Freedlander's closes

Here are some still photographs from the final sale at Freedlander's Department Store on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009. Check out The Daily Record's Web site on Sunday for more photos, stories and video.

Barack Obama: (I coulda been a) Contender in Chief

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

President Barack H. Obama says in his weekly address that special interest groups and the status quo in Washington will not like the changes he is proposing in his budget. In fact, they are gearing up for a fight. The horror!

Fret not, our fearless leader is preparing for a fight, too! He said it. He is. The same man who never stands up to those in his party and never reached across the aisle to work on any meaningful reform is going to fight for you (as long as you want what he wants).

BHO runs off a list of people who will not like the changes in spending he proposes, but never once does he say any of the leaders of his party will be upset.

BHO promised change, but he is only delivering more of the same. Perhaps he has no understanding of history at all, which is why he can say he is promoting change. Don't see. Not from where I stand. The writer of Ecclesiastes said there is nothing new under the sun. Apparently, Obama begs to differ.

Tax and spend

End of an era

At 5 p.m. Saturday, Freedlander's Department Store will cease to be the force it has been for the past 125 years in downtown Wooster. The business is believed to be the oldest independently owned downtown department store, and it will all end on Saturday. I plan to be there with video camera to capture the last day of the once majestic store.

What'd he say?

'Liberty and Tyranny'

Mark Levin read from his upcoming book "Liberty and Tyranny" on his radio show Thursday. Listen to the audio clip here. In the clip, he talks about how conservatives are generally content to live and let live, attend to family, give time to their churches or synagogues. He talks about how the conservative needs to be more engaged than ever before.

The budget buster

The "debt hawk" weighs in

Ohio Senator George Voinovich, a Republican, had this to say about President Barack H. Obama's proposed budget:

“President Obama has delivered a budget outline that attempts to fool the American people with smoke and mirrors. He unrealistically promises everything to everyone and masks the sacrifices Americans will be forced to make if it passes. To act like it is some sort great accomplishment to reduce the deficit in four years to a level that is still higher than every deficit from the end of World War II up until Barack Obama’s inauguration is absurd. And, the $533 billion figure he touts for Fiscal Year 2013 ignores the continued borrowing from Social Security and other trust funds to the tune of roughly $200 billion a year. It doubles the debt in five years and triples the debt in 10 years, continuing huge deficits beyond this administration. Failing to tackle entitlement and tax reform and relying simply on an obvious phase-out of the astronomical spending in his stimulus bill, a reduction of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and revenue from an irresponsible cap-and-trade program is a womb-to-tomb tax increase for every child born in this country.

“And, where are the $2 trillion in cuts and terminations we were promised? Although they are absent, he does promise to make middle class tax relief permanent while spending at least $634 billion on establishing a path to universal health care, but he does not know how he will fully pay for it.

“President Obama’s budget includes a cap-and-trade auction program to generate revenue for his botched spending priorities and permanent tax cuts. This is simply a veiled consumer tax increase the likes of which have already received a devastating critique from the EPA, EIA and many well respected economists. The impacts of this program will be disproportionately felt by states like Ohio who depend on coal for much of their energy needs. The president’s plan maximizes the economic pain of emissions reductions by requiring energy producers and users meet their compliance needs at auctions designed to maximize the costs that will ultimately be passed on in the form of higher gasoline, power and heating bills – stressing families and killing jobs. And, because energy costs are a form of regressive tax, the program will hurt our most vulnerable citizens at a time they can’t take any more pain. Indeed, the budget assumes this new tax will generate $645 billion over an eight year period – something businesses, workers and families cannot afford in this time of economic crisis.

“While I believe we have a responsibility to reduce emissions, we should not do so in a manner that further erodes our economic stability and our energy and national security interests. Last year, I worked very hard to kill a similar proposal when it came to the Senate floor. I will do so again unless significant revisions to this proposal are made.”

With talk like this, it will be sad to see him retire from the U.S. Senate, as he plans to do after this term. Republican Rob Portman and Democrats Lee Fisher (Ohio's lieutenant governor) and Jennifer Brunner (Ohio's secretary of state) have announced their intentions to run for the seat.

What a feeling!

Government too big, spends too much

Where is the wisdom of Ronald Reagan today when we need it? Reagan's solution for a faltering economy was to reduce government spending and to cut taxes, which is the exact opposite of President Obama. Listen to Reagan's words as he tells a joint session of Congress, "Government is too big, and it spends too much."

Joint Session of Congress - Wa...

John Boccieri's comments regarding Obama address

Here are Congressman John Boccieri's (D-Alliance) comments on President Barack Obama's address before a joint session of Congress. Boccieri represents Ohio's 16th District, which includes parts or all of Wayne, Ashland, Medina and Stark counties. Boccieri follows a very popular representative, Ralph Regula, a Republican from Navarre. Since his election and swearing in, Boccieri has almost been a regular in Wooster and Wayne County, spending nearly a whole week here talking with business leaders, educators, researchers, scientists and residents. We wonder if his district representative, Chris Cupples (a Wooster High grad and resident), had anything to do with it.

How important is Ohio?

Seems like Ohio is very important. After all, our governor, Ted Strickland, a Democrat (seen in the red tie in the center of the photo), watched President Barack Obama's address with first lady Michelle Obama -- this despite Strickland campaigning heavily for Hillary Rodham Clinton.

You better go in debt -- or else!

Listening to President Barack Obama's address before a joint session of Congress Tuesday conjured up thoughts of a tag line from a rent-to-own company: "Because we all deserve nice stuff."

Those companies are willing to let those who cannot afford "nice" stuff pay an arm-and-a-leg for the privilege of renting that stuff with the hopes of one day owning that stuff. So, instead of saving your money for 13 weeks to buy something, take possession of it now and pay for it 26 weeks.

I had hoped to hear a good, clear message from President Obama. Instead, what I heard was a conflicting speech.

Obama said if we do not take care of the "credit crisis" and restart lending, then the recovery would be choked off before it begins. He added that the flow of credit was the lifeblood of the economy. Without lending, people cannot afford to buy homes or cars.

His solution is to create a lending fund for new autos, college educations and small businesses.

Think about what he said: This country does not thrive or revive unless you and I go in debt.

Listen to this from Proverbs 22:7: The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender (NIV).

According to Obama, this economy in the land of the free does not move without debt, yet at the same time, we are not truly free as long as we are in debt.

I am sorry, didn't we get into this mess because of borrowing? Are we now supposed to get out of this mess by borrowing?

What is the definition of insanity? Isn't it doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?

When Obama talked about the new lending fund, he received a standing ovation. With leaders like this who are willing to trade long-term financial peace for some short-term relief, we are never going to get out of this mess.

Obama promised change, and now he is delivering.

p.s. I did not hear all of his speech, but I did appreciate the fact that the President said he is going to cut some federal programs.

So, how much is $800 billion

Check this out from the American Issues Project.

Bailout Prize Patrol spoof

Bailout Prize Patrol
Taxpayers Clearing House Prize Patrol delivers large checks to Citibank and Amtrak, gets them signed by Sen. Snow, Sen. Schumer, confronts Tim Geithner with wads of cash and delivers invoices to taxpayers. (From Right.org).

Thanks to Ian F. for pointing out the video.

Why is he always downcast?

Yeah, a really strong middle class

This is what jobs-is-a-three-letter-word Joe Biden had to say about a task force designed to build a stronger middle class: "This Task Force will be an important vehicle to assess new and existing policies across the board and determine if they are helping or hurting the middle class. It is our charge to get the middle class — the backbone of this country – up and running again."

America is more than the middle class (of which I rest firmly). I wish our leaders would quit with the class envy stuff and promote policies that build a strong America. I don't want to be made stronger only so someone else is made weaker. I want to succeed based on my merit and not because the government taxed someone else to death to give me an extra $13 a week. Just give me back more of my own money instead of sticking your hand in my neighbor's pocket to alleviate my suffering, real or imagined.

Boccieri's maiden voyage on House floor

Here is our Congressman John Boccieri, D-Alliance, who represents Ohio's 16 District, on his first speech on the House floor in Washington, D.C. In it, Boccieri speaks about why it was important to vote for the stimulus plan.

Strong Middle Class

If you visit the Strong Middle Class Web site, you can tell a governmental task force what it will take to make a strong middle class. You have 5,000 characters, which I discovered is a lot. Here is what I submitted to my government:

If you want to help America, why don't you quit trying to divide us between the haves and the have nots. I grew up in a single-parent household where my mother worked two jobs to help make life better for us. She never taught us to be envious of those who had money, and she did not allow us to pity ourselves because we didn't have as much money as others. Instead, she always found creative ways to use the money she had so the family could have fun. She loved us, encouraged us to get an education and showed us by example what it means to work hard. Now all four of us siblings are doing the patriotic thing (in Joe Biden's eyes) by paying more taxes. One of the biggest problems is our government is willing to pay people for bad choices. Look at the bailout -- businesses and banks that followed failed business models are receiving billions of dollars. Our welfare system, while well-intentioned, ultimately provides incentive to make bad choices. If you want to help Americans, then make them work for every government dollar they receive. I am talking about those who are able-bodied and are physically able to perform work. No sitting around. Make it difficult to receive taxpayer money. Make them pick up litter for food stamps; dig ditches; clean streets; whatever. Mr. Barack Obama did not become president by sitting around and letting the government take care of him. Joe Biden did not become vice president by sitting around and letting the government take care of him (though I am sure some will argue that because he has been on the public payroll since he was 29 or 30 years old, but let's not quibble). And most of all, get government's hand out of my wallet. Let me more of my hard-earned money so that I can stimulate the economy, pay off my debt and build wealth for my retirement ... in other words, get out of my way to success (and my fellow Americans). Paying income taxes is immoral; you are stealing a portion of my productivity. I understand user fees, but I do not understand for the life of me why you think you deserve to steal my money before I ever see it. Why don't you just quit withholding taxes from my paycheck, then send me a bill for how much I owe you. But that probably would not be acceptable because we really don't want Americans understanding how much in taxes they really pay. Dave Ramsey (you can check him out at www.daveramsey.com) says that when people use cash to pay for stuff, it registers in their brain like pain. So, when we use credit cards, there is minimal pain sensation. When we use debit cards there is a little more feeling of pain because the money is coming out of checking accounts, but not much. However, when we spend our cash, there is this sensation that feels a lot like pain. So, because our property (tax dollars) is confiscated before we ever see it, it does not register truly as the pain it is. While I'm talking about Dave Ramsey, I would make every member of Congress and every one in executive branch take Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Dave spells out what it takes to achieve financial peace, he calls it his Seven Baby Steps. 1. Set up a $1,000 emergency fund. 2. Pay off your debts using the debt snowball. 3. Save 3 to 6 months of expenses. 4. Invest 15 percent of your income. 5. Save for your children's college. 6. Pay off your home early. 7. Build wealth and give. The problem, as I see it, is Americans want everything right now. They are willing to work hard, but not many are willing to save for major purchases. Instead, they want to put everything on a credit card, 90 days same as cash or take out a loan. I know. I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. But, I am living life differently now, and it has made a big difference. As far as taxes go, I am not opposed to paying my fair share of taxes, after all, they go to a lot of things I need to make my daily life easier (roads, law enforcement, clean water, etc). However, we need a fair tax plan. In the church (I am a Christian), there is a general guideline to tithe, or give, 10 percent. If 10 percent is good enough for God, shouldn't it be good enough for government? In the church, we say equal sacrifice (10 percent), though not equal amounts. I wish you well on your endeavors to strengthen the middle class, but I would rather you strengthen all Americans. Quit thinking of my earnings as your money. Quit thinking rich people don't pay their fair share. Worry about having the affairs in your own house in order before worrying about me. For more good information like this (and for some good laughs) visit my blog: http://bobbywarren.blogspot.com. You will love it. Also, check out the label Shenanigans, my attempt at doing "editorial cartoons." Best wishes, if your intentions are honorable, may God bless your efforts; and Go Buckeyes!

Hope or change poll results are in

President Barack Obama campaigned on hope and change en route to the White House, so I thought why not put forth a Hope or Change poll. So, the selections were: Hope, Change or You're kidding, right? Want to guess which selection won? If you guessed "You're kidding, right?" then you would be right, and I am not kidding.

Smith Dairy videos

Here are some videos gathered from the World Wide Web:

Smith Dairy at 100

Paul Locher writes about Smith Dairy Products in Orrville, Ohio, turning 100 in Sunday's edition of The Daily Record. The video embedded above contains historic photographs provided by the company along with brothers Steve Schmid, president, and John Schmid, vice president, talking about their vision and what has been fun through the years.

Songs from a friend

These songs were written by a friend of mine, Jeff Saltzgaber, now deceased. We met at Cincinnati Bible College. He was in a band with at the school with a singer named Mindy Smith (she is working on a new solo album now), Dale Kesterson on bass and Shawn LaDouceur on drums. I believe he was a gifted songwriter.

These songs are just Jeff on his guitar and me on the four-track recorder. I hope you enjoy these songs.

A love story

Here is a Valentine's Day love story about Chet and Millie Weatherly.

Prompted to say ...

Back at it

Alone again, naturally

School funding

Historians will be kind to his presidency

While George W. Bush will not go down as this country's best president, I believe history and historians will be much kinder to him than those trying to analyze his accomplishments now. September 11, 2001 forever altered his presidency. Whatever he had hoped to accomplish was set aside to focus on keeping America and Americans safe and to rid terrorism by spreading Democracy. While he was never the conservative I had hoped he would be (I was not a supporter of his until he tapped Dick Cheney to be his vice president), I am grateful for what he did to protect this country. May God bless his path as he transitions to life after politics.

Hope for change

Wise counsel?

My colleague Rachel Jackson of The Daily Record -- staff writer, religion writer and erstwhile copy editor/paginator -- has written an informative and insightful story about how ministers handle weddings and premarital counseling and a column about her family's experience with ministers who took a hard line on wedding ceremonies.

In the column, she presents a case why ministers should not take a hard line when it comes to community.

But, as one who has performed several wedding ceremonies, I arrived at the conclusion that I would not perform any and all weddings. Some couples seek you out because someone in their family a few generations ago used to attend the church. For others, you are merely a matter of convenience. For others still, they are believers who want God to bless their union.

My friend Jim Bird, who serves as a minister at Broadway Christian Church in Lexington, Ky., told me during our days at Cincinnati Christian University that he much preferred performing funeral services than wedding ceremonies and one day I would understand what he meant.

It seems like it is too easy for the minister to become just another piece of furniture during the wedding ceremony -- he needs to stand here, say these words then make the proclamation the two are now husband and wife and then get out of the way.

As was said in Rachel's news story, if a couple just wants to get married, then they can go to a judge, a mayor, a justice of the peace. If they have no intention of allowing God to be a part of their lives, then why have the ceremony in God's house.

In the Bible, God established some very hard lines (look at what happened to Aaron's sons and what happened to Ananias and Sapphira), and those who crossed them suffered the consequences.

Yet, despite all of this, God showed grace. So, how do we balance all of this? Well, each minister will find his way.

No matter what your position on ministers and weddings and premarital counseling, check out Rachel's story and column, they are definitely worth reading.

Wooster Council biding its time on bids

Bryan Schaaf (of Zesty Chicken Salad fame) wrote about a recent decision of the Wooster City Council to accept Murr Printing's price to record its meetings on video for playback on Clear Picture cable. In the story, he wrote:

"This has had considerable dialogue and discussions regarding the contract extension, but rather than putting (Murr) in a competitive situation for review, our committee would like council to consider accepting this," said Ansel, R-at large, who is chairman of council's finance committee. "That being said, we will commit in the third quarter of this year to do a competitive review from not only a pricing perspective, but also a technology perspective."

I think seeking competitive bids is a good thing for taxpayers, because it helps to keep prices down. However, a call for other bids came after Murr's price of $300 per meeting had become public. This put Murr's in an unfair position if other bids were to be considered. After all, it's not too difficult for a competitor to put together a slightly cheaper offer than what is on the table.

It's good to see bids will be sought before the next contract is signed, and it is good to see council kept Murr from being put in an unfair situation.

Canada, what you say, you want to trade, eh?

BHO PAI

It seems now that Mr. Hope and Change has to actually make decisions and not just talk a good game, his approval numbers are shrinking and his disapproval numbers are growing. Check out Rasmussen Reports for more on the Presidential Approval Index for Barack H. Obama.

Cappin' CEOs

I am sick and tired of do-nothing politicians and bureaucrats who cannot make it in the real world lecture private industry leaders on how to behave and how to run their companies.

The latest action to draw my ire is the limitation on executive compensation from institutions receiving government bailout money (read the Treasury announcement here).

If you don't think they know how to run a company, then don't give them any bailout money. Period. If they cannot be trusted to do they right thing with money they received from investors and consumers, then why give them taxpayer money?

Each year, members of the U.S. House and Senate receive a pay raise automatically, regardless of whether they earned it or not. Why should Congress get a pay raise when its approval rating was less than that of George W. Bush?

If Congress wants to tell private industry what its leaders will earn, then why not give taxpayers the right to tell their representatives and senators what they will earn. Why not link their pay to their approval rating?

I cannot for the life of me understand why people get so jealous of what others earn. If the pay CEOs receive is out of whack, then it will come back to hurt the companies, and the boards of directors, executives and managers will have to answer for it.

My grandmother told me everything comes out in the wash. We need a big enough washer to toss our politicians into.

If we continue on this path, pretty soon we will have to strike any and all references to this being a free country.

Red, red whine

Perspective on Obama's leadership style

Thanks to our friends at Seldom Wrong Never in Doubt for pointing out a Tony Blankley column on Mr. Obama's leadership style. It's a good read.

Here is how SWNID summarizes the Blankley offering (with just a hint of commentary):

In sum, since taking office, the President has dealt with four items he describes as high priority: Cabinet selection, incarceration of terrorists, economic stimulus and bipartisanship. In each he has shown lack of attention to detail and extreme delegation to the point of disengagement. None has gone well. All leave observers wondering whether the President, who has no record as an executive, can lead something big.

For us, Blankley's most disturbing observation is that the Obama White House has 130 senior staffers, a number double the usual in recent history. When everything is important or a priority or a crisis, nothing is. When every special interest is placated with its own person at the top, no one is at the top.

Are the glasses half empty?

Yes, I am happy for Mr. Obama

After Barack Obama was elected to serve as president and in the days after his inauguration, it was easy to see how happy he was to be given the opportunity to lead this country by the American people. In interviews, he was just so happy and joyous, and I was happy for him that he gets to be president, his wife, Michelle, gets to be first lady, and his daughters get to grow up in the White House. I am very happy for Obama the person. However, Obama the politician is another matter. Despite both of us having in common a faith in Jesus and being baptized, we just view the world and government's role differently. And, that's OK. God has given us different abilities to serve Him. God never intended for the government to be our savior or benefactor or daddy. Government's role, as outlined in Romans 13, is to protect our rights and enforce the law. In other words, the government is there to administer God's justice. The church, on the other hand, is there to administer God's grace. I view it as my responsibility (and the church's) to help out our fellow man who has fallen on tough times, not the government's. But Mr. Obama and I see differently on this one. Oh, well. I am hoping for him to change.

Sign, sealed and delivered

Last week, after saying how important it was to do something now about the economy, a stimulus bill was rushed through Congress without any member really having time to read the 1,093 pages. So, what does our president do? After an agreement is reached between the Senate and the House, Barack Obama heads to Chicago for the weekend and doesn't sign the oh, so important bill until Monday afternoon in Denver. Wasn't it Congress that was up in arms about automaker CEOs traveling in private planes to D.C.? Yet, our president and vice president can fly across the country in a show of pomp and circumstance to sign a beheomoth spending bill. Yes, it is a spending bill that will likely have very little stimulative effect. Reach into your pockets and hold tightly onto your change because it will be the only lasting, positive change to come from this administration.

Meet the new tone, same as the old tone

President Barack Obama promised transparency in his administration, and who would have thought he would be as transparent as he was when he listened to a question from a member of the Republican caucus during talks about the stimulus package. Now I am not a psychologist, but let's have fun and use Mr. Obama's facial expression as a sort of political Rorschach Test. What do you see? Bipartisanship? Reaching across the aisle? Disagreeing without being disagreeable? Or, is it something else?

Boccieri making an early impression

David Griffin, president of Tekfor USA in Wooster, talked with Mayor Bob Breneman and U.S. Rep. John Boccieri Monday about the possibility of the auto parts manufacturer increasing output in the second half of 2009 and into 2010 -- this in a recession. Boccieri took some heat in his race for the 16th Congressional House seat because he did not live in the district at the time. He since moved to Alliance. However, he has been in Wooster so much, I wouldn't be surprised if Breneman handed him a city income tax form. Boccieri talked to business leaders at Rotary Monday, then visited Griffin and his staff at Tekfor before heading out to Will-Burt in Orrville later in the day. He plans on speaking about alternative energy during the Ohio Grape and Wine Conference at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center on Tuesday and with some university presidents Thursday at The College of Wooster.

All conservative, all the time?

Bryan Schaaf, whose signature recipe is for Zesty Chicken Salad, has a link to this blog on his and refers to it as "All Conservative, all the time."

Well, I'd like to think I am all conservative, all the time, but there is one area where I am liberal, very liberal: Charity/giving.

There was a time when my mother was raising four children by herself and the help of extended family. People were very generous with us. Not to mention, my mother is very generous. As a result, I am a giving person by nature.

I don't give because I have to give. I don't give because I am forced to give. I give because my life has been blessed by others who stopped to help me, who gave up something of theirs so that my life would be a little easier, a little better.

I am opposed to income taxes for moral reasons (why should the government collect your money because you are productive and work hard?). I am not opposed to taxes. I like nice roads, safe bridges, beautiful parks and public health. However, I view income taxes as the confiscation of my property. You can't go into your neighbor's house and confiscate his cash, so why should the government be allowed into our paychecks?

For me, if the government took less of my taxes (and my wife's), we would give even more than we do. In recent years, the charitable giving of Al Gore and Joe Biden has come to light.

Conservatives are belittled as not being compassionate, selfish, greedy and uncaring about the plight of their fellow man while liberals are seen as being compassionate, loving, generous and very much concerned about humanity.

What I see is people like Al Gore and Joe Biden are only liberal in giving when it comes at the expense of others, yet they (and those like them) are conservative -- very conservative -- when it comes to giving away their own cash.

Jesus said in Matt. 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Where is your heart?

Note: Just found this link about Dick "Darth Vader" Cheney's giving.

Stop! In the name of love

While my president and I don't always see eye-to-eye on policies, I do enjoy the work of his photographer, Pete Souza. Interestingly enough, Souza was the photographer for Ronald Reagan during his second term (I didn't know it). I truly believe when Barack Obama returns to private life, Souza's work will be an incredible and valuable chapter in the story of this historic presidency.

Lights, camera, (wrong) action

Where is the wisdom in debt?

The $787 billion stimulus package approved by the U.S. House (with no Republicans voting for it and seven Democrats joining them in a show of bipartisanship) will likely cost American taxpayers more than $1 trillion when interest is factored into it, Rep. John Boehner said. He also said it will add about $10,000 in debt to the average family and it was "generational" theft.

How can debt be a good thing for us? Debt is what got us into this mess. What nearly brought down the financial markets? Wasn't it subprime loans people couldn't pay back? Wasn't it getting into debt when they couldn't afford it?

How should we approach debt? Look at how it is talked about in the book of Proverbs 6:1-5 (NLT):

1) My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger — 2) if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said — 3) follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. 4) Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. 5) Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net.

The Bible warns against signing your name for the debt of a friend. If we do, we are told to flee from it and get out of it ... fast -- like a gazelle running away from a cheetah.

While our nation's leaders do not care if we are consumed by debt, my advice to you is do what you can to get out of debt and don't add any more new debt.

A Great American

The Daily Record's dean of the reporting corps, Paul Locher, attended a function at University of Akron Wayne College in Orrville earlier this week about the Tuskegee Airmen, and Arthur Saunders, one of the airmen and a Cleveland-area architect, was the featured speaker.

To learn about all they went through and what they had to overcome was inspiring. I have been known to whine a little when things don't go my way, but what I have faced is nothing compared to the challenges they faced. The story is running in Saturday's edition of The Daily Record.

So, to Mr. Saunders and all of his colleagues, thank you for your service to our country. People like you help to make this the best country in the world. (I am biased, I know.)

Happy 200th, Abe

White House photo by Pete Souza, words by Abraham Lincoln.


It was 200 years ago today our greatest president was born. Happy 200th to Abraham Lincoln.

Stimulus plan mulligan, redo

White House photo by Pete Souza, text and touches by Bobby.

First poll results are in

Readers of this blog said U.S. Rep. John Boccieri, a Democrat who represents Ohio's 16th Congressional District, did the right thing to vote for the stimulus plan in the U.S. House.

The people have spoken.

Brother, can you spare a dime?

Consider this:

A friend of yours gets paid and blows his paycheck. So, he asks his family for some money, and they reluctantly agree. Because he spends more than he earns, the family never sees their money again.

Well, your friend is still wasting his money and has nothing to show for it. So, now he looks to borrow from his friends. Despite their apprehension, they cough up some money for him. As is his nature, he blows the money and continues to live beyond his means.

For some unknown reason, a credit card company decides to take a risk on your friend and sends him a pre-approved credit card. He runs it up and gets behind on his payments. Another credit card company gives him a line of credit, and he maxes it out and defaults on his payments.

Now, let me ask you this: Is it in the best interest of your friend to get another credit card? borrow more money? take out a loan? Will going further into debt help out his situation?

If it is not in his best interest, then why is it in our country's best interest to go into debt by another $800 billion?

One is the loneliest number ...

White House photo by Pete Souza, text by Bobby.

What will universal health care do? Not much, according to the CBO

So, do you want universal health insurance? If so, you can expect your wage increases to slow, and don't expect health care to improve.

You don't have to believe me, but that is what the Congressional Budget Office is saying. Check out Page 4 of the testimony given to a Senate budget committee here (a PDF file).

Here is part of the testimony: "The available evidence also suggests that a substantial share of spending on health care contributes little if anything to the overall health of the nation, but finding ways to reduce such spending without also affecting services that improve health will be difficult."

Also: "... the growth of health care costs has contributed to slow growth in wages because workers must give up other forms of compensation to offset the rising costs of employment-based insurance."

We might be forced to pay higher taxes for universal coverage: "Many analysts would agree that controlling federal costs over the long term will be very difficult without addressing the underlying forces that are also causing private costs for health care to rise."

And this: "Fourth, many of the steps that analysts would recommend might not yield substantial budgetary savings or reductions in national spending on health care within a 10-year window—and others might increase federal costs or total spending ... ."

Uh, uh, uh

To all you Bush haters who made fun of how G.W. spoke, what do you have to say about our current president, Barack Obama? He might be a gifted orator when the TelePrompter is running, but it is quite another story when he is speaking off the cuff or extemporaneously (apparently David Letterman, no friend of G.W.'s agrees, as you can see in the video below or at this link).

I tried to listen to him in his first prime-time presidential address on a Monday in February, but I find myself not being interested in what he has to say. He talks about wanting bipartisanship, but it can come about only if Republicans agree with him.

When President Obama was asked if he had abandoned his promise of bipartisanship because of how he was hammering at Republicans, the president commented about how there were still bad habits in Washington.

Ask Bush 43 about those bad habits. He honestly tried to change the tone of Washington politics by not demonizing anyone, despite almost daily attacks from Tom Daschle, Dick Gephardt, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid over the course of his two terms as president.

I hope Obama proves me wrong and this albatross of a stimulus package wrapped around our necks will really work. But, we're not going to become prosperous by going into debt or increasing taxes.

So, how do you print a newspaper?

I had the opportunity to visit the Joint Print Facility off of Long Road in Wooster, Ohio. The Daily Jeffersonian was getting ready to be printed. The video shows many of the steps involved with printing a newspaper. To see the YouTube video, click the image above, or you can also click here.

No politics for you!

I am heading to Columbus, Ohio, today for a day filled with magic, literally. I am heading down to MagiFest, which is organized every year by Jep Hostetler, who, incidentally, grew up in Wayne County (Dalton, to be exact) and still has family here.

I am not sure if I will run into Marc Kovac, former special assignments editor for The Daily Record who is now the capital bureau chief for Dix Communications, as I drive down I-71. At any rate, you can always see what Marc is up to on his Capital Blog.

The to-do list for today:
1. Drive safely
2. Have fun at MagiFest
3. No politics!
4. Be ready for Sunday School lesson at 9:45 a.m. Sunday at Parkview Church of Christ, 1912 Burbank Road, Wooster, Ohio. (You're invited!)

Bobby

CBO: Stimulus plan has harmful long-term effects

I am not sure how the $780 billion stimulus package will pan out, but the Congressional Budget Office said an earlier version would be more harmful to the U.S. economy (because if will add to government debt) than if President Barack Obama did nothing. Check out the CBO blog or the Washington Times story.

A tax giveaway?

With news that the U.S. Senate passed a $780 billion economic stimulus bill Friday night, I wanted to see what type of information was available on the Senate's site. So, I started poking around, clicking here and there, and I find a link to this:

H.CON.RES.23
Title: Expressing the sense of the Congress that the tax giveaway since 2001 to the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans should be repealed and those monies instead invested in vital programs to relieve the growing burden on the working poor and to alleviate poverty in America.

Let me see if I understand this: U.S. citizens work their tails off to earn money, succeed and prosper -- elements of the American Dream we speak so highly of and cherish -- and government confiscates a portion of our earnings in a variety of taxes and fees. So, when Congress decides we get to keep a larger portion of our income, they call it a "tax giveaway."

The gall of these misguided people to consider a tax cut a tax giveaway. The money was never theirs in the first place, but they lay claim to it as if they worked for it, as if they assumed risk by investing in a business, as if they were entitled to it.

I don't mind paying my fair share of taxes, but giving people a tax cut -- no mater how much they earn -- is not a tax giveaway.

My mother raised four of us by herself. At times, she worked two jobs. We were poor, but she could care less what we didn't have because she made the most out of what we did have. She loved us, and she let us know every day.

As a result, we never coveted what our neighbors possessed. The last of the Ten Commandments instructs us not to covet any of our neighbor's possessions. However, I believe that is what Congress is doing when it refers to a tax cut as a tax giveaway. God forbid we should get to keep what we earn. How unpatriotic (when you consider Joe Biden said paying taxes was the patriotic thing to do).

Barack Obama promised hope and change while he campaigned, and now to twist the words of Cincinnati radio talk show host Bill Cunningham, I hope I still have some change in my pocket when this Congress is done with us.

The stimulate debate

I cannot believe how much money our government is thinking about using in its stimulus package. Can you say $900 billion. A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you are talking about real money.

If you have been following the Economic Snapshots in The Daily Record, almost to the man (and woman), business owners and leaders want the government to keep its hands off the free market system. But, our politicians are not content to listen to the people. Instead, they feel an urge to do something regardless of whether or not it will work or stimulate the economy.

I believe part of the problem is people, and I include myself in this category, have been spending more than we can afford. Access to credit was oh so easy. In fact, many of the lending institutions that are in trouble and have been looking for money from the government got involved in loans where borrowers could not demonstrate an ability to repay (can you say no-doc and subprime loans?).

Because everyone was willing to loan money, approve credit cards, accept 90 days same as cash and other borrowing programs, people were spending money when they did not have it to spend. Consequently, we fueled the economy as we dug deeper and deeper into debt.

Well, at some point, something had to give. It did, and boy did it. Our economy has been hit and hit hard.

I am not an accountant, a business analyst or a financial adviser, and I will not even attempt to play one on this blog. However, in my simplified view of the world, this is what I see: people bought houses they could not afford or repay. This created a demand for homes, lumber, windows, furniture, furnishings, electrical equipment, shingles, concrete and everything else associated with building a new home and furnishing it.

This cooked up demand caused prices to climb higher than they would have naturally. Everybody was making money, and the economy was rolling along, however, did anyone stop to notice why this was so? We were trying to borrow our way into prosperity.

I'm sorry, but that just does not work. The Bible says the borrower becomes a slave to the lender (check out Proverbs 22:7). The only way to become prosperous is to save your hard-earned money and invest it (which includes starting your own business).

I have a feeling the economy will at some point level off, consumer confidence will rise and jobs will return. But this next time, let's not build our economy on the sand.

For another look at the stimulus plan and President Barack Obama's first two weeks in office, check out SWNID.

I'm back, now what?

Since May 2008, I have been serving as city editor for The Daily Record. I traded in the pen and notebook for the computer, dictionary and AP Stylebook. Because writing has been a passion of mine for a long time (my main goal in life was to get paid to write), many asked me if I missed writing.

Well, yes and no.

On occasion, I will write something for the newspaper. Each week, I write a Sunday School lesson for the class I teach at Parkview Church of Christ. I serve, on a volunteer basis, as an associate editor for the Linking Ring magazine, the official publication of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

So, I still get a chance to write.

But what I do miss is being out with the people in the community everyday. It has been a pleasure getting to meet such wonderful people from a variety of backgrounds. I've met business leaders, politicians, community leaders, philanthropists and everyday citizens trying to improve the lives of others. It's amazing watching how people respond to challenges and needs.

While I am not out everyday, I still try to keep in touch with those who touched my life in a variety of ways. And, though I am at my desk for much of the day, it has given me the opportunity to build better relationships with the reporters on staff.

I believe everything in life is a trade off. If I do this, then I can't do that. I can't add any more without removing something else.

I am enjoying this new opportunity and challenge, and I appreciate The Daily Record taking a chance on me in my new role.

I hope you will visit me often on this blog, which will be about a variety of things. I have so many interests -- people, politics, the Bible, magic, entrepreneurship and a host of other things.

Take care,

Bobby