Destiny

There's a strange feeling nagging at me today that something momentus is about to happen. I can't identify what or when or even if it's a good or bad thing.

Then again, these days I don't really think about events so much in terms of good and bad. Sure, I have days that are better than others. I don't especially care for things that cause me physical or emotional pain. I can get irritated by stupid and unreasonable people.

But I've never really been one to get terribly worked up worrying about things. I never felt like I feared my own death, but I did fear intense pain and suffering. I have feared disability. But these no longer elicit fear for me. Not that I'd welcome them, but neither do I worry much about them.

Maybe its the age I'm reaching, but I've come to realize that I am the culmination of my life experiences. The pleasant experiences leave nice memories I can recall to cheer me up. The unpleasant experiences, in most cases, led to something better. Or they made me more resilient, perhaps a bit less fearful.

I've been taught from an early age in Sunday School that God doesn't give any of us more than we can bear. Now the way I think of that old idea is that we don't have much choice in the matter - whatever happens, we must accept and find a way to deal with or overcome.

Even though I'm disheartened at the state of today's world and the corrupt people who run it, I no longer fear the collapse I think is imminent. Sort of like Sodom and Gomorrah, perhaps the only way to cleanse the world of its corruption is some major catastrophe. Not that I wish for it, but it seems somehow natural and inevitable.

So whether my strange feeling involves a momentus success or catastrophe in my personal life, my community, nation, or the world, I can accept it. Whatever occurs, assuming I survive, I will simply re-evaluate the situation and make the best choice I can to move forward.

Is that destiny? Is the course of life preordained, or do we choose our own? Is there a destiny out there for each of us, but only a select few have the courage to find it?

I can't say. But whatever is coming, let it come.

Stuff that Wastes Time

Being independent implies that I don't have to answer to anyone.

But that's not the reality.

I answer to my customers every day. And my biggest customer is the one that supplies me with the bulk of my work. So in that sense, I regularly answer to them.

Lately they've been getting irritating, asking for extra time-consuming things that they of course don't pay for. Stupid little administrative rules designed to shift paperwork from their staff down to me. Playing games with what they will and won't accept in terms of billing, expenses, and so forth. It all costs me, in time or money or both.

The essential problem of a small business is that you must constantly make your biggest customer happy. Knowing that, the big customer raises the bar and lowers the pay. And the small business person, despite seeing all his (my) other costs continue to grow year after year, just has to accept the fact that the trend will continue until it becomes so one-sided that there's no longer any point to continuing the business relationship.

The only avenue open to me is to do my best to be more sought-after than any of the customer's other contractors, which hopefully grants some small bit of leverage to push back against the next list of silly rules and requirements. The ability to just be able to say, "Sure, we would be happy to comply with your new requests. To cover our cost of providing these additional services, our rate will be increased to $X."

I know. Dreaming again.

Faulty Logic

I've listened closely, and the point about the Iraq war is that Bush should be forced to end it. Because war is bad, people die, we never should have started it, and so on.

So I think, sure war is bad. Nobody likes a war, except maybe people who like to watch war movies in the safety of their living room. Was Iraq a bad idea? I didn't know when it started, and still don't know. I don't think all of us ordinary people get in on the information that led to our leaders (not just Bush, but an overwhelming majority of congress, democrats included, by the way) to decide we needed to take on Saddam.

But then I start to get lost. See, they tell us the war should end because we shouldn't have started it in the first place, Saddam wasn't that bad a guy and wasn't really a threat, and now our soldiers are just stuck in the middle of a civil war between Sunni and Shia.

From what I'm able to discern, it's true that lots of the current violence involves turf wars between the Sunni and Shia. And our soldiers probably are unfortunately caught in the crossfire from time to time. But aren't they mostly killing each other? And if we just leave, won't they kill each other in massive numbers until one side or the other wins?

See, I'm confused by the left side's position on that, given they've been clamoring for us to intervene in Darfur for years. Isn't the situation in Iraq likely to become a repeat of Darfur the minute our soldiers leave the country? So what are you saying, anti-war lefties? That people in Darfur are more valuable than Iraqi people?

Then are the other questions the anti-war people never seem to want to answer. Like Al Quaeda. They're the ones who blew up the towers in New York - you know, September 11th? They're making Iraq their central front in their war on America. They say so, openly and often. Then there's Iran. They're arming and training people and sending them into Iraq to blow up our soldiers, so they're actually at war with us too.

So here's my big question for the get out now folks: How exactly does it help protect our country from terrorism if we just drop everything, say "never mind", and bug out of Iraq? As soon as we do that, doesn't it seem reasonable to predict that a holocaust will soon follow among the Iraqi people? That Iran will move swiftly in alliance with the Shia to rule what used to be Iraq? That Al Quaeda will strengthen with the aid of Iran and immediately begin hatching plans to bring Iranian nukes into America to set off in our cities?

Oh yeah, you guys say those are just scare tactics by the Nazi Republicans. Just let me get this straight - you're saying that if we leave Iraq immediately, somehow all those radicals that want to kill us will suddenly like us and leave us alone?

Please explain it to me. Because I don't get it.

If Asked for Advice

Interesting that lately I've been watching the political scene in sort a detached, analytical manner. Deeply disappointed by Republicans on the Immigration issue and dumbfounded by the antics of the Democrats, I've lost any hope for reason or common sense to prevail.

So instead, here are some of my suggestions for the outgoing President and those who want to be President when he leaves.

Bush only has one chance to salvage his presidency, and that's a miracle in Iraq. The miracle has to be in the form of a great success with his surge and actual progress in stabilizing a US-friendly government there. Problem is, even if the surge becomes a resounding success, we'll never get to hear about it, because the Bush-haters between congress and the news media are way to deeply invested in failure.

Hillary can win if she succeeds at shutting up those who mention her personal inconvenient truths. You know, her baggage from the years she spent with Bubba in the White House. Like the travel office firings, the Whitewater billing records, Vince Foster, the FBI Files, HillaryCare. Stuff like that.

Oh yeah, she's already succeeded. Nobody is talking about that stuff. So she wins, unless Obama can knock her off.

Speaking of Obama, all he has to do is say something really good. So far, he's an empty suit, but is doing well partly because of that. He needs to verbalize some bold plan for something or other that nobody else has, but can get people excited.

I don't know what that is, but it might not matter. The media are drooling over both Obama and Hillary, and don't really care which one wins - as long as one of them wins. Probably both, because I think the Dems will end up with a Hillary/Obama ticket.

The rest of the Democrat candidates are window dressing.

On the Republican side, Rudy could wrap it up with a simple strategy: He should clearly define his stance on the two big social issues he's on the wrong side of the party on - abortion and gay marriage. If he suddenly does an about-face on those issues (ala Romney), nobody will believe him. But if he tells everyone something like he can't force abortion law to be changed himself, but will use the bully pulpit as president to educate women and encourage alternatives to abortion, it could go a long way. On gay marriage, hmm, I think he's got a problem there.

Romney just has to get past the Mormon thing. I think that instead of running away from the issue, he should take it head-on and challenge those who want to make it an issue. He needs lots of prime-time publicity letting everyone know that his religious faith will influence him no more and no less than the faith of any president before him. Those who keep hammering him on it should put up or shut up.

Fred Thompson has a great opportunity. When he gets in the race, he has to personify the image he currently has as a common-sense, no-nonsense guy. Like Reagan, he can draw on his acting talents to project a straight-shooter that never backs down on his principles. But also like Reagan, he can somehow make his critics and enemies with nowhere to go by meeting their attacks head-on.

If Fred does it right, I think he might be the only Republican who can beat Hillary/Obama. Or I could just be fantasizing.

McCain's already done because of Immigration. And nobody else has a chance, even if there are a couple of them that deserve one. Because the Media chooses the candidate, not the rest of us.

By the time Indiana has primaries next summer, the choices will have already been made. So I'll only be a spectator anyway.

Scent Sensitivity Rights

Check out this story.

Some people would scoff and say Ms. McBride is just creating a stupid issue.

Not me, because I share her pain. Fortunately I'm not in a situation where I need to share a small office space with a woman that bathes in perfume or lathers her hands in pungent lotions several times a day. If I were, I would be forced to resign the job, because such things make me violently ill.

Our society has gone smoke-free almost everywhere to protect people from secondhand smoke. What's wrong with sensitive people like us being protected from toxic perfumes?

My bigger question is, why is this woman's co-worker so insensitive that she refuses to skip the perfume out of respect for her office mate? She certainly can pour it on as much as she likes on her own time, and it's hardly an imposition on her to skip it at work. Unless she's got a bad case of B.O. and uses the perfume in lieu of a daily shower (?)

I'm not big on Ms. McBride getting damages, but I do think it would be reasonable to accomodate her need for a perfume-free workplace.

Happy Independence Day

This will be a very nice day for the July 4th holiday. I'm looking forward to a relaxing day off.

Whenever I read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, I am reminded of what an amazing group of guys our founders were. To think that they created this system of government in a world where nothing like it existed adds to my awe and respect for this group of gentlemen. To think that the Brits regarded them as nothing but rabble and hayseeds from the colonies who didn't have the sense to govern themselves. I think they were proven wrong.

The very act of signing that Declaration they knew to be very likely their own death warrants, but they stepped up and did it anyway.

Happy 4th!

Must be Racist

The elite media and government types are angry. They're angry that the American people overwhelmingly panned their very complex legislation dealing with immigration.

Anger makes people lash out. When it comes to our Washington elites, lashing out usually means wielding the racist club. All over the airwaves are angry legislators and media types, blaming racist Americans enflamed by racist AM Radio talkers.

The either refuse to look past their idealistic noses to find out the real reasons behind the public outcry, or they actually understand that outcry but prefer to ignore it in favor of propagandist messages designed to club people with accusations they hate the most - that they must be a bunch of racists.

From my point of view, I don't care if it's a bunch of poor Mexicans or Swedish Swimsuit Models; if they are in the country illegally, they should be just as subject to enforcement of our laws as anyone else.

The opposition to the bill is not some simplistic xenophobic fear. It's based simply on the reported content of the bill itself. The Washington ivory tower residents say it isn't an amnesty bill, but their own defense of the bill admits it is. Only those illegal immigrants who want to climb on the yellow brick road also known as the "path to citizenship" are required to do anything at all. Everybody else here illegally gets essentially an unlimited free pass, as long as they don't want to apply for citizenship.

There were lots of other things reportedly in that monstrosity, such as a deal-killer national id card. But mainly, niether congress nor the president have the slightest hint of credibility in this area. They can promise they will secure the borders, but their actions to date seem to prove those are the emptiest of promises.

I think there is a very easy, common-sense solution to the problem. Once again, common sense is a foreign concept in Washington, but I'll outline it here anyway.

First, put everyone on notice. Run an ad campaign in all the media telling illegal immigrants and employers who hire them that time is running out. The ads say this:

The United States Immigration and Naturalization Agency is implementing new policies and procedures for enforcing our immigration laws.

Employers, within 6 months you will be asked to submit a full roster of your employees, with monthly updates to follow with new employees hired.

New government systems will be implemented to confirm your employees are legally entitled to live and work in the United States. You will be notified on a monthly basis of those of your employees that do not appear to hold valid social security or work permit documentation. Once notified of a discrepancy, you have 30 days to either correct the information, provide copies of proof of citizenship or current work permits, or terminate employment of the employees in question.

Immigrants, if you are in the country illegally, you have 6 months to return to your country of origin. If you do so within this 6 month period, you will not be subject to fines or imprisonment in the United States, unless you have committed punishable offenses other than your illegal immigrant status.

Once you have returned to your country of origin, you may make application to return to the United States through your consulate. If your application for legal entry into the United States demonstrates you are proficient in English, have a written recommendation and job offer from a United States employer, and have no serious criminal record, your application is likely to be approved on an expedited basis. If your application is approved, you will be permitted to return to the United States under a 2-year work permit.

Any employers found to be in violation of the law with respect to ongoing employment of illegal aliens after the afore-mentioned 6 month period will be subject to fines of up to $10,000 per illegal employee. Repeat offenses will be subject to higher fines and imprisonment of those company officials involved in such illegal employment.

Any persons remaining in the country illegally after this 6 month period are subject to arrest and immediate deportation to their country of origin, with a permanent flag attached to their record, indicating they cannot re-enter the United States under any circumstances.

Of course, the other piece of this is shutting down the borders - both northern and southern. Fences, cameras, agents - whatever is necessary.

Simple, common-sense, very fair I think. I know some would object to the part about letting them apply to get back in, but if they can show they're already pretty well assimilated, know the language, and have a company sponsoring them for return, I don't think it's unreasonable.

Healthcare Redux

Healthcare is a topic I've written about before, but since it's hot again, I'll see if I can add a bit to my previous thoughts on the subject.

Our favorite fat communist filmmaker, Michael Moore, released a film called "Sicko". I don't need to see it to know it's full of stories about poor people who can't get treated for their maladies, corrupt politicians supporting evil and greedy drug and insurance companies.

He wouldn't even need to make stuff up like he did in Farenheit 911 to be able to convince anybody that the system is broken. I already concede that point - it is broken. But where he runs off the rails is by suggesting that the only solution is to have the government take over.

Let's start at the beginning.

Sometimes we wish for the good old days, where the country doctor with his little black bag made house calls. He treated broken bones and illnesses, administered medication, then was paid in whatever the patients had to offer. If not a few dollars, he might get a couple of chickens.

Today every malady requires a specialist. The General Practitioner is almost a thing of the past. All manner of high-tech devices have been invented that can pinpoint your problem without the need to cut. Thousands of pharmaceuticals have been invented to treat all manner of problems.

All that was made possible by health insurance. Back in the days of 80 percent marginal income tax rates, companies needed to get creative in giving compensation packages to their employees to keep their taxable incomes under that outrageous 80% threshold. So one of the things they came up with was health insurance.

I've been around long enough to have seen the evolution of healthcare firsthand. When I first entered the workforce, my employers provided only "Major Medical" insurance. That meant that if you had to go into the hospital for an expensive surgical procedure, the insurance would pay for it. Otherwise, you paid everything else out of your pocket.

Early in my career I was dirt poor. But I could afford to pay for both the doctor visit and the prescription when I got sick. If I needed a higher level of care and couldn't afford to pay on the spot, the doctor's office would simply set me up on a payment program. The bill would be paid within a few months without a major strain on my small budget.

Then one day my employer came through with this new thing called an HMO. We loved it, because it was almost free. Anything we needed, we could just go to the doctor's office and get it. Our share was $5. When our first child was born, I happily pulled a five-dollar bill out of my wallet to pay my share of the bill.

What happened? Well, when something is free (or almost free), people will use it a lot more. Kid got a sniffle? Take her to the doctor. Pull a muscle playing basketball? Go see the doctor. When it's practically free, why not?

Everybody came to rely on that health insurance, and now most consider it some sort of fundamental human right.

Today, the insurance companies have become the gatekeepers to the healthcare system. They created bureaucracies designed to look over the shoulder of your doctor and decide whether or not they will pay for his recommended treatments. They all have their own unique filing and reporting systems that must be used by the providers in order to get paid. And they are for-profit business entities.

Bigger corporations are "self-insured", which basically means they hire a company called a TPA (Third-Party Administrator) to manage their health plans. As the costs have risen higher and higher, companies are now seeking to cut their healthcare expenses. They cut their expenses by raising the amount they charge their employees for coverage, cutting out selected diseases or accidents they will cover, and by firing or avoiding hiring of anyone that might be a higher risk for health problems.

I'm not sure how smokers or overweight people can find a job these days, because they are openly discriminated against by companies everywhere because they just might end up costing the company one day if they get cancer or heart disease or diabetes or stroke.

So these days we are already solidly entrenched in a government-run insurance system. Most everyone over 65 is under Medicare, and now is also covered under a very poorly conceived prescription drug program run by the Feds. Considered honestly, the elderly need more healthcare than the rest of the population, so it could be fairly stated that the taxes of all working Americans go to pay medical expenses for our retirees.

The other socialized medicine in place is MedicAid, or variations on that program administered by every state. These programs use our tax money to pay for medical treatment for the poor and indigent.

For the rest of us, we can get great health coverage if we work for the right company that provides great health benefits for an affordable price. But if you're out of work, work for a small business that doesn't offer health benefits, or are a small business owner yourself, you are very likely to be uninsured.

Yes there are millions of uninsured Americans, either because they can't afford to buy their own insurance, can't buy insurance even if they can afford it, or simply decided to save the high premiums and take their chances.

Just about everyone will need some sort of surgery or other expensive medical treatments sometime during their lifetime. Some small business owners choose to forego the $1,000 monthly premium for health insurance, knowing that if they have an accident or illness while uninsured, they will be bankrupt. They figure that the odds are higher that their business will fail and they'll be bankrupt anyway, so they take their chances on being uninsured until the business begins to be successful.

Someone who quits their job or gets laid off must be offered COBRA coverage by their employer. Family coverage premiums under COBRA range between $800 and $1200 per month. The average person simply doesn't have that kind of money, especially one who was terminated and hasn't yet found a new job.

I despise the fact that I've been paying outrageous monthly premiums for health insurance that hasn't actually paid for anything yet. Between my high deductible and the restrictions in the plan, it will never pay any of my family's medical bills unless or until a serious injury or illness were to occur.

But I still don't want some government bureaucrat deciding for me what doctor I can see, what drugs I'm allowed, or when I can get a needed surgery. That's what happens when the government runs the system.

If affordable insurance for major medical was available for everyone, nobody would have to go bankrupt if they have an auto accident or get cancer.

Then, if routine medical care and prescription drugs were taken completely out of the insurance system, I think almost everyone would be able to afford their routine doctor visits and prescriptions. Physicians I think would welcome office vist fees of $30 or $40 if they never had to file an insurance claim and wait to get paid. Drug companies would be forced to bring down their prices as well in return for getting cash for every prescription filled. No more bureaucracies, no more restrictions on physician treatment decisions.

It won't happen. Neither will government-controlled socialized medicine. Because the industry likes the status quo and has the money to make sure congress likes it too.

Victory or Defeat

The headline was Senate hands Bush major defeat on Immigration.

I hear news reports on the radio with essentially the same headline.

I don't need to get into a discussion of the shenanigans in the Senate over this bad piece of legislation, but instead just find it rather interesting that its defeat was immediately laid at Bush's feet.

Sure, Bush supports and has done plenty of arm-twisting of the Republican senators to pass it, but it's hardly his bill. It's Kennedy's and McCain's. It's the only thing in recent memory that the Dems were able to agree with Bush about. The problem is that nobody else in the country agrees with either of them.

The characterization in the headlines of this as a major defeat for Bush is so misleading it's laughable. Sensational maybe, but dishonest.

It was killed because a number of senators in both parties received such overwhelmingly negative feedback from their constituents on this poorly conceived and politically motivated legislation that they voted against ending debate.

Those clueless senators, including both of Indiana's out-of-touch guys, Lugar and Bayh, deluded themselves into thinking that they could pass this turkey and their grassroots back home would quickly forget. I don't think so - everybody in Indiana has concluded that Lugar is old, lazy, and out of touch with his home state and needs to be retired. The problem is that he's got another 5 years before anybody has an opportunity to unseat him. That's 5 years he can either use to resurrect his image or bury himself.

Bayh's probably safer, because the fiercely partisan Dems will support him forever because he's attractive and almost always votes with his party leadership. So somebody would have a huge hill to climb to raise enough money to effectively take him on.

That's why I don't give much thought to the presidential race. The fact is that the candidates will be selected by those with enough money to buy them in the early primaries. By the time Indiana has our primary next summer, both parties will have already chosen their presidential candidate. The Dem candidate will be chosen by Soros, Trial Lawyers, and Labor Unions. The GOP candidate will be chosen by Big Business, Insurance, and Drug companies.

Because they provide the money to their favorite candidate. Soros seems to have already picked Hillary, so unless she screws up big time in the next 9 months, she's their candidate. The GOP money seems to like Giuliani, unless Romney can woo the big money or Fred Thompson gets them excited.

The winner will be elected by an ignorant population based on how they look and how they are portrayed by the media. Not on their position on any issues.

Chances of getting somebody who actually works for the rest of us? Approaching zero.

Update: To be fair, I jumped the gun on Bayh. He's voted with his party leadership so regularly I just assumed he would do so on this one. But he didn't - he actually helped sink the cloture on the Immigration bill. Gotta give him credit for being smarter than Indiana's senior senator.

Tragic Sign of Times

It was disturbing to see the story today of the 15 year old girl who stabbed her Mother's boyfriend to death over an argument about what to watch on television.

The story so far is that the mother and her boyfriend returned home together, where her twin 15-year-old daughters were watching television. The boyfriend wanted to switch to a news program, which triggered an argument that ended with one of the sisters stabbing him to death. When the police arrived and took the young murderess into custody, the officer was physically attacked by her twin sister. So both girls were arrested.

Sure, the first gut reaction would be, "what a brat". Killing someone over an argument about what to watch on television would seem to be the ultimate in spoiled brat behavior.

Probably so. But even with what little facts are available at this point in the story, I'm prepared to suggest that at least equal guilt should be assessed against the girls' mother.

It stretches credibility that even a self-centered and narcissistic teenager would go so far as murder unless there's a lot more than a simple television programming argument. Unless the girl has a serious mental illness, the only reasonable explanation for the extreme response of murder is abuse.

There would have been no argument over the television between the girls and their mother's boyfriend unless he felt some sort of entitlement. I'm guessing he's not just bringing the mother back from a date, but lives in the house. Otherwise, he would have no standing to demand that the channel be changed to what he wanted to watch.

Maybe the boyfriend has been abusive with the girls since he moved in. Perhaps he began beating one of the sisters when she refused to pass him the TV remote and the other sister stabbed him to stop him. Maybe he's been abusing them physically and/or sexually for months or years.

The young murderess must be held responsible for her actions, unless evidence does come out in the case that the boyfriend was stabbed in an act of self-defense. But I think the mother deserves at least equal punishment, whether for allowing her daughters to become such stupendous brats or for failing to protect them from this or maybe a string of abusive boyfriends. Either way, Mom can be presumed guilty of neglect based simply on the information available already.

The saddest part is that live-in boyfriends who may or may not abuse the children is an all-to-common occurrence in today's America. And people like me are vilified for "judging" their lifestyles.

Radical

Radical is hardly a word I'd use to describe myself, but apparently those in power would use that precise label.

Apparently these things make me a radical.

I think our borders and immigration laws should be enforced. (gasp!)

I believe in freedom of religion and freedom of expression.

I believe that most abortion procedures are barbaric infanticide and are primarily used to help women avoid the inconvenience of raising (or offering for adoption) a child.

I think that if health insurance was eliminated for all but major medical surgery and hospitalization, other doctor and medication fees would become affordable. I also think that the best way to really wreck the healthcare system is to let the government run it.

I think that official recognition of gay marriage is designed to criminalize religious organizations that refuse to stop discriminating against homosexuals.

I think that neither Republicans nor Democrats represent the best interests of the American people who supposedly elected them. Instead, Republicans represent big business and Democrats represent the tyranny of repressive socialism.

I think the energy legislation just passed does nothing to solve the energy or environmental problems of the country. Instead, it enriches biofuel producers, will make trucks and suv's so scarce that the used market for such vehicles will explode, and benefits nobody but congresspersons and their best patrons.

I think the only way to win the war in Iraq, or for that matter, the war on Terror, is to turn the military loose. Ruthless and effective projection of power is the only way to defeat terrorism.

See what I mean? Radical.

I'm right. But right is radical these days.

They Merely Reflect Us

The government is corrupt. Lawmakers are in it for themselves, not their consituents and not their country. Anybody paying the slightest attention over the last few years is either angry enough that they want to clean out the whole lot in Washington and start over, or have just given up.

The illegal immigration issue is a great case in point. A perfect storm has put both political parties on the wrong side of this issue for different reasons. Dems love illegals and want to make them citizens as quickly as possible because they mostly vote for Dems. Republicans are beholden to corporate donors who also love illegals because they can hire them at $5 an hour. So they team up on a bill that gives immediate legal status to everybody here illegally, then makes a token effort at beefing up border patrols.

The last time they passed a bill like this, it gave legal status to a huge number of illegals and promised to shore up border and employer enforcement. Then they conveniently forgot about the enforcement part. They passed a bill just over a year ago to build a 700-mile border fence. It's not built, and there seems to be no intention to build it.

A huge majority of people, well over 70% of the citizenry, is outraged. But Congress and the President don't care. They think they can put one over on all of us and get away with it. Maybe they can - we'll soon find out.

Look at any other issue. Healthcare, Social Security, Iraq and the broader Terror War, Trade. On every single issue, you find both political parties wanting to do what's best for those who stuff their campaign chests rather than what makes sense for the country as a whole.

Suppose we elected a congressman from our area who is honest and smart and wants to do the right thing for all of us. He goes to Washington and his first reality check happens when a bill comes up that's being pushed by his party leadership. He knows it's a bad bill, and knows it was designed to satisfy a major donor to the campaigns of his party's leaders. This new congressman is told, "You better vote for this bill, or you can kiss anything you want for your district goodbye."

What will he do?

What will we do?

Success

How do you define success? What people do you know or know about that you would consider successful? Are you successful?

For myself, I have begun to realize that I've never really sat down and defined the meaning of success in my own life.

If I build my business into a large and profitable venture and become wealthy, is that success?

Or would the sacrifices that would have to be made to achieve that vision of success be too costly, meaning that success in business requires failure in all other aspects of life?

How many people do we look up to as the model for the success we hope to achieve? Business leaders? Politicians? Musicians? Actors? Sports stars?

How many of those so-called success stories have dark personal failures in their lives? Broken marriages, estranged children, addiction problems?

Whenever I read a biography of a famous person, it almost always includes failure. People who achieve great things in their endeavors almost always fail at first, or multiple times. Even when they achieve great success in their field, they often suffer terrible failure in other aspects of their lives. What sets them apart in their field of endeavor is typically a deep desire and the spirit to keep trying despite repeated failure.

I've had several devastating failures. When difficult times come, my first inclination is to give up. Failure gives a horrible feeling of hopelessness and deals a heavy blow to self-confidence. I don't even want to get out of bed in the morning at first, feeling sorry for myself.

Some successes provide an ecstatic feeling for awhile. Such things are fleeting, because life doesn't allow us to dwell on our successes. They are quickly forgotten as we must move on to the next endeavor.

Wealth is nice, but it doesn't mean success. At least not for me.

Success is not a destination, but an unattainable goal. When we die, if others say we made a difference, then maybe we achieved some success. The rest doesn't mean a thing.

This Says it Better

The following is attributed to Paul Harvey, but the way things bounce around the web these days I can't be sure. I'll assume it's Paul unless I hear otherwise, but for now, this expresses my point of view about as well as anything I've come across.

Paul Harvey says :
I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for
singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin, but I
didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his
theory of evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered
because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game.

So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the
entire book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and
asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans
going home from the game.

But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue.

Yes, and this is the United States of America and Canada, countries
founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book,
Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what
would you expect-somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem , I would expect to hear a
Jewish prayer.

If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear a Muslim
prayer.

If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone
pray to Buddha.

And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit. When in Rome ...

But what about the atheists is another argument.

What about them?
Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the
collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too
much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit
the concession stand. Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell
thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a
football game is going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our
courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught
us to pray before eating; to pray before we go to sleep.

Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and
their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.

God, help us.
And if that last sentence offends you, well .. just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long.. It's time we let that one
or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority don't
care what they want. It is time the majority rules! It's time we tell
them, you don't have to pray; you don't have to say the pledge of
allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that
honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right.. But by
golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away. We are fighting
back . .. and we WILL WIN!

God bless us one and all .. especially those who denounce Him. God
bless America and Canada, despite all their faults. They are still the
greatest nations of all.

God bless our service men and women who are fighting to protect our
right to pray and worship God.

May 2007 be the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as
the foundation of our families and institutions.

Keep looking up.

Vacation Thoughts

The first "real" family vacation in many years, and most likely the last vacation we will all take together just wrapped up. Overall it was enjoyable. I came into the office today to just check email and pay some bills, and discovered things sort of went crazy while I was gone. Funny how that always seems to happen when I go on vacation for a week.

Even though the flights were covered by miles, taking 5 people on vacation is a rather expensive undertaking. Considering the fact that a week of vacation also costs a self-employed individual like myself a week of revenue, it could be said that the true cost of the trip was triple the amount I actually shelled out.

Something I noticed about this vacation was a rather new attitude about vacations in general. I've become rather jaded these days, and the sights, shows, and attractions we visit during the trip aren't particularly exciting to me anymore. When my participation in an activity, go-carting for example, was optional, I was more than happy to save the money and just watch the boys. The fishing trip might have been a bit more enjoyable if we'd caught more and/or bigger fish, but otherwise it was memorable more for how tired I was when we returned.

In the future, an ideal vacation for me might be just a chance to get away from everything and relax. Or there are some places I haven't seen and would like to someday. Most of those are overseas, because I've pretty much covered the continental US. History fascinates me these days, so I'd probably enjoy a vacation that involved visiting ancient sites or digs.

But for now, the important thing about a vacation isn't my own entertainment, but just being with my family. If they have a good time, that's good enough for me.

Now I have to jump back into work with both feet and earn back what was spent. If the activities that inundated me on my return are any indication, that shouldn't be difficult. Stressful for sure, but it looks like I'll be able to work as many hours as my old bones can handle.

Thoughts on Gas Prices

It certainly is painful to have to spend about $3.50 a gallon to keep my vehicles running. The only upside is our recent purchase of a used Volvo wagon that seems to get about twice the mileage of the Dodge Grand Caravan it replaced.

In the meantime, it is rather interesting to hear all the angry conspiracy folks, most of whom think the gas prices are simply a result of George Bush and Dick Cheney making it so for their own greedy and rapacious reasons.

Being the sort of person that prefers to do my own studying on such issues, I find the causes of our collective misery to be multifaceted, but not all that difficult to understand.

The fundamentals governing gas prices are simple macroeconomics. I hated the courses in graduate school, and suspected much of the drivel we studied existed only to keep that professorial class of people called Economists employed.

The supply of oil, or the raw material that goes into the gasoline we need to make our cars run, is controlled by a small group of people. That group is controlled by sheiks and mullahs, with a few communist and totalitarian dictators thrown in. Their paradox is a shared hatred for America coupled with the fact that America is their biggest customer. Through a cartel they formed in the 70's called OPEC, they can and do restrict the amount of oil that is made available to the world market. Over the last 40 years, this has made them among the richest individuals on the planet.

Contrary to popular belief, the price of crude oil is not set by Dick Cheney. Nor is it set by OPEC. It is set by the worldwide market. The world comes to the OPEC producers with cash in hand to bid against each other for the oil they must have to fuel their economies. Places like China and India have become major players in this bidding process, helping drive up the prices.

Then the big, bad oil companies come into the picture. They're the guys daily portrayed by the mediademocrats (who have now become permanently attached) as evil profiteers who take billions in obscene profits from the poor American consumer.

The oil companies take the crude oil to their refineries, where they produce the various kinds of gasolines that power our vehicles. There hasn't been a new refinery built in the United States in over 40 years, so those existing refineries run at 100% of capacity in an attempt to keep up with demand. If a refinery has an accident, fire, or breakdown and fall behind in their production schedule, shortages ensue. Shortages mean higher prices, of course.

So let's get to the root causes of high prices at the pump.

Supply is controlled by a small number of people, most of whom don't much like America.

America has vast untapped oilfields in places like Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico that could alleviate the crude oil supply problem. But environmental regulations refuse to permit anyone (certainly not American oil companies) to drill for that oil. The ANWR preserve in Alaska is a vast oilfield that cannot be tapped because of specious arguments from environmentalists that somehow extracting the oil will harm animal habitats. The Gulf of Mexico also has vast reserves, but the same environmental interests shut down drilling there out of a fear of accidental leaks. In the meantime, Mexico is actively exploiting those very oil fields as we watch helplessly.

America has lost most of its manufacturing base to China and other developing countries, where demand for oil to fuel their growing economies is expanding exponentially.

Taxes are stiff on each gallon of gasoline. These taxes are collected by both the Federal and State governments, averaging 42 cents per gallon. In some states, the total tax per gallon is well over 50 cents per gallon. These taxes were sold to the American people as a means to fund road construction and maintenance. However, in most states and the Federal Government, they just get thrown into the General Fund to be spent in whatever way lawmakers deem best to keep their seats.

Refinery capacity is certainly a contributing factor. Environmental regulation makes it all but impossible to build a new refinery in the US. The cost of building a new refinery, including the costs of satisfying environmental requirements, is deemed by the industry to be a bad investment. Besides, given the unprecedented profit margins in the industry today, they have no incentive to aggressively pursue permits for new refineries.

It is arguable that the current administration has no desire to enforce anti-trust law. The oil companies have consolidated into a very small number of gargantuan global megacorporations. So if a crusading government decided to pursue those companies based on anti-trust violations, what is the most likely outcome? Those oil companies still headquartered in the United States will simply pack up and move to a country that promises to be more friendly to their interests.

So what's the answer? Most politicians say it's alternative fuels. Ethanol plants are springing up all over the place, and car manufacturers are now building new vehicles that can run on Ethanol. But most other alternative fuels, such as hydrogen cells and electric batteries, are nowhere near ready to become viable competitors.

The basic problem with alternative fuels is this: Let's say that an alternative fuel can be produced at the cost of, say, $1 a gallon. By the time it's gone through the distrubution process, the retail price becomes about $2.50 a gallon. Add in the government's tax burden, and you're selling this alternate fuel for between $2.90 and $3.10.

So the OPEC guys and the Oil companies see this happening, and don't want to lose their market share. So they boost production and get the price of gasoline at the pump down under $2.50, including taxes. They can do this easily, because gas prices are based on market demand, not on production costs.

They have now succeeded in substantially undercutting the competition, which does not have the luxury of matching the competitor's prices. The producers of alternative fuels go out of business. Shortly thereafter, OPEC and the oil companies restrict supply and get the gas prices back up, maybe to $4 or $5 this time.

No, the problem can't be solved by government. It can only be marginally ameliorated through encouraging competition in terms of oil company start-ups, opening up ANWR and the Gulf and other promising sources of crude oil, and giving tax incentives to producers and researchers developing alternative fuel sources.

Income Tax Analogy

This story has been repeated and published many times and places, and I'm not certain where it originated. The closest attributions I've seen are to a Don Dodson from Ft. Worth, Texas or Professor Davies of South Dakota Business School.

Regardless of the source, it's a great analogy about our current Federal Income Tax system.

10 men decided to have a business lunch once a week. They always met in the same restaurant and the bill was always, $100.00, for all 10 men. If each man was responsible for his share of the bill, each would pay $10.00.

The men decided to divide the bill based upon their ability to pay, inspired by the government's progressive approach to collecting income taxes. The formula they eventually agreed upon included the following payment arrangement.

Man #1, #2, #3, and #4 paid nothing.

Man #5 paid $1.

Man #6 paid $3.

Man #7 paid $7.

Man #8 paid $12.

Man #9 paid $18.

Man #10 paid $59.

After a number of weeks of the 10 men reliably frequenting his establishment, the owner of the restaurant decided they deserved a discount. He offered to reduce the total cost of the men's lunch by $20.

This created a bit of a problem among the gentlemen, because the four men who paid nothing felt cheated that they were not sharing in the windfall. The others complained that if the $20 were to be distributed proportionally based upon the amount each paid each week, Man #10 would receive over half of the total discount amount.

So the restaurant owner proposed this solution:

Man #1, #2, #3, and #4 still paid nothing. They were unhappy at being excluded from the benefits of the reduction, but a discount from zero is still, in fact, zero.

Man #5 now also paid nothing. His contribution went from $1 to $0, so he received a 100% discount.

Man #6 now paid $2, receiving a 33% discount.

Man #7 now paid $5, receiving a 28% discount.

Man #8 now paid $9, receiving a 25% discount.

Man #9 now paid $14, receiving a 22% discount.

Man #10 now paid $50, receiving a 15% discount.

So they completed their meal and left the restaurant. Once outside, an argument ensued.

Men #1 through #4 were displeased that everyone else received a benefit except them. Man #5 was upset that he only got $1, while Man #10 got $9. Likewise Man #6. So these men beat up Man #10, took his money and left him bleeding on the sidewalk.

The men returned to the restaurant the following week for lunch, but of course Man #10 was a no-show. So when the bill arrived, the remaining men discovered they couldn't afford to pay even half the bill.

The analogy is a great illustration of today's "Progressive" tax system. Current statistics show that 80% of the tax burden is borne by the wealthiest 20% of the population. When Bush cut income tax rates, he substantially cut them in a similar manner to the restaurant owner in the above story.

Do you think the distribution of the cut was fair? If you think it was unfair, to whom do you believe it was unfair? The Bottom 4, the guys between 5 and 9, or #10? How would you split the bill if the decision were left to your wisdom?

Based on the rhetoric employed on the tax issue today, the Democrats are represented in the story as Man #1 through #6. Man #10 didn't want to get beaten again, so his decision not to show up the next week is analogous to him moving his companies offshore, presumably where he would not be beaten to a pulp.

So those first 5 or 6 are now in charge of the country. As far as I can tell, they already have their clubs, bats, and brass knuckles out and have started swinging. Care to guess what will happen next?

Narcissism as Religion

It seems as if the narcissists have taken power. A brief look around the public square these days would seem to confirm this theory.

Abortion and Gay "Rights" is all about proponents of those particular lifestyles mounting campaigns aimed at silencing those who dare to suggest their choices are immoral. After defeating any laws that made such behavior illegal, they now seek to pass new laws designed to silence and criminalize those who would still dare to hold such outdated morality. It seems that demands for "gay marriage" are less about homosexuals desiring to make lifetime commitments to their partners than they are about silencing, marginalizing, and even criminalizing those who continue to consider such behavior immoral. Those who characterize people who find the practice of partial-birth abortions as religious extremists are covering their ears and screaming to avoid hearing any facts that such procedures are, in fact, infanticide.

The politicization of the global warming issue is not really about solving any actual environmental problems. Instead, the politics are aimed at new and creative methods of extracting more taxes from the rich. It's interesting to note that the largest proponents of these massive new taxes (read Carbon Credits) almost universally exempt themselves from the very sanctions they propose to impose on others (Al Gore, anyone?).

It's fasinating that rich folks like Corporate CEO's and Investment Bankers and especially Oil Barons deserve to be punished with huge taxes, supposedly to benefit the poor folks. But rich Democrats that inherited their wealth and entertainers and athletes would seem to be exempt. When I listen to the openly socialist folks talk about punishing the rich, it's fascinating to note how selective they are in defining rich.

Healthcare is even a narcissistic issue, in the sense that those who stridently argue for a government-run system seem to believe that access to free medical care is some sort of fundamental human right. Therefore, the argument must have the corollary that it is the right of people who can't afford (or don't want to pay for) their own medical care to use the power of government to confiscate that money from those who have it. Pure socialism exemplified.

It seems that the Democrat party has recognized the shift of the society into a populace of self-involved narcissists. They are playing to that constituency with amazing success. What the narcissists aren't smart enough to figure out is that Democrats aren't about making that constituency the center of the universe. Good old fashioned power and wealth drive politics as they always have. Their ignorant narcissistic worshippers will never see a better life by putting them in power. The only beneficiaries of this movement are those politicians themselves, who will pocket most of the resources they extort from the rich in gigantic new bureaucracies and under-the-table graft.

The payback for our naieve narcissists is a lower standard of living. Sure, they might get the new right to stand in long lines for free substandard medical care. But their jobs will dry up as formerly "rich" corporate types move their operations out of the country to more favorable places. They will have to sell their illegal polluting cars and ride a bicycle or a bus to work, because only a rich Democrat party member can afford an actual hybrid car.

At least they can revel in the knowledge that those evil rich people got what was coming to them.

Transitions

Watching the next generation enter adulthood makes me recall my own entry into independence. As college degrees are earned, that interim stage between dependent childhood and independent adulthood is breached with an entire world of possibilities ahead.

This post started out as a recap of my own experience and lessons learned from the perspective of so many years later (I won't say how many). But I decided there was some rather personal and possibly sensitive information there, so I've changed tack to focus on general pearls of wisdom for this time of life.

Around the time of my college graduation, I participated in some sort of study involving a survey designed to measure mental and emotional stress. I laughed about it, because in my case I had so many stressors piled up in one year that I should have been a drooling nutcase in a straightjacket and padded room.

On to those pearls -

On careers: One of the most critical decisions we make is our career path. Some new graduates feel they deserve a great job right out of college, but are being completely unrealistic. Others jump at the first job offer out of fear there won't be any others.

There's a fine line between managing your own destiny and allowing it to manage you. It is certainly much easier to walk through an open door than to try beating down a locked door. That dream job is almost never there for a newly minted graduate, and even those who think they've landed it are often disappointed soon after they sign on. It's better to look carefully at the open doors and knock on the closed and locked doors until you find the one that best fits your goals.

From the perspective of my life stage, I've discovered that a career is important, but well down the list of the important things in life. A great career does not equal a great life; in fact, the two are more often incompatible. A career is a means to an end, not the main focus of life. The best anyone can hope for is a career that supports a reasonably decent lifestyle with enough free time to focus on what's really important - God, family, friends.

On Marriage: It's interesting that so many people choose college graduation as also the time to marry. It seems natural to do so, because school is over and a paying job is finally here. And for many, I'm sure it is the appropriate time to make that commitment.

But here's another thought: Life up to this point has been a preparation for independent adulthood. You haven't really been on your own yet - even with the independence of the college years, you've still had to depend on Mom and Dad and the University to help you through.

The end of college means that from here on, you will be responsible for paying your own bills. You have to make decisions about what things you can and cannot afford, where you will live, what you will eat, your faith affiliations, and everything else. Mom and Dad aren't going to be there to bail you out if you're short on cash and the rent or electric bill are due. Given this fairly big adjustment, is it wise or fair to throw a spouse into the mix?

As you adjust to your life as an independent adult and begin to establish yourself in a career, you will change. Not in terms of your basic personality and temperment, but in your goals and outlook. In the three to five years after entering the workforce, you will find yourself taking those last steps toward the adult individual you will become.

Is it better to ask your new spouse, who will also be experiencing the same transitions for him or herself, to ride that bumpy road with you? Or is it better to remain single for awhile and settle into your life's path before you ask another to join you?

These times can be both exciting and frightening. Let the fear temper the excitement and make sure you make your decisions with a clear and informed purpose. Don't let your dreams die, but keep them alive by doing something every day that gets you one step closer to realizing them.

And I know you'll be just fine.

Interesting Paradox

It occurs to me that the most interesting paradox right now is the idea that the government might be ignoring the will of the people for their own reasons.

There are two very interesting cases of this right now. One is Iraq and the other is Illegal Immigration.

As Democrats are so fond of pointing out in the case of Iraq, polls seem to indicate that the majority of Americans no longer think the Iraq war was worthwhile. I'd say that doesn't mean th majority of Americans want an immediate withdrawal of troops, which is the argument by extension the Dems want to make. But it could be argued that the government is continuing the expensive efforts in Iraq despite the fact that Americans in general are weary of it and want it to just go away.

In contrast, I find it interesting that the party claiming to represent the interests of the majority of Americans is ignoring the fact that the same majority overwhelmingly objects to what the Dems are pushing (with the help of some Republicans) on amnesty for illegals. Based on the left side news outlets, I gather that Dems are ignoring the majority by dismissing them as xenophobic bigoted anti-immigrant boobs.

So when is it appropriate for a government to override the desires of their electorate? When national security is at stake, i.e. Iraq? Or when the national economy and balance of political power (read liberal vs. conservative) is at stake, i.e. illegal immigration?

Hey, it's just little ol' me with my opinion, but I sort of think if politicians are willing to risk their re-election chances to protect the population, even when they don't seem to want that protection, that's a positive thing. But if politicians are willing to risk their re-election chances to keep their biggest donors happy regardless of the welfare of their constituents, that's not such a positive thing.

But I still think the hypocrisy in the comparison of Democrat rhetoric on Iraq versus Illegal immigration is striking. Even though nobody else seems to notice.

Another sign of the apocalypse, perhaps?

Anger and Frustration

Maybe I should skip the news. Tonight's news makes my blood boil.

First the so-called "deal" on illegal immigration. Supported by the President and the Democrat leadership, it's the most outrageous failure of government in the history of our country.

If they pass this travesty, they deserve not only to be voted out of office, but they deserve prosecution for failure to uphold their duties to preserve and protect the constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

I'm partly angry at the stupid and corrupt politicians in Washington, but I'm even more angry at my fellow citizens for electing the rotten bunch.

Did I mention I'm angry?

Then the non-news on Iraq, also making me angry. The fight is between Republicans who want to continue to wage a sensitive PC war, pretending that if we just let the enemy keep blowing us up they'll eventually figure out what nice people we are; and Democrats who just want to give up and invite the same enemies over to blow us up here at home.

What will it take to kick all the bums out?!

First Night Off

For the first time this week, I'm taking the night off from work.

Having so much outstanding work this week meant that every night after finishing teaching during business hours, I had to go back to the hotel and work. It's OK once in awhile, but night after night gets very old.

So tonight I'm taking a break. Checking email, writing a little post here, and getting out of the hotel.

There's nothing much going on lately giving me fodder for comment.

I'm tired of the Iraq argument. By allowing the idiocy happening in DC, I guess we deserve what we will most likely get out of that mess. Enjoy the calm before the storm.

People running for President. It's way too early. And they're boring. And nobody appeals.

I need a vacation.

Good is Evil and Evil is Good

There's so much trashing of Christianity going on these days, one would think that Christians are the source of all evil in the world.

The most wild-eyed of the atheists, Rosie O'Donnell and Bill Maher to name a couple, would have us believe that Christianity is more dangerous than Al Quaeda or the Taliban.

Variously called "fundamentalists", "evangelicals", "Christian Right", and other labels meant to dismiss people of faith as intolerant radicals, the truth is that Christianity is not monolithic. There is no single spokesperson for Christianity.

Pope Benedict speaks for Roman Catholics, or does he? American Catholics are generally more liberal than conservative, and there is almost an epidemic of renegade priests across the country who openly defy the church's laws and guidelines.

Who speaks for "evangelicals" or "fundamentalists"? Jerry Falwell? Some other Televangelist? In contrast with the Roman Catholics, Protestants offer a full spectrum from the most liberal churches who barely acknowledge Jesus Christ and dismiss any hint of a moral foundation, to the most conservative congregations most starkly represented by the Amish and conservative Mennonites, who shun all things modern and worldly to live in insular communities.

The mythology being perpetrated by anti-Christian activists can be positively refuted by simply clarifying the tenets of the Christian faith.

Christianity does not desire to force religion on anyone. Becoming a Christian is a personal choice. Jesus did not send evangelists into the world to enslave and forcibly convert everyone to the faith; instead, he sent evangelists to preach the good news to all people so they can share in the joy of a life spent in communion with a loving God.

Christian morality is not some arbitrary rule book designed to deny people of any fun, but instead is a very practical set of commandments designed for strong families and peaceful, loving societies.

Christians do not oppose Gay Marriage out of a desire to persecute homosexuals. They oppose it because it represents government endorsement and special protections to people based on aberrant and immoral sexual behavior. I know a lot of conservative Christians, but don't know a single one who supports an active persecution of a homosexual. Although many, me included, have a fairly serious problem with sending elementary school children to a classroom with an openly gay teacher. Or allowing a young child to join a team or scout troop with a leader or coach who is openly gay.

Which right should trump the other? The right of a gay teacher to flaunt their sexual preference and teach that it's a desirable lifestyle to 10-year-old children, or the right of a parent to protect their young children from messages about sex that are age-inappropriate and openly contradict their dearly held beliefs?

The other myth that must be debunked is the idea that Evangelicals somehow want to impose their religion on others. The truth is that Evangelicals take very seriously the direction given by Jesus as he left, to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Evangelicals feel an obligation to share their faith with others, but ultimately hope to influence those others to share their faith. They have no desire to impose that faith by force.

Christians who are politically active are primarily concerned that political forces in this country are bent on destroying the Church in America. Atheist and Communist activists have openly stated this as their goal. It's not an attempt to "take over" the government, but simply to protect the precious freedoms of speech and religion as encoded in the US Constitution.

The assault on "Organized Religion" is actually an assault on the people who believe, not in some vague concept of "Organized Religion", but in the teachings and promises of a two thousand year old Jewish preacher.

What Changed?

Over 30 years ago, I picked Ball State from among the state colleges and universities. I never seriously considered private colleges because I felt my family couldn't afford to send me, and I certainly couldn't afford them either. Ball State was familiar, as I had been to a summer music camp and dated a girl from Muncie. Ball State seemed to really want me; professors reached out to recruit me in person, and the school offered me a full tuition scholarship.

I looked at Indiana (too big) and Indiana State (didn't like it or Terre Haute). I never considered Purdue, because I didn't think Engineering was in my future.

So I went to BSU. In the Spring of my Freshman year, I ran out of money. I was embarrassed to have to ask my parents for help to finish out the Spring Quarter. I resolved not to have to ask again.

I succeeded, at least from the standpoint that I never asked for help after my Freshman year, except for when I asked for a co-sign on a used car loan. Parental assistance was given freely at different times through the rest of my college career and was sincerely appreciated. But I took care of all my scholarship and financial aid paperwork, budgeted my hard-earned money from summer and on-campus jobs, and when absolutely necessary took out one small temporary student loan.

Now it seems college kids go where they want whether they or their parents can afford it or not. They mortgage their futures by borrowing the money to fill the gap. Stories abound of college graduates entering the workforce saddled with debt in 5 and even 6 figures.

I worked construction and factory jobs in the summer and hated nearly every minute. But those were the best paying jobs available to me, and I felt an obligation to work hard to prove I could pay my own way.

Now college students take unpaid internships or below-minimum-wage camp counselor summer jobs. They don't even earn enough to keep their car maintained, gassed, and insured, let alone have cash to meet expenses through the school year.

What changed in 30 years? Or am I the anomaly?

Quick Posts

Here's an idea for when there's no real time to post. I'm calling it Quick Posts.

Today's Quick Posts.

A very interesting irony. The Democrats refused to participate in the presidential candidates debate that was set to be hosted by Fox News. Because, well, it was Fox News.

Then the Republicans had their presidential debate on MSNBC, hosted by rabid partisans Chris Matthews and covered by rabid and demented partisan Keith Olbermann. (Both democrat leftists, by the way)

Don't even try to tell me Britt Hume isn't fair and balanced while Mathews and Olbermann are.

Overcommitted. When will I learn not to do that to myself?

How did we get to the point where thousands of illegal aliens can take to the streets in protest marches and not one of them gets deported? If you think I'm somehow cruel or intolerant, then just give me one example of another country in the entire world that not only looks the other way when foreigners sneak across their border, but then allows them to protest the government that tacitly permitted them to remain?

Not a single one.

We live in the age of insanity. Or ignorance. Or maybe both.

This I can Respect

The cross-section of high profile entertainers that have become political activists has for the most part disgusted me. Singers and actors who probably couldn't find Iraq on a world map seem to think it's en vogue to run around the country comparing Bush to Hitler do nothing productive besides offending half of their past and potential future fans. I think it was Laura Ingraham who put it best when she said, "Shut up and sing". My sentiments exactly.

There is a notable exception, and I'm surprised to hear myself admitting it. Brad and Angelina. I had always figured Brad for a sort of airhead shallow Hollywood type, and Angelina seemed like a frightening woman who seems more than a little bit crazy.

Where their politics lie isn't important to me. It's the fact that their advocacy is focused on helping children in the third world. They've been to those countries and spent a lot of their own time and money trying to help. They've even adopted a gaggle of orphans from different poor countries. You can't adopt every orphan on the planet, even if you are a multi-millionaire. But I have to respect the fact that they are motivated by a real care and concern for children.

For the rest of the entertainment crowd, I sort of hope they take the cue from Brad and Angelina. Instead of playing destructive and partisan politics in the comfort of your opulent American homes, how about doing something positive that actually helps somebody? I have no respect for a performer who trashes Republicans on stage in front of a few thousand fans who paid a hundred bucks each to hear them sing and were surprised to find a political rally instead.

Dixie Chicks, adopted any orphans lately? Tim and Susan, have you helped feed, clothe, or house any refugees? Michael Moore, have you helped anybody escape totalitarian oppression?

Here's a new idea: Let's modify "Shut up and sing" to "Shut up and help".

What is the Difference?

Spending two weeks in Jamaica helped me learn a great deal, and also wonder about a great deal.

I read up, asked lots of questions of the folks I worked with over the two weeks. Jamaica's generally very poor, with what I'm told is about 70% unemployment. One person wondered out loud whether it was good for Jamaica to get their independence from the Brits 50 years ago. They've struggled terribly economically, but still know they're light years ahead of their neighbors in Haiti. Hatians float their leaky boats to Jamaica in search of a better life, even though there are few prospects for them.

Why can't Jamaica be a prosperous island nation instead of a poor, crime-ridden place?

I was on the road two Sundays in a row, covering a large chunk of the island. On both Sundays I saw many people dressed very nicely walking to and from their churches. On the other hand, I couldn't help but notice that most of those people were women and children - I saw lots of young men just hanging out.

I learned that the lush island can grow just about anything, and is a great place for growing tropical fruits and vegetables of all kinds. Once upon a time, Jamaica had a fantastically lucrative banana trade. It dried up when other countries began shipping bananas around the world for lower prices. Jamaica historically has been a major producer of sugar from their productive sugar cane fields. Now they can't sell much sugar abroad, because places like Malaysia sell sugar for nearly half the price.

Even tourism is not the greatest these days. Hurting tourism these days is the crime rate, which makes many foreign tourists hesitant to make the trip. Plus, from my perspective from my visit to Montego Bay, the island isn't a great bargain. There are some very expensive all-inclusive resorts that probably do fairly well, but the resort areas remain fairly poor. I wasn't ready to wander around in the Montego Bay area alone, partly because of being approached while just crossing the street to the beach, first by a dude wanting to sell me some giggle weed, and later by a prostitute.

Jamaica has huge bauxite fields, being mined by a couple of companies now. But they can't make aluminum, they just create the alumina raw material and ship it out of the country to other aluminum plants.

The bottom line is that Jamaica has huge potential, with a great climate, world-class beaches, and tremendous natural resources. So why is the place so poor?

One could ask a similar question of Mexico, or for that matter, all the poor third-world countries in the western hemisphere. Why are they so poor while the United States is so prosperous? They have the resources and the opportunity to be prosperous, but can't seem to grap those opportunities.

I believe I know the answer.

He's Back

It's great to be back in the good ol' USA.

There's much I could write about, but after spending literally the whole weekend in airports and on airplanes and getting very little sleep, I don't have the energy.

What I can say is a trip like that can really impact one's perspective.

They say they want me back. I said schedule it for February, when the weather's horrible back in Indiana. We will see.

Must rest.

Up and Away

Here I thought I'd sworn off politics for awhile, and then that previous post appears almost without my conscious knowledge. Surreal. Good ideas there, I think, but I've got to stop deluding myself into thinking anybody else cares.

Now it seems like a pretty good deal to escape the cold, rainy, and maybe snowy weather here for two weeks in Jamaica. I just feel a bit of stress because of a lack of information.

I don't know what the client's "guest house" is. It could be a princely place or a dump, and I won't know until I get there.

They are providing me with a driver while I'm there. I don't know if it's a personal chauffer or somebody off the street who shows up when he feels like it in a Yugo.

They promised to "take care of me" over the weekend. I don't know what that means exactly, or whether I really want to be taken care of.

Some might find all this exciting. I suppose I do too, in a way, but I'd rather know a lot more about what to expect before climbing on the plane.

When I get home, it's laundry and repack and sleep before driving right back to the airport for a trip to Nevada the next day. The thought exhausts me.

I'm going out on a limb and predicting this is the last post you'll see from me for at least 2, and possibly 3 weeks. Hope you can survive without my semi-regular tidbits of reason and wisdom.

Out.

Rethinking Conventional Wisdom

I recall being told back in high school that the evil racists in the south had implemented laws like poll taxes and literacy tests to deny black people the right to vote.

I'm now wondering, were they trying to deny the vote based on race, or was there some other objective?

First, let's eliminate the poll tax idea. Whether racist or not, citizens should never be charged any amount of money to participate in electing their representatives.

But what about literacy?

How can a democracy survive if a plurality of its voters -

Have no idea what is in the Consititution, Bill of Rights, or Declaration of Independence?

Have no idea who the candidates are, their qualifications or lack thereof, and what policies they would support in office?

Vote for a Presidential Candidate based solely on a bit of propaganda they saw on TV, and/or is simply the more physically attractive?

Suppose we passed a simple law: You can register to vote at your local BMV branch. To get your voting card, you must meet the following criteria -

Prove you are over 18 and a citizen of the United States
You have no felony convictions
You pass a 10-minute exam, proving you understand the fundamentals of your country's government. It takes an 80% to pass. If you fail, you may return and take it again in 6 months.
In English only.

Here's a great idea - when you're registered to vote, the voter registration authorization is indicated on your drivers license. One picture ID takes care of it all. It also indicates in what precinct you are registered. If you don't have a drivers license, then you can be issued a free voter registration id card with your picture.

Then at the polls, you will just be required to show your ID and sign in before voting.

This solves all the problems of voter fraud and guarantees that all voters at least have a clue about their representative government.

I know, Democrats will call this racist. But I say they're the racists, because in the very process of calling this very common-sense approach racist, they are proving a condescending attitude toward racial minorities that assumes they are incapable of passing a simple test. I say it's racist to denigrate any racial minority so egregiously.

The cynic in me says that the real reason Democrats would oppose this simple plan has nothing to do with race. I think reason is, for decades, they have been cheating at the polls. Stories abound of vanloads of people driving from precinct to precinct on election day, handed a new identity for each polling place of someone the party activists already know is dead or has moved away, but was never purged from the voter rolls.

Many stories as well exist about Democrat activists seeking out and registering illegal aliens, then giving them rides to the polls to cast their illegal votes. Same goes for convicted felons.

Do Republicans cheat in their own ways? Probably. The most credible story I've heard on that side is about Republican operatives taking vans to nursing homes and loading up Alzheimer's patients to take to the polls, where the operatives "assist" them in pulling the straight Republican lever.

Both parties are often accused of buying votes. "Go in and vote for (Insert Candidate Name Here), and I'll give you 20 bucks." Last time around, a Democrat activist got caught handing out crack in return for votes. I wonder how they know for sure that the person they just bribed actually voted they way they wanted - it seems that some might vote for the other candidate just for grins. There's no way I know of to confirm any specific vote cast in the booth, as far as I know.

I'm suggesting that this simple solution eliminates all that voter fraud, and keeps the most profoundly ignorant out of the voting booth.

What's wrong with that?

Bad Language

Personally, I have almost never listened to Don Imus. The tiny bit of exposure I've had to the guy formed a general perception of a rather rude and arrogant wierd sort of cowboy type.

But I think the reaction to his racist/sexist comment about the ladies basketball team was way over the top. Even though the comment was stupid, I don't know the context in which he said it. Whatever he said, he shouldn't have said it, but he shouldn't have been fired for it.

If Imus should be fired and banished from the air for that single, admittedly offensive phrase, then lots of others should also immediately be taken off the air. Why pick and choose who can be offended and who cannot? If we will not tolerate offensive speech for one group, then we should not tolerate offensive speech for any group.

Given the standard applied to Imus, here are others that should be fired and taken off the air immediately:

1. Bill Maher, for publicly wishing somebody would assasinate Dick Cheney.
2. All the Air America talkers for calling Bush a Fascist, Clarence Thomas Uncle Tom, Condoleeza Rice Aunt Jemima, and on and on.
3. All the reporters and columnists at the AP, Washington Post, NY Times, LA Times, and so on, for the same types of statements in #2.

While we're on the topic of offensive language, then let's extend it to language that offends me. Anyone who says any of the following within my hearing should lose their job and publicly excoriated:

1. Atheists calling Christians weak-minded, ignorant, bigoted and stupid.
2. Blacks calling white people "Crackers".
3. Anybody else using various racial and ethnic slurs like "wop", "polack", "chink", "nigger", "kraut", "raghead", "wetback". In a joke, referring to their own race, whatever. Fired immediately and publicly humiliated, regardless of where or to whom they made the slur.
4. Anybody who ever again calls somebody a "neocon". I'm so sick of that word, that really doesn't mean anything except "evil republican".
5. All obscenities, profanities and vulgarities. Such language is used only for shock value by those without the vocabulary to express themselves effectively.

Should we make the police arrest people for what they say, when somebody might be offended by it? Don't say anything that anybody might find offensive, even if you didn't know it would be offensive to anybody, or you could be fired, arrested, and find yourself excoriated on 24-hour cable news channels.

Does no one else see the insanity here?

Escape to Jamaica

It looks like that's exactly what I am about to do.

The information I have seems to indicate that there will be little or no chance for me to get online during my two weeks in Jamaica. And I don't yet know whether I'll be able to make or receive telephone calls.

That means I have to work extra hard today and tomorrow to wrap up whatever I can with other stuff going on and let other people who may want to reach me know that they can't for the next two weeks. I'm a bit worried about that in a couple of cases.

Go ahead and make fun, but I enjoyed the Celtic Women concert last night in Indy. It's a very polished and professional show and the singers are talented and very well matched for style and blend. The most striking positive for me was the awesome vocal arrangements they performed. Their a capella arrangement of Over the Rainbow was stunningly written and ably delivered. It would be fun to get a copy of that arrangement somehow and teach a quartet of talented singers how to sing it.

First time in a long time I kind of miss teaching.

The Huckeby Saga Draws to a Close

In case you don't know already, the school board unanimously chose not to extend Barry Huckeby's teaching contract into next year. It's the only action they've taken in this case that makes any sense.

Unfortunately, we still have to wait for his trial to find out the real facts of the story.

A brief recap for those who may not know, Barry was hired to be the high school basketball coach at Columbus North. He was also a math teacher and assistant athletic director.

Only a couple of months into the job, Barry was in charge of counting and depositing the proceeds from a football playoff game. Unnamed school officials determined that approximately $3,000 of the gate receipts from that game were missing. In the process, Barry confessed to taking some money from the gate receipts, but reportedly only admitted to taking around $50 to buy supplies for the office printer.

He was placed on paid leave while the investigation took place, and finally his case was brought to the school board, which decided to strip him of his coaching and assistant athletic director duties but allowed him to stay on for the rest of the year as a math teacher.

His supporters claim that some of those unnamed school officials acted on a vendetta against Barry, and that the claim of missing $3,000 was falsely created to that end. Others believe that, for reasons only he knows, he did steal approximately that amount, and made up the story about the printer supplies as a cover.

Unfortunately, no details of the investigation have been made public. We don't know what the police investigators know. All those details are being carefully protected from public disclosure, presumably keeping it safely under wraps until the trial. I have a number of questions that I hope will be answered when the trial gets underway -

How do they know $3,000 is missing? The logical explanation can be one or both of these: Nobody gets in free to playoff games, and they have a headcount at the gate to match against receipts. Doing the math showed that they were $3,000 short. Secondly, the ticket sellers at the gate counted the money before handing it off to Barry, and the total sum they gave him was $3,000 more than what he deposited. The first by itself doesn't necessarily mean Barry stole the money; the second almost certainly does.

What high school athletic department anywhere is stupid enough to put one individual in charge of processing the gate receipts? Making it an absolute requirement that a minimum of two people handle the money at every step through the bank deposit is just common sense. Not just to protect against theft, but also to protect the individual involved from any accusation of theft or mishandling of the funds.

If the evidence was strong enough to convince the school board to remove Barry from his coaching and assistant athletic director positions, why was it not strong enough to remove him from teaching? It seems on its face to represent a double standard: A thief can't be allowed to coach the basketball team, but is OK to teach math? Where's the logic in that?

To accept Barry's story of grabbing a few bucks to buy office supplies, you have to believe that he didn't know any better. Stories say that he's been a teacher and coach for something like 11 years. It stretches all credibility to accept that, given all those years around high school athletic programs, he was ignorant about basic practices in handling of gate receipts and requisitioning office supplies.

As an outside observer who has never met Barry, the information that has been released about his case leads me to the logical conclusion that he is more likely guilty than not guilty. The exact amount is certainly questionable, and unless the ticket sellers have solid evidence of their total gate receipts, it may never be known. But it seems unlikely that 500 people were mis-counted or allowed into the event for free.

The losers in this case are the Columbus North varsity basketball team. They had to survive this turmoil and go through a difficult season with an interim coach. The program has been damaged heavily by this incident, and likely will take years to recover.

Too bad.

Church Music

Now that I've ventured into the music topic, it's time to explore the music with which I have the most experience - sacred, or church music.

My family enjoyed singing, and I grew up singing. I started singing in church at a very young age - maybe as early as 4 or 5. In the next 45 years, I've spent more sunday mornings in the choir loft or as the Cantor than in the pew.

I've had the interesting experience of a lot of time in both Protestant and Catholic music programs. I enjoyed the protestant traditions of strong, 4-part congregational singing out of the hymnals. Protestants can sing, and generally sing pretty well. My favorite hymn-singing practice in the Protestant churches is to switch between parts in each verse. Melody, alto, tenor, bass. It's fun.

The Catholics, in contrast, don't sing. Most Catholic masses feature a small choir or guitar group of variable skill singing to the congregation, who at best mumble quietly through the songs. Catholics don't provide hynmals with 4-part harmonies, but simple songbooks with only the melody line printed. Sometimes the books don't even provide the melody line, but just the lyrics.

But the Catholic church has the best sacred music library in the world. The Latin Masses written by history's greatest composers are some of the best music anywhere. I miss the brief times that I've been able to participate in presenting some of those wonderful choral works.

Unfortunately, these days it's hard to find good music in churches. Good organists, or even pianists for that matter, are few and far between. The great old traditional choral music has been replaced by guitars and "contemporary" unison choruses of very simple songs. It's sort of like musical kindergarten.

Most disappointing for me is the trend away from the whole congregation participating in the music, to now the guitar "praise bands" that use the church service or mass as their own performance platforms. I absolutely despise the churches I've visited that project the words to the simple songs on a screen behind the "praise band". As an individual in the pew who has never heard the songs before, I can't sing along, let alone harmonize. Nor do I want to, because the amplifiers are cranked up to a level where you can't hear yourself think and the song is of poor quality anyway.

I'm not suggesting that I'm some sort of musical snob. I enjoy a well-composed contemporary song and a good guitar. Some of the modern sacred music is pleasant, if not very sophisticated.

My complaint is more that music is meant to be shared by all in a common worship experience, not performed by a small group of musicians for their own gratification and egos. I've come to the point where I prefer to sing from my church's balcony. The ideal I attempt to find in my singing is to enhance the experience of the Mass for everyone, where they don't even know or think much about who is up there in the balcony providing the music.

After all, we're not there to praise the musicians.

I wish more church musicians could get that.

Musical Illiteracy

What an interesting social experiment in Washington DC.

Would you have stopped to listen?

Would you have recognized the music or the musician?

Would you have recognized the quality of the performance?

Would you have thrown some cash in the violin case?

The actual results of the experiment are disheartening.

Good Friday Sermon

A couple thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher wandered the countryside, preaching about basic philosophies like faith, hope, and love.

He became a sort of celebrity among the ancient Judeans, drawing huge crowds with his simple, common-sense sermons and miraculous healings of the sick and disabled. He hung out with the outcasts of society and disdained the priestly elite. Those outcasts were inspired by his message to change their lives for the better, while the elite leaders of his faith sought to silence him.

So when he entered Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover, the priestly elite arrested him in the middle of the night and held a kangaroo court in which they convicted him of religious blasphemy and political sedition.

But Judea was part of the Roman Empire, and the priests didn't have authority to execute their judgement on this poor preacher. So they took him to the Roman governor, who interrogated the pitiful preacher and decided that he represented no threat to the Empire, and decided to let him go.

But a riotous crowd was gathered by the priests to demand the preacher's execution, so the governor relented, not wanting to foment a riot among the Jews of Jerusalem over one of their own that had somehow offended their priestly elite.

So the preacher was severely beaten, then nailed to a wooden cross for a slow and excruciating death.

The Christian faith was born when this itinerant preacher got up and walked out of his tomb three days after he died on that cross. He was seen, heard, and touched by hundreds of people who attested to that resurrection. And thousands were so affected by the experience that they willingly went to their own horrible deaths only because they refused to renounce their faith in what they had witnessed directly and felt compelled to spread the message to the rest of the world.

Today, Christians are once again vilified and branded as evil by non-Christians. Christians are accused of being "weak-minded" and are considered more dangerous than today's radical Muslim terrorists, even though no actual examples exist of Christian churches conspiring to do anything more dangerous than trying to influence politicians to stop abortion and homosexual marriage.

I wonder why there remains as much hatred today for that 2,000 year old preacher from the other side of the world as there was back when that hatred led to his crucifixion? What so upsets people that they will persecute followers of the preacher who asked us only to love and care for one another? Why does a message of love and redemption strike such fear into people that they would seek to persecute those who wish to convey that message?

Such hatred does not cause me, as a Christian, to hate in return. It only makes me sad. Such hatred must come from some horrible life experience or a misguided brainwashing that has prevented these people from learning the true nature and message of that poor Judean preacher, Jesus Christ.

Brain Programming

Conflict is less upsetting to me lately, although it is still true that I generally prefer to avoid it. In the business setting, it doesn't upset me at all when I know I'm right. That is, if the issue is about something and not about me. What upsets me the most is when I'm personally accused unfairly, especially when the guilty party is either looking on silently or actually making the accusation.

When the issue is not personal, it's fascinating to note that people solve problems in different ways. So many times I've seen people make decisions based on the way their brains are wired. Some make decisions based on feeling and intuition, and others based on available facts and research.

In the business world, intuitive decision-makers are only right when they get lucky. Rational decision-makers are right because they did their homework.

I experienced the contrast directly this week, dealing with managers from two different clients. The first was an excellent manager. She is always pleasant and positive, but at the same times knows how to ask the right questions. She listens carefully to the answers and asks more questions until she understands the problem and possible solutions, then is decisive about her chosen solution. She then assigns the task to a member of her staff most competent to carry out the task, and follows up to make sure it is completed on time and according to her instruction. Finally, she enthusiastically praises the staff member for a job well done.

In contrast, there is a second manager with a very different approach. Whenever she's around, her staff cowers, afraid they will be upbraided for some unknown failure. She knows there is a problem, and is visibly angry, although her staff has noticed that she never seems to have any emotion other than anger. Rather than seeking to understand the problem, she probes deeply to try to find the guilty party. When the guilty party is self-identified, given up by a co-worker, or just chosen as the most likely candidate, a public lynching takes place. Then this manager proceeds to order a staff member to correct the problem. She doesn't identify the solution or give any guidance to that staff member, but simply demands the issue be fixed by that person immediately. The frightened and demoralized staff member then goes off and tries his best to fix the problem, knowing that he doesn't really know how and will be upbraided again tomorrow for failing to fix it properly.

What I wonder about is who hired the second manager, and does that person have any idea what they have done to their organization by doing so?