All I want to know is who took my PF Flyers.

James would you rather the question be  "Will the Bush/Cheney presidential ticket be the last of self serving, hypocritical men capable of causing distress to the entire American population and the downward spiral of the economy?".

Why limit advertising to those who can afford it?  That is setting us back mentally. Even if it is something I can afford and know they have that backward mind set I would not buy.  We as women have come too far to take two steps backward. The solution is to market products everyone can afford and enjoy. I personally pay no attention to most advertisements.  The company’s with major advertisement campaign on a product 9 times out of 10 know it is an inferior product.  Once their warehouse is almost empty the advertisement stops and limited production follows.  

I enjoy getting to know people even if it someone standing in line in front of me in the grocery store.  It is amazing what you learn in these lines. If I didn’t keep an open mind and heart how would I learn? Who am I to judge anyone else?  I wasn’t put on this great, wonderful earth for that purpose.

It is not up to me to judge Mrs Edward’s on the state of her marriage or if she decides to stay with her husband.  She and only she knows the truth in what is in her best interest.  I for one if I were fighting to beat the odds of cancer, would want to be in the place I am the most comfortable and feel safe.  To feel safe emotionally and spiritually.  Mrs Edward’s will be included in my prayers.

I will stand by and support Pres. Obama.  I do have a problem with every business small and large reaching their hands out and basically saying gimme, gimme, gimme.  The stimulus money will only go so far.  As a small business owner or the CEO of major companies it is up to them to come up with long range and short range plans for recovery of that business.  In business as in the average American home it is time to make a budget and stick to it.  The time of over spending and extra perks is over.  Yes, we have choices it is "our" money via taxes be given out in stimulus dollars.  We can make our voices heard but still be supportive.  It is all in how you say it.  

phyllis Doyle Pepe- like you I didn’t want to jump into this until you voiced what I was thinking.  I happen to be a Jewish woman married to (and happily for 24 years) a Black man.  My grand children call me Bubbie.  Bri my granddaughter comes to house everyday after school due to parents work schedules.  She plays with the little girl next door.  One day this last fall she came running in the house all upset.  The source of her 5 year old tears was a comment made by her friend about the word Bubbie.  After the tears dried I took Bri in the kitchen to make a cake.  As we were mixing it I had Bri look for the lumps and stir them out.  I also explained to her not to let what people say out of hate or ignorance put lumps in her cake of life.  Just mix them in and learn from them.  After the cake was finished we invited the little girl over for a piece of non lumpy cake.  So Mrs Obama and the rest of us should mix these lumps of Tammy Bruce into our cake of life and not let it put a sour taste into it.

Reading this brought back one of my favorite memories of my mother. I would like to share this with all of you. In the 1960’s we were at our summer camp.  My mother and her summer friends were sitting around a fire drinking their sherry having a good time.  My brother came and got me because he felt I had to see this close up.  These prim and proper ladies had built a fire to burn their bras.  She never wore a bra again because she felt it was better to be yourself and stand up for what you believe in.  That yes women had the right to be heard and listened to.  So this little trip down memory lane has made me want to start a new tradition with my daughter and granddaughter.  I called my daughter to help open up the camp early this year. We are going tomorrow for the weekend.  I got my mothers copy of The Feminist Mystique and issues of Ms Magazine out of the attic.  I am now going to buy a bottle of sherry and some bras from Victorias Secret.  I know Betty Freidan and my mother will be smiling down on us.

Thank you for the kindness in your reply.  I have had a huge smile all day.

Last year a very good friend asked to borrow money.  As I heard her situation I felt it better to help her come up with a budget and get the creditors off her back.  So we sat down went over everything and made the phone calls.  We also organized a garage sale.  The crisis is over and she is much happier because she is doing it on her own without the added worry of having to add me to list of paying back.  To me helping someone come up with their own solution is being more of a friend than just handing them money.

I have mixed feelings on who should get the stimulus money and be in charge of it. It seems like we are throwing a band aide on a wound that needs stitches. Yes we need to take care of those in need ie: homeless, hungry etc.  But we do not have to become a country of enablers and co-dependents. Here is an example of someone who shouldn’t be receiving monthly money.  If you live in a city or an area of high rental properties you will understand this.  A woman lives in a 2 family house on our street.  She has a young son.  While in a conversation with a few of our neighbors and myself she introduced herself and I quote "her miracle Baby".  As she explained what the miracle was we all became angry.  This is her miracle she no longer has to work because he has autism and she now receives Social Security for him plus section 8 to cover her rent, food stamps, HEAP, medicare and best of all she doesn’t have to worry about transportation since for $20 a day she calls the medicare transport and they take her any where she needs to go.  All this woman does is drink, drug and boyfriend living with her (who also doesn’t work). This is NY state. This is how our taxes are being spent.  We would be in better shape in this state if this type of behavior was not allowed to continue. This is our time of change and we have to help with this change.  We can not just sit back and allow our money to be wasted or spent the wrong way.  Do what ever you can make phone calls, send emails, get your friends and neighbors together.  Sitting still and not speaking up for 8 years helped to get us in this mess. We voted in this caring , wonderful President so it is up to us to help him in this change.

For shame. This is a day to do something. We are in a great historic time of change. So we must change how we celebrate this day. If you do absolutely nothing what did you change? Answer absolutely nothing. If you do nothing but pick up a pen and make a contribution to a school in your area for after school programs or even a local library for books on Martin Luther King then you did something. Here is another thought have you volunteered to read at your local public library to pre school or grade school age children? I have and it is the best feeling in the world to think maybe with what I read will hopefully encourage a child to want to learn to read and be everything they can be. Try it you have nothing to do today or nothing to loose.

No divorce. My husband says I bring joy to his heart and he has too much fun trying to second guess what I will do next. Down to two cigarettes a day. Since I don’t drink, drug or fool around (besides husband) or take hormones for menopause I need to know I have ” my time” twice a day. Bad thinking on my part but my mother is right a$$ backward. So if you see a 4’11” woman running backwards in the parking lot waving to you, it is just me going to my car. See you at the grocery store!

Maybe my mother was right all these years. I was a breech baby born in the 1950’s. She liked to say I was born a$$ backwards, act a$$ backwards and will leave this earth a$$ backwards. I can not back out of a parking space at the grocery store without breaking into a cold sweat of fear. Thank goodness I boycott WAL MART or I would of goner years ago.

Yes, this should be up to the voters. Look what happened in Illinois. Personally I don’t think it is all in the name in Caroline’s case. She has been the least politically active and stayed behind the scenes out of the public lime light. To throw herself right into the frying pan will be political suicide. Start small and work yourself up like everyone else. Now I have a question for you Whoopi. Why don’t you give your name to Paterson? Or run in the next Senate Race. Do you also have a New York address besides Vermont? I would rather have you as my Senator than as an ambassador to another country.