As a divorced mother, I was very careful how I spent money. One of the luxuries I gave up was lingerie. For ten years I continued to wear the same bras. No one saw them, so it didn’t matter how old they looked.
During the ten years, the discomfort of wearing a bra become increasingly more unbearable. I was complaining one day to a good friend about how uncomfortable my bra was and lamenting the fact that I would have to spend money on new ones.
Mary asked me what size I wore. I told her a 32. Her mouth dropped open and she told me that her daughter wore a 32. Her daughter was pencil thin. I wasn’t.
During the ten years, I had gained weight and my bras had stretched as I grew. Finally, they became unbearably uncomfortable when they couldn’t stretch any more. Later, when I measured I wore a 40.
We become increasingly uncomfortable with things in life and we tend to tolerate it until it reaches a point that we can’t stand it anymore. Then we complain and someone comes along to help us understand what has created the discomfort.
I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the way that politicians have become so ugly. In a conversation a couple of months ago, I was talking to someone about the polarization of Americans. We have increasingly become a “we-them” society of labeled people instead of an “US.”
Any disagreement of policies or positions creates name calling and insults. People take hard stands on every issue and are unwilling to listen to the other side’s opinion.
This past weekend one of the prophets of the right held a rally and a prophet on the left held an opposing rally. One group was talking about taking back America and the other group was trying to keep their piece of the pie from being hijacked.
What would happen if people would discuss racism, social improvement, government budgetary issues, job growth with open minded willingness to compromise on issues. You know what I mean. A little give and take! This would be much more comfortable than the constant grandstanding for the crowds that is currently going on.
If our forefathers had not been willing to LISTEN to each other and reach compromise our country would not have been formed. As a nation we have struggled through difficult periods because politicians were willing to work together.
We have grown so much as a nation, but we have outgrown our ability to solve problems. The polarization of the nation has become increasingly more uncomfortable, just like my bra did.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Mama, aren't you going to get your change back?
When my oldest child was about three years old, we were at Church and I placed a $20.00 bill in the offering plate. Brooks was just old enough that he could talk clearly, but he was young enough to stand up on the pew of the church while everyone was sitting down.
As I put the money in the offering plate, Brooks asked in his loudest voice “Mama, aren’t you going to get your change back?”
Thirty years ago $20 was a lot of money in my budget. Until about five years ago, I always stayed on a tight budget. My entire grocery (and miscellaneous spending) budget was $60 a week. When I used a $20 bill I usually got change back. Brooks had watched me break the $20 bills and make sure that I received the correct change.
Once again, $20 has become a substantial amount of money in many household budgets. I went to the grocery story today and spent almost $60 on groceries. Instead of a buggy full of groceries, I bought about ten items. It is enough to take care of my needs this week since I eat simply and don’t have to worry about feeding a family.
The American people are facing an economy that is still in free fall. We are all counting our money a little closer and we are not giving as generously to charities and to our churches. We are becoming more like the people in poor countries and we work for our daily needs. While this helps develop character and trust in Divine Providence, it is depressing to face the day to day struggle.
As we approach the November mid-term election, we need to make sure that the people we elect understand that the economy is our number one concern. There needs to be a bi-partisan effort to improve the climate for small business growth and for capital investment. While President Obama spoke about addressing these issues, he and Congress have gone on vacation and left the issue on the table.
Since it is so near the end of this Congressional term, the attention in Congress seems to be focused on getting re-elected instead of fixing the problems that are causing the economy to continue to go sour. I wish I could get my change back from what I’ve spent on their salaries and benefits. Maybe, I could afford to spend more money.
As I put the money in the offering plate, Brooks asked in his loudest voice “Mama, aren’t you going to get your change back?”
Thirty years ago $20 was a lot of money in my budget. Until about five years ago, I always stayed on a tight budget. My entire grocery (and miscellaneous spending) budget was $60 a week. When I used a $20 bill I usually got change back. Brooks had watched me break the $20 bills and make sure that I received the correct change.
Once again, $20 has become a substantial amount of money in many household budgets. I went to the grocery story today and spent almost $60 on groceries. Instead of a buggy full of groceries, I bought about ten items. It is enough to take care of my needs this week since I eat simply and don’t have to worry about feeding a family.
The American people are facing an economy that is still in free fall. We are all counting our money a little closer and we are not giving as generously to charities and to our churches. We are becoming more like the people in poor countries and we work for our daily needs. While this helps develop character and trust in Divine Providence, it is depressing to face the day to day struggle.
As we approach the November mid-term election, we need to make sure that the people we elect understand that the economy is our number one concern. There needs to be a bi-partisan effort to improve the climate for small business growth and for capital investment. While President Obama spoke about addressing these issues, he and Congress have gone on vacation and left the issue on the table.
Since it is so near the end of this Congressional term, the attention in Congress seems to be focused on getting re-elected instead of fixing the problems that are causing the economy to continue to go sour. I wish I could get my change back from what I’ve spent on their salaries and benefits. Maybe, I could afford to spend more money.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monitor the spending
While on vacation with my daughter and grandchildren this summer, I kept my budget under close scrutiny. When my daughter would use her debit card to pay for something, my son-in-law called her and would ask her what she had bought. He didn’t have a problem with her spending the money, he wanted to live the experience with her. Everyday, he would ask her what the expense was for and asked her to tell him about what we had done. He couldn’t go with us because he was serving our nation in Afghanistan so he would call every evening using some cheap international plan. He was actively monitoring the spending even from Afghanistan.
He and my daughter both check their checking account balance almost every day. They have a check and balance system to make sure that they stay in their budget.
It would be appropriate for someone to monitor the spending of the country. I listened to an economist yesterday who indicated there is real concern that the federal government will have to make decisions about bailing out state and local governments within the next year. The federal government is spending like crazy, unconcerned about where the money is going to come from.
If the bailout of state and local governments becomes an issue as expected, the government cannot raise taxes (taxes are expected to increase automatically as the Bush Tax cuts expire at the end of the year) and it is not wise to borrow more money from China. This tax increase will place a heavy burden on those who are only surviving by a frog’s hair and will reduce spending by the middle class. Reduced spending by the middle class will result in more jobs being lost.
President Obama’s stimulus plan is not working. The president and congress need to put more effort into stimulating business. I know from personal experience that I cannot borrow my way out of financial problems and I cannot spend my way to solvency. The people controlling our financial future, are not monitoring the balance sheet and the bottom line. They should take lessons from my daughter and her husband. When the cash runs low, they should stop spending and they should never spend without making sure that the money is going where it is suppose to be going. The government should also look at increasing its income by increasing jobs that are not paid for by the government.
He and my daughter both check their checking account balance almost every day. They have a check and balance system to make sure that they stay in their budget.
It would be appropriate for someone to monitor the spending of the country. I listened to an economist yesterday who indicated there is real concern that the federal government will have to make decisions about bailing out state and local governments within the next year. The federal government is spending like crazy, unconcerned about where the money is going to come from.
If the bailout of state and local governments becomes an issue as expected, the government cannot raise taxes (taxes are expected to increase automatically as the Bush Tax cuts expire at the end of the year) and it is not wise to borrow more money from China. This tax increase will place a heavy burden on those who are only surviving by a frog’s hair and will reduce spending by the middle class. Reduced spending by the middle class will result in more jobs being lost.
President Obama’s stimulus plan is not working. The president and congress need to put more effort into stimulating business. I know from personal experience that I cannot borrow my way out of financial problems and I cannot spend my way to solvency. The people controlling our financial future, are not monitoring the balance sheet and the bottom line. They should take lessons from my daughter and her husband. When the cash runs low, they should stop spending and they should never spend without making sure that the money is going where it is suppose to be going. The government should also look at increasing its income by increasing jobs that are not paid for by the government.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Mr. Obama and the Mosque
When I was teaching school, I gave an assignment for students to do a Civil War simulation. They began the simulation using only the resources and manpower available at time Fort Sumter was fired on and the Civil War began.
As each side made moves in the simulation, the North consistently challenged the South’s ability to do something based on lack of resources and lack of industry. By the end of the class, the students in the class had become so emotionally vested in their side of the issue that they continued the argument about what could have been done and what was impossible to do. They argued in every class they had, in the halls between classes and after school. For them, the issue had become an emotional one and not an exercise in logic.
Like my students, President Obama, in his address Friday night, failed to understand that the Mosque is an emotional issue and not a logical one.
One commentator said that Mr. Obama addressed the issue as a law professor and not as a politician. We all understand the legal rights of the Muslims and we know that the Constitution protects them as much as it protects us to build Christian churches. However, this whole argument is not about the legal rights of the Muslims to build a place of worship on private property, it is about the Muslims being sensitive to the pain that still exists for the people struggling with personal loss.
Once again, Mr. Obama has shown himself to be out of touch with the feelings of the general population. While he clearly understands the legal issues and the Constitutionality; he doesn’t understand the emotional issues that are in play. There is a clear difference between legality and emotional sensitivity.
As each side made moves in the simulation, the North consistently challenged the South’s ability to do something based on lack of resources and lack of industry. By the end of the class, the students in the class had become so emotionally vested in their side of the issue that they continued the argument about what could have been done and what was impossible to do. They argued in every class they had, in the halls between classes and after school. For them, the issue had become an emotional one and not an exercise in logic.
Like my students, President Obama, in his address Friday night, failed to understand that the Mosque is an emotional issue and not a logical one.
One commentator said that Mr. Obama addressed the issue as a law professor and not as a politician. We all understand the legal rights of the Muslims and we know that the Constitution protects them as much as it protects us to build Christian churches. However, this whole argument is not about the legal rights of the Muslims to build a place of worship on private property, it is about the Muslims being sensitive to the pain that still exists for the people struggling with personal loss.
Once again, Mr. Obama has shown himself to be out of touch with the feelings of the general population. While he clearly understands the legal issues and the Constitutionality; he doesn’t understand the emotional issues that are in play. There is a clear difference between legality and emotional sensitivity.
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