Bargain Seeker on the Prowl

A funny thing happened recently. I went to bed a housewife and woke up a terrorist. How that happened, I don’t have a clue. Suddenly liberals are calling me names and making crude comments because I chose to participate and support our local TEA party.

According to this report, I am now considered a terrorist: Rightwing Extremism.

So, I thought I would help DHS out to help identify us Right Wingers. This came from an email I received.

To help the Obama administration identify right-wing extremists, I offer some indicators. Not everyone who has these indicators is a conservative; indeed, many liberals and moderates may also share some of these indicators.

But the more indicators a person has, the more likely that person is a member of the VRWC.

1. Pays his or her taxes on time and in full.

2. Meets his or her mortgage payment each month on time and in full.

3. Displays the flag.

4. Respects the U.S. military.

5. Stands up when the “Star Spangled Banner” is played.

6. Considered John McCain to be a moderate.

7. Never had tofu.

8. Thinks the Constitution protects the people, and not the government.

9. Thinks the Constitution protects Americans, not foreigners who attack our soldiers.

10. Thinks gun ownership is guaranteed by the Constitution.

There is so much disconnect in the media that it is almost to point of being funny. One CNN reporter says that she was “harassed” by TEA party participants. I watched a clip of the event and one statement she made was so obviously stupid that I am surprised it has not been jumped on yet. She stated that The “State of Lincoln” (where is that?) would be receiving $50B in stimulus money. Uh, where does she think “government money” comes from? Have they started growing money trees at the White House? No. The government receives money through TAXES! (For the record, I quit watching CNN back in November and choose not to watch it any longer due to their unfair reporting on the election process, however I did see the above clip on Fox News.)

I am proud of the people I stood elbow to elbow with at our local rally and was very glad to find others who are concerned about the direction our country is headed.

When Mr. Bush was president, he approved of this whole bailout nonsense and scores of people wrote to their congress reps to encourage them to vote against these measures. I was one of them. They did not listen. (taxation without representation anyone??) We need to vote these scoundrels out of office!

Another disconnect I see is the government raising food stamp benefits and purchasing 17,500 vehicles in order to stimulate the economy. Sheesh. Again, where does the money come from? Citizens. The government is not a separate business entity who earns its’ own way. Nope, it is supported by the people. Perhaps they should remember that.

Yes, Senator Schumer, I am furious because no one is being held accountable, other than the American people through no choice of their own, for this financial crisis.

I am furious because the government is rushing in to rescue failing banks due to their own stupidity, carelessness and greed.

I am furious that as always the ones in charge of running this country continue to cause hardships for the working class by making them “pay” for any and all mistakes made by an elite group of bankers, CEOs, etc. who do not have to be accountable for the choices they make.

Worried about my 401k? Absolutely not. Why? Even though I have not LOST any money as of yet, the value of my dollar is definitely not worth what it was a year ago. As money is being pumped into the economy to prop up/bail-out these financial wizards (insert sarcasm), my 401k will be worthless come time for me to retire as the rates will NEVER keep up with the increased cost of living due to these bail-outs and so I consider my investments already GONE.. poof, vanished, does not exist any longer.

Do I have any solutions for these problems? NO. Do YOU have any actual credible solutions for these problems? NO. We may be buying some time, but hard times are coming. How can the long-term ramifications of this proposed bail-out cause anything but hard times for the American people?

Will I continue to pay my taxes? Absolutely. Why? Because I actually abide by the rules set in place by our government unlike certain others who can count on a bail-out in their time of greed. However, I will also choose to spend my hard-earned money where it will benefit the AVERAGE American person the most.

Furious? Oh yes.

(P.S.)  As if I could ever believe that a politician could actually CARE about the hardships average American families face. It makes for good political speeches, but actions speak louder. The worst thing the average, working-class American can do is depend on the government to take care of them. We the American people will be okay because we are built strong with a will to survive anything thrown at us, including from our own government.

This week has been homecoming week at my kids local high school. My son is rather ho hum about the whole thing, but my daughter really got into the spirit of things. I love watching her excitement as she prepares to go to the homecoming game tonight and all that she has participated in this whole week leading up to tonight. She is actively involved in many school groups and clubs and would join each and every one of the clubs if I allowed her to.

A moment of bragging; My daughter won first place at the local level bread baking contest. She will be going to compete in the state competition next week.

I am having a “remember when” moment as I reflect on the many causes, campaigns and such that I have been a part of over the years. Even though my first cousin, Michael Wilson, formally nominated Barack Obama for President of the United States at the recent Democratic Convention, I can feel no pride (other than for my cousin of course as I feel that as an individual he did a great job) as all politicians these days seem to be the same; self-absorbed, liars, untrustworthy, and completely out of touch with the American people. I know it has been this way forever, however some were better at hiding it than others. I just feel that the politicians have absolutely NO common sense and even less affinity with average folks.

I am seriously considering having my own little tea party on the Mississippi River in protest of market manipulation, government (taxpayer) bail outs and just overall stupidity/ignorance/don’t-give-a-damn attitude on the parts of our ”highly educated”, “highly qualified” people in charge of running our country.

I think I have come to the point of just giving up on there ever being any real change as touted by the politicians and just focus on making a difference where I am. Somewhere along the line the government changed from being of the people, by the people, except for a select few who are greedy, have an entitlement attitude, or are just plain crooks.

I am just an average American with an average-sized home and an 8-year-old vehicle which is paid for. I wear Levi’s and Keds. We eat beans, potatoes and cornbread a lot of nights for dinner. I only owe on my AFFORDABLE mortgage which is quickly being paid down. I bargain shop. I guess I just cannot understand the mentality of having to have the more expensive lifestyle as I already have and love the best there is to offer in this world.

Would anyone like a cup of tea?

Oh yeah, I love the fact that I live in America and am able to freely say such things without fear of being arrested. (At the moment anyway)

(Just another vent post and probably not my last. LOL)

I confess, I just cannot understand all that is going on in the financials these days. I read that Secretary Paulson is working on a plan to form an RTC in order to bail out these banks which are in trouble. I guess I am curious as to who will pay this debt? Also, does this not interfere with free enterprise of which Americans are so proud of? Does this now make us a socialist country? *Sigh* I just cannot help but think of using bubble gum to fix a leak in a dam.

I guess I am not understanding why the people running these companies are not required to sell their many personal assets to cover some of the debt? I mean, if I cannot pay a bill, I sometimes have to sell personal belongings in order to cover it.

So,  I guess those who are running major corporations do not have to abide by the same rules as a country girl from Tennessee who is held accountable for bills she has accrued and has to accept problems from foolish financial investments she has made.

Thankfully I bought a house below what my agent said I qualified for because I KNEW I could not afford the payment of what I was qualified for, however I feel that because I have a job I will now have to pay for the ones who were greedy and wanted more house than they could afford. Shame on the industry for allowing this to happen.

I have heard said that AIG is TOO BIG TO LET FAIL. No it isn’t. Maybe if the CEOs, etc.,  were held accountable, some of the other institutions would change their course of action. I know it would bring hardship upon many people and I really hate that as I do not like seeing people suffer, but the point is, they SHOULD have seen this coming years ago and done something about it then. I believe we are going to see a domino effect as it seems that all of these big corporations are interrelated.

Please don’t get me wrong, I in NO WAY look forward to recession/depression as I like my lifestyle just fine, which entails living within my means. I would love to see more mom and pop stores come back so I could totally bypass these big corporations and their greedy, irresponsible ways. This is probably not feasible, but I will at least try to find them from here on out. I believe I will switch to my little, local, country bank for now and avoid the bigger ones as they seem to be toxic at the moment.

Curious, does this mean the U.S. is bankrupt due to so much debt? Oh, that’s right, they can just print more money further devaluing the dollar, but hey, who is paying attention, right?

I absolutely and positively LOVE my country and would NEVER want to be anywhere else. I am just not too fond of all of the fools in power and yes, I DO vote. Again, it is all going to come down to regular folks helping out other regular folks (remember.. in a time of major crisis we are on our own, so plan accordingly). Even with all of our problems, America is still a great place to live.

Okay, rant off now. I need my blood pressure medication.