I choose what's behind door number 13!

Good Tuesday morning, wake up and smell the bacon because we have a brand new day and it's July 20, 2010. It had to happen. Our house is forty years old and we've lived in it for twenty five years. The air conditioning system failed last week. It happened on a day when it was 96 degrees with a feel like of 108. Hey, wait a minute! I just replaced that entire A/C system. Sure you did. But, my friend, that was in 1994 and while spending the money may seem like yesterday, time does get away from us all. Thankfully, and I find it hard to believe we can say this, it was only the fan motor on the outside unit, and a capacitor, and some freon, therefore, we got off for less than $600. $600? We paid less than that for our first two boys when they were born. Yes, as Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, "Toto I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." It's enough sometimes to also throw in the quote from the Star Trek series, "Beam me up Scotty!" However, this is still the day that the Lord has made and we are privileged to rejoice and be glad in it. Or as they used to say back home, this is the only one we have at the moment, so let's make the best of it. Talking about the high cost of living I saw a glossy post card laying on the cabinet top the other day that had a large inscription proclaiming "Free cremation included!" I didn't read it but that just kind of jumps out at you, know what mean, Vern?

Okay, you will notice that at this time I am placing a cap on the top of my noggin that reads "Mr. Cynical." Did you know that we are living at a time when the only real growth that is occurring is in our federal government? Experts tell us that government employee unemployment is somewhere around 4.4% while the folks who pay the salaries of all government employees, when all counted, go far beyond the 9.6% reported, perhaps as many as 18 million willing workers? But the government continues to grow. Health care reform added when fully implemented 16,000 new IRS employees. Health care and the IRS? What a combination. The new financial overhaul regulation will hurt job creation in the private sector but it sets up an entire new agency within the federal government to oversee consumer financial matters. Did you know the average pay for federal employees now greatly exceeds the average pay of the folks who labor each day to pay the taxes that pay these higher paid folks? Did you know that 49% of Americans still oppose the new health care legislation? Did you know there are literally hundreds of regulatory rules yet to be written that will not require additional congressional approval that reflect huge gray areas in all of these legislated laws, that will, based on what we have already seen from this administration, continue this unprecedented take over of individual rights, while giving rise to unfettered government intrusion and control? And, the way I read it at this time, like a runaway freight train, there appears to be no end in sight, even in November, where I fear those opposing this unbelievable power grab will end up shooting themselves in the foot. I say this because of the track record from the past but using one of the supposedly most overused and unliked phrases, "at the end of the day", we still have hope, not because of conservatives, not because of Republicans, and especially not because of Republicans, but because our trust is in the Lord our God.

But our faith propels us to speak truth to power and it should never keep us from dealing with the facts as they are. The pending energy overhaul could make things like my $600 repair history. It might well be doubled or I might well be told that I must install a newer more efficient system or do without. That may sound like an alarmist overkill, but I submit to you, that this, my friend, is the mindset of the people we have put in charge of our country. On a lighter note, depending on how you see it, Senate Majority Leader Reid has gone on the record to assure the entire nation that there are zero illegals working in his state of Nevada's construction business. None, not one, or in the popular vernacular, nada! Those within the construction business in Nevada have a slightly different view. They claim that Nevada most likely has the highest number of illegals working in the construction business compared to all other states. Here's the rub. If this dude is the leader of the senate and if he is one of the key people crafting immigration reform legislation but does not have a clue regarding the facts on the ground in his own state, then how, in heaven's name can you and I trust anything that comes out of this so called comprehensive overhaul? For me, we've had one too many comprehensive overhauls that have been productive but only in the sense of growing the government. One democratic insider spoke on condition of anonymity said that someone needed to whisper these words into the President's ear, "It's still the economy, stupid!" And so it is and this ends another session of "That's the way I see it.", from yours truly. Do remember that God is not surprised by any of the things I have spoken about and He is still ruling and reigning, therefore, we can trust in Him! Amen. .....More later.