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Chris -- I was born and raised in Leavenworth and worked my way through Washburn U in the early 70's. Left home for 20 years in the Air Force and took advantage of the education and retired as an officer. With the education ( Masters Degree in Space Systems Management), came back home to Leavenworth and have worked continuously in high technology positions for 17 years in and around KC. Now, I'm an Information Systems Manager for the Army at Ft Leavenworth and my Wife and I will be heading to St John, US Virgin Islands in May to celebrate our 37th anniversary. For a couple of farm kids who didn't have much growing up, my wife and I are happier and having more fun than we deserve !
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DOES IT COUNT IF I'M OVER 55 AND HAVE HAD SEX 3 NIGHTS RUNNING???
YOU SAID TO BRAG..........
TOM R.
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Hello Chris,
Regardless of Washington's march toward Socialism, I am having an awesome time!
Here's the short list:
1) I just finished up my MBA and I have Headhunters calling me every week.
2) I just paid off my Harley.
3) I just booked a weekend getaway with my wife to Chicago to see a museum exhibit that's opening in May.
4) This summer we will be returning to our condo in Hawaii for our annual vacation.
Those are the highlights. Life is good - seriously.
Regards,
Robin W.
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My wife and I have whittled down our credit card debit from $45,000 down
to next month being our last month to pay off our last card; then it's
save, save, save!!!
All we will have left will be our house mortgage and our day to day
living expenses left!
Once we have our savings established, we are planning to take our kids
to Disney World if not this year, definitely next year!
John W
Blue Springs MO
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Chris, I started my own business last year. In 2007 at my old job, I earned $55K working full-time. Last year, I earned $450K as my own boss... This year, it looks like I may double that figure. Now all I have to do is figure out how to keep Obama from draining me with taxes.
I sure have worked hard!!
Enjoy your show.
Jennifer
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Running two businesses one of which we just started less than 3-weeks
ago. I also have a full time job and have never been busier and plan on
quitting my full time job within the next 6 months.
Our Daughter:
She just bought herself a new-used car, we paid for half of the car but
she also paid for insurance, title, repairs, etc.
New class ring
Preparing for church camp, golf camp, cross country camp and a
journalism trip to Washington next school year. All totaling close to
$5,000
Planning vacation in 2years after graduation.
We plan on buying a new house in about 3years.
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Chris, I'm an engineer and my wife is a nurse. We both work for good companies and received raises last year. We have one more payment on our truck and are looking to pay cash for a family vehicle since we are having a baby this summer. We are doing well and are happy. But even if we weren't doing well financially we'd still be happy because we are together and mostly importanlty because of our faith in God.
Thanks for your show. I listen every day
Dan F.
Gardner, KS
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I'm doing great - just bought a new Rottweiler pup and exercised my 2nd amendment right by buying a new pistol and new rifle! Call before you visit!! ha, ha, ha, ha!!!
Dave, in the socialist state of Iowa - (moved up here two years ago, but still listen to you in the mornings on the drive into work in Des Moines - even though you're a bit scratchy sounding sometimes)
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My family is traveling to Tennessee the beginning of April to visit my
daughter and her husband. Then we have four different trips planned for a
week or more each; Colorado, Branson, Pennsylvania (Hershey), and
California (Yosimite). I thought things were pretty good, but I don't even
know what a Wild Oats is. I've been to a farmer's market before, but it
was next to a McDonalds . . . does that count?
Jeff S.
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Chris
I am 55. In the last 20 years, my salary has gone from six digits to $8 an hour and I have lost all the "things" I had accumulated, but I have survived two widow maker heart attacks. I still wake up on the green side of grass and the rest is gravy; sometimes a little lumpy, but gravy just the same. I still show up 45 min to an hour before my shift and work just as hard as I did when the salary was significantly larger. I am coming back! I have a lot left to give and will continue to work until as long as I am able. I may be down but I'm not out, and think more people who are wallowing in fear and dread need to shut off their computer and go back to work. Probably not the story you were looking for, but that is the attitude this country was founded on.
Jim
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Dear Chris:
My family is not participating in the recession. Why not, you ask? Why not be patriotic and participate in the doom and gloom enveloping this nation? The answer is: personal responsibility! Several years ago we moved from Missouri to Kansas. In Kansas we bought a house that we could afford. It isn"t fancy like many of the homes just two blocks away, but it is perfect for our family. Following the advice of the wise and wonderful Dave Ramsey, we live on a cash budget, have paid off 90% of our debt, and had enough money after my wife returned from her Iraq deployment to enjoy a week in Orlando in January, supporting the economy by blowing large wads of cash during a two day Disney spending spree. Back home, our income tax check will clear one of our three remaining debts, and we will focus on paying off one student loan and one mortgage. Recession? Doom and gloom? Stick it in your ear, Oprah!
Richard
Lansing, Kansas
P.S. Great job at the Leavenworth Lincoln Days! I enjoyed your speech.
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Good Morning Chris & Paige!
I started a home business in 2004. I was ranked as one of the top 20
recruiters for 2008 out of 10,000 active distributors in 2008. I had my
most productive year ever. All I do is simply show other people how to make
money in the direct sales and network marketing industry.
The company I represent is debt-free and aggressively investing in 2009! We
are introducing new products and have even purchased additional warehouse
space and machines to keep up with the orders. We are growing in leaps and
bounds and our products are made in the U.S.A. My husband and I will be
attending one of our regional conventions in Las Vegas at the end of March.
As a 5 year breast cancer survivor.the word "quit" will NEVER pass my lips
no matter how hard President Obama kicks the productive people in our
society!
Connie
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Hey Chris!
My hubby & I were out of work for several months. We are office type people but we delivered phone books & cleaned for relatives to keep our heads above water. We were lucky to have our health so we could get out there & take care of ourselves. I just got a great job that allows my husband to stay home (I don't want my kids in day care). We are very blessed & proud that we got through our tough times with our heads held high! Thanks for your optimism Chris. People out there need to know that the sky is not falling!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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We're not stinkin' wealthy, but we're making it just fine.
When things got a little tough, my wife took a 2nd job and I went to the night shift where I could make a higher pay differential.
One of us is home all the time, so we don't need a nanny or daycare for our younger child.
We cut out crap we didn't need.
We explained the situation to our son by saying, "Dad and Mom have to work x-number of hours to pay for this or that." so he understands the situation a little better.
We're in no jeapordy of losing our home, we chose secure jobs, we've managed our 401k's closely and will still be able to send our kids to state colleges if they don't get scholarships.
We didn't make a ton of money overnight, but we'll make it. Hard work, long hours, extra jobs... I'll be damned if the government or Oprah will tell me how my economy is doing.
God bless you for what you're doing. We listen every morning with my 13 year old so he's in the right frame of mind when he hits the liberal classroom.
Ryan R.
Overland Park, KS
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This past year I patented a new product, founded a new international company and am shipping products all over the world.
Please tell your listeners to dream big and work hard.
The only difference between ordinary and extraordinary is a little "extra".
The "extra" doesn't happen by watching Oprah, American Idol, or the Oscars.
Dale
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As wives will do, mine just reminded me of a couple things -
We paid off her car last year.
We went to Colorado three times last year (we drove).
My car will be paid off in 4 months.
I received a promotion this year.
She quit her second job effective next week.
Christmas was GREAT and this year will be even better!
Yeah, things are pretty good!
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Sir;
I am in the Army.
I have a beautiful wife and a great son, and I revel in them both.
We have our own home and are looking at buying one in Washington...where prices are still through the roof.
I just paid of my Harley Davidson and am about to take a trip across the country. We are also planning on taking a trip to our new condo in Walt Disney World.
Why am I able to do all this? Because I work like hell and enjoy it every day.
I was not tentative about getting out of the stock market when it started to tank and put my money into Bonds and metals. Win win win.
The Army is recession proof. Life is good. The military is hiring. It's time to stop worrying and time to get yourself a job that creates a career. If you are in college and believe that you have something to give to the nation...to your state....to your houshold...then do something about it. The military is the place to build yourself, and maybe even begin to believe in something bigger than yourself.
Bob
Robert H.
Major, United States Army
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My husband and I were living in Colorado last year and wanted to move
back home, to Kansas City. Long story short, my husband got the first
job he applied and interviewed for and now makes more money than he ever
has. We sold our house in CO and bought a new house in Overland Park
(at a 5% interest rate!). My company let me keep my job - I now work
from home for my Denver company. We broke the $100K salary mark
(combined income) in 2008. We're doing better than ever!
Thanks,
Christina M.
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This may not seem like I am blessed but I truely feel that I am.
On November 10, 2008 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. On November 11, 2008 I was laid off from my job of 10 plus years. I received 10 months of pay as severence money and the company also is paying for my Cobra insurance for 10 months. Most people don't receive such a generous package from their employer.
Here come the blessings.
My cancer was removed and because it was caught so early, my prognosis is good. I had a lumpectomy to remove the cancer and had radiation treatments but I did not have to do chemo. I will be taking a hormone blocker pill for the next 5 years.
After going to only one job interview, last Thursday, I was offered a job making the same money as my previous job and I accepted.
Life is good and God is great!
Mary Y.
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Chris,
Just wanted to send a thank you for the POSITIVE and uplifting message you are trying to convey about the economy. I am sick of the pessimist attitude and we need to definitely hear more positive. WIsh you could be on national news! Hope you will keep focusing on the positive about the economy in more of your shows. That is the message the people need to hear to help lift them up and want to keep going. I don't know if listening to motivational tapes would help our leaders in government or not but you are to be commended for the positive message you hit on today! Thanks so much. I am sick of feeling beat down & being put on a guilt trip for having a full time job. I don't mind helping people that are down and out & and trying to help themselves, but there are ones out there that expect handouts and those are the ones I do not feel sorry for. Thank you!
Terri
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Chris,
I started my specialty retail business in 2002 and it has grown every year since, including last year. My house is paid off, my car is paid off. My business feels the effect of the economy, but it's not gloom and doom. I'm still positive for our future.
Bart
http://www.overlandphoto.com
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Hey Chris,
I just thought that I would chime-in with everybody else that is not
participating in the recession or the mindset that accompanies it. Normally,
I would not be one to brag about the blessings God has given us. In this
case, however, I feel that it is necessary to counter the pessimism that we
are being bombarded with everyday.
Last year my wife and I bought our second house - not in replace of, but in
addition to our first. We spared no expense. Everything was upgraded,
hand-picked and customized. When it was all said and done, the price tag
neared half-a-million dollars. We moved into the house with over 10% equity
in it and each and every month we pay an additional 30% of our mortgage
payment towards the principal balance. What enabled us to do all of this
was:
- being debt-free (except for the house)
- new and great jobs making a lot of money
- a mindset that everything we have, have ever had and ever will have, is
God's
We opened up our first house to a family in need. The father is actually the
superintendent that helped build our new house. He is Mr. Joe Everyman
working his heart out to provide for his family. They are really nice folks
with good hearts so we made a deal with them that was good for everybody.
Since he is so good with his hands, we agreed that, in lieu of cash, he
would instead provide his labor as compensation for rent. Now he and his
family are prospering as well. I believe I speak for both of us when I say
that it couldn't have worked out better.
As far as this year goes, my wonderful wife has already gotten a huge
promotion this year due to her expert knowledge, drive and dedication (and
the company expanding). With the promotion came a company car, thus bringing
us to a total of four cars at the time. Since we really didn't need 4 cars
between the two of us, we donated one to a family in need at our church.
We look forward to several vacations with friends this year as a break from
our busy lives - none of them at all extravagant, as we are not extravagant
people, but fun nonetheless and just right for us. I have elected to have
laser eye surgery and my wife plans to do the same soon after. We are also
going to finish our basement and get brand new furniture and decor for the
whole house to go with our new 46" LCD and 42" plasma televisions. Our first
house is getting some nice updates too.
Last summer marked the first year that we began giving away an annual
scholarship. I gladly report that this summer will be no different -
regardless of what the media, Obama, or Oprah say about the economy or the
achievers of this great nation.
Oh, and just one last thing, my wife and I are 26 and 27 years old,
respectively.
Yours in conservatism (and hopefully a future business owner),
Scott
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Chris,
Over the last 5 years I've seen my salary increase 10% per year, exceeding others hired at the same time as I was. My immediate boss as well as my department manager both appreciate my approach to how I accomplish tasks and I am afforded a large degree of flexibility because of it. I feel appreciated and challenged every day.
jim
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2008 was a great year for us, mainly because of actions we initiated:
* Biggest step: got on a budget & stuck to it (Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover & Phil Lenehan's 7 Steps to Financial Freedom Style)
* Paid off the remaining $10K we owed on our van and are now debt free except the house.
*My husband worked _a lot_ of overtime for a company that compensates well. In addition to his straight-time overtime pay, he received a very nice bonus. Because we were on a budget, we were able to put quite a bit of that money away for college savings for our 5 kids (we're already saving for retirement with 401K) (We would have paid off the van even without the OT and the bonus -- just by budgeting)
*We're comitted to tithing on the regular income as well as the overtime, and it felt so good to make some (for us) fairly large year-end contributions to some worthy causes.
*The first 6 months on the budget were hard -- it took self-discipline and gas prices were rising (which meant we needed to increase the gas budget). In 2009, the budgeting discipline is in place, and it's much easier.
The only problem we forsee in 2009 is how to keep Obama's hands out of our pocketboook -- we follow our budget strictly, and we don't have any more in our budget for him, so he'll just have to keep a stiff upper lip & eat some rice & beans and shop thrift stores -- hey, Mrs. Obama, they do have some pretty nice gowns there!
Mary M.
Lees Summit