Is the Gallon of Gas a Republican or Democrat?

The 2012 Election is going to be an interesting one for sure.

For one thing, the Republican Party is failing to put forth a candidate that can unite and energize that party.  It is almost as if their plan has always been to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  Who knows, deep down they really may not want to win.  Who could really blame them?  It really is more fun to bitch than it is to actually do something.

The Democratic Party is faring no better.  Either they don’t want to win again, or they really don’t get it.  I’m not sure which.

Along comes the gallon of gas.  Crude prices are again falling, yet the price per gallon continues to rise.  What was spent for the tummy now goes to the tank.  I’ve heard people say that $5.00 per gallon gas is the best candidate the Republicans have.  After all, Americans always vote their pockets…..right?

MOST of the time, but this time could be different.

Higher gas prices have helped our flegling automobile industry.  Newer cars are more efficient and they are selling.  Idled factories are coming back to life.  I actually saw a Chevy Volt in real life this week and was impressed.  Not enough to buy one just yet though.

I am sure many rushed to the local dealer before filing their taxes, just to take advantage of the $7500 credit.  Others that might be upside down with their home mortgage also followed as well, not just for the tax credit, but with the hopes the car might catch on fire and burn their house down.

High gas prices have also helped many urban area real estate markets – the only place the “Live-Work-Play” concept has ever stood a chance.  Today’s higher gas prices are forcing people to live closer to where they work.  The “Live-Work-Play” concept just may work after all… as long as employers can stay in business.

Which brings me to the economy.  It seems the Democrats really don’t want to be in control either.  Whenever things start to improve, they rush to botch it up.    As the fear of higher interest rates spur home buying activity, they issue statements that the Fed rate will remain unchanged for years.  As home sales still continue to improve, they hurry to increase the cost of Mortgage Insurance.  As employment numbers rise, lets add more costs to employers.  Yeah, that’ll work.

If I had the ability to print money, I could have already solved our economic problems.  Why is it taking so long?

The reality is the economy would fix itself in time anyway.  The lions share of the new printed money went to the wrong people.  Thats nothing new.  Neither party has yet to corner the market on greed.

In the meantime, get ready for drama.  One side will attempt to convince us just how bad things are.  The other side will counter with how bad things could be.  They will collect all the money they can to further their cause.  And when Election 2012 is over, they will all go back to their dressing rooms, break bread, have some laughs and begin preparing for the next round.

In the meantime, there will be one clear winner either way….the gallon of gas.

The Return of Steamboating to Tennessee!

There were three Queens that once plied the US inland rivers.  The Delta Queen, The Mississippi Queen, and The American Queen.  All were once owned and operated by The Delta Queen Steamboat Company.  In 2008, each of these boats ceased operations.

The Delta Queen was fortuante enough to continue her service as a hotel in Chattanooga.  The Misissippi Queen was sold for scrap.  CLICK HERE for a previous blog article about The Delta Queen. 

Meanwhile, The American Queen, originally launched in 1995, was idled in foreclosure at the US Maritime Reserve Fleet in Beaumont, Texas to await its fate.

Fast forward to 2011, and the start-up of the Great American Steamboat Company, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.  The American Queen was purchased and towed to a shipyard in Sulphur, Louisiana for renovation.  The American Queen Steamboat Company is putting the that third queen back into service!

CLICK HERE for the history of the American Queen.

Thanks to The American Queen Steamboat Company, the only authentic overnight paddlewheel steamboat in America will have Memphis has its home port!  And the new Godmother of this reborn legend is none other than Priscilla Presley.

The maiden voyage of The American Queen departs New Orleans on April 13th, 2012.  On April 27, 2012 the Queen will arrive in Memphis for its christening ceremony at Beale Street Landing.

For the rest of 2012, The American Queen will offer a variety of 5 to 10 night cruises departing from New Orleans, Vicksburg, Memphis, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Chattanooga, and St. Paul, MN.  Here is the current American Queen website.

To learn more about the rebirth of this grand vessel, visit the American Queen Steamboat Company website.

Who knows, maybe The American Queen will pay a visit to Nashville in 2013.  We’ll be there when she does!

(photos courtesy of American Queen Steamboat Company website and Facebook Page)

 

Trey Lewis is VP Sales & Marketing for Ole South Properties Inc, Tennessee’s largest independent home builder,  615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340 or email TLewis@olesouth.com.  Specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, Gallatin, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

2012: Back to Honduras – Part 4 – The Long Ending!

One thing that we look forward to each year is interacting with the families we come in contact with each day.  Each morning we visit the local store to purchase our needs for the day, and we always purchase containers of rice, beans, sardines, and snacks for families that need a little break.  This year, our great friend Sid Neuhoff gave our “food fund” a great send-off and because of Sid, many added families were helped.  We look for Sid to visit Honduras with us one year!

This year, we did not come in contact with as many different families as we have in past years.  Our work this year was concentrated on one family in particular.  If you want to find a family in need, you don’t have to look very far.  David Hartley has a special “knack” for finding those that need it the most.

One evening, on the way back from the jobsite, David yells, “STOP RIGHT HERE!”  

After their home was demolished from flooding, the family assembled a structure to keep them out of the elements. One day, they will hopefully have something more substantial.

Inside, David found three children, with the oldest being four years old.  Mom and Dad were still working in the fields.  In this economy, you work whenever work is available.  We left what we had that evening, and stopped by again the next evening with more!

Hopefully we will be able to help this family even more on our next visit.  Their original home was washed away in October 2011, during the severe rains that resulted in catastrophic flooding of southern Honduras.  Many families were affected by flooding and have yet to recover.  If we all help a little bit, we can make a lot of difference.

As stated earlier, each year the circle of friends gets larger and we would like to visit everyone we know as well as our past projects each year, which can’t always happen.  This year, our friends from the Rotary Club of Choluteca joined us for dinner one evening at El Potrillo.  The staff at El Potrillo was excellent, as was the breakfasts and dinners we had there.

The Staff of El Potrillo. This is an excellent place to dine and a great place to stay while in Honduras.

We also enjoyed dinner several evenings with Teresa and her great staff at the Barcelona Hotel in San Marcos de Colon.  Their fried chicken is known all over southern Honduras!

Staff of the Barcelona Hotel in San Marcos de Colon, Honduras.

Ann and Sharon were able to visit Jayacayan, the site of last year’s project.  Jeremy and I were able to attend the Choluteca Rotary Club meeting Friday evening.  Our Tennessee District Governor, Dick Bowers, was also there as was the others representing Lawrenceburg Rotary Club, who coordinated this year’s effort.  

Meeting of the Choluteca Rotary Club.

By sneaking out of the Rotary meeting early, I was able to catch up with David Hartley and Keith Clodfelter who were having dinner with the Osotro family, that we have known for years.

The Osotro Family. Esther, MaMa, Carolina, Jose, and Michelle.

Each year, we look forward to taking a day off to explore.  Friday started off with a visit to downtown Choluteca and its many streetside vendors.

The streets of Choluteca Honduras

Ever wonder what happened to all of the Datsun B-210’s?  They are now taxi cabs in Choluteca.

At the straw market, you can find just about anything you would want, especially fresh fruit.

After a few hours in Choluteca, we headed to Coyolito, where we would catch a boat over to the island of Amapala, also known as “Isla de Tigre.” 

Supplies delivered to Coyolito for the ride over to Amapala.

We visited this island on last year’s trip and felt the need to see it again.  I have always said Amapala would be a great cruise ship port and I just learned that representatives from NCL, Carnival, and Princess Cruise Lines were on the island exploring that possibility the day before we were there!

We boarded the boat at Coyolito with Romario and who we will call Captain Smiley.  He never stopped smiling the entire day!

Coyolito, where you catch a water taxi to Amapala Island, shown in the distance.

The boat ride to the fishing village and restaurant is about 45 minutes.  I am not sure what the exact charge per person normally is, but we paid $100 US for all eight of us for the boat for the entire day. 

The fishing village and restaurant as seen from the Gulf of Fonseca.

I cannot remember, nor could pronouce the name of the beachside restaurant, but here it is.

Beachside Restaurant on Amapala Island, Honduras

The food was awesome!  Not only cooked to order, but caught to order.  Very possibly the best shrimp I have ever had.

Cleaning the day's catch on Amapala Island. From the boat to the skillet!

Huge portions too!

Fish and Shrimp combo, freshly caught and cooked while you wait.

Early Saturday morning, we left Choluteca for Tegucigalpa, anticipating extra traffic on Saturday morning.  The traffic was even worse than anticipated.  There was still time to enjoy a Big Mac inside the Tegucigalpa airport before our flight to Miami.

Mc Donalds inside Tegucigalpa airport

A long, great day seeing the sunrise in Choluteca, and the sunset in Miami.

It is truly amazing how many of the same places and same scenes can create different, yet wonderful memories year after year.  We will be returning to southern Honduras again next February, and who knows…maybe before.  If you would like to join us, or just participate financially, lending a helping hand in Honduras is a truly rewarding experience.

Trey Lewis is VP Sales & Marketing for Ole South Properties Inc, Tennessee’s largest independent home builder,  615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340 or email TLewis@olesouth.com.  Specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, Gallatin, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

2012 – Back to Honduras – Part 3 – The Work

After the brief visit to San Marcos de Colon, we arrived at this year’s job site mid-morning on Sunday, February 5th to find piles of rock, stacks of concrete block, and several mounds of sand and gravel to be used to construct the new home for Dania, Mario, and their family in El Carazal.

We were greeted by the two youngest children, standing at the door of the house we were going to replace.

Trenches for the foundation of the new home had already been dug, along with post holes for the re-bar supports.  Step one was to build the “footers” of the foundation with a mixture of large rocks and concrete.

In America, if we need something, we go to the local store and buy it.  Not so in Honduras…if you need something, you use what you have, or what is laying nearby on the ground.  For that reason, a local stone mason was hired to assist us this week for the sum of 300 lps each day, the equivalent of $15 US Dollars.  We called him “El Hefe,”  which can be translated as “boss.”

We also had the help of Evan, who is 13 and lives nearby.  Evan has never attended school and works every day to help meet his family’s needs.  Every morning and afternoon, he was seen carrying large bags of produce on his shoulders from the fields to a warehouse down the road.

Ann and Sharon spent the days teaching at school, which ends at 12:00 noon, allowing the older children to work in the fields.  After school, they kept the children at the jobsite occupied learning new things.

After the “footers” were complete, the foundation began to rise from the ground.

We kept waiting all week for the cement truck to show up.  It never did and all of the mortar was hand mixed.  A shovel-ready job!

Need more sand or gravel?   Just ask.  The sand and gravel for this job came from a nearby streambed on property belonging to Margarite – who we met on last year’s electrical project in Jayacayan.

Ronnie Strickland, the “grand-daddy” of our Honduran involvement, stopped by to lend a hand also.  When we leave, Ronnie will make certain the home gets totally completed.  By now, it is obvious we will only be able to complete the necessary block work during our time there.

We had many visitors during the week.  Leonardo, our friend from the Choluteca Rotary Club, was one of them.  It was great to see him again!

We also had some other distinguished guests drop by.  The batteries were dead on my camera so you will have to take my word for it.  Our current Rotary District Governor, Dick Bowers, along with Past District Governors Jimmy Couch and Jim Johnston visited our jobsite and offered much needed encouragement!  Because of their visit this year, we hope to see the return of larger Rotary projects in the future!

We also met Jonathan from Virginia, who has spent two years in Honduras teaching, and will be there another year.  He jumped in and helped us the entire week.

Building a house using concrete block is very hard work.  Thank goodness you have to stop and allow the mortar to dry every now and then!

By Thursday evening, ALL of the interior and exterior concrete block walls are in place!

Although we were not able to physically complete the entire home during our stay, we did leave Dania, Mario, and the family all of the materials they would need to finish their new home, and left enough money to pay Mr. “El Hefe” to assist in finishing the job.

Here are some more scenes from the job site:

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In the next part, we managed to visit with many friends and returned to places we had visited on previous trips.  Again, thanks for reading!

Trey Lewis is VP Sales & Marketing for Ole South Properties Inc, Tennessee’s largest independent home builder,  615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340 or email TLewis@olesouth.com.  Specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, Gallatin, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

2012 – Back to Honduras – Part 2 – Getting there, Getting around.

Humanitarian Aid is a major factor in the Honduran economy, and Middle Tennessee has a great presence there.  Churches, Rotary Clubs, Medical Brigades, and Educators all have an active presence.  Every time we have been, the plane is full of volunteers headed to Honduras.

Almost everyone on the Nashville – Miami flight was headed for a Honduras mission of some kind.  My dentist was on the same flight too!  He was traveling with his church to visit Mission Lazarus, a working ranch that houses many needy children and provides educational, spiritual, and medical support throughout southern Honduras.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Landing in Tegucigalpa is always an experience, no matter how many times you have been.  It used to be rated the most dangerous airport in the world.  Now it is #2.  The runway was extended.

After exiting the plane, going through immigration is a breeze.

Just outside the terminal building is Frederico at Friendship Car Rental.  Every year, we rent small diesel trucks for our journey at approximately $70/day.

These Nissan and Toyota diesel trucks are really neat!  It is a shame they are not available in the US or I would have one!

Tegucigalpa has everything you would expect to see in a capital city.  Even a Kentucky Fried Chicken, where we usually grab a meal before the ride to Choluteca.  We didn’t this year.  Chuck Payne wasn’t with us!

To reach Choluteca, we follow the Tegucigalpa Highway to the port city San Lorenzo and then take the Pan-American Highway to Choluteca, and onward to San Marcos de Colon, our final destination.

In October 2011, Honduras was devastated by heavy rains and flooding.  CLICK HERE for the story.  Landslides were frequent along the way, adding a lot of extra drive time… and sore spots from the many potholes!

It will be a long time before these highways are restored, and there are many other weak areas that might not withstand another heavy rainy season.  And there are always slide areas that just don’t ever get fixed!

These roads are dangerous enough and fatal accidents are very common.  Here is a memorial built alongside a bluff on the Pan American Highway in memory of the 35 children that died when their bus left the road in 1965.  CLICK HERE for the original article.  This memorial is 100 yards away from the home we built this year.

We arrived at Choluteca to meet Jim Johnston with the Lawrenceburg Rotary Club.  It was there that we learned we would not be staying at the Barcelona Hotel in San Marcos de Colon, as they were full.  A new place had opened up, El Potrillo, near Jayacayan.  They were expecting us.  I already knew where it was…so off we went.

We arrived at El Potrillo and got checked into our rooms, which were actually brand new cabins!  Although more pricey ($30 per person per night) than the Barcelona ($15), the accomodations were fantastic.  Breakfast was included in the rate as well, and it too was fabulous!

El Potrillo is a new weekend playground for residents of Choluteca to escape the heat.  It’s higher elevation features cooler nights (60’s) and days (low 80’s).  They have just completed (12) 3-bedroom cabins, and have a full restaurant and bar, swimming pool, fishing lake, horseback riding, event arena, and karaoke club.  We just used the cabins and the restaurant.  Every meal we had there was fantastic and the cabins were super nice, complete with rocking chair porches!

On Sunday morning, we ventured into San Marcos de Colon for church.  I didn’t understand all the words, but something was different about this service.  There was a box at the front of the church that appeared to be a casket.  Well, it was.  We were attending a funeral.

We then ventured to the Barcelona Hotel, knowing they would let us use their clean restrooms!  And what a surprise… the downstairs of Barcelona was now a full variety store, a mini-Wal-Mart.  It turns out it was actually owned by Wal Mart too.

Every year, the circle of friends gets bigger.  Many great relationships have formed over the years, and new ones created each year!   Stay tuned for Part 3!

Trey Lewis is VP Sales & Marketing for Ole South Properties Inc, Tennessee’s largest independent home builder,  615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340 or email TLewis@olesouth.com.  Specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, Gallatin, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

2012 – Back to Honduras – Part 1

Every February, workers representing various Rotary Clubs throughout District 6760 converge on the Choluteca region of southern Honduras.  There have been many projects over the past ten-plus years, most of which have been dedicated to improving life in remote villages through the addition of electrical and fresh water systems to the homes.  All of these projects are organized in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Choluteca, Honduras.

Projects like these require a lot of labor and a tremendous amount of money – money that has to be raised.  Sources of funding range from Rotary Clubs, Rotary International Grants, individual donations, Honduran Municipalities, and the residents themselves.

There is no secret that our country’s economy has been in recession, which has made it very difficult to raise money.  This year’s project was coordinated by Jim Johnston and the Lawrenceburg Rotary Club with a focus on providing electricity to approximately 28 homes, a small school, and a church in the remote village of Limon de Linaca. 

There was not enough funding available this year for a larger electrical or water project, but there was enough left over to build a home for a local family near El Carazal…. which is where our group entered the program this year.  “Extreme Home Makeover – Honduran Style.”

Participating on behalf of Spring Hill Rotary Club this year were Jeremy Bisceglia, International Service Chair, Pastor Ann Bassett, Sharon Elvin, Les Bosarge, David Hartley, Eddie Hartley, Keith Coldfelter, and Trey Lewis.

While we were digging, mixing cement, and laying block, Ann and Sharon spent their days teaching at the local school.  Ann is fluent in Spanish, which helped a LOT!

 

The children were so attentive and well-behaved.  They also learned an amazing amount of English during the week!

We even served as a school bus for several children.  When they reach where they need to stop, they just beat on the roof.

While the children were at school, the dogs kept an eye on the jobsite.

There will be more highlights of this year’s trip forthcoming.  How we got there, where we stayed, what we ate, the work that was involved, the friends we have made over the years, and more will be covered so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!  If you would like a recap of our 2011 trip to Honduras, CLICK HERE

For now, why not take a look at some of the animals we befriended on our visit:

Again, thanks for reading!

Trey Lewis is VP Sales & Marketing for Ole South Properties Inc, Tennessee’s largest independent home builder,  615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340 or email TLewis@olesouth.com.  Specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, Gallatin, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

 

 

Election 2012: NO MAS! (at least for a little while)

That’s right, NO MORE blog posts about politics…. at least not for a little while!   Well, maybe just one more thing…..

I am really sick of hearing about how bad Warren Buffett feels about not paying enough taxes.  If he really wants to pay more, he should.  He does everything else that he wants to do.

What makes me madder is the comparison projected to world that his secretary pays a higher percentage of her income in taxes than he does.  I am sure without a doubt that is the truth.

I also am sure of something else.  If she wanted to open her own business and risk her own capital, she too could pay a lesser percentage.  Considering the braintrust she is surrounded by, I am certain she has many opportunities to take chances.

She makes the choice to pay more percentage in taxes.  Don’t feel sorry for her.  By the way, everyone has that opportunity as well!

OK, I’m done now.

For the next week, I’ll be in southern Honduras with other Middle Tennessee Rotarians from District 6760 on our annual “mission” trip.  This year, in addition to bringing electricity to remote villages, we will be helping families build back homes that were lost in last year’s hurricane season.

This will be my sixth year to participate in the project.  This year, eight of us will be going on behalf of the Rotary Club of Spring Hill.  Two of us are representing Ole South Properties also.  We’ll even get to watch the Super Bowl broadcasted in Spanish again.  Oh joy!

To read of last year’s trip, CLICK HERE 

Several have criticized me for posting a blog about being out of town and leaving Beth vulnerable.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  She has a gun, and this year, a vicious dog.  “Ain’t nothin gonna happen!”

P.S.  I hope it is cold and snows while we are gone.   :0)

Election 2012: The Ground Hog – what does he think?

First off, please forgive me.  The main purpose of this blog is to give an informative, yet humorous look at life in Nashville, the new homes that are built around it, and just how fun and easy it is to purchase one.   But lately, I’ve drifted into other topics, with one being someplace I should know better going…politics!

Ground Hog Day has always made me laugh.  Its just another “Hallmark” moment to commercialize something, in this case a small town in Pennsylvania.  I’ve never been there and I’m sure Ol’ Phil brings lots of revenue to them each year.  Seriously folks, who really cares whether he sees his shadow or not?  Odds are 50/50 and we all know that Spring will evenutally arrive anyway!

Why can’t we use the ground hog for predicting things other than the weather?  After all, he’s only right 39% of the time.  Even though that is a slightly better percentage than the modern-day weather-people, it’s certainly not enough to bet the farm.  Why can’t we use the ground hog just once every four years?  If nothing else, just for fun!

If the ground hog sees his shadow, he goes back in his hole.  That means we will have four more years of President Barack Obama.

And if the ground hog doesn’t see his shadow, we will elect another President in November.

Then, for more fun, let’s take our own “Groundhog Day Presidential Poll” and compare it with the ground hog prediction in November.   There are already election polls conducted for every imaginable reason, so why not?  And just like the weather, we do know that some body will get elected, except we already know WHEN it will be.  We just don’t know WHO!

Thanks for participating!  You can rest assured that no one, including me, can tell who you voted for…I promise!

By the way, you can CLICK HERE for the history of Ground Hog Day.

Election 2012: “Fly Me To The Moon”

Whether in our living room or on a cruise ship, when I sit down at a piano with an adult beverage, the song “Fly Me To The Moon” is among the first to come to mind.  My favorite rendition is performed by Diana Krall.  Have a listen:

I haven’t been very attentive to the debates for the Republican primaries lately.  Playing Wii golf was more compelling.  Anyway, during the late news the other evening, I heard this excerpt from that evening’s debate that takes “promising the moon” to an entirely new level:

Newt proposed WHAT?  I couldn’t stop laughing!

After my laughter subsided, I began to wonder if people had the same reaction to John F. Kennedy’s address to Congress about putting a man on the moon.  This speech was in 1961, over 50 years ago!

Had it not been for JFK’s space initiatives, we probably wouldn’t have Google Earth.  We probably wouldn’t have satellite television.  There would be no satellite communication, let alone guided defense missiles.  4-G phones?  Forget that too!

Maybe Newt’s idea isn’t too far fetched after all.  Who can imagine what life will be 50 years from now anyway?  We may need the moon.  The economy might be better there.  It would also give Mitt Romney a new place to keep money.

Regardless of who is elected President in 2012,  we still live in the greatest country on earth.  This country can accomplish anything with the determination to succeed.  It always has, and it always will be able to.

And now, Newt has a new Election 2012 theme song.  We may just have to change a few words!  Or would Conway Twitty’s “Man in the Moon” be better?

Trey Lewis is VP Sales & Marketing for Ole South Properties Inc, Tennessee’s largest independent home builder,  615.896.0019  direct 615.593.6340 or email TLewis@olesouth.com.  Specializing in new homes in the Greater Nashville area to include Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Clarksville, Gallatin, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Election 2012; “Doesn’t Want It” vs. “Doesn’t Get It.”

Don’t you just love election year politics?  Funny thing about our two political parties in the upcoming Presidential election:  one apparently doesn’t want it, and one simply doesn’t get it.  Some choice, huh.

One solution you keep hearing is to cut spending.  That’s a novel idea, but before you go closing down military bases and halt building bridges we all must realize that every dollar spent passes through many different hands and can create more economic activity than the initial dollar spent.  Even entitlement spending, and unemployment.  We have to consider the “multiplier effect.”  Here is an example from the braintrusts of Wikipedia:

For example: a company spends $1 million to build a factory. The money does not disappear, but rather becomes wages to builders, revenue to suppliers etc. The builders will have higher disposable income as a result, consumption rises as well, and hence aggregate demand will also rise. Suppose further that recipients of the new spending by the builder in turn spend their new income, this will raise consumption and demand further, and so on.

The increase in the gross domestic product is the sum of the increases in net income of everyone affected. If the builder receives $1 million and pays out $800,000 to sub contractors, he has a net income of $200,000 and a corresponding increase in disposable income (the amount remaining after taxes).

This process proceeds down the line through subcontractors and their employees, each experiencing an increase in disposable income to the degree the new work they perform does not displace other work they are already performing. Each participant who experiences an increase in disposable income then spends some portion of it on final (consumer) goods, according to his or her marginal propensity to consume, which causes the cycle to repeat an arbitrary number of times, limited only by the spare capacity available.

Another example: when tourists visit somewhere they need to buy the plane ticket, catch a taxi from the airport to the hotel, book in at the hotel, eat at the restaurant and go to the movies or tourist destination. The taxi driver needs petrol (gasoline) for his cab, the hotel needs to hire the staff, the restaurant needs attendants and chefs, and the movies and tourist destinations need staff and cleaners.

SOLUTION TO TRY:  first cut down on fraudulent spending.

Then we all hear TAX THE RICH crying from the streets.  It was heard in the latest “State of the Union” address.   I heard it in the barber shop today.

Yep, it is “us” against the “fat cats” now.

While in the barber shop, an older man was complaining about no “cash-paying” jobs being available any more.  He was on Social Security and could only work 6 months a year, or pay half of his extra earnings back to the government.  Rather than pay the tax he didn’t want to pay, he simply quit working.  History has proven that the rich think the same way.  They will not pay a tax that they do not want to pay either.

Remember the “luxury tax” of 1990?  Come on, you remember… the tax that was supposed to stick it to the “fat cats” on their private jets and mega-yachts?  Sound familiar?  (History repeating itself always does!)

For those that really don’t remember, those “fat cats” didn’t want to pay the tax, so they quit buying new planes.  CLICK HERE

The “fat cats” decided they didn’t really need new yachts either.  CLICK HERE

One fact that everyone needs to face, Democrat and Republican, is that many rich people create and sustain jobs.  I like knowing my employer has more financial resources than I do.  I am also glad my employer chooses to risk his money and worth without any guarantees.  If we throw more taxes on him, at what point will he throw in the towel?  Seriously folks, lets not find out.

However, there are some rich people that cling to every dime – just like a hoarder.  Those are the rich that need to be taxed.  Play, or pay.

SOLUTION TO TRY:  A tax on “uncirculated net worth” or “stagnant money” over a certain percentage threshold of income or net worth.  The guys with beards could figure out the appropriate exemption levels.  It’s the money HOARDERS that we need to tax, not the job creators and job sustainers.  Circulate a portion of your net worth each year, or pay tax as if you did.  Imagine the number of new cars to produce.  New furniture.  New restaurants.  The list goes on and on and it all adds up to JOBS.

I’m already sick of Election 2012 and it is only just now getting underway.  It is supposed to be the most critical election in our nation’s history.  So they say.  I thought the last one was too?  If it is so important, why aren’t there candidates to take it seriously?

We have a field of Republicans gnawing each other into pieces.  Who cares if Newt wanted an open marriage 20+ years ago?  After seeing a picture of the “ex,” who could blame him?  Again, history has proven that a person with certain moral deficiencies can still govern effectively.  Just look at JFK, Bill Clinton, and even Richard Nixon.  Considering the field of choices, do the Republicans even “want” to win the election?

And then we have President Obama.  The economy is finally showing signs of recovery.  While gas prices are at record-highs for January, what does he do?  He announces his support for a 25 cent per gallon increase in fuel taxes over the next 5 years.  Then more of the same “TAX THE RICH.”   Perhaps he really just doesn’t get it … or his advisors failed to tell him that Americans vote their pocketbooks.

 SOLUTION TO TRY:  Cloning Research.  Then we could get Thomas Jefferson back to fix it.