Thursday Coffee: I Will Not Be Treated As A Second Class Citizen

            I went to bed last night and woke up this morning planning to do a nice little throwback piece about email. But then the Governor of Maine had to go and make me an angry ranting lunatic. Because he wants to treat me like a second class citizen since I am disabled and on food stamps. Yet I am not mentally ill enough to get some of the services I need according to him it appears. At least that is what the laws he has recently passed tell me.

            First off mr governor, I am an adult and I do not need you telling me what to eat and not eat. Or what I can spend my money on or not on since that is probably your next move. I am a citizen of America where I am supposed to be free whether disabled or not and I am getting tired of Republicans since it is your party that keeps wanting to treat me this way, telling me I am a second class citizen. You try to make it sound like it is my fault I am mentally ill and have Epilepsy. Well it’s not so sit down and keep your mouth shut until you actually know what you are talking about.

            You sit up on your high horse trying to act like my father when you know nothing about me. My own father acknowledges that I am an adult and allowed to make my own decisions. He may not agree with all of them but he knows they are mine to make. You seem to have a problem with allowing people to have the right to use free will. Except when it comes to fire arms and then it is every man for himself.  You want to control everything the poor do.

            But the rich get a green light to do anything they want. That is hardly fair or what this country was founded to allow. I bet you haven’t read the Declaration Of Independence or The Constitution Of The United States Of America. Because if you had you would be doing a much better of governing than you are. Instead of acting like you are king of Maine and can do anything you want. You are a tyrant who will get what is coming to him some day.

            And you have been told by the courts that you are a tyrant in the past. But you refuse to listen. You only listen to those who agree with you and punish those who oppose you in any way shape or form. Well fine come punish me, but I guarantee I will withstand it and punish you into submission. I have been through more than you and survived it and will continue to do so. Why do you have a way on the poor anyways? You yourself were poor once.

            Instead it would be better to help the poor get on their feet so they can be productive members of society for those who are not disabled. A great program that is working in other states and saving those states money is putting housing first. They get the homeless into homes with a case manager and get them onto their feet with services as well as other services. It helps get them off the street and back to work in many cases. Or even to better jobs.

            And the evidence is in mr governor raising taxes on the rich actually does help the economy. As does raising the minimum wage. Stop standing in the way of it. And wages across the board need to go up. It is time the rich started paying their employees what they are worth. There can be inflation checks put in to balance out all the wages as well so everyone is getting a fair shake without prices going crazy. It is time to start helping the people of Maine and stop acting like a tyrannical dictator.

            I’ll get off my soap box now and I will post a throwback piece on email later to balance the scales. But for now feel free to leave your questions and comments below. And if you want my columns to appear in your email enter your email address below where it says to follow by email. As for me I am going to go relax for a little bit before getting back to work. *Tips his hat and walks out the door heading for the living room. *  

Tuesday Insights: Communication Today

            You know being in a business communications class has gotten me thinking of all the ways I have communicated over the years and how communication has evolved. And yet in some ways it has devolved. I mean for instance think of all the notices you used to bring home from school that now get emailed straight to your parents. Mind you with some of them they have to be printed out and brought back to school in some rare cases. But with electronic signatures being around those rare cases are few and far between.

            Think of how you had to use your time on the phone wisely and really have to have something to say before you picked up the phone. And that phone was attached to the wall. Now almost everyone carries their phones in their hands and calls people for the slightest thing in some cases. In other cases, they just text them for the littlest thing. Many people have lost the art of having a real meaningful conversation about serious topics. They just get into name calling instantly, unlike in earlier years when we seriously discussed issues.

            It used to be when the internet came out that you really thought hard about what you wanted to say in an email. Now emails are for junk mail and other silly things. Or merely for sending files back and forth. Email was supposed to be the new pen pal, but then came along instant messaging. And who wants to write letters when you can just instant message the person and talk for hours, which leaves you nothing to put in an email really.

            Granted we have made strides in the technology used to communicate with each other, but many of us have lost the ability to hold a decent conversation. Some people will put in pictures called emojis where they don’t fit into the conversation. Others will just hold half an interest while playing a game. Some will just talk about games or television. I’m guilty of mentioning television but that isn’t my whole conversation.

            We used to talk about world events and the real news going on in the world. And things we read in the paper that day as well as books. Movies were even discussed since people got to go to them so rarely. Events at work that day were even discussed if something funny occurred or was said at the job. Now a lot of us seem to be just mindless drones. Wake up! There is so much to discuss and learn from and explore. There is a whole world out there to see and so many experiences to talk about. Whether you are an introvert like me or an extrovert you all have experiences to share whether from actually being out in the world on a regular basis or from reading something in a book or magazine.

            A bit of balance of both would be ideal for everyone since there are some things you can only read about in a book and there are some things you can only know about by experiencing them. But having a conversation about these things helps get people interested in them. And we have stopped talking about them and that is a problem. If we start talking about them and other things again we might find a solution to some of our problems that we are facing.

            But everyone wants to hoard their ideas it seems. We need to start sharing ideas in conversation and sharing credit to solve the next big challenges that are facing us in the near future. Two people could have two pieces of the puzzle for a great idea or solution. But without talking about it they won’t be able to put it together. And I grant you there is still room for silly stuff, but it shouldn’t be the main focus of conversation.

            But I’ve stood on my soapbox long enough for one day. So I will get down now. But feel free to leave your comments and questions below. And if you want my columns to appear in your inbox enter your email address in the box below where it says follow by email. As for me I have some studying to do. *Tips his hat and walks out the door heading back towards the study. *

Monday Beginnings: Hoping For A Less Chaotic Week

            I know I wasn’t around last week, and it was a heck of a crazy week. Between running errands and school work. Not to mention an apartment fire in my building right next door to me. Don’t worry everyone is ok. It was just like a whirlwind of a week. And I am hoping for a smoother week this week so I can get caught up on deadlines that have been graciously extended for me in the publishing world. And finally feeling back to my normal self or what I consider my normal self.

            Last week I was just a wreck it felt like when it came time to sit in front of the computer and type, but I kept forcing myself to do it for school work. And I got through it mostly. Today I am feeling more inspired and more energetic than all of last week combined. Last week I had to push myself and that isn’t easy at times. But I showed I can do it even if it is not easy and that is a step forward for me. I still have steps to go in other aspects of my life other than school, but it is a start.

            I’m aiming to get back on track this week providing it stays going smoothly. Even as I have a couple of coffee dates. One with my case manager and the other with a friend. What can I say I like going out for coffee. And I just got some good news, the zero I thought I had is not a zero yet. I still have a couple of days to make up the assignment and I plan to do just that. Like I said before I am going to work my butt off this week.

            And I feel like I have the energy to do it no problem. At least at the moment, but even if I have to push myself later in the week I will. I am determined to prove this term that I can handle two classes at the same time. I’ve had a lot of help from my study buddy Lynette Lee and I have tried to give her just as much help. Mainly by working with whatever schedule she needs me to work with as best as I can. She makes it look easy though.

            But I am starting to catch on with her study habit and it is getting easier for me as well. I just have to work on running on less sleep than I do now, but I am getting there slowly. Either that or sacrificing some of my free time to school work, which I have been doing lately. And I don’t mind, especially when I am enjoying both classes. They are both so invigorating this term. I know I get behind from time to time.

            But I always work hard to get caught up. I think tonight is going to be a late night so I made coffee. And might sneak in a nap not sure though. Depends on when I get done. I’m trying out an experiment tonight and hoping it goes well. I don’t have a good size frying pan for cooking stir fry vegetables in so going to try roasting them with the pork chops. I have a few other cooking ideas I want to experiment with once I get the chance to do so in the kitchen.

            Waiting on the oven to preheat now and it shouldn’t be long. So feel free to leave your comments and questions below. And if you want my column to appear in your inbox enter your email address in the box below where it says follow by email. As for me I am off to start dinner. *Tips his hat and walks out the door heading for the kitchen. *