Home Ownership Issue Re-emerges

This has almost been the month from H*ll. The greatest and best part was the closing on our home in the Tuttle/Mustang area of Oklahoma and moving into our Mobile Suites in a mobile home park.

The issues of getting the last of things sold, given away (mostly that one), and moving out was stressful enough. I also had the “gun-shy” issue to deal with and it was a welcome blessing to finally see a good outcome to a three year odyssey.

Getting used to a new life in a 400 square foot or less home has been a learning process. With only one bathroom, Jo and I pretty much have a choreography working. She first gets up and feeds the dogs. When that goes on, I’m getting up and making the trip to the bathroom to “sit for a bit.” Then I get up and sit in the living room while she does her things in the bathroom, including taking a shower and prepping for make-up and stuff. (You married guys know that we don’t mess with the creation of beauty.)

Once she steps out, she lets me know and I go in and shave and other issues that an aging man finds the need to do. While I am doing that, she finishes her preparations and gets dressed. Once I reach the point that I’m ready to get dressed, I let her know and she puts my eggs on the stove.

Now, anyone who knows how we all tend to get certain patterns in our daily routines in order to make the morning go right, any deviation leads to near disaster. Since we come home to eat lunch and let the dogs out, I no longer take a lunch to work and thus have no need for a bag for carrying everything. I’m still trying to adjust to only having a mug of coffee in my hand when we head out to the vehicle.

But today, we went back to a “chore” that I first thought I was rid of for good. Since our landlady offered to take off $20 a month for us to mow our own lawn, we broke down and bought another lawn mower and electric string trimmer. After all, since we will only be mowing roughly 6 months of the year, but getting to save $240 for the year with my own mowing, one year will about pay for the mower and trimmer.

We have already begun the process of making our lot nicer looking. There were tree “shoots” growing up into the chain link fence along with some vine-like plants. Given time, those would have broken down the fence. The back fence even has a tree roughly 3 ½ inches across that will lift up a major pipe bracing area of the fence. So, in addition to removing the above mentioned plants, I’ll have that larger tree to deal with as well.

I don’t normally like destroying plants, but that one will have to go. In addition, we’ve been raking dead leaves out of the fence corners and along other areas. Jo also wants to plant some shade resistant grass in the yard. So, a mower and trimmer are needed anyway.

Since we will be here for some time, we’ll also put down some granules to get rid of the ticks and chiggers in the yard. Those (at least the ticks) have become something of an issue. They like me more than Jo.

We also still have a few things that won’t fit into the basement of the Mobile Suites, like the bicycles and generator, and now the mower and trimmer. So, guess what….we’re now needing a small storage shed. We’ve found one that we like for about $500. It is one of those plastic ones, so it will certainly need to be secured with some kind of anchors and cables. It is about 6’X8’, so it is just big enough for the few things we need to put into it. I will now have to work diligently as avoiding purchasing any other items to put into it.

The storage shed is at Home Depot. While there are others around at Lowes and Sears, the one we saw seems to be built better and is less expensive. A couple of hundred dollars less expensive than the others we saw. It is just about the right size to put on the long concrete slab right next to the Mobile Suites, but still leave me some room to get around it.

The mower is one that I took a liking to almost immediately. It is a Husqvarna with a Kohler engine. The drive method is purely human powered and is a mulching mower. Many years ago, we had an experience with the Kohler engines on a farm implement that had to operate in very dusty conditions. With that engine, we extended the air intake up above the worst of the dust and that engine gave us a lot of service with very little service needed to it.

I’ve since had two Craftsman tractor mowers with Kohler engines with no issues with either of them. So, when I saw the Kohler on the Husky and the low price tag of $200, we snapped one up pretty quick. I really didn’t ever expect to see a Kohler on a push mower and was leaning towards another brand that had the Briggs engine on it. But, that mower was $50 higher than the Husky with the Kohler. In one sense, I would have liked another mower with the Honda engine, but those mowers are even higher in price.

So, in spite of my desire to end home ownership, I have again begun to accumulate the “trappings” of that lifestyle. I really can’t wait until retirement so I can travel and really leave that behind.

This Is Just So Wrong!!!

There are just some stories that stand out as wrong.  Growing up in rural Oklahoma, it was just natural for us to be used to rodeos always having beautiful ladies on beautiful horses.  I have to believe that there are special bonds between the two.  The idea of an equine competition with the equine missing is just such a wrong thing.

Below is the story from ksl.com with a link below to the actual story.

Horse Herpes Outbreak Forces Rodeo Queens to Ride Stick Ponies

May 26th, 2011

By ksl.com

FARMINGTON -- While the state has yet to officially cancel any events involving horses that might have been exposed to a local recent equine herpes outbreak, owners and arenas are taking precautions.

Video with story here.

Because of the outbreak, contestants at the Davis County Sheriff's Mounted Posse Junior Queen Contest had to cowgirl up Thursday night without their mares.

Instead of competing on horses, as is typically the case, contestants were asked to trot around the arena with stick horses as their show ponies.

The only horses in the arena were in this bucket.

"It's kind of weird, but you can't really help that the disease is going around," said former queen Savanna Steed. She said the stick horses will test the riders' knowledge of whether they know the routine, rather than letting the horse do all the work.

Utah has 13 suspected and seven confirmed cases of equine herpes virus after horses at a regional cutting horse competition at the Golden Spike Arena in Ogden first showed symptoms of the illness.

Horse herpes is not sexually transmitted and is not considered a danger for humans, but it is highly contagious among horses and other animals of the equine family. The most common way for the virus to spread is by direct horse-to-horse contact, but it can also spread through the air, contaminated equipment, clothing and hands.

The disease can be fatal to horses and is incurable.

Posse member Kim Jensen said the annual contest has already been postponed for a week to possibly wait out the quarantine, but as it is still in effect for all public arenas, the Mounted Posse Junior Queen Contest had to go on.

"Instead of using horses, we are testing the girls' knowledge and ability to adapt," she said. "This will test if they know the pattern, but they are disappointed they don't have their real horses."

The contestants still showed their horsemanship, though with a little more effort.

"With a stick horse it's a lot different because you have to do all the work, and I think it's going to be a lot more tiring than with a real horse," said contestant Kylie Felter.

What really shined were the true traits of a queen: poise and personality amid trying times.

"It will give you experience for if you happen to have a problem like this later in life," Steed said with a smile. "You already have the experience of riding a stick horse!"

Ladies, we tip our hats to you.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15716018

Another Announcement….One to Give the Readers Displeasure

As a direct result of the failure of Harold Camping’s predictions of the end of the world to come true, another event has now occurred. This one will be distasteful to many….including myself.

First of all, allow me to offer my very sincere thanks to my readers, followers, and those just working and have no idea of who the heck I am. It is so nice to know that so many of you are now contributing in a way you didn’t consider. Especially since many don’t even know me.

Because the world didn’t end, I turned 65 today and thus am now eligible for Medicare. So, now all of you can feel good that your “present” to me on my birthday is actually delivered by the government.

But, wait…..

……I’m still working too. So, I guess I’m giving myself a present?

The sad part about Medicare is that I don’t really need it, but the government insists. In fact, I have to go to my employers (or their insurance company) and get a form filled out to specify that the employer’s insurance will not consider Medicare Part B as the primary medical coverage and make themselves be a secondary.

Plus, if I fail to do that, Medicare will penalize me by a certain percentage for every year that I fail to sign up for Medicare Part B. And, since I began taking Social Security at 63, I will be required to pay a certain amount from Social Security for Medicare Part B. But, since I am still working and make enough money, I don’t get a full year’s worth of Social Security payments.

But even more frustrating, I would still have to pay for the Medicare Part B (which I really don’t want anyway) for every month even though I’m not getting a Social Security benefit payment for each month.

Isn’t it GREAT the way government and its bureaucracies work??? Don’t you wish we had more of this CRUD??? If you do, book passage now for a cruise on that “slow boat to China.” Hopefully, that will be the ONLY way you can receive it after 2012.

Oh, and what do you want to bet that the Mayan calendar “end of the world” scenario won’t play out either? I mean, really……

…….has anyone seen any authentic Mayans lately to verify their calendar calculations? And, since they aren’t around, how smart does one think that an extinct civilization can be if they can’t even stick around for the end? Of their own calendar???

As for me, I’ve even given up trying to read tea leaves for my predictions. I’ve officially switched to M&M candies. At least the lettering on M&M’a is a whole lot easier to read than tea leaf patterns.

Now, to get serious for just a little bit. I had a good birthday with being with family. My sister and her husband just got back from a cruise to Britain (or somewhere over there) and flew into Oklahoma City to retrieve their vehicle. While here, they took Jo and I and our youngest son, Eric out to supper. Sis was getting tired of fish after their cruise and wanted Mexican food. So, we went to “On the Border” and pigged out.

Thanks, Sis. Even better than the supper was getting to see you again.

So, for today, May 23, 2011, I wish myself a Happy Birthday. My gift has really been my family (the blood family), my RV family (made up of participants of three different forums), and my continued good health. May it be that all can be as blessed as I am.

May God continue to shower us with joy and love and blessings too numerous to count.

Official title for this photo is, “He leadeth me beside still waters.”

It’s Gone…and Just in Time for Disaster

2:00pm was our appointment for signing at the closing. We went to work this morning and left at about 11:00am to have time to get back to the coach and let the dogs out before going to the do the paperwork. Finally, we have the house officially sold and are no longer responsible for any part of it.

Now, that the house is gone, we are officially ready for this, which is “scheduled” for tomorrow:

http://ignoringthebarkingdogs.blogspot.com/2011/03/awesome-its-end-of-world.html

Oh, was that not what was expected? I guess we’ll see if we even need the Mobile Suites after tomorrow. Perhaps we only need it to keep one step ahead of the impending earthquakes.

We have been finding it interesting to learn to live in the coach. Sadly, like any other human made product, there are occasional problems. In our case it was a leak near the bathroom. So, yesterday we unhooked the front part of our new fence and pulled the coach out to take it to the dealership to get the leak fixed. Lewis RV in Oklahoma City has been an excellent dealership, and they have once again proved to be professional and quick in their service department.

We were only out of the mobile home park for about six hours. We had set an appointment before time and showed up around 9:00am for the repair. We were back in the park at around 2:30pm and parked in our spot. In fact, this time it took less time to get it situated where we wanted it. The parking spots that are available have a long concrete pad to serve as a patio. The first time I parked the coach I had a hard time because the concrete pads for the wheels to sit on aren’t exactly parallel with that long pad.

Now that our coach is permanently our home, I’ll include some photos of the area immediately around our spot. Even though it is a mobile home park, it is a pretty nice looking one. Not perfect, but the price is right and it is close to work, making it a lot easier for Jo to get to work should she be called in at night or on weekends. So, in addition to saving money from a home mortgage, we also have savings by only driving 2 ½ miles to work instead of 26.

Our site runs East and West and this is taken from SW of the site.

When we first looked at the park, only two sites were available.  Later, the owner told us that another had come available, one with a fence on two sides and part of a third.  By taking this site, we got a larger yard but didn’t have to pay for fencing for the larger size.

The above shot was taken from the NW of the pad and the one below is from the NE corner of the yard looking toward the west.

The only drawback that I’ve found so far is some ticks, but I can probably get a spray for that little problem.

Answers to a Readers Comment Part 3

Again, the original posting from a reader:

“Really? You equate paying taxes with slavery? Would you have us pay *no* taxes, or just not have to pay taxes for things we disagree with? And why do you ignore my analogy with cops and firemen? Should cops only help those who pay them? Should firemen only respond to calls from people who have paid their fire insurance? And your comment about government only worsening peoples lives...would you abolish all government? These are silly arguments. The government is not the enemy. The government is us. We pick our leaders. We tell them what we want them to do while in office. And if they don't do that, we 'fire' them. So, in the end we the people end up with the government we asked for. I ask that this government enforce a minimum wage. I ask that this government offer unemployment insurance (which we all pay into). I ask that this government offer a guaranteed retirement program (which we all pay into). And now, I ask that the government make sure that everyone has access to affordable health care (that we all pay into). The individual can NOT do everything by him or herself. Sometimes we need to collectively do things for the good of us all. Or would you like to be responsible for that section of road out in front of your house and let your neighbor take care of that section of road in front of his house? Or, better yet, why don't you pick up a gun and head on over to Afghanistan and hunt down your share of Taliban fighters?”

Time to address this quote:

“I ask that this government enforce a minimum wage. I ask that this government offer unemployment insurance (which we all pay into). I ask that this government offer a guaranteed retirement program (which we all pay into). And now, I ask that the government make sure that everyone has access to affordable health care (that we all pay into).”

First, some questions.

1. What limit would one place on “which we all pay into” or how long such “benefits” be allowed to continue for those obviously “working the system?”

2. What limit should there be on a minimum wage or should there even be a limit?

3. How is the Social Security (retirement) program working out with retirement funds being given to many who have never even paid into the system?

4. If the government is to make sure that everyone have access to affordable health care, who is to decide what is affordable?

5. Who really believes that government even has the capability of efficiently running a health care entity without affording favors to some and denying coverage to others?

This area of the comment to the blog seems to be on the verge of advocating socialism, which brings one more question to mind; would someone care to tell me where socialism has been successful, especially for the “little guy?” If there is anyone to answer this question, it might be interesting to see what country we all need to move to.

Now, for the questions listed above. I know from first-hand knowledge that many work the unemployment and welfare systems to get everything that they can. I have written in previous posts where the welfare system has actually been harmful to low income families because the program encouraged women to stay unmarried to get more money from the system. They also found that the more kids they had, the more money government would give them. Even prominent black leaders have spoken of the horrible effect The Great Society had on the poor; the very group that it was supposed to help.

What should the minimum wage be and why set an arbitrary number on it? Sadly, again the poor and the young are victims of the minimum wage. Every time the minimum wage is increased, there are fewer jobs for those just entering the job markets (the youth) and the loss of jobs for those who are less skilled. When labor costs go up to business, business tends to cut back on personnel. If government is going to set a minimum wage, shouldn’t they also set a higher price for the goods or services of those businesses affected so they won’t cut back on labor? If so, at what level should government set limits? Price control by government…..disaster in the making.

Social Security was supposed to be more of a survivor’s benefit when it was first established. At that time, few men even lived long enough to reach the “retirement age” and thus the benefits were to go to widows and orphans. Now, it is estimated that the life expectancy of workers is high enough that they will actually draw more than they paid into the system. In addition, Social Security now provides funds to those other than survivors and retirees. If the government can’t run Social Security, who really believes that it could run another retirement fund without tapping into the funds for other social programs?

In “universal” health care systems around the world, none have shown to be profitable and fully beneficial to those who they are supposed to help. Plus, the care given is sub-standard and sometimes outright criminal. There was a finding in Britain where patients were actually having to drink the water from flower vases because the staff wouldn’t bring them water. Also, a lot of people from countries with government managed care are coming to America for their care.

Plus, government has shown to want to control things in ways that most of us would find horrible, especially in comparison with private insurance companies. If you want a horrible example of the effect of government in health care read Tim and Robyn’s comment at RV Dreams forum near the bottom of the thread at this link:

http://rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t39874843/health-insurance/?r=534442

Robyn passed away because the government didn’t want to provide the proper level of care. Who in government should be deciding what level of care we receive? As for the government insuring “access to affordable health,” it has shown to be incapable of efficiently operating any system, so why should we believe it can in the future?

Most social systems put into place by the government, especially the federal government, have proven to be failures in their purpose and harmful to the citizenry in the end. Socialism doesn’t work because it doesn’t provide an incentive for those who wish to better themselves. Government, almost by nature, tends to stifle those wishing to start businesses by imposing excessive regulation and taxation. Businesses are the greatest engine for job growth, not government, because other than a few projects such as hydro-electrical generation, no agency of government can make a profit with which to fund government.

Government is a net “consumer” of private capital. Creating more government jobs, such as the current administration has done, only applies more pressure to the private sector, which is where profit is made. Like it or not, even insurance companies are a part of that.

One final point: in the last posting, I made a suggestion to remember that part of the Preamble of the Constitution which referred to the “providing for the common defense” and I pointed out the word “providing.”  Many a politician has touted the “general welfare” clause as a reasoning for creating yet another social program.  What those men would have us forget is that in regards to “general welfare,” the Preamble uses the word “promote” instead of “provide.”

To me, that means to “promote” a climate in which citizens themselves “provide” their own general welfare instead of government trying to do what it is incapable of doing.  Government can best promote a climate by reducing its own involvement and regulating.

Answers to a Readers Comment Part 2

Again, the original posting from a reader:

“Really? You equate paying taxes with slavery? Would you have us pay *no* taxes, or just not have to pay taxes for things we disagree with? And why do you ignore my analogy with cops and firemen? Should cops only help those who pay them? Should firemen only respond to calls from people who have paid their fire insurance? And your comment about government only worsening peoples lives...would you abolish all government? These are silly arguments. The government is not the enemy. The government is us. We pick our leaders. We tell them what we want them to do while in office. And if they don't do that, we 'fire' them. So, in the end we the people end up with the government we asked for. I ask that this government enforce a minimum wage. I ask that this government offer unemployment insurance (which we all pay into). I ask that this government offer a guaranteed retirement program (which we all pay into). And now, I ask that the government make sure that everyone has access to affordable health care (that we all pay into). The individual can NOT do everything by him or herself. Sometimes we need to collectively do things for the good of us all. Or would you like to be responsible for that section of road out in front of your house and let your neighbor take care of that section of road in front of his house? Or, better yet, why don't you pick up a gun and head on over to Afghanistan and hunt down your share of Taliban fighters?”

Let me first address this question:

“And why do you ignore my analogy with cops and firemen? Should cops only help those who pay them? Should firemen only respond to calls from people who have paid their fire insurance?”

First of all, my original posting dealt with the question of what the Bible says and I even stated that the posting was primarily on that topic. Only 4 small paragraphs at the very end spoke to taxes and government. Now, to address the cops and firemen analogy, let me first link to the RV Dreams forum thread where that analogy was made:

http://rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t39874843/health-insurance/?r=534442

Let me help those that may not have seen the analogy in the thread by saying that JCW’s comment is roughly 2/3rds of the way down towards the bottom. Also, the analogy was worded differently. Let me quote that passage:

“Just a thought, how much profit should a fire fighter make?  What about a cop?  Or a soldier?  Doesn't the bible have something to say about profiting off the suffering of others?  Health care should be a right, not a privilege of the rich.  The 'for profit' healthcare system in this country is a shame.”

The analogy refers to cops, fire fighters, and soldiers and the word “profit.” As Ken (53 Merc) in the forum commented afterwards, they are salaried, based on their levels of training and proficiency. Businesses are somewhat similar, but still different, in that they profit by the level of knowledge and proficiency of their owners/CEO’s and other employees. The RV Dreams thread was dealing with insurance companies and profits that were felt by some to be excessive.  Salaries shouldn’t be confused with profits except that salaries help make up a “profitable” profession for individuals who otherwise do not “own” their business.

Are those men entitled to a reasonable salary? Of course they are, and the idea of any of them refusing to answer a call (within their jurisdictions) would be foreign to their very natures of wanting to help people. As I spoke of in the previous posting, governments do have legitimate functions, for which they should receive tax revenue to provide.

Those services provided by the government are done so for very good reason. Would anyone want to resort to vigilante law should there be no police forces? I don’t think so. Plus, there are certain entities that function best under the “protection” of government. While they are still held accountable, individual police officers and fire fighters are usually protected by statute from some things that occur during their involvement with an incident. For instance, I know of no case where a lawsuit was successfully filed against a fire crew because they arrived too late to save a house.

Then there is this:

“Or would you like to be responsible for that section of road out in front of your house and let your neighbor take care of that section of road in front of his house? Or, better yet, why don't you pick up a gun and head on over to Afghanistan and hunt down your share of Taliban fighters?”

The first part of that obviously is another legitimate function of government. To do otherwise would be to have roads as a patchwork of fixed and not fixed. But, if I were to repair the road in front of my house, could I refuse access to that portion of road to anyone else? Not likely, so it is evident that roads are another function of government to avoid jurisdictional disputes.

In spite of the attempt to be a bit sarcastic, the last sentence of the last quote could very well strike the wrong cord with some veterans who have already served their country. It is obvious to almost all that the Constitution calls for the federal government to “provide for the common defense.” (Keep that phrase in mind, especially the word “provide,” for a future reference.)

Next:

“And your comment about government only worsening peoples lives...would you abolish all government? These are silly arguments. The government is not the enemy. The government is us. We pick our leaders. We tell them what we want them to do while in office. And if they don't do that, we 'fire' them. So, in the end we the people end up with the government we asked for.

Point one: the government could be our enemy. If it violates the Bill of Rights, it definitely would be our enemy. Would anyone want the government to take their property or family without due process? Would anyone want government to have absolute power to do as its leaders wished? Would anyone want government releasing criminals from justice because those criminals were of a special class or philosophical belief or imprisoning innocent people who just disagreed?

Point two: how many “leaders” over the years have been elected that shouldn’t have been because they have lied to get elected? How many really pay attention to the will of the voters if they have their own agenda. If they lie about their intentions, we do NOT get the government we want, nor do we always know their words are lies and thus vote them out.

Answers to a Reader’s Comment Part 1

A participant at the RV Dreams forums commented on my last blog post about what the Bible says about profiting on the suffering of others. His comment, with questions as well, mostly related to the last paragraphs in regards to taxation and universal health care. To be fair to all, I will first copy his comment to my blog and since it also applies to some of the comments on the RV Dreams forum, I’ll also provide some of those in an effort to remain “in context” of the overall discussion topics.

Comment from JCW on May 18, 2011 at 6:01 AM

“Really? You equate paying taxes with slavery? Would you have us pay *no* taxes, or just not have to pay taxes for things we disagree with? And why do you ignore my analogy with cops and firemen? Should cops only help those who pay them? Should firemen only respond to calls from people who have paid their fire insurance? And your comment about government only worsening peoples lives...would you abolish all government? These are silly arguments. The government is not the enemy. The government is us. We pick our leaders. We tell them what we want them to do while in office. And if they don't do that, we 'fire' them. So, in the end we the people end up with the government we asked for. I ask that this government enforce a minimum wage. I ask that this government offer unemployment insurance (which we all pay into). I ask that this government offer a guaranteed retirement program (which we all pay into). And now, I ask that the government make sure that everyone has access to affordable health care (that we all pay into). The individual can NOT do everything by him or herself. Sometimes we need to collectively do things for the good of us all. Or would you like to be responsible for that section of road out in front of your house and let your neighbor take care of that section of road in front of his house? Or, better yet, why don't you pick up a gun and head on over to Afghanistan and hunt down your share of Taliban fighters?”

Now, allow me to break down the comment portions so I can address each one in turn. Let’s first look at this part:

“Really? You equate paying taxes with slavery? Would you have us pay *no* taxes, or just not have to pay taxes for things we disagree with?”

I said nothing about paying “no” taxes, nor did I say anything about only paying taxes for those things with which I agree. Any reasonable person knows that there are functions of government that should be financed through taxes. The Constitution and many city Charters and state Constitutions are similar in that they specify those things which government is to provide for the citizens. However, government should be limited as it was intended by the founders and enumerated in the Constitution.

In regard to taxes, we constantly hear from some that everyone should pay their “fair share” (meaning the rich should pay more), but our current tax codes are not fair. If you look at Table 1 at the link below, you can see the percentages of the overall federal taxes that is paid by those in various income “percentages.” That site is The Tax Foundation and can be found (with a whole lot more information) at this website:

http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/250.html

Looking at the bottom two lines of the chart, one can see that it lists a line for those who are a part of the top 50% of the income earners and those that are a part of the bottom 50% of income earners. Note that the percentage of all federal income taxes paid by those in the top 50% is 97.3% of the overall tax burden while those in the bottom 50% only pay 2.7% of the overall tax burden. (Note also that the source of the information is the Internal Revenue Service.)

(The chart title is “Summary of Federal Individual Income Tax Data, 2008 (Updated October 2010).” I would have included it within the text of this post, but when I tried, Live Writer messed up the table. Sorry that I couldn’t make it more convenient.)

If we really want to be fair, perhaps we should all look at a system of taxation that would actually be fair? A suggested system might be in the form of a “flat tax” or what is called the Fair Tax. I won’t attempt to explain the Fair Tax, but I do suggest anyone interested to check it out in books or at this website:

http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer

My issue with government is with excessive government, and truthfully, I should have worded it that way in my blog. An excessive one is one that dictates that we all have to participate with a program that we don’t necessarily like. Are you aware that there are U.S. citizens who do not want to be required to purchase health insurance? Some of those people are the ones that leftists claim to want to help. The thought that people choose to not have coverage is troubling, but is it my “right” to tell them that they must purchase a “product” that they don’t want?

Excessive government has raided the Social Security system. In the past, our Congress and Presidents have decided that it was a source of funds just ripe for the taking. Just this week, it was announced that both Social Security and Medicare would run out of money sooner than anticipated. In reality, Social Security is already a losing proposition in that it pays out more than is taken in by taxation, thus leading to a quicker loss of all Social Security funds.

Any talk of a Social Security “lock box” such as certain past leaders referred to is a myth. If there was a “Lock Box,” all that would be there are IOU’s issued by the government to the Social Security Administration. As Social Security needs money in order to pay out benefits, they have to go to the government and “cash in” some of those IOU’s. The government pays that, and then to compensate for that loss in available funds, it turns around and borrows from somewhere to replace it.

What Does the Bible Say?

In a past thread on RV Dreams, the topic came up of health insurance and its costs. While the post ran to 34 comments, I only want to address one question that was asked. I won’t name the author of the question as this is not meant as a direct response to his question. His question was a good one in that it brought up something that is ironic.

His question was: “Doesn't the bible have something to say about profiting off the suffering of others?  Health care should be a right, not a privilege of the rich.  The 'for profit' healthcare system in this country is a shame.”

In the thread, there were exceptional answers to the last question and the last comment about “for profit” healthcare. I mostly want to address the first question about the bible having something to say about profiting off the suffering of others.

Interestingly, there is one topic that immediately came to mind when I read the question. But, since we try to keep politics and religion off of RV Dream’s forums, I mentioned that I would address it in my blog at a later date.

I think that one of the most horrendous institutions in this world is the institution of slavery. Our own country fought a civil war over the issue with many a white man dying for a cause on both sides of the issue.  The idea of a man as property is a terrible thing to all of us.

From the foundation of this country, men attempted to rid the country of slavery, or at least to minimize it as much as possible. Even the issue of the 3/5ths of a man applied to a slave was an important thing to the founders and something that is misunderstood by many today, some of whom are lawyers.

At the time of the drafting of the constitution, those representatives of the North did not want to count slaves at all and the representatives of the South wanted every slave to be counted. It was not because of the issue of a slave being less valuable as an individual; it was over whether slaves should be counted in full for the purpose of apportionment for representation in the House of Representatives of the new government.

All the representatives knew that a higher population in the South (by counting each slave as “1”) would increase representation of the South in the House of Representatives. A higher number of representatives for the South would have given more advantage to those states insisting on slavery as an industry. So, a compromise was made (again, for the purpose of representation only) that a slave would be counted as 3/5 of an individual.

But, what does the Bible say? Is it different than what our founders believed? Surprisingly, yes it is different. In the Old Testament times, slavery was even called for by God when he told the wandering nation of Israel to make slaves of those they conquered. In a past posting, I spoke of how it was that the teachings of the Quran became more violent over time with those interpreting the Quran as stating that “later” writings would overrule “earlier” writings. I also mentioned that the Bible was just the opposite. Today, Christians live more by the New Testament than the Old Testament and that the New Testament has less in the form of “an eye for an eye” and more of “turn the other cheek.”

In the New Testament, no one spoke out against slavery. In fact, even Jesus spoke of servants being obligated to their owners. While I feel certain that Jesus did not really approve of slavery, it was a part of the culture at the time and He came to fulfill prophesies of the Old Testament, not to end its tenets. He lived under the Old Testament, even following the old law while He lived. It was only after His crucifixion that the New Testament came about.

Even later, the Apostles as the authors of the Bible as we know it, dealt with slaves. If I remember correctly, one slave was even a sort of an assistant to one of the Apostles, although not a slave of the Apostle, during that Apostle’s travels and teaching.

So, the question about the Bible saying something against “profiting off of the suffering of others” would certainly be relevant today, but remember that the teachings of Jesus and of the Apostles were that individuals were to willingly contribute to help others.

Some today would like to use the actions of some of the early Christians, who sold their property and gave to the “church” for the benefit of others, as an argument for wealth distribution by the government in today’s age. Of course, that goes entirely against the idea of voluntary contributions.

While somewhat on the topic, health care as a “right”, as granted by government, means that the government is going to “take” money from others to give away. To me, that kind of action is an institution of slavery to both the “giver” and the “receiver.”

The giver is forced against his will to contribute the gain of his own efforts to allow another to receive it. But, the receiver then becomes a slave to the government, totally dependent upon them for health care, which government has shown to want to ration as it so desires.

Such an institution of “universal health care” would do nothing to assist those in need.  Even President Obama at one time during the campaign up to the 2008 elections spoke of perhaps the elderly “needing to take the pain pill” as opposed to receiving beneficial surgeries.

I prefer not to live in that type of system.  I firmly believe that government only worsens peoples lives, not helping them.

Hectic Week, But Positive Outcome

The last week to 10 days or so has been a time with a minimum of active participation on the forums, and especially on the blog. I’ve not even done much more than check other’s blogs and to check forum topics and comments. I have made a few comments on the forums, but little else.

The reason is that it looks like our home is sold and the 3 year process of trying to sell it, research and buy our Mobile Suites, and begin to think of living in it full time. A month or so back, I had commented here on the blog that we had a young lady sign a contingency contract, contingent upon her being able to sell her home in Topeka, Kansas.

About a month to a month and a half after that we got an e-mail from her that she had experienced a medical emergency and that she had a doctor’s appointment with an oncologist on March the 9^th and a different physician on March 29^th. Shortly after what would have been her oncology doctor’s appointment she sent an e-mail, and from that message I thought she still had the plans to buy the house.

Then, she sent a later e-mail that she had gone to Topeka where two different parties had made offers on her home. The problem was that their offers were $15,000 to $20,000 less than what she needed to get. Fairly soon after that our realtor contacted us to let us know that she had released her contract on our house.

Because of that, I got gun-shy with any others that even looked at the house. While we were on our Red Rock Canyon vacation, we got a call when we were traveling to Elk City to see Alicia and Slade at Rolling Retreats. The call was from a lady that had looked at the house soon after the first lady’s contingency contract was signed. On that occasion, we told them of the contingency contract and they informed us that they would have needed to have done a contingency contract as well.

In their call back on to us on Tuesday, April 19^th, she said that she and her husband wanted to look at our house again and make an offer on it. We scheduled an appointment for Wednesday evening at around 7:00pm. That would give us time to do our running in Oklahoma City and still get to the house to vacuum floors and do a little cleanup.

Wednesday came, they came and looked, and then we sat down to talk. The outcome is that we are losing money on the house, but it will still be a financial gain for us as we will no longer have that large house payment. They are a young couple (remember, young is relative since I’m nearly 65) with two kids. Even the kids are excited as they both have friends who live in our neighborhood.

So it is basically a win-win-win situation. We’re winning by selling the house. They are winning because ours is a better house and they have sold theirs already, so they need a home. Their kids are happy because it isn’t a completely uprooting experience. Since we have been selling and giving away “stuff” for some time, there is little we would have to do to get moved.

The closing is scheduled for May 20. We told them that we could be moved out of the house before the weekend before that, which was this weekend, the 14^th and 15^th. That is a godsend for them as well. He was either awarded or won a trip to Hawaii at his employment, along with several others. Their planned departure date and time is scheduled for May 21 at about 1:00pm. They were faced with less than 24 hours to move and organize things before the trip. As it is, they are getting to move this weekend and will have time to get ready for next weekend’s trip departure.

We moved our Mobile Suites to a mobile home park on the northeast side of Oklahoma City. We will gain again as it is less than three miles to work and the lot rent there is less than $200 a month, including water and sewer. In addition to that, we are located immediately to the west of a large RV park called Twin Fountains RV Park near the junction of I-35 and I-44.

All along, I have been hesitant to post notices of the impending sale of the house because of the loss of the first contract. I prefer to remain “gun-shy” until after the papers are all signed. But, this week the couple buying the home got their final approval of their loan and the home inspections were done with little of anything to be concerned about.

I guess I can now at least pretend to be less gun-shy with all things falling in place for the sale and can now announce that since last Sunday, May 8, we have been officially living full-time in the coach.

We were fortunate in that a space became available at the last minute that makes backing the coach into place a lot easier. In other words, there isn’t any difficult 60 to 90-degree backing turns. There is also a fence on the east and north sides of the coach and some on the west. So, with about what we planned to buy in temporary fencing for our lot, we are getting a much larger yard for the dogs.  We installed the new fencing today.

(Link to above fencing, two panels equaling roughly 6 feet in length that interlock together.)

http://www.lowes.com/pl_Decorative+Garden+Fence+Panels_4294807986_4294937087_?cm_cr=Fencing-_-Web+Activity-_-Fencing+Top+Flexible-_-SC_Fencing_TopFlexible_Area-_-124265_5_fencing_Pop_Cat-5

Two more winners there; well, winners except they are getting a lot smaller yard than they had before and no pet door so they can come and go as they please. But, since we work less than three miles away, we can drive home for lunch and let them out at midday. They are limited in space that we will allow them to run while we are gone, but they aren’t too active anyway at 14 years for TJ and 12 ½ years for Lady.

While we will be “static” full-timers, the next phase has begun. Once we retire in 3 to 5 years, then the traveling will begin. Also, with a big house payment gone, it will be easier for us to afford some more trips, including 2-week vacations. Bring it on!!!

Pictures to come later, after things slow down a bit.  We’ve been busy for roughly 10 days trying to get things done.  We could both use some rest.

Red Rock Canyon Vacation Day 6

April 22, 2011

This day being Friday, it is our last day in the park. So, our plans were to mostly just be walking around. Since there are 3 different trails to the East of the main canyon, we decided to mostly concentrate on the one that goes through the little canyon that parallels the main canyon. In doing so, we could see on the park trail map that we would actually be touching parts of all three of those trails.

Since it would be a longer hike, Jo decided to take her walking poles along. We bought two pair before our 2009 trip to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It was surprising that they really do help one with hiking. For myself, I would be carrying my camera and a canteen. Jo had loaned out her Nikon D90 to a friend at church who does weddings.

This friend has found that some churches don’t allow photographers to use a flash inside their buildings. So, our friend needs to borrow a camera that has a better capability of getting good images without flash. She had been advised to try to find a D90 and she first asked me what model mine was. When I told her it was a D300, she was hesitant to ask to borrow it. So we mentioned that Jo had a D90 and that she was free to use it if she wanted to for the wedding.

After using the D90, she returned it and said that it worked perfectly for what she needed. So, I see a new camera for our friend at some time. There are few differences between a D90 and a D300, other than price and construction. But, we think our friend wants to get something even better than a D90. The camera companies are always upgrading their models, so she will have a good opportunity to find a good one.

Sorry for branching off to another topic, but our hike was pretty uneventful. We ended up walking quite a while and for quite a distance, especially considering the switch-backs in the hiking trails. They were pretty well marked with different colored plastic strips that indicated which trail one was on. In several places, two trails are together and in one short distance, all three were together.

It was good that we took the canteen, but later I was to find that I wished I had brought a couple of other items. It was pretty warm out and, being down in a canyon with a lot of trees, there wasn’t a lot of wind or breezes. So, we had to stop occasionally to allow Jo to stand in the shade of a tree, and hopefully, in a breeze. That process along with me stopping to take pictures now and then caused our hike to last longer.

I can’t even remember how long we walked, as I was too involved with looking for shade, breezes and subjects for photographing. It was all terrain as far as the photography because we saw no other creatures other than birds and an occasional squirrel.

And then, we just ran out of trail markers. We had been following one color and then it just stopped. Over to our left was a set of steps to take one up on the top of the rock walls for rappelling, to our right was a small trail that I followed for a while that led nowhere, and to our front was a fairly steep slope to descend. I was hoping for some route that would be easier for to “older” folks to use. The slope in front of us looked like a route requiring a lot of “butt-sliding” to get to the bottom. So, I had Jo wait while I checked it out.

To my surprise, I found steps only big enough for one foot that would lead us down. I made Jo turn around and come down backwards while I helped her along. That is when the thought came to me that we should have brought two other items, both of which were in the coach. One was a first-aid kit and the other was rope about 100 feet long. With the first-aid kit, I wouldn’t have worried about her cutting herself. With the rope, I could have tied it off to a tree and given her something substantial to help her descend the slope.

Oh, well. Live and learn. Even the old folks don’t think of everything. Once down and walking up the road, we saw an ambulance with three attendants about 100 yards away. When we got to them and engaged them in conversation, they told us that on busy weekends, they try to spend time in the canyon, especially about midday. As with those who are in the military, a fire department, or police department, we thanked them for their service to their communities and moved on.

Since we would be leaving the next day, I spent the rest of the time packing up what needed to be packed. A lesson was to be learned the next day about where one should put the portable waste tank. Then, we just rested. We were glad to make the hike and it certainly proved to us that we need to get more exercise before taking any serious hikes.

Now, some pictures from the hike.

The first few pictures are in the small canyon east of the main canyon.  The trail is flat and easily seen.

Some parts were even somewhat shaded.

Of course, somewhat odd trees are everywhere.

Did I say something about level trails?  At least with this one, we were coming down and I took this picture back the way we came.  Before stepping down on each level, I checked for slithery critters.

This was a view of the group camp from up on the canyon wall.  The road leading out on the right is headed towards the main canyon.

Hey, a shady spot, right on the trail.

Howard over on RV Dreams has a thing for dead trees.  Eat your heart out, Howard.

This was a fairly large plateau of rock.

Note the perspective of the size of the cactus and the size of the leaf.  Yep, the cactus is a new shoot.

This is the slope we had to negotiate to descend back into the canyon.  This image does not give a good perspective of the grade of the slope.  However, you can see the individual foot steps in the center.

Back in the main canyon, walking back to the Mobile Suites.

Red Rock Canyon Vacation Day 5

April 21, 2011

On occasion, we have had the need to just drive up out of the canyon to Hinton for ice or some other thing. (A Sonic Blast comes to mind.) At some time this morning, Jo needed to drive out to make a phone call without fear of losing her signal. While she went to do that, I got out the Thetford “Grey Boy” to perform my first-ever duty of relieving our gray water tank situation.

I rolled it around to the side of the trailer and began to figure everything out. Remove cap from Grey Boy hose end and hook it up, remove the cap off of the vent valve, and open the valve on the coach. I didn’t want to risk overdoing anything, so I didn’t even begin to decide to see how full I could get it. While the system is designed to shut off automatically when the float at the vent valve raises up, I didn’t trust it to be effective, even if it is brand new. It would have been nice if they had made the plastic a little more clear so one could see just how full the tank really was getting.

I then had the fortune of finding that most of the people in our area of the campground had gone somewhere, including all the guys on motorcycles in the next campsite going toward the dump station. That way, no one got to see me leading my “pet tank” down to the dump. It works pretty well at towing since it has the dual wheel arrangement under the front so that one doesn’t have to hold up the weight of the tank as well as pull it.

I was also pleased to find that the swivel mechanism in those front wheels was metal instead of plastic. The ones I had seen in videos on the internet were plastic. Pulling was pretty easy, although I’d hate to pull 27 gallons up much of a slope. It was also easy to switch hands as I went along. I only need to get an adapter that will “twist-lock” onto the end of the hose and be a right angle adapter to fit into the dump station hole.

At the dump station, I learned my lesson. But, before you envision me being wet down with questionable water, it wasn’t that that I learned. Not thinking, while it was dumping I lifted up the one end as it ran out. After a bit, I was surprised that the tank wasn’t emptying. So, I sat it back down on all the wheels. It took a few minutes before I realized that the drain in the tank is in the middle of the tank and not on the end. Duh!! So, I learned that a Thetford needs to be down on all wheels to properly drain.

As my good luck would have it, Jo drove by while I was at the dump station. My good luck came about because she didn’t get to see me struggling with why the water wasn’t all running out. There are times that a man just wants his wife to be ignorant of his failings, even if they are only occurring for fleeting moments.

I learned that the adapter that will twist onto the end of the hose would be valuable when I used a 10 foot extension for the dump system. While the hose worked fine, it was a bit of a hassle carrying it back to the campsite. I didn’t want a moist hose hanging around my neck, so I laid it on top of the tank as I pulled it back. Needless to say, it kept falling off the tank. So, I either need the adapter or something to use to tie the hose to the tank.

While messing with all that, I also took the opportunity to take a picture of the coach wheels on the leveling “blocks” that I cut out from the barn stall mat that I had posted on some of the forums. The weight of the coach does compress them a little, but the biggest issue seems to be that they want to shift when driving up on them. The mats are somewhat smooth on one side and textured on the other side. I may need to experiment to see if putting the textured side of one mat against the textured side of the other mat will tend to make them stay put. As it was, I had them arranged with textured side against smooth side. I’ll comment later after I have a chance to do that.

The only other thing of note we did today was to walk one of the nature trails today. The trail was interesting, however they don’t seem to be keeping up the signs along the way that explain about the features at each point of interest. A second nature trail in the same area turned out to only go back about 50 feet. That was a disappointment. But, here are some pictures from the one good one.

While this sign is in regards to the Rough Horsetail Trail, the center map gives a good layout of the entire canyon.

A portion of the trail.  I can’t recall whether the horizontal tree is still alive or not, but we saw several that were.

Like this one.

This is labeled as a “Plunge Pool” on the signs because the water running off of the canyon walls “plunge” into them.  A lot of the water in the pools along the nature trail were somewhat scummy, just like the pond in the main canyon.

This tree just didn’t seem to know how it wanted to grow.  It goes strangely on both ends of the horizontal part.

Note how the water in the center of the stream is scummy, but it is clear to the left and the right of the scummy part.

Looking at the bottom of the picture, you can see that they have had to put large boards almost like railroad ties but smaller into the ground to serve as steps.  Check out the configuration of that tree to the left.

A number of areas on the nature trail almost seemed to have the feel of a swamp.  However, I’ve never really seen a swamp, so what do I know?

Humorous Interlude from the Park Review

We have been kind of busy of late, and it looks to get even busier in the next couple of weeks. Because of other priorities, I’m getting to the computer pretty late. Thus, there is no time to sit down and write more on our daily events in Red Rock Canyon State Park.

However, I received an e-mail from my boss this morning that really made the morning hilarious for both of us. Let me first provide you with the audio/video file and let you hear the explanation for how bodily wastes are disposed of while astronauts are in space. Pay close attention to what the NASA official says at the end.

OK. After receiving this from my boss, I immediately went into her office and told her this:

“Thank you. You have now completely destroyed any romanticism from standing in a mountain meadow and watching the stars.”

She made some comment to the effect that she knew that I would really like it.

To which, I then said, “So, what have you been wishing for lately?”

I thought she was going to laugh so hard she fell out of her chair. And, that wouldn’t be good because she has had a hip replacement in the last 6 months or so.

Now, I hope you got a little giggle out of that yourself.