The Most Amazing Random Act of Culture

I think this speaks for itself. My prayer is that more of these will bring us all closer together.

Diligent Hands, Gracious Hearts

That won't be the last time you will hear that phrase within this blog. It is the name of the non-profit organization that has come to our rescue! Work has begun here on renovations that will positively impact not only Ben's livelihood and health but our living situation as a whole. There are many folks out there that I really want to go ahead and thank, give props to, bequest wonderful accolades to, etc.  the problem is that I don't know exactly who many of them are at the moment.

As things move forward I really want to make our readers aware of some of the really, really good people who have wanted to help us all along but just didn't know how to. We also want to document this event so that we provide hope for other families here in the upstate of South Carolina and perhaps give other organizations in other states ideas on how to help meet the needs of those who need it. In a very strange but very cool way, this has become something of a massive art project! All of us involved are in the process of learning at the moment and essentially this could serve as a model for future families in our situation...but for now, allow us to let you see Ben's new wheelchair ramp!!!

This is Ben's first trip down his ramp! He goes to school three days a week via a bus and I was able to capture this moment early morning this past Friday. The railings have now been added so it not only meets our needs but construction codes as well!

Cat's Cradle

A little over a week ago I made this entry here. The article also appeared as my monthly column over at Hopeful Parents, a gathering place for those of us parenting under special circumstances and those that love and support us.

From the beginning I realized that I had touched upon a tender and most likely a very painful subject due to two e-mails I received almost immediately after the post went live. What was weird is that there were virtually zero comments left by readers at the two websites. Even after my Facebook page picked up the article (not once but actually three times) there was absolutely nothing left in response...until the following arrived in my private messages. 

Cat McCauley Labbe is a friend of mine from a few years back. In fact other than rekindling our friendship via Facebook we havne't laid eyes on each other since high school. Over the past year or so we have discovered many things about each other including the fact that we have (and still do) walk an almost identical path. After reading her thoughts I knew why there was so much silence.

I just read your beautiful post, Bennie, very heartfelt, and very true, as we have lived it firsthand. The only tidbit of knowledge I can add for you, and it is a tidbit...is that there is indeed a summit on Mt. Neverest. Everyone's is different, a different time and place on the climb, but trust me fully when I tell you that when you lay down your equipment, when the climb has gone as far as it can go, you will look back on the journey of a lifetime; one that very few familes are chosen to ever get to take.

Would you go if you knew what was ahead? Hell no! You'd be insane! You go because you are called and someone upstairs knows you can manage the climb. I hope you and Joan never have to lay down your equipment but even without the early loss of a special child, inevitably, the two of you will get older and unable to do as much as you do for Ben right now. So either way the journey will come to an end one day.

When it does, in spite of the heartbreak, crazy grief, helpless feelings, angry feelings....and they will all be there, you will also feel a since of accomplishment that no other life experience can or ever will give you. You will know that you did all you could do to make this very special life that Jesus Christ chose you and your wife to guide, protect, love, and nurture, has had a joyfull journey filled with unconditional love and acceptance. You will wonder what to do with yourselves and this was the point that we almost lost our 26 year marriage. What do we do now? We were lost.

After much prayer and contemplation and feeling like a failure, I realized that we had not failed at all. We took the climb. We gave it our all. We fell. We got hurt. We got banged up but we kept getting back up and going forward on the next leg of the hike. When you have fulfilled God's destiny for you to the best of your ability, and have accepted God's will for your precious child (whatever that may be) you will look back and know that you did indeed reach the summit - one that very few ever get to see because only a few are called by Him to see it. Those of us who have been called, are the luckiest parents in the world.

We spent ten years as virtual shut-ins too but the life lessons, the strength in adversity, the laughter, and the love that Eli graced us with for 16 years turned out to be the ultimate summit in life. Looking back on it now, I'd climb down and do it all over again. 

My advice? Accept help - don't be ashamed to ask for help...after all, you can't expect to hog the whole blessing! I haven't seen you in years, but I LOVE YOU, and I mean that. I feel every word you write to the marrow of my bones. Ben's smile reminds me so much of Elijah. Eight years ago I would have sobbed seeing his picture. Now I am able to smile with him because I know that with a strong family, which he obviously has in abundance, his story will have a happy ending no matter what God intends that to be.

A Father's Reflection

I've had a good bit of time this week - probably way too much - to think about being father. We celebrated Fathers Day this past Sunday and I really wanted to blog about some of the good thoughts I had a few days ago; one of the few times I've been home on that particular date in recent years.

And even though as a family we've recently hit another rough patch in the Road of Life, I cannot take my mind off of a dear friend of ours who came by last Saturday to help me with an electrical problem. David tragically lost his eldest child last year.

When you are a young (younger in our case) married couple the idea of having children is somewhat an after thought. Obviously that is a goal for most couples but in this day and age other achievements like career, paying off college debt, saving money or home-buying take precedence. For most of us it isn't until we are staring at a tiny heartbeat on an ultrasound screen that the gravity of parenting becomes real. For someone who admittedly has never really "grown up" the thought of making certain another human being is fed, bathed , clothed, diapered, healthy, happy, and whole is still difficult to wrap my little brain around.

For those of us who have the privilege to go the extra distance of ensuring that human's little heart continues to beat and lungs take the next breath that particular weight sometimes becomes so great that it is difficult to believe you're not actually wearing concrete flippers in the the deep end of the pool.

And even though exceptional parenting continues to send wave after wave of crushing disappointments and hardships I wouldn't trade it for the world. I can honestly say that fathering Ben and Jessie Waddell have been the two greatest, most rewarding accomplishments I will ever achieve.

Bubbles

Achieving childhood goals for Jessie was a piece of cake. Untypically she was very fast in reaching them too: crawling around 6 months, walking at one year, reading before she reached kindergarten, and so on. Even her school teachers through the years have been impressed with how well and quickly she catches on to topics and ideas. It doesn't mean she's any smarter than her peers or we have some budding Einstein on our hands (spending an evening studying for a science or math test would nip that idea in the bud) but most likely has to do with her extreme determination and will to succeed.

Ben obviously has that same gene hidden amongst the non-typical ones in his body. The sheer fact that he's even alive is proof of that. Those who spend the most time around him see it and see it as vividly as one of the colors jumping off a painting of mine. There's a huge difference though between our children in the way we perceive their achieved goals. We can tell you where we were, what we were doing, who we were with, and the exact age Jessie reached one them. With Ben it's almost like being in a laboratory at times - observing the specimen, charting whether the goal has been repeated, making sure the conditions are similar, and even recognizing if he acknowledges his accomplishment.

Many times we've missed that "first" opportunity to actually see him growing into the big boy he is becoming but this summer we've been able to catch a few of them. Today he blew bubbles.

Barbara, his speech therapist has been working with him since spring to shape his mouth just so, to put just enough pressure through his lips, and place his tongue in the right position with the end result of having soapy water become floating bubbles via a hole at the end of a plastic wand. Because I was on the phone today at that time I was able to see it twice. Nurse Stacey saw it three more times. You'd have thought he'd gotten straight "A"s on his most recent report card had you seen our faces in the van coming home.

So Ben can't hit a baseball or catch a football...yet. But we have bubbles!

Anthem of Love

I need to thank my PKS sister, Gretchen Peters, for sharing a link with Facebook this morning. Before you go and visit this blogger understand that it is a homily written for tomorrow's service at an Anglican church. And before you decide to not visit let me challenge each of my readers to cast aside their own spiritual beliefs (or non-beliefs) for the moment. The message written by this Catholic deacon is a brilliant piece about how those of us living with exceptional loved ones should feel. The very sad fact is that many of us experience the opposite: isolation, loneliness, and abandonment and not just that occasional case of the blues. We know way too many families who find themselves emotionally and physically (completely) defeated by special needs living.

The author's revelation is simple: none of us were ever meant to walk this journey alone knowing how difficult our paths will be. This is particularly true for those of us parenting a special needs child or those who have a disability of their own. As he points out Love "does not exist in a vacuum."

Now go and visit the deacon's blog and be sure to watch the video. This is a story of triumph - story that bears repeating over and over again. You never know when one simple gesture (in this case 36,000 simple gestures) will change someone's life.

Attitude Adjustment

If you've been following me along on Twitter or Facebook you'll already know that for the first time this year I didn't make expenses. My streak of profitable shows has ended as I knew it would at some point. That's just the nature of the work I choose to do. And since you are reading this blog you'll also know that we still disparately need for me to make a profit at my shows, particularly given the fact that I'll have three weekends off after the trip to Roanoke, Virginia later this week.

A little over a month ago this combination of information could've been cause for a major meltdown. Regardless of the lack of income bills are still showing up in the mailbox. The good news is that payday for Joan takes place in two more days so we can breathe a little easier. Despite knowing that the past few days have been just fine. In fact they've been more than fine; they've been outstanding! You see I've had a small epiphany recently - call it a dose of my own medicine.

A few weeks ago the ladies at BlogHer Backtalk asked me to do a short blurb about advice I'd give to a parent just beginning the jouney of exceptional parenting (hence my discovery of the little webcam thingy on Ben's computer). After watching the piece it dawned on me just how much I was ignoring my own words. In fact it was quite sobering.

The first photo is of our new little friend. Shelly is an Eastern Box Turtle which I rescued Monday morning on my way home. She was slowly making her way across Highway 76 in the northern Georgia mountains and was about to meet the fate that many female box turtles encounter this time of year as they return to their own birth home to lay eggs. For the record Shelly is a temporary guest - in fact after school Jessie and I will be sending her back into the wild this afternoon.

It has been interesting getting to know Shelly. Joan and I have always used opportunities like this to teach the kids about nature and the very cool critters that are our neighbors (including the giant black snake who has returned to live under our deck). Ironically it has been me to whom Shelly has had the most to say.

Getting me to slow down is like telling Jeff Gordan to hop in the Dupont Hendrick Pepsi Frito-Lay Quaker State National Guard Tylenol Chevrolet and turn a few laps at Daytona behind a horse and buggy. It very likely isn't going to happen. Just ask Joan who has watched me for 16 years get distracted by shiny objects, funny sounds, sharp objects, things that catch on fire, and those odd neighborly critters. But living with a child like Ben one has absolutely no choice but to slow things down if only to grasp the always changing situation at hand.

My new friend Shelly has very clearly reminded me of that advice I uploaded to BlogHer. Take things one day at a time - try to concentrate on the moment in front of you. Otherwise life becomes too overwhelming and you'll end up defeated before the green flag waves. I shouldn't think about next month's bills because June isn't here. I can't think about Ben's school therapy plan because the summer vacation hasn't even begun. Don't fret over some boy fawning over Jessie because I own several guns. The point is that I am at my all-time worst when I'm looking at the big picture too long.

Shelly's pretty cool with that advice because she's more worried about just getting across that road in one piece. Then it's time to figure out what's for dinner. After that maybe she'll think about where to close up shell for the night.

And after our reptile friend has moved on when I need some advice about slowing down I'll turn to my son for that encouragement. Even after almost a decade living with an exceptional son I always find it amazing how much I'm still learning from a kid whose vocabularly consists of about 2 dozen words.

PS: Lisa wins the "Name that Corn" contest! You'll have to drop by some time to pick up that print! Jess and Mikaela I need mailing addresses for you gals. E-mail me at benwaddell@bellsouth.net with the info. Because of traveling the next two weeks it may be the second week of June before I can get the notecards out to you. Thanks to everyone for all the votes and humorous entries!

Our New Store is Now Open!

Thanks to the folks at 1000Markets.com for providing space for us to sell our artwork! All of us our truly excited to finally get this much needed space off the ground. To check out the latest of merchandise we have to offer all you need to do is click on the image of Ben's paint-speckled hand at the top left of the blog.

Since starting the blog we've experimented with several sites including E-Bay that used a bidding process to purchase items. While having some success with each of them none really fit what we truly wanted to create which was our very own store without starting an entirely new web site. This situation turned out perfect and definitely fits the budget!

Please take a look around at SoulShine Studio. I know we have very limited products listed at the moment but those should increase a great deal in the coming days and weeks. I'll be adding a greeting with pictures of me, Ben, and my mom working on artwork very soon. We'd also like to hear suggestions or ideas from our readers as well.

By the way, I will be doing my monthly blog post at Hopeful Parents tomorrow. Be sure to come back by to check that out. Have fun and colorful weekend!

The Clash

Even though I love the band this entry is more or less our own version of "should I stay or should I go." Let's just say the Waddell Casbah has been rocked (I much prefer to "rock the cash bar" as my frat brothers used to say). That little transition of Jessie's from little girl to "tween" has now officially happened.

This all began yesterday afternoon when Jessie informed us that she had been invited to go to the mall this evening with some girl friends from school....with only one parent....who would not be with them 100 percent of the time. Friday night. The thirteenth. The mall. Where hoodlums (read: teenage boys) hang out. My daughter. Practically alone.

My first instinct besides handcuffing her to the chair she was sitting in was to say absolutely 100 percent without a shadow of a doubt no way, no how, never, never , never in your wildest dream. Joan? I wonder what in the hell happened to the mother that always carried The Accessory (otherwise known as Jessie) around whenever she went shopping never letting the child out of her sight (hence the nickname). This is the very same woman who frets over Ben getting into any body of water with me including the bathtub. And once she nearly put a feline we had at the time into orbit when she discovered it in Jessie's crib.

Her words: "I think it'll be okay." Let's just say a train in vain left the station and there was no opportunity for a clampdown.

As it turns out it this was much ado about nothing. Jessie is at the mall as I type this and should return home before dark. Though it's not truly a "give 'em enough rope" situation we've reached that point where we have to start the process of letting our daughter prove her maturity and this is the first test of many. More than likely this is something we won't have to go through with Ben which in all honesty is an outstanding blessing.

Letting her go. The words make me shiver. If you'll excuse me now I need to fetch a bottle of aspirin and a glass of wine.

Hopeful Parenting!

I am over here today! Come check out this spiffy new website. Explore it, join it, and definitely bookmark it! You will find that I am a regular contributing writer along with another two dozen or so exceptional parents. Our hope is to build a very large community - a gathering place for anyone interested or connected with families of exceptional loved ones. We'll see you back here in a day or two.

Special Note: Ben seems to be doing a bit better today. We're in a wait and see mode though because this is how yesterday started. Before it was over he was back on oxygen so please continue the good thoughts!

Bennie Sounds Off South!

Before you think I have an excessively big mouth (Joan would argue my point) Kelly Coakley's microphone battery bit the dust just before we went live. Over all the experience was quite interesting and quite bizarre. Being on live TV for the second time in recent memory makes me appreciate the job those folks do in front of the camera and behind it. Thanks to Justin, Kelly, Jilene, Janice, & the rest of the kind people at WYFF for definitely making Sunday morning fun.

New Year's Blessings

May the new year bring
The warmth of home and hearth to you.
The cheer and goodwill of friends to you,
The hope of a childlike heart to you.
The joy of a thousand angels to you,
The love of the Son and God's peace to you.
(Traditional Irish Blessing)

I'd like to provide you with some eloquent words of wisdom this last day of 2008. All I have to say is good riddance! Uh...not you but the past 366 days (remember it was a leap year). Evidently 2009 can't come quick enough for many of us after poking around the Blogosphere today.

Many of us have shared difficult times financially. Illnesses and losses have made grief a common thread. Worry, stress, and anxiety about our future...the world's future is at a level I have never experienced in 46 years on this planet. And yet this evening, the last few hours of 2008, that last thought gives me great hope. Seriously. When things are this down there's no direction left but up.

My dreams for the new year have me smiling at neighbors I never knew I had. They are filled with people of all color, countries, religions, and creeds coming together to make peace with one another so we can solve each crisis that keeps so many of our kind in peril. These are dreams that are filled with hope - sometimes just a sliver of it but enough to keep a passion of love and faith alive within my soul. My faith and love is in each one of you. Every one of you wonderful folks that have visited here this year.

The prayers, the comments, the humor, the darkness, the walk of life we all face - these things are treasured not only by me but our entire family. I never mentioned it but Joan was an absolute broken person before she read the comments after Ben was hospitalized last month. To be honest my eyes well up as I type this, thinking of the kindness of folks we may never meet. How strange that something so impersonal (the internet) has enabled us as humans to reach out to so many who need so very much.

As 2008 closes perhaps it wasn't so bad. We made friends for life. We met another PKS family who are now a part of our physical family. We did the best we could and we'll still end the year smiling.

Like I said I have some dreams for our future. If anything this year's events taught us its that incredible dreams do come true (cue MLK speech)! The Waddells wish you the very best in 2009!

Proud

There's a little more swagger in my walk today. I'm smiling more today than I have recently. Things that have been getting on my nerves lately seem to be less noticeable. And there's a perfectly good reason why I not only feel this way but why millions of others in our great nation are walking with a little more giddyup in their step. We all voted!

And I may be going out on a limb here but I honestly don't believe the electricity I felt waiting in line today has much to do about a supporting specific candidate. Personally my belief is that the excitement surrounding this election is two-fold. No matter which candidate wins history will be made. My daughter will grow up knowing that she actually could become the Vice President of these United States of America. My black neighbor's son, should he pursue that path, will know that the office of President of the United States is obtainable by a person of color. This is perhaps the most significant election in which we will participate during our lifetimes!

The second, and possibly the more important current issue, Americans are finally taking back the power to control our own destiny. No longer will we allow special interests and lobbyists to influence our elected officials as they have done the past 8 years. They are elected to serve our interests - not those with the most money! We the people are standing up today and letting Congress know how our government should work.

I don't care if you are an Obama or a McCain supporter. Know that change is coming. Because we stood in line today to take part in our duty as Americans. We expect better and demand it!

A very funny aside: Jessie asked Joan earlier how they announce whose the next President. Her so very innocent and hilarious question: "Do they do like American Idol and hold hands before the judges make the announcement?"

My darling, we can only wish!

Blogiversary + One Month

For some reason it dawned on me today that we missed the beginning of our third year on the Blogosphere. On October 3rd, 2006 Ben said hello with this post. Here we are three years and 31 days later having truly benefited from the experience.

We never could've imagined that so many people would care enough to visit regularly and get to know a little nine-year-old with a rare genetic condition. It seems each and every week we discover that someone reveals they've been lurking for awhile and just wants to send a note of support. We've educated and been educated. Ben has created some wonderful artwork that's been snapped up faster than any of the talented painters I know. Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned having a waiting list for his paintings. The ride has just simply been amazing!

In reflecting over this period of time however it was easy to pinpoint the best part and that has been the friendships we've made along the way. We savor each comment on the blog, each e-mail that we find in the inbox. We have experienced every emotion you can imagine by visiting your blogs and websites which we will soon have more time for. From tears of joy, tears of heartbreak, or tears from hysterical laughter, all have been shed within this household because of what you write. When we first started I was hoping Ben would be an inspiration to you. Instead most of the time you've been an inspiration to us.

So as we have already concluded 1/12th of year three let us as a family offer these words of an old Irish blessing to each and every one of you who have visited A Work of Art: “May we live in peace without weeping. May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing. And may our love fill the world, angel wings tenderly beating.”

Fore!

Ben and his caddy Vicki ready to tee off.

Ben "Hogan" Waddell playing through!

Just like his daddy, Ben keeps his beverages cold in a Playmate cooler.

Ben took first place this year. But here's the real reward for the work put into this creation.

The two costume designers: Nurse Stacey on the left and Nurse Vicki on the right. Stacey even used her day off to see Ben trick or treat at his school!

That is the Caddyshack gopher which sings and dances to the theme song. He was a big hit with the crowd (and Ben).

We ran into a biker gang. These ladies are most of the administrative staff at the Washington Center. Note the "vintage" bikes in the background.

Look! A life-size whoopie cushion complete with sound! Note the caution tape.

This is one happy golfer.

Frustrated

That would be a fairly descriptive summary of my weekend. As Joan said today, my obvious obsessive compulsive nature took charge over the past 48 hours. I sort of apologize to our readers. As much as I would like to write something upbeat, positive, or humorous my heart just won't allow it. I am feeling so beat down because my voice along with millions of others will not be heard by my elected officials.

Let me insert this right now so that you'll know things will return to normal shortly. This is not a political blog. I don't consider myself a democrat or a republican. Although I registered to vote right after I turned 18 I've never made the mistake of labeling myself anything other than independent. Every time I've stepped behind that curtain over the past 28 years I've voted for the man or woman I consider would hold my country's best interest first and foremost. Not my interests but my country's. Get that?

I spent most of my yesterday trying to get through to my representatives the opinion I hold in regards to the bailout of Wall Street. You can scroll down to the next post if you want to read about it. We (our family) blew off the only opportunity to watch our (mine and Joan's) alma-mater play this fall so I could make our opinion known. I e-mailed, called representatives on my own "dime", blogged, and even waited in line for a CNN show to express my opinion. All of it culminated in a conference call with my congressional rep, republican Bob Inglis late yesterday afternoon.

Inglis has been consulting a recently retired Wall Street banker during this crisis. Uh...does that raise a flag with you? It did for me. I listened to their garbage for 2 hours only to have my opinions cut off for expressing that OVERWHELMINGLY polls show that Americans are against the bailout - even on the official Congress website! After I was muzzled Mr. Inglis explained how he was voting via his conscience. Perhaps the handjob he was getting from some lobbyist made his conscience think different from the ninety percent PLUS of voting Americans that are pissed that Wall Street can screw us in the ass and get paid for it. I beg to differ, Bob.

Nine out of ten Americans (actually more) are against politicians wasting even more of our hard-earned money. I cannot tell you how sad it makes me to know how effectively money and greed have affected our government! Seriously people, wake up! Do something! I'm sorry for harping on this but, my God, we are going to turn into a socialist society very fast once this garbage takes place.

Here's a great article that simplifies things.

The Most Important Blog Entry I've Ever Made

I implore you to read everything I am about to type very thoroughly before heading back out into the Blogosphere. In fact I would really appreciate it if you take this entry with you to either make a blog post of your own or just to link up to us. Honest to God it is not for the sheer sake of increasing the number of visitors here. The reason is that quite frankly, I am very worried. I'll even admit that we (our family) are scared. The reason (and don't wander away just yet)? The impending government bailout of Wall Street.

This is NOT a political post intended to bash one party or the other. Clearly both sides share some of the blame, nay ALL of it, for where we are at the moment. But the time to point fingers passed us by long ago. Again, don't go away just yet. The meat and potatoes are about to be served.

When President Bush spoke last week I got the very same impression that I did when he laid out his reasons for invading Iraq. I felt and still feel he used fear to seduce the American public into supporting his actions. I get the very same impression in regards to this 700 billion dollar mess we are fixing to inherit. Obviously senators and congressmen of his own party along with many Democrats feel the same since no deal has been made.

Yesterday over lunch, I told Joan why I am dead set against any sort of bailout. Honestly it is very difficult to articulate all of my reasoning. That is why I was thrilled that she sent me a copy of a letter written by her company's CEO, a long-time banking executive, that was sent to every elected official on Capitol Hill just two days ago.

I feel very strongly that each and every American with a voice, or better yet a blog, start some sort of action TODAY. Blog it! Call your representatives! E-mail them! Send this letter to all of your family, friends, enemies, anybody and everybody. Even though this is exactly my feelings, they are the words of Mr. John Allison and precisely the words our president, our representatives, the media, all of us need to hear (or read).

Again please read this and forward it as soon as you can!

Dear Senator/Congressman/Representative:

BB&T is a $136 billion multi-state banking company. We have 1,500 branches throughout the mid-Atlantic and southeast states. While we have been impacted by the real estate markets, we continue to have healthy profitability and a strong capital position.

We think it is important that Congress hear from the well run financial institutions as most of the concerns have been focused on the problem companies. It is inappropriate that the debate is largely being shaped by the financial institutions who made very poor decisions.

Attached are the issues that we believe are relevant from the perspective of healthy banks. Your consideration of these issues is greatly appreciated.

Key Points on "Rescue" Plan From a Healthy Bank's Perspective

1. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are the primary cause of the mortgage crisis. These government supported enterprises distorted normal market risk mechanisms. While individual private financial institutions have made serious mistakes, the problems in the financial system have been caused by government policies including, affordable housing (now sub-prime), combined with the market disruptions caused by the Federal Reserve holding interest rates too low and then raising interest rates too high.
2. There is no panic on Main Street and in sound financial institutions. The problems are in high-risk financial institutions and on Wall Street.
3. While all financial intermediaries are being impacted by liquidity issues, this is primarily a bailout of poorly run financial institutions. It is extremely important that the bailout not damage well run companies.
4. Corrections are not all bad. The market correction process eliminates irrational competitors. There were a number of poorly managed institutions and poorly made financial decisions during the real estate boom. It is important that any rules post "rescue" punish the poorly run institutions and not punish the well run companies.
5. A significant and immediate tax credit for purchasing homes would be a far less expensive and more effective cure for the mortgage market and financial system than the proposed "rescue" plan.
6. This is a housing value crisis. It does not make economic sense to purchase credit card loans, automobile loans, etc. The government should directly purchase housing assets, not real estate bonds. This would include lots and houses under construction.
7. The guaranty of money funds by the U.S. Treasury creates enormous risk for the banking industry. Banks have been paying into the FDIC insurance fund since 1933. The fund has a limit of $100,000 per client. An arbitrary, "out of the blue" guarantee of money funds creates risk for the taxpayers and significantly distorts financial markets.
8. Protecting the banking system, which is fundamentally controlled by the Federal Reserve, is an established government function. It is completely unclear why the government needs to or should bail out insurance companies, investment banks, hedge funds and foreign companies.
9. It is extremely unclear how the government will price the problem real estate assets. Priced too low, the real estate markets will be worse off than if the bail out did not exist. Priced too high, the taxpayers will take huge losses. Without a market price, how can you rationally determine value?
10. The proposed bankruptcy "cram down" will severely negatively impact mortgage markets and will damage well run institutions. This will provide an incentive for homeowners who are able to pay their mortgages, but have a loss in their house, to take bankruptcy and force losses on banks. (Banks would not have received the gains had the houses appreciated.) This will substantially increase the risk in mortgage lending and make mortgage pricing much higher in the future.
11. Fair Value accounting should be changed immediately. It does not work when there are no market prices. If we had Fair Value accounting, as interpreted today, in the early 1990's the United States financial system would have crashed. Accounting should not drive economic activity, it should reflect it.
12. The proposed new merger accounting rules should be deferred for at least five years. The new merger accounting rules are creating uncertainty for high quality companies who might potentially purchase weaker companies.
13. The primary beneficiaries of the proposed rescue are Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. The Treasury has a number of smart individuals, including Hank Paulson. However, Treasury is totally dominated by Wall Street investment bankers. They do not have knowledge of the commercial banking industry. Therefore, they can not be relied on to objectively assess all the implications of government policy on all financial intermediaries. The decision to protect the money funds is a clear example of a material lack of insight into the risk to the total financial system.
14. Arbitrary limits on executive compensation will be self defeating. With these limits, only the failing financial institutions will participate in the "rescue," effectively making this plan a massive subsidy for incompetence. Also, how will companies attract the leadership talent to manage their business effectively with irrational compensation limits

More from blogs.

Here is a pdf version for e-mail.

A link to find your representatives.

A CNN quote from Republican Ted Poe, representative from Texas: Rep. Ted Poe of Texas said the "politics of fear" permeate the issue. "We've been asked to rush to judgment on this," he said. "The politics of fear seem to be everywhere in the capital this week: 'We have to get this done by a deadline.' I think not. I don't think that the American taxpayer should have a financial gun put to their head."

CNN iReports overwhelmingly say NO to the bailout!

Update 1: My God, the congressional democrats are wanting to add "pork" to the bailout plan! Like I said, both parties are trying to kill America's middle-class.

Update 2: Icing on the cake: my representative Rep. Bob Inglis cuts me off during a conference call after I sat and listened to his garbage for two hours. I've met him before - he just proves again what an asshat he is. Hey Bob's staff (who should read this), you might want to look for gainful employment soon. Bob will be out the door next time he comes up for election. Since you work for a douche bag for the moment you might want to put that on the resume'.

Update 3: Wanna know who to blame - besides our elected officials?

And Craig Ferguson has more excellent advice about the election.

An Open Letter to Jessie

My dearest little girl-

You are the darling angel that I was able to first feed and diaper-change. Today you embark on a new journey and I couldn’t be more proud, nervous, or petrified. The phrase “middle school” sends shivers down my spine.

It seems like only only yesterday when either mom or I would hear your sobs in your crib during the night. Because you were expected at Christmas we kept a small lit tree in your room until almost spring. One of us would fix your bottle and walk back up to your room. We’d pick you up and then watch you stare into the colorful lights on your dresser. You have always been a wonderful child. Even then you immediately fell back asleep. But Mommy and Dad would still sit in that rocking chair holding you and caressing you for a few more moments. I guess it’s a parent’s instinct to know days like this would one day come.

You are at school right now, walking bigger hallways, meeting more strangers than ever before, and even riding a bus for the first time. I so very much want to be there holding your hand, guiding you between classes and your locker, making sure you are happy, safe, and sound. You see my dear that has been my job up until now. Today things have changed.

Mom and I will still make sure you are happy, safe, and sound but you have now moved onto a different path – the one that leads you into young adulthood and your independence. We do realize that you are prepared for it but it doesn’t soften the ache your mother and I both feel. The letting go part has just begun. It will continue until you eventually graduate and move on to college.

Just know precious Jessie that your father is constantly praying for you. With all of my soul he will always be there to protect you, to hold you, to nurture you, to pick you up when you are down, and to broadcast to the world how much I love you.

As we walked the hallways of your new school yesterday I couldn’t help but see the same angelic face I saw 11 years ago look up at me once again. And that is the treasure of being a parent...your parent. Memories of a beautiful child that will never fade away.

I'll always love you to the moon and back -

Daddy

The picture of was taken in October 2002 during The Lion King performance at Disney World. Jessie was five at the time and wanted so very much to be a princess. Little did she know that she was already one.

Bittersweet
Jessie's 5th Grade Graduation Pt. 2

And so the celebration began. I was so unprepared for the emotions running through my heart and soul the next hour or so. Just a few minutes before I was thinking how humorous it is to have an elementary school "graduation" and how bored I'd probably be. It's funny how many times I have had the same thoughts about attending one of these school functions only to have the memory etched into my mind forever.

Awards were handed out, mostly for academic achievements and we were so very proud of Jessie. She collected her fair share of things that now need framing but it was very surprising to also see how well many of her classmates performed during the year. As parents it was a marvelous realization to know our children had attended one of the best schools in the upstate of South Carolina.

After the graduation the fifth graders and their families gathered in the adjacent hallway for some snacks and one last gathering as Pelham Road All Stars. Over the course of Jessie's time at Pelham Road the school had been remodeled and partially rebuilt. Making a long story short several parents decided to meet their kids and walk to their homes (or cars) rather than brave the lengthy car pool line. This made for the the beginnings of the Side Door Mamas.

Being a stay-at-home dad I was sort of the adopted mascot of the group that gathered every weekday at 2:20 PM. Even though we only spent about 20 minutes with each other each afternoon we all became great friends. And even better, our children became great friends. I guess the saddest part of this farewell is the knowledge that many of Jessie's core group of friends will be attending different schools next year. The Lindahl twins move on to Riverside Middle School. Little Rachel will attend League Academy. And Catherine will join her older sister at Beck Middle School.

The most difficult of the changes will be Jessie's separation from her very best friend, Bailey. She and Jessie met at "Meet the Teacher Day" shortly before entering K5. Joan snapped a photo of Jess with Bailey and her teacher, Miss Wall, shortly after they were introduced to each other .They've been attached at the hip ever since.

It is no exaggeration that the two of them have spent at least two to three afternoons a week playing together for the past six years. And that doesn't include the weekends that one of them is spending the night with the other. Bailey's grandparents live less than a block from us and have kept her after school during that time. When I am away on Fridays it's been a given that Bailey's grandfather would pick up Jessie from school. Folks, we're talking about a neighbor...nay, a part of our family attending another school this fall since our "other little girl" enrolls at Northwood Middle School.

My emotions probably reached their pinnacle when Miss Wall came to the podium to hand out some of the awards. In the end there was nothing funny or humorous about yesterday. It was as if someone had taken a baseball bat and whacked me on the head to get my attention. Changes are here. Big changes! And it hurt.

Obviously I realize how big a step Jessie has taken toward her future. I can spend the next two months and a fun summer ahead absorbing that fact. The Side Door Mamas have plans to make sure we and our kids keep in touch which is also a good thing. And not all of Jessie's circle of friends will attend somewhere else besides her school. So the sadness must end. But I can't help and sneak back to those two tiny little girls meeting for the very first time...for some reason my nose is runny...I'm gonna need a tissue.

For the record the two girls in the middle of the upper picture are Jessie and Bailey yesterday morning.

The Road Less Traveled

My time with Jessie last week was the most precious I've spent with her in quite a while. That includes walking her home from school in recent weeks since that routine is quickly coming to an end. It is difficult for me to digest that in less than three months my baby girl will start middle school.

That thought has weighed upon me a great deal as her school year nears its end. Jessie is of small stature which has prevented me from seeing some of the physical changes I've noticed in her friends but I know they are there. It seems like just last week that I was feeding her a bottle at two in the morning yet one day soon she will begin the inevitable transformation into a young woman, a thought that momentarily terrifies me.

Most of you recognize the title reference to the Robert Frost poem. Frost is my favorite poet and I've nearly worn out the pages of my hardback collection of his best works. The Road Not Taken is indeed a testament of of stepping away from the norm, taking chances in life, exploring new places and new ideas. And I was thinking of the poem when I snapped the above photo last Thursday.

Jessie is about to embark on a new journey in a few short weeks. My hope and prayer is that the paths she chooses are healthy ones that bring joy and adventure into her young life. And even though I am afraid for her at times I know that Jessie carries with her a sense of maturity that many her age do not have. That is because she has taken one road less traveled - the road a sibling of an exceptional sibling walks.

Unlike Frost's poem she had no choice to make. It was made for her. But like most sisters and brothers of a special needs loved one she has braved the darkness, the furrows, and the slippery slopes only to become something special herself. So I suppose I should'nt worry so much about her.

As we returned from our walk in the woods she held my hand until it was time to let go. God, I pray I'll know when that time comes for me.