Category Archives: Economics

MIND THE PENNIES

Economics, Education, Homespun philosophy, Politics, , , , , ,

. . . AND THE DOLLARS WILL TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES. Folk Saying

Do you still pick coins up off the ground? Do you have a savings jar of some sort? Do you remember a time when people were taught that thrift is a virtue? Do your children and grandchildren have piggy-banks and savings accounts?

Having asked these questions I admit the biggest question I hear whispering in my ear is: “What possible difference does it make anymore?” (Shades of Hillary Clinton!) As the putative president of the United States, and his wife, run around the world spending money not their own, one has to ask why any of the rest of us should even “save” a single cent again.

When hosts of citizens don’t understand how the tax system works, or doesn’t work; how they think “drastic cuts” to the rate of growth are actual cuts and don’t know that the government shut down was all contrived; why we need “zero based budgeting” and a Balanced Budget Amendment, even the hardiest souls might quake at how to teach so foreign a concept as “real” government savings. But let’s begin with what that quaint Constitution says on the matter:

Section 7: “ALL BILLS FOR RAISING REVENUE SHALL ORIGINATE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES . . .”

This means that the House of Representatives holds the purse strings and is charged with submitting a budget for each fiscal year, and there is a debt ceiling which is, supposedly, not to be exceeded. The budget proposed by the House is sent to the Senate where that body adds its demands for funding, then the budget goes before a joint conference committee for resolution. Both Houses vote on the finished product and once it is passed they forward it to the President for veto or signature. At least that’s how things are SUPPOSED to work.

In reality the budget forwarded by the House is loaded with pork barrel spending by the Senate and by both Houses during reconciliation. Thus the politicians can reward themselves and their cronies, and powerful voting blocs in each state get more funding for their pet projects. The longer members of Congress serve, the more powerful they become and the more pork they bring home, keeping their constituents happy and voting for them. So they keep playing the same old game, year after year.

Other methods of increased spending include raising the debt ceiling, supplemental spending resolutions and adding a desired unfunded program or project and cost as a rider on a completely unrelated bill. (Didn’t the Senate promise not to do that anymore? Have they kept their word?) Everyone turns a blind eye to such shenanigans, and yet again the taxpayers are looted.

The President usually also presents a budget, making clear where his priorities lie. This President’s budgets have been rejected every year since he took office. NO ONE IN EITHER PARTY HAS EVER VOTED FOR HIS BUDGETS. Under this President the game has changed and there is a method to his madness. He prefers to have no limits on his power and with the budget and the budget makers under his thumb, he manages to unconstitutionally keep spending. That means that every time we reach the debt ceiling another battle erupts. And the cowards in the House of Representatives never have the courage to close the purse.

The passing of the fiscal budget is a CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT, so both Houses appear to have evaded their duties. However, the House has regularly forwarded budgets to the Senate where ONE MAN, the odious Senate President, Harry Reid, pronounced them DOA. Did he then negotiate with the House or attempt to resolve the issue? Not Slimy Harry. He threw the budget someplace (a drawer, a garbage can? Who knows?).

Now that a budget deal of some sort has been brokered, Congress can pretend to follow it while everyone happily keeps spending, and the government faces a trillion dollar addition to the “debt ceiling” to allow even more spending. The supposed “cuts” of course are way down the road. As the old children’s song says, “The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round.”

And so, with no budgetary restraints, the Senate President and the President of the United States have proceeded to rape the Treasury and the citizens of this country, and each year increase their power exponentially. After all, what’s a few trillion between thieves? They now think they are so powerful there’s nothing that can be done to stop them and they can take whatever they want. You can always tell who the bad guys are. . . They are the ones who don’t care what happens to ANYONE but themselves and THEY DON’T CARE IF YOU KNOW IT.

Now we can go on to the next manufactured crises. Is it immigration reform or the minimum wage this week? Both plus Racism? War on Women? Or was that last week?

There are words, dishonorable, oath breakers, liars and sinners come to mind, for those who have no conscience. Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear have many times been shown President Barack Obama, Senator Harry Reid and the House leadership for who and what they truly are. Hypocrites, every darn one of them.

Once again we as a nation are faced with the cowardice and lies of the political class and almost everyone connected with it. Is it even possible to recognize any semblance of truth coming out of Washington, D. C. or from the fools who pass themselves off as the brightest amongst us?

Obviously impeachment should be seriously considered for the president and Reid. But no one will do it. The court eunuch Boehner needs to face his own devil – himself. He needs to be put out to pasture post haste. The man can’t even find his way to state the facts which support his case and hates anyone who can. He seems to have totally forgotten the most important job of the House of Representatives, that of saving the nation from insolvency, and he seems to have even forgotten his oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution.

John Boehner, you choose dishonor a whole lot and you have now failed everyone. None can trust you again to keep your oath for anything. Anyone who follows your lead is also guilty and should suffer the same fate.

What a shame it is that so few men stand on principle. And so this nation is led by fools and simpletons. Statesmen and oath keepers need not apply.
If political leaders were anything resembling honest, they would admit they have ceased minding any amount of money, whether on behalf of the country or that used for their own greed, power or comfort:

If Congress minded the thousands, would the millions take care of themselves?
If Congress minded the millions, would the billions take care of themselves?
If Congress minded the billions would the United States still be well over seventeen trillion dollars in debt?

Now here we are, another billion or trillion dollars more in debt each time the president wields his pen. Add Obamacare to this mix and try to guess the debt ceiling next time. After all, what’s a few trillion among thieves?

We would do well to remember that if the devil had fingers, his prints would be all over the world, and since the devil is always in the details, that is where his fingerprints are to be found. Unfortunately we know whose fingerprints help make the devilish details, but no political or moral fortitude exists to stop the carnage.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

Biblical Wisdom, Corruption, Economics, Truth, , , , ,

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT:  YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, Deuteronomy 5:10. Tanakh Version, JPS.

One would think of this commandment as self evident in creating a civilized society. No such luck. Stealing has been a problem since humanity began. In ways large and small there are people who can always justify “taking” what they want or think they “need.” Is it a new pen, change from the cash drawer, shop lifting, or embezzling from the boss that tempts you? Would you get a thrill out of breaking and entering? Would you do it because you “deserve” more things or because “everybody else does it?”

Cain’s anger and choice to steal his brother’s flocks led directly to murder. How many murders today are the result of first deciding to steal?

Reading recently about the woman chosen to head ObamaCare in Colorado who has been indicted for embezzling massive amounts from a federal housing program in Wyoming leaves me scratching my head. It’s simply startling what people think they have a right to, and what they will do for financial gain. Some of them get away with their predations for many years and seem to never get caught. Some in the Government are known by Department heads to be padding accounts, double-dipping, and getting paid for personal travel for years and yet they receive no punishment at all when they are finally publicly exposed. They may even get promoted or simply transferred.

How much of the public debt has accrued because of theft and malfeasance all down the line? There is mind numbing malfeasance and outright theft by elected and appointed officials, and administrators within the bureaucracy, and recipients of government contracts and programs. Virtually penniless elected officials become millionaires, if not billionaires, and no one says a word.

In the end stealing leads not just to dishonor, fines or jail time for the thief, it also leads to a gradual breaking down of inhibitions in all who are willing to steal for their own gain. If the man at the top is willing to lie, cheat and steal, then the restraints that inhibit such behavior in others below him weaken and gross immorality occurs.

I have often wondered about Adolph Hitler’s underlings. If there had been no Hitler, would Eichmann, for instance, have been just a faceless bureaucrat all his days? Would the men who carelessly murdered and maimed their fellow citizens in the name of the state have been the animals they were? The same questions could be asked in any bureaucracy that falls into lawlessness. The old saying that, “A fish rots from the head down” is only the truth.

The public loss of confidence in the honesty and integrity of members of the government is another symptom of rot at the top. The corruption may take time to filter through society, but filtered or not, it does continue to taint all down the line and becomes public knowledge. TRUTH will out and eventually shine through to those who have open eyes to see and ears to hear. Many eyes and ears are beginning to open. Every honest citizen has begun to wonder if there is anyone at all in government worthy of trust.

God Himself has told His people not to steal. He knows how sin weakens us and always leads to greater sinning. Theft makes slaves of us all.

 

 

WILLFULLY CHOOSING DISHONOR

Corruption, Economics, Politics, ,

“ALL BILLS FOR RAISING REVENUE SHALL ORIGINATE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES . . . ” Section 7, The Constitution of the United States of America

Once again we as a nation are faced with the cowardice and lies of the political class and almost everyone connected with it. Is it even possible to recognize any semblance of truth coming out of Washington, D. C. or from the fools who pass themselves off as the brightest amongst us?

Harry Reid and John Boehner and the cravens who follow after them are as worthy of impeachment as is the man who calls himself president. These malignant minions don’t seem to have any gonads at all.

The court eunuch Boehner needs to face his own devil – himself. He needs to be put out to pasture post haste. The man can’t even find his way to state the facts which support his case and hates anyone who can. He seems to have totally forgotten the most important job of the House of Representatives, that of saving the nation from insolvency, and he seems to have even forgotten his oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution.

Why such cowardice and dishonor? On September 30, 1938, Neville Chamberlain returned from meeting Hitler in Munich and announced that he believed his efforts meant “. . . there will be peace for our time.” A few days later Winston Churchill would say in a speech before Parliament, “You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor, and you will have war.”

John Boehner, you chose dishonor and you have now failed everyone. None can trust you again to keep your oath for anything. Anyone who followed your lead is also guilty and will suffer the same fate.

The man who was elected President of this great nation based on ephemeral lies that appeared attractive to many, is many times over exposed for the liar he is, and none will stand against him as he continues his lazy and feckless way to destruction. Now we know where the just as lazy and feckless cowards in the Congress stand as they squander every principle of righteousness they claim to stand for.

What a shame it is that so few men stand on principle. And so this nation is led by fools and simpletons. Statesmen and oath keepers need not apply.

GOVERNMENT GRAFT AND CORRUPTION.

Corruption, Economics, Politics, ,

KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT OF MY POCKETS.  Folk Saying

Do you remember the times in your life when you suddenly understood clearly what was going on? When your eyes opened and your ears heard and you could articulate enough to think everyone else would understand if they would just listen, but then no one did?

I was thinking about one of those times for me. It was a long time ago and one of the national TV stations was doing a report on taxation and how taxpayer funds are spent. The reporter is dead now, but I think it was Peter Jennings, the Canadian/U.S. Broadcaster who once also said that United States voters had thrown a giant tantrum when they elected Republicans after Newt Gingrich’s Contract for America caused a political earthquake.

His report detailed how much money was collected by the Government, how much was taken to run various programs, and how much went back to the states in revenue sharing. Jennings reported that 40 cents of every dollar stayed in Washington D.C. to fund the government. I’m not sure what that figure is today.

Seattle was then shown as a “typical” U.S. City and Jennings nattered on about the great things federal money had funded for the area, showing pictures of roads, bridges and buildings. Finally he, as I recall the amounts, concluded with the words, “How much money did the people of Seattle pay in taxes? $45 million dollars. And how much did they receive in revenue sharing for these projects? $45 million! So I would say the good people of Seattle got their money’s worth.”

If 40 percent of the $45 million paid in taxes stayed in D. C., that comes to $18 million that had to come out of a lot of somebody else’s pockets in order to pay for Seattle’s goodies. And Peter Jennings appeared not just to approve that, but seemed blissfully unaware that some little guy in Pioche, Nevada or Bangor, Maine might not find that such a good deal.

Is it just possible that a lot of money could be saved if the “middle men” were removed from the picture? If those funds did not get siphoned off in D.C.? If national taxes and programs were cut, and each city and state paid for their own programs and projects from local taxes? Let the arguments over paying for “Bridges to Nowhere” be conducted by the people who do or don’t need that service. Let the people who know them hold their local and state authorities accountable for their ideas and honesty. Wasn’t that the original intent of the rights retained by the states?

The fact that anything at all, both the program and the funding, can be added and passed as a rider on an unrelated bill is so disgusting we should all be outraged.

In one robs Peter to pay Paul, only Paul and his friends are happy.

ECONOMIC SURVIVAL IN AN ERA OF STUPIDITY

Economics, Politics, , , , ,

“IF THE DEVIL HAD FINGERS, HIS PRINTS WOULD BE ALL OVER THE WORLD.”  Anonymous

I keep hearing Speaker Boehner and Mr. Ryan touting their silly, disloyal and self-defeating Budget deal, and in my mind in the background I hear the Odious Harry Reid, Nancy (“embracing” her own “suck”) Pelosi, and the very juvenile Obama laughing all the way to where ever it is they think they are heading. I recently coined the term “complicitors” to cover such people as these, who try to destroy all of us out of a desire for power but who also destroy themselves out of sheer stupidity. I think with this “deal” we can add many names to the list of complicitors, some because they are fools and others because they have no backbone.

The Devil is always in the details, and that is where his fingerprints are to be found. It’s time for us to “find out what’s in the bill”, in part at least. All the “fingerprints” have not been seen yet.

1.   $85 Billion in Cuts, spread over ten years. It starts “down the road”, so don’t hold your breath.
2.    The Sequester is gone for now.  $63 Billion restored here. Doesn’t this leave just $22 Billion in supposed cuts? Remember that the “draconian” Sequester was the idea of Obama and was really just a reduction in the rate of INCREASE to the Budget. To have honesty in our budgets we must move to zero-based budgeting, and get a Balanced Budget Amendment.
3.   ObamaCare is NOT defunded. In fact it is funded for two years.
4.   Extension of Unemployment Benefits is Out. But only for now. First we have to see what the Senate does. Odious Harry Reid will tackle this.
5.   The Military Budget Is Increased. One can only hope.
6.   No Changes to Entitlements. We can always print more money. Right?

And the whole deal, by design, does not even address the Debt Ceiling. Undoubtedly many details are yet unseen and unanalyzed.

The Senate will now do the bidding of their Master, Harry Reid, and add, add and add again to the bill. And all the purported savings? Hey, those are W-A-Y W-A-Y down the road and are never meant to be real, so forget them. Mr. Ryan, you have been royally sucker-punched, along with everyone in the House who admired you enough to follow your lead. Perhaps the people who voted for you and those who wished you well will feel as though they got punched by a sucker.

Since it only happens in Fairy Tales, there is nothing like spinning straw into gold.

Whom do you name RUMPLESTILTSKIN?

GOVERNMENT SPENDING (and Barbarians) – YET AGAIN

Economics, Politics, , , , , , , ,

“Conservative groups . . . are ridiculous”  “. . .they are misleading their followers . . . I think they’ve lost all credibility.”  John Boehner (R), Speaker of the House
 
Here we are, over SEVENTEEN TRILLION  dollars in debt with more piling on every second of every day, idiots like Mr. Boehner in charge, lies and cowardice running rampant, and what are we to do? Send off yet another blast-fax? Is anyone at all even THINKING, let alone LISTENING?

When John Boehner can speak so crassly and stupidly of the Conservatives in his party, why should they support him in anything he attempts to do, even if it looks OK on the surface? What rocks and shoals await the unwary? I agree totally with defunding the Republican Party and have not given to them in years.

I, personally, am not a member of the Tea Party, but wish I were in a position to join and support them. I often think about the good things they do in standing up for the Constitution and that they are the adults in the room, toilet trained, respectful, sane, cleaning up after themselves, what more can we ask?

That Occupy Wall Street group, who seem to be in love with their bodily excretions (does this prove Freud’s anal phase?), especially in public places and smeared on cop’s cars; their disrespect for persons and property; their general filth and lack of thought, leave me with the proverbial “chill up the spine.”

Now we have ObamaCare tearing the nation apart while said Obama goes to South Africa and again reveals himself as not only a narcissist but a horny juvenile to boot, with no sense of proper behavior or decorum whatsoever. One can only hope his wife does read him the riot act and teach him some manners. I also hope the people of Denmark chastise their ostensible “leader” for her actions on such a supposedly solemn occasion.

The charming Nancy Pelosi (DEMOCRAT), House Minority Leader, has told the Democrats they’ll just have to “embrace the suck” over the budget deal and ObamaCare. What is that party thinking, having such a woman as one of their “leaders”? Are they really proud of her, or of themselves for that matter? Yuch!

The very people who should set the standards of morality and manners (at least) are the very ones who embarrass both themselves and their countries. The barbarians are not just at the gates, they are HERE.

It was Patrick Henry who said, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”
Lately I have begun to think that we are in the midst of those “times” again and there are few willing to confront our condition in any honest way.

Why Read the Bible?

Biblical Wisdom, Economics, Politics, , , ,

Seeing the Handwriting On The Wall – As told in Daniel, Chapter 5

People who never read the Bible miss a rich cultural heritage passed on and preserved for millennia. King Solomon correctly taught that “there is nothing new under the sun.” And yet each new generation arrogantly believes that they are the first ones to be in their circumstances or know truth. Because they reject historical biblical principles, many people no longer learn that liberty is an unalienable right that comes from God and in their ignorance sell their birthright for a mess of pottage.

Even today there are cultural differences that separate us from others. If an Australian Aborigine were suddenly transported to New York City and a New Yorker took his place in the Outback, which one would be most likely to survive? At least the Aborigine would know how to fight, could learn to raid garbage cans for food, and could sense danger, but what would a city boy alone know about how to orient himself by the stars, how to find food and water in the wild, or how to defend himself from wild animals?

In our hubris we have forgotten that people in the past also led full lives and had wisdom we can learn and receive guidance from. The Bible is one such source of practical lessons on life and recognizing what is important in human experience.

In the not too distant past even people who were not “religious” were somewhat literate in biblical knowledge. The writer Florence King wrote about having problems with Social Security. Finally she had an appointment with a supervisor and after once again explaining her problem the supervisor assured her she understood and the problem would be resolved. Miss King muttered, “I can see the handwriting on the wall already.” The supervisor looked at her blankly, then turned her chair around to look at the wall and said, “I don’t see any handwriting.”

Sometimes we don’t see “the handwriting on the wall” because we have never studied it enough to see its relevance to us.

In his book “After America: Get Ready For Armageddon”, Mark Steyn clarifies the story of Belshazzar, King of Babylon, and “the handwriting on the wall.”

Belshazzar had a feast for all his courtiers and brought out the gold and silver plates, utensils and goblets looted from the temple in Jerusalem and used them to drunkenly toast the gods of gold and silver worshiped by the Babylonians. In the midst of the feast a disembodied hand appeared and wrote the words, “mene, mene, tekel, upharsin,” on the wall. Belshazzar understood the words, but not why they suddenly were written during his big party.

No one ever explained to me what the words meant, I only knew the interpretation. Mr. Steyn explains that the words are names for units or weights of Babylonian currency, or as he says: half-dollar, half-dollar, penny and two bits.

Daniel the Jewish prophet was called in by the King to interpret the “handwriting on the wall.” The interpretation given to Belshazzar by Daniel is:

MENE: “God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it”.   TEKEL: “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”  UPHARSIN: “Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Within a day Belshazzar was slain, and the Persians and Darius the Mede had taken over the kingdom.

I am grateful to Mr. Steyn for identifying what the words written on the wall actually mean and placing the story in the context of Belshazzar having wasted the resources of his kingdom, thereby destroying it. If we were to ponder just a little would this story have any relevance to our nation’s trillions, trillions, billions, and millions in debt?

Is anyone in Washington reading the “handwriting on the wall?”

Government Shutdown

Economics, Politics, , , , ,

         WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BUDGET BATTLE AND THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?

Do we really know which individuals, or groups, are responsible for the debt ceiling battle, the government shutdown and all the ugliness that has erupted? Who should the American people hold accountable?

Under the Constitution of the United States, the House of Representatives holds the purse strings and is charged with submitting a budget for each fiscal year, and there is a debt ceiling which is, supposedly, not to be exceeded. The budget proposed by the House is sent to the Senate where that body adds its demands for funding, then the budget goes before a joint conference committee for resolution. Both Houses vote on the finished product and once it is passed they forward it to the President for veto or signature. At least that’s how things are SUPPOSED to work.

In reality the budget forwarded by the House is loaded with pork barrel spending by the Senate and by both Houses during reconciliation. Thus the politicians can reward themselves and their cronies, and powerful voting blocs in each state get more funding. The longer members of Congress serve, the more powerful they become and the more pork they bring home, keeping their constituents happy and voting for them. So they keep playing the same old game, year after year.

Other methods of increased spending include supplemental spending resolutions and adding a desired unfunded program or project and cost as a rider on a completely unrelated bill. Everyone turns a blind eye to such shenanigans, and yet again the taxpayers are looted.

The President usually also presents a budget, making clear where his priorities lie. This President’s budgets have been rejected every year since he took office. NO ONE IN EITHER PARTY HAS EVER VOTED FOR HIS BUDGETS. Under this President the game has changed and there is a method to his madness. He prefers to have no limits on his power and with no budget he can unconstitutionally keep spending. That means that every time we reach the debt ceiling another battle erupts. And the cowards in the House of Representatives never have the courage to close the purse.

The passing of the fiscal budget is a CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT, so both Houses appear to have evaded their duties. However, the House has regularly forwarded budgets to the Senate where ONE MAN, the odious Senate President, Harry Reid, has pronounced them DOA. Does he then negotiate with the House or attempt to resolve the issue? Not Slimy Harry. He throws the proposed budget someplace (a drawer, a garbage can? Who knows?). He then “forgets” that budget, everyone happily keeps spending, and the government faces another shut down and a trillion dollar addition to the “debt ceiling” to allow even more spending. As the old children’s song says, “The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round. . .”

And so, with no budgetary restraints, the Senate President and the President of the United States have proceeded to rape the Treasury and the citizens of this country, and each year increase their power exponentially. They now think they are so powerful there’s nothing that can be done to stop them and they can take whatever they want. You can always tell who the bad guys are. . . They are the ones who don’t care what happens to ANYONE but themselves and THEY DON’T CARE IF YOU KNOW IT.

There are words, dishonorable, oath breakers, liars and sinners come to mind, for those who have no conscience. The word that truly fits, though, is PSYCHOPATH. Those who have eyes to see and ears to hear have now been shown President Barack Obama and Senator Harry Reid for who and what they truly are. 

THEY BOTH SHOULD BE IMPEACHED, NO MATTER WHAT THE PAIN MAY BE TO THE NATION. 

As for the cowards in the House and the abettors in the Senate, perhaps they need to be turned out to pasture as soon as possible.

We have let badness stand too long and now have but two choices, fight for freedom or allow evil to stand. Will the people be willing to bear that pain? Which choice will you and I make?

God will not hold us guiltless if we quit.

AFTER THE CAVE-IN BY HOUSE REPUBLICANS:

Now here we are, a trillion dollars more in debt and a few months to try and settle a new budget, which, by design, will never happen. And a new budget and debt ceiling loom. Add Obamacare to this mix and try to guess the debt ceiling next time. What’s a few trillion between thieves?

The always kind and thoughtful Harry Reid says that Ted Cruz is a laughing-stock. Methinks Harry forgot to look in the mirror this morning.

McDUCK

Economics

A PENNY HERE A PENNY THERE IS ENOUGH TO MAKE A MILLIONAIRE.    Uncle Scrooge McDuck

Everyone loved Donald Duck and his rascally nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie. Uncle Scrooge, being a Scotsduck, could be nothing but parsimonious, but he was kind of lovable, too.

The first time I saw a Donald Duck comic book, Donald and his nephews were visiting Uncle Scrooge at McDuck Mansion and he took them to his treasure room where they stood on his boundless expanse of gold coins and jewels while Scrooge dived into the piles as though he were swimming in them. I was just a little girl and was enthralled by enough money to swim in, and then Scrooge informed the boys that, “A penny here a penny there is enough to make a millionaire.” It sounded good to me, but I knew my mom and dad saved pennies, dimes and quarters in an orange carnival glass on their dresser and we sure weren’t millionaires. I’ve never been quite sure why they didn’t save nickels, too, but they never did. Maybe dad saved nickels for buying coffee with his friends. Yes, that was what a cup of coffee cost then.

My older brother read the same comic book and immediately came to the conclusion that Donald and the boys were dumb and should just take whatever money they wanted and Scrooge would never know the difference. (Bilbo Baggins might tell him a thing or two about dragons, though.)

My brother’s take on the matter horrified me. Good people, like good ducks, would never, ever take what did not belong to them. I’m still absolutely certain that Uncle Scrooge earned his riches righteously, and that Donald and his nephews were absolutely trustworthy and honest.

Sometimes when I think about my parents savings being mere pennies at times, I marvel at how honest they were. It’s funny to think about now, but my father would go to the grocery store and check off the items on the tape when he and mom would put the groceries away. If there was a discrepancy on either side, even if it was only a penny, he would return to the store and either pay them or ask for a refund. The clerks never questioned his veracity.

What a legacy of savings and absolute honesty I was given. If you are honest, also be grateful, if you are not, best to at least think about what you do to yourself.