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An Open Letter to the Occupiers from Generation X
Published January 23, 2012 | I am very fascinated with the occupy movement and love hearing all the different viewpoints ~ explanations for why they are feeling this way…
Here is another interesting perspective on the Occupy Movement this time from a Generation X’er… Do you agree with her thoughts or disagree??
This article follows another post that we did on the occupy movement from a Mother Perspective http://www.wheresmydamnanswer.com/WP02/occupy-movement-from-a-mothers-perspective/
To the Occupy movement:
I know some of you mean well. I even share some of your concerns. The dismal economy has made it difficult to find a good job with benefits. Meanwhile, the government is bailing out the wealthy banks and mortgage lenders that helped precipitate this depressed economy.
I hear your frustrations about student loan debt. Generation X has a lot of student loan debt too, with little relief available. The older generations have indebted our generations for years down the road, and with the rising costs of school tuition, we have double the amount of debt. Social Security is expected to be insolvent by the time my generation reaches retirement age. We have been warned not to rely upon it. We are in the same boat as you. In some ways we are even worse off. Most of us have families, children and mortgages now. Losing a job hurts us much more than when we were 25 and single.
But where you are off base is demanding too much. There isn’t enough money to go around for government to solve all your problems. We live in the wealthiest nation in the world. We are overindulged, not deprived. Americans are fat – one-third are now obese – and suffering from an increasing number of illnesses because we live a sedentary lifestyle too lazy to cook, subsisting on unhealthy processed fast food as we drive instead of walk everywhere.
Your generation has been raised by helicopter parents who catered to your every whine, and praised you constantly in order to get you to be quiet instead of teaching you discipline. You have grown up thinking you are more accomplished than you really are. You expect to have it all at age 25 – what my generation has worked for 10-20 years longer to achieve. My generation worked in fast food restaurants and low-level jobs in high school, college and shortly thereafter when we were your age. Most of us didn’t have benefits and we didn’t complain, we were just grateful not to work hard labor in the fields.
Author of this article Rachel Alexander who is the editor of the Intellectual Conservative.
Financial Fitness for 2011
Published January 4, 2011 | 2011 arrived with a bang!! I for one am glad that it is here as 2010 for myself as for many was not one of my most favorite years. Granted there were some wonderful things that happened I still had a heavy heart last year because so many of us were struggling.
Luckily from a very young age my Dad taught me a few things about finances and I believe that if it were not for those lessons I too would have been caught up in the credit / financial crisis that so many people are in.
Here are a few things that I learned very early and many things that he taught me as I got older.
Pay Cash… My Dad never had a credit card in his pocket if he could not pay for something right then and there he did not buy it. Of course that did not apply for big ticket items like cars or the house. I really stick to that today, while I don’t carry around a wad of cash with me I make sure there is enough in the bank to to cover the purchase.
Pay yourself first. Dad was a big fan of this one. He told me to try to take the first 10% and sock it away in a savings account. It is not always easy I must say but I do try to put something away for a rainy day every month. Sure makes the unexpected expenses that always come up much easier to deal with.
Try to kick the daily habits and make them a treat. Dad is a big big coffee guy so what he did is well simple make it yourself (hehe) believe it or not as simple as that sounds the $$ you can save over the course of the year will buy you one helluva treat!! This holds true with whatever your personal poison is!!
Pay off The Credit Cards right away… In the few instances I do use my credit card that is not attached to my bank account I make sure that I can cover the expense right when the statement comes in. I never never never carry a balance as I do not want what was a simple purchase to end of costing a lot more than it should.
Ask for discounts or specials… Every January I call some of the utility companies to see if over the past year they changed or revised some of their plans. Sometimes Yes sometimes No but it never hurts to ask. Even a few bucks a month can add up and it never hurts to ask and believe me these days they are used to it and DO NOT want to lose you as a customer.
Some have suggested shopping your home or auto… I am happy to do that then go back to my agent with what I have found but this is one area at least to me where the relationship matters. If there is a claim I want my agent to go to bat for me.
Contribute more to your 401K…If you are one of the lucky ones that still has a 401K try to boost the contribution as far as you are comfortable doing. There is nothing better than putting away those Pre-tax $$!! Of course get some advice from a certified financial person…
Take Care of YOU!!!! My Dad was a big fan of this one! He always told me to find a balance between being responsible and being extreme. He always felt is was so important to take care of YOU! Pay your bills and take care of your financial obligations but you cannot take it with you so enjoy (with in reason).
What other advice can you share!! We would love to hear your Financial Fit tips for 2011 
Posted in I deserve a Medal, If I ran the zoo ..., No clue where this fits | 
401k, Credit, debt, finances, Savings | 
1 CommentElections are over – Now what?
Published November 3, 2010 | OK so this is not going to be a political rant or a party rant as I am really not in love with one party over the other. I am more of a people and policy type voter. This is more of a plea to those who were just elected: Please stop all the BS, finger pointing and mud slinging and get to work. We elected you to work on behalf of the people not for your own gain. It is time for you to step up to the plate and go to work for US the American people who voted for you. Now is the time for positive change well, because DAMN do we need it.
Here is my DAMN question if you were elected what would be top on your list to address, reform and or fix?
My top 3:
Jobs, Jobs , Jobs
Immigration Reform
** (I am fine if you want to come here from other countries just go through the proper and legal channels)
Education Reform
Takin’ it to the hoop in Denver
Published April 22, 2010 | Really … I know I’m no different than many other blogger … but I feel like I have nothing to talk about.
I know that’s not the case … really I do have fun stuff going on … but sometimes it feels like it’s not fun to everyone else.
I have been crazy busy with RKN Studio and with getting Zac where he needs to go – which includes golf matches, acupuncture apts (for allergies), basketball clinics, basketball tourneys and more.
Last weekend Ron and I went to Denver with him for a big basketball tournament that had some of the best basketball players in the nation. We were busy the entire time going from one game to the next – we had five teams playing there. Our team played well for their first official game together and I’m really looking forward to seeing how they do this season once they gel like in know they will 
.
One of our older teams – 17′s BTI Force and Select (a combo team) took home the championship in their bracket – that was very cool to see . One of the boys on the 17′s BTI All Star team even got written up by Scout.com and ESPN. If you’re interested, you can see some photos from the trip on the BTI Hoops site (just uploaded them this morning).
We also got to take a site visit of Colorado University – met some of the coaching staff – checked out their locker room and then got to go onto their basketball court – pretty impressive. The BTI players were all loving every minute of being in a gym like that and all kept saying, I want to play in a place like this.
Going back to the basketball tournament … if you’ve never been to a sporting event at this level, it’s pretty impressive. There are a lot of players on these teams that will be playing College Basketball and even going into the NBA. It’s not uncommon to see at least two or three dunks in a game. The game is very fast paced and competition is stiff. Everyone comes to win … and you can tell that’s the case when the buzzer signals game time.
Zac came home truly pumped for basketball again and that makes me happy. He really is on track to do some awesome things in the next few years and I certainly hope that he stays this excited about it all .
Oh … and we managed to convince Zac that Sonic isn’t terrible. He has always said he hated Sonic … but a few of his team mates convinced him to try … and he doesn’t hate it anymore.
I’ll try to find something more exciting to talk about soon … really … I keep trying to come up with something fabulous … but then … Zac needs me to run him somewhere and I forget it. Maybe I need to hire an assistant to just follow me around and type as I share the fabulousness that is in my head. It’d be much quicker and I could do that from anywhere.
5 Reasons I am not a fan of your business on FACEBOOK
Published March 31, 2010 | 
This one is compliments on Letter Girl AKA notgoingpostal.com and I must say when I saw this I could not believe her timing as Kristy and I were just talking about this. Seriously I think Letter Girl is in both of our heads!!
Girl … it’s dangerous in here … you might want to rethink that choice 
!! HEHE
Seriously … if you are not reading Not Going Postal … you are TRULY missing out. Please make sure and check out her site… she always seems to have incredible things posted!!
So here is her “BRILLIANT” post titled – 5 REASONS I AM NOT A FAN OF YOUR BUSINESS ON FACEBOOK!
1. I’m not a customer.
Don’t get your feelings hurt. Maybe it’s because I just don’t need your services. Maybe you’re a very nice independent insurance agent and my husband already works for the best insurance company in the world. (Not a paid endorsement.) Maybe you sell fertility vitamins and I would gouge out my eyes with a rusty nail before I would try to get pregnant. Maybe you’re hawking high-calorie shakes geared towards helping people bulk up and, seriously? DO I EVEN NEED TO EXPLAIN WHY I’M NOT SIGNING UP?
Of course, it could also be that I’m not a customer because I had a bad experience, like another company better, or think you’re in an industry responsible for eroding the America I know and love.
Either way, I’m not going to fan your page. Because first, I don’t volunteer to get marketing messages from a company I don’t use. And second, becoming your “fan” is a subtle endorsement. And I don’t endorse things I don’t use just to be polite.
2. You’re a tool.
Even if I do like your business, if when I look at your page, you are posting nothing but specials and advertisements, and not really interacting with customers, I’m not becoming a fan. Social media is soft-sell and relationship-based. I don’t want to be looking through my Facebook news feed and see advertisement after advertisement for buy one, get one free widget sales.
3. You’re A No-Show
On the other hand, if I go look at your “fan page” and you haven’t posted anything or responded to any questions from customers, I’m not becoming a fan, either. Don’t get a Facebook page just because someone said you should and then ignore it.
Worst example I’ve ever seen of this? Chrysler. They’ve gone in and cleaned up their fan page, but for a while, it was nothing but angry customers wanting answers about problems with their cars and getting no response. You really don’t want to put up a page where all that’s happening is people talking about how bad you suck. (Which, Chrysler? You pretty much do. But that’s a story for another post).
To read the rest of her hilarious post … go HERE
So here is our DAMN question: DO YOU AGREE????
Call me Crazy … but I want a pothead!
Published March 3, 2010 | Not THAT kind of a pot head – haha. If “I” ran the zoo … I would have a garden design like THIS:
Actually, I would like a few of them to put in a group like this but they don’t have to be exact. I like that he’s got pedestals for some so that they aren’t all the same height etc. and I like that each face is different (as are the plants in the head). It’s kind of like having your very own Mt. Rushmore but with greenery – haha. I found them here: http://stonefacecreations.homestead.com/
What is even MORE fun though … to go through the plant containers here: SHARE YOUR HEAD SECTION.
Talk about unique garden gifts – haha. So who’s with me to be all home and garden in creating a Mr. Rushmore style garden this year?
Real Help for Haiti!
Published January 25, 2010 | Life has been a little hectic lately. I’m sure you all can relate to that though – I am not telling you anything you don’t already know. Sometimes, even when we are the MOST busy … something happens that brings your world to a crystal clear picture of what is truly important.
For the past couple of years – I have been reading the story of an awesome family (now in Houston) that have been going through the process of adopting two children from Haiti. They brought their daughter Story home the end of 2009 and were still waiting to bring their son Amos home when the earthquake hit. As soon as I saw the news coverage of the earthquake, I immediately thought of Jamie and Aaron Ivey. How hard it must have been to not know if your son was ok.
Aaron is a musician and this is a music video that he did about the process of waiting for their children – it’s very touching … especially once you hear what I have to tell you next … wait … don’t go anywhere before you watch the video first.
… are you done tearing up yet? Ok then I can continue sharing this amazing story. Last week, they finally got to bring Amos home. You can read about that on Jamie’s blog. Such an awesome post!! I was crying as I read it – especially being an adoptive mother myself.
Amos and Story are lucky that they got to come home to their family – there are a lot of other children who are still there and need help.
I know that there is a lot of speculation on which charities that you can and cannot give to in order to be sure that the money is going to those who truly need it. There is a link on Aaron’s blog to purchase Help Haiti t-shirts and 100% of the profits are going to two VERY worthwhile organizations Real Hope for Haiti and Heartline. They are organizations that are there in Haiti and are directly working with the people that need help the most. They are running low on resources and truly need the help. I urge you to take a minute and order a Help Haiti tshirt for each member of your family (I am doing the same).
Wake Up Washington – Way to Support the Troops (NOT)
Published November 10, 2009 | US Government Army Barracks are a total Disgrace
I was reading an article in US News and World report about the inexcusable and deteriorating conditions of many US Army Barracks located in various parts of the country. After reading this article I found my blood pressure going up and my face getting red with utter disgust. Maybe I am somewhat more sensitive to this issue being married to a Marine - I will accept that. Never the less the poor physical conditions are in-excusable. These service members who are subjected to living in squallier are “USA Heroes” – They return from Iraq or Afghanistan to this S*IT – can you not do better than this.
The conditions these guys come back to is as follows: Mold taking over the showers (and no doubt finding its way into walls), peeling paint, rusted stairwells, broken toilets, overall plumbing problems, frequent flooding and temperature control problems.
I understand many of these buildings are old but that is not cause for neglect. These Men and Woman who serve our country put asses on the line for us everyday and they deserve clean and safe living conditions as they train for service or when they return from deployment. The crazy part is that our Government has no problem pissing away millions if not billions of dollars on useless crap. So why then can they not invest in one of our most precious resources our Military Men and Woman??? What kind of back ass thinking is that. This is not a new story (remember the Walter Reed Hospital Scandal??) and these conditions have obviously been deteriorating for years. OK so, Enough lip smacking Washington get off your happy ass and fix these Barracks and fast. Our soldiers deserve so much support that when I read or hear something like this it makes my skin crawl – making sure they are comfortable and safely housed should be a ”GIVEN” not something that needs to be assigned a task force and money allocation evaluated……Stop diverting the funds that have already been allocated to “other more important places”…. Would it not be a nice change to see our tax dollars allocated responsibly and respectfully or at least with the same regard that these Men and Woman serve us and our Country. Democracy at it’s finest. White House Way to support the Troops
I got a new attitude…
Published September 11, 2009 | Do you remember that old Pointer Sisters song? I sure do…but then again, I’m stuck in the ’80′s with a lot of really crap music trapped in this noggin of mine.
But I’m not here to discuss lyrics from a song that was on the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack…I’m here to discuss what came up recently in my daily meditation, and how that actually affects me AND you.
We ALL know negative people. Let’s face it…80% of the population walks around with a cloud over their head.
You ask someone how their day is going and they piss and moan. Not that one has to lie about how they feel, but c’mon folks. Think about the coworker, the friend, the guy in the elevator that made you want to slit your wrists the minute you walked away….we’ve all been there. It’s ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE & APPROACH. If you have a good healthy attitude, it can rub off – even on the most cantankerous, negative people. Try it sometime.
In my book, Ayamanatara, it states, “…When you are cheerful, you lift people up out of their doldrums and offer them an opportunity to be cheerful as well. You shine light into the lives of others. You can literally change their reality.” This is SO powerful.
My Dad, who I talk about all the time…used to say, when asked how he was “If I got any better, I couldn’t stand myself.” This little bit of humor almost always diffused a hard ass. Not always, but almost always. I find myself saying exactly what he used to say. I don’t know why, but I just LOVE to do this.
Which of these conversations would you rather have?
SCENARIO 1 -
Driver, pulling up to toll booth in parking garage, cranky “How are you? How much do I owe ya?”
Attendant, glares “Well…I got 4 more hours in this hot ass booth…that’ll be $2.00″
Driver, feeling irritated “Well, here you go…”
SCENARIO 2 -
Driver pulls up to pay booth in parking garage “Hey there! How’s it going today?” (chipper with a genuine smile, not just shoving money at the guy/gal)
Attendent, shocked by cheerfulness “Uh, okay…how are you?”
Driver: “If I got any better I couldn’t stand myself!”
Attendent, laughing, smiling “Is that so….well, I like that. That’ll $2.00″ Cash exchanged -
Driver “You have a GREAT day”
Attendent “You too!”
I know what you guys are thinking…yeah right, you Pollyanna Crackhead…but it’s true. You can ask Mr. G. I do it all the time…(except while driving on I-10 and I’ve been cut off umpteen times…) But I do try to maintain a very cheerful attitude – it can manifest itself in so many different ways.
So…back to my meditation…It started with this quote:
“You find yourself refereshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make an honest effort to confer that pleasure on others? Half the battle is gained if you never allow yourself to say anything gloomy.” Lydia M. Child
Don’t be the Debbie Downer or the Negative Nelly…with nothing nice never coming outta your mouth. Just pretend…seriously, nobody likes a pessimist.
Now snarky is a whole other ball of wax…that we’ll save for another day!
“The Letter” and open Letter to our Nations Leadership
Published August 20, 2009 | When I read this I was instantly moved and afraid all at the same time! The points she makes are incredible and we all better wake up and work together to make some changes or we are all in trouble. Our generation has the ability to “clean up” the mess so that the legacy left for those too come is one of hope and security.
An Open Letter to Our Nation’s Leadership
By Janet Contreras of Arizona.
I am Janet Contreras, a concerned, home-grown American citizen. I am 53, and I have been a registered Democrat all of my adult life. Before the last Presidential election, I registered Republican because I no longer feel the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. I now no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me.
There must be someone, please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me you are there and are willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please do it now.
You might ask yourselves what my views and issues are that I would feel so horribly disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me? These are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:
* Illegal Immigration-I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S. I am not a racist. This is not to be confused with legal immigration.
* TARP Bill-I want it repealed and no further funding supplied to it. We told you “NO!” but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze! Repeal!
* Czars-I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the Czars. No more Czars. Government officials answer to the process not the President. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.
* Cap & Trade-the debate on global warming is NOT over, there IS more to say.
* Universal Health Care-I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don’t you dare pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!
* Growing Government Control-I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Please mind your own business; you have enough to do with your REAL obligations. Let’s start there.
* ACORN-I do not want ACORN or its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them on every real estate deal that closes. Stop all funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audit and investigation. I do not trust them with the taking of the census or with taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before the taxpayers get any further involved with them. It walks like a duck and talks like a duck-hello… stop protecting political buddies. You work for the people. Investigate.
* Redistribution of Wealth-No. If I work for it, it is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth I support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? What do your have against shareholders making a profit?
* Charitable Contributions-although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities where we know our needs best and can use local talent and resources. Butt out, please. We want to do this ourselves.
* Corporate Bail Outs-knock it off! Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we will be better off just getting to it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful, like ripping off a band aid. We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us a chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.
* Transparency and Accountability-how about it? No really, let’s have it. Let’s say we give the “buzz” words a rest and have some straight, honest talk. Please stop trying to manipulate and appease me with cleaver wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.
* Unprecedented Quick Spending-stop it, now. Take a breath. Listen to “The People.”
Let’s just slow down and get some more input from some “non-politicians” on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law.
I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant nor a violent person. I am a mother and grandmother. I am a working woman. I am busy, busy, busy and tired, tired, tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawns and wash our cars on weekends, and be responsible, contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same, all the while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.
I entrusted you with upholding our Constitution and believed in the checks and balances to keep you from getting too far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think that I find humor in hiring a speed reader to unintelligibly ramble through a bill you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not! It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face! I am not laughing-the arrogance!
Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it, but you expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children? We did not want that TARP bill. We said “NO!” We would repeal it if we could. I am not sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all the recent spending. From my perspective, it seems that you have all gone insane.
I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back!
You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington.
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Here is my DAMN question? Is she right? What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree?
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