Stupidity of Daylight Savings time and election mania?

I’ve ranted about it before, and I will rant about it again today…and twice a year for as long as the idiocy continues.  Daylight savings time is an idiotic concept, dreamed up and perpetuated by ridiculous propaganda that far too many people buy into.  If it saves so much energy…why don’t we just STAY on that time?  What do people really think they are saving?

But speaking about ridiculous propaganda, have  you paid much attention to the stuff circulating on the social media sites as people wave the figurative flag of their favored candidate?

It’s made me realize, with a two party system, we really are given a choice.

Between a rock and a hard place.

That’s about all the difference I really see between the parties.  The parties and their candidates are so far out of touch with what life is like for Average Joe and Average Jane that we may as well elect Brad Pitt for president.

Heck, he might even do a better job.  If not, well, at least he’d make interesting photo ops, right?

Neither party represents what we’ll call the “working man” of American society.  They don’t have a clue what our lives are like.

Like Mitt Romney’s wife, featured in an article about how she went shopping at Sam’s Club.  She was immensely proud of her ability to feed a large gathering of family for only $4.50 per person for the meal.  I don’t think she’d be too happy with my food budget, capped at $5 per person per day.  Some months, if there are extra bills to pay, well…the food budget gives up a portion of it’s funding to cover the deficit.  She’d even be more horrified to discover that if I’m serving guests, it comes out of the monthly budget, not an extra slush fund.  So does holiday cooking, as a matter of fact.  While the Romneys might not be concerned at the reports of higher prices for serving up the traditional turkey dinner later this month, for the rest of us, that IS a concern.  We can’t spend what we’re not earning, and there are still not enough jobs to get everyone back to work that has been looking for work since this recession started.  It’s unfortunate that with each passing year, we’ve seen more jobs going overseas too.

For those of us struggling to make ends meet, to pay our bills, and to just get by, while family members are unemployed or underemployed…having to deal with an English-is-a-second-language customer service rep in some foreign country is really a slap in the face.  It’s another reminder of how many jobs we’ve lost to countries with lower standards of living and more relaxed workplace laws.

In the stores, it’s hard to buy American made goods.  It’s harder yet to buy from companies that have American based customer service.  I don’t think it’s an unrealistic expectation that if I buy an item or service with American money while I am in the United States, that customer service will be provided in the United States as well.

Then, there is health care.  I’ll admit, I am not thrilled with the Obamacare package, but…I wasn’t thrilled with nothing either.  Do I think that it’s the best that our government could come up with?  No…and it shouldn’t be so long that nobody can possibly read it and understand what it says either.  That’s the problem with these bills–they are excessively complicated and too often contain unrelated stuff.  Each bill should be one thing, written in a manner that any average person can understand it, but they aren’t.  Washington has become a place of bureaucrats worried about perpetuating their own existence, whether elected or appointed or hired.

The part that I think stinks is the idea that people are to be forced to buy health insurance.  Seriously, I don’t know anyone who can afford health insurance and opts to just not buy it for some reason.  I’ve priced it, long before Obama was ever heard of, and there was no way I could afford it, even just major medical was about 30% of my monthly take home pay, and there wasn’t any way I could give up that much of my monthly income and survive.  Utilities, rent, and automobile insurance already took care of about 80% of my net pay!  That left very little for luxuries such as food, gasoline, clothing, medical expenses, and assorted sundries.  Taking a second job wasn’t an option, really–my job required extensive overtime already, and while I was paid for it…that extra overtime is what was used for those “luxuries” I bought.

So I read the things that the candidates say, I read the things that their opponents say about them.  I read the things their supporters say about them.  I read the “fact checker” articles.

I’ve concluded that I was right.  We do have a choice between a rock and a hard place.  It then comes down to specific issues that are…or are not…supported by the two parties.

What concerns me?

1. Women’s rights, including reproductive rights.  I’m pro-choice, and before anyone gets their underwear in a wad over that…let me clarify that statement.  I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion.  There is a very clear difference.  While I don’t think that abortion is the right choice for me, in any circumstances that I have actually faced, I also don’t think that it is the government’s job to make that decision for me…or any other woman.   I don’t think my boss should be able to decide if my insurance is going to cover birth control either.  There are many reasons and many circumstances for a woman’s choice, and few women are going to choose to use abortion as birth control if they have any conscience or concept of right and wrong.  If they don’t have those things, well, do we really want her reproducing anyhow?  Morality cannot be legislated, and there should not be an attempt to do so.  Laws are to protect society as a whole, and allow individuals to not have their personal rights infringed upon by others.  While that includes freedom of religion, it does not give anyone the right to impose their religious standards and expectations on others.  Period.
2. Right to bear arms.  Okay, these mass murders we’ve had at schools and theaters have been horrific and shouldn’t have happened.  Yes, I know many other civilized countries have banned weapons of all kinds.  That doesn’t mean I support weapons being banned in this country.  Regulated and restricted perhaps, but not banned.  Assault rifles aren’t needed for hunting or self-protection.  Automatic rifles and handguns aren’t either.  Armor penetrating ammunition and weapons are also not particularly appealing to think of my neighbor having and using for target practice.  I think we need to address the underlying causes of these incredible acts of violence more than act on restricting gun ownership excessively.  Do we ban bathtubs for the accidents they cause?  Have pools been banned due to the high numbers of children that have drowned in them?  Do we still allow downhill skiing after people die in skiing accidents?  How about cars and car accidents and their fatalities?
3. Same sex marriage.  I’m not gay, and I never was.  I’m not even bi-sexual.  I am in a traditional marriage, even if our wedding was far from traditional.  My parents weren’t gay, neither is my daughter.  That doesn’t mean that I can’t support the concept of equality among all Americans.  While I don’t deny that states can allow or forbid same sex marriage according to their citizens’ wishes, I don’t think that the federal government should be able to override those states’ rights to choose either.  Currently, federal law does not allow federal employees in a legal same sex marriage to enjoy the same benefits for their spouses that someone in a so-called traditional marriage enjoys.  I think this is wrong.  I have little hope of Mississippi, my current home state, is going to legalize same sex marriages anytime soon.  It’s got far too high of a percentage of ultra conservative citizens for that to happen.  But, if it was allowed…I don’t think the federal government should deny benefits to those people’s spouses because they don’t agree with it.
4. Education.  It wasn’t working, so they tried “No Child Left Behind.”  That’s working about as well as new math did.  It’s absolutely not working, instead of educating kids and preparing them for the real world, whether that includes college or a job, kids are spending the year prepping for their standardized test.  Something else needs to be done, and this ineffective method of measuring both school and teacher performance needs replaced with something a bit more effective.  Wouldn’t it be nice if you went to a fast food restaurant, local store, or other location with staff that needs nothing beyond high school to get a job…and they actually could SPEAK American Standard English?  How many high school students can actually write down a coherent telephone message that anyone could read and understand, let alone write an essay for a college class?
5. Jobs/Industry.  Face it.  We lack an industrial base and we’re importing too many goods.  We need jobs, we have willing workers.  We need to figure out how to get people back to work, back to creating the things that made America into what it was.  We need factories running, producing goods that are high quality and reliable.  We’ve all had enough of cheap, shoddy, imported garbage.
6. National Transit System.  We rebuilt Europe’s trains after World War II, or so I’m told, but we can’t get trains to cover the USA in anything resembling efficient and cost effective.  It costs more to ride a train than it does to take a plane or even drive, and Amtrak is subsidized by the federal government.  Few cities have train stations where passengers and small freight can be economically transported to the next city, county, state, or anywhere.  In addition, the transit times when trains are used are utterly ridiculous.  We need efficient mass transportation beyond the urban bus and subway systems.  We need it both within states and to other cities and states, providing efficient and low cost transportation coast to coast.  Putting such a rail system into place would employ thousands of people, from creating the infrastructure to service jobs when it is up and running.  It would appeal to foreign tourists as well, especially since most industrialized countries have train systems already.
7. Legalization of hemp & medical marijuana.  Hemp is a good crop, and it’s good for a lot of applications.  It can be used for making rope, paper, and clothing, as well as a host of other things.  It’s a good fiber, and more durable than cotton.  Medical marijuana is a good product too, when properly used.  Even recreational marijuana is less of a problem with the users than those people using alcohol.  Taxed and regulated, it would remove marijuana from the hands of drug cartels, reducing their income and clout not only in the United States, but in the countries where their supplies of marijuana are grown and prepared for smuggling into the United States.  The tax revenue would enhance the American budget, maybe even bringing the annual deficit down a notch, especially if recreational use was legalized.
8. Energy.  We’re going to have to bite the bullet and come up with alternative energy plans.  We’ve seen the disasters nuclear reactors can deliver.  We’re seeing the disaster of the oil industry, each and every day.  We need inexpensive and efficient energy to recreate a strong economy.  We don’t have it, therefore, we need to figure out how to get it.  If we got a man to the moon, not once, but several times, and did it with computers that had less power than the old Nintendo 64…surely we can figure this problem out.  Quit subsidizing the oil industry and let them struggle on their own, they’ve been milking America too long.  Devote attention to alternative energy that is less costly, both to the consumer and the environment, and put America at the forefront again.
9. Taxes.  Corporations.  Okay, taxes are something nobody wants to pay.  We’re all a bit tired of corporate entities making huge profits while paying little in terms of taxes, and then adding to the insult by outsourcing portions of their business to foreign countries.  We’re sick of them lobbying Congress for favoritism.  We’re tired of paying the bill, you might say.  It’s time to start taking a good hard look at how corporations are affecting the way we elect politicians, and how they affect the bills that go through Congress to become laws.  It’s a form of corruption, folks.  Plain and simple.  These corporations are doing nothing more than paying politicians for favors, no matter how it is sugar coated.
10. Foreign aid.  I really do not understand why we are borrowing money only to give it away to other countries.  That makes no sense to me.  If I am unable to pay my bills without borrowing money, it would be foolish to give my money to other people after I borrowed it.  Why is the federal government continuing to do something that any of us would look askance at a private individual doing?  I think it’s time that foreign aid is cut back, if not eliminated, and there should be more accountability as to why we’re giving it to anyone.

There are a lot more issues too, more than I could possibly put in here, but those are the top ten ones.  Neither party is very concerned about all of them.  None of the candidates are either.  So who do I vote for?

I’ll cast a vote in less than forty eight hours now.

I have no idea who I’m going to vote for right now.  Just when I think one candidate or another has trumped finally, they show signs of obviously reneging.  I was never a fan of Obama, so I have to admit that he has done better than I thought he would.  At the same time, the Romney/Ryan ticket isn’t exactly thrilling either.  I’m not a Romney fan, and the idea of something happening that would catapult Ryan into the Oval Office makes me gag.  Biden’s not a rocket scientist either though, and I actually had someone crack a joke about Biden being Obama’s “insurance policy” so that no one would assassinate him–they were afraid that Biden would then become president.

Once again, it seems that I’m faced with a choice of who I am going to vote against rather than who I am going to go vote for.  Which candidate has the most potential to cause harm?  Are we better off with the devil we know…or a new devil?

Oh will I be glad when Tuesday is over.  I’ll have my mind back, as well as cease to see the endless parade of pro-this candidate or anti-that candidate on my Facebook wall!

Mark, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, and our wedding

Mark is our research associate, assistant executive producer, and friend…and lives a considerable distance from where we live.  Too far to drive to join in on our wedding festivities, he can only experience the fun long distance, like a lot of our other friends and family.  Even so, he sent us a gift that has us grinning, despite our woes and worries about the upcoming ceremony and loss of the officiating minister.

That’s where the New Riders of the Purple Sage come in.

You see, we’re having a hippy wedding, and the New Riders obviously date from that era when hippies ruled supreme.  In addition, Buddy Cage, their slide steel guitarist, is appearing on the Dawn of Shades on January 3rd as we wind up the “Music in America” series.  He’s a super nice guy, in addition to being a devoted musician.

Mark went over the top.  He got the entire band to sign a cd to send to us.

With a funny quirk.  You see, “Gia” isn’t a common name…but “Gina” is a lot more common.

So…they addressed the cd to “Greg & Gina”.

In a way, it makes it even more special, because of the mix up on the name.  It’s intended for us, and so what if an extra letter landed in the inscription on the cover?

I know the sentiments are genuine, the intentions were pure, and that’s what really counts.  It’s a super cool wedding gift for a couple who are having a hippy wedding celebration, right?

Now, to just find someone with a portable cd boom box so we can play the cd during our gathering on the beach…and if we don’t find someone, well, a laptop can play it even if the speakers are less-than-wonderful, right?

It’s our special day, and as we frantically wind up on the last minute things for the celebration…we’re getting more excited.  It’s a big deal, even if it’s done with a firm grip on the fun factor.  It’s even more wonderful since our friends and family from near and far are keeping us in their thoughts, sending us wonderful wishes, and hopes for the best in our future together.

I’m even feeling as though the Ladies of Fate are smiling down on us, despite the fact that the original official for our wedding was called away by a serious family illness at the last minute.  We found a replacement this morning, and if we couldn’t have our friend do the honors, she’s the one I would have chosen by choice, so she’s not even “second choice” or a “make-do” solution to our need.  The Rev. Linda Giardelli will be officiating, and our wedding can amazingly go on schedule with no need for “Plan B.”

I’ve been so busy today, I haven’t had time to get nervous…as we deal with last minute details, issues, and regular life stuff.  I guess I’ll save it for 1:45 p.m. tomorrow as we prepare for that big moment with everyone staring at us, right?

 

Gautier Mullet & Music Fest and Rosco Bandana

Sunday afternoon, we finally made it to the Gautier Mullet & Music Fest.  We love festivals and used to regularly drive out to the latest event, but in the past year, we’ve gotten so we rarely attend anything of the sort as life sweeps us up in its arms.  This year, despite our busy schedule and many claims on our time and attention, we stole away for an afternoon of playing hooky at the Gautier Mullet and Music Fest.

Now for those who don’t realize what a mullet is…we’re NOT talking about the hair cut.  We’re talking about a fish, and a common one at that, not even highly prized.  That’s what this little festival is all about, and free music is a great attraction here on the Gulf Coast.  It certainly coaxed us out of our shells!

When we arrived, Rosco Bandana was playing.  Rosco Bandana is apparently a fairly new local band out of Gulfport, and I was hoping for something that didn’t inspire us to stab our ear drums out with the first available sharp object.  We’ve heard some less-than-wonderful ones over the years, and we’d not heard anything good about the Gulf Coast music scene in the post-Katrina era.  In fact, the rumors and sniping had us sighing and shrugging, completely disinterested in getting out and hearing what was out there.

What a refreshing surprise Rosco Bandana was!

We enjoyed listening to them, and while the crowd may have been light for Saturday afternoon, we didn’t hear anything negative from the crowd either.

Curious about what else we did?  Want to see the photos?

Catch them all at our website!

Politics, liberalism, socialism, conservatives, and the Occupy Movement

I live in Mississippi, one of THE most conservative states in the Union.  It isn’t known for progressive ideas or having a fondness for change.  I didn’t live here during the previous election, and have no idea if they voted for President Obama or not.  It doesn’t even matter to me.  Sometimes, I have to roll my eyes, because as a Liberal Conservative or Conservative Liberal…I find some things woefully outdated here.  Like requiring Greg and I to have a syphilis blood test to get our marriage license–of all the things to test for in 2011, syphilis is actually the least of them.  Only one other state apparently requires this blood test.  I am not sure what they do if you turn out to HAVE syphilis, no one informed us of that when we were inquiring about the requirements.

There are a lot of things that I do not anticipate happening in Mississippi in the coming century.  Things like medical marijuana are about as likely as a herd of state supported flying pigs.  Part of me is very surprised about the states that have casinos–I honestly wonder how they got the necessary laws passed, since gambling is regarded as a social evil by most of the counties within the state.  I suspect that it was tax dollars that appeared in legislatures eyes and helped push the bill–those dollar signs can often trump moral righteousness.

So this morning, I leafed through the paper, which because of our proximity to Mobile, Alabama, also contains substantial Mobile news.  Inside, there was a political cartoon, often a good sign of which way the wind is blowing in terms of local public opinion.

Mobile is unlikely to have a viable Occupy Movement group get a grasp on the hearts and souls of its citizens, it seems.  I’d not put my money on that horse anyhow.  The cartoon I saw illustrated public opinion (or so we suspect.)  It showed a “future protester” and then the adult protester, indicating that a protester was a grown-up spoiled child demanding something that his betters had decided wasn’t necessary or even good for him.

I’ve heard a lot about the socialism of the Occupy Movement, but I don’t perceive it as socialist movement.  I perceive it as an anti-corruption movement at its core, for it is the corruption that has caused so many problems.  Politicians apparently don’t like being regarded as a pestilence upon democracy either, but they’ve done it to themselves…with the voters consent.

Jefferson got re-elected in Louisiana, while under indictment for accepting bribes, and the videos were apparently shown on national television repeatedly.  The voters did the re-electing, and Jefferson was convicted with the evidence against him, resulting in his seat needed to be filled.  At least you can’t represent your district while currently incarcerated, even in Louisiana.  That isn’t pointing the finger at Louisiana, either.  They aren’t the only state with corruption, even if everyone likes to think they are.  They likely aren’t even the worst about it, they are judged guilty because its often not a secret, whereas the other states like to bury their heads in the sand and deny its existence.  That’s all the fault of an apathetic voter population.  If you don’t get out and demand better, you sure won’t get it!

Politics always caters to the lowest common denominator.

We have let our government become a government stuffed to the gills with corruption, bureaucrats,  red tape, pompous and arrogant politicians, and corporate shills.  This is the result.  Don’t like it? Do something about it.  Like it this way? Do something to keep it this way, like almost nothing.

I’m a bit uncertain about the Occupy Movement, I’ll admit that.  I’m not physically up to coping with the rigors of being a demonstrator myself either, and the idea of being roughed up by police is extremely intimidating to me because of my physical issues.  How would I cope with that kind of abuse?  Is it reasonable to even contemplate such a thing?

Maybe I’m excessively empathetic to their situation and idealism, but once upon a time, I too was young and idealistic, and I would have been right there with everyone else, fighting for what I believed in.  Now…I realize that when you get smacked with a baton, bones and tissue can be seriously damaged and take months to heal.  I struggle with daily routines such as getting dressed and brushing my hair, how could I defend myself when confronted with angry and aggressive police officers?

Do I think that these demonstrators are the adult versions of spoiled children?  Not in most cases, but there can be some–they grow up and go SOMEWHERE, don’t they?  Spoiled children just usually don’t grow up to become empathetic adults with social woes on their minds.  They usually grow up to become adults without empathy for others and greed on their minds–the same ones that have fed this cycle of corruption and greed.

I do think there is a lot of idealism in the Occupy Movement, and while that can be a good thing, it can go horribly wrong too.  We saw the rise of many communes in the 60s and 70s.  They had great ideas, but the idealism didn’t always follow through–too many didn’t realize that EVERYONE has to contribute equally, or some get tired and disgruntled, and move on.  Communes were an extreme example of idealism, and the bigger they were, the harder they fell.  They didn’t work.  Utopia isn’t found in a commune.  People are often lazy and greedy at the same time, and they can shatter idealism to the core in a season of hard work.

We’ve tried a lot of things in America that turned out to be big mistakes, and we’ve had to work hard to rectify them when we made them, as a nation, as states, as communities, and as individuals.  We’ve built a big government, and we’re discovering that it was a big mistake now.  It’s gotten too big for its britches, and it spends more time thwarting individual rights than it does in protecting society from corporate predators.

Corporate predators…those massive entities that apparently have “rights” as individuals, yet lack responsibilities.    Our current woes include things like GMOs, oil spills, high energy prices, low wages, out-sourcing to foreign countries, importing cheap (and contaminated) goods, high priced medications, lack of health care, and unevenly distributed tax loads.  The list could go on and on, with everything from environmental destruction to even genocide.

We’ve let them get by with it.  Over and over.  What’s that old cliche?

Something along the lines of: Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.

It’s our fault, and it is long past time to do something about it.

Is the Occupy Movement the beginning of “something about it“?

We’ll see.

Good Morning and cell phones

Good morning, world.

The sun isn’t up yet, but that’s okay.  I start my day at 6 a.m. since that’s when my antibiotic is due for my morning dose.  Four times a day, sicker than a dog, I’m religious about it being on schedule.  That means that the rest of my pharmaceutical department is also started at 6 a.m., even if it isn’t as critical on the morning dose time.  I realized I was qualifying as “old” when I suddenly had all of these pills to take.  So, please excuse me if I’m a bit “off” this morning.  I’ve been quite ill, and I feel “loopy” for a bit after all the chemicals are consumed.

But getting on with life, our cell phone is in need of replacement.  We’ve known that for a while.  It’s nearly 2 years old, positively a dinosaur in terms of tech devices.  In addition, it was a reactionary purchase.  I was in the middle of a fit when our previous smart phone, a Blackberry, had suddenly developed a glitch in which the ringer didn’t work.  It would flash at us, but that was only good if you were looking at the thing.  It was about Blackberry #4, with one glitch after another, and I was livid.  The repair department had informed me that the thing was not covered since it had gotten wet, and showed me an offending red spot inside the cover.  It had never gotten wet, we’d never dropped it in water…but that “sensor” indicated otherwise.  Before I crawled over the counter and choked the employee, another waiting customer, with a sad and defeated voice, informed me that in our climate (we lived in New Orleans then) all it took was sweat in a pocket and our cellphones’ sensors indicated “water damage.”

I was done with smart phones, I ranted, and Greg patiently drove to the local Sprint store, where still in my snit, I chose a Lotus.  It isn’t smart, but it did have a QUERTY pad, and I’d been eyeing them for a while.  I still think its a great form, a wide flip phone with an actual Querty pad, but…it has other issues.  Like not being very smart.  We had been spoiled by the Blackberry, especially Greg, and since we were cutting costs by using a single cell phone with ample features, we were both stuck with my reactionary purchase.

Nearly two years of a dumb brick has made us nostalgic about the Blackberry, but I still haven’t forgotten the frequency of failures from it.  Smart phones have come a long ways in the past few years, and while Blackberrys may have once been king of smart phones, they aren’t even in the running these days.  Choosing a Blackberry now labels you as a dinosaur yourself, unwilling to adopt new technology and clinging to the familiar.  Either that or really cheap, since that’s what most Blackberrys today are.

Hoping to avoid the reactionary purchase as our current Lotus has a groaning hinge and well worn corners, it is past time to start researching.  Previously, I was thinking seriously about the HTC Evo in either the 3D or the Shift.  Asking Greg to take a look and offer an opinion hasn’t been particularly successful.  It’s not that he’s unconcerned or has no opinion, he merely assumes that I’ll choose and he’ll adapt.  I’ve been told that’s a sign of a very smart man and that I should hang onto him.  It’s really not why we’re getting married though.  I’d already decided he was very smart, very charming, and good company and that I should marry him long before the Lotus incident.  It doesn’t hurt that I already adore him and I’m madly in love with him either.

I logged into Sprint today, realizing that with all of the recent turmoil between my daughter’s hospital stay and then my own stay, I had neglected to pay them.  They are funny about that, and only forgiving so far before retaliating with a shut off.   Since I really want to avoid that, despite being loopy this morning…I logged in.  While I was there, I thought, gee whillikers, I really should see what they have in terms of phones now.

Greg may have some competition.  I may be in love.  They have a Nexus 4S from Google with a very attractive price–$29.99 with a 2 year add on to our contract.  It has all of the features I think I want.  It looks pretty good in the videos and photos.  I’ve never seen one.  I think I want one.  It also has this new thing called a Google Wallet that was just rolled out last Monday…and that looks convenient too, even if I suspect that Pascagoula, Mississippi doesn’t have many places that can accept it yet.

I know I’ve often complained about Sprint.  I thought about changing providers too.  Cellular South has some attractive packages and attractive coverage…and lots of complaints about customer service.  I’m big on customer service, and those complaints have actually scared me away.  AT&T is just as bad about their customer service.  The other providers fall short on coverage or pricing.  I may want to throttle Sprint sometimes, but most of the time, they provide reliable service at a reliable price.  We have even priced going with a no contract pre-paid service, but the problem seems to always boil down to poor coverage or high prices.  Sometimes it’s a case of better the devil you know, right?  We’ve actually sort of decided that for now, we’ll stick with Sprint, and add a pre-paid service when we’re ready to add a second phone, sort of hedging our bets on prices and service.

It doesn’t hurt that this phone knocks enough off of the price to make that 2 year commitment acceptable.  The discounts are actually more than the early termination fee would be.  Okay, I’m a sucker for slick technology.  Still, I think I’d like to see/touch/feel one of these phones before I commit to two years with it.  That means visiting a Sprint store and hoping they have one in stock.  I don’t even know where a store is located in Pascagoula!

The sun is up…but dragging Greg off in pursuit of a Sprint store in Pascagoula might not be a great idea at this hour…it’s barely 7 am on a Sunday morning.  Still…

I did warn you that I was loopy, right?

Sealed with blood?

We started the slow process of getting a marriage license in Mississippi.  I guess they want to make sure you don’t “marry in haste.”  They are also one of the two states out of fifty that still require a syphilis test prior to marriage.  Of all the things to test for, I find syphilis the least of my worries and the more foolish of tests.  It’s as though we are still stuck in 1939 here sometimes.

For most people, the whole blood test thing is a prick in the arm, about 30 seconds of discomfort, and they are done.  It is like that for me…sometimes.  About 80% of the time, it is nothing like that.  Today was one of the 80% days.

Multiple technicians, both arms in the crook of my elbow (along with that so-comfortable tourniquet!) and both hands…and I was so tense  you could have played guitar on my back muscles.  They poked and dug, as though they were searching for gold…and no blood was found.

It really was as if I had no blood at all, the pricks themselves didn’t bleed usually.  (My right hand did…almost two whole drops after the first round!)  I had cotton balls taped all over, but no blood marred their sanitary white surfaces.

All I could do is try to stay still, be cooperative, look the other way or close my eyes and hiss when it hurt badly.  They dug deep, and they dug shallow, and finally…managed to milk my hand like a cow’s udder to get about a third of what Greg’s arm willingly donated in a few seconds.

Now we wait a week for the return of our “certified” results.  Once we receive them, we can take them to the county courthouse and the clerk of the court, where we’ll then fill out the application for the marriage license.  In another bizarre twist of legal stuff, it seems the blood test results are only good for 30 days, but once you get that marriage license, it is good forever.  We can get married this year…or a hundred years from now.  Go figure!

The blood tests cost us $30.25 and was paid with our debit card.  The marriage license is another $22 and has to be paid in cash.  So cheap to get married, and so expensive to get a divorce or annulment for making a mistake.  Somehow, that seems reversed.  I remember seeing a reality show recently at someone’s house about a wedding chapel in New Orleans.  A drunken couple showed up to get married, and she was definitely a Bridezilla.  Drunk, jealous, and belligerent.  Yeah, that’s a match made in heaven, right?

Maybe there are some advantages to this marriage license requirement to get some of our blood first.  At least there’s plenty of time to sober up, right?

Six years ago today

Where were you when Katrina came, or like most of us around her call her…The Storm?

I evacuated, not an easy process with two dogs, a cat, a visiting daughter from out of state, and an old pickup with no air conditioning.  I ended up in Northeastern Texas through some twists and turns of Fate, in a little resort motel on the edge of Land O Pines Lake and near Jefferson, Texas.  I remember not being able to sleep the night before, and with our selection of three television stations, all I could watch was the object of my fear and fascination….The Storm.

I remember the first news I got of the aftermath–they announced that the Greater New Orleans area had weathered the storm just fine, and I was elated.  I could be back home in a day or two, maybe three at the worst.  I didn’t have the money for any longer than that anyhow, as a vacation had not been in my meager budget.  Then, an hour or two later, the news changed.

They said that New Orleans was underwater.  They said that Kenner was underwater.  I lived and worked in Metairie, nestled between Kenner and New Orleans.  Even though they didn’t mention Metairie by name…logic told me that if both New Orleans and Kenner were under water, so was Metairie.   I sat…stunned.  I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that everything would be gone as the water receded.  I thought of my bosses, sitting in their business, as the water rose.  They were nearing the seventieth year…how would they possibly survive?

The realization that I was going to have to start all over again began to sink in.  I sighed and I cried.  I’d done it before, but I was getting too old for starting over all over again.  I had just begun to recover from the last episode of “starting over.”  How could I face all of that again?

There were other evacuees staying there, and we all wandered, looking lost, looking shocked, unable to think and unable to really comprehend our losses yet.  The news was sensationalized, we didn’t really know anything, we held onto the hopes that our neighborhoods were spared.  We couldn’t talk to anyone in the city and our cell phones were acting strange, some of them useless.

Friends and family helped me cover that first week of motel, as I tried to figure out what I was going to do.  Local restaurants fed us.  Someone bought dog food for me, someone else brought us some clothing–it seems that everyone left with three days worth of clothes.  The motel let us use the laundry in the afternoons to wash our clothes.  We swam in the pool, we walked along the lake shore, we tried to fill our hours with something, anything.  I had brought all of the meat from my freezer in the cooler, and it needed used–we had a barbecue and shared with our neighbors.

I remember a news team from one of the television stations coming and wanting to interview us.  I shook my head with a smile, telling them that I was one of the lucky ones–I had no sad story about evacuating, I hadn’t even had to battle slow traffic and had been lucky with each mile I had covered as I sought to escape The Storm.  I really was one of the lucky ones, I just didn’t know how lucky I was yet.

I remember painting a house for a guy near the resort to get the money for another week of the motel.  It took me almost the entire week to do the job, but that was okay.  It filled the days.  I also was trying to find a way to get my daughter back home, and that wasn’t going well either.  She couldn’t fly out of Dallas on her own, as the medication she was taking at the time would often leave her confused and unable to concentrate.  I couldn’t go with her to get through the check in process because of the dogs–Dallas was far enough away that I couldn’t just leave them in the motel room all day, and it was so hot that I feared giving Red Dog a heat stroke.  She had had one as a young dog, and has no tolerance for heat even today.  The airport was not going to let the dog waltz through the airport either.  A bus was out of the question too.  That meant someone would have to drive from Arizona and pick her up, not exactly a Sunday jaunt.  Her husband kept getting the run around at work about if and when he could have the time off to come get her, and finally, her grandma made the drive to pick her up, which was  nice.  We had a few days together to visit before they left.

By this time, I knew I could return home and my house had not flooded.  No one had been inside, so what kind of damage had occurred indoors was a mystery, as the door was apparently stuck.  I knew trees were down all around it, and some shingles were ripped off, but that was all I knew.  I prepared to return home, and then, Rita appeared.

The owners of the motel where I was staying had left on vacation, leaving the motel in the care of a fellow evacuee who was relocating to the area, and I had agreed to help him as repayment to the owners for all of their kindnesses.  When they left, there was only one reservation due to check in–it was the off season between summer and hunting season.  With Rita on the way, the phone began ringing off the hook as people searched for a place to stay.  We filled their motel again for them.  Their maids returned to full time work.  When the owners checked in, I told them it was not a problem if I stayed…I had been gone three weeks, and another week wasn’t going to hurt, and besides, I’d not gone through all of this only to swim when I got home, as no one knew where Rita was going to go at first.

The Rita evacuees were able to return home far quicker than the Katrina ones, and most of them were gone as I loaded up the pick up truck with everything I needed for a month in Metairie.  I already knew that few stores were open, the curfew was still in effect, and the water wasn’t potable.  I had cleaning supplies, food, water, and dog food, along with all of the stuff I had brought with me when I’d fled.  Like the initial trip, this one was to be done in the dark of night to avoid the heat and the stress on Red Dog.

I remember her mood as we drove…and drove.  She was in an obvious snit, sitting by the passenger door and sulking.  Sissy rode in the middle, and for a change, wasn’t bouncing around.  Cali the cat had been stuck in a cat carrier inside of Red’s dog crate in the back, under the tarp.  There was no room for a cat carrier in the cab, and nobody to hold onto her leash with the windows down either.  I crossed my fingers that she wouldn’t be too traumatized by the ride.

I didn’t stop except for gas, not even for a cup of coffee.  It was a long drive, and I wanted to be home before the sun got hot.  Even so, it was well after daylight after we got through Baton Rouge, and it wasn’t until we reached the Bonne Carre spillway that Red’s mood changed.

It stunk.  I mean really rank, but she popped up like a prairie dog, her nose literally jammed in the cracked window as she breathed in the smell.  She literally seemed to be smiling as she realized that we were not going to some other motel, but rather we were going home.  She would sit down, look at me with her happy dog grin, then pop back up to sniff deeply again.  I know she could smell the brackish waters that meant home, as well as the stench of the many things that the flood waters had thrown onto what was again becoming dry land.

At home, I was lucky too.  As I drove down the streets heading to my own home, I saw trees jammed into houses like a candle on a cupcake, I saw where tree trunks were just sawed off at the curb, still covering the lawn but clearing the roadway.  Debris was piled everywhere.  Refrigerators, their doors duct taped shut, stood in front of nearly every house, often with a freezer beside it.  The stench of rotting meat had me nearly gagging.  My refrigerator though, was unscathed.  There was a tiny patch of mold on the bottom, about the size of a fifty cent piece.  There was a lone forgotten sausage patty on a plate and condiments left in the door.  In the freezer, the things that I hadn’t been able to load into the cooler all went into a trash bag and were hauled out.  I wasn’t risking food poisoning for it.

The air conditioner soon had the house cool, the bathroom was the only room with damages, really, although some water had come in the north and east windows, ruining my television.  The bathroom was a moldering mess–all soft goods were trashed, from towels to dirty laundry and toilet paper.  The bathtub still held the water I’d filled it with before I left, but it was now rather scummy and gross.

With that taken care of, I had to unload.  The house was soon in total chaos, with the living room filled with plastic tubs.  I was home though, and soon would be back to work, repairing things, painting, and getting ready to reopen.  Jobs were plentiful in those days–I typically would get several job offers any time I was working outside.  I knew that while I could make more money on clean up jobs, those jobs would end.  My old job, while it paid less and offered less hours, was still a steady job.

Would I have gone back if I knew now what I didn’t know then?

I’m not sure.  I almost didn’t go back then–I had job offers in Texas, I had an offer of a place to live too.  I could have simply gone back and gotten my things and called it good.  I almost did exactly that…but my boss had sent me a paycheck in Texas that I hadn’t earned by working, partly to help me and I think it was partly to encourage my return too.  I felt a sense of loyalty towards them.  I genuinely liked them too.  I had a sense of unfinished business in New Orleans, as well as some guilt about how easy things were being for me.  Many other evacuees were searching for jobs too, and had not had any offers.  I’d been offered jobs I’d never even applied for.  I didn’t feel that where I could go home and would have a job there that I should opt to relocate, as thousands were doing it without a choice.  My family and friends thought I’d lost my mind, but I stuck with my decision.

Now, six years later, I still live within the “Katrina zone” on the Mississippi coast.  We’re planning our wedding, and it will be on the beach of the hardest hit zone–Hancock County.  (They are the sole county  that allows dogs on the beach in Mississippi, so I love Hancock county!)  We still see evidence everywhere of Katrina, as well as our depressed economy.  Without jobs, there is no money to rebuild or even a reason for many things to be rebuilt.  I’ve adopted the area wholeheartedly, maybe even more than I did New Orleans, despite having only been here a year.

Yeah, I hate the heat, the humidity, and the bugs.  I hate watching for another storm.  I hate the lack of jobs, and the hoodlums that too much time and no money produces.  But I love the bayous, the fishing, and the people.  I may not live here forever, but I can love it while I do, right?

 

Politics, change and the economy too

This is a long post, with a lot of ideas.  What I hope is to make people think about what we need, as a nation, as well as what we need on the Gulf Coast, the State of Mississippi, etc.  We elected President Obama with his simple slogan of “Change,” but did we get change or just a new flavor of the same old BS?  What programs do you think will provide us with real “bail out” power from the current economic situation?  Can we avoid the same kinds of turmoil that has plagued countries such as Egypt and Greece?

Think.  Make a comment.  Eventually, some of these ideas will get packaged up and sent off to my representatives to Congress.  Apathy today is our worst enemy, and it is passed the time when we all need to get in touch with Washington DC…they have obviously lost touch with us!

I’m making that effort to get more involved, by telling my representatives what I want and sending them ideas.  They may ignore them…and they may not, but I’ll never know if I never speak up.  The same goes for each and every one of you.

What do you think we need to happen?

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look around and say that things have got to change in the United States and fast.  Even if you are educated, willing to work, have an agreeable personality, and are willing to relocate…jobs are virtually impossible to find.

We left New Orleans in 2010, stuck in a cycle of unemployment and rising cost of living.  It was impossible to continue.  We relocated to coastal Mississippi, which may seem like jumping from the frying pan to the fire, as there were few jobs there either.  The differences were simple–we had friends & family willing to help us as we tried to get a new start, and the lower cost of living meant that we might succeed.

In the meantime, job interviews have been scarce.  Inflation has eaten away at our budget too.  Help also implies a temporary status, and cannot continue indefinitely or you wind up being someone’s dependent.  We like being independent and paying our own way.

How much longer before our money runs out?  Six months?  A year?  Two years?  Will we survive until there is a job, even if it is a menial job with below poverty level income?  It’s tough as an older worker with a job history to watch youngsters still in school or fresh out of school getting the jobs at the fast food restaurants that you also applied for…and didn’t even get an interview for.  It is very hard to stay motivated to apply for one job after another, when only one application in a hundred results in an interview, and none of those interviews in the last three years have resulted in anything more than temporary employment of a few days or weeks.

We’re looking at the end of the long term unemployment benefits that many people qualified for coming to an end in less than six months from now.  At the same time, Food Stamp recipients have climbed 40%, there is talk of cutting back on the program, food prices continue to climb in the grocery store, and nothing from Washington results in anyone’s confidence that they have figured out a way out of this Depression.

It IS a Depression.  It’s gone from the Great Recession to an actual full blown depression, whether the economists want to admit it or it meets any technical definition of that dubious economic state.  It’s worldwide, it’s without an end in sight, and the numbers the government is reporting have no grasp of the real issue.

Out of the unemployed people I know, only about one in five is receiving an unemployment check, for whatever reason.  If that is true nationwide, we’re looking at unemployment numbers five times higher than those being reported by the Feds, even if their numbers are unaltered and represented correctly.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the current unemployment levels at 9.2%.  If the real figures differ as dramatically as my personally observed percentages do, we could actually have unemployment as high as 46%.  Even that figure does not count those who have opted to remove themselves from the job market due to early retirement, etc. either, which would undoubtedly add even more people to the actual number of those without a job.

Our current president, Barrack Obama, with the assistance of his cabinet, doesn’t seem to be able to come up with a viable plan for real economic recovery.  The Great Bail Out didn’t seem to help Joe Average or Jane Hardworker one iota.  Families are still losing their homes and jobs, along with their health care and retirement.  The numbers of homeless rise regularly and are nearly impossible to accurately report because of the inherent nature of that state.  People are not going to admit to being homeless for fear of losing their children, their pets, their pride, and their hope.

So what kinds of things WOULD work to help our economy recover, buy the time we need for an actual recovery, and initiate the kind of economic growth that we need to occur in this nation?  We don’t have an industrial base anymore–most of those jobs went overseas in search of fewer regulations and cheaper labor.

Here on the Gulf Coast, we have the shipyards, primarily building giant ships for the Navy and some industrial sized tankers, oil rigs, etc. for the oil industry.  The problem there is…how many war ships do we need?  Should we, as a nation, invest more in shipbuilding?  Is it going to produce something with a market?  Can we do it better, faster, cheaper than foreign shipyards?

We also have the tourist industry and the casinos.  Should we invest more in this?  Who would our market be?  Is it going to produce jobs that are going to exist a decade from now?  Is it going to stimulate economic growth over the long term, no matter what Mother Nature and the oil industry delivers to the coastal region?

Mississippi has agriculture too.  Agriculture isn’t exactly a big job producer, but it is imperative that we have an adequate food supply in the country.  Should we be investing more here?  Which types of agriculture should we invest in?

Mississippi also is blessed with a myriad of natural resources like timber, wildlife, lakes, rivers, creeks, bayous, bays, marshes, and coastal waterways.  These too can be a source of revenue when properly managed, but what kind of investment would maximize these in terms of jobs and economic recovery?  Can these be managed in a way to ensure that it is sustainable in the long term?  These assets are also connected to a system of county, state, and federal parks and forests, and their facilities.  How can these provide both jobs and an economic asset for the state as a whole?  What opportunities lay there?

There is also the oil industry, traditionally a source of high paying jobs with fantastic benefits.  States complain that they receive little tax benefit for offshore rigs in their region, yet when the unthinkable happens, as in the case of the BP Oil Spill, many states suffer both in terms of their environment, industry, recreation, and financially.  Can more investment in the oil industry help with the economic recovery of the regions that it has often both blessed and cursed?

We can look to history for inspiration and advice.  We had an excellent example in the New Deal programs of the Great Depression.  What worked best and provided the most long term solutions and benefits to the nation as a whole?

With a historical perspective, the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) probably had the biggest impact on the economy besides Social Security.  Both of these programs, with updates to suit the current era, could be potentially viable solutions to the long term unemployment of today.

The CCC was a popular program, specifically geared for young single men from 18-25 years of age.  They received $30 per month in pay, and $22-25 of their pay was sent home to their parents.  They also received food, clothing, housing, and medical care.  Participants had to apply and then pass a physical exam ensuring that they were physically capable of performing the manual labor the camps were designed to do.  Each participant had to complete one term of six months, however up to four terms could be completed if employment was still unlikely in their home area.

Today, that program would have to include both young men and women from 18-25 years of age, and instead of sending their pay home to their parents, a substantial portion would need to be held in a “future fund” for their use after their term in the new CCC was completed.  This would provide the young worker with a nest egg to start their life in the private sector after their term in the new CCC was complete, providing for things such as a car, deposit on an apartment, etc. to ensure their full time private sector employment could be achieved.  Those who completed one or more terms in the new CCC would not be eligible for unemployment benefits, and would be encouraged to find a job prior to departing from the CCC.

This new CCC would not be geared towards training participants in new skills as much as training them in work ethics and providing them with a job history. It would also provide evening classes to allow participants to obtain a high school diploma to increase their chances of employment in the private sector after completing their term with the new CCC.  Manual labor skills would be taught as needed to accomplish the tasks given to their division of the new CCC, much like the tasks addressed by the original CCC.  Like the original, participants would live in barracks and work similar schedules.  Their pay would be the equivalent of a minimum wage job in the area, with 75% of their pay being withheld for their “future fund.”  Failure to complete their term would result in economic sanctions of losing 50% of their future fund, which would provide performance incentive.

For those who found the hard physical labor to be out of their range of abilities due to lack of strength or preferences, support staff positions would exist, performing tasks such as camp sanitation, meal preparation, record keeping, distribution, clerical positions, and other administrative tasks.  To qualify for these positions, some prior experience or training would have to exist.  Their pay would remain the same, and they would be supervised by the administrative team for that particular camp.

In addition to the jobs provided to the participants, support positions to those with both an education and work history would be created, as teachers, administrators, managers, and crew bosses would all find positions available with the new CCC in particular camps.  These jobs would be filled by applicants according to their job skills and education, with reasonable pay schedules that match area jobs, as well as typical benefits such as medical, dental, etc.

The CCC camps would be either in a barracks type situation, utilizing old military bases and camps, or temporary in nature and using tents in the camp, not unlike a temporary military camp.  All camps would provide the same basic services, although permanent camps may have more extensive “recreational” facilities, such as libraries, game rooms, etc.

The new WPA would focus on providing jobs in a variety of areas, allowing their participants to remain with their families.  These jobs would hire more skilled participants, often older workers.  Like the original WPA jobs, it would address community and regional needs, ranging from school construction to natural resource management.  Only one member of a household would be eligible for participation, and the wages would be consistent with local wages for similar positions, along with benefits such as medical and dental insurance.  Participants could leave the program at any time, as long as they had obtained other employment, and unemployment benefits would not be available to participants for a period of six to twelve months after leaving the program. After completion of a project, if no further projects were requiring that participant’s skills in the immediate area, participants would be offered a position in another project outside of their area or be certified as eligible for unemployment benefits again, if all other requirements for unemployment are met.

In addition to the positions provided by participating in the WPA, there would be additional administrative and supervisory positions within the WPA that were of a permanent/long term nature for the duration of the program.  These positions would include supervisors and administrative employees.  Support employees such as secretaries, clerks, etc. would be participants.

The expenses of these programs could be held within check by allocating positions to various camps (CCC) and projects (WPA).  Funding would originate with the federal government, and the pay off in the local communities would be felt within seven months of the initiation, as the first term of the CCC participants were finished with their terms.  Initial benefits to the communities would be noticed sooner with the arrival of a WPA project in their immediate area, as the participants use their health and dental care policies, pay bills, and make purchases in the community.

Imagine a CCC project along the Gulf Coast, even a relatively “small” one as removal of trash from the coastal estuaries, destruction of derelict Katrina-damaged homes, and completion of various public parks  that have been slowly repaired post Katrina.  Even 100 young men and women, under the supervision of experienced supervisors and managers, combing the rivers, beaches, marshes, etc. for the debris, tearing down the many derelict houses in the area, and removal of the debris over a period of a year would take 100 young men and women off of the streets and put them in positions where they learned about having a job and preparing for responsible adulthood.

WPA projects could include things like bicycle paths, public community education courses in art and creative writing, wetland rehabilitation, establishment of parks and construction of facilities along the coastal rivers and beaches, revitalizing our school systems with extra teachers in areas such as art, literature, industrial skills, etc.  For the city of Pascagoula, adding 100 jobs may not sound like much compared to the number employed in the shipyards, but that 100 diversified jobs can be a beginning to private industry and endeavor.  Public assets such as bicycle paths, parks, education, adult community education, and other community facilities increase an area’s attractiveness to both employers and employees.

In addition, one advantage held by European industrialized nations compared to America is the existence of a viable passenger train system.  In today’s situation of rising energy costs and increasing need for enviromentally sensible solutions to transportation issues, the establishment of a national passenger train system of a usable nature is increasingly obvious in the nation’s need.

Currently, there are NO stations available between any Mississippi to Alabama, and even the Florida Panhandle.  Even choosing an option with the current provider, Amtrak, to travel between Albuquerque and Austin, the trip takes three days ONE WAY and costs $415 one way compared to taking a flight between the two cities, which takes about four hours, and costs less than $600 round trip.  Obviously, American train travel is both expensive and inconvenient, unlike other industrialized nations’ offerings that focus on convenience, efficiency, and reasonable rates.  This would be an ideal project to focus WPA efforts on, and would result in increased ability for Americans to travel for both leisure and work, nationwide.  It doesn’t need to be “high speed” so much as made into an efficient method of transportation–three days for covering the number of miles that can be reasonably achieved via the highways in a single day is ridiculous.  The complete lack of transportation on the Gulf Coast, with the sole stations being located in St. Petersburg/Clearwater, New Orleans and Galveston.  I did not find ANY Amtrak stations in Mississippi, although surrounding states did have stations.

The existence of a viable and efficient passenger train system in the United States could also be utilized in emergencies, allowing efficient transportation of large numbers of citizens from an area that needs to be evacuated due to incoming hurricanes or other states of emergency.  It would also allow for efficient transportation of large quantities of emergency supplies and emergency personnel to the vicinity of an area effected by an emergency, as the railroad is going to provide more efficient transportation of these than highway convoys.  Today, the creation of this effective passenger rail system would be as much of a national asset as the interstate highway system was when it was created, in addition to creating numerous long term employment opportunities, as well as short term construction and development employment opportunities.  It is also a very worthy federal project because of its interstate nature and the fact that the only possible “competition” is an inefficient, expensive monopoly that fails to provide service in all fifty states.

Another project of note that would be a worthy federal project would be similar in nature to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 in its scope and importance to rural and small town areas.  At this time, rather than providing electricity, the purpose would be to provide high speed internet access nationwide through wireless, cable or dsl connections.  Internet access is increasingly important in today’s society, and by ensuring that all Americans have access, increased sales of computer related goods will occur, as well as general access to information, shopping, job searches, and other uses of the internet would be possible in every corner of America.  The monthly service itself would be provided by local companies, at reasonable rates, with grants and low interest loans to ensure that even the more remote communities can be connected to the internet.

All of these projects would be conducted with the goal of directly benefiting the citizens of the country, rather than benefiting specific corporations.  It would increase morale and confidence in the government’s management of a difficult economic situation with short term benefits, and the long term benefits would ensure that confidence in the government would continue.

This increase in confidence and morale is essential to providing the private sector impetus towards economic growth.  In the current situation, with a lack of faith in the government’s ability to manage the situation becoming more prevalent, compounded by the public unrest in Europe and Egypt, few are willing to embark on new and innovative business development that would spur economic growth, whether in the primary employment sector of small business or in the large corporation world.  Spending by the citizens is also minimal, due to the lack of confidence in the future, which further inhibits economic growth.

Because of this, it is imperative that any federal programs targeting the economy have a number of considerations put into them prior to public announcement.  These considerations include things like:

• Some kind of historical precedence where the program was effective
• Public figure (such as sports figures, television and movie industry figures, etc.) endorsement of the programs in a PR campaign to increase awareness and counteract rumors and incorrect information being circulated via news, television and internet sources.
• Short term benefits being apparent to the average citizen
• Long term benefits being easily anticipated by the average citizen
• Efficient management of the programs to prevent scandals
• Efficient hiring systems to maximize benefits to the greatest number of households.

In addition, certain other actions by the federal government to increase public confidence are necessary and should include things like:

• Reduction in aid to foreign countries.
• Plans for grants to encourage new and innovative industry at the small business level
• Reduction in aid to the United Nations
• Tax breaks offered to individuals making less than $24,000 annually, regardless of marital status.
• Small house grants and tax credits for new sole residence housing under 800 square feet with two or more bedrooms and energy efficient construction.
• Tax credits for sole residence purchases with less than $50,000 of financed debt for the home and land purchase.
• Grants for purchase of “distressed property” renovation as a sole residence.
• Establishment of “community markets” where local produced goods, agricultural products, used items, etc. could be sold by local residents.  (Such as farmer’s markets or flea markets) in all county seats and other towns with more than 10,000 population in the 2010 census.
• Tax credits available to all persons who have a gym membership, exercise class, or some other form of regular exercise that can be documented as regularly attended and participated in, including use of a bicycle for regular transportation as part of a “Healthy America” program to reduce the frequency of obesity.
• Establishment of community fitness programs for seniors with multiple offerings such as walking, yoga, tai chi, weight training, etc. with trained instructor supervision.
• Establishment of a grant system to create “community gardens” where participants can rent spaces ranging from 10×10′ on up of prepared garden space to grow vegetables for their families as an incentive to local farmers to offer space.
• Creation of grants to benefit local non-profits who provide services to people, promoting local charities for local needs and reducing the strain on public assistance agencies.
• Small farm and family farm grants and tax credits to promote agricultural diversity.

This is a diverse list of potential areas of attention, but the problem that faces America today is not a single problem that can be cured with a single shot in the arm, so to speak.  It is a problem that has developed over decades, in many areas of the economy, and not only within the United States itself. It’s not the fault of a single political party or administration, but it is the concern of every American.  Each and every citizen needs to seriously examine their representatives to Washington and determine what changes really need to happen, especially as we approach an election year.

• What changes need to occur now?
• What has our current representatives accomplished in the past?
• What have they put noticeable effort into causing change?
• What are their chances of succeeding in causing change?
• Have they done what they promised they would do?

When we look at new candidates, we need to ask questions too.

• Can they do a  better job?
• What are they promising to do?
• Do the things that they stand for agree with what I want to happen in Washington?
• Are they going to represent the majority of their constituents or are they going to do what they want to do?
• Is this person capable of pushing for the things that their constituency wants?
• Do you think they’ll follow through on their promises?

Sometimes, we may choose “better the devil we know” as our candidate of choice, sometimes, we believe that “any change is better than no change.”  What do you think?

The sanctity of marriage?

The Defense of Marriage Act is what prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages, whether or not it is a legal union in the state of residency of the person in question, they can’t take family leave, add their partner to their health insurance coverage, etc. in the eyes of good old Uncle Sam.  This isn’t about homosexuality and whether or not we support alternative lifestyles really.  It’s really about states’ rights.  It falls in the same category as a state legalizing medical marijuana, and Uncle Sam sending in the troops to arrest anyone who sells it to the people the state has authorized to possess and use it.  It falls in the same ball park as Uncle Sam telling us what we buy and from whom in terms of health insurance too.  Or what kinds of crops and where we can buy the seeds from and whether or not we’ll be allowed to grow these crops on our own land, including the home garden.

Do we really want Uncle Sam to override reasonable laws established by individual states?

I object to the principle of the Defense of Marriage Act.  I don’t think it is a “good” law, and I think it should be repealed.  So, like any good citizen, I wrote my congressman.    This is his response:

July 18, 2011

 

 

 

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Defense of Marriage Act. As your Congressman, I am committed to putting the needs of Mississippi families first. Knowing your views and ideas on federal legislation is critical in order to best represent Mississippians. Your comments and ideas are always appreciated.

 

On February 23, 2011, the Justice Department announced that it will no longer defend a federal marriage law enacted by Congress in 1996. The Defense of Marriage Act affirms the definition of marriage as the union between one man and one woman. It was passed with bipartisan support in Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. I firmly believe in the sanctity of marriage, and I fully support this law. Although we disagree on this matter, I appreciate knowing how you stand on this issue.

 

Again, thank you for contacting me and helping me better understand the concerns of Mississippians. If there is anything else I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

 

 

Sincerely,

Steven M. Palazzo
Member of Congress

 

Apparently, I’m missing something here, and decided that it was time to define “sanctity of marriage” better so I could understand where Steven Palazzo is coming from.

From this Lutheran based (specific Protestant Christian sect) website, I found the following:

The Sanctity of Marriage
 "To be married and to understand married life are two very different matters."1 Even the 
believer may have misconceptions about the meaning, purpose, or sanctity of married life. Such 
understandings may be the result of observations made during our upbringing or that which we 
have seen or heard as we are "in the world" even though we are "not of the world." At times we 
are troubled by worldly norms and understandings of reason much the same as Lot was in Sodom 
and Gomorrah, "For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his 
righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds" (2 Pet. 2:8). For that reason we must 
turn unto the Holy Word of God which remains the only unchanging and unshakeable foundation 
upon which one can build. Before it all, human reasoning and understandings must give way. 
Let us examine our topic, The Sanctity of Marriage in the light of God's Word and with the help 
of His Spirit.  
Well, that's one point of view.  Next, I checked Wikipedia for a broader version of a definition.
There, they state that the Catholic Church's position is:

The Catholic Church teaches that God Himself is the author of the sacred institution of marriage, which is His way of showing love for those He created. Marriage is a divine institution that can never be broken, even if the husband or wife legally divorce in the civil courts; as long as they are both alive, the Church considers them bound together by God. Holy Matrimony is another name for sacramental marriage.

Marriage is intended to be a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman. Committing themselves completely to each other, a Catholic husband and wife strive to sanctify each other, bring children into the world, and educate them in the Catholic way of life. Man and woman, although created differently from each other, complement each other. This complementarity draws them together in a mutually loving union.

The same Wikipedia entry also states the following:

In both Matthew and Mark, Jesus appealed to God’s will in creation. He builds upon the narrative in Genesis 1:27 and 5:2 where male and female are created together and for one another. Thus Jesus takes a firm stand on the permanence of marriage in the original will of God. This corresponds closely with the position of the Pharisee school of thought led by Shammai, at the start of the first millennium,^[8][9][10] with which Jesus would have been familiar. By contrast, Judaism subsequently took the opposite view, espoused by Hillel, the leader of the other major Pharisee school of thought at the time; in Hillel’s view, men were allowed to divorce their wives for any reason.^[8]

Where there was failure in the marriage, Jesus found husband and wife equally responsible. The two are joined together by God so that “they are no longer two, but one.” He brought together two passages from Genesis, reinforcing the basic position on marriage found in Jewish scripture. Thus, he implicitly emphasized that it is God-made (“God has joined together”), “male and female,” lifelong (“let no one separate”), and monogamous (“a man…his wife”).^[11]

Jesus used the image of marriage and the family to teach the basics about the kingdom of God. He inaugurated his ministry by blessing the wedding feast at Cana. In the Sermon on the Mount he set forth a new commandment concerning marriage, teaching that lustful looking constitutes adultery. He also superseded a Mosaic Law allowing divorce with his teaching that “…anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.”^[12]

There is no evidence that Jesus himself ever married, and considerable evidence that he remained single. In contrast to Judaism and many other traditions,^[2]:p.283 he taught that there is a place for voluntary singleness in Christian service. He believed marriage could be a distraction from an urgent mission.^[13]

He believed he was living in a time of crisis and urgency where the Kingdom of God would be established where there would be no marriage nor giving in marriage.

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”|[Luke 18:29–30]

But the federal government in general takes a more secular view of things, as it is supposed to, with the constitutional right to freedom of religion.  Using religious rules to forbid something…is not really the American way.  Basic moral rules are adopted, but these are actually more of a universal law rather than religion specific laws.  If we were to adopt a strictly Christian point of view, there would be  no businesses open on Sundays, nor would anyone work on Sundays.  This is obviously not the case.  So despite a nominally Christian majority, this picking and choosing of right and wrong seems prejudiced.  Same sex marriages don’t collect extra taxes, but businesses at work on Sundays do generate revenue?

Answers.com offers a U.S. government definition of the sanctity of marriage as follows:

A reasonable synonym of “sanctity of marriage” is “holy matrimony.” Traditionally, marriage vows read (paraphrased, as couples are usually free to cite their own vows) “Let this man and this woman be united before God and let no man put asunder”; i.e. they put the sanctity of their union in the hands of a higher power, and let no earthly being destroy that union, unless they ask a court of law to destroy it.

However, judging by the “reasonably close to actual” 50% divorce rate, as stated on the website divorcerate.org, there is no ‘sanctity’ of the marriage anymore. Too many people, apparently, get married for the ‘wrong’ reasons. “Sanctity” is defined as holiness, or sacredness, and apparently, not enough people hold their marriages to that standard. So, using this concept, ‘sanctity of marriage’ is whatever the married persons hold it up to be.

It goes on with more for the second answer with this:

Sanctity of marriage is the idea of the sacredness of marriage. Marriage is one of the holiest of relations two people can have. Therefore, marriage is not something to be entered into lightly. Further, once you are in a marriage, you must work hard to make it work. You have to treat it as sacred, and spend time making it work, no matter the cost.

The greatest threat to the sanctity of marriage is lack of respect for it, thus leading to degeneration of the marriage, and often divorce (in the US). Giving up on a marriage is considered sacrilegious and selfish. Sanctity of marriage is not subjective, and to be interpreted at the whims of people who have found it too hard or too difficult. The sanctity of marriage demands personal sacrifice.

Now Greg and I have announced our plans to get married on October 29th.  We’re getting married in the  State of Mississippi too.  The requirements are fairly simple–we have to be tested for syphilis (ala 1930s, obviously Mississippi does not change quickly.  Only one other state still requires a syphilis test.  Of all of the STDs to test for, in 2011, syphilis is a minor issue) and take the certified test results to the Clerk of the Court, along with $22 in cash and our state issued photo identification.  We will then be issued a marriage license.  I know this because I called the clerk of the court to ask exactly what we needed to do.  We’ll get the blood test from the health department and it takes about a week to obtain the certified results.  We have to then take the blood test certificate to the clerk of the court within 30 days.  The blood test certificate will expire at that point, but the marriage license is good eternally.

Okay…some things don’t make sense, but you don’t argue when you want to get married and can follow rules, even if they seem rather silly.  But what if we were a same sex couple?

We wouldn’t be getting married in Mississippi.  As a conservative state, I don’t anticipate that changing any time soon.  As a result, I suspect that there is a relatively small gay community in the state, with the majority choosing to live in states with fewer ultra-conservative views.  I don’t regard that as smart business, but it is the decision of the majority of voters in the state.  (Statistically, gay individuals and couples have a higher income, and as a result, more disposable income.  That means they pay more taxes and buy more products than the average low income couple with several children.)

But we are a traditional couple.  We are taking the whole wedding and marriage thing very seriously, but we are rather serious about most things we choose to do.  That’s just the way we are, not something some law says we have to be.  But I look around in the district represented by Steven Palazzo and I question the level of sanctity of marriage that most of his constituents are observing.

I question too the legitimacy of legalizing the “sanctity of marriage” in the Christian sense.  Will that require that married couples attend a church, perhaps also designated by the Department of Sanctity?  What other facets of their life with be examined under a microscope by the Department of Sanctity?

It would be better if the whole concept of a “Department of Sanctity” was really just a joke.  Once upon a time, the Department of Homeland Security was just a joke…until September 11, 2001.  Now, even the border patrol and immigration services are enveloped by its “protective” arms.  In reality, how secure are Americans now in comparison to before 9/11?  How much of our personal freedom has been sacrificed in search of that “security” that we’ve been promised in return?

The Defense of Marriage Act is another example of Uncle Sam attempting to keep each state under his not-so-benevolent thumb, restricting state rights as well as individual rights and freedoms.  Steven Palazzo’s belief in the sanctity of marriage is fine and dandy, but in reality…the Defense of Marriage Act has nothing to do with “sanctity” and everything to do with homophobic laws that override state laws.  I’d have felt better about his response if he had simply stated that he would not support anything that opened the door to same sex marriage because his personal belief system did not permit the term marriage to be applied to same sex marriages and that he felt that gay couples should be financially penalized for their sexual preferences.  At least it would have been clearer without me pursuing the definitions of “sanctity of marriage” on the internet.

 

 

Gregory & Gia are getting married!

Finally.

After 3 years of engagement, we’re going to get married.

It’s not like we couldn’t make up our mind, we just…didn’t get around to it.

So, we finally set a date and chose a theme and we’re well on our way to planning our wedding.

Out of all of that, when is our wedding?

We’ve chosen Saturday, October 29th, 2011 as our wedding day.  That just happens to be Halloween weekend as well.

And what theme did we choose?

Well, since we’re both non-conformists with rather an eclectic collection of friends, a highly original bunch of family, and the fact that our wedding is Halloween weekend…a costume wedding was surely on the agenda.  In the spirit of Universal Love and Peace…great concepts to package with a wedding anyhow…we chose a hippy theme for our costume wedding.  That means everybody comes in hippy gear, no suits or fancy dresses allowed.

What is the location for the wedding?

We intend to have a beach wedding, but…all good things come in time, and this time…we’re still waiting to confirm the exact location.  For now, the Mississippi Gulf Coast between Pascagoula & Waveland is our “location” until the exact spot is chosen.  It will be outdoors and informal, with plenty of time for socializing, relaxing, and simply enjoying the entire day.

Who is invited?

Everyone!  All of our friends and family are invited, although we know that time, distance and finances will keep many of our far flung family and friends from attending.  We definitely appreciate the ones who can come and enjoy sharing both the ceremony and the gathering as well.  We just ask that everyone remembers to help keep the area clean, act responsibly, and most of all, remember that this is a fun family event, and children are welcome and will be there.

We’re not sending paper invitations.  It just seems incredibly wasteful in this day and age, so all of our invitations are via the internet or verbal in nature.  It also is in keeping with our hippy theme that there be no paper invitations to our wedding and celebratory gathering.

For accommodations for our friends and family, we’re keeping that simple too.  For our hippy friends, we are going to check on camping sites.  For our broke yuppy friends, we’ll negotiate for low motel rates.  For our friends who prefer fancier digs, they are on their own, but as a suggestion…the Gulfport/Biloxi area has a number of casinos with hotels.

We will serve food at the Gathering–it’s a good way to just share with everyone.  We will also serve coffee and tea, but ask that everyone leave their alcoholic beverages at home for the evening in the spirit of family fun.  The Gathering will not be professionally catered, but instead be the fruits of the labor of the bride and her family.   To ensure adequate food for everyone, we’re going to ask for everyone who is going to attend to RSVP via telephone or email no later than October 1, 2011.

We are definitely excited–there is so much to get done yet!  There’s a bridal shower that will be given by our daughter.  We have to confirm the site yet.  We have confirmed who is going to conduct the ceremony–our dear friend Susie!  We have rings to buy still too.

Everyone has 1001 questions for us, and we’re trying our best to come up with answers, right down to are we accepting gifts and who we have registered with.  The answer is yes, and we registered with Amazon.com and Walmart, as we’re obviously not the china and crystal sorts, and neither are our friends.   These two have a wide variety of items that would be appreciated gifts, and no one is expected to purchase gifts anyhow.

The entire event has been planned to not strain anyone’s budgets–in economic times like these, who wants to buy another outfit anyhow?  No one needs to dress up, and if anyone does…well, you’ll look silly on the beach in a suit and tie or cocktail dress anyhow!  Hippy costumes can usually be created right out of your own closet, and if not…thrift stores will provide some cheap entertainment as you shop too!  Most of all, dress comfortably.  We’ll be hanging out in the sand, dancing in the waves if we get a chance, and generally enjoying ourselves.  For our guests who prefer chairs to sitting in the sand, putting one in your trunk might be an excellent idea.  We will have a canopy, but we also ask that all of our guests have a talk with Mother Nature and ask her to send wind and rain elsewhere for that afternoon and evening.

So, if you would like to join in celebrating Gia and Greg’s wedding, mark it on your calendar.  Remember to RSVP.  We’d love to see all of our friends and family there.  If you can’t make it, we do understand, and we’ll miss you anyhow.  We will also post photographs of the event on the website, blogs, and Facebook to share with those who couldn’t be present.  We might even get brave and put up some video footage on YouTube!

So stay tuned…and I’ll post more as we move along on that dusty trail of Time towards our wedding day!