The Mother's Day Trifecta

"In any event, as I have gotten up in years, I sold my Lund fishing boat. Too big, and too heavy for me. Plus, I no longer fish on opener. Whatever fishing acumen I have left is to be shared with my grandies." 

Today is my Mother's birthday. She would have been 103 today. As it was, she lived to be almost 97. All in all, she had a good life. Married for 66 years, lived in her dream home for 50. There were a few bumps along the road, but like I said, for the most part, she lived a good life.

But as much as I liked to celebrate her birthday with her, there was always something lurking right around the corner. Mother's Day. She really disliked (sometimes more than disliked), when Mother's Day hit on the same weekend as her birthday (like this one). The only thing which could aggravate her more, were those rare occurrences when her birthday AND Mother's Day hit on May 8th. Ouch!

Then to finish the trifecta, was something I enjoyed doing once a year, which often times also happened on this weekend. Fishing opener. After suffering through a long, cold winter in Minnesota, the thought of being out in a boat on a beautiful May weekend was better than good. It was a right of passage, for living in this northern state. Myself and two friends from work had an annual date to fish on this weekend.

Now, if I mix Mom's birthday, Mother's Day, and fishing opener all up into the same weekend, it became a real conundrum. A big time puzzle. Often times my Mom would say things like, "I don't understand why fishing opener has to be so close to Mother's Day!" I agreed with her. I often thought Minnesota should be like Wisconsin, and open up Walleye AND Bass season on May 1st. 

Sometimes I would tease Mom by saying, "It is too bad Mother's Day does not come in February - then there would be no conflict." Needless to say, that went over like passing gas in church. I was on the receiving end of a cold stare, and some harsh words. 

In any event, as I have gotten up in years, I sold my Lund fishing boat. Too big, and too heavy for me. Plus, I no longer fish on opener. Whatever fishing acumen I have left is to be shared with my grandies. 

I would however, give my eyeteeth to have my Mother back to celebrate both Mother's Day and her birthday. Bottom line - I could have fished on any other weekend during the summer. Those two days in early May were very special to my Mother. And to see her joy in celebrating those two events, made them very special to me also. 

Toxic Masculinity?

 

                                             

"I am a fan of NCIS and Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I am not a fan of John Kerry, Barack Obama, Joe Biden or Pete Buttigieg."

Okay. I am game. What the Sam Hill is "toxic masculinity"? Is that yet another name or term I need to be concerned about? Like "white privilege" or "white fragility"? Or do I add it to the fact I have been accused by the left of being homophobic, xenophobic, sexist, racist, or whatever? Did you know that NCIS is just finishing its 18 season? And there are rumors about a season 19? What does that have to do with anything, you might ask? The answer is simple. Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, is a man's man. He is the polar opposite of girly men like John Kerry and Barack Obama. Although the character of Gibbs is flawed, most guys (like myself), would like to have a couple of shots of bourbon (in a dirty glass) with Gibbs in his boat building basement. And just talk about "stuff". Is Gibbs a sexist? Hardly. A racist? Not at all. Does he suffer from "toxic masculinity"? Nope. He does however, have a huge dose of just plain masculinity.

What is it with these new socialist Democrats? Why can't they just let us be? Quit rewriting our history. Like, America stated in 1619 instead of when our colonies became a Republic. Or even when our Constitution was ratified. Nope - we had to pick a day back in the pilgrim era, when our country was not even a country. When slavery was common amongst many nations of many colors. And the loony left wants our kids to be taught that our early settlers were not explorers - they were conquerors. Those early white guys enslaved just about everybody. 

It has been asked many times, if we had a "D-Day" event today, could we get enough brave young souls to storm the beaches? When I think of being a "man's man", I think of Normandy. These young men, barely old enough to shave, went into a hellish salvo, knowing the chances of getting killed or wounded were high. But they still did it. Many were killed or wounded. But D-Day was a success, and the war started to turn.

Let's compare those brave men of World War II, with girly men like John Kerry. Kerry, who when he got back from Viet Nam and started to hair out, he could not wait to show his anti-war rant. This former Secretary of State, threw his medals over the White House fence. There are terms other than "toxic masculinity" I could use to describe John Kerry, but that would violate my code of conduct on this blog. Suffice it to say that John Kerry would not have lasted one season (as Gibbs) on NCIS.

Sorry, if I am coming across as a cisgender (another new term) male. I am a fan of NCIS and Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I am not a fan of John Kerry, Barack Obama, Joe Biden or Pete Buttigieg. Does this country have too much "toxic masculinity"? No - but it does have a shortage of good old normal masculinity. Especially at the top. 

 

 

A normal summer?

"We need to realize that (thanks to the CCP), Covid-19 may be with us maybe forever. Or, it might just mutate itself into oblivion, and disappear. In any event, we (as a nation) have spent over a year playing duck and cover. Enough."

Today is May 6th. The day after Cinco de Mayo. A few days before Mother's Day. It is the National Day of Prayer (which we should have weekly, instead of yearly). We have been told by our Governor, who always is on the level with us about the pandemic (a bit of satire), we might have a normal summer. Say what? Here is a news flash for the Governor, the President, or whomever. We ARE going to have a normal summer. Period. End of story.

If I were in charge, this is how summer would look. Twins - Starting in June, every game should be as full as fans want it to be. I mean, over 50% of us will be vaccinated by that time, and even some doctors are admitting there are certain folks who have natural immunity. Or anti-bodies from having Covid earlier. So, PLAY BALL! Sell that sucker out! BTW - the same applies to the Vikings this fall. Sell that sucker out also!

State Fair. No, we are not looking at it. We are doing it! The vendors can claim their spots, the entertainers can get booked, and the Midway should be fully operational. By Mid-August, we should have over 60% vaccinated. I mean, the reason most of us volunteered to have the jab with this new vaccine, was to get back to normal. What we have had in 2020 and so far in 2021, does not cut it. Not in my normal category.

Restaurants? Fully open in June. This stupidity of wearing mask in the front door and then taking it off when you get seated has got to stop. It makes no sense. In addition, all bars open like they were before the pandemic. Same with movie theaters. And gyms. Plus concerts, both inside and outside. 

Finally churches. I think they have been hit the hardest of all. Open them up, no social seating in the pews, and masks will only be voluntary. It is nice to go to church again, rather than watching it on the computer. But it is still not normal. Having church be church again, like it was before the pandemic, would really help - all of us.

We need to realize that (thanks to the CCP), Covid-19 may be with us maybe forever. Or, it might just mutate itself into oblivion, and disappear. In any event, we (as a nation) have spent over a year playing duck and cover. Enough.

Our Governor should declare June 1st, as the first day of "return to normal". It is time. We are long overdue. Time to start living again. 

Drugged out in Minnesota

"One needs to wonder if Biden and the Democrats are really that dumb, that stupid, that tone deaf, they can not see what is happening by opening up our southern border. Why, then why, did Biden do it?" 

The interesting (yet depressing) news which hit recently, is the shockingly high number of drug overdoses in Minnesota last year. The reason(s) "why" could be vast and varied. But the fact remains, that in 2020, 1008 Minnesotans died from drug overdoses. And the outrage? We seemed to have missed it. Should we be pissed off about this? The fact that drugs are making into our state, drugs (like fentanyl), which are strong enough to kill a horse, much less a person?

Many drugs are making up from the southern border. Why? Even though some are caught by the border patrol, the drugs which make it to Minnesota are part of the "get aways". The amount of illegal aliens, illegal drugs, gang bangers, terrorists which are referred to as "get aways", have skyrocketed since Slo Joe has opened up the southern border.

Here is the real scary part. The number of drug deaths were over 1,000 in Minnesota BEFORE Biden became President. BEFORE the southern border was opened up. Already this year, sheriffs all over the country are sounding the alarm about bad things and bad people making into their territory. Making into their territory, after waltzing across our open southern border.

One needs to wonder if Biden and the Democrats are really that dumb, that stupid, that tone deaf, they can not see what is happening by opening up our southern border. Why, then why, did Biden do it? When so much progress had been made under Donald Trump? Hatred. Pure and simple hatred for Trump. Hatred so strong, Biden will throw the security of our country under the bus. He should immediately be impeached for doing such a thing. The death of any American by drugs which come across our open border, is on his watch. He is accountable.

Even though the Republicans picked up seats in the House in the 2020 election, losing control of the Senate, has relegated the Party of Lincoln to be nothing more than spectators, as Biden destroys our security. Many are saying that when we take back the House and Senate in 2022, we can muzzle this socialist President. But that might be too late for many. The damage he has done in 100 has been immense. The further damage he can do before 2022 might be incalculable.

Welcome to 2021. We could not wait until 2020 was over, so we could get into 2021. Now, we can't wait until 2022. 

  

 

Through the roof pricing

"Is there any blue sky with all this economic cloudiness? Yes - interest rates. Interest rates are still close to zero to mortgages and most car sales. However, this might not be the case for much longer. Any additional risks, besides hyper inflation? Yep - government spending."

It all started earlier this year, when my insurance company informed me the premium on our house was going up - way up. When I got the notification, I immediately got on the phone to make an inquiry. I mean, in the almost 40 years we have lived here, we have had only four claims. Two of those were due to roof damage from hail, and the other two were very minor.

The insurance agent on the phone informed me the only reason for the increase was the "rebuilding cost". In other words, should we have a total loss on our house (due to fire or something), the rebuilding cost was up many thousands of dollars. I was perplexed. "Why?" I asked. "The price of materials, specifically lumber" the agent said. Not having bought any lumber for a while, I had no clue of just how much lumber had gone up.

Here it is only May 4th, and the price of lumber is up 67% since the first of the year. And (here is the whopper) - up 340% from a year ago. So what has that done to the price of a house? According to CNBC, it has added about $36,000 on to the price of a new home. That is about what we paid for our first house in Coon Rapids in the mid-seventies. And here is the kicker. It has added value and pricing not only to the new homes - but also existing homes.

Even though some experts are predicting a flattening of lumber prices by the end of the year, right now we have (hold on for this one) - hyper inflation in lumber. Some of the wiser folks in economics have also warned that this might not be all. Besides housing becoming much more expensive, there is also a chip shortage which is expected to affect auto manufacturers. Bottom line? Look for the price of cars to go up also. Houses and cars. Two of the items that most all of us need.

Is there any blue sky with all this economic cloudiness? Yes - interest rates. Interest rates are still close to zero to mortgages and most car sales. However, this might not be the case for much longer. Any additional risks, besides hyper inflation? Yep - government spending.

To quote someone from a weekend financial show - "Our government is now spending money like a 15 year old, with a new credit card, and no limit on what he or she can buy." 

Paying the "fair share"

"To reform our economic system, our Constitutional Republic, Biden needs to initiate the Great Reset. A confiscatory tax system is a logical place to start. Much of the money we will make, will go right back into this cesspool call government spending. We will all be indebted to a system of governance which is devoid of accountability."

This morning on a cable news shows, one of Biden's economic gurus was a guest to explain to the American people why this administration is going to tax their socks off. I listened in between getting ready for early church, so I did not hear all of it. I did however, count the times I heard  the expression, "paying their fair share" (of taxes), at least a half a dozen times. 

It kind of reminded me of a story from years ago. On day, as I was sitting at my desk working, the director of our group came up to me to ask a question. "Are you satisfied with how much money I am paying you?" Somewhat taken aback, I replied, "Yes sir - very satisfied". His response started me. "Wrong answer! You should always reply I am worth more. No matter how much you are making, you tell management you are worth more." With that, he left my office to have this visit with another employee. Me? I was left there, scratching my head.

The point of bringing up this story is this - how much is too much? Be it an employee's salary, or the amount of taxes someone is suppose to pay. How much is too much? The "fair share" canard this administration is using, is just that - a canard. For example, if you are married, and make about $20,000/year, your federal tax rate is about 10%. However, it you are married and make over $620,000/year, your federal tax rate is 37%. Why then, does a couple making $620,000/year need to pay 37% federal income tax, and not 10%? Ability to pay. It is fair to pay more if you make more.

But - this is what most Democrats don't realize. There is a "tipping point". How much more can we ask of couples making over $400,000 (Biden's number)? How much more before they either throw in the towel, or take their money offshore? Same with corporations. How much more can Biden raise the corporate tax rate, before they move offshore. BTW - corporations look at paying taxes as a cost of doing business. Much of the taxes they pay are passed on to the consumer in the price they pay for the goods or services.

To reform our economic system, our Constitutional Republic, Biden needs to initiate the Great Reset. A confiscatory tax system is a logical place to start. Much of the money we all will make, will go right back into this cesspool call government spending. We will all be indebted to a system of governance which is devoid of accountability.

So the questions remains, what is your "fair share" of taxes to be paid. To quote my old boss from yesteryear - "Never enough." And you can take that to the back - that is, if there is anything left to put into the bank. 

India in crisis

"I only hope that in this world, someone has the guts to hold the CCP responsible for this very expensive and deadly mess."  

For those who have reading the media or watching the news, what has been happening in India has been jaw dropping. India, a land of 1.3 billion souls, is a land of terrible poverty as well as having some pockets of achievement and wealth. Be that as it may, India is now getting ravaged by Covid -19 and it's variants. So much so, they have had over 18 million cases (6 million of those just last month), with over 200,000 deaths. Right now, India is ground zero in the fight against this terrible virus.

The government of India is pleading to the world for supplies. All sorts of PPE is needed. Oxygen is needed. Most of all however, vaccines are needed. Even though 150 million doses have been administered to date, they need to get enough on hand to vaccinate at least another 550 million people immediately. That would be half their population. Right now, time is not India's friend.

Every now and again, a FB friend will post a Caring Bridge website which tells the story of a friend or relative who is a "long hauler", suffering from this terrible disease. True, most who get this disease recover from it. Unfortunately, some don't. And some have long lasting and debilitating after effects. Most medical professionals will tell you the same thing - this disease is nothing to mess around with. 

It seems ironic to me, that India, with a population almost as high as China's, gets hit this hard with Covid - 19. Karma to me, would have China getting the worst of it, since it came from there. Whether it was accidental or intentional, is yet to be determined. All I know is this - this virus has hit the world like wildfire. In just over a year, 150 million cases worldwide, with over 3 million deaths. Some countries have been hit harder than others, very few, if any countries have escaped the paid of this virus. 

Regardless of the blather coming out of this Administration, we have Donald J. Trump to thank for putting the fire under Project Warp Speed. Warp Speed is not only getting our people vaccinated and back to a somewhat normal life, it is also now serving as a lifeline for other countries, such as India. Some doctors are now telling us that Covid - 19 might end up being like the flu. Every year, there will be a new variant, which will need an annual booster vaccine.

I only hope that in this world, someone has the guts to hold the CCP responsible for this very expensive and deadly mess. I do know, it will never be the Biden Administration.