final.

we begin our final week here in Eau Claire...

it has been good rest. i haven't read the books i wanted to. or taking the walks i wanted to. or even fished like i wanted to.

but i am rested now... and restless... i am ready for the road ahead.

we have no clue about the vision God will show us in the coming 3 months. but we feel that we are ready to begin again...
to "dream again" as it were.

Eco-pcrisy. (eco hypocrisy)

There is a new "class system" emerging in the politically correct world that disturbs me. It is those who feel they must ordain themselves "elders" of the evironment, humanity, etc. From there resources and potitions they speak a great game (with 1/2 logic, 1/2 fear mongering) and yet they feel that their "efforts" for the environment (climate change, non-fossil fuels, conservation, etc) give them a pass on actually doing their talk. That is the hard part in life -- integrity. Example... telling others to conserve when you don't "carpool" in your private jets to the Emmys.

With all the talk about Tim Russerts death recently on the news channels, I will say this -- he was stand up. Plain and simple. Good and faithful Catholic, son, husband, father, citizen. The amount of money that he wrote checks for, speeches given for free to help NGO's is staggering. But you never hear the quiet "salt" of the earth bragging about their job... they are busy doing the preserving, making the world taste good, keeping the world from rotting (the nature of salt in Jesus' day).

And then we come to the great icon, the modern prophet of the environment: Al Gore. With thousands upon thousands of "Green Renovation" dollars spent on his pad in Tennessee (the ideal farm i guess) he actually spent 10% more on energy than he did on his house last year. Which is no big deal because of the new "Enviro-class system" that is developing. Maybe Obama is correct... there are those who are the "have's and have nots". Al Gore "HAS" the money to offset his "carbon footprint" because he is part owner of a factory that could work at full capacity, but doesn't (therefore earning EXTRA carbon credits that... yep... Al Gore then purchases from his own factory). Does something sound fishy here? Isn't this like a "tax shelter" of the new tax of carbon credits. And so our world is shifting from those who can polute, i am sorry -- those who can AFFORD to pollute. And a world of those who cannot afford to pollute CO2 (which is what we breath OUT right? i mean... right?).

MACRO #1
And now the MACRO situation. The US economy will suffer greatly from this stupid idea of CO2 being a "pollution gas" and, therefore, we must tax it. I mean, beyond your "allowed" CO2 credit -- and 535 people on capital hill can figure that out?

I am a conservationist at heart. As a avid sportsmand and student who grew up learning the history of the Northern Plains I know how stupid the fur trade was when it came in here... killing off the wolves expecially, the buffalo, and logging...etc. BUT the point is we have progressed in this area. Yes some environmental groups helped raise the consciousness... the the plain fact is this --> the issac walton league was busy purchasing land to build cabins on while private hunting leagues (the "unlimmitted movements) were actually purchasing schemes to buy back land, breed, stock, lobby for birds, wildgame and other animal for sport hunting. And now they are thriving... (thriving like the caribou that are 4 times greater since drillingn in alaska... and the polar bear which are 3 times greater thatn 1970 in population).

I take the command from God to steward this world seriously (cause 2 acres of land in the country IS more beautiful that the tallest of sky-scrapers... but they are not opposed to each other, or enemies!!!).

That being said... let's burn coal, oil, etc. Lets keep doing it. Let's get this economy going on overdrive. It is very possible to get this economy growing at 5-8% if we cut so many taxes on the supply side and tax the purchasing (consumption) side. It is pretty simple... a steaming locomotive as an economy will provide us with the private capital, and government capital to build the future of energy (How about 3 new Nuclear plants for each state, better cars, cleaner cole...). Are we willing to take the tough road?

Would you take a 3 week break if it would help your marraige... or woudl you span that "healing" over a 9 month period when you can afford the time? That is the basic question - are you willing to unleash the engine of america in order to afford a dramatic shift in energy philosophy? If we keep this up for 10-15 more years.. if it means a market based approach to getting our "carbon" gas cut by 50% or greater.... are you willing to put up with it?

MACRO#2
What are we saying to my beloved India? We built our country up after WWI and WWII (that really didn't touch our land) while the rest of the world was in chaos and rebuilding... free of "carbon tax" (freedom, a concept huh?).

BUT hey... we are the country equivilent of "Al Gore" cause we can afford to buy back our "carbon excesses". (oh don't ever explain that we are 25-30% of the worlds economy and produce, 15-20% of the pollution, using 40% of the resources... all in all we are polluting less than we are producing!!! and the world is better for this, really! If nothing else.. look at the 50 billion that we give around the world each year to help those less fortunate outside the USA - and that is giving NOT by our gov't.)

It is unfair--i say. It is NOT a position of service or "loving your neighbor(nation) as yourself". We are not showing love for India by this stance. Couldn't we allow India to unleash their economy also (actually they are) and use that momentum for education, market based products, that give upward moving indian households more rupees in their pockets? Isn't that the solution? Get this car = and extra 3,000 rupees a month in your pocket? ($75 US)? Pay $20K rupees a year ($500 US) in order to have a Nuclear power plant that provides energy for your house, and provides cheap energy for businesses in your community driving down the cost of all products in the local market? Allow clean cole technology to be used to help build new products, but also to help build incenerators that burn local trash (and you actually get paid by the pound -- or "credited" as your garbage becomes fuel for your local cities government buildings -- ie. Rochester Minnesota's model)?

It's not fair for us to look at India, China, Africa, South Asian Islands, and new Middle Eastern countries wishing to build, transition, etc... and say "We have already gone down this road and we made it messy... you will too because you are even less responsibly and educated than us (egos?) and therefore we "as the self appointed commander of the world" will not allow you to develop either".

There will be no money HERE in the USA for NGO's, Churches, Businesses and even the Government to invest in our country and other countries.... and there will be no money for THOSE countries in the world that can actually do it "better" (whether it is industry, service, technology, food) for the world wide market. Free markets...they actually work!

THE EASY SOLUTION?
Cut business taxes, stop punishing savings and investing into the USA and the world... open up the markets to large amounts of money... and call it the "Organic Tax" (everyone loves that word now... ). Can you imagine? an "Organic Tax" that actually lesses the cost of something? Let's Slap the word "ORGANIC" on all nuclear power plants and they will become popular again!

THE HARD SOLUTION?
Educating yourself, having conversations over coffee, and doing what you can, supporting those companies, NGO's, Churches, Countries, Companies, and politicians that are for a better world, but don't believe it comes at the expense of the family budget and the developing nations of the world economies! Millions of people in India are depending on this over the next 50 years.... Millions of houses in America need a break and would LOVE to invest into the world. And, to be frank, 30 million households in America with the education to invest in the markets of ideas, philosophy, business, NGO's will do way better than the 435 house reps, 100 senators and 1 president in Washington. Not a "anti-government" rant... just the facts... the market chooses better, cheaper, faster than regulations, power and centralized "planning".

okay... thanks for reading.

g-bye.

hopefully i will be saying goodbye to a loved friend this week.

she has been good to me, my grandpa's ol'truck.

hopefullly a young 16 year old, or a college kid will want her.

[[if you do... you can email me.. joshparoubek@juno.com ]]

puggle.

if things go as planned i think we will have a 5 year old puggle this week.

a stray picked up by the chippewa county humane society.

her name is "mandy" but we are going with "old claire paroubek" in honor of "eau claire" and these special 6 weeks of our life. good memories and rest.

money.

when you think about it...
money is such a strange concept...
credit is a little stranger...

just waxin'

noise.

as it happens,
today... is a good day to stop and listen to the silence of "work" in my life, and the "symphony" of thoughts and ideas that i have.

weary for lack of focus.
lord, calm the symphony... as beautiful as it is.

sanctuary hum.

let me just say that PROJECT 86 gave probably the best concert (110 min) at Club 3 that I have ever witnessed last night.

gas = $18
frappicino = $2
T-shirt = $15
ticket = $15
parking = $4

riding with ED for 2.5 hours in a car, and spending 2. 5 hours watching "Claret" " Destnd Furthr" and "P 86" ....

yep!