Source: What counts as a tax hike? Not Boehner ‘fallback’ plan, says antitax group – CSMonitor.com. The keeper of the GOP’s antitax oath has rendered judgment on House Speaker John Boehner’s fallback “fiscal cliff” plan that would allow Bush-era tax cuts to expire only for millionaires: It is not a tax increase. So decrees Americans for Tax Reform, the conservative advocacy group led by antitax activist Grover Norquist. With that step, the group gives a measure of political cover to congressional Republicans who back the speaker’s plan to retain current low tax rates for all but those with incomes higher than … Continue reading It Is, But It Isn’t…..

  “The devil is in the details” is a well-known quote that definitely applies in all this “fiscal cliff” talk going on recently. The congress in our version of government has the power of the purse. They determine where the money is spent and where it is cut. So, I find it strange that Mr. Boehner insists that the president and not him is responsible for identifying what would be cut from the budget in order to appease the GOP base. As mentioned in the article below Republicans do relatively well with the American people when they talk broadly about … Continue reading Good At Complaining But Not Good At Solutions….

Source:  The “fiscal cliff” isn’t a cliff at all – CBS News. Here is an interesting article that explains why the “fiscal cliff” is so falsely named. If you are still not clear about this I would encourage you to click on the source above. By the way, the article mentions that if nothing is done the “average” additional expenses will be $3,200 per family. But that is primarily because of the significant expense to the top 1% drastically weighting the “average”.  It has been stated that for a family with an income of $70,000 the increase would be less … Continue reading The Fiscal Slope….

According to news reports,  sales of the AR-15 are up dramatically in the last few days. How pitiful is that!!!! Continue reading The Balance????

I am a lifelong U.S. history nut so of course Thomas Jefferson is one of my heroes. I have read quite extensively about him over the years and have accumulated quite a library of quotes. I will admit that when it comes to slavery he has a dark side but don’t we all to one degree or another.  I treat my heroes as human and not gods in that regard.  They have wisdom to offer the ages but they are not pure in every respect. One of the reasons that Jefferson is my hero is because he was a free-thinker … Continue reading About Thomas Jefferson….

I know I said I wouldn’t post today but I want to tell you I just saw Michael Bloomberg on Meet the Press. He gave a very compassionate plea for gun regulations in this country. He very much impressed me with his words and the actions he has already taken in that regard.  I hope he can push President Obama off his laissez-faire attitude on this critical topic. By the way they said they invited 30 pro-NRA senators on the show and none accepted. If he were running for president right now he would definitely get my vote.  The guy … Continue reading A Must See….

Due to the totally stupid tragedy that took place in Connecticut on Friday I will not be posting here again until Monday morning. My prayers are yet again with the families of the victims of this latest event. Why do we let it happen over and over again? Continue reading Tragedy…..

How many more of our kids have to be killed before we come to realize that appeasing the gun lovers in this country is just not worth the cost……. Yeah, yeah, I know guns don’t kill people…….. Continue reading Another Sad, Sad Day…

Source: Schools in 5 states to add at least 300 hours of classroom time in 2013 – CBS News. Five states were to announce Monday that they will add at least 300 hours of learning time to the calendar in some schools starting in 2013. Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee will take part in the initiative, which is intended to boost student achievement and make U.S. schools more competitive on a global level. Although I have no children about 90% of my property taxes goes to our local school system. I don’t really know much about just how my … Continue reading School Time, School Time……

  Jim Wallis is one of my current day heroes. He is editor-in-chief of a magazine called Sojourners.  Here is their mission statement: The mission of Sojourners magazine is to inspire hope and action by articulating the biblical call to racial and social justice, life and peace,and environmental stewardship I have been getting their magazine for some years now and from his writings I feel I almost know him on a personal level. He also sends out  frequent e-mails about brother’s keeper issues.  He inspires me to do what I can to love my neighbor no matter his race, religion, … Continue reading The Poor and the “Fiscal Cliff”…..

I can only say with 100% certainty how I personally feel about things. I won’t speak for others in that regard. I will admit that as I am getting older I am strangely happier and more settled in my life than I ever have been. This is despite the fact that my body continues to tell me I am over the hill.  When I ran across this article this morning it told me that I am not alone in this regard. Here are some of the words from the source: Source:  Good news about aging: Get older, feel better, study finds … Continue reading Regret Becomes Less Common…..

Here is a re-purposed barn that evidently needs to be re-purposed again. It was taken in October 2009 in northern Wisconsin Continue reading Re-purposing..

Source: Is Karl Rove’s media career kaput? – CSMonitor.com. This question arises as a result of reports that Mr. Rove has been benched by his main television outlet, Fox News. According to New York Magazine, top Fox officials have ordered that producers must get permission before putting Rove or fellow GOP pundit Dick Morris on air. It’s all part of an effort by head honcho Roger Ailes to freshen story lines and change the network’s cast of characters, writes New York’s Gabriel Sherman. Changing the cast of characters at Fox News… Wow, will wonders never cease.  I can’t imagine Fox News … Continue reading Karl Rove and Fox News……

  In the old days, when we wasn’t sanitary, why, we were strong enough to withstand germs. But nowadays, we have to be careful of the microbes, for if they get a hold on us, we are goners. The old-fashioned gourd that the whole family drank out of, from birth to death, would today kill more of the modern population than a war would   — July 15, 1931  Will Rogers I am kind of aligned with Will here and especially since it has been over eighty years that he wrote these words of wisdom. I think especially since Will’s time we … Continue reading Becoming Wimps…

  God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. ~ Reinhold Niebuhr I have run across this quote many times in my life and always wondered about its author. Who was Reinhold Niebhur and what were the circumstances around the quote? This quote is from the Serenity Prayer written by him around 1937. A modified version is frequently used in Alcoholics Anonymous.  The longest version has these additional lines: “Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; … Continue reading Knowing The Difference….

I have heard about the “Cat in the Hat” but never the “Cat in the Tree”.  Our rescue cat Dexter loves his tree and all its cavities which are about twelve feet off the ground. How he gets up and down is an amazing thing to see… Continue reading The Cat in the Tree…..

Source:  Hostess to Seek Approval for Executive Bonuses – ABC News. Hostess Brands Inc. plans to ask for a judge’s approval Thursday to give its top executives bonuses totaling up to $1.8 million as part of its wind-down plans It seems in the upper echelons of the business world you get a big bonus if your workers work hard and the profits come in.  But it also seems that if you screw up the company and turn it into a tear-apart bankruptcy you also get a big bonus to stay around to rip it apart. The little guy just can’t … Continue reading A Real Sweet Deal…

Some call them sexy; some call them erotic. I call them gross!!!! I’m sorry ladies but I simply can’t understand why you torture yourselves so much? Do you think if you are six inches taller people will be more attracted to you?  Do you really think they make you look sexier? Here is what I think and of course since I am just an old guy I’m sure you could care less but I am going to have my say anyway.  I kinda believe the a woman’s IQ is inversely proportional to the height of her heels.  When I see … Continue reading They know it is painful; they know it is damaging but….