Drag Racing

It has just occurred to me that there is no drag racing in East Texas. No, it’s not because of laws or even an interest in the sport. It’s because there are no roads that are flat or without a turn for a quarter mile.

No charge for all this information.

PMO
©2015

KOTUS

As I have mentioned several times before, I am an observer by nature and training. This week I observed an event that causes me real concern.

While speaking at a town-hall meeting on immigration at Florida International University, Miami, Obama said, "so in the short term, if Mr. McConnell, the leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, want to have a vote on whether what I’m doing is legal or not, they can have that vote. I will veto that vote."

Does that sound like a president or a king?

PMO
©2015

Career

When my youngest granddaughter was about four years old, she would say that when she grew up, she wanted to be a waitress. This probably was because they ate out often. Now that she is all grown up and knows everything, she wants to be an elementary school teacher.

I don’t think she has considered how much less money she will make.

PMO
©2015

#50

Life Rule #50: "Know where your going and what you’re going to do when you get there."

This is especially important because if you don't know where you're going or what you are going to do, you could end up a politician.

PMO
©2015

Tax Revenue

I suspect that not many of you got your copy of "A Field Guide to the Taxes of Texas." It is an annual report from the Comptroller’s office on where the money comes from in Texas. What kind of nut would read this stuff? Me.

Total revenue for the fiscal year ending in August is almost $105 billion. A few interesting income sources caught my eye, like $8.497 billion from fees, licenses, permits, fines and penalties. Remember, these are not taxes, they are fees. Then there was interest and investment income of $1.463 billion. Net lottery proceeds were down about 8% but still drew in nearly $2 billion. And, then there were sales taxes, which is the single largest income, at nearly $51 billion.

Taxes on tobacco at $1,342,454,822 were about 2.6% of total revenue. But, you have to understand that tobacco is taxed, then taxed by the Feds, and finally taxed a third time under the sales tax. Yet one is not allowed to smoke.

To be fair, shouldn’t there be a triple tax on gasoline, alcohol and twinkies?

PMO
©2015

Computer Crazy

I admit that I don’t know what I used to know about computers. Truth is, at best I was a little better than a novice. However, I usually could get most problems solved. Until now. My special needs granddaughter has a laptop and it has become infected with a root virus or malware that is driving me crazier. It actually took out the security center altogether. Now it will not allow the tools I would use to overcome the problem to run.

Plus, the machine is about 5 or 6 years old and sporadically heat us to almost "hot." This is a problem that I might be able to deal with if I could fix the other problem(s).

Being the resourceful grumpy old man that I am, it is likely that I will take the path that has worked for me in the past - buy a new computer.

I hate computers, but I love my granddaughters.

PMO
©2015

Founders Stupid

The founders of this once great country must have been pretty stupid after all. The set out to define a set of laws based upon a belief in God and His commandments. Apparently they thought that by teaching and practicing morals and church teachings, the citizens of a new nation would willingly abide by what was right and not do whatever they felt like doing.

During the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries public education evolved to standards that allowed everyone the same teachings. This meant that 2+2=4 regardless of the school one attended. And, God’s name was not only allowed, but often encouraged. How stupid can you get?

Now we are in the enlightened age where right or wrong is not important. Only political correctness is allowed. Morals are what the movie industry and media tell you they are.

Guess we will have to tear up that dumb old Constitution and set up a new and better document or just wing it as we go.

Oh, we already have.

PMO
©2015

Jobs Outlook

According to a new Gallup Poll Jobs Creation Index, the place to be if you’re looking for a job is North Dakota. Texas was second, followed by Nebraska, Wisconsin and Michigan. The poll is the result of contacts to industry and business about hiring new employees.

I suspect our State Department is right on top of the results since they are looking for jobs for ISIS members to keep them from killing people. Marie Harf is surely all excited.

Tip to Marie: Don’t try sending them to Texas. They might starve because one of the mainstays to our diet is barbequed pork ribs.

And, Marie, you shouldn’t apply either.

Try Detroit.

PMO
©2015

#37

#37 of the official grumpy old man rules for life needs to be used by government. "Associate with smarter people."

The idea is to learn something and not to be so stupid.

PMO
©2015

Rudy

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has got the DNC upset. At a private dinner he said that he didn’t believe Obama loves America and was not brought up the way you were brought up. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the DNC, called for Republican leaders to "stop this nonsense."

Again I stand in awe of stupidity. Obama was not raised like an American, according to his own account. Even into adulthood, he followed the teachings of anti-Americans. It was only when Jeremiah Wright became a political burden did he disassociate himself with him. His answer to Islamic terrorist is to point a finger at the Christian crusades.

The facts can go on and on why he obviously does not love America. Even Moochelle said only electing him president was the first time in her adult life that she was proud of this country.

Maybe if the country was turned into one gigantic golf course, he would love it.

PMO
©2015

Get A Job

There are supposed to be seven wonders in the world, but Washington D.C. keeps coming up with new ones. Just when I think that government can’t be more stupid, I find myself wrong again. The State Department’s Marie Harf has told us that we can’t win the war with ISIS by killing them. We should focus on getting them jobs.

These people don’t want jobs, they want to kill us and anyone else they can. Can you imagine a job interview for a fast food restaurant entry level job?

Employer: "What did you do at your last job?"

Applicant: "I killed people. Cut their heads off or burned them alive. And, I raped a lot of women and girls."

Employer: "Sorry, but we don’t have any openings for someone with your skills.  But, you can try our State Department.

Ask for Marie."

PMO
©2015

Texas Judge

A federal judge in South Texas has blocked the Prez’s executive action on immigration. This will allow a coalition of 26 time to pursue a lawsuit that is directed at permanently stopping the order.

Note to Prez.

Don’t mess with Texas.

PMO
©2015

Navigator

My financial controller don’t make a lot of trips into town together. Primarily that’s for my own sanity. She likes to take the back roads. By back roads I’m talking about county roads, cow trails and some that don’t have descriptions. As for me, I use highways, toll roads and by pass loops.

A number of years ago, we took a trip to Pike’s Peak. In those days, you had to use real maps. She took the map and directed me to a spot where a concert was taking place. We drove down one lane roads and even when through a giant redwood tree. Travel time to the site was 48 minutes. Determined that I was not going back the same way, in the dark, I followed the cars heading back in the direction I wanted to go. We arrived back at our hotel in less than 15 minutes.

I don’t let her go get the mail out of the box on the curb.

I don’t want to have to go find her.

PMO
©2015

Hyphenated

I’ve been thinking again. Yes, this is dangerous. If a person born in America decides to become a citizen of El Salvador, does said person become an American Salvadorian? How about a person of oriental decent born in Russia, is he or she an Asian Russian? Is there someone that is an African Swede? Or perhaps a Mexican Briton?

Then why do we have African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, or a host of other hyphenated Americans? Is it to keep the country divided so there are pawns for politicians to play with?

I am a British, German, Native, Heterosexual, Baptist American.

Surely I’m entitled to something.

PMO
©2015

New Rule

I have a new life rule today. Don’t lock your keys and cell phone in the car. Especially if you don’t remember the code for the door lock keypad.

Just ask my youngest granddaughter.

PMO
©2015

One Day War

Citizens have been at war with governments since the beginning of such arrangements. Our government is supposed to be representative of the people, but judges make laws and our representatives sem to have lost sight of who they represent. So, we have been and are now at war. If this is so, then why is nothing happening?

The problem with wars is they take so long. If a war could be fought in one day, between 9 and 5, there would be a lot more people willing to fight to take back the freedoms and principles that made America great. The idea of being vigilant every day just doesn’t work for Americans.

They have a short attention span and very poor memory.

PMO
©2015

Americans Support

Americans support government destruction of the Constitution, abortion, same sex marriage, children being forced to eat slop, schools that change history and can’t teach simple math, hatred for Christianity, people enslaved to government, politicians that get richer, nannies that dictate what you can and cannot do, unbearable taxation, junk science, open borders, unimaginable debt, media lies, compassion for criminals instead of victims, judges that make laws, celebrity worship, and whatever fad that promises to make you sexier.

"Wait," you say. "I don’t support those things."

Then why are they happening.

PMO
©2015

What's The Problem

Obama campaigned on the platform that he would fundamentally transform America. He has done that.

He was elected twice.

What does that say about America?

PMO
©2015

A Cure?

What would happen if suddenly there was a cure for cancer, heart disease, obesity and even the common cold? Not going to happen. It would be financial disaster. Treating cancer alone is a multi-billion dollar business. It’s like inventing a car that gets 200 mpg and can go more than 50 miles and could be produced for under $10,000. It would shut down the auto and oil industries.

Think about that.

PMO
©2015

Hubby Help

Wives always want hubby to help out with the housework. Most of us try to be helpful, but we are out of our element on most things. I phoned my neighbor Harold today and he was running the vacuum. He, nor I, saw anything wrong with him taking a break and chatting for an hour. We had important stuff to talk about.

It seems to me that if wives really want help on house work, they should be a bit more creative in soliciting help. For example, if there was a diesel powered vacuum, guys would love to run it. Varoom! And, when it comes to running the dishwasher, all one has to do is load the dishes in a rack, wheel it outside and let hubby hit them with a power washer. Laundry can easily be done in an electric cement mixer. And, do clothes really have to be folded or hung up?  Cooking is our speciality so long as it is done on a open fire pit or grill.

It’s not that we don’t want to help, we just want to do things a little differently. Don’t aks about cleaning the bathroom.

Think power washer indoors.

PMO
©2015

A Favorite Rule

As I randomly post the grumpy old man rules of life, I try to give a hint or tip about them. Such is the case of #28. Learn to fish. While it seems simple enough, it isn’t.

Fishing is fun for some, but it teaches patience, self reliance and creativity. If you lean to fish, you can eat and you can survive. It doesn’t take much to catch a fish, if you learn to fish. I’ve caught fish on a piece of string, with a bent straight pin for a hook and an insect for bait.

If you have nothing, you still can fish.  I love to fish.

It's cleaning the fish that I don't like.

PMO
©2015

Skydiving

My youngest granddaughter turned 18 this week. To celebrate she went skydiving. This is the same girl that doesn’t want anyone to drive fast.

She made a tandem jump at 10,000 feet and has the video to prove it. According to her, it was fun and she might want to do it again. She has no idea what things like this do to a granddad. My worry meter went straight to the red zone and won’t calm down for a month.

I remember when I was 18. I was in the Army, but I didn’t jump out of airplanes. In fact, I used to tell those in the airborne, there is no reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

There is no telling what granddaughter will do to my nerves and blood pressure next.

She knows she is in my will.

PMO
©2015

#24

Life rule #24: Learn something from everyone you meet. There is no one that you meet that doesn’t know something you don’t know. If you take the time to lean something from everyone, just imagine how smart you will be.

PMO
©2015

He Lied

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor for NBC Nightly News lied about being shot down in a helicopter in Iraq. So what? He was only trying to honor the troops that kept him alive. And, maybe make himself a hero to his audience and peers. But what difference does it make? Everybody tells a story a little different from someone who knows the truth.

Never let the truth interfere with a good story is the first rule of today’s journalism.

PMO
©2015

Budget

At my house we have a budget. My financial controller doesn’t pay much attention to it, but we have one. The purpose of a budget is to determine how much money you take in, what expenses are and how much can you save. If you take in less than you spend, you have a problem. And, if you take in a lot less than you spend, you have a major problem.

The national debt for this country is over $18 trillion. About $8 trillion has been added in the past six years. Now the POTUS wants another $4 trillion. It is fairly simple to conclude that the U.S.A. has a major problem. Right now the debt breaks down to about $150,000 per household. Do you have an extra $150k?

The current administration is trying to shut down payday loan and pawn businesses because they contend these businesses cheat people and put undue hardships upon them.

"I’m from the government and I’m here to help you." ha ha ha

PMO
©2015

Jogging Bad

There was a story on the local TV today about how jogging may be bad for you. It seems that for those that run a lot, they fair no better than couch potatoes in longevity, and may suffer damage to joints and muscles. And, in case you may have missed, red meat is now good for you - in moderation. Seems like just yesterday that running was going to make one live longer and red meat could cause instant death.

Personally, I plan to keep on not exercising, smoking and eating bacon.

Maybe next week those things will be the new trend again.

PMO
©2015

Treason

It is not unusual to hear someone say that some person is guilty of treason. It’s usually the President or a member of Congress. Truth is that many people don’t know what treason is. 18 U.S. Code 2381 defines treason as: "Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States." Sounds simple enough, but it is not. The country must be at war for treason to occur. And, there are other considerations.

Truth is that what is happening today, by pure definition, may be treasonous. We are at war and there is aiding and abetting the enemy. But, it is not politically correct to say anything, much less do anything about it.

One must be careful. Don’t write about this stuff in a blog.

PMO
©2015

Rule #84

Some things you can’t undo.

PMO
©2015