I was reading an article tonight on CNN about "10 Good Things About High Gas Prices". The thing I keep hearing is how people are taking much more advantage of their public transit system. Whoopdee freaking doo for me.

Ok, let me say something--I live in a small midwestern town. We don't have a Metro or subway like DC and New York, and there are only about four months out of the year where we can actually ride a bike or walk to work without freezing our ass off. So, what the hell are we supposed to do in Dayton, Ohio? Oh yeah, we do have the RTA (public bus), but it completely sucks. If I want to take the RTA to work there is a stop by my house...three blocks from my house. And, I'd have to get up about two hours earlier than normal to get to work on time. I barely get enough sleep as it is, so I don't think so.

So, my only real option here is to drive to work. I consider my car rather economical, though not as economical as my last one. I have to drive. Period. I have no choice. If I need to get to work and college (which are 20 miles from each other) I have to have a car. It's that simple. I just want someone else to step up and say "This is ridiculous. I can't stop driving--it's just not feasible". I truly feel like we're heading backwards instead of forward. Maybe next week we'll be riding horse and buggies and have no electricity. Seriously, a lot of good all this new technology like the 3G iPhone and Wii and super-flat screen TV's if no one has any money or energy to power them. What is this world coming to? Shouldn't it be getting easier instead of incredibly harder?

That's my rant. Thanks for your time.

UPDATE: Interesting perspective from Glenn Beck

We hear everyday just how bad the economy is. CNN reports that everything is falling apart and we're going to be "in a recession" tomorrow. So, if everything is so bad, are people just pretending it isn't happening, or going on with their lives as normal? That's my question.

Yesterday, my wife and I went to IKEA in West Chester, Ohio--it was the most packed place I've ever been to in my life. And, people weren't just window shopping, they were buying stuff. They were buying lots of stuff! They were buying furniture, knick-knacks, all kinds of items. Additionally, everyone decided to go out to eat afterwards as well. If everyone is broke with no job, how the heck are they affording all this stuff? Is America living off their credit to buy stuff to fill their huge homes they can't pay for? Or, are things not really as bad as the media tells us and people are, for the most part, doing ok?

Somebody let me know your thoughts on the economy...what do you think?

OK, so here is a quick rant. While at home with the Chicken Pox all this week, the phone has literally rung off the hook. Most of the calls have been friends, family, etc. checking on me to make sure I am ok.

But, another certain percentage of calls have been from credit card companies, mortgage companies, AT&T, etc. So, my question is, does the do not call list not exist anymore? What's up with the calls? I've had to literally hang up on more people this week than ever before. I hate being rude, but when people invade my home with solicitation I don't take kindly to it--especially when I feel bad.

Does anyone know if there is something I need to do to make sure we don't get these calls anymore?

Lou Dobbs posted a very interesting article on CNN (find it here. I have to agree that political correctness has become completely insane in this country. Everyone is so afraid of offending one or two people, that we've given up our values and traditions and sold our very souls. Yesterday, I heard of a child who was sent home from school because his sweater said "Merry Christmas", which has "Christ" in it. How completely, utterly insane.

I am a Christian, and I dare anyone to tell me I can't express my beliefs. I will challenge anyone to tell me I can't say "Merry Christmas". I respect other religions and beliefs, and expect others to respect mine as well. If I were truly fundamental, as Dobbs says in his article, I would be upset by the use of Christmas trees (a pagan ritual symbol used in ancient times), but I am not--I embrace it as a symbol of Christmas. So, Mr. Rabbi, why don't you sue me for having a tree in my living room, and no Menorah? Or, maybe you are offended by the lights on my house? Whatever. I'm offended by your complete stupidity and lust to make a buck by suing a public institution. Wait. Shhhhhh...that's not a "PC" point of view.

The opinions expressed here are solely Lance's, and may not necessarily reflect Rhonda's. ;-)

Today is 9/11...five years after the biggest terror attack on US soil. While it's really no different than the past four anniversaries, it seems the world is taking special note of today. Things seem so different since then, but really how much has changed? The Taliban is stronger than they've ever been since 2001, we have a huge war going on in Iraq, and half the world hates us for one reason or another. We've been so fortunate as a country to not have been attacked again since then, but that by no means says "they" haven't tried. Just a few weeks ago a huge plot to blow up airliners was foiled. What we will be the next "big one?"

My life was forever changed on that day. I remember it like it happened yesterday, and I'll never forget it. This event was my generation's Pearl Harbor...our Kennedy Assassination. Never before had I been able to tell people "where I was when it happened" for any event (except maybe the Challenger Shuttle when it exploded). I can still tell you what I was doing, and almost down to the minute what I did the rest of that day--intently watched the news, prayed, called friends and family, worried if "this was it". I did briefly think for that day and the days immediately after that we were in World War III. I thought maybe the U.S. was finally done. One of the scariest things for me personally was to fly just a couple weeks after the event, and have the pilot declare to the passengers "if anything happens on this flight, you know what to do". I assume he meant do what the United 93 passengers did, and take it down into the ground. Talk about being scared to death.

Five years later, the world is still a scary place--full of terrorists, wars and rumors of wars. More terrorist attacks will happen, but who knows when or where. All we can do is continue to live our lives as normal, and pray for the Lord to keep us safe. God is the only one who controls our fate, and we must rely on Him in everything we do. To sit around and worry about an attack would be senseless, and would only hurt ourselves. So, to anyone reading this I say, live life. Enjoy yourself. Spend time with loved ones and make them a priority. The amount of time we have on this earth is limited. Spend every day as it is a gift from above.