There are now 378 days until election day 2012 and we are slowly but surely narrowing the Republican field of aspiring Presidential candidates.  That said, there is a dance taking place among the  hopefuls and there is an eerie parallel between them and this year’s Dancing With The Stars contestants.

First and most obvious, Rob Kardashian and John  Huntsman are “GQ look-a-likes.”  Both are good looking but have no chance to grab the gold ring.  There is a major difference though.  Huntsman is articulate and smart.  It is a stretch to say that Kardashian has a room temperature IQ.

Rick Perry and Chynna Phillips also have a lot in common.  Both “have good faces”, to quote a line from “Moneyball” and were early favorites.  Phillips was the leader after the first dance but later faltered badly and was eliminated.  Perry was a leader…before he opened his mouth.  When he did speak, it was fairly obvious that his brain and mouth weren’t in sync.  He’s still in the race but seems to have thrown a shoe and is faltering badly.

Newt Gingrich and Nancy Grace have a surprising degree of congruency.  Both are smart as whips.  Each pack a few extra “LBs.”  And just when you think that you have fallen in love with them, they spout forth a little sarcastic quip that makes you shake your head in disbelief.  These two contestants do, however,  bear a little more discussion.

Gingrich is obviously the smartest guy in the room, and Grace is no mental midget herself.  Even though he has baggage from 3 marriages and a plethora of narcissism, he would be the best to debate Obama…hands down.  I still think he will hang in for some time, and who knows…some gaffs by the leaders and he might rise to the top.  It’s a long shot, but…remember John McCain.  I try to forget, but for some reason the nightmare of his race in the last months of 2008 haunt my memory.

Rick Santorum is also a very smart guy and has had vast and active experience in federal government with a largely untarnished conservative image and a stately presidential look.  Those asking questions in these pseudo debates (they are more like a platform for the hosting organizations to expound on their worldview) keep him on the outer extremities of the debate both in terms of where he is placed on stage and the number of questions he gets.  Given a chance, he could rise in the race.  Tom Bergeron, the host of DWTS, likewise, has a clean cut look and all the words in the right place.  They’re “practically twins”…except one is 6’4″” and the other 4’6”…I guess that makes them mirror image twins.

Now we can’t dismiss Michelle Bachman.  She compares favorably with Elisabetta Canalis.  They both are stunning and have infectious smiles.  I have no clue as to the intelligence level of Canalis, but Bachman is highly intelligent and spot on in terms of her conservative fiscal ideas.  She just can’t establish the broad presence to reach the top.  She might, however, be a good second banana to the right top dog…just like Canalis is…or was… to George Clooney.. 

Now for Herman Cain…let’s pair him with Ricki Lake.  OK, OK stay with me on this one.  When the lineup was announced in each of these races, both Cain and Lake were the longest of longshots.  And look at what has happened.  We may wonder if they have staying power or not…but the odds on them are shortening all the time.  Stand by!

Now, hear me out on the next one…Carson Kressley and Ron Paul.  Kressley is obviously as eccentric and goofy as a drunk snake.  Paul, on the other hand, is very intelligent…but also tangent to the curve at certain points.  His views on fiscal policy and the Federal Reserve are, I believe, the most accurate of any candidate with out a doubt.  On the other hand his view on Iran having every right to a nuclear bomb as flat out nuts.  Hence, the seemingly obtuse comparison between Kressley and Paul is pretty close.

OK, I haven’t forgotten Romney…or J.R. Martinez.  They are similar to me.  Both have arisen from the abyss…J.R. from a serious and almost fatal injury in combat and Romney from defeat in the primary 3 years ago.   Both have contagious and magnetic Pepsodent smiles.  Both are “hanging around” as the others are bouncing around, first up then down.  And I believe they will both be there at the wire.  As a matter of fact, I believe both will ultimately grab the gold ring in their respective races.

Before I finish with my wish for a composite Republican candidate, let me comment on a few other DWTS candidates.     Chastity/Chaz Bono…she/he changed a lot, but couldn’t do anything about those size 3 feet.  Ron Artest…it’s good he was eliminated early, he had to return to his work release program.

Now, back to the republicans.  As a conservative, I wish we could combine Gingrich’s brain and verbal skills with Cain’s charisma and Romney’s looks and presence.   No doubt the looks issue would best be filled by the athletic and beautiful Sarah Palin or Hope Solo…but that’s another matter.

All that said, the Republican ticket will be Romney and Marco Rubio…check me out in August.

“There is no such thing as a free lunch….somebody always pays.”   “Everything of value costs something.”  “Count the cost.”  “Free is way too expensive.”  We’ve heard these adages all our life….and probably quoted some of them on occasion.  Memorial Day is certainly the quintessential reality of these oft used and equally as frequently dismissed phrases.

For over two years I have been compulsively immersed in a research and book project on WWII in general, the 381^st Bomb Group and a B-17 bombardier uncle who died over Mannheim, Germany in late 1944, in specific.   Through this experience I have continually increased my respect and gratitude for the thousands who paid a significant and sometimes ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy.

A middle school history teacher at a local private school asked me to speak to his classes about the results of this research.  In preparation, I searched for days on how best to make an impact on these young minds.  This generation is 65 chronological years and a million “thought years” removed from WWII.   How do I effectively communicate the necessity of the United State’s involvement in WWII to an age group who has been inundated with an “anti-war at all cost” world-view?   How to I get across the ultimate cost of this involvement?  And how does that affect us today?  I was determined to give them clear answers to ponder.

I began the session with each group by asking the students how much it cost for them to attend their school.  My three children attended this school and I have 4 grand children there so I know for a fact that it is not cheap and with their answers they confirmed their understanding of same.  Their parents had obviously used this fact as an “encouragement for them to study hard.”

After giving them an adequate chance to respond I drew the class’ attention to an empty seat on the front row.  I related that there should have been a student sitting in this seat but it was empty.   I asked if they knew why.  No one answered.  I then said that the seat was vacant because the great grandfather of the student who was to occupy it was killed in WWII.  An ominous silence filled the room and there was rapt attention for the 50 minutes of my presentation.

Over the couple of weeks that followed I, and some veterans and deceased veteran’s families received letters from the students.  Almost all of them indicated that the empty chair made an impact on their view of the real and lasting cost of THE WAR.  Many of them said that someone in their family lost his life in WWII.

I asked them to do three things as a result of their new awareness of the cost of war.  First, find someone who served in the war.  Thank them for their service and ask them to tell you something about their experiences.  Second, make sure you look at the war as something beyond just a period of history……and tell others the impact on you of your new found understanding.  And lastly, when you see a man or woman in uniform simply give them a “thumbs up” and say thank you…..they’ll know what you mean and be touched.

In our society today we say have a; Merry Christmas, Prosperous New Year, Happy Easter……and Fun Memorial Day.   These wishes are significantly self centered and shallow.  Today I wish for each of you what I intend on having myself…….a VERY GRATEFUL MEMORIAL DAY!!!

Thanks for those who commented on the JTIU site as well as those who called and emailed about the post on Voting Requirements.  It seems to have struck a nerve.

Briefly, here are the answers to the “QUIZ” I proposed.  First, a consistent reader and good friend Auburnite,  reminded me that to vote a person should be required to provide proof of both identity and citizenship.  I agree.  I would also add that a drug test should be required.  It should also be required for welfare checks and unemployment payments.  Sounds too logical to be considered I suspect.

1. Branches of the Federal Government…There are 3 branches; The Judicial, The Executive and The Legislative.

2. Number of States in the USA…There are 50 States in “The Union”, up from the original 13.  The most recent two additions were Alaska on January 3 of 1959 and Hawaii on August 21 of 1959.  Prior to that, only three states were added in the 20th century; Arizona in 1912, New Mexico in 1912 and Oklahoma in 1907.  Obama said that he had been to all “57″ during the presidential campaign.  That was merely a forewarning of what was to come.

3. Articles of Confederation….This document was really the first constitution under which the United States operated and defined the initial way the confederation of states  would  function. It was the operating document from its ratification on March 1, 1781 until replaced by the U.S. Constitution on June 21, 1788.

U.S. Constitution …The “second” and current Constitution of the United States of America. It defines the manner in which the three branches of the federal government interact, defining the responsibilities and limitations of each.  It further defines the freedoms retained by states and the interaction between the federal and state governments.

Bill of Rights…The first Ten Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. They are designed to protect citizens from an onerous government.   The first is the Establishment Clause or Free Exercise Clause: Freedom of religion, speech, press and assembly and redress of grievances. There are 27 amendments to the Constitution, the most recent of them having been ratified in 1992.

4. Current U.S. Debt….The current debt (3/24/2011 at 2:49 EST) is $14,3 TRILLION……YES TRILLION!  That represents $46 THOUSAND for each citizen and $128 THOUSAND for each taxpayer.  If you’d like to keep up with these figures go to.. http://www.usdebtclock.org/

5. Taxes Paid By Various Segments of Wage Earners…The most recent data indicates that 70% of federal taxes are paid by the top 10% of taxpayers and 86% by the top 25%.  The bottom 90% of taxpayers pay only 30% of all federal taxes.

6. Lives Lost in WWII…..The USA lost slightly over  400,000 lives on foreign soil during WWII.  No person was lost in battle in our country…..because the WAR occurred in foreign lands. Subsequent generations of US citizens have increasingly lost an understanding of;  the investment we made, the victory that was won and the protection of our homeland that took place due to our preemptive involvement in WWII.  Remember, Hawaii was not a state when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 6, 1941.

I submit that these should be minimum requirements to vote.  Note that there was no question about;  the consummate druggie Charlie Sheen, the bachelor or bachelorette or the NFL player lockout (or as the players call it…21st century slavery).  There probably needs to be some question on why the private sector OWES government workers excessive and perpetual healthcare and retirement benefits.  But that is a matter for a later discussion…..but not too much later or there will be no more “Union” in which to exercise these “voting rights.’

Anthony Maschek, twenty eight year old Columbia University freshman,  rolled to the mike in his wheelchair to address his classmates.  The occasion was a university forum on the move to return R.O.T.C. to the campus after a 42 year absence.   As a Columbia student he had the positional right to speak.  As a veteran of armed conflict in Iraq, a Purple Heart recipient, shot 11 times and lost a leg in a fire fight and spent 2 years at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Anthony had certainly earned the right to be heard with reverence.  He had credibility to speak.  Certainly the Columbia students would receive him well and hang on the words of this hero and classmate, after all they are super intelligent….aren’t they?

Mr. Maschek,  I find it hard to call this man by his first name…..it compromises respect, spoke eloquently.  “This is not a matter of R.O.T.C alone…..this is a matter of personal responsibility” he stated.  “There are people in this world that are plotting to kill you right now.  There are also tough men who will do bad things to bad people to keep you safe.”  No one stood to cheer, there were no tears…only catcalls and jeers from some supercilious, arrogant self absorbed stupid punks.  He was not ruffled but continued until the moderator called a halt to his comments.

Is it the college campus in general or just this bastion of hubris called Columbia that has sunk so low?  Certainly not all college students are this unaware of reality or devoid of …..but this event does cause one to wonder about changing the rules of political involvement.

We’ve all seen the “on-the-street” interviews where adults don’t know the answers to basic questions of government, finance….well pretty much anything.  How typical are they of the electorate?  Pretty typical I think!

In Wisconsin today we are getting a glimpse of what will either be a major shift in fiscal policy or the beginning of the demise of this great country.  Is it just unions….NO!  Its the greed, graft and corruption of anyone using one group’s money to buy favors for themselves and other groups.

Put the arrogant college punks together with the stupid adults and many greedy politicians, self promoting community organizers and thuggish unions and you have the makings of a pretty lethal potion.  The solution is not simple….and probably unattainable without significant pain….to our pocketbooks and way of life.  But I have an idea for a start.

First.…raise the voting age to 21. OK,  no screaming that your kids are smart and they are well under 21.  I have 8 grand kids and most of them are wise beyond their years in matters of the world.  But, they gotta wait also.  The only exception to this rule is that anyone who enters the armed services gets to vote immediately.  But remember that politicians in recent elections have not counted many of the service personnel’s votes.  What’s up with that?

Second….don’t let college students vote until they graduate,  unless they have turned 21.  Read above…need I say more.

Third….make people take a test on finance, government and history.  You should have to make 75%…..with the questions I pose below 100% wouldn’t be unreasonable.  The questions could be simple, as follows……

(1) How many branches of the US government are there and what are their names?…(PS…don’t ask Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) …he doesn’t know.

(2) How many states are there in the US?…(PS..don’t ask President Barak Hussein Obama….he doesn’t know.

(3) In a sentence or two, what are: The Articles of Confederation, The US Constitution and The Bill of Rights….(PS…don’t ask Obama, or most Senators and House Members…they may carry a copy in their pocket but they seem to “make it up as we go along” as Rep. Alcee Hastings (R-FL) recently said when responding to voters frustrations over the `Congress’ refusal to abide by` the U.S. Constitution,

(4) How much is the US in debt and what portion of that is yours.….(Ask anyone….few know).

(5) What portion of the taxes are paid by the bottom 90% of wage earners? (Ask 10 people….a dollar to a donut says you will have a maximum of 1 who will even get close).

(6) How many people did the US lose in WWII on foreign shores and how many civilians in the US lost their lives? (Not a chance you will get a good answer to this one).

Do you think you can pass the voting test?  Take it and see.  Is it a fair test….too hard…too easy?  Take a shot and I’ll give answers in the next post.  How ’bout it?

Before today I’ve never seen a  NASCAR race from flag to flag.    On occasion I have paused for a few seconds when a “stock car” race  interrupted my perpetual channel surfing…but only for a few seconds.   By the way, what exactly is “stock” on those souped up 4 wheelers?   The engine…no,  the steering wheel…no, the body…no, not even the gas cap.  But challenging the name of the sport is not the point of this writing.

Today I was converted to a NASCAR fan.  Maybe not a raving fan but a fan none the less….call it a semi-captivated fan.

It happened quite innocently.  I was doing something else and needed some TV sound in the background so I wouldn’t be bored by not multi-tasking.  And after all, football season is over and baseball season is 5 weeks away, so……..NASCAR for 5 minutes or so seemed an OK and benign substitute.

In the lead up to the race the announcers kept talking about a young boy, a teenager until yesterday when he turned 20, who qualified for his first major race….the Daytona 500.  Daytona is the major race of the NASCAR season.  For some unknown reason it starts the racing season…it doesn’t end it like the World Series, the Super Bowl and the final NCAA basketball games do for their respective sports.

As I listened and then began to watch the interviews with drivers, including Trevor Bayne, the used to be teenager, I became intrigued.  The drivers were not the rough talking, ex-moonshiners that populated the sport when the Daytona race was run on the beach in the early 50′s.  They were trim, intelligent, modest and highly conversational.

As soon as the pace car dove onto pit road, the cars paired up like Love Bugs at the beach or bumper cars, Dodgems in my home town, at the carnival.  They pushed each other, diving outside every few seconds to let their engines cool, and then swap places with the pusher becoming the pushee.  That’s just wrong!  Where are the race police when needed?  But the drivers teamed up without regard to the racing teams they were a part of.  That’s strange, I thought…..drafting can’t be that important.

The announcers comments were often supplemented by discussions between drivers and their pit crew as well as from driver to driver.  The conversations were amiable…even friendly….and calm even in the midst of a multi-car altercation.  I was captivated.  When a driver’s car was rendered too damaged to race, whether by accident or mechanical malfunction, he took responsibility for his error and was forgiving of errors by “opponents” that may have rendered his car in-operable.   I was amazed!

There was no chest pounding like some sumo wrestler look alike defensive tackle does after  staggering into an infrequent sack on Sunday afternoon….or a “we’re number one” sign after a TD and a spike of the football.  These drivers had a lot of class.  I was impressed!

Well, young Trevor Bayne celebrated his exit from his teenage years with a Daytona 500 victory.  And every driver with whom he had just competed graciously and seemingly with all honestly commented on what a great driver and person Bayne is.   This is certainly not the “Bubba Sport” I had come to believe it was.  By the way, I’m a whole lot country Bubba myself ….and proud of it.  And now I’m a neophyte NASCAR fan.  I’m probably not going to put a black #3 on the back window of my car…..but I am going to take a bigger interest in NASCAR.  I am hooked!

Who’da thunk it?

At first glance it’s logical to question the parallelism and connection between two seemingly disparate things.  Bear with me though, to see if you might not agree.

World War I was halted in the late Fall of 1918.  For the next six months a conference of nations took place in Paris, ending with the Treaty of Versailles, a document that re-drew borders of European countries, defined reparations paid by some nations to others and some opine, planted the seeds for World War II a mere two decades later.  To the later there is, to this day, some conjecture.  There is little argument, however,  that the losses of WWI moved all nations to reticence regarding capricious or swift entrance into another such devastating conflict.  Germany eventually was moved to a conquest and destruction mentality by the despotic Adolf Hitler, but that is a story for another writing.

As Roosevelt ran for his unprecedented third term as U.S. President in 1940, Britain was under seize of the Blitzkreig attacks by Germany.  Notwithstanding this or the appeals for assistance by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, an isolationist view was held by many if not most in the U.S.  The feelings were so strong that to insure re-election, Roosevelt had to promise that as President he would not take the nation into a “foreign” war.  The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, changed the isolationist view of citizens and Congress alike and the U.S. was no longer an observer of the conflict but a willing and aggressive participant.

The U.S. went blindly into the 2008 election season, wooed by the emotional oratory of a little known, experience deficient, community organizer who promised “change.”  Now, some two years later, all but even the most die-hard liberals and socialists are terrified at what this “change” has wrought.  And some liberals are looking at the situation in a similar manner as the Watts riots of a few decades ago when the rioters finally looked at the situation and saw, too late, that at their own hands they had destroyed their own homes and neighborhood.

If Obama had not been elected, we might have rocked along, enduring the indifference, stupidity, thievery, and self-serving actions of most lawmakers without there being a call to arms of the thinking electorate.  It seems that there was a dearth of this educated and thinking segment of the population in the previous election.  The early, post election,  discussions about the leftist turn of the government turned to angry shouts and ultimately to ACTION.  The Tea Party came into being and is permeating the fabric of the nation.  The Tea Party is, in my view, a misnomer.  It is really not a party at all, but a grass roots movement of citizens who are sick and tired of working hard only to see elected officials mismanage, take, give away and otherwise squander our national assets and way of life.  A listing of the grievances against Obama is too long to print.  Everything from taking over private companies, the appointment of 35 non vetted, non accountable czars, many of which have fascist and communistic leanings or alliances in their history, the non enforcement of laws and lie after lie,  only touch the tip of this malevolent iceberg.

So, if the “sleeping giant” that is the U.S., awakens as it did in December of 1941, and moves back to a nation that rewards productivity and the traits on which this Nation was formed and does not reward the opposite, Obama’s effect will be the modern day epitome of Pearl Harbor.  If so, then TORA, TORA, TORA!

In doing research for a book I hope to have out before year’s end,  I have been struck by the way two world leaders recognized the awesome power of Almighty God as they,  in the Fall of 1941, prepared for the escalated  WWII battle that was to soon come. I have found myself longing for the leadership of our country and others over the globe to do likewise.

FALL 1941.……Roosevelt had been elected for an unprecedented third term less than a  year earlier.  Churchill had been Prime Minister of Great Britain since May 10 of that year.  In the ensuing three months, Hitler’s forces of the Third  Reich had over-run the whole of Western Europe  and mercilessly battered the island of Britain with nightly bombing raids.

In early August, 1941, Roosevelt and Churchill had a top secret meeting off the coast of Newfoundland aboard HMS The Prince of Wales.    The U.S. had not yet entered the war but had provided assistance to the British. In addition to discussions of how and if the U.S. might ally with England, they agreed on the eight tenets of what they wanted the post war world to look like.  The agreement reached would later be deemed “The Atlantic Charter” by Churchill in his address to Parliament on August 24, 1941.

The Sunday service aboard the British ship on August 10, was a regal one, packed with both emotion and resolve and deeply spiritual.  Both men knew full well the state of the free world on that day but neither knew, nor could they imagine, exactly what the years to follow would bring.  Emanating from their heritage and faith, Roosevelt an Episcopalian and Churchill, as he referred to himself, a “buttress” rather than a “pillar” of The Church of England each felt the necessity of calling for Divine help in this time of global need.  Churchill prayed the following prayer penned years earlier by George Wallace Briggs, Canon of Worcester and former chaplain of the Royal Navy.

“Stablish our hearts. O God, and strengthen our resolve, that we fight not in enmity  against men, but against the powers of darkness enslaving the souls of men; till all enmity and oppression be done away, and the peoples of the world be set free from fear, to serve one another; as children of one Father, who is above all and through all, and in all”

Three Christian hymns were sung on that day.  Roosevelt selected the Naval hymn “Eternal Father Strong To Save.”  Churchill also felt the importance of the meeting and agreement between him and Roosevelt and wanted something special to punctuate the service.  He determined that the Christian anthems “O God Our Help In Ages Past” and “Onward Christian Soldiers” would be sung on board the Prince of Wales on that day because, as he later said on a BBC radio broadcast;

“We sang “Onward, Christian Soldiers” indeed, and I felt that this was no vain presumption, but that we had the right to feel that we serving a cause for the sake of which a trumpet has sounded from on high. When I looked upon that densely packed congregation of fighting men of the same language, of the same faith, of the same fundamental laws, of the same ideals … it swept across me that here was the only hope, but also the sure hope, of saving the world from measureless degradation.’

The deep melodious sound of servicemen and world leaders singing in unison the words of these heart rending hymns as a prayer for protection in the battle that was raging and the many that would come, wafted over the eerily still waters and chill of that historic Fall day.

Years later, as he thought of the events of that day Churchill said;……..“Every word seemed to stir the heart. It was a great hour to live.”

We can and must learn from history.  Men and nations that do not are doomed to repeat the errors and avoid profit from the successes of our forefathers.  WWII was a pivotal time in World history.  God saw fit to sustain us through very perilous times…..but not without significant sacrifice.  I hope and pray that both the words uttered and that actions taken in today’s critical  twenty first century will soon be focused on the “Author and Finisher of our Faith” as were those on that day in August of 1941.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON and LET US HEAR FROM YOU!

As Independence Day, more commonly known as the Fourth of July, approaches,  patriotic and thinking American’s thoughts are focused on the valor of our founding fathers who, under intense pressure and at significant personal risk, signed the document that declared independence from Great Britain. Granted, fireworks, picnics, parades, laughter and relaxation occupy much of the time on this day of yearly respite, but that too was encouraged by one of our most famous and courageous founding fathers.  After signing the Declaration of Independence 234 years ago on July 4, 1776, Samuel Adams wrote the following to his wife Abigail.

“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America.  I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.  It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.  It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

The Declaration of Independence was followed by the U. S. Constitution and later the dynamic Bill of Rights.  Today these documents are under siege.  We have a President who seems to disregard and even attack the very documents that formed this great country of freedom and opportunity.  This attack has, thankfully,  served to heighten  many American’s awareness and understanding of the wisdom of the drafters and signers of these great documents and the foundation on which this country was built.  Further, many have seen these attacks as a call to action and have responded.

Unless we return to the foundational principles and faith in Almighty God I am afraid our country is gathering speed on an irreversible downhill slide.  With such a return, our best years may be in front of us.  It’s not too late!  The devastation, designed and implemented over the last few years can be reversed…..but not if we continue on the current course.  Second Chronicles 7:14 says; “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.“  God is sovereign and, therefore, this is truth.

Adams punctuated his belief in the power and sovereignty of our Creator when upon signing the document for which this day is named he uttered these words; “We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient.  He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.“  In another punctuation of this document’s impact on the world,  Adams and Declaration author,  Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence who later served our Nation as its President, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, ironically the 50th anniversary of the Declaration’s signing.

I was reminded today of these quotations by Bob A., a close friend and a God fearing patriot.  I am now reminding all who read this of the same.

IF YOU READ AND AGREE WITH THESE WORDS, PLEASE DO TWO THINGS…they will only take a minute and they will have a great impact.

First, PLEASE COMMENT BELOW AS AN ENCOURAGEMENT to us and others.

Secondly, SEND A LINK TO THIS BLOG to friends and your e-mail list as a further encouragement to others to join in prayer and to make a commitment to help return our Nation to its former glory and the glory of ALMIGHTY GOD.

There is probably no one in America who;  is of voting age, has any amount of money, has or is looking for a job, can read and has a lick of sense,  that does not have some level of concern about where our country is heading and what our future holds economically.  Consider me in this group, although some might question the “lick of sense” issue.

As if you haven’t made your own mental list of what we are now facing here is a good start.

FINANCIALLY we have staggering US debt that has tripled in just the last 2 years through stupid, non productive, pork barrel spending, designed, arguably, to further control a portion of our population hell-bent on getting something for nothing and increasing political power.  Globally, we see all of Europe, especially Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain drowning in a sea of debt from decades of egregious spending patterns that allows people to retire in their 50′s with salaries almost equal to their working wages.  Continental Europe’s dominate currency, the Euro, is in grave peril.  Even though our own financial house is built on sand, there is an occasional flight to US Bonds, illustrating that we are probably just the tallest midget in the room.

In SOCIETY, un-employment is expanding.  The tax burden is increasing in spite of  historical data that shows that by  reducing tax rates production is increased and tax revenues rise.  Counter intuitive but true.  The resulting unrest in our society is growing exponentially.   The entitlement driven group on one side faces off against  over burdened taxpayers and job producers on the other resulting in growing polarization within our society.  Often this battle breaks down along racial lines.

POLITICALLY there is also exploding polarization.  Obama has proven to be an empty suit, devoid of both truth and the experience to deal with issues apart from spending money we don’t have to to solve problems created by spending too much money.  The housing bubble was caused by “encouraging” people to borrow  excessively to buy houses they couldn’t pay for and then ask prudent people….tax payers….to pay for these excesses. Barney Frank and Chris Dodd should be pillared for their part in this fiasco.   When there was recent move to require 5% down on loans to potential house buyers, Dodd said,  “that is unfair because then only people who could afford it could buy a house.”  These people live among us folks…..and they vote….and sometimes they are elected to lead us.  God help us!  The reason for our impending collapse is so clear that Stevie Wonder could see it…..a pervasive entitlement philosophy that perpetuates enslavement to a lack of responsibility.

These issues put you and me in between the catalytic duo of….mortar and pestle. Our global world is the mortar, The American People (I hate to hear politicians use this phrase….it seems so hollow given what they try to do to us) are the collective material contained therein and our liberal government is the pestle…grinding away at our minds, wealth and future.  This precipitates volatility in all segments of economic life WORLDWIDE.  We have to do something to prepare for the  retirement or worse yet, incapacitation, that we inevitably face   The question, therefore, is where do you invest your assets?

Understand that this is not to be considered as personal investment advice for you.  I simply lay these thoughts out for consideration.  The DJIA is currently at roughly 10,000.  I doubt it will be there a year from now.  I bet it is either significantly higher or significantly lower.  Likewise, interest rates are at almost all time lows.   For them to decline would mean severe recession or depression.  Rising interest rates would signal inflation, which if taken to the extreme could be “run away inflation.”   Gold is currently priced at about $1200 an ounce, only slightly below its all time high.  My guess is that it will be above $2000 or below $500 an ounce a year from now but not at its present level.

We have never been in the global peril we are in today regarding sovereign stability of currency worldwide.  The consideration of a hedge using gold or silver has the lustre never before seen.  Gold did reach $800 an ounce in the early 80′s but did so largely on the fear of runaway inflation.  Currency collapse was not a  major fear at that time..  The threat of major sovereign currency problems does exist today.  Thus, gold could have some value as a hedge in many portfolios.

We all should weigh these assets in light of our own time horizon, risk tolerance and return objectives as we allocate assets to the various classes of investments.  Seek good counsel.  Think outside the box.  Consider the track record of those giving you advice.  Also, consider how your advisor is being paid…..by transactions or by value provided.  Move cautiously, but move!

When making investment decisions today, how does it feel to be between the mortar and the pestle?

My Dad was a well educated extremely wise man…….with little formal schooling.  He did graduate from high school but not without difficulty resulting from a serious illness that kept him out of class a lot and almost cost him his life.   His primary learning was from life experiences.   As an acute observer of people and their character, his learning was not limited to his own experiences but took  full advantage of the experiences of others.  As the youngest of four widely diverse children, reared by a strict and devout Christian mother and a  kind, quiet, hard working but somewhat detached father, he had an interesting classroom in his own home.

Dad was also the consummate pragmatist,  learning from his mother and father….and out of extreme necessity resulting from an economic condition bordering on poverty.  He said that he only had enough clothes to attend high school because as an R.O.T.C. participant he was allowed to wear his military uniform three days a week.  He also wore underwear made by his mother from flour sacks.  This was made worse because the sacks were from a common brand of the day… “Tube Rose Flour” .  Imagine a boy dressing out for gym class and revealing undershorts adorned with red roses.

The depression hit just as he was attempting to enter the workforce so the practical education in frugality learned from his “hard scrabble” childhood continued into his teens and later. Married in the waning years of the Great Depression his life strategy, developed through a quarter century of struggles, was pretty well formed……protect and love your family, work hard, be honest, give to others, save for tomorrow and be wise.

Men in the 20′s and 30′s seemed to almost universally develop the bad habit of smoking cigarettes.  My Dad was no exception.  Later in life my Mother told me a story about Dad.  As a 3 pack a day Camel smoker, he was pretty well hooked on this nasty habit.  He walked in from work one day and saw me, barely old enough to walk, with a small pencil stub in my mouth, pretending to smoke a cigarette.  Mom said it hit him so hard that he walked straight to the garbage and threw away a newly opened pack and a freshly opened carton.  He told her, “I can’t raise my son and smoke these things too.”   He never smoked another cigarette as long as he lived…..44 and a half years.  He taught us by EXAMPLE.  He patterned the life he taught with words.

As a young 11 year old boy I was tempted by Jimmy, a 13 year old influential friend, to go up to the “Woodbine Woods” on the periphery of my neighborhood where he was going to teach me to smoke.  He had stolen cigarettes from his father who, coincidentally, worked with my father.  The two men had talked, so Dad figured out what was going on….how I don’t know…but he did.  On the back porch one hot July day Dad said he would like to make a deal with me.  He said “if you will wait until you are 21 years old before you smoke your first cigarette, I’ll buy you all the cigarettes you can smoke for the rest of your life.”  I weighed the options…..being a big boy and going along with Jimmy or running the risk of ridicule with a big monetary carrot only 10 years away.  I took his offer and we shook on it.  I would have never lied to Dad at all cost, so I lived up to the bargain.  As the days went by it was easier not to succumb to the smoking temptation.  I made it to 21 and never did smoke.  As a matter of fact, I still haven’t, over 5 decades later.  Dad was pretty smart.  He taught us through his WISDOM to utilize appropriate challenges to encourage proper behavior in his children.

I could relate numerous other examples of Dad’s consistent and wise example through a life well lived.  I have found his lessons to have wide and deep application much beyond the singular application in which he used them.   He and Mom established a great legacy for my brother, sister and me.  I hope and pray that I am able to pass it along to my children and grand children and beyond.

Happy Father’s Day Dad……you done good!