Category: *Having My Say

On Just About Everything

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Unreported Income??

RJ Walters

It is estimated that the IRS loses about $500 billion yearly due to unreported income. A big part of that amount is from the self-employed who simply pocket money without putting it on their books. Except for the fast-food franchises and of course the local Walmart, the small town I live in is pretty much local businesses. When I go to the hardware store, more often than not, the cash from my small sale is mostly just pocketed. I imagine the same happens in small towns across America. If the IRS is losing $500 billion that basically means that if … Continue reading Unreported Income??

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Wit, Wisdom, and Insight

RJ Walters

This is going to be a pretty philosophical post so be ready. The three words in the title above are a strong part of what I want to be when I grow up. I realize that these things don’t happen overnight. They are instead a lifelong process.  I proudly think I have come quite a way in obtaining them now that I am beginning my eighth decade on this earth. A few more and maybe they will be complete. :) Just kidding of course, but these three characteristics do take a long time to mold into a psyche.  Which is harder … Continue reading Wit, Wisdom, and Insight

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About Your Enemies… and Reconciliation

RJ Walters

It seems that at least for the last twenty months or so I have enemies who rant against my view of the world.  They come at me with a “love it or leave it mentality.  How dare I say some of the things I do.  Will those who spew out all the hate via social media eventually destroy themselves as the quote here indicates? Hate is a self-consuming thing. It will eat you alive if you wallow in it too long and that seems to be what so many of the current ranters are doing They troll the Internet looking … Continue reading About Your Enemies… and Reconciliation

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Human Dexterity…

RJ Walters

This post is going to be about how robots have replaced humans in a significant segment of our industrial complex.  I will say up front that I deem this as progress. Human dexterity is just not a precise thing.  We are incapable of producing the accuracy of today’s workplace.  We are imprecise creatures and in some way that makes us creative creatures and that is something that machines won’t soon replace. When I bought my first new car in 1970 the saying “don’t buy a car made on a Friday or Monday”  was something to take seriously. The reason for that … Continue reading Human Dexterity…

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Shades of Grey…

RJ Walters

Unlike so many of my conservative friends, I deem almost everything in life as being shades of grey. Some agree with #CO3 that the press is the enemy of the people. There is an iota of truth in that but their contributions to our democracy FAR outweigh those times when they are doing something totally for their own sake.  As far as Fox News is concerned, I don’t put them in the press category.  They are instead just a propaganda tool for a small slice of our society. Getting back to the topic at hand, the Poll watch shown here … Continue reading Shades of Grey…

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Being Alone…

RJ Walters

Even after 32 years of marriage being alone is something I still relish. It seems I must have my alone time. That seems to be especially true now that I am in my senior years.  But, I have always been pretty much a loner. I just never have seemed to know what to do in a group. I suspect a big part of this is probably due to my self-proclaimed Asperberger’s Syndrome. Interactions with others have always been difficult for me.  It takes a special person to accept my nuances and call me a friend. I have had a few … Continue reading Being Alone…

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Heading to the Rendezvous

RJ Walters

Here I am sitting in my uRV. It is only 6am but my body says it is 8 and time to get up. It took me three days to get here but I am finally in the Rocky Mountains and will be heading to the Ft. Bridger Wyoming Rendezvous later this morning.  I think I will hold off on the trip here report until I get home again, but I did want to give you a status report. I am in my RV park here in Green River WY for a couple of days and managed to snap a few … Continue reading Heading to the Rendezvous

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One of My Dreams…

RJ Walters

One of my dreams, you could say one of the few things on my bucket list, is to go to the Ft. Bridger WY Mountain Man Rendezvous and that is just what I am doing starting today. I have packed up my uRV and will soon be on the road for the 1400 mile trek. The rendezvous is this coming weekend. I will be there on Saturday and maybe stay through Sunday.   This will be the farthest I have gone with my 120,000-mile custom made camper in quite a while. On the trip back and forth I will be … Continue reading One of My Dreams…

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America’s Form Of Capitalism…

RJ Walters

This post is about the question “Is America’s form of capitalism being pushed aside?” Is the world moving beyond the American definition?  Some might say the Capitalism as it exists in America is “The rich get richer,  and nothing else matters… “What happens when a society reinvests the gains from industrialization into things like healthcare, education, and so forth? Well, it’s economy changes — radically. You see, the American economy is still 75% consumption — McMansions, SUVs, designer jeans, and so forth. The problem is that 80% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. They can’t afford those things anymore. But if America had invested in … Continue reading America’s Form Of Capitalism…

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Listening To Your Favourite Music…

RJ Walters

I know I have been more stressed out in the last 22 months than I probably have any time in my life. It is stressful to see the possible annihilation of our democracy unfold before your eyes.  It is pitiful to see the Oval Office occupied by a compulsive liar, cyberbullier, and narcissist. I couldn’t have imagined that possibility just a few years ago. I just can’t seem to be able to do much about my stress except to boycott every new source.  I have for the past couple months limited my contact to the political world to ten minutes … Continue reading Listening To Your Favourite Music…

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Stolen Goods and EBay

RJ Walters

This post is about stolen goods and senior citizens.  I know you have heard numerous stories about how older people have been taken advantage of.  There are people out there who are eager to exploit people who have a diminished capacity in one form or another. In that vein, I am convinced that eBay has replaced the local fence when it comes to selling stolen goods from senior citizens. Maybe some of you don’t know the term “fence” when it comes to theft. A fence was the name given to the person who purchases stolen goods at pennies on the … Continue reading Stolen Goods and EBay

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Abolish The Death Penalty

RJ Walters

I have let it be known many times here on RJsCorner that I am pro-life in all regards and that certainly includes the death penalty. So, when I heard that the largest Christian church in the world’s leader Pope Francis, backed by bishops around the world, declared the death penalty unacceptable in all cases I lept for joy. Finally, at least some Christians saw that public execution was an affront to the very nature and essence of God.  Christians have a long history with the death penalty, going all the way back to A.D. 33, when the Roman Empire crucified Jesus. Sadly, … Continue reading Abolish The Death Penalty

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You Are Not A Tree…

RJ Walters

Too many of us lament that we can’t get jobs where we were born and raised. That seems especially true of the poorest areas of the country including Appalachia. Jobs just aren’t very plentiful there. The deep South is another example.  It would be nice is all areas of the country were full of gainful employment. But given our foundations in almost pure capitalism that will never happen. On a side note, it is kinda ironic that the States that rail the most against socialism vote primarily with the GOP and are the ones that have the most citizens who … Continue reading You Are Not A Tree…

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Back At It… But Not Without Changes

RJ Walters

It was a nice couple of weeks off from RJsCorner. Even though I spent much of the time bringing up a new website, I allowed my brain to slow down a little bit. I allowed my creativity to take control.  Here it is in the mid-July to mid-August timeframe where outside things slow down considerably here in the Midwest but that did not stop me from accomplishing long awaited things in that arena also. My proud masterpiece in the online area is a new site to show off all my photos from traveling around America. My portfolio now exceeds 23,000 … Continue reading Back At It… But Not Without Changes

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On Vacation Until ??

RJ Walters

I’m taking some time off from RJsCorner to do some yard work and other special projects. One of those projects is to bring up a new website for my photo portfolios.  Flickr and such just don’t meet my requirements so I am designing a site of my own.  My Information Technology (IT) experience comes in handy even in my retirement years. :) I’ll let you know when that is up and what the URL is.  I expect it to be finished in a couple of weeks. I don’t know how long I will be gone from RJsCorner.  If Congress can … Continue reading On Vacation Until ??

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The One Thing I Hate The Most…

RJ Walters

I am proudly a follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ. His words are the very foundation for my spiritual life.  But, don’t read that as to mean that I am religious. I have for the most part given up that quest. All this so far leads into the point of the post but is not the topic. In the last two years,  #CO3 has elevated ridicule to a higher level than anyone I have ever known. No one wants to be ridiculed, especially me. I simply lose any sense of reality when someone mocks me or ridicules my beliefs. … Continue reading The One Thing I Hate The Most…

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Thinking About Life

RJ Walters

The picture here from my Facebook friend The Idealist brought back some rather pleasant memories. In the past and to a much lesser degree even today I have often sat out on a starry night and talked to myself about life. These were often times where I was approaching meltdown due to having so many people around me.  One of the main purposes was to be alone with my thoughts so, no, there was no one with me. Many of those 2am nights were while I was attending college at Purdue University. It seems I was never along except for … Continue reading Thinking About Life

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Robots And Henry Ford

RJ Walters

This post is primarily about my recent visit to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan. But first, I want to get some things off my mind in relation to Ford’s contributions to America. It is pretty well known that Henry Ford established the middle class here in America, or at least the easiest path to the middle class. He allowed someone with little or no training to earn enough to afford some of the luxuries of life. But to do that required mind-numbing hours on an assembly line doing the same thing thousands of time a day. One of … Continue reading Robots And Henry Ford

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Rock Concerts

RJ Walters

This is a post about my first and last venture to a rock concert, or whatever they might call them nowadays. When I got an advance ticket to the Madison Regatta recently it asked me if I also wanted a ticket to the rock concert being promoted by another entity. I have never been to a music fest so, even though I am deaf, I decided “what the heck”. Even though I was a teenager of the 1960s in the Woodstock era, I have never been to a rock concert. I was just too busy trying to pay and graduate … Continue reading Rock Concerts

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About Our Personal Mortality…

RJ Walters

My father was one of those people who could not deal with his own mortality.  When a discussion was about death issues, he would say “this is too gruesome” and leave the room. He just didn’t want to think about it. I, on the other hand, have no qualms about discussing my own death. In fact, I am ready to accept it as each day comes and passes. That doesn’t mean that I welcome death, I would like to have a long and fruitful life still ahead of me, but if that doesn’t happen then so be it. I just … Continue reading About Our Personal Mortality…

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Autism In The Elderly?

RJ Walters

When I got a recent comment from one of my regular viewers I realized it was time for another post about Autism. This one is about senior citizens who are autistic but are generally undiagnosed.  A recognized statistics is that there are over a million of us that are autistic in the Baby Boomer generation alone. Even if those million were suddenly officially diagnosed to be autistic it is very doubtful that any but a small percentage of them would even accept that fact.  It is kind of like another area that I am familiar with and that is hearing … Continue reading Autism In The Elderly?

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The Hardest Years…

RJ Walters

I suppose the title of this post has different meanings to different people.  From recent comments, it is used to describe the “post-truth” era that many seem to think we are in.  To many, the hardest years are the ones that they are currently living in.  Being a history guy I have a longer view than that.  But this is not at all what this post is about. :) These are the first words from a quote from Helen Hays shown below I couldn’t agree more. At the tender age of ten, I had just taken up a Jack London … Continue reading The Hardest Years…

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Why White Evangelicals…

RJ Walters

It is a well-publicised fact that 81% of white evangelicals voted to put the current occupant in the Oval Office. On that subject, I ran across this interesting book entitled Believe Me. It is written by one of the 19% who voted the other way.  Here is a small segment of an interview with the author: Finally, you dedicate your book to the 19 percent of white evangelicals who did not vote for Trump. What do you want to say to them with this book? I dedicate the book to the 19 percent not because they’re my primary audience, but because they … Continue reading Why White Evangelicals…

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Sometimes Necessary, But Never Celebrated…

RJ Walters

I am a pro-life person in all regards. I totally believe that all human life is sacred. One of the ironic things about some people is that while they detest some forms of the taking of human life, mainly fetuses, they celebrate killing in too many other circumstances. I am pro-life in all regards. We in the USA just seem to be a very belligerent people if you ask me.  We teach our children at a very young age that killing another person is just part of life.   They are bad guys who need to be exterminated. We indoctrinate them … Continue reading Sometimes Necessary, But Never Celebrated…

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Veggies vs Flowers…

RJ Walters

Most of my life I have had a veggie garden to tend. They have varied in size from 75 x 125 feet to patio pots. There is just something about raising your own food that is primal with me. My wife, on the other hand, is a flower garden person. Every year, even though she is in her upper 70s she, with the help of a good friend, puts out a flower garden. This is one of those pictures that tug at the strings of my heart.   Continue reading Veggies vs Flowers…

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Autism & Sensory Sensitivity

RJ Walters

It has been a while since I put out a post about Autism concentrating primarily on Aspbergers’ Syndrome. This post will be about sensory sensitivity.  Of course, that means being sensitive to sight, touch, taste, sound, and smell and is often a symptom of Autism. I continue to discover new traits in my life that point me to Aspbergers. This one came from a billboard that I saw several times a month while traveling back and forth from my small town to a larger one with more services and medical options. Let’s go through the list with my stories: Sight … Continue reading Autism & Sensory Sensitivity

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Wanting It All NOW!!

RJ Walters

One thing that seems to be pretty prevalent in American life today is that everyone wants what it took my generation years to get, NOW.  They simply don’t want to wait until they have earned enough, or become wise enough for it to happen. I know our world is going faster now but sometimes you just need to mellow a little longer before you get what you want. I see on the cable show House Hunters where twenty-some-year-olds are looking for 3000+ square feet homes and just won’t settle for less. They say they are going to have maybe two … Continue reading Wanting It All NOW!!

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The Best Doctor In The World…

RJ Walters

“Best doctor in the world is a veterinarian. He can’t ask his patients what’s the matter. He’s just got to know.” – Will Rogers This quote from Will came to mind recently while my wife was going to doctors trying to determine the cause of her recent ailments. In the last couple of months, she has had three emergency room visits, two of them by ambulance.  We were in the ER practically all day each time. They racked up over $14,000 in tests and billing for their time and still can’t determine the cause for her symptoms.  They just say … Continue reading The Best Doctor In The World…

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We All Like To Think We Are Special

RJ Walters

We all like to think we are special, especially during our teenage years.  We are trying to find our own identity but due to the lack of creativity in us we pretty much all end up being the same as everyone else. In some ways, the feeling of being special is very isolating and sometimes even harmful. It is much easier to just go with the crowd and meld in with everyone else. It takes a special person to be well, special. What makes a person special is not how they look or what they wear, instead it is about … Continue reading We All Like To Think We Are Special

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More Is Not Always Better.

RJ Walters

It seems there are many people who always want more and more.  Of course, that is basically the foundation for our economic system here in the US. Given the fact that our population has plateaued in recent decades, each of us buying more is the only way for our GDP to constantly increase year over year especially now that our government is doing everything they can to prevent others from coming to our country. Let’s look at a few glaring examples of this syndrome of always wanting more and more. I see more and more of those restaurants that want … Continue reading More Is Not Always Better.

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Don’t Take Life Too Serious…

RJ Walters

I think its time to pull one of the header quotes from Will for this post. “Do the best you can and don’t take life too serious.” I discovered this quote several years ago and practicing it has helped me cope with daily life. I don’t think I am unusual in taking my personal life too seriously.  If we were to concentrate on what our FaceBook friends say, we can become convinced that we are the only ones struggling. But once we realize that the FB media is a facade and doesn’t reflect any deeper meaning, we can dispell that … Continue reading Don’t Take Life Too Serious…

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Bad People Can Make Beautiful Things.

RJ Walters

I heard the quote in the title above on an IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) segment of the PBS Newshour. It was basically linked to another quote that is pretty common in the art world, “Separate the Art from the Artist”. The first thing that came to my mind was Bill Cosby. Looking at his various TV series it is hard to even imagine that the star was a habitual sexual abuser. But, given that big egos are part of this trait it is looking back understandable. Getting to the point of the post, should we be able to view … Continue reading Bad People Can Make Beautiful Things.

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At Its Core…

RJ Walters

There have been quite a few negative comments about Christianity here on RJsCorner and many of them were from me.   I want to make it clear with this post that I lament what has become of Christianity not what it is at its core. When Jesus was asked what it the most important thing about being one of his followers he gave us two commands: Love God and Love Each Other He was very adamant that these two eclipsed everything else.  In this case, like my Evangelical friends claim they do for every biblical thing, I take his words literally. It … Continue reading At Its Core…

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Checking Those Phones…

RJ Walters

In Will’s days checking your phone meant going into the parlor to see if it was ringing or maybe if someone else on the party line was using it. Phones were pretty valuable in those days and they didn’t cost $800 like many do today, especially since $800 was pretty much what a successful fellow made a year in Will’s time. But, I guess I better get to the point here. I read something recently that said that researchers have found that folks who are constantly checking their cell phones have higher levels of boredom and worse overall moods. I … Continue reading Checking Those Phones…

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Rising US suicide rates…

RJ Walters

It is sad to see that suicide is on the rise in the US. A couple of prominent people have brought it to the forefront. As noted below a part of the problem is the lack of proper healthcare here in America. It is hard to believe that over 45,000 people committed suicide last year alone.  The stigma of mental illness causes too many to not seek help when they are severely depressed and that is the major cause of it. I go through some pretty significant periods of depression myself but never to the point of thinking life is … Continue reading Rising US suicide rates…