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The Democratic Party Failure

  • Posted on September 18, 2010 at 1:01 pm

This video says a lot to me about the disrespect shown to Hillary Clinton during the 2008 election.  It’s subtle but it still shows me a lot about the men in the party!  I will always remember those words, “Likable enough!”

The last couple of months we have been hearing about how the Democrats are going to lose in November.  There has been much talk about which seats would go and how many are needed for the Republican Party to take over the House or even the Senate.  It almost feels like we have already voted.  I always find in interesting when pundits tell us what we, the people, are thinking.  I don’t know how they could possibly know what people are really feeling these days.  Most people don’t participate in polls, many don’t have land lines, and many don’t answer their phones for anyone but their friends.  This has made me think about what I’m thinking about all of this.  From my viewpoint, if the Democratic Party loses it’s because they still didn’t repair the problems created from the 2008 election, and they have governed more like Republicans than true Democrats.  If they lose, they deserve that loss.

Back in 2008 my primary vote was taken away here in Michigan and given to Barack Obama.  I didn’t vote for him and if I had been given an opportunity to revote, I would have voted for Hillary Clinton.  The Democratic Party then chose to even take some votes from Hillary and give them to Barack, a very undemocratic thing to do.  This and what happened in Florida has set the stage for a lot of what’s ailing the Democratic Party today.  The Democratic Party has for a long time acted in an elitist manner.  They have assumed that they know what is best for their constituents, even if their constituents think otherwise.  This is the main problem with the party.  They don’t listen to their people.  I called the Michigan Democratic Party when all of this was happening and I was treated poorly and even hung up on.  It’s hard to trust a party when they treat you like crap.  Well, fast forward two years to the November election.

It’s hard to see how anything has really changed.  I had high hopes that President Obama would do something to make me trust the party again.  I hoped that I could start respecting Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid again.  It hasn’t really happened.  I’ve written on here that we should vote for the Democrats because the Republicans are worse.  Isn’t that just a wonderful reason to vote?  Neither party is worth a damn these days.

The Democratic Party and President Obama have framed the last two years so there are four things that come to my mind:  We are still in these stupid wars.  We have a health care bill that no one seems to understand.  We have bailed out banks that didn’t bail out the American people.  We have a president that much like his predecessor likes to go on vacation a lot, acts clueless when it comes to real people and their needs, and has even embraced some of his Republican policies.

When President Obama came into office I was hoping he could convince me that he was the right choice.  It would be foolish for me or anyone else to want him to fail.  We’re talking about our country here.  I don’t want us to fail.  However, after two years, it’s hard to see what has really changed.  For all that talk about how things were going to “change”, much has stayed the same.  Washington is as hateful as it always has been, it’s as corrupt as it always has been and it’s as clueless as it always has been.  Even in the midst of economic disaster these politicians cannot seem to get anything done for the people.  They are too busy trying to get reelected than to do their jobs!  So if they lose their jobs this November, I have no sympathy.

Everything the Democrats have tried to do they have washed down so much that it looks more like a  Republican plan than a Democratic plan.  The health care bill didn’t fix anything.  We won’t know exactly what it will do until 2014 when much of it kicks in.  We do know that people with a more progressive agenda did not get their way.  Single payer was taken off long before the bill was completed.  John Edwards said if you let the corporations come to the table they would eat all the food because they’re a bunch of hogs.  I know, there I go about John Edwards again.  He is a horrible person and that’s what we are supposed to remember.  What I choose to remember are the policies he talked about.  He was right about this one.  President Obama invited those pigs in and they ate all the food.  Special deals were made.  Drug companies and insurance companies must have been pretty happy after all of this because they now have new customers that must buy from them.  It’s a closed market.  We are forced to buy from a corporation without any real cost cutting measures in place.  In fact, the people that supported a more progressive agenda for health care issues were not even invited to dine to supply their ideas on this discourse.  The people that really wrote the deal were insiders for the insurance companies.  You can’t play that slight of hand trick with the cards over and over and expect your people to continue to believe in you.  Of course the Democratic Party knows what is best for us even if we don’t.  This elitist attitude is what’s ailing the party.  They just don’t respect the intelligence of their voters.

Many of us Democrats, or used to be Democrats, would like to see the money that is going over to Iraq and Afghanistan come back home and help our war torn societies.  We have spent so much money overseas that we don’t have the money we need to run our city and state governments.  Times are tough.  Most of us want to take care of our own.  Many of us would like to see these wars resolved and the troops brought home.  President Obama was supposedly against the Iraq war but what he has done is really just shift the troops to Afghanistan.  It’s like these wars will never end.  If you have a child in kindergarten, chances are he may be fighting in the Middle East after he graduates!  At home we have to down size everything in our governments which means less police, less service, less education, basically less of everything so we can keep fighting over there.

The Democratic Party is clueless to what was happening with the American people.  The number one priority should have been jobs.  James Carville was right when he said, “It’s the economy stupid!”  It is the economy.  The stimulus package did some good but it fell far short from what it could have done.  The bickering over extending unemployment didn’t help.  Making the unemployment issue into “politics as usual” didn’t help.  When the Democrats cry that they can’t get anything done because they don’t have enough Democrats when they have so many, they appear ‘WEAK”.  They make the Republicans look strong as opposed to appearing just plain bad.  If the Democrats can’t figure out how to run things with the numbers they have, maybe they deserve to lose.  The Republicans didn’t have those numbers but they always managed to get what they wanted when they had control.  This tells me that either there are far too many DINO’s or Republicans are just better at the game.

Another thing that has really bothered me about the Democratic Party is their lack of female candidates.  The Republicans were smart enough to realize that there were a lot of women upset after the 2008 election and the way Hillary was treated.  I have noticed there are a lot of Republican women running for office.  They sound a lot like feminists even though they have a conservative agenda.  I want more women in office.  I could be tempted to vote for a Republican woman just because women are so under represented.  We are over half of the population and yet our laws are still largely written by white men!  When the Democratic Party comes out and attacks these women much like they have this last week with Christine O’Donnell they are tugging at another old wound from 2008.  Many of the women that I have come to know online since 2008 that were Democrats could easily vote for some of these women.  Many would like to see more Democratic female candidates but we recognize that the Democratic Party treats their female candidates horribly.  For as much as the Democratic Party would like us all to believe that they are a “big tent” when it comes to women, they still want us kept in our “place”.  Much like the Catholic Church we are supposed to sit on the sidelines and be supportive.  We are expected to be out at the grass roots level helping to campaign for the candidates.  We can lick envelopes, pass out flyers, make phone calls, canvas an area and make a financial contribution but we aren’t supposed to run the place!

Now I finally come to President Obama.  He governs much like his predecessor.  In fact I think he is a Republican.  He appears to be channeling Ronnie, not Jack or Lyndon and certainly not FDR!  A few weeks ago I heard a woman on CSPAN refer to Barack Obama as a socialist.  I can only wish he would have more of a social agenda.  She is dead wrong.  She said that the media didn’t do their job.  If they had shown what a socialist he was, she and a lot of other people wouldn’t have voted for him.  I thought that was ridiculous.  He really is everything I expected from the election.  I always thought he was more of a Republican and that’s why I didn’t care for him.  I heard his speech the summer of 2007 at the National Education Association conference and he talked about “merit pay”.  (I watched the video on the NEA website.)  Merit pay has always been “union busting” talk from my point of view.  This has been something the Republicans have pushed for years.  It came true under a Democrat.  Unbelievable, but true!  I don’t know exactly how it will work.  I do know that if you want teachers to teach for a test, that is exactly what they will do.  The problem is; it’s just a test.  It may not mean anything when it comes down to real education for your child!  President Obama has also been absolutely insensitive to working class America.  At a time when so many people are out of work and struggling to make ends meet, he vacations continually.  His family vacations much like President Bush did.  We have seen so many pictures of the Obama family on vacation that they don’t look like they have a care in the world.  President Clinton could “feel our pain”.  President Obama looks and acts like he is clueless to what the American people are going through.  If he had a clue, he would dial down these many vacations.  A lot of people gave up their vacations.  Others haven’t vacationed in years because they can never afford it!

In conclusion, if the Democratic Party loses in November, they have no one to blame but themselves.  It’s not because the Republicans are a better alternative, far from it.  The Republicans are a horrible choice.  It is because the Democratic Party forgot the people that put them where they are today.  We voted them in and gave them their jobs.  We handed the keys to the house and expected it would be taken care of.  Instead when we got home it’s like the wayward teenager that had a party.  Some stuff got broken and it didn’t get fixed.  We’re mad as hell parents looking for answers to our wayward teen’s choices and we are getting ready to ground him.  If the Democratic Party wants us to get fired up to vote them back in, they better start coming up with better excuses for their behavior than what we have been hearing!  They better stop taking all of us for granted.  They better repair the damage they created in 2008 and they better start respecting women!  They also better stop sounding like REPUBLICANS!  If we want a Republican in office, we will vote for them.  They could take care of a big issue right now that would show what a true Democrat would do.  They could let the tax cut for the wealthy expire.  Instead we keep hearing talk of an extension which means in 2012 there will be another fight to either extend it or make it permanent.  If they would act like Democrats right now and vote to extend the tax cuts for the working people and get rid of it for the wealthy, they could maybe save their party!

Truthfully, I should be thanking the Democratic Party.  If they hadn’t stolen my vote in 2008, I might not be writing this today.  I probably would never have even considered dealing with my thoughts on this website at all.  When my son set this up as a place for me to write this past Christmas, it was largely because of the events that happened in 2008.  He knew I was online a lot and writing comments on other sites.  He thought I might like writing my own blog.  I never had really given it much thought.  Now, I have discovered my voice.  In many ways I have always considered myself to be, “Silent Kate”.  I would go online and even post many places under that moniker.  I was a silent voice looking for a home.  I now have my home.  I just don’t have my party.  This woman will be silent no longer.  There are a lot of women out there like me looking for a political party that will actually represent them.  If the Democratic Party would like our votes, they should step up to the plate and encourage more women to run for office and they should stop belittling every Republican woman that runs just because she is a woman.  So, if the Democratic Party loses in November, they deserve it!

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The Hoopla Over Christine O’Donnell

  • Posted on September 16, 2010 at 8:59 pm

Christine O'Donnell looking a lot like Sarah Palin!

Sarah Palin could be Christine's sister!

I must admit I don’t know much about Christine O’Donnell and I truly don’t care.  Since I live in Michigan she really isn’t on my radar.  However, I am having a good laugh watching the two parties, Republican and Democratic fall all over themselves in disgust at her Republican Senate primary win in Delaware.

It all started with Karl Rove when he came out and said she says some crazy things.  He seemed quite upset that she won.  The Republicans thought they had a sure bet with Mike Castle.  What I find humorous about all of this is the fact that the Republicans “hand picked” candidate wasn’t selected by the voters!  Imagine that!  The voters decided they would pick their candidate.  The Republicans can’t get over the fact that the voters have the right to choose who they want to represent them.

On the Chris Matthew’s show he went on to ask some Republican, who I cannot for the life of me remember the name of, if Christine was “qualified” to be a senator.  I thought that sounded pretty elitist.  The truth is there are only three things necessary to qualify to be a senator.

Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for senators: 1) each senator must be at least 30 years old, 2) must have been a citizen of the United States for at least the past nine years, and 3) must be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state he or she seeks to represent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate#Qualifications

There is no IQ test to be a senator.  Otherwise, people like David Vitter would never have been elected!

To top all of this hand wringing off by the Republicans is the behavior of the Democrats.  MSNBC has been a huge supporter of Barack Obama.  Many of the people on that network are like Chris Matthew’s when he got that tingle up his leg.  The morning after she won, I watched “Morning Joe”.  When they showed the “masturbation video” I knew there was more going on than meets the eye.  The Democrats would have everyone believe that she will go down easily in defeat.  I suspect that they really don’t know what will happen as they are protesting far too much.  She looks and sounds a lot like Sarah Palin.  Some people find that very appealing!  During the whole Morning Joe show Joe was quite upset about her win.  Everyone else kept trying to put her down and make fun of her.  Joe kept saying something about her lack of income.  I think I heard a figure of $5800 or so.  He mentioned bankruptcy.  He said she lied about going to Princeton.  Then they played a video of her on the Bill Maher show.  By this time I was laughing like crazy because I suspected all of them, from both parties, gave way too much away by protesting so much.

They have made this into such a big issue that it is obvious that they are both worried.  The Republicans don’t know how to “handle” her and the Democrats are afraid that she might be stronger than they think.

Both parties are owned and operated by the corporations.  Maybe this is the problem.  She seems to be a “nobody”.  I’ve suggested on here that we should vote for the Democrats because they are slightly better than the Republicans.  However, there is no reassurance from where I sit that this is remotely true.  These parties are like brothers.  They play games with the rest of us pretending to be at each others throats.  We suspect that they don’t even like each other.  This is a game to keep us “commoners” thinking they’re actually trying to do something for US!  It’s just like “good cop, bad cop” episodes.

If you watched the memorial service for Teddy Kennedy you would have noticed that many Republicans obviously loved Teddy.  They were friends.  They even joked about which one would be the “bad” one for the press.  If you think I’m making this up go back and watch it.  It’s probably on YouTube.  The point is that “We the people” are the ones that actually vote and these senators “play” us all the time!

Christine O’Donnell managed to get the vote, “the vote from the people”, without an elitist pedigree.  She got Republicans to vote for her.  Whether she can get the votes that she needs to become senator in Delaware remains to be seen by all of us.  All I know is that not one vote has been cast yet.  There is a lot of time between now and the election.  If Democrats want to win, they better stop trashing her.  They’re just going to piss off a lot of women.  Women are already fed up with the Democratic Party because of their treatment of Hillary Clinton.  I can imagine if Christine gets the Hillary/Sarah treatment, women may vote for her in protest.

Republicans started turning around after the twenty four hour gripe period.  However, most people can see through the façade of bullshit they are selling.  They don’t like Christine because she is a Tea Party person.  I guess that’s code for “bat shit crazy right winger.”  You would think they’d be happy with her.  NO!  Both parties want to control everything.  They don’t want US to have a choice.  Christine is the Republican Party choice in Delaware.  The national Republicans will have to live with that.

My thinking is that the current senators aren’t doing such a hot job any way.  What difference will it really make if she wins?  I think people are just fed up with Washington.  It isn’t just Tea Party people.  It’s people like me.  I think a pink bunny could do as well as some of the current senators.  They are vacillating over extending the tax cuts.  They supposedly can’t get it done unless they include the wealthy.  This is just bullshit.  They don’t want to get it done and they don’t want anyone new to come play the game.

As I said in the beginning I don’t know much about Christine and I don’t even care.  However, I do care about the loss of what used to be my Democratic Party.  I’d like my party to embrace women in general.  I’d like to not see them go ape every time a woman, much like Sarah or Hillary, runs for office.  I’d also like to see more Democratic women running for office.  However, it seems like this is the year for Republican women.  Like it or not, if you want to vote for a woman, you may have to vote Republican.  The Democratic Party needs to get out of the dark ages and start encouraging women to run for office.  I’m fed up with these macho, elitist, mostly white, men that make all of the laws that pertain to the rest of us.  Remember half of us are WOMEN!  So the only dog I really have in this fight is the fact that Christine O’Donnell is a woman!  Go figure!

I wasn’t going to add anything to this.  However, Daniel Maxso sent me a video from Newsy.com. which shows conservative pundits firing back at Karl Rove on this issue.  It’s a good video so I’m adding it.  I also am providing a link below it to an article that I read last night that was really interesting on the subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbMcO07iQUQ&feature=player_embedded

This is a good op-ed article:

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/09/17/conservative-feminists-grizzlies-or-not-come-out-roaring/

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It Takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child

  • Posted on September 14, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Global Children

We each must do all we can to help our children reach their full potential.

Today President Obama gave an education speech to the children of America.  Our Superintendent, Rob Olsen, required that we have our students watch the speech.  The speech was well received by the students in my sixth grade art class.  We had a discussion after the speech and I truly believe the students liked what they heard.  However, one girl did moan when the president said that they must do their homework.  Listening to the speech I remembered a quote from an African Proverb:  “It takes a whole village to raise a child”.  Of course, Hillary Clinton also made this point in her book, “It Takes a Village.”

It does take a village to raise a child especially today with all of the economic upheaval many families are facing.  All of us, not just teachers and students, need to step up and make sure our children are getting whatever they need to grow into productive, happy adults.  At Sturgis Middle School, where I teach, all the staff really works hard to create a “family” atmosphere with the students.  It has been my experience that our staff of teachers, administrators and support staff all care deeply about the welfare of our students.  It isn’t just about raising scores on a test even though we all put forth much effort to create a positive testing environment.  Many teachers and staff have worked hard to make sure students get what they need when their physical or emotional needs aren’t met.  In fact our mission statement ensures that all of us get what we need to be the best that we can be.  “Sturgis Middle School is dedicated to the academic, emotional and social development of each individual.”  We have always felt that all of us need to be a part of the mission statement.  Teachers need to continually develop their craft just as students hone in on their academic abilities.  We encourage each other whether we are teachers, administrators or support staff to aim high in whatever we are doing in our lives!

When the president spoke today I think it was a very positive speech for students to hear.  They hear these same things from their teachers, family and other important people in their lives but I think there was something special about a president encouraging my students to do their best.  President Obama talked about possibilities.  He told students to stay focused on education.  He said, “Nobody gets to write your destiny but you!”  He also said, “The farther you go in school, the farther you go in life.”  My students took much of what he said to heart.  I asked the students why they think the president said it is more important now than ever before to get a good education.  This prompted much discussion about jobs going to China and such.  However, one resourceful young boy said, “We must get educated so we can take care of the pollution and carbon emissions.”  I thought for his age this was a substantial response as well as very thoughtful.  I told him how President Clinton had told my son’s graduation class from the University of Michigan about the same thing.  President Clinton implied that his generation messed up the world and my son’s generation would have to fix the pollution and such.

President Obama went on to tell the students to show up on time, pay attention in class, do their homework, and that excellence is essential for success.  He reminded them that they couldn’t just sit around waiting for luck to happen and that hard work can make the difference.  He told them that excelling isn’t about being smarter, it’s about working harder than anyone else.  He also encouraged them to encourage each other and to be proud of each other’s successes.  He encouraged them to fulfill the promise to be the best that they can be.  He told them life is precious and filled with diversity but we all should recognize ourselves in each other.  These were all inspiring words for my students.  He closed by mentioning a little girl’s letter from Georgia.  He quoted her letter by saying, “I try to achieve my dreams and help others to do the same.”

That final quote from the girl from Georgia says it all.  We must all step up and help our children and each other achieve our dreams.  We can’t give up and nor should our children when faced with adversity.  We must march on and create a life that is fulfilling and complete.  Our children should be encouraged to be the best they can be and we as adults must help them accomplish their goals.  If you don’t have a child or you are not a teacher, think about mentoring a child, assisting a coach, volunteering at a school or anything else that supports our children.  If you cannot be present then give your support through charitable organizations that help children get the clothes, heat and other essentials that they need.  We must all remember that education is not just taught by a teacher with a degree.  We can all help in the education of our youth by remembering that it does indeed take a village to raise a child!

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September 11th and Liberty

  • Posted on September 11, 2010 at 2:09 pm

It’s hard for me to wrap my mind completely around September 11th memorial celebrations.  I didn’t have anyone that perished in the towers or on the planes.  I don’t even know anyone that knows someone that did lose someone. That being said, I just want to say I think these times have been used this year mostly for political reasons.  The build up to the memorial celebrations have seen a month of anti Islamic sentiment seen all over our country.  This too, I see as political.  This November the Republicans are expected to take control of Congress.

The reason for all of this is not exactly clear.  They certainly aren’t being “rewarded” for their competency as they have done nothing the past two years.  We could say Democrats may lose for their lack of competency as well as they have managed to spend a lot of time on everything but the most important issue, jobs and the economy.  One thing is clear about both of these parties.  They both use September 11th as a time when they can declare their love of country and determination to one again feel the pain of every American and attempt to draw us all back into a time of “unity”.

However, there is no unity for the unemployed or those first responders suffering without complete benefits and recognition for giving their “best” to their country.  Politicians grab the spotlight and shine it on themselves in an attempt to garner votes and goodwill for largely their own purposes.  Behind the scenes are innocent Americans waiting for their unemployment check, a job or hoping their cancer treatments will work and if not, their country will step up and secure their family’s future.

I have to admit September 11th is still a mystery to me.  I remember when it happened.  I was in my classroom with my middle school students.  Our school principal got on the loud speaker and wanted us all to turn on our television sets.  Everything I witnessed at that time seemed very surreal, like it really wasn’t happening.  I think we all were in a state of shock.  I remember they announced that as many as 50,000 people may have died.  Over the course of the years since that time the amount of people that died has been stated to be around 4000, then 3000, and today on CNN as 2752.  The reason I mention the number is that it was used to really prepare us for war.  The higher the number, the angrier we became about being “attacked”.  Imagine my surprise today at the “new” number I heard.  I acknowledge the fact that if you lost someone, the number doesn’t matter.

What’s troubling me about September 11th now is the way that it is being politically put into our psyches as the day of remembrance for all time.  It’s hard to know what to make of all this.  On one side are the conspiracy theory people that think the buildings were imploded and the government played a part in allowing this to happen.  On the other side sits the government and their version that does seem to change as time becomes history.  This is evidenced by the continually changing numbers of victims but also by the continual mind manipulation of the American people.

As a youngster I remember the assassination of President Kennedy.  For me that was a frightening memory that stayed with me for years.  However, we, as a people, were not continually indoctrinated with memorials and tributes that I can recall.  Today with September 11th, I feel that much of the memorial presentations are used through the media to keep us under control.  They serve as a reminder of hatred and who we should continue to hate so we will continue to wage war, even if it is really an “undeclared” war.

Yes, I know the government has labeled it “THE WAR ON TERRORISM”.  However, we have not declared war, so this “war” can go on forever and have no “end”.  We can fight this thing called terrorism and call it a war and keep everyone scared and frightened for as long as the government chooses to do so.  That is kind of scary as we continue to follow rules like sheep that are herded to and fro without questioning any kind of authority.  Ever so often the government has to step in and remind us what we are fighting for because we are a people with a limited attention span.  We aren’t in the middle of the fight, so we tend to forget about Iraq and Afghanistan.  It’s real for the soldiers, their families and the people from both of those countries but for most of us, it does not affect us on a daily basis.  President Bush said we’re fighting them over there, so we don’t have to fight them over here.  Everyone likes that sentiment because no one wants to fight “them” in their backyard.

This past month with all of the crazy anti Islamic sentiment, one thing has been made clear to me.  There are many people in this country that really think the Muslims are going to take over the United States of America and declare “Sharia” law.  When I look up what Sharia law is, I find all kinds of varying information.  I know the people who think the Muslims are taking over the United States have a distinct version of Sharia law that includes anti women and children sentiment.  I know this is why my two brothers think we are in a “Holy War”, a war based on Christians and Muslims.  It seems to me that there is a “right wing” faction that is currently manipulating people through the media to keep their base in a “state of hate” to insure getting that base out to vote.  What they’re voting for is beyond comprehension, returning to power the very Republicans that took us to the brink of disaster with our economy and war.  What is more troubling is the breeding and spreading of this hatred.  We have all heard about the possible book burning that ended up not happening.  This man was nobody, but he was elevated by constant media attention.  On the left people were proclaiming him as being “crazy”.  However, the right wing base now knows what they have to do.  They have to get out and vote.  Vote for the right wingers, the Tea Party people, anyone that fits into the mold that they have carved out as being “right” on the issues.

I’m scared for our country.  September 11th with its self proclaimed “unity” has divided our country completely.  On one side are people like my brothers and on the other side are people that think “they” are crazy.  In between all of this sits the clueless masses that don’t think politics affects them.  They go on with their every day lives doing what they do on a daily basis without any thought given to all of this.  They continue to board planes like sheep.  They will stop and let the police search their cars for no reason.  They do their jobs and pay their taxes and hope that’s enough for serving their country.  They won’t read this.  Most won’t even think beyond what the government has told them to think.  They will live productive lives raising children, working and living life as they see fit.  Maybe they are better off not thinking about all of this, but for me I think about the unemployed.  I think about endless wars.  I think about dishonest, corrupt politicians.  I think about a compromised government.  I think we can be better than we are currently being.  I think about liberty and the cost of doing nothing.  I think about freedom and the price and toll it takes on our country.  Most of all, I think I have as much right as an American to express myself as that crazy Koran burning, nut job, in Florida!

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The Economy of Fear and Scare

  • Posted on September 9, 2010 at 10:26 pm

I’m tired of the same old recycled scare tactics I keep reading and hearing about.  Under President George W. Bush we all had to worry about our neighbors, who could be terrorists.  We spent many years wondering how we might possibly be blown up by some half crazed terrorists that hate us for what we stand for.  If you are a teacher you even helped in this mass indoctrination by jumping through hoops at your school to assure school safety.  You may have had to listen to police officers explain to you how easy it is for a terrorist to enter your school even if you live in the middle of no where land.  In fact you were probably told they like those places the best because it would be so unexpected.  We have been wrapped up in this fear for almost ten years.  In those years we have agreed to be checked and prodded in lines like cattle, scanned like a piece of meat at the grocery store, and put under the watchful eye of “Big Brother” through numerous well placed videos all in an attempt to keep our “freedoms”.

When Bush was in office we all heard about the many color coded terrorist threats.  I cannot even remember what they all mean any more but much like a thermometer as the color went up so did the threat of a terrorist attack.  For as many “second in command” for Osama Bin Laden that we have killed in these two wars, there were always more we were supposed to worry about.  They were like a never ending supply of rats.  Where there was one, there must be many more.

Today we don’t hear so much about this threat.  Now we have new threats, usually related to our health and well being, to worry about.  If we aren’t hearing about eggs and salmonella, Swine flu, or some other disease then we are worrying about bed bugs and other insect carrying diseases.  It’s a good thing they passed the health care bill because by the sounds of it, we should all be ready for an epidemic of mass proportions.  We were all encouraged to get our flu shots, the H1N1 and the regular one because we were all going to be falling down in the streets dying like flies.  A few years ago we were even worrying about “SARS”.

This all makes me think about fear.  FDR always said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  The truth is we have everything to fear in a society filled with fear mongering.  The government has tried everything they could to keep the masses under control.  They did a pretty good job using the churches for this for many years, but since most people don’t go to church on a regular basis any more, the churches haven’t been doing the best job of keeping us compliant and complacent.  In comes mass media to make sure we are kept on our toes about the next big thing to fear.  If we are kept fearful we are less apt to make any waves.  It just makes sense that we aren’t going to rock any boats about much of anything, if we fear everything.

Today I would have to say most people are fearful about the economy and what the future holds for them.  This type of fear is really powerful because it can even get normally powerful unions to bow to the acceptance of nothingness.  No, don’t make any waves because the next wave could be the loss of your job.  We will be compliant little workers doing what we’re told and jumping through hoops to do the best darn job we can do.  We will make ourselves irreplaceable, even though that just isn’t possible, by working harder for less and pretending to love every minute of our self proclaimed diet of hard work.  We will be compliant and complacent because we saw what happened to the last guy that opened his mouth and said something.  This economy is good for business because it makes sheep out of workers.  George Bush always had the philosophy that expected more but paid less.  This is what has happened in our society.

With so many people out of work or working at a job that is beneath their skill set, many are left just hanging on and working hard to be productive workers.  This is good for business.  Business gets far more from their workers when the workers are afraid of losing their jobs.  No one wants to be the last one, because the future is so unsure.  It also helps if you have friends in high places.  This is a good time to “know someone” on the inside.  Nepotism is the wave for any job opening today.  It can get your foot in the door even if you aren’t the most qualified person for the position.  However, you will usually still have to do the job once you get it.  None of this sounds fair and of course it’s not good for the worker because the worker is stuck just taking what he can get.  It makes it a tough time to ask for a raise or any increased benefits because you’re going to hear that old line about how times are tough.  You know they’re tough as you’ve been living those tough times.

This is the state of our economy.  It is the economy of fear.  The government wants to keep us compliant and complacent.  We can’t mass protest anything that really matters these days because what really matters is putting food on the table for your family.  No one wants to draw attention to themselves to the point where they may lose their job, so any real protests are going to have to be done by the unemployed.

While all of this is happening, the government continues to tell us our children are not educated.  Our children won’t be able to compete in the future because they don’t know enough science and math.  We are living in a global economy, so our technology jobs have to go to India where they are so much more educated.  This once again is                  indoctrination.  Our children have to stay in school because there are no jobs for them.  When they graduate from college they usually have to take a job that is beneath their ability, so they can pay for their student loans.  They may go to grad school because they can’t find adequate work.  They may go work in the family business because face it, that family business is going to take care of their own first.  It is difficult for young people today.  If they go to college, they may not find adequate work and if they don’t go to college they obviously won’t find adequate work.

So what is the answer to all of this gloom and doom about the economy and fear of everything?  I admit I don’t necessarily know the answers.  However, I do know when something smells foul, it probably is spoiled.  When the government and the mass media continually beat that dead horse about young people being uneducated, I will continue to put on my thinking cap and think about what might really be happening.  There is a shortage of jobs right now and every year young people are graduating from high school and college looking for work.  If the old were to retire earlier then there would be more jobs.  That was part of the philosophy here in Michigan when incentives were made for early retirement for teachers this past year.  Of course the government ended up putting the cost of this onto the backs of employed teachers by requiring them to pay 3% more into their retirement without any included benefit for that “tax”.

Many economists have falsely claimed that social security is broken, needs fixing, etc.  They of course want to privatize it.  There are easy fixes involved for this by taking the cap off social security but also instead of requiring workers to work longer, there could be incentives made to retire earlier.  If that happened, maybe there would be more work for young people.  Now, I’m just throwing this stuff out there because the mass media seems to do a good job of throwing enough crap at us until something sticks, so I thought I’d play that game as well.

The government hasn’t been able to find a way to solve this economic problem that we are facing.  We need to think about other alternatives to getting our economy moving again.  If people retired earlier, they would spend some of that retirement money and get it back into the economy.  They’d take trips, maybe buy a second home and of course have to furnish that home.  All of this would tie into getting this economy moving again.  The young people would also be spending money and buying homes and having families because they have a JOB and can now be productive citizens of society.  Too often the government is worried about giving anything to the masses, so they probably won’t consider my plan.  They’d rather spend all the money on bailouts for banks and corporations; you know their “peeps”.  However, if you took that money that was used to bailout the banks and had given it back to the people, I bet there would have been more movement with the economy.  My son bought a place because of the tax incentive.  His dad bought a car because of the tax incentive.  Those were incentives that helped some people but of course not those without jobs.

I think we need to look at this picture a whole different way.  We must find a way to get out of this recession, depression or whatever the government chooses to label it.  All I know is this is a bad time for our country and we need to find answers that work.  Some will say my idea is crazy but at least it’s an idea.  Lately, it seems like those in government just aren’t doing anything at all and hoping the problem will heal itself or will simply go away.  I don’t think that is going to happen.  One thing the government needs to stop is all of the fear mongering.  I’m tired of being told to fear everything from my neighbors to the food I eat to even my job.  If we are to solve our economic problems we are going to have to work together for the good of all.  That means Democrats and Republicans need to quit playing these “fear” games and start pushing programs that will benefit the economy.  This doesn’t mean tax cuts for the wealthy either.  We have to pay for these two wars that have been unfunded and we have to boost the economy.  That isn’t going to happen with cutting those taxes.

So my basic idea is to give incentives for early retirement for Social Security.  It is the opposite of course from what we are being programmed to think!  This is plain and simple enough in its concept, but of course we would have to remove the cap on Social Security so those making much more money would be expected to pay more into it.  When Social Security was originally developed it was used to help take care of the elderly and of course provide more jobs for the young through the retirement of the elderly and the administration of the program.  This would be the same concept as before.  We are at a time in our history when people are struggling.  Some people that are unemployed are very close to retirement age, but not close enough.  We could lower the age for those people or we could give incentives for people that are older, so they don’t have to wait until they’re 70, to get enough money to live on.  We have been bleeding jobs out of our country for years.  If people are expected to work longer and longer until they’re 70 or so, how on earth can we, as a country, make up the jobs that need to be replaced?  If the old are expected to keep working, we will continue to struggle with providing enough jobs for everyone.  In a perfect world the same amount of people that retire are replaced with new workers.  In our world, we are expected to work longer for less.  Young people are magically expected to find some new job that probably doesn’t exist in our country.  If we had a growing economy, this might be possible, but as it is right now we are not creating enough jobs to fill these needs and of course many of our jobs have gone overseas.  I personally think this could help a lot of people from the young to the old.  Of course the people making the big salaries will have to pay more for this to happen.  I think it’s time for the wealthy of this country to ask not what this country can do for them, but what they can do for our country!

http://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html

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Where’s Waldo?

  • Posted on September 7, 2010 at 7:38 pm

Where's Obama is much like Where's Waldo?

Obama reminding me of Waldo once again!

Yesterday I heard President Obama speak.  He was in Wisconsin at a labor rally for Labor Day.  The speech reminded me of the “Where’s Waldo” books, that my son used to read as a kid, because I was thinking where has this guy been?  The guy that showed up to speak yesterday wasn’t the person we have seen this past year.  President Obama seems to be back in “campaign mode”.  He hit a lot of “right” notes especially with his 50 billion dollar plan for infrastructure and his “no privatization” of Social Security.

The problem is the “believability factor”.  He waits until just before the election to bring out a plan that he knows won’t be able to get through Congress before the election in November.  Is this the ploy?  You have to vote for “his” guys, so they can get the plan through?  Why didn’t he give this speech months ago when it could have been passed before the election?  This is why politics and political parties are looked at with such disgust and mistrust.  Waiting until the last possible moment before an election to introduce a new “plan” makes some of us wonder if this is just a “Hail Mary” pass to save the Democrats in November, or is he really planning on going through with the plan?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYPuQBSYSUE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBLAg1CU03c

From CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/06/obama.economy/?hpt=T1

“Today, I am announcing a new plan for rebuilding and modernizing America’s roads, and rails and runways for the long term,” said Obama, who spoke on Labor Day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — a state that has extremely competitive gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races. “I want America to have the best infrastructure in the world.”

The 50 billion is the up front money but this plan is to work over a period of the next six years.  It has been my understanding that a lot of the stimulus money hasn’t been apportioned out yet which makes this additional money just look like “more pie in the sky.”

Of course Rep. John Boehner and Representative Eric Cantor have already come out against it.  Eric basically labeled it with the word “stimulus” as though that’s a dirty word and said we couldn’t afford any more of that, which should tell everyone that the Republicans will not really invest in the bulk of this country.  They will invest in tax cuts for the wealthy and the business class but everyone else can continue to wait for it to “trickle down”, you know like in a “cold day from hell” time!  Both of these guys will send a never ending supply of money for the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq which include money for infrastructure over there, but they won’t do anything about our infrastructure over here.  President Obama has labeled the Republicans as the party of “No” and they have lived up to everything he has said about them.

We, as American voters, must decide what to do and it is not an easy decision as neither party seems to have the where with all to get us out of the economic mess that we are in.  The Democrats are willing to try something.  The Republicans only want to take away.  They will extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and then they will take away benefits like Social Security.  They will develop any program or tax cut that helps the wealthy or the upper echelon of businesses but if you think they will help the rest of us.  Think again!

President Obama has played his “Where’s Waldo” act too many times to be really credible.  He’s been all over the place so it’s hard to figure out where he really is on any given issue.  He say’s he wont “privatize” Social Security but he surrounds himself with people like Alan Simpson.  He said a lot of things during the election and we have had to look all over the place for “Waldo” since he’s been president.  This act does nothing to reassure the American people.  The American people don’t have the energy to search for “Waldo” and carry the water for him any more.  If the Democrats want to win in November they had better get “Waldo” back on track and “visible” and I don’t mean in another “vacation” moment.  We’re tired of seeing “Waldo” and his family on vacation as he appears to be a carbon copy of our last “vacationing” president.  Waldo has to give us more than a speech, more than just words.  We must have real action so we don’t have to keep searching for Waldo as actions speak louder than words.  A picture is worth a thousand words.  Unfortunately, President Obama’s current picture is too close to “Waldo” hiding in a crowd of nothingness.

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Dating Politics 101

  • Posted on September 4, 2010 at 11:20 am

The Republican and Democratic Parties remind me of dating.  You’ve been dating a couple guys for awhile now but it’s time to get serious.  One guy seems nice enough.  He takes you to all the right places.  He wines and dines you and you feel special but alas, when the credit card bill comes, you realize you’ve been footing the bill.  The other guy takes you to fun places too, but you’re a little worried that he’s spending over his limit.  It seems almost too good to be true.  There’s something a little off about both of these guys but you can’t quite put your finger on it.

Meanwhile, you’re busy trying to keep these two guys separated because if one finds out about the other, the jig is up.  Any way you look at it, this is a dishonest relationship.  If you sneak around and go dancing with the Republican Party, you are going to pay in the morning.  He isn’t apt to forgive you for fooling around with a “Democrat”, so you better get used to the dirty looks and “God fearing” lecture you’re going to get.  And trust me; you will get a lecture, just like your dad gave you when you backed that car up into the mailbox.  You are going to hear every tirade in the book about “responsibility”.   We all know what “superficial responsibility” is.  It’s that responsibility “word” Republicans always use when they talk about “personal responsibility”.  It seems like a Republican always has that mantra of “When in Rome do as the Romans do, just don’t get caught.”  Personal responsibility means you talk about living with a moral compass and God being your guide but secretly you could be dating your next wife while your current poor wife is in the hospital with cancer. JUST DON’T GET CAUGHT!  Now, if he does get caught, he will need to have his “come to Jesus” moment and beg for forgiveness.  After all the American people are pretty stupid but they do like to forgive those that come crawling back for their vote.  If you date the Republican long enough you might start thinking like he does.  When you catch yourself berating the poor bloke that can’t find a job by telling him to “pick himself up by the bootstraps”, you will know that some of those Republican ways are rubbing off on you.

In the end, after all of the dating, you will get the bill.  It will be in your tax statement filed under “personal responsibility” after the November election.  While you’re busy figuring out what went wrong with the relationship, he’ll be off making sure to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.  He’ll soon forget you as in reality he was really into Bush in the first place.  That’s his first love.  Then he’ll go to work on social security and of course try to privatize it as he never saw a government program that couldn’t use a little privatization.

Dating the Democrat hasn’t been any easier on you.  You thought you knew what you were getting.  You thought you could count on that guy.  He seemed so clean cut and all American.  What’s not to love?  However, you’ve been living a nightmare trying to figure out who this guy is.  On one hand he seems to be really into you, but sometimes you catch him giving a glancing eye at that Republican girl friend of yours.  It could be your imagination but you’re kind of wondering if something is up between the two of them.  You aren’t used to guys that don’t give you their undivided attention on a date.  He acts like he’s really into you until that Republican friend of yours walks in and sits down.  Boy does he show her a lot of attention.  You can’t quite figure out if he secretly is a Republican or he just admires them”?  What could it be?

You are so confused by all of this but a decision has to be made by November.  Do you dance with the guy that brought you to the party or do you take off with the new guy.  You really wish you had another choice but alas you know that third guy just couldn’t swing the vote.  So you sit down and go through your priorities.  If you vote for the Republican, you know you’re going to get screwed because he has to pay for extending the Bush tax cuts some way and if you vote for the Democrat well, at least, hopefully, he won’t extend those tax cuts.  Now, he still could extend the tax cuts because he still keeps eyeing your Republican girlfriend.  However, you are hopeful that he’ll leave your social security alone.  This decision is so bad.  With the Republican, you know what you are going to get and with the Democrat, you’re not exactly sure what you’re going to get.  However, you know that he won’t be quite as bad as the Republican.  So vote for and dance with the Democrat and hope he stops eyeing your Republican girl friend!

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Tribute to My Mom

  • Posted on September 3, 2010 at 5:05 pm

My Wonderful Mom

My Beautiful Parents

My Wonderful Mom and Dad

Today would have been my mother’s 99th birthday.  Even though she died in 1996 I still think about her every single day.

My mother was a very special lady.  I don’t know any woman that could ever measure up to her in my mind.  I often refer to her as having been a “saint” because she birthed and raised ten boys!  That alone puts her in a special place in heaven for me.  Beyond raising children she was also a teacher of English and Home Economics, a grandmother and my dad’s best friend..  My mother was my best friend as well and greatest cheerleader.  I could always count on mom to lift my spirits when I was feeling unsure about some decision or give me strength when I needed it to make a decision.

She was a “no nonsense” type of person and she had little time for indecisiveness.  When a job needed to be done, you just do it.  In her mind you don’t agonize over every little thing and you certainly don’t sweat the small stuff!  When presented with a problem or a challenge my mom would figure out what to do.  She did this in her own life and she encouraged me to do it in my life.  My mother was so much better at it than I currently am though.

My mom was a brilliant woman.  I have never known any other person that could play cards like her.  We would play pinochle and she would remember what everyone else played and count up the points in a match as we played and tell us how many points each team had at the end of each hand.  We would laboriously go through the counting process when the hand was over only to discover that she was always correct.  She was amazing!  She was also a wonderful cook and baker.  She baked so many pies and bread that I cannot even fathom how many she did in her lifetime.  She could fill the counters on any given day and by night time much would be consumed.

Mom made holidays all about “breaking bread” and breaking bread was all about eating the food she created with her loving hands.  She always believed there was room for one more.  Everyone was welcome at her table.  If she knew you were coming home she’d try to make something that she knew you really liked.  My father always said he made her into a good cook.  Maybe some of that is true in a way.  However, dad always told her when he didn’t like something, even though he was the best fed man around!

As my parents got older I can remember mom and dad making “monster cookies” together.  I had thrown a huge pottery bowl that they always used for this occasion.  The monster cookies were about the size of three cookies, huge really.  They’d make a very large batch of these cookies.  When mom died on Thanksgiving Day she left us with a batch of those cookies.  Everyone was so emotional eating those cookies thinking about mom and grandma!  She never put any of us out.  She always took care of us.  Even when she died she took care of us.  She had baked goods made, a fully stocked pantry and as we came together as a family to celebrate her life, she fed us one last time!

My mom is truly the reason I went back to teaching.  When my son, Josh, was in Kindergarten I took my pottery wheel up to his class and demonstrated and also let the students make something which I later fired.  I had a blast with the children and it really got me thinking about how much I missed teaching.  My certificate had lapsed so I would have to go back to school for a semester to get it updated.  I couldn’t see how I could possibly do it being a single parent and having many responsibilities.  Mom had an answer for every excuse I came up with.  I remember telling her I had been out of class too long and maybe taking classes wouldn’t be easy.  You know I could fail.  My mom told me how smart I was and that I would do fine.  Of course she was right and I got an “A” in every class.  I didn’t see how I could afford to go.  Mom said she’d loan me the money.  I didn’t see how I could uproot my son from school two times in the year.  My mom told me Josh will adapt.  She was right on everything of course.

The hardest thing I had to do was move to Sturgis when I got my current teaching job.  I wanted to go but I didn’t want to leave my parents.  I lived just two miles from them.  I loved being so close to them but I had to do what was best for my family.  I spent many weekends running up north to see mom and dad.  I don’t regret any of those long drives “home”.  Mom was so happy for me.  She always encouraged me in every endeavor.  She was there for me helping me in everything I’ve ever done and even today as I make my current choices, she is always in my heart.  Often times I think about what mom would do or say and how she would approach a problem.  It gives me comfort.  If someone says to me, “You look like your mom!”  I feel special.  Even though I know I look probably more like my dad as I have the “Miller” nose and my dad’s clear blue eyes!  Sometimes I see mom when I look in the mirror and I hope that I have the true “heart” of my mom as she loved people.

My mom loved her family most and we all knew this.  She could talk non stop about her children, what they were doing, how many kids they had.  If you were willing to listen, she was always willing to talk.  These were the most important things to her.  Recently many of my nephews have been having children and creating their families.  When I look at the pictures of their children, I often think about how much both my parents would be so happy seeing all these beautiful children.  Mom and dad were all about family.  These new extensions to our family would have been greatly loved by my parents.  Mom would be so happy seeing all these new babies

My mom was a magnificent person, a special woman, with a pioneer spirit and a zest for life.  In my dreams I would love to be like my mom as she is the most amazing person, other than my dad, that I have ever known.  Through all kinds of ups and downs and hardships and trials her character always shone through.  She was there for people.  She was present in everything she did whether she was raising her family, teaching, being a part of the community or just having a conversation.  My mom was someone you would remember.  She lives on in all of her family.  I miss her today like I miss her every day but today is that special day when I can celebrate her birth, September 3rd (1911).  She was a grand lady with soft hands and a smile that could warm your heart.  If you ever played cards with her she’d shake her leg and grin like a Cheshire cat when she knew she had my dad beat!  That picture will always be in my mind..

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Paul, Wen-Shan Wang

  • Posted on September 3, 2010 at 9:13 am

Mr. Wang Talking about the Art He Just Painted.

Informational Piece on Mr. Wang

This has been a busy week as I am preparing my middle school art classroom for the new school year.  Meetings started on Monday and we even had our open house on Wednesday night.  It wasn’t a good time to run up to Kalamazoo to check out a Chinese painter and calligrapher.  However, since I already have my students work with this material I thought it would be interesting to see the “master” painter, Paul Wang.

Late last week I received an email from the Kalamazoo Institute of Art about the opportunity to go to a demonstration of both Chinese painting and calligraphy.  I decided to ask my principal if he would grant me permission to leave early Thursday so I could catch this master painter.  Eric did allow me this opportunity, which I am very grateful for as it was refreshing watching a master at work.

The ease in which Mr. Wang painted was obvious, whether he painted Chinese characters or a long, thin bamboo piece.  Mr. Wang shared many little stories with his painting techniques.  He said this is a dying art.  Before the 20th century students had to exhibit their mastery of both painting and calligraphy in an examination.  A large portion of the calligraphy is about creating poetry.  Students that performed with excellence were brought before the emperor.  They would be assured government jobs.  Today the young people of China are more interested in technology.  Chinese painting and calligraphy are becoming sought after because of the rarity of true masters.

This Artwork Mr. Wang Created in a Matter of a Few Short Minutes.

This is a Finished Painting Framed.

He said Chinese painting is true “impressionistic” painting as the artist studies nature but does not try to recreate it exactly as it is.  It is more about capturing the essence of what it is.  The strong contrast between the black of the ink and the white of the paper make it possible to see small subtleties of differences much like a black and white photograph.  Bamboo would be painted if you are having a bad day.  Orchids might be painted if you are having a good day.  He talked about bamboo being strong and hollow but also pliable.  When painted it should be straight.  The bamboo is symbolic of strength.  As the shoot grows one can notice a thickening in the shoot and then it is thin again.  That thickened area symbolizes courage.  The hollow part of the bamboo is to show humbling.  If you think of a person this falls in line with what Confucius would say.  Much of Chinese painting and calligraphy is tied to the teachings of Confucius. I found all of this so interesting and helpful to me for sharing with my middle school students.

Paul Wang Demonstrating Painting Bamboo.

This is a Finished Artwork that was on Display.

At the end of the demonstration I purchased a catalog of artwork by Mr. Wang and he signed it for me.  He explained the difference between artwork on a scroll or for hanging.  He sends his work back to China to be mounted.  Sometimes it is put on a scroll to read at night.  These pieces are usually full of poetry.  He said that people who read the scrolls at night sleep well!  He also had calligraphy printed up in accordion style books.  This was fascinating.  He explained how the Chinese characters are symbols for other things.  He painted a symbol for a woman and put it with one for a boy.  He said that represented “good” because the two together are good.

He asked if we had noticed a difference between the Japanese woodcuts and the Chinese brush painting at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art.  He was so funny when he shared with us the fact that the Japanese do self portraits where as the Chinese are more interested in nature and any person depicted would be more of a symbol.  He grimaced and made faces for how the Japanese made almost caricatures of people and that too was so fun and very fascinating.

This Artwork was One of Many Paul Wang Shared With Us.

More Beautiful Artwork Paul Wang Shared With Us.

All and all I had a great day!  Mr. Wang has been painting for sixty five years.  I could sense the peacefulness in his quick, sure strokes and I felt fortunate to have witnessed this special man with his graceful dignity and obvious humble nature.  He isn’t just a master painter and calligrapher but he is also a master teacher in the way he shared so many wonderful stories about the art forms and its place in history.

Many of the things he shared today can be read about on his website.  It is well worth reading.

http://www.paulwanggallery.com/services.html

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A Place to Put My Stuff

  • Posted on August 30, 2010 at 7:36 pm

There is a point to be made about the “stuff” George Carlin rants about.  I know I have a lot of stuff.  Some of it I don’t pay much attention to but it still sits there, with me unable to throw it out or give it away.  After all, I might need that stuff some day.

When I was in high school my French teacher would get so mad at us when we said we had to get our “stuff”.  She always said, “You stuff a turkey!”  She insisted that stuff was action, doing something and that it definitely wasn’t a noun as in the things we always talk about when we mention “our stuff.”  The class always laughed and I guess most of us never really learned that lesson because I’m sure we all can relate to the “stuff” that George talks about.

Recently, I came across a postcard that I had sent to my brother, Bob, when I was very young and on a trip out west.  I found this postcard after my father passed away.  I’m sure Mom kept it with her “stuff”.  Now it’s once again “my stuff”.  After all it is a part of my history and it even has a Kennedy stamp on it!  How cool is that?

I wonder why so many of us keep and collect so much stuff.  I am as guilty as the next person and maybe more so.  My biggest collection is probably artwork.  I don’t have enough walls to put all the art up that I have bought, traded for and made.  Yet, I keep finding things and making things that adds to my stuff.  George says the answer for most of us is buying a bigger house.  I live alone so I doubt I’ll go for a house much bigger than the one I already own.  Some people suggest rotating the artwork by the seasons.  However, art isn’t the only stuff I have.  Like most people I have a lot of stuff hanging around from clothing, dishes and even furniture pieces.  I cannot think of parting with my stuff, so I am kept in a constant mode of keeping the stuff somewhere by dusting around it and moving it from one place to the other.  I box it up only to discover it years later and wonder once again about it.

I’ve watched the show “Clean House” and I have discovered that a lot of people have a bigger problem with their stuff than I have, so it always make me feel like my stuff is okay!  Since I live alone no one else has to deal with my stuff on a regular basis.  However, like George, if you are looking for space for your stuff on the dresser in my guest room, you will discover my stuff is already there.  I have plenty of little tchotchkes that most people would say, “What are you hanging on to that for?”

As school starts I try to organize my stuff.  It means going through lots of stuff and keeping most of it but giving some to the Goodwill store and putting some in the garbage.  I have found that I have more stuff at school.  As an art teacher it is easy to collect a lot of things because all that stuff might be useful in an art project.  So as I weed through my stuff and organize my life for the new school year I wish you well with all your stuff.

I’d like to just add that this poor woman couldn’t even be found in all of her stuff when she died.  So find some way to live with your stuff without getting lost in it.

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