Trashy Tuesday 10/8/2013

“Life is Short – Smile While You Still Have Teeth!

“Hey, come on in. Looks like a good crowd today. This should be a lively discussion. Oh, we have some distaff members here also. Welcome aboard.” “Steve...hey, Steve. That is not a coffee cup. It is a candle. If you like a little was with your French Roast, go ahead, otherwise, the regular cups are over here. Not certain if the insurance covers that type of liability. We even have some of the Hysteria Lane Hotties in attendance. Now, Hotties, keep it civil will you? Good Morning Drivelers! Can you believe it – it's Tuesday already!”

I am so pumped today. Let's review what is on our plate. Benghazi, IRS, Fast & Furious, NSA, I have these on my plate but I think the government has washed their plate clean. Diversion, distortion, disavowal and distance have been in play it seems. It makes me sick. They have replaced the above with the “so-called” government shutdown – it affects about 17% of the government. Whee! They are shutting down everything that directly affects the citizenry. This tactic exaggerates the true effects. Don't fall for it.

Okay, settle down group. Here, let me put my soap box away. Sorry for the rant, I haven't had breakfast yet. “Oh, by the way, who brought the donuts?” “I hope you don't all jump up at once. As I suspected, no one. What can I do? Glazed donuts go very well with French Roast you know?” 

 

The Great Charles (Not His Real Name) Potato Trek last week, sadly, was canceled. I was really looking forward to a road trip even if it was with Charles (not his real name). I have not had an update so don't know if the road trip will happen or not. As I recall the Garden Geezer sub-group have harvested and delivered somewhere around 1,800 lbs. of vegetables to various food banks and organizations. Pretty darn good for a group of Grumpy Old Men. 

 

At Men's Breakfast last week, I asked the question “How much out of a dollar goes to the government at all levels? This includes, income taxes, sales taxes, all fees and all taxes at every level.” No one had an answer. There was speculation of 40%, 45%, 50% and etc. I guessed about 67% but it was a pure guess. When I got home I did some googling to try to find an answer. It was more convoluted than you would imagine. I came up with the following. This may be in the ball park. - Total tax percentage potentially paid by the above average US citizen, 2013 est. - 59.7%

One of my faithful e-mailers sent this to me. They are suggesting a new Medicare Part. It would be called Medicare Part G. I think this really has some wheels. 

 

You're a sick senior citizen and the government says there is no nursing home care available for you. So what do you do? Our plan gives anyone 65 years, or older, a gun (G) and 4 bullets. You are allowed to shoot four Politicians. Of course, this means you'll be sent to prison, where you will receive three meals a day, a roof over your head, central heating and air conditioning and all the health care you need. Need new teeth? No problem. Need glasses? That's great. Need a new hip, knees, kidney, lungs or heart? They're all covered. As an added bonus, your kids can come and visit you at least as often as they do now. And who will be paying for all of this? The same government that just told you they can't afford for you to go into a home. And, you can get rid of 4 useless politicians while you're at it. Plus, because you are a prisoner, you don't have to pay any income taxes anymore. Is this a great country or what? Great idea – but it will never happen.

“Johnny, I see you have something to say, please share it.” “Here is a sign I saw - “Let us remove your shorts! I saw it on an Electricians Truck. Cool!” “Steve, do you have something to add?” “Yes, I saw this on a Taxidermist's window: "We really know our stuff." “Johnny and Steve – I hope next week you can bring us something more “thought provoking” if you get my drift?”

Many of you are aware that I have 3 grand dogs for which I have the opportunity to baby sit on a somewhat frequent basis. They are great dogs. I have a love for dogs and am constantly looking for ways to make an impact of curbing abuse, neglect, abandonment and euthanasia of these animals. I recently discovered that Pet Smart has something called Pet Smart Charities. 90% of contributions go directly to saving pets. They are ranked very, very high as non-profit charities go. Check them out.

My projects for daughter Debby, the younger, have been virtually completed. Steps and Stoop have been completed. Door frame replacement is 97% complete. As far as projects go, these were pretty typical – 3 days to complete each (should have been 1 day each) and the 3 mandatory trips to Menards. Feeling good with the results so far. I have learned that doing this projects by yourself at age 67 is probably not a good idea. I wore myself out on each one. I have informed both of my children plus anyone else who will listen, I am giving up on doing projects. I will lend professional supervision and advice but no hands on. Just too old.

We (my current wife and I) have the exciting opportunity to pick a new supplemental health care plan and drug plan. Through no fault of our own, her plan was covered under a union contract that expired in 2013. This means we get to find ourselves a new plan. To be fair, her company has a transition entity that can advise us but it is still a daunting task. It seems everyone chooses something different. Does anyone have suggestions for supplemental and drug coverage? This is one of my most favorite things to do. Yeah!

In closing a little shout out to Dr. Football, who trounced me in the fantasy league by 25 points. Who would have thought Tom Brady would only get 6.88 points when he was projected for 24 or an Arizona defense that put up 33 points compared to my 15? I am looking for a good fantasy Yahtzee league. Got a suggestion? My editors are literally at my side wondering where the blog is for today so I best sign off. The next step is physical contact which makes it hard for me to type. Until we meet again, ----TA!