A Race Race?

I read and I observe. I am on the hunt, I am watching, I am patiently waiting. I want to find an African-American regular Joe or Jill who can articulate reasons Obama will get their vote in November.

I would love to hear or read a list of the senator's accomplishments as a legislator from a supporter. Or that he's a Democrat or he's a liberal or even that he's a Socialist and that's their reason for voting his way.

I hear that they are due. That it's about time we do this right. That he will bring change. Change. In my mind I hear the senator's words: "I do not look like any other president."

Change. Obama has picked as his running mate a Washington-insider. I speculate Biden will help balance Barack's total inexperience with foreign diplomacy and make his ticket appeal to white men.

So it's about race. This is a race race. I will continue to watch and observe. I will see who brings it back again and again to race.

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100% US Prime

The GOP ticket has a true genuine 100% woman. The Dems have a 50% black.

The GOP has a war vet and a maverick administrative mother of 5.

The Dems talk change but offer a very very junior senator with no administrative experience (Obama has only been there when Congress was in session about 143 days) and a legistrator of long extreme liberal standing who has known no other job.

The Dems will cut taxes for some and raise them for others. Remember that about 40% of the working citizens pay no federal income tax now and about 60% of them get $ for working in the form of Earned Income Credits. That's right. We pay them to work. We'd also pay them not to work. So 5% of our citizens face an extreme increase in their taxes. Sock it to the rich and anyone whose $ makes $. There's even talk of taxing gains in retirement funds and pension funds.

The GOP offers us all the freedom known as the pursuit of happiness. John McCain wants us all to aspire to our fullest potential.

I am excited about the GOP ticket. I have never been inspired by McCain who has crossed the aisle too many times to work with the most socialist of the left's liberal legislators. He is a great American but is not strong on basic rights. Sarah Palin is an exciting balance to the ticket.

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A Female VP!

McCain is about to announce the governor of Alaska as his choice for Vice President. Governor Palin arrived in NW Ohio last night. I'd love to tell you more about her but websites are bogged down with the curious like moi.

A mother of 5. First female governor of Alaska.

This week's convention could be very interesting and positive. Exciting and focused.

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Forgiven

I know I am forgiven of my sins. I am a Christian and Jesus' blood covers all my wrongs.

If I know such grace, why do I have trouble with the Democrats? Their fallen but beloved son spoke last night at their big convention in Denver.

Our most recently impeached president took the stage and had full reign. Bill Clinton must also know grace. He was not very humble though. I don't think he's ever been humble and last night he had the full, unshared spotlight.

But it is time for our first black president to step aside for our first half white president.

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Proud

"I am a proud mother. I am a proud senator from New York. I am a proud Democrat. I am a proud supporter of Barack Obama. I am a proud American."

Hillary? Are you not a proud wife?

Interesting, very interesting.

Tonight Bill speaks. He was told the topic. Let's see if he sticks to the assignment. Then he's leaving town. Rumors are many will leave before Obama takes the stage on Thursday.

Interesting, very interesting.

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DNC

The Democrats rally this week in Denver. The world will tune in to hear the anointed one speak toward the end of the week but many will watch to see if there are fireworks.

Hillary's name will be put up and there will be a roll call. Does anyone think that just because she nearly won, that she will find supporters brave enough to cast their votes for her? She ran hard and she nearly won. Barack's margin over her was slimmer than he's carrying now over McCain.

Will the Dems want to win the White House more than they want Obama in there? August has been hard on him. His trip to Europe and the Middle East was difficult for many to swallow. The invasion of Georgia was probably the biggest reason he chose a statesman as his running mate.

The word is out that he's been practicing not using the teleprompter. It's very obvious that he does not speak easily "off the cuff." The Saddleback interview was very telling. His people declared that they knew McCain was given some of the questions ahead of time. They were right. Rick Warren provided John McCain with two of the interview questions ahead of time. However, he provided Obama with three. Even with a tipped playing field the very very junior senator from Illinois came off choppy, unprepared, uncertain, and weak.

Will the Dems settle for weak? We know the GOP has settled for a non conservative. We are hopeful he will balance his act with a conservative running mate.

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Today

This the day that the Lord has made. Let us be rejoice and be glad in it.

When it comes to wealth, what we all have is today. Today. A gift. An opportunity. Possibilities. Options. Commitments.

A neighbor has successfully been fighting liver cancer for 15 months. That's a long time to have when the diagnosis is liver cancer. She has been told her battle will soon be over. They give her 2 weeks.

A young lady who is nearly drowning in debt will choose to attend worship early this morning because she has a waitress job that begins at 11am followed by a tutoring session before she returns to the restaurant by 5pm to cover the evening crowds. And she prays there are good crowds. These are her weekend jobs. She teaches at the elementary school during the week.

Today is a gift. Do I have commitments? Opportunities? What I do know is I have no promise for another day here. I am promised eternity though.

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Obama and Joe

Joe ran for president more than once. Now he's settling for second chair. The two of them have overlooked Biden's poor choice of words back in '07.

"Biden sought to highlight his experience on the day he declared his candidacy, but an interview he gave to the New York Observer, a weekly newspaper, overshadowed his announcement.
In the interview, Biden described Obama as "the first mainstream African American [presidential candidate] who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man."

Asked during an afternoon conference call with reporters to explain his choice of words, Biden said he meant no offense in describing Obama the way he did, then lavished praise on the Illinois senator as a "very special guy" who has caught "lightning in a jar" like no politician he has seen before. "This guy is a superstar," he added."

Joe Biden, who marvels at a clean African American, voted for the war and then voted against the war. Sound familiar? They will make a great pair.

Obama believes abortions are A-OK but wants less of them. If they are OK, why would you not want more of them? Double talk? Flip flop?

The battle is on. The socialist who wants the government to start raising and educating and indoctrinating our children from Zero to Five and beyond has hitched his wagon to a liberal senator with more seniority than McCain. The man of and for change has hitched himself to the status quo.

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Defining Rich

During the Saddleback interviews last week, both candidates were asked to define rich. The very junior senator Obama quickly stated that those earning $150,000 were rich. Now we know his target but we all know he will have to increase taxes on many below that mark.

The veteran and long time Senator from Arizona, John McCain, answered that he wished all Americans work and aspire to enjoying wealth. How encouraging. How like our founding fathers who stated we all have the right to pursue happiness.

They did not say we were entitled to happiness. We have the right and freedom to pursue same.

Think of that a while. The pursuit. It implies effort, work, motion. It seems the work also entails over coming increasing taxes.

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National City Bank

We bank with the local bank that was purchased earlier this year by National City Bank. I have had a few issues with the transition to their way of things.

First there was the deposit receipt that listed our personal deposit and my work deposit. They assumed it was more convenient for one deposit receipt rather than two. Now the tellers are accustomed to my demand for separate receipts for each account transaction.

Recently I have contact their customer services department through their on-line banking site. Since August 4, a deposit we made has been listed with "unavailable" next to the entry. Today I contacted them a 4th time concerning this.

Each time I have received back the very same response. I will continue to "write" them each day until it is resolved. It is getting ridiculous. We will need those funds to cover our local real estate payment which is due September 2.

Maybe their default is "unavailable" for the last transaction but nearly 3 weeks later we can't get at that $? Some customer service - same response for each complaint.

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Budget

I study our spending versus our budget often. But what I feel I'm very short on is time.

Budgeting my time is difficult. I spend much of my day with tasks at hand or things that come up. I usually make a mental list of a few things I want to accomplish with my day. Some days are fruitful and others seem to rush by with little to show for the time.

I am an early riser and enjoy my coffee, my quiet time with God, and my email/blog. Some days those few hours were my most productive. I'm wondering if I need to go on a time diet. Less me time and more time for others.

Budgeting time. A goal I need to work on.

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Stealing

If it's not yours and you take it, that's stealing. Thou shalt not steal. One of God's big ten and one of society's premises.

Once a year the town has "junk day" when anything you do not want can be left at the curb and the garbage men will haul it away. It can be old appliances, furniture, a broken toilet. You name it and they will remove it.

Junk Day was a few days away. They had started a pile at the end of the drive with scrap wood and discarded planters. Some "pickers" had been by checking out the goodies and John knew there would be others looking for treasures among the trash before pick up day.

He had finished mowing the yard across the street for an elderly neighbor. John headed inside for a glass of water but noticed Sam next door was out so he engaged him in an over-the-fence chat as he walked around to the back.

In those few minutes John spent with Sam and getting refreshed for the task of mowing his own yard, the mower disappeared. Gone. Certainly a picker hadn't thought it was trash. It was up at the north end of the front yard. Half way between their drive and the neighbor's.

John's bewilderment turned to anger. After reporting the theft to the police he headed to the scrap metal recycler in town. He talked with one of the crane operators he knew who promised to let him know if a new lawn mower showed up there.

Frustrated and mad, John and his wife decided to write a letter to the editor of the small town's newspaper. They wrote it addressing the thief telling him he could have the owners manual and clippings catch bag if he returned to the scene of the crime.

They figured they had done all they could. They were going to wait until mowers went on sale in the fall and get by borrowing a friend's machine.

Two weeks later the police notified them that their mower had been located. It seems their letter in the local rag was noticed by the office manager at the mobile park. She recalled seeing several old mowers and equipment parked in the side yard of one of the trailers near the back. She figured old Fred was either repairing them on the side or collecting them for a big scrap metal pay off some day.

She called the police after reading the paper. The police recovered John's mower and half a dozen others. They even found a large professional trimmer that belonged to the landscaper who maintained the grounds at the park.

The thief said he figured if things were laying around he could take them. Fred did admit the shiny red mower was hot when he tried to pick it up so he pushed it around the corner to his truck. It was in the junk day pile.

The police informed him and the town through the news article the paper ran as follow up to the story, if it's not yours and it's in the junk day pile, it is against the law to take anything without the owner's permission. If it's not yours, it's called stealing.

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A Better Ride?

Often on Saturday mornings I turn my radio to The Mutual Fund Show with Adam Bold. Adam's business is The Mutual Fund Stores across the country. They are an investment outfit that uses mutual funds exclusively for their client's investments. They also have a division that helps people make decisions within their 401(k) holdings and Adam has started a TV show once a week on local PBS stations. That can be seen on the Internet as well.

Adam and his company prefer managed mutual funds rather than index funds. So Saturday mornings Adam is often heard to say that a fund was down less in a down market and up more in an up market. He tracks nearly a thousand funds which he recommends to his clients.

So I get the image of a child smiling on the way down a slide. He's still headed down but it's less down the rest of the market.

I'm not a happy investor in a down market. I start to think we have too much $ invested in stocks and not enough in bonds or fixed assets. Our goal now is to reassess when the market hits 14,000 again. I think it will and it will quicker is we elect a Republican president.

No happy sliding face for me.

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Umbrella Holes

Is your rainy day nest egg getting wet?

I strongly suggest people have 6 months of living expenses squirreled away to cover the unexpected like a layoff or injury. I have been re-evaluating our emergency fund.

With gas prices so high for months, we need to set aside even more to have 6 months covered. I know the price of oil has come down and it is partially reflected in the local $3.89 per gallon. However, looking back over the past six months, I feel we need to increase our savings.

Tough thing to do but we're both on board with the goal. That's key to any family budget plan. Unity, agreement, and commitment.

For now we are limiting our eating out and shopping for staples at discount stores. Yesterday we picked up toilet paper and garbage bags at a Dollar General store on our way to WalMart for groceries and softener salt. I have decided not to renew some magazines subscriptions I can live without. There's always the library.

Bob is an independent contractor and is expecting a big check from one client. We will be careful with it. I project we'll get to our goal by year end, slowly but surely.

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New Extension Date

For years if you filed for an extension by April 15, you would automatically have until August 15 to file your federal income taxes. An extension gives you more time to file but income tax $ is still due April 15. So if you estimated that you would owe, you sent $ with the extension form.

Now if you filed a timely extension form by April 15, you have until October 15 to file. That's six months to complete your 1040 and get it postmarked.

A reminder this year: Stimulus checks are issued for those filers with average or below income levels based on tax return filings. So if you have put off completing your return, you will not get a stimulus check until Uncle Sam hears from you.

If you do not have income levels that are large enough to require you to file, this year it pays to file. A return with zero taxes due will trigger a stimulus check.

Married filing joint taxpayers, on average, will receive $1,200 from the government.

Get those tax returns filed. Get your stimulus check.

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Edwards' Scandal

John Edwards' scandal is not a betrayal of We The People. He has betrayed his wife and children. He's probably the father of his girl friend's baby as well.

The true traitor is Ms. Pelosi. She refuses to allow the House to vote up or down on drilling our own resources. She has the power to do this and the backing of all the tree huggers.

However, it has been pointed out that she has over $100,000 personal money invested in CLNE. As long as We The People continue to pay high prices to fill our cars, she has a better chance of making $ on her investment in Boone Picken's company. CLNE will prosper if natural gas fueled autos catch on.

This is betrayal of We The People.

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Eating Out

There's a small restaurant nearby that has $.75 tacos on Tuesday nights. Plus, $5 pitchers of beer. We went last night as a treat.

In anticipation of attendance, we went over about 6pm. The parking lot was 1/2 full. We thought we must have hit right between the early wave and the later wave of diners. No problem finding a seat in the no smoking section.

We enjoyed an hour among friendly faces and were attended to by a lovely young lady. We realized she was the only one waiting tables in our section but she did a great job.

We enjoyed our tacos and beer. It was a cheap treat.

The sad part was there was never a crowd. Only about 1/2 of the tables were occupied in our area. It seems even cheap food and drink don't bring some people out.

Are most restaurants hurting for patrons? Is everyone staying home eating hot dogs and beans?

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Dream

Do you dream? Are there meanings to be discovered in these nighttime dreams?

Do you have daytime dreams? I'm not talking financial planning. I'm talking dreams.

If $ was not a problem, what would you enjoy having or doing? What pops into your mind? A world cruise. Acreage in Montana under the big sky. A condo in Hawaii. A speed boat.

Can you envision yourself racing the river? Can you envision waking up near the beach in Hawaii? Can you see new lands approaching from your cruise boat?

What is the price tag on your dream, your vision? If you don't know, find out. Let's say $500,000 plus monthly assessments for that condo on the Islands. Too much? If you saved $10,000 a year with interest/dividends paying less than 5% it would take decades.

What about a small condo a mile from the Gulf of Mexico in Florida? $200,000. That would cut the costs in half roughly. Let's get creative. How much would you want to put down? What would the monthly costs be? Can you make it fit your $.

Do you see that we all have dreams. For some a college degree is the goal. For some a baby or owning a home. For some a better job or promotion. For some loosing weight.

Each goal becomes closer with the first step. What is your dream and what is your first step?

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Too Rich

Recently Bob and I were traveling across Indiana on the tollroad. The speed limit is 70 mph for most of the 150 miles or so across. It's even quicker than before as Indiana recognized our Illinois I-pass so there's no stopping to get a ticket and no sitting in line to pay to get off.

We were tooling along east bound not far from South Bend when we saw our first orange warning sign. A temporary posting alerting us to construction ahead. Over about 4 miles there was a series of signs telling us to reduce our speed to 45 mph and that the right lane was closed so merge to the left.

As car after car sped past us, we wondered if the signs were a mirage or if we were seeing things. Possibly those in the left lane were in some type of race or something. Bob reduced our speed to under 50 and seeing the lit arrow ahead in our lane, eventually merged into the left lane. All to the demise of the several fellow travelers as we were causing them to brake.

We saw a lot of rich people up out the road that day. Among the orange signs were several stating the cost of violating the construction zone was $1,000. Now there's a price of admission we cannot afford.

Some people must be doing quite well. There was a song that came out of the 1930s. The rich get rich and the poor get poorer.

The wealthy can afford to zoom past construction sites and speed no matter what limits are posted. Try driving Illinois' tollways at 55 mph. You'll get run over. In fact, Illinois has a law that it's a violation not to drive with the flow of traffic. That explains the rush on I-294 and I-355. Move over, you poor people.

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McCain Comes Back

While in Ohio, John McCain finally struck back at B. H. Obama regarding energy. Did you hear this on the evening news? Or anywhere else?

"I spoke up against the administration and Congress and Sen. Obama when they gave us an energy bill with more than giveaways to big oil and really no solution to our energy problems," McCain said. "I want to take a minute here on this issue ’cause I think Sen. Obama might be a little bit confused. Yesterday he accused me of having President Bush's policies on energy. That's odd because he voted for the president's energy bill and I voted against it."

However, it is very true that the very junior senator from Illinois has been encouraging all of us to inflate our tires and we can save as much oil as John McCain's "drill here, drill now" would gain us. I am not kidding. That's what he said. Inflate your tires and get a tune up and save as much as we can find drilling at home. What does this guy smoke?

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Pelosi's Plan

Ms. Pelosi has dug in. She refused to answer questions on Sunday. She was asked 6 or 7 or 8 times why she would not allow an up or down vote on drilling. She swished and swashed and looked quite angry and annoyed.

So, the lines are drawn. The GOP wants drilling. Which must be wrong. The Dems do not.

Wait. Wait. Except she's given permission to at-risk Dems up for re-election this year. They are to say they are for drilling.

Do people out there know this. Do reasonable people know that the lines are drawn except to get re-elected.

Who is the enemy? The American people who want to harvest our own resources?

No. I'm convinced it's the GOP. More directly George Bush. George has the target on his back. The Dems hate him. Hate him. It's all his fault.

Does anyone out there think this lame duck president is a threat? An enemy? Why the emotion? Where is reason? Are we driven by our hearts or our heads?

This all raises questions. I would ask why vote for another lying Dem? Why not call them on the carpet for refusing to vote for drilling. And, why did they all leave us without an energy direction. It's not on Bush. It's on Pelosi.

How and why do these people get away with this?

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Thermostat

What's your thermostat set at? Ours is in the living room. We don't live in there. We live in the family room at the back of the house. We set it at 75 degrees knowing the west side of the house, the back, will be around 78 degrees.

We are expecting over 90 degree weather today. I think 78 feels warm but we would pay even more for electricity to run the air conditioner more. We use fans to circulate air, both ceiling fans and box fans.

I am grateful for air conditioning. We've not always had it. So when I feel warm I try to remember how hot it was without it.

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Discounted Crafts

The Hobby Lobby stores are not everywhere. It's a shame because they have wonderful crafts and decorating items.

They are never open on Sundays as they respect the Sabbath or day of rest. They close during the week at 8pm. They play Christian music softly throughout the store and they have a large faith-based children's craft section.

There are weekly specials and often publish "% Off" coupons in the local newspaper. This week's is for 40% off any regularly priced item. Plus, this week they have silk greenery on sale 50% off.

They often discount decorative items like frames and candles. I have purchased yarn there many times on sale. I also enjoy their seasonal aisles and clearance aisles. In fact, I usually walk the entire store. I wouldn't want to miss anything.

Stretch your $ at stores like this and Big Lots. But remember: Hobby Lobby is never open on Sundays.

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Another Sinker

Another bank has failed. A bank in Florida joins the list of seven other bank failures this year.

This is like what we read in our history books about the late 1920s and early 1930s. Then there were no regulations and no insurance on deposits. Back then a family with means could just open a bank, lend money, taken in deposits, post interest earned and collected on hand ledgers.

But now. Now we have all types of federal and state regulations. There is deposit insurance up to $100,000 per account per bank through FDIC.

Why didn't the regulations keep these banks safe? Will we the people bail this one out? Who decides what bank gets a life saver thrown?

More questions arise. How do we know if our bank is solid. Will we have any warning or will our deposits be locked down until FDIC can cover our claims? I understand the panic feeling.

One lesson is to spread $ over different institutions to have the maximum insurance available for deposits. No more than $100,000 per bank.

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New York Governor

The New York governor wants to undo the power of the states. He has called for federal bailouts of all the states that are running on deficits. He's actually demanding it.

Maybe it's time to eliminate the states. Why stay divided in the age where we are all connected instantly and completely? Besides many of us feel our representatives we send to Washington care little for us constituents anyway.

Wait. There are states that are not running on deficits like the federal government already is. Yes, there are states that are currently in the black a little.

That's not fair. We need to spread the wealth and cover the rest of the country.

Wait. What are states like Indiana doing right? Is there wisdom in learning from them rather than raping them to pay for sins of others?

Why do we look for someone else to blame? The state of Illinois and the state of New York continue to spend what they do not have. Like so many individuals who keep Visa and Master Card in business, they borrow against tomorrow for everything.

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