Blog – Page 46

If Utah Was A Country

September 18, 2009 by rickety Leave a Comment

If Utah was a country it would have a GDP of $105.7 billion. This would place Utah above Qatar’s GDP of $102.3 billion but below 32 other states and 55 other nations. But what is GDP and how is it measured?

Gross Domestic Product

The gross domestic product (GDP), a basic measure of an economy’s economic performance, is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a nation in a year. The most common approach to measuring GDP is the expenditure method. This method states that GDP is equal to the total expenditures for all final goods and services produced within the country in a stipulated period of time (usually a 365-day year). Goods and services are consumption plus gross investment plus government spending plus exports minus imports.

For a state the counterpart to GDP is Gross State Product (GSP) and is a measurement of the economic output of a state or province. It is the sum of all value added by industries within the state. Bear in mind that flows of goods, services, labor, and capital across state boundaries are not measured very accurately as compared to nations.

Population

If Utah was a country its population of 2,736,424 would rank it above the nation of Jamaica with a population of 2,719,000. Utah ranks 34th among the states in population. If Utah were a country, and no other U.S. states were, it would be positioned 139th in population among all nations.

Fertility

Fertility rate is live births per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years. The TFR (Total Fertility Rate) of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime. Bear in mind that the replacement fertility rate is roughly 2.1 births per woman for most industrialized countries.

If Utah was a country its fertility rate of 2.63 would rank above Ecuador’s 2.59 and would be higher than the world average of 2.61. If Utah were a country it would be 91st among the nations for fertility and ahead of all other U.S. states.

Summary

You can probably think of many more comparisons of Utah with other countries. Because the United States is such an economic powerhouse the GDP comparison is the most impressive, especially when comparing a larger state. The GDP of the United States ($14,264,600,000,000) is almost as great as the next four largest economies combined, which are those of Japan ($4,923,761,000,000), China ($4,401,614,000,000), Germany ($3,667,513,000,000), and France ($2,865,737,000,000).

One last item of note. If Utah was a country it would have a balanced budget.

Sources

Wikipedia: List of U.S. states by GDP (nominal). I used the 2008 GSP.
Wikipedia: List of countries by GDP (nominal). I used the 2008 list by the International Monetary Fund.
Wikipedia: List of countries by population.
Wikipedia: List of U.S. states by population.
United States Total Fertility Rate Increases. I used the 2006 rates.
Wikipedia: List of countries and territories by fertility rate. I used the 2008 CIA TFR rankings.

U.S. Government Debt as a Mortgage

September 17, 2009 by rickety 2 Comments

Today imagine that Congress has a fit of sanity and manages to balance the budget. They do it through a combination of spending cuts and tax increases. The dollar strengthens and there is more money because of interest that is not needed to pay for deficits. Congress’s approval rating soars and they decide to balance the budget from now on because the voters love it and so does the economy.

But there is still the outstanding debt of trillions of dollars. Congress in a display of unparalleled common sense tackles this by treating the debt as if it was a 30 year mortgage. In my scenario (sadly imaginary) Congress is able to secure a 3% fixed interest rate for 30 years. In the table below is the schedule of payments. I have included other rates of interest in the event that you think 3% is unrealistic.

The dollar amount of the debt is obtained from Treasury Direct’s Debt to the Penny, which I have rounded to the nearest billion dollars. The date in the top right-hand corner is the day the debt reading was taken. The highlighted figures are the yearly amounts paid (the sum of 12 monthly payments), depending on the interest rate. All dollar amounts are in billions. So for example, $13,616 billion, which is $13.6 trillion, just add nine zeros like so: $13,616,000,000,000.

I have been periodically updating the debt reading. It is scary how much this debt is rising. Truly we should avoid debt as we would avoid a plague. The sooner we start paying our mortgage the better. Default is not an option. Refinance now while interest rates are low.

Money Photo Credit: Andrew Magill

Rewards Checking: First Arkansas Bank & Trust

September 16, 2009 by rickety 2 Comments

A New Rewards Checking Account

Since Coulee Bank dropped their rewards checking rate from 5% to 4% I have been looking for another bank. There are several banks that still offer 5% on their rewards checking accounts but there is one difficulty — they all take local customers only. This didn’t used to be but gradually many banks have withdrawn from the national market. Hence I decided on a bank that is still recruiting customers nationwide (except California). However, see Updates below.

Now First Arkansas Bank & Trust offers only 4.4% (since reduced) but with one redeeming quality — the rate applies up to $50,000. For this you only need to complete the usual ten point of sale debit card transactions per month. Also the one direct deposit, ACH debit, or online bill payment per month. You have to agree to receive E-statements and sign into your online banking account once a month.

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Yes On 1 Stand For Marriage Maine

September 15, 2009 by rickety 5 Comments

I just received an email from ProtectMarriage.com, the good folks who helped pass Proposition 8 in California. The following are edited excerpts from that email:

Yes On 1

Just as it occurs in California, legislators in other states also ignore the desires of the people and succumb to pressure from homosexual marriage activists, passing same-sex marriage legislation. This is what happened in Maine. Fortunately, the Maine constitution gives voters the final say. Over 100,000 Mainers signed petitions to put this issue on the ballot as Question 1. A Yes vote on Question 1 this November will preserve traditional marriage and veto the legislative enactment of same-sex marriage.

Close Race

The outcome of the election in Maine has profound implications for the nation. The homosexual community never been able to convince voters to support their position at the ballot box. But they have a chance to do so in Maine. Polling shows the race to be close, and our opponents have some key advantages. Homosexual activists have been working to build a grassroots organization in the state for the past five years. They have the support of Governor Baldacci, who recently headlined a major fundraising event, as well as the Democratic legislative leaders. They are receiving a massive infusion of cash and volunteers from throughout the country.

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Kaysville City Elections Early Voting Results

September 14, 2009 by rickety Leave a Comment

Kaysville City elections early voting results 14 September 2009

Early Voting Early Results

The results of the early voting shows that Steve Hiatt, with 61 votes, has taken an early lead over Mayor Neka Roundy who has garnered 51 votes.

In the City Council race Gil Miller’s 58 votes lead, followed by Brian Cook sporting 42 votes. Jared Taylor (38 votes) and John Jensen (37 votes) are very close behind. Here is a full screenshot of the results.

Early Posting

Who would have thought that early votes could be posted on the city website before the day of the election? Other voters may be swayed by seeing who has an early lead. Maybe that’s why they are called early votes — because you get to see them early.

Updates

15 Sep 2009 — A check at 9:30am this morning (election day) showed that the early voting tallies had been removed.
16 Sep 2009 — Unofficial results: Steve Hiatt (1,570) and Neka F. Roundy (910) move on to the General Election. Gil A. Miller (1,427), Brian D. Cook (1,035), Jared R. Taylor (889), and Richard Lenz (801) also qualified for the General Election.

It is interesting to note that of the six winners, the top five followed the same order as the early voting results. Remarkable.

Missionary Dan Email #32 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

September 14, 2009 by rickety 1 Comment

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s thirty second email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

Daniel pseudo-tracting in Ulaanbataar.

English Class

We went to work this last week and it turned out to be a great week. We did a lot better than last week. It was good for us to be able to have a little success. Thanks for all the great emails. I feel very loved. Well this week I teach a lot more English. It is OK but not the funnest thing to do. We had a good class last week that was really fun and another one with 45 students in it which was ridiculous. Anyway that will all work out alright.

Missionary Work

Missionary work is still continuing to be good. President Anderson said my companion became a missionary while with me which made him very happy. I didn’t do anything as when he first came he was ready to work. It was good though to hear that President is happy. My companion and I did well on receiving referrals from members this week. That was a huge improvement.

Birthday

Thanks too for wishing me happy birthday. Yea! I’m going to be twenty. Oh yeah and as you can clearly see from the picture we can go tracking. No just kidding, but the door on the fence was really funny.

To Mom

We have a washing machine in our apartment. It’s not very big and you put water into from the tap. It then has a spinner that spins the clothes, then we hang them up on a rack to dry. All people with a ger have an outhouse. Some of the service I have done is digging the hole for the outhouse. There usually is furniture all the way around, and they sit on the beds during the day. So I guess they become couches. They do laundry with the same machine I have. They simply reuse the water a bit. Their sinks have a little drip handle and it drops into a sink, then into a bucket under that. It is cool. Some have refrigerators and yes, most if not all the houses have power, with T.V. etc.

To Ada

Happy Birthday! You’re turning 21 right? Wahoo! Have lots of fun. :)

To Brother Burns

Thanks for sharing your experience with me. It truly does seem to work that way. First the Lord tests our faith then later He greatly blesses us. The miracles that happen make doing missionary work worth it. It seemed like you had one amazing companion! Thanks again.

Love from Elder Willoughby

Antelope Island Balloon and Kite Stampede

September 11, 2009 by rickety 1 Comment

Last Saturday morning Jill and I drove the 21 miles to attend the Antelope Island Balloon and Kite Stampede. However, uncooperative winds dictated that no hot air balloons would launch that day. Balloons launched the day before but that didn’t help me get the pictures I wanted. We left but returned in the evening with Steven and his family. Driving over the causeway always reminds me of the flooding that destroyed the original road to the island. More about that later. On the island there was still no balloon launches so we made do with kites, food, music, and test burns.

The Causeway

The Davis County Causeway is a 7.25 mile earthen dike and roadway leading from the mainland to Antelope Island. The original causeway, constructed in 1969 by the State of Utah, was washed out frequently by heavy wave action in the early 70’s but was raised slightly and reopened each time. By 1985 the causeway was completely under water due to the relentless rise of the lake.

As the lake began to recede in the late 80’s the causeway reemerged. It was in poor condition and needed extensive work. Davis County officials together with State Parks personnel lobbied the Utah State Legislature in 1990 for funding to rebuild the causeway so that Antelope Island State Park could again be opened to the public. Eventually the legislature agreed to give the causeway to Davis County along with $4 million for rebuilding and repairs. Another $500,000 was appropriated in 1992 and the County rebuilt the causeway in 1993 for a total cost of $5 million. Davis County charges a $2 per vehicle toll (included in your entrance fee) on the causeway to help pay for ongoing maintenance costs and to set aside a fund to deal with possible future damage should the lake rise again.

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Missionary Dan Email #31 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

September 7, 2009 by rickety 1 Comment

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s thirty first email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

Daniel and his companion with a Mongolian family.

Daniel and his companion (left) with a Mongolian family.

Teaching English

Thanks for the pictures Dad! They were great. This week I started teaching a lot of English. My classes don’t know English very well so I have quite a bit to teach. They are all college students studying to be English translators. For that major it would seem they should have a little better speaking ability. It will be fun to teach them though.

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Overnight at Echo Island Ranch Camperworld

September 4, 2009 by rickety 3 Comments

Last weekend found us at Echo Island Ranch Camperworld. Jill’s sister, Susan, invited us to stay over Friday night at the camp ground. The video is of my son Paul tending Aurora. Occasionally Aurora gets a little fussy and needs to be walked around. So Paul obligingly walked her around.

For family and friends I have collected a few photographs of our weekend. Aurora’s parents, Steven and Adelaide, were nearby.

Steven relaxing at Camperworld.

Adelaide and Tux.

We took up two sites at Camperworld.

Amenities

Only a one hour drive from Salt Lake City. While adding beautiful campsites with lush lawns and tall stands of shade trees, Camperworld has maintained the country atmosphere by leaving much of this land to open meadows, meandering streams, and small islands. The freeway just a few hundred feet away was noisy but didn’t spoil the fun — just our sleep.

Echo Island Ranch has been developed with water, power and sewer hookups. Two separate rest room complexes with showers were available. Fishing is excellent on the Weber River, which runs through the park or at Jordanelle, Rock Port or Echo Reservoirs just a short distance away.

A children’s fishing pond has been developed. There are swimming pools, hot tubs, and a children’s wading pool. Horseshoes, volleyball and a playground are some of other other activities available. Boat and RV storage is available.

Paul and Jill in a big hottub at Camperworld.

Paul and Jill in the biggest hottub I have ever seen.

Connor, Shauna, and Connie.

Steven, Ashley, Connor, and Paul try some fishing.

Only the best American cuisine. Clockwise from top: Kent, Melissa, Susan, Adelaide, and Connie.

Top class sleeping accommodations for Paul and Connor.

Rick using the state-of-the-art communications center to check his email.

I get to spend some time with my granddaughter.

Missionary Dan Email #30 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

September 1, 2009 by rickety Leave a Comment

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s thirtieth email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

Daniel helping to construct a ger.

Zone Conference

So yesterday was Zone Conference so I wasn’t able to write. Zone Conference was about adversity. It was really good and I learned a lot. The Mission President explained that this life is like a testing center and like any testing center isn’t the funniest place to be in. But, after leaving the testing center you are relieved, depending how you did on the test. It was good to put things into perspective.

Conversion Story

Thanks so much for the conversion story, Dad! I read the whole thing, it was really interesting. It really is amazing how the Lord prepares people to hear the Gospel, just like he prepared you. Also thanks Mom for writing how you met Dad. I’ve actually never heard it before, so it was really fun to read. Now I can see where I inherited all my dating skills when I was in high school. :) ha ha.

Missionary Work

So this week was a good one. I had two experiences where I was talking to people on the street telling them about the church. The first one I was prompted to ask if he’d ever been to a Christian church before. He said he’d been attending one for about five years. That started a conversation and we talked for about five minutes. As usual I asked if we could come by later and meet with him to tell more about the church. To that he said he had time right now! I was surprised as that has never happened. We were able to meet with him, tell him about the church, give him a book of Mormon, and share our testimonies. It made us really excited.

Then another day just as similar someone was observing my companion and I talking to people. As it probably looks a little funny with us walking along side people talking to them for a minute or two then going straight to talk to someone else, the person asked me what we were doing. I said we were missionaries and told where, what time, and what my church is. I asked her if we could meet later and she said, “I can meet right now.” I was again surprised but very happy for the opportunity. We were able again share about the restoration and our testimonies.
I know for a fact the Lord helps His missionaries do His work. It is a great blessing to talk to someone who has a genuine interest and share what is so important to me. I know its true and can see the blessings that have come in my life and the lives of others.

My companion is great and his ear will be okay. We simply get to go the doctor everyday. Also school is starting up so I’ll be teaching more English. That will take quite a big chunk out of time to do missionary work. We’ll do the best we can with the time we have. Sorry no pictures again, I don’t have my camera. Hopefully next week I’ll have it with me. I’m still adjusting a bit to how my companion likes to spend Preparation Day.

To Adelaide

Wow you had some crazy dreams. Thanks for telling me. I’ll be honest I had a good laugh.

I’m not sure about the language, it could possibly be dialects. I do tend to understand people I’ve listened to a lot more than someone I just met. As for other areas they do have different dialects. One area a missionary said was like a southern accent, but they were speaking Mongolian. Keep up the great work! :)

Thanks for all the great letters and the support. I love you all!
Elder Willoughby