Good Morning to all of you full bellies and rested minds out there in turkey land; your King of Simple News is on the air.

We had a nice Thanksgiving Day here at the Folkerth house, the weather was sunny and warm, the food and company were simply divine, and the Denver Bronco’s actually won.

One year ago, many of you may remember that I was involved in a head-on accident that the only way I could have avoided was to have not been driving that evening. An oncoming car came over into my lane in a micro second and hit me. My car was totaled, but with the assistance of seatbelts and airbags, I escaped nearly unharmed.

Events of this type always make a person stop and think about what could have happened. Life could have been over. The obvious point here is that we don’t know for sure how long we’ll be hangin’ around in the upright and mobile stage of this process that we call life.

That being said, it’s important to live life to the fullest, on your terms, not the conditions dictated by others. But, that takes conscious thought, planning, action, and follow through. If you knew that you were checking out tomorrow, would you have regrets about the way that you have conducted your life? If so, change that today. You are in fact in charge of your own life.

We are also in charge of our own thinking and reasoning. Here is some reasoning from an article that I wrote just a year ago on Thanksgiving 2008 that should give us all pause for thought.

Barrack Obama certainly believes it (growth is the answer). Mr. Obama just announced that he will throw TRILLIONS at the problem with no concern about deficit spending.

He went on to say that once he gets the economy hummin’ along again, he will focus on reducing the deficit and paying down the debt in order not to pass the burden on to the next generation. (I’m not makin’ this up, he really did say that).

I’m hoping to get the name of Mr. Obama’s doctor and get a prescription for whatever it is that he is taking.

The increasing debt cannot (under even the most ideal conditions), be repaid from increased taxation. But I assure you, they will try.

My opinion is that the daily dose of billion dollar bailouts is simply buying time for the captain and crew to secure the limited seats on the lifeboats. Mathematically, the whole charade is laughable.

In 1974, the American Geophysicist, M. King Hubbert, testified before Congressman Morris K. Udall’s Subcommittee on the Environment. The following was a statement that he made: “during the last two centuries of unbroken industrial growth, we have evolved into what amounts to an exponential-growth culture. Our institutions, our legal system, our financial system, and our most cherished folkways and beliefs are all based upon the premise of continuing growth.”

Hubbert continued, “Since physical and biological constraints make it impossible to continue such rates of growth indefinitely, it is inevitable that with the slowing down in the rates of physical growth, cultural adjustments must be made.”

Mr. Udall responded with something to the effect that it was nice for Dr. Hubbert to come, but they had to get back to growing the economy. I now have Morris Udall’s son, Mark, as my Senator. We don’t learn quickly around these parts.

Note that Hubbert did not say that it was a probability that growth would slow, he said it was inevitable. Ya see, geophysicist’s deal with stark reality and Congress people deal with stark stupidity and campaign promises.

Mr. Hubbert did give us some hope. He stated, “We have the necessary technology. All we have to do is completely overhaul our culture and find an alternative to money.”

I’m confident that as the current crises worsens; the American people will rise to the occasion and see fit to voluntarily simplify their lives to a more sustainable pace; on the same day that hell freezes over.

On a brighter note, I love Thanksgiving. It is in fact, my favorite holiday. Not only does it last for four days, but there are no expectations of lavish gifts. This is particularly important at such a time as this, when there should be no lavish gifts nor the debt and stress associated with providing the same.

Thanksgiving is a time to consider the simple, but most precious gifts, of family, friends, good food, nature, and invigorating conversation.