Welcome to the middle of the week.This is one of those mornings that starts off REALLY nice...birds chirping, a good smell in the air (must be from the recently blooming roses and peonies), and an honest-to-God sense that all in the world MIGHT be starting to look up...
Then, 11AM inevitably rolls around, and all bets are off.The locals begin to stir, and that doesn't bode well for any of us "normals" in the area. Just another day.
Still, let's grab a hold of this "wonderfulness" while we can, and hang on for dear life as long as possible, okay?
*** Obama will be sending 1200 National Guard troops to our SW border - about...frigging...TIME!
(don'cha think?)
Now, these troops will be there for surveillance (basically), so I'm thinking that any ENFORCEMENT will still be handled by the U.S. Border Patrol.
I don't want to be the wet blanket on this, but that will work UNTIL a soldier is either shot at, or (God forbid) killed by someone attempting to steal across our border. Then, we'll have to see how the rubber meets the road, won't we?
*** We're STILL waiting for the oil leak in the Gulf to be capped...so far...nothing.
I would have thought that BEFORE any of this deep-sea drilling took place, those involved would have created a system of redundancies to PREVENT a "worse-case-scenario" like THIS from ever happening in the first place.
Guess we were wrong there, huh?
Makes me wish we really DID have an independent organization like "INTERNATIONAL RESCUE".
Oh, you remember those guys, right?
They travelled the world over, halting disasters, saving people, and pretty much doing the stuff no one else could figure out.
Well, it WAS a TV show...and it had marionettes instead of people in it.
And, it was a UK show produced by Gerry Anderson.
You MIGHT remember the show better by it's title:THUNDERBIRDS...!
Yeah, they did produce a live-action movie a few years back, and that didn't become a blockbuster, but the effects and the ships they used were still kinda cool.
But think about it...
If we really HAD someone like International Rescue, you can bet the farm that THEY would have had this leak capped off in less than 72 hours! Many times, we can see reality in fantasy...if we look hard enough.
Makes me wish ALL those involved (even the current administration) would have spent a little more time in front of the TV on Saturday mornings, instead of trying to become profiteers, or even Marxist radicals, hell-bent on changing our AMERICAN way of life.
***
Speaking of safety, Wifey has been going to teach in her "thongs" (no, the ones you wear on your FEET...what did you THINK I meant?), or "flip-flops" (if you prefer), and I had to chastise her for doing so, but in a safety-conscious manner.I mean, what would happen if something as innocent as a stapler fell off a desk and smacked her on her toes? Or what if some teen with over sized "athletic shoes" turned about and placed his large feet down hard on Wifey's toes?
Right...the possibility of a bruised (or even broken) toe or toes.
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Not the BEST way to spend warm weather...with a cast on one's foot, right?She said she wanted to be "comfortable".
Hell, I can do comfortable...I pretty much live to be comfortable (these days).
But I will not sacrifice ANY form of safety JUST to attain being "comfortable".
If it comes down to getting the A/C on the car fixed...OR the brakes, I tend to lean towards getting the BRAKES fixed.
(makes stopping that vehicle a HELLUVA LOT easier, especially in traffic and when pulling into one's garage)
But that's just COMMON SENSE, correct?
Back in "our" day, being comfortable wasn't really "job-one" when it came to school.
We didn't have air conditioning...JUST fans...HUGE fans...NOISY fans.
And we STILL learned. We might have perspired a tad, but we DID learn.
We also had large windows we could open up, and I believe schools STILL have that rather quiant amenity.
We didn't wear sandals, flip-flops, or anything with exposed toes...that was inviting trouble.
(and trouble just LOVES a good invitation)
My thoughts are that you DO what you have to do to ensure YOUR safety...doesn't matter where you are, either.
I'd rather suffer a broken stapler that fell of that desk, than a broken toe that caught that stapler.
But that's what happens when you get to be my age...the curmudgeon takes over...LOL.
*** Ottawa is doing a study about how POVERTY affects the BRAIN.
(rolls eyes)...must be boring in Canada in the "off-season".
The study was just started, so the data is not forthcoming, but the story alludes to some "interesting" hypotheses.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/how-poverty-shapes-brain/623449/0
Now, I'm no neuro-anything, but my take on this, is that the FIRST thing these people need to do is PROPERLY DEFINE what is inferred when we say "POVERTY".
Having bald tires on your 4 yr old ESCALADE is NOT poverty!Not being able to purchase the newest pair of NIKE basketball sneakers is NOT poverty!
Dealing drugs to "supplement" your government income is NOT poverty!
Sleeping until 11AM, and then going out to "steal some sh*t" for the hell of it is NOT poverty!
Only getting 20 inch rims for your Caddy instead of those "24s" you've been wanting is NOT poverty!.
(see where I'm going with this?)
Poverty is (as Dad used to say) not being able to have TWO NICKELS to rub against one another.
Poverty is people in Appalachia country.
Poverty should NEVER be confused with laziness...in ANY way, shape, or form.
Let's start with THAT, and then determine how the brain works.Let's begin with WHY people CHOOSE to make bad choices, going into hock WAY over their heads and placing themselves (financially) one cough or sneeze from insolvency, okay?
Let's figure out WHY people CHOOSE to sit back, do nothing, and "let de gub'ment' take care of my ass", shall we?
When you figure THAT out, you'll have a better grip as to what is really meant when we talk about POVERTY...as in the REAL kind, and not the "perceived" version that is costing America way too much money from our nation's working-class pockets.
Like I say...the TRUTH will present itself...always has, always will.
But, you have to SEEK it out...it won't always walk up and tap you on the shoulder and say "hi there".
Therein lies the lesson for today, friends.Be well, make a difference to someone, and, as always...
Stay safe out there, America.
6 comments:
Most "poor" people in this country do not even have a clue what poverty really is. Poverty is what the Great Depression was. Not the 'great society" that is today. The poor in this country have TV, cable, cell phone, home phone, smokes, beer, etc. They've not had to make the choice "do I pay this bill or do I eat this week".
We finally paid off the 2nd car, and now we are debt-free again. We live with older furniture, or if we do get new stuff, it's found at the best price we can...being we are spending our own money instead of someone else's. Our coffee table is the $25 laminate special from the hoity-toity Wal de Mart, my chair is a good deal from Ikea, and so was our couch - it was on clearance, so I managed to get a leather couch for under $200. All we had to do was buy legs for it. And found out the leather cover was self-repairing zippers. Our TV is one from the very early 90s, our sound system in our house is from the 80s (we still have a turntable); the rest of our furniture was bought here and there for a good price, we inherited the dresser set we have in our bedroom . come to think of it, all our furniture is from either Ikea, or Wal de Mart.
We bought a house that didn't cost very much, smaller than what we thought we'd need, but we didn't want to pay outrageous property taxes. Now it's the perfect size for hub and myself.
We bought used vehicles, and we shopped all over the area, including other cities the other direction for the best deals.
funny, I've gone to apartments that are HUD housing, they have newer/nicer vehicles than we do, newer and nicer furniture than we do, I guess it's easy to spend when you don't have to look at the money as hard-earned.
my only weakness for new things, are shoes, purses, and candles! I can't pass a yankee candle company without stopping in to at least smell them :)
Diane:
THANK you for marvelously expounding on what the TRUE nature of poverty is.
Many people who CLAIM to be poor wouldn't know what POOR really is, if it came up and bit 'em all in their asses!
Try having home-made SOUP all week...Or stuffing NEWSPAPERS in the windows to keep the winter COLD out.
Or having MOM make clothes for you, because store-bought stuff costs too much.
TO this day, I wouldn't call myself "poor" at all (and certainly NOT RICH, either)...but when I was growing up, we really ALL had to pinch a LOT of pennies, and NEVER had our hands out to anyone along the way.
But we DID have to WORK at it to get ahead.
The section 8'ers are doing pretty damn well for "being poor"...
MAY-BE...if they took some time to figure out what the hell PRIORITIES IN LIFE were, they'd find they're not really poor after all...and could get their butts off the dole.
(Nah - that would be too much like WORK for them)
Easier to get a free kunch for the kids, rather than figure out how the hell to make a damn SANDWICH for them...yeah, right.
Funny, but wasn't it KNOWING YOUR PRIORITIES what made this nation GREAT...
And look what these "poor" posers done to it in the meantime.
Great observations, D.
Thanks a lot for taking time to stop on by.
if i ever make it over the age of 56 i have NO PROBLEM with sitting back and letting the government take care of me. i've paid some pretty hefty taxes in my time and i'm all cool with going to the va for my health care. walking with the dog or talking to my fish. and looking out for my flowers. visiting whatever grandchildren i may have (if any, i've been told) and just taking life on the easy note. i'd already had told myself i may not make it down to the gulf of mexico when i get older and now i fully understand why i may not. i'm happy for the times i got to go within the last 10 years. if i need to get food stamps and get some food fine.
in short i have no problems being taken care of in my last leg of my journey in life. i plan for that leg to be pretty exciting. walking, taking pictures, and laughing. watching some tv. and letting the candle burn while i relax in my living room without passing out from working hard. yea, i'm ready for that final stay cation :)
Indy:
When you've busted your hump throughout life, I think you've EARNED the privilege to kick back and take it easy.
Funny, that's what "retirement" used to mean, but in today's economy, and people not even being able to get the pensions they've payed into all those years...I don't know.
And yes, even GATORS are a bit more safe to wear than flip-flops...
But hey, I'm the guy who prefers his sandals to be a bit more "Roman" in design and function...lol.
(and all my slippers have CLOSED toes)
Hey, thanks for stopping on by.
Dear Bob,
I'm late to the fair!
I love flips b/c your feet breathe, but they aren't any good in long distance walking, staircases, senior proms . . . LOL
I think the poverty that has stuck with us is poverty of mind. I am so glad good teachers like your wife go the distance.
Sincerely,
Ann T.
Ann:
And flip flops don't go well with bike-riding...rrrrriiiight?
Poverty of mind...I like that.
Granted we DO have those people living in reefer boxes under overpasses, or sleeping on street grates, or even living in shacks in the hills of several states w/o running water or modern contrivances.
How are THEY being aided as opposed to those "claiming" (feigned) poverty?
There are truly POOR in America...but not the ones I've seen.
Not by a country mile.
The poor of mind apparently get that which is reserved for the profoundly indigent.
That's wrong.
You change your mindset...you change your life.
As to those who may be poor in spirit?
That's another post for another day
(and another soapbox)
Thanks so much for stopping by.
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