Today

In my opinion, anyone that claims to "know it all" probably knows very little.

For the past several months I have stayed away from political banter. It tends to infuriate some folks, goes unread by others, and basically is ignored...probably rightfully so.  Too often the banter raves on with untruths, half-truths, and no-truths and that makes it stupid bantering!

I feel that today, each person has an opinion. Some opinions I agree with and some I totally disagree with, but since that is their opinion, I am glad to hear that they have one. We must always debate in our own way, in our own privacy, what we believe is debatable.

My wife and I took a test on our beliefs, politically, the other day. She is a Centralist, I am a borderline right-ringer. With this said, she likes to spend money on things I consider frivolous, while I spend money on things that the thinks are worthless.  My point, she has her opinon and I have mine.

My father had two sons, one was short, the other medium height. The shorter one was better looking, and the taller one seemed to lack those glamor genes. Well, as things turned out, the older one went on to heaven ahead of the younger one and the younger one is still teaching Sunday school in hopes that his new way of looking at things, a little over the older brother's head, will suffice to get him to the great reward at the end of his life.

I have a friend who had two sons. One was tall, and was and is, for the most part, very happy. Poor, but happy. The other son has done very well, has money, buys things, but sometimes it is a concern as to his happiness. The moral here is...well, if there is one at all, it is better to be tall?

Kidding aside, we need to take a look at our beliefs, our understanding of things going on around us, and make a decision as to whether we are going the right direction. Are we too short or too tall in our thinking? Have we done any research to see where we, or where our country is going? Has it been easier to just accept things because we always have, or would it be better, although requiring a bit of effort, to open our eyes and take a good look around?

I can't help but remember Jack Kennedy's comment about "It is not what the country can do for us, but rather what can we do for our country?" He was right, and his party affiliation was not important. Are we relying too much on a government that through the years has grown too tall but with short genes and now can't pay its debts while we, the short people, are taking all we can rather than giving something back?

It is time to take a long look in the mirror, digest the problems, work on the solutions, and care about something, or someone other than ourselves.http://aultsplace.com

Alabama Sunshine in February

Just a little show to lighten your day....Choose this link

WHO LOOKS A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH?

"Another day, another dollar" as the old saying goes. I just didn't think it really applied to government so much as I do today.

Alabama has a wonderful tax called a privilege tax. That's right, a "Privilege Tax". What this means is if you decide to go into business in the state you start out, as you do in every state I have lived in, by paying an entrance fee, they call this a business license to be registered in the state. This is reasonable and acceptable.

Normally, if you do no business, you don't pay a tax on the business because no money came in to pay a tax on. But in Alabama, you are admired, loved and thought of as on of the boys, therefore to live in such a wonderful place, you have the additional luxury of paying the state for the privilege of trying to do business in it.

Sometimes situations  are strange, sometimes hysterical, sometimes political, but rarely really out there such as having the privilege to do business in a state that is asking for new business all of the time and wondering why it doesn't come.

What a privilege it is to live here, pay income tax here, plus pay house taxes based on your income, and then if you want to spice up the cake, you can start a no-business business, run it for two and a half months, make no money and cheerfully send the state a gift for doing no business and enjoying the right to say you have done no business in the state.

Now that is not all. And you thought you were done giggling. Ha! Caught you!

Within two or three months after starting your "no-business" you receive a tax bill for $100.00.
This is your privilege tax. Now, let's assume you have closed your business, so you tell  your local government folks about it and they say something like, don't worry about it. So--o-o-o-o-- you don't worry about it. Then at the end of the year you receive a friendly letter from your local state revenue department that says, guess what? You didn't pay for having the privilege of having a "no-business business so we are going to charge you a 50% penalty plus a late charge of $7.00. Congratulations for having a no-business business in our wonderful, loving and friendly state where the license plate says "Home Sweet Home, Alabama".

Hey, your state may have a similar "tax" on doing no business.  Better check it out because you might get caught up in a scam and pay out a lot of bucks to a company that is not a company that the state does nothing about. After all, why should they, there could be a lot of  privilege taxes being collected AND WHO LOOKS A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH?

Ault's Paradise: 3800 Pictures

Ault's Paradise: 3800 Pictures If no one is interested in my photographs or my blogs, it may be time for me to quit wasting my time and concentrate on things that are easier for me to do.

3800 Pictures

If you like photography, and you would like to travel but can't for one reason or another, take a look at http://flicker.com/photos/tjault

Just in Case

If you have never been to Aruba, you might like to take this short trip me us.

Is It Really Sunday?

As it always does, Sunday follows Saturday. Why is it that some Sundays come  before they should?
This week has been one that happens too frequently. You start out on Monday wondering if the week is going to be another boring few days of waiting for the weekend. Suddenly, the alarm goes off and you discover it is Thursday, two full days before Sunday, three completed days that apparently have flown by since Monday that you have apparently been out of touch with. How could this happen?

Let's just recap and see what has happened. Monday you had the usual, breakfast at 6:30 AM, sleepily you entered the old sweat-shop at 8:00 ready to go home but couldn't so you stop at the front desk and say something to the receptionist that you can't really remember, then make your way to your work station, or whatever. Lunch time comes before you were awake enough to know what happened during the wee hours of the morning so you slip out and go to the nearest fast-food place to discover you left your money home on the bed-stand. You spot a workmate and bum a couple of bucks so you can eat, and promise him/her that tomorrow lunch is on you. You gulp down the quickie and head back to the sweatshop to discover you missed an appointment for lunch with your boss. (such is life, right).

By Tuesday, the alarm is old hat and you get up on the first ring. That is when you discover that your equilibrium isn't quite right when you stand up and you fall back on the bed awakening your spouse.
"Oops, sorry hon...what?" You get that nasty look and some unkind words. "Now hon, don't be that way." You know immediately this is not going to be your day but you pull on your clothes and without waiting to have any breakfast, you grab your money and leave. The flat tire looms before you and remembering you didn't repair the spare the last time, you get a ride from your neighbor who happens to be leaving at the same time and works a block or so from your sweatshop. You thank her and she gives you a look like you shouldn't be there as she says in a refrigerated tone, "You're just lucky I wasn't gone already."  I don't have to tell you about the rest of the day do I?

Wednesday is much better. Your equilibrium is back, you make it all of the way to the necessity room before you weave a bit and bounce against the wall. You thank the air around you that your falter is out of your spouse's view. Feeling you have the world by the tail you decide on eggs over easy with a side of sausage patty. Just as you remove the egg cartoon from the fridge, it tips sideways and your eggs are now on the floor. You barely have time to clean up the mess before the spouse comes into the kitchen. "Aren't you going to eat anything today, or do you want me to fix it?" You can tell by the chill in the voice you are better off to just leave. You give your spouse a peck on the cheek and slip out of the door to the garage as quickly as possible. Fortunately the flat has been fixed by the repair garage who sent a guy over to repair it for thirty bucks. (Thirty Bucks!!??)You open the door and slip into the driver's seat to discover that the keys are in the pants you wore yesterday. When you open the car door your spouse is standing in the doorway holding your keys at arm's length like a dirty pair of socks and you get the definite feeling you are the underdog again!

Thursday comes and you now know why you have forgotten the first three days of the week.  You make a vow then and there that today,  Friday and Saturday are going to be better. (they have to be) It is in your favor that you only have two more days at the sweatshop now, and that is today and Friday. You figure you can fake it, appear normal and happy and the days will fly by and get to your only day off from anything to do, which is Saturday. (Well anything except wash the car, mow the lawn, run errands for the family, and get out gunned as to what is watched on the boob-tube.)

Yeah, there are weeks like that, but it is a wonderful feeling to get up on Sunday morning and know that the only thing you have to worry about is making the announcements at church. Gosh, I just realized it is Sunday and I forgot to get the announcements for today....and I thought the week was over, this is the seventh day isn't it? The day of rest???

Back to School, The Reading Buddy Program

Every Friday my wife and I are privileged to have two children each (third graders) to work with  on reading. These are great kids that just need a little boost from time to time. It can be to bolster their egos, to help with a difficult word, sometimes just to have someone to talk to at their level. Now I can't speak for my wife, but believe me when I am there they have someone to talk to that is at their level.

I have discovered they ask better questions than some of the older folks I associate with. I am not sure whether this is because I am not up the level I should be, or those people I associate with have reached a point of immaturity and they don't understand the normal things going on around us all today.

One thing is certain and that is that each Friday offers a new challenge. Our four students are not rowdy. They are very loving and affectionate, very inquisitive, and have a lot of trouble with focusing on the task at hand. They squirm, speak to anyone who enters the room, and frequently just get up and walk across the room to pick up a stuffed animal, a snack or sometimes, to do nothing at all.

If you have never been a "reading buddy" you should try it. You will find that these children have a lot to teach you about kids. It requires patience, endurance, understanding, an ability to explain things you thought you would never have to explain, and above all, love.

We You Know What You Thought You Knew, Would You Still Like to Know Something New?

The more you learn, the more you wonder why you are learning it. Sounds stupid, I agree, but there are those days when that is the way you feel. Lately my book reading has turned to biographies of famous people. Some are infamous as well I guess. This last week or so I have read Collin Powell, Richard Nixon, and am just completing the Clintons. I still have Albright to tackle, well maybe tackle is an inappropriate word, how about absorb?

All of these folks have one thing in common, although they would probably not agree with me. They are narcissists. It is very important that they be noticed, coddled if possible, trusted and liked. Unfortunately they have fallen short, especially in the trusted and liked categories; at least by me.

I have come to the conclusion I might like to vote for my dog. Jake is caring, loving, trustworthy,and loyal. Unfortunately he probably could be bribed a bit with food, but they we do have to remember that he is a dog. Not unlike Jake, those that I have been studying all have their bribe requirements. They will all tell you that money is not their "must have" but I imagine if you tried to take it away from them, they would complain a lot.

This morning I looked into the mirror and discovered that I too have some problems. Taking a sincere look at myself I discovered that while I am trustworthy, I trust very few people myself; I think that I am loyal to a fault, but again I don't see that others are as loyal to me as I have been to some of them.

Have you taken a good look in the mirror lately? If you have what did you discover? Did you find that looking yourself directly in the eye is not as easy as you thought it would be?

Like I said, the more you learn about yourself, and about others, the less you want to know. I don't know about you, but for me this is a riddle, an affront to my very being, a question that I continue to ask myself and can't stop the inner discussion.

Something New