It is a sad truth that I, and many others, have come to an age where my obituary will not read, “Gone too soon” or “His untimely death.” If your idea of “evidence” in an argument is to produce an article the contains words like, “Could be…” or “Possibly as much as…” you are probably not going to convince anyone to come to your side that was not there already. Unfortunately, in this age of “Opinion journalism” it is our duty as citizens to research any claims made. To do this you must leave your “comfort zone” but if you don’t do this you will be worse than uninformed, you will be misinformed! According to the IRS website the top 1% of wage earners in the United States paid 40.4% of the taxes in 2022- The most recent year they reported on. According to “Tax Foundation” the top 1% of US wage earners pay taxes at a rate of 25.9% of their income which is nearly 8 times the lower rate of 3.3% that the lowest wage earners pay Have you ever gotten trapped in the “Rule of: If this, why not that?” As a cop, I gave the mother with a car full of kids a break when I stopped her for going 16mph over the speed limit. Then I would question myself- If I gave her a break, shouldn’t I also give the guy speeding in a sports car the same break? Is anyone aware that the millionaire governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker (D), at one time had 64 NGO’s? I wonder if those were investigated as intensely as Trump’s business ventures? You might not be aware that, before running for governor, he removed the toilets from one of his mansions so he could claim it was not a residence. I am human, as I assume most of you are. On some days, in some moods, I judge myself very harshly. Failures, “Shoulda, coulda & woulda’s cloud my vision. Other days I thank God for all of my blessings. If I could regain the hours I’ve wasted watching “health videos” on the internet, I would be a happy man! Have you seen them? The ones that pull me in start with- “Give me just a minute of your time and I will show you how to eliminate (Name the affliction)!” These videos claim to have the “Free” cure of any number of ailments. The minute of my time, generally, takes over 15 minutes and the “Free” cure ends up being $40+ dollars a bottle. BUT! Rest assured, you can get the cure for less if you order 3,6,12 or more bottles! That’s not the worst part. Once you click, you know what’s coming, you are buried with more, and more “Miracle cures.” Ahhh, I love it! (That was sarcasm). As an aging American I am experiencing some of the maladies bodies experience after years of abuse. I used to jump up and run without a thought. Now I plan how I’m going to get out of my chair without pain. I lived through an auto accident that should have killed me back in 1996. A reminder of that accident is that my knees tell me when bad weather is coming before the weather forecaster has any idea. My body has gone from “Party all night” to In bed by ten and still tired when the morning comes. The “Well toned body” I used to be proud of now lifts half the weight with twice the effort and holds on to belly fat and flabby muscles despite my best efforts. Thanks for reading, please comment in the space provided. Phil