Politicians, Taxes & The Economy by Charley Reese

My wife forwarded this to me. Retiring journalist Charley Reese's Final Column for the Orlando Sentinel. I don't feel like I need to add anything - he says it all - and he says it so well.

By Charles Reese - March 31, 2011
He has been a journalist for 49 years.
He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.

Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.

This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be.. The article
below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie
Reese, a soon-to-be- retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the
nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final
analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each
one of us every day. It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth
remembering!

545 vs. 300,000,000 People - By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then
campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are
against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and
high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations.
The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court
justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly,
legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems
that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was
created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty
to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central
bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They
have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a
congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if
they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the
power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is
the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what
they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of
party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount
of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood
up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can
only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving
appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He
is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the
President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it,
they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545
people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and
irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not
traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth
that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must
follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want
them in Iraq and Afghanistan .

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan
not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire
and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they
can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from
whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the
belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy,"
"inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an
oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They and they alone, have the power.

They and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their
bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.

This might be funny if it weren't so sad & true.

Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table, at which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him as a child that taxes are the rule!
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat,
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt,
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways to tax his ass.
Tax all he has then let him know that you won't be done till he has no
dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more, tax him till he's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he's laid...
Put these words upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me to my doom..'
When he's gone, do not relax,
Its Time to Apply The Inheritance Tax!!!

Accounts Receivable Tax,
Building Permit Tax,
CDL license Tax,
Cigarette Tax,
Corporate Income Tax,
Dog License Tax,
Excise Taxes,
Federal Income Tax,
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA),
Fishing License tax,
Food License Tax,
Fuel Permit Tax,
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon in Florida , could be higher
in your area),
Gross Receipts Tax,
Hunting License Tax,
Inheritance Tax,
Inventory Tax,
IRS Interest Charges on Tax,
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
Liquor Tax,
Luxury Taxes,
Marriage License Tax,
Medicare Tax,
Personal Property Tax,
Property Tax,
Real Estate Tax,
Service Charge Tax,
Social Security Tax,
Road Usage Tax,
Recreational Vehicle Tax,
Sales Tax,
School Tax,
State Income Tax,
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes,
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax,
Telephone State and Local Tax,
Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
Utility Taxes,
Vehicle License Registration Tax,
Vehicle Sales Tax,
Watercraft Registration Tax,
Well Permit Tax,
Workers Compensation Tax...

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago & our nation was the most
prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest
middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians'?

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it get
there!!!

GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN FORWARD IT!!!

So I Am Not Dumb After All?

At the beginning of the month I wrote about a survey which had conluded that I, along with the majority of people, as an Internet Explorer user was of "below average intelligence". Despite being carried by many major media outlets including CNN, the BBC, CNET, Forbes and Mashable to name but a few it turns out that the report was in fact a hoax. Among the many reports that the report was a hoax the Sophos "Naked Security" blog explains it best.

The paradox here is that while I postulated that I was not in fact a dumb *** and was not convinced that the report was valid the very fact that I was taken in by the hoax in and of itself could be seen to challenge my intelligence and that of everyone else taken in by the reported survey. So arguing that I was not a dumb *** proved that I was? Go figure!

British "Arts" & "Culture" - Simply The Best

I have never had the greatest affinity for the classical arts and "culture". I do however find that the odd operatic performance can be quite moving; a top rate performance of Nessun Dorma would be a great example. Paul Potts BGT audition version on YouTube has over 80 million hits so I guess I am not alone there though I have to say personally I prefer Pavarotti with a mere 12 million hits [but man oh man is the maestro badly in need of a trip to the barber shop]; check out the tone in his voice at a minute 26 and the power and duration of the final notes. You might want to check out his Ave Maria as well once the video ends.

Having said that the idea of sitting though a whole opera puts me in mind of sitting on the back patio and watching the weeds grow - there are things I would prefer to do. Ballet does nothing for me; I can accept that the dancers are probably supreme athletes but honestly, effeminate men in tights prancing about like nancy boys and heavily muscled women that would be more at home in a music box. I don't think so. Perhaps the symphony, not really. Like opera there are snippets of classical music that can be very stirring but in my world music is for listening to while doing something else not for watching [anyone for the back patio again]. Maybe art galleries; heck no. The art world is a complete mystery to me; paintings that look like the subject I can appreciate at times but get into Picasso like stuff that a chimp could have done or the "modern art" world of piles of bricks or plastic water bottles and you have lost me completely.

So is there a cultural or "arts" medium that can melt the philistine heart of the Grumpy Old Limey? Despite being a British expat I cannot say there is anything from the old country that I genuinely miss but if I was forced to pick a few things I could get into then I have to confess I would probably return to my roots for some real "culture".

What could I possibly be referring to - check it out after the jump!

So I Am Of "Below Average" Intelligence!

So the Daily Telegraph a UK daily reports on a PC World report on a survey that concludes Internet Explorer users have "below average" IQ. The study was conducted by a Vancouver based Psychometric Consulting company, AptiQuant.

The AptiQuant homepage has this to say about themselves - puff that chest up why don't you:

"At AptiQuant we help you select the right people. Our consultants help thousands of organizations worldwide make evaluations using scientifically validated psychometric tests. Use our personality and aptitude tests to objectively assess applicants and employees."

Now as an Internet Explorer user I am clearly a dumb *** so I really have no business commenting on this story but, you know me, I feel an irresistible urge to do just that.

So point number one:

Despite being a dumb *** I find fault [sight unseen] in whatever mathematical methodology was the basis for the conclusion that IE users have "below average" intelligence. While its market share has seen declines IE is still the dominant browser. If the majority of people use it then are we saying the MAJORITY of people have "below average" intelligence - seems like that makes no sense unless they used one of the less meaningful mathematical definitions of average of which there are many. To simple little me however it seems well - simple. The majority of people are probably average and smaller numbers are above and below average.

Moving on:

The results were derived from having people do intelligence tests online and then analyzing what browsers they used to do the tests. So here's the deal - I figure for the most part the people who take intelligence tests are likely to be the ones who are quite intelligent and want to prove it to themselves. Mr. Average ain't sitting there answering obscure questions [and I have taken such tests - the questions are often very obscure] just so he can find out what he already knew - he is Mr. Average. So the study is flawed. Any study that is to base its conclusions on what the "average" is must of necessity have a sample base of average people. This study clearly did not.

Yes there is more:

The study postulates that since IE is preinstalled on most PC's that the less intelligent among us don't change and the more intelligent do. Now I have tried other browsers, there is frankly little difference unless you are a cutting edge web developer trying to find ways to kill our bandwidth even more. So the question is why would changing to another browser be an indication of intelligence. In fact I would go so far as to hypothesize that the opposite is actually true and that changing to another browser is actually the indication of below average intelligence. What's the old saying" "If it ain't broke don't fix it!"

And finally:

Thankfully with my restaurant management days being a dim and distant memory [why in the heck would anyone choose to do that job] I no longer do any hiring. If I did I sure as heck would not use AptiQuant to do my Psychometric Consulting since they have proven with this study that they are of "less than average" intelligence - and in any case what on earth is wrong with the traditional interview?

The Grumpy Old Limey's Birthday Sermon

So at whatever was the precise time of my birth today [well today 53 years ago] I had been around 53 years or 636 months or 19245 days or 464280 hours or 27856800 minutes [taking no account of leap years - and it is my birthday so I can be lazy].

So what has an old fart like me learned in all of those years?

Well for one thing life ain't easy but then I have never seen a rule book or anything else that said it should be. No one ever said it was fun either. At times it can be very trying and very stressful. However if you apply a few simple rules to your day to day thinking life can actually be enjoyable and fun.

If you care read on after the break.

Another Dumb Law & The Kangacoon [Picture]

So Virginia law contains the following:

http://leg1.state.va.us/000/cod/29.1-521.HTM
§ 29.1-521. Unlawful to hunt, trap, possess, sell or transport wild birds and wild animals except as permitted; exception; penalty.
A. The following shall be unlawful:
1. To hunt or kill any wild bird or wild animal, including any nuisance species, with a gun, firearm or other weapon on Sunday, which is hereby declared a rest day for all species of wild bird and wild animal life, except raccoons, which may be hunted until 2:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings.

Personally I am not much for hunting; I have not the remotest idea why anyone would take pleasure in inflicting suffering on another creature human or otherwise [though if I have ever come close it is humans who would drive me to violence rather than animals]. I can understand the need to keep vermin down under some circumstances; I can also accept someone living off the land and hunting for food but killing just for the sake of it - I say wtf.

But enough of that; this is not meant to be a lecture or rant about hunting though one may come one day - it is more about what the heck did the poor old Raccoon do to Virginia and what lunatic politicians with nothing better to do pen some of the ridiculous laws that are out there anyway. Oh and I think the picture above is a Raccoon - or maybe somekind of cross breed - a Kangaccoon?

The State of Virginia gives a day off to animals on Sunday, they cannot be hunted. Personally if I am under threat of death I could care less what day it is. The fact that I am not going to get massacred on Sunday is not much help when I know come Monday morning they are going to be after me with a vengeance. Either allow hunting or not but to say it's OK but not on Sunday - are you sure?

And then we get to the poor old Raccoon - everyone gets a break Sunday except the Raccoon - why? And what happens at 2:00 a.m. Sunday's that the rule changes - it is OK to stay up until 1:00 a.m. to attack Raccoons but at to do so at 2:15 a.m. no way - that would be a bad thing. It seems to me that allowing whoever created that law into the Virginia Legislature was also a bad thing. It would have been more appropriate to "allow" them into the local "nuthouse"

At least this little guy found somewhere to hide :)

University Of Dundee Comic Studies Degree

It seems that it is not only the US education system that has gone completely bonkers. The University Of Dundee in Scotland is introducing a degree course in Comic Studies. Give me a break - that is not education but rather just an excuse for some individuals who don't want to grow up to not grow up at other people expense.

BBC News notes:

"Dundee University said the one-year Masters in Comic Studies would be launched by its English department in September 2011. The degree built on "strong local traditions" in the comic book industry, the university said. Dennis the Menace, Desperate Dan and the Broons, the inventions of Dundee-based publishers DC Thomson and Co, were all born in the city. Graduates on the course will study the impact of comics on the worlds of art, literature and popular culture. The degree programme will be led by Dr Chris Murray, one of the UK's leading authorities on comics, and editor of the Studies in Comics journal."

On a similar note in The Grumpy Old Limey recently announced that The Grumpy Old Limey Institute For Advanced Education was introducing a Masters degree in "sittin on my big fat rear and vegging in front of the telly studies." When asked for comment The Grumpy Old Limey said that he felt the course had entirely as much educational merit as the University Of Dundee course.

Joshua Bell Busks At A DC Metro Station [Video]

Thanks to the Limey's wifey for this one. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is an all too often quoted cliche though frankly in our modern society at times it seems like standards have been set that we all have to live up to. If ever there was something that went some way towards proving that the old cliche really does have some merit it is this.

The story unfolds something like this:

• In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
• After about 3 minutes a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule. 
• About 4 minutes later the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 
• At 6 minutes a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 
• At 10 minutes a 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
• At 45 minutes the musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
• After 1 hour the musician finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. 

Nothing very unusual or significant about any of that you are probably thinking. Not so my friend.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

  

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

 

The questions:

• In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?  
• If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
• Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

And what conclusions might we draw from this? One might be:

 

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .

  

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

 

A very inciteful anonymous quote sums it up this way:

"It's not important the day we were born or the day we die...what is important is the dash between these two. It's the dash that tells how we lived!"

So son't be a "grumpy" like me - enjoy the dash, expect the unexpected and relish it, stroll through life with wonder in your heart at the marvels of nature and this world we all share. You just never know what is coming next but it just might be glorious if you take the time to stop and notice.

Life Is Hectic. Right? But Only Sometimes?

So yes The Grumpy Old Limey is sometimes - well - GRUMPY.

So we are all in a rush all of the time it seems. You just have to go out in the car to see that, the roads are full of idiots on a headlong rush to either where they are going or death. Or go to work, every task you get seems to have a deadline of yesterday. I don't have kids [thank the good Lord above] but I do hear that those who do are always on the go; football practice, band, choir whatever. It seems like there are never enough hours in the day.

SO WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH SACKING THE DARN GROCERIES?

I enjoy food as much as the next guy and, let's face it, it is kind of essential. Trouble is it does not magically appear in the pantry. The refrigerator does not mysteriously populate itself every night with new sweet treats designed specifically to sabotage the latest diet plans. We have to go to the grocery store; it's just one of those mundane things that has to happen.

I am, as most who know me would attest to, a pretty organized guy [others perhaps might go a little further - ADD?]. I like to shop with a list, I don't hang about browsing, I don't look for new things or new brands. In, out and home; no messing. That's the goal anyway and it is always fine until the checkout.

Ah the checkout! Who is at the checkout? As always it has to be someone who must be in one of those polygamous relationship with a huge number of kids judging by the amount of stuff crammed into the cart. Now given that everyone is always in a rush and that "octomum" here must definitely be in a rush - how could she not be with that many kids - I am absolutely gob smacked at the fact that she does not sack her own groceries or at the very least help to do so. But oh no - she stands there daydreaming off in lala land somewhere. She ran around the store; you just know she is going to scream out of the parking lot like she is being chased by a Tsunami [not a common occurrence in Dallas, TX let me tell you] but sacking - good grief that's not for her. To heck with the poor checker, screw the people in line behind who also have a day to be getting on with; it's all about me!

WHY IN THE HECK NOT SACK HER OWN STUFF?

Does she enjoy watching the checker struggling more and more to find a space to balance that last can of biscuits after scanning it. There is no more room !! The line is getting longer and more frustrated and then don't you know it; she gets out the check book to pay. No cash, no Credit Card, use a Debit Card for goodness sake. Who uses checks these days? Eventually it is done, the cart is filled up again - have to have a carry out of course - doesn't she realize that if there were no sackers and carry out people the grocery stores labor costs would go down and food might be a little cheaper.

So the next time you are in the grocery store help your fellow humans have a good day and sack the darn groceries.

$100M ATM Receipt. If Only! [Video]

Only time I will ever see this that's for sure!

Limey On The Road - DC & The White House

So I just got out of one of my semi-regular meetings at the White House. OK - maybe a little of an exaggeration. All right; you got me, a lot of an exaggeration. Actually I figure if the Rapture came tomorrow and you all had been very bad and all that was left was the President and I it is likely I would still not be asked for advice.

However, I am in DC on business. I have never been here before and the business I am visiting is only two blocks from the White House so I figured why not; be a tourist for a few. So off I trundled to see the White House [and let me tell you when they say white they mean white; I don't think I have ever seen a white as clean and white as that white is].

Now you may or may not agree with the President's policies. Heck, depending on where you live in the world you may or may not like the US. We are not going to go there; political views are personal and often divisive and certainly not something I want to get into here.

What I do think we can agree on is this. The President of the United States is the most powerful individual in the world. Furthermore as each generation comes and goes technology and therefore power advances. If we accept that theory then we can argue that the current President is more powerful than previous Presidents. In short that makes the current President the most powerful human who has ever lived. Back to the White House; it's not as big or as impressive as I expected as a building BUT it's the hang out of the most powerful dude that ever lived - that's actually rather awe inspiring whatever you think of the man himself.

I have a photo. Did I really post that? I must have lost one of the few screws I have left. Check it out after the break.

Porn-O-Matic, Privacy & The Insanity Of Humanity

I am sitting at a gate at DFW waiting for a flight to DC. Not particularly where I would choose to be but I have always embraced the mantra “Don’t worry about the things you can do nothing about”. Seems like a worthy enough goal though sometimes not so easy to execute; I do try though. Like most of us I need to pay the bills so I need my job. Today my job needs me here; end of story. As it happens the day is not too bad so far. The drive to the airport was delay free, the parking lots were not full yet and for a Monday morning the line at security was almost non-existent. The line at Starbucks was longer; go figure. But I can live with that. The only downers on the day are not seeing my wife for a few days and that it is so noisy here; people on the phone left and right. Is it just me or do some people seem to have a propensity for shouting when they use their cell phones? Oh for a little peace and quiet.

So I had my first experience of the “Porn-O-Matic”; that microwave or miniwave or whatever it is full body scanner that has caused so much controversy. Did not seem like a big deal. Legs slightly apart, feet on the yellow “feet”, arms aloft, scanning arm does its thing [a couple of seconds] and I am out of there. Someone somewhere saw an image of me something like the one to the left [image courtesy of Wikipedia]. So what’s the big deal? My thoughts after the jump.

So Why Do I Pay Property Taxes Anyway?

On the drive to the office this morning I heard an ad from a company offering loans to people who had not yet paid last year’s property taxes. I figure most people have the taxes rolled up into the mortgage so they should be OK. If not it can be a big lump sum at the end of the year so I can see where people might get into a pickle; if that is you my sympathies – I hope you get it figured out. Me; I chose not to do the mortgage thing and I save for the property taxes monthly over the course of the year [what was that old saying about looking after the pennies – I earn a few dollars interest over the course of the year]. We all have gaps in our knowledge and experience. I don’t believe anyone out there has a perfect skill set. I know I have my failings, perhaps more than most. Managing my personal finance thankfully is not one of them. I have the experience and discipline to save, and always have the funds when needed, for my property taxes though I do feel obliged to confess that that knowledge and discipline was borne of the angst of major credit card debt and the hounding of debt collectors in a somewhat less disciplined time. None of that however is the purpose of this post.

So what is? Well hearing that ad put me in mind once again of the fact that I question why I pay property taxes [or at least the most significant part of them] in the first place. Not for the first time did this thought occurred to me and it will likely not be the last. The bulk of the money goes to the local school district. I don’t have kids. I chose not to do so. I could never find a good reason to take my life along that path. I know most would disagree and that is fine and dandy – and the subject of another discussion at another time. But why am I paying taxes to the school district?

Take your chance now. You can likely see where this is heading. There's more after the break. If you don’t want to go there just don’t click.

Gotta Hand It To The NBA Champ Dallas Mavericks

As you likely know I am an English transplant. As such my list of things that matter in life does not include Basketball. Nothing against sports and frankly cricket would be a different thing altogether; I just feel that I don't really get Basketball. Having said that I do live in Dallas and I think the local franchise winning the NBA title was really rather cool. I actually watched the series and perhaps a little surprisingly found it somewhat interesting. With this coming not too many months after the same thing happened to me with Baseball when the Rangers went to the Worlds Series I can only conclude that I must be that anathema to the true sports fan, the "Bandwagon Fan". Oh well, we are what we are.

Anyway, after the final game I figured that was pretty much it. The team had won. A remarkable achievement in many ways; they don't have multiple stars, they are not the most athletic team, they are an older team and so on. Yet they won. I was proud for them, proud for Cuban and proud for the city. Having said that – now it is time to move on.

Memory and age seem to have a very close inverse correlation and I am not getting younger so of course I had forgotten about the parade. We have to have a parade. No problem, they will surely schedule it in the evening or at the weekend. BUT NO. It has to be at 10:00 am on a weekday morning. So - what did we have this morning? An estimated 250,000 people converging on downtown Dallas in drive time and streets being closed at 8:00 am - at 8:00 am; are you kidding!

I am all for recognizing achievement; in sports and anywhere else something remarkable or noteworthy takes place. Classy Cuban even went so far as to pay for the parade so the taxpayers of DFW did not have to [and how many sports owners would have done that I wonder]. But really, did we have to show a total disregard for the average downtown worker. Traffic is bad enough; the commute is a trial and a pain in the backside already. Did we have to take a positive and uplifting event for the area and turn it into a massive inconvenience?

I guess we did.

Personal Responsibility – Gone the Way of the Dodo?

It’s “Hump Day.” Wednesday starts as most Wednesday’s do with the minutia of everyday life. Feed the dogs, shave and shower, grab a coffee, collect the trappings of work – laptop, iPhone – and so on. In the car the radio talks to me and the drudgery of work still seems distant, the Mavs won Game 4 so the world is grand. Same drive for years and the car is almost on autopilot. A pain in the end of my nose; the coffee is hot and the road is bumpy. Turns out I actually burned the end of my nose. To be fair it is not the most serious burn; a small red blemish and a little throb for a few minutes but for some reason it puts me in mind of the “McDonald’s Lady”.

Most of you will recall the 1994 case Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants. At the time I was somewhat less of a transplant than I am now. I was a northerner living and working in southern England three years before crossing the pond and transitioning to limey living and working in Dallas, TX. I do recall that the case actually made the news back in the old country; a non violent incident in the US making the UK news was something of a rarity at the time. I also recall thinking that it could not be a serious news report but of course it was. Coffee is hot, if I place it in my lap and spill it I am likely to be burned – common sense? Is the degree of that burn relevant? To some maybe; to me not so much. I purchased the coffee [and would have complained if it was cold]; I held the coffee and I spilled the coffee. Yet the injury was someone else’s fault and a court held it to be so!

That of course sent my mind into the slew of tangential thoughts that inevitably follow an initial thought. You may have a more sequential and structured thought process than I but at least that is the way my mind flows. Is personal responsibility a thing of the past? Is there always someone else to blame [and pay]?