I like to pride myself on listening to other points of view and taking other people seriously, no matter if I agree with them or not. I went to dinner with a friend of mine from the opposite political viewpoint than mine. We were talking about the budget issues, and I probably said something offhanded, such as “Kids don’t need books, go ahead and cut those.” To which his response was, “Only liberals use the library.”
Now, I’ve been using the local libraries where I’ve lived for years – probably since I was a really little kid. I would have to say that I did this even when I wasn’t a liberal. I remember while in elementary school, I would ride my bike down to the local park in our area, and visit the Bookmobile every week. Each summer, they had a contest, where for each book you read, you would put a penny in this large jar. For each ten books you read, your name would be entered in a drawing for the amount of money that was in the jar at the end of the summer. One summer, I actually won the jar! While it was only $50, and I had to roll all the coins, I thought it was really cool. I read a ridiculous amount of books that summer, as I have all the time since.
It’s not that I don’t buy books. I have a ton, and they are overflowing in my apartment. I use the library a lot for books that I can’t find in the store, or just don’t really feel like buying, but can find at the library. I also use the library for CD’s and DVD’s. When I was looking for a place to cut my spending in order to make my budget more manageable, the library helped, because I can get entertainment there.
I’m not really sure that only liberals use the libraries. Kids, older folks, and people on a budget all use the library. They, or, at least all of the libraries I’ve been to, put on great programs for kids, book groups, and offer a variety of classes. I’ve been a long time library advocate, because they open up the world of reading to EVERYONE, no matter if they can afford to buy their own library full of books, like myself.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
It's good to be home...
First and foremost - GO BLUE! I'm so happy we finally won today!
So, today, I slept in until 11:30am. I know that sounds insane, but when I got up, I realized how tired I've been. I was barely home this week, and when I was, I always had something going on - cleaning, scrapbooking, reading my book, or something else. And by the time I would get home, it wouldn't be too much longer before I went to bed. So, it was really nice to just lay in bed for a bit this morning and get some much needed rest before next week, which I think it going to be super long.
I finished watching season one of Bones on DVD this week. I love that show - I can't wait for the new season. I got hooked on it last year in the middle of the season. So, I still have to watch the first part of the second season. I'm looking forward to some of the new TV shows coming out - Dirty Sexy Money (I love Peter Krause!), Journeyman, Bionic Woman, and Private Practice. Which reminds me, I still have to finish watching season three of Grey's Anatomy. Sigh...so much to do, so little time!
So, today, I slept in until 11:30am. I know that sounds insane, but when I got up, I realized how tired I've been. I was barely home this week, and when I was, I always had something going on - cleaning, scrapbooking, reading my book, or something else. And by the time I would get home, it wouldn't be too much longer before I went to bed. So, it was really nice to just lay in bed for a bit this morning and get some much needed rest before next week, which I think it going to be super long.
I finished watching season one of Bones on DVD this week. I love that show - I can't wait for the new season. I got hooked on it last year in the middle of the season. So, I still have to watch the first part of the second season. I'm looking forward to some of the new TV shows coming out - Dirty Sexy Money (I love Peter Krause!), Journeyman, Bionic Woman, and Private Practice. Which reminds me, I still have to finish watching season three of Grey's Anatomy. Sigh...so much to do, so little time!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
An issue of humanity...
Yes, it’s an issue of humanity.
The budget issue is an issue of humanity. You may wonder why I say that. Over the weekend, I attended the Michigan Policy Summit, which was put on by the Michigan Prospect. We talked a little bit about health care, education, and clean energy – how these things all have implications of humanity behind them. I think everything the government does should be backed by humanity.
Tuesday, I sat through a presentation about cutting the budget. It totaled $1 billion in cuts. It made me physically sick, to say the least. The programs proposed to be cut were clearly the ones that many of our citizens use. I know that we get a lot of people who don’t want their taxes raised, and I can respect that. But what they don’t realize is that if funding is cut for things like the Department of Community Health, Department of Human Services, and the School Aid Fund, to name a few, the people of Michigan will not have much to offer. These cuts would be across the board and cut everything from libraries to child protective services to Medicaid services to home caretaker relatives. I understand that not everyone uses these programs. Seriously, I get that. However, we all benefit from these things. They make our society better – by providing quality education to all kids, our workforce is stronger. By providing health care to all, our kids have a better shot of learning in school and our workforce is able to go to work and is more reliable. Our libraries offer books, programs, videos, CDs, and other various things for the whole community to use.
Our society shouldn’t be about how to make the next dollar. It should be about providing our citizens with the tools they need in order to thrive in our state, not just merely survive. Sure, profits are a good thing – they drive business. But, if our people aren’t taken care of, those profit goals are harder to attain. We need to start investing in our people – ALL of our people. It’s the right thing to do.
The budget issue is an issue of humanity. You may wonder why I say that. Over the weekend, I attended the Michigan Policy Summit, which was put on by the Michigan Prospect. We talked a little bit about health care, education, and clean energy – how these things all have implications of humanity behind them. I think everything the government does should be backed by humanity.
Tuesday, I sat through a presentation about cutting the budget. It totaled $1 billion in cuts. It made me physically sick, to say the least. The programs proposed to be cut were clearly the ones that many of our citizens use. I know that we get a lot of people who don’t want their taxes raised, and I can respect that. But what they don’t realize is that if funding is cut for things like the Department of Community Health, Department of Human Services, and the School Aid Fund, to name a few, the people of Michigan will not have much to offer. These cuts would be across the board and cut everything from libraries to child protective services to Medicaid services to home caretaker relatives. I understand that not everyone uses these programs. Seriously, I get that. However, we all benefit from these things. They make our society better – by providing quality education to all kids, our workforce is stronger. By providing health care to all, our kids have a better shot of learning in school and our workforce is able to go to work and is more reliable. Our libraries offer books, programs, videos, CDs, and other various things for the whole community to use.
Our society shouldn’t be about how to make the next dollar. It should be about providing our citizens with the tools they need in order to thrive in our state, not just merely survive. Sure, profits are a good thing – they drive business. But, if our people aren’t taken care of, those profit goals are harder to attain. We need to start investing in our people – ALL of our people. It’s the right thing to do.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
That's right - the biggest upset EVER!!!!
So, for those of you that know me, you know I'm a Michigan grad. I've gone to football games every year since I started school there. Eric and I went today. Well....you know what happened. So depressing, yet, I'm not as bummed about it as I normally would be. I'm looking on the bright side - get the loss out of the way first. One loss does not equal an awful season. Then again, we'll see how I feel if we lose next week (which we better not, because Ducks suck.)
Which brings me to a pet peeve of mine. I think I already know the answer to it, but I don't like it. Why is it that there are certain programs, some in this state, that feel as though winning 10 or 11 games in a season isn't a success? Or, in basketball (yes, I'm talking about UM here), you don't give a guy enough time to recruit and build his own team (I love you Tommy!!!!). When there's no consistency in your program, it's really hard for it to be good. No one can come in and work miracles. The answer is money.
Now, I like Lloyd Carr. Yes, I just said it. I don't always agree with everything he decides on during games, but I like the way he coaches. There's a lot to be said for coaches preparing their teams for games. However, I feel there's a point where the team has to start taking responsibility for missed catches, fumbled balls, and just plain stupid split decisions (I'm talking to you Chad Henne...). A team is a team, not just a coach. And, a coach can prepare a team only so much - it's the players that have to execute.
Enough football - as we were heading to Ann Arbor this morning, I saw a Ron Paul 2008 sign on one of the overpasses near Jackson Rd. You have to understand that I love Ann Arbor - so liberal. So, I was kind of surprised to see this. Then again, not really. It got me thinking about how there are passionate groups about other candidates than Hillary or Barack or Rudy. Just because these candidates are making the most money, and the MEDIA is putting them at the top of the list, there are still other candidates out there. However, so many people don't take the time to learn the issues, learn about the candidates, or anything that would help them make an informed decision. They watch the media, and listen to the "lead" candidates, and then make their decision. There are lots of candidates that don't get any real media time, so how do they really have a chance when it feels like the media is deciding our candidates for us?
Alright, as I'm wiped out today, I'm going to wrap this up. And - GO BLUE!!!!!
Which brings me to a pet peeve of mine. I think I already know the answer to it, but I don't like it. Why is it that there are certain programs, some in this state, that feel as though winning 10 or 11 games in a season isn't a success? Or, in basketball (yes, I'm talking about UM here), you don't give a guy enough time to recruit and build his own team (I love you Tommy!!!!). When there's no consistency in your program, it's really hard for it to be good. No one can come in and work miracles. The answer is money.
Now, I like Lloyd Carr. Yes, I just said it. I don't always agree with everything he decides on during games, but I like the way he coaches. There's a lot to be said for coaches preparing their teams for games. However, I feel there's a point where the team has to start taking responsibility for missed catches, fumbled balls, and just plain stupid split decisions (I'm talking to you Chad Henne...). A team is a team, not just a coach. And, a coach can prepare a team only so much - it's the players that have to execute.
Enough football - as we were heading to Ann Arbor this morning, I saw a Ron Paul 2008 sign on one of the overpasses near Jackson Rd. You have to understand that I love Ann Arbor - so liberal. So, I was kind of surprised to see this. Then again, not really. It got me thinking about how there are passionate groups about other candidates than Hillary or Barack or Rudy. Just because these candidates are making the most money, and the MEDIA is putting them at the top of the list, there are still other candidates out there. However, so many people don't take the time to learn the issues, learn about the candidates, or anything that would help them make an informed decision. They watch the media, and listen to the "lead" candidates, and then make their decision. There are lots of candidates that don't get any real media time, so how do they really have a chance when it feels like the media is deciding our candidates for us?
Alright, as I'm wiped out today, I'm going to wrap this up. And - GO BLUE!!!!!
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