Forget the Jones's

Surviving the ecOnomy

lisabeyer — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:46:14 +0000

I haven’t posted at all since April 2009 and for many good reasons. Most of all, I’ve been looking for employment and coming up short everytime. I’m still freelance writing–lost my gig with Lake Mary Life but picked up jobs with Lifestyle, Lake Mary Health and Wellness and Sweetwater/Wekiva. I’m still doing odds and ends for Woamtec, and am now in two chapters of that organization. And joined Toastmasters in Lake Mary last year and found my voice again. I’ve decided that one goal is to become a professional speaker. I have talent, but it’s going to take work. I am struggling to find “my speech” because I’m not sure exactly what I want to talk about. Chronic illness? Surviving a liver transplant? How to survive a lousy boss? Hoping to find that keynote speech and then spin it for different audiences.

Meanwhile, we have used $30,000 of our retirement savings and gone $44,000 into debt since my layoff in early 2008. I did have a job with a severely disfunctional travel agency from January through June of this year, but they let me go because I didn’t turn the business around with my $800 marketing budget that I received in February and May, respectively. ($400 each time). I’m focusing on writing, pitching magazines, getting back into the blog, and trying to write a book on politics. Meanwhile, I’ve had many horrible days and nights juggling money to pay bills, incurring late fees and overdraft charges, and wondering how the hell we are going to get through the next month. We’re fortunate to have a roof over our heads and food…I know many have struggles that are far worse. For now, we are stuck. We have a house we can’t sell or we would lose $200,000 of our money easy, we have debts that may not be paid off for years, and we’ve had bare concrete floors now for four months because we can’t afford to replace the carpets.

Thank you Mr. Obama and the Democrat Congress!

Go away, Obama

lisabeyer — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:19:23 +0000

We are constantly told by the mainstream media how smart Barrack Obama is. And that may be so. However, he is also a narcissist who thinks that he can do whatever he wants with America, a country which he seems to loathe, by the way, because “people like him.” He sells us down the river to Europe and Korea launches a missile, Somali pirates attack their first U.S. ship, and Iran imprisons a journalist for 8 years on false charges. Friends like that, we don’t need.

Now he has released formerly top secret interrogation memos about torture conducted under the Bush administration. I read one of them and the “torture” seemed sissified to me. Frankly, I’ve had worse things done to me in hospitals in the name of healthcare.

He has not yet released the intelligence we obtained as a result of the sissified torture. No, that might give it credibility and convince Americans of its necessity.

And now he is going to allow Eric Holder to decide whether to go after members of the Bush administration for “war crimes.” I say, bring it on. Only then can we all see what we gained by conducting torture, who signed off on it (Democrats as well, lots of them), and how harmless it was.

The mainstream media continues to give this maniac a pass on everything he does. He tells us he’s asking for $100 million budget cuts, which amount to a grain of sand given the spending he’s committed us to. He gives the Navy the go ahead to attack the pirates, and they act like no president has ever been so “brave” or “forceful.” He shakes hands with dictators of rogue nations, bows to a Saudi king, and accepts an anti-American book from that little piece of dirt, Chavez, and the media takes a bathroom break.

I am really afraid for this country and pray ever night for him to be removed from power. And I don’t care how it happens as long as he’s gone.

That won’t happen, though, because most Americans are too busy with soccer practice and American Idol to worry about their way of life or God forbid, to write a letter, make a call or send an email to their representatives in Washington. And so life as we know it will gradually slip away and in 2012, some of us will wonder what the hell happened.

Maybe things need to get really bad for the Democrats to finally lose all of their power, for the news media to go out of business, and for sanity to reappear. In the meantime, stock your pantry, save your money and prepare for the worst.

Obama’s growing list of lies

lisabeyer — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:01:39 +0000

That the current budget being review in the Senate is not full of earmarks. It contains no less than 8,500 earmarks, one for $7.7 million that until last week when Glenn Beck mentioned it on air, was attached to Obama himself.

That the stock market does not reflect his lack of a plan to rescue the economy, and that he actually wants to help the economy. In truth, Obama intends to ruin the economy, make our country more dependent on the government, and thus continue to increase the size and control of government.

More to come. The list grows daily but I’m not remembering everything right now!

Obama is no friend to wildlife, either

lisabeyer — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:58:00 +0000

As a conservative who espouses animal rights, I have at times been chided by liberal friends for supporting what they see as an anti-animal ideology. I know that with Obama’s election, many organizations who advocate for animals believed that their future would be bright. Alas, it is not to be. Last week, Obama’s administration failed to put gray wolves back on the endangered species list, essentially agreeing with the Bush administration’s analysis of the wolf population. While I disagree with both the Bush and Obama policies regarding wolves, I am not surprised that animal advocacy organizations continue to rail against the Bush administration, instead of putting the blame where it now belongs…with Obama and company. Obama is in charge now. This is now his policy, just like the earmark-laden budget is now his earmark-laden budget (not a holdover from the former administration as he claims, which Bush didn’t sign because it was so full of wasteful spending). I would just like for once to see the left, and the media which supports it so faithfully, try be honest with the public. To do otherwise is to insult the intelligence of many of us and to brainwash others who could benefit from a little unbiased education.

Media continues being dishonest

lisabeyer — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:39:13 +0000

I agree wholeheartedly with the recent editorial about the failings of journalists in honestly reporting the various activities of Obama and his administration. When he boldly lies about “no earmarks” in his “stimulus” package or budget, reporters do no research of their own to verify that there are indeed, thousands of such earmarks, but instead quote those crafty Republicans, who “claim that there are earmarks in the legislation.” When he calls out various conservatives for challenging him, no one mentions that this type of behavior is beneath the office of the President, not to mention that he’spinning the facts. When his rookie press secretary tells us that they are in no way responsible for a stock market that does not trust Obama and falls further into decay each day, the media can’t be bothered to explain that the stock market is indeed a very good indicator of investors’ and public confidence in an administration. When he and his minions attack big business for using corporate jets, the media forgets that speaker Pelosi flies on one to the tune of $5-$8 million a year. Let’s not even talk about Global Warming! Obama is in a hurry. Not to improve our economy but to ruin it so he can create a larger government with more people dependent upon it. It’s happening right before our eyes and I wonder–why isn’t our outrage being reported, fairly and honestly? Why isn’t the media being honest about Obama, his sure-to-fail economic policies, his less than honest or transparent government, and his vindictive attitude towards people like Rush Limbaugh, who wants Obama’s nutty policies to fail, as should any intelligent citizen who wants the best for our country. I think the only thing I like about Mr. Obama is that like Jimmy Carter, the worst president in recent history if you look at the record with any intellectual honesty, he will be a one term president. The audacity indeed! I hope he will change.

Obama is worse than we feared

lisabeyer — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:50:28 +0000

What can I possibly say about our new President that well informed Americans don’t already know and what the ignorant masses won’t believe anyway? He’s lifting restrictions on abortions (and even providing government funding for them), pardoning terrorists, trying to enforce restrictions on health care through his fat Stimulus bill that will do nothing for the economy, but WILL increase the size of our government, throw us into massive debt for generations, and will provide payoffs to every Democrat who helped him win an election he was not qualified to win. I’m so disgusted I can barely think anymore. The enormity of this travesty and the behavior (childish, arrogant, angry) of our new president is hard to swallow. And I feel like most Americans are too busy watching American Idol, playing on Facebook, and otherwise wasting time, to pay attention to their way of life, and their very freedoms, being taken away. Maybe we deserve to be punished. Maybe it will wake people up to the truth.

Obama’s first day

lisabeyer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:39:21 +0000

I said I would take notes on Obama and I will. On his first day, which he began at 8:35 a.m., almost a full two hours later than the usual start time of his maligned predecessor, Obama (who has a habit of being late), put his efforts into making sure the terrorists who attacked our country and are deservedly living at Club Gitmo, are not treated “unfairly.” Good to know that with our failing economy, which is largely the result of policies enacted by his own party, Obama chooses to make sure that we behave nicely toward those who would like to see the total downfall of our country. It’s going to be an interesting four years. Time to read my morning non-newspaper. I am eager to see how the Obama’s stay in such good shape…or what they like to eat for dinner…or the movies they enjoy. Nearly every headline begins with Obama something.

Obama unleashed

lisabeyer — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:51:51 +0000

Obama insults Nancy Reagan then calls to apologize and says he would like another bailout package asap (because the first one is working out so well I imagine). He’s also picking out a White House dog for the family. I do not want them to have a dog if a dog hasn’t been part of their family before. To buy an animal for show is immoral, in my never to be argued with if it involves animals opinion!

This is a guy who can’t hold a meeting or a press conference without being heavily managed by his handlers, I believe.

Meanwhile, a new friend with a high security clearance has a theory that large portions of O’s campaign were funded by terrorist groups. Interesting.

Obama’s second day

lisabeyer — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:48:54 +0000

On day two of Obama’s new presidency, he has appointed Rahm Emmanuel, a Chicago machine partisan politician, as his chief of staff. So far, he is not showing a willingness to “reach across the aisle” to solve this country’s problems. We’ll see if he continues to steer left in the coming weeks and after the inauguration, which I am committed to not watching. My irreverent nicknames for the new president and his wife–Barry and Mo. If he earns my respect and she behaves like a First Lady, I may reassess.

That’s all I can muster for now.

About George Bush

lisabeyer — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:47:21 +0000

Had to share this:

President Bush will soon be heading home and for many that day cannot come soon enough. Count me among those who will miss him and his bedrock decency.

He had a rough road from day one. His first inauguration struck me as a portent. I was there, shivering in the grandstands on Pennsylvania Avenue. At the exact moment the president heard “Hail to the Chief” for the first time and was announced to the audience, a sleet storm descended from the skies.

It has never let up.

Through it all Mr. Bush kept his head up and soldiered on. He took the criticism in stride. I remember riding with him in his presidential limousine to the Washington Hilton for a speech. A woman standing at an intersection directed an obscene gesture at him that I had hoped he missed. The president waved to her and with a bemused look said to me, “Did you see what she did?”

Many other Americans, particularly the “values voters” who helped elect him twice, will miss him because of what he achieved: Samuel Alito and John Roberts on the Supreme Court, children in schools that now are better because they are accountable, African women who now have medicines for their HIV-infected babies, and religious charities that are finally being treated by government as partners instead of rivals.

I remember coming to the West Wing one morning before the daily 7:30 senior staff meeting and seeing Mr. Bush at his desk in the Oval Office, reading a daily devotional. I remember the look of sorrow on his face as he signed letters to the families of the fallen. When he met with recovering addicts whose lives were transformed by a faith-based program, he spoke plainly of his own humiliating journey years ago with alcohol. When a Liberian refugee broke into tears after recounting her escape to freedom in America, the president went over and held and comforted her.

Little acts behind the curtain like these inspired intense loyalty by staff members. They spoke of someone never too busy or burdened to care — like when he took time on Air Force One to call my wife when she was sick. The president’s true character rendered his media image pure caricature.

Mother Teresa was asked at the end of her life whether she was discouraged because after decades of caring for the dying and destitute in Calcutta little seemed to have changed. She replied, “No. God doesn’t call me to be successful. God calls me to be faithful.”

History will decide whether George W. Bush was a successful President. But he was faithful. He had a charge to keep and he kept it.

Mr. Towey was director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives from 2002-2006. He is president of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.