Andy Strum's Blog, page 2

Are you sure grandpa wore this when he was my age???

No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us, WE ARE AWESOME!!!! OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF!!!! To Those of Us Born 1930 – 1979. TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930s, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints...We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight…WHY? Because we were always outside playing...that's why! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on…No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill; only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. We had friends and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it? ---Attributed to author Roy Lee Wells
Read more from my grandpa:
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

Just Your Typical Small Businessman! (Time to plant the winter wheat)

A man owned a small ranch. He risked it all to make it work and to provide for his family. He hoped one day to expand his ranch, be very successful and employ many of the local residents.
The Federal Department of Labor claimed he was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent out to interview him.

"I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them," demanded the agent.

"Well," replied the rancher, "there's my ranch hand who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $200 a week plus free room and board.
"The cook has been here for 18 months, and I pay her $150 per week plus free room and board.

"Then there's the half-wit. He works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night. He also sleeps with my wife occasionally."

"That's the guy I want to talk to ... the half-wit," says the agent.

"That'd be me," replied the rancher.

Please visit the Amazon website, click on link, to see excerpts from:
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

Happy New Year!!

To all my friends, I wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year.
I hope 2011 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

I needed a stiff drink. Poured myself a double shot of milk. I might have another.

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.
A great stocking stuffer for under $10.
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 for under $10. 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