I think I have finally arrived at what I will be wishing for on Monday. Monday is my birthday.

Every year I silently come up with a wish that I would hope to come true as a Birthday present to me! I’m sure everyone has had those moments when the candle is lit, and you are told to close your eyes and make a wish!

How many times I sat and pondered in that moment, only to be denied even the smallest idea for what I would truly wish for. Frozen in time, and thoughtlessness. Usually resulting in some physical items, like a toy, or a book, or some sports paraphernalia.

As I grew older, I would often wish for things that were not actually physical items, but instead more philosophical in nature. Good Heath, Loving relationships and friendships, Prayers for Peace, Change, Kindness…

I know, that seems rather silly! Secret wishes that no one else hears or knows about, does seem fruitless.

But, I don’t much care because it is my way of being able to wish for things that I honestly can never afford, are mostly impractical, and I don’t ever expect to happen.

A wishing well in my mind where my hopes and dreams for what I consider a better world resides.

When I started this blog, I thought it would be a great place to share my thoughts and ideas, on a wide variety of topics. I have a lot of thoughts and many ideas…

This place allows me to rant about stuff that I shouldn’t probably post on social media. When I do post philosophical or political thoughts on FB, I find that only a very few people react. I’ve probably been unfriended by a few people, but I’m too old and too opinionated at this age to give a care. I am who I am – and I believe, what I believe.

My tolerance for engaging and dealing with delusional people is running out quickly. I no longer even try to negotiate reality with them, instead mostly deflect, or just walk away frustrated. I used to try and argue or talk thru the differences in opinions, and once in a while that ended with one or both parties walking away angrier than before the conversation started.

Now when I simply walk away without saying anything, I am mostly just frustrated knowing I am allowing that person to drown in stupidity. Hey, it’s their life and their hole they are digging. I feel sorry for them, but many are just too far gone to try and save from themselves.

I used to think that with a well thought out and really great communicated message, some of the delusional could be brought back to reality. Now, I am pretty sure – far too many have always been delusional, and I just failed to recognize it.

So, come Monday when that candle is lit and I close my eyes – I’m pretty damn sure I know what I will be wishing for this year.

All the talk lately by some political hacks seem to try to place the blame on the debt ceiling on Joe Biden and the Democrats. The chart above clearly shows that the problem with rising national debt is NOT just the fault of 1 political party.

Reality check time – The bi-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has recently determined that the National debt went up 8.4 trillion dollars due to the things Donald Trump and his Congress did.

The big tax cuts mainly to the wealthy and businesses raised the debt 2.5 trillion dollars.

The pandemic relief spending to individuals and businesses raised the debt 3.6 trillion dollars.

The spending increases in the bills that Congress passed, and he signed raised the debt 2.3 trillion dollars.

To offset the increases in the debt, Donald Trump decided to raise tariffs for incoming goods from other countries (mainly aimed at imports from China).

The tariffs reduced the National debt by merely 445 billion dollars.

The tariff was actually paid for by the consumer, as the increased cost was simply passed on to them and helped caused the inflation we are still battling today.

Nicki Hailey actually called this out in one of the debates and the facts were broomed under the rug. What the hell has reality to do with anything anyways?

Yes, the National debt level needs to be addressed. It starts with having to swallow very bitter pills that most average Americans will not want to deal with.

Spending must be offset by Revenue.

Spend less and you won’t need to raise as much Revenue.

When you raise Revenue, do it fairly and proportionally with those that have it.

Don’t be ignorant of the fact that increases in revenue from businesses will be offset by increases in pricing of goods and services. This will cause inflation.

The debt level only goes up, when more is spent than what is taken in. The United States of America has a number of ways it uses to take in revenue. Taxes, Tariffs, Bonds, Securities, and Exports.

The rest of the world economies trust the United States will meet their lending obligations more so than any other country on earth. Therefore, the Bonds and Securities sold to offset the majority of the National debt is a buffer we must always maintain. We cannot default on our obligations without potentially causing a worldwide monetary crisis. That would also create pressure on many countries to move away from the U.S dollar as the standard monetary value traded in the world. Since we have control of the value of the U.S. dollar, it creates many advantages that the United States need to maintain our debt balance.

Political escapades by some members in Congress, is NOT the appropriate way to deal with the problem of our National debt. Calmer, and more intelligent heads, must be called upon to collectively come up with a plan.

In the meanwhile, just remember the next time it comes up in a political debate. The problem wasn’t created, and won’t be solved, by just one political party. The sooner the leadership of both parties come to that realization, the better.

This past week, I was forced to think about the wonderful world of chemistry, for which I thought was something that was set aside many, many years ago.

The hot water heater in the basement, sprang a leak. It was just shy of 3 years old. Initially, we focused on containing and cleaning up the spill. Shut off the water heater and called the plumber that installed the unit.

Jim, the plumber was shocked that the unit went bad so fast. He got a replacement, and they swapped the bad one with a new one, same brand and model. While installing the new one he gave me the name of a company and suggested they come out and check to see if the water softener equipment was working properly, and to have them also test the water.

Sounded like a reasonable suggestion to me, especially after he showed me the incoming water line to the hot water heater which was almost blocked by some kind of substance. There was a lot of buildup inside the coupling, which should not have been there.

I made an appointment the next day, and the suggested company representative showed up. He checked the water softener equipment and stated the equipment appeared to be working correctly. Then, he proceeded to take both hot and cold-water samples from the kitchen sink, and also a sample from the outside spigot. He had hoped that the outside spigot sample would tell us results for water as supplied, before the water softener.

The results were kind of disappointing, in that the meter he used indicated that the outside water spigot was also connected to the water softener, so we did not get to test the pre-treated water supply.

Our water testing showed that the pH was 8.6 and that we had just a trace of Iron in it, plus a there was relatively high level of particulates. He suggested considering adding an under-sink reverse osmosis filter system to remove the particulates and make the water cleaner.

Well, now my scientific brain had a whole lot of data to absorb and process. Chemistry class was pulling me back, and I needed to do research to help me justify what I was thinking.

Scientific thinking can be both a blessing and a curse.

I could just trust this guy, and hope that he wasn’t just trying to sell me something I don’t really need, or, I could try to figure out if there were other potential solutions to the problem at hand.

Me being me, I tend to go with the “now, I will research the heck out of this” approach.

I started by checking the city DPW to determine if they had water test results of the source being distributed to everyone using their water distribution system. The city website had a link to the water department where water test results were posted. The water being sent out for use has a 8.7pH level.

So, back to Chemistry class we go…

Pure water has a pH of 7 at 25°C, meaning it is neutral. When an acid is dissolved in water, the pH will be less than 7, while a base, or alkali, will have a pH greater than 7. A strong acid, such as hydrochloric acid, at concentration 1 mol dm has a pH of 0, while a strong alkali like sodium hydroxide, at the same concentration, has a pH of 14.

A pH scale is used to determine if a liquid is more or less acidic. Acid can be really bad because it causes materials to be eaten away, if it is acidic enough. There are a lot of well know acidic materials, like lye, that will deteriorate materials upon contact. There is also very mild acidic material that are far less damaging, such as citric acid found in many fruits. Many materials can be dissolved in water, thus altering the water pH level.

Based on this, it appears that the pH level of our water should be a little bit lower. Keep in mind though that we do have a water softener connected to the incoming water line to the home and the city is providing water at a 8.7pH level.

From what I have determined, the city would rather provide water on the slightly alkaline side rather than on the acidic side of the pH scale. Why?

Because acid causes metals to break down and many older homes used lead pipes. Ever heard of lead poisoning in water – ie: Flint, Michigan, which is about 40 minutes away from where we live?

Okay, so if there are side effects for too much acid in water, what is the side effect of too much alkaline in the water?

Scaling is one side effect. This is a residue that leaves a white chalkiness on things after the water droplets dry up. The stuff that is found on water faucets and shower heads in the bathroom, and on the glasses in the dish washer. Most likely some combination of sulfates, calcites, or sodium in the water.

Science always adds little twists too. Notice the pH scale definition included a temperature (at 25 degrees Celsius). This means that the pH level of materials changes when the temperature goes up or down.

Assuming the Hot water heater will impact the pH level, which way will the pH level go as water is heated? Not surprisingly, it is up. So, the scaling caused by the slightly high pH will actually be accelerated by the heating it. Well, that helps explain a few things.

There are a few ways available to lower the pH level of water. CO2 injectors will potentially do that by converting certain ions with existing materials in the water. Another method is to introduce a material that is slightly more acidic to reduce the pH level. There is also a method used to pass the water through a magnetic or electrical field, causing certain ions to be displaced, and change the chemical make-up of whatever is in the water flowing through the pipes.

I found that there are a few citric acid filters that can be used to do just that and will also act as a descaler of the existing build up in the water lines. Our home was built using copper pipes, so no worries about lead poisoning. I am considering adding a citric acid type filter to the cold-water pipe between the water softener and the hot water heater. This would be a way to reduce the scale build up inside the hot water heater. Scale build-up inside the hot water heater can contribute to a higher energy bill, because it takes more energy to heat the water with scale inside of it. And, it is said that it contributes to the water heater failing sooner than it would with less scale build-up.

Interestingly enough, the guy that tested the water and checked the water softener just emailed me and suggested adding a citric acid-based unit to the water system. His company could install one for about $2,000 and it would handle all the water in the entire home. We haven’t responded to that proposal yet. I am concerned about the cost to replace that unit it when it wears out in 1o years, and the cost of the filters when it is time to replace them. More for discussion next week when we discuss this.

So, I am glad to know that they think the water softener is doing its job, based on the lack of hard metals and certain minerals were not present in the water samples. I am glad that I now have a better understanding of why the 3-year-old hot water heater may have failed prematurely.

Now, we can move forward and use that knowledge to make a better-informed decision on what to do to reduce or hopefully eliminate the scale build up on the fixtures and equipment in the home.

In any case, once again, Science comes to the rescue. I love science!

34 times and then…

Since the 2^nd, and last time, George Washington was elected president, there have been 56 presidential elections. All 56 had ended with a peaceful transfer of power, between the past president to the newly elected one. Sometimes the new president was the same as the old one, so a transfer of power didn’t occur. 34 times the opportunity for a peaceful transfer of power not happening – could have, but didn’t.

The presidential elections were not always based on who won the popular vote. In fact, the popular vote didn’t even start to matter until the election of 1824. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe were all elected solely on the Electoral votes, based on the Electoral College designed to determine the President. 

In the early days of our Republic, the person with the most electoral votes was the President and the Runner-up was the Vice President. The winner had to have a majority of the electoral votes. If they did not have a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives would decide who the President would be. 

That is what happened in 1824, when Andrew Jackson won the majority of popular votes, and the most Electoral votes too, but did not achieve a majority of electoral votes. Prior to the consolidation of just 2 major parties, there were many candidates with fewer votes and no one reached a majority.  The House of Representatives voted John Quincy Adams into office instead of Jackson.  Jackson did successfully win the presidency in the following 2 elections held in 1828, and 1832.

34 times the baton of leadership was passed between 2 individuals, sometimes from the same political party, and sometimes not. 

34 times the president leaving office understood the importance of the peaceful transfer being taken. They understood that the demonstration of a peaceful transfer of power, showed that our form of government was legitimately – by the people, and for the people – from whom their power was given. 

56 times without violence.

34 times without the needing to provide protection to the responsible elected officials fulfilling their constitutional duties. 34 times and nobody was attacked, beaten, shot at, or harmed. 34 times and the power of the presidency was transferred without incident.

Along the way, there have been incidences where appropriate questions regarding election issues had to be reviewed and answered in the court of law. Legal issues that were resolved, and the resulting decisions accepted without violence. The transfer of power was peacefully executed.

I fear that when leaders plant seeds of doubt, and question the legitimacy of elections, they also influence those people that supported them to do so also. It enables, and encourages, mistrust in the electoral system.

Election denial is the ultimate slap in the face of our system of government.

Continuing to sow seeds of doubt, even years afterwards without any actual legitimate evidence of widespread election fraud, has only one purpose. That is, to create a reason for some to cause chaos and to challenge the legitimacy of every election thereafter.

That behavior, if normalized, will be the downfall of our form of government.  Trust in the election process is essential to maintaining the honest belief that democracy can work. Faith that the system works properly, and that everyone that wants to vote can vote, and that the results can be vetted and trusted – must be the emphasis of this next election.

34 times it had worked, then the last presidential election in 2020 happened.

Will the horrible abuse of democracy happen again in 2024? 2028? And beyond?

Once the results and mistrust seeps in, and the current wave of tit for tat political mentality take over, the peaceful transfer of power very well could be in jeopardy.

Democracy and our current form of government is seemingly at a crossroads.

This issue is far bigger than just 2 divergent political parties that are opposed to each other.

The bigger concern is the grassroots everyday citizens that are so totally disgusted with the situation that they simply gave up caring about it, and the extremists in each party taking advantage of the moment.

The warning bells and sirens are sounding all around us. The situation is not getting better, and the bad role models still exist, and will not stop until they get what they want. The people that make up the majority of the electorate, whom believe in democracy must step up. They must quell the ugly mob mentality, and the hateful rhetoric, being spewed by those that would rather see the government burned to the ground if they do not win.

I fear the sleeping giant won’t wake up, until it is almost too late. Please wake up American electorate – you can stop this from happening if you have the heart and love for this country.

In all my years, I have never come across a politician that over promises and under delivers! Doesn’t matter which political party they are from, they will say anything to get you to vote for them. Some of them actually seem to believe what they are saying, but they ignore the fact that they cannot fulfill the promise by themself – it will take cooperation and agreement by others to support the promise.

That being said, I would think that folks would look past the promises and focus more on the character of the person making those promises. Do they possess the kind of character traits that you can support - as a person, not as a politician.

Do they lie or tell the truth when speaking about others? Are they careful with their words, so as not to isolate others, or promote hatred? Do they behave in a way that is consistent with what they say they believe in? 

There are many factors in what makes up a person’s character, so many that even the experts in the matter cannot all agree on what makes up a person’s character. The main factors to me are the basic ones that show how a person behaves, how they treat others, what they say and do, and if their behavior supports what they say that they believe in.

I cannot support a person that lies in order to get what they want.

I cannot support a person that speaks badly of others because of their race, gender, religious belief, or where they are from.

I cannot support that treats others (especially those in need) badly.

I cannot support anyone that says they love Jesus, but behaves in ways that don’t support the way Jesus told us to behave.

I cannot support a person that takes an oath or makes a promise, then later acts or says things that are opposed to the very oath that they took.

I cannot support a person whom does not believe in supporting and upholding the Constitution.

I cannot support anyone whose character traits include behavior and speech reflecting on their belief that misogyny, bigotry, racism, hatred, revenge, or entitlement is okay.

To me – character matters more than anything else.

This past weekend I attended the 50th anniversary of my high school graduation. Interestingly to me, it was both fantastic and disappointing.

We had a picnic on Friday afternoon and a banquet Saturday evening. Some folks couldn’t come to the banquet, and some didn’t want to attend the banquet. I went to both, but to each their own.

We had name tags with our graduation photos on them, mainly to help people determine who was who! Faces ad bodies change alot over a 50 year time span.

Everyone that attended seemed genuinely happy to see each other. Most hadn’t had a chance to do so since we walked down the aisle to get our diplomas all those years ago. Lots of hand shakes and hugs, smiling faces and laughter.

We reminisced about the “old” days and caught up with how everyone was doing. Kids, Siblings, and assorted family stories were shared mixed emotions. “Get well” and “Thinking of you” greeting cards were circulated for signatures and would be sent to a few classmates that were currently ill, and having a tough go of it.

I particularly enjoyed seeing and speaking with the folks that I grew up with and were the guys that “hung around” with on a daily basis growing up. Such great memories and thoughts of those that were with us back then, but couldn’t attend the reunion. Some had passed away, others just chose not to come. That was a little disappointing, as I really wished a few had attended.

All in all, I really enjoyed seeing my old classmates, and having a chance to catch up.

The weirdest feeling was that I couldn’t grasp where or how that many years had slipped by. My life has been a wonderfully busy and full one. As was everyone elses. We graduated and started down various paths, many not knowing what, where, or how they were going to get there. One step after another, with plenty of milestones along the way. Some great things and some not so great things happening along our individual paths.

Yet, 50 long years later – many coming from far distances away – found it important to come back together for a fleeting moment. It was wonderful to see and I am so thankful that I had an opportunity to attend.

Well, well, here we are again!

The GOP House of Representatives are unable to govern their majority, and the think the electorate should allow them to be in charge of the entire government??

They set McCarthy up for a fall, and executed his demise because a small group of radicals decided they didn’t like him working with the Democrats on a Continuing Resolution in order to keep the government from shutting down.

They did the deed, without thinking or caring about the repercussions.

Now, after trying to agree on the next poor SOB to take the Speaker job, they can’t even get out of their own way. First Scalise is nominated, but before the entire House votes, he backs out because he can’t muster up the 217 votes that he needed. Once again a group of GOP representatives from his own party decide to NOT vote for him. Rather than be humiliated in front of the entire nation (like McCarthy did 14 times), he withdraws his name.

Now, Jordan (whom hasn’t authored a single bill since he has been in the House) has decided to take on the Speaker role. But, once again the chances of getting 217 votes is never gonna happen. This guy has burned too many bridges and pissed off too many other GOP reps to get the votes. The difference between him and Scalise though – Jordan doesn’t care if he gets humiliated.

The reality is that NOBODY in the GOP will be able to gather 217 votes, without the help of the Democrats. And, to make that happen it will take a massive amount of courage, guts, and planning to get it done.

Why? Because anyone that might try would be potentially committing political suicide in todays political environment. Democrats are going to want to negotiate power away, and will only trade power for votes. Republicans will essentially divorce the traitors that attempt this move.

Therefore, only the GOP reps that are not going up for re-election this next cycle would even consider it. Or possibly only the GOP reps that have decided to retire and walk away (not care about the repercussions) would be potential representatives that might cross the aisle.

The real question is – are there any GOP members that fall into that category?

It’s not like the Democrats have insisted that their member win the House Speaker role. I am guessing that even they know THAT won’t happen. The House could stay without a Speaker until hell freezes over before that would happen.

But, what if – What if, that was the thing that forces the GOP to stop the childish behavior that they are exhibiting today. Could there be enough GOP representatives that could band together to force the rest into agreeing on someone!

Sorry, but I don’t see that happening. I just do not see a single person in the harshly divided Republican Party capable of being accepted as their leader – without having to jeopardize their integrity by pressure tactics and demands for a vote from radical GOP representatives.

Now, I hear that some GOP representatives might just decide to not show up – if Jordan forces a vote on the floor of the house. That would be interesting, because if enough opposed to Jordan don’t attend and cast a vote, the threshold for winning the Chairman’s seat is lowered. If lowered enough, then Jeffries could win.

Whomever is selected Speaker of the House, also then becomes the 3 in line for the highest and most powerful position in our government, behind the President and Vice President.

I pray the House representatives understand this and take their responsibility very seriously.

Yes, there are times when individual desires and demands need to be set aside – for the good of all Americans. This is one of those times.

Enough is enough, already!

All the talk lately by some political hacks seem to try to place the blame on the debt ceiling on Joe Biden and the Democrats. The chart above clearly shows that the problem with rising national debt is NOT just the fault of 1 political party.

Reality check time – The bi-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has recently determined that the National debt went up 8.4 trillion dollars due to the things Donald Trump and his Congress did.

The big tax cuts mainly to the wealthy and businesses raised the debt 2.5 trillion dollars.

The pandemic relief spending to individuals and businesses raised the debt 3.6 trillion dollars.

The spending increases in the bills that Congress passed, and he signed raised the debt 2.3 trillion dollars.

To offset the increases in the debt, Donald Trump decided to raise tariffs for incoming goods from other countries (mainly aimed at imports from China).

The tariffs reduced the National debt by merely 445 billion dollars.

The tariff was actually paid for by the consumer, as the increased cost was simply passed on to them and helped caused the inflation we are still battling today.

Nicki Hailey actually called this out in one of the debates and the facts were broomed under the rug. What the hell has reality to do with anything anyways?

Yes, the National debt level needs to be addressed. It starts with having to swallow very bitter pills that most average Americans will not want to deal with.

Spending must be offset by Revenue.

Spend less and you won’t need to raise as much Revenue.

When you raise Revenue, do it fairly and proportionally with those that have it.

Don’t be ignorant of the fact that increases in revenue from businesses will be offset by increases in pricing of goods and services. This will cause inflation.

The debt level only goes up, when more is spent than what is taken in. The United States of America has a number of was it uses to take in revenue. Taxes, Tariffs, Bonds, Securities, and Exports.

The rest of the world economies trust the United States will meet their lending obligations more so than any other country on earth. Therefore, the Bonds and Securities sold to offset the majority of the National debt is a buffer we must always maintain. We cannot default on our obligations without potentially causing a worldwide monetary crisis. That would also create pressure on many countries to move away from the U.S dollar as the standard monetary value traded in the world. Since we have control of the value of the U.S. dollar, it creates many advantages that the United States need to maintain our debt balance.

Political escapades by some members in Congress, is NOT the appropriate way to deal with the problem of our National debt. Calmer, and more intelligent heads, must be called upon to collectively come up with a plan.

In the meanwhile, just remember the next time it comes up in a political debate. The problem wasn’t created and won’t be solved by just one political party. The sooner the leadership of both parties come to that realization, the better.