We Need A Universal Phone Charger

Buy a new cell phone, gotta get a new battery charger. What a rip- off! The technology can't be complicated. It's intentional and designed to add incrementally to earnings.

Manufacturers show their disdain for their customers and for the environment. Obsolete chargers end up in the trash.

Rumors abound that a universal charger is in the works. I'm hopeful that the smartphone industry behaves honorably and respects both their customers and the environment. Patronize those that do, avoid the holdouts.

What Can Congress Be Thinking?

Our Congressional motto: Since we don't have the nads to solve big problems we'll spend our time on resolutions. Don't those guys understand the country has problems and it's their job to find solutions? They ALL need to be voted out.

Our Congress debated and passed a resolution that called the slaughter of thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, in 1915, an act of genocide. That's right, Armenians, Ottoman Empire, and 1915. If the USA were experiencing a boom, had full employment, ran a surplus,was not involved in two wars, and was well on the way to paying off the nation's debt and funding social security and other social programs, maybe, just maybe, I could condone Congress wasting time on a Turkish issue. The White House said quit it, you're screwing up US-Turkish relations at both the defense and business levels. This isn't good for our country.

But they passed the resolution. Congress has done this twice before. We've been stupid since the 1970s! Our Congressional leaders don't have the spine to tell Armenian backers that it isn't an American issue and the country is fully occupied with real problems that need attention. The Armenian resolution is symptomatic of how Washington works: sound caring, look busy, and accomplish nothing.

Vote them all out.

The 20 Year Battery

The year was 1990 and I was on the cutting edge of technology. I purchased a HP 12C Scientific Calculator. Yes, a calculator! Do they still make calculators? Would a child know what one is? Other than the application that is built into each computer and phone?

The HP was a fantastic machine. Simple to use, once you mastered the entry sequences, and capable of calculating complex equations easily. Beyond simple math and percentages, most of my usage was devoted to calculating net present value and return on investment. I've used the same calculator for 20 years! Twenty years of usage sounds plausible for artwork and traditional furniture, but electronics? Quite a machine.

It died a few days ago. But Easter came early. I pried the back off to discover three small batteries, the gems that had kept it operating for 20 years, and wondered if they still sold that variety. Later that day my wife came back from the mall with three new batteries that a fellow in a kiosk assured her would work perfectly. They did and the HP 12C is functional again. I'm counting on another 20 years.

I don't have a clue about the technology that kept 3 batteries humming for 20 years, but that manufacturer knows how to build a quality product. I hope they are working on a battery for an electric car because they are apt to get its design right.

Decorators; Please Invent Something To Replace Pillows

Our bed is covered with pillows as are the chairs in our sitting area. Each morning the bed gets made and the pillows replaced. In the evening the process is reversed. Downstairs we have pillows everywhere. It looks nice. But we stack them on side chairs because we need to sit, read, and watch television. When we know someone is visiting, we have to put them back on display. We've been doing this for years.

It's time to invent some other type of decoration for furniture. I can stand it no longer. My wife has her decorator coming to the house in a couple of days to work on a project and I intend to ask if pillows are on their way to extinction. I hope so.

Vote Them All Out

The Orlando Sentinel, not usually known as a bastion of hard reporting, actually had an interesting article this morning. Unfortunately it made me sick. Our legislators, once again, were proving to be unworthy of our trust. Their disdain for their constituents is getting old. They all, even the good ones because you often can't tell who is really wearing the white hat, need to be voted out again and again until new public servants understand they work for us.

The latest charade is the State of Florida telling us they have reduced staff and have not replaced open positions. 5500 positions have been open for more than one month. That sounds like it could be cutting to the bone, which is what the legislature said when it found it necessary to raise selected taxes and fees over the past year. Now it is reported that state law KEEPS FUNDING those positions until they are eliminated! The money can be used for pay increases or to fund other expenses. The head count may be down, but the costs continue. Government has no respect for those that provide them with the money they waste. Maybe they are correct. If we remain stupid and let the pillaging continue, maybe we don't deserve any respect.

Let's prove them wrong and start voting them all out. Again and again.

The Martians Will Never Attack Us

I have a golfing buddy that is fond of saying the Martians will never attack because they're afraid of us. When they look down and see how we behave, they shake their heads and decide to stay far away as we are too scary.

What kind of creatures determine that tobacco is harmful, then taxes it to death, but still subsidizes tobacco farming? What specie would allow an elected official, a public servant, like Nancy Pelosi, to have a huge aircraft for personal commuting? The list can go on forever.

Spock was logical. I'm sure Martians would be logical.We are so illogical it is scary. No wonder the Martians will never attack.

No Debt Is Freedom

I have no idea what my credit score might be. 500 or 1000?I'm not even sure of the parameters. Can it get to 1000? It makes no difference as I don't borrow money.

My finances haven't always been so fortunate. As the family was growing we certainly had credit card debt and home mortgages. As a business owner, I was a steady customer of the bank for working capital financing and equipment loans. But, the philosophy has always been pay down debt as fast as possible, don't push the debt envelope.

Institutional credit scoring didn't exist when I was a borrower. Fair Isaac hadn't made their FICO score ubiquitous yet. Creditors looked at all aspects when determining whether to lend money. You either got the money or you didn't. Today consumers are concerned about their number. They should be concerned about their debt! No debt is the ultimate freedom. Forget about tax deductiblity and leveraged return on investment. No debt lets you say "go pound sand" to any decision or answer you don't like. Trust me. Get out of debt and you'll start enjoying life again and you won't have to know your credit score.