I thought we had a Republican-held Government

What happened to the three tenets of Conservatives? And, for that matter, what is going on in the world? Do things seem crazy to anyone else besides me? I thought the Conservative mantra was Reduce Spending, Control Immigration, and Shrink Government. And, I thought that we have a Republican-conservatively-controlled government (as in all three branches).

From the looks of things, we have not accomplished a single one of those items. According to today's NY Times, our Government has raised the level at which the American Government goes into DEFAULT 5 times since a certain someone has come into office.

Are the creditors calling the White House?

Hello. Is the President home? We have a convenient payment plan to help you get back on track. You don't want to harm your credit rating, do you?

As for immigration: the borders are basically open. Big companies no longer have to even recognize that they exist. As individuals, we have to check every single transaction with Big Brother. But, if we were to simply send our money over the borders (and it would prove to be profitable for business), we could get that blessing easily.

While I love the idea of shrinking the government, it is absolutely impossible at this point. Our beauracracy has metastatized into Orwellian proportions. In fact, I am sure that the sheer size of it all would make Franz Kafka cringe in his grave.

And, they keep spending and spending and spending money that we don't have . . . .

Our only recourse is to vote in every single election between here and change. Call your Senators, and Representatives. Ask tougher questions. Read the fine print. The sound bites from Fox are not giving you the information you need.

Stop doing what you have been doing, and from here on out, only do things that can fix what is wrong. Apathy isn't going to help anyone.

Advertisements, Be Gone!

It felt like an excommunication. Or, perhaps a better analogy may be that of an exorcism. In a grand ceremony, with all the ritual and splendor, I started.

"Advertisements, I command thee to flee--to come out and be gone."

And, with the flick of a switch, they obeyed. (Okay, I actually changed the code in my code class and uploaded the revised bugger, but that can be our little secret, can't it?)

Regardless of which analogy you prefer, I could no longer tolerate the countless services advertising essays for sale, and the blatant smack of Capitalism on the cheek of my pet project.

On a more pratical level, it was a terrible visual clutter. A busy element to the eye. Perhaps they were something that could have been better incorporated into the design, but who really wants to try THAT hard to add the ads?

Anyways, I feel better about this project now that it is not subsidized or funded by anyone or anything except my love for literature and language. The only terms and conditions that I have to follow are my own . . . .

In the future, things may change. I may add a donations page. I may advertise again. But, for right now, my passion is burning brightly enough to fuel my own work in this process.

Fortunately, my passion is a renewable resource. No drilling required.

Memory Lane

Each year, while most people are dreading the almighty April 15th deadline, I have a different feeling about the whole thing. For me, getting prepped for my annual visit with the CPA is a nice, long trip down memory lane--one receipt at a time.

So, I am going to quickly recount my last year in receipts:

The first of January in 2005 found me stuffing receipts with the Euro symbol on them in my pockets. I was in Paris for 10 days, and spent another 4 in San Francisco afterwards. There were museum stubs from La Louvre, espresso receipts from the Marais, and a whole collection of Metro tickets. Itemized lists of food printed on tiny white slips of paper was not quite as good as eating those meals, but it was fun for awhile.

A single, handwritten receipt brought me back to docks of my sailing lessons in the early summer.

In the summer time, there were weekly receipts from the Friday afternoon concerts in the park. Oddly enough, they were from the Beer Gardens, and certainly would not qualify as deductible. Regardless of the tax implications (or lack, thereof), they certainly brought back the memories of a summer of Red Hook beer and live music in the maddening Sacramento heat.

Towards the end of the year, there were records of the spawning of my last relationship. There were dinners that her and I had together, coffee receipts, and stubs from an occasional midtown drink. Too bad that more things didn't survive, but finding these relics certainly left a wonderful taste in my mouth . . . .

The end of the year papertrail recorded Christmas presents, art supplies, new Christmas-time music, and for a moment, I thought I heard the prancing of hooves of reindeer on the roof. Maybe not, but it was festive for just a moment.

I don't think there is a moral to this story, unless, it is the simple encouragement to NOT keep on top of your tax information all year long. Perhaps you could simply save the work for the couple of days prior to your tax appointment, and take the scenic route (Turn right on Memory Lane) to your CPA's office . . . .

The Truth Will Set You Free

Whoever invented the saying had obviously NEVER had anything truthful to say. Perhaps, we could even call them a liar . . . .

The truth has always been so much more problematic than that. Throughout history, the truth has been responsible for murder, torture, pain, burden, and an entire slew of lies. Truth has made some delusional and others self-righteous. In fact, the truth has been behind so many things - both bad and good - that it is almost an entirely problematic concept.

One thing for sure is that the Truth rarely sets you free.

In Plato's "Cave Analogy," the truth was quietly reflected and distorted onto a wall in front of us. We were chained to the opposite wall, and could only see the distortion, and that is what we had grown to know as reality.

One of us freed himself or herself from the chains that enslaved the rest of us to our ideals, and escaped from the cave. That person saw the Truth--and was immediately aware of the distortion that the rest of us believed.

When he or she came back inside to tell us about the Truth, we thought they had become a lunatic. In modern times, I am sure we would have them locked up or thrown in jail. In olden times, perhaps we would have stoned them to death. Regardless of the time, our reaction is the same. The person who holds the truth is a threat . . . that we must eliminate.

Perhaps Plato meant the opposite of his example. The people chained to the wall were happy, and yet the person with the truth was labeled as a threat. Perhaps he meant that the Truth may get you free, but will certainly enslave you for as long as you keep it.

I, of course, have my own opinions about the Truth. It is the very thing that gives the sense of entitlement to those standing on their own soap boxes. It is also the very thing that gives the sense of entitlement to those who pull them down. The truth is sought-after, hidden, denied, ignored, cherished, and seems to be somewhat involved with just about everything that we do.

If you are hiding from the Truth, fabricating, or denying it, you are not alone. Everyone has been in your position at some time or another. Some people make hiding from it a way of life, and others have just been thrust into some bad situation and forced to make a choice.

If, however, you find yourself holding the Truth, or a truth, or some truth, keep it close, hold it aloft, hide it, or share it with the world. In fact, you can do anything you want with it. Just don't expect it to set you free . . . .