Phil Robertson, Unlikely Messenger

Oh. My. Word!  Did A&E have any idea what would happen when they suspended Phil Robertson?  Surely they are not all dummies there.  I realize the gay rights people funnel money to them, but it seems like they have cut off their nose to spite their face!
Here's the deal. Homosexuality is wrong.  No if's, and's or but's.  God says it is wrong.  It is not a gray area.  It is not up for interpretation.  It is wrong.  Our culture is all about "tolerance".  Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but "tolerance" is wrong.  God is not tolerant.  God does not say, "Well, I know you're gay, and I know you have killed a couple of people, but that's OK, don't worry about it."  God says to love the sinner but hate the sin.  We are not to condone wrong behavior.  We ARE to love the people, and pray for the people, and encourage the people to do what's right.  There is a difference between judging someone for their actions and encouraging them to do the right thing. Sin is sin in God's eyes.  None is greater than the other.  Liars are in the same boat with murderers.  We, as humans have made different levels of what we consider to be OK, or worse.  Child molesters are the bottom of the list.  But in God's eyes, it's all the same.  Our minds are not capable of thinking like God.
As for Phil Robertson, thank the Lord that someone in a position of stardom has the guts to speak his mind and stand up for what is right.  I agree with Phil.  Not because he is Phil Robertson, but because the Bible says it.  We are instructed to believe the Bible from cover to cover, not taking anything away, or adding anything to it.  His heart is in exactly the right place.  I feel that God is using him to accomplish what many lesser known people have been trying to do for many years.  He doesn't "look" like an evangelist, but he is certainly being used to spread the Word of God.  And, as foretold in the Bible, persecution will come to those who stand up for God.  I believe there are many more Christians than there are people who support gay rights.  We have been silent far too long.  We have not wanted to appear as a "radical" to match the loud, crazy people asking for gay rights.  But it is time to stand up and shout what we believe.
I am amazed at what is on TV.  It's ok to show children being disrespectful to their parents, boobs, sex scenes, bad language, and a host of other things, but it is not OK to state your personal beliefs?  Really?  Our nation is one of the most blessed in the world.  Because it was founded on Christian principles.  Because our forefathers knew when the hand of God protects you, nothing can harm you.  Well, we have slowly asked God to get out of our lives.  No prayer in schools.  No pledge of allegiance to the flag.  No Ten Commandments.  No Bibles.  The gay rights movement is just one more thing our country is flaunting in God's face.  He will not be tolerant of it.  For all the people who want "peace" and to "get along with each other", that will not come without God.  God is a God of second chances.  Our country could once again be great if our people would repent of their sins and ask for God's forgiveness and help.  Will it happen?  Who knows.
In the meantime, thank you Phil Robertson for standing up for what you believe, no matter the cost.  We pray God's blessings on you and your family.

Merry "Holiday"?????

I am offended by those who wish to say Happy Holidays and not Merry Christmas!  What do you think this holiday is about?  Where do you think it came from?  Why do we have to worry about offending a very few people?  I am sure I have unintentionally offended many people throughout my life.  And by the same token, many have offended me.  But I didn't make a big hooplah about it.  I went on about my way.  If you are offended because I say Merry Christmas, get over it.  Don't say it back to me.  My right to say it is just as important as your right to not want to hear it.  If it weren't for "Christmas", there would be no "Happy Holidays".  Gripes me to hear that entire stores have changed their policy on this. 

I am fed up!

I know I will never get the opportunity, but would love the chance to ask some candid questions of our president and congress members.
Like, what exactly do you do with all the taxpayers' money?  How much money is spent for nonsense, like studying the amount of water that flows out of a spring, or how fast ketchup runs?  How much do we send to other countries for aid?  and why?  Do you know that there are many Americans who are unemployed, homeless and hungry?  If you are going to flitter money away, why not do it here at home?  And where do you get off telling me I must buy health insurance?  And why does the president never say "in God we trust", or "one nation, under God"?  Our country was founded upon Christian principles.  Our forefathers knew that we should live by God's rules.  Because they knew that, our nation is among the  most blessed in the world.  But sadly, we are giving that up little by little. 
I feel like everything out of the president's mouth during campaigning and after being elected was a big fat lie.  There are news clips of him saying one thing and beside it, a few years later him saying the opposite.  We do not want a wishy-washy leader.  We want one who stands his ground and does what is right and good for the American people.  We want a leader who above all else is a patriot.  One with morals and a conscience.  One who loves his wife with all his heart.  One who seeks God's will at every decision.A leader who is not swayed by hard, cold cash.  Is that too much to ask?  I know there are those who didn't care for Ronald Reagan or the Bush's, but by God, at least they were Americans at heart.  They sincerely cared about our country.  I guarantee you if Reagan was in office when the 911 bombing happened, there would no longer have been many countries left over there.  We should have told Afghanistan they had 3 days to produce the responsible parties or we would blow their country off the map.  We should have acted swiftly and decisively.  The Bible says it is not good to have war, but if you must, go to conquer and end it.  I don't understand why we drug that out for months and months. 
And why is it we are afraid of infringing on the Muslims' rights or freedoms?  A true Muslim believes that if you are not a Muslim, you are an infidel and must be killed.  That's the long and short of it.  By golly, if you want to live in our country, more power to you, but you will work and pay taxes just like the rest of us, and if you say or do anything anti-American, you need to be punished, or sent back to your home country.  If you want to carry your koran, great.  But if you try to kill an American for that religion, you should be put to death. 
And why do we spend tax dollars housing violent criminals for years and years and allowing them appeal after appeal?  I realize there are those who think death is too good for some and they want them to suffer, but prison isn't like the chain gang anymore.  I think if you committed a violent crime and there are witnesses to it, and there is no doubt about your guilt, you should be put to death right after your speedy trial.  That would eliminate crowded prisons.  And it would be a great deterrent to those who know that the worst they will get is living in prison. 
I feel like our country is full of people just like me - average citizens.  Average people who work hard while watching those who do nothing be rewarded for it.  If you are going to require us to pay taxes, at least be somewhat frugal with our money, and at the very least, be accountable to us. We elected you - to represent us.  So far, that's not really happening.  And why do you get life-long benefits for serving an elected office for a few years?  When your term is up, it's up.  Go back to whatever you did before.  Get a job.  Pay some taxes.  Buy your own health insurance.  And if we elected you, and you are not representing your district, we should have the right to oust you.  If both congress and the president looked at their positions as an elected job, as a person "hired' by the people, things would be different.  They would try to do a good job.  And why don't we vote with actual votes?  I know electoral votes were instituted because it would have been impossible to tally votes in a timely manner. That is not the case today.  When American Idol can tell you they had 12,000,000 votes last night, I feel we could count everyone's vote in a matter of a few days.  And THAT would be truly representing the people of the United States.
Arrgh!  Just so disgusted with every aspect of our government right now.

Obamacare - For the Good of the People...Really?

I haven't finished my research into what Obamacare will actually entail, but of course, neither did congress when they voted for it.  The best I can figure is that I still won't have healthcare coverage.  I have always fallen in the "gap".  Made too much to qualify for any type of assistance, but not enough to go out and purchase my own health insurance.  Therefore, we only go to the doctor when it is a dire need.  And on the few occasions we have had to visit the hospital, we made monthly payments until it was paid in full.  Last time I was at the doctor, it had been a long time since my last visit, and the receptionist said, "You really need to come more often for checkups."  I said, "I don't have insurance.  I can't afford to just come when there is nothing wrong."  She sneered at me.  What the heck?  I work.  I have always worked. I pay my taxes.  I don't take vacations or have fancy stuff.  Is there something wrong with that?  Why am I being punished for muddling along through life doing the right thing?  I guess my big question to congress and the president is, Do you really think I LIKE not having healthcare coverage?  Do you think I LIKE wondering what that ache or pain is and knowing I can't go have it checked out?  Do you think I LIKE knowing that one medical disaster would ruin me financially for the rest of my life?  NO NO NO NO!  I hate it.  My parents were paying $1500.00 per month before they went on Medicare.  There's no way we can afford that.  My son actually came up with a super-duper plan.  We will create a healthcare insurance company with a $5,000,000 deductible.  It will cost $10.00 per month.  That way, you are in fact insured, so you won't be subject to the tax penalty for not having health insurance.  The penalty is ridiculous.  I keep telling people, "They can't do this.  They can't meddle in our business like this.  They can't force us to buy insurance."  But it's happening.  I feel like collectively there are enough people who disagree with this nonsense, that if we pulled together and vowed not to pay taxes for a year, it would yank the chain of those higher up.  Of course, everyone is afraid to do that.  I am ready to put my money in a coffee can in the back yard.  Our government was not created to administer health care. It can't handle it, as seen by the website malfunction.  I am so mad about this, but feel so totally helpless.  I believe this is just a step further toward government control of every aspect of our lives.  Someone in a position of power HAS to stop this.  All the speeches and promises made by our president were total lies.  Sadly, I think he is just a puppet for others wishing to control our nation.  He doesn't even look honest.  And he doesn't know his stuff.  And he hasn't been in politics long enough to have the wisdom and knowledge he claims to have.  Is he even a US citizen?  I don't know.  I just hope when his term ends, we get someone in there with just a little common sense, and just a little empathy for regular people.  So frustrated!

Racism - Who Is the Minority Here?

I saw a post on facebook by a mother who lives in a military area, and said her daughter came home from school telling that some kids were calling her a "white cracker".  Of course, nothing was said to the name callers.  I feel like if it had been the other way around, and her daughter had used the "n" word, she would have gotten in trouble for it.  A comment on her post stated that white people were never an oppressed race, so no name-calling would make them feel bad. I believe the days of an "oppressed race" have long passed.  If you are black, white, asian, indian, or whatever, and you were born in the United States, you are an American.  NOT an African-American, or Asian-American, or Iranian-American.  The racial slur debate I usually only notice is between black and white.  Or at least it is where I live.  I am white, and I have never had a slave, or known a slave.  My parents didn't have any slaves.  My grandparents didn't have any slaves.  Martin Luther King fought for civil rights, and that is a good thing.  Equality was his wish.  That was achieved a long time ago.  Now that equality has turned into some kind of special privilege.  There is a United Negro College  Association.  If I wanted to make a United White People College Association, there would be a huge uproar.  If you are black, you have never been a slave, and your parents weren't slaves and more than likely your grandparents weren't either.  So be equal.  Don't be a gang member. Pull up your pants.  Be a regular person.  Don't be part of the prison population.  Go to school.  Get a job.  Whatever - just be equal.  If you are white, don't be a gang member.  Pull up your pants. Go to school. Get a job. There are very few 60-year old gangsta's wearing their pants at the bottom of their butt.  That's because eventually, you realize that those things don't improve your earnings, or give you a better life, or make you more popular.
It always irritates me that the news media always has some story about a guy being fired because he was black.  What if it was just because he was a lousy worker?  Color shouldn't make a difference, but it always seems to.  And it seems to me like black people are always claiming their race as the reason for everything - why they got arrested, why they got fired, etc.  And if someone calls you a name, so what?  Not all people are nice.  Sometimes people of all races call names and make fun of others.  Is it right?  No, but not everyone does what is right.  Get over it.  Does someone making fun of you or slamming your race ruin your life?  It shouldn't.  If I don't like what someone has to say, I will probably choose not to hang around with them.  If someone I don't know calls me a name, I will probably ignore it.  It merely shows their insecurities and stupidity. I don't need to sue them or have them arrested for a hate crime.  

Yet Another Sensless School Shooting

How sad - another student shooting people at school - middle school, no less.  This child wasn't even old enough to fully understand the far-reaching effects his actions will have.  I want to run out and shout, "Wake Up Parents! Wake Up!"  If you don't love your children and teach your children, this is what they become.  I don't care what anyone says, kids who feel loved by their families don't do this sort of thing.  I feel the major thing our kids today are lacking in (other than discipline) is empathy.  Knowing how your actions can make someone else feel.  Haven't we all said something mean to another person and then seen how awful it makes them feel, and in turn, how awful it makes us feel, even if they were deserving?  And the government has stepped in and taken discipline away from the adults - first from the schools and also from the parents.  There is a definite difference between a spanking and a beating.  Beating and abuse is wrong, no matter how you look at it.  But spankings are biblical!  Even God says, "Spare the rod, spoil the child."  Children need to be taught from a very early age that their actions have consequences, and that they should respect adults.  Don't have to like them, but do have to show respect.  I see kids today hit, kick and spit and curse at their parents, and the parents stand there like deer in the headlights doing nothing.  That was never an option at my house as a child, and at my house as a parent.
I also think this thing about everybody being a winner and getting a trophy for whatever activity they are doing is a bunch of nonsense.  Healthy competition is a part of life.  In the real world, you don't always win, or get that promotion or raise.  Sometimes you lose.  Sometimes it's your fault, sometimes not.  No one promised life would be "fair" for everyone.  Some people have it all - some don't have enough.  That's just life.  Kids need to learn at an early age that you don't get everything you want, and sometimes you don't even get what you need.  It isn't always someone else's fault.  Sometimes there is no one to blame.  Sometimes you ARE the only one not invited to a part - but it's OK.  Life goes on.  We have to teach our children to take the good with the bad and not obsess over everything.  Some days, I don't feel like getting out of bed, but I do because, well, you just have to.  Maybe if we taught our kids to count their blessings instead of their gripes, they would feel better.  Maybe if we let them be children they would be better adjusted.  Make mud pies. Hit some rocks with a stick.  Build a fort.  All these "old-fashioned" things taught us to entertain ourselves, to be creative and to just enjoy our time as kids.  Of course things weren't fair sometimes and there was always something we wanted but couldn't have.  That's life. 
I don't even think I knew it was possible to shoot another person when I was 12, and I am sure I didn't know what suicide was.  This child that did the middle school shooting must have been very disturbed.  We never even considered something like that because the teachers would have given us a spanking, and we would have gotten another when we got home.  There were "thugs" in my day, and they were ornery and did some unsavory things, but they still had respect for adults.  They wouldn't have shot the older man who questioned what they were doing - they would have run away and hoped he didn't know who their father was.
It is just sickening what goes on in this world today.  And the news media plays it up big.  I think the publicity opens the door for other disgruntled kids to contemplate that as an option.  So, so sad,

Let's plead insanity

So I heard on the news that the movie theater shooter is expected to plead insanity. DUH!! Of course he's insane. People don't just shoot random people when there's nothing wrong with them. But he was sane enough to get a gun, load that gun, sneak into the theater unnoticed and operate that gun. I am not sure what defines an insanity plea, but I don't believe that fellow is entitled to use it. If you commit a violent crime and there are witnesses who saw you do it, and there is no doubt you did it, you should have that speedy trial and be hanged the following day. Publicly. I don't work so my tax dollars can pay to house people like him. I don't care if he has three meals a day, or gets outside time or TV time - he gave up his civil rights when he committed that crime. Our justice system is totally screwed up!

How many congressmen does it take to balance the budget...

I am so sick of 1) the government shut-down and 2) hearing about the government shut-down.  Maybe they haven't figured out the definition of the word "budget".  I believe it is taking into account all your spendable money and allocating it to different categories.  Not spending trillions more than you have and trying to figure out how to sort out your deficits.  How hard can this be?  How about you scrape every last thing off, and start over with bare necessities.  Isn't that what REAL people do with REAL money?  If your spending too much, don't you evaluate what you have to have and scrap the things that aren't truly required? I would like a vacation to a beachy spot, and a new Iphone and a new computer, and maybe a new car.  But since I don't have the money for those things, I will choose to pay my electric bill and buy groceries instead.  And why is it that once you serve a term in office, whether president or congressman, you have life-long benefits and salaries?  Isn't that an elected spot, and don't you go in knowing that you won't work there for 40 years and retire from it?  I don't get it.  You know, taxes were originally established for a purpose.  To fund wars to protect our freedom, for example.  NOT to send to countries who hate our guts.  and NOT to provide lavish amenities and benefits for elected officials. Dadgummit that makes me mad.  I work like a dog for my measley living and those morons spend it like there's no end.  And then give it to people who don't work and don't deserve it.  Aren't they infringing on my rights to earn a decent living by requiring me to give them my tax dollars to whiz away?  I am against Obamacare, but to those who think it's wonderful, fine.  But at this point in time, throw it to the side and work on vital necessities.  Work on that when you aren't in the middle of a crisis.  And I saw a post on facebook by a guy who went to the health care site to determine what he qualified for, and on his $45,000 per year earnings, his premium would be near $600 per month, with a huge deductible.  That was not doable, so he chose to opt out. He later received an email that he would be fined some $4,000 dollars on his tax return, and if he didn't pay, his driver's license would be suspended, and if he still didn't pay, they would put a lien on his home.  Is that really constitutional?  I'm sorry but the government has no business meddling in our business.  Their job is to ensure our freedom as a nation and to enforce constitutional laws.  I don't recall ever reading about our forefathers instituting healthcare as part of our country's heritage.  We left Europe to escape control by the government in our personal lives.  Now they probably have more control over us than they did 200 years ago.  What a load of crap!

Can You Sue a Business Owner for Refusing Service?

I just heard on the radio that a florist somewhere was being sued because they refused to provide flowers for a gay couple's wedding, stating that it infringed on her religious beliefs.  This is so ridiculous!  If I own a business, I have the right to serve or NOT serve anyone I want, for any reason I want.  And, if I was that gay couple, I don't think I would want that florist, knowing they didn't want to do it.  I totally disagree with homosexuality.  I believe it is wrong, according to the Bible.  Gay people's rights are insane.  I understand and agree with not discriminating because of color or race.  That is something you have no control over - you were born that way.  But it is my right to not want to serve gay people if I so choose, the same way I would not want to serve a drug addict or murderer or sexual offender.  Being gay is most definitely your choice and it is also my choice to disagree with your lifestyle.  Being gay is not the color of your skin - it is how you choose to act and behave. And I guess I feel that the gay rights are no more important than my religious rights and views.  Why should gay people be able to sue me if I refuse service to them?  Does that mean I can sue someone if they refuse to serve me because of my religion?  I can't believe that our judges waste their time on these ridiculous lawsuits.  If I don't like the way someone conducts their business, I don't use their services.  I DON'T sue them.  Our world has become so sue-happy.  I don't get it and I don't understand why the judicial system has let it come to this.  Want to know why medical costs have risen?  It's because every time something goes wrong, we sue the doctor.  And the hospital, and the maker of the x-ray machine. 

Welfare - Do we really need it?

This "rant" is on welfare.  I guess maybe I don't understand the entire system, but it certainly seems unfair to me.  I have never been on welfare.  I have always worked, since I was 15.  And if something happened to my job, I went and got another one.  Maybe not my "dream" job, but a job, none the less.  I have flipped burgers at McDonalds, worked in offices, worked in retail department stores, and a few other things.I hear people say there are no jobs, but where I live, there is always a job at a factory or fast food place. 
I work 8+ hours a day, five days a week.  I don't take vacations to Florida.  I don't live in a fancy house.  I do clip coupons and buy generic brands a lot.  I stand in line at Wal-mart, sorting my coupons and nearly every time, I notice someone ahead of me buying name brand products and expensive cuts of meat (compared to my hot dogs and chicken), and Bam! they whip out the food stamp card.  Unbelievable.  Where I work is right next door to a smoker outlet store.  I watch people drive in and out all day and they come out carrying sacks of cigarettes - hundreds of dollars worth.  Their cars are duct taped together, and they are also the people I see buying the name brand products at the store.  If you have no job and no money and have to be on government assistance, I feel you should only be given necessities until you get back on your feet.
The problem is, most people I know of who are on welfare don't want to get back on their feet.  If they did, I would feel differently.  Where I work, we had a guy that worked part time and he didn't want to work too many hours because it would cut into his food stamp allotment.  And he knew every charitable organization within 70 miles and when they gave free food away.  They would spend who knows what in gas driving to all these places to get free stuff.  And they would do things like pick up walnuts or aluminum cans and sell.  They probably spent more time trying to not work than if they just had a job. 
I can't afford health insurance.  But if you don't work, you get it free.  I have people call our business and say things like, "Ya'll aren't hiring, are you?" Does that sound like someone who wants a job?  I have also known people who are out of work, but waiting for that supervisory position, so they stay out of work, instead of taking a lesser job until something better comes along.
And, I'm sorry, but unless you are mentally retarded or disabled, you can work.  Everyone can do something.  Maybe you can babysit. You may be a good cook.  I feel like if you receive a check from the government, from MY hard-earned tax dollars, you need a job.  Maybe you can plant flowers at the local court house, or paint the outside of the jail.  I know it would be a huge overhaul, but the rule should be, if you need assistance, you will get it, but you will work for it.  AND YOU WILL BE DRUG AND ALCOHOL FREE.  If you can't pay rent or buy food, you don't need a beer.  Welfare should be there for those who have had some extenuating circumstance and have fallen on hard times.  It should be provided as a boost until you get back in the groove of things.  I see families that breed future generations knowing all the loopholes and how to work the system and get money without working.  What a shame.  Used to be that having to go on public assistance was an embarrassment and you didn't want anyone to know.  Now it's like a badge.  And sadly, with the way things seem to work, I have wondered if I wouldn't come out with more if I didn't work and qualified for all the free stuff. 
This was not what welfare was intended to be. It's like a whirlpool circling and circling with no end in sight.

So The Government Shut Down...

So, the government shut down today.  What, exactly, does that mean?  I still had to go to work.  When we shut down, we don't make any money.  Bet they all still made money today.  What a bunch of money-hungry morons.  I feel like every single politician is so far removed from reality, they have forgotten what it's like to wonder if you have money for a jug of milk at the end of the week.  I am sure a lot start with good intentions, and then get there and realize that doing what's right is not possible - you don't vote for this bill, we don't vote for yours.  They are forced into voting for things they may or may not agree with, and may or may not know what is in the bills they vote for.  I still don't understand why every bill has to have something ridiculous attached to it right before it gets voted on.  Why don't they vote on one thing at a time?  Anyway, I guess it will never matter, but we pay income taxes and payroll taxes, and so does every other working American.  Why is it we have no say in what happens to our money?  Do you know we send millions of dollars each month to countries who hate our guts and would slit our throats if they had the chance?  They did a poll one time to some third-world country we send $7million a month to, and they said if we stopped sending the money they would hate us more than they do now!  Really?  When our business gets slow and money is tight, we cut back to the bare necessities.  Why is it not possible to take care of America first (with America's tax dollars) and take care of other countries after we are comfortable?  How many American's go to bed hungry, while the government gives thousands of dollars to people to study the rate of ketchup flow from a glass bottle?  It's like no one there has an ounce of common sense. 
One of my favorite movies is "Dave", where an average guy just happens to look like the president, and gets to walk in his shoes for a time.  At budget meetings, he cuts the fat by eliminating crazy expenditures.  I feel like that is probably more true than we know. 

Gun Control

I guess I am a real redneck, but I don't understand all the hoopla about gun control.  How many criminals or terrorists have obtained their guns while standing in a line at Wal-Mart?  I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess, NONE.  All gun control will do is disarm regular citizens and prevent them from defending themselves.  Do you think a burgler wants to break into a home where there is a good possibility of a loaded gun waiting for him, or a home where there are no weapons?  Duh!  If thieves and criminals thought there was a good chance that every home in America had loaded weapons waiting for intruders, I believe that might reduce the crime statistics. 
And this nonsense about criminals breaking into homes, and being injured and then SUING the homeowner - what a load of crap!  If you are in the process of breaking the law and get injured, then you only got half what should be coming to you.  What in the world is wrong with our judicial system that they would award criminals with money?  And why do I have to pay to house criminals for 40 years in a prison?  If you committed a violent crime and someone saw you do it, and there is no doubt about your guilt, you don't deserve a life in prison.  Public hangings would be a great deterrent for those people.  As it stands, they know that the worst they get is their freedom removed.  They get 3 meals a day, exercise, tv, college classes, etc.  When people worked on chain gangs, prison was NOT a pleasant place to be.  Ramble, ramble - anyway, I think gun control is just a stepping stone to our government changing ever-so-slightly towards capitalism.  Hitler did not come out and announce the holocaust on day one.  All changes were gradual and supposedly "for the good of the people". 

Kids today...

I fear we are raising a nation of irresponsible, disrespectful, lazy kids.  This generation of kids have been given so much without having to work for it.  I feel we have done a disservice to them.  I speak of myself, as well.  These kids never had to scrounge for pop bottles to turn in to get money to buy something.  They get allowances, or just the "I need $20.00 to go to the movies" thing.  We don't want our kids to miss out on anything.  Heaven forbid they not be part of the "In-Crowd".  Or we ground them, only to let it slide so they don't miss that high school dance. 
These kids have lived without consequences for the most part.  And blame is the new game.  Everything is some one else's fault.  Let's sue someone because we tripped in the parking lot.  We have given them time outs, when I have seen some kids who need a few knock-outs!  We have diagnosed them with ADD, ADHD or some other acronym and that's the reason they act like wild indians.  When I was growing up, I didn't know one person who had ADD.  I DID know lots of people who knew when they acted up they were going to get a spanking.  Not a beating, just a good old-fashioned spanking.  Why do you think God made our butts padded?  I don't care what anyone says, fear of the pain involved in a spanking prompted good behavior.  The ever popular phrase, "Just wait until your dad gets home!" evoked fear and dread, and I guarantee you we were angels from that minute on. 

Absent fathers are also a big part of the problem.  Children need their fathers.  A hero and role model.  And someone who enforces the discipline code in the house.  Schools are no longer able to punish kids.  I am sure there were some who were over the top and did some unnecessary spanking at school, but I never remember anyone bringing a gun to school and shooting students and teachers in my day.  Why? Because they were taught right from wrong at an early age, and it was enforced with spankings now and then.  And they learned respect for their elders.  And we wouldn't have had to worry about the police - the punishment from our fathers would have been way worse. 

We said the Pledge of Allegiance  every day. We prayed in school.  We had recess.  We didn't have hours of homework every night.  We lived a much slower and simpler life than kids today.  We had free time to ride bikes, built forts, hunt for bugs, or whatever we chose to do.  So none of us became famous dancers or soccer players or politicians - most of us grew up to be happy, productive citizens.  Just seems like our kids never get the chance to be kids. 

More to come another day...