I have a fear of falling, but I love the fall...

We've had a pretty great stretch of weather lately.  Sure, there has been some rain sprinkled in, but the past two weekends have been great.  I mowed for what is, hopefully, the last time of the year on Sunday.  Not with my mower, mind you.  No, that hunk of junk wouldn't work longer than five minutes.  Nope, instead, I had to borrow the neighbors mower.  Not that I am a macho man, but there is something embarrassing about borrowing a lawn mower from your 25 year old female neighbor.  Whatever, I got the lawn done, that's all that matters.  Anyways, enough about me, how about what is going on around us...

9-9-9.  It's a catchy title.  It's easy to remember.  It's great if you are rich.  It's awful if you are middle class or poor.  Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan is getting all sorts of headlines right now.  The reason it is so bad for poor people is that many of the poor pay no income taxes, Social Security taxes or Medicare taxes. Therefore, wiping away the current tax structure and replacing it with a 9 percent income tax for everyone means they will be paying more. In addition, the poor, like everyone else, will have to pay the plans new 9 percent federal sales tax, and they are the least able to afford it.  Some might call that doubling down on the nation's poorest people, but not Herman Cain.  Press him on the issue and he'll give you nothing more than a "read the plan" and then change the subject.  I guess, if you are looking for something good in the plan, at least the 9% sales tax is only on new goods.  That way, if you want to go to the used grocery store, you can do so without worrying about a higher sales tax.

Anita Perry, wife of Republican Presidential Nominee hopeful Rick Perry, claimed that her husband has been bullied because of his faith.  Really?  I'll quickly counter that with two thoughts.  One, Rick Perry has been bullied, that is true, but not because of his faith.  No, he's been bullied because he can't form complete sentences.  He's been an absolute train wreck at the debates.  He's been stumbling all over himself no matter what the subject matter.  Oh, and he has given in state tuition rates to illegal aliens.  The Republican base isn't too keen on that sort of thing.  The other thought I have on this subject is about Rick Perry's faith.  First of all, I don't care what faith he practices.  That sort of thing is for him, not me, to worry about.  Secondly, Anita Perry does realize that the Republican base is made up of Evangelical Christians, right?  If anyone is getting bullied because of their religion it is Mitt Romney for being Mormon.  I'd say John Huntsman as well, but nobody it talking about him, which is too bad.  I think he would actually be a good choice.

LePage excludes nonprofit groups from upcoming forums.  The LePage administration is under fire, again, for their decision to not invite the Maine Association of Nonprofits to a workshop designed to share ideas on how to get Maine's economy back on track.  According to Lauren LePage, the governor's daughter and assistant to the Chief of Staff, it was “because the goal is to hear firsthand from businesses, first priority will be given to them with seating,” Lauren LePage wrote. “If the situation changes as the event nears, I would be happy to include you on an alternate list and contact you.”  Quickly, I'd like to point out that non-profits in Maine employ 82,000 people all over the state.  These people work very hard, pay their taxes, and give back to the community in a variety of ways.  Sounds to me like non-profits are job creators as well, and should have a seat at the head of the table.  Is this papa LePage's way of getting back at those he doesn't think helped contribute to his campaign?  Is this a new group of people / businesses we are going to try to vilify to make them sound inferior?  Are we now supposed to be mad at non-profits because of their tax exempt status?  Is it because they receive, in some cases, funding from state and federal government? 

Let me drop a little knowledge.  I worked for the Children's Theatre of Maine several years ago.  We employed a minimum of 6 people year round.  We employed another 10-40 people on an as needed basis.  We paid rent for two locations.  We bought office supplies at local stores.  We purchased the items needed to set up stages, make costumes and put on classes at local stores.  Our main goal was to give back to the community, and we never got a dime from the state or federal government.  Without that great organization, many children wouldn't not have been inspired to take up acting.  Many families would not have had a wonderful experience watching a play together, performed by local actors of all ages.  Not one person on the staff made very much money.  We worked hard because we believed in the what we were doing.  Many non-profits are just like that.  Without these types of organizations, many people will not receive the goods and services they enjoy or simply need.  Without these types of organizations, many people will be without work, doing further damage to our already struggling economy.  Simply put, these organizations are a vital part of our community, and need to be viewed that way.  We need to stop seeing one person, or in this case, type of business, as better than another.  We are all in this together, and we need to start acting that way.  I'm just saying...