The Texas legislature is, as we speak, about to close without taking action on a bill requiring voters to show ID at the polls. Now first and foremost, the idea that a person shouldn’t have to prove they are who they say they are, to cast the vote they’re entitled to, is just insane. Who wouldn’t want such proof, unless they are in fact part of some voter fraud? Who wouldn’t want voters to prove their identification unless they feel they would lose votes from people who had something to hide and thus didn’t want to show ID? This is just asinine. You have to show ID to rent a movie at Blockbuster, or to get on an airplane, or to write a check. Why is no one complaining about that? Proving one’s identification is just part of living in this society. If you want to participate in an activity that requires ID, then you get one.

Requiring voters to show ID is not discriminatory. It’s organized. It’s fair. It’s part of an honest and aboveboard voting process. You prove you are who you say you are, and then you get to vote. A person can register to vote online, or by mail. How then does it ever get proved that the person who registered is the person standing at the polls?

But what really gets to me is that the Dems, to avoid having action taken on this bill, are stalling in the House and piddling away the time on insignificant minor legislation until the session is over and it’s too late to take action on this bill. That proves to me that they know the bill makes sense and they know it has wide support and would pass. What a waste! This is what these people call representing the constituents? Monkeying around to avoid doing the actual work they were elected to do? Talk about ridiculous! This reminds me of the time half the House fled to Oklahoma to kill the quorum and avoid taking action on a redistricting bill. What a cop out and a total embarrassment to the party and the state.

I can understand having differences of opinion on issues. I can understand someone thinking choice is to be valued over life, or someone thinking that socialist redistribution of wealth is what is fair and just. I totally disagree with these views, but I can appreciate that in the purest form, these are differences of opinion and we are all entitled to that. What I cannot understand is using stalling tactics to avoid doing your job. Bring the bill to the floor, take a vote, and whatever the outcome, accept it as the result of a system of democracy. Otherwise, go on home, and let someone who will actually do the job, take your seat in the House.

Now while I think that is pretty crass (and what does the whole thing have to do with Six Flags anyway?), I was actually not quite as disturbed by it as Stephen was. Then again, the ad came on the radio while he was in the car with his child, which will make you notice this stuff all the more. I would have probably said, “good grief, that is pretty ridiculous” and then gone on about my day. That being said, it’s clearly, well, inappropriate.

But what I really got to thinking about was how I have not heard a peep about this ad campaign around my church, or in the news, or really any talk about it at all. If I had not read Stephen’s blog I would have had no idea.

Meanwhile, of course, Six Flags has obtained a permit to sell alcohol in the park. To hear some talk you would think this was a sign of the apocalypse. People spoke at the hearings. Letters were written to the newspaper and to local politicians. Churches drafted petitions (Mine did – I declined to sign it). Now I do want to say that I don’t have any particular interest in consuming alcohol at Six Flags. That’s not to say I don’t drink, because I do, but I can’t imagine having interest in drinking at that particular venue. However, I fail to see how this is such a tragedy and apparently the end of a “family” environment. Beer is sold at the State Fair. How is that different? It is sold at numerous restaurants. Do these people not take their families to eat there? As one comment to the newspaper said, “I drink beer at home. Is that not a family environment?” Well said.

I have to wonder why no one in the church-going community has gone on a rampage against Six Flags for their innuendo-driven advertising. If you ask me, casual attitudes about sex are a far greater danger to our children than observing someone having a drink that happens to contain alcohol. It’s just so remarkable how the church gets up in arms about certain issues (notably alcohol) but is silent on others that are so much more important.

I hope that he can deliver all that he has promised to do, although I feel that it would be naive to think that he can. There are a lot of people who poured their heart and soul (and votes!) into lofty thoughts and dreams over the last two years. Some of those dreams will happen, but those of us who are realistic know that the promises probably far outweigh what will be accomplished.

That’s not altogether a terrible thing, because hope and faith can breed positive results. But it has to be tempered with realism and judging from many, many comments out there, lots of people are way beyond realism. All they know is “Yes We Can.” Well, “yes we can” what exactly?

I am happy that today the rest of the world thinks positive things about the U.S., but I am sad that we put so much emphasis on what other people think. (There will probably be a whole other post about that). While we all have to live in this world, we shouldn’t feel obligated to steer in the direction of what others approve of. This is our country, our needs, our priorities. Yes, I care about our relationships with other nations, but I care more about our doing what is right.

I am apprehensive about the economy. I vote Republican almost always, but I am at heart a fiscal Republican, not a social one. Well, that’s not entirely true. I lean right on social issues, but I do not vote that way if other issues don’t line up for me. I am at heart a capitalist, and I believe that we all have opportunities to make great things for ourselves. The government does us no favors by removing the motivation to succeed on one’s own merits. I don’t want something for nothing. I want to earn it. I’ve been well-off and I’ve been dirt poor. I didn’t get to be either of those because of someone else. My own decisions and actions determined my result. I think that’s good enough for everyone. I’ve watched people talk about how with Obama as President, they won’t have to worry about finances anymore. That scares the daylights out of me.

But I will say this: I have reservations which are founded in my own beliefs and principles clashing with what is now our leadership. But he is still my President. I don’t care what he does that I will disagree with and I’m sure there will be plenty. He is still my President, and deserves my prayerful support. He’ll get it. And I have heard nothing but the same sentiment expressed throughout my conservative circle and beyond. I’m proud to say the next 4 (8?) years will be different than the last 8 in precisely that way. We’re taking the high road, and this country will be better because of it.

It’s not “secretary.” It’s assistant (Some of them are particular about being called “executive coordinator” but I think that might be a little much. I have an assistant, but I am not an executive, and I don’t need coordinating.).

And for heaven’s sake, a tax return is your Form 1040. A tax refund is what you get back that you should have gotten a year ago if you had withheld less. (But that is another post). Seriously, every spring I go insane hearing people talk about how they hope to get a big tax return. I always want to come back with a smart remark like “Are you printing on legal size paper?”

Isn’t reducing, reusing and recycling being good stewards of our resources that God has blessed us with? Isn’t eating foods without garbage added to them taking care of our bodies, which are Christ’s workmanship? I’m not someone for whom organic fruits/veggies are a major requirement, but I do buy them sometimes, and regardless I appreciate the purpose. I have started buying only grass-fed beef and free range eggs, but that is more because I am an animal lover and if I am going to eat animals, I prefer that they have been treated humanely. My husband teased me about buying the meat and said I was becoming a liberal (entirely tongue in cheek, I assure you) and I told him, “aren’t Republicans allowed to eat well too?”

Evidently some people object to environmentalism because in their minds, it distracts Christians from our calling, which is to help lead others to Christ. What kind of sense does that make! That’s like saying I shouldn’t spend time at my job, earning a living, because it distracts me from all the time I could spend sharing Christ. Are we really that one-dimensional? We can’t make small efforts to protect the earth because that might prevent us from sharing the gospel? Considering how little “effort” most of these efforts really take, that’s truly ridiculous. Instead of throwing a bottle or can in the trash, I throw it in the recycling bin (Really took a lot of time out of my day for that one!). Instead of picking up a carton of regular eggs, I pick up the carton right next to it of free range eggs. (Wow, if I only hadn’t done that, I could really have made a difference for Jesus).

This is one of the areas in which Christians are seen by non-believers as just being loony and ridiculous. You know what? I think they’re right! What’s the upside of destroying the earth as fast as humanly possible? (Go on and say it – nothing).

In a word (or a few words) – I’m not in favor of it. Well, I take that back. I’m not against the theory, but since no one has figured out a way to make it happen that’s better than the current BCS system, I’m thinking that what we’ve got is better than what we used to have.

We used to rely solely on polls and sure as shooting, two (or more) teams would seem equally deserving and we’d have a national emergency on our hands over who really won the national championship. Currently, at the very least the #1 and #2 teams play each other, which is a step up from the pre-BCS days.

Everyone wants to cry and moan about how the BCS stinks, but nobody has a solution. And there are plenty of reasons there is no solution. Some of them, like the fact that it would unreasonably lengthen the season and the fact that the bowl system is a cash cow no one can politically touch with a pole, are good but not very meaningful to me. The biggest reason, to me, is that just like the imperfect BCS system, deserving teams would get the shaft and lesser teams would jump ahead of them and get a chance.

Some say that’s good and preserves the “Cinderella” aspect that’s always present in basketball playoffs. While I can appreciate that argument, it doesn’t trump the simple logic that if a playoff is supposed to determine the best team, shouldn’t the best teams be part of the playoff?

While the BCS relies on statistics, it includes a lot of factors that are meaningful in a team’s overall season. I’d rather see a team ranked high who lost a game or two but had strength of schedule, than an undefeated team who didn’t play anybody. And I’ve certainly seen enough decrying of successful teams’ records who had no strength of schedule, to know that I’m not the only person who cares about the issue.

And honestly, so much of the objection to the BCS is by those who considered themselves shafted through their own personal bias. Hey, I’m not knocking bias – we’ve all got it and I do too. But I really do think that if I hear “45-35″ from a Longhorn one more time, I might go postal on someone. Yes, Texas beat OU. But Tech beat Texas. But OU beat Tech. But……And on we go. I really don’t see the logic in the argument that Texas deserved a shot at the Big XII championship by virtue of the fact that they won the head to head against OU. Because head to head doesn’t mean a hill of beans in a 3 way tie. That’s what “3 way tie” means.

Personally, I’m not a fan of the Big XII championship game at all. This year, there was a lot of moaning over how Missouri played for the conference title, but the fact was that Tech, OU and Texas beat every North division team they played, so the same situation would have presented itself regardless of who ultimately won the North or what kind of tiebreaker was used in the South.

If someone presents a truly workable playoff solution, one that doesn’t take a whole other semester and includes deserving teams while leaving out lesser ones (including champions of inferior conferences who despite winning locally, can’t compete on a national level), then I’d love to hear about it. Until then, I’ll respect that the BCS makes at least some level of sense and is the best solution the power that be have been able to implement thus far.

Check out these articles on “Is Being a Stay-At Home Dad a Sin?” Part I and Part II

Some of the better thoughts in there:

- It’s OK to sacrifice one’s desires for the good of family (i.e. if a mom would prefer to SAH but decides to work because she can better provide financially, that’s a decision that’s OK to make and is overall best for the family).

- If people use Titus 2:5 (“keepers at home”) to justify the notion that women should not WOH, then they have to also use 1 Tim. 3:4-5 (“should manage his own household’”) to say that men should also not WOH. Doesn’t make much sense when you look at it that way, does it?

- Proverbs 31, which is often used to describe the ideal Christian woman, has an awful lot of references of women working.

- The notion of a working dad and SAH mom is more modern than Biblical. In Biblical times, “working” involved the whole family contributing to the livelihood. Even a hundred years ago and even today on farms, everybody jumped in. There was no “one provider.”

This is exactly the kind of article I love to read. I want to find more of these; this guy rocks.

I’m on vacation at the beach, and as it always does, the beach gives me a tremendous feeling of relaxation. I just stare out over the water and all the problems I left behind seem so much smaller. I don’t know why that is, but it soothes me. And I’m not even a real beach person. I don’t lie in the sun all day. But I love to walk on the beach in the morning and at night, and watch the waves.

And I want to see so much more. I want to see the mountains and the ocean. I want to see the leaves turning in the Northeast, and the desert of the Southwest. I want to see Australia and Russia. I want to see Rome, Prague, Madrid, Amsterdam. I want to see Argentina. I want to go all over Canada. There’s seemingly no end, really, to the places I want to go. God created them all with unique beauty and if I could take a year or two off and just travel to places unseen, I would do it.

I travel a lot for work, and I know some people consider that a burden, but to me it’s a great blessing. I get to see all kinds of places that I wouldn’t otherwise have traveled to. Now, some of them are not garden spots and wouldn’t have been my first choice, but all that means is that I’m broadening my horizons even more. I’ve traveled to upstate New York, San Jose, Detroit, Connecticut, Cleveland, someplace remote in Kansas, Phoenix, and plenty of other places that I might not have chosen on a vacation, but which I was glad to have gotten to see. And some of them were really great. I liked upstate NY so much that I’m planning a whole week’s vacation around the Finger Lakes area. Who knew?

But apparently there was a huge outcry of frustration at these closings. You’d think people’s electricity had been turned off. Instead, they were furious at not being able to buy an overpriced cup of (some say) inferior coffee for a whole three hours.

“The only place you can get a decent cup of coffee in Dallas is at Starbucks,” one woman said. Eh? Like I said, I’m no coffee drinker, but in a metropolitan area like this, you’ll have me believe there is *no* other acceptable cup of java? I’ve heard plenty of people complain about Starbucks. Some say they overroast the beans and the coffee tastes burned. And heaven knows, it costs about three times what it’s worth.

And hey, I’m no Starbucks hater. I know they’re ridiculously trendy, and pricey, and have driven a lot of small independent coffee shops right out of business. But that doesn’t stop me from picking up a chai latte now and then. I just don’t understand people that are so addicted to Starbucks that a three hour hiatus is akin to some kind of national emergency.

“Honey, I’m stuck.” “Well, ask for help.” “Can’t. We used a box. Box? Can you help me?”

H&R Block. We got people.

My personal opinion is, if someone’s taxes are simple enough that H&R Block can handle them, they are simple enough for even the village idiot to handle using TurboTax. Places like this drive me crazy because they fill their offices with employees who don’t know the first thing about taxes. I know this because I have known people who worked there, part time, who didn’t know any more about taxes than my dog knows. Not that those people weren’t intelligent. They were smart cookies. But they weren’t tax professionals. It was strictly a seasonal, hourly gig because they needed to pay the rent.

In addition to deceiving people into thinking they had real tax professionals preparing their taxes, these tax places also shop delightful extras like refund anticipation loans, which of course carry an interest rate akin to what you might find at a payday loan shop, or perhaps from a back-alley loan shark. Who in their right mind would do this? Of course, it’s my professional opinion that tax refund ought to be near zero, because why would anyone let the IRS borrow their money interest-free for a year when they could be getting it at the time it was earned via a larger paycheck? Why do people set their W-4′s to ensure they get thousands back in April, a year late? You don’t want to get me started on this, because it would be a whole post unto itself.

The point of this post is that apparently the IRS is trying to crack down on these practices which IMO border on unethical. The Washington Post had an interesting article on this today.

The Internal Revenue Service said it may try to prevent tax preparers such as Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and H&R Block from offering customers refund loans and audit insurance because those products can encourage fraud.

You think? I shudder to think how much of the government’s money (ahem, MY money) is lost to people who get instant refunds or, worse, loans against refunds which turn out to be bogus. And that’s just the consumer fraud. How much potential fraud is there in the companies that do this? According to the article, it’s estimated that last year taxpayers paid over $1 billion in RAL fees to tax prep services. In some cases the interest rate is upwards of 100 percent. That is just unconscionable.

I love the quote from Jackson Hewitt’s CEO: “Jackson Hewitt firmly believes in the taxpayer’s right to control their tax return information through a written consent process” Translation: We’re abdicating all responsibility.

And from H&R Block, whose spokesman said that employees don’t get commission on RALs, therefore “there is no incentive for them other than serving taxpayers’ best interests.”

Uh-huh. Because paying triple digit interest rates to borrow money that would be yours in as little as 10 days is definitely in a person’s best interest.

I’m interested to see how this plays out. These tax shops have a lot of lobbyists out there, but in the end, the IRS tends to do what it darn well pleases.