I don't know if you saw the Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday(Feb. 25) but Lisa Ling did a report on the tent cities that are springing up all over this country due to the recession. You need to go to http://www.oprah.com/ and watch the report. I support the Stimulus bill but it is not going to help the people who have lost jobs, homes and all of their belongings and are now forced to live in tent cities that are illegal where there are no services and cleanliness is next to impossible. Water is in short supply and it is difficult to keep clean and warm. Tax cuts do not help people who have no earnings. I have written to Barack Obama, Senators Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and John McCain to ask what they going to do about this situation.
We are supposedly the the most advanced country in the world and we have people living like this. It is disgusting! We pour billions into third world countries and then let our own people live in squalor. What is wrong with this picture.
One person cannot fix this. It is only government that can go into a place like this and help. There are families with small children living like this and no one seems to care. Children are being robbed of their education, health and a safe place to live.
People in Washington are so isolated that they have no clue as to the suffering of the people who are their constituents. This is a tragedy and no one seems to care. When people lose their jobs and are forced to leave their homes companies come in and clean out the house and all the personal belongings, furniture, computers, etc. are thrown in the trash. Supposedly agencies are overwhelmed with stuff. There has to be a central clearing house for these items as there are certainly people who can use the items. What a sad thing to have all of your belongings just thrown away because you have no place to take them.
Here we now have lobbyists planning campaigns that will cost millions of dollars to try and sabotage the plans for health care reform, education and climate change and subsidies. What a waste of money. Why can't they see that their millions could help regular people who are in dire straits. The rich fat cats of this country have had it too good for too long and I am furious that we allow this to happen in this country of plenty. I have asked the government to see that help is given to these unfortunate people. I am more than willing to do what I can but it takes a big organization to lead the effort.
I am asking all of my readers to go to http://www,oprah.com/ and watch Lisa Ling's report. If it does not move you to take action, I don't know what will. If we all act together maybe we can effect a change. Please join me in expressing your outrage.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
A Response to a Post by Sudburiensis
I am so in tune with what my friend Sudburiensis on his blog, http://sudburiensis.blogspot.com/ , wrote and I have thought the very same things myself. He discussed the fact that Bernie Maddoff and Alan Stanford are out free when they should be in jail. He also talked about the bankers who knew what they were doing and misled the public.
You and I know that the bankers and Wall Street fat cats knew what they were doing and they are walking scott free. I also think people in power who are voted to represent the people also knew what was going on and they didn't tell us so we all suffered huge losses and our retirements are no longer secure.I could go on and on but I guess the ranting doesn't really help.
I have always had a great deal of admiration for Tom Daschle but if you and I made a much smaller mistake on our taxes the IRS would have been after us in no time and we would not have been treated very well.
Then tonight I listened to Chris Matthews on MSNBC who said that the Dow Jones is Obama's score card. I don't believe that should be the scorecard. The American people are the scorecard and right now they approve of Obama's actions by 67%. My financial analyst told me today that it will take time for the stimulus money to have an effect on the economy. The markets are afraid that the banks will go under and maybe they will. How can they blame Obama when he inherited the whole mess from the very worst president we have had in modern times. At least the new adminsitration is attempting to do something and we should give him a chance.
You and I know that the bankers and Wall Street fat cats knew what they were doing and they are walking scott free. I also think people in power who are voted to represent the people also knew what was going on and they didn't tell us so we all suffered huge losses and our retirements are no longer secure.I could go on and on but I guess the ranting doesn't really help.
I have always had a great deal of admiration for Tom Daschle but if you and I made a much smaller mistake on our taxes the IRS would have been after us in no time and we would not have been treated very well.
Then tonight I listened to Chris Matthews on MSNBC who said that the Dow Jones is Obama's score card. I don't believe that should be the scorecard. The American people are the scorecard and right now they approve of Obama's actions by 67%. My financial analyst told me today that it will take time for the stimulus money to have an effect on the economy. The markets are afraid that the banks will go under and maybe they will. How can they blame Obama when he inherited the whole mess from the very worst president we have had in modern times. At least the new adminsitration is attempting to do something and we should give him a chance.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
What Are We Doing To Our Children?
Tonight on the news a feature story was about Tweens and Teens having Spa Days! Two of the children were boys ages 7 and 10. They went to the spa to get their hair lightened. These kids should be outdoors playing and being the children they are.
It showed young girls getting their lips injected to look fuller, having their eyebrows waxed and even going in for bikini waxes. It reported that more and more teens are having plastic surgery and even using Botox.
What has happened to parenting? We are sending the wrong messages to our children that appearance is the most important thing. Whatever happened to allowing children to be children. We are allowing and encouraging our children to become small adults who do not have the emotional, intellectual or physical skills to act like adults. There is a reason for the stages of development and we are doing our children a disservice when we allow or promote the use of such appearance enhancing activities such as spa visits.
We as adults need to act like adults and set priorities and boundaries for our children. This means allowing age appropriate activities.
I believe that having the media show this story during what we might call family time is just putting more bad ideas into the minds of children and parents. This is not news we need to see.
It showed young girls getting their lips injected to look fuller, having their eyebrows waxed and even going in for bikini waxes. It reported that more and more teens are having plastic surgery and even using Botox.
What has happened to parenting? We are sending the wrong messages to our children that appearance is the most important thing. Whatever happened to allowing children to be children. We are allowing and encouraging our children to become small adults who do not have the emotional, intellectual or physical skills to act like adults. There is a reason for the stages of development and we are doing our children a disservice when we allow or promote the use of such appearance enhancing activities such as spa visits.
We as adults need to act like adults and set priorities and boundaries for our children. This means allowing age appropriate activities.
I believe that having the media show this story during what we might call family time is just putting more bad ideas into the minds of children and parents. This is not news we need to see.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Education and the Stimulus Package
Did you know that in the recently passed economic stimulus package there is 100 billion dollars for education? I didn't realize it until this morning when I read an op-ed piece by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times. He writes that he has changed his mind about Healthcare being the number one priority. He has now come to believe that education is the number one priority. I refer you to his editorial in the link below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/opinion/15kristof.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
I happen to agree with Kristoff. We are a country that professes to love our children but when it comes to budgeting education usually takes the biggest hits other than assiatnce to the poor and needy. If we are going to improve the lot of the poor and needy education needs to be a priority. Over the years I have seen watered down curriculum and a lack of focus on the academic side of education. There seems to be more of a focus on athletics. Now I believe that there needs to be a balance and that athletics have a place but we need to realize that not all of our kids will become college athletes or professional athletes. But all kids need an academic education to become productive citizens.
How will we solve the economic, social and scientific problems that the country and the world face? It will be by giving all children an education and making math, science, reading and writing more interesting and challenging and more important.
This takes good teachers who truly love their jobs and are willing to make needed changes to be sure their students are involved in the learning process. It will take higher pay for the people who spend so much time with our children and have an enormous ability to influence them.
It will also take supportive parents who want their children to be successful learners and who will accept that all children do not always get all A's. Parents need to make sure that their children do the work needed to be successful learners. Parents need to be supportive of the classroom teachers and respect their knowledge and integrity. This too often is not the case.
Teachers also need to get to know their students as people and learners and be willing to adapt to some individual needs.
This is not an easy problem to solve but one that needs our attention and support.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/opinion/15kristof.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
I happen to agree with Kristoff. We are a country that professes to love our children but when it comes to budgeting education usually takes the biggest hits other than assiatnce to the poor and needy. If we are going to improve the lot of the poor and needy education needs to be a priority. Over the years I have seen watered down curriculum and a lack of focus on the academic side of education. There seems to be more of a focus on athletics. Now I believe that there needs to be a balance and that athletics have a place but we need to realize that not all of our kids will become college athletes or professional athletes. But all kids need an academic education to become productive citizens.
How will we solve the economic, social and scientific problems that the country and the world face? It will be by giving all children an education and making math, science, reading and writing more interesting and challenging and more important.
This takes good teachers who truly love their jobs and are willing to make needed changes to be sure their students are involved in the learning process. It will take higher pay for the people who spend so much time with our children and have an enormous ability to influence them.
It will also take supportive parents who want their children to be successful learners and who will accept that all children do not always get all A's. Parents need to make sure that their children do the work needed to be successful learners. Parents need to be supportive of the classroom teachers and respect their knowledge and integrity. This too often is not the case.
Teachers also need to get to know their students as people and learners and be willing to adapt to some individual needs.
This is not an easy problem to solve but one that needs our attention and support.
Proud To Be From Maine
I want to congratulate our two Republican Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, for having the the courage to stand up and do what they thought was right for the American people and the people of Maine by supporting the Stimulus bill that Presdient Obama will sign this week.
Susan Collins worked very hard to bring about a compromise bill for the Stimulus package that she could support and that is to her credit. I have always admired the independence of Olympia Snowe and she showed again her strength and willingness to work in a bipartisan manner to support this legislation.
These two women showed up their Rebublican counterparts by putting the people first and not just going the party line and they are to be complimented.
I, for one, intend to write to them both and thank them and I hope others will do that too because it truly took courage for these two women from Maine to stand against the tide swell of Republican negativity.
Susan Collins worked very hard to bring about a compromise bill for the Stimulus package that she could support and that is to her credit. I have always admired the independence of Olympia Snowe and she showed again her strength and willingness to work in a bipartisan manner to support this legislation.
These two women showed up their Rebublican counterparts by putting the people first and not just going the party line and they are to be complimented.
I, for one, intend to write to them both and thank them and I hope others will do that too because it truly took courage for these two women from Maine to stand against the tide swell of Republican negativity.
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