Heavenly Days

 

This was probably the best Saturday I've had in ... years. Sarah and I went shopping. Not on my dime, her's. She worked since school started in Ohio and when she came home, she had received none of the money she earned. Someone else had confiscated her pay card and kept her pay. She never said a word, just sucked it up. But this week at my house, she got her last paycheck. I wish I had a photo of her when she saw how much she had on her card. You don't want to know my heart when I realized how much was stolen from her. 

We actually went to the licenses branch first to get her an ID. When she had to sign all the papers, she made a comment about it and I said, "Welcome to the grownup world." She said, "I need to work on my handwriting." She'd never signed her name so much and I think was embarrassed. So I promised to get a handwriting book. Education departments should be penalized for the disaster they've created in our education system.

As they finished, they asked her if she wanted to register to vote. Again, I wish I'd taken photos. Her face. She said, "I can do that?" They told her since she would be 18 before the election, she could. I've never seen anyone as shocked and as thrilled as Sarah coming out of that office. And having the privilege of seeing it was a joy. It totally changed her mindset from that point on. 

From there we went, and she spent her money on herself. She bought boots, new tennis shoes since the others have a broken sole and coming apart in a few places. She got a new wallet because she got her new state ID and said she'd need it. I bought her a new backpack because she prefers that to a handbag. After every purchase, she was counting up her remaining balance on her phone calculator. She spent with caution and joy, tallying up what was left without complaint. Every purchase was an exciting moment for us both. And a revelation to her. I said, "Now you know why math is important." She replied, "Yes. I have made some bad life choices." 

As we were leaving, I backed into a woman in the parking lot and that's a fiasco I'd rather not relate. I claim responsibility. However, neither car had a sign of damage, not even a smudge. She started to drive off and then decided on the next row over she has a wheel problem because I "hit her wheel". Well, I didn't, but I said I just needed her insurance info. She said we needed to call the police so she could document it. I explained that a parking lot accident was a no fault but I agreed, if that was what she wanted she should call them. I had no problem with it. 

She said, "Unless you want to take care of it under the table." I promptly said, "Oh no, I don't do under the table. Call the police if you need to." That took over an hour to get an officer, but we waited. I asked her twice about her insurance info, but she wouldn't provide it. Another half hour of talking to him and he looked at both cars and then at me with a look that said, "Really?" and I said, "I know." He had to ask her twice for insurance info, too. He finally made her give it to me. And she decided she didn't want a police report. And it was her idea to call. He told me he had to tell her she would still be responsible for her deductible. Yeah.

So, after this, Sarah and I decided it was time to call it a day. We stopped on the way home at Freddy's for supper and to wind down. It was a great day despite the non-fender bender. 

I'm exhausted. Sarah is just still excited and happy. Dad told her tonight he would take her somewhere to practice driving. 

It takes so little to make a person happy. 

The 2024 Roller Coaster Ride Now Open

Pixabay

Here we are, four days into the new year. I had a lovely Christmas holiday with my sons, Mike and David, my granddaughter Sarah, Mike's girlfriend, Amanda. And I even got some lovely gifts from everyone. We had a delicious dinner, cooked mostly by Amanda, with a bit of help from me. 

New Year's Day we watch the Alabama playoff game. They lost, but they played a good game, except for the guy snapping the ball. McLaughlin was definitely not on his game. All season, he snapped the ball just fine. Suddenly he's all thumbs.

The past four days have just been hectic with trying to get things organized for more people in the house. On the 15th Amanda is moving in for a while. She's wanting to buy, so to avoid getting into a new lease, she'll stay here until she finds what she wants. David is here for a bit, not sure how long, but it is really pleasant to spend some time with him. He's working on his last five college classes. I'm very proud of the way he's pushed to do this. He really messed up highschool but went back in his 30s and now he's nearly finished with his college bachelor's degree. 

Sarah and I are just enjoying being silly with each other. She's still the funniest kid I know. Of course, she's having a bit of a struggle to get back into my routines and rules, but she's coping rather well. We're going to get her state ID this week and then get started on her GED. She didn't want to go back to public school and as a graduate of a correspondent school; I agree it is a good idea. So we'll be tutoring and getting to GED classes.

I'm trying to get my routine back on track. When disruptions happen, it just throws me off for a while. Beginning in early to mid October, I was sick for a couple of months, had my car break down twice, had electrical repairs, an empty freezer, and other unforeseen expenses from October to December. Life keeps kicking me. 

BUT ---

I am blessed. I said, I AM BLESSED! I don't care what my brain says. I don't care what the devil says. I am blessed beyond measure. I'm broke, seriously broke, but I'm blessed. 

May you all have a wonderful New Year. I know the 1st is passed, but may the rest of 2024 be filled with gladness, joy, and spiritual blessing beyond your wildest imaginings. God is good. God reigns supreme. And he is faithful.

 

For Purposes of Occupy Clarity

Just to clarify, for me, if no one else, here are the demands of the Occupy movement as posted on THEIR website. If you can't find more than five things wrong with this there is something wrong with your thinking.

My comments are in parentheses. They are not meant to please or entertain you. Until you can ban my free speech... my house, my rules. You can say what you like in the comment section and I reserve the right to delete anything I think is inappropriate. Cause I know there are some who will just find I need to be corrected.

• Repeal the Taft-Hartley Act. Unionize ALL workers immediately. ( Taft Hartley was enacted because of Union abuses! I don't WANT to pay Union Dues. READ THE @#$% SCHOOL BOOKS! Unions collect huge fees for membership.)
• Raise the minimum wage immediately to $18/hr. Create a maximum wage of $90/hr to eliminate inequality. (Bumps me to low income immediately, and um. . . just raised the cost of every item in the nation to triple it's current cost to cover said wages and following benefits. )
• Institute a 6 hour workday, and 6 weeks of paid vacation. (LOL, shuts down any business operating 24 hrs a day and increase cost of merchandise. Go for it. I hate Walmart anyway.)
• Institute a moratorium on all foreclosures and layoffs immediately. (No cost housing? Who's going to invest in and build that kind of housing? Besides, if you eliminate private ownership of property (see below) you won't be worrying about foreclosures.)
• Repeal racist and xenophobic English-only laws.
• Open the borders to all immigrants, legal or illegal. Offer immediate, unconditional amnesty, to all undocumented residents of the US. (Let's just go right now to a ONE World system... yeah! Excuse me, I don't think requiring anyone to speak the language of the country they reside in is racist or xenophobic. If I go to Germany, Spain, France,or Russia I have to know the language to survive. So, who is going to pay for interpreters for millions of people.. cause you violate my civil rights if you don't have someone with me for every school day, every business transaction, every legal issue... yeah, ever single one I want a personal translator.)
• Create a single-payer, universal health care system. (Um.. who pays? Cause it ain't free.)
• Pass stricter campaign finance reform laws. Ban all private donations. All campaigns will receive equal funding, provided by the taxpayers. (I don't want to fund your kind of politician.)
• Institute a negative income tax, and tax the very rich at rates up to 90%. (I'm for a fair tax rate but I doubt this is fair. I say same rate for everyone regardless of income. That way, the more you make the more you pay. But be aware, as I am, that a fair tax rate such as you suggest will absolutely stifle investments and growth in building. If I have less money, I'm hanging on to it and not giving you a dime. You're already getting my profits.)
• Pass far stricter environmental protection and animal rights laws. (Um.. as long as you keep the excess population of animals at your house, go ahead. But I'm not paying for medical for animals and I'm not paying for housing animals)
• Allow workers to elect their supervisors. (LOLOL! OMG, don't hire because they can do the job! Hire cause majority likes them. WE ALREADY HAVE THIS. It is called affirmative action! This is highly amusing to me. You'd have to work where I have. ALL my supervisors were hired cause they were liked OR a minority! And they have been horrible people. And oh... you want to see racism and xenophobia?)
• Lower the retirement age to 55. Increase Social Security benefits. (I can retire NOW. While it is ultimately stupid since there isn't enough money to pay all those now ready to retire, even non-citizens by the way, I'm totally for this as long as I get MY SHARE! Well, that is the mentality here isn't it? But if you have 20 yrs to go.. lol you won't get a dime! Cause it will be all gone. Oh oh oh.. I know.. if you didn't work you can't draw! Oh wait.. darn, that's already in force.)
• Create a 5% annual wealth tax for the very rich. (Ah, here we go! So, if I make an earth shattering discovery that results in my getting wealthy, even it my discovery helps people, I'm penalized for all my hard work. And I can't leave it to my children without giving half to you? I am supposed to PAY YOU for what I obtain by work or inheritance? How is that different from the current inheritance taxes, which are terrible for everyone! Go ahead, stifle creativity, investments, and growth in every arena. Why would I bother to invest my money to get richer when you're going to take more of it?)
• Ban the private ownership of land. (Excuse me? So you're taking the property that I've improved and worked for 20 years? I don't think so. I'll burn it down and salt the ground. This particular demand is totally a socialist/communist design. This will immediately result in substandard housing. If you don't believe it, look at the Soviet Unions former plan. They did this. ONLY the rich party members and those favored by them, lived well. READ THE SCHOOL BOOKS! WATCH THE OLD DOCUMENTARIES! And look around at those who live currently live in subsidized homes owned by other people. They trash them. I could show you horrific photos every single day! I work in subsidized housing! Why worry about taking care of something that you don't have to repair. You can just move somewhere else. They do it right now every day on American subsidized housing.)
• Make homeschooling illegal. Religious fanatics use it to feed their children propaganda. (And you're not feeding them the propaganda in schools? LOL, what a crock! Suppression of religious freedom. Hmmm, so we ARE abolishing the constitution and religions rights in this country! Why don't these people just call it what it is.. Socialism and Communism! )
• Reduce the age of majority to 16. (LOL actually in some states it already is and has been for decades. So what is this actually about then? UM. . . they are easily led, immature, and make unsound judgments for the most part. And we want them to vote! I KNOW yours are smarter! But they all aren't Einstines. I have my doubts about YOU! The other thing is as minors they have certain limits on taxation if they are working... and many do, hmmmm, so you want more of their money too? Uh huh )
• Abolish the death penalty and life in prison. We call for the immediate release of all death row inmates from death row and transferred to regular prisons. (Oh come on, just let them all go! And who will pay for this kinder, gentler prisons? NOT YOU! And do you really think you will reform them? Now who's the fanatic?)
• Release all political prisoners immediately. (Why? OH... sorry, this also includes terrorist.. um yes, their incarceration is politically based. They aren't terrorist in THEIR country... just in ours. Of course you could put them to death because of their religious beliefs... propaganda you know.)
• Immediate withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan. (I'm ALL for this one. Let them just kill one another and be done with it.)
• Abolish the debt limit. (LOL... I think they already have and you just didn't get the memo.)
• Ban private gun ownership. (Why? So only military and police can carry them and do what every country has always done in these cases. Establish Martial Law. They do that a lot in S. America and Africa. Um that was in the books too.)
• Strengthen the separation of church and state. (Just say it here. Abolish religion and prohibit religious people from participating government. This has always been the Socialist and Communist mantra. Limit religious expression. Burn the books that tell about it.... rewrite the books so it paints this doctrine in a better light.)
• Immediate debt forgiveness for all. (LOL, this from people who can't get loans because they defaulted on their credit cards after having run up huge debts paying for all their toys. Let's get real here. If you get rid of your cell phone, cable tv, internet, and video consoles and games, you probably could pay for your housing, food, utilities and send you kids to Ivy League school, assuming they can pass the entrance exam.. or are you proposing abolishing entrance exams? Oh, why am I not surprised.. they're biased!)
• End the 'War on Drugs'. (Brilliant. Drugs are costing you too much, right?)

To Clarify where I stand:

As you can see, I have strong feelings, virtually all negative, about the Occupy movement. I'll save the everyone an ongoing political rant and do it in one. The we can move on to more entertaining and fun stuff.

I got what I have by hard work and persistence and frankly, I'm not willing to share it with those who do not do as I have done. I grew up on hand-me-downs, commodities (before food stamps), and lived in Public Housing ( the Projects). My grandparents were low income. But he worked as a carpenter so he always had a job in the South. He worked 5 days a week, up at dawn and in bed just after sunset. Yes, he drank on wee-ends. So, I know what poor means and I know what "want" means. We raised chickens to have eggs. We raised a couple of pigs to give us meat, we had a garden to get vegetables. Mama canned so we had food all winter. I fed chickens, pigs and canned. I learned to sew to make my own clothes cause Mama made everything I wore. No store bought clothes except for a undergarments and holidays dresses. I was TAUGHT to educate myself and GO TO WORK. I had no health insurance EVER until 1977, when my husband joined the Army. Prior to that we had no social welfare ever.. just ONE minimum wage job. He couldn't find a job after a layoff... so he joined up. We lived adequately, but with no frills for 15 years and raised two children. After he had to leave the service in 1993 I was still enrolled in college and we survived without food stamps, government housing, and medical insurance. We worked. Temp jobs, both of us. His $800 medical pension kept a roof over our head but not much else. No one helped us. We made it. I finished college and he got sicker. I've worked at my job 13 years, despite increasing, chronic, often debilitating pain. I will have to do this until I either die or can afford to retire or they decide I'm a liability and fire me.

I do not expect you folks who have jobs and money to support me. I don't want what you worked hard to get. I do not know what I will do if I lose my job but you know what? It is not anyone else's responsibility but mine. I don't expect society to take care of me. I expect to do what we were all intended to do. Work in some fashion. I don't need frills, fancy cars, cell phones, internet, computers, and uptown clothes. Those things are luxuries obtained through financial means an unless you steal the money to buy them.... you work for money. If I can't pay for it, I get rid of it. That is the logical and sane way of living. I am not at all offended by the fact that there are some really rich folks around. I don't feel that they should have to lessen their finances to appease me and make me "as good at they are". Cause I'm not driven by that kind of thinking. I'm as good as anyone, just not as well off as others. But because of my choices, I'm not as bad off as I could have been.

One source I read says the Occupy movement wants "banks to take responsibility for the growing gap between the rich and the poor." Well, if you weren't lazy.... don't tell me that doesn't apply here. I SEE it every stinking day! People don't want to work . I have employers tell me, "I can't find people who want to work. They come in here and expect me to pay them to stand around on the cell phone or talking all day." I've heard this several time just in the last month. So there are jobs, just not the ones they want. Or they want to be paid to do their own thing. People have become so addicted to texting they can't even keep a job! That's why droves of illegals can come into this country and go to work. Because Americans are now too good to do what they deem "dirty work".

Everything I've heard and read gives me the impression that the occupy movement is about "I have a right to have what you have and if I can't get it by working you need to give it to me because it is my right. And if you don't, I'll just eliminate you and yours". That is socialism at its basest form and I am totally and irrevocably against socialism. I lived through the era that saw it bloom and die in the Soviet Union and various other places. It's a weed that brings no beauty to society.People die under repressive regimes. No thank you. America did not become great by socialism. It was a nation of people who came with nothing and CREATED something. It is now a nation of people who want to do nothing and to have everything HANDED to them and paid for by other people they believe have kept them down. And it is a lie.

I dare anyone to track the social, economic and moral decay of American society. What year did it begin? Not 200 years ago. It began in MY lifetime. I'm 55. You do the math. I've watched a nation of statesmen, inventors, and brilliant minds give way to lazy, greedy, selfish, self-centered, ignorant, and yes, ungodly creatures interested only in their own creature comforts. They are not for equality. They are suggesting that the rights of millions be stripped so they can have what they want. So how is that different from what they accuse others of doing right now?

Not a single one of these demands benefits the nation as a whole. They benefit those who will be in charge of enforcing it, who will rule with iron fist. It will be enforced by a military or police state. The reason this generation is all for it is because they never saw it in action. They never saw people running out of Eastern Europe to find a better life. They didn't see them shot in the back as they attempted to jump fences and walls. They never lived behind the Berlin Wall and they never lived in Soviet Russia as one of those at the bottom of that regime.

This phase of history is well documented, not just in history books but in diaries, home movies, newspapers. But we live in a supremely, and happily ignorant society. One that lives in realities created in a small box and flashed on a screen. They have not lived in such a society....Historically, there have been many social experiments of utopia. They all, every single one, failed for the same reasons. They do not long term. What was the life span of Soviet Russia?

We are in the process of restructuring American society... something that worked for 200 years, by the way, into something totally unrecognizable by the creators of that society. Washington would have been stunned by the kind of citizens that now reside in this country... and not favorably stunned.

I believe it will happen, despite my objections. They are going to get what they desire. We religious fanatics have always believed that this was coming. Thousands of ministers have preached if for hundreds of years and they are proving us right.

God help us all.

Now, I'm done. Y'all don't have to agree.

Read more:

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/11/what_does_occupy_wall_street_want.html#ixzz1je3fiye5

http://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-ows-demands/