Viewsyoucanuse2

  Much has been said and written about Trump and his Presidency. He is not a great leader or particularly smart. Regardless, Trump is the disruptor who may be able to change the course of Federal Government. Many believe that the "Two Party System" is really the One-Party system of Big Federal Government. Both Parties support ever increasing Federal Spending and bigger deficits. Our national debt is $33 Trillion dollars. This is unsustainable and the solution will be painful. People ask me, "How can you vote for this guy?" The answer is simple. He might be the only person who can stop the increasing march of Tax & Spend Federal Government. Trump simply does not care what people think and he is just outrageous enough to do the things we need to get done. He supports Project 2025, and the changes called for in the manifest. Time will tell us if he is the right guy for the job. Nobody else could endure the ongoing criticism he gets for every decision he makes.

 THE HOA....one of the worst ideas For over 25 years I have lived in a home with a Homeowners Association. An HOA. Twice before I was an HOA Board Member. To quote my neighbor Ron, "It is a thankless job."  In 2019 we moved to Hillcrest, a Gated Community on the hills in Carbon Canyon. To our south is the Chino Hills State Park. To our north is Tres Hermanos, a land conservancy. We are just 5 miles away from the city of Brea in a remote quasi wilderness sandwiched between two very large "parks". It's not like Montana but we do have coyotes, deer, and rattlesnakes. See the photo from our yard overlooking the Canyon.  Six months after we moved in a neighbor invited us over to a meeting. Homeowners had several complaints about the Builder and the HOA the Builder ran. As the Builder wrapped up final construction the HOA became a true Homeowner group. My wife, Pam, was the first HOA President.  I tried to help get neighbors elected to the HOA Board. Our little commun...

  18 Months ago, Jannis Herminghaus came to live with us as an exchange student. He was naive but eager to learn about California and America. In six months, he became part of our family. We wanted him to come back. His family would not let him return for Christmas, so a year went by. Then his parents agreed he could come back He returned for our summer vacation in Big Sky. It was like old times having him back part of our family. Yesterday, his time was up and he had to return to Germany. He was pretty tough. No tears inspite of some regrets. He has a girlfriend here and he loves living in California. What will be the future. Jannis will graduate from  Gymnasium next July. He hopes to move to California, find job and go to college. I'm not sure how this will all happen. But if we look at his history, t wo years ago,  he was a lonely kid in Germany wishing he could come to California. He made that happen. Don't count him out. He will be back.

  In many ways, my life has been similar to a Phillip Roth book or Rolling Stones song.  I feel driven to accomplish or fix stuff. When things do not work out as expected, I become frustrated and outspoken. Twice this past week I have been told my style is offensive. One person called it "unprofessional" the other called me an "asshole'. They both felt very smug having shared their point of view. It really is irrelevant to me. I am not driven as a matter of choice. I can't change who I am and at 75, why try? I spend time thinking. I ask myself and others around me, why is this happening? Most ignore me. Others don't know or don't care.  Sebastian Maniscalco asks, in his standup routine: "Why would you do that?" I understand how he feels. I have expectations about almost everything and everyone. 80% of the time I am disappointed. When this happens, I try to "fix" it by discussing my expectation. This leads to conflict or arguments. Surp...

 December 15, 1947 My parents were Bill and Mary May. They grew up during the Depression. Both lost their father when they were young. Neither went to High School. They were poor kids from large families with a single mother. My Grandmother was from Ireland and to provide for his children, she made and sold whiskey during prohibition. She was charged and sentenced with violation of the Volstead Act / 18th Amendment. My mom grew up in foster care while her mother did Federal Time. My dad and his older brothers drove a truck from Southern Illinois to Chicago once a week to bring illegal alcohol back to sell in East St Louis. Dad was 15 and rode Shotgun on the truck. We still have the shotgun. [Meredith] Dad said when WW II came he was 20 and had no education or skill. The Army wanted men who could kill and it was the only thing he was good at. He went to land on the beach at Okinawa. After the Second World War my parents met and realized they had everything in common. They were survi...

 LIBERALS....what we learned from the reformers We have heard it all for over 100 years. Not a day goes by that I don’t read some silly nonsense on the internet regarding America. Much of it is complaining about how America doesn’t do enough, or more, to care for people. Robert Reich and Bernie Sanders are the leading complainers. They tell us; “three Billionaires have more wealth than the other 99% of Americans.” Or that; “inequality is growing in the richest country in the world.” Let’s think this through. First it is important to agree…they are correct. Second, so what? America was founded and built on one central idea:  New Wealth . The middle class had become wealthy in Europe, but they were not Royalty and likely never would become Royalty. These entrepreneurs and business owners had grown tired of sharing the wealth with the Nobility. They wanted a place that they could own and create new wealth beyond the reach of European Monarchs. They established Trading Comp...