Talking to myself

The more I read, and learn and study about government and politics and policy and religion and race, welfare and states rights vs federal rights and medical coverage and the deficit the more I find contradictions in myself.

For example - I was raised with the bedrock belief that its not the governments job to take care of us. That is the responsibility of the local communities and churches b/c "those shmucks in congress have a 14% approval rating and can't do anything right and tax us like they're trying to bleed us dry and waste half the money on bureaucracy". I'm over generalizing but you get my point.

But then I have several thoughts: 1. Where the hell are the churches and local communities supposed to get the cash from? We'd bankrupt the church taking care of EVERYONE.

2. So if its not the governments job to take care of its people (and I am all for self reliance I think its by far the best route in terms of emotional/mental health for the individual and by far the best route for us as a society), but do we have a duty to be our brothers keeper? That one you could write volumes on. Its this terrible balancing act between saying people have a right to live their lives the way they want to live them and yet, I believe one of the best measures of a society is how it cares for and treats its weakest members. The young, the elderly, the infirm.

So the quick and easy answer is "Of course we should care for them". But historically, prejudice tends to enter in to this equation rather quickly and we wind up institutionalizing people b/c they're from the currently unpopular demographic. Which is where we come to our current system of "Unless they are an eminent danger to self or and eminent danger to others" we legally cannot interfere. They have a right to destroy their minds and bodies and starve to death on the streets. Even if the person is so far gone they can't even feed themselves anymore, unless they have a family member who is willing to go to court and file all the proper petitions and pay out the cash (ooh yes money can still trump all), we currently say that if they won't come willingly then they have a right to die. But not really b/c if you ACTIVELY help them die then we'll throw you in jail.

Confused yet? Yeah so am I.

I think thats probably the next biggest thing - is you can look at just about any good plan that has been tried through out history and you can see how horribly quickly it gets twisted and case after case of where it goes terribly wrong.

For the last hundred plus years - up until about the 70s - people decided it was their duty to care for others, so we institutionalized people left and right. 150 years ago that meant being chained to a wall to rot until you died. People then came up with some largely more humane options for care, but it was still often grim and abuse was rampant. The biggest problem was that just b/c a person has one psychotic break doesn't mean they're going to stay gone forever, but back in the day if you got thrown in there they threw away the key. Or better yet the courts would throw you in there just for being "fill-in-the-blank-unpopular-group". And there you stayed. Forever.

Well enter the 70s and one of the guys who got thrown in there, got out and sued was able to prove that he was entirely mentally competent in court and they had no right to keep him there for years and years like they did. So enter the "de-institutionalization" of America. Basically - we let all the crazies out. We claimed we'd provide outpatient services for them, and in SOME cases and areas that has happened but for the most part - I'd give a conservative estimate that half the people on the streets are there because they are severely mentally ill and have not received care for their disease.

It really doesn't help that theres a massive stigma attached to mental illness STILL in our society. People who have never experienced mental illness are quite often (in my experience at least) at a complete loss to understand why these people don't just "think themselves well". Even those who have experienced it are often shackled by the cultural basis they were raised with. The very same people who would have no problems at all if you needed to take medication to correct a liver imbalance will give you hell if you need to take medication to correct a brain imbalance.

So in a perfect world - we could institutionalize - in a wonderful, caring, compassionate setting, those who are no longer able to care for themselves and help them live out their lives in the best way they possibly can and have full outpatient services available to help treat those in the general population, before it becomes a major problem.

Sounds great and lovely. But 1. Who pays for it? 2. Who runs it?

Having the local community pay for it is great if you live in a wealthy neighborhood, but what if you and all your neighbors are poor? In a perfect world everybody who works hard would succeed and get their very own house with a white picket fence. But the world isn't perfect and every last person is at a different level.

I don't think socialization is the answer. If nothing else - historically that one is a JOKE as it plays out. And we WANT people to be motivated to work hard to take care of themselves because that is so, so good for their mental and emotional health.



So once again the circle I'm talking in comes back to "where does the money come from?"

And since this is getting ridiculously long I'm going to say - the problem with keeping things strictly local is that we have rich states and poor states. Rich neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods. Should a child who has no control over where he or she is born suffer b/c of that? Which is why I'm more in favor of doing things - like funding education - at the federal level and not the state level and I think it can be done with less waste than in the past if we use modern technology and keep things transparent.

Yes 200 years ago things really did need to happen so much more on a local level because communication and transportation were not what they are today. Thats why county size used to be limited to "the furthest a man can ride on a horse in a single day". And that was necessary and good then. And some communities left to themselves become models of what we all want to strive for. But some communities left to themselves become the Jim Crow south.... Just sayin.

So Federal level - with LOTS of transparency using modern technology to make it efficient. I think it could work. There will be a whole lot of initial chicken little squawking about the sky falling, b/c the first goal of every organization - regardless of what their mission statement is - is the perpetuation of its own existence. But change can be a very healthy thing if done right.

So yeah. I think I'm in favor of intelligent change using modern technology to aid in transparency and efficiency. And I'm in favor of changing to federal funding instead of state funding for things like mental health, disability services and education. And I'm sure there are people who would call this socialism or at best a "robin hood" plan. But I think the over all measure of us as a nation is how we care for the weakest among us, and I think that education is ultimately an investment in our national security in every respect and that we can only benefit by bringing the whole nation up above the board in education.

And I think while yes we need to really play catch up on math and science b/c the rest of the world is currently kicking our butts and its just plain embarrassing (and stupid in the long term), I think that music and the arts are the tools to get there. Creativity breeds innovation. Innovation is a core ingredient in creative science and technology research and discoveries. Music teaches perfection and mathematics. Physical activity, recess and play time are all critically important to mental, emotional and physical health. You can't think upper level thoughts with a down and out body. Your brain doesn't operate in a vacuum. If the body isn't healthy and fit it can't support the brain to the best of its abilities. Teaching exclusively to a test is cutting your nose off to spite your face. My mother would call it penny wise and pound foolish.

And while all this sounds very liberal to some I'm sure, by the same token I think that our current welfare systems are horribly broken and need to be completely revamped with a focus on creating self sufficiency. I think that work is good for the soul. I think that unless you are a vegetable there is a way that you can contribute and that to do so can only benefit yourself and those around you. I think people need to be rewarded for working smart and working hard with a focus on working smart. Which winds up sounding pretty conservative, imo.

I think the environment should be protected (liberal). But I also think we need solid research and not chicken little scare tactics to decide what is and is not safe (conservative).  I know that adds more costs to our businesses, but I for one like that most of our rivers don't catch on fire anymore and actually have fish living in them. And ultimately a healthier environment makes for a healthier people, which lowers medical costs (and insurance payouts for businesses). So I think you're gonna spend the money one way or another - you're just picking how you spend it. Healthy, happy employees live longer and work harder with less whining.

 (Side note - Thats kind of the conclusion I've come to with my eating/weight loss. It costs a bit more to eat healthy and to pay for this Weight Watchers program to teach me how to eat - but I figure that I'm either gonna spend it here or I'm gonna spend it on medical bills later so I might as well feel better while I'm at it).

And for the record - I've yet to find a political movement or party that is exactly in line with my thought process. At least all the ones you see in the news - tea party, dems, reps, libertarians, etc - I have some major ideological differences with. Maybe I'll find somebody I can get behind 100%. Or maybe its time for a new party. Other countries do that all the time. Why should we be stuck w/ just 2? Just sayin...

Collage is DONE!!

I've FINALLY got it done! My living room wall collage is DONE! One of the pictures printed way dark so I'll have to fix that but we're filing that under "obnoxious details" and declaring it DONE anyhow. lol

Check it out! I'm totally in love with how it turned out!

And THATS how you cover a big honkin piece of wall without having to buy farking expensive grande sized pieces of art!

Procrastination

UGH. I feel like college during finals. I have a MASSIVE to do list and I'm feeling absolutely compelled to find ways to avoid doing the things I'm supposed to do.

Make that EXACTLY like college, b/c when I was in school it was only during finals that I understood the complete and total NEED to paint my toe nails and clean out from behind fridge. Or in this case I want to go weed the yard and do the edging and pretty much ANYTHING that isn't on my to do list. lol

Yes yes I am a perverse little creature. I don't just procrastinate by doing nothing I do it by being VERY productive with things that are pretty much no where on my priority list. lol

So this is me. Wiggin. I've got a web site launch and a dining room redo looming and I don't even wanna think about or touch either of them right now. Ugh.

The Aldrich Guest House

So I just wanted to take a minute to give some SERIOUS props to the B&B where I stayed in Galena last week. I stayed some place else last year and was significantly underwhelmed. About the only positive I could say was the bed was VERY comfortable.

So this year I decided to try some place else to stay and after reviewing my options online I picked the Aldrich Guest House. Can I just say "Wow"? Not only was the house BEAUTIFULLY decorated, the hosts Fran and Brian were delightful.

Breakfast was amazing EVERY morning. I mean WOW tons of good food (which they were kind enough to serve me 15 minutes before everybody else on the first 2 days I was there and had class to get to by 9). The first morning there was sausage, fruit salad, quiche, blueberry bread, a potato cheese hash and big pitchers of OJ, ice water, hot water for tea or hot chocolate, coffee etc. Second morning was bacon, a huge pile of french toast stuffed w/ blueberries, bananas and cream cheese, a different fruit salad and a little crock of a hot apple crumble. And the last day was a big slice of fruit pizza, sausage, a big slice of some sort of eggy breakfast casserole that was very tasty, and I know there was more but its all starting to glaze over in a delightful haze. lol. Seriously- GREAT food and wayyyy more of it than I could eat in one sitting.

My room was spotlessly clean, thoughtfully appointed, beautifully decorated and cozy. And I'm glad to report that the walls were plenty thick enough I didn't hear a peep from my neighbors (ya never know with a house that old).  Oh and the price tag? EXCELLENT. In consulting w/ some of the other ladies in my class I definitely scored the best deal price wise.

Oh and they had good WiFi which was a requirement. lol

For the record I'm not being paid or perked to write this I just liked these folks THAT much.  I will happily stay with them again on my next trip to Galena. I took a bunch of pictures but haven't gotten them on the computer yet so when that happens I'll post some for ya. For anybody to checks out their website I stayed in Clara's room.

See what I made today!

Well I'm here in Galena, IL again to attend the 2 Day Comprehensive workshop at Vintaj. Its AWESSOME. Having so much fun! I had a nasty migraine this morning so I missed going out to lunch and about an hour of class b/c I just had to lay down and let the meds work. Thankfully I already know everything htye wer going to teach so we're good. So here's what we've made SO far. Most are still works in progress but either way its fun!

Here is a stamped blank on the right with brass, Arte Metal and copper. ANd i'm not usually a big mixed metal person but I do like the flower and vineon the left. 

These little beauties are a faux patina on Arte Metal. They'll get a layer of sealer tonight and be ready for play (we're making earrings) tomorrow.

And these little earrings wer made this morning. Cute w/ some good basic techniques. Great to keep us occupied while we took turns discovering the DecoEtch and DecoEmboss plates. (SO COOL)

Speaking of the Etch and Emoboss plates:  Some more works in progress:

And here's a little teaser pic in preparation for tomorrows class: Image transfers in progress. :)

Did a couple hours of shopping after class. Met some of the lovely ladies from my class fro dinner at One Eleven Main (yes thats the name). So good. Now I"m fighting to keep my eyes open to type and minimize typos. lol

The Penal System: USA vs Norway

I keep having a train of thoughts that chase themselves round and round in my head on this subject. So I've decided to regurgitate them here in the hopes that they'd then leave me alone.

I have such mixed feelings about our current penal system. Because on the one hand we have one of the highest rates of recidivism in the world. We have the highest prison population on the entire planet. And there are very many stories about how a stay in our system seems to turn nonviolent, misdemeanor offenders into hardened, violent career criminals. Clearly something is amiss with the current way we deal with people.

And then I see prisons in places like Norway (for example: http://prasetio30.hubpages.com/hub/The-Most-Luxurious-Prison-In-The-World-Complete-With-Pictures) that are so beautiful they look like a high end dorm room on a rather nice school campus. And part of me rebels at this idea b/c I've been thoroughly indoctrinated that prison is PUNISHMENT and as such it should be unpleasant and you should do hard labor braking rocks all day and spend your nights in a bare 8x10 foot cell b/c you're being punished for doing something wrong.

And yet, Norway is clearly doing something RIGHT b/c their prison population is one of the smallest in the world (not really that impressive given they're pretty tiny to begin with) but far more impressive is that their rate of recidivism is a FRACTION of ours. Norway's recidivism rate is about 20%. Thats less than a third of our roughly 67% (http://pcr-consultants.com/2011/07/norway-v-american-criminal-justice-statistics/).

Now THAT impresses me. That says to me we should pay attention. B/c as far as I'm concerned the point of punishing people with prison is so they won't want to do it again.  But clearly we're failing at that b/c all we really have is a revolving door.

And so I wonder if there isn't something to this "soft" handling of prisoners. And yet I've still got this "but they're there to be punished b/c they did wrong. They have to pay".

Part of me thinks back to the stories that I've read in the Book of Mormon. When ever they had prisoners of any kind there they basically tried to teach them the error of their ways (rehabilitation?) and if they learned and promised to be good then they would let them go, but otherwise they would put them to death so that they wouldn't be a drain and a threat to the people.

Kind of an interesting thought there. Granted I don't think massively expanding capital punishment is necessarily the answer (although I'm all for it in the case of repeat sex offenders who show no signs of or desire for rehabilitation but thats just my opinion).

I don't know. I don't have the answer. I just have a really hard time with the concept of the maximum prison sentence no matter how heinous the crime is being 21 years w/ parole at 14. That just doesn't seem remotely just to me. And yet their statistics speak volumes all by themselves. Clearly they're doing something right by their people.

And so I am in conflict. These ideals that I was raised with vs this incredibly compassionate system that focuses so much on rehabilitation (don't get me wrong - I have NO problem w/ the rehabilitation focus. I LIKE that part and think we should work on it more here, I'm balking at the short time frame and the high end accomodations). But the overall standard of living there is through the roof. I'd be really, REALLY hard pressed to justify that kind of luxury living for criminals here when there are children starving in our streets ya know?

One of my girlfriends is living in Norway and was telling me about the crazy benefits you get from the government if you have kids. You get a few thousand dollars just for having a kid. More if you had a job before you had the kid. You automatically get a generously paid maternity leave, as does the father. And more than that the government basically pays you child support every month for the next 16 years!!

Thats just mind blowing.

My next question was "How much do you pay in taxes?" and the response was "About 30%". And I'm like "THATS IT??!!" We pay more than that here and don't get CRAP back in comparison.

This just boggles the mind. OH and the medical care? Completely paid for.

And as far as I'm aware Norway isn't currently in the middle of a fiscal crisis like the rest of the planet so I want to know what the heck their secret is. B/c right now they're makin the rest of us look like the redheaded step child and personally I'm a proud American and I don't much care for that sensation. lol

In Defense of "Despicable Me"

So the other day we were experiencing technical difficulties with the DVD player and the bonus features on "Despicable Me", which is Caleb's current favorite movie.

Yes mother of the year here lets her 2 year old watch tv even tho the American Academy of Pediatrics says not to. But if they'd like to come play with my kid so I can get the kitchen clean then they can knock themselves out doin that.

But I digress... SO, problem with movie, so of course I Google and I discover this Pro-Adoption website (http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/thumbs.php) which was seriously anti-"Despicable Me". They claimed that the movie depicts the orphans as dirty and shameful and bad and that the guy takes the kids, uses them and then sends them back when he's done.  They say anybody who cares about adoption should NOT see this movie.

........... I almost don't know where to start so we'll just dive right in and hope it comes out quasi-coherently.

1. If you don't think "Despicable Me"is laugh out loud funny you should remove the stick from your butt and try watching it again.

2. I LOVE adoption. I love it like I love cake. I'd need to use several other peoples thumbs in addition to my own in order to give the required numbers of thumbs ups that I'd need to START to express how much I think adoption is a beautiful, wonderful, amazing thing. No I am not adopted, nor is my son. However, my sister placed a baby for adoption when she was 16 and I've got several friends/relatives who have both adopted children and placed children. I donate my time and my jewelry to the Birth Mother Pamper Night of the local adoption support group, for several years now.

So I like to think I'm at least slightly more qualified than the average bear to venture an opinion here.

3. I personally did not think for one minute that this movie conveyed anything negative about being an orphan. Or rather that there was anything wrong with the kids themselves. You do get kind of an 'Oliver-esque' feel to their lives. A lot of the adults in the movie are depicted very negatively. Mrs. Hattie is just horrible. Gru's Mom is the reason he's a villain. Dr. Nephario is the reason Gru ever gives the girls back. And Gru himself starts off as so evil its just plain comedic.

But the catalyst for good in this movie, the thing that causes Gru's heart to change and for every last person in this movie (except maybe Miss Hattie) to become good and wonderful - is having those beautiful little girls in their lives. Through this adoption, which admittedly Gru only ever does so he can use them to further and evil scheme, he unwittingly invites into his life the people who are going to make it worth living.

These orphans are depicted as good and sweet and funny and real. And it shows how beautiful little spirits brought into your home can change your whole world for the better. I'd even give it bonus points for showing a positive adoption of older kids, instead of just babies.

Yes its done in a funny way. Yes, Gru does at one point give them up. But he gets them back and says that he so sorry and that it is the worst mistake he ever made. He loves these girls and they love him. He becomes the parent he wishes he had.

So before you go off half cocked and shun this movie thinking its bad, I ask you to watch it with an open mind. You can come back and tell me I'm wrong (I'll tell you to remove stick and try again, but you can do it).

I think its one of the best movies I've seen in years and I'm happy to let my kiddo watch it and I only let that kid watch PBS Kids for a couple hours in the mornings. And I don't buy very many movies and I bought this as soon as it came out. Its that good.