Bob and Debbie Conroy - Enjoying the Journey Together!

You are what you read and I like to read. Here is my list of my “must read again” books and authors: Atlas Shrugged , by Ayn Rand. In this fictional novel, Rand explains her philosophy of Objectivism. She describes a society collapsing as the government increasingly and ineffectively asserts control and the most productive citizens go on strike in protest. It is no longer fiction! The Source , by James Michener. This is historical fiction that traces the descendants of a family from prehistoric times to the 1960’s in what is now Israel.  A great insight into the birth of the many religions that started or matured in the region.  Battle Cry of Freedom , by James McPherson. There is no possible way to understand current American politics without a complete understanding of all aspects of the Civil War.  This is a comprehensive review of the events that led up to the war in a style similar to a modern day weekly news magazine but with the advantage of the passage of ti...

Debbie and I are planning to do a “Full Grassley” with Luis and Ronna in 2015. The Full Grassley is named after Sen. Chuck Grassley. He has held at least one meeting in each of the 99 counties every year since 1980.  Most of the aspiring presidential candidates do the same during caucus season. The 2016 campaigns for president have started and in Iowa, we are already inundated with 30+ potential candidates. So we will run into them as we travel the state. I thoroughly enjoy the political process and jump in with both feet. I am amazed at the percentage of Iowans that do not participate. Perhaps worst is the one on the margin that participates by following directions from a handler. If you are still reading this post you likely participate in the process (good for you).  If you do not know what I mean by a “handler” you probably have one. Debbie and I were just talking about our recent Boston trip and the thrill it was to walk the Freedom Trail. Just a few people with con...

I wish more people would ride their bikes to work or take the bus.   Then the freeway wouldn’t be so crowded for me. Jackson and Allison just fly their B-52.

I have noticed several stickers on cars that proclaim “NATIVE” inside a silhouette of the state of Iowa. I first noticed these types of stickers many years ago in Colorado. Then and now I find these stickers slightly tacky, a bit arrogant, certainly xenophobic, and perhaps racist. Just recently two of these stickers have attracted my attention. The first was applied to the car at an angle. Nothing clever like putting it at a 90-degree angle to the left or right to signify a political leaning by the driver or the state. It was not upside down like a distress flag. It was just a sloppy job of applying it. The other one was on a car with Iowa plates but the frame around the plate proclaimed the University of Nebraska Alum, the car was a late model Hyundai Santa Fe (made in South Korea) with a dealer sticker from Topeka KS. Way to support your “native” state! I do have one good thing to say about the “NATIVE” stickers: They are a little less obnoxious than the stickers with the litt...

I cannot for the life of me recall what teams were in the last Super Bowl, World Series, World Cup or championship games for any other sport. I am just not interested in this type of entertainment. Think of all of the time I have had to learn and master new interests and hobbies! Bliss!

The agency is on track to break even and perhaps make a profit in 2013 which is ahead of our business plan. This month I picked up a part-time job as an executive of a small insurance company while Debbie picked up a side job as a bookkeeper for a local insurance association. We may find ourselves pushing a combined Federal/State/Medicare tax rate of 50% again. I swore I would never pay that tax rate again. Where is John Galt when you need him? He never came for me or was I as obtuse as Hank Rearden?

Over the last few weeks, I have been across parts of Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. In all three states, there were many fires where large piles of trees and brush were burning.  The last time I saw this much clearing was when I first moved to Iowa from Michigan in 1979.  Back then farmers were encouraged by federal agencies to grow fence row to fence row.  Easy credit and low interest rates drove up the cost of farmland and many farmers leveraged their operations to acquire more acreage. This was followed by a bust that lasted over a decade and many families lost their farms to foreclosure. Many of these farms had been in the same family for over 100 years.  I served on the Warren County Board of Human Services in the 1980s. I saw firsthand the extent of the suffering that the boom and bust inflicted on so many people.  There is a story in the D M Register that some Iowa farmland sold at auction for over $26,000 an acre last week.  Maybe the bonfires...