Stop Pulling the Wagon

“so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name”  Revelations 13:17  (NIV)

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“CALL ME A RAGING PARANOID”

Safeway wants me to believe that this card is for my own good.  That it will allow me to save on “Club Card Specials” and enable Safeway to track my purchases to “Better Serve Me”.

But I know better.  How long do you think it will be before the government requires all this data be transferred to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to monitor my lifestyle and eating habits.  All in the name of public health under the new “Affordable Health Care Act” (Obamacare).

Lets see,  New York City is now regulating the use of salt in public eating places.  San Francisco is pondering the regulation of the sale of sugar as a health hazard and other government agencies are concerned with saturated fats and other, yet to be determined hazards.  It seems that to protect me from myself the government wants to regulate what I eat, drink, breath and wear.

How long before I hear a bull-horn out in front of my house, look out the window and see Kathleen Sebelius, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services,

and a “Swat Team” in front of my house shouting through the bull-horn to my neighbors that I have violated the Government Guidelines  on the consumption of certain food groups and dangerous additives?

Of course, they will then tell me, and my neighbors, that because of my habit of making “poor choices” in what I eat and drink, and to keep health care affordable for all Americans, that they have placed restrictions on what Safeway will be able to sell me in the future.  My “new” “Government Approved” Club Card will only allow the purchase of Rutabagas, Broccoli and Soychicken.

Sure, you think I’m crazy now………  But you just wait and see!

Bob Bandy

The following is taken from a longer document I received online (author unknown) and was asked to share.  I think what it has to say is worth repeating.  If you agree, pass it along to others.

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A Billion is a difficult number to comprehend but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into perspective.

A Billion seconds ago it was 1959.  A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.  A Billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the stone age.  A Billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

A Billion Dollars ago was 8 hours and 20 minutes at the rate our government is spending it!

It’s amazing what you can learn from simple division.  Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu asked Congres for 250 Billion Dollars (to) rebuild New Orleans.  If you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans, every man, woman and child would each get $516,528. Or, each of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans would each get $1,329,787.  Or, if you were a family of four, your family would get $2,066,012.

Hello!  Washington, DC – Are all your calculators broken?  100 years ago we did not have most of the taxes we have today,  Our nation was the most prosperous in the world, we had absolutely no national debt, we had the largest middle class in the world and mom stayed home with the kids.

What happened?  Can you spell POLITICIANS?

I could not have said it better……   

Bob Bandy

God, having granted me the grace to reach my current age, has hopefully seen to it that I have learned a few things along lifes path.

Example: good intentions are not enough when creating a New Years Resolution list.  Reality and my own weakness has a way of  bringing even the most lofty and well intentioned promises crashing back to earth.

The first step I must take before preparing a list is to document some observations and hard learned lessons which include but are not limited to:

1. The people at my Bank are not my friends.

2. Expecting efficiency at any government run agency is like waiting up for the Tooth Fairy with a camera.

3. In the political arena it is probably wise to give up my quest for truth and join the increasing number of my fellow citizens who seem content with believing a good fantasy.

4. At my age I need to carefully consider whether buying green bananas with scarce retirement dollars is a wise investment.

5. That a promise not to maim or seriously injure the idiot who cut me off in traffic and then stopped right in front of me may not be realistic if I have to keep that pledge for a full year.

With these guidelines in mind I have decided to simplify this years list to just three pledges which I have a reasonable chance of  following through on:

A. To spend at least part of each day breathing.

B. To have as my goal to Love Much, Laugh Often, Live Generously and Forgive Freely.

C. To cherish and honor my family and friends and to spend as much time with them as possible.

Now about that idiot who cuts me off in traffic…….. hmmmmm?

Bob Bandy

Jon Corzine has joined a list of political and business leaders who seem to have short and long term memory loss.  Jon, the former CEO of MF GLobal,  former United States Senator and former Governor of New Jersey has seemingly done for MF Global what he did for New Jersey.  That is cause them financial ruin.

However, when questioned by Congress about the apparent disappearance of some 1.2 Billion (thats Billion with a B) Dollars that seems to have vanished under his watch at MF Global he can only answer that he “never intended” to do anything wrong, nor can he remember signing, as CEO, the companies Financial Statements with false and misleading information on them.

Seems that supposedly good intentions and bad memories are the current escape route for corrupt office holders, CEO’s, and other public figures.  For example, Eric Holder, the U.S. Attorney General, who can’t remember when he found out about the “Fast and Furious” gun running debacle that has already caused the death of at least one U.S. Border Agent.

I wonder if good intentions and a poor memory will suffice for errors on my tax returns with the IRS?

Perhaps Mr. Jon Corzine should become a cellmate of Bernie Madoff so the two of them could play Monoply with each other for a number of years.  Lets see, would that be 30 years or 40  years.  Sorry, I can’t remember.

As for our forgetful Attorney General Eric Holder.  Maybe he could spend some time in an orange jumpsuit in a prison cell with a 230 pound, heavily tatooed lifer named Bubba.  I was thinking of a prison in Texas but a good friend suggested a jail in Juarez Mexico might be a more appropriate destination.

Just a thought.  I never intended any of them should come to any harm…. honest!   

Bob Bandy

Lets see if I have this straight.  Eric Holder, the Attorney General of the United States, claims that until a few weeks ago he knew nothing about the “Fast and Furious” Gun Running Operation orchestrated out of the Justice Department of which he is the head.  He claims this even after it being documented that he was kept informed by people within “his” own Justice Department.

That leaves us with one of three possibilities:

(1) He is not telling the truth.

(2) He is not competent to be Attorney General.

(3) He is not telling the truth and he is incompetent.

At least he is surrounded by “good company”.  Washington D.C. is the Capitol of lies, incompetence and corruption.  A political Trifecta.

How else do you explain the 15 Trillion Dollars in debt and the continuing destruction of the Free Enterprise System which was once the foundation of our great nation.

The sad truth is that this same incompetence and systemic lies have spread to many, if not most, of our states, counties and cities.  We now find ourselves surrounded by leaders who will not tell us the truth and who continue to prove their incompetence by their inability to balance the public checkbook.

Bob Bandy

NONE ARE MORE HOPELESSLY ENSLAVED THAN THOSE WHO FALSELY BELIEVE THEY ARE FREE. – Goethe

While we like to believe that Slavery was done away with by Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st in 1863, the irony is that slavery in many forms is alive and well in our world.

Many of us choose slavery over freedom daily in our lives.  I include myself for many long periods of time.

Whether the addiction is debt, drugs, alcohol, a boat, a destructive relationship or most any other “master” of our lives, it is slavery.  Even an obsession with the pursuit of wealth can become a slavemaster.

The name of this blog is “Stop Pulling The Wagon” and the symbol shows a very tired Taxpayer pulling a wagon with the word “Government”  on the side.  The wagon is overloaded with those who want a free ride.  Unfortunately this is one form of slavery we have little control over unless we want to “drop out” and live under a bridge somewhere.  The most we can hope for is to elect leaders who are committed to tax us the least amount possible.

I believe that giving the government the power to tax is giving it the power to enslave.  If you don’t believe I am right then try not paying your taxes for a while and see what happens.

I also believe that if we truly want more freedom in our lives, we need to not enslave ourselves in those areas where we can choose.

Most of us have a lot of “stuff” in our lives.  Do we own it or does it own us?

While I have little control over the governments ability to tax me, in many ways and with many things the choice is mine.  I can choose Slavery or Freedom.

Just something to think about.

Bob Bandy