Tax Tax Tax!

I sort of liked Thomas Friedman until recently. His latest kick is the environment, I preferred his stuff on globalization and business.

But now he's all government, all the time, government is the answer.

Check this out from his latest article "Real Men Tax Gas": "Such a tax would make our economy healthier by reducing the deficit, by stimulating the renewable energy industry, by strengthening the dollar through shrinking oil imports and by helping to shift the burden of health care away from business to government so our companies can compete better globally. Such a tax would make our population healthier by expanding health care and reducing emissions. Such a tax would make our national-security healthier by shrinking our dependence on oil from countries that have drawn a bull’s-eye on our backs and by increasing our leverage over petro-dictators, like those in Iran, Russia and Venezuela, through shrinking their oil incomes."

Oh yeah, it'll turn out exactly that way. I mean, we've never complained about gas being $1 higher per gallon. (Granted, I'm not sure if he was promoting that $1 rate per gallon or barrel or what). Let's give more money to the government so it can solve our problems like governments have been doing since the dawn of time. Wait...

Tim Keller

Found this article by Tim Keller on the importance of hell. It's an excellent article. Not too long either.

From the conclusion:

"The doctrine of hell is crucial-without it we can't understand our complete dependence on God, the character and danger of even the smallest sins, and the true scope of the costly love of Jesus."

Spiderman Ride at Disneyland?

Disney to Buy Marvel Entertainment

Cost

All this talk of health/medical care reform got me thinking about the issue of cost. Nothing comes for free in this world. There seems to be this popular notion that whatever the government provides is "free." Any new type of program instated costs something, usually money. Health care for example is being pushed now with the objective to drive down the cost of health insurance across the board and to provide a low cost option to those who otherwise could not afford it. Sweet. Sounds good. But wait. How is this going to be paid for? Somewhere, somehow the cost will be absorbed by someone. The government will need to increase taxes or people under the Big Gov plan will pay for it in waiting periods or people will pay for it with lost jobs due to false competition, etc. Nothing is free!

There is this mental blank spot, somehow, in our collective thinking that seems to differentiate between every commodity and necessity we purchase with time and/or money and government spending. For some reason, the government is exempt from this very basic thought. Government builds a road? Sure! Government runs a mail service? Sure! Government provides doughnuts for everyone? Sure! I'm not paying anything! Oh wait. You are. Every year, Americans work more and more of the year just to pay off taxes. Tax Freedom Day is April 13, meaning that Americans' paychecks are going straight to taxes until that day. Let's apply some common sense to how we think about cost and government spending.

2-D Love

Check out this article by the New York Times on a phenomenon going on in Japan involving romantic relationships people are having with pillow cases, essentially.

Knots

I undo a lot of tangles as a fly fishing guide. A lot of the knots are my own creation, yet I also untangle a lot snarls that guests create themselves. With tangles, there are no shortcuts. Anytime you pull one end, you'll probably make it worse. Anytime you try and flick the rod to undo the snarl, it'll just make it worse. It's a type of puzzle and definitely a patience builder. I get the most irritated when the knots are my own creation.

But then you catch a fish and it's all better.

Long Overdue

Forget my posting weekly. Ha. I thought I would be up for posting something every week on my day off, but on my days off I like to read or watch movies and sleep. Sometimes I hike or go into town. For instance, during this last, most recent day off, Reno, Renee and Danny Berger came up to visit! It was a breath of fresh air seeing them. We camped up in the mountains a couple of miles away and hung out for the rest of the time until that left for NM again. For those who don't know, they are friends from college.

This is the third week of guests and I'm beginning to feel the rhythm of my time here. I'm also beginning to get the hang of guiding fishing, something I thought would take a little longer to get the hang of. But so far it's been simple since it's mostly on lakes and local ponds. Teaching people how to fly cast is still a challenge. In fly casting, there are about 50 different things that need to happen all at the same time and if they don't, it gets messy. So we have to break it down to the bare essentials at first, keep the guest encouraged and feeling like they are getting it. It is hard and exciting, especially when they get it.

There aren't too many crazy stories to tell. Yet. Guests have been fairly normal and friendly. The staff are all good at what they do and intentional about getting to know one another. It's cool to still be around that kind of community. Each day I am reminded about the blessing that I have to make some money fishing, teaching people to fish, hiking or biking. Anytime I get discouraged or down, I only have to look up at the mountains or feel the sun and it is a great encouragement.

Politically I am still of the same opinions, just not as in touch with the news out here. All I have to say on the matter is: Dear government, stop growing. You are helping very, very few people.

In CO

I have been here 5 days. It's been sweet.

I am a fly fishing guide at Vista Verde guest ranch near Steamboat Springs, CO. This past week has been oritentation, which for myself and the other fly fishing guide (the experienced one) means actually fishing. Guests arrive the week after next.

Aside from refining my cast and learning a bunch about flies, lines, etc, I have been meeting a lot of new people. It'll be a challenging, but cool summer I think.

I'll hopefully keep you posted weekly.

I loved the opening two sentences for this article on the abortion debate:

"As an atheist and a secular kinda guy, I practice moral relativism regularly. Still, I always have struggled mightily with the ethics and politics of abortion."

Honesty. It's a virtue.

The Fair Tax

Or National Sales Tax.

This Washington Post article got me thinking about it again. Still not decided on it, but anything that could potentially get rid of the IRS gets my interest.

One of the critiques is that since prices would rise across the board, the poor would be the hardest hit. Maybe everyone having an equal share-paying the same-in the taxation process would enliven political participation. In order for politicians to pay for whatever programs they dream up, they would need to sell it to ALL the voters since ALL the voters would be paying for it.

Hmm.