A Few Thoughts On Thanksgiving

Grace.

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American Holiday. I remember being in England once over Thanksgiving and having a nice British gentleman wish me a Happy Thanksgiving. They don't have Thanksgiving in England or the rest of the world. There was something about the way he looked at me that seemed to say " you Americans have a special place in history and the world looks up to you. "

Grace.

I like Thanksgiving more than Christmas. One gets all the festive activities, but none of the angst, the pace is relaxed, and it is spread out of several days. Great fall weather, a little touch football with family members, seeing old friends who are "back in town" for a few days.

Grace.

When we prideful Virginians think about Thanksgiving we think of colonists at Berkeley Plantation, thanking God for their safe arrival. Others think of Pilgrims being thankful for the great abundance of the New World. We Americans have been blessed like no other people in the history of the world; wealth, a just society of laws and freedoms to pursue our interest and worship as we wish.

Grace.

However, despite the abundance of things in our lives, we are never really satisfied. Our human condition makes us self centered and narcisstic. No matter who we are or what our station is in life, we all have anxieties and fears: finances, relationships, health, prideful jealosies and we never seem satisfied.

Grace.

I think the real gift of Thanksgiving is that God loves us abundantly, so much that he gave his son for us and that the ultimate comfort is not the "things" we have, but in the thought that we need not fear about anything....

'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home. John Newton circa 1760

IT IS CRIMINAL

Suppose the City Council of Richmond, Virginia drafted a 1900 page bill on Wednesday and on Saturday voted to take over all the construction businesses in the greater Richmond area AND in addition voided all the contractual relationships of every citizen who had any kind of relationship with these businesses AND dictacted to all these citizens the terms of which their new relationships with these businesses were to be? If you are a plumber and own your own business, now the government tells you how much to charge and what services you must provide to Mrs. Jones, the lady with a clogged sink. It competes against you using taxpayer money. If you are Mrs. Jones, now the government tells you what plumber you must use and even though all you need is for your sink to be unclogged, you must pay for new faucets and drainlines. If Mrs. Jones doesn't abide by the new terms the government sets, she will go to jail and pay a $250,000 fine.

You can bet, the good people of Richmond would tell the city government to go to hell and there would be malfeasance and corruption charges brought against these politicians in about 30 seconds.

We live in Orwellian times. Right now as you are playing golf or watching college football on this Saturday afternoon, the U.S. Congress, an absolutely corrupt and morally bankrupt institution, is voting to take over 16.67% of the U.S economy, seizing property from its owners at the point of a bayonet.

Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Patrick Henry

Rob Is Right.

ROB'S PLAN FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM

The Rob Plan is the BEST plan. Instead of having a "Public Option," let's have a "Private Option." It works like this: we leave all the stupid, asinine, idiotic federally mandated regulations in place, but give John and Jane Doe hardworking American taxpayer the opportunity to opt out and "do their own thang." The Does will be able to buy health insurance over state lines, deduct their premiums (just like businesses do), buy coverage that limits their ability to sue their doctor and choose their coverages. They can even choose the medical school their doctor graduated from, or get this: no school at all, that's right, if they want Granny Clampett to doctor them, why that's their business. You see folks the problem with health care is about 60 years ago the government got involved. We all know what happens when the government tries to help us. During WWII, one of Mr. Roosevelt's hairbrain schemes was to put a freeze on prices and wages (which is impossible), so businesses starting to give away benefits to evade the wage controls, like health insurance to employees. The feds allow employers to deduct the insurance, but not the individual, creating an incentive for someone else to be in charge of your health care instead of the individual. OPM, other people's money. "Who cares how much it costs, a third party is paying for it." You can bet your sweet a_ _, that if you are paying your doctor directly for the doctoring he is doing, you are going to be all over him like white on rice to make sure you are getting your money's worth. In our free market economy, this is what drives down prices and drives up quality: people voting with their own dollars, people with "skin in the game." Look around you right now: what do you see? A computer, a desk, a lamp, maybe some copying paper, a picture frame with your wife and kids in it. The government doesn't regulate computers, desks, lamps, copying paper and picture frames. When was the last time you heard anybody complaining about the price of lamps? Been to Walmart lately? Do we have a lamp crisis in this country. Hell no, you can buy any lamp you want, any time you want and have a zillion and 16 choices. Heath care is absolutely no different. Let their be a PRIVATE OPTION and it will drive the nanny state, whimpering, government sycophants crazy (the same folks who hate Walmart), because they realize that when markets are allowed to work, there is no need for a professional class of whiners and crybabies.

Understanding economics and market forces is as simple as understanding human nature. Remember: Rob is right.