I'm Tired...

Of being called selfish.

I happen to think that if I earn money, I get to decide how it is spent. I give to charitable organizations with which I have common goals and interests. For instance, my husband & I donate to our local congreagation. Obviously, an institution we believe in and that has the same beliefs we do. We donate to the Boy Scouts. An organization that I have said is the best organization with which I have ever been involved (oustide the church). And we don't just donate money, though we do that. We donate time, lots of it. We have a few other charities on our annual list, but you get the idea.

We cannot donate to everyone that asks. Honestly, if I have to break up the "give" portion of my budget so that everyone who asks gets money, how much can I donate to each one? And there are some organizations with which I do not agree on any level - Planned Parenthood, for instance.

So why does the government think that it needs to take more of my money to give to these organizations? Why should anyone be forced to give their hard-earned money to groups they do not support? Why are we selfish because we don't want to give money to everyone that asks? Why are we selfish because only a portion (no matter how large) of our income is donated? Why is it selfish to want to save for our family's future?

I have actually been told that having an emergency fund is selfish. That we should spend that money instead of saving it because "the economy needs spenders". I came really close to losing it! Now, let me say here, there are people who have changed the way they live. They have started to hoarde money instead of continuing to live. Personally, I believe if your income changes, this is legitimate. Ours hasn't, so our habits haven't changed either.

I have heard this from "experts" on the news channels, read it on blogs, from politicians, from acquaintances, from friends. And I'm tired of it. I don't have to prove anything to these people, or I shouldn't have to. But I am starting to worry about the attitude that produces those statements. I'm worried our nation is turning into a nation of "takers" instead of "givers".

I continue to pray that is not happening, or that the trend will be reversed. I teach my children how it should be and what their attitude should be. And I continue to give, even though I'm afraid our disposable income will be going down due to higher taxes & higer costs because of those taxes. Because that is the right thing to do. Because one day, hopefully soon, the rest of the country will realize what is happening. Because I hope that one day, those "takers" will have a change of attitude. I will not quit.

This is a BAD IDEA

This is real. And it's a bad idea. For ANY president.

Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY) introduced H.J. Res. 5, which reads, "Proposing an
amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second
article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an
individual may serve as President."

It has no co-sponsors and is currently in sub-committee. Who knows what will happen. I will be watching the progress of this bill. There are other issues I'm concerned with as well. But is there any doubt the current president would run again after two terms? And if he does, we will be stuck with his bad policies for too many years. Of course, we're already stuck for the next 4 years and that is bad enough.

Hmph

Sick child + rainy weather = no tea party

Nashville Tea Party

The movement has expanded...

Date: Friday, February 27, 2009

Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Location: Legislative Plaza

I have a sick child, but if he is any better and the weather will allow, he & I are going. He needs to see this. He needs to know that citizens can stand up for what they believe. If you are in the Nashville area and are against the bailouts - of any kind - you should be there, too. These are happening all across the country - find one near you!

Rant of the year!

Go to the site & watch the video. This is AWESOME! There is a similar initiative for Memphis as well for those who may not be able to travel to Chicago...

http://americanfuturefund.com/sign-the-petition-for-a-chicago-tea-party/

http://memphisteaparty.com/

Enjoy!

Well...

He made a liar out of me. He sent me chocolate covered strawberries for V-day.

Happy Valentine's Day

I don't like Valentine's Day. Never really have. Funny thing is, I married the perfect man in that respect. He doesn't either. Once, when we were dating, we decided we'd go out for dinner. HA! We couldn't find a restaurant that had less than a 2 hour wait. Then he suggested we go out to some fast food place. Well, you don't get me to fix my hair and make-up for FAST FOOD. You just don't. Anyway, it was one of the worst fights we'd had to that point. Mostly because we were both hungry and a little cranky. And I just did not want a burger. That was at least 13 years ago.

We haven't celebrated Valentine's Day since.

Now, before you say anything. Let me tell you - I don't need a special day to tell my husband how much I love him. And I don't need flowers or candy to know how much he loves me. I'd rather he just help me clean the house. Or take the boys outside so I could take a long bath. And he'd rather...well, never mind.

Even if we went out to eat, it could cost us better than $100 by the time we paid for babysitting. And do you know how hard it is to find someone available on Valentine's weekend?! And how crowded restaurants are?! And all of that would just stress me out. Not worth it.

Anyway, we do have a day we celebrate - our anniversary - just 3 months later - so that works for us.

Have a happy Valentine's Day anyway everyone. I'll have a good day - even if I don't get flowers, candy or a hot date!