Protesters with Occupy Wichita were told they could not block traffic into the Walmart, which they never do anyhow. Then, the police blocked the traffic into Walmart themselves, to stop them from giving fliers to motorists waiting at the stop sign. Tactics, tactics… 🙂 (what, us block the road? oh… no way. we don’t want to do that. no. huh? what?)
(from the llnk): The Ogallala Aquifer stretches from the Texas Panhandle northward to South Dakota. It is the largest single water-bearing unit in North America covering 174,000 square miles. It is essentially a gigantic sponge holding enough water to fill Lake Huron. The aquifer ranges in thickness from less than a foot to 1,300 feet and averages about 200 feet in most areas. Conservative estimates suggest it will be depleted by the year 2020.
Here’s one way to help the economy:
Walmart Could Give Every U.S. Employee A $5,000 Raise
(from the link): An astounding 49 million Americans now live below the poverty line.
And another 97 million are classified as “low-income,” which is defined as household income of 1-2 times the poverty level.
That means nearly half of the country is poor or strapped.
Of course, any time you point these statistics out publicly, you get strafed by those who think you want Big Government to strip wealth away from Americans who have it and hand it to the Americans who don’t.
But we actually don’t need Big Government to do a thing. Because the private sector can begin to solve the problem itself. Voluntarily.
How?
By giving a lot of America’s low-income workers a raise.
Specifically, America’s biggest low-wage employers — Walmart, McDonald’s, Kmart, Target, et al — could voluntarily give every one of their low-income workers a big raise.
Corporate profit margins are at an all-time high, and wages as a percent of GDP are at an all-time low, so the corporations can certainly afford this.
One of the fundamental problems in the American economy, after all, is that well-paid manufacturing jobs have been replaced by low-paid service-sector jobs. This has reduced the purchasing power of the middle and lower-middle classes, which, in turn is hurting the performance of most companies that sell to the American consumer.
The solution to this problem, most people say, is to rebuild the U.S. manufacturing base. But why? There’s nothing special about manufacturing, other than it used to have higher pay scales than today’s low-wage retailing, food-service, and construction jobs.
And, again, it’s not like Walmart is a manufacturer whose business is being clobbered by low-wage manufacturing overseas.
But…but….. George W. Bush recalssified McDonalds workers as ‘manufacturers’ – remember?
So – bottom line – GWB and his fellow CONS have set the new manufacturing wage – and this is precisely what the Corporations, and the CONS that love them, want – they wanted to depress the average wages.
And then these same CONS think that the people making these depressed wages should pay higher prices and STILL give the corporations and their 1% friends even more tax breaks and subsidies.
I had to run to the nearest Walmart on Wednesday evening because I had forgot to buy cranberry sauce (and my granddaughter loves the stuff).
I do not like to park in the middle of the busy parking lot – so I parked in my usual spot – on the outer line in front of the Garden Center. There are the same parking lot lights overhead and there were cars parked there – but nobody was in their cars at the time.
As I was getting out my car – I noticed a car going slow through the aisles of cars and then the driver pulled up to me.
He was a black man with a woman and two small kids in the back seat. The car was so beat up and the drivers window was down but there was duct tape around it.
Anyway – this guy then gave me this sob story about how they were from Tulsa and was driving through Wichita when their car had been hit by a drunk driver, their little girl was in the St. Joseph Via Christi hospital with injuries, the Ronald McDonald House was full but those folks sent them to the Holiday Express Inn and paid for the room but he needed $18 dollars in cash.
Okay…..I can believe that people are down on their luck and bad things happen to all of us……so I told I only had $5 cash on me and he said – can’t you cover the whole $18?
The woman told him to take the $5 – while she threw her cigarette butt out the window.
I did give him $5 bill – but I did not do it for him. I did it because of the little girl in the backseat. Maybe – just maybe – this little girl will remember that a woman in a parking lot did give $5 to help them.
So – when Romney and Republicans talk about the ‘takers’ – I know what they are referring to – because there are those people who will forever be ‘takers’.
But we need to get to the ‘takers’ children – the next generation – and make a difference there.
But – then again – the Bible does tell us to take care of one another and to have compassion.
You see – it’s real easy to be nice and take care of those folks we ‘approve of’ – but it’s real hard to be nice and take care care of those folks that I truly felt this man and the woman were .
But – on the other hand – their story might have been true. Who knows? I would not bet my last dime on it – though… LOL
But – the $5 was not going to break me if I gave it away. And who knows, maybe a little seed of hope was planted in the eyes of that little girl in the backseat?
Pay it forward………as they say..
I’ve been very lucky and very blessed in this life – and if that was some kind of test to see if I have an open heart – well, at least I can say, I tried.
See, Indy, that’s one of the reasons I love you dearly! You’re a good person with a kind and compassionate heart.
I’ve been in similar situations. Sometimes I’ve been the kind person I approve of, other times I’ve been judgmental.
“…it’s real easy to be nice and take care of those folks we ‘approve of’ – but it’s real hard to be nice and take care care of those folks that I truly felt this man and the woman were,” — truer words were never spoken.
I work at being the person my dog thinks I am, I need to work harder. It isn’t mine to judge.
I read recently it’s more difficult to teach ‘giving change back’ in our cashless society. Children don’t see cash used as often in this day of debit cards.
Reminds me of a holiday a few years ago. I went to my daughters house to find cooking lessons going on. At that time she only had one son who had left home and set out on his own. The other three were gathered around and she was teaching them to cook (it was an apt audience because they had requested the lesson). I quietly listened as she added this and that, explained each step… About that time her oldest son, the one who was visiting from his home in Portland, entered the room and interrupted her. He said something like this: “Guys! See how she reaches up to that cabinet to get that ingredient and turns to the fridge for the next…? Weeeelllll, let’s go backwards to where you need to begin in this cooking lesson. None of those ingredients are going to be in your fridge or cabinets. Planning the dish, making the list, grocery store and stocked cabinets are lessons needed before cooking.” So the oldest son was adding to the lessons she had taught him and was now sharing with his brothers. He knew from experience where the lessons needed to start.
Nowadays it seems when teaching ‘counting back change’ one needs to go back a step and teach ‘cash money.’
It’s not a good or bad thing that we’ve changed to a mostly cashless society, it just means we need to go back and examine the domino effect of that change.
Another change some people haven’t caught up with —
—————-
(from the link): Orange County Republican Party Chairman Scott Baugh doesn’t get it. His insinuation that the values of hard work, family and education are Republican ones is insulting to those who voted for President Obama. Assuming that the weaker candidate lost because so many people do not hold to these values reflects a total lack of understanding of this country.
I think it’s so “radical republican” to not know that it wasn’t the messengers, but the message! Take Mourdock and Aiken who lost their Senate bids — they were ONLY guilty of speaking aloud the Republican party platform on abortion.
I hope all had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was spent in the company of four delightful people, fellow travellers in ideology with the members of our crew. If they accept my invitation, we may soon have some new contributors to our blog. They seemed genuinely surprised that a select group such as ours existed in this area.
What struck me as we were engaging in post-dinner conversation was that I was once again the luckiest SOB in the room. Our hostess has MS, among other ailments. The delightful woman across the street (whose home made bread is to die for) had a brain aneurysm as a child some 60 years ago, and survived very risky surgery and brain damage to become a most delightful (and tiny) person whose life has been spent selflessly serving others. The guy two doors down has survived a variety of major and minor ailments. My neighbor, a retired Air Force member, has had two heart attacks, lost a kidney due to cancer, had a hysterectomy due to some other medical issues, and suffers from the effects of long service (vertebrae damage, etc., resulting in a variety of symptoms), not to mention the debilitating effects of long term exposure to a variety of hazardous chemicals. All I have is some physical deficiencies from a stroke.
There we were, enjoying ourselves and delighting in each other’s company. When we finally determined it was time to go home, we left with reluctance. Even though it was midnight when I got home, I wasn’t tired. This was the best Thanksgiving I’ve had in four years. BTW, the group has decided to make this a monthly thing; if anyone is interested in joining in, let me know. I can assure you that you will be welcome (although there will be a bit of inside baseball going on).
Your attitude of being lucky makes me smile. Our journeys always allow us that opportunity to find someone we perceive has traveled a more difficult path — if we look, listen, feel, care. I admire all people who adjust and learn what it takes no matter what life deals. One foot in front of the other until you no longer have to concentrate quite that hard to keep moving. People, conversation, sharing with humanity is what it’s all about, isn’t it!?
I hope they accept your invitation! Sounds like we would all be lucky to get to get to know them!
I try not to think about it. It’s already happening. People seem not tot understand that physics in a complex atmosphere is not like turning up a damned thermostat. But maybe after Sandy, enough people are starting to get it.
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
ROFLMFAO!!!!
That just about says it all.
Protesters with Occupy Wichita were told they could not block traffic into the Walmart, which they never do anyhow. Then, the police blocked the traffic into Walmart themselves, to stop them from giving fliers to motorists waiting at the stop sign. Tactics, tactics… 🙂 (what, us block the road? oh… no way. we don’t want to do that. no. huh? what?)
DISASTROUS DEPLETION OF THE OGALLALA AQUIFER
(from the llnk): The Ogallala Aquifer stretches from the Texas Panhandle northward to South Dakota. It is the largest single water-bearing unit in North America covering 174,000 square miles. It is essentially a gigantic sponge holding enough water to fill Lake Huron. The aquifer ranges in thickness from less than a foot to 1,300 feet and averages about 200 feet in most areas. Conservative estimates suggest it will be depleted by the year 2020.
http://www.catastrophemap.com/ogallala.html
Here’s one way to help the economy:
Walmart Could Give Every U.S. Employee A $5,000 Raise
(from the link): An astounding 49 million Americans now live below the poverty line.
And another 97 million are classified as “low-income,” which is defined as household income of 1-2 times the poverty level.
That means nearly half of the country is poor or strapped.
Of course, any time you point these statistics out publicly, you get strafed by those who think you want Big Government to strip wealth away from Americans who have it and hand it to the Americans who don’t.
But we actually don’t need Big Government to do a thing. Because the private sector can begin to solve the problem itself. Voluntarily.
How?
By giving a lot of America’s low-income workers a raise.
Specifically, America’s biggest low-wage employers — Walmart, McDonald’s, Kmart, Target, et al — could voluntarily give every one of their low-income workers a big raise.
Corporate profit margins are at an all-time high, and wages as a percent of GDP are at an all-time low, so the corporations can certainly afford this.
One of the fundamental problems in the American economy, after all, is that well-paid manufacturing jobs have been replaced by low-paid service-sector jobs. This has reduced the purchasing power of the middle and lower-middle classes, which, in turn is hurting the performance of most companies that sell to the American consumer.
The solution to this problem, most people say, is to rebuild the U.S. manufacturing base. But why? There’s nothing special about manufacturing, other than it used to have higher pay scales than today’s low-wage retailing, food-service, and construction jobs.
And, again, it’s not like Walmart is a manufacturer whose business is being clobbered by low-wage manufacturing overseas.
Walmart is still on a roll.
Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-12-15/news/30519452_1_low-income-workers-household-income-poverty-line#ixzz2D3kJ03Yn
But…but….. George W. Bush recalssified McDonalds workers as ‘manufacturers’ – remember?
So – bottom line – GWB and his fellow CONS have set the new manufacturing wage – and this is precisely what the Corporations, and the CONS that love them, want – they wanted to depress the average wages.
And then these same CONS think that the people making these depressed wages should pay higher prices and STILL give the corporations and their 1% friends even more tax breaks and subsidies.
What a sweet deal – huh?
Although ours was a slightly different model, I spent many childhood hours with a PlayStation similar to this one.
I had to run to the nearest Walmart on Wednesday evening because I had forgot to buy cranberry sauce (and my granddaughter loves the stuff).
I do not like to park in the middle of the busy parking lot – so I parked in my usual spot – on the outer line in front of the Garden Center. There are the same parking lot lights overhead and there were cars parked there – but nobody was in their cars at the time.
As I was getting out my car – I noticed a car going slow through the aisles of cars and then the driver pulled up to me.
He was a black man with a woman and two small kids in the back seat. The car was so beat up and the drivers window was down but there was duct tape around it.
Anyway – this guy then gave me this sob story about how they were from Tulsa and was driving through Wichita when their car had been hit by a drunk driver, their little girl was in the St. Joseph Via Christi hospital with injuries, the Ronald McDonald House was full but those folks sent them to the Holiday Express Inn and paid for the room but he needed $18 dollars in cash.
Okay…..I can believe that people are down on their luck and bad things happen to all of us……so I told I only had $5 cash on me and he said – can’t you cover the whole $18?
The woman told him to take the $5 – while she threw her cigarette butt out the window.
I did give him $5 bill – but I did not do it for him. I did it because of the little girl in the backseat. Maybe – just maybe – this little girl will remember that a woman in a parking lot did give $5 to help them.
So – when Romney and Republicans talk about the ‘takers’ – I know what they are referring to – because there are those people who will forever be ‘takers’.
But we need to get to the ‘takers’ children – the next generation – and make a difference there.
But – then again – the Bible does tell us to take care of one another and to have compassion.
You see – it’s real easy to be nice and take care of those folks we ‘approve of’ – but it’s real hard to be nice and take care care of those folks that I truly felt this man and the woman were .
But – on the other hand – their story might have been true. Who knows? I would not bet my last dime on it – though… LOL
But – the $5 was not going to break me if I gave it away. And who knows, maybe a little seed of hope was planted in the eyes of that little girl in the backseat?
Pay it forward………as they say..
I’ve been very lucky and very blessed in this life – and if that was some kind of test to see if I have an open heart – well, at least I can say, I tried.
See, Indy, that’s one of the reasons I love you dearly! You’re a good person with a kind and compassionate heart.
I’ve been in similar situations. Sometimes I’ve been the kind person I approve of, other times I’ve been judgmental.
“…it’s real easy to be nice and take care of those folks we ‘approve of’ – but it’s real hard to be nice and take care care of those folks that I truly felt this man and the woman were,” — truer words were never spoken.
I work at being the person my dog thinks I am, I need to work harder. It isn’t mine to judge.
Thanks, fnord, for the kind words. I sense we are more alike than some sisters……
I do hope 6176’s friends will join our blog…..this truly is a good place to call home…..
I appreciate each and everyone on this blog – even though we have never met in person.
Speaking of cash…
I read recently it’s more difficult to teach ‘giving change back’ in our cashless society. Children don’t see cash used as often in this day of debit cards.
Reminds me of a holiday a few years ago. I went to my daughters house to find cooking lessons going on. At that time she only had one son who had left home and set out on his own. The other three were gathered around and she was teaching them to cook (it was an apt audience because they had requested the lesson). I quietly listened as she added this and that, explained each step… About that time her oldest son, the one who was visiting from his home in Portland, entered the room and interrupted her. He said something like this: “Guys! See how she reaches up to that cabinet to get that ingredient and turns to the fridge for the next…? Weeeelllll, let’s go backwards to where you need to begin in this cooking lesson. None of those ingredients are going to be in your fridge or cabinets. Planning the dish, making the list, grocery store and stocked cabinets are lessons needed before cooking.” So the oldest son was adding to the lessons she had taught him and was now sharing with his brothers. He knew from experience where the lessons needed to start.
Nowadays it seems when teaching ‘counting back change’ one needs to go back a step and teach ‘cash money.’
It’s not a good or bad thing that we’ve changed to a mostly cashless society, it just means we need to go back and examine the domino effect of that change.
Another change some people haven’t caught up with —
—————-
(from the link): Orange County Republican Party Chairman Scott Baugh doesn’t get it. His insinuation that the values of hard work, family and education are Republican ones is insulting to those who voted for President Obama. Assuming that the weaker candidate lost because so many people do not hold to these values reflects a total lack of understanding of this country.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-1123-friday-oc-republicans-20121123,0,5592279.story
I think it’s so “radical republican” to not know that it wasn’t the messengers, but the message! Take Mourdock and Aiken who lost their Senate bids — they were ONLY guilty of speaking aloud the Republican party platform on abortion.
I hope all had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was spent in the company of four delightful people, fellow travellers in ideology with the members of our crew. If they accept my invitation, we may soon have some new contributors to our blog. They seemed genuinely surprised that a select group such as ours existed in this area.
What struck me as we were engaging in post-dinner conversation was that I was once again the luckiest SOB in the room. Our hostess has MS, among other ailments. The delightful woman across the street (whose home made bread is to die for) had a brain aneurysm as a child some 60 years ago, and survived very risky surgery and brain damage to become a most delightful (and tiny) person whose life has been spent selflessly serving others. The guy two doors down has survived a variety of major and minor ailments. My neighbor, a retired Air Force member, has had two heart attacks, lost a kidney due to cancer, had a hysterectomy due to some other medical issues, and suffers from the effects of long service (vertebrae damage, etc., resulting in a variety of symptoms), not to mention the debilitating effects of long term exposure to a variety of hazardous chemicals. All I have is some physical deficiencies from a stroke.
There we were, enjoying ourselves and delighting in each other’s company. When we finally determined it was time to go home, we left with reluctance. Even though it was midnight when I got home, I wasn’t tired. This was the best Thanksgiving I’ve had in four years. BTW, the group has decided to make this a monthly thing; if anyone is interested in joining in, let me know. I can assure you that you will be welcome (although there will be a bit of inside baseball going on).
What a delightful post!
Your attitude of being lucky makes me smile. Our journeys always allow us that opportunity to find someone we perceive has traveled a more difficult path — if we look, listen, feel, care. I admire all people who adjust and learn what it takes no matter what life deals. One foot in front of the other until you no longer have to concentrate quite that hard to keep moving. People, conversation, sharing with humanity is what it’s all about, isn’t it!?
I hope they accept your invitation! Sounds like we would all be lucky to get to get to know them!
Yeah, 6, you are indeed inspirational. 54687821
Something to think about —
October 2012 — This is the 332nd consecutive month with an above-average temperature.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2012/10
I try not to think about it. It’s already happening. People seem not tot understand that physics in a complex atmosphere is not like turning up a damned thermostat. But maybe after Sandy, enough people are starting to get it.
So do I get this right? Texas secedes, but we get to keep Austin? Sounds like a win-win. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/us/politics/with-stickers-a-petition-and-even-a-middle-name-secession-fever-hits-texas.html