Vapin'

Uncle Bubba's a pretty chill, laid back kinda dude. He's a live and let live feller as long as you don't bother him. So it was interesting to hear his take on smoking and the new vaping especially since he's a non smoker. It came about because Earl stopped by with one of those E-cigarettes and was blowing steam like a frozen locomotive.

"Earl, do you how ridiculous you look with that thing?" Bubbie chided.

Earl stood beneath a giant white cloud that billowed out from his pie hole. His vaporizer thing-ma-jig looked like he was sucking on the end of a modified duck call; it was about the same size and shape.
"I don't really care Bubba." Earl retorted, "It's better fer me then them expensive cigarettes."

Bubbie, as if not even hearing Earl's reply quipped, "That's gotta be real convenient when you gotta use two hands on something, ain't it Earl?"

"Well I put the dern thing down Bubba when I gotta use two hands." Earl shot back. Uncle Bubba glanced a laughing look my way and we both chuckled.

Earl eventually drove off, his driver's window cracked open and another monstrous white cloud swirled up and out into the wind. That's when Uncle Bubba offered his passing view on smoking and vaping. He told me that he never really cared if someone wanted to smoke, so long as it didn't hurt him. But then again we are trained from a young age to avoid things that are emitted from others bodies. We are told to cover our mouths when we cough and sneeze, at least most of us are. We are told to never spit, especially on the sidewalk. We are taught to wash our hands and all of this to avoid spreading sickness and disease. So in Bubbie's view it's an odd thing to actually see the smoke and vapor residue that is emitted from someone's lungs that pass through their esophagus, mouth and nose. Of course it's also an odd thing that someone would roll up some weeds in paper and light them on fire to breath the smoke in deeply in the first place, it don't make practical sense. And now he reckons that these E-cigs are healthier, or so we've been told, but sharing your vapors with everyone around you is a bit much.

I have to interject here and say that I agree with my Uncle Bubba's point of view, as I often do, adding that I can't fathom the attraction of the vape lounge. It's hard for a nature loving, fresh air seeking country boy to grasp sitting in a large enclosed room of smog so thick that you can't see through the windows. I've never been in one, but I've been in a lot of smoky ol' barrooms and these look to put those to shame. But as my favorite uncle says, to each their own.

Uncle Bubba Reduces Fed, Returns Power To States

Uncle Bubba called and asked if I'd come over and give him a hand with some work, which I was happy to oblige. He had a small mountain of brush to clear and a couple loads of stuff that had been collecting in his barn of which he'd finally had enough of and was taking it to the dump. Since we had a stretch of mild winter days he figured that it was a good remedy for cabin fever to do some early spring cleaning, real early. The notion must have worked on his spirit as well because we had a great conversation as we rode along in his pickup truck along the wet, back country roads. In light of the new Trump presidency he told me that he could downsize the Federal Government and reduce spending a just a few simple moves.

"Take FEMA for example," Bubbie said, "That's nothing more than a closet stimulus package that's used to funnel money to states in the guise of disaster relief. Sure, there's legitimate disasters and we're fortunate to live in a country that helps it's citizens in such a way. But with a little research anyone can see that there is a lot of money allocated and spent that the Federal Government just doesn't have and ya have to wonder where the oversight is." Uncle Bubba expounded, "I'll tell ya why no one looks into this agency, because it's political suicide to question the legitimacy in assisting disaster victims: the press would have a field day!"

As we rode on he suggested something that I had a difficult time arguing with as I ran the idea over in my mind. He told me that FEMA spends a fortune in logistics that a friend of his who is a FEMA Reservist told him about. For example, they pay all travel expenses: airfare, rental car, fuel, lodging, and a food per diem for thousands of employees to travel from state to state to aid disaster victims. They set up temporary offices with furniture and office supplies and computer networks. They send people from Florida to work in Minnesota and people from Minnesota to work in Florida. They send people from California to work in Maine and people from Maine to work in California... As Bubbie says, "...it's idiotic!" So here's Bubbie's view of that solution, since we know an estimate of how much money each state gets in disaster relief each year, the Fed should set up an account for each state and distribute it on request. Like a PayPal account. They would only need a few people in Washington DC to manage the accounts. They can get rid of all of the other FEMA employees which the states can then hire. That way the travel and logistic expenses are reduced to nil for the Fed, and the states gain knowledgeable employees that make and spend money in their own state; and in states with a state income tax, they get money back on their investment.

"OK, now that that's fixed," said Bubbie, "let's try another agency. How about immigration, I think they call it ICE? We allocate money in an account to be distributed among the states and let the states handle their own difficulties of illegal immigration enforcement since, like disaster funds are different from state to state." He went on to say that the money has to be distributed without a lot of conditions imposed by the Fed, trusting the states because that would just build up a need for more Federal resources that equals more money; the thing we are trying to avoid. We need to get out of the old mentality and keep our eye on the prize: a smaller Federal Government, less cost, and less federal taxes.

I said that it seems to me that something would have to be done about the magnitude of deportation since there are so many illegal immigrants to deport. Uncle Bubba said that deportation should be swift and humane. He suggested having countries bid on building and managing deportation facilities outside of US boarders. They would be nice housing facilities that would buy time to transition people back to their rightful countries of origin. By putting the onus on the host countries we alleviate our duty to manage the care and coordination of the deportees and they would be outside of the US.

"The thing about making changes is that too many people are freaked out by it. They are used to something and are unwilling to move even if the current situation is horrible; it's what they're used to." Bubbie went on with his view, "We have too many people today that use that argument that the conservatives want to go back to old ways and nothing could be farther from the truth. As a nation we try things and try to improve on things. If something doesn't work then we should either drop it completely or learn from our mistakes and move in a new direction; not just run off of a cliff because of a grand ideal that failed. If'n ya had a knock in your car engine you wouldn't just put the hammer down and drive it hard until you threw a rod; you'd park it and fix it so that it's running smooth again." In Bubbie's view it's really all about the money. If that is what the Federal Government is turned into then so be it. Let them be the bank for the states until the states can become self sufficient. But the bank doesn't loan money and then show up and do the work. The states should be responsible for their own budgets, maintenance, and issues.

"Why wouldn't we want our state government stronger with less influence from the Fed? Do you think your voice carries further in a small room of a few people or in a stadium during a concert? Your voice is more likely to be heard and have influence on the smaller state level than at the vast Federal level."

He gave me lots to think about and we got a lot accomplished at the farm as well. The air turned cold in the evening and we sat inside by the wood stove with full bellies from Sweet Pea's delicious cooking. We chatted about the day's work and some hunting and fishing. Hard work and fixing the world's problems: just another day with my Uncle Bubba.

Bubbie saw this and wanted it posted...

Which Came First?

http://www.LondonsTimes.us

Which came first the chicken or the egg? Who cares, they both exist. This is how my Uncle Bubba see things. The things that manifest in your life come from what you say and what you believe. As Uncle Bubba says, " It's a biblical principle." It's true, it's a commonly accepted truth. But it doesn't matter if you say things first and then believe them, or believe them first and then say them--it works either way. However, as we all know that thought is the parent of the deed, Bubbie reckons that what's in your heart comes out your mouth and I agree. This is the usual flow of information, we carry what's in our heart and then it overflows out our mouth. But that doesn't mean that we can't hear something over and over until it gets into our hearts.

This comes with a tale of caution as described by Uncle Bubba in a recent conversation. He told me of a time when someone that he respected, a family member that was older than him had often subtly put him down. It always made Bubbie feel bad and he just didn't get it but over time those put downs effected him and he became to believe that he had some shortcomings and character flaws that doomed him to sub-mediocrity. Later in life he discovered that what the family member said was untrue, it was their perception of things based on their jealousy and envious outlook. But it did a lot of damage to Bubbie and it took him years to recover from it.

"These things can work for the good as well as the bad" Bubbie recounts. "You can be glad or you can get mad. You can speak good things over yourself or damn yourself. And it works the same for others, you're either building someone up or tearing them down... it's your choice." Uncle Bubba went on to impart more of his homespun wisdom on me, "Sometimes we'll be just a-chuggin' along in life and everything is fine and then we hear someone say something that's outlandish and it sticks with us like burdock on a wool sock. It could be real or the biggest, fattest lie y'all ever heard; I mean a whopper. It hits ya hard and it leaves a scar. And if ya ain't careful and start to repeat it, it gets down inside of you and becomes your truth. Why I just heard a silly one the other day, a feller said that he doesn't want stainless steel appliances in his house by a lake because the moisture will make them rust over time. Well, that just ain't right and I wonder where he heard such a thing. I reckon that someone told him that once and he believed it even though we all know it ain't true. That's a good example of what I'm a-talkin' about. Now what if it was a lie about you or me? What if someone said a thing about you that was a whopper and people believed it? Why that's worse than anything because I can always admit a truth and redeem myself from it if I choose, but a lie is slander of which there's no defense because it never existed."

It gave me a lot to think about after our visit. I was getting hungry so I went to Miss Ellie's Red Robbin dinner in the town square and ordered the lunch special. I looked out the window as I waited on my food but my mind was mulling over my conversation with Uncle Bubba. He made a lot of sense and I was sorry that more folks can't gain some insight from Bubbie. Then, slowly, the sounds of conversations started to fill my ears and I could hear some folks at nearby tables spreading gossip and complaining about others and I thought, which came first, the complainer or the complaint? Who cares, they both exist. In Bubbie's view, be careful what you think and what you say because that's what will you'll manifest in your life.

A New Day

I called Uncle Bubba to wish him a Happy New Year and to ask if he stayed up until midnight to see the new year come into being. I was surprised to here a cheerful, energetic voice on the other end of the line.
"Yes! Sweet Pea and I stayed up until one in the morning" Bubbie exclaimed. He said that he was so glad that 2016 was over.
"Out with the old and in with the new."

He said that when he awoke in the morning the clear, January sun was shining through the southeast window and everything just felt different. It felt fresh and he had an overwhelming of a new beginning. It is also the birthday of his son, whom he was looking forward to seeing later in the day. In Bubbie's view, it's best not to get too high, too manic about life, but keep a positive, balanced outlook and always remember to count your blessings.