So another day, another blog. So many little things going on. Installed my first window last night. In the dark. In my friedns house. I am now convinced that things like that should best be left to professionals. Not that it didn't turn out O.K., I just didn't like the experience. Tonight, I get to spend a few hours in a crawl space installing plumbing. The upside? I get to go shopping at Lowe's first and it's payday. Maybe I'll get a new tool. Maybe not. I have a big vacation coming up. Turns out, we have to finish this plumbing and get a tub installed today. Should be fun. We proved last night that once we get going, things go pretty fast. It's getting started that takes time. Kinda like an old car. It may take a few miles to get up to speed, but once it's there, stopping is not an option.
Anyway, I am trying to keep things short and light today since yesterdays post was a bit of a...well whatever it was, it wasn't light or short. I have so much on my plate right now that I don't really know where to start. Between what I need to do for retirement, setting myself up for ease of transition out of the navy with the house, fixing the house, work, the wife and kids, most days I just end up staring at the TV and watching my head explode. I have decided that once I get back from vacation, I will bear down and get it all done. Do what I can when I can how I can and just do it. I will do what I can afford to do at home and hopefully it will be enough to sell the house. Damn, there went light so Here goes short. Have a nice day and keep yourself going.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Birthers, Beliefs, and blessings.
So, there have been a lot of posts and news on this whole Obama birth certificate thing. The fact is that in order to become president you have to have been born a US citizen. This means that you are born to US citizens or born on US soil legally (read amendment 14). The other side is, the president of the US has one of the highest security clearances in the land. In order to get it he has to pass a background check while he is running. If you think that the pentagon, CIA, NSA, or any of the other intelligence agencies are just going to allow anyone with a checkbook run for president without verifying their citizenship, you are horribly mistaken. I guarantee, that his citizen ship and eligibility to be president were verified long before he started campaigning since he was a senator before he ran. For those of you on the side of drop it all ready, I am with you. The down side is that the "birthers" won't. They are like any other group of people who believe something. They will always find someway to question what is presented no matter what the truth is. Terry Goodkind put it best in "Wizard's First Rule". "People will believe almost anything, either because they want it to be true, or they are afraid it is. "
The downside of that is that we each have our beliefs and are not easily swayed from them. In this day and age, there is a mountain of information and all of it can be contradicted by an expert. Take the God and Christianity debate. As a Christian, I have read all kinds of proof for why the Bible is reliable, Jesus existed, God exists, etc. This supports what I believe and at times I catch myself thinking, "How can anyone believe otherwise?" Then I receive a little understanding. They believe otherwise because they want to. They will argue that it can only be right for hundreds of reasons. And of course, there is plenty of evidence out there for both sides. I can find as many arguments and answers to arguments as the atheist can and the fact remains that we will still end up believing what we want and just end up alienating each other. What it really comes down to is what do you want to believe.
As I reread what I just wrote, I realize it seems like I am trying to placate my non-Christian friends. I really am not. All I am saying is that with free will, we are allowed to believe as we will. My belief in God says that to not believe in him and thus reject him is to condemn oneself and thus I will do as I can to bring others to my beliefs. I must, however, temper this with the knowledge that not all will believe. Why? Because if God forced all to believe, there would be no free will and without free will, how can we truly love him? Love must, by definition, be a choice. Thus, while God didn't create evil, he must allow it as to remove the option for us to do it, removes free will. This means that, by giving us free will, he gave us the ability to hurt him, and we did. While I wish that my atheist friends would see what I see and come to God, I also recognize the free will God granted them and can only try to persuade them and recognize that until they choose to come to God, they will believe as they will for whatever reason.
For my Christian friends, please, think before you speak. When you condemn non-Christians for their belief, you try to usurp God's authority. This is what God meant when he said judge not less ye be judged. Only God has the right to judge the condition of someones heart. Have friendly discussions. Live the Christian life. Study the Bible and live it to the best of your ability. If you live as a Christian, you become the best testimony. As my local pastor said, "if you proclaim to be a Christian and act like everyone you live with, what would make anyone around you think that being a Christian means anything? If you live as a true Christian should, you will bring others to you as they notice a difference in your life." Let others believe as they will. Show them what God said, but if they reject what you have to say, let them go and witness through how you live your life. This is what being a Christian means. Respecting others means respecting their beliefs and wishes as well as their property. Be a witness through actions, not just words. God bless.
The downside of that is that we each have our beliefs and are not easily swayed from them. In this day and age, there is a mountain of information and all of it can be contradicted by an expert. Take the God and Christianity debate. As a Christian, I have read all kinds of proof for why the Bible is reliable, Jesus existed, God exists, etc. This supports what I believe and at times I catch myself thinking, "How can anyone believe otherwise?" Then I receive a little understanding. They believe otherwise because they want to. They will argue that it can only be right for hundreds of reasons. And of course, there is plenty of evidence out there for both sides. I can find as many arguments and answers to arguments as the atheist can and the fact remains that we will still end up believing what we want and just end up alienating each other. What it really comes down to is what do you want to believe.
As I reread what I just wrote, I realize it seems like I am trying to placate my non-Christian friends. I really am not. All I am saying is that with free will, we are allowed to believe as we will. My belief in God says that to not believe in him and thus reject him is to condemn oneself and thus I will do as I can to bring others to my beliefs. I must, however, temper this with the knowledge that not all will believe. Why? Because if God forced all to believe, there would be no free will and without free will, how can we truly love him? Love must, by definition, be a choice. Thus, while God didn't create evil, he must allow it as to remove the option for us to do it, removes free will. This means that, by giving us free will, he gave us the ability to hurt him, and we did. While I wish that my atheist friends would see what I see and come to God, I also recognize the free will God granted them and can only try to persuade them and recognize that until they choose to come to God, they will believe as they will for whatever reason.
For my Christian friends, please, think before you speak. When you condemn non-Christians for their belief, you try to usurp God's authority. This is what God meant when he said judge not less ye be judged. Only God has the right to judge the condition of someones heart. Have friendly discussions. Live the Christian life. Study the Bible and live it to the best of your ability. If you live as a Christian, you become the best testimony. As my local pastor said, "if you proclaim to be a Christian and act like everyone you live with, what would make anyone around you think that being a Christian means anything? If you live as a true Christian should, you will bring others to you as they notice a difference in your life." Let others believe as they will. Show them what God said, but if they reject what you have to say, let them go and witness through how you live your life. This is what being a Christian means. Respecting others means respecting their beliefs and wishes as well as their property. Be a witness through actions, not just words. God bless.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
A whoomph to remember, or how my dad replaced fireworks with soda cans.
So it's another happy hump day and I have just the tale for you. You see, not to long ago I was reminded of somethings that I had done with my dad and the hilarity that ensued. It all started on a fourth of July.
We had some friends over and were lamenting about the fact that fireworks are illegal in Iowa. I mean, what is the fourth of July without the opportunity to blow off several digits off of your hand or the thrill of putting out random fires with a garden hose. Anyway, as we were sitting there dad cut the top off of a soda can to make a cup to drink out of. Apparently the kitchen (not 10 ft away) was to far to go. As he looked around he noticed the post driver (a cylinder of steel with one end welded shut with about 2 inches of more steel) leaning against the porch.
For some inexplicable reason he decided to see if his new cup would fit over the end. Sure enough, it was a perfect fit. I slid on without any trouble but was tight enough to make a seal. Being the smart man my dad is, he thought, "if I had something explosive in there, I bet I could really launch this can."
I don't know if you've ever been around a man who gets an idea that only he and another man would call good, but let me tell you, you know when it happens. The eyes get big, he sits up straighter, and he takes off for parts unknown to implement said idea. The Idea was what to use for propellant. You see, my dad is a plumber and electrician. He is also a handyman. He did his own welding and steel cutting. This was before plasma cutting was popular. Thus, he had an oxy/Acetylene torch which uses two separate tanks, one of oxygen and one of acetylene. When you turn on the gas to the nozzle, it jets out the gas at the perfect mix. You are supposed to light the gas and use it to literally burn the metal apart. One of the warnings on the rig warns you to ignite said torch in adequate ventilation as it is explosive in combined spaces. Remember how I said my dad was smart? Apparently, intelligence and explosives don't go together to often.
That's when I first heard dad utter the most famous words in the male lexicon, "Hey, guys, follow me and check this out." This is the first and only time I ever heard this phrase from my dad. He proceeded to set up the post driver against the front axle of our tractor so that the open end pointed out over the field. For those of you who don't understand tractor design, the gas tank on most small tractors is above the engine in the engine housing and thus over the front wheels and within a few feet of teh open end of the post driver. Another feature of the post driver I forgot to mention is a small hole in the side about half way up, supposedly so the air inside has somewhere to go when you are slamming the driver down on some poor unsuspecting post. So dad fit his soda can over the end of the post driver that was leaning against the tractor. He then took his torch, took the tip, pressed it against the hole and commenced to fill the post driver with gas from the torch. If you can't see where this is headed bear with me.
After it was filled as he thought was appropriate, he turned off the gas took a match and held it to the hole. The Whoomph that followed, while satisfying, was not nearly as impressive as the 4ft flame and the red hot soda can that came off the end. The can landed after a few minutes (we believe it hit record heights, then again what is the record for launching a soda can from a post driver) torn in two.
One would think once was enough. I mean, a 4 ft flame not a foot from a full gas tank is a little scary right? Nope, dad and his friends (us kids included) started bringing him more cans to launch. We had a pretty steady stream of cans launching. Whoomph after satisfying whoomph. It was an unending barrage. We would recover the cans and relaunch any we thought worthy. Turns out that at the time Mt Dew had the strongest cans as we could launch them about 4 times before they were unusable. Once it got dark, it was even more fun since we could see the flame and track the glowing cans as they arched through the sky. At the time it was fun, looking back you realize why mom had that horrified look on her face for almost the entire time. I also understand now why it didn't become a Fourth of July tradition as we never again lit up the post driver soda can cannon.
We had some friends over and were lamenting about the fact that fireworks are illegal in Iowa. I mean, what is the fourth of July without the opportunity to blow off several digits off of your hand or the thrill of putting out random fires with a garden hose. Anyway, as we were sitting there dad cut the top off of a soda can to make a cup to drink out of. Apparently the kitchen (not 10 ft away) was to far to go. As he looked around he noticed the post driver (a cylinder of steel with one end welded shut with about 2 inches of more steel) leaning against the porch.
For some inexplicable reason he decided to see if his new cup would fit over the end. Sure enough, it was a perfect fit. I slid on without any trouble but was tight enough to make a seal. Being the smart man my dad is, he thought, "if I had something explosive in there, I bet I could really launch this can."
I don't know if you've ever been around a man who gets an idea that only he and another man would call good, but let me tell you, you know when it happens. The eyes get big, he sits up straighter, and he takes off for parts unknown to implement said idea. The Idea was what to use for propellant. You see, my dad is a plumber and electrician. He is also a handyman. He did his own welding and steel cutting. This was before plasma cutting was popular. Thus, he had an oxy/Acetylene torch which uses two separate tanks, one of oxygen and one of acetylene. When you turn on the gas to the nozzle, it jets out the gas at the perfect mix. You are supposed to light the gas and use it to literally burn the metal apart. One of the warnings on the rig warns you to ignite said torch in adequate ventilation as it is explosive in combined spaces. Remember how I said my dad was smart? Apparently, intelligence and explosives don't go together to often.
That's when I first heard dad utter the most famous words in the male lexicon, "Hey, guys, follow me and check this out." This is the first and only time I ever heard this phrase from my dad. He proceeded to set up the post driver against the front axle of our tractor so that the open end pointed out over the field. For those of you who don't understand tractor design, the gas tank on most small tractors is above the engine in the engine housing and thus over the front wheels and within a few feet of teh open end of the post driver. Another feature of the post driver I forgot to mention is a small hole in the side about half way up, supposedly so the air inside has somewhere to go when you are slamming the driver down on some poor unsuspecting post. So dad fit his soda can over the end of the post driver that was leaning against the tractor. He then took his torch, took the tip, pressed it against the hole and commenced to fill the post driver with gas from the torch. If you can't see where this is headed bear with me.
After it was filled as he thought was appropriate, he turned off the gas took a match and held it to the hole. The Whoomph that followed, while satisfying, was not nearly as impressive as the 4ft flame and the red hot soda can that came off the end. The can landed after a few minutes (we believe it hit record heights, then again what is the record for launching a soda can from a post driver) torn in two.
One would think once was enough. I mean, a 4 ft flame not a foot from a full gas tank is a little scary right? Nope, dad and his friends (us kids included) started bringing him more cans to launch. We had a pretty steady stream of cans launching. Whoomph after satisfying whoomph. It was an unending barrage. We would recover the cans and relaunch any we thought worthy. Turns out that at the time Mt Dew had the strongest cans as we could launch them about 4 times before they were unusable. Once it got dark, it was even more fun since we could see the flame and track the glowing cans as they arched through the sky. At the time it was fun, looking back you realize why mom had that horrified look on her face for almost the entire time. I also understand now why it didn't become a Fourth of July tradition as we never again lit up the post driver soda can cannon.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Just another day
An update from this weekend. My friend who had the problems with his bathroom got word from his insurance agency. Seems they are going to pay him for doing the repairs the same as if he got a contractor. Good news as the repairs are going to be a bit more costly than first thought. The good news is, even though I still have a cold, I am feeling s bit better than I was yesterday so I may be able to go over tonight and help him finish. Hopefully I can get this done right and quickly. Right is more important than quick, I do the first and hope the second follows.
So last night My wife got a night out with the ladies. She had a good time and I spent some time with my boys. I really need to do that more. I also need to figure out what I am going to do with all these days I am building up. I am almost to a week. Doesn't matter. I'll figure something out.
I started reading "the Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel a few days ago and have found him to be very straight forward and concise with his writing. He does a wonderful job of bringing the arguements araginst Christianity to light and correcting misconceptions and putting the facts straight. He uses both secular and Christian sources to ensure that the whole case is presented and thus render a sincere verdict. I highly recommend reading it as well as his follow up "A Case for Faith" in which he answers many of the biggest objections to Christianity. I was able to follow the arguements without any problem and believe that anyone who reads them with an open mind can't help but believe. I would like to hear any other thoughts on it.
Well, I think that ends today's post. Not much else to say. Have a wonderful day.
So last night My wife got a night out with the ladies. She had a good time and I spent some time with my boys. I really need to do that more. I also need to figure out what I am going to do with all these days I am building up. I am almost to a week. Doesn't matter. I'll figure something out.
I started reading "the Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel a few days ago and have found him to be very straight forward and concise with his writing. He does a wonderful job of bringing the arguements araginst Christianity to light and correcting misconceptions and putting the facts straight. He uses both secular and Christian sources to ensure that the whole case is presented and thus render a sincere verdict. I highly recommend reading it as well as his follow up "A Case for Faith" in which he answers many of the biggest objections to Christianity. I was able to follow the arguements without any problem and believe that anyone who reads them with an open mind can't help but believe. I would like to hear any other thoughts on it.
Well, I think that ends today's post. Not much else to say. Have a wonderful day.
Monday, April 25, 2011
This weekend, and a note about growing up.
So all in all, it wasn't to bad a weekend. Saturday, I started to help a friend remodel his bathroom. I say started because as we started working on removing the old tub and fixtures we discovered to outside wall had a slight carpenter ant infection. By slight I mean, we were able to keep from tearing down the entire house. The damage was limited to a 6' x 7' section of wall. Now when the weather is nice, I get to help him rebuild a wall. Yippee.
Sunday came and low and behold, my youngest was sick. Luckily I couldn't breathe due to my cold and thus didn't have to smell his dirty diapers (apparantly they were horrible). Between an upset 3 year old, a raging headache, an inability to breathe, and an overwhelming desire to sleep, I was unable to go to Easter services. I was a bit bummed. This also meant I was unable to go and help my friend with finishing his bathroom. Guess it was a good thing it rained. I felt slightly better that afternoon so I was able to finally color eggs with my boys. The eggs are currently sitting in the fridge waiting to be eaten or turned into something yummy. I doubt I will be able to taste them since I still can't breathe. So my weekend was pretty much a wash. I got to spend so little time with my family that it didn't seem like a weekend at all.
Today, I spent the first 10 minutes draining my nose. At least I don't have a headache today. I still can't breathe and want ot go to sleep, but I think I will survive. All in all it has been interesting. At least I had a good chance to work with a friend and maybe we can finish his bathroom before the end of the week. We'll see.
The converstations I had this weekend have really hit home on so many levels. I realized just how lucky I was to have a father who was willing to take me to work with him and teach me what it was he did. I also find that what I was given through his discipline and direction helped to shape who I became and influences me to this day. I have realized that I want nothing more than to return to that style of living. I used to think that my dad wasn't business savy and could have made his business a lot larger and maybe not lived with as little as we did. Looking back, I realize now that I was wrong. Dad could have easily increased his business to become some large business, but he would have lost the connection with his customers. I believe now that this was his main reason for having the business the way he did. That is why whenever the business started to really grow, he always managed to make it smaller again. He enjoyed connecting with people and still does. I have found I have a similar desire, just on a smaller scale. Due to many reasons, I am not as trusting or outgoing as my dad. I am happy to spend hours sitting by myself, but I will go out of my way for a friend. I may not make a ton of friends, but those I allow into that circle are there for life. As I have mentioned to my friends and family, I have many aquaintances and very few friends. I like to know that as my friend, I can count on you as much as you can count on me. My dad is much the same. His circle of friends may be larger, but that is due to how long he has had to make them and the community he lives in. Like many who have had a father that cares for them, I want to be like my dad. Maybe not a carbon copy, but enough of a facsimile that some can see my dad in me. Of all the compliments I can recieve, to hear that I am like my dad is the greatest one I think I could get. So, to end this, I guess I could just say, Thanks dad. And expect me to take this to the next level come Fathers Day.
Sunday came and low and behold, my youngest was sick. Luckily I couldn't breathe due to my cold and thus didn't have to smell his dirty diapers (apparantly they were horrible). Between an upset 3 year old, a raging headache, an inability to breathe, and an overwhelming desire to sleep, I was unable to go to Easter services. I was a bit bummed. This also meant I was unable to go and help my friend with finishing his bathroom. Guess it was a good thing it rained. I felt slightly better that afternoon so I was able to finally color eggs with my boys. The eggs are currently sitting in the fridge waiting to be eaten or turned into something yummy. I doubt I will be able to taste them since I still can't breathe. So my weekend was pretty much a wash. I got to spend so little time with my family that it didn't seem like a weekend at all.
Today, I spent the first 10 minutes draining my nose. At least I don't have a headache today. I still can't breathe and want ot go to sleep, but I think I will survive. All in all it has been interesting. At least I had a good chance to work with a friend and maybe we can finish his bathroom before the end of the week. We'll see.
The converstations I had this weekend have really hit home on so many levels. I realized just how lucky I was to have a father who was willing to take me to work with him and teach me what it was he did. I also find that what I was given through his discipline and direction helped to shape who I became and influences me to this day. I have realized that I want nothing more than to return to that style of living. I used to think that my dad wasn't business savy and could have made his business a lot larger and maybe not lived with as little as we did. Looking back, I realize now that I was wrong. Dad could have easily increased his business to become some large business, but he would have lost the connection with his customers. I believe now that this was his main reason for having the business the way he did. That is why whenever the business started to really grow, he always managed to make it smaller again. He enjoyed connecting with people and still does. I have found I have a similar desire, just on a smaller scale. Due to many reasons, I am not as trusting or outgoing as my dad. I am happy to spend hours sitting by myself, but I will go out of my way for a friend. I may not make a ton of friends, but those I allow into that circle are there for life. As I have mentioned to my friends and family, I have many aquaintances and very few friends. I like to know that as my friend, I can count on you as much as you can count on me. My dad is much the same. His circle of friends may be larger, but that is due to how long he has had to make them and the community he lives in. Like many who have had a father that cares for them, I want to be like my dad. Maybe not a carbon copy, but enough of a facsimile that some can see my dad in me. Of all the compliments I can recieve, to hear that I am like my dad is the greatest one I think I could get. So, to end this, I guess I could just say, Thanks dad. And expect me to take this to the next level come Fathers Day.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Easter weekend thoughts.
It's good Friday. Amazing how the world views things. I had an athiest friend post on Facebook that he couldn't understand how Christians could call the torture and murder of "their supposed saviour". The fact is that we are not celbrating his torutre and murder. We are celebrating his sacrifice. He chose to die for us so that we may live. To be truly innocent of all wrong and to still die in our place is something beyond our comprehension and something we don't deserve and yet he did it. It is called Good Friday because without his death he could not have risen again. Without his shedding of blood, we could not be redeemed. Without his sacrifice, we could not enter the kingdom of heaven. I recommend reading any book by Lee Strobel if you are asking questions about the Christian faith. I just finished his book "A Case for Faith" and it was inspiring. He is a former Athiest and he does such a wonderful job of using logic and reason to answer some of the most critical questions about Christianity. The summation he gives in the aforementioned book sums it up nicely. God is so loving he gives us what we truly want in regards to our relationship with him. If we desire any kind of relationship with him, he will give us everything we need to find him and draw nearer. If, however, we should decide we want nothing to do with him, he gives us everything we need to deny him as well even though it grieves him. This weekend we celebrate, not Jesus's death, but his gift of eternal life. We celbrate his forgiveness and his sacrifice to conquer the grave so that we may live. Thank God for his mercy and grace granting us what we did not deserve but so desperately needed. As is so often quoted, He paid a debt he did not owe and forgave us a debt we could never pay.
May you have a great Easter weekend and reflect on what grace and mercies God has granted you. God bless.
May you have a great Easter weekend and reflect on what grace and mercies God has granted you. God bless.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
A post about nothing
Not much to write on. I have nothing important to say and hven't seen anything that piqued my interest in a few days. My mind is occupied with my up coming trip to Italy and the fact that I am free to eat as I will. I need to continue to watch my diet so I don't gain to much, but I can at least eat without being judged on every little thing. The worst part of growing older is I can't enjoy the things I used to without gaining extra weight. Anyway, have a wonderful day and keep your head up.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Sam, the dog of my youth.
It's that day of the week. Happy hump day. The middle of the week. Half a week down, or half a week to go, however you want to look at it. Kinda like the glass half whatever arguement. All I know is that a parent sees it and will immediately ask, "who left a half a glass of water out?" Just saying. This week is a half full kinda week. I passed the PFA I mentioned yesterday and no longer have to do remedial PT (my shoulder is in full riot and is protesting for independance, but I passed). So all in all it's agood thing. Now for the story.
This week Idecided I would regale you with a story of the first dog I remember. He was a great dane named Sam. He was a golden color and was the most caring and loveable dog I have ever had. With three of us kids (My younger brother wasn't born yet) crawling all over him, he would just lay there. He never got up if we were on top of him. Not because he couldn't but because he knew he could hurt us. He was a 4 ft tall puppy that knew he was loved and could love right back. No matter what Sam was in charge and was going to have fun. There are several incidents that show this.
The first instance occured when I was about 6. One summer morning one of our neighbors called. I only heard one side of the conversation, but my mother filled me in on the particulars several years later. Apparently, the neighbor had seen Sam chase his cows accross the field and was upset by it. Mom was calm and collected as always.
"Just watch him for a bit before you take any actions," she said into the phone, "no mr. Jones*, I doubt he will hurt them. Please just watch them for a bit.......Thank you."
I changed the name because I don't remmber. But anyway, she hung up and went back to work. About a half hour later the phone rang again, "Hello...Oh, Hi, Mr Jones.....You did huh?....I see.....no problem....you have a nice day now." Only years later did I learn that the conversation was about Sam and highlighted his fun side. Seems that he was indeed chasing the cows accross the field. He would then circle the herd twice and then the herd would chase him back accross the field. They were playing together! The farmer actually asked that mom let Sam come down once a week since the cows seemed so happy and were doing so well. That was Sam. never doing what was expected.
A couple of other incedents stand out as well. One was simply called the tree incident. Here is what happened. In the middle of the night, we were woken up by Sam going crazy at the front door. This was unusual as Sam usually was quiet through the night. Dad got up and opened the door for Sam and sam took off like a shot. As dad watched, Sam chased a racoon out from under the porch and up a nearby sapling. Apparently, racoons have no concept of size as the sapling was less than 2 inches in diameter and barely 10 feet high. Sam simply put his front paws on the trunk and bent the tree in half. The Racoon immediately relized his mistake and jumped the 2 ft to the ground and took off. Samm leapt forward. The tree tried to straighten. We heard a yelp, and dad got to witness his newly planted apple tree disintegrate. Needless to say, Sam was in a little trouble with dad. The only thing that saved Sam was the fact that dad couldn't stop laughing for a good hour.
The last incident I want to regale you with is a bit scarey. Dogs chase cars, it's a known fact. Why they chase cars has always been a source of conjecture. At least for most people. I believe I have an absolute answer thanks to Sam. Most experts believe it is because the dog is protecting his territory. This may be true for some, but for Sam it was revenge. You see we lived in a small rural community at the time. The town we lived in had exactly 4 houses and a feed store. We lived on the main street and Sam was given the run of the town. All of our neighbors knew and loved Sam and cared for him. It wasn't unusual to see him trotting down the road looking for his next friend to play with. Everyone from the town knew to go slow (the posted speed limit was 10 mph), not because of the speed limit, but because Sam was prone to suddenly deciding the other side of the road was where he wanted to be. The day in question was a beautiful sunny Iowa summer day. Mom was out working in the garden and us kids were playing in the yard. Sam was accross the road. As we watched, a mid sized truck came around the corner. It was someone new to the area. He obviously didn't know Sam. At that instant, Sam decided it was time to play with us and darted into the road. The truck hit Sam broadside and Sam rolled under all 4 tires. The truck stopped and the guy got out. You could tell he was mortified and he knew he had just killed out dog. at least that's what he thought. Sam on the other hand wasn't so sure. He stood up. Shook himself. His head slowly turned to look at this thing that dared challenge his authority. The driver stopped and his eyes went wide as Sam started to growl and started a slow lope toward the truck. The driver jumped in, started the engine and took off with Sam in full pursuit. From that day on, anytime a truck drove by Sam came to his feet and growled until he was sure it wasn't his nemesis and was always wary of any truck that stopped at our house. The truck that hit him, was never seen in the town again. The only other thing that changed was now Sam looked before stepping into the road and the people of the area breathed a little easier when driving by our house.
A few months after the truck incident, Sam went out hunting on his own and never came back. We aren't sure what happened, but he we assume he was hit by a larger vehicle and died. I was 6 at the time and have had many dogs since then including another Sam. But none were as fun or as big as the original. I havae always hoped for another dog such as him, but have not found one. In any event, thank you Sam for your love and attention.
This week Idecided I would regale you with a story of the first dog I remember. He was a great dane named Sam. He was a golden color and was the most caring and loveable dog I have ever had. With three of us kids (My younger brother wasn't born yet) crawling all over him, he would just lay there. He never got up if we were on top of him. Not because he couldn't but because he knew he could hurt us. He was a 4 ft tall puppy that knew he was loved and could love right back. No matter what Sam was in charge and was going to have fun. There are several incidents that show this.
The first instance occured when I was about 6. One summer morning one of our neighbors called. I only heard one side of the conversation, but my mother filled me in on the particulars several years later. Apparently, the neighbor had seen Sam chase his cows accross the field and was upset by it. Mom was calm and collected as always.
"Just watch him for a bit before you take any actions," she said into the phone, "no mr. Jones*, I doubt he will hurt them. Please just watch them for a bit.......Thank you."
I changed the name because I don't remmber. But anyway, she hung up and went back to work. About a half hour later the phone rang again, "Hello...Oh, Hi, Mr Jones.....You did huh?....I see.....no problem....you have a nice day now." Only years later did I learn that the conversation was about Sam and highlighted his fun side. Seems that he was indeed chasing the cows accross the field. He would then circle the herd twice and then the herd would chase him back accross the field. They were playing together! The farmer actually asked that mom let Sam come down once a week since the cows seemed so happy and were doing so well. That was Sam. never doing what was expected.
A couple of other incedents stand out as well. One was simply called the tree incident. Here is what happened. In the middle of the night, we were woken up by Sam going crazy at the front door. This was unusual as Sam usually was quiet through the night. Dad got up and opened the door for Sam and sam took off like a shot. As dad watched, Sam chased a racoon out from under the porch and up a nearby sapling. Apparently, racoons have no concept of size as the sapling was less than 2 inches in diameter and barely 10 feet high. Sam simply put his front paws on the trunk and bent the tree in half. The Racoon immediately relized his mistake and jumped the 2 ft to the ground and took off. Samm leapt forward. The tree tried to straighten. We heard a yelp, and dad got to witness his newly planted apple tree disintegrate. Needless to say, Sam was in a little trouble with dad. The only thing that saved Sam was the fact that dad couldn't stop laughing for a good hour.
The last incident I want to regale you with is a bit scarey. Dogs chase cars, it's a known fact. Why they chase cars has always been a source of conjecture. At least for most people. I believe I have an absolute answer thanks to Sam. Most experts believe it is because the dog is protecting his territory. This may be true for some, but for Sam it was revenge. You see we lived in a small rural community at the time. The town we lived in had exactly 4 houses and a feed store. We lived on the main street and Sam was given the run of the town. All of our neighbors knew and loved Sam and cared for him. It wasn't unusual to see him trotting down the road looking for his next friend to play with. Everyone from the town knew to go slow (the posted speed limit was 10 mph), not because of the speed limit, but because Sam was prone to suddenly deciding the other side of the road was where he wanted to be. The day in question was a beautiful sunny Iowa summer day. Mom was out working in the garden and us kids were playing in the yard. Sam was accross the road. As we watched, a mid sized truck came around the corner. It was someone new to the area. He obviously didn't know Sam. At that instant, Sam decided it was time to play with us and darted into the road. The truck hit Sam broadside and Sam rolled under all 4 tires. The truck stopped and the guy got out. You could tell he was mortified and he knew he had just killed out dog. at least that's what he thought. Sam on the other hand wasn't so sure. He stood up. Shook himself. His head slowly turned to look at this thing that dared challenge his authority. The driver stopped and his eyes went wide as Sam started to growl and started a slow lope toward the truck. The driver jumped in, started the engine and took off with Sam in full pursuit. From that day on, anytime a truck drove by Sam came to his feet and growled until he was sure it wasn't his nemesis and was always wary of any truck that stopped at our house. The truck that hit him, was never seen in the town again. The only other thing that changed was now Sam looked before stepping into the road and the people of the area breathed a little easier when driving by our house.
A few months after the truck incident, Sam went out hunting on his own and never came back. We aren't sure what happened, but he we assume he was hit by a larger vehicle and died. I was 6 at the time and have had many dogs since then including another Sam. But none were as fun or as big as the original. I havae always hoped for another dog such as him, but have not found one. In any event, thank you Sam for your love and attention.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Philosophy with problems?
Today was a good day. I made wieght for my Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) and I do the actual fitness part tomorrow. I am not really worried about it, I just need to do well so I can get off of remedial PT. I was about to rant about the Navy's fitnes program (I had actully gotten up to 3 rather large paragraphs) when I realized that you probably don't really care. If you aren't in the Navy, it isn't relevant. If you are in the Navy, you've either heard it, or you've said it, so why waste my time? The fact is, we all have something that we can complain about. The question is, do you have a solution?
Let me share a bit of wisdom. No one cares about a complaint, but if you share a solution to a problem, you can make people think about it and maybe get it fixed. The reason? Simply put, a problem has a solution, but a complaint can't be fixed. When people complain, they are percieved as whiners and are not attractive because they can't be pleased. If you offer a solution, no matter how off the wall, with percieved problems, you may aid in fixing the situation, or maybe learn just why it is that way; either way you are no longer a whiner, but an insightful person. As a wise man once said to me, "sometimes the reason the problem exists is because no one offered a solution."
To finish today's post I will leave you with this. There is no problem so large that it can't be solved through careful consideration, a little work, and the right people. Take care, and look at each problem as a solution waiting to happen.
Let me share a bit of wisdom. No one cares about a complaint, but if you share a solution to a problem, you can make people think about it and maybe get it fixed. The reason? Simply put, a problem has a solution, but a complaint can't be fixed. When people complain, they are percieved as whiners and are not attractive because they can't be pleased. If you offer a solution, no matter how off the wall, with percieved problems, you may aid in fixing the situation, or maybe learn just why it is that way; either way you are no longer a whiner, but an insightful person. As a wise man once said to me, "sometimes the reason the problem exists is because no one offered a solution."
To finish today's post I will leave you with this. There is no problem so large that it can't be solved through careful consideration, a little work, and the right people. Take care, and look at each problem as a solution waiting to happen.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Rambling at 5am.
It's Monday. That about says it. I ended up having to work overtime this weekend and so I've been here since 2am (I actually arrived at 0130, but who's counting). That just means that this will be a relatively short post and may be a bit incoherent. I really don't have much to say anyway. Yup, just said everything I could think of. My mind is pretty much mush (not that it's much better under normal circumstances). Wow, that just took me 20 minutes to write. I'll just end this before I say anything I'll regret. Have a wonderful day and try to get some sleep. Spoon. (just thought I'd toss that out there for all you Tick fans).
Friday, April 15, 2011
Just for laughs.
Yesterday, while talking to my lovely wife, I was informed that my posts were a bit dark and I should write on something more positive. This sounds easier than it is. The news is filled with pain and sadness, there are problems everywhere. It is just so easy to get caught in the loop of being down that it is easy to forget there is an up side. So I have decided to institute a minimum of one happy post a week. This week it will fall on a Friday, but I think I will shift it to a Wednesday and call it Happy Hump Day, just for fun. So here goes.
For this weeks installment I believe I will share a funny story from my life. Years ago, when I was 13, I was allowed to start camping on my own. I got a tent and a Lantern for Christmas and my friend, John, and I thought it would be great to set up the tent on the dam of a local pond so we could fish and camp at the same time. Why not, we loved fishing, and camping was just a way of extending the camping day. Besides, we checked the weather and the forcast said no rain for at least a week. And it hadn't rained in a month so why should it change? So we packed our stuff. Turns out, when you go camping the first time you tend to take to much. I didn't recognize this rule until much later (my wife still says I take to much, but I like to be prepared.) So there I was, on my mountain bike, 2 gunny sacks (one on each side for balance) filled to the brim, my tackle box on the rack in the back, and my back pack. My tackle box at the time was a large metal one filled with lures, hooks, weights, lines, and leaders and weighed approximately a ton. I had a smaller plastic one, but I needed everything in the metal one so I drug it along as well. Needless to say, once I had everything loaded I ended up pushing my bike to the campsite (about 10 miles away) because when I tried to ride the tires went flat and I fell over. Besides, it was easier to use the seat to carry the backpack because for some reason when I put it on my back I couldn't stand up.
We got to the site about 3 in the afternoon and set up camp. You'd be amazed what two 13 year old boys can carry to a camp site. The small mountain of pots, pans, utensils, canned food, bedding, and other necesities would have filled a small cathedral. I had the tent so I was in charge of choosing a location. The center of the dam was perfect. We could set up our poles on the dam and fish the deepest part and not be to far from the tent and fire. We set up the fire pit and put our lines in the water. We then tried to start the fire. We finally gave up 3 hours later when we realized neither of us had a clue how to start a fire with the small amount of twigs and brush we could gather. In the four tons of equipment we had brought, neither of us had bothered to bring firewood. The stuff is just lying around everywhere after all, isn't it? So we went with out a fire. It was summer, so who needs a fire anyway. It's not like we had steaks to cook anyway. Besides, we could eat the canned food we brought without heating it. The next hour was spent argueing over who was supposed to bring the can opener. That's when we learned lesson number 2 of camping, always make sure you write down who is supposed to bring what. This is great advice if you plan months in advance and are face to face. Doesn't work so well if you plan your camping trip the way I do and leave the same day you thought of it.
It was now dusk, so I lit my latern and was amazed at the amount of light it put out. This was great, now we could see what we were doing, as could the astronauts. It was then that we realized we had had our lines in the water for about 4 hours and hadn't had a nibble. We brought in our lines to check and sure enough, the worms were gone. We rebaited the hooks and threw them back out. Now that we had nothing to do but watch our lines we noticed that the fish were starting to bite. In the next 45 minutes we hooked 10 good sized catfish and were having a ball. That was when we noticed it was completely dark outside of our circle of light. We had flashlights, but who needs them with a propane lantern. That's when we discovered that if you leave the metal handel of the lantern standing up, you will recieve a nifty red line accross your palm when you pick it up. As we cast out our lines after removing catfish number 10, we were smiling and having a good time. Then the fish stopped biting just a suddenly as they had started. We watched our lines intently for the next 10 minutes and nothing happened then John looked at me and said, "did I just feel a rain drop?"
I looked at him and that's when it rained. Not a slowly growing rain. You know, the kind that starts as a light drizzle to warn you of things to come. No, this skipped right to the grand finale. The rain where everything is soaked in 2 seconds and you can swim through it. The kind where you see fish swimming through the air because they don't know where the surface of the pond is supposed to be. Then the lantern went out with a hiss and it went dark. The kind of dark where you know the hand touching the nose is yours, but you have no way to prove it. Then the Lightening started. I heard a mumbled curse from John as we both dove for the tent. Turns out, the tent may have been able to withstand a drizzle, but a flood was a different story. Further, the flashlights didn't want to work. For some reason, if they get wet they don't like to work. We quickly grabbed the essentials, namely the food and bedding and started the trek home. Luckily, the lightening was frequent enough that we didn't need a flashlight. I'd say we used the flashes of lightening to get our bearings, but since the light was continuous, we just used it to walk home. We ended up sleeping (or attempting to) in my barn at home (didn't want to go in and admit defeat).
The next morning we went back to the campsite to grab our gear. Luckily everything was still there including our fish. Dad just laughed and informed us that we would have to rinse off in the hose before we could come inside. The weatherman said that the freak storm the night before was one of the most intense in years. Duh, John and I could have told him that. The amazing thing was, dad had a better story from his younger days. I don't remember what it was, but it involved a hundred mile trek, freezing rain, and an angry bear. Must have been one heck of a good camping trip, wish I could have been there.
For this weeks installment I believe I will share a funny story from my life. Years ago, when I was 13, I was allowed to start camping on my own. I got a tent and a Lantern for Christmas and my friend, John, and I thought it would be great to set up the tent on the dam of a local pond so we could fish and camp at the same time. Why not, we loved fishing, and camping was just a way of extending the camping day. Besides, we checked the weather and the forcast said no rain for at least a week. And it hadn't rained in a month so why should it change? So we packed our stuff. Turns out, when you go camping the first time you tend to take to much. I didn't recognize this rule until much later (my wife still says I take to much, but I like to be prepared.) So there I was, on my mountain bike, 2 gunny sacks (one on each side for balance) filled to the brim, my tackle box on the rack in the back, and my back pack. My tackle box at the time was a large metal one filled with lures, hooks, weights, lines, and leaders and weighed approximately a ton. I had a smaller plastic one, but I needed everything in the metal one so I drug it along as well. Needless to say, once I had everything loaded I ended up pushing my bike to the campsite (about 10 miles away) because when I tried to ride the tires went flat and I fell over. Besides, it was easier to use the seat to carry the backpack because for some reason when I put it on my back I couldn't stand up.
We got to the site about 3 in the afternoon and set up camp. You'd be amazed what two 13 year old boys can carry to a camp site. The small mountain of pots, pans, utensils, canned food, bedding, and other necesities would have filled a small cathedral. I had the tent so I was in charge of choosing a location. The center of the dam was perfect. We could set up our poles on the dam and fish the deepest part and not be to far from the tent and fire. We set up the fire pit and put our lines in the water. We then tried to start the fire. We finally gave up 3 hours later when we realized neither of us had a clue how to start a fire with the small amount of twigs and brush we could gather. In the four tons of equipment we had brought, neither of us had bothered to bring firewood. The stuff is just lying around everywhere after all, isn't it? So we went with out a fire. It was summer, so who needs a fire anyway. It's not like we had steaks to cook anyway. Besides, we could eat the canned food we brought without heating it. The next hour was spent argueing over who was supposed to bring the can opener. That's when we learned lesson number 2 of camping, always make sure you write down who is supposed to bring what. This is great advice if you plan months in advance and are face to face. Doesn't work so well if you plan your camping trip the way I do and leave the same day you thought of it.
It was now dusk, so I lit my latern and was amazed at the amount of light it put out. This was great, now we could see what we were doing, as could the astronauts. It was then that we realized we had had our lines in the water for about 4 hours and hadn't had a nibble. We brought in our lines to check and sure enough, the worms were gone. We rebaited the hooks and threw them back out. Now that we had nothing to do but watch our lines we noticed that the fish were starting to bite. In the next 45 minutes we hooked 10 good sized catfish and were having a ball. That was when we noticed it was completely dark outside of our circle of light. We had flashlights, but who needs them with a propane lantern. That's when we discovered that if you leave the metal handel of the lantern standing up, you will recieve a nifty red line accross your palm when you pick it up. As we cast out our lines after removing catfish number 10, we were smiling and having a good time. Then the fish stopped biting just a suddenly as they had started. We watched our lines intently for the next 10 minutes and nothing happened then John looked at me and said, "did I just feel a rain drop?"
I looked at him and that's when it rained. Not a slowly growing rain. You know, the kind that starts as a light drizzle to warn you of things to come. No, this skipped right to the grand finale. The rain where everything is soaked in 2 seconds and you can swim through it. The kind where you see fish swimming through the air because they don't know where the surface of the pond is supposed to be. Then the lantern went out with a hiss and it went dark. The kind of dark where you know the hand touching the nose is yours, but you have no way to prove it. Then the Lightening started. I heard a mumbled curse from John as we both dove for the tent. Turns out, the tent may have been able to withstand a drizzle, but a flood was a different story. Further, the flashlights didn't want to work. For some reason, if they get wet they don't like to work. We quickly grabbed the essentials, namely the food and bedding and started the trek home. Luckily, the lightening was frequent enough that we didn't need a flashlight. I'd say we used the flashes of lightening to get our bearings, but since the light was continuous, we just used it to walk home. We ended up sleeping (or attempting to) in my barn at home (didn't want to go in and admit defeat).
The next morning we went back to the campsite to grab our gear. Luckily everything was still there including our fish. Dad just laughed and informed us that we would have to rinse off in the hose before we could come inside. The weatherman said that the freak storm the night before was one of the most intense in years. Duh, John and I could have told him that. The amazing thing was, dad had a better story from his younger days. I don't remember what it was, but it involved a hundred mile trek, freezing rain, and an angry bear. Must have been one heck of a good camping trip, wish I could have been there.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
My stance on abortion
Right now I am at a loss as to what to write about. I really have no direction for today's post. The fact is that I try to write things about which I care and am somewhat knowledgable or wish to be. There are many topics on which I would like to pontificate, but am not knowledgable enough to do so with any eloquince. I was about to write a long series on my thoughts on the Planned Parenthood/budget debate, but decided against it as it would be unproductive and it falls into the aforementioned category of things I know to little about.
So instead, I will offer my opion on the Pro-life/Pro-choice debate. I am neither and here is why. If you are Pro-choice you are percieved as supporting abortion no matter what. It should really be called the Pro-abortion side as I have not heard a pro-choicer once offer the choice of adoption as viable. In fact, I have been called a Pro-lifer because I asked what the options are for adoption. If you are Pro-life, you are percieved as against abortion in all cases for all reasons. Many pro-lifers are this way. If you mention abortion at all, you are an evil Pro-choicer.
Here is where I stand on this issue. I am Pro-responsability. There are times when abortion is a viable option. The first that comes to mind is if the mother's life is in danger. I believe the mother always comes first. If taking the child to term will place the mother in danger, the child goes. I also believe that if there is no medical reason, there is no reason for abortion. The pro-choicers would have you believe that if a young girl gets pregnant, she is in danger from her parents and thus is entitled to an abortion without their knowledge. They also contend that just because they decided to have sex is no reason they should face the consequences. I believe that if you have sex, you should pay the consequences. This goes for us guys as well. Responsability is paramount.
Now comes the point in which the question, "what if she gets raped and becomes pregnant?" I used to believe that the number of pregnancies that result from rape was <1%. The fact is that no one is sure of the actual percentage. Of all the stats I looked up they all concluded that <5% of victims of violent rape get pregnant, and these were just estimates based on the average of pregnancies resulting from a single instance of unprotected sex. That doesn't take into account so many variables. Before I make a stand on this particular side of the issue, I would like to see some more info. Such as, an actual percentage of rape victims who got pregnant; the percent of women who were raped, took the child to term and regretted it; the percent of women raped who tried to take the children to term and had a miscarriage; the percentage of women recieved counseling prior to the abortion and still decided on the abortion; etc. The fact is that we don't have these statistics. I will still withhold judgement. This is not something I can comfortably say that it ok or not. I don't know what it would be like to have to deal with that.
To sum it all up, I believe we should all be held accountable for our actions. When abortion became an issue, the parent was in charge of the child and CPS had very little sway. These days CPS can remove the child from the home on very little evidence and a lot of hearsay. Thus the arguement that the child is in danger if she takes the baby to term is null and void. If the child is in danger, CPS should step in. The other question that needs to be anwered is, what, if anything, is being taught about adoption? I have seen tons of literature on abortion (admittedly from both sides), but very little on what adoption agencies will do for someone who doesn't want the child. The problem is, once you mention adoption to any girl, you are labeled a Pro-lifer and told to quit harrassing a the child.
I think I have ranted enough on this. If you want to comment, please keep it clean and respectful. I look forward to any debate and questions. Once again this is my opinion and is not meant to be hateful or condemning. we each make our decisions and we have to live with them. As every woman is ready to point out, I am not a woman. This doesn't mean I can't have an opinion, it just means that I have a different perspective. Thank you.
So instead, I will offer my opion on the Pro-life/Pro-choice debate. I am neither and here is why. If you are Pro-choice you are percieved as supporting abortion no matter what. It should really be called the Pro-abortion side as I have not heard a pro-choicer once offer the choice of adoption as viable. In fact, I have been called a Pro-lifer because I asked what the options are for adoption. If you are Pro-life, you are percieved as against abortion in all cases for all reasons. Many pro-lifers are this way. If you mention abortion at all, you are an evil Pro-choicer.
Here is where I stand on this issue. I am Pro-responsability. There are times when abortion is a viable option. The first that comes to mind is if the mother's life is in danger. I believe the mother always comes first. If taking the child to term will place the mother in danger, the child goes. I also believe that if there is no medical reason, there is no reason for abortion. The pro-choicers would have you believe that if a young girl gets pregnant, she is in danger from her parents and thus is entitled to an abortion without their knowledge. They also contend that just because they decided to have sex is no reason they should face the consequences. I believe that if you have sex, you should pay the consequences. This goes for us guys as well. Responsability is paramount.
Now comes the point in which the question, "what if she gets raped and becomes pregnant?" I used to believe that the number of pregnancies that result from rape was <1%. The fact is that no one is sure of the actual percentage. Of all the stats I looked up they all concluded that <5% of victims of violent rape get pregnant, and these were just estimates based on the average of pregnancies resulting from a single instance of unprotected sex. That doesn't take into account so many variables. Before I make a stand on this particular side of the issue, I would like to see some more info. Such as, an actual percentage of rape victims who got pregnant; the percent of women who were raped, took the child to term and regretted it; the percent of women raped who tried to take the children to term and had a miscarriage; the percentage of women recieved counseling prior to the abortion and still decided on the abortion; etc. The fact is that we don't have these statistics. I will still withhold judgement. This is not something I can comfortably say that it ok or not. I don't know what it would be like to have to deal with that.
To sum it all up, I believe we should all be held accountable for our actions. When abortion became an issue, the parent was in charge of the child and CPS had very little sway. These days CPS can remove the child from the home on very little evidence and a lot of hearsay. Thus the arguement that the child is in danger if she takes the baby to term is null and void. If the child is in danger, CPS should step in. The other question that needs to be anwered is, what, if anything, is being taught about adoption? I have seen tons of literature on abortion (admittedly from both sides), but very little on what adoption agencies will do for someone who doesn't want the child. The problem is, once you mention adoption to any girl, you are labeled a Pro-lifer and told to quit harrassing a the child.
I think I have ranted enough on this. If you want to comment, please keep it clean and respectful. I look forward to any debate and questions. Once again this is my opinion and is not meant to be hateful or condemning. we each make our decisions and we have to live with them. As every woman is ready to point out, I am not a woman. This doesn't mean I can't have an opinion, it just means that I have a different perspective. Thank you.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
My thoughts on Taxes
The topic of this post is as simple as it is controvertial. Taxes. Everyone hates them, no one wants them, and everyone has ideas on who and how much. The problem as I see it is that the tax code is neither fair, equal, or straight forward enough. Allow me to address these issues.
First we'll tackle equal. Is it fair that the more you make the higher the percentage you are required to make? I didn't say higher amount, I said percentage. This is where there are large problems. As I see it, making more shouldn't mean that you pay a higher percentage. The percentage should remain unchanged. By doing this the taxes will be equal for all. No one can argue that it isn't equal if we all pay the same percentage. Yes, if you make more money you pay more money in taxes, but 10 cents on the dollar is 10 cents on the dollar regaurdless of the number of dollars you have. It is true that if you make $1,000,000 you will pay $100,000 in taxes. But you still have $900,000 to play with, not to many families I know of make a quarter of that and live just fine, well even. Thus, regaurdles of amount made, a flat 10% is equal.
Second, we'll tackle fair. How is it fair that, even though a multi millionaire is in a 50% tax bracker, he actually pays less than 10% in taxes? The fact is, that once you reach a certain income level, you can afford the right lawyers to find enough tax loop holes and deductables to reduce your income to the point where you essentially are not considered rich. The only way a flat tax can ever work is if we eliminate all deductions and tax breaks. Sure, on paper you pay a higher percentage in taxes the richer you are, but this is only true until you reach that magical point where paying for a tax lawyer and accountant pays for itself in keeping your tax levels low enough. If I pay for H&R block to do my taxes, I actually lose money. Thye would charge me about $80 and the last time I use them they only found me $50 that I hadn't been able to find, thus I lost $30. Taxes should be fair enough that you can't reduce what you pay by hiring a lawyer. But this also falls under the straight forward enough category which is next.
Finally, we need a tax code that is Straight forward. This means that all you need to do your taxes is basic math. In order to do your taxes now, you almost need a law degree. The complexity of the tax code is such that, without a computer program, a lawyer, or and accountant, you would never be able to file your taxes properly. You would either miss a deduction or you would claim one for which you didn't qualify without them. If you don't believe me, take a look at what is out there. H&R Block, Taxbusters, Taxcut, etc. none of these would exist without a complex taxcode that people couldn't follow. Why should the government give refunds? How hard does it have to be to figure out how much you owe in taxes every year? If you can't figure out how much you owe for your taxes each paycheck, how can we be expected to withhold the right amount? The complexity of the tax code by itself is enough to be a drain on the nation. If we are so concerned with the national budget, maybe we ought to look at where the money is coming from.
There is a solution to all of this. I have hinted at it (if I haven't come right out and said it). It's a flat income tax. a percentage straight accross all pay levels. No deductions, no credits, no incentives, just a straight percentage. I did the math a while ago. I found the lowest average income per household in the US that I could find on the internet (it was $39,000 and change so I rounded it to $40,000 for simplicity)(the overall average for the numbers was about $62,000). Multiplied it by the population of the US as of the last census (308,000,000 people). Multiplied that result by 10%. The reult was just over $1.2 TRILLION dollars. For clarification, every average was based on total reported pay divided by total population. I can already hear some of you saying what about the poor, they can't afford to eat and you want them to pay $10 to the government? I thought of that and realized that if we don't ask them to pay, then we shouldn't give them food stamps and welfare. There can be no exceptions. If your income is such that you need food stamps etc. to live, then you need your tax return to prove it. The systems are in place to aid you and you will still get them. If the military (who recieves 100% of their pay from the government) pays taxes, so should anyone who recieves anything from the government.
I don't mean to come accross as an uncaring hardliner. The fact is, if a flat 10% tax rate were invoked, I would be one of those who paid more in taxes. In fact, for the last few years I have been one of those who got more back than I put in. After all of my deductions, I owed no taxes. On top of that, I was eligable for several credits. Thus I recieved a tax return for more than my withholding. I am willing to pay 10% of my pay for an equal, fair, and simple tax system. How about you?
First we'll tackle equal. Is it fair that the more you make the higher the percentage you are required to make? I didn't say higher amount, I said percentage. This is where there are large problems. As I see it, making more shouldn't mean that you pay a higher percentage. The percentage should remain unchanged. By doing this the taxes will be equal for all. No one can argue that it isn't equal if we all pay the same percentage. Yes, if you make more money you pay more money in taxes, but 10 cents on the dollar is 10 cents on the dollar regaurdless of the number of dollars you have. It is true that if you make $1,000,000 you will pay $100,000 in taxes. But you still have $900,000 to play with, not to many families I know of make a quarter of that and live just fine, well even. Thus, regaurdles of amount made, a flat 10% is equal.
Second, we'll tackle fair. How is it fair that, even though a multi millionaire is in a 50% tax bracker, he actually pays less than 10% in taxes? The fact is, that once you reach a certain income level, you can afford the right lawyers to find enough tax loop holes and deductables to reduce your income to the point where you essentially are not considered rich. The only way a flat tax can ever work is if we eliminate all deductions and tax breaks. Sure, on paper you pay a higher percentage in taxes the richer you are, but this is only true until you reach that magical point where paying for a tax lawyer and accountant pays for itself in keeping your tax levels low enough. If I pay for H&R block to do my taxes, I actually lose money. Thye would charge me about $80 and the last time I use them they only found me $50 that I hadn't been able to find, thus I lost $30. Taxes should be fair enough that you can't reduce what you pay by hiring a lawyer. But this also falls under the straight forward enough category which is next.
Finally, we need a tax code that is Straight forward. This means that all you need to do your taxes is basic math. In order to do your taxes now, you almost need a law degree. The complexity of the tax code is such that, without a computer program, a lawyer, or and accountant, you would never be able to file your taxes properly. You would either miss a deduction or you would claim one for which you didn't qualify without them. If you don't believe me, take a look at what is out there. H&R Block, Taxbusters, Taxcut, etc. none of these would exist without a complex taxcode that people couldn't follow. Why should the government give refunds? How hard does it have to be to figure out how much you owe in taxes every year? If you can't figure out how much you owe for your taxes each paycheck, how can we be expected to withhold the right amount? The complexity of the tax code by itself is enough to be a drain on the nation. If we are so concerned with the national budget, maybe we ought to look at where the money is coming from.
There is a solution to all of this. I have hinted at it (if I haven't come right out and said it). It's a flat income tax. a percentage straight accross all pay levels. No deductions, no credits, no incentives, just a straight percentage. I did the math a while ago. I found the lowest average income per household in the US that I could find on the internet (it was $39,000 and change so I rounded it to $40,000 for simplicity)(the overall average for the numbers was about $62,000). Multiplied it by the population of the US as of the last census (308,000,000 people). Multiplied that result by 10%. The reult was just over $1.2 TRILLION dollars. For clarification, every average was based on total reported pay divided by total population. I can already hear some of you saying what about the poor, they can't afford to eat and you want them to pay $10 to the government? I thought of that and realized that if we don't ask them to pay, then we shouldn't give them food stamps and welfare. There can be no exceptions. If your income is such that you need food stamps etc. to live, then you need your tax return to prove it. The systems are in place to aid you and you will still get them. If the military (who recieves 100% of their pay from the government) pays taxes, so should anyone who recieves anything from the government.
I don't mean to come accross as an uncaring hardliner. The fact is, if a flat 10% tax rate were invoked, I would be one of those who paid more in taxes. In fact, for the last few years I have been one of those who got more back than I put in. After all of my deductions, I owed no taxes. On top of that, I was eligable for several credits. Thus I recieved a tax return for more than my withholding. I am willing to pay 10% of my pay for an equal, fair, and simple tax system. How about you?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
My first Blog
I never was very good at keeping a journal or writing very much. Figured I'd give it a shot. Still wondering what I should write about and not getting very far. I think that when I come up with a thought I think is worth pursuing, or an arguement worth chasing down, I'll add it. right now, I have nothing worth mentioning, so I'll leave you with this. "Think about what you are going to say and do." That's all there is to it. Nothing added is necessary. You'll know what follows just as sure as if I wrote it out.
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