Sunday, November 2, 2014

Stop babying your kids

I am sick and tired of these parents that are so afraid to let their kids see them fail that they're raising a bunch of entitled pansies. I'm not a great mom and I've made major mistakes in raising my son but these folks that freak out because their child might be disappointed in them irritate me. You are the parent and your kids need to learn to deal with disappointment. Stop making it your life goal for them to "win" everything. That's not real life and only leads to entitled brats that can't accept defeat.

I was afraid my kids would think I'd failed if they knew about my previous marriage.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Michelle Obama is a man?

Wow! This couple has to be the perfect example of all that is wrong with the world. She studied criminal justice so that makes her an expert on what women look like. He was a cop who has seen people that want to get sex change surgery so that makes him an expert. Self-righteous pigs!

First, if she had a sex change, is that really our business? Is she hurting anyone with that, if it's even true?

Second, how dare he insinuate that the troops shouldn't be fighting a war to protect gays, transgender, etc. These folks are homophobes of the worst kind and I hope the universe takes care of them appropriately.

Third, I cannot believe this woman would dare to pass judgment on the sex of a person just by the shape of their shoulders, their muscular arms and some wardrobe malfunction pics. Way to give every woman that is built the same way a complex that they will now be identified as a man. People are different and there's no one body type that makes you solely a man or woman. We are all shaped differently and shouldn't be ashamed of it.

These folks, who quote scripture, should be ashamed of themselves. I hope they burn in hell when their day comes. I cannot stand the intolerance.

Michelle Obama Is A MAN!!(PROOF) PT.2/2: http://youtu.be/7B418vtkQsY

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Guns laws...finding a happy place

This article talks about proposed gun laws for Chicago that are aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.

First, criminals don't usually obtain guns legally so new laws won't have any impact on their ability to acquire them.

Second, I have no problem with sales been video taped but I do not agree with the limit on purchases per month & I think waiting periods are a waste of time. If I pass the background check, there should be no issue.

If you feel better background checks are needed, fine but I have to wonder what else you're checking for. Do you want my medical history as well as my school transcripts?

I full agree that we need to do a better job of keeping weapons (all kinds) away from "crazy" people but new laws won't make criminals change their ways. It'll just give them more laws to break.

Friday, July 4, 2014

The threats against women must stop!

I don't know what is happening in the world these days but I'm seeing an alarming increase in the number of outspoken women who have become the target of death threats, or worse.

I don't give a flying rats ass if you agree with what they are doing or talking about...You have no right to threaten them with bodily harm or injury.

This woman has received some very colorful threats online that you can see in this article, all because she dared to speak out for what she believes. She didn't threaten anyone, she spoke of her experiences...And was attacked for it.

The "Texas Cheerleader" that hunts big game and posts pics of it has been consistently attacked online for weeks because of what she chooses to do. If any of these folks actually knew the details, they might think differently.

How about we stop being assholes and respect the opinions of others?

When faced with open carry activists...RUN!

@thegunwire has decided the best way to deal with people that open carry in public is to immediately leave the business. Nevermind that you have unpaid goods and services on your person and could be charged with theft. It makes much more sense to break the law than be a mature adult and calmly respond to the situation.

I'm sure the stores won't mind at all and you won't be remembered for being the nitwit that caused a scene that involved the police because you ran out on the bill. If your desire is to leave the establishment fast, you'd be better off calmly paying the bill first because you'll be detained gar longer if the police are called.

This is yet another example of how idiotic people have become. It is NOT ok to break the law just because you don't like what someone else is doing. If you don't agree and want to leave...Fine! Do it the right way and don't be an ass about it.

If you really think about it, you can tell a good guy with a gun from a bad guy with a gun pretty easily.

Good guys will openly carry so you know who they are.

Bad guys are going to hide their weapons until it's too late and then you're screwed.

Don't be too quick to assume but be aware of your surroundings.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

What happened to customer service?

I'm sure we've all experienced poor service at one time or another. Sadly, the bad experiences seem to outweigh the bad in the world today.

Blame it on burnout, stressed out workers. Blame it on poor training and lack of follow up. Blame it on lack of any work ethic which results in a workforce of people who don't care of they perform well.

Unfortunately, all of these things play a factor in the workplace today. Too many huge companies that don't take care of, or pay attention to, their employees mixed with workers that feel unappreciated lead to poor service, slow response times and lost revenue.

Even employees with strong work ethics are being dragged into this vicious cycle of unstructured, absentee management enabling lazy, inefficient workers.

Employers seem to micro-manage everything or step back and refuse to manage at all. Most employees would probably say an approach somewhere in the middle works best.

In this story, a Cracker Barrel employee actually liked his job and was offering good service but was fired for it. Perhaps the management should take his lead and allow their employees to "comp" customers on occasion to build customer loyalty & satisfaction. I'm not saying every shift but allow them 1 or 2 comps a month that don't require approval and then require manager approval after that. Sure would make employees feel more vested in the company of they had some empowerment to do things for customers if they think it's warranted.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

The world owes you nothing

Saw an article today that says a woman is suing her ex boss because the rush hour commute made her ill.

Why do so many people refuse to accept responsibility for their own lives? If you didn't like the commute you were free to move...Or quit. You are free to make your own choices and it's not your employers fault that your commute wasn't easy.

Did you not know what the commute would be when you took the job? Exactly! Now, suck it up and take responsibility for your own actions.

Friday, June 27, 2014

REMINDER: Your kid's in the backseat

There have been way too many instances where parents leave their kids in the car and the child dies due to the heat. We all say "how could you forget your child?" but it seems that the majority of these cases are due to a change in schedule where the "other" parent is supposed to drop the child off. Anytime you change the daily routine, you run the risk of something not being done as usual.

A middle school boy invented an item to help prevent these deaths and calls it the E-Z Baby Saver. It's a device you can make from rubber bands and duct tape that, essentially, straps between the back of the driver seat to the door so you can't get out without running in to it. It's supposed to be a reminder to check the back seat.

I am glad people are thinking about ways to prevent these tragedies but I really don't think this will work. And here's why:

1. Parents may use this a few times but if they are responsible for dropping the child off on a daily basis, they aren't going to be the ones that forget the child in the backseat to begin with.

2. If it's the parent that doesn't normally have the daily task of driving the child around, they aren't going to want to have this "strap" in their way on a daily basis and they will remove it. Hence, making it non-functional because it's not being used.

3. The use of the strap still requires that the parent actually check the backseat before leaving their vehicle for the day. If they leave it on full time and get used to ignoring it because they don't normally have the child in the care, it's not going to work because they aren't going to get in the habit of checking the backseat because they don't normally have the child in the car.

Basically, it all comes down to human error. Unfortunately, people get preoccupied and don't pay attention to what they are doing. Everyone needs to slow down and pay attention to life, instead of worrying about what they are going to do the rest of the day. Worry about now!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Are we ready for CO-ED dressing rooms?

A blogger recently wrote a story about an experience a male friend of his had when helping his daughters try on clothes at a department store.

At first I thought, what person would actually complain about this to a manager, but then...I started thinking...this man was with his wife and 2 daughters. Yes, he has the right to help them choose clothing but why didn't his wife go with them into the "ladies" dressing room?

And then I thought, what would have happened if he was a single father with no female to help him in this situation. I'm torn...what should have happened here.

Could he have taken them into the mens changing room? Would that have been preferable? What if his daughters had encountered a man changing in that dressing room? Isn't it possible that they would have been equally as "traumatized" as the daughter of the woman filing the complaint?

The mother that complained most likely worried that her daughter might be seen by someone of the opposite sex and feel uncomfortable by the encounter. Do you really blame her? Would you want a man wandering around the ladies changing room when you are in there trying on clothes? I'm sure seeing little girls wandering around the mens room with their father's is awkward for many men.

Even if the rooms are all private, there really is no true "privacy" when you are in a public place and you're getting naked. Anyone could open the wrong door at the wrong time and...BOOM! Instant awkwardness!

Maybe it's time to install "family" dressing rooms that are larger and in a more neutral location to allow either parent to assist their children. I don't know how this changing area was laid out so it may have been such an intimate setting that there was no way to avoid her daughter running into the man but I think this issue needs to be addressed. There are way more single parents these days that have children of the opposite sex and could be subjected to this practice. Much like the lack of changing tables in mens rooms, we need to have a more universal place for parents to help their kids without being subjected to nasty glares and rude complaints.

So, what "disorders" do you blame your bad behavior on?

It sure seems we have become a society that refuses to take responsibility for our own actions. There's a diagnosis for everything these days but the symptoms of these "disorders" are no different than they were when I was a kid. We just called it something different.

Munchausen's has been around for a while but this one is really hard for me to accept. I mean, you're basically an attention whore that tortures your children to get the desired attention, which often kills them. While I can understand people may do extreme things for attention, I do not believe this should be a valid defense for being acquitted of any crime. I'm very interested to see how this case turns out: "Mommy blogger charged with murdering son with salt"

I think the disorder that makes me the angriest is what they call "Affluenza" aka: The Spoiled Brat defense. In this article, the psychologist admits he wishes he hadn't used that term and says that "we used to call these people spoiled brats". In this court case, the defendent was placed in a treatment facility and will be on probation for killing 4 people and injuring 2 while driving drunk! Basically, his family's money got him a break. That is NOT acceptable but as long as we have idiotic judges on the bench that are willing to give people breaks, this could continue!

My son was in trouble alot at school and eventually ended up in the juvenile court system for truancy. He was diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Basically, he has a problem listening to and respecting authority. Sound familiar? When I was a kid, we called this being an a$$hole! There was no disorder or "treatment". You learned to deal with life, the good and the bad, you sucked it up and you eventually grew up. Many people are now treated with anti-depressants for this disorder, which have been known to cause crazy side effects, including suicide, in teens. Um, thanks but no thanks. I chose to homeschool my son and he's been in much better spirits. It may take him longer to graduate but at least we aren't caught up in the justice system which just wants to lock him up and medicate him til he's an "adult".

As a society, we need to stop blaming all our issues on some psychological "disorder" and take responsibility for our actions. By the time you are in high school you are old enough to make your own decisions, choices, etc. Stop blaming your bad decisions on other people or your "messed up brain" and get your life together.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

When parents enable the entitled teens of today

Mother protests school dress code by wearing daughters dress to graduation

I'm all for letting your kids express themselves and be unique but there are rules that apply to life and they must be followed. If your kids can't even follow the dress code in school, how do you ever expect them to know how to follow rules in real life? Dress code rules are easy to follow. Stop letting them get away with pushing those boundaries! You are the parent...act like it!

This mother decided to protest her daughter being sent home for a skirt that was too short by wearing it to graduation. Way to be a good role model and let your kids know that it's ok to break the rules. This is why we have so many criminals and juvenile delinquents. Kids don't believe there will be any consequences and that someone will always stand up for them if they break the rules.

As we all know, that's not how real like works! Being an adult is all about following rules, laws, etc; not being an entitled ass & learning to adapt to your surroundings with courtesy for others and common sense. I think most kids have never learned some of these skills and the world is definitely going to hell because of it.

Monday, June 16, 2014

You're embarrassing yourself!

It's now illegal for contractors to discriminate against gay and transgender workers.

Why the hell is this necessary?

People wonder why the government is constantly telling us what to do. It's because a good # of us are too damn stupid to be decent human beings on our own. Hell, even with laws in place, a huge chunk of "humanity" still can't behave as humane, intelligent members of society.

It's sad that we can't even "play nicely" without someone constantly watching us and pointing us in the right direction.

The fact that this law is even needed makes me embarrassed for our country. Just stop & think before you act and stop embarrassing yourselves...and the rest of us!

Friday, June 13, 2014

Stop forcing discrimination on our kids

Elementary kids call out LEGO for discriminatory play sets

I find this comment from a viewer interesting:
"I have always been frustrated that LEGO decided they had to market separately to boys and girls, and that "girls" sets had to be pink and purple and pastel. Until that point I had not realized that primary colors were for boys only."

Perhaps this is because the commentor is more open minded and doesn't let themselves get pigeon holed into what people think is male or female appropriate. I think we spend way too much time looking for discrimination in everything that we do and it's what is causing the world to be such a negative, bitter place.

Yes, it's great that Lego now wants to make these more "fair" and put more variety in their toys but these kids didn't know the difference until an adult pointed this out...I'm sure of it. They didn't feel discrimination before but now they do and will probably continue to look for this in everything for the rest of their lives.

Congratulations, we've just made a new generation of paranoid, hypocondriacs who will want to sue everyone for some sort of discrimination when things don't go their way.

Ok, maybe most of these kids won't even remember this "project" when they get older but I do not like the fact that this idea of discrimination was placed in their head and then pounded home day after day as they "researched" each play set to see what sort of options were included.

I'm just so sick of kids being taught to hate and look for the bad things at such a young age. They'll figure it out on their own...let them be young and oblivious to the big bad world as long as you can.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Who are you to tell me what's "NORMAL"?

When the Miss USA pageant was on, people were excited and supportive of Miss Indiana because she looked more like the "normal" American woman than a typical beauty queen.

Today, people are posting critical comments saying shes not "normal" at all...as if it's her fault people were making that comparison at all!

Um, how about we just be supportive of all women, regardless of their body shape, and stop being so critical of each other? We aren't all going to be the same and each of us will probably battle with different body shapes and weights at some point in our lives. Do you really think we need more people drawing attention to us?

If you are that insecure with yourself that you have to spend time critizing someone else about how they look, you need to get help! Leave this woman alone and let her be. She's beautiful and more "normal" than many of the previous pageant contestants.

Let's hope the trend continues and people become more tolerant of each other in general!

You can't regulate stupidity, morality or courtesy (Or, a world full of assholes)

The Political Parent claims "I'M DONE"!!

I never cease to be amazed at these people.

#NotOneMore they yell...yet they cannot provide one ounce of proof that making it harder for honest citizens to get guns will stop the bad guys from getting them. I'd just like one of them to stop their ranting, about how horrible the NRA and gun owners are, and explain to me why they believe that criminals, who don't obey the current laws, are going to become law abiding citizens if we put new laws in place.

Like they are going to say "hey, this is new...maybe we should follow the laws now". No, that's not how it works. That's never how it's worked. And if they'd look at the facts a little more closely they'd see that there are many situations where a good guy with a gun has stopped a bad guy with a gun before more fatalities occurred.

This "74 school shootings" quote that they are all referencing is from a member of the Everytown crowd and they admit that their statistics include assaults, homicides and suicides. I'd wager that they also include instances that happened "near" a school or a school sponsored activity and not actually at the school where the kids were at all.

I believe 1 of them was a teacher that committed suicide, after school hours, in his office. Noone else was around. I hardly think that qualifies as "gun violence".

It amazes me that these people think you can regulate common sense, courtesy, decency, morality! It's not going to happen, people. You have to deal with the real problem, which is the fact that the US has become a country full of entitled assholes that don't feel they have any consequences for their actions and no respect for others.

Until people stop being worthless wastes of space, the problem will remain.

Monday, June 2, 2014

A special kind of stupid

A random stranger offers to sell you thousands of pairs of Nike sneakers for way way way below retail and you don't stop to wonder if the shoes were stolen?



I'm honestly amazed that they tracked these ladies down at all and that it took 5 years to do so. I guess when you are talking about millions of dollars of merchandise, Nike isn't going to play around. Wonder how many pair were left and how much they were selling them for.

It's not all about you

When will we stop focusing on these mass killing sprees and worry about the daily violence that is taking people out daily? How about ending the focus on banning guns and worry about the other ordinary household items that are being used to kill people on a daily basis such as butcher knives, screwdrivers, etc.

I don't know if it's completely accurate or not but the graphics at this link provide some interesting data regarding the types of guns used for mass shootings, how they were obtained, etc. The comments on the website provide some additional insight that might get you thinking about your current stance on this subject.

Again, it all comes back to the people behind the violence. A gun, knife or other sharp object will do nothing without the force of a person behind it. I think we can all agree that anyone that thinks it's acceptable to kill anyone else for no reason is not sane.

People need to take more responsibility for their actions, their possessions, etc. Take the feelings and lives of other people into consideration before doing or saying something. IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU!

Yes, you have certain rights but...SO DO I! And your rights don't trump mine. A little common sense, common courtesy and common decency should be used when doing anything in life!

If more people had respect for others, we wouldn't be in the situations we are now.

Too many self centered, entitled people in this world that probably should have been beaten a little more as children!

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Focus shifts to mental health as opposed to gun control

Congress has decided to focus on mental health issues to curb gun violence instead of gun control because it's not being fought by folks like the NRA.

I'd say that is what they should focus on because that IS the problem. Stop trying to blame your change of focus on the NRA.

Can you honestly tell me that you think any of these folks committing mass murders are in their right mind? Maybe if we were using the resources we have to their fullest the criminals wouldn't be able to get guns through legal channels.

Granted, that won't stop them from getting them illegally if they really want one but it might make it a little more difficult.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Freedom of expression doesn't mean freedom from consequence

Self expression...we all want it but not everyone has the common sense or decency to know when to put that aside to adhere to the rules and laws in place to make us a civilized society. In our example today we are going to talk about dress codes...in public schools. We all had them growing up. They changed with the times to allow or prohibit certain things as fashions changed.

One thing that didn't change was the fact that you were expected to adhere to the dress code when you went to school and your parents made sure of that.
 
It's not a difficult concept. Dress codes are in place to avoid distractions to the learning process because we all konw there are enough things in school to divert your attention from why you are really there.
 
In this story, several yearbook pictures were photoshopped to cover up some additional skin or to correct dress code violations. Parents, student and even rape prevention advocates are in an uproar because of it. Are you kidding me?
 
The problem I see today is that kids will push that envelope as far as they possible can on the grounds of "freedom of expression" and a large portion of parents encourage this. I will never understand why an adult would give their blessing for a child to knowingly break a rule/law just to express themselves. If you want to express yourself...do it on your own time.
 
In school, as in life/work, you will be expected to follow certain rules and if you don't, you will be terminated (one way or another). School is where you are supposed to start learning the skills of interacting with others, following instructions/rules and working toward a goal.
 
If we continually allow our children to break those rules we are going to end up with a world full of self-centered, entitled brats that think only of themselves.
 
OH WAIT! TOO LATE!
 
 
Lord knows they have enough of these horrible examples in the world of pop culture to learn from. How about if we, as parents, teach them that they cannot do whatever they want or they will face consequences. You may be free to express yourself but you are not free from the consequences of your actions.
 
 


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

You get a raise! You get a raise! Everybody gets a raise!

In yet another idiotic move to prevent people from feeling "discriminated against" we blindly assign "GREAT JOB" stickers to all our employees and keep them all on the same playing field.

Welcome to real life, folks...we aren't all equal and we aren't all worth the same amount of money, praise or respect either. You have to earn what you have in this world and while there will always be someone that's better than you, there will always be someone worse.

Lumping all employees into one performance classification is not only unfair but it's insulting to those that go above and beyond to perform for your company. Even good employees can have off moments which could result in poor reviews/scores on occasion. It's a fact of life that we all have to deal with. Trying to make all your employees feel like winners all the time will only succeed in pleasing your lowest performers and driving off your best performance...the ones that you should want to keep!

As an example:

Company A awards bonuses to employees based on their personal goals and achievements as well as giving management the discretion to give random pay outs for those that have gone above and beyond. Employees have clear goals and know what they must do to be an asset to the team. They happily stay with the same company for many years because they feel valued and rewarded when they work well.

Company B gives flat bonuses across the board twice a year that are based on tenure and company performance. Hard workers get no more than their peers that merely show up and do the basics to get buy. Taking on additional tasks is not rewarded because management is not given any freedom with recognizing outstanding performance. Annual review time results in all employees being promoted to a "Level II" status, no matter what their overall performance review. In most cases, the employees received no more than "meets expectations" in each category.

What I'm saying is that you should NEVER promote someone who gets nothing more than meets expectations on their annual review. Likewise, management should have the ability to recognize employees throughout the year that go above and beyond the norm. On the flip side, employees that do not meet expectations should get NOTHING. Promoting them with the rest of your high performers does nothing but bring moral down and push your good workers to look for positions elsewhere!

Paper vs Bullets...who wins?

The answer? NOBODY WINS but the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence thinks shootings could be prevented by putting a "Gun Violence Restraining Order" in place.

There are already multiple restraining orders in place that do nothing. What good is that piece of paper when that person approaches you and you are alone, unarmed and unable to protect yourself? All that piece of paper does is make the person it is drawn against even more angry and possibly more determined to harm you.

Unless you have a police escort 24/7 a restraining order is no protection against these lunatics that are out to harm you...no matter what their method.

NRA to blame for death by vehicles & knives now?

First, let me remind you that the victims of this horrific crime spree were not all killed by gun shots. 3 were stabbed to death, 3 were shot and 13 more were injured in other ways, 4 by being run over by the criminals BMW. That means, 19 people were hurt or killed...only 3 with a firearm, yet the headline of this article says "Calif. student goes on shooting rampage". Even if you only count the fatalities...the percentage of deaths by knife and gun are the same! Why was this turned into an anti-gun rant? Talk about a biased reporter and publication. How is that a fair headline when the majority of the damages were not even carried out with a gun?

Now, on to the story at hand. The father of one of the victims is understandably upset but his misdirected grief & blame are way off base in the article posted by the Washington Post. Not surprisingly, these articles always fail to point out that this happened in California, where stricter gun laws are already in place. We can all see how well those worked.

This father says he doesn't blame the parents of the gunman, or the police, or the mental health system. He blames the NRA and has no qualms saying so. Apparently his experience as a criminal defense attorney has blinded him to the true ways of the criminal mind. On that note, I wonder how many similarly charged criminals he's represented in his career!

'Martinez reserved his anger for the NRA, saying he has no understanding for the group’s position on automatic and semiautomatic weapons after a series of mass murders involving such weapons.

“I’m angry with the leadership of the NRA who always want to characterize this as if it’s a lone madman. That it’s an act of nature we have to tolerate,” he said. “I am angered by how they have worked to normalize this.”'

Nobody accepts these lunatics and their shooting sprees as normal and if they do, they are clearly the folks that we need to start looking more closely at...as they probably shouldn't have access to guns either.

Yes, there are some extreme members of the NRA that feel all gun laws are too harsh but they do not speak for the majority of us. There are equally extreme characters on the anti-gun side as well and I've seen many hateful, almost threatening, posts from many of them. Don't try to act like the NRA members are the bad guys here!

Most NRA members will tell you that we need better methods of keeping guns out of the hands of those that could be dangerous; however, you won't stop criminals from getting guns by also stopping legitimate citizens from buying them! I don't know why this is such a difficult concept to grasp for these extremists on the anti-gun team!



Monday, May 26, 2014

Stop the extremists!

In the debate over gun control there are far too many irrational extremists on both sides. The "gun grabbers" want to block all gun sales and stop people from buying & owning any gun for any reason. The pro-gun folks think you should be able to open carry any firearm, anywhere, any time.

Luckily, the majority of folks involved in this debate are somewhere in the middle...at least I hope that's the case. Unfortunately, those of us with rational arguments regarding the problem of gun violence are frequently pushed aside for the extremists and their psychotic ramblings that offer no solutions and reflect their lack of common sense.

Here are the most important points (at least in my opinion)

1. Tighter gun laws will NOT stop criminals from getting guns. They don't follow the current laws, why would they follow new ones?

2. In the absence of guns, criminals will find other weapons that are equally lethal and legal to obtain

3. If you restrict guns sales to legit owners, then only criminals will have guns and more people will be unable to defend themselves and more will die.

4. Better background checks would be beneficial as long as we can be assured that the government isn't going to try something stupid down the road and want to confiscate guns because they can't control things.

As I've always said... It's not a gun problem. It's a people problem.

We have to deal with the problem of mentally ill people in this country. Far too many people can't get help and those are the folks we should be watching for. They need help and we need better programs to identify these folks and get them the help they need.

Another issue is the sense of entitlement that many of the younger generation have. We've spent so much time telling them that they are all winners that they don't know how to deal with disappointment and failure when they get into the real world.

We have to stop worrying about our kids being upset because they don't win at everything. They need to experience competition, failure & let downs so they are prepared for life.

Life sucks, it's not fair and everyone can't always be the best. That is no reason to go postal and start killing people. You can't always get what you want and you need to learn to respect other people and their things.

Celebrity parenting advice? Get over it!

At first, this headline outraged me. But as I read the story, and thought back on the comments made by Gwyneth Paltrow, I started to think about the difference in parenting styles across the world.

Just because it works for me, doesn't mean it'll work for you. Why do we become so outraged when another parent expresses their feelings on raising children? Are you being forced to follow their lead? Noone is making you do anything that you don't want so why do people get so upset about celebrity parenting ideas?

They have more money so they have more options. Some would say their finances make their views of parenting skewed and outside the realm of reality, and that  may be true. But whose reality are we comparing it to?

People say things that you won't agree with. Sometimes they say things they might not even agree with down the road. People evolve...Don't take their opinions personally!

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Cheap food is making us fat?

I wonder how much time and money was wasted to come up with this little nugget of wisdom. I think many people have been saying this for years. It's not a new concept.

When faced with the option of buying lean cuts of meat versus fatty rolls of ground beef, what are you going to choose when you're on a tight budget?

I hear people saying that eating healthy is no more expensive than eating "crappy" but that's simply not true. At least not where I live.

I can't afford to buy fresh fruits & veggies because they are so expensive. They are more of a "treat" when I have extra money than a weekly staple of my shopping list.

Frozen meals can be as cheap as $1 each (or less) but to make meals fresh and freeze them is more expensive, not to mention time consuming. For a single parent who works 2 jobs just to pay the other bills, I can't afford the luxury of fresh fruits & lean meats.

What really irks me is those folks that are on assistance that eat better than I do. I know (hope) that they are in the minority but I saw so many when I worked as a Cashier at a grocery store that I'm a bit jaded.

If the price of fattening foods was more than healthier options, I can guarantee I'd be eating better & probably lose this extra weight.

Did you get your "fat letter"?

I am so sick of hearing about these schools sending home letters from the health department telling parents their kids are overweight.

Clearly they have no concept of how this can effect children. Most of whom already know if they are actually overweight. Do they think that those of us that are "fat" don't already know it? I'm sure the peers of these kids have made it clear to them that they are "different" but if they haven't, and they are still treated as equals, these letters could be responsible for putting the fear of being "fat" into these kids heads and cause future problems with self-esteem and eating disorders.

Unless the child is morbidly obese and clearly neglected by the parents, the school needs to stay out of it and mind their own business. Their job is to educate...stick to it!

Friday, May 23, 2014

Stop this "Everyone Is A Winner" Crap!

Michigan school sends note home that field day will not be a competition.

Ok, I'm going to say this and I'm sure many will disagree but I'm sick and tired of this "everyone is a winner" mentality!

NOT YOU ARE NOT!

There are many people that are going to suck at a lot of things and you're just going to have to learn to deal with it. You can't win everything, you can't always get your way, and we are not going to celebrate because you did something you were supposed to do anyway!

This goes right along with my dislike of commencement ceremonies for things other than high school and college graduations. You do not need to put on a cap and gown every time you move to a new school. It's ridiculous! I'm ok for recognizing those that excel but I'm sick of everyone being treated as if they were the best thing since sliced bread!

Many of you are not good at things and you need to learn that now so you know how to deal with failure in the future. Life is not a fair or fun place...stop treating kids like they can do whatever they want and be considered a winner!

Ok, sorry...but I'm sick of this mentality and feel it really has caused this horrible sense of entitlement that so many "young folks" have these days!

 
 

 
 

Sunday, April 27, 2014

It's not the weather...these people are evil

I'm so sick of excuses being made for people behaving badly. No, it's not the weather making you shoot people. It's the fact that you're a douchebag that can't make anything of yourself so you choose a life of crime, like that's supposed to make people look at you differently.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Lighten Up

I'm not one to get excited, or passionate, about things in my life. I can certainly understand that some folks do and they are very vocal about their beliefs. I have no problem with that as long as it doesn't infringe on my right to the pursuit of happiness!


That being said, there's a difference between being passionate and being a complete lunatic. It's a fine line but I feel that many people have crossed that line these days and it must stop. You can't sue people just because they don't agree with your beliefs. You can't sue people because the rules of an institution require you to do something that you don't really want to do. You can't sue people based on discrimination just because you didn't get something you wanted (job, home, etc).
 
In this Story, a family is suing the school because their atheist daughter has to say "under god" when they say the pledge in the morning.
 
Here's a thought...how about she refrain from saying the pledge at all or omit those 2 words if you agree with the rest of it?
 
Why are we using the school when they aren't the ones that wrote it in the first place? It's not like they have the authority to change it.
 
If the school was making her say the pledge each morning, then I could see the parents being outraged; however, it doesn't sound like that is the case. It sounds more like the kid has been saying it all this time and the parents are just looking for attention and maybe some money!
 
I'm so sick of people that look for discrimination in everything and will do anything to get money for nothing!
 
There will always be people that hate you for whatever reason. Unless it makes it impossible for you to go about your daily life, it's not worth stressing over! Suck it up, Move On, Don't be a Baby! This is the real world and it's time we learned to deal with it...without being an ass!
 
 

Monday, April 21, 2014

The minimum wage debate

There are all kinds of stories from both sides of the coin on this issue. What I've not been able to find are middle class folks who are in favor of it. Those of us that work 40-75 hours a week to support our families because we live just far enough outside the poverty level to get assistance but top close to it to get ahead.

In this story, they claim the majority of women that make over $100,000/year are in favor of the increase.

WELL, WHY WOULDNT THEY?

These will be the folks least impacted by a change to minimum wage because they already make enough to live on, have an emergency fund and save for retirement.

The people that will get the wage increase will be happier than pigs in slop because they will be making more money...at first. What they fail to realize is that when you make more  money, you lose benefits & there is a place in the middle where you don't qualify for help but you don't quite make enough to stay afloat.

Then, the cost of living goes up so all you've done is screw the lower & middle class that are working their butts off to survive. Now, it'll be even harder to do.

That is, if they can keep their jobs. Small business owners won't be able to afford to pay that much and hours will get cut, as well as entire positions. I just don't see how this is going to benefit anyone.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Add collector to my job title

I have no problem helping other departments with accounts that we share but I do take issue with the fact that I'm being asked to get my customers to send something in writing saying they will actually pay a past due invoice before we can ask the collectors to do their jobs, and collect.

I've spent hours researching these unpaid invoices for them and already given them detailed information about why each invoice balance is valid, and they have done nothing. Now, these balances are reflected on a report making it appear that I have failed to do my part and respond to these issues.

To add insult to injury, it's my own boss telling me to do this. I don't believe she clearly understands anything about what we do on a daily basis. Nor does she have an inkling of how much push back we get from other departments that don't want to do their fair share.

Unfortunately, there's no reasoning with her and she doesn't understand where we are coming from. It's like beating your head against a brick wall!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

We can't all be #1

When I was a kid, there were rewards for doing better than your peers. Prizes for being the best. Consequences if you didn't do so hot. These days, everyone has to be a winner because nobody wants to make a kid feel bad for not being the best.


Welcome to life! It's time for a reality check! You can't be the best at everything. 

Sometimes you can't be the best at anything. That's what life is about and this sense of entitlement and false sense of success has got to stop!

Even employers display this mentality in so many ways:

- Sending out blanket emails rather than addressing issues directly with the employee in question
- Refusing to provide advancement goals to employees that want to improve
- Sweeping things under the rug by giving all the "screw ups" to one employee to "fix"
- Promoting all employees at the same time, without true validation of achievement

I've tried everything I can to expand my knowledge and get to the next level of my position...and I DID IT; however, it means nothing when you find out that everyone else also got promoted at the same time. In addition, I'm flabbergasted by the fact that I got promoted by only "earning" an overall ranking of MEETS EXPECTATIONS on my annual review.

How can that be? Are we again rewarding everyone to keep from upsetting anyone that might be struggling? Clearly we aren't addressing issues so the mistakes can be corrected, nor are we coaching our employees so we can pick out those with leadership potential and promote where appropriate. It's much easier to promote everyone and move on. Especially when there's nobody paying attention enough to question it.

We can't all be #1. We can't all be the best. You have to have leaders and followers in your company or you will never get anything done. Coach your people. Watch what they are doing. Interact with them and listen to their ideas, their wishes, their goals, etc.

You should NEVER promote based on a ranking of meets expectations. If that's the best I can do, maybe I don't belong here at all! If all I can do is meet expectations, I have no business being a leader for anyone so DO NOT PROMOTE ME!






Thursday, February 27, 2014

Hell of a week

Monday, my brother had another "episode" and had an ambulance called. Not sure what's wrong but he's having tests run.

Tuesday, my sister fell at work, hit her head and ended up in the ER.

Wednesday, I hit a curb on my route, popped a tire and had to call my mom at 4am to being me her car. Then had to spend $160 for new tires.

Thursday, my nephew, Blaze, was taken to Riley Children's Hospital in Indy due to a possible infection in his hand. He's only 7 weeks old.

I also found out they are going to amputate my uncles leg from the knee down due to health complications.

I don't know if I can take much more of this.