Three hundred and sixty-fifth day

Last day of the year!!!

I've written this blog post a couple times already.
My first thought was that 2017 wasn't a good year. 
I can think of not good things that happened this year, but honestly, there were some good things as well.
I found a dentist I like and we're almost done with my first tooth implant.
I said 'yes' to going out with people a few more times than I normally would have and enjoyed myself.
I've learned a LOT about the bare bones of me - the more I strip down, the more layers I've discovered.  I had the luxury this year of the time to be stripped down.  I appreciate it.

I wrote in yesterday's post about my struggles in 2017, but overall, many things are good and I'm grateful. I have a home, a job, a family, friends, and my health.  I haven't done as much to EARN these things as they're worth, but I am smart enough to know how lucky it is I have them and to be grateful for them.
I hope I can repay some of that luck I have by working hard and being a supportive friend and family member.

I will say, this is the least active I've been in my life.  I'm not an active person by nature, but I've taken it to new heights this year.  My favorite place to be is in bed. 
I'll make more of an effort to be active in 2018.
The bar is pretty low if the only goal is to be more active than 2017.  HA!

I don't think I accomplished my goals in 2017.  The big question is why?
I'm easily distracted, take the easy way out, I procrastinate, and maybe deep down, I don't see any great benefit?

I need to counteract those natural instincts for 2018.
My plan this year is checklists.  I love checklists.
It's very satisfying when I can mark something off the checklist.
The key to a successful checklist (I learned while preparing for Christmas this year) is to look at it often. 
These are all things I've CHOSEN to do, so accomplishing any one of them should make me happy.

My focus in 2018 will be CHOOSE TO CHECK!
I am choosing things to check off my list of things to do.
Even if they're not 'fun' things - getting the items checked off the list will make me feel productive, satisfied, or responsible.

Who am I responsible to?  Myself, my family, my friends, my work, my city, my county, my state, my country, my world.

Okay...I didn't think I'd come up with a 2018 focus in this blog post, but it popped into my head (as these things often do).  My focus isn't to be better, read more, save money, minimalize more, cook more, exercise more, etc.  Those are things I've focused on in the past and nothing was accomplished. This year my focus is on a TECHNIQUE that I hope will help me accomplish all those things naturally.  It's not that I've never WANTED to do those things.  I never knew HOW to do those things. 
Maybe this year I've hit upon something.

I'm always very optimistic at the beginning of the New Year! :)



On my checklist of things to do today I'm looking for a good checklist app.  It has to be available on my iPhone and iPad because I can easily check them throughout the day.  In the last couple weeks I've been using my NOTES app. It's worked well because it's so basic.  But, I wouldn't mind a day to day checklist app. 
Enough rambling for now.
Thank you 2017 - you gave me the space to gain insight into myself.  Thank you.

And 2018?  It's the year I...

Special Post: THE @DONALDJTRUMP ADMINISTRATION

From the Washington Post on November 7, 2017:
The Five worst things Trump has done since the election (according to readers)
Decision about transgender troops in the military, shows utter disdain for the truth, canceled the Trans-Pacific Partnership, United Nations speech threatening to destroy North Korea, Normalizing lying and demonizing the Press.

The Five best things Trump has done since the election (according to readers)
Jim Mattis as Secretary of Defense, Highlighted how pro-business, pro-wealthy the GOP really is, allowed a team of Afghani teen girls to enter the US for an engineering competition, fired Steve Bannon, and firing Michael Flynn.

My selection of the WORST thing Donald J Trump has done since the election is that he's shown us his personal character.  He's demeaned the office of President by his behavior, and he's created chaos and division.  His 'America First' policy is disruptive to the entire globe. 

My selection of the BEST thing Donald J Trump has done since the election is that by his brash and immature nature he's brought underlying simmering tensions to the forefront.  I prefer we get all that stuff out in the open, and he's certainly done that. We have racists, and gun people, and wealthy people and religious hypocrites, and sexual harassers (etc) all showing their true colors. 
It's good to know what we're working with.
I'll also add that in some areas Donald J Trump is saying to the world that we have to take care of ourselves first (his America First policy).  I kind of agree with that, though the way he goes about it, I don't agree with at all.  We do send a lot of money overseas to help people and I'm glad we do, but we need to be responsible about it.  Given we lost millions during those first couple years in Iraq, I get the feeling oftentimes we don't pay attention to where our money goes and if it's effective.  Also, I want to make sure we're doing things to HELP countries be self-sufficient, rather than make them co-dependent. I don't know if that's what's happening or not.
I wouldn't mind Donald J Trump's efforts to cut regulations if the people doing it weren't so partisan.  They're being hacks about it. More often than not, the regulations are designed to oversee someone (or some corporation) who has already shown a disregard for the well beings of citizens. Most regulations are not made up out of thin air.


From the Washington Post on December 28, 2017:
Polls show Americans distrust the media. But, talk to them, and it's a very different story.
I think the journalists in America can, for the most part, be trusted. I approach everything with a slightly skeptical eye. I take things with a grain of salt.
But, wow - there's a LOT of good information and good writing out there.  Journalists are telling stories and sharing facts.  They're presenting perspectives that I couldn't possibly understand unless I was there in the thick of things.
I trust print media more than broadcast media.  The broadcast media personalities don't have time to delve into things.  The corporations they work for put money first (I think).  Some of the 'interviews' I see on CNN or MSNBC or FOX are ridiculous.  It's a waste of people's time.  Even the morning show I enjoy the most - CBS THIS MORNING has interviews that miss the whole point or don't take the time to follow up on the real meat of an issue.  I can tell the hosts/anchors aren't even listening to the answers. 



From the New York Times on December 28, 2017:
Excerpts From Trump's Interview With The Times
Donald Trump's New York Times Interview: Full Transcript
Our Reporter Mike Schmidt on His Golf Club Interview With President Trump (might require a subscription to the Times Insider???)

There's controversy about the interview because essentially the reporter acted like one of Trump's accolytes.
I agree, but I can also understand that's what the President requires. He is not a normal person.
I wanted Schmidt to challenge the President a little more, but if you push too hard, Trump would think he's not being treated fairly and end the interview. It's a tightrope.


AND HERE'S INFORMATION ABOUT SOMETHING COMPLETELY TERRIFYING. 
LAPD arrests man on suspicion of making deadly swatting call to Wichita police.

Which reminds me of the kids throwing stuff off a highway overpass and killing a man...
in December
and in October 

Grrr...tragic and completely avoidable if we only did a better job of creating a safe, happy, healthy, environment for all of us.

Three hundred and sixty-fourth day

Emily Blincoe, via Colossal on 06/11/2015

Nearly the last day of 2017.
My motto for 2017 was BE CONNECTED, BE CREATIVE, BE KIND, and BE YOU
The opposite happened.  I feel disconnected and a bit empty.  I don't feel that i'm kind - except that I haven't been unkind.  And the toughest one of all...BE YOU.  Who is that?  I still don't know.  For all these years I can't figure it out.  I feel I'm supposed to know and I just don't.
I always feel on the verge - but that's an old feeling that I can no longer get excited about.
As I've said many times over the years - at least I'm still trying.

Well...what a sad start to what should be an optimistic time - the arbitrary time of the year we choose to RENEW and REFRESH!

I'll go for it.

2017 was a tough year.
LJB died
Trump became President (and everything that entails - which is all crap as far as I can tell)

The most difficult part of 2017 was my response to it.  Although I said yes to many invitations, and felt happy and grateful all year, I also became even more of a hermit. My safe space is not just my hometown, or my apartment complex...or even my condo.  It's my car and my bedroom.  
There are friends and family I feel relaxed around.  
I really am so grateful for what I have.
I want very much to return my good fortune by giving good effort at work, being a supportive and loving friend and family member, and getting involved in the world.
I want to care about creating an environment for myself that feels supportive and comfortable.  

I'm getting older, but on the scale of old people - I'm quite young.  Still middle-aged.
Some people die at my age - that's reality.  For now, though, I feel I have time to pull things together for myself and make a contribution.
Eventually I'll have the answers I've been looking for and I'll wonder why it took me so long.

The thing I DON'T want is to be derailed another year.
It seems there's always something that throws me off and I don't have the will, energy, or know-how to stay on track.

This year it was Donald J Trump and his sycophants.
What an ass he is.  I don't know how to deal with him.
My discomfort makes him and people who support him laugh with cruelty and disrespect and mockery.
They call us "snowflakes".  They're bullies.  Donald J Trump is a bully.  He and his kind like to push people's buttons for their own amusement. Many of them are Internet trolls; they derive joy from laughing at other's discomfort. 
They're a mean, nasty bunch of people.
And they're in power.

Not only are they in power, but they are the slippery slope.  People start figuring out the way to get ahead in the world is to be the way Donald J Trump is.  I worry this will be the way of our world in ten or twenty years and I'll have NO safe space!
I don't think it's true because I know there are others like me and hopefully we'll find each other and hold on for dear life!

Yikes.  

Three hundred and fifty-fourth day

Some Twitter posts from this morning that represent my thoughts (as of about 6 am 12/21/2017)...

Link to Vanity Fair article: Trump Can't Believe No One's Thrown a Parade In His Honor

Link to Politico article: House Republicans quietly investigate perceived corruption at DOJ, FBI

Yeah - this was stunning. I couldn't watch too much of it.  How embarrassing for them.

I guess they're not embarrassed, but it made me uncomfortable to see them paying tribute to the President as if he's some kind of evil supervillain - or Anthony Fremont....  Shivers. 

They're weak and Trump is unworthy.

It's pretty clear how these guys got to their current position in life.

Link to the Washington Post article: Republicans celebrate their tax bill - and heap praise on Trump

Matt Damon has recently been criticized for talking about the sexual harassment of women and sounding like an entitled white man who thinks he's a feminist.  Similar to those remarks he made about black actors on the 4th season of Project Greenlight.  Honestly, I only have a side-eye view of Matt Damon.

But, the article that goes along with the tweet was good.

Link to McSweeney's article: Inspiring Men Who Bravely Fought Sexism.  

Note:  It's a satire.

This article makes a good point that every administration changes the way something is referred to so it more clearly reflects the administration goals. I don't want to get worked up about it because it's Trump.  I can see that career federal employees would find it frustrating to be working toward one administration's goals and then have to shift when a new administration comes in.  That must be the nature of being a Federal employee; they are tasked with implementing the Federal Government's policies, which do in fact change.  Because for the most part the bureaucratic workings of a Federal Government do not change dramatically, maybe it was easier to be a career federal government employee in the past.  But, as with so many other things, Trump makes things different.  

Link to WashingtonPost article: Trump administration targets certain words, and the bureaucracy pushes back 

Link to cbsnews.com article: GOP Tax Bill Fact-Check: How both sides are stretching the truth

And this series of tweets from @realdonaldtrump (in reverse chronological order, from 8:42 am on 12/21/2017)

Ridiculous?

I think so.

1. House Democrats do NOT want a shutdown, they want the DACA kids to be recognized.

2. Home Sales? Are we still pushing home sales as part of the American Dream? Millenials have a difficult time affording one with their student loans and 'side gig' economy. And most of the home sales in my area are cash buyers from foreign countries.  So, I'm not sure this is a good thing for America...maybe for developers like Donald Trump.

3. Fox and Friends is the Trump Broadcasting Network.  Who named them the most influential?  And if they are, then the troubles I think we can solve in the 2018 midterms may be more difficult to overcome than I hope.

4. The "Fake News Media".  I mean, this is so outrageous.  I'm sick of it.  On the other hand, I DO worry that regular voters will get their $2000 dollars and think that's good enough.  They won't FIGHT for the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!

Most people aren't as greedy and self-serving as Donald J Trump.

Okay - time for work - I gotta get mine, 'cause that's the new American way!!!!

Special Post: THE @DONALDJTRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Nearing the end of the first year of the Donald J Trump four year term as President of the United States of America.
As noted in previous blog entries, I think Donald J Trump is not a good President.
His 'leadership' style is chaotic and antagonistic. I don't think that's a good fit for his current job.
I don't agree with his idea of "GREAT" as in Make America Great Again. He values money and winning.  I value collaboration, civilization, cooperation, and consideration.
He TALKS about how great the people of America are, but he thinks a good portion of Americans aren't 'great' enough.
Donald J Trump thinks Americans who can't achieve what he has aren't working hard enough (with the exception of him being the first among the best because he believes he has special qualities that make him REALLY GREAT). He thinks people who haven't achieved like him are looking for government handouts...and sees no irony or hypocrisy in the fact that he got his handout from his father.
Donald J Trump thinks its okay to belittle and name-call other people. He starts it, and if someone talks back to him he twists it around and acts like he's just defending himself.  He's a schoolyard bully.  The only way to survive him is to ignore him. That would be fine if he was a private citizen, but he's now the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
The fact that millions of people - people I know, even - voted for Donald J Trump thinking he would be a good President and we should have this kind of person in charge of our Federal Government has been difficult for me.  I thought, as a country, we were moving in a positive direction.  But, we seem to have slid back to days of prejudice, and 'might makes right', and wealthy aristocrats ruling the world only because they have money.
At this point, it's not even a secret.  They just do it out in the open.  The tax bill for instance - good for nobody but corporations owned by political donors.  There are small handouts to the people, but only as a token to distract us from how much wealthier the wealthy have become.  Some of us are not fooled, but a lot are.
My hope is that we'll get to the 2018 midterm elections and at least vote in a Congress that will put the brakes on Donald J Trump.
Many people still think DJT has the right idea about how to make things right in the country. And giving them 2000 dollars may be enough to sway them to his side.  That's what I worry about.  Some people in our country are so desperate that the $2000 savings the Republicans say that the average family will save on taxes in 2018 might be enough to make them supporters of Republicans and Trump.
I hope not.

Because I want to have credible reasons for why I don't like the Donald J Trump Administration, I'm going to use this page to update all the bad things I hear about that they do.
I'm going to include the Republican Congress in that mix as well, because they're a team now - not coequal branches of government - they're a bonded duo.  Congress is doing what they can to support Donald J Trump's version of Republican policies.
Unfortunately, because of Mitch McConnell and Donald J Trump, we also have Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court and a huge number of Federal Judges appointed by Trump and approved by the Republican Senate.  I question the point of view, impartiality, and philosophical positions that some of them have. I'll have to take them one by one, but it's my gut feeling at this point.

The America I know is pretty well screwed, I think. We have to keep the light on because otherwise there'd be no hope.
I'm just not sure how to make effective change except to be informed and ready to persuade if given the chance.
I'll march in the streets.  But, only for specific causes.  I don't like to march in a conglomeration of different causes because I don't agree with all of them.

That's my preamble to this post. Updates often (assuming I remember it's here!). I may COPY this post periodically so it stays near the top of the blog.

2017 12 21 - Grand Staircase and Bears Ears national monuments.
The Donald J Trump Administration wants to reduce those areas by half and open it to developers.
It doesn't make sense to get rid of a limited resource such as a wilderness area, especially for developers.

2017 12 21 - Trump halts effort to bring back Washington Grizzlies


UPDATE on 10/10/2020

Obviously I didn't follow through on the idea that I'd dedicate one post to describing all the horrible things Donald Trump does.  Luckily - someone else is better at follow through than I am.  Check out What the Fuck Just Happened Today for daily updates on Trump's activities.

Three hundred and fifty-third day

Ugh - Icky Quartet on their way to gloat about passing the "Tax Cut"

Let's be clear, if this tax cut works out the way they want it to - great.

But, it didn't work out when Reagan did it and he had more going for him than Trump.

The media is paying the most attention to the tax consequences.  

But, I suspect there's a lot in this bill that doesn't have anything to do with taxes.

One that I know is that the bill opens up the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling.

OIL DRILLING?!?!?!  Grrrrrr...

These Republicans don't care about anything but making money and they think that makes a successful world.

I wish they would go to another planet and leave this one to people who want to care for it.

This is my official statement that people who think like this do not make me happy.

I have to remember that they've got a soul and its up in the universe looking at them and watching.

I wonder what their soul thinks.

If I'm right about what a soul would think, then I wonder if Donald Trump's soul is looking for ways to help him see the error of his ways.

I have my idea about what the soul thinks because it's been my observation that it's the way the world works. Nature and people and life.

Being focused on money and material things does not make a person happy.

(Is that because I watch too many movies and television that sends me that message? Have I been indoctrinated? I have an open mind to that possibility. I could believe there's a shady group of ultra wealthy who run the world and are happy if the rest of us aren't trying to compete with them; if we continue to act like contented cows in a meat-eating world.)

Many of the people who voted for the tax bill say they're Christian.

Didn't Jesus say things about worshipping money over God?  And didn't Jesus say "Whatsoever You Do To the Least of My Brothers, That You Do Unto Me?"  And didn't The Bible make humans caretakers of the planet and the animals?

Given all that, and their Christian religion - why do they keep voting against those ideals?

I don't get it.

Let's say Jesus would agree with their tax philosophy...I don't think Jesus would agree that destroying God's beautiful wild creation should be done for the sake of drilling for oil.  That doesn't seem like something Jesus would do.

But, they vote for it.  

Puzzling.

***

On a completely different note, today would have been LJB's 59th birthday. Hey LJB...I'm thinking of you and hope you're having a great time on your wild adventure - keep the light on for us...:)

Three hundred and fiftieth day - Political

Checking Twitter this morning and found this...read from the bottom up.

I agree.


From PBS: Everything you need to know about the GOP's final tax plan in 3 charts

Heartbreaking tweet from Mira Sorvino this week:

President Donald J Trump and the pundits on FOX News have been badmouthing the FBI recently. Suspicion is that he's preparing to fire Robert Mueller as the Russia investigation gets closer to Trump and his family. 
Trump gave a speech at the FBI graduation ceremony.  On the way there he slammed the FBI, and suggested that he could pardon Michael Flynn (sending a signal to Michael Flynn that he'll be rewarded if he doesn't give Trump info to Mueller?).
During the speech Trump made controversial statements about immigrants.
An article about it from NPR 

Other Tweets I saw this morning:

Three hundred and fiftieth day - Personal

Adam Hillman via Colossal on December 11, 2017

"The best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them up"

Dorothy Day

My Year of No Shopping by Ann Patchett, NYTimes 2017 12 15

I'm NOT buying new craft items - stamps, dies, etc.  I may have to purchase inks or papers or other consumables, but nothing from new collections.

I don't create very much art/craft, but spend a lot of time organizing the items I have and looking for new items to buy.

I don't feel good about it. I have lovely items already - they excited me when I purchased them. 

I haven't used them and practically feel bored looking at them because they're old.

Obviously there's something else going on that I'm avoiding.

I suspect it's moving from methodical world to creativity world...it's not easy for me. 

This morning I've spent an hour adding items to wishlists on two art/craft websites.

I added items to the cart and deleted them at least twice.

I watched a DVR'd episode of The Middle last night.

A feature of the show is that they never have enough money for anything, but I've never seen a house with so much crap piled up all over the place.  Uh, yeah - it's a set, I get it.  

But, man - people pile things up so high in their garages and closets and shelves and then become used to seeing it so when they walk by they don't even notice how much stuff they have.

I don't have a garage. I have a storage closet.  I have too much stuff.

It's easy (and pleasurable) to want new things and get them. 

I don't enjoy researching so at least I don't have that added benefit to the shopping experience. 

I also don't prefer purchasing items online.

I purchase Kindle books, streaming music/movies/tv, and craft items online.

I've purchased some items online (a couple tunics, a duvet cover, some t-shirts), but for the most part I go to the brick and mortar stores.

MY WATCHWORD FOR 2018 IS MINDFUL

I've been experimenting with mindfulness as it relates to my eating and I think it's been successful.

Awareness and mindfulness in the last year has given me insight into my relationships with other people.

I can apply that same mindfulness to shopping.  

I've been tracking all my food and drink intake - all of it - on my phone.  

That's how I've become more mindful.

I keep track of how I FEEL and what I'm THINKING when I have an urge to reach for a cracker even though I recognize I'm not hungry.

2017 has been a difficult year, though not without its joys and insights and hope.

2018 has the potential to be expansive and fulfilling.

And, so does THIS VERY DAY!  I'll start right now - today will be expansive and fulfilling!!!!!

Yay!

Three hundred and forty-ninth day

No new official proclamations or announcements (tweets) from President of the United States Donald J Trump this morning.

Yesterday after I published my post he had a couple. Here they are in order from earliest to latest.

Ugh - the "tax cut bill".  It's the worst.  I'll see what I can document about it on another post.

The odd thing is that you barely have to scratch the surface to see the tax bill is for wealthy Americans and Corporations - especially corporations.  

The 'tax cuts' for the CORPORATIONS are permanent.  

The 'tax cuts' for PEOPLE expire after 2025...and in reconciliation negotiations the House and Senate are considering taking a year off that and making it 2024 instead...so they can give more money to the corporations/wealthy.

Calling this tax bill a "massive tax cut for the everyday, working Americans" is a lie - flat out.  

FYI - their belief is that when you give corporations a tax cut, they'll pass those benefits on to their workers in the form of higher wages and more jobs...the economy will expand.

Let's be real...the only reason workers have had to unionize and protest for 8 hour work days and weekends off is because Corporations are NOT PEOPLE and on their own a corporation does not have any Compassion - it's only goal is to make money for the Shareholders.  

We HOPE there are people who run the Corporation who have compassion...but for many people, living in fear, they take what they can for themselves (it's a dog eat dog world after all) and screw everyone else.  We've seen it time and again.

Back to the tweet..."if you make your voices heard this moment will forever be remembered as a great new beginning - the dawn of a brilliant American future shining with PATRIOTISM, PROSPERITY AND PRIDE!"

Isn't that a bit over the top?  And there's something about it that sounds like it's not supposed to be about fake tax cuts.  This is the kind of thing you say when we get to the moon maybe.

It sounds like a novice speechwriter who has ONE chance to write a presidential speech and he or she will add in every cliche possible hoping this will be the GREAT SPEECH.  Even the alliteration at the end...cliche.  It's the kind of thing I do at the end of my work e-mails..."questions, comments, and concerns"...and I'm not a writer.  

I'm weary of this kind of talk from this administration and that President especially.  Honestly, I'm weary of it from everyone...left, right, and center.  

This is the way some people WANT to think we are.

But, they're just words...blah, blah, blah...yada, yada, yada.

The part that annoys me especially is the idea that these are uniquely AMERICAN characteristics.  

There are HUMAN BEINGS all over the world who demonstrate every day that they can innovate and prosper. And let's be honest, many of the innovators in America came from somewhere else.

We DO have the foundation of a good government system that is more FREE than not.  

But, people who live in FEAR and feel they have to TAKE and PROTECT their piece of the pie rather than sharing the bounty...they're ruining our great country.

Donald J Trump and his Administration are destroying the great USA faster than anybody before.

Ya mean like the coal industry?

Too many regulations on coal?

That's because COAL IS NOT GOOD FOR THE PLANET AND SOME OF US WANT TO CONTINUE TO LIVE ON PLANET EARTH!!!!!

That's just one example.  What about the chemical companies that pollute the water and the air?  

I mean - don't you care about that? Didn't you watch Erin Brokovitch?

What about the food manufacturers who cut corners?  You LIKE getting food borne illness?

History is replete with examples of CORPORATIONS that for the lack of regulation will KILL people and decide the profits exceed the cost.  CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE AND THEY CAN'T HAVE COMPASSION.  

I mean...this is AMERICA 101 people!!!!

It's ridiculous to think that regulations come out of thin air.  They are here because corporations have proven themselves to be less than trustworthy.

Yes, some regulations are not helpful and seem kinda ridiculous.

Do I think the Trump Administration went through their list of regulations carefully and thoughtfully to decide which ones were helpful and which ones weren't?

No.

No I do Not.

This stupid photo opp is why I'm pretty sure they just wanted to gut a set number of regulations. This is Donald J Trump standing beside pieces of paper (somebody should be regulating that!) representing the amount of regulations in 1960 vs 2017. 
Ridiculous.

Well, listen - I'll see what kind of regulations they're cutting.
Given that Net Neutrality was gutted yesterday, and they recently decreased the size of National Monuments to make that land available for corporations and developers, and they are allowing drilling for oil in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge....yeah - given all that (off the top of my head), I'm not hopeful that the Trump Administration took any care or thought when they slashed regulations.

And here are a couple more tweets. 
"Paycheck President"...I bet he LOVES that.
The Republican National Committee put together the website.  Let's see what it says...
It says "Bigger Paychecks for All Americans", then it has a video of President Trump.
I won't bother listening to that.  It's probably of the same blather.
Contact your senator for an extra $2000 in your pocket.
(It doesn't have a link to explain where that $2000 comes from.  I believe its the higher personal exemption we get on our tax returns.  Isn't it offset by the many deductions a person can no longer take? I think they decreased the child deduction and took away the deductions for state income tax.  I don't have all the details - but this RNC website doesn't either).
Then they have a list of all the things you can do with $2000 - as if everyone is getting an extra $2000 handed to them.
I suppose some people will be getting a better refund? That might seem like cash in hand.
Generally, it means you will be PAYING less, not GETTING more. 

That reminds me that there were lots of people in America who didn't know that the ACA (which they liked) was the same as Obamacare (which they hated).

Anyway - the website wants people to call their Democratic Senators and tell them how much you want your $2000. 
They even have suggestions of how to use it:
INVEST in car repairs
NEVER MISS a mortgage payment
PLAN a family vacation
GIVE to charity
SAVE for college
GIVE family a Christmas to remember
SAVE for retirment
PAY OFF credit card bill

Yeah - those are the kinds of things they want people to do with their $2000.
They're appealing to people with crappy cars who sometimes can't pay their mortgage (live paycheck to paycheck probably), they might not even have enough money for Christmas (NEXT YEAR!!!) and they have credit card debt that is beyond their current means to pay off.
VERY CYNICAL.

Uhhh...why don't you make an America where people can earn a living wage doing something other than hedge fund investing or politician or real estate developer?
Maybe teachers and health care workers and service members...maybe they can earn a living wage, eh?  What about that?
$2000?
That's not going to change someone's life. It's going to make them temporarily happy.
And that's what you're going for, right RNC?



And the second tweet is about OPTIMISM. 
In a very particular group of people I guess. 
It's a Trade publication.
We DO need our manufacturing sector to come back again.
I'm all for that.
Of course the only reason we lost them is because so many CORPORATIONS moved their jobs OVERSEAS and outside the USA.
I guess someone will say the reason they left is because taxes and wages were too high.
Well you know - if you WANT the best ya gotta PAY for the best. 
If you don't think American workers are worth a little more and you think you can get the same value from workers overseas + shipping costs...well then you don't think too much of the AMERICAN WORKER do you?
You must not believe all those fancy words from DONALD J TRUMP about how innovative and amazing we could be if only we didn't have rules and regulations to stand in our way.
Or...maybe you only think SOME people are innovative and amazing - not the regular Joe and Jane on the street, but the entrepreneurs...THOSE are the innovators...we need to cater to the ENTREPRENEURS and CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY.

I get it. 

Yeah - on another day I might feel less cynical and I will remember that there are at least half of the American people who aren't like this.  I'll feel their power rising and feel more confident about the STATE OF OUR UNION.  We will indeed rise because...

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

An interesting article about that quote from The Daily Beast.

Now - off to my day with a note to my future self who may read this again one day...
LIVE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT, BE AWARE, DO GOOD WORK, and LOVE EVERYONE BECAUSE THEY ARE PART OF YOU.
Love with the understanding that we're all on a journey and doing the best we can with our current understanding. Every day any of us is here is a miracle and a triumph even if it's difficult - especially when it's difficult.  Take a moment to FEEL THIS MOMENT and LIVE IN THIS MOMENT - listen, feel, touch, see, taste, THIS MOMENT.  Get to that place where you will realize - even for a split second - that only this moment is REAL.  And then, feel the LOVE.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Three hundred and forty-eighth day

Tweets since last time from @RealDonaldTrump:

Mild day for our President.  But - comments from me, nonetheless!

1. Another reference to the record high Stock Market.  What's he going to do if the Stock Market goes down on his watch?
Of course the Stock Market is higher...people who make their living moving money around (middlemen for middlemen) are getting a good deal from the Republican Tax Bill.
If you believe American ideals are best exemplified by financial services corporations making more money, then Donald J Trump is your kind of President.
Too bad for the rest of us.

To consider, though: many of us without wealth, make our living from people who have wealth.  We serve them, sell to them, cater to them, get funding from them, try to be like them, dress like them, dream their dreams.  We sell out to them without a second thought.  It's ingrained in us.
It's one of the unconscious rules we live by.
Somehow, all our attention goes to the wealthy, our kings/lords/landowners.
We make that choice.
We don't have to serve the wealthy.  There are many people without means we can choose to serve.

Here's a tweet I was copying for one reason, but it became something else as I read replies to the tweet and thought about it a little more.

That tweet was a shocking story about a family we love to hate.
I believe it and I bet it's true.
As noted in many replies - at that age, he's a reflection of his parents.
Okay.

Many of the comments, were in sympathy and support for having to deal with the arrogance and entitlement of wealthy people.

This was in the reply as well:

The thing that struck me was...Yeah - we're all in service roles to the rich and it takes a toll.

Many of us are serfs to aristocratic masters.  We think we've evolved beyond that - especially in America - but clearly, our economy is geared toward service to the rich.  Maybe that's why we relate to movies about medieval times so easily...economically that's still our way of life.

I read some more of the replies - especially the part about the friend quitting teaching forever.  Now, the tweet is just a tweet so we don't know exactly why the person quit teaching forever.  Was it because of this one experience?  I don't think so - there were probably a lot of factors involved in the decision. 

But, this being Twitter, the replies were based on the idea that the only reason she quit was because a three year old swore at her.  So, there was some mocking thrown about.  

Among the mockery, I found this:

Oh yeah - we CHOOSE to service the rich.  

We CHOOSE to pay attention to them.

Why do we blame them when we give them all our attention and focus?

There are plenty of poor people we could focus on.

We give our attention to the things we value.

Many of us prove every day that we value wealth above many other things.

Thank goodness many of us DO make choices to pay attention to the things we value: compassion, service, kindness, collaboration, and community.

And, don't forget, there are plenty of wealthy people who use their money to make the world a better place. They aren't rude and entitled.  

The bottom line is:

a. we create our own reality

b. some people can't maintain their sense of right and wrong when it comes to money and power.

c. we are often subconsciously/mindlessly following and railing against our own economic beliefs.

How's that for going down a rabbit hole?

Back to Trump Tweets.

2. Omarosa.  Wow - that lady is cuh-ray-z.  Or not, I don't know.  I'm using that word in the colloquial sense, which is hopefully made clear by the spelling.
I was introduced to Omarosa via her first foray into Trumpworld - The Apprentice.  Let's just say she did not present a pleasing personality in that series.
Her life has been sad and strange ever since.
In her capacity at the White House she was some kind of community outreach person.  She was supposed to prove to people that Donald Trump knew black people, or something like that.
And coincidentally she's "fired" the night after Black Women helped put Doug Jones over the top in the Alabama special election.
On the one hand, I'm glad Omarosa's not on the taxpayer payroll anymore.
On the other hand, this is another example of Trump's ridiculous view of racial politics.

Apparently, it's a reality show episode as well.  She may have tried to get in the residence and the secret service kicked her out and took her to Chief of Staff Kelly who said get rid of her and she was escorted off the property.
That's Donald Trump's Administration.


3. This one is odd to me.  Donald Trump is NOT a Republican and yet he ran as a Republican and he is considered (though it's not an official position) to be the leader of the Republican Party.  But, he ran AGAINST the establishment Republican Party.  And his former chief political strategist is AGAINST the establishment Republican Party.
If the Republicans were really going to get great Republican candidates they might not follow all of Trump's policies.
Trump's base call themselves Republicans but they're former Tea Party people and Freedom Caucus people who don't believe in Federal government to the point of being willing to shut it down.

Maybe that's the difference between establishment Republicans and Bannnon Republicans - neither of them like a large Federal Government, but establishment Republicans are willing to work within the system to change it.  Unfortunately, they often BECOME part of the system and start to preserve their own sphere of influence rather than continue the work of shrinking the Federal government.  And that's when the Bannon side of the Republicans come in to say they can't work within the system - it has to be blown up!

The Republican Party has to figure out who they are before committing to "GREAT" Republican candidates.

Same can be said of Democrats at this point.  Except by the very nature of their end goal, even the most progressive of Democrats wants the federal government to stay viable.  So, they're not going to blow it up.  But, we do have our two sides:  work within the system (Obama) and agitate the system (Sanders).

***

So, this turned out longer than I anticipated given the fairly mild nature of Trump's tweets.

I wanted to note that Trump alone is not the problem with our current state of affairs - it's the Congress (ready to pass a HORRIBLE tax bill - for many reasons I'd like to review) and Trump's Administration (net neutrality, environment, regulations, etc).
It's also the appointment and congressional approval of unqualified candidates to the judiciary... that one's pretty huge.

It's all huge.

More on another day.