Taxes....how interesting!

Tax cuts for the rich or for the working class? How do you decide? Should people who make more money be taxed more? Why should they be punished for being successful in life? Here's what I think....YES! I understand that someone who makes a lot of money may not want to give up their "hard-earned money", but then what makes someone think that somone who does not make a lot of money should give up more? It makes sense that taxes are based on your income. If the wealthy people don't have to pay higher taxes, and the poor people cannot pay their taxes, then there is no money for the government, which then cuts government programs that are designed to help people who need it. This makes our economy go down and then there is less money all around. Hello! We know trickle-down economics does not work, it doesn't actually trickle-down. Sorry Raegan enthusiasts. Also the amount of work one does is not always reflected in their paycheck. I worked my butt-off at Target, running around the store getting call-buttons, answering questions, and back-up cashiering, and I did not get paid anymore than the person who fooled around their entire shift. A CEO works very hard, I'm not denying that, but it does not mean that a person in a minimum wage job does not work hard also. So because the CEO makes more money, I say yes, he/she should have to pay more taxes. Is it fair to only tax people who make less money, no because then all their money goes to taxes. I know we are not a socialist country, but we are all about living the American Dream. This means everyone that lives here should be able to sustain themselves. Right now that is not the case, so we should be working to make sure that everyone is clothed, fed, and sheltered. This is what tax money should go to...helping our fellow Americans. Go taxes...because without them it would be a pretty messed up country we would be living in!



The book this time is: The Constant Princess (Phillipa Gregory)

Juno Revisited

The first time I saw Juno, I absolutely loved it. It has great music, great dialogue, and great characters. I was so caught up in the humor and music that I didn't even really think about the movie's message. I went to Winona, last Spring for the Rock Against Violence Concert put on by FORGE (Fighting for Our Rights and Gender Equality) and NSFC (Nursing Students for Choice). Before the concert started I went to Target with a friend of mine. Juno had just come out on DVD and I naturally bought it and watched it again. Again, too much in my own head to think about the message of the movie. I asked my friend, "Didn't you just love it?" to which she replied, "not really, I enjoyed the music and the humor, but the movie portrayed abortion clinics in the completely wrong light." This comment really made me think. It's not true that when you walk into an abortion clinic there is a girl sitting there chewing gum asking if you want a free condom. There are counselors there to help make the right decision for you, and in no way try to persuade you to abort the fetus, if you don't want to.



Now because some anti-choicers saw the movie, and the fact that Juno choose to have the baby and give it up for adoption makes the movie pro-life? Um....no! She had a choice, that is what pro-choice means. She made have made the choice that anti-choicers wanted her to make, but the movie made a swift move by her step-mother asking her if she had thought about "the alternative" (abortion) Which shows that her parents would have been just as supportive if she has chosen to abort the baby, but that would not have made for that interesting of a movie. The other thing that gets me is that "pro-lifers" didn't seem to upset by the fact that teenagers were having sex at 16. A major issue in the U.S., but apparently not as big of an issue as abortion. Abortion is a necessary choice until the government understands that they have to set up programs to help single mothers or single fathers. Also, there's the whole issue of abstinence-only sex education. Denying the fact that there are many teenagers out there are having sex.

I still stand by the fact that I love Juno. Not only because of the music and the witty humor, but because it tells a tale of choice. Being pro-choice does not mean that you are pro-death. Likewise, being pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion. It means choice, and not limiting choices to women.

I recommend seeing Juno again (or for the first time) it will make you laugh and cry.

Washing machines amaze me....

Really it's true. I am fascinated that I can stick a bunch of dirty clothes in a machine, it fills up with water, shakes around the water and the clothes, and drains the water, and then poof my clothes are clean! Seriously! Think about all the time I save by not having to scrub my clothes. I just wonder how the machine does it with out so much scrubbing. What happens between the clothes and water and soap going in, and the end? Does it have magical hands that come out to clean the clothes? I'm just fascinated.



Seeing how much time the washing machine saves me makes me really appreciate the machine. I have great respect for it. I can turn on the machine, walk away, and then 45 minutes later my clothes are clean. I can read a book while it happening, watch a movie/TV, or now I do it while I'm working. Thank you Sojourner House. We do not have laundry facilities at out house so I get one of those fun carts that and put my laundry bag in. Take it on the bus...which is a struggle let me tell you...and then can load it in the machines at work. It's great and free! My other housemates have to pay for laundry at the Laundromat. It's figured into our monthly paychecks.

Why don't they make a space on the bus for people with strollers and carts? It's such a struggle for mothers to take their kids in a stroller on the bus, and such a hassle when you have the laundry cart. The route I take is crowded and busy, no matter what time of day I take the bus. There should be an open space in the back of the bus for strollers and carts. Just make the accordion style bus, and don't have the seats in the second part. Just have areas to stand with the carts and strollers. Yesterday, I brought laundry to work and the bus was crowded when I got on. There was already a woman with a stroller on the bus, and I couldn't get through with the cart. This woman who was already sitting, then decided to tell me that she was getting off in a couple of stops and I couldn't stand there. I literally could not move. I was almost falling over because I didn't have anything to hold on to because of the motion of the bus. She then proceeded to lift up my cart, put it on top of the seat, and then I had to hold on to it so that she could get off the bus....10 minutes later. It was pretty hysterical to see me on the bus, holding onto a cart for dear life because this woman was getting off the bus in 10 minutes. Exactly the reason, we need accordion style buses with no seats in the back so that strollers and carts can go there. It would make the laundry bus trip so much easier. Maybe I will style the bus, and sell it to the MBTA and then I could make a lot of money and work for a nonprofit and support myself. Now that's a concept!

The book this time is: Wanda'a Washing Machine (Anna Mcquinn and Jan McCafferty)

There's a fine fine line...

What a crazy day I had today! First though exciting news....I asked my supervisor at work if I could work more with the families that are residing at the shelter as well as the people in the permanent housing and she said yes. So I got to go to the Homes for Families meeting today, which was interesting because we got to listen to a woman speak about the government in Massachusetts not cutting government programs that help the homeless. There was a woman there who is currently homeless and living in a shelter and she said that she thinks everyone should be homeless at some point. Really? I would never wish that on someone. I mean I know what she was trying to say, that we should be more aware of what homeless people go through on a daily basis, but to say that we should all go through the experience is a little far. There's a fine line between going through it and educating yourself about it. I think we should do more research about homelessness and how to eliminate it. Government programs need to do more than just provide questionable living situations and then turn a blind eye. But, to actually say that we need to experience homelessness is not quite right.

On another note, there is a new family at the shelter and some extenuating circumstances and the mother was not living at the shelter for a few days. The kids went to school and somehow told the school that they didn't know where their mother was and where there were living. So naturally the school wanted to know what was going on. They called the shelter, we assured them that everything was fine and that the kids were being cared for, but the school went beyond and asked who the legal guardian was. They don't need to know that. Sometimes I think that people are just nosy and want to know every one's business. It's not important who the guardian is, they just need to know that they kids are actually living somewhere. Don't keep prying and prying for information. This is just like teachers diagnosing kids with ADD and ADHD. I understand referring someone to evaluate the child, but to tell the parent that their child needs to go on medication. You are a teacher, or administrator, not a doctor. Don't tell a parent their child needs to go on medication when you are not a person to can legally diagnose children. Please stick to your fields of expertise.




The book this time is: Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia (Elizabeth Gilbert)

Surprise!

We had October Retreat this past weekend in Voluntown, CT. It was at the Voluntown Peace Trust, which is this awesome sustainable farm. There are buildings on the grounds that were built for different purposes, like common meeting space, and sleeping. They are built out of materials that are cheap, but last a long time. The farm grows veggies that are then given to families in Voluntown if they choose to participate in the program, which entails paying a certain amount and then getting the veggies that are in season. It's really cool. It has been known as a hippie commune in Voluntown, but it's so much more than that. There was a lot of stigma around it, but the town and the people living there seem to be in a better place. The Voluntown Peace Trust is all about promoting peace. They have a ton of books on nonviolence and participate in a lot of nonviolent acts to end war. It's a way of living that I'm definitely going to look into.

So back to the surprise part. We decided on the drive back to Boston that since we had the van rented until Monday morning, that we should go up to Maine. We were kidding at first, but then we decided to just go for it. Jen, one of my Housemates, is from Portland so we went to see her family, and then we surprised the JVs in Portland by showing up at their house. It was so much fun! We went to the top of a hill to see all of Portland and then we went to the beach to see the ocean. Not that we don't have ocean in Boston, but it's beautiful in Portland. The trees were beginning to change color and the water was gorgeous. We ended up staying for dinner at the Portland house and hung out with the JVs for a while. We signed their tablecloth and then we drove back to Boston! It was really fun to just decide to drive up to Maine. None of us have a car, so we decided to make good use out of the one that we had rented.

Retreat was really great. It was a good break from the craziness of our jobs and a chance to relax in nature. It was near Beach Pond in CT, so we walked down to the water and it was nice enough on Saturday that 2 people just decided to go swimming. I learned a lot about my housemates and we just had an awesome time. We also got to listen to the debates on the radio on Thursday, which was great, because it never gets old to hear Sarah Palin say, "God bless their hearts" or some other term that she uses to make herself sound homely, and like a family person. Seriously, I don't want a person in power to talk like an everyday American. I want them to sound intelligent and like they have some sort of public speaking skills. I think it makes her sound inadequate because she then sounds innocent like she doesn't actually know what she is talking about. Oh dear, we are in for a treat on Nov. 4th. :)

Pictures of Maine are coming soon.

The book this time is: Feminism is for Everybody (bell hooks)