Joe the Plumber and the American Dream

Joe the Plumber has a dream, and (The Liberal Democratic Machine) Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and the media are trying to take away his American Dream. Instead of facing the question that Joe, Sam, or whatever his name is, they are trying to dig up dirt on Joe. It’s not important what his real name is, if he has licenses, or how much his back taxes are. And why did Obama and Biden question how much money he makes as a plumber?

What they are doing is avoiding the answer to Joe’s question. That’s because Obama’s answer paints him as a modern-day Robin Hood. He wants to rob from the rich and give to the poor. Obama said, “I want to make sure that everybody who is behind ya, that they have a chance for success too. I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everyone.”

That, my friends, is socialism. What he wants is income redistribution. What he forgets is that everyone does have the same chance for success. We are all entitled to an education. In America we can choose the career path that we want. The American Dream is belief that allows all of us the chance to achieve our goals in life through hard work. And now Obama wants to penalize the people who make the right choices and make the most of them. He wants to take away that dream. When you do that, you take away the incentives people have to produce?

The danger with this is that Joe and all the other people out there with dreams will get upset that government is taking too much of their money and they have to work too hard to make even more money. They will throw their hands up in the air and say enough is enough. They will come over to the other side and take money from the government. For those who say that won’t happen. Think again. It happened this week when Hawaii decided to drop the only state universal child health care program in the country. Families were dropping private coverage so their children would be eligible for the subsidized plan.
"People who were already able to afford health care began to stop paying for it so they could get it for free," said Dr. Kenny Fink, the administrator for Med-QUEST at the Department of Human Services. "I don't believe that was the intent of the program."

Obviously, there will always be people who will slip between the cracks but, there is already a system to take care of these people. There are government programs and private charities in place to help these people. What Obama wants is welfare for the middle class by taking away from the people who already pay the most taxes. Did you know that 86% of all federal income taxes are paid by the top 25% of income earners? Infact, the top 50% pay 97% of all taxes. The top 1% pays 39% of the taxes. And Obama wants to take more from them. Of the people he wants to give this money to, 40% do not pay taxes. There is a better way. The tax cuts by George Bush actually increased revenue. The increase in taxes to the top 5% that Obama wants could hurt the people that Obama wants to help forcing the small business man to cut costs and jobs.

This country was built on the dreams of people like Joe the Plumber. Its people like Joe who purchase the small businesses that give you your job. If we elect Barack Obama to raise taxes on these people, who will be there to hire you? Have you ever gotten a job from a poor person?

Rebutting the ‘Catholic but…’

The following is Bishop Olmsted’s column from The Catholic Sun for Lent 2004 (March 18, 2004 Issue). It is a great article that is as timeless today as it was back when it was written. It is our daily ‘how to’ guide for living our lives as Catholics. It should be a way of life, not just during Lent but for every day.

Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix

© Copyright 2004-2008 The Catholic Sun. Reprinted with permission. Visitwww.catholicsun.org.

“I am a Catholic businessman but I don’t let the Church influence what I do at the office or in the boardroom;” but Jesus says (Mt 7:21), “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

“I am a Catholic politician but I don’t let my Catholicism impact on how I vote or what legislation I promote;” but Jesus says (Mt 7:26-27), “Everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

“I am a Catholic physician but I don’t let my faith mold my decisions regarding abortion, contraception, or other medical practices;” but Jesus says Mt 5:37), “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”

“I am a Catholic talk show host but I don’t let the Church inhibit my right to say whatever I want on the air;” but in the Letter of James, God says (2:17) “Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

“I am a Catholic priest but I don’t let Magisterial teaching keep me from dissenting from moral or doctrinal points nor let it limit my own ‘pastoral solutions’;” but at ordination each priest professes a solemn oath, “I believe everything contained in God’s Word, written or handed down in tradition and proposed by the Church… I also firmly accept and hold each and every thing that is proposed by the Church definitively regarding teaching on faith and morals.”

Lent is the time to kick the “Catholic but...” out of our own daily lives. It is the time to expunge rationalization from our minds and to root out compromise from our hearts. Lent is the time to say a determined “No” to the temptation to water down our faith for personal gain. It is the time to say a much larger “Yes” to Jesus and His Gospel of Life. Lent is the time for Totus Tuus, the time to renew our commitment to love God with all our mind and heart and strength.

The “Catholic but…” syndrome stands in direct contradiction to Jesus’ clear and unequivocal demand (Mk 8:34-36), “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?”

The “Catholic but…” syndrome is not without precedent in history. The fact that Jesus Himself directly and frequently opposed such rationalization shows its prevalence 2000 years ago. How often we are tempted to separate what we do in Church from what we do at home, to isolate what we believe from how we vote or what we do at work or at leisure. How easily we can compartmentalize our lives, thus keeping our adherence to Christ from shaping all that we say and do. This is why the formation of conscience holds such a pivotal role in our effort to grow to full maturity in Christ.

Each Lent, the Church urges us to rekindle our love for Jesus and to take a closer look at how completely we are taking up the Cross that fidelity to Him entails. This means we need to examine our consciences, and to insure that they are formed on the solid foundation of the Gospel.

During these 40 days before the Easter Triduum, the Father shines new light upon our souls so we can discover (or rediscover) the essential connection between truth and freedom, and between faith and culture. When freedom is detached from truth, objectivity goes out the window, relativism reigns, and ethical chaos gives rise to the “Catholic but…” It becomes impossible to establish right from wrong, good from evil. The pursuit of holiness is thrown off course.

To take the time, then, during Lent to form our consciences more fully in accordance with objective truth (known from God’s Revelation and the natural law) not only brings wholeness and integrity to our personal lives; it also makes it possible for us to bring healing and reconciliation to society. Let us take advantage, then, of this Lenten season 2004 to engage seriously in the pursuit of truth and freedom. Here are some concrete suggestions for doing so:


Ask the Holy Spirit for His gifts of courage and understanding, humility and right judgment.
Consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church to find clear teaching about the moral conscience and its correct formation (See paragraphs #1776-1802).
Consider your own family situation, your work and your civic duties, and then ask: “Do I live my whole life as a vocation and a mission from the Lord?”
Carve out a few days for a spiritual retreat or at least set aside half a day to go apart from everyday life and examine, with God’s help, how you are integrating the gift of faith in all dimensions of your life. On the first day of Lent each year, the Lord says to us through St. Paul (2 Cor 6:2), “Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Now is the time to rebut the “Catholic but…” It is the time to say “Yes” when we mean “Yes,” and to say “No” when we mean “No.” Lent is the time to profess our Catholic faith with gratitude and to put every part of it into practice.

Rediscovering Wichita, Step by Step: Swanson Park

Due to my recent blood clot/deep vein thrombosis, I have, out of necessity, taken up a new hobby. Walking! It is amazing what you notice when walking that you don’t see when driving your car at 40 mph. It has given me the unique opportunity to rediscover my Wichita Neighborhood. I have also been walking at Sedgwick County Park where I did a geocache with a friend.

And I have found one of Wichita’s best kept secrets, Swanson Park, one of the Wichita Wild Habitat areas. This park is located in the northwest part of town and covers 93 acres. There is a paved 32 car parking lot 1/2 mile north of Central on the west side of Maize Road where a 1.3 mile paved trail begins. The Cowskin Creek flows through this park in a series of slow meanders. Native and restored prairie, old hay meadows and woodlands make up the area. Wildlife in the park includes wood ducks, meadow voles, and white-tailed deer. The deer are most likely to be found in the wooded areas where they find cover and food that the trees and shrubs provide.

Bring your own water as there are no drinking fountains in the park. Don’t forget the insect repellent as the habitat is great for breeding mosquitoes. Also there are no public restrooms or picnic tables. There are however plenty of benches to stop and take a rest and there is lots of shade as much of the trail goes through wooded areas.

The area was part of an 8 million acre Osage Indian Reservation. The US Government purchased the land for $1.25 per acre and opened it to white settlement.

“Swanson Park sits on land homesteaded in 1874 by Nels Swanson, a Swedish immigrant. Although his 160 acre tract had less farmable land than surrounding tracts, it was rich in wildlife with a dependable source of water---the Cowskin Creek. After receiving the title to the land, he tried his hand as a miner in Colorado for a few years. He returned in 1888 with his wife Elisabeth, and their two-year old son, Simon. With the help of a neighbor, they built a three-room house, a barn and outbuilding.

Simon, the oldest of Nels and Elizabeth’s three children eventually took over the farm. He married Ottilia Dueker in 1920 and they raised three children of their own: Kjersti, Gloria, and Harold.

Simon was a conservationist before the idea was popular. He rotated his crops, plowed straw into gullies to prevent erosion and left unbroken prairie grass borders around his fields to provide wildlife habitat. He maintained areas along the creek and in other parts of the farm in their natural state. The native prairie grass grew so tall in good years it reached above his head.

The farm remained in the Swanson family for 100 years. Part of it became Swanson Park in 1975 and the remainder was sold for the housing development southeast of the park. The quality of the wildlife habitat you see here today can be credited to the loving stewardship bestowed on this land by the Swansons”
---from one the many information display signs in the park.

My Wake Up Call

About 2 month ago, I got my “wake up call”. As I usually do every year I took a week of vacation to watch March Madness. See "March Madness and the KU Jayhawks". At the start of my vacation I was noticing some tightness and tenderness in my calf muscle below the knee. As the week went on and I was up and around running errands, the soreness went away. Then came Thursday of March Madness week and I sat around for four days watching college basketball. When I went back to work on Monday, I once again noticed the tightness and soreness. I thought it could be anything. Maybe it was a pulled or strained muscle. In the past, I had a history of inflamed arteries in that leg, but nothing serious and with antibiotics they always got better. In February, I was also diagnosed with a bronchial infection. As fate would have it, over a month later, I was still dealing with this infection. It just wouldn’t go away. On Monday I called my doctors’ to schedule a check up for Tuesday morning.

When taking a shower on Tuesday morning, I noticed that my right leg was swelled and much bigger and redder than my left leg. The doctor scheduled an x-ray to check out my lungs. Next I received a sonogram where they found a blood clot on the inside of my leg, above the knee. Next they scheduled a CT-Scan where they discovered that part of the clot had broken off and gone to my lungs. I had a pulmonary embolism.

I wouldn’t be going home that night. I would get an ambulance ride to the hospital where I would spend the next thee days. I would spend the next four weeks at home laying around with my legs elevated before I would go back to work.

Among the causes of blood clots also known as Deep Vein Thrombosis, DVT are prolonged sitting, such as during a long plane or car ride, prolonged bed rest or immobility, obesity, damage due to injury, and inherited blood conditions. Possibly my week of watching college basketball was not very good for me, although I am on my feet all day while at work. I am not the most active person when away from work and I will be the first to admit that I am overweight. I don’t recall injuring my leg; however I am always bumping it against something at home or at work. My dad also has a history of blood clots that started when he was about my age. I suppose the cause for my blood clot could be any combination of these.

The blood clot should dissolve on its own. There are things I can do to lessen my chances or to prevent another blood clot. Now, I will probably wearing support stockings or compression socks for the rest of my life. I will also be taking blood thinners such as coumadin or warfarin. My other big lifestyle change will include walking regularly to get exercise and stimulate circulation.

I guess that I am lucky to have gone to have gone to my doctor on that March morning and I am lucky to be alive. It could have been much worse. However it is something that I can live with. I can make changes to my lifestyle and life for a long time with this condition. Many people do. Getting in shape is something that I have put off for a long time. Now I have received my “wake up call”! Now, I know what I have to do!

March Madness Final Four Picks

Here it is, the night before the dance begins. And I thought it was fitting that if I am going to be sharing my opinions on this blog, I would stick my neck out on the line and put up my final four picks. I also welcome each of you to do the same. Just click on the comment section below.
I have Tennessee, Kansas, Texas, and UCLA making it to the final four and Kansas beating UCLA in the championship game. Let the games begin!!!

March Madness and the KU Jayhawks

I am a die hard baseball fan and if I had to choose one sport over another, I would definitely, take baseball over all the others. Having said that, the first week of March Madness is one the best weeks in all of sports. From “Selection Sunday” when everyone is glued to their TV sets to see where their favorite teams will end up or in some cases if their team will be chosen, through the play in game, now officially called “the opening round game” through the final buzzer on Sunday, when the field has been whittled down from 65 teams to the “Sweet 16”, it doesn’t get much better.

For the casual fan to the die hard fan, it’s all about filling out your bracket to win the office pool. Each has their own method to predict the winners. Some by the color of the uniforms, some by the team mascot, and others use more scientific ways.

Every fan and every team has a dream at this time of the year. The slate has been wiped clean. It’s a new season. The big story that everyone is looking for is which team will be the next Cinderella. It’s all about who will have the biggest upset in the tournament. Being from Wichita, Kansas what an exciting tournament it was two years ago when our beloved Wichita State Shockers made it to the Sweet 16 only to get beat by another team on a Cinderella run, George Mason. The only problem was that there was just one slipper. The Shockers went home and George Mason went on to the final four.

Last year the tournament wasn’t quite as exciting. Seems the selection committee did too good of a job in seeding the teams and there were only three upsets. The average is 8.5 upsets per year.

Being a KU fan, we have been on the other side of the fence all too often. What other team in America has that much talent but can’t make it to the final four. Last year, the Jayhawks made it to the Elite Eight before bowing out to UCLA 68-55. The two seasons before that, they lost in the first round. KU fans do, you remember Bucknell and Bradley? Which KU team will show up this year? This team is loaded with talent, and Bill Self has them playing at their best. Yesterdays’ game vs. Texas in the Big 12 Championship will be one to remember. This team, if they show up, has the talent to beat anyone in the nation. Sometime it takes them a while to get it going. Sometime they don’t get it going. Most KU fans would tell you that anything less than a final four appearance would be a failure. Which KU team will show up? Let the Madness begin!

Why I Blog

When growing up, I always enjoyed sports (In fact, some might call me a sports fanatic.) and thought that I might enjoy being a sports journalist. I didn’t do much writing as a child or a teenager, and got my first chance to write while in high school. During my senior year, I had an elective to fill and the opportunity arose to join the staff of our school newspaper “The Oracle”, as the sports writer. I gladly accepted, typing my articles on a typewriter. Thank God for computers and word processing software. I even competed in the Kansas Scholastic Press Association Contest, winning third place in sports writing.

I went on to college the next year and graduated with a BA in Business Administration. Three years later, I had a job as a clerk with the U S Postal Service. Twenty-four years later, I still work as a distribution clerk for the Postal Service. During that time the only other writing that I’ve done was as editor of the newsletter, and as president for our local Catholic singles group where I had my own column.

I have always wondered what if instead, I had gone on the study journalism? What if I had followed that dream? This blog is my opportunity. I have no idea where it will take me. Chances are, it will just end up being a hobby, but I owe it to myself to try something that I have always enjoyed doing.

I am not sure where this blog will go. Since my childhood, my interests have expanded and so I will be writing on more than just sports. Topics will include sports, religion, politics, and anything else that I find interesting.

What might I gain from this experience?

• It will give me a record of my thoughts and a place to share and save them.
• It will force me to learn and read in order to gather input for my output.
• It will give me the opportunity to learn and play with new technology.
  
  So Welcome to "Terry’s Tidbits". Please come in, stay for a while, and feel free to comment is you wish.

Why am I Catholic?

I really liked this video and think that it explains a lot about my faith. The video was made by Katerina Mare. It was made for a Confirmation Retreat to accompany a "Why am I Catholic?" talk. The slideshow gives six reasons for being Catholic: 1) the Eucharist, 2) the Church, 3) the Sacraments, 4) Mary, 5) Marriage (actual and spiritual), and 6) Communion of Saints. Eventually, as time allows, I hope to do a post on each of these reasons. The video is filled with images and quotes from saints, popes, and theologians associated with each point. This can be a good resource for talks, RCIA, youth groups, adult study groups and more! The song for the video, which I also really liked is "Jesus Christ You are my Life," the theme song from the 2005 World Youth Day. The song was composed by Marco Frisina, an Italian from Rome. He wrote the Italian refrain, and a verse for Spanish, Italian, and French soloists. Marco's brother wrote the English refrain. Bro. Rufino Zaragoza, is a co-composer and translator of the song. https://youtu.be/2QliM7ApyiA