What is a Entitlement

I was in my neighborhood restaurant this morning and was seated behind a group of jubilant individuals celebrating the successful passing of the recent health care bill. I could not finish my breakfast. This is what ensued: They were a diverse group of several races and both sexes. I heard the young man exclaim, Isn't Obama like Jesus Christ? I mean, after all, he is healing the sick. The young woman enthusiastically proclaimed, Yeah, and he does it for free. I cannot believe anyone would think that a free market would work for health care. They are all crooks and thieves and don't deserve all of that money. Another said, ˜The stupid Republicans want us all to starve to death so they can inherit all of the power. Obama should be made a Saint for what he did for those of us less fortunate.

At this, I had had enough.

I arose from my seat, mustering all the restraint I could find, and approached their table. Please excuse me; may I impose upon you for one moment? They smiled and welcomed me to the conversation. I stood at the end of their table, smiled as best I could and began an experiment.

I would like to give one of you my house. It will cost you no money and I will pay all of the expenses and taxes for as long as you live there. Anyone interested? They looked at each other in astonishment. Why would you do something like that? asked a young man, There isn't anything for free in this world. They began to laugh at me, as they did not realize this man had just made my point. I am serious, I will give you my house for free, no money what so ever. Anyone interested? In unison, a resounding Hell Yeah fills the room.

Since there are too many of you, I will have to make a choice as to who receives this money free bargain. I noticed an elderly couple was paying attention to the spectacle unfolding before their eyes, the old man shaking his head in apparent disgust. I tell you what; I will give it to the one of you most willing to obey my rules. Again, they looked at one another, an expression of bewilderment on their faces. The perky young woman asked, What are the rules? I smiled and said, I don't know. I have not yet defined them. However, it is a free home that I offer you. They giggled amongst themselves, the youngest of which said, What an old coot. He must be crazy to give away his home. Go take your meds, old man. I smiled and leaned into the table a bit further. I am serious, this is a legitimate offer. They gaped at me for a moment.

Hell, I'll take it you old fool. Where are the keys? boasted the youngest among them. Then I presume you accept ALL of my terms then? I asked. The elderly couple seemed amused and entertained as they watched from the privacy of their table. Oh hell yeah! Where do I sign up? I took a napkin and wrote, I give this man my home, without the burden of financial obligation, so long as he accepts and abides by the terms that I shall set forth upon consummation of this transaction. I signed it and handed it to the young man who eagerly scratched out his signature. Where are the keys to my new house? he asked in a mocking tone of voice. All eyes were upon us as I stepped back from the table, pulling the keys from pocket and dangling them before the excited new homeowner.

Now that we have entered into this binding contract, witnessed by all of your friends, I have decided upon the conditions you are obligated to adhere from this point forward. You may only live in the house for one hour a day. You will not use anything inside of the home. You will obey me without question or resistance. I expect complete loyalty and admiration for this gift I bestow upon you. You will accept my commands and wishes with enthusiasm, no matter the nature. Your morals and principles shall be as mine. You will vote as I do, think as I do and do it with blind faith. These are my terms. Here are your keys. I reached the keys forward and
the young man looked at me dumb founded.

Are you out of your freaking mind? Who would ever agree to those ridiculous terms? the young man appeared irritated. You did when you signed this contract before reading it, understanding it and with the full knowledge that I would provide my conditions only after you committed to the agreement. Was all I said. The elderly man chuckled as his wife tried to restrain him. I was looking at a now silenced and bewildered group of people.

You can shove that stupid deal up your a** old man, I want no part of it exclaimed the now infuriated young man. You have committed to the contract, as witnessed by all of your friends; you cannot get out of the deal unless I agree to it. I do not intend to let you free now that I have you ensnared. I am the power you agreed to. I am the one you blindly and without thought chose to enslave yourself to. In short, I am your Master. At this, the table of celebrating individuals became a unified group against the unfairness of the deal.

After a few moments of unrepeatable comments and slurs, I revealed my true intent. What I did to you is what this administration and congress did to you with the health care legislation. I easily suckered you in and then revealed the real cost of the bargain. Your folly was in the belief that you can have something you did not earn; that you are entitled to that which you did not earn; that you willingly allowed someone else to think for you. Your failure to research, study and inform yourself permitted reason to escape you. You have entered into a trap from which you cannot flee. Your only chance of freedom is if your new Master gives it unto you.

A freedom that is given can also be taken away; therefore, it is not freedom. With that, I tore up the napkin and placed it before the astonished young man. This is the nature of your new health care legislation.

I turned away to leave these few in thought and contemplation and was surprised by applause. The elderly gentleman, who was clearly entertained, shook my hand enthusiastically and said, Thank you Sir, these kids don't understand Liberty these days. He refused to allow me to pay my bill as he said, You earned this one, it is an honor to pickup the tab. I shook his hand in thanks, leaving the restaurant somewhat humbled, and sensing a glimmer of hope for my beloved country.

Use reason, it is the closest you are going to get to Godly conduct
Clifford A. Wright

Sunday Afternoon Moments

I went for a trip to the grocery store to get some snacks and other items I needed. On my way home I was listening to a program on talk radio, Ohio river hour. I turned left down Tealtown off Old 74 and came to a stop about 100 yards. It seemed a car ahead was trying to turn left and we were waiting, then WHAM!! this car hits my car doing 35-40 mph. I flew back as the seat broke and then forward as I hit the car in front of me. My leg was jammed badly into the console and dash.

I blacked out briefly and then was in a lot of pain from leg and neck. Leg hurt the more so do to the scrape. Went to the hospital in a ambulance where I got x-rays and my leg was bandaged up. X-rays came back and I was released after I bit of time with the Union Township police officer. He asked me what I thought happened, I told him the above and he said yup she did not even brake.

I was off a couple days at work but felt I was needed so I went in for a half day to catch up and see how It felt. I was sore and tired after 5 hours. So went to the Doctors and then home for a rest. It has been one week from the wreck and it still hurts. I hope I feel better soon. It is always nice to get a new car, this one again was not planned. Just life's moments. I chose a Mazda 6 from Kings Mazda. Carl works there and I know I will get good service with him. I do not like how March roared in. I am getting to old for this *hit.

Explanation of Derivative Markets

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit . She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later.

Heidi keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers' loans). Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later" marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in Detroit .

By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively.

A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral.

At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders figure a way to make huge commissions, and transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then bundled and traded on international security markets.

Naive investors don't really understand that the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics. Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses.

One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. He so informs Heidi.

Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Since Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations she is forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and the eleven employees lose their jobs.

Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS drop in price by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the banks liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community.The suppliers of Heidi's bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the various BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds. Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers.

Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion dollar no-strings attached cash infusion from their cronies in Government. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers who have never been in Heidi's bar.

Now do you understand?

Defining Moment

Seems like these type of moments happen when you had hoped for something other than what you ended up with. Could just be life is giving back what you have given it. In that case this moment proved to be you reap what you sowed. If you have to ask and when it is not genuine then it really is not worth the time. I can only hope for things to happen it is not worth asking, it cheapens the moments. Un-returned email lack of interest distance all seem now a factor. In measured distance really not that far, emotional distance seems very far away. No matter how close you try to be.

We all chose paths in life and we must be true to ourselves. All one can do with what life brings is make the best of what they can do. Sometimes it is more than some expect, other times it leaves that empty feeling that life often brings from time to time. Teach what you can, love them be all you can and do what you think is the right thing to do. If the seeds fall right you get a good harvest. If you do not do well the harvest will be less or none at all. It was nice ride there and a long road back, a long time to think about defining moments.

Winter of 2010

The winter of 2009-2010 has proven to be cold and snowy. But we are only at the end of January. The Ohio Valley can be brutal in February. Life goes on work and play and live life moments. Ty is home this weekend from O.U. Harvard on the Ohio. Spent New Years Eve with bert driving around the farm country of butler, Hamilton and Franking counties in Ohio and Indiana. Was a cloudy dreary day but proved to be fruitful. Beat losing money at the boats like Min and Beate were doing. At least I had to pay for dinner was tasty. We will see what the new years brings. The winds of change seem to be happening and I see some new direction soon in our lives.

Thomas Honerlaw - R.I.P

A very old friend of mine died yesterday. Tom Honerlaw :ie Nate was one of the Jr DBs and a close friend back when I was younger. I was friends with his older brother Bob and helped coach Tom in basket ball when he was going to St. Johns Church. Of all the DBs he was the most gentle kind soul you could ever meet. A very nice person who would do anything in the world to help you out. I spent many a wild night out with Nate and the gang and have some fond memories of those nights. We had so much fun I can not recall all the details.

Fred as I most often called him would come to the store visiting me and we all played ball with the gang. Tom worked and saved to buy the first house of who was in the group. He was a good man who worked hard and played hard in his younger years. We kept in touch and went out on dates when he met Connie and I was seeing Mary. Tom married Connie and Mary and I never got married and split. After that I would see Nate at some of the softball games. But after I stopped playing we saw less of each other. I kept tabs on him via Harry who I saw more often.

Tom died from what seems a combination of heart attack and then car accident. I do not know much of really what has happened. That part is not important, Tom's loss is what is really is important, we will miss him. I feel very sorry for his loss to his son Kyle Honerlaw and Connie Honerlaw. You have my deepest sympathy, I know it is not easy.

Nate, take care buddy and you will be missed but not some forgotten.
A man like you is not forgotten easily. Sleep well friend.

From Kyle: "The visitation is on sunday the 27th at Vorhis and Ryan funeral home in norwood, 5501 Montgomery Rd. It is 2-5pm and the funeral will be monday the 28th at the Church of the Nativity. The mass will start at 10am."

Hotel Lakeside - End of November

It was a busy month with the trip to Lakeside Ohio for Mom's memorial service and burial. The cottage was huge and very nice. The Breeze Inn right next to the Hotel Lakeside and a short walk to the pavilion and Lake Erie swimming and fishing dock. There was a nice gathering of the family as well as friends and the service. Mom is now at rest and enjoying life again with Danny. We spent Sunday night there just the four of us in that huge house. It was nice, hearing the Lake and bells ring from the Pavilion Steeple. It is much more quiet in Lakeside Ohio in November compared to the Summer months.

Thanks giving was nice. Got to spend time with Dad and Martha's family is always enjoyable. Feel old talking to Ben and Jake who I use to see run around as 1 year old kids. Got news we maybe going on a cruise on the Oasis this summer. Now that would be very cool. The ship is huge and it would be fun to photograph.

Did something to my foot Friday night, not sure what but it sure hurt Saturday morning. Wanted to go to Rowe Woods but the cold and my foot put the trip off till afternoon. Met Ken Dunn who is one excellent photographer for a walk in Rowe Woods. Ken and I met last year at Capture Cincinnati's Book awards and book signing. My foot was still hurting but I can not recall anything that could cause it, so I went for a nice long walk showing him some of my favorite locations in Rowe Woods. It felt a little better till last night. Was very sore but I put on a cast and it feels better today. I guess I will gimp around unless it gets worse, same foot I broke a couple years back. It is hell getting old, but I prefer it to the alt.

Last Party

We had a birthday part for my mother in law last month in the nursing home. It was like many of the other parties we have held at her bedside over the last 10 years. But unlike the other birthday or holiday parties this one would be the last party. Mom had been told she was dieing and there was really no long term solution to the illness. She chose to refuse treatments and let life take it's course. The birthday party was in September and it was her 71st birthday which would prove to be her last one. Everyone was able to gather and enjoy cake and some time to talk about days and life events. Things she liked to hear about that was going on in her families daily lives. This would be the last time I saw her before her passing, my final kiss on her forehead.

Mom passed away on October 20th 2009 around 12:30PM with hospice at her side. Min and Jim were on there way but she like many mothers did not want to pass on in front of her kids. She she checked out about 8 minutes before they were able to get to her bedside. This is very common, I know my mother chose to pass on that way as well. There is something about mothers not wanting to pass on in front of their sons. She had Hospice and other friends with her when she went peacefully. I wish I could have done to comfort Min but I was in the Hospital at the time, a unplanned visit. Just more stress on Min's plate, something I was trying to avoid. I was able to get out and home that evening to at least be with her as she grieved. She has taken her mother's passing very hard.

We will be putting her to rest near Lakeside Ohio where she grew up and has many friends. She will rest next to Danny and her parents. Lakeside has always been a special place in our families lives. It over looks Lake Erie and it is where her family's roots run deep. We have spent many summers in Lakeside but we were not able to make up this year do to a cruise and Ty heading off to O.U. I did not think we would be up there this year. Ma proved me wrong, we will spend time there over the week end. Not our normal trip to Lakeside but it will bring back memories of winter trips to Lakeside to see Mom and Danny as we did many times for Thanksgiving.

R.I.P Ma and there will be no longer need to worry about the kids, or family, just time to rest. Sleep well.

Nobel Joke

Ghandi doesn't get one but Obama does? LOL I thought that it was ridiculous joke when I first heard it, but it turns out the joke is now the Nobel Committee and their political motivations, they just marginalized their peace prize and prior winners. Obama was nominated for a Nobel Prize 11 days after he took office, having done nothing except party. These many months later, he's still done nothing except give speeches saying 'gosh we suck as a country'. You cannot make this up. It is almost surreal in how he is changing America and how the people will live. MSM doesn't report it and people seem ambivalent. Who is going to pay the bill, it is coming do at some point?

The economy is in the tank, he's taking the deficit and debt to historic, epic, impossible to deal with levels, with nothing to show for it, while shilling for more domestic programs that will probably literally annihilate the middle class. Ah, but that will probably happen even if none of them pan out. The mounting debt is frightening. No worries, Barry gives good socialistic speeches and the god like swoon in wonderment. There is a large segment of people here who are terrible at math and who believe in unicorns. I see that there are also some of these folks in Europe. But even the Germans, French and English are turning more to the right and capitalism.

This country was built on freedom and sweat equity. We've turned into a nation of whiners and weenies. Needing government handouts instead of knowing that the answer is to work harder. The grownups are dying out and all that will be left will be people scrambling for the dole. Like siblings after the funeral of the last parent.

If you can clap for that, you probably are receiving government checks. When you take away personal responsibility, you end up with irresponsible people. Modern America.

Tyler's trip to OU for College

The van was on loan from Frank & Cindy a kind thing for them to do. Lots of room for the move and ride in real comfort. We headed out early to get in line to unload the college dorm room furnishings and supplies.

Got to the Jeff and it was well organized and were unload and I was parked in about one hour. Forth floor all steps and my back is feeling it. The room has no A/C but seems nice for the two guys. The dorm is a short walk from downtown Athens.






Mother and Son as he heads of to his first year of college. One of life's defining moments in time. A real memory.