Category: Parenting
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Personal opposition: active vs passive
When we confront things in life that we do not like or find distasteful, we have a choice between taking an active or a passive position in opposition. It occurs to me that understanding this distinction and contemplating the difference in our daily lives is an important part of our personal maturity. There are few…
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Abortion statistics for accountants
These notes are from Cloud Accounting Podcast and may be useful to those of us discussing the issue with our clients in regard to employee benefit planning. (Statistics are shared without documentation or explanation and commentary is minimized). Abortion statistics:1 in 4 women have had an abortion.54% of abortions are by women of Christian faith.20%…
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In support of NJ Senate Bill 2293 “Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act”
I read two social media editorials by taxpayers encouraging voters to vote against Senate Bill 2293 known as the “Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act“. This blog post is an editorial in support of the bill. My argument is broken down into a brief listing of the facts followed by four points of personal opinion.…
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Civil action as a family value
The warm feelings shared today after the Women’s March, the world’s largest peaceful civil protest against government yesterday sparked a personal memory from 15 years ago. On one of our earliest trips to Washington DC with Josh, 8 and Arielle 5, and friend Greg (above) we visited the White House. But we didn’t go on the…
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Life at age 30: then and now
Wall Street Journal reports today that half of today’s 30 year olds earn more than their parents (adjusted for inflation) at the same age. I don’t see evidence of that early success in my communities today. At age 30 back in 1990 most of my peers owned houses, perhaps had a a rental property or…
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Devastating impact of education costs
I worked on two personal income tax returns yesterday that serve as examples to further underscore the need for education finance reform. As an adviser I see plenty of these examples in working class families, these two just happen to be the latest. I know that my peers in the tax preparation industry will see…
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The full burden of college debt is still unrecognized
While only 17% of the U.S. population has earned an undergraduate college degree, education debt is a major economic drag on the country. Over our lifetime college tuition costs have risen much faster than the rate of a typical salary earner’s income. Government and news media now describe the current cost of college as “out of…
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reflections on Kent State 1970
In 1970 the Ohio National Guard, armed with bayonets on M1 rifles, marched on and shot unarmed students at Kent State University who were engaged in a civil protest event that authorities had not approved. Although there were political agitators at Kent State that week, all of those shot were university students. I was only 9…
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My favorite quotes from Maya Angelou
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” “My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try…
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The problem with private scholarships
The burdensome application process combined with the financial aid ‘offset’ policy used by many universities undermines the value of small private scholarships. A number of small privately offered scholarships go unclaimed each year because of lack of qualified applicants. Students tell me it’s just not worth the effort to apply for them. I used to think…