Good morning!!!!

[sodamo]

Excellent on the PT/bike Don.

 

[txdon]

Don are those figures typos? They don’t add up. How much came out of your pocket, and was there some sort of insurance to cover the rest?

As you know, the surgery will be free for me up here in Canada, but I am curious about your insurance system.

You are right. They do not add up. There is no typo. There is no other insurance. It is what they call a Medicare advantage program. Medicare only pays so much and the hospital/doctor cannot charge more. That is why Drs and Hospitals limit the number of medicare patients. $40 out of pocket for the surgery and out of pocket for each physical therapy session is $20. Does not make much sense.

PT went well this morning EXCEPT when the physical therapist said she was from San Diego. As you know the Texas door is shut for people from California. She will have to be deported.

Just kidding she was really good, more thorough than Igor and less painful and more exercises and 50% longer sessions.
She also gave me lots of homework which I like.

 

[daugen]

was hoping I could see Smith Mountain Lake from here, no, but
a very pretty area

 

[pennwalk]

Don, you got that all mixed up. you need to deport the lawyers and keep the physical therapists.

 

[sodamo]

Milk House shaping up nicely, Mike

 

[sodamo]

Property taxes should be eliminated. As things are, you never own your house. You rent from the gov't. If you don't pay taxes, you will lose your home. This is WRONG.

Now how to replace such a huge amount? Many ways. Somehow we need to figure out how to excerpt more from the people that don't belong here. They consume more resources than the general population, and they send their money back home. They live in poverty housing, often many to a single room, and therefore don't help pay into the system. Yes, the owner of the low rent home pays some, while they charge them enough to cover and make a profit. Without a state income tax, that leaves sales tax, fuel tax, and other sources. I wish spending could come down, but state and Fed welfare programs have exceeded our ability to fund them. No easy solutions. But you should never have to worry about losing your home, if it is a moderate home. Prices of homes have become way too high.

Totally agree. Just because my property maybe worth 4x someone elses doesn’t mean we consume 4x the municipal resources. If fact more common that someone living in a property at 1/4 my value consumes at least 2x the resources.
I don’t foresee any government giving up this power unless maybe forced to by the court. Those that gain/use the most have the least risk of loss to the government.

 

[two_bit_score]

As for GPS and Garmin, I don't have one and will never have one as long as I can read a map.

I really like Maps on the phone for directions, traffic updates and sometimes it's nice to be able to pull up a picture of the address where you are going. But I still keep real paper maps in the truck.

 

[two_bit_score]

(actually, if I'd written the bill, I would have put a clause in there that recent move ins only get "vested" into the discount 10% per year. They have to be here, paying property taxes directly for 10 years to realize the full advantage.) LOL swear I'm not drinking.

I like that idea Kyle! I'll tell my off-the-wall idea that people laugh at all the time but I'm serious about: If you own property in another county other than where you live you should be allowed to vote on any property tax issue and any local elected office where the official can raise your taxes. Now, people say it would violate "one person, one vote" but not true because you would not be allowed to vote in the same race twice.

I don’t foresee any government giving up this power unless maybe forced to by the court.

I fully understand that feeling but we can't rely on the courts. The Tax Payers need to take that back from the "government" at the ballot box.
Of course all these could be resolved by government spending being limited and property taxes being eliminated.
*************************************************
Kind of a long post today since I've been really tied up travelling and just winding down from working the polls on Tuesday. It's never 'just election day' as there are always training updates and it takes several hours on Monday to get the polling location ready for the voters to come in at 7am on Tuesday. And some things can't be done until Tuesday just before the polls open so the Election Judges are usually there at 6am and then poll workers show up at 6:30am. Polls close at 7pm but the poll workers are not out of the door until 8 or 9pm most of the time. I've worked elections for many years in a couple different counties.

I have been keeping an eye on TBN but haven't had time to post much. When I get on TBN I read all the new posts on "My Home" and leave GM thread for last because, of course, it's the best. Thus I may not get to it for several days and speed read through all the posts to catch up real quick.

Man, some of you guys are BUSY! Makes me feel like a slacker. I hope everyone stays busy and remember in the end it's all up to Divine Providence and we are really just here to do His will.

 

[sodamo]

Paul, what if you accepted the cabinet from the wife, thanked her profusely as I’m guessing she thinks she owes you. Then you find a way to pay maybe anonymously, possibly a donation in his name and she gets a thank you but can only guess it was from you.

Schools hands are ties, but still a responsibility. I think we need a way to hold the parents responsible. That might not work with a truly rebellious kid but then that goes back to early parental/child expectations.
Thinking that solution can’t be seen as punishment for the parents that rewards the kid. Perhaps something like some sort of service task that requires both the parent and child same time. If not both parents same time than alternating so not same parent each instance.

I used to not favor consumption tax, but now I do. Not only replace all income taxes, but eventually property type taxes. Property taxes could be an assessment applied equally to all adults (reasonably qualified) that either paid in cash or non paid service. Of course safe guards would be built in for the lower income.

 

[sodamo]

Drew, stop the leak. Have an enjoyable, pleasant journey on this leg.