Caring for Mom and Pop

Mom and Pop shops are a key ingredient to the secret sauce that makes America great. This nation empowers the individual and provides opportunity for any individual to pursuit their dream. Business ownership is the path that lead many individuals to success. Small businesses according to the Small Business Association are individual business with less than 500 employees. They make up the majority of businesses and are the foundation to our economy.


An individual must have a strong work ethic, a positive attitude and a high level of confidence but still be able to listen to customers, employees, mentors and leaders in the business to succeed.  The failure rate is high with only 50% of businesses surviving 5 years. Starting a business with a well thought plan increases the odds of success but there are perils all along the journey,

Payroll is one of the first areas a small business owner will cut to make ends meet. Political pressure to raise minimum wages will have minimum impact on Walmart and Costco but could drastically change the bottom line to the small business. 

The Affordable Healthcare Act has added increased burdens to small businesses.The Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) Employer mandate requires businesses with 50 or more full time employees to provide healthcare for its employees. Traditionally small business owners would cancel their personal health insurance during tough times because they want their business to survive. Big box businesses can absorb the ACA costs until they manage to pass it on to the consumer.

Managers, assistant managers and other salaried employees run the business with the owners or upper management teams.  Any salaried employee making less then $24k is eligible for paid over time. The federal government is increasing that number to $50. This is affordable for large corporations.

These perils will force many Mom and Pop shops to reduce employee hours and work more hours themselves. They can also accept the increased costs and find ways to cut spending in their business or at home or be forced to close their doors.

A Non-employer is a business that has no employers other than the proprietors. Non-Employer businesses are on the rise. Employer businesses (businesses whose proprietors hire employees) have remained flat. Small Businesses started by young entrepreneurs is down 20%  

Mom and Pop shops are struggling under pressures from socialist objectives that are sweeping our nation. Objectives that can be met by traditional American values such as hard work, saving money, and living within one's means as opposed to demanding entitlements from hard working individuals.

Our education system is failing our young people. They enter adulthood without the tools and mindset they need to develop into strong individuals capable of managing their own lives.

Changes need to be made. Distributing entitlements doesn't necessarily help individuals succeed. Forcing small businesses to finance those entitlements hurts all of us. Remember we need to also take care of Mom and Pop. 

Intolerance in the name of Tolerance

Symbolism of the Confederate Flag

The Confederate battle flag is being removed from state capitol's across the nation. The Confederate battle flag has been a fixture throughout the south since General Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia raised it to unite the troops and spark the rise of the southern rebellion. The Confederate battle flag was never the Confederate Flag.

The fact this flag is still around is a testament to our nation and its people. Throughout history when a nation was defeated their armies were annihilated, imprisoned or disbanded. Their flags and any other symbols of their culture and history were banned or destroyed. Since history is written by the victors, the life's and culture of the defeated were modified in the history books to demonize or belittle the enemy. The changes may have been intentional or just the view of the victorious army. The victors of the American Civil War were more tolerant towards their enemy. This was easier since their enemy were brothers, cousins or neighbors. The nation was fortunate that people in the North and South were more interested in rebuilding the nation as opposed to eliminating the defeated. The south was left burning but their culture, traditions and even their battle flag were left intact. 

The south fell upon difficult times after the war. Their barns and mills to prepare and store food were destroyed, 40% of the livestock was killed. Several cities were burned to the ground. It would be decades before the south would recover from the destruction of their loss. During these difficult times the battle flag was raised again and again to help rally the people to better days. Too often this symbol of southern pride and tradition was also raised to spread hate and fear. 

It is time to remove the battle flag from state grounds but to ban it's existence would also be wrong. Intolerance in the name of tolerance shackles our minds to the chains of ignorance. It would be refreshing if we as a nation can devote the same effort and passion on eliminating racism as we do on debating the value and historical accuracy of racist symbols.
 


Another blog entry on racism that people may find intersting. 
 Check Other to End Racism

A Sunday Thought

Something to ponder. Some may find this blasphemy. Others may feel such thoughts are an assault upon their faith. Personally I enjoy studying the many religions, their history as well as their believes. My faith tells me, God doesn't mind if we explore our faith in order to learn more about ourselves, the universe and our creator. So with that prelude I leave you with this thought:

What if God did not create life? What if God is indeed life itself?

 

 

CheeseSteak Dog

The CheeseSteak Dog is as the name states a Cheesesteak and a Hot Dog. It is a great sandwich that combines two classic American meals.

You will only need a small piece of steak. Any cut can be used. I enjoy a couple slices of sirloin leftover from a previous meal.

Tips for the CheeseSteak Hot Dog:

Chop the steak into small 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces.

Use a quality Hot Dog, My personal favorite is the Sabretts Beef Frankfurters. In some areas of the country Sabretts are hard to find. Go to NYC and they are on every corner.  I rank the brands in this order. 1. Sabrett; 2.  Hebrew National Beef Franks, 3. Dietz and Watson Beef Franks,   4. Boar's Head, 5. Nathans Beef Franks Regardless of your preferred brand the All Beef Hot Dogs are consistenly the best dogs.

Apply salt, pepper, mayonnaise and deli mustard to the roll before applying the Steak and Dog.

Ingredients:
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper
Mayonaise
Deli Mustard
Hot Dog Roll
Favorite Hot Dog
Steak
1-2 slices Provolone Cheese 
Onions -Thinly sliced
Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning

Prep:
Cut up steak
Cut up cheese
Apply Mayo, Mustard salt and pepper to Hot Dog bun

Cook Hot Dog:
How you cook your hot dog is like the brand of hot dog a matter of personal prefernce. You can grill them, boil them in water, boil them in a water beer seasoned mix, broil, bake even microwave. I grill or cook them in a skillet with a tablespoon or two of olive oil.

Cook Steak:
Heat up skillet and add olive oil
Add leftover steak 
Add garlic powder and italian seasoning
Cook and toss to heat
Add cut up Cheese
Keep mixing to prevent cheese from burning

Serve:
Remove the cheesesteak mix and place it on the roll with mayo and mustard.
Add sliced onion
Add the Hot Dog
You are ready to serve and eat.

Check 'Other' to End Racism

Alabama has removed the Confederate Flag  from a memorial at their state capitol. We are spending quite a bit of energy on identifying symbols of racism. Perhaps its time get past the symbolism and actually end racism. Let us begin by eliminating the laws and organizations that promote racism throughout our nation. Any law or organization that targets a specific race for advancement or elimination is a racist organization. This includes organizations such as:

The Ku Klux Klan, The Aryan Nation, The Black Panthers, The Congressional Black Caucus, Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, even President Obama's Brothers Keeper. Just to name a few.

I find it insulting that our very own President has created his own racist group that he operates out of the White House. President Obama's Brother's Keeper organization helps poor and disadvantage black children as if there are no poor disadvantaged white children.

Once we ban these organizations we can focus on eliminating 'black' and 'minority' communities. I  lived in several black communities but I am white. Despite the black community label I found other white people living there. I even found yellow, red, brown, tan and yes purple people all living in the 'black community'. In our nation we shouldn't label a community based on the majority of its residents skin color. Every community across our nation is an American community and should be identified in that manner.

Because of the political power of racist organizations, laws have been made that force us into a racist mindset. When you enter a hospital, apply for a job or school, fill out a government form you are asked to identify your race. It is time to create movement of civil disobedience. Next time you are required to proclaim your race in an application check 'Other'. After all each of us belong to the one superior race, the Human Race.

Throwing Out My Sports Illustrated But I'll Keep My Phone

Andy Benoit is a sports writer for Sports Illustrated. He is an unusual type of Sports Writer, Mr Benoit finds many sports are not worth watching. Many sports referring to ALL WOMEN'S SPORTS.

Mark Mravic tweeted "And here some people (ahem, @Andy_Benoit) argue that women's soccer isn't worth watching."

Andy Benoit the "Sports Writer" responded
"Not Women's soccer.....Women's sports in general not worth watching."

Sports Illustrated (SI) makes more money on its annual Swim Suit issue giving the illusion SI has mastered the Illustrated claim of their title. I say illusion because lets face it the world enjoys looking at beautiful women. SI exploit and profit from these women. I don't see them demonstrating any real skills in selling the issue. The women are doing the selling.

Mr Benoit's tweeted stating women's sports in general are not worth watching indicates they don't quite have the Sports claim down yet. I cannot recall the last time I purchased an issue of SI. I did subscribe the last time the NY Football Giants won the Superbowl. I did not subscribe for their sports journalism or their swim suit issue. I subscribed for the Free Giants Blanket, souvenir Giants Football, Giants book and Giants video about the Giants Superbowl season. The actual magazines ended up in the recycling bin in short order.
 
Thanks to my oldest son I have the classic Sports Illustrated Football phone. He picked it up for a quarter at a garage sale. Heck of a lot cheaper than wasting the money on a subscription.

I am saddened by the realization that an American sports institution like Sports Illustrated is best known for its freebies and swim suit issue. Perhaps if they get rid of Andy Benoit and put together an issue dedicated to Women's sports I will pick up one of their issues and  read it. Till then I will just keep my phone and other 'freebies' and get my sports news and opinions elsewhere.

The Perfect Game

The perfect game in baseball is a game in which the pitcher gives up no hits, no walks, no runs, nobody gets on base. Twenty Seven batters up twenty batters down. This remarkable feat has occurred 23 times in Major League history. Twenty four if you count "The 28 Out Perect Game", but that is another story.  The first perfect game occurred June 12, 1880.

On Saturday June 20, 2015 Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer was a strike away from the 23rd perfect game in MLB history.

In the top of the ninth with two out, the home team Nationals were leading the Pirates 6-0. Scherzer successfully retired 26 straight batters. Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata stepped up to the plate as the 27th batter.


This is Tabata's 6th season in the bigs. He has a respectable .275 batting average in those 5 seasons. This year he is enjoying his best season batting .306. Baseball does involve luck but when a batter is able to improve his average by 25 points,  luck s only part of the formula. Tabata works hard and is maturing into a good hitter. Only time will tell but if Tabata continues to make improvements like this he will have a successful career.

Besides luck and hard work a batter can improve by becoming more comfortable in the batters box. A batter must learn how to swing a bat and control their thoughts. Fear of getting hit or fear of failure will destroy a batter's focus. Fear can be controlled by wearing armor as many batters including Tabata use today. Elbow, shin and foot armor protect the hitter from a bad pitch or a tipped ball. The armor can help a batter relax and improve their focus.

Twenty years ago the plate was owned by the pitcher. If a batter start crowding the plate it was acceptable and at times expected for the pitcher to brush him back with a fast ball high and inside or above the helmet. The intent is not to injure but to keep the batter from getting too comfortable.Today pitchers are warned and ejected if the umpire feels there is any intentional brush back thrown.

Hitting any type of breaking ball is different then hitting a fastball. The swing is the same the hitter must train himself to sit back and wait. Some hitters will say wait for the break then hit it into the opposite field. You aren't necessarily hitting it oppo buty that thought helps the batter to remain balanced and ready to make contact. Exactly how Tabata stared down Scherzer's slider. 

The battle between Tabata and Scherzer in the 9th inning with 2 outs exemplifies the game within the game of baseball.  The first game is team vs team, The second game is the pitcher vs the batter. Casual fans often cannot see the game within the game. This particular at bat proved to be a classic.  The intensity both pitcher and batter experience increases with each pitch. This at bat before its disappointing conclusion felt like a Frazier vs Ali bout. Somebody was going down.

Scherzer starts off with a 96 mph fastball. An impressive speed for a starting pitcher in the ninth inning. Tabata fouls it off. The second pitch is an 88 mph slider that Tabata also fouls off. The count is 0-2. Scherzer has the advantage and is in control. With an 0-2 count there is no reason to throw a strike. The batter is on the defensive. A good pitcher takes advantage of this situation and forces a swing at a pitch outside the strike zone.

Scherzer tempts Tabata with a slider that misses for ball 1 and follows that with a 97 mph fastball also out of the strike zone. Tabata's remains disciplined and takes both. Scherzer throws a slider at 86 mph and then attacks with 2 fast balls that break 96-97mph. Tabata fouls off all three pitches. This is a quality at bat from him.

The count is 2 and 2 with 7 pitches thrown.  Tabata is keyed to Scherzer and after fouling off 5 of the 7 pitches he is determined to win. Scherzer is standing at history's door step. He still has the advantage. The 2 and 2 count gives him room to waste one more. Scherzer has now thrown 102 pitches 79 of which have been strikes. He continues to accurately throw 97 mph. With that type of command and continued velocity personally I'd with a high fastball, out of the strike zone to tempt Tabata into swinging. Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos sends Scherzer the sign but Scherzer shakes it off. And he shakes of the next call. This is Scherzer's game he knows what he is doing. He wants the slider and he is coming inside with it. With a 2-2 count the inside slider is a great set up pitch. It will bring the count to 3-2 and would make an outside fastball appear faster. Its a one two punch that could record the third strike, the out and the perfect game. Planning, executing, adjusting each pitch, each batter, each inning it doesn't stop until the game is over.The game with in the game makes baseball so much more exciting then any other sport.

Lets not get ahead of ourselves with the 2-2 count Scherzer comes inside with the slider. It looks perfect for the setup. Tabata, if he swings isn't going to be able to hit it with any authority. As a disciplined hitter Tabata intensely focuses on the pitch. He recognizes its a breaking ball. He intensely follows the pitch. He remains balanced ready to swing if its a strike. The pitch is clearly inside for a ball. Just as the catcher is about to grab the ball Tabata drops just enough to hit the ball with the armor of his elbow pad. The intense battle between pitcher and hitter suddenly becomes a farce, a rip off, a cheap bush league win for Tabata.

Scherzer quickly walks off the mound looking up to the sky. He pauses turns around looks towards his catcher for the ball, adjusts his caps and gets back on the mound to focus on the next batter. Three fastballs later and Max Scherzer has a no hitter in the books.

Tabata insisted he did not intentionally get hit. On Sunday many thought Tabata was going to see a brush back pitch his first at back. But by the time he got to bat in the second inning the Nats were already up 9-0. A pretty solid brush back for Tabata. Max Scherzer and the Nationals have proven they are a class act. You don't go up 9-0 then plunk a batter.

The game was over after the next batter but did it end? The season is long and baseball players are patient.  The Nationals and Pirates meet again for a four game set starting July 23. They can also be competing for a Wildcard spot or face off in a playoff round. It certainly will be interesting to see what if anything transpires when Scherzer and Tabata battle again.

Scherzer lost his bid for the perfect game yet he played a perfect game on and off the field. The poise and respect he shows to the game, his teammates and his opponents is impressive. He had an opportunity to complain or to show disappointment missing out on history instead he explained his excitement over bringing his Mom and Dad to the game for Father's Day "That's what my dad wanted. He doesn't want a tie. I gave him a no-hitter, so he's pretty happy." Perfect!

Budget Your Financial Success

Why a Budget:

Every person, family, business, organization and government must have a budget in order to successfully achieve your financial goals. A budget is a road map that increases your chances of successfully achieving your goals. A person can use a budget to develop a rainy day fund of 3-6 months of spending money. A family can use a budget to provide healthier meals for the entire family. A business can use budgets to increase their profits.  Non-profit organizations can use budgets to provide more assistance to those in need and a government can utilize a budget to increase opportunities for their citizens to achieve success. Wherever money is involved a budget should be available.

How to Begin your Budget:

The first step is to record every penny that is earned and every penny that is spent. Notice two words in that previous statement. The use of the word penny and record. All money must be included. This means everything from your mortgage to your dry-cleaning. Every penny must be recorded or written down.

Start with your big monthly bills by locating past or present bills or checking account statements. But you want to record every penny. It may take a month or more to get everything compiled. A small memo pad can help. By carrying a pad around for a few weeks and writing down what, where and when you make any purchase. 

Grab a copy of your pay stub and record your gross pay as well as every deductible including taxes, insurance deductions, 401 contributions. If its on the pay stub it must be in the budget.

How to Manage your Budget: 

Ledger Pad: 

There are so many options when managing your Budget. The simplest is a Ledger notebook where you record your entries in a ledger pad. Simple to record but difficult to create reports.

 Spreadsheet:

The next option is create your own spreadsheet. Cheap but labor intensive. Also lacks the many options available from the many professional options.

 Freeware: 

There are plenty of freeware budget software options one being dsBudget. Follow this link to read about dsBudget and many other free Personal Finance Software options.

Free Personal Finance Software Reviews from CNET.com

Commercial Packages:

Complete software packages begin around $40. I use Quicken and recieved my version free when I purchased Turbo Tax. This article provides a quick review of other packages and also reviews several online

Finance Software Reviews from Forbes.com

Incorporate Your Budget:

The budget is a tool that needs to be used. Teach your children how to start their own budget based on their allowance. Make sure you include a savings plan. Incorporate your budget in your day to day life by including all revenue and expenses.

Use the budget to set goals to finance savings, tuition, vacation, retirement, weddings and everything else that is part of life. Revisit your budget every year to make any adjustments or changes in income and revenue as well as new goals.

Improve Cash Flow:

Once you set up your budget and complete adding your expenses and revenues you will immediately see if you are spending more then you are making. Hopefully you have a positive cash flow and make more then you spend. Either way your work is about to begin.

Start reviewing your expenses. Look for areas where you are spending too much money. Remember everyu penny counts. Here is a quick example: Three times a week you buy a soda from teh vending machine at work. Its costs $1.50 for a 12oz can of soda.In the grocery store cans of soda frequently go on sale 4 12 packs for $10 which is .21 cents a can. Saving $1.29 on a can of soda might not sound like you are living the American dream. But you are saving $3.87 a week, 15.84 a month or 185.76 a year. That is just a small expense that quickly adds up. Review all your spending in the same manner.

Making the Budget Work:

 Pay Yourself First:

Before paying any bills the first payment should go to your savings. It could be a percentage of your gross pay or perhaps on $10. Regardless of the amount each month make a deposit in your savings account and forget it is there.

 Rainy Day Fund

One of your financial goals should be to have 3-6 months worth of expenses saved.  Cars need repairing, things around the house break, people get sick, jobs are lost. A rainy day fund helps you get through the tough times.

 Family Fun While Saving:

Find alternative that are less expensive and can be more family friendly. Taking the family out to a restaurant on weekends adds up to a lot of money. As an alternate you can plan a special dinner night at home. Include the whole family in preparing and planning your big night. Together as a family choose a recipe, go to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients, work together to prepare the meal the table even make some decorations and don't forget a favorite dessert to enjoy together.

  Prioritize:

Prioritize your expenses.  Go through each expenses and ask yourself "Is it worth it?"  If an item is necessary see if it can be replaced with a less expensive item. Giant grocery store have a brand name frozen french fry that is just as good as the name brand counter product but half the price. For Giant shoppers they also have a frozen Sweet Corn on the cobb that is better the the famous name brand but half the price.  If you can't find an alternative look for a different place to make your purchase. Food seasonings are so much cheaper at Costco then at your typical grocery store. Many items can be bought when they are on sale and stored for future use. Searching online for items can also save substantial money.

 Control your Spending

 Many times we spend money without really thinking of it everything from picking up a magazine at the grocery store counter to buying a new computer game. This money quickly adds up and can keep you in the negative cash flow. Use your budget to help remind yourself of your goals and be aware when spending your hard earned money. Hide credit cards from yourself or take the cash for some expenses and place it in envelopes labeled for that expense. For example if you have a $50 a month work lunch expense each month place the money in an envelope marked 'Lunch'. Use it only for your monthly lunch. When that envelope is empty you can no longer buy lunch and now have to bring in your own.

 Reduce your Debt

How much money do you owe? What kind of debt? Include mortgage, credit card, student loans, personal loans, home equity loans, car loans and whatever other debt you are carrying. Record the interest rates you are paying on each loan and as you increase your cash flow by finding ares to save use the savings to pay off the loans with the highest interest rate.

Don't Give Up

There will be times when you lose focus and forget about managing your budget. Other times you may experience hardships that discourage you from reviewing the budget. Remember its your budget your tool its meant to make managing your finances easier. Find the best way to make this tool work for you.

To Indite Daily

Indite is a word of Latin origins rarely used today. Its meaning is: To compose; to write.

The Daily Pill is a collection of written thoughts to express the authors views from sports to politics, finance to cooking, science to history, social issues, relationships or whatever happens to bounce into the overworked mind of the author.

Sometimes there will be noticeable filters in place other times only raw emotional off the cuff remarks that will be either be genius or regretted. A daily exercise for the author to evolve and expand his own thoughts and to share those thoughts with others to encourage others to share their thoughts and further expand, correct, share and journey into those ideas.

A Butterfly Nebula taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. Man is so clever yet so clueless and despite both so ignorant. The Daily Pill attempts to drop the ignorance and create a brainstorming session on the subject matter presented. It may be simple as a Hot Dog recipe. There are thousands of ways to cook and prepare a Hot Dog but there is no correct way. However the more ways we can learn the better we will be able to prepare a Dog.