It isn't often. Every 2 years at best. A rarity.
The 1st Tuesday in November I celebrate. I love love love election day. I get to formally and officially 'feed' my inner-political-nerd. I love election day? My nerd has been STARVING! Now its full. I love election day. But for some reason I don't think my nerd will remain full for 2 years. I love election day. In all reality though, my nerd will only have to wait about 6 months before the GOP decides who they'll stick up against Obama in the 2012 Presidential election. I love election day. So sit tight you political-haters. I love election day. Enjoy the ad-free television you have now - it won't last long. I love election day... did I mention that?
What do I like about election night? Well, pre-2000 it was the exit polling that was public information prior to the 8pm poll close. Now it's the fact that you can hop on-line and watch at the county and precinct level what votes are coming in and for who. WOW - complete information overload and I completely love it! I did learn in the 2008 Presidential election that the BBC calls states before any U.S. news site does & they can because they aren't here. By at least 5 to 15 minutes they are ahead of the pack. That election was great fun to witness and track online. 5 minutes doesn't seem like a big deal. But when you're waiting to see who takes Ohio, Michigan or Florida - it's HUGE! Makes you feel like you have the inside track - you know more than 'CCO. In that election, I knew the winner before it was announced. Very cool. Very VERY cool.
The candidates, their reactions, the elation, the defeat. A chance for the real people to state formally - YES or YOU SUCK. Not that I agree with the outcomes. But my vote does count the same as any other. My uncle used to vote GOP straight ticket. When I turned 18 I used to tease him relentlessly - 'YEA - now I can cancel out your vote!' Not that I ever have voted a straight ticket in my life - but it visually drove him nuts and I loved that. FYI - my uncle is a convert to the DNC, but not a straight ticket. I am so proud! See younger people don't think they can effect older people's vote. I did. I do. I argue politics with anyone who will argue with respect. That means you listen to me and I'll listen to you. No shredding, no name-calling, no trash. Just the facts mam. I believe this is why voters are soooo very angry this year. Arguments aren't being held with respect. People really are not listening. Trash is everywhere.
Why else do I love election day? I have always enjoyed coloring in my circles. A right of passage. Not just a duty - I call it a 'license to bitch.' You don't vote - you have no right to complain about what the politicians do or fail to do. I have renewed license for 2 more years. But really and truly - in addition to that - a friend reminded me, about a month ago, of the women who protested not even 100 years ago for MY right to vote. It's not all disconnected. When my Grandma was born, she wouldn't have been able to vote. When she was 18, she could. She's turning 90 within a few days now. I will NOT let that work go to waste. The women who peacefully picketed the Wilson White House were wrongfully imprisoned, starved and beaten. I think of them every time I vote. Even if it is 'only' for a primary. They physically hurt, and very badly I might add, for me and my girls. I won't forget it and I find it as part of my DUTY to ensure that my girls won't forget it either. Knowing me, I'll be personally offended if my kids do not vote. We'll see if I end up crying in my beer. Somehow, I don't think so.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Frustration Galore
Yes, I am frustrated. This may be a 'why why WHY' post... so hold on to your shorts.
Let's start with politics, since that really is in my heart. So why do I get so frustrated when I do love it so? The politicians are acting worse than my 2 year old. Grown men & women. This infuriates me whenever it is seen - and frankly it is becoming more often. How scary is THAT? In business too. How can inept people still hold jobs when the unemployment rate is so high? And people wonder why America is in this state? I can tell you 4 good reasons off the top of my head. 1. It starts with acting your age. 2. It continues with taking responsibility for your actions. 3. It goes on with having your WORD mean something. You know - if you say you will do something, then DO it. (A good friend rants on this one too!) 4. It ends with taking some initiative & striving to IMPROVE items around you.
So I am not even 4 sentences into this topic, and I was OFF topic! Sooooo much stuff that just doesn't make sense. I thought I was rational.... am I really off-base here? Back to the politicians. The status of the Minnesota budget is horrendous. This is the case all across the U.S. A poor economy will do that. No surprise there - as evidenced by California's I.O.U.'s... yeah, how'd you like to get one of those? hehehe. I digress again. The budget. 1 week left in the session and the budget is outstanding. It's always handled last because it is the biggest bargaining chip used through-out the session. This I understand. This I do NOT agree with. The first item that must be handled in the session is the budget. Is there anything more important? No. Sorry Vikes, your stadium isn't making the priority list. There should be a law - NOTHING ELSE IS DISCUSSED UNTIL A BUDGET IS PASSED. Yeah - just try to go pass that one, I know. But that doesn't mean it isn't the right thing to do. Because it is. I know it is.
The best thing that happened last week was that the MN State Supreme Court found Governor Tim Pawlenty's 2009 unallotment to be unconstitutional. Not in the action, as that was a power given to the office by the Legislature. But in TIMING. Very key there. He unallotted while the Legislature was still in session. Unallotment was a power granted for EMERGENCY situations. 2009 did not qualify as the session was still running. THIS was an outstanding decision. Magnificent even. I did a dance in my den. It wasn't pretty - but it was joyous! And so many people didn't even take notice. But then, they didn't notice when Tim-baby acted like a dictator in 2009 either. So I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised. I find this so very interesting. The GOP & fear-mongering that is still rampant out there had NO qualms what-so-ever with Tim abusing his powers. But if the shoe were on the other foot - I am very certain - that outrage would have ensued & the Tea-Partyers would have camped out on the Governor's front lawn. How quaint.
Since this court decision was passed down, the Legislature is in an even bigger mess - the budget deficit larger than before. My solution? Cut everyone across the board. This MUST include all legislators, state employees of EVERY sort. All offices. I don't care what you take care of. Yes, that includes YOU teachers. And YOU politicians. Frankly, the politicians should have taken the cuts 1st. But that's just my opinion.
So we've got a week. But there's more. A week ago, Mr. Pawlenty sent a letter to the House & Senate leaders: Dear Schmucks, Good work on your budget. I hate it & I will veto it. Have a great day suck-wads. Love, Mr. President OOPS Pawlenty. SO, because the Legislature is working together to get something done, and HE doesn't like it, he won't 'play nice'. Nope. So, does anyone else find it odd that Tim behave this way & still gets respect? I have lost the smidgen of respect I did have for the man. Granted, he didn't have far to go for that to happen - but STILL.
So back to the Legislature. Please pass the budget with enough votes to override Tim's veto. PLEASE. MN cannot function appropriately by cutting, cutting, cutting! I know there is still waste out there. Yes it needs to be gone. BUT, there are programs getting the hatchet that cannot get the hatchet before people won't be taken care of. Literally. My example? The elderly. Last year's cut was 5%. Oh, not to 'nursing homes', but to any facility that accepts termed 'elderly waver'. (aka Assisted Living). This year - they are looking at another 5% cut. So, should the Legislature keep cutting, there won't be facilities willing to take care of people on this elderly waver program. What then? Their response is 'We'll deal with that after it happens.' REALLY? Haven't our elders put up with enough of your crapola? Then they'll have to worry about being taken care of as well? REALLY? Oh, but don't cut education. AHHHHHHH! Studies have proven that throwing money at education does NOT make it better. Studies have shown that if elderly stay home too long, there is physical danger to them, their families & their neighbors - hospital costs increase, fires happen. Yet MN is ready to drive down this road willingly & readily.
My blood is boiling & I am certain my blood pressure is going through the roof. I've called my Legislators. I've emailed. I've lobbied! It isn't enough.
People only care about their pocketbook. Know what? I do understand that. But - lets get realistic. There are items that do need to be taken care of and taxes do accomplish it. Yes, it may be a terribly economy as to why we are in this mess. So let's look at that. Why not have taxes automatically bump up a bit based on the unemployment rate? (And YES, they would automatically bump DOWN as well!) This way a budget deficit wouldn't be AS bad. This is something that can be easily accomplished. I think this is a great way to lessen the impact of the next recession - there will be one... there always is the next dip in the road you know.
Let's look at the postal system. They are already looking at cutting Saturday service. This I am very OK with. I thought of this last fall. But let's take this 1 step further. Did you know that every person in the postal system gets FREE health insurance? FREE. Sorry, but this needs to stop - like yesterday. Phase it out until Uncle Sam pays the 70% to match the rate included in the national health care reform bill. Nobody should get FREE health insurance. Same goes for YOU teachers.
Have I talked about retirement plans yet? I do not recall. So I will. Sorry - the 'average' business out there doesn't provide a paid retirement plan for their employees. Most don't even match a 401(k) percentage any more. No government agency or employee should have an automatic retirement plan included in their benefits. This needs to stop - again - like yesterday. This includes ALL politicians & teachers.
People think MN taxes are so high. We're not even in the top 10 in the U.S. For how much we plow, salt & sand roads, I would have expected us to rank higher. Not that that is the only consideration. How much cutting can be done & still have a state you WANT to live in? I've said this before - you can tell how good a society is by how they treat their least citizen. We're not doing so hot. In fact, we SUCK. I do what I can in my community to make it better. I give to the food shelf on a regular basis. I volunteer at a FREE community meal (& donate food to make it fly). To help people. I freeze meals for my 89 year old Grandmother (I call it frozen meals on wheels) so she can stay at home longer. I practice what I preach. I teach my kids what they need to do to make this a better place. That is all I can do as 1 person. But if every person did the same - wow, what an amazing country we'd have!
Let's start with politics, since that really is in my heart. So why do I get so frustrated when I do love it so? The politicians are acting worse than my 2 year old. Grown men & women. This infuriates me whenever it is seen - and frankly it is becoming more often. How scary is THAT? In business too. How can inept people still hold jobs when the unemployment rate is so high? And people wonder why America is in this state? I can tell you 4 good reasons off the top of my head. 1. It starts with acting your age. 2. It continues with taking responsibility for your actions. 3. It goes on with having your WORD mean something. You know - if you say you will do something, then DO it. (A good friend rants on this one too!) 4. It ends with taking some initiative & striving to IMPROVE items around you.
So I am not even 4 sentences into this topic, and I was OFF topic! Sooooo much stuff that just doesn't make sense. I thought I was rational.... am I really off-base here? Back to the politicians. The status of the Minnesota budget is horrendous. This is the case all across the U.S. A poor economy will do that. No surprise there - as evidenced by California's I.O.U.'s... yeah, how'd you like to get one of those? hehehe. I digress again. The budget. 1 week left in the session and the budget is outstanding. It's always handled last because it is the biggest bargaining chip used through-out the session. This I understand. This I do NOT agree with. The first item that must be handled in the session is the budget. Is there anything more important? No. Sorry Vikes, your stadium isn't making the priority list. There should be a law - NOTHING ELSE IS DISCUSSED UNTIL A BUDGET IS PASSED. Yeah - just try to go pass that one, I know. But that doesn't mean it isn't the right thing to do. Because it is. I know it is.
The best thing that happened last week was that the MN State Supreme Court found Governor Tim Pawlenty's 2009 unallotment to be unconstitutional. Not in the action, as that was a power given to the office by the Legislature. But in TIMING. Very key there. He unallotted while the Legislature was still in session. Unallotment was a power granted for EMERGENCY situations. 2009 did not qualify as the session was still running. THIS was an outstanding decision. Magnificent even. I did a dance in my den. It wasn't pretty - but it was joyous! And so many people didn't even take notice. But then, they didn't notice when Tim-baby acted like a dictator in 2009 either. So I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised. I find this so very interesting. The GOP & fear-mongering that is still rampant out there had NO qualms what-so-ever with Tim abusing his powers. But if the shoe were on the other foot - I am very certain - that outrage would have ensued & the Tea-Partyers would have camped out on the Governor's front lawn. How quaint.
Since this court decision was passed down, the Legislature is in an even bigger mess - the budget deficit larger than before. My solution? Cut everyone across the board. This MUST include all legislators, state employees of EVERY sort. All offices. I don't care what you take care of. Yes, that includes YOU teachers. And YOU politicians. Frankly, the politicians should have taken the cuts 1st. But that's just my opinion.
So we've got a week. But there's more. A week ago, Mr. Pawlenty sent a letter to the House & Senate leaders: Dear Schmucks, Good work on your budget. I hate it & I will veto it. Have a great day suck-wads. Love, Mr. President OOPS Pawlenty. SO, because the Legislature is working together to get something done, and HE doesn't like it, he won't 'play nice'. Nope. So, does anyone else find it odd that Tim behave this way & still gets respect? I have lost the smidgen of respect I did have for the man. Granted, he didn't have far to go for that to happen - but STILL.
So back to the Legislature. Please pass the budget with enough votes to override Tim's veto. PLEASE. MN cannot function appropriately by cutting, cutting, cutting! I know there is still waste out there. Yes it needs to be gone. BUT, there are programs getting the hatchet that cannot get the hatchet before people won't be taken care of. Literally. My example? The elderly. Last year's cut was 5%. Oh, not to 'nursing homes', but to any facility that accepts termed 'elderly waver'. (aka Assisted Living). This year - they are looking at another 5% cut. So, should the Legislature keep cutting, there won't be facilities willing to take care of people on this elderly waver program. What then? Their response is 'We'll deal with that after it happens.' REALLY? Haven't our elders put up with enough of your crapola? Then they'll have to worry about being taken care of as well? REALLY? Oh, but don't cut education. AHHHHHHH! Studies have proven that throwing money at education does NOT make it better. Studies have shown that if elderly stay home too long, there is physical danger to them, their families & their neighbors - hospital costs increase, fires happen. Yet MN is ready to drive down this road willingly & readily.
My blood is boiling & I am certain my blood pressure is going through the roof. I've called my Legislators. I've emailed. I've lobbied! It isn't enough.
People only care about their pocketbook. Know what? I do understand that. But - lets get realistic. There are items that do need to be taken care of and taxes do accomplish it. Yes, it may be a terribly economy as to why we are in this mess. So let's look at that. Why not have taxes automatically bump up a bit based on the unemployment rate? (And YES, they would automatically bump DOWN as well!) This way a budget deficit wouldn't be AS bad. This is something that can be easily accomplished. I think this is a great way to lessen the impact of the next recession - there will be one... there always is the next dip in the road you know.
Let's look at the postal system. They are already looking at cutting Saturday service. This I am very OK with. I thought of this last fall. But let's take this 1 step further. Did you know that every person in the postal system gets FREE health insurance? FREE. Sorry, but this needs to stop - like yesterday. Phase it out until Uncle Sam pays the 70% to match the rate included in the national health care reform bill. Nobody should get FREE health insurance. Same goes for YOU teachers.
Have I talked about retirement plans yet? I do not recall. So I will. Sorry - the 'average' business out there doesn't provide a paid retirement plan for their employees. Most don't even match a 401(k) percentage any more. No government agency or employee should have an automatic retirement plan included in their benefits. This needs to stop - again - like yesterday. This includes ALL politicians & teachers.
People think MN taxes are so high. We're not even in the top 10 in the U.S. For how much we plow, salt & sand roads, I would have expected us to rank higher. Not that that is the only consideration. How much cutting can be done & still have a state you WANT to live in? I've said this before - you can tell how good a society is by how they treat their least citizen. We're not doing so hot. In fact, we SUCK. I do what I can in my community to make it better. I give to the food shelf on a regular basis. I volunteer at a FREE community meal (& donate food to make it fly). To help people. I freeze meals for my 89 year old Grandmother (I call it frozen meals on wheels) so she can stay at home longer. I practice what I preach. I teach my kids what they need to do to make this a better place. That is all I can do as 1 person. But if every person did the same - wow, what an amazing country we'd have!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Mumbo Jumbo
Wow, has it been awhile or what! Oopsie. Oh internet, I do love you... a bit too much. That is my excuse & I'm stickin' to it.
Monday I did something that I had studied for 6 years for. I lobbied my State Senator (for long-term health care). I spent the morning at the Capitol in St. Paul. Had a semi-private tour because my meeting time was later than others in our group. It'd been years since I'd been there. Mom did her civic duty & brought my brother and I down when we were in 5th & 9th grades (or there about). I remembered more than I thought. I satisfied my inner-political nerd-ness... for a day! It was fun. It was interesting. It made me realize that running for office isn't out of the realm of my reality. I could be a politician. I could easily like it. And people would swear at me & I'd probably swear back & not be re-elected! Would that be so bad either? Nope.
Since I've blogged last, Ks 1 & 2 have started karate lessons. Such great fun to watch them grow in their technique and knowledge. So wonderful that lessons learned there directly transfer to our home, school & life. Wonderful that kids are 'bribed' into acting well to do better in karate - and it WORKS! Who knew? Morgan has traveled through the following belts: white, gold, green & is presently a purple belt. Alec is a 'Mighty Dragon'. This is a class for younger kids (3-5). The belts are all while with different colored stripes through the middle that show his skill level. His belts have been: white, white w/yellow stripe, white w/green stripe, and he is presently white w/purple stripe. We have just discussed him moving to the normal belt program, which he'd enter as a yellow belt - and will probably happen in May or June. Morgan will attend a few sparring classes to see if she likes that. Not so sure full-contact will be for her - even if she's all padded up. I can easily see Alec enjoying this - really - 'Hey Alec, you can hit & kick people, go for it!' "All RIGHT!!" Yep - that'll be an easy sell. Now the big question will be if MOM can handle her kids in the sparring class... I haven't decided yet, but I am thinking I'll need to leave while class is in session.
An entire SLEW of blog posts was missed in January when we dog-sat for my parents yellow lab, Jett. He arrived December 24th. We had him just over a month. The kids loved loved loved it. They bonded well with Jett. That's a great thing because with the summer coming, it'll make the cabin time easier. They know each other well. Morgan would take Jett for her own if all the adults agreed. Which they definitely will NOT. Jett proceeded to move into & take over our mud/laundry room. If he walked by a toy or lego on the floor, it went in his mouth. So I wasn't about to make the kids clean up everything ALL the time. Nor was I about to buy my kids new toys. I'm not that crazy! So the laundry room was Mr. Jett's. We have an end table in there to set stuff on. He chewed it up. We have a full size deep freezer in there. He chewed up the freezer knob that was duct-taped in place (to prevent children from turning it off). He ate 3 pieces of duct tape before he quit. Uuuummmmm, fiber! He chewed up a rug. Good thing it was an old one that needed replacement anyway. This was all while having chew toys at his disposal 100% of the time. So WHY? I dunno. Jett attempted to do some landscaping in our front yard. Other than the au natural furtilizer left in the midst of our shrubbery, he pruned all the shrubs he would walk past. We had some new lilacs a year ago & I really wasn't sure they'd make it through Jett. But they all have leaves on that just peaked through last week - so relief there! 1 day, he tried to pull other established shrubs out of the ground by grabbing onto a few branches & pulling with all his might a la tug-o-war. This was the day he learned some massive respect for H. We won't detail Jett's punishment for the entire www to see. But if you want to know, gimmie a call. It wasn't pretty. However we didn't have this issue afterward. Bottom line, H & I were past-ready to have Jett go home. His last 3 days with us were perfect & he was a little gentleman. When the parents came to take Jett home - we had tears. All the kids were so upset & crying their eyes out. I told them "Look, Jett is just going HOME. It isn't like he's dying & you'll never see him again! Get OVER it!" Well, live & learn. Should not have mentioned dying. Because then the whole thing was 'We'll never see Jazzie - she's dead - why did she die?' and on and tears and on and tears and on and tears... (Jazzie was my parents' last yellow lab that died from Lyme's Disease last summer.) Needless to say, it'd been a little past their bedtime & they needed to get to bed ASAP.
So what's next? A lot. I've saved a few items for another day. When will that be? Your guess is as good as mine!
Monday I did something that I had studied for 6 years for. I lobbied my State Senator (for long-term health care). I spent the morning at the Capitol in St. Paul. Had a semi-private tour because my meeting time was later than others in our group. It'd been years since I'd been there. Mom did her civic duty & brought my brother and I down when we were in 5th & 9th grades (or there about). I remembered more than I thought. I satisfied my inner-political nerd-ness... for a day! It was fun. It was interesting. It made me realize that running for office isn't out of the realm of my reality. I could be a politician. I could easily like it. And people would swear at me & I'd probably swear back & not be re-elected! Would that be so bad either? Nope.
Since I've blogged last, Ks 1 & 2 have started karate lessons. Such great fun to watch them grow in their technique and knowledge. So wonderful that lessons learned there directly transfer to our home, school & life. Wonderful that kids are 'bribed' into acting well to do better in karate - and it WORKS! Who knew? Morgan has traveled through the following belts: white, gold, green & is presently a purple belt. Alec is a 'Mighty Dragon'. This is a class for younger kids (3-5). The belts are all while with different colored stripes through the middle that show his skill level. His belts have been: white, white w/yellow stripe, white w/green stripe, and he is presently white w/purple stripe. We have just discussed him moving to the normal belt program, which he'd enter as a yellow belt - and will probably happen in May or June. Morgan will attend a few sparring classes to see if she likes that. Not so sure full-contact will be for her - even if she's all padded up. I can easily see Alec enjoying this - really - 'Hey Alec, you can hit & kick people, go for it!' "All RIGHT!!" Yep - that'll be an easy sell. Now the big question will be if MOM can handle her kids in the sparring class... I haven't decided yet, but I am thinking I'll need to leave while class is in session.
An entire SLEW of blog posts was missed in January when we dog-sat for my parents yellow lab, Jett. He arrived December 24th. We had him just over a month. The kids loved loved loved it. They bonded well with Jett. That's a great thing because with the summer coming, it'll make the cabin time easier. They know each other well. Morgan would take Jett for her own if all the adults agreed. Which they definitely will NOT. Jett proceeded to move into & take over our mud/laundry room. If he walked by a toy or lego on the floor, it went in his mouth. So I wasn't about to make the kids clean up everything ALL the time. Nor was I about to buy my kids new toys. I'm not that crazy! So the laundry room was Mr. Jett's. We have an end table in there to set stuff on. He chewed it up. We have a full size deep freezer in there. He chewed up the freezer knob that was duct-taped in place (to prevent children from turning it off). He ate 3 pieces of duct tape before he quit. Uuuummmmm, fiber! He chewed up a rug. Good thing it was an old one that needed replacement anyway. This was all while having chew toys at his disposal 100% of the time. So WHY? I dunno. Jett attempted to do some landscaping in our front yard. Other than the au natural furtilizer left in the midst of our shrubbery, he pruned all the shrubs he would walk past. We had some new lilacs a year ago & I really wasn't sure they'd make it through Jett. But they all have leaves on that just peaked through last week - so relief there! 1 day, he tried to pull other established shrubs out of the ground by grabbing onto a few branches & pulling with all his might a la tug-o-war. This was the day he learned some massive respect for H. We won't detail Jett's punishment for the entire www to see. But if you want to know, gimmie a call. It wasn't pretty. However we didn't have this issue afterward. Bottom line, H & I were past-ready to have Jett go home. His last 3 days with us were perfect & he was a little gentleman. When the parents came to take Jett home - we had tears. All the kids were so upset & crying their eyes out. I told them "Look, Jett is just going HOME. It isn't like he's dying & you'll never see him again! Get OVER it!" Well, live & learn. Should not have mentioned dying. Because then the whole thing was 'We'll never see Jazzie - she's dead - why did she die?' and on and tears and on and tears and on and tears... (Jazzie was my parents' last yellow lab that died from Lyme's Disease last summer.) Needless to say, it'd been a little past their bedtime & they needed to get to bed ASAP.
So what's next? A lot. I've saved a few items for another day. When will that be? Your guess is as good as mine!
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