Mistress Monologues - Nina's Known Universe Blog

Our work day was pretty much centered around watching the news. All of the businesses we dealt with were on the East Coast. Everything north of the Carolina's had been shut down as efforts were made to keep the bigger cities as deserted as possible.

As I recall I was uncharacteristically concerned about my husband being in such a prime location for a terrorist strike, being so near the Golden Gate Bridge in one of the most populated cities on the West Coast. Of course my demands that he turn the truck around and come home went unheeded.

In the aftermath many of us emerged with a new found sense of patriotism, proudly displaying our flags from sea to shining sea. That was until someone somewhere got the bright idea that displaying our flag on our countries soil was somehow offensive to anyone?? If we were in some other country, I certainly would not be offended by the display of their countries colors.

When the towers came down, the city of New York experienced a rare moment of brotherhood as all citizens rushed to the aide of those around them. There was no looting, just neighbors helping neighbors. Volunteers from around the country came in droves to comb the rubble for survivors. As tragic as the incident was for this country it was also a shot in the arm patriotically speaking.

So on this day of remembering let us also remember the feeling of brotherhood that we all felt toward our fellow countrymen. Those who died as innocent bystanders and those who died attempting to rescue them. The sense of pride in our country as regular citizens stepped up to help out.

And if anyone appears to be offended by your patriotism, kindly ask them to kiss your red white and blue ass, then point toward the nearest airport so they may exit this country in an orderly fashion. Because being politically correct means I won't call you any colorful derogatory names related to your place of origin...it does not mean I won't wave the flag of my country in my country for all to see.

Thank you reading and thank you for remembering.

In addition to my suspicions that gas prices only spike to make the true increase less painful...I mean would you really be happy going from $2 a gallon to a $2.50 if it didn't spike to $4 first? I can't help but notice that those most effected by the 'economic crisis' are people that were living beyond their means to begin with. Lots of toys, expensive house and debt up to their eyeballs.

So when the unexpected happens, like they suddenly have only one income, they are unable to make ends meet, and things get repossessed and foreclosed on. Credit is not a game you play where you see if you can spend every cent you earn on your sum total of bills each month. And he who dies with the most toys only wins because he stiffed his family with the debt.

My husband, the Lord Emperor of my Universe, is in the supply chain business. The sheer number of brand new vehicles towing small homes behind them as people traveled 100s of miles to camp out over the holiday weekend boggled his imperial brain. How can we be in a recession when you see that?? Not to mention that almost half the population still eats out at least once a week...with kids...eating machines??!!!

It must be a national thing or that big chain store wouldn't be advertising the savings a family of 4 would have per year by buying groceries instead of eating out...hello...can you say duh?? Don't they teach home economics anymore?? My husband and I do hit the fast food too much in the summer because of the heat but we don't even have kids so it isn't a financial hardship to do now and then because we don't waste our money year round...just during 100 degree weather.

Everyone is very busy, and that is super. But take it from a lazy person, there are plenty of healthy, convenient foods to keep around the house that is still way cheaper than eating out all the time. In this age of Diabetes and The Glycemic Index, convenient healthy snacks have become much more common and affordable...if you ever want tips on that subject send me an email

When you really think about it, doesn't it seem like our quest for more of everything has pretty much guaranteed we are all gonna die if there is every a national or planetary disaster that cuts off the supply chain? We all enjoy the niceties of life and if you can afford them without hocking a kidney then enjoy! Just try to keep this thought in the back of your mind...nothing is forever and the entire world could be turned upside down in a blink of an eye.

It could be something as minor as breaking your arm and being off work for long enough to get behind on your mortgage not to mention the cost of the medical bills since you may not have insurance. It could be something major like having the bread winner get killed in a car wreck with no life insurance for his widow and 2 kids. It could even be that thing that most of the planets religious population agrees is coming...they just disagree on whose God will save them...and that would be Armageddon.

Sadly I really have no solution for this except maybe that people try to put more thought into the what ifs and less into the instant gratification of what they want at the moment. Perhaps the reason health care is so expensive is because we are a society that treats their bodies like amusement parks and not like the sensitive machines that they are. We eat, drink, party, smoke, drive too fast, and participate in many sports that can kill you on purpose for fun!

If I were an insurance company, I wouldn't insure half the people I know. Maybe deep down we all have a death wish, well I don't, I am a wuss with a vivid imagination who can visualize the accidents as if its already happened to me. {Shudder} Then again being a chicken makes me twitchy and that is also dangerous. ;) If people would take better care of themselves, and not live in harms way - so much, then maybe they wouldn't need so much health care?

Who knows. All I do know is there are a lot of people who owe more than they could afford if one income were to be lost or even decreased. So why buy the house you cannot afford when the one you can afford just needs carpet and paint? Why buy the brand new car when you can get a perfectly good used one for half the money? I guess it must be for show. Someone once said the clothes make the man. Pshh! An asshole in a suit is a still an asshole. Meanwhile a saint in rags is still a saint.

Anyways, it just isn't "going without" when you have to give up dining out or this years trip to the Bahama's. Going without is only having enough food for your kids and not yourself or enough to pay the water bill but not the electric. However losing your house because you could barely afford the payment to begin with, then maxed your credit card on a big screen TV for your bedroom and a DVD player for the new Mini Van only to lose your job because you just can't not party and are always late or hung over is not an economic crisis...it is stupidity 101.

Credit is supposed to be for emergencies or for earning frequent flier miles. As you reap so shall ye sow. Or something equally profound. You know, these little rants have really been helping. I just hope that my outbursts and condescending view of humanity are taken with a grain of salt. Once the thoughts leave my mind to grace the page, my passion for the topic tends to wane. And since I am not running for office any time soon, being wishy washy is still allowed.

I would have to look up the statistics but it is probably safe to say that few if any welfare or state disability recipients are 100% immobile. The state could very easily recoup some of the costs by having those physically able fill in those positions normally only fill-able with illegal aliens. Two birds, one stone.

If a quadriplegic can become a man like Stephen Hawking, there is simply no logical excuse for all those people out hunting, fishing, and loitering around Walmart collecting disability or welfare because they hurt their back once and can't pull green chain any more. {Logging reference}. Obviously not everyone at the store is on welfare, but lots of people on welfare are probably at that store.

These folks would be given custom made "jobs" in exchange for their benefits. Only those truly disabled would be given a pass. However if the Special Olympics have taught us anything, it is that there really isn't much a person cannot do if they are properly motivated. There in lies the problem. Supposedly fully functional people tend to be lazy. I know I am. But I don't even get unemployment so my sloth is not a burden on the rest of society. Just my husband.

Beyond all the state positions that could be filled, non profit organizations could save a bundle in taxpayer money, money that would then go to the service itself, by making use of all this fresh personnel just sitting at home with nothing to do. Anyone able to drive around the woods is certainly able to provide transportation and delivery for the truly disabled, shut ins and other bed ridden type folks.

Anyone able to feed themselves can probably dial the phone or work a pc doing fund raising and other community services generally given to volunteers, volunteers that are basically non existent since those that are most likely to volunteer are already working overtime at their day jobs.

Single parents who just can't find affordable child care so they don't even try to get gainful employment should be forming daycare circles, alternating days, each taking on the other parents kids for a day allowing everyone to at least work part time without sacrificing time with their kids. These daycare circles would be monitored and supervised by state employees. Hopefully someone that has collected benefits so no salary would be required. The less salaries the state has to pay in lieu of its new welfare work force would then be distributed among vital services, fire, ems, police and teachers.

This is not to say I don't feel you should seek help when you need it. That is what it is there for. A temporary assist, an opportunity to take control of your life. All I am saying is that no one should be under the impression they are entitled to live off the taxpayers dollar indefinitely. And if you just enjoy not having to work, being as lazy as I like to be, at least have the common decency to do it on your own dime. Failing that, try being a burden on a relative before you seek on going assistance from state funds. Thank you.

The United States of America is an English speaking country. People who wish to visit here or live here that were not born here are supposed to get permission, visa's, citizenship, etc. If you are vacationing here then get a tour guide to translate for you. If you are going to live here, learn the language. Speak whatever you want to your family but speak English to the rest of us. It is crazy when I think of my friend in Slovenia that speaks better English than half our residents and she has never even been here.

Yes I know a few people who know people who are fine upstanding members of society, who even pay their taxes, but who are not legally supposed to be here. To find that happy medium I love so much - I could get on board with a selective amnesty in which on a case by case basis citizenship would be granted to those illegals who have for the most part followed the rules and just flaked on the paperwork. But I will never get behind any blanket deal that just erases years of thumbing their noses at our border patrol and immigration laws.

The whole health care mess is almost beyond discussing at this point but here goes. If the government is funding the program then the taxpayers are the ones footing the bill. How in all that is logical does this sound good to anyone that works for a living? Then I read today that it was even suggested that enrollment in this magical government health plan funded by fictional non tax dollars be mandatory with a fine being imposed on any good citizen uninterested in participating!!

As far as I read the idea was squashed before it gained wide support. Yet it still disturbs me greatly that it was even suggested. This is the sort of thing that makes the democratic party look stupid and gives the republicans all the fuel they need to undermine any future suggestions that might actually have merit. Both parties should be abolished. Our electoral college is a total joke. There is no such thing as representation any more unless you are a key contributor to someone's election fund.

In this age of internet forums, blogs, IM's and podcasting there is really very little need for the sheer number of government employees and politicians we have panhandling and deal making at the capital. Congress should be made up of all of us out here in cyber space. A handful of moderators and a state of the art forum program would be all that would be needed to give each citizen time to voice their opinions, to be a part of the process. Bills would be written about 1 issue only without a lot of crap tacked on.

After issues were debated, national voting would take place by mail. Internet voting lacks the proper authentication plus several voters may share a pc. Not to mention that signature somehow makes it more meaningful.

Sadly it really doesn't matter how great an idea is. All that matters is what the masses want or are willing to live with. "Because that is how we have always done it" should be stricken from our vocabulary. Most people are perfectly happy with how things are so long as it doesn't really effect them.

Republicans cry when the Dems have control and then the Dems cry when the Pubs have control. Both run around trying so hard to make the other look bad. A Democrat could cure cancer and the Republicans would spin the story so that no one would believe the cure was real. Republicans could achieve world peace but the Democrats would spin it as a dictatorship and kill the idea.

Someday someone will suggest that they compromise so that everyone gets screwed equally. And right after that we will finally get our hover crafts. Of course that also means that Hell has frozen over so now there are demons roaming the Earth but you have to take the bad with the good right?