The Old Coot

I received this email from my mom today, I have to agree we need to get a G.R.I.P. (Get Rid Of Incumbent Politicians)

2009-12-15T17:57:00.003-05:00

This is the email that I said I would send you from my cousin. Please read it to the end and then send it to your contacts. I am appalled to know how many taxes we pay that we didn't even know about. Love, Lucille/Mom/Gram

Subject: FW: 536 vs. 300,000,000

PLEASE - Everyone needs to read this if they VOTE!

Although this is political, it is totally bipartisan so I believe each of us should read it. Over the last 100 years both democrats and republicans have ruled, yet look at the fix we are in. Please consider how each voter can help. It isn't a matter of party, but rather principle and ethics.

KEEP THIS ONE GOING TILL NEXT ELECTIONS ARE DONE. IT MAY BE OUR ONLY HOPE.

We need to vote out all 536 and start all over. This email should be passed on all over the USA. Elections start next year, let us get them out!
536 vs 300,000,000

EVERY CITIZEN NEEDS TO READ THIS AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS JOURNALIST HAS SCRIPTED IN THIS MESSAGE. READ IT AND THEN REALLY THINK ABOUT OUR CURRENT POLITICAL DEBACLE.

536 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 equates to 536 human beings out of the 300 million who 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 536 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? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She 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 can not replace 536 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 536 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 , it's because they want them in IRAQ

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 536 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 536 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!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

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 darned 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 taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!
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 ---.

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)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges 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 T ax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle 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=2 0 Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring 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, and 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 has happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
And I still have to 'press 1' for English!?

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!
GO AHEAD - - - BE AN AMERICAN!!!

"It's always something!"

2009-12-05T03:24:00.002-05:00

Last September I had carpel tunnel surgery on my right wrist. I had to call the surgery center the day before to confirm the time for the surgery which was to be in the early afternoon. The surgery center nurse said that I should dress in loose comfortable clothing and bring my C-pap machine just in case I needed it, and that I could eat something light for breakfast. So when I got up at 5:30 in the morning to help Cassie get Kristin off to school I had my usual 2 yogurts and coffee.During the pre-surgical interview the nurse asked if I had anything to eat or drink and what it was, I was told that there was no problem with what I ate and then I was then sedated for the procedure. The surgery went flawlessly and my hand is doing very well.

Yesterday I had the same procedure on my left wrist. I went through the same drill; Called the day before, was told the surgery would be at 11:15 AM, don't eat or drink anything after midnight...

I woke up at 5:30 AM to help Cassie get Kristin off to school and completely forgot the "don't eat or drink anything after midnight rule!" I had my usual 2 yogurts and 2 cups of coffee. Then I prepared an Irish beef stew in the crock pot before I got dressed in my "loose comfortable clothing" and packed up my C-pap machine and left the house. When Cassie and I got to the surgery center I went through the same drill. Remove clothes, put on a gown and paper hat, then started to go through the pre-surgical interview with the nurse. Everything came to a screeching halt when I told the nurse I had 2 yogurts and 2 cups of coffee. After consultation with the doctors, the anesthesiologist and nurses, they all agreed that they could not sedate me. I shouldn't eat at least 8 hours before being sedated, for my safety. They gave me two options; reschedule or using a local anesthetic. Well it is a little bit more than an hour to the surgery center from our house and Cassie and I have so many appointments I said to go ahead with the local.

Having the surgery wide awake was a very interesting experience. Not terribly bad, but I was very nervous. The nurses placed a drape over me so I couldn't see what was going on, (they said so that I didn't flinch when the doctor did the cutting, which I'm very glad they did!) Doctor Aita then numbed me up good and went to work! The procedure took about 8 minutes and then another 10 minutes to stitch me up and clean and dress the wound and then I was done. I went back to recovery where they monitored me for another 20 minutes, I then got dressed and walked out to where Cassie was waiting for me and Cassie drove us home. We were about 10 minutes from home when I looked in the back behind the seat and realized that I had left my C-pap machine in the waiting room! Oh no! I called the surgery center to make sure that my C-pap was still there and find out what time they closed, we were both hungry and I had to go to the bathroom, so we continued home. We had lunch and waited for Kristin to get home from school then went back to the surgery center and got my C-pap. It was a long day by the time we were finally home for the day. Cassie and I were so happy that we didn't have to cook. The stew was done and delicious.

It is after 3:00 in the morning and I'm wide awake from the throbbing pain in my hand, I am waiting for the percocet I took to kick in so I can get back to sleep. That's what I mean when I say; "It's always something!"

WOW! WHAT A LETTER!

2009-04-06T12:12:00.001-04:00

My mom sent me this and I have to tell you; I agree!

WOW! WHAT A LETTER!

Letter from one 'Angry Woman' . I don't know who wrote it but they should have signed it. Some powerful words. This woman should run for president.Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it! This is one ticked off lady.

'Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001?

Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field inPennsylvania?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was 'desecrated' when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for chopping off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents' in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques..

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide .

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.' Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed it-I don't care!!

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:

'Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem' -- Ronald Reagan

I have another quote that I would like to add AND.......I hope you forward all this.

'If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under' Also by... Ronald Reagan

One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America , he said: 'A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out.'

ask yourself how many boats are leaving our shores for another place to live. I have a $100.00 bill for every boat with 4 or more people in it leaving this great country.

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON,
AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF THEM.

My Neighbor

2008-02-19T10:57:00.001-05:00

I was driving by my neighbors house when I spotted Bob in the front. Since Bob likes to take pictures of us and our house,
especially when we are getting work done (I don't know why) I figured I'd take a couple of shots of him. Here's the result:

Then I noticed a certain resemblance to this popular guy.

Without the hamburgers of course.

Actually Bob is a good guy, a great neighbor and a good friend. We spend lots of quality minutes getting caught up on the gossip in our hood as I am driving by. When I used to be able to work in the yard, Bob would come over all the time and spend hours telling how to do this or that. He always made sure I stopped what I was doing so he could impart his wonderful wisdom and advice. No matter how long it took or how much of a hurry I was in to get the job done. I've never had a kinder foreman. If I missed a spot he would cheerfully point it out to me. Never had a cross word for me even if I got hurt or made some kind of stupid mistake always a kind chuckle or a great belly laff. What a guy!

It's BaaaaacK!

2008-02-12T21:06:00.000-05:00

Yeaaaaaa! My Photo Gallery is up and running again!
I'm not sure what exactly happened, but a few months ago my domain host (One World Hosting) moved their servers to a better facility, since then my photo gallery has been down. After my repeated feeble attempts to trey to fix it I finally broke down and called tech support. They had it up and running the same day! The techie reported that some of the tables in MySQL Database were damaged in the moving. She said it was an easy fix.
I don't know why I am so stubborn when things go wrong. I always try to fix it myself first. Sometimes not always, I make it worse. Oh wait! Maybe it's the same reason us guys can't seem to ask for directions when we get lost. I'm sure that's what the ladies will say.

Multitasking makes you dumber and slower

2008-01-27T19:00:00.000-05:00

Slashdot.org had a link to this article on The Atlantic.com Blog about how multitasking causes more stress and can make you stupid. I didn't repost the article because it is long. But it is very informative and well written.

MY EYE! MY EYES!

2008-01-19T07:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to a retina specialist to have my eyes examined. (No not my head, though that may need to be done soon. As I have many children) My Opthamologist noticed some retinopathy at my last checkup. (Tiny blood vessels bleeding in my eyes) I also was seeing letters and words distorted while reading. (My favorite pastime).

So Cassie went with me to drive on the way home as we were told that the eyes would be dilated. We got to the clinic, and only had to wait for a few minutes before we were escorted in to be seen by the doctor. A nurse tech dilated and numbed my eyes then took my eye BP and said that it was normal. (Yeah!) Then she asked some questions. The doctor then came and gave me an exam. He said I had mild retinopathy in my left eye. But mild to severe retinopathy in my right. He then explained what the procedure was next.

They inject me with a yellow food based dye to act as a contrast so they can see where the blood is leaking, and then take some pictures. All the nurses were very pleasant and competent as they took the pics. Next the doctor said he was going to use the laser to dry up the bleeding.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

They sat me down in the chair with what looked like the normal exam tools with a laser added. The nurse then numbed my right eye again and the doctor took a magnifying contact lens and placed it on my eye and proceeded to blast away the bleeding spots on my retina. It was cool! He went zap, zap, zap, zap, zap, zap, zap to all the spots. What I saw was a very brief pinpoint of light flash in many spots in my eye. The whole procedure took, not even five minutes, and I was outa there! There was no pain nor any discomfort. The people were very friendly, helpful and professional.

I have to go back in two weeks to get my left eye done and then back in two months for a final checkup. The doctor told me that getting and keeping my sugars under control is the best way to keep the retinopathy at bay, so with the help of my darling wife and the rest of my family I will try to be better at it.

After my next visit I will post some pics of my retina the doctor said he will give me.

By the way, the wonderful doctor and organization that is treating me is Mid Atlantic Retina/Wills Retina Surgeons and my doctor is Carl D, Regillo MD. Some of the nurses were Samantha, Nancy and two others whose names I can't recall at this time. What a great team and a wonderful facility.

My Pain Doctor Visit!

2008-01-15T17:39:00.000-05:00

Today I went to see a pain specialist. Wait let me back up a bit as I haven't posted about this situation before.

I have been suffering from extreme back pain since September last year. I'm not exactly sure what caused it but in September it got to the point that I couldn't walk, sleep or work. My wife set me up with an appointment with her Rheumatologist. It took two weeks to finally see him. My Primary Care Physician wasn't sure of what was going on and had prescribed Percocet for the pain and sent me for x rays. Meanwhile I saw the specialist. He sent me for an MRI but I wasn't able to fit in the machine, so I had to settle for a CT Scan. After reviewing the films and the report he said I needed to see a pain specialist. His diagnosis was that I had a herniated disk and Spinal Stenosis, and that I needed an epidural steroid.

I made an appointment with the specialist that he recommended. I was thinking that I would finally be able too get some relief from this horrendous pain. Yeah right!
Cassie and I went together that day. When I explained my situation to him he looked me right in the eye and said that he wouldn't give me the epidural I needed because he was afraid I would break his table. You can probably imagine how I felt after that statement. He then sent me to physical therapy to lose ten pounds and then, come back to see him. He also prescribed some meds and a Tens unit. This took place in October. I went to P.T. and after three visits the pain got worse and I also tore my rotator cuff again getting out of the pool at the YMCA where the P.T. was taking place. I went back to see my Rheumatologist and he suggested I try to find a pain Doctor that could help me. There aren't very many around. I was happy to tell him that I wasn't going back to that pain quack.

I finally found a Doctor that could help me. Now it is January 2008 almost four months after the problem became so bad I had to seek help and I saw the Doc. He actually examined me, (The other guy didn't) and discovered that in addition to the severe pain there was also weakness in my leg. He explained that the nerve that was affected was being compressed thus causing the pain. But the weakness was caused by damage to the nerve which may be unable to heal. He also said I should have had the epidural a lot sooner before the nerve became damaged. He scheduled me for three injections a month apart for each. After that we'll re-evaluate the situation.

I wish I had seen this doctor the first time. I am so freaking mad. Because the first pain doctor didn't want to treat me (I guess he discriminates against fat people) I may have permanent nerve damage. I always tell my kids not to be mean to people and to treat everyone with respect because what goes around comes around. Casie and I found out that the first pain doctor's practice broke up and he is no longer practicing medicine.

Arrrrghhhhhhhh!

2008-01-08T18:52:00.000-05:00

I'm a conservative Republican. In my house the only Republican. All the rest are liberal Democrats. You can imagine how that goes when we try to have any kind of political conversations. Tonight was no different. Somehow the topic of the evening was Bush bashing. I voted for the guy. I know he's not the greatest President we've ever had but he is certainly not the worst. IMHO he's a whole lot better than Clinton ever was. Unfortunately God help me if I try to support Bush, or even worse bash Clinton. You'd have thought I spat in every one's faces. Tonight is one of those nights where I spoke up against Clinton. Now I think I'm in the doghouse.
I truly believe every one is entitled to their opinions, even though they are wrong!

Circuit City Warranties SUCK!

2008-01-06T19:23:00.000-05:00

A year ago Cassie and I bought an Acer computer at Circuit City in Moorestown, NJ. It was going to be used by our school age children. After two months it just up and stopped working. Cassie said, fortunately we got the extended warranty. The salesman at the store told us when we bought it, that we could either have it fixed or just bring it in for a replacement. Yeah right!

We brought the tower into the store and the Firedog team told us to leave it with them and they would do a diagnostic on it to see if it could be fixed. Later that evening we get a call from one of the techies telling us that the motherboard and possibly the hard drive was fried. So we go back to the store to get another computer like the original salesman told us. We get there and we are told we have to send it back to the manufacturer at our own cost. What! No! We bought the warranty! They then told us that the manufacturer's warranty has to be used first and after it expires in a year theirs goes into effect.

After a half hour of arguing with just about every one at the store Cassie and I left and went over to CompUsa right down the street. We bought a very similar PC for about the same price. When the salesman asked us if we wanted the extended warranty I asked a lot of questions and had each of them answered by the guy showing us where each was written on the warranty sheet. It turns out that the warranty is a one shot deal with them. First it's not as expensive ($39.00) and we just have to bring in the old one and exchange it for a new one. We bought a flat screen monitor there that got fried when the motherboard on the Acer PC went bad, brought it back to CompUsa and they exchanged it with no hassle. We also bought a new warranty at $39.00 for it too, Just in case.

Cassie and decided to let the Acer PC gather dust for a year and at the end of the year we would bring it back to Circuit City and get it replaced. Yeah Right! We brought the PC back this afternoon and once again had to have it diagnosed even though I told them what the problem was (in great detail). During dinner we get a call from the techie saying that Yes, indeed the motherboard had fried, just as I said, and would we like to come pick up the computer tonight. Wow! I said. That's fast service! I didn't expect it to be fixed that soon. Oh it's not fixed, the techie said. You have to bring it home and call the insurance company that carries the warranty and have their service technician come to your house to fix it. I started growling into the phone and the guy asked me if I wanted to speak to his manager. Indeed I do! I said. So to make a very long and frustrating story short the end result is that they are going to send the tower out and call me to pick it up when it's fixed.

I'd like to say that that settles that, but I'll believe it when the PC is on the desk and working. I've got my fingers crossed. You better believe I won't be shopping at the Circuit City any more. On the way home we passed a sign near CompUsa that said that they were closing the store in Moorestown. Rats! Now what am I going to do! The next closest store is in Freehold!

Oh well that's the way this story ends.

A New Beginning

2008-01-04T02:30:00.000-05:00

This blog was originally begun as a means to post comments on other Blogger posts. I have my own domain and that's where I usually post (http://www.twhgrafx.xom). I was thinking about what to use this blog for and came up with the idea for this after getting an old coot bobble head for Christmas. I am still in the planning stage for this blog (design and purpose) so it may be awhile before the blasted thing is ready for the general blogosphere.
I'm thinking it may be about my attitudes and impressions of becoming a senior citizen (old fart as my children call me) and possibly posting info relating to us kinder and gentler old coots.
So please stay tuned.