Where are 2022/2023

I know I am so original talking about the transition from one year to the next, yet thousands of other writers, bloggers, etc.. are doing it so why not me.

Yet where are we? Regular readers know how tired I am of the failures of the two major parties and that is staring us in the face again. Sure some semblance of a budget was passed at the end of the year only three months late, but our government’s budget is so cumbersome very few people really know what is in it. I am not here to take about the budget though.

Today is about today. And to start let’s talk about some good.

First I want to show some admiration to President Zelensky. He took an innumerable amount of risks to come to speak to the U.S. and to meet with President Biden. You have to admire the man for so much, yet he keeps taking risks to do what he can to save his country. If we are ready to start nominating the major heroes of the 21st century, he goes to the top of the list.

Second it is all the first responders, volunteers, workers who are trying to help everyone survive this Christmas storm that just walloped a large chunk of the U. S.. I was going through a news site that published pictures from across the country and wow! That was one major storm that barreled across our country. We definitely want to send our prayers to the people who are still trying to survive what just happened to them. In general it is always good to support our volunteers and first responders, but this storm proves how valuable they are to our society.

I will continue to talk about the good in a minute and I am trying to avoid throwing childish digs at people, but one keeps clawing at my brain and has finally dug in enough where I have to type it out so the intensity of the blood flowing out by ears stops. I was amazed at how well spoken is President Zelensky. It is maddenly scary how bad our education system is that a former President who is a graduate of an esteemed business school cannot even compare in articulation to a man whose first language is not English and even with a thick accent spoke much more effectively. And the fact our former President who is cherished by so many in this country can barely speak at a middle school level is such a sad comment on our education system. I usually rail against the failure of public education, but when esteemed universities let this human being receive a degree it shows that education in general is not a current strong attribute for our country, nor one that speaks well for our country. And what have the two major parties done to improve education at all levels for our country? Hmmmm

Yet, let me get back to finding the good.Congratulations to Argentina for their World Cup win. I am still struggling that Qatar was the host and have been trying to push out that the players and the fans love of their country’s team is the most important aspect of this World Cup, but the more a person reads the sadder a person can become. Again congratulations to Argentina and a shout out to the U.S. Men’s team for their efforts and for keeping us engaged as fans. I definitely hope they build on this World Cup since they are such a young team.

If you love Dallas home teams this past holiday weekend was a joy to watch. All three major teams won their game on Saturday and Sunday. Just a quick moment to celebrate since basketball and hockey still have a long season in front of them and well the Cowboys…I will just say hopefully this proves they can win when it counts. (I am trying to believe. I am trying to believe. I am trying to believe)

I truly believe that we need to support the family, here and around the world. So much is happening to the “average Joe” around the world that I struggle to find hope. As a Christian I know we are not suppose to worry about the ways of man, nor what politicians do, etc… and that our lives are for another world and not this one. Some days I understand this, other days watching what is happening and seeing the immense suffering caused by so few drives me crazy. 

Oops another claw has dug into my brain. Okay, I think I pulled it out for the moment hopefully.

Again we need to support the family structure because when families are strong it leads to a stronger society. And this is not right wing hyperbole, families are important to the health of a society, yet what is a healthy family. I think this is when the vast majority of a country can support themselves; such as when parents are able to raise/feed their children, make sure they receive a good education, instill a general sense of values in their children so the children show respect for all, where the children are not living in fear, when children can play in their neighborhood, where parents are able to interact in their community without fears of retribution for their beliefs. And this includes when the government prioritizes families in public policy; such as affordable health care, living wages, affordable housing (and this is something I have quite a few thoughts, but will come back to those at a different time), support of art and culture so people learn to appreciate the best in what we do as humanity. I hope this gives you an iota of what might be more valuable than the current climate on this planet. Yet this always takes a back seat to so much other banality. 

To move on I have to say I wish certain people would quit calling themselves conservatives or the media saying right wing people are conservative. Conservatism is dying in this country due to the machinations of a few politicians. Please learn to identify what is true conservatism from right wing thinking. It is not just right wing extremism that is confused with conservatives, but even general right wing thinking. Please learn to distinguish the difference. If you need an example think of the few Republicans who are holding the party hostage to their desire to run roughshod over anything the Democrats want to do or quite frankly a few democrats in particular. There is no real agenda or public policy, just a few people wanting to exert undue pressure on the body politic to achieve personal bitterness and xenophobia.

Let’s step back a moment. I am not saying President Trump is intelligent or smart, but he is smarter than some people give him credit. He managed to find some excellent buttons to push in the 2016 election and espoused them whole heartedly. These problems still exist and need addressing? Yes the border is a mess, but right wing hysteria does not solve the problem, nor an overpriced graffiti board called a wall. Our immigration policy needs a complete overhaul. Also the relationship with China needs an overhaul. We need to develop a long term strategy economically and strategically, but tariffs aren’t the solution that Trump projected. He did identify some problems, but had no idea the solutions. And truth be told he didn't care as long as he heard the people scream his name. Unfortunately his adulation did not create productive policy. So we can add these two items to the many items on the list that need our attention in 2023.

And here comes another claw, but I just have to say Christian Nationalism is not “a thing”. In fact it is an oxymoron. Christianity has nothing to do with nations, nation building, attributing it to a national politic. If you really are a Christian you know Christianity is your sole belief and know Christianity is not for political aspirations or political achievement. 

So what is there to look forward to in 2023. First there is no national election to hound our sensibilities. Sure we will hear about 2024, but with 2023 we can wish some one better or some new party appears on the horizon to give us hope for 2024, but a wish is a wish. Is inflation receding? Can we avoid a recession? Or worst case scenario enter into a mild recession? An aside, aren’t you tired of seeing umpteen articles/advertisements about what the economy is going to do next year and what to invest in to be successful? Do you invest in gold, the stock market, bonds, crypto, a new mattress to stash your cash? it seems financial articles are all over the map about what to do. Or are they just fancy advertisements? Going back to the point, can we even think of anything to look forward? The answer is yes, but as always with each year we do not know what it is yet. Terrible things will happen and someone will do well. A new problem will arise and solutions will be sought. Life always presents challenges and people survive. It would be nice to end needless suffering such as what the people in Ukraine are experiencing, yet some suffering such as earthquakes or volcanoes we cannot control, yet people will rise to the occasion for those catastrophes.  I wish we could find ways to rise to the occasion to the man made disasters as well as we do for the natural disasters. Who knows maybe 2023 will give us that answer. That would be something to look forward to and celebrate. 

Our family Christmas went well and we all had a good time. I hope your celebrations went/go well also. So here is to a happy and prosperous new year to you and yours and you are blessed with good health, love from family and friends, and a world that realizes we need each other more than we act.

Cheers!

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Good evening all,

It is a bit late, however I am a bit perturbed. I have not seen one article on Pearl Harbor today or anything related.

Maybe the volcano in Hawaii is distracting people, I do not know. 

This is the day that is suppose to live in infamy, yet a bunch of crickets on the news sites. 

I have been busy so I was thinking maybe I just missed something, but it wasn’t until I did the internet search did anything begin to pop up on my phone. (yes, I read tons of news on my phone, about the only reason I have one). I read on the way to work on the train and there was nothing then or on the way home.

Makes me sad. We have to remember days like these to help us understand why supporting Ukraine is so important.

If anything I hope this post spurs a moment of silence or reflection. Three thousand people died in that attack, one being my great uncle so I always want to stop and remember for a moment. 

Freedom is not free least we forget (and yes that is a quote hard to actual attribute to the original person, but I found two sources that say Colonel Walter Hitchcock of the New Mexico Military Institute). The saying is important, but better if you remember what it means than the words.

Our country is not 250 years old, yet currently we have a profound impact on the world. We should stop and take stock of who we are and what we have done. Are we perfect, no! Yet if we continue to make ourselves better we can have an even more and better impact on this planet. 

Someone in your family somewhere at sometime made the great sacrifice for you to live here and enjoy this country and everything it stands for so do not forget. 

Take a moment to think of your loved ones, your family, your friends and what they mean to you. Take a moment to think of all the opportunity you have because someone somewhere did something for you. 

Yes some days are hard and some people make it easy to complain about them, yet overall the vast majority of you that can read this post are sitting somewhere comfortable, probably somewhat warm, and have a bit of food in you. There are hundreds of millions if not a billion or two people who have no where near what you do. And all because a few million people over this past 240+ years sacrificed what they have for you and their family.

Pearl Harbor is one of those days we should always stop a moment and remember, not just for the horrible attack that happened, but because fighting for democracy is a constant battle and sometimes not on a battlefield. Appreciate your day, appreciate the ability to complain about our government no matter your political stripe, appreciate that others even though you do not agree with them still want this country to be better. We are lucky that are fights are over policy, while in other countries it is over basic sustenance. 

Maybe if we realize what we have, the need to hate each other can wain and we can get back to the task of taking care of democracy like many in previous generations.

Time for a moment of silence.

Let’s just go ahead and start the 2024 prediction show

I will still be ranting and raving we need new parties.

Trump will not be President for the same reasons I predicted Hillary Clinton would not be President in 2014 for 2016. Not too many people liked her then, and not too many people like Trump now.

The Republicans will run the same gambit they always have still trying to make it look new. Lower taxes for the rich, crime is coming to get everyone with the added touch of immigration adding to crime and more, and mainly hoping the Democrats screw up which they will take credit for. And since the Democrats are still clueless, this may work yet again. But to have an actual plan to help the working and middle class be successful, ha ha ah oh stop ha ha ha, please you are hurting me, please stop, ha ha ha, just too much, Republicans doing something for us, lol lol lol, no no no, stop... I am laughing so hard it hurts.

If the Democrats had just two clues the Republicans would never win another election, plain and simple. First clue, why the heck did they not see the Republican take over of state governments over the last two decades? The second one, the Republicans really do own the libs. Don’t believe me, then why do Republicans keep winning elections? Because Democrats are clueless.

And one point which Biden did a good job of avoiding and Clinton totally espoused. Biden stayed more on point about a general plan for the middle and working class. Clinton tried to appease everyone with a platitude policy when she ran in 2016. Pretentious and clueless plain and simple. 

We all know the polls say the majority of this country does not want Biden and Trump running again, yet when has anyone in power listened to polls. DeSantis may break through and he is playing it smart for now by laying low, but sooner or later he will have to show up nationally. And the DC press, even the conservative groups could chew him up pretty quickly if he is not prepared. His big win that might carry over nationally is attracting some of the Hispanic vote, but the Florida Hispanic vote is not the same as California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas Chicago, New York Hispanic vote so lets see what happens. He will eventually have to say something or come up with a national platform, hmmmm. 

And the Democrats have the same problem they have had for ten years. They do not have anyone young that can attract a large audience. There just isn’t anyone. At one point I thought Kamala Harris might have been able to, but she is not garnering any attention at all nationally to make her star rise. And it should have risen by now for her to have a chance. Being a black woman, even as a moderate, she already has quite a bit to overcome so she really needed a running start. I don’t even see her walking yet.

Are we going to elect a woman this time; Haley, Noem, ? ? ? the Republicans do have some popular women in Republican circles, but right now any of them would not attract a large enough general populace to stand a chance. 

Which leads to how much the independent vote will play a factor in 2024. It will be monumentous. The independent vote has become the major factor in most elections. Gerrymandering has saved the Republicans for now, but more and more the independent vote is growing and could diminish some of their advantages soon. Will the Democrats push into these areas via the independent vote or will finally other parties start to grow?

Which reminds me, what happened to Andrew Yang’s Forward Party? I have heard nothing on them since the first news splashes awhile back. I just internet searched the name and most hits were articles from July and August when they started announcing themselves, not much new so far. Yet they did come on too late for the past biennial election. Maybe they can create some waves by 2024.

So actual predictions for 2024: someone will get elected and over half the country will be hissed.

Cheers!

PS and as we get closer I will begin developing an alternative actual set of public policies for the working and middle class once again. (okay an updated rehash of what I have said before, but I have been right the whole time anyway so why not)

Yea, I was wrong and be careful what you don’t ask for

So we survived the “mid term” election, it sucked or maybe it didn’t, but we survived. Mid term election is such a weird term since we have elections every two years so why don’t we just call it the biennial election? Just a question.

So the Republicans won the House, hence who wins in our country? I know some people are happy that we have a mixed government. And in some ways that can be good. Legislation gets drawn out, only laws that are  absolutely needed pass because partisan policy is denied. Crisis can be a problem, but if rational leaders on both sides of the aisle exist then they can also be addressed in a modified way.

Yet McCarthy has more than his hands full with his own party. And personally and I may be wrong, he won’t be able to handle his party. The extremes are already lining up to cause havoc on a daily basis. So what happens if the world turns sideways on them. How will they react? Do they just say no to everything in their maddening attempt to bring down those dangerous democrats? 

Do they actually think their delusional investigations will produce results? There might be some fire underneath Hunter Biden, but beyond that, what else is there? 

So here is the kicker for the Republican Party as a whole. If the Freedom Caucus does what it wants they can pretty much kiss the Republican chances good bye in 2024. You know, that next biennial election. 

If a catastrophe happens such as a large recession and the Republicans were out of power then they would retake the government, but since the government is split and both sides have slim majorities in either legislative body, then the body politic is going to blame whomever doesn’t act. And if the Freedom Caucus tries to shut down fixing any problems then they shoot the Republican party down.

And with no crisis and they just regurgitate investigation and accusation ad nauseum then the Republican party apparatus will look like a vomit laden pile of manure. 

People may hate government and complain all day, but in the end they do expect some lip service to solutions. And occasionally an actual result produced. 

So the Republicans won the House, McCarthy will be Speaker, he will fail but at least it is only two years until the next election which we started fretting about November 9th. Do we ever get a break?

And by the way the New York Post said some retired guy from Florida is running for President. It definitely won’t be a quiet and boring two years. 

And for fun maybe he will pick Lake to be his VP choice. They can drive democracy over a cliff together. Or just drive themselves into oblivion, we can only pray.

A little Dallas sports talk, ‘cause the election is gonna suck

They absolutely need a none of the above box where if none of the above wins they have to start the process over and the candidates on the ballot can’t run again. Politicians might be a bit more aware of what the people want.

And on a side note, none of the above gets free advertising, like a public service announcement that explains what the means a couple times a week leading up to the election. I bet we hear much different from the candidates or at least it is a worthwhile pipe dream.

Anyway, the Cowboys are a pleasant surprise so far this year. There are still some holes overall, yet there is also more promise shown that I thought going into the season. And Cooper Rush shown exactly what it means to be “the” back up quarterback. You know he isn’t going to start in the long run, but he is well worth having on the roster.

I still have high hopes for the Mavericks, yet like the Cowboys they have some holes to fill. The JaVale McGee experiment is not working out well, but I think we still keep him for now even as a starter to see if he just needs to work out kinks or find out if he is passed any sort of prime he had. We need big man play eventually and so having him on the roster to find out where he stands will benefit in the long run. If he doesn’t work out, Kidd will have to figure out the adjustments like last year, but hopefully he has enough to help us in the moments he is needed.

And stop all the hypothetical trades for all these crazy superstars. Why do all the sports sites want to have the Mavericks bail out some other team with their problems. I did think why not Durant and who would we need to trade. There is no perfect solution that is equitable or benefits the Mavericks unless we just get KD. He is still good, but fitting him into the current core that the Mavericks need to keep means giving up too much of that core and the Nets are not taking peripheral players. Unless we get a super promising young player under 26 or 25 I would keep the core and hope Coach Kidd can realign the defense like he did last year. It is real early in the season so there is time. 

And for that core to work, Luka’s assists need to remain high. It means people are making baskets and just as important the ball is moving around. The ball movement should also bring up the team average for assists. To me the assists/ball movement along with better defense is the Mavericks better chance of being successful than forcing a “second star” into the mix. One needs to be developed. It might have been Jalen Brunson, but that ship has sailed, so hopefully C. Woods can develop and morph into the working second scorer and keep everyone else averaging in the teens up through the 8th or 9th man in the rotation then the Mavs should do just fine. Or Spencer and Woods average about the same right around 20 points each behind Luka and then things could really pop. And Woods does help with the rebounding so that also helps Luka a bit. Maybe not as many triple doubles, but rather have the points and assists being the lead for Luka. 

The Cowboys have gotten lucky with the two back approach since Pollard has come into his own. Zeke may not be what he use to be, yet he can be a heavy hitting back and run people over in the fourth quarter still so in the long run having both backs is a blessing. And speaking of trades, I wonder what happened with the trade for the Houston receiver that did not pan out at the deadline. Never hurts to have that third or fourth receiver that is consistent. Wide receivers are a unique bunch to say the least, but when talented a joy to watch. 

And if you like your mind expanded, oops I mean your world expanded, the World Cup begins soon. Even though there are many controversaries about what went on in Qatar to build it, the players and the game should be what you watch. We can put international pressure on the country at the same time the games are going on. Hopefully it can be a double edge sword for Qatar with being in the limelight and people realizing the lack of respect for others, workers and life their elitist culture as wrought. 

I like to vote on election day, however this year because of circumstances I did vote early. And again we need a none of the above choice. I live and vote in Dallas County and most and I do mean most of the races had only one choice. And on top of that Dallas County created a list of all the candidates with no opposition and you had to scroll through it to finish the ballot. So why bother if we are stuck with just one choice of even putting them on the ballot? I didn’t like the look or the feel and I know a few of the people running unopposed and would have voted for them even with a competitive race so not being able to acknowledge or vote against the choice seems to be like we are short changing the process and democracy.

The mid terms are less than a week away so go vote and go throw up because that is where we are now. Too many choices that are so partisan there is no way we are getting a functional government anymore. Like the ex president says “sad”.

Random verbiage remarks

 Work begets more work, labor begets more labor, but work and labor do not beget much money for the worker and the laborer (this was also sent via tweet)

the Mavericks won a game without Luka, everyone is like so, it was preseason, a few months ago it was in the playoffs; when will people realize there are actually good players on the Mavericks not named Luka. Yet, whoa,  the Mavs have Luka

What did I say earlier today? I need to put it on a t-shirt.

Will you stop yelling, and I said we’re old that is all we do is yell.

I saw a headline to an article that says 90% of Americans think America is having a mental health crisis. Usually self diagnosis is not recommended, however in this case they are probably right. Out of curiosity, what do the other 10% think? They are not insane? because,,,,,,wouldn’t recommend looking in a mirror

The whole world would be better off if we kept idiots, the clueless, the criminals and evil from being in charge, yet somehow we manage to screw that up pretty consistently. We are so far off base most of the time, you have to think maybe the world is flat because if we had better instincts we should know better otherwise we just have it completely wrong. And don’t go pointing fingers that is is some “other side” or those people because if you think that, you are more than just a part of the problem and no where near a solution. We have all screwed this planet up.

And on that note I want to apologize to God for humanity for trashing this wonderful planet given to us and for wrecking our own lives. Can you forgive us again?

If you work in an environment where the determinant feeling of most everyone is based on how close it is to Friday, then someone needs to buy your upper management a clue. 

And then they think there cup is half full as they look forward to Friday. I have to give them my 3/4 empty cup and remind them Friday is that much closer to Monday.

Happy Friday eve

Cheers!

This isn’t global, but for those who need it, there is a catastrophe building; and the conclusion of the latest story.

 I know doom and gloom everywhere, we are all overwhelmed. 

So first definitely want to say for a society this is not as bad as Hurricane Ian or the war in Ukraine. There are people suffering in mass because of those events. They are upfront and in your face and horrible for your brain to digest so we definitely want to show our support, prayers and find ways to do something for those people caught up in those events. And fortunately there are many ways you can help out through donations of money or goods and any we send is going to be greatly appreciated even if you do not directly hear someone say thank you.

Yet for individual families affected by what is coming or they are already going through it will feel just as bad. Some will survive better than others, but for all it will consume time and resources and probably will deplete life savings or keep people from having a life beyond the immediate need.

I am talking about the need for care of a family member stricken with a lifetime debilitating disease. Many will have to turn to something called Guardianships whether for a child that has acute autism or cerebral palsy to caring for a parent who develops dementia or has a paralyzing stroke. 

A person in the family may need to rely on “the system” to help them care for their family member. And if is even worse for people who have lost track of their family or never really had one. 

And if the person who is very ill has money then there can be family fights over who is in charge of their money. 

Sometimes families work it out on their own and a plan of care is developed with the family, the doctors of the infirmed, and other resources and there is no need to get help.

Sometimes for a variety of reasons, families need help and the system we now have in place for help is struggling. Outside care agencies have massive wait lists and no money, the Courts who apply Guardianships are overwhelmed and are struggling to find help or get bogged down with family feuds over the money. 

Going from an application for a Guardianship to being appointed Guardian of the person can take anywhere from six months to years depending on the situation and unfortunately how versed the attorney is in these matters. It is a specialized area of law for an attorney to practice. And a guardianship is not something you want as an individual, People are always whining their rights are being taken away because some pretentious person wants them to use common sense. Go get a guardianship then you can tell me about your rights being taken away.

There are very few people who can take on being a Guardian when there is no family member to be the Guardian. If there is money, many times an attorney is appointed to manage the money and an agency or professional manages the actual life of the person needing the guardianship. And again there are very few people who are willing, much less able and trained to take on these matters.

This is just a taste of what many families are going through or will go through. And once someone is under a guardianship, it runs through the life of that person. If it is a child that turns into an adult, what happens when the caregiver adult is so old they need care. This does happen, now you need two plus people to take on the original child, plus the adult(s). 

And all this costs money, from day to day care, to health care costs which are high due to the root cause of the illness, to adjusting work or having to quit work, to specialized furniture and equipment, home remodels so they can function, to the high cost of assisted living facilities. And if you pay any attention to the news you rarely hear good things for the facilities. There is always a problem. 

The whole point is we need to take better care of ourselves and I mean more than eating your veggies. I am talking about society putting in place better support systems for families in need. And be careful, it doesn’t take much for your life to come crumbling down. As I may have mentioned before, the better half and I spent years taking care of our parents and we were blessed with family, friends, employment flexibility, good knowledge of resources, understanding work mates, and more and we still struggled. I see other families just about fall apart at the seams because they do not have the help we had. And it is sad to talk to someone who hasn’t done anything for years but care for one person because they cannot get the help they need. This and more are happening right now in your neighborhood whether you see it or not. I could go into greater detail, but you do not want me to. 

I told the better half this post would be short and it is when you consider there are books on this topic that barely address the problem. 

Now that I have depressed the heck out of you, lets finish the story. 

....So the customer, the salesman and the owner walked silently down the semi indoor sidewalk to a coffee shop. The owner offered to buy, the customer immediately said he would take care of his own, but with some polite cajoling from the owner and the salesman the customer relented.

They sat at a table near the window and quietly watched people go by, each lost a bit in their own thoughts for the first couple of sips. 

The salesman finally broke the ice and said so we know you want a ring, but what we do not know is the who. Tell us about your wife so we can help you pick the right ring. 

At first the customer was a bit hesitant to talk, not because he didn’t mind sharing about his wife, he loved her, he had never been asked that question before. Who is his wife?

So thinking about if for a moment, he opened up quite a bit. He regaled the other two with all the wonderful joy she brought to him and their children. All the times she would be mad, but now in a humorous light. All the church activities she seemed to be a part of, the time she put in volunteering, helping the children with their homework and then when grown all the times the times they came to her for help as the matured into adulthood. He laughed if it involved money they still went to her to ask him for them. He spoke of her for close to a hour and realized how much he did know of her. He had never spoken about it to anyone including her. This made him sad and he had to collect himself a moment.

He was very quiet for a bit. Finally the owner gently moved the conversation to a lighter tone and they headed back to the store. The salesman had great ideas and was glad to get to know a new customer. He relished knowing people and to him this afternoon not only promised a good sale, but a good client relationship. His customers were a little bit of his family now so having someone a bit of a peer as a customer felt good. For the moment he did not know how much they had in common.

They browsed the store and the salesman was a bit curious. The customer did not seem in a hurry to get anywhere, yet he could feel a sense of urgency in the matter. The customer settled on a ring and it was beautiful. A combination of colored gems for joy and diamonds for brightness, the customer even expressed this was her. Finally he asked when might you need this ring.

The customer became real silent. And after a long pause said tomorrow. 

Why tomorrow? Is it your anniversary? Are you leaving on a trip and want to have it for the trip? And just so you know she can always bring it back to be sized.

The customer said I think I may have mentioned this when I first came in, that I wanted a ring she could wear to her grave. This ring is it and her funeral is tomorrow.

When catching up there is so much to catch up, plus some continuation of the current story

The local podcast I put on my Youtube channel discussed the homeless in last week’s episode. Got me to thinkin’. Why is it so hard to come up with better public policy for the homeless. I was a bit caught off guard by the numbers mentioned. 4,000 in Dallas County, which is a large number but is unmanageable. How much more does it cost society to have the homeless spread out all over the city versus trying to create a simple stable place for them to live. The cost difference may be hard to determine since right now you just do not have one cost center addressing the problem where if  you do create a one all encompassing program it is one large cost versus the police time, the clean up time, health problems, the danger to people crossing streets, the various shelters and what they contribute. If you built a non profit/public partnership then the same charities are involved that run different programs and the city or county pitches in and you can mitigate the cost some. Maybe? And you have a broad all encompassing program that can address many of the needs maybe not all physically under one roof, but pretty close to it. Plus you can offer job training, health care, address the people that do have mental health issues in a better environment instead of just letting them ride the trains all day to stay out of the heat or cold.  There is much more to this than this one paragraph, but trying to sort out some ideas to hopefully one day offer a real solution instead of the hodge podge of stuff we have now.

And speaking of better public policy, I guess you if jet all the immigrants around the country you do a good job of wasting jet fuel and adding to the fossil fuel emissions. No one wants to talk about the complete abuse of human dignity that entails since the people jetting around immigrants care so much about human dignity. Do we have a good immigration policy right now? I do not think so, but political showmanship is not the answer. Wall Street gives money to all the Republicans running for office under the guise of a business friendly environment, yet quietly wants immigration so they can take advantage of cheap labor. Shssh, just do not tell anyone though. So how do they reconcile being able to get the labor they want and still get the tax breaks they want if people like Abbott and DeSantis are parading around immigrants like a traveling zoo. Sooner or later people may get tired of these shenanigans. 

And speaking of homeless and immigrants, I wonder how “Christian” nationalists feel about: “whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 It might matter if you call yourself a Christian, but hey whose to say being a Christian means actually following what Christ taught. Or at least trying.

Now back to the story:

Right about the time the customer told the salesperson what he was looking for, the owner of the store walked in. He surveyed what was going on. He saw his two lady saleswomen talking to one of his better customers and looking over some earrings. And he saw his favorite parttime employee past the time he should have clocked out helping an older gentleman. 

He goes up to the salesman and says I can continue to help if you need to go. The owner knew the salesman would stay, but he also knew as a courtesy he had to ask. The customer was a bit worried. He says I didn’t realize you were done for the day. The salesman says not to worry.

The customer is a bit curious now and asks wouldn’t your wife worry. The salesman lets him know he is a widower. And then he asks the customer since this is a anniversary ring how long have you been married. The customer says almost forty years. 

The owner and the salesman then start bringing out rings with ruby themes. They had a few that combined rubies and diamonds. The customer looked at them intently for awhile. The salesman and the owner talked a bit and then the owner went over to check on the saleswomen and their customer.

She adored the owner and gave him the same bit of feigned insult that the salesman hadn’t been paying enough attention to her without the slightest thought that she might be dismissing the time and efforts of the two saleswomen. She was here to buy something and to be fawned over.

The owner took over and began to flatter her. He knew her well. She loved it and graciously accepted his apology that the man was very busy. He let her know the customer was looking for an anniversary ring and could she wait a bit longer since this customer was shopping for such a momentous gift. She laughed and said she had found the earrings that would match her dress for her upcoming event and the owner could ring her up now. And she would deal with the salesman later.

Even after the sale she window shopped a bit more around the store just to keep an eye on the other customer. She wanted to see what he eventually bought since this was such an “important” gift. 

After awhile the customer began to feel guilty. He wanted to buy a ring and this salesman had been so helpful, but he still didn’t know what to do. His wife had always made the big shopping decisions. It was her house, her cars, her furniture, heck she even picked out the engagement and wedding rings. He wanted to make sure he found the right ring, yet it was hard. They all looked very special. And even though he had always been frugal, this time he wasn’t worried about the money. He was a successful businessman owning multiple small businesses, rent homes, and even a small amount of investments with a broker.  All of them were doing well. And this one purchase was something he had always promised his wife. 

His wife took care of the home and family and he took care of the business. It was the quintessential picture of the American dream.

Again if he asked the salesman if he needed to go. The salesman smiled and said he had all the time in the world. And out of the blue the customer asked the salesman how did he get by once his wife passed. The salesman was very comfortable with his current life. He could be sad at times because he missed her, but he had come to accept his wife had passed away. So he asked the customer if he had time for some coffee.

He told the owner the customer and he were going to go get some coffee and would be back. The lady customer chimed in that he had not shown her something to go with her earrings in a very bad effort to find out what the customer was buying.

The owner took the man to the coffee shop down the street to chat while the salesman spent some time with the lady. She didn’t stay long since the real purpose was to pry her little nose into the other customer’s business. Since he had left for coffee she knew it was a lost cause. She was flamboyant, snobbish and inconsiderate, but she was also smart.

The salesman went  to join the others for coffee. The other two saleswomen knew they were in charge and both hoped for a change a large customer would come in now and they would have a chance at a significant sale.

To be continued.........

Trying to get back into the groove

 Greetings everyone,

Seems like I just cannot get around to posting recently. I have had some good thoughts, but by the time I get home or think about posting the thoughts have disappeared into the neuron sphere.

Time to rededicate as they say, get back in the race, or other trite phrases that produce some much productivity. yep, nothing like dime store philosophy to encourage you to be creative.

So here I am stuck with the truth, get disciplined, yet it never hurts to have a plan also.

And with the elections coming up and all that is going on, you might think the motivation to be engaged would be there. 

So with all that is going on, let’s first say I do not like Charles III. The Queen was an inspiration and something that represented the Monarchy well. God rest her soul and I will let the true historians address her life in detail because that will happen. The books will be flying into the bookstores shortly.

The first Monday in October is less than a month away. Will the DOJ’s appeal be that far along then? It is absolutely crazy a Judge in our country would decide a criminal investigation has a hierarchy of how individuals are treated. The DOJ is appealing from what I saw in a headline and that should shoot through the Courts until it is resolved. I would love to see our Supreme Court try to justify writing an opinion that backs the Judge. If you thought the Democrats were crazy about talking about packing the Court, you can expect that to be grown exponentially. A person charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty true, but letting a person be treated different from everyone else is completely against our Constitution.

Many years ago I use to create stories in this blog. I would come up with an idea start the story and then over the next few posts continue it based on how I felt that day. Sometimes I had a rough idea of where I wanted it to head and sometimes I just let the wind take me where it wanted to go. To help me get back into regular writing again (hopefully) I am going to start a new story, nothing fancy just something to get myself going again. I wonder what will happen this time. Here goes:

The man walked into the jewelry store and was looking around at the various counters. He was an older gentleman, maybe in his early sixties. He appeared out of place in this store. This was one of the more fine jewelry stores in town that was locally owned. Working in the store that day were two woman and another gentleman who only worked part time. 

The women were snobbish to say the least and since the customer had on old brown slacks and a shirt that appeared a bit frayed they did not want to bother with helping the man. Of course they observed his shoes and well a little polish might have helped, but nothing that said to the women this man had any money. 

The man working part time you could call semi-retired. He too was in his early sixties and widowed. He had retired, but since his wife had passed he took on this part time work to help out his friend the owner. He used the extra money he made in commissions to travel to all the places he and his wife had put on their bucket list. Some called it sad, and he was sad, he missed her, but on every trip she was in his heart and he was glad to go. He spoke with her in his mind the whole trip.

The man approached the customer. He was sizing the customer up, but not about how much money he had, he was trying to determine how to approach him. The customer seemed very lost and the salesman sensed it wasn’t because he walked into a store he didn’t want to be in, yet rather he wanted something but didn’t know how to shop. The customer had that look of desperately wanting someone to recognize the help he needed.

The customer was also very shy. He worked hard his whole life and in his business he was very comfortable, but running around in the world was something he rarely did.

The salesman walked up to the man and tried starting some casual conversation. He asked him about his day, had he been shopping long, and instead of saying if you need any help, I will be right over there, he asked him if had been in this store before or had he been to other stores shopping.

The customer had been to other fine jewelry stores and had been treated indifferently in all of them. Since the customer never shopped for new clothes, his wife always bought clothes for him, he never thought when you go out people will judge you by what you wear especially in stores where there might be a few money judgmental people. He was on a mission and he knew he was going to spend a good amount of money so he honestly did not understand why it was so hard to be helped.

So by the time he had walked into this store, he was very skeptical of all sales people and so did not warm up to the salesman at all even though this salesperson was what had expected from people in a nice store.

The salesman did not push or stand by him while he walked around, yet the salesman was close and kept up a bit of light conversation. The salesman was trying to find what interested the customer by this conversation. He was a great salesman. The owner knew he would be. It was hard to get people who would work passionately and since he had known his friend for a long time he slowly convinced him to come on board. The owner’s expectations were exceeded and had become very reliant on the sales capabilities of his friend. During slow times the salesman would go on his travels, but during the holidays he worked with a inspired passion and increased sales dramatically. 

Today was a slow day, but the salesman was on the schedule so he was making the most of every opportunity. While the salesman was trying to size up the customer another lady walked into the store. The two ladies immediately came to her aid, however, they also knew her and were not shocked when she said she would wait on the salesman. She was a very gregarious woman, yet waited patiently for the salesman to recognize her. He had the first minute she had walked into the store, but he wanted to build up some rapport with the customer before letting him wonder around the store or worse wonder out.

After a few minutes the salesman asked the gentleman if he could be excused to help the lady. He promised he would be right back. The customer said he would look around and maybe come back. Well.... this did not sit well with our salesman so he told the customer, no he was there for him and not to leave without saying good bye.

The salesman gathered himself, and went to interact with the lady. Oh the conversation was animated and lively. They had their back and forth to get started. She loved the way this man paid attention to her and she came into the store half the time just to be entertained. 

The salesman asked her if he could check on his other customer from time to time while they talked and she expressed some feign trepidation that she would not get his 100 percent attention. She truly understood though. The salesperson did peak her interest when he said I cannot remember how long it has been since you bought new earrings. I have a new shipment.

Shockingly she was actually looking for earrings for a new dress she had bought for an evening out planned the upcoming weekend. She said to the man, you see right through me, how did you know?

He brought out a tray of new earrings for her to browse while he went back to the man. Now normally items that are brought out for presentation are not just left with the customer, however most of the regulars were well known and the owner found great success by a little leniency in this regard. The other two sales ladies came over and the three of them enjoyed comparing the wears.

The salesman went back to the customer and his next question was more to open up the man about what he was looking to buy. He asked him are you looking for something traditional or something unique. The customer replied hesitantly he didn’t know. He was also thinking to himself, how would I know if I am looking for something traditional or unique. He wouldn’t know if anything was unique so his guard went up. Was the salesperson going to try and trick him into spending too much money on something? Yet this was the first time anyone had asked him this type of question. Everyone that did ask, always wanted to know if this was for a special occasion and that was it. It was for a special occasion but he wasn’t saying that to anyone yet.

So the salesman sensing he wasn’t going to get an answer right away, tried asking if this was for him or someone else, and even joked are you having to find something for your wife so she won’t get mad when you buy something for yourself?  A new truck maybe, some golf clubs? The customer attempted a small laugh. The customer said he was looking for an anniversary ring.

To be continued.....