This is an actual event.


A man is driving an ATV down the street…no problem.

A man is driving an ATV down a hilly street…no problem.

A man is driving an ATV down a snow covered hilly street…it could go either way.

A man is driving an ATV down a snow covered hilly street at 35 MPH…the coin toss is in the air.

A man is driving an ATV down a snow covered hilly street at 35 MPH towing 2 kids in a sled...not looking good.

A man is driving an ATV down a snow covered hilly street at 35 MPH towing 2 kids in a sled and sees a police car at the bottom of the hill…Houston we have a problem.

A man is driving an ATV down a snow covered hilly street at 35 MPH towing 2 kids in a sled and sees a police car at the bottom of the hill. He attempts to avoid the police car and whips the sled into the car injuring the kids.

The kids are in the hospital and no details of their injuries have been released. The man was arrested for DUI, he was driving drunk, and various other charges. There were 2 other kids riding on the ATV. They were unhurt.

I wonder what Tucker Carlson would do to this piece of trash.


Richard
 

It’s the end of the year which means it’s time for a financial review and planning for 2011. Reviewing my current money market account revealed that its advantages had evaporated. Finding a new, more attractive money market was fairly easy. After fifteen minutes a new account was created and test transactions, transferring money into the new account, were in place. The Internet makes transactions very efficient and relatively safe, in my opinion.

Collecting silver coins over twenty or so years resulted in a display of numerous coins. In the beginning of 2010 silver prices were nothing to write home about. During the year they staged a rally and then sank back to original levels. About a month ago the price started to spike. If it hit thirty dollars an once the coins were off to be appraised.

A couple of weeks ago it happened. Waiting for the appraiser’s offer realistically a couple of hundred of dollars was my target. His offer surpassed that by miles. It took a couple of moments for the transaction to be completed. Conservatively my return was around four hundred percent. Naturally it took decades for this profit to happen however it shows the advantage of being patient.

A recent article in a financial publication attempted to explain the silver hype. Its conclusion was that there was nothing fundamentally driving the increase in price. The rise in price was due to investors thinking they could make money riding the wave of the rising tide. With nothing substantial supporting the rise, the price of silver would probably lose its luster and return to lower levels. They could be right and they could be wrong. There is a saying in farming, “Make hay while the sun is shinning.” It also applies to investing.


Richard
 

One of my personal holiday joys is reaching agreement with people not to exchange presents. It’s not about the money. It’s about avoiding the holiday hype and frankly my friends and family are at the age where they have everything they need. Finding a thoughtful gift is just too much damn work.

The few people who did not agree to my gifting idea, agreed to gag gifts and/or mail order which suits Mr. Bah Humbug just find. It is relaxing shopping discontinued bins and half off carts for the perfect gift that no one will ever use and create laughter and conversation when it is unwrapped. Mail order/ Internet is a breeze surfing with credit card handy to procure the appropriate, usually food items, gifts.

Self gifting is like a kid in a candy store. Buy what you want and enjoy. This year a new office chair was the target. Walking into the store the office chair section was chock full of choices. The perfect chair caught my eye not unlike the electric train set with smoke pellets for the engine did way back when.

Parking my caboose, a little train humor is always appreciated, in the seat softness and just the right amount of firmness wrapped around my body. A wide clear aisle was too tempting to resist. Like a Mercedes Benz on the Autobahn, the chair was whisked into action. Up and down back and forth. The ride was smooth and the chair cornered well, not to mention stopping on a dime, Fred Flintstone style, Yabba, Dabba Doo.

A couple employees walked by without saying a word. Another one asked if I was finding everything ok. This question was odd as I was whizzing up and down the aisle with a smile on my face. I couldn’t be any happier if … well that’s another story.

The clincher was the fact the chair required no assembly. Just snap the casters into the base and insert the chair into the base unfold the back and presto-chango the chair is ready. There was one small problem. I kept trying to insert the chair into the wrong hole in the base. After a couple times I figured out which end was up sort to speak. Maybe this is why I never had too much success with the ladies. I never knew what I was doing.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.


Richard
 

I did send letters to my Congressperson and United States Senator regarding the need to take serious steps to address the massive deficit. This is the response from one of my Senators, the only one to respond so far.

Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on federal spending. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.


Government has a responsibility to spend taxpayers' dollars wisely, but it also has a responsibility to provide certain services and guarantees to the American people. I take both of these very seriously. To ensure that we have the ability to maintain our infrastructure, defend our borders, educate our children, and more, it is imperative that we keep our financial house in order.


In a time of limited resources, it is especially critical that we carefully evaluate all the spending proposals that come before the U.S. Congress. We have to focus on investing taxpayer dollars wisely in things that will move this economy forward.


In this time of economic crisis, I believe it is especially important that Congress prioritize those measures that will foster long-term economic growth. We must reinvest in our education system, in our workers, in our nation's infrastructure and in the development of clean energy technologies that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil. By making these important investments today and helping revitalize our economy, we can leave our children with prosperity not debt.


As a member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee I will continue to work with President Obama and with my colleagues to draft legislation that strikes the right balance in how we collect and spend federal tax dollars so we can leave more than debt to the next generation. I understand that this issue is especially important to you, and you should be assured that I will keep your views in mind as we craft legislation.


Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.





Richard




 

Is all about how you look at things. Life is nothing really except change. Our bodies’ change almost daily starting with birth and going right through death. This isn’t a brilliant thought however many people just forget or ignore the changes of their body. Changes make life possible not embracing it makes life more difficult or impossible.

Most situations in life have positives and negatives. Many people recognize the negatives before the positives. They aren’t bad people, most of us have been trained that way and to break the training is very difficult. Over emphasizing the negatives will turn most people into a cranky Yankee. Balancing the negatives with the positives can reduce stress and tension, possibly leading to a more enjoyable life. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Hey, nothing works every time. Balancing is worth the effort as there is nothing to loose.

Yearly my Dermatologist freezes pre-cancer skin lesions from my face and arms. Depending on how many lesions are frozen my upper body looks like either an angry wasp or a mob of wasps attacked me. Most of the time when talking with people for a period I’ll explain my red spots, as the explanation will satisfy normal curiosity.

Their reactions to my explanations are usually negative in that they express concern over my lesions. Maybe they only hear the word, “cancer” and not the word, “pre.” Usually I’ll thank them for their concern and move on.

Sometimes I’ll explain that cancer never has been part of my life due to self awareness and prevention. The freezing stops cancer from developing and regular visits to the Dermatologist will prevent skin cancer from occurring. An agreeing nod and a couple of positive words come from their mouths and we move on. This year only a couple of red welts were visible. No explanations were offered and no one said anything about them. Silence can be golden.



Richard
 

The American people simply have their heads stuck in the sand when it comes to deficit reduction. Politicians, big business, Wall Street and plain ole regular folks have and are contributing to the problem; together we can over come this obstacle. The answer is simple and easy to comprehend, if only the people would view the deficit rationally. Solving the deficit won’t be easy it will be painful for one and all however the solution must start immediately.

Spending cuts, raising taxes and growing the economy form the triangle of, “better times ahead.” All three must be enacted; one or two will not solve the problem. Defense, Social Society, Medicaid and Medicare comprise approximately 70% of the country’s total expenditures. They all most be reduced, in a responsible manner, in any serious attempt to reduce the amount of red ink spending.

Tax code loopholes need to be closed and tax deductions eliminated thereby increasing revenue. Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, co-chairs of the U. S. Debt Commission reported in part that, eliminating charitable deductions, mortgage interest deductions, deductions for state and local taxes could result in the government lowering income tax rates to 8 percent, 14 percent and 23 percent. The corporate tax rate could also be reduced to 26 percent (Bloomberg Business Week November 22 – 28, 2010), fostering employment opportunities for the millions of people unemployed.

I’m not a Rhodes Scholar yet by reading and listening various publications and view points it is clear to me this is the only plausible solution to our deficit challenge. The people are the Government. President John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

It is time for the American people of all colors, rich and poor and political beliefs to ask and instruct their elected Government officials to stop being ornamental and become instrumental in solving the deficit reduction. It is time to begin constructive serious debates focusing on how to solve the problem.

Action is relatively quick and simple just write a polite, respectable E-mail or letter to your United States Senators and your Representative to Congress instructing them put their love for their country above political affiliation and ambition and under take constructive steps to solve the deficit reduction.


Richard
 

Everyone, especially guys, should read the December 2010 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. While working out this morning I couldn't stop laughing reading it and the time flew by. My favorite article was, "Tis the season to be a little bitchy." Priceless


Richard
 

We sat in the living room, the television provided background noise for our intermittent conversation. President Obama was talking about the need to compromise and create jobs. My hospice client was talking about his life history which was nothing extraordinary until outta nowhere he asked if he told me how he met his wife, who was running errands. Even if he had told the story before I wouldn’t have said so. It’s better to have people talk about what they feel is important than to impose my ideas on how the conversation should flow.

It was an incredible story; he told it from the heart as if it may have been the last time he was going to tell it. Usually conversations with clients roll of my back, not leaving a lasting impression. Their story is still with me twenty four hours later.

High school sweet hearts that went their separate ways and found each other by chance, at a party some thirty years later. Both were divorced. She called him repeatedly. He didn’t return her calls. Finally she reached him and demanded they go on a date. He agreed. That was three years ago. Two years ago they were married. Now he is terminally ill.

It’s easy to feel sorry for their situation. On the other hand they have enjoyed three years together and it seems they realize and appreciate the time they have left together. They are positive, upbeat and seem to living life for what it worth. Depression, sadness and other emotions which accompany their situation are probably part of their life. Yet they balance those feelings with positives.

Balancing the negative with the positive; it is the common theme of the people under hospice care whom have allowed me in their life, a boat load of wonderful people living the time they have left with class and dignity. Facing the ultimate challenge of life, they choose to wrap themselves around it, enjoying it.



Richard
 

Well Hell it’s November or that’s what my calendars and computer inform me every day. 2010 is almost over. The year has flown by and my memories of it are mostly dry. My accomplishments or days of note in January or Feb are beyond recall. My Day Timer is of no hope; those pages were long ago dumped. The story is the same for the remaining months; minutes into hours, hours into days, into weeks, into months of nothing to note.

The melting together of time is the processing of aging, as is forgetting things and wondering if it’s par for the course or playing in the tall grass of the rough: Alzheimer’s. If my ball is in the tall grass soon my memory of it will fade to black, falling through yet another crack in my foundation.

It’s far better for time to fly than to drag on endlessly, one ground hog day after another. Still my head shakes in amazement of yet another year passing as if it were on speed. There was a time when 40 seemed so far away, a fantasy time and place, now 40 seems so young and far ago. Life happened too damn fast.

What has been forgotten has left room for what is new. Aging is learning, embracing the new and wonderful. It’s freedom to do and say what you want. The challenges won and the battles lost make it so. The right has been earned.

The challenges and battles continue until the last breath. There is no escape from that reality. Since there is no possible escape except for that last breath it makes sense to remember the past fondly and drink the future with the glass half full.


Richard
 

The severe recession is a dark cloud with a silver lining. Hopefully people will take this opportunity to relearn some basic economic truths and personal financial management disciplines. If they do they could be in a better position to weather the next recession and the others which will surely occur.

Big business and big money always recover first from a recession and the people on Main Street recover last. Companies and Wall Street are steadily rising posting healthy profits and increased stock prices. The opportunity is for people in to invest in themselves and Wall Street.

Live well within one’s means and pay yourself first. Put money aside. Invest, every month no matter what then pay your bills. It’s not difficult just a healthy dose of discipline and, in time, one will have a health nest egg for the rainy days of the future.

$4 or $5 for a cup of coffee, a big expensive house with more room than you need, shiny brand new cars, the latest technology gadgets, the most powerful computer are nice to own but a few minor downgrades will yield comparable benefits and put money in your pockets. There is the saying, “Money can’t buy happiness.” It’s a lie. Sure true happiness doesn’t have anything to do with money but it’s damn hard to get without enough money to live a comfortable lifestyle.

I have no debt, drive a six year old car, live in an inexpensive apartment located in a great neighborhood and comfortable city, HD flat screen TV, expanded cable service, an old yet functional computer are mine. My major expense is health insurance, given that I’m not working for a company. When I make a major purchase it isn’t made until the cash is available. Randy Moss, the NFL player, said, “Straight cash Homey.” He is right. Pay cash for as much as you can.

I haven’t worked for 5 years and I’m 56 years old. I saved my entire adult life, invested wisely in mutual funds, walked my talk and life is fantastic. Sure I’m single, women just cost too much money, and childless, same reason and I’m happy. Money has given me the opportunity to relax and do what I want to do when I want to do it. My life still has challenges and sleepless nights but I have the ability to plan ways to overcome them. The worst that could happen is that I have to go back to work.

Hey, my lifestyle isn’t for everyone, that’s for sure. The point is whatever lifestyle people live they can, with minor adjustments and persistence, make the changes necessary to provide a veritable boat load of money to withstand economic hardships.



Richard