2010 Honda Civic Hybrid

I recently got a new car. I mean a really new car. It is a 2010 Honda Civic hybrid.   We went all out this time with a 3 year lease and a car that would save us tons on gas.   I love it.   What can I say?   It doesn’t ride quite like the New Yorker or the Park Avenue did but it is dang close.  Now that the kids all drive and have their own car <Can we have an AMEN here>  we don’t need all the room the old cars had.   I feel like I am not only saving money but being earth friendly by cutting down on my carbon footprint.

I have to say I was feeling quite good about myself.  I needed to go shopping today for some new clothes and being conscious of the new car I made sure to park it away from other cars so as not to hurt it.  It is only a month or so old so I am still in the “I need to baby my car” phase.

I started out early this morning heading out for the Dress Barn and after parking carefully went in.   A couple of hours later came out to find the car safe and secure, all by itself, and right where I left it.

The Burlington coat factory was my next destination.  I parked my brand new leased car in the middle of nowhere once more, to to keep it safe.   This time with more confidence.   I came out horrified to find a cart up against the passenger door and ran to rescue my baby.   After a close inspection I determined there were no dings or scratches and so breathed a huge sigh of relief.

At the Mall I was really leery.   That is like the smash em up derby for new cars . Knowing this I parked way out.   Out in the middle of nowhere.   So far out that you nearly have to take a cab to get to the mall.   You know the ones that only fill up the day before Christmas.  If it were a stadium I parked in the “Nose Bleed Section”.    The car looked so lonely out there.   I was satisfied and went into DSW to find the shoes to match all the clothes I bought earlier in the day.  I purchased my shoes and hiked out to my car.  It still looked lonely and secure as I had left it.

Just as I reached the front bumper a beat up, rusty, old, blue Ford pulled into the spot right next to my drivers side door.   He must have thought my car looked lonely too.  NOOOoooooooo!!!!!!!   I was swearing under my breath thinking there has to me 500 parking spots between me and the mall and he picks the spot next to my brand new car. Not the one two spaces or three spaces over or even 20 spaces over. NO RIGHT NEXT to MY NEW CAR.   My car was an island for Goodness sake!   I glared at the man who got out of the car and then watched in slow motion horror as he stood by indifferently while his little boy slammed the rusty Fords back door hard into my brand new 1 month old civic hybrid lease’s driver side door.   I gasped and yelled and ran to inspect the damage.  Sure enough there was a large scratch and dent.   The man and the boy watched me but then proceeded to walk away!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! “What do you think you are doing?” I asked. “This is a brand new car that you just damaged!” I managed through clenched teeth. “I need your information”, I told him.

His name was Robert and it seemed that he borrowed his cousin Jimmy’s uninsured care to take autistic, mute LaJohn to the mall. “Miss”, said Robert, “You might as well tell your insurance company you came out of the store and found it this way.   We weren’t moving so it weren’t no accident and Dejohn is autistic and can’t even talk so he doesn’t know what he did.   It’s not his fault.”

Well I could have yelled and asked him why he parked there but what good would it do. I got in my new but now dinged up car and drove home. I had enough adventure for one day.

First and foremost, I believe that every citizen of the United States should have equal rights and Responsibilities.

I believe that any citizen in power is responsible to make all the changes they can for the better of all citizens. This is my health care proposal.  All health care coverage would be based on a sliding scale fee for all citizens.  You would get standard deductions for each family member and regional cost of living adjustments.  My argument…How long do you think the wealthy/powerful would wait before using their influence to lower health care costs if they had to pay more for it?  We would all benefit from it.  Please note that I said citizens.  Does this mean that the poor live on the backs of the wealthy?  Not for long I bet.  The wealthy have both the means and ability to make the changes that the middle class and poor do not and from what I have seen the wealthy generally do not hesitate to oppress and take advantage of those lower classes.  They can and do take money from the poor to build their coffers.

I Believe that if you enter this country illegally or do anything illegal as an alien, you should never be offered citizenship. As long as the United States is in crisis immigration should be limited. I believe that we should open our borders to only those who could benefit our country.  Someone with a job, needing an education, having an education in a needed area etc…at least until the economy improves.  If you are not a citizen you should not qualify for Social Security, Welfare, or any other entitlement.  If you are illegal and attempt to seek entitlement you should be evaluated for life or death crisis and sent right back to your country or origin for any needed treatment.  If your children are legal and you are not you have the choice to go back to your country and with or without them.  English should be the legal language.

I believe that all able bodied US Citizens should work. This means that if you can’t find a job you will be required to spend some extra time shoveling the old man next door’s walk or picking up groceries or just visiting with the elderly lady down the street.  You could mentor the young mother next door and offer babysitting while she did her volunteer time.  Young mom could take her children for a walk and each with a small bag to pick up garbage and cans along the roadway.  Cans can be theirs to keep and cash in.    If we all spent some time helping one another and doing what needs to be done we would be spending less time crying over what we don’t have and demanding entitlements we don’t deserve.  It is a proven fact that persons who feel useful have higher self esteem, suffer less depression and are more interested in the world around them.

I believe that US Citizens should have first priority for jobs with veterans topping that list. US Businesses that export jobs should be subject to a foreign employee tax that cost them as much as the United States workers would require.

I believe we should have equal trade agreements. The United States will only buy from those countries who allow us to sell equal amounts to them without all those import fees that makes our products unattractive.

I believe that our Government should outlaw “Parties”.  We all have the responsibility to look up our representatives voting history and attempt to plow through rhetoric.  Determine who is saying what.  You can find your reps history on the internet.  Just Google their name.  Right now parties seem to encourage partisan behavior.  It’s like watching a kindergarten playground with boys against the girls.

I believe the citizens of the United States should determine by vote congressional pay and benefits at the beginning of each term. Right now Congress is voting in future pay raises that can be enacted at a future date by simple inaction so it is not on their record.  Take a look and see how many of your reps abstained from voting on the new January pay raise.  That would include future benefits.  Once elected to office our congress is set for life even if they do a terrible job in a short 4 years.  They don’t have to pay for health care and receive a salary most of us could live very, very well with.  Many of us would be shocked if we knew actual numbers.  Congres/wo/men should submit pay raise requests and a monthly expense reports to a citizens oversight committee that is NOT appointed.

I believe that our education system is broken and parents and only parents should determine the best system to educate their child. Those parents should be allowed to spend their child’s portion of the education moneys on the educational style that would most benefit their child.   More money, more money is not going to get us better educators. Teachers who stop parenting and start educating with the support of the parent who is involved and chooses their child’s school will get us better educators.  Parent, Child and Educator should all be held equally accountable.  Let’s be creative.  Why shouldn’t a parent who works a second shift schedule be able to choose a second shift educational system for them?

He quotes, “The unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since August, primarily because a department survey of households found a sharp increase in the number of Americans with jobs. Analysts expected an increase to 10.1 percent.” Christopher noted here that “Seasonal Adjustments” were used in calculating.  Basically that means that the entire year was added and divided by 12 to come up with an average rather than actual figures.  Hmmmm.  Do you think when the numbers are up next summer that they will use “seasonal adjustments” to artificially lower them?  Some how I doubt that.

What happened to all of those people on extensions that fell off the unemployment roles?  Congress had approved the extensions but then didn’t approve to fund the extensions for more than a year at a time.  They missed funding it in December when it was so critical while we were all distracted by the health care bill which wasn’t and so therefore we wonder if the move was a political slight of hand so they could say Unemployment levels have dropped.   Did they forget about all those people who fell off the rolls because they used up their unemployment and there were no more extensions available?    Or did they want the people to forget?  Of course unemployment will decline and continue to decline as long as unemployment doesn’t provide a safety net for those people who are un or under-employed.  Michigan provides small amounts of help.  You can get small amounts of grocery help if you are on unemployment and believe me, it’s not enough.  No affordable medical coverage is available while you are on unemployment and once off the rolls plan on loosing your dignity, your home, your car and anything else you aren’t able to sell before any assistance is forth coming.  If you become homeless there is even a risk of loosing your children.  It is terrifying and scandalous.  Anyone out there have ideas for those of us who “fell off” the roles and therefore are no longer considered unemployed?

The jobs that are added are mostly minimum wage.   Perhaps all of our lawmakers should try to live on $7.25 per hour.   Cost of living rose 2.7% last year, and general wages rose about *2% but jobs declined by *6%.   Minimum wage didn’t recognize the increase at all.   Do the math.  It doesn’t add up. I should note here that government pay increased by 3.7%, a full 1% above the cost of living increase.  I would just like to make enough to meet the cost of living.

Bills have been submitted, such as H.R. 156 which would have prevented congress from receiving a pay raise in 2010.  It sat in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee since its introduction on January 6, 2009.  H. R. 201 would have provided that no automatic pay adjustment for Members of Congress shall be made in the year following a fiscal year in which there is a Federal budget deficit. It got stuck in the same committee and you will find that most if not all of the bills submitted that would regulate congressional pay according to Washingtonwatch.com met the same fate.  Just in case you wanted to know I have listed the committee members below.  Please write them and vote accordingly!

Democrats

• Chairman, Edolphus Towns, New York
• Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, Pennsylvania
• Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, New York
• Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland
• Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio
• Rep. John F. Tierney, Massachusetts
• Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, Missouri
• Rep. Diane E. Watson, California
• Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts
• Rep. Jim Cooper, Tennessee
• Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia
• Rep. Mike Quigley, Illinois
• Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Ohio
• Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia
• Rep. Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island
• Rep. Danny Davis, Illinois
• Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
• Rep. Henry Cuellar, Texas
• Rep. Paul W. Hodes, New Hampshire
• Rep. Christopher S. Murphy, Connecticut
• Rep. Peter Welch, Vermont
• Rep. Bill Foster, Illinois
• Rep. Jackie Speier, California
• Rep. Steve Driehaus, Ohio
• Rep. Judy Chu, California

Republicans

• Rep. Darrell Issa, California, Ranking Minority Member
• Rep. Dan Burton, Indiana
• Rep. John L. Mica, Florida
• Rep. Mark E. Souder, Indiana
• Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee
• Rep. Michael Turner, Ohio
• Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland, Georgia
• Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina
• Rep. Brian Bilbray, California
• Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio
• Rep. Jeff Flake, Arizona
• Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Nebraska
• Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Utah
• Rep. Aaron Schock, Illinois
• Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, Missouri
• Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, Louisiana