Vice-Presidential Nominees

A certain rocket scientist that I know who happens to be my daughter asked my opinion on the Republican Party vice-presidential nominee.
My answer is; we’ll have to wait and see.
This is the second time in history that a woman has been nominated to one of the major political parties as a vice-presidential candidate. The first time was in 1984 when Democrat Walter Mondale, the vice-president under Carter, teamed up with Geraldine Ferraro to run against Ronald Reagan. Mondale/Ferraro lost in a landslide to Reagan partly because Mondale promised to raise taxes and argued that Reagan would also raise taxes while promising not to. Is history repeating itself here? Just to remind those students of history out there that did not live through this era in adulthood, the Reagan presidency ushered in the era of deficit spending and tax cuts that brought about the longest sustained period of economic growth in history and simultaneously brought the tiger of inflation under control.
So, the liberals and liberal media seem to be now on the defensive. The attacks on this woman vice-presidential nominee are endless, going to the core of gender stereotypes.
For me, I don’t care about gender or race. I look to qualifications and platform. So, one question might be; “is a governor qualified to be president?” Well, Reagan was previously a governor of California and in addition to his economic accomplishments, he was instrumental (with others including the Pope) in bringing about the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism in Russia. On the other hand, we have Jimmy Carter the former governor of Georgia, a one-term president that history mostly refers to as the most incompetent president in the modern era. However, he had one thing going against him from the start – he is a liberal democrat. He couldn’t solve the oil embargo and his military spending cuts were punctuated by a failed mission to rescue hostages in Iran – Operation Eagle Claw on April 24, 1980. It could be argued that the lack of military funding contributed to the helicopter mechanical failures of the mission which caused it to be called off. During the extradition of the forces from the rear clandestine air base in Iran, a helicopter crashed into a C-130 resulting in the death of eight American troops.
So, back to vice-presidential qualifications. Other history shows us that ultra-qualified candidates turned out to be incompetent in office while non-qualified candidates made history. Disclaimer: Don’t use anything I say to influence your vote decision. Go with your intuition.

More Pandering on the Right

Here are the promises of Senator McCain in his acceptance speech and my comments that you have all been waiting for. Well, there were more like beliefs than promises. Probably a safe strategy since I, like most of the electorate don’t believe in any politician promises.

“We’re going to change that [instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies]”
Sounds like a good idea but I am not hopeful that any politician can break the oil cartel. Carter couldn’t do it.

“We believe in low taxes; spending discipline, and open markets.”
Something John Kennedy believed in also.

“We believe in a strong defense, work, faith, service, a culture of life, personal responsibility, the rule of law, and judges who dispense justice impartially and don’t legislate from the bench.”
Here’s one that is completely opposite to what the liberals in control of the Democratic Party believe.

“We believe in a government that unleashes the creativity and initiative of Americans. Government that doesn’t make your choices for you, but works to make sure you have more choices to make for yourself.”
Definition of a Republican. Democrats don’t believe this.

“I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them. I will open new markets to our goods and services. My opponent will close them. I will cut government spending. He will increase it.”
Ok, I’m for that. Studies and experience has shown that when capital gains tax rates are raised, tax revenues go down. When Senator Obama was presented with that information when he was asked about his plan to raise capital gains taxes, he response was that raising capital gains rates was only fair. This is a clear indication that he is not interested in raising government revenues, but only in redistributing the wealth.

“Doubling the child tax exemption from $3500 to $7000…”
Let’s hope this doesn’t cause more illegal alien anchor babies.

“We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition…”
I don’t see this happening. Schools are controlled by liberals and their unions.

“We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us very much…”
Not much chance of this happening either.

“Senator Obama thinks we can achieve energy independence without more drilling and without more nuclear power.”
Yea, I’ve been wondering about that also. He and Pelosi have their heads in the sand if they really believe we can become free of foreign oil in ten years.

There is a resounding void in his speech on anything to do with immigration. Yet, we know that McCain believes in amnesty. He joined with that ultra-liberal Ted Kennedy to sponsor an amnesty bill. Fortunately, it was defeated by an up swell of public outcry. This is something to watch out for no matter who gets elected.

Elmcroft Website is Up

www.elmcroft.info
I created this website for linking from various advertisements I plan to post on Craigslist and Antique Homes Magazine. Yes, it is rather crude but I think it will get the job done.

More Democrat Lies

On the Sunday talk circuit Senator Biden claimed that this is the only time we have instituted tax cuts during a war. I guess Joe is not a student of history. In 1964 the Kennedy tax cuts passed by Congress created the largest percentage tax cut in the history of the nation. Does anybody know what else was going on in 1964?
By the way, does anybody else get the feeling that these democrat liberals are going down in flames? They seem to be on the defensive now and Obama seems to be running against George Bush. Somebody needs to remind Obama that Bush is termed out.

Summer Closing Down

Well, in Woodbridge anyway. Last evening was the last concert on North Lake in Woodbridge, ending in a traditional Southern California style with a Beach Boys tribute band. Then it was on to the new Orange County Great Park just a few miles down the road still in Irvine to see a great performance by Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul, the nine-time all-Ireland fiddle champion and her all-Irish band. Did I mention that all of these concerts are free? Not even a charge for parking. And you can bring your own picnic food including alcohol and seating. The Orange County Great Park concerts continue through September 27. Check out the schedule.
The Orange County Great Park is being built on the old El Toro Marine Corps Air Station which has a rich history in the defense of our nation dating back to 1942. We attended some spectacular air shows at the base during the 1990's which drew an attendance of about 300,000 except for the last one in 1997 during which 2 million people attended. We were there in 1993 to see the pride of the air force F-118 roll out onto the runway and awe the crowd with spectacular aerial maneuvers. It was also that year that we witnessed the crash of the F-86 Sabre Jet.

Lack of Experience

One more big error from the Obama acceptance speach. I'm not suggesting that Senator Obama made this error. His error was in hiring advisors that lack knowledge and experience in fiscal matters.

"I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow."

Now, I would estimate that about 0% of all small businesses and start-ups are subject to capital gains tax. Capital gains tax is a tax on the gain or loss from the sale of capital assets held for more than one year. So, what is a capital asset? Well, real estate (land and improvements), machinery and equipment, furnishings, and stocks or bonds of other corporations. Would you think that any start-up business would be looking to make capital gains on these types of assets? Just to clarify; any business that buys and sells such items as its primary business is not engaged in capital assets. They are selling inventory. So, if your business is developing land into residential homesites, you are selling inventory, not capital assets. The profit from such activity would be ordinary income, not capital gain.

Is Senator Obama the kind of person you want to be running the executive branch of the US Government? Perhaps we should wait until he has a better grasp for fiscal matters.

More Political Pandering

I have read with interest the acceptance speech of Senator Obama and I thought I might just point out some of the pandering contained therein. The oratory contained no less than 16 promises. I doubt that if elected President he could bring about even 10% of them. It will be interesting to see how many promises Senator McCain makes because he won’t be able to bring about any higher percentage.

It is interesting to note that Congress of which both Obama and McCain are members have not been able to effect the changes they are presenting us. Of course, it is well know that Senator Obama has spent his entire short Congressional career running for President.

Considering that most of his speech was finding fault with the Bush administration and trying to tie McCain to it, here are his quotes and my comments.

“[Tonight] more of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet.”
Congress passed the laws to de-regulate the banking and mortgage industry.

“[Tonight] more of you have … tuition that’s beyond your reach.”
Liberal universities set their tuition fees. Of course, the liberals would like to take more money from the rich to subsidize tuition.

“This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.”
I’m not quite sure what the Bush administration has to do with this woman’s illness.

“We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets…”
Surveys show that most of these veterans choose to sleep on the streets.

“Why else would he [McCain] define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year?”
Senator McCain never so defined the middle-class. He did say that a rich person might be defined as someone making that amount.

“How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans?”
Senator McCain has consistently proposed keeping the current tax cuts for individuals while you have proposed raising taxes.

“How else could he offer … a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?”
Investing in equities is not gambling. In fact, most investment managers agree that retirees will run out of money if they don’t continue to invest at least 40% of their portfolios in equities. Let’s see what kind of investments Senator Obama uses.

“For over two decades, he’s [McCain] subscribed to that old … hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else.”
Well, that was the philosophy that John F. Kennedy subscribed to. And, it worked.

“In Washington … what it really means is … Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps – even if you don’t have boots.”
Oops, something Senator Biden believes in.

“We measure the strength of our economy [on] … whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job.”
This waitress can probably already do that. It’s called FMLA.

“Businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs…”
Well, maybe that’s what the responsibility of a business should be in a socialist economy. In a free-enterprise economy, businesses have a responsibility to their shareholders to make a fair return on investment. Creating jobs is a by-product of a successful business. This, folks, is the true mantra of a socialist.

“[John McCain said] no to renewable fuels.”
You mean those renewable fuels that are driving up the cost of food worldwide. Another liberal debacle of trying to manage the economy.

“Drilling is a stop-gap measure.”
Maybe, but why are you so against it? Perhaps you think we should keep importing oil from unfriendly nations.

“I will find ways to safely harness nuclear power.”
“Duhh – we already do that.”

“[I] made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights.
How come your buddy Clinton didn’t do that?

“[McCain] won’t even go to the cave where he [bin Laden] lives.”
And, just where is that cave, Mr. Obama? And, why haven’t you gone there?

“We are the party of Kennedy.”
You mean the Kennedy that put through the biggest tax cut in this nation’s history and successfully turned around a recession? By putting more money back in the hands of the people? Something called supply-side economics? The fact is the democratic party of today is not the party of Kennedy. What have you liberals done with that party?

“Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe.”
I’ll take that challenge. Democrats won’t keep us safe! Carter made disastrous military spending cuts. Clinton consistently avoided dealing with the terrorists. Clinton’s secretary of state said that we “are not the police of the world.” I guess Clinton believes that we should just stand by and watch people being oppressed and killed.

“I will end this war in Iraq responsibly.”
But not with dignity or victory.

“I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons...”
I didn’t know the Bush administration stopped.

“Passions fly on immigration, but I don’t know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.”
So, we should keep anchor baby illegal alien mothers in the country but not let them work. By the way, any illegal alien mother can take their anchor child back home to her home country.

SPRINGSTEEN

The Woodbridge Community Park hosted Josh Tanner and his SPRINGSTEEN tribute band to end the summer concert series put on by the city of Irvine. The audio is not so good on my little Sony camera but it was an awesome rock concert. Most of the bass is supressed. Also, it was getting quite dark as they played Born in the USA past 8 pm.
The first video is the north end of South Lake as I was walking from my home to the Woodbridge Community Park. Tht structure out in the lake is a gazebo.

When is Fuel Not a Fuel?

Jason Grumet is the energy advisor for Mr. Obama. Recently I saw an interview that Mr. Grumet gave in which he claimed that we "need to promote alternate fuels for automobiles like electricity."

Now, Mr. Grumet is probably a smart man and maybe he just misspoke. Or, perhaps basic science and the laws of thermodynamics are not his strong suit.

So Mr. Grumet, it may come as a surprise to you but electricity is not a fuel. This goes to the core of how we use energy to move people from place to place.

From Wikipedia: "Fuel is any material that is burned or altered in order to obtain energy. Fuel releases its energy either through a chemical reaction means, such as combustion, or nuclear means, such as nuclear fission or nuclear fusion. An important property of a useful fuel is that its energy can be stored to be released only when needed, and that the release is controlled in such a way that the energy can be harnessed to produce work."

Electricity is a form of energy but it is not a fuel. Electricity is a flexible form of energy in that it can be transported and stored as an electrical charge with high efficiency.

So, for those of you who may have been misled to think that powering your automobile with electricity will result in less fossil fuel being burned, just what fuel will be used to generate that electricity? Currently about 95% of all electricity produced in this country comes from fuels like oil, natural gas and coal. Most of the remainder comes from solar, nuclear, and hydroelectric. Switching to electrically powered vehicles does not, in and of itself, reduce reliance on oil or reduce the production of carbon dioxide as a by-product. It would seem that Mr. Grumet does not understand this concept.

It would be interesting to know what is the true efficiency of the different fuels and forms of using the energy produced thereof to move humans and goods. For instance, what is the true energy cost of buring oil or coal? How much energy is consumed to locate it, extract it, transport it, process it, and deliver it to a vehicle? I could argue that wood might be the most efficient fuel when considering all of the other energy costs. Ultimately, the market should give us a guide as to the true cost of a fuel. When I was involved in the nuclear energy marketplace, I always wondered when the breakeven point is reached in terms of net positive energy produced from a new nuclear power plant. Consider all of the materials, work and services that goes into producing a power plant and all of the energy consumed along the way. When is the energy payback reached?

So, Mr. Grumet, before we can allow the government to mandate that all of our vehicles use electricity as an energy source we need to see where that energy is coming from. Your boss doesn't think that the use of nuclear energy is in the mix.

No Contest

For your reading pleasure:
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=303952351194789
Update: As of 8/20/08, three days after the event, McCain is leading Obama in the poles by 5% up from even before the event and an Obama 7% lead in July. Reason and logic quite often prevail.

Yes, I do Have a Life

Every other week on Saturday evening there is a concert on the lake in Irvine. Actually, North Lake as there are two lakes in Woodbridge Village. I understand that some of you may think that these are just big ponds but we call them lakes.

http://www.wva.org/

Two weeks ago we had the Orange County Philarmonic Orchestra. This past saturday evening it was The Ho-Dads, a great roak-n-roll group: http://www.hodads.com/ Click on "Videos" to see some of their music.

The tradition is to bring some wine, cheese and other snacks. It's very much like the band concerts on Cape Cod except here we have ducks and geese flying overhead instead of gulls.

Windfall Profits Tax

The presumptive Democratic presidentail nominee has suggested a windfall profits tax on the big oil companies. He further advised that the revenue from this tax would be used to pay for another stymulus payment individual taxpayers.

So, let's analyze how much proft the oil companies make. At the left are three representative big oil companies. Notice that only ExxonMobil has crept over the 10% net profit mark in the last ten years. Next, we can see the net profit for Microsoft during the last ten years. It looks like it has averaged about 30% during that period.

So, whom does the Democratic nominee suggest is making windfall profits?

Prediction: The price of oil will be below $60 within 18 months.

Celebrity Politics

This will be the first of many political rants as we enter the final run for the presidential election. The democratic candidate seems to be fine tuning the art of pandering that democrats are so well known for.

"I was merely trying to express my delight at Obama's commitment to his campaign in every aspect and his interest and his support (in) his surrogates and his staff and his fellows, and how wonderful and refreshing that is."

This quote was uttered by one of many celebrity airheads that seem to favor the liberal agenda, none other than Scarlett Johansson. Yes, indeed, an important aspect of a president is his commitment to his campaign and lackeys. Never before has a candidate been committed to his campaign. Brilliant logic. Never mind that policy stuff Scarlett. I guess you can't quite grasp things like the economy, energy, and security. With spokes people like this and their minions that will follow them, Rome here we come.

Bathroom Upgrade

I finally got around to installing the new shower door and spray nozzel. The old door has a rotted rubber gasket on the frame that was leaking and growing mold. I bought a framless door. Naturally, it wasn't easy. Some of the grout needed to be replaced and the anchors were a problem since the tile is place on a mud wall. So, it took me most of Saturday and Sunday morning.

And, no, there isn't a toilet in the shower. It's a reflection from the glass.

The World is Upside Down

The other day there was a middle-age man in a suit standing at a bus stop at 6:45 AM. This is just not right. After all, standing at bus stops is only permitted for cleaning ladies in the late afternoon as they return home to their barrios.

Then there was this chubby guy riding a bicycle of all things, along a main road between the industrial city of Santa Ana and the residential/professional city of Irvine. He was wearing a brand new velour sweat suit. I guess he doesn’t understand that these roads as just for motor vehicles. Bicycles are for the parks on the weekends.

How about the people walking along sidewalks during rush hour? The injustice of it all! They create a nuisance for us SUV drivers trying to make a right hand turn as they actually have the nerve to use a crosswalk.

I must have seen several of these Vespa-like scooters out and about during rush hour. I try to run them off the road but they scamper about between the rows of vehicles as if they have some superiority over us traditionalists. I’ll get one some day if I just keep trying.

Then I hear there are people actually using old vegatable oil to run their vehicles. Make it stop!

Now we can see the results of all this nonsense. In May U.S. drivers drove 9.6 billion less miles that in the previous May. That’s about $2 billion loss in revenues for the oil companies. Now you see who is driving who off the road. I say abandon the bus stops, bicycles, scooters and walking shoes. Back into your vehicles you beatniks. Think what might happen to my equity investments in big oil. Think about my retirement. My children’s inheritance. Woe the injustice of it all.

Moderate Quake hits SoCal

A moderate earthquake occurred at 11:42 a.m. (PDT) on Tuesday, July 29, 2008. The magnitude 5.4 event occurred 3 km southwest of Chino Hills, CA. The hypocentral depth is 12km.
This is about 20 miles as the crow flies from my home in Irvine. The shaking was quite severe for about 15 seconds followed by a slow rolling motion for about 30 seconds. No significant damages.

Must be Global Warming

Today we had three tornadoes in Southern California. Train cars and big rigs were tossed around. Dogs went missing in back yards. We also had snow about fifty miles west of Palm Springs - not in the mountains but in the desert! Here in Orange county we had rain and a few thunder claps. Five miles east of here where the fire burned last year we had mud slides from a cloudburst. Two weekends ago we had temperatures near 100. So, is snow in Southern California in May caused by global warming? Seems to be counter intuitive. How about exceptionally hot weather in May? Perhaps it's neither. It may be just the normal variation in short-term climate. No, that doesn't compute because it doesn't fit any political agenda.

The Renewal of Life

Spring has arrived at Elmcroft and the goldfish have survived yet another winter. It must be so boring for them to live under the ice for four months without even a book to read. Pictures courtesy of Suzanne's children who had the pleasure of frolicking on the grounds during the warm spell during spring break.

Politics Goes on - Even in Death

As the executor of my mother's estate, the address of the estate is my home address. Somehow, these mailing lists seem to go on forever, even after death. Hillary is needing to raise $3 million in the next three weeks to match her oponent's Pennsylvania campaign. Unfortunately, the estate of Adelaide is not inclined to help because the executor has a fiduciary duty to the beneficiaries. One of those duties is to be a part of preventing a tax increase for the beneficiaries.

Earthquake

"A minor earthquake occurred at 9:28:49 PM (PDT) on Wednesday, March 26, 2008.The magnitude 3.1 event occurred 3 km (2 miles) NE of Newport Beach, CA.The hypocentral depth is 8 km ( 5 miles). "

This earthquake was about 7 miles from my house. It was a quick short jolt that made the house creek but there was no wave motion. This is typical of a close earthquake - no rolling motion but just a sharp jolt.

"A" is my home on the map and "B" is the earthquake location.

Awesome bird's eye view of Elmcroft

This is on the Neighborhood Info tab of the Realtor.com listing for Elmcroft. It is a paid subscription from Microsoft Virtual Earth. You can go to http://maps.live.com/# and find your favorite spot on earth. Notice that in the images the wisteria trellis has been replaced. Also, the dead tree behind the carriage house has been felled. This must have been taken about November 2006. In one view (not shown) you can see the panel truck of the furnace service man parked up by the house. I remember that day but I had no idea someone was taking pictures from on high.

Virtual Tour of Elmcroft

The virtual tour of Elmcroft is now available. This will be updated in the spring.
http://www.circlepix.com/home/FVAVPU
Also on Realtor.com:
http://www.realtor.com/realestate/woodbridge-ct-06525-1096584821/
And, the Coldwell banker listing:
http://www.coldwellbankermoves.com/ID/797692

Google Earth image update for Elmcroft

The Google Earth data for Woodbridge used to be a winter scene, mostly brown color. It seems that the database has been updated with new imagery taken in the summer. I couldn't find any way to determine the exact date of the imagery so maybe some of you know how to do that.

Elmcroft Relisted

As of March 1 the Elmcroft Estate has been listed with Nancy Shattuck of Coldwell Banker. Nancy is a long time resident of Woodbridge and has a distinguished career in the real estate business. Previously, the property had been listed by Weichert Realtors from December 2006 through June 2007 and by William Raveis from August 2007 through January 2008. Look for a new listing on Realtor.com in the coming week.

It was Nancy who wrote a letter to the "Rumbold family" and left it in George's mailbox where I found it on November 15, 2007. In this letter Nancy tells the story of being contacted by the Seymour Police Department on November 13. It seems that the police were trying to locate some next of kin. Somehow they learned that George had a connection with the property on Amity Road. From the For Sale sign on the property, they naturally called William Raveis Real Estate. They were told that Raveis no longer had the listing - remember, they had it from 8/07 through 1/08. They were further told that Nancy Shattuck from Coldwell Banker now had the listing. It was very disturbing to me that someone calling the listing agent would be told they did not have the listing. This was, however, not the only reason why Raveis no longer has the listing.

Nancy took a great picture of the rear of the Carriage House, a picture that can only do the structure justice when taken in the winter. Remember my previous blogs showing the repairs to the rear upper loft gable which now shows beautifully.

After many failed attempts in 2006 at trying to find a contractor from referrals, I resorted to calling people advertising in the local weekly paper. Willis Maki was the one person I called who responded and was at the property within a day. I firmly believe that it was not just coincidence that Willis was the one. He proceeded to have custom clapboards and bead board fabricated to bring the structure back to its original condition. He also had custom windows made to replace the two on the stable. Willis has continued to exhibit his competence with the repairs to the bathroom floor, replacing the cellar Bilco door, correcting the clogged bathtub drain, and he will soon be repairing some loose floor boards in the attic.

We have also been blessed to have the able help of Dick Strong as the primary caretaker for the property and Tony Fonte as a grounds keeper. Our tenant, Suzanne, has volunteered to help with a garden planting day in the early spring to make sure that the gardens are beautiful as mom always did. More volunteers are welcome. Date to be announced.

Billy Joel in Concert

Saturday night Debi and I went to see Billy Joel at the Pond in Anaheim. Well, it's called the Honda Center now but I hate the renaming of these venues to the highest bidder. It was a one-time only event to a sold-out crowd. It was a great concert of old favorites interspersed with a rendition of Highway to Hell by Chainsaw with Billy Joel on guitar. You can see a similar rendition here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLeEjOSYL78. Also you can read a review of the concert here: http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/billy-joel-honda-1986654-center-anaheim. What was surprising was the number of yount people in the crowd. Most of them were probably not born when Billy Joel's string of populare albums were released in the 70's.

Picture Identified

Click picture to enlarge
This is the picture that Karen found at George's house. It is a picture of my mother, Adelaide Congdon, with her grand uncle Kenyon Hampton driving. This was taken circa 1926 when my mom was about 11 years old. She was living in Glendale, California with her grand Aunt Grace and grand Uncle Kenyon. I sent a message to the Los Angeles historical society and they identified the building as the Los Angeles Amory. This is one of the last great city armories still standing. It is located in Exposition Park which includes beautiful rose gardens. The Los Angeles Coliseum is nearby. Today the Amory has been converted to a science museum and includes an Imax theatre. Notice in the picture to the right below the exact spot where the picture was taken next to the lamp post. I can only imagine that they were on a outing to tour Exposition Park. My mom used to say that they took rides into Los Angeles on weekends and that her uncle had many fender benders with that car. The car is a 1924 or 1925 Ford Model T with nickle radiator shell. This car cost $685 in 1924 and based on inflation, the price today would be about $8,300.

1924 Ford Model T and advertisement

Another Old Friend Passes On

I bought my HP Laserjet 4L printer in 1994 for $600. It was a major purchase but it has served me well with thousands of pages printed. I have repaired it several times over the years and parts are readily available on the internet. Recently it starting giving me trouble and after about 4 hours of work on it, I was unsuccessful in getting it back to life. I have been wanting to get a new printer anyway since the 4L only does 4 ppm. So, for $160 I bought a new Dell 1720 Laser printer that prints 27 ppm. This is about the only printer available that has a parallel port that I can connect to my printer server.

Old ........................................................................................... New

O-KAY! I give up!

Today I retired my 20-year old Ikea desk chair. I had the seat and back reupholstered about ten years ago but the arms had several layers of black tape. I took them to an upholstery shop today and was told it was hopeless. When I moved last January I had forgotten to give my Ikea chair to the movers. So, I put it in my truck and carefully transported it across country. This chair originally came from the Ikea at Plymouth Meeting, PA. This is going to be a difficult transition for me so please pray for me.

Out with the old ....................................... In with the new

Rose Parade 2008

A good time was had by all thanks to Ray Bowman's hospitality with his motor home parked on Colorado Boulevard. Ray, his son Brad and I arrived about 1 p.m. Monday afternoon to set up the RV at about the 4 mile point of the parade. We got the RV settled and then welcomed our two neighbor RV's on either side. We staked out a sidewalk location with chairs and the self-contained fire pit. Soon Ray’s friends began to arrive. In total I think there were about 17 of us. We spent the night staying warm by the fire, cooking hot dogs and marshmallows, and drinking heavily. The children occupied themselves with the tossing of marshmallows and crazy string attacks. Ray insisted on launching fistfuls of marshmallows with his giant slingshot to the partiers on the opposite side of the street for which he had to attend a meeting with the police.

The police were in full force all evening up and down the street in squad cars, paddy wagons and on foot. Strangely, just before midnight they all disappeared only to show up again at about 12:30 a.m. For sleeping arrangements, there were eight of us in the RV, three on the street in sleeping bags, and some of the women and children in a local hotel.

I was up at 6 a.m. to sit by the fire and watch the sun rise over Pasadena. The parade starts at 8 a.m. but we didn’t see the start until about 9:30 a.m. It was great seeing the floats up close and all the bands and equestrian teams - a real treat not to be missed in one’s lifetime.

Ray is the consummate host with everything prepared, including fresh roses for the ladies, lots of marshmallows, dozens of cans of crazy string, party favors and a great breakfast. Thanks man! We love ya!

Christmas 2007

Many thanks to Andy, Dorinda and Maya for hosting the Christmas get together for the Rumbold clan in Perkasie. It was a great week of gatherings. On Wednesday and Thursday Andy, Jonathan and I drove up to Woodbridge. I installed the low temperature alarm in Elmcroft and on Thursday Karen came down to take us to the cemetery to see the plot for her parents and to George's house to see the work that has been done to get it ready to market.
See Andy's blog for lots more photos of the Christmas gathering.

Thanksgiving Remembered

A very sad Thanksgiving today, knowing that George was not with us. He was supposed to be in White Bear Lake, MN having dinner with Laurie, Dennis, Alexis, & Timothy. Debi and I had dinner at my house with a prepared meal from Albertsons. Here is the Thanksgiving dinner from last year at Elmcroft. L-R: Emily Odell, George Rumbold, Dorinda Rumbold, Andy Rumbold, John Rumbold, Rachel Odell, Doug Odell, Karen Odell, Jacob Odell.

We miss you George.

Probe underway in reservoir accident

Woodbridge man who died in Seymour remembered as helpful community member
By Susan Hunter, Editor
Valley Gazette

SEYMOUR - Family and friends speak fondly of Woodbridge resident GeorgeRumbold, 66, who died Nov. 13 after his car skidded off the road and slid into the Peat Swamp Reservoir. Police are trying to piece together the events that led to the untimely death.

The state Medical Examiner has ruled accidental asphyxia due to drowning as the cause of Rumbold's death. He died at Yale-New Haven Hospital, according to Seymour police, hours after being pulled from his pick-up truck, which was submerged in the reservoir.

Police and fire department personnel and emergency medial technicians responded to the accident on Haddad Road at about 10:50 a.m. A passerby had called police after finding the fence down at the reservoir, which is operated by Birmingham Utilities, and discovering the truck overturned in the water. The passerby tried unsuccessfully to get Rumbold out of the pick-up truck and called 911. [This man, Marlow Tinari returning from New Haven, was first on the scene and called 911. He took it upon himself to jump into the water and up onto the overturned truck with hammer in hand. His attempts to break the glass were unsuccessful due to the resistance of the water. He could not see through the water due to the oil and gasoline floating in the water. George carried cans of gasoline for his chain saws. Bob Anastasio, George's good friend from the transfer station arrived shortly after but did not recognize his friend's overturned truck. He left the scene as emergency personnel arrived. - John Rumbold]

Police and emergency crews tried to pry the passenger side door open with crowbars, also without success. Then an American Automobile Association tow-truck driver, who learned of the accident while he was parked at a Seymour business, used the winch from his truck to hook onto the side of the pick-up and move it closer to shore. This enabled fire department responders to use the jaws of life to pry the driver's side door open, according to reports.

Ken Woodward, the tow truck driver, said the Seymour business owner heard about the accident over a police scanner and alerted Woodward. He said he had worked in the Amity area and knew the location of the reservoir. "I had a vehicle that could possibly help them," Woodward said, so he drove out to the accident site.

Using his winch cable and j-hooks, he pulled the pick-up truck out of the water so volunteer workers could free the driver's side door. When the pick-up truck crashed into the water, it turned upside down, crushing the roof and jamming the doors, Woodward said. "I was bummed out that he didn't make it," Woodward said. "I have to commend the Seymour volunteer firefighters. They jumped in and did what they had to do and put themselves at risk."

Rumbold was extricated from the truck and given advanced life support by Seymour Ambulance Association personnel. He regained a pulse after arriving at the hospital, police said, and was listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit. He died late that afternoon.

According to a preliminary investigation, police said Rumbold's vehicle, a 1990 Ford F-250 pick-up truck, was traveling in a southeasterly direction on Haddad Road. For an unknown reason, the pick-up truck failed to negotiate acurve, said Seymour Police Lt. Paul Satkowski, and left the travel portion of the roadway.

It slid down an embankment, overturned and landed in about four to six feetof water, trapping Rumbold inside.

The road surface was wet at the time from recent rains and covered with leaves and pine needles. "Speed is not considered to be a factor at thistime," Satkowski said.

A familiar face in town
Rumbold's son-in-law, Dennis Blandino, said his father-in-law would have gone out of his way to help, as Woodward did, had he found someone in trouble. "He would have done something," Blandino said. "He wouldn't turn his back on anybody."

Blandino and his wife, Laurie Rumbold Blandino, Rumbold's daughter, live inWhite Bear Lake, MN.

In their grief, they are trying to make sense of the tragedy that took the life of the grandfather of their young children.

Rumbold loved his country, Blandino said, and wouldn't think twice before writing letters to government leaders about the loss of American manufacturing jobs and other issues.

His strong views were always tempered by tact and a good-natured acceptance of other people's viewpoints. "I don't know anybody more patriotic than George was," Blandino said.

Friends, family and acquaintances are struggling to understand how a man so familiar with Haddad Road, who typically drove slowly and was safety conscious, could have met with such a fate.

"He was a religious zealot about wearing a seat belt," said Joe Hellauer, administrative officer for Woodbridge. "I feel badly for him. It's a toughway to go."

Rumbold was well-known in Woodbridge for delivering wood, pruning trees and trimming hedges.

Because of the nature of his work, he often made several daily trips to the Woodbridge landfill and was probably on one of those trips when his car left the roadway last Tuesday, Hellauer said.

Rumbold had worked in a managerial capacity for U.S. Electrical Motors, formerly in Milford, Hellauer said, and for the past several years, he was self-employed as a handyman.

He did yard work for the Hellauers a few times a year, and was on their property just two weeks ago Sunday trimming apple trees.

A Seymour police department reconstructionist is investigating the accident, Satkowski said. There are no known witnesses to the crash. Anyone who was traveling in the area of Haddad Road before the accident or who may have seen something is asked to call the Seymour Police Dept. at 881-7600 and ask to speak with Sgt. David Parratt, the lead investigator.

A memorial service for Rumbold took place at Trinity Evangelical Church in Woodbridge on Monday. An obituary appears in today's issue of the ValleyGazette.

Accident Investigation

The cause of the accident in which my brother George died is still under investigation. The toxicology results of the autopsy will be another five weeks for determining if he suffered any kind of medical affliction although he had no history of any medical condition. The police are still conducting their study of the vehicle for possible mechanical failure. The speedometer was stuck at 25 mph so speed is being ruled out as a factor. When I visited the scene last Sunday, I noticed that the right hand tire skid mark in the pine needles was off the traveled part of the lane and it was very straight. This means that he was not trying to turn away from the reservoir to follow the curve of the road. It also means that he was not centered on his lane. However, as a careful driver he may have been giving a wide berth to oncoming traffic on this winding road. We found a small piece of metal which I am thinking could have been part of a motor mount. It was found over a hundred feet from the incursion down into the bank of the reservoir which is indicated in the photo below. My speculation at this time is some kind of mechanical failure or some medical problem causing him to loose control. In the photos you will notice that the wire fence had already been repaired. The family may look into possible legal action for the failure of the city and/or water company to install a guard rail on the road. We have been told that many vehicles have gone into the reservoir but this is the first fatality.
Click images to enlarge




Note that the fence has been repaired

My Big Brother

From the memorial service today:

My brother George was born three years and three days before me.
We were never very close growing up.
I knew why and he knew why but we never talked about it.
Our parents favored me over George and he resented it.
George was not a big brother to me growing up. I never looked up to him in those days.
He didn’t protect me or guide me as a big brother often does.
He looked to me as the smart one and himself as the not so intelligent one.
He completed junior college and I ended up with a masters.
George was the extrovert. I was the introvert.
He had many friends – I have few.
I can’t remember any friends from more than fifteen years ago.
George has five friends that he has know since he was fifteen.
And dozens more over the years of his journey.
I moved around a lot. He stayed put.
He was the lucky one. He had all the fun.
After all, George, it wasn’t me that shot out Miss Russell’s barn windows with the BB gun.
I never had a BB gun!
I was stringing a wire from the attic window across the lawn to the tall pine trees for improved reception on my crystal radio.
And, it wasn’t me that had to confront the Woodbridge Police at 1 AM in the barn loft to shut down the party.
I was probably sleeping and dreaming of trigonometry formulas.

In reality, I just had the knack to sit and read a textbook
He was good at sitting and talking with friends – and sometimes dancing wildly.

I always thought of George as an eccentric. A dear eccentric.
But he was much more than that;
George was ordinary and simple, complex and extraordinary.
A friend. Caring. Offering to help. Full of good humor. Always a patriot. Never taking advantage of anybody. Complaining and then looking the other way when somebody took advantage of him.

In maturity we became closer.
We had families to share – cousins to bring together.
During the last two years we became very close out of necessity to care for our mother.
After her passing last year we spent six months together in Woodbridge preparing mom’s property to market.

Sometimes, I helped him with his activities – riding in his truck over Haddad Road along Peat Swamp Reservoir to the transfer station a dozen times. He taught me how to fall a tree.
Since I returned to California, we talked once or twice a week. I missed our rides together.

We talked about mom’s property that George was caring for; or estate matters that I was handling. But, he would talk on about his client’s activities; trimming Mrs. So-and-so’s bushes, falling Mr. so-and-so’s tree, the so-and-so’s cellar clean-out, or the little annoyance he had at the town hall.
I had no idea who these people were. I got to know them through George. They were his clients. They are his friends.
We would talk on until he ran out of things to say. I never ended the conversation. I was absorbed.

I have my clients. He had his.
My clients and friends needed help with their financial lives. Businesses and individuals call me about their taxes or financial futures with question like defined benefit plans versus defined contribution plans. Or, what is the alpha of one mutual fund compared to another.
George’s clients and friends need help with their daily lives. A bush, a tree, a cluttered garage, some firewood. Maybe just a long talk about something on their mind.
I suddenly realized that there was no difference in what we were doing. We were both meeting the needs of people.
Except that his clients could understand what he was saying. My clients have no idea what alpha is or what cliff vesting is.
I may have book smarts but George had compassionate intelligence far above my learning.
I envied him.
I looked forward to our calls.
Many times I would call him but it was nice to see his name displayed on my ringing phone. What new adventure was he in today? Did I have enough time to share it all? I always made the time.

Finally, I had my big brother. Somebody to look up to.
Now, George is protecting and guiding me from on high.
I know that he is preparing the way for me.
Look after mom like you always did.
God be with you, till we meet again.
I Love you.

Accident Scene

Sunday the family visited the accident scene to place a cross and flowers. George's two daughters, Laurie adn Karen, their husbands and five grandchildren attended. Also in attendance was George's cousins Charlotte and Thom Kearns, his finance Barbara Stewart and his nephew Andrew Rumbold. We also met Ken Woodward, the tow truck driver at the scene. George's good friend Bob Anastasio from the transfer station also came by. Click pictures to enlarge.


Granddaughter Rachel

George Storrow Rumbold, 1941-2007

George S. Rumbold, 66, of Woodbridge, CT departed this life on Nov. 13, 2007. Born July 13, 1941 in New Haven, CT. He was a lifelong resident of Woodbridge. Lifelong friends and recent aquaintences respected and admired George for his selfless caring and humor; his steadfast patriotism and friendship. He was the beloved father of Laurie Blandino and her husband Dennis of White Bear Lake, MN and Karen Odell and her husband Douglas of Pawling, NY, five cherished grandchildren; Alexis, Timothy, Rachel, Emily and Jacob. He is also survived by his brother John Gordon Rumbold of Irvine, CA. He was predeceased by his Father John S. Rumbold and by his mother Adelaide Congdon Rumbold. He was also predeceased by his former wife Elaine Rumbold. He leaves behind his beloved fiance Barbara Stewart of Mendham, NJ. A Memorial Service will be held Monday Nov. 19 at 2:00pm at Trinity Evangelical Free Church, 33 Center Rd, Woodbridge. Contributions in George's memory may be made to Autism Research Institute, 4182 Adams Ave., San Diego, CA, 92116.

Woodbridge man pulled from reservoir dies

New Haven Register, Thursday, November 15, 2007
By Lauren Garrison, Register Staff

Seymour – The Woodbridge man whose pickup truck plunged into the Peat Swamp Reservoir off Haddad Road Tuesday morning died later that afternoon at Yale-New Haven Hospital, police confirmed Wednesday.

He was identified as George Rumbold, 66, of 118 Ansonia Road, Woodbridge.
An autopsy conducted Wednesday morning determine that his death was caused by asphyxia due to drowning, according to a spokesman from the state Medical Examiners’s Office.

According to Seymour police, a preliminary investigation revealed that Rumbold’s 1990 Ford F-250 pickup truck was traveling on Haddad Road when it “failed to negotiate a curve, left the travel portion of the roadway, slid down an embankment, overturned and landed in approximately for to six feet of water trapping Mr. Rumbold inside.”

Police noted the road, which has many curves, was “wet at the time from recent rains and covered with leaves and pine needles.”

Police do not believe speed was a factor in the accident.

There are currently no know witnesses to the accident.

Anyone traveling in the area who may have seen the pickup before the accident is asked to call Sgt. David Parratt, the lead investigator, at 881-7600.Rumbold’s family could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Driver pulled from pickup submerged in reservoir

New Haven Register, Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Woodbridge man spent 22 minutes underwater
By Elizabeth Benton, Register Staff

Seymour – A 66-year-old Woodbridge man was submerged about 22 minutes Tuesday morning in a reservoir off Haddad Road after his pickup truck plunged into the chilly water.

The man was without a pulse and was not breathing as emergency crews pulled him from the truck, Seymour Ambulance Associate Chief Scott Andrews said.

Crews performed CPR and advanced life support as they took him to Yale-New Haven Hospital. The man’s pulse returned on the way, and he was listed in critical condition in the hospital’s intensive-care unit later Tuesday, according to police.

There were unconfirmed reports late Tuesday night that the man had died.

Police did not release the man’s name, but are expected to do so today, pending notification of his family.

Andrews said emergency crews were called to the scene at 10:49 a.m. by a passer-by. At that time the truck was upside down in 3 to 4 feet of water.

I was unclear how long the driver may have gone without air. Andrews said there may have been air pockets inside the cab of the truck.

The cold water may have increased the man’s chances for survival. “With a cold-water drowning, that slows all the body’s processes down. The colder the water, the better the chance of survival as they warm him,” Andrews said.

Emergency crews used a hydraulic tool to open the truck while still in the water. Once the unconscious driver was extricated, teams used a basket to pull him onto the embankment.
A tow truck operator driving past the scene also stopped and offered his wrecker to help stabilize the submerged truck as they pulled the man from the water, Andrews said.
“As chaotic as the scene seemed, everybody worked really well together to gain access to the patient to get him out of the water,” Andrews said.

Police are still investigating how the truck landed in the water.A small amount of gas from the truck spilled into the reservoir, and state Department of Environmental Protection officers were called to the scene. Birmingham Utilities President John Tomac said the reservoir has not been in use since 1984, and the incident will not affect water quality.

Note from John Rumbold:
It was reported that when my brother arrived at the emergency room he had no brain activity and his body temperature was 70 degrees F. The emergency room team worked on him for over four hours but he ultimately suffered another cardiac arrest and could not be recovered.

Good Samaritan helps pull truck from reservoir

Helicopter photo


by News Channel 8's Annie Rourke


Posted Nov. 13, 2007Updated 9:30 PM
Seymour (WTNH) A tow truck operator jumped into action to help a person that had careened off the road into the Peat Swamp reservoir in Seymour.
Ken Woodward heard about the accident from a Seymour store owner who was listening to a scanner.
"I know it's out in the middle of nowhere, maybe they couldn't get there in time, maybe I can help whoever's there, you know, it was just something that came over me, I had to do it," Ken said.
Woodward jumped in his AAA tow truck and drove to the scene, arriving just as the fire department was pulling up. Chopper 8 captured the rescue from overhead. The pick-up truck had swerved off Haddad Road and slid down a ten-foot embankment, flipping upside down into the reservoir.
"For some unknown reason, he was unable to negotiate the corner, the curve, and went off the road, into the reservoir," said Lt. Paul Satkowski of the Seymour PD.
Paramedics jumped in the water, desperately trying to free the driver trapped inside, but one door was wedged into the embankment and the other was stuck in the muck and wouldn't budge. With precious seconds slipping by, Ken Woodward turned his tow truck around, hooked up the cables and dragged the victim's truck out enough to free the driver.
Woodward says he doesn't know what made him go to the reservoir, but his intuition told him he might be able to help. Tonight, Seymour police are calling him a hero, saying his help gave that driver a fighting chance.
"Our hats go off to him, without his help and assistance, the outcome could've been a lot worse," said Lt. Satkowski.
The victim is in critical condition. His name has been withheld pending notification of his family.

Here is the link to some video: http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?s=7352755
It may not be up for very long.

Revised Family Tree

Click to enlarge

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Click image to enlarge.

This is where the Santiago Fire is located in respect to my home. Keeping the windows closed helps to keep the smoke smell and ash out of the house. On the right side of the picture you can see Santiago and Modjeska canyons which have been in the news. Modjeska canyon is named after Arden the Helena Modjeska (mo-jeska). Helena was a famous Shakespearean actress from 1888 to 1906. The home is now a park: www.ocparks.com/modjeskahouse

Fire at Dusk

Today the Santa Ana winds came on with a fury for the first time this season. These are east to west winds that blow down the Santa Ana River valley in Orange County. The winds gust up to 50 MPH (100 MPH in the mountains) and are accompained by relative humidity in the single digits. The Malibu Canyon fire started at about 5:30 this morning, reportedly started by a high tension power line being blown down by the winds. Late this afternoon a fire started near Orange and is reported to be headed towards Irvine. Fortunately, I live in a very urban part of Irvine with little in the way of open space forest. Here are some pictures taken from my street.

Liberal Media Bias

Another fine example of liberal media bias.

MSNBC headlines:
White House urges Social Security cuts
Bush administration urges Social Security cuts
Report: Fix requires combination of benefit changes and tax increases

FOX News headlines:
Bush Administration: Tough Decisions Await Social Security
Bush Administration Says Social Security Fix Lies in Cutting Benefits or Raising Taxes
The Bush administration said Monday the only way to permanently fix Social Security is through some combination of benefit cuts and tax increases.

CNN was silent on this news. I guess they don't feel that the looming Social Security trust fund bankruptcy is important. The reports on MSNBC and FOX are the result of a new study by the Treasury Department which says among other things:
"Social Security can be made permanently solvent only by reducing the present value of scheduled benefits and/or increasing the present value of scheduled tax increases," the paper said. The Treasury paper said that while other changes to the giant benefit program might be desirable "only these changes can restore solvency permanently."

I find it interesting how MSNBC made it appear that the President is recommending cuts in Social Security benefits. Interesting how the liberal media bends the truth.

Lots of Excitement in Woodbridge

Woodbridge Villiage, Irvine, CA that is. Just to show you how exciting my life is (by the way Melissa, what's a vacation?), here is my latest news.

Hot water heater started leaking. It was original in the house - 21 years old. Got it replaced under home purchase warranty. The deductible and upgrades cost me $400. Yes, I know - I could have had [insert name of illegal alien here] do it for about the same price including the cost of the hot water heater.

And the straps are for earthquake protection. Not that anybody cares if my hot water heater falls over. Just to make sure I have 40 gallons of water available for drinking during the weeks it will take me to hack my way out of the rubble. Oh, and I guess that broker gas line could be a little problem. Fortunately, I don't smoke.

Elmcroft back on the market

After a change in listing realtor, the property is now back on the market.
http://www.raveis.com/epropdetail.asp?STATE=CT&ID=39879CB9-08D3-4D3C-AB57-B7A85DF474B4&PG=2&LASTPG=2&TOTAL=8&FROM=propfind&KEY=2020071&FSTKEY=2020071&LASTKEY=1957663

Painting

The posting by Melissa and Rob of Luke painting his room reminded me of the time that Jonathan painted his room - without help from an adult.
Jonathan was about 2 or 3 years old. I had been painting his room in the evenings. I always used oil-based paint for the trim because I am a purist. Or, maybe just a nut.
So, I was in the habit of leaving the paint can, paint thinner, paint bucket (for mixing the paint), the brushes, etc. out in the hallway for the next evening's work. One afternoon Jonathan took it upon himself to finish up. He had been watching me and apparently taking coupious notes. He opened the paint can with the little opener thing. Then he poured some paint into the paint bucket. He didn't quite understand the thinner concept but he realized it was a clear liquid so he got some water form the sink and poured it into the bucket with the oil-based paint. Then he mixed it with the mixing stick. Then, with brush in hand he proceeded to paint the wall in his room. Kind of like what Luke did except it didn't spell any recognizable words.
Now, don't try this at home. Oil paint mixed with water makes a mess on the wall and is almost impossible to remove.

Avoiding Phone Hell

I found this great web site for instructions on bypassing those Interactive Voice Response systems. Check it out.
http://gethuman.com/

Riddle

What former US President pardoned a fugitive who had been living in Switzerland for 17 years to avoid prosecutiion for not paying $48 million in taxes, tax fraud and illegal oil deals with Iran? Another hint: The fugitive's ex-wife had given over $700,000 to Democratic causes including $40,000 to a New York Senator's campaign and $450,000 to this former US President's library fund.

Earned Income Credit

Ok, Andy asked the question and I can't help but to respond. Especially if it is a matter of taxes or financial planning.
The Earned Income Credit (EIC) has been a part of the tax code as long as I have been preparing taxes - about ten years. Most of you have never heard of it because you earn over the income limit to qualify.
Think of a bell curve. If you earn very little you don't get any EIC. If you earn too much you don't get it either. In the middle you could get about $4,000 even if you don't owe any taxes. This is a refundable credit which means you get it even if you don't have any withholding or don't owe any tax. You just have to have earned income. It's like a hand out. No, it is a hand out. A non-refundable credit can only be taken against taxes owed.
You may be asking why Congress enacted the EIC. Why did the senators and representatives that YOU elected want to give some of the taxes you pay to low income people? Well, it was seen as an incentive for people to go to work. No earned income, no EIC. Then, I suppose, once they started to earn more and become mainstream workers the EIC is reduced. Can it be abused? Sure, just like any other tax regulation that has its primary purpose to effect social behavior.
Let's suppose I have a client who is a single mother with two children. She receives Social Security survivor benefits for herself and her two children because her husband had passed away. She has the ability to work but she chooses not to. I advised her that if she went to work and only earned about $14,000 that she would get another subsidy from the government in the form of $4,000 of EIC. Suppose she does that. Then she moves in with boyfriend who earns $40,000. My single mother client can still get the $4,000 EIC because it doesn't matter who in the household earns lots more money. Then my client tells me that she and boyfriend are planning to get married. Uh oh! With a combined income of $54,000 they would not qualify for the EIC. Zaap goes the $4,000 just by saying "I do." I advise my client not to get married.
Why would I give my client such advice? You would probably think that it would go against my political philosophy. Well, I have to act in the best interests of my client. That comes first in my professional life.
Suppose a single mom with two kids living with boyfriend doesn't have the ability to work. Well, she gets advice to come up with a bogus home business. It just so happens that she comes to me for the tax return and whatta you know, she has earned $14,000 from her home business. Strangely enough she doesn't have any expenses for this business. I emplore her to come up with some expenses to reduce the income to pay less tax. She keeps insisting that she has no expenses. She knows the rules of the game. She qualifies for the $4,000 EIC. This is a big red flag for us tax preparers. Most of the time people cheat by claiming less income than they earn or more expenses than they incurred. But, claiming income you didn't earn to qualify for the EIC is also tax fraud. What do I do? First you should know that low income people are not my target market. It is too much work for too little pay. H&R Blank can do a fine job for these people. I will politely tell her that I can't help her and direct her to the closest H&R Block office.

The Duck Won

Thanks to all of those who called or wrote to their Congressperson, the illegal alien amnesty bill died in the Senate last week. This bill was wrong from the start and it was mostly predicted that it would fail. Nevertheless, the conservative talk radio circuit was credited with a large influence in getting this wrong-headed legislation squashed. By the way, there is no real liberal talk radio circuit. Why? Because nobody listens to that garbage. It's all about making money folks. If it don't sell it ain't gonna be offered.

It is understandable why the liberals want amnesty for illegals. They see large cadres of future voters. But, it boggles my mind when some conservatives including the sitting President are in favor of this amnesty. I understand that they want cheap labor for their business owner constituency. But, are they really thinking ahead to all those future liberal voters?

The answer to illegal immigration is simple. First, enforce the 1986 law by fining and jailing employers who hire illegals. And, don't tell me that employers can't determine who is illegal. All they have to do is sign up with the Social Security Administration and then go online to verify the last name of employees against SSN's. This enforcement will cause hundreds of thousands of illegals to self-deport. Once the word gets back to the homeland the flood of new illegals will dry up. Next, carry out the law passed last October and build the double fence from California into Texas. Lastly, amend the constitute to stop the automatic citizenship for anchor babies dropped into this country by illegals.

One more thing. I have heard several liberals say that the illegals pay taxes. This is simply not true. Firstly, a lot of illegals work in the underground market, get paid in cash and never have taxes withheld. Then most of those that have either stolen a Social Security Number from a dead person or obtained a TIN and have taxes withheld are getting the withholding refunded and if their income is between $10,000 and $19,000 and they have two children, they get a $4,000 Earned Income Credit from the Federal coffers. So, not only are these individuals not paying taxes, they get a check for $4,000 from the taxes that you pay.

My last question. When are you going to get angry enough about all this to vote these liberals out of office?

El Mirage Dry lake Bed

My friend Ray invited me to join him and his son at El Mirage dry lake bed and OHV area. This is in the high desert north and east of Los Angeles. The elevation is about 4,000 feet but it is the desert so the daytime temperatures were about 95. Saturday evening was cool for excellent sleeping in Ray's motor home. I did a few excursions on one of Ray's dirt bikes. Also in the group was Greg Smith and Ray Reibling from NDT Systems where I worked back in the early 90's. I helped get my friend Ray (Bowman) a job there. So, Greg and I did an excursion on a couple of ATVs. No pics of the ATVs but we did some steep hill climbing that was lots of fun. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Dry lake in background