A history lesson…

If I remember it correctly, it was 2003 when I watched the first large group of people I had worked with, and grown to love, pack up boxes and walk out the door. I think it was 2003, but it’s hard to remember; this scene was repeated so many times.

It was 2004 when layoffs hit my home. It wasn’t me, it was my husband, but it sucked.

2004. And who was in the White House? Oh yeah, the country elected Bush. Again!

The layoffs, also known as RIFs (reduction in force), had become so frequent that I called them the semi-annual festivities. They had begun to happen every six months, though one year saw the event happen thrice. As employees, we became pavlovian in our behaviors. We learned to instinctively know what behaviors and meetings to watch for in order to know when the “festivities” were being planned. We had internal clocks that told us when it had been “safe” for too long. I found myself walking on eggshells on Tuesdays if my boss didn’t smile.

One Tuesday morning my boss (one of three bosses that year due to layoffs) called me while I was still at home. It was early and my hand shook as I picked up the phone. As it turned out, it was nothing important, but when we were done talking I melted onto the floor in tears. Relieved that it had been nothing. You see Tuesdays were the day these things were announced. People were told on Tuesday. They had three days at home to decide to take the package. Then on Friday the zombies left the building. And then the cycle would continue.

I watched the call centers in Tucson shrink as the jobs were moved offshore. First to India and then to the Philippines. Keane, Convergys, AOL, Intuit…between them they sent thousands of Tucsonans home with a pat on the back, a quiet thank you, and sometimes hush money. And when the event was over, the companies went about business like there was nothing wrong.

This went on for years.

Those of us who were left behind each time weren’t as financially impacted as those who were dumped on the side of the corporate road, but we were emotionally impacted. Many of us felt guilty for having survived yet again. It’s a fairly well documented psychological phenomenon yet Intuit did very little to help us through it. And it was only toward the end of my own journey that it was even acknowledged.

I wish I could say I stuck around for my hush money. At the time the packages were fan-freaking-tastic. 2 weeks pay for every year you worked, the average of your last 3 annual bonus payouts, all your available vacation time, and some cash for COBRA if you needed it. At 13 years I did the math to see how much I would net in hush money if I could stick it out – roughly $25,000. NET!

I couldn’t do it.

In August of 2008, when they announced the largest bulk layoff, I had had enough. I was as good as dead at work. I wasn’t impacted, but I was so emotionally toasted that I was just like the other walking dead in the building. You see this group was asked to stay for a month or so in order to get their hush money. Some did, some didn’t. Some like me had reached the end of their journey and voluntarily threw in the towel.

2008. And who was in the White House? Oh yeah, it was still Bush. Obama was still in the Senate.

So… remind me exactly which President I should blame for this horrible economy. Who was it that made it so freaking attractive to send jobs out of the country? Who should I be mad at when I look around and see that most of the people I worked with for 13 years are now either unemployed or under employed. And many of those that aren’t in either of those categories are making less money today than they were in 2005.

Obama? Yeah, it’s all his fault.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously. Open your eyes and get a grip. Our country was headed down this path long before Obama ever made it into a U.S. Senate seat in 2004. Stop blaming him for the problems he didn’t create.

Blessings,
Bert.

Tomato paste; it’s what’s for lunch!

Did ya hear the one about… Oh how I wish this were a joke.

Congress, those people who decide important stuff out there in Washington D.C., those people who have proposed some 600 pro-life bills this year alone, those people that don’t want to pay for Medicare, Medicaid or Obamacare, have once again shown that they don’t care what happens to children so long as they are born. They’ve once again proven that their constituents are much less important than the almighty dollars that come from the corporations that line their coffers. But this time, it’s about the children. The poor children.

Congress blocked a bill that could have improved the nutritional value of lunches that millions of children depend on each school day. Despite the ridicule that the Reagan administration continues to get for trying to place ketchup in the vegetable column, they actually are willing to agree that 2 tablespoons of tomato paste qualify as a vegetable serving. One of the changes that was being requested? Making the serving a full 1/4 cup, but oh no…no, no, here’s your 2 tbsps Johnny. Have at it. Mmm, mmm good.

Really? Can you imagine if I tried to serve 2 tbsps of tomato paste as a vegetable to my children? I’d be willing to bet CPS would have something to say about that. But Congress thinks it’s ok for our school children as long as it’s slapped on bread and topped with cheese.

I completely understand a large majority of the arguments here. We spend too much money. Yup. We shouldn’t be telling people what to eat. Yup. It’s none of the federal government’s business to tell schools what to serve. Yup. Blah blah blah…. Here’s the rub boys and girls, it’s too late for that. In fiscal year 2010 there were 31.7 million children fed through the federally assisted National School Lunch Program. 31.7 million children whose families were so poor they qualified for free or reduced-cost lunches at school. Some of these children are starving. Some of these children only get one hot meal a day and that’s the one that the school provides. These children are being taught that pizza and fries are not only yummy, they’re nutritious, and to that I call Bull Shit! Stop lying to our children. They look to us to guide them and educate them and we, the adults, and you, the law makers, are muckin’ it up!

Look, we’re stuck paying for these lunches right now, so let’s make them healthy lunches. Let’s teach this generation of children to eat in a healthy manner so that our healthcare costs aren’t on the rise from treating diseases that we helped nurture by teaching them to eat pizza and fries. It’s no secret that garbage in equals garbage out. (After all, we sent garbage to Congress and we’re getting garbage out… Did I say that out loud?) The spending problem here is not what it costs per meal, or that this would have raised the costs by 14 cents per meal. The problem is what is being paid for the base ingredients up front; it’s a problem with how the contracts are negotiated. I can guarantee you that I can feed a child a nutritious meal for under $2.77, particularly when it is in bulk to the tune of millions of meals. Get some negotiators in there. Stop the corporate welfare and that will stop the class warfare for that is what this is. Serving poor children, crappy food that keeps them obese, unhealthy, and less able-bodied than their rich counterparts is nothing less than a war upon the poor.

I normally end these posts by saying blessings, but I’m having a hard time doing that tonight. I’m too pissed off at those people in Congress who are so completely out of touch with what is happening in our country.

Bert.

If you are interested in more information, please read more about the National School Lunch Program and the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. I wish I could say I was making this stuff up, or that I was exaggerating the health risks and problems of our current American diet, but I’m not.

A math lesson.

I like math. Really. I think it’s fantastic. What I don’t like are people who use math to distort opinions or use it to evoke emotional reactions. Or worse, use it to completely mislead a whole segment of the population.

Lest I be poked at for being bias, I think both sides of the government use whatever math they want to make a particular position sound good. It isn’t just the Republican side of the house that does it. But today’s rant is about what the Republicans keep stating about taxes.

In an interview with Christiane Amanpour, Speaker John Boehner states, “Come on, the top 1% pay 38% of the income taxes in America.” Hmmm…gosh that sounds bad. Really bad. I might feel bad for them if only this statement wasn’t intended to completely sway my opinion and misrepresent the facts.

Here comes the math lesson:

Lets say that Jim decides to buy an island and start a new country. He recruits 99 other people to come with him. They agree that they will each pay income tax to help build an infrastructure for their new Shangri-La. For argument’s sake, let’s say they go with a flat tax. The more I’ve learned about flat taxes, the less I like them, but to help make the math easy, we’re going to use 10% on all income.

Jim decides he’s going to be an entrepreneur. He’s a thinker and a salesman and one swell guy. His wages the first year are $1,300,000. He’s super good at his job!

Of the rest of the people, 10 remain unemployed, 10 others never wanted to work in the first place, 59 earn an average of $31,000, and the remaining 20 earn an average of $15,000.

The end of the year comes and it’s time to pay taxes. Here’s what that looks like:

Oh NO!!!!! Poor, sweet Jim is being screwed!!! He’s paid 38% of the tax. (38% of $342,900.00 is $130,302.00)

If you believe that Jim is being screwed because as the one 1%-er on the island he’s paying 38% of the tax, then you have bought the current tax lie hook, line and sinker. Remember, the tax is 10%. Jim paid the same 10% of his income as everyone else.

His total percent of the overall tax paid is greater than any other individual share because his percentage share of the income is greater. (Total income was $3,438,000 so his percent of the total income is the still the same 38%.)

This is the 38% that Speaker Boehner is talking about. We all know that as a percentage of their individual taxes, the rich do not pay 38% of their income. The top tax bracket at the moment is only 35% for crying out loud.

Don’t fall for the lies, even when they involve math or statistics kids; it’s bad for the health of our nation.

Blessings,
Bert.

Notes:

• The interview with Speaker Boehner is on the ABC site here: This week with Christiane Amanpour. He makes the statement at roughly the 9:30 mark.
• The table above is a picture because I didn’t feel like coding the table this late at night. Sorry, I cheated and took a snapshot of a page I let Word code. The math was done by Excel because I won’t try to do it in my head. Why would I, I have tools for that!
• I don’t disagree with the Speaker that we have a spending problem, but that’s not what this post is about.

Why the occupy movement started on Wall Street.

So here’s the thing folks, people everywhere are upset with the government. Tea Partiers, Occupiers, Republicans, Democrats, we’re all upset with the state of our country – it’ not really working for…well, for 99% of us. So why didn’t the OWS movement set up camp on Obama’s lawn?

Well, besides the obvious reason that the secret service would have stomped them out before the first “We are the 99%!” cry was fully formed and spoken, D.C. isn’t the root cause of the problem. I know, I know, you’re up in arms already. Let me explain.

The politicians are simply the puppets of those that have the money and the power. They don’t really make decisions about anything. I take that back, they happily decide how to keep the people who pay them happy on a regular basis. And if you say that’s the people, their constituents, I have news for you. It’s not the majority of the constituents who have a voice any longer.

Take a peek at the following website. Enter some names. Try Donald Trump for example. Or Perhaps David Koch. I’ll wait while you play a bit. Federal Election Commission.

No really, go try it. The next paragraph won’t make sense unless you try at least one name. May I suggest David Koch. [Update 11/3/11 9:33 PM: I received valid feedback that I was being slanted in my selection of names to try. It's no secret that I am very against the Koch brothers and find them highly offensive. But, feel free to try George Soros. The point is the same. The money must be removed or we will get no where. ]

These are the figures they disclose as individuals. The money they are willing to part with from their own private stashes. If they’re willing to give more than I make in a year in one fell swoop out of their own pockets, how much do you think they dole out from their various corporations, organizations, and other legal entities?

Think about it…

Why is this important? Root cause.

I’ve worked in or around technical support for a very long time. I love root cause. I even balance my checkbook every month and have since before I owned a computer. I’m one of those people that just has to know what’s really wrong. What is the root cause.

So, here’s a story for you about root cause. Ready? Stay with me here. There is a reason for the madness, I promise.

I put Pergo laminate flooring in a house I owned back in 1998. It was fabulous flooring. Tough as nails, beautiful, easy to care for – it lived up to all the claims! I loved it!! If you don’t know about laminate flooring, let me tell you a very important fact about it. Laminate flooring isn’t attached to your house. It’s laid on top of layers that protect it from the concrete slab and then it’s held in place by your base boards. It’s as easy to install as it is to clean! But here’s the catch, it’s not water proof. Water resistant, yes. Washable, yes. Water proof, no. If your house floods, or has say has a small inconspicuous leak behind the refrigerator, the water will run between the boards and around the edges and then sit under and between the layers and it will grow mold. I know this because it happened to me. (It also happened to a friend of mine whose air conditioning unit did the same thing, but he caught it sooner than I did.)

So, once I knew there was a problem, I had a choice. I could get rid of the flooring that was now busted and causing me pain by filling my house with mold spores, or I could find the root cause of the water damage and address that problem so I never had the issue again. I did BOTH! I got rid of the flooring and I fixed the leak that cause the water to exist in the first place. I diagnosed and resolved the root cause.

Why do I tell you this story? Because the politicians are like my flooring, they are subject to the various things that go on around them and have become moldy on capitol hill. The rich, greedy and powerful who bribe and buy them are like my inconspicuous leak steadily pouring their influence into the system.

Root cause people, root cause. Getting rid of the corrupt politicians will only bring us more corrupt politicians. Would you have recommended that I simply put down new Pergo and wait for it to mold again? Not likely. So why are you recommending that we replace one puppet with another puppet? Seek and find the root cause. Get big money out of politics. That is what Wall Street represents and that is why it is Occupy Wall Street and not Occupy the Government.

Blessings,
Bert.

I’ve grown weary…

I’ve grown weary of the mass willingness of people to believe anything they are told, simply because it comes wrapped in the pretty package. (Bubble-headed-bleach-blonde anyone?) MSM is not your friend and it does not have your best interests in mind. Stop listening. Stop watching.

I’ve grown weary of the bigotry, hatred, and intolerance that people display when someone challenges an opinion. As soon as the name calling and mud slinging starts the conversation is over because at least one person is no longer listening. Sadly, it often results in no one listening.

I’ve grown weary of the stupid comments from people about OWS. Today’s out-of-left-field comments called the occupiers all kids who were spoiled and pissed off because they weren’t getting six figure jobs coming out of college. This guy claimed that the problem with the occupiers is that they were born under the asymptotic curve and that “prosperity makes them lazy and breeds a sense of entitlement” (Whittle). To that guy I say Fuck You. Yeah, this one pissed me off and got me emotionally involved. The last thing I can be described as is some kid who is spoiled with an entitlement complex. I’m a grandmother who at 18 found herself pregnant with no home, no education, no job and $200 in the bank. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today thank you very much!

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. I currently hold down a full-time job and attend college full-time. I work my proverbial ass off! Last year both my husband and I worked two, yes TWO, jobs in order to make ends meet. And I still went to school full-time. I know what it means to work hard for a living.

I didn’t have it terribly bad growing up, but I wasn’t handed things on a silver platter either. As a child we didn’t have a lot of wiggle room in the budget. I remember my step-mother freaking out one night as she accidentally lit her hair on fire as she went to serve dinner. She didn’t freak out because she was on fire, she freaked out because she dropped the tuna casserole on the floor and now, with dinner ruined, she didn’t know what she was going to feed us.

I remember picking through the hand-me-down clothes my aunt and uncle had sent us one year. My cousins liked dresses and other “girly” things and their builds were much rounder than my own. I was a stick with blonde hair who has always preferred a good pair of jeans. Thankfully I don’t remember my parent’s reaction to my disappointment in the selection, but I’ve never had a poker face so I’m sure they knew I thought the box was full of crap.

But where objects and material items came few and far between for many years, love and laughter and joy filled our home. And there was always a lot of good critical thinking and conversation mixed with all that happiness. I was taught to think and survive. If that makes me a selfish, entitled brat, so be it, but I don’t think so.

Oh and my $100,000 in school loans that didn’t land me a six-figure job making me cry about how unfair life is…? Yeah, I’m in school, now, at 44. I don’t expect a hand out or a six-figure job when I’m done. I’m in school to learn and I love it for what it is, not what it might get me. It exercises my brain and that is priceless. This isn’t even close to why I’m pissed off Mr. Whittle.

Other than being shown Mr. Whittle’s webcast, here are some of the other things that happened this last week:

I’ve listened to a smart man say things such as, “You’re not far off! I heard them say , ‘See you soon Comrade‘!” in relation to a comment about how the occupiers may be communist. I swear I may go postal if I hear one more uninformed person say the people of OWS want communism/socialism/Fascism/Marxism or any other -ism other than capitalism. We simply want the ability for our voices to be heard, our work to mean something, and we want the rich and powerful to stop cheating and telling us that they aren’t. Here’s a great article from Rolling Stone that’s right on target.

I’ve listened to a smart man tell me that he does not vote but that he is not the embodiment of apathy because he makes an effort to be informed. Really? Then inform others and for the love of Pete, VOTE!

I’ve listened to a smart man say he still doesn’t know what the occupiers want. Well, sweetie, then you are waiting to be spoon-fed because it’s out there. As I said to him, “You have no reason not to know. You have access to my Facebook page!” He’s on my friends list so I can only assume he’s hidden me or chooses to remain uninformed which is sadder than the informed guy who won’t vote. To him I say, click a link or two and educate yourself!

I’ve listened to a smart woman whine about how the grass at Armory Park is not being taken care of. Grass, in Tucson no less, is more important than our rights as citizens? Really? Please. To you I say, please stop talking. You make me feel dumber for having listened to you. Feel free to go back and stick your head in the sand. Or the grass – you pick.

I’ve listened to smart people tell me that I shouldn’t get involved, I shouldn’t worry, because God will take care of it. Um, yeah… Feel free to pray for God’s help, but I, for one, will not sit on the couch eating bon-bons hoping that he’ll come to our rescue. While the phrase “God helps those who help themselves” is not in the Bible, the phrase, “God helps those who do nothing” isn’t either.

It’s no wonder our country is in shambles. It’s no wonder our leaders don’t listen and instead do what the highest bidder requests. Collectively we behave as though we are too stupid to know any better.

So, the next time you start to use one of those derogatory terms to describe the occupiers or the movement in general, or start to pull a comment from thin air, check yourself. It probably means you have no idea what you’re talking about. Get out from behind your television. Get out into the streets. Go talk to your friends, your neighbors, your community and find out what is really happening. Stop believing that just because your lights are on, your fridge is full, and your life is good that there is nothing wrong.

I dare you.

Blessings,
Bert.

A little more about Bill Whittle. In the original draft of this entry I called him a tool. I removed that since it was me being angry and mud-slinging. But here is why that term came up. I like the use of the asymptotic curve. He scores kudos there. It makes him sound like he’s smart so he must actually have a good grasp of what he’s about to talk about. But he really doesn’t. I stopped checking out his webcasts when I landed on one where he was touting a Heritage Foundation study about how the poor in America have it so good they should be celebrating. Any guesses on who helped create and fund the Heritage Foundation…? Yup, those good ‘ole boys the Koch brothers. Whittle is a tool of the highest magnitude. Just another bought and paid for mouthpiece trying to keep the dumb in the dark.

Some names just fit. For example, I don’t flinch when people call me a bitch. I’m not going to refrain from calling Mr. Whittle a tool.

Birthday Present!!

Last Thursday was my birthday. The only significance, since it wasn’t a major milestone or anything, is that when my youngest son was being dropped off, his Dad wanted to know what I wanted for a gift. Since I knew he was heading to New York on business, I asked for a picture of him at Occupy Wall Street.

I was only half joking.

He said he would get one “If it was still going when he got there.” I laughed and replied, “If? Seriously? Have you not been paying attention? It will definitely still be going!” There was more bantering and good humor, along with an “I told you so” from our son, but I didn’t really think anything of it.

Today I opened my email to find pictures and a movie. Happy Birthday indeed! You are officially my favorite person for the next 5 minutes J.T.! I love you!

The link will take you to the pictures and the video.

The video is five minutes. The best parts are as follows:

• The beginning when they salute Occupy Tucson.
• At 2:28 when he acknowledges that “This is pretty cool.”
• At 2:34 when he states, “Democracy in action, baby!”
• And last, but not least, is the ending. At the 4 minute mark, give or take, he brings us to the drummers!

OWS October 25, 2011

Enjoy. And as always, blessings,
Bert.

I’d like to opt out, but I can’t.

I’ve been on a quest to learn and absorb information about our government, our politics, the Tea Party, the Occupy Movement, and all the various nuances that come with such topics. Forging out on this journey, I have discovered, or perhaps rediscovered, my distaste for political rhetoric.

I should explain. It isn’t actual rhetoric that is the problem. It’s the lack of intelligent, cogent thought, and the insertion of illogical emotion that is the problem. Sure rhetoric has always been the art of persuasion, I totally get that. What I don’t understand is removing all Logos from the process and replacing it with unsubstantiated Pathos. How anyone can try to persuade another person to believe in an idea when they themselves do not understand it enough to respond to questions or logical inquiries with more than what I see as hateful spitting out of insults?

This morning found me, as every morning does, reaching for my phone and reading the news. I was saddened to see that the Occupy Movement has gone from being dirty, unemployed hippies to being anti-Semites. Really?? Here comes my own personal emotion…what the fuck? Calling people hippies and telling them to suck it up and get a job didn’t work so now we’re going to call them racist too? This is disgusting. This is stupidity at it’s finest. (The articles are linked below if you really want to read them.)

I was saddened when Dave Ramsey chose to use words like stupid, ignorant, whiner, and thief in his Dear Occupy Wall Street … letter, but sad doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel when hate comes into the picture. Hate is a terrible thing that makes people say and do monstrous things to others. Hate makes me want to go live in a cave and tell the whole world to kiss my ass because I’ve opted out.

But here’s the problem, we have so few people who are actually willing to converse that I can’t opt out. I don’t believe there enough people who are willing to sit down and talk about the problems and really listen to both sides of an opinion. Did you see the recent GOP debates? These people want to be our leaders? (Hell they already are our leaders! Yikes!) And yet they have a hard time listening to each other in a public forum!

I can’t say enough that people need to educate themselves. They need to rationally and objectively learn about and review the facts. Stop listening to the news bites. Stop gathering information from only one side. Stop believing the commercials! And more importantly, stop perpetuating the hate-full rhetoric.

On a slightly more positive note, I came across a different kind of video today that is well worth the 45 minutes it takes to watch it. It is also linked below. It contains some statistics that I haven’t researched on my own, but even if they are skewed, I doubt the points the speaker makes are false. I hope you watch it.

Blessings,
Bert.

References:
This is the one to click. Lawrence Lessig Keynote on Citizens United Decision

Red, White and Angry
: Communist, Nazi parties endorse ‘Occupy’ protests

Cries of Anti-Semitism, but Not at Zuccotti Park

Really Dave? Really?

It’s easy to say there is no message from the OWS crowd. It’s always been easy to stick your fingers in your ears and sing-song your way through life ignoring the problems around you. Certainly much easier than hearing that you might be wrong.

I’m old enough to appreciate and embrace the individualism of this country, but I am also young enough to appreciate the chaos that is happening in the occupy movement. Many minds working together to solve problems are likely to create amazing ideas. But that takes time.

I love Dave Ramsey. He’s my kind of straight talkin’ dude. I admire what he teaches and I believe he genuinely wants to help people get their lives together. Usually, I think of him as being able to cut through the BS and get to the heart of the matter without getting emotionally involved. Today he demonstrated that even he has personal hot buttons.

He posted a Dear Occupy Wall Street … letter on his website yesterday. It began well enough.

Dave wants them to get a message and define their goals. Yup, I agree. But these folks were taught to work in groups. They were taught to collaborate. We taught them that. Let them do it. They’re getting there.

Dave says they’re being discredited. Yup. There are factions of the media that are doing their darnedest to discredit them, that’s what they do. Reporters are more like soap opera writers these days because that’s what sells. Fact, fiction…oh, who cares as long as it sells, right? As long as ‘ole Rupert is making money it’s all good…

Dave wants to offer his advice and starts with “No Government Bailouts” Here-here Dave!

He then goes on with “Down With Corporate Greed” Can I get an Amen?

But then he gets on his soap box and pulls out the ‘stupid’ card. Um, Dave. Buddy. We don’t think all corporations are bad. For example, the nice shiny Dell laptop I’m typing on is phenomenal. After not buying myself anything new for three years, I was giddy as a school girl when I unpacked it last month. (Because I read the books, Dave, and I’m paying off my debt instead of shopping!) There are small corporations and big corporations. And just like some people are bad, some corporations are bad. The problem is the bad ones are very bad, and very big, and now, very, very powerful. And that is a problem.

In the next section, “Wall Street Is Evil,” Dave calls people ignorant for using the term Wall Street, because it’s just a street. Yes Dave. It is just the street. But just as Ellis Island is no longer a hub for legal immigrants but is still a symbol of “Coming to America”, Wall Street is still a symbol for the stock market. However, I will agree that many of the protestors have no idea what actually happens in the stock market. Why? Because they’ve never had an opportunity to learn. They’re still just trying to get by. They don’t have an few extra thousand, or hundred, or even ten dollars to gamble with. But wait, there’s more…

This next tidbit is where I think Dave really goes off the deep end. I picture him in an office grabbing his toys, turning his back and screaming “MINE!” at the top of his lungs – to an empty room. This section is, “Wealth Redistribution Is the Answer” wherein Dave proclaims the poor are all out to do nothing but take other people’s hard earned money. Really? Last time I checked no one was screaming for the rich to drive down to the barrio and start handing out Benjamins. We want our roads to be free of potholes, our police to be funded appropriately, and our schools to be equipped to educate…just to name a few social programs that are funded by the various governments and paid for by our various taxes. Oh and those are all things we all benefit from. So stop acting like we’re trying to steal. We just want the wealthy to contribute to the system we all enjoy. We want the tax loop-holes that encourage the greed to be closed, forever. Those of us down here are tired of carrying a larger percentage share of the burden.

And then we get to “Celebrate the Land of Opportunity.” I agree with the sentiment here. Work hard, get ahead, celebrate success. But he starts to go on about how we want to take it away again. For crying out loud Dave, people don’t even want to share your toys, let alone take them away!! Stop being a baby about it. People just want the opportunity to buy some of their own! Today the deck is stacked against the little guy who’s just starting out. You did a great job of getting ahead before the shit hit the fan. How well do you think you’d fair in today’s economy? I think you have what it takes to do it, but I also think it would have been a lot harder if you were doing it today.

In the end, we stoop to the level of “Grow up–and get a job.”

For the record, here is the text of my occupy sign:

I have a job.
My bills are paid on time.
~~~BUT~~~
My savings is gone.
My 401K is decimated.
And my house is so far under water I’ll have to be buried in it.
I’m lucky! I am the 99%

Blessings,
Bert.

Women

I wasn’t going to write tonight. I’ve written more than my fair share for one day between writing for work and writing for school, but then I ran across this video. What a powerful message. It needs to be shared.

Please watch it. Please share it. Please live it.

Blessings,
Bert.

P.S. Thank you Dad and Margot for always teaching me to believe in me. XO

Video is the property of Miss Representation.org

Tired and feeling guilty.

Today was the first day of class again. As a full-time student, full-time employee and now part-time protestor, it’s getting harder and harder to find the time to sleep and eat.

I was able to keep up with the events at Occupy Tucson today, but I wasn’t able to get there in person. I feel guilty. As I review the syllabi for my classes, I wonder how I will be able to find the time to be there in person.

I’m reading the dialog on the Occupy Tucson Facebook page and I can’t help but hear echos of conversations that must have taken place between colonists. Obey the laws as written. Followed by a rebuttal of, Denounce the government as corrupt. Are we just in that cycle? Is it time to start new?

Yesterday on Facebook, I posted a link to a blog that discusses the difference between a loyalist and a patriot. It’s a fantastic read. It’s here if you’re interested. If this was then, so many people who staunchly claim to be American would never have allowed this country to come into existence. But is revolution the answer? Is a full war our only answer? I hope not.

I heard a group of twenty-somethings talking about the GA on Saturday. The comment was, “If they’re going to do the same thing as our government, what’s the point. I thought we were building something new.” I mentioned this to Nick whose response was perfect. He said he believed in the government, just not the people in it. This makes me hopeful.

One of my posts on Facebook today was an article that proposes we stop talking about it as a revolution and move toward a renaissance. Thank you Mr. Peter Goodman for also lifting my spirits. His article is here and it is a fabulous piece.

And then there was the clip from Russell Simmons, one of the founders of Def Jam. He said, “It’s pretty simple. Wall Street controls our government and we’d like the people to control it. Simple.” He’s right; it really is that simple. The voices of the people have been silenced by the dollars of the rich and greedy.

Now let me be clear, not everyone who is rich is greedy and not everyone who is rich is a bad person. I’ve said over and over that it isn’t business, or even corporations, that are the problem. It is the people who think that they are better than the rest and have the money to buy others that are the problem. This includes people like the Koch brothers who continue to buy votes, ideas and people. It includes the backers of the lobbyists for big oil and the banks.

It also includes the recipients of that money. Politicians need to stop accepting that dirty money. They need to stop fearing for their jobs and start actually representing the majority of their constituents. They need to stop protecting and subsidizing industries and businesses that are making profits. This is why Ron Paul gets so much support. At least he sticks to his ideals. I have a lot of respect for him for that. (To clarify, I do not support Ron Paul, but this isn’t about him.)

Politicians also need to stop playing games like hide the favor. Every time I see some crazy provision in a bill that is obviously a favor of a favor of a favor, I get so angry I can hardly speak. They all spend so much time paying back favors and covering their asses to get re-elected that nothing good gets done any more. And this leads us down the whole, “vote ‘em all out” path.

Well, it’s now almost 2 AM and today has turned into tomorrow, so it’s time to end this and say good-night.

Blessings,
Bert.