Rich's Random Thoughts

RICH'S RANDOM THOUGHTS

By Rich Briggs
The Weekly Recorder
June 6, 2008

*I owe an apology to the readers of this newspaper and of this column. Last week, I stated that we had reached the halfway point of the year as May turned into June. I was mistaken and I am very sorry about my gaffe. I got ahead of myself because the end of the school occurred for me this week and it seemed as if the halfway point of the year had approached as well. When we turned our calendars last Sunday, that’s when it hit me that we still have one month left in the first half of 2008 before we start on the second half. My sincerest apologies for my mistake.

The weather has started to turn and that means that we are now into summer, regardless of what the calendar tells us. The warmth may feel good to you if all you do is sit on a porch, on a deck, in the yard, or take a walk. For those of us who have to do work outside, it’s a different story. While we have not yet hit the summer peak as far as warmth is concerned, I have already noticed a difference. It doesn’t take much for me to feel the heat and the warmth and the misery soon follows.

I have stated many times that I am a cool weather guy. Cold and snow does not bother me. I know I am in the deep minority on this and that’s fine. I could live somewhere where the temperature stays in the 50s and 60s all year long. As many people talk about living in Florida (and you can have it!), I would just as soon live in a cooler climate. I tolerate the heat, but I do not like it. I equate myself to the “pony” cars of the 1960s and 70s. When those cars were loaded with fuel, they sped like crazy. When the fuel ran out, they were worthless, until they were filled up again. I am the same way. I go like crazy when I am at my peak. When the fuel runs out, I am dead in the water. The summer heat does it. That’s why I am not a fan of summer, nor will I ever be one.

The good news is that we are two months away from football training camps, which will open in late July. That means that fall cannot be too far behind. I will be counting the weeks, then the days, before that occurs. In the meantime, I will be chugging down lots of sports drinks to make it through the heat of summer. Enjoy the next three months, they will be gone before you know it.

*Most of you have probably been notified about, if you have not already received, your economic stimulus checks. I received a notice from the IRS a couple of weeks ago telling me I would be receiving my check by the following week. It also told me how much I would be receiving, which turned out to be less than I anticipated. While I resigned myself to the fact that anything was better than nothing, what I received amounted to a slap in the face.

Our government/s succeed/s in screwing up so many things and this was no different. It was announced in February that these checks would be out to us by May. That is a long time to wait for money that could have been spent much sooner. Just like when we pay our bills or have to send the government money. They want it yesterday. If is owed to you, you’ll wait forever for it.

I got my check a week ago this past Tuesday and sent it to my account. I knew that what I received would essentially go to helping me pay for some everyday expenses, which it did. I had to buy products and materials to change the oil in my truck, then I had to stock up on some items at my local Dollar General. It didn’t take much for those items to add up. The rest is sitting in my account, waiting to be spent, and that will be on essentials.

The government was fearful that the public would spend the money on bills and such and it was correct. They wanted us to spend the money on big ticket items. Would I love to have a HDTV? Absolutely! I have seen them on display at Sam’s Club and Jerome Bettis’ Grille 36 on the North Shore. Those pictures are so crystal clear as to be mesmerizing. Would I like to have a new truck? Sure! I have mentioned that in the past and I am still in the market for one, but I have to get some other things in action before that can occur. Would I like to have some other items, as we men like to call them, “toys?” Of course! Look, we would all like items to add to our homes for entertainment purposes. I am no different and can admit as much. But if the government thinks these paltry checks are going to get the job done, then these politicians are even dumber than I originally suspected.

Just for good measure, here is how we can stimulate the economy. Make the Bush tax cuts permanent (you hear me, Democrats?). Second, cut out all nonessential taxes. That includes the gas tax that we are paying every time we fill up. If this money is going to roads and bridges, then someone is lining their pockets with my money, because I surely don’t see enough maintenance of this infrastructure.

Cut taxes across the board, regardless of income. Government must go on a diet, and fast. Shrink all levels of government; federal, state, and local. Give the money back to the people who rightfully earn it. We, the people, stimulate the economy with the money we have in our pockets. When we hand it over to the government, then the economy suffers. Tax and spend cannot, and will not, get it done. You cannot tax your way to prosperity. If I have less of my own money to spend, then I cannot spend what I do not have.

I do not know why this is so hard to figure out. Why do the people get penalized for making more money? You are encouraged to start your own business, but the taxes kill would be entrepreneurs. Why does it have to be that way? An individual should be applauded for starting a business and boosting the economy, creating jobs and offering a product or service to the public. The government then comes in and taxes small businesses to death and then it wonders why more businesses have problems. This is not rocket science, yet you’d think one needs to be a Rhodes Scholar to figure this out.

These checks were nice, but they are not enough. Give me a bigger, and better, reason to spend more of my own money to stimulate the economy. Let me keep more of my own money.

*The presidency used to be the most honorable profession in the land because the president is the leader of the free world and is looked up and admired by all. We used to tell our children to aspire to be the president. We used to speak admiringly of presidents for what they did and for who they were. We used to honor the president, and the presidency, because the office used to be looked upon with great reverence.

Now, today, and this even began decades ago, we have turned the office of the presidency into a mockery. Now, you have to be crazy to run for, and be, the president. The microscope, the spotlight, the attention, all are so intense that every move made, every word spoken, is dissected to the point that no one is ever happy. We knock the president on his first day in office because he is the president. All faults are magnified and every special interest group wants its issues addressed. No one is satisfied and everyone gets mad when the president cannot please everybody.

Have you ever noticed that the people that the public would really like to see run for the office have no desire for doing so? Colin Powell was once considered presidential material. He has never considered running for the office. There have been others who have been mentioned as presidential contenders. Those people chose not to run. I consider those people some of the smartest people on the face of the Earth. No one, in his right mind, wants to deal with the scrutiny that the office holds. This year’s campaign has been less than inspiring and we still have more than five months to go before the general election. It is a shame that the greatest country in the world also has the most important, and the most powerful, office that no one of any stature wants to claim. What a mockery we have become because no one of any substance wants to be president. Let’s remember this in November.