First of all, I do believe I'm losing it. I signed in today to write a short blog and saw I had comments to approve for my last post. Now I knew I had comments on my blog, but thought I had approved them the day I received them. So, I apologize now, and do plan on responding to them ASAP!
This will be yet another quick run-down blog because I've got to give a presentation tomorrow and still don't have it finished. I'm one of those who tends to function better when the deadline is near, I suppose.
Last week was a far cry from our norm... we took a family trip to DC and all I can say is, I loved it!! It's such a beautiful place, and so clean. The girl loved Georgetown, and though we aren't really sure what the boy loved, we think he had a good time. He's getting tested this Wednesday for Aspergers, anxiety disorders, etc. To be honest, I'm not really sure what to wish for with these tests. If they discover something, that will narrow things down for me, making it easier to help him through these already hormonally turbulent teen years. If they don't discover anything, then what do I do to instill excitement, and the drive needed to succeed in this crazy world. SO, you see my dilemma, right?
Anyway...
The trip to DC makes me want to shake these Occupy Wall Street people up a bit. I understand the reasons they're out there, but there are other ways to go about making a change and like I said before, this isn't the way to go about it. The girl and I headed down to the one in DC to take pictures, and talk to the people. What we saw were a bunch of people, without jobs, living in tents in the middle of two parks in DC. They hold signs up that say "Soul Power," and "Will Work for Peace." One sign said "Ready for the Revolution." Seeing this after touring the Holocaust Museum, and the other places that trace the history of the US, the atrocities of what our ancestors escaped to be here, and the atrocities of what people who live here now escaped... all I can say is "Really?!?"
"Freedom is not free!" Do we need things to change? Yes we do... of course we do. In order to make things happen, you need to start with yourself. Be self-supporting... I cleaned apartments, and worked on budgets and other paperwork for elderly people when I got divorced. I put myself through school, with no child support, and depended on friends just like myself to get me through. Do I owe money for my college education... YES. Do I blame the Government for my mistakes and ignorance when it came to college loans? NO.
I think the most amazing thing about this movement is that they say it's the Middle Class, the working man's movement. I can tell you one thing... those cab drivers, the working men in DC didn't agree with it. They feel lucky, and they worked their a**es off to get where they are. They ALL pushed education, and talked about their own children and how they were raised "You don't feel like going to work today, you don't eat today..." I have a friend who's a single mother, working two jobs to make it. She's an amazing teacher, and she works at a grocery store at night. She takes her daughter to soccer, preschool, and fun kid places. She doesn't have the time nor the patience for the park-sitters. She's tired, and she's thankful for what she has, and for the support of family and friends. Or what about our housekeeper and the man who does our lawn? They don't have time for that, they don't agree with it, and they work harder than most, and they pay their taxes. What about illegal immigrants? They need to to be here! They're the ones who are building our cities, our homes, our highways. They work hard to support their families, not just wives and kids, but parents and grandparents too. Oh sure, a ton of jobs would open up if they weren't here, but I'm pretty sure the park-sitters wouldn't rush down to grab those jobs up! Of course not... that's hard work!! I feel confident in saying this because I know way too many people sitting in those parks, and they all have the same thought process. "What about me?" "I'm owed something for my life here!" YOU make your life what it is. They don't send their kids to school, because "The world is an education in itself..." Really??? I'm not talking about a home-school situation. I understand the reason why parents home-school. I'm talking about, NO education. The future scares me, and it has nothing to do with Wall Street. Wall Street IS our economy... and if we aren't raising educated, money conscious, socially conscious individuals, then we will only fail more than we already are.
The things we need to change right now: Education, healthcare, Outsourcing needs to stop, and we need to refocus our right-wing efforts along with our park-sitting efforts, and efforts to cleanse the country of our illegals (why not make it easier for them to become citizens?), into doing something about our debt crisis. The wife had a wonderful idea, though I'm not sure it would work if the money wasn't applied correctly. She feels we should have a nationwide lottery with all percentage proceeds, and the income tax on the winnings, going toward the National debt. Let's face it, a lot of us love to gamble in some way... we would all be doing something for our country then!
Okay... I'm getting the heck off of my soap box. I need to get my presentation done. I'll come back, respond to comments, and post DC pics later in the week. AFTER my Tuesday night presentation. :)
