Oh Grow Up, or "I Want it First!!"

Oh, Grow up, Americans. For God sakes, we will sit in a line for three days to get a new phone and act like we just won the lottery after paying 600.00!!

When the X-Box 360 came out people waited for days to buy them and then tried to sell them for five times the retail value.

The list goes on-remember Beanie Babies? Tickle Me Elmo? Cabbage Patch Dolls?
Parents were fighting each other each Christmas to get the latest toy for the kiddies, who could, I imagine, live without it for an extra few months.

The news covering the IPhone's debut is pathetic.

Honestly if the picture above is any indication of how empty of joy our lives are-we are pathetic.

In our culture we have to have it now-but more importantly -me first!!

What a bunch of losers we are.

NY Times says Chinese Seafood is a killer...

Sure looks to me like the Chinese don't ever have to go to war to conquer our country.

Since our trade agreements are so whacked out all they have to do is keep sending us the goods.

First they kill our cats..

and now they poison our seafood.

Whatever happened to those cute little toys we used to buy that said "Made in China?" ha

Yeah! Wear the Union Label!!

I grew up in a union town-Detroit. I remember the strikes and the guys without work-yes, but I also remember the guys from the south and the north and the west, the blacks and the Asians, the polish and Italians who worked hard shifts for the auto companies and were able to buy homes and live comfortable lives.

Over the years this opportunity has eroded for those with less than a college education. I consider that a travesty.

It was an opportunity for men and women to make a decent wage. It was those wages that enabled the baby boomers to get college educations so they could spend the last twenty years trying to bust the very unions that got them-albeit inadvertently where they are today.

Most of you can't recall a time when college was only for the upper classes. Most everyone else worked their asses off for less than livable wages.

Many of our citizens are back doing the same thing today working two and three jobs, living with more than one family to share housing expenses and the dream of buying a house is very close to being out of reach.

It is in this environment that Las Vegas teachers, short 1200 teachers, has a union which is accused of sleeping with the school district and the state government.

Teachers have double screws here. If they collect their retirement, they cannot collect social security. With low wages, lack of teachers desire to work here and the expensive location, it is no wonder teachers have become disillusioned with the union representing the teachers.

Enter Teamsters Union 14, who is going to take run at representing the teachers.

I say, take em on! We can't get much worse for representation. Our salaries are a joke. Benefits have been taken away from us this year and we have to pay for our retirement-because they didn't fight to have the state at least pick up that little paltry bit of coverage. Our health insurance premium has gone up, and we pay 600.00 a year to have them represent us.

Let them show us what they can do!

We can't get any worse than where we are.

Overrated? Overinflated? Overdone...I say take it to the trash....

1. Politicians...We need to import some aliens. Our system sucks. Bring on those intergalactic warriors with the death star-let's start over. Take 'em to the trash!

2. Gasoline ..Don't tell me after all these years of sucking petro from the bowels of the earth we can't invent an efficient source of energy- take those oil barons to the trash...

3. Media What a bunch of cowards... What is the truth? All I can say is what great entertainment-spin! Take 'em to the trash!

4. Banks, utility companies, grocery stores, credit card companies, cable and Internet, health insurance,telephone and those ugly oil barons-every time they tell me they have to increase prices and gouge me I want a salary increase! Private enterprise my ass! The only thing private going on here is the huge salaries corporate officers get while we get sucked by the bone marrow for that extra dollar.
Next time you want to increase prices write a letter to my employer and tell them how much they owe-cause they sure aren't giving it to me in the form of commensurate pay..

5. Government Services that WE pay for and treat us like dogs...e.g. DMV, Courts, IRS, Vets Facilities, you get my drift...we pay our money for public services which require us to stand in lines for hours to talk to rude, uneducated people so they can find thousands of creative ways to say no and make us locate one more bit of information which wouldn't make a bit of difference half the time-it's called bureaucracy and it belongs to us-remember-we pay for it??
While I'm on the subject let's talk about that "booklet" the IRS sends you to figure your taxes..hahahahahhaha- if it wasn't so ominous looking I would think it was the rules for one of those sweepstakes no one ever wins..gee..maybe it is!
You need a PhD to read it and follow the instructions-I say fire 'em! We paid to hire them and they are doing a shit job-if you want my money make it reasonable for me to pay it...take em to the trash!

6. Any company you have to pay for that gives you a window of 4 or more hours to get something done. When you have to take a day off work to have something done that you are paying for they should be at your door at the crack of dawn or the middle of the night if they want your business,,this garbage of waiting all day to pay your money for a service that the business seems to think they can do at their leisure is garbage. If we had more choices, we could take them all to the trash and they might treat us and our money with a little more respect.
Take these suckers to the trash!
Enough Pissed Off Old Lady for one day..

The Broken Hearted Man

Men get a bad rap with women today. The years have not treated them kindly. As women's roles have changed over the years and they have become self sufficient and often work just as many if not more hours women have come to expect men to be more than human.

Women keep little emotional account books inside their heads. They tabulate what they considered the emotionally deficit sins of omission and keep them in columns, adding and subtracting to what they consider men's behaviors will make the quota.
Of course , men have been complaining for the last twenty years (or maybe forever) they don't know what the mean is so how can they follow the rules and make sure they are getting more credits on that page than deficits?

If ever the time comes where the deficits in red are alarming the woman dumps him with a vague or even worse specific catalogue of faults, stunning the guy into a humble, emotionally crumble, wondering how they never saw such awful qualities in themselves.

Has that ever happened to you? It must feel a little blindsiding. Lucky for us men are willing to jump back in after a time with the hope that somewhere out in the world is a woman who will click with them, warts and all.

Men do something I consider very healthy when it comes to relationships. They are part of one, not the whole thing. Most men have other interests, activities and can spend time alone without fearing a loss of validation. They can travel, hang out, go have a drink, watch TV, work out and even go to the bathroom by themselves.

Women on the other hand , or very few, would consider going out to eat alone, seeing a movie on their own or taking a trip to some unknown land without taking a friend or going in a group.

I really admire men who can get on a plane and go snorkeling in Grand Cayman without taking their buddies or having to have a body with them at all times.

The old Venus and Mars is just another excuse for women to be less independent. If most of the disagreements in a relationship are about that accounting page of emotional deficits I say a woman has way too much time on her hands and needs to grow up.

It's a big life out there. Open up that accounting book to include lots of people and not expect one person to keep those columns running.

Women need to take a page out of man's book. Make sure you have a life before you start dismantling his. His is probably healthier.

It's never too late to look at ourselves-George

Dear George,

If there is one major theme I am discovering about living is we can always change. Perhaps if we were ax murderers or something others would never believe any change were possible. But we aren't so we have an opportunity here, George.

I think you have been led astray by some powerfully manipulative people in your life, George. If I were your mom I would have kept Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld away from you when you were younger. You should have listened to your dad-I can't imagine what it must feel like for him to see you screwing up so badly and using such poor manners with leaders around the world.

He knew enough to pull up short. You don't know when to quit.

I look at this picture of you with your dad and I can't help but think you were raised with better manners than what you have displayed? Telling Al Qaida, "bring em on", trashing others by telling stories which aren't true-spreading damaging gossip, bullying and intimidating, using revenge tactics when you don't like something-taking your toys and refusing to share.

Now you grew up in a good home. Or maybe not? The arrogance seems to run in the family. This sense of entitlement. The frat boy humor. I think we can both agree your behavior is detested by many around the world and right in your own workplace, George! People find you dishonest, arrogant and condescending. Personally I think it has a lot to do with your out of control Vice President, Dick. You should not be hanging around him, George. He is a bad bad influence on you. You know better than to hang out with bullies. Or are you one as well? Just because he is bigger and older doesn't make him any smarter. I mean, he shot his own friend! Didn't your mom talk to you about this?

Someone once told me that failure is a precious moment to see ourselves with our psychic skin shed-no smoke and mirrors.

Perhaps you can use this this moment to take a good look and ask yourself, "Is this the man I wanted to be?" Is this how I want to be remembered?

It is never too late to make changes, George. You know what you are doing isn't right.
Quit listening to people who don't have yours or our best interest at heart.

Do what you know is right-or is it really too late for you?

Why do we need a reason??

"I just don't know what to do.." a friend of mine lamented to me the other day.

After being in this world a few years I know that the decision making process is a very personal decision making process for all of us. (ha)

Some of us make lists and decide based on pros and cons. Others of us listen to friends and family and decide based on whomever is perceived as the wisest. Others of us just jump in without thinking. Some of us don't make decisions and we let whatever happens become the decision .

In retrospect I could ask myself , Was this the best decision I could have made considering all factors.

My answer, some yes, some no.

I think you have to go with your heart and your gut and whatever happens is easier to live with.

Sometimes we will cross that road for no reason at all. We get run over in the process for our stupidity but perhaps that is the price we pay for taking risks and jumping instead of peering over the edge of that abyss we call life.

Let's put the screws where they belong...

Yeah, this isn't exactly Clark County School District, Nevada-but the picture just about tells the story of how much teachers get paid to live in this enormously expensive town-which is getting even more expensive as we speak..

I think we get paid, based on inflation and cost of living just about the same as these teachers were getting paid then, NOT adjusted for inflation and cost of living.

I have to qualify my bitch by telling you I love teaching -the kids are still magical and full of wonder-the smiles on their faces as they walk in the door each morning opens my heart and reminds me , often, that the world isn't full of crap-we still have the kids-and it is worth it.

For the past three of my six years I have worked my ass off at an at risk school, along with a number of other teachers. We have stuck it out-moving from a spanish speaking curriculum to all english-going to school ourselves, in constant training to bring the best from our kids and the past two years have paid off.
Going from a failed school of thirty years to making AYP-or passing the "Bush" test, has been an enormous task and the kids should be very proud!

Yet we will be 1200 teachers short this year which puts a burden on us teachers who stay and remain committed. Teachers stay about two years at our schools and move back home, whereever that is, retire, quit teaching altogether or find a place with a lower cost of living with affordable housing.

Yet our legislature refused to provide a decent salary increase so teachers don't want to work here. They cut out retirment incentives for those of us who work at at risk schools and cut out health insurance discounts for teachers at retirement. Basically, they said "Screw you", put millions of dollars in their new concept of "Superintendant's Schools-those schools which get extra money and get to decide how to teach, added all day kindergarten, which we need-and told the teachers, sorry, assholes-don't have anything left for you.

That left us with a teacher shortage of 1200-and let me tell you-I am so discouraged and so fed up I am either going to go work at private schools, leave the field altogether or move to another state.

I had an incredible principal at my school. After five years of teaching, I know how to help my kids make the grade and make learning fun and indelible.

Our kids deserve better. If I were a parent in this district I would be be screaming bloody murder if my kid had permanent substitute teachers year after year. Last year we were 600 teachers short. This year double.

It isn't that we have new openings for 1200 teachers. Lets find out why so many are leaving??
Or just read what I wrote. Affordable housing is nonexistant-starting prices are over 250,000., utilities are outrageous and the cost of gasoline, groceries and services are more than even Wal-Mart can bear.

*Sigh*

What did you say??? You haven't seen your kid for three years? Dealing with mom too much hassle?

Kick your ass to the curb, I say. Not too much the kid would gain from knowing you anyways, eh?

This isn't accolades for those Dads out there who know the value of their contributions to their kids. You guys don't walk arround looking for pats on the back because you all love your kids-family is family and whatever the constitution of it your place starts from the heart..hearty hugs from all your kids..

Naw, this one is for you guys who seem to think kids are disposable and your role isn't important, so why try? Or perhaps each time you pay that child support you get all in a wad-forgetting that few moms live on easy street even with your paltry monetary contribution. So you think child support payments make you a dad? .Your proud of that, eh? never missed a payment. .. Your new wife and new baby have to sacrifice because of it and that's not fair, eh? You never get to see your kids anyway, so why should you pay?

If you do any one thing right in your life let's hope you come to the realization that being a parent is probably the one act , the one gift you can provide your kids that will be immortal, everlasting, profoundly impacting-even, at times, the difference between a child's sense of happiness and well being and the streets.

Twenty-four million children in the United States live without fathers in the home. Twenty-four million. This means one in three children in the US live without a father. These kids are 5x more likely to be living in poverty. All kinds of risks are tied with being raised in a fatherless home. I am sure you could tell stories.

The point is, our kids need us. It's not about us and what we want -once we choose to bring other humans into this complicated, constantly changing world of ours. Once you have those kids, the days of "me,me,me" are over. Get over yourselves. Get over your excuses. Grow up. Give your kids a chance to make it in this world. If you're divorced, get over that, too-who cares? It's over-done. It's the kids turn now.

Our world is an ever increasing complexity of moral mazes we need to prepare our kids for as adults. Dads are such a crucial, crucial connection for girls and boys.
Girls need to learn about healthy relationsips with men-from their dads.
Boys need to learn about being men.

Step up to the plate, guys. Our kids really need you to make it in this world.

Don't ever underestimate your influence, dads, the loss of a dad has a profound impact on kids.

Excellence Without A Soul

Words feel so empty what must the kids feel?

Overrated-My List

Just passing through my brain this morning and I found these thoughts lurking behind the prefrontal lobes...

1. You Tube-Used to be where to go for innovative, interesting videos. Now consider it eaten, gorged and pablumed out by the opportunists now exploiting the media to downsize it to American cultural tastes. Why is it we have this drive to stupidize just about anything considered original?

2. My Space-just another vultured, predatorial space for sickos.

Yeah, I'm making these words up as I go along.

3. Wrinkle creams-give me a break. If one worked there wouldn't be thousands on the market.

4. Manicures-I used to like them-but what gives? Anything for a buck. First there was the manicure, then the french manicure, then the square nails-now we are back to round nails? We have thousands of women roaming the US with nail fungus because they just had to have acrylic nails..How about just plain clean nails, buffed to a nice shine and left alone?

5. Recalls-used to be just for automobiles. We can follow the decline of American business by following the recalls. Autos first-pajamas(remember flammable pj's?)-then canned goods-ode to the bottles of aspirin, followed by baby walkers and other kiddie paraphernalia-then we worked our way through pharmaceuticals and have entered into our food chain!! First it was fast foods, then our own fruits and vegetables-currently invading our meats-thus making sense that our pets would get the bottom of our rotten means-yep-deregulation has really pumped up the old economy, hasn't it? Notice how eating Au natural isn't safe anymore??

6. Fashion-Maybe I am getting old-but can't designers come up with anything better than recycling the same shit circa 1940's to 1990's? I haven't seen much originality, have you? We have gone the circuit of skinny pants-wide legs-gaucho at least three times in the past ten years.

Oh! I forgot-sleaze hasn't changed a bit! Too bad naked doesn't sell clothes? We're almost there...

7. Health insurance costs-Slowly creeping up on the middle class-soon to be applying for state health coverage-the health insurance industry is on a mission-to charge you enormous premiums -steadily climbing co-pays-to break the backs of the middle class-who have to make decisions about whether to follow up on tests-treatment options and medications. Health care is an INDUSTRY now-it bills itself as such and it no longer provides necessary services for the well being of our citizens. Dental care has been "optional" now for the past ten years-ask any family struggling to make their bills-the health care INDUSTRY is overrated and needs to be taken down many pegs not just a few. (note: the health care industry does not include doctors-doctors have become the pawns of the industry-a sorry state).

8. Top ten lists. Give me a break. Lists of any kind, actually-except the important ones which remind you to pay bills, go to the doctor, check your foodstuffs for contamination and to clean your nails...

Why...Why...Why..I don't really care why...

Why your electric bills are rising..

Why your gas prices are rising...

Why your water bills are increasing...

Why eggs are more expensive..

Why tomatoes have increased threefold....

You know what??

I really don't care why...

I don't because 99% of the time I don't believe you . Somewhere, someone has to put a lid on all this garbage and take it away.

Include the people in the White House.

I don't care why so don't waste your time explaining that your company bought power at too high a rate and now we have to bail you out, or that oil refineries are "restoring their faclities" so gas prices increase 11 cents a gallon.

You know, there is nothing worse than a bold face liar...just don't bother with an explanation-I don't really care to waste my time reading it.

Just stop it.

Edwin Traisman, 91; helped develop Cheez Whiz

Have we invented all there is to invent?
Edwin not only helped invent cheese whiz he was instrumental in inventing instant pudding and developed the process for freezing and preserving those wonderful french fries you buy from McDonalds.

Edwin was also one of the first to buy a McDonalds franchise in the fifties(he actually bought five) and sold them in the 1970's.

He must have lived rather modestly considering he dies in Mono, Wisconsin at the age of 91.

Isn't it amazing how creative brains imagine , develop, and then invent items, services and goods we take for granted???

I'll bet he never had to pass a standardized test to show he was well qualified to invent.

Might as well get a piggy bank

Banks have gotten pretty creative over the past 8 years. Of course, with little or no regulation they have had a field day with our money.

Savings interest rates are quite amusing, actually. With interest rates so low, your bank would be looking like this poor pig if you were making any attempts to save money.

I don't understand why laws have to be passed after deregulation. For those of you young ones who think credit cards and home equity loans are savings, I've got news for you-people used to actually put real money in the bank and save it. Credit cards and loans were considered last resorts.

What I really like now days is how banks charge you for just about everything.

My beef is the definition of a bank hours.

Do you know if you deposit money in your account(real cash) when the bank opens and you have money taken out to pay bills on the same day, the bank can charge you overage fees?

They claim the bills came in first, and your money wasn't there-even if you walked in the door at opening and deposited it.

I have a beef with that-because Bank of America will tell you if you deposit money in the bank after a certain time of day it won't be posted until the next day. Yet they can take money out of your account at any hour.

I say we should have the same banking hours as our accounts. If our money is deposited on the 5th, and our bills are paid on the fifth we should have the same hours.

You see, now the banks go by what time each comes in, Yet some banks won't credit your deposit until the nest day.

With computers there is no excuse for it.

I have a real issue with this and this old lady is going to take it up with the powers that regulate banking and make a point.

More and more we have such little control over how and when things are done. It didn't used to be that way when customer service was a priority. Now you take your chances and business reigns king.

That's gotta go..

When the Goddesses Conspire

Some days suck. Today did. Rather than write a diatribe which will only consume more I will just say this...

When the Goddesses conspire-it could have been my best day and it wouldn't make a whit of difference....I just have to go with the flow--cause I'm screwed...really -truly-absolutely -fanstastically -gloriously- with great flourish-screwed.

But what can I do? Remain calm, remind myself that my emotion will not change a thing and let the wind blow through my house at 35 mph.

The worst?
The "s" sticks..

I am so screwed..

LOL

Have a sip-on the house! College Prep For All!

Here's an image for you-when these little toddlers are old enough to talk ask them what they want to be when they grow up-

and hold them to it

I swear, we get crazier and crazier about what we want for our kids.

Check the majority of the Charter schools in your district. Most have the name Academy in them and they all talk about starting college prep courses in kindergarten.

Charter schools are not the only sinners in this area. Public schools have jumped on the bandwagon. In fact the new educational mantra is

Set goals

Make a commitment

Work toward those goals

Prepare for college

Third grade kids are supposed to know what they want.

Day planners are sent home with third grade students.

What goes in that day planner?

Ride bike on Saturday at 4pm.

Watch Bratz cartoons on Sunday morning 6am

Do math worksheet tonight?

Take a bath

Ask mom for money

Honest professions are becoming persona non grata

Look at this list and tell me you wouldn't die for one of these-

-an honest, competent, auto mechanic

-a real carpenter

-someone who can FIX things

-a plumber

-an air conditioning repair person

a salon stylist who can really cut hair

-a welder

-builders and contractors

appliance repair

-computer repair

-a decent lab tech/x-ray tech/medical tech

-well trained EMT's and Paramedics

-carpet installers

-wallpaper and painters

aviation maintenance and repair

Most of those professions and many more do not require a four year degree. They require hours of training in that specific field.

As an educator I am the first to believe a college education is a wonderful tool. As a kid who grew up in the inner city of Detroit without much opportunity I have say my college degrees have provided me with the means to support my family and work in fields I love.

I still owe on my student loans. I will be paying until I die. It is the way of the world, I guess.

Most of those honest professions I listed above? They make more money than I do, a college educated person with two Master's Degrees.

Since when is Elementary school about preparing for college? When did college for all become the new mantra?

When did we decide that kids couldn't be kids anymore? Do they need to start writing in those day planners to remind themselves, "Today, be a kid"?