Yes... I 'borrowed' it. This is amazing.
Everyone can agree with the fun of it all. Gracias Michele!
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
A Hair Cut or a Life Lesson
It's difficult to believe that it has been a year since I stopped making my monthly visits to get my hair cut. Grady had been cutting my hair for over 20 years and had become a fixture in my life and part of a regular routine - a constant in an ever changing world. Our conversations often turned to current events, politics, work ethics, work place gossip, and any other topics that presented themselves. The most curious and enjoyable aspect of our conversations was that they would pick up as if we spoke every day rather than for a half an hour every 4 weeks.
Grady was one person with whom I could discuss any topic and rest assured that I would not be judged on my opinion or held in a poor light based upon my position. It was true and honest discussion. The last words Grady spoke to me were the last words he said to me after every visit, "...you be good".
I thought this appropriate for this blog since our conversations often center around politics and current events and I could certainly use a dose of Grady's counsel right now. I believe that many people today have lost either the ability to have a rational conversation, the desire to be part of the solution, or the intelligence to think for themselves. Here's hoping for change.
##That's my opinion##
Grady was one person with whom I could discuss any topic and rest assured that I would not be judged on my opinion or held in a poor light based upon my position. It was true and honest discussion. The last words Grady spoke to me were the last words he said to me after every visit, "...you be good".
I thought this appropriate for this blog since our conversations often center around politics and current events and I could certainly use a dose of Grady's counsel right now. I believe that many people today have lost either the ability to have a rational conversation, the desire to be part of the solution, or the intelligence to think for themselves. Here's hoping for change.
##That's my opinion##
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Just returned from Honduras
Okay, so I have just returned from Honduras where I was on a mission trip to an Orphanage. I am changed. For one week no news about the economic "crisis", no news about much of anything. I spoke to someone from Honduras and they stated that "it is unlikely that the global economic issues will effect Honduras because we are too poor." How true. But what is poor? Are they poor because they grow their own food? No. Are they poor because they do not have a 50" plasma TV? No. Are they poor because they don't have two cars? No.
They are rich is spirit. They are rich in love for each other. They are a genuine people. What you see is what you get. We were a curiosity to them because it was obvious that we were not Honduran, but from America, however once they got over that what we began to realize is that we are all just trying to make the best of our worlds with what we have.
We have forgotten the basics. We have forgotten what it is like to not have water, electricity, food. In Honduras the government run schools are not free... the student pays to go, for books, for the uniform, for everything. Here we complain because they want to shut down a school, or worse yet end a sports program.
WAKE UP AMERICA. Wake up to the fact that our strength is in our community, not in our government. In our ability to care for each other and ourselves. In what was once called "Rugged American Individualism". Stop being a sheeple. Stop following the heard. Stop thinking everything can be solved by the government. That is communism / socialism. It is weak and short term. We must find strength in ourselves and in our community.
The government finds strength in control through the tax base. Why do we choose to give that that control? Why do we feel that they should be responsible for taking care of Social Security Number YOU? You are just a number to them... not a person. A list in a database, on a spreadsheet... an income or expenditure.
Look to the 'third world' countries as an example of what real strength is.
-End of Ramble.
They are rich is spirit. They are rich in love for each other. They are a genuine people. What you see is what you get. We were a curiosity to them because it was obvious that we were not Honduran, but from America, however once they got over that what we began to realize is that we are all just trying to make the best of our worlds with what we have.
We have forgotten the basics. We have forgotten what it is like to not have water, electricity, food. In Honduras the government run schools are not free... the student pays to go, for books, for the uniform, for everything. Here we complain because they want to shut down a school, or worse yet end a sports program.
WAKE UP AMERICA. Wake up to the fact that our strength is in our community, not in our government. In our ability to care for each other and ourselves. In what was once called "Rugged American Individualism". Stop being a sheeple. Stop following the heard. Stop thinking everything can be solved by the government. That is communism / socialism. It is weak and short term. We must find strength in ourselves and in our community.
The government finds strength in control through the tax base. Why do we choose to give that that control? Why do we feel that they should be responsible for taking care of Social Security Number YOU? You are just a number to them... not a person. A list in a database, on a spreadsheet... an income or expenditure.
Look to the 'third world' countries as an example of what real strength is.
-End of Ramble.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Economic Liquefaction
Look around. Take note of what is going on in the world and the nation around you. For not too distant in the future, those who have the means to rewrite history will do exactly that to publish their version of truth. Don’t forget, in spite of 9/11, that our country enjoyed a strong economy until the mortgage fantasy of “affordable housing for all Americans” poisoned the underpinnings of our capitalistic economy and left many who played by the rules wondering where all their savings went. Don’t forget that long before we were all delivered from the wilderness in November 2008 that the price of gasoline had returned to reasonable levels. Don’t forget the federal income tax rate that you are paying for your 2008 AGI as it will not be so low next year. And most of all don’t forget that our homeland has not been attacked by terrorists since 2001.
Now back to the world around you; have you heard that there is an economic crisis? There is obviously much debate about how we should proceed to turn the economy around. Those who believe in capitalism and market forces believe that allowing the economic cycle to run its course, while painful, will lead us back to solid ground. Others believe that government should step in to shore up the economy by helping those that are “too big to fail”. As indicated by my mortgage fantasy statement, I believe the government shore up may help in the short term, but the overall affect will be to prolong the pain of economic recovery by allowing companies that will eventually fail anyway to hang on longer than they should.
It is my opinion that a convincing argument may be made by making your opponents position look weak. It is obvious that President Obama favors larger government and the shore up approach. Since President Obama uses every opportunity to state how much of a crisis our economy is in it is my opinion that he is practicing Economic Liquefaction. By talking down the economy, I believe President Obama is intentionally trying to convince the entire country that capitalism has failed through the destabilization of the economic ground beneath our feet. As the economy becomes less stable it will become apparent that the government shore up is the only available option. The weak economy also provides President Obama with an excellent margin of error as the history writers will “remember” how he turned the failed economy around since it had nowhere else to go but up. There is definitely a big upside for the President and the Democrat congress to allow the economy to languish a bit longer so that the eventual recovery can be attributed to all of their “help”.
Hoping for Change.
##That’s my opinion##
Now back to the world around you; have you heard that there is an economic crisis? There is obviously much debate about how we should proceed to turn the economy around. Those who believe in capitalism and market forces believe that allowing the economic cycle to run its course, while painful, will lead us back to solid ground. Others believe that government should step in to shore up the economy by helping those that are “too big to fail”. As indicated by my mortgage fantasy statement, I believe the government shore up may help in the short term, but the overall affect will be to prolong the pain of economic recovery by allowing companies that will eventually fail anyway to hang on longer than they should.
It is my opinion that a convincing argument may be made by making your opponents position look weak. It is obvious that President Obama favors larger government and the shore up approach. Since President Obama uses every opportunity to state how much of a crisis our economy is in it is my opinion that he is practicing Economic Liquefaction. By talking down the economy, I believe President Obama is intentionally trying to convince the entire country that capitalism has failed through the destabilization of the economic ground beneath our feet. As the economy becomes less stable it will become apparent that the government shore up is the only available option. The weak economy also provides President Obama with an excellent margin of error as the history writers will “remember” how he turned the failed economy around since it had nowhere else to go but up. There is definitely a big upside for the President and the Democrat congress to allow the economy to languish a bit longer so that the eventual recovery can be attributed to all of their “help”.
Hoping for Change.
##That’s my opinion##
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
An open letter to President Obama
Dear President Obama,
I am tired. I am tired of the government believing that they can handle things better than I can. I am tired of the lack of trust in the American people. I am tired of everyone looking for a hand out.
The United States of America was founded on the belief that the people (we are a republic, after all) should govern through the representatives elected. In order for that system to work the people have to be close enough to make a difference. In the current Federal system -- and where it is going -- the people are no longer close enough to do that work, and have lost touch with the reality of where things come from.
There is constant talk of Billion dollar "Stimulus" packages and Trillion dollar budgets. What is in these entities? Are these projects really something that should be supported by the Federal government? Are they really necessary? What happened to capitalism? What happened to the free market?
When the people loose touch with reality by seeing HUGE numbers that are difficult to comprehend so they are made simple by placing a "B" or "T" after them they say "oh, what is a Million dollars here or there". Or even $30B for a company that is on questionable ground to start with (dirivatives trading has worse odds in the long term then betting at the racetrack.) Then ask "where is that money coming from?" This is a zero sum game... there is only so much that is available... So where does it come from? Who pays the bills?
President Obama if you search through this blog you will see that I am a critic of the spendthrift policies of the government, tend to lean more republican (really libertarian), and support less government, not more. I do not work in the government, but have had my share of turns with really large organizations and know how difficult it is for a for profit organization to stay cost effective and eliminate waste. How can the largest corporation on the planet get bigger and not expect the same? How will it eliminate waste? As a stockholder in the US Government I want to know.
This brings me to my final point, and what I opened up with... I am tired. I am tired of wondering how much more money I am going to loose. I am tired of trying to estimate where to put it so that I don't loose more than I am putting in. I am tired of paying for others who do not deserve it. I want to understand. I want to believe that the government has my best interests at heart by it constantly shows me that what it is more interested in is feeding special interests and trying to be everything to everyone. Why does it not trust its people? For over 200 years the people of this country have come forward to defend and protect this country. Why? Because they believed that this is a free society where they can do what they want (within the law) and their land will not be taken away. Where their children can live without persecution. Where they can work hard and give their children a better tomorrow. I don't see that being fulfilled now. Why? Because the government has gotten in the way of what the people can do. They are taking away our will to go the extra mile. They are tiring us out.
Please, before it is too late, recognize that we are tired. By trying to further define the box we need to live in the more we will struggle to get out. As an African American you should understand what it is like to be stereotyped... stop stereotyping the American taxpayer. Help us understand how this is better.
-- End of Ramble.
P.S. President Obama, please give me some hope and stop telling me that everything going on is a crisis. Please?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
"Gird Your Loins"
By Bill O'Reilly for BillOReilly.com
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Joseph Biden is a prophet. On October 19, 2008, the now-Vice President said, "Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy."Forget about six months; the foreign affairs insults arrived within three weeks of Obama's presidency. And with the economy dominating the news cycle, very little attention has been paid. Let's take them one by one.By far, the most important insult to the Obama administration came this week. Shortly after Obama's envoy, Richard Holbrooke, visited Pakistan, that country surrendered to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, putting the entire world in danger.In a shocking abdication of responsibility, the Pakistani government now says the Taliban has the authority to impose sharia law in the northern part of that country. That means the Pakistani government is allowing these terrorists to do whatever they want, and that will include continuing their attacks on American forces in neighboring Afghanistan.This is huge, and President Obama would be wise to respond quickly and punish the Pakistani government. They have thrown in with terror killers; the USA cannot accept that, nor should any responsible country.Insult two: The government of Kyrgyzstan is closing the big U.S. air base on its soil. That air base supplies NATO forces in Afghanistan. Again, this is huge.The reason the base is being closed is because the Russian tyrant, Putin, doesn't like America assisting nations like Poland and the Ukraine in their defense strategies. So Putin, who the Kyrgyzstan government fears, has succeeded in hurting NATO's war against the Taliban. Nice.The third insult comes from Iran. No surprise here. While the mullahs yak about talking with President Obama, they continue to fast-track nuclear weapons. A report by the Institute for Science and International Security says that Iran could have weapons-grade nuclear material this year. So there is now an urgency to the situation and Obama must respond quickly or the nuke genie will be out of the bottle.And finally, insult four: Crazy Kim Jong-Il, the leader of North Korea, celebrated his 67th birthday this week by threatening a nuclear missile test.Again, because of the terrible economy, many Americans have no idea all of this stuff is going on, but there is no question Barack Obama is being tested and the villains are watching closely to see what he will do.In his speech last October, Joseph Biden also told Americans to "gird [their] loins." I'm not exactly sure what that means vis-à-vis foreign policy, but it doesn't sound good. I also don't know whether President Obama is "girding" right now, but he had better be doing something.
Bill got it right.
##That's my opinion##
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Joseph Biden is a prophet. On October 19, 2008, the now-Vice President said, "Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy."Forget about six months; the foreign affairs insults arrived within three weeks of Obama's presidency. And with the economy dominating the news cycle, very little attention has been paid. Let's take them one by one.By far, the most important insult to the Obama administration came this week. Shortly after Obama's envoy, Richard Holbrooke, visited Pakistan, that country surrendered to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, putting the entire world in danger.In a shocking abdication of responsibility, the Pakistani government now says the Taliban has the authority to impose sharia law in the northern part of that country. That means the Pakistani government is allowing these terrorists to do whatever they want, and that will include continuing their attacks on American forces in neighboring Afghanistan.This is huge, and President Obama would be wise to respond quickly and punish the Pakistani government. They have thrown in with terror killers; the USA cannot accept that, nor should any responsible country.Insult two: The government of Kyrgyzstan is closing the big U.S. air base on its soil. That air base supplies NATO forces in Afghanistan. Again, this is huge.The reason the base is being closed is because the Russian tyrant, Putin, doesn't like America assisting nations like Poland and the Ukraine in their defense strategies. So Putin, who the Kyrgyzstan government fears, has succeeded in hurting NATO's war against the Taliban. Nice.The third insult comes from Iran. No surprise here. While the mullahs yak about talking with President Obama, they continue to fast-track nuclear weapons. A report by the Institute for Science and International Security says that Iran could have weapons-grade nuclear material this year. So there is now an urgency to the situation and Obama must respond quickly or the nuke genie will be out of the bottle.And finally, insult four: Crazy Kim Jong-Il, the leader of North Korea, celebrated his 67th birthday this week by threatening a nuclear missile test.Again, because of the terrible economy, many Americans have no idea all of this stuff is going on, but there is no question Barack Obama is being tested and the villains are watching closely to see what he will do.In his speech last October, Joseph Biden also told Americans to "gird [their] loins." I'm not exactly sure what that means vis-à-vis foreign policy, but it doesn't sound good. I also don't know whether President Obama is "girding" right now, but he had better be doing something.
Bill got it right.
##That's my opinion##
Monday, January 19, 2009
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)