transformer

I guess I'm not too crazy about Democrats winning either because it seems that every time they are in control they usually want to give everything to everybody whether they lift a finger to work for it or not. This way of thinking really rubs me the wrong way. It goes against my "Yankee work ethic" I guess. I'm starting to consider candidates more as individuals rather than along party lines since Republicans have opened their own can of worms of course. :biggrin1: Here's why the whole "I'm entitled to handouts" movement bugs the bejeebers out of me. I was the first of 5 children in my household to finish a four-year college degree which I did on my own without any help from my mom (I'm the youngest). I worked 3-4 part time jobs and went to school year-round to save money. I finished my Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science (Bioscience and Technology option) in three years instead of four. I went back to school as a single mother when my son was two while working full time to earn a Masters in Education. I just finished my Education Specialist degree in one year while working full time in an administrative position--and yes, I'm still a single parent. I did all of this by going without--making necessary sacrifices and by working like a dog. I earned my version of the "American Dream" the good old-fashioned way--by earning it! While I was staying up half the night grading papers, e-mailing parents, running the household and doing my own homework, I watched countless parents of my very diverse group of students (all races, religions, etc.) collect a check every month as a congratulatory "pat on the back" for pumping out more kids than they could afford to raise. Many of them had a "live-in" boyfriend which was clearly against the welfare rules on monthly income and they got away with it. They got free health, vision, and dental care, food stamps, free school breakfasts and lunches, free clothes, free school supplies, and food donations from us teachers and the PTA, etc. Their kids were frequently better dressed than mine. My kid only got what I was willing to work hard to provide him. Now all the stupid political commercials are advertising all the new "freebies" everyone else is going to get--not those of us who work our fingers to the bone to try to eke out a decent living. It's one thing to give a temporary helping hand to a family that has fallen on hard times (death of the breadwinner, loss of a job, house fire, serious illness like heart attack or cancer, etc.). I'm all for that. The temporary assistance is not supposed to morph into an accepted way of life and become a generational expectation...in effect, an actual career to aspire to! I guess I no longer give a hoot about a candidate's religion. I want to know if he or she can be an effective, respectable, ethical leader. Did the candidate ever successfully run any type of large organization in their entire lives? Preferably one involving thousands of employees and millions of dollars in the budget? Can he or she make sensible decisions about how to spend taxpayers' money? Is this person capable of ensuring our national safety and taking threats to our sovereignty seriously? Will he or she finally make people follow the same immigration rules my own ancestors had to follow so we can reduce the stress that illegal immigration thrusts upon our public schools, our legal system, and other public services? You get the idea. If a candidate can't prove to me that they can do these basic things, that frightens me a whole lot more than which church/temple/mosque he/she sits in (or doesn't sit in) every weekend. Ahem...okay, I'm done ranting now! I'm just beat today--I do too much every day. I'm sick and tired of hearing about people who sit on their ass all day whining about not getting everything they want handed to them because they think the government "owes" them...grrrr! Where's that gosh-darned spiked egg nog when I need it?

OMG!!!! LOL!!!!

Oh my! Some very funny pics and a few really disturbing ones! LOL!

One news report said that Jamie Lynn had a live-in boyfriend...at 16! What difference would a curfew make if that's true? OY! I choose to use the Spears' girls' debaucles as examples for my son of what sort of girls NOT to bring home to meet me...

:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

Naughty, naughty!

Love it! :whoo:

I got REALLY annoyed in the traffic the other afternoon. Someone was trying to turn left in one of those center lanes that allow both sides of the street to turn left. This person was half in the left lane and half in the center lane, blocking all of the left lane traffic. How could they not notice the big old rear-end of their pickup was in the way? This road has been under construction for over a year on top of everything so traffic barely flows as it is! Sigh!

I have to say I love most of the Food Network personalities. Paula makes me miss my mom! She was very funny, too. The only thing that bugs me about Rachael is that she's too loud sometimes--I worry she's going to cough up her vocal cords because it sounds like she is forcing her voice.

I didn't realize that posting on LBT could be equated with the establishment of a democratic system of government. I must have snoozed right through the debates between LBT candidates, the primaries, and the actual election of our LBT leaders (oh yeah...I'm referring to the leaders we don't have). I have been under the apparently mistaken notion that LBT simply provides a mechanism for all of us to express our personal experiences and opinions about being banded as well as on a variety of other unrelated issues. Free speech is a basic right guaranteed to all U.S. citizens by the U.S. Constitution last time I checked. :usa2: No one on this site "forces" anyone to do anything or to adopt particular values at any time. The entire concept behind having a site like this should be pretty easy to comprehend--it provides a place for the open sharing of a great range of ideas, beliefs, and perspectives. Everyone is welcome and no one is forced to agree with someone else. We are free to disagree with one another. The bottom line is: If you don't want to follow the advice given by someone who posts here, DON'T FOLLOW IT! If you don't want to read posts by "certain people," BLOCK THEIR POSTS and quit whining about them. No one is forced to read anyone's posts. All of us simply express our own opinion. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! :clap2:

I'm crushed! I've looked on-line for hours and I can't seem to find the website to order my very own... CHOCOLATE-COVERED MARINE!!!!!! :hurt

Hee, hee!! It would have been handy to have a glowing cat back in 2001 when Hurricane Isabel knocked out our power for a week! The only problem is that cats are so darn independent, you probably couldn't get it to walk where you actually needed light! As far as "genetic experiments" are concerned...South Koreans messing with cats? I don't know about that!

Personally, I like having free will...because it's all about me! LOL! DRY chicken MAKES ME GAG! Just thought I'd inject my own "randomness" into your rather random "from out-of-nowhere" thread. :guess Seriously, try not to hurt your brain cells by thinking so hard--the effects of being so "deep" could be irreversible I fear! :biggrin1:

Why on earth does anyone need a glowing cat? That would totally creep me out at night. Can you imagine laying in bed and having your glowing cat jump up to sleep on the bed? The critter they created looks like it's radioactive or something. Aren't there better things those scientists could be doing...like curing cancer or something??? Geez!

I think that's a wonderful policy, especially when purchasing a delicious, chocolate-covered Marine! :faint: Seriously, some things I feel comfortable buying on-line, but other things I would want to get in person. Books and DVDs for example. I don't feel a pressing need to fight the crowds if I'm looking for specific titles. I'd much rather get them shipped right to my door! :clap2:

What a bummer! I'm so sorry that happened to you! I hope you are able to get all of it back! Some loser in my neighborhood stole a $5 plastic bird bath from my yard last summer--talk about a low blow! Who really needed a cheap, plastic bird bath badly enough to steal it?

:bounce:Can I join, too? I've never been in a posse before! Is the only qualification that we have female reproductive parts? I hope so because I can't afford to pay a "Pussy Posse Membership Fee" right now along with all of my holiday bills! :laugh

Hi Denise! I think that SueSue was saying that teachers are really good at reading weird looking writing like the examples we included above because they teach school. Since the kids are just learning, their writing can be difficult to understand until you get used to deciphering it. She meant that if teachers didn't get proficient at figuring out what the kids were trying to say, they'd fail. A teacher who couldn't make heads or tails out of it would fail the kid. But...what do I know...I'm one of the "mere mortal" educators! LOL! :clap2:

Pull up a chair and let the train wreck begin!

Or...you could donate your gift card to me! LOL!! Just kidding! I'm feeling pretty desperate for clothes myself, but I guess I have to wait until all the sparkly, rhinestoned, sequined, glittery clothes is replaced by "normal" ladies' suits! I can see why you'd be bummed out about the gift card at first. On the positive side, at least she's willing to help you buy clothes--that's pretty cool!

I agree! Focus on getting in lean Proteins and green veggies (non-starchy ones) first, then have some carbs if you have room left. That has really helped me so far! Make sure to drink enough low-calorie liquids during the day, too. That'll help flush the old fat out! Let us know if there's anything else we can do to help!

Hi there! Good luck with your new doctor! Hopefully, they can do a two-for-one surgery to make things easier for you. Cross your fingers! How did you find out you have a hernia? Just curious. I wonder if I'll find out something like that if I ever go in for plastic surgery...

Congratulations! Some doctors require a pre-op diet and others don't. I hope your recovery goes smoothly!!!

We are? Gee I wish someone had clued me in when I first got my certification...seems the teachers where I am are viewed as much closer to the bottom of the barrel. Most of us view ourselves as mere mortals in any case...

As Steve Martin would say, "Well EEEEXXXXCCCCUUUSSEEE me!" Geez! What crawled up your butt and died? Just to be really crystal clear in my communication so no one can be mistaken about whether or not I'm communicating in a direct enough manner, I am actually talking to TommyO. Speaking of biases, I think you've got a whole truckload of your own to keep you occupied so you can leave mine out of it. I hope that someday I, too, will be an absolute model of communication perfection just like TommyO is...NOT! LOL! :flypig: Sounds to me like you need a tall glass of warm milk, a blankie, and a very long nappie-poo. Take a chill pill and remember not to call me in the morning... :bored