Category: Uncategorized

Since 1928? That’s not good!

I voted Republican again, as I often do. I am not happy with a lot of things about the Republican party, but they end up representing my views a little better than the Democrats on things like life issues (abortion, for example), and government size. I tend to be more left-leaning on environmental issues and immigration, I think, though I need to check on where everyone stands on that issue again before I can say for sure.

Anyway, I find it kind of ridiculous that most people voted for the Democrats last time around and now they have switched sides in just two years. I felt bad for President Obama today. I was proud of him for taking things so seriously, and looking at ways that he can be a better president after the outcome of this election. But I don’t think he should take it so hard. It is, in my opinion, just proof that people are fickle and impatient, not so much that he and his party are  doing a horrible job.

As someone who tends to vote Republican, I am happy for the changes in leadership in most cases. Though it is maddeningly difficult to get anything done, I like that the power in Washington will be a bit more balanced. It is generally never good to have one party be in charge of everything.

I did find cause forgreat concern, however, today. While listening to the trusted news station in our area, WCCO, I heard this (I hope I have this correct) – This is the largest gain in Republican seats in the US congress since 1928.

What! Since 1928! That is not good. What happened just a year later? Oh, boy, that is the very thing we are so desparately trying to avoid! I want the freedom for small businesses to run that the Republicans can provide. But there had better be good regulations for the stock market! I pray that President Obama can keep them in line on that issue!

I also pray that my fears are just silly, but that date sure is scary!

Illegal immigration

Hmmm, I am not sure what to say about this one. It is my understanding that the amount of money illegal immigrants add to the system far outweighs the amount of money they take through education and health care. It is my understanding that if it were not for the illegal immigrants, social security would not be doing as well as it is, because the birthrate of legal Americans is not keeping up with the amount of people who are needed to keep social security solvent. So thank goodness for illegal immigrants and their many children who are working and paying into the system.

On a more personal note, I have been told that one of my great-grandfathers was an illegal immigrant from Italy. He never learned to read or write English, but he was also never a drain on the system. He worked at a mattress factory, and when he was too old to work, he spent every day bicycling around the city, delivering flowers to patients at the various hospitals in his city.

I understand that there are some illegal immigrants who are criminals. But I also believe that most aren’t, and that our immigration laws are strange – why do we let in all of the brilliant minds from around the world to compete with jobs that our bright children need, while we shut out people who are more than happy to do the jobs that none of us want to do?

The office I used to work at was cleaned almost exclusively by immigrants. I truly appreciated them giving me such a clean comfortable work environment, while allowing me to focus on my writing. It was refreshing to only have to clean my house, and not my office space, too.

As with all issues, I realize that this is very complex issue. But I do believe we need to realize that, unless we are Native Americans, we are all illegal immigrants, from their perspective. Oh, and we are illegal immigrants of the worst kind. We steal their land, murder them, imprison them on tiny tracts of land, patronize them and then wonder why they are alcoholics and have the highest suicide rate of any people group in America.

We should be thrilled that most of the current illegal immigrants want to work with us rather than against us.

So what’s up with the cute skull and cross bones?

Okay, okay, I did enjoy Treasure Island when I was a kid, but the pirates didn’t win everything. And it certainly didn’t leave me wanting to be a pirate. I was just thrilled that the boy made it back safe.

Johnny Depp made pirates into clowns, so I can see, from that perspective, why people now consider wearing pirate symbols as just something fun. But a skull and cross bones? Really, what is fun about that? A big red nose, rainbow hair and giant shoes are fun. But a dead man’s bare bones plastered on a little girl’s pink shirt? Oh, wait, the skull is rounded into a cute baby shape with a little pink bow on the top, so that makes it alright. Baby skulls are cute – what?!!!?

So I was at a local fabric store waiting to pay for some festive St. Patrick’s Day textiles, when I overheard this conversation. I don’t try to eavesdrop, I just happen to have excellent hearing, and because of my Asperger’s Syndrome, I have to try to block noises out, which means that I automatically hear all conversations around me unless I try not to listen. I wasn’t in the mood to work that hard, so here’s the jist of what I heard.

“I found the cutest little outfit the other day for Stephanie’s (chose not to remember the real name, so this is just a filler) baby. I am going to give it to her at her shower. It is the soft gray with a skull and cross bones on the front. I know she will just love it! She brought over a cute pink outfit with a skull and cross bones with a matching hat when my little girl was born this fall.”

“Oh, that is so cute. Now your kids will match. How adorable.”

What? Adorable? It’s great that there are matching babies wearing the Jolly Roger? What planet are these women on? What is cute about dressing your infants in symbols of death, destruction, lying, cheating, stealing, pillaging, plundering, marooning, mutinying, and so on?

How is it that we think we are going to have a strong, good nation full of people who will be interested in taking care of the world in a positive, unified manner when we dress from their first days, and entertain them with ideas of the above mentioned? Kids won’t hear how you must not actually act like pirates when that is all we feed them.

I have an acquaintance who often has the right things to say – has great wisdom and often gives proper advice when I am faced with difficulties. But I very seldom take that person’s words seriously because that friend’s life does not show that they use anything they preach. I have another acquaintance whose life and words do usually match. I don’t need to tell you what I do with that friend’s advice.

Please tell me that we don’t need to go as far down as enjoying live gladiator shows again before we wake up to the truth of choosing life to have a good life.