Potpouri...

Today I feel like sharing some of those quotes, sayings, quips that I've heard or collected that touched my heart or my funny bone... I hope you enjoy...

"It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them, and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -Anonymous

"When someone you love becomes a memory the memory becomes a treasure."

NO SOLICITING

We are too broke to buy anything.

We already know who we're voting for.

WE HAVE FOUND JESUS.

Seriously. unless you are selling thin mints

PLEASE GO AWAY!

 

 

"Wine is better with age. I am better with wine."

"If I turn up missing I want my picture put on wine bottles instead of milk cartons. That way my friends will know to look for me."

 

"25 years ago we had Ronald Reagan, Johnny Cash, and Bob Hope. Now we have Obama, no cash and no hope."

 

And to my siblings:" We are different flowers from the same garden." And, "I smile because you are my sister. I laugh because you can do nothing about it!"

 

"I'm so busy I don't know if I found a rope or lost my horse!"

 

"Marriage is like a deck of cards. In the beginning you need two hearts and a diamond. By the end you wish you had a club and a spade."

 

And finally, my two favorites:

"Sweat is fat crying."And,

"Sometimes I laugh so hard tears run down my leg!"

 

Don't be afraid to laugh today. Laughter can be such a stress reliever!

Food for thought...



Jigsaw Puzzles...

It's been a stressful week- and sometimes I don't handle stress all that well. I forget that there's a higher power that is in control, that I can rely on Him to deal with my stressful situations. Instead, I tend to carry it all myself and internalize until I find it affecting my life habits, my sleep...

This morning, driving into work, I had a genuine moment of lucidity, where I was able to actually see the big picture. I'm much more of a big picture person than a minute detail type but my job often requires me to be very detailed. Hence, I tend to get caught up in the details and forget what the big picture is all about. Life is not just about the details- they are secondary to the big picture, yet they are also an integral part of getting the big picture right, for if we get the details wrong it can skew the big picture...

Our lives are like a big jigsaw puzzle and the details are the pieces. As we try to get the pieces [details] together right we begin to get an idea of the overall picture. But sometimes we get stuck in an area, and we work and stress and flounder trying to complete it when it is far more beneficial to just pull back and examine the big picture. Does it look right so far? Is there another area that would benefit from our attentions? If so, leave the stressful area and work on another area of your picture [life]. Sooner or later something will break and you'll find the piece you've been missing. (It's called "All in God's time") and your troubled area will be alleviated... And in the end you'll have a picture all your own- a picture that is your life, in all  it's troubled, ragged beauty...
Food for thought...

Guest Columnist: Peter Morici

Today I want to share the thoughts and words of Peter Morici, professor and columnist at University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. He pens many of my feelings as eloquently as I could myself. Please read the following:

To end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling without accepting any meaningful GOP conditions, President Barack Obama has resorted to falsehoods, wounded American democracy, and damaged U.S. global leadership.

The president has accused the House GOP majority of refusing to pay bills Congress has already racked up, not doing its job, and defying the outcome of the 2012 election.

The $17 trillion outstanding national debt funded past spending, and raising the debt ceiling is all about the government spending more than it taxes going forward. The Constitution requires that revenue bills originate in the House, not the president's desk. If Obama wants to spend more than the country can afford, it requires him to negotiate with the House — that's where the framers put the money.

 The House was given this power, because it is closest to the pulse of the people, who, in 2012, elected a majority of representatives promising to cut spending and reduce deficits.

Obama's victory in the 2012 presidential election turned on many issues, including immigration, foreign policies toward China and in the Middle East, and the environment. It is disingenuous to say his election affirmed voter support for the Affordable Care Act.

Poll after poll — at the time the ACA was passed, during the election, and now — revealed the majority of Americans don't like the law and want it substantially revised or repealed. The ethnic breakdown of election results indicate Obama's victory was much more the result of Gov. Mitt Romney's inability to appeal to Latino and Asian voters.

Each month the government collects $250 billion in taxes, and if the Congress decided not to raise the debt ceiling, Secretary Lew would have adequate resources to pay the $23 billion in interest to the public.

Each month, the government spends about $315 billion. If the House judges the resulting accumulation of $65 billion in new debt to be too burdensome — as the public has repeatedly expressed by electing conservatives to the House — the president has a constitutional duty to negotiate with the House rather than demand "clean bills" and spend as he pleases. The House would be derelict to simply roll over to presidential demands for powers the Constitution does not provide.

To pressure House Republicans, Treasury Secretary Lew has purposefully cultivated fear in financial markets by falsely stating the United States must default if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling. That would only happen if he failed to establish appropriate priorities for the $250 billion in taxes collected each month.

His doomsday rhetoric makes the U.S. government appear inept and irresponsible, has eroded the primary standing of U.S. securities in global markets, and will weaken U.S. economic leadership in global forums for many years to come.

Senate negotiators have come to a deal acceptable to the president that reopens the government and raises the debt ceiling, and House Democrats and moderate Republicans will likely approve it.

The president's victory will be accomplished through deception and demagoguery, by violating the will of voters expressed in the 2012 congressional elections and the Constitution, and damaging U.S. global standing. Those are mighty high prices to pay for a president's refusal to negotiate changes to a healthcare law voters clearly want changed and reducing budget deficits voters want slashed.

Well said Peter Morici... Food for thought...

The US Debt Ceiling: The Illusion of Default...

I have listened to our politicians from both parties, our president, administration officials, and all the "experts" all talk about how catastrophic it would be if we don't raise our debt ceiling and pay our debts. I truly believe it is nothing more than scare tactics to get America to accept raising the credit limit on our government credit card. And, as most of America is sadly under-informed, it seems to work time and again. But let's cut through the scare talk and look at the facts...

Our government brings in $250 billion dollars of revenue each month. We pay out in interest about $23 billion in interest payments- the remainder is what we use to run our government, pay social security, Medicare, Medicade, our soldiers, et al. That's two hundred and twenty seven billion dollars per month. To put it into perspective, that is two hundred and twenty seven thousand million dollars each month. And our politicians can't seem to create a budget that balances. On an annual basis that's $3 trillion dollars to budget, or three million millions! Most of us can visualize the enormity of a million dollars- now multiply that by three million more and you start to realize the enormity of our government waste...

One ex-treasury official spoke out yesterday, concerning the debit ceiling and the threat of America's default. Interestingly enough he wasn't playing Chicken Little like all other "insiders", claiming the sky is falling with our default. Instead he proposed an interesting solution. It seems that a part of our $17 trillion dollar debt is money our government actually borrowed from itself- some $2 trillion dollars worth of debt. He proposed that we forgive the money we owe ourselves- that $2 trillion dollars. The only debt we would default on then would be debt we owe ourselves. Our government would instantly be $2 trillion dollars under its ceiling and we wouldn't face another debt ceiling crisis for about two years- if we cannot curb in Obama and the Senate Democrats spending. If we do manage to curb it we may never reach that ceiling again...

 Personally, I'd like to see a budget that accounts for the $2.724 trillion dollars we have left after our interest payments. Constitutionally our Congress is required to pass one. Constitutionally the President is required to present one. Why have we gone the entire Obama presidency without a budget being passed? The Republican House of Representatives have presented several budgets, only to be shot down in the Democratic-held Senate, who then chose not to offer one of their own. The President has done nothing to offer a budget- why? Because if there are no budget restraints Obama and the Democrats feel they can spend whatever they want on whatever they want! They have nothing to hold them in check, and, consequently, they have run up more debt than every other president and administration combined! It's time we stand up, as Americans (forget Democrat or Republican, Libertarian or Independent) and DEMAND an accounting of all the revenues our politicians spend, demand a budget, and demand to cut wasteful spending.

I'd like to see a constitutional amendment that ties a politician's term to the performance of his duties. If they fail to do their constitutionally mandated job, like passing an annual budget, we should be able to remove them through a special election and install someone willing to do the job. And that means it starts with the president and flows down. If these political "lifers" knew they could be replaced every year they don't perform I'd be willing to bet they'd put aside all this partisan rhetoric and get the job done!
Food for thought...

Politics is Negotiation and Compromise...

I am as frustrated as anyone over the seeming endless gridlock in Washington and for a long time I wondered why seemingly reasonable can't somehow get along. As an independent voter, and a fiscal conservative I often voted for the candidate that best reflected my views despite their political affiliation. In my thinking that was the most responsible way I could affect change with my vote. However, it has become increasingly clear that when getting to Washington something happens to the ideology of politicians and suddenly they become partisan instead of responsible. I will repeat that thought- it is not possible to be responsible and partisan as a politician. Partisan politicians are like sheep- stupid animals easily manipulated by the will of the shepherd...

I was watching the Sunday morning news shows this morning and Dick Durban, the #2 Democrat in the Senate was asked if the Republicans were 100% wrong and he and his Democrats were 100% right and while he didn't answer directly (as any good politician learns not to) it was clear he felt his side was completely in the right, as was noted by the host, Dick Gregory. His Republican counterpart, to his credit, said there is blame on both sides... Dick Durbin only needs to look in the mirror to see where the majority of blame lay- not because of ideology or difference of opinions, but because of attitude.

For a political system in a democracy to work there must be compromise and the willingness to negotiate. The gridlock we face in Washington is because we've become so partisan that compromise has become a dirty word. And "negotiation" has become an accusation rather than an option. It certainly doesn't help when our "leader", our President comes out publicly and repeatedly saying he refuses to negotiate with the "other side". Instead he casts all the blame for Washington's problem on them when, in reality, it begins directly with him! I guess when politicians are on the campaign trail they can say whatever they need to to get (re-)elected without any regard to the truth. I remember Obama promising to "bring Washington together", and to "be transparent" in his administration... What a liar! Not only has he been the most divisive president ever- constantly blaming past the administration, or the current Republican house for his lack of leadership and poor record, but he's also pressed some of the most "back room politics" that Washington has ever seen. The perfect example is the affordable care act, better known as Obamacare. Let's look...

This "transparent" president didn't have the votes to pass this massive train wreck of legislation so instead of working it into something acceptable to the majority he and his Democratic puppet Nancy Pelosi shoved it through using very devious and unscrupulous procedural legislation. Pelosi even told congressmen, "If you want to know what's in this vote for it and you can see it." How's that for transparent? Now, our President has chosen to exclude big business and congress form Obamacare, while forcing the rest of us to join or be penalized- despite the fact that his administration isn't close to ready to handle the rollout, as we saw as the on-line site crashed in  a matter of hours. But what is the real reason that Obamacare was forced upon us? Was it a desire for "affordable healthcare", as touted? No, because already we find premiums are higher and coverage poorer than before. So why?

In a word- power. Obamacare is a power grab by Obama. I read a quote this past week that socialized medicine is the first step toward Socialism. By controlling healthcare the Government controls about one-sixth of our economy. The more people the government gets dependent on them the greater control it exercises over their lives. We are a step closer to Socialism thanks to Obamacare and that is the true agenda of Obama. He believes in taking from the rich to give to - wait, he just wants to take from the rich and give to the government, because he is the government! In his five years he hasn't made thing better for the middle class, like he campaigned on, and clearly the "rich" are carrying a heavier tax burden under his administration. So who's he helping? Himself, his administration, and his cronies in Congress. No one else. He's never held a private sector job so he only knows government handout. That's why he wants to grow government- it's all he knows! But the reality is he has no business being in politics- as is true for many congressmen from both sides of the aisle- if they are not willing to negotiate in good faith or compromise. The art of compromise is the benchmark of a successful politician (see Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton).
Food for thought...

The Reality of Relationships...

I've written a number of times that I'm relationally impaired, and sometimes it's done somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but the reality is that in life we don't seem to learn nearly as much from our successes as we do our failures. In that light I am vastly qualified to write on successful relationships, even without regard to any scholastic training I may have acquired. I feel compelled to write today because a young couple I know recently split up, and it bothers me after hearing why.

Relationships are not easy. I've heard people say that "It shouldn't be this hard" and walk away, but the reality is relationships take work. Love is not easy. And there is a huge difference between loving someone and being "in love". When you are "in love" you feel an emotional rush, but love isn't really emotional. Love is time and commitment. Neither of those are emotionally based. Love takes time to develop. It is the growth of friendship beyond friendship. And it is commitment to the other person that you are in it for the long haul. You are not going to bolt at the first sign of trouble, or even if things get "too rough". That emotional rush is hormones, it's infatuation, and that always ebbs and flows. A relationship that loses that "in love" feeling can regain it, but if it loses it's commitment it's doomed...
Love can be (and will be) messy, and sometimes ugly. Why? Because the deeper into a relationship you go the more you are willing to become vulnerable, and with vulnerability you begin to show your "warts" - those things you tend to hide in the dating process. (Just a side note- when dating you should realize that this is as good as it gets, because people tend to put their best side forward when dating...). As you trust your partner more you tend to show more of your insecurities and faults. In a loving relationship these are accepted and compromise is developed. Any successful relationship is gifted in the art of compromise.

I shouldn't really be surprised that this young couple failed in their relationship for one of them lacked commitment from the beginning. I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say a relationship cannot survive without commitment- commitment to the mate, to the relationship, to the family. There is nothing more important than family- and usually we don't learn that lesson until we've lost it. Nothing- not friends, nor profession, nor possessions can ever replace the hole created by the loss of mate or children. Sometimes we rationalize the importance of these other things, but none can measure up to the importance of family...

I haven't said anything new today but sometimes truths need to be repeated, to be remembered. A relationship cannot survive without trust and commitment. If you sabotage the trust and fail to commit you can rationalize all you want, but you killed your relationship. Relationships are two-sided, and it takes both sides working to make it work. If both sides desire the relationship to work then there's always hope- for you are on the same side, the same team. Then it becomes a matter of both parties saying, "This is the barrier that separates us. What can I do to tear down that barrier?" If both parties are trying to remove the barrier it is soon no longer an obstacle. Usually if falls through compromise...Successful relationships learn the importance of compromise...
Food for thought...