My dad once told me that simplest solutions are usually the best . So I think I’ll barge right into your consciousness with part of a solution to help whatever ails a body. We are all born with two sides for sure, but some get a 3rd side that make up our mortal bodies. Theirs the eating side; full of eggs and bacon and pie and ice cream and then there’s the thinking side; that ponders Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in one thought and in the next moment switches to “what shall I wear today?”.

Now for those with a curiosity as to what’s behind door number 3. It’s a side that not everybody gets, that gives greater stability to ones life just like a 3 legged stool on uneven ground. So let’s hear it for Common Sense. It’s the salve that I believe is badly needed to help give relief to today’s wounded souls and society. Let’s start with everybody’s favorite whipping boy and who are most likely to be Common Sense deprived, the politician. And why do they come first? Because they get to make the laws and when the job is too hazardous to ones political health they give the duty to a civil servant that can’t be thrown out of office even if your mentally challenged and last if you're at the U.S. Congressional level you get to order the printing of all the money that we the people will ever need. So what happens if all this money and power is spent by a gaggle of people where Common Sense is problematic. Only time will tell! Enter now an elected legislative body that has the answer to “I’m not sure”. They represents all sizes of various governments. A well meaning group of individuals that are quite sound of mind and body. But put them all together as a political body and then give them an inordinate amount of power and money. What happens next? This well meaning assemblage of fine people morphs into a mob that can be downright dangerous to a pocketbook. For some reason unknown to the electorate and the elected. This political clique finds it necessary to move to La La Land. It’s a mystical place that can be any where but what I do know Common Sense is sure to take a backseat to doing whatever it takes to get reelected. When they hold court to debate all manner of ways on how to give all their constituents, each a case of the Warm Fuzzy’s with unknown consequences. Okay folks, no more fooling around. Mother Nature’s is tired of having her Rules swept aside in favor of all the feel good laws that fly in the face of reality. The ones where everybody wins and nobody ever loses. This is not a place to look for Common Sense! My idea about Common Sense as to where it came from. I don’t think it’s likely found in ones genetic code but rather, It’s a part of our brain that found understanding, on how the laws of physics created our plant Earth. Then came Mother Nature who created life. She brought with her a Briefcase full of rules on how to get along with her very necessary stringent, unyielding and dictatorial ways she manages all this new life now found on planet Earth. I believe it was at this time that Common Sense entered our thinking side. Long before telephones or cellphones long before planes, trains, antibiotics and girdles. Mother Nature had devised a way for all living things to coexist and it was called Survival of the Fittest. Each living thing had its territory that was never clearly defined which lead to endless wars but the fittest did survive. At about this time she granted to we humans sound practical judgment or better known as Common Sense but she didn’t divvy it up equally so some get a lot some almost none. Let me give you some examples of a natural law that when Common Sense is part of the formula always works well. But when we try to circumvent her laws we’re in for trouble. Falling rain has lots of destructive energy stored in each drop. So Nature says “I have many ways to diffuse this energy” First our Earth has numerous natural barriers that disallows water to flow at harmful speeds, like trees, grass and the meander of a stream are but a few of the ways. These barriers will also give adequate time for most of this rainfall to percolate into our underground aquifers to replenish are absolutely necessary water wells. So what do we humans do to negate this process. We farmers and ranchers band together and send a message to Congress that we want a subsidy to help us, to plow and plant many millions of acres to Wheat and Barley thus bearing the soil to wind and water erosion. Never mind that tilling the soil will eventually deplete the soil biota so it will no longer be productive. But for a time this ground that is somewhat marginal produces much more Wheat and Barley than expected. Wouldn’t you know it. This over production has caused the grain market to crash. Quick Congress we need Price Supports so we can keep this bad habit alive and besides it helped sell lots chemicals, fertilizers and tractors. Please, wait a minute this is not the end of the story. Many people are beginning to notice that maybe this Farm Program is not sustainable. Quick Congress we need another fix called the Conservation Reserve Program to pay us to retire the land back to its original state. I think this is Common Sense lawmaker style. Just one more example when Congress tries to give, “we the people” what we want. Let’s start with more pay for less work a good way to get re-elected. Next let’s make the minimum wage apply to everyone. In my youth most teenagers had some sort of after school part time job and if not then certainly some kind of summer vacation work that the employer could afford and helped a (proud) teenager to buy his own clothes or maybe a down payment on car. But when we strap our teenagers of today with a wage that the employer can’t afford to pay. Maybe playing Video games is the replacement but it certainly isn’t a job skill that most employers need. What happens to our youth when they are deprived of all pride and self esteem that goes with their first paycheck. By the way I got my first check from a summer job working on a cattle ranch that became my life’s work. What’s to become of all this youthful energy and enthusiasm that’s going to be displayed in someway or another. I believe just relegating our youth to lounging in front of the T.V. Or exercising their 2 thumbs on a cell phone screen is not enough. I believe mischief from pranks to murder will become ever more common. The minimum wage has no place in a teenagers life. It has not one ounce of Common Sense attached to it. I’m going to wind up this essay with one of my favorite quotes when I want to whine and snivel about something that I have no control over The best place to be is where you're at. Want a sad life? No place is the right place.

See Ya,

Jack