Stuff That Would Bore My Sisters, 14

***NOTE: I need to check a source.


Sisters, be warned before you start to read. I have held my political tongue for a few weeks. Just wanted to express my thoughts. Feel free, as always, to disagree. I appreciate in advance if you do read, and I don't hold it against you if you don't, lol.

Politics can be very ugly. I've been reading the positive and negative press about Obama. A few days ago, I expressed to a sister that I thought Hillary could be doing better than Obama is. But then I admitted that I am biased in favor of Hillary and that Obama was doing a good job considering all the hardships and drama he inherited. I liked McCain, too, bought books about all three of them during the campaign. Thought the country had some pretty good choices. I would say the same about them today.

A playback (in my mind) of Hillary and Obama during a debate made me think about the country's situation(s) during the campaign and about how I was contemplating my choice. Hillary was openly receptive to the idea of running with Obama. He was good enough for her then, and she is on his team now.

Anyone doing the job is going to be criticized. I do wish the Katrina issue could come to conclusion yesterday. But I don't know what mess he has to untangle. Bush took a lot of heat for that one, too. It seems that if Congress can pass measures that allowed the Iraq invasion, then something could be done about this.

I am proud the health care bill was finally passed. People who gripe never had to pay for insurance out of their checks a year in advance and then be eligible. I've had jobs where I had to pay before I was eligible. In jobs where turnover is high, newer employees help with the costs of older employees' health care benefits. Chances are, the same employees won't be around by the time they are eligible. The businesses win.

One might quip "Then they should not quit their jobs." Medical issues are the reason many people have to quit. It is difficult to receive much assistance when you have a job. This has also happened to me. A government run operation could not help me and my children after my divorce "because you already have a job," they told me. I kept working. But I had to make some tough choices.

A lot of people complain about other things they have to pay for, like public education. Why must we all pay taxes? If having an educated society were not important, then we would not have No Child Left Behind. Our education system would not be compared with that of other countries' systems. It is important.

Some states require everyone to pay for car insurance. There is a reason for that. If your car is wrecked and the other person cannot afford it, someone's insurance will pay for it. Well, the people who want to could pay for insurance. But some persons thought that if they must pay for it, then everyone must pay for it.

Benefits to society should not exclude stakeholders. When it comes to health insurance, everyone is a stakeholder. It costs money when people are sick. People who work over or come in early to cover someone else's shift earn time and a half. People who cannot pay the medical bills can receive assistance - that comes from local, state or federal money - that comes from taxes. Drugs to treat probably cost more than preventative care. And sick people who would rather pay their light bill or buy food than see a doctor may spread their germs to the rest of us.

If the healthcare plan is not perfect, and it won't be, then it can be altered. I feel a lot better about spending money on this than on bailing out big business executives who put extra bonus cash in their pockets. Hey, maybe a few of those dollars came from my paycheck. From my kids' paychecks. What can I do? The government taketh from the workers and giveth to moochers of all social classes. I am pleased that everyone will have access to healthcare insurance.

Obama. I am not unhappy with him yet. Hillary will always be my hero. I wish I could know what it would be like with her as president. I wish I could know how McCain would be as president. They're both ass kickers. I suspect Obama is an ass kicker - but he has a higher boiling point than most of us. So I wonder if that is the problem many people have with him, that he manages to remain cool, calm, and collected when the rest of us are twitching a little bit.***

Many people liked (during the campaign) Obama's coolness because he seemed so opposite W. He (W) wanted to dive into something and get it done. Sometimes that desire to accomplish worked. When it didn't, it wasn't pretty. Now that Obama is in office, it is as though many people are afraid to calm down and be patient. I thought about the list of problems he faced when he was sworn in less than a year ago. I would not have known where to start. In fact, he tried to tackle several issues at once. And some said outright that Obama was trying to do too much at once. That it was too early in his presidency. Can you imagine if he had listened to them?

Like I said, my stomach cramps and my face cringes when I think of Katrina. That has been embarrassing, and I feel for anyone still in need over it. The Nobel is extremely psychologically intriguing. Gay rights are not coming fast enough anywhere. That is not Obama's fault. Closed-mindedness is more pervasive and harder to treat than swine flu.

Obama is doing a decent job. Only the one complaint. Katrina. Oh, two complaints. $ for big business execs. The positive - foreign diplomacy, healthcare, morale, economic upswing - outweighs the negative. Besides, Hillary is working with him. That is good enough for me.

Stuff That Would Bore My Sisters, 5

I don't want anyone to misunderstand what I wrote about Elizabeth forbidding women and children in the universities. The women and children were not there to receive an education; they were a distraction. With the exception of nobility, women did not influence politics. Some of the men closest to her had wives and families - that were neglected at times for the sake of political affairs, not games. Therein lie two differences between then and now: the first being the formal education and introduction of women into the political arena, and the second being the difference of the men's focus.

I realize that with each attempt to speak to other women about political affairs I am destroying my chances to be part of a group whose current policies I do not approve. So be it. I may never retrieve the things that were stolen from me, save my honor and dignity, but it seems there are more important intrinsic goods at stake.

It is my wish now that all women learn the in's and out's of politics - many of you already know, and I am only jumping in the deep end, but I am in a position to play the outspoken underdog as I do not have to lose, and you have more power to do things that I can never do. My purpose, I suppose, has everything to do with my background, the working class. If I am meant to go back out into that arena and teach there, then I will do that rather than sit back and do nothing.

Some men are afraid of that; yet others believe that women will always wear their hearts on their sleeves, that women can always be made to be jealous of each other - thereby ruining any attempts at unity. So here is the deal: everyone stick with your own men. That is the first step in taking away their fun and in forcing them to focus on more important things than winning bets and racking up head counts.

If men learn how to read women's lit, that is not necessarily a bad thing. A few men already know how, but many do not. It will take them a while to learn. I, and you've read me, I have even been mistaken for a man a time or two, ha ha. Another positive note is that in learning to read women's lit, there should come a greater appreciation and comprehension of women, at least for most men.

Men, I am not trying to be trifling (probably would not be as much had I the proper employment, tsk, tsk). Do you not see that in restoring the political arena to where it should be, you will be better off? We will all be better off.

I have mentioned before that I should need to purchase a new pair or proper work shoes to wait tables. The ratio of men to women is in my favor. I have always told you of my plans before I carry them out. This is no exception. I am not worried as you have failed every time except when you ambushed me, lol. The idea of what I intend is somewhat thrilling as it holds the promise of a greater end.

You know I don't quit. Neither do most other working women - who, btw, make up a large percentage of the work force. Some things nearly all of us have in common: We've all been screwed over by men; We have had few breaks; We are pretty good at taking care of ourselves when we have to; We are a lot smarter than people think we are; We don't quit.

The women who don't have to work can't be too happy with the way things are. I don't want anyone to think they have it made. To the women who have to work, just think of how you might feel when you haven't worked in years, still have young children, and you know all about your man on his business trips and his late night dinners, etc. And many of your friends are in the same situation. So together, you find solace, you endure, you find a way to become comfortable with your situation.

I wrote a couple of research papers about women's roles during times of slavery. The white plantation mistresses actually had fewer rights, many times, and often - though not all the time, of course - suffered greater injustices than even slave women. So please don't judge women by what you think they have or don't have. We should consider a larger picture, as in 'what does any woman have to deal with?'

Having said all of that, I believe that after we all get back to the basics, the original intent of the rules... when we have a greater understanding of how to have a more stable society... when we focus on enlightenment and the restoration of a more civilized population... then we can understand the benefits of such a society... then we can appreciate the advantages of such a society... then we can have peace and security in our society.