on the failed bailout, politicians, and the election.....not for the fainthearted.....

WARNING WARNING WARNING!!!!!

This is your first and last warning---if you think govt is the answer to all the ills in the world and that we should happily give up all our money to others, do NOT read further---you WILL be offended, and quite honestly, I couldn't give a rat's ass about what you think..........

Now that the preliminaries are done, on to business......

The bailout of the financial crisis failed to pass the US House of Representatives yesterday. HALLELUJAH!!! Maybe someone, or several someones, finally got enough sense, or gonads, to actually use their brain and see what it would cost the average US taxpayer. Maybe someone finally understood that with decisions, and especially with poor business decisions, there are consequences and no one should have to take up your slack or cover your rear for you.....

I am sure that all the facts and figures on what it would have cost each man, woman, and child in this country are all over the various media outlets, so I won't rehash them. If you want a quick review of the facts, head on over to Perfect It Ain't--the link should be at the side of this page. Suffice it to say that I, as the majority breadwinner in this family--no offense to my dear hubby, we just work in different fields----and the parent of 5, do not have any extra cash for anything. I do not live high on the hog, getting manicures and my hair done each week----what gets done to them I do myself---our vehicles are 10 and 9 years old respectively, our house is owned by the bank at this point---I think my payments have allowed us to claim ownership of the rock denoting our house number in front-----but I make my payments faithfully and most usually on time. We buy what we need at the grocery store, and while my hobbies can be expensive if I let them, as can Ron's, we base what we buy on what we can afford. We don';t go out to eat nearly as often as we used to, because it gets quite expensive and we can eat just as well if not better at home. We have Dish b/c cable in our area sucks horribly, and we have cell phones for us, not the kids. There is no extra. There is rarely a luxury. Our big vacation trip this year was camping for a week at the state park 20 miles or less from our home. The only other things we did that took us away from home were going to CT to pick my sons up from their dad after summer visitation, and going to COSI in Columbus, OH for a family day trip. We don't travel. We don't live on credit. We don't live big. Our home is fairly new in the grand scheme of things---approx 20 yrs old, and there is some maintenance and upkeep to it, but not as much as a much older home might have. My 4 BR, 2000 SqFt home was less than $130,000 at time of purchase. A little on the high side of what we could afford, but we, above all else, make sure that house payment gets made.

But if we find ourselves strapped for cash and can't make the payments for a few months, do we get bailed out? Sure, it's called foreclosure and bankruptcy. Oh yeah, it's really not a bailout, it's just a way to get rid of the payment. Of course, it also gets rid of our home, but hey, at least we don't have to make that payment every month, right? I don't see the govt rushing to our aid so we can keep our home. Why should they? We screw up, we pay the piper. Therefore, we don't screw up....Duh.....how simple is that?

The CEO's of Freddie Mac, Fanny Mae, AIG, Wamu, Wachovia, just to name a few---why should they be any different? Why are they allowed to walk away with millions of dollars for screwing up and screwing their employees and customers?? Why should they not be made to pay back what was lost? Why should they be allowed to prosper at the expense of others whose livelihoods they were entrusted with? Why are they not held accountable for their poor business practices? Since when is ethics a dirty word? Since when does honesty in business mean less than squat?

Maybe I am naive, but if I am then a hell of a lot of other Americans are too. We trust our banks and our insurance companies and so on, to deal right with us. To not screw us without benefit of dinner and a movie first....And for me to be expected to ante up a share of my hard earned money to bail out a bunch of greedy, less than human businesspeople just so their companies won't fail----well hell people, if I screw my customers and treat them poorly, I lose business and my company folds and I lose my job. Why shouldn't they? I'm quite sick and tired of being expected, and quite often given no choice in the matter, to "help out my fellow man down on his luck" when the reason he is down on his luck is his own damn fault and he shows no inclination to change. Beyond the crocodile tears he sheds for the media, who eat it up...but I digress.....

Now before you think I am anti business or anti capitalism or something equally stupid, let me also tell you that I put a lot of the blame for the housing nonsense on stupid people who refuse to live within their means, and buy $500,000 dollar homes when they have no way to afford them, except through the machinations of a mortgage company or bank to squeeze them through the cracks. There are days I wonder how we got our mortgage---but we also crunched numbers and told the mortgage company up front that we demanded a fixed interest rate, never to change, and that the taxes and insurance must be included in the payment. We got it. We also got sticker shock over the monthly payment, but after careful consideration, decided that we could do it if we were careful. And the interest rate was not bad for people with our credit history. Yes bad choices can come back to haunt you. But how can someone sign on the dotted line knowing that their 4.5% rate is going to jump bigtime in a few years and that means their payment is going to jump substantially and they will have to be prepared for it? Do they think that day will never come? Here's your sign......

And the politicians who are crying on tv today, blaming the other side, blaming the President, blaming everyone but themselves and their own stupidity in trying to pass such a shoddy piece of legislation? GROW THE HELL UP!!!!! We out here in flyover territory are not the morons you think us to be. Bush supported this legislation--yet another case of mental block---so why are you blaming him and saying that he caused it to fail? It is not the Republicans fault that it failed------there are a hell of a lot more Democrats in the House than Republicans, so why couldn't they make it happen? Because maybe they have constituents out there that are telling them the same thing I am-------not on our backs, you idiots.......you want to keep your cushy job there in DC? Then don't screw us, the taxpaying voter.........Obama and McCain want it passed----yall are pushing me to go 3rd party--and I already was not voting for Obama, so don't blow it McCain........

I'm sure there is more I can and probably will say, but now the kids are home and demanding my time........and quite honestly, they are worth more than all the money in the world......

random thoughts......

Or maybe not so random......

Hey Dad, I was going to go on the local rag's forum and make my comments, but after reading yours, I couldn't improve upon them, and the ignoramuses had already taken over. And I just did not feel like dignifying them with a well-deserved smack in the face......

I did, however, check out your buddy's blog and posted a couple of comments there.....Glad to see he remains calm in the face of the storm......

Onward and upward.....

Today is my oldest son's 16th birthday.....How did I spend this day 16 yrs ago---well at this particular point in time---approx 4:30 pm, I think I was sleeping, courtesy of an epidural....I woke up to the doctor saying PUSH, about 3 hrs. later.......Primal scream at 8:19 tonight, if anyone is interested.....We are just doing some cupcakes tonight--the party will be Sunday when assorted friends and relatives can make it.

Reading the local rag today was not good for my digestive processes. On one hand was the local news.....not too bad today, considering......but the opinion page....whoa Nelly........ Apparently the biggest clue that one is a racist is not voting for Obama......yeah right. Also apparently he is the god of health care now.....can anyone say socialism? Can anyone say please pass the Vaseline? I think I should buy stock in that company......everyone will need it if this character (or lack thereof) gets into office.....

Then there is the usual Church/State debate.......supposedly this coming Sunday is being touted as the day that preachers will tell their flocks how to vote......now don't get me wrong, I have no problem with pastors having an opinion on this topic, or in stating it. But from the pulpit doesn't seem right. My pastor and I have had discussions before on our views, and while I am sure that if he feels that strongly about it, he may give his basis on why he would vote for someone or against someone while in the pulpit, never in 10 years of attending that church have I heard him do so. As a matter of fact, when we are in class, or just talking, he is careful to state that such-and-such is his opinion only.......Now I know that just because I have not actually heard him give such a speech from the pulpit may not mean he hasn't....I have never heard him do so when I have been there. And I don't feel it is an appropriate place to expound on your personal political beliefs.......

Sorry I had to go away from the computer and now I have lost my train of thought......I'll be back when it is..........

spam spam spam spam.....

Besides being a not so tasty "luncheon loaf" and a song from the Monty Python soundtrack, it's also what I get about 150 of each day in my bulk mailbox on my email account. So for those who like to spam others:

I do not need a penis enlargement, as I am female and do not have a penis.....

I do not need to increase my bust size---trust me on this......

My home is not and has never been in danger of being foreclosed upon, and I am quite sure that if it would ever be, I will not rely on help from an email site.....

My colon is quite fine and functioning perfectly...no need to be cleansed.....

I do not want a free gift from Best Buy, WM, or anywhere else, as these usually come with hefty shipping fees charged to the credit card I do not have, and no you will not get my bank info either.....

I do not need Viagra, Cialis, fat loss drugs or anything else. I am quite capable of seeing my own family physician should any of these become necessary......

College loans and financial aid programs are in the near future for my kids, but again, I will go through those I know to be reputable, like my bank..........

I do not want to be a police officer---I probably could not pass the physical anyway......

I am not nor ever have been in the military.....so VA benefits would not help me....

I don't wear any jewelry except for my wedding band and my cheap Walmart watch, so I have no gold to sell.....

Anything else? I am sure there is a category I have left out...oh yeah, I'm married, so photos of my latest crush, black singles, Christian singles, single singles, whatever, do not interest me....

By the way, I don't read any of your spam emails--I click delete all and there you go, where you belong, down the toilet.........

have a nice day.....

random thoughts

ok, to start out the day, go to ABCnews.com and click on politics and take the matchmatic poll---it gives you statements made by Obama and McCain, and you pick the statement that most closely matches what you think, then at the end it tells you who you voted for. Mine was McCain with two exceptions----out of about 20 or so. I knew I was voting for McCain anyway, but it was interesting to see how close I matched his statements......and it makes you stop and think a little too.

Had to pick Shellie up from school yesterday morning, b/c she said she threw up again. Allergies/drainage--she told me after I picked her up of course that it was just mucus. But you tell a teacher that you threw up and it's an automatic call to get picked up......they don't mess with that or fevers....probably a good thing, but it meant that Ron had to come home at noon so I could get to work, and she also missed a birthday party for one of the neighbor kids and her first soccer game.....b/c in my house if you miss all or part of the day at school due to illness, you also miss any extracurriculars that evening...tends to cut down on the faking it.......of course she was fine once I got her home, but she still had to play quietly and not go outside and all that......Today she is on her way to school with the required note and a dose of benadryl for the nose.....hopefully she will make it through the day----too early to start this stuff.....

I have decided that I am going to whip up quilt tops one after the other and get some of my stash of fabric used up.....also to have an inventory of stuff that potential buyers can pick from....so far I have 10 patterns and material for those patterns picked out and stacked on my sewing table....and the two rocking chairs nearby......and the loveseat......and the other chair at the sewing table.......yeah, so much for a neat and orderly work space....it will be after I get the pieces cut out and bagged for later use.....the plan is to cut all needed pieces and put them in bags to be used in turn as each top is completed.......so there is some organizational thought to this.......

I also need desperately to start cross stitching again.....I miss it.....and I would like to do some bookmarks and stuff to sell as well.....time is the only problem......

Not to mention the afghan I am supposed to have knit my niece ages ago, and got disillusioned with after the first section was done---it just did not look right.....so I ripped it out and have been thinking whether to alter it to my satisfaction or to switch patterns or what......don;t worry guys, I still have the yarn, just need to push....

Well, I am going to sign off and get busy---I'm off today, so maybe I can get something done.....

true feminism

True feminism has been portrayed for years by the media and the fanatic "get rid of men" crowd, such as my old AWS organization at good old MU, as having to break glass ceilings and having to act and be like men to compete with them for jobs and having to push aside our natural nurturing tendencies, etc..........How wrong they are in their portrayal, and how much wrong they have done to the women who believed them....

True feminists are those women who have stood strong for their ideals even in the face of severe
opposition. They are the ones who have looked society in the face and told it to go to hell, they are raising their kids and keeping their families together and working a job or two or three at the same time. They are the ones who know what they want and how to get it without sacrificing their character doing it.

They get up every morning and make sure the kids are off to school with food in their stomachs and their backpacks loaded with last nights completed and checked homework, agendas signed, lunch boxes in hand. They stand on the porch, waiting to make sure the kids get on the bus, before beginning the rest of their day.

They get ready for work and go in to do whatever their job requires of them the next 8 or so hours until it is time to go home and check the kid's homework and get dinner ready and clean house and do laundry---oh yeah, and they are not ashamed to admit they cannot do it all alone, so hubby gets to pitch in, or the kids, depending on their ages......She gets the kids to bed and gets to relax a minute or two, if she is lucky, before she hits the hay only to get up and do it all again tomorrow...

She is the one cheering at the events her kids are involved in--from little league to high school sports to plays to musicals........she is always there to encourage and support.....

She works outside the home, but considers raising her family her true job---the most important one.

She follows her dreams, even when they change to include the dreams of others near and dear to her heart....

She teaches her kids about drugs and alcohol and smoking and sex....and prays silently that they make better choices than she did at their ages, or beyond, and cries with them when they don't....

She makes mistakes and learns from them, not blaming others, but realizing where she made the wrong move........

She loves with all her heart and soul and mind......

There is so much more to her than meets the eye....

update on injury, among other things....

Ok, for those who didn't know---I severely sprained my ankle at work Wed. night---I stepped back away from a shelf and my ankle just collapsed under me, hit the floor and popped about 3 times by the time I grabbed a shelf to keep myself from hitting the floor......now working my way thru the lovely worker's comp system again.......

It is at the stage where I refuse to use the crutches b/c they quite honestly hurt my armpits so badly I can't stand them, and my stomach muscles feel pulled all out of place, so I am in the "boot" which holds my ankle upright and keeps it from giving way again, and I feel much better, except for my right leg and hip which have been taking the brunt of my not inconsiderable weight......Tonight the stupid ankle is itching like a son of a gun, so I hope that means it is healing.....back to doc on Tuesday for followup.......

P. S.---did anyone really expect Marshall to win against Wisconsin today? I didn't even know who they were playing, and happened to mention to Ron while we were in WM this evening that I only got to hear a brief blip of the game on the way home from work, and an employee told me that we lost 51-14 and who to.......he acted real surprised that we had lost.......

Now on to politics-----watched most of McCain's speech the other night, and while not greatly impressed with his oratory capabilities, he seems to have a grasp of reality that Obama does not....I am more impressed with his VP choice, but I feel more comfortable with this campaign than the other...........I still wish that there was a viable third party alternative, but as there is not, and probably will not be in the foreseeable future, then we must make do with what we have.....I'm sure there will be more on this later, but my darling husband just bitched b/c he has dinner on the table and I am sitting here clickety clacking away......

politics.....

After eschewing the Democratic convention last week---just didn't feel like raising my blood pressure that much.....I happened to be home last night when Sarah Palin, the Rep. VP candidate, made her speech, and I have to say I enjoyed it. Maybe that is not the purpose, but she seems self assured, confident of her beliefs, ready to take on the world. There could be worse candidates (look at Joe Biden!). She made what I felt were several good points, on energy, on experience, etc. Too bad I fell asleep halfway through her speech----I had just returned home from the ER after injuring myself at work and the painkiller kicked in.......

I'm not saying that I agree with everything she or McCain either one says, but after hearing what i did of her speech, and then I plan on watching McCain's tonight, I feel more confident that this is the pair I want in the White House. Out of the choices we have. Obama just does not have the experience, either in life or in public service, etc., that I feel are necessary. Actually, my pick for Prez would be Jack Ryan from the Tom Clancy novels----straight shooter and to hell with the rest of the world----Palin is the closest I have seen to that.

Now about her family life-----I don't give a rat's rear end who you are, if you have teens you know that they are gonna do what they are gonna do. Mom don't yell at me yet-----yes you give them the rules, and the consequences of breaking hte rules, and the reasons behind it if necessary. But they also have to make their own mistakes--and some of mine and some of my kids have been doozy's. I can stand here and preach abstinence all day long----but I also make sure my kids are very aware of the consequences of not being abstinent. At least they cannot say they didn't know.....Parents and kids have been going thru this stuff for years....no matter how good a parent you are, at some point your kid is going to make a decision that may change his/her life, and not always for the better----and they may say "man, I wish I had listened to mom and dad". Just b/c apparently Palin has a teen who chose to go her own route and is now having to live with the consequences of that action does not mean she failed as a parent. If that were the case, the majority of us have failed at our parental jobs......

All I can say now is I hope the Rep. ticket wins in November, b/c I shudder to think of the consequences of the Dem ticket winning....higher taxes, higher gas, etc.