Media reports and people believe

We are on the cusp of the timeframe where candidates declare themselves as running in the 2016 presidential election.  Once again the media is getting ready to dig up as much dirt as they can on the candidates.  What's wrong with that don't the people have a right to know?

There is an old song from the 80's that helped to bring in the music video era. Dirty Laundry. 
it talks about how people love to hear bad news as long as its not about them.  This is so much more true today.  Scandal and bad press sell news.  When it involves a political candidate its even better.  When someone is running for office don't we as the voting public have a right to the truth?  Absolutely!!!!

So what is my problem with the media reporting the bad things about the candidates?  The media is famous for taking things out of context.  Anything from voting records to quotes.  They have a penchant to take something harmless and make it damaging. They like to only report the facts that paint the candidate in a bad light instead of the whole picture. They do not report the truth.  Why not report the truth?  The truth is often boring and boring doesn't sell news.  The media is the biggest PAC there is but they are not registered as one.  Since the media doesn't need to pay themselves to find ways to discredit those that don't align with their agenda there is no oversight for what they do in order to further the cause of their favored candidate. 

For those favored candidates.  Watch out!  Don't turn your backs on them.  One wrong move and you could find yourself in their crosshairs and on the downswing.

As you go into the 2016 presidential election season, don't take the media's word on anything.  If they report what seems to be a negative voting record, look at what they voted either for or against in its entirety.  If they report a quote that seems derogatory in nature, find out exactly where the quote came from and place it in context.  When the media reports that a candidate did something that a lot of people won't like, then look further into it and get all of the facts. 

Apprently there is no such thing as the common cold

So the question was asked why isn't there a cure for the common cold?  We have flu vaccines so why not for colds.  Well the common cold is a myth.  What we all call cold symptoms is the bodies immune response to viruses and infections affecting the respiratory tract.  There are literally hundreds of viruses and bacteria that cause cold symptoms.  Including over 100 different strains of rhinovirus.

So it appears that everyone's colds are as unique as they are.  So the symptoms may be common, but the causes are not so much.  All the different causes make it impossible to create a vaccine that would be effective against all causes of the cold symptoms we all suffer.  Who knew?  Well scientists of course.

Here is the thing.  Personally I don't think we need a cure for cold symptoms.  Getting sick is the body's way of telling us that we need to slow down an take care of ourselves.  If we eliminate  these early warning signs then our bodies will have no choice but to increase the severity of the warnings.

The ups and downs of digitized medical information.

It used to be that all medical records were done on paper.  On the up side it kept your private information private unless you gave permission for that info to be shared and only with the party you give permission for it to be shared with.  The downside of that is if you needed to see a series of specialists to get either a diagnosis or treatment you either had to sign a release form and wait for the records to arrive or personally hand carry your medical records to each doctor and that is only if the doctor was willing to release them to you.  Doctors were reluctant to hand medical records to the patient to decrease risk of those patients handing their records over to lawyers for lawsuit.  The additional upside was that if there was certain information that had no bearing on the current health issue than there was no need to divulge that information.

Now you go into a medical office and if you have been to any doctor before all your medical information is at their fingertips already just by pulling up your file from the centralized medical database.  The good thing about this is that there is no need to fill out endless forms each time you see a new doctor.  The bad part of this is that there is no longer any medical privacy.  If you are having a respiratory issue then the Dr. has no need to be made aware of you being treated for an STD 20 years ago, but its right there in black and white.  If you need to have your broken leg casted then there is no need for the specialist to know that you are seeing an Ears, nose and throat Dr, but there it is right there in your records for all to see.

Here is the other downside to central medical record digital storage.  When you go to get life insurance and the insurance requires a medical examination your entire life's medical history is available to the insurance company through their Dr.  It doesn't matter that your bout of depression was episodal 10 years ago your premium will be more expensive or insurance denied altogether.  It won't matter that you quit smoking 20 years ago your insurance premium will be higher.  It won't matter if you have completely changed your lifestyle past history will affect you insurance premiums as much if not more than your current history.

Its more than that if you visit a medical website on your computer and register your identity that information will get back to the insurance carriers.  Your spending habits will get back to your insurance carriers, the people you associate with will get back to them etc.  Everything that you do that can get information digitized and in a database somewhere will get out to those same insurance companies.  It won't matter that their assumptions are wrong it will cost you. 

The moral of the story is anytime that you do something that will get your personal information digitized or on the internet, think again.  Unless it is something completely positive with no negative associations it will affect you somewhere in your pocketbook down the line.  Consumer beware.

Why are people surprised by morality clauses?

Okay the story goes that you want to work for a certain company.  This company is founded by religious owners or organization.  You apply, you interview, you are offered the position.  As you go through all the paperwork that has to be filled out before you can be hired you come across a long document.  As you read this document it becomes clear that this job has a morality clause and that their moral standards are far different than your own.  At the time you think who cares.  My private life is my own its not their business so you go ahead and sign the clause because you really want the job.

Fast forward a few years.  You have been happily working at this company, but something has happened quite publicly in your life that goes against the morality clause that you signed before you began you job.  With the public nature of the situation your bosses have found out that you have gone against their morality clause and you are called into their office and promptly fired.  You are shocked and angry that the company would do this to you a loyal and hard worker.

Why are you surprised.  The company was upfront about what they expect from their employees.  You signed on the dotted line that you agreed to live by their morality standards while you where employed by their company.  The fact that you don't live by those standards has come to light in a very pubic manner.  Because of the contract that you signed the company has every right to terminate your employment.

Why should employers have the right to do this?  As a company looking for employees they have the right to look for the best fit within their company culture.  This does include what you do in your free-time and what your belief system is especially if you publicly represent this company.  As a person looking for work you should also be looking for the best fit for you.  The pay may be great, but if you are opposed to the companies philosophies in some areas than the company is not the right fit for you.  By willingly signing a contact stating that you accept the company's philosophy and agree to live by it when you have no intention of doing so is in fact being deceitful.  If you lie on an application or in an interview any company will terminate you.

As an individual looking for work you make a choice.  You do not have to work for a company that is opposed to your lifestyle or philosophy.  You may say that the money is better working for that company.  So what, you either look for a company that fits your personal philosophy at less money or you actually change your lifestyle to reflect your employers expectations. 

It is that simple yet I see it over and over again.  A person is fired for breaking the morality clause and they are shocked and angry that the company they worked for had the gall to terminate their employment.  They go to the media, they file lawsuits etc.  Anyone who signs a morality clause as part of their employment contract and fails to abide by it must expect that they will eventually get caught and they should expect their employment to be terminated, not be surprised when it happens.

Legalizing vices only makes sense

It has been said that you can't legislate morality.  This is true.  Over the ages various vices have been banned or made illegal by law, but it hasn't stopped people from indulging in those vices.  Instead these vices have gone underground and become large criminal endeavors.  There is even a vice squad in the big cities all devoted to going after these criminal operations.  So much time and money is spent trying to put a stop to peoples own lack of self control.

For example drug use.  Alcohol was once banned.  Alcohol is a drug that is widely used and after the prohibition years where it was proven that people would not give up alcohol just because it was illegal, the ban was over-turned.  When prohibition was overturned the machine behind the criminal enterprises were left without businesses.  They did eventually turn to other criminal endeavors but there was a short time where they floundered.  Most other drugs are illegal but drugs such as nicotine in cigarettes and cigars, caffeine in coffee, chocolate and soft drinks and alcohol are all legal substances.  These substances are just as damaging to the body and lifestyle as the drugs deemed to be illegal.  As far as I am concerned they should make all drugs illegal or all drugs legal.  Just because a drug is commonly used doesn't make it a good thing.

So why legalize all drugs instead of making them all illegal.  First of all by legalizing drugs you remove the criminality of it and free the police to work on burglary, assault, kidnapping and murder cases.  Second if the government legalizes the industry and regulates the heck out of it then the available drugs won't have the possibility of being lethal at first dose.  Third if you legalize drugs and tax them to the max as the government does with alcohol and tobacco then it becomes a line of revenue that can be used for treatment programs.  The bottom line is that people are going to use.  By legalizing it you take away the thrill of the forbidden for those who do things because they are illegal.  You make the drugs as safe as possible, create a line of revenue for the government and stop spending copious amounts of money on law enforcement on a vice that people are not going to avoid just because its illegal.

Another example would be prostitution.  Prostitution has been around since the dawn of time and is known as the oldest profession.  Men and women are victimized and exploited all in the name of sex.
Making it illegal has not stopped it and never will.  Prostitutes are rounded up time and time again to just be released once again to ply their trade.  Men troll the streets looking for those willing to service them for a price often putting wives and girlfriends in danger through unsafe sexual practices.  The people who are employed in this manner are in unsafe environments and are usually lured into the trade through drugs or deception. 

Here is what will happen if you legalize the trade.  Just like above it gets regulated and taxed.  Police are freed up to deal with other crime.  The environment these people work in become safe like the bunny ranch in Nevada.  The practicioners get weekly health check-ups for std's  and drug use.  I believe that sex workers should be screened for drug use because if they have to use drugs to get through their job then it is not a healthy place for them to be and they will find themselves in dangerous situations because their judgment is impaired.  Because of these check-ups innocent women will not be harmed by having their husbands or boyfriend bring home HIV or other Sexually Transmitted diseases. Or in some cases men won't have their women bring it home etc...

I personally don't believe that drug use or sex outside of marriage is a good thing, but I can't impose my beliefs on other people.  By making these vices legal you make the world a safer place due to regulation.  For those who are curious I do not hold this same view on abortion as abortion is the ending of innocent life and therefore harmful to the world.

If same sex marriage is okay than why not polygamy?

So more and more states are allowing same sex marriage.  More and more people are accepting same sex marriage as okay.  So why does polygamy still get a bad rap? 

Most Christian faiths are against polygamous marriages, why is that.  It all boils down to one thing.  In the 1800's there was only one Christian sect that practiced polygamy.  In an effort to destroy that Christian sect the country decided to outlaw the practice.  It didn't work( that sect has over 10 million members around the world) that Christian sect decided that they needed to choose between a tenet of their faith and following the law of the land.  One of the other tenents of that faith was to follow the law of the land so after much consideration the leadership of that sect decided to follow the law of the land and told their followers that they would no longer perform polygamous marriages but they would not disallow those marriages already in place.  There were a couple of groups that didn't agree with that ruling and those break-off sects continue to practice polygamy to this day.

Islam, budhism, Hinduism and other Eastern religions allow polygamy, but if you want to come to this country and you have a polygamous marriage you can only bring one wife and must leave behind all other wives and their children.  Whatever happened to religious freedom?  Even those who profess to be proponents of religious freedom see nothing wrong with the ban on polygamous marriages even those based on religious practice.  All based on wanting to destroy a single religion. 

Here is the thing.  Which is worse a man who marries multiple wives who all know each other and may even live together or a man having women on the side where his wife has no idea?  In the first case all children are acknowledged and even raised together as a family knowing all their brothers and sisters.  In the second case any children produced from the illicit liason are often dirty little secrets hidden so as to not jeopardize the marriage. As long as all involved are consenting adults and amenable to the situation what is the problem?

The Browns of Sister wives are beginning the long road to fighting a law that infringes on religious freedom.  Our country was founded on religious freedom.  What is religious freedom but the right to practice your religion without government interference unless they are actually harming others.  This goes for Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan, Budhist, Hindu or any other religion or non-religion.  Those sects who include children in their marriage rights are harming them and should be jailed for sex abuse.  But otherwise polygamy when agreed upon by all participating adults harms no one.

History, a controversial subject !

So here we go again.  Teachers and students in Denver Colorado are protesting over a newly proposed history program.  This history program would focus on the positive side of US history such as patriotism, free world market, following authority, obeying laws and good citizenship. 

This is directly opposite of the history approach where we no longer teach about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Ben Franklin. The current history program focuses on things like the civil war being about slavery( it was about states rights, slavery was just one issue within that)  The current history program wants to focus heavily on the civil rights and the women's movement and focus on how awful the founding father's were.

So which approach is better?  I say neither.  What should be happening is that students should be taught to be good citizens.  They should be taught self-government and how our government works. Outside that students should be taught history as it happened without bias.  Both the good and the bad in history should be taught so that the kids can learn from the negative as well as the positive.

There is a saying that those who do not learn their history are doomed to repeat  it.  History should be taught as a whole through time periods and not focus on region.  History should be taught that during this time period these things were happening.  By doing time periods and showing what was happening all over that world at that time then it puts history in perspective.  It shows how events effect all parts of the world at one time.  Government studies should be done by showing how each form of government worked throughout historical events by using facts and not opinions. 

How do we do this?  We teach about the revolutionary war period by showing what was happening in each type of government in the world at the time.  What was happening in Spain, France, The middle east, Africa, Great Britain and the British colonies all over.  That puts the revolutionary war in context with the rest of the world at the time.  By looking at the rise and fall of governments throughout history in the context of the rest of the world at the same time a pattern develops as to why certain forms of government fail. By learning that we can learn from those failures and not repeat those mistakes.

So go ahead and protest the proposed history curriculum, but until history is taught factually and without bias then whatever form it takes will be one sided and warped.

Up for a little fun today

I am a fan of Robin Williams.  I may not be a celebrity watcher and know nothing about his personal life but I have watched his career over the years from his first appearance on Happy Days to his latest films.  I even watched a video of one of his stand-up comedy routines. 

Over the years I have seen Robin Williams do comedic roles, family films, serious roles, suspense films, and cartoons.  Overall he became a versatile actor that could do just about any role, but I think my favorite roles were his funny family roles like Peter Pan and Mrs. Doubtfire to name just two.
I loved watching Mork and Mindy growing up as well.  I grew to appreciate all of his roles and will miss his talent greatly.

I admired Robin Williams constant battle with Bi-Polar  disorder and figure fighting Parkinsons as well was just too much for him to bear.  Unfortunately people jumped on the band wagon right away and held him up as a poster child for suicide prevention hotlines.  I just don't believe his suicide could have been prevented.  His wife was in the home at the time.  He had a plan and he followed it.

Enough sadness.  This is the fun part.  Today I read that the original costume Robin Williams wore as Mork in Mork and Mindy will be auctioned off.  I wonder how much the costume will go for.  He was a very popular actor and comedian, he has passed away which makes it 100 times more valuable(which I don't get) and its from his very first series where he was marketed to the masses.  I know that I would never be able to afford it in a million years.  I figure it will go 5-6 figures in price.

Robin Williams was a person with human frailties just like everyone else.  He did his best to turn his weaknesses into something he could make a living off of and did very well at that.  His instability is what made him such a great entertainer.  May all of us be able to do the same in our lives and be able to love what we do and bring happiness to others as a result.

What's in a name?

Over the summer the trademark was taken from the Redskins football team because the name they had for years was all of a sudden deemed offensive.  Now anyone can produce Redskins gear and make money off of it.  All of this was done to convince the Redskins to change their name.

We live in a climate of political correctness, but I ask you why is naming a foot ball team the redskins offensive.  To me I see football players as modern day warriors.  The Azteks  had similar warriors and they played a game that resulted in the captain of the winning team to be executed.  Why would naming a team after a group of people who we see as warriors for a sport where players can be seen as warriors be offensive?

Yes back in the day calling a native American a red man or redskins was offensive and intended as such.  Now in this day and age very few people even use the term redskin for anything other than sports.  There are so many terms that are old and outdated.  Some that were used in a derogatory manner and others that evolved and became offensive. 

Here is the things if something is not meant to be intentionally offensive and someone takes it offensively who has the problem, the person who takes offense or the person who did the offending? In my book its the person who takes offense that has the problem.  There are so many times that I feel like I have to walk on eggshells just so that I do my best not to offend someone when I don't intend to.  I personally am tired of trying to please everyone else.  My intention is never to intentionally offend.  If others take offense how is that my problem?

I think the world needs to get over themselves and just go with the flow.  Why should a proud and fierce football team have to give up a name that portrays just that?

US Veterans have trouble getting treatment and we are thinking about raising doctor salaries

Report after report has seen that our veterans are not receiving the care they were promised by the government.  There are long wait lists and veterans are dying while waiting to receive care.  This is not what these men and women fought for.  Why are veterans not receiving the care they need? because there are not enough doctors to treat the volume of veterans seeking care. 

Here is what our government is proposing to fix the problem.  Instead of taking extra funds and creating more positions in the VA they are taking the extra funds to raise the cap on future doctors for when they can hire new doctors.  The current doctors will continue with their current cap while the cap for new doctors will be raised.  They are doing this to attract doctors from the private sector. 

What ever happened to public service?  Working for the government used to mean you received a lower wage than those in the private sector.  This resulted in people in government service positions being there to actually help people.  The pendulum has swung the other way and now government worker usually make more than those in the private sector with better benefits.  This has resulted in a shift to people looking to work in government service not to help people, but that is where the money is.

Here is what I suggest.  Take the money slated to go towards higher salaries for doctors and put it to hiring more physicians assistants, physical therapists, cancer specialists, ambulatory specialists, mental health specialists and technicians.  These are the people the VA really needs to treat our veterans.  They don't need more expensive doctors, they need more of the people who actually run the tests.  They need more of those who actually treat the problems facing our veterans.  Put the money where it will actually do some good instead of trying to put a pretty Band-Aid on the problem.  The VA needs to stop looking down on chiropractors, homeopathy and other non-traditional practicianors and include them in their services.  The use of these practicianors would greatly reduce the cost of medical treatment. 

What do I know.  The common sense approach seems to be in short supply these days, so  I am in the minority in my opinions.  isn't that shy you read my blog though?

Standing up for ones beliefs doesn't always mean you stand alone

I read a story about an Olympic athlete that won Silver in her event at the last winter Olympics.  Prior to her Olympics se was invited to a large media event and was told to bring various outfits for different photo shoots things like formal wear, Sunday best, workout gear, outdoor  wear etc.  She came out of an interview and was hustled to the photo shoot where people went through  her luggage and determined what would be worn for each shoot.  She only had a couple of minutes between each scene and quickly raced through each change until she was handed a red dress that did not belong to her.  She was told that each female athlete was having their photo taken in the same dress to promote heart health.  There was one problem the dress did not meet this athletes standard of modesty as it was too short and had spaghetti straps. 

This athlete could have said it was for a good cause but instead she told the stylist that she couldn't wear the dress because it wasn't the modest.  The stylist told her that's okay I'm a good Christian and respect your standards.  The stylist found another red dress.  It was an unflattering style but at least fit this athlete's modesty standards.  When this athlete went back for this event 4 years later this same stylist told her that she remembered her and that there were no immodest clothing that year.

Often times it is difficult to stand up for what you believe when it is vastly different than the majority of the rest of the world.  When that happens it is a test of your resolve and faith in your belief system.  If the decision is not firm in your mind before you are faced with this difficult situation then to waver can be an attractive choice.

Take heart when you make the difficult choice to stick to your guns you will often find that even if others don't live your standards that they can respect your choices even more for standing your ground.  Even if you are the only one to do something a certain way you do not stand alone because of the respect you are given for doing so.

Just a little note.  I try to blog daily but will be moving tomorrow and may be out of touch for a few days with interrupted internet service.  I will be back as soon as able.

Its good to see positive news happen

Last month there was a great story about pay it forward chains at starbucks drive-throughs.  It was great to see it.  I love hearing about stories where people are doing good  things.  It can make my day.  We live in a world where bad news is what sells.  Scandals, wars, crime and politics are the bread and butter of our media outlets.

For me I made the realization that the newspapers and news programs on TV reported more disturbing news than not.  That and what celebrities were doing.  It was depressing.  I decided to stop reading the newspaper and watching the news on TV it was the best thing I ever did.  You might ask why would you go through life ignorant of what is going on in the world?  I figured if there was anything important that I really needed to know everyone would be talking about it and I would hear about it outside of media resources.  My husband is a bit of an insomniac and was addicted to the 24 hour fox news network.  We now have basic cable and roku boxes so neither of us are watching the daily news now. 

Here is the thing.  I have been doing this for about 6 years now and I am not ignorant of the world around me.  I will hear news snippets on the radio, see stories on the internet and hear others talking.  If something draws enough interest I do further research or ask others about it.  Because I am not looking at the usual media diet of news I get a lot more of the positive news as I read the small stories instead of the breaking news.  Not watching the news regularly or reading the newspaper has made my life better. 

Today MSN reported another gracious act out of Texas.  A man named John went through a chick-fil-a drive through and handed the cashier 10 $100 bills and stated that I would like people to have a great Monday so I will pay for all the cars meals behind me for as long as the money lasts.  It is reported that it lasted for 88 cars.  Did this person do it for media attention, no he only gave his first name.  This was reported because it was an amazing random act of kindness.  This wasn't for some well known and touted charity, it was just because he wanted to make some average people's day.

These positive stories make me believe that there is hope for our future and that our nation has not become so self-centered that these stories are crushed before they ever reach the masses.  Maybe if enough of these stories are published then more people will do random acts of kindness just because.

Voter ID and other offensive truths

So in these difficult political times there are so many non-politically correct truths. Politicians who tell these truths get lambasted and often resign over these unpopular truths.  There was a big one a few election cycles ago. 

A republican politician resigned after outcry from his statement that pregnancy rarely results from legitimate rape.  There was a huge reaction from women's groups so this politician resigned.  The truth of the matter is that there was a study done and it showed that a woman's body needed the right environment for a pregnancy to be created and that rape whether violent or not rarely produced a pregnancy due to this factor.  It did not say that pregnancy did not occur from rape and neither did the politician it said that it was rare.

The next unpopular truth that I address is that requiring voters to prove who they are through government issued ID is necessary to prevent voter fraud.  The backlash was that this disenfranchises minority voters and can't possibly be constitutional.  Here are the facts.  In order to get public assistance, an apartment or any living space, in order to get a job, a bank account or do any kind of legal transaction you have to have a government issued picture ID.  In the state of Virginia I think its $10.00 to get a state issued ID.  Here is the other uncomfortable fact.  North Carolina enacted their voter ID policy the last primary election cycle.  Their policy is currently under legal challenge so they have gathered the statistics.  They found that a higher percentage of minority voters had turned out to vote than in the primary election 4 years prior.  Thus proving that there was no disenfranchisement of minority voters with a voter ID law.

There is one last truth I wish to address.  Today a Republican politician resigned over comments made about Medicaid, welfare and women of child bearing age.  He stated emphatically that women on Medicaid and welfare should either be on Norplant or other long-term birth control while on government assistance or get a tubal ligation.  Why should women on government assistance be allowed to continue  to increase their families when they can't afford the family they have?  These women are generally unmarried.  This is a broad generalization but the fact is it is very difficult to qualify for food stamps or Medicaid if you are married and you live with your husband.  My brother-in-law was fired and did not qualify for unemployment.  My sister-in-law went to get food stamps and was told that they couldn't help her unless she separated from her husband.  They should at least institute a policy that your benefits will not increase if your family grows larger.

Maybe the way that these statements were made was not the most tactful or the most respectful way of saying them but they are truths none the less.  We need to stop being about political correctness and be about truth.  Unfortunately we live in a society where truth is relative.  If you speak the truth you can be considered a revolutionary. Well I for one would rather be a revolutionary than to speak falsehoods or half-truths to become popular.  Who's ready to join me?

Good intentions can go very wrong

I read a story yesterday about a woman who worked for a dental surgeon.  She had told him that she had been diagnosed with cancer.  After much thought this doctor wrote a layoff notice for the woman.  As he gave it to her he let her know that when she was better she could have her job back but in the meantime since she was incapacitated she could file for unemployment and receive those benefits while she was in treatment without having to worry about looking for a job.  This well meaning doctor thought he was doing this woman a kindness.  He didn't want her to worry about coming into work while she was going into chemo and be able to just focus on getting better.

Here is the problem with this picture.  With the layoff went the woman's health insurance.  I'm not sure this well meaning doctor thought about that issue as he was trying to be kind.  As a result of this the woman's friend took a picture of the letter and put it on social media and the doctor has received all sorts of negative  backlash as a result. 

How often do we do something with good intentions only to have it blow up in our face.
People are easily offended and quick to sue.  We have to be careful of everything we say and keep up with the current politically correct phrases or find ourselves the subject of complaint for our insensitivity or our racial speech.  Most people do not go out of their way to offend others.  In fact most people try to be sensitive to the problems and needs of others. 

We have become a country that is quick to find faulty in the most innocent of actions.  Long ago when one of my adult children were in 1st grade I got a call that he was in trouble for sexual harassment on the bus.  Okay he was 6 or 7.  The bus driver had accused him of kissing a girl on the cheek.  Luckily there had been a camera on board so I went to the bus administration and viewed the video along with the bus driver's superiors.  The video showed our child leaning over and whispering to the girl and there had been no physical contact.  First of all a 1st grader doesn't even know what sexual harassment is and second of all there was no kiss on the cheek.  In the area I live in I have been accused of racism simply because I am white.  Imagine my surprise when I received this accusation since my sister married a man from Equador and my mother's third husband was from India.

We are told that we are insensitive, racist, elitist, acting white etc. if our opinions do not match the current political agenda.   An innocent comment made by the wrong person gets blown all out of proportion in the media.  Politicians have ended up resigning over comments that were taken wrong.

It has been said that no good deed goes unpunished.  In this day and age truer words were never spoken.  Good Samaritans laws were passed to prevent people from getting sued after trying to help someone.  A person trying to appease the masses can have massive backlash if their words are taken wrong.  We  can try to do good things only to have them come back and bite us in the end.

What do we do about it.  Well we need to just continue on our business.  We need to keep doing our good deeds and saying our opinions and if we offend someone by doing that then so be it.  We can't live our life walking on eggshells  hoping to do nothing that will bother someone because it is not possible.  Do our best and in the end its how we live our lives that will be the deciding factor in what kind of person we were.

September is way to early for Christmas

I was in the garden department at Wal Mart the other day and what do I see on the shelves but an artificial Christmas trees.  On my facebook today my niece posted a holiday underwear ad from Kmart.  Its September 14th.  We have barely finished back to school and we are already starting to see Christmas merchandise in the stores.

There are some Christmas merchandise that I don't mind namely Christmas craft and sewing items,  If you want to have those things in time for the Christmas season than its a good idea to start now, especially if your free time to work on those things is limited.

What does bother me is ready made Christmas items.  Why do we need to see Christmas in stores months before the holiday season is upon us?  Christmas has become this massive commercial endeavor that stores bank on to bring in a large portion of their yearly profit.  Christmas used to be  simple celebration where people made things for each other and focused on being together with family and friends instead of how much money should we spend on everyone.  For those who were Christian it was a commemoration of the birth of their savior.  Even when Christmas was instead the celebration of the winter solstice, the celebrations focused on friends and family and the joy of knowing that the days would once again get longer and Spring would return.

Now our stores begin stocking holiday items for Christmas and Hanukah earlier and earlier.  The Christmas season used to officially start the day after Thanksgiving here in America, now we are beginning to see Christmas sales not just Thanksgiving day but days before Thanksgiving as well.
Kids channels are crammed with commercials about the latest and greatest toys now that the kids are back in school so they can anticipate all the things they could get for Christmas.  Charities are starting to gear up for the holiday drives because people seem to be more generous in the Christmas season.  The thing is these charities need funding all year round.

Instead of the commercial  and charitable giving free for all at the end of the year shouldn't we have the attitude of giving all year round.  With our children they hear they have to be good or Santa won't bring them any gifts starting in November.  What do you tell your children the rest of the year to get them to behave?  Christmas is often referred to as the spirit of giving originating in the idea of the gift brought to the young Jesus by the Wise Men from the East.  Why can't we have that spirit all year round.  There are so many worthy charities for families, sick children, homeless, poor etc.  Personally I wish I were a billionaire just so I could give money to the charities I find most worthy all year long.

Christmas can be a wonderful time for sharing with friends and family and giving to those in need, but I wish that more people would be just as generous outside of the holidays.  I wish that commercial endeavors were not so focused on the mighty buck that they take away the special feeling that comes with Christmas. 

Unless you are celebrating the spirit of giving year round then September is just to early to start the town criers calling Christmas is only 18 Fridays away.  Christmas has been lost to the advertisements, lights and pretty packages.  Instead of a time of joy and friendship it has become a major stressor as we strive to give bigger and better than our neighbors and to buy just the right toy so that our children are not disappointed.  If only people would revolt against the stores and go back to a simpler and more joyous time.
 

Live everyday as if you will lose a loved one tomorrow.

I read this very touching story today. Expectant parents were told that their unborn child would not live long after birth.  They chose to continue the pregnancy, but this is not an anti-abortion article.  What this couple decided to do was to do all the things that they would want to do with their child before it was born.  They created a bucket list for their unborn child and spent the months of the pregnancy joyfully doing all the things on the list together celebrating the short time they will have their child.  The time for delivery is quickly approaching in October and the couple finished the bucket list on September 6th.  They now have pictures of all the places on the bucket list to help them remember the time they have had together.

Most of us have friends and family that we hold dear.  Do we take for granted that they will be there the next day?  Do we postpone get togethers and celebrations for work or trivial things?  Do we tell those closest to us how much they mean to us?  I have thought about a bucket list ever since the movie the bucket list came out.  Instead of fun things and exotic places I propose that a bucket list should be comprised of people and things to do with those people that will enrich their lives.  Those are the memories that will remain when one of you are gone.

Most of us don't know when our time on this planet is over.  Death can come suddenly or slowly. 
I hadn't seen my Father in 10 years when he passed away because we had moved clear across the country.  We did share phone calls though.  My Father had some routine surgery to repair a hernia that they thought was the cause of some pain that he was having.  He got through the surgery just fine, but in the next few weeks he went downhill fast.  I had several conversations with him over those weeks and had my last one the day before he was admitted to the hospital on a Wednesday.  He was taken off life support the following Sunday.  I was so grateful that I took the opportunity to tell him I loved him before he passed.  I did it not knowing he would be gone so soon.

I try to tell my children and spouse I love them daily and we spend time together even though we now have busy teenagers.  Our adult children are more difficult to keep in contact with but we do our best.  We have photos and memories of all the things we have done together. I have memories of my sons military graduations and time with him in South Carolina while he is in school.  I have memories of trips with my Mother and try to do my best to stay in touch with her when she is not traveling. 

The exotic trips and once in a lifetime experiences might be something desirable to some but to me unless I am doing them with someone special it has no real meaning in my life.  Life is precious and short.  We would do well to remember that and not take any moment of our lives with our friends and family for granted because life can change in a moment.

CPS can be overzealous in taking children from parents

We hear it more and more often CPS has stepped in and taken a child away from its parents for a dumb reason or with little evidence of wrong doing.  There is the story of CPS taking sick children away from their parents when doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with them in Virginia.  They finally received a diagnosis and before the children could be taken to the hospital to  be treated CPS stepped in and removed them from the parents.  During their removal one of the children broke and ankle and it was left untreated for 6 weeks until the parents got the children back.  The children are now in therapy for trauma suffered by being removed from a loving family.

Today the story in our local area goes like this.  Mom leaves sleeping child with father.  Father makes sure all the locks are locked before laying down to take a nap.  Roommate leaves the house leaving locks undone without letting father of child know.  Child wakes up and gets out of the house.  Father wakes up to find child missing.  Police had picked him up and now Father is charged with child neglect and can't see the child.  How many parents have had their 2 year olds get out of the house before you realized the child could open the door?  I know that I have, when it happened I immediately got in the car, drove to Wal Mart and bought childproof door handles.  This is not neglect, its a simple mistake that is easily remedied once a parent is aware that your child can now open doors.  This parent was not allowed to show that he was willing to fix the problem before CPS stepped in and took the child away.  This Father did his due diligence and locked the doors before taking a nap.  It was not his doing that the doors were left unlocked nor was it the Mother's.  It was unfortunate circumstances that led to the situation. 

CPS is an organization without checks and balances. They don't have to have proof that the child is in imminent danger.  With CPS it only takes someone's opinion that a child is in danger.  If you are taken to court by CPS you are not allowed to present evidence disputing CPS's claims or take the stand in your defense.  CPS doesn't have to give assistance that is actually beneficial to the family   they can actually take services that are actually helping away and replace them with services that are not.  CPS workers do not have to have a psychology degree, a medical degree of even a degree in social work but yet they are allowed to make decisions regarding situations where that knowledge is absolutely necessary to make an informed opinion.  If they consult someone with those qualifications they don't have to take their knowledgeable opinion seriously.

For years there has been screams for reform in the CPS system to no avail.  There have been cosmetic changes but no real change that allows parents the rights to defend themselves or to give some kind of check or balance to an agency that can take children from parents at will.  In the eyes of CPS if a parent is accused they are guilty.  In a criminal court you are innocent until proven guilty, in a civil court the defendant has the burden of proving themselves innocent, but with CPS proceedings you are guilty and not allowed to prove yourself innocent.  Some people would say that this is necessary to protect children.  The truth is without a major change in the system innocent children are being harmed by the people who were meant to protect them.  The children who should be removed from homes are being kept in their abusive families and children who need to be kept with their families are being removed and put in abusive foster care.  Parents are afraid to parent worried that they might be accused of being abusive.  Parents are not being allowed to make medical decisions they feel are best for their children because CPS steps in if a medical professional doesn't agree with the decision.

The United Nations are trying to get the US to allow a treaty where the UN gets to decide what is best for disabled children and not the parents.  Parents rights are being trampled on at every turn.  When will it end.  Will we stay quiet until our children are taken from us at birth and raised in government facilities as a matter of policy?  The school days are getting longer taking our children from us longer.  In order to go to school you have to have certain shots and a school physical before they will let your child attend.  Shouldn't medical decisions be between medical professionals and the parent and not mandated by the government?   Parents make the ultimate sacrifice to give up their lives to raise the next generation, shouldn't they be applauded for that?

Yes there are bad parents out there but they are the minority. There does need to be a system where a child can be removed from a dangerous situation.  The problem lies with the governments definition of injury, neglect and dangerous situation.  Until those definitions allow for parents to be imperfect and make honest mistakes without fear of losing our children, then they are an agency out of control.

Reflections on September 11th.

Today is a day marked by tragedy for many but a day of celebration for others.  For me I have a mixed situation.  I am an American and do mourn the tragedy that hit our country in 2001.  I also have reason to celebrate this day.  Today is my mother's wedding anniversary.  Today is my foster son's birthday and today is the anniversary of buying our first home. 

It has been 13 years since terrorists took a new tactic against the Western threat.  What have we learned in that time period?  First of all after the initial wave of patriotism Americans went back to their apathetic lives.  They decided they were willing to give up freedom, rights, and privacy in the name of safety and then wonder how the government can get away with monitoring our phone calls, emails and social media usage.  They decided that it was better to pull out of an unstable Middle East and reduce our military than it was to reduce unnecessary sending.  American's decided that it was more important to focus on social issues at home than to focus on economic growth and the security of our borders.

13 years have see many changes to our country, but remember change isn't always good.  We have a record number of people who are on welfare and either unemployed or underemployed.  Taxes are on the rise and wages are either stagnant or lowering.  The cost of living is increasing at a rate higher than most workers wages are.  The country is more divided now than before the civil war. 

We take one day a year to remember the innocent lives lost to a terrorist attack.  We especially remember those who ran to the burning buildings to help instead of running to safety.  13 years have past and yet we have court battles over what should be included in the 9/11 museum.  Some want to exclude anything to do with faith even though faith was a major component in getting through the fear in those first days after the attack.  There are those who don't want the clothing of the seals who
got Usama Bin Laden included in the exhibits.  There was a fight over what should be done with the World trade center site and it took over 10 years to finish it. 

In my humble opinion we have learned nothing from the last 13 years.  We allow other entities to take away our sovereignty even thought we created that entity to begin with.  We allow illegal immigration to continue unchecked.  We continue to police the world and give out aid right and left when our own domestic troubles are overwhelming.  We have allowed our financial position to become so weakened that it won't take violence to overturn our country just the right hostile takeover in the business world.  We continue to rely on Middle Eastern oil instead of drilling off shore in our own country or having a pipeline from the resources of our neighbors to the north.  All the other superpowers have toppled since World War II and we are in danger of the same fate.  The rising Superpower is communist or socialist in nature and we are trying to adopt those ways.  Our government is no longer by the people and for the people its now by the special interests and for the special interests.

Lazy appraisers can cause problems with home purchase or refinance.

Today's blog is just a rant so feel free to skip it.  We are in the process of buying a home with a VA loan.  We were scheduled to close this coming Friday.  Then the appraisal threw a wrench in the works.  I am not too upset by the repairs required except that repairing siding is cosmetic and removing the remnants of a pumphouse is something we would have done eventually but to require it to be done before closing is ridiculous because it doesn't affect the structure.

Here is where my rant comes in.  The house we are buying is almost 3200 sq feet on a 20,000 square ft lot.  Other houses of similar size on smaller lots are selling around 275,000.  We know this because we looked at those houses.  The city assessed the house at 252,000.  Cities usually assess low.  We were purchasing the property at 245,000.  The appraisal came in at 241,000.  Everyone involved is quite puzzled at this value.  The appraisers excuse was that there were no comparable properties in the area because the house we are purchasing is larger than any other in the neighborhood.  There were houses in the subdivision smaller in building and lot size that sold for 250,000 in the last 6 months.  The houses that were used in comparison were half the lot size and no where near the neighborhood.

He took a 280,000 house and knocked of money for a different neighborhood, fencing, appliances added money for other things and then took off 9,500 for the house not conforming to the neighborhood.  I would understand if the house were smaller in size but it is not it is the largest on the street.   The house sold for 235,000 just three years ago which means that the house has only gained less than 3% value in 4 years when house values in the are average at least 2% raise per year.  All because the appraiser didn't look at city assessment or in homes sold less than a mile away and basing value on the average price per square foot.

Bottom line we are in danger of losing the house.  The sellers were at the break even point at the 245,000 price.  With the additional repairs and a lowered sale price to fit the appraisal they are looking at having to pay money to get out of the house.  Money they don't have.  We agreed to paying for all the materials if the current homeowners could do the work.  The sellers are saying that unless the commission for the two agents go down half a percent each that they are unable to complete the transaction.  We have two weeks left on the 60 day notice we give on our current residence and we had to jump through some hoops to get our daughters enrolled in school where they are currently.  If this purchase doesn't come through we are up a creek without a paddle.

Moral to the tale when getting an appraisal get referrals from friends who recently got a good appraisal don't just use the mortgage companies person.

Sad tale when adult children are more concerned with their inheritance than with their elderly parents happiness.

I saw a very sad internet story today.  The story is about a newlywed couple.  This couple has had a unique friendship for the last 10 years.  They seem to be quite happy together.  So what is the problem?  Is it that they are bi-racial? Is it that they don't know what love is?  No the couple is 95 and 96 years old.  The woman has a legal guardian because there was fear that she might have some dementia.  The child who had legal guardianship thought the marriage was a good idea and the couple live with her and her husband.  So why is the court system involved? Simply put some of the other children were worried that the marriage would confuse the distribution of the woman's $475,000 estate.

The other children who were not involved in the decision to allow the marriage complained to the court and the court decided that the marriage should not have happened without the courts permission.  Why the woman was not a ward of the court.  The legal guardian of the woman agreed the marriage was okay and cares for the couple in her home.  The court also decided that it might not be in the best interest of the woman to automatically terminate the marriage. So the court terminated the guardianship by the woman's daughter and made her a ward of the court making a lawyer her legal guardian.  The court thought the marriage might be okay if a postnuptial agreement saying the man couldn't inherit were signed but the couple thinks this is ridiculous.

This couple is 95 and 96.  They have many health problems related to advanced age.  Its not like the man would go right out and spend all her money if she died on him.  In fact its more likely that he would follow her shortly after.  The only reason this was ever taken to court was because someone was worried they wouldn't get their inheritance.  How awful is that to know that your children are more interested in your money than your happiness in your final years.

This newlywed couple like to dance to music and have actually helped to improve each others help just by being more active together and having companionship.  They have been friends for 10 years and decided to take the next step and enjoy their final years together.  Shame on the court for even thinking of stepping in.  They had no reason to do so.  The legal guardian did have the right to grant the woman's desire to marry. 

This court case was a frivolous waste of the court's time, but because money was involved I guess they decided it was okay to step in.  I could see a problem if there was a 20 or more year difference in ages and that the man might be taking advantage of the situation but there is only a 1 year difference and they have far outlived the average life expectancy.  They could live to be a ripe old age of 113 but that is not likely.  Its more than likely that they probably don't even have a year together left.  Why are people so selfish? 

If I were this couple I would work with the new guardian(lawyer) to draw up a new will giving 3/4 of the money to charity and the last quarter to the child who actually cared for the couple.

Do we rely too much on technology?

Today I heard two disturbing things.  First yet another electronic payment system for a store chain has been hacked and second there is a new robot in the works.  The first is disturbing because it shows just how vulnerable our electronic information is.  The second because this robot is being called the family robot.  It can take family pictures, help you have Skype conversations when there are too many people to fit in the screen by moving the camera to the speaker, order take-out, interact with your children like a nanny, record voice messages, turn on lights and electronics when you ask it to and it has the capacity to learn and adapt as well.

Why do I find this disturbing?  Well we already rely heavily on technology.  You can't purchase anything at the store or even get gas if the power is out.  That means there is no manual way to do these things and if the power is out long term then we can't even purchase what we need.  No one carries cash anymore.  They swipe their visa debit cards leaving them vulnerable to hackers such as from Target last Christmas and more recently at Home Depot.  Our children are taught to research using the computer instead of using books from the library.  We are seeing more and more publications only published electronically.

Our school district has started a program where instead of sending notices home they want to do all communication through text messages and email.  A couple of years ago they started this bring your own device to school allowance.  Then they proceeded to plan lessons around the use of these devices even though not all students were bringing devices.  In fact many classes are asking for thumb drives on their supply list because students are being required to do their assignments electronically. 

How many times have you had to wait while a computer processed something during a transaction when it would have happened quite a bit faster if the information was done manually.  Computers where meant to make things easier, but how often have computer programs taken a simple process and made it 10 times more difficult( kind of like new math).

Kids no longer talk face to face with other people or go outside to play, they are too busy texting, using social media or playing video games.  I sat in a room with my niece and her husband and they were having a conversation using their computers instead of talking to each other and they were in the same room together.

My kids think they are so deprived because we didn't buy them smart phones or even get them their own cellphone.  We will be changing that this winter because one is already driving and the other will soon follow, but we will only get them basic phones that will text no data.  My kids were limited to how much time they could spend on the computer and we didn't always get the latest video game systems.  I made my kids write out their papers in a rough draft before they typed it out for their teacher.  We wouldn't let them use calculators for basic math at home even if they used them at school.  They learned how to go to the library to physically do research.  Our family is an exception. When I was working in the Real Estate field 20 years ago we had computer programs where we entered the information and the computer filled out the legal documents for us, but my boss insisted that I learn how to do it manually first.  This was a good thing.  When the power went out we could still do our jobs.

Technology can be a good thing but when do we cross the line of too much technology? Could we have possibly already crossed that line as we lose touch with face to face relationships.  There was a picture circulated on facebook labeled the real zombie apocalypse and it was a picture of a group of teens walking together all focused on their phones.  I got my 1st cell phone 7 years ago.  I have it instead of a home phone.  I keep it with me at all times not so I am tied to it but so that if my car breaks down or if there  is an emergency with my daughters I have it with me.  I do not have a smart phone or a touch screen.  In fact when I go looking for a basic phone with just a text keyboard I have a very difficult time finding one.

It has been proposed that October 4th be an annual disconnect day where you do not use electronic devices for communication.  I think this is a good thing.  I hope that there are a lot of people who will participate.

Tragedy can be a catalyst for good or bad.

You hear of tragic deaths all the time.  These tragedies spark different reactions by different people at different times.  With the aftermath of 9/11 we saw our country band together at first to show their patriotism and strength in the face of senseless death.  In the Trayvon Martin and more recent Fergueson shooting we see riots and protests over perceived racism.  After school shootings we see calls for gun control.  After a school mass knifing incident we hear nothing.

Today as a result of a slow news day I read the story of the death of a teenage Boy Scout in Pennsylvania.  Why do I find this story to be so much different than all the others?  This Boy Scout died at football practice as the result of a benign tumor in his heart that nobody knew about.  His death was truly tragic because there was no way to prevent his death.  This boy was a great kid who was working on an Eagle Scout project at a local Presbyterian Church.  Friends and family grieved this boys loss but was is incredible is what happened after the funeral was over.  70 people got together to finish the Eagle Scout project that this young man started. 

How amazing is it that one young man can affect so many people so deeply that they do good things in his name after he has died?  How many more people did this teenager affect that couldn't for whatever reason help out on finishing the project.  Such a short life had such great impact.  It has been reported that this boy will be awarded his Eagle rank posthumously.

Good things do come from the tragic loss of people.  Look at all the foundations that are named after someone who died.  Look at all the charities started by someone who lost someone to tragic circumstances.  We don't hear enough of those good stories where tragedy sparks something good.  Instead the media pays all the attention to the riots, gun control activists, and celebrity deaths.

Celebrity deaths are great news fodder.  Examples of this most recently is the suicide of Robin Williams and the death of Joan Rivers.  There was even an article claiming that Joan Rivers would be buried with something unusual.( don't know exactly what it is because I didn't read the article) Today was another celebrity suicide as well. 

So how do we make sure that there are more good things reported after tragedy than bad things.  Simply put we need to think about the person who died.  What would they think of other peoples action in their name.  Do we honor their death with our actions or do we shame them.  If that person were standing there watching what was happening in their name, would they be pleased.  Do riots and violence honor their death or just make it newsworthy.  If we stop thinking about our anger and start thinking about ways to make things better effectively then our world would be a much better place.

Election Season here we come again.

Its that time of year again.  The time that most of us do not look forward to.  Election season.  Our airwaves will be filled with commercials spouting half- truths and outright lies.  Politicians will twist statistics to make them look good.  Town halls will happen but when asked a direct question the politicians will turn the answer into something they want to answer instead of answering the question asked.  The good news is that it isn't a Presidential election year.

When I was young I was eager to participate in the process of electing our legislators and leaders.  I looked at the issues, researched the candidates and with naïve heart went to the voting booth hoping to make a difference in the world.  We even went to Caucuses and went to party meetings.  As we attended these meetings and watched behind the scenes, reality came crashing down.  We saw the back door deals made with those eager to run.  We saw those deals be broken when someone new and with more money showed up.  We saw how things were really run.  We backed out of active political involvement and just voted knowing out votes don't make a difference. 

Years later we find a candidate that didn't play like all the rest.  He had an active plan, he answered the questions actually asked of him, he had grassroots backing and we once again became active.  Then the political establishment came together to ensure he didn't win.  He ran again and the political establishment couldn't stop him this time now it was the sort of third party within a party that claimed he was too much the political establishment candidate.  He once again lost the election.

The majority of Americans are tired of politics as usual.  We are tired of our leaders unable to get anything done because they are so polar opposites that compromise is just not possible.  We are tired of our freedoms being eroded bit by bit and just accepting it as the status quo.  We need real change.  The problem is that in todays political world the people with the money get to decide the laws for the people without the money.  Have you ever tried to break into politics without the right connections, the right background and the right bank account.  Its not possible.  If you don't have those three things you can't get your voice heard.  We can grassroots all we want, but unless we have someone with money backing us we will get nowhere.

It is so sad, where I used to be eager to get out and vote I now dread going to the polls.  I dread going to the polls because there are no candidates running who support my views or are willing to make changes to politics as usual.  Those who are elected to make those changes get to Washington only to find that they are one tiny voice in an ocean and no on will listen.  Those establishment  politicians like things just the way they are and don't want to make any changes that will lessen their power structure.  The only way for us to change this is to massively fire the whole lot of them and start over with completely new legislators.  Then maybe the real people will have their voices heard and not just the special interests with the money to get the politician's favor.  Yes I am talking revolution but a political one and not a violent one.  I want to see a law that requires laws to be written in layman's language instead of the legal mumbo jumbo they are currently written in so the average Joe can't understand it even if they read it.  I want to see average Americans in power and not the rich and privileged.  I want to see politicians that have the country's best interest at heart instead of their own love of money and power.

This is a pipe dream.  Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.  We have watched the current President break law after law, using executive privilege where it was not legal.  Golf when there are important things going on in the country, go on more vacations than any other sitting President. We do nothing.  It doesn't matter what party he belongs to.  If he were a Republican party member I would say the same thing.  Any American President who does not believe the laws apply to him regardless of party is a danger to the freedom that we hold dear.  The longer we wait to do something about this the more danger we are of having our freedoms revoked.  I am only one person.  I drop in a vast ocean of others and I am powerless to stop the disaster I see looming ahead.  Both major political parties are corrupt.  Without some kind of major change in the power grid we will lose our sovereignty.

Should we be concerned about the Ebola Virus?

Earlier this week the World Health Organization reported that the Ebola outbreak could not be contained.  Previous to that WHO reported that they expected 20,000 deaths from the Ebola virus.  Ebola is incurable and for most fatal.  The biggest problem is that Ebola is spreading in countries in Africa that are poverty stricken, lack basic necessities such as proper sanitation, good nutrition and proper medical care.  This is an environment ripe for the spread of any disease.

Last month 2 American missionaries came home to America to be treated for Ebola and today another American working in Liberia came home to America to bee treated for Ebola.  The WHO is worried about not being able to contain the Ebola outbreak and yet they are letting infected people who should be in quarantine leave the area and go where there is no outbreak.  Granted the US has better medical facilities, better sanitation and better access to good nutrition but still it was a risk to expose a country not infected to a deadly virus. 

I don't want to be an alarmist.  For years there has been a large prediction of a pandemic.  I for one have never listened to the alarmists who were broadcasting that a pandemic was due to hit our world.  At the time the likely candidates were Avian or Swine Flu.  Those outbreaks were stopped without the massive loss of live predicted.  Now we have the Ebola virus and unlike Avian and Swine Flu, it kills the majority of people infected.  This is a better candidate for Pandemic.  In the past Ebola has only infected small parts of Africa and were quickly contained.  That is not the case this time.
 
I have never put much trust in the World Health Organization.  I have always viewed them as an organization that only suggests the worst case scenario.  Here is my concern this time around.  Is the World Health Organization creating the situation that will cause the Pandemic?  Every Westerner with any bit of knowledge about how disease spreads knows the best way to prevent additional exposure to disease outbreak is quarantine.  What does that mean in todays world where airline travel makes it easy to bring a disease from one country to another.  If you truly want to stop an outbreak from going to epidemic and then pandemic that means you quarantine the affected areas.  That means Closing the borders, Closing down the airports to outgoing flights, closing the train and bus depots to outgoing traffic.  By all means allow medical, humanitarian and military personnel into the area to treat, control and feed the people.  Here is the big missing ingredient as well anyone going in shouldn't be able to get out until the outbreak or epidemic is declared over.  This may seem callous to not allow infected people to go home and be with their loved ones in their last days with only ashes for the loved ones to say goodbye to, but it is the only way to insure that the disease stays contained.

By sending the missionaries and medical worker to  America no matter how many precautions were taken, the World Health Organization has allowed the risk of exposure to areas outside the affected areas.  This is the kind of behavior that can cause a pandemic.  No one may become infected by those sent home sick this time around but what about future cases?  If sending Americans home diagnosed with Ebola becomes a regular thing it will only be a matter of time before mistakes are made and the virus spreads overseas.  If the World Health Organization is allowing infected people home to other countries when will mistakes be made there.

At this time I don't think that we need to worry about pandemic, but if procedures do not begin to change and measures taken to quarantine the affected areas completely, the virus will spread.  It only takes one infected person to go somewhere else undetected for the virus to spread.  It only takes one mistake in protections surrounding those medical personnel who are infected and sent home.  It may seem inhumane to bring everyone infected with the Ebola virus to one place essentially to die, but it is the only way to protect the world at large.  It would be better for 10 infected Americans to die in a foreign country then to risk bringing a deadly virus into a population that has used antibiotics and vaccinations to fight disease for generations.  Just like the Native American population had never been faced with measles and smallpox making their exposure even more deadly than in Europe.  In a population that has never been exposed to Ebola and had weakened immune systems due to antibiotics and vaccinations instead of an 80% fatality rate it will be a 100%  fatality rate.

Fluff piece review of Great Wolf Lodge

Sorry for today's fluff piece, but I have been completely out of touch with the world for over 24 hours. No hard hitting opinions here today because I am just worn out.

After writing my blog yesterday I went with my Mother-in-Law, Niece, grand-niece and my 3 year old daughter an hour away to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg.  I have pretty much been going non-stop since then.

First of all this is officially after tourist season on a weekday so the only people there were people with pre-school age kids and homeschoolers.  That meant that the crowds were low.  Great Wolf Lodge has an indoor water park, arcade, restaurants, snack bars, mini golf, 4d adventures and roleplaying quests to name a few of the amenities.  There are activities organized throughout the day for the kids as well.  We had a suite with a sitting room master and smaller bedroom with two bathrooms.  That was a basic room they also have a wolf den, kid camp, kid cabin and questmaster suite available at various prices. 

The food was good. The facility was clean although I wasn't pleased with the smell of the environmentally friendly cleaning products used.  The staff personable and courteous.  The lifeguards in the waterpark were ultra-vigilant.  No standing around twiddling their thumbs just constant surveillance of the area they were working.  That means they were circling the area and constantly looking into difficult to see areas.  the kids activities were well run and fun for the kids although the evening storytime mike made it difficult to understand what was being said.  Cellphone reception was spotty so a working vacation here might not work-out so well.

Over-all it was a great experience and I would recommend it highly to homeschoolers looking for a little education with their recreation.  The wolf walk in the morning talked about habitat, food and behavior of three different animals and the evening storytime talked about keeping the forest the same as you found it when hiking.  The dance party was a great family activity and the costumes for the costumed characters were very well kept.  We had fun and going off season made more so because there were no lines at the waterpark.

Do fast food workers desrve to be paid $15 an hour?

I got on my Facebook last night and saw a post from my local news channel,  Fast food workers will be striking in the area on Thursday because they wanted raises to $15 an hour.  This is not an isolated incident.  These strikes have been happening in various locales all across the nation over the past year.

Why do these workers believe that they deserve to have their salary more than double the minimum wage in this area?  is it because they are highly skilled workers?  Is it because they have lots of training?  Is it because they have devoted their lives to the best customer service ever known?  No!  they want the raise simply because they feel they can't live on what they are getting paid.


What are the qualifications for getting a fast food job?  These days all it requires is an application, an opening and either knowing someone or having more experience than the other applicants.  Fast food does not require a high school diploma, a clean criminal or driving record, and no experience if there isn't a high demand for jobs in the area. Today's fast food workers often lack work ethic, speed, accuracy and customer service.

There are a few workers that are working fast food because they were laid off and it was the first available job, but those workers are actively looking for better work.  There are a few workers who are in high school or college and the fast food hours fit their school schedule.  There are a few workers who are developmentally delayed adults and are happy to have the job.  I have no problem with those workers.  There are even a few who are in the management programs whose ultimate goal is to own a franchise operation.  These are not the problem.  The vocal faction that believes they deserve $15 an hour have decided that they want to make fast food their career.  They do not wish to make the effort to look for higher paying positions once they have gained experience.  They do not wish to better themselves by either going to trade school, business training or college. They wish to put out the least effort possible but be paid high wages.

Certified nursing Assistants earn $10.00 an hour.  EKG techs earn $10 an hour both of these positions require training that take less than a year.  My son as an E4 in the military makes 1900 a month(he's in the nuke program so this is unusual for the average service person in less than 2 years most service members in less than two years are E2 and make a little over $1000 a month.) Pharmacy Technicians make $9 an hour.  All these require short training periods and certifications.  Police officers and fire personnel starting pay is about $2000 a month which is a little over $12 an hour.

Sorry but fast food workers get the pay they deserve.  If they want to get better pay then they need to make the effort to find better jobs, get job training, or go to school.  You may say but what if they can't afford it.  If they are working fast food and are over the age of 21 then they can file a FAFSA application.  They can have community college either degree or job training all paid for including both tuition and books through Pell Grant and Virginia Education grants. They can take their classes and still have a job for living expenses.  If you are a single mother you most likely qualify for food assistance as well. 

Because of this there is absolutely no excuse for expecting to get paid to do a job anyone with any ounce of work ethic could do.

The obsession with celebrity

Everywhere you go TV, Internet, Grocery Stores, Malls, etc.  there are stories about celebrities.  Who's dating who, Who's in rehab, what they are wearing, what their kids are doing, what they said.
Half of the news broadcasts are about celebrities and the rumors surrounding them.  A few years back I was standing in the grocery line and noticed that every magazine was talking about a certain celebrity couple.  Each magazine said something different, (they were getting married, they were having a baby, they were moving in together)  The reality was two weeks later they were no longer a couple. 

Who are celebrities these days?  They are Actors, singers, dancers, sports stars, kids of famous parents, royals, rich people, politicians, and infamous people. These people for the most part don't do anything very important, yet the media touts their opinions on everything from pets to world politics.

My question is why?  Who cares that Brad and Angelina finally got married, (I thought they had married years ago).  Who cares that some actor punched some photographer that got in their personal space,  who cares that such and such a singer went back to rehab once again.  Most people are not friends or even acquaintances with these celebrities, but the world at large feel they need to be privy to the most private moments of these peoples lives simply because everyone knows their name and face.

Just because a person is famous doesn't mean they have any real knowledge to base any opinions on. Yet the media constantly asks these people what they think of important issues.  Most of the time they are aligned with a cause or issue to get more media limelight that they don't need and guess what the world at large gives it to them. 

Wouldn't the world be a better place if instead of half of the news being about celebrity watching that news shows would show the good things average people are doing in their community.  Wouldn't it be great if more people were worried about important things going on in the world such as unrest in the Middle East and Africa.  Wouldn't it be great if people would spend their time researching the issues instead of just deciding on a side because a celebrity supported it? 

Yes our entertainers give us a wonderful service by offering a distraction from the daily grind of our lives through their music, shows, movies and games.  That is all it is meant to be.  We are not meant to hang on their every action and word like they were guru's of knowledge.  We are not supposed to check our common sense at the door in favor of finding everything we can about the people who entertain the masses but don't actually know them. 

Celebrities are just people with flaws and strengths like everyone else.  The put their pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.  It just so happens that their job makes their name and face known to many people.  Its time to allow them to live their own lives without fear of paparazzi and invasion of privacy.  Its time to put more stock in our own lives instead of people we don't even know.  Its time to occupy ourselves with finding ways to help those in need instead of wondering what so and so wore to whatever award show.  We would be better people if we started focusing on what mattered instead of vain and foolish things.

The fallacy of Education Reform in America

Tomorrow is the first Tuesday after Labor Day and for many that means the first day of the new school year.  In celebration of that fact I thought I would write about the realities of Education Reform and why it doesn't seem to be working.

About 40 years ago a politician got on his soap box and insisted that American children were far behind the rest of the world when it came to the study of Math and Sciences.  But yet foreign exchange students were coming in droves to get an education in America  because it was the best.

Over the last 40 years wide-sweeping changes have been made to the American Education system.  Longer school hours.(when I went to high school in the 80's we went 6.5 hours my high schoolers go 7 hours) Longer years( when I was in school we got pretty close to 3 month summers and now my kids are lucky if they get 10 week summers. More classes( I had the same 6 classes everyday all semester long( my kids get 4 classes every day for the semester and then start 4 more the following semester other districts do 4 classes A days and 4 classes B days all year long)  They are required to take more Math, more English, more Science, and more history.  In fact the high schools main goal is to shuttle every kid to college after graduation. Now we have the train wreck that is Common Core.

Here are the results of all this Education Reform.  SAT scores have dropped steadily since I was in High School.  The US went from the leader in technological and scientific advances for over 20 years to falling far behind India and Asia for the last 10 years.  College entrance requirements have fallen for state schools and most college graduates can't get jobs within their field of study within the first 6 months of graduation.

The question keeps being asked "Why has all this hard work failed to get the desired results"?  First of all you have to look at the data.  I read a news article in US News and World Report about 6 years ago titled The Case against Summer Vacation.  It once again had all this data about how US students were falling behind in Math and Science.  It showed that the US Education System required far fewer attendance days than any other country.  Here's what it didn't show the start and end to the school year. (many countries send their children to school on Saturdays)  It talked about the fact that many students had to do massive review at the beginning of the year because they forgot what they learned over summer vacation.  There was one data set gathered that it did not talk about.  The data collected showed that US kids went to school almost twice the number of hours of school than most of the other countries.  Yet claimed we were falling behind.

Why do we keep falling behind with all these hours our kids are in school?  First of all, when I was in school if you had a student who constantly broke rules or were disruptive, they were removed from the environment either through expulsion, drop-outs or alternative schools.  If kids didn't want to be at school then they weren't wanted.  Now expulsion only happens when a student is violent.  we had after school detention, now they have in-school suspension.  Second, special needs students had classrooms of their own so that their unique needs could be met.  Now we have inclusion and special needs are placed in regular classroom taking needed resources from the average student and giving them to the special students such as time and attention. Third, disruptions are common-place and elementary students are denied much needed recess time to decompress and process what they have learned.  Fourth, when creating curriculum emphasis is placed on advanced learning and processing, forgoing basic foundation skills.  Skills such as handwriting, grammar, how to do projects and papers, how to do basic math without a calculator, how to research using library resources and not a computer, creative writing, and the list goes on. Fifth, parental involvement in the education process has either taken over such as with elementary and middle school science projects or completely erased itself such as in High School.  Sixth, students are told that they need to go to a 4 year university and discouraged from going to trade schools or enlisting in the military.  My children are highly intelligent but conventional college situations did not meet their needs due to career interests and personalities.  Seventh, students are no longer taught self government.  I am required to sign class syllabuses and code of conduct books for my high schoolers when they should be taking over that responsibility themselves.


All of this has happened in the last 26 years.  These changes have actually hurt our students based on SAT scores, employment rates of college graduates, and our standing in the global economy.

Why might you ask?  The answer is quite simple.  The politicians twisted the statistics to suit their purposes.  Here is how they did it.  America's Education system is like no other in the world.  We give everyone a chance to reach their highest potential regardless of aptitude, ability or financial status.  The rest of the world only tests their college bound school programs while we test everyone( including our developmentally disabled or delayed).  We don't weed out those student who would do better in a trade or with life skill learning by high school like the rest of the world.

As a result of trying to get our slower students to measure up to artificial standards, we have left our most gifted of students without the resources to receive the education they need in order to reach their full potential.  By trying to make all our students the same, we have stopped all students from reaching their full potential unless they have the money for private schools or extra curricular tutoring.  By trying to make our children the same we have stifled their ability to do extraordinary things.

This is the reason that the homeschool population has increased to over 3% of the population.  That is over 1.7 million homeschoolers in the US.

Homeschool is not just for the ultra-religious.  Its for all those who feel completely disenfranchised by the public school system.

Education reform has not worked.  Its time to get back to basics.