What will the next Decade be?

What will the next decade be? I hope I'm around: To see my family grow and Nan and I age gracefully. To live in a generous, prosperous country with less strife and discord. To see Politicians become less political and more compassionate. To see Terror end and our dependence on the mineral that fuels their hate wane. To see education and enlightenment valued. To hear laughter and babies cries. To still feel the love of my parents and mother-in-law. To see my sons and their spouses excel. To learn the meaning of retirement. To grow closer to my brother and sister and all my extended family. To play in the Wilbert Open. To see my grandchildren grow. To see an end to our involvement in two wars. To breath clean air and see blue skies. To fly, yes I said fly, well maybe.

Jared Hobaugh

It hurts to think that Jared is no longer with us. I thought for sure I would see him again. I feel so bad to think about how his loss must feel to Jason and Julie, to his mom and step dad. I think about the sadness his friends are going through. I know if I feel this bad it must be many times worse for Jace and Andy who spent so much of their time creating and playing music with him. I can still see Jared performing at the Blue Moon or the Pub or the Port. I can still hear his excitement for the next project. Where was he the last few years? I lost contact. I assumed it would be only a matter of time before our paths crossed. I had heard he was in Alaska living off the grid. Just like him I thought. Keith Lewandowski said he ran into him at a bar a few weeks back. I wish I could have been there. Talk about the Shaft days. Some of the best times in this old mans life. He had his flaws, who doesn't, but his enthusiasm was contagious. He had me believing on many an occasion. I had heard the band was reforming maybe, for one more gig later this year. I would see him then. Find out what he had been up to and then hear him sing those songs. Those songs, I can still see in my mind him up on stage or getting the sound just right before a show. Coming by to visit and asking how I was doing. Taking the time, you know, to make me feel like what I had to say was important. I always appreciated that. Jared was a "can do" guy. Form a band, refurbish an RV, plan a trip to California, run sound, record a CD, fly a plane. He was hardscrabble, find a way to make a living, be his own boss. I should have mentioned Rich Gilstrap earlier. Rich seemed to be very close to Jared. After Jared's dad passed Rich seemed to fill that void. I know Rich has a hole in his heart after hearing the news.
Cherish your friends. They can be taken away in a wink of the eye. I will never forget Jared Hobaugh. For a too brief period of time he and his bandmates made my life better. Made me feel younger following them and their music. So long Jared, I will miss. You will always have a special place in my heart.

Single Payer Thoughts

A single payer system would insure every citizen in the U.S. free health care provided by the National Government. Critics point to Socialism, high taxes, wasteful government bureaucracy and the demise of private insurance companies as reasons not to institute such a program. Opponents claim single payer systems in Canada, the UK and other Western European countries are failures. Billions, if not trillions, of dollars have been spent each year by private businesses and industries large and small to cover employees through private plans. A single payer system, it seems to me, would free up huge sums of this money in the private sector for businesses to use for product development and employee wage increases. Is it feasible that tax increases to pay for a single payer system would be offset by higher wages and profitability in the private sector? Citizens have been warned by certain congressmen that single payer plans would never work in this country. Many of these congressmen repeat verbatim the same talking points put forth by the Insurance Lobby. What is wrong with guaranteeing every American free Health Care in this country if it can be done in an affordable manner? Insurance companies have a huge stake in keeping the current system intact and have the money to influence legislation. Many in the medical professions fear a reduction in their income due to government provided Health Care and may side with private insurers in this debate. The biggest losers in the current system are individuals who lose health coverage or pay exorbitant premiums because employers can no longer afford to offer benefits. The current pending legislation that places a public option as competition with private plans is only a start. A single payer system should be the ultimate goal for our elected officials concerning health care.

Better Pay If You Want Good Teachers To Stay

It seems that education has been attacked for years in this country. Every ill of society has been blamed on our education system in some way. Politicians love to pontificate the importance of improving our schools, especially around election time. Public schools receive the harshest criticism from those who lead us in Washington. Teachers lack of training or motivation is often cited as a root cause of the demise of American education. Colleges are being asked to strengthen their training programs and make admittance into the teaching field more selective. I would agree that compared to when I attained my degree in education in 1973 standards are much higher and it is much more difficult to be admitted to the education program. Pay for Public School Teachers is still not equal to other professions with similar requirements. Why would an individual enter a program with such stringent guidelines when they are guaranteed relative low pay upon entering the Public Education sector? For years we were told that teaching was an avocation not a job and that teachers taught to inspire young minds. That the self satisfaction of enlightening children would make up for the long hours and low pay. Teachers were held to a high moral standard concerning their social activities, especially in small communities. They were expected to be examples of proper behavior to young people, not only while at school but in all aspects of life outside the classroom. I came to the conclusion after 31 years as a teacher, coach and administrator that much of this was Bullshit. Education is important. It lays a sound foundation. Teachers are the ones who make a difference, good or bad. They should be paid accordingly for the worth a society sees in an educated populace. Get rid of the bad and pay the good a fair salary. A lawyer can charge $250.00 an hour for counsel . What is an hour worth to educate ones child? Politicians talk the talk until it's time to pay. Then it's the same old tried and true excuse about a shortage in the States Budget. The first programs usually cut deal with education programs and teachers pay. Citizens complain about the need for better schools but as taxpayers bitch about any local tax increases that fund education. "Teachers get 3 months off" or I don't have any kids in school any more"; heard those retorts before? Want good teachers to stay? Pay them what you think they are worth. Or maybe that is what we have been doing for the past 100 years.

Tribute to Jimmy

My father is a legend. Rode a horse and a Harley. Was a lover (most of the time) and a fighter (rarely but sometimes). Went to war in his youth. Learned to fly a plane and rode a horse too, oh yea I said that. Came from a big family 7 boys 4 girls (one died at 6).
Bought a business with a brother after the war. Business was wiped out in the KC flood of '51.
Became a pipe fitter and loved the work for over 40 years. Met and married a feisty Italian-American girl in '49. Still married soon to be 60 years. Raised a family of 3, one was me
Loved and supported us all. Not much of a disciplinarian, too soft a heart.
Catholic faith is his base, still refers to his loving mother to this day. Great dancer, jokester, storyteller, bullshitter. Enjoys weddings, seeing nephews, nieces just being around family. Going to be 87 pretty soon. Repeats the same stories often. Doesn't hear everything the first time. Forgets names in the now but remembers all in the past. Reminisces about the long ago. Still got the gleam in his eye. Worries about that feisty Italian wife. They get cranky
with each other some time but you know their devotion is deep. Never was much for I love yous or hugs but we knew. Still today one of the best men I will ever know. When they ask me to list my heroes. They will always start with you, Jimmy.

T-Bagger Anti-Tax Crusaders Strike for Right.

So the Governor of Texas wants to secede, or so he proclaimed at T-Bag Day. T-Bag Day, what a fitting name for those who attended. They don't like Government or high taxes. What they really mean is they don't like Democrats in power and especially a President who does not look like, well, a typical American President should look like, Dammit! Such nasty things their hand held, homemade signs said. Our President is Hitler, he once again, for the one millionth time is not a Christian but a Muslim. He was born in Kenya and his birth certificate is fake don't you know. T-Baggers they called themselves, true Americans, what they didn't know was that many of the events were sponsored by corporate lobbyists whose clients pay no taxes at all. Well that's good, right. We T-Baggers don't' want to pay no taxes neither. Hell we don't need no police or fire departments. We don't want the Feds to help in case of Natural disasters. We don't need no roads or sewers; by-God the only good tax is no tax. Hey wait a minute, those corporate guys who pay no tax, well we citizens have to make up for the 100 billion a year that they don't pay. Out of our own pockets! T-Baggers you should be pissed at them shouldn't you? Why were you protesting outside Government buildings and not some of the corporate offices that paid no tax? Oh yea, I forgot, the Democrats are in power so it's got to be the Governments fault. And did you hear what your fearless leader Rush said today? Not about taxes mind you, but about how our President gave the order to shoot those poor black teenage Somalis that were holding hostage an American citizen. Party Leader Limbaugh was certain that a white President such as W would have been highly criticized for giving such an order. I kid you not, check it out, he actually made that statement on his radio blowgram. All in all April 15th was quite a day for the Right to show the firm principles they stand on. Here's to the Party of Nope. See you in 2010 and 2012.

I Remember When

I can remember when:
Cars did not come with seat belts or air conditioning or power anything
Color TV's were rare
78 45 33/13 were speeds on record players
Gas Station attendants pumped gas at $.25 a gallon
Pizza was an exotic dish
every ones Dad fought in World War II
Cigarettes were cool
Mantle played for the Yankees Musial played for the Cardinals Mays played for the Giants
My Mom and Dad were young and I had grandparents
JFK and RFK and MLK were shot
Shepard was launched and Armstrong walked
I had a paper route
TARP was every Friday night
The British invaded
I met the love of my life
I thought I would never grow old