To what are we entitled?

For over 30 years we’ve been hearing we deserve something that has nothing to do with our values, abilities, wealth/poverty or station in life. McDonald’s made a fortune with "You deserve a break today (ad campaign 1971)," and it’s never gone away. There’s apparently a new theme at Wendy’s, “You deserve a download with your burger.” which promotes a download of a free music file from Rhapsody. So now you deserve music with your food. I haven’t been in Wendy‘s for sometime (although I love their junior bacon cheeseburger, hold-the-mayo for $.99) so I‘m taking the word of another blogger.

But this entitlement idea is everywhere. It's the opposite of what the Bible says, and what Americans who founded this country believed. In the OT, the core values were worship of the Creator God, of being grateful, of obeying God’s commands and living to honour Him. In the NT, there is no sense we deserve anything except justice, which would be hell for being disobedient sinners. Grace is UNMERITED.

I checked the internet:

How to get every dollar you deserve . . . by getting the full value for your house”
“Helping you receive the financial aid you deserve”
“You deserve a tax break on your home office costs”
“Get the job you deserve”
“Get the raise you deserve”
“You deserve the best selection”
“Make health your priority - you deserve it”
"You deserve a true marketing partner, not someone who simply takes orders"
"The vacation you deserve"
"The advertising you deserve"
"The attention you deserve"
"Gain the exposure you deserve"

We call government programs "entitlements," and as much as Democrats want to think Republicans are uncaring, heartless boobs, it's really the Republicans who are the big spenders on entitlements. It seems whenever they get a chance, they try to outspend the Democrats. Obama will have to really open the wallet to outspend Bush. Since 2000, Medicaid up 50%, Social Security up 6.3%, Medicare up 6.6%, child nutriiton up 8.9% veterans benefits up 7.3% (this would be higher, except the Iraq War costs are offset by the deaths of WWII veterans), Earned Income Tax Credit up 13.3%, Pell grants (college for low income) up 33.1%, and welfare down 18.2% (this reflects the 1996 welfare reform whereby it is harder to qualify).

So, to how much health care are you entitled? Mole removal? Hair transplant? Gastric by-pass? Liver transplant after a life-time of drinking? Drug rehab? Smoking cessation program? Fees for Weight Watchers or Jennie Craig? Anti-biotics for STDs? For those of you thinking universal healthcare is wonderful, let me tell you I have the "equivalent" through Medicare and my pension plan and it is costing me over 19% of my pension--and that's if I'm well and file no claims. When was the last time "free" translated to that? Is this the "skin" in the game that Mr. Obama talks about? Mine's already there, thank you.

Obama's appointing people to his cabinet who haven't even paid their taxes! Where is the change? Where is the hope? Where is the money?

Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, yesterday told members of the Senate finance committee that mistakes on his tax forms early within the last decade were unintentional, and that he had repaid the more than $42,000 owed, including interest. It was also disclosed yesterday that Geithner employed a housekeeper whose work eligibility had expired during the period in which she worked for him. UK Guardian

Now that's a guy (treasury) who really understands the meaning of "entitlement." Hank Paulson is a mess, but I think he managed to pay his taxes.

From Heritage Foundation: Last week, after the Congressional Budget Office report showed that the pre-stimulus budget deficit would reach $1.2 trillion in FY 2009, President-elect Barack Obama reiterated his campaign promise to make Social Security and Medicare reform a “central part” of his efforts to control skyrocketing federal spending. Democrats on the Hill are already pushing back against any reform that would lower government spending, but Obama is correct. Spending is the problem. In the coming decades, the cost of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will leap from 8.4 percent to 18.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)–an increase of 10.2 percent. Funding all of the prom­ised benefits with income taxes would require rais­ing the 35 percent income tax bracket to at least 77 percent and raising the 25 percent tax bracket to at least 55 percent.

Where did the money go?

The drop in gasoline prices since summer has amounted to about $2,000 per household in spendable income. That's why a "stimulus" check isn't going to dent the recession. Now, we didn't get that much--we have two cars but don't drive a lot, but it did halve what we spent on gasoline. I think our share went to our California relatives (bunches of them--probably more than any other state). According to USAToday here's were it went:

48% for groceries

42% to savings

30% to pay down credit card debt

10% for entertainment

9% for home improvements

I think that shows the American people can make good financial choices when the government gets out of the way. Even though money that goes into savings isn't technically out there circulating by buying "stuff," it is used by banks to offer credit to businesses that do employ people. If you remember, since Congress doesn't, this was the idea behind the huge September scare--TARP. The money was to be used for banks to get the economy going. Instead, it has morphed into PARP POOP PORK. This is why we're getting the return of the Hoover-FDR economic boondoggle of federal fiddling (1929-1943), only this time it will be the Bush-Obama Boondoggle. Let's hope it doesn't last over a decade this time.

UA residents need to stop breathing

We're emitting too much carbon dioxide. But we're ahead of the game--we are the first central Ohio city to get a "carbon footprint." (Upper Arlington Magazine, January/ February 2009, p. 20) Breathing map by tonnes while you watch. Here's a word from the Lord on this topic, that all greenies, tree huggers and Algorends need to heed: We are to take care of the earth--that's one of the earliest contracts with God who made it, but we don't control the climate. That's above our pay grade.

The global warmists have switched to using the term "climate change," especially as we are freezing our buns off here in the midwest and east coast, as if there had never been a cold or hot day in the 1930s or 1950s, nor an earthquake rumbling through central Illinois, or a tsunami that came before TV coverage. If it doesn't warm up a bit by next Tuesday (Obamaday), I'm sure it will be blamed on George Bush. We in the 21st century are so terribly self-centered we think the entire globe must always be as it has been since the 1800s, and never as it was in 1000 or 1500, or 500 B.C. And just in the nick of time, too, because here comes the third world millions wanting our lifestyle--electricity, automobilies, air conditioning, computers! And while lefties in our government play footsie with Kyoto, Europe continues to build coal fired plants--take that Ohio!

If reading God's word bothers your sensibilities, step outside on a clear night and look up--at the billions of stars above, and get a whiff of humility.

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.
He says to the snow, "fall on the earth,"
and to the rain shower, "Be a mighty downpour."
So that all men he has made may know his work,
he stops every man from his labor.
The animals take cover;
they remain in their dens.
The tempest comes out from its chamber,
the cold from the driving winds.
The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.
He loads the clouds with moisture;
he scatters his lightning through them.
At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.
He brings the clouds to punish men,
or to water his earth and show his love. . .

You who swelter in your clothes
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,
can you join him in spreading out the skies,
hard as a mirror of cast bronze?
Job 37: 3-13, 17-18

No moralizing here.

Renzo Piano calls his new building for the California Academy of Sciences in the San Francisco Golden Gate Park a “soft machine.” Apparently, it sounds better in Italian, but in any language it is a green gimmick. The type I love to ridicule. No professions, unless it is the politicians and civil service of both parties, are more vested in green hype than the building trades--architects, interior designers, furniture makers, engineers of all makes and models, all construction trades from plumbers to sub contractors, and venture capitalists. They ripped down classical structures and threw up (literally) buildings that looked like cereal boxes on a kitchen shelf, then covered up that mess with "post-modern" full of peaks and valleys and round windows, and after leaving most cities and their budgets in a shambles, are back with a new idea--going green and reducing the carbon footprint. I can hardly stand to look at some of the architectural student projects for survivors of hurricanes and earthquakes.

“Piano saw the roof as a metaphor for the entire project. “I saw it as topography,” he adds. “The idea was to cut a piece of the park, push it up 35 feet—to the height of the old buildings—and then put whatever was needed underneath.” From the beginning, he envisioned a green roof that would be an extension of the park and serve as a thermal buffer for the spaces below. “Twenty-first-century architecture must be about sustainability,” he asserts. “This isn’t a moralistic stance; it’s simply what architecture must be.” To really appreciate the full scope of every shade of green, read the whole article in Architectural Digest.

I love it especially when they say they aren’t moralizing.

Today's new word--INCUNABULA

This is a word most librarians learn in library school, but I came across it yesterday and realized I'd forgotten--was it an old book, a manuscript or the size of something. Use it or lose it! Incunabula comes from the Latin in cuna "in the cradle," or beginnings, or birthplace of something. In Latin, usually the ending A means it is plural, like "data," so incunabulum is singular, and means a book printed with movable type before 1501. Or, it can be expanded a bit. . .

In a general sense, the term "incunabula" can be used to refer to printed works of a time so early in the history of printing in a given locality that such printing may be said to be in its infancy; thus it is possible to speak of American incunabula, Arizona incunabula, etc. With regard specifically to printing, however, and unless stated otherwise, the term is used to refer to the products of the European press of the 15th century. from Bookbinding and the conservation of books

Good eats for the new year, or any time

Tara Parker Pope, one of my favorite health writers (used to be with the WSJ so I don’t see much of her anymore since she left because I don't like NYT) has an article on the 11 best foods you aren’t eating. But I'm ahead of her--I do eat them--except for turmeric. There was a terrific buy on pomegranate juice, so I bought a few bottles and found out why it was on sale. Tasted awful. I still have a jar, so I may have to try it again if Tara thinks it's good. As I recall it was ghastly sweet. And the pumpkin seeds are just a little bit too snacky--I try to avoid snacks. Especially salty. But if you must--be my guest. You know what the secret of my chocolate peanut butter pie is? I mix in some canned pumpkin--about 1/3 cup. No one will ever know--although now they will because I just told it. I much prefer fresh blueberries to frozen, but they are OK to keep in the freezer and just throw in to something else fruity. They are brain food, and we elders really need that, don’t we. The only thing on this list I haven’t tried is tumeric. Don't have clue what to do with that one. Tara writes:

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
   How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
   [No thanks, I'll cook mine--and I always buy them fresh with the leaves--they are fabulous, too.]
   
2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
   How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
   [Again, I chop and lightly saute with some onion and peppers--I think putting cold things in a hungry tummy just doesn't kill the hunger pangs.]
   
3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
   How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
   [Yes, I eat this, but actually prefer turnip greens or maybe collard greens. Wash carefully! Cooking liberates the carotenoids, so I always lightly grill with some onion. Huge bowl cooks down to tiny serving.]
   
4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
   How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
   [A big maybe--don't count on it. Use it because it tastes good--with a little honey makes a great glaze to keep chicken or fish moist while baking.]
   
5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Just drink it.
   [I don't care for it--prefer to get antioxidants in citrus, like orange juice with pulp.]
   
6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
   [Just reach in the box or bag!]
   
7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
   How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
   [All nuts and seeds are good for you, but I eat walnuts every day--about 1/2 cup. Love walnuts--fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and the highest antioxidant activity. Whatever that does.]
   
8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
   How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
   [I'll pass. Too slimy and yucky and don't they have eyes? I'll just buy some canned mackerel--cheaper and it's off the charts for lots of nutrients.]
   
9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
   How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
   [Clueless in Columbus.]
   
10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
    How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
    [Good for your brain--skip the yogurt and all the extra calories and just mix with some cereal.]
    
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
    How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
    [Put it in peanut butter pie--no one will ever know.]

Speaking of things that are good for you, last night I had a treat that couldn't possibly pass that test. At book club we had "tablet," a Scottish sweet made with condensed milk, sugar, and butter. There were no redeeming qualities except taste. Oh so yummy.

On to week two

The parties are over, thank goodness; yesterday was the last of the holiday open houses. It's wonderful to have a full dance card--I'd feel just awful if we were never invited out, but boy it is rough on the hips! As Richard Simmons says, "A smaller behind in two thousand and nine." I start the second week of exercise class today. I was pleasantly pleased with last week--I particularly liked Monday and Friday (led by women much younger than I) which included a lot of stretching and weights. At my age, bone health is probably more important than cardio, which my husband emphasizes on Wednesday when he teaches. I didn't have any more leg pain than usual when I do nothing or just walking. The trick will be to keep it going to week 10 or 11, right? I still have some of the same measurements as high school--just not in the same places.

Older drivers in Florida

In January 2004 a new law requiring a visual acuity screen was put in place in Florida for drivers 80 years and older despite there being little evidence for an association between visual acuity and fatal motor vehicle collisions. The results were reported in Archives of Ophthalmology, 2008;126(11):1544-1547.

From 2001 to 2006, there was a nonsignificant increase in MVC fatality rates in Florida; in contrast, fatality rates among drivers 80 years and older demonstrated a significant downward linear trend. When comparing prelaw (2001-2003) and post-law(2004-2006) periods, the fatality rate among all-aged occupants increased by 6%; conversely, fatalities among drivers 80 years and older decreased significantly by 17%. The researchers are not sure what explains this relationship.

Here's my guess (I've only seen the abstract, not the article). When states first began to require drivers' licenses, those who already knew how were "grandfathered in", at least in Illinois. Neither of my parents (born in 1912 and 1913) had to pass a test--they just received a license by applying for one. Once vision tests are required, the older drivers probably also read up on "rules of the road" and practice a little, out of fear of losing their license. My father was driving before he was a teen-ager, and probably regularly by age 14 (his mother was blind and he was the oldest so he drove everyone to church). He had only one accident that I know of, at around age 87; but another driver slid on the ice and hit him. No one was injured. Still, I think an angel must have been in the passenger seat after about age 80; at least it looked that way from the back seat where I was watching white-knuckled and gasping for breath.


Judging from the hair styles (my natural color, no perm, and my husband actually still has red hair) in this undated photo of my parents visiting Columbus, I'm guessing it is fall 1982, around the time they decided to go to Florida for an extended period. They only did that once--my mother was really bored and she thought Florida traffic was unreal. Then they just went for a week or two to visit my sister and brother who lived in Bradenton.

Today's new word--VICISSITUDE

The root of this word is Latin, vicis, meaning change. Vicissitude mean regular or irregular change, don't know if Obama used it during the campaign. It also means revolution or mutation, or change of fortune or condition. It wasn't that I'd never seen the word, but I couldn't think of any situation when I'd want to use it. "Is there vicissitude on the menu tonight, honey?" So I checked google "vicissitude blog," and found a blog called Vicissitude written by a Filipina, Bambee de la Paz. And I walked right into it. Apparently she had witnessed her 56 year old father and 14 year old brother being beaten on a golf course and blogged about it. Over a thousand people responded to her blog entry. It was in the papers, some links which no longer work, and others in a language I don't read. Then I found a follow-up story that said her dad and brother have now been forbidden to come on the golf course, as have the goons that beat them up. However, the public official about whom she wrote is very unhappy and is suing her for what she wrote on her blog.

“May na-file nang kaso ng libel kahapon ang anak ko doon sa probinsya (Lano del Sur) against Bambee de la Paz (My son filed a libel case against Bambee de la Paz yesterday in our home province)," Pangandaman told GMANews.TV in a phone interview.

You've got to watch out for those golfers--they take that game very seriously!

Really bad advice for saving on food

The Extension Office at the University of Illinois has a special web page on financial advice, which includes saving on your food dollar. The worst possible advice is to suggest clipping coupons (or using a loyalty card). Here’s my e-mail to them:

Dear Debra,

I see on the web site for financial advice that clipping coupons is suggested as a way to save on food costs. Coupons are a marketing scheme--in the long run it is very deceptive. Coupons, now often shaped like credit cards, are the size of a dollar. They most often are used for promoting 1) processed food, 2) to cover price increases, and 3) to introduce a new product, which is probably a variation of one already on the shelf, like a Ritz cracker in a different shape. Coupons help the printing companies, the ad designers, and the workers in 3rd world economies who count them, but they don't help the American consumer. The smart consumer should plan menus, stick to a list, shop the walls, stay out of the snack and soft drink aisles and contribute her own labor to reduce food costs. Loyalty cards also increase food costs as do games and sweepstakes. The first coupon was a wooden nickel, and you know what we say about those.

Three Word Wednesday on a Sunday afternoon

Three word Wednesday offers these words for thought and composition. But it’s Sunday. Should I try? Is that cheating? Why not--I didn't see them until Sunday.
Deception
Panic
SchemeWinter in central Ohio is a season of deception. Early on Saturday it was rain; then snow; then sleet. By the time we left for the neighbors’ for a pancake breakfast, my worry meter had started to buzz. It wasn’t registering panic yet, but there certainly was caution. “I think I'll change into my low shoes,” I said, kicking off my stacked heels that looked Oh so smart with my new velvet jeans. “What’s their driveway like?” “You won’t have a problem, I can get you right up to the front door,” my husband said matter of factly.

When we arrived, his driver's side to exit the van was too slick to even stand up, let alone walk safely to the house. So I came up with a scheme. He climbed over the center post--fortunately, I had remembered to carry my to-go coffee into the house before we left. I removed the floor mats from the van, tossed them on to the slippery ice and made us stepping stones of rubber and carpet. We arrived hale, hearty and hungry, with no broken bones, ready for pancakes, real maple syrup, fresh fruit and breakfast casserole--the recipe I need to get, because it was so yummy.

When we left about two hours later, the gray skies had warmed slightly to rain, and we waddled safely to the waiting car.

What has she done to deserve this?

Joyce Beatty lives in Columbus, OH and was elected to represent the 27th district (Ohio) in 1999. Now she’s landed a real cushy position at Ohio State for $320,000! My, not once did I meet anyone at Ohio State who was worth that--not even the president of the university. Of course, I retired in 2000, and now President Gee is the highest paid public college president in the country.

"Ohio State pays 154 employees at least $250,000 a year, with university president E. Gordon Gee topping the list at $775,000 a year," transparency center director Mike Maurer said. Mr. Gee's total annual pay package, between $1.6 million to $2 million, makes him the highest paid public university president in the nation, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Columbus Dispatch.

From the Buckeye Institute via an OSU student blogger, .Justin Higgins

Mass in Motion

Sandy at Junk Food Science has a great article about a new tax waster [or waister, if you will] in Massachusetts, called Mass in Motion. It's $750,000 in grants for wellness programs. Remember, this is the state which has sent Barney Frank to Congress year after year to supervise Fannie Mae. If employers can tap you on the shoulder and coerce you into a "lifestyle management program" can voters suggest that some of the Congress need to lose pork in order to be returned to Washington?

I'm no expert on weight loss, but some of the things in the "tool kit" have already been judged in peer reviewed research to have little affect in long term weight loss--such as Weight Watchers

There was no difference between the low-carbohydrate approach of Atkins, the high-protein low-glycemic load approach of the Zone diet, the very low-fat approach of Ornish, and the low-calorie/portion-size approach of Weight Watchers, according to a 2005 study published in JAMA

And drinking 8 glasses of water a day was also debunked some time ago as a weight loss aid. I think that myth was started by plastic bottle manufacturers.

These type of grants (the $750,000 to Massachusetts) are ubiquitous--the only surprise is that it is so modest. They are everywhere, especially from HHS and USDA which props up our farmers, and the private foundations; it keeps the grant writers busy and the bureaucrats and lawyers employed. They often go hand-in-hand with greenies and vegan wannabees--so you throw in a few million for bike lanes, redesigned housing complexes, and community gardens. Mike Huckabee may be one of our most famous former fatties, and he put Arkansas on a diet because it worked positive results for him. The results are quite mixed, and Sandy also reported on this two years ago. There was an increase in underweight children, and the percentage of overweight and at risk African American girls significantly increased as they grew.

I can't prove it, but I'm guessing if you chart the huge weight gains of Americans and the rise in diabetes and other obesity related health problems, you might track it back to government interference 30-40 years ago with our food commodities like corn and sugar. When I was growing up we had real sugar in Coca-cola and candy bars, and I sure didn't see so many obese people. Our legislators and regulators, probably after a few hearings before Congress, slapped tariffs on imported sugar (because it was bad for us and made us dependent on foreign imports), and then paid U.S. farmers to grow more corn to put high fructose corn syrup in everything from soup to soft drinks. And each generation got fatter. Anyone know where there's a chart?

We don't eat oil, but we're dependent on it for everything in our culture. The government has done the same thing in the name of being "independent of foreign oil" and going green. Then when the government botches it up and creates huge industries like carbon exchanges and ethanol that support their mistake, they can tax us again to try to correct it.

Today's new word is TWITTERSQUATTING

New word of the day--twittersquat--a verb. I don’t Twitter, could never say anything in 140 words or less, and I can’t think of anyone who is that hyper about staying connected to me. I started this digital revolution in communication in the early 90s with e-mail, then learned HTML and wrote my own web page back when you had to know code and how to FTP. I actually remember the first time I saw the World Wide Web demonstrated in a workshop and asked, "What would you do with it?" I can remember when a vet librarian from Tennessee suggested that the rest of us try out a new search tool called GOOGLE. Yes, I'm an old timer. Early on I joined a group on Usenet which was only text, discovered mean nasty people who would insult me for no reason, so I switched to blogging (writing a diary) in 2003 so I could throw them off my cyber-property. But that's about where I stopped. No Facebook or social networks. Hey, I remember junior high school--who wants that on the internet? Therefore, I was unaware of "twittersquating." Here’s the definition from Erik which I noticed at Techmeme.

“Twittersquatting, like cybersquatting, is when somebody registers a company's trademark (or a famous person's name) as a Twitter username with the intent of profiting or causing confusion. Other possible names for this practice include username squatting, usernamesquatting, squitting, usersquatting, and brandsquatting.”

So, just add it to the catalog of sins for which Jesus died, or your list of CW "somebody done me wrong" songs. You know what people do when they squat.

Sneaky new taxes

Murray's a bit suspicious of some of Obama's plans to only raise taxes on the rich. I haven't checked out either one of these, but I do own a second home and the county that taxes us should have gold plated computers and diamond studded swim pools in their schools, because few in the community have children (in that district). Based on square footage and what we cost the county in services, it is pure robbery. I can't imagine why this would be considered "double dipping"--we pay huge taxes for what we receive--a county sheriff driving through occasionally. He writes today in an e-mail

"There are new rules taking place in your financial world that your legislators seem to think you don't need to be aware. Like in the first bailout there is a provision that says you can no longer double dip on the tax savings with your vacation home and personal residence. You will pay taxes on your residence only if you exceed the limits but the vacation home, rental or flipper must be taxed. I'm not totally clear on this since it is written like most tax laws, so if it affects you, you might want to check it out.

Then in Obama's "save everyone" plan he says he's going to lower the PAYROLL tax tables so that individuals will have more money each week to spend. THIS IS NOT A TAX REDUCTION! It only means there is less tax taken out on payday, but at tax time you are still going to have to pay on what you earned. People who do this are going to owe big time on 4/15. I may be wrong on this but it's the way I see it.

Who knows what other changes were in the bailout that's been kept quiet. With all the jockeying around with the tax code makes it almost impossible to plan your financial future. You must remember this. The government's source of income is YOUR TAXES. So, with the current federal debt, the bailout plus Obama's grandiose plan TAXES WILL BE GOING UP UP UP in spite of what any of your favorite party members say. So you better plan now as best you can particularly with your taxable retirement funds."

The bailout and the run on handouts certainly can not be laid at BO's feet--except in the sense that he and McCain were two of the senators who thought it had to be signed immediately or the world would collapse, and put into play a contract with America that any 5 year old should have questioned. Everyone with a retirement plan from age 20-90 is participating in a loss of trillions in value, and now he plans a few more trillion to "stimulate" the economy. FDR tried this for a decade and the Depression didn't budge. Governments don't grow the economy by taxing us and spending our money on public works projects. The recent drop in gas prices from over $4 a gallon in the summer to under $2 in December amounted to a couple of thousand in the wallet for most families--especially Californians for whom driving is like breathing. But it didn't stimulate the economy. (It just proved all the libs were wrong that announcing drilling would bring down prices immediately.) We were on a credit binge (spending $117 for each $100 earned) and the hangover isn't pretty. Going into more debt is not the way to fix this.

Floor lamp update

New Year's Resolution number 5 was to buy a floor lamp. I've now visited four stores, so yesterday I stopped at a large builders supply chain, which will remain nameless, because I like the store. I stopped there after my mail run to the church's suburban location, telling the return campus receptionist I'd be about 15 minutes late. After browsing the shelves, I settled on one not-as-ugly-as-the-others, which had two lights--a 100 watt that reflected on the ceiling and a movable arm with a squirrely, low energy bulb that was supposed to be "full spectrum" to help with reading. The box in 3 languages was explicit about that low energy bulb--13 watts. All I could find on the shelf was a 15, so I lugged the box, now getting a bit heavy, to the service desk. Two handsome young people looked quite blank when I told them the problem, and the young woman got on her cell phone and called someone. Many older people think sales staff are being rude or ageist, but I suspect they just know nothing or aren't trained. Then the woman-child said, "He first has to cut some wire for another customer than he can help you." I stood in the light bulb aisle about 10 minutes, then returned the box to the shelf. No one came.

Usually, the only people in these warehouse supply places who know anything are the gray haired part-timers who have retired from something else, got tired of golf and want to get away from their wives' honey-do list. Also, I suspect there has been a serious staff cut back, because I've never had a problem at this store getting help.

All was not lost, however. I stopped at the Discovery Shop (cancer donations) because occasionally entire rooms of furniture are donated (a truck was there). No floor lamps, and the clerk said they go fast. She knew exactly what I was looking for. But I did find a beautiful pair of navy blue velvet jeans which look unworn for $5. Not a lamp, but they are a reminder that I need to stay with my exercise program (was a size 8 last year, these are size 10), New Year's Resolution 6.

Finally, I've agreed with Obama!

Although I didn't hear it directly, I heard it reported that Obama thinks the government should extend the time on the digital conversion. He's not President yet, but I'm guessing someone's listening--especially since they ran out of money, and there aren't enough landfills to accept all the old sets. I never saw the importance of it anyway--TV being the wasteland that it is, why do something to expand it? No one in Obama's administration wants more views on radio. As soon as Obama appoints just one liberal to the FCC vacancy, the fairness doctrine will go away (fair to conservatives, that is). Yes, it doesn't have to be Pelosi or Reid or Obama that takes away our right to hear the whole story, it only has to be a regulatory commission. This is how groups like ACORN brought down the banking industry and started the world wide recession with the CRA--any group under these rules is allowed to complain about treatment or coverage. The way I figure it, there are 60 different viewpoints on religion, politics and gender in the country, so by the time a station manager/owner has to file all the papers and hire a lawyer, the talking heads will be removed and we can all go back to do-wop and hip-hop top 20 formats and destroy the radio industry by having them all move to the Internet.

I really do listen to Obama's speeches, at least the first 2 or 3 minutes, before I change channels. I swear I don't know what excites you libs. The man says nothing but platitudes, promises and proverbs. Off teleprompter he's a worse speaker than Bush. Ah, ah, ah, er, um. And if he hadn't sat under the tutelage of Rev. Wright for 20 years, he wouldn't even get the cadence correct that makes it sound like he's God's oracle. You don't learn that in Hawaii living with white grandparents from Kansas.

But back to the digital TV conversion boxes which I wrote about the other day. My daughter came over last night to work on our two TVs that aren't hooked to cable. The kitchen TV which is also an am/fm radio, its primary use, may be a lost cause. The TV in the guest room is going great guns, even though it looks a little odd. The cord runs from the back of the TV, then drapes across the second bed, where an old pair of rabbit ears is propped up with several pillows, and from there to an outlet too far. She thinks we can buy a new set of rabbit ears for about $10, and then if we get an extension cord/surge protector we can construct something a little less hill billy.

As I mentioned before, I used to get WOSU fairly clear if I was lucky. Now I'm getting all sorts of channels--don't recognize the stations even. For instance, Channel 4 (NBC) and Channel 6 (ABC) come in as 4.1 and 6.1, then they both have sister stations 4.2 and 6.2 that seem to be 1950s-1980s reruns. Weird sci-fi movies, Martha Stewart. Sort of neat. It has a remote and there's an on screen menu. If a channel doesn't broadcast in digital the screen shape is a bit narrow, but nothing seems distorted. Now, WOSU is the poorest. I may try to put it on the dressing table so I don't have to drag it across the bed. First we'll try those new rabbit ears.

Today's new word is IRENIC

Number one on my list of New Year's Resolutions for 2009 was to learn a new word a day--or maybe a week. I expanded the borders a bit on this one--deciding a new word could just be one I'd skip over in reading, but probably not be confident to ever use. I keep a small spiral bound note pad next to the lamp in the living room, which is next to my parents Merriam-Webster 2nd Unabridged New International (1948) in the dining room. I find it much more satisfying to use rather than an on-line source, although it bothers my back just a stitch to lean over (sits on my mother's sewing cabinet).

I write on approximately 20 topics if you count all my blogs, everything from childhood memories of Camp Emmaus, to first issues of journals, to political campaigns to misuse of credit. However, the difficulty level of my blog (when I type in the URL to one of those widgets) is always middle school or high school. I think in order to rate higher, you need to use a lot of non-English words or quote famous people, neither of which I do.

So today's new word is IRENIC. Here's the context, the reason I wrote it down

"While not declaring the Roman Catholic Church apostate, Norman Geisler and Joshua Betancourt address the doctrines that evangelicals find problematic in Catholicism. The work is irenic in tone, meticulous in examination, and extensive in sourcing and footnoting."

Change that e to an o and you get IRONIC, which is what my mind tends to do when I'm not sure. However, IRENIC means peaceful or conciliatory. If your name or your mother's name is IRENE, it's from the Greek, "goddess of peace."

Other new or rarely used words for January

1. effete--excessive self indulgence, feeble, impotent, no longer fertile
   
2. immanence--nearness of God, God with us, Emmanuel
   
3. eremacausis--slow burning fire; gradual oxidation, decay
   
4. solecism--speaking incorrectly; minor blunder in speech; breach of etiquette
   
5. immutable--not capable or susceptible of change; unchangeable
   
6. insensate--without sensation; without sense or intelligence; unfeeling or foolish
   
7. Euroclydon--tempestuous northeast wind of the Mediterreanean
   
8. gibbet--gallows; to execute by hanging; a projecting arm of a crane; to expose to infamy

What's really fun is to see how other bloggers use these words. For instance, would you ever say or write, "effete Arugula"? That's stretching it a bit, don't you think? I avoid arugula in spring mix--think it is bitter. And would you feel safe living in the Euroclydon Nursing Home?

Frozen pipes and visiting moose

It's about 18 degrees here in Columbus. We had a smattering of snow yesterday, some ice on the fringes. Monday was a slick day--I think 4 people were killed and some semi's ran off the road. But at Tundra Medicine, they haven't seen zero in three weeks and the moose are visiting regularly. She's getting a tad stir crazy, what, with just the plumber to talk to. Stop by and leave a comment. That is always our big fear with our summer home--frozen pipes--because they ice fish just a few blocks away. We leave the heat set at about 50 degrees and leave all the cabinet doors open, but if the power goes off--good luck! And I hear a dog sled race has been called off in Minnesota--too much snow; and the Russians and Ukrainians are fighting over gas lines, which might leave some of Europe wishing for more global warming.

Americans often feel the same way

So many people I know say, "I rarely watch TV; or, I need to turn it off when the grandchildren are visiting." Therefore, what this Jordanian author Diana Abu-Jaber says about returning to her birth country, reminds me of what many Americans think of our hyper-sexualized and violent TV stories

"Years of shows like “Baywatch”—and now, even worse, so-called reality TV, give Middle Easterners the idea that Americans are all corrupt and decadent and frightening. Sort of in the way the American media portrays Middle Easterners as frightening and sinister."

Look!! A way for westerners to bond with middle easterners.