Archive for February, 2009
Once, I rushed my (fairly) new car to Midas and begged them to fix my car because the check engine light was on. They took one look at the car and suggested I take it to the dealership to get taken care of for free under the warranty. I felt like a complete idiot. But, to be fair, it was my first “new” car that actually came with a decent warranty and had a problem within the warranty period.
I’m interested in understanding different viewpoints on our country’s issues. I’m confused about the economy and what’s happened over the last 6-9 months.
Last year, under the leadership of GW Bush, our country passed some bailout of about $750 million dollars that went to major banks and businesses that were in trouble. We’re giving help to and rewarding these corporations for their bad business decisions. We’re encouraging them to continue to act irresponsibly because there are no consequences. Many of these companies then gave their executives large bonuses, took extravagant trips, or otherwise publicly wasted money.
Then there was the automotive bailout, which was completely useless. The auto companies in Detroit have been resisting change for far too long, with the intent of being profitable in the short-term. Now change has forced itself on the industry and the companies can’t keep up and can’t make a profit – except, it seems, for Ford. But we’ll see how long their good fortune lasts.
And now we’ve got this stimulus package which I have been neglecting to learn about because of my disillusionment with these other government money-giveaways. As far as I understand it, this money is going to be pumped into state governments, infrastructure projects, job creation, etc. One thing I’ve heard a little about lately is a program to help homeowners keep their homes. And I hear plenty of people complaining about how the people who aren’t paying their bills will be rewarded for that bad behavior and that the responsible, hard-working people won’t get anything, not even a slap on the back and an “atta boy”. I understand that feeling – to an extent.
There are two elements of that sentiment that completely boggle me, though. So please help me understand. Why is it okay to give money away to corporations that act irresponsibly with their money and with the environment and everything else they touch, but it’s not okay to give some money to the little guy who’s suffering exponentially in comparison to the big corporations? We’re losing 600,000 jobs a month here, folks. How did throwing money at the corporations save that many jobs per month?
The other part that’s tough for me to understand is about the general animosity toward other human beings. There may be a small percentage of people that are taking advantage of the system and going to profit from this stimulus package. But the majority of people that this will benefit are not unlike you or me. I believe they probably made the best decision they could when they purchased their homes. They could probably afford to pay their mortgages. They probably had money saved up in case of emergencies. Then they hit hard times. Pay rates remained stagnant, while prices went up everywhere on everything, from gas to groceries to health care. And health care benefits got worse while other benefits got cut, year after year, at nearly every company. People were losing jobs and losing stability, though they had been counting on their stability to remain. Meanwhile, these people are being forced out of their homes that, before all the fit hit the shan, they could afford and enjoy. These foreclosed homes, coupled with the other homes up for sale in the neighborhood that haven’t sold for many months, are driving the home values down for everyone. And no one’s buying anything. People who formerly had high-paying, white-collar positions are left walking the streets at night with nothing but their families and the clothes on their backs. Please tell me why it’s so evil to give money to these people, when it will have such a dramatic effect on their lives? When it will have a positive effect on the rest of America’s lives? And when we did the same thing for corporations that will just throw it all away? Why in the world is this bad? Do we really want to have mansions and Hoovervilles (Bushvilles) be the only two options in America?
Look, I was against the financial industry giveaway and the auto industry giveaway because it’s been shown that trickle-down Reaganomics doesn’t work. It makes the rich richer and the poor stagnant, at best. It makes the gap between CEO pay and laborer pay increase by incredible margins. While I am sadly uninformed about this new stimulus package, I can’t understand how it could be worse than the bailout bonanza of the last few months. At least, it seems to me, we’re finally targeting the people that need real help and have the most power to positively impact the economy – the American citizen. And while I know that, legally, corporations were granted personhood long ago, I wish being an actual citizen (with voting power) carried more clout than money-hungry soul-eating corporations. Or should we just start letting them vote, too?
I just watched some news coverage of the conviction of former alderman Michael McGee, Jr. I understand that he is charismatic and has a large following in the city of Milwaukee – not just in his district.
The reporter interviewed some people outside the courthouse. There were two women (both African-American) supporting McGee. They seemed emotionally tied to him and accused the prosecutor of concocting evidence and conspiring against him. One of the women said something about the city wanting to send a message to young men in her neighborhood that they shouldn’t try to succeed or they will be punished because of the color of their skin.
Then the reporter interviewed the prosecutor (Caucasian) and the woman (African-American) who ran against McGee in a recent election. They both emphasized that anyone who commits a crime needs to pay for it.
It seems like the people here see everything as race-motivated. I have no doubt that McGee earned his sentences. Just as I have no doubt that Bill Clinton (though I really liked what he did as President) should have ceased being President after the whole Monica Lewinsky thing. We all have our heroes but we should always understand that they are humans, too, and they make mistakes just like the rest of us. President Clinton made the Lewinsky mistake in office. Michael Phelps made his recent mistake with a bong and a camera. McGee made mistakes, too. Though Clinton and Phelps may not have been shamed out of their professions, they have paid for their mistakes (and will continue to do so). McGee should not be able to make mistakes and not pay for them. That would be a race-based double standard. Just as others pay for their mistakes everyday, McGee needs to do the same.
And the people who remain religiously loyal to him need to understand that they can be loyal without proclaiming McGee innocent. McGee has made mistakes that affect many people and the reputation of the city’s government. That kind of damage can be permanent. His mistakes must be atoned for. So I urge everyone to take into account Michael McGee and his crimes (or innocence) – not his race.
A while back, we bought a set of sheets that felt soft at the store, but had a lower thread count than we usually buy. We brought them home, washed them, and slept on them. Quickly, we learned that these sheets weren’t washing well and were not as soft as they first seemed. So I went searching for a way to make them softer, instead of replacing them and making a donation to Goodwill.
I found a couple of pages that gave me some ideas. On this page, the ideas of vinegar and milk are mentioned, along with some others. I just finished trying the vinegar option. I put a half cup of vinegar in the wash and rinse cycle. It did soften the sheets up a bit, but I wanted them softer. So now the sheets are in the wash with 1/2 cup salt in the rinse cycle and, due to what I read here, I put some (about 1/2 cup) baking soda in the wash cycle.
Now the wash is finished and the sheets are significantly softer. I’d assume that with continued washing in this manner, the sheets would get very soft. The powdered milk method does sound interesting, too. I can’t wait to put the sheets on the bed and see how they feel!
Since the last post, I believe it’s been cold nearly every day. There were no tornadoes in Wisconsin this January, thankfully. I’ve learned to knit.
I never knew just how fun knitting could be. I actually knit most (if not all) of the presents I gave away for christmas this year. I knit an iPod pouch for my sister and brother-in-law. I knit shower soap holders that can double as washcloths for my sister and mother-in-law. I knit some dishcloths for my mother-in-law. And I used some yarn to decorate the outside of a candleholder that contained a flameless candle for my sister to use in her dorm room.
At the beginning of the year, I took a break and didn’t knit anything for a while. My next project was the Not-So-Bulky Golden Compass Hood by Diane Serviss that can be found here: http://earthlyfae.blogspot.com/2008/03/winter-hangs-on-just-like-jilted-love.html. I used a different kind of yarn, but it did the trick.
What I didn’t like about the hood was that it was very airy,and for a Wisconsin winter, that just won’t work. I also thought the bouclé yarn was just not right for this design. So I left its improvement on the back burner while I worked on my next project: The Garter Stitch Loop-Through Scarf by Marci Richardson in the book 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders. I loved the way this turned out, despite my beginner’s mistakes. It was thick, warm, stretchy, and pretty in a simple way.
So when I finished, I knew that was how I wanted to modify the Golden Compass Hood. Now, I am working on a modification of the hood that incorporates the same yarn as the scarf, the same size needles as the scarf, and the same decorative edging as the scarf. I am also including a cord or ribbon around the bottom edge to make it tie a little more like a child’s bonnet. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Now I only hope I finish before the cold weather is gone. But if I don’t, there’s always next winter!
Jennifer wants an ad filter for TV. These political ads drive me crazy. And do they really think a 30 second spot is going to change someone's mind? Ugh.
(Updated 16 hours, 45 minutes ago)
