Your Inheritance

 

 

Legacy
(by R.P.Edwards)

Here’s a gift
For you
My son
A heavy load
To bear
A crushing weight
To vex your soul
To fill your years
With care
Though some
Would scrimp
And sacrifice
To ease
Their children’s way
Mine has been
A life of debt
That you
My son
Will pay

It was a desperate move (some said “brilliant,” others, “criminal”).  Through an act of  Congress, along with the birth certificate, every newborn was now presented with a bill (no, not the hospital fee); but a note displaying each individual’s allotted portion of the national debt.  And, along with the “bill,” an implant would be surgically placed that would electronically communicate with every earned or unearned (a cashless society) source and “legally” exact a hefty portion (all the while exhibiting a dull pulsing red from beneath the skin of the left temple.) The plus side:  when the “debt” is finally paid, the red mini-beacon goes green, which, interestingly, becomes a much sought after trait in the areas of social advancement…and matrimony.

Forty grand per individual.  That’s what I heard from the news channel as I was drifting off to midday sleep (working the graveyard shift).  The national debt has been allowed to balloon to the point where if every human soul in our land paid an equal share…it would be forty thousand dollars.  For my family, that’s over three hundred thou.  Funny, it used to be that parents saved up for their kids.  Now it’s the other way around.

That’s what I think.  How about you?  Click comments below…and say.

It's always about Love

It’s Always about Love
(unfinished lyrics by R.P.Edwards)

It’s always, always, always
About love
It’s never, never, never
About hate
It’s always, always, always
About "give"
It’s never, never, never
About “take”
Oh, that I would be like Thee
To see with eyes
That really…see
To play the part
And the part…is “me”
Reflecting who you are
It’s always, always, always…

“How are you doing!”  “We’re still alive!”

It’s been a melancholy kind of morning.  Part of it came with the waking thought that this evening, when the rest of the world puts a firm “period” at the end of the day’s sentence by crawling beneath the comforter and nestling with their fellow traveler into slumbers gentle renewal; instead I’ll be donning the garb of labor and traveling into the darkness…to nestle with the heartless steel.  So be it.

Next was the transport of my eldest daughter to the local community college.  Quickly approaching the age of eighteen, she, who has been home schooled all her life, thought it best that she get the “official” GED to assuage the fears and consternation of those who look down upon the practice of nurtured learning.  Anyway, this young blossom has a wedding date set for mid-June.  I have tried to delay the tying of the life-long knot, but love is a powerful force.  And, as she resolutely sets her course and destiny I find myself sighing and, like the scene from Disney’s “Little Mermaid,” where King Neptune, before waving his magic trident, he looks softly upon his daughter’s distant gaze at the human she so desperately loves, whose world she cannot be a part of, and he says to his crab companion (Sebastion), “She really does love him.”  And then...release is given, and she walks into another man's arms.  So be it.

Then I went to the dollar store.  Funds are limited and a birthday card was needed.  I noticed that this discount shop had some fine ones for half a buck.  Unlike my beautiful wife, who will travail long to find just the right verse, my standards are more accepting and, in short order, I found one.  However, before exiting the establishment I paused at the “book” shelves.   Here, in a graveyard of ambition and expectation, I saw many a hardback that, although the authors had, no doubt, labored long, arduous hours over; their “children,” once lofty in price and position, were now one step above the shredder.  How the mighty have fallen.  So be it.

Finally, continuing my list of errands, I went to the local grocery store and, as I made my way through the entrance control corridor I heard the words first mentioned at the beginning of this piece.  I didn’t pause to look fully, but out of the corner of my eye I saw two elderly ladies…embracing.  “How are you doing?”  “We’re still alive!”

You know, it all comes down to what’s really important, and that, my friend, is not the title in front of your name, or the zeros in your paycheck, or the tickling of your flesh, or the accolades of your associates.  No, it always, always, always…comes down…to love.

That's what I think.  How about you?  Click comments below...and say.

Unintended Consequences

Cat Conspirator
(by R.P.Edwards)

The infiltrator
The plant
The agent
The mole
The fly in the ointment
The mouse
And the hole
The catalyst
The variable
The stir stick
The heat
Just push in the cat…
And wait
For the feet

She wanted in there.  She was quite insistent.  The gray ghost…the nocturnal nuisance…the cat; she hovered by the door and did her figure eight dance in front of the drawbridge that led to the chamber where the two oldest males slumber.  I was up and, since my “upness” (to be fully appreciated) needed conscious beings, the claw-bearing cruise missile was launched.  I then quietly closed the hatch and proceeded to go about my business knowing that the cat was purposely doing…what cats do.  And, sure enough, a few minutes later, Son, number two, was shuffling about in the kitchen speaking of being awakened by cat paws on his face.  I thought it quite humorous until later in the afternoon I heard about his difficulty in staying awake at the University.  Something about getting up too early.  Oops, another case of unintended consequences. 

Was watching the news and seeing how our debt master (China) is beginning to use its growing “ownership” to influence our behavior.  Whether it be our dealings with Taiwan, or sanctions against Iran, or the managing of our own economy; they’ve got a firm (and getting firmer) hold on our economic throat and it appears that squeezing is a natural.  Of course, the solution is…get out of debt.  But it appears that that route is not a top priority of the big thinkers in Washington.  And so, the unintended consequence of our “credit” mentality…is servitude.  I’m sure the Tea Party folks are adding canvas to the tent.

As far as my Son’s sleepy session at the U (even complained of neck pain from excessive bobbing) I am a bit remorseful.  But, my window of opportunity to mess with him is getting smaller.  So…it’s still funny.

That's what I think. How about you?  Click comments below...and say.

Tebow, and Truth

How to Kill
(by R.P.Edwards)

Dehumanize your enemy
Declare them less than man
So much easier to dispose of
To fill the selfish plan
Treat them like a tumor
Remove and throw away
They’ll never stand to face you…
Until the judgment day

The Superbowl is upon us and, one of the commercials of controversy (although not yet seen by the general public at the time of this posting) has to do with Tim Tebow--a Heisman trophy winner who, over twenty years ago, was offered life by his mother, Pam, against the advice of her physicians who thought her recovery from a debilitating disease would be aided by the in Utero destruction (abortion) of her unborn son.  She, a Christian missionary, put her faith in a higher physician…and the world is blessed by her decision.

Now, apparently this commercial is a very low key celebration of life and family (otherwise it wouldn’t have been allowed in this venue).  Nevertheless, those who strongly support abortion rights are crying “foul!” They (although, remember, the commercial has not yet been seen) have elicited the aid of a couple sports spokesmen (Sean James and Al Joyner) to counter the message by gently (I watched ‘em) reminding us of the rights and wisdom of women. 

Just a slight word of advice.  Instead of taking the “athlete” tack, I recommend a more direct, more transparent approach.  So, when, say, Pam Tebow says how she’s glad that her son was born; counter by having women testify who are glad they’ve had an abortion .  And, when Tim says how he’s glad he had a chance to be born, counter with an individual who is glad he was never given that chance.  Come to think of it…that last part might be difficult.

Once again, the issue is not the choice of the woman, but whether the baby in the womb…is a “baby” in the womb.  Oh, that we would at least adopt the standard used in our criminal justice system to give these little guys a chance!  C'mon, let’s seriously look at this precious, unique, growing thing in the womb…and see if it rises to the level of “a reasonable doubt” of being human.  And, since “it” obviously does…let’s let him or her be born and “then” if mom wants to give the baby away…fine. 

As an aside:  I read one account where a pro-abortion group said the sponsor of the Tebow ad (Focus on the Family) is an extremist organization; well out of the mainstream.  What a laugh…and what a sad commentary on who we have become. 

That's what I think.  How about you.  Click comments below...and say.

The Baseline

The Baseline
(by R.P.Edwards)

The baseline
The standard
The foundation
The stone
The measure
Forever
The future
To hone 
But
Now we’ve been told
That the past
Is askew
Yes
It took all this time
To discover
What’s true

“Here, put this plastic tube in your mouth; take a deep breath, and then, when I say so, blow till you almost pass out.”  A paraphrase of the instructions given to me at one of the many stations at my yearly work physical. Also on the menu was an EKG, X Ray, blood pressure check, vision, ears, chat with the doc, and a refit of a respirator (that I’ll probably never use).  That “respirator” thing meant I had to leave my beloved goatee in the sink (alas.)

The thing about “Physicals” is that there is a known “norm.”  We have established long ago (“we” as in smart people, not me) how a “healthy” body will respond or register.  Anything outside these parameters…and there’s a problem; a problem that needs to be addressed.  And, since we humans have limited warranties (the “physical” body anyway) as I get older the company is adding on some extra checks to make sure I’m not on the verge of keeling over.

The other day the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, said something that scared me.  He said, “We have received our orders from the commander in chief and we are moving accordingly.”  He was referring to, as you might surmise, the President’s view of human sexuality and its--as far as human rights go-- equality with race.  In other words, open homosexuality should be allowed and accepted in the military.  

Now, a couple days ago (when I started this blog) this discourse would have been more passionate and pointed.  Indeed, when I began I had a lighthearted fantasy concocted of how Arlington National Cemetery would be converted to farmland since the soil, due to the multiplied thousands of interred rolling in their graves, made the land perfect for crops.  However, let me forgo all that and just ask, again: When the vote was cast for Hope and Change, was it your desire that the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy be discarded?  Was it your hope that human sexual preferences be put on par with ethnicity?  Was it your dream that abortion would be expanded and established--even more than it is--as a constitutional right?  Did you really yearn for larger government and a greater tax burden?   

I began this tepid piece (sorry) with the story of the baseline.  As a nation, our foundation, our “baseline,”  goes back to a time when modern interpretations of the constitution were unthinkable.  Understand, I do not question the sincerity of the president (or that of the many new hires), but I do question their vision…or should I say “revision.”  And, if I am in the minority…so be it.  But, before I consign myself to that place, I’d like to know for sure…Is this really the change you wanted?

That’s what I think.  How about you?  Click comments below…and say.

I Love Gloves!

I Love Gloves!

(by R.P.Edwards)

When I was young

so long ago

I used to get wet

I used to get cold

I used to get hurt

I used to get burned

I didn't know

what I needed to learn

But then I heard a voice

as if from above

It said, "Listen boy! Get you a glove!"

So I did

and now I say

I love gloves!

As the rest of the world sleeps...As the sane snuggle another hour or two, I think it only appropriate to begin the "dayshift" with a new video, titled, "I love gloves!"  I dedicate it to my employer, U.S. Steel because...truly...they love gloves.  And now...so do I.

So, before you partake of the heavy, depressing subjects of the day, grab your folgers and click on the video link to the left.  You'll never look at your gloves the same way...again.

Comments?  Click comments below...and say.

No deficit in double talk

Double Standard
(by R.P.Edwards)

Deficit spending
We know you well
Overextending
Credit card…hell
But the government’s different
They charge
And WE pay
But
We’d go to jail…
if we did things Their way

Chili n Cheese omelet.  First tried it in Hawaii, over thirty years ago.  This morning, due to left-over chili in the fridge (nearly old enough to walk) I volunteered a couple eggs to accompany the beans.  Not bad.  Went well with the ancient heel of bread found buried in the cupboard (not fuzzy yet).  Doggone it! Can’t stand to throw the old timers out!

Noticed the new budget has been announced (yawn.)  Seemed a mix of… “the other guys fault” and  “it’s for your own good.”  Which equates to, as usual, massive and getting bigger…debt.  I especially like the “investment” strategies, like education.  Yes, throw more money at the kiddies.  Honestly, as a home schooling family (no tax credit, no government help, and we still pay taxes to help the local schools) the solution is (and I almost hate the word due to its soiled associations); the solution is…Choice.  Give a voucher to mom and dad and let them pick the school.  With a little competition, schools and scores would soar.  I know “we” could do wonders with just half the money allotted each child.

And yes…the deficit.  Since the title of this blog is “The Layoff Letters,” it was during that time when we realized just how wayward our budget had been.  Prior, we had been living with the assumption of continued increase.  However, reality arrived…and we have had to adjust.  So, the question:  When will “reality” make an appearance in the halls of congress?  From the proposed budget…it’s not there yet.

That’s what I think.  How about you.  Click comments below…and say.