Large Problems, Some Simple Solutions

Sitting here at Rabbit Run, it appears to me that we have a lot of large problems in the good old US of A. There appears to be no end of smart people out there that profess complex answers and even more complex legislation to fix what ails us. I'm pretty certain that most of the Legislators went home this summer break with good intentions about explaining some of it to us , but we all know "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". A whole lot of good people wanted to tell them that until everyone understand what the hell we are doing, don't do it.

Our Representative Lynn Jenkins was again in the paper today for passing a measure to expunge or forgive a black prize fighter and it was a voice vote because they only had about three minutes to pass it and go home. To expunge the record of a fighter long dead is not much of a big hairy deal but I wonder how many of these small actions build up into the unintended consequences that face us today. She later on used the term "Great White Hope" and further stirred the feces pot and now no one knows what to say.

I hate to beat a dead horse, but I will say again, slow down and do some problem solving up there in Washington. The first step is to figure out what the heck the real problems are. Would you like to know what I think some of the most important are? Try this:

• We need some honest to god jobs right here in the USA. Lets solve some of that by starting energy saving measures supported by Government loans and benefits that actually save energy. How can we do a Rural Electric Cooperative that finds ways to put energy back into the grid? Wind Turbines, solar panels, solar heating fields, Trash burning generators and looking at something as simple leaf litter each fall. Heck, right here at Rabbit Run there has to be enough wood on the ground to heat a couple of homes.


• My Military buddies will hate this but I say again we need to simplify the Military. I contend we need a Naval Force, a Ground Force and an Air force. I would cut the Coast Guard or absorb it in to the Navy. If it floats or has boats, it belongs to the Navy. The Marines would be "in the Army now" and wear the same uniform and have the same equipment as the rest of the ground forces. If it has wings, yep, Air force. I would have an ARMY National Guard and an Air Force Reserve. Figure out what you need and make it happen. I would bore you to tears with the different levels of funding and readiness but that is its self a major paper not a blog.


• Each level of Government needs to redefine their role and what it is they should do, I'll bet the overlap and funding for people doing the same job at each level is killing us. No Unfunded mandates from higher to lower levels. Sunset laws on all legislation and clearer definition of what law is local, State and Federal.

Let me share with you a part of the problem. last year, because of overlapping retirement payments because my wife and I both worked all of our adult lives, not enough money was withheld from our pay when we filed our taxes, we had to pay. In addition to the amount we had to pay, we also paid a penalty because we didn't withhold enough. This year to stimulate the economy, the withholding tables were changed to give me more of my money to spend to help stimulate the people out there working. Did it change the amount I would owe? Hell no! What do you want to bet they will again put a penalty on what I do have to pay? Do I pay, Yes! Why a penalty for paying what I owe? I would have them take a percentage for each level and leave me the hell alone. How about the local taking 5% The State taking 10% and the feds 15%. No complicated sales tax, property tax, income tax, pass through tax and damn sure no tax on utilities or food.

If a simple guy like me can see the answers, how come the big guys that get paid can't.

MUD