Similarity is AMAZING!!!!!

Had to delete some potentially bad language on the first pic.

The President's "Budget"

There are smarter people than me out there analyzing the budget that the President has proposed for next year. What amazes me during this entire process is the ignorance of many taxpayers - especially young people - that believe they see little wrong with this budget.

The lack of understanding of the implications of today's federal budget is based on the lack of remembering historical events and basic financial principles.

After World War I, Germany tried to lift itself out of its economic misery by printing more currency. This only resulted in staggering inflation. The following is a quote from Wikipedia referring to the period of the Weimar Republic:

Although the inflation ended with the introduction of the Rentenmark and the Weimar Republic continued for a decade afterwards, hyperinflation is widely believed to have contributed to the Nazi takeover of Germany. Adolf Hitler himself in his book, Mein Kampf, makes many references to the German debt and the negative consequences that brought about the "necessity" of National Socialism. The inflation also raised doubts about the competence of liberal institutions, especially amongst a middle class who had held cash savings and bonds. It also produced resentment of Germany's bankers and speculators, many of them Jewish, whom the government and press blamed for the inflation.

Failure to pay attention to events of the past - and the corresponding consequences - results in what we have today. The general populace believes that the president is doing the right thing by borrowing money to pay for programs now. They have no knowledge of these kinds of events happening previously and the results.

The payment of this budget is ensured by the "full faith and credit of the United States." The assumption is that today's debt will be paid in the future. How will that debt be paid? Currently, it is sold on the open market in the form of Treasury bills and savings bonds. But that principle - and interest - will be paid in the future through higher taxes. How can the government avoid raising taxes? Print more money. By decreasing the value of the dollar, apparent wages and costs of goods goes up. It now becomes easier to pay for yesterday's debt. But the value of money continues to decline and the financial effect on the average consumer will become more burdensome.

Men, young men, leaders of families, are obligated to be aware of these implications. You are responsible for your families. Not the government!

I beg you to heed the warnings of an older man.

My prescription to fix the economy

I'm just laying around the house totally under the weather today. To speed my recovery, I've been watching several of the Sunday morning talk shows. Every one of them has been obviously discussing the current U.S. economy and how to fix it. It has been fascinating how screwed up many of these people are.

So.....
I will give my prescription for fixing the economy (because everybody else is). And I hope my children listen the most closely.

1.Save
2. Pay cash

Sounds pretty complicated, huh? These two principles are not part of the current discussion. Of course, it is pretty difficult to do this while unemployed. But these should have been the dominant points of discussion during the good times. But these two points run contrary to current popular thought. Spend, spend, spend to keep the economy expanding. Put it on plastic to do it. WRONG!

I would even go so far as to say that churches should establish "rainy day" funds in their budgets to help people when in need. I don't mean to use it to protect the church budget during bad times, but rather help members when the need exists. Pay attention to any effective money management program - such as Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover - and the two principles above are at the center of those programs.

Ignore the talk of Washington's financial institutions' bailouts. Let them fail. That is the basis for the economic concept called "risk." They took the risk to loan money to people that did not have the resources to repay.

1.Save
2.Pay cash

Pretty simple. I guess that is why the Bible speaks so highly of them.

A new gas tax

Here we go again with the stupid contradictions in government. Last year when gasoline prices exceeded $4/gallon, the government's response encouraged drivers to reduce their gasoline consumption - either by driving less or buy more fuel-efficient vehicles - to help bring down oil prices. In a way, that is sensible. Basic macroeconomics principle states that more demand results in higher prices. Lower demand results in lower prices. Demand went down. Supply went up. Prices came down. When consumption went down, so did the federal taxes collected on each gallon of gasoline. Those taxes go to - theoretically - help pay for road construction and maintenance. Less taxes collected...less money available for roadwork. So the government is coming up with a new way to increase those tax revenues to previous levels. They want to tax the number of miles you drive. You can read the details here . Through taxation government can control your behavior. And they will take your money from you one way or another because they think it belongs to them. You can have what is left over when they are done taking what they want.

This is similar to the logic of raising tobacco taxes to pay for smoking cessation programs. When the purchase of tobacco goes down - as they wanted it to - they raise taxes elsewhere to maintain the viability of the program.

I really get dizzy going around on these idiotic circular arguments.

Congress should follow their own advice

An open letter to all Congressmen and Senators:

You find that executives of some businesses are earning too much money. Terrible isn't it? At the same time some of those businesses are losing money, excessing employees, and even asking for government assistance. Your answer has been to require those executives not to earn more than $500,000 annually. I don't know if you have noticed, but the federal government is losing money right now also. Why not accept some of your own advice. I suggest until you balance the federal budget at 2008 FY spending that you lower your annual salary to $1. When the government again runs actual surpluses in the budget then you can again resume your salary.

Whadayasay?? Help out the little guy...the taxpayer.

Where have all of the superheroes gone?

Continuing the thought about men:
Where have all of the (super)heroes gone? Men need heroes. Men need role models that defend country, honor, women, children, and the right thing to do.

I had Superman. I had Batman. I had Roy Rogers. These were heroes that were more than just a guy doing the right thing for themselves. What they did was a part of life itself. Doing the right thing wasn’t for personal benefit. They did it because they understood it was bigger than life. For some, it meant saving the damsel in the old West. For others, it meant saving the planet and the human race. Either way, it was more than themselves.

This next statement will show if anybody is actually reading this blog. I will reveal a part of myself that few know about me. I doubt if my mom or brothers remember this. I used to find the biggest bath towel in the house and a large safety pin and became another superhero. Yes, I did this when I was growing up, not as an adult. I was out to save the world from evil villains also. I could get my cape to flow in the breeze. It was exhilarating. I used to walk with pretend six-shooters strapped on. I would make sure that my fingers curled slightly as did the good guys.

These were my role models. Fictional-yes! But they did it right. I wanted to be like them. Where are those heroes today? Superman and Batman now are borderline dysfunctional. They can’t deal with having an alter-ego. Bruce Wayne is probably an evil industrialist gaining wealth at the expense of his employees. Roy Rogers wouldn’t be allowed to have guns anymore. Or at least be sure that they are registered and have a license to carry a weapon.

The heroes of today are real life people: sports stars, wizards of wealth, politicians. The problem is that with these heroes you also have their faults. Their status is based on only what they do for themselves. They are not heroes to the bigger things in life. They are wrapped up in themselves.

Men (and young men) need to know that they can be the super heroes of today. Fight for the bigger things in life. Rid the world of crime, save the beautiful damsel, and still remain a humble man. That is what this world needs today. Boys need to put on the cape.

My letter to the editor that they have chosen NOT to print

Three weeks ago, I sent an editorial to a local morning newspaper for them to print. The normal process has been that a representative from the newspaper calls back after receiving the letter is to confirm the authenticity of the letter and gain approval for printing. No problem. I'm still waiting to hear from them! So I The represented need to be equally - or more so – informed as those that represent us. will instead print that letter here, hoping that the world (internet access is powerful) will read and respond to my ideas.


A magician depends on the ability to distract the attention of the audience in order to give the illusion of magic. Keep them looking in one direction while the real action is happening somewhere else.

The new administration will use that same tactic in making decisions regarding national issues. While the current state of the national economy hurts many individuals and families, it is a diversionary benefit for the Obama administration to implement its very liberal social agenda. The media is focused on the efforts of the new president to restart the economy. The administrative staff is labeled as moderate – middle of the road – willing to compromise with both conservatives and liberals to accomplish certain goals. The foreign policy team is also described as moderate, an attempt to disguise several specific goals that many Americans would be opposed to.

According to the Obama transition website (http://otrans.3cdn.net/3b21d35e246c18a427_d7m6bw2o1.pdf), he plans to resume sending money internationally to provide for abortions, reinstate abortion services on military bases, and eliminate all funding to abstinence programs in the schools. He is being encouraged to enact the Freedom of Choice Act – FOCA – negating state laws that regulate abortion on demand. The bold actions to expand abortion services during an Obama administration depend on the public’s misdirected attention.

He is planning to lift President Bush’s ban on federal research using embryonic stem cells. This ban only prevented government research, not private research. The use of embryonic stem cells has already been proven to have no medical value. The use of adult stem cells has proven to be a gold mine to address medical issues. Significantly, research using embryonic stem cells requires the destruction of the embryo – the death of a potential life as defined by pro-life supporters. Research using adult stem cells does not require any embryo destruction.
These extreme proposals reveal the general attitude to life itself. If an embryo is not life, then there is no wrong in destroying it. This lack of respect for life can potentially grow and permeate other areas of life, such as assisted suicide services. A rationed national government run health care system that evaluates a life saving surgery in terms of value to the patient and the government. Two people are in need of a liver transplant. One is 75 years old, the other person is 28. The 28-year-old has better future earnings potential (pays taxes). The 75-year- old is a tax liability - Social Security and Medicare benefits taken from the system, not added to it. Eliminate the fringes of life and then move towards the center.

Our form of government – republic – requires diligent oversight of elected officials at all levels –local, state, federal - by the represented. We cannot simply trust them to do the right thing. We must continually hold them accountable for their actions – how they spend our money. The represented need to be equally - or more so – informed as those that represent us.

What does it mean to be a "man?"

There are many aspects to being a man. There is the physical man with all of his biological functions. Some are blessed with strong muscles, great looks, and hardly any cranial follicles. Many are not as fortunate. A man also can become a husband. He can become a father. Late in life he can even become a patriarch. Our media-centered society has given little effort to explain these roles.

The one issue in my life that has weighed the greatest on me involves the definition of being a man. What does it mean to be a MAN in today’s American society?

There have been so many definitions during my lifetime. The most prominent definer of manhood has been through the media, primarily television and the movies. “Make Room for Daddy,” “Father Knows Best,” “The Andy Griffith Show” were great starts for defining a father that – while comical at times – as a leader in the family with always the right thing to say at the right time.

I always liked John Wayne’s “The Quiet Man” as representative of man that courted a woman in proper fashion. Once he was married he was the defender of his bride and that was what Maureen O’Hara wanted. Of course, several other John Wayne movies defined manhood.

But now manhood has been feminized over the past 25 years. Display the softer side. Show no aggression. Anger is out. Cooperation is in, take charge is out.

I want to continue to develop this topic – primarily for the benefit of my sons – to get some discussion going.

Thanks to my youngest son. He always has the perfect comment that fills the moment.

This is my first attempt at blogging. As my friends who know me, I am very opinionated about politics. I also believe that religious beliefs should influence every aspect of our lives. Sometimes, however, our lives reflect just the opposite. We sometimes let politics drive our religious thought. I don't think I will be able to clearly define the difference. Maybe it's better I don't.

I write here because the old avenues of expressive thought (local newspaper editorial pages) are no longer dependable to publish letters of opinion in a timely manner. At my age, I have probably too much to say and too small of an audience to listen to me.

I invite your comments. I like debate. I love intelligient debate. I can't gurantee that together we'll change the world, but we may change some minds.