Debt is not a Percentage!

I like to listen to the News, most mornings i simply turn on the radio to my local NPR station, which in this case is KUAF and i get my morning fill of national and international current events, as well as local events. I find the drive into work very relaxing and informative!

This morning was a little different than most because this morning i was driving on sheets of ice while freezing rain is ouring down on the window. Of course this is making noise, so i turn the volume on the radio up so i can hear what is goinng on in the world. The station was the same, KUAF, but the person they were interviewing was describing our national debt, more specifically how the national debt has gone down. WHAT!!! So many things were going through my head at this point including :how we managed to lower the debt, where did all the money come from, and more importantly, how much of the revenue used to reduce the national debt was taken from my personal income taxes?

I decided to listen to the person on the radio a little longer and was surprised to hear that "we do not have a debt problem in the United States, and nor did we ever have a debt problem". Astonishing! I was about to ask the question before i heard it across the airwaves, "How can you determine we do not have a debt problem", the response was, "we do not have a debt problem because the percent of debt to GDP has gone down over the past couple of years". I can't remember what the actual percent quoted wass, but the fact that they would measure debt as a percent of GDP and determine that debt was going down as the result is a problem.

Let me clarify, i think that if the debt to GDP percent is going down, that is probably a good thing. However, just because the percent goes down, does not mean that the debt is going down. It could mean that the GDP is going up and even if our debt is going up, as long as it is at a slower rate than GDP, it would appear that the debt was decreasing as a percent of GDP. At the end of the day, if the national debt is $10 Trillion today and two years from now it is $13 Trillion, debt is going up, regardless of what percent it is of GDP. Stop playinng games, the gameof life is real! Spend money like it was your own, save money for the future, and think of the real impact that the financial decisions have on the American public. You people in Congress are on tax payer time and you need to come up with a real solution to this Debt Ceiling that does not involve you spending more money. Grow Up!

Change Someone's Life for the Better

What does it mean to "Change"?

change

verb \ˈchānj\

: to become different
: to make (someone or something) different

: to become something else

I have not accomplished everything I have set out to in this world, and I am not the "Most Interesting Man in the World", but when it comes to change, I am well beyond the skill set of novice. Change is not always the easiest thing to do, but it is accomplished by completing a few tasks:

• Make a decision! Decide what you would like to do if nothing were standing in your way.
• Determine the obstacles standing in your way.
• Enlist someone's help to overcome the obstacles or to give you support. You did not invent the wheel and it is highly likely that you already know someone who has crossed the same hurdles you need to overcome.

Easier said than done, right? Well take this for example...A young man from Fayetteville, Arkansas has a dream to become a great musician. OK, he is already a great musician...but he wants to make it in the music business. He has a loving family, great kid, and teaches at Fayetteville Highschool. For as long as he can remember he has had a passion for music and he surrounds himself with other talented people to help him accomplish his dream of making it big in the music industry.

The musician I am talking about is Barrett Baber and the people he surrounds himself with are people like Aaron Schauer, and all of you who have been part of his family in music, church, school, or in life. Barrett has decided to compete in a contest to win the Gig of a Lifetime, which will afford a fortunate artist the opportunity to play at the Grammy's! The idea of going to the Grammy's, forget playing at the Grammy's, is something that most of us can only consider in our dreams, but for Barrett it could be a reality. There is so much more to learn about Barrett that i cannot put into words and it would defeat the point of me trying to because this blog is intended to be about change!

Barrett has decided that he wants his music to be heard and why shouldn't the whole world hear it! He has determined the obstacles standing in his way, and he has enlisted our help to overcome these obstacles. We can all help Barrett by voting for him to win the Gig of a Lifetime. You can vote the max votes for him on Facebook and on Twitter by including #BarrettBaber #SurfaceGRAMMYGig in your tweets. For most of us, this will take a few minutes and when the contest is over, we will be the same, but for Barrett it will change the stars and help his dreams come true!

If you gain nothing else from reading this post try to consider, if you had the power to change someone's life and help them reach their dreams would you do it? I know i would! I am thankful for all of the people in my life who have helped me to love, to learn, and to laugh! Thank you for helping my dreams come true. 

New Year's Resolution!

At some point in our lives we all have regrets. Some people regret not trying hard enough, others regret not having lost the right amount of weight. These are normal things to make one feel regretful.

What concerns me isn't the regretful moments, but rather those people who manage to skate through ann entire year withut a clue or care in the world of the people they had to step on or step over to acheive bliss in their fish bowl of a world. They have no regrets, because regret is a feeling that resides beneath them. In their minds regret is something reserved the people in the world who work hard for a living, who are always at work on time, and for those people who care about the product they create. we see these people all the time...These are the people who never talk to you throughout the year, but will send you a Christmas card with a family photo printed on $12 card stock. Really?

With this in mind I have a created a few New Year's Resolutions for myself, because I do care about the work i do and the people i impact:

1- Change someone's Life for the better!

2- Start a Business with some Friends that will make $15,000 a year, then double it next year.

3- Develop a Healthier Lifestyle, including food and activities.

4- Kill the family of moles that have invaded my yard. 

5- Spend more time with my Friends and the People who matter in my Life

6- Be kinder to animals, except for the moles!

7- Write a Book, fiction would be better.

8- Drink a bottle of Scotch with other's to celebrate their successes

9- Control my temper when the Recycle and Trash people fail to pickup my waste on time.

10- Love my Family, Love my Friends, and Love my Neighbor, because regardless of how crazy they are, they make life worth living!

I will try to stay on task this year, but will definitely need some help to stay on point. If all else fails, i can just drink the scotch!