Lately - Anita Baker

We tend to forget the simple things.  Maybe we really didn't love each other as much as we thought we did.

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over!

DUI Fatalities at the State Capital, Columbia, SC, August 16, 2012

We hear, read, and see almost everyday about DUI-related collisions and deaths.  Some of the victims we might know personally.  We know it’s wrong to drive under the influence but some of us still do.  I don’t need to provide statistics or links to web sites to support the problems we are having on our highways.  All of us want to make it from point A to point B safely and return home safely.  We all want our family and friends and the people we love to come back home safe.  A nationwide crackdown is going on.  Help law enforcement get these offenders off the road.  Call them in, get tag numbers, vehicle descriptions, but don’t endanger yourself.  There’s enough danger on our roadways as it is.  So, please take a proactive approach by not getting behind the wheel driving.  Stay at home, get a designated driver who doesn’t drink, or get a taxi if you know you’re going to have a “couple of drinks.”  The penalties will cost a lot more than the drinks. Remember there’s someone that loves you and wants the best for you.

Dealing With The Moments!

Remember a baby’s very first steps and first words, a loving first glance and first stolen kiss, a faint scent of perfume and a song that reminded you of someone special? Did those moments and events make an impact in your life? Did you see the significance? If you didn’t think they were important to you, someone else did. Some actions remain constant even if others completed them. All events will be important to some one.

We may not all feel important and question if our lives are meaningless because we didn’t leave a legacy for others to admire or respect. Well, living isn’t existing, it’s doing something that will affect positively the lives of those that you cross paths with. We all have a purpose and most of the time we don’t know what it is. And if we think we do know it, we still doubt that it would serve any importance anyway. We make life complicated and take our dissatisfaction out on the people that are close to us.

But our purpose doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be a simple thank you to the cashier that’s been on her feet all day and just had a customer take their bad day out on them. It could be that waiter that’s working their way through school or taking a job to support their family and could use a kind voice and tip. It could be just saying something nice to a co-worker and neighbor. We don’t know the struggles that others are going through, we only see ours. Their lives are important and significant, too. Somewhere along our journey, we got numb to village living. We think we no longer need anyone to help us unless they are of some necessary value to us. Our values are misplaced, let’s pray to God that it’s not too late. Too many good people have crossed our paths and helped us along our journey and we took them for granted. Let’s not lose anymore.

Definition of SIGNIFICANCE   (Merriam-Webster)

1.  a : something that is conveyed as a meaning often obscurely or indirectly
     b : the quality of conveying or implying
2.  a : the quality of being important : moment
     b : the quality of being statistically significant

Healthcare Will Raise The Cost of Papa John’s Pizza!!!

I have to talk about this for jus a minute because this, to me, doesn’t make sense of so many levels.  “The National Restaurant Association pointed out following the health care law's Supreme Court approval that it may adversely affect restaurants’ ability to maintain already slim profit margins because it requires companies of more than 50 employees to provide affordable health insurance.” “Already slim profit margins?” Duh, people are really trying to eat healthy and are we sure pizzas are that healthy?  Several reasons could be behind the slim profit margins.  Maybe people don’t have the extra money to splurge on pizzas.  Could be a lot of people aren’t working who usually buy pizzas.  The costs of ingredients are going up because of the bad weather affecting crops and now being passed to the consumers.  People could just be tired of being overweight and obese and staying away from these kinds of food.  Quite possibly, DiGiorno’s pizza is a lot less inexpensive.  Papa John's CEO, John Schnatter says, “That Obamacare will result in a $0.11 to $0.14 price increase per pizza or $0.15 to $0.20 cents per order.”  I wonder if he’s really resenting having all of his employees on healthcare?  The Affordable Care Act only requires employers to offer health insurance to full-time employees, almost 90 percent of whom at large businesses like Papa John's corporate offices are already covered, according to a Treasury Department official.  Then, maybe John Schantter has other issues with President.  I don’t know, just saying.

Too Much Secrecy, No Transparency!!

What’s good for the gander is good for the goose! If I demand to see your birth certificate over and over again and you can’t show me your tax returns, why ask for fairness. Mitt Romney & associates, one of them Donald Trump and the Fox News, repeatedly question the President’s birth certificate. They hounded him on no showing it. He showed the short form but that wasn’t good enough. They hounded him even more. He showed them the long form but they didn’t believe it. The birthers are still hung up on it. That is only one example of many. Now, that Harry Reid is grilling Mitt about not paying his tax returns, Harry is being called out. I don’t care about how much he’s worth, that’s his business but if you treat another public official, especially the President of the United States with disrespect, why are you crying because you’re not getting respect, either. The life of a public official is an open book so what’s wrong with Mitt not opening his? Now there seems to be another questionable entry in the Governor’s ledger. Why did His staff spend nearly $100,000 to replace computers in state funds at the end of his term as Governor of Massachusetts? Reuters has learned that this was an unprecedented effort to keep records secret. Republican and Democratic opponents of Romney say the scrubbing of emails - and a claim by Romney that paper records of his governorship are not subject to public disclosure - hinder efforts to assess his performance as a politician and elected official. It’s odd that the Massachusetts' healthcare law was a model for Obama's nationwide healthcare program. As a presidential candidate, however, Romney has criticized Obama's plan as an overreach by the federal government. “Theresa Dolan, former director of administration for the governor's office, told Reuters that Romney's efforts to control or wipe out records from his governorship were unprecedented. Dolan said that in her 23 years as an aide to successive governors "no one had ever inquired about, or expressed the desire" to purchase their computer hard drives before Romney's tenure.” I wonder if our Governor Haley learned that from him.  I don’t agree with all of the President’s policies but I will still give him the respect due. Like I said before, this is going to be a nasty campaign.

America's New Heroine!

Gabrielle (Little Flying Squirrel) Douglas

The pictures say it all!

Gabrielle Douglas: Raising an Olympian

This is what America is all about!  We only hear about the negatives but there's a lot more to us than some folks would have you to believe!  There are brothers and sisters coming together for the better good.  If we took the time to know each other and treat each other with respect, who knows how far this country can really go?  I love this story!  Mothers across the miles showing that they are all the same!  God bless America!  I know that I sound a little over the top on this but we can't do this "life" thing by ourselves.  Indeed, we could not "build" anything by ourselves.  We have people along the way to encourage, support, and uplift us.  We all should be proud!  Now if we can get Congress and Washington to get their act together, we could win more than just gold!