Stray Thoughts

I do not often get up on my soapbox and wax philosophical. The way I figure">

Stray Thoughts I do not often get up on my soapbox and wax philosophical. The way I figure, most people could not care less what I think. I tend to be quiet and not voice an opinion until I get to know people better. I have recently attempted to spend more time communicating with my wife, my family, and my friends. It seems as though a lot of people have strong opinions about the direction the planet (more specifically the country) is heading. The majority of these opinions are not positive. People have different reasons and rationale as to why they believe this. At the moment (summer 1997), all is well. Linda and I are both gainfully employed at companies that appreciate what we do and the effort we put in. We are healthy and happy. Our move from Dallas to Tampa was stressful physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially but we are moving forward. If it seems like I'm bitching in what you read below, well, I guess I am. Basically, I feel life comes down to this: Some times you get the bear, some times the bear gets you! You do not have to agree or like what I say. Feel free to comment if you like. The opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my wife, my mom or anyone else. Hell, I may feel different 5 minutes from now. I reserve the right to change my mind, DIG! PEACE! I believe their concerns (and mine) tend to fall into certain categories: (These are not in any order of any kind. A category may shift precedence based on the news of the day or how I am feeling that second or what's pissing me off at the moment) Family Values I am not talking about Newt Gingrich's view of family values, I mean kids (even 90 year old kids) respecting their parents, family members helping each other out, parents being strong role models, etc. You cannot solve everyone's problems, but you should help your family first, friends second, and strangers whenever you can. Restrictions of Thoughts and Deeds Enjoy what rights you have now because you will continue to see more and more restrictions placed on you. It is getting to the point where if someone does not like what you are doing, they'll make it illegal. While this is similar to the PC point above, the impact is more severe and affects many more people. The Communications Decency Act is a prime example. A few puritans and prudes decide that "obscene" or "vulgar" should not be allowed on the internet "in the interest of protecting children." In their crusade to protect children, they restrict everyone's rights. I did serve in the military for more than 10 years so some dickhead in Podunk, Iowa (If there is a Podunk, Iowa take no offense Iowans or Podunkians) can tell me what I can and cannot do. I have simple two word response to anyone telling me I cannot do something - Click here The "Politically Correct" [a.k.a. Pure Crap (my opinion)]) Movement It has gotten to the point where you can't say "shit" without someone being offended and hauling your ass into court. What ever happened to free speech? It seems that everyone has the right not to be offended but no one has a right to speak their mind freely. Whatever happened to listening to someone else's point of view? Marge Schott is a bona fide fruitcake in my opinion and I think she definitely needs some psychiatric help, but how in the hell can Major League Baseball remove her from her position just because her embarrassing views are outside the norm? I doubt anyone takes her seriously, but even if they do,  YOU CANNOT TAKE AWAY PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO BE AN ASSHOLE. If someone's an asshole, we can only hope they get what's coming to them and stay away from them. Lack of Decent and Stable Work Back in the old days (oh say 15 years ago) the ideal job was going to work at an entry level position for a company upon completion of high school or college. You work hard and learn as much as you can. You work your way up the ladder as quickly as possible, then retire after 20 or 30 hours with a gold watch decent benefits. Today, this simply does not happen. My wife worked at a law firm for 10 years. She held numerous positions (often at the same time) and had lots of responsibilities. She was NOT given her accrued vacation pay, two weeks severance and sent along her merry way. It seems that most people running companies today are interested in the short term and could not care less what their workers are suffering through. How is ANYONE supposed to survive on minimum wage? I could not do it when I was single and my parents did it while raising 8 kids. My wife and I have both found new jobs that we REALLY like. Both companies have a good track record of keeping their people byb taking good care of them. We both continue to work hard and we both feel appreciated. Respect and Common Courtesy People do not respect each other. You can see it in the way the drive their car, interact with sales people, and how they behave in a crowd. Does it really take that much effort to look someone in the eye when you are talking to them or shake their hand when you meet them for the first time or let someone in front of you when they are trying to get into traffic or write down someone's license plate when you see they have left their lights in the parking lot. A lot of people feel they are better than everyone else. If you feel you're better than someone else, take a moment and try to see things from their point of view. If you do not know enough about their situation to see their point of view, give them the benefit of the doubt and treat them decently. Everyone has a bad day once in a while, it's human nature. Crime It's getting worse, it's getting closer. Criminals are getting younger and meaner. Less fist fights and more knife and gun fights. That's All, Folks!

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