Warren Buffett, Reforming Congress
Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:
"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months and 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971—before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven took one year or less to become the law of the land, all because of public pressure.
Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of 20 people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no
pay when they're out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social
Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the
Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into
the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the
American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all
Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses its current health-care system and
participates in the same health-care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the
American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void
effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract.
Congress made these contracts for itself. Serving in
Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their
term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Don't you think it's time?
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Hard Work Equals 10,000 Hours
HARD WORK = 10,000 HOURS
October 30, 2011 9:00 & 10:45 a.m. Ecclesiates 3:1-8
San Luis Rey Valley United Methodist Church
Today I have selected as my sermon title,
“Hard Work = 10,000 Hours.”
I need your help!
(Select three people; tools: shovel, crescent wrench, bucket
Shovel—dig a hole; crescent wrench to remove plug to crank
of car; bucket to pick blue berries
Music: “Chain Gang” Sung by Sam Cooke
Let me first say: “Hard work doesn’t hurt anyone.”
…And they say: “There is no free lunch.”
When I was a young boy growing up in Hawaii, we were all poor.
I came from a family of three boys and three
girls. To make ends meet, my dad also raised a lot of vegetables.
My older brothers and I helped my dad load manure from
horse stables. My dad was a true gardner—we always
had fresh vegetables on the table: cabbage, lettuce,
carrots, beets, and the best string beans. I learned the
value of hard work and sacrifice.
When I was in high school, for two summer, I worked in the pineapple fields.
One summer I worked on the island of Molokai. The field was full
of ripe pineapples. One evening we harvested 52 truckloads of
pineapples. I learned that money does not grow on trees.
When I was in college in Iowa, that first summer, I worked for the Toledo
Construction Company. It was a really good paying job.
We were tearing down old fiber glass furnaces. We worked with
air hammers,
steel bars, and sledge hammers.
My parents were right: Get your college education!
Hard work is just a part of how life is.
It all started in the Garden of Eden.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were thrown out
of Paradise.
God cursed the ground and told them, your days will be
days of toil and sweat.
That’s how it all started. Any question?
The book of Ecclesiastes that was just read says: 2
There is a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what
is planted.
There is a saying:
My grandfather had a farm,
my father had a garden,
I have a can opener.
There song that says, “Oh, the times they are changing.”
That is true.
Today, our economic situation is bad.
Unemployment is 9.1%
In the October 10, 2011 Time Magazine, it gives a breakdown
on how we each budget of funds.
In 1950 -- 22% of our budget went for food;
2010 it’s 7%
In 1950 --13% of our budget went for housing,
2010 it’s 18%
In 1950 --3% of the budget went for health care;
2010 its 16%.
Several years ago, at the Get Motivated Seminar I heard
Suzy Orman, the financial whiz. She had one suggestion:
“Get your credit card balance down!”
The point of my sermon today is, we have a lot of work to do.
Jesus told us a parable where one man
was give five talents and he invested it and he made five times more.
The second man had three talents, invested it and got three more
The third man had one talent, was afraid so he buried it
and it was taken away. (Matt. 25:14-30)
Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, says that to succeed
in anything, we have to put in the time.
It will take hours of work.
Take Bill Gates. He was a math whiz. He was drop out from
Harvard. So how did he become so successful? When
he was in junior high, his parents sent him to private
school in Seattle called Lakeside. At Lakeside his mother 3
and some parents raised funds to open a computer
center. When gates was in high school, the University of
Washington opened an all night computer center. Gates
says, “I skipped athletics. I went up there at night.” He
got really good at computer programming. Then he and some
friends got hired by TRW, a technology company. Then he
started his own company. Any hear of Microsoft? That’s Bill Gates.
Bill Gates became good at computers, because he put in
10,000 hours. Malcolm Gladwell calls this:
“the 10,000 Hour Rule.”
And then, there are the Beattles:
John Lennon, Paul McCarthy, George Harrison, and Ringo Star.
They came to America in 1964. In 1960 they were just a struggling
high school band in Liverpool.
They didn’t develop their repertoire of music until they were
invited to a club in Hamburg, Germany. Most bands will be
for two to three hours and they will play the same music. But
when the Beattles went to Hamburg, they had to perform for
eight hours every night, seven days a week. They had to come
up with new music. For example, on their first trip they had to
play 106 nights. They got good when they got to 10,000 hours.
Listen! (#26 “Let It Be” The Beattles)
Wisdom: Yes, in this age, we need wisdom.
Proverbs 13:11-12 “Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle
but those who gather little by little, will increase.”
….little by little
Jesus came to teach us to develop our spiritual nature.
God gave to us three gifts:
the mind
the body and the soul.
Wisdom: yes, in this time, we need wisdom.
John 6:27-34 “Do not work for food that perishes,
but for food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of man will give you.”
Then Jesus said: “I am the bread of life.” “Seek first the kingdom of God.”
Wisdom: Attitude is Everything. 4
Jerry was the manager of a restaurant and he always
told his workers—always look for the positive side.
Jerry says, “every morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry,
you have two choices today: you can choose to be in a good
mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.”
Jerry says that each time something bad happens, I can choose
to be the victim or I can choose to learn from it.
One day, Jerry did something he should never had done.
He left the back door to the restaurant open. Three robbers
came in and had him at gun point. When he was opening
the safe, he was so nervous, the robbers panicked and
he got shot.
He was taken to emergency. He thought he was okay until he
saw the faces of the doctors and nurses and he got
scared. A big burly nurse began shouting at him with
questions: “Are you allergic to anything.” He said, “Yes.”
The doctors and nurses stopped everything. He said,
“Yes, bullets.” Everyone started laughing. Then he said,
“Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead!” After 18 hours
Jerry survived.
In these dire times of the economy: Attitude is Everything.
The disciples lived with Jesus for some three years.
They saw him feed the 5,000 with five loaves
and two fish.
They were with him in Bethany when Jesus raised Lazarus
from the dead. Lazarus was dead for four days.
When Jesus was crucified, they all fled. They still
had doubts about Jesus.
When Jesus was resurrected and appeared to them, they finally believed.
They believed that Jesus is the Messiah! They were with him 10,000 hours.
Amen!
(Mozart Medley, #8, Andre Rieu in Concert)
Video Station: …..Start playing softly ….
Mozart began composing music at the age of six. But psychologist
says, his early works were not outstanding. His early pieces
were probably written by his father. His first master piece was not
composed until he was 21. A music critic says, Mozart developed
late. His greatness started after he put in 10,000 hours.
October 30, 2011 9:00 & 10:45 a.m. Ecclesiates 3:1-8
San Luis Rey Valley United Methodist Church
Today I have selected as my sermon title,
“Hard Work = 10,000 Hours.”
I need your help!
(Select three people; tools: shovel, crescent wrench, bucket
Shovel—dig a hole; crescent wrench to remove plug to crank
of car; bucket to pick blue berries
Music: “Chain Gang” Sung by Sam Cooke
Let me first say: “Hard work doesn’t hurt anyone.”
…And they say: “There is no free lunch.”
When I was a young boy growing up in Hawaii, we were all poor.
I came from a family of three boys and three
girls. To make ends meet, my dad also raised a lot of vegetables.
My older brothers and I helped my dad load manure from
horse stables. My dad was a true gardner—we always
had fresh vegetables on the table: cabbage, lettuce,
carrots, beets, and the best string beans. I learned the
value of hard work and sacrifice.
When I was in high school, for two summer, I worked in the pineapple fields.
One summer I worked on the island of Molokai. The field was full
of ripe pineapples. One evening we harvested 52 truckloads of
pineapples. I learned that money does not grow on trees.
When I was in college in Iowa, that first summer, I worked for the Toledo
Construction Company. It was a really good paying job.
We were tearing down old fiber glass furnaces. We worked with
air hammers,
steel bars, and sledge hammers.
My parents were right: Get your college education!
Hard work is just a part of how life is.
It all started in the Garden of Eden.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were thrown out
of Paradise.
God cursed the ground and told them, your days will be
days of toil and sweat.
That’s how it all started. Any question?
The book of Ecclesiastes that was just read says: 2
There is a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what
is planted.
There is a saying:
My grandfather had a farm,
my father had a garden,
I have a can opener.
There song that says, “Oh, the times they are changing.”
That is true.
Today, our economic situation is bad.
Unemployment is 9.1%
In the October 10, 2011 Time Magazine, it gives a breakdown
on how we each budget of funds.
In 1950 -- 22% of our budget went for food;
2010 it’s 7%
In 1950 --13% of our budget went for housing,
2010 it’s 18%
In 1950 --3% of the budget went for health care;
2010 its 16%.
Several years ago, at the Get Motivated Seminar I heard
Suzy Orman, the financial whiz. She had one suggestion:
“Get your credit card balance down!”
The point of my sermon today is, we have a lot of work to do.
Jesus told us a parable where one man
was give five talents and he invested it and he made five times more.
The second man had three talents, invested it and got three more
The third man had one talent, was afraid so he buried it
and it was taken away. (Matt. 25:14-30)
Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, says that to succeed
in anything, we have to put in the time.
It will take hours of work.
Take Bill Gates. He was a math whiz. He was drop out from
Harvard. So how did he become so successful? When
he was in junior high, his parents sent him to private
school in Seattle called Lakeside. At Lakeside his mother 3
and some parents raised funds to open a computer
center. When gates was in high school, the University of
Washington opened an all night computer center. Gates
says, “I skipped athletics. I went up there at night.” He
got really good at computer programming. Then he and some
friends got hired by TRW, a technology company. Then he
started his own company. Any hear of Microsoft? That’s Bill Gates.
Bill Gates became good at computers, because he put in
10,000 hours. Malcolm Gladwell calls this:
“the 10,000 Hour Rule.”
And then, there are the Beattles:
John Lennon, Paul McCarthy, George Harrison, and Ringo Star.
They came to America in 1964. In 1960 they were just a struggling
high school band in Liverpool.
They didn’t develop their repertoire of music until they were
invited to a club in Hamburg, Germany. Most bands will be
for two to three hours and they will play the same music. But
when the Beattles went to Hamburg, they had to perform for
eight hours every night, seven days a week. They had to come
up with new music. For example, on their first trip they had to
play 106 nights. They got good when they got to 10,000 hours.
Listen! (#26 “Let It Be” The Beattles)
Wisdom: Yes, in this age, we need wisdom.
Proverbs 13:11-12 “Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle
but those who gather little by little, will increase.”
….little by little
Jesus came to teach us to develop our spiritual nature.
God gave to us three gifts:
the mind
the body and the soul.
Wisdom: yes, in this time, we need wisdom.
John 6:27-34 “Do not work for food that perishes,
but for food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of man will give you.”
Then Jesus said: “I am the bread of life.” “Seek first the kingdom of God.”
Wisdom: Attitude is Everything. 4
Jerry was the manager of a restaurant and he always
told his workers—always look for the positive side.
Jerry says, “every morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry,
you have two choices today: you can choose to be in a good
mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.”
Jerry says that each time something bad happens, I can choose
to be the victim or I can choose to learn from it.
One day, Jerry did something he should never had done.
He left the back door to the restaurant open. Three robbers
came in and had him at gun point. When he was opening
the safe, he was so nervous, the robbers panicked and
he got shot.
He was taken to emergency. He thought he was okay until he
saw the faces of the doctors and nurses and he got
scared. A big burly nurse began shouting at him with
questions: “Are you allergic to anything.” He said, “Yes.”
The doctors and nurses stopped everything. He said,
“Yes, bullets.” Everyone started laughing. Then he said,
“Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead!” After 18 hours
Jerry survived.
In these dire times of the economy: Attitude is Everything.
The disciples lived with Jesus for some three years.
They saw him feed the 5,000 with five loaves
and two fish.
They were with him in Bethany when Jesus raised Lazarus
from the dead. Lazarus was dead for four days.
When Jesus was crucified, they all fled. They still
had doubts about Jesus.
When Jesus was resurrected and appeared to them, they finally believed.
They believed that Jesus is the Messiah! They were with him 10,000 hours.
Amen!
(Mozart Medley, #8, Andre Rieu in Concert)
Video Station: …..Start playing softly ….
Mozart began composing music at the age of six. But psychologist
says, his early works were not outstanding. His early pieces
were probably written by his father. His first master piece was not
composed until he was 21. A music critic says, Mozart developed
late. His greatness started after he put in 10,000 hours.
I Was Hit By A Semi
HIT BY A SEMI
by Dennis Ginoza November 3, 2011
As they say, “There is always a first time for everything.”
It was about 5:20 p.m., November 2. On highway 15, traffic was moving northward from Escondido toward Fallbrook and Temecula. All the vehicles came to a crawl. Although we could not see, it appeared that there was an accident up ahead.
With the traffic so bad, I decided I would make an earlier exit at Old 395 rather than the 76 exit to get home to Fallbrook. I was in the far right lane. We were moving slowly, maybe about 2 or 3 miles per hour.
All of a sudden: BOOM! A semi truck rear ended my 2007 Camry. I couldn’t believe it. It was a jolt, but the impact was not cause for injury. Luckily we weren’t moving at rapid speed.
I pulled off to the shoulder. So did the semi. I got out. The driver got out. I said to him, “You weren’t paying attention, were you?” I added, “You were on your cell phone, weren’t you?” “Yes,” he nodded.
I proceeded to call 911 for a report. Then I couldn’t get through.
I must say, however, the driver was cooperative. He showed me his driver’s license and documents. I got the information I needed. He was from Norman, Oklahoma.
Then I got on my soap box. I said to him, “You should never use the cell phone driving again. First of all, it is against the law in California.” Then I went on, “Just think, you could’ve killed someone and you would be put in jail.” I asked, “You have a family, don’t you?” “Yes,” nodded. Then, I said, “You would lose your job!” “Don’t ever use the cell phone while driving!” He listened and I could see remorse on his face.
Then we proceeded on our way. The traffic was so bad, it took me about an hour and a half to get home. This is usually a 35 minute trip. I learned from my neighbor that the accident up ahead was a jack knifed military truck.
One of the first questions I was asked by the insurance company, “Are you okay?” Then, “You were wearing your seat belt, weren’t you?” I was and I always do.
Ironically, for the past three months, my wife and I have traveled over 12,000 miles by van to such cities as Denver, Omaha, Chicago, Cincinnati, Lexington, St. Louis, Helena, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, without incident. They say, most accidents occur close to home.
Some thoughts.
*Always leave some space between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you while
driving on the freeway. (I was hit, but did not hit the vehicle ahead of me.)
*Do not use the cell phone while driving. Many accidents today are caused by cell phone use.
*Always wear the seat belt. Under every circumstance.
*You can be a careful driver, but then, you don’t have control over someone else’s driving.
Nevertheless, be as careful as you can.
*When examining the damage on a vehicle, do it several times. Under stress, there are things
you will not see. The next day, I found further damage I didn’t see at first.
*Do not take a chance by not having insurance coverage. Just one time can break you.
*When tired or sleepy, don’t take a chance, get off the road and rest, have a cup of coffee,
or simply, take a walk. Best yet, have someone else take over driving.
“Life is too precious to take a chance.”
by Dennis Ginoza November 3, 2011
As they say, “There is always a first time for everything.”
It was about 5:20 p.m., November 2. On highway 15, traffic was moving northward from Escondido toward Fallbrook and Temecula. All the vehicles came to a crawl. Although we could not see, it appeared that there was an accident up ahead.
With the traffic so bad, I decided I would make an earlier exit at Old 395 rather than the 76 exit to get home to Fallbrook. I was in the far right lane. We were moving slowly, maybe about 2 or 3 miles per hour.
All of a sudden: BOOM! A semi truck rear ended my 2007 Camry. I couldn’t believe it. It was a jolt, but the impact was not cause for injury. Luckily we weren’t moving at rapid speed.
I pulled off to the shoulder. So did the semi. I got out. The driver got out. I said to him, “You weren’t paying attention, were you?” I added, “You were on your cell phone, weren’t you?” “Yes,” he nodded.
I proceeded to call 911 for a report. Then I couldn’t get through.
I must say, however, the driver was cooperative. He showed me his driver’s license and documents. I got the information I needed. He was from Norman, Oklahoma.
Then I got on my soap box. I said to him, “You should never use the cell phone driving again. First of all, it is against the law in California.” Then I went on, “Just think, you could’ve killed someone and you would be put in jail.” I asked, “You have a family, don’t you?” “Yes,” nodded. Then, I said, “You would lose your job!” “Don’t ever use the cell phone while driving!” He listened and I could see remorse on his face.
Then we proceeded on our way. The traffic was so bad, it took me about an hour and a half to get home. This is usually a 35 minute trip. I learned from my neighbor that the accident up ahead was a jack knifed military truck.
One of the first questions I was asked by the insurance company, “Are you okay?” Then, “You were wearing your seat belt, weren’t you?” I was and I always do.
Ironically, for the past three months, my wife and I have traveled over 12,000 miles by van to such cities as Denver, Omaha, Chicago, Cincinnati, Lexington, St. Louis, Helena, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, without incident. They say, most accidents occur close to home.
Some thoughts.
*Always leave some space between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you while
driving on the freeway. (I was hit, but did not hit the vehicle ahead of me.)
*Do not use the cell phone while driving. Many accidents today are caused by cell phone use.
*Always wear the seat belt. Under every circumstance.
*You can be a careful driver, but then, you don’t have control over someone else’s driving.
Nevertheless, be as careful as you can.
*When examining the damage on a vehicle, do it several times. Under stress, there are things
you will not see. The next day, I found further damage I didn’t see at first.
*Do not take a chance by not having insurance coverage. Just one time can break you.
*When tired or sleepy, don’t take a chance, get off the road and rest, have a cup of coffee,
or simply, take a walk. Best yet, have someone else take over driving.
“Life is too precious to take a chance.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)