Tag: family

STEEL PENCIL NEWS REVIEW

JULY 8, 2026

VOLUME 155

TWO STAPLES OF AMERICAN LIFESTYLE ARE GETTING MORE DIFFICULT TO ATTAIN.

The two staples I’m referring to are a home and a car. The prices of both have gone through the roof. OK, let’s discuss the price of a home first, in my opinion, I think this is the most important purchase you will make in your lifetime. If you pay attention to the housing market and buy and sell at the right time you will always come out on top. Barring any unusual circumstances of course. Over the course of my lifetime, I have made thousands of dollars buying and selling homes, then the last home I bought in California was a loser, I lost 90K and it was all my fault. I bought it new and waited too long to put it on the market waiting on my job to open up in another state. My new employer called and said we are ready for you; in the meantime the housing market had taken a serious nosedive. I had no choice I had to sell, and I took a beating. Over the next ten years the new house I purchased when I moved paid me back in spades. But man, that was a painful experience.

This is my advice if you want to own a home. Start early, buy something down and dirty cheap, even if you have to do a lot of repairs yourself to bring it up to par. You may have to live in a questionable area at first, but trust me, it will pay off. When I was 21 years old I was a union steel worker in Oklahoma. Not on the construction sites but in a shop so the pay wasn’t that great. Then a slight recession hit and I got laid off. Then I caught a break, my friends dad was a boss in my union and he sent me out on a construction job 200 miles from home. I rented a small house and spent as little money as possible to survive. Sent most of my check home to the bank every week. After five weeks of living as cheap as possible I had saved enough money to make a down payment on a small four room house in my hometown. When I was called back to work, I was able to make the purchase. I paid $7,000.00 for the house. 7K in 1961 is equivalent to $78,500.00 in today’s money. So 7K doesn’t sound like much, but it was a very scary purchase for me at the time.

I found out very quickly that once you buy the first house, they start making money for you, and you can move up to a better house pretty easily and quickly. I bought and sold thirteen homed during my lifetime, I did very well except for the last one in California. You would think I would have been smart enough to avoid that pitfall, but I got trapped by circumstances.

Yes, homes are over the top expensive today, but you can still get in the market, but you have to dance with a few ugly partners along the way. You have to be willing to drive a lackluster car and live in a dirt-cheap house to get to the gold at the end of the rainbow. It takes time, it takes sacrifice, there were times when I worked two jobs, and my wife worked as well, but in the end it paid off. It wasn’t any easier to do in 1961 even though the prices seem really low, but I was only making $2.35 per hour. That’s $94.00 a week. But I had the percentages in my favor my house payment was $56.00 per month. My house payment was roughly 15% of my monthly gross income. We actually had enough money to buy a very nice three-year-old car.

THE UBIQUITOUS AUTOMOBILE

The second item of major investment for the young family. Unless you live in an urban area where mass transit if dependable and cheap, you are probably going to need at least one unit of personal transportation. I absolutely refuse to live in a metro area; I hate the environment and the number of other human beings I would be exposed to on a daily basis. I’m getting worse about that as I age. I’m beginning to understand that hermit thing.

Automobiles have always been a status symbol, this was true almost from the very beginning. A very successful man wanted to be seen in a car that reflected his status in the world. Why do you think Mercedes Benz puts that big round emblem on the front their cars? That’s so everyone knows you’re doing well when they see you coming. It makes you want to buy their product so you can look rich.

Young people today, for the most part, have had a lot of life’s luxuries during their growing up years. Their parents made sure they had nice homes and all of the latest stuff so they could feel equal to their peers. What these youngsters don’t realize, is all of those little trinkets their parents provided are trivial in the real world. If they want the good stuff themselves, it’s a bit of a long road to get there, and they don’t want to wait. While living at home, they got to dress with all the lates fashions, wear the bling, and drive a nice car. All of this while not working. Once you step out of your parents house, you step into a cold unrelenting world. Too much debt to keep up the appearance, and they’re gonna crash and burn.

While a car may be a necessity for most people, it doesn’t have to be a Mercedes, it can be a 2003 Buick and still get you to your destination in reasonable comfort and safety. You may not look like a You Tube influencer, but hey, you’re working in the warehouse for Amazon.

So back to my original point of why it’s so important to buy a home. A luxury car can wait, a home is way more important. There will be plenty of time to obtain a fancy car once you’re a solid homeowner, building wealth every single day. A car doesn’t build wealth it destroys it.

THE BOTTOM LINE

I have lived in my present home, for 21 years, and my neighborhood has several rental houses. During this time I have seen several young families live by the plan I outlined above and become homeowners themselves. I watched them struggle to keep their cars running, the husband and wife both held down jobs while raising kids. They skipped most of the luxuries most take for granted. But hey, they’re no longer renters, and they are on their way to capture their part of the American Dream. Folks, it’s never changed, it’s always been about determination, hard work and sacrifice. If you’re not willing to do that, you’re probably going to vote for someone like Mamdani

I’LL BE BACK, STAND BY

Lazy people become Communists, they don’t want to do the hard work, they want to sit on their behinds and get handouts. When the lazy person hears everyone is going to be equal, they think they are going to live like the rich folk. In reality it’s the reverse of that, the rich people are going to have their toys confiscated and live like poor folk. In other words, everyone is going to be poor except the Party leaders that stole everyone’s wealth for themselves.

Stay safe, stay vigilant, stay free. Don’t ever let this country become a socialist hell hole.

VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE

STEEL PENCIL NEWS REVIEW

JULY 4, 2026

VOLUME 154

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA

I’m pretty sure this is a first. I don’t think I ever wrote an article on the Fourth of July. Obviously, this one is pretty special. My wife was born in London and immigrated to the US in the 1980’s. She loves and appreciates this country more than a lot of native-born Americans. She knows what socialism is and how oppressive it is. She was born to a successful real estate developer and was able to tour the world before she was twenty years old. She toured the old Soviet Union, and she can tell you firsthand how dire the life was during those years for the Russian citizens. The English government she lived under was pretty terrible although it’s even worse now. So, when she hears someone talk positive about socialism, she gets very animated very quickly.

I was born and raised in the south-central US, and never had any desire to be a world traveler. I love this country and although having been twenty eight of the 50 states, I would not travel beyond the national borders until I have seen every single one of the fifty glorious states. Don’t feel sorry for me, I’m quite happy with my decisions and my love for my country. I’m not being totally truthful, I have visited our neighbors in Mexico and Canada. Mexico looks like California, and Canada looks like Washington and Oregon. Ho-hum.

I have heard the theory that certain behaviors and memories get passed down through genetics. Memories that are embedded in your being, but you can’t recall them voluntarily. I think that may be true. Many years ago, the first time I stood in the presence of a Scottish pipe and drum band, the hair stood up on the back of my neck and a strange feeling washed across my body. Years later, I discovered through my DNA that my heritage is 99% northern European which includes Scottish, Irish and English ancestry. My point is that this could also play a large part in my deep love for America as my family came from Essex, in London and landed on these shores in 1700. My family was here 75 years before the Declaration of Independence was written, 325 years ago. So, if the theory is true, and you do have embedded genetic memories, I have over three centuries worth to deal with.

PRESIDENT TRUMP KNOWS HOW TO THROW A PARTY.

Wow, I watched most of the festivities tonight, tuned in just a bit late. But the lead up to the President’s speech was phenomenal. His speech was phenomenal. I don’t know exactly how many celebrities refused to participate or who they were, but personally, I thought the show was much better without them. Celebrities always want to make everything about them; this was not the time and place for that. This was a time to celebrate our nation, as an American, with pride, humility and gratitude. The military performers were fabulous, totally perfect for the occasion. God bless these great people.

The Democrats did everything they could think of to sabotage the celebration. Instead of joining in as Americans and sharing this great moment, they chose to be jerks. Calling this “Donald Trump’s Party”, and they weren’t going to participate. Sounds a bit childish to me. President Trump wanted this to be special for all Americans. The only political statement I recall was his statement against communism, vowing that America would never be a communist nation.

Thank heavens the Democrats didn’t succeed. The entire show was awesome. How about that stage? Don’t think I’ve ever seen a more spectacular setting, but then again, it’s not ever going to be the 250th Anniversary again. The fireworks were over the top. The crowd was joyful, dancing to the music, and having great time. The promoters must have pre-screened the attendees, because I didn’t see a single whacko person. Thank God for that.

I have one more thing to say about the show tonight; Melania was gorgeous.

Going to wrap this up to tonight. My wife and I are extremely thankful for this wonderful country we live in. We are thankful for a President that loves America as much as we do. Sure, we have some problems we need to deal with, but we can do that. None the problems are worth killing each other over. We just need to work them out for the betterment of our country, so everyone’s life gets better, not worse. We need to make it possible for young folks to buy homes again, so young families can blossom. We need to get the America haters out of our educational system. We need educators that focus on the future of our youngsters, not some weird fantasy about 200 genders.

God bless America, stay safe, stay vigilant, stay free.

VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE

STEEL PENCIL NEWS REVIEW

MAY 19, 2026

VOLUME 148

CURRENT NEWS FROM A CENTER-RIGHT PERSPECTIVE, WITH A DASH OF PATRIOTISM.

INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE CIRCA 1955. A SCENE FROM MY IMAGINATION.

WHAT I AM SEEING AND HOW IT MAKES ME FEEL ABOUT MY COUNTRY RIGHT NOW

How I view the world was undoubtedly shaped by being born in 1941, watching my family and people around me deal with the seriousness of the most consequential war since the Revolutionary War. Then living through the social revolution of the sixties and seventies. People of my age group, have a mindset like no other. That said, we are disappearing daily from old age, and old age-related diseases. If you are part of a high school alumni group that you keep in touch with, you are very aware of your mortality.

I created the picture above because it is very indicative of the place where I grew up. What you see in the picture are people, mostly of European descent, gathered peacefully, expressing their love for our great nation, their families and communities. The only freak shows you saw in those days were the ones that came to town with the carnivals.

I’m not naive, there have always been people who were “different” and gay folks have been around since the beginning of time. When I was growing up, gays, lesbians and otherwise strange folk kept a low profile, it was not a good idea to be too open, it could be dangerous. So, there were always people that you would consider a sub-culture, even though on the surface it all looked serene and peaceful.

So, by now, you are probably asking, what is the point. My point is, although all of the same stuff was going on then, that is going on now, the mainstream culture made it clear what it would tolerate and what it wouldn’t. I absolutely do not condone violence against others, but in order for a society to exist in a peaceful and orderly manner, restraint must be exercised by everyone. The majority of society did not agree with the alternative life styles, didn’t want their children exposed to it. The folks that lived the alternative lives, needed to be aware of that, and respect the majorities wishes. That is the formula for people of different stripes to coexist. Simple. Key word “respect”.

RESPECT; NOT MUCH OF IT LEFT

Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up to understand what has happened to that wonderful word “respect”. It all starts in the family home, that is the birthplace of respect. It starts with the parents. The mom and dad have a solemn duty to exhibit respect for each other, along with expressing their love for one another. They must make certain the offspring respect and show their love for one another as well. Love and respect are the most important lessons children can be taught. It determines the way they treat others they come in contact with, in the future. Secondly, and equally important is the respect for authority. The children need to be aware that mom and dad are in charge, period, not debatable. Parents need to stand firm from the time the child is born until that child leaves home. This is the formula for raising children that are able to navigate life more successfully. A parent’s weakness in exhibition of authority, creates problems later, that can be impossible to deal with.

Schools in my day were rife with authority figures. If you got out of line at school, you were punished in any number of ways, plus you had to answer to your parents. You were hit with a “double whammy”. Not a pleasant experience. When you were graded for your work, it was an honest grade. If you weren’t performing your work, you received a failing grade. Another experience that you didn’t want to go through. Also, if you failed, your peers looked down on you, another unpleasant experience. So, if you wanted to be able to walk with your head held high, you towed the line. Another valuable lesson for living a successful life.

Then, sometime in the sixties, a horrible thing happened. The traditional family started to disappear, and they went soft on the kiddos. That was the beginning of the end for respect. It was all downhill after that. The pictures below are the result.

So, this is all the result of failed families, failed public education, failed institutions of higher learning and failing to hold people accountable for their actions. The inmates have taken over the asylum. I don’t give a rat’s ass what you are, who you sleep with, what you do with your genitals, just keep it to yourself. I don’t give a rat’s ass if you’re a vegan, or a vegetarian. I ain’t none of those things, and I ain’t never gonna be any of those things. So don’t try to sell me on the fact that you’re somehow superior to me, a straight white, Christian male. Keep that shit to yourselves.

I respect my fellow man, and try my best not to be offensive and disrespectful of my neighbor. I respect everyone’s property, their rights to be who and what they are. Just don’t burden me with your mental illness bullshit.

We are living in the best damn country on the planet you are given the right to be who and what you want to be. In spite of this, we have a growing number of folks that express extreme hatred for the nation and 95% of its inhabitants. I sincerely believe if you feel this way, you need to pack up your shit and find somewhere else to live. I’m totally happy here, and you are causing me to be unhappy seeing your sorry asses. I can say this with absolute pride, my family took up residence in America in 1700 and we have been here ever since. Old glory is my flag, United States is my home. I might be 85 years old but I’m still a damn good shot, and I’m willing to defend the Republic and all of its glory. If you don’t like it, you can kiss my old wrinkly ass.

God bless America, God bless our President. Stay safe, stay vigilant. stay free.

VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE

STEEL PENCIL CHRISTMAS

DECEMBER 23, 2025

VOLUME ONE

First of all, that picture isn’t me or any of my family members, just a photo I grabbed off the internet. Why not an authentic photo? Because I’m too dang lazy to climb up in the loft and go through old photo albums. I seem to get lazier the older I get. Last night after dinner, my dog and I retired to the big recliner, and I promptly went to sleep and woke up about 10:00 pm. There just ain’t nothin’ like a big ol’ recliner and a warm doggie. Now this wasn’t the smartest move, because by the time I actually went to bed I was wide awake. Aren’t you supposed to get smarter the older you get? Well, I don’t think it’s working on me.

I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that it’s Christmas again already. It seems like it was only last week we were camping on the coast enjoying the wonderful pacific northwest summer. This year has been a blur; it’s like our lives are on “fast forward”. We don’t have any family anywhere close, they all bailed out for the southwest and sunshine. Left the old timers up here in the mucky wet, cold weather. That said it’s a little hard to really catch the Christmas spirit with no youngins around. So, the last few days, I have been doing a little reminiscing about Christmases we had when I was a youngin.

Men go through four phases of life. 1. You believe in Santa Clause 2. You no longer believe in Santa Clause 3. You become Santa Clause 4. You look like Santa Clause. I don’t remember when I figured out my dad was really Santa, but we still carried on the tradition of opening gifts on Christmas morning as long as I lived in my parent’s home. I carried on the tradition with my own family until my kids got married. It’s a wonderful tradition, so many wonderful memories from those days.

This is where I have to honor my parents. My father was an orphan, parents died when he was about 10 years old. Ran away from the orphans home at 16. Pretty loosely connected family from the hills of southeastern Oklahoma. Real deal red necks. He never looked back, was on his own from 16 years old on. Met my mom when he was nineteen, married her at twenty. She was eighteen.

My mom’s family was fairly large, four sisters, two brothers. They lived in a two-room shanty with no running water. Pure poverty. Father was an alcoholic, died from alcoholism in 1942. Whatever money the family had, he drank it. My grandmother lived in that house until her death sometime in the late 60’s. She had bed, a radio, an above floor heater, a kitchen stove, refrigerator and a table. I remember a small table by her easy chair. She probably had four dresses and a couple of pair of shoes when she died. In spite of having virtually nothing, she had a wonderful attitude, and a sweet personality until the day she died. The woman never owned a bathtub or an automobile.

In spite of their childhoods, my parents were about as good as they come. My dad was rock steady in every way. My mom was a loving, caring, hardworking housewife that looked after her kids like they were pure gold. I can remember her staying by my side when I was sick with the normal childhood diseases like mumps, measles, chicken pox, and all of my other childhood ailments. Likewise with my older sisters. Love and laughter was present in our home around the clock.

As you can see, my parents took their jobs very seriously. They made sure every holiday was a fun family event. But they went the extra mile to make sure Christmas was special. My mom and sisters would make candy and cookies for several days before Christmas, my mom and dad would buy an assortment of nuts and fruits to munch on during holidays. My dad was a good marksman, and always brought home a large turkey from the “turkey shoot”. (look it up)

This may sound like we were a wealthy family. Nope! My dad was a welder in a boiler shop, my mom was a homemaker. My mom was a very frugal homemaker. She saved what little money she had throughout the year, so her family could have a nice Christmas. Not an elaborate Christmas, but ample. The gifts although simple and not expensive were cherished treasures. Christmas was pure magic in our home. The weeks leading up to Christmas were exciting and filled with anticipation. And we always visited my granny in her little, tiny house with her little, tiny Christmas tree.

As old people, our Christmases may be a lot quieter, and a little different, but we have wonderful memories of times past, and lot of close friends with similar lives. We are going to have Christmas dinner with some our dear friends and my grandson from Seattle, so it’s going to be another memorable Christmas for the books. Lot’s of love and laughter, and good food.

I sincerely hope all of you have a joyous Christmas holiday, and a wonderful New Year. God bless you all.

VERITAS VINCIT ~ LIVE FREE OR DIE

THE VIEW FROM ST. CHARLES

APRIL 5, 2025

VOLUME 64

FEELING GRATEFUL TODAY

I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the past. I have a very active life in the present. I have a friend that literally lives in the past. When you sit and talk with him, he has dozens of pictures on his phone from his days as a young man working as a construction carpenter. I avoid getting into conversations with him, so I don’t have to see his pictures for the 50th time. He’s a nice enough guy but damn he’s boring. All old guys like to reminisce about how things used to be, but you have to find new people to tell your stories to. You’ve obviously heard the saying; “The older I get, the better I was”.

That said, sometimes something triggers my mind that takes me back. That happened this morning when I was reading a news article about Tina Louise. She was the glamour girl on the TV sitcom “Gilligan’s Island”. Wow, her life as a child was a sad story. By the way, not to make you feel really old, but she just celebrated her 91st birthday. 

It caused me to reflect on my own childhood, which by the way was unquestionably the best years of my life. That’s how it should be. Your childhood should be the best years of your life. Your body is brand new, everything works great, you can run as fast as you can for as far as you can, rest ten minutes and do it again. The best part is there is no residual pain for the next three days. You lay your tired little body down in bed, go to sleep immediately, and don’t wake up until sunrise. You didn’t have to get up and pee three times.

Every single day of my life while living in my parents’ home (with the rare exception of my mom being ill) I woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking and coffee brewing. How great is that. I got dressed went to the kitchen and mom had four or five menu items I could choose from. During the school year she would help me get ready, give me a hug and kiss, and send me on my way. She just made it impossible for me to have a bad attitude, while filling me with gratitude. I loved and adored my mom.

I rarely saw my dad in the mornings, he had already left for work. My special time with my dad came later in the day. I would walk up to the intersection about a block north of our house and wait for him. He would pull over and stop, I would climb onto the running board of the car, he would put his arm around me to keep me from falling off. When we got to the house, he would open his lunch box and give me a Hostess cupcake he saved for me. Just a simple little ritual that created a cherished memory.

My mom had an established dinner hour (called supper back then). It wasn’t optional. It happened the same time every day except Sunday. You were expected to be there, your face and hands washed. It as a serious event. Talking was kept to a minimum. Fun and laughter were reserved for after supper. If you acted out during supper, you were seriously reprimanded. 

Holidays were celebrated with vigor in the family home. My father was blue collar worker, with a modest income, and my mom was a homemaker. So, my parents obviously didn’t have a large disposable income. That didn’t stop them from creating really fun holiday events. We would get together with aunts, uncles, and cousins. the ladies would cook up some great food, the men made homemade ice cream, and we played until we were exhausted.

Summer vacations were always on a river or lake. My dad was an avid fisherman, and my mom would cook up his daily catch. Of course, the trips to and from in my dad’s 1930’s and 1940’s cars were always and adventure as well. One terribly stormy night coming home from the lake, our 1937 Plymouth quit running as we came into a small town. My dad nursed it to a garage and got it repaired. While it was being repaired, a tornado came very close to the town. The truck and auto repair shop was in a tin covered building. My mom got all of us kids and we sat under a semi-truck inside the garage until the storm passed. The wind, rain and hail pounding down on that tin building was terrifying.

Kids today have dozens of electronic devices available to them for entertainment. We had TV and radio. We didn’t have a TV until I was nine years old. The only thing on it that I wanted to see was the western movies on Sunday afternoon. We actually interacted as a family during the evening hours, talking and playing games. Working on hobby projects, doing jig saw puzzles. Simple stuff, but fun. Summertime on the front porch drinking iced tea and listening to my dad’s stories about his early years we heard countless times but somehow never got old.

Both of my parents have been gone for a long time now. I don’t think I conveyed the message very well of how much I appreciated what they did for me. As a matter of fact, I know I didn’t, and I regret that. If you’re fortunate enough to have a living parent or two, and they provided you with a happy childhood, and supported your endeavors no matter how crazy, let them know you appreciate it and love them for it.

VERITAS VINCIT   ~   LIVE FREE OR DIE

FAMILIES ARE FOREVER  

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