Maybe some of you reading this can explain to me what is wrong with this tiny little word and why it’s so difficult for some people to say.
I’ve been told “no”, you’ve been told “no” and you can rest assured that my children are told “no” – A LOT! And guess what? Nothing bad happens – imagine that! The world didn’t come to a screeching halt because my husband and I told our daughter “NO” she wasn’t going to get a new cell phone because she dropped hers into a sink full of water. Was she upset? You bet! Is it inconvenient? It sure is, but life DOES go on. She will have to earn back the privilege of having a cell phone.
Ok, this is using the concept of “no” in its simplest form, but really – does it have to be that difficult to tell people “no”? I have no problem telling a server at a restaurant, “no” you’re not getting a good tip, you were rude. Poor, irresponsible, lousy behavior should not be rewarded – under any circumstances!
So, why, then is our government rewarding big business for their financially irresponsible behavior? They’re out of money? TOUGH! You don’t get anymore! If you can’t take care of what you had, what you had been trusted with, you certainly aren’t going to get anymore – the answer is NO! Say it with me, current administration, the answer is NO! It’s time for these corporations to take responsibility for their own actions, own up to the fact that they mismanaged their business, and take the consequences that come with it. Is the government going to come and offer Joe Taxpayer a “bailout” because he mismanaged his checking account and is now overdrawn? Hardly! Yet, that’s what they’ve done with banks and the Big 3 Automakers – only on a much larger scale and with a much greater risk.
And what have these companies done with it? They have rewarded the financially irresponsible behavior of their CEOs with multi-million dollar bonuses! The American people are struggling to keep a roof over their head and food on their table, but we have CEOs getting fat bonus checks and a pat on the back. They’re allowed to keep the jobs that they abused. They are allowed to stay in the same positions they held while they ran their companies into the ground.
Speak up, folks! We DON’T have to take this treatment from a government that is supposed to work for us. We elected these people, we “gave” them their jobs – they work for US – not the other way around. It’s time to make our voices heard. Write to your senators, write to the White House. Let them know that enough is enough. Do we want anymore bailouts? Do we want them to spend anymore money so that our great-grandchildren will have to work to pay it off? The Answer is NO!
As always, I welcome your comments...
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Another "Victim" of our Friends in the Media!
Yes, another issue in the media this week is causing me to yet again to climb up high to the top of my soapbox! Unless you have been living under a rock this past week, you are surely familiar with the controversy surrounding this year's Miss USA Pageant. This firestorm that the media has stirred up is absolutely ridiculous! Once again, we have a victim of the media simply because she chose to stand behind her convictions.
In case you don't know - here it is in a nutshell. Miss California, Carrie Prejean, was asked if she believes in gay marriage. Her response was: "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe a marriage should be between a man and woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised." She never once denounced gay marriage, gay relationships or said it was wrong. She simply stated that in HER family a marriage should be between a man and woman. Is she the ONLY person on the planet who thinks so? Hardly!
Good for you, Carrie Prejean! I applaud your courage for standing up for what you believe in and how you were raised. This feeding frenzy that has been created has absolutely nothing to do with the issue of gay marriage and everything to do with the fact that this girl stood her ground.
Let's look at this for a minute...the judge who posed the question was openly gay gossip columnist Perez Hilton. If any of you have ever listened to or read anything he's done, you know he makes his living by basically putting down other celebrities. Guess what? Thanks to our forefathers and every member of the military personnel who ever wore the uniform, he has that right to freedom of speech. So who is he to denounce this girl and call her vulgar names for speaking her mind? The same goes for anyone else who does so. We have the right to speak up for what we believe in, right or wrong. If the shoe was on the other foot and he was criticized for the things he says in his column, you can bet he would be up in arms.
By the way...who won the pageant? Does anyone know? Again, the media has blown this so far out of proportion that the winner, Miss North Carolina, Kristen Dalton, has been pushed aside. Her victory has barely even been mentioned because of this. All the media reports is that Miss California's statements "cost her the crown."
A friend of mine put it best: "I am extremely upset that we are being forced to either (1) succumb to dishonesty in order to achieve our goals or (2) stay true to ourselves and risk the possibility of watching our dreams slip through our fingers!" She took the words right out of my mouth! To Carrie Prejean: who cares about that crown - if you have to become a self-sacrificing, belief-hiding person to earn that title - you don't need it. That crown isn't worth the plastic it's molded from.
I welcome your comments...
In case you don't know - here it is in a nutshell. Miss California, Carrie Prejean, was asked if she believes in gay marriage. Her response was: "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe a marriage should be between a man and woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised." She never once denounced gay marriage, gay relationships or said it was wrong. She simply stated that in HER family a marriage should be between a man and woman. Is she the ONLY person on the planet who thinks so? Hardly!
Good for you, Carrie Prejean! I applaud your courage for standing up for what you believe in and how you were raised. This feeding frenzy that has been created has absolutely nothing to do with the issue of gay marriage and everything to do with the fact that this girl stood her ground.
Let's look at this for a minute...the judge who posed the question was openly gay gossip columnist Perez Hilton. If any of you have ever listened to or read anything he's done, you know he makes his living by basically putting down other celebrities. Guess what? Thanks to our forefathers and every member of the military personnel who ever wore the uniform, he has that right to freedom of speech. So who is he to denounce this girl and call her vulgar names for speaking her mind? The same goes for anyone else who does so. We have the right to speak up for what we believe in, right or wrong. If the shoe was on the other foot and he was criticized for the things he says in his column, you can bet he would be up in arms.
By the way...who won the pageant? Does anyone know? Again, the media has blown this so far out of proportion that the winner, Miss North Carolina, Kristen Dalton, has been pushed aside. Her victory has barely even been mentioned because of this. All the media reports is that Miss California's statements "cost her the crown."
A friend of mine put it best: "I am extremely upset that we are being forced to either (1) succumb to dishonesty in order to achieve our goals or (2) stay true to ourselves and risk the possibility of watching our dreams slip through our fingers!" She took the words right out of my mouth! To Carrie Prejean: who cares about that crown - if you have to become a self-sacrificing, belief-hiding person to earn that title - you don't need it. That crown isn't worth the plastic it's molded from.
I welcome your comments...
Monday, April 13, 2009
Enough is Enough!
I read today that yet ANOTHER sports figure signed another record deal with his team. Before I get into that, let me make something clear. This is NOT about bashing athletes or celebrities. I am a football fan. My husband has commented more times than I can count that I "bleed black and gold" (guess it won't take you long to figure out my favorite team is!) But with that being said - enough IS enough!
James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers signed a six-year deal today for nearly $52 million, guaranteeing him $20 million. Please don't get me wrong, Mr. Harrison is a fine football player and no doubt should be compensated for his ability. But lets put things in perspective. Mr. Harrison, along with all of the other highly-paid athletes across the sports world are just that - athletes. Athletes and celebrities are not doctors capable of saving a life. They are not firemen who can pull a body from a burning building. They are not policemen who put their lives on the line EVERY day to protect and serve. And they aren't Soldiers who sleep in trenches in foreign lands to protect our freedom. Nor are they teachers, responsible for educating and preparing our children to one day lead this country.
The same policemen, firemen and Soldiers I mentioned above who put their lives on the line day after day for ALL of us, make a pittance compared to what these "stars" are being paid. Some of them, after giving their lives in the line of duty, barely have enough left to give them a proper burial and sometimes nearly nothing is left for the families they leave behind.
We have school districts coast to coast who struggle to keep the doors open to educate our kids. Yet the "Big Business" of sports and entertainment are guaranteeing large salaries to drug users, drunk drivers and criminals.
Almost daily, we hear of another family that has fallen victim to a murder/suicide situation over the stress of being unemployed, homeless and unable to provide their families even the basic necessities of life. What does this say about our priorities as American citizens when we continue to condone this behavior by forking over our hard-earned money for outrageously-priced tickets to sporting events, concerts and movies?
Here we are in the worst economic situation since The Great Depression. We have families living in the streets or in their cars because they can't afford to pay for their homes. We have senior citizens forced to eat crackers and cat food just to have enough money to pay for life-preserving, life-saving medications. We're bailing out large companies and allowing executives to collect exorbitant bonuses, while the working class people of this country struggle to keep their heads above water, something many are unable to do.
We see advertisements on television and the Internet asking for our hard-to-come by, hard-earned money to feed starving children in poor countries. Wake up! We have starving, homeless children living in our streets here. Don't take my word for it. Visit a downtown city near you and you'll see for yourself. I'm not saying that there are not those who may be worse off than we are, but as the old saying goes, "Charity begins at home." Lets take care of our own before we try and save the world.
Let me just make this point once more. This entry isn't about begrudging anyone of anything. I am not trying to take away what these athletes and stars are able to do. They are entertainers. They provide us with a break from the daily grind. But, please, lets keep things in perspective. Do we really need to pay these celebrities these large amounts of money just to entertain us? I think not.
James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers signed a six-year deal today for nearly $52 million, guaranteeing him $20 million. Please don't get me wrong, Mr. Harrison is a fine football player and no doubt should be compensated for his ability. But lets put things in perspective. Mr. Harrison, along with all of the other highly-paid athletes across the sports world are just that - athletes. Athletes and celebrities are not doctors capable of saving a life. They are not firemen who can pull a body from a burning building. They are not policemen who put their lives on the line EVERY day to protect and serve. And they aren't Soldiers who sleep in trenches in foreign lands to protect our freedom. Nor are they teachers, responsible for educating and preparing our children to one day lead this country.
The same policemen, firemen and Soldiers I mentioned above who put their lives on the line day after day for ALL of us, make a pittance compared to what these "stars" are being paid. Some of them, after giving their lives in the line of duty, barely have enough left to give them a proper burial and sometimes nearly nothing is left for the families they leave behind.
We have school districts coast to coast who struggle to keep the doors open to educate our kids. Yet the "Big Business" of sports and entertainment are guaranteeing large salaries to drug users, drunk drivers and criminals.
Almost daily, we hear of another family that has fallen victim to a murder/suicide situation over the stress of being unemployed, homeless and unable to provide their families even the basic necessities of life. What does this say about our priorities as American citizens when we continue to condone this behavior by forking over our hard-earned money for outrageously-priced tickets to sporting events, concerts and movies?
Here we are in the worst economic situation since The Great Depression. We have families living in the streets or in their cars because they can't afford to pay for their homes. We have senior citizens forced to eat crackers and cat food just to have enough money to pay for life-preserving, life-saving medications. We're bailing out large companies and allowing executives to collect exorbitant bonuses, while the working class people of this country struggle to keep their heads above water, something many are unable to do.
We see advertisements on television and the Internet asking for our hard-to-come by, hard-earned money to feed starving children in poor countries. Wake up! We have starving, homeless children living in our streets here. Don't take my word for it. Visit a downtown city near you and you'll see for yourself. I'm not saying that there are not those who may be worse off than we are, but as the old saying goes, "Charity begins at home." Lets take care of our own before we try and save the world.
Let me just make this point once more. This entry isn't about begrudging anyone of anything. I am not trying to take away what these athletes and stars are able to do. They are entertainers. They provide us with a break from the daily grind. But, please, lets keep things in perspective. Do we really need to pay these celebrities these large amounts of money just to entertain us? I think not.
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