Thursday Notes

1.  The girls have been bringing home a book each day focusing on each of the letters of the alphabet.  Karen and I help them read the books and identify the letters and the pictures.  Yesterday, the girls brought home their “e” books.  So, today on the way to school, Karen prayed that God would help the girls learn their “f” words.

2.  Shout out to two guys who I’ve been reading.  They are in the trenches in their SC churches and communities.  Check out Scott’s and Wade’s blogs on the right.  Good guys and good friends even though Wade likes the Yankees and the Redskins.

3.  Got an exciting call yesterday about something I’m very passionate about.

4.  My wife is training to run a half-marathon.  I admire people who run half-marathons, but I think the guy who came up with the concept was a total slacker.

5.  I watched a little bit of the president’s speech last night and I have no idea what he said.  I do think a lot of people bought more house than they could afford while banks gave loans to people who had no chance of paying them back.  Ironic that a federal governement that likes to borrow money like dorm mates borrow movies and CD’s is now facing the reality of what happens when people do the same thing.  I want to educate myself on our economy, but sadly, many of us will be forced to listen to and trust the voice of the pundits many of whom have an agenda behind their view.

6.  Speaking of the “View”, does anyone actually watch the show or just the highlights when something controversial is said.  Plus, am I the only one who thought Joy Behar was hoping to get Bill Clinton back in the green room the other day?  If a woman looked at me that way, Karen would get me as far away from her as possible.  Me, I just see the highlights on newsbusters.org.

7.  I’m trying to learn all of the elected officials in North Carolina.  I’m gonna write them and tell them to support the Fairtax.  That was Huckabee’s main issue in the primaries and one of the reasons he did so well.  Can you imagine a system without the IRS, tax evasion, huge amounts taken out of your paycheck, where citizens and non-citizens all pay their share, and there would be no benefit to someone being paid “under the table?”  It wouldn’t just simplify the tax code, it would abolish the tax code.  The number one reason politicians don’t want to pass it is because talk of tax cuts=votes.  Can you imagine an election where all the time spent talking about who gets what tax cut could be used talking about real solutions?

8.  Staying on my political kick-could the reason so many schools are “failing” be because so many marriages are “failing?”  Seems to me that when the divorce rate was the lower the graduation rate was higher.  Is that a coincidence?  Also, how effectively can a child be helped with school work at home when one or both of their parents had to drop out of school or not focus as much on school to have them?  That’s not always the case, I know, but parental involvement has to improve before the education system ever will.  Of course, many in our government think throwing money at the problem will make it go away.  Personally, I think we need to train our children to TAKE back their country through 4 simple lessons:

Turn off the TV

Accept authority

Keep your pants on

Excellence in everything you do

Well, it would at least be a start.  I’m off to a day with the Drake.  Have a good one.