Souvlaki anyone?

Greece has become more than just a place to eat great food soaked in olive oil and enjoy the pungent smell of body odor. It has become the poster child for failed socialism. For decades, Greece has been governed by ultra-liberal socialistic ideals-during which a myriad of worker's unions have become the festering flesh wound upon the backside of any chance of a sound fiscal policy in Greece. The idea of workers coming together to improve benefits, pensions and workplace conditions does not sound like a bad idea-and it's not-so long as the unions realize that there is a point to which they slowly start cutting off the hand that feeds them. We have often seen that when concessions are made to unions, the unions look for more and more until the promises that business and government are forced to make to their workers' unions are unsustainable in the long term. Call it collective bargaining if you will, but taken to the extreme as in Greece, it is nothing more than extortion by the unions.

Take for example what we see happening in Greece. Public and private sector unions there are calling for a nationwide strike on May 20th in protest to the International Monetary Fund's bailout of their country. As a stipulation of this bailout to keep Greece afloat and not defaulting on bonds worth billions of Euros, union contacts and pensions will need to be rewritten and needfully reduced. How do the unions respond? Strike. This will definitely not help your situation my Mediterranean friends. The international community, of which you'll be happy to know the US is a part of in this case, doesn't love bailing you out with our taxpayers' money. Nowhere in our constitution does it say that we are required to bail out foreign governments-yet our President has committed over $50 Billion in loan guarantees as part of this package.

As rough as it might be for these workers to see a reduction in their pensions, they have to realize that their country HAS NO MORE MONEY!!! Even the countries that are bailing them out have no money. Do these people not have children? When a spoiled child doesn't get what he wants, he sits down and throws a tantrum. What is the difference here? Mom and Dad are broke kid. Your throwing a fit is not going to make the situation any better. Yet we see well-organized unions in Greece doing exactly what a spoiled kid would do. Instead of sitting down over a contract and talking about the options available to both sides, we see them run in their room and slam the door.

"The IMF will not stop thirsting for workers' blood," said Yannis Panagopoulos, chairman of Greece's main private sector labour union GSEE. "Its recipes are a disaster and the government must turn them down."

A disaster worse than the one you're in I assume Mr. Panagopoulos? Watch as your currency, your country's sovereignty and national identity fades away and tell me which you'd rather have-a smaller pension check or no pension check at all. A child could choose more wisely.

Why should I care here in America? Because we are following the same road of organized unions and socialism as Europe. This past month, we see protests at various state capitols organized by unions protesting pension and job cuts to try and help balance the state budgets. We are willing to watch everyone else get their job cut or retirement reduced until it affects us. Then the claws come out. I realize in my argument that no one would like their pension benefit cut. But we must realize that the premise of getting something for nothing or greater than earned, is the deadly trap of socialism. I hope that we can begin preparing now so that when the time comes, we can act like responsible adults. We have we been promised more than our country is able to pay. We enjoy things that might need to be eliminated in dire times. If we don't change our course and act like grown ups we will find ourselves eating a nice cold dish of souvlaki.

What gives you the Right?

A couple of things on my mind recently have led me back to blogging about it. Again more to just get my thoughts straight about this crazy world more than anything.

I've heard recently on TV and radio several different companies advertising their services for "settling debt". Credit Card debt, IRS debt, whatever.....they are all out there and they all use the same spiel. Let me break it down for you. "Do you have 5, 10, 15 or $20,000 in credit card debt? We are Credit Answers and we can help you settle that debt for a fraction of what you owe! In this era of government bailouts, don't be denied your RIGHT to settle our credit card debt." (Followed by several testimonials from people who owed the bank or IRS tens of thousands of dollars and were able to "settle" their debt for pennies on the dollar.)

The first time my wife and I heard this commercial, we looked at each other and both said,"What!?" First of all, if you bought your groceries from Wal-Mart, your dinner at Chili's, your clothes from Dillards and your vacation to Bora Bora on your American Express, you entered into a written and legally binding contract with that company to use THEIR money and repay it with interest throughout time. Nowhere in this contract was there fine print declaring that if you overdid yourself and purchased too many Margaritas on you cruise and racked up too much debt that most or even some of this debt would be forgiven. You bought it and used it with SOMEONE ELSE'S MONEY!!! If you made money from your job and didn't pay income tax on your earnings, what makes it okay for you to hire a sleazy lawyer to negotiate your taxes down from what you owe? You made the money now pay the tax just like all the rest of us. Or go to jail. Simple concept. It might be legal under the current laws to do this but in my mind it's still sleazy and a self-degrading form of evading consequence. You have no RIGHT to settle for less. And it makes my skin crawl when I hear this term thrown around like a beach ball at a rock concert.

Lately, the political discussion has been centered around the health care reform bill before Congress now. In this bill, health care for anyone within the boundaries of our country's borders regardless of their citizenship will be granted health care as a "right". No one in need of urgent medical care is denied treatment now because of their ability to pay. I know that the cost of these persons health care gets rolled into the cost of my insurance and the high prices I pay for health care. But please, pray tell, explain to me how a government can grant a right to a standard of health care. Does everyone have a right to get liposuction, botox or a tummy tuck? Where do we draw the line? Doesn't every American have the right to live in a home, eat sufficient amounts of food and have a lifetime income stream when they get old? SURE! Let's furnish everyone a house (or at least a trailer), give them food stamps to eat, and promise them a social security check. No. Our RIGHTS are earned by us or others in our behalf and certain others are only given and granted by God, not a late night television commercial, the Supreme court or even our Congress. Our basic rights, by definition in our constitution, are given by God. I assume this drives the average secularist liberal crazy to read this part of our founding documents.

My point tonight is simple our rights are earned. Life is given my our creator, Liberty is given by our soldiers and the pursuit of happiness is given to us as a gift to make of it what we will.

Perhaps if we do get a government-run health care system that spends our country even further into oblivion, with money we don't possess, we can hire these sleazy debt settlement companies to negotiate with our debtors to settle our $11 Trillion deficit for a fraction of what we owe. After all we do have the right. Right?

America's Turn For A Rectal Exam

Health care reform is a hot button topic right now in the world of politics and so I thought i would share my experience this week with health care both good and bad.

Tuesday afternoon I started experiencing a good amount of pain in my abdomen and came home from work. Wednesday, I went into the doctor because I had not yet seen an improvement and it had actually gotten worse over night. I was to see a Physician's assistant at the Ogden Clinic. I got in pretty quickly and was treated quite well. I was sitting there in the room and I felt like I was on a game show except this one was a really painful one. They asked questions about family history back generations, health history questions I thought I was applying for life insurance! So they got a good idea of what every thing looked like and handed me over to the Physician's assistant. She continued the "Who wants to be a Patient" questionnaire until she asked me what I did for a living. I told her I sold insurance and investments. She then asked about health insurance coverage and I told her I had it. She then proceeded to tell me her opinion of how she doesn't understand that so many people are against a single payer system but how America is the richest country in the world and that she couldn't understand how we couldn't provide health care for everyone. She then turns and asks, "So what's your opinion?" Wanting to avoid an ideological debate with a woman that reminded me of everything a liberal arts teacher would resemble, I looked at her and politely told her that I would just like to be treated. She recognized that I was in considerable pain and then apologized and continued to treat me. I was then sent to another clinic for a CT scan and blood work.

I got there and waited for 3 hours for them to tell me to go to the ER because I had appendicitis. Wonderful. I got to the ER 7 hours after going to the doctor and stood there in the ER. I was told someone would call the surgeon to meet me there in the ER. I knew if I checked into the ER, I would be charged again for all the tests that I had previously had and then some. Luckily I knew the nurse that checked me in. She pulled me to the front of the line and told me that this is the way the system works. You go to our doctor and get diagnosed and then they send you to the ER to get checked in. I asked her why the couldn't send the records from the scans to the ER to save me another six or seven hundred dollar bill. She commented, that's just the way they do it. I told her I would wait and she called the clinics and did everything she could to get me admitted directly instead of going through the ER. Another nurse heard me and she turned to the other nurse and said, "Now there's the smartest thing I have ever heard from an ER patient!" They understood that the hospital billed for the same things I'd already had done. If I didn't have insurance and wasn't going to pay the bill anyway, of course I would have just let them check me in! I just couldn't understand why the ER needed to re-diagnose me. So they got me admitted, had the surgery, had good people work on me and now I recover as we speak.

So it got me thinking a little about the arguments of both sides of the health care debate. There are a lot of people that can't get insurance because of their health. There are a lot of them that could afford it if it was reasonably priced. There are a lot of people that lose their benefits and can't afford the cost of a personal plan. The system if flawed. I will give anyone that argument. We are prosperous nation but to call us a rich nation I would have to argue on that one. Yes we have assets. Yes we have ideas but the last time i checked, we were so far in debt, that it would take the economy of several large industrialized nations to just pay the interest on what we owe our creditors. If we were talking about a family, who owned loads of real estate but was so cash strapped under enormous debt payments that they had to keep borrowing to make their payments on what they owned, I would barely call them rich. By the hands of greedy politicians on both sides of the isle, America has over-promised herself to her citizens. America is responsible for everything from the groceries of those that make less than $30,000 to our national defense. We spend more than we make! Is it true that we can really afford to pay for everyone's health care too?

I can guarantee that the cost of care will not go DOWN. It will go up. Look at the contractors that work for the defense department. They charge 10 times the amount of money to do the job of one enlisted soldier. If a computer program gets written by a software engineer on a government contract, the government MAKES them bill a rate that is most of the time double. What makes anyone think that doctors and hospitals are going to charge the government the same amount they charged you? I think that the solution lies within our ability to use the best doctors and hospitals on earth (which we already have) use the technology that we have, and find personal efficiencies in the process rather than letting the insurance companies decide what and who gets treated.

I am grateful that I didn't have to wait in pain for very long to get my surgery. I am grateful that when I went to the hospital, I was seen by some of the best doctors available. If we go to a single payer system, it will not allow us to have the quality of care we have now. Many countries have tried and many countries are far behind us in the quality of care the provide. I have sat in a European hospital one too many times and believe me, you don't want what they have.

I don't have all the answers on health care but I think that if the answer to all of our problems is always to let the government handle it, we will be very disappointed when the day comes that we realize there are no more coins in the coffer and we have puffed up the hopes of our citizens only to tell them that there is just a little man behind the curtain.

Things I'd like to say: Volume I

Cut your grass. It's springtime, grass grows and if you have a yard and don't want to mow it or pull your own weeds, either pay someone to cut it for you or have a kid. If your dandelions are lofting their seeds into the neighbor's yard, cut your grass. It's like a thong...no one wants to see that.

If you're not coming, call. If you make an appointment, either keep it or cancel it. Don't leave someone waiting for you. It's like thumbing your nose at the queen. Even if you don't like her, at least show some respect.

If you don't want someone trespassing on your land, post a no trespassing sign. I hereby pledge to go where trespassing signs are not. If you put up a sign, posting a monetary fine is a strong deterrent to potential trespassers. No one wants to see what you have on your land if they have to pay for it. That's why there's a Disneyland.

In conjunction with the no trespassing, I am not referring to private property and residences. I am referring to rural public lands such as the foothills of the mountains. I don't make it a habit of roaming through people's backyards (although it may be exciting). My city has closed it's public lands to motor vehicles by city ordinance 10.35.25.blah blah blah. Where my grandpa, father and I all played as youth is now under this new city ordinance. If it's fun, outdoors or if there is a chance someone might be hurt, please do it quickly before a city councilman gets wind of it.

If your kids are sick, leave them home! Don't bring them to church, nursery or pre-school. Your kid is sick. And now so are mine. I thank you from the bottom of my toilet.

Nursery is not a free babysitter. If you bring your kid to nursery, you dang well better go to class. If I see you in the hall chatting with billy-bob while your kids beats on everybody else's kids, there's going to be disciplinary counsel and the bishop's not going to know about it.

For crying out loud people use your turn signals! GM could stop putting them on their cars and probably save enough money to stay in business. You don't use them anyway!

Patriot Guard

I am not dead. It's been a combo of taking a break from blogging and a broken laptop that I have delayed having worked on because I have found the tether of my Blackberry enough as of late. I did however have a few things on my mind that I would like to write down, if for no other reason than to sort through them myself.


On Jan 15th 1991, I was an 11 year old Cub Scout. I was in charge of the flag ceremony at our pack meeting that night. Earlier in the day, my country had entered a war with Iraq and Saddam Hussein and the Gulf War began. I wasn't sure what to think as a young boy. All I knew was the country in which I lived was involved in war, which I knew was a scary place to be. I knew nothing of the politics, middle east history or even where Iraq and Kuwait were. For some reason, I felt emotional about the soldiers and the military. I asked if I could play the Lee Greenwood Classic "Proud to be an American" on my tape player before the flag ceremony. I remember crying. I remember a lot of people crying. That's what scared me the most. I sat in front of the TV with a typewriter documenting the war as I watched hours of news coverage and night vision pictures of green Scud missiles intercepted by Patriot missiles over Baghdad. I thought somebody needed to write this down in case we didn't survive. As a young buy I had a soft spot in my heart for soldiers and the military. More inclusive, were all things patriotic. If this experience as a boy taught me anything, it was that I should be grateful that I didn't have to fight in such a war. Throughout my youth, I would always remember that night and even today I always get a lump in my throat when I hear a really great rendition of the Star Spangled Banner or see Old Glory presented by soldiers in the 4th of July parade.


Because of this "unmanly" soft spot in my heart for things patriotic, and my gratitude that I have never been called upon to leave my family to put my country's welfare before my own, I decided I should at least find a way to show that gratitude to those who have. I was recently talking with a friend that told me about the Patriot Guard Riders. They are a group of motorcyclists who are invited by the families of fallen soldiers to escort the funeral processions and show respect as soldiers return home. This immediately became something I wanted to do.


Last Friday, I attended my first "mission" with the Patriot Guard. It was for Col. Steven Mittuch who was stationed at HAFB. He was killed in a car accident early last week. I didn't know him. I didn't know his family or anyone who even knew him. But he joined the Air Force in 1988 and spent his career defending my country. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there but given my past history of patriotic soft-heartedness, knew that there was potential for a few manly tears.


When I arrived at HAFB, I was the only one in the parking lot who wasn't a veteran. I was the youngest of the group...I didn't have any veteran's patches on my leather jacket. I didn't have on a bandanna and I immediately went back to the days of a 7th Grader's first day of school. I spoke with several men as we waited for our instructions. One man asked me if I was a veteran. I told him no and that I felt a little out of place amongst these veterans. He told me not to worry. He explained that these veterans get more excited to see a civilian than they do fellow veterans. It shows them that someone cares besides the group of veterans that were there.

We proceeded out onto base. About 40 riders parked their bikes and were given full sized flags. We stood in parallel flag lines outside a hangar on the flight line. The hangar doors opened and the widow and her family proceeded between the flag lines. Congressmen and decorated officers followed. Once the family was out on the flight line, F-16's flew over the family in the missing man formation and the lead jet shot heavenward directly above us. It was a very moving experience to be part of.


As I stood there saluting and holding an American flag for this man and the hundreds of people who attended his funeral, I thought to myself..."What qualifies you to even be here? You're not a veteran. Your life has never been threatened in defense of your country!" I still don't think I have answers to those questions yet. But I do know that if my country called me, I would. One thing I did realize is that those who have served our country deserve alot more gratitude than they are given.

I got some ocean front property in Arizona.....

On January 31, 1940, the first monthly retirement check was issued to Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont, in the amount of $22.54. Miss Fuller, a legal secretary, retired in November 1939. She started collecting benefits in January 1940 at age 65 and lived to be 100 years old, dying in 1975. She worked for three years under the Social Security program. The accumulated tax on her salary during those three years was a total of $24.75. Her initial monthly check was $22.54. During her lifetime she collected a total of $22,888.92 in Social Security benefits. From an actuarial standpoint, the Social Security program started off on the wrong foot.

I also ran across a Sun Life study this week that said 48% of Americans would voluntarily walk away from Social Security and all the money they've paid into it and take no benefits if they never had to pay into the system again. After seeing the good fortune of Ms. Fuller, you'd call those people crazy right? I wouldn't be so quick to make that assumption. Obviously these are younger worker with far less invested in the SS program. But I think most people realize that the word of our government has become worth less and less. Every few years we get a new set of legislators and a new administration that seems to work off of opposite ideals. China has caught on. Why should they buy our debt if we just turn around and print more money?

The math is there. Social Security is paying out far more than it takes in. A person age 65 in 1940 could expect to live another 12 years; today, they may expect to live another 18 years, or 50% longer (Source: 2007 OASDI Trustees Report, Social Security Administration). As 77 million baby boomers – 26% percent of the U.S. population – began retiring in 2008, there will be a dramatic rise in retirees collecting Social Security retirement benefits. Social Security is a system that relies on the taxes paid by wage-earners to pay the benefits for retirees. When Social Security was created, there were 41 workers to each retiree. Today, there are 3.3 workers for every retiree. By 2030, it is estimated that there will only be 2.2 workers to support every retiree. The U.S. Department of the Treasury, charged with managing the Social Security trust funds, has warned that cash flows could turn negative as soon as 2017, bankrupting the system by 2041. It was not designed to be a retirement savings program, it was designed to get older workers out of the work force to create jobs in the 1930's for younger workers. If I asked you to invest in a company that had this outlook and these financials, would you ever invest with any expectation of getting your money back? No!

If we have learned anything from the current economic problems, it is that this way of life whether in personal life or in government is not sustainable. Sooner or later, someone is caught holding the bag, on the hook for far more than they are able to pay.

Interesting to note that our government seems to have a knack for running things into the ground. I say we give them a shot at Health Care.

Vertically-Disadvantaged Advantages

We bought a new mattress about 3 months ago. It's a King Size bed with the foam top. It wasn't one night until we realized this bed had it's quirks, just like the old one. Body Indents. Big Kirk sized ones. The bed just kind of swallows you and give you a big polyurethane hug. That's okay if you're always a back sleeper-which we try to be- but often find the belly position with the crumpled-up snuggle pillow a bit too tempting. So we are faced with a great dilemma. Become exclusively back sleepers or get another bank account-draining mattress. Unless there's another way....



I am 5'7" on a good day. My feet comfortably reach my motorcycle pegs if I wear my thick-heeled boots. I look for Levi's that are freakishly labelled with as short a leg as possible. Usually a 29". So I am slightly inseam-challenged...we all have our challenges. My wife is 5'3". You can see where I am headed with this can't you?



So we started sleeping sideways on the new mattress. It's 6 inches shorter but 6 inches wider. Feet don't hang off and I could drop a boat load of bowling balls from unmentionable heights without waking my sweetheart-she's 9 feet away! And no idents! It's a mattress-manufacturing conspiracy. They are in bed with the chiropractors.

Sonora Grill

So if you have ever been to the Sonora Grill, you know it's pretty tasty food. It is right by my office and I enjoy it for client lunches as the food is quite impressive. I went to school with the owner and admire them for coming into downtown Ogden. They are also great marketers. They are having a Blog giveaway for a free dinner for 6 people and if I link to their blog, I am entered in the drawing more times. You may be one of the lucky ones that I pick to go with me. Oh how I love the power of the Internet! So go to their website and check them out. The Chili Verde is divine.

Economic Entertainment

The most beautiful part about President Obama's speech the other night to Congress was the entertainment factor. It was almost like watching those old TV's that had picture-in-picture where you could watch three shows at once. In the main screen you got to see what could be considered the beginning of modern socialism. In the upper right-hand screen, you got to see the geriatric channel's version of jazzercising in a pant suit by The San Fransicko treat Nancy Pelosi. On the upper left you got to see the modern Alice in Wonderland's version of the Cheshire cat grinning creepily from ear to ear. And to bring it all together, the geriatric was racing the Cheshire to see who could give the creepiest botox smile and stand up first to applaud the President's vagueness. I was partly concerned that she might break her brittle bones while clapping so enthusiastically. I never knew she was quite so adamant about the whole socialism thing. The clap-off/stand-up off with VP Biden was more entertaining than Michelle Obama's sleeveless number.

Please entertain yourself here.

I am also constantly amazed at the power our new president possesses in controlling the financial markets. His ability to speak so vaguely about the bailout-of-the-week/economic recovery plan of the day instills so much confidence in Wall Street and the investors of the country that the market drops faster than the charts can keep up. I usually watch the DOW and if it drops abruptly I know our President has stepped in front of a camera again. Here's my economic recovery plan......stay home President Obama. I hear you have a bowling alley in the white house. No one cares how nebulous you speak when you're amongst your Hollywood friends who are lobbying for their favorite pet project. Maybe you could tell your friend George Clooney that you have a concrete plan that might, potentially, solve or mediate some or all the problems in Dafur and surrounding areas that maybe you'll unveil in a few units of time. And my plan doesn't cost a dime.

Protect your Brain

While riding my motorcycle down Ogden Canyon this afternoon, after visiting the great white north that is Ogden Valley I was reminded of why I wear a helmet. I was heartlessly and randomly struck by a few pieces of falling ice. It was the universe's way of telling me it loved me I guess. It woke me from my riding daze with all the political and economic garbage running through my mind. In retrospect, it was kind of nice to get hit squarely in the head by a blunt object.

Legislative Bribery

I don't mean to be cynical (most of the time). But I find myself often thinking in a way that I don't like to admit. But here goes....

When I or my wife goes out to buy something for Christmas, birthday, Valentine's Day, we go out and spend our money on each other and often times I think it would be easier to if she wrote me a check from our joint bank account, saved herself the trip, the shopping and the fretting over what to gift me and told me to go deposit it in the bank. Now I know that defeats the purpose and I wouldn't ever suggest she do that but I see a parallel with our current state in our stimulus crazed society.

We are printing/borrowing trillions of dollars to stimulate our economy. The money we are borrowing is being spent on US citizens to merely appease them and win their favor.

Let me expound...
$500 Billion of the $789 Billion stimulus is ear marked for spending. According to Recovery.gov, President Obama's Stimulus propaganda website, the following areas of the economy will get stimulated. Everyone is screaming for stimulation.

1. Education and "Training"-$53 Billion-Paid to Universities, professors and appeasement to very liberal teacher's unions.
2. State and Local Fiscal Relief-$144 Billion-Paid to states that have demonstrated their love for ultra-liberal economic and social programs that have helped bring these states like New York and California to their knees. Also states full of liberals.
3.Health Care-$59 Billion-Also paid to a professional industry that has a vested interest in Obama and his checkbook.
4. Energy-$43 Billion-Money sent to hippies to do research on solar and wind power. None of which will actually help us with our dependence on foreign oil. Paid to those who helped Obama get elected.
5.Protecting the Vulnerable-$81 Billion-Obviously we need to help everyone who is in trouble. The vulnerable vote too.
6.Infrastructure and Science-$111 Billion- Paid to Scientists who will eventually find that we are indeed ruining the planet from all of our roads and bridges we build.
The following is from Recovery.org......

"...The money is being distributed by Federal agencies, and soon you'll be able to see where it's going -- to which states, to which congressional districts, even to which Federal contractors. As soon as we are able to, we'll display that information visually in maps, charts, and graphics."

This is almost laughable to me. They either don't have any idea where the money will be spent yet, or they know and they aren't saying. "As soon as we know.." Good one. My name is Kirk and I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

This is a big fruit basket with a billion dollars to all of those who either helped Obama get into office, support a cause that Obama does or is simply nothing more than helping those who will in turn vote for Mr. Obama and their democratic congressmen who "helped them out" with some free money. Those who will be receiving help will most likely be those who don't pay taxes anyway. To me it is simply legislated bribery.

Wouldn't it be a lot easier if we just wrote ourselves a big check? We are taking money from one pocket, putting it in the other and wishing ourselves happy anniversary. At least President Obama has taken the time to go shopping.

House of Cards

So I was in bed last night and trying to shut the brain down when I thought of a blog post topic. I told Carin that I had a topic and she asked what it was. I said, "Well, you'll just have to read my blog." So here goes honey.

I have been quite miffed about the whole "Stimulus" package getting slapped together and shoved through the congress like a fast food hamburger at lunch hour. I feel as though the government, although elected by the people, has far too much power to spend, regulate and control the lives of the American people. Never would the founders of this country have approved of this type of governmental intervention in such a massive way.

In what world would a person with more than 3 brain cells believe that a bill, drafted of more than a thousand pages and that stands more than 8 inches thick is the product of politicians since President Obama's inauguration. This bill is the product of years of liberal planning, plotting and positioning a myriad of liberal causes and awaiting the day that there would be a Congress so gutless and morally bankrupt as we have now to present their holy grail of all funding bills to an inexperienced and frankly scared junior President. They've been unable to pass most of their socialist garbage when it's been tried in bills that have been able to be read and debated but this is the liberal socialists' golden opportunity of all golden opportunities and they are not about to let this slip by. I would say shame on the Congress, I would say shame on the President but I say shame on the American people for electing people who they do not hold accountable. Shame on the American people for electing people who have shown themselves to be willing to sell their souls for power and money. We are getting exactly what we deserve. Call it being gullible, call it stupidity or call it willful ignorance if you want, but please don't call it honest politics. This is the culmination of years worth of liberal drafting and lobbying. We the American people are supposed to believe that the President and his cabinet carefully put together a thousand pages of legislation in less than a week? Uh-huh. So how did he do it? Hmmm. All he had to do was look down his list of donors and people whom he owes political favors and take their orders. It is now in a bill that is so urgent that we must get it passed before Princess Pelosi leaves on her European vacation. So urgent that not one member of Congress read it. Perfect. If I were a liberal, I would be cackling right now.

So why would the Congress pass this legislation before each member had a chance to read it? You now have your answer. It's their life's work. As I watch our Congress spend almost a trillion dollars of our money we don't have, I realize something. The Congress is oddly transgressing in the same manner as those who now are being punished for not reading their mortgage contract before signing for a 1 year balloon ARM with no income documentation. However, we now know that there is a day that house of cards comes crashing down in a smouldering heap of ash and I can only hope that all the Congressmen who voted yes on this bill are in the House when it does.

Basketball.....Church Basketball

So I admit, after not picking up a basketball or really practicing my shooting for a decade, I am pretty out of practice and shape to be running the floor but I promised I would go to this week's Elder's Basketball game. Ah the memories......it hasn't changed a bit. Arriving a few minutes early, I got to witness the end of a tight game. I just stood there and laughed. The first 30 seconds consisted of an overhand power throw to the body of the opponent, yelling, pouting, taunting and threats to leave and walk out. As I stood there laughing, I didn't know what to think, other than, geez I'm glad we aren't playing them!

As we suited up in our fancy mormon-mesh jerseys, we were called together for an opening prayer. Oh how weird that felt. A wise friend from the ward and I were talking about the uneasy tension that still lingered as the previous players were leaving the gym. He suggested how different the game of church basketball might be if there was both an opening and closing prayer. It might not end up with everyone standing in a circle holding hands and singing hymns but it might lead to fewer fist fight in the parking lot. By the way, the team we played were gentlemen, friends and we had a lot of fun. And they kicked our trash. Mmmm, just like old times.

Times they are a changin'

Things have taken a turn for the worse. I rarely check the Drudge Report anymore. I haven't yelled "Amen" at my radio in weeks and I can't even enjoy a good cable news program anymore. Maybe it's just the wearing down of a person's soul that jumps into the floating cesspool of politics for years at a time that causes this condition. As bad as President Bush's grammar and overall grasp of the English language was, I would still make it through his State of the Union speeches, rare press conferences and occasional public speaking engagements with neery a small headache. However, our new President inspires more than just Hope and Change in me.(notice the capitalization, they are now holy words) He has already bettered my life with his historic presidency. I watch much less of the raggedly worn news anchors. I am also slowly starting to listen to music again. Music really is a great thing. I speak with my coworkers and family more about the things that matter in personal life and less about bitter political differences. But most of all President Obama has brought to light the use of the word that will change my life forever. Uh.

Now, when I can't think of what to say when I forget to get dressed and walk in front of the open windows in the morning in front of the neighborhood bus stop, I will have something to stall with until I can get some pants on. Now, when I answer my wife's phone and am compelled to guess who it is before suffering through a long guess who's talking bit, I will be able to fake my way through with a few extra uhs. Did you get your home teaching numbers in yet this month? Uh......can you hold on a sec?....................yup. Did you remember to bring home that package from the office for me? Uh......let me go check! Did you leave the car in drive? Uh.....be right back! See! It's an amazing word that if it weren't for our new uh....President, I would have never known that by using the word uh, you could be labeled an articulate speaker! Maybe this is actually a turn for the better!

Please check this link out. Watch the master in action in this video.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an unemployment line! No it's a free Denny's Breakfast!

Millions of people ate a "Grand Slam" breakfast today on the house at Denny's. During the Superbowl, they advertised the offer and I expected that those who usually eat at Denny's may take advantage of the offer. However, this morning on my way to work, I thought maybe I'd consumed some Michael Phelps Bong water for breakfast. I thought I was hallucinating. St. Anne's homeless shelter had found a new home between Sizzler and Office Max on 12th and Washington. A massive line 5 or 6 people wide wound out the door, down the side walk and made it way up Washington Blvd a good hundred feet. It was freezing cold! The crowd just around the bus stop was more than I'd ever seen. I wondered if these crazies had ever actually eaten a $4.99 Grand Slam Breakfast. It's nothing to write home about I'm sure. Mind you not everyone had taken the UTA bus to get to Denny's because the parking lot filled Office Max and Sizzler as well. I guess if you are starving enough to wait in the cold for 3 or 4 hours to indulge in 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon and 2 sausage links, you'd better get off work, get in your car, drive to Ogden and spend the day elbow wrestling other fellow gum-scrapers for hours to get a $5 gut bomb. Obviously, Denny's got their money's worth in word of mouth advertising.

Coming out of the Closet

If my reader is still there, no I am not dead. I just haven't been blogging for a couple weeks. A great trip to Southern California with my dad to the granddaddy of all car shows, my parent's new tile floor and the Superbowl...I can't complain. It's really not for a lack of news, political fodder or Olympic athletes huffing bongs. There's been plenty, I just haven't felt like my thoughts have been worthy of publishing on a blog. I don't know what has changed, my thoughts are probably still not worthy but I am going to start up again. Sorry to all you that have enjoyed the past two weeks.

Sometimes I hate to write about politics because it all gets said in the media. I don't like to regurgitate ditto-points or hannitized talking points. Although there is a lot of truth in some of what they say, I don't feel like that's what I want the blog to be about. If you want to hear all about it, you can. If you want to read about something different, then I invite you to check back.



Since my last post about inflation was such a big hit(sarcasm), I will talk about another unintended consequence of the current economic turmoil. And add this to my list of "write it downs". Pres. Obama's massive $1.2 Trillion "stimulus" bill is supposed to jump start our economy with unbelievably irresponsible spending that has as much to do with stimulating our economy as buying a new house has to do with a polar bear's next meal. If passed, it will contribute even further to our fiat money problem and the future liability of our children. As we have all endured the housing meltdown together, there may be another round of mutual suffering ahead. Here is another scenario that could affect the country.



I don't know about you but if tomorrow I woke up without a job, couldn't find a job, fell behind on my house payment I would use the credit that I have acquired to stay current. I think that many Americans have credit cards that they have never used, that are tucked away somewhere without a balance. (Closet Credit) Before I lost my house or filed bankruptcy, I would use that credit to keep my family in the house and food on the table. If things didn't turn around, at that point, you would find yourself both behind on your payments and in credit card debt, with no income. What effect would this have on the economy? Probably a very similar "housing meltdown" effect on the banking industry as they absorb this bad debt and write off losses well beyond their ability to endure.



If you have a mailbox, you know that credit cards were offered and given out more liberally than a mortgage in the Bronx. The math on a 10% interest credit card is massive when you figure the minimum payments on the average debt for the American family. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are transferred over a lifetime. Obviously the banks didn't need any arm-twisting to extend this credit.



Now they are backtracking. I recently received a letter in the mail from none other than our new penny stock banking giant Citi. It said something like this.



Dear Valued Customer,

We have noticed that you have not used our credit card with us for over 2 years. We understand that your banking needs may have changed. We have taken the liberty of closing your account for you.

Love always and forever,

Citibank



(Translation)



Dear Lucky Guy without any debt,

Why didn't you use your credit card? We spent thousands in marketing to get you to sign up! And for what? What- do you pay for things in cash? We are now scared that you will actually use it now and won't pay us back so we are closing your account. Hope you keep your job.

We won't be mailing you again (we can't afford it),

Citibank



These banks that are already over their heads in debt, plummeting stock prices and layoffs realized this scenario better than anyone. So if you're looking for another economic disaster, watch for the closet debt to "come out of the closet". And don't be surprised if picket lines start forming soon thereafter.

I'd like to buy a newspaper.....That will be $1 Billion dollars Sir.

Something has been on my mind lately. I have discussed it almost daily with friends and colleagues. I have been trying to figure out a way to make what seems to be like a fourth-Sunday topic into something worth reading. So here goes....

I am extremely concerned about the amount of money our government is spending, printing and incentivizing. In history, this method has served no country well. Only hurt the long term interests of struggling nations. Forgive the coming ueber-simplified history lesson.


In post WWI Germany, the government found itself strapped with massive war debt. With no one willing to buy their country's debt, the government resorted to the equivalent of printing money. As the massive debt continued to increase, confidence in the governments ability to pay its obligations and already issued bonds begins to plummet. Consumer confidence was wiped out. The temptation of government to inflate increased.

Government did not want to upset the people with higher taxes, so it borrowed the war debt expecting the Allies to foot the bill after the war. When things didn't go as they thought, they monetized the debt. In reality, the equivalent of printing money. To compound things even worse, the German mark took a dive after the war reparations were announced and the new socialist party had promised multitudes of social welfare programs that over obligated an already strapped government. Confidence in the mark kept plummeting making the mark worth less and less and as it did, people started getting rid of their hoarded marks, flooding the market with massive amounts of money.

50 Million mark banknote from 1923

Caught in a Teufel's-Kreis the government, now dealing with a fully-employed and brutally underpaid workforce, had to deal with the poverty of a third world country. They kept printing money. Germany had 300 paper mills and 150 printing companies working night and day printing money as fast as they could. Most of the money was worthless by the time it was printed. Workers were paid three times a day because the the value of the money was usually worthless by the end of the day. Prices were doubling in a matter of hours. To illustrate, the price of a stamp in 1923 reached $50 Billion marks. Some of the results of these high prices and devaluation of the mark...
1. People's life savings were wiped out overnight
2. People were forced to sell personal belongings to eat
3. Food and clothing were the most valuable commodities
4. People burned German marks instead of firewood to heat their homes because it was cheaper than buying firewood.
5. The largest bill issued by the German government was $100 Trillion marks
6. Life Insurance policies became worthless

One of the main reasons that inflation grabbed hold so fast in 1922-23 in Germany was the velocity of money. Money flooded the market, the government kept printing money (if they kept printing money and inflating, the debt they had incurred was in effect, erased) and people's sole goal in life was to spend their money before it was worthless and eat their next meal. The government blamed everyone but themselves siting the stiff reparations of the Treaty of Versailles and the greedy speculators that bet against the mark. Life was horrible. The government was it's own worst enemy. Debt, spending and government interaction all contributed.

Allow me to indulge for a small moment.....I am not chicken little but I believe that our federal reserve can only pull so many rabbits out of the hat until the spaghetti doesn't stick to the wall. Ben Bernake has admitted repeatedly that the fed's rate cuts are not affecting the economy the way they should. Our national debt is $11 + Trillion, our entitlements for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are a giant ponzi scheme run by the government which hasn't even seen the start of the baby boomers. We have a newly elected liberal socialist government that has promised and over-promised our country things it can't begin to afford without borrowing from foreign countries. Our dollar has dropped against other currencies and other nations are not accepting our government issued treasuries as an iron-clad guarantee anymore. Consumer confidence is dropping and we are involved in 2 wars and a pretty strong recession. Conservative estimates peg the money that people are hoarding on the side lines in our current recession at $2-4 Trillion dollars. As we spend $750 Billion on bailouts, over a trillion on fiscal stimulus and hand out rebate checks to those who pay no taxes, we had better hope that our dollar is worth something and that China still wants to buy our treasuries because when our economy bounces back and people deploy this money into the markets, we will experience inflation. And not the normal kind. Do I think that we'll be burning money, no. Do I think we need to sell everything we have and buy gold? No. Do I think we should have the often counseled and responsible year's worth of food supply? Obviously. After examining the situation I don't think the Jimmy Carter era was a one hit wonder after all. Get out of debt and be responsibly prepared for inflation. We are a hankering for it people. What's that saying about history again?

Inauguration-What I Hope

An historic day.....a new president.....a few thoughts.

I hope Mr. Obama is successful. I hope he can inspire confidence in a nation of doubt. I hope he can do what he has promised for our country. I wish him well. I love this country. Because I love my country he will be my president. Regardless, of my opposing stance to most of his agenda, I will address him as President, I will acknowledge his presidency as valid and I will give him the benefit of the doubt as the democratically elected leader of the nation. I will not give any idea a free pass, but I believe deep down that he is a good man that means well for our country and will do his best to lead us. That is all we can ask of anyone in his office.

That being said, I hope one more thing-For people to understand that this great country is not in need of fixing. Her heroes and martyrs have built her and continue the fight for freedom in our behalf. America provides a purpose for which our government operates. That purpose is to advance the nations citizens to a personal level of responsibility and civility. Our country herself is not broken. Our country is strong. Our country is not in need of repair. Our people are. Our people have made the mistakes that have us where we are today. Our people have judged incorrectly and we have made for ourselves the series of consequences as a result of our actions. Our great country stands only as a benefactor for us. When we improve ourselves, we will once again see a smiling nation. She is only waiting.

Avoid Costly Repairs

We were watching TV when a commercial came on for Doug Smith Dodge. Car dealerships must be pretty hard up for slogans or selling points. The new selling point that they have come up with is this...."Avoid costly repairs of your old truck, save $14,500 on a new one!" Are you kidding me? Avoid a costly repair and spend $35,000 instead on a new truck!? I wonder why they can't sell any cars.? It's okay, they could always get some more bailout money. I guess.

Korean Car Companies like Hyundai are offering specials like their "Assurance Program" that states if you buy a new car from them and you lose your job, you can bring your car back. Now this is desperate marketing people. Oh course they'd buy your car back at about half what you paid. Idiots.

Racism is so 19th Century!

With the upcoming inauguration of Obama, it seems as if our country is obsessed with the subject of race again. In the media, I have heard several ludicrous stories just in the past few days that lead me to believe that racism and it's ugly head are here to stay for as long as there is an America.

A traditional Alabama-based group of women will be marching in the inaugural parade in their southern style ball dresses reminiscent of "Gone with the Wind" The leader of the Alabama NAACP is outraged that they are allowed to be in the parade sighting his disgust based on the outfits the women wear saying they remind him of a plantation and the days of slavery.

When discussing the appointment of the next Senator from Illinois, Harry Ried requested that the nominee not be one of three black men but rather one of two white women. This was not widely reported in the press. If anyone but a democrat would have made the same request, he would have been hung out to dry by the nation's race hustlers. And when Ronald Burris went to be confirmed the new Junior Senator from Illinois and was turned away, he immediately drew out the race card accusing the democratic leadership of being racist. It worked. Within a day the democrats were so scared, they agreed to seat him.

Black Preachers have gathered in Salt Lake City to protest Robert Redford and his Sundance film festival because he is opposed to oil drilling near national parks in Utah. They claim he is a racist for not supporting the drilling for oil because he hates poor black people that will not be able to afford to heat their homes.

The National Press seems to be obsessed that there are not more Black college football coaches in the NCAA.

Black leaders declare that the election of Barack Obama is but a down payment for America's history of racism.

A state of emergency had to be declared in Washington DC by President Bush to acquire more funding for the inauguration of Obama. More security is needed. Federal officials cited a considerable amount of chatter from lunatic racist groups in causing a disruption of the inauguration of America's first black president. The inauguration will cost an estimated $150 Million dollars to stage.

I have a strong opinion on all of these issues...of which I am not going to share in this post. My purpose is to start a discussion about why we as Americans discuss race so much when we all (well I hope we all) claim that we don't think race matters. We claim it is the character of a man that qualifies him for the job. It is not the color of one's skin that makes him better or worse than another. After Obama got elected, I naively hoped that America would begin to heal it's racial wounds-that we could move past the finger pointing and the distrust between races. We don't need to forget about racism and slavery but we don't need to nitpick each other in every facet of our lives and accuse others of suppressing, offending or degrading each other. There is plenty of racism in America. I readily admit that. The problem is racism has not been definitively defined. My opinion is this-Racism is the hatred of someone because of the color of their skin. There are white racist and there are black racists. White racism ranges from the closet white racists to the vocal, militant white supremacist. So does black racism. Many of the "civil rights activists" are so caught up in blaming others and victimizing themselves and their race that they hate those who they think have wronged them. By definition, they hate because of the color of one's skin. Fortunate for them, they have America's awful history and the holy cloak of civil rights to hide under to shield themselves from any criticism. This is not the civil rights movement of Dr. King. Blacks are not denied the right to do anything in today's America. Sadly, that's hard to admit for an organization that's sole purpose is to find racism and squash it dead. There will always be racism as long as it is sought.

What outrage would there be if the was a cable TV station to rival BET (Black Entertainment Network) called the WET (White Entertainment Network)? Or if there was an organization called the NAAWP? Or an awards show for white actors only? How about an all white college?Seems to me if race doesn't matter, then why the division and double standard?

It has been 150 years since slavery. Whites don't owe black people an apology because their ancestors were slaves. My ancestors had nothing to do with slavery but if it helps, I am sorry that your great great great great great grandparents were slaves. Sincerely. Now let's move on. I hope the day will come when we can stop pointing fingers, accusing each other and live our lives together in a way that has nothing to do with what race we were born. We are all children of God, he loves us all the same and it is only we who keep holding ourselves back.