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.