The TrUtH According to Lisa

Religion and Politics do not mix.

Yesterday, I heard my governor and presidential candidate, Rick Perry, talk about how he knew he had peace from God about not knowing everything at the moment but (God) would reveal it to him in time. Wow, so all his thoughts are God breathed? That is dangerous thinking for anyone Christian or not. See, what folks do not get is, we are human and as such are subject to flaws. No human ever has a perfect pipeline to God. We may get it right sometimes but other times EGO steps in. I think it is dangerous to pry on the simple minded and say God tells me what to do in good time.  It really peeves me for leaders to use God to get votes. If you are a Christian or other faith, let your life so shine that it tells me...words are forever cheap. I will not vote for Perry because he is showing me he is a political hack for this very reason. My God is powerful enough to do his will regardless who is in power. Enough said.

9/11 A Day To Remember...

Where did the last 10 years go? Ten years ago, my son Jason spent a wonderful summer with us...I could not have been more happy. He interned at my company and learned about thermal engineering. My company loved him and I could not have been more proud. From this experience, he set his career and now works for Lockheed doing this type of work.

The week of 9/11 my son's girlfriend came to Boston. They spent a wonderful week together here and her ticket to return to San Jose, CA was for 5 pm, on 9/11 on American Airlines. The morning of 9/11, Wally stayed home sick. Jen, Jason, Janelle were sleeping...I drove to work taking note of the stellar beautiful blue sky day. The kind that makes you just smile. The day before at work, we suffered a layoff...I could not imagine anything worse.

I was early to a meeting and sat alone in a conference room when a co-worker sat down saying what a terrible day it was...."What? What can be worse than yesterday?" I asked. He told me about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. I asked if it was a little plane. He was not sure yet. Then someone came in saying it was an airliner...and so I jumped up and went to Jason's (my son's) cube and called home. I reached Wally and he was watching this on TV. He filled me in on what was known. As we spoke the second plane hit. Then everything started to come unglued.

Work stopped. Most of us huddled numb in front of TVs in the office. Some folks left. I was glad all my babies were at home with Wally, all except Jared...he was in California. When I moved to Boston I always said, not to worry I was only a plane ride away, on 9/11 that changed. Flying has never been the same. We watched the 9/11 events stunned. No one knew how extensive the attacks would be...or if more would come. When I got home we began trying to figure out how to get Jason and Janelle home. They were both to be back in the next week for college classes. Janelle's flight was that night and cancelled. Jason's a few days later. Janelle wanted to fly home later in the week, I said no, we cannot put you on mass transit, I do not trust it. Then plans were made to rent a car and they drove home. Not an idea that thrilled Janelle, as I think she did not care for long car rides. At least I felt safer than a plane, bus, train...

There was this man who was a consultant to Avici Systems. The night before 9/11 he asked our IT person to work late so he could return the next morning early to his new bride. He had sat in my chair on 9/10...and on the morning of 9/11, he was on one of the flights out of Boston that hit one of the towers...he perished. I later read about his wife, who was so devastated in losing her new husband, that she committed suicide. Such a tragedy! This was the lone person I knew who perished.

In November, we flew to Florida to visit my parents for Thanksgiving. I was not thrilled to fly. I watched a parent place an Elmo doll in the overhead compartment for their child. The lady next to me and I watched that together and we both took comfort in this flight somehow thinking of the children aboard. After 9/11, the economy busted. High tech lost jobs in a fashion unseen before. No one cried about our job losses, nor made a plan to keep or help us. Our investments and life savings took a terrible stumble...we never imagined them not returning to previous values and we were all invested in high tech....I lost a job and was out for 4 months. Wally, lost several and it was very difficult in sales during those years. 9/11 and the aftermath hurt us deeply, mostly from an economic level.

Thankfully, this is not the case today, though high tech stocks such as Cisco have never returned to those values... Ten years ago I worked for one of the highest IPO companies of the year 2000. I lived in my dream home, I flew with no hesitation. I had 3.5 million in stock options in a black out period, near half million in stocks, all vanish before my eyes over a period of weeks...today we have great jobs, and continue to rebuild our finances but time is short at our ages to recover that sort of money. We live near two of our children and four grand kids and life is good. I do have to say though, that the last 10 years have been a hard road, but looks rosier everyday. I do think that 9/11, and the events thereafter changed my life forever and the lives of many...and as I look out to the clear, sunny blue sky day today, I am reminded of that beautiful day and I hope the US never sees another tragic day like that one.

I want to thank my politicians....

Yes, thank you for sucking at running the US economy and running it down the toilet. We elected you in good faith, and you could not even manage a budget. Since when do we spend money we do not have? We cannot have a utopia if we cannot afford it.

Thank you for further RUINING hope by dragging out a deal to stop the US from defaulting, but that is a whole other story. While you dragged your asses, people dug in their heals, stopped spending, held their breath. This continued to drive economic indicators DOWN.

This economy is such a mess...and if you would stop playing "being an official" and doing your jobs, and not take your vacations if the job is not done, like the rest of us, maybe we would not be in this mess. I think many of you will be gone with the next election. Unless you start talking for real about CUTTING costs and balancing this budget we really do not want to hear from you.

In other words, thanks for nothing!

Our Leaders Have Failed

Time is getting short for our leaders to fix the budget and get us on track. Damage to our economy happens every day for their lack of leadership and for the fear mongering they do to stir up the "little people." That alone I think is appalling.

First of all, it was our elected officials that ALLOWED for this mess in the first place. We have the best government money can buy, not a government for and by the people. They even have their very own health care. How much of our budget is that? I say get rid of it. Not heard a word about that as part of the budget talks. I would have fired them all for getting us here in the first place.

So, here we are in this horrible economic mess and we have two sides battling and no compromise. You know, when there is no money there are no paid for items "for the people." This utopia has ended. We can only buy what we can afford...and I know that is how I live. I have no credit cards, I live on what I earn. The only card I use is my bank card. A few years ago, we decided to get real and get rid of debt. By Christmas or January, we will be debt free. It is an amazing thing, but it meant giving up some things. I for one got sick of paying interest...and as a nation we should stop relaying on that as well. It costs too much.

So, where is Donald Trump when we need him...I can hear him tell all these guys, "You're Fired!" I for one hope we vote out all the incumbents for their lack of leadership and for getting us in this mess we have today. They have failed.

Scandel Comes to an End

Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned today in what must have been the worst most embarrassing moment in his life.  It is hard to imagine how someone in his position would expose himself so freely on the Internet, but this came to light with all the gory details and the result is an end to his career as a politician, at least for now.

I must say I am surprised to see how someone's sins can be measured in such a way as to be greater than other transgressions in office. As each sordid story emerges we watch and listen what happens. Some lose office, some do not. Fingers are pointed left and right and I know as I watch the finger pointing and as the Scarlet Letter is embroidered on various foreheads and as the stones are swiftly picked up, I wonder why no one seems to take pause at their own transgressions.

I know that others in office are just as guilty and yet will stand there with stones in hand...not yet caught or exposed...acting as if they are moral and pious...taking refuge in the great unknown, until it is known...Weiner made some huge transgressions...no doubt. But I will not be standing there with stones in my hand today.  His mistakes are what they were, others are doing equally disturbing activities yet are not talked about. We have politicians who are alcoholics, and others who do other things...there is no real way to police a lot of this stuff.  Some seem to want our officials to be morally pure, as if such a state actually existed. I say it is a nice goal...some may come close, but as human beings we start out the gate with defect. Some of our greatest leaders have had great weaknesses.  Perhaps there is some connection?

Anyway, I do not know if Weiner has an illness or not, probably he is just a narcisst, sociopath, we demand a lot of people in public office. Honestly, if most of us were exposed to the scruitiny these poor chaps are exposed to I wonder how perfect we would stand. Sometimes, I am not sure if it is worth running for office or being famous for the microscope that becomes a part of life.

For his wife's and family's sake, I hope the news dies down and goes away. I hope he learns and does something amazing with that energy and I hope each of us will examine our own hearts before we pick up stones. Just saying.

Elizabeth Taylor Passes Away

I remember Elizabeth Taylor turning 40. Turning 40 was a big deal for women back in those days. She had a cover on Life Magazine as I recall. And she was stunning. Hard not to envy her, and I was still a child and she was an icon.

 
 

Elizabeth is the same age as my mother. My mother is also a beautiful woman. I don't know if my mother ever envied Liz but I have to say my mother aged better. Mom has had some health issues, none as big as what Liz suffered.  I have to be amazed sometimes how people age...how some seem so old and others not so much. Sometimes, I wonder if it is how you live or genes, or maybe both. My dad is 84 and looks amazing...glad I have good genes on my side.

One quote I read about Elizabeth was pretty amazing, it read, "Taylor is more vilified, celebrated and photographed than Jacqueline Onassis, Princess Diana and Madonna put together." Wow!

Liz had an amazing life. Lived it as she wanted. Did a lot of good works. Rest in peace Liz.

 

My car is a popsical

It is 27 degrees F outside and the rain started out slow. Each drop coating my car with a layer of ice until my car was encrusted with ice so hard I could barely scrape  it off. Monday mornings are not my favorite and facing ice or piles of snow is never any fun. I was walking in six inches of snow, which management did not clear, and cracking up the ice to get it off. First pass on windshield was not good enough. I sprayed it with de-icer but that was fruitless. I sat staring at it with my wipers ...wishing I had some coffee as I mindless stared at the ice and wishing it would break up. Not such luck..this ice I see once in a while here...it is impossible stuff. I opened my car door and opened the back door once again to fetch my ice scraper.

This time I cut slices in the ice and used more brut force to break up the remaining ice. I got most of it off--enough to drive. The electric de-icer on the back window was working great, thank God. The side windows were ok.

By the time I got to work my windshield was clean. However, our security man was out in front of the building warning us the sidewalk was a sheet of ice. It too was coated with about 1/4 inch of nastiness.

This is the winter I so loath. . .by noon with the rain and temperature rising my car will no longer be a popsical, but the memory of it will remain.

The connection of Christmas cards. . .

My parents send Christmas cards every year to all the people they ever met and valued. Over the years this was a significant number of people. It is a kind of calling card and a way off staying connected in a world that is casting us all to different locations.

As a kid, I used to help mom put on lables and lick stamps. It was always a big production. Their list has grown shorter over the years because my parents are in their 80s...well dad is. Mom will be there soon enough...but they still do Christmas cards. I do sometimes. Most of the time with working it is just another bother and expense. Not the joy it once was...I need to mark my calendar and do it better. This year it will be New Years cards again...I am just not motivated to get moving for Christmas until about two weeks before and by then it is too late. I get overwhelmed. I miss helping my mother wrap gifts and do cards. I used to get some help from my daughter doing things like that and baking cookies. My husband would help, but I guess I never asked...but maybe next year I will get organized. I need to get my calendar in shape.

So, this year my dad calls me and asked me if I have the address of one of our old neighbors. He knows I have been talking to her daughter recently and I am connected to her on Facebook. I love Facebook for this kind of thing. It has laced together friends from the neighborhood growing up, my high school buddies, and other friends sprinkled across the world. I needed facebook because I am lazy collecting that stuff and Facebook does a nice job of organizing my friends. 

I got a note back from my friend about her mother. She is caring for her as her mother is getting hospice care now. This may be her last Christmas. The card that was returned to my parents will get a new address. She will get it in a few days and know that my parents, after all these years, more than 30 plus...have not forgotten her.

On my old street, I do not think many of the parents are left. There are my parents, the Doyles, Mrs. Highley, and Mrs. Ricker (Curl). I think that is it now. Not many. One other family that I know of also remains. I forget his name but he used to row his boat down the canal in the days before exercise was a big deal. He is also in his 80s. I did see him on my last visit.

So, the cards wentout and the connections remain, even across the miles. I think cards are one of the nicer traditions. It connects people and lets them know, they are not forgotten. I guess Facebook will have to do for me most of the time...it is a card I enjoy all year long.

Houses not selling? Why is this a surprise?

I am not a mathematician but seems like no one is adding up folks who declared bankruptcy, and the other set of folks who had their last house foreclosed on, or the rest of the people whose credit is hosed, now who is left to buy up all these houses? I would wager those folks already own houses. Unless someone starts forgiving some of this credit stuff, nothing is going to move. It really seems pretty simple.

Immigration Law in AZ, What is the Problem Here?

The more I read about this issue of the Arizona law, and those who call it racial profiling, the more I scratch my head. If I take what they say about it being racial profiling, then I think we need to throw away all immigration law that pertains to anyone, because our hands are tied and we cannot question anyone ever because we might hurt their feelings and rights.

We have a mess in the US, that is a fact. Border states seem to have a pretty big problem and those of us who have no knowledge of those problems can easily sit back and point fingers and live in our ignorance and continue to not do anything effective.  Most US citizens have zero knowledge of the drug problems that are in Mexico and the crime and other economic issues that are driving people into the US.

I think the federal government needs to have clear laws and they need to enforce them, if not, all bets are off. As long as people are treated with respect, I have no issue with law enforcement asking for proof of citizenship. I think I can speak to this because my German grandfather was interned like the Japanese during WWII by the US because he was considered (and later cleared) of being an enemy alien. Chaos does not a strong country make. By not dealing with these issues sooner we now have illegal children who are "essentially" American. We need to come up with a way to plug the hole and to deal with what we have allowed up to this point. We are talking about human lives here.

For those of you who do not know it, there is a border town in our country that US citizens are asked to stay out of due to the problems from Mexico that have spilled over our border. If you do not think that is an issue, then let's put it in your backyard. I am no lawmaker but I know enough to know that other countries do not tolerate what we do and I know we cannot afford to stick out head in the sand much longer. We need to face what we have, deal with it, and fix the problem.

One solution seems simple. Enforce the law about people showing proof of citizenship before they can work in the US. Create a computer system that requires registration of all workers. I know I have to prove it when I change jobs and yes it was pretty annoying, but if I had to do it, so should everyone else. Heavily fine or imprison all those responsible for breaking these laws. I think this would go a long way to solving the problem.

What do you think?