Caveat Emptor

Buyer beware! How many people stop and truly investigate anything before making a purchase? I know a lot that don’t. Sure, if we’re buying a house, we need to have an inspection before closing the deal - real estate agents are supposed to remind you of this. When we bought our current abode we were given a list of inspectors to choose from. However old suspicious me didn’t choose one of those on the list. I became aware of another inspector and called him. One of his comments caught my attention. "I really don’t like real estate agents and I don’t work for them." He inspected the house.

I’ve said all that to say this. After an emergency tooth extraction a couple of months ago, I started to look into my options for the missing tooth. They are, a partial, a bridge or an implant. While partials and bridges have been around for a long time, they don’t seem to be what would work best for me. So, I started investigating an implant. Do you have any idea how much those things cost? They ain’t cheap!

After some phone calls to local dentists and a check with my insurance, I found the prices vary widely. With just a few digits on the land-line, I saved over $2000. Life has taught me that even in medical services, buyer beware applies. You have to be sure you are getting the same service and you can have confidence in the provider.

When it comes to dental implants, should you decide to have all your teeth replaced you will have to make a choice. Dental implants or a house, new car, boat, trip around the world, money in the bank and retirement. That’s why it’s so hard to get an appointment at the dentist.

They are enjoying all those things you would have if you hadn’t gotten implants.

PMO
©2013

Ophthalmologist

My peepers have been giving me trouble so I made an appointment with an ophthalmologist. That’s a million dollar word for eye doctor. After numerous test and dilation of my eyes, the conclusion is there is nothing wrong with my eyes, except I can’t see. The doc did suggest that I could have some problems brought on by my age - dang whippersnapper.

Now that brings up a question. By now you should know I always have questions. If I have 20/20 vision, and there is nothing physically wrong, then why the heck can’t I see? The good doctor doesn’t have an answer. But, he wants me to come back for some more test.

When you go to a doctor and they don’t do anything for you, why do you still have to pay them?

PMO
©2013

Blame The Parents

Have you heard about the Brooklyn man that is suing his mom and dad for $200,000 for leaving him homeless and destitute? He’s 32 years old. - FoxNews. Benard Anderson Bey claims he never got enough affection and support from his parents. They raised him and his sibling in a poor household.

His father, actually his step-father, really doesn’t care that the whole family is poor according to Bey. So he wants his parents to sell their share of a Bedford-Stuyvesant home so the family can buy two Domino’s Pizza franchises.

Sounds to me that Bey made a poor choice of parents.

PMO
©2013

Disappearing

My friend Mark sent me an email last week about nine things that will disappear in your lifetime. I have seen similar ones before, but this one had items that may just go bye-bye.

Newspapers have been on the decline for years, but now they are getting less and less advertising dollars. Subscriptions are down and the push is to get everyone to pay a monthly fee for internet access to the daily drivel.

While it may not be on it’s last leg, the Post Office has become less important in the electronic age. Commercial carriers are faster and in some cases cheaper. All I get in the mail is bills. If they do go away, I’m guessing I still have to pay the bills.

Strange as it sounds, checks are not used much anymore. Everything is plastic or an online transaction. That’s going to be a problem for this grumpy old man. I don’t do online anything.

I have a hard time believing that printed books will cease, but who can tell. Most of my family reads books on line. They cost about half of a printed version and they don’t collect dust. The online versions just don’t smell as good as a good book.

Land line telephones are quickly going away. Most of my neighbors don’t have one. We have one because of the need for fax. But, that’s available on most VOIP systems. Everything is going to the internet where anyone can listen, watch or hack into what ever you are doing.

Music is changing, and it won’t be long until the CD will just go the way of the eight-track. I liked the eight tracks because the quality was so good.

Television as it has existed will change or go away. It is so much easier and cheaper to use other electronic entertainment. And, there’s no reason to watch newscast. They’re just really bad entertainment shows.

A lot of what you own will disappear. Things like computer software and for that matter, computers. Oh, you’ll still have connection to the "cloud" but will you own it?

The one that absolutely will disappear, if it hasn’t already, is privacy. You can’t walk down the street or into almost any building without being on camera. Google maps shows the world where you live and what your house looks like. Every time you buy something, you leave tracks that can be used by marketers to try to get you to buy something else. There’s no place to hide. You are on a list or perhaps a hundred or more. And, social networks are used to spy on just plain folks.

Typewriters, eight track tapes, fountain pens, S&H Green Stamps, returnable soda bottles, pencil and paper, Kodak cameras, transistor radios, and home cooked meals every night are just of a few of the things that have disappeared since I discovered America.

I guess we can say, "at least we still have our memories of the good old days." But that’s disappearing too.

PMO
©2013

Tater Salad

Every now and then - not often - I find something that pleases me. Such was the case when we joined our daughter and family for dinner one night at the "club." In our compound or whatever it’s called, there is a club house that offers "fine dinning." The meals I’ve had there heretofore haven’t always been four star. But, this time it was worth the two minute drive.

They featured a fish and shrimp buffet with salad bar and veggies. And, one of the items on the salad bar was potato salad - tater salad, if you speak Texan. It was made with mustard. That’s the secret ingredient to good tater salad. Most places either use mayo or a combination with mustard. My taste buds tell me that putting mayonnaise in potato anything is like putting catsup on chili.

I think the last time I had real potato salad was longer that I can remember. While this missive may sound trivial, you just need to know that somewhere there is still someone left that can make tater salad.

My compliments to the chef.

PMO
©2013

Chiropractor

One of the irritating things you get when you move is trying to find someone to replace the trusted services you had in the old place. For example, I have been going to a chiropractor for a number of years. I have a pinched nerve or something in my neck and it takes an adjustment and sometimes therapy to get it right.

Let me say, I do not like to try to find new medical services. And, I have found only two chiropractors in my lifetime - so far - that I trust. But, here is where I am, and they both are hours away. So, I went on line to identify a potential new bone bender. I found one not far away and made an appointment.

He actually does the same procedures as the one did at my old place. That was quite a surprise. Because he is a young man, much younger than the old guy I went to, when he makes an adjustment, he puts a little more power into it. So, when he twisted my head, I got a new perspective.

I like being able to walk backward and see where I’m going.

PMO
©2013

313 mpg Beetle

Would you believe a Volkswagen Beetle can get 1000 miles per gallon? Would you believe 313 miles per gallon? According to Yahoo! Auto, VW has announced the XL1 which it vows will travel 313 mpg on a gallon of diesel. While the production version is now a reality, the world and East Texas may not be ready for this Bug.

It has a two-cylinder 0.8 liter engine which is half the size of the current diesel standard. There is a 7 speed transmission and a 5.5 kWh battery and electric motor. And, it weighs 1,752 pounds. That’s about half of a typical American midsize sedan. I think my riding lawn mower had better specs.

Now, here’s the rub. It travels about 38 miles on a full charge, then you go to diesel. It takes 12.7 seconds to get up to 62 mph. Top speed is 99 mph. That’s not fast enough for city driving - even in East Texas. There is only limited storage in the front - the engine is in the rear. It seats only two people. And, nobody know what it will cost when it hits the market.

I love the old Beetles. They were tough - they survived me. It was a fun car to drive, got pretty good mileage and was affordable. Then they fixed it. Now they want to fix it again.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

PMO
©2013

Political Help

The bad news is that gasoline is getting higher and higher each day. The worse news is at least one politician is going to help. According to televison station KLTV, Texas State Senator Kevin Eltife is proposing a ten cent per gallon increase in the tax Texans pay at the pump.

Eltife wants to help TxDot - Texas Department of Transportation - get out of billions of dollars in debt. Instead of issuing bonds, he wants to raise taxes and "pay as you go." Other considerations have been an increase in sales tax and increase state auto inspection fees. Fees must be better because they don’t raise taxes - ha-ha-ha.

The good Senator cited that the current tax rate of twenty cents per gallon hasn’t been raised in more than twenty years.  I didn't know there was a requirement to raise taxes when they haven't been raised.

Here’s my suggestion for Mr. Eltife. Cut the tax 100 percent and charge a thirty cent fee per gallon. That will ensure you reelection because you cut taxes and increased revenue.

I should have gone into politics.

PMO
©2013

Puppy Poop

Aren’t humans supposed to have dignity? During my lifetime, I’ve often heard someone say, "at least I maintained my dignity." Well, they don’t live in our little gated community. What could be less dignified than walking a dog and waiting for it to poop so you can pick it up and carry it home with you?

There are hundreds of people here that have dogs - some big, but mostly small. They walk their dogs around the property and dogs do what dogs do. The "rules" say, you must pickup after your dog. They even have a sign I saw today which displayed a dog with a person behind it bending over with a bag to clean up the mess.

The folks that live here are professional people, mostly retired. It is just hard for me to imagine what would possess them to think that picking up puppy poop is diginified. But, then I would be wrong. I must be because there are so many people that do it.

We no longer have a dog. I don’t want a dog. My financial controller wants a Yorkie.

If you see me picking up after a Yorkie, please shoot me.

PMO
©2013

Gambling

Some one said that gambling is for people with too much money and no math skills. You can’t win. How does anyone think all those huge casinos get built - by losing money? I read somewhere that professional gamblers make less than $30,000 per year. You can do better than that on unemployment or welfare.  You do have to give it to gamblers, they are optimistic.

My financial controller and I had to make a trip last week and were nearby to some casinos in Louisiana, so we ventured in for a couple of hours. I might add that the buffet was pretty good. That’s what I like about casinos. But what struck me funny was that this particular place still had slot machines that you insert coins into. And, you had to pull the handle. I thought everything was electronic now days. Oh, they had some of the "new fangled" machines, but the old ones caught my eye. That’s a lot of work. You have to put in the coins, pull the handle and then do it all over again. And, should you "win" some amount, the coins fall into a tray and you would have to go and change them for dollars - or go home with your pants pockets full of coins. That might be useful if you plan to do a lot of laundry the next day. But, don’t try to pay for two buffets with a bucket of quarters.

They don't think that's funny.

PMO
©2013

Stock Up On Donuts

There was an article published on February 16 in the Seattle Times about police coming into homes to inspect for guns. Seems Senator Ed Murray, D-Seattle, the prime sponsor of a bill that allowed police to come into a home, now thinks that may be going a little too far. He did add that he came to realize that an assault weapons ban has little chance of passing, but put in a bill more as, "a general statement, as a guiding light of where we need to go." Without sweating the details.

The details would include it’s unconstitutional. What the eight page bill advocated was that anyone who purchased said weapons would have to store them safely and the sheriff of the county may, no more than once per year, conduct an inspection to ensure compliance. That simply means that police could come into a home and poke around without a warrant. Failure to comply could get one up to a year in jail.

I do not believe that any sane person does not want gun safety - especially gun owners. But the extremists are not hitting on all cylinders with radical approaches like this. "A guiding light of where we need to go." It would be fun to watch a sheriff poke around in the Senator’s house, even if he doesn’t own a gun.

This would never be a problem in East Texas. We’d just stock up some donuts and coffee and when the officers arrived, we might have a discussion about what ammo works best on feral hogs.

Should such a law ever come to pass, try not to laugh when the cop shows up.

They hate it when you laugh.

PMO
©2013

Amnesty

I am convinced that no one really knows how many illegal immigrants are in this country. But if you are willing to accept somewhere between twelve and twenty million, we’ll work with that. That’s a lot of people.

Now our folks in the "intelligence free zone," want to grant amnesty to how ever many there are. Of course the illegal’s will have to pay back taxes and a fine to receive said act of forgiveness for breaking our laws. How is anyone going to determine the back taxes? Exactly how much will the fine be?

It is quite amusing - not really - to watch Washington contrive a new method of getting more money to fund whatever they think will get them new voters.

If I were an illegal, I would not take the offer. I’d just continue to collect free social services, pay no taxes, take or send my money back home and protest in the streets to get anything else I might want.

It’s a no-brainer.

PMO
©2013

Medical Apps

Smart phone are getting too dang smart. I became aware today that medicine now has or soon will have apps that allow doctors to do a bunch of test and monitoring. Dr. Eric Topol, MD in LaJolla, California has been working for years with wireless medicine. As a cardiologist, he can run an EKG at his office on his iPhone. No technician necessary. And, soon he will be able to monitor a patients vitals from his phone while they go about their daily living.

It’s a mind boggling thing. The technology is advancing so fast, that diabetics are able to monitor their blood without sticking themselves. Can you imagine tracking your sleep on your phone. You can track how much restful sleep you actually get.

From what Dr. Topol says, the old days of medicine are quickly going away and the new way is a closer relationship with your doctor. And, you will be treated for your individuality - not part of a herd. I’m sure there will be set backs and problems, but it is encouraging. Of course I have reservations. What do they do with that phone on a prostrate exam?

You’ll have to replace the phone.

PMO
©2013

Religion

My friend, the Rite Reverend Dr. Wild Bill of the First Get Down With Your Bad Self Church of What’s Happening Now, says a lot of things. I have known him forty years, actually just thirty nine, but it seems like forty. Most of what he says, I forget. But, he actually said something this week that I might remember. It is worth remembering.

"Religion is man searching for God. Christianity is God seeking man." That just makes sense.

Hope I don’t have to wait another forty years for him to say something else worthwhile.

PMO
©2013

Twenty Four Percent Raise

How long has it been since you’ve had a twenty four percent pay raise? I think my memory is correct and my answer is NEVER. And, I had some pretty good salary reviews. Well, that’s what the Prez wants for minimum wage workers. Since those that make minimum wage, $7.25, are usually those that are less skilled and experienced, what is the reaction going to be for the workers that actually know what they are doing and contribute more to the organization.

It really doesn’t matter what the minimum wage is. If it’s a hundred dollars per hour, everything else will adjust and then all you’ll have is people pushing around wheelbarrows full of worthless money. But let’s look at what happens with twenty four percent. If two burgers cost ten dollars, the vendor is going to have to raise the price. Of course, the suppliers of the meat, buns, etc are going to raise their prices too. It is not unreasonable to project that the new cost of two burgers will be fifteen dollars. Get out your calculators and find out how much more spending power the recipients of the increase actually got.

Now, look at those poor old folks - like me - that are on fixed income. If Social Security gives a three percent Cost of Living Adjustment, how long will it take before I can buy another burger. Those that are on fixed private retirement payments never get a raise. They will just have to go burgerless.

Will there ever be any intelligent life in Washington?

PMO
©2013

SOTU

Did you watch the state of the union address? I am going to wait for the movie to come out. After reading several summaries of the speech, it is easy to conclude that everything is still the same - politicians lie, present clouded half-truths and do everything but what they say they will do.

The best laugh seemed to be when Obama said, "Let me repeat - nothing I’m proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime." Technically he was correct. The increases will be in trillions of dollars - not dimes.

The best quote I’ve read lately about politicians and lies is this one. "I can't get excited by the question of whether Senator Robert Menendez had sex with a prostitute in Central America. It is her word against his - and when it comes to a prostitute's word against a politician's word, that is too close to call." - economist Thomas Sowell.

Before the speech, Jay Leno commented that Obama’s focus would be on jobs. He said, "Hopefully he explain to us why anybody in Congress still has one."

That’s a lot nicer than what I said.

PMO
©2013

Salute To A SEAL

What would it take for you to take time off from your job or stop what you had planned to go out into pouring rain with temperatures in the 40's and stand along a highway or atop an overpass or bridge and hold an American flag as a funeral procession passes on a 200 mile journey? Thousands and thousands did just that to honor Chris Kyle. Men, women and children lined the way for his final destination in Austin to be laid to rest.

There were tears, salutes, and solemn faces as the former Navy SEAL passed. People that did not know each other and most did not know Chris Kyle, stood in the cold and rain to honor a fallen hero.

There are those that say, this is how we should honor all fallen soldiers. I would agree, but it is impossible for that to happen. But, today Kyle was representative all of those that went before him and those that will follow in defense of this country.

What does it take to do what these thousands did. I can only tell you that as a veteran, I know that if I had been in a position to be there I would have gladly stood in the rain. I can’t explain it any more than that. If you don’t understand, there’s no explanation that would help you.

Chris Kyle, I can only offer you a salute.

He and tens of thousands of others know what I mean.

PMO
©2013

The Move Continues

Wherever you live, don’t move. If your house burns down, stay on the empty lot. It will save you a lot of time and money. The problem is that when you move, you have to get everything from the old to the new - insurance, mail, bank, taxes, voter registration, auto registration, etc.

Because I qualify for a "grumpy old man" exemption on my property taxes and homestead exemption in Texas, I have to file a claim. Sounds simple, but there’s a form for that. First, one must have a form from the auto registration people to prove that you have moved to where you say you are. If you don’t have a vehicle, then one must have a copy of a utility bill and a notarized affidavit that states you don’t have a vehicle. Question, if you don’t have a vehicle, how are you going to go to a notary to get the affidavit?

Once you have the required requirements in hand, you get to fill out another form which is several pages. And, before you submit all that you have to have a tax ceiling certificate, another form, from the previous county of residence.

Don’t move. You’ll spend the rest of your life filling out forms.

PMO
©2013

Electrician

After thirty years with an electric utility I think I know something about electricity. That’s why I undertook the project to replace the recessed lighting in our "office" room. It is beyond reason why anyone would ever use recessed lighting. All you have is a five inch hole in the ceiling and you get less light.

Over the years I have observed that wind, water and people take the path of least resistance. So, I found a conversion kit that allows one to cover up a recessed light with a surface mount fixture. Sounds simple. Installing the adapter was simple, then came the said surface mount fixture. It wouldn’t work because it wasn’t wide enough to cover the adapter. That means a road trip in East Texas. There’s no big box store on every corner. So, I got a different fixture.

One thing one should remember about electricity is not to touch two wires at the same time. You may want to write that down. And, don’t let the two wires touch each other. I know you are supposed to turn off the power, but that’s sissy stuff.

I didn’t know you can black out an entire neighborhood just changing a light fixture.

PMO
©2013

Life In Minutes

I picked up an interesting bit of information on Yahoo.com about how daily activities add or subtract years from your life. The data came from Men’s Health with BMJ as the source. Because this is about men’s health, you women can stop reading now if you want to. My guess is that some men may stop reading, but not a single woman will.

According to the data is you drink one alcoholic beverage per day, you will live 30 minutes longer. Two to three cups of coffee also adds half an hour. Twenty minutes of cardiovascular exercise gets you an extra hour, but forty minutes more adds on thirty minutes. Check this out. Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables will get you an extra two hours.

Now the negatives. After that first drink, you lose fifteen minutes for each alcoholic drink after that. Watching TV for two hours takes away thirty minutes. I’ve seen some shows that must take away longer than that. Just one portion of red meat gets you thirty minutes less living. You lose two hours just for being male. God is merciful to us. Smoking one pack of cigarettes cost you five hours.

Recently I read about a guy that went to a new doctor and when the doc asked him if he had any questions, the fellow said, "Will I live to 85?" The doctor then asked if he drank a lot, smoked, spent a lot of time in the sun playing golf or fishing, engaged in excessive amounts of sex, ate red meat at every meal, spent hours watching sports on television, or never exercised. The man replied "no" to all of these. The doctor then said, "Why would you want to live to be 85?"

I did the math on my own life and discovered I’ve been dead for years.

No wonder I’m so grumpy.

PMO
©2013

No Saturday Service

The U.S. Postal Service will stop delivering mail on Saturdays beginning in August. The plan is to save about $2 billion per year, according to an Associated Press report. In case you don’t know, the USPS gets no tax dollars but is subject to congressional control. Wonder who came up with that plan?

According to the report, the agency’s biggest problem was not due to reduced mail flow but rather mounting mandatory costs for future retiree health benefits. Let me be sure I understand - congress controls the Postal Service, but gives them no money and they are broke because of government requirements that they pay in advance the retirement health benefits. Sound familiar?

The non mail delivery plan is called, "Obama Care."

PMO
©2013

Grab Your Kids And Run

I used to have brief periods of time when I thought the world might not be completely crazy. Then I read about a seven year-old child being suspended from school for throwing an imaginary grenade at an imaginary target to kill evil and save the world - Denver Post and Fox New. The Post reports the child is now confused because he got in trouble for "trying to save the world from evil." This occurred during recess on the playground.

The parent said Mary Blair school principal, Valerie Lara-Black called her and told her that her son had been suspended. The child’s story and the principals version of the incident matched.

Yep, I was right all along. The world is crazy.

Grab your kids and run.

PMO
©2013

Check It Off

We sold our town house last week - that’s the house in town. It was only on the market three days before we had a contract.  I was a little disappointed, because the last house we sold, eleven years ago, sold in 24 hours.  I guess real estate sales really are slow. The strange part is I always list above what the agents want me to.

But now, we can take that off our to do list. That leaves only about a thousand items to be complete. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I now prioritize. So, today I looked at all the things that should be done, need to be done and have to be done. I went to the sporting goods store and bought a fishing license.

The way I have it figured, I will have to live to be 900 years old to get everything on the to do list done. My financial controller adds something everyday. It makes her feel better to know what she wants is on the list.

Makes me feel better now that I have a fishing license.

PMO
©2013

It's A Bird

It’s really not a bird, but it is about the size of a finch and it weighs about half an ounce. According to the Associated Press, British soldiers in Afghanistan have been issued surveillance drones so small they can fit into the palm of a man’s hand.

The four inch helicopter, Black Hornet Nano, is fitted with a video camera which relays still images and video to a remote terminal. This allows troops to check out exposed areas before crossing. And, they have to be fun to play with. They do cost $193,750 each and I don’t think Toys R Us stocks them, yet.

Then there is ARGUS-IS, a surveillance drone that can deliver images as small as six inches from 17,000 feet high. It’s a secret snooper used by the U.S. government. Believe it or not, this device uses 368 cell phone cameras in a mosaic with enhancement features.

What does all this mean? BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING. Private citizens do not know who is watching, when or where. Puts a whole new meaning to the TV show, "Person of Interest."

No, I am not paranoid. But when government has full capability to spy on enemy forces or your house, it is a little concerning. Or, it should be.

Just remember to smile the next time you run out in your underwear to get the morning paper.

You may be on YouTube.

PMO
©2013

RIP

He lived in the same neighborhood as my daughter did for awhile. His enemies called him, The Devil of Ramadi. Chris Kyle was killed Saturday, apparently at the hands of a fellow veteran he was trying to help.

Chris was the most lethal sniper in U.S. history. He was shot twice and survived six IED explosions. He was awarded two Silver Stars, and five Bronze Stars with Valor as well as other medals for his service.

From excerpts in his book, "American Sniper" he is quoted as saying, "it’s not the people you saved you remember. It’s the ones you couldn’t save."

You and I are lucky to have men like Chris Kyle. May he rest in peace.

It was a desire for peace that made him do his job.

©2013

Prioritize

Since moving to East Texas my things to do list has gotten out of hand. There are about a gazillion things I still have to do. So, now I am prioritizing.

First and foremost, I am cooking steaks for my granddaughter and myself. She will be sixteen this week. That is priority number uno. She loves for granddad to cook steaks.

Next, I have met a new friend who likes to fish and he has a boat. Second priority is to call him and set a date and time.

All that other stuff may or may not get done this year.

I like it better when I prioritize.

PMO
©2013

The Third

What does the First Amendment say? How about the 2^nd? You may know the answers to both questions. Some Constitutional scholars may know what the 3^rd is, but only a few. That’s because it is thought to be outdated and unnecessary. I watched a video today that explained just how important the Third Amendment really is.

The 3^rd Amendment simply states that the government can’t force citizens to house and feed soldiers. This was a big thing in colonial times. British soldiers not only took food and housing, they often destroyed the property and even took away some women if they were so inclined. And, you thought the Revolution was all about taxation without representation.

Today, it is unimaginable to think that the government could force us peasants to quarter soldiers in time of war, much less in peace. I would ask, what’s to stop them? The correct answer is, the Second Amendment.

If they quarter them at my house, they better like chili and ribs.

For breakfast.

PMO
©2013

Boy Scouts

I was a Cub Scout, then a Boy Scout. I still remember events from those "good old days." It was a great life experience to be a Scout.

Now the BSA national board is discussing a proposal to remove the national restriction regarding sexual orientation. But they still haven’t discussed removing the atheist restriction. If they allow one, they have allowed the other.

There are politics in play, since the board is comprised of corporate big wigs that have already bent over in their companies. They are trying to shift the fight to local councils which will have to give in or disband because of lack of funding.

The Supreme Court upheld the ban. But, now the end run is to try to force an agenda on Scouts that they have taken an oath against. "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight."

And, the Scout law simply states: "A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent."

To James Turley, CEO of Ernst & Young, and Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T, the two leaders in pressuring the repeal of the ban, I say:  "If the organization fails by holding firm, at least they will go down with honor."

Don’t mess with Texas, the Boy Scouts or the Salvation Army. You will make this grumpy old man angry.

PMO
©2013