Happy Halloween!

Ya gotta love it!

To read click the image to make it bigger.

Kick em in the right knee, kick em in the left knee,
kick em in the weenie!

Haunted Cornmaze

Once again we worked the haunted corn maze this year. It is always a good time. We scared the crap out of so many people. Every year it gets better and better. That's me in the back. I switched costumes a couple of times. We have always gone with the killer clown theme. It's amazing how many people are afraid of clowns. That my wife in the front and Scoopie on the right. Some people called her a goat and she hated that. Her friend Sarah is on the left.

Free Beer Tomorrow-Maybe, Maybe Not?

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, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until on day, the owner threw them a curve. “Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily bee r by $20.” Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share’?

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same percent, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The n inth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

“I only got a dollar out of the $20,”declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,” but he got $10!”

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got TEN times more than I!”

“That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Thought for the day.

Why is it the people who preach tolerance are the least tolerant of other people's views?

The Return of Big Earn!

Last night was my first good night of bowling this season! Games of 244, 247 and 255 for a 746 series. I had 23 strikes, 7 spares and one open frame. So basically I had 23 strikes out of 31 shots.

I attribute this success to my recent weight gain. Since my bike crash I've added a few pounds. It sure helps to have that extra counterweight for balance when throwing the rock. Game On!

Another Cheater!

In a press conference in Vienna, Austria earlier today Tour de France king of the mountain Bernhard Kohl admitted the he doped in preparation for the race.
“The pressure was overwhelming,” he said. “I was looking ahead to the Tour and realized I was not in the kind of condition I had hoped to be. I am just a man and a man who made a decision at a moment of weakness. I made a bad decision and I have to pay for that.”
According to VeloNews:
"Kohl took full responsibility for a “bad decision,” driven at least in part by the fear that he wouldn't land a new contract when his Gerolsteiner team announced plans to fold at the end of 2008.
Kohl denied that there was a systematic doping program at Gerolsteiner, despite the fact that his teammate, Stefan Schumacher, was also found to be positive for the new variant of EPO, known as CERA. "

Don't these guys ever get it? There ruining there own sport! Tour Of' Dopes!

Obama The Socialist! Lets spread it around!

Say goodbye to the American dream and hello to the Socialist Republic of America!

Wisconsin Winters

The weather in Wisconsin has been just great. However, the change is coming. Coming soon! Last year I was committed to Ironman Wisconsin and had a huge training goal to keep me focused for the winter. I also ran PF Changs half marathon for the last two years in January.

So here is where we are today. No Ironman race for 2009. No PF Changs in January. This leaves me with nothing to really focus on and get me motivated this winter. I know I won't just not do a thing. But! It's easy to just really get focused next week. And we all know that next week is always a week away. So I need to find an A race to keep me going. I'm thinking of a few but nothing has really jumped out at me. So it's off for another cookie and hey isn't the biggest looser on tonight? Maybe that's it! This year I focus on the cookies and then shoot for the biggest loser in 2010?

Go Hillary!

Bet you would never hear me say "Go Hillary, Go"! Well I'm saying it now! No no, no not that Hillary!
This Hillary, of course. That makes a lot more sense. After Hillary Biscay won Ironman Wisconsin she got cleaned up and came back down to the race to visit with all of the fans. The Queen and I were working the finish and got to visit with her for a little while and congratulate her on her first Ironman win. So now were pulling for her to win her second tomorrow in Kona, the big burrito of the triathlon world. So, Go Hillary, Go!

Let's Play!

Let's play the limbo! How low can they go? I was worried about this. But after checking my 401k I'm now retiring when I'm 130. So why not tack on another 20 years.

Actually I really am worried about this. I don't think anyone knows what going to happen next and how to fix it. This is now a Global Crisis! Greed! To think it's a few greedy people that caused this entire mess. And to make matters worse there the ones getting bailed out and vacationing in luxury on our dime. Again, the honest guy finishes last.

Be Careful What You Vote For!

Click the Link and watch this video.

Click here to see more about the book.

Is the kind of crap you want taught to your grade school children? It already is in Massachusetts! Who you vote for may mean more than you think!

I think if an adult person chooses to be homosexual than so be it. That's there choice. But when it starts being taught to grade school children in school it's to much for me. Parents are not given a choice on this stuff! They want this introduced in kindergarten! Kindergarten!

I think people often vote for these same sex laws not realizing all of the other stuff that goes along with it. The groups that push these laws through have an entire agenda to make it main stream. In today's world if you don't share this equality viewpoint your labeled as homophobic. If that is the case than I guess I am. So be it.

Be Careful what and who you vote for!

Political Adds

Rather than watch one stupid political add after another I have taken to book reading. So for the next couple of months I will be reading. Except for football of course and then I will be heading to the fridge for snackies during the commercials.

Read on!

My Bailout? And a wet race!

After the last week in the market I'm wondering just when my bailout package is going to come through?

Yea, I know the bailout package was to make things better and the market plunge was the better of two evils. Um, yea right. I'm totally sold on that!

On a more positive not we made it home form the St.George marathon last night. The Queen did awesome in what turned out to be bad running weather. Cool and rain at the finish, cold and downpour at the start. I'd show ya picture's of her finishing the race but she'd shoot me. I guess your supposed to finish the race looking all primped and stuff. They should really have a primping rest stop before the finish line with showers, blow dryers and stuff. This should be like a mandatory stop for say 15 minutes or so. Kinda like a TV timeout in football. I mean really if everyone would just stop and clean up it wouldn't effect the results and everyone would just look so much better at the finish. Not to mention just how much nicer it would be for the family to not have to smell there athlete's all the way home.

A Time For Change?

Everyone is talking about change. At first I didn't get it. Now I do. Change is what's left of my 401k.

Everyone wants to blame someone else for this crisis. I don't know who's fault it was but I do know one thing for sure. It wasn't my fault and yet I'm the one who has to pay to fix it. THAT'S NOT RIGHT. We are having this band aid bill shoved down our throat. We have to pass this bill NOW for the good of all of us. I have been honest. I have lived within my budget. I've payed my fair share and then some. Why do I have to pay again?

I don't have any faith that anyone talking about change is going to change a thing for me. The only thing that will change is who gets my money. As far as I'm concerned I still have to pay and pay and pay again. And then when you think your done paying, look out here they come again. They all take your money and look ways to get more of it? The phrase we can't afford it doesn't exist in government. To bad it doesn't work that way at my house.

Sram Wheels with Super HOT Decals!

(Click the picture for a closer look, I like the little frog.)

Last year Sram purchased Zipp manufacturing. I have been making the decals for Zipp for the last few years. This last month I have been working together with Zipp and Sram on some graphics for Sram. The picture is from the bike show in Vegas where Sram was unavailing there new wheels. It's kind of cool to be involved with this process and then see your work on the web.

Tomorrow we are headed out to Utah for the St.George marathon! I can't run but the Queen is going to run her third marathon. Stupid deer, stupid foot. It will suck to watch another race that I should be doing.