God’s Dominion

Wow, it’s been awhile.  I’ve been pretty busy now that I’m working and trying to take care of a bunch of other things.  I even had to remove my Halloween link from the site!  Anyway, I updated my photo album link to point to a new location.  Let me know what you think.  I’m considering uploading my Brazil photos again, but there’s just so many and I’m pretty sure everybody’s seen them over the years they’ve been up.  I think I’ll start uploading some new photos….all I need to do is take some!  I think I need a vacation…just for some pictures.  It’s not a vacation, but I’m off to Buffalo this weekend for a conference.  I don’t think there will be any interesting photos.  Of course, I will be seeing my old roommate Robinson.  I haven’t seen him in years.  He was my roommate when I lived in Boston.

Anyway, before I sign off, I told somebody I’d give him a shoutout, so here it is.  Ben (not you, Mr. Todd), I downloaded a bunch more iPhone games since I talked to you on the phone.  Too bad it’ll be such a long time before you get to play them! Ha!  Anyway, I’m going to bed now.  Laterz!

So, you ever feel like you’re in a movie?  I do whenever I go to work.  I’ll give you a hint…Our office is in the flight path of O’Hare.  Every few minutes a large airplane flies over the building on it’s way to land about three miles away (I found out today that the building was evacuated during 9/11 because of it’s proximity to the airport).  Meanwhile, interstate 90 is about 100 yards away.  In between the eastbound and westbound lanes is the CTA blue line.  For those of you too young to know what I’m talking about, the movie’s called “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”.  Laterz!

I’ve had quite a few people tell me how they like the idea of taxing the top 5% heavier in order to lower taxes on the bottom 95%.  On the surface, that seems like a great idea to most people.  However, there are a few problems with that idea.

First of all, it’s not fair.  I’ve heard people say that it makes sense for those who can afford it to pay more.  I can understand that, but let’s look at the whole fairness argument.  Let’s say you’re in school and they grade on a normal scale (90-100 = A, 80-90 = B, etc.).  You study hard and get 100% on a test.  The teacher comes to you and tells you that he’s decided to take 10% off your score giving you a 90% (still an A) in order to give it to somebody who got 60% in order to raise it to 70% so that student will get a C instead of a D.  Using the “tax the rich” argument, that would be okay because you can afford to give up that 10% and still get an A.  However, was it fair to you to study hard and lose that 10% to somebody who didn’t put in the work?  Also, are you going to study as hard next time knowing you’re going to lose anything above 90% anyway?  Probably not.

Second, it doesn’t affect the people you think it does.  Let me tell you how rich people handle their money.  They setup a corporation.  Any income goes to the corporation.  The corporation pays for just about everything for them.  In the end, the “top 5%” make very little income.  As a result, the people in the huge houses with 12 cars don’t end up being the “top 5%”.  Instead, the upper middle class do.  They don’t have all that extra money that we think is being taxed.

Third is the same as second.  In the end, it affects you.  If we tax big business (which, I believe, is also part of the plan), do you think they pay more taxes?  If we raise Nike’s taxes, does Nike pay more taxes?  Nope.  Nike raises the cost of their shoes and you and I pay for their taxes.  If we raise Dodge’s taxes, they simply shut down their St. Louis plant and move it to Mexico (for example) and thousands lose their jobs.  Do either of those scenarios help our economy?  Nope.  In the end, people have less money to spend (because the price goes up) and unemployment goes up (because jobs are moved overseas to lower expenses).

I’m no economist, but I really don’t like this idea.  I know many people think it’s great.  I really hope I’m wrong as I think it can have a tragic effect on our ecomony.  We’ve been complaining about jobs moving overseas for years.  How about we give them a reason to stay rather than raising their expenses?  Just my two cents.  Laterz!

I have accepted a position with a company called Rexam by O’Hare.  They make things like cans for drinks and packaging for pharmaceuticals and makeup.  O’Hare’s a little far, so I’m planning on buying a cheap car to leave at the train station in Rosemont and take the train in.  It’s an excellent opportunity, albeit a bit far.  Of course, I’m allowed to telecommute one day a week, so I only have to go in four days.  Thanks for all your prayers.  Laterz!

Well, I finally got an offer.  I still have a second interview tomorrow and I’m waiting to hear from one other company (by the end of the week).  Hopefully I’ll have a few offers to play off each other.  I hate having to deal with vacation days, though.  No more free rides. I’ll keep you posted as to my final location.  Laterz!

The election is on Tuesday.  I hope all of you (of legal age) plan to vote.  I also hope you plan to get educated before you vote.  Please don’t vote based on what you see on TV or what your friends tell you.  I’ve heard plenty about both candidates that are not true.  Most recently, I’ve been told Obama is of Middle Eastern descent (and not black) and changed his middle name to Hussein.  In reality, his father is from Nigeria and Hussein is his birth name (and the same as his father’s…he’s actually a Jr.).  At any rate, go online, find a reputable source (or a few of them) and find out what each candidate stands for, then choose based on the facts.  This holds true for your local elections, not just the presidential election.  Be aware that the president doesn’t have as much power as most people think he does, which makes the other offices just as important.  A lot of people died so you and I could go out one day a year and choose our leaders rather than have those decisions made for us.  Many people are dying today so we can keep that right.  Please go out and vote.  Laterz!

I had a second interview yesterday at PIC in Arlington Heights.  I think it went pretty well.  He gave me a tour of the building (I figure they don’t give tours to people they don’t plan on bringing back).  Ideanet was also very interested in a second interview, but they never called me back.  Rexam wants me in for a second interview on Wednesday, so we’ll see what happens.  Seems to me I should be employed in another week or so.  Laterz!

As is my custom, I have added a link to my writeup about the history of Halloween.  It’s a short, one page summary (designed for teaching children), so I haven’t summarized the entire history, just enough to make a point.  Those of you reading this on Plaxo will need to come to my actual site to see the link as it’s in my menu at the top of the screen.  I’ll leave it up for a couple of weeks, then I’ll take it down.  Let me know what you think.  Laterz!

Well, I got a call today.  I’m one of the final three candidates for the position I interviewed for yesterday (probably my favorite of the three) and they want to bring me in for a second round tomorrow with a tech guy and the owner of the company.  Problem is that I leave for KC at 8 in the morning and one of the other candidates has an offer that he needs to respond to by tomorrow afternoon.  I guess they like me better because I’m asking for less money (small company) and they think I’m a better cultural fit for a small, fast growing company.  Small, really means small….ten people.  The recruiter was supposed to talk to them and call me back, but she went home instead.  So, now I’m not sure what the deal is, but I hope we can work around it as I’d love this job.  Pray for me.  I’ll keep you posted.  Laterz!

Well, I’ve had three interviews this week.  I had another scheduled for Thursday, but it was postponed to next week (all my reschedules ended up never happening).  This week’s interviews went really well.  I wouldn’t be surprised if I got three offers.  The interview today was with a small company (ten people) which will allow me to really guide the technical direction of the company.  Here’s hoping something drops soon!  Laterz!