Currier & Ives

December was once hands down my favorite month of the year. That was long before I had the responsibility of making rent, paying monthly utilities, & taking out a loan for a tank of gas while simultaneously not letting little ones down. I guess it's safe to say I find myself not nearly as enthused about the holidays as I once was. The religious community doesn't help either. Oh sure we talk a good talk with our "Remember the Reason for the Season" trite little worn out sayings but rest assured when the Christmas Eve service is dismissed we retire to our picturesque Currier & Ives cottages sporting our $150 wool sweaters for a little R&R by the fire for a cozy gift exchange.

Please don't misunderstand me, I certainly realize things could be worse. That being said, things could also be significantly better! In a nut shell, life should be doable. That means (& listen closely politicians who brag about creating a bazillion eight dollar an hour poverty level jobs on your watch) living in the greatest country on earth, some hay seed out in western Wyoming should be able to graduate high school, & go to work somewhere at 40 hours a week (not 70 & not 80, remember he works to live not the other way around), afford to drive & maintain dependable transportation (nothing sexy, just dependable mind you), save a little each month, pay his bills, catch a movie on Friday nights, & live in a safe, clean environment.

If we can put a man on the moon, feed legions of starving people overseas (which I'm not against) finance global wars for decades on end in countries that hate us anyway (which I'm also not against), & use tax payer's dollars to build the eighth wonder of the world aka Dallas Cowboy's Stadium (okay I'm against), we should by all means be able to do a much better job of MAKING LIFE DOABLE for the average nutin' special John Q. Public down in good ol' Anytown, U.S.A. wooden shoe agree?

Not talkin' Martha Stewart or John Kerry New England style homes quietly nestled into 3 million acres of lush backdrop with gated security, a circle drive & a posh cement pond down yonder. Not talkin' a canary yellow Dodge gas guzzlin' chick magnet Viper either. Let's stay grounded here people. We can do better. We MUST do better. Our future depends on it. Need I remind you Rome fell from within? We're only as good as our weakest link.

So how can we accomplish this? Easy! Cut wasteful government spending, reduce the size of big government, work smarter not harder, work more efficiently, but most importantly & BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY-LOWER TAXES FOR ALL PARTIES INVOLVED! COMPREND?

If we implement these necessary disciplines at this pivotal time in our nation's history I promise you many more Americans will have the opportunity to experience that picturesque Currier & Ives backdrop in Twenty Ten! Now THAT'S change we can ALL believe in! Am I right? Or am I right? Of course I'm right! Now get goin'! ;-)