1st world problems...Not just for hipsters and white girls

Dear 1^st world problems,

Sunday I suffered a first in my life. No, I’m not talking about a weekend abstaining from the act of “trickle-down economics” among the numerous bars in Chico or having a kid show up on my doorstep claiming that I’m his father and this time it being real (this happens more than you would think and my advisor fears it will be detrimental to my political career). Let me paint a picture for you…In the middle of the hottest stretch of the year thus far in California the air conditioner in my home decided to sit this one out. At first I said to myself; “No, problem, the house is well insulated and it will be fixed in no time.” Sunday turned to Monday and as a phone call was made to fix the issue the response on the other end of the line was not what I wanted to hear. “Sir, we will be out on Thursday to take care of your problem.” Using simple Chico State math I deduced that I had another 3 days until my house would be able to hang meat in it again. This was not to my liking but I said to myself, “No problem, you grew up without the benefit of this luxury, so if you were able to tolerate it then, you could now.” Upon entering my house after suffering from near heat exhaustion at the gym (only the best decisions are made at crossfit) I was hit with a blast of air as if the furnace was on. I strolled over to my thermostat to find the ungodly number of “90” staring back at me. After turning on all available fans in the house I took a cold shower and laid down in bed once again assuring myself that the heat was no big deal. As the next day brought more oppressive heat and another sleepless night I became more agitated in my dealings with everyone. I felt that the property management company wasn’t catering to my needs and thus another phone call was needed. First it was the summer intern answering phones who dealt with my wrath. For every analogy and reason I gave her on why I should have mine fixed right away I was met with apology after apology. Once again, this was not to my liking. The next person in line was the property manager herself and as I explained to her that you wouldn’t leave an 80 year old geriatric suffering in this heat (I’m in the ballpark but not close) and other examples that a no practicing or licensed lawyer could come up with it when it donned on me……I was suffering from 1^st world problems. I thought that these were only things you read about or were only experienced by hipsters and suburban white women…But this was real. I paused and gathered myself and thanked her for the help and the knowledge that they would take care of my issue. In a modern society where we are afforded the luxuries that we have it sometimes gets lost in translation that the only things we truly need to survive are food, water and shelter. Lessons like this are life’s way of letting us know that no matter how bad you think your situation is, life is good. Usually a trip to the Walmart on a Sunday will do this for me…

PS. Happy Hump Day peeps, stay cool and remember…..Money is the fuel for all choices.

#1stworldproblems #life #empireliving

Normandy...When hell and heroes occupied the same beaches

Dear D-Day,

Here is something to ponder next time you think you’re having a bad day… On June 6^th, 1944 in the midst of World War II, 160,000 allied troops many of them Americans, landed on the beaches of Normandy, France with one goal in mind, to defeat Nazi Germany and rid the world of Adolf Hitler. With names such as Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword that stretched over 50 miles of heavily fortified coastline, 4,000 boats descended upon what could only be described as Hell. As the doors opened on these boats, the brave men that would define a generation were witness to barb wire, wooden stakes, metal obstacles and land mines along with a constant onslaught of artillery fire as they stormed the beaches towards the enemy in an effort to take back France and the rest of Europe from the oppression it was under. 4,413 Allied troops died on the day of the invasion along with over 5,000 plus who were wounded. The sacrifice made by these hero’s allowed for another 100,000 soldiers to begin the march across Europe to Berlin and end the reign of the Nazis. There is nothing that myself or most of us have seen or experienced in our lifetime that will ever equal to what these men who participated in this mission witnessed and were a part of. The word “hero” gets tossed around a lot in our everyday vocabulary. From sports figures to numerous other professions we bestow this term to easily these days. The brave men who participated in this mission and fought in the greatest war of our time are what I call heroes. It is because of them that we are the country and world we are today. On this 70^th anniversary of D-Day I would like say “thank you” to all who fought and remember the ones who suffered the greatest sacrifice for the good of all of mankind. You are true heroes. God Bless. So you still think you’re having a bad day?????......

PS. Happy Friday peeps. It’s going to be a hot one so stay hydrated and find some water this weekend and remember…….The strongest words you can say to a veteran are thank you.

#dday #70thanniversary #Normandy #veteran’s #empireliving

Freedom: The big picture version

Dear Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release,

What is one man worth?

What if he is an American solider?

What if our country vowed to never leave a man behind in combat?......

Posing these questions to myself and the majority of the general public who call the United States home the answer is simple. Bring our boy home! Wait a second, you mean there’s more to the “feel good” story that is being played out by the Obama Administration?

What if he was a presumed deserter?

What if it came as a detriment to the safety of our country?

What if The United States has had a long standing order that we “do not” negotiate with terrorists?.....

From the Administration that brought you the promise of a pullout of troops in Afghanistan in consecutive elections and most recently the VA scandal that has effected veteran’s from coast to coast comes the latest debacle concerning the military and the proud men and women who serve our country.   While we don’t know all the facts regarding Sgt. Bergdahl and what really happened to him 5 years ago the picture that is becoming more in focus is that of a deserter who cost the lives of 6 soldiers that went looking for him in the days following his disappearance. As more of this story unfolds on who Sgt. Bergdahl really is, why did the brain trust within the Obama Administration feel that his return was worth that of top Taliban officials? We just handed over the starting five back to the bad guys for a journeyman with questionable ethics according to his peers. To make my point clearer, this trade is comparable to giving up George Washington, Abe Lincoln, JFK and Ronald Reagan for Jimmy Carter, beer money and Barack Obama himself. When current members of Congress and Senate from both sides of the isle along with members of the military and veteran’s agree on something, red flags should be raised. The poster child for POWs Sen. John McCain who spent 5 ½ years in some of the worse conditions known to man and was tortured without consequence by North Vietnam definitely said he would not have gave up what the United States did for Sgt. Bergdahl’s return due to the fact that it would put the lives of American serviceman at risk in the future. Once again I’m going to go against my better judgment and help you out of another mess you have created Barry with a situation that should have you receiving accolades as opposed to grief.

As mentioned previously, the United States has two standing rules when it comes to war:

 1. No man or women gets left behind.

 2. We do not negotiate with terrorists.

When these statutes collide is when conflict is created. Instead of consulting Jane Fonda you should have took the time to speak with members of the military and the people that served alongside him along with looking at the facts relevant to the mission. Sometimes as much as something feels so right you need to take the time and look at the big picture.…..

Ps. Happy Hump day peeps on this scorching June afternoon. I’m hoping it’s a good one and remember…..If someone offers you a drink your only answer should be thank you.

#Sgtbergdahl #Bergdahl #POW #Obama #empireliving

Rock the vote peeps...

Guns don't kill innocent people, crazy people do

Dear Isla Vista victims,

With every tragic incident comes a rush for action without taking into consideration the consequences that they hold. The recent killings in the college community of Isla Vista near the quaint campus of UC Santa Barbara is no different. Hours after a deranged lunatic took the lives of 6 people Richard Martinez, the father of one of the victims was calling on whoever would listen that “guns” along with “gun-rights proponents” were to blame for this and politicians need to act now to end violence. Mr. Martinez, while the loss of your son along with the 5 other victims is sad and I may never understand the grief you or the others affected by this are going through, I do know that banning guns or enacting stricter regulations will not bring them back or stop these things from happening again. Your logic is wrong and is fueled by the post traumatic anger of the tragic situation that unfortunately altered not only your life, but many others. Your son isn’t dead because politicians failed. Your son is dead because a psychotic individual took his life along with five other people and he would have used any means necessary to accomplish his goal. Half the victims in this tragedy were killed with a knife in their own home. This poor excuse of a human broke out the Ginsu’s and carved up his roommates before carrying out the rest of his deranged plan. If anything needs to be more rigorously regulated its wealthy white people’s ability to have children. Every time there is a senseless tragedy that involves a gun it’s some kid who was given everything in life but enough hugs and ass whooping’s to teach him right from wrong. The real question that needs to be addressed is not of stricter gun laws but of the state of common sense in this country. Elliot Rodgers posted signs and precursors to his end game on numerous websites along with his very own YouTube page. His parents even alerted local law enforcement on different occasions that he may be orchestrating this well in advance. Upon visiting his apartment the sheriffs armed with the aforementioned information quizzed him for a few minutes and then went along their way. I’m not an expert nor do watch CSI on the reg but common sense tells me that these are all signs that this dude is off and needs to be taken into custody. Acting on this would have averted everything else that followed. The bottom line is people like this are evil and will use any means necessary to accomplish these heinous acts. There are crazy people out there and no amount of medication or therapy can help them. Let’s stop blaming guns, knives, rocks, hammers, pills, TV, video games, etc. and start blaming the real problem…. The individual who is responsible. There’s that word again, for some reason all arguments always start and end with personal responsibility. How novel….

PS. Happy hump day peeps on this windy day in God’s Country. I hope you are having a marvelous one and remember….Never take that 3^rd strike looking.

#Islavista #guncontrol #yesallwomen #noallmen #empireliving

Hooray it's election season!!!

Dear North State political candidates,

As I’ve found myself driving to the ranch in the early hours of the morning over the last month I have started to see a change in scenery to the landscape. I’m not talking about the almond and walnut trees gaining foliage and becoming greener as we move from spring to summer or the rice field metamorphosing from bare dirt to being covered with a shallow layer of water as the baby rice plants start to pop through the surface. No, the change I’m referring to are the political signs that are popping up at a rapid rate across the north state. From your neighbor’s front yard to empty lots on street corners across town, there is no getting away from them. Along with the streets signs come the radio and television spots which in the infancy of the campaign tout who the candidate is and rattles off their extensive resume but as it moves closer to the election turns into a hate filled 90 second blurb having nothing to do with the campaign but everything to do with one candidates hatred for the other. With all these positives it makes me wonder who doesn’t love an election year!?.....Not being a political consultant but always willing to help the current candidates along with potential voters, I wanted to lay out my version of a successful campaign and how you could possibly sway me to vote for you and it’s very simple:

1.       I don’t care if you’re a farmer, rancher, plumber, stripper (ok, maybe just a little) etc. What I do care about is how you are going to straighten this Titanic we call the state of California. Partaking in one of these professions or any other doesn’t mean you share my beliefs or that you are a fiscally responsible business person. Repeatedly saying you’re a conservative, liberal or all things in between doesn’t encourage me to vote for you, your actions do.

2.       Marketing 101: Don’t spend your money on ads geared towards a demographic that you know will more than likely vote for you. Reach out to the voter on the fence who could sway the election in your favor. Spending precious campaign dollars letting us know your feelings about “a fish the size of a French fry” doesn’t make me want to vote for you, it makes me want to go to McDonalds. Educate the public on what the Delta Smelt is and why it has a negative impact on agriculture and the billions of dollars it generates for the economy.

3.       Don’t use famous people such as Ronald Reagan in your ads. You did not know him and thus he is not endorsing you.

4.       Do not charge $1,000 and higher for someone to come meet you and learn about who you are and what you stand for. Normal people who vote can’t afford this and people like myself who can would rather put it to better use.

5.       Be honest. Simple and to the point folks.

These principles can work on the local, state and national level no matter what your political affiliation is. As the primary elections approach on June 3^rd I’m going to offer an alternative to the many races....Me!  Farmer. Fiscal conservative. Honest. Funny. Drinker. Full of scandal. The one for you!……Shoot, I’m already breaking my own rules…..

PS. Happy Friday peeps on this Memorial Day weekend. Make it a great one and remember…..Vodka is Russian for I can do anything. 

#california #election2014 #empireliving

Coming to a sushi plate near you in a few short months. We only grow the best here in California folks...