Staying Positive in a Negative Economy

The economy seems more unstable than ever since I wrote the following back in late February of 2008, over 2 years ago...I can't believe that much time has gone by! At the time, interest rates were heading down, and they haven't gone up since, at the time, I was working on keeping a positive outlook in spite of a negative economy...and though the challenges seem even greater now, much of what I wrote is still true..and I need the encouragement of my own words back then. Here's what I wrote 2+ years ago (note the mention of the "natural process" of ups and downs, have to admit that things taking their course is not what our current administration seems to be promoting, but still...read on):

"The rates go up, the rates go down, this is a natural process, a way of trying to stabilize what appears to be an unstable economy. There is talk today (2/27/08) of the interest rates going down again. The instability in the economy is blamed on the rising cost of energy, on the cost of war, and a consequence that is also a cause - the plunge in the housing market. I'm sure there is a lot more to this, I'm not an economist.

How do we be optimistic at times when the news media wants to take us down? I love keeping up with current events...but lets face it, the news media likes to focus on the negative more than the positive. Remember that the economy, like everything else, goes through cycles, cause and effect. I've been through low interest rates, high interest rates, the gas lines of the early 1970's, good times, bad times. Yes, there are bad things about lowering the interest rates, like the affect that it has on your savings, money market accounts, etc., but there are good things to...are you buying your first home? This is a great time, the prices are down PLUS the rates are low. Are you sitting in a warm home, and eating every day? You have a lot to be thankful for. If you're struggling, are you receiving some assistance from the government, a church, friends? Yes, I know some are in very serious circumstances. And for others of us, yes, things can seem tough at times, but we have loads to be thankful for if we take the time to think about it...don't want to go there? Okay, be unhappy, but I'm going to take some time right now to count my blessings.

Being a Wife to a Rush Limbaugh Lover

Today my husband came home, and we talked about making calls to share our feelings about the new Health Care Bill, and I told him I heard the phones were jammed and you couldn't get through.  Immediately, as is often the case, my husband gave credit to Rush Limbaugh, who had given out phone numbers on his show...which usually means, according to hubby, that you will never be able to get through to the number the day he shares the numbers.  Well, I don't know whether that's true or not, but do know he loves Rush.  At another time on another blog, I wrote a post that I've saved, called "Confessions of a Rush Limbaugh Fan's Housewife" and thought I'd put it here for "safe keeping" since that blog is not longer available, originally typed 11/28/07.  Why would I put it on a blog about hopes and dreams for America?  Because people like my husband, and the people he listens to, have great hopes, great dreams for our Nation.  Now here's that post:

I figured it was about time that I spilled the beans.  Yep, my dear husband is a FANATICAL fan of the man, Rush Limbaugh.  So that probably tells you a LOT, doesn't it?


It's an obsession that's been going on for years...he speaks Rush.  Yes, I have listened to Rush with Paul enough to know the language...I'll ask a political question, and Paul will answer, and there's a distinct tone in the way that he answers that says "he heard this on Rush today".


I guess I can't complain, though, for a few years, for Father's Day, I gave him the gift of Rush.  I gave him "Rush 24/7" so he can watch Rush, download Rush to listen to while he walks, and enjoy Rush, Rush and more Rush.  This year, for just one year, I thought I'd get him something else for Father's day...well the withdrawal pains were so intense after only a couple months, that he renewed the subscription for himself.  Honey, if you're reading this, I'm sorry to have put you through all that pain, and will be sure to renew him the next time, okay?


By the way, Rush, if you ever find you way to this humble little blog, I thought it was GREAT what you did with that Harry Reid smear letter, I watched the bidding to the very end.  Thanks for supporting and being part of such a wonderful cause! [Do you remember that letter? And how much it made when Rush put it up on eBay? And what cause the money was donated to?]

Celebrating Human Beings, That's Us!

I was intrigued when I heard that this week is "Universal Human Beings Week" and wondered, "what does universal human beings week mean?", so I did a little exploring, and here's what I found.

It's a celebration of humanity, focusing on the person both physically and spiritually rather than on the material.  It is a time to remember that we are more intelligent than the animals, yet we sometimes act like them when they are at their worst, showing anger, hatred, greed, etc.  It is a time to remember that we have a higher standard to live by as human beings.

The date for this observance was set aside by The International Society of Friendship and good Will, which was founded by a Dr. Stanley Drake in 1978. 

Many of us dream of peace on earth, and wonder if we will see it in our lifetime, when humans get along with one another.  I have my personal view on this based upon the prophecies and teachings in the Bible.  What do you think?

John McCain and the Pledge of Allegiance

Back in early 2008, when we knew who the candidates would be for the Presidency, I received an email from a friend that was supposed to be stated or written by John McCain. I checked it on snopes.com, and it turned out to be legit, so am posting it here. The election is over, so just read it...not as something to sway your vote, but as something to consider the next time you take The Pledge of Allegiance for granted...I'm not accusing you of taking it for granted, I sometimes do myself, and need to be reminded.

The Pledge of Allegiance - by Senator John McCain.

As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room.

This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home. One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian.

Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't have a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17 , he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and want to succeed.

As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt. Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance.

I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event. One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it.

That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could.

The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room.

As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country

'I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God , indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'"

Similar Posts:

Read the Declaration of Independence

An Anthem for the USA

Spoiled Americans, What Are We Complaining About?

During the 2nd week in January of 2008, I came across an article that was attributed to Jay Leno by many, but actually written by Craig Smith of WorldNetDaily. I love the article, and don't want to loose it, so am posting it here, a reminder of just how blessed we are. The article follows, or you can click the article title to go directly to the article. It was written around Thanksgiving time a few years back, but is a good reminder any time of year.

Made in the USA: Spoiled Brats

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The same magazine that employs Michael (Qurans in the toilets at Gitmo) Isikoff. Here I promised myself this week I would be nice and I start off in this way. Oh what a mean man I am.

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments that Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did … insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

''What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs.''

I suggest this Thanksgiving [ or any day...right now] we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not careful this generation will be known as the ''greediest and most ungrateful generation.'' A far cry from the proud Americans of the ''greatest generation'' who left us an untarnished legacy.