LET HIM WHO WILL NOT WORK NOT EAT

I've been receiving lots of spam and seeing lots of FB "copy and paste this" posts about the government and how they spend money. I find it rather ironic.

DISCLAIMER: I do not read a newspaper, nor do I watch the TV news - I hate CNN and FoxNews and long ago determined that there is no such thing as unbiased journalism - in fact, I'd go so far as to say that no one even TRIES to be unbiased any more.... So when you read this, read this knowing that I don't know all the details or ins and outs of the most recent government spending issues. And I am most assuredly biased.

Here's what I do know:
The government of the US is WAY in debt.
The US senators and congressmen apparently get to VOTE on their pay raises or cuts.
We have MILLIONS of folks living on welfare, ADC, food stamps.

Here's what I think:

I see the posts about how disgusting it is that the government is so far in debt and how something needs to be done about it. Then I saw all the posts about the soldiers possibly not being paid, then most recently, my mom said she might not get her SS check or her government retirement check because of some decision being made in congress.

Don't get me wrong - I definitely think the government officials are overpaid and I think it's odd that they get to VOTE themselves raises. I think it's unfair that they take no pay cut but consider cutting the pay of soldiers who are on missions determined by this same government. I think it's unfair that anyone who has paid into SS for their whole working life or worked in civil defense all their lives should be threatened with no checks.

But...

Isn't it true that (I learned that little turn of phrase from the lawyer who questioned me as a "hostile witness" when I testified in an unfair labor practice hearing many years ag0 - anyway)... Isn't it true that we all only care about our own pocketbook? Why should be expect congress to be any different? I haven't heard even one of these people who are protesting so loudy volunteer to give up some of THEIR income to fix this debt. I'd even go so far as to say that most of us whine and cry and have fits if we find out our taxes have gone up.

I have a solution. See all those friends, family members and neighbors sitting at home, not going to work - not even at McDonald's or Walmart? How is it they are still paying rent and eating...and smoking and drinking? Well, I'll tell you how - I pay the government out of MY paycheck, and the government gives it to them. I have no problem with a struggling young family getting food stamps to help out when they are both working and doing their best to make it on their own. But when I see able-bodied and slightly disabled young people sitting around collecting welfare and food stamps and not even trying to find a job... I want to slap them. There are LOTS of jobs one can do, even if one has some mental or physical disabilities - but it's so much easier for some people to just sit home and let ME pay their bills. Oh, and just in case they are bored, they make more babies to play with, and for me to pay for! I pay their hospital bills, I pay for their food, their clothing, their housing. Heck, I pay for them to go to college! But I couldn't afford to send my own boys to college - and because they are middle-class, white, male, both parents have always worked for a living, and they haven't manufactured any "disabilities" that qualify for a free ride.... we couldn't get any government help at all.

So I have a solution. If you are able to think and move, you don't get food stamps unless you have a REAL job - even if it's at McD's or Walmart. If you are able to think and move, you don't get Social Security unless you have PAID IN to Social Security for the years prior to your disability. And NOBODY gets any government aid at all without a monthly drug screen. I'm not ok with paying your bills while you sit at home and do drugs.

And I just learned that Oregon has 50,000 people with "medical marijuana" cards. Really? Give me flippin' break. Thankfully, I also just learned that Oregon passed a bill that every "medical marijuana" card holder must pay $200 a year to retain the card and the suppliers must also pay $200 a year to maintain the license to sell. I do not for one second believe we have 50,000 Oregonians with such severe pain/nausea that they have to use marijuana to control it. And since they can't pass a drug screen, I reckon most don't have jobs.... so guess who pays for the marijuana - and now the $200 fee...

I'm tired of it. I'm tired of working, but I can't afford to retire yet. But I see many who sit at home and enjoy the good life on MY MONEY!!!!

Government - take a clue from FDR - instead of handing out money, hand out jobs. Create them. No work, no food. It's Biblical.

LET HIM WHO WILL NOT WORK, NOT EAT.

It's her, not me.

Why does it seem there must always be one at every workplace. One person who is never happy about anything, who never takes pleasure in anything unless it's the failure of someone else?

It is so tiring, so very draining, to be around such a negative person. And it's so very hard to get anyone to do anything to make her change her behavior. The problem with having "nice" management is that they never want any conflict, especially if they have to know about it or deal with it - so they ignore it.

When I attended the seminar "How To Handle Toxic People", the main thing they told us is that we have to say to ourselves, "It's her, not me." OK. I can do that. But why, I'd like to know, do we have to tolerate such obnoxious, toxic behavior in the first place. This country has come to a point where even bad employees get to keep their jobs because employers don't want to risk the lawsuits that will surely come about upon firing bad employees. Even employees proven to have stolen from the company are given the opportunity to "retire" with full benefits.

So, sometimes I have to ask myself, "Why am I working so hard, and being so honest, when I could lie and cheat and steal from this company, and they'd give me early retirement?" And my answer has to be: Because I need to be able to live with me. So I continue to work hard, and be honest, and tolerate the one really would prefer to give a good hard smack... and count the days to my legitimate retirement.

Recipe for a succesful family reunion

One niece-in-law with a vision and huge amounts of energy and determination
One extremely patient nephew
One big brother who sings/quotes cowboy poetry
One sister-in-law with a guitar
A whole family of wonderful singers
Two awesome two-year-olds
One delightfully cheerful infant
A bunch of ornery nephews and their beautiful wives
3 amazing big brothers and their amazingly tolerant wives
A smattering of various and sundry children
One southern sissy
One very good sport of a brother-in-law
One hero only back on US soil from Afghanistan for a week or 10 days.
Three wonderful sons and one sweet daughter-in-law
One 83-year-old independently stubborn matriarch
Several crazy good cooks
Intermittent visits from random cousins
A little yodeling
Lots of singing
Some preaching (not the whole wagon-load)
Some water guns and converted water bottles
Some croquet (which I guess the Linkels won by default, since the others forfeited)
Some Trivial Pursuit
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say I've barely scratched the surface of what made this weekend so wonderful.

My nephew Steve and his absolutely delightful wife, Jenny, took on the daunting task of rounding up our Walker clan for a reunion in Colorado. Mercy sakes, they reserved camp sites and tried right up until the day before to get people to say yes or no that they were coming. And willing to eat the price of the extra camp site in case one of the late deciders could make it. In the end, none of my nieces came - I have only 3, two in Kentucky, one in Oregon. I have 6 nephews and all but two of them came - one was at a great grandmother's 90th birthday celebration in California - can't fault him for that.

My mommy was there, and all of my siblings with their spouses, and all of my own children (3 sons, 1 daughter-in-law, one grandchild).

How do I describe what made this so perfect? I sang a duet with my sissy, and my stoic mommy cried. I got a kiss on an owie from my 2-year-old grand-nephew. I got to hear my grand-niece join me in harmony parts just by listening to me and matching what I was singing. I saw the surprised look on my brother-in-law's face when I yodeled (which he'd said he didn't think I could learn to do).

I have an amazing family. The weekend was over too soon, but over just in time - I think we all left wishing it weren't over, which is the best way to end any good time.

Funny moments:
Sydne to my sister: Mommaw, can we go down to the lake? My sis: No, but you can go to the bathroom. (who can explain it?)

Nephew: Don's the important one. Me: WHAT!!!!???? (I straightened them out on that one.)

Me: singing a yodel Brother-in-law: I apologize (aside to others: well, she DID learn to yodel).

Brother-in-law: You just THINK you're right. Me: No really, when I'm right, I say so! Nephew: But when you're wrong, don't you also say you're right? Me: Of course, but that's beside the point.

Most special moments:
My big brother, Donald Ross Walker II, with his grandson Donald Ross Walker III, sitting on his lap, quoting a cowboy poem written by my grandfather, Donald Ross Walker I.

Myself and my 4 siblings singing from memory our grandfather's "theme" song, "He Washed My Eyes With Tears".

Seeing my son and my oldest brother give each other giant big hug and knowing it is geniune affection being expressed and not polite family act.

Brother II, Bill, and his Rainee trying to organize us for a photo - HA! Herding cats! But I think he got a good one.

Seeing my mommy cry when I sang with my sissy - Daddy always cried, but mommy always maintains control.

Seeing my nephew hug his mommy and grandma and wipe the tears off his face.

Seeing my sister-in-law, who is in fairly advanced stages of Lou Gehrig's disease, raise her hands in joy and praise when we sang anything about going to be with Jesus.

Being able to read sister-in-law's air writing and interpret her desires faster than even her husband sometimes, especially when it came to song choices.

Watching my grand-nephew (with Asperger's and IED) interact successfully with so many others, most of whom he'd never met, and having him tell me spontaneously after I helped him with something, "I'm going to miss you when I go home." :-) Gotta love that, huh?

A BUNCH of hugs from my nephews and nieces-in-law. Oh, how I love them. I just don't know if anyone has more delightful nephews than mine.

Knowing that everyone pitched in to cover the cost of the un-used camp site so Steve wasn't stuck with having to pay it out of his pocket.

I know I've forgotten a million things. But it was a weekend to treasure - moments I'll never forget.

Thank you Jenny and Steve, from the bottom of my heart. I know I told you already, but truly, truly, you cannot possibly know how this blessed me. And I know I'm not alone in this sentiment.

"New/Modern" Praise/Worship Music

So, I'm taking this college course, "History of Folk Music", and I'm in the chapter (from "The American Dream" Margaret M. Mayer), about African-American folk-music and I come upon this section:

Alan Lomax, on a collecting trip for the Library of Congress in the 1940s, was shocked to hear church music which he felt to be so dramatically different. Having heard the music of the black church on earlier collecting trips, he responded to the sound of this "new" music as follows:

Instead of the sound rolling like sweet thunder through the church, the congregation tried and moslty failed to join the refrains. I couldn't believe I was in a Southern black Baptist church. Their second song was worse, if possible. "What is this?" I whispered. "It's the latest thing. They call it gospel," Lewis told me, grinning at my disomfiture.

On the last quavering chord I switched off the recorder and we went outside for a breath of fresh air. At a little street fair in front of the church, Lewis introduced me to a Reverend Martin in the booth offering gospel songbooks and sheet music for sale. Martin was eager to explain.

"You see, in the modern Baptist church we are trying to move on past the wonderful old con-bread spirituals and sermons, as they say, with gravy on them. We want to bring our people forward with a new and more progressive type of music, created especially for modern worship by our leading composers. The old sister leading songs from the back row is being replaced by an educated musical director. His job is to spread our new, more intelligently composed songs."

Couldn't help relating this to where we've been in the Christian church for the past 15-20 years, struggling between the beautiful hymns and gospel songs we've known and loved for years and the "modern" praise and worship style music. (for the record, I resent the implication that the old songs are any less praise and worship than the new, but that's an argument for another blog).

How can MUSIC, a God-given gift, I believe given by Him primarily but not exclusively for us to give back to Him, become such a bone of contention among His people? I have a million thoughts and opinions on the whole issue, but I'm going to let this quote from Alan Lomax stand for now. Feel free to comment.

Loss, revisited

Was watching a DIY show about organizing/cleaning house, which involves getting rid of things. Saw a woman cry when she sold at a yard sale a piece of furniture that had been her mother's. She admitted it wasn't the furniture, but the memory and feeling like she was letting go of a piece of her mom all over again...



I lost my daddy on April 21, 1999. A few years ago, I watched his pickup pull out of our driveway for the last time, going to my big brother's in Nebraska. As the tears ran down my cheeks, I put my logical brain in gear and said, "It's not my daddy. It's just a THING." And I got through that.



Almost two years ago, while in Yellowstone with my mom and my son, I somehow lost Daddy's 20-year service medallion that I had worn on a chain around my neck since he died. I felt like someone had reached in my chest, squeezed all the blood out of my heart and then ripped it slowly from my body. I have not yet stopped reaching to move the medallion when I'm showering, nor have I stopped reaching for it during the course of normal days. It was just a "thing". My memories of my daddy are many and strong. But there is something about having something solid and physical that is always present and TOUCHable.



I still cry when I think of losing that medallion. It took me a year to even be able to talk about it enough to tell Richard about it. Sometimes a physical "thing" is a great comfort.

My layman's interp of future of Boardman Coal Plant

So the generation VP came out to the plant on Thursday to give us the scuttle (get it; coal..scuttle...ok, it amused me!) on the future of the plant.

NOTE: These are my "lay person" interpretations of what we were told. The DEQ and several other entities identified by letters...have not accepted the proposal made by PGE to add environmental protections to the plant over an extended period. At this point, it's do it all now (at a cost of $600M) or close the plant. PGE is asking for a slight extension to make a new proposal, but basically, the choice is: Spend $600million on a coal plant that will have outlived its expected production life in 30-40 more years anyway...or spend the same $600million to build a new plant that does not use fossil fuel. Hmmm... Not hard to guess what the answer will be. PGE already has an approval to build a gas powered plant on our same site, but this plant will NOT produce enough power to replace that currently provided by the coal plant, nor will it require the same number of employees. Long and short of it: in my view, the coal plant is soon to be put to rest, a gas plant will be erected at Carty Reservoir and another gas plant or hydro will be built on some other site.

Do the environmentalists, who use big companies like PGE as examples to make a point, ever consider the bigger picture? I'm all for protecting and taking care of the world God entrusted to us. But the fossil fuel exhaust fumes from the millions of cars on the road certainly have a bigger impact than a coal plant. And..Power rates will go so high if we rely on currently available renewables (wind mills, hydro), average families will be unable to heat their homes. Additionally, what happens to all the folks put out of work...and I'm not just talking about the Boardman Coal Plant employees, but the railroad employees who run the train that brings the coal, the coal mine employees that provide millions of tons of coal to the plant. And Boardman is not the only plant on the current government's hit list....

Just saying - it is my opinion that we are throwing the baby out with the bath-water.

My First Blog

Mostly, I wanted to be able to reply to someone else's blog and it wouldn't let me unless I signed up, so here I am with a blog of my own! I'll be able to hold forth on many various and sundry topics to my heart's content! Look out blog world, here I come!