Christmas

To all my computer friends  though we sometimes argue politics this is a time of year when I know we can all agree on wishing each other a Merry Christmas.

Hypocrisy

Listening to the debt crisis debates I can't help but think that a vast majority of people are acting hypocritically. All this talk about raising taxes on the rich unless your rich is hypocritical. If you support increasing revenue through higher tax rates tax rates should go up across the board. In fact I would go further and say the first step should be to make everyone pay something in federal taxes. Even if the lowest earners only pay 5 dollars a week that way everyone has some skin in the game. If people want programs of any kind form the government they should have to realize that there is a cost involved.

I don't really think we will ever have that kind of a tax system. Which is really a shame because if we really want an honest debate about taxes we should all feel it when they go up or down. Other wise our leaders in Washington are just trying to buy votes and manipulate people.

Gold

Any one who knows anything about economics knows that gold is used as a hedge against a failing economy.

During the past several presidential elections one of the biggest supporters of the democratic party and President Obama has been George Soros the founder of moveon.org a pac dedicated to electing  Dems.

Yesterday I saw a video promoting gold and the direction they are expecting for it gold currently trades around 1720. an ounce with projections for next year of 2000. plus. Many times on financial shows they will use prominent financier as indicators of trends. George Soros along with John Paulson were the people they used to demonstrate the strength of gold. Soros has increased his gold holdings by 49% and is still buying.

Makes me wonder if Soros is supporting the president for personnel gain because if the economy goes south gold will rise significantly. The one who are truly hurt during hard times are the lower middle class and the poor. The wealthy put themselves in a position where they can profit on the hard times.

I don't know Soros's intent but if someone who is in favor of Pres. Obama's policies is buying gold it is not a very good sign.

It's over

Well the election is over, decisions have been made and we must now live with them. The question is how we will go forward. I've vacillated between disappointment and apathy. Disappointed in an electorate that fails to see the insustainability of the path we have been on. Apathy because I will probably get through it ok anyway but then I remember my children and grandchildren who eventually pay for all this.

This morning I was reading Julie at the Happy Catholic and she gave me something else to think about and maybe helped me put it in perspective. in her post from Wed. Nov.4  titled No one wants their first words of the morning to be Damn it. She remembers that she is a monarchist and what that means to her. For those of us who are Christians it helps to put things in perspective. Knowing we have a King as well as a president helps but I still wonder where we're going.

Bad weather good news

Windy horrible rain , but a joyous day. I'm a Grandpa little Danielle was born Monday, she's beautiful and healthy.

How do we fix health care?

Looking forward to what hopefully is a Romney presidency. Romney says he wants to repeal Obamacare, so what comes next. One thing I never hear discussed that I would like to see happen is cost accountability. Why is it when we purchase anything else we know what it is going to cost before we buy but not health care. I would like a proposal  that mandates medical personnel inform you of the cost of any procedure or medication so you can make not only make sound medical decisions but sound financial decisions as well. Too often they are perscribing more expensive medicines when cheaper alternatives are available. Hospitals like to pad the bills by parading through everyone possible for consultations even if consultations aren't necessary. We can't reduce costs if we don't know what things cost.

Election

Being from Ohio we get endless visits and much media attention regarding the presidential election. I wonder how people in states where there is no doubt about who the state will pick feel about this. It's almost as though the solid red or blue states don't matter. I don't know if there is a solution to keep interest high in these states but it seems like we should strive to make every vote mean something.

We didn't build this?

Everyone has heard President Obama's statement by now, You didn't build that.. It doesn't matter how you reacted to the statement some saw it as a denigration of people who have achieved success in the business world others just saw it as a statement on the importance of the federal government in any ones success.

I think the big difference come from peoples mind set and how we view success and failure. because if we didn't succeed on our own we can also say we didn't fail on our own. I think this is a major difference between the left and right. People on the left seem to look for societal cause for everything. That's why they seem to almost always  be looking to government for solutions. On the right  people tend to see success and failure as coming from our own personal decisions. I tend to agree with the right because opportunities are there for everyone it's all in what we do with our opportunities.

To once again fulfill the greatness that is the U.S.A. we need to stop blaming others for our shortcomings and quit expecting someone else to pave our way.

Independence Day

Celebrating the day that a country so great was born that illegal immigration is an issue. While people generally are unhappy with the state of our borders and immigration policies. I think it real shows how lucky we are to live in the U.S.A.. People aren't busting down the doors to get into Morocco or even Sweden.So while I would prefer a better immigration policy and tighter borders I thank God that I live in this country that is truly blessed.

John Roberts

A couple of weeks ago I read an article bemoaning the partisan nature of the Supreme Court. The story used the 2000 Gore vs Bush decision to emphasize how the conservative justices walk in lock step.

No matter which side of the Roberts decision for Obama care you fall on you have to admit he is out of step with fellow Republican appointees. In fact for years the supposed conservative justices Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor generally were the ones concidered to be swing votes.

So if conservative justices  are the swing voters does that mean the people who are truly close minded are the liberal justices.

Book review/Travels with Charley

I ran across Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck at a library book sale. I read it before as a freshman in high school some 30 yrs. ago well actually closer to 40. I don't know why exactly I bought it nostalgia I guess.

I guess there is a reason authors win Pulitzers Travels won the prize in 1962. The test of time was passed with ease by Steinbeck. Most of Steinbeck's work is fictional but this is just as it sounds a travel book just John and his dog Charley. John felt he lost touch with America and had a truck retro fitted with a camper and set out to rediscover America anonymously. Through his trip he makes an effort to connect with the locals as often as he can to find the real America.

While some of the information is dated it made me remember why John Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors.

Joy

The Bible tells us to rejoice in the Lord always, but rejoicing is not always easy. Lately I have been felling old and wore out. Sore feet, stiff muscles and just plain tired. Making it hard to exercise which is something I really enjoy. Today however I found a reason to rejoice in getting older, my son informed me that come November I will be a grandpa.

Joy is always there sometimes we just don't realize it.

Drums

We went to a free concert at the North Ridgeville Public Library with some friends Sunday. The group was called 7 Mile Isle and the main focus was the steel drums. I had never knowingly heard the steel drums so didn't know what to expect. The drums create a sound that is not what you would expect with bell like sounds that are very melodic. The steel drums are the focal point for reggae and Carribean music in general.

We had a good time and would recommend a steel drum concert to any music lover.

Owed

Reading the Cleveland Plain Dealer yesterday there was an article about unemployment. The article was talking about weather it is time to cut back unemployment compensation from 99 weeks to 79 or even 59 weeks.

A former factory owner Ken Rapaport is quoted "I want to work, benefits should exceed 99 weeks.My personal belief is that our government owes us everything that is possible as long as we demonstrate that we are actively looking for work." Rapaport is 60 years old and feels that is adding to the difficulty of finding a job.

The part that interested me was the statement that the government owes us something. What does the government truly owe us. The government surely owes us safe and secure borders. We're also owed streets, roads, and bridges that are safe to travel on. Maybe the biggest thing we are owed is a government that applies laws and justice in an equitable manner.

Am I missing something maybe but one thing is for sure the government doesn't owe me a free ride.

TANSTAAFL

2012

Put aside the past
Reconcile, renew,rejoice
Happy New Years day