This is the last one -------- I think ------- in my political posts.
First off, I thought the last debate was much more civil than the last two. YAY! I am a little puzzled by the fact that both men showed so much more respect to the mediator. I just wonder if it was simply because it was a male, rather than a female. Just a thought. Or perhaps they realized that all the past craziness was just not accepted by the American public.
Foreign policy. I have no idea. I know that I don't want a war of any kind. I don't understand all of the ins and outs of foreign affairs. I know that the middle east is important. I know that all of the countries that were mentioned affect us in ways that I can't comprehend. I know that it is imperative that we show the world that we are strong. And I know that the rest of the world looks to the United States to be leaders in every way! Because I don't have a clear understanding, I can't comment on who has the better handle on things. What I can say is that I was in awe at just how many things and issues are thrown at the president of the United States in that area.
I honestly, with everything that I am, want to see Governor Mitt Romney become the next President of the United States. I want to see a leader in business help us to get out of the economic mess we are in. There are so many things involved in that. I think he has proved himself professionally. Being successful and wealthy should not be something to be feared. It should be something to be admired. Not only professionally is he second to none, but I believe that his personal life is one to be recognized. You don't have to agree with his religious beliefs. In fact, I would be willing to guess that the majority of the American public does not even know what he really believes. But, look at his moral strengths. He believes in the family. He and his family worship God. They believe in service to their fellow man. There has never been a question about his past in those areas. His allegiance has not been questioned!
This is what I wonder and would like you to think about. Why would a man like Mitt Romney want to be the president in the first place? What in the world would he get out of it? It isn't financial gain. He may have a lifelong six figure paycheck as a president or past-president, but he doesn't need it. Shoot, he gave up a lot of money in earnings by leaving Bain to campaign. You can just look that up through a google search. You can also look up the amount of his own personal money he spent on both campaigns. Why would he do it once, yet alone twice?
I have two theories on this.
One, he is an egomaniac who sees himself as someone who already succeeded in the challenges he had before him. He is already multizillionaire! He already turned a hurting Olympics into a success that was seen by the entire world. Now he is out to prove that through his leadership, he can turn an economy in the worst weakened condition that anyone who didn't live through the great depression has ever seen.
OR
Two, he honestly believes in the future of America and is concerned for the future of his children and grandchildren. He feels that he has had success and truly believes that his ideas can make a difference for his posterity as well as ours.
Either way, it could be a win for all of us!
I have to disbelieve most of what I hear about President Obama. I do not believe he is a socialist, communist, terrorist, etc. I do not believe that the United States of American will be in ruin if he is reelected. I have to believe that we have enough safeguards in place to prevent that. BUT, I do believe that it is time for things to look up! We have to do better as a country! We have to be better! I have children and grandchildren. I worry about what kind of situation they will encounter down the road.
I do not believe my little blogs have changed the minds of Americans. I probably haven't even convinced a single Democrat or Obama supporter to change their vote. My real objective was to perhaps give one or two people something to think about, something to investigate.
Some people who have commented to me have questioned the Bible, questioned the Godhead, etc. I have always been strong in my religious beliefs. I believe in a living and loving God and I will continue to pray for this country and its leadership - whoever that may be.
Thanks for reading!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
More issues! Student loans - arghhhhh
In my earlier blog I promised to say something about the relevance of unemployed young people, but I can't remember what point I planned to make. I am sure it had to do with student loans. If not, oh well. I am going to talk about the student loan issues in the United States.
Our student loan program is an absolute mess and a drain on the American Tax Payer!!!! I don't know if that is an absolute fact or my opinion. As I was researching this issue, I was just getting frustrated. This is something you will have to decide on your own. BUT here are some facts - well facts as nearly as I can figure anyway.
One in five households have student loan debt!!! One if five - that is crazy!!!! If I believed that the debt ratio was equivalent with the ratio of productive, contributing college graduates, that number wouldn't be so bad. But I do not believe that at all.
Before everyone gets all upset, rest assured that I believe everyone should be entitled to an education. I have no idea how to make it work, but I don't believe that the current program is doing the job!
Government loaning money for schools??? Government giving longer period for that money to be repaid??? Government forgiving that debt???? What the heck? And where is government getting the money to loan out? Tax payers and China?? How did we get in the loan business in the first place? If government is going to be in the loan business, I should think that there would be stipulations to receiving that loan. #1 Go to a college that meets qualifications such as a good education at a reasonable cost. #2 Major in something that will be marketable and benefit both the educated and society.
If government is going to be loaning college money, they better be checking into the colleges! It seems to me that if there is more money available, and more students going to college, colleges are really taking advantages of that. Rising tuition costs prove that. And that is our free enterprise system at its best. Profit and demand - more demand, more rising costs, more profit!
Student debt crushes our economy! How?
1. First off the jobs are not there for college graduates! Period. There are way too many people graduating with no employment or at least under employment. But that is a different topic.
2. Debt lowers the chances of buying a home. Graduates are having a difficult time getting home loans because of the debt/income ratio. If homes are not purchased, the housing market tumbles. If the housing market goes under, there goes jobs! Vicious circle.
3. Same goes for the auto industry.
Remember, I am not against a college education. Right now I have two daughters and their husbands in college. But every one of those kids/adults have worked towards their education. They have held jobs, sometimes more than one, and have earned the grades to receive scholarships from the school. I assure you that when they are finished with their education, they will appreciate it! Isn't that the way it should be?
I have seen people who get grants for school and then get loans. When the loan money comes in, they use the excess to buy TVs, cars, and even Christmas presents for their kids. I met a lady who works at a college book store. She was telling me how the student loans are used to purchase entire wardrobes from the book store! Is that the way the program is intended? I don't think so. What happens to those people when the loans come due? That $40 sweatshirt will cost $400 over the course of the loan, people!
Here is what my hero, Dave Ramsey, has to say about college debt. He isn't endorsing a candidate, he is teaching financial responsibility.
Getting a student loan can hurt you much worse than just a monthly payment.
Borrowing so much hurts the economy in multiple ways. More debt means less money invested. If money isn't invested, the economy doesn't grow as well. More debt also means less money to outright buy things, which leads to more financing to buy things
You can read the rest of this article here.
http://www.daveramsey.com/article/student-loan-backlash/lifeandmoney_college
My head is spinning over all of this. Look up each candidate's policy proposals. They both seem to agree with me in certain ways. Then decide for yourself who has the best ideas.
Our student loan program is an absolute mess and a drain on the American Tax Payer!!!! I don't know if that is an absolute fact or my opinion. As I was researching this issue, I was just getting frustrated. This is something you will have to decide on your own. BUT here are some facts - well facts as nearly as I can figure anyway.
One in five households have student loan debt!!! One if five - that is crazy!!!! If I believed that the debt ratio was equivalent with the ratio of productive, contributing college graduates, that number wouldn't be so bad. But I do not believe that at all.
Before everyone gets all upset, rest assured that I believe everyone should be entitled to an education. I have no idea how to make it work, but I don't believe that the current program is doing the job!
Government loaning money for schools??? Government giving longer period for that money to be repaid??? Government forgiving that debt???? What the heck? And where is government getting the money to loan out? Tax payers and China?? How did we get in the loan business in the first place? If government is going to be in the loan business, I should think that there would be stipulations to receiving that loan. #1 Go to a college that meets qualifications such as a good education at a reasonable cost. #2 Major in something that will be marketable and benefit both the educated and society.
If government is going to be loaning college money, they better be checking into the colleges! It seems to me that if there is more money available, and more students going to college, colleges are really taking advantages of that. Rising tuition costs prove that. And that is our free enterprise system at its best. Profit and demand - more demand, more rising costs, more profit!
Student debt crushes our economy! How?
1. First off the jobs are not there for college graduates! Period. There are way too many people graduating with no employment or at least under employment. But that is a different topic.
2. Debt lowers the chances of buying a home. Graduates are having a difficult time getting home loans because of the debt/income ratio. If homes are not purchased, the housing market tumbles. If the housing market goes under, there goes jobs! Vicious circle.
3. Same goes for the auto industry.
Remember, I am not against a college education. Right now I have two daughters and their husbands in college. But every one of those kids/adults have worked towards their education. They have held jobs, sometimes more than one, and have earned the grades to receive scholarships from the school. I assure you that when they are finished with their education, they will appreciate it! Isn't that the way it should be?
I have seen people who get grants for school and then get loans. When the loan money comes in, they use the excess to buy TVs, cars, and even Christmas presents for their kids. I met a lady who works at a college book store. She was telling me how the student loans are used to purchase entire wardrobes from the book store! Is that the way the program is intended? I don't think so. What happens to those people when the loans come due? That $40 sweatshirt will cost $400 over the course of the loan, people!
Here is what my hero, Dave Ramsey, has to say about college debt. He isn't endorsing a candidate, he is teaching financial responsibility. Getting a student loan can hurt you much worse than just a monthly payment.
Borrowing so much hurts the economy in multiple ways. More debt means less money invested. If money isn't invested, the economy doesn't grow as well. More debt also means less money to outright buy things, which leads to more financing to buy things
The sad part is that after you've gotten a student loan and paid on it for a couple of years, that's when the reality hits you. That's when you realize that you have obligated yourself to pay thousands of dollars in interest over several years, instead of keeping that money for yourself and investing it, or giving it away, or even saving up and buying things with cash.
Well, this is your wake-up call! Don't take out a student loan. You can apply for scholarships and grants, work part-time or go to a cheaper school. But it's not worth it to take out a loan and start behind the financial 8-ball in life when you graduate
You can read the rest of this article here.
http://www.daveramsey.com/article/student-loan-backlash/lifeandmoney_college
My head is spinning over all of this. Look up each candidate's policy proposals. They both seem to agree with me in certain ways. Then decide for yourself who has the best ideas.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Change, Part Two (But not really it is just my thoughts on issues)
I don't know where I left off. But, I do know that we, as a country, need to go back to work. To me, and most Americans, at least I assume that most believe, that this is one of the most important issues facing us today. To be strong, we must work. Both candidates are addressing that issue. I don't know how we got into this high unemployment mess we are in. It was a long process that did NOT start with the Obama administration. I do know that the president did not keep his promises to put Americans back to work. But, how much of it was under his control? I will let you do that research because frankly, it is exhausting. I do feel that Romney has a good plan to put us back to work.
I have a friend who is concerned with women's rights. She does not like Romney's or Republican's stand on abortion issues. If Romney is elected will Roe v Wade be reversed? I truly do not believe it will but......Here is my thought on abortion.
Since this is my blog, I can give my opinion. And yes, I am a Christian woman with deep feelings for the sacredness of human life and the miracle of it. I really think one has to decide on when life begins to make a decision on abortion.
Do women have the right to choose what happens to their bodies? Sure! That right is prior to including another human being. Before one gets pregnant, they have the right to STOP that pregnancy. Even the catholic church has loosened up on that issue. I vaguely remember the talks when Roe v Wade was initiated. I remember the biggest argument was safe abortion practices. Put a stop to unsafe illegal abortions. But, what has happened? Anyone can have an abortion for any reason. While I was in North Carolina (many many years ago) I befriended a woman who was in a mess. She was single and made some very wrong choices in her life. Those choices resulted in an unwanted pregnancy. She painfully chose to terminate the pregnancy. I went to the clinic with her. While I was there, I met two woman. I was surprised and shocked to find those women laughing and joking about being there again. One woman was on her third abortion, the other her second. Abortion as a birth control method just seems wrong to me on so many levels!
Even the Romney camp has given exceptions to the abortion issue by including the rape, incest, and health of the mother. I don't even know how I feel about that. I worked with a young man while in the Army. He was such a good example of what a man and father should be. I became great friends with his wife and I adored their three children. I was even there for the birth of their fourth. During the course of our friendship, I found out that their oldest son, who was 7 at the time, was the result of a rape. Her aunt's husband forced himself on her until she became pregnant and was finally able to escape from his abuse. She had very strong religious beliefs and never once considered abortion to be an option. She told me that she never regretted having her son. She always felt that he was a great blessing to her. Her husband accepted the baby as his own. In fact, it was the love of her baby, that first attracted him to her. Now was that couple the exception to the rule? I don't know, but I know that meeting them and knowing them changed my life for the better.
Next - Debt! For or against? Definitely against!!!! I will make a political point, but bear with me.
Personally, I am in debt up to my eyebrows. I know that I am not really as bad as a lot of people but I do feel that I have gone against the advice of my church leaders and have a pile of debt that feels like a stone around my neck. One day I looked at it and said to myself, "Self, this is ENOUGH!" What did I do about it? Well, first off, I read a book by Dave Ramsey. actually I probably read the book before I said that. After reading his book, I got online and read everything I could that was written by him. (I often go to extremes, I will admit, but I did not spend money on his programs.) I do recommend him to anyone who has money issues or concerns of any kind.
Anyway, the first thing I did was to cut up my credit cards. If I was ever going to get out of the debt bondage, I had to prevent getting in deeper. Second thing, I called my creditors and made agreements that would help me actually pay them off. My arrangements have probably put my credit standings in jeopardy, which could actually be to my advantage in the long run. I am not at all tempted to borrow, because I don't want to fill out another credit application. *shiver* Third, I quit spending more money than I brought in. Do I hate living so tight and going without some of the finer things in life? Sure. But, it is only temporary. True, I spend every single dime, but not more! Fourth, I learned ways to get a bigger bang for my buck. Did you know that buying shoes in the kids section costs less than in the women's? I have big feet (8 1/2 wide) but found brand name running shoes for half the cost of in that section. And fifth, I started working more to pay down the debts sooner. I get tired, but see an end in sight.
Our country is in debt. We spend way more money than we make. Somehow that has to stop!! I have a strong feeling that if you really want to improve in financial matters, looking for a president that has absolute success in those matters would be an obvious choice!
Is Mitt Romney totally out of touch with the middle class? Don't think so, but I am pretty sure he has never eaten beans because that was what he could afford. Is that a bad thing? Nope. One does not have to sink to my level to care about me! I read once that if you really wanted to be successful you should study what other successful people do and try to emulate them. Made sense to me. (I KNOW a lot more things than I put into practice, it is true.) Governor Romney is a successful business man and I think it would behoove us to listen to what he has to say. He wants to stop spending money. That will be hard. Some people are going to lose programs that they have come to rely on. Do I like that? No! I wish everyone could have everything! It just doesn't work that way! Cuts have to come about and that is a fact!
Some people seemed to make the whole Big Bird comment from the first debate an issue. I honestly thing that became an issue because of biased media reporting. For pete's sake. He wants to stop government spending. Cutting $446 million dollars for PBS from the spending budget does not seem wrong to me. I have seen reports that because he wants to stop this expense he doesn't love children or care about quality and educational television. That is totally absurd. The reality is that cutting $446 million dollars barely puts a dent into what we need to do and it won't really have a strong impact on PBS television, but we have to start somewhere.
People are worried about the food stamp program. Oh my, it is going to be cut and people will go hungry. Good grief. I am not against giving a hand up. Once again a personal note. I have had a rough time in my life. My daughter was 15 and died in her sleep. That changed my life!!! I will always claim temporary insanity brought on by grief. I did some strange things during that time. First crazy thing I did was to actually throw her bed down the stairs! I insisted it leave my house!!! Why? I have no idea. I was crazy. Next thing, I left my husband! My husband had nothing to do with the tragedy that our family had to face, but I was crazy! I packed up seven children and moved them into a beat up two bedroom house. I didn't know at the time that I would be basically paralyzed for a year, unable to work or function in a normal fashion. But all of a sudden I was faced with the fact that I had NO money, NO job, and NO desire to help myself. I sought the help of my church and was given it in so many ways. I also got food stamps for my kids. I personally didn't care what I ate, but I knew that they needed me to provide for them in some way.
Our system is so messed up. Jose had to go through it in order to pay child support. He never hedged on that, but it literally took MONTHS for his money to reach us! I got on a short term disability (craziness qualifies for that and I will always be grateful to the people who helped me know that). Once again even though it was approved, it took months to see any money. Finally when all was said and done, I was able to see some financial relief. I did return back to the workforce. Funny thing. Once I got a job and regular child support, I went to the food stamp office to get off the program. The woman there was really annoyed with me because I still qualified but didn't feel it was the right thing to do. I hate to think I am the exception in this, but I didn't want to take advantage of the system.
I qualified for $735 per month. Wow, I had never spent that kind of money in groceries alone in my life. That was almost 8 years ago when food wasn't as costly. I was surprised to find out that a person can buy any type of food on food stamps. Did you all know that you could buy pop and candy? I didn't do a lot of that, but I could have! A friend of mine is a manager at a store. He gets very passionate about this subject. When he was working a woman bought 97 chocolate bunnies and put it on her food card. UGH! I have another friend that was in the grocery store buying hamburger and hotdogs. The woman in front of her purchased t-bone steaks and chips. Yep, on her EBT card. What about that is right?
There has to be a better way!!!!
I personally feel that the program should be run more like the WIC program. WIC foods are particular. There is a list of things that can be purchased and those things are healthy and not conveniently packaged (which raises the cost of everything as you well know.) Going through all of the checking can be a hassle at the grocery store if you are behind someone using WIC, but we should all slow down a bit anyway.
What about nutritional education and perhaps cooking lessons for people who receive benefits? Years ago I worked for the county as a daycare provider and received money for food for my daycare. Because of that program, I was able to keep costs down for working women. I was required to plan and prepare nutritional foods. At any given time a woman could come into my home and check out my menus. If I wasn't prepared with them, I would lose money. Why couldn't something like that be implemented in our food stamp program? Let's all talk to our congressmen or women!!!!
Romney doesn't want to stop people who need them from getting food stamps. He wants to fix a broken system! Wonder if he would listen to my ideas.
Well, if you are still reading this, I want to apologize for the lengthy ramble. I will stop now to give you a break. Tune in again for another segment! I will be speaking on education, family values, and military issues.
I have a friend who is concerned with women's rights. She does not like Romney's or Republican's stand on abortion issues. If Romney is elected will Roe v Wade be reversed? I truly do not believe it will but......Here is my thought on abortion.
Since this is my blog, I can give my opinion. And yes, I am a Christian woman with deep feelings for the sacredness of human life and the miracle of it. I really think one has to decide on when life begins to make a decision on abortion.
Do women have the right to choose what happens to their bodies? Sure! That right is prior to including another human being. Before one gets pregnant, they have the right to STOP that pregnancy. Even the catholic church has loosened up on that issue. I vaguely remember the talks when Roe v Wade was initiated. I remember the biggest argument was safe abortion practices. Put a stop to unsafe illegal abortions. But, what has happened? Anyone can have an abortion for any reason. While I was in North Carolina (many many years ago) I befriended a woman who was in a mess. She was single and made some very wrong choices in her life. Those choices resulted in an unwanted pregnancy. She painfully chose to terminate the pregnancy. I went to the clinic with her. While I was there, I met two woman. I was surprised and shocked to find those women laughing and joking about being there again. One woman was on her third abortion, the other her second. Abortion as a birth control method just seems wrong to me on so many levels!
Even the Romney camp has given exceptions to the abortion issue by including the rape, incest, and health of the mother. I don't even know how I feel about that. I worked with a young man while in the Army. He was such a good example of what a man and father should be. I became great friends with his wife and I adored their three children. I was even there for the birth of their fourth. During the course of our friendship, I found out that their oldest son, who was 7 at the time, was the result of a rape. Her aunt's husband forced himself on her until she became pregnant and was finally able to escape from his abuse. She had very strong religious beliefs and never once considered abortion to be an option. She told me that she never regretted having her son. She always felt that he was a great blessing to her. Her husband accepted the baby as his own. In fact, it was the love of her baby, that first attracted him to her. Now was that couple the exception to the rule? I don't know, but I know that meeting them and knowing them changed my life for the better.
Next - Debt! For or against? Definitely against!!!! I will make a political point, but bear with me.
Personally, I am in debt up to my eyebrows. I know that I am not really as bad as a lot of people but I do feel that I have gone against the advice of my church leaders and have a pile of debt that feels like a stone around my neck. One day I looked at it and said to myself, "Self, this is ENOUGH!" What did I do about it? Well, first off, I read a book by Dave Ramsey. actually I probably read the book before I said that. After reading his book, I got online and read everything I could that was written by him. (I often go to extremes, I will admit, but I did not spend money on his programs.) I do recommend him to anyone who has money issues or concerns of any kind.
Anyway, the first thing I did was to cut up my credit cards. If I was ever going to get out of the debt bondage, I had to prevent getting in deeper. Second thing, I called my creditors and made agreements that would help me actually pay them off. My arrangements have probably put my credit standings in jeopardy, which could actually be to my advantage in the long run. I am not at all tempted to borrow, because I don't want to fill out another credit application. *shiver* Third, I quit spending more money than I brought in. Do I hate living so tight and going without some of the finer things in life? Sure. But, it is only temporary. True, I spend every single dime, but not more! Fourth, I learned ways to get a bigger bang for my buck. Did you know that buying shoes in the kids section costs less than in the women's? I have big feet (8 1/2 wide) but found brand name running shoes for half the cost of in that section. And fifth, I started working more to pay down the debts sooner. I get tired, but see an end in sight.
Our country is in debt. We spend way more money than we make. Somehow that has to stop!! I have a strong feeling that if you really want to improve in financial matters, looking for a president that has absolute success in those matters would be an obvious choice!
Is Mitt Romney totally out of touch with the middle class? Don't think so, but I am pretty sure he has never eaten beans because that was what he could afford. Is that a bad thing? Nope. One does not have to sink to my level to care about me! I read once that if you really wanted to be successful you should study what other successful people do and try to emulate them. Made sense to me. (I KNOW a lot more things than I put into practice, it is true.) Governor Romney is a successful business man and I think it would behoove us to listen to what he has to say. He wants to stop spending money. That will be hard. Some people are going to lose programs that they have come to rely on. Do I like that? No! I wish everyone could have everything! It just doesn't work that way! Cuts have to come about and that is a fact!
Some people seemed to make the whole Big Bird comment from the first debate an issue. I honestly thing that became an issue because of biased media reporting. For pete's sake. He wants to stop government spending. Cutting $446 million dollars for PBS from the spending budget does not seem wrong to me. I have seen reports that because he wants to stop this expense he doesn't love children or care about quality and educational television. That is totally absurd. The reality is that cutting $446 million dollars barely puts a dent into what we need to do and it won't really have a strong impact on PBS television, but we have to start somewhere.
People are worried about the food stamp program. Oh my, it is going to be cut and people will go hungry. Good grief. I am not against giving a hand up. Once again a personal note. I have had a rough time in my life. My daughter was 15 and died in her sleep. That changed my life!!! I will always claim temporary insanity brought on by grief. I did some strange things during that time. First crazy thing I did was to actually throw her bed down the stairs! I insisted it leave my house!!! Why? I have no idea. I was crazy. Next thing, I left my husband! My husband had nothing to do with the tragedy that our family had to face, but I was crazy! I packed up seven children and moved them into a beat up two bedroom house. I didn't know at the time that I would be basically paralyzed for a year, unable to work or function in a normal fashion. But all of a sudden I was faced with the fact that I had NO money, NO job, and NO desire to help myself. I sought the help of my church and was given it in so many ways. I also got food stamps for my kids. I personally didn't care what I ate, but I knew that they needed me to provide for them in some way.
Our system is so messed up. Jose had to go through it in order to pay child support. He never hedged on that, but it literally took MONTHS for his money to reach us! I got on a short term disability (craziness qualifies for that and I will always be grateful to the people who helped me know that). Once again even though it was approved, it took months to see any money. Finally when all was said and done, I was able to see some financial relief. I did return back to the workforce. Funny thing. Once I got a job and regular child support, I went to the food stamp office to get off the program. The woman there was really annoyed with me because I still qualified but didn't feel it was the right thing to do. I hate to think I am the exception in this, but I didn't want to take advantage of the system.
I qualified for $735 per month. Wow, I had never spent that kind of money in groceries alone in my life. That was almost 8 years ago when food wasn't as costly. I was surprised to find out that a person can buy any type of food on food stamps. Did you all know that you could buy pop and candy? I didn't do a lot of that, but I could have! A friend of mine is a manager at a store. He gets very passionate about this subject. When he was working a woman bought 97 chocolate bunnies and put it on her food card. UGH! I have another friend that was in the grocery store buying hamburger and hotdogs. The woman in front of her purchased t-bone steaks and chips. Yep, on her EBT card. What about that is right?
There has to be a better way!!!!
I personally feel that the program should be run more like the WIC program. WIC foods are particular. There is a list of things that can be purchased and those things are healthy and not conveniently packaged (which raises the cost of everything as you well know.) Going through all of the checking can be a hassle at the grocery store if you are behind someone using WIC, but we should all slow down a bit anyway.
What about nutritional education and perhaps cooking lessons for people who receive benefits? Years ago I worked for the county as a daycare provider and received money for food for my daycare. Because of that program, I was able to keep costs down for working women. I was required to plan and prepare nutritional foods. At any given time a woman could come into my home and check out my menus. If I wasn't prepared with them, I would lose money. Why couldn't something like that be implemented in our food stamp program? Let's all talk to our congressmen or women!!!!
Romney doesn't want to stop people who need them from getting food stamps. He wants to fix a broken system! Wonder if he would listen to my ideas.
Well, if you are still reading this, I want to apologize for the lengthy ramble. I will stop now to give you a break. Tune in again for another segment! I will be speaking on education, family values, and military issues.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Change is Good!
Ladies and Gentleman, Brothers and Sisters, Fellow Ohioans, Friends, Romans, and Countrymen,
Did I get your attention? I certainly hope so because I feel that what I have to say is important!! I worked last night and spent most of my time alone while the residents slept. Let that be a forewarning; I had a lot of solitude time to think. It all made perfect sense in my head at 3:00 a.m. so hopefully it will here.
First off, yes, I am talking politics! I hope you didn't leave my blog............ Voting in this country is NOT a right, it is a privilege! There are many U.S citizens who can't do that. For example, one must be 18 years of age. That leaves out a lot of folks. One also must not be a felon. Unfortunately, that leaves out way too many people as well. To clarify that, I mean it is unfortunate to have so many people convicted of felonies in this country, not that we don't allow them to vote. ---------- I have heard so many people during this election season say that they don't vote or that there vote doesn't matter. That seems sad to me. Yes, it is true that a president can win without the majority of popular vote, BUT the electoral congress votes the way the people in a particular state votes. Ohio has 18 votes. Those votes count! Statistics show that NO republican has ever won the presidential election without winning Ohio. If a candidate loses by even one popular vote, all of the electoral votes could conceivably go to that winner. That is how important your vote can be!
Change was the title of this blog so here I go. When a company is going under, business is dropping, money is being lost, etc, guess what happens to that CEO. Exactly, he is booted out by the Board of Directors. For you sports fans, what happens to a coach who cannot produce a winning team? Does he get chance after chance to do something different? NO. The owners have a meeting and out goes the coach! Those leaders do not usually have the opportunity to make excuses or blame the other guy; they are simply replaced when their contracts are up! Shouldn't that be the same case in the United States? If something doesn't work, should we not try something else??? And frankly, even you nay-sayers have to admit, this is not working. We, as a country are NOT working!
Facts:
1. For you young people who may be reading this. Unemployment rates among young people ages 16-25 is up to 16.8%. That is a lot of young Americans not working. I will explain how that impacts our country further into this blog.
2. For you women (especially those who feel that Romney is out of touch with you) According to the Labor statistics, women are definitely getting the rough end of this economic mess we are in.
First off to address the working women - we are still earning 77% that of men. "Women with a college degree will earn hundreds of thousands of dollars less than a man over the course of their lifetime". Barack Obama made that statement in April 2012! That was 3 + years after he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Bill! Now as for that bill....... He made it a point in his debate to make sure everyone knew that he signed it on day one of his presidency. The point he didn't make is that the bill was not a new concept. The Equal Pay Act was initiated in 1963!!!!!! It has been there, just really handled poorly! What Pres Obama did was to basically amend that act stating that the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding discrimination resets with each new paycheck affected by that discriminatory action. Just a reminder, he signed that bill in 2009. But in 2012 women are still getting "77 cents to every $1.00 that a man earns". His words, not mine. The law was not an equal pay law. It was about opening up lawsuits. Not sure what the statistics of lawsuits are because I couldn't find any. Just so you know, YES, I am in favor of equal pay for equal jobs, whether it is man/woman, white/black, hairy/bald. If you do the same job, you should get the same pay!
Follow this link to get an interesting viewpoint on women in cabinet positions. It seems both candidates need to work on this! http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/10/18/white-house-record-on-women-should-be-better/ Women are just not equally represented, period!
Now on to those unemployed women - I can go to 100 different sites (I basically did) and get 100 different reports on this. The two things that are agreed upon is that way too many women are not working, and that the recovery among women is much slower than that among men. Statistically, that has not been the case - in past recession recoveries, woman are usually must faster to recover than men. I am a little foggy as to why that matters and why that isn't happening.
Wow, I have said a lot. But I have so much more to say. Just can't continue right now. Come back tomorrow for part 2.
Did I get your attention? I certainly hope so because I feel that what I have to say is important!! I worked last night and spent most of my time alone while the residents slept. Let that be a forewarning; I had a lot of solitude time to think. It all made perfect sense in my head at 3:00 a.m. so hopefully it will here.
First off, yes, I am talking politics! I hope you didn't leave my blog............ Voting in this country is NOT a right, it is a privilege! There are many U.S citizens who can't do that. For example, one must be 18 years of age. That leaves out a lot of folks. One also must not be a felon. Unfortunately, that leaves out way too many people as well. To clarify that, I mean it is unfortunate to have so many people convicted of felonies in this country, not that we don't allow them to vote. ---------- I have heard so many people during this election season say that they don't vote or that there vote doesn't matter. That seems sad to me. Yes, it is true that a president can win without the majority of popular vote, BUT the electoral congress votes the way the people in a particular state votes. Ohio has 18 votes. Those votes count! Statistics show that NO republican has ever won the presidential election without winning Ohio. If a candidate loses by even one popular vote, all of the electoral votes could conceivably go to that winner. That is how important your vote can be!
Change was the title of this blog so here I go. When a company is going under, business is dropping, money is being lost, etc, guess what happens to that CEO. Exactly, he is booted out by the Board of Directors. For you sports fans, what happens to a coach who cannot produce a winning team? Does he get chance after chance to do something different? NO. The owners have a meeting and out goes the coach! Those leaders do not usually have the opportunity to make excuses or blame the other guy; they are simply replaced when their contracts are up! Shouldn't that be the same case in the United States? If something doesn't work, should we not try something else??? And frankly, even you nay-sayers have to admit, this is not working. We, as a country are NOT working!
Facts:
1. For you young people who may be reading this. Unemployment rates among young people ages 16-25 is up to 16.8%. That is a lot of young Americans not working. I will explain how that impacts our country further into this blog.
2. For you women (especially those who feel that Romney is out of touch with you) According to the Labor statistics, women are definitely getting the rough end of this economic mess we are in.
First off to address the working women - we are still earning 77% that of men. "Women with a college degree will earn hundreds of thousands of dollars less than a man over the course of their lifetime". Barack Obama made that statement in April 2012! That was 3 + years after he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Bill! Now as for that bill....... He made it a point in his debate to make sure everyone knew that he signed it on day one of his presidency. The point he didn't make is that the bill was not a new concept. The Equal Pay Act was initiated in 1963!!!!!! It has been there, just really handled poorly! What Pres Obama did was to basically amend that act stating that the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding discrimination resets with each new paycheck affected by that discriminatory action. Just a reminder, he signed that bill in 2009. But in 2012 women are still getting "77 cents to every $1.00 that a man earns". His words, not mine. The law was not an equal pay law. It was about opening up lawsuits. Not sure what the statistics of lawsuits are because I couldn't find any. Just so you know, YES, I am in favor of equal pay for equal jobs, whether it is man/woman, white/black, hairy/bald. If you do the same job, you should get the same pay!
Follow this link to get an interesting viewpoint on women in cabinet positions. It seems both candidates need to work on this! http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/10/18/white-house-record-on-women-should-be-better/ Women are just not equally represented, period!
Now on to those unemployed women - I can go to 100 different sites (I basically did) and get 100 different reports on this. The two things that are agreed upon is that way too many women are not working, and that the recovery among women is much slower than that among men. Statistically, that has not been the case - in past recession recoveries, woman are usually must faster to recover than men. I am a little foggy as to why that matters and why that isn't happening.
Wow, I have said a lot. But I have so much more to say. Just can't continue right now. Come back tomorrow for part 2.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Debate WHAT?
To say that I was disappointed doesn't really describe the feelings I had and still have. My feelings had nothing to do with the election or what the candidates had to say. It was the manner in which they delivered their messages that annoyed me. I am sure that if the election were based on that 90 minute session, I would have to vote write in my vote - probably for my friend, Duaine Cluckey.
Vice-president, Joe Biden, was arrogant and condescending. His cynical smile and inappropriate laughter was an insult to both Paul Ryan and the position which he holds and hopes to continue to hold. I think he felt that he had to find some way to make up for the ground that President Obama lost after his debate. I just hope the American voters saw it for what it was. He was trying to belittle Ryan and use the age factor to his advantage. He seemed to be lording over him, as if Ryan was an insignificant opponent. His manner seem to say to me, "Go away, little man. You bother me." I wish I would have tallied the number of times he referred to Ryan as his friend. My guess is that they are about as likely to be friends as........... Oh I don't have a reference, but they are NOT friends. Why use that term over and over again?
Before I left the house I asked Sarah to watch the debate and fill me in on what I missed. She did watch it but when I asked her what happened, she said honestly, "I have NO idea." Politics just does not interest her and she is totally unaware of the world around her and how she will be affected tomorrow by the adult choices of today. Since that is a typical teenage response to things, I am not worried. But she did say one more thing. "I discovered that I do NOT like Joe Biden." When I asked her why, my teenager replied that he was sooooooooo disrespectful. Yay, Sarah! She could see how he was in her few brief minutes of observation. It makes me proud that she had the same feelings that I did.
Now for Paul Ryan. He reminded me of a deer in the headlights. He was wide-eyed and didn't actually seem to know how to defend himself against Biden's crazy attacks. He let Biden talk way too much. What was up with the constant water drinking. Did he do that to put off an answer? Was that his thinking time? I do think he came filled with facts and I was especially impressed with his knowledge of foreign issues. He made some really good points when he talked and I felt educated on several different topics. I already knew he had lots to say about domestic issues such as the economy and the debt, so I was happy to hear more. I just don't feel that he brought his A game when it came to stopping the musings of Biden. Was he just being respectful? Or did he really not know what to say?
One thing I am grateful for. No election is ever decided on a vice-presidential debate!
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