tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261115602012-01-20T13:58:00.128-07:00This is just a little spot to share my thoughts and opinions. They range from Arizona Politics to National Politics to Technology to Autism with few Personal Asides as well.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.comBlogger1301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-87237703247049027532012-01-20T13:58:00.000-07:002012-01-20T13:58:00.160-07:00

OK, I have to say this.  I've been seeing a lot of ads for these penny auction sites.  You know, the "get a brand new big screen TV ($800 retail) for $23.96" sites.  They make it sound so easy to get things so cheap - like it's too good to be true.  Well it is. Here's how it works:  you pay to get bids.  The price usually comes out at about $0.60 per bid (you buy them in lots of 100 or so).  

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-89667486808985120062012-01-18T13:56:00.000-07:002012-01-18T13:56:00.075-07:00

As you may know, I suffer from a malady called Gadget Lust.  I try to keep it under control and make sure when I purchase a gadget and have the means and I will actually use it.  Well, I love reading so it wasn't hard to justify an eReader although it did take some time to save up for it (I do have a strict budget you know). Initially I wantedI a Kindle.  In fact, I've wanted a Kindle ever

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-82994085961448611562012-01-13T13:53:00.000-07:002012-01-13T13:53:00.537-07:00

I'm always on the lookout for new ways to save money.  I recently ran across a great article about the fundamentals of saving money.  It's called How To Save Money.  It was a good article.  Nothing new (for me anyway) but worthwhile stuff. What struck me (and inspired this post) was a question posted in the discussion section.  A person simply posted:  "I need an easy way to save".  Don't we

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-80788297159225498372012-01-11T13:52:00.000-07:002012-01-11T13:52:00.551-07:00

One of my problems with money is that I want to save a lot - all the time.  Unfortunately, life has taught me that it doesn't work like that.  For every person that touts getting rich by doing "this one simple thing", there are hundreds - if not thousands - that failed at the same thing.  What's the moral here?  Don't expect to grab a few tips on saving money and end up with piles of cash at the

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-75995535657730321042012-01-06T13:47:00.000-07:002012-01-06T13:47:00.117-07:00

A little while ago, I wrote about Gadget Lust - that is, wanting to get the latest and greatest gadgets.  It sometimes seems to cause a constant battle in my head between wanting a cool new toy and knowing that it's not practical or, in some cases, not even very useful. A recent event caused the conflict to flare up again.  The retailer Staples issued a coupon for $100 off any tablet in stock.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-73708701832461916052012-01-02T13:46:00.000-07:002012-01-02T13:46:00.250-07:00

It really is a wonderful time to be alive.  Sometimes we let our cares and responsibilities get in the way of appreciating that.  But here we are with the wonders of technology, a peaceful society (well, mostly peaceful), and indoor plumbing!  We live better now than kings did a few hundred years ago.  Pretty amazing. A wise man once said, "We cannot control the things that happen to us, but we

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-37567943575513959482011-12-26T13:44:00.000-07:002011-12-26T13:44:00.877-07:00

There are two keys to an effective budget - having it and following it.  If you haven't got one, you're probably overspending simply because you don't know how much you're spending.  If you don't follow it, well, what's the point of having it? A budget is not a trivial undertaking.  Don't expect to be able to bang one out in an hour and not have to worry about it anymore.  If you want a budget

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-89839608088499737972011-12-23T13:43:00.000-07:002011-12-23T13:43:01.767-07:00

Getting good credit is easy to say and can be REALLY difficult to do.  Here are the basics: Pay your bills on time - late payments bring down your credit report Pay down your debt - the more debt you have, the riskier it is loan you more money and that is shown by a lower credit report Don't have too many credit cards - credit cards are like soft debt, you may not actually owe money but you

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-50185947325570420262011-12-21T13:39:00.000-07:002011-12-21T13:39:00.380-07:00

If you want to spend less and get more bang for your buck, one of the best things you can do is have a good credit score.  No, it won't make everyday purchases cheaper, but it can put more money in your wallet for those everyday purchases.  You see, having an excellent credit score can save you thousands of dollars.  How?  Here's how it works. Say you're buying a house or maybe you're looking

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-57825993030276895902011-12-20T13:38:00.000-07:002011-12-20T13:38:00.181-07:00

There's an old saying, "If you don't control your money, then it will control you."  I've taken it to heart and would like to share some blog posts on what I've done and how I've done it. When you have a large family, you quickly find that your money doesn't go very far.  When you've got 8 people in you household, you find that your income is quickly eaten up by food, clothes, power bills,

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-89365937579354966592011-12-19T08:00:00.000-07:002011-12-19T08:00:00.547-07:00

There are lots of cool new tech gadgets and toys out there.  In fact, it seems like there are new things coming out all of the time.  There are smartphones (iPhones, Android phones, Windows phones, Palm phones, etc.), personal media players (iPods, Zunes, etc.), digital media players (Roku, Apple TV, blue ray players, HD TVs, etc.).  It seems that no matter what you're interested in there are

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-36735474824366021862011-12-18T13:28:00.000-07:002011-12-18T13:28:13.746-07:00

A while ago I decided to start a blog for more personal stuff and leave this blog to the more political stuff.  It seemed like a good idea at the time but I'm starting to feel a bit fragmented.  I'm also realizing that my political persona overlaps my personal persona and that it's less effective to try to spit myself up. So I'm going to discontinue my other blog and move the posts to this blog.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-17125014697088393092011-08-27T11:57:00.000-07:002011-08-27T11:57:01.198-07:00

I think I've probably ranted about this or similar things before but it continues to be a frustration.  As politicians and political activists get more and more polarized, the art of the compromise seems to disappear.  I would like to remind my readers that our country was built on compromise.  Even today, the voters are split down the middle.  Sometimes they lean right and sometimes they lean

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-76306219578098210032011-08-02T19:57:00.000-07:002011-08-02T19:57:23.675-07:00

Wow!  Talk about a last minute save!  The compromise passes and we don't default on our debts... yet. Unfortunately there's still a lot to be done and a lot of disagreement on how to do it.  As near as I can tell (in very broad terms) the Democrats want to expand revenue and the Republicans want to cut spending/reduce the size of government.  The problem is the lack of compromise. Our country

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-55415606802993240022011-07-23T13:00:00.000-07:002011-07-23T13:00:18.916-07:00

There's a lot of discussion, posturing, blaming, etc. going on with this whole issue on raising the debt ceiling.  Both sides blame the other and are predicting dire things if they way isn't followed.  What I wonder though, is how invested are they? If an agreement is not reached, how will it affect the President and the Congress?  Will they stop getting paid?  Will they lose any benefits?  Do

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-53460471334769863902011-07-18T20:37:00.000-07:002011-07-18T20:37:11.897-07:00

I recently wrote, in another blog, about what I called Gadget Lust - you know, the desire to get those cool gadgets that are coming out all the time.  A desire that can transcend their usefulness and leave you with a cool gadget that you never use.  I've been thinking about that and wondering if it doesn't pertain to politics as well. Many of us are idealists.  We follow our principles and try

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-21289954337130296622010-10-18T17:00:00.002-07:002010-10-18T17:00:00.773-07:00

Normally I tell people who I support and encourage them to make their own choices on voting but, when it comes to the upcoming election for the Maricopa County Community Colleges District (MCCCD) Governing Board, all I can say is DO NOT VOTE FOR JERRY WALKER!!!!!  This is the first time that I've ever taken a stance where anybody is better than a specific person but this time I have to. I have

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-18106088409237783002010-08-19T08:09:00.000-07:002010-08-19T08:09:25.817-07:00

I was reading an article today that asked how much freedom we're willing to trade for Google convenience.  That, in and of itself wasn't a big deal (although and interesting question), however, in the comments a poster made a very interesting observation: This idea that government is benevolent and business inherently evil is one of the most destructively successful pieces of government

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-25248035132743270972010-07-10T14:19:00.003-07:002010-07-10T14:40:37.186-07:00

The rhetoric going around is that President Obama is lax on immigration and very pro amnesty. That's what I always thought anyway. It seems, though, that I may have misjudged him.The New York Times just ran an article about what the Obama Administration is doing with regards to immigration enforcement. I must say that I'm impressed. It's not the high profile raids on companies with illegals,

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-4482526430450669722010-04-09T19:08:00.002-07:002010-04-09T19:12:40.935-07:00

Here's another less than stellar electric car. True, it's better than the first one but it's not quite what you'd actually want to drive home. I'd rather have the table.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-65171395418164216392009-12-04T09:15:00.003-07:002009-12-04T09:21:05.495-07:00

As you may know, I'm a bit of a technology nut and I love the new electric cars coming out from Tesla, Chevy, Nissan, etc. However, I recently stumbled upon one that is very unique.The good folks at the British car review show, Top Gear, were complaining that it was taking too long for the major car manufacturers to bring out their electric cars. To prove their point, they assembled and

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-31531366217282470682009-09-10T11:05:00.003-07:002009-09-10T11:27:33.795-07:00

It's interesting that all we hear about is the Democrats plan to create government healthcare vs. the status quo (which is definitely broken). In fact, most of the time I hear the media saying that the Republicans don't have anything - no new ideas, no alternatives - and are left to boo the Democrats plan. Well it seems that's not the case.The following is a letter from Representative Tom Price

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-72492363523319854082009-08-29T20:52:00.004-07:002009-08-29T21:27:25.016-07:00

If there ever was a great commentary on our apathy as a nation, it's the movie Swing Vote. I just watched and I have to say that I was impressed with the message. On the surface, it's played as a comedy where a total loser somehow ends up deciding the next president. There's a bit of song and dance - played for laughs - where each candidate immediately takes a position in support of whatever

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-57267549721928558132009-08-26T13:10:00.002-07:002009-08-26T13:12:27.200-07:00

I stumbled upon a great little rant against liberalism. While I don't necessarily agree with everything on there, it made me smile and made me think.Here it is:NEW PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTIONThe following has been attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye from GA."We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice,

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-65668852829970077542009-08-06T14:11:00.003-07:002009-08-06T14:20:29.584-07:00

It seems that it's not just Arizonans that are interested in the State Budget. The New York Times is running an article about it as well. I guess the fact that a Republican governor with a Republican legislature can't seem to agree on a budget is a great news story.The worst part of this whole fiasco is that we're so close. It seems like we're one State Senator away from passing the budget.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-51250653862740444872009-07-14T11:41:00.003-07:002009-07-14T12:23:19.629-07:00

Healthcare reform is big news right now. Congress is hard at work trying to overhaul our healthcare system to make it less expensive and cover more people. These are admirable goals and they will be extremely hard to accomplish. The ideas that Congress has come up with seem to revolve around a government healthcare plan paid for by taxing the rich. I'm not confident that this will be a good

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-38949927713117725292009-06-30T09:46:00.001-07:002009-06-30T09:48:46.249-07:00

America has passed through several time periods that "have tried mens souls" and in Arizona we stand again at that precipice. In the past it has been both physical as well as ideological; now while it is still ideological it is also financial. We wait to see what the leaders will decide for Arizona and her people. Just like in centuries long past, the decisions that are made will determine not

Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223836058175963104noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-44939379190577121252009-06-16T12:41:00.003-07:002009-06-16T13:10:11.337-07:00

Politics are complicated. Our country is a large, very complex system of services, mandates, checks and balances, power struggles, perceptions, economics, etc. No matter what the election time commercials may say, there are not easy, 30 second soundbite answers to the country's problems. Just look at Obama's problems.A couple of months ago, President Obama was pushing to help homeowners

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-86952095647616667302009-06-09T19:18:00.003-07:002009-06-09T19:42:24.566-07:00

What ever happened to the focus on serving the people?  You know, it's difficult not to get extremely frustrated watching the AZ State Legislature "work" on the budget.  The governor releases a budget that the ultra-conservative Republicans don't like.  What happens?  Do the Republican leaders point out where it will hurt the state?  No.  Do they articulate a coherent rebuttal based on economic

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-70276594774692596582009-05-19T08:53:00.004-07:002009-05-19T10:22:08.510-07:00

I just finished by Master's Degree in Information Management at ASU - congratulations to me! - and was a little surprised at one of the convocation speeches.  If I remember correctly, it was the Dean of the School of Business, and what was surprising was how many times he talked about ethics and being ethical.  He spoke of President Obama's commencement speech that blamed the current financial

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-78062415718821938722009-05-06T11:53:00.005-07:002009-05-06T12:13:45.602-07:00

There is an excellent column today in the Arizona Republic by Robert Robb. It's called The Chrysler Power Grab. Don't get confused, this is not about Chrysler grabbing power but the government using its "bailout" to benefit the union.Mr. Robb points out that the terms that the government is forcing Chrysler to ask for are as follows:The Obama administration is attempting to muscle past this law

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-39711672117111651392009-04-17T14:17:00.006-07:002009-04-17T14:50:54.945-07:00

A week or so ago my State Senator emailed a message to his constituents (including me) in response to the growing support for raising taxes to help with the budget shortfall.  In that message, he recounted the following:“In our friendly neighbor city of St. Augustine, great flocks of sea gulls are starving amid plenty. Fishing is still good, but the gulls don’t know how to fish. For generations

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-9705088250110894382009-03-09T13:45:00.004-07:002009-03-09T14:16:21.545-07:00

OK, there is an awful lot of finger-pointing regarding who is responsible for this mortgage meltdown. The Democrats are blaming the Republicans for loosening up bank/finance regulations. The Republicans are blaming the Democrats for encouraging the sub-prime mortgage market (loaning to people who wouldn't ordinarily qualify for a mortgage). Lots of other people are blaming the CEO of the large

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-68894003459038132092009-02-27T10:19:00.002-07:002009-02-27T10:22:29.456-07:00

Here's a bit of humor to lighten up your day (in this economy, we need all we can get). The BBC recently published an article about the most unfortunate names in Britain. Some of my favorites:Stan StillJo KingCarrie OakeyGive it a read - it's a lot of fun.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-80518845125914892002009-02-19T09:52:00.003-07:002009-02-19T10:00:00.179-07:00

The problem with our world of fast politics and 30 second sound bites is that they make complex issues look simple.  Just look at oil prices.  The price of oil keeps dropping but the price of gas is going up.  Huh?  How is that possible?I've heard a lot of conspiracy theories but found a far more credible article about it the other day.  The reason that gas prices are going up is because oil

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-34890081534957318452009-02-15T19:39:00.004-07:002009-02-15T19:56:22.974-07:00

There has been a lot of back and forth on whether the speed cameras are a safety measure or a revenue generator.  Most people that support cameras say they're a safety measure, most that oppose them say they're simply revenue generators.  So who's right?In my opinion they're both right.  No one can argue that they've brought in quite a bit of revenue since they were installed.  However, there

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-22123994347415592462009-02-10T14:56:00.003-07:002009-02-10T15:09:35.771-07:00

Those of us who live in Gilbert have an election coming up.  While its not getting national attention and we're not being bombarded with constant TV ads, I submit that this election will have a far more direct effect on Gilbert's citizens than most others.  Why?  Because the Mayor and Town Council determine things like sales tax rates, property tax rates, how many police officers we have, how

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-91390922202658880042009-02-04T09:47:00.003-07:002009-02-04T09:55:35.227-07:00

One of the blogs I follow is run by a man named John Halamka.  I stumbled across him from a case study I had to analyze for one of my graduate school classes.  He struck me as very intelligent and also very pragmatic (two qualities which are important to me) so I looked up his blog and have been following it for a while.Today he blogged about measuring success.  I found it very refreshing to find

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-17258016659600133722009-02-02T07:49:00.001-07:002009-02-02T07:49:00.849-07:00

I found a readability test recently and thought it would be interesting to find the reading level of my blog.  I expected to get a high school or maybe undergrad level.  So I was really surprised to get genius (I actually thought it was broken - I had to check a bunch of other blogs to make sure it didn't say genius for everybody).  Does it really take a genius to understand what I'm writing?  I

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-7490580969942391442009-01-29T09:50:00.005-07:002009-01-29T10:12:27.055-07:00

The stimulus plan is coming.  $875 billion of government goodness.  Will it save our economy?  Well, we won't really ever know.  After all, we don't know what would happen if it fails, we'll just have to see what happens when it succeeds.So what is of that mo all  ney spent on?  Over at the Republican Cloak Room, is the Republican Party's official statement on the stimulus plan.  It makes some

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-71721095719512998612009-01-20T12:10:00.002-07:002009-01-20T12:15:10.241-07:00

I know it sounds like an oxymoron but there really is a government organization.  It's just such a mess that it's hard to keep track of.  Well, in honor of inauguration day, here's a link to an organization chart that shows what our new president is getting into.  It's a little java program that lets you click on any position and move it around to see who it reports to and who reports to it.  I

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-60635863889933558502009-01-19T13:53:00.001-07:002009-01-19T14:28:13.390-07:00

I've heard of the book Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand but I never really knew what it was about.  Well, I just read an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal that compared our current economic crisis with the events portrayed in Atlas Shrugged.It was frightening.  The gist is that the more government tried to help, the worse things got.  The author of the article even made some fairly direct

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-81831504689034780892009-01-15T15:48:00.000-07:002009-01-15T15:48:00.567-07:00

Have you ever wondered how biased the news you get is?  I try to look at both sides of an issue and find the truth that's usually somewhere in between.  However, I have also found that both sides of an argument can present their cases so well, that it's difficult to tell where the truth really lies.This came up as I was trying to get more information on the fighting in Gaza.  Most of the

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-35134951214446215442009-01-13T12:44:00.003-07:002009-01-13T13:12:43.146-07:00

The State Legislature is meeting and something, probably many things, are going to get cut. The Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Guardian, the Arizona Republic, etc. are all running articles about people and groups trying to protect their funding.  First in line is our soon to be former Governor, Janet Napolitano.  She is pleading to save all of the programs she started when it seemed like

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-81545709835145300472009-01-05T21:02:00.003-07:002009-01-05T21:44:49.663-07:00

Apart from my political leanings, I work in information technology. This is a profession that is full of smart, but often misunderstood people. Many people look on us as having some sort of magical rapport with computers. I have spent a lot of time troubleshooting computer problems (in fact it started taking so much time, I started charging for it so people would quit bothering me) as well as

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-29445225249284181862008-12-25T15:53:00.003-07:002008-12-25T21:11:11.809-07:00

You know, it's funny how a small change can sometimes have a huge impact. For example, the giving of gifts on Christmas was originally intended to mimic the wise men who gave gifts to Christ. Now modern society seems to have turned it from giving gifts to getting gifts and created a multi-billion dollar industry around the Christmas season. There is so much pressure to give bigger and better

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-57451775543395243102008-12-19T08:41:00.003-07:002008-12-19T08:55:33.259-07:00

When the bailout bill failed in the Senate, the cynic in me said that it was sabotaged. That's right, deliberately killed. Why? So that the White House would be forced to use the financial bailout money, which would be given with far fewer strings attached. Well, it looks like that's what happened.I sincerely hope that the cynic in me was wrong and this wasn't deliberately staged, but I still

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-84918751491481038702008-12-15T08:45:00.000-07:002008-12-15T08:45:01.318-07:00

Do you know anybody who seems to be wasting their whole life waiting for tomorrow? How about somebody so absorbed with today's problems that they're decisions don't anticipate future consequences? Both paths tend to make a person less successful/happy than they could be.So what's the appropriate balance? OK, that's rhetorical. There probably isn't a general, perfect balance. However, some

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-62494272497959009162008-12-12T11:39:00.003-07:002008-12-12T14:15:18.737-07:00

I had a really interesting idea the other day. I'm currently a graduate student in information management at ASU. As part of the curriculum we are required to complete a project that has the students working with a company to "transform a business through information technology." This is a great idea and the project (I'm about half done) has really helped me understand business and technology

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-80271366941962780802008-12-03T08:15:00.004-07:002008-12-03T08:25:55.962-07:00

OK, maybe it's just inconsistency but have you noticed the differences between the bank bailouts and the automaker bailout? To me, it seems like our Treasury is writing blank checks to any bank that's big enough to warrant the label "can't be allowed to fail." On the other hand, the automakers are being grilled mercilessly by Congress, forced to prove they're viable long term, and being offered

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-1592660651998453512008-11-21T09:46:00.003-07:002008-11-21T15:55:02.116-07:00

I can't be the only one who sees the irony here. Our governor, Janet Napolitano, looks to be the next head of the Department of Homeland Security. That's right, our governor. The one who has spent the last six years blaming every single immigration problem on the federal government. Now it's going from an issue she's been dodging to her responsibility.I'm not sure if this is funny or sad.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-77085554350390264552008-11-19T08:11:00.004-07:002008-11-19T09:24:01.195-07:00

Right now the Big 3 automakers are begging Congress for billions in bailout money. In the Wall Street Journal, Rick Wagoner - President of GM - makes an impassioned plea for the money he says will be a short term bridge to help GM get over this rough patch. He points to some amazing things that GM has done and he's right, GM has done some amazing things. However, the are still bleeding cash

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-47308143703107112682008-11-05T11:54:00.002-07:002008-11-05T12:26:22.082-07:00

Well, I'm not exactly surprised that Barak Obama won. He had the momentum and a message that really resonated with the American people. I'm actually surprised that McCain did as well as he did (46% of the popular vote when I last checked). This election marks a huge shift in the political direction of the country.Now I am not an Obama fan. I did not vote for him and, while I expected that he

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-85536052149294215282008-10-30T13:27:00.003-07:002008-10-30T13:40:35.426-07:00

I stumbled across this neat allegory that compares (in an oversimplified form, of course) the US income tax system to 10 guys drinking in a bar. While some call it right-wing propaganda, I think it is a fairly good representation of our income taxes.Here it is:Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes,

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-86064837383138140712008-10-29T08:20:00.003-07:002008-10-29T09:28:16.041-07:00

Change has been the big theme of this election. Both candidates are promising fundamental changes from the current administration. People are worried and frustrated and the prospect of change seems to be giving them some hope. However, I have to ask, what changes are we hoping for?It seems to me that we got ourselves into this mess by spending more than we earn and creating a lifestyle that we

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-82142765219231621942008-10-28T20:52:00.003-07:002008-10-28T21:08:40.827-07:00

For those that have read my earlier post on marriage, it should be obvious that I support proposition 102. What's great is that I can support it unequivically. Why? Because it doesn't have anything else tacked on. It doesn't restrict benifits, it doesn't outlaw civil unions, it doesn't have any of the riders that killed the last attempt. It simply defines marriage to be what society has

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-25518842903126429572008-10-21T14:41:00.003-07:002008-10-21T15:01:37.656-07:00

Proposition 105 is very controversial.  On the face, it looks to take away the power of the voter initiative by forcing 50% + 1 to pass any initiative that has spending provisions.  We all know that just getting 50% voter turnout is pretty good (some elections have less than 11%) so isn't requiring 50% + 1 the same as taking away the voters' right to approve an initiative?I've gone over it quite

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-25242236852000044622008-10-19T20:31:00.003-07:002008-10-20T13:13:00.100-07:00

The "Stop Illegal Hiring" proposition (202) sounds great at first.  After all, it makes the penalties more severe for hiring illegals, it gives the money collected in fines to hospitals, and increases the penalties for identity theft.  Doesn't this sound like a great proposition that everybody should vote for?  It sure does and that's the problem.As I understand it, proposition 202 actually makes

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-80893626314542400952008-10-16T10:50:00.002-07:002008-10-16T11:08:55.758-07:00

I saw a blog today that really got me thinking about the credit crisis and how we're all caught up in worrying about our bank accounts, mortgages, etc.  Sure that stuff is worrisome but, most of us have a roof over our heads, food for our families, leisure time to relax, cars for transportation, AC and heating to keep us comfortable.  How many thousands of families don't have any of that?  How

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-1076583169138740902008-10-14T11:51:00.003-07:002008-10-14T14:24:26.294-07:00

I know what you're thinking, "We do!!!"  However, that's not exactly true.  You see, I recently did an analysis of the healthcare industry for a graduate course I'm taking and I was surprised at what it showed me.  As I gathered information, one of the things I asked was "why does quality of care seem to be going down while prices are going up?"  That's just the opposite of what a capitalist

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-63709320767007420882008-10-07T20:29:00.003-07:002008-10-07T21:27:42.908-07:00

So I just finished watching the second debate between McCain and Obama and I have to say that I'm impressed with McCain.  I'm not a big McCain fan.  While I'm a Republican from Arizona, I really haven't been that impressed with our senator.  He was my last choice in the primary (I liked Romney - who would do really well at dealing with our economy) and it was disappointing to see him win.  But

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-19405000791083665262008-09-17T11:40:00.000-07:002008-09-17T11:40:00.549-07:00

There is a lot of misinformation out there about the aims of Christians in politics.  I see opinions from the left who are afraid that devout Christians running for office are simply doing it so they can ram their belief system down everybody's throat.  Unfortunately, there are some people on the far right that feed those fears by responding "You're darned right!"  However, I think the bulk of

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-11940567602131330132008-08-27T11:02:00.004-07:002008-08-28T08:18:34.445-07:00

OK, it wasn't exactly like that but, at the Democratic National Convention, Janet Napolitano (the governor of Arizona) stands up and states that: "Barry Goldwater ran for president and he lost. Mo Udall ran for president. He lost. Bruce Babbit ran for president. And he lost. Speaking for myself, and for at least this coming election, this is one Arizona tradition I’d like to see continue." I

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-29535736836973384722008-08-20T14:42:00.004-07:002008-08-21T08:38:33.168-07:00

I was listening to Ron Silver this morning on Sirius (Indie Talk, channel 110) and he was chatting with a caller about how people vote. The crux of the conversation is that many people don't vote for who they think is the best candidate. They vote for a candidate they think can win. It was agreed on the show that this was an awful thing that happens far too often. I agree 100%. People today

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-23287138611655796932008-08-07T12:15:00.003-07:002008-08-21T08:33:47.607-07:00

About a week and a half ago, I signed up for T-Mobile's @Home phone service. For those of you who don't know what that is, it replaces your current home phone for $10 per month. Here's how it works: Instead of plugging into your phone line, it plugs into your internet connection. It is a voice over IP or VOIP service similar to Vonage, or the phone service offered by your cable company. It

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-51492311370833651752008-07-08T11:30:00.003-07:002008-07-08T11:56:26.363-07:00

I saw an article today that I just have to comment on.  It seems that the Iraqi government is officially demanding for a timetable for withdrawing US troops.  So what do we do at this point?  The current administration has been very adamant that timetables are wrong and will only encourage insurgents, that the government is still to weak to protect itself.  Now it's not just the Democrats but the

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-33461439879152549562008-06-10T15:35:00.000-07:002008-06-10T15:35:57.776-07:00

The Democrats have a bit of a problem right now.  Gas prices are shooting through the roof and they want to say they're doing something about it.  Their plan is a windfall tax on oil companies.  This tax (which the Republicans blocked so it probably won't happen anytime soon - if it happens at all) is kind of a "feel good" tax.  Why?  Because it punishes the oil companies for making too much

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-83809249941350481012008-05-29T09:54:00.004-07:002008-05-29T10:28:49.157-07:00

Keeping a free market going is a bit of a balancing act.  On the one hand, if it is entirely unregulated, monopolies start to form.  These monopolies will then prevent other businesses from competing by either buying them out or underselling them or something similar.  This in turn stifles innovation and takes choice away from the consumer.  On the other hand, if you have too much regulation it

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-78496596462689320382008-05-19T09:26:00.006-07:002008-05-19T10:13:33.767-07:00

Poverty is a tough issue.  Unfortunately, it's an issue that has been oversimplified.  Granted, it's really easy to oversimplify.  The conservatives tend to think that the poor should get jobs and work for a living like everybody else.  The liberals think it's unconscionable that a person starve and/or live on the street simply because they don't have the means to take care of themselves.  

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-60522407213326073242008-05-15T14:46:00.004-07:002008-05-15T15:40:03.231-07:00

Thanks to the leadership of Barak Obama, the Democratic Party has been effectively positioning themselves as "The Party of Hope".  However, when you look at their policies, it seems to really be the party of security (as in social security/social programs) or the party of entitlement.  I don't want to be too negative because I know many democrats and they sincerely believe that government

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-63078732946969186462008-05-13T12:45:00.004-07:002008-05-13T13:45:36.491-07:00

You know, knowledge is a funny thing. No matter how much we think we have, there's always more out there to get. No matter how well we think we understand something, there always seems to be more to it than that. Political issues are much the same; at least with me.When I first look at an issue, I see the surface of it. Usually it's fairly simple which makes it easy for me to see a solution.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-23278133476087161782008-04-24T10:51:00.003-07:002008-04-24T11:02:37.567-07:00

Representative Warde Nichols of the Arizona State Legislature gave an impassioned floor speech supporting a ban on partial-birth abortions.He tells the story of a baby who was born prematurely to a drug addicted mother in 1969 (pre roe v wade). This baby was adopted and went on to live a very successful life.All children have the potential to be great. Who are we to deny them that based on

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-89635174124607956052008-04-23T12:56:00.004-07:002008-04-23T13:39:25.026-07:00

I can't help it. Maybe it's because our health insurance system is so broken. Maybe it's because the proposals from the left sound a lot like socialized medicine (not good). I don't know what it is but every now and then I get more ideas for how to fix the insurance system. Here's my latest thoughts.Let's get rid of the overhead from all of that massive paperwork. How? Let's turn insurance

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-36673994414132783922008-04-16T08:13:00.003-07:002008-04-16T08:28:56.372-07:00

I was commenting on a blog entry about a property tax repeal that the Arizona Legislature just made permanent but which the governor is likely (in my opinion) to veto and it got me thinking about how much we really pay in taxes. After all, almost every product we buy is from a taxed business that employs taxed laborers. So guess who is paying those taxes? That's right, it's us!A lot of people

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-40015735618233899772008-04-14T07:51:00.005-07:002008-04-14T08:25:48.357-07:00

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has come under a lot of fire for it's response to Hurricane Katrina. Now I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that FEMA's issues were not simply poor management but a fundamental issue with its setup. What I mean is that throughout its history, FEMA's response to disasters has been money. For example, if you're hit by a natural disaster, FEMA

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-71156217602547892102008-04-07T10:02:00.003-07:002008-04-07T10:37:05.614-07:00

I used to be a staunch supporter of term limits. Get 'em out of there! We don't need career politicians! However, the more I've learned about how government works, the more I've had to question whether the benefits of term limits outweigh the drawbacks.Pros:Gets rid of corrupt politicians - The main advantage to term limits is it keeps individual people from having too much power for too long.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-18849704497436880622008-04-02T09:57:00.003-07:002008-05-08T08:14:26.534-07:00

Everybody sees what wrong with politics. Some see more than others. However, what good is seeing the problems if you don't/can't fix them? If everybody running for office is corrupt, why don't honest people give them a run for their money? Here are some of my thoughts:Money - No I'm not talking about raising enough money to campaign, I'm talking about feeding your family while you're in

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-16199012414861250002008-03-28T07:55:00.005-07:002008-03-28T08:46:11.156-07:00

A while ago I blogged about my new favorite car being a minivan - more specifically, the new Chrysler Town and Country. While it's an excellent car, it is more suited for hauling around the family than for use as a commuter. My current commuter, a two year old Chrysler PT Cruiser, is great and I hope to have it for another eight years or so before I start thinking about replacing it. However,

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-74426607803083159552008-03-27T08:00:00.001-07:002008-03-27T07:42:41.559-07:00

I have this emerging theory on how to motivate people. Looking at the greatest world leaders, how did they get people to follow them? How do we get people to follow us? How do others get us to do things? When you do something, what is your primary motivation? Is it fear? love? duty? Which is the most powerful? The following is a list of common motivators in order from least to most

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-33723958528795481572008-03-24T07:54:00.005-07:002008-04-23T13:40:01.229-07:00

About a year and a half ago, I blogged on healthcare or, more specifically, insurance. Looking back, I still agree with my main ideas but there's more. As I have learned more about the insurance industry and government regulation of it, I've learned more about some of the limitations that could be fixed. So here are some more ideas on fixing insurance in America:1) Extend insurance deductions

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-23478859540797550372008-03-21T09:00:00.002-07:002008-03-27T07:43:33.178-07:00

No sooner has Tesla Motors started production of their electric car, then I find an article on CNN.com about an X-Prize competition for building a car that gets the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon or better. The award: $10 million. How's that for motivation.There are two categories for this prize: mainstream and alternative. According to the CNN article:"Mainstream cars must carry four or

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-40311778986856847332008-03-20T08:45:00.003-07:002008-03-27T07:44:04.711-07:00

On March 17th, the Tesla Roadster went into production. This is the first production electric sports car.It goes 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds and gets the equivalent of 135 miles per gallon. Best of all, IT LOOKS SO COOL!!!!I wish I could afford one but I don't see that ever happening. However, their next project is called the Whitestar - a four door sedan at about half the price. That puts it in

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-18436017978378179022008-03-19T07:43:00.000-07:002008-03-19T07:46:57.897-07:00

Our society is getting pretty messed up. We are developing a culture of selfishness and we're being egged on by the retail industry, the car industry, the housing industry, and the MEDICAL INDUSTRY?! Ok, perhaps not medicine itself but the medical finance industry. Here's my pearl of anecdotal evidence.A little while ago, my wife needed to have some dental work done (a bridge replaced). Turns

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-49798230177333226792008-03-18T12:06:00.000-07:002008-03-18T12:07:58.238-07:00

The Arizona Republic has an article about Represenative Renzi being able to keep his pension even if he goes to prison. While the merits of whether or not he should keep his pension are debatable, I'd like to focus on the actual pension. You see, I'd always thought that legislators got their full salary for the rest of their lives. Turns out I was wrong. Way wrong.According to the National

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-26219941732548336022008-03-12T08:00:00.001-07:002008-03-12T07:47:15.932-07:00

The Arizona Capitol Times just ran an article (subscription required) stating that Governor Napolitano vetoed a legislative bill that would freeze government spending. In a year where we're about a billion in the hole, you'd think any relief would be welcome. Well think again.In her veto letter, the Governor stated that she vetoed the bill because it wasn't "a comprehensive plan developed and

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-30449109398386295562008-03-11T06:00:00.002-07:002008-03-11T09:36:30.201-07:00

There are a lot of people out there wondering what the future of PeopleSoft will look like. The answer is: "I don't know." But I do have some guesses. Based on what I know about Oracle and their current direction along with some logic of my own, here is what I think the future holds for PeopleSoft:1) Say goodbye to the PeopleSoft Application Servers. Right now the PeopleSoft Application

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-17009894226793176252008-03-10T07:37:00.005-07:002008-04-23T13:40:38.898-07:00

There is a bill wending its way through the State Legislator that requires insurance companies to cover services for autism. It's called Steven's Law or HB2847 and SB1263 (you can look them up on azleg.gov). Basically it covers diagnosis, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and behavior therapy (ABA).When I first heard of this bill, I was a bit skeptical. Maybe that sounds

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-34085815450617965842008-03-07T08:45:00.005-07:002008-04-23T13:41:03.716-07:00

I first heard about this from an article at huffingtonpost.com. The title boldly stated: "Government Concedes Vaccine-Autism Case in Federal Court - Now What?" Now what indeed. Well let's take a closer look shall we.First of all, contrary to what the title implies, the government did NOT admit that vaccines cause autism. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the article is wrong. In fact it

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-40795119297018194542008-03-06T11:18:00.006-07:002008-03-06T14:08:25.223-07:00

WARNING: May contain excess amounts of cynicism.I got an email from Costco today that was entitled "Our Best Kept Money-Saving Secrets!". I'll admit right now that I'm a Costco junkie. I shop there more than just about anywhere else and, judging from the amount of people I see there, a lot of people are like me. So when I see an ad for Costco's best kept money-saving secrets, I'm immediately

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-843762891052940652008-03-05T13:56:00.003-07:002008-03-06T08:20:41.064-07:00

I was surprised to see that Hillary Clinton was able to win both the Texas primary and the Ohio primary. I really thought that with Barak Obama's momentum that he would carry at least one of those states. Guess that shows how much I know...So, who's going to win? I'll give you my predictions but bear in mind that my record on predictions isn't that good. After all, I predicted that:1) John

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-91291684482781084482008-03-04T12:07:00.002-07:002008-03-04T12:39:32.945-07:00

The Arizona Legislature recently passed a law that punishes employers for hiring illegal immigrants. It uses fines and the loss of one's business license to "encourage" companies to only hire legal workers. So far, it seems to be working.When I originally blogged about the immigration problem, I voiced my opinion that border enforcement would not work until we removed the incentive for illegals

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-753066470886654122008-02-28T10:14:00.005-07:002008-02-28T15:12:54.264-07:00

WARNING: This may be a bit cynical.For the past while, I've thought quite a bit about how to lessen the influence of lobbyists on our elected officials. After some reasoning, I thought that the best way to get rid of lobbyist influence is to not allow them to give money to elected officials. That would mean that only individuals could give money to campaigns; not companies, not lobbyists, not

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-57041372429260066132008-01-28T12:29:00.001-07:002008-02-28T15:15:08.550-07:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this yet! For the last couple of years, my wife and I (and a friend) have been working on product to help those that qualify for therapy services in Arizona. The problem is that once you go through all of the red tape to qualify for state provided services (for example, if your child has autism and needs speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-72736720049295745832008-01-28T12:15:00.000-07:002008-01-28T12:29:04.413-07:00

I've been itching to get a Mac for a long time.  Ever since they switched to MacOS X they've been getting more and more attractive.  They are sleek, stable, secure, easy to use, and ... expensive.  Yeah, money's been the main issue.  Well I've overcome that issue by getting my sister to loan me hers for a while (about 18 months).  So now I'm the proud user of a MacBook and I think it's pretty

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-78935318670062503102007-12-14T11:26:00.000-07:002007-12-14T11:50:57.782-07:00

OK, this is a bit of a rant but I'm a bit frustrated with banks right now.  They have all of these cute commercials about how they want to help you achieve your goals.  The truth is that they don't.  They don't want to help you, they want your money.  They'll say and do whatever they need to get it but that's what they're really after.Bank policies are based on how much income they get from their

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-7752535335016404192007-10-04T13:53:00.001-07:002008-03-27T07:44:54.772-07:00

Something must be wrong with me. All my life I've been a car enthusiast. I've been enamoured with cars like BMWs, the Dodge Viper, Ferraris, the Mazda RX8, some of the new Mercedes, etc. In the last few years, I've also really appreciated the Mini Cooper, the Chrysler PT Cruiser (which I am lucky enough to own), and even the new Honda Civic.Through the years, all sorts of cars have spent time

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-62575253410050981152007-09-10T14:21:00.000-07:002007-09-10T15:04:50.529-07:00

Although I'm not a big fan of Windows, I still have a couple of Windows computers that I use. Well, there's my wife's laptop and one of my desktops (that I dual boot into Windows every now and then). Anyways, whether you've one Windows desktop or many, you need security software. There are just too many viruses, trojans, etc. out there to avoid it. I had been using Microsoft's Windows Live

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-75983317971655489512007-04-17T09:54:00.000-07:002007-04-17T10:14:57.718-07:00

Maybe it's not all it's cracked up to be but folks over at fairtax.org have what looks to me like a long overdue fix to our horrible tax system. Their premise is that it would be far easier (simpler to define, simpler to run, simpler to monitor) to tax consumption rather than income. In other words, have a federal sales tax replace the federal income tax.To me this has the following advantages:

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-34771090649228387752007-04-17T08:43:00.000-07:002007-04-17T08:49:23.276-07:00

Global warming has become quite an issue lately. Temperatures are rising but that seems to be just about all anybody can prove. There are so many slogans and sound bites on global warming that it's hard to tell what's really going on. Well, here's my opinion:The problem with global warming is that it is a very complex issue that too many people are trying to oversimplify (including Al Gore).

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26111560.post-3226355578139709002007-03-09T12:04:00.000-07:002007-03-09T12:42:43.440-07:00

Who would have thought that you could clean the air with a lawn mower? OK, more specifically, my lawn mower simply doesn't pollute the air, after all, every little bit helps. How did I pull it off? I got an electric mower. It's really cool!SRP, one of the local power companies, runs an annual event where you can trade in your old lawn mower and get $100 off of a new electric lawn mower.

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15836232396757605708noreply@blogger.com0