A day to remember. For me, not you. Ha-ha, but also a reminder that all is not one jolly camping trip over here. Some serious concerns are being addressed. We [Marion & I] took the sidecar to a medical clinic, this is a major trip requiring five hours. Luckily, I spotted a roadside hot dog stand, shown here. This was the best, and most expensive, hot dog I’ve had. Then again, I’ve never attending a Miami sports game. If you see the large green “pineapple”, this is the cooker.
Each hot dog is custom cooked to order. I chose the kielbasa with sauerkraut, but if you knew me, you’d understand. We took the scenic route back, across the dam. It was a clear day and the mountains stretched completely across the western horizon. Right afterward, I headed to the outdoors store to get some cold weather gear. Fall is here and I’m not equipped.I ran into an amateur guitarist last day, so we teamed up and learned several country standards at his place. Bear in mind, he had never heard or played any of the music, had no training in strumming, and had never performed before. But, he responded well to instruction and we played on stage the same day, and did a darn good job of it. We are invited back next week, but time is running out. The point is, after just 90 minutes of rehearsal, we played well enough to earn a spot.
As is known, I review each new musical endeavor, trying to adopt the best and avoid errors. I say again to every band, do not play even one song that is out of character for the mood established with the audience. If you want to keep the crowd, don’t throw in some jazz-fusion when they are expecting another popular country tune. It is also clear that my act is “all new material”, popular tunes sung by a bassist that are in stark contrast to what most, I said most, bands would play.
Audience reaction is everything, and we certainly got that (me and the new guy). It evolved in the three hours we met to the old “gifted amateur and tough professional” and the formula was a crowd pleaser. Except for one Johnny Cash, all our numbers were non-standard enough to captivate the small crowd, but also some of the other musicians. I also found I can now stay on key when somebody else is playing the wrong chords. For me and singing, that borders on the incredible.
The sad news is the place was mainly empty. We performed an excellent show to a vacant room except for three couples mostly into their own situations. I suspect the cool weather, though everyone says this is nothing unusual. The day was so slow, a bottled drink makes mention. When I was four, I spent a month in a military hospital, and each day the nurse would come by with a little cup of liquid with vitamins. I’ve never forgotten the taste. A combination of yeast, wheat, and slight sulfury rotten egg. Today I tried something new, a “neuro sonic” drink from 7-11. There was that taste again.
Here’s a shot of Marion in the sidecar as we prepare for the mile-long trip across the dam. Clearly seen are the yellowish grass from a summer of near drought, and the lake beyond. Marion is wearing a riding (equestrian) helmet, the lightest and most comfortable head gear I could find. See the clear prairie sky, there was almost no wind. To me, that spells winter.Last, I see this upcoming election has its share of “tax-the-rich” characters. It is not a point of view that I support. I am very “user-pay”, provided that the prices are not coercive. My point is simple, it is not the poor or the wealthy who consume the bulk of our expensive social services. The middle class has spent 50 years voting themselves entitlements and it is only right they bear most of the cost.
Here is why taxing the rich doesn’t work, and it is also an interesting test of whether the reader is rich or not. Follow closely. Rich people do not derive the majority of their income from employment, rather from investment or ownership. These things are not easily converted into cash at their book value. If you base tax revenues on the rich, your revenue stream plunges whenever there is a downturn in the economy—and that is not how you run a country.
I declare only an idiot would remove the traditional incentives to get rich. If you do not allow the risk-takers and entrepreneurs to keep their gains, you discourage their activity as a driving force in your economy. It is not the sluggish and unproductive middle class that produce innovators and champions. Greed is highly under-rated, but that is what builds better bridges and rockets.
Also, unproportionate taxation (tax based on ability to pay) causes widespread cases of recipients living beyond their means. Common sense says the guy with eight kids should pay more taxes than I. (Note I did not say I would pay nothing, just that my share should be less. I’d still pay something, though strictly speaking that is so wrong because the other guy isn’t pulling his own full weight while I am forced to pick up the slack.)
[Author's note: Aside to "friendish": I'd go ahead and publish. While truth is not a defense, most of the working class does not know that. So even if they sue, pretend you don't understand the situation, and use the trial as publicity to embarrass them further. From what you say, it is your first offense, and the reality is that defamation laws only protect politicians and other idiots.]
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