Striped Chipmunk Provides a Great Family Lesson

Thornton W. Burgess’s books have delighted children for over one hundred years. His stories bring nature to life and help readers discover the value of adhering to the timeless principles of honesty, hard-work, and kindness and the cost of laziness, lying and stealing.

In this tale of Striped Chipmunk’s great, great, ever so great grandfather, the Merry Little Breezes learn how old Mr. Chipmunk earned his striped coat by his selfless act of courage.

Peter Rabbit, Johnny Chuck, Grandfather Frog and other Animals Teach Important Values

Thornton W. Burgess’s books (see Books by Thornton W. Burgess), whose cast of characters are the forest and meadow creatures, delighted children in the early to mid nineteen hundreds. The author paints wonderful word pictures that both entertain and educate. His first book Old Mother West Wind begins as follows:

The Opportunity in Problems

During the course of our lives problems will arise: within our families, at work, or in organizations to which we belong. Our first reaction is often to cringe, deny and wonder why me. Let me put forth the notion that, rather than cringe at them, we view problems as an opportunity to improve our relationship with family, customers, co-workers, or fellow members.

To illustrate my point I’d like to share a story from my first job out of college. I was working for Motorola as a software engineer where my responsibilities included developing custom software for our CAD/CAM systems. By the end of my first year I had developed a number of new features for our CAD System to help speed up the design process for our circuit board designers. One afternoon, after I had made an enhancement to one of the features and reinstalled it, the designers complained that their systems were not behaving properly. After they explained what happened, I immediately knew what was wrong. I had made a small coding error and was able to fix it within a couple of minutes.

Suggestions to the Utah County Republican Party

As a precinct chair for the Republican Party in Utah County I’ve now attended 2 Central Committee meetings and a County Convention (my notes from the most recent meeting can be found in the Highland Utah Precinct 2 Blog). After a lot of reflection on these meetings I  tried to think of what constructive topics were discussed and determine what I thought were productive outcomes. Sadly all that comes to mind are the following:

What Do Jason Chaffetz and Jim Matheson Have in Common?

Not much you say. Well hold on. Here are a few items:

• Chaffetz votes with his party 92% of the time, Matheson 93%.
• Chaffetz abstains 1% of the time, Matheson 2%
• Chaffetz has sponsored 26 bills and 1 was made into law, Matheson 19 and 2 were made into law

Now for the opposites (or at least wildly different):

• One of the two representatives Chaffetz most often votes with is Walter Minnick, one of the two representatives Matheson least often votes with is Walter Minnick
• One of the two representatives Chaffetz least often votes with is Parker Griffin, one of the two representatives Matheson most often votes with is Parker Griffin.
• In his current term Chaffetz had $0 in earmarks, in his current term Matheson had $71M
• Chaffetz received a 93% rating from the National Taxpayers Union in 2009 while Matheson received a 30% rating.

Is Matheson In Step with Utahns?

I thought it would be interesting to look at how a liberal group rated our congressmen so I went to the website for Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) and looked at their annual rating for house members from 2001 to 2009. Over the course of that time period the average democrat was given an 86% by the ADA. Jim Matheson had an average rating of 66% so he was rated as more conservative than the average democrat. Contrast this with the ratings of the 1st (4%) and 3rd (2%) district representatives (Hansen/Bishop and Cannon/Chaffetz respectively) for that time period and you can see how out of step Matheson is with the our other congressman. I wonder which of the 3 our more closely aligned with the average Utahn. You can be the judge but it seems to me that Mr. Matheson is much more aligned with liberals than conservatives.

I also found it interesting that  in 2006 and 2008 Mr. Matheson’s liberal rating took quite a tumble. Let me see, were those election years?

I believe Morgan Philpot is more closely aligned with the largely conservative members of the 2nd Congressional District. Let’s make sure he is the one that represents us going forward.

Philpot v. Matheson Debate and the FairTax

After listening to the debate (if you haven't listened click here) I kept thinking about Matheson’s oft repeated refrain that Morgan wants to tax everything you buy at 23% and in reality that rate would likely be 30%. There is some truth to this statement but Matheson leaves a lot of information out as well.

 

What Morgan has said on a couple of occasions is that he could support a national sales tax such as the proposed Fair Tax Act of 2005 (HR 25 and S 25) which call for a 23% sales tax on all new goods and services. This proposal is explained in detail by the Americans for Fair Taxation on their website www.fairtax.org for those who want to learn more.

 

When is a Blue Dog only a Mirage?

We are less than a month away from the elections and in our congressional district we have a choice between a 10 year Democrat incumbent (Jim Matheson) and a Republican (Morgan Philpot) who was twice elected to the Utah house. Our current congressman is member of the "Blue Dog Coalition", a group the claims to promote fiscally conservative policies.

A recent article in the Salt Lake Tribute has the headline "Matheson not among Blue Dogs in jeopardy". I'm not sure where they got this headline as the article itself cites no polls that indicate which way the race is headed and only really discusses the voting record of Matheson as presented by his challenger Morgan Philpot and rebutted by Matheson.

Contributing to Parties, PACs or Candidates

As I told a PAC today for the Nth time that I'm contributing to individual candidates this year as opposed to larger organizations for some reason I felt my anger rising. Why should I delegate my right to choose whom I support to a larger group like a PAC or national party when they may give money to candidates I would not otherwise support.  And why should I give to a PAC just so the sponsor will be able to use the money to further his or her political ambitions? 

Am I Willing?

Most of us are familiar with the story from the Old Testament of the prophet Jonah who disobeyed a request from the Lord to call upon the people of the city of Nineveh to repent. Rather than go to the city he ran the other way.

 

Some think that if the Lord spoke to them, or they had a great vision, or some other dramatic event that it would be easy to believe and obey. Yet here was a prophet who ran way when told by the Lord to do something. The children of Israel, who were led out of Egypt and experienced many miracles, were quick to fall away.

Volunteering or Why Can't We Just All Get Along

Like many in my community I'm a long term member of a religion that expects a lot from its members. Occasionally conflicts arise between members (often about how to execute some well intended program or the other) and one, both, or all parties involved reduce their level or participation. Sometimes for a long time. When conflict rears its head it helps me to remember why I'm going to church in the first place, whose church it is, and whose expectations matter. - mine or the Lord's. Plus, we are all volunteers, each with his or her own set of circumstances that can constrain our ability to contribute at any one point in time.

 

Media Conspiracies

Earlier today a story was released regarding a group of journalists who plotted to protect presidential candidate Senator Barak Obama from the Rev. Wright scandal (see story). Is it really so surprising? The media has done an excellent job marginalizing anyone who uses the word conspiracy. Today anyone using the "C" word is branded a nut job, conspiracy theorist, ... and immediately discredited. If I were involved in conspiracies I would think that a great first step to hiding them in plain sight would be to create an environment where anyone making claims of one would be considered a fool.

Amazing Grace: The Rest of the Story

The following story regarding the composer of "Amazing Grace," one of my favorite songs (I especially like the version performed by The Canadian Scottish Regiment Pipes and Drums), is found on page 178 of the book entitled "The Rebirth of America" published by the Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation.

Freedom to Choose Impacts Performance

One of my favorite all-time business books is “In Search of Excellence” by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. In the introduction they discuss an experiment in psychology that highlights (by my analysis) why when government increases its control over society in an attempt to improve the performance of the free market or education or ... performance degrades. Here is the quote:

“Adult subjects were given some complex puzzles to solve and a proofreading chore. In the background was a loud, randomly occurring distracting noise; to be specific, it was 'a combination of two people speaking Spanish, one speaking Armenian, a mimeograph machine running, a desk calculator, and a typewriter, and a street noise -- producing a composite, non-distinguishable roar.' The subjects were split into two groups. Individuals in one set were just told to work at the task. Individuals in the other were provided with a button to push to turn off the noise. 'a modern analog of control -- the off switch.' The group with the off switch solved 5 times the number of puzzles as their cohorts and made but a tiny faction of the number of  proofreading errors. Now the the kicker: ‘... none of the subjects in the off switch group ever used the switch. The mere knowledge that one can exert control made the difference.’”

The mere knowledge that we have control over our circumstances increases our performance. The corollary of course would be that not having control (or perceived control) diminishes our output. The freedoms outlined in the founding documents of our country (i.e. the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) are not merely words but the articulation and embodiment of true principles. If we would restore, maintain, and defend these principles I believe we could overcome almost any adversity, including those we face today. Daniel Webster summed up this sentiment and concluded with a prediction of what would happen if we did not maintain our Constitutional form of government  in a speech entitled “Eulogy on Washington”, given on February 22, 1832. (Download the entire speech -Google Books, PDF, Word.

“Other misfortunes may be borne, or their effects overcome. If disastrous war should sweep our commerce from the ocean, another generation may renew it; if it exhaust our treasury, future industry may replenish it; if it desolate and lay waste our fields, still, under a new cultivation, they will grow green again, and ripen to future harvests. It were but a trifle even if the walls of yonder capitol were to crumble, if its lofty pillars should fall, and its gorgeous decorations be all covered by the dust of the valley. All these might be rebuilt. But who shall reconstruct the fabric of demolished government? Who shall rear again the well proportioned columns of constitutional liberty? Who shall frame together the skillful architecture which unites national sovereignty with state rights, individual security, and public prosperity? No, gentlemen, if these columns fall, they will be raised not again. Like the Coliseum and the Parthenon, they will be destined to a mournful, a melancholy immortality. Bitterer tears, however, will flow over them, than were ever shed over the monuments of Roman or Grecian art; for they will be the remnants of a more glorious edifice than Greece or Rome ever saw—the edifice of constitutional American liberty.”

Why We Support Tim Bridgewater For Senate

A Note from Your Friends and Neighbors

Why I'm Still Supporting Tim - Dialogs with Voters

Over the past couple of weeks I've had a chance to discuss the Senate race with a number of voters; in person, via e-mail, and over the phone. Many of these discussions were with ardent Lee supporters or just people who had genuine questions. As a result of this, I've come to an even more certain conclusion that Tim will be the more effective representative for Utah (see prior post on "Why I'm Supporting Bridgewater").

Bridgewater - Lee Debate at Novell

Novell hosted a debate between Tim Bridgewater and Mike Lee on Wednesday June 9th. Both candidates did a good job of presenting their cases as they answered questions some of which had not been asked before. Note, the audio is a little off for the first couple of minutes but gets better when the candidates start talking. The video runs about 90 minutes.

Are You Listening? A Short Object Lesson

Have you ever felt like you don't get answers when you pray or questioned whether the Spirit is giving you guidance? Have your kids ever asked you related questions. Here's a fun object lesson that compliments the following scripture (I Kings 19:11-12):

11) And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

12) And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice^.

What you'll need:

Why I'm Supporting Tim Bridgewater for Senate

As a state delegate I had a chance to interact with all of the candidates for the US Senate. I spent the most time with Cherilyn Eager, Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater. Each of these candidates were ones I could have supported because of their similar views on the role of government and the US Constitution. I decided to support Tim for the following reasons:

Moments of Clarity by Miki Mann

My brother, a paramedic with the Seattle Fire Department, recently gave a speech at a King County (WA) GOP Lincoln Day Dinner. He uses a personal experience to illustrate that critical battle we face is not against al-Qaeda, Communism, or Socialism. Additionally, he reminds Republicans of our roots and what we stand for He makes a number of very interesting points and reminds Republicans of their roots.

 

MOMENTS OF CLARITY

Miki Mann, Paramedic, Seattle Fire Department
2010 King County GOP, Lincoln Day Dinner

It was a cold and overcast day in November of 2006 when Nathan exhibited the kind of bravery only seen in an intoxicated twenty-six year-old trying to impress his girlfriend. In preparation for the deed, Nathan had consumed a large amount of alcohol and a sampling of the club drug ecstasy. While walking along the waterfront, Nathan had decided to demonstrate his virility by removing his shoes and diving into the frigid waters of the Puget Sound with the stated goal of swimming nearly two miles to Alki beach.
 

Despite his overarching enthusiasm Nathan’s pace began to slow at 50 yards and, finally, at 75 yards he simply stopped and began treading water while shouting lines from Braveheart to his audience on the pier.

Honoring Our Parents

The 5th commandment reads: "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12) We often hear how wise and smart the youth of today are and politicians regularly cater to the youth and even suggest that they often know more than their parents. Hmmm ... is this really true?