My Thoughts

Is it too much to smile?

Dwier — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:38:00 GMT

Let's say you walk into a restaurant - or, for me, this week (twice), a bank. Why can't the person you're dealing with smile at you? Why can't he PRETEND to be glad you're there?

And - when people inside the store, you haven't really found yet, as you walk in, are told by their manager to greet the people walking in - 'Welcome to (wherever)' - why can't they smile and make eye contact with you? - especially until you have a chance to see them and return the favor.

The big part is the eye contact. They see someone come in, say their thing and look back down at what they've been doing all along.

As a customer, you never see who said it and have no chance to return the greeting or smile. For that matter, it's what they've been told to say; it's not really the intended greeting, so they don't really care if you respond.

In my opinion, if you can't even pretend you are appreciative of the fact that I'm there and helping to donate to YOUR paycheck, either get another job or SHUT UP!

More on Government vs the Ten Commandments

Dwier — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:33:00 GMT

The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandmets posted in a government building is this you cannot post "Thou Shalt Not Steal', "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery" and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of politicians .... it creates a hostile work environment. (I can not take full credit for this, as it was sent to me in an email, but I thought it was worth posting)

Sorry about that

Dwier — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:31:00 GMT

I just found out that it looks like my community and blog has been down for a while.... For all those who care, please accept my humble apology. I haven't been here in a while, myself. :)

Growing Old together

Dwier — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:19:00 GMT

Lisa (my wife) and I often had the thought, during our early marriage and dating years, that it would be great growing old together. What we did not know is that what we really meant was that we just wanted to be together for always. The Rolling Stones were right when they said "What a drag it is getting old". We really had no idea of what our bodies would do to us when we grew old. What's really screwy is that your mind doesn't seem to change - it's just that your body falls apart around you and you can't do anything about it, mostly. For that, growing old sucks. :)

My Healthcare Initiative

Dwier — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:06:00 GMT

The big thing missing from what I'm hearing is the health insurance costs for us guys - middle America. Why doesn't government give a tax break to insruance companies, so that, instead of charging more for small businesses, and making it non-affordable, they could create an umbrella company, coverting any small business that subscribes to insurance through them - - with more people under the one insurance company/umbrealla, they would get more customers, and our cost for insurance would be able to go way down! Or - why don't insurance companies do that on their own??? It's as simple as that. I know there's a lot more that needs to be reformed, but that's at least a start.

Death of Common Sense

Dwier — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:25:00 GMT

I got this in an email and I thought I'd pass it on, as it's very good. It was supposedly posted as an obituary in the London Times, but having first-hand knowledge of the high prices of short pieces of text in a daily paper, I find it hard to believe.

Still, it's pretty good stuff:

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

      Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place:

  Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

       Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

      Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.


    Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
     Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
     Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents Truth and Trust, by his wife Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility, and his son Reason..
        He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers:
            1.I Know My Rights.
           2.I Want It Now
           3.Someone Else Is To Blame
           4. I'm A Victim .

   Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing

What is up with Doctors?

Dwier — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:30:00 GMT

WHY do we have to show up 30 minutes early to fill out paperwork that only takes 5-10 minutes to fill out, and then he ends up calling us in to see us 30 minutes to an hour past the time we originally scheduled?

And then, the doctor only wants to hear about one complaint per visit!

(I'm sure the doctor would love to see the bill we'd send him for 2 hours of our time, spent waiting to see him/her)

Great Computer generated videos with music

Dwier — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:26:00 GMT

I liked these, so I thought I'd share them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Uvl9qKF5E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZDTfm8tpMk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYA8Pl2cggk

and of course, no video, but mostly original music, if you're intested in stuff like this, please be sure to check out:

http://music.davidwier.com

just pick the genre you like the most and play some songs - they're all streaming audio

Things I learned from living in Texas

Dwier — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:49:00 GMT

1. Armadillos sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

2. 'Twiced' is a word.

3. 'Fixinto' is one word.

4. You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH them.

5. There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in TEXAS

6. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in TEXAS , plus a couple no one's seen before.

7. If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.

8. People actually grow and eat okra

9. There is no such thing as 'lunch.' There is only dinner and then supper.

10. Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a littletea with our sugar!

11. 'Backwards and forwards' means I know everything about you!

12. Djeet is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?'

13. You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.

14. You measure distance in hours. Like its 2 hours from DALLAS to TYLER .

15. You'll probably have to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day.

16. 'Fix' is a verb. Example: 'I'm fixing to go to the store.'

17. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

18. Yes, Friday night high school foorball is serious football!!

19. You carry jumper cables in your car . . . for your OWN car.

20. There are only four spices: salt, pepper, Tabascoand ketchup.

21. 100 degrees Fahrenheit is 'a little warm.'

22. We have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.

23. Going to Walmart is a favorite past time known as 'goin' to Wally-World.'

24. A cool snap (below 70 degrees) is good pinto-bean weather.

25. A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop. . . . it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: 'What kind a coke you want?'

26. Fried catfish is the other white meat.

27. We don't need no stinking driver's ed . . . if our mama says we can drive, we can drive.

28. If you understand these jokes please forward them to your friends from TEXAS (and those who just wish they were).

29. EVERYONE can't be from TEXAS. You might say it's a gift from God!

30. And the most important thing we learn growing up in TEXAS is...
IN GOD WE TRUST

January 20, 2009 - a momentous day

Dwier — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:40:00 GMT

To me, it doesn't matter whether your're black or white or democrat or republican, January 20, 2009 is one of the most momentous days in my entire life. (Naturally, I'm talking about things which are way past the many momentous days in my immediate family)

To me, I've always known that, for America to go keep going forward, for every line we find that divides us, we must find an equal way to unite us. There were a few points in my life, while growing up, in which I really thought this country would never really find it's true and necessary path.

However, on January 20, 2009, there will be a path which is more clear than it's been in decades. And all of us need to follow that path, for the sake of America. I've always been proud of being an American and especially greatful for having been born here. But now, there is something much bigger, of which we can all be proud.

Think of it - - so many years ago, the Capital building was built with slave labor. On January 20, 2009, a person who would have been a slave 140 years ago becomes the president of the United States of America, and take the oath of office on those very steps. That, to me, is absolutely phenomenal. For me, the path that I've travelled - being able to remember the days of segregation, and not understanding it, to, as a teenager, working with men who would not go into Dairy Queen with me, because they felt that others didn't want them to be there, to now, is not a small step for mankind - it's a huge chasm which has been gapped for mankind.

For anyone reading this - please!!! Put aside your grievances, your partisanship, your hate, your discrimination and take this chance, with the rest of the U.S., to help advance the cause of mankind and follow that path. I guarantee it will be good for you, and will certainly be good for the United States.

DTV Converter Ripoff!

Dwier — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:01:00 GMT

OK, I will admit it - I have a couple of older TVs in my house, not hooked up to cable or satellite, so they can't receive digital signals.

Voila - here comes the US government to the rescue - NOT!

I sent off for, and received the limit of 2 cards, giving me $40 each off the purchase of the Digital to Analog converters which were needed for my TVs.

I really didn't have the time to get them, when I recieved them, so I tacked the entire letter, including the cards on my bulletin board.

Then, when I decided it was time to use them, I found out that there was a 90 day limit. They were not valid after 90 days from the time they were received! And, of course, by the time I decided to do it, the 90 days had ellapsed.

So, I went back to the website and tried again. I was told that I had already received my limit and couldn't receive any more. However, I was given the option to appeal this decision, and I did. I told them that the 90 days had unfortunately lapsed and that since I didn't actually use them, I should get 2 new ones.

But - they didn't think that was good enough and they denied me the option of getting 2 more.

I think, if the government is going to give you a certain option, they should just give you the option, without a time limit (like this one). This is a ripoff, in my opinion, and I'm spreading the word.

I hate election campaigns!!!

Dwier — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:56:00 GMT

Especially this most recent presidential campaign!

Why can't the people running just tell us what they want to do, instead of telling us why the other one is wrong or what they did (wrong)?

Both sides (AND I DO MEAN BOTH SIDES) stretch the truth to make it sound like the other guy is bad and their side is good. It's totally ridiculous. In the infamous "he voted against the troops" debacle, they were both totally right! The other side voted against the troops.

In McCain's view, he voted against supporting the troops because there was a timeline for departure set in the bill. In Obama's view - he voted against supporting the troops because there was NOT a timeline.

Give me a break!!

And, the deal about talking with Iran-- they were both saying almost the same exact things - it was just semantics - their words were different!

If you tell me what you're FOR and what you want to accomplish, I can more understand whether or not I want to vote for you. I know this won't stop in my life time, but it really should stop SOON!

The Cowboys - Millions isn't enough?

Dwier — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:55:00 GMT

The Dallas Cowboys - most of the time, that's all you need to say, but after their last losing game against the Rams - it even means more.

The press is all up in arms across TV and Radio, saying someone in the locker room has got to 'step up' and take a leadership role, to get them out of this 'funk'.

WHAT!!!!

First, isn't that what the coaches are for?
Second, shouldn't a multimillion dollar contract be good enough for this?

Quit whining and start playing - or else they need to get replaced on the field - no matter what their financial package is.

Gas Price Gouging is alive and well (IMHO)

Dwier — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:15:00 GMT

IMHO (In my humble opinion), the gasoline companies are in collusion, price-gouging again.

I happen to live in a city called Garland, TX. A week before hurricane Gustav, prices for gas, which had been steadily going down, had reached the point of around $3.27 per gallon, in a few gas stations which were on the major thoroughfare. Down a few miles further, in Mesquite, but on the same road, prices had gone down to around $3.35 per gallon.

Enter hurricane Gustav. The TV and radio said that prices were rising due the anticipation of bad news concerning the hurricane. Before the hurricane even made landfall, prices at just about every station down the road (in both towns) went up to $3.45 (some even higher), even though the price of a barrel of oil fell drastically (over $5).

There was no shipment of new gas, the 'future' hadn't arrived (referring to gasoline futures market) - but the price skyrocketed almost 20 cents!

It's now almost a week later and prices are still in the same range.

Something is wrong here and something's got to change - period!

Both Political Parties need to change

Dwier — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:58:00 GMT

First off, this is not about both political parties moving to the 'middle'. I believe they would both just mess it up that way, but I do think the people running and/or the parties themselves need a big overhaul.

Here are the thoughts I have at this point

I don't agree with Obama's stance, though it has nothing to do with his possible early Muslim influence - But I don't think John McCain is the right choice either.

His stances are 'closer' to mine, but certainly not exactly there.

I do think the gas/oil situation will get better, no matter who is elected, due to the world's general 'hate' of George Bush, but I'm not sure whether these things alone, without finding economic plans to strengthen the dollar, will be enough for our economy.

Frankly, neither candidate, in my opinion, has shown me anything that makes me think he can definitely make our economy better.

I also can't stand the 'Democrats are for the working man/Republicans are for the rich' viewpoint either.

They both have some (not all) good ideas, which, if the right man were elected, and if that man took the best from both sides, I think this could have a great influence on our economy.

Ideas I think could be useful:

Keep the Bush tax cuts - there are a lot of us living paycheck to paycheck who make a good amount above minimum wage, but we're not rich, by any standard.
I do believe business stimulus DOES trickle down to the rest of us, but we truly must pick the stimulus plans more thoughtfully

Lowering income tax/and/or removing it, for the people making very little money/minimum wage, but working, for sure

I don't mind taxing the rich at a higher tax bracket, or at least removing a lot of the loop holes which keep them from paying taxes (includes big business)

I don't believe we should be subsidizing oil as it is today.

However, I believe we should be drilling much more off-shore, along with paying great prizes for anyone who finds great break-throughs in alternative energy, which can be implemented with very little trouble.

Tax breaks for companies implementing large-scale alternative energy useage (like hydrogen/electricity hookups at existing gas stations

These thoughts are just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are others, but it's not a situation in which only the only two sides are the very poor and the very rich. The middle class is quite large and it better not be overlooked.