Going over the fiscal cliff is a misconception aptly named to incite fear and dread among the populace. In reality the first day of January will be more like going over a fiscal hump. Politically motivated fear tactics have proven themselves to be nothing more than that on a consistent basis and this latest effort will be no different.
The current hype over the fiscally sound policy changes seems to be full of contradictions, irony and a paradox thrown in for good measure. The current squabbling by the two factions in Congress over who is to blame is puzzling. After all, it was a bipartisan agreement in 2011 to phase-in policy changes that would help to reduce the burgeoning debt load of the United States Government and foster greater opportunity for long lasting and solid economic expansion. Blame is misapplied in this situation. Conversely the term accolades should instead be applied.
There are many facets of the fiscal bill that will provide significant benefits to society as a whole. The most profound will be a reduction in government debt. This will release monies currently held in government bonds to flow into the private sector. Business and consumer borrowers will have access to a larger pool of funds at reduced interest rates. There are some much more important likely benefits of this modest austerity platform that are not purely financial.
Reduction in childhood obesity and asthma,
Decreased production of subsidized carcinogens that contribute to significant sick-care costs in the US,
Provisions to encourage more free market competition, and
Reduced dependence on foreign petroleum products
There are, of course, more benefits and detailed explanations that an entire book could be composed of but for my purposes here I am simply offering a realistic alternative to the doom-and-gloom scenarios being perpetuated by the people who profit from fiscal irresponsibility. Our Congress took an unusual step in 2011 of doing something that will provide significant benefits to us all. Instead of embracing and fostering greater moves in the same direction we instead have a president and congressional leaders now trying to undo what may have been the most dynamic bi-partisan effort to begin grappling the broad spectrum of ills associated with the high national debt.
Keep an eye on Greece to see what the united States faces in the future. Welcome China as your new world super-power of fiscal strength and social influence in the 2011 austerity platform is overturned.
If you would like to make effective changes for improvement to your well-being and enjoyment of life then please visit my website and contact my scheduler to make an appointment to meet with me.
If you would like to follow my activities more closely then send a friend request to my Political FaceBook page.
Subscribe to this blawg.
More information about child custody rights and procedures may be found on the Indiana Custodial Rights Advocates website.
©2008, 2013 Stuart Showalter, LLC. Permission is granted to all non-commercial entities to reproduce this article in it's entirety with credit given.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Why going over the so-called fiscal cliff is a great step for the American economy and children
Friday, December 28, 2012
The paradox of time - or - slip and fall on the ice
Central Indiana just got blasted by a rather substantial snowfall a few days following a much less significant blanketing of the powdery stuff. In that first round of precipitation it came while the temperature was passing over the freezing mark into a sub-zero night followed by a morning that brought sunshine and an ascension to thawing temperatures. This produced the glistening sheen of water across the solidly frozen base of ice which reduced the viscosity for the ideal slip and fall conditions.
My brisk walking pace – about four miles per hour – sets the stage for a nearly guaranteed calamity as the long stride and greater force exerted through my angular momentum produces loss of traction on numerous occasions. But as I slipped and slid along the sidewalks and streets of Lebanon I never did fall. One leg extends to waist height, an arm goes another direction and the shoe in contact with the ice carries me along like I'm performing a haphazard ice skating maneuver. All occurring instantaneously and without conscious thought. Yet unlike many others, I do not fall. This is not limited to my ballet on ice either. Standing on the top platform of step ladders, walking roof lines or maneuvering my way through other precarious perches is done so with ease and without fear or falling.
For all of my Life Coaching partners I insist on yoga being part of their daily routine. Often I receive pushback citing a lack of time to devote to such a daily regimen. Yet, therein lies the paradox of investing – on its face it appears to be an expense. In this case the loss of time.
However, with my extremely busy, yet relaxed, schedule I do not have the time to not do my daily yoga, meditation and exercise routines all of which I invest no less than two hours. I cannot afford to pay others to perform the tasks that I may fear doing myself if I didn't have my balance. I do not have the extra money to pay for sick care insurance premiums in case I get injured. I don't have the spare time for medical procedures or to be laid up with a broken bone, sprain or other injury from a fall.
In short, I cannot afford either in the time expended to earn money nor the direct time dedicated to caring for the adverse effects of a slip and fall. As we progress through this current winter season it would be wise to invest in bringing greater balance to your life. That is unless you are so wealthy and blessed with boundless free time that you don't need to.
If you need assistance in establishing lifestyle changes that will provide you with greater free time, balance and, ultimately, greater enjoyment of life then please visit my website and contact my scheduler to make an appointment to meet with me.
If you would like to follow my activities more closely then send a friend request to my Political FaceBook page.
Subscribe to this blawg.
More information about child custody rights and procedures may be found on the Indiana Custodial Rights Advocates website.
©2008, 2012 Stuart Showalter, LLC. Permission is granted to all non-commercial entities to reproduce this article in it's entirety with credit given.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
There is one universal excuse - Use it frequently
One thing that people who are in need of Life Coaching, usually more than other members of society, is to be more effective in their use of excuses. So this is going to be an exercise for you. Take a sheet of paper and enumerate a list of the situations where you have had to offer an excuse. On a corresponding page of paper write the circumstances, event or factors that precipitated the situation. Finally, on a third sheet of paper, identify as precisely as possible the excuse you used or would use. Then continue reading. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Make a suggestion for me to write about.
What I have for you today is a universal excuse that is validly applied in all situations. Before I hand this one-size-fits-all convenience to you it would first be prudent to examine the underlying motivations of excuses. Excuses are a manner in which information is relayed as to cause or fault of a failure to meet an expectation. The expectation can be organic from yourself for yourself, imposed, assumed or stipulated.
The self expectations are the most critical to your personal development and success. Your self expectation may be a macro lifestyle goal such as to lose weight, get out of debt, or devote more time to your children. They can also be a micro event such as getting the small pile of unopened mail on the kitchen counter examined. Think of the excuses that you have offered to yourself and the emotions attached to your failure to achieve these goals as established. You may want to write some of these down and ruminate about them momentarily. This is where my Life Coaching partners and I concentrate our efforts first. If you can't satisfy yourself then it is going to be difficult to satisfy others and ultimately achieve greater successes for yourself. There is a universal excuse that can be applied to failure to meet your self expectations.
Imposed expectations are important in that they generally involve some type of sanction. These may include making payments by a particular date, completing a task for your employer, and various laws in place to control behaviour. For anyone who has faced the failure to meet an imposed expectation and offered an excuse there is often little sympathy to be found nor acquiescence. The simple fact of the matter is an obligation was not met which may have ancillary consequences. This is any area where my Life Coaching partners and I devote little effort as the motivation to obviate the failure to meet these expectations is generally quite pronounced – financial penalty, loss of or demotion/suspension in employment, or government imposed fines, loss of privilege or incarceration. If you don't satisfy these expectations you will likely find yourself in a perpetual downtrodden existence. There is a universal excuse that can be applied to failure to meet imposed expectations.
Assumed expectations are those that we encounter in the course of everyday life and are generally associated with morals or manners. While not discarding your individuality it is still important to adhere to most of the assumed expectations. Failure to do so rarely has a direct consequence similar to those that result from the neglect of self or imposed expectations. Lacking compliance with assumed expectations may leave you perceived as being selfish, immoral, unconcerned or rude. This is not something that my Life Coaching partners and I focus our attention directly on but, rather, we let these become self-fulfilling behaviours resulting from concentration on modifications elsewhere. Some of these expectations range from providing care, nurturing and support to your children down to not letting a door slam in someone's face and a very subjective humane treatment of animals which can vary widely amongst cultures. Think Michael Vik who receive intense public scorn as well as criminal charges and temporary loss of employment. Although he offered apology more than excuse there is a universal excuse that can be applied to failure to meet assumed expectations.
Finally there are the stipulated expectations which carry great weight because of the element of trust. The first to come to the fore of my mind is the marriage contract. Violate this one and you can feel the broad range of consequences which can be from the subtle but stinging curtness in tone of voice all the way to a high conflict divorce where custody of the children is used as a means of obtaining revenge. More often you will encounter numerous stipulated expectations throughout your daily existence. The time you plan to meet someone at a restaurant, business contracts, a promise to the children to facilitate an activity after homework is completed or who is going to grab some milk on the way home from work. Lacking fulfillment of stipulated expectations derails your credibility. You will be perceiving as lacking trustworthiness. This is also a realm of behaviour where my Life Coaching partners and I focus our attention. The resolution to this problem is generally found in improving organizational skills. There is a universal excuse that can be applied to failure to meet stipulated expectations.
It should be obvious but likely isn't because society has conditioned you to believe that excuses are situational rather than universal. That's the beauty of this excuse, it's universality. Practice it. Look in the mirror. Make sure you can do it with conviction and pride. Next time you fail to meet an expectation simply stand high and boldly proclaim “I did not care to make that my priority!”
Parents who would like to achieve the best outcome for their children in a contested child custody case should visit my website and contact my scheduler to make an appointment to meet with me. Attorneys may request a free consultation to learn how I can maximize their advocacy for their clients.
Connect with me for the latest Indiana child custody related policy considerations, findings, court rulings and discussions. 
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Christmas Break Parenting Time Schedule - Indiana
The proposed changes to the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines will most likely become effective in early 2013. That hasn't stopped some parents from adopting provisions from them already though. The most sought after and consequently voluntarily adopted change has been to the Christmas break. What is currently a rather convoluted scheme that can result in stretches of more exchanges than days has been simplified as follows.
B. Christmas Vacation.
The Christmas vacation shall be defined as beginning on the last day of school and ending the last day before school begins again. Absent agreement of the parties, the first half of the period will begin two hours after the child is released from school. The second half of the period will end at 6:00 p.m. on the day before school begins again. Each party will receive one half (1/2) of the total days of the Christmas vacation, on an alternating basis as follows:
1.In even numbered years, the custodial parent shall have the first one half (1/2) of the Christmas vacation and non-custodial parent shall have the second one half (1/2) of the Christmas vacation.
2.In odd numbered years, the non-custodial parent shall have the first one half (1/2) of the Christmas vacation and custodial parent shall have the second one half (1/2) of the Christmas vacation.
3. In those years when Christmas does not fall in a parent’s week, that parent shall have the child(ren) from Noon to 9:00 P.M. on Christmas Day.
4. No exchanges under this portion of the rule shall occur between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., absent agreement of the parties. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day shall not be considered separate holidays under the Parenting Time Guidelines.
The portion relating to New Year's Day has been removed.
C. Holidays.
In years ending with an even number, the non-custodial parent shall exercise the following parenting time:
[1] New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. (The date of the new year will determine odd or even year). From December 30th at 7:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. of the evening before school resumes.
While many are implementing this change into their parenting time schedules there is more resistance in my area of specialty – high conflict parenting. I use a strategy of trying to get the other parent to request the change. If my client suggests it then it is rejected automatically because that is just how some parents behave.
Much consideration was given to the will of parents, input from advisors such as myself and most importantly, the needs of and benefits to the children. Although not made a part of the guidelines, parents should be cognizant of the needs of children with attachment issues that may necessitate a modification to the half and half schedule. Some school systems will have breaks of nearly 20 days while others will only be nine.
I encourage everyone to begin using the proposed changes for the Christmas Break and continue from there. You may find the modified IPTG here.
If you would like assistance in drafting an agreement for modifying your current parenting time schedule then please visit my website and contact my scheduler to make an appointment to meet with me.
If you would like to follow my activities more closely then send a friend request to my Political FaceBook page.
Subscribe to this blawg.
More information about child custody rights and procedures may be found on the Indiana Custodial Rights Advocates website.
©2012 Stuart Showalter, LLC. Permission is granted to all non-commercial entities to reproduce this article in it's entirety with credit given.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Is it Cold and Flu Season for You
Well here in central-Indiana we have already been hit with January temperatures which came as an unwelcome reminder that cold and flu season is among us. It is with the following that I present the strategies that should keep the cold and flu viruses around you and not among you. Likely you have already see the flu shot advertisements. For December I want to give you some tips on ways to first avoid and then treat the common cold and flu. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Make a suggestion for me to write about.
I am not a fan of the modern western medicine intervention methods which seek to treat symptoms rather than ailments. So, before doing anything else I would like for you to start with a stress evaluation since stress reduces immune function. Just make a list of what factors or events in your life are stressful, give a rating as to your level of control and then what you can do to mitigate the stress.
A cold is basically an acute, highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory tract which is medically referred to as acute rhinitis. Symptoms are generally mild and may include runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, mild headache, sore throat, cough, achy body and less often a low grade fever. Influenza is a more severe viral infection whose symptoms suddenly appear after a brief incubation period. These generally include fever, chills, headache, sore throat, cough, aches and pains, and GI disturbances. For some people in particular risk categories an influenza attack can be deadly.
I suggest these proactive steps to avoid the colds and flu this season. Wear gloves and wash your hands using traditional bar soap like Ivory regularly. Do not use antibacterial soaps ever [unless you are preparing to perform surgery] as they are more likely to kill the beneficial flora that your body depends on to live. Remove your gloves to pick at your teeth, nose or eyes. Carry disposable tissues with you. Guys can tuck one or two in a wallet.
After the fact traditional treatments include increased fluid consumption, OTC medications – pain relievers, decongestants and antihistamines – and bed rest. Diets and herbal treatments are becoming much more accepted now also. You have likely heard of boosting Vitamin C, Zinc and taking Echinacea in some form. Research conducted in Germany and England showed that participants who took low doses of Echinacea everyday for two to three years had significantly fewer cold and flu infections than a control group.
This banana smoothie concoction of mine may be a new one for you but can be a tasty treat. Freeze some spotted organic bananas. In a blender place a thawed banana with the peel intact [cut off the stem and a half inch of the tail] and add a cup of goat's milk [homogenized cow's milk produces cancer causing free radicals] or soy milk then blend. Spice to taste with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg and then warm, don't boil, and serve as a soothing beverage. It is comforting to the throat, provides some warmth, a good blend of nutrients and the mood elevating hormone serotonin from the ripe banana peel. Alternatively you can add a serving of dark chocolate to the mix then refreeze and eat as an ice cream.
Dietary considerations are the best way to avoid illnesses. On a daily basis I consume onion, garlic and a high amount of Vitamin C and beta carotene. Beta carotene is converted to Vitamin A by the body. High doses of Vitamin A can be toxic. Cooking garlic destroys some of its benefits. If you don't like to eat raw garlic then I suggest that you shred or crush it to make a garlic oil. Take a cup of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil and add an ounce of garlic. Cook over low heat [>200F] for about a half hour. Use as a salad topping, bread dip or mix in with a cold spread such as humus. If you are a sushi eater like me then you likely get plenty of ginger root already. If not don't despair. Ginger root can be used to make a tea along with Echinacea and Mint. Add citrus peel to taste. Alternatively all herbs mentioned should be available in health food stores or easily purchased on-line in pill form.
If you are not doing so already let prevention of colds and flu be another reason to do daily stretching and meditation as well as cutting out the non-foods [those products containing artificial colours and flavours, HFCS and hydrogenated oils] which empirical studies have demonstrated all boost immunological functioning. In a child custody case it is most important that you not neglect or harm your child by subjecting them to the affects of these substances.
With the upcoming holiday season approaching I would like for you to be full of energy and vigor while enjoying time with your children. Even more important is to avoid being the one to give them an illness.
Parents who would like to achieve the best outcome for their children in a contested child custody case should visit my website and contact my scheduler to make an appointment to meet with me. Attorneys may request a free consultation to learn how I can maximize their advocacy for their clients.
Connect with me for the latest Indiana child custody related policy considerations, findings, court rulings and discussions.
