The opinions expressed here...

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." F. Scott Fitzgerald

Much has been made these days of the way people, organizations, or affiliates are being blamed for the actions, inactions, attitudes, and opinions of its members, employees, or relatives. So I decided to create a small list of disclaimers.

First, the opinions expressed here do NOT represent those of my employer, friends or family. I do NOT consult them before posting my opinions, indeed, I do well to consult myself at times!

Second, although I have my CTFA and 19 years experience as a trust administrator, I am NOT an attorney, nor a CPA, and am NOT qualified to give tax and/or legal advice.

Third, my musical tastes are quite eclectic. I listen most often to contemporary Christian music, but I love 80's music, and some of my favorite songs represent everything from The Cathedrals, Styx, Conway Twitty, Third Day, Journey, MercyMe, Alabama, Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynrd, and a smattering of Whitesnake, Skid Row, Miranda Lambert, and Rush. If any of these offend you or do not conform to your standards, I'm sorry, but I choose music I like, you choose music you like.

Fourth, I am a committed, Bible-believing Christian. My views are normally based on a careful consideration of the relevant facts, admonitions, and encouragements found in the Scriptures. I enjoy science within its inherent limitations, and did not check my brain at the door when I entered the House of God. I recognize the limitations of faith, as well. With due apologies to Mr. Fitzgerald, I would modify his observation slightly: Intelligence is the ability to understand opposing views. It is NOT the same as affirming those opposing views. Two opposite statements cannot both be true.

They could both be wrong, but they can't both be right. For instance, God cannot both exist and not exist. This is not to say I can prove God exists. I see evidence in every corner of creation, but I can't place Him visibly before your eyes. But if you'll drop the blinders of arrogance and self-reliance, you might see Him, too. But all you "scientific atheists," can you really prove God doesn't exist? Have you searched every corner of the universe, all experiences of all humanity for all time? What "proofs" do you have? Dark matter, for example. Dark matter, at this point, is nothing more than force-balancing the mathematical equation. From our calculations on the mass of the universe, the math doesn't work. So we plug in dark matter. We haven't seen it, we don't know its properties, or where is might exist, but its necessary to the math work. My first bank job was as a proof operator. We sat at a machine and 10-keyed the amounts onto checks in magnetic ink. All transactions should balance, and most did. But occasionally, it didn't. The machine would beep at us, and we'd look at the record from the machine and compare it to the checks. We were expected to find the error and correct it. But if the overage/shortage was less than $1 (I think), we were allowed to force-balance by plugging in the missing amount. I'm not saying dark matter doesn't exist. And, like wind and gravity, we can see what may be its effects on objects we can see, but simply giving something a name doesn't mean you understand it. I know my ex-wife's name.

Lastly, I am a conservative Republican. I never liked the term "compassionate conservative." I consider myself more of a "common sense conservative." I have my concealed carry permit, but pray to God I'll never need it. I support helping people with disabilities, like my son, Tim, who is 18 but will never have the capacity to live an independent life. I support helping people who, because of a medical condition, can no longer work. Those people paid into Social Security for their working years as insurance against this very situation. What they receive is not a gift, it is the benefits from a lifetime of working and having those big deductions taken from their pay. I support diplomatic efforts as far as they'll go, but I recognize the undeniable fact that there are people in this world who do not want peace, will not accept peace, who enjoy war in the name of a fanatical belief system, whose avowed intention is simply to kill as many people as possible and to wipe a sovereign nation from the face of the map.

I support the military and defense spending, but realize government is probably the least efficient provider in the history of mankind. Far too little of the funds make it down the way to the actual soldier, who struggles to pay his bills, and buys his own body armor because the upper echelons don't fell it necessary, or that it would cut into the millions awash at the top of the contract holders. I support public education, but again, far too little actually makes it into the classroom, blown on byzantine layers of redundant senior management. I support capitalism. It's the best broken system available to man. But I agree that it is absurd to give tens of millions of dollars to a CEO who has navigated his company, and with it his/her employees' retirement hopes, into the tarpits. I support spending on critical matters; defense, law enforcement, fire/EMS, education, and a safety net for those that simply cannot (not simply will not) support themselves and their families, but know that the incredible trillions we are spending, borrowing to the hilt, are a time bomb that WILL go off eventually. I support prison reform, job training and employment opportunities for the tried and convicted, but I strongly believe jail should be a bad place that you don't want to go, not a three-squares-a-day resort with better cable TV than I can afford, and I staunchly support the death penalty. It is absurd to argue for the sparing of the duly convicted, while simultaneously supporting abortion-on-demand. I seek to punish the guilty and save the innocent. Your wish to condemn the innocent and spare the guilty. I do not find compelling the argument that even one wrongly executed prisoner makes the death penalty morally abhorrent. Innocent people are already dying, by the thousands, at the hands of the people I want executed. And they are dying with no lawyers, no due process, and without years of taxpayer-funded appeals. If life is sacred, and I believe it is, there are some crimes for which only life can pay.

If you've made it this far and you're not furious at me, I must have left something out. But if you disagree, that's fine. You have every right to be wrong if you so choose.

Have a nice day.