why congress said "no" to wall street bail out

CONGRESS RESPONDS TO SAVVY TAXPAYERS AND VOTES "NO BAIL"

Congress Said: Credit will dry up; banks will not make loans to consumers wanting to buy cars and small business owners that want to hire employees and expand.


Savvy Taxpayers Said: (1) I can drive my car a little longer. In the meantime I could save the additional money I would have spent on the new car. When the dust clears I can have a bigger down payment and get a better deal. (2) My business is well managed. I have reserves. So I can defer making a loan by managing accounts receivable better, and reducing waste, providing better customer service, and being more creative or flexible than a company that is judged "too big to fail?".



Congress Said: Millions of people will lose their jobs.


Savvy Taxpayers Said: (1) If credit is less available, won't most job holders respond by making less impulse purchases, shop more at discount stores, prepare more meals at home, drink tap water which is safer than some bottled water, or drink Maxwell House instead of Starbucks coffee? (2) If consumers were to redirect their spending to retailers that gave them better value, wouldn't the sales of these stores rise, while the sales of their less efficient competitors decline? Then at worst one store's reduction in employment could be offset by another store's increase in employment. (I know somebody will say, isn't that what happened with Wal-Mart vs General Motors where $20-30/hr manufacturing jobs were traded for minimum wage jobs?) Yes. But which company was just approved for a $25,000,000,000 government bail out loan? Hint: not Wal-Mart) (3) Haven't many "too big to fail" companies already fired, laid off or "bought out" and early-retired 10's of thousands of people, yet some of them are still in trouble? And they are still not able to compete, yet they want a bail out? (4) Don't you know one or two people at your company who goof off regularly and don't pull their weight. Yet you are busting your assets. Do you mind if these kind of people get axed?



Congress Said: Millions of homeowners have already lost their homes and millions more will suffer that fate if we don't do this $700 thousand million bail out?



Savvy Taxpayers Said: I've heard an estimate that there are 1 1/2 million mortgages in default. Let's assume that number is right and that the Government gave each homeowner a grant of $100,000 to catch up payments, pay down or pay off their mortgage. How much would that cost us taxpayers? $150,000 million. Problem solved and we taxpayers save $550,000 million. Why didn't President Bush and Mr. Paulson make that proposal to Congress? Why hasn't a Congress person brought up that idea? Couldn't the grant be made bigger, say $200,000 per homeowner with a delinquent mortgage? That would cost $300,000 million. We taxpayers would still save $400,000 million. Why wouldn't that be a better idea? Could it be that most of the toxic mortgages are not those on Main Street and
M. L. King Boulevard? Seems that most of the dollars spent may be for mortgage holders working on not just Wall Street, but Commerce Street, 5th Avenue, and Rodeo Drive.


Congress Said: Financial markets will crash and wreck the values of retirement accounts.


Savvy Taxpayers Said: I've withstood steep market declines over the past 20 years. On Black Monday in October 1987 the stock market fell over 20%. By the end of 1987, the index was higher than at the beginning of the year. The DJIA was under 2000 at that time. Today it is over 10,000. If I had stayed out of the stock market I would have missed that 400% increase. Also, I didn't panic and stayed in the market after newly-elected President George W. Bush took the oath of office. During his first three years I lost about 1/3 the value of my portfolio. You remember 9/11 don't you? But the market recovered strongly from that and my retirement account is solid.

Today, you and I witnessed a strong display of taxpayers making our voices heard in Congress and seeing that Congress responded in a manner that indicated that our voices were heard. This is democracy, capitalism and faith at its best.


NOTE: THE DJIA Index closed down today Monday 9/29 at 10,365.45, a drop of 777.68
(-7.0%). This newletter is not intended to give you investment advice. Financial markets rise and fall and can result in losses as well as gains. Please consult your financial advisor.


Please voice your opinion by clicking on Post Options below. Thank you very much.

besides a bail out what else would $700 billion buy?

1. REBATE OF $6,000 TO EACH HOUSEHOLD IN U.S.
($700,000,000,000/115,000,000 HH = $6,086)

2. PAY OFF OR PAY DOWN 7,000,000 MORTGAGES OF $100,000.

3. BUILD MORE THAN 10 WORLD CLASS DOMED FOOTBALL STADIUMS FOR EACH OF THE 50 STATES, INCLUDING ALASKA AND DELAWARE. COST OF EACH STADIUM = $1,000,000,000 (HELLO DALLAS COWBOYS)

4. BUY A $1,000,000 MANSION FOR EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD LIVING IN EACH OF THE FOLLOWING GEOGRAPHIC AREAS:

ALASKA (683,000 POPULATION IN 2007)
D.C. (588,292)
NORTH DAKOTA (639,715)
VERMONT (621,254)
WYOMING (522,000)

5. BUILD 22 BRAND NEW SCHOOLS IN EVERY COUNTY (3077) IN THE U.S. ESTIMATED COST OF EACH SCHOOL IS $10,000,000

6. SET UP A COLLEGE FUND OF $ 50,000 EACH FOR 14,000,000 CHILDREN

7. REBATE $100 A WEEK IN GAS MONEY FOR EVERY HOUSEHOLD IN AMERICA FOR ONE YEAR. = $600,000,000,000




For additional information telephone Skip Bennett tollfree at 877-417-6040 or email usgameplannernow@aol.com. Our website is http://www.ltmonline.come/skipbennett

$700,000,000,000 -- another bailout bonus for wall street?

Hi Friends and Family. Hope that you are well today.

Regarding the Proposed $700 billion bail out currently being debated, I urge you to make your voice heard by writing your congress persons. Here are links to the Senate and the House. Our representatives have made it easy for us. http://www.house.gov/ and http://www.senate.gov/
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Also below is a copy of an email I wrote to my congressman. I also sent the letter to my 2 senators.
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Re:Proposed $700 billion bailout for the financial services industry
Dear Cong. Barton. I hope that you are well today.

I urge you to vote not to pass a bail out bill this week or anytime soon. Let's give the bail out money which has already been involuntarily hoisted on our taxpayer backs a chance to work first. Let's not double our bail out bet until we see some documented results from the hundreds of billions already wagered.

Here are my reasons:

1. I think that this is another piece-meal approach. We need a deliberate and full and reasoned, bipartisan long-term solution to this serious threat to our economy. It seems that some of our representatives are willing to spend more time planning their pre-election time off than spending adequate time and effort to develop cost-effective long-term solutions to our Country's economic problems.

2. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is not competent enough to understand the width and depth of our credit crisis. Nor do I think that he can be objective. Mr. Paulson has appeared before Congress and the public several times over the past weeks, each time with his bail out hat in hand. Each time he expressed confidence that his solution was well thought out. Apparently it was not. So Secretary Paulson's big bail out hat now has over $500,000 million dollars in it. And he's back for another $700,000 million. It seems that both Mr. Paulson's number crunching skills and judgement are weak. I believe that if Mr. Paulson performed this way in private industry, he would now have been terminated by his employer. Also, can Mr. Paulson be expected to be objective about an industry from which he retired with a net worth of $500 million?

3. Let the free market economy which has been at work for the past 7 1/2 years be allowed to fix itself. Pres. Bush backed by a Republican controlled Congress ushered in a massive spending, surplus eliminating, tax cutting and loosely regulated style in 2001. Why abandon it now? This style has promoted the core principles of American capitalism --great desire for wealth and prosperity and the creativity and ingenuity to achieve it. Why not allow the Bush philosophy and management style to leave us taxpayers the legacy of not only creating a financial mess but fixing it before he leaves office? That way a new "change" administration of Sen. McCain or Obama will not be shackled with an additional $700,000,000,000 bill that would impede their ability to implement change?

4. No money has been identified to pay for any bail out. No spending cuts and/or tax increases to pay for bail outs have been promised. Thus we taxpayers will face more record-breaking deficits and a national debt which already has lowered the value of the dollar as well and increased interest rates and inflation. Furthermore, this will add tons of debt which may break the economic backs of our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

5. Finally, if it is decided to have an economic czar and entrust him with $700,000,000,000 I believe that person ought to be Warren Buffet, not Henry Paulson. Mr. Buffett is honest and highly regarded. Annually there is an auction conducted to spend a couple hours lunching with Mr. Buffett. This year the highest bidder paid over $1,000,000, which Buffett donates to charity. Warren Buffett is an expert in judging, managing and profiting from investment, insurance and credit decisions. As a result he is the world's 2nd richest man. But his personal wealth is not his most cherished prize. I believe that what Mr. Buffett values most is that his phenomenal journey to success has also created thousands of middle class employees and stockholders that are now multimillionaires. The price of one share of Berkshire Hathaway-A stock is currently over $115,000. Unlike most other corporations Buffet has not allowed the firm's stock to be split.

Thank you Congressman Barton for making it easy for me and other constituents to provide comments. I urge you to give my thoughts above your fullest consideration. If you do I think you will agree that you should not vote to pass another bail out bill this week or anytime soon. God Bless you and God Bless America.

was sarah palin's speech wildly received by wall street?

was sarah palin's speech wildly received by wall street? For those of you who may not be familiar with the name, sarah palin is the person john mccain picked as his running mate on the republican ticket for President and VP.

wall street as measured by the dow jones industrial average fell by almost 3%. What this means that if you had a retirement nestegg valued at $500,000, your chicken right now is sitting on a netegg of $485,000.

Why did the stock market go down instead of up the day after a night with such a great speech on such an historic night? The rousing nomination of the first female on the ticket of the Republican party for VP. Simple. It's the economy Stu Pidd. There is a significant drop of jobs in the last 8 years under Bush/Cheney. And today we are facing historically high prices at gas pumps, greatly increased costs of cooling of our homes and higher food prices. Even retirees or employees within a few years of retirement have seen our portfolios drop by 10-15% this year, even for conservative investors. Then there are the wars in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. These wars, arguably are wars the U.S. started under a cloud of misrepresentations and perhaps lies. These wars have drained our economy to the tune of over $100 thousand million dollars a year. And more than 4,000 live of our couragous man and women have been lost. And so many more have been wounded and many are facing life-long disabilities.

An attractive face and a great speech while stirring many up, still left us with the same old problems. 8 years of pain and suffering and the possibility of more of the same with McCain/Palin for 4 more years.

john and elizabeth are after all, human

John and Elizabeth Edwards, each with strong Biblical names, seemed like the perfect couple. John is handsome, charming, compassionate, accomplished and rich. Seemingly flawless. Elizabeth is beautiful, smart, passionate, courageous. And they seem to be model parents. And both John and Elizabeth come across as caring deeply for the disadvantaged. This is one of the main reasons which they said motivated him to seek the highest office in the world -- presidency of the U. S.

But John sinned. (We all have, haven't we.) He was unfaithful. But John's sin was exposed, very publicly. And it seems especially grievous because he is viewed as a person of high moral standards. Also Elizabeth has incurable cancer. And she helped to cover up John's sin.

There are a lot of things being said. Most of it is unkind and judgemental.

I have something to say, too. 4 things. 1. S(he) who is sinless or faultless, step up and throw the next stone. 2. Hate the sin, but love the sinner. 3. Pray for this family. It is the loving thing to do, even while feeling let down by the Edwards. We all need prayer and forgiveness. 4. Finally, praise God for his boundless, love, grace and forgiveness he richly gives.

Are you doing a good job of planning their futures?

The names of these babies could be Barack, Hillary and John. They are grown up and smart now. But at one time they were babies. Their parents and a supporting cast helped to plan their futures and enable them to become the giant figures they are today.

Whether you are a baby, young adult or near retirement, your future needs to be planned. Whether you are single, married, divorced or the survivor of a wonderful spouse, your future needs to be planned.

That's what we at U. S. Bennett Financial have been doing for 23 years. Helping individuals and families to set goals. Then make tough tradeoffs to establish priorities. Finally, together we develop and implement with you a written Financial Gameplan for both the near term and long term.

This Financial Gameplan can focus on a single issue or concern like, "How do I provide for my loved ones in the event that I die prematurely?" Or your Financial Gameplan can answer the question, "What is the best way to build enough retirement income for the future while maintaining a comfortable lifestyle today?"

If your current assets are substantial you may need a more comprehensive Financial Gameplan. This would include analysis and recommendations for insurance, investments, taxation, education funding, retirement planning, long-term care, as well as wills and estate management, conservation and distribution.

To get started today on developing your Financial Gameplan, here is the contact information for U. S. Bennett Financial:
Telephone: 817-417-6040 (DFW) 877-417-6040 (Nationwide)
web: ltmonline.com/skipbennett
email: usgameplannernow@aol.com


photo: © Monkeybusinessimages Dreamstime.com

HIV Seems To Be A Curse Worse Than Racism

By now most of you have seen or heard about what I'm referring to as the "New Black Plague." It's given name is HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). The negative impact is astonishing! Depending on which set of numbers you read, Black or African Americans (formerly Negro) men and women make up a substantial and disproportionate percentage of all Americans infected with HIV -- perhaps as much as 50%. How can this be true for a minority group that is decreasing in its demographic share of the American landscape. At worse the percentage should be near the AA percentage of the overall population, i.e. 10-12%.

I think that much of the explanation is due to the breakdown of the family unit. When I was growing up in the Jim Crow and racist society of the Deep South in the 50's and 60's, Negroes had at best a difficult time. Segregated everything. Couldn't vote, couldn't come into the front door of many places, couldn't get a white collar job in a major corporation and you better not "talk back" to certain people.

Yet, in spite of these difficulties "out in the world," there was always the family and church to give you encouragement, hope, help and also to "train you up in the way you should go." I think that that type of support system is still there but greatly weakened.

If that system were as strong today as it was a half century ago, I think that our great country would not be facing this New Black Plague - HIV. Let me acknowledge that I'm not living on a deserted island. I recognize that AA and Blacks also are impacted by societal factors. But what American isn't adversely affected at some time by preferences, favoritism and even injustice and, yes, discrimation? This may sound like Republican-speak. But I plan to pull the lever in November for Obama.

Click on the "Comments" link below and let us hear what you think?

Heaven Bound By Faith? Good Deeds? Both?

Today a good friend of mine, Bob, shared with me a few things that happened at the funeral of his brother-in-law Tom.



Tom's funeral was a solemn one. No "When The Saints Come Marchin' In" type of music. And no smiley faces. When it came time for the "Words of Comfort" part of the ceremony, Bob was first in line to speak. It was his goal to liven up this "celebration." One of the things that he mentioned about Tom was that he was a humorous person. And Bob shared this story.

Like all wives Tom's wife had a "honey do" list of things to fix around the house. Men usually take their time checking things off this list. We know that when you mark through one item as completed, your wife will give you two more things to add. So when Tom's wife, after exhibiting enormous patience would say, "Honey, when do you plan to fix the leaky faucet," Tom would say, "any morning."



Late the next day, Tom's wife reminded him that he promised her to fix the leaky faucet hours ago, i.e. "in the morning." Then Tom responded in the nicest, most loving tone that he could, "Baby I didn't say "in the morning. I said any A-N-Y morning."



By now you're probably thinking, "That's nice. But what does this have to do with heaven bound?" Well, later that night after the funeral, Bob's wife, Lynn, told him that she had a problem with the eulogy. She thought that the preacher gave too much credit to the power of God's grace in the forgiveness of sin. The minister she felt should have stressed also the importance of doing good deeds in order to get to Heaven.



Bob shared with Lynn some Bible verses supporting the sufficiency of God's grace. He explained to Lynn that no matter how bad your behavior, God will forgive you. God's grace is available to you if you are a cheater, a liar, even a child molester or murderer. But there is a catch. To be forgiven is to be Heaven bound. Yet, to be Heaven bound the Bible teaches that that person has to have faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior who died on the Cross for the sins of all humanity. Lynn did not seemed persuaded.



Then, Bob tried again by pointing out to Lynn with a hug that it is faith alone in Christ alone that saves a sinner from hell and ensures that the sinner is Heaven bound. Lynn sighed. The discussion continues.


What is your view? Click "Comments" or the pencil below.

(Graphic from Prawny @ www.dreamtimes.com)

Doctor's View of Financial Security

I met recently with a well known and high regarded physician.

We agreed that our jobs could be described similarly. His job is to help his patients to achieve and maintain good physical health. My job is to help my clients to achieve and maintain good financial health.

I asked the doc to write down the 3 most important things that can lead to financial security. I agreed to write mine too. Then we would swap lists and discuss them. Here are our lists.

Doc
1. invest wisely
2. save money
3. no divorce

Me
1. rich parents
2. great job which I loved
3. job protection insurance
4. savings


I kidded the physician that I cheated -- listed 4 instead of 3 things. I did this because I thought that most professional people would not list "rich parents." Professionals are independent minded. Also most people aren't fortunate enough to have as parents somebody that will leave them a large inheritance. He agreed.

Do you agree or disagree with the lists above? Take a minute to give your opinion.

In Memory of a Great Model

Annie Dorothy Hamlet was the first college graduate of the Waddy/Bennett family of Uniontown and Birmingham Alabama. She was the youngest sibling of four children born to Henry and Anna Waddy. 1914 was not a good year to be born black and female in the deep south.

Nonetheless, Henry and Anna instilled in their children the idea that high achievement and success was not out of their reach. Curtis the elder child was followed by Reacie and Paul. Then "Baby Sister" Dorothy was born. Each would later marry, but Curtis and Baby Sister would be childless. Paul chose farming and he and his wife Savannah produced a baseball team of children. Reacie and Major Bennett birthed Skip's father Gus and his sister Willie B. Reacie was a homemaker who was gifted in cooking and sewing. And Curtis was a factory laborer who was known as a good man, hard worker and saver. He and Mattie were considered a model couple. They bought a nice home with peach trees and and they stayed married forever.

Now Baby Sister Dorothy was probably the most gifted of the four Waddy children. She was a book worm. And she was pretty on top of that. And in spite of living "in the country" in the Deep South during the Great Depression, and being black and female she wanted to go to college. You can probably imagine her older siblings falling down on the floor laughing!

Well Dorothy had the last laugh. Not only did she graduate from college, but earned an M.A. from Fisk College In Nashville TN. Five years later, in the year of Skip's birth, she earned another master's degree, an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1945. Before getting these two degrees, she found time to marry Johnny Hamlet. Johnny was handsome, with a ripped body and was a sharp dresser, too. Annie and Johnny. They were a great looking pair. But this marriage was too good to last. They went their separate ways and Johnny remarried. But Dorothy never did. She once shared with Skip that "when they made Johnny Hamlet, they broke the mold."

Dorothy had a rich and interesting work history. After obtaining her masters degrees, she worked as an accountant and teacher in Cleveland OH. Later she would become a student again, earning a J.D. (1955) and L.L.M (1963) from Ohio State University. In Ohio, Dorothy engaged in the private practice of law, taught college courses, served as assistant law director for the City of Cleveland and probate court referee for Cuyahoga County in Cleveland.



Dorothy retired from the Public Retirement System of Ohio. However, it was not long before she "came out of retirement" and said goodbye to Lake Erie and headed for the beaches of California. She accepted a job as referee for the Social Security Administration in San Francisco. Soon she qualified for and passed the examination to be appointed an administrative law judge for the Office of Hearings and Appeal in 1974.



Dorothy Hamlet held that position until her homegoing on January 8, 1998. Today, July 14, she would have been 94 years old.

P.S. To me Aunt Dorothy Hamlet is an icon. She sort of adopted me when I was 9 years old. She bought my first typewriter -- a manual one -- on which I learned to type over 60 words a minute. She and her sister, my grandmother Reacie, paid most of the expenses for my first year in college. I wanted to become a lawyer because of Dorothy Hamlet. And because of her example as our family's first college grad, there was no question that I was college bound. Over the years before her death, she counseled me and was also very generous financially. I owe Aunt Dorothy Hamlet so much for helping to mold me and treat me like her own son. I know that she is resting in peace in the bosom of Jesus.

This Investing Will Make You Laugh (or Cry)

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/MoneyTrack.aspx

U. S. Bennett Financial's Clients & Friends Appreciation BBQ, July 4 2008

Kudos: Many thanks to Doneda J. Bailey, E.I. Productions Online

Women need to save more for retirement

Monday, Jul 14, 2008
Posted on Sun, Jul. 13, 2008
Study: Women need to save more for retirement



By CANDICE CHOI
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Women may not earn as much as men or fly up the corporate ladder as quickly, but they get the last laugh because they live longer. Right?
As it turns out, women probably aren’t saving enough to bankroll those extra years in style. They invest more conservatively, start saving later and are more likely to be in and out of the work force, according to a study released recently by Hewitt Associates, a human-resources consulting firm.

Suddenly, retirement isn’t looking so rosy.

Women live an average of 22 years after retirement versus 19 years for men, and medical costs are rising, so women will need to save 2 percent more than men every year over 30 years to maintain their standard of living upon retirement, the study found.

The importance of saving didn’t dawn on Jerre Laughlin until she was in her 40s and started working in human resources.

"I was looking at pensions all day and was seeing what happens to employees who don’t save. That’s when reality set in," said Laughlin, now 63 and a resident of Kansas City, Kan. She has been playing catch-up and doesn’t plan to retire until she’s 67.

Laughlin isn’t the only one who’s learning her lesson the hard way. The Hewitt study found women today still do worse by every measure: They start saving later (by two to four years), invest less (7.3 percent versus 8.1 percent) and are in and out of the work force more often for family reasons.

The study looked at the projected retirement levels of nearly 2 million workers of varying ages at 72 large U.S. companies and used actual employee balances.

"Women tend to be a little more risk-averse, more fearful of losing money," said Alison Borland, an author of the study.

What women are doing

The study found a quarter of women didn’t contribute at a high enough level in their 401(k) plans to take advantage of the company match, which is typically 50 cents for every dollar up to 6 percent of pay. Yet women will have longer retirements than men by an average of three years.

If a woman who earns $57,000 a year raises her contribution from 2 percent to 4 percent — an extra $95 a month — she can save an extra $81,000 by the time she retires, not including an employer match.

What to consider

Because of inflation and rising medical costs, Hewitt estimates that workers will need to replace 126 percent of their salary after retirement to maintain their lifestyle. Both men and women are on track to replace an average of just 85 percent of that amount.

A bright star on gloomy Wall Street

In the midst of dark feelings and disappointment about stock market performance this year, there is a mutual fund which is performing very brightly. It's low tech-medium tech, consistently beats the S&P 500 index, and has experienced management as well. Check it out.

http://www.cgmfunds.com/pdf/2008-05-01-focus-prospectus.pdf



CAUTION: The above is is for informational purposes only. This is not a solicitation to recommend or persuade you to invest in anything. I cannot gain financially by your investment in the above fund. Consult your investment advisor or accountant before investing. Read the investment prospectus before investing.

Black is Beautiful

The first half of 2008 has closed with many championship achievements for black Americans.

Doc Rivers coached the Boston Celtics to NBA championship

Tiger Woods won the U. S. Open even with a bag leg. But he probably won't be able to compete in another tourney this year. Ouch for the size of golf purses without the Tiger.

Venus Williams won the Wibledon tennis tourney in a Williams sisters final,beating her sister Serena. Venus joined the tennis elite with her 5th Wimbledon singles title.

Venus & Serena won the doubles championship at Wimbledon.

Barack Obama won the presidential primary for the Democratic Party. I believe Barack will win the popular vote solidly and edge McCain in the electoral college.

I believe the stock market -- in the red now (means losing value) -- will be in the black by year end. Black is beautiful.

What's your take on this? Let us hear from you.

4 Valuables That Make Your Life Rich

I am arguably the most blessed person on the planet. I often forget this but several things happened this week to remind me.


1. grandchildren. Cathy and I had as guests all week our oldest grandchildren, Nia and Zion Rodgers. These are two totally excited and smart children. Ne is 9 and Zi is 6. By comparison they are at least 1 1/2 smarter than I at their age. Cathy was totally enthused to have them for the week. I less. But the week was a blessing to me beyond what I expected. I taught Zi to ride his bike and 1/2 way tie his shoes. The latter may seem not be a big deal. But try it yourself. There are about 8 steps to shoe tying when you think it through. Also Ne and Zi showed me that their parents are doing a good job in teaching them good eating habits. They love fruit and salads, and veggies. The importance of this may not be so evident. But they had a doctor a few years ago that "fired" their parents. I think that he felt that they were not paying enough attention to the nutrition of their children.

2. wife. My wife Cathy loves things. She is an acquirer of sun glasses (more than a dozen pair), clothes (3 closets), purses (at least 20), and expensive luggage (she collects LV). Yet Cathy is not extravagant. She economizes on other things to balance the scale.

But more important than loving things, Cathy loves people. She is a person that follows Jesus Christ's commandment to "love your neighbor as you love yourself." Cathy loves herself, but not in an egotical way. And Cathy loves me unconditionally. But if that is possible, I think that she loves our grandchildren more. There's a Bible verse that says it's better to live on the corner of a roof than in a house with a nagging wife. Cathy does not nag and this may sound like a pollyanna statement. She makes our house a castle -- for me. Some may think that she is a "rug wife", i.e. somebody that you walk on. But that is not true. Cathy stands her ground but in an humble way. It's hard to explain. But she conducts herself in a way which makes you feel embarassed if you don't return her love. She doesn't make you feel embarassed but her demeanor makes you feel embarassed. I said it was hard to explain.

3. health. I'm blessed with very good health. Thank you Jesus. Most times people like me take feeling good for granted. Today Cathy and I made a hospital visit to a relative of ours who has Krohns disease and suffers from frequent blood clots. Her name is Tarsha Grimes and I would like you to pray for Tarsha and also her family, husband Tom Grimes and children Jaron and Kevin. They are members of the Potter's House, pastored by T. J. Jakes. They are people of strong faith. Tarsha recently spent 6 months in the hospital from Dec. to May. She went through some ordeals that most of us have not experienced nor imagined. Then she was released only to return a few weeks later because she swelled tremendously with fluids and had several blood clots. Tarsha said today that her doctors said that her body had 60 pounds of fluid buildup. My God. Then her major doc said he wanted to perform a procedure that had a 1 in 100 chance of succeeding. However, if they did not do it she would surely die. Tarsha said she was very scared, of course, but she said to her doc, "doctor, do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?" She said the doctor said, "Yes." So she said, "let's do it. You, I and Jesus will do this together." And she lived through the procedure.

4. friends, family and clients. Cathy and I celebrated the 23rd anniversary of our business with a July 4th appreciation for our friends, family and clients. Almost 100 adults and children turned out. We had plenty of food, fun and fellowship. The economy, employment and finances are a great challenge for all of us this year. We thank God for blessing us with enough overflow to continue this tradition of honoring and sharing with those who have contributed to our success.

Do any of these 4 examples above strike a cord with you? Do you have anything you would like to acknowledge and give thanks to God for? If so, please share your experience or testimony in order to help somebody.

my portfolio loss is starting to scare (oops concern) me

With gasoline pump prices and food prices and air
conditioning bills continuing to go up while the stock
market and real estate prices head south
in the opposite direction, I'm getting a bit scared (oops
I mean concerned). Overall, I'm still in the black. My
overall diversified portfolio is still positive. But the
overall value has dropped over 10% this year. Cathy
thinks we ought to switch our emphasis to bonds or
CD's. This suggestion of hers never comes up during
rising prices in the stock market. Wonder why. And
I always say to her, "why are you saying that? You
have not lost any money because your company
matches your 401k contributions. So it's almost
impossible for you to lose money." Should we stay the
course as I believe or convert to a more conservative
course?

Have You Taken Care of Your Business?

Two young friends of mine have died this month. And I am very sad. They both were in their 30's. Both died tragically. This touched a nerve in me because our two daughters are in that age group. One of my friends, "Shon," left a husband and three young children to mourn her loss. She was attending a church picnic where she collapsed and was not able to be resuscitated. My other friend, Damon, was seriously injured in an accident on Father's Day. He was riding his motorcycle near his home when a car hit him. After being in intensive care for several days, he was released and went home, only to pass away the next day. Mourning Damon is his few weeks old first born child Isabelle and his wife. As a father the worst thing to me is to have to bury a child. It's not meant to be that way. As an insurance and financial advisor I wonder whether their financial affairs were in good shape so that their loved ones could live in dignity. Is there adequate life insurance to cover funeral, medical and other final expenses? Is there an emergency fund to continue to meet family expenses until things can be settled and checks issued? Is there enough insurance to pay off the mortgage so that the surviving spouse will not have to be worried about keeping a roof over her and the children's head? Was money being put into a college fund for the child(ren)? In other words will the family left to grieve and try to pick up the pieces of their life be able to say that my husband (wife), father(mother) loved me enough to have taken care of business? I pray and hope so.

today is a great day! tiger wins.

TIGER WINS 14TH MAJOR GOLF TOURNAMENT

In the U. S. Open golf tournament today, Tiger Woods won his 14th major title in a playoff at Torrey Pines. He is just 4 victories in major tournaments away from surpassing Jack Nicklaus as the best golfer in history. I believe that this was an especially satisfying victory for Tiger. He had major knee surgery about 6 weeks ago. And this was his first tournament after the surgery. Although he tried to hide the pain, the cameras picked up many moments when Tiger's face showed pain after making an important shot. To get to the playoff round today, Tiger had to make a spectacular 12 foot put on the 18th hole yesterday. Sinking this put was both a birdie (one stroke under par)) and a tie to enable him to play against Rocco Mediate in a playoff today, which Tiger won.
Official Website for Tiger Woods

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Meeting With David Axelrod, Chief Strategist to Senator Barack Obama

On June 11 Cathy and I and a group of supporters
met with David Axelrod at a luncheon in Dallas.
David is the Chief Strategist to Senator Barack Obama.

David was a laid back guy sporting a moustache, which
is not common for most white guys. He told us how he
met Obama and that they have
been friends for more than 15 years. David stated why
he thought Barack was the right guy to be president.
He's a man of principle and he's bright and a quick
study. Also Barack is committed to making things
better for all Americans. David related
also how he was one of the key guys who helped get
Harold Washington elected as the first black mayor
of Chicago. At the end of his presentation David
got a standing ovation.

i've joined the blog world

hello friends and family. you knew it would happen sooner or later. i've joined the world of blog. hope you will share your thoughts from time to time. loveya. GodBless.