There’s something about me, I’m not sure what it is exactly, that draws the attention of the chosen few who are either mentally challenged, homeless, depressed or just looking for someone to tell their story to. I’m approached mostly in a bar scene, but that’s not to say the limit is within the confines of a tavern. I have talked sad people into a smile, held the hand of a man who needed the aid of paramedics for mental reasons, changed the outlook of an older couple who had been married for 50 years and, just recently, heard the story of how a homeless man had become the way he is today, just to name a few. I think I missed my calling; I should have been a psychologist. I don’t know how they find me or why they tell me their stories. I guess I look like someone who will listen. But I often think there are lessons I need to learn from each of these people. I learned a hard lesson very long ago that if someone needs to talk, let them, it could literally be the difference between life and death.
Here are a few true accounts of happenings that occur in my life quite often.
Jimmy the Homeless Man
Last night after a long hard day of work, we my boyfriend and I, decided to go out for a few beers to unwind. During the evening sometime, a man came and sat next to me and with a toothy grin he said “hello, my name is Jimmy and I’m homeless”. Just like that. I politely smiled back, said hello and went back to my conversation. A minute later, I feel a little tap on my shoulder as Jimmy asked to bum a cigarette. I obliged and he began to tell me his story.
Jimmy is, as you can imagine, a skinny, scruffy, 60 something man who walks with a cane and wears Rosary Beads around his neck to remind him of his faith. He wore a tattered red sweatshirt and blue jeans that were maybe a size or two too big for him. I noticed that every time he felt some embarrassment or discomfort during our conversation, he would grab on to the cross and hold it tightly for just a few seconds. He has a small duffle bag which holds the contents of his life. He told me he used to have a sleeping bag but the police took it away. He said that in the six months he’s been homeless, he had been sent to the detention center twice for loitering. He said they treated him very badly there and he’s trying to stay hidden so he doesn’t have to go back. With a small tear beading up in his eye, he said other then bad decisions and wrong choices throughout his life, he’s never been a criminal or hurt anyone in any way. When I asked him about shelters, he laughed, nervously, and said that all the shelters were full and always turn him away. He said, “They don’t want my kind there, if you know what I mean”. I didn’t get what he saying so I asked him what he was meant by “my kind”. He said in a whisper, “unless you are Hispanic, black or an illegal, they don’t let you in. I wondered if there was any real truth to that. I disagreed silently and didn’t want to tell him that I thought he wasn’t being all that truthful but I let it go. I felt he was embarrassed to go to a shelter and I didn’t want to make him feel anymore awkward then I could tell he was feeling as he grabbed the cross again. The conversation seemed to last for hours.
At this point, my boyfriend was getting a little antsy so he played a few slow songs on the juke box and grabbed me to dance with him. I felt very lucky to have him in my arms at that moment. After all, years of being together, sometimes that feeling falls to the wayside. When we got back to our seats, Jimmy turned to me and said “Now that’s what life is all about, don’t ever give it up ‘cause you don’t know what you got ‘til it gone forever”. He went on to tell me other little tidbits of his life including how he hadn’t seen his son since the boy was 14 and was now grown with children of his own; again, with watery eyes. On his key ring he carries a small ring with two hearts that belonged to his wife once in another lifetime. It was now getting late and time to head home. As we got up to leave, he shook my hand with a big smile on his face and thanked me for the conversation. He said you don’t meet many people in this world that you can talk to and that I was one of a kind. I don’t think Jimmy sitting next to me in that bar was an accident by any means, I think he was there for a reason. I feel that my own life probably needed a wake up call and it came in the form of a lonely homeless man. Ah, lesson learned. Thanks Jimmy.
The Story of Jim and Lil
Quite some time ago, maybe seven or eight years, I was in a bar having a few drinks when my attention was drawn to an older couple sitting a few stools away. Seemingly, the couple had been married for many, many years. Both were disheveled in appearance, she was not made up and didn’t seem to keep herself well groomed and was looking extremely sad and depressed while he, a nasty old man, also not well kept sat beside her and repeatedly belittled and berated her out loud so all the bar could hear. She was very quiet and just sat there sipping on her drink as if she had been listening to this her whole life. At one point, he was yelling in her face, saying that she was boring him and was totally worthless. I just couldn’t sit there another minute listening to this so I stuck my nose where it didn’t belong.
I looked past him and directly at her and asked if she was happy and was ok with this tyrant speaking to her that way. She looked at him as to ask if she could reply and said, “Honey, you get used to it after fifty years together, you’ll see”. I replied with “oh hell no”. With that I picked up my drink and went and sat beside her and started asking them both questions to try to get a feel for where they we coming from. He was completely jovial and happy with me sitting there, cracking jokes and acting as if he was the nicest guy in the world. As our conversation continued, I started questioning why he treated her this way. I asked if her loved her, he said “Oh yes, with all my heart”. I asked if he thought he treated her the way she ought to be treated. He, to my surprise, said “oh no, she deserves much better. She raised our children with virtually no help from me; she cooks, cleans and takes care of me”. He continued “but I worked hard and kept a roof over her head and she wouldn’t be anything without me.” I then asked why he would treat her like that and added the fact that couples each have a role in the relationship and should always be treated with respect. She doesn’t owe you anything, I said. He explained he just like to joke around with her that way. Now clearly, he was NOT joking with her and she was not happy with the way she was being treated but maybe afraid to ever speak her mind. And, I’m sorry, but you don’t talk to the women you claim to “love with all your heart” in that manner. I asked of her, what if things were different? What if he was nicer to you? I also told her she didn’t deserve this kind of treatment and should think about herself for once and stand up to him. Long story short, and with that said, she turned to him and said “I’m not going to take this anymore”, picked up her drink and moved to a table. To my surprise (once again) she yelled across the bar, “If you want me, you’ll have to change your ways or I won’t be coming home tonight”. WOW, I thought to myself, I should have just kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to break up a marriage. So now in my head, I’m thinking I have to fix this. It was none of my business in the first place. But, before I could get out another word, Jim went over to her, and said “Well Lil, what if I promise to try harder and treat you better, will you come home then, for cryin’ out loud?” I chuckled under my breath at that. She said she would give him the time he needed and that she wouldn’t leave. So, I decided to leave it at that and go back to my on place at the bar and let them work it out. We finished our drinks and left. There was much more said that night but too much for this short story.
About a few months later, we just so happened to stop in that same bar and sure as anything, there was Jim and Lil sitting at the end of the bar. Only this time there was laughing, dancing and hugging. Lil looked beautiful, with make-up on and all dressed up. They were with a few other people just having a good old time. She must have seen me walk in because she ran over, gave me a big hug, grabbed my hand and said there’s was somebody she had wanted me to meet. Jim hugged me like I was his best friend who he hadn’t seen in a long time. Lil turned to another man who was standing next to her and said “this is the girl I was telling you about.” She introduced me to her son, who shook my hand with a big smile said “so you’re the one responsible for this? Thank you, I haven’t seen my parents this happy in a long time.” My response was that they did it all on their own, I had nothing to do with it. But it did make my day to see them so happy. Unfortunately, that night it was my turn for having a bad night. I said nothing but I guess Lil sensed something was wrong so before I left the bar that night, she pulled me aside, handed me a catholic saint scapular and told me that I looked a little down and this will get me through anything as it did her. She said to hold on to it until I didn’t need it anymore then pass it on to someone who I think needs it. That I did. I guess the lesson I could take from is respect. Not only should we respect the people in our lives but first and foremost, ourselves.
Poor Scott
Once again, in a bar, there sitting across from me was a man sitting alone who had a far away look in his eye and was being ignored by others whom he tried to start a conversation with. As I sat there with my friends, minding my own business, he directed his eyes to me and started talking. I couldn’t quite here what he was saying over the noise but I felt bad so I went over to the other side to hear what he was saying.
He had a glazed over look about him and a bit of a slur, otherwise clean cut looking. It wasn’t a drunken slur though; it was more of a mentally challenged slur. I could clearly see, just by looking in his eyes, that the man was troubled, lonely and had some issues so I pulled up a chair and sat beside him. He went on to tell me that his dad had died the week before as he was Scott’s only caretaker. He told me that his mother has passed away some time ago and for many years, it had just been him and his dad. He mentioned he stopped taking his medication because his dad usually handled that for him. He started to cry saying how much he missed his father and how he didn’t know if he could go on without him. As we were talking, the bartender rudely came over, interrupted us and said to him, “Ok, you got to go”. I was a little pissed off with the bartender because Scott was not hurting anyone and was nursing only one drink the entire time he was sitting at the bar. He wasn’t drunk. He wasn’t being belligerent or anything. We were just talking. We sat for a while longer talking about all kinds of things when the bartender came over once again telling him he had to leave. When I asked the bartender why, he said he’s nuts, we don’t like crazy people coming in here and he has to pay for all his drinks. What a jerk, I thought. Now I know the man only had the one drink that was still in front of him and he also had a $20.00 dollar bill sitting on the bar. I pushed the money toward the bartender and was told it wasn’t enough. What I didn’t know at that moment was that the bartender had called the cops. Scott and I just kept on talking. He had stopped crying now and was just telling me about all the things he would miss about his dad and what they used to do and so on.
A few minutes later, from the corner of my eye, I see the police come into the establishment and start walking in our direction. He begged me not to let them take him. He started crying again and saying how sorry he was that he’s been so much trouble all his life, and that he just wanted to be able to talk to his dad one more time. I took his hand and told the cops that I would bring him outside and not to touch him. I was the only person he was trusting at that moment and I didn’t want to see him put in a worse position than he was already in. I whispered to the police that he was having some mental issues, missed his meds and just lost his dad and he would need some direct care.
We walked outside hand in hand as he looked only into my eyes as not to see what was going on around him. I assured him that no one was going to take him to jail (as the police had assured me) and that he was just going to get the help he needed. The police were nice enough to let me talk to him for as long as I needed to make sure he was ok to go where he needed to go. The whole bar was now outside watching this. Incidentally, my boyfriend ended up paying his tab because the bartender was being such a …you know what. The bartender claimed that he had had a $60.00 tab. There’s no way he owed that much. Talk about taking advantage!
So Scott and I sat on the curb for about another half hour until he was ready to go. I wrote my phone number on his hand for him to call me to let me know when he was feeling better. He actually called about a week or so later, very upbeat and lucid telling me that his boss held his job for him and that he would be getting out of that place very soon. He said he couldn’t wait to bring flowers to his fathers’ grave. He asked me to come visit him in the rehab center and also wanted to buy me dinner for helping him out that night. I chose not to but I later learned that he was back on his medication, self sufficient and was working a normal job. I felt badly for not going to visit him as I know he could have used a friend but I felt he was getting the help he needed. Maybe it was a little selfish of me but I have had enough of my own problems to deal with in life and didn’t feel it would benefit either of us to become anything more that what it was that night. I never spoke to him again but I sure hope he’s doing well. I guess what I can take from this experience is that sometimes we just need someone to hold our hand so we can make it through the tough spots; if only for a brief moment.
My Friend Jack (God rest his soul)
I once had a friend named Jack. I’m going back many, many years. Jack was a lost soul who was having a really hard time trying to get over his divorce and move on with his life. He had a bunch of other problems as well. He had a teenage son who was such a good kid; very polite, just a nice all around boy. Jack was a good looking, tall, thin man with sandy blond hair who kept himself in great shape. I was a bartender at that time and he had been a patron at my bar. I didn’t know him very long before we became friends. I was engaged at the time but Jack and I had a connection on another level. He and I had become very close friends and would tell each other our problems and life stories. He would call me or come over all the time just to talk things out. He and I would occasionally take the kids, my three and his son, out to get ice cream or bowling or wherever on Saturday afternoons. Jack had eventually turned to drugs because he just couldn’t get his life back together. I guess it was easier to get high instead of dealing with life head on and sober. We talked a lot about how he needed to clean up to be able to move forward and how he wasn’t doing the right thing for his son and lots of things like that. You name it, we talked about it.
One night, my husband to be, myself and some other friends were in an after hours club when someone came up to me telling me that Jack was outside and needed to talk to me. That it was very important and it just couldn’t wait until tomorrow. I turned to my boyfriend and told him what was going on and that Jack needed to speak with me for just a minute. He turned to me and said that if I go out there to talk to Jack, then he and I were through. He was very jealous of the friendship that Jack and I had developed. There was absolutely nothing to be jealous of except maybe the fact that Jack and I had a friendship that he just couldn’t understand. I was very much in love with my husband to be at the time so I told another friend to go out and tell Jack that I promise I would call him in the morning. That was a very bad judgment call on my part. I hated saying that because I knew that if he came all the way to the club and sent someone in for me, it had to be important.
The next morning I woke up to the phone ringing. It was a friend crying telling me that Jack had killed himself the night before. He shot himself in his car. I can’t even say in words just how horrible I felt at that moment. Images of his poor son flashed before my eyes. I couldn’t stop crying. To this day I will never get over it. What kind of person was I? Why did I listen to the boyfriend (who turned out to be a jerk) and why didn’t I just excuse myself and go out and talk to Jack? I know he would not have killed himself if I had just gone outside that night. I questioned myself and my actions for a long time. From that moment to the present day, I will always listen to my gut and do what I feel is the right thing to do. I guess Scott, Jim and Lil and homeless Jimmy and many others benefited from my friend Jack as I will always be an ear if someone needs it. Many hard lessons were learned during that time of my life. I miss you, Jack (R.I.P). I’m a better person for having known you.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Best Cookbook Ever
Rita Makes Family Meals Easy & Delicious Take a walk with me through the streets of my childhood, the streets of South Philadelphia where you can share the aromas of simmering tomatoes, hints of garlic and minty sweet basil.
Or, use my cookbook to help transform your own kitchen into a delightful bouquet of ingredients that invites your family and guests to the table.
Don't see a recipe you're looking for here? Feel free to drop me a line with your questions on the "Contact Us" page.
Buon appetito!
-Rita
Featured Recipe: Baked Ham
(See my cookbook for more of my easy-to-follow recipes)
Ingredients:
10-15 lb. Ham (put a fresh ham into a pot of water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes to remove salt. If canned ham is used, there is no need to boil.) Sauce:16 oz. bottle of ginger ale ¼ cup of maple syrup2 tbsp. brown sugar (or to taste)5 slices of canned pineapple ½ cup pineapple juice from can5 maraschino cherries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°
Put ham into roasting pan
Pour ginger ale, pineapple juice and maple over ham (in that order)
Sprinkle ham with brown sugar
Arrange slices of pineapple on ham and pin a cherry into the center of each slice with a toothpick
Bake until edges of ham are crispy
Baste ham occasionally with pan juices.Your ham is ready to slice and eat. Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
BEING BEAUTIFUL DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve let myself go over the years because make-up is expensive. I would love to be able to walk into any store that sells cosmetics and buy whatever it would take to make me look and feel beautiful. But let’s face it, as most people I know, I just can’t afford it. I live on a budget and spend money sparingly. Like everybody else, I have a family and bills and am just about making ends meet. I can’t justify spending all that money on something that’s not a necessity.
One day I ran in the store to pick up a greeting card and found myself wandering in the cosmetic section. I was looking pretty scruffy and feeling ugly so I thought to myself, “just this once I’m going to splurge and buy myself some good make-up”. I wanted to feel better about myself. I saw some anti-age wrinkle cream on the shelf picked it up, put it in my cart along with the perfect shade of blush, a new eye pencil, a lipstick, some foundation and some mascara to make me feel beautiful. Then I walked over to the shampoo aisle and picked up a bottle of the “good” stuff and some conditioner that promised me volume and shine. I thought maybe I’ll stop on my way home and pick up a new outfit to wear too. I figured it’s been a long time since my hubby has seen me looking good and maybe it could spice things up a bit. But something happened as I was standing in the extra long line; I looked in my cart and added up my purchase…
Anti-aging wrinkle cream - $54.00
Blush - $7.00
Eye pencil - $9.00
Lipstick - $9.00
Foundation - $40.00
Mascara - $12.00
Good shampoo $8.00
Conditioner - $8.00
Total Cost - $147.00 (WOW!! To me, this is a lot of money to spend on cosmetics…It’s just not in my budget)
So needless to say I put it all back, bought only the greeting card and headed home. A few days later, I had the opportunity to meet with two leading representatives from AVON. I had inquired some time earlier about becoming a rep and as it were, they called me to set up a meeting. I have to be honest and say, I always thought of AVON as something my mom would buy from a friend in the neighborhood and that it was for, well, “old people”. Not saying that my mom was old, but I was only a kid at the time, so to me, it just seemed to be for the mom and grand mom types. Over the years, I occasionally came across someone selling AVON or saw a book on some coffee table at doctors’ offices but never considered ordering. After meeting with the reps, I signed up. It was one of the easiest decisions I ever made. I learned so much about the company and the products they offer and realized how wrong I actually was to think of AVON the way is used to think of it. It’s not my mothers AVON anymore. Not only are the products fantastic, but the prices are affordable as well. AVON really knows women and understands the economy. With AVON, you CAN look and feel beautiful without having to make a loan to buy cosmetics. And, it’s not only cosmetics, it’s skin care, bath and body, perfumes, hair care, wellness, gifts, fashion, and lots of stuff for men and children as well. I was thoroughly impressed. I was also impressed with learning about AVON being the leading fundraiser for Breast Cancer awareness as well as the battered women’s society. This is truly a company who cares.
*Same products as above purchased from AVON
Anti-aging wrinkle cream - $22.00
Blush - $6.00
Eye pencil - $6.00
Lipstick - $4.00
Foundation - $12.00
Mascara - $6.00
Good shampoo $3.00
Conditioner - $3.00
Total Cost - $62.00 (WOW!! Now that’s in my budget and I didn’t have to sacrifice quality!!!! I look and feel fantastic!!!!)
With the money I saved, I was able to buy myself that new outfit. These days, BEING BEAUTIFUL DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE.
Check it out and see for yourself: http://www.youravon.com/spantaleo
One day I ran in the store to pick up a greeting card and found myself wandering in the cosmetic section. I was looking pretty scruffy and feeling ugly so I thought to myself, “just this once I’m going to splurge and buy myself some good make-up”. I wanted to feel better about myself. I saw some anti-age wrinkle cream on the shelf picked it up, put it in my cart along with the perfect shade of blush, a new eye pencil, a lipstick, some foundation and some mascara to make me feel beautiful. Then I walked over to the shampoo aisle and picked up a bottle of the “good” stuff and some conditioner that promised me volume and shine. I thought maybe I’ll stop on my way home and pick up a new outfit to wear too. I figured it’s been a long time since my hubby has seen me looking good and maybe it could spice things up a bit. But something happened as I was standing in the extra long line; I looked in my cart and added up my purchase…
Anti-aging wrinkle cream - $54.00
Blush - $7.00
Eye pencil - $9.00
Lipstick - $9.00
Foundation - $40.00
Mascara - $12.00
Good shampoo $8.00
Conditioner - $8.00
Total Cost - $147.00 (WOW!! To me, this is a lot of money to spend on cosmetics…It’s just not in my budget)
So needless to say I put it all back, bought only the greeting card and headed home. A few days later, I had the opportunity to meet with two leading representatives from AVON. I had inquired some time earlier about becoming a rep and as it were, they called me to set up a meeting. I have to be honest and say, I always thought of AVON as something my mom would buy from a friend in the neighborhood and that it was for, well, “old people”. Not saying that my mom was old, but I was only a kid at the time, so to me, it just seemed to be for the mom and grand mom types. Over the years, I occasionally came across someone selling AVON or saw a book on some coffee table at doctors’ offices but never considered ordering. After meeting with the reps, I signed up. It was one of the easiest decisions I ever made. I learned so much about the company and the products they offer and realized how wrong I actually was to think of AVON the way is used to think of it. It’s not my mothers AVON anymore. Not only are the products fantastic, but the prices are affordable as well. AVON really knows women and understands the economy. With AVON, you CAN look and feel beautiful without having to make a loan to buy cosmetics. And, it’s not only cosmetics, it’s skin care, bath and body, perfumes, hair care, wellness, gifts, fashion, and lots of stuff for men and children as well. I was thoroughly impressed. I was also impressed with learning about AVON being the leading fundraiser for Breast Cancer awareness as well as the battered women’s society. This is truly a company who cares.
*Same products as above purchased from AVON
Anti-aging wrinkle cream - $22.00
Blush - $6.00
Eye pencil - $6.00
Lipstick - $4.00
Foundation - $12.00
Mascara - $6.00
Good shampoo $3.00
Conditioner - $3.00
Total Cost - $62.00 (WOW!! Now that’s in my budget and I didn’t have to sacrifice quality!!!! I look and feel fantastic!!!!)
With the money I saved, I was able to buy myself that new outfit. These days, BEING BEAUTIFUL DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE.
Check it out and see for yourself: http://www.youravon.com/spantaleo
Friday, September 26, 2008
Your Vote Counts!…This is a joke, right?
I guess this is a political week for me because I’m really starting to get pissed off at this nation. Not only are we dealing with the economic failure of this country, and the idiotic fools who are running it, but our future as well. I gotta say it’s not lookin’ too good. The choices we have for our future Commander and Chief are ridiculous. Actually it’s not even our vote that counts. As the election process goes, IT’S NOT THE PEOPLE WHO CHOSE THE NEXT PRESIDENT, IT IS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. At the bottom of this e-mail is the explanation of how the President is actually elected if anyone doesn’t know or even gives a damn.
So who are these 538 people that make up the Electoral College??? I can honestly say I don’t think I ever heard of any of them nor have any idea about what they have accomplished to be sitting in a position to make such a decision. How’d they get there??…I assume somewhere along the way we choose them to be there, right?? Umm…I don’t remember…do you? Anyway…
Out of those 538, there are 27 electors in Florida which is the third highest number or electors behind California and Texas. What are these 27 people getting paid for when, ironically enough, Florida doesn’t even really count? And even if it does count, who cares anyway when the voting machines are broken or inaccurate...
Since I live in Florida I have looked up just who it is making this decision for me and here’s what I found…
Charles W. Kane Maria De La MileraSandra M. Faulkner H. Gary MorseArmando Codina Carole Jean JordanTom Slade Marsha NippertRobert L. Woody John ThrasherMel Martinez Feliciano M. FoyoAl Hoffman Alred S. AustinThomas C. Feeney, III John M. McKayCynthia M. Handley Darryl K. SharptonDr. Adam W. Herbert Berta J. MoralejoJeanne Barber Godwin Deborah L. BrooksDr. Dorsey C. Miller Glenda E. HoodDawn Guzzetta
All I can say is, WHO??? So no matter whom I choose to vote for, or what the popular vote is, it all comes down to the personal opinion and choice of each of these 538 people. So why even bother voting?
I'm politically exhausted :o(
Here’s how a President is chosen…
When the people vote, although they cast their vote for one of the presidential candidates, their vote is not counted towards the total vote count for President and Vice President, rather they are actually choosing Electors from their state. In turn, the Presidential Electors cast their vote, called "electoral vote", for the President and the Vice President. Confusing? You bet. Here is an example - let's say that 1 million voters in the State of Michigan come out and all of them vote for John Smith. Because Michigan has 17 electoral votes (see map above), John Smith would get a total of 17 votes for the Presidential Election, rather than 1 million votes.
This means that a Presidential candidate can have the majority of the popular vote (the votes cast by the people), but that doesn't mean he has won the Elections. Here is another example: let's say that total of 2 million people vote in South and North Dakota for candidate A, and this is the majority, and that 1 million people vote in Georgia for candidate B, and this is the majority for that state, the candidate B wins the Presidential Elections, as North and South Dakota have combined 6 electoral votes and Georgia has 15 electoral votes.
Keep in mind that the Presidential Electors could vote for anyone they choose to, but with rare exceptions they vote for the designated candidates. The Congress remains the last judge of the electors, but there has not been a dispute since 1877.
Basically, when you vote for President, you don't vote directly, but you "tell" the electors in your state who should they vote for.
Now, if no candidate for President manages to receive an absolute electoral majority of 270 votes out of the 538 possible, then the House of Representatives goes in session to determine the next President. The House chooses from the three candidates who received the most votes, and each state casts one vote, which is determined by the majority decision of the delegation from that state, i.e. total of 50 votes are cast. If a state delegation were to split evenly, that state would be considered as abstaining. If the House of Representatives also ends up in a tie 25 to 25 votes, then it goes to the United States Senate and the process is the same. And if the Senate also ties, then the current Vice President casts his/her tie-breaking vote.
(The above information was copied from… http://www.ogpaper.com/How-US-Presidential-Elections-work-200808.html)
So who are these 538 people that make up the Electoral College??? I can honestly say I don’t think I ever heard of any of them nor have any idea about what they have accomplished to be sitting in a position to make such a decision. How’d they get there??…I assume somewhere along the way we choose them to be there, right?? Umm…I don’t remember…do you? Anyway…
Out of those 538, there are 27 electors in Florida which is the third highest number or electors behind California and Texas. What are these 27 people getting paid for when, ironically enough, Florida doesn’t even really count? And even if it does count, who cares anyway when the voting machines are broken or inaccurate...
Since I live in Florida I have looked up just who it is making this decision for me and here’s what I found…
Charles W. Kane Maria De La MileraSandra M. Faulkner H. Gary MorseArmando Codina Carole Jean JordanTom Slade Marsha NippertRobert L. Woody John ThrasherMel Martinez Feliciano M. FoyoAl Hoffman Alred S. AustinThomas C. Feeney, III John M. McKayCynthia M. Handley Darryl K. SharptonDr. Adam W. Herbert Berta J. MoralejoJeanne Barber Godwin Deborah L. BrooksDr. Dorsey C. Miller Glenda E. HoodDawn Guzzetta
All I can say is, WHO??? So no matter whom I choose to vote for, or what the popular vote is, it all comes down to the personal opinion and choice of each of these 538 people. So why even bother voting?
I'm politically exhausted :o(
Here’s how a President is chosen…
When the people vote, although they cast their vote for one of the presidential candidates, their vote is not counted towards the total vote count for President and Vice President, rather they are actually choosing Electors from their state. In turn, the Presidential Electors cast their vote, called "electoral vote", for the President and the Vice President. Confusing? You bet. Here is an example - let's say that 1 million voters in the State of Michigan come out and all of them vote for John Smith. Because Michigan has 17 electoral votes (see map above), John Smith would get a total of 17 votes for the Presidential Election, rather than 1 million votes.
This means that a Presidential candidate can have the majority of the popular vote (the votes cast by the people), but that doesn't mean he has won the Elections. Here is another example: let's say that total of 2 million people vote in South and North Dakota for candidate A, and this is the majority, and that 1 million people vote in Georgia for candidate B, and this is the majority for that state, the candidate B wins the Presidential Elections, as North and South Dakota have combined 6 electoral votes and Georgia has 15 electoral votes.
Keep in mind that the Presidential Electors could vote for anyone they choose to, but with rare exceptions they vote for the designated candidates. The Congress remains the last judge of the electors, but there has not been a dispute since 1877.
Basically, when you vote for President, you don't vote directly, but you "tell" the electors in your state who should they vote for.
Now, if no candidate for President manages to receive an absolute electoral majority of 270 votes out of the 538 possible, then the House of Representatives goes in session to determine the next President. The House chooses from the three candidates who received the most votes, and each state casts one vote, which is determined by the majority decision of the delegation from that state, i.e. total of 50 votes are cast. If a state delegation were to split evenly, that state would be considered as abstaining. If the House of Representatives also ends up in a tie 25 to 25 votes, then it goes to the United States Senate and the process is the same. And if the Senate also ties, then the current Vice President casts his/her tie-breaking vote.
(The above information was copied from… http://www.ogpaper.com/How-US-Presidential-Elections-work-200808.html)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Everyday American
25 September 2008
After hearing President Bush address the nation last night and after re-reading it online today, I felt compelled to give my opinion. Who am I? Nobody really, just your “Everyday American” who works hard, struggles to get by, raise a family and live a “normal” lifestyle. Please keep in mind while reading this that I am NOT a very political person. Generally, I don’t talk politics with people and I have no interest in discussing politics in the future. But today, and in my opinion, I have something on my mind that I feel just needs to be said.
First, as I watched his (GWB) eyes, my first thought was “thank God (yeah, I said God!), he’s reading a pre-written speech” Because that told me that someone had actually put some thought into this and Bush wasn’t just shooting from the hip and “mis-speaking” his usual babble.
Then, right off the bat, the second statement after “Good Evening” got on my last nerve. President Bush said, and I quote, “Over the past few weeks, many Americans have felt anxiety about their finances and their future. I understand their worry and their frustration.” Now, I won’t pick apart the entire speech but this statement is a good place to start.
This feeling of financial insecurity that he’s talking about, that we feel, is not something new. Saying “the last few weeks” is a huge understatement. Try years, Mr. Bush, not weeks! I feel that he is so far removed from the “Everyday American” that honestly, he has no idea. He makes far too much money and has way too many liberties to understand the anxieties and worries of the average person and I believe he would have a very different view if he had to live on an average income, which is roughly $50K per year according to the United States Census Bureau.
Ok, with that said, I’ll get to what really burns my ass. There were all kinds of red flags flying around in my head when he said that the $700 BILLION “bail out” dollars would be coming from, well, ME…and YOU…the tax payers. It’s not so much the idea of us working toward fixing the economy; after all it is OUR economy, but the fact that we are already scratching and clawing to make ends meet as it is, I feel this is going to create even bigger financial problems for the “little guy”. You know, the 50K a year and under family???...
There’s got to be another way! If I had a say, which no one really does except for the government, but IF I did…It would probably go something like this…
Since we need approximately 700 billion dollars, here are a few thoughts….
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Recently I received an e-mail titled “Are we THAT stupid??” This e-mail highlighted the cost of ILLEGAL immigrants in this country. Don’t misunderstand me; I am not referring to legal immigrants at this time… (That’s a whole other issue). According to this e-mail, which was accompanied by web sites where this information was reported, we spend billions and billions of dollars on ILLEGAL Immigrants; on people who shouldn’t be here in the first place. IF YOU ARE NOT A LEGAL AMERICAN CITIZEN THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO AMERICAN MONEY. MY MONEY!!! OUR MONEY!!!!
Read the information below and see for yourself how sickening this is!!!!!!
1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year. Verify at: http://tinyurl.com/zob772. $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens. Verify at: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens. Verify at: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English! Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.0.html5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies. Verify at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html7. 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare & social services by the Americantaxpayers. Verify at: http://premium.cnn.com/TRANSCIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html9. $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html11. During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our Southern Border also, as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana, crossed into the U. S from the Southern border. Verify at: Homeland Security Report: http://tinyurl.com/t9sht12 The National Policy Institute, estimated that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion, or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period. Verify at: http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf13. In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. Verify at: http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm14. The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States . Verify at: http://www.drdsk.com/articleshtml
Now, moving on from there…
OUTSOURCING
How many jobs were lost due to Outsourcing???? Maybe we should think about not giving tax breaks to companies that outsource but instead, give them a tax break for keeping America alive. Keep the businesses here in the good old United States. This is where we Americans live and this is where we need to work to keep our economy up and running. Why do you think our homes were foreclosed on in the first place??? ‘Cause you sent my job to India, that’s why!
EDUCATION
How about this government making available more educational grants to American Citizens and stop spending 3 Million dollars a day to incarcerate illegal aliens.
We spend 12 billion a year to school kids who are here illegally and don’t even speak English… Our kids are sitting in overcrowded classrooms, not getting the education they should have because our teachers are at their wits end wasting time on some kid who, A.) can’t speak the language, B), is not even an American and C), will probably end up costing us more in the long run to keep him in jail or in our welfare system ‘cause since he can’t speak, read or write ENGLISH, how the hell can he learn?
DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED WITH THE WAR ON IRAQ!
So, in conclusion to my long winded opinion…
There are too many factors to mention as to why our economy is the way it is. Speaking for myself, I feel my United States government has become wishy-washy and has made choices in the past and present that we are paying for. I don’t feel as proud to be an American as I used to feel. I feel let down. It makes me sick to know that one of the CEO’s or CDO’s or whatever from Lehman Brothers got a few million and the use of his company chauffer for the next five years for doing such a great job of running the company into the ground and taking our economic structure with it. It makes me sick to know that the government will give a full education to an Illegal alien and denies one of their own. It makes me sick to pay out the ass for stuff like groceries and gas and it makes me sick to know that our presidential choices for the future of this country are who they are. In this ‘Everyday American’s opinion, It’s going to get much worse before it can begin to get better.
Thank you and May God Bless America…we’re gonna’ need all the blessings we can get!
P.S. If you didn’t here it, here’s President Bush’s speech from last night…
CNNMoney.comRead President Bush's address to the nationWednesday September 24, 10:12 pm ET
Good evening. This is an extraordinary period for America's economy.
Over the past few weeks, many Americans have felt anxiety about their finances and their future. I understand their worry and their frustration.
if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object();
window.yzq_d['v3vaSEwNBmA-']='&U=12dpk0po5%2fN%3dv3vaSEwNBmA-%2fC%3d-1%2fD%3dLREC3%2fB%3d-1%2fV%3d0';
We've seen triple-digit swings in the stock market. Major financial institutions have teetered on the edge of collapse, and some have failed. As uncertainty has grown, many banks have restricted lending, credit markets have frozen, and families and businesses have found it harder to borrow money.
We're in the midst of a serious financial crisis, and the federal government is responding with decisive action.
We boosted confidence in money market mutual funds and acted to prevent major investors from intentionally driving down stocks for their own personal gain.
Most importantly, my administration is working with Congress to address the root cause behind much of the instability in our markets.
Financial assets related to home mortgages have lost value during the house decline, and the banks holding these assets have restricted credit. As a result, our entire economy is in danger.
So I propose that the federal government reduce the risk posed by these troubled assets and supply urgently needed money so banks and other financial institutions can avoid collapse and resume lending.
This rescue effort is not aimed at preserving any individual company or industry. It is aimed at preserving America's overall economy.
It will help American consumers and businesses get credit to meet their daily needs and create jobs. And it will help send a signal to markets around the world that America's financial system is back on track.
I know many Americans have questions tonight: How did we reach this point in our economy? How will the solution I propose work? And what does this mean for your financial future?
These are good questions, and they deserve clear answers.
First, how did our economy reach this point? Well, most economists agree that the problems we're witnessing today developed over a long period of time. For more than a decade, a massive amount of money flowed into the United States from investors abroad because our country is an attractive and secure place to do business.
This large influx of money to U.S. banks and financial institutions, along with low interest rates, made it easier for Americans to get credit. These developments allowed more families to borrow money for cars, and homes, and college tuition, some for the first time. They allowed more entrepreneurs to get loans to start new businesses and create jobs.
Unfortunately, there were also some serious negative consequences, particularly in the housing market. Easy credit, combined with the faulty assumption that home values would continue to rise, led to excesses and bad decisions.
Many mortgage lenders approved loans for borrowers without carefully examining their ability to pay. Many borrowers took out loans larger than they could afford, assuming that they could sell or refinance their homes at a higher price later on.
Optimism about housing values also led to a boom in home construction. Eventually, the number of new houses exceeded the number of people willing to buy them. And with supply exceeding demand, housing prices fell, and this created a problem.
Borrowers with adjustable-rate mortgages, who had been planning to sell or refinance their homes at a higher price, were stuck with homes worth less than expected, along with mortgage payments they could not afford.
As a result, many mortgage-holders began to default. These widespread defaults had effects far beyond the housing market.
See, in today's mortgage industry, home loans are often packaged together and converted into financial products called mortgage-backed securities. These securities were sold to investors around the world.
Many investors assumed these securities were trustworthy and purchasers of mortgage-backed securities were Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Because these companies were chartered by Congress, many believed they were guaranteed by the federal government. This allowed them to borrow enormous sums of money, fuel the market for questionable investments, and put our financial system at risk.
The decline in the housing market set off a domino effect across our economy. When home values declined, borrowers defaulted on their mortgages, and investors holding mortgage-backed securities began to incur serious losses.
Before long, these securities became so unreliable that they were not being bought or sold. Investment banks, such as Bear Stearns and they could not sell. They ran out of money needed to meet their immediate obligations, and they faced imminent collapse.
Other banks found themselves in severe financial trouble. These banks began holding on to their money, and lending dried up, and the gears of the American financial system began grinding to a halt.
With the situation becoming more precarious by the day, I faced a choice, to step in with dramatic government action or to stand back and allow the irresponsible actions of some to undermine the financial security of all.
I'm a strong believer in free enterprise, so my natural instinct is to oppose government intervention. I believe companies that make bad decisions should be allowed to go out of business.
Under normal circumstances, I would have followed this course. But these are not normal circumstances. The market is not functioning properly. There has been a widespread loss of confidence, and major sectors of America's financial system are at risk of shutting down.
The government's top economic experts warn that, without immediate action by Congress, America could slip into a financial panic and a distressing scenario would unfold.
More banks could fail, including some in your community. The stock market would drop even more, which would reduce the value of your retirement account. The value of your home could plummet. Foreclosures would rise dramatically.
And if you own a business or a farm, you would find it harder and more expensive to get credit. More businesses would close their doors, and millions of Americans could lose their jobs.
Even if you have good credit history, it would be more difficult for you to get the loans you need to buy a car or send your children to college. And, ultimately, our country could experience a long and painful recession.
Fellow citizens, we must not let this happen. I appreciate the work of leaders from both parties in both houses of Congress to address this problem and to make improvements to the proposal my administration sent to them.
There is a spirit of cooperation between Democrats and Republicans and between Congress and this administration. In that spirit, I've invited Senators McCain and Obama to join congressional leaders of both parties at the White House tomorrow to help speed our discussions toward a bipartisan bill.
I know that an economic rescue package will present a tough vote for many members of Congress. It is difficult to pass a bill that commits so much of the taxpayers' hard-earned money.
I also understand the frustration of responsible Americans who pay their mortgages on time, file their tax returns every April 15th, and are reluctant to pay the cost of excesses on Wall Street.
But given the situation we are facing, not passing a bill now would cost these Americans much more later.
Many Americans are asking, how would a rescue plan work? After much discussion, there's now widespread agreement on the principles such a plan would include.
It would remove the risk posed by the troubled assets, including mortgage-backed securities, now clogging the financial system. This would free banks to resume the flow of credit to American families and businesses.
Any rescue plan should also be designed to ensure that taxpayers are protected. It should welcome the participation of financial institutions, large and small. It should make certain that failed executives do not receive a windfall from your tax dollars.
BUSH: It should establish a bipartisan board to oversee the plan's implementation, and it should be enacted as soon as possible.
In close consultation with Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and SEC Chairman Chris Cox, I announced a plan on Friday.
First, the plan is big enough to solve a serious problem. Under our proposal, the federal government would put up to $700 billion taxpayer dollars on the line to purchase troubled assets that are clogging the financial system.
In the short term, this will free up banks to resume the flow of credit to American families and businesses, and this will help our economy grow.
Second, as markets have lost confidence in mortgage-backed securities, their prices have dropped sharply, yet the value of many of these assets will likely be higher than their current price, because the vast majority of Americans will ultimately pay off their mortgages.
The government is the one institution with the patience and resources to buy these assets at their current low prices and hold them until markets return to normal.
And when that happens, money will flow back to the Treasury as these assets are sold, and we expect that much, if not all, of the tax dollars we invest will be paid back.
The final question is, what does this mean for your economic future? Well, the primary steps -- purpose of the steps I've outlined tonight is to safeguard the financial security of American workers, and families, and small businesses. The federal government also continues to enforce laws and regulations protecting your money.
The Treasury Department recently offered government insurance for money market mutual funds. And through the FDIC, every savings account, checking account, and certificate of deposit is insured by the federal government for up to $100,000.
The FDIC has been in existence for 75 years, and no one has ever lost a penny on an insured deposit, and this will not change.
Once this crisis is resolved, there will be time to update our financial regulatory structures. Our 21st-century global economy remains regulated largely by outdated 20th-century laws.
Recently, we've seen how one company can grow so large that its failure jeopardizes the entire financial system.
Earlier this year, Secretary Paulson proposed a blueprint that would modernize our financial regulations. For example, the Federal Reserve would be authorized to take a closer look at the operations of companies across the financial spectrum and ensure that their practices do not threaten overall financial stability.
There are other good ideas, and members of Congress should consider them. As they do, they must ensure that efforts to regulate Wall Street do not end up hampering our economy's ability to grow.
In the long run, Americans have good reason to be confident in our economic strength. Despite corrections in the marketplace and instances of abuse, democratic capitalism is the best system ever devised.
It has unleashed the talents and the productivity and entrepreneurial spirit of our citizens. It has made this country the best place in the world to invest and do business. And it gives our economy the flexibility and resilience to absorb shocks, adjust, and bounce back.
Our economy is facing a moment of great challenge, but we've overcome tough challenges before, and we will overcome this one.
I know that Americans sometimes get discouraged by the tone in Washington and the seemingly endless partisan struggles, yet history has shown that, in times of real trial, elected officials rise to the occasion.
And together we will show the world once again what kind of country America is: a nation that tackles problems head on, where leaders come together to meet great tests, and where people of every background can work hard, develop their talents, and realize their dreams.
Thank you for listening. May God bless you.
After hearing President Bush address the nation last night and after re-reading it online today, I felt compelled to give my opinion. Who am I? Nobody really, just your “Everyday American” who works hard, struggles to get by, raise a family and live a “normal” lifestyle. Please keep in mind while reading this that I am NOT a very political person. Generally, I don’t talk politics with people and I have no interest in discussing politics in the future. But today, and in my opinion, I have something on my mind that I feel just needs to be said.
First, as I watched his (GWB) eyes, my first thought was “thank God (yeah, I said God!), he’s reading a pre-written speech” Because that told me that someone had actually put some thought into this and Bush wasn’t just shooting from the hip and “mis-speaking” his usual babble.
Then, right off the bat, the second statement after “Good Evening” got on my last nerve. President Bush said, and I quote, “Over the past few weeks, many Americans have felt anxiety about their finances and their future. I understand their worry and their frustration.” Now, I won’t pick apart the entire speech but this statement is a good place to start.
This feeling of financial insecurity that he’s talking about, that we feel, is not something new. Saying “the last few weeks” is a huge understatement. Try years, Mr. Bush, not weeks! I feel that he is so far removed from the “Everyday American” that honestly, he has no idea. He makes far too much money and has way too many liberties to understand the anxieties and worries of the average person and I believe he would have a very different view if he had to live on an average income, which is roughly $50K per year according to the United States Census Bureau.
Ok, with that said, I’ll get to what really burns my ass. There were all kinds of red flags flying around in my head when he said that the $700 BILLION “bail out” dollars would be coming from, well, ME…and YOU…the tax payers. It’s not so much the idea of us working toward fixing the economy; after all it is OUR economy, but the fact that we are already scratching and clawing to make ends meet as it is, I feel this is going to create even bigger financial problems for the “little guy”. You know, the 50K a year and under family???...
There’s got to be another way! If I had a say, which no one really does except for the government, but IF I did…It would probably go something like this…
Since we need approximately 700 billion dollars, here are a few thoughts….
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Recently I received an e-mail titled “Are we THAT stupid??” This e-mail highlighted the cost of ILLEGAL immigrants in this country. Don’t misunderstand me; I am not referring to legal immigrants at this time… (That’s a whole other issue). According to this e-mail, which was accompanied by web sites where this information was reported, we spend billions and billions of dollars on ILLEGAL Immigrants; on people who shouldn’t be here in the first place. IF YOU ARE NOT A LEGAL AMERICAN CITIZEN THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO AMERICAN MONEY. MY MONEY!!! OUR MONEY!!!!
Read the information below and see for yourself how sickening this is!!!!!!
1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year. Verify at: http://tinyurl.com/zob772. $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens. Verify at: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens. Verify at: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English! Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.0.html5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies. Verify at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html7. 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare & social services by the Americantaxpayers. Verify at: http://premium.cnn.com/TRANSCIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html9. $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html11. During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our Southern Border also, as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana, crossed into the U. S from the Southern border. Verify at: Homeland Security Report: http://tinyurl.com/t9sht12 The National Policy Institute, estimated that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion, or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period. Verify at: http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf13. In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. Verify at: http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm14. The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States . Verify at: http://www.drdsk.com/articleshtml
Now, moving on from there…
OUTSOURCING
How many jobs were lost due to Outsourcing???? Maybe we should think about not giving tax breaks to companies that outsource but instead, give them a tax break for keeping America alive. Keep the businesses here in the good old United States. This is where we Americans live and this is where we need to work to keep our economy up and running. Why do you think our homes were foreclosed on in the first place??? ‘Cause you sent my job to India, that’s why!
EDUCATION
How about this government making available more educational grants to American Citizens and stop spending 3 Million dollars a day to incarcerate illegal aliens.
We spend 12 billion a year to school kids who are here illegally and don’t even speak English… Our kids are sitting in overcrowded classrooms, not getting the education they should have because our teachers are at their wits end wasting time on some kid who, A.) can’t speak the language, B), is not even an American and C), will probably end up costing us more in the long run to keep him in jail or in our welfare system ‘cause since he can’t speak, read or write ENGLISH, how the hell can he learn?
DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED WITH THE WAR ON IRAQ!
So, in conclusion to my long winded opinion…
There are too many factors to mention as to why our economy is the way it is. Speaking for myself, I feel my United States government has become wishy-washy and has made choices in the past and present that we are paying for. I don’t feel as proud to be an American as I used to feel. I feel let down. It makes me sick to know that one of the CEO’s or CDO’s or whatever from Lehman Brothers got a few million and the use of his company chauffer for the next five years for doing such a great job of running the company into the ground and taking our economic structure with it. It makes me sick to know that the government will give a full education to an Illegal alien and denies one of their own. It makes me sick to pay out the ass for stuff like groceries and gas and it makes me sick to know that our presidential choices for the future of this country are who they are. In this ‘Everyday American’s opinion, It’s going to get much worse before it can begin to get better.
Thank you and May God Bless America…we’re gonna’ need all the blessings we can get!
P.S. If you didn’t here it, here’s President Bush’s speech from last night…
CNNMoney.comRead President Bush's address to the nationWednesday September 24, 10:12 pm ET
Good evening. This is an extraordinary period for America's economy.
Over the past few weeks, many Americans have felt anxiety about their finances and their future. I understand their worry and their frustration.
if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object();
window.yzq_d['v3vaSEwNBmA-']='&U=12dpk0po5%2fN%3dv3vaSEwNBmA-%2fC%3d-1%2fD%3dLREC3%2fB%3d-1%2fV%3d0';
We've seen triple-digit swings in the stock market. Major financial institutions have teetered on the edge of collapse, and some have failed. As uncertainty has grown, many banks have restricted lending, credit markets have frozen, and families and businesses have found it harder to borrow money.
We're in the midst of a serious financial crisis, and the federal government is responding with decisive action.
We boosted confidence in money market mutual funds and acted to prevent major investors from intentionally driving down stocks for their own personal gain.
Most importantly, my administration is working with Congress to address the root cause behind much of the instability in our markets.
Financial assets related to home mortgages have lost value during the house decline, and the banks holding these assets have restricted credit. As a result, our entire economy is in danger.
So I propose that the federal government reduce the risk posed by these troubled assets and supply urgently needed money so banks and other financial institutions can avoid collapse and resume lending.
This rescue effort is not aimed at preserving any individual company or industry. It is aimed at preserving America's overall economy.
It will help American consumers and businesses get credit to meet their daily needs and create jobs. And it will help send a signal to markets around the world that America's financial system is back on track.
I know many Americans have questions tonight: How did we reach this point in our economy? How will the solution I propose work? And what does this mean for your financial future?
These are good questions, and they deserve clear answers.
First, how did our economy reach this point? Well, most economists agree that the problems we're witnessing today developed over a long period of time. For more than a decade, a massive amount of money flowed into the United States from investors abroad because our country is an attractive and secure place to do business.
This large influx of money to U.S. banks and financial institutions, along with low interest rates, made it easier for Americans to get credit. These developments allowed more families to borrow money for cars, and homes, and college tuition, some for the first time. They allowed more entrepreneurs to get loans to start new businesses and create jobs.
Unfortunately, there were also some serious negative consequences, particularly in the housing market. Easy credit, combined with the faulty assumption that home values would continue to rise, led to excesses and bad decisions.
Many mortgage lenders approved loans for borrowers without carefully examining their ability to pay. Many borrowers took out loans larger than they could afford, assuming that they could sell or refinance their homes at a higher price later on.
Optimism about housing values also led to a boom in home construction. Eventually, the number of new houses exceeded the number of people willing to buy them. And with supply exceeding demand, housing prices fell, and this created a problem.
Borrowers with adjustable-rate mortgages, who had been planning to sell or refinance their homes at a higher price, were stuck with homes worth less than expected, along with mortgage payments they could not afford.
As a result, many mortgage-holders began to default. These widespread defaults had effects far beyond the housing market.
See, in today's mortgage industry, home loans are often packaged together and converted into financial products called mortgage-backed securities. These securities were sold to investors around the world.
Many investors assumed these securities were trustworthy and purchasers of mortgage-backed securities were Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Because these companies were chartered by Congress, many believed they were guaranteed by the federal government. This allowed them to borrow enormous sums of money, fuel the market for questionable investments, and put our financial system at risk.
The decline in the housing market set off a domino effect across our economy. When home values declined, borrowers defaulted on their mortgages, and investors holding mortgage-backed securities began to incur serious losses.
Before long, these securities became so unreliable that they were not being bought or sold. Investment banks, such as Bear Stearns and they could not sell. They ran out of money needed to meet their immediate obligations, and they faced imminent collapse.
Other banks found themselves in severe financial trouble. These banks began holding on to their money, and lending dried up, and the gears of the American financial system began grinding to a halt.
With the situation becoming more precarious by the day, I faced a choice, to step in with dramatic government action or to stand back and allow the irresponsible actions of some to undermine the financial security of all.
I'm a strong believer in free enterprise, so my natural instinct is to oppose government intervention. I believe companies that make bad decisions should be allowed to go out of business.
Under normal circumstances, I would have followed this course. But these are not normal circumstances. The market is not functioning properly. There has been a widespread loss of confidence, and major sectors of America's financial system are at risk of shutting down.
The government's top economic experts warn that, without immediate action by Congress, America could slip into a financial panic and a distressing scenario would unfold.
More banks could fail, including some in your community. The stock market would drop even more, which would reduce the value of your retirement account. The value of your home could plummet. Foreclosures would rise dramatically.
And if you own a business or a farm, you would find it harder and more expensive to get credit. More businesses would close their doors, and millions of Americans could lose their jobs.
Even if you have good credit history, it would be more difficult for you to get the loans you need to buy a car or send your children to college. And, ultimately, our country could experience a long and painful recession.
Fellow citizens, we must not let this happen. I appreciate the work of leaders from both parties in both houses of Congress to address this problem and to make improvements to the proposal my administration sent to them.
There is a spirit of cooperation between Democrats and Republicans and between Congress and this administration. In that spirit, I've invited Senators McCain and Obama to join congressional leaders of both parties at the White House tomorrow to help speed our discussions toward a bipartisan bill.
I know that an economic rescue package will present a tough vote for many members of Congress. It is difficult to pass a bill that commits so much of the taxpayers' hard-earned money.
I also understand the frustration of responsible Americans who pay their mortgages on time, file their tax returns every April 15th, and are reluctant to pay the cost of excesses on Wall Street.
But given the situation we are facing, not passing a bill now would cost these Americans much more later.
Many Americans are asking, how would a rescue plan work? After much discussion, there's now widespread agreement on the principles such a plan would include.
It would remove the risk posed by the troubled assets, including mortgage-backed securities, now clogging the financial system. This would free banks to resume the flow of credit to American families and businesses.
Any rescue plan should also be designed to ensure that taxpayers are protected. It should welcome the participation of financial institutions, large and small. It should make certain that failed executives do not receive a windfall from your tax dollars.
BUSH: It should establish a bipartisan board to oversee the plan's implementation, and it should be enacted as soon as possible.
In close consultation with Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and SEC Chairman Chris Cox, I announced a plan on Friday.
First, the plan is big enough to solve a serious problem. Under our proposal, the federal government would put up to $700 billion taxpayer dollars on the line to purchase troubled assets that are clogging the financial system.
In the short term, this will free up banks to resume the flow of credit to American families and businesses, and this will help our economy grow.
Second, as markets have lost confidence in mortgage-backed securities, their prices have dropped sharply, yet the value of many of these assets will likely be higher than their current price, because the vast majority of Americans will ultimately pay off their mortgages.
The government is the one institution with the patience and resources to buy these assets at their current low prices and hold them until markets return to normal.
And when that happens, money will flow back to the Treasury as these assets are sold, and we expect that much, if not all, of the tax dollars we invest will be paid back.
The final question is, what does this mean for your economic future? Well, the primary steps -- purpose of the steps I've outlined tonight is to safeguard the financial security of American workers, and families, and small businesses. The federal government also continues to enforce laws and regulations protecting your money.
The Treasury Department recently offered government insurance for money market mutual funds. And through the FDIC, every savings account, checking account, and certificate of deposit is insured by the federal government for up to $100,000.
The FDIC has been in existence for 75 years, and no one has ever lost a penny on an insured deposit, and this will not change.
Once this crisis is resolved, there will be time to update our financial regulatory structures. Our 21st-century global economy remains regulated largely by outdated 20th-century laws.
Recently, we've seen how one company can grow so large that its failure jeopardizes the entire financial system.
Earlier this year, Secretary Paulson proposed a blueprint that would modernize our financial regulations. For example, the Federal Reserve would be authorized to take a closer look at the operations of companies across the financial spectrum and ensure that their practices do not threaten overall financial stability.
There are other good ideas, and members of Congress should consider them. As they do, they must ensure that efforts to regulate Wall Street do not end up hampering our economy's ability to grow.
In the long run, Americans have good reason to be confident in our economic strength. Despite corrections in the marketplace and instances of abuse, democratic capitalism is the best system ever devised.
It has unleashed the talents and the productivity and entrepreneurial spirit of our citizens. It has made this country the best place in the world to invest and do business. And it gives our economy the flexibility and resilience to absorb shocks, adjust, and bounce back.
Our economy is facing a moment of great challenge, but we've overcome tough challenges before, and we will overcome this one.
I know that Americans sometimes get discouraged by the tone in Washington and the seemingly endless partisan struggles, yet history has shown that, in times of real trial, elected officials rise to the occasion.
And together we will show the world once again what kind of country America is: a nation that tackles problems head on, where leaders come together to meet great tests, and where people of every background can work hard, develop their talents, and realize their dreams.
Thank you for listening. May God bless you.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
IT'S ALL ABOUT CHANGE
My whole life has always revolved around changes, mostly due to circumstance…So I thought… As I get older and clearer, I realize that most of the changes had been brought on by not only circumstance alone but also with the choices I made every step of the way. Some good, some bad, but none the less I felt that constant change was inevitable.
I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong because I always felt unsatisfied with the way life was turning out. I felt that good enough was never really good enough. I felt I had been searching and striving for something that was out of reach. Which at times, I didn’t even know what that something was, I just knew I needed to transform somehow to try to achieve whatever it was I was looking to be or do at the time. A better life? A better job? A better relationship? More money? A new car? But more importantly, I was searching for some kind of peace within that would allow me to just accept life for it was. Whatever the goal…the search was on.
I couldn’t turn off that little voice inside of me that would constantly question everything. It drove me crazy. I needed answers to calm the hysteria going on in my head. I wanted to stop having to think about how I was going to make it through, whether it was a financial matter, emotional or physical or whatever. I started to think that maybe I had some deep seeded commitment issues or that I was incapable of living a “traditional” lifestyle. You know…the all American dream? I felt that I had been one of the chosen few to get handed a really crappy life and no matter what I did, I just couldn’t achieve that natural balance that life is suppose to have. I was even mad at God for a long time wondering how he can let things happen to the same person over and over. Never the same situation, but always a constant fight to survive. I’ve been struggling with this for many years now and I think I’m finally starting to figure it out.
In the last few years, what came to be known (in my own head) as ‘normal” changes have now changed. Funny – even my changes are changing. What I mean by that is I have become so much more aware of every waking moment and I don’t want to miss out on a second of life, good or bad. Maybe its maturity, I’m not sure. Or it could be just evolution of life. Who knows? What I do know is that now I have come to appreciate things, that in the past, I would have regarded as troublesome, mundane or out right horrible. I realize now that without the bad, you cannot know the good. So change is necessary. I realize now that all the changes throughout my lifetime were necessary as well in order to grow and be able to figure out just what I am suppose to be doing or where I am suppose to be going and mostly who I am. I think I finally realized that without all that change, I wouldn’t be me and I couldn't have learned that life is what you make of it. I used to think that the people who were content with their lives knew something that I didn’t. I used to think that something was wrong with me because I couldn’t satisfy my itch for certain things in life. But that’s the beauty of it all…Life is ever-changing and so am I. What worked for me yesterday might not work today. I know now that this is exactly where I’m suppose to be and exactly who I am suppose to be and the path I chose to arrive here was perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing! …Or would I ????
I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong because I always felt unsatisfied with the way life was turning out. I felt that good enough was never really good enough. I felt I had been searching and striving for something that was out of reach. Which at times, I didn’t even know what that something was, I just knew I needed to transform somehow to try to achieve whatever it was I was looking to be or do at the time. A better life? A better job? A better relationship? More money? A new car? But more importantly, I was searching for some kind of peace within that would allow me to just accept life for it was. Whatever the goal…the search was on.
I couldn’t turn off that little voice inside of me that would constantly question everything. It drove me crazy. I needed answers to calm the hysteria going on in my head. I wanted to stop having to think about how I was going to make it through, whether it was a financial matter, emotional or physical or whatever. I started to think that maybe I had some deep seeded commitment issues or that I was incapable of living a “traditional” lifestyle. You know…the all American dream? I felt that I had been one of the chosen few to get handed a really crappy life and no matter what I did, I just couldn’t achieve that natural balance that life is suppose to have. I was even mad at God for a long time wondering how he can let things happen to the same person over and over. Never the same situation, but always a constant fight to survive. I’ve been struggling with this for many years now and I think I’m finally starting to figure it out.
In the last few years, what came to be known (in my own head) as ‘normal” changes have now changed. Funny – even my changes are changing. What I mean by that is I have become so much more aware of every waking moment and I don’t want to miss out on a second of life, good or bad. Maybe its maturity, I’m not sure. Or it could be just evolution of life. Who knows? What I do know is that now I have come to appreciate things, that in the past, I would have regarded as troublesome, mundane or out right horrible. I realize now that without the bad, you cannot know the good. So change is necessary. I realize now that all the changes throughout my lifetime were necessary as well in order to grow and be able to figure out just what I am suppose to be doing or where I am suppose to be going and mostly who I am. I think I finally realized that without all that change, I wouldn’t be me and I couldn't have learned that life is what you make of it. I used to think that the people who were content with their lives knew something that I didn’t. I used to think that something was wrong with me because I couldn’t satisfy my itch for certain things in life. But that’s the beauty of it all…Life is ever-changing and so am I. What worked for me yesterday might not work today. I know now that this is exactly where I’m suppose to be and exactly who I am suppose to be and the path I chose to arrive here was perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing! …Or would I ????
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
To Blog or not to Blog….
I’m not sure exactly what I’m supposed to be writing here. I could probably “blog” about anything…but who will read this crap? As you can tell, I’m new at this blogging stuff.
I can tell you about the “less then normal” life I lead. I can also tell you about my beautiful family and how fortunate I am to have them. I guess I could tell you about my 6 cats (1 expecting)… and our new dog. Maybe you would like to here some of the crazy situations I have gotten myself into in the last 40 years. I’ll bet I can make you really sad too if I tell you about the abundance of misfortune I have seen in this life time. I wonder what you want to know. Do you even care to know?
I reckon this should be about something other then me or my life, right? I’ve never even read a blog, I just like the word. Blog…..blog……blog……..funny word. Speaking of words, I recently wrote a letter to a company who I bought pasta from to cook for Easter dinner. ‘Turns out that when I cooked the pasta, it had bugs baked into the dough. Pretty gross! So I wrote to the company to tell them about how I was mortified in front of my guests and the how much of an inconvenience it was to have to run out to the store to get something else for dinner and how sick in the stomach I was that I couldn’t even eat after that. Oh, and did I mention??? Somebody actually bit into one of the pasta shells to check for doneness and bit right into a bug. Anyway, a few days later, I got a response telling me that there’s NO WAY these bugs came from the plant and that they would reimburse me for my product and inconvenience.
So, I wait….
Finally, I received a letter in the mail. I figured, great, at least I’ll get a few bucks back for my troubles….NOT!!!!!!!!!!! You know what they sent me??? COUPONS!!! Coupons for more products that I will never buy again. So, needless to say I’m pretty pissed off at them. I’m not really crazy about lawyers, but I’m probably going to contact one to see if there is any way to at least get my money back for the food. I’m also going to write them another letter. We’ll see where that gets me. Probably more coupons. Anyone know a good lawyer???
I can tell you about the “less then normal” life I lead. I can also tell you about my beautiful family and how fortunate I am to have them. I guess I could tell you about my 6 cats (1 expecting)… and our new dog. Maybe you would like to here some of the crazy situations I have gotten myself into in the last 40 years. I’ll bet I can make you really sad too if I tell you about the abundance of misfortune I have seen in this life time. I wonder what you want to know. Do you even care to know?
I reckon this should be about something other then me or my life, right? I’ve never even read a blog, I just like the word. Blog…..blog……blog……..funny word. Speaking of words, I recently wrote a letter to a company who I bought pasta from to cook for Easter dinner. ‘Turns out that when I cooked the pasta, it had bugs baked into the dough. Pretty gross! So I wrote to the company to tell them about how I was mortified in front of my guests and the how much of an inconvenience it was to have to run out to the store to get something else for dinner and how sick in the stomach I was that I couldn’t even eat after that. Oh, and did I mention??? Somebody actually bit into one of the pasta shells to check for doneness and bit right into a bug. Anyway, a few days later, I got a response telling me that there’s NO WAY these bugs came from the plant and that they would reimburse me for my product and inconvenience.
So, I wait….
Finally, I received a letter in the mail. I figured, great, at least I’ll get a few bucks back for my troubles….NOT!!!!!!!!!!! You know what they sent me??? COUPONS!!! Coupons for more products that I will never buy again. So, needless to say I’m pretty pissed off at them. I’m not really crazy about lawyers, but I’m probably going to contact one to see if there is any way to at least get my money back for the food. I’m also going to write them another letter. We’ll see where that gets me. Probably more coupons. Anyone know a good lawyer???
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Wild Flowers of the Everglades
aaaawww..the baby...
Sleepy-heads
baby kitties
