Personal Update & Holiday Wishes

I say it every year, nevertheless, I’m going to say it again, it’s hard to believe it’s Christmas Eve day! It seems like only yesterday I was sobbing that my son was leaving for Army basic training, then crying happy tears at his graduation four months later. Time really does go by with the blink of an eye.

I’ve neglected this blog horribly over the last few months and I apologize to those who have been loyal readers as well as those who have relied on me to add some sanity to our crazy Political environment. I haven’t been out of the sphere; I’ve actually been posting on my other blog, Hart’s Beat, where I can spew about anything under the sun, rather than politics.

My Political fire has fizzled. I’m tired, frustrated, angry and pessimistic about our leader, our officials, our current GOP candidates, the current condition of our country and its future. I have every intention of blogging politically again, I just need to ignite my spark, or I need SOMETHING to fire me up. You would think the mess that has accumulated in the last three years would be enough, alas, it’s not. I think I might be immune to Obama’s incompetency. I can only hope, that even though I’m not wild about the GOP candidates, one of them will win the 2012 election and get our country back on track. Because to ME, anyone else has to be better than what we currently have.

 Other than my utter frustration with our floundering country, which has no real guidance or leadership to help align it, my family and I are thankfully doing well. And personally, I'm great. It’s refreshing to write about random and every day thoughts and occurrences. It’s liberating to write creatively and see positive results immediately rather than research endlessly only to feel like I’ve beaten my head off a wall. It takes great fortitude to write political op-ed pieces and it also takes a lot of work to ensure that you include facts; however, it’s exasperating when either side ignores those facts and continues to espouse the myths or out and out lies. That’s why blogging hiatus’s are sometimes healthy, in my humble opinion. Even those that aren’t planned, which I tend to do more than most.

I would like 2012 to be a better posting year for this blog. One where I can regularly inform and educate as well as randomly voice my opinion. I may not make a difference, but it will surely make ME feel better, and in the grand scheme of things, isn't that what writing is all about anyway? An outlet for those of us who are writers at heart.

Which I believe I am, therefore I need to write, whether it's about Politics, or my family, or a rant about the lady at Starbucks, I need to put my fingers to the keyboard and let loose. So, let 2012 be the year where I fill BOTH of my blogs with many, many posts.

Let 2012 also be a year filled with much happiness, love and good health for my family, friends, myself and of course, you and yours. May you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May all your dreams come true and may you exceed your goals!

I'll see you next year, or join me at Hart's Beat or my Facebook Fan Page!

Oh My Gosh! I’m 4 Years Old!

I turned four!

September 17th…my four year blog anniversay—it came and went and I didn’t even realize it until today! Where’s my head? Please, don’t even answer that!


My life is busy…crazy busy. Being a wife and a mom, working part-time and not having figured out how the heck to juggle ME time leaves my blog suffering. I know, at 46 I should know better. It’s just that with one son in Army Basic Training and the other just entering High School, my job still isn’t done; my ME time hasn’t really begun yet, so I fit in what ME time I can when I'm able.

I’m sure there are moms out there who put themselves first, but I’m not one of those. My husband and kids are first; I’m last. That’s how I operate. So, until my youngest graduates or I figure out how to add more hours to my days, I’ll blog when I’m able…and you, my loyal readers, (you know who you are!) will have to accept me for who I am!

Happy Belated Blogiversary To Me!

Class Warfare—Here We Go Again

Where do people like Rep. Jan Schakowsky get the belief that we do not deserve to keep what we earn?

In my opinion there is no question as to whether I deserve MY earnings. There also isn’t a question of whether I should support my government or not…of course I should. The question is HOW much is ENOUGH? I suppose if I had the answer to THAT, I’d be one famous woman!

We also have people, such as Elizabeth Warren, who said no one in this country has ever gotten rich on his own. That your goods were moved to market on roads paid for by someone else; that your workers were educated in public schools supported by someone else; that your business or factory is safe because the police force is paid for by, yep, you guessed it… someone else!

Doesn’t Ms. Warren realize that even business owner’s pay taxes? Not only do they have local, state and federal taxes, they also have employer taxes. PLUS there are multiple business taxes, licenses and insurances!

I don’t think anyone will argue that people get rich solo. I do believe that people will tell you if they get rich it’s despite what our government imposes UPON them and they do it all under the eye of big brother in some form or another.

So, alone or all on our own…of course not.

It sure is a victory, though, when, after all the money is distributed, and all the legislative hands are filled, we can still achieve success!

**Cross-posted @ Rational Nation USA**

Stimulus Deja Vu

Here we go again! Obama wants to stimulate the economy and create jobs with…yep you guessed it, STIMULUS! And we know how well THAT worked in 2009! Those Shovel Ready jobs weren’t as shovel ready as they expected, we found out two years later, although, those of us on the Right knew they weren’t, but hey, why listen to us, we only wanted jobs created by the private sector, not TAX dollars.

And that’s what Obama is proposing now…or so the “leaked” info says.

According to the information “leaked” to the press, once President Obama returns to the White House after his vacation, he’s going to propose targeted tax breaks for companies that hire, mortgage relief for struggling homeowners and infrastructure deals…um didn’t we do that in 2009? Wasn’t that part of the almost one trillion in so-called stimulus?

This is déjà vu! And it’s going to be déjà vu all over again with results. We NEED private sector jobs, NOT jobs created by tax dollars. Even Jan Schakowsky’s (D-ILL) plan to create 2.2 million School Improvement, Parks Improvement and Rehab and Weatherize jobs over two years are STILL tax dollars (even if they are millionaire tax dollars) and it’s NOT cheaper, as she claims. It’s cheaper to pay unemployment. Furthermore, her calculation of $227 Billion is most likely under calculated, as we’ve found over the decades, government always UNDER estimates!

Besides, spending money we do NOT have to supposedly stimulate our economy isn’t economically smart. These so-called Shovel Ready or School Improvement Corps jobs are just fancy names for Tax Payer Temporary jobs. When the bridges, parks, schools and homes are fixed, the jobs are DONE and those people will be out of work yet again and back on the unemployment line. We need the private sector to create jobs which will sustain their employees for the long-haul, not just six months or a year. We need long-term permanent jobs and those can be found in the private sector.

Government incentives aren’t the answer, as they end up costing us tax payers. We need growth, as both sides agree, but the conundrum is HOW we get that growth. The Left says the stimulus from 2009 wasn’t big enough. I have to respectfully disagree. Had we spent two trillion dollars and shoveled more money into the system, those Shovel Ready jobs still would’ve ended, thus driving those people back to the unemployment lines, albeit a little later, but there nonetheless.

The only way the private sector is going to hire is if they have sound reason. Right now business owners aren’t feeling secure. They are hoarding trillions of dollars because they don’t trust this administration with things like Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, the threat of higher taxes and more and more regulations being imposed which impedes them and their cost to do business, thus costing them money, hence reducing their bottom line. Let’s face it, there is no company open to be charitable or noble, except charitable associations! Businesses are in it for the bottom line, i.e. PROFIT!

They are the engines of our economy and they need oiled, not demonized and certainly not taxed to the hilt. Besides, our officials should be balancing our budget, not implementing more and more regulations which impede business or drive it off our shores! They should also be going after fraud and abuse within the existing programs and cutting everything that is unnecessary, but they are busy vilifying the other side, STILL pointing fingers and casting blame, and frivolously spending our money. None of which will get us off the edge of the cliff.

I’m sick and tired of politics as usual and really wish we’d get people who would implement some real change. I want to stay optimistic, but quite frankly, I’m beginning to lose faith.

**Cross-posted @ Rational Nation USA**

I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane

At 4am Tuesday morning, my son, Austin, and I will be heading to the Pittsburgh Airport…ugh, that’s TOO early, but it will be SO worth it. We’re going to visit with my sister and her family, who live in San Diego, until Friday, then we’re heading on up the coast to Seattle until the following Wednesday.


I belong to a fan fiction group, The Big Valley. Yes, THAT Big Valley. I began watching re-runs back in the 70’s and fell in love with Jarrod Barkley (Richard Long), guess my love for Justice was peeking through way back then!

It was about March 2007 that the first season of The Big Valley was released on DVD and I purchased it. After that I began searching the net, found and joined a writing group. The women (The Valley Dwellers) of the group were amazing--welcoming, friendly and since we had the love for the show in common it was so easy to “fit in”!

During “chat sessions” I learned of the Gathering, which is when many Valley Dwellers meet in person to watch re-runs, play games and just get to know one another. That year it was in Denver, Colorado. I wanted to go, but didn’t want to go alone, so asked my dad if he wanted to join me. Next thing I knew, we were off to Denver for four days.

It was a great experience. The ladies of the Valley were even more wonderful in person! I felt like I had found my home away from home. They even loved my dad and invited him to join us for the next Gathering, which was two years later, in Atlanta Georgia.

The Gathering in Atlanta was even better, because not only did my Dad go, but my youngest son, Austin went as well. The Valley Dwellers adored him! And when my dad and son weren’t joining in on Big Valley “stuff”, they were out enjoying Atlanta.

This year it was supposed to be a “family” event, but with my oldest now in Basic Training, it’s just Austin and me, and my dad is going to meet us in San Diego on Thursday. My mom left for Lake Tahoe this morning to meet her sister and their trip will take them to Los Angeles then San Diego where my dad will ultimately meet up with them at the end of the Gathering. So, the time frame couldn’t have worked out more perfectly.

I’ve been to California, but not Washington, however, Austin hasn’t been to either, so this is going to be an awesome trip for him. His Uncle Dave is in the Navy and is taking a few days off and we’ll tour his base plus we’re going to see the USS Midway and my sister has been planning meals already (she loves to cook)! Her boys are so excited to see us and I’ve missed them. She comes back home at least once a year but it’s still not enough.

Then in Seattle Austin will be able to join in on Big Valley "stuff" and enjoy a 10 hour tour of Mt. Ranier National Park plus he'll have his Poppy to show him the sites! My dad will rent a car and the two of them will zoom all over the place. Grandfather and grandson--Austin will have memories to last a lifetime!

I’ll have my laptop and will try to keep up with the blogosphere but if I get sidetracked you’ll at least know why. Although I’ve been kinda negligent of blogging to begin with…life has a way of keeping us busy and with my son graduating then leaving for Ft. Benning—what can I say? I need to get on a schedule. I’m hoping once I get back I’ll be refreshed and rearing to go!

So, for the next 9 days, you all take care!

Patriotism is Alive! Hoo-Rah!

While perusing the blogosphere I came across a comment that read, “The truly sad thing is there are two reasons kids join the military: The first and likely most prominent is to escape poverty and horrendous living conditions at home, second, to satisfy some misguided sense of duty/patriotism that's handed down from one generation to the next.” Now, I haven’t been one to write a blog post about another blogger’s comment, but today I’m compelled to make an exception. Please keep in mind that it does NOT matter WHO wrote this comment so I will NOT divulge that information and I will NOT permit anyone who is familiar with it to inflict any negative or inflammatory rhetoric against this person in my comment section. I’m steadfast in our right to speak freely and believe we can all disagree with dignity, thus, I wholeheartedly, but politely have to disagree with these statements and I’ll tell you why.

As many of you know MY oldest son joined the Army last July, consequently he took the oath to protect and defend OUR Constitution. During this last year, it also being his senior year of high school, he performed “drills” once a month. He graduated from high school, with honors, on June 10th and as of this writing is sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting for a bus to take him to Fort Benning, Georgia where he will undergo 15 weeks of Basic Combat and Advanced Individual training. Needless to say, I’m a bit emotional and that comment struck a chord with me.

My son did NOT join the Army to escape poverty and horrendous living conditions at home. There is nothing that could be further from the truth, but I don’t have to defend my parenting or my finances to anyone, because my husband and I did a damn good job (not that we were perfect) raising him. That was our JOB! We made it our MISSION! (There are way too many parents today who do NOT do that, to the demise of their children and it breaks my heart.) I also know a lot of other young men, NOT in my family, who have joined the military, and their reasons weren’t to escape poverty or horrendous living conditions at home, either, so this blanket statement, in my opinion, was made out of ignorance.

As far as my son joining the Army to satisfy some misguided sense of duty/patriotism that was handed down from one generation to the next. While I have never hidden the fact that I have military members in my family tree and possess VERY patriotic emotions toward my country, I do NOT believe that is in any way misguided. I also logically know that my son is NOT misguided. I brought him into the world, loved, nurtured, guided and helped him evolve into the courageous, respectful, proud young man that he IS today. He knows his heart, his mind and his dreams and he is a warrior. Like his Uncle Tim, the cop who wants to get the bad guys to keep people safe, my son wants to defend OUR country to keep US safe! THAT is NOT misguided.

There are way too many people in our country who have no sense of right or wrong let alone a sense of patriotism. They get up every morning, put on whatever article of clothing they want, drive the car they want, go to the job they want and do what they want to entertain themselves (okay, within the confines of the laws and their pocketbooks!), but they don’t give one thought to the men and women who have died to give them those freedoms. Who’s misguided?

Have we been in wars that were senseless? Yes. But that’s not our soldiers’ fault. That’s the fault of the brain trusts on Capitol Hill. Our military does, without question, what it’s told to do. The misguided ones are those sitting behind desks playing games with the blood and lives of our soldiers.

MY son is a brave young man who is willing to lay HIS life on the line so that we can sit behind the safety of our computer screens and type what we want, when we want. He’s not misguided…he’s insightful for knowing that his path is dedicating his life to serving our country and anyone who knows himself THAT well is not misguided and I’m a VERY PROUD MOM!

**Crossposted @ Rational Nation USA**

GOP Contenders Need Awesomeness Like Obama!

I just want to tell the GOP candidates currently running for the 2012 Presidency to STOP. You don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.

According to the Left, EVERY GOP candidate is a stupid jackass and should go crawl under a rock, because none of them can walk and chew gum at the same time, let alone comb their own hair! And forget about speaking! They sound like Elmo with a wad of gum and crackers in their mouth, plus they can’t pronounce anything correctly. How could any of them stand up to Obama—the genius? He’ll wipe the floor with all of them at a debate, at the same time, with both of his hands tied behind his back, his eyes closed and his mouth duct taped!

We heard for years that Bush was a complete and utter moron even though he graduated from Yale. But that was ONLY because Daddy Bush purchased his grades! The man couldn’t pronounce nuclear, for Pete’s sake! Never mind that Obama mispronounced corpsman, not once, but two times…that was the teleprompter’s fault! The man went to Harvard! He’s a walking Einstein. No, we don’t have a clue what his IQ is or his grades at Harvard, but that doesn’t matter, and how dare you even ask, you racist! Look at him walk! He’s awesome! He reeks of awesomeness and if the Republican candidates even dream of defeating him, they are either certifiably insane or on drugs and the MSM will be all over that in a New York minute!

Don’t forget that Obama is the American dream come true, because he gave us Hope and Change. I know we’re still hoping the economy will turn around and the unemployment rate will change to below 9% and people will find jobs and stop losing their homes. But that’s Bush’s fault! I realize we’re hoping gasoline prices will fall, but Bush and his oil buddies don’t have enough money yet…those greedy bastards! And if we hoped enough, these things would change. If Bush would just go away all the hopey-changey-happy-feely would transpire!

People need to get their heads out of their butts and just look at Obama! He walks, talks, stands, stares and even stutters awesomely! There is NO way that sappy Gingrich is going to beat HIM! And Bachmann, oh right. That woman is so stupid— she can’t tell the difference between our Constitution and the Dictionary! But Obama, he’s a friggin’ Constitutional Scholar!

In short, the GOP sucks. They are ALL scum-sucking-heartless-granny-killing-poverty-inducing-rich-loving-brainless-wackjobs and should be thrown out on their ears. The party should be abolished because it’s useless! It hasn’t done a damn thing right in decades! It bankrupted this country with its deregulation and tax cuts for the evil rich.

So, GOP candidates, beware if you decide to continue down this path. It will be at your peril. Obama has it in the bag already…he’s a sure winner. His awesomeness will be the clincher! So, if you can find and buy yourself some awesomeness, do it, or else…

**Parody post, in case you didn’t know. I just had to write this considering I’ve been reading how the GOP candidates are being ripped apart already due to their appearance or their accent…and of course, every one of them are utter dolts, according to the Left. I have yet to hear one based on policy, which is what I thought it was about. I’m hoping it’s only because we still have a lot of time before 2012, because I’d hate to debate the Left on these non-issues, they are really silly.**





***Crossposted @ Rational Nation USA***

Who was Trump-ed?

President Obama released his long form birth certificate yesterday and said, "This issue has been going on for two, two and a half years now. I think it started during the campaign. I have watched with bemusement, I've been puzzled at the degree at which this thing just kept on going."

He’s correct, the issue has been going on since the campaign, and during that time-frame, no one, not even lawyers, have been able to get the President to release his birth certificate.

Then, Donald Trump comes into the arena and the media gobbled up and promoted him and the Birther movement because he packaged it with a pretty bow and powerful words, which gave it serious momentum, and ultimately forced the President to release that mysterious piece of paper that those Birthers were certain had invisible script which proved Obama was an alien from outer-space.

This entire Birther movement is ridiculous to me in more ways than one. First, I do NOT believe that the President wasn't born in Hawaii. Second, I am ticked that so much time and effort has been wasted on this non-issue and feel that our media and our President are partially to blame.

Obama admitted that he watched for over two years in “bemusement” and that he released his birth certificate because he doesn’t want to distract from the real issues. Um, excuse me, but haven’t we had “real” issues for the last two years? Hasn’t our economy, unemployment, two wars and a deficit out our wazoo been important?

This “issue” could’ve been put to rest over two years ago had the President just released the darn birth certificate when first asked. But no. Rather than be a leader, he participated in the dog and pony show and acted like a spoiled child. Whatever his reasons were for withholding his birth certificate don’t matter. There were citizens, whom he serves as President of the United States, who questioned something, and it’s his DUTY as Commander-in Chief, to put those citizens at ease, not divide them, not distract from the issues and certainly not add to the divisiveness. Now, whether those individuals would’ve accepted what he released is debatable, but I personally think that the delay in releasing the birth certificate only enhanced the movement.

I’m not a Birther, but there are those, starting with the Hillary Clinton supporters, who believe he’s not a citizen and even though he has now produced the official birth certificate, they will continue with their silly conspiracy theories. I have to believe, however, that had the President produced his birth certificate two years ago, this fiasco wouldn’t have the traction it has today. But delaying it only gave the Birthers ammunition—he has something to hide, blah, blah. So, in reality, the President has himself to blame.

Then our media— and you all know how much I adore them! (insert eye roll here). They not only jumped on the Birther bandwagon but helped move that wagon along. With their endless stories, interviews and, yes carnival shows. It’s been non-stop. They don’t report serious news anymore, they report what they think will give them ratings and what’s better for ratings than the President’s a closet Muslim from Kenya pretending to be a citizen! The press gobbled it up faster than pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and stumbled over each other to get to the printing presses!

The saddest thing, though, is no one learned a dog-gone thing from this. The press will still go after their carnival shows and promote non-issue stories that won’t educate the public and our politicians, including our President, will still do what’s in the best interest for themselves.

So, Obama may have been “Trump-ed”, but in the end, the American people were, too, because we still aren’t getting what we pay for—honest, responsible, caring government and a reliable media that's supposed to be our "watch-dog".

Cross-posted @ Rational Nation USA

Nothing Like a Dose of Liar Cheat & Thief to Get Me Back on the Political Track

As many of you know, I’ve been on a little hiatus from politics, and for you newcomers, you can catch up here. You also know that I’m a strong voice for ethics, good character, and just plain old honesty.

So, imagine my surprise when I turned on Bill O’Reilly, whom I haven’t seen in well over two months, and there smack dab in the middle of my TV screen was none other than Charlie Rangel, and listed beneath his name was Congressman (D-NY)!

I sat there, my mouth agape, staring at the television, for ten minutes, as Bill O’Reilly didn’t just interview Rangel, but actually argued with him! Yes, he WASTED time arguing with a convicted CHEAT, who STILL holds public office!

Now, you might ask, why am I upset about this? Well, because it’s bad enough that our Treasury Secretary is a tax CHEAT and signs our money—even if it isn’t worth much these days. And now to have the Tax Ways and Means Committee Chairman found GUILTY on 12/13 counts of ethics VIOLATIONS and be censured (oh the horror—slap his hands!) but NOT be removed from office just.blows.my.mind!

America is on the edge of a cliff. Energy, food and inflation are skyrocketing, but housing prices and paychecks are dropping like rocks. People are NOT finding jobs, regardless of what the reports tell us—they are skewed. Another housing bubble is about to burst. We're in major debt and can’t afford our current level of government and the programs anymore and we NEED to cut! Our Representatives are bickering on the Hill about compromise because none of them want to let go of a pet project to save a buck and we’re told yet again an apocalyptic our world as we know it will end if the government shuts down (fear mongering anyone?).

Shut it down and clean it out! Because there is no question in my mind as to why our country is a complete and utter disaster. We elected liars, cheats and thieves who are more concerned with their seat than our country and the welfare of her people. They won’t close down departments that aren’t performing or are duplicates—they have too much at stake. Too many pockets have been lined AND a straight line points directly to those who have turned a blind eye and participated in the corruption that has been going on decade after decade. Let’s face it, we have career politicians, not public servants, and they have a lot to lose.

I’m angry. I’m REALLY angry. I’m tired of reading blog after blog after blog about how it’s ALL the Republican’s fault. How the Tea Party is racist. And how those on the Right are just a bunch of evil-racist-fear-mongering-violent-inducing-callous-well-to-dos who want to displace the poor, kill women and starve Granny.

It’s TIME to face some facts people. America is in trouble and it’s EVERYONE’S fault. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Conservatives, Liberals and even those who aren’t registered to vote! I’ve got news for you, I’m not a racist but I’m sick to death of hearing that because I want LEGAL immigration I am. And darn it, I don’t have to explain or defend my position— IT’S THE LAW!

But the laws and regulations, something those career politicians love to pass, are the very things they love to evade! Yet, they expect us to follow them, unless we fit into their agenda, then we don’t have to. This country is a mess because we have permitted it to get this way. We have allowed it to get hijacked by immoral politicians who think they are above the laws they create and we—WE let them! Oh, we talk BIG talk. But every election, we go into the election booth and REELECT someone like Charlie Rangel! Then we ask why our country is a mess. I don’t have to ask. I know the answer. We’re lazy. We want instant gratification. We want CHANGE! Oh that was a good slogan, I must admit. And we got it too.

Banks, mortgage and car companies and even student loans are owned by the Feds. We’re printing money as if the paper it’s printed on is actually worth something, yet people are going about their daily lives as if it’s no big deal. It’s okay that we’re buried alive under trillions upon trillions of national and public debt and even if we DID confiscate all the wealth from those evil rich people, we still couldn’t pay off our INTEREST!

I’m also tired. Tired of hearing how the people who are wealthy are somehow evil. Evil because they are wealthy and have money and those who don’t should reap the rewards off the backs of those who do. That is a crock and I’m not going to pretend that it makes sense, because to me, it doesn’t. There is no way you can justly confiscate someone else’s wealth and give it to... some else. Our oh so benevolent government does NOT work that way.

They invent some fancy named program where they allege they will help people. But this new program will hemorrhage money through theft and dereliction because a fox is watching the hen house. Or to put it in much simpler terms, you can’t make poor people rich by making rich people poor. Period.

My tangent boils down to us again, the American people, waking up and joining together as AMERICANS. As I’ve said before, it’s us vs. them. I don’t know how much more clear I can be. It’s pretty darn obvious there's a problem when you have the media focused on Donald Trump and Obama’s birth certificate and Glenn Beck leaving Fox News—REALLY? THAT’S important? America’s ready to implode and we’re worried about Trump investigating Obama’s birth certificate in Hawaii. Rejoicing that Beck is leaving TV. Yet we can’t pay China! We’re in yet another war that we can’t afford! People are losing their homes and can’t buy a gallon of milk!

Oh.my.gosh.

When our country is on the verge of collapse and people are vigorously tapping away about inconsequential things like Glenn Beck—and NO, I really don’t want to hear how dangerous he is. Want to talk dangerous, let’s talk about our open borders; or how we don’t drill for oil here in our OWN country where it’s plentiful, because we BORROW money from one country so we can purchase it from yet another country that HATES us and wants us DEAD; or how we look evil straight in the eye but yet don't call it what it is, while we sit across from it, without preconditions, and permit it to develop nuclear weapons.

Let’s GET SERIOUS. And if you don’t think it’s THAT serious, then your head has been in the sand longer than mine--and mine was only in the sand for the last month!

**Crossposted @ Rational Nation USA**

I'm Not MIA

I haven’t been around the blogosphere much lately. It wasn’t planned, it just happened, suddenly—unexpectedly, but, truth be told, I needed the break. After my last post, I found myself feeling quite frustrated. I was reading posts and comments that were upsetting me and making me feel angry. Plus, the whole Madison/Walker/Union fiasco had me on a fence, because I could SEE both sides, but didn’t want to PICK a side. It was just too much, and I knew if I stayed in the fray it would consume me.

I began posting on my other blog, where I could let loose on a wider range of topics and be less stringent and not have to research so much. It’s been fun, but I find that I do miss the political arena. Which puts me into another conundrum.

Recently I found out that my son, who joined the Army National Guard, WANTS to be deployed after Basic Training this October. He informed his father and me that he wants to fight in a place like Afghanistan for 2 years before he goes to college. This information, needless to say, hit my husband and I like a ton of bricks. While we admire our son’s courageous nature, we are fearful, especially now, with all the upheaval in the Middle East. I’m no expert on that region and I’ve purposely avoided researching it because I know ME. If I immerse myself into research I won’t be available to my family and right now, I need to spend as much time with my son as I possibly can—he leaves for basic training at the end of June. Once he’s deployed I know I’ll involve myself – I’ll have to—then. But now, now I can pretend he’s mine, because he is. But once he turns his life over to the Army, I’ll be forced to let go.

So, I can’t get into the Middle East and the war and Libya right now. To me, it’s not happening, because someday soon it will BE my life.

I’ll be on the political blogging track again…when I’m ready—I’m just not ready today.

Caption This --Winner

The winner of my first Caption This post is Elm. She is the author of the blog, Historical and Modern Day News and Trivia, where she writes about politics and says in her About Me "Most of the posts are SATIRE (so read carefully before you believe everything)." She’s been a long time reader of my blog and me hers, although she did take a little hiatus, but she’s back now, and I’m glad, because she’s always been a respectful Blogger, and quite frankly, we can't get enough of those.

So, Congratulations, Elm!

Stay tuned for my next Caption This post, and yes, I will be bipartisan with the pictures. I’m just debating on whether to use Palin or Beck (you folks can let me know in the comment section which one you'd like). Either one of THOSE should make the captions QUITE interesting! LOL!

Media Failed Us Again—The Truth About Wisconsin

As I mentioned in a previous post, Media slants, omits, and to be perfectly blunt, lies. There is no way the American public can make a rational decision when we can’t get unbiased details pertaining to important issues facing our country, and quite frankly, our lives.

There is a state war brewing in Wisconsin, which is probably the first in many to come, with states being cash strapped and cuts imminent. Governor Walker is under attack by many on the Left because he’s taking on the Union. Public workers-- teachers, police officers and fire fighters, are being called “bottom feeder free loaders” by Rush Limbaugh, because they are protesting at the state capital.

And the media, both Left and Right, is making it worse by not giving the public the FACTS.

Rachel Maddow and some left-winged blogs have informed their audience that Governor Walker inherited a surplus of $121 million, and gave away $140 million in tax breaks (there are tax cuts, but they don't go into effect until next year) which caused the projected $137 million dollar deficit and is taking on the union, and its workers, in order to destroy them, the middle class and the Democratic Party. Right-wing media and blogs are telling their audience that public sector employees are selfish, greedy, and should be fired.

Pitting public sector Americans/taxpayers against private sector Americans/taxpayers, in my humble opinion, is not only egregious, but could very well prove dangerous.

In light of how derelict our media has become, I would like to set the record straight and give you some facts. I promise you I’ve researched left and right sites without my political lenses and just want to report the truth.

I am an American, who is the daughter of a retired teacher, and the sister of a police officer, and I most certainly don’t believe that my mom or my brother are “selfish” or “free loaders”. I’ve also paid attention to the unions, public and private, and I’m here to tell you that they don’t have the best interest of the people at heart. There was a time, long ago, when they did, but not anymore. They have a political agenda, just like politicians and the media.

And the media neglected the truth. Wisconsin does NOT have a surplus. Robert Lang, Director of the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, issued a report, and this sentence, Our analysis indicates a general fund gross balance of $121.4 million and a net balance of $56.4 million, seems to have caused the confusion, because that alone doesn’t tell Wisconsin’s entire fiscal story.

Further in his report, Lang lists $58.7 million needed to repay a Minnesota Income Tax Reciprocity Payment and $258 million in Appropriation Shortfalls. Then there’s $200 million due the state’s Patient Compensation Fund, which the former Governor, Jim Doyle, illegally used to offset the general fund. The circuit court has yet to give a date and final amount, which will include interest, to replenish the Patient account. Those added to the so-called surplus gives the state an approximate $340 million dollar deficit.

Governor Walker now wants to tackle this deficit by asking for concessions from the union workers by asking them to pay up to 12% for pensions and health benefits (8% net pay reduction). Walker wants to limit collective bargaining. By this he wants them limited to wages, capping them at the consumer price index, and taking benefits and rules off the table. He wants annual recertification by majority vote of ALL members, not just a majority of those casting ballots. Walker wants to stop the mandatory deduction of union dues from a union employee’s paycheck and he wants to give employees the option to quit the union without losing their job.

From what I’ve read, there isn’t anyone who thinks the pension/health benefit contribution is out of line. It seems to be the collective bargaining that’s the issue. Some say capping the bargaining at wages renders unions worthless because it doesn’t permit them to bargain for hours, shifts or working conditions. Now, one could argue that with all our laws, we don’t need a union to bargain for working conditions, that we have plenty of laws (wage & hour, equal opportunity, discrimination, etc.) to protect us, and that’s true. But maybe Walker felt that police officers and firefighters should still be able to collectively bargain, after all, they’re EXEMPT from this bill, and let’s face it, they do have the worst hours and the most dangerous working conditions of all the public employees. However, Walker said this was an issue of fiscal security, so why aren't ALL public workers included? Another question then, is, how important is collective bargaining? Do employees really NEED it and are states that ban collective bargaining better off or worse than states that permit it?

Here is an interactive map of the United States and it will show you that 11 permit collective bargaining, 5 prohibit it, and 35 have mandatory collective bargaining. This interactive map rates each state on issues like infrastructure, people and economics, resulting in a grade. If collective bargaining were a huge factor in how WELL a state performed, then, according to the Right’s theory, those states that prohibit collective bargaining would out-perform those states that require it, however, that’s not what the data proves. That tells us unions aren’t as defeating as some on the Right would like us to believe, and the data also tells us that unions aren’t the Great Deliverer for the little guy as some on the Left would like us to believe. There are too many factors. Unions alone can’t fix everything—look at New Hampshire, a mandated collective bargaining state, which has a D+ rating, then go to Washington, also a mandated state, it has an A- rating.

We Americans need to get on the same page and put ideologies aside because Wisconsin is tethering with many other states soon to follow. People are angry, and rightly so. They’ve been lied to by the very people who told them their futures were safe and secure only to find out the parachute won’t open, and even if it does, it’s full of holes. The problem isn’t the teacher, the police officer or even the private sector accountant or beautician. There's a whole lot of blame to go around here, but we certainly can't blame people for wanting to make a living and for believing those who told them they could and would.

I understand that unions are important to the Democrats. Unions donate large sums of money to the Democratic Party. What I don’t understand is how the unions and politicians can lie and deceive us time and time again, pitting us against one another. As Americans it’s time for us to come together. It’s not public vs. private employee, as they would have us believe. It’s us vs. them.

While we, private and public Americans, have been working and feeding our families, they’ve been hiding the truth and making promises they KNEW they couldn’t keep, all for political gain. They knew one day the truth would come out, but they wouldn’t be in office or in charge of the unions when that day came, therefore they didn’t care.

Well, the day of reckoning is HERE and it’s time to pay the piper, in more ways than one. Our officials need to stop lying and do the right thing, even if it means telling us something we might not want to hear. The truth isn’t always pleasant, but it sure beats finding out you’ve been lied to, because at least then we can try to rectify the problem before it's too big to fix.

And I can't say it enough, our media needs to do the right thing too! Stop cow-towing to political parties and start reporting the facts, regardless of what they are.

We don't ask for much from our media, but it seems we get even less.



Picture Compliments of: Worth 1000 by pcysmith

Caption This!

I always see these Caption posts and thought I’d give it a try. If it works out well and readers have fun, I’ll do them more frequently.

The winner will be chosen by my family and me, and in the case of a tie, will be broken by my mom or dad. I’ll announce the winner in a separate blog post.

Here goes...

Caption this...

Picture compliments of: NY Daily News

ALL Media Are Wrong Sometimes

It’s not unusual to find a story about how Fox News needs a Geography lesson. There are many on the Left who live to bash Fox News for just about-- everything. What IS odd is that the story is from 2009.

Fox News misrepresented Egypt on the World Map, showing it to be where Iraq actually sits. Now, this IS a problem, considering most Americans probably don’t even know what states make up the Midwest and have been hit with the latest winter blizzard. It’s sad, quite frankly, that there are adults who can barely name all 50 states, let alone tell you the location of Egypt or Pakistan. So, yes, Fox was wrong, but what’s even MORE appalling is there were probably very few viewers that even noticed! (Hey Rasmussen do a poll on THAT!)

Okay, Fox was wrong-- can’t defend them. Now to be “fair and balanced”, I’ll admit that it must be challenging to be 100% accurate with 24/7/365 day a year coverage, after all, it IS performed by HUMANS, and people AREN’T perfect. So, while I'm pointing out that Fox was wrong, I can also point out that MSNBC is guilty of mistakes, too.

While discussing the situation in Egypt, Chris Matthews, on his Hardball show, said, “…It’s so strategically located. It has, of course, the Nile River. It has, of course, the Panama Canal.” Now, to be fair, he corrected himself and later said the Suez Canal, but how is it that HE can slip up, assuming that’s what it was, but according to him, Bachmann and Palin can NOT? They are balloon heads, mail-order brides, or exotic dancing spies. No leeway for THEM, but he, Chris Matthews, just had a slip of the tongue. Or did he? We don’t know for sure. All we DO know is that he corrected himself. So, did he catch his OWN mistake, or did someone whisper into his ear piece? I’ll assume he caught himself, because I have dignity. I just wish Matthews would show a little to others who don’t “think” along the same political lines as he does. But I won’t hold my breath.

Then there’s the Rachel Maddow show where she was talking about the state of Indiana but her visual map had Indiana where Illinois should have been. How many Americans noticed THAT oopsie? And how many Left-leaning blogs wrote that MSNBC needed a Geography lesson or misinformed its audience? I’m guessing a big fat zero. I’ll bet the citizens of Illinois and Indiana caught the err right away, but did Maddow notice while reporting? Guess not, or she would’ve said something, right? Is she a balloon-head? Or was she so engrossed in her reporting that she just didn’t notice? I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and go with the latter.

Again with Maddow, but this time on her December 9, 2010, Debunktion Junction show, where she verifies the authenticity of rumors. Ms. Maddow confirmed her own prediction from her appearance on Meet the Press that Christine O’Donnell would end up on Fox News, “…it takes precisely zero genius to predict O’Donnell would host TV on Fox News but it has now gone from prediction and rumor to true.” Maddow went on to praise her brilliant prophecy because she had it on good authority that Christine O’Donnell was the new guest host for Fox & Friends. Oops, turns out Maddow wasn’t so brilliant, and seems she may need a crystal ball, because O’Donnell is NOT a guest host on Fox anything. So, Maddow was wrong, but has yet to come out on her show to “debunk” herself. The Left hasn’t demanded that Maddow correct her false claim, you know, like they do when the Right “lies” but “never” retracts. Oh, and we haven't had any head-lines that read MSNBC is misinforming the public by the Left, either. Hmm, maybe they’re still in the works…I won’t hold my breath though.

Fox News makes a mistake and they are Faux News, Fixed News, Fog News, and Fascist News, to name a few. MSNBC errs and it’s no big deal. I don’t like the double standard. If one news source screws up a map and is called ill-informed, stupid and every other conceived name in the book, then every other news source that screws up should be stupid, ill-informed and every other conceived name in the book, too. EVERY news medium SHOULD be held to the SAME standards.

I hear and read that there isn’t bias in the media, but that’s simply not true. It’s sometimes difficult to SEE the bias when the side you’re on is doing the slanting, because it appears normal, therefore you don’t SEE it. We need to look at our media WITHOUT our political lenses. It’s challenging because we tend to see issues from our OWN perspective. But our media is TOO important and MUST be held to different and higher standards. They are supposed to be our watchdogs; therefore we need them to use FACTS, not opinions or prejudices, and they must NOT wear political lenses. They MUST NOT omit facts, even if those facts could harm someone with the same political leanings.

I would really like a reliable, honest news source. One that reports FACTS and omits the slanting and bias. I truly believe it would be the most popular venue that would pull in the highest ratings because it would receive viewership from both sides of the political aisle for reporting FACTS, not opinions. (We have enough of those!) The public wants information, and it deserves the truth.

But hey, I won’t hold my breath.

Sometimes Honesty isn’t the Best Policy

How about a story that doesn’t pertain to politics and who said what nasty thing about whom? A story about a little boy, his pet and how his mother had to decide if telling a little white lie was the best course of action.

Preservation of Innocence is just that kind of story. Based on my son, Austin, his pet hamster, Raptar, and me, his mom.

Enjoy.

America Weeps with Arizona

The power of the press has never been more prominent than it is now with cell phones and texting, Twitter, Facebook, and yes, even blogging. We can get our news instantaneously, 24/7. Devastating news, like the shooting yesterday in Tucson, Arizona of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and at least a dozen others, leaving a 9 year old child dead, has spread through the waves in short order.

Along with the devastating news, we have political pundits and their predictions without facts. The gunman, Jared Lee Laughner, was a right-wing loon who listened to talk-radio; he was a Palin follower who saw her map with the bull’s eyes and decided to take violent action; and of course, any time there is a shooting spree, we must repeal the second amendment, or at least have stricter gun control laws, because guns kill!

I suppose it’s only natural for people to assume this is political in nature considering a politician has been shot and now lies in ICU. I also assume it’s normal for people to jump to conclusions considering six people died yesterday, one being an innocent 9 year old girl, Christina Taylor Green, which leaves most people emotionally distressed. And for many, when emotions are running high, it doesn’t leave much room for rationale or logic.

We’ve also been in a highly charged political climate of late with our elected officials bickering and telling us that the other side is the “enemy” (and shame on them for using such rhetoric), or the “opposition” is bad, evil in some cases, so is it any wonder the American people look upon anyone with a differing opinion as the adversary? Is it any wonder people suspect any type of violence upon a politician as a Right-wing conspiracy when it is common knowledge that the Right is known for its belief in smaller government? But is that a good enough reason to blame someone else rather than the lunatic who actually committed the murder? Or in this case, the Domestic Terrorism?

I realize it’s easy to cast blame on O’Reilly, Beck, Limbaugh and Palin. After all, they are public figures who monopolize our airwaves and a lot of people take what they say as gospel, never once questioning their words or researching on their own what these public figures say. But to blame these people for the actions of others is taking it a bit far, in my opinion. That’s like saying a gun killed, when in fact, it was the person holding the gun who did the actual killing. Oh, yes, I know, O’Reilly, Beck, Palin, et al. promote violence with their WORDS—but do they, REALLY? Or are they only voicing THEIR beliefs, which don’t mesh with everyone, therefore vilifying them with those that don’t agree, or even hate them? What will happen if one day someone from the Left shoots and kills one of THEM? Will the Right then come out and blame the Left for promoting violence? It will be a no -win situation with a bunch of dead people. Violence and hatred only beget violence and hatred.

So, WHO is the REAL villain? The Right? The Left? The Government? The Public? Or this Jared Lee Loughner, a disturbed individual who decided one day to go on a shooting spree because he is a lunatic and killing six people and injuring a dozen more fit into his fanatical agenda?

I’ll NEVER understand Loughner and his ilk. Nor do I want to. I don’t want to know what’s going on in the mind of a killer. I only know I never want to be in a situation where I have to make a split second decision that could save me from a bullet. And if I do, I hope I’m fast enough.

My heart goes out to the families of the injured and the deceased of this horrific tragedy. May Gabrielle Giffords survive and fully recover. May sweet Christina Taylor Green rest in peace and may her parents one day find solace. And may we, as a country, find our compassion, dignity, and common sense.

Welcome 2011!

A new year is upon us, which means another has come and gone. My tradition is to reflect upon the passing year-- the good, the bad, and the in between. Fortunately, my year had more good than bad. Although I did have a couple crises, I managed to get through them unscathed and even acquired some valuable lessons, which is what they’re all about anyway, so upon deliberation, they were worthwhile, even if I didn’t think so at the time.

My path of enlightenment (I know, not very original) has been going on for some time now, but I really advanced in 2010. I connected with my inner-self and comprehend ME more than ever, which has given me a more potent perception. I have a new awareness of others, my surroundings, and minor things, like what’s going on in the background of TV shows and movies—it’s actually quite amazing. This new found ability has me appreciating the small things so much more, and I find myself reflecting on issues I never thought of, and I believe it will help my expanding enlightenment even more.

I will continue on my “path”, just as I will continue blogging. I know my blog posts were a bit sluggish this past year, however, I don’t believe in beating myself up over it, because blogging, to me, has always been about writing, first and foremost, and if I happen to change a few minds along the way—great. However, my goal has always been, and still is, to express myself and connect with others—read their thoughts and views, and maybe even learn a thing or two. (I never imagined I’d make friends, but I have, so I received an added bonus!) I’ll continue to post when I want, how I want, and about topics that please me, and I’ll do it all in the same courteous manner I’ve displayed for the last three years. My motto, as you know, is, “we can disagree with dignity”, and I have never been given a good enough reason to believe otherwise.

In ending, I’m looking forward to this New Year since it’s another to LIVE and EXPERIENCE, therefore it’s a blessing. I hope everyone had a happy new year’s eve and it’s my fondest desire that you all have a happy, prosperous, and healthy 2o11--one where you will be surrounded with love from family and friends. May you find YOUR path of enlightenment and expand your horizons by moving from the past into the present where you will find a bright, enriching future.

Happy New Year!