Another Try
11 years ago
Watch Before You Vote
Watch this before you head to the polls. Sometimes people hit things right on the head. This guy does: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxhYampIl7A
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Grandma's new wheels
Mom and Dad just got a new way to get around town. I am pleased to say that they have now joined the Toyota family. Mom was a little skeptical, but Dad was in the mood to do business! We took them to a smaller dealership where we bought our van. The price was right and now they have a nice new softer, quieter mode of transportation. WooHoo! Way to go Mom and Dad!
Recap of Economic Models
After the recent teetering-on-the-edge-of-total-economic-and-financial-meltdown for some months now, it seems economic systems and their workings have pushed their way into the ‘need-to-know-category’.
Well, thanks to astute observer from rural Ireland we can now simplify this all down to what makes sense, and explain 21 economic models using cows as an analogy. And it is truly remarkable just how much sense it now all makes from this ‘real world’ perspective:
SOCIALISM: You have 2 cows. You give one to your neighbour.
COMMUNISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and gives you some milk.
FASCISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk.
NAZISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and shoots you.
BUREAUCRATISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away...
TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.
SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.
AN AMERICAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.
VENTURE CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public then buys your bull.
A FRENCH CORPORATION: You have two cows. You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.
A JAPANESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon', and market it worldwide making billions of ¥...
A GERMAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves, making billions of €.....you use some of this money to design an even better Mercedes....
AN ITALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You decide to have lunch.
A RUSSIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.
A SWISS CORPORATION: You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you. You charge the owners for storing them, making large amounts of CHF, which you then use to get hold of even more cows to put in your alpine meadows that you don’t own.... oh, & you go out and buy another Mercedes....
A CHINESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity. You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.
AN INDIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You worship them.
A BRITISH CORPORATION: You have two cows. Both are mad, you lose billions of £....
AN IRAQI CORPORATION: Everyone thinks you have lots of cows. You tell them that you have none. No-one believes you, so they bomb the sh#t out of you, then invade your country, and kill you in the hundreds of thousands. You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of a ‘Democracy’.....
AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows.Business seems pretty good. You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.
A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION: You have two cows. The one on the left looks very attractive.............
Well, thanks to astute observer from rural Ireland we can now simplify this all down to what makes sense, and explain 21 economic models using cows as an analogy. And it is truly remarkable just how much sense it now all makes from this ‘real world’ perspective:
SOCIALISM: You have 2 cows. You give one to your neighbour.
COMMUNISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and gives you some milk.
FASCISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk.
NAZISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both and shoots you.
BUREAUCRATISM: You have 2 cows. The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away...
TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.
SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.
AN AMERICAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.
VENTURE CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public then buys your bull.
A FRENCH CORPORATION: You have two cows. You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.
A JAPANESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon', and market it worldwide making billions of ¥...
A GERMAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves, making billions of €.....you use some of this money to design an even better Mercedes....
AN ITALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You decide to have lunch.
A RUSSIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.
A SWISS CORPORATION: You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you. You charge the owners for storing them, making large amounts of CHF, which you then use to get hold of even more cows to put in your alpine meadows that you don’t own.... oh, & you go out and buy another Mercedes....
A CHINESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity. You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.
AN INDIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You worship them.
A BRITISH CORPORATION: You have two cows. Both are mad, you lose billions of £....
AN IRAQI CORPORATION: Everyone thinks you have lots of cows. You tell them that you have none. No-one believes you, so they bomb the sh#t out of you, then invade your country, and kill you in the hundreds of thousands. You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of a ‘Democracy’.....
AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows.Business seems pretty good. You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.
A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION: You have two cows. The one on the left looks very attractive.............
Phillipisms
Phillip sometimes just yells random shout-outs. And often they are things that he has heard other people say, but he mixes them up. Today he shouted "you're psycho-chotic" to no one in particular. All within hearing range laughed aloud. He also says that he "renembers." He tells us that we are "rennoying" (annoying).
Recently, Steve was singing a song that yelled "Fi-ire." So Phillip picked up on that and goes around randomly yelling "Fii-yaa." The other night we were reading the scriptures and the verse was referring to baptism by fire and then another verse referring to angels descending in a ring of fire. So when I had read those words, Phillip shouts "Fii-yaa." We couldn't keep it straight - we all busted a gut over that one.
Another verse we read told people that they are blessed if they are built upon his (Jesus') rock. So Phillip and Sydney started singing "The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock." Well, Phillip remembered a time when Steve showed him to pose in a guitar rock stance when he says the word "rock." So now Phillip poses as a rock guitar player when he gets to the word "rock" in that song. We have told him that he can't do that in Primary and that he can't shout out "Fii-yaa" in Primary either. Anyway, as I remember or hear more Phillip or Sydneyisms, I'll report them.
Recently, Steve was singing a song that yelled "Fi-ire." So Phillip picked up on that and goes around randomly yelling "Fii-yaa." The other night we were reading the scriptures and the verse was referring to baptism by fire and then another verse referring to angels descending in a ring of fire. So when I had read those words, Phillip shouts "Fii-yaa." We couldn't keep it straight - we all busted a gut over that one.
Another verse we read told people that they are blessed if they are built upon his (Jesus') rock. So Phillip and Sydney started singing "The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock." Well, Phillip remembered a time when Steve showed him to pose in a guitar rock stance when he says the word "rock." So now Phillip poses as a rock guitar player when he gets to the word "rock" in that song. We have told him that he can't do that in Primary and that he can't shout out "Fii-yaa" in Primary either. Anyway, as I remember or hear more Phillip or Sydneyisms, I'll report them.
Sydneyisms
Tonight Sydney saw the word "political" on my other blog. She tried to say that she thought it said poly-tishle, but it came out poly-tickle. Hardy Har Har!!!
Ouch!
I have never been stung by a wasp before today. (That I remember) I was washing the van today. I was looking for the sponge and it was under the van. I reached under the van to retrieve the sponge and started washing the back window. As I swiped the back window I felt a sharp sting on my inside wrist. I looked down and saw the wasp. That hurts like a *#$^&@($)(&*(~$&@#")@$*(! Yes, that long. OUCH! Okay, Cassie, now I know how bad it hurts!!! :(
OOOHHHH! BYU
It is the start of the second quarter and BYU is getting POUNDED! What is going on? Come on, guys!
More to follow...
...Later - phttthp!
My Rant (Parental Discretion is Advised)
My name is Steve and its been 9 days since my last Blog entry. I realized the depth of my addiction only recently and have tried, mostly without success, to go cold turkey. But you can only hold your breath underwater for so long, right? So, I finally had to come up for air. Just a warning to anyone bored enough to actually read this start to finish: my general level of pissedness is peaking and I'm really sick to death of this election cycle, the bailout, the stock market, and the general state of the Union. I need to take Spence and Cass's advice and just turn it off, unplug, and find my happy place again. Except that I'm completely affected by it all, which makes it difficult.Regardless, I thought that it would be theraputic for me to purge it from my system and then retire back to the solitude of my cave until after election day and cling quietly to my guns and religion. So I thought that I would share my top five or so rants, mostly political, as we approach the end of the world as we know it. One preface, I'm not really into the Democrat vs. Republican debate because they're just parties. There are conservative Donkeys and liberal elephants littering the halls of Congress, there are honorable patriots in both parties, and there are disingenous scumbags on both sides. Thats why you should never vote straight party ticket. Vote for people who have the same vision as you (especially at the local level).
So in no particular order, here are my top five rants:
1. The argument that "the rich need to pay their fair share" that is always present somewhere in an Obama speech. This is such a freaking tired retread argument from the Clinton days, and every time Obamarama says those words, I feel myself throw up a little bit in my mouth! What makes him completely disingenuous is that he know its not true, but its a message that appeals to the largest voting block, so he gets all of the mileage out of it that he can (so did W.J. Clinton). According to the IRS, the top 1 percent of all wage earners (at least $388,806 annual household income) pay a whopping 39.38 percent of all collected income taxes; cumulatively, the top 5 percent (AGI of $153,542) pay 60.14 percent; the top 10 percent (AGI of $108,904) pay 70.79 percent of all collected taxes; the top 25 percent (AGI of $64,702) pay 86.27 percent; the top 50 percent (AGI of $31,987) pay 97.01 percent; and the bottom 50 percent pay only 2.99 percent of all collected income taxes. So define rich for me and tell me who needs to start paying their fair share. I don't feel rich, but apparently I'm in the top 10 percent, and as a result, the Dems want to significantly jack my rate up because they think I'm not paying enough. Do I use more government services, highways, bridges, federal program monies, etc than someone who makes half what I do? Short answer: no! So explain this fairness concept to me! Ask the top 1 percent who are paying about 40 percent of the bill if they think it feels fair. Ask me how I feel about Barack's plan to repeal previous estate tax reductions or jack up capital gains tax rates on the top two tax brackets. Totally shameful. Sorry Barack, you don't represent "Change That I Can Believe In;" your vision for change literally scares the crap out of me.
1. The argument that "the rich need to pay their fair share" that is always present somewhere in an Obama speech. This is such a freaking tired retread argument from the Clinton days, and every time Obamarama says those words, I feel myself throw up a little bit in my mouth! What makes him completely disingenuous is that he know its not true, but its a message that appeals to the largest voting block, so he gets all of the mileage out of it that he can (so did W.J. Clinton). According to the IRS, the top 1 percent of all wage earners (at least $388,806 annual household income) pay a whopping 39.38 percent of all collected income taxes; cumulatively, the top 5 percent (AGI of $153,542) pay 60.14 percent; the top 10 percent (AGI of $108,904) pay 70.79 percent of all collected taxes; the top 25 percent (AGI of $64,702) pay 86.27 percent; the top 50 percent (AGI of $31,987) pay 97.01 percent; and the bottom 50 percent pay only 2.99 percent of all collected income taxes. So define rich for me and tell me who needs to start paying their fair share. I don't feel rich, but apparently I'm in the top 10 percent, and as a result, the Dems want to significantly jack my rate up because they think I'm not paying enough. Do I use more government services, highways, bridges, federal program monies, etc than someone who makes half what I do? Short answer: no! So explain this fairness concept to me! Ask the top 1 percent who are paying about 40 percent of the bill if they think it feels fair. Ask me how I feel about Barack's plan to repeal previous estate tax reductions or jack up capital gains tax rates on the top two tax brackets. Totally shameful. Sorry Barack, you don't represent "Change That I Can Believe In;" your vision for change literally scares the crap out of me.
2. Snotty east-coast liberal journalists and news commentators and their visible disdain for average Americans. The world would be a better place if a great wave enveloped the eastern seaboard and washed all of you elitist pigs out to sea. If I have to watch Andrea Mitchell (NBC, MSNBC, BFNBC) run her snotty, biased, condescending mouth anytime in the next two weeks, I'm going to strip naked, light myself on fire, and go running down the street! (sorry for that visual)
3. All politicians who are vowing to reinstate all of the the original provions in the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (1994) and add a bunch more (see H.R. 1022 and H.R. 6257) once they have the votes after the election. You people are pinheads, your arguments are ridiculous, and you have no business using taxpayer dollars to support such blatantly unconstitutional legislation. Ask the victims of the Armenian masacre how they felt about being disarmed (oh wait, you can't, they all died) by their government. And don't argue with me about why I need a certain type of firearm when it doesn't serve a hunting or sporting purpose. I don't have to defend or justify my ownership of a tactical weapon to you or anyone else. Guess what, I also have a desire to own a Porsche Carrera, which has nearly 500 hp and will go 3 times the posted speed limit. Do I need a car that will do that in order to meet my transportation needs? Hell no, but you don't get to decide whether or not I should have one! If I want to own one tactical gun or 10, you should feel lucky that you live next door to me, not scared.4. The ease with which the government casually committed $700 billion of our money to bail out Wall Street, and how they want progressively more and more every day to bail out more banks and other institutions. You really didn't think that $700b would be the final number did you? That was just the foot in the door, son. By the way, this is not funny money, these are real obligations that have to be paid back by us and our children and their children. Look, I took economics classes at a well-regarded university, I'm not an idiot, and I follow what they're trying to do. However, I don't like where this road leads, and in many ways I think that we need to take the pain and let the market correct itself. Those who caused it, shouldn't get off scott free. No one has ever stepped in to help my business when I've made knucklehead decisions, and no one has certainly ever told me that I sucked at my job and that they would give me $50 million if I would resign. Can you imagine? Ooooh, pick me, pick me!!!
5. Consumer spending being in the toilet. Come on folks, if you have a job, drop some cash, so that the rest of us can sell something. We all rely on each other to make this crazy economy go round and round. I really would have liked to buy a new Tundra this summer, and I'm sure that the sales guy at Mark Miller wanted me to buy a new Tundra this summer, and the guy working at the Tundra assembly plant in San Antonio wanted me to buy a new Tundra this summer, and the dudes that work at the Ultra Wheels factory and at Big O Tires wanted me to buy a new Tundra this summer. However, people stopped spending money at our company and so my company went under. So, no new Tundra for me. You get the picture.
Well, thats all for now kids. I've had enough fun for one night. If you read the whole thing, you qualify for a special prize. Now, back to my cave. See you in November.
Founding Fathers on Finance
Don’t bail out debt with more debt.
George Washington wrote in 1799 to James Welch, “To contract new debts is not the way to pay for old ones.”
Thomas Jefferson similarly admonished Samuel Kercheval in 1816, “To preserve [the] independence [of the people], we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.”
I am listening to the financial news again this morning with chagrin. I am concerned that the federal government is interfering too much in the current economic crisis. So I went online to find some guidance from our Founding Fathers. I found an article that expresses some of what I feel. I am linking it to the title of this post. I am also including some of the article here in my post. It is too long to include the full article. The article is written by Chuck Norris, World Net Daily. Some of the article follows here in excerpt.
"Yes, it’s official and public news for the whole world to see: Government is the worst run business on the face of the planet. We’ve known it for a long time – we’re just now facing the monetary music. We’re going under, fast. And the government’s remedy is to return to its cycle of treasury vomit – spending money it doesn’t have by borrowing money it can’t pay back. But the cat’s costs are out of the bailout bag, too. Fannie May, Freddie Mac, AIG insurance, etc., are all birth pains of greater taxpayer burdens to come. The Fed’s rescue plan will cost Americans another $1 trillion dollars – for those doing the math, that’s roughly $3,600 each in taxes.
But most Americans’ pocketbooks are barren wastelands – with maxed payments, mortgages and consumer credit. So where will the Fed get another trillion dollars when it already holds a $9 trillion dollar deficit? From the same black hole it got the preceding $9 trillion. We make more money and lessen the value of the dollar; we borrow more money and lose our grip on our nation. America is up for sale. And foreign entities and powers are buying up our debt to own a large piece of the pie called America. We are literally mortgaging our land and liberties – and our children’s future. And our government is not only doing nothing to stop it – it is the bureaucratic broker arranging the deal!
1. Keep spending within constitutional limits. The Tenth Amendment restricts the size of government, and that should always bear out in the federal budget and spending. That means understanding income and export taxes were unconstitutional to our founders, which if applied today would be two of the greatest economic stimulus packages.
2. Don’t bail out debt with more debt. George Washington wrote in 1799 to James Welch, “To contract new debts is not the way to pay for old ones.” Thomas Jefferson similarly admonished Samuel Kercheval in 1816, “To preserve [the] independence [of the people], we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.”
3. Return to a pay-as-you-go government. If we don’t have the money, we don’t spend it. As Thomas Jefferson once wrote to Fulwar Skipwith in 1787, “[T]he maxim of buying nothing but what we had money in our pockets to pay for …[is] a maxim, which, of all others, lays the broadest foundation for happiness.”
4. Tax for imports, not exports or anything else. Our earliest government’s primary tool to raise revenue was from tariffs. Obviously, we can’t raise all the monies our government now needs by imports alone (because of its excessive taxation dependence through the decades), but we need to return to our founders’ simple taxation system. Early Americans did not pay income taxes, export taxes, capital gains taxes, estate and property taxes, corporate taxes, social security taxes, gas taxes or any of the rest of them we pay. However, our founders did build revenue by requiring import taxes from those who wanted to sell us their goods. The fact is, most of our taxes are unconstitutional and would therefore be illegal to our founders. As James Madison said in his “Address to the States” in 1783: “Taxes on consumption are always least burdensome, because they are least felt, and are borne too by those who are both willing and able to pay them; that of all taxes on consumption, those on foreign commerce are most compatible with the genius and policy of free States.”
5. Get over the greed. We’re in this financial mess because of greed. Why is government spending out of control? Greed. Why do we as individuals and as a nation keep falling deeper into a pit of debt? Greed. We need, we want and we have to have it. We can’t afford it, but we can’t say no. So we charge it, deferring the penalty. Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the Treasury, believed a government that could use greed to motivate its people would become powerful and wealthy. Unfortunately, he was correct. We’ve become a nation that confuses our needs and greeds – and we’ve got to get back to the basics if we’re ever to understand and overcome the heart of this financial crisis.
Many of the founders warned about America’s potential fiscal woes under the power of a central bank. Thomas Jefferson was one of Hamilton’s biggest opponents, almost prophesying as president in 1803 to Albert Gallatin, “This institution is one of the most deadly hostility existing, against the principles and form of our Constitution. … I deem no government safe which is under the vassalage of any self-constituted authorities, or any other authority than that of the nation, or its regular functionaries. What an obstruction could not this Bank of the United States, with all its branch banks, be in time of war? It might dictate to us the peace we should accept, or withdraw its aids. Ought we then to give further growth to an institution so powerful, so hostile? … Now, while we are strong, it is the greatest debt we owe to the safety of our Constitution, to bring its powerful enemy to a perfect subordination under its authorities.”
What we need today is far more men and women in government with our founders’ financial forethought and cautiousness."I hope I haven't bored you to death, but I believe that each of us need to be aware of the ramifications of the steps that the government is taking to bail out the economy. For this nation to go further in to debt is going to come back to haunt us. Each of us must understand the consequences and vote wisely. I believe that our founding fathers were led by God-and they so acknowledged. We would do well to look to them now in our time of crisis. There is a lot more to this article that I have cited. If you are interested in the full text, here is the URL. It will take you to the complete article. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=75867
Patrick Henry
The constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
~ Patrick Henry
This bailout bill is scary. The treasury has the power to do anything they want to with the money, including buying up mortgages, and selling more debt to deal with rising borrowing needs, and guaranteeing them. And by the way, this can be done without our consent because it is now law. Remind me who is watching the treasury sec?
Glenn Beck's suggestion is to let nature take its course and fail and rebuild naturally. I have felt this way for a long time. When I watched the Dow Industrial climb and climb over the last several years (decade) I said to myself that this can't possibly be good and it can't possibly last without some correction. I have been waiting for this for a long time. I thought it was coming sooner when we went through several different individual days of the stock market falling at an unprecedented one day decrease, over the past few years. I think we have a long time to wait until the pendulum swings back the other way.
As we are in this financial crisis, I hate to think of what might happen if we have crises around the world that might garner our attention. What money are we going to use? Will we go further into debt? We are already at, what, 10 trillion? What might happen if we have another 9/11? Our country needs to balance the budget and stop spending money that we don't have. Because of the financial crisis, will we be able to do something in case of, or even see, outside threats? Can others take our country away from us because things are in such turmoil?
Peggy Noonan was a guest and I liked a suggestion she had: doing politics equal to the moment we are in. She and Glenn were talking about two political parties and the fact that political parties don't matter right now. I believe we should be focusing on the things this country needs to do to spend less money while still protecting our interests. I am sick of entitlement programs. Neither should we be turning to socialized medicine. People in this country are SMART! We CAN figure this out.
I hope my ramblings don't make anyone stop reading our blog. We will still be posting normal things. Oh and by clicking on the title to this post you can link to Glenn Beck's site. - Jen
Dad's Proudest Moment(s)
Okay, I acknowledge I'm a different sort, especially when it comes to parenting. When Regan was seven and we wanted to get her involved in a sport, the logical choice would have been soccer . . . . . I chose BMX. There were a lot of good reasons for that, that I won't go into here. We're slowly becoming more conventional over time - Meredith ran junior track for several seasons, Sydney plays soccer, and Phillip plays soccer and t-ball. But for all of these years I've had to repress my inner "stage dad" because I've never had a kid willing to get involved in the sport that I really love. . . . until now. I'm a racing addict, and I know that most people don't even pretend to understand it. Watching it on TV doesn't help. Until you're at the track and see the speed and hear the sound and witness the violence of it all up close, you won't ever understand. All of these drivers start somewhere and its usually at about Phillip's age. Through an interesting series of events about a month ago, I received an invitation from the Director of Race Operations at Miller Motorsports Park to bring Phillip out to the Karting center, have him outfitted with gear, and get some instructions in a true race kart. So, last Friday we made arrangements to meet the Director at the track and let Phillip give it a try. He was very nervous and, while he has ridden four-wheelers in the past, he has never used a steering wheel or foot pedals.
So, they got him outfitted with a helmet, neck brace, rib protector, and chest protector and rolled him out to the smaller track (the bigger track had some full size karts running at the time).
It took him several laps to feel comfortable with the foot controls, but after about 10 minutes his lap times started to drop in half. A few times he would stop and talk to the Director or me (at opposite sides of the track) for some pointers.
In a related story, Meredith is also going down the path to fulfill another secret dream of mine. I started my first rock band in the eighth grade and played in bands up until a few months before my mission. After a 13 year break, I got into another band in 1997 that lasted until 2003. I love this stuff. I've nagged Meredith for a long time about learning to play guitar, but she always told me that she had no interest. Then, all on her own a few months ago, she picked up one of the guitars around the house, found some instruction books, and started teaching herself to play. Since that time she's made better progress than anyone I've ever seen. She's now working on putting a band together and has a keyboard player and a drummer, and is currently working on a bass player. If things go right, I'll be the road manager for one of my kids in no time. Move over Taylor Swift . . . . .
So, they got him outfitted with a helmet, neck brace, rib protector, and chest protector and rolled him out to the smaller track (the bigger track had some full size karts running at the time).
It took him several laps to feel comfortable with the foot controls, but after about 10 minutes his lap times started to drop in half. A few times he would stop and talk to the Director or me (at opposite sides of the track) for some pointers.
Needless to say, he overcame his nervousness and had a lot of fun. He's decided that he would like to try racing next season and that we need to buy him a kart (ONLY about $3k for the kart and required gear). So we'll see if that works out next year.
In a related story, Meredith is also going down the path to fulfill another secret dream of mine. I started my first rock band in the eighth grade and played in bands up until a few months before my mission. After a 13 year break, I got into another band in 1997 that lasted until 2003. I love this stuff. I've nagged Meredith for a long time about learning to play guitar, but she always told me that she had no interest. Then, all on her own a few months ago, she picked up one of the guitars around the house, found some instruction books, and started teaching herself to play. Since that time she's made better progress than anyone I've ever seen. She's now working on putting a band together and has a keyboard player and a drummer, and is currently working on a bass player. If things go right, I'll be the road manager for one of my kids in no time. Move over Taylor Swift . . . . .My Political Thoughts
I am having very worried thoughts concerning our country, our political situation, the economy and so on. I posted these quotes and I plan on elaborating my feelings on each one. I am worried that if I/we don't let our thoughts be known, we will be at the mercy of leaders who are not prepared to balance a budget and help improve our economy, who will lead us to war unnecessarily, who won't lead us to war when we should, who want to take away our rights to guns, who don't maintain moral beliefs and values. I would love feedback. I am very concerned about our rights and the integrity of our leaders. - Jen
Don't interfere with anything in the constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.
~ Abraham Lincoln, from a speech at Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1856
We have no government armed in power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.
~ John Adams
The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
~ Patrick Henry
The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.
~ Samuel Adams
Don't interfere with anything in the constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.
~ Abraham Lincoln, from a speech at Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1856
We have no government armed in power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.
~ John Adams
The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
~ Patrick Henry
The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.
~ Samuel Adams
Jen's Great Eight Challenge Reply
This is a reply to Cassie's tag. I am not very great at finding 8.
Eight TV Shows I Watch
1. None. There, that was simple wasn't it? However, I wish I could watch medical shows on the Discovery Channel (rest of the family don't like the "gore", or "disgusting" as Sydney puts it). I wish I could watch "24" but it hasn't been on for more than a year. I watch the news frequently.
Eight Favorite Restaurants
1. Outback Steakhouse
2. Olive Garden
3. Iggys
4. Chilis
5. Eats of Eden- great new find
6. TGIFridays - used to like, too bad there isn't one very close
7. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
8.
8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Exercised
2. Went to Walgreens & got gasoline
3. Volunteered in Phil's Classroom
4. Bought Bread at the Hostess store
5. Visited with Amy Gebs: Sis-in-law
6. Watched Vice Presidential Debate while doing homework with kids
7. Blogged
8. Filed Business paperwork
Eight Things I am Looking Forward To
1. Web site startup
2. Reading another book or ten
3. Hawaii someday
4. Another 20
5. Being fun again
6. Trained dogs
7. GC
8. Empty nest
Eight Things on my Wish List
1. Mercedes Benz
2. Merry Maids
3. College scholarships
4. Never being gray
5. Staying fit
6. English garden
7. Be smart again
8. Lunch with friends every week
Eight TV Shows I Watch
1. None. There, that was simple wasn't it? However, I wish I could watch medical shows on the Discovery Channel (rest of the family don't like the "gore", or "disgusting" as Sydney puts it). I wish I could watch "24" but it hasn't been on for more than a year. I watch the news frequently.
Eight Favorite Restaurants
1. Outback Steakhouse
2. Olive Garden
3. Iggys
4. Chilis
5. Eats of Eden- great new find
6. TGIFridays - used to like, too bad there isn't one very close
7. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
8.
8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Exercised
2. Went to Walgreens & got gasoline
3. Volunteered in Phil's Classroom
4. Bought Bread at the Hostess store
5. Visited with Amy Gebs: Sis-in-law
6. Watched Vice Presidential Debate while doing homework with kids
7. Blogged
8. Filed Business paperwork
Eight Things I am Looking Forward To
1. Web site startup
2. Reading another book or ten
3. Hawaii someday
4. Another 20
5. Being fun again
6. Trained dogs
7. GC
8. Empty nest
Eight Things on my Wish List
1. Mercedes Benz
2. Merry Maids
3. College scholarships
4. Never being gray
5. Staying fit
6. English garden
7. Be smart again
8. Lunch with friends every week
Drowning in Raspberries
I just got off the phone with my mom in Willard and she said that my dad was out in the garden picking more raspberries. I didn't know that they were still on, and she said that they just keep coming and they have no room left to store them. She wants to just quit picking for the year, but my dad hates to see them go to waste. I told her that we would take them all. So if you want fresh berries, call Jen, and let her know. First come, first served. If you want to take your kids to Willard and have the experience of picking your own, we can hook that up also. Thats a fun trip because you can travel the Willard "Fruit Loop" and hit all of the farmers fruit stands along the way. Whole foods are always better for you than processed foods, you know.
Smokin' Tiny
This is Tiny. She has some compressed rawhide that she is given to chew so that she doesn't chew other things like shoes. Sometimes she carries the thing around in her mouth. When she carries it out the side of her mouth like in this picture, she looks like she is smoking a cigar. We laugh about it every time.
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