This past Christmas, I distributed a gift wish list to family. As a 40-something, I have everything I need, but we adults in the family still maintain the tradition of giving and receiving gifts. It’s a small expense and it’s an easy way to show love and we’ve always done it. And it’s kinda fun […]
The Case for Not Paying Taxes Designated for the Military
With tax season here, it’s natural to think about where your money goes and whether it is well spent. Spoiler alert: Much of it isn’t. Last year, Nora joined the women of our church on a spiritual retreat to a Mennonite center in Lancaster County, PA. It’s a time of fellowship, rest, and diving deeper […]
The Case for Not Paying Taxes Designated for the Military, Part 2
Read Part 1 here. War resistance via nonpayment of war taxes has a long history. It’s been led by Christian groups, like Mennonites and Quakers, and by secular pacifists. There are a number of different tactics: Earn less than the taxable income Refuse to file any federal tax return, despite needing to File 1040 form […]
My Brother Lives in the County; I Live in the City. He Got Fios Internet & I Can’t
My brother Grant lives in Harford County, Maryland on a 9-acre wooded property with a 1/8-mile-long driveway. For internet, he’s always had a Verizon DSL plan. In recent months, he began experiencing static on his landline phone that sometimes interrupted the internet connection, so he called Verizon to fix it. Verizon said the static came […]
An Old Baltimore Cat Needed a $19,000 Operation – His Owner Didn’t Blink
Did you hear the story of Stanley? The 17-year-old Baltimore cat needed a $19,000 kidney transplant in late 2017. What would you do in that situation? In our family, we’d do a really quick calculation: Super Old Cat + Really Expensive Operation = Mandatory Cat ‘Separation’ from Family Super Old How old is 17 in […]
How Should We Respond to Needy People on the Street?
About a year ago, a friend was sitting at a light in Baltimore where some ‘squeegee kids’ were washing car windows and collecting tips. It’s not as common as intersection cardboard sign panhandling, but it’s pretty prevalent. And, naturally, there is some angst about it. After her windshield was cleaned, she wanted to encourage the […]
Maryland Woman Buys Prayers With Stolen Money
The Baltimore Sun recently ran a piece that detailed how a Chevy Chase woman paid $720,000 between 2015 and 2017 for Hindu priests in India to pray to shield her from federal investigation of her $20M Ponzi scheme. A scheme that drained the elderly of their life savings, including $816,805 from one family. In a […]
Before I Look Forward, I’m Appreciating the Rear View
As 2019 starts, many people detail resolutions and goals. Not me – I’m taking a moment for gratitude. Yes, I have an amazing wife and smart, clever kids, but here I want to recount a few smaller things that recently stood out as blessings in my life. Faithful Readers I have the best blog followers. […]
Bird Vs Lime – My Review of Electric Scooters in Baltimore
If you’re like me, you’ve been itching to get your hands on one of those electric scooters that are popping up all around town. But which one to use? Bird or Lime? Well, in the name of ‘research’ and ‘public education,’ Grey and I made the sacrifice (sacrifice??!!) and wasted a few hours on a […]
Is It Unfair to Treat Your Kids Differently?
Grey turned 16! Hard to believe. When Pippa turned 16, we got her her first phone, a Moto Z Play Droid for $20 a month for 24 months. That’s $480 total! As Grey’s birthday approached, we talked about whether he should get the same treatment. I could tell Nora was torn because there were two […]
Christian Couple Gives Up $15,000 to Recognize Old Jewish Practice
Out of Seattle comes a story of a Pentecostal Christian couple who gave everyone in their 11-unit building free rent last month – a $15,000 hit. The reason? They have owned the building for 50 years and are recognizing the ‘Year of Jubilee.’ Jubilee – literally ‘ram’s horn’ in Hebrew – is defined in Leviticus […]
My Battle of Wits with BWI Airport Security
I related previously how my dad was caught red handed by security at Radio City Music Hall with a prized pocket knife, and how he was able to hide it in a flower planter for pickup later. Happy ending. Emboldened by that memory, I tried the same thing recently. It happened at BWI airport for […]
Not Just for Cars – Test Driving Before You Buy
Grey has been growing, so he needed a new bike. He receives an allowance, so he’s paying for it. We consider Goodwill but he wants to support our favorite bike shop: Baltimore Bicycle Works (BBW). We’ve gone on their free Saturday morning group rides many times. BBW is a workers collaborative, so everyone is an […]
My Jury Experience Opened My Eyes to a Broken Baltimore
For background, read last week’s post. At first I thought it was a terrible mistake. I thought my outfit or education or skin color would surely disqualify me in the eyes of the defense, as it had before. But incredibly, I was empaneled with 13 other jurors (12+2 alternates) for a sting case. Over the […]