On my birthday, I alluded to my mother’s occasional regret of her participation.
Whatever I say about my mother, realize that at the end of the day, I’m assured by Scripture (these are ancient writings that are consulted and lived by where I come from) that she is in a heavenly place.
I have warm memories of my mother from my childhood. She read to me, bought me books, played card games with me. She nursed me when I was sick (Jim Beam, Vernor’s and honey). She took me to her friend’s house when she went for coffee. She sang around the house (she had been a nightclub singer in her youth) and taught me those songs.
Then, one day, I was removed from paradise. My younger brother was born. He immediately began demanding her attention, leaving less for me.
Do you ever wish that, at some critical juncture in your life, an adult of wisdom and understanding had come along and explained things to you in a way you understood? Me too.
I began exhibiting “sibling rivalry”. This was manifested in bad behavior towards my younger brother. Really bad behavior. Behavior that makes me cringe as I write this. But he deserved it since he was stealing my mother’s love from me. Of course I never pushed him out a window. I sent him down…. I can’t say it, maybe he’s put it out of his memory.
This behavior had the effect of making my mother protective of my brother. Can you guess what the effect of this was on my behavior? Of course you can, because you’re smart.
By the time I hit 3rd grade, I was seeing a child psychologist.
It was a long drive to Ann Arbor from where we lived at the time. It became a family trip. While I was in seeing the good doctor, guess what my brother was doing? He got to play with the cool toys in the play area or go sledding on the hill outside the clinic. I got to stay inside and be asked uncomfortable questions by the good doctor. Why was I being punished and my brother rewarded?
I wish that at the time that the good doctor would have explained to me, in a way that I understood exactly, what he must have understood was going on, and that he would have shown me how to work around it. Since he didn’t, I wondered for years as to why I had been going there.
Years later, when I was a freshman at the College of Engineering, U of M, I was telling my roommate (Charles J. Rothschild III) about this. He suggested that we drive to the clinic and ask.
So we did. When we got there, I was told that they had no record of my ever going there, or the doctor (whose name I clearly remembered) having ever worked there.
That was when the little black cleaning lady pushing a bucket down the hall stopped, looked at me, and said, “Why bless my soul, it’s little Eddy Bonderenka”.
I guess I have that effect on people. I hadn’t been there in twelve years and it usually consisted of me walking into and out of an office. I was so stunned, I couldn’t process it and Charley and I left.
Later, when I enlisted in the Air Force, the recruiter asked whether I’d ever been under psychological care. I told him this story. We then drove to Ann Arbor and he got the records. Of course they had the records, even though they had “no record of my ever going there”. On the way back, he stopped at a coffee shop and told me that he would be gone about ten minutes minimum. The records were on the seat, unsealed.
Finally, I’d know.
One page summed it up (with no reference to sibling rivalry): “The patient has a primarily passive personality like his father, and acts out in reaction formation to this so that his peers will not take advantage of him.” For the record, I didn’t start those playground fights.
I’d have done better out in the playroom or sledding, with my brother.
Today, in an attempt to blend in with the natives, I added some decorations to my yard.
Many of the surrounding inhabitants have done some landscaping along the front of their homes. Others have added objects to their yard, such as faux deer, windmills, large stars on the facia, etc. The area a few feet in front of my house refuses to support life as we know it.
Pavers, stones and mulch, etc. look like a lot of work and expense.
Last Sunday I was sitting in church, looking at the display on the platform for the kid's presentation. It looked like a dock in a swamp.
Croc heads coming out of the carpet, etc.
The wheels started turning.
My family heirloom boat rather dominates my domicile, being parked in one of the driveways most of the year. So I thought a nautical theme might be appropriate (cheap and easy) for my front yard.
Enquiries at the church revealed that a friend of mine (thanks, Rob) had the "pilings" in his back yard. As he was explaining how his neighbor had built them, his wife (thanks, Wendy) said "Give them to him!". Rob delivered and positive comments followed. Encouraged by this, I went to the Depot and bought some lumber and built a dock. In my front yard. With anchors, and life vests and a fishing pole.
When it stops raining, I'll post a picture. After I take down the Christmas lights.
Femnists used to chant: "Our Own Bodies!" to point that the government should not control them.
Suppose you wanted to go from Point A to Point B to meet a friend.
Your Founding Fathers actually believed that God gave you the right to do this.
They recognized that right in the “Bill of Rights” (it’s in the Constitution).
They did not recognize your "Right to Live", in the “Bill of Rights”.
They’d already done that in the Declaration of Independence.
Suppose the government controlled every means of you getting from Point A to Point B.
Is it conceivable that the government might not want certain people to associate?
So what would happen if they accepted your right to go, but denied you the means of getting there? You’d either invent or build another means to get there, or not go.
What’s the use of a right that you can’t exercise practically?
This does not mean that you should be guaranteed the funds to get from Point A to Point B. Just that you would not be denied the means, given you had the funds.
What if you wanted to exercise your right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, and you had no access to a means to prolong your life, by health care, because the government denied access to you?
It wouldn't matter much that someone else was given the means and access. You were still denied.
It seems that, effectively, if you are denied the access to existing means to prolong it, you can’t exercise your right to Life.
We call a government that restricts the right of movement a tyranny.
What do we call a government that restricts the right to life via medical care?
baldilocks makes a similar point on feminist slogans:
A few months ago, we were told by the president that the national health care system was keeping the economy down. So he came up with a plan to spend billions to put your health care in the hands of government.
Before that, trillions were borrowed and legislated to turn the economy around.
They haven't figured out where to spend it yet.
If you were to ask yourself what was the major economic problem at the moment, would you say health care or consumer confidence? I'll assume you said consumer confidence because you're smart.
What is driving consumer confidence down? Unemployment or the fear of it. That is what you answered, right?
Well think about this. Suppose you were unemployed (I don't have to), and you were given a coupon that could be redeemed by your next employer, for the government to pay a portion of your wages.
"Employability Coupons"
Don't jump to conclusions yet. I'm not a socialist. I know a lot a people are denying being a socialist, but with me, it's true.
If an employer thought he could get his labor cheaper, he might be more apt to hire, right? Probably with health care benefits.
How would we do this? Have unemployment actually give you a coupon worth a portion of your unemployment check?. Then only the unemployed would have their pay subsidized. The employer might lay someone off, just to hire them back!
Well here's an idea. If we're going to run up a huge deficit to fund new programs that are causing a ton of political (and personal) grief, why not run up the deficit by lowering employment taxes instead.
That would be the equivalent of handing out "Employability Coupons" attached to each citizen, without the bureaucracy.
Employers would hire, consumer confidence would rise, people would buy the purchase they've been putting off. Employers would hire to satisfy that consumer demand.
Rinse and repeat.
Tax revenue would go up! Why it would be a vicious circle! Only not vicious.
It will cost you $40,000. Now maybe the government will give you some of my money (taxes) to help you pay for that.
But in 5 years you’ll need new batteries at about $5000.
So say you get 10 years out of this vehicle for $45,000.
A new Taurus should get at least 25mpg. A decent one would cost $25,000.
Now consider the interest you’re going to pay on that extra $15,000 to buy the Volt instead of the Taurus.
12,000 miles a year is considered typical mileage. The Volt has a 40 mile range on battery. 40m x 5 days x 52 weeks = 10,400 miles.
My Taurus is ten years old. It has 120,000 miles. That’s typical. It gets 25MPG highway. 120,000 miles divided by 25mpg equals 480 gallons.
Say gas goes to $4 a gallon.
480 x $4 a gallon = $19,200. Add that to the purchase price ($25,000) and you get $44,200 for ten years of Taurus driving.
The Volt runs almost emission free, but it sucks electricity out of a coal fired plant.
Superman would often visit a planet called Bizarro World. It often called for some problem solving on Superman's part. The hardest was dealing with how the inhabitants thought.
Bizarro World was... bizarre. Stuff was done backwards and for the silliest reasons, but was considered normal on that world.
Sort of like America today.
Example:
I was working on an AC unit for the church yesterday with a licensed technician.
He asked how much make-up air we were introducing. I said, um..... none.
He explained that there are rules that govern how much fresh air is introduced into the building per person.
We have no idea how many people will be in the building at any given time.
How many of you would turn on the AC or heat and open your windows after spending so much to insulate?
