I find more things on Facebook these days. I realize you have to take about half of that with a grain of salt. But this, this seems right on the mark. Thanks AJ+.
Now, I know why I never knew when any of the Democratic debates were being held –
Just something I was thinking about . . .
[A proud participant of Just Jot It January, hosted by Linda G. Hill.]
So I watched the debates this last week, both of them. Did you?
I missed one of the Democratic debates, and chose not to watch the December Republican debate, but what I have seen is that the overall tone of the Democratic debates have been far more civilized and respectful than the Republican debates. All that testosterone on one stage maybe, I don’t know, but the Republicans seem to talk less about the topics at hand – the problems in this country and HOW they would alleviate them – and more about themselves and each other.
Hillary Clinton was on Jimmy Fallon last week. He mentioned something about her watching the Republican debates, and taking a shot every time they said her name – she laughed and said she wouldn’t “make it past the first half hour.” I noticed they did say her name A LOT. Shit, I would’ve been drunk if I’d a been playing that game – really.
It was a good interview.
After watching the debates, I could say so much, but let me just mention a few random thoughts . . .
The Republican debate is almost always a debacle at worst, a circus at best – and this one was no exception. Donald Trump was all over Ted Cruz and they argued back and forth many times. The moderators completely lost control of the event. Marco Rubio referred to it as Court TV – I suspect it was worse.
Several times Trump mentioned that we must repeal and replace Obamacare. Replace it with what? He never said, and I don’t think they ever asked. Couldn’t believe one of the questions was is Hillary Clinton an enabler of sexual misconduct. WTF kind of question is that in this context and setting?
About half way in, there was talk between them about how they shouldn’t be tearing each other apart – great, I agree, but I don’t want to be part of that discussion. Them treating each other respectfully should’ve been a given – so not sure why we would waste precious time discussing that, either. OH wait, maybe because they don’t really have any answers, or answers that most of us would like, agree with, or understand in the context of our problems.
John Kasich mentioned the 50+ year old unemployment problem, but I’m not sure retraining us is necessarily the answer, though that could be helpful in some instances. Our jobs didn’t go away and we didn’t become incapable of doing them with the same vigor. The insurance companies don’t want to cover us.
Christie cracked me up when he said he is kicking President Obama out of the White House this fall. We all know this is Obama’s last term, he has to leave no matter which party wins. And contrary to Christie’s belief, Obama hasn’t “brainwashed” me against guns, nor do I feel he is trying to take them from me. No one will . . .
Rubio vehemently said criminals do not get guns from gun shows. I disagree, and I know how easy it would be for them to do it. I’ve seen exactly how it works. I can show him, too. He also called the EPA the Employee Prevention Agency. Of course, I bet he has never lived too near a toxic waste site, or an EPA Superfund site, though they are way more common than you think. I’m sure he hasn’t had his whole neighborhood bulldozed and perimeter fenced with security guards. I have, and all that entails. This is why we need health and safety regulation, because we are still finding and cleaning up the irresponsibility of the past.
I’m not sure any of them actually get it or understand it . . . the real issues, I mean.
NONE of them think Bernie Sanders is a viable candidate! Kasich even laughed about it, saying no one will vote for Bernie – he’s not an issue. That may sneak up and bite them in the ass.
The Democratic debate was lively. Sanders mentioned the heroin epidemic and how the pharmaceutical companies are also to blame. Well of course they are – after decades of addicting people to their Vicodin and Oxycontin and when the laws abruptly changed to make these drugs mostly unavailable to all the addicts they have grown to spike their profits. Shame on you . . . and I saw the heroin epidemic coming, but that’s a story for another day.
Sanders said we need to stand up to corrupt insurance and pharmaceutical companies – that it’s time to end Congress being owned by big money, and get back to Congress meeting the needs of the people. Clinton didn’t touch that too much.
It was enlightening to know that Clinton makes a large sum of money from Goldman Sachs for speaking events. O’Malley didn’t get much talk time – Hillary is definitely noticing Bernie now . . .
Obviously, these were some of the little things that caught my attention, and sometimes little things are telling. I figured you have already heard all about the major points. Oh yeah – Saturday Night Live had fun with the Republican debate this last Saturday as well. I tried to find a link, but none are posted yet. That’s the one thing I LOVE about election season – Saturday Night Live’s (and other comedians’) parodies!
Oh, and what about those New York values . . . {shaking my head, laughing!}
Just something I was thinking about . . .
Also part of Just Jot It January – check it out over on Linda G. Hill’s blog.
Happy New Year!
It’s been awhile . . .
I’ve been paying little attention to the news in the last few months, but you just can’t escape the shit.
I missed half of the second Democratic Debate, since I had no idea it was on, a major network station at that. Not sure how that happened other than maybe they did a poor job of promoting it, especially on a Saturday night right before Christmas.
I recorded the third Republican Debate, but just deleted it without watching it. Wasn’t up for being entertained. Seems like I heard a few governments have said they will ban Trump from coming to their countries, and that Cruz may have been born in Canada. But, I have done no real research on those tidbits.
Western Illinois University has a history of predicting the winner of the presidential elections. Guess who they predicted the winner will be – Bernie Sanders . . .
Yep – feeling the Bern!! Time will tell . . .
Heard about the Syrian refuges they arrested in Texas and California for being terrorists. Pretty much exactly what so many feared.
I read in our local paper that gas prices are causing many layoffs in the oil and gas industry, but they followed that statement saying that with raw materials so cheap, the refineries are doing well, by buying in bulk now while prices are low, making their profit margins larger. So in the end, the oil and gas (refineries) company stock holders and CEOs probably aren’t taking that big of a hit. Just the middle class who lost their jobs – most likely a bunch of people in my age group.
Had a lot of company in December, at different times all spread out. It was good to see family we haven’t seen in some time.
Caught up with a few of my blog buds today. Enjoyed that immensely!
Anyway, thought it would be nice to contribute to Just Jot it January, over at Linda G. Hill’s blog. Hope it isn’t my only contribution 😉
Just some things I’ve been thinking about it . . .
I am so tired of being “job free” – it sucks, is soul sucking, confidence stealing, and it’s got my head all screwed up. It seems as though life is kind of at a standstill for us, though we are fully aware of all the interconnected things going on around us that can (or do) affect us positively and negatively, and we can’t seem to escape this surreal nightmare.
My husband feels the same way, though he has been able to help one of our friends, who is a framer and builds houses, occasionally. But overall, lately we are about as motivated as sloths! We’ve been talking about it, and are consciously going to start working on it right away.
BUT what I really need, besides a job for me and my husband, is to take a road trip and get the hell out of dodge. I am sick of this place, these four walls, and this whole depressing unexpected time frame in my life and I am ready for a change and especially a change of scenery.
SO, this is what I need to see, and soon!!!! What about you – how you feeling??
I have been watching much of the political news and saw the last Republican debate. Now that was entertaining at various times throughout, as well as educational, enlightening, depressing and rife with platitudes. I heard Rick Perry, who I lovingly refer to as “Govna’ Goodhair” and that Wisconsin guy dropped out. (Okay, yes tonight I am too damn lazy to go look up his name and I can’t remember it off the top of my head 😉 ) That made me smile and I wasn’t surprised – both them dropping out and my indifference to looking up that guy’s name. Carly Fiorina is coming across as a real “Iron Lady,” but I think her business record will hurt her.
And The Donald, well, all I can say is this –
But, I think the further we go, it’ll be realized that he has no “real strategy” for anything, knows nothing about foreign policy and is full of insults, hot air, and himself. Great traits in a boxing or wrestling ring, but disastrous in a president.
Now Lindsey Graham just scares the crap out of me . . . I think he studies Revelations on a regular basis . . . and is living it out daily. And Ted Cruz, well he gives me the heebs every time he opens his mouth – he is a true hypocrite, among other things, in my book.
Looking forward to the next two debates, especially the first Democratic debate. I’m watching Bernie, and I like Elizabeth Warren, too, though I know she isn’t in the race. I had to go look up who else was running besides Hillary. The rest of them don’t seem to be viable, and I don’t like anyone who wants to loosen up copyright restrictions, so Lawrence Lessig is definitely out for me.
So many other things going on in the world as well, but it’s late. We can talk about them soon, as I am determined to write on a regular basis! I’ll be catching up with you all, as well! 🙂
(YEAH you know I had to go look it up, damn it 😉 – that guy I referred to earlier that dropped out was Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.)
Anyway, just some things I have been thinking about . . .
{Laughing} Not sure what to say about this picture that is going around on Facebook. It was even more interesting reading the comments {laughing again}. I have no idea who Jim Ballard is, other than he works at Tea Party Patriots – well that says a lot. Is it just me, or is this the stuff nightmares are made of? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have major issues with every person on this “dream ticket,” just most of them. Two of them, I don’t know anything about, yet. I’ve heard Dr. Ben Carson speak, and he seems to have some sensibility. But the top three in the photo – oh my lord, sounds like chaos to me . . .
What do you think about all of this? Do you think Donald Trump has any real staying power? I have always said we need someone in office who is not a politician, but I also concluded that thought with someone who understands what it’s like to struggle to pay their bills, you know the common person – not someone even further removed from reality. Is it just me, or does it seem like the only thing worse than a true politician is a one-percenter?
Just something I was thinking about . . .
I have to start by saying that for the most part, I love my state. It’s big, beautiful, friendly, and where I have lived most of my life. Texans do have a particular mindset, and believe themselves to be independent and rebellious in nature. Having said that, the politics can be mind-blowing — really. And sometimes, I can’t help but think how sheep-like so many of these Texans are — not rebellious and independent as they seem to think.
Reading the paper a few weeks back, it was brought to my attention that in the midst of all the important things going on right now, the Texas Legislature may reconsider HB619. This bill caps the sales taxes on boats and yachts costing more than $250,000, to no more than $15,625. It would also eliminate sales taxes on boats sold to buyers from out of state.
Seriously . . . ???
Apparently, the Texas Gulf Coast yachting industry and associated jobs are ailing. I wonder if that has anything to do with all the unemployed younger baby boomers who should still be working . . .
I’m certainly confused on how that helps the industry as a whole, if they are enticing out of state buyers who will pay no taxes or any other boat-related costs in this state, other than enough fuel to sail away. Again, economics is not my strong suit, to say the least!
I’m sorry, but in my book, if you can afford a boat or yacht that costs more than $250,000, as well as the maintenance, slip, and fuel costs, well than you can probably afford to pay the full amount of the taxes. Y’all let me know if I am being too tough here . . . yeah that was meant to be facetious 😉
I never cease to be amazed at the gall of my state’s government and the entitlements of the top one percent. Do y’all ever feel this way?
So far the bill was defeated, thank goodness – clear minds prevail for now.
As a side note – it’s pretty scary when Donald Trump is the current leader in the polls for Republican nominee. I can’t wait for the debates 🙂 I don’t think there’s a decent candidate coming from this state – they are all crazy, narrow-minded, single-focused zealots. Bat-shit crazy, I tell you 😉
I often question why I still live in this state – but then I remember all my family and lifetime friends I am surrounded by. I took off over 25 years ago living in the Ozarks for a few years, but we came back and times are different now. Most specifically – there are grandchildren ❤
Anyway, just something I was thinking about . . .
(Wow – there’s been some changes on the WP format – I have been away too long!)
When we go to the grocery store to shop for our food, typically we have over 47,000 products to choose from. Do you have any idea where some of this food comes from, how it’s made, who’s controlling it, who’s making the profits, and who’s overseeing the safety? I’ve been hearing rumblings that were quite disturbing for years, but lately, it’s hard to get away from the “rumors” with so many different ways for people to communicate.
Regarding grocery store produce, since there are no seasons anymore, fruit is usually picked before it’s ripe, ripened later with ethylene gas. And just what is ethylene gas?
After doing some research, I have discovered that the way we eat, meaning the way our food is grown, has changed a lot in the last 50 years, more so than in other time frame of our history. I have tried to ensure I have done valid research, on this subject in particular, because it affects my family, my grandkids, me, and you and yours.
I am old enough to remember that when I was growing up autism was rare. I knew no one with it. I knew a lot of kids and I was the only one I knew with asthma, which my mother also had from the time she was a little girl. There was no ADD or ADHD, and a good percentage of children were not on prescription medication. It is no longer that way.
From early on, I wanted to raise a few livestock of my own, and have my own garden, and buy other essentials in their natural state from my neighbors. I almost made that dream happen. See, I was paying attention to what was going on long before I even realized it.
As I began to really pay attention to what I was serving my family, I noticed that in tracing food back to its origins, that most of it was not grown or raised on farms, but produced in factories, factories that from the outside look like farms, but are anything but when you begin to understand how they operate as large assembly lines and/or scientific experiments.
Just as some have said about our communication and media sources becoming too sanitized distributing the same messages via a very small group of owners with specific interests being dangerous (another topic for another day), so too is our food supply.
Much of the food found on the shelves of the average grocery store is made and controlled by a small group of multi-national corporations – from the seed to the end product. Technically, a handful of companies are controlling our food system in the United States – what we eat and how it’s produced.
Big pharma and corporate chemical companies, with their genetically modified experimental commodities, are threaded thick through this food tapestry. And you might be surprised at the number of people who work back and forth between these corporations and government regulatory agencies over the years – I know I was.
Though food is absolutely necessary to our survival, don’t ever kid yourself, IT IS BIG BUSINESS and it is not about sustaining the population and its health, it is about PROFIT, pure and simple.
Stay tuned if your interested, as I have more to say on this subject, just don’t want to make this post too long.
Anyway, just something I’ve been thinking about, for quite some time now . . .
Hello my Blog Buds!!
[I used that term in a comment to another blogger, a fav of mine Opinionated Man and decided to keep it 🙂 ]
I just wanted to thank you again for following me – reading, commenting, and engaging! I doubled my number of Blog Buds over the summer, something I never expected to happen. I’m glad you are enjoying my random rambling thoughts, as I have many! I read as many of you as I can when I can.
I mentioned I am participating in National Novel Writing Month. Yes, I am definitely a glutton for punishment!
This is not my first attempt at this, but I hoping this will be my first success. I am proud to say that as of the end of today, Day 3 (just finished up for the day), I am 6543 words in, though my friendly counter reminds me that I still have 43,457 to meet my challenge goal.
I voted early last Friday. Political races are nasty here, so I’ll be glad when it’s over, tired of hearing all the bullshit. Today is Election Day – I hope you go and exercise your right to vote. Though inherently we all want and need the same things, we will never all think the same, nor should we – BUT we should think ☮
I am watching the Congressional Hearings on Ebola now. The CDC is looking really bad and in my opinion is not currently up for the task of protecting this country. Dr. Frieden, head of the CDC, was asked if he knew of any hospitals in Ohio that have practiced procedures for handling an Ebola patient. (Ohio is where Vinson flew to.) Dr. Frieden did not know if this has been done. If I was him, that would’ve been one of the first things I did after learning about Ms. Vinson’s travel.
Someone mentioned that Pham’s dog is being quarantined, and that old CDC reports noted that transmission to/from dogs is unknown, but suspect. This congressman then asked if we shouldn’t be imposing travel restrictions on animals – yet still no mention of actually imposing travel restrictions on people. And when I say restrictions – I don’t just mean preventing airplane travel.
School districts in Texas and Ohio have now closed some schools due to the risk of exposure. I heard that Frontier Airlines has grounded their exposed employees – finally someone with a brain. Hopefully they are going to decontaminate the plane – though that is just one of the places Vinson exposed to the virus.
A nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas stated that she had questioned the protective apparel at the time. She also said if she got sick, she would NOT go to the hospital she works for. Apparently, quite a few people are refraining from visiting that hospital – thank goodness.
And one last thing that keeps going through my mind – what exactly is meant by “monitoring” of the exposed people. (They may have asked that during the hearing, but if so I missed it.) And why are so many being allowed to “self-monitor?”
Just something I was thinking about . . .
I swear this was not what I had in mind for my next post. I have some other things I am working on, but I just can’t believe healthcare worker Amber Vinson got on a plane knowing she had a fever and knowing she had been exposed to Thomas Duncan, and Nina Pham, the other nurse who has been diagnosed with Ebola. She of all people KNEW BETTER! Vinson has now been diagnosed with Ebola, and flown to Atlanta for treatment.
When asked how this could happen, that one of these exposed healthcare workers could get on a plane and travel during the incubation period when they were supposed to be being monitored for symptoms – the answer the official gave was the one we keep hearing over and over – Well, somebody dropped the ball there.
I heard another official say that the risk of the infection spreading was “very very low,” but we all know that’s bullshit. Why don’t they just tell the truth – though the risk appears to be low, this is a dangerous disease, and everyone must be vigilant, period. AND they haven’t been!! Those that could be exposed need to be trained thoroughly and provided the appropriate protective equipment. AND they haven’t been!! It’s been reported that the nurses who treated Duncan also treated other patients. Those in charge really are not taking this issue seriously. How could they be, with this type of decision-making and resulting behavior?
And I’m sorry, regardless whether anyone kept Vinson from flying or not – SHE should’ve known better, she did know better, she just didn’t care. Shit, I take more precautions to keep from exposing people when I have a cold. I have to admit, I was fucking blown away when I heard she got on a plane knowing she had a fever and her exposure history. I could go on about that, but serves no purpose.
[I have to add a post-script here: A few hours after the initial report that Vinson traveled by plane, it was discovered that she DID contact the CDC and inform them that she had a fever. The CDC, in their infinite wisdom, told her to go ahead and fly, as her fever was still under the threshold they had set. The CDC , in my opinion, have just lost an immense amount of credibility by not erring on the side of caution. I pray that mistake doesn’t come back to haunt them, as well as the rest of us.]
I said in my last blog – I hope everyone that has come in contact with these patients is being quarantined and monitored. I can’t help but worry that someone has been missed, unnoticed, or unidentified. Well, we now have proof that exposed people are out there in the general population coming in contact with others who have no idea.
There are 70+ other healthcare workers who came in contact with Duncan, not counting how many others who have come into contact with Pham and Vinson. So far, none of the original 70+ people are being quarantined, knowingly allowing them to possibly expose others.
AND while all of this is going on, and we have turned our attention to our own inattention to precaution against Ebola and are now scrambling to stop the possible impending crisis, I can’t help but wonder what else might be going on elsewhere – while we aren’t paying attention?
Just something I was thinking about . . .
Just something I was thinking about . . . 