The Most Popular Burger Flipper in America

I have a friend (yes, some people actually like me) who was having problems with his teen aged son.  My friend was called to school one day and the Principal told him “Joe” would most likely fail 8^th grade.  He could go to summer school, but his chances of passing were still grim.  Joe is not a very motivated kid and also has minor learning disabilities that made school a frustrating, boring experience for him.  My friend said that his son should be held back a grade if he wasn’t passing his classes.  So did Joe’s mother.  The principal refused on the grounds that being held back might lessen Joe’s self-esteem.  My friend responded “Oh, goody!  My kid will be the most popular burger flipper in America!” Needless to say, Joe dropped out of high school and received his GED a few years later.  He has had several minimum wage jobs, but they never seem to last very long.

“Among hourly-paid workers age 16 and over, about 11 percent of those who had less than a high school diploma earned the Federal minimum wage or less, compared with about 5 percent of those who had a high school diploma (with no college) and about 2 percent of college graduates.” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011)

I am surprised that any children try hard in school anymore.  I want to believe that most still do.  But why bother?  Chances are that they will never be Valedictorians because that might hurt someone’s feelings.

I know that not all of those who are unemployed are Millennials, but a good amount are.  When you go through life never having to try, never having to face adversity, can you imagine what a shock working in the real world must be?  If you lose your job, why bother looking for another one right away?  Who wants to face that hassle?  “The number of unemployed youth in July 2013 was 3.8 million, compared with 4.0 million a year ago. The youth unemployment rate was 16.3 percent in July 2013. Among the major demographic groups, unemployment rates were lower than a year earlier in July for young women (14.8 percent) and whites (13.9 percent), while jobless rates changed little for young men (17.6 percent), blacks (28.2 percent), Asians (15.0 percent), and Hispanics (18.1 percent).” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013)

But, our revered Prevaricator in Chief does not think that a fair percentage of those on Unemployment will take advantage of it and sit on the couch playing video games and smoking weed.  NO!  Who would do THAT!?!?  Uhm, perhaps the now grown-ups who always won in school because everyone gets a trophy?  Maybe the Millennials who passed every test and quiz because it would be detrimental to their egos if they saw anything lower than a B on their papers?  Or maybe the former kids who received their grades in purple ink because red was just too mean?

“Voting for extending unemployment insurance helps people and creates jobs,” Obama said. “Voting against it doesn’t.” (Barack Obama, 2014)  If extending it hasn’t created jobs or helped people by now, it sure isn’t going to cure the jobs crisis anytime soon!

My point is that maybe we have taught our children that even if they don’t try, they win!  SNAP, Unemployment, Medicaid (unless they are young enough to be on their parents’ insurance), LEAP, etc., etc. will be their saving grace.

No, an Education system filled with teachers and administrators that worry more about teaching children the skills they need to face real life and less about what the Unions can do for them is what our kids need.  (I know those teachers are out there and they work their hearts out every day, but they are fighting the machine that is the federal government). Kids need to learn that you don’t always win, that red ink is just a color and, yes, there will be people in life who are better at some things than you are.  I just feel as though our kids are being sold short because schools no longer teach them to push the limits of their abilities.  They are not taught to use their minds to solve problems – the solutions are given to them without an explanation as to how it was done.  Self-esteem is important, no doubt.  But do you really have a healthy grasp on your self-esteem if you are being coddled throughout your school years?  The government needs to stop creating programs that force teachers to teach to the test.  The government needs to leave decisions about education to the residents of the individual states and keep their damned noses out of it.

Minimum wage jobs are not what you aspire to, they are what you rise from.  Unemployment is an emergency back-up in case you find yourself in a horrible bind.  It is something that will keep you fed and clothed while you look for your next job.

Even healthy middle-aged people take advantage of all of the government programs that are now available to them.  Some look at unemployment as a mini paid vacation.  However, it is going to end some day and those who took advantage are going to find it harder to get a decent job because they have been out of the loop for so long.  They might end up applying for the same jobs as Joe.

I never thought I would say any nice things about Bill Clinton, but I am beginning to miss him – just a little.  When he extended unemployment, it was a temporary extension that got people through a rough economic time.  He also put programs in place, along with Congress, to help the economy recover.  The states fought to get companies to open in their back yards and give job opportunities to their residents.  It worked.  Minimal federal intervention and strong state actions brought us back.

I don’t think Obama wants us to succeed.  He wants us to feed at the government trough and become dependent upon Washington to wipe our butts.

http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2011.htm

http://www.searchquotes.com/quotes/author/Barack_Obama/10/

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/youth.nr0.htm

Follow the RED Brick Road

Never being one to adhere to convention, when watching The Wizard of Oz as a child I always wondered where the Red Brick Road led.  I imagined that the horrors found on the Yellow path might have paled in comparison to those along the Red.

As a “grown up in physical age only” (GUPAO), I find myself comparing the adventures of Dorothy and Toto on their mission to find the Wizard to the power of the current administration to deflect our attention from their true intentions.  Those she met along the way were either a) inherently evil; b) lacking empathy; c) unable to think without directions from a more “educated” or charismatic being; or d) fearful of speaking out against the abuses of power that grab at your gut and alert you to the dangers of usurping the true meaning of the Constitution.  The only good character spoke in riddles and did not reveal the knowledge she held until after they had been through hell and back.  Or Dorothy just chose not to listen to reason because she was awed by the pomp and circumstance, seduced by the Emerald City at the end of the road.

Of course, Dorothy did not begin her journey along the Yellow Brick Road without encouragement and testimonials from those gathered in the town square.  There was the Lollypop Guild (Union), The Lullaby League (an organization dedicated to lull her into a sense of security), various politicians, and the Main Stream Media (town crier).  All appeared to toe the party line.

What if Dorothy had decided that the information being fed to her in rapid fire confusion just did not sit right?  What if she chose her own path – the Red Brick Road?  Let’s suppose that a journey along that road began with a pocket Constitution and a print-out of the Declaration of Independence.  Of course, the villagers would walk away, shaking their heads in disgust.  Dorothy and Toto would be outcasts in a land of “group think”.

So, in choosing the path of free thought, freedom to worship whomever whenever you choose and the right to protect one’s self and his/her family, Dorothy set off with the belief that she was a free individual who could survive without government assistance or intervention.  This would prove to be more difficult than she imagined.

The first attempt by the “Yellow Brick Roaders” (YBRs) to dissuade her from continuing was to play upon her familial responsibilities.  If Dorothy remained on her current course, and others followed her lead, who would pay for Obamacare?  Oh, Secretary Sebelius was doing okay with her fundraising efforts, but the tax dollars earned from the family farm were necessary, too.  Dorothy could be condemning Auntie Em to a life without food stamps, Medicare, Social Security and responsible physicians to evaluate when care for Auntie Em was no longer fiscally viable.  How dare she!  But, Dorothy knew her aunt quite well and ignored the ploy to cajole her to turn back towards the road to dependence upon government.

Along the Red Brick Road, Dorothy noticed people working hard, communities that supported each other and an overriding belief that the Constitution is the law of the land.  The YBRs would have none of that.  They unleashed their most feared weapon upon Dorothy and the villagers – the IRS…

Of course, though orchestrated by the Witch, the flying monkeys did the dirty work.  They messed up paperwork, requested information to which they were not entitled, hid documents in trees where no one could access them and caused delays in processing requests for 501(c) 3 and 4 entities for months – even years.  With the Constitution as their guide, the villagers began a long, arduous fight against the witch and her minions.  Once Dorothy was certain they had things under control, she and Toto continued down the road.

For a day or so, the duo enjoyed a leisurely stroll down the Red Brick Road taking in the scenery and thinking of those they left at home.  To her left, Dorothy saw the most beautiful field dotted with colorful flowers and chose to veer off the path.  Toto tried to warn her, but Dorothy wanted some of the flowers to bring home to Auntie Em.

As soon as she entered the field, Dorothy became extremely tired, lay down and fell into a deep sleep.  At first, the voice of the Anointed One sounded like that of an angel – soothing tones and logical rhetoric.  But, something changed.  His voice became more defensive and condescending.  “I think when you spread the wealth around it’s good for everybody”, “After a century of striving, after a year of debate, after a historic vote, health care reform is no longer an unmet promise.  It is the law of the land.”, “It’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” – Barack Hussein Obama.  This new tone of voice jarred Dorothy out of her slumber and back to reality.  She now knew, if only for a moment, what it felt like to drink the Kool Aid™.  It was an empty, desperate feeling she hoped never to experience again.

“I know, Toto, I screwed up.”  Toto looked up at Dorothy and wagged his tail.  Lesson learned.  If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Not long after the “Poppy Incident”, they came across a group of individuals who seemed quite lost.  A lion, a scarecrow and a man made of tin.  After what seemed like hours of round about conversation, Dorothy finally understood the dilemma the three found themselves in.  The tin man had lost all empathy after being forced to assist in a cover-up of the murder of an American diplomat and three others in Libya.  The words he was ordered to repeat to the world over and over again became truth in his mind and heart.  He was having a hard time regaining his humanity.

The lion was fearful of losing his income, pension and standing in the YBR community if he did not support the views of the administration both publicly and in private.  He knew of attempts to bypass legal channels in order to step on the First Amendment Rights of journalists who resided within or on the fringes of the YBR and he did not want that kind of misery to befall him.

The scarecrow had been a political appointee of the Anointed One and had lost the ability to think for himself.  He parroted their talking points regarding the Embassy in Libya on several news shows and his brain had atrophied due to constant misuse.

Fearing there was nothing she could do for them, Dorothy brought the trio to the villagers in hopes that their faith in what the RBR stood for might help her new found friends get on the road to recovery.

Dorothy and Toto were coming to the end of their journey.  She had learned much about the strength of communities and the importance of maintaining your individuality.  She was even stronger in her conviction that the Constitution was meant to protect individual citizens from their government, not give the government a tool to oppress the citizens.  It was not a “living, breathing document”, it was written in a way that it could be applied – as is – today just as it could over 200 years ago.

When they got to the end of  the road, a mountain range was visible in the background.  The sun was setting behind them.   An eagle soared over the largest American Flag Dorothy had ever seen.  “Toto”, she said, “we are finally home.”

An Open Letter to Michael Moore

Dear Michael,

I know where you came from.  I’ve lived there.  Have you been home lately?  I have.

Flint did not become what it is today because of Ronald Reagan, Capitalism or wealthy Americans.  It was destroyed by poor oversight of an out-of-control banking system (because people like Barney Frank decided stricter regulation was unnecessary), NAFTA (which essentially destroyed many United States industries) and unscrupulous mortgage companies who talked people into taking “No Income Verification, No Credit Check” loans when they had no business doing so.  Flint failed because of the abuse of Capitalism, not Capitalism itself.

As you know, anything taken to extremes ends badly.

In a Capitalist society, you get what you work for.  In a Socialist society, you get what your neighbor works for.  Is that what you really want?  Would you be willing to give up your wealth and share it with me?  I highly doubt it.

Would you be willing to give up your right to make movies?  In Cuba (a nation whose Health Care System you love) making films such as yours would most likely land you in prison.  But, you wouldn’t have to worry about that.  After all, you would probably be given the position of Propaganda Czar in a New America.

Have you noticed that the government programs that have been, historically, abject failures are the ones based upon the Socialist principles you embrace? Social Security.  Medicare.  Medicaid.  Shall I go on?

Union members have suffered quite possibly more than any other members of the American work force.  And not through any fault of the members themselves, but because of the abuse of power by Union Leaders.  Kind of like Fidel Castro living in luxury while his “fellow citizens” are poverty-stricken.  The idea of a Union was to give equal pay for equal work, protect its members and have no one member be more important than any other.  A traditionally Socialist principle.

If the country in which you became a wealthy, fat, happy product of the very Capitalism you abhor makes you that ill, I invite you to denounce your citizenship and go live in Cuba or Venezuela.  Why should you suffer so when the solution is really that simple?

Love,

Katrina

Talk about Yer “Fishy Disinformation”

Worth more than a child's future?

I was very moved by a special report Sean Hannity did on Fox last night.  The government has determined that the fish pictured at the left are more important than one human life.

Are you sick yet?

And, this is not a right or left issue.  Paul Rodriguez (famous comedian) voted for Obama.  If memory serves me correctly, he campaigned for Obama.  Even though Mr. Rodriguez has respect for the office Obama holds, his disillusionment with the current state of affairs in the beautiful San Joaquin Valley of California was obvious.

If you have not yet heard this story, Pelosi and Miller supported a measure to turn off the water supply to hundreds of farms in California in order to re-route the Delta Smelt.  In case you didn’t hear me, they supported a measure to turn off the water supply to hundreds of farms!!!!! The Delta Smelt has been put on the Endangered Species List, which allows Federal Government interference in local politics.  FYI, the smelt are a source of food for the Pacific Salmon.  This was done to appease the Salmon fishing industry.  I guess the Salmon Fishermen are stronger supporters of the Democrats than the farmers in Southern California.

Many farms have gone belly-up, many more are on the brink.  People who have supplied much of our fresh fruits,vegetables and nuts (90% of the Almonds grown in the United States come from the San Joaquin Valley) for generations are now standing on line to receive food stamps.  The migrant workers hired by the San Joaquin farmers have found themselves jobless.  I thought the Left loved their migrant workers.  Obviously not so much.

What I want to know is why this story is only now coming to the forefront.  Why have these people suffered unnoticed for months?  How is the government able to use the Endangered Species Act time and time and time again to suit their personal agendas?   How can we allow this kind of abuse of power to go on?

Who’s next?  Will I turn on my faucet tomorrow and find that I have no water because the cows raised on this ranch fart too much?  I’m sorry to be so blunt, but it may come down to that.  We did have a passing issue with the local government over some jumping mouse that I have never seen.  Thankfully, clearer heads prevailed.

How dare Nancy Pelosi go on television and CRY because people are talking smack to each other over Health Care Reform, yet keep a dry eye and a smile on her face when thousands of her constituents have been left destitute!  How does this woman sleep at night?  Where is the support for these farmers?  I don’t see the kind of rage being displayed by the Left that was shown for the GM workers.  I don’t hear Obama calling Pelosi a “jackass” for allowing this to happen.  Hmmm, if the farmers and laborers made a catchy video and put it on VH1 do you think we might get him to pay attention?

Are you sick YET!?!?

If I were Paranoid (hey!…stop looking at me!)…

An old Beatles’ song keeps running through my mind.  “I heard the news today.  Oh, boy.”  Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser.  Consider this:

• The federal government is considering taking over control of school loans.  Banks would no longer be able to provide financing for college-bound students and their families.  So, will they require that each student serve the “Obamanation” for a couple of years after graduation?  Will you have the freedom to choose your major or which institution of higher learning you attend?  If you accept money from the government for your child’s education, can you be certain that they will be able to receive an unbiased education by both Liberal and Conservative professors?   Will you have to pay a penalty if you choose to home-school your child?  After all, the teacher’s union gets less money when there are fewer students to teach.
• The Acorn Tapes – it frightens me to death that the mainstream media seem far more concerned about the possibility of “illegally recorded conversations” than they are about the relaxed attitude Acorn employees had toward the potential trafficking of minors for the purpose of prostitution.  “Hello, MSNBC.  My name is Common Decency.  I know we haven’t met, but you might find it beneficial to your future to begin at least a casual relationship.”
• Let’s piss off China!  Why not!  We only owe them gazillions of dollars.  So, the logical thing is to enact a tariff on imported tires to appease the unions.  So, uhm, what do we do when they call in the loan?  Brilliance, sheer BRILLIANCE!
• Gibbs-bot Model 2009 – Poor guy.  I wonder what his aspirin bill is every month.  He tried so hard to seem dismissive of the Representatives who called for the vetting of Obama’s Czars.  Even towed the party line by comparing W’s Czars to Barack’s.  Nice try, babe.  This is all a futile attempt by the Republicans, though.  They are out-numbered and any Democrat wishing to remain in the “Anointed One’s” good graces will never agree to their proposal.
• Here’s one that will probably get me in trouble – The difference between Liberal-leftists and the rest of us is that we already assume everyone is equal!!!  This is a concept the Left cannot seem to grasp.  I believe that a person should be judged on his/her own merits.  I believe you are born on equal footing with the rest of the world and whatever path you take is your own damned choice.  I do not feel that anyone deserves to have “special treatment” for any reason other than making facilities accessible to those with obvious physical disabilities.  Being one of those people, I would be insulted if someone condescended to me simply because I walk with an obvious lack of grace, or drop things at the most inopportune moment.  My mind still works.  The Left cannot get it through their heads that they are the ones who obsess over the differences between us and not the other way around.
• Dropping our defenses – Pretty smart idea there, Barack.  Let’s can our missile defense system because Putin whined.  I hope Ronald Reagan’s ghost is kicking your ass around the Oval Office.
• Paranoia – My thoughts and feelings don’t matter.  Not really.  We The People are simply spectators.  We will not be allowed to vote on any of the most important issues facing our country today.  Our calls, letters and emails fall on the ears of elected officials who are more concerned with their own futures than those of their constituents.  Much damage will be done in the coming months by people who are quite aware that their days in office are numbered.  The only recourse they have is to push their agendas through before OUR voices can finally be heard.  We can only sit back and shake our heads.  The hardest task before us will be spending years undoing the damage done in only a few months by a handful of OUR EMPLOYEES.

As the old saying goes, “The only thing that is truly eternal is a government program.”