Luke Skywalker has OCD

Muppet Bohemian Rhapsody

Lori found this and I thought it was great.

Milton Friedman on Capitalism

This is a great video of Milton Friedman debating Phil Donahue about the merits of Capitalism. I wish he was around now to help get the word out with socialized medicine coming our way.

Happy Cost of Government Day!

Happy Cost of Government Day! Today, August 12, is Cost of Government Day (COGD), the day of the calendar year when the average American worker has earned enough gross income to pay off his or her share of the spending and regulatory burdens imposed by government on the federal, state, and local levels.

COGD falls 26 days later than last year's date, and it's 23 days later than the previous all-time high of July 20, in 1982. There are numerous reasons for this explosive growth in government spending including TARP, the so-called Stimulus, and the big three auto "bailouts." If Congress and the President had not pushed for TARP, Americans would have celebrated COGD on July 25 rather than on August 12.

How does that make you feel? Just imagine what will happen if the government takes over healthcare!

Oakland Temple

I needed to come to California for work and due to the schedule I had to stay over the weekend. Since I had a Saturday available and I was only about 30 minutes away from the Oakland Temple, I took advantage of the opportunity and went to the temple. It was a great experience and a lovely temple. It is one of the larger temples and one of the few that does not have Angel Moroni on the top of it. It was dedicated in 1964 so it is older than I am. It is interesting because it has a 1960's feel to the design, including the Celestial Room.

This is the front of the temple. The sun was bright and with the little digital camera I have with me it was hard to see the screen so I was hoping the pictures would turn out. One of the advantages of the SLR camera is even in bright sunlight just by looking in the viewfinder it is possible to see what you are taking a picture of.

The Oakland Temple has a terrace and the public has access to it. This is a picture taken from the terrace. The parking lot was full and it was really crowded with all the wedding parties there. June is the time for weddings.

The spires from the Terrace. I am surprised this turned out as well as it did because I could not see the camera screen.

A wedding party leaving the front entrance of the Oakland Temple.

The Oakland Temple from the front. It was a good day for pictures even though I did not have a great camera to take them with.

We the People

I received this in an e-mail and I thought this was great!



Just in case the video does not work (I have not ever posted a video before) you can go directly the the link here.

Mothers Day Picnic

Lori had the chance to go to Ryan's Mother's Day Picnic with his preschool. This is a picture of them at the picnic and Ryan looks to be as full of trouble as he generally is. They look great together. I am glad Lori had the chance to attend with him.

Quote of the day

Americans became wealthy and strong through unique self-reliance, common sense, and delayed gratification. And we — or our children — will soon become poor precisely because we hold on to the romance that producing food and fuel and saving money are icky tasks to be ignored or left to others. Until we change that attitude, we’ll keep borrowing and spending on ourselves what we have not yet earned — all the way to bankruptcy.

— Victor Davis Hanson

A Mom's Paycheck

Since becoming a mother I haven't received an "official" paycheck for almost 12 years. However, every now and then I receive something much better than a paycheck. My paycheck came in the form of a nice compliment from a nurse at the allergists office. This compliment is after 11 years of being a mother. After saying no 130 times a day (at least), after endless sleepless nights, miles & miles of stroller time, lots of frustrating days of wondering if anyone is even listening to what you are saying I received one of the few thank you's a mother gets.
The more I think about the compliment of having well behaved boys I realize my paycheck is priceless. I only wish I could tell the younger me to keep up the great work, someday the boys will behave because you were their mother who cared enough to say, No, time and time again.

Thought for the Day

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

-Dr. Adrian Rogers

Thought for the Day

Human beings are going to make mistakes, whether in the market or in the government. The difference is that survival in the market requires recognizing mistakes and changing course before you go bankrupt. But survival in politics requires denying mistakes and sticking with the policies you advocated while blaming others for the bad results.

-Thomas Sowell

Democrats love taxes and now I know why!

I have often wondered why anyone would vote for a politician who plans to take money out of their pockets and give it to someone else. I totally understand why lose who depend on the government for their livelihood (welfare recipients, government contractors that want to get a lucrative contract, etc.) but I have been mystified by the fact that otherwise seemingly normal people would vote for Democrats. With the nomination of people to serve in the Obama administration, I totally understand what is going on now! Democrats love high taxes because they to not pay them! First it was the Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner who cheats on his taxes and now Obama's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, former Senator Tom Daschle, has been come forward as a tax evader. Paying taxes is for us little people but if you are an elite Democrat, apparently you are above the law and certainly above paying taxes! This makes me think of a quote by Alexis de Tocqueville from his book On Democracy in America.

"A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it."

Only 12 Cents of Every Dollar Is For Something That Could Plausibly Be Called a Growth Stimulus

Obama and the Democrats are wasting no time getting busy to make this a socialist/communist state and they push through the "stimulus" package which is really just a guise to send taxpayer money to leftist organizations. These are the paybacks for these organizations supporting the corrupt Democrats. Analysis of the package is showing that only 12 cents of every dollar is actually going to something that might (key word there is MIGHT) stimulate the economy and the rest is going to fund left-wing groups like ACORN so the Democrats will remain in power for the next 50 years and run the economy and the country into the ground while making themselves rich. The Wall Street Journal is reporting details on what is proposed and it appears that Republicans will not have the support to stop such a monstrosity from going forward. Is this really the kind of "change" people wanted? Communism has already been proven to be a failure and the data shows that this kind of spending never helps people. The free market has created more wealth for more people than at any time in the history of the world. Yet, we blow it by electing a communist to the White House. Obama is the product of the very corrupt Chicago Democratic Machine and I expect there will be more corruption and funnelling of money into Obama's buddies hand over the next 8 years than what I can even imagine at this time. Obama nominated a known tax evader to run the IRS so I am sure it will get worse before it gets better.

In a general conference talk (October 1961), Ezra Taft Benson said the following: "When socialism is understood, we will realize that many of the programs advocated, and some of those already adopted in the United States, fall clearly within the category of socialism. No true Latter-day Saint and no true American can be a socialist or a communist or support programs leading in that direction. These evil philosophies are incompatible with Mormonism, the true gospel of Jesus Christ."

That was way back in 1961 when President Benson was seeing the move towards Socialism with Kennedy and then Johnson's "Great Society" which followed. I sure if he would be appalled to see the Obamanation that is going on now.

The Craziness Begins

Now that we are settled into January doldrums with Christmas vacation over I am out of pictures to post of all our fun activities. All three boys are playing basketball and I am helping to coach Brett’s team so we are all very busy but the dark basketball courts do not allow us to take good pictures so there is not much to post about there. Therefore, unless I go back and do more posts from our Summer Vacation, which I did not get through all the great things we did in Utah while we were there, I will be short on posting material for a while. In addition, with the economy in the state it is in we are not inclined to be going out and doing much that costs anything for a while as we are working to save some money, not spend it. Therefore, both of you who check my blog will now have to endure my political rants. I am sure Obama and the stupid Democratic Congress will give me plenty of material.

The government is spending billions of dollars, which they do not have, to bail out the US Automobile Industry. So, in order to help them get back on their feet, Obama starts out with an executive order allowing the states to have their own auto emissions standards! That will really help them out when they have to make 50 versions of the same car. That will really help them get back in the black! Wow, what a genius this Obama guy is! Now there will not only be different fuel standards for every state, but also car standards. What will that mean if I move to a different state? Will my car be illegal? Will I have to buy a new car if I move? Obama is an idiot just like the California politicians.

Rather than making the market based corrections that would require the unions to give-up their absurd entitlements, the Obama and the Democrats are going to give taxpayer money to bail out the auto industry. The unions are certainly getting paid back for their large investment in the Obama campaign. If only the returns on my retirement savings could be that good.

The government does not generate any wealth, it just inefficiently redistributes the wealth that is generated by the taxpayers who work. Bailing out the failing companies will not do anything but make them dependent on the government in order to stay in business rather than making the changes that the market requires so they are competitive. In the process, the government debt gets bigger and the taxpayers will have to bear that burden. At some point dumping all this money down the toilet will catch-up with all of us and the entire system will collapse under it's own weight. I expect that my plans to retire in 20 years will not happen because I will have to work until I die to pay all my taxes so it can line the politicians pockets. That is if all of my retirement savings are not squandered or inflated away by all the government spending. Thank you so much Obama and Pelosi for all your help, you freaking morons! Welcome to Socialism everyone! Soon the government will be nationalizing all the banks and the auto industry. Just think of how reliable the US cars will be after this. It makes me of the Yugo and what a quality automobile that was.

Biking at Brazos Bend State Park

On January 17th we finished all our basketball games in the morning we had the afternoon ahead of us and 3 energetic boys to try and entertain. So, we loaded-up the mini-van and went to Brazos Bend State Park for a picnic and a bike ride. The week had been cold (for Houston) as we had high temperatures in the high 50's and low 60's so when it warmed-up on Saturday we were all anxious to get out of the house.

Brett, Ryan, me and Jared having our picnic lunch.

Jared and Ryan playing on a tree by the Visitors Center.

Ryan, Lori, Jared and Brett with their bikes on the trail.

Jared, Lori, Ryan and Brett taking a break from the ride.

Ryan and me getting ready to go.

Ryan, Jared, me and Brett ready to hit the trail.

We saw 6 alligators this trip but they were all far away and since we only had the small digital camera with us we were unable to get any pictures that were worth posting. By the time I cropped them to the point where an alligator was distinguishable the picture was blurry. That is the downside of traveling light. Now that the kids are bigger and Ryan has his trailer bike, we were able to go on a longer bike ride on trails we had not ever been on before and where it is too far for us to hike. It was a really fun trip and something we need to do again in the near future.

Cooking Pancakes

If it were not for Lori we would not have a very large variety of food to eat because there is not much I can cook. But, one thing I can do is make some really good pancakes. That and make peanut butter sandwiches. Most of the time when I make pancakes, I have all the help I can handle.

Jared, Brett and Ryan flipping the pancakes on the grill.

Gladys Porter Zoo - Brownsville, TX

On New Year's Day we went to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX. We went there last year and they have the best gorilla display I have ever seen. They also have great Tigers that are actually moving around rather than sleeping all day. I have some great video from that trip but I do not know how to edit it and put it on the blog so all I have are pictures to share and we did not get any of the tigers.

The gorillas are at the front of the zoo and the first animals we saw. One puked/spit out something it was eating and then picked it up and squeezed the liquid into it's mouth. That grossed everyone out. And then when another pooped in his hand we decided to move on. I have heard of poo throwing monkeys and I did not want to find out about poo throwing gorillas. We went back later and some people were feeding the gorillas chips and oranges. They are not supposed to do that but they were not rule followers. The gorillas were very active and fun to watch in the afternoon especially with the food being thrown. Once again we really enjoyed the gorillas.

Flat Stanley enjoyed the gorillas as well.

Brett, Jared, Ryan and Flat Stanley with the flamingos.

Ryan the explorer using the binoculars/compass combination he got at the Texas State Aquarium.

Last year when we tried to feed the birds they were not hungry and we could not get them to eat anything. This year they were hungry and cleaned all the food off the sticks. It was fun. Here is Ryan, Jared and Brett feeding a group of birds.

Ryan has a couple of the birds interested in his offering.

Brett sought one out that was a little more difficult to reach.

Jared was tempting this one to get him to come a little closer.

Flat Stanley enjoyed feeding the birds too.

Ryan coaxing one over towards him.

Brett and Jared reaching over the edge to get some of the more shy birds.

Finishing-up the food on the sticks with whatever bird wants to eat.

It looks like this joey is getting a bit big for his room.

When we came walking around the corner Ryan saw this big alligator statue and jumped back because he thought it was real for a second. He was really startled. Here he is showing his bravery.

Jared is taking it to the alligator.

Brett wrestling it.

Ryan, Jared, Flat Stanley, Brett and me at the zoo.

The big male lion. He was sleeping for a bit and then later he got-up and was jumping and pawing at the glass between him and the people. At this zoo the lions and tigers are active. I could not get a good picture of him when he was at the glass because of all the people around and I had the telephoto lens on the camera so I could not get back far enough. I did get some video of all the activity though.

Ryan, Brett and Jared taking one of the turtle statues for a ride.

Ryan petting one of the goats at the petting zoo.

Jared and Flat Stanley petting one of the goats.

Ryan riding the giant tortoise.

Brett thinks he might just buck for him.

Jared taking him for a ride, without Flat Stanley this time.

Brett Jared and Ryan all on the turtle.

We had a great time at Gladys Porter Zoo. After going to the zoo we drove to Kingsville and stayed the night there. Then we drove the rest of the way home on January 2nd. It was nice to split-up the drive from Brownsville into two days and we got home in plenty of time to watch the University of Utah whip-up on Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Go Utes!

New Years Eve

After we finished in Mexico it was such a warm, sunny day we decided that we needed to get back and go to the beach again. We had chairs and were set-up for the beach and it was so warm I promised the kids I would get in the water with them this time. That was not a good idea. By the time we went to the room and got ready to go the clouds/mist moved in from the ocean and covered the sun, dropping the temperature. I kept my word but I did not stay out in the water long.

I like to keep my shirt on for obvious reasons, but in this case I took my shirt off to get in the water because I wanted a warm, dry shirt to put back on when I got out of the water. This is of me out in the water with the kids. It was too cold for me so I did not do any body surfing with the kids.

The kids wanted to go swimming in the hotel pool, which is outdoors, and the day before Lori put her foot in the water to test the temperature and it was cold. The kids kept insisting that we try again and this time it was warm. We later found out that the heater had been broken and it was recently repaired. So, we moved from the beach and went swimming in the pool for a little while because that water was warm enough for both Lori and I to get in and swim with the kids. Flat Stanley enjoyed the swim with Jared.

After swimming we got cleaned-up and went to Pizza Hut for dinner.

Flat Stanley really enjoyed the bread sticks.

Lori bought some poppers to celebrate the New Year but we did not think it would be a good idea for us to use them in hotel. So, we drove out on the beach and did them using the car lights. Jared is helping Flat Stanley do one of the poppers.

Jared doing one of the poppers without the help of Flat Stanley.

Brett doing a popper.

Ryan, Brett, Jared and Lori doing poppers. Lori and Ryan are seen here sporting their new jackets from Mexico. I was wearing mine as well but you cannot see it because I am taking the picture. This activity filled the mini-van with sand so we had to go find a car wash with vacuums when we were done so we could get the sand out. A little reminder of why it is nice to get a hotel on the beach.

We gathered all the streamers from the poppers and took them back to the hotel with us. When the kids were babies we took pictures of them with the streamers and so it is now a family tradition to wear the streamers. Ryan, Brett and Jared wearing the streamers on the balcony of the hotel.

As is our typical New Years Eve, we did not stay-up until midnight. The kids watched a DVD on the TV while Lori and I packed the bags in preparation to check-out the following day. Then we all went to bed at a decent time so we would not be tired for our activities planned for the following day.