The ACA is working so well (eyeroll), I propose a new scheme, I mean - program.
The Affordable Food Act mandates that everyone must pay an average of $400 per month for food insurance.
This program will provide the same awesome benefits that the Affordable Care Act does for health care!
If you are receiving any kind of welfare already, you won't have to pay a dime - you'll get another $400 worth of food on top of all the benefits you're already receiving. Don't worry - the poor shlub down the street who doesn't get any welfare benefits at all will be paying your premiums!
Those that have a job or two and are already paying house and car and health insurance premiums every month, must pay $500 per month for AFA (you know - to help pay for those who aren't paying anything). This provides a $400 food credit at any approved grocery stores (located at least 20 miles from your home and only opened weekdays from 9-4, and anything under $30.00 per item won't count toward your deductible, and restaurant bills are not covered.)
So, after paying your $500 premium, you'll only have to pay an average of $300 for food each month! (This is the average amount spent on food per month without food insurance.)
What a deal!
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Political Entropy
So this is how it ends.
The Founders had such good intentions. Build a new nation based on unalienable human rights, and limited government ruled by the citizens, not the other way around. Codifying those rights redundantly, in the Bill of Rights, prioritizing a free press as the vigilant watchdog over the public sector. Mandating public education for the purpose of teaching literacy of the Bible and the Constitution, for the express teaching of morality and civics.
Within my lifetime, the Left has succeeded in violating the Constitution with both impunity and approval of the mainstream media, redirected Education to push social agendas, and redefined Truth to become Lies that the masses must believe or risk ridicule, persecution and labelling as bigots.
Marxists will always win the political game because they are willing to sacrifice their integrity to undermine Truth, morality, and true Justice, while the Conservative Right is not.
In a fallen world, evil motivations win. Give them enough time and they will hang us all.
John Adams in a speech to the military in 1798 warned his fellow countrymen stating, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams is a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and our second President.
Benjamin Rush, Signer of the Declaration of Independence said:
"[T]he only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be aid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments. Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind."
Noah Webster, author of the first American Speller and the first Dictionary said, "[T]he Christian religion, in its purity, is the basis, or rather the source of all genuine freedom in government. . . . and I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of that religion have not a controlling influence."
Gouverneur Morris, Penman and Signer of the Constitution. "[F]or avoiding the extremes of despotism or anarchy . . . the only ground of hope must be on the morals of the people. I believe that religion is the only solid base of morals and that morals are the only possible support of free governments. [T]herefore education should teach the precepts of religion and the duties of man towards God."
Fisher Ames author of the final wording for the First Amendment wrote, "[Why] should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble. The reverence for the Sacred Book that is thus early impressed lasts long; and probably if not impressed in infancy, never takes firm hold of the mind."
John Jay, Original Chief-Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court , "The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts."
James Wilson, Signer of the Constitution; U. S. Supreme Court Justice, "Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine. . . . Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other."
Noah Webster, author of the first American Speller and the first Dictionary stated, "The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. . . All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."
Robert Winthrop, Speaker of the U. S. House, "Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet."
George Washington, General of the Revolutionary Army, president of the Constitutional Convention, First President of the United States of America, Father of our nation, " Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society."
Benjamin Franklin, Signer of the Declaration of Independence" O]nly a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
"Whereas true religion and good morals are the only solid foundations of public liberty and happiness . . . it is hereby earnestly recommended to the several States to take the most effectual measures for the encouragement thereof." Continental Congress, 1778
The Founders had such good intentions. Build a new nation based on unalienable human rights, and limited government ruled by the citizens, not the other way around. Codifying those rights redundantly, in the Bill of Rights, prioritizing a free press as the vigilant watchdog over the public sector. Mandating public education for the purpose of teaching literacy of the Bible and the Constitution, for the express teaching of morality and civics.
Within my lifetime, the Left has succeeded in violating the Constitution with both impunity and approval of the mainstream media, redirected Education to push social agendas, and redefined Truth to become Lies that the masses must believe or risk ridicule, persecution and labelling as bigots.
Marxists will always win the political game because they are willing to sacrifice their integrity to undermine Truth, morality, and true Justice, while the Conservative Right is not.
In a fallen world, evil motivations win. Give them enough time and they will hang us all.
John Adams in a speech to the military in 1798 warned his fellow countrymen stating, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams is a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and our second President.
Benjamin Rush, Signer of the Declaration of Independence said:
"[T]he only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be aid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments. Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind."
Noah Webster, author of the first American Speller and the first Dictionary said, "[T]he Christian religion, in its purity, is the basis, or rather the source of all genuine freedom in government. . . . and I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of that religion have not a controlling influence."
Gouverneur Morris, Penman and Signer of the Constitution. "[F]or avoiding the extremes of despotism or anarchy . . . the only ground of hope must be on the morals of the people. I believe that religion is the only solid base of morals and that morals are the only possible support of free governments. [T]herefore education should teach the precepts of religion and the duties of man towards God."
Fisher Ames author of the final wording for the First Amendment wrote, "[Why] should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble. The reverence for the Sacred Book that is thus early impressed lasts long; and probably if not impressed in infancy, never takes firm hold of the mind."
John Jay, Original Chief-Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court , "The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts."
James Wilson, Signer of the Constitution; U. S. Supreme Court Justice, "Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine. . . . Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other."
Noah Webster, author of the first American Speller and the first Dictionary stated, "The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. . . All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."
Robert Winthrop, Speaker of the U. S. House, "Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet."
George Washington, General of the Revolutionary Army, president of the Constitutional Convention, First President of the United States of America, Father of our nation, " Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society."
Benjamin Franklin, Signer of the Declaration of Independence" O]nly a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
"Whereas true religion and good morals are the only solid foundations of public liberty and happiness . . . it is hereby earnestly recommended to the several States to take the most effectual measures for the encouragement thereof." Continental Congress, 1778
Sunday, June 28, 2015
R.I.P. U.S.A.
It's been an historic week. The Supreme Court upheld the "Affordable" Care Act by usurping the Legislative Branch and rewriting the failing law, and violating the 10th Amendment. The next day, by a 5 to 4 margin, they ruled that every state must honor homosexual marriages, redefining matrimony and violating states' rights.
I have to admit, the plan was brilliant (diabolical). In 7 short years, the Left has used a variety of weapons to destroy our Republic. Yes, I know it was fragile with abuse and neglect before this current administration, but the agenda was exponentially advanced under Obama. Making lies and deception the norm, devaluing objective Truth, labeling dissent as bigotry, and flouting Constitutional Law, we have suffered the 4-pronged attack that brought US down. See Alinsky's Rules for Radicals
We are now an Oligarchy.
For those uninformed citizens who believe the U.S. is a Democracy, (democracy definition: A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives. Note: Democratic institutions, such as parliaments, may exist in a monarchy.), you are mistaken. The Founders established a Constitutional Republic. A constitutional republic is a state in which the head of state and other officials are representatives of the people. They must govern according to the existing constitution. In the U.S. constitutional republic, executive, legislative, and judicial powers are separated into distinct, co-equal branches.
On Thursday, the benefits of 6.5 million people outweighed the rest (315 million), violating the Commerce Clause by forcing every citizen to purchase health care insurance. On Friday, the wishes of a mere 3% outweighed the other 98% of the American population by forcing every state to honor homosexual marriage. The 10th Amendment was sacrificed both times to achieve these rulings. The 14th Amendment was twisted out of proportion to justify it. (The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. The amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws, and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War.) For some time now, the majority of states have honored homosexual marriage or offered civil unions that guarantee equal protection under the law.
SCOTUS and this current administration have forsaken the Constitutional Republic and turned our nation into an Oligarchy of the few and elite.
ol·i·gar·chy - äləˌɡärkē/
noun
a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.
The saddest result of this past week is the way it has divided our nation. For this reason alone, we will fall (and it is impossible for me to believe that those who fomented this division don't know it.)
Rainbow lights illuminated the White House after the Gay Marriage ruling, just to rub it in. I'm sure the 3% homosexual population was touched by the gesture, and I wonder when the Straight Pride flag is scheduled to fly over The People's House. (I won't hold my breath.)
I have to admit, the plan was brilliant (diabolical). In 7 short years, the Left has used a variety of weapons to destroy our Republic. Yes, I know it was fragile with abuse and neglect before this current administration, but the agenda was exponentially advanced under Obama. Making lies and deception the norm, devaluing objective Truth, labeling dissent as bigotry, and flouting Constitutional Law, we have suffered the 4-pronged attack that brought US down. See Alinsky's Rules for Radicals
We are now an Oligarchy.
For those uninformed citizens who believe the U.S. is a Democracy, (democracy definition: A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives. Note: Democratic institutions, such as parliaments, may exist in a monarchy.), you are mistaken. The Founders established a Constitutional Republic. A constitutional republic is a state in which the head of state and other officials are representatives of the people. They must govern according to the existing constitution. In the U.S. constitutional republic, executive, legislative, and judicial powers are separated into distinct, co-equal branches.
On Thursday, the benefits of 6.5 million people outweighed the rest (315 million), violating the Commerce Clause by forcing every citizen to purchase health care insurance. On Friday, the wishes of a mere 3% outweighed the other 98% of the American population by forcing every state to honor homosexual marriage. The 10th Amendment was sacrificed both times to achieve these rulings. The 14th Amendment was twisted out of proportion to justify it. (The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. The amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws, and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War.) For some time now, the majority of states have honored homosexual marriage or offered civil unions that guarantee equal protection under the law.
SCOTUS and this current administration have forsaken the Constitutional Republic and turned our nation into an Oligarchy of the few and elite.
ol·i·gar·chy - äləˌɡärkē/
noun
a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.
The saddest result of this past week is the way it has divided our nation. For this reason alone, we will fall (and it is impossible for me to believe that those who fomented this division don't know it.)
Rainbow lights illuminated the White House after the Gay Marriage ruling, just to rub it in. I'm sure the 3% homosexual population was touched by the gesture, and I wonder when the Straight Pride flag is scheduled to fly over The People's House. (I won't hold my breath.)
Monday, June 8, 2015
What If My DNA is Wrong?
The Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner kerfuffle got me thinking.
What if my DNA is wrong?
What if my brain tells me I'm a fabulous feline? Like, for years?
I am now convinced that I'm a courageous cat!
From now on, I shall stop shaving, walk on all fours, adopt a human to take care of all my physical needs, get a tail surgically attached, move and reshape my ears, and forsake clothing.
Who's gonna stop me? The bigots? The haters?
I bet I'll get my own Reality Show.
Meow, Baby.
What if my DNA is wrong?
What if my brain tells me I'm a fabulous feline? Like, for years?
I am now convinced that I'm a courageous cat!
From now on, I shall stop shaving, walk on all fours, adopt a human to take care of all my physical needs, get a tail surgically attached, move and reshape my ears, and forsake clothing.
Who's gonna stop me? The bigots? The haters?
I bet I'll get my own Reality Show.
Meow, Baby.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Heroes Need Boys
I work as a Paraprofessional Librarian at a public Intermediate school. Our mascot is a Knight. So, of course the 6th graders go to Medieval Times for their final field trip. This year, their matching T-shirts had an impressive knight in school colors on the front, and a quote from one of their required reading books: "There are fair maidens to rescue! Dragons to slay!" - Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick.
Since this school year is almost over, I can't help thinking about after school activities I might host for next year. (Educators never stop thinking of ways to educate.) Observing the destructive frustration of 10-12 year old boys who don't fit the Schooling Mold and are assigned to a Behavioral Intervention Classroom (B.I.C.) makes me wonder if our boys don't have enough opportunities to release their inner heroes.
Recently, I made the mistake of posting a status on Facebook, outlining a plan for a Heroes Training Club for those boys who resent what they perceive as wasted time in the classroom. You'd think I'd taken a personal swipe at every teacher. Defensive, much? I'm a rebel, I know - I'd rather pick D - All of the above, when it comes to education.
I cowered from the stinging rebuke for a few days, but I am still compelled to reach out to students, especially boys, who need something more than grade-gratification from written assignments. Here's what I'm thinking:
H.E.R.O. Training
H - Helping
E - Everyone
R - Realize
O - Opportunities
An 8 - week after-school "club" teaching skills and attitudes that cultivate the Hero in every boy (or girl), including prepping for emergencies and survival and making habits of recognizing and meeting needs of others around them.
If nothing else, I want them to realize that, in any and every situation and circumstance, they will be either a blessing or a burden. Choosing to be the blessing is the stuff of heroes.
If you have any ideas for activities or information for this endeavor, please let me know.
Since this school year is almost over, I can't help thinking about after school activities I might host for next year. (Educators never stop thinking of ways to educate.) Observing the destructive frustration of 10-12 year old boys who don't fit the Schooling Mold and are assigned to a Behavioral Intervention Classroom (B.I.C.) makes me wonder if our boys don't have enough opportunities to release their inner heroes.
Recently, I made the mistake of posting a status on Facebook, outlining a plan for a Heroes Training Club for those boys who resent what they perceive as wasted time in the classroom. You'd think I'd taken a personal swipe at every teacher. Defensive, much? I'm a rebel, I know - I'd rather pick D - All of the above, when it comes to education.
I cowered from the stinging rebuke for a few days, but I am still compelled to reach out to students, especially boys, who need something more than grade-gratification from written assignments. Here's what I'm thinking:
H.E.R.O. Training
H - Helping
E - Everyone
R - Realize
O - Opportunities
An 8 - week after-school "club" teaching skills and attitudes that cultivate the Hero in every boy (or girl), including prepping for emergencies and survival and making habits of recognizing and meeting needs of others around them.
If nothing else, I want them to realize that, in any and every situation and circumstance, they will be either a blessing or a burden. Choosing to be the blessing is the stuff of heroes.
If you have any ideas for activities or information for this endeavor, please let me know.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Growing With God
Gardening is not for sissies.
You'll work muscles you didn't know you had (and they'll hurt tomorrow). Dirt and sweat are part of the package. You'll discover slimy, slithering and squirming things. After busting your gardening budget preparing the soil and planting the seeds, a 15 minute hailstorm will devastate all of your efforts. Foliage will spring up overnight and get chewed down the next day by unseen mandibles. You'll sunburn the tops of your feet making sure your garden never dries out. Fire ants will eat your root vegetables before you harvest. Squirrels will strip your corn, melon and nectarines.
Or - you'll get more zucchini and tomatoes than you can deal with! You'll eat a tender beet salad (with their steamed greens) garnished with pod peas every week all summer. You'll finally get to smell the warm-honey fragrance of pear blossoms. You'll make new friends swapping potato recipes. You'll learn that planting sweet potatoes in huge patio containers lets you harvest them much more easily and you'll enjoy their bright green vine foliage into the fall.
There's nothing like planting a tiny seed, nurturing it with your hopes and perspiration, and enjoying the fruits of your labor, recognizing that the whole process involved a complexity of miracles. It's a work of faith.
Garden is for the spirit.
You'll work muscles you didn't know you had (and they'll hurt tomorrow). Dirt and sweat are part of the package. You'll discover slimy, slithering and squirming things. After busting your gardening budget preparing the soil and planting the seeds, a 15 minute hailstorm will devastate all of your efforts. Foliage will spring up overnight and get chewed down the next day by unseen mandibles. You'll sunburn the tops of your feet making sure your garden never dries out. Fire ants will eat your root vegetables before you harvest. Squirrels will strip your corn, melon and nectarines.
Or - you'll get more zucchini and tomatoes than you can deal with! You'll eat a tender beet salad (with their steamed greens) garnished with pod peas every week all summer. You'll finally get to smell the warm-honey fragrance of pear blossoms. You'll make new friends swapping potato recipes. You'll learn that planting sweet potatoes in huge patio containers lets you harvest them much more easily and you'll enjoy their bright green vine foliage into the fall.
There's nothing like planting a tiny seed, nurturing it with your hopes and perspiration, and enjoying the fruits of your labor, recognizing that the whole process involved a complexity of miracles. It's a work of faith.
Garden is for the spirit.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
What Heroes Leave Behind
On April 1, 2015, a hero passed on.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/article17187011.html
Les Williams was one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen. He achieved the rank of Captain in the first class of Black bomber pilots.
But that's not why he's my hero.
After WWII, Captain Les Williams overcame the remnants of racial prejudice in his home town of San Mateo, CA, to open a dance studio. He was my first tap-dance teacher. He was 45 years old when my twin sister and and I became his 5 year old students. I remember him as a patient, kind and smiling teacher.
In fact, I remember him so fondly as my first tap-dance teacher that I wasn't even aware he was a famed Tuskegee Airmen until a few years ago. I wanted to tell my students about my first hero. Knowing he was a famous dancer in the San Francisco Bay Area in my youth, I searched his name on the internet and was puzzled when references to Tuskegee Airmen kept popping up. Mr. Williams never marketed himself as a WWII and Civil Rights hero when advertising his dance studio. When I asked my father if he knew, he said he had no idea. He just saw a dance studio near his workplace and, probably because of the popular influence of his childhood neighbor, Shirley Temple, decided to enroll his young daughters for tap-dance classes.
I didn't dance again until high school, then taught dance in a small town in Nebraska as a young adult.
Since I have learned of Les Williams' rich life story, I have woven it into lessons I give as an Intermediate public school Librarian. When he and his daughter, Penny, wrote his autobiography, I purchased several copies and he was kind enough to autograph them for circulation in my school. At the beginning of this school year, I did a book review featuring his book, Victory. Several students, especially boys, asked about learning more about tap dancing. I recommended books from our library, then decided in the new year to offer a Tap Dance Club, even though I had not danced in over 30 years (I'm 55)! Happily, the skill returned quickly - it's kind of like riding a bike - and I think I'm having more fun than my students. About a dozen students joined. Some dropped out, but there are almost as many boys as girls learning the Stray Cat Strut. Three of the girls are learning so quickly that they want to perform at the school Talent Show in May.
Because of a Tuskegee Airman who invited me into the joys of tap dancing, I continue to tell his inspirational story and teach fancy footwork as I remember his impression on my life, hoping to inspire hundreds, even thousands of young students.
What do heroes leave behind? Gratitude.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/article17187011.html
Les Williams was one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen. He achieved the rank of Captain in the first class of Black bomber pilots.
But that's not why he's my hero.
After WWII, Captain Les Williams overcame the remnants of racial prejudice in his home town of San Mateo, CA, to open a dance studio. He was my first tap-dance teacher. He was 45 years old when my twin sister and and I became his 5 year old students. I remember him as a patient, kind and smiling teacher.
In fact, I remember him so fondly as my first tap-dance teacher that I wasn't even aware he was a famed Tuskegee Airmen until a few years ago. I wanted to tell my students about my first hero. Knowing he was a famous dancer in the San Francisco Bay Area in my youth, I searched his name on the internet and was puzzled when references to Tuskegee Airmen kept popping up. Mr. Williams never marketed himself as a WWII and Civil Rights hero when advertising his dance studio. When I asked my father if he knew, he said he had no idea. He just saw a dance studio near his workplace and, probably because of the popular influence of his childhood neighbor, Shirley Temple, decided to enroll his young daughters for tap-dance classes.
I didn't dance again until high school, then taught dance in a small town in Nebraska as a young adult.
Since I have learned of Les Williams' rich life story, I have woven it into lessons I give as an Intermediate public school Librarian. When he and his daughter, Penny, wrote his autobiography, I purchased several copies and he was kind enough to autograph them for circulation in my school. At the beginning of this school year, I did a book review featuring his book, Victory. Several students, especially boys, asked about learning more about tap dancing. I recommended books from our library, then decided in the new year to offer a Tap Dance Club, even though I had not danced in over 30 years (I'm 55)! Happily, the skill returned quickly - it's kind of like riding a bike - and I think I'm having more fun than my students. About a dozen students joined. Some dropped out, but there are almost as many boys as girls learning the Stray Cat Strut. Three of the girls are learning so quickly that they want to perform at the school Talent Show in May.
Because of a Tuskegee Airman who invited me into the joys of tap dancing, I continue to tell his inspirational story and teach fancy footwork as I remember his impression on my life, hoping to inspire hundreds, even thousands of young students.
What do heroes leave behind? Gratitude.
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