The Ramblings of a Cold, Cruel Heart

It's tax season again. Fortunately I am not owing Uncle Sam quite as much this year as last. I guess we planned better. A little while back I had a friend tell me that she was "fiscally conservative, and socially liberal" in her political philosophy. I have been thinking about that a lot lately, exactly what does that mean? I think it means she doesn't like the government spending her money but she is fine with them spending mine on doomed social programs. I consider myself pretty conservative in every aspect of life, so does that automatically infer that I don't care about my fellow man?

I know I've been considered pretty heartless in the past. Cold, unfeeling, mean....yes, I know all the labels.  Maybe I am, but I do know that most government agencies are extremely inefficient and ineffective.  They have lofty goals, things like head start, housing authorities, and welfare.  But I can't help believing that there are a lot better people to take care of programs like that other than the government. I wonder if my friend feels that way not because I am heartless but because maybe she is. 

Let me explain, when I think about it a little further I realize that it is way easier to go along in your merry little life if you just let the government take your money and promise to take care of all the problems with your neighbors.  By turning over all the social programs to others my friend is absolved of all responsibility. She doesn't have to spend any time helping her community.  She doesn't have to become invested in the children in her neighborhood...that's all taken care of. After all, that way if things don't work out it isn't her fault, it was the governments. I'm sure she is very busy with her children's activities and can't be bothered.  She probably doesn't want to worry about  the lady down the street who is out of food and the paperwork hasn't gone through for her EBT card, she doesn't want to worry about the homeless (that is why there is a shelter), she doesn't want to have to take food in to the family that has sickness (isn't there a program for that?).  She can rest comfortably at night believing that her benevolent Uncle has taken care of everyone around her.

Now back to heartless me...who doesn't want a socially liberal government.  I believe that charity begins at home, that means families take care of each other. But wait, our country has downgraded the family unit by rearranging the definition.  OK, then I want my community to help each other, like our church does, but wait again...the government is going after our churches and considering revoking their tax exempt status.

Enough is enough. I'm tired of the jump people make when they assume that socially conservative means cruel and heartless. If you want to think I'm all that, go ahead...as I've stated before on this blog I believe you can have the eternal blessings or the worldly recognition. Once again...I don't care what you think, I know who I am.

Glamorous

I took today off work.  My mother was having a little surgery.  I didn't think it was anything major, she had a similar surgery about 21 years ago that I took her to, and that was in the doctors office. So we headed in this morning and arrived promptly at the surgical center.  When we asked how long the surgery would be, we were both very surprised when we were told 3 hours.  Holy cow! Yup, she was in there for 3 full hours.  It was a little nip and tuck, my family is notorious for not being able to smile and have our eyes seen at the same time, and this little deficiency was beginning to cause some actual visual problems with my Mom. Everyone talks about getting plastic surgery, the stars all apparently have it done, it sounds so glamorous and simple.  A little tuck here or there, a little pull - no big deal.  Let me just say these people have never had any significant plastic surgery done.  When I walked into the recovery room, my sister tried to prepare me...but there really isn't any way she could have.  When they pulled the cold packs off my Mom's eye's I actually gagged a little.  It is awful, she looks terrible...what was amazing was the great trouble that the staff took to assure us how nice it was looking, very little bruising and hardly any swelling.  They kept pulling off the packs to show Nancy and I, while we were looking at the floor trying to keep down our cookies.  It was quite the circus to get her home, now we just keep telling the doctor orders require he to keep the cold packs on AT ALL TIMES.  Cruel I know, but seriously, Nancy and I can't help it.  I'm here alone right now...I sent Nancy in to the pharmacy we need some wrinkle cream STAT!!!

A Little To Pure?

Emily had some sort of German singing practice last night (I really don't know what it was, but I know I get a trip to Provo out of it this weekend) anyway, Erik needed a haircut and a new jacket. So we headed to the mall where we could hit both birds with one stone and check Cabella's to see if they had any additional clips for his 22.We scored on the haircut - no line- and he found a hoodie he loved $7.00 - so much cheaper than his sister- it was a bust at Cabella's they didn't have his clips.  After all that I was pretty hungry and while Erik is good with McDonalds I wanted something from the food court.  As we were going down the mall we had to pass by Victoria's Secret (which with all they show there isn't much of a secret) and I noticed my son, holding up his hand to shade his eyes from all the posters in the store window. "Ugh, Mom, I really don't like walking by here." I know, he does that every time we pass by the store, he did it again as we headed back to the car. (Don't worry - he likes girls)  Just as we were getting ready to leave the mall we came up behind a couple that were walking ahead of us.  The girl had on a pair of shorty shorts, riding very low on her hips and a bikini top.  We slowed down because they were heading the same way we were and I waited to see if Erik had a comment.  He did.  As soon as they were out the door ahead of us I heard about it, what was funny was the women coming in the other direction who overheard his comments and had a pretty good chuckle. Later after we were in the car I asked Erik about it and asked if he ever thought he would like to look at girls like that, his response was that it was a teenage thing and since he was only 12 it hadn't really happened to him yet, as he understood it, once you become a teenager you just ZAP start to like looking at that sort of thing.  He turns 13 in a about 2 months, maybe it won't hit him automatically!