Happy New Year!!

To all my friends, I wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year.
I hope 2012 is a great year for you.

I was talking with my grandpa last night and found out there won’t be any money for my generation unless the government stops spending like there’s no tomorrow. What’s the deal? He tells me their plan to cut the deficit is to spend our way out of the problem!

Huh, my college economics is a little fuzzy (at least it will be if I can afford college), but I don’t believe that works. I’m not asking for a hand out, I just don’t want to spend my entire life working to pay off your debt. You just need to expect less from the government. The government needs to spend in relationship to the tax revenue collected. It might mean tough decisions; but all you’re doing is leaving me holding the bag because you won’t make those tough calls.

Why don't you do something while you have the chance? Do they think that money grows on trees? Grandma; grandpa; SEND HELP!!

In the meantime, I’ll just have another drink. Pour me a milk and make it a double!



Please see excerpts from:
Essays From a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle Class American" By: Andy Strum
on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Fed-Up-Middle-Class-American/dp/1453640460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293804349&sr=1-1

A Politically Correct Wish For All My Friends!

To All My Left of Center Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an
environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive,
gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within
the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or
secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular
persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice
religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally
successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of
the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due
respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to
society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is
necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the
Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race,
creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of
the wishee.

To All My Right of Center and Independent Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Posperous New Year!


Essays From a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle Class American" By: Andy Strum
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Fed-Up-Middle-Class-American/dp/1453640460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293290599&sr=1-1

Grandpa, before I go out to play, I have a question.

Stay with this -- the answer is at the end. It will blow you away.

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events. The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandfather replied, 'Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:

' television penicillin

' polio shots frozen foods

' Xerox contact lenses

' Frisbees the pill

There were no:

' credit cards laser beams ball-point pens

Man had not invented:

' panty hose air conditioners

' dishwashers clothes dryers

and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and

man hadn't yet walked on the moon

Your Grandmother and I got married first, . . . and then lived together.

Every family had a father and a mother.

Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, 'Sir'.

And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, 'Sir.'

We were before gay-rights, computer- dating, dual careers, day-care centers, and group therapy.

Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense..

We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.

Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.

We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.

Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.

Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.

Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums.
We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.
We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny , and the President's speeches on our radios.

And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey .

If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk

The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.
Pizza Hut, McDonald 's, and instant coffee were unheard of.

We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.
Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.

You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, . . but who could afford one?
Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In my day:

' 'grass' was mowed coke was a cold drink,

' 'pot' was something your mother cooked in and rock music' was your grandmother's lullaby.

' 'Aids' were helpers in the Principal's office, chip' meant a piece of wood,

' 'hardware' was found in a hardware store software' wasn't even a word.

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby . No wonder people call us 'old and confused' and say there is a generation gap... and how old do you think I am?

I bet you have this old man in mind... you are in for a shock!
Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.
Are you ready ?????


This man would be only 59 years old.

Essays From a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle Class American" By: Andy Strum
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Fed-Up-Middle-Class-American/dp/1453640460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293121356&sr=1-1#_

That’s Profiling !

The IRS increased the number of returns it audited by nearly 11 percent this year. Wealthy taxpayers and big businesses were most likely to be targeted.

The agents use their training, experience, education, previous data and intuition to narrow the field as to who is most likely to file a return that may be flawed. In doing do, their success ratio is improved and tax filers who are not likely to have erred are spared the aggravation of an audit. Not everyone the IRS audits are guilty of filing an improper return. The IRS just feels the filers they choose are more likely to have made a mistake; either accidently or by design.
THAT IS PROFILING. And, that makes sense.

What doesn’t seem to make sense is not allowing other law enforcement officers the same opportunity. The law enforcement community is also well trained, experienced, educated, has years of data to draw from and uses their instincts daily. Why don’t we allow them to use those traits to keep our airports safe, reduce the number of illegal aliens, apprehend drug dealers, detain weapons offenders and question other potential lawbreakers?

Wouldn’t the same use of “profiling”, that IRS agents use, by all law enforcement agents keep us safer, be cost effective and reduce the inconvenience of those who are detained just to show profiling is not used?
It’s time to rethink Political Correctness.

To read more on Profiling and other timely subjects, please see:
"Essays From a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle Class American" By: Andy Strum
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=andy+strum&x=7&y=13

$8 BILLION IN EARMARKS !!!!!

Yeah, we heard them right. They're adding $8 Billion in Earmarks and holding the the government's ability to function hostage. Democrats, Republicans, it doesn't matter. Do any of them have grandchildren? Do they know that the camel's back can only hold so much debt until it breaks? Did they see the results of the November election?

They sure talk a good game, but they don't seem to care. Some think we don't tax enough as though that would solve the problem. IT'S A SPENDING PROBLEM!!!

I can't wait until I learn how to talk. I'm ready to give them a piece of my mind. By the way how much DID you say I'll have to shell out to pay off the debt that grandma and grandpa left me with? Why didn't they do something when they had the chance? Did they think that money grew on trees?

My pop-pop writes all about this in his book, "Essays From a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle Class American". It's something you should take a look at. It's on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Fed-Up-Middle-Class-American/dp/1453640460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292428367&sr=1-1

I'm 6 Months Old and Thanks to Congress I'm in Debt up to my You Know What

I'm not sure why I'm smiling.
My friends and I are still far away from our first birthdays and we're already Trillions of Dollars in debt! With about 4,000,000 of us born; each of us owes $250,000 for every Trillion Dollars of Debt. You do the math!!!!!
I needed a stiff drink. Poured myself a double shot of milk. I might have another.

I’m trying to figure out how much I’ll have to shell out to pay off the debt that grandma and grandpa are leaving me with. The government is telling me everything will be okay. We’re going to cut the revenue to the treasury and “spend” our way out of our debt problem. Huh! How does that work? I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I can’t wait until I can vote.

I was also thinking of starting a business, hoping to make a few hundred thousand a year. You know take a personal financial risk, work 16 hours a day, give up everything else, etc… Now I find out that if I’m successful, I’ll be on the President’s, you know what list. He doesn’t seem to like people with those objectives. I also understand that in a couple of years, I’ll be working for the government half the time. You know, paying about 50% of my income, in taxes, to some body of government. This just doesn’t make sense to me. It’s seems to be a government spending problem, not a tax revenue problem.

Why don't they do something while they have the chance? Do they think that money grows on trees? Grandma, grandpa; SEND HELP!!

I think I will have another milk!

See my grandfather’s book.
It'll make your blood boil!!
Essays From a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle Class American" By: Andy Strum
You can read excerpts on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Fed-Up-Middle-Class-American/dp/1453640460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291996730&sr=1-1

Please click on the link below and put in code 836CNC2L for your 50% discount.
http://www.createspace.com/3462397

Me and the Congressman Discussing the Debt Problem

I’m sitting here with my friend. He’s a Congressman. I’m trying to figure out how much I’ll have to shell out to pay off the debt that grandma and grandpa are leaving me with. He’s telling me everything will be okay. We’re going to “spend” our way out of our debt problem. Huh! How does that work? I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I can’t wait until I can vote.
Why don't they do something while they have the chance? Do they think that money grows on trees? Grandma, grandpa; SEND HELP!!

A great stocking stuffer. Available on Amazon:
Essays From a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle Class American" By: Andy Strum
http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Fed-Up-Middle-Class-American/dp/1453640460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291833548&sr=1-1

Dot-Com Bubble; Housing Bubble; How about a Deficit Bubble? They all seem to burst sometime.

Our parents and grandparents were appalled when the Government’s spending and debts were put in numbers as Billions and Tens of Billions. Now our government expects us to accept Trillions as the norm. Make that Tens of Trillions!!!!

For every Billion Dollars our government spends 100,000 families must pay $10,000 in taxes.

There is a straw out there and the camel's back is sagging!!!

Remember watching a child pushing a pin into a balloon. One second the balloon is filled with air and then, in an instant, it has burst. The child cries and apologizes. He can’t understand what happened. He didn’t mean to break the balloon. Everything was going his way. Only after the balloon burst did he realize he went too far. While he was fooling with the pin, he felt in complete control. He had heard that bad things could happen, but he reasoned, bad things would not happen while he controlled the pin.

Our economy is the balloon and the administration is the child. No one knows when or if our national debt will bankrupt us. There are concerns; and intelligent people have warned of the consequences. Like the balloon we will only know after it happens. Of course, by then it is too late.

The balloon did not have to break. The child could have eased off with the pin. Our economy does not have to break, or be on the brink of financial disaster. The administration and Congress could ease off its spending rampage. This is not something that is comfortable for politicians, but it is a good idea. It needs to be done today.

The link, below, takes you to a chart that shows how Federal Spending Is Growing Faster Than Federal Revenue, it goes back to 1965. It is worth a look.

http://www.heritage.org/budgetchartbook/growth-federal-spending-revenue

Read excerpts from:

Essays From a Fed-Up Middle Aged, Middle Class American" By: Andy Strum
on Amazon at:
 http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Fed-Up-Middle-Class-American/dp/1453640460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291302983&sr=1-1