The Influence of Advertising or Just Plain Hype

I tried to watch one of the children’s television programs tonite with my daughter, but it was impossible to stay with the story line because of all the interfering commercials offering all kinds of products, not only for the children, but also for the adults who would be watching with their children. Everything offered was something that ‘you must have’. Not only do you want this, but you absolutely, positively need it.

When I was growing up, my mother used to talk of  Christmas at her house when she was growing up. There were 9 children and no father, so they had very little money for anything, much less for items they might want. On Christmas morning, all those 9 children got up and were thrilled and surprised to find an orange that Santa had left each of them. Later on, I read in the 50’s about a minority woman who was moaning that that was all she got for Christmas when she was a child. But she failed to mention that this was the norm for many of the families over the years. My mother never moaned nor complained about this. She thought that orange was a great and grand surprise to have for Christmas. Depends upon your attitude I guess. And on what you think you need to make you happy.

Nowadays, everyone expects to have everything imaginable under the tree on Christmas morning. And why? Because someone says they not only want this, but they need it in order to be happy in their lives. Everyone needs to step back and take a good hard look at their lives. What you need and what you want are two very different things. I might want a lot of things, but I really don’t need them. When I was growing up, I never realized that I didn’t need so many things until my parents told me so. I have heard the words, “You don’t need that” many times in my lifetime. Of course I thought I did need something because my friends all had it, or because I saw it in a magazine or heard about it on the radio. But that didn’t mean that I needed it. And thankfully, my parents taught me not to always want, want, want. They taught me well. I have never had the desire for ‘things’.

One year when I was a young teen, I insisted that I needed this particular kind of haircut. It was called a ‘feather cut’ and all my friends were getting this gorgeous haircut and they looked so beautiful that I just had to have one of those. My parents didn’t argue about it. They told me a couple of times that I didn’t need it, but I kept on insisting that I did. Finally, my mother took me to the beauty shop and I went in, thrilled beyond words. I sat down in the chair and insisted again that I needed this ‘feather cut’. The man tried to tell me that I would have to have a permanent also, but I insisted that my friends all had this wonderful haircut and I was getting one, too. And I was also going to be beautiful. Well, he did just like my parents had done. He didn’t bother to argue with me about it. He just set about cutting my hair. I watched in the mirror and the transformation just simply was not happening to me. I just looked the same. When he finished cutting, I paid the bill, but could not believe the way I looked. Sure enough, he was right. I didn’t need that ‘feather cut’. In order to have that beautiful hairdo, it was necessary to either have a permanent or to have naturally curly hair. But I had insisted until I won. And now I had chunks of hair all over my head. Instead of looking gorgeous, I just looked ridiculous. Where the hair was supposed to ‘feather’, mine sat like a clod all over my head. I was ashamed, but was stuck with the look for quite awhile afterwards. But I learned that just because I wanted that haircut didn’t mean that I needed it.

If you get a chance, teach your children they don’t need all those things they really just want. Teach them they don’t need things to be happy in their lives. Tell them they don’t need that until they learn the value of and the difference in wants and needs.

Remember when food was real food?

Hi again: was talking with a friend a couple of days ago. We got to talking about canning and preserving and putting up all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and meats. She mentioned how many quarts of tomatoes she had canned this past summer. I replied that I knew all about that. I have had more experience than I ever wanted in the field of canning and preserving. I then said that tomatoes were so easy to can and they could be counted on to be just as good as the day they were canned, no matter how long they sat on the shelf. She then said that this is not the case anymore. Nowadays, tomatoes have been genetically altered to the point that almost all the acid has been removed from the tomatoes. Now, when they are canned, unless some acid such as lemon juice is added to them, they will spoil rather quickly.

I was truly shocked. I had canned many jars of tomatoes and depended on them many a cold winter day to help stretch a pot of soup or a casserole. That would be terrible if the canned tomatoes spoiled. And then I got to thinking about it all. I guess that is why tomatoes taste like cardboard these days. They have none of that good tomato taste that we used to look forward to each summer. I can still smell that good tomato smell and taste that great taste of years ago. But I never knew exactly what had happened to the tomatoes. And now I know.

I already knew the grains and meats had been genetically engineered to the point that you wonder just what it is that you are eating some days. But I really didn’t know that was why tomatoes had changed so much. Guess that means all the fruits and vegetables are genetically altered to the point that they can sit on the grocer’s shelf for months before spoiling. That is why they can ship them all over the world without damage. Used to be, the tomatoes in the southern part of our state had to be bought, shipped and eaten or canned in a few day’s time or else they would not be palatable. Now, I go into the store, no matter if it is a local one or a national one, feel the hard tough tomato, try to smell it to see if it will have any taste and come away from the store disappointed once again.

And it is said that even if you grow them yourself from old time seeds, they will still get genetically altered if they are pollinated by the bees and cross pollinated with a neighbor’s seeds. Just the same taste as an old piece of cardboard.

I know people get sick and tired of hearing about how good things used to be, but you know that is true these days. Wish we could return to the good tasting, big, bursting tomatoes like my grandmother used to grow. Or to the really great tasting watermelon that I used to eat as a kid,  or to summer squash that tasted like squash instead of a yellow notepad. And those freshly made preserves were so good. I can still remember the true plum preserves and that great strawberry shortcake. Where did it all go? Genetically altered, that’s where it went. What a shame. But I can still wish.

Signs of Change

Pay attention to what all God is doing in this world.  Remember when those liberals were chanting about population explosion? Well, they convinced all kinds of people to kill their unborn children. And so now, God has turned that around and most of the people in this country are against abortions. And the total is climbing every day. Those liberals are still spinning around and insisting that they know best, but they don’t.

And then there were those who hollered loud and clear about how global warming is going to kill us all.  Why the Arctic is going to turn in a big sloshy mess any day now. And instead, Antarctica is now experiencing the coldest weather that has ever happened there. Isn’t that interesting though? Remember it’s God’s world. He is going to take care of it just fine.

And now we are inundated with rain, rain, and more rain. I  believe I have been hearing for years how the farmers are most concerned because the water table has fallen so low all over the country. So guess what! God is now taking care of that one. The drought in Texas has been very serious for several years. It has already been taken care of with the recent rains. The farmers won’t have to worry about the water table for quite some time. In our state, we have had more rain this year than has fallen since the late 1800’s. Isn’t that amazing though.

And how about those snows out west. Could it be that the weather is being straightened out there too? And in the process, it will also help their economy as they depend on that snowfall each year. Again, isn’t that amazing. God seems to know what everyone needs and provides just fine. Without a bit of help from those liberals either. They can just keep right on spinning around and whining about all these terrible things that are going to  happen to us. And it’s not going to happen anyway. God will take care of everything in His own time.

And what those liberals do not understand, at least not yet, is that they are through, through, through. Permanently. We won’t have to listen to their extreme rhetoric anymore. I can hardly wait until the media finally tunes them out. They are a past that we don’t need to repeat. Just watch and see how God takes care of everything. Including all their agenda. Pay attention to what God is doing in this world. And then say your prayers of Thanksgiving for all blessings received.

Vitamin D, Turning Back the Clock, and Playing

It was on all the newscasts and in all the newspapers a couple of days ago – The children of this country are suffering from a Vitamin ‘D’ deficiency. Well duh. What in the world did they expect to find with their latest of studies.

It was told back in the 1920’s or maybe even before that the prevalent rickets was caused by a lack of Vitamin D. Then some smart scientist decided that if they put artificial Vitamin D in the milk, the children would just never know the difference. No way. Nothing beats that good old sunshine for a proper amount of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is taken in primarily by the eyes. A child plays out in the sunshine and while he is having the time of his life, he is automatically absorbing that wonderful Vitamin D. His skin is also absorbing the proper amount of Vitamin D. And his bones are getting stronger all the time.

So now, the poor child is inside all the time. In his young life, he is staying indoors in a preschool environment while his mother works. Or he is inside when he is a little older because he is either watching television or playing a game of some kind. And if he dares to get out and go swimming, his mother is dousing him constantly with sun blocker. When is that poor child supposed to get any Vitamin D at all?

Surely someone will wake up in this world and recognize that the ways of the past weren’t all that bad after all. I know I can’t turn the clock back and wouldn’t even if I could. But my children played outside all the time in the pretty weather. They were either building forts out of the hedges in the yard. Or they were riding their bikes and skating on the sidewalk in front of the house. Or they might be playing volley ball or hide and seek in the back yard. What happened to the sidewalks and the yards? Where did they go? Why are our children all forced indoors when they could be having such a super time outside. They might even get to know some of their neighborhood friends. Mine knew everyone within a mile radius.

At that time, we didn’t have to be so paranoid about predators.  No one was going to murder them or snatch them away. No one wanted our children. The children watched out for one another while they were outside. If anyone had even dared to approach one of the children, the others would have made so much noise that the predator would have been happy to leave well enough alone.

Perhaps we need more stringent punishments for those predators. Perhaps we need to have more mothers at home who would allow their children to play in the safe back yard with their friends. Perhaps we need to turn that clock back maybe just a little bit.

Another Look at Health Care

Here it is! Here is the whole answer to why we do not need a health care plan.

A columnist for a local newspaper wrote about her friend Judy who needed health care. Seems Judy had lost her job and went through a terrible divorce and was suffering from severe depression. By the time the columnist had finished with her first of two installments, everyone was rooting for poor Judy because she really needed help and Obama’s health care plan is exactly what she needs to get her life in order again.

Then came the second installment about Judy. Once again, the columnist rooted for poor Judy who by now was spending much time in bed, always too sick to get up and get out and get a job. Finally, she realized after selling off personal items that she needed a job. So she got up and got out this time, but her main problem was still lack of insurance. Or rather, that no one would give her any free insurance to pay for her depression medication so she could get her life in order again.

She finally borrowed enough money to see a doctor who then gave her some free medication and that gave her the incentive to get a job again. Then she ran out of medication and called the doctor’s office and they did not have anymore free medication for her, so she reverted to lying in bed, crying, and being too depressed to work once again. Then she learned how to work the system – get a job every so often, save enough money to see a doctor, get free medication, and work for awhile. Then when the medication ran out, she would once again end up in bed, crying, unable to work while piling up more bills. This cycle went on for some time.

Judy finally contacted her family who came with help. She had never told them how she was surviving. Poor Judy. Everyone else was to blame except her and her lifestyle. All she needed was health insurance and her life would miraculously take a turn for the better. Her family obtained free health care for her and everything turned out hunky dory. Good old Judy won.

Then the columnist in passing mentions that her friend, Judy, also had an alcohol problem. Of course, according to the columnist, this problem was caused by the lack of medication for the depression. But the columnist obviously does not know much about drunks. Her friend Judy was a typical drunk. This meant she would work long enough to obtain enough money for booze and then use all that up until she had to work again to obtain enough for more booze. If you talk to any hardcore alcoholic, they will tell you this is ultimate lifestyle for a true alcoholic. And of course it is always, always, someone else’s fault that they have such a rotten life. Poor thing – the columnist insists Judy’s main problem was no free health insurance.

Judy only wanted enough insurance to assure that she could continue in this lifestyle. She wanted someone else to take up her responsibility and provide her with the health insurance that she should have been providing for herself all along.

It is always the same answer. Most of the American people have health insurance. We are supposed to want to provide for that small number who do not want health insurance and would not buy it if they could. They see no reason to practice any personal responsibility when all the world is theirs for free. All they have to do is be too sick to work, lie in bed crying, and we will provide for them. There are lots of poor Judy’s out there. Just look around. They are all the same. They do not have health insurance because they do not want to pay for it. They would rather sit with their hand out and beg. There are a lot of health insurance programs, enough to fit all the needs of the American people. The only insurance that is not offered today is free insurance that pays for all expenses. Obama and his administration are determined to provide that one – on all our backs. We are all supposed to smile and say thank you to the bureaucrats and to the Congress for taking our money to provide for all the Judy’s in this world. We are supposed to smile a lot while they kill our babies with abortion and force us to pay for the procedures. We are supposed to laugh out loud while they ruin the greatest medical profession in the whole wide world.

Write your congressmen today. Tell them NO NO NO NO NO on any health care plan. We don’t need it. We don’t want it. The only people who do are the Judy’s of this world. And that columnist.

Moderation, Spending, and Plans

I see in the papers and on the television that Obama’s bunch is now going to fix the finances of this great country. Seems that Barney Frank has a plan. It is called the Consumer Financial Protection Agency and would be set up as a branch of the government – as usual. It will be part of a broader effort to take over regulation of financial institutions. What in the world is going on with all this administration. First, they spend all the money they can get their hands on. Then they put banks out of business all over the country and now they want to fix everything with the financial world. Seems to me that they don’t know what in the heck they are doing, not now or ever. Of course this is their ultimate plan, to take over everything in this country including all the financial operations. They have their finger in the housing mortgages and now are investigating. What is wrong with that? They are what is wrong with that to begin with. Them and their no good loans made to people that they knew could not repay them. And  their heavy-handed ways of overseeing all the financial operations of the country. Take a look around you. Notice that the administration is beginning to run everything from loans, to the stock market, to everyday things such as your credit cards and your automobiles. And now Barney Frank states that this agency must be created because the Federal Reserve and bank regulators squandered their powers to police lending abuses. Oh my, just listen to that and to who is doing the talking. I did not know they were supposed to be policing the lending abuses in the first place. Who put all these people in charge. Lending abuses are caused by individual lenders to individuals who should not be approved for borrowing in the first place.

Obama states that individuals who have had mortgage problems are being abused by the financial sector. Not so. People who have suffered because of the mortgage crisis are those who did not have any business being in a mortgage they could not afford to begin with. Moderation in all things you know. Including your finances. So many people think they can have everything they see or desire.  But then when it comes time to pay their bills, they cannot do so. It is sad to see the people who buy the pretty shiny things they will never need and then say they cannot afford food for their families. A little personal responsibility would take care of that problem.

That is the same issue that we have with those who say they cannot afford health insurance. They can afford health insurance if they want to. That is their option. They do not have health insurance as a matter of choice. They think that if they do not buy it, it will be given to them. And this is what this Democratic liberal Congress is trying to do for everyone. Give everything to everyone, regardless of cost to everyone else. Won’t work and cannot be done. We already owe taxes through the next three generations. Enough!!! You have only to look at Canada and the many countries of Europe to see that we live far, far better than the people there have ever even thought of. Why jeopardize our way of life in order to satisfy a few individuals who – by choice- refuse to practice personal responsibility.

Vote Republican as soon as you get a chance. And pray, pray, pray every day for our wonderful Country and all our citizens rights. If this administration has their way, they will destroy all the rights we have so enjoyed for all our lives. It is happening right now every day. Pay attention!

Structure

A young boy who comes to church every week with his family always gets my attention. The whole time he is in church, he is glued to his mother. He is either standing with his arms wrapped around her or sitting in her lap or cuddled up in her arms. This young boy is about 9 years old. And then sometime during the service, he has to use the bathroom. Then his father has to take him out to the bathroom. If this was my kid, he would be talked to in no uncertain terms and told to keep his hands to himself.  He needs to sit up straight like a young man should and listen to the service. And he had better use the bathroom before he leaves home, because he is not going to use it while the church service is going on.

I may be wrong, but I doubt it. I never saw any reason for my children to hang on to me and made that very clear with them. I was not pushing them away or ignoring them. I was just simply being their mother who knew that was not the way they should act. And they all knew not to run to the bathroom when we went out in public. They could use the bathroom at home. Of course there were situations where they needed to use the public restroom, but these were few and far between. Everyone knew the rules and everyone followed them. Period.

Nowadays, the mothers can’t accept that these are children who need to be taught and taught well how to behave in all situations. They need to be disciplined when necessary and certainly need direction in the social behaviors. The adage that children should be seen and not heard is still relevant in today’s society. But you would never guess it to see the children in the movies or the churches or restaurants these days.

Parents should be responsible for their children’s behaviors in all situations. If they have not taught them well at home, then they should not take their children out into the public to disturb others.

I have heard the story that one mother asked her pastor when she should start disciplining her child. He asked her how old the child was. She said he was four years old. The pastor said, ‘you’d better hurry home. You are already four years late.’  This is so true. Give your child a shot at life. Give your child the opportunity to grow up and be a responsible citizen. Give your child the necessary discipline to allow him to grow into a responsible person. You owe this to your child. Every day.

HR 3200 / The Affordable Health Care Choices Act

I received an email recently entitled The Truth About The Health Care Bills. The man who sent this said he had read the entire text of proposed House Bill 3200, The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009. He also says his particular expertise is in constitutional law and had read the entire bill in order to see if any of it was really unconstitutional. He then stated that it was far worse than he had even imagined.

Here are some of things he mentions:

The Law absolutely does provide for rationing of health care, particlarly for senior citizens and other classes of citizens, free health care for illegal immigrants, free abortion services and forced participation in abortions by members of the medical profession.

The Bill will eventually force private insurance companies out of business and will put everyone in a government run system. All decisions about personal health care will be made by federal bureaucrats and they will not be health care professionals. Hospital admissions, payments to physicians, and allocations of medical devices will be strictly controlled.

The health care bill is not really to provide affordable health care choices. Instead, it is a convenient cover for the most massive transfer of power to the Executive Branch of government that has ever occurred or even been thought of.  Major portions of the Constitution of the United States will effectively have been destroyed.  Just think about that for a moment.  Our Constitution will actually be destroyed by the so-called Affordable Health Care Plan.

First will be the changes between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of the U.S.Government.  Congress will be transferring to the Obama Administration authority over the lives of the American people and the businesses they own.  And Congress doesn’t have any authority to legislate in most of those areas to begin with.  Congress has no power to regulate health care.  Period.  But they are doing it or trying to every single day.

This  Bill also provides for access by the appointees of the Obama administration of all of your personal healthcare information, including all your personal financial information and the information of your employer, physician, and hospital.  All of this is in direct violation of the 4th Amendment protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures.  And there will be no right to privacy on any level anymore.

If you decide not to have healthcare insurance or if you have private insurance that is called not ‘acceptable’ to the Health Choices Administrator’ appointed by Obama, there will be a tax imposed on you.  It is called a tax instead of a fine because of the intent to avoid application of the due process clause of the 5th Amendment. You cannot appeal or contest a tax, although it is definitely depriving someone of property without the ‘due process of law.’   You will be required to pay that tax.  Period.

So that takes care of 3 of those pesky amendments that the far left hate so much.  The 9th Amendment and 10th Amendment will also be gone because after this bill is passed, neither the people nor the states are going to have any rights or powers at all in many areas that once were theirs to control.  Such as the rights preserved to the States or to the people under the 10th.

This is not about health care.  It is about seizing power and limiting rights of the people of this Country.

And I have already written earlier about how this administration plans to deny you the right to bear arms and the right to free speech.  So that doesn’t leave much in the Constitution, does it.

Write your Congressman.  Today.  And write again tomorrow.  Maybe they can still hear you.

And check out the Constitution of these United States for yourself.  The link is:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

The Bill of Rights is:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

See for yourself what is happening to this wonderful country of ours.

Vote Republican!!!

Bonds and Taxes

Another interference into the life of the individual in these United States of America. I was told only yesterday that the government, meaning the liberal Democrats, have devised another new tax system. The average American thinks that streets and sewers and schools built in this country are paid for by their tax dollars. This is not true. Those new city and county and state projects are paid for with bonds. The city or county or state or schools or whatever is needed issue bonds in the amounts that they need to get their construction under way. These bonds are put out for the public to buy at an interest rate that will attract buyers. In effect, they are borrowing money from the investors to pay for these projects. The life of these bonds can vary from a few years to up to about 30 years. The interest rates are not generally very high, but they are usually issued as ‘tax free bonds’. This is what draws the taxpayer to purchase these bonds. Because he can draw interest every six months for the life of the bond or until the bond is called. And he does not have to pay tax on this interest. If the municipality or school or college is able to pay off the bonds earlier than their life, then the bond will be called and the taxpayer gets his investment (loan) back. The taxpayer can buy bonds that are rated very highly, meaning you are almost assured of getting your money returned to you, or they can take more risk, usually for higher interest rates, gambling on whether or not they will get their full return back.

This method of taxpayer funding for municipalities and schools has been around a long time. It has worked for many years. People want to invest their money where they can make enough to pay for their investment. Remember, when a bond is purchased, that money is not in your pocket and you do not have it to spend for a few years or up to 30 years. So you cannot risk buying bonds if you are not sure you can do without the money for a long time. But the municipalities are willing to pay enough tax free interest to attract a myriad of buyers. This tax free interest is very, very important to the progress of municipalities in these United States.

So now, the liberal Democrats have devised a new method for paying for these bonds. They have put out the word to municipalities that if they will put their bonds out for sale and not make them tax free, the government will pay up to 35% of the interest due on the bonds. How’s that for getting into your back pocket without anyone knowing about this. The usual hidden agenda. And this will eventually kill the tax free bond market. The funds will dry up and people will not invest in the building of new streets or schools or sewers of the city or the county or the state. So who will win in this situation. Certainly not the investor. And not the general public because they will be without those much needed services. And the bond seller won’t win either as he will lose most of his business. But the most important part is that the person who will eventually lose in this endeavor is the average, every day taxpayer. Because he will no longer have the services he is entitled to. He will not have the new schools for his children nor the new streets in his town nor the new sewer and water lines that his town and county are depending upon for their expansion. But he will get to pay more in hometown taxes than he ever has before. Because someone will have to pay to have the old streets fixed and to have the old schools renovated and to have the old water and sewer systems upgraded so that everyone won’t get sick. So who has won in this? Of course, as usual, the liberal Democrats, the so-called Government of today. They will have destroyed another entity of this country of ours. They will have once again brought about the change they talk about which is only hurtful to everyone except them.

I remember when Stalin was powerful and how they said only a handful of people benefitted from progress in Russia – of which there was very little. Only a handful of people lived a really good life with homes on the sea and servants and automobiles and schools for their children. That is where this liberal Democrat Congress is leading our country. To where only THEY will benefit. The rest of the country does not count. Just ask Obama and Nancy Pelosi and they will probably tell you just this – it is their country. They have been waiting a long time to change it the way they want it to be.

Vote Republican as soon as you can.

ACORN

It has been said many times that the main problem with this country is that the rich people run everything. Of course this is definitely not so. ACORN is a good example of that. They have been running things pretty much their own way for quite some time. It is a well known fact that they have siphoned money many times from one charity into another one. Just using any and all money however and whenever they pleased. And definitely not using it however the individual donors intended for it to be used. How much they actually helped poor people remains to be seen. After we see how much they managed to put into their own pockets.

It was reported recently that one of their main projects was to provide housing for the so-called poor. They went into run-down, overgrown older housing areas where no one had lived for quite some time. ACORN then fixed up the older homes and cleaned up the yards, etc. Then they helped these poor people to acquire a home of their own. You know, the grand old American dream for all. Owning a home of your own where you can fix up and paint up and clean up for yourself. Only they didn’t do much of that. And besides that, the poor people had been talked into buying homes that they could never make the payments on. Then when ACORN could not help out with the re-financing or paying off the mortgages, these bad home loans were turned over to Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae. They say (those who were doing the reporting) that this could have contributed greatly to the final fall of the government housing mortgage programs. I think those programs have been blamed for most of the recent recession. Or at least that is what I have heard. Only the name ACORN had never been mentioned before. Surprise!!!

Meanwhile, ACORN was  busy supporting Obama with their ACORN money and their poor people. They brought  those poor people in on busses to the various rallies and to campaign in various areas for Mr. Obama. Wonder where they got the money to run those busses or pay the people for their time. Sure makes you wonder about all those people who supposedly run everything. I don’t think any of them were rich people. Even the man who started the ACORN and ran it for years denied that he was rich. And it was reported that his relatives weren’t rich either. They just had sticky fingers, but they are working that out right now, before any charges are filed.

And those who were caught on television advising others about how to get around the rules of running a business. They weren’t rich. And the prostitute and her brothel of underaged foreign girls that were getting the free advice  - I know they were not rich. Wonder who those rich people are who run everything. Certainly not anyone that I see anywhere, any time. The only rich ones I know that are running the country are the members of Congress who seem to be far richer than they should be. And their personal friends or relatives who also seem to be of the richer types.

That’s it! That must be the rich people who are running everything. That is what is wrong with this country. Most definitely.