AIN’T NO CHEESE LIKE GOVERNMENT CHEESE

As most of my friends know by now, I am a pretty conservative person, and have been since my late teen years. I have always also always believed that we should have systems in place to assist those who are poor and disenfranchised however, sometimes I see things that are so outrageous they make me want to shut down every safety net ever created and leave all those folks on their own without any help from government or anyone else.  This article is about a couple of those outrages.

So, I’m watching Judge Joe Brown one day last week, and there’s this guy being sued by his ex girlfriend for a cell phone bill that he’s run up to over a thousand dollars, and no that’s not the outrage.  As the case goes on, Judge Joe is asking this lazy A-Hole if he works to which he replies; No, I get SSI.  For those of you not familiar with SSI, it stands for Supplemental Security Income, which is the government’s term for Disability payments to people who by all accounts should be disabled to the point that they cannot work and care for themselves.  However, I digress.  Judge Joe then says to the guy, you get SSI? To which he replies yes, I have trouble reading.  Judge Joe says you have trouble reading, what kind of disability is that? To which the guy replies, well I get some words mixed up.  By now, Judge Joe and I are about to leap out of our skins!  I was so angry that I thought my head might actually explode.  So, here I am a good American tax payer, watching some smuck on national TV who by all accounts could be working at something, but NOOOO, he’s collecting SSI and you and I are paying that Butt Hole not to work, un-F___ing Believable.

I have also recently encountered a “Grown Ass Man” who is perfectly capable of working who is collecting $200 per month in Food Stamps.  Get this folks he was approved because he works for a Temp Agency, which in some communities make you eligible for public assistance like the Food Stamp Program. Yes, and you get to pay for that too.

I personally know a young woman (age 32) who had a massive stroke while at work back in December of last year, who’s vocabulary is now limited to the word “OH”.  This woman has to be taught to read, write and perform all of the other functions of daily life, and thus she’s not able to take care of herself.   In the meantime, her benefits from her job have been cut off, so now she has no income, Health Insurance or Disability Income.  You would think that a person like this would be able to easily get SSI right? Nope, it seems that our government is so busy giving aid to people like the two dopes described above that she’s been waiting almost six months, and she still hasn’t been approved.  And they wonder why so few have any faith in government.

When I was growing up, there used to be government trucks that would sometimes go into under prividgledged neighborhoods and hand out things like Cheese, Powered Milk and mostly Stale Bread.  My mom and her sisters used to joke when they saw people running to get in line at these trucks by saying “Ain’t No Cheese like Government Cheese”.  People really loved getting that free food, and yes some of them didn’t really need it, but they took it anyway.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used my mom’s phrase over the years to describe people sucking on the tit of government, but SSI system make the old school Welfare Queens look like saints.  I’ve discovered that there are people on SSI because they drink too much to hold a job (say what?), some have drug problems, so clearly they can’t work either, and yes many are homeless, but don’t worry, you and I are paying for Post Office Boxes so that they can have their checks delivered.  What a great country!!

My purpose isn’t to say that we should stop helping those in need, however there has to be a better way.  It seems that the people who know the system well enough to abuse it are the only ones getting help under the current system, and that has to stop.   We have to somehow work out a system that identifies those truly in need and weed out the frauds taking advantage of the system, thus taking advantage of you and I, the American Tax Payer.

Now, I'm Just Sayin, Let's Help the Needy, not the Greedy.

WHITE PEOPLE – CLAIM YOUR HALF

At least once a week, I get an email or text message from someone trying to tell me either why Obama shouldn’t be president, or what a bad president he is. I finally got something earlier this week that made me want to write this article.  I find it funny that these things would come to me since I voted for Ron Paul, but they just keep coming.   Please understand that I find many of the items sent to me humorous, but I also find a small number of them offensive and distasteful.  It seems that the worse the person thinks Obama is at doing his job, the more stuff they send to me.  It’s almost like they think that I can do something to ease their pain, or perhaps get a message to the white house and let them know what  they think, or what the President needs to do next.

Does anyone remember that during the last election, everyone was celebrating the fact that a Bi-Racial person was actually making a serious run for President of these United States?  Even Fox News recognized that Obama was part Black, and part White, and yet now that he’s in office everyone just remembers his blacknessJ  Well I haven’t forgotten, and I’m not going to let you forget either, in fact every other time he does something I consider to be stupid or bone headed, I’m going to blame it on his white side, and start sending folks emails letting them know that their White President just screwed things up again! 

I know some of you by now are thinking I’ve lost my mind right?  Well I assure you I have not.  It’s time that all you White folks stand up and “CLAIM YOUR HALF”, yes, that’s right you need to claim your half!  In fact since we’re all Americans, and his father was born in Africa (not the USA)and his mother in Kansas, I actually think he’s more yours than oursJ   Please don’t be embarrassed, or ashamed, to just step right up, and “Claim Your Half”.  Black people have already claimed their half and now it’s your turn. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you have to support him, or that you have to like him, I’m just sayin that you need to claim the half that’s rightfully yours.  You can continue to send the distasteful Obama emails, and say that he’s the worse president in history (I assume you missed the Carter Years), but in any case, you need to claim him.  While there are still some who question if he was born in the United States, I have heard no one say that he isn’t Bi-Racial, and we all know that at least in this case, bi-racial does not mean Black and Chinese.   The one thing that those who love Obama and those who hate Obama agree on is that he is part Black and part White, and I for one am tired of you folks trying to deny your half.  If he were doing great things, many of you would have stepped up and claimed him long ago, so just because he’s not doing such a great job, don’t try to disown him, after all he’s part yoursJ

Now “I’m Just Sayin”  CLAIM YOUR HALF – CLAIM YOUR HALF – CLAIM YOUR HALF

I TRIED, BUT I CAN'T WRITE ABOUT HER

I know that some of you were expecting me to write about Sarah Palin this week, but the truth is that I just can't.  First of all everyone already knows what an air head idiot she is, so it would be a huge waste of time to spend time writing or reading about her.  So, I will limit my comments to the following two items, one of which I pulled from someone making a comment on Yahoo news yesterday.

If Paul Revere were still alive, and Sarah Palin's bus was rolling into town, he would ride through town yelling "The Idiot is Coming, The Idiot is coming".

Finally, it is fair to say that the only people dumber than Sarah Palin are the folks who would consider voting for her for anything other than the United Idiot Society!

Please read the next Article, I think you'll find it much more positive and uplifting.

I'm Just Sayin

WALMART

You just have to love Walmart! First, anything that you can't find in a Walmart store, you probably don't really need.  Earlier today, I went to Staples looking for something that I thought surely an office supply store would have, but left disappointed that not only did they not have what I was looking for, they couldn't even order it for me.  Now everyone knows that if you can't find what you want where it should be, go to Walmart.  Not only did I find what I was looking for, I found it in less than five minutes.

Ok the truth is that I also go to Walmart for the entertainment value.  Whenever I'm having a bad day, I make it a point to stop by any Walmart store.  Now before you start to think I've lost my mind, consider this!  Each and every time that you go to Walmart, I promise you'll see at least one person who will make you laugh.  No, I don't mean chuckle, I mean Laugh.  It's almost as though they hire people just to show up looking silly so that the rest of us can have a good laugh.  Before people go to Walmart, the girls have to make sure that they have on something that shows off the maximum amount of fat on their bodies, (preferably by wearing the rump shaking booty shorts) and the guys want to ensure that you can clearly see the crack of their asses and their bellies.  The black guys want to make sure that they have their gold tooth in, and that he has found the fattest and ugliest white chick on the planet.  In fact she has to be so fat and ugly that some white guy takes one look at her, and turns to his buddy and says "we should thank him for taking her off the dating market".  I know that some of you think I'm being mean, but let's face it, if you've ever been to a Walmart, you've thought the exact same thing.

The further south that you go, the greater your chances of getting multiple laughs on your trip to Walmart.  About a month ago, a group of us went to a Walmart in NC, and while we sat in the vehicle waiting for the one guy brave enough to enter, we spent the 15 full minutes laughing at the folks walking past.  Now just when I thought I had seen the wackiest people I could see, my wife and I take a trip to SC.  My mother in-law only has basic cable, which isn't very interesting, so I decided to head over to the local Walmart and check out the sights.  First I saw a black chick with the Rump Shakers on, she had 3 gold teeth and yes you guessed it, she also had blond hair.  I'm laughing now, just thinking about her!  Next up was the guy who weighed about 150 pounds with the girl who was about the size of a Japanese Sumo wrestler.  They seemed very happy, especially her with the jumbo size cheetos in one hand, and a half gallon of ice cream in the other hand.

I know that some will not find the humor in what I've written today, but I'm Just Sayin, you can't make this stuff up.

WHY POOR PEOPLE REMAIN POOR

Have you ever heard something so outrageous that made you wonder how the heck anyone could possibly be that ignorant?  Well today I had a conversation with a friend about one of her family members that set my hair on fire.  Listen to this and decide for yourself.

My friend has a male cousin, who seemingly barely works, yet he and his girl friend have a child with another on the way, and if you think that’s not bad enough, they don’t have their own place to live.  You see they were living with her mother, but she was charging them rent and asking them to be a little more responsible with what they were earning.   The young man is quoted as saying to others that he’s a grown man and knows how to handle his business.   Really, you ungrateful mope?  In any event, they decided to move out, I’m sure much to the delight of her mother.  But wait, if you think they went out and got their own place, you would be wrong!  They moved in with his uncle and his wife, and yes once again their not paying any rent.   Finally, the guy comes up with the idea of moving to New York because it would be easier for the girlfriend to get into Section 8 housing and other public assistance.  WHAT???

These people got me to thinking about what I consider to be a very fundamental question.   Why are poor people poor?  And how do they manage to stay poor.  Well I think that I may have some answers.  Consider the following:

·         Enablers - like the aunt and uncle, who allows people who aren’t married and have already established their irresponsibility to shack up in their home rent free?

·         Laziness – I go into a gas station or convenience store almost daily, and most of them have help wanted signs displayed, yet these people can’t find jobs?  I’m sure they would say that they can’t make a living on what those jobs pay, and to that I say; you’re young, get two jobs it will help you stay off the couch eating bon bon’s and watching TV.

·         Entitlement – In America, we’ve raised a couple of generations of folks who think their entitled to what the rest of us have worked for.  They don’t feel the necessity to work, because the government will take care of them and the children that they continue to have outside of marriage.  And oh by the way, with rare exception, those children will grow up with the same mentality, because their learning from idiots.

·         No Cheese Like Government Cheese – By Government Cheese, I mean programs like Section 8, food stamps and AFDC, these programs were developed to assist people until they could get back on their feet, not as a substitute for work.  Many of the people who legitimately need assistance can’t get it because of the free loaders who’ve been getting benefits for generations.

·         Poor decisions – Every month, I see people who can’t pay their rent on time, but every Friday, they come home with a suitcase of Budweiser and a carton of cigarettes.  You mean you can’t keep a roof over your kids head, but you have money to spend on beer and cigs? Rule 1 is now and has always been, if you can’t afford a place to live, giving up cigarettes and alcohol should be a priority.

·         Ignorance – Yes, I said it, many of these folks are so ignorant that they don’t see what they could have or be, if they would only put forth a little effort.  They live in the most prosperous country in world history, and yet they spend their lives trying to avoid success at every turn.  That my friends is just plain ignorant.

People can be born poor, but that surely doesn’t mean they have to remain poor, after all, we live in the wealthiest country in world history.  This is a place where people from the poorest countries in the world come to seek their fortunes, and yet many of those born here can’t seem to find their way out of poverty.    I surely realize that we have people in this country who legitimately need assistance, and I’m all for helping those who truly can’t help themselves, however it is time that we do something to make those who are able bodied, work for what they get from our government.  I don’t care if they pick up trash on the side of the road, the free ride needs to end now.  I constantly see young ladies who have 3, 4 or 5 children, with no husband and no job, so who you might ask is taking care of the children?  That would be you and I through our hard earned tax dollars.  There is no question that Clinton’s Welfare to
Work program needs more work and less welfare.

Finally, before anyone says that I’m picking on the little people, I eject that out of hand, I’m picking on the free loading idiots in our society and those who continue to enable them.  There will be some who don’t agree, but I bet you’ll have a hard time finding a reasonable argument to refute what has been said.

I’m just sayin

FAUQUIER SPRINGS and CHEERS

How many of you remember the TV show Cheers? It was on TV for 11 years (1982-1993), I never thought of it at the time, but this show with all of the laughs had an outstanding premises behind it.  Take a look at some of the words to the theme song. 

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, 
our troubles are all the same You wanna be where everybody knows Your name. 

Each year at this time I celebrate the day that I found my version of Cheers.  I remember like yesterday going to a public golf course and spending almost 7 hours standing around waiting to just get through the round.  I also remember that I was about to give up golf because I just couldn’t devote that much time to it, when one of my wife’s friends introduced me to her husband who was also a golfer.  After a couple of conversations with John, he told me about Fauquier Springs Country Club and said that I should consider membership.  Although I had a really good job at the time, I just kept thinking, how’s a poor kid from Jersey going to fit in with a bunch of folks at a Country Club? Despite my reservations, I decided to at go to the club with John and see what it was like. 

Now you have to understand my friend John, also grew up relatively poor, but in West Virginia, so the first thing that he told me was that I would probably run into a couple of 5 dollar millionaires, but that I should just ignore those folks as most of the people would be more than welcoming.  Our outing was great; we finished in less than 5 hours, had a couple of beers and chatted for a while.  John introduced me to the club manager who gave me a tour of the facilities, and offered me a membership packet on the spot.  I couldn’t wait to get home and tell my wife what a great experience I had (and get her approval to join the club).

On May 1, 1996 I became a member of Fauquier Springs Country Club (FSCC), and have been there now for 15 great years.  A few days after I joined, I was out playing 9 holes by myself; as I hit my tee shot on the second hole,  I heard someone coming down the 16^th fairway yelling “hey, haven’t seen you before, are you

 new”? When I replied yes, he and his female playing partner (I think it was his wife) came all the way down to the tee box to introduce themselves and welcome me to the club.  I knew at that moment I had made the right choice when I joined FSCC. 

For myself and many of my friends (most of whom are members at FSCC), this is our Cheers.  It’s where everyone truly knows our names, it’s where we go to let our hair down, enjoy an adult beverage, a good cigar and the company of the people that we know best.  If you’re a golfer, you can find a game every day of the week.  Let’s see, there are groups that play on Tuesday, Wednesday, seniors on Thursday, there’s a Friday group, and of course the Saturday and Sunday groups.  When I say groups, I’m not talking about a couple of foursomes, we have over 85 people on the list for all of these groups, and on most Saturdays and Sundays in the summer, it’s not uncommon to have as many as 40 or more players show up. 

In addition to golf, FSCC has an Olympic sized swimming pool, tennis courts and a recently added volleyball pit.  If you’re trying to teach your children the game of golf, there is an excellent Juniors program at the club that seems to expand every year.  The staff is excellent, from Pro Shop to the Grille Room, the people are always friendly and helpful, the beer is always cold and if like me you prefer the hard stuff, you can always get a good stiff pour.

Now “I’m Just Sayin”, there are clubs with bigger golf courses, more amenities, fancier club houses, or higher paid staff, but after 15 years and so many friendships, none of those places could ever be Cheers! It’s always nice to go where “Everybody knows your name, and their always glad you came”.  So here’s to you FSCC, “Cheers” 

I'm Just Sayin - STOP KICKING THE LITTLES

No, this article isn’t about kicking folks who happen to be small in stature, midgets and such, but rather what I call the little (Little’s) people that many of us come into contact with on a daily basis.  So, who are these little people you ask?  They are the waiter/waitress at the restaurants we attend, their the folks who park your car, clean your house, take care of the lawn, check out and bag our groceries, and so many others who perform the task that most of us are so very fortunate we don’t have to do for ourselves.  

I’m writing this article because of a horrible experience that a very nice young waitress at a restaurant  I frequent several times a month had last week, but it could have been any one of the people described above.    Now I’m not going to name any names, because the people responsible for reducing that young lady to tears know exactly who they are, and they should be ashamed of themselves, especially because this was a charity event.  The restaurant had what most would consider a record crowd attend the event, thus the service was a little slow in some cases, especially considering there were some guest cooks and servers working the event, supported by restaurant staff.   Now you would think that if one decides to attend such an event, they would have a little patience, relax and try to enjoy the event, but not these people!  You see these folks are too important (in their minds) to wait or be patient, and besides, if the food is coming out slow, it has to be the fault of the server, right?

I work in a business where customers are sometimes extremely rude and mean spirited when dealing with my staff, however once I pick up the phone all of a sudden their tone changes and their as nice as pie.  The reason they turn nice is that the big shot, big mouth mean aholes who yell at my staff know better than to yell and be rude to me, much like those folks in that restaurant.  They didn’t call the manager over and berate her, not a chance; they picked on the waitress because she couldn’t talk back.  You see these type know better than to pick a fight with someone their own size, their like the school yard bully, they pick on those who dare not defend themselves for fear of losing their minimum wage job.  They see the little people as their verbal punching bags, to be verbally abused at their pleasure. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve a problem with folks who treat what I call the little’s with disrespect, mostly because there really isn’t any reason for such behavior and because I used to be one of the little’s.   Just because you have money, power or position, is absolutely no reason to treat those who you might think are beneath you badly.  My parents taught me that the higher up the ladder you climb, the harder the fall, and to be careful who you step on going up because that may be the person who has to catch you should you fall.

 

Now I’m Just Sayin, let’s all make an effort to show some respect for everyone that we come into contact with, regardless of their position in life.  Perhaps we should work harder to be nice to the little’s if for no other reason because they do so much for us that most of us really don’t want to do for ourselves.  Ask yourself, would you want to be a server, cook, or dishwasher? I didn’t think so, so why not try to show a little appreciation for the little’s, after all, it’s easy to be appreciative and nice to those in positions of power, the true big shots treat everyone with respect.