Bleah. So I wear long skirts as I can't get my tree-trunk legs into pant legs (and palazzo pants are just not my thing). I haven't bought new skirts in years since before I retired, and the ones I have are beginning to look a little worn out.
So, I went looking. Lotsa places out there but I don't need anything fancy. It occurred to me, eBay might be a place to check out.
Most of the longer skirts I see there are labeled as "Modest" in some way or the other. Fuck that shit.
I ain't buying anything that calls itself "Modest". That concept is mostly applied to females in a patriarchal society where females are subservient to males. And as I said before, Fuck that shit.
I'll gladly go nekkid before I support an industry for "modest" clothing.
Friday, May 12, 2017
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Trixon
I have no idea who came up with this monstrosity. Looking at it literally turns my stomach, makes me cringe and want to find my safe place. But especially after the firing of Comey...well...110 days of hell is just the beginning, folks.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Potato, Potato
What, no posts in like, forever? Did I die?
Well, dying would have been less stressful. And I could write these in my sleep, I suppose, because I certainly think long and hard every night as I'm trying to empty my brain out and visit the Sandman. But no dice.
This explains perfectly, I think, what is going on with me these days.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Republicans Are Evil Overlords
I'm sick of their shit, and all the latest excuses.
"You know you may be bumped for any reason at any time"
"You sign your agreement to their bumping practices when you buy the ticket"
"When law enforcement tells you to do something, you hop to it"
Fuck all that. So tired of corporate white male America, via Republican overlords, having all the rights in this country. Human dignity, practices which don't result in public humiliation, are not incompatible with making a profit or keeping our country safe and secure. For example, there are many ways to handle needed bumping which do not result in having to forcibly extract a person from a flight. One would be to always to all the bumping pre-boarding. The other, to have the last four tickets sold for any flight be designated as "optional" and those holders don't board until it's certain there is going to be room. But once a paying customer boards, they should be assured of their seat unless they create a safety or security problem and must be removed.
But we allow airlines to do these humiliating things to us and we blame the victim rather than the business. Just as we blame the victim in a law enforcement-caused death. There are so many real-life incidents where the ordinary, non-authoritarian-minded individuals are losing life, limb, and dignity due to the heavy-handedness of others wielding power. And we let it happen. Oh, we raise a stink, and lots of outrage is expressed...but then...crickets. Nothing changes, nothing is fixed.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Republicans across the country are trying to make businesses the higher power in all situations. They are rolling back all the protections placed by previous Democratic administrations for things such as equal pay, gender equality, overtime pay, etc. They are stomping all over the little guy, because they can.
They have introduced legislation to require women to seek permission from their employers prior to getting pregnant. They have attempted to allow employers the right to determine what kind of health care is appropriate for women. They are attempting to nullify all same-gender marriages in North Carolina.
They have all the power and the legislative might and I'm just waiting for the tipping point when, after being told by the courts they can't do the things they are trying to do...they ignore the court orders and do them anyway. And as they control the military and the law enforcement answers to them...what will that look like, in real time? We are so fucked.
"You know you may be bumped for any reason at any time"
"You sign your agreement to their bumping practices when you buy the ticket"
"When law enforcement tells you to do something, you hop to it"
Fuck all that. So tired of corporate white male America, via Republican overlords, having all the rights in this country. Human dignity, practices which don't result in public humiliation, are not incompatible with making a profit or keeping our country safe and secure. For example, there are many ways to handle needed bumping which do not result in having to forcibly extract a person from a flight. One would be to always to all the bumping pre-boarding. The other, to have the last four tickets sold for any flight be designated as "optional" and those holders don't board until it's certain there is going to be room. But once a paying customer boards, they should be assured of their seat unless they create a safety or security problem and must be removed.
But we allow airlines to do these humiliating things to us and we blame the victim rather than the business. Just as we blame the victim in a law enforcement-caused death. There are so many real-life incidents where the ordinary, non-authoritarian-minded individuals are losing life, limb, and dignity due to the heavy-handedness of others wielding power. And we let it happen. Oh, we raise a stink, and lots of outrage is expressed...but then...crickets. Nothing changes, nothing is fixed.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Republicans across the country are trying to make businesses the higher power in all situations. They are rolling back all the protections placed by previous Democratic administrations for things such as equal pay, gender equality, overtime pay, etc. They are stomping all over the little guy, because they can.
They have introduced legislation to require women to seek permission from their employers prior to getting pregnant. They have attempted to allow employers the right to determine what kind of health care is appropriate for women. They are attempting to nullify all same-gender marriages in North Carolina.
They have all the power and the legislative might and I'm just waiting for the tipping point when, after being told by the courts they can't do the things they are trying to do...they ignore the court orders and do them anyway. And as they control the military and the law enforcement answers to them...what will that look like, in real time? We are so fucked.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Tunesday #3
OH MY GOOD HELL. I have outdone all of my previous choices.
This is absolutely tasty. You MUST watch and listen. NOW.
This is absolutely tasty. You MUST watch and listen. NOW.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Boycott United
Now I was going to give them a pass on that brouhaha last month where they would not allow 3 young women wearing leggings to board their flights. The idea was, the women were traveling using "buddy passes" and one of the conditions of using that type of pass to fly, was adhering to the United employee dress code, which apparently forbids leggings. So due to their special status, I think they needed to follow the rules in order to get the free rides...
So I didn't jump on board the boycott United bandwagon that began rolling through the social media.
But oh, my stars. Jumping aboard now, buying fuel for the journey, and offering to navigate, I am! BOYCOTT UNITED #BoycottUnited
The recent video going viral involves the bodily dragging off the plane in Chicago of a man (I don't care that he is a doctor, which has been widely publicized) whose name came up on a random computerized list of the names of two passengers whom the local staff decided were going to be forcibly evicted from that flight.
The backstory is that they booked the flight completely, then decided at the last minute that they needed to shuttle 4 pilots/staff members to the destination city (Louisville, KY?) in order for them to perform their duties as United employees. So they offered $400 incentives for 4 passengers to voluntarily debark.
No dice. They doubled it to $800. Still no one volunteered. Finally the passengers were told that 4 names were going to be picked at random...and so a couple decided to take the bait. That left two names, and this man's name came up first. He apparently refused, as he had to be at his destination for work-related purposes the next day, too.
But then it gets nasty. Cell videos going, this passenger's humiliation and trauma are out there for everyone to gawk at. You can google it, I'm not going to link at this time. You may have seen it on the news, anyway.
How disgusting. I do not care what kind of spin they use, I don't care how much damage control they try, what personnel actions they take, I hope that man and others on that flight sue United into the poorhouse.
And I'ma add once again, just in case you don't realize my position on this issue: #BoycottUnited
So I didn't jump on board the boycott United bandwagon that began rolling through the social media.
But oh, my stars. Jumping aboard now, buying fuel for the journey, and offering to navigate, I am! BOYCOTT UNITED #BoycottUnited
The recent video going viral involves the bodily dragging off the plane in Chicago of a man (I don't care that he is a doctor, which has been widely publicized) whose name came up on a random computerized list of the names of two passengers whom the local staff decided were going to be forcibly evicted from that flight.
The backstory is that they booked the flight completely, then decided at the last minute that they needed to shuttle 4 pilots/staff members to the destination city (Louisville, KY?) in order for them to perform their duties as United employees. So they offered $400 incentives for 4 passengers to voluntarily debark.
No dice. They doubled it to $800. Still no one volunteered. Finally the passengers were told that 4 names were going to be picked at random...and so a couple decided to take the bait. That left two names, and this man's name came up first. He apparently refused, as he had to be at his destination for work-related purposes the next day, too.
But then it gets nasty. Cell videos going, this passenger's humiliation and trauma are out there for everyone to gawk at. You can google it, I'm not going to link at this time. You may have seen it on the news, anyway.
How disgusting. I do not care what kind of spin they use, I don't care how much damage control they try, what personnel actions they take, I hope that man and others on that flight sue United into the poorhouse.
And I'ma add once again, just in case you don't realize my position on this issue: #BoycottUnited
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Polls Can Be Rigged Easily
Yesterday, I got a call out of our capital city, with a set of poll questions about my local city school district. The bond they have in place expires this year, and a renewal is on the ballot, along with a second request for additional funding. I am a proponent of public education and detest charter schools as mere capitalistic corporate leeches off the government teat, and huge drains on the public school funding and quality. This poll appeared to be run by pro-public school advocate types. But even so, this poll gave me grave concerns because it wasn't very professionally designed.
Leading questions. So many leading questions. The poll will have little value when it is released, unless it's intended to generate a list of likely suckers to tap for additional funding (and call in the future when they need a specific set of likely answers to their new polls). Certainly no one will think it's unbiased.
Now with my half brain I can't remember specifically how the questions were worded, but they were NO-BRAINERS so that even dim bulbs such as me could shine. I remember wanting to tell the earnest young man that I also believed that water was wet, just in case that was an upcoming question, just to save him some time. But I was nice, and polite, and I never once answered with just a "yes" (you know, in case it was a scam to record my verbal assent, hahaha).
I declined one question. After 'splaining how much I value public education, I didn't feel I could truthfully tell him I was a high school dropout and have my answers given any credence. Sigh. Although to be honest, being too poor to attend college is one of the biggest reasons I support the concept of a free public education these days.
Ah, nuts. Hopefully that bond renewal passes.
Leading questions. So many leading questions. The poll will have little value when it is released, unless it's intended to generate a list of likely suckers to tap for additional funding (and call in the future when they need a specific set of likely answers to their new polls). Certainly no one will think it's unbiased.
Now with my half brain I can't remember specifically how the questions were worded, but they were NO-BRAINERS so that even dim bulbs such as me could shine. I remember wanting to tell the earnest young man that I also believed that water was wet, just in case that was an upcoming question, just to save him some time. But I was nice, and polite, and I never once answered with just a "yes" (you know, in case it was a scam to record my verbal assent, hahaha).
I declined one question. After 'splaining how much I value public education, I didn't feel I could truthfully tell him I was a high school dropout and have my answers given any credence. Sigh. Although to be honest, being too poor to attend college is one of the biggest reasons I support the concept of a free public education these days.
Ah, nuts. Hopefully that bond renewal passes.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Move Along, Nothing to See Here
My other title thought was, "I, sir, am no blogger".
Yeesh. How does someone, a grown-ass woman with half a brain, not have it in her to write opinions on a regular basis? Mebbe the entire thing hinges on that "half a brain" part. Because for various reasons, I believe my mental capacity is diminished greatly since my retirement 5 years ago.
Some of that loss could be because you lose it if you don't use it, and I have such a huge amount of isolation that I rarely get to engage verbally with anyone these days.
It's not as if I couldn't reach out and touch someone. Hey, I have tons of unused cell minutes every month but I'm not a big phone talker, never have been. Ugh. I like the face to face interaction, and phone conversations are very awkward for me for some reason.
And some of my diminished capacity could be due to the constant strain (both mental and physical and emotional) of being in pain 24/7. I have medications which I can take to alleviate the pain so again, some of the blame here is on me. But pain meds make me sleepy and groggy and out of it...like being drunk...and I have never ever liked feeling out of control (so I hardly ever got drunk back in my drinking days). So I sit quietly in anguish sometimes. And other times, the pain is just burning and aching and I can tolerate it, especially if I don't try to do much more than lie in my adjustable bed most of the day.
So any spark of imagination or creativity is slowly leaking out of my very being on a day-to-day basis. I have good days and bad days the same as anyone else but I'm likely just hanging in here, waiting to shuffle off this mortal coil. And for an atheist, there's no joy to be found in that prospect.
At any rate, I tell myself every day that I should write something. It's not as if I don't have opinions to share. I just don't get it done.
So if you were hoping for a robust set of outbursts from me, I am sorry to disappoint you. I believe I have morphed into a mostly reactive state of being, with very little proactive initiative left. And good blogging takes a concerted effort, and energy I no longer seem to have. It takes focus and intention.
That doesn't mean I'll stop writing here. Occasionally I have to, I don't have a choice in the matter as I'm a narcissist who desires to spew my sparkling glitterbombs onto a wide audience and hope for accolades and adoration remains in my system. Think of me as #45, fake bombing Syria and hoping for applause. That'll be fairly close to explaining why this blog stays active.
Yeesh. How does someone, a grown-ass woman with half a brain, not have it in her to write opinions on a regular basis? Mebbe the entire thing hinges on that "half a brain" part. Because for various reasons, I believe my mental capacity is diminished greatly since my retirement 5 years ago.
Some of that loss could be because you lose it if you don't use it, and I have such a huge amount of isolation that I rarely get to engage verbally with anyone these days.
It's not as if I couldn't reach out and touch someone. Hey, I have tons of unused cell minutes every month but I'm not a big phone talker, never have been. Ugh. I like the face to face interaction, and phone conversations are very awkward for me for some reason.
And some of my diminished capacity could be due to the constant strain (both mental and physical and emotional) of being in pain 24/7. I have medications which I can take to alleviate the pain so again, some of the blame here is on me. But pain meds make me sleepy and groggy and out of it...like being drunk...and I have never ever liked feeling out of control (so I hardly ever got drunk back in my drinking days). So I sit quietly in anguish sometimes. And other times, the pain is just burning and aching and I can tolerate it, especially if I don't try to do much more than lie in my adjustable bed most of the day.
So any spark of imagination or creativity is slowly leaking out of my very being on a day-to-day basis. I have good days and bad days the same as anyone else but I'm likely just hanging in here, waiting to shuffle off this mortal coil. And for an atheist, there's no joy to be found in that prospect.
At any rate, I tell myself every day that I should write something. It's not as if I don't have opinions to share. I just don't get it done.
So if you were hoping for a robust set of outbursts from me, I am sorry to disappoint you. I believe I have morphed into a mostly reactive state of being, with very little proactive initiative left. And good blogging takes a concerted effort, and energy I no longer seem to have. It takes focus and intention.
That doesn't mean I'll stop writing here. Occasionally I have to, I don't have a choice in the matter as I'm a narcissist who desires to spew my sparkling glitterbombs onto a wide audience and hope for accolades and adoration remains in my system. Think of me as #45, fake bombing Syria and hoping for applause. That'll be fairly close to explaining why this blog stays active.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Tunesday #2
So I love love love Garfunkel and Oates, and think they are totally awesome. And this song hit home so much for me, as it totally goes where I went, when I thought I'd be all evolved and open-minded and try it out.
Nope, not for me. If you like it, how wonderful for you!
Nope, not for me. If you like it, how wonderful for you!
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Liberal Fantasy
I just don't see the implosion or explosion or whatever my fellow liberals are salivating over with regards to taking down #45. Dream on. He's brazenly breaking all the protocols and getting away with it. As John Prine says in a favorite lyric of mine, "He's got more balls than a big brass monkey".
Now, it's been suggested that the mainstream Republicans are biding their time, trying to craft their versions of the libertarian dream in dismantling their favorite government bugaboos, and they'll tolerate and protect #45 for as long as he suits their needs.
However, should association with him prove to be a toxic element in their 2018 election cycle, they'll attempt to ditch him via impeachment and the distance will be a chasm.
Yesterday, George Takei's announcement that he would be moving into the 22nd Congressional District in CA so he could take on Devin Nunes next year in a bid for Congress struck a few chords in every liberal's victory songs. It probably is an April Fool's joke and he just jumped the gun on the announcement. Sigh.
At any rate, no matter how long #45 stays in, we're in for a bumpy ride.
Now, it's been suggested that the mainstream Republicans are biding their time, trying to craft their versions of the libertarian dream in dismantling their favorite government bugaboos, and they'll tolerate and protect #45 for as long as he suits their needs.
However, should association with him prove to be a toxic element in their 2018 election cycle, they'll attempt to ditch him via impeachment and the distance will be a chasm.
Yesterday, George Takei's announcement that he would be moving into the 22nd Congressional District in CA so he could take on Devin Nunes next year in a bid for Congress struck a few chords in every liberal's victory songs. It probably is an April Fool's joke and he just jumped the gun on the announcement. Sigh.
At any rate, no matter how long #45 stays in, we're in for a bumpy ride.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Tunesday #1
So, I'm a Cary Judd fan (no surprises) and I also like his various projects, including The Vacationist (TVAC) and Danny Blaqk.
The most recent video from their latest (FREE!) album:
The most recent video from their latest (FREE!) album:
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Thursday TMI
So, apparently I'm a delicate libtard snowflake. Except I don't have real good libtard credentials as I have never ever seen an episode of The West Wing before this year.
Attempting to fix that particular issue, I began binge-watching it this last week. And I found myself sniffling a time or two over some really intense issues. And today, I scared my adult sons by breaking down and crying my eyes out over In Excelsis Deo (Season 1, Episode 10).
A homeless veteran freezes to death on a park bench just before Christmas in Washington, DC. The shelters were all full and a cold front had moved in. In a moment of classic bleeding heart guilt, Toby arranges for the Korean War Purple Heart recipient to have an honor guard and full military funeral.
Ah, nuts. Watching this show is so enthralling, so life-affirming. It reminds me why even though the Democrats make me crazy because they're ineffective, disorganized losers...I can never ever again bring myself to vote for a Republican. The Republican Party is the very definition of evil on Earth. They actively attempt to enact rollbacks of every good thing the Democrats have managed to put into place over the last century.
THEY MUST BE STOPPED.
Attempting to fix that particular issue, I began binge-watching it this last week. And I found myself sniffling a time or two over some really intense issues. And today, I scared my adult sons by breaking down and crying my eyes out over In Excelsis Deo (Season 1, Episode 10).
A homeless veteran freezes to death on a park bench just before Christmas in Washington, DC. The shelters were all full and a cold front had moved in. In a moment of classic bleeding heart guilt, Toby arranges for the Korean War Purple Heart recipient to have an honor guard and full military funeral.
Ah, nuts. Watching this show is so enthralling, so life-affirming. It reminds me why even though the Democrats make me crazy because they're ineffective, disorganized losers...I can never ever again bring myself to vote for a Republican. The Republican Party is the very definition of evil on Earth. They actively attempt to enact rollbacks of every good thing the Democrats have managed to put into place over the last century.
THEY MUST BE STOPPED.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Trump Presidency is Democratic Party Long Con?
OMFFSM. It was suggested during the primaries by annoyed mainstream Republicans that Trump was a decoy, a plant, an erstwhile Democrat in wolves' clothing, running against solidly real Republicans with the intent of creating havoc and disruption...and a clear victory for Hillary and the Democrats in 2016.
And of course, they gloated all the while after the "RIGGED!" election was over schadenfreude to the max, because despite all the machinations, the Republicans won and won big and won the Presidency and even if #45 was a fake, he would either have to follow through and play the straight role or they'd impeach and get their buddy Pence to do the right thing. So much backfire on that Clinton plan!
Except.
What if he was intended to win the "RIGGED!" election all along? And what if the juggernaut that is #45 is so awful and so bizarre and so farcical and so ridiculous and so Republican-associated...that the resultant taint and stench and decay throws the Republican Party into a death spiral?
It would certainly explain SO MUCH. Because none of it makes sense as it currently exists. The whole administration and everything they've done so far is the biggest example ever created to prove the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and every appointee or hire is stunning in their ultracrepidarianism.
A horror genre reality tv show? Or the ultimate long-con?
And of course, they gloated all the while after the "RIGGED!" election was over schadenfreude to the max, because despite all the machinations, the Republicans won and won big and won the Presidency and even if #45 was a fake, he would either have to follow through and play the straight role or they'd impeach and get their buddy Pence to do the right thing. So much backfire on that Clinton plan!
Except.
What if he was intended to win the "RIGGED!" election all along? And what if the juggernaut that is #45 is so awful and so bizarre and so farcical and so ridiculous and so Republican-associated...that the resultant taint and stench and decay throws the Republican Party into a death spiral?
It would certainly explain SO MUCH. Because none of it makes sense as it currently exists. The whole administration and everything they've done so far is the biggest example ever created to prove the Dunning-Kruger Effect, and every appointee or hire is stunning in their ultracrepidarianism.
A horror genre reality tv show? Or the ultimate long-con?
Monday, March 20, 2017
Our Monkeys, Our Circus
And the joke's on US.
So now per Melissa McCarthy wanna-be Sean Spicer, Paul Manafort, who was #45's CAMPAIGN MANAGER, played "a very limited role" in the campaign?
Do you ever get the feeling that this is all a gigantic farce? That #45 is pushing every limit as far and as hard as he can, just because? I thought so all during the campaign, and I wondered many times if he was doing that just to ensure he was going to lose. His rhetoric about the elections being rigged was because he was (just like all the rest of us) certain Hillary was going to win and that would be his story as the loser. Except he won.
And now, he's going for the gusto. He's making a total mockery of the office and the position and he's doing everything so badly that if the Democrats don't forever rule after this point it's because they're a bunch of pussies so old and ugly that even #45 wouldn't bother to grab them.
Gah! I can't even.
So now per Melissa McCarthy wanna-be Sean Spicer, Paul Manafort, who was #45's CAMPAIGN MANAGER, played "a very limited role" in the campaign?
Do you ever get the feeling that this is all a gigantic farce? That #45 is pushing every limit as far and as hard as he can, just because? I thought so all during the campaign, and I wondered many times if he was doing that just to ensure he was going to lose. His rhetoric about the elections being rigged was because he was (just like all the rest of us) certain Hillary was going to win and that would be his story as the loser. Except he won.
And now, he's going for the gusto. He's making a total mockery of the office and the position and he's doing everything so badly that if the Democrats don't forever rule after this point it's because they're a bunch of pussies so old and ugly that even #45 wouldn't bother to grab them.
Gah! I can't even.
Saturday, March 18, 2017
#45 Makes Everyone Else Look Classy
By comparison. It's an automatic win for everyone who must endure being in his company...they all seem very mature and intelligent while in the presence of our national embarrassment clown.
I loved this meme:
I loved this meme:
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Poverty Sucks, and so do Republican Politicians
A friend posted on FaceBook about how upset she was that #45 was cutting the funding for Meals on Wheels. She noted how the much-vaunted poor elderly voting bloc had gone his way and yet he was doing his damnedest to kill off his base with all the cuts he was proposing. I had this comment:
"The poor ye will always have with ye". If having them is inevitable, there is no point in spending taxpayer money on them. It's a waste of precious resources.
Being poor is the result of bad choices they made, obviously (think iPhones over health insurance as one example). Why should the rest of us be forced to subsidize their lazy or thriftless asses?
Plus, if they were actually good Christians, God would favor them with prosperity, so there again proves that their penury stems from personal issues. They truly must not be worthy.
And lastly, government is for defense and security. It should not be in the business of charity. Anyone genuinely deserving of assistance need only reach out to their community support system and their friends, family, and church will step in and provide. The fact that those entities aren't helping and the person has to turn to the government for assistance, once more just reinforces the fact that they must not be a valued person of good character.
Last but not least, any conservative politician whose family ever got help clearly deserved it as opposed to all those others who only sucked off the government teat due to a personal failing. Besides, the politician remembers feeling demeaned and diminished by the experience and why would they ever want anyone else to suffer that same way? Eliminating those programs is therefore a kindness!
*****
These are but a few of the conservative thoughts I have heard over the years about the issue of poverty and the role of government in providing programs for social safety nets.
Considering the track record of the last few millennia, I prefer a more enlightened method of dealing with poverty, personally.
/And it's a sad fact of life that the poor are notorious for voting against their best interests. I don't remember the source, but someone once suggested that the reason they do is that they consider themselves to be only "temporarily embarrassed millionaires" or something similar.
I want a government safety net. I want fewer poor people in our country, but I also want those who end up needing help to be able to access it easily. I also want an attitude and expectation that those who can work, will, up to a point.
I don't think our system is perfect and I've personally seen the flaws from inside and out...but I still believe it is a proper role of government to provide for the common welfare of its citizens. We can and must do better.
"The poor ye will always have with ye". If having them is inevitable, there is no point in spending taxpayer money on them. It's a waste of precious resources.
Being poor is the result of bad choices they made, obviously (think iPhones over health insurance as one example). Why should the rest of us be forced to subsidize their lazy or thriftless asses?
Plus, if they were actually good Christians, God would favor them with prosperity, so there again proves that their penury stems from personal issues. They truly must not be worthy.
And lastly, government is for defense and security. It should not be in the business of charity. Anyone genuinely deserving of assistance need only reach out to their community support system and their friends, family, and church will step in and provide. The fact that those entities aren't helping and the person has to turn to the government for assistance, once more just reinforces the fact that they must not be a valued person of good character.
Last but not least, any conservative politician whose family ever got help clearly deserved it as opposed to all those others who only sucked off the government teat due to a personal failing. Besides, the politician remembers feeling demeaned and diminished by the experience and why would they ever want anyone else to suffer that same way? Eliminating those programs is therefore a kindness!
*****
These are but a few of the conservative thoughts I have heard over the years about the issue of poverty and the role of government in providing programs for social safety nets.
Considering the track record of the last few millennia, I prefer a more enlightened method of dealing with poverty, personally.
/And it's a sad fact of life that the poor are notorious for voting against their best interests. I don't remember the source, but someone once suggested that the reason they do is that they consider themselves to be only "temporarily embarrassed millionaires" or something similar.
I want a government safety net. I want fewer poor people in our country, but I also want those who end up needing help to be able to access it easily. I also want an attitude and expectation that those who can work, will, up to a point.
I don't think our system is perfect and I've personally seen the flaws from inside and out...but I still believe it is a proper role of government to provide for the common welfare of its citizens. We can and must do better.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
The Ides of Trump
So did you send your million postcards to #45 today? I will be keenly interested in how many pieces the Post Office reports carrying. I'm sure the White House will merely trash them all unread, but I do hope they recycle them. Nah. They'll probably publicly burn them, to make the point that They. Don't. Care. If they want to emphasize the point, they'll burn them on Earth Day. Because liberals.
So do you think the taxes are just a distraction? I think at this juncture it doesn't matter.
This particular tweet sums up the flurry of activity which will occur if the Democrats ever get back in power...to prevent all this unholy hell from reoccurring.
So do you think the taxes are just a distraction? I think at this juncture it doesn't matter.
This particular tweet sums up the flurry of activity which will occur if the Democrats ever get back in power...to prevent all this unholy hell from reoccurring.
My Sleep Number is 40
But not right now. Right now it's 45. And when it's dead of winter here (at least as winter-y as it ever gets here) my number is 35. And when the temps get even hotter, I may go to a 50, if I can tolerate the pressure.
I need a softer bed, but not if it brings warmth. I want to have the windows open and a cold breeze blowing in, and nice warm blankets...with snow on the ground. I've always liked a cold bedroom. As the mattress gets softer, the sleeper sinks into a pillowy cocoon which rapidly absorbs body heat and keeps it there...thus the less sinking/cocooning wanted as temperatures get warmer.
We just got the i8 sleep number bed in January, reasoning that it should be the perfect bed no matter what, for the last decades of our lives. Top-rated per Consumer Reports. And we can instantly adjust it to be as soft or hard as we feel the need for at any particular point in time. We got the split king (really, two extra long twins pushed together) and we adjust each side accordingly. Plus as I need to have head or feet raised, I could do either separately and not disturb my husband. In return, he can kick and jiggle his left leg all fucking night long and I never have to know or feel it, which is its own kind of heaven as far as I'm concerned.
Initially I hated it (but we got it for the hubster who is still employed, so his need for a good night's sleep outweighs my own) because it was so difficult to actually get out of, at the tremendously soft number of 35. The saleslady called to check up (several times, as there is a 100 day trial period, and she wanted to ensure her commission) and when I mentioned that, she suggested returning the bed to 100 (the max firmness) before I get up. Voila! That took care of the issue. Now it eats batteries on the remote. Hopefully the air pump can stand the abuse.
Other than funky sheeting arrangements (we use two extra-long twin flat sheets and one king-sized top sheet, plus one king-sized blanket now) it's pretty nifty. So all in all, about $6000 for this set up including the base, and while that seemed outrageous at first, I have decided I can deal with it.
Creepy part...who needs spying microwaves? This bed comes with Sleep IQ, which measures my breathing rate, my heart rate, logs the moment I fall asleep (actually, the moment I stop fidgeting) and logs each moment of restlessness during the time I'm in bed. It gives me a score every day of how well I slept. The Sandman is Watching...
I need a softer bed, but not if it brings warmth. I want to have the windows open and a cold breeze blowing in, and nice warm blankets...with snow on the ground. I've always liked a cold bedroom. As the mattress gets softer, the sleeper sinks into a pillowy cocoon which rapidly absorbs body heat and keeps it there...thus the less sinking/cocooning wanted as temperatures get warmer.
We just got the i8 sleep number bed in January, reasoning that it should be the perfect bed no matter what, for the last decades of our lives. Top-rated per Consumer Reports. And we can instantly adjust it to be as soft or hard as we feel the need for at any particular point in time. We got the split king (really, two extra long twins pushed together) and we adjust each side accordingly. Plus as I need to have head or feet raised, I could do either separately and not disturb my husband. In return, he can kick and jiggle his left leg all fucking night long and I never have to know or feel it, which is its own kind of heaven as far as I'm concerned.
Initially I hated it (but we got it for the hubster who is still employed, so his need for a good night's sleep outweighs my own) because it was so difficult to actually get out of, at the tremendously soft number of 35. The saleslady called to check up (several times, as there is a 100 day trial period, and she wanted to ensure her commission) and when I mentioned that, she suggested returning the bed to 100 (the max firmness) before I get up. Voila! That took care of the issue. Now it eats batteries on the remote. Hopefully the air pump can stand the abuse.
Other than funky sheeting arrangements (we use two extra-long twin flat sheets and one king-sized top sheet, plus one king-sized blanket now) it's pretty nifty. So all in all, about $6000 for this set up including the base, and while that seemed outrageous at first, I have decided I can deal with it.
Creepy part...who needs spying microwaves? This bed comes with Sleep IQ, which measures my breathing rate, my heart rate, logs the moment I fall asleep (actually, the moment I stop fidgeting) and logs each moment of restlessness during the time I'm in bed. It gives me a score every day of how well I slept. The Sandman is Watching...
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Dismantle THIS
New Executive Order signed yesterday by #45. All department heads are to present ideas about the dismantlement of their agency or area of the executive branch. What a surprising idea from the Republicans! NOT.
Government is a big damn mess, and the regulations and countermeasures could (and does) choke anyone trying to figure it all out. So hey...is this a good thing?
Well, honestly, it may have undertones of populist "drain the swamp" and "simplify" but it ain't gonna happen. At least not in a long-term, sustainable way. But in their efforts to push their austerity agenda and deregulate all their buddies in corporate America, we risk some real rollbacks of those good things government has achieved.
Remember horrifying brown air as a given in large cities? I do. And the various regulations put in place since then have changed that in a big way. Remember the Cuyahoga River burning from all the pollution? Again, regulations made a difference there. But Republicans continue to push the fairytale that businesses and markets will gladly regulate themselves and don't need no steenkin' gubmint getting in their business.
Sigh. I gotta say, I'm a wanna-be emigrant. The only thing standing in my way is lack of money. And I'm not even sure if it's worth staying and fighting the good fight if I HAD money. I just know it's scary as hell out there now and I worry about the quality of life for my grandchildren. Calgon, take me away!
Government is a big damn mess, and the regulations and countermeasures could (and does) choke anyone trying to figure it all out. So hey...is this a good thing?
Well, honestly, it may have undertones of populist "drain the swamp" and "simplify" but it ain't gonna happen. At least not in a long-term, sustainable way. But in their efforts to push their austerity agenda and deregulate all their buddies in corporate America, we risk some real rollbacks of those good things government has achieved.
Remember horrifying brown air as a given in large cities? I do. And the various regulations put in place since then have changed that in a big way. Remember the Cuyahoga River burning from all the pollution? Again, regulations made a difference there. But Republicans continue to push the fairytale that businesses and markets will gladly regulate themselves and don't need no steenkin' gubmint getting in their business.
Sigh. I gotta say, I'm a wanna-be emigrant. The only thing standing in my way is lack of money. And I'm not even sure if it's worth staying and fighting the good fight if I HAD money. I just know it's scary as hell out there now and I worry about the quality of life for my grandchildren. Calgon, take me away!
Monday, March 13, 2017
We Need Truthiness More Than Ever
So now that we have a chronic liar in the White House, and general uproar all around (except for the Republican majority who are beside themselves with happiness about having all their dreams come true) is this the end of times?
I have friends who insist that next year, the usual turnaround will occur and the Democrats will retake the majority as the country becomes disgusted with the current crop of shenanigans.
I must say, I'm highly doubtful. I am also incredibly hopeful, but I'm sure to be crushed when the Dems once again blow a great opportunity.
Ah, nuts.
I do know I have things to say. I'm incapable of remaining silent. As a bed-bound shut-in who doesn't like to talk on the phone, what else am I gonna do? Facebook is an echo-chamber or a battlefield. Blogging it is, even though it's like being the person who shouts in the wilderness (as no one knows I'm here). If I yell in the wilderness and no one is around to listen, did I make a difference?
I do it for my own satisfaction and sanity. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I have friends who insist that next year, the usual turnaround will occur and the Democrats will retake the majority as the country becomes disgusted with the current crop of shenanigans.
I must say, I'm highly doubtful. I am also incredibly hopeful, but I'm sure to be crushed when the Dems once again blow a great opportunity.
Ah, nuts.
I do know I have things to say. I'm incapable of remaining silent. As a bed-bound shut-in who doesn't like to talk on the phone, what else am I gonna do? Facebook is an echo-chamber or a battlefield. Blogging it is, even though it's like being the person who shouts in the wilderness (as no one knows I'm here). If I yell in the wilderness and no one is around to listen, did I make a difference?
I do it for my own satisfaction and sanity. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Is This Thing On??
Okay, I'm just a poor girl, I need no sympathy...yada yada yada.
Oh, my goodness. Since 2012 I have been such a mess. Those of you who know me know that my health declined rapidly and I had to retire because I was no longer able to function. It's been almost 5 years now and I don't know that I can keep this up (or for how long) but one thing's for certain...I can't NOT have a blog.
Since my first darike dot com as Nemesis, which I dumped totally in 2010 after 4 years,, then this one, then drygulches dot com which I also carried for 4 years (wow, am I a 4-year loser or what?) I had this one briefly. When I left Idaho I thought I'd just dump this one but I gots the itch again and I'm going to see what happens when I scratch a little...
Oh, my goodness. Since 2012 I have been such a mess. Those of you who know me know that my health declined rapidly and I had to retire because I was no longer able to function. It's been almost 5 years now and I don't know that I can keep this up (or for how long) but one thing's for certain...I can't NOT have a blog.
Since my first darike dot com as Nemesis, which I dumped totally in 2010 after 4 years,, then this one, then drygulches dot com which I also carried for 4 years (wow, am I a 4-year loser or what?) I had this one briefly. When I left Idaho I thought I'd just dump this one but I gots the itch again and I'm going to see what happens when I scratch a little...
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