Death, taxes, and the pills that help get us there!

One good thing to report: We made it to Thursday, April 8, 2010. I am still in the process of doing our taxes. We owe a fairly large amount (for us, anyway) but I am at fault, therefore, while it is grievous in some ways, I have no one to blame but myself. I had pulled the trigger on some retirement distributions and did not have enough withheld. I could jump up and down and join those who want to revolt, but in my case, I can look in the mirror and say with confidence, I have met the enemy and it is I. I have corrected the problem for next year but that will not eliminate the sting when I write the check. The statement about the only things certain in life being death and taxes was made popular my Benjamin Franklin but it had been around long before he used it. My guess is it has been around for as long as folks have paid taxes. The Bible would give a different perspective in that God's message as to those things which are most certain goes like this: "It is appointed unto man once to die and after this, the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)

One day this week I heard an interesting tidbit on the Wall Street Journal early morning radio report. It was about the huge problem that exists with folks who have chronic illnesses but fail to regularly take their prescribed medications. There are many tools available to try and help this situation. Vibrating watches that remind, glow caps that flash, and special calendar boxes to separate dosages are all out there as ways to get folks to take their drugs. However, there's a new one in trials at this time that really got my attention. They are working on a pill that has a tiny transmitter that operates on a timer and it will signal an alarm box to remind someone to take the other pills. This has to be one of those: What will they think of next? deals. You know how my mind works. What will they come up with to make sure someone remembers to take the remembering pill? I told you it's not easy to get older and I have the pills to prove it!

They have recently reported a huge increase in sales for Toyota. This is despite the lack of definitive information to prove they have the unexpected acceleration problems fixed. How did this happen? Huge discounts and interest free financing is the most likely reason, although some say that many folks are unhappy with how our government has handled this case, especially given the government's ownership of GM and Chrysler. I heard one fellow proclaim that it says much about the American mindset when we are willing to buy a car at a good price with good financing without regard to whether it is safe or not. It just goes to show us all that we can never be sure about anything in this life as it relates to products, services, and stuff. Every day people follow proper instructions like roadside signs but if those have been altered in any way, it can end up in tragedy, even though the rules were carefully followed. This is why we need to solidify our trust and confidence in God and His Word alone. We are told that His word will never pass away and that is something we can stake our very life on, each and every day. (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35) Amen. .....More later.