37 Years Later

My sister just sent these to me. The first was Christmas 75 — the first year after I returned home from my Military service — and the second last week at a Mexican Restaurant that we were slamming Margaritas at. She’s obviously aged much better than I have.

Movin to Texas

Keats “vote with their feet and wallets” and leave for Texas

Former State Senator and Republican Cook County Board President candidate Roger Keats and his wife Tina are leaving Illinois to live in Texas. They bid farewell to their Illinois friends in a Wilmette Beacon article and with this letter this weekend, saying they’re “voting with their feet and their wallets”:

GOOD BYE AND GOOD LUCK

As we leave Illinois for good, I wanted to say goodbye to my friends and wish all of you well. I am a lifelong son of the heartland and proud of it. After 60 years, I leave Illinois with a heavy heart. BUT enough is enough! The leaders of Illinois refuse to see we can’t continue going in the direction we are and expect people who have options to stay here. I remember when Illinois had 25 congressmen. In 2012 we will have 18. Compared to the rest of the country we have lost 1/4rd of our population. Don’t blame the weather, because I love 4 seasons.

Illinois just sold still more bonds and our credit rating is so bad we pay higher interest rates than junk bonds! Junk Bonds! Illinois is ranked 50th for fiscal policy; 47th in job creation; 1st in unfunded pension liabilities; 2nd largest budget deficit; 1st in failing schools; 1st in bonded indebtedness; highest sales tax in the nation; most judges indicted (Operations Greylord and Gambat); and 5 of our last 9 elected governors have been indicted. That is more than the other 49 states added together! Then add 32 Chicago Aldermen and (according to the Chicago Tribune) over 1000 state and municipal employees indicted. The corruption tax is a real cost of doing business. We are the butt of jokes for stand up comics.

We live in the most corrupt big city, in the most corrupt big county in the most corrupt state in America. I am sick and tired of subsidizing crooks. A day rarely passes without an article about the corruption and incompetence. Chicago even got caught rigging the tests to hire police and fire! Our Crook County CORPORATE property tax system is intentionally corrupt. The Democrat State Chairman who is also the Speaker of the Illinois House and the most senior alderman in Chicago each make well over a million dollars a year putting the fix in for their client’s tax assessments.

We are moving to Texas where there is no income tax while Illinois’ just went up 67%. Texas’ sales tax is ½ of ours, which is the highest in the nation. Southern states are supportive of job producers, tax payers and folks who offer opportunities to their residents. Illinois shakes them down for every penny that can be extorted from them.

In The Hill Country of Texas (near Austin and San Antonio) we bought a gracious home on almost 2 acres with a swimming pool. It is new, will cost us around 40% of what our home in Wilmette just sold for and the property taxes are 1/3rd of what they are here. Crook County’s property tax system is a disaster: Wilmette homes near ours sell for 50% more and their property taxes are ½ of ours. Our assessed home value was 50% higher than the sales price. The system is unfair and incompetent.

Our home value is down 40%, our property taxes are up 20% and our local schools have still another referendum on the ballot to increase taxes over 20% in one year. I could go on, but enough is enough. I feel as if we are standing on the deck of the Titanic and I can see the icebergs right in front of us. I will miss our friends a great deal. I have called Illinois home for essentially my entire life. But it is time to go where there is honest, competent and cost effective government. We have chosen to vote with our feet and our wallets. My best to all of you and Good luck!

Isn’t Chicago where Obama, Valarie Jarrett, Rahm, Hillary, and virtually all of the other thugs Obama appointed from?

World’s Most Valuable Mopar

1970 Dodge Diamante Show Car

Image:Diamante1.jpg

Background

Mopar Action Magazine calls the Diamante Show Car the "Most Valuable Mopar on the Planet" in their August 2012 (Volume 19 Number 5) issue. Most of the information in this Wiki was gleaned from that magazine article. It began life as a Dodge Challenger, the first Hemi E-Body ever built. It was the most highly optioned Challenger ever built, and originally a triple black 4-speed convertible.

 History

On the first day of production of the Mopar E-Body, the most highly optioned Hemi was painted black, given the VIN of JS27ROB100022, and then pulled of the line to become a show car. It was a 4.10 Dana car with power windows and adding to its firsts — it was the first production Mopar with a Shaker Hood. However, it wasn't originally built as the Diamante.

MORE…

Where are they now

Where are Jim, Tim and Franklin now?

Here’s a quick look into the three former Fannie Mae executives who
brought down Wall Street.

Franklin Raines - was a Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Fannie Mae.
Raines was forced to retire from his position with Fannie Mae when
auditing discovered severe irregularities in Fannie Mae’s accounting
activities. Raines left with a “golden parachute valued at $240 Million in
benefits. The Government filed suit against Raines when the depth of the
accounting scandal became clear.

Tim Howard - was the Chief Financial Officer of Fannie Mae. Howard “was a
strong internal proponent of using accounting strategies that would ensure
a “stable pattern of earnings” at Fannie. Investigations by federal
regulators and the company’s board of directors since concluded that
management did manipulate 1998 earnings to trigger bonuses. Raines and
Howard resigned under pressure in late 2004. Howard’s Golden Parachute was
estimated at $20 Million!

Jim Johnson - A former executive at Lehman Brothers and who was later
forced from his position as Fannie Mae CEO. Investigators found that
Fannie Mae had hidden a substantial amount of Johnson’s 1998 compensation
from the public, reporting that it was between $6 million and $7 million
when it fact it was $21 million.” Johnson is currently under investigation
for taking illegal loans from Countrywide while serving as CEO of Fannie
Mae. Johnson’s Golden Parachute was estimated at $28 Million.

*****************************************************************************************
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

FRANKLIN RAINES?
Raines works for the Obama Campaign as his Chief Economic Advisor.

TIM HOWARD?
Howard is a Chief Economic Adviser to Obama under Franklin Raines.

JIM JOHNSON?
Johnson was hired as a Senior Obama Finance Adviser and was selected to
run Obama’s Vice Presidential Search Committee.

Kinda makes you sick to your stomach.
Our government seems to be rotten to the core !
Are we stupid or what?

Texas Motorcycle Club

Texas Motorcycle Club | Facebook

This is a brand new page dedicated to Texans who own and ride their Cruiser or Touring Motorcycles.

The goal is to have open discussions on Motorcycle friendly topics. Vendors and Dealers, Routes and Tours, Campgrounds and Motels, Bars and Ice Houses — anything friendly to the enjoyment of Cruisers and Tourers.

This community is open to both Metric and American Cruisers and Tourers, Men and Women, Weekend or Lifestyle, and all races of Texans who ride their Cruisers and Tourers. Those having a problem with any of that have found the wrong page.

We ask Texan riders to click LIKE at the top of the PAGE, and to forward this information to their Texan friends who ride. The more who participate — the better it will be for all Texan Rides.

Race Track Web Sites

Sample Race Track Web Site

Dave Schultz and DDS Enterprises, Inc. have been designing web sites since 1994. Today we've created a new web site at www.SampleRaceTrackWebSite.com to give race tracks looking to upgrade their site an idea of what DDS can do for them quickly, and inexpensively.

If you know of a race track who has a web site that could use a major redesign, roll them a bone and point them to the Facebook Page or the web site.

 

Facebook Pages

I have various pages on Facebook to help promote the sites through interaction with Facebook. Looking for Facebook to bring visitors to the sites, and sites to bring visitors to the Facebook pages.

The below are a list of the pages. Check the out — and roll them a bone by clicking LIKE

Weekend Hill Country Excursion (2-Day)

This is a very pleasant approximately 500 mile trip takes 2-days. Day 1 has plenty of scenic stops, lunch in San Marcos, and overnight camping in Luckenback, Texas. The return trip has us riding through the center of the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, lunch in Giddings, and some of the most beautiful wild flowers (in the Spring). The roads are good, lightly traveled, no Interstates, lightly policed, and have a great combinations of scenic hills and twisty fun.

We leave at meet at 9:00 Saturday, leave at approximately 9:15, and return at approximately 4:30 Sunday.

Ice Cold bottled water provided at rest breaks.

Saturday evening cookout provided. Beer, wine, Texas Hill Country music, lawn chairs, firewood, and generator power (to charge cell phones and those needing to power a CPAP to sleep) for Saturday night provided. Tents on water proof ground cloths provided, set up, and torn down. Camping and showers fees included.

Chase truck and trailer follows group to carry gear, food and cold drinks, and emergency towing if required.

Strictly limited to 10 motorcycles – book early to reserve your opportunity for this great weekend excursion.

You need to bring your sleeping bag, an overnight bag with your clothes and toiletries, and cooler with your personal food if you have special food or drink needs (you can use our grill). All of this will be carried in the trailer.

Details: Hill Country – 2-Day | Texas Motorcycle Excursions

Enjoy the Ride – We Do the Work

Texas Motorcycle Excursions offers well planned and enjoyable 1-Day to 4-Day excursions that allow you to enjoy that ride while we handle the details.

  • We’ve rode thousands of miles in Texas to come up with the beautiful less known routes with scenic stops, which stay off the Interstates. Safety, comfort, and beautiful scenery are our main goals.
  • We provide a chase truck pulling a 24′ enclosed trailer to follow behind the group for carrying all of the riders’ and camping gear, food and refreshment, tools and cleaning supplies, and emergency trailering capabilities. You don’t have to be loaded down, compromise with what you bring for the excursion, or concern yourself with being stranding away from home.
  • We arrange for the food, refreshment, entertainment, and lodging.
  • We limit the number of motorcycles for a more relaxing experience.

Book Now. Since we represent the best value (cost vs. pleasure) on our excursions, limit the number of motorcycles, and because most of the excursions are of a seasonal theme — they fill up quick.