Author Archives: Merrill Wautlet

While I was raised in New Orleans, my mother’s home city, my father was from a town called Appleton, which is located in Wisconsin in the Fox Valley region about thirty miles south of Green Bay in the northeast section of the … Continue reading →

Recently the east coast of the United States was hit with a hurricane and an earthquake. The midwest was hit with killer tornadoes, one that completely destroyed a town. The south has been in the midst of a record breaking … Continue reading →

When you think of elite college basketball programs the list is well known. For the men names like UCLA, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Indiana come to mind. For the women you have Connecticut, Tennessee, and Stanford.  But if I … Continue reading →

I think part of being an American is having the experience of going on a few road trips. I am about to leave on one tomorrow and it is stirring old feelings. Road trips can be quests for fun, ( with apologies to Clark … Continue reading →

Jay Greenleaf died on June 7th, 2011. He would have been 50 years old in August. He was a husband, father of three, and a pillar of the community. He was also my friend. Actually that is a gross understatement. … Continue reading →

For all of us our lives are a series of firsts. From our first steps and words we are measured by accomplishments that are a result of work and desire. As we age we pile up those accomplishments and check … Continue reading →

All of us have given names but many of us have nicknames as well. These monikers are generally friendly and endearing but sometimes they can be less than flattering. But our formal names bestowed at birth have significance as well. I am … Continue reading →

I was fortunate enough to play high school basketball in the New Orleans area during the mid 1970’s. It was a special time because with the demise of integration the best players were able to compete against each other, and … Continue reading →

When my wife and I moved to our present home she it made it clear she wanted an older house in an established neighborhood. To our mutual delight we found a house on a shady street in an older residential … Continue reading →

I really don’t like personal income tax. I think it punishes success and encourages people to cheat and be deceitful. But I also realize that our government needs revenue, and as such a tax is needed. But what is a … Continue reading →