Boys of Summer

Apparently, I forgot to actually post the below entry.

I was fortunate to spend this past week with some of my favorite people - My bride and our three children. We were joined part way through the week by my parents - something that just seemed to make the magical week that much more special.

My youngest son joined a new baseball team this past year and had a relatively good season. Yes, he improved. Yes, the competition was another notch up. And most important - he enjoyed the team, the coaches and himself. The team finished the season in a truly remarkable fashion.

The coaches met with the parents, pre-season, to talk about the plans for the season. Most of the time was spent talking about expectations of the players and families. The kicker on the budget side of the discussion was the planned trip to Myrtle Beach for an end-of year tournament. That tournament is the real subject of this post.

I will not bore you with all the other family details but did want to share the magic 'the Boys of Summer' provided to close out the week. The baseline for the tournament is that each team would play 5 games to 'seed' the championship and consolation rounds for the end of the week. The Cardinals started strong winning their first two games. Then, they hit the buzz-saw and dropped 3 in a row - and a couple were really tough to swallow.

The competition at the Ripken tournament was impressive. Teams from around the country and a few of them were very disciplined, talented and a joy to watch. There is a difference in play when you realize that the team in the other dugout has not only played together for a few years, but that they play year round. It shows!

The finals started on Thursday and were set up as a single elimination tournament. The Cardinals found themselves the #6 seed in the 6 team Championship bracket. This meant they had to start by playing the #3 seed, a team that only had one loss and we had grown accustomed to hearing their name throughout the week with one outstanding game after the other. The boys from Eldersburg jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. On to the second round.

The second round found the young Cardinals up against the #2 seed, a team that had just beaten them a few days ago by .... several runs. The game was one of those games for the books. The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead and were looking like they were well on their way to the Championship. However, in the 4th inning things started to change and the opposition battled back. Late in the game we surrendered the tying run and needed to hold them for a push to extra innings. The Gods of Baseball shined on our Cardinals that day and they did indeed hold for extra innings. In the top of the 7th, our boys put two on the board and shut them down 1-2-3! Cardinals win and we are headed to the finals.

A day later, the Cardinals took the field against the undefeated squad from Houston, Texas. The opposition had given up a total of 11 runs in the previous 7 games. This was going to be tough. The Cardinals started off strong, but were unable to capitalize on several different occasions when they had runners at the corners. The opposing coach was pacing and obviously getting a little nervous as his group had not seen anyone hold them this tight. In the fourth inning, the first run was scored but it wasn't for us. We managed to hold the game close but in the end - lost the final game. Hats off to all the teams, but this last group was something special.

I was/am very proud of our 11 year olds. The battled the best and held them in check. Thank you boys for bringing me back to my youth this season. Thank you coaches (Curt, Mike, Bob & Dave) for making this truly a Season to Remember.

Change: Not for everyone

Why do people and organizations move or change their affiliations from something they apparently believe in, only to join a new organization or location and work to change that org/location to match what they left?

There is a mindset that I continue to be confronted with that I just can't understand. Perhaps that is due to my nature of being logical and reasoned and I just can't comprehend this alternate view.

A few years ago, we met our new neighbors who moved 'to the country' from a much more populated area. They said they looked forward to the open fields, safe environment, lower property taxes, well-respected school system and 'easier way of life'. Shortly after they finished un-boxing their earthly possessions they began complaining about the lack of service. The young couple started complaining about trash service - you need to contract for your own service, that we needed sidewalks for strollers, that the police should routinely patrol the area. The neighborhood in question resides on an old horse farm with 20 MPH speed limits and 1-10 acre home sites and I can't remember any crime being committed since I moved in 11 years ago. This same couple were the first to contact the county and complain about the increase in their property assessment and demanded it be reduced as they did not wish to pay any more than what they were already paying. How exactly did they think the county would pay for the existing services - let alone the new ones they were asking for?

On a related note, I have been a part of youth sports in the area for several years. First, as a parent and coach and then on to the administrative side (league coordinator, coaches training, authoring policies ....). On two separate occasions, neighboring sports programs have had difficulty maintaining their programs and deferred families to our programs. As soon as we enrolled the new players and the seasons began to start - the former programs started making demands that 'our' program change to reflect the existing of 'their old' program. From 'adding a patch on the sleeve' to show the heritage from the older program to demanding that we change the guidelines for how teams are formed - WE NEEDED TO CHANGE TO ACCOMMODATE their wants/needs.

A friend of the family moved to a very nice, convenient location in the area. The convenience of the area did have a price and that was it is difficult to get out of the neighborhood at certain times of the day due to the amount of traffic that passes the entry. I recently heard them complaining that a traffic light should be added to ease the flow in and out of the neighborhood.

My children attend private school. Specifically, they attend a Catholic school. We, as a family, made the decision to invest time and treasure to insure the best (in our eyes) for our children. Others have made that same decision and I applaud them for it. There are those (and I have heard them loud and clear) that are offended that their child must attend religion class ... IN A CATHOLIC SCHOOL. I respect that they are not of the catholic faith but they did elect to send their child to that very school.

Lastly, when we moved in to our home we sought out the opinions of our neighbors prior to any projects. There was no law that said we had to do so, and the county I live in is very much a proponent of property rights. We had never had a conflict with any of our ventures until very recently. I hand carried a letter to my neighbor (newly moved in to the area) explaining an upcoming project. I respectfully requested any feedback on our plans and that we would listen to any/all concerns or questions but that the project was on a short timetable due to demand in the market. After a week of no feedback, I contacted the contractor and proceeded to start. Immediately, I received the call requesting a work stoppage until they could verify concerns they had with the county office. We (my family) had been to the county 3 times on permits and restrictions to insure there were no legal issues with what we had planned. Other than informing us that she did not want us to execute the project - there were NO comments regarding what our plans were. Nope, it was 100% about stopping the project and no 'middle ground'. In the end, the county backed us up and said we still have some rights in this country and county.

So, what to do? Why is it that new organizations or people moving in to a functioning society/group/area are free to dictate that the existing functioning group must change to adapt to the new tenants? Why is it that it is wrong to request and/or expect others to conform to the area they are moving to?

What do you stand for ?

What do you stand for? I mean really stand for. In this politically divided time in which we live, have you taken a serious look at what you believe in, desire and will stand for? There are three primary groups within the United States {progressives, independents, and conservatives} that individuals identify themselves with. I can only really define my own beliefs and connect to the group that most closely relates those beliefs. I challenge you to do the same - be honest with yourself. If you can't be honest with yourself in the assessment - do me a favor and stop judging others, you have no leg to stand on.

Everyone that knows me understands that I like keeping things simple. Does this overlook certain aspects of a situation? Absolutely. However, if you can simplify things right - you can get by with the bulk of what is before you and have reasonably good insight to the ancillary information that you otherwise overlook. So, what about the three political groups? My simple definitions: Conservative - those that strive to protect or revert back to the principles that founded this country. Progressive - those that strive to change what is into something that differs from what is/ or was. Independent - those that are caught somewhere between the two; longing for some of what was but desiring something different.

The Constitution set forth a number of principles that over time have been changed. The men that created this document / blueprint did so based on on their life experiences and out of a belief that all men are fallible. To that end, limits were placed on what the governing body was authorized to do to the citizenry. Did they get everything right? No, but they did set forth a method for changing the laws when the failings were discovered. Somehow, the limits and methods for change appear to have been pushed to the side.

Unfortunately, we are now at a point that the Constitution is being shredded by the the failings of a few, overly aggressive legislators. Those legislators sit on both sides of the isle and mislead the rest of the government as well as the governed, those whom they have sworn an oath to protect and represent. At the time the Constitution was drafted and signed - a man's word was the representation of his life. His signature represented his beliefs for all of history to witness. Now, a signature or an oath's value is not worth the paper it is written on and is not meant to exist beyond the time it took to expel it from the individuals mouth. While I am most concerned with the misappropriations of the citizenry by their elected Congress, our President recently made a statement that I could not agree with more : "I think part of what our constitutional values promote is the notion that individuals have protection in their privacy, and their bodily integrity, and women are not exempt from that" . How is it that the President of the United States can make a comment like this just a few short weeks after signing the abominibal health care act into law? The law violates the individuals right to privacy! The law violates the individuals bodily integrity! As I said - I agree with the words he used, I just can't agree with the actions he takes.

By way of example, I am a firm believer that the President's ability to appoint judges should not be inhibited. There should be a level of investigation done for all person's appointed to positions of trust but the use of the fillibuster should not be used. Not that it is un-constitutional, just out of respect for the office of the President. However, since there is no statute stating when/where a fillibuster should/should not be used - Congress should pass a law to govern their own actions in this area. Until then, perhaps a constant fillibuster should be used .... This type of common sense work will never happen in Washington, D.C. . Why? Simply because our Congress is not made up of a group of honest individuals.

Term limits for the legislator is the solution - but not by passing law. I am 100% opposed to a legislated limitation. Individuals need to exercise their right to vote and express their opinions to the elected. Do so by following the law, expressing your thoughts and feelings directly and respecting that others have those same rights.

As an individual, hold me to my word. As a citizen, hold me to the laws that have been put in place for me to follow. As a tax payer - keep the promises you made to me, respect the law that we are all governed by and if you want to change the law - do it the right way.

The incremental slide

The debate in Congress over the 'Health Care' bill has forced me to look at all that is and has happened in this country during my brief life. Looking at the debate and contrasting that to other differences in our society I think I have come to the simple conclusion that both sides of the aisle are more focused on incrementalism towards a goal they disagree with than the subject at hand.

On the political right, conservatives fear more than anything else that Socialism is the targeted direction and health care is just the next big hurdle. They may be right and looking back at the incremental steps made towards that end can be seen through the action of their opponents. Name a single thing that you do on a day to day basis that is not directly controlled, taxed or manipulated by the government ....

On the left, giving in on any portion of the debate will lead to safe ground where the opposition can build (or take away) from something they hold dear. Example: Covering abortion under the massive health care overhaul. Any argument about federal spending for this by the right is immediately responded to by stating that we can't interfere with a women's right to choose. After all, giving in on this topic might just lead to an overturn of Roe v. Wade.

The arguments around a single payer system are vast. The one that I continue to be amazed by is where the folks on the left are 'for the little people' and that we need to deliver services to those that can't afford to pay for themselves. I am a BIG proponent of helping out, donating time and money, looking out for those less fortunate and insuring that nothing stands in the way of someone living up to their own potential. However, the argument of taking more and more from one class of people to a different class of people with the threat of prosecution is not looking out for anyone. Plain and simple it is extortion and theft. Even if 100% of the additional money collected went directly to those less fortunate - doing so through threat of prosecution is a direct attack on the liberties of another.
On the other side of the argument.... we have some in our society who forget or fail to acknowledge that their good fortune comes by the grace of God. That their good fortune has been given to them for a reason and that we are all just here temporarily. Yes, hard work and commitment are the tools that many of them used to gather their wealth but they were given the opportunity by a power higher than themselves.

While this post is not nearly complete - I want to close with a small example of how much trouble the current direction by our government is causing us. Consider the data last reported (2008) shows that we have roughly 19.7 million government employees in the United States. This includes state and local along with military and federal. While they don't all make the > $100,000 that was recently reported .... if we estimate that each employee makes $70,000 (unburdened costs) a year. I am using simple math for estimating and the numbers could be much more extreme if we dig in to it in more detail. How many non-government employees does it take to pay their salaries? If the non-government employee made the same $70,000 and were taxed at 15% and the entirety of that tax went to pay direct salary payments to the government employee ..... it would take 131,500,000 citizens just to pay the salaries.

For those that claim the government pays the employees not Joe Public. Please remember that the government doesn't have anything. The government does make anything. The government does truly sell anything. When the government prints more money the only thing that changes is the volume of money. This in turn has the adverse affect making the money in your pocket worth less.

Back to the example - what happens if 10% of the public were to lose their jobs? In an effort to jumpstart the economy the government creates new jobs - but they are government jobs, what happens to the model. In order to pay for government employees taxes are raised to 16.7% and the government can then hire an additional 39,450 employees. All this while 13.15 million of the previous 131.5 million workers are now out of work. THIS MODEL SIMPLY DOES NOT WORK! Remember this when the Census workers are on the payroll and we are told that unemployment just dropped dramatically.

When the government takes and takes and demands more and more from its citizens it no longer works for the people. Instead the people are working for the government. Abraham Lincoln closed the Gettysburg address with "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. " Let us not forget those words and do the right thing for God, country and each other.

Positive thoughts on Obama and the health care debate

Again, I have been quiet. Nothing nice to say - don't say anything.

That has changed. The debate on health care in the United States has a tremendously positive side to it that I am thankful to those in Washington for. What could a generally conservative individual have to say about this situation that was positive? Quite simply - this single item has brought many people to the party. Yes, people are investigating the information that Washington has been putting out and they are discussing it.

For a society that was told that President George Bush was the most devisive president in recent history, the current environment which we live in has seen a new champion. I think it fair to conclude that the current elected body (House and Senate combined) along with President Barack Obama, have divided this country further and quicker than any that I can remember. This time, the people are fighting back. Not a physical fight - but a political one. People are informed at an ever increasing rate and they are discussing the topics with a renewed vigor. All the while - they are realizing that we have been lied to. Yes, lied to by our government and backed up by the media.

I also wanted to thank President Obama for showing me how to view expenses and what to do when they are not focused on what I care most about. President Obama has shared with us that 16% of our GDP is spent on health care and if left unchecked it could move to 25% very quickly. So, I went back and looked at the family funds to see where our money is spent and if it was in-line with what we want to be focused on. Not surprising - we are at odds with some expenditures and I am now looking at ways to reduce those that I don't feel are appropriate percentages of the family income. For starters - my family spends more on state income tax than car payments, car insurance and gasoline .... combined. My family spends more on Social Security (that program that won't exist when I actually get ready to use it) and Medicare than we do on food, clothing and entertainment. Can I opt out of those? The family household spends more money on taxes (not including the sales tax, property tax, gas tax, utility tax and all the other taxes that are 'built in' to the price of everything we consume) than our mortgage and private school bill - COMBINED.

Yes, my family decided to send our children to private school. This is an expense that we opted to pay and believe it is the best use of our money. Unfortunately, we don't seem to get a vote in where the majority of our money is actually going. In the end - I could choose to move to a less expensive home, drive a less expensive car, elect to purchase less expensive insurance (life, health, automobile, property), donate less to my church, use my time to make more money instead of volunteering or even contributing less to my 401K plan .... but those are my choices. With a government focused on spreading the wealth, and burdening my children and their future families with debt - I have no choice.

But then again, I do. I vote. I also will exercise my rights under the Constitution. Specifically, my right to free speech.