Ideas, Opinions, Genealogy, and Book Reviews
A few days ago I wrote about our McKenzie/MacKenzie search. Specifically I wrote about Colin McKenzie of Ellsworth, Maine. I was hoping this might bring a few comments from distant relatives.
But it did not, at least not yet. We genealogists are an optimistic bunch.
About 6 weeks ago I wrote about a budget compromise which I hoped showed a new spirit of compromise in Congress and a maybe even a interest in governing.
I wrote too soon. I should have known better.
Congress failed to get the needed legislation to implement the budget deal. They passed the deadline and passed another continuing resolution. So I guess we can call the deal an almost compromise.
I think Colin McKenzie of Ellsworth, Maine is a brother of my great grandfather Malcolm McKenzie. I’m not sure at this point but it does seem likely. It would be great to hear from a descendant or 2 of Colin McKenzie of Ellsworth but I am jumping way ahead in this story.
As far as I know Colin McKenzie of Ellsworth was born in or near Middle River, Victoria county, Nova Scotia. This is on Cape Breton Island. His marriage certificate is even more specific placing his residence and place of birth as Hunter’s Mountain which is between Baddeck and Middle River in Nova Scotia. But then other records say he was born in Scotland. So he was born in old Scotland or New Scotland. I suppose I’ll eventually get it straight. Continue reading “Colin McKenzie of Ellsworth, Maine”
This is the time of year that some like to complain about the War on Christmas. Well, it is nothing new. For a bit of surprising history see When Boston banned Christmas on the FindMyPast website.
Several months ago I wrote about the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act and how there are many co-sponsors but the House and Senate Bills have been stuck in committee for several months with no apparent action.
Will Congress do the right thing for 9/11 responders ?
I checked again and the status is still the same although there are more co-sponsors. In fact in both the House and Senate a majority of members are co-sponsors. In the House, it is about 60%. In the Senate, even higher (a filibuster-proof majority) Why is leadership keeping this bill bottled up in committee?
You can follow the progress (or lack of progress) as congressional leaders act (or not) and latest news on the renew911health.org website.
I get a weekly newsletter from U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA). I don’t often agree with Senator Toomey but I try to keep informed and listen to both sides of the issue. I also occasionally share my opinions with him and I’m sure he is grateful.
In last week’s newsletter he highlighted his stance for expanding gun background checks (see Senator Toomey and a sensible gun law). But he did not mention another gun-related vote on the same day. Funny, Senator Toomey didn’t mention that. Both items were proposed amendments to H.R. 3762 (Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015). Continue reading “Funny, Senator Toomey didn’t mention that”
I don’t often agree with U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). But this time I do. He renewed his attempt of a few years ago to make our gun laws a bit more sensible.
A few years ago, Senators Toomey and Manchin proposed their sensible gun law after the massacre of school children in Newtown, CT. This was rejected and the sad story is in my post – Sensible gun laws lose
A few days ago, after the San Bernadino mass shooting, the Senate once again rejected the Manchin-Toomey proposal to make background checks universal.
The same day the Senate also rejected a plan to allow the government to delay delay firearms sales to suspected terrorists for up to 72 hours.
Neither universal background checks nor these delays allowing extended background check will stop all gun violence but these sensible gun law changes do make it a bit harder for the bad guys and may save lives.
I don’t think the Senators defeated these commonsense measures to make life easier for the bad guys, but that is what they did.
I guess she was just Mary McKenzie then. She married John Nolan much later but I don’t know when or where. I imagine it was New York City or near there and occurred sometime after 1900 but before her death in 1923.
Why do I think Mary McKenzie became Mary Nolan then? And why am I unsure of where she was born? Continue reading “Mary McKenzie Nolan”
Several months ago I reviewed a book Get What’s Yours that explained in detail how to maximize your Social Security Benefits. This is a good thing to know as we go into retirement. But the government went and changed the rules. Now you need a Social Security update.
At least one strategy laid out in the book, and perhaps a good one for many of us, will no longer be available as of a certain date. You may need to buy the book now if you plan on any Social Security action in the next few months. A revised edition to include the latest rules is in the works.
Check the getwhatsyours.org/ website to get the latest Social Security update from the authors of this book.
I enjoyed the first two of the Erica Donato Mysteries by Triss Stein. I think of it as the Brooklyn mystery series. When I saw on NetGalley that a third in this series was available for review, I immediately put in my request. Fortunately, the request was approved quickly. So thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press.
For those not familiar with the series, Erica is a Brooklyn girl. She was widowed young with a child to raise, went back to school, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in urban history. She lives a rather hectic life balancing the demands of graduate school and single motherhood. This is further complicated by her involvement in a mystery from time to time. Continue reading “Brooklyn Secrets, a Brooklyn mystery”
The combination of the Paris terrorist murders and the Syrian refugee crisis has opened up a strange rift in the United States. Or maybe it is the unUnited States. The Federal government as represented by President Obama had pledged to help settle Syrian refugees in the United States. At last count at least 31 states represented by mostly Republican governors have said thy would not allow these refugees.
Some governors have said their states would accept the refugees. Governor Jack Markel of Delaware states his reasons well and should, but won’t, embarrass those refusing to allow the Syrian refugees and their supporters.
Those who say “Not In My State” to the refugees could be called NIMS-nuts.
I’ve been writing this blog for several years. Sometimes I talk about genealogy (especially my family), sometimes a book review, sometimes just a general comment on current events or whatever is on my mind that day. I like it when people coment. They can agree with me or disagree. all comments are welcome.
Comments are great. A chance to reconsider an opinion. Or at least appreciate the other side of the argument more.
But it is the genealogy post comments I wish to specifically mention today. Usually there is no response. Sometimes it is just something interesting that is related. But the ones that a really exciting is when someone tells me they might be related.
Last week I got one of these. It was related to a short Mckenzie post from over a year ago. The commenter thought she might be related and pointed out something on a record I had but which I had never noticed. Certainly a reasonable case that we are related but nothing definite.
We are emailing back and forth trying to fill out each other’s family tree and find that record which will make this tentative relationship more certain.
I was listening to the Republican debate on Fox Business last night. It seemed all the candidates were claiming their tax plan would work economic miracles.
When Ted Cruz was asked about the deficits that would result from his plan, he assured us that some spending cuts would be involved but sure enough his tax plan is projected to run a multi-trillion dollar deficits over the decade but once you factor in the projected resulting economic growth, those deficits just disappear as the economy takes off. He didn’t go into any great detail as to what he would cut (other than abolishing 5 agencies of which he could name 4).
He told us the details were on his website- tedcruz.org. I was curious about the Ted Cruz economy so I looked but couldn’t find the details promised. There were opportunities to donate, sign up, volunteer, and buy Ted Cruz items but I didn’t want to do any of those things. I just wanted some information and some was there. You just had to look around awhile to find it. And then it did not have the details on cuts I was looking for.
I finally found some detail on his tax plan at https://www.tedcruz.org/tax_plan_summary/
It starts with a imagined growth scenario. It doesn’t really seem at that great but it is definitely very exact and very unclear. This is the Ted Cruz economy.
THE SIMPLE FLAT TAX PLAN SUMMARY
“Imagine 4.9 million new jobs. Instead of Obama’s income stagnation, imagine average wages rising 12.2 percent over the next decade. Capital investment rising 43.9 percent. And every income-level seeing double-digit increases in after-tax income. Imagine exports and manufacturing jobs booming. Our trade deficit falling as the tax bias against American made goods is eliminated. Imagine a 10 percent income tax, with every American filling out his or her taxes on a postcard or iPhone app. And abolishing the IRS as we know it.” – Ted Cruz
4.9 million jobs. He doesn’t give a time frame but the next sentence is about wage increases over 10 years so maybe that is what he means. 4.9 million jobs over 10 years in terrible. 4.9 million in his first term is terrible. On the other hand, a sustained 4.9 million jobs per year is much better than recent history. In the past 2 years we have added a bit over 4.9 million jobs.
My figures are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (September 2013 to August 2015). I picked those dates as the September and October figures for this year are subject to revision. But for this year alone including those provisional numbers, we have added over 3.5 million jobs in 10 months.
Then we have wages rising 12.2 percent in a decade. That seems not all that great, the increase is a bit over 1% per year. Hardly anything to get excited about.
Then more about the booming economy and simple taxes. Does this comparatively small increase in jobs and minuscule increase in wages should booming to you ? Is this the Ted Cruz economy ?
Thanks to Netgalley I was able to start an advanced reading copy (ARC) of “Gowanus: Brooklyn’s Curious Canal” by Joseph Alexiou before the book was in the stores. Unfortunately I am not a particularly fast reader and so the review is just coming out now, almost a month after the publication date. I grew up in the New York City (NYC) area and enjoy reading about New York City and surrounding areas. I’m also a history fan so this book seemed right up my alley.
I’ve read several books on the history of NYC and Brooklyn is usually mentioned but not in any great detail. This differs from others I have read in that the focus was on Brooklyn. The focus is the canal but there is much about Brooklyn in general but more on the area known as South Brooklyn. Continue reading “Gowanus: Brooklyn’s Curious Canal”
Who shall be our next President? Plenty of candidates, plenty of choices, plenty of questions, and some answers buried in lots of talk. Who do you think is the best choice? Will he or she make it. About a year from now, someone will be elected as the next President. Who do you think it should be?
You have opinions about the issues. The candidates have opinions or at least have expressed opinions (which may or may not be the same thing). How do your opinions line up with what the candidates say. What they say is not always the same as what they will do. Sometimes you worry a candidate will not deliver on what is said; other times you worry that they may actually do what they say. Continue reading “Presidential questions”