TheBellCurve

Decoration of independence..

2009-07-12T21:00:00.006-04:00

Chalk one up for the good guys. Government has a nasty habit of pushing in where it doesn't belong. Occasionally someone manages to push back. A feisty bunch of interior designers just pulled of a small coup in Connecticut,with a little help from the Institute for Justice, and managed to get a really bad law overturned.

A few years ago, the American Society of Interior Designers convinced the legislature there to pass a law requiring anyone who called themselves interior designers to apply for a state license. A lot of professions benefit from government licensing laws, and I've heard some worthy, if perhaps misguided, arguments defending the licensing of some of those professions. Sometimes it's just about limiting the competition.

Danny's been my barber for over 35 years. My visits don't require as much time or attention to detail as they used to, but that's another story. I think he does a pretty good job on me, considering what he has to work with.I suppose Danny has a barber's license. I never really checked, and it wouldn't make any difference to me if he doesn't. I'll keep going back as long as he is in business, and as long as my hair holds out.

And if I need the services of an interior designer, or an interior decorator, or any other professional, I'll decide based on their ability and track record, not on whether or not they paid for a government stamp of approval.

May the force be with you... or them...

2009-07-07T20:08:00.009-04:00

George Washington hit the nail on the head when he said, "Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." Every once in a while we are reminded just how true that is.

A few years ago, a young man in Cincinnati who made a habit out of driving without a license or seatbelt, also made the mistake of not showing up for court when he should have. Right or wrong, his actions were eventually met with the final option, deadly force.

Anytime we pass a law giving the government control over some portion of our lives, we also give them the power to enforce that law. By force, if necessary. If Timothy Thomas had simply paid his traffic ticket, no force would have been necessary. But when he didn't pay the ticket, a warrant for his arrest was issued. When he decided he didn't want to be arrested, he was shot.

That's probably part of the reason most people just go ahead and pay seatbelt tickets, even if they disagree with seatbelt laws.

It's also a good reason to limit the amount of power the government has over us, so they don't have so many reasons to shoot.

I saw this story today about a man who let his yard grow to tall. Apparently Christopher Rhymes had an aversion to mowing his yard. After it got about a foot and a half tall, the Indianapolis Office of Code Enforcement sent someone in to mow it for him. Reportedly, Mr. Rhymes took offense, pointed a shotgun at the government's appointed lawnkeeper, and the Special Weapons And Tactics team was called in to quell the uprising. Luckily, no one was killed before Mr. Rhymes decided to give up.

It doesn't sound like Mr. Rhymes thought things out to well. Maybe he didn't want to. Maybe he couldn't. Or maybe he was just having a bad day.

Whatever the reason, I'm glad he gave up. If he hadn't, eventually the government would have killed him.

Then they would have went ahead and mowed his yard.

Impersonating the impersonators...

2009-07-03T07:25:00.006-04:00

I see where recent lieutenant-governor candidate Dennis Oxley tried to avoid a public intoxication arrest by claiming he was a state representative, and was subsequently charged with impersonating a public servant.

There was also a story this week that Indiana prisons are at 99% capacity. Given the antics of our legislators the past few sessions, I'm afraid that strict enforcement of the "impersonating a public servant" law might push the prison population over the top.

As if they hadn't already given us enough to worry about.

North by Northeast, or there abouts...

2009-07-01T14:51:00.001-04:00

Back at Millville Grade School, Summit Taylor’s furnace room also doubled as the teachers’ smoking lounge. Nothing fancy, mind you, but it did have a couple of vinyl covered chairs, and one of those ashtrays on a stand, with a button that you pushed to send the ashes and crushed butts down to the base of the stand. I think Summit dumped it in the coal furnace when it got full and you couldn’t push the button anymore. They probably wouldn’t let him do that nowadays.

Whenever we were out for recess, and Summit was out taking care of his janitorial duties, and the teachers weren’t smoking in the furnace room, my old buddy Stinky Wilmont would occasionally sneak in and swipe a cigarette or two. I don’t know if he really liked to smoke them, or if he just liked the way he looked when he stuck one of them behind his ear. Maybe he just wanted to prove he could get away with it.

Whatever his reasoning, he never seemed to think there was really anything wrong with stealing, or smoking, or sticking cigarettes behind his ear. At least until Principal Baker caught him in the furnace room, with a couple of the principal’s smokes. When the wood and smoke cleared, the tearful Stinky was a changed man, and quite remorseful about his despicable actions.

I guess it’s possible that he had seen the error of his ways, but his revelation would have carried a little more weight if it had occurred after he had swiped only a couple of cigarettes, instead of waiting to appear after he was caught.

There’s something that’s called a moral compass. Most people have one, I think. Not everybody’s points in the same direction, for sure, but I do appreciate people with firm convictions, even if our compasses don’t always line up. At least I know which way it’s pointing.

Mark Sanford, the South Carolina Governor who had at least a two year long affair with his mistress from Argentina, had a revelation similar to Stinky’s when he was caught, metaphorically speaking, with his pants down. I understand that we are all subject to temporary lapses in judgment, but Mr. Sanford’s remorseful tone would have been a little more convincing if he had adopted it a year and a half or so ago.

I felt the same way when I heard Bernie Madoff, the con man who bilked investors out of billions of dollars, explain how horrible he felt about what he had done. If he was actually sorry for his actions, and not just about getting caught, I would have thought his conscience would have kicked in a few billion dollars ago.

I realize the world is way too big to expect everyone to agree on what is moral or ethical. But I would submit that if your sense of right or wrong is based on what you think you can get away with, or if it’s based on the fear of punishment from your principal, or your spouse, or your government, or if it changes only after you’re caught, you might want to consider getting your compass recalibrated.

And a good time was had by all...

2009-06-29T18:07:00.003-04:00

I haven't been to a Major League baseball game since the strike 15 years ago. Bull-headedness, I guess. I have been to a few Little League games, and a couple of Rooster games when they were in Richmond, and I sense some T-ball approaching in the next couple of years.

I hadn't been to an Indianapolis Indians game for a long time, either. In fact, the last time I went it was in Busch Stadium, just before it closed, I think. The last time I went to Busch Stadium before that, it wasn't even a baseball game. It was 40 years ago, for a concert with Richie Havens and Pure Prairie League. Or maybe Poco. I can't remember for sure. I do remember that we all sat on the ground and had a good time.

Last Saturday, a couple of our children and their spouses, and our grandchildren took us to the Indianapolis Zoo, and then to Victory Field for a ballgame between the Indianapolis Indians and the Toledo Mudhens. Lawn seating, so we sat on the ground and had a good time. A better time than I had 40 years ago, as I remember, except that the ground is a lot lower than it used to be.

Anyway, Susan and I enjoyed it, and the kids enjoyed it, and the grand kids enjoyed it, and since I'm not sure if there are any players still playing that took part in the last strike, I might have to reconsider this Major League thing.

Besides, I heard the Reds have a new stadium.

Sometimes you get the bear...

2009-06-27T09:13:00.004-04:00

...and sometimes the bear gets you.

I've made some deals in my life where I thought I came out ahead, and I've made some deals where I thought I came out on the short end of the stick. You don't always know how things are going to turn out.

33 years ago today I married Susan.

I know I got a lot better deal than she got.

I just hope it's several more years before she figures that out. Or maybe she already has.

At any rate, thanks for putting up with me for 33 years. Looking back, the worst times we ever had were still pretty good.

Would you buy a used car from this guy?...

2009-06-20T08:29:00.004-04:00

I'm fully aware that I don't have a lot of room to pass judgement on other peoples' personal appearances. It's something I've learned to live with, and since I seldom have to look at myself, except when I'm shaving, I really don't have to think about it all that much.

Still, I do make an attempt to look semi-respectable in my private and professional life, while keeping in mind that the definition of respectable has been modified over the years. 50 years ago, back at Millville Grade School, all of the men teachers wore ties and all of the women teachers wore dresses. That always seemed a bit much to me, and aside from not being to bright, was probably one of the major reasons I never considered a career in education.

If it ever gets to the place that neckties aren't required or expected for any occasion, I'll be a happier man.

Still, when I decided to have my tonsils removed, I appreciated the fact that the doctor looked like a doctor. I'd prefer that my financial advisor drives a nice car and lives in a nice home. It gives me confidence, I guess. And if they want to wear a tie, more power to them.

I feel better if my preacher doesn't wear a "Girls Gone Wild" t-shirt, although it wouldn't seem so bad if my mechanic wore it. I'm not saying that's right. I'm just saying that's the way I feel.

I've never considered getting a tattoo, so I've never thought about what I would want my tattoo artist to look like, if I was considering getting a tattoo. But I did read where a girl went in to get her face tattooed by this guy,

Apparently she wasn't to happy with the result of allowing him to use his best judgement concerning how her face should turn out. I'm not sure what she expected.

But it does cause me to think I'll be a little more selective about who gives me my first tattoo. If I ever consider getting one.

You go, B.O.!!!!.....

2009-06-18T21:36:00.003-04:00

Given our differing views on just how involved government should be in my life, I'm probably not going to have many reasons to cheer or defend President Obama in the next few years. Certainly the reasons so far have been sparse.

But I will have to ask PETA to give the man a break after reading this story. PETA scolded the President and sent him a "capture and release" fly trap after he killed a fly during a news interview.

Some people just don't have enough to do.

That just doesn't cut it....

2009-06-14T20:33:00.006-04:00

I remember a time back at Millville Grade School when Principal Baker needed to cut a few lengths of baling twine for some project he was working on. When he asked my old buddy Stinky Wilmont if he had a pocket knife with him, Stinky replied, "I got my pants on, ain't I?"

Pocket knives were standard equipment when I was kid. You couldn't whittle, or play mumblety peg, or sharpen a horse weed without one. And if you didn't have one when the "sight unseen knife swap" started, you were a social pariah, at least for that recess.

A pocket knife is still part of my every day attire. I don't have a lot of time to whittle anymore, but I do use it to sharpen pencils, dig out splinters, and peel the occasional apple. For now anyway.

The Customs and Border Protection Agency is pushing to have most pocket knives placed under the same restrictions as switchblades, making them illegal in most places, most of the time.

No more whittlin', no more diggin' out splinters, and no more apple peelin' I guess.

Sorry Stinky. Hopefully we can get this stopped. Just keep your pants on.

That's not how it works on the television...

2009-06-10T22:16:00.003-04:00

I heard the other day that a lot of juries were being disappointed in the quality of evidence that was being presented at trials. The blame for that disappointment has been placed on television shows that tend to exaggerate the capabilities of police investigators.

I understand how that could happen. The people on NCIS and CSI Miami can lift fingerprints off of a piece of toast and get a 95 year-old man to confess to rape.

I guess I might be guilty of over-expectation myself now and then.

The trailer where we store our tools when we are working on a job was broken into recently. Whoever decided to help themselves to our tools dropped a pair of bolt cutters beside the trailer. When I called to report the theft to our local sheriff's department, I thought that might be useful somewhere along the line.

I didn't expect that the police would catch the thief, or recover the stolen items, but I did need a police report for my insurance company. I did expect that someone from the department might want to look at the trailer and the bolt cutters.

When the officer showed up at the crime scene the first time, he told us he couldn't walk over to the trailer because he didn't want to get in the mud. I wasn't expecting that. On his second visit he asked me to bring the bolt cutters over to him. I wasn't expecting that either.

I've got to stop watching so much television.

When I'm 64...

2009-06-06T12:20:00.007-04:00

Thirty-five years ago I gave up a steady, albeit meager paycheck and started my own contracting business. Depending on who you listen to, between 60% and 90% of small businesses fail within five years, which raises a couple of possibilities. Either I beat the odds, or I've failed and just don't realize it yet.

At any rate, when I struck out on my own way back then, my very first job was for a little old lady that lived west of Hagerstown. I put a new roof on her house. I appreciated the fact that an older person would trust a youngster just starting in business to work on their home.

When I picked up the local newspaper today, I saw that Norma had passed away. She was 81 years old. That means the "little old lady" was 46 when I put her roof on. 11 years younger than I am today.

Who knows where the time goes?

But anyway, if I didn't say it before, thanks Norma, for taking a chance on a kid.

"I can't do that, Dave"....

2009-05-31T17:43:00.001-04:00

My buddy Marvin, a farmer up by Mooreland, is fond of telling the story about the time he added a new hired-hand, Ronald, to help with some summer projects around the farm. It was mid August, and one of the projects involved installing a new roof on one of his barns. When Marvin took the new man out to the barn, Ronald informed him that he wasn’t able to climb.

Marvin ensured him that wasn’t a problem, because there was plenty of other work that needed to be done. They then drove to the other end of the farm, where a new fence needed to be built. Ronald was given a set of posthole diggers, and instructed where the holes for the end posts needed to be dug. If you’ve ever built much fence, you probably remember how hot the sun gets and how hard the ground gets around mid August.

When he retuned home for lunch, Marvin saw the posthole diggers leaning up against the barn, and Ronald nailing shingles on the roof. To this day, Marvin maintains that one of his greatest accomplishments in life was teaching the new man how to climb.

We’ve all been in situations where we found out we were capable of doing something we didn’t think we were capable of doing. A few times in my youth, I was convinced I couldn’t possibly get out of bed so early in the morning to milk cows. My father was able to convince me otherwise.

A while back, I was involved in a discussion about an employee who was taking a $3.50 per hour pay cut, in order to relocate with a company that offered health insurance. I offered my opinion that with an extra $140.00 per week, a person could by a high-deductible major-medical policy, open a tax deductible medical savings account, and in the long and short run be money ahead. The general consensus among the group was that people wouldn’t be able to make themselves contribute to the savings account. I suggested that maybe they needed to have a talk with my Dad.

The American people have developed quite a list of things they think they can’t do. The recent economic downturn and resultant budget cuts have caused some cities and towns to consider eliminating government provided trash pick-up. A lot of people are convinced that if the government doesn’t provide the service, trash will pile up and eventually bury us all. But in actuality, there are people who pay for their own trash pick-up, or haul their own trash, with seemingly minimal side effects.

At the federal level, the stakes are a little higher, but the principle is the same. We’ve known for a long time that the Social Security and Medicare systems are paying out more money than they are collecting, and the state of the economy is speeding those systems respective demise. The keepers of the programs recently estimated that Medicare is just 8 years away from financial meltdown, with Social Security meeting the same fate 20 years later.

With so many people convinced that they can’t survive without a government run retirement and healthcare system, I’m sure we’ll see a lot of activity by the government in the next few years trying to make those systems work by raising taxes, lowering benefits, raising qualifications, and lowering expectations.

I’d like to believe the people who will come out winners in all of this are the ones who are able to figure out that they can take care of themselves, and their retirement, and their healthcare, without a lot of interference from the government.

Unfortunately, the way things work now, they’ll end up being the ones who take care of the people that couldn’t, or wouldn't, figure it out.

The Big Wheels and your wheels...

2009-05-30T19:05:00.003-04:00

I've always considered driving to be a utilitarian act. I use it to get from point (A) to point (B). Outside of a couple years as a teenager, when gasoline was about a quarter a gallon, and "cruising" was an integral part of the mating ritual, I've spent very little time driving just for the sake of driving.

Even though I'm not an enjoyment driven driver, I do appreciate a smooth road to get me to whatever point I'm driving toward. I also appreciate that roads cost a lot of money to build and maintain, and there has never been any question in my mind that the people who use the roads should be the ones to pay for them.

In their effort to come up with enough money to build and maintain the roads in Wayne County, the county council is kicking around the idea of adopting a county-wide wheel tax. Typically with a wheel tax, cars and pick-up trucks pay a set rate, big trucks pay more, and depending on the demographics of the county, farm machinery and buggies usually get some type of exemption.

I expect there will be a lot of opposition to the new tax. I expect I'll oppose it myself. It's not that it's an unfair tax. Except for the deductions that will be granted, it's probably a pretty even way to make sure that the people that use the roads help pay for them.

The problem is it's an excessive tax. We already pay enough taxes to fund our roads. Every time we buy a gallon of gas, the government gets about fifty cents. About half of it goes to the federal government, and about half of that goes to things that have nothing to do with building or maintaining roads. The state does a little bit better, but not much.

Our neighbor to the west, Henry County, has a well deserved reputation for having atrocious roads. A few years ago, in an effort to remedy the situation, they adopted a wheel tax. According to one of their county executives, about one third of that tax money is being used on current road projects. Henry County still has atrocious roads.

So here's a suggestion. Before you slap us with a new tax, why not try spending the tax money you've already taken on the thing you said you were taking it for. Is that really to much to ask?

I'm sure when the new tax is enacted, the county council will blame the state legislature, and the state legislature will blame Washington, but the taxpayers will still pick up the bill, and then vote the same people back into office next election.

So who's really to blame?

Me thinks thou doth protest too much...

2009-05-23T20:20:00.004-04:00

Former Vice-President Dick Cheney has certainly been pounding the news circuit lately, going out of his way to bash Barack Obama's policies in handling the terrorist threat facing America. It seems we've seen more of him in the last month than we did in the last eight years. He's found a receptive audience among some Republicans, who think he's probably right, and some Democrats, who are, in part, hanging their hopes on Cheney's polarizing rhetoric to insure their control of the White House in 2012.

Some of us are having a hard time reconciling Cheney's thinking. Outside of having a different party in control of the presidency, the policies haven't changed all that much.

Gene Healy, of the CATO Institute, made some interesting observations in this article. Among other things, Healy points out that:

"Either way, the claim that Obama has abandoned "essential tools" in the fight against terror is wearing pretty thin. Real civil libertarians aren't fooled by Obama's "kinder, gentler" rhetoric, but Obama knows that civil libertarians are a miniscule voting block. His aim is to convince Democratic voters that he's kept his promises to change Bush's draconian approach to the war on terror.

In this, Dick Cheney is an enormous asset to the president. As Obama quietly adopts the Bush policies, Cheney gives him cover by loudly insisting that there's a meaningful difference here."

Whether in foreign or domestic policy, Libertarians have long maintained that there isn't a nickels worth of difference in the two major parties. Hopefully by 2012 that miniscule voting block will get a little bigger.

Disproportionate response...

2009-05-14T08:39:00.004-04:00

Thomas Jefferson stated that it is the natural tendency of government to grow. It's also the natural tendency of government to overreact.

We saw a lot of overreaction in the last month or so as we made our way through yet another flu season. People in the private sector tend to take the appropriate precautions and go on about their business as best they can, knowing full well that there is always the possibility they might catch a cold or the flu. While most businesses continued to operate, our local penal system barred visitors for a couple of weeks.

It's not that I'm opposed to all government over reaction. In fact, I would think we could get along quite nicely if several government agencies and departments would lay low until all danger had passed. Or longer.

And then occasionally, even government gets something right.

I attended a meeting yesterday between the Wayne County Commissioners and representatives of the Wayne County Builders Association. In response to fears that some homeowners might be bilked by less than scrupulous repairmen, the representatives proposed that the county should institute a contractor registration and bonding program. While no specific costs or fees were proposed, modeling a program after those in other areas, which include charges for registration and bonds for all trades, could add as much as $750.00 to the cost of a job in Wayne County. It's not any secret that the customer ultimately pays that cost.

We are entering the season now when people and businesses of questionable character will be approaching homeowners and offering their services. Homeowners should certainly exercise reasonable caution before agreeing to have any work done. Check references, check for insurance, and don't pay anything "up front". That's just common sense.

Thankfully, for now anyway, the county commissioners agreed that we don't need another layer of bureaucracy, or another hand of government in our pockets, covering something that common sense and reasonable precaution can handle for free.

I think that was the appropriate and proportionate response.

And I hope the city of Richmond comes to the same conclusion.

This is only a test...

2009-05-07T21:39:00.003-04:00

There's been quite a bit of attention given to state sovereignty lately, particularly with a number of states passing resolutions reaffirming theirs. The problem with resolutions, whether the New Years type or the state legislature type, is that they don't amount to much if you don't follow through with them.

I was happy to learn that the Montana legislature has done just that. On April 15th, a state law went into effect which exempts guns made and kept in Montana from federal regulations.

I don't suppose the federal government will be able to let this law stand, and I don't know if Montana will prevail.

But it as good a place as any to start, and it does go along nicely with their state sovereignty resolution.

Besides setting an example for some of the less resolute states.

How about a real new deal?...

2009-04-30T16:56:00.002-04:00

Stinky Wilmont was one of my best buddies back in the days at Millville Grade School. I probably ended up in more trouble than I should have whenever I followed his lead, but I also had a lot more fun than I would have if Stinky hadn’t been around.

Occasionally though, Stinky would embark on some adventure that I felt pretty sure was destined to end in tears, and either my better judgment, or fear, would get the better of me, and I would decide to leave him to his own devices. As the years and grades passed, and my judgment got better, partly because some of my fears were well-founded, Stinky and I kind of drifted apart. It may have in part also, because Stinky’s judgment never really showed any signs of improvement. I don’t think there was any animosity between us, just my realization that Stinky and I might not have the same goals or values.

When Indiana started its lottery, I remember a woman in town who was absolutely obsessed with it. After she had nearly depleted the family checking and savings accounts, her husband contacted all of the places in town that sold lottery tickets, cashed checks, or loaned money, and told them that he would no longer be responsible for his wife’s debts.
I don’t know for sure how much legal weight his action carried. But if she couldn’t control her habit, I guess this was a good first step instead of just jumping into a divorce. I don’t know whatever became of the situation. I hope it all worked out for them.

Just recently, Megan McAllister, the fiancée of accused CraigsList killer Phillip Markoff, decided it might be time to reconsider her decision to “stand by her man”, cancel their upcoming nuptials, and move on with her own life. Probably a good move on her part, I think.

In their most recent sessions, about twenty state legislatures have introduced or discussed resolutions re-declaring their sovereignty as states, and re-asserting the limited power the federal government is granted under the Constitution. The basis for these resolutions is the 10th Amendment of that Constitution, which declares that: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Many years ago, Thomas Jefferson noted that “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.” It seems we’ve been pretty complacent over the years about yielding our liberties to an ever growing government. There aren’t many things we can do anymore that don’t require some sort of government permission or license. Even getting together to protest against the government often requires a permit from the government. And for the most part, it seems the American people have pretty well accepted that.

The renewed interest in State and personal sovereignty seems then to be more tied to the federal government’s insatiable appetite for spending. It might be the official federal debt, which recently passed $11 trillion, or the unofficial debt (which includes the federal government’s unfunded liabilities), which has been estimated at over $60 trillion. It might be the hundreds of costly mandates the federal government has, without Constitutional authorization, imposed upon the States. Perhaps there is finally a realization that all of this debt will eventually fall on the people of the States, and a realization that it is more debt than taxpayers can afford. Perhaps it’s simply a common sense survival instinct that tells people to avoid things that will probably end up causing them harm.

Whatever the reasons, it may indeed be time for the States to take a critical look at where the federal government is leading them, and negotiate a new deal with that government.

Or at least make them abide by the old one.

Step Two.....

2009-04-26T19:53:00.001-04:00

They say the first step in solving a problem is admitting that there is a problem.

I was happy to see so many Republicans taking part in the TEA Party protests that took place last tax day, complaining that government had become to expensive, just like I was happy to hear Cal Thomas proclaim that both Democrats and Republicans were guilty of overstepping and overspending.

I'll be happier if some of those protesters realize and admit that all of this overstepping and overspending didn't start with Barack Obama and the Democrats. If they realize and admit that that the federal debt doubled under the watch of George Bush, and that the doubling started when Republicans controlled both branches of Congress.

I'll be even happier if some of those protesters decide to take the second step, and actually do something about the problem. When they realize that electing more Republicans in the next election won't solve most of what they were protesting about.

I've heard people claim that a lot of the protesters didn't really have any ideas or solutions for solving the problem. I've heard claims they were just mad. That may or may not be the case, but it really doesn't matter. At least they've taken the first step, in admitting that there is a problem.

There are a lot of ways to trim government spending. Libertarians have been offering them for years. Here are some of the milder ideas. You can find more in the Cato Institute’s “Handbook for Policymakers, Seventh Edition.”

• Avert the oncoming fiscal crisis in Social Security by indexing initial benefits to changes in prices, instead of wages. Saves $47 billion annually by 2018. Without reforms like this, the program will go bankrupt or force trillions of dollars in destructive new taxes or borrowing.
• Turn Medicare into a block grant and freeze federal spending, forcing states to pursue cost-cutting reforms. Saves $227 billion annually by 2018.
• Eliminate the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration, a $352 million corporate welfare program.
• Eliminate the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, another $369 million in corporate welfare.
• Eliminate the Energy Department’s nuclear energy research programs, $695 million in welfare that should be undertaken by nuclear energy investors.
• Turn Head Start over to private charities, saving $687 million annually. Since its inception Head Start has shown no substantive increase in inner-city literacy rates.
• Eliminate the Bureau of Indian Affairs, saving nearly $2.5 billion a year.
• Eliminate funding for the United Nations and other international programs, saving nearly $1.6 billion annually.
• Eliminate the Legal Services Corporation, saving $350 million annually.
• Eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, $278 million a year in welfare for wealthy arts patrons.
• Eliminate the Small Business Administration, $530 million in welfare for businesses.
• Eliminate the $935 million a year in Postal Service subsidies and force them to further privatize operations.

Those are just a few cuts, which alone save taxpayers $282.3 billion. I'm sure many more will be suggested in the next four years. Hopefully some of those suggestions will come from mad Republicans. Hopefully some will come from voters who aren't all that mad, but still realize we have a problem.

Hopefully they will vote like they really want to solve the problem.

The Worst First...

2009-04-21T18:15:00.009-04:00

Someone gave me a book a few years ago, called "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Journal". It has a lot of suggestions on how you should react if you find yourself in a tough situation, like being stuck in quicksand, or locked in the trunk of a car, or riding a runaway camel.

We don't have any quicksand around Hagerstown that I'm aware of, and I've pretty well given up camel riding, but it also has a lot of blank pages so that you can write down your own solutions to worst case scenarios that you are more likely to encounter in everyday life.

It's probably a good idea to have an escape plan in place if your house catches on fire. I'm a big fan of locating all the exits whenever we go into a restaurant, just in case. If I ever run off of the road and end up in a lake or river, I have an escape plan so that I don't drown in my truck. I'm still working on a plan to keep from drowning in the lake or river once I get out of the truck.

A lot of government units across the state and country are facing budget short-falls, and are scrambling to find solutions. As I've said before, I don't understand why the government has to wait for an emergency before they start trimming wasteful spending, but apparently that's how they like to operate, so I guess we'll just have to make the best of it.

I do think it would be a good idea to have a plan to reduce spending in place beforehand, though. My good friend Mike Kole had a good suggestion on the matter a while back. He suggested making a list of all of the programs and services that a city, town or county provides. Each member of the governing body would then assign a numeric value to each service, giving the service they deemed most important the highest number, and the the service they deemed least important with the lowest number.

The program or service recieving the lowest total would be the first eliminated. If that didn't save enough money to meet the budget, the process would begin again, and continue until the reductions were sufficient.

There were also suggestions that police and fire protection should be left out of the equation, since politicians are also fond of threatening cuts in essential services first, an attempt to scare us into just shutting up and paying more taxes, I suppose.

Anyway, I don't know if we've reached the worst-case scenario yet, but it wouldn't hurt to have a plan in place for when we do.

Just in case.

Uh-oh....

2009-04-13T22:08:00.000-04:00

From the "Good News, Bad News" department.

First, the good news. Apparently President Obama and his family have decided to adopt a new pet, a type of Portuguese water dog named Bo. I'm sure Malia and Sasha are very excited, and whether or not Bo realizes it, he's set up for a pretty easy life for the next 4 or 8 years. (I think that's 28 or 56 in dog years).

Now for the bad news. Reports are surfacing that Bo may be in arrears on his dog tax.

President Oboma reportedly claimed it was merely an oversight on Bo's part, and promised to have the taxes and penalties paid before Bo assumes his First Dog duties.

Green Car? No Thanks...

2009-04-09T19:43:00.002-04:00

The other day on the radio somebody suggested that we should start buying green vehicles. All I could think of was "been there, done that". The first car I ever drove was green.

It was a 1965 Rambler American. Dad bought it shortly after my older brother got his drivers license. I think four of us kids learned to drive in that car. It had really ugly vinyl seats, and an AM radio that only picked up WOWO and WERK.

It had a 196 cubic inch engine.

I got a ticket in it once for attempted speeding.

In my moderately-hippie days, I bought a 1963 Ford Econoline. It was hand brushed chartreuse green. Green shag carpet and green wheels. Somebody had replaced the original engine with a 390 cubic incher, and built a big plywood box around it. Then they covered it with more green shag carpet.

For the life of me I can't remember where I left that van.

I had a 1978 green Chevy truck. It rusted out before I got it paid for.

I've owned all the green vehicles I care to own, thank you very much.

And what's wrong with white, anyway?

Hold the celebration...

2009-04-05T19:53:00.004-04:00

You might think that those of us who don't imbibe should be relieved that the statewide support for the Lucas Oil Stadium and Conseco Fieldhouse will come from a doubling of the alcohol tax. Except that once the tax is adopted, its pretty well been decided that taxpayers across the state can be forced to sports complexes in other parts of the state.

If the next legislature decides that the alcohol tax isn't enough, and that an extra state-wide income tax is needed to support another stadium, or field house, or convention center, it won't be that much of a stretch.

That's the problem with giving one group of legislators, or one governor, or one president to much power. The next group of legislators, or the next governor, or the next president gets to use that power also.

There is a bill being considered now at the federal level that will allow the Treasury Secretary to confiscate what he considers to be excessive pay from employees of companies that accepted bailout funds.

Here's a report from the Libertarian Party:

"Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) is sponsor of the "Pay for Performance Act," a bill that gives the Treasury Secretary absolute power to confiscate "obscene salaries" from every employee of a private company that accepted bailout funds.

Somewhere Hugo Chavez is kicking himself for not thinking of this.

There are no standards whatsoever for what constitutes an "obscene salary." It is entirely up to a politically-appointed official to determine -- with no guidelines other than his own whims -- whose paychecks are grabbed by the government.

So what gives an unelected federal official who can't even pay his own taxes absolute power to determine what your paycheck should be? In a heated interview with Fox News' Neil Cavuto, Grayson actually said the Constitution's guarantees of "due process" and "equal protection" gives the Executive Branch the unquestionable, unaccountable power to dictate private sector pay."

There's not much question that this bill is aimed at the executives and the millions of dollars in bonuses that they received. And probably as long as the present administration is in power, that's where the focus will remain.

But if history is any indicator, there's a good possibility that the current administration won't be in power forever, and there's also a good possibility that the current party won't be either.

And the next administration might take a different view on which people in a company are making to much money, or even how much is to much. Or even what qualifies as a bailout.

But that's the chance we take when we give "our guys" to much power.

"Our guys" might not always win.

At least I know mine don't.

Does anybody know the number for 911?...

2009-04-03T19:13:00.001-04:00

I have a couple of friends that are having a disagreement with the local post office concerning their mail delivery. I wish them luck in getting their disagreement settled quickly and amicably. I always figured if you upset the postmaster, you could be setting yourself up for some real heartaches.

Some people you just don't want to upset. That's why I'd never make a scene and send a meal back to the kitchen in a restaurant. After insulting the chef, you might be considerably better off with the first offering instead of the second.

That being said, I think 911 dispatch is an important service, even though I've never used it. I needed to call them one time, but I couldn't remember the number.

The system is funded in part by a surcharge on land-line telephones and cell phones. Land line users currently pay 99 cents a month for the service, while cell phone users pay 50 cents a month. If you've got both, you pay twice. The cost of affluence, I guess.

As the trend moves away from land-line phones, the surcharge totals the 911 system receives has dropped, down a little over $50,000.00 last year, according to reports. And as it should, the Wayne County Council is looking at ways to replace those funds. My personal feelings would have them lean a little more toward user fees to make up any shortfalls, but that's just me, and besides, they've already decided on another route.

The Council voted at their last meeting to increase the surcharge on land-line phones to $1.53 per month. They have to vote again at their next meeting before it takes effect. That doesn't sound to bad if you say it real fast, but it means they are replacing $50,000.00 of lost revenue with a little over $200,000.00 of new revenue.

I'm sure an influx of this much money makes it easier to manage the system, but we aren't experiencing the best financial situation right now. A lot of people have lost their jobs, or had their hours reduced. While most county employees received a 2% raise, some 911 employees received a 16% raise:

Dispatch – Wireline 911 #009 - Salary Ordinance Amendment
From: To: Effective
#1164 Supervisor @ $34,923.00 #1164 Supervisor @ $35,269.00 1/1/09
Mr. Barry Ritter, Director of E911, asked Council to approve the above salary ordinance
amendment. Gary Saunders motioned approval of the request, seconded by Jeff Plasterer
and the motion passed unanimously.

Part Time Range @ Part Time Range @ 1/1/09
$11.00 to $13.69/hr $11.00 to $15.87/hr
Next, Mr. Ritter requested approval for the above change in the salary ordinance. Mr.
Saunders said this was discussed a personnel committee, and the group agreed the level of
training and experience for a part time dispatchers warrants this increase. Gary Saunders
motioned approval, seconded by Al Dillon and the motion passed unanimously.

#1350 Part Time Comm. #1350 Part Time Comm 1/1/09
Specialist @ $13.69/hr Specialist @ $15.87/hr
#1351 Part Time Comm. #1351 Part Time Comm 1/1/09
Specialist @ $13.69/hr Specialist @ $15.87/hr
#1352 Part Time Comm. #1352 Part Time Comm 1/1/09
Specialist @ $13.69/hr Specialist @ $15.87/hr
Mr. Ritter then requested approval to increase the part time range. Gary Saunders motioned
approval, seconded by Monica Burns, motioned passed unanimously.

I hope the council decides that in these trying times they need to keep our emergency services operating effectively and efficiently. I also hope they decide not to take more from the citizens than is necessary to accomplish those goals.

I also hope I don't have to call 911 for a while.

Simple enough...

2009-04-01T21:52:00.000-04:00

Frank Schuler was the County Extension Agent when I was a kid in Henry County. Besides looking after the 4-H program in the county, Frank also kept the local agricultural community informed on the latest news from Purdue University, and helped people with their gardens at a time when a lot of people still depended on a garden to help feed the family.

One of my favorite stories about Mr. Schuler involved a lady that was worried about some type of bug that was eating her tomato plants. She had captured one of the offending critters, placed it in a Ball jar, and hauled it down to Frank’s office.

When she handed the jar to Frank, and asked his opinion on the best to kill such a bug, he carefully and thoughtfully examined it from all angles through the jar. He then loosened the lid, dumped the bug out on the floor, and stomped on it.

A lot of times we tend to make things more complicated than they need to be.

This month is when most of us get to file our income tax returns. It’s a pretty complicated system. There’s close to 70,000 pages in the federal income tax code. Individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations spend about 6 billion hours and $265 billion every year figuring out, filling out and filing forms.

It’s so complicated that the Internal Revenue Service spends $11 billion every year just getting it collected. It’s so complicated that United States Representatives and Senators can’t seem to get it right. Even the United States Secretary of the Treasury has admitted to being caught up in the confusion.

A lot of us have our taxes figured by a professional. Probably a good idea, but taking your records to 10 different tax services will most likely result in 10 different answers on the amount you owe, depending on how many of the 70,000 pages they have read.

Even the IRS itself can’t avoid confusion. An IRS audit of a company in Hagerstown a couple of years ago resulted in 3 different conclusions by three different agents. I guess you should be as careful about choosing your auditor as you are about choosing your accountant.

Of course, even if they were able to make the income tax simpler, I’m not sure they could ever make it fair. A few years ago, Willie Nelson went “On the road again”, trying to raise $17 million the IRS claimed he owed in back taxes.

Now, I know Willie has made a lot of money in his life, and I know that we have to pay taxes to provide for government services. But I also know Willie uses the same roads, and receives the same police protection (although maybe a little more police attention), as a person that $1000.00 in income taxes, or a person that pays no income tax at all.

I simply can’t imagine how the government figures any one person could owe $17 million for the same services another person is receiving for little or nothing.
If the government was really concerned about making things simple and fair, they could eliminate the income tax and the IRS. They could fund legitimate government functions through a sales tax that everybody would pay. And if they were really concerned about the poor, they could exempt food, lodging and medical care from the tax.

Of course, looking at how the government handles things, I’m not convinced they’re all that interested in making things simple and fair. I think they’re more interested in collecting money. Sometimes $17 million at a time.

It’s just that simple.

There oughta be a law...

2009-03-31T20:26:00.000-04:00

I don't know if it's human nature to avoid things that annoy us. Some people seem to seek those things out.

But the Brighton, Michigan, City Council decided to make it easier to avoid being annoyed by adopting a ban on being annoying in public.

The new ordinance makes it illegal “to insult, accost, molest or otherwise annoy, either by word of mouth, sign, or motion, any person in any public place.” It also forbids people “to engage in a course of conduct or repeatedly commit acts that alarm or seriously annoy another person and that serve no legitimate purpose.”

Some towns and states, perhaps heeding the warning that "crack kills", are considering adopting legislation making it illegal to wear your trousers to low. I can only assume, and hope, that the legislation is aimed at the current fashion fad among some of our younger citizens, and not our plumber friends, who have already been the butt of to many jokes on the subject.

I don't know why people feel the need for so many laws. Like the chicken and the egg, I'm not sure if government has grown larger because we depend on it so much, or if we depend on it so much because it has grown so large. I know most people can't name three things that the government doesn't tax or regulate, and still Congress seems to spend a lot of time making new laws. They don't seem to spend a lot of time repealing laws we already have.

There are things our neighbors might do that annoy us, and there are things our neighbors might do that we find repulsive. But for the sake of living in a free society, if something doesn't break your leg, or pick your pocket, or violate somebody's rights, do we really need another law?

Although I could just about go along with that pants thing.

And then there's this loud-mouthed guy that comes into the coffee shop once in a while...