It Finally Happened

My motorcycle is named "Boule" (Bully). I've had Boule for almost seven weeks now and we have logged just over 2,000 miles together.

I told my wife the other day that "It finally happened". When I first started riding, I was not comfortable with such a big bike. Yeah, yeah, 800cc is not a big bike. But, if your first bike was 250cc and a shade over 300 lbs, the 800cc at 650lbs is pretty big.

Boule and I have had our moments. I'm ashamed to say it, but I have dropped him four times; twice coming out of our driveway, once in the garage, and once on the street at a stop sign. The lesson I have learned is that the slower a motorcycle goes, the more dangerous it is. Motorcycles require momentum to stay upright. They can fall very quickly, especially if you get off of it without putting the kickstand down!

Yet we have put up with each other. Boule has taught me much more than I have taught him. We've ridden, and ridden, and ridden and seldom really go anywhere except in a big circle. It's kind of like life. We leave the house, do what we have to do....shop, work, church......and then return home. I do hope that Boule and I will be able to take a trip soon where we spend a night or two on the road before returning home. It will take some planning because my wife will not ride with me.

Back to what I said earlier, "It finally happened". One day this past week I realized it. Riding Boule became extremely pleasurable. You see, Boule and I have bonded. We are as one when we are going down the road, making turns, and stopping and starting. Oh I still have to concentrate on what I am asking the bike to do, what gear I am in, and what's ahead, beside, and behind me. But when it comes to making a turn or taking a curve, or reacting to a bad road condition, Boule and I just hang together and make it a smooth event. It's a comfortable feeling.

Yep, it finally happened.

BOOM!!

I’m among the first of the “Baby Boomers”…..children born during or immediately after WWII.

As a child I mostly attended new schools which were being constructed to accommodate the huge group of “Boomers” which follow me. Ditto for college. New classrooms, new laboratories, new dorms and new libraries and cafeterias were constructed just as I began my college years.

Most of the planning for the huge surge of population was done on the local and state level. The federal government may have watched and probably ran countless studies. But most of all, Uncle Sam was wallowing in the expected increase in taxable income.

That money was spent with reckless abandon. While other world countries still count dollars in millions, we’ve spurted past that to make “trillion” a normal word.

Now that we “Boomers” are reaching retirement age, our incomes stabilize or even decrease, Uncle Sam is wringing his hands trying to figure out how to fund those programs it pushed on the country while plenty of money was available.

Yes, Medicare is one of them. Seniors are not given a choice. At age 65 you must be covered by Medicare and pay for it. It doesn’t matter that we have been taxed all these years for Medicare via payroll deduction.

But, Uncle Sam thinks he may have made a mistake and would like to make changes to the program by reducing coverage. Hey isn’t that about the same as a price hike? You have to pay for medical care either from Medicare or out of your pocket. Usually it takes both sources.

Consider Social Security. Due to the surge of covered population, it appears the funds may be inadequate to fund the program past a certain date.

My goodness, we “Boomers” have been “Boomers” for 65 years. Why is the federal government suddenly recognizing that there are a lot of us old farts out here and plenty more to come?

2011 Elections

2011 Elections will shape the future of Mississippi politics for years to come.

There is a leadership vacuum in both houses of the Mississippi Legislature.

In the Senate, Lt. Governor Phil Bryant is running for Governor, while President Pro Tempore Billy Hewes chose to give up his Senate seat and run for Lt. Governor.

Over in the House of Representatives, Speaker Billy McCoy is retiring as is Speaker Pro Tempore J.P. Compretta.

Once elected, those filling the vacant positions will inherit enormous powers. The Lt. Governor and Speaker of the House appoint every member of every committee along with naming the committee chairs and vice chairs. They will assign bills to committees and guide favored legislation through the process.

They will serve on the powerful Legislative Budget Committee to hear monetary requests from every facet of state government and, with the Legislative Budget Office, will develop the budget for the State.

In addition, they will have the option of naming the staffs of the Senate and the House.

You can bet there is a lot of internal polling going on with those wishing to be in leadership positions trying to line up support in return for important committee assignments.

Basically there will be new leadership throughout the Legislature from top to bottom. Consequently, some issues which were never given the time of day, may get some traction: i.e. radar for sheriffs, university consolidation, zero budgeting, etc. Of course if legislators get hung up with party bickering, very little will get done.

I’m hoping for a fresh new beginning in both houses of the Legislature. It will be an interesting time in the State’s history.