Popularity Polls

Way back when I was an undergraduate I took a class in statists at Texas Christian University. What an eye opener for public polling.   Looking for stats? What stats do you want? It is all in how you ask the questions and who you ask. Most national pollsters today like Pew Research do a good job of random polling to get a good sample of what people think. But even they sometimes get it really wrong. Governor Romney had so many polls that showed him winning that he only wrote a victory speech.

Today we are in the midst of an argument over health care and the polls are all over the place and it all depends on who you ask what question. If you ask about the “Affordable Care Act” you get a positive set of results but if you ask the same people about “Obamacare” you get a negative set of answers. It is all in how you phrase the questions.

I am skeptical when a politician says, “The American people want ….  [You can fill in the blank]! Of course they will state that the American people want what the speaker wants. Americans are a diverse people and we don’t all want the exact same thing and politicians need to wake up to that fact. 

Non-Essentials

I woke up this morning to the headline that the Government was shut down. Funding for the government has run out and non-essential people have been sent home with out pay. I wonder how that feels to be declared non-essential. Does this mean that these people are not needed? Some in congress might think so but then some of us might think that about congress.

It is more of a government slowdown than a shut down and I can understand the frustrations on both sides of congress. Perhaps congress should work without pay during this time. I would say that they are non-essentials but they are the only ones who can deal with the issue. That leaves the rest of us dealing with the children in congress crying “It’s not my fault.” when in fact it is all their faults.

My opinion is that a bill in congress should focus on only the item at hand and not be weighed down with extraneous issues. I wonder how long the federal government can operate with non-essentials staying at home; this problem will not end with this one item being fixed because one side or another will do the same thing with the next item coming up.

Reflections

In a "Peanuts" comic strip, good old Charlie Brown is reading while Lucy swings. He says, "It says here that the world revolves around the sun once a year." Lucy gets this totally stunned look on her face and says, "The world revolves around the sun? Are you sure? I thought it revolved around me."

          We all know people like that, people who think the world revolves around them, and when we have to deal with folks like that, one of our immediate responses is, "How dare you?" Yet in our world we have to deal with those who are self centered and not Christ centered and we must reflect Christ in their presence. How else will they come to know him except through us?

The Anniversary Gift

My darling and I recently celebrated out thirty-fifth anniversary. I usually give her some jewelry but this year she said that has too much of that and that she didn't want anything. Well she always says she doesn't want a present but I always do get her one. This year she was insistent that she has quiet enough baubles to take care of.

She has been talking about getting a food processor for some time but has never gotten around to spending the money to purchase one. With that in mind this year I went shopping for a food processor, even though I don’t like giving appliances as an anniversary gift. I found the best Cuisinart food processor available. She was delighted, though chiding me for spending that kind of money on her. I truly love this woman!

Now she is having a ball using the processor and I guess I could not have picked a better gift this year. I may get to use it too.

First Day of Fall

Fall has arrived and we awoke to a cool day, almost chilly as I went out to get the morning paper. The days are getting notably shorter as far as light goes and the night is longer. It is good sleeping weather. Leaves are starting to fall in the back yard and that is a harbinger of an avalanche of leaves to come in the next few months.

Now is the time to think about and prepare for winter. I must call the chimney sweep and get my kindling ready for winter fires. Soon I will stop cleaning the BBQ grill and start cleaning the glass fire place doors. Hmmm the chores never end do they?

Life is good and I think God for every day that I share with my darling.

Changing Values

I have learned a lot during the remodeling of my bathroom. Any thing that involves changes in carpentry, plumbing, electric and pain must be done in certain order to make it work correctly. Even then a small development can throw you off schedule.

The other day the carpenter was about to install a 1 x 4 face board to an original 2 X 4 stud. They had to go buy a 1 X 6 and cut it to four inches wide. This stud was put in place in the 1950’s and it turned out that it was actually two inches by four inches. Today the norm for a 2 X 4 lumber is 1½ by 3½ much small and weaker than the old 2 X 4 of 1953.

In 1953 lumber standards were changed and the 2 X 4 could be cut and sold at 1¾ x 3¾ and still be call a two by four. In 1964 it was reduced to the present size of a half inch shorter. The length has also been reduced. The eight foot board is not two inches shorter. Go figure at this rate how long will it be till the 2 X 4 is really a 1 X 3?

There are many changing values in this world. Many products we purchase today cost more and have less in them. I have an old three pound coffee can that actually held three pounds tightly packed. 

Constitution Day

On this Constitution Day I thought it would be a good idea to celebrate and reflect on the preamble of the US Constitution established 226 years ago.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, Insure Domestic Tranquility, Provide for the common defense, promote the General Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

This statement tells us about the purpose of the Government of the United States.

1. Form a more perfect Union: Not that it will be perfect but more perfect than the Articles of Confederation that was then in effect. We have been perfecting and sometimes defecting our union for over two hundred years. It is an ongoing process as you can see from the number of amendments thus far.

2. Establish Justice: Our rights are protected and we have a system to correct wrongs.

3. Insure Domestic Tranquility:  This is keeping the peace between peoples in the country. Law and Order.

4. Provide for the Common Defence: Our Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force and in war time Coast Guard. 

5. Promote the General Welfare: A lot of people forget that welfare in in the constitution. Food stamps, Social Security, health care, jobs programs, are all constitutional under this clause.

6. Secure the blessings of liberty:  Personal liberty for every US Citizen is perhaps one of the most important elements of our constitution. 

I invite you to dwell on these thoughts today and give thanks that we have our wonderful 226 year old Constitution of the United States of America.