Some Stuff

So, Obama released a copy of his birth certificate. Donald Trump is taking the credit. Well la-de-fricking-da. Obama was born here. You were wrong. Now you just look like an ass.

I have a good kid and he drives me mad. How do parents with not so good kids do it?

The problem with trying to read someone that you don't really know is that you don't know them well enough to read them. Sounds like its obvious? Not to all of us, okay?

A quick story for Mama Kat's writing workshop: an embarrassing story from school. I generally don't get embarrassed. I have a high tolerance or something. Drunk friends can easily spit out something told in confidence, though, and my face turns redder than a beet. (Does anyone even eat beets?) I was out and about with a friend in college and we saw this guy I knew from high school. I'm about to say hi when she says to me very loudly "Isn't that the guy that you like from your high school?" Extremely awkward.

One last thing. I'm going to the SITS Bloggy Boot Camp May 7th. I'm going with Mel and Frannie! We are going to have so much fun! Has anybody else been to anything like this?

Joe Legal

I received the following email from my aunt.  She clearly doesn't know me at. all.


You have two families: "Joe Legal" and "Jose llegal".

Both families have two parents, two children, and live in Arizona.

Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes $25.00 per hour with taxes deducted.

Jose Illegal also works in construction, has NO Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".

Ready? Now pay attention...

Joe Legal: $25.00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000.00 per week, or $52,000.00 per year. Now take 30% away for state and federal tax; Joe Legal now has $31,231.00.

Jose Illegal: $15.00 per hour x 40 hours = $600.00 per week, or $31,200.00 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes. Jose Illegal now has$31,200.00.

Joe Legal pays medical and dental insurance with limited coverage for his family at $600.00 per month, or $7,200.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $24,031.00.

Jose Illegal has full medical and dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.

Joe Legal makes too much money and is not eligible for food stamps or welfare. Joe Legal pays $500.00 per month for food, or $6,000.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $18,031.00.

Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for food stamps and welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.

Joe Legal pays rent of $1,200.00 per month, or $14,400.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $9,631.00.

Jose Illegal receives a $500.00 per month federal rent subsidy. Jose Illegal pays out that $500.00 per month, or $6,000.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $ 31,200.00.

Joe Legal pays $200.00 per month, or $2,400.00 for insurance. Joe Legal now has $7,231.00.

Jose Illegal says, "We don't need no stinkin' insurance!" and still has $31,200.00.

Joe Legal has to make his $7,231.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, etc.

Jose Illegal has to make his $31,200.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, and what he sends out of the country every month.

Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work.

Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.

Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get a government sponsored lunch.

Jose Illegal's children have an after school ESL program. Joe Legal's children go home.

Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same police and fire services, but

Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.

Do you get it, now?

If you vote for or support any politician that supports illegal aliens.......You are part of the problem !

It's way PAST time to take a stand for America and Americans!



And here was my response:

What about when our friend Jose Ilegal doesn't get paid "under the table"? He still pays the same taxes as Joe Legal and now he too makes too much money for any welfare, just like Joe. If we are going to talk about people being paid "under the table" and abusing the welfare system, then we cannot just limit it to illegal immigrants. I would bet that more of the people who are abusing the system are citizens. Illegal immigrants are coming to this country to work and make money. They are not coming here to just suck off of our system.

Furthermore, the problem with the Arizona law isn't just that the cops are stopping illegal immigrants and asking for their papers, they are allowed to stop anyone. You and me included. You and me, tax paying citizens. They can stop anyone and ask for proof they are here legally. What if you were a legal Mexican immigrant? Would you not be afraid to be stopped by the police every single time you left your home??

Raine

Ignorance makes me so angry.

Tolerance vs. Acceptance

tol·er·ance –noun
1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
2. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
3. interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.

ac·cep·tance n.
1. The act or process of accepting.
2. The state of being accepted or acceptable.
3. Favorable reception; approval.
source

If I say that I tolerate something, I feel like I am implying that I do not like the something.  That it has a negative connotation.  That I am permitting it to continue out of the goodness of my heart.  If I wasn't feeling so generous, I would put a stop to it.  But I preach tolerance.  I wish people could just tolerate one another.  Maybe they could just not kill each other.  That would be good.

I never think of tolerance like that, though.  I say that I am extremely tolerant, but perhaps i should say accepting.  Wouldn't it be nice if i had to preach acceptance?  If everyone tolerated each other, then the next step would be to accept one another.

I thought about this because I was thinking about people who are not tolerant of others.  People who can't accept small differences in opinions, such as whether pit bulls are dangerous or whether people who dislike Phish are retarded or not.  Whether using the word retarded is grounds for lynching.  People have such strong opinions that any one who thinks differently is a complete idiot.  I feel like I am very opinionated, passionate, and right.  But even when I know I'm right, I realize that the other person has had different experiences.  They grew up with a different set of values.  Perhaps they hate pit bulls because they have been bitten.  Maybe they love them because they breed them.

It really boggles me why people cannot tolerate each other.  Gay marriage.  Even if you believe that homosexuals are the devil incarnate, why do you care if they are allowed to wed or not?  I suppose people believe that these different people are somehow affecting their lives.  Illegal immigrants are stealing our jobs and selling drugs to our children.  God will send a plague of locusts if we allow homosexuality to continue.

I will teach my son to accept all people no matter how different they are.  Even Republicans.

It is Bad Politics to Bend

No, I don't mean bending like John Edwards.  Although, come to find out, that is bad politics too.  Nor do I mean break like Joe Lieberman.  I mean finding a middle ground, splitting the difference, compromise.

Obama has removed the public option from the health care bill and in it's place put government subsidies.  Republicans are against it because they are against everything and the Democrats are pissed because it is not the public option.  Obama has reached out into the aisle and been snubbed by both parties.

This reminds me of Martha Coakley's stance (not that it matters anymore.)  She is pro-choice and would not vote yes on a bill unless it allowed abortions.  In a way, I think this is admirable, I am pro-choice too.  But there is no way the Republicans will agree with it.  Abortion is such a hot topic, can't we save that fight for later?  Health care is the issue here.  But if Coakley submitted, she would lose her pro-choice supporters.  Can't win elections without supporters (which she ultimately didn't.)

How do you get 75 people to agree on something?  Compromise.  Everyone has to bend.  But, if you do not stand firm, you may be called a flip-flopper (like John Kerry).  And, like Kerry taught us, that is bad politics.  Compromise just does not get you reelected.

I admire the president for going forth with his plans, despite them being bad politics.  He is certainly not winning any popularity contests.  I also admire what Nancy Pelosi said last week telling House Democrats to step up even if the bill is unpopular at the moment.  "We're not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress," she said. "We're here to do the job for the American people."source

Who Watches the Watchmen?

I love superheroes. Batman is my favorite. I like that he is an ordinary (albeit wealthy) man who seeks revenge over his parents death. I am not that keen on Superman. He is an alien. I think that is hard to relate to.

I have decided to start reading comics. I never read comics before, except the occasional Archie. I figured that I would begin my journey with one of the best: Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

Did you see the movie? Well I am sure that you would guess that the book is better. (Side note: Is there any movies that are better than the books? Discuss.) It is amazing the things that they can do in the comic as opposed to the movie. They have nine panels (generally) per page to tell the story. They juxtaposition two separate scenes perfectly. They can even show something while someone somewhere else is talking over.

Do we need an example? In the book there is two minor characters, a boy reading a comic and a man who sells newspapers. In panel 1 you see what the boy is reading and the man is talking over it. The next is opposite. What the man is talking about and what the boy is reading about parallels each other, rather disturbingly.

Superheroes. I like that "normal" people see some injustice and they go out to right it. In Watchmen, they are all "normal" people besides Dr. Manhattan. I wish that I could do what they do. Every time I try to get justice, I get fucked. I try to do the right thing, but, as they say, nice guys finish last. It's the truest cliche I know.

------SPOILER ALERT!!--------

Near the end of the book Adrian says "What does fighting crime mean, exactly? Does it mean upholding the law when a woman shoplifts to feed her children, or does it mean struggling to uncover the ones who, quite legally, have brought about her poverty?" I think this pretty much sums up the book and maybe life? This is why Adrian decides that it is worth three million lives to save the rest of the world. Was he wrong? Would you or I do the same, with the same power and resources?

It helps me understand different points of view. Lets take abortion. I strongly believe that the woman should have the right to choose what happens to her own body. I am 100% primarily concerned about the woman. It is easy to say that Pro-Lifers are the enemy and that they are wrong. But, if we look at their point of view, they believe that abortion is murder. It is a moral issue. If I saw something that I felt was immoral, I too would fight it. (Granted I wouldn't go bombing clinics.) But you see what I mean? Actually, if we put the clinic bombings into the mix, is it that big of jump to relate them to Adrian?

The last thing I want to talk about is the end. At the end, everyone is united against a common enemy. I want compare that to 9/11. Not the attacks, but to the nation during the following months. Everyone put aside their differences and became Americans. Our country was truly united states. We were united against a common enemy and the outpouring of patriotism was overwhelming. Have you ever seen so many flags as you did during those months? I haven't.

No, You Don't Belong Here

Have you ever seen SubUrbia? It's this great flick and one of the lines that always stands out is "No, you don't belong here." I was going to put the video up so you would no what I'm talking about but it's in the middle of a 10 minute video and I know we don't care enough.

Anyways, I have been trying to find my place. I've been trying to find people to connect with. People who know what I am going through. People who I can trust and maybe after time, have someone to pick my son up from daycare in an emergency. Or somewhere I can go and feel safe. Or maybe people who I can have some fun with.

It has been a major fail.

My ex was the one who made the friends. I did have my own friends, but they were all old friends. Granted, my friends have always been true friends and my ex's friends were always just mooching, but he could talk to people. He could become fast friends with anyone. That was, probably, his fatal flaw, but you see my point, right? He talked to people, I didn't.

So, being tossed out on my own for the first time in, well, forever, I find myself very lonely. I do have friends, but they all seem to be very far away. And when friends are far away, you can't see them all that often, and when you don't see them all that often you lose touch.

I have been on this mission impossible for quite some time now and it seems fruitless.

I should probably say now that I exclude my bloggy friends from this post. I have met some wonderful people who know what I am going through and are great listeners, but I can't come over to your house. You can't come over to mine.

First I started with Meetup.com, looking for mommy groups. I went on some play dates but they were all disasters. I had nothing in common with these women. I could not stand half of them and the other half didn't seem to need any new friends.

I met this woman through this support group I went to a few times. We hung out a few times, our kids played a few times, but honestly, I didn't really like her.

I don't feel like I belong at work. I am surrounded by smart, ambitious people. I am not ambitious. They all just work in my position for a couple of years then go on to graduate programs. Not me. I never really liked school in the first place. And I always feel like the bad kid. None of them ever did drugs or went home with strangers or got married on a whim or been arrested.

I tried going to a Unitarian Universalist church a couple of times. They were all perfectly nice people and they kept saying how welcoming they are, but I didn't feel particularly welcome. I chatted about the weather with a couple of people but no one took any interest in knowing me. Maybe I that was my job. I don't know.

I would try other churches but I don't "believe in God" so I just don't think a church is the place for me.

I never felt close to one side of my family but recent events made me feel even more like an outcast.

Recently I haven't even felt right in my own state. Massachusetts is supposed to be a liberal state. Why would they elect a Republican? When did everyone jump the fence? Sometimes I fear that the whole country is conservative. Then where would that put me?

I am an atheist liberal single mom of a toddler who works full time in the city. Where do I fit in?

Not Likely

I got my first anonymous comment! Yay! Of all the things I write about, it was in response to a Post-It (?)

Anonymous said...

I don't think it is unfair for a poor person to have the same as me.. If they get it the same way I did by working and saving .. not by taking some of mine (money) to get it.

Which got me to thinking. My sticky was originally in response to a brief conversation that I had had with a friend of mine. But Anonymous got me to thinking about prejudices. This got me to concocting a hypothetical situation. For your perusal.

................

You and I go into a fancy schmancy restaurant (you are paying). We look over and see Man A at table one wearing a tux and drinking some fine wine with a beautiful woman. We look over at table two and see Man B wearing a tie with a pretty woman, who looks slightly out of place.

"Hey," you say, "didn't Man B pump your gas yesterday?" Sure enough he had. You say, "What do you think - you think he is a drug dealer or maybe welfare is paying for his dinner?"

Man A overhears this remark. He puts down his wine glass and says "Yeah, you know who is probably paying for that meal - you and me, my friend. Hard-working tax-paying citizens."

...............

Boy A grew up in a nice suburb in a nice house with a nice family with 2.5 kids. Boy A gets good grades in school. When he turns 16, his parents buy him a car. Nothing fancy, but with a car he can get that internship over at his dad's agency.

Boy A finishes high school and goes to a nice university. He graduates and is now Man A. Because he had that internship in high school, Man A gets a cushy job at the agency. Man A works, comes home with a nice paycheck to a nice house in a nice suburb with his nice wife and 2.5 children. Man A takes his wife out for "date night" on Fridays, which is where we meet him.

................

Boy B grew up in an apartment in a tough neighborhood. Boy B worked hard in school, stayed away from all of the drugs he saw his friends doing, but still did not get the best grades. When Boy B turns 16 there is no money for a car, so he gets himself a job. He walks to the gas station where he pumps gas 5 nights a week.

He works more than he studies so he does not get good enough grades for the scholarships he applies for. His parents cannot take out loans for him, so college is not an option. Boy B joins the military.

After his four years, Man B is honorably discharged and goes back to his parent's house. Unfortunately, his paratrooper skills that he gained in the military are not an advantage in the local job market so Man B goes back to the gas station.

Man B works hard and saves up so that on his and his girl's anniversary he can take her to a fancy schmancy restaurant, where we see him.

...............

I turn to you and ask "How do we know that Man B isn't a hard-working tax-paying citizen like the rest of us? Who knows, maybe he works harder than us."

Man A picks up his wine glass and chuckles, "Yeah, not likely."

Time to Move to Canada?

I was a wreck yesterday. There are a couple of family stuffs. Remember Cousin in Italy? Well, apparently they are having a party for him and everyone was invited but me. My dad asked if I was invited. He said he is not going because I wasn't invited. It's nice to have someone on your team.

But the big news of the night was the shitty election. In case you don't know, Scott Brown, a republican, was voted into the senate seat vacated by the late Ted Kennedy. He is the 41st republican in the senate. He has said that he will vote against the health care bill. Now the democrats are short one vote. Dammit.

I spent part of my weekend calling people reminding them to vote. I called 50 people and there were somewhere around a million calls made total. I know it is crazy, but I almost felt like the election results were a personal attack. Obviously it is not, but once the snowball starts rolling, all sorts of crazy ideas come into my head.

One thing I was thinking about is my mother. She has terminal cancer and it looks as though she will spend her last years worrying about hospital bills. I do not want to live in a world where people do not have access to basic health care. Nor do I want to raise my child in that world.

I do not want to live in a world that denies people basic things, like marriage.

I understand that people have different beliefs. I understand that some people believe that homosexuality is an abomination (so is shrimp, but that is a different rant) but what I do not understand is why they must force their beliefs on the rest of us. I want to live in a world where people are equal. They don't have to like each other, or what each other does, just live and let live.

Anyways, moving on to the point of this post, I found a way to make myself calm down and take stock. I thought about Martin Luther King Jr. Once upon a time, about 50 years ago, black people were segregated from white people. They could not use the same bathrooms, go to the same schools, sit on the same bus seats. Then going a little farther back, women did not have equal rights. Once upon a time, I wouldn't have even been able to vote.

But people like Martin Luther King Jr fought against these injustices. And they did not win every battle. But eventually, things got better. God knows, there is still rampant racism, sexism, anti-semitism, but things are better. If MLKJ just threw up his hands and relocated to a more tolerant country, he'd still be alive, perhaps, but maybe blacks and whites would still have separate drinking fountains.

Change is slow. There will be set backs. I believe that people are good in their hearts even if the polls say otherwise. Things are not perfect, by any means, but at least I am able to vote. One hundred years ago I wouldn't have been able to. I can just keep fighting the good fight of equality and teaching my son to, as well.

Everyone...

Corn Dogs

My weekend has been like a corn dog. A perfectly good weekend surrounded by unnecessary anxiety. All morning I've been worried about whether or not the city was going to call a parking ban because of the snow. Although it's not really snow. It is accumulated freezing rain. If that makes sense. I am grateful that they haven't because I don't have to deal with taxis. I've become obsessed with the weather, though, anticipating the ban.

Being snowed freezing rained in gives me some time to make phone calls to fellow Massholes reminding them to vote tomorrow.

Yesterday we attended a Unitarian Universalist service for the first time. It is indeed different. The sermon began with a video of Micheal Jackson's Man in the Mirror. Unfortunately I didn't hear much more of it, because Ryder wanted me to play in the nursery with him. I really like that they never mentioned God or anything. They stayed general and gave moments of silence for personal prayer.

So, Ryder wanted me to play with him in the nursery. It is hard to meet adults in the nursery. Yep, it's true. Not that I can blame him alone. I don't know what to say to people. They introduce themselves to me, I introduce myself, then I am lost. Then I wander away. I suck at making friends. We're going to go back a couple more times, at least. Maybe with repetition both Ryder and I will feel more comfortable.

Then with my anxiety riding high, we went met my family at the Rainforest Cafe for my sister's birthday. Holy crap, that place is insane! I wanted the hide in the bathroom the whole time. It was fun after I calmed down. Ryder could not eat, he was so interested in everything else in the room. How do any kids eat in that place?

Aren't we a happy family?

We went to David's Bridal to try on dresses. That was fun! Since I have lost weight I went down a couple sizes, that always makes me happy.

I usually don't give you weekend synopsises but there you go. Here was Saturday:

Bird Man

Like his castle?

Showing off the FriendShip

Penny

That Guy

Sometimes you meet someone who makes you think "Wow. I am glad that I am not That Guy." For whatever reason. Maybe he got into a wreck, or maybe his wife is screaming at him for getting the wrong kind of bread, or maybe he is sleeping on the bench in the park. Or maybe he is just prejudiced.

I try to think about how everyone was raised differently, came from a different place, maybe even a different time. They had different experiences and met different people. All of this made this person who he or she is today.

I met a guy yesterday that obviously grew up differently than I did. We were both born in Boston and come from Boston families and are approximately the same age. He clearly had a different childhood than me though. To stick with some basics and not get into too much, but still give you an idea: he was an intelligent child in an experimental program. They tried to integrate English and Spanish students and tried to teach all of them everything. Long story short, he was one of two white kids in a class of Latinos.

So, he views immigrants and the like differently than I do. I grew up in a French-Canadian town with close to no minorities.

I am a bleeding heart liberal. I think instead of closing the borders, they should make it easier for people to come and go. I say "Give us your poor..." (Wait, that's not me, that's the Statue of Liberty...) We are all descendants of immigrants. My Irish ancestors certainly did not get a warm welcome when they got here, so should we be passing the torch or perhaps changing our ways?

Anyways, my point is this. I am very grateful for my parents teaching me that hatred is wrong. That all men are created equal. (Wait that wasn't them... that was the Declaration of Independence...) I am not entirely sure where they learned all of this, growing up in Roman-Catholic Boston families. Catholics (if you don't know) are notorious for hating everyone. My parent's families are terribly prejudiced. It is quite embarrassing really. But my parents are not. Sure, they did grow up in a different time, so things like homosexuals and piercings they need time to adjust to, but in the end they are very accepting and loving.

I wonder if Ryder will be a bleeding heart liberal. Will he want to minimize his carbon footprint and vote and treat others how he'd like to be treated? I hope so. I will do all that I can to expose him to different cultures so that he understands that not everyone is like us - and that is okay. Not only okay, but great. We can learn so much from different people and different cultures. I will also instill in him that it is okay for him to be whoever he is. Buddist? Okay. Gay? Okay. Republican? Err.. Okay.

I hope he doesn't end up like That Guy.

Sticks

Five People Who Annoy Me This Week

1. Post-Election Activists
You know the types. They say nothing before the election. Probably do not vote. Then complain and complain and rally AFTER the election. Wednesday is not the right time to decide to protest, start groups, and rally. Monday probably would have been a better day for that. I cannot even look at FaceBook right now.

2. Lazy People
The people who use the elevator to go up one flight. The people who ride the bus for three blocks.

3. Elitist Environmentalists
Yes, being green is good for the environment, and is totally fashionable. I read this blog where the author suggested to start buying delicious organic soups and to donate your old soup to food banks. The commenters called her an elitist because why would you give poor people bad (read: Campbell's) soup? You should take that soup and composite it! These people are the elitists! People at food banks would rather Campbell's soup then no soup at all. You would really rather throw perfectly good soup onto the ground then give it to a hungry family? WTF?

4. People Who Don't Clean Up After Themselves
We had a man from our lab start a new job this week. He did not clean up his bench AT ALL. It literally looks like he was in the middle of something then dropped everything and left. And who does he expect to clean and go through all this shit?

5. People Who Want Me To Do Their Work For Them
When I offer to help, it does not mean I am offering to do it for you. When you ask me to look something up for you, and I do, then you have additional questions about it that I cannot answer - look the damn thing up yourself! There is nothing worse than someone telling me what questions to ask the person on the other line, then having questions about their answers. I don't friggin know. Do it your own damn self. I should just start sending these out.

Stick 'Em Up

Dear Mr. Senator,

Have you ever called your Congressman? Seriously. I know that I never mean it when someone complains about something dumb (like the weather) and I reply "Write your Senator," but it is super easy!

Confession: I had never called my Congressman until fairly recently. Maybe in the past 6 months. There was a bill in our state Senate to cut funding for Early Intervention. I could not attend the rally, so I called. I was wicked scared at first. What were they going to say? What was I going to say? But it was super easy.

First things first. Find out who your representatives in Congress are. Just enter your zip code under the "Get Involved" and TaDa! All the important people in your life. (Except your mom and dad and Grammy; you know what I mean.)

After you get the appropriate phone numbers prepare what you want to say. The last time I called I basically just told them that I wanted the Congressman to know that I support the President's health care plan. Then, depending on the office, they may ask your name, phone number and address. That is it. They are usually super nice and it's quick. Thirty seconds.

So, why should we bother? Lets be honest. Our lawmakers are not mind readers. Sure, they probably have an idea of what their constituents want, but maybe they are wrong. Maybe they only hear special interest groups. Or maybe you agree on their stance and just want to reinforce it. Basically, we voted for these people to represent us. We need to tell them what we support and what we don't.

Go call your Congressman. I am sure that you have an opinion on something. Then afterward, you can feel as though you did something. You made your opinion heard.

Even if it's different than mine ;-)

Wind Blows

I was reading this article in The Phoenix the other day and it got me to thinking about wind power. I have thought about it in the past, in fact I pay extra on my electric bill in order for my electricity to come from renewable resources, such as wind. And you can't live in Mass without hearing about the Cape Wind controversy.

What I didn't realize before is how many people are against wind turbines. They have tons of reasons, but they don't all make sense to me. Maybe they will make sense to you. Lets go through them together.

Noise. Granted, I have never actually been up to a turbine, but they don't seem so loud to me. Lets have a listen:



I don't know about you, but it didn't sound that loud. Some people think they are so loud, that there is an actual sickness - wind turbine syndrome. According to this website (which is a little cheesy) its not actually the audible sound that is hazardous, but the low frequency noise. Now, that makes sense. It is similar to working around machinery that is not necessarily loud, but is constantly assaulting your ear drums with low frequency noise. I would like to see something a little more scientifically proven (not that I don't love their drawings.)

A big argument around here is that turbines are an eyesore. They will ruin our beautiful scenery. Personally, I think it depends on your perspective. I think they are beautiful. They remind me that society is becoming more environmentally conscience. It makes me think that the future maybe a little bit better for my son when he is my age. Some disagree. What do you think? Would you rather see this:


Or this:




Or maybe this:



This brings us to the argument that wind is unreliable. There will always need to be a power plant as a back up. The turbine does not turn if there isn't enough wind. If there is too much wind, it overloads the grid and also stops spinning. So why bother with the wind if we will still need power plants? To this I refer you to this article in Cape Cod Today. Basically, yes, we still need a back up to wind power. We are not going to be able to put up some turbines and then shut down all of the nuclear plants. That would be awesome, but unrealistic. But isn't some renewable energy better than none?

This reminds me of the health care reform. No, it is not perfect, but we need to start somewhere.

One more major argument is that it will negatively affect wildlife and the ecosystems around the turbines. Might I point out the negative effects of nuclear or coal power plants? Or is that too obvious? The companies do extensive research to minimize any disruptions. There has been new technology to slow down the speed that the turbines spin so they are safer for birds.

With proper planning, all of these concerns can be dealt with. That is why we have hunting and fishing regulations. This is also how we are able to use state forests for logging and recreation. Good old fashioned planning.

People who are not environmental conscience seem to think that those of us that are are trying to fix Earth. This is just not so. We will never be able to restore the damage already done to the Earth. Nor will we be able to stop impacting the Earth. We can, however, try to minimize the impact. Perhaps we can slow down the destruction.

Me? Wordless?

I don't usually do Wordless Wednesdays because I have just too much to say. Let a picture talk for me? Hells no!

This week, I have decided that I have talked about this subject plenty, so I leave you with a picture of my car:

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

So, I ask myself "What makes a person powerful?"

"Money," I tell myself.

Money makes the world go round, and all that jazz.

All worldly decisions ultimately come down to money. Oil, embargoes, mergers, firing and hiring, health care, class systems, fame. The people with the money make the decisions.

I am preaching to the choir, I know. "Why," you ask, "are you even thinking about this never mind writing about it?"

I wish I could do more. Influence more decisions. Important decisions. Environmental, health care, military spending, welfare. But you need power to be influential.

I feel like I do do a lot. I recycle, vote, try to educate. But it is not enough for me. Money = Power. So, I will use my money wisely to influence decisions. I don't have to be rich to play their games.

I will not spend my money at establishments that lobby against my beliefs. I will not spend my money at establishments that treat their workers unfairly. I will buy products produced, shipped, and sold in more environmentally friendly ways. I will use my consumer power to its fullest extent.

I have long ago stopped buying Coors and Domino's because of their pro-life, anti-gay stances. I have not shopped at Walmart in God knows how long. I shop locally instead of at chain stores. I buy recycled and recyclable products. I try to stay up to date with green companies so that I can support them when I can.

In a capitalistic society, I think we need to be responsible consumers.

It is all about the Benjamins.

Do you know of other companies to stay away from or support? I'd like to hear about your responsible spending and maybe I can incorporate it into mine.

*Bonus game: How many cliches did I use in this post?*

Story Time

Let me tell you a story. This story is about a woman. This woman got into a car accident. This car accident was caused by the other driver. This woman was seriously injured. She was in serious pain. She was uninsured.

The way that insurance companies work is her insurance (theoretically) would pay her bills. Then her insurance company would go after the other driver's insurance company for reimbursement. Because she was uninsured, she could not afford the treatments. She went to physical therapy as long as she could, but it is expensive. What she really needed was surgery. Surgery may have alleviated the pain that she will now feel for the rest of her life.

She sued, but lawyers, too, are expensive. The lawyer finally told her to settle. It was the best she could do under the circumstances. The settlement was not enough for the surgery.

Let me tell you another story. This story is about a man and a woman. The man is employed by a hospital. This hospital gives its employees good insurance, as hospitals do. The woman got cancer. The man's insurance covered some of the bills. It did not cover enough. The woman is currently fighting cancer. Both are fighting to keep their house.

Here is another. This story is about a boy. This boy is only 19, but has been away from home for several years now. This boy does not have a job. This boy gets some assistance for health care through the state. This assistance does not cover dental work. This boy has immense pain in his mouth. It is more affordable for this boy to wait until the pain is completely unbearable so he has to go to the emergency department than if he went to the dentist. The assistance will help pay for the emergency visit. This boy must wait until it is a medical emergency before he can get help.

Okay. One more. This is about a woman. This woman had some knee pain. She has insurance and goes to her primary care physician who refers her to a specialist. The specialist says that she needs a MRI. He cannot order one, though, until an xray is done. The specialist knows that the xray will show nothing, but must order it because the insurance company will not pay for the MRI until an xray is done.

The xray is done. The MRI is done. The specialist tells the woman to get a prescription knee brace and go to physical therapy 2 - 3 times a week. This woman cannot afford to go 2 - 3 times a week. She cannot afford to go once a week. This woman goes every other week for six months. One of the underlying problems, they find out, is that this woman has flat feet. With the proper shoe inserts, this can be fixed. Then she would not have to go to the physical therapy. The insurance company does not cover any of the costs of the inserts. The insurance would, however, continue to cover the p.t. indefinitely. They would rather spend hundreds of dollars a month on p.t. than a couple of hundred dollars up front.

I could tell you more stories and I am sure that you could tell me thousands of similar stories. These are the reasons for health insurance reform. These people are the reasons for health insurance reform.

People claim that the quality of their health care will go down. First I ask: Is your care really that good? Second I beg these people to listen to these stories. Listen to the people who are getting screwed by the insurance companies or who are uninsured. Listen to your family, friends, and neighbors. I am sure that each person will hear stories similar to mine. Finally I ask that these people to listen to what these bills in congress are actually saying. Not just what they are told that they say by uninformed sources.

Okay, I am coming down from my soapbox for the night. I just believe in this so passionately. It always saddens me when the people who would benefit from change the most are the same who oppose it. For instance, the poor southern states. These lower class people who were being screwed by the republicans, are also their biggest supporters.

The last story, btw, was mine.

Love documentaries, but why?

A few years ago, something happened that caused a bit post-traumatic stress disorder, but that is another blog for another day. Just a little bit of background. Anyways, I used to read the newspaper every single day. Every bit of it! And it would upset me so much. Anyone remember the aunt that walked into traffic with her niece and nephew? That bothered me for weeks. I had nightmares and such. So, I stopped reading papers. And started watching documentaries like it was my job. So, instead of reading an article about something disturbing, I watch 100 minutes of it. Why do I do this to myself?

I watched "Taxi to the Dark Side" on sunday. Wrecked my day, for sure. It is a great documentary. Its perhaps the most bipartisan account Ive watched. It is about the detainee abuse in Abu Gharib, GTMO, and other such prisons. I would recommend it if you are properly prepared, which I was not. It was incredibly depressing.

You know that Ill watch another soon. I cant get enough.