Clarkson Energy Homes

While it seems obvious, it needs to be stated conclusively. Laws do not create wealth. Innovation is the most likely creator of wealth. When we find an easier way to compute or a method which uses less resources, we are innovating and creating wealth. Laws do not create innovation and thus are unable to create wealth. (more…)

Well, it’s that time of the year again. It’s time to lie to my residents about the quality of their drinking water. Technically, we are all telling the truth. We are just leaving out a lot of truth we would rather not tell the public. I am writing about my annual Drinking Water Quality Report (aka the Consumer Confidence Report). What kind of truth? (more…)

I liked The DaVinci Code. It had enough suspense and humor to be enjoyable. I didn’t read the book. My little sister did and called me to ask some questions about Mary Magdelin and the Holy Grail. I won’t spoil the plot for those of you who want to it. It was extremely difficult to separate fact from fiction. If yours is a simple faith. A faith in which you have accepted Christianity without investigation, through family tradition for example, this movie could make you question that faith. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Many people investigate their faith and become stronger believers. If your faith is based on careful investigation, this is all old hat. The legends circulating the history of the early Christian Church are numerous. It is impossible to separate fact and fiction. On my path from Christianity, I did detailed reasearch on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Bible and Messianic Law. If you would like to do more research on your faith I can probably supply a reading list. You’ll need a library card, some spare time, a lot of patience and some persistence.

Over the Hedge was a very fun movie. It didn’t start the way I thought it might. A hungry racoon is trying to get a bag of chips out of a vending machine. Next thing you know he’s hatching a scheme to steal food from a new subdivision with the aid of some foragers. I was probably in the mood for a laugh and that affected my experience, but others movie goers seem to enjoy it as well. Oh, and I think the kids were amused.

I just got around to filing my 2003 and 2004 income taxes. I didn’t make much during those years, but boy I’m paying for it. Now I know enough to know enough not to do my own tax reporting. I take my receipts, statements and stuff and plop them down on my Accountant’s desk. You know what she does? She thanks me. I think she is crazy. Just crazy. One problem with having someone else do your income tax reporting is that they want you to pay them to do it. I have both typical and non-typical income and expenses for a micro business. My returns aren’t too complicated, but I would hate to see how long it would take for me to do them myself. On average I am paying about $1,200 per year for my returns. The problem is the procrastination. With three years to do instead of one, I’ll be paying for these three returns and that means this month is the last month I can do substantial rehabilitation on my main business, the Sun Valley Mobile Home Community. For the rest of this year I will see most of my expenses go toward income tax compliance costs. Note that I mentioned compliance costs, not income taxes. When all the dust settles, I rarely make enough money that I owe income taxes. I live comfortably enough, but on a very low income. The community needs a lot of repairs and maintenance and much of my cash goes to it instead of me. If I didn’t have to report my income, I probably wouldn’t keep any records. After all, what would be the need? True, it would be easier to sell the property with good records and good accounting eases management, but I’m a procrastinator and I know I wouldn’t be keeping records if I didn’t have to.

If it hasn’t happened already, the Spring Cleanup should be underway shortly. That burned-out trailer in the front should be down to its very base. That has been my albatross since three days after I took over the park. The owner abandoned it and went to jail soon afterwards. With my very limited funds I had it pulled out of the lot in hopes of placing it in the back of the park. The back end started to sag while we were moving it and that was the best place to dump it. (more…)

I used to cook off shore in another lifetime. I was a fair cook, not a great one. I always had someone around to check my work. On Friday’s most rigs barbecue. We’d have thick steaks and burgers and we never killed anyone. (more…)

You have, no doubt, heard about Murphy and his observationthat things always go wrong when you least need them to. Or something like that. Well, it seems there are many other observations basedon Murphy’s Law. One of them is the Murphy Switch. (more…)

I simply remember my favorite things … What a day. I pulled the deck plate off my garden tractor for the third time in two days and the PTO makes more noise now than it did yesterday. It’s been a dismal, fruitless, expensive day and I really need to remember my favorite things. Puppy Dogs and kittens. Not much for the grownup animals, but I love those little ones. Love. Yesterday, a clerk from the hardware store asked if I was married. She then informed me she was engaged, but there seemed a little interest there. She says I make her laugh. Convenience. I need to bring the tractor into the shop tomorrow. I aided my own self some by loading the tractor up today. So, it’s good to know I can bring the mower in first thing tomorrow without first having to load it in the truck. Clean clothes. My clothes came back today. Just after I took a nice hot shower. I usually have to wait a few days for my clothes. The lady next door washes them weekly for $5 and returns them when she can. I only have four real shirts. My real shirts are pull over with V-necks. Since I am stuck with taking prednisone (a cortico steroid) for the rest of my life, I have no neck. My head and the glands at the just got bigger and bigger until my neck disappeared. Screaming children. I love to here the girls outside screaming and having fun. Comfort. I just rubbed fragrance free moisturizer on my feet and covered them with socks. I massaged my much neglected toes while I was there. It still feels grand. All warm and cozy. Lasagna. I love lasagna. Reading. I love to read a nice book on a cool day. Thin and sexy. I don’t have any snack food in the house. Well, no chips anyway. So, I can’t pig out on chips for instant gratification. I did eat some french fries with ketchup. Or was that some ketchup with french fries. Either way I am almost full and there is pasta cooking in the microwave. Rent free. I don’t pay rent or a house note. I have a mortgage, but it is on a mobile home park and paid by my corporation. I live smack dab in the middle of it and don’t charge myself $180 per month in lot rent. I bought the old run down mobile I live in for cash and need only pay the bribe property taxes, electric and propane for it. No itching. The increased prednisone levels completely stop the itching of all the Poison Ivy rash I have on my neck and arm. This is very good because the increased dosage also makes my emotions go nuts. Yesterday, I started crying in the parking lot of the lawn mower repair shop, after thinking of a plot for a book I haven’t read in years (A Cat of a Silvery Hue). Today I yelled “Damn!” at the absolute top of my lungs and I can be very loud. Gazebos. I love gazebos. I just turned the thermostat to 74 degrees F. Oh, it’s good to the King!

I just got off the phone with a client. We have an excellent relationship. It’s close but not exactly like an old marriage. We fight and makeup and celebrate at different times of the year. She is just as opinionated as I am and we wound up the conversation shortly after I asked if she was closed today. She said she didn’t think “those people” should be so ungrateful. After all, we provide so much for them. Then she asked how I felt about immigration. I first said she really didn’t want to know. After a moment I gave in. Here’s how I see it. As sson as a person steps across the border they should be Americans (assuming that is what they want). No tests. No waiting period. No paperwork. Just enter the country. That’s it. If you really think you need to vote or to collect Social Insecurity feel free to go fill out some paperwork. All I had to do is be born in this country. What kind of an asshole would I be if I made someone else jump through hoops to be a citizen here.