http://blog.cagle.com Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:27:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 en http://blog.cagle.com/2010/03/15/why-we-need-more-irish-spirit/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/03/15/why-we-need-more-irish-spirit/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:31:47 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=22798 http://blog.cagle.com/2010/03/15/why-we-need-more-irish-spirit/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/03/08/the-right-to-cuss/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/03/08/the-right-to-cuss/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:27:05 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=12584 http://blog.cagle.com/2010/03/08/the-right-to-cuss/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/03/01/expert-advice/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/03/01/expert-advice/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:33:48 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=12311 http://blog.cagle.com/2010/03/01/expert-advice/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/02/22/fun-goes-downhill/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/02/22/fun-goes-downhill/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:35:13 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=11942 http://blog.cagle.com/2010/02/22/fun-goes-downhill/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/02/15/needed-more-snow-in-washington-dc/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/02/15/needed-more-snow-in-washington-dc/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:06:34 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=10607 http://blog.cagle.com/2010/02/15/needed-more-snow-in-washington-dc/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/02/08/understanding-presidents-day/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/02/08/understanding-presidents-day/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:47:29 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=10377 http://blog.cagle.com/2010/02/08/understanding-presidents-day/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/01/29/for-groundhogs-day-interview-with-punxsutawney-phil/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/01/29/for-groundhogs-day-interview-with-punxsutawney-phil/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:23:41 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=9882 http://blog.cagle.com/2010/01/29/for-groundhogs-day-interview-with-punxsutawney-phil/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/01/25/simplifying-the-tax-code/ http://blog.cagle.com/2010/01/25/simplifying-the-tax-code/#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:20:50 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=9701 http://blog.cagle.com/2010/01/25/simplifying-the-tax-code/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/12/28/for-new-years-day-a-truly-wealthy-man/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/12/28/for-new-years-day-a-truly-wealthy-man/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:52:21 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=8793 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/12/28/for-new-years-day-a-truly-wealthy-man/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/12/21/pollution-a-solution/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/12/21/pollution-a-solution/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:56:11 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=8617 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/12/21/pollution-a-solution/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/11/23/for-thanksgiving-pass-the-civility-2/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/11/23/for-thanksgiving-pass-the-civility-2/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:08:37 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=7380 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/11/23/for-thanksgiving-pass-the-civility-2/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/11/09/for-veterans-day-real-troop-support/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/11/09/for-veterans-day-real-troop-support/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:40:31 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=7119 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/11/09/for-veterans-day-real-troop-support/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/11/02/bad-idea-on-tap/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/11/02/bad-idea-on-tap/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:09:21 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=6976 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/11/02/bad-idea-on-tap/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/26/halloween-freedom/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/26/halloween-freedom/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:40:31 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=6800 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/26/halloween-freedom/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/19/pet-deductions/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/19/pet-deductions/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:47:56 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=6624 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/19/pet-deductions/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/12/driven-to-distraction/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/12/driven-to-distraction/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:58:29 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=6512 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/12/driven-to-distraction/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/05/a-deadline-only-mom-could-set/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/05/a-deadline-only-mom-could-set/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:31:22 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=6426 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/10/05/a-deadline-only-mom-could-set/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/09/29/walk-the-walk-not-for-todays-kids/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/09/29/walk-the-walk-not-for-todays-kids/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:40:01 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=6314 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/09/29/walk-the-walk-not-for-todays-kids/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/09/21/speaking-of-lying/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/09/21/speaking-of-lying/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:56:42 +0000 Tom Purcell http://blog.cagle.com/?p=6235 http://blog.cagle.com/2009/09/21/speaking-of-lying/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/06/29/for-the-fourth-of-july-eddie-gabors-house/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/06/29/for-the-fourth-of-july-eddie-gabors-house/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:27:04 +0000 Tom Purcell http://www.caglepost.com/article/39923ee2-5ca0-4460-8d32-98e119cbbbe0.html
By Tom Purcell

When I drove by Eddie Gabor's old house, I was transported back 20 years -- back to the wonderful Fourth of July outings my family once enjoyed there.

Eddie Gabor was my grandmother's longtime companion. For the last 20 years of her life, Eddie treated her like gold.

She'd had a hard life, after all. Widowed in her late 40s, she struggled for years to pay the bills -- she struggled to tend to the last of her six children (who all went on to do well in life).

Then Providence intervened.

My grandmother, a regular churchgoer, had caught the eye of another parishioner -- a colorful old bachelor named Eddie Gabor.

Eddie and his brother ran a successful office-cleaning business. They had hundreds of employees who maintained the interiors and exteriors of Pittsburgh's biggest high-rise buildings.

Though Eddie's brother married and raised a family, Eddie was never blessed that way. Many years went by and Eddie was still alone -- until he met my grandmother.

The two hit it off instantly. They were soon inseparable. They went to Mass together every day. Eddie took her to Pittsburgh's finest restaurants every night. My grandmother brought Eddie to every family event.

Eddie made the last 20 years of her life her best years -- he made our Fourth of July celebrations wonderful, too.

Eddie lived in a beautiful stone home up high on a hill. His home bordered a park. Every Fourth of July his township gave a fireworks display. Eddie's backyard offered a perfect view.

So every year, he set out tables and chairs. He made refreshments and food. Just before dusk, my grandmother's children, grandchildren, their spouses and others would arrive.

As the adults laughed and caught up with each other, the children danced around the yard, giggling as their sparklers burned bright.

Soon, the sky would fall black and the fireworks would begin. As we "oohed" and "aahed" -- as the sky exploded into light and just as quickly returned to darkness -- Eddie would be next to my grandmother, as contented as a man can be.

Eddie threw his last Fourth of July party in 1993, five years after my grandmother died. He died the following winter. Our sadness at the loss of both hit hardest the next Fourth of July when we could no longer gather at Eddie's to celebrate.

The fact is there was no better place to celebrate the Fourth of July -- not just because Eddie made my grandmother's last years so wonderful, but in part because of Eddie's father.

Eddie's father was born in Hungary. He came to America seeking a better life for himself and his family. He took the first job he could get -- janitor.

Where others may view mopping and cleaning as demeaning work, Eddie's father surely didn't. He saw a future.

He started his own cleaning business. He began by cleaning small commercial buildings and kept moving his way up.

His company was soon maintaining larger buildings. He soon had the means to send his sons to college -- to develop their business skills to help him keep growing the business.

He built himself a nice stone home in the suburbs -- the home in which Eddie Gabor would live the rest of his life.

The story of Eddie's father is an American story. Through hard work, he made an incredible life for his family, and he unwittingly made an incredible life for my grandmother.

As I first drove by Eddie Gabor's old house, I was initially filled with sadness -- sad that my grandmother and Eddie have been gone nearly 20 years already.

But as all the memories came flooding back -- as I pieced together what the old house really symbolizes -- I couldn't help but smile.

Despite America's temporary setbacks, I prefer to focus on the incredible blessings our country bestowed on Eddie's father, Eddie, my grandmother and my family.

I plan to drive by Eddie Gabor's old house every Fourth of July.

©2009 Tom Purcell. Tom Purcell, a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. For more info contact Cari Dawson Bartley at 800 696 7561 or email cari@cagle.com. Visit Tom on the web at www.TomPurcell.com or e-mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com.

RESTRICTIONS: "Tom Purcell's column may not be reprinted in general circulation print media in Pennsylvania's Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, and Westmoreland Counties. It may appear only in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and its sister publications.

]]> http://blog.cagle.com/2009/06/29/for-the-fourth-of-july-eddie-gabors-house/feed/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/06/22/a-real-clunker/ http://blog.cagle.com/2009/06/22/a-real-clunker/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:00:00 +0000 Tom Purcell http://www.caglepost.com/article/4c36929c-8fd6-4e24-95bd-ea0507bf2935.html
By Tom Purcell

I'm torn, if you want to know the truth.

Last week, the United States Senate passed the "Cash for Clunkers" bill - they tucked it into an emergency war-funding bill - and President Obama will soon sign it into law.

Here's how the clunker bill works:

If your current car averages 18 or fewer miles per gallon, you'll qualify for a $3,500 voucher toward the cost of a new car -- so long as the new car averages at least 4 mpg more.

Better: If you buy a new car that averages 10 mpg better than your current car, the government will give you a $4,500 voucher.

That is why I'm torn.

I own two vehicles: a 2001 Nissan Maxima SE and a 1992 Chevy S-10 truck, both in excellent condition.

My Maxima gets 19 mpg in the city -- it averages 22 mpg -- so it doesn't qualify for government dough.

But my truck surely does. It only gets about 10 mpg.

Of course, that isn't a problem. The truck sits in my father's garage most of the time. It goes out only when someone in my family needs to pick up a piece of furniture or some mulch.

I love that truck.

Its dated two-tone silver-and-maroon paint job, white-letter tires and red velour interior scream "1992." It's the kind of vehicle somebody like Bill Clinton might have used to pick up someone like Monica Lewinsky.

Despite its coolness -- despite its near-mint condition -- the truck is 17 years old. In the real market -- the free market -- it is worth only $2,500.

Which puts me in a troubling position.

Once President Obama signs the clunker bill into law, my truck will instantly be worth $4,500. All I have to do is find a new vehicle that gets 22 mpg - not hard to do.

Of course I don't need or want a new vehicle. I love my Maxima. And my truck is perfect for what it is intended to do.

And I can't bear the thought of what will happen to my beloved truck if I take the deal. All vehicles traded in under the clunker program will be crushed into a block of steel and smelted. Not even the transmission or the motor can be salvaged.

But then again, one must keep emotion out of financial decisions. Only the government is dumb enough to pay me $4,500 for a $2,500 vehicle -- and only a dummy would walk away from a $2,000 gain.

Sure, I know what the critics are saying: The program's $1 billion price tag is a waste of money at a time when we're bleeding red ink. I know we've already squandered some $30 billion meddling in the private auto industry and have likely made things worse, not better.

I know the unintended consequences of the government's clunker program will hit the poor and middle class the hardest. Even with government perks, many people can't afford a new car. Because the program will take thousands of used cars out of service, it will cause the cost of used cars to go up.

I know the political class is trying to impose a desired outcome on us. They're eager for us to drive ever dinkier cars. I know they're bribing us -- with our own dough -- to make us bend to their will.

But then again, this will surely be my last chance to qualify for a government perk of any kind.

I'm generally on the paying end of government programs -- not the receiving end -- and all of us will be paying plenty more if Obama succeeds in signing a torrent of big-spending programs into law.

And so I am torn.

I had been happy with my two perfectly good vehicles, but, suddenly, I'm thrust into the throes of a major automotive decision.

I've been avoiding my truck lately. Wracked with guilt -- I can't believe I may be bought off for a lousy 2,000 bucks -- I can't look my truck in the headlights.

Such are the peculiar thoughts that only the government can produce.

©2009 Tom Purcell. Tom Purcell, a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. For more info contact Cari Dawson Bartley at 800 696 7561 or email cari@cagle.com. Visit Tom on the web at www.TomPurcell.com or e-mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com.

RESTRICTIONS: "Tom Purcell's column may not be reprinted in general circulation print media in Pennsylvania's Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, and Westmoreland Counties. It may appear only in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and its sister publications.

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