Margaret Thatcher - an example for young women

Margaret Thatcher died on Monday.  I'm sure we've all heard about it by now.  Although she was British, she is an example of the American Dream.

Her father was a grocer, the family lived above the store.  She worked hard, got an education at a time when that was not an easy thing to do for a girl/woman.  She married, had children and went into politics.  She became the first woman to lead her party and the first woman prime minister of England. 

You may not have agreed with her politics or methods, but you can see that she made changes and improved the lives of her fellow citizens.

I'm disgusted by some of the reports I have seen - people celebrating her death.  People who are too young to remember life before the "Iron Lady" (I like that name, might take it for myself). 

Have they no decency?  Don't they have any compassion for her family?  I guess they feel it would be hypocritical to keep their feelings to themselves.  There will be a time to discuss the pros and cons of her leadership, but now is not the time.

How would they feel if someone celebrated the death of a member of their family?

We need to return to a time when there was respect.  Remember that saying, "Don't speak ill of the dead".

Gun Control

There's been a lot news today which I'll get to gradually.  Today I want to concentrate on the arguments for gun control.

Yes, the recent mass murders are terrible, but we should be careful about knee-jerk reactions.  All kinds of people in the media are calling for background checks and limits on the type of gun that can be purchased.  I wonder if they have thought things through.

Background checks would be wonderful.  Who wouldn't argue with them?  If you take the time to think, putting the emotions aside, you'll realize they just wouldn't work.

Does anyone really believe that the mob and gang members will actually submit to a background check from a legal dealer?  Gang members and the mob have their own sources and can, for a price, purchase any type gun they want.

As far as checking the mental stability of a prospective gun purchaser, there is a little thing known as "doctor/patient confidentiality".  All a doctor can say is that the person was or was not a patient.  As I understand it, if you visited a psychiatrist or psychologist for help in conquering a fear, such as an unreasonable fear of dogs or flying, or even large, open spaces, you would be labeled as having been a patient of the doctor and possibly red-flagged as not being mentally fit to own a gun.

Congress and the president should take a step back, away from the emotion of the issue and really study this issue.  The recent shooters had real mental problems and should have received help for their problems.  Unfortunately, due to the lack of facilities and the stigma of mental illness, help was not available.  The murders in Chicago (which has one of the strictest gun laws in the country) were done with illegally obtained guns.  Do congress and the president really think a law will prevent that?  Are they that naive?

I am a supporter of the right to own guns, may even buy one myself someday.  I'd like to learn to shoot among the other topics I want to learn about.  My brother owned guns and taught his children to respect the gun.  They know that it is a powerful weapon in the wrong hands.

If congress and the president can absolutely guarantee that there could be a law that would prevent the mob and gang members from obtaining guns I would be all for it..  Before any more  laws are put together on an emotional basis, we should devote our time and energy to getting the much needed help for the mentally ill.  But, human nature being what it is, that will never happen.

This is an emotional issue and emotional issues get votes.  We don't need new gun control laws, we need stricter enforcement of the laws already on the books.

Grace & Dignity

This weekend I spent quite a bit of time watching QVC when they were highlighting copies from the jewelry collection of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

That woman had dignity and grace which she brought to the White House.  I must say that I'm not a fan of the Kennedy's and the way they have been praised by the media.  I will say that they added a certain elegance to the presidency which has very rarely been seen since.

I know people will argue that it's easy to have grace and elegance when you have money,  but a large bank account doesn't guarantee dignity and grace.  What does define grace and dignity is how you treat others and how you act on a daily basis.

I know that we live in different times from the 60's, but I would like to see more of that dignity, grace and elegance return to the White House.

SPRING?

All this talk about its being spring brought back some memories.  When my son was about 3 or 4, he heard on the radio or TV that spring had begun.  It was a year very similar to this one.

He was convinced that since it was spring, he should stop wearing his winter clothes and begged me to get out his "spring" clothes.  He was very fussy about his appearance and wouldn't budge - he wanted his spring clothes.  I remembered my mother's solution to a stubborn child so I gave in.  The house was warm enough for short sleeves, so I really didn't see the harm.

After a day or two, he relented and went back to the long sleeve shirts and comfort.

My mother's solution?  When my brother was about 3 years old, all he wanted to eat was Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup - for every meal.   She gave in to him.  He had that soup for breakfast, lunch and supper for two days.  At last, he asked if he could please have something besides chicken noodle soup.  Problem solved.

One of the things to remember when dealing with children is to pick your battles.  As long as what they are pushing for won't hurt them and doesn't contradict your core beliefs, why not let them have what they want.  Put your foot down when they get really outlandish ideas.

'Tis a Puzzlement

There are a few rhings about our government's spending that I don't understand.

When the president was campaigning back in 2008, he called our $9 trillion debt "irresponsible" and "unpatriotic".  Now, under his leadership, our debt is now $16 trillion and he does not feel it is an immediate problem.   I know that if my personal debt had almst doubled in 4 years, I'd be very upset and looking for ways to cut my expenses.

That brings me to my next problem - government spending.  According to the powers that be, there is not enough money to cover the cost of tuition for members of our armed forces, but there is enough money to send to Pakistan.

While the cost to the taxpayers for food stamps has risen, we have people in our embassy in Mexico to inform immigrants to our country of the advantages of food stamps.  In the past, potential immigrants were required to be sponsored or show proof that they would be able to support themselves.

While the White House tours have fbeen cancelled, the president's organization, Organizing for Action, will, for a $500,000 donation give access to meetings with the president.

This president believes the wealthy should pay their fair share.  Maybe the government should be more fair in the way it spends our taxpayer money.  The money should be spent on our people, not sent to a country as a bribe for their friendship.

I would like to have the opportunity to go over our budget with a fine-tooth comb and cut the waste.

Presidential Tantrum

Earlier this week president Obama decided to cancel White House tours because of the sequester cuts.  Of course, he didn't cancel the restaurant dinner with republicans, even though there is a chef at the White House.  And, the secret service personnel who conduct these tours are still on the payroll.  Where's the saving?

He seems to forget that the White House is OUR house.  It is not his to use as a political tool to get his way.  These tours were only cancelled because he wanted to annoy the people and get them to blame the republicans for their inconvenience.

Yesterday, Eric Bolling during the broadcast of his program The Five on Fox News pledged to cover the cost of these tours for one week.  Later, Sean Hannity also pledged to take a week.  Newt Gingrich also said he would raise money for these tours.

We haven't yet heard from Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, or any of the Hollywood millionnaires.  I wonder why.

Will the president change his mind, or will he keep trying to punish us citizens just to get his way?

Sequester

Remember all the gloom and doom we heard from the president and his spokespeople?  There were going to be all kinds of delays at the airports, all kinds of terrible things would happen because of the cut in the increase in spending.

I just heard and saw a report from LaGuardia Airport in New York.  There are no lines, or cancellations, except for one flight.  That was a flight either to or from Minneapolis (I don't remember which).  That cancellation is probably due to the storm out there today.

The reporter mentioned that Janet Napolitano claimed this morning thagt there were delays in Chicago and Los Angeles.  The reporter checked with both airports and they weren't aware of any delays in their jurisdiction.

Just another example of the honesty and forthrightness of the president.  Of course, if he was being honest last week about the terrible consequences, then he's just incompetent.