Community

We are losing the human touch
It is all mechanical, corporate, technological
We are forgetting about the community and how we are all responsible for each other
Life is a web of interactions and we are severing the strands
There are no more barn raisings
No more neighborhood potlucks
No community gardens
I do believe that we all need to start paying attention to the person again, on a community level rather than a federal or even state level
The disease that is infecting this country started from the ground up and we are just now seeing it on the CEO and federal level we need to get back to the ground
Community gardens where all participate, Habitat for Humanity where we all pitch in to build houses, volunteering at homeless shelters and food kitchens to help those who have even less than we do
Bringing those in prison into the community to keep them connected: gardens both floral and vegetable, help build houses, work on community clean up, take care of animals; we give them libraries and gyms and tvs, why not give them something productive where they can see a final product to take pride in?
That Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon does not just mean that we all know each other but that we are all connected, all of us together

We are all of us responsible for ourselves and how we treat everyone else
We are responsible for the community we live in

There is too much 'you can't do that' and not enough 'let's do this'
There need to be fewer laws as if we are all children who cannot decide for ourselves what we can and cannot do and more assistance to help everyone succeed in life. That does not mean become rich, it just means become fulfilled and have a rich life full of love and achievement.

We need to become a community of people rather than a corporate culture we have become
People are not corporation, people are life, love, happiness, laughter, joy.

And that's my 25 cents...

Vote dammit!

Regardless of your political party, your beliefs, or your religion; we need to all stand up and demand that the President and those in Congress be held accountable for how they vote, what they vote on, and from whom they take money.
In this, it does not matter what you want them to vote for, only that they are voting the will of the majority of voters in their jurisdiction not the will of the corporation giving them the most money.
Stand for what you believe in, tell them what you want them to do, shout your will!!!
We showed that we can make a difference in 2008, no matter if the vote went your way or not, we witnessed the power of many voting their voice.
Contact your representatives at the city, county, state and federal level!! Let them know we are not happy, we are not stupid, and we see what they are doing. The level of greed, partisanship and downright pandering to large corporations over the common good, the public, the people.
We must never forget that we have the power, this is our country and they work for us. They are elected by us to be our voice.
Remember what so many have fought for us to have today. Read your history, read about how many have fought both physically and verbally to ensure our rights and freedoms.
Vote. Please vote. Vote your will, your conscience. But remember, you would not want someone else to limit your rights, your will. Why would you do that to someone else?

And that's my 25 cents...

9/11 and all it means to me

I live in Washington State. I was not anywhere near NYC on that day but I still felt every blow.
The way I heard about it. I was checking my Yahoo email and saw the first report on the home page. I thought it was some kind of weird joke to begin with but I saw more reports online so I turned on my tv. And I watched again and again, over and over as those planes flew right in to those buildings.

In the years since then I have heard many theories as to who and how this happened. The groups of people who were blamed for the tragedy. The reasons they did it.

One of the most terrifying things I watched happen, was the governments unabashed glee in tightening its noose on our freedoms and loosening the restrictions on what it can and cannot do without any watchdogs.

The good, the bad, and the truly ugly attitudes that many religious people took after this tragedy inspired, terrified, and sometimes just left me open-mouthed in disbelief. Some saw this time as a way to reach out, support and encourage one another regardless of personal beliefs. Others saw this as a great time to point fingers, to hate, to say 'see! i told you we shouldn't have let them in!'. And others used this time to hurt, to burn, to kill; with no proof, no evidence, regardless of whether or not someone could have had anything to do with it.

9/11 taught me that we humans can use a life changing event to open up, grow, reach out or to close ourselves up even further, curl ourselves tighter around our preconceived notions and shut others out.

This may not bring me much praise, but much as I know 9/11 was a tragedy, we Americans are so privileged and protected that this one instance of violence shook our psyche and still disturbs us 10 yrs later. There are places around the world that see violence 1000's of times worse than this every day.

Every day.

Every day.

Every day!!

I know that we know it intellectually but I feel that there is a sense that we are more entitled, better somehow and deserve more protection. So though my heart goes out to those who lost their loved ones 10 yrs ago. My heart goes out even more to those mothers in Lybia, Somalia, and elsewhere who just lost their child/ren last week, yesterday, today.

I know, hate me all you want. But 9/11 did open my eyes. Did make me realize that we are not immune to tragedies. Did make me more aware of our governments actions and that there are ways I can help others who, even in America, need help.

And that's My 25 cents...

The Help

I went and saw the movie The Help today. I cried. The acting and the script were superb.
It's so hard to see how far we have come and how far we have yet to go.
Though people of color are no longer slaves and women can vote, there are still groups of people who are being discriminated against.
What is so clear to me are the parallels between the racism in the movie and the issues facing LGBT people today, yet many would claim that there are no similarities at all. Groups of people getting together to try to make legislation that will deny some their rights. Cruel beatings and random slayings of the minority group that go unpunished. Laws limiting the rights of a particular group. Death threats, the depicting of someone as 'less'. Who was I describing there? Blacks, women, LGBT? You don't know do you, because it could have been any of the above.
Many today would be horrified at the atrocities suffered by black people during the civil rights movement, yet would still turn around and argue against full equality for LGBT. I just cannot fathom this blindness.
My heart broke at the hate and bile that was only lightly hinted at in this movie. And is still breaking knowing that this is still going on against blacks, women and LGBT. The 'other' to be sacrificed to the ignorant 'norm'.

Hate and ignorance, using books that are full of tolerance and love to spew intolerance and evil, by people who are just parroting others and have not fully read or understand those books.
I feel so powerless, that I cannot even get my family and friends to see or care about what they are doing to others and how it goes against what they profess to believe in. They do not seem to see history repeating itself yet again.

I don't have any more words, all I have is tears.

And that's My 25 cents...

Wishful thinking...It's just me

Steps I think we should take to make America a good country:

• MMA, Tai Chi and yoga mandatory for all grade levels (kindergarten starts out with just the yoga)
• Weapons training with firearms, blunt and sharp instruments as well as street fighting and strategy/tactics classes mandatory from 5th grade on with younger grades learning care, maintenance and full history (offensive and defensive) of all weaponry
• Mandatory one (1) year of military service sometime between 18-25
• Learning money handling, economics, finance starting in 1st grade
• From 1st grade must learn three (3) languages or more. Oral and written
• From 1st grade there must be serious discussions of history and the repercussions of decisions that were made at the time. Not just a regurgitation and memorization of dates and names
• All grades: Must practice at least two (2) art forms of any medium
• Must participate in one (1) Science or Tech fair per year starting in 5th grade
• Internships and apprenticeships will be provided by area companies during high school for students who have a career path in mind but with no contractual requirement to continue on with that company after high school

The above is for all children, male and female.
That is all for the schools that I can think of right now.

• All government programs will be streamlined to run more efficiently, with fewer loopholes
• Any law that cannot be reasonably enforced will be removed from the books, including obsolete laws
• Any law that is only on the books 'for our own good' will be removed
• The only laws that should be on the books are laws that enforce not harming another person
• All drugs, alcohol and weapons will be legal to own, use and sell
• Any harm caused another person against their will with any of the above or exacerbated by the above will have severe, harsh consequences
• The selling of any of the above to minors will be met with equal intolerance
• Prostitution will be legal
• Drugs, alcohol, weapons and sex will all be monitored, licensed and taxed by the government
• All sex workers will be required to undergo 3 month health exams

You can see that the above would simultaneously save money by ending the war on drugs and sex, and make a lot of money off of all the above.

•  Corporations will be penalized for moving jobs or money out of the country unnecessarily
• Small businesses will get assistance for creating new jobs
• Tax law will be streamlined to close any loopholes
• If a company is not run properly and needs government assistance to stay in business, the executives in charge of the business will not be rewarded with money and exit packages and may even see jail time if the damage is widespread
• There will be heavier levies on companies whose manufacturing or other services are done outside of the country; the more of a product that is made in country, the more of a break that company will get

I know I have more about business and the greedy you-know-whats who run them but I can't think of anymore right now

• Those in Congress shall not have been lawyers as that creates an imbalance and conflict of interest between the Judiciary and Legislative branches of government
• Those holding office shall not have any free benefits that are not readily available for all in the country; so no free health care for themselves and their entire families, no free rides in government vehicles of any kind that do not relate directly to a government function and shall never include family, their salaries/benefits do not continue after their term of service
• Those in office may not accept money or gifts in any way, shape or form from anyone
• Those running for office shall only use the public money allotted to them to run for office and will be disqualified if it is found that any outside money, support or gifts were accepted during their campaign
• Any bill that is introduced for consideration may not have any riders in the bill that do not pertain directly to that bill
• In no bill that is admitted for consideration will there be any earmarks that are not directly related to the main thrust of the bill

I know I have so much more but I can't think of any right at the moment. This one I may come back and update if I think of anything else that I think is pertinent.

And that's My 25 cents...

Do they really think we'll buy it?

With some of America's richest men coming out in support of higher taxes on the wealthy; one has to wonder what the agenda is of those in government who are opposing tax hikes. Many of them use the excuse that the lower taxes will allow these 'job creators' to open more positions in America. As these 'job creators' have had these lower taxes for almost a decade now and the number of jobs has gone down not up, I fail to see the validity of this argument.
So, once again, what is the agenda of those in office who continue to oppose imposing higher taxes and closing tax loopholes on that top 1%?
More and more people are coming out and asking that question, and no matter how loud they continue to repeat that same lame answer, we will continue to ask; because that is still our right here in America. They have not yet succeeded in taking that away from us.

And that's My 25 cents...

Greed Corruption Materialism

In the last few days, listening to and reading news stories on money, politicians and large corporations; I have started to feel a huge, yawning pit of helplessness.
Here in America, the divide between the haves and the have-nots in now a chasm. And the people who should be protecting the rights and lives of the have-nots are in the pockets of the haves. There is no clear way out of this quagmire of deceit, lies, greed and selfishness. No one currently in a position of power or running for a position of power is a good option to help re-stabilize society.  I certainly do not expect that there will be someone who will follow my beliefs down the line. I do wish that someone would have the welfare of the people rather than someone who is just going to make sure that the interests of the industries that are paying them are seen to.
What I see today are people who are poised to turn back time. Strip the rights of women and minorities, take away the protections for our environment and future generations, forcing their religious views on the public, giving freer rein to those who got us here to begin with, taking away all the protections put in place to keep the haves honest, forcing the have-nots to shoulder more and more of the burden for the haves, taking away or hollowing out any programs designed to give the have-nots a chance to move closer to the haves. No matter what history has shown, the haves seem bent on continuing in their course, seemingly gambling on the hope that nothing will happen in their lifetimes. Increasingly forgetting their obligations and responsibilities in favor of their pleasure. Giving in to their sense of entitlement and lack of accountability.
We see this as well in the, admittedly, horrifying rioting in England. It is true that the rioters are committing crimes and acts of violence but it is reckless (or willful) blindness on the part of the politicians to say that these riots have only the greed and selfishness of the rioters behind it. When it is very clear, even to those of us not in politics that the underlying sickness is the horrifying disconnect between the protectors and the protectees.  Today's politicians seem to have forgotten or buried the simple fact that they are public servants, they are there to serve and protect the public. They are not put in office to take money on the side from large firms to look after their interests even if they could bring harm to the public as a whole. The whole job of politicians is to keep that very thing from happening, to protect the public the environment and our future from harm. Corporations do not have loyalty to a particular country anymore, they can go anywhere in the world now. Now more than ever we need politicians to keep the depredations of large corporations and the very rich from grinding down the general public. Large corporations do not but should care that they can only grind down the public for so long before there is nothing more to get from it.
As I have said before, I think that the first thing that went wrong was that we started paying our politicians and quit making it a volunteer assignment. The second error was allowing lawyers to be politicians. I believe that, as they are lawyers and therefore part of the judicial branch, lawyers should not be allowed to become politicians. Third, very few of the current politicians have ever run a business or know anything about budgeting. Its all games and getting their way over all the others or making sure they get a share of the pie.
I do not see a way out of this mess as long as the politicians are willingly blinding themselves to the true issues and unwilling to remove their hands from the pockets of large corporations.

And that's My 25 cents...

Borrowers and Lenders

That's it. I am never borrowing money ever again. If I don't have the money then I can't get it until I save up the money for it. I think that should become the norm from now on. I read once that there didn't used to be storage units until sometime in the 70's and now there are 1000's of acres dedicated to them in this country. If you have so much stuff that you need to put some of it in a storage unit, which also means it's not stuff you need to use everyday, that means you have too much stuff and need to get rid of it.   Period.
Acquisitiveness and impatience are two of the hallmarks of our society today. The first as seen by the rise of storage units and the second as seen by the rise of lenders in all their forms. Banks, mortgage companies, credit cards, payday loans. I have read much history and other than not breaking peoples bones, many lenders' practices and rates today make the loan sharks of the past look like school girls. We as citizens of this country have given way too much power into the hands of what are basically mirages as seen most concretely by the meltdown a few years ago and that is looking to be a reality again in the very near future.
So, I have cut up all my cards and made a list of the things I have decided are important to me to obtain for my future. And then I cut that list in half. And then I set up a separate account to save up money to purchase those things. That is how it should be done and that is how I am going to do it and that is how I am going to teach my daughter to do it. We should all start doing this and take back our power.

And that's My 25 cents...

London burning...

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-consumers-overseas-20110808,0,6537651.story
corps

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/08/08/290205/verizon-strike-profits/
verizon bad

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/08/london-riots-2011-timelapse_n_921636.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

"...the riots are very likely the result of a mix of poor policing and social deprivation."

Really?!?!?!?! How about extremely pissed off @ the extreme greed and selfishness by exec's of large corps and politicians in euro and us.

Did I not say the French Revolution? Right now the poor are looting the poor but that could change. If someone figures out a way to channel the anger and frustration these people are feeling and turn it toward those who truly deserve their anger (again not condoning violence of any kind) we may actually see a modern day version of that particular situation yet again. And not that I in any way think that's the best way to handle the situation, but I can certainly understand and sympathize with the feelings that are behind it.

And that's My 25 cents...

Election

I do apologize yet again blog friends but I can't be quiet about this issue. Those who know me well know that I very rarely let myself feel strongly about anything but in these times none of us can afford to stand back and watch. Read this first article, then whether you are Republican, Democrat, or like myself Independent; email your state representatives, email the President (that is the second link) and tell them to stand up for their constituents because regardless of how much money the rich and big business are giving them they probably won't be in office come next election the way they are going now.  Make your voices heard. Regardless of how this Presidency has turned out, the fact that our voices were heard by the record number of voters that turned out should let us all know how truly powerful we are. Again sorry and thank you.

http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=f7302009-cbcd-440e-9a30-405aeebe144f
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=06100e33-14ba-4dbf-9b8d-2766689e57eb

The legislators that are running this country hear ours voices, know what it is that we want them to do. They hear the opinions of the economists and others who see and understand what is going on in our country right now and their proposals (sound, reasonable proposals) on the steps needed to strengthen America and the economy. They are not listening because they are being paid not to. They are being paid by the rich and big business to keep them getting richer without having to repay those who are making that so. These short-sighted people do not care that in the long run, this will hurt them as well. Or, if not them then their descendants. As they will not feel the direct effect of the disaster they are helping to inflict on the whole world they simply do not care. As long as they get to buy another island or bigger yacht or newest jet, they simply do not care what happens to the rest of the world.
We have to make them care, we have to stand up as we did in the 2008 elections. We saw then that our voices can be heard, that we can make a difference. Remember the French Revolution. The aristocrats simply had no frame of reference for what befell them. They simply could not fathom that the common people (though they vastly outnumbered the aristocrats) had the ability or the wherewithal to fight back or to make such a sweeping impact on their way of life.
THEY WERE WRONG
I am not in any way advocating the violence and death that was a part of that revolution. What I am saying is that we need to stand up, we need to be heard, we need to remind those running our states and those in DC that they are there because we put them there. WE DID. Not the rich or the corporations who are pouring money into their private coffers. And we can take them out of office just as easily.
What happened in June was our fault. We sat back down. We thought once was enough. We need to realize that freedom is an ongoing responsibility that never ends. When we sit down, when we remain quiet, when we decide we have done enough; then those who have the money, those that continue to push their own selfish agenda will win the day.
The war for independence, for freedom, for equality will never be over. And though we may have lost a battle by backing off, we can win the next one by standing up again.
Whatever happens this next election day, whomever wins; we will get yet again exactly what we deserve and will have no one to blame but ourselves.

And that's My 25 cents...

Who should I blame first?

I know, the budget again.

Ok here goes.

All of us are to blame for this mess.

Obama for not having a backbone and sticking up for revenue added to the budget deal and restructuring the public programs to make them more efficient rather than hemorrhaging money, therefore reducing their budgets.

Congress, both the House and the Senate, for acting like a bunch of 5th graders. I hate you so I'm going to take the whole country including the people whose interests I'm allegedly voting for. And for taking money from special interest, large corporations and voting their way instead.

Big Business and special interest groups who are feeding off of America and the people who live here but do not feel any sense of responsibility towards them.

The S&P and Moody's for creating this artificial environment in the first place. Then making it worse with this downgrade. Shame on you.

The American people for voting the Tea Party in, in the first place. For not having any patience and voting in a knee-jerk reaction. For giving the Democrats only 1 year to try to fix what took 8 years to screw up and handing the government back to the party and the people that got us here in the first place. So to you I say thank you so very much for screwing it up for the rest of us and stay home next voting season, K?

So we all together made this whole stinking mess and unfortunately the people who could fix the situation are not in power and are not being listened to by the ones who are in power because the ones who are in power are listening to the people who are giving them whole piles of money and f#$# the rest of us who voted them in to office and who's voices they are 'supposed' to be. Thanks so much, a$$h@les.

And that's My 25 cents...

Losing Hope

I cannot understand how the government expects to fund itself and run effectively with no revenue. We in our personal lives understand that there needs to be money coming in, usually by working for it, in order to be able to pay our bills. We do not simply go out and borrow more and more money to continue to run things and not expect to eventually have to pay it back. It is inconceivable to me that the government and those running it seem to be doing just that and do not see anything wrong with this. We need to bring in revenue, end tax exemptions, close tax loopholes, stop tax havens, stop large corporations operating in this country who feel that they don't owe this country anything. Yes, for now raise the debt ceiling, but raise revenue to pay off our debts instead of slashing more money from already struggling social programs. Listen to the people who put you in office rather than the one's who's wallets your hands are in.

 And that's My 25 cents...

Game of Chicken

The game of chicken with peoples lives continues with neither side willing to flinch. And I do have to say I certainly hope the President doesn't flinch...anymore. I definitely feel that he gave too much away too soon and really should learn to negotiate better.

And that's My 25 cents...

And once again Boehner acts like hes President

Once again money buys protection for the wealthy to the detriment of the working class who cannot afford to send lobbyists to DC to 'buy' 10,000's of someones book or donate to their 'charity'
Why are the wealthy, who can most easily handle having 15% of their income taken in taxes so against it but have no problem thinking its okay that the less fortunate do pay that much. 15% of 15,000 hurts a lot more than 15% of 150,000  or 15 million.

Well we can certainly see where GOP priorities lie, with supporting their employers large corporations by making it easier for them and less expensive for the corporations to do business here.

Boehner, you have the audacity, the unmitigated gall to believe yourself higher in authority than the president than the American people? Do you think we are so stupid we do not see that all of your goals are solely for the corporations and very rich who pay you to keep them from having to pay anything to do business in America?  Your true allegiances are very plain and it is not to the people who voted you in to office but to the people who's wallets you have your hand in. Shame on you. It's time for the accountability of those we put in to office to protect and serve the public.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-debt-ceiling-impasse_b_909314.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

And that's My 25 cents...

Norway shootings

My heart goes out to all who lost someone in Norway, either during the bombing or the shootings.

This blog in no way criticizes or places blame on the victims of this tragedy, I am just positing a what if scenario.

What if, all those on that island not only had knowledge of and were skilled in but also had possession of firearms? I believe there would have been a hugely different outcome to this tragedy. I think it would have lasted about 5 minutes tops and would have ended in the death of probably only one person, the gunman who came to that island set on killing. Okay, as he was wearing a police uniform, he probably would have gotten a few people before they realized what was going on, but not near the death toll that actually did occur.

When are we going to realize that there will always be evil in the world and when are we going to stop sticking our heads in the sand and allowing the bad guys to be the only ones who are well armed?

If we taught self-defense, both hand to hand and with weapons to our children from kindergarten on up, we would have far fewer 'accidental' shootings involving children like that young boy who found a gun and shot himself in the head. Because today the only knowledge of firearms children have are toy/water guns and video game guns. All of which you can safely point at other people and ones self, and we are surprised that small children shoot themselves or someone else? Instead of trying to remove all weapons, make them known and respected. Teach them the proper use and handling of them and they will understand the very real danger they pose.

And also, just think back to all those school shootings. How differently would they have turned out if all the kids had real knowledge and understanding of firearms and had them? First, I don't think that the incidents would have occurred at all and if they had there would have been far fewer casualties.

Yes, yes, we crave peace. And we can have peace, but we are never going to have to stop fighting for it. And those who give up their ability and right to fight will no longer deserve or have peace.

Initiate self-defense classes as early as kindergarten and gun safety classes, bullying would go way down if everyone was confident enough not to condone it or accept it. Confidence as self-respect and discipline plus respect for others would follow.

Never forget that we had to fight to make and keep this country. We had to fight for it and our rights, if we forget that or the give up the rights given to us by those who fought to get them in the first place, we might as well lie down right now and give up.

Knowing how to defend yourself is not condoning violence, it is not being a victim.

Democracy, freedom to celebrate the Lord in anyway your heart leads you, to be able to stand up for yourself and state your opinion about the actions of your government and anything else you wish to and the right to bear arms and defend yourself and your loved ones.
Remember and act before you are no longer allowed to.

And that's My 25 cents...

Welfare, Jobs, Gardens, Prison, Volunteering

I've been thinking about jobs, prison, welfare and volunteering a lot lately.

Now I know you may be thinking, what do these have in common?

Let me tell you.

I don't believe that those on welfare should just get money without doing anything for it. I know that those on welfare can't find jobs or have some disability that keeps them from most jobs or there is some other reason for being on welfare. However, I think I have a solution for this. Volunteer work: soup kitchens, community/neighborhood gardens, Habitat for Humanity building, homeless shelters; to just name a few things. Those places are always looking for more volunteers and if we are giving money to people on welfare anyway, we might as well require that they do something to help the community they are drawing money from. Now, as to the gardens. Creating neighborhood gardens and having people on welfare create and maintain them would give them a source of fresh produce as they would also get a portion of what is grown. Any surplus they could sell at a farmers market or directly from the garden site. This would be great for those with children or disabilities. No need for daycare just have the kids help or they could all take turns caring for the small ones and those with disabilities could man the cash register or do whatever their disabilities allow. That is also true for soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Serving food, doing dishes, cooking etc much can be done by those with most disabilities.

Okay, now the prisoners. Now I'm not talking about murderers or sex crimes etc, but most of the rest could do something constructive for the pay they earn while in jail and also do something productive for society to feel some sense of connection and self-worth. Along with road crews, they could also work in homeless shelters. Start gardens at the prison and donate the produce to food banks. Work for Habitat for Humanity.

In all cases, I feel that this would contribute to a better sense of connection with the community and improve self-worth. In the case of the Habitat for Humanity builds, it would also provide exercise and maybe even some job skills. The gardens would serve many purposes that I hope are as evident as I feel they are.

Oh, there's also animal shelters and old folks homes for volunteer work.

Anyway...

And that's My 25 cents...

Are they serious?

And where was their wish to stop gov spending when it was them spending the money? When it was their pres who was doing all the spending? And how does cutting job retraining, asst with new start ups, finding new sources of clean energy (which is clearly upsetting to their biggest supporters the oil industry), and education? How is gutting the future of our country, our children, going to help the economy? It sounds like a good way to make the rich, richer and make it even harder for the American dream to come true for those not born with a silver spoon. And, since they and their families have no need to worry about money as the American public will be paying for them for the rest of their lives, of course they have no problem with cutting aid to those who are getting older and retiring, or are unable to work any longer. These people have been paying in to the system their entire lives, it is the representatives fault that the coffers are now bare and their response to repairing their spending spree over those eight years is to cut how much of that money they can get back? Really?
And their blatant attempt to make this seem like the budget crisis is a problem created by the current sitting president is just ridiculous!
Republicans!!! Quit grandstanding and playing with the future of the citizens of this country who put you in office and for whom you are supposed to be working for!!!

Close the loopholes and stop the exemptions on the rich or as you have decided to start calling them, the job creators and yes lets cut government spending. How about you all take pay cuts and start paying what the rest of America pays for health care for yourselves and your families. Or better yet lets go back to treating it like what it was supposed to be. Businesspeople taking time away from their real jobs and volunteering to do what you are doing today. No pay. I wonder how many of you would be willing to do this job for the sake of America and not for the 'perks' of your jobs ;) ;) you know what I mean 10,000 copies of your book 'purchased' by some corporation just because they love it so much I'm sure.
Although I do agree that the budget should be balanced every year just like everybody else in America already does.

And that's My 25 cents...

the fashion industry

I have had this thought off and on for a while now and an article
(http://hellogiggles.com/an-open-letter-of-size-appreciation-to-game-of-thrones-star-emilia-clarke?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=an-open-letter-of-size-appreciation-to-game-of-thrones-star-emilia-clarke&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter)
I just read brought it to the forefront of my mind yet again.

Homosexual men have helped destroy the self-respect of women.

Now don't get me wrong here, I am in no way prejudiced against gay men. I just happen to feel that those in the fashion industry have helped to ruin the female form. Homosexual men are naturally not attracted to women so the natural female form would not appeal to them so they try to make the female form as male as possible by totally removing any curves or hint of breast. It's true, take a look at runway models and tell me that they look in any way like 'woman'. No hips, no breasts, no waist. Straight lines everywhere. And that is the beauty ideal now.

I'm not saying its a conspiracy or on purpose. I'm not even blaming, I'm just saying.

It's time, thought that the fashion industry starts taking responsibility and making clothes that look good on women, not just stick thin models. I know it's possible, fashion designers are very creative. So start coming out with designs that actual women can wear without that little moue that you get when a woman looks like a woman and not some weird version of a male. Looking like a woman isn't fat and it's not wrong. It's how we look when we are healthy and actually look like women. So start getting used to it.

And that's My 25 cents...

Homosexuality and the Bible, sorta

I recently had a discussion with someone about homosexuality and what the bible has to say on the matter.

Apparently one of the most often cited passages used to condemn homosexuality is from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:4-8. Ok, first, these are taken completely out of context of the whole story. The person that I was speaking to stated that because the town wanted to sleep with the 2 angels in Lot's house, God decided to destroy the town. That is not so. God had already decided to destroy all the towns on the plains because the people were being greedy and idolatrous not helping those less fortunate. (Ezekiel 16:48-49 tell us: "This is the sin of Sodom; she and her suburbs had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not help or encourage the poor and needy. They were arrogant and this was abominable in God's eyes."). The only reason the angels were there at all is that Abraham had pleaded with God on behalf of his nephew, Lot. And I don't hear anyone saying anything about the end of this particular drama. It ends with roofies, incest, and rape. Yeah, and it's not condemned at that time, just mentioned. Lot's two daughters drug then have sex with...their father!!! Yeah!!! So since these acts aren't condemned right then and there because its unmarried sex, between a child and parent, without the consent of one of the parties. So does this mean its ok? Ok, back to Lot at the house. He says do not so wickedly, when the townspeople demand the angels come out and play. This is interpreted to mean homosexuality is wicked? Really? I would take it to mean, don't rape my guests that's wicked.

Then there are the words of Paul in Corinthians and Timothy. There are 2 words that he used in the original text for which actual biblical scholars do not have a translation for but that someone, when translating it in to English, decided for everyone that it meant homosexual (arsenokoitai). Most scholars believe that it and the one before it, malakoi along with man stealers; means slavery in some way and has nothing whatsoever to do with homosexuality.

You get the drift. Yet another example of people blindly reciting what they are told rather than thinking or studying for themselves because they can be all high and mighty thinking they are better than someone else and can therefore 'save' them.

There are more passages that are used and all of them, if read without an end already in mind and not read out of context of the full story, turn out to not have anything to do with homosexuality at all.

And that's My 25 cents...

Wha.....?

Okay, has the world gone insane?
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/generic-republican-holds-eight-point-lead-over-obama-134254588.html
As in my last post, a Democrat left an 8 year term with a surplus of several billion dollars. The Republican who came after spent all that money and then an additional several... wait for it... trillion dollars!!! The president who is in office now has not been able to fix that mess in 3 years so we want another Republican in office?
Some say he is ineffective at trying to fix this situation even with all the evidence that the Republicans are holding up the budget talks on purpose to make him look bad. Republicans have even said, in interviews, that they are trying to make him a one-term president. How? By holding up the budget talks and being unwilling to compromise! And how is this the presidents fault? It's not. The Republicans are willing to hurt the American public and cause an even greater budget crisis to try to get rid of the president. The senior citizens, the poor, the disabled, the soldiers and veterans; are the ones who are going to pay for this stand but the Republicans don't care as long as they make the president look bad and save some money for corporations and already rich people who don't need any help from the government.
How can we not see this? How can we think that a Republican president who will have the same mentality as the last one, fix the problem caused by the last one?
How can we not see that the Republicans' unwillingness to compromise is harming those who voted them in to office and the ones they are supposed to be protecting? I think politicians have forgotten that they are public servants!! They are supposed to be serving us!! Not using us as pawns in some tug of war, give me what I want or I'm going to take my ball and go home, garbage!!!
The president has shown a willingness to go outside of party lines to compromise while the Republicans have maintained an increasingly hard line stance that is completely unrealistic, insane and childish; yet there are those that would put another Republican in office as president?
ARE YOU ALL INSANE?!?!?!?!?!

And that's My 25 cents...

I'm not alone!!

Oh my goodness I'm not alone!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/opinion/15krugman.html?hp
I thought I was the only one who saw that the GOP is being completely irrational and that the Dem's have always been willing to compromise when there is a GOP president but the GOP has never been willing to compromise with a Dem president.
When Clinton left office, we had a surplus budget. Eight years later, after eight years of a GOP president, we not only don't have a surplus we are in debt by several trillion...let me say that again...trillion dollars. The Dem president we have in office now has been willing to even go against his own party in a compromise for the budget but the children that are masquerading as GOP reps want it all their own way or they will take their ball and go home and screw the rest of the country. Who cares if the old, the young, the poor are going to be screwed as long as all their corporate, rich ceo pals get to continue to basically not pay taxes at all.

NY killing of young boy...

That poor little boy killed in NY.

This is why I think it's imperative to start teaching our children self-defense. In school as PE would be perfect, starting in kindergarten even. We need to stop coddling and insulating our children because they will not know how to protect themselves. And lets face it, we cannot be with them 24/7 always. Even if you are a pacifist and do not believe in violence, having the ability to protect yourself and others is important. The act of learning self-defense in any of its manifestations can lead to greater self-respect and self-image and may even see a drop in bullying as it teaches discipline, plus if the kids can protect themselves they won't be afraid of the bullies and the children prone to bullying will not have any victims to pick on.
If that child had been more self-aware and aware of his surroundings, which is also what self-defense teaches, he may not have gotten lost and would have known more who was appropriate to ask when he did get lost.
I am in no way blaming his parents, absolutely not!! It sounds like they were very good parents and were trying to teach self-reliance. I just think there was much left out.
Instead of trying to make all the bad stuff in the world go away and try to live in some type of Utopia, which is a vain hope and just plain blindfolding and acting like an ostrich with your head in the sand; we need to start teaching our children the skills to live in the world that we have and how they can try to make it better.

And that's My 25 cents...

The Budget...

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-tells-republicans-time-pull-off-band-aid-162849457.html

Quit protecting the corporations and the greedy few who leeched off of them!! Close the loopholes and quit giving tax breaks to those who don't even need them and trying to cover the shortfall by squeezing money out of those who can't afford it and can't afford to protect themselves from it!!!

I pay 30% of my income which is about $12,000 a year!!! Those people make more than that in an hour and yet you are trying to protect them?!?!?!?

Quit trying to cut programs for the elderly and poor and make the rich actually pay the taxes they owe!!! I doubt very few of them pay anywhere near 30% with all of their tax shelters and dodges and write-offs and loopholes!!!


And that's My 25 cents...

Seriously?!?!?!?!?!? Aaaarrrggghhhh

I am getting really tired of church groups trying to get laws passed following the tenets of their faith!!

If they want their religious beliefs to be law then they need to give up their non-profit, tax-exempt status too!! They can't have it both ways!!!

This is coming after I read this article
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/slavery-language-removed-group-marriage-pledge-candidates-160133885.html
about a group called "The Family Leader" and have the GOP candidates sign "The Marriage Vow--A Declaration of Dependence upon Marriage and Family" contract in order to have their support in the election!!

Marriage has to be between a man and a woman apparently in complete disregard for the love that two people regardless of gender can have for each other and for any children they decide to raise. And considering the fact that most same sex couples have to go through quite a lot to have kids and often adopt, as compared to man/woman relationships where kids are often accidents and not always wanted!! And also, what about the divorce rate of man/woman couples going over 50%? That doesn't show that that type of marriage is working either!! I don't think that making same sex marriages legal has anything to do with the decline in man/woman marriages either!!

And that's My 25 cents...

Casey Anthony and the Caley Bill

Okay, Okay I get that we are all very upset about the verdict but to make another set of laws impinging on the lives and rights of the citizens of this country is just wrong. Making up new laws based on an emotional upheaval is just asking for trouble. I understand wanting to feel safe and to protect children, I have one myself and have been in a state of worry and panic since she was born. That hasn't made me want to wrap her in foam and bubble wrap though. On the contrary, I want her to take a many bumps and bruises as she can so that life isn't a big shock for her when she goes out there on her own. I'm going to paraphrase a line from one of my favorite comics here; Christopher Titus remarked in one of his specials that when s%#& really hits the fan you want someone around who's been through stuff already because they won't panic, they'll deal and help others get through too. What we really need is to quit swaddling our kids. Hard times, discipline, responsibility, unfairness, bumps and bruises; all these make a strong person able to handle anything. Just like germs, the more antigerm/antimicrobial crap we use the stronger they get and the weaker our immune systems get; like George Carlin said in one of his standups, when he was young they swam in the river and he'd never been sick because his immune system had been built up. If we all lived in an absolutely germ free, dirt free, sterile environment with rounded foam corners we would become weak, ineffectual and I sincerely believe we would  be extinct soon after. We need hardships, crises, disasters, catastrophes; to build us up and make us stronger and better as a species. And yes, if my daughter were to have something happen to her I would be devastated, but I wouldn't go out and try to make a law to stop grass from growing or cars from being made or toy cars to have bright lights and sirens to know they are there or whatever. Stop dumbing down and coddling our kids, they are stronger than we think and they'll learn; if we let them.

And that's My 25 cents...

Taxes, Spending and Government

When will this end?

Some in the government want to cut spending on the poor in our country even further by chopping spending on health care, welfare and the medical programs for the poor while continuing tax breaks and other such programs for rich people who own jets and such. Really? Really? and again I say Really?

Yes, I think that government should be smaller not bigger. But I think that means stop nosing into our business and trying to enact laws to run our lives. Unless what a person does directly affects the physical well-being of another person, F off!! Stop this 'War on Drugs' crap it's just wasting money. Tax it, regulate it, turn it into a money maker. Same for prostitution. How is it the governments business what I do with my body? Sounds like a religious moral turned into law to me. But as for this budget crap; the rich already have enough tax dodges and can pay someone to find all the loopholes so that they are already paying less in taxes than I am so why not try to close a few of those holes and actually make rich people start paying their rightful taxes already. DUH.

And that's My 25 cents...

Corporations and the Republicans

I'm so mad I could spit.

The Republicans seem to be willing to let this country go into a tailspin so they can save some tax breaks for corporate jets!
Never mind the millions of people unemployed and/or unable to afford the healthcare we are footing for free for them and their entire families.

Corporations need to start paying their fair share in taxes instead of being given free passes by the Republicans in exchange for a little somethin' somethin' under the table.

The average American pays more in taxes than any of the top executives of large corporations despite the fact that the execs earn more money in one year than the average American would see in several lifetimes.
And there seems to be a call to put the Republicans back in charge? Really America? Well then if we are all that near sighted, amnesiac and just plain dumb then we will most certainly get what we deserve. And the top execs will continue to slash entry level jobs to free up money to give themselves more multimillion dollar raises while the unemployment and welfare lines grow and fewer and fewer people will have health care or jobs.

Way to go Republicans. Just as long as we are paying for your health care I guess what do you care what happens to the people who voted you in to office. You have to protect all your kick backs I guess.

And that's My 25 cents...

the pledge, the military and respect

I got into a discussion today about 'under God' being taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance. I pointed out that it was not originally in the pledge, it was added in 1954. The response I got back was, our country and troops needed God right now and that they loved our country and were proud of it, the military and God; and were not ashamed to admit it. I stated that I did also but did not see how that had anything to do with the pledge issue. Someone else then chimed in stating that respect was lacking today too. I didn't quite know what to make of that so I stated that I thought today's children lacked the discipline and boundaries we had growing up but again didn't see what that had to do with the pledge issue. I also pointed out that when God was invoked re the military, mass destruction and slaughter tends to follow (Crusades or 9/11 anyone?). And when invoked re governments, well then you get mass destruction, slaughter and 2nd class citizens with little or no rights and even persecution if not of the dominant religion.  Mass suppression/imprisonment of people who don't agree with the reigning doctrine. Wow, I kinda like the whole division of church and state thing we've got going on.

It's amazing to me how little people know about debate anymore. All of the return comments were off topic and had little or nothing to do with the original subject. They completely ignored my own points and (now this is just my feeling) seemed to feel that any questioning of the use of God's name in the pledge was a questioning of the military and our country. I did point out that the division of church and state as stipulated in our constitution actually made it illegal to have it in the pledge in our public schools. I kind of felt that the respect comment was directed at me as I had the gall to actually point out facts rather than just following blind emotion and agreeing with it.
This is why I believe the founding fathers were visionaries. There were so many other things I could have brought up, like what religious name of the creator should we use? As I believe they would have felt the christian one I would have to point out that freedom of religion means there are many followers of other religions in this country that, because of our constitution, should have the right to say the name of their creator. And if someone does not believe in a creator? Why should they have to say something they don't believe in? See, this is why it was not originally in the constitution.

Now, if churches really want to make the laws of the country and make everyone follow their rules, then they should immediately give up the tax exempt status and start paying taxes on all those donations they get. If you want to run the country you have to pay for the running of it.
Bet that will not go over well. Want your cake and eat it too, huh.

And that's My 25 cents...

Executives

Just a quick thought.

I think that the reason so many top executives are so greedy and seem to feel their positions entitle them to multi-million dollar salaries at the expense of 100's or even 1000's of entry-level positions that would help the economy and allow so many people to have jobs and not rely on welfare is that they had nothing to do with building the company they work for. There is no pride in the company, there is just a feeling of how much they can get out of it before moving on to something else.  Just a thought...


Update: We should all keep an eye on this http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/ceou/database.cfm#WX

It shows how much the CEO's are reeling in at our expense.

And that's My 25 cents...

Learning

I think we need to start moving from parrot-rote learning to teaching how to think for oneself and solve things for oneself. Discussions about how one sees things, what one thinks is a possibility. Oh, not in math as those have very concrete answers, but how to get to those answers and go beyond. Curiosity, investigation, puzzling things out, thinking outside the box to find the solution or solutions. Make learning fun, a game; not to be won or lost but be solved. To stretch the mind, explore the boundaries of what's possible...
What could we achieve if there were no multiple choice, this is 'right' this is 'wrong'; thinking beyond what we 'know' is possible...

And that's My 25 cents...

Dear Mr President

It disturbs me greatly to hear all of these arguments on the legislative floors of so many states and even the federal government regarding same-sex marriage that are almost solely based on religion. It truly shocks me how many times I have heard our governments representatives argue their personal faith and feelings as a reason to ban same-sex marriage. To have someone in a position of secular authority try to force their personal belief on the populace or even the personal faith of the people in their district on the rest of the citizens and not have someone else raise the question of division of church and state is terrifying. I understand that many faiths have issue with gay marriage, that does not however make a good argument to ban it. There are also religions that insist women wear hair coverings, are we going to make that into law next?
I have as yet to hear a valid, legal, secular argument for banning gay marriage.
I fail to see any legal, secular reason to ban people from doing anything in their own personal lives that does not directly affect another person negatively.
I understand that this is a highly emotional issue for many people. However, I fail to see how that is any reason for this to become a law or even seriously debated when there are so many more important issues (like the economy) to worry about.

And that's My 25 cents...

Fix the Economy

So I just saw that Jon Huntsman is throwing his hat in the ring for GOP candidate for president.
One of the things he says is that he's going to 'make the hard decisions' on the economy.

Does this include legislation getting many of the top echelon to take huge pay cuts rather than firing a bunch of end line workers to 'save money' thus saving jobs and helping the economy? No more multi-million dollar salaries for the top brass while 1000's of jobs are cut to meet budget cuts? No more golden parachutes worth several million dollars to people who essentially failed at their jobs and are being let go. No more free health care and added benefits while the front line workers have to pay half their wages to cover just the monthly fees and having to meet enormous deductibles before they even kick in?

Somehow I really doubt that these are some of the hard decisions this essentially top echelon executive is going to introduce. So there really is no reason to pick this one either.

Another story I saw is about a brand new school in southern California that they can't use because after the expense of building it they can't afford to operate it. Again, I have the same fix for this. These are public officials. Why are the administrative exec's who don't have anything to do with the children making several thousand to probably lower seven digits and the one's who are there in the front lines with the children making low 5 figures? And in many cases having to spend their own money on supplies? Where are all the millions of dollars going? Into the pockets of people who do not now and probably never have had anything to do with children. Cut their salaries, give the money to the kids, hello, duh.

And that's My 25 cents...

Men and Women

I am so tired of this.

Men and women are different. In most cases they excel in different areas of life. There are those exceptions, however, where someone is born with an affinity for what is generally considered a role for the other sex. There is nothing wrong with that and I feel the true evil is trying to force that individual into a role they were not born to.


I don't understand where this need came from that men have to 'blame' everything on women. Women have to hide themselves from men so as not to incite lust, why don't men just learn to control themselves? That sounds more like a failing of men than of women, at the very least a laziness. Women are not intelligent or can't 'handle' things as well as men? Really? Try to give birth, and even in these times there are many women who lose their babies. Men, deal with that trauma over and over again. Women have had many roles through the years that have required intelligence as well: midwives/medicine women, running households, cooks, etc. Until men realized there was money to be made from these professions, and suddenly women could not handle them? Wow.
The one I never understood is what is now called OB/GYN, in today's medicine I can see how men can be in this branch of medicine but in the past how could men possibly understand this area better than women? That is real ego, 'I know your body better than you do even though mine is nothing like yours'?
Women not being allowed on the front lines in combat? For all of history women have been on the front lines of combat but unable to defend themselves. How does that make sense? You're in the middle of a war but you can't handle defending yourself so you'll have to be able to handle the consequences of not being able to defend yourself; oh, and by the way, that will be your fault and you will be shamed for not being able to stop it and might as well kill yourself because you didn't have the decency to just die at the time. That makes so much more sense.

And that's My 25 cents...

Men Afraid

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110617/wl_mideast_afp/saudiwomenrights_20110617163623

http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/17/driving-while-female/?hpt=hp_t1

What exactly are men so afraid of.

Women are just as capable as men. If God had not wanted women to do everything that men do God would not have given women brains that in some cases exceed men. When I see articles like the ones above, all I see is scared men. Men terrified that women will learn that they do not need men. Not that women can survive without men thus deciding to live without them because I don't see that happening but women finally deciding to stop babysitting men and making them do for themselves while women go out there and do as well.

All I see here is men wanting to keep women reliant on them for everything. Trying to keep women in a servile role to take care of men like children because men do not want to grow up.

Men so scared that women will realize that though women like having men around, men can take care of themselves and women can, and in many places do, go out and live their own dreams.

Go out there and drive your cars!!!

The French Revolution

Ok, some people need to hurry up and take notice.

If things keep going like they are in America we are going to have a revolution on our hands.
Too many CEO's and other top executives of major corporations are being waaaaay too greedy.
Giving themselves multi-million dollar raises while laying off 100's or 1000's of employees to 'streamline' costs or 'become more efficient' seems to be just a way to make sure there's enough money for another raise. The disparity between what a top exec makes and what the average worker makes is growing wider and wider every year and there is no other reason than greed for this phenomenon. No person is worth several million dollars a year and if all top exec's went back down to a reasonable salary, there would be more money for more US jobs. More jobs and more money for the average worker would equal better educated workers, happier workers, healthier workers.

No one person is worth several million dollars and the egos of these executives to think that they as one individual are more important than 100's of other people and their jobs is dangerous and wrong.
To take away the livelihoods of so many so that one person can afford another house in the mountains or by the beach is selfish and evil.

And one of these days there will be a revolution if it's not changed. The French noblemen didn't think it could happen to them or that there was any chance for success if there was an uprising. Surprise.
We need something done and soon.

And that's My 25 cents...

Women in Combat

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/study-says-female-soldiers-are-as-resilient-as-men-when-it-comes-to-combat-related-stress-2495589/

Just read the above article about women in the military being allowed in combat positions.

Women have always been part of wars. As casualties/victims. It has always thrown me when men talk about women not being able to cope with war as the ones with the weapons. It would seem to me that being able to defend yourself and others would actually be better than what women have now.
For thousands of years women and children have had to deal with one side of war the victim side. Rape and pillage. With no way of fighting back and in fact a culture that looks down on fighting back unless your a man. Women deal with as much as men do and to say that women cannot deal with combat situations (when many men have a hard time dealing with it and are still allowed to do so) is ridiculous and archaic. Not even archaic because women have had to be strong to deal with the effects of war that have always been forced upon them.

And that's My 25 cents...

More politics

Please don't mistake me, I am an Independent.

I think the Democratic and Republican parties could do with some real competition. But I do have to say this. Reading about the GOP debate today I notice that while they are slamming Obama for not fixing the economy NO ONE is pointing out that it was the Republican in office previously that put us in this mess.

Why is no one stating the obvious here or have people already forgotten?

Sometimes I just want to slap people...

And that's My 25 cents...

Rules/Laws

Rules or laws without meaning. Serving no purpose but for one person to have power over another. Arbitrary rules 'just because' or that's the way things have always been done regardless of whether or not the rule has any meaning any longer.

Rules must change as people change, evolve as people evolve. Must be made to fit the situation to achieve relevance.

I read somewhere that a society with a preponderance of laws that are no longer enforced but still active becomes top heavy and ineffectual. Losing the spirit of the law, instead focusing on the minutiae. Ignoring the forest for the trees as it were.

And that's My 25 cents...

People just slay me

One president is in office for eight years and leaves us with a multi-million dollar surplus. The next president is also in office for eight years and leaves us so far in debt that three years later we have hit our debt ceiling. And yet, because the sitting president has not been able to fix the economy that it took eight years to mess up, in three years; many are clamoring to put someone from that same party as the president who got us in this situation back in office...huh? Many did the same thing in the primaries only 1 year in. Seriously people. Sometimes I think we get exactly what we deserve.

And that's My 25 cents...

The Future

Jacques Fresco is a social engineer and industrial engineer with many patents for buildings, medical equipment and projects for the movie industry.

 I just got done watching a documentary on him, Future by Design.

So many of his ideas are amazing and I hope that many of his city planning and transport ideas do pan out. Unfortunately, many of his ideas are very logical and common-sensical. I don't think that humans are yet ready to make that step. I can't even get in to all the marvelous things I'm thinking now because of this documentary.

And that's My 25 cents...

America the Puritan

Ok, it's articles like this http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2076783,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular that make me realize just how behind the rest of the world we are here in America.

Basically, there is now a nudist hiking trail in Germany. How cool is that?

THINK by Lisa Bloom, who was on The Doctors and The Talk this last week shows how bad the situation is for Americans. Although women are finally getting better grade-wise across the board and earning more in some areas of the country, we are still far behind the rest of the world. There are several countries who consistently outperform us in all categories of education.

I think that a large part of the issue, not in education but in the fact that there are several countries who have or have had female heads of state long before us, is that we are still holding on to many Puritanical points of view in this country regarding our governments policies in spite of the constitutional separation of Church and State.

Same-sex marriage, prostitution, abortion, guns and drugs being a few large issues. 

Same-sex marriage:

None of the governments business and should not even be a discussion as the only arguments I have heard to make it illegal are all religious and have no Constitutional right to be argued in any governmental setting as a reason to bar it.

None of anyone elses business except the two people entering in to the union either. Since when do people have the right to tell others what they can do with their lives? Unfortunately, I am going to have to say that if same-sex couples want to get married in church they will have to find one who accepts gay people as there is no way to force a church to do so, for the same reasons that the church should not try to stop people from getting married secularly.

And on kind of the same note, if the religious right wants religious law to be part of the secular law then they should immediately give up their tax exempt status because you can't have it both ways, boys.
Prostitution:
Okay, since when does the government have the right to tell people what they can and can't do with their bodies? It should be treated as a service like any other. Licensed, regulated and taxed. Do you know how much money the government could make? Prostitutes, sex companions, or my favorite from a JD Robb series, licensed companion; whatever you call them, have them keep up-to-date medical records like the porn industry is already doing. Licenses for various levels starting at street level and moving up to well-educated through schooling and certification.
Abortion:
While I am not in favor of it as a form of birth control, I have nothing against it in many cases; rape/incest, where death of mother or child is a possibility, or extreme levels of deformity for the child. I am extremely irate to know that in many cases aid to other countries hinges on abortion not being an option, no posters or literature are allowed even though it is an option here in America.
Guns:
This is such a loaded issue...no pun intended. I think guns should be in every household and that a gun safety/awareness curriculum should be started at home at a very young age and in school from 1st grade. For that matter, so should some form of self-defense program. That would be perfect in place of PE. The children would still be getting a workout just one with a purpose. Knowing how to use a gun or protect yourself would not promote violence, rather it would lower the instances of bullying and gun violence in schools simply because it would be an everyday part of life and respect and realism would be taught to everyone. Many of the issues with guns and children is simply because they are not shown proper respect for them and the only way they are even seeing them is in movies and video games. If they were taught how to use them and care for them properly they would know the safe ways to use them and the reality behind them.
Drugs:
Oh for crying out loud. Again, since when is it ok for others to tell us what we can and cannot do? Make all drugs legal. If you hurt someone to get drugs or while on drugs, it was your choice to take them and you should be punished for that crime. As in the case of prostitution, think of how much money the government would have from taxing, regulating and selling drugs.
Personal Responsibility people!!!
No more diminished capacity. You decide to take drugs and you hurt someone you takes your punishment. Period. Just treat it like alcohol, which is a drug. Hello.


The major thing with all of these is that the government should not have a right to dictate what we as adults choose to do. 'You' do not have a right to decide what 'I' do, unless or until what 'I' do causes 'you' physical harm. Then that physical harm is punished.
'Your' religious belief should also never be used to make a law either because as there is freedom of religion that also comes with separation of church and state which means the morals of a religion should not enter into secular law unless there is also an ethical equivalent; Thou shalt not kill comes to mind. Basically anything that infringes on someone else's physical health only.
Am I the only one that makes sense to?
We as adults in a free society should have the right to decide what we do in our own personal lives as long as that does not cause harm to another person. Why is that so hard? Why are we so insistent upon everyone doing everything our way? We won't even know or see a millionth of the people any of it affects so why do we care so much? How do we feel so entitled as to say that our way is the right way and everyone must do as we want?

And that's My 25 cents...

Religion

I almost didn't use that as the title because even the word is polarizing.

Many of the worlds religions have the same message. Why does the title matter more than the content?

I believe life and our belief in religion is more like a mountain.

There are some big broad paths up to the top for the many and there are smaller trails for the few and then there are the ones who want to go straight up the face, lol.

God, however you say it and however you worship it, made each one of us different and unique so why in the world should just one way of seeing God be right for everyone? Especially when so many of them exclude so many different groups of people. I don't think that was part of the plan. If God had wanted cookie-cutter people, God would have made cookie-cutter people. I think this way is much more fun.
Yes, there is more pain, mess, sadness, anger and hatred. But we have seen time and time again that without that the happiness, joy and peace we also feel would have nothing to be related to.
Haven't we all learned in one way or another that hard work, obstacles to overcome and adversity have made the outcome, be it money, fame, family, etc. better? More meaningful? Getting something for nothing puts no value on it. Its the striving that ultimately makes us better people both individually and as a race.

God bless us all of us regardless of who or what we are.
And if you believe in Goddess instead I'll tell you, I don't think God/dess has a sex for it made us all in its image and is greater than the sum of us all.
And if you don't believe in God, then strive to make this world a better, happier place because not doing so is just taking the easy way out.

 And that's My 25 cents...

Dilemmas

On the one hand...


The cruelty that is a tradition in some countries. The brutal maiming of young girls by their mothers. By men who do not have the guts do so themselves.
Men have decried that women are dirty and sinful and should not feel pleasure so that part must be removed and mostly sewn shut. (In my angrier moments I believe this is because those men are lazy and do not wish to have to learn to pleasure a woman and have such small penises that they need to have them sewn up).
The utter ego of these men to say that God has made a mistake in the design of womens bodies and that they will 'fix' this error for God.
Pure Evil.


...and on the other hand...

Those poor souls who seem to have found themselves in a body that is the wrong sex. Sex reassignment.

On the face of it the same issue, either its a 'mistake' or its not.

Looking deeper these are two very separate issues.

Women as a whole sex God got 'wrong'?  I say 'NO'

A relative handful of souls who chose a hard road to learn a great life lesson and in turn teach a lesson to the entire human race?   I say 'YES'


There are many lessons I believe the human race as a whole is learning.

And that's My 25 cents...

Adam and Eve

It took the second most powerful being in the universe to convince Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit.
It took only Eve to entice Adam.

I am in no way saying that women are better than men...

I am merely putting forth the theory that men are afraid of the strength in women and have therefore tried to convince women to hold themselves down in the dirt. Because there is no other way that men can force women down but to have them do it to themselves.

And that's My 25 cents...

My Take on Weiner

Okay, I can't take it anymore.
I've heard both sides on the debate on whether or not Rep. Anthony Weiner should resign and heres what I think.

I think he should serve out his term and retire from public office and here's why.

While there has been no definitive proof that he was using government property or pursuing these activities on government time, he has definitely shown a marked lack of judgement and an inability to foresee the consequences of his actions. And if he did understand the impact his actions would have then there is definitely some sense of invincibility or being above any accountability for what he did.

Therefore, I don't see where there would be any reason to have him step down but also do not see any reason to reelect someone who will not see that his personal action can and should influence the opinions of those he was elected to serve.

And that's My 25 cents...