Author: RJ Walters

I am an Independent thinking, highly functional person who is deaf and has some unique views and challenges in life. Like all of us, I am a person who is composed of all my life experiences and that is what I write about here.
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Employer Paid Healthcare is Complicated…

RJ Walters

We in the U.S. have chosen to get our health insurance primarily through our employers.  But that proves to be a very complicated process. The rest of the world has chosen their government to provide for their healthcare through their tax dollars. Employer Paid Healthcare is Complicated: If our employer is small he is likely unable to afford the going insurance rates. Therefore those employees are pretty much own their own. If our employer is a religious based institution they will likely exclude things that other might  be covered for. If our employer is having some financial problems they will … Continue reading Employer Paid Healthcare is Complicated…

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On The Road – Omaha (Day 3)

RJ Walters

We didn’t have much of a drive today; just across the river to Omaha and then north to our first sightseeing venture. But we did make some new friends today while visiting the Wildlife Safari Preserve. My wife being a super animal lover that she is insisted this be our first stop. We are now settled down in the Magnolia Hotel for a quick nap and then it is on to our first visit to the Old Market District just four blocks down the road.  The hotel is somewhat unique; it is a completely renovated 1930 hotel that is done in the … Continue reading On The Road – Omaha (Day 3)

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On The Road – Council Bluffs Iowa (Day 2)

RJ Walters

Here I am sitting in our hotel room in Council  Bluffs Iowa. But unlike last night I am sitting here alone.  No my wife didn’t get mad and leave me; she is instead in a casino about 100 yards from our hotel room.  Unknowingly I chose a hotel for the night in a casino complex. Gambling is just not my thing but Yvonne does like to play the nickel slots when she can. I’m not sure when she will be back. She said I wore her out today so she doesn’t think she will stay long.  I don’t worry about … Continue reading On The Road – Council Bluffs Iowa (Day 2)

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$1.75 Gasoline Just Down the Road….

RJ Walters

It seems that the favorite hobby right now is to complain about gas prices and particularly to blame the high prices on President Obama :) We all like to remember the good old days when gasoline was much cheaper. When I first started driving gasoline was $0.28 per gallon! But what if I told you that you can get gas even now for $1.75 per gallon? Well that is not exactly true but the result is the same thing. There is a rather simple way to accomplish this feat and that is to dump your SUV or pickup and get … Continue reading $1.75 Gasoline Just Down the Road….

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The Clubhouse Effect…..

RJ Walters

I recently watched an interview of a Christian clergyman of twenty years.  He was having doubts about his faith.  All of us have doubts and one time or another. Even Mother Teresa was troubled by them. Having doubts is not too unusual but this particular minister’s doubts were leading him to make the leap back to an agnostic or even worse. This is sad but it is not really the purpose of this post. During the interview the pastor noted something  I think he called the clubhouse effect. This is basically where religious beliefs take a back burner to maintaining … Continue reading The Clubhouse Effect…..

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On The Road – Quincy Illinois

RJ Walters

Here we are at the end of day one; well at least the traveling end of it.  We are in Quincy Illinois which is right on the Illinois/Missouri border. Today was mainly a travel day but we did take the majority of in on State roads instead of InterStates. Going the entire width of Illinois, which is about 225 miles, on local roads brought to mind an article I read on the Internet this morning. source:  Tiny towns go up for sale – USATODAY.com. This is an article about a small town that is up for sale but could just … Continue reading On The Road – Quincy Illinois

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These Low Interest Rates….

RJ Walters

Source: http://www.aarp.org/money/investing/info-01-2012/war-on-savers.html I see the Federal Reserve has again announced that they will maintain a near 0% interest rate through at least mid 2013.  That might be good for the young couples who are looking to buy a foreclosed home but it is killing us seniors. I have had this topic on my blog list for quite some time now and the recent article in the February/March AARP magazine entitled The War on Savers  by Carla Fried brought it to the top of the list.  Here are some of the words from the article: “This country was built on hard work and savings … Continue reading These Low Interest Rates….

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Pragmatists and the Democratic Process….

RJ Walters

Source:  Maine GOP Sen. Snowe’s retirement makes way for Democrats – USATODAY.com. “I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term,” she said, adding that she would seek opportunities outside of the Senate to encourage civility in government. “It is time for change in the way we govern,” she said. It truly saddens me to see our politics move to the extreme edges. Moderates in either party just are not welcomed now. The same goes for voting your conscience. If they don’t vote how their political leaders instruct them then … Continue reading Pragmatists and the Democratic Process….

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Don’t Spend Your Life Studying God’s Word….

RJ Walters

The title of this post may at first glance seem unChristian but I don’t believe it to be so.  To convince you of that I will repeat it here but with an ending. Don’t spend you life studying God’s word but instead spend your life putting his words into action as he intended. In other words God’s messages are not meant to be just contemplated but instead we are meant to do what He says. There are several Christian denominations who seem to base their Christianity on “letting the Lord’s grace flow over them”. They see that as their life’s … Continue reading Don’t Spend Your Life Studying God’s Word….

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The Trouble With Wall Street Is……

RJ Walters

The trouble with Wall Street is well, Wall Street. Those folks in New York City, especially Manhattan, think they are the center of the universe. Lets move our financial institutions to Omaha Nebraska.  That will give them more common sense than they would ever be able to gain on that little island in New York.  Warren Buffett has done pretty well with himself by staying there all these years. He has weathered most of the melt-down in pretty good shape. He doesn’t let the flashy lights of fame and fortune cloud his judgment. The people who live in or near … Continue reading The Trouble With Wall Street Is……

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And He Went Home One Night….

RJ Walters

  I, like so many others was saddened to see the death of Whitney Houston. She became famous just before I went deaf so I sort of remember some of her songs. She indeed had a rare talent. It sounds like from the initial reports that her death was at least partially caused by her addition to drugs and alcohol. Of course Elvis, and quite a few other rich and famous people have had a similar ending. I’m sure Whitney had an entourage of people constantly around her to grant her every desire. She was certainly rich beyond what anyone of … Continue reading And He Went Home One Night….

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What Language Did Adam & Eve Speak??

RJ Walters

Some Christians believe that each and every word in the Bible is literally true and without error. Even though I did not believe in a literal Bible I belonged to one of those churches at one time. I often asked embarrassing questions during our weekly bible study. Questions the clergy leader really didn’t care to try to answer.  Asking those questions is probably one of the reasons they tossed me out. I never got to ask the question in the title of this post but I would be very interested in knowing how they might answer it. According to the biblical account … Continue reading What Language Did Adam & Eve Speak??

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How to call the police when you’re old, and don’t move fast anymore..

RJ Walters

I just got this from a niece and wanted all you seniors to learn the correct way to call the police :)  This is supposed to be a true story. George Phillips, an elderly man, from Walled Lake, Michigan, was going up to bed, when his wife told him that he’d left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window. George opened the back door to go turn off the light, but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things. He phoned the police, who asked “Is someone in your house?”  … Continue reading How to call the police when you’re old, and don’t move fast anymore..

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The Uncounted Deaths of War…..

RJ Walters

Source:  NYT: Risks of Afghan war shift to contractors – World news – The New York Times – msnbc.com. This is a war where traditional military jobs, from mess hall cooks to base guards and convoy drivers, have increasingly been shifted to the private sector. Many American generals and diplomats have private contractors for their personal bodyguards. And along with the risks have come the consequences: More civilian contractors working for American companies than American soldiers died in Afghanistan last year for the first time during the war. American employers here are under no obligation to publicly report the deaths … Continue reading The Uncounted Deaths of War…..

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On The Road Again…..

RJ Walters

We will be on the road again in about a week and I am going to do my usual “on the road” daily blog posts giving you my observations and experience of what we visit.  This time we will be visiting Omaha Nebraska. We were there during our month long vacation in 2009 and decided to save the city for its own vacation. What we saw in 2009 was a beautiful city with a fabulous restored warehouse district.  We will be staying at a renovated one hundred year old  hotel. “On the road” posts are a different thing for me. … Continue reading On The Road Again…..

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Do You Want To Be A Published Author??

RJ Walters

Source: Apple scores with digital textbooks and app – USATODAY.com. To encourage development, Apple launched iBooks Author, a free authoring tool for the Mac that encourages anyone to produce their own iBook textbooks, cookbooks, how-tos and other works. Apple says more than 600,000 copies of the tool have been downloaded since launch. Authors can distribute the books for free. But if they put the iBook textbook up for sale, they must do so through Apple’s iBookstore. (Authors can use the content in other digital and print formats, Apple says.) Who among us, especially us bloggers, doesn’t want to be a published … Continue reading Do You Want To Be A Published Author??

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If God Is Love – Part 5

RJ Walters

This is the last installment for the review of the book “If God Is Love” that I brought over from my other blog.  This book was a major factor in forming my current view of the Church of Christ. <<<<<<< Post from August 16, 2011 >>>>>>>> This is a continuation of my discussions of the book entitled “When God Is Love” by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland. Here is the quote for today: Working to make the world a more gracious place wasn’t a priority in the churches of my childhood. Some of this negligence was a result of apolcalyptic … Continue reading If God Is Love – Part 5

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History Is…..

RJ Walters

History ain’t what it is. It’s what some writer wanted it to be.  – Will Rogers Oh Will you sage!! How did so many wise things come from your lips?  Another way of saying this is that “history belongs to the victor. Will Rogers, like me to a lessor degree, was part native American. He grew up in Oklahoma which was where most of the native American tribes ended up by the early 1900s. So, I’m sure Will had his ancestry in mind when the wrote these words. We native Americans have always been portrayed as those filthy savages in most of … Continue reading History Is…..