Todd Sandel's Blog from Macau

Christmas 2010 Dear Family and Friends: It is Christmas Eve and we are in Alabama visiting with my parents, Bob & Becky, and two sisters, April and Lorrie, and their families once again. As it is every year, the time leading up to this blessed holiday is always very busy as our lives revolve around school calendars which demand many tasks be completed before we are able to celebrate the season. Hence, my apologies for a belated Christmas greeting. It has been a busy year for all of us as I will briefly narrate. May, 2 010 . Our eldest daughter Sarah graduated from Norman North High School, earning scholastic honors and achievement for her hard work and effort. She is now a freshman at the University of Oklahoma studying International Relations and planning to go to law school. Summer, 2010, Taiwan . Since the previous summer Sarah went by herself to Taiwan, we decided that this summer she was to stay home and work while the rest...

As 2010 draws to a close I must admit that I have not been a very good blogger this year. The time when I probably had the most time and incentive to post was while I was in China this past summer. Yet alas, the Chinese censors blocked access to this blog. Then upon returning home life was less interesting and busier. Well here's hoping that I do better in 2011. Some musings: I'm one of those who according to the pollsters is in the minority on our government's fiscal irresponsibility. All the tax cuts should expire! Close the loopholes! And cut spending where feasible (ag supports, defense). At the same time we need to invest for the future by spending more on education, energy transformation, and infrastructure. It is disheartening to see the poor state of education in this country, to see crumbling roads and bridges, and to not see the high speed rail network, subway lines, the growth that I see across China and Taiwan. Perhaps we need to suspend democracy for a time and...