Remember When

Boomer Principles & Values

Fellow Boomers. If you were in the first wave of the Baby Boomer's, we experienced a sense of social consciousness in the Nineteen Sixties. By 1964 and 1965 the Byrd's, Peter, Paul and Mary and other Rock an Roll bands were playing "protest" songs. These songs were based on principles and values.

Recently, a new website went live called The 9-12 Project which is based on principal and values that some Americans have forgotten about. I would like to share those with you from the site. (www.the912project.com) They are:

The 9 Principles:

1. America Is Good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
God “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” from George Washington’s first Inaugural address.

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
Honesty “I hope that I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider to be the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” George Washington

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
Marriage/Family “It is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known. By a law of our nature, we cannot be happy without the endearing connections of a family.” Thomas Jefferson

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
Justice “I deem one of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.” Thomas Jefferson

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Happiness “Everyone has a natural right to choose that vocation in life which he thinks most likely to give him comfortable subsistence.” Thomas Jefferson

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
Charity “It is not everyone who asketh that deserveth charity; all however, are worth of the inquiry or the deserving may suffer.” George Washington

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
On your right to disagree “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking.” George Washington

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
Who works for whom? “I consider the people who constitute a society or a nation as the source of all authority in that nation.” Thomas Jefferson

The 12 Values:
Honesty

Reverence

Hope

Thrift

Humility

Charity

Sincerity

Moderation

Hard Work

Courage

Personal Responsibility

Gratitude

Let's think about these and let me know your thoughts.

Best regards,
Denny Riedmiller

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Boomer Tax Day

Today is Tax Day! Many Boomers will be participating in Tea Parties throughout the nation to make our collective voices heard.

A typical worker in the middle class pays 50% on taxes and fees. I would encourage you to take out a piece of paper and list your taxes. It's more than you think. Remember to add your FICA tax, which is social security and Medicare tax. You pay 7.65% and your employer pays the other 7.65%. If you are self employed it's 15.3%.

Let me know what percentages you come up with.

Best regards,
Denny

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