I've been surveyed

     President Obama (via the Democratic National Committee) sent me a survey today.  He/they wanted me to rank his/their performance on various "issues" that he/they had chosen to statistically rank. The survey is NOT anonymous - it has my name & address on it.  It was up to me to let them know I am a female.

The final section of the survey left some blank lines for comments about the president, the party, or the issues our nation is facing.  Here is what I wrote:

"The federal response to the BP oil spill has been a farce.  BP never intended to cap that well until they had their "relief well" drilled.  That's been clear to me for months now, and I am neither a scientist nor a politician.  I'm more disgusted with the "watchdog press" for not yapping about this, than what I am with Congress or the President for just using existing laws & saying BP has to pay.  But whatever the gov't's reasons -- you did turn a blind eye & let the pollution continue (in a very Republican manner, it seems to me).  Shame!"

... On second thought -- guess I won't mail back the survey.  Ranking a total of 13 issues in order of their priority is something I am not pleased with my answers to.  Several categories were repetitive actually. We had the economy, unemployment, and regulation of financial institutions & markets.  I have regulating institutions & markets #1, lowering unemployment #4, and America's Economic Situation #10.  Well, if I'd rated them all way up there, then Energy Independence and Fighting Terrorism couldn't have been in the top 3.

... Okay, on third thought -- maybe I will mail back the survey.  I just think that 3 categories that are all the same kind of skews the stew.  Ah well, they will have their statistics once we've all mailed back our surveys.  But how do they even know if they've got the mind of the people if they don't realize that they may not have asked the right questions?

Afterthought -- Back when Clinton was first elected, I had written him a letter (regarding his pro-abortion position).  He sent me back a response that was probably his pat answer to pro-lifers like me.  And for months thereafter I was CONSTANTLY being surveyed by the "President's commission on this- or-that" until I finally started to refuse to participate in their surveys.  These were phone surveys at the time -- and at that point, I had NEVER voted for a Democrat in my life.  At least this survey is by mail, and I did vote for Obama.

Just so you know, I'm pretty sure the democratic party doesn't actually know I voted for Obama (unless they read my blog).  They've been hoping to get me to donate to their cause ever since I voted in the Democratic primary the year George W. Bush ran the second time. Bush already had the Republican nomination as a done-deal.  I wanted to help choose the Democratic candidate, in case the dems would win the election that year.  In Michigan, you can vote in either the Republican or the Democratic primary -- not both -- but you do not have to be a card-carrying party member to vote in one or the other.  My guy didn't make it through the primaries, and turns out that was a good thing anyway, since it was John Edwards I had voted for.

Sigh.  I don't want to discuss the various issues here, BTW.  I vote fairly regularly, and try to keep up with the current events, just because I'm American and believe I ought to.  I don't at all enjoy political discussions, though.

I vote for the person, not the party; lately I do seem to lean a little more left than right on some issues; but I'm not necessarily proud of that fact. 

So I'm just going to keep this blog private for the time being.

Stuffed Green Peppers

Prepare 3 large green peppers by slicing off the stem ends, removing the webs, and then boiling them for 5 minutes in salted water. 

While the peppers are boiling, combine the following in a separate bowl:

1/2 lb. ground beef

1 c. cracker crumbs

1 T. chopped onion

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

Drain the peppers and place them in an ungreased casserole dish.  Stuff them with the ground beef mixture. Cover the casserole dish, and bake at 350 for 45 min., then uncover the casserole dish and bake 15 min. longer.

I usually serve these with baked potatoes that share the same oven, and with frozen corn prepared on top of the stove during the last several minutes before the peppers are done.

The nest is NOT empty

 Up early with a nice cup of coffee -- yesterday was an awesome day -- after 2 weekends of serious shopping, hubby and I finally found just the right set of tables for our living room.

Couple of weeks ago, youngest son (nearly 20 now) moved out of the nest.  I was a little at odds with myself wondering what to make of this new phase of life, and frankly, I was feeling rather sad and possibly useless.  I've been raising children quite a while, you see.  That job is now finished.  They all are grown, and nice young men, and God is good; but what do I do now, I wondered.

Well, as life would have it, I stumbled upon the answer.  After-the-fact, as usual LOL.  (I believe I have mentioned before that I always know exactly what to do -- ten years after any given life cycle challenge I am going through.)

Well, it just hit me when I woke up happy this morning:  Nesting is something you do with your mate... not your offspring.

My father-in-law said

"Een lopende hond 

vindt altijd een bot." *

* loose translation: "A walking dog always finds a bone."

You are on LinkedIn

The contraction for you are is you're. 

 

This public service announcement is for my highly-educated, extremely articulate friends and colleagues on the LinkedIn professional networking site.

Variations on a Theme

Follow-up to my recent post, "Heads up, Writers":

Five or six people in each age of men  
Express something true with the brush or the pen 
And others repeat it, again and again.

And falsehood, if clothed in a nice-enough rhyme 
Is also inscribed in the marble of time.

Poem by Rani Kaye - All rights reserved.

Heads Up, Writers!

Heads up, Writers! 

It’s time to save the world! We need a Charles Dickens, to show us what the census numbers really look like walking; we need a Thomas Paine to tell us just what might really work; we need a Rachel Carson to bring us to our senses; we need a Martin Luther, to bring us back to God.

We’ve had plenty of minor players.  Who’s going to write the story that brings us fully back to center?

People who are great in their various professions, skills, and callings think profoundly but narrowly.

Only writers think of all the connections and the what-ifs; and some of you must wrap your imaginations around all our ideas, events, and characters, and write the words that will save the world.

You know who you are.  Heads up!