Koch Brothers, Insurance Companies Contributions,Tea Party Response

Well Here we go with the Debt Ceiling Deal. No tax increases on those who can afford them and plenty of cuts down the road for those in need who cannot.

Surprise?

Hardly.

We seem to be going about this the wrong way. Comments talk of voting and defeat and our voices not being heard (average and poor Americans) yet we fail to understand the most important thing.

We are the majority. The  Upper Middle Class, Middle Class and Impoverished  make up the majority in the U.S. Population.

Sure the wealthy have more money, more bankroll backed power. Thus the contributions by the Koch Brothers and Insurance companies to further their agenda of Big Business.

They have a right to do so. Its America where democracy is still at least an ideal we hold to even if it seems to not work lately in practice. The Koch Brothers and Corporations are Voting with their dollar. They have a LOT of dollars to vote with and Their voices are being heard and their Policies are the ones winning in the end right now.

So what are we to do if we don’t agree with the way our country is going. How can we make our voices heard. The Average American against the big Bucks guys out there? We do the same thing the Koch Brothers and Big corporations do.

WE VOTE WITH OUR DOLLAR. As a majority we have a LOT of dollars to vote with . Its time we Realize We have power in our dollars and how we spend them. Even a Single dollar bill Spread over the majority of the population holds GREAT POWER. Thats a lot of Dollar bills!

Right now we need to protect our rights as the majority. We need to make sure we protect those most in need . The elderly, The poor, The disabled children who depend on the “entitlement” programs.

We need to Protect Social Security which is NOT an Entitlement as their so fond of calling it , we paid for it with our hard earned money.

We need to Protect Unemployment benefits  for those out of work.

We need to have Medical care that won’t put us into bankruptsy court or worse.

We need The ability to send our kids to college with funds to help because we don’t have a spare half million laying around to pay our kids thru Harvard. 

We need Enough support to put food on our tables without cutting somewhere else like on meds.

We need the occasional  luxury like a  dinner out or a real extravagance like a  day  away somewhere.

Remember those days when at the end of scraping by there’d  be a little perk at the end of all the hard work . Nothing big like million dollar vacations homes or 50,000.00 purses. Just a  day away at a cheap hotel with a pool for the kids and a little fun.

Those days are gone and now even our  bare necessities are being put  on the table in the name of  raising the debt ceiling and balancing budgets. 

Its not Costing the Big Corporations, The Insurance Companies, The Big Bucks people a single dollar in increased tax revenue. Its all cuts. Cuts for the majority. The Average American.

So Is it time to stop this fianlly? I think so.

The only thing that the Big Money Corporations , the Koch brothers , Insurance companies, and The Tea Party BigWigs Understand is  the almightly dollar.

We need to VOTE WITH OUR DOLLAR.

Yes we can vote in the next elections and We should. If we want to protect the rights of the average and poor american we need to get the Tea Party supported Elected officials out of office. Thats next year.

This year we can Send a clear and definate message that will let them know what we think of their debt deal…. WE NEED TO STOP SPENDING.

If the majority  of  Americans STOP SPENDING on Things we Want and only purchase the bare necessities we NEED we will send a message they understand. Your buck stops here. We’ll hurt the corporations, the big business that  are  posting quarterly big gains while the rest of us are wondering how to pay our medical bills, Put food on the table, and replace a lost job.

We’ll vote with our dollar to say no to Social Security cuts, Medicare cuts, Cuts for disabled children,  All the Entitlement programs they so blithely talk of putting a drain on the great American dream.

Well the American Dream is for a few chosen now and the rest of the Americans are caught in a living nightmare of epic proportion and we can’t seem to wake up.

So Heres some Tips to send that message with the biggest one coming up right in front of us. The Big Businesses Depend on the Holidays for a large portion of their Big profits.

CUT  THE HOLIDAY SPENDING OUT! Its discretionary . We don’t need to Purchase Gifts from The Big Corporations. We don’t Need to spend 700.00 upwards per family where the dollars support big business profit. Put it in an account for your children. Save it with this debt deal you’ll need it. Make Handmade. Buy From a little Struggling local Seller. Buy Re-sale. Buy Something Made in America by the average guy or gal. Do some research, Make an informed choice of where to spend your dwindling dollar.

Do we really need More Game systems and games so our kids can plug into a tv sitting on their butts all day. Do we really need the  The next Kindle or Kindle book, More cameras and more bling.  Do we really need more stuff?

When do we say enough Blind spending is enough?

 When there’s No more programs for the Average American and The poor and elderly? 

Face it a lot of this mess is on our backs. We just keep letting it happen instead of doing something about it. We blithely and blindly spend, spend, spend watching our bank accounts dwindle, our stress levels rise as we try to pay back the credit cards. 

The Super Rich Pocket these dollars and smile and go on another vacation all at our expense.  So what do we do? Its so simple Guys Cmon Think about it! 

SIMPLY STOP BLINDLY SPENDING NOW.

Send the only message that the Koch Brothers, The Big Money making Corporations, The Big insurance Companies and the Tea Party Big Wigs  understand.

SEND THE MESSAGE THAT HITS THEIR QUARTERLY PROFITS. One that hits their pocket books. One that hurts them in the only place these people feel pain… their pocket books.

Were the majority here and its time we act like it!

Frugality, Going Green,Being Free

We Are frugal or as the common saying would have it “cheap”

Were not lacking for anything.  We have a home, a Van (17 years old and still going ), Food, Clothing, Second Hand Toys for the kids to play with, a T.V. (not several). All the basics.

What we don’t have is a lot of expensive new stuff and material things just to fill our house up to the rafters.

We don’t buy what we don’t need.

We live ”cheaply” and almost always buy second hand.

Call it going green,  recycling or whatever you like but its practical and we don’t have to kill ourselves working to support our way of living.

If you’d like to  try it here’s some tips for starting.

1. Try to focus on buying only what you need first. No charge cards. No spending what you don’t have. You’ll be paying the credit card interest and debt forever.  Cut up the cards. Pay down the debt you already incurred slowly over time until its gone for good.

If you need a  new fridge and you don’t have the cash save for it by allotting so much a week towards it. Better yet look on craigs list or in the local papers or barter sections for a freebie. Theres a lot of them.  Second hand stores have them for about 50.00 too from the people who discard them when they don’t go with their color scheme anymore.

2.Always Buy Used   if possible.

Everyones fine with buying a used car to save money but then they get weirded out at buying anything else used. Clothing, toys , lamps , furniture etc. Whats the fuss about used?

Garage sales have adult, kids and teen clothes all the time.    Abercrombie, Hollister, bebe, Armani. All for a couple bucks or less each.  Why pay 150.00 for a pair of destroyed jeans when you can get them used for a couple bucks and throw them in the washing machine. The new ones get tried on in stores all day long too its not like no-ones worn them.

I stopped  at a garage sale where there had to be about 25 boxes of clothes all Armani, Bebe, Hollister, many NWT. Most in my daughters size. I waited until the last day of the garage sale and then went back and asked how much would the lady charge to  sell me all the boxes. She wouldn’t have to bring it all in again.

She sold me All of it for 50.00. There were at least 150 items in the boxes. All great stuff. New this would have cost a thousand dollars even on a clearance sale.

My daughters gets compliments all the time on her clothes and they all ask where’d you get that great “top”, “Jeans”, “Jacket”, “Purse”. I’ve told her tell them the truth so they can learn to do the same. Garage sales, Salvation armies, Goodwill, Craigs list. Re-sales. Anywhere you can find it “cheap”and “used”

Our home is all used. Lamps, Oil paintings, Antique furniture, Persian rug, Drapes, Books, Doors, you name it , its used.

Compare lamp in store for 40.00 and up to one at re-sale 3.00 to 5.00.

Compare Couch in store 300.00 to re-sale antique couch at church rummage sale 50.00. Mines prettier with the carved wood legs and gorgeous tapestry effect.

Compare Oil painting of 50.00 and up to re-sale 5.00.

Compare persian rug 1000.00 to mine from the salvation army . I paid 40.00 for mine. Its  a full size frontroom rug thats gorgeous.

Compare Drapes for 200.00 to mine are 38.00.

Get the picture.

So what if  you don’t like to by used. Whats the advantage.

Add up the difference in savings just from my daughters clothes, the couch, painting, rug, drapes, lamp etc and right there I’ve saved   about 2400.00  by buying used items.      

Depending on how much money you make in an hour for your salary you have to work those many hours to pay for it.  Buy new and work a lot. Buy used and have a lot of free time to be with family, hang out, go camping , just plain have fun living. Plus extra money not spent on necessities means extra money available for fun. Trips, Miniature golf, eating out whatever you like. Still haven’t charged a thing. Still putting money away toward the future. 

Best of all I’m saving a lot of items from filling up landfills that are perfectly useable and lovely. We as a society waste a lot and produce much more then we need. 

We need to live frugaly, Simplify, Be free from Consumerism and Capitalism that tells us were only happy when we spend a lot of money and work ourselves to death paying for it.

Were happy when were free. Free to be together. Free to live with basic needs and then some fun items and not be under a mountain of debt to obtain them. Free to Keep our earth healthy by re-using rather then mass producing and discarding. Free to Teach our kids a different way to live a life . One without stuff and more stuff and more stuff.

Its time we woke up and quit buying what their selling. Its not just products and materialism and capitalism. its selling us the idea were not good enough to be happy, content, and whole human beings unless we buy their stuff. Their stuff is what makes us who we are according to them. Its what makes our life complete and worth living and struggling for.

Well All I can say is their Wrong (putting it in polite terms).

We don’t have a lot of stuff. The stuff  we do have is second hand. We live frugally. Simply. We  Have time to be with my family. Go for walks, camping, play monopoly, sit around campfires and talk and have smores.

My family is  all complete and happy . We dont need to buy  self esteem.  It comes from strength of character, sacrafice and loving one another. Not from aquiring more stuff.   Not from materialism, Capitalism or any other ism their trying to sell as the american dream.

Sorry  but were not buying it anymore.

Debt Ceiling Response-Boycott Christmas Spending

Their about to make a deal on  the debt deiling.  Good News????

Rumors say  Its  at the expense  of Social Security, Medicare and Every Other program that benefits those in need out there.

Not a whisper of raising the taxes on the super rich…. Oh yeah their the jobmakers. We can’t touch them.

I’m all for sacrafice if its everyone  feeling the cuts. 

Silly me….. I  forgot making sacrafices  is only for the poor and middle class not for the super rich.

Well I’ve Decided I’m going to give my own response to what I think of their one sided solution that likely will hurt  every struggling family and  the elderly but leave untouched those who have  the most.

I’m going to boycott Christmas spending and While I’m at it back to school buying as well.

I’ve been cutting Spending  way back anyways. Little by Little the gifts have been less expensive , the stockings have less. I’ve added  re-sale and  home made items  to fill out  the lack of the  big corporations fancy toys and gadgets.  Nows the time to quit  spending altogether and put that money aside for the future

What I’ll save on holiday spending that will go to corporate profit I’ll save and provide my own social security and retirement fund. 

The 700.00 That the average family spends for christmas  could be saved for   retirement and to have for the proverbial rainy day.  Our future security is no longer very secure. We need to take care of it ourselves.

Now I know  were told to spend out way out of the recession. Its a mantra. Spend, Spend, Spend. Thats what gets us out of a recession. Thats what makes it all better.  I’m not seeing it. Not for me and my family.

It makes it  better for the corporations and those who are profiting by the spending habits of americans. It doesn’t help the pocket books much of those doing the spending when their borrowing and scraping to pay the debt down for those gifts and items.

They say that less spending will hurt jobs but aren’t  most of our products  made overseas now. Where are they going to hurt  the jobs…. in China? Thats where a lot of corporations make their products now. Not in the U.S. Not in factories around here.  The jobs are Overseas.

LETS CHANGE THE WAY WE SPEND AS CONSUMERS. Vote with our dollar.

How about buying from small sellers on sites like etsy or go to your local craft  fairs where the items are made in america. How about homemade crafts and thoughtful items we put some effort and thought into rather then toss money at some junk that breaks after a few weeks because its made so poorly.

Do some research and Support companies that keep their jobs in the U.S.  Buy only American made products even if it costs a few dollars more. Then were voting for our jobs.  If we keep buying from big corporations  who make t heir products overseas as long as they see profits they will keep selling us the junk that we don’t see the benefits of employment For.  

Heres some solid steps for changing the way you spend , saving for your own retirement and returning to simple values and thrift that Truly supports our economy by supporting the people who live , work and do business “here”.  

FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT- If you have to charge it don’t buy it. Teach your children the old fashioned values of thrift, Hard work, Time together as a family, Simple pleasures. Cut the Expensive toys and games and bling . Keep it simple. They’ll adjust. Trust me my family has.

Do you really believe your kids or family will love you less if they don’t get a truck load of gift wrapped foreign made junk for the holidays? If it effects your relations then what kind of relations did you have in the first place?

Were down to bare bones on our gift giving now. Our extended family no longer gifts for adults at all. One small 5.00 grab bag thrown into a pot and we simply enjoy our time together as family.

For the kids we keep it simple and low cost.  We allow second hand gifts. We enourage hand made.  We even barter . Who doesn’t have a family members kid who’s outgrown the fancy bike who’s teen whould like an xbox game your kids in turn tired of.

Our families survived just fine and oddly enough were happier. We enjoy the holidays without the dread of the after holidays Bills in the mail.

Its oddly fun when you open gifts knowing  January 1rst you won’t be receiving  a whole lot of credit card bills  you have no  comfortable way to pay . Is it really worth it for a few hours of materialistic gift giving?

How many more hours do you have to work after the holidays to pay it all back?

How Much debt do you carry after the holidays on credit cards with high balances that keep adding up?

How much do you have to give up in simple time together the rest of the year simply  to fund the holiday gift giving frenzy.

We don’t Charge anything …. period. We cut up our credit cards a long time ago and only buy what we can afford cash.  Its hard but we did it and you can too.  You simply need to set a plan in motion, Set goals.

Stop spending number one.  Only buy what you NEED not what you WANT. Cut up the cards top priority. Repay slowly on the debt already piled up. Find other ways to get the things you really need.

Did you know theirs usually  applicances free for the taking on craigs list that work perfectly fine. You  Just need someone with a pick up or truck to help you move them. Check out the freebie sections.   Theres a lot of barter sites. Freebie sites.

 Its hard to go cold turkey but anyone can  cut spending slowly.Set yourself a goal for this year. Decrease your spending by 50% this year. Set it in stone. Ask the kids for that one item they really want and then figure out a way to get it cheap. Buy local and support Companies that make their products HERE.

Check out your local re-sale and salvation army and goodwill stores. Look at the barter sites. Check out craigs list .  Go to estate sales and garage sales. Go to the the used local stores that carry games and hardware.  Get started now. Buy one thing as you find it at a time and put it away for the holidays. I start January each year for that coming christmas.

Start a family and Friends barter list. If you Belong to a church see if their interested you’ll have more of a pool to pick from and add too.

Simply call or write all your friends and family and tell them what your doing. Don’t be ashamed or think they’ll be talking about you behind your back . The mojority of Americans are struggling  and trust me they’ll be happy you took the first step.

Everyone writes  down what they have  they no longer need, kids included. It will be quite a list . Xbox games and Ps Games kids are bored with, Furreal pets that cost a couple hundred . Bikes, Bling, you name it you’ll have it on the list.

Next everyone add  what you can offer as a talent or craft. There’s folks who can do scrap book, Quilters, Crochet, hand crafted toys, Hand crafted furniture, soap makers, so many natural talents and artists out there with one of a kind treasures not mass produced junk that supports corporate excess.

Next figure out how your system will work. What for what. Points or however you want to work it.

Then  Exchange.

You’ll be amazed at how many items you will amass free of charge that your family will love. Store them away in a bin in the closet for the holidays.

Start now and trust me by the time the holidays come around you’ll have a closet full of treasurers and toys, spare money put to the side for your retirement and for that rainy day.

Best of all you will be re-learning what really did make america great. Caring for each other. Helping each other. Simple living within your means.  Family , friends, Frugality, Simplicity.

Its is time to be conservative but in the true sense of the word. Time to plan our own lives. Set our own coarse. Take care of our own future.

Obviously our goverment lacks the ability and foresite to do it.

The Loitering Homeless

I Live in a town near chicago, One of its suburbs. I won’t name the one because they’ll get grumpy when I write about them.

In the local suburb paper in the letter section where the locals write in there was a letter complaining about the “loitering homeless”. Basically why were they all around sleeping and sitting where you could see them and couldn’t the  town police do something about them.

I have to admit I’ve seen them too.  Those loitering homeless people in our town. I just thought perhaps they were loitering and laying about because they were homeless ie no other place to go.

Maybe some things need clarification to the suburban folk who wonder about them.

Pads  an organization that helps the homeless only runs part of the year when its cold in most churches  . In the summer their is no Pads in many suburbs and cities.

Thus  No nightime beds, No place for the families and elderly and kids to be,no dinner served, No snack bag sent with in the morning so they don’t go hungry during the day.  Their without their safety net in the summer months so they “loiter”.

I can’t say as they bother me as I’ve worked pads and most of the stereotypes I once bought into have long since been dispelled. When I first volunteered in all honestly I thought there’d be a lot of drunk  disorderly folk who had ended up that way because of not so good life choices. That was many many years ago and a thought I’m ashamed I even entertained for a moment.

I found a lot of families with children at pads . A lot of elderly who couldn’t keep up the price of medicines and taxes and shelter and utility bills.  A lot of  people who’d lost their homes due to loss of  jobs or catastrophic illness that  had wiped them out. Yes their were alcoholics and drug addicts and they were some of the most kind pleasant people I’d ever met. Who hasn’t made some bad choices in life?

So  when I see them  sleeping on a chair  in our  library to get out of the heat I tell my kids to let them rest and don’t bother them.

When I see the old homeless man crunched down in the corner next to our jewel by the redbox kind of cringing back because he’s afraid I’ll be angry he’s there I just say hi and were old friends now.

When I see the elderly woman that sits in the park at nite and just dozes by the kids playground I sometimes join her to take in the stars.

None of them are causing a ruckus. Their not drunk and disorderly. Maybe some are disheveled but I’d like to see how neat you’d be  minus a shower and bed for a few weeks. 

Their not causing any problems at all.  They just seem to be bothering the letter writer simply because they exist.

So here’s a letter written from me to that letter writer in the suburbs.

Dear so and so:

Since the loitering homeless can’t seem to accomodate you and disappear into thin air so your personal space is not invaded  I’ve got a cool idea.

Next time you see the old guy with the pony tail and no shirt sitting next to his bike near one of our central streets where he’s visible to all that pass by wander on over and bring him a cold can of  tea and a couple bucks for  Mcdonalds.

His names Bob. He probably does drink. He’s not disturbing the peace he’s trying to take a rest in the 104 degree temperature and he’s got a big smile and he’s missing a good portion of his teeth. He likes to shake your hand when you hang out with him and no you won’t catch anything by  shaking his hand I’m still alive and kicking after many a handshake.

He’ll thank you profusely and tell you that your a good lady for  just taking a few moments of your time to extend a simple human kindness to someone that for whatever reason is suffering in the heat.

Maybe if were lucky he’ll help you get in touch with that thing called a heart  and next time you see the loitering homeless instead of writing letters of annoyance you’ll give a little prayer to the powers that be of thanks its not you sitting on the side of  that street

There but for the grace of God go I

This Extraordinary Life Examined

     Its Funny as I reflected on my life and chose this title it seemed pompous. Extraorinary Life? Who Me? How could my life ever be considered Extraordinary?

     I looked it up though in the dictionary. Extraordinary Doesn’t mean better or Wow Look at that life,   it  really means “unusual”.

     An Extraordinary life means an Unusual life and That about sums Mine up.  Unusual, A little odd, kinda out there , lots of random twists and turns. Not what you’d expect.

     So as I turn 51 this year I’m going to chronicle my random Extraordinary life and thoughts. 

          The things that tick me off , the  Unexpected  blessings and  Those moments  that make life miserable if we let them.

     So follow along if you like but in all honestly this is  a Humble  dialog  for my kids for that day Hopefully far off when My extraordinary life Ends.     

     My youngest  recently asked me to tell her a story about my life each night. So each night I shared.  Some happy Stories. Some not so much.

We end each night with a hug and kiss and she goes to sleep with a random piece of my life swirling about in her sweet mind.

     Those are the moments that make this  life so special. Extraordinary. Unusual in that we all have those moments but for the most part they seem unremarkable. 

     Funny but those moments  when we truly reflect on them are really the most remarkable of all.