Save Charitable Deductions and Funding

I saw the petition included below, and I immediately thought of all of the people I know or have worked with who benefit, directly or indirectly, from government support of non-profit groups.

I hope you all don't mind me forwarding this on. If you do, please contact me and I'll not do so in the future.

We are going through a period of time when the beneficial role of government in each one of our lives may be reduced. Personally, I feel that I need to take action to insure that the role of government continues to "promote the general Welfare" in a constructive, meaningful, and compassionate manner.

Here's the text that I included with the petition:

"170 Million Americans" are one very large group of people that all Senators need to keep in mind when considering the reduction of tax benefits for donation to charities. But there are many other non-profit organizations that will be significantly hurt by enacting legislation that will probably reduce the ability of citizens to support worthy causes.

If you are truly committed to "promote the general Welfare" (U.S. Constitution, Preamble), do not reduce the ability of "We the People" to do the same.

I hope you'll consider signing this petition. You are welcome to forward this email at will.

Thank you so much.

Mark Victor Smith

************************

Hi MV, Instead of cutting the billions in tax breaks the U.S. gives to big oil, a group of Senators wants to reduce tax deductions on charitable donations to raise federal revenues. Tell your Senator that you don't want to see charities hurt by this terrible idea.» Making it harder to financially support charitable organizations would severely impact thousands of charities and the Americans that rely on them. >From dispensing nutritious food to poor families to rescuing abused or abandoned animals, charities provide crucial services to those who need help most. In times of struggle, we need to support charities and the vital work they do, not defund them. Join us in asking the Senate not to hurt charities by reducing tax deductions on donations. » Thanks for taking action! Cori ThePetitionSite

Don't Let Congress Hurt American Charities

Take action link: http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AgHqe/zlnt/Ake2r

Care2.com, Inc.
275 Shoreline Drive, Suite 300
Redwood City, CA 94065
http://www.care2.com

I have two concerts coming up — one in a week, and the same concert presented at a different location the week following. The flyers are posted above. Please come if you can!

Still More Cooking Tips — Cooking "Green"

It seems that we all too often believe that each element of our meal needs to be cooked in a separate pot or dish, using a different cooking method for each. As a result, we use more energy to cook. We also use more pots, pans, and dishes, causing us to use more water, more energy to heat that water and, if we wash by hand, more human time and energy.

Try cooking everything in one pot or pan on the stovetop. Two things that I regularly cook on the stove are my "goulash" (I hate calling it "hamburger helper"; besides I don't buy that product) and barley with vegetables and precooked roast beef.

For the goulash, brown the beef (you can use a tender cut of beef cut into strips or bits). Add 2 cups of water and seasonings and a couple of handfuls of pasta. If you are using fresh vegetables, add those now. If you are using frozen vegetables, let the pasta/meat/seasonings bubble on medium heat for a few minutes before adding. If you like cheese in your goulash, add after the pasta reaches the correct texture for you. Almost immediately, add a thickener like corn starch shaken with water. Stir to mix, let thicken, and eat. Takes about 20 minutes.

What I'm doing tonight is preparing a meal of a cooked, frozen slice of roast beef with barley and vegetables. I got the barley bubbling in water for about five minutes, then added the vegetables, stirred those together, and then placed the slice of roast beef on top. There is no need to defrost the roast beef before doing this, saving use of the microwave. I would care less that my veggies and the barley are mixed together; it still makes a great meal (especially because I make great roast beef!) I also added some of the juice, kept frozen from cooking the roast beef, to the water in which to cook the barley. Yum Yum!

I also have a gas stove. Gas creates the heat more efficiently than electric stoves; electric-resistance heating elements are inherently less efficient than a gas burner.

Microwave ovens are also more efficient than electric-resistance heating in many cases.

Save energy — let your food enjoy the company of being cooked together!

Tips from Mark Victor

From time to time while roaming around the house doing chores or odds and ends, I come across a method which seems to make life a little easier for me. Think of this periodic post as the male version of "Tips from Heloise." Today's tip:

• When washing your hands, bring your reading glasses along with you. Remember to rinse both your hands and glasses, and then dry both with (a) paper towel(s). You'll see the print on the page much better, and you won't leave grease smudges on the pages!

Gird your loins — there's more to come...

• Malomars, that tasty chocolate-covered marshmallow treat, is best consumed by using the following prescription written for my father by our late family physician, Dr. Boileau: Take two the first day and one a day thereafter until finished. (True, you can't have enough Malomars, but rare treats like that need to go the distance! Ahh... but... just try that with a certain brand of potato chips...)

And... fasten your seat belts... yet more later...

I've been getting a lot of messages from various PACs regarding the current debate about taxes, relief, and the economy. Someone's been left out, and it's a shame. I thought I might forward you my thoughts that I've been sending out. Economic stimulus needs to be effective and compassionate.

I sent this to AARP and, written somewhat differently, to my rep. and senators. Thought you all might like to see it.

On analysis, I think granting a lump-sum payment to us disabled and senior persons will have a more immediate effect on the economy than giving a Soc. Sec. payroll tax break to workers (especially rich ones). We will spend, therefore enriching business (often small ones!), therefore encouraging more or better employment.

I just sent an email to my New York senators and representative expressing dismay and concern about the tax compromise bill. There doesn't seem to be any relief in the bill for seniors and the disabled.

As you well know, there has been no COLA increase for Soc. Sec. recipients for the last two years. Congress and the President may be ignoring a significant population of this country who, although guaranteed part of their income, are nonetheless seeing less disposable income because of decreased retirement-plan benefits and still-rising prices in many areas. (In spite of what Washington may say, rents and prices in New York City are still climbing; my rent alone has increased about six percent in the last two years.)

We are spending less money. We are therefore an unwitting drag on the recovery.

The "what-used-to-be-just-tax-relief" bill being considered needs to include seniors and the disabled by granting us either an increase in Social Security benefits or a lump-sum payment. It could be payed for by reducing or eliminating the Social Security payroll tax rollback. Does it matter who spends the money? Yes - those who need it most are those less able to work. Spent this way, it will benefit the economy as a whole, helping to employ more of those more able to work and making life for us more comfortable. It is the right thing to do.

Please spread the word - we want this bill to include seniors and disabled. We don't want to be a drag.

Contact your representative and senators. Let's include everyone in economic recovery. And tell them to stop posturing and start working!!

Random Observations of Slight Note — Housecleaning Edition

• Funny how valuable items appear in plain sight when you lift up a pair of used socks or underwear.
• Never thought that I'd find so many clean socks while straightening up the house!
• WOW!! Found gloves that actually match. Pity that's not happening with the socks I'm picking up...
• Found my flop. I now have a complete pair of flip-flops. (Or... was it flip that I found??)
• My sister will be glad to know that I found "Mr. Banana" under a pile of papers. Her cat, Coco, used to play with it all the time, and all will be glad to know that it has been passed on to the next feline generation.
• It's so much fun sucking things into my antique Hoover upright vacuum cleaner and listening to the resulting sound. That's trash clanging against real metal — not against plastic!
  

A Potpourri of Song — Concert in May

I've been doing these concerts for a while now, usually at the churches where I've played and directed. This is the second of what I hope will be an ongoing series at St. David's. Two years ago, I was choir director/organist at St. David's for less than a year before I got sick. Because my illness was so severe and of uncertain term, it was decided that St. David's should look for another musician.

However, they didn't leave me hanging. They took up a collection for me to defray some of my medical costs and give me the money to make life more comfortable, assisting me in my recovery. I approached them last summer about starting up my Potpourri of Song series again by doing a couple of programs for them. They've been happy to host the concert last fall and the one displayed above.

Pastor David Meyers has been a great help to me both spiritually and mentally. St. David's is certainly very fortunate to have such a person tending to their spiritual needs.

St. David's is developing their outreach programs to the community and is gradually building greater participation from individual members. It's not easy to do these things; too many times church members sit on their haunches and only attend services, sometimes only occasionally. Only a small group of people take on all of the responsibility of running the church and developing outreach programs, education programs, and worship/prayer services. I am glad to say that the people of St. David's are starting to become active as a whole community, and I support their efforts by giving them something by which they can reach out to the greater community with music.

Building a church (or for that matter, any institution) with effective outreach programs also results in more people wanting to join the church resulting in more people to build up the church and its programs through their gifts of time, talent and treasure. Hopefully my efforts will result in increased membership and continued well-being for St. David's.

Come and hear a great program of music and meet each other and the people of St. David's and of Massapequa Park!

The Chemical Factory Next to Your Ear

Someone sent me some pictures via email. They show the result of cell phones exploding, hurting and even killing people. The sender was concerned that phones might explode while connected to the wall plug.

I've heard of cell phone batteries exploding on occasion when not connected to the wall. In fact, it's not only cell phones.

One way to tell if your battery in your cell phone is starting to act up is to check to see how hot the phone is. If it's warm or cool, talk away. The minute it starts to get too warm, hang up. If it gets hot, replace the battery. You probably don't need to replace the phone.

The problem is probably not the phone being connected to the outlet (the electric power going to the phone is only around 3 volts); the problem is a defective battery. Lithium-ion batteries have a history of volatility. Improvements in lithium-ion battery design may be mitigating this problem, but one must remember that batteries are packages of chemical soup and can be volatile.

Other things using the lithium-ion battery: laptop computers, Chevrolet Volt ("... have its gigantic cell phone battery explode you to bits ..." [NYTimes, 8/11/2009])

Nice having a chemical factory next to your ear, eh?



(Thanks to Gizmodo, the Gadget Blog for the photo!)

Wait...Wait! Kick it up a notch!

One of my favorite programs is Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me, broadcast on your local PBS station. It’s hilarious — the program highlights current events by questioning a panel of three guests and questioning phone-in contestants. It features “games” like “Lightening Fill in the Blank”, “It’s Not My Job” and “Who’s Carl Kassel Now?”. One never knows how the guests and the host, Peter Sāgal (diacritical added for proper pronounciation), will expand on the current event and the resulting answer.

However... I wonder if the producers might “spice up” the show even more than it already is. For example, can you imagine having three of the Presidential and V.P. candidates as panelists? (Sarah Palin as the “junior” member would have to be a call-in.) Even better, have just the presidential candidates (sorry, Joe Biden!) separated by a rather animated, rather short George Stephanopoulos (of course, you can’t see on radio that he’s short...). And let the sparks fly! Every time one of the candidates starts plugging themselves, “Happy Days Are Here Again” or “Barracuda” could play at top volume to drown them out. (I’m partisan to the Democratic musical campaign theme, but the popular [Republican?] song by the group Heart would work just as well.)

Just think — we get to find out just how intelligent and humorous they are (politicians— humorous? intelligent?), better informing the public so they can cast their votes more intelligently (??) in November. Peter Sagal and company could be satisfied that they are performing important service for their country without having to go to Iraq.

Of course none of the questions would be about current events. Maybe John McCain could tell us which rap artist went wild in an airport (Conye West) or a question about a website (does he know how to use a computer yet?). I’m not sure how we could stump Barak or George, but maybe you all out in BloggerLand have some good ideas.

Another thought for panelists: Couples. That would make six on the panel, but would double the pleasure, the confusion, and maybe even the potential for greater comedy. To be thoroughly PC about it, there would be no restriction according to gender, fidelity, or species. One might ask Click and Clack (the Car Guys from another NPR [and PBS] show) or Hillary and Bill or even Big Bird and Elmo! (Elmo's been on before, so he's an experienced contestant and might give Bill and Hill good gaming advice.)

On WNYC in New York, Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me airs on AM at 1pm Saturdays and on FM at 11am Sundays. Check http://www.npr.org for your local station, or listen to a podcast or streaming audio of the program.

Bailing Out Greed

We are in a financial crisis, no thanks to our outdated, loop-hole filled financial regulatory system. Of course, we wouldn’t be in any sort of crisis if it wasn’t for the presence of one of the most economically insidious deadly sins: greed.

Oh those poor people cleaning out their desks at Lehman Brothers! My cynical pity is truly reserved for those who made lots of money sinking (in this case, literally) clients’ money into balloon financed, real estate “securities”. Most of these brokers were out to greedily make as much money as they could in the form of commissions for themselves. To say that they really cared about the company they worked for (except for caring about cutthroat competition for promotion within the company) would, I believe, be mangling the truth.

Oh those poor company Presidents and CEOs! Just think what life will be like for you without the day-to-day negotiations over your silver, golden, or platinum parachutes. Think of your loss of satisfaction, knowing that your incomplete quarterly reports which misstated profits resulted in a rise in your stock portfolio, cashed out just before the company imploded. Don’t worry though; there’s another sucker out there ready to hire you at a million times the salary earned by the truly poor clerk in the mail room.

Oh those poor Federal Regulators! Now they actually have to work for a living trying to bail out us citizens... er, I mean bail out those poor financial institution suffering from balloon mortgage hangover. It's not a bad job — regulators have to put out only every seven years or so (how biblical!) when an Enron, Chrysler, or Fannie/Freddie Mac comes along, hat in hand. Parting with our tax dollars must be heart wrenching — or does it energize you and make your heart race with excitement??

Greed cannot be stopped, it can only be regulated and prosecuted. Let’s hope that this current crisis, described by one economist as the worst he has seen since the Great Depression, will encourage tighter regulation, better oversight over our regulators, and more effective prosecution of those who twist, break, and mangle our financial laws and regulations.