for just one more adventure in this world of ours. The years have left us with many experiences and memories and knowledge that we hope will survive in the elemental spark this is us deep inside. We see our parents, our classmates, our friends and relatives pass away from our world and we hope that their spark lingers on after they shed their frail bodies. We hope and we wonder while we appreciate each day just a little bit more.

As life passes on, we still remain in the memories of those who remain. Dick and Richard still live in my memory as vibrant and energetic youths from long ago. They will always be there and that's a good thought.

Thursday April 22, 2010...Believe in your dentist?

2010-04-22T17:28:00.002-05:00

I've often said that as you get older parts of you retire earlier than other parts.

I've heard of people losing their hair or losing their balance or losing their hearing, but I seem to be losing my teeth one by one. I've spent a whole lot of money over the years on root canals and crowns and fillings and bridges and even partial plates. It's been fun!

The dentists always said “We can save your teeth!” and “you'll be sorry if you don't take care of those teeth”. I believed them.

But now the base teeth that were root canalized and crowned are starting to give out. I've had some get infected and some have just plain broken off. Currently, my front top tooth broke off at the gum line so I look like a goofy guy with a goofy smile. We tried putting in pins and anchoring the crown to the pins, but that didn't last a week.

So, now we can spend another thousand dollars trying to bridge or anchor pin or partial plate the durn thing. At the end of last year my dentist convinced me that I should spend the two thousand dollars to create the 2 partial plates for missing teeth instead of pulling the remaining teeth and getting trouble free dentures. He told me that I had “good root structure” and should keep those remaining teeth.

I accepted his reasoning. I believed him. It's good to see your dentist on a regular basis.

I'm just glad that my hair isn't falling out. My barber is a lot friendlier and a whole lot less expensive.

I guess my teeth retired but my hair is still working.

Wednesday April 21, 2010...Fragmentized?

2010-04-21T09:52:00.002-05:00

My computer was running very, very s-l-o-w-l-y and I wanted it to run like it used to run when it was young.

So I decided to clean up the registry and get rid of the cookies and then to defragmentize the hard drive.

This took most of yesterday and is still running today. My hard drive was really fragmented. When you defragmentize the drive, you take all the stored bits and pieces of different files and put them all together in one place. Over time, as you add more information, the computer will store this bit of information here and that bit of information there so that a file will be fragmented into different places on the hard drive. When you call up a file, your computer librarian has to go and get all the fragments and bring them together (which takes time). Once the fragmented files are all back together, my computer should run much more efficiently and faster (like it was young again).

This got me to thinking about my brain working like it used to when I was young. If I could only defragmentize all the bits and pieces of information my brain has stored away over all the years, I would be able to remember trivial information more quickly. It's amazing what little bits of information your brain has tucked away over the years. Without even trying some of these bits that you didn't even know you retained will come to the forefront. A particular smell or sound may remind you of a remembered time in your life and a memory will jump forward to be re-experienced. This is really great when it happens, but it really bothers me when I can't remember my neighbors name or what I started out to do first thing this morning before I started doing this. I'm sure it's all because of fragmentizing of my thoughts.

Maybe electro-shock treatment would help. I could stand in a puddle of water while plugging in my hair dryer?

But first I need to clean the cookies out of my registry.

Now what was I doing?

Monday April 19, 2010...Gasping?

2010-04-19T12:51:00.002-05:00

Is it grasping at straws or gasping through straws?

The first makes no sense to me but I can clearly visualize the second. It would be really, really hard to breathe through a little straw.

Anyway, the reason I was gasping through straws was that I had a really very big, humongous, startling, earth-shattering thought last night that I was sure to remember and pass along in my blog today, but I'm gasping without remembering. I do remember that it was a true revelation and would probably change the world's thinking about whatever it was that I realized.

Oh well, what the heck - who wants to go changing an already perfect world? (me)

I know that these sort of things never occur to other people – it's just my own miserable misfortune. I vow to keep a notepad and pencil by the bedside, but keep forgetting when I go to bed. Often I find myself falling asleep with my face down on a book and can't remember the last few pages I'm sure I read. Maybe my brain will suck up the information through my facial pores?

Sometimes life is full of little tragedies like these, but they are soon to be forgotten and probably soon to be repeated. Someday I'll figure out a way to keep those thoughts and will help change the world for the better – sure I will.

I'll pass along these great thoughts as soon as I remember what they were. Just wait patiently for the next installment, but don't go gasping through straws.

Sunday April 18, 2010...Organized?

2010-04-18T12:53:00.002-05:00

I used to be so organized on the weekends.

I would have a list of things to do and I would get up Saturday morning ready to charge. Weekends were project days and you were worn out when you went back to work on Monday, but with a feeling of accomplishment.

Now that I'm retired and have plenty of time, the weekends mean less. There is always manana to finish projects. I try hard to keep my list of things to do short and sweet. I figure if I do one thing each day, but do it well, it has been a successful day. There is little pressure now and more time to waste on simple pleasures. I really enjoy writing, but have a hard time actually sitting down to start. Once I begin, the words flow, but it's so easy to procrastinate and spend the whole day just reading the paper or reading a book or catching a movie. It's a rough life, but somebody has to do it.

It took a few years of retirement to get to this relaxed state of mind. At first, I felt I had to multitask and do all the things I now had time to do. People when they first retire scurry about quite a bit, taking trips or working on home projects that they have always wanted to do but didn't have time for. Later, they settle into a more relaxed and peaceful style of living. The pressure lifts and you live life each day joyfully and relaxed. I smile and lot and laugh a lot more than I used to.

I wish I had enjoyed this attitude for more years of my life. I always pushed so hard to do as much as I possibly could as efficiently as I could without taking much time to smell the roses or look at the sky. Many years passed by with little notice. Now I have a better feeling for the natural order of life on this earth and enjoy the cycles of the seasons and pay more attention to the simple pleasures. Each day is a treasure with something new to discover and enjoy.

One of these days I will probably get more organized, but for now I'm just enjoying life – every golden moment.

Thursday April 15, 2010...LISTS

2010-04-15T16:20:00.002-05:00

I'm on LISTS now!

I get emails from the right, I get emails from the left, I get emails from computer companies, I get emails from office supply people. I get emails from financial advisers. I get emails from political action groups. I get emails from angry tea party people. I get funny emails. I get sad emails. I get emails asking for contributions.

I don't get emails offering me money.
I guess I'm on the wrong LISTS.

There must be people out there just slobbering over excess money they want to give away and I would be more than happy to help them achieve their goal. I would take bills. I would take coins. I would take checks. I would take stocks. I would take jewelry. I would take property. I'm not selective at all. I would be glad to send a personalized autographed picture saying “Thanks” for any contributions.

So spread the word while I hold my breath.........
..........
..........

I can hold my breath for quite a bit (especially if it's for money).......
......
.....
....
...
..
.

Come on, send in those cards and letters and checks.....
......

Oh, by the way, please take me off of the other LISTS.

I'll be happy with just this one list.

Wednesday April 14, 2010...Waiting for what?

2010-04-14T16:43:00.004-05:00

I was looking online at Thesaurus.com.

I have been dilatory in maintaining my elucidations on current events. I will attempt to ameliorate that situation now.

I've been watching the reactions to the passage of the health care bill with wonder. I'm wondering why there is so much antagonism about trying to help people get health care at a reasonable cost. I see other industrialized countries like England and Canada and France and Germany and Australia and even poorer countries like Cuba and Costa Rica with their government run health care systems that cover most all of the people and wonder why we never did the same. I looked up some interesting statistics on Wikipedia:

I keep hearing people talking about us having the best healthcare on the planet, but the statistics don't bear that out. We pay much more per person than any other country, but what we get isn't the best healthcare system. Oh, it's lucrative for the insurance people and the medical people and the drug people, but it isn't giving us the best health. I'm hoping that in the upcoming years we will get a better system for our money and that all of our people can share. Time will tell.

Maybe the anger in the air isn't about the healthcare at all, maybe it's just frustration that our system isn't working as well as it used to. We seem to have have lost our direction and feel that we are slipping behind. We see a lot of greed and mismanagement and not as much charity and sharing. It seems to be more of us against them instead of one for all and all for one. We're waiting for someone or some event to galvanize us into action and get us going again in the right direction with a plan.

That would be nice, to move ahead instead of looking back and wishing.

Sunday March 21, 2010...What the majority wants

2010-03-21T14:53:00.002-05:00

So, after hearing all the protests and shouting about how nobody wanted the healthcare and that the congress was shoving something down our throats, I went to the internet to find out what the majority of the citizens of this country really want. Neutral polls seem to be the fairest and most accurate method of obtaining this information and here is what I found out.

It seems that the minority of the people have the loudest yelling voices and make the most obnoxious demonstrators while the silent majority just trust our legislators to do the right thing.

March 20, 2010
"A new study by SurveyUSA puts support for a public option at a robust 77 percent, one percentage point higher than where it stood in June.
In asking its question SurveyUSA used the same exact words that NBC/Wall Street Journal had used when conducting its June 2009 survey. That one that found 76 percent approval for the public option: "In any health care proposal, how important do you feel it is to give people a choice of both a public plan administered by the federal government and a private plan for their health insurance--extremely important, quite important, not that important, or not at all important?"
To ensure that its respondent pool was composed of people from similar demographics and political mindsets, SurveyUSA asked respondents a question pulled directly from NBC's August survey. The results were nearly identical."

Now I know that if you ask only rich white Republican voters over the age of 40 you will get different replies than if you ask poor hispanic young voters. An accurate poll will be representative of all the voters and this is what we're dealing with here. So all I can say to the naysayers is to get your facts straight before you shout out your opinion. Hopefully, truth will prevail.

Saturday March 19, 2010...Fear and hate

2010-03-20T15:50:00.002-05:00

I received the following note from a fellow classmate that I haven't seen in many years. He had been following some of my statements on Facebook or some other blog and apparently disagreed.

“You are at the opposite side of the political spectrum as I am. I am deleting you and the entire Paseo links. Thank God I had sense enough to ignore the reunion.
The Corruptocrats forced me into the Medicare program, now they want to reduce it to the point that my health care will be jeopardized. Damn everyone of them. “

What we don't understand, we fear. And what we fear, we often hate.

Ignorance and intolerance seem to go hand in hand. It isn't that some of us aren't intelligent, it's just that we fear change and often won't take the time to learn about new ways. I remember many of my friends saying that they would never own a computer! There was no reason for any ordinary person to need a computer!

Life changes and you need to adapt. Often we fear the changes and assume that somehow we will be left behind or lose what we have with the changes. We assume that it's us against the world and that everyone is out to take advantage of you. Sometimes it's true, but not always.

Right now it's pretty obvious that the present healthcare situation in the United States needs some changes made to help all of our citizens and provide for our general welfare (per our Constitution). The system or lack thereof we currently have is way too costly and leaves too many people without healthcare. We need to fix that. People don't have to join the Medicare program – they can take care of their own health if they want, but the majority of retirees want the Medicare system – it works for them. Now the congress is considering a Medicare system for all of the people and many people are afraid of the change, but I believe most will welcome the changes after they understand. We are one of the last major countries to initiate a national healthcare system and it's really a shame that we put it off for so long.

It's obvious that many companies who profit mightily from the current status quo don't want anything to change, but they don't represent all of us – they don't answer to all of us – they really don't care that much about all of us – they are in the business of making money. You need to understand that making money isn't all bad, but in this case it isn't good for our country's health.

This is the first time in a century that our representatives have had the gumption to stand up to the special interests and the big contributors and try to pass legislation for the good of the people. It's a good first step. I'm sure there will be corrections needed and adjustments will have to take place, but that is the nature of life. We need to adapt to changes and learn from mistakes and learn to fear less and hate less.

Thursday March 4, 2010...Come on, Spring!

2010-03-04T14:25:00.001-06:00

My sister is still down in southern Texas enjoying the warmth. Meanwhile, I am watching the snow melt on the north side of the house.

I'm really ready for spring! The days are getting just a bit longer and it's light even up into dinner time, but the grass is still brown and the trees are still bare and I'm no tired of the drabness of winter. At least we avoided the heavy snowfall that hit the east coast. They have had a really rough winter and I'm sure they don't sympathize with me at all. The weather here is slowly climbing (more like inching up). The high is going to be in the 50s this weekend but the nights are still in the 30s.

I want 80 so badly. 80 degrees with a light breeze and blue skies and fluffy clouds will be no nice. I won't even complain about mowing the grass. I will open the window in my bedroom and smell the springtime smells. It will be so nice.

Come on, Spring!!

Sunday February 14, 2010...Returned to the cold

2010-02-14T10:26:00.001-06:00

I returned to Missouri from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and now I can say that “I've been there and done that”. But I want to do that again!

February in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas is green and warm. Their coolest day was with a high in the 50s and many days in the 70s and 80s. No snow, just sunshine and warm breezes. I definitely want to go back.

Another nice thing about that area is the friendly people – they actually welcome visitors (snowbirds or winter Texans) with open arms. There are thousands of retirees that go down there annually for the great weather and there are many activities designed just for the older generations. Many folks have trailers or mobile homes that they leave down there to visit 4-6 months each year.

I understand that the summers are very hot (many days over 100) but the winters are great! It was nice to sit outside in a lawn chair and enjoy the blue skies and puffy white clouds in early February. By the way, the Mexican food is great – not too hot and very flavorful with plenty of home grown fresh vegetables.

It's supposed to snow today here in Missouri – I miss the warmth. Next year!

Tuesday February 9, 2010...Hola, Amigos!

2010-02-09T12:14:00.003-06:00

I was just getting up from my morning nap and thought I would drop a note while awake. It's really terrible down here in the warmth and the gentle springlike breezes. I feel so guilty having this great weather and blue skies and greenery while the rest of the states are shoveling themselves out of terrible snowstorms. It's enough to make you lose your appetite for the fresh fruit that grows all around. Guilt makes it hard to fall asleep at siesta time - well maybe not "hard" - maybe "less easy". But I will survive and carry on. The ocean with it's gentle lapping waves was warm and blue and the sky with it's fluffy clouds was a deep blue - and the sun was very bright and just a bit too warm, so we could only spend a few hours on the beach before frequenting one of the wonderful restaurants in the area. There are a lot of retirees out and about and since I am one of the younger ones, it makes me feel springier. That's a nice feeling!

It will be hard to return to the harsh cold reality of winter after this dreamlike vacation here in the eternal springtime of south Texas. Adios for now.

Wednesday January 27, 2010...The call of the warmth

2010-01-27T13:56:00.002-06:00

Well, my friends and relatives talked me into it.
I'm heading south to the sunshine and warmth of the borderlands.

So many of my friends and relatives migrate south in the winter that it got me to thinking of the relative values of staying here and braving the cold, wet, miserable, cloudy, bleak winter or lolling about in shorts and t shirts enjoying the balmy breezes and sunshine of south Texas. It was no contest.

I have always appreciated the changing of the seasons, but after a few days of the cold, I'm ready for better weather. My sister and her husband spend time down near Brownsville, Texas and I used to know a fellow steelman who spent time down there too. They both bragged of the great weather and the fresh vegetables and lazy days.

I gather that there isn't a lot to do, but to be a lazy bum and just sit back and vegetate with all the other vegetables, but I can do that for a while. I plan on visiting the coast and counting the pebbles on the beach and the clouds in the sky. I also plan on trying the local Mexican restaurant fare. Maybe a nap or two. Maybe count the stars at night (I hear they are big and bright).

It will be quite different from the brisk, bone aching crystal clear cold to the bone weather here in Missouri. I admit that I'm a lot weaker than I used to be - I can't resist the call of the warmth.

It's calling me now-----
Adios for a while.

Friday, January 8, 2010...Perhaps a different perspective?

2010-01-08T10:10:00.001-06:00

According to USA TODAY January 8, 2010:

The Turkish wife of a Jordanian doctor who killed seven CIA employees in a suicide attack in Afghanistan says her husband was outraged over the treatment of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison and the U.S.-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Defne Bayrak, the wife of bomber Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, said in an interview with The Associated Press that his hatred of the United States had motivated her husband to sacrifice his life on Dec. 30 in what he regarded as a holy war against the U.S.
Bayrak also said Friday, "I think the war against the United States must go on."
Turkish police questioned and released Bayrak on Thursday. But she says police confiscated a book she had written called "Osama bin Laden the Che Guevera of the East."
------------------------

Are we the big bully on the block? It appears that many see us that way. They get the feeling that if things don't go exactly like we want them to go, that we will use our might to enforce our views on others – no negotiation – just might. It makes others feel like they have lost some of their dignity and that is extremely important to many who are impoverished but still maintain their dignity.

I hadn't thought how the Abu Ghraib treatment might affect a whole group of people, but I can see where they would take this as a slam against their whole society. When events like this motivate people with that amount of rage, we must carefully analyze the consequences of our actions, instead of just bulling our way through. What did we gain from invading Iraq? What did we lose by invading Iraq? What do we gain by continuing the war in Afghanistan against the Taliban (not the Al-Qaeda)? Sometimes it seems that we just want to force our way of living on people when it won't work with them (American Indians, Vietamese, Muslims, etc). Maybe tolerance and communication would save more lives and result in a more peaceful society? Surgical strength applied directly to the cause works better than bombing a whole country. We somehow lost sight of who our enemy was and ended up fighting whole countries instead of the small group of terrorists and criminals who hurt us in the first place. We live with the consequences and many people die needlessly.

Monday December 21, 2009...Nearing the end

2009-12-21T17:37:00.000-06:00

I don't write nearly as often as I did. I'm not as mad as I was when the Iraq war was in full swing. I know that the Afghan war is coming to the forefront and growing day by day, but I don't feel quite as angry about it as I did about the Iraq war. Maybe you become desensitized after a bit? Maybe I'm just hopeful that we have a reasonable man in charge right now. It does seem that he is trying to help the common person and isn't quite the elitist that we had to endure. President Obama didn't come into this world with a silver spoon in his mouth and he knows what most of the people are feeling about the events that affect us all. I hope that he will let that knowledge guide him in his decision making and not let the few and special interests control our politics.

I was starting to get angry about this health care initiative being boycotted completely by the Republicans in spite of the majority of the population wanting it, but now that the Democrats are trying their best to work around the blockade of the special interests and big money, maybe we can all be less agitated and feel better about things.

It's the end of a rough year for the economy and the job market, but the Iraq war seems to be less of a commitment for our boys and there seems to be some movement towards a better future for the world. Let's hope that peace will come and that prosperity will return and that health will be assured for each and every one of us.

Merry Christmas and a Hopeful Happy New Year!

Sunday December 13, 2009...It's a wonderful life!

2009-12-13T08:47:00.000-06:00

It's that time of the year when they show that classic movie “It's A Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart. You remember that the angel came down when Jimmy contemplated suicide and showed him how the world would have turned out if Jimmy had never been born. It was a real eye opener for Jimmy and he came to accept the trials and tribulations set before him because they were offset by many of the good things in life. The angel earned his wings and it was a Merry Christmas, except for the mean old banker.

It really is a wonderful life for all of us if we accept the problems that arise as something to overcome and not as something to overwhelm us. It's the only life we will ever have and you really need to look at the glass as half full, not as half empty. I've always considered that you basically have the choice at each interval of your life on which way to go and if the way you chose doesn't turn out as expected, it was still your choice and it is still your choice whether to continue on or to change course. You can't mope and fret over decisions that turned out bad – you just have to accept and head out in a new direction perhaps with a new plan. Many of us set out in life to become one thing and then through consequences of decisions and outside influences we become something else. It takes some strength of character to continue on in the new direction and make the most of what you have.

Whatever brought me through life to this point has made me the way I am and I can't change the past. But, I have total control of what I do in the future. I truly believe that life is a gift and I don't intend to squander the days or years that I have left. I want to make the rest of my life a wonderful life.

Watch the movie.

Friday, November 13, 2009...It's about time

2009-11-13T15:20:00.001-06:00

It's nice when a plan comes together or a program runs correctly.

I bought a portable computer last year with Windows Vista on it. I didn't like Vista at all, so I reformatted the hard drive and installed Windows XP as the operating system. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line my portable lost the ability to communicate with the on board dvd drive and the wireless internet connection. This last week I installed Windows 7 on the portable to see how it would work. It works well, but it feels different and looks different, so it is a bit confusing. The one really neat thing about 7 is that it automatically recognizes and initiates all the peripherals on board. I now have the dvd drive back and the wireless internet. The program seems to run most of the programs I had on XP, so there doesn't seem to be much problem yet. I'll need to find my way around with the new system and I'm sure that there will be some programs that won't work with 7 like they did with XP. Overall, it's been a GOOD thing to install Windows 7 on this portable.

I'll wait a bit before installing 7 on my main computer, but it's looking more probable as time goes along.

Tuesday October 27, 2009....A Poem

2009-10-27T09:20:00.001-05:00

Earth Song
of the Native American Flute

You whisper to the wood
and my heart hears the song.
It is the wind coming down the mountain.
It is the clouds flying across the sky.

The song is the breath of sunset
and the ripple of the mountain stream.
It is the Aspen leaves fluttering in the breeze
and the prairie grass bending in the wind.

I listen to the whisper of the wood
and it sings to my heart
of another place and another time
when the spirits of the land were at peace.

It is a song I yearn to hear
and a song not heard enough.
It is a song of nature before man
when the earth had its own song.

You whisper to the wood
and we hear the earth song.
It sings to our hearts
and brings us peace.

Robert H Pflanz

Saturday October 17, 2009...Healthcare

2009-10-17T14:16:00.000-05:00

I got together with some long time friends the other night. I was disappointed and frankly a bit dismayed when I heard their opinions about some of the negotiations going on in Washington right now. Apparently not everyone is as enthused as I am with the hope for universal health coverage coming to the forefront. In my opinion, we are severely lacking in providing healthcare for our citizens and one of the few industrialized countries that doesn't supply it. To my way of thinking a healthy, educated public will help to maintain our world status and will payback any initial cost with better jobs and less illness. Our current system denies basic healthcare and higher education to people who can't afford it and we, as a nation, lose out on that potential. If we maintained the health of our people and gave them education through college or vocational training we would have a happier, healthier and productive society. My friends hate to see the government step in, but the system isn't working without their involvement. We can see our competitors gaining and bypassing us as our present system takes more and more of our dollars to maintain our health. If we leave it up to the insurance lobby and the healthcare industry and the pharmacy companies we will end up with higher and higher costs and less and less coverage (which is what is happening across the country right now). The government needs to step in. Some of my friends seem to be perfectly happy with the status quo and don't want to change what we have. They are worried that the government will somehow mess it all up and end up costing us more than it already does. What we have now doesn't work for many millions of us and is costing us way too much of our production and it is steadily increasing way beyond our ability to keep it under control. Change is inevitable and should be welcomed and monitored.

I see basic health care as something that we, as a people, should provide to ourselves and should use our government as our tool to administer it for us. In this country, we are the government. We choose who we want to represent us and can tell them what we want and don't want. The government is not some nebulous entity that exists without our direction. We actually do have some say in what happens in our country.

Thursday October 15, 2009...It's already Fall

2009-10-15T16:21:00.008-05:00

Here it is the middle of October already. I don't know that I'm ready for the cooler weather. We actually had a very mild summer and when I was out in Colorado last month it got downright cool. There was snow in the high country and the Aspen has turned already. I'm including some nice pictures of the Aspen and mountains. The altitude takes away your breath (or is it the beauty of the mountains?). In any event, I can't romp around in the high country like I could years ago. I'm really glad that I have those memories to look back on. Now I enjoy just sitting back by the fire and viewing the clouds and the mountains. It's peaceful and quiet when you get up there and there are few, if any, people around. During the summer, there are lots of people and during the winter, there are lots of skiers and snowmobilers. But in the fall, the few people you see are there just to observe and enjoy. It was nice to get away from the constant political arguments and the sorry business climate and just be one with nature. Now it's time to get out the Christmas jack-o=lantern and the Thanksgiving yule log and prepare for all the sales. Enjoy the pictures.

Wednesday September 9, 2009...Summer ends

2009-09-09T18:47:00.002-05:00

School has started and the weather is getting cooler. Congress is back from vacation and hopefully ready to deal with the needs of the nation. Tonight the President addresses a joint session of congress and hopefully will start the ball rolling on getting a national health care system instead of the hodge-podge we now have.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to getting out to the Rocky Mountains for a couple of weeks of camping. The aspen should be ready to turn and it should be before any major snow, so traveling on the backroads should be well worth while. I haven't been to the mountains for a few years and I've missed the peace and quiet of the mountains. Their ancient timelessness permeates your soul and you come away completely refreshed. It is as if time has stopped out there in the mountains and the ravages of civilization haven't touched some of the high country. You are seeing what the ancient indians saw hundreds of years ago and the wonder of nature still exists.

Sunday August 30, 2009 ...Pass it on

2009-08-30T12:22:00.002-05:00

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 44 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled
over to 90 in August, so here goes:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. Save for retirement, starting with your first paycheck.
9. Love your parents because they will be gone before you know it.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
11. It's OK to let your children see you cry
12. Don't compare your life to others'.. You have no idea what their journey is
all about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
14. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.
15. Take a deep breath......It calms the mind.
16. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
17. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
18. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
19. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
20. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion..Today is special.
21. Over-prepare, then go with the flow.
22. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
23. The most important sex organ is the brain.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
34. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
35. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Tuesday August 18, 2009...Depressed

2009-08-18T12:01:00.003-05:00

I'm a bit depressed today.

Okay, I'll admit that I now lean to the liberal side of the aisle. I was originally a young Republican with belief in Eisenhower and Nixon and Goldwater. But, once Reagan and Bush (the elder)had their 12 years of trickle down tripling of the national debt and reshuffling of the financial strength away from the middle class to the wealthy and crushing of the unions, I saw the light. Trickle down doesn't work. When the wealthy get more money, they tend toward either conspicuous consumption or hoarding. There is not the sharing of the wealth and reinvesting of the capital as was expected. Instead of replenishing our industrial might, it was outsourced to cheaper labor markets and the middle class was ignored.

Now I'm getting angry. The Democrats won the majority in the house and the senate as well as the presidency and still they cower before the strength of the special interests. Right now is the time for us to join the other nations with a national health plan which should include a public option if not a complete one payer system, but our elected representatives are shying away from what the public needs in favor or what the special interests want. The insurance lobby and the drug lobby have poured millions and millions of dollars into the coffers of the elected officials and into television and ads trying to brainwash us all into actually believing that our broken health system is better than all the other countries in the world have come up with. We DO pay much more per capita for health care than any other country, but we do not have anywhere close to the best health than most of the industrialized countries in the world. We have people going bankrupt and dying because they cannot afford basic health care or insurance. This would not happen in most of the other industrialized countries. I guess I remember when we were among the leaders of the world. We are slipping away and will probably eventually end up second-rate with sharp divisions of the people into the wealthy and the workers. Maybe it's too late to change – our leaders are reacting to the pressure from the wealthy power and not to the wishes of the people. Shades of the Roman Empire when it was beginning to lose it's grandeur. I suppose that the United States has had it's run of power, much like Spain did and France did and Germany did and England did. It appears that China will be the next great power and we will have to give up being the king of the hill. The rich are taking their money and running to other countries now. Off shore accounts and offices in other countries are becoming the norm and we will just be the tenants to the new landlords.

I really had hopes after the last election, but it looks like everything had slipped too far down for us to stop the slide. The future will be interesting, but perhaps not as bright as the past. Depressing, isn't it?

Tuesday August 11, 2009...Thoughts about healthcare and education

2009-08-11T16:08:00.001-05:00

I've seen major changes in the medical field during my lifetime.
When I was a child doctors still made house calls and hospitals were only used for major illness or surgery. Doctors weren't terribly rich, many lived in the same neighborhood where I grew up. Hospitals were mostly run by churches or charitable organizations. Doctor bills and hospital bills weren't something to be feared, they just had to be paid as they were needed. Health insurance didn't exist for most people at that time. In fact I never had health insurance till after my daughters were born. When my first daughter was born in 1964 the doctor's charge was $150.00 and the hospital bill for 7 days stay was $150.00. At the time, I made $475.00 per month, so it wasn't too much of a burden.
Back then, the doctor's I knew were more interested in the Hippocratic Oath and patient care than the money. It was an honorable profession and the doctor was greatly admired.

We had an adequate educational system back then too. Anyone with a high school education was capable of obtaining work and providing for their family. Our education system was among the best in the world and the education that we received prepared us for the world that existed then. We have slipped way down the ladder compared to our foreign competition. Our students lack the education that will prepare them to compete with those in other countries.

Something has gone way out of whack since then. We have people unable to afford basic medical care in our United States and the whole fabric of the medical field has become obsessed with money. Everyone is worried about everyone else filing suits against each other. We have turned away from helping others to protecting what we have. In the parable of The Good Samaritan, we have become a people matching those who passed by not wanting to become involved. We have become rude and uncaring for those who have less. It is a sad thing to see, because I remember when people were actually polite and cared about others.

At this time, with the way people and things are, I believe the only solution is to have the government involved in the providing of care and education of our people. We can see what has happened when we left it up to the conscience of the good people of this country. We now have a country of the haves and the have-nots and those with the most don't seem to want to help those with the least. Our medical system has fallen way below adequate and our educational system is slipping farther and farther below the norm. The only way we can pick ourselves up by the bootstraps is to unite behind our government and assure equal opportunity, equal education and equal medical care for all of us. Those who have more can still get more than the rest of us, because they can afford the best, but for the good of our country and our own future we need to insure that our people are healthy and educated.

I'm not one to shout and protest. I usually quietly accept the mandate of the electorate and assume that all of us are in the same boat working together. I have lately decided that this assumption is no longer accurate. We are divided and the division is widening with each year that passes and our government seems to be one of special interests and influenced too much by those interests. More and more of the quiet, silent majority of us are becoming disappointed with what has been happening and we are looking for someone who cares about us and works for us. Right now the contentious loud-mouthed wing nuts are shouting down the voices of reason and the rest of us are quietly seething.

Tuesday August 4, 2009...Generations

2009-08-04T11:37:00.001-05:00

My grandson informed me the other night that I was no longer an adult – I was now a senior. His parents are adults and he is a junior. I got the impression that he didn't believe seniors were quite aware of how the world works – that is in the realm of adults. I think he believes that seniors and juniors are about equal and should listen to the adults.

Unfortunately, much of society thinks along these same lines as they dismiss the wealth of information available from seniors who have been through the wringer and have very clear views of how to handle many of the situations that people now find themselves in. We seniors have been there and done that and have some valuable insight in how to handle a situation that may be new to the adults out there.

What do you know?
Your world was different from my world.
Your opinion doesn't carry as much weight as my attitude.

It seems that each generation must stumble it's way through the same problems that we have already passed through and won't listen to advice given from those older and more experienced. It really is a shame.

Monday July 27, 2009...Summer

2009-07-27T11:05:00.001-05:00

Summer's almost gone!

It's near the end of July and school starts before the middle of August this year, so it is almost gone.

We've had a very cool year compared to previous summers. Our highs lately have only been in the 80s instead of 100s. My Wyoming daughter and her husband don't know what they are missing. Summers in Wyoming may get up near 100, but they remain very dry. Here in Kansas City we usually get the 100s with a whole lot of humidity. But this year has been special. We're still having to mow the grass once a week. The grass hasn't gone dormant and continues to be a lush green. Our garden is growing like crazy without the mid summer droop. I'm not knocking it, I'm just amazed that it continues.

It will probably get really hot just after school starts. Until then, I'm just going to continue to enjoy this wonderful summer, while it lasts.

Saturday July 4, 2009...Summer holidays

2009-07-04T09:32:00.002-05:00

Independence day and memories of other summers go hand in hand. I remember so many warm summer days in my childhood. On the fourth we would wake up early so we could start setting off the ladyfinger firecrackers. We always bought the big package of firecrackers and separated the string into individual firecrackers so we could set them off one by one. After lighting the punk we would place the firecrackers in voids in the mortar between the stones in the stone columns supporting the corners of the front porch. Each void would act as a little cave for the cracker to blow out of. They weren't extremely loud, but a lot of fun. Sometimes the fuse wouldn't work, so we would break the firecracker in half and set the powder off so it would fizzle and scoot around on the concrete. The world was filled with the sounds of firecrackers on the fourth of July. Sparklers and snakes were popular too, but not as much fun. We never got into the larger fireworks (too expensive and too quickly gone). We would have loved bottle rockets but they came along much later - the closest thing to them were the roman candles, but they only shot off 6 or 7 times before burning out.

Summers were pretty hot and nobody had air conditioning. You tried to spend your days outside under the trees. We would turn on the lawn sprinkler and run back and fourth through the cool water. When we were really small, mom would set out one of the wash tubs (a large galvanized metal tub about 2 feet in diameter and maybe 18 inches deep) filled with cool water that we could sit in. One summer, it got so hot that dad brought home one of the industrial fans from the bakery and we set a wash tube with a block of ice in it in front of the fan and just sat back and felt the cool moist air rush past us. On the really hot summer evenings, we would make up a sleeping roll and sleep out on the porch. Later, when I was a teenager, dad put in an attic fan and we would open the windows by the beds and the attic fan would exhaust the warm house air and suck in the cooler outside air over the beds. By morning, the cool air would force us under the blankets. About the only places in town with air conditioning were the movie theaters (maybe a few drugstores). We could go to the movies and sit through a double feature for about a dime and spend another 15 cents on popcorn and candy and enjoy hours of cool entertainment. Every Sunday the folks would drop off my sister and I at the designated movie and then pick us up after the shows in 3 to 4 hours. It gave everyone a break.

Saturday June 27, 2009...Thoughts about Facebook

2009-06-27T11:13:00.002-05:00

We all think our thoughts are not exciting enough to write about and our past adventures are not interesting enough for other people to read. We don't have the thrilling adventures that are made into movies or written about in mystery novels. But, after reading some of the thoughts and adventures of my fellow classmates in our reunion memory book, I decided that we are all wrong. What may seem normal and humdrum and dull to one person will seem extremely interesting to another. The places people have been and the sites they have seen and the people they have met open up new windows for the rest of us to view. You find yourself living in the high desert or near the coast and the ordinary daily living experiences are unique to your location and interesting to the flatlanders in the middlewest. I can't get too excited about Twitter or Facebook and the little notes about our everyday living, but when someone describes a walk through the mountains or a stroll along the beach or mentions the fog rolling in from the sea, it activates my mind and draw pictures for me.

So, even though I've signed onto Facebook and Twitter and other sites, I will devote most of my thoughts and energies to this blog. It's a place where I can vent my feelings and communicate my innermost thoughts to anyone who is willing to visit. It's a place where I can paint a few pictures with words and perhaps take others with me to view a long lost thought or memory. It may not deal with the everyday actions that we all must do, but it will delve a bit deeper and tell a bit more about the real me that resides within this shell of a man.

Besides, my everyday adventures aren't always things to talk about. Who wants to hear about someone lounging around eating bon-bons?

Sunday June 21, 2009...HOORAY!

2009-06-21T12:24:00.001-05:00

HOORAY!

Hip, hip, hooray! I finally finished all 100+ copies of the DVD for the reunion. It took a bit longer than I anticipated. Assembling the finally submitted pictures took 4-5 days to label, sort and insert, then it took 5 days to make the copies and insert into labeled disk jackets. But it is all done now. Tomorrow I will take them to the post office and send them on their way.

It's good to finish a big project like this. It reminds me of the time it took to bid the larger construction projects I used to bid. Sometimes you would spend a month preparing the takeoff, pricing and bidding a project. Then if you won, you would spend the better part of a year managing the scheduling, purchasing and completion of the work. I've been working on this project since last October and now I feel that all the work has led to a successful conclusion. It will be quite a while before I tackle anything quite so time consuming again, but it was a project I felt good in doing. It brought back a lot of memories.

So today is Father's day and I will take the day off and enjoy having no timetable or schedule to follow. It will be a peaceful day and I can now think back about the reunion and even have time to view the memory book that we received at the reunion.

Saturday June 20, 2009...Different worlds

2009-06-19T14:25:00.001-05:00

It was so nice getting together with all my friends and acquaintances from high school at the reunion. The one thing I especially noted was that we were all from the same background and carried many of the same childhood values throughout our lives.

Life is so different now and the patience and understanding and values that we developed during our childhood after World War 2 are so very different from the values of later generations. We grew up with a different attitude because many of our parents had experienced the great depression and the World War. We were made to appreciate the value of simple things and to make them last. We did not grow up in a “throw away” world. There were no fast food restaurants. In fact without microwaves and dishwashers cooking and cleaning in our world took time and care. Many of us grew up without air conditioning and without television, so ours was an outdoor world and a world where your imagination created the playing field. Our smaller houses without many labor saving devices were where the family came together each evening for supper. After supper, in our house, the kids did the dishes. Mom had enough to do just cooking and cleaning and washing clothes and ironing clothes and grocery shopping, so the kids had to help clean on Saturdays before they could listen to the radio and did the dishes every evening. The only time we ever ate out at restaurants was when we went on vacation. Other than that, we had potluck dinners with church and scouts and relatives. It was a “make do” world with decent home values. It felt good to be with other people from the same background and similar values. We seemed to understand each other.

My kids and grandson don't understand the importance of making things last and repairing and attempting to keep operating those things that they would just throw away. They have a hard time staying away from the fast food chains and preparing simple meals at home from scratch. Theirs has been a world of prepared foods and throw away and grab a bite. Sitting down to supper with the family is a novel idea to them and a world without television makes them shudder.

I guess life goes on at a different pace, but I feel more comfortable with the simpler life that I grew up with.

Friday June 19, 2009...How hot is it?

2009-06-19T11:12:00.003-05:00

How hot is it, you ask. Outside the heat index has been up in the mid 100s (like 104). That's hot, especially for springtime. Summer starts next week and it promises to be a warm summer.

I've been slaving over a hot computer day and night copying DVDs. Actually the computer has been running hot, since it hasn't been off for days and it occasionally hiccups from the heat and won't let me shut it down. I have to unplug it and let it cool down with a nice refreshing drink and then start up again and reload the program and start all over again. The word to use at that juncture is fratersmashing-vritzilsmittzen!! It doesn't mean anything, but you feel better after saying it.

At least it's nice and cool in the house while I'm copying, ..copying, ...copying....

Excuse me, I had a hiccup myself there for a minute. Life can be exciting sometimes and at other times it can be repetitious. The good thing is that most of the DVD blanks are good. You always end up with a few that, due to manufacturing defects, won't allow themselves to be written to. Some of the off-brands will have 25% bad. The really good ones may have 2-3% bad. It just comes with the mass production.

Once I get through with the 100 copies, I'll shut down the computer and take off the case and give it a good airing out with blasts of air (to eliminate dust - helps the machine run cooler and prevents arcing).

I'm babbling a bit, am I not? I guess I'm just thrilled with sitting here waiting for the next copy to finish, to finish, to finish.....

Sunday June 14, 2009...Company Picnic

2009-06-15T13:09:00.002-05:00

I meant to publish this on Sunday, but Sunday got away from me and now it's Monday. Time has a way of doing that when you're retired and lazy, like me.

Saturday was a reunion day for me when I dropped by Builders Steel annual company picnic. It was so good to see the folks there. It's been 5 years since I retired, but many of the people that I worked with are still at Builders. It's like a family firm where people will spend their entire working life at that one organization. I started work at Builders when I was still in college in 1960 and worked there, off and on, till retiring at the end of 2003. Many of the folks have been there for 20, 30, 40 and even 50 years. It's a good company of people working together. You don't see that too often anymore. Greed has invaded so many organizations and the welfare of the people working together has been forgotten. Builders Steel still maintains the old ethic that we are all in this together and all are important. It really is like family when you get together again. There are only a few people there now that were there when I first started, so the company of people has changed over the years, but the atmosphere is still the same.

I can only complement the remaining people at Builders and say "Keep up the good work". You'll always feel good about yourself when you share your efforts with your fellow workers and look out for each other. Thanks.

Monday June 14, 2009...Whew!!

2009-06-15T12:53:00.003-05:00

Whew is a great word. It's an exclamation and a sigh combined. It's like letting the air out of your tires after a long hard day and you flatten out on the cool damp concrete and just lie there.
I'm getting to that point and close to that exclamation. I didn't realize that so many people would take their cameras to the reunion and take so many pictures. I've been trying to label each person in each photo and add it to the reunion video before I can finalize the video and then make one hundred copies to mail out. I thought I could easily add the photos from the photographer in an hour or so and then add a few individual pictures to that. Right now there have been about 300 pictures that have come through and there are more to come. So far I've spent about 3-4 days labeling pictures and adding to the video. Once I finalize the video, it will take me about 4 full days to make the copies and mail them (you make one copy at a time - about 20 minutes each). That isn't difficult, you just have to be there every 20 minutes to start a new one and package the old one.

I've enjoyed the experience, but I wouldn't want to make a habit of doing this. I had assembled a video story for Dad's funeral and my daughter's wedding and a few other events, but they weren't quite as elaborate and time consuming as this. I want to make this right and enjoyable for everyone, so I'm trying my best to make sure that no mistakes are evident and that the music is enjoyable. Right now the video is within 5 minutes(video time) of being full, which means there is room for about 30 more pictures and then it will be cut-off time or else there will have to be a lot of shuffling of photos to squeeze in any additional.

Anyway, it will be good to complete the project and move on to less laborious retirement activities like blogging. All those on the reunion list, enjoy the video!

Tuesday June 9, 2009...Grandchildren can be a joy

2009-06-09T10:44:00.001-05:00

What a pleasure grandchildren can be, especially when they show a bit of their true nature. Kids at the age of 10 are not known to be unselfish and are generally concerned only with things that immediately affect them. It's no surprise to most of us older people when they try to wangle and twist words around in their favor. They aren't lying or cheating (they are being creative and crossing their fingers).

My grandson calls me Grandpa Bob. Yesterday, without coaxing or even suggesting, he came up to me and said “Grandpa Bob, the kitchen floor is sure getting dirty. Can I mop it for you?”. I have a wonderful looking white linoleum floor in the kitchen (never again) which shows every little speck of dust, footprints, spilled ketchup, etc and has to be thoroughly cleaned at least once a week with intermittent moppings. It's a constant problem with young children and pets around. When Zachary volunteered and then followed through doing a great job, it really impressed me. Later he helped me count out some pills, asking me what each one was for and was generally a fine young gentlemen. I know that this won't happen everyday, but it was so nice to see him care enough to help without anyone forcing him to do it. A real insight into the type of person he may become. I'm looking forward to his development in the years to come.

Sunday June 7, 2009...Reunion thoughts

2009-06-07T12:32:00.001-05:00

Well. the last function of the 50th reunion of our graduating high school class just finished. It was a grand weekend and good to see all the older youths from my past. It was especially sweet to share hugs and kisses with all the beautiful women of our class. It's amazing to me that the years have treated them all so kindly and they have matured into really beautiful women externally as well as internally. The guys are the same fellows that I grew up with in older bodies, but still great friends to spend time with. The years melted away and the time apart disappeared. We shared memories and I was amazed to find out that they had developed such depth of character and thought. I could have spent days talking with each one and enjoyed every moment.

Life is so precious, especially when you can share time with friends.

I just want to tell all those friends from long ago that you are still my friend and I enjoy your company. I hope that we can at least communicate and that it won't be so long until I see you again. I hope that each and every one of you will drop me an email when you have a chance. I will respond.

Saturday June 6, 2009...Reunion

2009-06-06T11:31:00.002-05:00

Last night we held our first reunion get together at the Union Station. It was a success, but way too short. Not nearly enough time to see and chat with all the long lost friends from long ago. Tonight we get together for a dinner/dance and hopefully have enough time to actually visit with my friends. It's hard to catch up on fifty years of living in just a few moments of conversation. I must say that everyone there last night was comfortably friendly and we all felt a closeness from the years that we spent together in our youth. Some of us were more successful than others of us and some of us weathered the years better than some of us, but we are all survivors and come from a common background of a gentler and more peaceful time. We can all see that the world has changed and not all the changes were good, but we feel lucky that we had the years and experiences that we did.

Tonight should be a great time for all our Paseo friends from long ago.

Sunday May 3, 2009...Comments?

2009-05-03T11:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, out there - all you many people who sometimes read my blog! I need some comments. I mean really real comments that completely agree or completely disagree with what I've said. The question is whether a tree that falls in the woods without anyone around will make a sound. Is the sound only in the ear of the beholder? Am I writing to a vacuum and there is nobody listening?

If I'm the only one reading what I write, then I will most often completely agree with myself. And I generally am right! But, if someone will point out the error of my ways, I won't hate them. Especially if they can show me where I have really gone wrong – maybe they can set me on the right path again and life will be beautiful once more.

Come on, make my day!

Friday May 1, 2009...Stories

2009-05-01T10:34:00.001-05:00

We all have our stories.

I just now published Dad's Story on Blurb. It was a collection of memories he wrote down about his childhood in Wichita, Kansas. I wanted to preserve his memories for my grandson and other folks in our family. My story is still incomplete but ongoing. Each of us has his or her share of memories, sweet or sad, that have affected his or her life. Often we just carry on and let the stories pass away. It would be better for some of these stories to be written down and passed along to those who care so that they could better understand who we are and why we are the way we are.

We influence so many other people in our lives and if those people care to really understand us, it would help to know the underlying factors that brought us to be who we have become. Some stories may be dull. Others may be highly fraught with doom and disaster. Each story bears telling.

If you're like me, you have put off writing down your memories of childhood and young adulthood. It seems like it was just the other day, but it was another world back then before so many changes in society. Our descendants should know what life was really like back then, before the advent of all the discoveries that changed our world.

I'm going to get to my story one of these days.

Thursday April 23, 2009...Wishing life away

2009-04-23T13:09:00.002-05:00

How often have we wished?

I wish Christmas would get here.
I wish that we didn't have to go back to school.
I wish that I didn't have to go to school today.
I wish that summer would never end.
I wish that I was old enough to drive.
I wish that I was old enough to date.
I wish that I was old enough to stay out late.
I wish that I was old enough to go to the bars.
I wish I was 16.
I wish I was 18.
I wish I was 21.
I wish I could do that.
I wish this workday was over.
I wish it was the weekend.
I wish I could retire early.
I wish I had done that.
I wish I hadn't done that.
I wish I had my health back.
I wish I was a little kid again.
I wish I had it to do all over again.

We wish our lives were different, but we don't take the steps to change it.

We ignore the days of our youth and health and wish for a brighter future while we let the years pass without notice. We let the days pass, because we consider them dull and repetitive and set our sights on the future days that may be brighter and different.

Each day can be exciting. Each day can be a new adventure. Each day we can learn something new. We just need to focus on the moment we are right now living and find the joy and excitement and adventure that can be found right there in front of us. Until we grasp the concept that this moment in time, right now, is all we have control of, we will continue to slide through our lives without living the moment - and we will end up looking back wishing that we had it to do all over again.

Enjoy now.
Learn.
Find the beauty.
Find the joy.
Build the memory.
Live your life.

Don't wish it away.

Thursday April 9, 2009...What's in a name?

2009-04-09T11:50:00.002-05:00

I was thinking about April.

The month of April is upon us and a fine month it hopes to be. I got to thinking about where the name April came from. This thought got me to thinking of where many words come from. Did someone pluck the work out of the air and say April is a nice sounding name for this time of year? Or did it have some hidden meaning that corresponds to the time of the year and who gave it the name. Many names are chosen by people just for the sound associated with the action. I think other names are chosen to confuse us or to distinguish us. Where did some of the biblical names come from like Zachariah and Ezekial? Why would you hang such a name on a poor baby? Now my name Bob is a simple name and has no hidden meaning - it's just easy to say and easy to write and easy to remember - so I can see why it was invented. I looked to the dictionary for some help finding out where April came from.

It turns out that many of the names of the months referred to gods and goddesses from Greek and Roman religions. April was named for the goddess Venus or Aphrodite, the fertility goddess. So any of you people named April better watch out. At least you have a loving name unlike March - named for the god of war Mars.

If you ever have some spare time with nothing better to do, look up some favorite words in the dictionary and find out where they came from and what they originally meant - it's interesting.

Wednesday April 1, 2009...Age and Beauty

2009-04-01T09:09:00.001-05:00

Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder.

I sat in a meeting the other day with some beautiful older women. I say older – I mean women the same age as me. None of us are the teenage heart throbs we once were, but we have all aged nicely and have survived. These lovely ladies were casting disparaging remarks about their age and beauty. They seem to have no idea of how beautiful they have become. It's true their bodies have matured and show some of the wear and tear that accompany age, but they have also gained the classic beauty that only comes from wisdom and self-assurance. If you observe the fashion magazines who are only interested in youth and temporary beauty, you would only associate the standards of beauty with those characteristics they promulgate. There is an inner beauty that only comes with time and experience that none of those icons of the magazines can emulate. These ladies in the meeting were self assured and knew who they were and what they wanted out of life. They knew what clothing they were most comfortable in and dressed appropriately. They knew how they preferred to wear their hair and makeup to please their own self image. I suppose that people who are comfortable with themselves are more natural and their personalities sparkle. The years have passed since these women were teenagers and yet they carry the spark of youth still. The total image that they produced was one of classic beauty.

I was the beholder at the meeting and I saw beauty all around me. It was great!

Tuesday March 31, 2009...Watch out for the worm

2009-03-31T13:10:00.004-05:00

What's the matter with me?

I sit up and notice that days and days have gone by since last I posted my thoughts. It isn't that I've been devoid of thoughts - maybe it's just that I'm thoughtless?
Anyway, I know that all of you out there are just hanging on by a thread, waiting for my next thrilling installment of the adventures of Bob. Maybe "hanging on" isn't the proper thought - maybe barely surviving or patiently waiting, or hadn't even noticed?

In any event the days slip by faster now than they used to and I have been busy revising the video show I'm preparing for my high school reunion. I've had to overhaul it several times so that it would accept additional photos and let me install a menu, etc. Now that I have it ready to finalize they tell me that there is a WORM out there ready to destroy all the computers in the world, so I have to back up all data to sources that can't be corrupted.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it's really been great having younger members of the family around to help handle the heavy loads and such. By sharing the chores, it makes life easier for all of us. It's been a real pleasure sharing our home. The only thing I have to watch out for is to avoid being the parent. I'm the grand parent and don't have the responsibility for my grandson. It's my job to help spoil him whenever I get the chance and to leave all the upbringing to his parents. Sometimes it's hard to swallow your tongue and keep silent as they choose different methods than you might choose - but that is their right and responsibility. All those years of wisdom that you've accumulated aren't always appreciated, so you have to keep quiet and let people find their own way. I imagine my folks did much the same as I was stumbling my way through parenthood. Such is life. Other than that, I highly recommend the melding of generations withing one household. We can all learn and share with each other and make life much smoother.

Remember tomorrow is my day! I suppose I've always been an April Fool and probably always will be. Believe me when I say it's okay to be foolish every once in a while.

Sunday March 22, 2009...Runza weekend

2009-03-22T12:36:00.000-05:00

It's been a Runza weekend.

I'm not sure if you know what a Runza is.

It is a sweet yeast dough bread pocket with a filling. I usually make a Kraut Runza which has steamed cabbage, onion and hamburger as a filling, along with worcestershire sauce and mustard. The Runzas are usually fried in vegetable oil and are very tasty. This weekend, I made a whole bunch of dough and made some Kraut Runzas and then decided that I would try some new things. The next thing I knew, I was making hot dog Runzas and then ham and cheese Runzas and runza dough donuts and runza dough cinnamon rolls. I went through the first batch of Runza dough and had to make another batch. Now I have to make more Kraut Runzas. My daughter suggested italian meatball runzas and hamburger/onion/pickle runzas. I guess there is no end to the list of Runzas that you can think of. Maybe a pepperoni and cheese Runza?

Anybody want a Runza?

Wednesday March 18, 2009...Nine year olds?

2009-03-18T16:08:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time, a really long, long time, since I had small children around me much. My children were small about 35-40 years ago and have since grown up to be understanding, caring, loving, reasoning, logical adults.

Now I have my nine year old grandson living with me and I find that I need to adjust my thinking.

For one thing, you can't always rely on logic when attempting to communicate with a young man. You can't always count on being able to reason and understand their way of thinking. It seems to be more of a faith kind of thing. What makes perfect sense to a nine year old may not make any sense to a full fledged adult, but then they live in a completely different world. A nine year old isn't bound by complete knowledge and understanding of how the world is made up. His world may have a bit more magic and a bit more wonder in it.

Another thing is that nine year olds care deeply about immediate points of interest that fluctuate wildly by the moment. What may hold true now won't always hold true later. What is of primary interest or concern now won't necessarily be of any interest tomorrow. You have to be very flexible.

Nine year olds have uneven temperament. Their emotions vary like the flames of a fire. One moment they hold you in the highest regard and love you immensely, but the very next day you may be the object of disdain and ridicule. They need a emotional dial or a sensor that tells you where their thoughts and emotions are at the moment.

It's been a learning experience. Once I get older and wiser, I'm sure that I will come to completely understand the mind of a nine year old boy. Or maybe not. It may be a Mom thing, because his mother has no problem whatsoever completely understanding and dealing with him. I seem to be more like a third foot, not knowing when or where to step.

I love my grandson and can't wait till he grows up to be an understanding, caring, loving, reasoning, logical adult. For now, he's a wonderment.

Sunday March 1, 2009...Snow again

2009-03-01T09:56:00.002-06:00

I guess Winter isn't over quite yet. Here in western Missouri, it's been a warm winter. Just this last week it got to 70 degrees. I saw people out in their tee shirts and shorts. It was just too nice. Yesterday it snowed about 4 inches and today it got down to 10 degrees. Later this week it's supposed to get back up in the 50s or 60s. It's hard to know just how to dress. I got out the snow blower yesterday, but couldn't get it started. It will probably start just fine once the weather turns nice. I really hadn't thought about shoveling snow again - thought maybe spring would come early. Oh well. At least Spring is just around the corner and daylight savings starts next week - whoopee!

Looking back over previous years notes, I see that I was so angry about the stupid war in Iraq. Now we find it must wind down over the next 18 months, but at least the end is in sight. I hope we don't have to maintain any kind of large force over there after we officially turn it over to the Iraqis. Now it sounds like Afghanistan is going to get the attention it should have been done with years ago. I know we need to get rid of the Al-Qaida, but I sure hate to waste any more lives than necessary in doing so. Think about Afghanistan - Russia tried to conquer that area and failed. What are our chances of taming the beast? I guess time will tell.

It's enough to just forget about the economy and the wars and just think about spring for right now. Except for the stupid snow!

Sunday February 23, 2009...Admiration

2009-02-22T11:42:00.000-06:00

All of us appreciate admiration, although many of us have a hard time accepting it from others. I have always admired people who are mechanically inclined and can work on electronics and automobiles and such. They don't think anything about taking out an engine and repairing it. They think it is the most natural thing in the world to be able to analyze and repair automobiles. Or think about people who really know their sports statistics and all the trivia relating to sports, I can't hold a candle to those people. I have always admired people who can sit down and write novels – they invent a world and create a story that all of us can appreciate and enjoy. Artists conceive remarkable visions in their minds and somehow convey that in other media.

I have enjoyed admiration lately from people who appreciate the video and photographic endeavors that I have taken on for our reunion. It isn't work, it's fun for me and it doesn't feel as though it's anything special to me. I look for the challenge of presenting photos and music in an interesting way and it's fun when it works. It's hard for me to consider that it's not anything that anyone else could have done with just a little effort. I suppose I'm just like the mechanics and artists that I admire just for having the ability to do something that not all people can do. I've been dabbling with computers since the 1970's trying to find out what I can make this machine do. It's such a useful tool and with the increasing capabilities of the modern personal computer, it's hard to keep up with all the things it can now do. But it is fun to try. And it is fun to be appreciated. Thanks.