Imagine you are Greek. You live in the land of Oz (the nation of Greece). Nobody works. Unemployment is very high because business can't afford the mandated union wages. The government provides unemployment compensation like we do here in the "States". Retirement plans allow people to leave the work force a very young age. Unfortunately, there is not enough money sitting in the pension plans to pay for the retirees. People find it very easy to get sick and live off government subsidies. Taxes are sky-high. You get the idea. Nobody in Greece likes to work. They all want to be taken care of.

As a Greek you have come to understand your country is broke. Other countries in Europe and around the world will not loan money to Greece to keep things going. Greece is one of 13 European countries that use the "euro" as their basis of money. 12 other countries are threatening to drop Greece from their monetary union which means Greece will have to revert to using a new Greek money system. The new Greek money will essentially be worthless if that happens.

You (a Greek resident) are afraid your "euro" money which is pretty stable in all of Europe will be replaced by Greek coin. So Greek people are running to their local bank and withdrawing as much money in "euro's" as they can. The Greek banks have lost 25% of their assets in the last few days. The money that has been withdrawn will go into "coffee cans" because it's value is safer than the bank.

The answer is every Greek needs to sacrifice. Retire later. Accept lower wages. Demand less benefits. Yeah, yeah, yeah! Greece is already in fiancial crisis. It ain't going to get better.

Could something similar to the "Greek financial meltdown" happen here. Certainly not. Our government has plenty of money (oops they borrowed it all from pension plans and Social Security). At least our govenment is not in debt (oops we owe 15 trillion dollars). Unemployment is extremely low (what about the 5 million people that have stopped looking for jobs). Medical insurance is being mandated even if you can't afford it. Hey this scenerio sounds familiar. Remember the Greeks (the title of my new book)

Love,

Dad

Your Mom and I are not part of the "Facebook" revolution. Zuckerberg will become an instant billionaire on Friday as Facebook issues stock for the first time (it is call an IPO-Initial Public Offering). Unless you are one of the "one-percenters" or a government insider, getting the right to purchase Facebook stock "when issued" is almost impossible. The theory is that once the stock starts trading, it will soar in value and insiders will make a lot of money. That leaves "average Joes" like you and me hustling a buck like always.

Zuckerberg is known for wearing a black sweatshirt "hoody". He has been attending meetings of financial executives that wear 3-piece suits. Zuckerberg has been critized for not dressing up. The question arises, "if you are about to become a billionaire, why do you have to conform to a 3-piece suit"?

Black sweatshirt hoodys have been selling for up to $200. They are flying off the shelf. Somebody is making a fortune indirectly off the Facebook stock story. Is this a great country or what?

This last item is about a restaurant in Milwaukee that serves "all the fish you can eat" every Friday night. A man weighing 350 pounds came into the establishment last Friday and finished off 12 pieces of fish. He ordered more. The restaurant refused to serve him more. After making a "fuss", they prepared 8 more pieces of fish for him "to go". The man still wasn't happy because he wanted more (we are now up to 20 pieces of fish). He is now picketing and harassing patrons of the restaurant as they enter or exit. The man is absolutely right. The advertising of "all you can eat" is false and misleading. But come on. After 20 pieces of fish, you aren't satisfied. My advice is to change the advertising. Dah! There appears to be a reason the man weighs 350 pounds.

Enjoy the Spring weather.

Love,

Dad

Sunday is Mother's Day. I hate the commercialism associated with Mother's Day. The assumption is that if you don't get Mom a big gift, you don't love her. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Mom that we all know and love would enjoy a phone call, a personal visit or some simple declaration of "Mom, I love you". Give her a big hug.

One of our favorite Grasshoppers got her Mom chocolate covered cherries. They are scrumptious and calorie free. Hey, didn't I just say gifts weren't necessary for Mothers Day? Chocolate covered cherries are the exception.

There is a racy book out called Fifty Shades of Grey. It is rated X. Maybe it is rated XX. It is flying off the shelves. A library in Green Bay purchases popular books and you can check them out if they are available. Apparently the library bought Fifty Shades of Grey and has now kicked off a controversy about the appropriateness of such a book because of explicit sexual passages. The library is evaluating the situation which means they don't intend to remove the book from their archives. I figured, "how damaging can one book be if it lent to one person for long periods of time"? People would get tired of being on the waiting list. The issue turns out to be bigger in magnitude. The library ordered 37 copies of the book and has a waiting list of interested readers of over 500. It sounds like the principled, christian people of the world are losing! No, I'm not on the waiting list!

Have a nice weekend.

Love,

Dad

Money is also power. Having financial independence lets you make choices. It allows you to avoid ridiculous credit card interest rates. A good credit rating (because of wise use of money) lets you borrow money at reasonable rates. If somebody sues you, you have the financial resources to higher good legal advice. Money allows you to send your kids to schools of your choice. You get the idea. Having money allows you to make choices.

But there are other powers. There is spiritual power. There is the power of being healthy. You get the idea.

Most of the powers we attain in life are a result of the governmental system we live in. The Greeks are on the path to financial ruin. Their power as a country and as citizens of Greece are almost non-existent. The French may be great lovers but their government has crossed over to extreme socialism. The next step is financial crisis. After they get done screaming at each other, they will be left with little power.

Which brings me "full circle". We live in a country where generations have fought for personal freedoms and the right to choose. As the government gets more power (and money), it becomes a force. Slowly, very slowly all our rights are slipping away. Don't let the militant minority screw up a system that works. If our system wasn't so great, why would everybody try to immigrate here.

So the ultimate power is the right to choose the system you live in. In the end, if you do not vote, you have no right to complain. Don't do that. Vote your opinion! Feel the power.

Love,

Dad

We have had a mouse or two in our house over the years. After No.1's story, I decided to check some mouse traps that I place strategically around the basement. I found one cute little black mouse in the trap in the garage near the door. He never made it into the house. I checked a second trap near the water heater. I found two more little black mice that were mired in the glue. That made a total of three. I had one more trap in the furnace room but it was empty.

I don't know the habits of mice but it seems to me that they become real active in the Spring. I had my traps set for over 6 months and never caught one single mouse. Suddenly we capture 3.

Maybe the ultimate solution is get a cat and let it prowl the basement. Of course then I'd have to deal with it throwing around the mice it caught on my bed (like No.1).

Better yet, maybe I'll rent a cat.

I thought I smelled lilacs outside this morning! Enjoy.

Love,

Dad

In January of this year I had two minor operations that removed basal cell cancer. One procedure was on the face. The second was on the shoulder. Both operations left a scar but healed really well.

I thought I was done with cancer of the skin along with any omnimous looking spots. A follow-up visit to the original operations was scheduled 90-120 days later to allegedly check the healing.

Here is my dilemma. I would really like to have the surgery inspected just to be sure that everything is okay. Because I don't trust the motive of the doctors, I envision more medical procedures during the "follow-up". More medical procedures this soon after surgery don't make sense. It all has to do with the profit motive of the doctors.

My visit bordered on ridiculous. The doctor asked me why I was there and what I was concerned about. I told him that he scheduled me to check of the earlier surgery. He is the one who did the surgery. Then I had to describe the areas of surgery. Upon inspection, the surgeries looked good but he found 2-3 more suspicious skin spots that he treated with cryosurgery (use of liquid nitrogen). He literally destroys the skin by freezing it. New skin will replace destroyed tissue. Part of my dilemma is how serious were the spots that he "worked on"? It means more money for the clinic.

The second part of the dilemma is "I'm scheduled again in 3 months for a follow-up visit for the new surgery"! Do I keep the next visit.

My advice is to be vigilant to any changes in skin spots or color. You do want professional care because of family history. The judgement you have to make is the necessity of the care and quality.

Am I going back to the doctor in 3 months? I'm darned if I don't. I'm darned if I do. It is a dilemma. Stay tuned.

Love,

Dad

Happy birthday to Grandson Dominic who celebrates No.14 on Monday. Then it is on to high school in the fall. Add 2 years and he will be driving. Add 4 years and he is off to college on a football scholarship. Add 4 more years and he will be waiting to be drafted by the NFL. Then the big money. For the time being however, attention is on how to celebrate this birthday. May all your wishes come true.

Grasshopper No.3 keeps remodeling his home. He now is adding a stone based patio to complement the enclosed patio he already has. It means more patio doors and lots of expensive flat stone for the patio. It must be nice.

Your Mom and I saw "West Side Story" at the Performing Arts Center last night. It is part of your mother's effort to culturally enrich me. The play is 55 years old. It still about Puerto Rican kids fighting white kids. People fight. People love. People die. It has a gloomy ending. It takes a long, long, 2.5 hours to tell the story.

Cover your plants or the big bad frost will get them.

Love,

Dad

I wanted to go to St. Anna for steak. It had to be on Sunday because Schwarz's restaurant is closed on Mondays. Immediate family was included.

As usual, the steaks, prime ribs and other "stuff" was really good. I made the mistake of leaving our table during the meal. Somebody ordered a birthday cake. Yup, the whole routine. Flaming candles followed by singing a sick "Happy Birthday" song. As you can imagine, I was elated. I'm still looking for the person that ordered the cake.

The cake was placed in front of me with burning candles. My instruction was to make a wish (and if I blew out all three candles, my wish would come true). I took a long, long time before I blew the candles. I had lots of thoughts. Maybe I could wish to win the lottery. Maybe I could wish for good health. As I was thinking about making a wish, Grandson Tommy was getting impatient. He wanted me to cut the damn cake. Tommy's advice was make a "wish for another wish". That meant I didn't have to think about my wish any more and I could cut the cake. I did wish for another wish. Tommy got to eat his cake. I made my new wish later that evening.

My wish had to do with my daily exercise routine. That very morning (Sunday) while I was walking, I began "wheezing" very bad, almost like an asthma attack or maybe a latent pnemonia. I admit it scared me. When I made my wish later that evening (the one that Tommy told me to delay), my choice was really simple. I didn't want my wheezing episode to be the start of something more serious. I wished to return to "walk normal". I got my wish. Tommy got his cake.

Your Mom made my birthday very special. I got two pots of home made chicken soup with dumplings (made with love) and a long, long foot rub. A special thank you goes out to my soul-mate. She is the best ever!

Love,

Dad

I'm told Dolly Pardon was seriously considering running for Congress. After deep deliberation she decided not to run. There are too many boobs in Washington D.C. already.

I got a free lunch from brother Jerry this week. Beware of family bearing gifts. Usually they want something in return. Jerry and Jane's son Joe has accepted a new job in Charlotte, N.C. and he will be moving. Joe and his wife are expecting child No.2 in 2 weeks. Joe starts his job May 14. What the hell! If you are going to relocate to a new job (opportunity), you might as well make it exciting.

Grandson Mitchell graduates from his Highpoint Middle School at the end of May. Freshman Mitchell enters Middleton High School in the Fall. His brother Grant will be a Junior. In a couple more years, Grasshopper No.2 will be home alone. I bet she is grieving already.

Grandson Dominic also graduates from middle school in a few weeks. He will become a freshman at Sheboygan North High School. He began his football strength conditioning regimen months ago. I think he could bench press "me" (160 lbs). What happened to Summer fun? Swimming. Playing. Band Concerts in the City Park. Dominic spends serious time "working out". Really?

I will spend the rest of the day huddled in a corner worrying about snow. Lakewood County north of here got 3 inches of snow last night. I guess I better not put the snowblower away yet.

Stay Warm,

Love,

Dad

There is a book that parallels the Titanic tale. The book's title is "Futility" (?) and it is about a ship called the Titan. It sails from England, hits an ice-berg and sinks. 50% of the passengers are lost in the cold water. You would think that the author would be sued for copyright infringement. The amazing part of the book "Futility" is that it was written 14 years before the Titanic made its maiden voyage. How erie is that? What forces of the spiritual world caused the book to be written before an event happened? I'm sure it all just coincidence.

Yesterday I completed a marathon saga at the dentist. Several years ago, I needed a root canal in a "back tooth". $1000. After the root canal, it was determined that a crown was required on the same tooth because there was not enough tooth structure to hold a filling. $1000. Then in January, the crown fell off the tooth. Luckily I didn't swallow the crown. It was glued back on. More dollars. In March, the crown fell off again. It was glued back on but I was for scheduled for a more reliable attachment of the crown to the tooth. More dollars. Yesterday, the tooth and crown were anchored together by a common "post" and I now have a permanent fix. More dollars. Stay tuned! I think I just described an annuity for my dentist (payments that go on forever and ever).

I spend a lot of mental energy fighting my dentist (who is really a pretty good guy). Going to my doctor is not much better. I guess the key is don't eat candy, stay away from soda with lots of sugar, eat organic foods and exercise. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Love,

Dad

I don't know if Obama wants to receive the women's vote but I would suggest some "damage control". I did notice both the President and the First Lady refuted the comment by "strategist" as being off base. Women who raise a family certainly have the toughest job of all. You can bet the Republicans will print a few clever bumper stickers about "precious moms".

Every now and then I have conversations with people about the subject of "credit scores". I usually don't care about credit scores because I'm not looking for mortgage money and a new car is not on the horizon. I am entitled (as is every consumer) to one free credit report per year. Several years ago I requested my credit report, it showed the typical stuff. A history on each credit card and major utility bills. The information was basically correct. Previously I had no "credit score" shown. You had to pay extra for the aggregate score. I checked my free report yesterday and for the first time my score was revealed. The highest score you can get is 990. How do you get one of those? Maybe Warren Buffett gets 990. What I haven't been able to find is how do they do those damn calculations. What if I make a payment 10 days late, how does that affect my score? Somebody knows the magic formula!

Yesterday I experienced my "first" of the season. I filled a propane tank with liquid, cleaned my outdoor fryer and threw a couple of brats on the grill. Damn they were good. There is something about the first freshly grilled brats of the year. Maybe it tastes so good because it is really bad for you. It has lots of grease, lots of fat and it clogs your arteries. Why do healthy foods always taste like sh--.

Easter came and went. It was nice to have "family" around.

Love,

Dad

I always felt a connection to "Uncle Bob". He was fun loving, engaging and he had the "Andrews chuckle". He reminded me of my Dad in many ways but he wasn't quite as serious in disposition. Bob was part of the City Club culture and we shared many similar stories.

First the "breaking free" part. The City Club was rich in historical significance and Bob grew up around the business. The City Club was always busy with people. Food and beverage were plentiful. As Bob grew up, he began to see a profitable business evolve. It was easy to get comfortable around the "bar". For both my Dad and Bob there was always the possibility of inheriting the business and making a life out of running the club. The truth was the business was getting old and provided limited opportunity. My Dad could never escape the clutches of the City Club but Bob was able to break free after World War II and pursue a flying career.

Now the "flying high" part. Bob got his pilot's license in 1939 at age 15. Flying was definitely a passion. His service in World War II was flying troop carriers in the Pacific. The planes were essentially twin engine DC-3s with extended fuselages. I think DC-3s were the safest planes ever built and they zoomed along at the blurring speed of 120 miles per hour.

After the World War II, commercial aviation began to experience exponential growth and the demand for pilots was strong. Bob was hired by TWA (Trans World Airlines) and built a 32 year career around flying. Believe me, it paid better than profits from food and beverage at the City Club. By the time he was forced into retirement at age 60, he was flying five story high 747's on trans-Atlantic flights from New York to Europe.

I always tried to get Bob to tell me more about his relationship with my Dad. I could never get enough. With Bob's passing, my connection with the past disappears. I will miss that along with the familiar chuckle. There was always the hint of an impish little boy. Bob always had a way of making you feel relaxed in his company.

Bob lived the American dream. He got to develop skills as a pilot at a very early age and it evolved into a life long profession. Does it get any better? I know he is in a better place and I know he has his wings.

The melancholy feeling I have tells me Robert Jack will be dearly missed.

Love,

Dad

I just read an article about a guy (single and about 35 years old) who decided to take his life savings of $370,000 and go to Las Vegas. He intended to bet every penny he had on "black or red" on the roulette wheel. He was either going to be flat broke or rich. His odds of winning were less than 50%. He bet red. They spun the wheel and set the metal ball in motion. The wheel spun and spun. Fans watched because they all knew the deal. The wheel slowed and finally stopped. The ball rested on ------- red. Yep he won. On one roll of the ball, he doubled his net worth. And then he went home!

Your Mom and I decided to tour Lambeau stadium yesterday. Our good friends, the Dyers would take visiting friends through the Packers facility for years. They always talked about it. So we went, we saw, and we left. I have to admit I was impressed. Lambeau is like a little city. You can eat. You can get married in a chapel. You can go to as many as 4 banquets at a time. You can visit the Hall of Fame. You can take a one hour tour of the stadium. Oh yeah, you can spend money in their souvenir/apparel retail outlet.

The highlight of the tour was getting to run out the Packer tunnel at the south end of the field just like the Packers do on game day. The tour guide simulates the crowd applause and noise. Once out on the field, you look up at the cheering fans and wave to them. It is pretty awesome. There is a padding surround the railings around the bottom of the stadium. This is where the Packers jump into the stands celebrating the Lambeau leap. I decided I wanted to try the leap just to prove I could do it. I stepped back. made a run at the wall and made a mighty leap. It was ugly. I think my hand touched the top of the wall and I pulled a "Hamie". I decided the "Lambeau Leap" isn't for old white guys.

Easter comes Sunday. Sunshine and celebration.

Love,

Dad

Our 52nd wedding anniversary "came and went" yesterday. We actually went to St.Anna on Sunday. In the past, I would occasionally run into my brother Jack at Schwartz's supper club. Coincidently, Jack's son Jerry was dining when we got there. I guess some tradition's get passed down to another generation.

Here is where the "perception" thing comes into play. Your Mom and I exchanged anniversary cards. Her card to me implicated that she was lucky to have such a special, stable influence in her life. That is nice but I really want to be known as the "wild thing". In the movie "Major League", Charlie Sheen is a relief pitcher for the lowly Cleveland Indians but he can throw a baseball 101 miles per hour (mph). His pitches sometimes go astray (it is scary because the batter might get hit by the wild pitch). In the movie, when they bring Charlie from the bullpen, the stadium sound system plays the song "Wild Thing - you make my heart sing". The young girls in the stadium swoon and Charlie plays the role of the "stud muffin" that he really is. I don't want to be known as boring and nice. I want to be known as the wild thing.

For those of you that remembered our anniversary, thank you! The flowers were fragrant and the cards appreciated.

Here is a special offer. Jerry (Jack's son) said he has Jack's original catchers glove from when he was a kid. Anybody who wants it, can have it. It is for sentimental reasons only because new catchers mits today are bigger, more flexible and made of softer leather. Let me know.

Love,

Dad

First, we need to put the $540 million in perspective. That is what you receive if you spread the money over 20-25 years. If you opt for a lump sum payment, you will get approximately half or $270 million. Then Uncle Sam will be standing there to get his share. After Federal and State taxes you might get $140 million. Not bad. You could live on that.

The question is "what would you do with $140 million"?

Of course I'd give it all to my kids. That would amount to $28 million to each of 5 Grasshoppers. That should be enough to allow paying off all your debts with money left over. Next my kids could quit their jobs and never have to work again. They could buy a bigger home, a bigger car (or truck), a cottage on the lake. There would be the mandatory sitting on their a--, over indulging in fine food and traveling when they were bored. Their former friends would resent them for all the excesses and privledges. Life would have to be enjoyed "alone".

Come to think of it, I'm not going to buy a ticket to Mega Millions. I would just destroy my life, the life of my kids and friends. I don't want to be responsible for that.

Besides, buying a lottery ticket is a waste of money. The odds of winning are worse than getting hit by lightning 5 times in a lifetime. Talk about throwing money to the wind.

So Grasshoppers, you can thank me when you get time for not ruining your life. "Character" comes from making money the old fashioned way - earning it.

Love,

Dad