THE MONEY MINUTE: Lions, tigers, and bull markets, oh my!

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by Jac M. Arbour CFP®, ChFC®
President, J.M. Arbour Wealth Management

Markets crashed from October of 2007 to March of 2009. Since then, it has been a great ride to record highs. The Dow has skyrocketed and the S&P 500 recently crossed 3,000. The big question is, how long can this thrill ride last?

Bull markets are fun, especially when they last ten years or more like this current one. Such markets build public confidence and increase account values. However, everyone knows that markets are cyclical—our world is governed by certain rules, such as “what goes up, must come down.” So, the question that remains is not if, but when it will drop?

If I knew that answer, I might not be writing this little missive, but rather floating in the Mediterranean somewhere or maybe fly-fishing in a remote and untouched paradise.

I can tell you there are a few things that make me nervous about today’s financial landscape, and the events that surround these things started a long time ago. To be brief, the dollar has not been tied to the gold standard (or any official standard at all) since 1971, financial derivatives are in full swing and mask the extreme over-leveraging of dollars, the Fed has printed trillions of dollars since 2008, and we haven’t yet seen the type of inflation one would expect after this type of increase in the money supply. There is also Brexit and the shaky ground on which numerous world currencies kneel, as well as geopolitical unrest, inverted yield curves, the Fed’s fear of deflation, the roll up of debt to Central Banks and the IMF, and the list goes on.

What’s my point? As basic as it sounds, I believe this is a great time to review your asset allocation models and the diversification within your portfolios. This doesn’t mean diversifying just amongst sectors, but amongst the types of assets you own such as hard assets and physical gold and silver. I believe they could serve as strong hedges in the years to come.

Here is what I promise: The tides will turn and when they do, you will want to know where you stand. You will want to be able to wade it out.

See you all next month.

Jac Arbour, CFP®, ChFC®

Jac Arbour is the President of J.M. Arbour Wealth Management. He can be reached at 207-248-6767.

Investment advisory services are offered through Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser.

AARP Weekly Scam Alert! (Week of August 1, 2019)

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According to government estimates, Medicare lost $52 billion to fraud, abuse and improper billing in FY2017. Medicare fraud typically involves rogue health care providers or medical suppliers who bill the program for services, equipment or medication that they don’t actually provide, or else inflate the cost of those items. Some will even falsify patients’ diagnoses to justify unnecessary tests, surgeries and other procedures or write prescriptions for patients they’ve never examined. Others use genuine patient information, sometimes obtained through identity theft, to create fake claims.

One of the most effective ways to combat against Medicare fraud is to review your Medicare statements and make sure the dates and services listed are correct. If something doesn’t look right, call your medical provider’s office.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork or call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 1-877-908-3360 to report a scam or get help if you’ve fallen victim.

Provided by AARP of Maine.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Find Resources For Social Security Disability Beneficiaries Who Want To Work

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(NAPSI)—When Laura set a goal of becoming a certified orthotist and prosthetist to help people who, like her, experienced limb loss, she was concerned that earning the income she would need to afford the necessary training and education would affect her Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from Social Security. But working with Social Security’s Ticket to Work (Ticket) program and using other Social Security Work Incentives helped her create a path to success.

Ticket to Work Program

The Ticket program supports career development for people age 18 through 64 who receive Social Security disability benefits, either SSI or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and want to work. Through this free and voluntary program, participants select a service provider to help them prepare for and find a job.

If you, like Laura, have a career goal and receive Social Security disability benefits, whether it’s SSI or SSDI, you might have questions about how work will affect your benefits. The Ticket program can help you find the answers.

From the Comfort of Your Own Home

Free, monthly Work Incentives Seminar Event (WISE) webinars offer you the opportunity to learn from the comfort of your home. Each month, the Ticket program team discusses the supports and services that are available through the program and shares resources that can help you on the path to financial independence through work.

You will learn about Work Incentives and discover how you can transition to the workplace without immediately losing your Medicare and/or Medicaid and, in some cases, your cash payments from Social Security. Each month, presenters also explain how you can access free supports and services such as career planning, job placement assistance and ongoing employment support. You can also find information and ask questions about different types of work goals, including starting your own business, working for the federal government or planning for financial independence once you start earning income.

WISE webinars are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month. You can learn about this month’s topic and register online at https://choosework.ssa.gov/wise. Or call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1 (866) 968-7842 or 1 (866) 833-2967 (TTY) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

Learn more about Laura and others who have used the Ticket program to succeed by visiting https://choosework.ssa.gov/success-stories.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Was it an emerald ash borer, or a 6-spotted green tiger beetle?

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Left, an emerald ash borer; right, six-spotted green tiger beetle

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

Of all the animal species on earth, approximately 40 percent of them are beetles. Many of them look alike. That is probably why a friend of mine related to me that he had seen an emerald ash borer in Vassalboro and killed it, because, as a fairly knowledgeable woodsman, he knew how destructive they can be to the forest.

According to Allison Kanoti, state entomologist with the Maine Forest Service, Forest and Health Monitoring, and entomologist Colleen Teerling, there are no known emerald ash borers (EAB) in central Maine.

They do exist in Maine, but have been isolated to northern Aroostook County and western York County towns. I guess the logical question is, how can this invasive beetle be found in northern and southern Maine, but nowhere in between.

Anyway, they are being contained in those two counties because the transportation of untreated firewood into Maine from other states and provinces of Canada have been prohibited, as is movement of untreated firewood out of those quarantined areas. Firewood provides a free ride to a staggering host of insect and disease-carrying organisms that pose a threat to our forests. That is why it is encouraged for people to use local firewood.

So, what did my friend see?

Apparently it is a very common insect in our area called the six-spotted tiger beetle, also known as the six-spotted green tiger beetle, Cinindela sexguttata, which is common in North America.

They are commonly found in deciduous forests from Minnesota, east to Rhode Island, and north to Ontario. They are also found as far south as Kentucky.

They are easily recognizable, if you know what you’re looking for, by their large, white, overlapping mandibles and six yellowish spots on their bodies. They are also a brilliant green, which resembles to EAB. However, don’t let the spots fool you. Some of the species will have more spots, fewer spots or none at all, again possibly leading to a misidentification.

The mandibles give this insect a menacing appearance, but they are only predators of small anthropods. They do not bite humans unless handled or feel threatened.

This species is associated with wooded areas and they are often found in sunlit patches clear of undergrowth such as dirt paths and fallen logs where they hunt caterpillars, ants, spiders and many other kinds of anthropods. Although they are not gregarious, many beetles may sometimes be seen in one suitable hunting area.

The letter D-shaped holes in a tree produced by the emerald ash borer.

Like as many as 147 types of tiger beetles in the United States, this species has a two-year life cycle. During this time it goes through a complete metamorphosis. This means they have four separate stages during their lifetime. The first is the egg stage. The female lays eggs in individual holes in the ground during June or early July. The egg hatches and the second stage, known as the larval stage, begins. The larva resembles a caterpillar, but with two unique characteristics. The first is the two sickle-shaped jaws protruding from its abnormally large head, which it uses to catch prey. The other is a hooked hump on its back, which prevents it from being pulled out of the ground. The entirety of the larval stage happens underground. It then reaches the third stage, the pupa a year later. The pupa begins to make its way out of the ground by digging toward the surface diagonally. The adult form of the beetle emerges within a month. The beetle is sexually mature in the spring, mates, and dies during the summer months.

The tiger beetle, not more than a half inch long, is a ferocious predator in the insect world. It is carnivorous throughout the span of its life. The six-spotted green tiger beetle is an active creature with the ability to run and fly at great speeds; this is not the case for most beetles.

Now, getting back to the emerald ash borer. Should you find holes in trees in the shape of the letter D, please contact the Maine Forest Service, so an entomologist can be dispatched to investigate and possibly confirm or discount the existence of the insect in our area.

Hopefully, for the sake of our forest, you never come across one.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

To be politically correct, which NFL team would you be describing in the following manner:

A – Six royal male rulers; B – Juvenile bovines; C – Crimson Epidermis; D – Military insects?

Answer can be found here.

I’m Just Curious: Crazy August holidays

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by Debbie Walker

Last month I told you I had discovered there are weeks to honor the holidays as well as individual days. August weeks are:

July 3 to August 11 are the Dog Days of summer: the hottest and steamiest days of summer.

Peach Month, you can tell here in Florida because there are vendors alongside the roads selling Georgia peaches. They are great!

The first week of August is National Simplify your Life Week. Keep things simple, relieves stress.

August is also National Picnic Month. Get those picnics in while you have the weather for it.

August 2: International Beer Day – Gather with friends and enjoy beer.

August 3: International Hangover Day – Directly following International Beer Day. Explanation is probably not necessary for this one.

August 4: Sister’s Day – Celebrate being or having a sister.

August 6: Wiggle Your Toes Day – This day is to encourage you to give your little piggy toes some exercise.

August 9: Book Lovers Day – To encourage you to find a place in the shade to relax with a good book. Please encourage any young ones in your life to read.

August 10: Lazy Day – Your chance to goof off and definitely not work.

August 13: Left Hander’s Day – Right handed people operate from the left side of the brain. Left handed people use the right side. Only left handed people are in their right mind! (I’m left handed).

August 14: V-J (Victory in Japan) Day – The end of World War ll, the end of the fighting with Japan.

August 15: Relaxation Day – Another day to kick back and do nothing!

August 17: National Thriftshop Day – Never heard of it before but I celebrate this day as often as I can!

August 18: Bad Poetry Day – I am hoping you will try this out. Just use your imagination and enjoy writing your own poetry.

August 19: National Potato Day – celebrate and enjoy a few Maine potatoes.

August 20: World Mosquito Day – I believe this occurs in Maine for more than one day!

August 21: National Senior Citizens Day – to honor and recognize and show appreciation for the value and contribution of elderly people.

August 23: Ride the Wind Day – Relax and let the wind carry you away in whatever direction it is blowing.

August 25: Kiss and Make Up Day – Today is a day to end the fight, kiss and make up. Make it fun.

August 27: Just Because Day – Is there something you’d like to do, but there isn’t a reason for doing it? Do it today.

August 31: International Bacon Day – This is a day to celebrate crispy strips of bacon at every meal. Have a party!

These pieces of info can be found on a website called Holidayinsights.com. There are a few days that I skipped to save on words, but you can find them. Computer has some neat stuff when you start looking. I enjoy it.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. Have fun with some of these days. Let me know how you do. I’ll be waiting.

I’m just curious who I will hear from. Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with your stories, comments and questions. Thanks for reading!

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Robert Frost, American poet

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Robert Frost

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Robert Frost

American poet

American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) was one of the very few who could earn a living from poetry alone, not having to do other jobs . He was also the only winner of four Pulitzer prizes for poetry.

Frost’s main subject material was living in New England, mostly its trials and tribulations and a few moments of its joys. His poetic technique was the native colloquial speech of New Englanders and the poems had simplicity, infinite re-readability and deeply profound themes that resonated.

My favorites are The Road Not Taken, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (“Miles to go before I sleep”), Mending Wall (“Good neighbors make good fences”) and the very tragic Home Burial.

Robert Frost was very friendly and he could be difficult, to which many folks could reply, “So what else is new ?”

He and his wife, Elinor, had six children – four daughters and two sons. The two oldest daughters outlived their father while the two youngest died shortly after birth. The older son died at four years old of cholera; his younger one committed suicide at 38 years old. Elinor passed away in her early 60s in 1938 of a heart attack, himself during prostate surgery, at 88, in 1963.

Robert Frost had the honor of reading a poem in January, 1961, at JFK’s inauguration, and was given honorary degrees from several colleges and universities, even though he never graduated from one.

To conclude, a quote from his poem, The Road Not Taken:

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood….I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.”

FOR YOUR HEALTH: What to do if you lose your health insurance

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Transamerica Center for Health Studies

(NAPSI)—Losing your health insurance can be stressful and confusing as you explore the options for new coverage. To recover, it is important to understand all your options, their costs and potential restrictions before purchasing new coverage. Careful planning can help you find the coverage that best meets your needs.

If you are in the market for new insurance, you are not alone. Nonprofit Transamerica Center for Health Studies’ annual consumer survey found that over one in three (35 percent) insured adults acquired new health insurance in the past 12 months. And a strong majority (61 percent) of uninsured respondents said cost prevents them from obtaining health coverage.

Do you need health insurance? While the Internal Revenue Service no longer penalizes individuals on their federal taxes if they do not have health insurance, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont and the District of Columbia all require residents to be insured or pay a tax penalty. Other states are considering adopting a health insurance mandate as well, so be sure to check these tax requirements. Even in states that do not require it, health insurance can help protect you (and your loved ones) from high medical costs, expected or not.

It is a very difficult situation when you lose your health insurance—whether you lost your employer-based coverage, can no longer afford your current premium on individual coverage, lost your parents’ or spouse’s coverage, experienced a divorce, or have a new addition to your family. At that moment of uncertainty and concern for your health, what are your options for new health insurance coverage?

Join Your Parents’ or Spouse’s Plan

If you are under 26 years old, you may be added or remain on your parents’ health insurance (if it covers children). Adult children can join or remain on a parent’s plan even if they are married; not living with their parents; attending school; not financially dependent on their parents; or eligible to enroll in their employer’s plan.

If you are married and your spouse’s employer-based coverage covers dependents, you can be added to that health insurance. This change to your spouse’s employer-based coverage may be limited to the company open enrollment period once each year.

Shop the Exchange

Another place to look is your state’s Health Insurance Exchange. About 80 percent of customers purchasing a health plan through the Exchanges qualify for a subsidy on their premiums, depending on their income level. Health Insurance Exchanges are the only place to offer these subsidies, which are available for singles with a 2019 annual income between $12,140 and $48,560, or income between $25,100 and $100,400 for a family of four. (Income limits are different in states that offer “expanded” Medicaid coverage, meaning a wider number of low-income residents can qualify.) You can check for basic information about your state’s Exchange on our website: www.TransamericaCenterforHealthStudies.org.

It is important to know that you have up to 60 days after losing your previous insurance or experiencing a life event (new baby, marriage, etc.) to purchase coverage in an Exchange. Otherwise, you have to wait until the Exchange open enrollment period each fall to sign up.

Determine Eligibility for Medicaid

If you are lower income or unemployed, you may qualify for Medicaid in your state. Generally, the income limit is about $12,140 for singles and $25,100 for a family of four, though state requirements vary. Medicaid provides full health coverage with little or no out-of-pocket cost to you and your family. Some states have work/community engagement requirements for adults. You can check a state’s Medicaid income qualifications and requirements on our website: www.TransamericaCenterforHealthStudies.org.

Buy Direct

You can also purchase health insurance directly from an insurance provider. Health plans with the “essential health benefits” required by the Affordable Care Act can be purchased directly from health plans, often on the website. You might also consider working with an insurance broker who can help you understand the different plan options available to you and the levels of coverage.

Consider Gap and Short-Term Insurance

Some health insurance products that do not qualify as major medical health insurance are also available. They are sometimes called gap insurance, but you should know the limitations of these plans before purchasing.

  • Critical illness insurance provides a cash payment if you are diagnosed with cancer, have a heart attack, suffer a stroke or another serious and costly illness.
  • Accident insurance gives you a cash payout if you are in an accident. A plan may have daily payouts for specific events, such as a cash payment for every day you spend in the hospital.
  • Short-term health insurance plans also do not comply with the Affordable Care Act, but they can provide you with health insurance if you need a stopgap until obtaining full coverage. Short-term health plans can provide catastrophic health coverage but some states limit their availability. It is important to note that short-term medical plans are not required to cover mental health services, outpatient prescription drugs, substance use disorder treatment, maternity care or other essential health benefits. Moreover, short-term plans do not cover pre-existing conditions and may deny you coverage based on your past medical history.

Before you sign up for health insurance again, do your homework and shop around. That is the best way to make sure you find the best option for your needs.

Transamerica Center for Health Studies, a division of the nonprofit private foundation Transamerica Institute®, is focused on empowering consumers and employers to achieve the best value and protection from their health coverage, as well as the best outcomes in their personal health and wellness. www.TransamericaCenterforHealthStudies.org.

SOLON & BEYOND: Lynnette King, retiring from Margaret Chase Smith Library after 29 years

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning, my friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

I’m wondering how all of you have survived the hot, sticky weather we’ve been having recently? But then, we shouldn’t complain, after the extra cold, stormy winter we suffered through last winter!

Received an e-mail from Angela Stockwell about the Margaret Chase Smith Library. “It’s always busy at the MCS Library. After 29 years of dedicated service, Lynnette King is retiring. We will miss her and wish her well. Advanced Placement history students learned about primary source research. Maine author Paul Doiron’s talk about his latest book drew a large audience. It was great! Maine students impressed judges at National History day in Maryland. Winners of the MCS Leadership Excellence Awards at West Point and Annapolis were selected. Essay winners are highlighted in this issue as well. We’re pleased to announce the renaming of the seminar room to the Merton G. & Harriet P. Henry Conference Room.”

Have been thinking a great deal about the Old Days as Flagstaff Memorial Chapel Old Home Days are fast approaching on August 3 and 4. Received a letter from my cousin RM Yehle about the events that will be going on at this annual event. On August 3, at the Dead River Area Historical Society, in Stratton, from 1 – 3 p.m. The focus will be on Clarence Jones, with family members present to meet and greet, and tell stories.

Or you can meet at 12:30 p.m. at the Flagstaff Memorial Chapel and take a ride (boat or vehicle) into the Stevens’ farm (now the Ruey Stevens Baldwin camp) and Duluth Wing’s (now Kenny’s) camp. Boat and/or vehicle transportation will be provided by Kenny and RM.

On August 4, at 10 a.m., at the Flagstaff Chapel, there will be a church service with Peter Farnsworth officiating. At 1 a.m., at the Flagstaff Memorial Chapel, there will be a potluck lunch, Drinks, plates, and silverware will be provided. At noon at the Flagstaff Memorial Chapel there will be the annual meeting.

RM ended this letter with these words,” Please try to attend all or some of these activities! Let’s try to increase our attendance – bring friends, let others know, post the flyer around town.

She is right, the attendance gets smaller and smaller every year. I am one of the oldest, or maybe the oldest, who attends. My good friend, who is a year younger than me always comes from New York for this occasion.

I had saved a yellowed Central Maine Newspaper dated June 6, 2002, with the headline, Make Flagstaff Lake a certain stop. There is a large picture of the lake with these words under it: “A view of Flagstaff Lake from the causeway in Stratton. The 26-mile long lake was formed more than 50 years ago by flooding three communities. ”

And now for Percy’s memoir entitled Hymns and Haws: Dentist’s hymn, “Crown Him With Many Crowns.” Baker’s hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour.” Contractor’s hymn, “The Churches One Foundation.”;Weather forecaster’s hymn ,”There Shall Be Showers of Blessing.” IRS’s hymn: “All to Thee.” Optometrist’s hymn: “Open My Eyes That I Might See.” Tailor’s hymn:”Holy! Holy! Holy!” and Shopper’s Hymn: “By and By” These words were printed in Guidepost in August 1996.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: Getting the word out; Who are you and what do you do?

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Growing your businessby Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

No matter how great your small business is, if nobody knows about it, you will fail. I have talked to many business owners who tell me that they do not need to advertise or market their companies right now because they have all the business they need. I always remind them that they have all the business they need today, but will they in the future? Remember the great recession of 2008: how much business did you have after that?

Growing a business is just that…it is growing. A business that is not always growing is dying. That is just a simple rule of business. And the last thing you want to have to do is start playing catch up when you are out of business to work on. No, the best way to keep your business thriving is to always be telling people about it. The more people who know about your business the better it will be and the more your business will grow.

Here are six very easy and economical ways to market your company:

  • The website: Sorry, you need a website. This is the world we live in today. By using one of the many services, such as www.godaddy.com, you can actually build your own website in a matter of hours. Make sure the site is clear, concise and carries your company message. It needs to not only have all the pertinent information about your company (name, and contact information, services you perform and rates if applicable) but make sure you personalize it as well. Tell your story, add testimonials and referrals. Show photos of you and your team. In short, make the site user friendly enough that people are going to want to hire you.
  • Create a paper flyer. Once again, if you have a computer this is easy to do. Basic software packages like Microsoft Word provide attractive templates you can use to create your flyers. Once again, make sure the flyer is colorful and attractive and has all the pertinent information about your company. If you don’t have a computer at home, then go to the library. The Waterville Public Library, for example, not only has computers and printers, they will also be happy to help you use them.
  •  Make sure you distribute these flyers. Either mail them, or hand them out. When you finish a project in a neighborhood, before you leave, distribute flyers to the other houses in that neighborhood. It doesn’t take much effort and it will pay off in the end.
  • Make sure your apparel and your vehicle all display your company name and contact information. And also have lawn signs available to plant in front of the customer’s home if you are a service company working at that home. Ask for permission, of course. In most neighborhoods, people will notice when work is being done on a house and will often approach the service company to come and check out a potential project at their house as well. It happens all the time.
  • Place ads in newspapers such as this one. The ads are very economical and are seen every week by thousands of people. It’s the best advertising money you can spend.
  • And finally get those referrals. They are worth their weight in gold. Nothing works better than one of your customers being so pleased with you and your company that they tell everyone they know about you. When a customer tells you that you have done a great job, is the perfect time to ask her for a referral, or better yet, a testimonial you can use in all of your marketing materials.

These are a few of the easy and most economical ways you can market your business. Have some fun with it. There is nothing better than working on growing your business.

Dan Beaulieu has owned his own business consulting firm since 1995, during that time he has helped hundreds of companies all over the world with their sales growth challenges and issues. Originally from Maine he returned a few years ago and is ready and willing to help his fellow Mainers start and grow their business. He can be reached at 207-649-0879 or at danbbeaulieu@aol.com.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: War on ticks rages on; or was it all because of biological warfare?

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Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

A popular subject of discussion this summer has been the proliferation of the tick population in our area over the last several years. Myself, I have had three ticks on me so far this summer, and I take all the precautions I think I could. One of them, I have no idea how it attached itself to me. A second one was found after working in my garden, while the third was noticed shortly after I had been picking black raspberries in my backyard. My wife and I have also seen deer ticks wandering around in camp, even between the sheets in our bed. Go figure!

Recently, Republican Rep. Chris Smith, of New Jersey, offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, requiring the Pentagon inspector general to conduct a review about whether the military may have experimented with making ticks into biological weapons.

The amendment recently passed in the House by a voice vote. The order would require the inspector general to examine whether the Department of Defense experimented with ticks and other insects regarding its use as a biological weapon between the years of 1950 and 1975. It must now go to the Senate for a vote.

Smith’s amendment would ask what were the parameters of the program, who ordered it, was there ever any accidental release anywhere or at anytime of any diseased ticks, were any ticks released by design, did the program contribute to the disease burden, and could any of this information help current-day researchers find a way to mitigate these diseases?

So far this year, 217 cases of Lyme disease have been reported in Maine.

The theory is that bioweapons specialists packed ticks with pathogens that could cause severe disabilities, disease and death among potential enemies to our country. Smith said his reasoning for introducing the amendment was based on a number of books and articles suggesting that significant research had been done at U.S. government facilities, including Fort Detrick, Maryland, and Plum Island, New York, to turn ticks and other insects into bioweapons.

These books, however, have been questioned by some experts who dismiss long-held conspiracy theories that the federal government helped in the spread of tick-borne diseases. Smith also claims that federal agencies, even the Center for Disease Control, may have had a hand in the cover up concerning the findings about the spread of Lyme disease.

Also, Willy Burgdorfer, who passed away in 2014, a leading authority in his field, once revealed that he and other bioweapons specialists put pathogens in ticks to “cause severe disabilities, disease and even death to potential enemies.” He said he worked for three years in the 1950s at a military lab in Colorado that looked into research techniques allowing for the rapid identification of pathogens for defensive purposes.

The CDC currently spends about $11 million on Lyme disease research.

But, there is a controversy involving this theory. Yale researchers have found that DNA studies from a couple of years ago showed that Lyme disease has been present in North America for at least 60,000 years. That was before man occupied this continent.

Lyme disease has also been traced to amber from 15 million years ago in what is now the Dominican Republic. It has also been found in a frozen body in the Alps.

In other research conducted at Yale University, they theorize Lyme disease has spread in recent years due to deforestation that has led to the build up of suburbs in New England and the midwest, creating ideal conditions for the deer ticks. Our warming climate is also contributing to these conditions.

So, the question now is who is right? Was there a conscience effort to develop bioweapons with Lyme disease in the 1950s and ‘60s, or has Lyme disease been around for millions of years? Americans have the right to know.

If it is true that ticks were being primed for biological warfare, Rep. Smith wants the public to be informed.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Ty Cobb is regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. What number did he wear for the Detroit Tigers?

Answer can be found here.