It's Another Great Great Day    

   About 24 years ago in a Peachtree City, Georgia restaurant, tiny Leah in her high chair looked at me like, "Who are you?" She is our great niece on Mrs. Donut's side. 

   Early Sunday morning, Leah brought her first child - our great great niece - into the world. All is well.

   Haddie is a nickname for Hadassah, Hebrew name of the Jewish woman known as Esther, in Persian. She is No. 6 and counting in this up-and-coming generation. 

   Haddie's cousin Ellie was adopted by Leah's sister and husband almost three years ago, in Kansas. 

   On my side, there are two great great grandchildren, Callie and Liddy, in Ohio. And back in Georgia, we have great great nephew Dylan followed by his sister, great great niece Audrey. 

   Given our generation's relatively good health - eight of us - more children will be born having great great grandparents, aunts and uncles. There are some 17 of our greats who as yet have not married, or started families, so our two family trees have potential to branch out. It's all evidence of longer life expectancy. 

   We pray all the kids will flourish, especially spiritually, and that some day one of them will take over Views By the Sea, but not too soon. Wouldn't that be great?  

Tomorrow: Jordan's story

       Jimmy

Words of Wisdom        

     
   If men of all nations came to listen to Solomon, we might be interested in what he said.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight,

and a breadth of understanding as measureless

as the sand on the seashore.

I Kings 29:4

   We list key words from Proverbs, chapters 1-3, to summarize Solomon's use of contrast. 

   The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Prov. 1:7.  Other words in chapter 1:

                  GOOD                                                      EVIL

understanding  insight  prudent  right         sinners  entice  plunder  sin   

just  fair  discretion  learning  discerning     ill-gotten gain  mockers  schemes

guidance  instruction  teaching  advice        disaster  distress  waywardness
rebuke  safety                                           complacency  troubles  

                   
                   

   For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Prov. 2:10.  Other words in chapter 2: 

victory  upright  shield  blameless                wicked  perverse  dark ways  evil

faithful  straight paths  covenant                 crooked  devious  adulteress

paths of life  righteous                                seductive  unfaithful 

   Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Prov. 3:5-6  Other words in chapter 3: 

prosperity  truth  favor  health                      despise  resent  violent 

nourishment  honor  blessed  precious           envy  shame 

profitable  pleasant  peace  grace

sound judgment  confidence  humble

                                      

Exhale...the Exhibitionism Has Ended    

   An exhibition can mean a public display of artwork, collections, or skills.

   Exhibitionism can mean the act of behaving so as to attract attention to oneself. 

   The latter is what America saw this week, when the Senate judiciary committee pontificated for hours with Judge Brett Kavanaugh in their cross hairs. Senators opposed to his appointment hoped to hear him say he might vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. That would flip two Republican women, enough to sink the candidate.

   Failing that, they tried to pry out any hint of support for the president - especially while the Mueller investigation continues - regardless of the Constitution or laws. They also tried to postponed the hearings, hoping to gain a majority in the senate next term. Three strikes, and Kavanaugh won the week.

   In their half-hour opening statements, senators droned on with fine-sounding expositions of democracy, the Bill of Rights and other cherished ideals. Maybe those were learning moments for students who don't get such information in schools.

   But, we know, don't we, that the real purpose of televised congressional meetings serves not to open the window into representative government, but to give most politicians a free opportunity to impress his or her voters.

   A survey shows Kavanaugh with a mere 37 percent approval, worse than most every modern candidate except for Robert Bork. Meaning...

   Democrats spent all summer telling their base how scary he is. Then they point to a poll they largely influenced, as proof that the public doesn't want him. Clever. 
   
      Jimmy  

We're On the Hot Seat      

   Not for anything we've written on Views.

   Not like Judge Kavanaugh's hot seat before 
the judiciary committee.

   No. Our air conditioning went out this morning. We're making do with our 6-inch portable fan, still waiting for the technician at 1:50 pm. 

   Our thermostat reads 87. 

   Meanwhile, Jimmy Procrastinator failed to check our yard sprinklers for many moons. We use well water. Tuesday we got around to it. 

   No less than 23 of them, about two-thirds, needed replaced.

   After three trips to the hardware for various components, and several hot hours of work - with temps in the 90s we can work about an hour before dark and two hours after daylight - we've replaced half the faulty sprinkler heads. 

   A common problem in our neighborhood is the lawn-mowing company, which is real good at nicking sprinklers just enough to crack them. 

   We hope you are cool and that this impromptu message reminds you to be thankful for your comforts - and that no one on national TV is asking you trap questions about something you said 16 years ago. 

      Jimmy  

Update: 7:30 pm

The technician got our AC running again,

But we need a new model plug, whatever that is.

We're hoping to stay cool until the fix is complete,

Friday or maybe Monday. 

Florida Is No. 1   

   The Sunshine State may be first in beaches, alligators, palm trees and retirees. But did you know, Florida is first in freedom?  

   So says the Cato Institute, which released its annual report on "Freedom in the 50 States." 

   Among other things, Florida is one of the few states without an income tax. It has low government consumption rates (huh?), low government debt, a high degree of labor freedom, educational freedom and other factors. 

   For example, the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program encourages contributions to organizations funding scholarships to children of low-income families - increasing choice for private schools, or help with transportation costs to a public school of choice. More than 70 percent of recipients are minority, mostly coming from poverty. 

   Florida ranks 30th in health insurance, but there's hope that competition and choice could work in healthcare as well.

   The incoming speaker of the House plans to promote lower cost/higher quality ambulatory surgical centers and post-surgical recovery centers in an effort to improve patient choice. These are only a few of the issues that influence freedom, or the lack thereof. 

   He quotes President Reagan: "There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts."

Federalism, Cure for Polarization?
   In a letter to an editor, a woman says "federalism was all but destroyed by the 17th Amendment in 1913. Senators since then are elected by popular vote instead of by state legislatures. 

   "Therefore, states have no representation in the Senate and cannot check the power of the federal government." 

   We might add, the Amendment of 105 years ago provided - among other silliness - the circus-hearings for Supreme Court nominees and other such duties of our esteemed senators. Frowny-face senators on the Judiciary Committee who will oppose Judge Kavanaugh make a mockery of the hearing process, all to impress their bases. 

      Jimmy




   

Where There's a Will      
There's a Way       

Franklin    

   Is it painful to talk about death? It may be far more painful for loved ones to leave behind a legal mess.

   Singer Aretha Franklin, who died after a long illness, reportedly had $80 million in assets (CelebrityNetWorth.com) - and left no will or trust. She knew this day was coming; an attorney who represented her for 28 years urged her for years to do a trust.  

   Her special-needs son needs financial and other forms of support for his entire life.

   Prince's estate was estimated at $200 million. He too died without a will, and two years later his heirs still have received nothing. 

   When a person leaves no legal will, the state, courts and lawyers handle matters. Creditors are paid and assets distributed under state law. Legal bills grow - especially if there are disputes.

   Others who left this world without proper estate planning include Michael Jackson, Princess Diana, Marlon Brando, Jimi Hendrix, singer-songwriter Bob Marley, Martin Luther King Jr., Steve McNair (NFL player) and Abraham Lincoln. 

   The odds for court battles go up when there is no will. Even with everyday families, someone can find something to fight about. 

   People who know about these matters encourage the rest of us to think about potential problems, such as special needs, and concerns about heirs and those close to any heirs.

   Depending on one's assets and the degree of complexity, a will could cost several hundred dollars, or thousands. People with few complications can use avenues like LegalZoom.com, starting at $69. 

   Once the process is complete, tell your family where the will and other documents can be found. Update beneficiaries for your assets, such as retirement benefits and investments. 

USA TODAY

      Jimmy

   

Undocumented Dilemma      

   Inviting workers in; keeping crime out. 

   It's a long-standing problem begging for solution. Almost half our 1.4 million field workers are undocumented immigrants. Lobbying by the agricultural industry has allowed farm workers to be treated differently than others, under both political administrations.

   While America interred 100,000 Japanese during WWII, the government allowed millions of Mexicans to work on U.S. farms. Now, with murder charges against an undocumented field worker in Iowa, there is interest in requiring all U.S. companies to use the E-Verify system for all job applicants. Here's the problem:

   Farmers, ranchers and other business owners say passing an E-Verify bill would cripple their industries. Already, they struggle to recruit Americans to do the backbreaking work, and they operate under constant threat of I.C.E. raids. 

   Some would support mandatory electronic, worker verification but only if coupled with an overhaul of the guest-worker programs. The American Farm Bureau Federation claims that passing E-Verify alone would cause production to fall by $60 billion, while food prices would rise 5 to 6 percent. 

   When state governments took an enforcement-only approach: In Arizona, droves of workers left the state. In Alabama, some 80,000 left. Georgia had $140 million in unharvested crops.  

   Arizona had an average 2 percent drop in gross domestic product every year from 2010 to 2015. Also in 2015, while North Carolina had 489,000 unemployed, 6,500 field jobs attracted just 268 state workers; 163 showed up for work, and only seven finished the season. 

   Farmers say the solution is a nationwide, guest-worker program that improves on the H2A visa program. The Farm Bureau said the program is overloaded with regulations that often require farms to have immigration attorneys on staff just to fill out paperwork. And because the visas cannot be used for year-around workers, dairies, nurseries and livestock ranches are ineligible. 

   It seems that Congress could work this out if it wanted to do so.

USA TODAY

      Jimmy