The Energy Bill

Are you kidding me?

Governor Sanford and Michael Jackson

Governor Mark Sanford has to be one of the happiest people in the world today. Not that anyone should take joy in the death of Michael Jackson, but come on, the timing was perfect. The opposite is true for the people of Iran. We live in a strange world.

Farrah and Michael Jackson

Poor Farrah Fawcett. She has the misfortune to pass on the same day as Michael Jackson. She was upstaged in her final performance. I was never a big fan of either, but their lives seemed rather pitiful here at the end. Maybe they will both find peace now.

Jon and Kate

Oh boy.
So Jon and Kate are getting divorced. Who didn't see that coming? I'll admit to having watched the show a few times. Not a fan by any means, but the kids were cute. I really thought that Kate was pretty cold towards Jon, and pretty much a prima donna on the show. It always had to be about her. She could suck the fun out of any situation. I saw part of an episode where Steve Thomas was helping install solar panels on the roof and she was downright rude to him and the crew the whole time they were there. Maybe she thought that was funny, but I just thought it was rude. I think after the first year or so it was time to put the cameras away and try to lead a normal life. When the kids were old enough to walk and talk, they deserved some privacy. I'm sure they made a lot of money doing the show and that could cloud your judgment. At some point you have to say "this isn't good for my kids". How many famous TV kids grow up to have normal lives?

I'm always amazed by how many reality shows there are. People tune in to watch other people's lives instead living their own. From Cops to Ice Road Truckers to Survivor, we can sit on the couch and virtually participate in someone else's real-life. I'm guilty of it too. I can't necessarily explain it.

Well, best of luck to Jon and Kate and the poor kids who are the real victims here.
How much is child support for eight kids?

Cake

I just had a piece of German chocolate cake. It doesn't get much better than that. Life is good.

Raison D'Etre

In the next few days, weeks, months I will be sharing my thoughts and observations on many of the political and social issues of our time. Taxes, energy, environment, religion, government, and culture will all be fair game. You are invited to join in the conversation. Just keep it civil. We have the right to disagree. We don't need to be insulting. Now, where did I put my notes?
Let the games begin!

Salary Caps

There's been a lot of talk about salary caps lately. A lot of people, especially in government think some corporate executives make too much money. While I do have a problem with people asking for government help and then going off to party at some fancy resort, or some big shot taking a multi-million-dollar bonus after running his company into bankruptcy, in the end the marketplace through the shareholders or board of directors should be able to handle these problems. I must admit however that I would be in favor of some pay equals performance formula. I think the first place to start should be the government. Congress especially gets to vote themselves a pay raise whenever they want and they been doing a lousy job for years. So I propose we pay Congress,the President, and federal judges based on their performance. The people can vote once a year, say on April 16, and decide the salary for the coming year based on last year's performance. Think of the money we could save. Make a bad call as a judge, get your salary cut. Write a bad law that you don't read, get your salary cut. Tell the press about the Vice President's secret hideout, get your salary cut. And so on. Of course there would be rewards for good practices, but those are few and far between. Before you start feeling too sorry for these people, remember they can all raise millions of dollars to get elected so they really don't need the money. Think of it as spreading the wealth around.