Think of failure as a detour. You made a wrong turn, but you can still reach your destination.
Healthy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole Recipe
9 months ago
Thought of the Day - 9/23/10
To look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first time or last time: Thus is your time on Earth filled with glory.
~~ Betty Smith ~~
Thought of the Day - 9/22/10
You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.
~~ Dr. Wayne Dyer ~~
Computer Tips #16
Highlight and delete all email addresses that are included in a message. Please protect your email friends by doing this so that spamers do not have access to their addresses. When forwarding a message use the BCC (blind copy) option . . . by doing this the spammers will see a name but not an email address.
545 vs. 300,000,000
Charley Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day.
545 vs. 300,000,000
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, why do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, why do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings -- out of 300 million -- that are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he/she votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass the budget over his veto if they want to and agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million people can not replace the 545 people who stand convicted, by present facts, of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army and Marines are in Iraq, it's because they want them in Iraq.
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let those 545 people con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses . . . provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Sales Tax
School Tax
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Excise Taxes
Property Tax
Cigarette Tax
Medicare Tax
Inventory Tax
Real Estate Tax
Well Permit Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Inheritance Tax
Road Usage Tax
CDL License Tax
Dog License Tax
State Income Tax
Food License Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Gross Receipts Tax
Social Security Tax
Service Charge Tax
Fishing License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Building Permit Tax
IRS Interest Charges
Hunting License Tax
Marriage License Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Personal Property Tax
Accounts Receivable Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
State Unemployment Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Utility Taxes Vehicle License Registration Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Not one of these taxes (listed above) existed 100 years ago and our nation was the most prosperous in the world at that time. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and moms stayed home to raise the kids.
What happened? Can you spell p-o-l-i-t-i-c-i-a-n-s?
Adapted from an 545 People written by Charley Reese.
Dashing Through the Snow
Dashing Through the Snow by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark
"In the picturesque village of Branscombe, New Hampshire, the townsfolk are all pitching in to prepare for the first Festival of Joy. The night before the festival begins, a group of employees at the local market learn that they have won $180 million in the lottery. One of their co-workers, Duncan, decided at the last minute, on the advice of a pair of crooks masquerading as financial advisers, not to play. Then he goes missing. A second winning lottery ticket was purchased in the next town, but the winner hasn't come forward. Could Duncan have secretly bought it?
The Clarks' endearing heroes -- Alvirah Meehan, the amateur sleuth, and private investigator Regan Reilly -- has arrived in Branscombe for the festival They are just the people to find out what is amiss. As they dig beneath the surface, they find that life in Branscombe is not as tranquil as it appears."
It was a fast, easy read. It was very enjoyable but it lacked the intensity that is usually seen by both of these authors.
It was fun to see so many of my favorite characters (Alvirah & Willy, Regan & Jack, Nora & Luke) from both authors combined in this mystery.
Rating (1, lowest; 5, highest): 3.5
I was not compensated in any way for this review.
Thought of the Day - 9/19/10
Love cures people -- both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.
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