The Jefferson Mammoth

The Home of Jefferson

2008-06-27T00:01:00.002-04:00

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson

The rear of Monticello.

Disney Concert Hall

2008-06-20T09:26:00.001-04:00

This week's Friday photo is the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Saw it somewhere on tv last night. I was in LA a few years ago for work. I walked up Grand Ave past the Disney Concert Hall everyday to go to the job we were working on. One suggestion for you, try to avoid walking back down Grand at 2am. I had a guy come up to me and ask for money. That's no big deal, but when he stuck his hand in his pocket I thought for sure he was going to pull out a knife or gun. Instead he pulled out a handful of change to show me what he had.

Four years ago

2008-06-13T15:18:00.004-04:00

Four years ago today I was in Milwaukee. What's that have to do with anything? I don't know either, but I when I was there I spotted this sign. I hadn't seen one in a while before I was there and I don't think I've seen one since.

I don't know if Milwaukee is the socialist haven that it used to be, but maybe they keep (at least keep the signs up anyway) fallout shelters for when guys like me visit.

Go Sam Go!

2008-06-11T06:55:00.002-04:00

I am a big Bengals fan. Yes, I root for that sorry team from Cincinnati. The last time they made the Super Bowl the coach was Sam Wyche. I stumbled across a link yesterday about Wyche running for the Republican nomination for Pickens County (SC) Council. It turns out he defeated the incumbent by a wide margin. Here's hoping he wins the general election and makes a positive difference in that community.

I would be completely remiss if I didn't put up this video. It is one of my all time favorite sports moments.

Still here

2008-06-06T01:10:00.004-04:00

I haven't blogged here regularly, oh, probably ever, but every so often I do wish to put something up for the world to see that doesn't qutie fit in over at Tertium Quids (where I very infrequently post). I'm no Jane from Conservativa fame, but I do like to take pictures so I think I'm going to put up some shots every once in a while (however terrible they may be). I may offer some commentary, but I don't think any is necessary this time, other than to say it is from the WWII memorial in DC.

Term Limits

2007-06-23T02:04:00.000-04:00

I recently (and finally) finished reading Michael Tanner's Leviathan on the Right: How Big-Government Conservatism Brought Down the Republican Revolution. It is a decent book that points out many places where the Republican Party has gone astray. Tanner certainly does not have much love for President Bush.

One topic I had never given much serious thought to is term limits. Tanner mentions them in his book and the more I think about it the more I like the idea. The likelihood of them being enacted, I regret to say, is about as probable as me going to Mars.

The idea certainly resonates with voters. Tanner notes that during the 1990s “voters in 21 states approved term limits for their members of Congress.” Unfortunately those victories were overturned in a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton. In the opening paragraph of his dissent Justice Thomas writes:

Nothing in the Constitution deprives the people of each State of the power to prescribe eligibility requirements for the candidates who seek to represent them in Congress. The Constitution is simply silent on this question. And where the Constitution is silent, it raises no bar to action by the States or the people.

I am certainly no lawyer, but that seems reasonable to me. And I imagine I am much more likely to agree with Justice Thomas rather than Justice Stevens (who wrote the majority opinion).

Tanner used two simple quotes that got me thinking.

Former Congressman and current South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford stated, “If I’d viewed my career in Congress as the next 30 years of my life, I think I would have been a lot more hesitant to bring up Social Security.” I would suggest that Social Security could be replaced by any issue.

Former Congressman Matt Salmon noted, “The independence that comes from limiting my terms has enabled me to vote against the bloated budget deal of 1997, and to challenge my own party’s leadership.”

Where are those who challenge the leadership now (on either side of the aisle)? Once in Washington our Congressmen and women seem to fall in line and shut their traps, worrying more about their career trajectory than the fools that elected them.

I do not know what would have to happen for term limits to be passed into law, but I can dream, can’t I? Nothing would warm my heart more than to see a bunch of unemployed career politicians.

Terry Hoeppner - RIP

2007-06-21T11:11:00.000-04:00

This news is a couple of days old, but I thought it was worth mentioning the sad passing of Terry Hoeppner from complications of brain cancer. He was the head football coach of the Indiana Hoosiers and former head coach of Miami University. From all accounts he was a good coach and an outstanding man. I hope his family is able to find comfort in knowing that he had a profound effect on many student athletes.

This marks the third passing in the last year of former Miami head coaches. Randy Walker passed away just about a year ago from a sudden heart attack and Bo Schembechler also passed away. Walker and Hoeppner were the two coaches that were at Miami when I was there.

Thanks Joe

2007-06-19T16:53:00.001-04:00

I'm a week late and $7 short, but better late than never. I wanted to thank Joe Blackburn for stepping up to the plate and challenging Walter Stosch. Every Virginian who values the money in their pocket owes Mr. Blackburn a debt of gratitude.

It will be interesting to see what Walter Stosch shows up next session. I'm not holding my breath, but hopefully Blackburn scared him back to the right.

The other interesting part of this, as Norm has noted, will be if Allen can repair his image with the conservative activists who are baffled by his endorsements of Stosch and others. I believe it will be a long, very long, road back.

The Obsolete State

2007-01-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

So I haven't blogged in forever. This probably isn't the start of regular blogging again, but it could be. There are a few things that are worth mentioning. First, Norm is hanging up the keyboard. Hopefully he'll continue over the Cost Cutting Caucus Blog.

Another thing that I have not seen mentioned is the Virginia Institute for Public Policy study entitled The Real Story of Eminent Domain in Virginia: The Rise, Fall, and Undetermined Future of Private Property Rights in the Commonwealth. It may very well have been mentioned elsewhere and I fully admit to having my head in the sand lately.

If you have not read the above study I strongly encourage you to do so. There are those out there who claim Virginia does not have a property rights problem, but I am afraid they are mistaken. We do have a problem and it is one that needs to be addressed. I might add that it should be addressed to fix the problem, not to pay lip service to the idea. This is not a left or right issue. There is no right more fundamental than private property rights.

"The chancellor, the late chancellor, was only partly correct. He was obsolete, but so is the state, the entity he worshiped. Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of man, that state is obsolete. A case to be filed under "M" for mankind—in the Twilight Zone." - Rod Serling from the Twilight Zone "The Obsolete Man"

The Sci Fi channel had a marathon this weekend of the Twilight Zone. I liked the above quote. Is Virginia on the path towards obsolescence? If the GA fails to protect property owners again this year I am afraid the answer will be "yes".

A Vision for Victory for Virginia

2006-09-25T13:28:00.000-04:00

I was able to make it last Friday to Williamsburg for the Virginia Institute's Vision for Victory in Virginia. It was an excellent event. I wish I could have been there all three days.

On Friday former Congressman Dick Armey, Senator Ken Cuccinelli, Delegate Rob Bell, and others from the Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute spoke. Additionally, there was a Thomas Jefferson reenactor Friday evening. He was excellent.

I hope to post some comments over the next week about what was talked about (and I still hope to post some more about the Senate Leadership Summit as well).

Many thanks to VIPP for putting this on.

Cantor Calls on Webb to Stop Religious Attacks and Focus on Issues

2006-09-20T22:02:00.000-04:00

This was put out today by the Cantor campaign. It is worth posting in its entirety. I don't understand the bizarre fascination on Allen's genealogy by the Webbites.

Richmond, VA—Responding to attacks by the Jim Webb campaign, Congressman Eric Cantor (VA- 07) released the following statement.

“Throughout his career and campaign, Senator Allen has been a leader focusing his energy and efforts on making our Commonwealth a great place to live, work, and raise our families.

“I applaud Senator Allen’s efforts to stay focused on the issues that matter to Virginians throughout this campaign.

“In the primary, Jim Webb produced and mailed a cartoon of his Jewish opponent depicting him with a long nose and money coming out of his pockets, calling him the anti-Christ of outsourcing. His Democrat opponent rightly condemned this anti-Semitic ploy.

“Now, we learn that Jim Webb’s campaign operatives, on his behalf, have been pushing a story that George Allen has Jewish relatives.

“In some perverse way Jim Webb believes that this will cost Senator Allen votes.

“Jim Webb is dead wrong. The people of Virginia are fair minded, honest, and moral. Appeals to bigotry fail in Virginia, because Virginians look to a person’s integrity and character. Jim Webb is failing this test of integrity. It is time for Mr. Webb to start talking about the real issues facing the Commonwealth and America.

“I am proud to have Senator Allen as Virginia’s Senator and my friend; he has made Virginia a better place to live.”

Paid for and authorized by
Cantor for Congress

Senate Leadership Summit

2006-09-20T21:48:00.000-04:00

I was fortunate enough to attend the Senate Leadership Summit for Young Professionals today. Over the next couple of days I plan on covering what some of the speakers talked about, my take, and what I heard from others.

The list of speakers and panelist was impressive. They were:

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (who was the summit chair)
Senator Lisa Murkowski
Senator John Sununu
Senator John Thune
Senator Lamar Alexander
Secretary of Labor Elaine Chow
Carly Fiorina - Former Chairman and CEO, HP
Dan Mitchell - Heritage Foundation
Dr. John Goodman - President and CEO, National Center for Policy Analysis
Charles Miller - Chairman, US Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education
Stig Leschly - Founder and Managing Partner, SRL Capital Managment LLC
Rosie Mauk - Former Directory, AmeriCorps
Bill Taylor - Co-Founder and Founding Editor, Fast Company Magazine
Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D - Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, US Department of Health and Human Services

I've got a lot of notes. I'm glad I was able to take the day off and go to DC today and while I certainly didn't agree with everything I heard, it was well worth it.

Webb's good politics, bad policy tax cut proposal

2006-09-19T10:20:00.000-04:00

The good people at the Tax Foundation have a post up about Jim Webb's proposal to cut taxes for veterans. The proposal would give a 5% tax break for veterans. On the surface it sounds like a good idea, one that I might support. However, it deserves a little more scrutiny. Webb claims one of the things it would do is:

And one of the things that that would do, by the way, in my view, is to bring more people from across class lines into the military.

I suppose that may be true, but as the Tax Foundation points out

There are better ways to accomplish that goal rather than via the tax code whose complexity makes it to where you may not actually help those you are intending to help.

The best point made is this:

If the purpose of this proposal is to reward veterans for the value of their service that they have provided to society, why is the value of one veteran’s service a function of his/her current income?

Good question. To illustrate if veteran A makes $100,000 and veteran B makes $30,000, who is going to see the most benefit? Obviously veteran A. As the left would say, this is a tax cut for the rich. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see a 5% reduction for everyone (including the "rich"), but when you're trying to help veterans, income should not play a role. The only difference in reward should possibly be based on length of service and rank.

I would rather see our veterans rewarded in other ways. Cut them a check, raise their pay, increase benefits, but increasing the tax code complexity and rewarding only those who make enough to actually notice a benefit is the wrong way to do it.

The Weakly Webb Woundup

2006-09-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

In the event you haven't seen it, the first edition of the Weakly Webb Woundup is up over at I'm not Emeril. Good stuff. I'm a proud member of the B-Team. If there was a C-Team I'd probably be on it, but I'll happily ride the pine on the B-Team.

Do Virginians wear cowboy boots?

2006-09-18T09:49:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I went to Field Day of the Past and I can confirm that, indeed, Virginians do wear cowboy boots. Ward has his thoughts here.

Webb claims that "there are no cowboys in Virginia." Fortunately there won't be enough voters for Webb to make him Senator.

Random Friday Thoughts

2006-09-15T11:28:00.000-04:00

The Reds are no longer in a tie for first and it looks like they won't make the playoffs. At least the Bengals will win the Super Bowl and the Buckeyes will win the BCS Championship this season.
My wife and I go to the Y four times a week. Last week I heard the Spin Doctors on the radio twice. Don't think that had happened since about 1993.
Golf announcers are the worst in sports. And that's without Brent Musburger in the booth.
Mohawks are making a big comeback. I'm not sure who was first, but SR Sidarth had one (it was a mohawk, or close enough), Chad Johnson (whose mohawk cap you can buy), other football players, and a kid I saw the other day have had mohawks. I've just got one thing to say - I pity the fool.
Ok, one other thing, "I ain't gettin' in no plane, Hannibal."
This is old, but Ralph Sampson (he's like the new old Shawn Kemp), like the founder of the university he attended, wants also to be known as a father of the country.
More proof that Hollywood is full of short people comes from the Smoking Gun picture of Haley Joel Osment. 5'4" and 115 pounds. A good gust of wind would blow him down.

Webb on the 2nd Amendment

2006-09-14T11:46:00.000-04:00

When it comes to protecting our 2nd Amendment rights there is only one Senate candidate I trust - George Allen. Jim Webb claims he supports the 2nd Amendment, but would he support another infringement on our rights by working to enact another Assault Weapons Ban?

From a recent VCDL alert regarding the large Webb contingent at the Roanoke gun show comes this:

MOST [Webb supporters] stated Mr. Webb would not vote for any more gun laws restricting our gun rights. One spokeslady talked to us for quite some time--she stated Mr Webb supported our rights--then she made an eye opening statement--- she stated Mr Webb was like President Clinton, and would not be a part of any new gun laws------when I asked her--"What about the assault weapons ban of 1994?", she did NOT know what I was talking about!

Renewing the the AWB (aka Clinton gun ban) may be popular among leftist (Neal supports it, RK does too) and Webb has publicly stated "That's the difference between, between self protection and military style weapons and I wouldn't have a hard time saying that the people don't need fully automatic weapons."

Whether he means people shouldn't have machine guns or any "military style weapon" (by style is he talking aesthetics?) doesn't matter. I should have the right to own a machine gun if I want one (I think I just heard an "OH MY"). Someone tell me, how many crimes have been committed with legally owned machine guns since 1934? Also, I wonder, without looking it up, can you tell me what the Assault Weapons Ban did? The items that were outlawed, what crimes did they prevent? Anyone? Despite all the cries about blood in the streets, the sunset of the ban has not caused an increase in crime.

The ignorance of the RK crowd is amazing. This statement regarding AK-47s cracks me up:

Hell you'd prolly kill half your family by firing the damn thing in your home if you didn't know what you were doing and were startled by a burglar.

Uhhh, ok. Please tell me, how exactly would that happen? A startled homeowner is going to start randomly firing into the dark and kill their family? You've got a nice imagination, but in the real world things like that don't happen.

From Lowell on the Webb for Senate blog we find this little gem posted on August 4, 2006:

On guns, Webb is a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment. He has never changed his position on this issue since I've known him (12/05).

Let me get this straight. Lowell had at that time known Webb for 9 months and is holding that up as something to be proud of. Check out this post to see Webb's history of endorsements. He doesn't seem to have a history of keeping a position for long (unless, of course, it may be regarding women in the military).

So, first off, I don't believe Webb will be as strong a 2nd Amendment supporter as Senator Allen and, even if I did believe it, I would also believe that his position would change depending on which way the wind was blowing.

One more bit from another VCDL alert:

Quote for the day from "Lord of War" with Nicolas Cage, who plays an arms broker, "There are over 550,000,000 firearms in worldwide circulation. That is one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is ... how do we arm the other eleven?"

Lastly, today is my birthday (I'll give anyone who can correctly guess my age a nice round of applause), I've been wanting either an AK-47 or an SA58. Maybe I'll actually order one.

Also posted here.

The Democratic Party is not the answer

2006-09-13T21:53:00.000-04:00

South of the James is definitely one of the top blogs in Virginia. It is well written, always respectful, and Conaway seems like a genuinely good guy. One of my regrets about Sorensen is not having met him.

That said, I do not think he could be more wrong about which party is best for improving our Virginia, country, and world. Conaway recently posted

….it is quite clear that one political party best reflects my values and works hard to create the kind of Virginia, America, and world that I want to live in. That organization, my friends, is the Democratic Party.

If all Democrats were like Mr. Haskins it would be much more difficult to say that the Democratic Party is not the answer. But they aren’t. And it isn’t.

I have volunteered in the past and will continue to volunteer for Republicans in the future. The Republican Party is not perfect, but it happens to be that one party has the car in park while the other has it in reverse. There are exceptions, but for the most part the few elected officials in Washington and Richmond who do not have their head in the sand (or elsewhere) are Republicans.

Maybe I don’t pay enough attention, but what are the Democratic Party ideas? What are their solutions to important issues? When it comes to reform, they are nothing more than the party of no. For instance, if I were to say, we need to reform _______ (fill in the blank). The answer would be NO. If I were to replace reform and say, we need to create a government program to fix _______ (fill in the blank). The answer would be yes. Absolutely yes.

The answer to education issues is always to spend more money. The suggestion of school choice is nearly enough to send a democrat into hysteria. The answer, I suppose, is more money. Well, money has been flowing into education like crazy lately. What have we ended up with? Taj Mahal like schools and highly compensated teachers. Are our kids any smarter? Not according to anything I have read.

The Democratic answer to health care problems? Government health care – because the public is too dumb to decide what they need. According to Hillary Clinton people would buy beer and cigarettes rather than get their kids medical attention.

Social security? It may need fixed, but if by fixed you mean you might let people put a small portion of the money they earn into a personal account then you have lost your mind. Let people keep their own money? Privatization? Ridiculous.

The list could go on and on. When it comes to taxes, spending, national security, and nearly all of the important issues the Democratic Party is in the dark. Someone let me know when they decide to turn on the light.

Remembering 9/11

2006-09-11T11:57:00.000-04:00

I don't have any particularly interesting story from 5 years ago, but it is a day I'll never forget. I walked into work just a few minutes before the the second plane hit. Everyone was in the kitchen watching the tv when it did. It was hard to really grasp what was happening.

My wife and I had been married for a month, lived in Virginia for three weeks, my wife's birthday had just passed, my birthday was coming up, and my friend had just joined the Army on September 4th. There probably isn't a time in my life that I remember so well.

I don't have any particular connection to New York. At that time I had never been to NYC and I had only driven past the Pentagon and not been inside. What I will always associate with that day is the sight of people jumping out of the towers. The sound will always stick with me too. The French filmmakers who happened to be in NYC that day whose film was shown again on CBS last night cemented that sound. It is hard to imagine feeling that hopeless.

I'll also never forget the story of Flight 93. Heroes.

We should never forget what happened five years ago. I continue to pray that our elected officials will have the strength and courage to do what is right to defeat our enemies.

"Steptember" Health Initiative

2006-08-31T10:44:00.000-04:00

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced yesterday his plans to participate in the "Steptember" initiative to help Virginians lose weight. The LG plans to lose 30 pounds by the end of the year. Good for the LG. I hope others follow his lead.

Here are two releases about it:
Lt. governor urges residents to join effort to create a leaner state

The Steptember Initiative - Statement of Lieutenant Governor Bolling

The best part about it is that it does not use state dollars - it's a private partnership with America on the Move and the YMCA of America. As I commented not long ago, I don't think obesity is a government problem. That's why this -

In a study performed by the University of Baltimore, researchers looked at what states are doing to treat obesity as a threat to public health. The study revealed that Virginia received a D for state efforts to control obesity and an F in state efforts to control childhood obesity.

- doesn't bother me. In fact, the state should put forth zero effort in the way of tax dollars to "control obesity." It's a shame that people are obese, but it's not the role of the government to protect us from ourselves becoming overweight.

That said, don't wait until the beginning of the year to make a resolution to meet your fitness goals. Those are often about as meaningful as a UN resolution - not very. Make the decision now to get in shape. Join the LG in his worthwhile effort and make Virginia healthier.

Virginia Conservative Convention

2006-08-30T12:04:00.000-04:00

It's still early, but if you haven't already heard the Virginia Conservative Convention is coming up on November 11 in Richmond. I have not signed up yet, but I will definitely be there.

Personal protection

2006-08-30T09:42:00.000-04:00

Every time I hear about an abduction, break in, home invasion, or similar occurence it only strengthens my conviction that people should take their personal protection seriously. Recently there have been a number of tragic stories where sick people have taken the lives of others. Unfortunately, it's really not anything new, but some of the recent cases have hit a little closer to home than usual.

My wife and I both have our concealed handgun permits. I would encourage anyone reading this to do the same. Find a good trainer, take a safety course, and practice, practice, practice. I also think it is important to mentally prepare yourself for bad situations. The police cannot always help us and ultimately your protection comes down to one individual - you. That responsibility should be taken seriously.

Random Friday Thoughts

2006-08-25T10:32:00.000-04:00

I didn't post a recap of the last TMG meeting due to lack of time, but one of the speakers was talking about school choice. He said (I'm not sure if it was intentional) that those in private schools were getting the treatment. That made me wonder, are those in public school getting the placebo? In most cases I think so.
The Reds are in a tie for first. Keep your fingers crossed we stomp the Giants, Dodgers, and Padres.
Marcus Allen has a brother that plays in the CFL? Who knew?
We have a water cooler at work and now we have a picture of General Jack Ripper with the quote "And as human beings, you and I need fresh, pure water to replenish our precious bodily fluids" over the top of it. Is that the best quote to use? And if you aren't reading Richmond War Room, you should.
It's nearing the end of summer and Edgar Winter still has a better tan than I do.

AFP kicks off Taxpayer Trust Tour

2006-08-22T09:25:00.000-04:00

Americans for Prosperity kicked off their Taxpayer Trust Tour yesterday at a press conference at the Patrick Henry building in Richmond. I was able to sneak out of work for a little bit and made it downtown. Whitney Duff did an excellent job. Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s Executive Vice President, Michelle Korsmo, was also there from AFP and did an outstanding job as well. Delegates Chris Saxman and Chris Peace were there as well. They both did a good job too.

AFP will be in Virginia Beach today followed by Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Staunton, Winchester, Fairfax and Fredericksburg the rest of the week. The entire schedule can be found here.

Whitney made some good points:

It is clear to us at Americans for Prosperity Foundation that without substantive changes in the culture of spending in Richmond, Virginia taxpayers will likely face this same scenario every 2 years, which is why we are here today to kick-off our state-wide Taxpayer Trust Tour.

One very basic example of this out of control spending culture is evidenced by the allocation of nearly $37 million in pork-barrel grants to more than 300 museums, theaters, tourist attractions and other pet projects across the Commonwealth this year.

For example. $5,000 for the Franconia Museum. $87,500 for the Virginia Museum of Transportation. $500,000 for the Richmond Ballet. $1.25 million for Wolf Trap.

Over the last decade there has been $200 million spent on earmarks. As Del. Saxman said yesterday, that is money that could have been used towards congestion relief. Spending money on a transportation museum would be hilarious if it were not so sad.

The event was well attended by the media, but up to this point the Washington Examiner is the only place I could find that has it online. A quote of interest:

“Eighty percent of the budget is comprised of education, health care, debt service on funding prison construction, car tax rebate and the rainy day fund. If they are proposing cuts in any of those five, I’d be interested to hear what they are,” said Del. Brian Moran, D-Alexandria.

He said the commonwealth has been named the best-managed state by the Government Performance Project, the best place to do business by Forbes, and ranks 41st highest in the nation for its state- and local-tax burden on citizens, according to the Tax Foundation.

I wonder, what percentage of the budget is comprised of "debt service on funding prison construction"? Is it really that large of a percentage? I doubt it. I suppose he is required by some sort of law (or Democrat party oath) to make people think that if the state were to attempt to cut spending (or at least reduce the rate of growth) that prisoners would run the streets.

Also, if you have any ideas about ways to improve the state, keep them to yourself. Governemnt Performance Project and Forbes have ranked Virginia number 1. Apparently that means there are no further improvements that can be made. Shut down the ideas people. Government is as efficient as it is going to get. Open your wallets and shut your mouths, any mention of reform will be mocked. Pay your taxes and like it baby.

Surely Del. Moran can't be serious. Does he really believe government is as efficient as it can be? Our representatives should attempt to be good stewards of our tax dollars. AFP is doing good work helping educate the taxpayers of Virginia. The standard lines about "paving the streets with textbooks, prisoners running the streets, etc" used by the big government types are really getting old.

State surpluses

2006-08-16T10:17:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the light (nonexistent?) blogging lately.

Government Bytes, the blog of the NTU, has a post up asking, So where's my refund? Here are the important numbers:

states ended fiscal 2006 with $57.1 billion in surpluses, up from $45.8 billion the previous year

Imagine if consumers and businesses had that money in their pockets. Wouldn't that seem to be the wise thing to do? I don't understand the big government mindset. Between these types of surpluses at the state level and ridiculous spending at the federal level taxpayers are being taken to the woodshed and I'm afraid most don't even know it.