A Challenge

To all who believe there is an unfair distribution of income and wealth in this country, here is a challenge.

Let’s take all the people in the United States, whether they are rich or poor, janitors or CEOs, stock boys or stock brokers, fishermen or congressmen, cleaning service employees or government employees, floor sweepers or teamsters, in office or office cleaners, everyone who works or should be working for a living, and have the Government Accounting Office calculate the average wage for everyone.

Next, let us guarantee that average wage to everyone in the country and take anything over that from all who are making more than the average (movie stars, politicians and statesmen included).

We don’t want to base this on taxable income only, but all income, just to be fair.

If you make over that average income and you are in favor of this then you may decry the inequities of income and wealth distribution all you like and, I am sure of course, that you donate all of your excess income to charitable causes .

If you make over that average income and are not for this and you still want to say how unfair a free market society is, you are a hypocrite and you should just be quiet.

SmilinPete

Faith

Faith lives in us all. This is true for those who hold a belief in a higher power as well as those of us who do not.


Yes, faith can be a belief in the unseen as well as a belief that there is nothing in the unseen world, or that there is no world beyond what we can see.


In science, the pioneers are always those who can see something others can not. They are the ones who know there are answers to the unknown and find a way to reveal those answers. They have faith that they can find the answers when others do not even know the questions.


The founders of the United States had faith in a government of the people, by the people and for the people, and the people and went about creating it. They also had a faith in the rightness of their cause and in their God.


Yet there are those who have faith that God does not exist. They believe that Jesus was just a man, if not a myth. But they can not disprove the existence of God. They can only have faith that He does not exist.


As for me, I will cherish my faith and my God who has revealed Himself to me in countless ways. I will continue to know of my God, the Father, Creator of the all, in His Son, our Savior, and in the Holy Spirit that dwells with us today and forever.

The New Year has begun.

Let us put the pains and sorrows of the past behind us,
but let us keep the joys we have experienced deep within our hearts.

Let us forget about the shame of our mistakes
but never forget the lessons we have learned.

Let us find the kindness in our hearts to forgive the transgressions of others
and find the courage in our souls to protect the weak and the ones we love.

Let hate fall away and charity guide us
and let our Faith grow in strength and bring us peace.

May God be with you all as we journey through this New Year.

Pete Nickerson
January 1, 2011

John Wooden

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Coach John Wooden tonight. He was a remarkable man, not only for his championship coaching record in basketball, but in his championship coaching in life skills.

He was an idol for many and an inspiration for many more. He was 99 years old and had a wonderful life. We were blessed by his life.

Unexpected Result

"Get this." said Sam to his friends, "Last night,
while I was down at the bar with you guys, a
burglar broke into my house.

"Did he get anything?" Greg asked.

Sam said, "Yeah, a broken jaw, six teeth knocked
out, and a pair of broken ribs."

Greg wondered, "Whoa! But... how???"

Sam replied, "Well, it was really late at night
and Anni thought it was *me* coming home drunk!!"

The Kiss Principle

So often we forget:

Keep it Simple Stupid.

The simpler any task, or operation, is to perform, the fewer mistakes, errors or malfunctions will occur.

Conversely, the greater the complexity of any task, device or operation, the greater the chance for mistakes, errors, malfunctions and failure.

The higher the degree of complexity in a system, the greater is the need for safeguards against mistakes, errors, malfunctions and failures. Without adequate safeguards designed into the system, the result will be persistent failures.

Going to Heaven?

Father Murphy walks into a pub in Donegal, and asks the first man he meets, 'Do you want to go to heaven?'

The man said, 'I do, Father.'

The priest said, 'Then stand over there against the wall.'

Then the priest asked the second man, 'Do you want to go to heaven?'

'Certainly, Father,' the man replied.

'Then stand over there against the wall,' said the priest.

Then Father Murphy walked up to O'Toole and asked, 'Do you want to go to heaven?'

O'Toole said, 'No, I don't Father.'

The priest said, 'I don't believe this. You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?'

O'Toole said, 'Oh, when I die , yes. I thought you were getting a group together to go right now.'