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We all know that there are not a lot of jobs in the private sector right now. But did you know the losses in the public sector started in 1999? This is the sector that we were told was thriving under the Bush administration, but the truth is the private sector had a net loss of 223,000 jobs. Since the population grew by 33.5 million, then the net growth for jobs was all due to the growth in government. Where were the Republicans and the Libertarians during this time in our history? Are they not the ones who taught low growth in government and a balanced budget?

For those of us who have trusted these politicians, where do we go now? If it is true that we can predict the future by looking at the past then the past behavior of those who were supposedly watching the money as well as the growth, there is no where to go. The only conclusion is one of disgust. Neither side really cares as they simply spend the money we send to them differently. What is clear is they each have an agenda and both will drain us dry. So the truth about jobs is they aren’t coming back soon. So grow up and start a company, that’s the only way you can make money, at least for now.

I went down to my local hardware store and thumbed through several magazines that detailed the work involved in adding a water feature to your yard. I felt that I had enough building experience to tackle this type of job but had a hard time finding the right design that I had envisioned. So I took a trip to the local library and looked through several other books and publications trying to find what I was looking for.

After about two weeks of exploring everything I could get my hands on, it became all to clear that I was not going to find what I wanted so I started drawing it out on paper. Once my wife saw my chicken scratch notes, she handed me a piece of paper with a ladies name on it and told me to call her. Come to find out my wife knew of a company that specialized in water features in Nashville, Tennessee; not only installing them but designing them as well. I made the call, set up the appointment and found out that this is what I should have done from the very beginning! I got exactly what I wanted at an affordable price and they gave me the option of installing it myself or them doing the installation. I opted to go ahead and let them do everything and could not be happier!

Over the last two years I have had to get in touch with my body because of medical reasons. One of the things I have had to do is go to a more natural foods diet. You may think that I am one of those anti everything nut jobs that rant and rave about how industries screw the public over and do crazy things to grow the bottom line, but I’m not. I am all for commerce and capitalism. But I have done a little research and I do have some questions I would like to have answered.

I come from a farming family and at no time did we ever feed cow parts to the chickens. So how come modern day chicken feed has ground up cow bones and other unnatural to chickens substances in it? Why are we feeding cows corn? Have you ever seen a cow out in a corn field? No, you won’t either as they eat grass. Why do we allow so many ingredients like corn syrup into our foods that have no nutritional value yet the caloric intake is incredibly high? We punish people medically (try to get health insurance if you’re obese) as well as socially yet put out foods that get children addicted at an early age to these kinds of foods. I have just two more questions; is anyone listening? Does anyone care?

There are many great things to do on Labor Day. Here are just a few of the choices we have in and around our area that maybe available in your as well.

• If there is a parade in your town, take the family to the parade and enjoy being outside for part of the day.
• Have a family and friends picnic even if it’s in your own backyard. There is nothing like hot dogs and hamburgers right off the grill to celebrate the American worker.
• Go to the local swimming pool. Labor Day is the last day that many community pools are open and it may be the last chance to sit out in the sun and enjoy the pool one more time before it closes up for the year.
• Go to the lake. If you do or don’t have a boat, the lake is always a wonderful place to be during the Labor Day holiday. Pack a lunch and just enjoy the slow pace of the day.
• If it’s raining, go to a movie. Many of us stay home and rent or buy movies and never go out to the theatre. If the weather is bad and dreary, find a movie the entire family can enjoy and make a day of it at the movie theatre.

I’m sure you have some other ideas as well, just remember to have a great Labor Day no matter what you decide to do!

Growing up I was told that you should pay your debts on-time until completely paid off. Debt in our house was treated like a God that had to be fed first; before dad put food on the table; before mother could buy us any school clothes and; way before we could ever go out to eat or to a movie. My family worshiped the bank who held our mortgage, the credit card companies who took care of Christmas and the finance companies that held the note on the cars my parents drove. Paying them every month was the most important thing my dad did and he never let us forget about it.

So I grew up with a very warped image of what was really important and it’s taken me many years to reverse that thinking into a more moderate and compassionate response. I’m sure my creditors would not agree but they are no longer what are most important. That is not to say that I don’t think they should get paid back. I just feel it’s more important to live within my means so I don’t have to pay them every month, especially credit cards. Listening to Doug Johnson at relieveyourdebt.com has helped. Doug is one of the most knowledgeable people I know when it comes to dealing with your credit and I have benefited from his advice big time!

I am sure that everyone has their own top 5 movies of all times but I have listened to a lot of people over the last few years and have found that these movies tend to be on many top lists of all ages. The first is “The Shawshank Redemption” with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman; a must see for sure. “Shindler’s List” with Liam Neeson is one of the most gripping movies you will see about the Jews plight during WWII.

While these are dramas, a surprising comedy is Monty Python’s “Holy Grail” featuring one of Great Britain’s greatest exports the Monty Python cast. A not so surprising comedy is “The Princess Bride” that still gets laughs today from all ages. (I just witnessed this at a family function several months ago and thought about how many people had this one on their list.) It was directed by Rob Reiner and featured Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Andre the Giant, Robin Wright Penn, Peter Faulk and great cameos by Billy Crystal and Carol Kane. The Richard Gere, Julia Roberts film, “Pretty Woman”, rounds out the five on this list. Again, these are the top five I hear time and time again on people’s lists when I ask them what top 5 movies you would recommend I see.