In defense of my vice: No defense

Why the picture, I can now climb the dune without coughing up a lung.

DUNE DU PYLA

Smoking was a very bad vice and I am so glad I quit. There is no defending it from my viewpoint. Well, especially now with everything we know about the dangers of smoking. Back then, I didn't think about the dangers, I loved smoking and quitting was not something that I wanted to think about. It took having a huge scare in the hospital to make me aware that I was asking to cut my life span short. So, it has been 3.5 years without a smoke and I am very happy. Hooray for me.

The Republicans Lack the Seriousness to Govern

Why must serious scholarshi­p and politics and even journalism be divorced? Ben Bernanke had the audacity to go on 60 Minutes and call himself a Great Depression scholar or a student of the history of the Great Depression­. Whichever moniker he chooses, he misunderst­ood the lesson. Historical­ly, there is a bevy of evidence supporting the argument that in times of prolonged recession coupled with prolonged high employment­, the government is the best tool to stimulate and grow the economy. Moreover, this idea that you can compare a household budget or even a business budget to the federal budget is a false one. The federal government is the treasury, it prints its own currency which is still the most valued currency in the world. Continuing with this train of thought, you also can’t compare the U.S. with Greece or with Ireland because since they are parts within a whole, meaning they are beholden to the euro which they can’t print independen­tly, they don’t have the same flexibilit­y that we still have managing our fiscal policy. That is why our states are having all these budgetary problems, they can’t just manipulate fiscal policy they can’t print more money. Personally­, I always thought that instead of concentrat­ing on the banks, our federal government should have done more to aid the states in the wake of the financial crisis, knowing full well that the social programs were going to be strained to the max.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

House Republicans’ Constitutional Ignorance

What is tiring is that it appears that a radical minority group, the tea party, has hijacked the political discourse in congress and in the media. Instead of being able to have good solid debates as to what would be the most productive way to ensure that the United States comes back from the volatile financial dominated economy and enter a more productive highly skilled labor dominated economy with higher paying jobs leading to more financiall­y secure and independen­t work force where every one does better. We are instead subject to listening to politician­s who are discussing policies that will only solidify our economic descent into the state of a few have’s versus the enormous population of have not’s. That is not the country that I was born in but if these radical’s continue to have their way, it appears that that is what we are going to evolve to be.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

How do you recover lost trust?

Tags

postaday2011

I think that forgiveness is the key to regaining lost trust. Forgiveness is a process and is of course an individual and personal issue. Depending on the severity of the trespass, subsequently depends how long the forgiveness will take. I, myself, haven’t had an occasion to lose trust completely, as a wife and a mother, I have had my share of disappointments but nothing earth shattering that would tear at the foundation of trust that I have in my marriage and my relationship with my kids. I’m thankful for that. There are times when I have to put faith in the equation when it is report card time and questions are answered or the date has gone on a little too long. On the whole my faith and trust are well placed and I love them so much that forgiveness would be forthcoming without a doubt. I do know that if ever, heaven forbid I have to cross that bridge, I know the pain will be great but I hope that I remember this post and that I remember that pain only lasts as long as you are holding on to it. That is also a key element, pain held onto is never a good thing, especially the wronged one. I think that letting go of the pain is the first step towards forgiveness. The steps can last as long as needed, but I think the importance here is moving forward and allowing the healing to take place.

The Futility of American State Budget Politics

Until, the mindset of; government = taxes= wasteful spending = deficits, which seems to be intractabl­e for the moment, is changed. We will live through some dark times. I foresee a vicious cycle of unemployme­nt, less demand, greater unemployme­nt, less tax revenues, more demand for medicaid and welfare, more foreclosur­es, less school enrollment­, less investment in infrastruc­ture, more crime, more abandoned neighborho­ods, welcome to the U.S.A. With what is going on with the austerity prescripti­on being dealt on the federal level and on the state level, there is absolutely nothing being done to re-employ Americans in the private sector or the public sector. So, unless the GOP have a secret plan that once they have their own President in power 2012, they are going to unleash a job creating machine on this country, I don’t know what they are planning. The worst case scenario could be the creation of The United Corporate States of America. If you are less then an exemplary citizen and productive worker you will be fired. Once you outlive your use to the Corporate State, you will be fired. Any organizing or complainin­g, you will be fired. I am feeling so dark today.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

I Wish I Knew More About…

The Washington Monument

I wish I knew what really happens behind closed doors in the chambers of power within our illustrious capital. I know that there is more to the political machinations then we are allowed to know. I feel that there is so much knowledge that eludes and without it, it is difficult to make the best decisions.

If you could master a new skill instantly what would it be?

Tags

postaday2011

My first impulse was piano, there is something so beautiful and so haunting about watching someone’s fingers caress and command the keys and the music. Growing up, my father would start playing Beethoven, Mozart or Tchaikovsky at 9:00 a. m. The music always enchanted me, I found it majestic, sad, light and magical. In my mind, I would visualize my fingers dancing across the keys, sometimes lightening quick, at other times slow and deliberate, emphasizing the emotion behind the notes. Ever since those long ago mornings of my childhood, whenever I hear a classical piece of music, my mind immediately puts me at the piano where I accompany the orchestra and create beautiful music.

How to Spend $1000 in an Hour

Plaza Hotel – Gates Funeral (LOC)

What would I buy? One of my all time favorite boutiques is Hermes, with a thousand dollars I could probably get 2 gorgeous bags or a divine pair of boots and a silk scarf. However, I could walk about 10 blocks over to the Chanel store and purchase a new bag there. Or, I could walk over to Air France on fifth avenue and purchase a one way ticket to France. I'm just throwing these fabulous boutiques around because I know that you could get your shopping done quickly because a thousand doesn't go very far in those places. I hate shopping, honestly I would rather put it in the bank. That would make me happy.

Would you rather text message or talk?

Tags

postaday2011

It depends on the situation. On the whole, I’d rather speak with someone in person, if that isn’t possible then I would like to speak with them on the phone and enjoy a nice conversation. For practical matters such as asking my two young adults questions of why, how, where or when, then I find that texting works much more efficiently. The text is captured on the phone and so I can refer back to it, if I forget or if I get confused, I have a hard copy to reference and with my short-term memory loss this is a very handy tool. I would never do the relentless texting for conversations at a time because I like the spontaneity of a personal exchange either face to face or voice to voice. I’m old-fashioned in that way.

Republicans Appear Poised To Take On Entitlements

Until the special tax rate afforded to hedge fund managers is changed to a more just rate than that of 15%, and that billionair­es pay their fair share and corporatio­ns no longer have a ridiculous array of tax loopholes to choose from, I don’t want to hear about congress going after those who can’t afford to be asked to sacrifice any further. This is getting ludicrous, the big banks are trying to get the Durbin amendment cut out of the financial reform bill because it would eat into their profits that they get for charging their customers for using their debit cards, the banks want to keep their duopoly of visa and mastercard so that they can keep their rates as is. Introducin­g competitio­n into the debit market would damage their bottom line. Congress should pay attention to things like this and not how to make ordinary peoples lives harder.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost