Hot, festering messes...

Starting with the easy one...Libya. Is anyone really surprised that Moammar Gadhafi does not want to give up power. He came to power when I was 2! OMG! Someone who has had power that long will not easily step aside.

I am reading tonight that he may no longer be in power. Well, with an entire nation rising up to smite thee, I guess stepping down would be a good move. But the bigger picture is a lot of countries in the Middle East are having uprisings. I'm sure to Americans this is what is to be expected. In many American eyes, Muslim countries are oppressive and run by dictators. There may be some truth to that, there may be a lot of truth to that, however, just because we have a bad view of Muslim governments doesn't mean these people will automatically desire and convert to a democracy. Why do Americans think democracy is the default and all other forms of government are just test runs?

However, as the title of this blog says, Libya is at present a "hot, festering mess!" There has been a revolt in effect there since Feb. 16. I must admit I haven't been keeping a close eye on Libya. It catches my attention because Mr. Gadhafi caught my attention years ago when he got a bit froggy with the world. The rebellious teen in my admired him for standing up to America. The logical person in me wondered if he actually had to ability to hurt us...he had already hurt others.

I think it would be best if he lost power. In my opinion, no one person should ever hold power alone, let alone for more than 40 years. That makes me shudder.

Charlie Sheen

Say what you want about Charlie, he definitely qualifies as a hot, festering mess. The phone calls to radio stations, the arrests, the clear addictions to porn, porn stars, drugs and God knows what else, he needs help. I am watching his behavior and come to realize this man has been greatly enabled for years. People are turning on him now but he still has a long way to fall from his lofty perch. But I'm less concerned with Charlie's addiction and more concerned with the enabling part.

Many people don't realize Mr. Sheen is actually a Latino man, born Carlos Estevez. I think he's a rather hot Latino man but still, he is Latino but his ability to "pass" for white has helped his career and probably enables his addictions. I firmly believe our society is much more forgiving to whites than they are to people of various other ethnic backgrounds. If Carlos spoke like and resembled Benicio del Toro and had the same behavior, I wonder if people would be so enabling/forgiving. Right now, Carlos is really getting rejected but he got several passes before reaching these people's limits. Having a show that rakes in millions also affords Carlos a pass. But I maintain that you know when a co-worker if a bit "off." If you choose to ignore it, it may come back and bite you in the assets.

Food and stamps...who cares?

Food Stamps, now called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been a part of my life for a long time and yes, I have a very strong opinion about this program.

When I was a child, one of three children being raised by a single mom who got zero support from either my father or my brother's father, we had Food Stamps. There was no shame in this because we were very poor and all our friends got Food Stamps also. I did not even know there were people out there who would view me harshly for having Food Stamps until I was much older.

However, at a very young age I had already realized the only people who get Food Stamps were those who were very poor and really need them. I have heard the stories of fraud. Everyone against Food Stamps has a story to tell about how someone got them, was very well off and "abusing" the system. My standard reply to that comment now is, "How come you didn't report that person to the agency if you are so certain that person is committing fraud?" Ultimately, no one knows another person's financial circumstances. Those allegations are based mostly on speculation and a lack of empathy for people in poverty.

Which takes me to a conversation I had with a few co-workers and I had the nerve to show my "blue-ness." One lady said the state of Kansas was cutting salaries for state workers. A single mom who has child care bills was interviewed and said how is she to pay for the care her children needs with so much less money, 7.5% cut in pay...OUCH! My female co-worker asked how is this woman to pay for expenses with such a pay cut. My reply was, "No one cares how she is to survive." A male co-worker offered comments that hinted that people need to care for themselves...how "Christian" of him. This male co-worker comments often about being a pastor-in-training and yet his lack of empathy for people in poverty always amazes me.

My response was, that is why social programs are for...Section 8, childcare financial assistance and Food Stamps. Everyone seemed stunned by the tone of my voice and the determined look on my face. Actually, I think they were trying to make out whether I favored such programs or thought they were a leech upon society. They obviously don't know me well so I decided to clarify.

I said these programs are for people who need help. However, to qualify for said programs means you have to be incredibly poor. Working poor people have a very hard time getting even the tiniest amount of help to prevent themselves from falling into a bigger financial bind. In the state of Missouri a family of 2 must make less than $1600 a month before qualifying for Food Stamps. It does not matter if the family of 2 is made up of two able-bodied adults, a mom and child, a disabled adult and disabled child or any combination. Keep in mind that in the KC area a decent 2-bedroom apartment is about $550 a month, throw in utilities and other essentials and how much money is left? Being generous and saying utilities are about 200, you are down to 900 to last the month. Don't let the car break down, don't forget the cell phone bill and if you want "entertainment" you have to have cable TV but even without cable, you really need a cell phone these days. The days of public telephones have gone away. Prescription medications take a bite too, gas for that car is now at $3 a gallon. Point being made is, that money dries up very quickly

The male co-worker's comment was we can't "write a check" for everyone who is having a financial problem. Did he go deaf during part of my conversation? I think so. People like him tend to hear only a portion of what you are saying and immediately begin forming their response. They are polite enough to let you finish talking but they haven't heard anything you said.

I said the country isn't as broke as people would like to think. Social programs take up a tiny bit of the national budget, unlike the billions we are spending on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Blaming poor people for their poverty is like praising rich people for being rich. In most cases, poor people were born into poverty, rich people were born into wealth. Neither did anything to deserve their stations in life...however...to be poor means ridicule and lectures. To be rich means you are intelligent and deserving praise. I say consider the situation of Paris Hilton. She was born rich and I have seen her do nothing to deserve that wealth, attention or adoration. She has made a home porn tape, done time in jail and gotten jobs in crappy films. I am horribly UNimpressed with Ms. Hilton.

Our country does provide methods for getting out of poverty but any single parent will tell you that it's a steep hill to climb when you have young children. Society doesn't value children, despite what many Republican lawmakers claim. As soon as a poor person asks for help to raise that future taxpayer, Republicans and their supporters say that person should have considered how to raise that child before having that child when we know most of them made no such considerations before they got busy.

In hard times, it's just so much easier to kick around people in poverty.

Baby, it's cold outside...

I've been on Facebook for the past two days chatting, reconnecting and just killing time. Why? Because a blizzard just blew through my town and for a Californian like myself, a couple inches can qualify as a blizzard. I got about a foot and drifts of about 2 feet.

Did I ever mention how much I hate snow?

My hate affair with snow began when I was about 9 years old. It snowed in San Francisco and I got the rare opportunity to play in snow as a child. My teacher took us outside, we began playing and I noticed my hands were getting very cold. They got down right frigid and then began to hurt. This stunned me. I heard of being cold but didn't realize being cold can be painful. It was fascinating but also annoying. I immediately wanted the pain to stop and even more so wanted the snow gone. I decided at that moment that snow sucked. Those feelings were reinforced by a trip to my grandmother's home, staying until school and winter began, and having to walk to school. The teachers thought it a grand idea to have outside recesses and I only thought how long until I can try and get warm again.

The massive blizzard that blew through a third of the country was amazing. So many on FB claimed that it was all bull, the predictions that is, but I said they should count their blessings. No one likes being snowed in...unless you are in a lovely ski lodge with a roaring fire, hot chai and a hot body next to you willing to make your stay even hotter.

Unfortunately, I've heard tell that this will be the new "norm" for winters due to global warming. That is not a comforting thought but with the world getting warmer, we had to expect some kinds of changes. I remember the jokes about how can a warmer planet lead to colder winters. As I have heard, warmer temps. means more moisture in the atmosphere, meaning heavier snows. Oh....they now must be saying....It makes sense! Uh, yeah, it makes sense because you are shoveling out of 12 inches of snow when you are used to getting 5 or less.

The good news is shoveling all that snow so I can actually go to work tomorrow when the city "re-opens" was good exercise. I thought, as I shoveled, about how angry I would be if I were still married. If I were still married, I would have still been outside, alone, shoveling snow in negative temperatures. My ex would have been inside, on his computer claiming to be watching our son. In the end, I decided it was better to be shoveling my own drive and not married to someone who would essentially be a parasite and not a partner.

So...as tax time creeps closer, I have to wonder if everyone is going to file early or wait until April 18 to rush the job. We have extra days due to a holiday in Washington D.C. It is the anniversary of the day slaves were freed in D.C. I didn't even know there was such a holiday. I've heard of Juneteenth but not this D.C. holiday. For those who have no clue, Juneteenth is the day slaves in Texas finally got knowledge of the end of the Civil War and their freedom. Unlike the D.C. holiday, federal offices don't close for Juneteenth.

This creeping recognition of slavery and the happiness that followed once it was abolished is interesting. Slavery seems to be the "it seemed like a good idea at the time..." black mark on U.S. history. It's like the pink elephant in the room...people know it's there but when it's talked about that is done is weird whispers. The people who don't whisper are usually shouting about how they deserve the holiday or how "that incident" doesn't deserve a holiday. The state of Arizona refused to acknowledge MLK Day for years. As a black person in America, I kind of took that personally and I'm glad a bit of financial arm-twisting worked on Arizona.

February is Black History Month...I guess I crept up to that point. Black Americans have contributed a lot to this country, yet we still get stereotyped as leeches upon society. It's sad that today, that stereotype is still alive ans strong. I hope that will change but I worry I will not be alive to see the change.