For Everything - A Poem to my Grandmother

A poem for you, grandma

A tiny token

Of thanks

For everything.

“Everything?”

Yes, everything.

No sooner could I enumerate all you’ve done for me,

Than I could fill the Grand Canyon with quick sand.

A poem for you, grandma

A tiny token

Of thanks

For everything.

“Everything?”

Yes, everything.

My sage

My mentor

My conscience

My spine

A poem for you, grandma

A tiny token

Of thanks

For everything.

“Everything?”

Yes, everything.

For caring

For staying

For fighting

For trying

A poem for you, grandma

A tiny token

Of thanks

For everything.

“Everything?”

Yes, everything.

You gave me structure so that I could grow

You laid down a path for me

In the woods

That I could find my way home

My ventures into the wood were indeed deep

My guiding light

Piercing the gloom

I’ve taken that path home.

A poem for you, grandma

A tiny token

Of thanks

For everything.

“Everything?”

Yes, everything. 

The gangrene of the Obama Administration

So this entry is a compilation of resources that everyone needs to be exposed to so you can understand just how not better things are getting for our economy because of the folks who are in control of the American economy.

Let's start with these Frontline episodes.

The Warning



Breaking the Bank



Inside the Meltdown



10 Trillion and Counting



You should also check out these Frontline Episodes about the effects of our economic crisis on regular joes:

Depressions affect on Middle Class America:

Close to home located at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/closetohome/view/

Credit Card Shinanigans:

The Card Game located at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/creditcards/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=proglist&utm_source=proglist

The Secret History of the Credit Card located at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/credit/view/

The 401k Scam:

Can you afford to Retire? located at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/retirement/view/?utm_campaign=viewpage&utm_medium=grid&utm_source=grid

Ok, so now you need to check out Matt Taibbi's investigative reports:

First, some background stories. The Big Takeover discusses the Dirty Dozen.

Now to our current landscape...Obama's Big Sellout. Watch Taibbi explain it.

Beck, O'Reily, Goldberg, Oh My!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

My Message to President Obama

Dear Mr. President:

I am adding my voice to the thousands. Please don't send more troops. Please end this war. We need that money, those men and women, to come home and help rebuild our shattered infrastructure, protect our people from natural disasters, and engage in other productive tasks so they can build their lives again and be with their heart broken families. Thus far you appear to be more slick PR campaign than a leader. I have fought for years to motivate my students, who are poor and disenfranchised, to vote and have faith that they can make a difference. If you do this, you will be killing that faith I've worked so hard to build.

Respectfully,

Jacqueline Chauser, MPA, MSIT

Please read Micheal's open letter to the president and contact the White House.

SNAP!

Another brilliant expose from Olbermann. I wish more journalists would make use of this format. It's compelling to see all of the events, media clips, comments from the white house, etc. just laid out in a row. Fragmented events get lost in the menagerie of happenings.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

My fair state

I just received an email today from the owner of Wine Shop at Home. I consult for the company, mainly as a hobby and to make a little extra money. He explained that he and other companies that engage in direct sales (where folks hold parties in people's home and sell their wares) lobbied the Govenator to veto a 3% tax on the commission checks of the independent consultants who hold said Tupperware parties.

I fired off a response to him asking where, exactly we should get the money to pay for vital programs if NO ONE WILL PAY TAXES. I have already watched my sales tax go up like 3% in the last two months because the cities are so desperate for cash. It pisses me off! These taxes are extremely regressive and fall hardest on the poor. We need to accept that if we are ever to fix our poor state we need to diversify our tax streams so that we all share the burden and that the wealthy, who use more public services, can't avoid paying their taxes. We are in a fine mess and it breaks my heart. California is the 7th or 8th largest economy in the world. Where has all our wealth gone? Fiore had a good point to make about Californian's predicament.

'nuff said