Thursday, December 20, 2012

Why I don't believe in Drug Tests for Food Stamps


 I absolutely, 100% understand the sentiment behind the argument, if you have to take a drug test to get a job why shouldn’t you have to take a drug test for ‘FREE money’! I do, but...

1.       1.    A job is contract between you and your employer…a promise or expectation of certain types of behavior.  

2.     2.     There is no contract between food stamp recipients and government programs.  Government does not control people’s morals. If it did, it should also be able to withhold food stamps for illicit sex. Perhaps, porn. Oh, it was only R-rated, then it’s okay.  Wait you spent $5.00 on a movie ticket. Wasteful. A life outside of pain, suffering and looking for a job…we’re cutting you off.

3.      3.    When do we start testing for alcohol, cigarettes, chocolate?

Now, these are Government controlled Drug Tests, right? What could possible go wrong there?

1.     1.      Let’s say Mom does drugs. Bad mom, shame on you. No food for you, or son, or daughter, or little baby.

2.       2.    And what happens if there is a false positive? Couldn’t happen? When is the last time you took cold medicine? Meth-head!

3.      3.     Please, please, please tell me you are for smaller Government. Then, tell me you want another Government Agency to keep food out of the mouths of babies.

4.       That is okay, though, because they already want you to vote to keep people form have the right to VOTE in AMERICA! Photo ID! Trust me, if it kept the GOP voters from voting, it would NOT be under consideration.  It is to keep Students, Poor and the elderly away from the polls. Typical Democratic voters. 
   

      Voter Fraud is the FRAUD. Doesn’t exist. But, let’s make people (yes, people, not scum and villainy) take the little spare money they have and spend it on IDs and NOT food.

What happened to compassion? This is America.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

Have we come so far from our humble beginnings, that now, the poor can lie starving in the streets while we watch 350 channels on our flat screen TVs untouched.  $97 a month is the cost for food stamps…how much is your cable bill? What is the value of one child’s life?

**~~*~~**

One last ‘random’ fact. As I read people complain about the $100 a month insurance program, it strikes me how selfish and judgmental people are.  Do you know how much uninsured people are expected to pay a month without insurance? $1500. A MONTH. I can’t afford that, can you?


$100 is affordable for most families, yet I keep reading Christian posts (Yes, it always seems to be the MOST Christian among us) stating how the Poor shouldn't have to pay. Judge people for NOT being self sufficient, then keep self sufficiency out of their reach. So why don't YOU well to do people pay the $1500 to support the insurance companies and let the rest of us get affordable insurance. Sound fair to you?

They worry for the poor , but won't give a hand up.

I love when people request help with something and get the response, “I’ll pray for you.”

That is just great. The person in trouble is still stuck on the side of the road and so called ‘praying person’ is warm and snug in his/her home.

Imagine if God had PRAYED for mankind instead of sending his SON down to Save us. Or if JESUS had only prayed for the Sick, the Poor and Outcasts, instead of helping them.  

I honestly don’t need to spend hours reading the bible trying to interpret what God wants from ME. I simplify. 

 I AM WHO I AM.  Exodus 3:14

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:

 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:37-39

Enough said.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Radiator Springs June 15th



 My three children and I camped in the plaza in front of Disney's California Adventure the night before the Re-Opening. Getting in line at 9:00pm, we slept on the cement pavers, watched the blimp fly over head and cheered with crowd for "Good Morning America".

After eleven hours, we watched the backs of people's heads for the Grand Opening Ceremony. Buena Vista Street was packed to capacity, and we were in the middle of it. We saw the morning fireworks and heard Mickey Mouse.

Once the official opening was complete, the crowd surged toward Cars Land. We held back and picked up fast passes for "Radiator Springs Racers". A 9:20am-10:20am time...not bad.

A quick ride on Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, which had no line, at all, and then then a fly through Luigi's Flying Tires, who's line was about fifteen minutes, and it was time for the Racers.

We got in the Fast Pass line and the ride went down...

With Cars Land packed to the rims, we headed back out to explore Buena Vista Street. Some photos with Mickey, Chip and Dale and a bag filled with secret 'treasures' from the Imagination Studio (Opening Day Pins and such) and we headed back to Cars Land, again.

The Fast Past line wove out past Stanley's Statue into the main stretch of Route 66 toward the Cozy Cones. Getting into the end of the line, we waited for about ten minutes before the Racer's ride went down, once again.

With reluctance, we decided the "Radiator Springs Racers" would be experienced on another day. Our DCA opening day fast passes  for the Racers will be unique souvenirs for our Disney scrap book.

So, you could say we waited over 20 hours to NOT ride the new "Radiator Springs Racers" on June 15, 2012.

Monday, September 5, 2011

POTUS on Jobs


Obama:

And given the urgency of this moment, given the hardship people are facing. Folks gotta get together, but we’re not going to wait for them. We’re going to see if we’ve got some straight shooters in Congress. We’re going to see if Congressional Republicans will put country before party. We’ll give them a plan then we’ll say do you want to create jobs then put our construction workers back to work rebuilding America? Do you want to help our companies succeed? Open up new markets for them to sell their products. You say you’re the party of tax cuts? Well then prove you’ll fight just as hard for tax cuts for middle class families as you do for oil companies and the most affluent Americans. Show us what you got.

The time for Washington games is over. The time for action is now. No more manufactured crisis. No more games. Now’s not the time for the people you sent to Washington to worry about their jobs, now’s the time for them to worry about your jobs.

Link

APPLE-OATMEAL CRISP


APPLE-OATMEAL CRISP
1 1/2 lbs. apples (4)
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. oatmeal
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. flour
Arrange apples in casserole (sliced). Melt butter; add sugar, oatmeal, flour, cinnamon until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Apples from our own 'State Fair' apple tree.

COOKS.COM

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Tradition...Tradition

The spontaneous and generous gift of a 25 pound turkey allows our Annual Labor Day Weekend Turkey Roast to continue
uninterrupted.


Saturday, September 3, 2011

Downsizing: Year One

To say this past year has been tough, would be an understatement. What will happen tomorrow, next week, next month, its hard to say. Still, I am humbled, not by our circumstances, but the people in my life.

My two girls, knowing their friends are shopping for school clothes and supplies, instead, search the cabinets for folders and notebooks, pencils and markers. There is not a solitary mention of 'new' clothes from either one. Instead, they ask us to spend our TIME with them playing cards.

We have friends showing up to cook us amazing meals. A daughter who brings cardboard boxes filled with food or just cardboard boxes for moving. And a son who buys groceries ~ every single week ~ with his first ever paychecks.

We spent the summer bonding over 30 years worth of memories, as we cleaned up the house to prepare for the inevitable move, if things don't improve. 100's of resumes and dozens of job interviews, we have thinned out our clutter, but the magic 'job' to save us is still hovering somewhere over the horizon.

"Never take a person's dignity: it is worth everything to them, and nothing to you." — Frank X Barron

I have learned that while I always considered myself a generous, considerate person, I could have done much more. I have also learned that some people I considered thoughtful and generous, are not.

Mostly, I have learned people like to judge others with little regard to actual facts and that it really does not matter. The people in your life who care about you, will always be there when you need them, and the others don't matter, anyway.

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    • Joanne Otto Praying for you and your family Mary. I'm sorry you are going through difficult times, sounds like you have raised wonderful, respectful, generous children, that is worth more than any amount of money.
      16 hours ago · Reply
    • Maureen A James Oh No!! I understand all this!!! I am soo Sorry!! This is the stuff I live for.. Mari in Colorado...This is the saddest stuff in the World..And this iIS what needs to change. All of it!!!
      37 minutes ago · Reply