our opinions: ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT
In The
Comfort
Zone
Still Lots To Be Thankful About
Brett Hobson
BY BRETT HOBSON
E
very day on the news and in our local newspapers we
see death, fire, flood and famine. For the past decade,
our local news, the national news and the world news
have shifted their focus from what’s right in the world to
what all of us can agree is very wrong. Since it’s the end
of the year, I would like to focus on what’s right in the
world, or maybe not the world, but our own little piece of
it. Here are some of the highlights:
The Economy
Unemployment is at a 17-year low, with more than two
million more people employed than before. The growth
in the past two quarters has held steady at 3 percent, a
solid number according to US News and World Report. A
tax overhaul is being considered by Congress that would
slash the corporate tax rate, revamp personal taxes and
bring millions of dollars back to the US that have been
sent overseas to keep away from the IRS. The message that
National Economic Advisor Gary Cohn used to give busi-
nesses about moving out of the US has changed based on
the tax overhaul currently being debated in Congress.
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Education
The performance gap between low and high income chil-
dren has narrowed, and low income children have made
great strides in school preparation, compared to those
entering school in the 1990s. According to the National
Center for Education, statistics showed that math and
reading gaps have narrowed because children have more
access to books and read more with their parents. More
parents are now aware that the first few years of a child’s
life are the most important in cognitive development.
Healthcare
Although our healthcare system is much debated and in
the news of late, whether it’s Trumpcare or Obamacare,
we can be proud of the quality and quantity that’s avail-
able to all of our citizens. We aren’t a country that
provides socialized medicine forcing people to wait
months for a doctor’s appointment. We aren’t withhold-
ing care to the sickest and weakest because they aren’t
contributing to the system. Medical tourism is growing in
countries like Canada where patients wait almost half a
year for specialized treatments, including chemotherapy
and joint replacement surgery, instead of coming to the
US and paying out of pocket for care they can’t receive in
their own country, according to a story from ABC News.
Immigration
Most people agree that in order to live in our country, you
should come here legally and want to conform to our laws
and government working towards becoming a citizen.
One of my favorite quotes is from British Prime Minister
Tony Blair who said, “A simple way to take measure of a
country is to look at how many want in. And how many
want out.” In 2017, 752,800 people became naturalized
United States citizens. Less than 5,500 people renounced
their US citizenship in 2016 according to numbers provid-
ed by the IRS. Many of those people renounced their
citizenship because of tax policy. As an expatriate living
overseas they face double taxation. Few, if any, cited the
most recent presidential election as their reason for leav-
ing the USA.
Freedoms
This is what I am the most thankful for, not just this
season, but throughout each year. Because of our
Constitution, I can choose to worship the way I want to,
to have the job, the house and the life I want to because
of the freedoms that are afforded in a document that was
originally written on four pieces of paper. I have the free-
dom to run my business the way I want to, within the laws
that have been enacted by my elected representatives, and
to not employ workers who do not have our collective
success in the forefront of their consciousness.
So take a moment this season to think about all of the
things we are thankful for in our country, in our county
and in our own homes. I’m thankful for my home and my
family, which includes our customers who we have been
honored to serve since 1962.
Have a very blessed Christmas season and a Happy New
Year,
Brett Hobson, Comfort Experts
P.S. I want to be your heating and air conditioning expert.