Buttons worn at DNC

This is the path of the Democratic party. Is this the path you want to go? Anti-God (booing Him in fact on the floor), killing unborn babies, degrading women (leave one at the bottom of a lake and other underneath your desk), destroying the natural course meant for marriage, millions on welfare?

Who is next in line?

I see some of my friends approaching retirement and think, "what's up with this next generation?" Perhaps retirement isn't a bad idea. But there is "hope." See below... At least their heart is in the right place.

Two empty chairs

I am working on my vacation for next year, and yes, right now there are two empty chairs. But in my case, Clint Eastwood will not be talking to me. Thankfully. We are looking forward to a great trip to St. John with some friends. I want a place with sand, sea, and surf. That way I'll come back bushed, burned, and busted. Nothing is as dull as a vacation you can afford.

This should be a better trip than my last one. On my last trip I suffered from bus lag. A vacation is a two-week holiday that makes you feel good enough to go back to work - and poor enough to have to!  My idea for a blueprint to the best vacation you'll ever have: Pack flip flops, bathing suit, snorkel, shirt, toothbrush, and sunscreen. Use them all every day and count your blessings every day that God has given it all to you.

Suspicious

Our daughter, son-in-law, and grand kids visited Craig and Kathy in Phoenix this weekend and enjoyed their pool on a hot summer day. I'm sure that felt really good, cooling off like that.

When we lived in Memphis we had a pool. But I was always a little suspicious about people who used the pool. When I filled it at the beginning of the year, I put in 10,000 gallons. Later in the year I emptied it and took out eleven thousand! But being suspicious just comes natural to me, ever since I came home one day and found my guppy gagged and bound! Or, that time at the bank and everyone was doing business lying down!

It's great to have good friends who love you just the way you are! When can we come down?

Our good friends Ed and Sharla are riding their bikes from Canada to Mexico. We just got an update and they passed into Oregon crossing the Astoria Bridge, which is 4 miles long, two lanes, and has a big hill to let ships pass underneath. For a great update on their trip, check out Ed's blog:

Or you can click here...

http://pacificcoastpedalpushers.blogspot.com/  

Who will pay the piper?

My children and their children will pay the bill. What a shame to leave them this kind of legacy.

Here's what people in Kenya think about Pres.O

I don't suppose you'd see one of these in Hawaii? Well, maybe it's just an honest mistake. Does anyone actually check?

Here's how people are feeling about change

New Clovis, NM you'll see this billboard. Citizens are rising up to say what they really think about the current President.

What's a lake for?

Many of the houses on Lake Louise had their own plane parked on the lake. If you ask an Alaskan about it he'll say, "What's a lake for?" Perhaps this makes a lot of sense. If the Lord had wanted people to fly, he would have made it simpler to get to the airport! There you go!

The mountains on the other side of the lake were beautiful. Wasilla is a small town, with some nice big lakes like this. Where I come from in Arizona, the fish are still learning how to swim. Here, they have to wait in line.

Mountain biking & bear cub

Yesterday, Nancy and I went mountain biking up Waterton Canyon. The canyon has re-opened. Now, the one day I don't take my camera we see wildlife everywhere. We saw over 30 big horn sheep and a bear cub!  Yes, that's right! On the way back down the canyon we saw a bear cub, right by the road feeding on a shrub. We stopped and watched him for a few minutes and then wondered... "where is mom?"  Hmm... Upon further consideration, we quickly departed and rode back to car, happy to see some wildlife today.

Birthday party

The birthday party was great for the kids. They played in the water, ate lots of fun food, including that frozen chocolate cake, and they enjoyed everything in the back yard.

One of the highlights of the party was this hose with a bunch of squiggly little hoses squirting up in unpredictable directions. The kids squealed and ran though it over and over. Oh boy, was it ever tempting, but my dignity is still in tact!

Everything was set up in the shade in the back yard. Well okay, the umbrellas provided the shade, but what else do you need? The parents came out and a few of the got wet, but all of them had the frozen chocolate cake. I don't blame them. I told everyone I was a light eater. I only eat when it's light. They all went back for seconds.

Diets just take the starch out of me

Andy had his birthday party last week and I was there. Everyone had a great time at the party, but no one was smiling too much until the frozen chocolate cake was eaten. Mmmm, was it ever good! The days mantra was; eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we diet! Then, the second day on your diet is always easier than the first. By the second day you're off it and you eat leftover frozen cake again!

Andy got a new bike for his birthday. He learned pretty fast. At first I was walking beside him, coaching him along. Then a few minutes later I was jogging beside him, coaching him along. Then I was yelling, "Hey, wait for me!" Then there was the party.

Letter from a frustrated business owner to employes

I decided to publish this letter.  He's a friend of my sister in law and I don't know him, but I hope you read it.  This letter captures what it's really like for small business...

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job.

What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for - it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, race, creed, religion, etc.

Please vote for who you think will serve your interests the best. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interest. First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story.

This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You saw my big home at last year’s Christmas party. I'm sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life. However, what you don't see is the back story.

I started this company 12 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the Goodwill store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's.

My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business --- with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to me like a 1 day old baby.

You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... You never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made.. Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail out all the people who didn't.

The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for. Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check?

Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand .. to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the mud of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine.

Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep. So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem anymore. Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire.

You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the back story: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't.

If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the Constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me in the South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.

Signed, Your boss,

Michael A. Crowley, PE Location: This is a real letter

Waterton Canyon

Waterton Canyon has opened up again. We are excited about the prospect of late summer and fall rides up the canyon. Sunday, I flew over Stontia Springs Reservoir and looked right down over the dam. I could see the reservoir, the road, and the start of the Colorado Trail going up to the South Platte area. Below is a photo of one of our last trips up the canyon prior to the closing. We stopped to look at the big horn sheep grazing by the road.