There's a Code for That

While we were visiting in Dayton over the past week, my daughter-in-law Tabitha showed me an enormous book that she's gamely studying for one of her classes: the ICD-10-CM* Code Book. This massive tome contains hundreds and hundreds of pages of alphanumeric codes that have been assigned to all of the different types of diseases, injuries, mishaps, misfortunes, and weird things that doctors have had to treat and insurance companies have had to find ways to avoid paying for.

While it's not likely to be a selection of the month for Oprah's Book Club, it does nevertheless make fascinating reading. Here are a few actual examples (in bold print), with my comments:

W59.09 - Crushed by lizard (nonvenomous). I suppose it would be worse to be crushed by a venomous lizard;

G44.82 - Headache associated with sexual activity. Anything I could say would get me into trouble, therefore - no comment; and,

R46.1 - Bizarre personal appearance. I know I'll hear from some of my friends about this one.

Some of the classifications are location-specific yet injury-generic, such as:

Y92.253 - Hurt at the opera; and,

Y92.241 - Hurt at the library.

Here are two good ones for this political season:

R45.4 - Irritability and anger; and,

Z72.811 - Adult antisocial behavior. Both commonly observed at Trump rallies.

Some codes refer to "subsequent encounters," leading one to wonder about both unusual accidents and lessons not learned:

W55.29XD - Other contact with cow, subsequent encounter. I guess those stories I've heard about lonely farm boys are true;

V97.33XD - Sucked into jet engine, subsequent encounter. How can you possibly have a "subsequent encounter" on this?;

W61.62XD - Struck by duck, subsequent encounter. I guess ol' Donald can really get belligerent; or,

Y93D:V91.07XD - Burn due to water skis on fire, subsequent encounter. All I can say is, "oy!"

I imagine that one of the reasons health care is so expensive in this country is that there are reinforced platoons of people out there dreaming up codes for all these things in order to empower insurance companies to reject your claims. And yet I can see some benefit in having lists of codes to provide shortcuts that will save space in news reporting and in political campaigning. Here are a few of my suggestions:

1040.00-NO - Donald Trump still refuses to release his tax returns. Don't hold your breath;

HRC-BGZ-8756 - Congressional Republicans initiate 8756th investigation of Benghazi. Why not? They're not busy governing; and,

ZZZZZZZ.000 - Routine Congressional activity (not party-specific). Makes it easy for C-SPAN to cover.

Any other suggestions? Leave a comment.

Have a good day. See you tomorrow for the latest collection of Editorial Gems ... be here.

Bilbo

* International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification

We're Back!

Agnes and I spent the last few days out in Dayton, Ohio, visiting our more far-flung grandchildren. And their parents, too. Highlights included:

- Three performances by granddaughter Marcy with the Beavercreek High School Marching Band, including a competition at Troy High School at which they won first place in their division and were named grand champions.

- Watching grandson Noah get his hustle on at his Saturday morning soccer game ...

- Attending the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival to celebrate the traditional hardening of the arteries*, at which the marching band also performed ... 

- Being able to spend some time with two-thirds of our grandchildren ...

And visiting the National Museum of the United States Air Force with my son Jason ...

Life is, indeed, good.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* I did not indulge in any of the deep-fried things, but probably shortened my life by five years just walking past the various stands.

Poetry Sunday

Autumn is sneaking up on us ... the days are getting shorter and - slowly - cooler, and the leaves on the trees are getting ready to take on their fall colors. Labor Day, the traditional end of summer, has passed, and now we're getting ready to greet the new visitors, as this brief, but vivid poem by David Budbill reminds us ...

September Visitors

by David Budbill

I'm glad to see our friends come:
talk, laughter, food, wine.
I'm glad to see our friends go:
solitude, emptiness, gardens,
autumn wind.


Agnes and I are visiting our grandchildren (and their parents) in Dayton, Ohio, stocking up on photographs and good stories and swelling with pride at the new generation, and so regular posts to this blog won't begin again until this coming Wednesday. Be sure to come back then for more thoughts.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

Once again, Agnes and I are on the road, so you'll have to do without the news summary. It'll be back next week. Trust me.

This week marked the beginning of a new school year for millions of children across the country. And in honor of that event, and the consequent sighs of relief heaved by millions of parents across the country, this week we feature cartoons about schools and education.


Information-age irony, yes ...

How many modern parents view their children's education ...

I think this would be part of the GOP's education improvement plan, assuming it had one ...

Sometimes, what's expected depends on the school ...

When school prepares you for the real world ... or not ...

Sad, but true ...

It's not always the students who have problems ...

Education in Texas, Tennessee, Kansas ...

Proud parents are universal ...

The value of a good education is not always immediately apparent ...

Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

The Right Cheek Ass Clown for September, 2016

It's a new month and there's a new crop of ass clowns out there - time to turn on the light, turn over the rocks, and watch them scuttle around.

Today I announce

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown

for

September, 2016

and the award goes to

Anjem Choudary

Mr Choudary was arrested in London this past week on charges of inviting support for Daesh, the so-called "Islamic State." He has preached religious hatred in London for decades, skirting the edges of the law and backing extremist interpretations of Islam, but has carefully avoided actually inciting violence. He was known as the most hated man in Britain.

Mr Choudary was linked to the radicalization of scores of young Muslims who left Britain to fight for the radical Islamic forces in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other mideast hot spots, and claimed an Islamic justification for the terrorist attacks and mass murders in New York, Washington, London, Madrid, and elsewhere. According to Mr Choudary, Daesh promises the dawn of a beautiful and perfect new world ... a perfection obviously lost on the many thousands of people tortured, murdered, or forced into marriage with Islamic militants while living under the enlightened rule of the so-called "Islamic State."

For his cynical and deliberate abuse of the rights and freedoms granted by Britain - rights and freedoms denied by the religious thugs he champions, Anjem Choudary is named the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for September, 2016.

Oh ... and with reference to the photograph of Mr Choudary that accompanies this post, it should be noted that he also displays the Unholy Finger. Just sayin'.

Have a good day. See you here tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Bilbo Pontificates on Energy, Transportation, and the Environment

Back in 2007 I wrote a post titled Thigh Bone's Connected to the Hip Bone, etc., in which I suggested that we as a nation were being pretty dumb by looking at all our problems in isolation rather than as part of an interconnected system in which responses to one issue have ramifications in other areas. That idea - my concept of government, society, law, and the economy as a system rather than a group of unconnected activities - underlies my thinking on virtually every discussion of the issues we face. In the last few posts, I've talked about approaches to immigration reform, foreign policy, tax reform, and the economy in ways that try to address how the solutions are all interconnected. Today, let's think about how energy, transportation, and environmental policies all fit together (and, of course, fit with all the others).

Tax reform is difficult enough to think through, because there are so many vested interests that benefit from the current system in one way or another. The same applies to developing energy, transportation, and environmental policies, except that it's almost worse: our current slapdash approach combines the worst features of tax policy, agriculture policy, housing policy, foreign policy, environmental policy, the oil industry, the nuclear industry, vast swarms of lawyers and pundits, and probably several others I've forgotten. If the country needs a tax system that looks like someone designed it on purpose, it needs other comprehensive policies at least as badly.

Here are my thoughts ...

1. Immediately Start Up Manhattan Project II to Develop Safe, Reliable, Renewable Alternative Energy Sources. During the darkest days of World War II, when victory against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan was not yet a foregone conclusion, President Roosevelt authorized the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb. It was the most expensive crash program in American history, harnessing the efforts of the nation's finest scientists in a money-is-no-object effort to develop the ultimate weapon to defeat the ultimate evil. Today, we need a new Manhattan Project to break our reliance on fossil fuels. This effort would be funded by a tax on oil company profits, a small tax on gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles, and a small parallel tax on gasoline at the retail level (not more than 2 cents/gallon).

2. Open the Yucca Mountain Repository for the Safe Storage of Nuclear Waste, and Do Not License Any New Nuclear Plants Until It Is In Operation. Nuclear energy is often touted as an environmentally safe, clean source of energy, and it is ... for the short term. The elephant in the nuclear room that no one in the industry wants to discuss is that nuclear power generation produces radioactive waste, much of which will be deadly for tens of thousands of years (see my earlier post "Don't Dig Here"). If we are going to rely on nuclear power, we must accept the risks inherent in its waste, and must have a secure, remote place to store it that's as safe as we can make it. Yucca Mountain is probably as safe a place as we're likely to find on the earth.

3. Shift Ethanol Production From Corn to the Use of Other Agricultural Waste Products. If ethanol continues to be used as a component of gasoline, it should be made from products other than corn. Reliance on corn distorts agricultural prices and policies and eats up valuable land that could be used for growing other staple products.

4. Require That All New Construction Employ Environmental Principles. "Green" construction techniques and building features will help save energy both in construction and throughout the life of the structure. Built-in solar panels in areas with abundant sun or geothermal units in geologically active areas, "green roofs" for insulation (and gardening), and a return to the use of natural construction materials instead of plastics will all help to conserve energy by minimizing the need for electricity and relying on renewable natural energy sources.

5. Ban the Manufacture and Use of Non-Biodegradable Plastics for Packaging. There are vast islands of floating plastic bags in the oceans, hazardous to fish and plant life and not going away in our lifetimes. Landfills are choked with plastic trash. We need to get away from the use of such materials now. Many stores are offering reusable bags; their use should be made mandatory, as should the use of biodegradable products for packaging of all types.

6. Invest in the Nation's Rail Network. Railroads can move vast amounts of cargo over long distances at cheap rates while using less energy than long-haul trucks. Modernize and expand the nation's rail system for both passengers (in high-traffic areas like the East Coast corridor) and for cargo (nationwide).

7. Encourage Expansion and Use of Mass Transit in Major Metropolitan Areas. Buses, light rail networks, and similar mass transit methods save energy while moving large numbers of people. Encourage use of mass transit by expanding networks to serve larger areas and by limiting the ability to drive in urban areas (for instance, by reducing availability of parking). This will be very difficult, as we're a nation that loves its cars and the individual freedom and flexibility they offer ... but they turn open land into roads and parking lots, turn fossil fuels into carbon exhaust, and are a long-term threat to the environment.

That's the basics of my energy policy. Take your best shot. Some of my friends and commenters have already pointed out that everything on the list is going to be expensive and problematic in some way, but we need to do something. If you don't like my ideas, don't just say they won't work ... propose something better.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow, when we announce the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for September.

Bilbo

Bilbo's Thoughts on Economic Policy

Yesterday in this space I wrote about some of my thoughts on tax reform, admitting at the end that I know next to nothing about economics. My knowledge of economic theory is limited to one simple fact: if I don't pay my bills, I will end up without food, water, or a place to live.

My meager understanding of economic theory is that it lies at the intersection of greed and herd psychology. You don’t need an MBA from Harvard Business School or a PhD in Economics from Yale to know that the economy is in trouble. I have a BA in Linguistics and an MS in International Relations, and even I can recognize that the economy is slowly clawing its way out of the toilet, largely to the benefit of the higher income classes. Why is this? While I’m untutored in the Mystical and Arcane Rites of the Holy Mysteries of Economic Policy, I nevertheless perceive a few things that ought to be obvious, and since lack of knowledge has never stopped any good blogger before, with a ruffle of drums and a blare of trumpets, here are my observations on national economic policy:

1. Spending More Than You Earn Is Bad. If you and I engage in reckless deficit spending, we go to jail. If the government does it, reinforced platoons of dry-as-dust economists with PhD’s, bow ties, and leather elbow patches will be marshaled to explain why it’s a good thing. Whether you’re a Tax-and-Spend Democrat or a Don’t-Tax-but-Spend-Anyhow Republican, balanced budgets are smart. You and I need to pay taxes and the government needs to spend responsibly. Unfortunately, only you and I are held to our part of the bargain.

1a. We Desperately Need a Rational Tax System. See yesterday's post.

1b. And Some Adults in Congress Willing to Consider Responsible Spending*.

2. Unrestricted Capitalism Is As Bad As Blind Communism. John Kenneth Galbraith once said that under capitalism, man exploits man, while under communism the exact opposite is true. A purely capitalistic society focused on the generation of wealth tends to protect the business community and upper classes at the expense of the middle and lower classes. A purely communistic society removes the incentive to work hard by removing its rewards. Sound economic policy lies somewhere between the two, and requires a free-market economy governed by rational regulations to prevent the sort of excesses with which we are now all too familiar.

3. Quarterly Earnings Reports Are Stupid. One of the biggest faults of US markets is that we lack a long-term perspective. Businesses driven by the need to show profits each quarter will focus only on short-term gain at the expense of long-term growth and health. The solution: eliminate quarterly reporting of all economic statistics and replace it with annual reporting. This will help focus on long-term economic health rather than short-term profit, and minimize the whipsawing of the markets in reaction to short-term problems.

4. “Too Big to Fail” Equals “Too Dangerous to Survive.” When a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman, or Bear Sterns has grown so large that it’s failure can drag down large portions of the economy, something is wrong. Bigger is not necessarily better. The government must exercise some prudent judgment in determining how large a financial institution can grow before it becomes too much of a threat to the rest of the economy. Huge financial institutions are too big to fail, but you and I are too small to matter. Fired CEOs get huge golden parachutes, but you and I will get cents back on the dollar - if that - when our investments tank.

5. Bring Back the Concept of “Moral Hazard.” In economic terms, “moral hazard” refers to the responsibility borne by economic decision makers for their performance, judgment, and prudent risk-taking. It implies that those who make the huge salaries should also bear the risk of punishment if their performance is poor. In practical terms, moral hazard is dead. The CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were fired, but each will walk away from the wreckage with millions of dollars in severance payments. Real People who exercise judgment that bad go to jail.

6. Publish the Full Details of Every Congressional Budget Deal in The Congressional Record, Along With the Names of the Sponsors. The Common American Taxpayer (Americanus Emptypocketus Ignoramus) has a right to know how the money he pays in taxes is being spent. Perhaps shedding a little light on the process will help bring it under control. Yeah, good luck with this one, too.

Remember that it was George Bernard Shaw who famously said that, "A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend upon the support of Paul."

And Paul's doing a lot better than you and I.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* "Responsible Spending" is not created by petulant squabbling that results in endless Continuing Resolutions rather than a coherent federal budget.

Bilbo's Personal Income Tax Reform Plan

Yesterday I offered my thoughts on a rational and realistic foreign policy for this country. Since I'm on a roll, why not dust off and update my post from back in 2008 on tax reform? As a result of years of political shenanigans and misuse of the power of taxation by governments led by both parties, this is an enormous, highly-charged, and vastly complicated problem to solve. For this reason, I’ll approach it in sections; today, we’ll look at personal income tax.

The fundamental problem with income tax system in this country is that we have forgotten that the purpose of taxation is to raise money to fund the operation of the government, not to implement social policy or to solve (or sidestep) other problems. The Founders knew that the government needed the power to levy taxes ... their problem was not with taxes per se, but with taxation without representation, which is why they vested the power of taxation in the legislative, rather than the executive branch of government. Citizens have a duty to pay taxes to operate government at the national, state, and local levels, and each level executes different types of responsibilities. Governments at each level have a duty to manage the people’s affairs and money in such a way as to ensure that the tax burden is the minimum required to fund necessary and efficient operations. Here's what the Constitution has to say on the subject:

Article 1, Section 7: All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other Bills.

Article 1, Section 8: The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.

The 16th Amendment: The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

When tax policy is used for purposes other than raising operating revenue, it creates a problem which cascades through the economy and the society. When, for instance, the federal government grants “tax breaks” to a particular special interest group, offers “tax credits” as a way of reducing costs of programs or services to taxpayers, or uses “tax incentives” to garner support for particular programs or activities, the revenue those taxes would have brought in is now no longer available and must be made up somehow. Popular alternatives include:

Shifting the tax burden to other groups. This is what happens when the tax code allow higher-income taxpayers to pay proportionally less tax than less-affluent citizens, either by complex and targeted deductions or more advantageous tax rates;

Increasing levies on individual taxpayers. This is the usual route, as individual taxpayers in the middle and lower economic classes generally lack the organized political power to fight the additional tax burden;

Imposing fees for services that were previously provided free of charge, or increasing fees already in existence; and,

Increasing government borrowing (includes both direct borrowing and the sale of bonds and other treasury securities). This avoids the political heat involved in taxing other industries or individuals, but pushes the problem down the road by increasing government debt and incurring the interest payments on that additional debt. It also dries up money that would otherwise be available for individuals and businesses to borrow.

The tax code as it exists today is an unworkable farce. As a result of laws which change each year, special breaks and incentives provided to special interests, and the use of the tax code as an instrument of social policy rather than revenue collection, the size of the complete code is mind-boggling: according to estimated figures provided by the Tax Foundation for 2013, the US Tax Code is 74608 pages long. It’s no wonder that an entire industry of expensive tax preparation specialists and tax lawyers has become necessary to assist citizens in calculating their taxes, filing their returns, and defending themselves against the often-draconian penalties involved when inevitable errors are made.

This, as my father would have said, is no way to run a railroad.

We must return to a tax system that, as former Treasury Secretary William Simon once said, looks as if someone designed it on purpose. We must have a tax code that is fair, easy to understand and implement, and raises just enough revenue to operate the government and provide the services that the majority of the citizens expect.

I propose completely scrapping the tax code in its present form, and replacing it with a graduated flat tax. Basic elements of the proposed new federal income tax structure are:

1. All income earned within the United States, regardless of source, is subject to taxation. The US is the only country that taxes personal income not earned within the borders of the nation. It's time to catch up with the rest of the world and limit taxation of personal income to that earned here at home.

2. All deductions and credits are eliminated. This would both tremendously simplify the tax code (most of which is designed to explain the arcane calculations of various deductions) and increase the amount of potential revenue.

3. Tax rates are low, but progressive and scaled to gross income. The initial proposal is:

$0 - $50,000 per year: 1-5%
$50,001 - $100,000 per year: 6-10%
$100,001 - $500,000 per year: 11-15%
$500,001 or more per year: 16-20%

By contrast, consider that the highest federal tax bracket for 2015 (levied on incomes over $464,850) was 39.6%. Oh, and what's the logic of an odd figure like $464,850 as a break point, anyhow?

Under this proposal, some people in the very lowest economic categories will be required to pay taxes, which they may have avoided in the past, and some people in the upper income levels will pay less. The burden is, however, spread more equitably and the elimination of deductions and credits not available to everyone suggests that lower rates overall can produce equivalent or greater revenue.

4. Income reconciliation and tax calculations are spread throughout the year, with the month for tax submission based on the last two digits of the taxpayer’s social security number. This eliminates the enormous national trauma of every taxpayer submitting their returns at once, swamping the IRS collection system and inviting the type of errors inherent in processing such a vast number of returns in a short time. Taxpayers whose social security numbers end in 01-10 would file in February, 11-20 in March, etc. This would finish up submissions with 91-00 filing in November, leave two months free for the IRS (or its successor) to work on crunching the numbers, and not require anyone to pay taxes during the November-December holiday season.

Now, I'm not an economist. You could put everything I know about economic theory into your navel and still have room for a herd of elephants and a brass band. But I have to believe, based only on some rational, common-sense thinking, that overall rates can be radically lowered for almost all taxpayers if we just return to basics: tax all income, eliminate all deductions and credits, and use the tax code for revenue generation rather than as a political tool or a means of implementing social policy.

This is my plan for personal income tax reform. Take your best shot.

Corporate tax policy is much more complicated. I'm not a businessman and don't know much about tax implications for business earnings. So discussion of that part of my economic reform plan will have to wait until I can do more research, talk to people smarter than I am*, and think it all through.

If you want to look at the comments that were made on the original version of this plan from back in 2008, the post is here (this is the same link I provided earlier in the post).

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* There are a lot of them, so it may take a while.

Bilbo's Approach to Foreign Policy

Donald Trump's buffoonish approach to foreign policy is a somewhat natural outgrowth of the confused and shifting foreign policy both of our major parties have conducted for years, and the failure of our government to clearly communicate its foreign policy goals to American citizens, our friends, and our enemies. When "red lines" become pale pink lines and "lines drawn in the sand" are wavy rather than clear and straight, it becomes hard to take our leaders seriously. So let's get serious about the subject for a few minutes.

What is a realistic foreign policy for 21st century America? Back in September of 2008, I did a series of posts in which I proposed what I believed were reasonable policies for the country to follow in a range of areas. I've already reintroduced my proposal to reform our immigration policies; here is the next of ideas, this time focusing on a rational foreign policy ...

Current management philosophy says you have to have a "vision statement" that encapsulates your desired goal. The vision statement for my proposed foreign policy is simple: "A prosperous America within secure borders, enjoying peaceful relations with all nations." Starting from this vision, here are the planks of my foreign policy platform:

1. Put America's Interests First, but Always Take the Legitimate Interests and Concerns of Other Nations Into Account. American foreign policy should be made in Washington, not Pyongyang, Moscow, Tel Aviv, or anyplace else. But while our fundamental interests* need to drive our policy decisions, we should improve our international relations by accommodating the concerns of other nations whenever possible, and compromising where it can be done without damage to our own interests.

2. Lead by example. One of our biggest problems today is that our actions in the international theater do not match our rhetoric. For instance, we maintain an extralegal prison at Guantanamo while hectoring other nations about abuse of human rights. Yes, many of the people at Guantanamo are evil bastards who deserve whatever they get, or worse. But the fact remains that we appear hypocritical in the eyes of the rest of the world. "Do as I say, not as I do" is a pretty poor excuse for a policy.

3. Be a Reliable Friend and a Terrifying Enemy. Nations who wish us well and want to live in peace should know that America is always on their side, extending the hand of friendship. Those who don't should know that we can and will come calling and bring Hell with us.

4. Follow the Golden Rule. No one has ever improved on "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" as a general rule of conduct. It applies in foreign affairs as much as in interpersonal relationships.

5. Call a Spade a Spade, Not a Pointy Shovel. This goes along with #1 above - if our conduct is above reproach, there's nothing wrong with excoriating those whose conduct isn't. If another country or ruler acts in an outrageous manner, don't issue bland statements that their conduct is "unhelpful" ... call them out for what they are.

6. Level With the American People. Americans are dumb, but they aren't stupid**. Our leaders have an obligation to explain our foreign policy to us in clear, understandable, and rational terms that tell us why we should risk our blood and treasure. Don't couch it in quasi-religious terms or messianic views of America's "unique" or "irreplaceable" role in the world. Level with us. Explain what you believe we should do and why. And pay attention to what we say back to you.

7. Focus Foreign Aid on Economic and Humanitarian Needs Before Military Ones. Most nations would benefit more from improvements in health, agriculture, and economic stability than from a bigger military which all too often turns its might inward. Severely restrict military aid in favor of "soft" aid.

8. Rely on Diplomacy to Resolve Problems Before Taking Military Action. We have the world's finest armed forces, and shouldn't be afraid to use them ... but we should use them only as a last resort. "Regime change" may be a desirable thing, but the people living under the regime ought to change it themselves, not expect us to impose it from outside.

9. Rethink All Existing Alliances and Scrap Those No Longer Needed. One of the things which fueled the rise of Putin's New Russia was the expansion of NATO after the fall of the Soviet Union. While this might have been useful from the perspective of former Soviet satellites, it aggravated Russia and bred grievances that have now come home to roost. George Washington, in his farewell address, warned against American involvement in "permanent alliances." We need more Georges with his wisdom and foresight. He was right in the 1700's and he's right today.

These are the planks of my foreign policy platform. What do you think? Your comments welcome.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

*  And what are those, you might ask. I have some ideas on that, too. Watch future posts.

** Well, some are.

Musical Sunday

Now that I'm retired, I don't worry quite as much about things like wearing a tie. It's nice to dress up once in a while, but it's also nice to just chill out and lounge around in a t-shirt and ratty jeans ... even when you're ZZ Top.

Have a good day. Dress up when you have to. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo