Time to stop what doesn't work....

Our economy relies on innovation but our schools are failing to cultivate it. In fact in many ways public education does all it can to stamp it out., I was just talking to Ace Fourg-grafx AKA Aaron Randall about this, and the true crisis it is in the community who really needs to develop this in the Chicagoland region. The CPS has crushed any sense of innovation out of the spirits of children who might have become wealthy employers of others. We need to stop inspiring people to become business owners, and start to give them the tools. The truth is only 50 of a thousand people are hard wired to become successful business entrepreneurs, but if you have a church of a thousand, there are 50 there.

I attended my 50th HS reunion. 33 of us graduated from that small school that year (63), Of those only 5 of us ever went into business on our own. That is a very sad commentary on our education and entrepreneurship motivations. IF we don't get this back we will end up subservient to the rest of the world (Asia, India and Russia) where people are doing this.

A Nation of Entrepreneurs? | Hoover Institution

www.hoover.org

Entrepreneurship has played a decisive role in American identity and aspirations, but it is a role marked both by uncertainty and longing. Ronald Reagan, who spoke fondly of a "nation of entrepreneurs,"...

What we didn't know

We should all learn some musical instrument. I play guitar and bass ok. Rock and Roll style of the 60s. Keyboard (lots of lessons, know the deal, can bang it out by ear but not great), Trumpet (HS Band.. never really expert), had a Sax...didn't really figure it out, Own a zither and can play it buy..WHY? and HERE's one most people don't know even my relatives, VIOLIN. I'm really bad at it but I enjoy playing, I got inspiration from my Uncle Carl Lee. I enjoy it, but it has to be a solitary experience... it would kill anyone else listening. Yet, I have a music minor (along with English). Mostly Voice. Tenor. But age takes it's toll on voices...at least mine. SIGH

The Top 17 Ways Learning a Musical Instrument Gives You The Edge

www.lifehack.org

Why are those who are good playing an instrument also good at other things? What are the benefits of playing a musical instrument that...

How to Become Poor by Zig Ziglar

"Poverty mentality is an attitude. It's a way of thinking that is said to perpetuate poverty because the focus is on what one doesn't have rather than what one does have. Thoughts and comments such as "I can't afford this..." and "I'll never have enough money for that..." may turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's not clear where the idea of poverty mentality came from, but one of the earliest motivational speakers to discuss it was Zig Ziglar.

    Zig Ziglar noted that focusing on the concern about what is missing in one's life rather than focusing on what is there can lead to further poverty. Ziglar and others believe the ones who break out of poverty and really succeed are those who use what they do have, are grateful for what they do have and most of all aren't jealous of what others have. Basically, it's an attitude of self-belief and empowerment rather than one of self-pity and jealousy that is thought to combat the destructive poverty mentality.

    Being positive and building on what you do have can lead to developing a positive, workable plan that can lead to all types of successes even if you don't believe the so-called poverty mentality exists. The ideas of thinking positively and believing in ourselves and our abilities often seem so cliché that many of us tend to ignore these concepts. Yet if we think about it,ignoring them may be quite self destructive.

    If we don't want to live in poverty, no matter how much we may wish to be rich or richer it isn't enough. We have to have a workable plan and an attitude that brings money our way rather than repels it and keeps others from wanting to help us. The first step in overcoming poverty mentality is becoming aware that we have it. We can rethink the statements we make about money and stop focusing on being poor. Rather than concentrating on what we don't have compared to others, we need to focus on what we do have, what our purpose is and how we can positively get what we want."

I have been wondering this.

With the very powerful other tools available... why are there schools?

Why Do We Have Schools?

www.americanclarion.com

The political antics of the American left make one wonder if they understand why public schools exist. In short—if the reader will pardon the elementary explanation—schools exist to educate...

MUSING...

 I think some of the saddest words in our language is the statement, "I'm OK with it". Usually said after some defeat or loss. Normally about something undesirable but tolerable. I'm not OK with a lot of things. I may not be able to change them, but I can stand up and say, NO. I'm NOT OK with that.

The 15 forms of help:

Story sharing. “I remember when I did something like this.”
Partnering. “Lets do this together.”
Lending a hand. “I’ll do that.”
Gratitude for effort. “I’m thankful for your work.”
Acknowledgement of accomplishments. “You’ve made progress.”
Suggestions. “Try this.”
Confidence building. “You’re the right person for this job.”
Perspective giving. “That doesn’t make sense.”
Exploring options. “What else might work?”
Listening. “Tell me what’s going on.’
Cheering from the sidelines. “Way to go.”
Providing connections with experts. “Who knows how?”
Removing obstacles. “What’s in the way?”
Clarifying purpose. “What’s important about this?”
Empathy. “You look stressed.”

IF YOU KNOW A TRADIE, PLEASE SHARE THIS PICTURE AS A SAFETY WARNING.

Neither of them are wearing goggles. —  

Nothing to see here. Not a smidgen of corruption

These States Have More Registered Voters Than Eligible Adults…What One Group Wants to Do About It

www.theblaze.com

Iowa and Colorado, typically battleground states in presidential and congressional campaigns, each have more registered voters than...

testicular fortitude from the white house. A welcome change.

Obama to Do What Rush Limbaugh Said He Wouldn’t in Response to Russian Aggression

www.theblaze.com

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh last week said President Barack Obama should push for harsher punishments for Russia over.

LIFE IS FINITE and getting finiter...

Great vacations are priceless because of the everlasting memories they provide.  Instead of flying off to Greece, you decide to experience your 3rd staycation in a row to save money.  Meanwhile, you’re getting older and you’re no longer as nimble as you once were to hike those great mountains.  It’s harder for you to sit comfortably on an airplane for longer than 3 hours because of deep vein thrombosis and numbness in your legs.  Now, what’s better?  Living a better lifestyle that you can fully afford, or saving an extra buck or two?

Most of us who are educated and who work hard are going to die with TOO MUCH money in our bank accounts.  I know retirees who have great pensions with no mortgage and very little expenses still try and save as much money as they can.  Well guess what?  That’s kind of counterproductive, because saving money while you are retired is like saving money to spend in death.
- See more at: http://www.financialsamurai.com/no-point-making-money-if-you-dont-spend/#sthash.2gURocFR.dpuf

The Abundance Mindset

When was the last time you gave any serious thought to your priorities, and where you expend your energy? Can you say with certainty that you are completely focused on ‘abundance’ and not on ‘lack’?

    I don’t think people are born with an abundance mentality or a lack mentality. I think for many of us our priorities are the result of subtle, subconscious ‘programming’ that determines our approach to just about everything in life. Instead of being programmed for success, most people are programmed to avoid failure.

    This programming controls how you react to hundreds of situations, each and every day. And the way you react reveals what your programming really is.

    There are many different warning signs all around us that we are suffering from lack programming or a poverty mentality, but none of these red flags will be of any use until we open our eyes and start looking for them.

    Like posted traffic signs and speed limits, these warning signs are there for our benefit, helping us raise awareness of our programming. Three of the most common warning signs I see are the following:

    Warning sign #1: Constant Money Fixation - What do you think about money? When you do think about it, are you concerned about how much of it you lack, or how much you can manifest? Have you ever thought about why you want to manifest money in the first place?

    Most poor people spend all their time thinking about money (or more specifically, their lack of it). When I was younger and broke, that’s what I did. I was fixated on money. I thought about all the things I didn’t have and couldn’t get. And I was very jealous of the people who had them.

    Warning sign #2: "I Hate Rich People!" - Being jealous of all the things other people had that I didn’t did not help matters. Know where it led? Jealousy soon turned to hate. Soon I hated all rich people because they had what I wanted -- nice homes, exotic cars, expensive clothes. That’s when the real problems started, because as much as I hated rich people, I was working hard every day trying to become one! That set the stage for a whole bunch of internal conflict that I had no idea was going on.

    I ended up surging forward to success, only to sabotage myself every time I got close. I snatched defeat from the jaws of victory more times than I can count.

    I thought I was programmed for success, but was actually programmed for poverty.

    Warning sign #3: Fear-Based Decision-Making - Making decisions based on fear of loss or failure never leads toward prosperity. In fact, fear-based decision-making can rob you of any sense of happiness or joy of success, and distort your behavior.

    Have you ever seen someone experience more anguish at losing $10 than earning $100? Ever seen someone drive around a parking lot for 10 minutes to avoid a one-minute walk to the store?

    These scenarios are fear-based, not prosperity driven. The decisions are not made on what the possible benefits are, but made in order to avoid a possible negative outcome.

    How do you know what kind of programming you have? If you really want to know if you have prosperity programming or a poverty mentality, look for your answer in the previous scenarios. Do they sound familiar?

    If you make decisions--particularly money and career ones--based on the "moving away from fear" model, you’ve got poverty programming. If your decisions are made based on a positive "move toward prosperity" model, then you have success programming.

    What do you do if you test poverty programming?

    You’re already doing it. Raise your awareness of your programming and recognize it for what it is. Of particular importance is regulating the influences you’re getting from the TV shows and movies you watch, books you read, etc.

    I applied the principles of a prosperity mentality, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who has had a greater degree of turnaround. This only happened because I was willing to confront my weaknesses, discover and eliminate the insidious poverty mentality I had, and replace it with positive programming. To this day, I am ever vigilant, mindful of what I allow myself to watch and listen to, and the people I associate with.

    The more you experience success and prosperity, the more you’ll start to realize how little they have to do with opportunity, chance, luck--or even training, education, or skill. It has everything to do with consciousness, beliefs, and even subconscious programming that you aren’t aware of.

    You see, poverty is not an absence of money and things -- it is a mindset.

    Prosperity is not an abundance of money and things--it’s also a mindset.

    When I began studying the laws that govern prosperity, I had to get out of my comfort zone, face fears, and really examine my belief system. It was hard work, and sometimes still is, but the results are well worth the temporary discomfort. I share all of this with you in the hope you too will benefit from its truth. I want you to be healthy, happy, and rich!

Large for a small person

Michelle Obama and three of her family members are staying in a $8,350-per-night Beijing presidential suite, but despite a 24-hour butler and other perks that come with the lodging, her entourage has inconvenienced 'pretty much everyone' and made the hotel staff 'fed up,' a well-placed hotel staffer has told MailOnline.
The sumptuous pad at the Westin Beijing Chaoyang hotel – its website calls the room 'an oasis of comfort – is a 3,400-square-foot masterpiece including a private steam room, 'corner sofas with silk pillows,' and in-room dining for six.
But the Obamas' stay has already affected staff and guests at the hotel, with the Westin front-desk veteran alleging that Mrs. Obama's mother Marian Robinson has been 'barking at the staff since she arrived.'

HOTEL STAFF COMPLAINS ABOUT OBAMA MOTHER IN CHINA (and it only gets worse)

Beijing hotel workers already 'fed up' with Obama entourage in 3400-square-foot, $8,350-per-night suite inconveniencing 'pretty much everyone' – and the first...

www.redflagnews.com

12th BANKER... SUICIDE???? DON'T BELIEVE IT....

 For those of you who have not been following this developing story, all year we have been reporting on the suspicious string of deaths that have hit the financial industry.
With a new banker suicide almost every week, even skeptics and mainstream experts are starting to become suspicious.
“Jumping is much less common as a method for suicide in general, so I am struck by the number that have occurred in recent months in this industry,” said Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
“The suicide-research literature doesn’t help very much with the question of why the method of these suicides is so out in the open,” she added.
Those who had high profile deaths, like the man who jumped from the top of the JP Morgan HQ building in Europe are highly publicized, but overall, very few details about any of these deaths have been made public.
All of the details on each story can be found below, and we will continue to keep a running tally in the coming weeks. Please feel free to comment below, or use our contact information to send us leads and tips on this situation.
String of suspicious deaths: (Intellihub’s running list continues)
1 – William Broeksmit, 58-year-old former senior executive at Deutsche Bank AG, was found dead in his home after an apparent suicide in South Kensington in central London, on January 26th.
2- Karl Slym, 51 year old Tata Motors managing director Karl Slym, was found dead on the fourth floor of the Shangri-La hotel in Bangkok on January 27th.
3 – Gabriel Magee, a 39-year-old JP Morgan employee, died after falling from the roof of the JP Morgan European headquarters in London on January 27th.
4 – Mike Dueker, 50-year-old chief economist of a US investment bank was found dead close to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State.
5 – Richard Talley, the 57 year old founder of American Title Services in Centennial, Colorado, was found dead earlier this month after apparently shooting himself with a nail gun.
6 -Tim Dickenson, a U.K.-based communications director at Swiss Re AG, also died last month, however the circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown.
7 – Ryan Henry Crane, a 37 year old executive at JP Morgan died in an alleged suicide just a few weeks ago. No details have been released about his death aside from this small obituary announcement at the Stamford Daily Voice.
8 - Li Junjie, 33-year-old banker in Hong Kong jumped from the JP Morgan HQ in Hong Kong this week.
9 - James Stuart Jr, Former National Bank of Commerce CEO dies suddenly in Arizona with no explanation.
10 – Autumn Radtke, the 28 year old, American chief executive of Singapore-based virtual currency company First Meta, died mysteriously of an apparent suicide.
11 - Edmund (Eddie) Reilly, 47, a trader at Midtown’s Vertical Group, jumped in front of an LIRR train at 6 a.m. near the Syosset train station.
12 - Kenneth Bellando, 28, a JP Morgan investment banker was found dead on March 12th after reportedly jumping from the roof of his apartment.
Were these bankers killed for knowing too much? Were they involved in something so unethical that they killed themselves out of shame? These are the speculations that are rising in the wake of these apparent suicides.

Another banker jumps off building in NYC, 12th banker suicide this year - Intellihub News

The running list of banker suicides this year hits 12, with multiple suicides in NYC last week alone

intellihub.com

Men on Strike in L.A.?

 Sometimes men get tired of being taken for granted... they just go on strike.   Quit.  Stop trying.  I guess when you cut the gonads off them.  Why bother?



If men can't be men, if women insist, men will do what they do... Go on strike.



Dr. Helen » Men on Strike in L.A.?

Rubber Meet Road

Here's one of those questions for better theologians than I am. Phelps believed the Bible. In error but believed. He certainly made a profession of faith. He was passionate about taking a stand for what he saw as righteousness. He died without repenting of these works. SO, here's the question. Did he enter Heaven? Does he enter as you will? His works however you see them, Wood hay and Stubble? Does his works even though not in love have any effect on his eternal destiny? What think ye? IF you take one stand or the other is says a lot about your theology. It's really fun when the rubber actually encounters road.

Fred Phelps, anti-gay Westboro Baptist founder, dies

www.usatoday.com

Kansas preacher staged pickets at soldiers' funerals to rail against ga

He probably believes mankind causes global warming too. Liberals are so amusing

CNN’s Don Lemon: ‘Is It Preposterous’ to Think a Black Hole Caused Flight 370 to Go Missing? |...

www.mediaite.com

CNN's Don Lemon has been entertaining all sorts of theories about the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, including the chance...

Public schools as mind control reeducation and indoctrination camp. When did education become our children's enemy?

:: STRAIGHT OUT OF COMMON CORE CURRICULUM ::

Apparently the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. constitution states that citizens must register firearms as a condition of ownership. Did you know that?
#CommonCore #StopCommonCore — with Jane Jefferson.

Dumb and Dumber

A couple of years ago when states and cities began to increase taxes beyond insanity I warned this would become a steady business. The more taxes are raised on cigarettes the more active it becomes. No matter how you feel about smoking; economics are a reality. Sure they will pick up and arrest to make public spectacle of a few smugglers but meanwhile billions of dollars in lost taxes will cross state lines for sale on the black market. Controlling these kinds of things purely with taxes never works. Worse because of the smuggling States who attempt to capture more tax money by raising taxes lose tax revenue on what would have otherwise been legitimate sale

The boom in smuggling to avoid cigarette taxes

The wide variation in state taxes has created a lucrative criminal business. Would it be less prevalent if taxes were lower?

CBS News

Coming soon to the USA you just wait and see

Kenya legalises polygamy without wife's consent

news.yahoo.com

Kenya's parliament has passed a bill allowing men to marry as many women as they want, prompting a furious backlash from female lawmakers who stormed out, reports said Friday. The bill, which...

 

 

  I wonder how Michelle is going to like this if her Kenyan husband decides to implement the program

this is spot on.

Life is short. LIVE IT

Remember what matters most.

www.HeartCenteredRebalancing.com

Truth➡

 

I'll bet Putin is shaking in his boots...

Do you think Russia is intimidated?

The signs may as well read. "We are clueless but someone told me to hold this sign!"...

Study: 38 Percent Of Employers Will Lay Off Workers If Minimum Wage Is Hiked - CBS DC

washington.cbslocal.com

A new study has found that 38 percent of employers will lay workers off if the minimum wage is increased as President Barack Obama...

Rauner is lost...

Before those of us in the lost state of Illinois get too excited about trying to elect a reformer. The machine politicians and their minions are prone to vote for the democrat even if it were a blue dog over a person who might actually begin to repair this broke and broken state. Obama in 2012 using class warfare and demagoguery beat Romney in Illinois 58-41%. Assuming most of the unions members, the obedient plantation dwellers, hardcore democrats and just plain ignorant people will vote in response to lies and class warfare that the democrat machine will spew out in trying to re elect the man who without doubt is the worst Governor in IL history. BUT you can't fix stupid. I fear that even with a good campaign, Rauner is lost...

If a scientific discovery doesn't confirm the word of God its not science

Physicist: Big Bang breakthrough ‘confirms creation’

www.wnd.com

A Free Press For A Free People Since 1997

I believe one of the six. Does that make me1/6th insane??

6 Insane Medical Conspiracy Theories Half Of The Country Actually Believes

www.bustle.com

Whether it’s aliens, JFK’s assassination, or reptilian politicians, everybody loves a good conspiracy theory. Nearly half of Americans...

Update on when Spring is expected to arrive in each region —  

Love Made a Marriage

50 years ago this month.  I had a quandry.  I had two women between whom I was deciding for life.  One became my wife, one did not.  It wasn't a youthful passion.  It was indeed a decision that took about 4 months, but there was a critical juncture on which the whole decision turned.  There were new translations of the Bible coming out.  One of them was called the New English Bible.  It was the translation that formed the Amplified Bible from which the quote below comes. 

I had been in a discussion with both "Girls" at one time or another about the meaning of this passage in a relationship and in a marriage.  I was reminded of it because Pastor spoke on this last night in Church (we have church on Tuesday nights in Chicago). 

As he did I remembered this time that formed the marriage I have  today. I write a lot about marriage because it matters to me. 

When I shared the New English translation of 1 Corinthians 13 with Peggy and the other young lady, I found one said, "YES that's what it must be like.  Love is like that".

The other wasn't sure.  Thought there was more to be said about that.  Thought there needed to be other considerations.  Didn't know if real love needed to be all that.

I married the former.  I don't know how life came out for the latter.  I suspect that unless she learned to love in a Godly manner.. her marriage might have been more difficult than would have been needful.

This is what true love looks like.  Still does

4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

50 things to think about in life

“What you have to decide... is how you want your life to be. If your forever was ending tomorrow, would this be how you'd want to have spent it? Listen, the truth is, nothing is guaranteed. You know that more than anybody. So dont be afraid. Be alive.”
― Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

“In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.”
― Gordon B. Hinckley

“Enjoy life. There's plenty of time to be dead.”
― Hans Christian Andersen

“The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead.”
― Marjorie Pay Hinckley

“Live a good life. In the end it is not the years in a life, but the life in the years.”
― Abraham Lincoln

“Life is an adventure! So live it up!”
― L.M. Preston

“Don't you ever get the feeling that all your life is going by and you're not taking advantage of it? Do you realize you've lived nearly half the time you have to live already?”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

“There isn't so much to be afraid of, out there. I can remember thinking it was funny to find that out, on the last night of my life; I'd spent the rest of it being afraid of everything.”
― Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down

“I am not worried about dying, what I am worried about is not living”
― Saji Ijiyemi, Don't Die Sitting

Dan Pearce
“Death is most terrifying to those who have yet to live.”
― Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing




20 Things People Regret the Most Before They Die

Close your eyes and imagine that you’re at your own funeral—a bit morbid I know, but there’s a reason for it. Now think about what you’d like people to say about you. What kind of a life do you want to lead? People die with all kinds of regrets. Don’t be one of them.

1. I wish I’d cared less about what other people think.

It’s only when you realise how little other people are really thinking of you (in a negative sense) that you realise how much time you spent caring and wasting energy worrying about this.

2. I wish I had accomplished more.

You don’t have to have won an Oscar, built up a business or run a marathon, but having small personal accomplishments is important.

3. I wish I had told __ how I truly felt.

Even if the “one” doesn’t exist, telling someone how you truly feel will always save you from that gut wrenching”but what if…” feeling that could linger for life if you stay quiet.

4. I wish I had stood up for myself more.

Sometimes, it’s too easy to think that if you go all out to please everyone you’ll be liked more or your partner won’t run off with anyone else. I think age probably teaches us to be nice but not at the expense of our own happiness.

5. I wish I had followed my passion in life.

It’s so easy to be seduced by a stable salary, a solid routine and a comfortable life, but at what expense?

6. I wish our last conversation hadn’t been an argument.

Life is short, and you never really know when the last time you speak to someone you love will be. It’s these moments that really stay clear in peoples’ minds.

7. I wish I had let my children grow up to be who they wanted to be.

The realisation that love, compassion and empathy are so much more important than clashes in values or belief systems can hit home hard.


8. I wish I had lived more in the moment.

Watching children grow up makes you realise how short-lived and precious time really is, and as we age, many of us live less and less in the present.

9. I wish I had worked less.

There’s always a desire to have loosened up a bit more with this one and the realisation that financial success or career accomplishment doesn’t necessarily equal a fulfilled life.

10. I wish I had traveled more.

It can be done at any age, with kids or not but many talk themselves out of it for all kinds of reasons such as lack of money, mortgage, children, etc. When there’s a regret, you know it could have been possible at some stage.

11. I wish I had trusted my gut rather than listening to everyone else.

Making your own decisions and feeling confident in the decisions you make gives us fulfilment and joy from life. Going against your gut only breeds resentment and bitterness.

12. I wish I’d taken better care of myself.

Premature health problems or aging always makes you wonder if you’d eaten healthier, exercised more and been less stressed, would you be where you are today?

13. I wish I’d taken more risks.

Everyone has their own idea of what’s risky, but you know when you’re living too much in your comfort zone. In hindsight, some people feel they missed out on a lot of adventure life has to offer.

14. I wish I’d had more time.

Many people say time speeds up as we age. The six weeks of summer holidays we had as kids certainly seemed to last a lifetime. If time speeds up, then it’s even more important to make the most of every moment.

15. I wish I hadn’t worried so much.

If you’ve ever kept a diary and looked back, you’ll probably wonder why you ever got so worked up over X.

16. I wish I’d appreciated ___ more.

The consequences of taking people for granted are always hard to deal with.

17. I wish I’d spent more time with my family.

Some people get caught up with work, move to other parts of the world, grow old with grudges against family members only to realize their priorities were in the wrong place.

18. I wish I hadn’t taken myself so seriously.

Life is just more fun when you can laugh at yourself.

19. I wish I’d done more for other people.

Doing things for others just makes life more meaningful.

20. I wish I could have felt happier.

The realization that happiness is a state of mind that you can control sometimes doesn’t occur to people until it’s too late.

The Horror Story I read to Peggy to Change her mind

Let’s look at Sam and Nick.

They both earn $75,000 a year. Both have $50,000 in cash. Both buy a $250,000 house. Nick wants to minimize his mortgage, so he uses his $50,000 in savings as a down payment, and he opts for a 15-year loan at 6.75%. His monthly payment is $1,770 — but only 64% of that payment is tax-deductible interest; the rest is principal. Therefore, Nick’s net after-tax cost for his mortgage is $1,489. And to pay off his mortgage even quicker, Nick sends in an extra $100 with every payment. Of course, these payments are devoted entirely to principal, and therefore provide no tax deduction.

Nick’s decision to send extra payments to his lender is a critical point. You see, every time you send extra money to your mortgage company, you deny yourself the opportunity to invest that money elsewhere. In business school, professors call this “opportunity cost.” It means, essentially, that every time you turn left, you deny yourself the opportunity to turn right. So, although paying off the mortgage saves you interest, you deny yourself the chance to earn interest with the money you used to pay off the mortgage.

Sam understands this, and therefore, he obtains a 30-year mortgage at 7% (a bit higher than Nick’s rate). He puts down just $12,500 and finances the rest. Even though Sam’s mortgage balance is bigger than Nick’s ($237,500 compared to $200,000), his monthly payment is lower (because it’s a longer term). That’s not all. A full 88% of Sam’s payment is interest, meaning that Sam’s after-tax cost is just $1,234 a month — $255 less than what Nick has to pay! Sam invests this savings of $255 each month for five years, earning 8% after taxes per year. And, instead of sending an extra $100 a month to his mortgage company, as Nick does, Sam adds it to his savings.

Smart Sam versus Nervous Nick
Monthly payment: $1,580 Interest portion: 88% After-tax cost: $1,234 Sam’s payment is $255 less per month than Nick’s $1,770 64% $1,489.  Over five years, Sam has about $79,000 in savings and investments.

Nick, however, has no cash whatsoever, because he’s placed every available dollar into mortgage payments.

So, when both men suddenly find themselves out of work, Sam is in excellent financial condition, but Nick is in real trouble. He has no savings to tide him over, and he can’t gain access to the $100,000 worth of equity that’s in his house because, being out of work, the bank turned down his loan application. (It’s true: Lenders don’t care about how much equity you have in the house. They lend money only to people who can repay the loan).

With no job, Nick has no income, and therefore, he cannot qualify for a loan. Indeed, Nick has fallen victim to the biggest misconception in real estate: A mortgage is not a loan against the house; it’s a loan against your income. Without an income, you cannot obtain a loan.

If Nick doesn’t get a job real soon, he’ll lose his house. How ironic! Nick, who never wanted a mortgage in the first place and who did everything he could to eliminate his mortgage as quickly as possible, is now in serious financial jeopardy! 

Sam, though, is in much better shape. With $79,000 in savings, he’s easily able to make his payments each month. In fact, he can make mortgage payments for four years, giving himself plenty of time to find a new job! And that’s really my point. When you have a mortgage, you are required to make only that month’s payment. You are never required to pay off your loan immediately. You might want to do so, but that doesn’t mean you must do so. You must not send extra payments to your mortgage lender. Invest that money instead, just as Sam did.

Never prepay your mortgage payments like Nick did, because once you give money to a lender, the only way you’ll ever get it back is to re-borrow the money or sell the house. Selling your home is the last thing you want to do, and if unemployed, you probably will be unable to get a loan when you need it most. Besides, if you’re simply going to borrow it back later, why bother giving the money to the lender in the first place? Tip your hat to your spinning-in-his-grave grandfather, and go get a big, long-term mortgage today!

Peggy and I argue about this

The last few days we had a lot of discussion about this, but we finally resolved it.  This article helped us get to neutral over this difficult issue that plagues many households.

10 Great Reasons to Carry a Big, Long Mortgage By Ric Edelman

Never own your home outright. Instead, get a big 30-year mortgage, and never pay it off — regardless of your age and income.

Now, I know that you don’t want a mortgage. What you want is a house, but to get it, you must obtain a mortgage. If you’re like most folks, you hate your mortgage, and you’d love to get rid of it as soon as possible. You grimace at every monthly payment, and you know that, over 30 years, you’ll pay more in interest than you paid to buy the house in the first place. That’s why you put down as much money as possible — to keep the mortgage as small as you could. You might have taken out a 15-year loan to get the loan paid off in half the time, and might even be making extra payments, or perhaps signed up for one of those biweekly loan programs, all to enable you to get rid of the mortgage just as quickly as possible. You do all of these things, of course, for a very basic and deep-rooted reason: because your parents taught you that you should never have a mortgage, and the key to the American Dream is to own your home outright.

Yet, a Big 30-Year Mortgage Is Best Although your parents’ advice once made sense, today it is completely wrong. In today’s economic environment, a big, 30-year mortgage is the best thing you can have. (Now, don’t confuse the idea of a big mortgage with that of a big house; I am not endorsing the idea of buying as expensive a house as you can. Instead, you should buy the least expensive home you are willing to own — and then borrow as much as you can, and for as long as you can.)

So: Never pay off the mortgage. Reject 15-year loans, never make extra payments, and forget about those biweekly mortgage payment plans. Before you dismiss all this, read on — because I’m about to show you how your mortgage can help you make incredible amounts of money.

Strange and funny theologies.

The church of my youth has a core theology that to this day is rejected by nearly all theologians. The Old LCMS believed in the bodily physical corporeal resurrection of the body. To put that another way, somehow, some way God at the last day will gather up the parts and pieces of every person who has ever lived and reassemble them like a giant jigsaw puzzle and raise them up. I know where the ideas come from, but the fact is you have to twist bend and contort the word of God to make this all work. Yes, I know all the verses that attempt to support this.

I won't poke fun at this theology. I have stumped the best of LCMS seminarians with a few questions. In this "Reassembly" what about the decomposition that takes place, and recycles in plant life, then in bovine product (Hamburger) that is then ingested by another, and then passed and re-absorbed into the earth, to become another part of the life cycle.

What about those burned in fire, dust scattered to the four corners, to become part of topsoil. Who's molecules are those anyway?

Of course I always get the answer which goes something like this, "Well, I don't know how but God has the power to do whatever he wants to do. Sure, he could make us all kitty kats in the after life too. That might be necessary if some of those cats ate mice that ate grain that was grown in the dust laden topsoil from that fire above.

The mercy stroke (Coup de Grace) is the question is the issue of the thief on the cross. Jesus said, TODAY you will be with me in Paradise. Was he kidding? Did the thief rise from the dead bodily? Is his body still in the ground? Paul said that to be absent from the Body is to be present with the Lord. So what happens when the Body is somehow reassembled? Is he then Absent from the Lord if he is represent with the Lord.

Even Luther didn't believed in this. In his writings he intimates more of a soul sleep. I don't know how this got all messed up. I wrote of what happens after we die. I am not trying to change your theology, but as a great theologian once said, "What does the text say". Follow that bunny trail and you will come to the truth. When you die you are absent from the body and present with the Lord, you shall be like him. That is all we need to believe. I don't know how many people have been put off by this poor theology, but we need to be accurate and not traditional.

Apprenticeship is just that:

I had apprentices when I worked in Germany as the Chief Executive in a manufacturing plant.  When you become an apprentice as a person who is going to spend your life working with iron and steel, the first thing you must learn is how steel behaves.  Certainly you can read about it, get fancy diagnostic instruments to test for tensile strength and such, check it's carbon content by using a carborundum wheel and counting the spark content.  That would be one way. 

The way it's done is Germany is you take a raw piece of metal and drag another piece over the top of it to see how it reacts.  Scratches.  How different grades react to different abrasions.  Then you take a flat (bastard) file and begin to file several different samples of iron and steel to get a feel for how is resists or complies with the metal working.  Once you can tell a lot about the steel with just a file, you begin beating on them with a hammer, then under heat.  Etc.  You learn all you must know before you are moved up to welding, turning. forging, forming, smithing and such. You learn to do it by hand first...then with instruments.

There is a problem in our work force.  We do not train or learn the basics of certain skill sets before we place in people's hands the shortcuts to make it easier.  I point in particular to things like Quick books, Graphic Design, Website Management and a plethora of other "tools" that in the hands of the incompetent only allow people to produce more and higher stacks of paper without meaning.

The internet has made researech skill using library cards a lost art.  No one even knows how to farm a telephone book any more.  There are apps for that.  People can publish anything on Facebook or a  blog without a smidgen of necessity for the execution of the english language at any level. 

Unless you learned to write by hand in a notebook and read it back, you are not a writer.  Unless you leaned to keep a set of books in paper ledger books you are dangerous with Quickbooks.  Unless you long ago learned the basics of design on paper by hand, a graphic package for you is a detriment.  IF you don't know how to dig thru a cardex by hand, Google will dead end you.  WE have too much schlock in the world done by people who never learned to drag a bastard file over  a cold hard piece of steel.

Skill is lost... perhaps forever.  But  "there's an app for that"... the worst words in the world.  There is no app for being an apprentice. 

Eight Things a Person Could Do to Diminish the Greatness of the United States of America

There are many who believe that Barack Obama was motivated to be President of the United States to enact a radical agenda to transform the nation (http://www.dineshdsouza.com/books/the-roots-of-obamas-rage/)! Many believe his actions and language reveal he is against American exceptionalism. (“Understanding the meaning of American exceptionalism is indispensable for anyone who wants to understand what it has meant to be an American.” http://www.aei.org/module/1/american-exceptionalism) Many believe he wants to even the playing field, making the USA just one power amongst other developed nations.

The following are eight objectives a person would have to execute to effectively diminish the unique status of the USA as the leader of the free world:

1. Become the U.S. President

Although the U.S. Constitution counterbalances the office of president with Congress and the Supreme Court, the President still has enormous influence as the leader of the free world. The President would have the ability to set foreign and domestic policy; appoint members of the Supreme Court as well as numerous federal judges; and be able to push certain major initiatives through, even without an official vote of Congress.

Truly, becoming President would be a logical goal for any person wanting to be in the greatest position to radically diminish and/or transform our nation!

2. Alienate Global Allies

Since the world is flat and we live in a global economy, a person desiring to diminish the status of the USA as the world leader would intentionally disappoint their greatest allies. In the Middle East they would want to alienate Israel; in Western Europe they would want to disappoint powerful economic nations like Germany. For example, President Obama has had a very cold relationship with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, because of his position on the Palestinian issue and his weak posture towards Iran’s plans for developing a nuclear arsenal. Furthermore, the NSA scandal brought about by Edward Snowden revealed the USA has been spying on all their Western European allies, even to the point of listening in on the mobile phone calls of German President Angela Merkel! This of course has greatly damaged our relationships with several of our most important allies in major parts of the world, not including the great damage this scandal has done to our international credibility and other nations affected by illegal NSA probes.

3. Run up the National Debt

Another thing a person would do to diminish the power of this nation would be to weaken it economically through debt financing. To quote Peter Schiff: “The crisis is imminent. I don’t think Obama is going to finish his second term without the bottom dropping out. And stock market investors are oblivious to the problems. We’re broke. We owe trillions. Look at our budget deficit; look at the debt to GDP ratio, the unfunded liabilities. If we were in the Euro zone, they would kick us out.”

4. Push the Nation Away from Biblical Values

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) were given by God as a blueprint to bless a nation. Nations that adhere to these commandments will experience prosperity. For example, all the nations most affected by the Protestant Reformation became the world’s leading innovators; the USA was blessed primarily because it became only the second nation in history (other than Israel) to be founded by a covenant with God (the 17th century Mayflower Compact).

Unfortunately, President Obama has directed a policy turn towards the further secularization of the USA. For example, the Pentagon’s stance against biblical Christianity (http://www.wnd.com/2013/05/anti-christian-war-raging-at-pentagon/); forcing businesses like Hobby Lobby to fund abortion and contraception through Obamacare (http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/12/4743255/joshua-hawley-hobby-lobby-contraception.html); and his refusal to allow the Justice Department to defend DOMA (The Defense of Marriage Act).

5. Reduce the Military

Past presidents like Reagan believed in peace through strength. One of the main reasons why nations like Russia and China have not continued expanding their territories is because the U.S. military is a deterrent. The old Soviet Union was forced to compete with a huge military buildup initiated by Reagan. Their economy collapsed because they could not keep up with us!

Conversely, President Obama has continued to cut the military down to pre-World War II levels (http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/military-spending-cuts/pentagon-set-slash-military-pre-world-war-ii-levels-n37086)! These cuts are taking place at a time when Russia is attacking Ukraine, China is expanding their navy, and Iranian warships are coming close to U.S. coastlands (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/08/iran-sending-warships-close-to-us-borders/)!

6. Appease Foreign Enemies

Another way to weaken a country is to diminish their respect in the global theater while enabling their enemies to advance in their objectives. In the past several years we have witnessed the so-called Arab Spring uprisings that have enabled Islamic radicals’ rise to greater power in Islamic nations; we have seen President Obama publically draw a red line with Syria regarding the use of chemical weapons and then subsequently back away from his position when they tested him, while deferring to Vladimir Putin’s Syria plan, thus hurting U.S. credibility and empowering Russia; we have seen an Iranian general publically mock Obama (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/08/iran-sending-warships-close-to-us-borders/) and speak of annihilating Israel, our primary ally in the Middle East, while stringing along the U.S. and the U.N. regarding their intent on developing nuclear weapons.

Obama should learn from Britain Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement strategy with Hitler that failed miserably after he declared “peace for our time”!

Diplomacy will only work if you have the respect of your enemies!

7. Divide the Nation along Race and Ideology

A nation divided against itself cannot stand. Obama originally campaigned on a promise to end bipartisan bickering and to be the president of a unified nation. Unfortunately, the opposite has happened with more hatred and animosity enveloping the nation since the 19th century War Between the States!

Obama is constantly blaming Republicans for the nation’s ills thus further dividing Congress (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/01/obama-s-achilles-broken-promise-of-bipartisanship-may-sink-reelection.html). Under his administration the IRS has been empowered to investigate conservative groups and to make it harder for those ideologically opposed to him to receive official government status. Knock out attacks are proliferating across the nation (http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/22/justice/knockout-game-teen-assaults/). All in all, there seems to be more division in this nation than at any other time in our history!

Obviously it is not all Obama’s fault, but under his leadership the racial and ideological divide in our nation has grown worse! A person wanting to radically diminish a nation would want to highlight what divides it rather than what can unite it. To quote an article from Investors.com regarding President Obama:

“But the divisive attitude was around before he was elected. It was while campaigning in April 2008 that he dismissed small-town folks as ‘bitter’ people who ‘cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them’ when they get frustrated….

“There’s more. He once said his grandmother ‘is a typical white person,’ told Latinos they should say ‘We’re going to punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends,’ and complained about ‘our own right-wing domestic terrorists who are subverting the American democratic process.’

“Earlier this year, a Gallup Poll found Obama to be, in the words of the Washington Post, ‘The most polarizing president. Ever.’

“Clearly, he has become the president of some Americans and not others.” (http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/081712-622729-obama-most-divisive-president.htm)

8. Bypass Congress and Ignore the Constitution

Any person who wants to diminish our nation would have to ignore the U.S. Constitution and appoint officials and federal judges with the same disregard for our founding documents as they have. This is a must in order to carry out their agenda without being counterbalanced by Congress and the judicial branch. To quote black conservative Armstrong Williams:

“Our Founding Fathers crafted the Constitution with divided powers as such for good reason. With the powers of government limited through the division between our Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, the actions of government would ideally grow more coherent in terms of resonating in consensus with society….

“President Barack Obama, former professor of Constitution law, effectively announced that as president of the United States he was ignoring the spirit of the Constitution. In lieu of his incapability to get agreement with Congress he is willing to use executive power to implement laws that Congress will not officially endorse….

“President Obama has decided he is no longer willing to work with the Republican Party in Congress to pass legislation. His desire and will for reaching compromises has wholly diminished. He has made clear that he will henceforth move with actively implementing laws without convincing a majority of the Congress that it is the right thing to do. This is in clear violation of our Constitution.”
(http://www.newsmax.com/ArmstrongWilliams/Obama-Constitution-division-powers/2014/02/04/id/550827#ixzz2vPsuCzfk)

Finally, it is the opinion of many that President Obama has a radical agenda bent on diminishing the superpower status of the U.S. I personally do not think he hates the American people but he sincerely believes what’s best for the world at large is a humanistic progressive ideology leading to a new world order (http://www.wnd.com/2014/01/uprising-as-obama-plans-to-skirt-congress-on-new-world-order/) which, left unchecked, could lead to a serious diminution of our nation. His global highbrow egalitarian vision is paving the way for our nation to be merely one of possibly three superpowers (along with the E.U. and an Asian alliance led by China and possibly India: http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/01/10/crux-of-asia-china-india-and-emerging-global-order/f0gw).

We don’t have much time left to stop this ideological/political train that has already left the station!

RANT AGAINST IDIOTS

The simple-minded, the emotion-driven, the false-science-loving and low-information voter's heroes have decided to reeeeeeally reeeeeeeally scold the bad, bad weather, bludgeon every last tax dollar out of us and regulate us down to corkscrew lightbulb using Luddites who "Choose" to live with less, live in cold homes in winter and roast in hot homes in summer, forsake our cars and peddle bikes, wearing helmets like little Barry Trayvon of course, and stop eating meat because of those bad, bad, farting cows.
Yes!
These are the solutions of the Einstein's in the Democrat Party in Congress.
Stayed up all night, they did, in order to get serious about the hoax of 'Global Warming.'
You see, there's nothing else serious going on.
No unemployment.
No imploding Obamacare crisis.
No IRS, NSA, CIA, FBI, FCC, DOE, DOJ.....federal agencies trampling citizen's rights.
No teetering economy or stock market bubble about to burst.
No illegal aliens draining our economic, medical and education resources.
No foreign enemies rattling their sabres at us while we shrink our military.
No.
The really big deal is pretend that mankind can force Mother Nature to be nice.
That's really going to work.
And it makes the hardworking Democrats look so caring and concerned.
Who knows, maybe idiot voters who elected Barry Trayvon Hussein twice will fall for it?
We'll all be sitting around in caves and starving next year.
But we'll be 'Saving the planet!'

The painful reality in America:

The painful reality in America: for increasingly more it is now more lucrative - in the form of actual disposable income - to sit, do nothing, and collect various welfare entitlements, than to work.

And that trend appears to be accelerating as more and more men drop out of the workforce...

and the demise of opportunity continues unabated...

... "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth (or amount of stock ownership).

There are clues to your entrepreneurial instincts

When you consider a line of work or a job give yourself one point for each of these you thought about in deciding:

1. You ask what kind of retirement plan they have
2. Benefits are very important to you in this consideration
3. The number of hours required on this job matters
4. What kind of advancement is available and what kind of pay increase is there.
5. You weigh the amount of hours you will work versus the pay
6. Worry about being held responsible for things without the authority to change things
7. Being appreciated for the work you do is very important to you
8. If a better job for more pay comes along you are on the alert for it
9. A good title matters to you.
10. It matters what people think about you and your work

IF you Scored 7-10 points you will be happiest working for others. Don't go into business on your own.  It will drive you crazy.

IF you Scored 4-6 points you might be able to be in business for yourself, but you would do better if you have a partner to keep you balanced.

IF you Scored 1-3 points you can make it, but you have a few mental obstacles to overcome.  Making it on your own means you cannot have anything that holds you back.  You still have a couple strongholds... but they can be overcome.

IF you Scored 0 you are already in business for yourself and will become a very wealthy person. Congratulations. You are part of the one percent..

Traits the successful entrepreneurs have in common

Not to disqualify anyone that doesn’t fit under these guidelines, but they can give you an idea if you are one of a select few that can rise to the top of their field.

1. You have to be willing to work hard. It’s the cornerstone of every successful person. Colin Powell: “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”

2. You are not a quitter. You actually hate giving up. Even if there are setbacks, you will persevere until you make progress or have exhausted all means of resolving a problem.

3. That work ethic and determination stem from one thing: passion. You love what you do and you do it for the satisfaction, not for the money. That’s not to say you shouldn’t make money; it’s to say your love for the work is stronger than the drive for money.

4. You are creative. Look, you can be a math whiz, but it you don’t know what to do with those numbers, it’s not such a big deal. You need to be bubbling with ideas. Some may be corny and never pan out, but others could turn into mega success stories. People such as Thomas Edison and George Washington Carver came up with lots of ideas that didn’t amount to squat.

5. You stay current. You are not afraid to learn about trends and how they will impact your dreams or how they could impact your ideas.

6. The ability and willingness to learn are important. There’s a saying: “The best leaders are the best listeners.” Someone doesn’t have to be a brainiac for you to learn from him/her. A farmer can teach you more about food than a college-educated nutritionist.

7. You are willing to take chances. However, don’t jump the gun and think that’s an OK to head to the casino. It’s about taking calculated risks: well thought-out plans.

8. You’re smart. Again, going to school is a good thing, but you also need good common sense. Successful business owners tend to be people with above-average intelligence.

9. You are a visionary. That means you can see the big picture. You can see beyond your great idea and how it can grow and impact the world.

10. You’re a completer. You don’t leave projects unfinished.

11. You recognize your weakness. You are not afraid to realize you are stuck and need help.

12. You’re excited. People love to be around you because you exude this energy that is attractive. And that’s important because you are not going to be able to climb the mountain of success alone. You are going to have to be able to attract investors or the expertise of others. And if they love being around you, that’s half the battle.

13. You take care of yourself. No one expects you to look like Beyoncé or Tyson Beckford, but your health is important to keeping your mind sharp and your body ready for long days or hard work"

14.  Relationships are more valuable than resources. It is important to know what you are doing, to know your specific skill set, but it is more important who you know. If you have to make a choice between Resources (money) and Relationships (who you know), who you know always trumps what you know and money every time. Build quality loyal relationships with as many people as you can. Never ever burn a bridge; you never know those toes you step on today may be attached to the butt you will need to kiss later. Never burn a bridge... just make distance if the relationship isn't working.



There are markers to entrepreneurial instincts and predictors to future success.

When you consider a line of work or a job give yourself one point for each of these you thought about in deciding:

1. You ask what kind of retirement plan they have
2. Benefits are very important to you in this consideration
3. The number of hours required on this job matters
4. What kind of advancement is available and what kind of pay increase is there.
5. You weigh the amount of hours you will work versus the pay
6. Worry about being held responsible for things without the authority to change things
7. Being appreciated for the work you do is very important to you
8. If a better job for more pay comes along you are on the alert for it
9. A good title matters to you.
10. It matters what people think about you and your work

IF you Scored 7-10 points you will be happiest working for others. Don't go into business on your own. It will drive you crazy.
IF you Scored 4-6 points you might be able to be in business for yourself, but you would do better if you have a partner to keep you balanced.
IF you Scored 1-3 points you can make it, but you have a few mental obstacles to overcome. Making it on your own means you cannot have anything that holds you back. You still have a couple strongholds... but they can be overcome.
IF you Scored 0 you are already in business for yourself, if you have the 14 traits listed above you will become a very wealthy person. Congratulations. You are part of the one percent..