An Amendment

 Once again, we as citizens of the U.S. face the probability of a government shutdown due to the ineffectual nature of our Congress. Time and time again, we face the same situation. I know I, and most everyone I speak to about this type of subject are fed up.

As congressional members, they have certain responsibilities, among them, establishing the rule of law, providing protection to the country, providing for the citizenry (but not every need and whim imaginable), and actually funding the government in a fiscally responsible manner.

In my opinion, they only do two of the four things I just listed. It is time to bring accountability back to our elected officials in a different way than ever before. Too much of their time is devoted to arguing with the other party and hunting for money to get reelected. Instead, their focus should be on effectively working on issues that affect the citizenry and the government itself. 

Therefore, I am proposing the following amendment to the Constitution.

Congress shall pass a balanced bi-annual budget every two years to be effective at the beginning of the congressional fiscal year. If Congress fails to pass said budget on time, any member of Congress who has exceeded three full terms of service in their elected position shall be prohibited from seeking elected congressional office for a period of twelve years.

A balanced bi-annual budget must take effect within six years (three terms of service for a House of Representative member) from the adoption of this amendment.

Any member of Congress who is prohibited from seeking election under this amendment shall forfeit all governmental benefits including retirement/pension and health that are currently earned by those officials exiting Congress.

I believe this amendment (or one of similar nature) would bring not only fiscal responsibility back to those who govern this nation, but also a level of accountability to the people who elect them. It's time for Congress to starts serving the nation and work on real problems instead of investing half their time in fighting with each other and trying to get reelected. 

Sky Rider

 I feel the wind rush across my face in this early morning vastness. It’s hand biting. The sky is as black as it will be for this night, its own face, dark as coal as the stars poke through the heavens to the earth below. The only light that lingers to guide my way will soon vanish beneath the horizon, Sol’s lesser brother succumbing to dawn’s eruption.

I am tired, my night’s work finished. My hands ache as I hold tight the leather reins that guide my steeds. Would these old mittens give way, my flesh would be ripped from the bone and I would not possess the strength to control their swiftness, for their power is like nothing that walks this world.

 With each passing year the weariness creeps further into my bones at night’s end, but it does not dilute my spirit, for there is nothing like the spirit of Christmas. It is whole, and pure, and all that is good with the world. It lifts my soul and enlivens my very being. Would I not ride the heavens each year, I would surely pass into oblivion.

The blackness that was the night is now not so dark. It is a mottled gray that hangs beneath the stars as their light begins to fade. I see the spires of yellow and orange that begin to peak above the rim of the world. Dawn is upon me and I must complete my journey before the magic begins to fade. With one snap of the heavy reigns my steeds become swifter than the lightning that blazes across a summer’s sky...

On Dasher on Dancer on Prancer and Vixen, on Comet on Cupid on Donner and Blitzen....

To the top of the world with great haste do I call, Dash away, dash away, dash away all.

Merry Christmas to one and all, and may peace be within your heart.

My B-I-L

 Yesterday was a sad day for My Beloved as we laid to rest her brother Tom. It was unexpected. I am not sure actually which is worse, the unexpected death of a family member or one you know is coming. Either way, it is hard.

Tom, or Tommy as many knew him was the third of five. I had always called him Tom. "Tommy" just never rang true to me. I know that feeling having lost the same member of my clan, North of 50 nearly ten years ago.

When I joined this family thirty years ago, he was the first to shake my hand and welcome me aboard. He also told me I had better treat his little sister right or I would have to answer to him. I never forgot those words.

He was a man of many talents in including being a chef in the kitchen and an eye through the camera. He loved his cameras.

In this day and age, men are often judged by how much money they make, what kind of job they have, the car they drive and the house they live in. I have come to know through my years that this is the poorest way to judge a man or any person. You judge a man by his heart, his character, his kindness toward others and how he treats and loves his family. I rarely heard a cross word from him regarding others. In this respect, Tom was one of the richest men I knew. He took care of his own sacrificing his own interests for those he loved. I think in that way, he and North of 50 were kindred spirits.

Life is short and moves quickly the older we get. Time really does fly and at some point all we really do have are the memories.

Tom, you are a good man with a heart of gold and you will be missed my many. Say hello to Grandma for us. I know it is a hug you have wished for for some time.

The Spend

 I have noted before, not only in real life but on these rambles as well, the world runs on an economic axis. Nearly everything we do, especially at a macro level has an economic basis or consequence. This not only works in the personal world of everyday life but also in the world of corporate and government finances.

For instance, My Beloved and I recently purchased a new bedroom suite after nearly thirty years. We wanted something new after all this time, but it isn't just always about the want. Whatever we want, we need to be able to afford it. That doesn't mean just leveraging our lives in the hope we will be able to make the payments. If we wanted, we could go out and pay cash for this, but that would also impact savings and financing levels down the line. Living can be expensive whether you are able to afford not only the 'have to have' items like food and shelter, but also the 'want' items, like new bedroom furniture.

So, when you look at the government, what crosses your mind? I know what crosses mine; they spend too much. For instance...

In 1970 the population of the United States was 203.4 million people. That number is from the US Census. The federal budget in that year was 195.3 billion dollars. When you divide that out it comes to spending $96,206 per person in the US.

Contrast that to where we are now. In 2020, the population of the US was 329.5 million people. That is an increase of 161% in the population. The federal expenditures for 2020 was 6.82 trillion dollars. Notice that I didn't use the word budget there. I'm not sure there actually was one. That figure was the total outlay of the federal government. That outlay is an increase of 3492% of what the government spent in 1970. That comes to 2.069 million dollars per person. That is an increase of 2150% of what the government spent per person fifty years ago.

I understand the world is a more expensive place to live than it was fifty years ago. We don't live in a bubble where we can look back on the way it used to be and wonder why it can't be that way again, but I also understand the government shouldn't be in the business of giving everyone anything and everything they ask for. The government is there for the good of the people, not granting the wish list of anyone who asks for something. Programs to keep people from falling through the cracks are one thing, subsidizing life for everyone is something else.

It's time the government begins to prioritize where the money goes, because before long, there won't be any money left that has value. They will just keep printing worthless paper.

They just spend too much.

A time to reflect

 As I arrived home today, I was greeted by the news of the death of Mikhail Gorbachev. It takes me back...

For those who may not understand who this man is, or what he meant to my life, let me explain.

I grew up in a time where one half of the world was at war with the other half. Not always a shooting war, but sometimes. I lived through what is known as the Cold War. The nightly news was filled almost daily with headlines of where the United States and the Soviet Union clashed about something somewhere on the globe. 

I was only few years old during the Cuban missile crisis. I lived with the fear of my brothers being drafted into the service to fight a war in a jungle, far, far away. Nuclear weapons were a nearly a nightly topic on the news. You learned things from newspapers and television news in those days. We faced 'mutual assured destruction' during my lifetime. It was a life of us verses them. Although I was never on the front lines of battle, it touched my life in nearly every facet, so much so I wrote a book titled 'The Bear' about a present day struggle between the U.S. and Russia in today's world. 'The Bear' was a moniker of the Soviet Union in those days.

Then, a funny thing happened. The two leaders of the most powerful nations in the world came together and drove the first nail in the coffin of the Cold War. Then another, and another. They began to talk. They began to possibly understand each other. Whatever it was, although the struggles of the USSR became known at a later date, Mr. Gorbachev began to turn the USSR in a different direction. A famous line from President Reagan is well known; "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall", and it wasn't long afterward, this happened and the world changed.

So, what does this mean to me? I'll tell you.

As I enter the last third of my life, I see little pieces of what I knew slip away. It's the death of a famous person, an athlete, a politician, family members. Each of us in our own way struggle to hang onto pieces of our past and as we age, we begin to lose those pieces and there is not much we can do about it. At least in the present, until we understand the past is a learning tool. We do not live in the past, we live in the present with an eye on the future. The past should be used to guide us forward into the only thing we have, tomorrow. 

What we can bring with us into tomorrow is hope, hope that we have learned from history, from our own mistakes and embrace what is the unknown. A new piece of my past has now faded into the history books but with that, I embrace what once was and I hope to carry those lessons into the future to make it a better place for not only myself, but for others.

Mr. Waffles has left the building

 I may have written about Mr. Waffles before, I think so but I'm too lazy to go back and check honestly. That being said, it was a sad day for your home a couple days ago. Let me explain.

Three years ago when one could still go out in public and attend festivals and such, we happened to go to a popular fair festival in September. It was a beautiful day, the sun was high but not too hot. It was a great day to stroll around. My Beloved, my son and grandson hit the main thoroughfare of the event and did what people do there. We hit the food stands and played the carnival games. 

Now, most of those games are difficult to win, especially when the player is only about nine years old. We tried several before stopping at the game where you toss a ping pong ball into the center of the tent and try to land in a fish bowl. Well, guess what happened...Ragin Cage won a fish. Yep, we left our prize there since it was still early in the day and picked up our trophy on the way out.

It is well known that most of these goldfish don't live very long after you get them home. So, we stuck him in a bowl, we assume it was a him but never verified that gender, and let him swim around. He was given the moniker of Mr. Waffles. The next several months we were surprised he was still living. We took care of him the best we could until finally, I couldn't take it any longer and I went out and purchased small aquarium for him to have a proper home.

It was around Christmas, I think. With another quick trip to the pet store soon had the small tank decorated with green gravel and three plastic plants. It was pretty. But the saga doesn't end there. Mr. Waffles didn't have much to do by himself so being the softy I am, I decided he needed a buddy, so another trip to the pet store to get another goldfish. This one was more colorful that just gold and the two became fast friends. 

I forget the name of the new goldfish, I'm sorry to say but it livened up the tank for a time until he was found on the kitchen floor on morning. Somehow he had hopped out of the tank and fortunately he survived, but he was never quite the same. Since then, Mr. Waffles has been living out his life alone. It has been a few months and I was contemplating getting him another companion, but then, to our surprise, Mr. Waffles too was found flopping on the floor several days ago. My Beloved quickly scooped him up and plopped him back into his tank. We had no idea how long he had been out.

Again, we could tell our prize wasn't the same. He was acting oddly, floating in peculiar positions and we could tell he wasn't going to last. Finally, three days ago, the little carnival fish that we thought wasn't supposed to live more than a couple months left us after three years. It was a sad day but I am glad he came to a peaceful end.

Thank you for your time with us, Mr. Waffles. Till we meet again.

We Never Learn

 I had planned to post about something different this week, however with the events now happening in Europe, my thoughts have changed.

As I am a bit older, I come from a generations whose parents took part it the most horrific conflagration in human history. World War II left virtually no one in the world untouched by its reach. Even as events were discovered after the actual fighting stopped, the depths of human depravity were stunning. 

However when you get down to it all, WWII was about territory, greed and power, a thirst that somehow never seems to be quenched. In the wars since the mid-twentieth century, they have nearly all been skirmishes in comparison, but the underlying reach for power and territory still remains. With smaller, less prosperous countries with limited resources, I can almost understand the want, the need to expand territory for resources and the betterment of the country. 

But, this is 2022. The world is a different place than it was seventy years ago, fifty years ago and even twenty years ago. Have we not learned from our past, a past of war and greed? What is it that drives someone like Vladimir Putin to launch an invasion of a neighboring country? He is a lingering part of the old guard that clawed his way through the cold war and the fall of the Soviet Union, only to retain his power. He is a reflection of what was, what the world needs to leave behind. There is no reason in this century for a power such as Russia to bring Europe to the brink of another war. 

The world is more global than ever before. Whether we like it or not, we are tied to each other for good or bad. What affects one country often affects others in some manner. How have we not put blatant territorial grabs behind us as a species? How do the memories of atrocities of war not prevent futures wars? Apparently those memories are for others to lament and languish in and not for those who thumb their noses at the lesser inhabitants of the world who bear the brunt of such actions.

When will we learn? Will we ever learn?