Back To Blogging!

It's been awhile since I have been on my blog, let alone write an entry. So much has been happening -- one of which was moving my family.

Moving alone can take up so much time and energy. Which doesn't leave time for much else let alone worrying about writing in my blog.

We are semi-settled and things are quieting down a bit. My dogs seem content with our new home, and my daughter has come to terms with some of the decisions her parents had to make over the last several months.

My husband now has a job and that is the biggest and most exciting part of our lives right now. After almost 9 months with no job, finally things are looking up.

However, that being said, there are so many other people still losing their homes and without jobs and with no food on the table. I know because back during the Christmas holiday we were in the same situation.

I am not ashamed to admit this and neither should anyone going through this type of turmoil. It upsets the family and can tear it apart. The best thing anyone can do is to hold your family together and get through it. You need each other for strength and support.

During the whole moving process I've been trying to keep updated on the mortgage crisis. As I watched television this morning, I still am seeing these lenders blaming this mortgage crisis on the American people.


That's their point of view and now here is mine. You want to place blame let's just do that, but let's be truthful about it.

I'll tell you first of all who is to blame is the government; plus banks, lawyers, and anyone else who has gotten rich during these turbulent times.

The government has allowed jobs to be lost. Jobs go overseas and we can't do a thing about it. Fair trade -- what a joke that is! When you're lucky enough to finally get a job you make probably half of the amount of money you were making before. Gasoline prices are through the roof. Natural gas has gone up in price, water has gone up, electricity has gone up, food prices have risen. The American workers have no jobs or make half of what they did before. You do the math.

Then you have these lenders who have the nerve to blame the average American for this crisis and say they will work with the homeowner, but that is a bunch of B.S. Lenders and the government have done nothing to help anyone. It's a big joke and a smokescreen to take the focus off of them.

Then you have the lawyers who have gotten rich off of this foreclosure crisis and people's misery. They charge you for sending a foreclosure notice. Duh, I think people know they are in foreclosure without a letter from a lawyer. But, gee thanks for letting so many families know. Without a letter from you we would have never figured it out. We appreciate the heads up! For that nice little letter they charge thousands of dollars. Probably as much or more than what you are behind on the house payments. How nice of them!

Then you have the wonderful lenders who say they will work with you, but guess what-- no they won't. It's all a joke and people have nowhere to go in some cases. Families are being torn apart and have no options.

Guess what, government? If no one has a job you get no tax money. No one in the government will do a thing because they are so rich and out of touch. They have no idea what it's like to struggle and lose everything you have after working so hard for so many years.

The city of Cleveland is suing these lenders. Good for them! That's the only way they will get the message. Hit them in the checkbook like they've hit many of us. I feel no pity for them whatsoever.

As for the border it still isn't closed. Our security is falling apart just like everything else. Just because we haven't been attacked here at home doesn't mean we won't be. We will, especially with a wide open border and everyone around the world knowing about it. The next attack will be far worse because they are just waiting for the chance.

Well, yes my husband has a job and I am grateful at least for that. I am not going to forget others who are searching for employment and trying to feed their families. I pray for you to find employment. I hope you can make enough money to support your family and keep a roof over your head.

As for help out there to keep your home most of us can't find any. It's sad to say, but many people have gotten rich off of this whole crisis. If you can live with that more power to you. I for one couldn't do that and am proud of that fact.

I hope everyone struggling right now will have peace of mind, and stay strong. The most important thing is to keep your family together. You can replace homes and money, but the people you love can never be replaced. Don't let anything or anyone tear that apart otherwise they really do have all the power!

Be Thankful For Whatever You May Have: Health, JOBS, Etc.

My blog has taken many twists and turns. For the past several days I have been just slamming the Bush administration, Congress, and everyone else in between.

This blog has given me a voice, although some people may not agree with everything I say. It has relieved some frustration for me and I hope for others. For that I am thankful.

As we approach Christmas and with my husband still without full-time employment it will be a dismal time for my family. However, that being said I am a person who will persevere no matter what obstacles have been thrown in my way.

My husband and I will never give up hope or stop looking for employment because our child is counting on us and we are not going to let her down.

Even though we won't have Christmas presents this year, I am determined to make my daughter's Christmas a happy one. I have been focusing on maybe just baking a few cookies. Trying to focus on being thankful that I have a family and everyone is healthy.

I write this not for pity, but because this is what this economy has done to many families in the state of Michigan, as well as other places in our country. Yet the government has sat by and done absolutely nothing.

My husband and I are both educated and all we want are jobs that will allow us to survive and support our family. However, that seems to be too much to ask for right now. The job market is terrible and we simply cannot find a job in the state of Michigan.

My husband and I sat down at the kitchen table this morning and are seriously thinking of trying to get work outside of Michigan. We were born here (in Michigan) and so was our daughter, but we need to be able to survive. Leaving Michigan may be our only answer right now.

As scary as that is for us, it's something I think we are coming to terms with. I love Michigan and my heart will always be here, but it just isn't possible to make a living in this state. I know the rest of the country is hard hit too, but with giving other states a possiblity maybe we can make a living again and provide what our child needs.

The whole being without employment leaves you stripped of everything including your pride. No family should have to go through what we have. I hope people who have jobs truly appreciate them.

Again, I am not saying any of this for pity because that is not who I am. Who I am is a fighter and I think we all need to have a little more fight in us to protect what we hold so dear to us -- that is, our families.

The government has allowed Big Business to strip many of us of our homes, our pride, and our jobs. I'm not just mad for my family, but for every family who is going through this type of situation. For this to happen in our country is an outrage and every American family should be mad.


Don't let outside stress turn your family against each other

Whatever you do this holiday give thanks for what you have. Especially if you are fortunate enough to have a job and a roof over your head. Say a prayer for all of us who don't have jobs that we may all find one soon.

All any of us want is a job to allow us to survive and take care of our families. I don't think that is too much to ask for.

This administration and Big Business have allowed jobs to be eliminated from our country. People want jobs that will pay enough to allow us to live and support our families. We also want our pride and dignity that has been stripped away from so many American families. We deserve at least that much. We the people have nothing and those who caused it need to be held accountable!

For others in our situation, don't let your family fall apart. Keep together and be strong. Don't allow a bad situation to ruin your marriage. Because in the end the only people you have that will stand by you is your family. Don't lose sight of that; if you do then they really have stripped us of everything!

Stress and strain can tear a family apart; please don't give anyone or anything that much power!!

It's Not Hard To Do Better Than Nothing

The Bush Administration should be known and remembered as not only the most stubborn administration in history, but also as the "do nothing" administration.

First of all let's begin with the revolving door at the U.S.-Mexico border. For years people have been raped, killed, and just plain dumped into shallow graves in Cludad Juarez, the Mexican city across the border from El Paso, TX.

These perpetrators have gone unpunished by an inept Mexican justice system.

The law enforcement records in Texas and New Mexico reveal that Jose Francisco Granados de la Paz was repeatedly jailed in the U.S. What happened? He was sent back to Mexico time after time. Only to return to the United States and commit more crimes.

On Monday, the U.S. Border Patrol discovered a secret tunnel that I am sure has been used to transport drugs into the United States.

Why am I so sure? Not so surprisingly a Border Patrol agent heard noise Monday from a 30-foot trailer that had been parked 360 yards north of Tecate, California.

What was in the trailer? It was half-full of packages containing marijuana.

There have been dozens of tunnels found along the U.S.-Mexican border yet the border still remains open to this day.


What kind of country are we leaving for our children?

What has the Bush Administration and Congress done about this? NOTHING!!

Decent American families are losing their homes to foreclosure. What has been done so far?
NOTHING!

Credit card companies are raising interest rates even if you've been a good customer and paid your bills on time. What is being done so far? NOTHING!

Dangerous imports of food and toys come into this country consistently. What has been done thus far? NOTHING!

Detroit public school graduation rate is 24.9 percent. Nationwide, 1.23 million high school seniors will not graduate this year. What is being done? NOTHING!

The Michigan jobless rate in May was 6.9 percent, which by the way is the highest in the nation. Michigan lost 28,700 jobs from March through May alone. What has been done? NOTHING!

Detroit has the highest poverty rate among 20 of the largest American cities. The average household income in Detroit is $28,069 and is the lowest among those 20 cities. Can you live on that? No, of course not. What is being done? NOTHING!

Medical care for illegal immigrants in 2004 was $2.2 billion and for their children $2.5 billion, which can only have increased over the past several years. What is being done? Oh gee, let's see -- leave the borders open. So what's been done? NOTHING!

Our wonderful men and women in the front lines are losing their lives every day. What is being done? NOTHING!

Big business and special interest groups are enriching themselves at our expense. What is being done? NOTHING!

We, the middle class, are at the mercy of individuals and companies that provide goods and services and control jobs. What is being done? NOTHING!

The American people are drowning and no one is lifting a finger to help. The country is on a one-way trip downward and not one person in the government is doing a thing to help.

There needs to be changes and quick. Not many of us can hang on much longer.

What can you do? For one thing write your Congressman. Also write the Senate. Let them know we as Americans aren't taking this any longer! We deserve better and we need to fight harder to make change.

Here is where to go and speak up for your rights as an American citizen:

www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

www.house.gov/writerep/

Give em' hell America. OUR FAMILIES DESERVE BETTER!!!!!

Again, Bush Tries To Disguise Stubbornness, Incompetence As Strong Leadership

My father fought in WWII to allow me and every American to speak when things aren't going in the right direction in our country.

Well, not only are they not going in the right direction this country is falling apart.

All headed by a president who I refer to as Dictator Bush. He is an embarrassment and has the nerve to speak out against dictatorship, but HE is the epitome of a dictator. What more do I have to say except impeachment!

Yesterday in Washington was classic Bush at his best. As usual this embarrassment we are forced to call president won't back down even when he is clearly in the wrong.

He was confronted yesterday with new facts from the National Intelligence Estimate, clearly stating that Iran had suspended its nuclear weapons program four years ago. This information comes from his own administration. Yet again in his usual stubborn dictatorship, Bush style, he replies: "Look, Iran was dangerous," he said. "Iran is dangerous. And Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."


Bush: Who needs accuracy, when you can formulate your own truths?

The president was hit with a multitude of questions from reporters about the U.S. and how our credibility was damaged by hyped intelligence before. He was confronted with whether he made the same mistake with Iran in October, when he warned about the possibility of a "WWIII" at a press conference.

However, instead of admitting a mistake, in his usual Bush manner he made a comment before he learned of the new NIE. Although he did acknowledge that Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence, gave him a heads up that something was up last summer.

McConnell came to the president and said, "We have some new information," Bush recalled. "He didn't tell me what the information was. He did tell me it was going to take a while to analyze."

Democratic Senator Joe Biden said he can't believe the president got tipped off in August to a change and didn't follow-up with questions until last week.

"If that's true," Biden told reporters, "he's one of the most incompetent presidents in modern American history."

I believe not only is Bush incompetent, but he is an outright liar. This man doesn't even have the words "back down" in his vocabulary. Again, not even the slightest admission that he was wrong.

Classic Bush at his best -- no surrender or retreat. He's done more damage to our country than any president in history. What a legacy!

No Qualms With Legal Entry Into U.S., But Illegal Is Illegal, Folks!

I have written about this subject before, which is we have broken borders in our country. I guess it needs to be mentioned again, because clearly nothing seems to have changed.

One new fact I have recently found out is that Michigan is one of eight states giving out drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. This is appalling. Our state is in a very bad economic state and this is not helping.

People in the state of Michigan are losing their jobs and homes at an alarming rate. It is nearly impossible to find a job in our state. The last thing we need is more economic hardship here in Michigan, but indeed here we are giving out licenses to illegal aliens.

We are lacking leadership in our state as well as in Washington. I guess I don't need to mention that Congress isn't doing much better.


What's wrong with THIS picture? (Sad thing is, it's not much of an exaggeration)

Corporate America is spending more than 2 billion dollars a year to lobby in Washington, and Congress has rallied around the special interests they seek and serve.

The country is clearly headed in the wrong direction. The very people we have elected to serve all citizens have thumbed their noses at us.

I am not a racist to want our borders closed. If I hear the word "racist" used one more time to describe American Citizens who want our borders closed, I think I will scream. Illegal is illegal, no matter how they try to candycoat it. If I broke the law I would be in jail. What part of "illegal" doesn't anyone seem to understand?

President Ronald Reagan signed into law 21 years ago amnesty for more than three million illegal aliens who had entered our country. Now, another 21 years later we hear the same verbage from the pro-amnesty people who advocated open borders. They are still claiming that there will be no social or economic cost to us, the taxpayers. Doesn't history teach us that this is simply not a true statement?

I said it before and I will say it again: you can't reform immigration law if you can't control it.

The following quote was by Theodore Roosevelt in 1919. This is from a letter to the American Defense Society, 10 years after he was president.

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American.

There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes any foreign flag or a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

- Theodore Roosevelt, 1919

Need I say more?!

If you would like to read more about this subject, please visit http://www.somadicouldscream.com/

In The Year Of The Recall, Look To Homemade Toys This Holiday Season

I've addressed this on my blog before, but I guess it needs to be brought up again.

I watch the news on a pretty regular basis. Again, I am appalled at the government's slow reaction at anything that affects this nation's people. When it come to children I get even more upset.

Yet again, seven more U.S. children became sick after ingesting Chinese-made toy beads that were recalled last week because of a toxic coating.

Now if you aren't aware of the product, please check your home and call friends with children. The Spin Master Aqua Dots are the name of the toxic toy. This news should be plastered everywhere, but it isn't.


The Aqua Dots toy that's being recalled

The chemical that these beads are covered in causes children to be knocked unconscious. This particular chemical metabolizes into gamma hydroxybutyrate -- better known as the "date-rape drug".

On top of the child being knocked unconscious, it can also cause seizures, drowsiness, coma, and even death.

Where is the outrage from our government? These are our children -- our babies! Since this administration has been in office the country has done nothing but gone downhill at an alarming rate.

This government should be banning anything that comes from China! If not, everything that comes into our country should be tested thoroughly and these companies should have to pay for every bit of it. They should also make sure that the cost of such prevention doesn't get passed along to the consumer. There's a price for cheap labor and these companies should be made to pay for it.

I hope these toy companies get sued so badly they are put out of business. These are our children and there should be such a human outcry. They put American workers out of business to send products overseas to be made cheaper. I feel no pity for these companies, but as usual they are not the only ones hurt. When it comes to any child being harmed in any way that is where I really lose my temper. Especially when this could have all been avoided by someone testing these products and just plain doing their job!

The other thing that makes me mad is that it wasn't our govenment that banned these toys. It was in Beijing, China that they banned exports of this toy. That only happened after these Aqua Dots had been recalled in other countries. On top of that, China probably wouldn't have done anything either if an investigation hadn't been ordered.

The Chinese government doesn't care about their own people -- why would they care about ours? Furthermore, our government is just as bad; they don't protect us either. Where do we turn? The people running for president in 2008 aren't addressing all the issues facing our country today. They gloss over issues and I am sick and tired of them walking a fine line.

If you believe in something you should stand up for it and not be afraid of what others will say. We need people in our government who are honest and have a backbone. Personally I don't think there is anyone who fits this description, among the presidential candidates.

When it comes to children that is when I really get mad. We are here to protect them -- not put them in danger and our government and corporate America should make sure of that.

My daughter, Nicole, is 14 now so she doesn't really play with toys anymore. She's into her iPod, writing stories with her friends, and being a usual teenager. However, if I had a precious little one I wouldn't buy a single toy sold in stores this year. Hit these companies in the pocket book!

A few weeks back it was said that this would be the safest holiday on record. That is already not happening. Why believe anything the so-called experts say? If I had a little one, what I would do is buy toys at local craft shows. This time of the year, you can find such shows all over the place, usually at churches and schools. A lot of these retired gentlemen -- and ladies -- make beautiful wooden toys. I've bought them in the past for my daughter. Not only are you helping these folks that make these wonderful toys, you are also keeping your child safe. I'd trust someone like a local crafter more than I would these big toy manufacturers.

The kind of toys you find at a craft show are ones that will require kids to use more of their imagination. In the long run they will probably love the toy much more than a store bought one. It will probably keep them more entertained. Plus, the toys are better made --with care, love, and pride. Tell your kids that this hand-made toy was made especially for them and there isn't another one like it in the whole world. Make them feel special -- because they are. As parents we need to remember that there isn't another person like that special child in our life and he/she can't be replaced. Our children are made with care, love, and pride -- just like these special toys!


Homemade, hand-made toys like this car can be found at your local church or school's craft shows

If you want to keep your kids safe this holiday season, try a homemade toy. Maybe if we go back to the way things used to be we will all be better off. Not to mention, our kids will be safe. What could be better for all of us?

One More Worry: The Food We Eat

Like a lot of people right now I am fed up with our government. It seems like everything in our country has gone south.

I am one of many moms trying to do what is best for her family and that includes giving them healthy and nutritious foods to eat.

However, how can I do that when every time I turn around you hear some kind of food recall? It scares me and you just don't know what to feed your family.

I was at a local produce store yesterday and my mom came with me. I was looking at fresh spinach and she suggested I'd better not buy it, just in case. This is something I go through every time I go into a grocery store now, whether my mom is there to remind me or not!

When my daughter was sick the other day the first thing that came to mind was, what did I feed her? The guilt began to build and the anxiety started. Unfortunately for us in this country we have to eat. If we eat we can get sick and if we don't eat we can get sick. What can you do?

The only sick I am right now as I type this is sick and tired. I'm sick and tired that our food prices keep increasing. I am sick and tired of our food not being safe. I am sick and tired of our government, who is supposed to protect us, allowing this to happen in this country. I am sick and tired of the FDA and their excuses. Just to mention a few.



To top it all off I just found out on television the other day that the FDA just received pay increases. It sure must be nice to not do your job and yet you still get an increase in pay. My poor husband is without full time employment right now, and yet these goofballs get a raise. Do I sound bitter? You bet I am!

What we need to do is clean house in the government from top to bottom. I have never been so disgusted in our country in my life. My dad fought in WWII for this country, and he would be shocked if he could see what is happening today.

Instead of all these rich people running our government they need an everyday person. One who has lived a real life and done without things. These people in our government have so much money they have no idea what it is to struggle from day to day. How can you have sympathy for anyone else if you've lived a privileged life? You can't!

The people in this country need to get mad and vote all these idiots out of office. No one in this country should have to worry about what they feed their children. If I hear about one more recall I think I will scream.

I love the idea of dinner at the family table -- if the family table doesn't end up killing you, or making you very sick!

The funny thing is, it isn't just our food supply -- now it's lead paint in our children's toys that we also have to be worried about. Christmas is coming and you can't even feel good about giving your kids a toy. The other day I also heard about lead paint being in lipstick. It all sounds like a bad Stephen King novel.

Our government is taking care of the whole world, but not taking care of its own people. This has to to stop!

People need to get mad and write their representatives and let them know this is completely unacceptable. If they don't get the message now make sure they get the message November 2008!