Thanks for the Invite!

Josh and Megan invited us over for dinner and a couple Garfield movies after church today.  Great to enjoy good food and to laugh together!

A Link to My Tax and Money Blog

I post my latest entry to my tax and money blog on alternate Saturdays ... which includes today.  So I'm going to let that post be my entry here today as well, please join me here to continue reading.  As for me, well I'm at the office working some more on the invoices file and I have a date with my sweet tonight that I'm looking forward to.  Willyne invited me to watch the movie Secretariat with her at the local theater.  So I'm going to get my work done so I'll be ready to go!

PS - It was a great night.  It was great being with Willyne.  It was great feeling her excitement.  I was excited myself.  This is a story about never, never, never giving up (Winston Churchill would have been proud) no matter what the obstacles are. Disney does a great job of telling the story.  We were both glad we went.

A Tough Friday

I wanted to clean up the invoice file from our computer woes a few weeks ago, and get everything ready so Willyne can help get the current month invoices out.  If I'm really lucky I can get it done today and tomorrow in two long, effective days.

My clients had different ideas.  You know that saying "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part"?  That was a partial description of my day, which included an inquiry from a former client who moved from one state to another in 2007 -- now the state moved to says taxes were done wrong, so of course I need to drop everything and fix it (if indeed I actually made a mistake ... we shall see), it also included the usual assortment of cash management issues which would result in stranded employees of a client in a distant city unless I could unravel it.

Bottom line.  I did what I had to so that I could move on to what I had determined to do today.  After all, we need to collect from someone to keep operating, don't we!  So I had two work days, the before and after, with a one hour break in between to eat some ice cream slowly, enjoy talking to Josh, and generally settle my stomach so I could begin the second work day.

It worked.  I had a great afternoon and evening and got a lot done!

Such a Fine Sight to See

Read one of my favorite verses today, Mosiah 27:29, in which Alma the Younger describes how he felt after his three day miraculous change of heart.  I had an investigator quote it to me in Ilford (near East London) -- it is wonderful when you hear it that way!

Ended my day with a walk with Willyne.  The highlight of my day.  As the Eagles would sing ... she's "such a fine sight to see".

I saw Dr. Richards today and have great news to share ... my PSA score is the lowest yet, 0.02.  I need more fiber to help deal with my stomach issues, and we can deal with that, but yea for tender mercies from Heavenly Father and good medical treatment!  I go back in February for another update ...

Lots of Items at City Council Tonight

City council had a full agenda tonight.  We started with a presentation from the Utah National Guard thanking our city for its support.  They showed us this video about what it is like for a family to say goodbye when one of their own is deployed.



We invited them to be in our Winterfest parade and to take part in the program afterwards.  It remains to be seen if the details can be worked out in a month -- Winterfest is Saturday, December 4 -- but can you imagine a tank decorated with Christmas lights going down Main Street?

We went on to

• a public hearing on a community development block grant we are applying for
• pass a follow-up resolution again supporting the Hurricane to Zion Canyon Transit study.  (What we have out of it so far is studies showing a bus service would have high usage, which is quite encouraging for rural transit)
• approve a contract to purchase fireworks for Winterfest
• correct a resolution passed in the last meeting on putting in 400 more feet of sidewalk on the highway
• pass a resolution approving three related cooperative agreements for a geologic hazards study along state highway 9 between La Verkin and Zion Park (we wouldn't want those colorful rocks falling on the highway)
• discussed possible changes to the vacation policy for city employees (such as putting a limit on how much vacation you can carry forward, we are leaning towards preferring use in the year earned and requiring use within two years)
• supported a joint letter of commitment to the Hurricane Valley Fire District to be jointly signed by the mayors of La Verkin, Toquerville, and Virgin
• heard reports on ...

1. Economic development (it is official.  Maverik has bought the Chevron station and is taking over December 1.  The property that Maverik owns across the street and was going to build on will be sold and used for something besides a convenience store.  Sad part is Arbys has also been bought by Maverik and will be closed--Maverik wants you to buy their sandwiches.  Also, two new groups are in talks to resume work on building a hotel after two years of delays.)
2. Wood chips have been removed from Zion View Park, a new surface will now be installed by the play equipment.
3. Grass has been planted on the two acres where Kent's used to be.
4. Winterfest event schedule
5. An update from the committee that is studying what to do with "The Old White Church".  (Patty Bracken is doing good work on this committee).
6. Beautification Committee will be awarding prizes for best Christmas lights in four categories at the city Christmas Eve program.  Judging will be done shortly after December 13.
7. We had record turnout for the election yesterday -- 57.6% of registered voters.
8. Katie Wilson has been on the job 1 1/2 weeks and is a quick learner.  Kyle Gubler and Troylinn Benson both praised her good quick start.  Her first night taking minutes was one of the longer meetings we have had recently -- 3 hours.

I Voted ... In A Way I Have Never Done Before

I don't think I am alone in this.  First of all, there are steady lines at the polling places, all day long.  For example, this is the view waiting in line to vote at my polling place in La Verkin at 10 this morning -- a time I chose because I thought the line would be shorter, and I suspect it was ...

So what is different this time?  For me, I've finally reached my limit with voting for the lesser of the evils.  I'm tired of hearing about "the failed policies of (insert name of immediate past leader)".  They are all failed policies.  The following article comes close to expressing what I am talking about, please take a minute to read it, then humor me by coming back for a wrap-up thought.  Thanks.

Here's the Real Reason Independents Have Turned Against the Democrats - CNBC

I would take it one step farther than this article did.   If someone or some organization donates a large sum to your campaign, you become beholden to them at some level.  This includes a political party.  Up until now, if you wanted any hope of getting elected, you had to hold your nose if necessary, and choose one of the parties to affiliate with.  As soon as you did, you were then expected to vote their way most of the time.  So who are you going to represent really?  Big business?  Big government?  Big labor?  Special interest group (fill in the name)?  Or the actual people of your district or state?  (Remember that if it is too big to fail, whatever it is, it is too big.  Period. So let's do something about that rather than perpetuate it)

There were a number of multi-county or statewide races on the ballot today.  For once, I really tried to vote for people, not parties.  One person I voted for was affiliated with one party, another person was with another party.  And I will be watching those people if they are elected.  If they aren't independent enough, they won't get my vote next time.  As many times as possible, I tried to give the nod to "unaffiliated".  I don't think an alternative party is the answer either.

Call me crazy if you like.  Or join me.  If enough of us do, we just might achieve a dream of having county, state, and national elections be like local and school board elections -- nonpartisan.

I'm really interested in the results this time around.  Hopefully those who get elected will realize that they were elected to represent people rather than any particular party.  Hopefully.  Until then, I'll continue passionately smiling to the end ...

Another deadline day ... Beautiful and sunny ... Had a walk-in rush job that had nothing to do with the quarterly deadline but had their own deadline. We worked it in, yea! ... Went for an afternoon walk about 4 pm. Don't know how far in miles, but I do know it was 12 1/2 Hurricane blocks in 25 minutes. It helped me keep going at work ... Also read Mosiah 22-24. Limhi, Alma, and their people have finally made it safely back to Zarahemla. I know they were happy. I'm still getting the Willie Handcart Company e-mails, on this day in 1856 they were now 8 days from the Valley, and things were gradually improving after the horrific experiences of the previous week at Rocky Ridge. Humbles me every year when I read it again.