Sinking Below the Poverty Level

Currently, the poverty threshold for the United States is an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four.  I can't imagine living on that today.  That was an income I earned in the 60s and 70s when I first married.  My rent then was $75.00 per month, a car cost around $3000, and hamburger was twenty-nine cents a pound. Gasoline wars were prevalent, and fuel was sometimes as little as nineteen cents a gallon.

  In whose mind can a family of four survive on such a pittance?  Unless you live in a cardboard box or a shelter, rent is going to take the lion's share of that money, and food will take the rest. Where do utilities, clothing, personal items, shoes, and the always, elusive fund for future education come in? I guess getting one's hair done in a salon once in a while is out.  How about haircuts for the men and boys?  Gasoline to get to and from the grocery store?  Car repairs?  Insurance?

A survey, released on Tuesday by the advocacy group Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), found that 45 percent of U.S. residents live in households that struggle to make ends meet. The Census Bureau reports  that one out of every seven Americans is “living in poverty” in the United States. I think someone needs to seriously rethink what constitutes a fair wage, and to the new people, looking to get elected, how about remembering what a large percentage of our population need help.  Yep, these people definitely need to be fined for not purchasing health insurance as mandated by Obamacare.  What's wrong with this picture?

Choose Your Path Wisely...

Craig says all the things we've felt ever since this story broke on the news.  WTG!

We Are All Iranian Prisoners Now

By Craig Andresen

Having been bombarded, for more than two years, with countless stories of the hikers held prisoner in Iran , and having had quite enough of the political correctness so invasive in our daily lexicon, I have decided that somebody needs to say SOMETHING which is politically DIRECT about this whole situation. So, here we go…An open letter to the “hikers.”


Dear Hikers,

What the hell is wrong with you people? Do you come by your stupidity genetically or is it a byproduct of your ideology? Perhaps both.

The Iranians said you were spies but that can’t possibly be true…you’re far too brain dead to be spies.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and take a wild shot at it…You’re all liberals aren’t you?

You went HIKING. Hiking is good. Hiking doesn’t leave a carbon footprint regardless of the amount of fossil fuel you burned to GET to your starting point. You shouldn’t be allowed to walk around the block without supervision. You could have gone for a walk in the park, or hiked on a trail in the mountains – but NOOOOOOOOO.

YOU MORONS!! You decided to go hiking along the border between Iran and Iraq . What exactly did you THINK was going to happen?

Did you think you were going to meet a bunch of Iraqi or Iranian hippy freaks and exchange wildflowers and maybe share some weed??

You didn’t go over there for some noble purpose like building a school or to provide medical services or even to help rebuild a road or a bridge. You went ‘hiking’ in a war zone next to a country that hates us.

Seriously…what the hell???

You managed to wander from the Iraqi side of the border over to the Iranian side. What? No map? No GPS? No common sense…what?

Did the Iranians not know the words to Kum ba yah??

You went to Iranian jail didn’t you? All three of you – but one of you got to go home early because of your delicate constitution, didn’t you? Did you enjoy your two years in Iranian jail? Did you??

The Omanis bailed your sorry butts out of stir – but had they asked ME, I would have told them to save their money and let you rot. As far as I’m concerned, the Iranians could have kept you but as it is now…WE’RE stuck with you again and, frankly, it’s a waste of our effort to watch over you numb nuts.

Oh happy, happy joy, joy…you’re on your way home.

When you get here, no doubt you’ll be treated like celebrities and the media will be knocking at your collective doors. I’m sure you’ll either sell your story to People magazine or, maybe first, you’ll grace the pages of Newsweek with a cover stating…’We’re All Iranian Prisoners Now!’ You’ll tell us you were ‘well treated,’ and you’ll thank everybody who arranged for your release.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you thanked Ahmadinejad.

Do you three have ANY idea what REALLY happened? ANY IDEA???
You weren’t ‘arrested’ for being ‘spies’ you were KIDNAPPED for being AMERICANS. You weren’t ‘released’ after a ‘court’ hearing; you were PUT ON DISPLAY and RANSOMED. Now, because of YOU, dictators and other criminals around the world KNOW they can kidnap Americans and get paid to let them go.

YOU slackers have made the world MORE dangerous for Americans. Think about that while you give your interviews and sell your ‘story.’

For future reference, here are some things you need to learn. Don’t lay on railroad track. Bad things will happen if you do. Don’t play in traffic. Bad things will happen if you do. Don’t run with scissors. Bad things will happen if you do. Don’t try to pretend you and grizzly bears are friends. Bad things will happen if you do.

DON’T GO HIKING IN A WAR ZONE NEAR IRANIANS WITH GUNS. BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN IF YOU DO.

One more thing…
Never…I repeat NEVER…seek employment as a hiking guide. Bad things will happen to others if you do.”
Idiots!

Despite Rumors, I'm still alive...

I've neglected this blog for far too long.  I think I stopped posting because my intense disapproval of our president has caused me to lose friends, people who follow my other blog, and a little bit of my sanity.  But after listening to the evening news and hearing reports of his requirement that EVERYONE BUY health insurance by 2014 or face a fine, Ihad to come back and blog or scream.  Does he really think  people don't have health insurance by choice?  If you aren't employed with benefits and this law is inacted, does the money miraculously appear?  Just my share toward insurance through my retirement benefits is extremely expensive for someone on a fixed pension.  According to the information below, small businesses are unable to afford to provide health benefits and are cancelling those in existence now.

If Obama's re-elected in 2012, this country will get exactly what it deserves, and I'm seriously thinking of defecting.  Herman Cain, even with sexual allegations made against him, and Gov. Perry, with his memory lapse, can do a better job blindfolded than Obama can with both eyes open...and of course that's important for his teleprompter.  The man might be a good human, but he's a lousy president.

Hey, B.O. (yep...great initials for something stinky), how about taking a long hard look at Medicare and fixing the problems that have bankrupted that system...plus the Veteran's Administration, and Social Security. More and more doctors are planning to stop accepting the government plan that we've all paid into our working lives.  Is the answer more government-mandated medical care?  Just think of everything the gov. operates, the mess those programs are in, and ask yourself, do you want Washington making your health decisions for you?  They can't even agree on a pee break.  Remember, those voted for American to have Obamacare are exempt from the plan themselves.  What happened to the old saying, "What good for the goose...?"

Forbes.com reports:

ObamaCare has yet to be fully implemented, yet small businesses and families are already taking an economic hit from it, says Karen Harned, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Legal Center.

To read more:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2011/11/14/the-wheels-are-falling-off-of-president-obamas-health-care-plan/

 

Fix Our Government

Boy, I have neglected this blog.  Can't believe it's been almost three months since I posted.  Of course having eye surgery twice in December kept me away from the computer for a bit.  I received this as an email today and it makes perfect sense to me.  Where else can you get elected to a career or vote to raise your own pay?  Let's see...hmm, should I vote yes to give me more money or not?  What person is not going to up his wages even when the rest of the country is struggling.

Congressional Term Limits

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in
1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. Term Limits.

12 years only, one of the possible options below ..

A. Two Six-year Senate terms

B. Six Two-year House terms

C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House term

2. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective immediately.


The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. 

THIS IS HOW TO FIX CONGRESS!!!!! If you agree with the above, post this link on Facebook or Twitter.  Pass the word.  It's time to stand up and be counted.