Southern Sojourner

Rants and Raves at the end of 38

    First, thanks to all the well wishers that offered their thoughts on my birthday.  Most came through Facebook, which I haven't used much of late.  I was wasting too much time on it so I got away from it, though it is great way to find old acquaintances. That said, I appreciate all the greetings, but I can't respond individually to each you.  I am sure you understand.

    Life has been busy. I hate saying that because I don't want to come off like one of those incessant whiners who is always complaining about being busy as if they are to be rewarded for their martyrdom. It is so tiresome.  We are all busy, so get over it.

    So I am not griping in the least.  I feel blessed .  My business continues to grow and the prospects of a sustainable career are now within sight. But running a growing business by yourself, attempting to serve your clients as they rightly deserve, trying to be technologically efficient while trying to continue marketing efforts that will keep new business coming in, all the while maintaining life balance with my family, friends and having time for myself as well has proven challenging.  Blogging has suffered as a consequence.

    As usual there have been many stories that have caught my attention, other events that are worth sharing. So since, it is 11:15 P.M. I will use the ubiquitous bullet format for what has been happening in my mind and life that merits a mention.

• One of the great things about having a toddler:  Goldfish!  You would never feel right about buying this stuff for yourself, but Emerson has been very generous with her Goldfish and her old man thanks her. Delicious.

• Alabama is the 2nd fattest state in the country and 66% of the population has a gun.  Yikes.  Perhaps if we (I do mean we) got off our lazy ass butts and quit getting our fears aroused by over dramatized news, we would drop a few pounds and quit shooting each other.

• We sold Tracy's car and we now have a three weeks to find her a new one before she heads back to school.  I hate cars. I hate the fact that we have to have two.  I hate the fact Birmingham has no reputable and reliable mass transportation system.  I hate having to save for two years only to spend it all on a depreciating utility that destroys our environment, makes oil companies richer, and will have to be replaced in another 5-7 years.

• I am not looking forward to the Olympics, but I am looking forward to the political conventions.  I love patriotic drunken happy liars. I don't like seeing people's dreams and life's ambitions shattered in a matter of moments. For every medal winner there are all those loser's who have worked so hard for nothing.  Just sad. 

• I have an iPhone and I love it.  The Pandora application is fantastic as is the NY Times access. It is a fabulous piece of technology.  That said, I will not put an "apple" sticker on my vehicle window.  I will not trash PC users and I will not claim moral superiority.  Take note Mac users.

• The Tannehill Promenade is coming to life.  The movie house, a restaurant are already open.  Target and Publix open this week.  Coming are more restaurants, shops and crap like that.  I am looking forward to reducing my spending in Hoover.

• I heard from my old room mate in college on facebook and I am really looking forward to talking with him on the phone soon.  That is news in itself because as a rule I hate the phone.  It is one of the necessary evils in this society.  I just do not like talking on the phone.

• I finished 2nd out of 2,700 players in the Full Tilt Poker freeroll tournament the other night.  I was stoked.  It did take almost 6 hours and my winnings amounted to a little over $2 per hour, but I'll take a free $12 anyday particularly on something as enjoyable as poker.

• Finally, what is the friggin' deal with these Bluetooth devices. Really, do you have to have that goofy thing in your ear all the time.  We ate dinner at Bottega tonight and there were these four folks at the table next to us.  It was obvious that is was a business dinner.  And there was this guy, sitting there in his suit and tie and this stupid blinking ear piece in his ear.  I wanted to stab my fork into his temple (or maybe mine).  If you are having a dinner with friends, business associates, or family or whomever, show a little respect and demonstrate that for the next hour or so you are committed to them and that conversation and turn your stinking phone off.  AAAHHHHRRRHHH!  That just drives me crazy.

• Bottega is deliciously overpriced.  My food was very good but good grief.  And the pretense in that place is palpable.  That is definitely not my scene.

Anyway, in reading back over this it appears like I am griping a lot.  But the reality is I start my 39th year tomorrow and life is good even when it is busy.  I hope to hear from many of you soon.  E-mail, comment on the blog or drop by the house rather than call though. :)

Liberty and Justice for All?

Monday, the Alabama Senate will again consider SB 431 which would allow for a statewide vote on whether to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries.  The are needing one vote to get this thing to the voters.  Three Republican senators abstained from the vote last time, so hopefully one of them will wake up and do the right thing and get this thing over the hump.

Look, this is not a vote to eliminate the tax, it is just a vote to allow the citizens of this state to vote whether or not to eliminate it.  It seems to me that the Senators need to trust us citizens to do what is right.  What is right, however, seems to me to be fairly obvious, if you have any sense of justice in you.

Consider this:

• Alabama is only one of 2 states in whole USofA that place a full sales tax on groceries. 
• Alabama is one of only 2 states in good ol' America that levy more than $300 in income tax for a family of four at the poverty line.
• Alabama is one of only 2 states from sea to shining sea where a family of four has be start paying tax on income as low as $12,600!  That is a family of four on $12,600.

Republicans have, of course, cried afoul.  "NO FAIR!" they shout.  We will not allow "wealth to be redistributed."  We will not raise taxes on some for the benefit of others. They will try to guilt you into thinking that the wealthy are overly burdened by carrying the weight of this state's financial load.  The top 20% of income earners in the state are paying 47% of tax revenue.  That is almost half, they will say.  It is just not fair, they lament through their bourbon breath.Why should only 20% of the population pay 47% of the taxes, they like bemoan.

What they fail to mention is that same top 20% of income earners in the state that are paying 47% of the taxes, earn 57% of all the income that is earned in this state.  At the very least, shouldn't they be paying 57% of the taxes!

For those who want dig into the numbers further consider  this analayis from the Legislative Fiscal Office:

    For tax payers who itemize their return in 2009, the effect of this legislation would result in a net tax cut for Married Couples filing jointly with 2 children even if their adjusted gross income (AGI) was $125,000.  That is a tax cut for couples making well over 6 digit household income.  Married couples with no children with an AGI of $75,000 or more will have a slight increase, but those with couples with AGI of $50,000 or less will see a net tax cut.

     Singles will see a slight increase but it is minimal.  For single tax payers with an AGI of $50,000 their net tax only goes up between $31-$48. A single tax payer with an AGI of $125,000 would see a net tax increase of $355-$372.  My guess is that if you are single making that kind of money in a low cost state like Alabama, you wouldn't even notice the difference.

Finally, you might want to note that a family of four making less than $100,000 a year will see there taxes go down by as much as $1,036! That can be significant relief as gas and food prices soar.

My question is do we or do we not believe in liberty in justice for all or it is just those who make enough money to buy it.  Let's hope that it is the former!

HT to Scott Stantis, editorial cartoonist for the Bham News.  I often disagree with his commentary, but he nailed it on this one. 

Valentine plans

    I am enjoying a wonderful Valentine's evening.  Years ago, my wife and I decided to forget about trying outdo each other with gift giving.  We don't exchange gifts on any occasion, not Christmas, anniversaries, or even on Valentine's day.  The only exception is on our birthdays, though we have even foregone those the last couple of years while I was getting the business going.  We figured if we wanted something we bought it anyway so why not just put aside the pressure of shopping, of trying to beat last year's gift, and resist the urge to consume just because society tells us we have to.  I guess it is not for everybody but it works for us.  We haven't missed it, instead, we just spend time together, maybe catch a nice meal, but mainly enjoy the presence of one another. 
    So my tonight, I cooked dinner (with substantial help) for my girls.  We had stuffed pork chops with a parmesan sauce and homemade buttermilk ranch mashed potatoes, while little "E" ate sweet potatoes, multi-grain cereal and a bottle of Similac.  Our bottle was a nice Zifandel.  The television was left off and we plugged the MP3 into the Yamaha receiver and let the music romance us.  We chilled with Iron and Wine, swooned with Willie Nelson, danced to Rilo Kiley, wondered at Wilco, and we charmed by the likes of Nickel Creek, David Wilcox, Kasey Chambers, U2, Robert Earl Keen, Jr., Jerry Jeff Walker, and Patty Griffin. 
    Bedtime for "E" has come and as I listen to her coo over the splashes in the tub and marvel at how pleasant her mother's maternal conversation is to my fatigued ears, I feel blessed.  In a bit, mom will come downstairs having put the baby girl down for the night.  We will turn off the lights, eat a strawberry, chocolate tart, and watch Lost which is being DVRed as I type.  We will talk about what heck is going on, on the island and head upstairs to bed.  Another Valentine's Day come and gone. 
    Earlier in the week when I went to get my haircut, my stylist (?) asked me if I had big plans for Valentine's Day.  I sure did and they couldn't have turned out better. 

What Kind of Donut Are You

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft. You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily. You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

What Donut Are You?

Happy Pancake Day Everyone.

It is Shrove Tuesday, and while I haven't posted in a while, I hope that eveyone that may read this has a Happy Pancake Day. What a great day!

Of course, I have been grieving the loss of the legendary and great Don Knotts.   

I hope to write some reflections about this comedic genius sometime this week.  But for now I must go.  Our new church has been invited over for some Pancakes, Kings Cake and we will burn last years palm fronds for use in our Ash Wednesday Service.   I'm cooking!  Whoo Hoo!