My silly dog.
The one that not only outsmarted Grandma, but then trained her.
My son's best friend.
And mine. The one who was left behind with me.
The one who was there everyday after chemo. Who laid at my feet as I went through that chemical hell twice a week.
Who followed me from room to room and would look at me as if to say "Are to going to be in here for a while? If so, I'll be laying in that corner over there." And I would feel guilty if I had to get up to go get something and accidentally wake him up.
When we would build a fire, he would come and lay between you and the fire, soaking up all the heat.
And on those mornings when the yard was wet from dew or rain. He'd step through the grass like a ballerina. He hated being wet. I had stopped giving him baths long ago because of the look he would give me though soaked fur of: "How can you do this to me?" The ladies at Petco got to endure that stare, I wimped out after about the third time.
30 MPH was the max I could drive with the window down, anything above that and the wind in his face got to be too much. I'd hit 35 and he'd pull his head in and give me a look that said "Hey, slow down. I'm enjoying myself here." I'd explain to him that doing on 30 the interstate would get us both killed, then he'd turn around a few times, settle in and sleep until we got to about the Keystone exit on 65. At that point, he'd wake up and get hyper-excited. Whether because the trip was over, he had to pee, or he knew that he was about to snooker Grandma out of all the dog treats and food she had, I never knew.
He was my best friend and loyal companion. He deserved a better owner then I. And leaving him on that table today was the hardest thing I ever did. I'm glad that Robert was also there and holding him as he went.
He never was on the right side of the door. Or maybe it was me that was on the wrong side.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
A Less Modest Proposal
How about this:
Make Tax Day, 15 April, also Election Day.
It's also a national holiday.
Everything (except police, fire stations and hospitals, those folks will have to rotate) is closed by law. Everything.
Everyone goes to the polls in their county/township.
You go in and there's a long table with representatives from each taxing body there.
First you pay your Local Taxes, like Property, School District*, and any other local taxes.
Next station is to pay your State Income taxes. (if any).
Finally, you pay your Federal Income Tax. (This will have to be flat.)
You have to write a check (or money order, or credit card) for each one.
The balance.
In full.
There will be no withholding from paychecks. No escrowing property taxes with your mortgage payments.
No slight of hand bullshit.
Every last dime. Right then. Right now.
Once you've paid, then you are handed your ballot to go in and vote.
Now each level of .gov knows exactly what it has to spend for the upcoming fiscal year and cannot spend more then what it has taken in. They have from 15 April to 1 October to hash out what gets paid and what doesn't.
No borrowing, no bonds, no accounting tricks. You have X dollars. You can only spend X dollars.
Elected Reps: Have at it. And you have 4.5 months to figure it out.
Also, no borrowing, no projections. No "outyears". You want a new school/road/Navy Destroyer? It all gets paid for upfront. In full. That will sure control for "Cost Overruns", if the GC or one of the subcontractors has to eat the cost overrun, you know damn well, it'll get done right the first time.
I bet having a bunch of highly pissed off people going into the polls, would solve quite a few of this country's (along with several states and locales) problems. And keep them solved.
"But Dave", you say, "What about people who don't or won't go to the polls# on Tax/Election Day?'
Failure to show up and pay on Tax/Election Day and your taxes automatically double, and a warrant is issued for your arrest.
# - You don't have to vote, but you do have to pay all your taxes.
*- Did I mention vouchers? Good for any school you want to send your kid: public, private, parochial, or moonbat. You, as parents, choose. Liberals are Pro-choice, right?
Make Tax Day, 15 April, also Election Day.
It's also a national holiday.
Everything (except police, fire stations and hospitals, those folks will have to rotate) is closed by law. Everything.
Everyone goes to the polls in their county/township.
You go in and there's a long table with representatives from each taxing body there.
First you pay your Local Taxes, like Property, School District*, and any other local taxes.
Next station is to pay your State Income taxes. (if any).
Finally, you pay your Federal Income Tax. (This will have to be flat.)
You have to write a check (or money order, or credit card) for each one.
The balance.
In full.
There will be no withholding from paychecks. No escrowing property taxes with your mortgage payments.
No slight of hand bullshit.
Every last dime. Right then. Right now.
Once you've paid, then you are handed your ballot to go in and vote.
Now each level of .gov knows exactly what it has to spend for the upcoming fiscal year and cannot spend more then what it has taken in. They have from 15 April to 1 October to hash out what gets paid and what doesn't.
No borrowing, no bonds, no accounting tricks. You have X dollars. You can only spend X dollars.
Elected Reps: Have at it. And you have 4.5 months to figure it out.
Also, no borrowing, no projections. No "outyears". You want a new school/road/Navy Destroyer? It all gets paid for upfront. In full. That will sure control for "Cost Overruns", if the GC or one of the subcontractors has to eat the cost overrun, you know damn well, it'll get done right the first time.
I bet having a bunch of highly pissed off people going into the polls, would solve quite a few of this country's (along with several states and locales) problems. And keep them solved.
"But Dave", you say, "What about people who don't or won't go to the polls# on Tax/Election Day?'
Failure to show up and pay on Tax/Election Day and your taxes automatically double, and a warrant is issued for your arrest.
# - You don't have to vote, but you do have to pay all your taxes.
*- Did I mention vouchers? Good for any school you want to send your kid: public, private, parochial, or moonbat. You, as parents, choose. Liberals are Pro-choice, right?
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