Independence day
July 4, 2008
Independence Day – The 4th of July
This day in American history is when the people who lived in America got tired of being a colony of England. They were tired of being ruled by a king and the parliament counsel that would raise taxes on the people and yet allow the Americans to have no say in the government.
This is from Wikipedia:
In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Many Americans remained loyal to the King of England and many wanted to be free of England. They wanted to keep their own tax money and guide their own lives. England at the time had many colonies and a large navy that ruled the seas. It took many years of war for England to tire of battle and the loss of many men and at tremendous cost to finally give in and give up on trying to keep America under English rule. In the war of 1812 England again tried to retake the USA and burned the capitol in Washington. They failed to retake the USA and we remain somewhat free to this day...
Tags: independence day
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July 4th 2008 - George's war
July 4, 2008
George W's War
No one likes war. War is a horrific affair, bloody and expensive. Sending our men and women into battle to perhaps die or be maimed is an unconscionable thought. Yet some wars need to be waged, and someone needs to lead. The citizenry and Congress are often ambivalent or largely opposed to any given war. It's up to our leader to convince them. That's one of the reasons we call the leader "Commander in Chief." George W.'s war was no different.
There was lots of resistance to it. Many in Congress were vehemently
against the idea. The Commander in Chief had to lobby for legislative
approval. Along with supporters, George W. used the force of his
convictions, the power of his title and every ounce of moral persuasion he could muster to rally support. He had to assure Congress and the public that the war was morally justified, winnable and affordable. Congress eventually came around and voted overwhelmingly to wage war.
George W. then lobbied foreign governments for support. But in the end, only one European nation helped us. The rest of the world sat on its hands and watched. After a few quick victories, things started to go bad. There were many dark days when all the news was discouraging. Casualties began to mount. It became obvious that our forces were too small. Congress began to drag its feet about funding the effort. Many who had voted to support the war just a few years earlier were beginning to speak against it and accuse the Commander in Chief of misleading them.
Many critics began to call him incompetent, an idiot and even a liar. Journalists joined the negative chorus with a vengeance. As the war entered its fourth year, the public began to grow weary of the conflict and the casualties. George W.'s popularity plummeted. Yet through it all, he stood firm, supporting the troops and endorsing the struggle. Without his unwavering support, the war would have surely ended, then and there, in overwhelming and total defeat.
At this darkest of times, he began to make some changes.
More troops were added and trained.
Some advisers were shuffled, and new generals installed. Then, unexpectedly and gradually, things began to improve.
Now it was the enemy that appeared to be growing weary of the lengthy conflict and losing support.
Victories began to come, and hope returned.
Many critics in Congress and the press said the improvements were just George W.'s good luck.
The progress, they said, would be temporary. He knew, however, that
in warfare good fortune counts. Then, in the unlikeliest of circumstances and perhaps the most historic example of military luck, the enemy blundered and was resoundingly defeated. After six long years of war, the Commander in Chief basked in a most hard-fought victory.
So on that historic day, Oct. 19, 1781, in a place called Yorktown, a
satisfied George Washington sat upon his beautiful white horse and accepted the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin, www.grif.net
"Jesus knows me, this I love"
Tags: july 4 - george w war
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Posted at: 04:35 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
Inflation, money and marriage
June 7, 2008
Hello,
This is an article I wrote for a college business class. You may find it relevant for marriages as most marriages split up over money and this is a major cause of problems with money.
Hyperinflation
By Robert Walker
Business Math
Hyperinflation is inflation growing at a very high rate in a very short time Hyperinflation: In the field of economics, the term hyperinflation is considered inflation that is beyond control. This condition is marked in which prices of goods and services increase rapidly as the currency or money loses value. Definitions vary by economists from a cumulative inflation rate over three years approaching 100% to "inflation exceeding 50% a month." hyperinflation is often reported for much shorter intervals, often per month. In extreme conditions inflation can be measured on a daily basis. The definition used by most economists is "an inflationary cycle without any tendency toward equilibrium." The cause of hyperinflation is the subject of a great deal of debate. When governments create a drastic increase in the supply of money for example by the overprinting of paper money with no backing by gold or silver and/or by a drastic debasement of coinage you will often see hyperinflation. Debasement of coins comes when you replace coins of precious metals, like gold and silver, with common base metals, like our dimes and quarters. This extreme economic condition is most often associated with wars or their aftermath, depressions, and political and/or social instability.
Root causes of hyperinflation:
The generally accepted main cause of hyperinflation is a extreme influx of valueless paper money or base coins, which is not supported by an increase in growth in the output of goods and/or services. The oversupply of paper money with no backing of intrinsic value, like goold or silver causes massive inflation with a complete loss of confidence in the money, like paper money which lacks intrinsic value. Intrinsic value is the value of the metal, typically a precious metal, in a coin. For example, if gold trades at a price of $886 per ounce then a coin minted from one troy ounce of fine gold would have an intrinsic value of $886. This value of gold was taken on May 31, 2008. In May of 1970 the price of gold was $35 a troy ounce. In May of 1980 the price of gold was $500 an ounce. In May of 1990 the price of gold was about $370 an ounce. If the governmental financial entity responsible for the printing of a currency allows excessive money printing andn there is no incremental increase in goods and / or services then hyperinflation usually occurs.
Hyperinflation is virtually always associated with paper currency becoming worthless. A run on paper money will usually followed...
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