Just a Few Thoughts...

A Greek flagged tanker, carrying Saudi oil, with a crew from the Philippines was taken by Somali pirates today. After the incident, the Greek Navy sent a ship to monitor the situation. Maybe they should have done that a little earlier. Derek Jeter is the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Maybe it's me, but this year I am wondering if anyone deserved the award. I think Jeter got it because he is from New York. I heard Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona yesterday on FOX News Sunday. He said regarding health care that we need to separate out those who want health insurance, and cannot get it, and those who choose not to buy health insurance because they want other stuff, like a new car. This seems to make sense. I am sure though that when those folks get sick, they will be pretty irate when they are told that unless they pay upfront, there is no right to health care. The only thing I bought on Black Friday was gas for my car. The only thing I am buying today, Cyber Monday, is more gas. I guess I am officially a drag on the economy. Why is it that when I need a subsidy to buy insurance it is a government handout, but when farmers in the GOP dominated midwest need a subsidy, it is good business, and not a government handout? When we started Adventures in Life Ministry, our bank was Great Western. Their motto was "We'll always be there." WAMU bought them out and got rid of that slogan real fast. Our new banker is Chase. Now for our ministry/business we get to have holds placed on all of our deposits. After 20 years of never having a deposited check come back, we are now treated like bad risks. You'd think we could come up with a way to treat the banks like bad risks. After all, I didn't fail, my bank did. After the election of 1980, all the way up to the mid-term elections of 1982, President Ronald Reagan placed fault for our last major recession on former President Jimmy Carter. He even called it the Carter Recession. Was he not accepting responsibility? Finally, I am listening to a wonderful collection of Tony Bennett music. I first saw him in Vegas over 25 years ago when he was opening for Joan Rivers at the old Frontier Hotel. He is one of the few old masters still out there. Just great music styled in a way only Bennett could do.