OUR GOVERNMENT WENT OVER THE FISCAL CLIFF A LONG TIME AGO!

Democrats and Republicans agreed to the terms of the Budget Control Act of 2011, which becomes effective on January 1, 2013, in order to avoid shutting down our government because of a debt ceiling. Without increasing the debt ceiling, the government could not continue to pay for our extravagant entitlements. We needed to borrow another trillion dollars in order to continue programs we can no longer afford. In order to approve the ridiculous proposed budget, Congress and the President agreed to massive spending cuts and tax hikes. However, the cuts and tax increases would not go into effect until a year and a half later. Now that 2013 has arrived they want to modify the terms but cannot agree on how to do it. And now, we are bumping up against the new debt limit. We are out of time and money. We are at the bottom of the cliff!

The only reasonable thing to do is let the current policy, scheduled for the beginning of 2013, go into effect. Otherwise, the Mayan predictions for the end of the world will become reality. Our country’s black hole in public finances must be dealt with now. The irresponsible behavior of our stupid, greedy representatives has put us between a rock and a hard place. There will be an unpleasant impact from the tax increases and spending cuts but the deficit will fall significantly. Yes, we may go back into a recession and economic growth will temporarily be reduced but we must bite the bullet. Oh, and BTW, please, no more stimulus packages with borrowed money. They do not help fight recession. History proves they just make things worse. Happy New Year and good luck surviving next year.

THE FASCINATING SUBJECT OF RELIGION

The world’s largest religious tradition is Christianity but it was preceded by many other ancient religions with similar characteristics. And there are other major religions in the world that compete with the Christian tradition. Different forms of religion have been around for millions of years. And they have been responsible for both good and evil. Religion remains the most powerful community builder the world has ever known. Religion binds individuals into groups through habits of belief and relationships of trust.

Religion is based on faith and because of that it has survived the attacks by atheist and the conflicting evidence from the advancement of science. There is no possible way to prove or disprove the existence of God. Bad things continue to happen in the world that are a test of faith but there are also good things happening that can be attributed to the answer of prayers. For me, life is a mystery and there are both good and bad people among the believers and the nonbelievers. Religion is likely to survive for at least another thousand years. I am okay with that as long as I am allowed to believe or not believe.

Nollaig Shona Duit

С Новым Годом и Рождеством  聖誔快樂，新年進步 Prettige kerstdagen en een gelukkig nieuwjaar  Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein glückliches/gutes Neues Jahr Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo  God jul og godt nyttår Feliz Navidad Kellemes Karácsonyi Ünnepeket és Boldog Új Évet or simply BUÉK God Jul och Gott Nytt År
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

EDUCATION ON THE INTERNET

One of the amazing opportunities created by the Internet is the ability to take college courses on line. Many of the students at traditional colleges show no improvement in critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing. However, students on line seem to be motivated to gain these things from the courses available to them on their computers. An organization called Coursera offers free courses at prestigious universities all over the world. I recently enrolled in Introduction to Philosophy at THE UNIVERSTY of EDENBURGH. I have a lifelong interest in the subject of philosophy and I am excited about this course.

The course will introduce me to some of the most important areas of research in contemporary philosophy. Each week a different philosopher will talk me through some of the most important questions in their area of expertise. We’ll begin by trying to understand what philosophy is__what are its characteristic aims and methods, and how does it differ from other subjects? Then we’ll spend the rest of the course gaining an introductory overview of several different areas of philosophy: Epistemology, Philosophy of science, Philosophy of mind, Moral Philosophy, and Metaphysics. Would you like to join me? If so, go to: https://www.coursera.org/course/introphil

SOMETHING NEW TO THINK (and worry) ABOUT

There are problems with technology changing faster than society can adapt. As people and computers become more closely connected, it is likely that they will become a kind of global brain. The question is, will this global brain create collective intelligence or collective stupidity? The scientific experts do not agree. We need to understand these possibilities better than we do now. How do we connect people and computers so that collectively, they act more intelligently? We must guard against stupidity created by mob psychology.

On the one hand, what’s to stop a mass of anonymous but connected people from suddenly turning into a mean mob? Historically and predating computers, People have been willing to give up personal identity and join a collective. That propensity has been very bad news. For example, Fascists, communist, religious cults, and criminal “families” tend to designate enemies, be violent, and discourage creative thought. We might be playing with fire! Just because we all become connected does not necessarily make us better.

On the other hand, the synergy of Internet-enabled collective intelligence, if managed properly, could be a boon for mankind. Most of what we think of as human intelligence has come about by our interactions as human beings. We learn languages, and we learn to communicate. Our intellectual achievements result not from a single person working alone but from interactions of an individual with a culture and a body of knowledge. I hope that collective intelligence can help us to become a part of a broader intelligent entity.    

TIME FOR ANOTHER BOOK REVIEW

Just finished reading Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. It is the first book of his new Century Trilogy. Follett is one of my favorite authors. I have read all his books including Eye of the Needle which is a spy thriller that made him rich and famous in 1978. Since then, he has published many bestselling novels. Mr. Follett is truly a genius. I think he is the best writer of fiction that is alive today. He has the ability to make fictional characters seem real and blends them with historical characters to tell extremely compelling stories. His historical background is brilliantly researched.

With passion and the skill of a master he tells the story of World War One by following five families-English, Welsh, German, Russian, and American. He also describes the thinking of the leaders of the empires involved: Britain’s Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith, Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II, Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II, and the United States President Woodrow Wilson. He also describes the 37 million casualties that resulted from the awful trench warfare. There is plenty of intrigue with spies, heroes and traitors. Did I mention there is also romance and sex? This book takes readers into an inextricably entangled world of war and revolution. It was such a good read, I have already started Winter Of  The World, which is the second book in the Trilogy.

EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR BEING LUCKY

And once a year on Thanksgiving Day I like to think (after all, I am a freelance thinker) about all the events and people that made me lucky. First, let me review how lucky I am. I have a beautiful wife who gave me 5 terrific children and 10 grand children who are destined for great achievements in life. We have a healthy, loving family that has been very close and supportive. Even without the benefit of a college degree, I was able to support my family with an earned income that was in the top 5% of all incomes in the USA. I do not consider myself to be above average in intelligence and I am not an athletic person. However, I am one lucky guy! All the stars were in the right alignment, or something.  

Here is a list of the events and people that I think made me lucky: I grew up on a small farm and my parents were poor, worked hard, and were good role models. I learned a great deal about life from that experience. I went to an excellent High School in a prosperous town and became a part of a “click” of kids who were very studious high achievers. This peer group had a positive effect on me.  They all went on to become doctors, lawyers and engineers but I joined the Air Force. There were no wars during the four years I was a radar technician and no one was shooting at me. I received a nice tour of the Far East during peace time. Then, I got a job in the insurance industry and discovered that I was a pretty good salesman. That is when I met and married Nancy (my trophy wife). She made me motivated by giving birth to triplets. Because we needed money and I wanted to get out of the house, I was always out selling insurance. Now, you know the story of my lucky life.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEEP THROAT & DEEP CRACK ?

Do you know the connection between a Petaflop and a Deep Crack? No? I didn’t think so. Everyone remembers deep throat but few have heard of Deep Crack. It is the nickname for a Supercomputer built by Electronic Frontier Foundation to perform a search to crack the code of an encrypted message by trying every possible key. A supercomputer is at the frontline of current processing capacity and speed of calculation. Supercomputers measure the speed of their calculations in Petaflops. A petaflop equals one quadrillion calculations happening every second. The latest and fastest supercomputer (Titan) can do 20 quadrillion calculations per second! That is way faster than a human can think.

 Is it wise to have computers this fast? I don’t think so. Scientist tell us that our brains function much like a digital computer. When people use their brain to make hasty decisions, they tend to make more errors. When we slow down, we tend to be more accurate. Doesn’t that imply that digital computers are prone to making more mistakes when they speed up? Geeks claim that computers never make mistakes, only the people who use them. I am not so sure about that. I remember that there was an Intel MMX that had a hardware flaw on a chip that made incorrect mathematical calculations. The world could come to an end because of a quick decision based on the incorrect calculations of a Supercomputer. Yikes!

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CANDIDATES!

 I have done some fact checking and discovered that the Presidential candidates are not who they say they are. I became suspicious when I noticed that one of them has big ears and always has a dumb look on his face. The other one has a remarkable likeness to Clark Kent. I asked George Teller, an unbiased and nonpartisan political expert, to do some research. Here is the shocking news that he came up with: President Obama is really Alfred E. Neuman wearing blackface as a disguise. His secret motto is, “What, Me Worry?” Mitt Romney is really Superman. His holy underwear is actually a Superman suit. If elected, he promises to find a phone booth and save America. So there you have it. The truth and nothing but the truth. Use this information to make the right choice in the voting booth.

My name is Harry Teets and I approve this public service announcement!

1.    

POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENTS ARE A WASTE OF MONEY

Experts in psychology say that it is virtually impossible to change someone’s mind with an argument. Researchers have proven, over and over again, that misinformed people do not change their minds even when presented with the correct, proven facts. In fact they become more strongly set in their beliefs. Sometimes the things we think we know are objectively false but in the presence of correct information, we do not change our mind. We just become more entrenched in our original belief. It is threatening to admit we were wrong. We have beliefs and a “set of facts” embedded in our mind and by golly we are not going to change our minds!

That being the case, why do politicians spend billions of dollars on advertising to change our minds? It is a huge waste of money. It would be better to force politicians to pay this money into a national fund that is used to teach our citizens how to think. We would be much better off if we had more citizens who knew how to develop the ability to think. Too many people have unjustified intolerances, hidden fears, and implicit contradictions, all thrown together into a jumble of mixed up philosophy. Education can help people to ask the important questions such as, “what is right and what is wrong?” We need more citizens who know how to become well informed!

THE MOST INTELLIGENT JEW IN AMERICA (IMO)

His name is Norman Podhoretz. He served as editor-in-chief of Commentary magazine for 30 years. He has written twelve books, including My Love Affair With America. He says that the Republicans constitute the party of liberty and the Democrats have become the party of redistribution. In his opinion, the Democrats assume that the gap between rich and poor amounts to a violation of social justice. But this assumption rules out the role of talent, character, ambition, initiative, daring, and work in producing unequal outcomes in the “pursuit of happiness”.

Podhoretz says that what liberals see when they look at America is injustice and oppression crying out for redress. By sharp contrast, conservatives see a complex tradition of principles that animated the American Revolution and have made it possible for more freedom and more prosperity to be enjoyed by more citizens than in any other society in human history. I could not agree more. We are a republic, not a democracy.  And we do not want to become a socialist or communist country. For gosh sakes, please vote Republican. At this time in our history, I believe it is crucial for the future of our country!

MY MARRIAGE IS MORE STABLE THAN OUR GOVERNMENT

Yesterday, my wife and I celebrated our 46^th wedding anniversary. I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was a cold, rainy, blustery day and I was extremely nervous. There were 500 people at St. John’s Lutheran Church and Pastor Dobberfuhl performed a beautiful traditional wedding service. Things were different back then. The Beatles song, “We can work it out” was number 1 on the hit parade and the price of gas was only 32 cents.

The thing that sticks in my mind is that the U. S. Government deficit in 1966 was only $3.7 billion. When put into today’s inflation adjusted dollars, that is $26.24 billion, which is less than 3% of this year’s $1.089 trillion deficit. The Democratic administration’s reckless spending has pushed the national debt to $16 trillion! Four years in a row we have had deficits that exceed $1 trillion. We talk about the fiscal cliff but the current administration has done nothing to stop our rush towards disaster. It is time for a change in leaders. We must stop the government from borrowing a trillion dollars every year to pay for its budget. The longer we wait to balance the budget, the more painful it will be.

HOME ON THE LAKE IN OCTOBER

Bright sunlight highlights a lone white seagull as it flies between blue sky and blue water. Geese are hidden but their honking lets you know they are there. The docks, boats and lifts have been removed from the scene and quietness fills the air. Purple martins are long gone but the last rose of summer is still here. Autumn leafs surround the lake with accents of color and are starting to fall. The first frost of the season has arrived but my tropical plants have been moved into the safety of our sun porch.

The season is perfect for long walks in the country and pot roast dinners. Applesauce is simmering on the stove and has a sweet fragrance. Sunsets are spectacular but now I prefer to watch them from in front of the fireplace. Some hot mulled cider tastes pretty good. All and all, it is a lovely time of year. Oh give me a home where the ducks roam, and the fish and the turtles play. Where seldom is heard a discouraging word and I am happy all the live long day.

My worry is the unbalanced budget of our government and our increasing national debt. These two serious problems should be a concern for all of our citizens. The best way of attacking these problems is to vote republican. It is not a perfect solution but it is our best shot at making the pendulum swing back towards fiscal responsibility. Democrats want to take care of the poor and give benefits, such as universal health care, but they want to do these things with borrowed money and the redistribution of wealth. Republicans want to protect us from outside enemies, provide opportunities to prosper, and give us freedom from government control. Neither platform is perfect but the Democrats platform is a recipe for disaster such as they have in Ireland, Greece and Spain. The Republican platform is a step in the direction of past success. As a nation, we cannot continue to spend money we do not have. 

HAVE YOU EVER HAD AN ORIGINAL THOUGHT?

I doubt it. Mankind has been in existence for thousands of years but most of that time has been spent trying to exist one more day. Humans have now evolved to the point where they no longer have to spend all their time and energy trying to continue their existence. Life is still difficult but we have reached a point where it no longer requires 100% of our efforts to survive. Now, we have time and intellect to think about life. Thus, philosophy, religion, and systems of government and cooperation have come into existence. We are not sure why we are here but we all have ideas and opinions about how life should be organized and lived. Unfortunately, there is not much agreement on these esoteric ideas.

 There is no consensus about how we should live or how we should be organized in order to increase prosperity and improve the quality of our lives. It seems that every imaginable way of cooperating and living together has been thought of and explored. However, nothing has been thought of that we can all agree upon. Is there a new, unexplored way that we can all agree on? I doubt it. Consequently, we will continue to search and fight. It is too bad that human nature does not seem to allow us to live in peace. The good news is that even with our disagreements, by most standards, life continues to improve. More people are living longer and better than in the past. I guess progress, like life, is not easy. Check out this excellent idea from my hero: http://www.creators.com/opinion/thomas-sowell/cheap-politicians.html

TIME FOR A BOOK REVIEW

A few years ago, a Swedish writer and journalist, Stieg Larsson, published The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. This detective novel was so good that Mr. Larsson became the bestselling author in the world. Now, another Swedish writer and journalist, is on his way to becoming another international publishing sensation. It seems the Swedes have a real talent for storytelling. This author’s name is Jonas Jonasson (Swedish authors all have an extra ‘s’ in their names). The name of his book is, The 100-year-Old Man Who climbed Out The Window And Disappeared. It is a hilarious satirical look at international relations in the 20^th century through the eyes of an old man who has seen it all.

The book makes fun of politics, religion, espionage, communists, fascists, capitalists and historical figures such as Mao, Truman, Stalin, Franco, Johnson and Churchill. It is a celebration of absurd humor. It is a completely crazy and incredibly funny story. It made me laugh a lot! It also made me feel good about getting older. If you want to have a fun time, read this book.

AN UNBIASED ANALYSIS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

We have only two choices: An incumbent President who is a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican challenger. It seems reasonable to me that we should make a judgment based on their political philosophy because that is the best indication of what they will do. You certainly can’t believe their speeches or their TV advertisements. So, let’s compare their political philosophies based on commonly accepted definitions.  

Democratic liberals believe in more government control and more regulations. They believe in extending current entitlement programs and creating new ones such as free health care. They want to increase taxes on high income citizens and print and borrow money to pay for these public benefits. They do not appear to be concerned about the increasing national debt or unbalanced budget. They want to redistribute wealth from those who earn it to those who do not work and to those who work but earn less. In other words, they want to take from the rich and give to the poor.

Republican conservatives embrace the conviction that government must be as limited as possible. In this view, much of what government spends is wasted. Conservatives want to reduce regulation and make cutting taxes the highest priority. They believe in privatization, contracting out, and a private sector freed from the intrusive hand of government will be the engines of a stronger society. They want to take strong measures to reduce the deficit and balance the budget. As Ronald Reagan said, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is our problem.

So, those are our choices. Neither political philosophy is perfect and your personal philosophy will not be perfectly in agreement with either one. However, you must choose the one that you think is the most needed one at this time in our history.  My opinion is we should vote for the philosophy, not the man.

WHY DO I BLOG?

I do it because I think it is important to express my opinions and feelings about life. I like to think that I am not a hypocrite and the world would be a better place if more people were honest about how they feel about important questions and issues. The human inclination is to be guarded about what they really think. Therefore, it is difficult to have meaningful discussions. Everyone is afraid of the criticism that might result from a disclosure of how they think. For example, I am not a “believer” of the Christian religion. But I have the highest regard for those who are believers. My wife is one of the most passionate and faithful believers that I know. And I love her dearly.

The fellow members of her church recently did a very big act of kindness for her out of respect for the work she does for the church. I am in awe of that generosity. I consider them to be good people and good friends. The Christian tradition of religion has done many fine things for humanity and I am grateful. I wish that all religions could be so altruistic. Unfortunately, many awful things are done in the name of religion and I am sorry to see that. To me, God is inscrutable and hard to understand. There are many mysteries in life!

DDinesh D’Souza’s blockbuster documentary”2016: Obama’s America”  has created quite a sensation. For an interview of Mr. D’Sousa go to: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/dsouza-responds/?nl=opinion&emc=edit_ty_20120911

TOO MANY CONNECTIONS CAN BE DANGEROUS

Everywhere you look people are checking e-mail, browsing the Internet, checking social media, shopping, reading books, or watching videos and playing games online. All of this connectivity via the Internet is fraught with peril. We may be reaching a tipping point that leads to disaster. Because every bank is interconnected with every other bank we have destabilized the banking system. Because of automated trading controlled by powerful computers interacting with each other, we have had a “flash crash” in the stock market that evaporated $600 billion of equity in a few minutes! Increasing connectivity, speed, and complexity, can have surprising results that lead to horrible events. A strongly-networked system of smartphones and computers has the potential to eliminate privacy and expose us to identity theft.

Smartphones connected by networks to computers is a recipe for disaster!. Cyber researchers have invented a device to extract the memory of a mobile phone. Computer software can extract the phone’s memory consisting of call history, text messages, email, images, video, and banking information. Yes, it could be helpful for police as evidence in crimes but it would also be very useful for criminals to steal your identity and your money. Even the government could use it to spy on its citizens. My advice is to be careful how connected you get and be vigilant about keeping your eyes on what the Internet is capable of. There will soon be computers as powerful as our brains and that sounds dangerous to me. If they are able to make computers that have empathy, sympathy, and emotions then humans will be obsolete.

OBAMA IS DISMANTLING AMERICA!

Thomas Sowell, who is one of my heroes, says that the election is about survival of freedom. This week he is my guest blogger. His view is my view. Read what he has to say at: http://www.creators.com/opinion/thomas-sowell/-quot-issues-quot-or-america.html

THE NEW FRONTIER IN SCIENCE

A variety of discoveries in the field of social science offer tremendous opportunities for improving the human condition. I am referring to the social network phenomenon. Our humanity is rapidly changing because of social networking. Science is becoming more interdisciplinary and more collaborative. Consequently, the results of scientific study are better and more useful. If two heads are better than one, think how much better millions of heads are that are connected by networks! Science needs data, analytic ability, and ideas. The age of computers and the Internet and networked people provides huge amounts of all those necessary things.

Computational social science is going to bring a hurricane of changes. We will have the data and the networks to inspire cooperation that will be beneficial for mankind. I hope I can be around to enjoy it!

Should You Keep Your Old Car?

If you want to save money and reduce expenses, keep driving it until it drops. A decently cared-for vehicle that is less than 10 years old and has less than 200,000 miles on it, will last for a long time. You must take care of deferred maintenance and faithfully service it.  Also, the car has to be the right size to accommodate your family needs. If so, it will be smart to keep it instead of buying a new car. Loan payments stack the deck against a new car. You could encounter much higher repair cost than assumed and still come out ahead by keeping the old one. An old car is almost always cheaper to own than a new one. Insurance premiums and registration fees are less and no payments are a big cash flow advantage.

Trading your used car for another used car is usually a bad move. You have to sell the current used car at a wholesale price and buy the “new” used car at retail price. Also, warrantee plans on used cars are not worth their cost and have fine print exclusions. My wife and I both have 10 year old cars with 150,000 miles and we self insure for collision and physical damage. This is another big saving but does entail some risk. So far, we have been lucky!

INCREASING THE TAXES OF THE WEALTHY?

It is not a panacea and it is not a solution to our economic problems and it is not fair. In fact, it would be destructive to the future of our country. It would worsen the terrible recession that we are struggling with. It would discourage the creation of new beneficial industries such as Microsoft, Google, and Apple which have spawned the rich people who pay most of our taxes. The latest data show that a big proportion of the federal income tax burden is shouldered by a small group of the very richest Americans! We need more incentives for smart, innovative people to get rich.

The wealthiest 1 percent of the population earns 19 percent of the income but pay 37 percent of the income tax. The top 10 percent pay 68 percent of the tab. Meanwhile, the bottom 50 percent now earn 13 percent of the income but pay just 3 percent of the taxes. A sense of fairness says that we should decrease the taxes for the rich. That would stimulate the entrepreneurs to invest more in new businesses, hire more employees, and create a stronger stock market. The economy is growing at half the pace of 2010 and unemployment is rising. Raising taxes on the rich will only make things worse.

HOPE

When hope is lost,

Despair is found,

At any cost,

Keep hope around,

Hope knows no fear,

It blossoms with no light,

Hope is very dear,

It can make things right !

              htt

ARE YOU AN IDIOT, A MANIAC, OR A MORON WHEN DRIVING YOUR CAR?

An idiot drives 10 miles per hour less than the speed limit while occupying the fast lane and refuses to get over even when you honk and flash your lights. A maniac drives 100 miles per hour while recklessly switching from lane to lane. He is also the guy who rides on your bumper and blows his horn when you are driving 10 miles an hour faster than the speed limit and have no opportunity to change lanes. A moron is a drunk driver weaving all over the road while talking on his cell phone.

Why are there so many impolite, discourteous, violent, inconsiderate, reckless drivers on our highways? It is no wonder that some people can’t control their negative reactions to “bad driving” and experience road rage. When some jerk cuts you off, it takes self control to avoid taking action to retaliate. Now days, when you turn on your turn signal in order to change lanes, it is very common for another driver to speed up so that you can’t change lanes. That is a sign of our times and that is sad. We need more courtesy and politeness on our highways!

JUST BEING SILLY

Son of a gun,                          

It’s a hundred and one,

Too hot to have fun,

Out in the sun,

Unless to the lake you run,     

There, relief can be won,

By soaking your bun,

To shun a nun,

Should not be done,

Just jump in the lake son,

It helps a ton.

Find another rhyme, anyone?

MAKING FRIENDS

Over the years, I have had to hire trade people for a variety of jobs: Garage door replacement, new hardwood floors, house painted, new roof, remodeled a porch, two bathrooms, and our kitchen. My wife recently pointed out to me that I have become friends of all these skilled trade people and consequently, received excellent service and reasonable prices for their work. Thinking about it, I decided she was right. Then, I got to thinking about how I developed these wonderful relationships. I decided it was because of the way I treated them. I always try to treat people with respect, dignity, and friendliness. Also, a little humor and good natured kidding doesn't hurt. I have found that if you are nice to people, they will be nice to you. Yes, there are a few cranky people who are an exception to this rule but not many. Another important trait that is important to developing friends is to not expect perfection. I am far from being perfect so why should I expect others to be perfect. Try my technique and you will have more friends!

THE MOST MEMORABLE DATE IN OUR HISTORY

July 4, 1776, is the day that the United States adopted our Declaration of Independence but it was not until September 17, 1787, that the U. S. Constitution established our government which guaranteed our rights and freedom as citizens. To me, this is a more important date than the fourth of July. It is the day when Americans actually were granted liberty.  Today, U.S. citizens take liberty for granted because we have never had it taken from us.

I believe we are in danger of losing our freedom by gradual and silent encroachments of those who are in power. Politicians get elected by promising to hand out benefits to be paid by someone else. This redistribution of wealth (i.e. “free” health care for everyone), is how politicians gain power. I think that this is the weak link in our system of government. We must find a way to guard against this usurping of power by greedy, unscrupulous politicians. They are bankrupting our government.

I AM BUSY RIGHT NOW

Someday, I would like to write a blog post about why intelligent people, sometimes, do really stupid things. However, not now because I am really busy having fun on the lake. Maybe next week.

HOW TO MAKE SENSE OF LIFE

I am of an age when the 5 senses begin to weaken. My eyesight has dimmed, my hearing is reduced, I can’t taste mild flavors, I have lost my sensitive touch, and I do not smell as good as I used to. However, my sense of humor has become keener. Now, more things in life seem funny and jokes are funnier than they used to be. I think it is the wisdom that comes with age that helps me understand that life is not all that serious. The older I get, the more I enjoy life. I do not worry about what people think of me. Who cares if they think I smell bad. I can’t smell myself so I am alright with that.

We have more senses than the traditional five and they get better with age. For example, common sense just gets better and better as you get older. Experience teaches us to expect adversity and conflict. It is part of life and we must accept the bitter with the sweet. We know how to deal with the bitter without becoming disappointed and confused. We can take a blow to our ego without giving up on life. I already mentioned sense of humor. It may be the most valuable sense that we have. Funny how that works!

BUSINESS CONSULTANTS’ BULLSHIT

I spent 40 years in the business world and I learned that consultants are people who failed in business, lost their jobs or went bankrupt, and then became consultants. The only thing they are good at is creating new business jargon that is meaningless and ridiculous! If you use their language, you sound like a moron. If you want to reach out, touch base, shift a paradigm, leverage a best practice, or get outside the box, then they have the gobbledygook to help you do it.

Don’t let your core mediocrity keep you from buying-in to moving the needle towards opening your kimono so that you can get off the burning platform. Don’t boil the ocean. Take it to the next level and give it 110%. Best practices will help you to get over the wall to the bleeding edge. Yeah, right.  

IS THERE SOMEONE YOU WILL MISS WHEN THEY ARE GONE?

Of course there is!  You should tell them before they are gone. Tell them how much you love them. Tell them how important they are to you. How you appreciate what they do for you. How they make you laugh and feel good. How they inspire you to do what needs doing. How you enjoy their company. How life is worth living because of them.

Life is uncertain and fragile. Nothing is forever. Tell them while you still can. Tell them before you regret not telling them before their gone. Hey, I wonder, will you miss me when I’m gone? 

DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?

If you don’t think you are lucky, you almost certainly won’t be. Luck is interpreted and understood in many different ways. A common cliché is, “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” That implies that you can make your own luck. Another definition is, “Luck is good fortune which occurs beyond one’s control.” That implies that luck is consistent with the random walk theory of probability. And then there is the “Devine Providence Theory” which says that God controls your luck. My own personal theory is that positive thinking and faith in your abilities creates good luck. In other words, if you think you will be lucky then, you will be lucky!

Sometimes what appears to be bad luck is good luck in disguise. You must have the ability and confidence to make lemonade out of lemons. We all know deep down that good luck is something that is both very real and highly desirable. That is why it is important to have the positive attitude that will allow it to happen. Look for the best in all situations and recognize how lucky you already are. May lady luck smile on you!

LEARN FROM NATURE

Chipmunks are always in a hurry. They are quick and fast but only have a life span of 3 years. Turtles are never in a hurry. They are very slow but have an average life span of 125 years. Obviously, Cicero was correct when he said, "To live long, live slowly." You can get a lot more done (slowly) in 125 years than you can (quickly) in 3 years. Also, life is less stressful and more enjoyable at a slower pace. Modern society has speeded things up to the point that we feel pressured to be overly active. The fallacy of multitasking has caused us to try to do too many things at the same time. Consequently, not much gets done well. We end up doing a lot of things poorly. My advice is to slow down and live better.

Today's blog is late, short, and not very thoughtful because I am so damn busy!

THE NEXT BIG THING !

Soon, routine health care will become less expensive and more efficient. It will do this by combining the resources of the health care industry, drug stores, and cloud services on the Internet. The health system will work better for everyone and the cost of care will be drastically less. You will not need an appointment to consult a physician from the comfort of your home. Log on, share your health history and symptoms, receive a diagnosis, and get a prescription. If necessary, basic medical test can be performed at your local drug store and forwarded to your physician via the Internet. Visits with a doctor will cost $45.00 instead of the current average office visit of $100.00 and you save time and money because you do not have to drive to the doctor’s office. Plus, you will be able to get advice from a nurse for no charge.

Most insurance plans will cover the cost of online clinics and the technology will guarantee privacy and security of your health related data. We are still in the early days of this technology but it is developing rapidly. If you would like to visit an early pioneer of the concept, go to: https://nowclinic.com/healthPlanQuery.htm , otherwise, take two aspirin and call me in the morning.

THE ONLY SAFE SHIP IN A STORM IS LEADERSHIP!

Our ship of state is foundering. We desperately need a new captain. Our current President’s actions and rhetoric are about to sink our ship. Our nation made the mistake of electing a man who had no leadership experience. Consequently, we have been drifting without a rudder towards disaster. Mitt Romney has a proven history of successful leadership in both private industry and government. I believe he has the ability to lead us back to greatness. He knows how to help business create jobs and he knows how to balance our national budget. He is also a man with a history of integrity and compassion towards others. He is a man with Holy underwear who can protect us from underwear bombers. I want a president who will stand up for America and not apologize for our actions around the globe. I want Romney!

RESPECT THE BELIEFS OF OTHERS AND LET THE MYSTERY BE.

Science and theology continue to seek clues as to what life is all about. The ancient controversy, concerning the existence of God, rages on. Both believers and unbelievers admit that there is no iron clad proof of the existence or nonexistence of God. Yet the debate has gone on for thousands of years and will probably continue forever. Recently, both believers and nonbelievers seem to be growing more passionate and the world is becoming more divided. I am sorry to see this development. It does not bode well for the future. We do not need more religious wars. It would be better if we all respected each other’s beliefs and lived in peace. “To each his own” is what I believe. And “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. I think the philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard was right when he said, "Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved." 

I AM A NEW FAN OF ROMANTIC NOVELS

I just read my first romance novel and I loved it! The title is "On The Island". The author is Tracey Garvis-Graves. I bought the book by mistake. I thought it was an adventure story about a castaway on a tropical island. I would never have purchased it if I had known it was a love story about a 30 year old woman and a 16 year old boy who are stranded on a remote island for 3 years. As the boy grows into a man, a close relationship develops between them. There is an adventure aspect to the story but the main gist of the plot is about how they become lovers. Each of the characters take turns telling the story from their point of view. This literary technique adds a fascinating, phychological aspect to the story. It is intriging to learn what each character is thinking about the development of the romance. The evential sexual involvement is erotic but described in good taste. I am now a fan of romantic novels. I hope I can find another one as good as "On The Island".

IN THE SPRING,

A boy’s fancy turns to fishing, a young man’s fancy turns to love, and an old man’s fancy turns to sailing. Hawks glide on thermals in the sky. Purple martins arrive from Brazil but I don’t know why. Yellow finches are back from who knows where.  Ducks quack on the lake and bird songs are in the air.  Lilac’s fragrance is wafting on the breeze. Bright sunshine warms my skin. I wonder where to begin. Clean the garage? Mow the grass? No, I will hang the hammock and rest my ass. It is time to meditate about the season. Spring is here and it is pleasin!

Another thing I love about spring, is putting up flags. Colorful flags flying in the wind are marvelous to behold. State, country, university, and officer flags tell stories that are never too old to be told. On my water front I fly flags for the U.S.A., Michigan, Michigan State University, and Yacht Club Past Commodore. They make a magnificent show!

MILLIONS OF ANCESTORS PRECEDED YOU

Theoretically, everyone has two ancestors in the previous generation, four in the generation before that, eight in the generation before that, and in 24 generations you have 33,554,432. Going back 30 generations (about 1000 years) you would have a billion ancestors. That is a surprising number of relatives! I find it very interesting that we are related to almost everybody. It is likely that you share many ancestors with me. So, I guess we have a lot in common.

Some of my ancestors from Europe had names that gradually changed from Deats, Teits, Teetz, Teats, to Teets. They were merchants, shop keepers, farmers, teamsters, sailors, thieves, preachers, teachers, doctors, and lawyers. I always wanted a pirate ancestor but I can't find any record of one. On the paternal side, my great, great grandfather was Nelson Teets, my great grandfather was George Nelson Teets, my grand father was Thomas Teets, and my father was Voyle Coclough Teets, which is a very unique name. In the history of the world, no one else has had that name.

A LOT OF BULL

I have posted 180 times on my blog but never about investing. Today, I will give you some free investment advice. It is worth every penny of my fee. The stock market just had its best first quarter in 14 years. The Standard & Poor's index is up 100% since the market hit bottom on March 9, 2009. The bull market is starting its third year, and many investors are just now getting back into stocks. Are they too late? Yes, it is too late! (IMO). The bull may continue to run for awhile but history says that the big gain has already happened. Any remaining gain is likely to be small and not worth the risk. The average bull market usually lasts about 4 years. The average gain in the third year of a bull market is only 4%. I am not willing to risk losing the 100% gain I have had in the last 2 years for a possible gain of 4%. The risk reward ratio is lousy! I have sold all my stocks and put the proceeds into a safe money market fund that pays 2.6% interest.


I do not claim to be able to accurately call the exact highs and lows of the market. No one can do that. But it is possible to use historical data to determine which way the market is likely to go in the near future. It is a gamble but rational common sense can help improve your odds. My friend Patrick Fero is a cynical pessimist about most subjects and concerning the present condition of the stock market, I totally agree with his philosophy. A spring pullback seems very likely and there are many, many potential events that could trigger another serious bear market. China seems to be heading for a recession, Europe teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, the price of gas is headed for $5.00 per gallon, our presidential election is fraught with uncertainty, and it has been a long time since the last successful terrorist's attack on American soil. I hope none of that bad stuff happens but one does not know, do one?  

Last: 13,264.49	Change:  +52.45	Open: 13,211.36	High: 13,297.11	Low: 13,153.69	Volume: 108,785,713
	Percent Change: +0.40%	Yield: n/a	P/E Ratio: n/a	52 Week Range: 10,404.49 to 13,297.11

WHERE YOU BEEN? WHERE YOU GOING?

How often do you think about your personal history? How often do you think about your future? Most of us are only in the moment. We are dealing with today's problems and concerns. Recently, my former, long time, employer requested that I help put together a company history. My contribution to the project  was a video of me recalling the major events, from my perspective, of 35 years of employment. I was surprised how well I could remember what had happened even though I had not thought about it for many years. I am sure that I blocked out some unpleasant memories but most of the memories were crystal clear. I found it to be a stimulating and positive experience. Thinking about past accomplishments was uplifting and good for my self esteem. The whole experience was a tonic that gave me an exciting sense of well being!

Since history was good to think about, I wondered if it might also be good to think about my future. And sure enough, it was also a positive experience. It felt good to anticipate my continuing future  retirement,continuing friendships, watching children and grandchildren grow and develop, the joy of a long and loving marriage, these things were very pleasing to think about. I recommend that you get out of the present moment and think about your past and future. It will make you feel good about life! Don't worry, be happy.

THE SUN IS A STAR IN OUR SEWER SYSTEM

                                 
Compared to when I was a child, today's children are very advanced in their knowledge about science. My three year old grand daughter, Emily, recently explained to me that the sun is a star in our sewer system which is part of the universe. Other than confusing "sewer" with "solar", I thought it was remarkable that she was learning things like that in preschool. Today, many kids start school when they are three years old and learn algebra and calculus before they get to high school! We hear a lot of criticism of our schools and teachers but it seems to me most of them are doing very well. There is hope for us because of the advancements in education. 


 Another positive trend is the increase in 'Study Abroad' by our college students. Our national security rests on the foundation of a well-educated electorate with a sophisticated worldview. It is critical to deal intelligently with the emerging economic and military powers of China and India. Also, we must better understand the intricacies of extreme Islam. We should encourage our college students to get a passport and see the world. It's important for American students to become multilingual and comfortable in multicultural settings. Study abroad sharpens these skills and helps keep American workers competitive in these challenging economic times.   

TIME FOR ANOTHER BOOK REVIEW

Bernard Cornwell has written more than 50 'best seller' historical novels. His new book, Death of Kings, is the sixth in his Saxon Stories Series. I consider them to be the very best novels that I have ever read (and I have read literally thousands of books!) Here is what Vince Flynn, another excellent writer, says about Cornwell, "Readers who haven't discovered Bernard Cornwell don't know what they are missing: his books are page turners that both educate and entertain. He may well be the best historical novelist writing today. Any of these novels can be read as a stand alone story but for maximum enjoyment, I recommend that you read them in order: The last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman, The Lords of the North, Sword Song, The Burning Land, and Death of Kings. These books tell the tale of Alfred the Great and his descendants through the eyes of Uhtred, an English boy born into the aristocracy of the ninth-century, captured by the Danes and taught the Viking ways.

Death of Kings continues the story of Uhtred through the tumultous years which followed the death of Alfred the Great as two men struggle to inherit the crown of Wessex. Uhtred, who has become the most feared warrior in all of England  has to contend with betrayal, treachery, and the largest army the Vikings have yet assembled to conquer Wessex. It is brought to a climax in a bloody battle fought in the fens of East Anglia. Cornwell tears away the gloss of legend to reveal the the raw truth of medieval warfare in all its shocking brutality, filth, and gore. Fascinating back story about the power struggle between the King and the Church. I highly recommend these books!

IN THE NEWS

                               
 Last week I heard on the radio that killer tomatoes hit the Midwest and caused a monkey to die of a heart attack. My wife says I need a hearing aid. I hear just fine but there sure are some bizarre news stories on the radio 
Another strange story I heard was about a tissue issue. A scientific survey proves that rich intelligent Republicans prefer to have their toilet paper come off the top of the roll. The people who prefer to have their toilet paper come off the bottom of the roll are prone to cheating at cards. They deal from the bottom of the deck! These people tend to be dishonest in all their affairs. They are liberal democrats who want the government to support them by taxing wealthy Republicans. 
                                                       
                                        

                                 

A SILLY POEM

People avoiding me,

Thought of psychosis,

But that could not be,

Then I thought neurosis,

But not that, you see,

It was just halitosis,

I cured it with green tea!

                       Original poem by h. t. teets 

POLITICS PAST AND PRESENT

My favorite political story is about Calvin Coolidge. Senator George H. Moses once complained to him that a man being considered for a Republican senatorial nomination was an out and out son-of-a-bitch! Coolidge agreed saying, "That may be, but there are a lot of those in the country and I think they are entitled to some representation in the senate". That is how I feel about Rick Santorum. There are a lot of religious fanatics in the country and I guess they are entitled to some representation in the senate. But I sure as heck do not want one to be President. Especially one like Santorum who has publicly stated that separation of church and state is a bad thing. He seems to be saying that he wants our government to be under the authority of the Catholic Pope. I don't think so. Even though I am not happy with our choices, I would rather have a Mormon President who is not trying to rewrite our Constitution. It will be very interesting to see what happens if Santorum wins the Michigan Primary. By the time you read this, we will know the results.

"Government is not reason. It is force, and like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.~ George Washington


"Governments are by far the most dangerous elements of a society ~
Niccolo Macchiavelli 

STORIES AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Humans are a story telling species. Throughout history we have told stories to each other and ourselves as a way to understand and explain the world. Every culture has its creation myth and the stories do not stop there. They were used to discuss every aspect of the world. We humans are chatterboxes who can't resist  telling stories about everything. However compelling and entertaining these stories may be, they fall short of being explanations because they are only stories. For every story there is a variation or a different ending without giving a reason to choose between them. If you are skeptical or try to test their veracity, you will find most such stories wanting. One approach to this has been to forbid skeptical inquiry, branding it as heresy. This idea was so compelling that it was developed by cultures around the world. It is the origin of religion--a set of stories about the world that must be accepted by faith and never questioned.


During the age of reason a new paradigm got started. Instead of forbidding inquiry, some people began to encourage continual questioning. Stories were questioned skeptically and tested with observations and experiments. If the story survives the tests, then provisionally, it can be accepted as something more than a story. It becomes a theory that has real explanatory power. It will never be more than a provisional explanation because we must never let down our skeptical guard. These provisional explanations have become very useful. We call this process of making and vetting stories (theories) the scientific method. Science has taken us a long, long way from the dark ages!