Well kids, here we are two weeks before Christmas and I still have no tree much less presents to put under it but that's okay because it's not about all that. Considering what Congress did with the spending bill I'd say we have much bigger fish to fry than Dirty Santa and ugly sweaters. I would love to say "this too shall pass" but I don't think it will plus it's gonna' get a whole lot worse unless the GOP implodes. Here's the thing I don't understand about all that....we are already trillions in the hole so what difference does a bit more make when there are people starving because their benefits have been cut. I talked with a friend the other day who is on disability because she is a brittle diabetic to the point that she had to have a kidney transplant. She receives disability which is rightfully hers and her food stamps were cut by our fat cats in Congress hidden up in the farm bill that graced Monsantao et.al. Merry effin' Christmas all y'all scrooges.
Now before you start howling about "entitlements" and "people should work" let me point out that my daughter worked the graveyard shift to put herself through college with an hour commute each way and gas at 4 bucks a gallon. You can be sure that a large piece of that 25K in debt went to just getting to class while the Arabs were yanking oil prices around. Following graduation in 2010, she worked in her chosen field for about a year and has worked minimum wage jobs ever since. Currently she works in the kitchen of a local restaurant for 7.25 doing what the cleaning ladies at the sawmill call "man's work." At one point she had food stamp assistance (when unemployed) but now that she's making a non-living wage, that is gone. What is the incentive to work when assistance is tied to not working your ass off for an amount that you cannot survive on? Unfortunately, she's not the only one. The entire group, including those who have entered the job market since she did, is saddled with enormous debt and a lackluster job market. My raise this year at a job with a 37 year tenure was 10 cents. Other licensed healthcare professionals got even less. Remember that when you bitch about how long it takes to get through the ER or doctor's office. We have created a monster and it is healthcare, or the lack thereof. Thanks Lamar and Bob! We didn't need that federal money anyway because party lines are what's up, right?
Our governor, on the other hand, has seen to it that every high school graduate will be guaranteed at least two years at a community college which is a much wiser use of lottery $$ than what's been happening. He was also the creator of the Co.Starters program which was a real treat for me and a few other local small business wannabes. I may never make it to the roll out stage but I've loved every minute of the learning experience. If more people would produce and buy locally, our country wouldn't be in the economic shape it is now. Let's all learn Chinese because we're going to need it.
My goal for today is to make some party mix at my mother's request. We had a three way conversation the other day with her calling out ingredients to Ms Faye for her to write down. I think there are coconut balls in the future as well. Those are Daddy's favorites, you know. All of these recipes and more will be in "the book" which is slowly forming in my mind and on paper. Yesterday my ethereal friend and classmate Lorna (or Lorena as spellcheck does it) gifted me with some arnica products and even rubbed that bitch shoulder down with the oil. She also brought a vintage iron skillet from her collection which puts my count at 2. Little things make me happy! In return I gave her my daddy's ag books from UTMartin where he was a member of the first graduating class of agricultural science majors at that campus. My baby self lived there while he was finishing up after Air Force duty.
I'm just grateful not to be at a crowded mall full of screaming kids scared of Santa. How about you?
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