One of the things that we first-world countries have basically wrong in my opinion is that we must be a consumer driven society. Everyone buying and consuming more and more each year is the bedrock of our economic system, especially here in the U.S. Over my seven decades on this earth I have accumulated literally tons of stuff that I really didn’t need or actually, didn’t really want.  I bought it because it was the “in” thing to do. I bought it because the marketeers convinced me that I had to have it.  Yeah, I am human too and fall … Continue reading Mount Trashmore… A Consumer Driven Society..

One of the things that I learned the hard way during my years of retirement is that you don’t have to be busy all the time. I just couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around the idea of just having “down” time where I literally did nothing. No work, no thinking to any degree; just sitting alone with myself.   The Quakers call this “centering down”, some call it meditation, I just call it being alone with myself. There are so many who say that time is rushing by and out of their control. My wife and I watch the TV … Continue reading You Don’t Have To Be Busy All The Time….

Press secretary Josh Earnest called Ryan’s claim that he cannot trust the president on the issue “ironic,” given he helped write bipartisan immigration reform legislation in 2013 only to stand with House GOP leaders in Congress who refused to take up a bill. “The president has proven himself untrustworthy on this issue, because he tried to unilaterally rewrite the law himself. Presidents don’t write laws. Congress does,” he said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” referring to Obama’s executive actions to loosen his deportation policies. “The president’s proven himself to be untrustworthy on this issue.” Source: White House … Continue reading “Untrustworthy” — Really???

From a Facebook friend.  I don’t know how much all the supposed supporters really know about this guy. Continue reading WingNut Sighting….

This being election day I thought I would throw in a little political banter for those who think for themselves… I thought it was noble that one of the conditions that Paul Ryan put down for accepting the Speaker job was he demanded that he be able to  set aside time to be with his family.  Family time is important. But then there is his history with being against paid family leave bills that have been consistently rejected by him and the rest of the GOP. He claims he is against it because it would require a “vast bureaucracy” to … Continue reading What’s Good For Me Is….

I know I shouldn’t nominate myself for the best of the best list but when I ran across this post from October 11, 2011 I couldn’t resist.  It seems it is even more applicable today than it was four years ago. This excerpt from a Wall Street Journal article peaked my senses. It seems the rich, who we give massive tax breaks,  are aware that their kids will probably blow through their inherited wealth after they are gone.  What a bind to be in!  I bet they take all this planning and  trustees as tax deductions. It seems very ironic … Continue reading Poor Little Rich Kids…

Don’t worry, your brain won’t overheat It is as simple as that….. Continue reading Question Everything…

The authors collect many previously published rankings, and the picture that emerges, however, is sobering: 1. Median household income Rank of U.S.: 27th out of 27  2. Education and skills Rank of U.S.: 16th out of 23 countries   3. Internet speed and access Rank of U.S.: 16th out of 34 countries  4. Health Rank of U.S.: 33rd out of 145 countries 5. People living below the poverty line Rank of U.S.: 36th out of 162 countries 6. Children in poverty Rank of U.S.: 34th out of 35 countries surveyed 7. Income inequality Rank of U.S.: Fourth highest inequality in … Continue reading Why America is Falling Behind the Rest of the World??

I love this one by David Fitzsimmons. This runs the line of the ranter who says “Keep government hands off my social security!!”  It is sad to see so many low-info voters around today who have no idea of what socialism or much of anything else really is.  All they know is that “their” political party told them it is a bad communist inspired thing. Continue reading The Low Info Voter — DOWN WITH SOCIALISM….

Today I start my seventh decade on the earth. If my genes prove true it will likely be my last. That is a sobering thought that puts me in a mood of reflection. The end is certainly near; I can see the light at the end of the tunnel but no, I am not ready to “go to the light” just yet. :) In some ways accepting my mortality is refreshing.  I know that sounds kind of morbid but just hear me out.  Whatever inhibitions I might still carry around need to be tempered if I hope to have fun … Continue reading Today, Today, Today…

The West Baden Springs Hotel is a historic landmark hotel in the town of West Baden Springs in Orange County, Indiana, United States, known for its vast domed atrium. It is currently part of the French Lick Resort. Prior to the completion of the Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1955, the building had the largest free-spanning dome in the United States and was the largest in the world from 1902 to 1913. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, became a National Historic Landmark in 1987, and is a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The … Continue reading West Baden Springs…

Are unrealized dreams a joy or a pain?  The answer to that question is based on your perceptions of life.  Many would say that unrealized dreams create agony in that they get our hopes up and then dash them on the rocks.  If you take the attitude of “It’s not the destination but the journey” seriously then the pleasure of the process of dreaming should be joyful onto itself. I have always been a  dreamer, both at night and day but my favorite time is sitting in the dark looking at the stars above me.  There is just something about that scene that … Continue reading Unrealized Dreams…

McConnell said that this year, Democrats objected to spending bills drafted under existing tight budget caps — known as sequestration — because they want more spending for domestic programs. Republicans are seeking more defense spending than the current caps allow…. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Tuesday  “I would expect that in the weeks ahead we’ll have more of a discussion about how Democrats and Republicans in Congress can work together to make sure that we adequately fund both our national security and economic priorities, while of course taking the necessary steps to prevent a government shutdown in an unnecessary injection … Continue reading Being The Adult….

It’s too bad America doesn’t have a queen. If we did, maybe she could summon the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties in the House to her palace and order them — in the national interest — to form a coalition to lead the House of Representatives and end the dysfunction that’s taken over Washington. How would a Republican-Democratic coalition work? By enlisting Democrats to help the more-mainstream Republicans in the House elect the new leadership. In exchange for Democratic votes, the new leaders would promise that any legislation that had the support of a majority of the House … Continue reading Just Too Sensible….

Who in their right mind would want to try to control the wild-eyed fanatics in the “Freedom Caucus” when their primary goal is to shut down the governing process through gridlock.  If Paul Ryan is smart he will let the current GOP implode and then be around to pick up the pieces.  He is a relatively young man by political standards so he just might be able to resurrect the party after the meltdown.  If the current GOP can’t control the 15% fringe then they don’t deserve to be in power…. Continue reading You Can’t Blame Him…

Jesus has been re-configured into thousands of different versions, sadly this is one of them. Continue reading Conservative Ideology…

I thought I would tell you a little about Feedly in this post.  I am probably cheating several of my blogging buddies out of view counts by using Feedly but it sure does make my daily views easier. Right now I have about 18 blogs that I always read the new posts.  Some, like me blog daily, some only once a week or so.  I don’t have to keep up with when they blog or go through my emails to discover that.  I just click on the Feedly button on my browser homepage bar. That  brings up a snapshot of all my … Continue reading About Feedly…

Its been a while since I did a bio thing so I thought I would give you a little history lesson and  tell you about my time in rural America and specifically about putting up hay.  I know most people who have any idea of hay think of those big six-foot diameter bales that strewn around the countryside but in my day hay bails were smaller, much smaller. The picture at the right show how it was done in my day.  When the wagon behind the baler was full it was unhitched and taken to the barn and an empty … Continue reading Puttin Up Hay…

Gen. John F. Campbell, commander of the United States forces in Afghanistan, told a Senate panel on Tuesday that the hospital was “mistakenly struck” as a result of a decision “within the U.S. chain of command.” Doctors Without Borders, which has likened the bombing to a war crime, said the purpose of the investigation would not be to establish criminal liability, but rather to clarify the laws of war and the conditions under which medical teams can operate in situations of armed conflict. Source: Doctors Without Borders Calls for Inquiry Into Kunduz Hospital Attack – The New York Times Doctors … Continue reading Ready, Fire, Aim….

What do older people regret when they look back over their lives? I asked hundreds of the oldest Americans that question. I had expected big-ticket items: an affair, a shady business deal, addictions — that kind of thing. I was therefore unprepared for the answer they often gave: I wish I hadn’t spent so much of my life worrying. Source: The Most Surprising Regret Of The Very Old — And How You Can Avoid It | Karl A. Pillemer, Ph.D. Fortunately for me personally I spend very little time worrying. It just seems to be something that doesn’t accomplish much. On the … Continue reading The Most Surprising Regret Of The Very Old

The Fed put us in zombie ZIRP-land almost ten years ago by cutting short-term rates to zero. In ZIRP-land, senior citizens spend sleepless nights watching their wealth shrink as puny interest earnings fail to cover the cost of life. In ZIRP-land, stock prices twitch up and down, transferring wealth from the poor, old and financially unsophisticated to the rich and powerful. Source: Column: We have met the enemy, and it is the Fed I will admit that I haven’t thought this post out entirely but I , like so many other seniors, am tired of the feds putting my life … Continue reading Abolish The Fed…

But lost in the uproar are the voices of Christians, some equally conservative, who disagree with Davis’ stance and worry that holding her out as a martyr will ultimately hurt the cause of religious liberty…. Brenda Wynn, the clerk of Davidson County in Nashville, looks to Romans 13:1 for guidance: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.” “I’m obliged to follow the law of the land,” Wynn said. “I love the Lord, but I must follow the law.” Source: Kentucky clerk case divides religious liberty advocates – Yahoo … Continue reading About Marriage and Divorce from a Christian Perspective…

I think this editorial cartoon by Mike Lukovich says it better than I ever could.  The monied interests just have too much power in our national affairs.  That could be easily reversed if only ALL of us would simple vote.  How severe does the income inequality need to get before some of us realize that basic fact? Continue reading The Golden Rule – The Capitalist Version…

I got my macro lens out recently to take this picture. It looks like a bunch of filing folders but in reality it is the underside of a toadstool I found in the yard. Continue reading What Is This??

I’m not paranoid so I don’t think they are targeting me personally but I am once again very annoyed by my news feed of choice for the last year or so. Let me give you a little background before I wade into this topic. I have discovered that I am without any doubt a morning person. I just don’t seem to be able to conjure up anything in a creative nature after lunch. For that reason a part of my usual morning routine is to browse the news from  the past day. I do this so that I stay informed with … Continue reading Goodbye ATT/Yahoo News…