Entries for September 2009

There is no better place to spend your winters than Tucson, Arizona...unless you dislike blue skies and sunshine ["America's Best Affordable Places to Retire," usnews.com]! There are great 55 plus communities that are affordable, the weather is spectacular, and the Sonoran Desert is beautiful. Whether you want to hike, golf, shop, bike ride, walk it is a wonderful place to be an active adult. The people are very vibrant in their senior years...this is not your typical Florida retirement atmosphere. Check out Dove Mountain on the Northwest side of Tucson, a very special place.

Comment by Laurie of AZ

I guess I am cynical, but I believe the political parties and affiliations promote their favorites, dead or alive in order to further their agendas.

Clyde of IN in response to Peter Roff:
The Politicization of Death

I'm not sure asking how much time we have for an interview is a good idea ["What to Do if Your Job Interviewer is Incompetent," usnews.com]. It puts the interviewer on the defensive; it forces her to tip her hand. The interviewer is no longer able to cut the interview short if the interviewee clearly is not the right fit. Worse, it is an almost obvious grab for control of the interview. Everything else though is right on. The interviewee can, and should, direct the interview, at least in part. This is especially true if the interviewer is incompetent, but should be true even if the interviewer is stellar. There are two reasons for this. First, at an interview, there are two interviews going on; the company is interviewing the candidate, and the candidate is interviewing the company. Second, at an interview, we are in "marketing mode." As any good marketer would do, we need to be the ones in charge of telling our story.

Comment by Bill G. of WI

Should Chicago win the [Olympic] bid, I will always wonder if it was because it was the better choice or because a political figure forced the issue.

Marco Cano of TX in response to Public Opinion:
Obama as Olympic Booster?

Freemasonry is just a men's fraternity with some not so secret, secrets ["Share Your Thoughts on the Freemasons," usnews.com]. Any average net researcher can find all there is to know about the Masonic secrets. I myself took an oath called an obligation not to reveal this information, not because it's secretive in and of itself, but because the act of honoring an oath builds character. By the way, the Masonic credo is "Making Good Men Better." There is no place for corrupt, evil men in this organization.

Comment by Mike W. of OH

[People] root for their [political] party like their sports teams—they just want to win; it makes them feel good, if only for a few days.

Rich of CO in response to Doug Heye:
Dems Aren't Living Up to Campaign Promise

There is a new demographic category on the American landscape—the category of Secular Americans ["4 Ways the 'No Religion' Boom Will Alter American Politics," usnews.com]. These folks are humanists, atheists, agnostics, or just plain nonreligious, and they are good, decent taxpaying citizens who demand that their views no longer be scorned and dismissed. Secular Americans once felt that they needed to be "in the closet" about their religious views. But now, by being open, they have created a new demographic category that will indeed change America for the better.

Comment by Dan of MA

It's a heartbreaking, frustrating, expensive cycle. Forcing everyone, users and non-users alike, to pony up more money is not going to get any more people off drugs.

Max of VA in response to Washington Whispers:
This Bud (Tax) Is for You

By extending this credit, it would give a lot more people an opportunity to utilize it ["Will the $8,000 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Be Extended?" usnews.com]. My husband and I have been saving for our down payment on a house when we had to move my sister and her two children in with us, so money is very tight right now. But we are so close to having the full down payment. We expect to have all of it by January, which doesn't help us at all with the first time tax credit. Please extend this wonderful gift to allow more Americans to purchase our first home!

Comment by Lindsay of KS

Although I'm all for ending U.S. interventionism, we're so far into it as a main feature of our foreign policy that there can be no abrupt end to it [in Afghanistan] without ugly consequences.

Ron W. Smith of UT in response to Public Opinion:
Should We Send More Troops?