Whether you receive a paycheck for working at home or not, if you are a mom, you work-at-home. This is a site for info, tips and conversation for issues that affect moms and their families.
Sparkle from day to night with a mixture of shimmer and matte shades that create a perfect holiday glow with BC Color Illuminating Eyeshadow Color Palette.
Here are some how-tos to get you started. First you need to get to know your palette. Be chic:
be glam:
be defined:
be noticed:
Don't forget the mascara . . .
BC Color Dramatic Lash Mascara
High-definition, multi-benefit formula adds volume, curls and separates in a single bold sweep. Get a false-lash effect without clumping or flaking.
To get this must-have palette and the mascara, just go to my beautipage and click on Color and then on Eyes:
As a Wish mom I can attest to how being granted a Wish by Make-A-Wish impacts not only the Wish child, but their whole family. When my daughter was 8, she caught an E.coli bug. She came out of the hospital in kidney failure. She was on dialysis for 9 months before she had the life giving gift of a kidney transplant. My daughter was granted a wish by Make-A-Wish Midsouth. When we first talked to my daughter about what she might wish for, it was neat to see her thought process and her discussions with her sisters about it. Her first thought was Hawaii, and I thought, now that would be a great wish. She then talked about a couple of other places ~and her sisters gave her input of course~ but we made it clear that this was her wish and she needed to wish for what she wanted. She chose to go to Disney World. We then had the choice of whether to go before or after her transplant. We chose to go after because while she was on dialysis, she was weak. Her doctor compared having kidney failure to having the flu. She also went to dialysis 3 times a week, so that would limit our time at Disney. What I thought was so neat though, was that Make-A-Wish had the ability to even take care of that detail for a sick child. We found that having a pediatric dialysis unit so close to us at Le Bonheur was truly a blessing.
Her wish was granted by a local middle school. They have a fundraiser every year that the students participate in. Since we homeschool, we told the girls that we were going to tour a school that they might go to someday. As the girls got their “tour” every stop had a Disney theme. Our last stop was the lunchroom. Inside were hundreds of students and they shouted to my daughter as she entered that she was going to Disney. The look on my daughter’s face was one I would never forget. Liz Nelson then took to the stage and announced that this school was funding my daughter’s wish. They had gifts for each of my girls. My youngest went up and down the rows of students showing off her swag. The students just ate it up. I will never forget all the kids that came up to my daughter and wished her well and hugged her. She was hugged by boys and girls, both black and white. It didn’t matter. She even got up on stage and said a few words of thanks. It truly gave me hope for our future, seeing all of those students and how they embraced my family.
While my daughter was on dialysis and during the transplant process, my daughter had the trip to Disney to look forward to. Dialysis was so hard. She was so frail. She was so brave. I am so grateful for all of the prayers and love that we received during this hard time for our family. We wouldn’t have made it without our friends and family which included the dear people from Make-A-Wish.
Our magical trip started as we pulled into the parking lot outside the Memphis Airport. This detail was even taken care of for us. After we parked the van, we rode the shuttle to the airport. A Wish volunteer met us and helped us get through security. After he put us on the plane, we were on our way. This was the first time that my girls had ever flown. We were met by another Make-A-Wish volunteer in Orlando who helped us get our bags and took us to where we picked up our rental van. With directions to Give Kids the World, ~which is the resort that specifically serves sick kids from several different organizations like Make-A-Wish~ we navigated thru Orlando traffic and found Give Kids the World Village. Talk about a magical place. My kids could have just hung out there and not even gone to Disney and it would have been a great vacation. We were driven to our duplex in a golf cart. After settling into our duplex, we went to discover the resort. We went fishing, rode the train, and checked out the arcade. They have a great pool, but because there were thunderstorms around we couldn't swim. The first night, we went to the Pirates and Princess Party. My youngest will tell you that she is a real princess because she was crowned at that event. My girls danced with Shamu in the onsite theatre. Everything at Give Kids the World Village is free. They will even deliver pizza to your duplex and you can have ice cream anytime you want, even for breakfast. My girls rode ponies one morning, had their pictures taken with Mickey and Minnie who brought along some of their buddies, Goofy and Mary Poppins. My daughter even has a special Mickey stuffed doll that is signed by Mickey. Every day when we got back from one of the parks, the wish fairy had been to our duplex and left gifts. We had to buy a suitcase on the last night just to get all of our goodies back to Memphis with us.
We had four days of passes for Disney, two day passes for Universal Kingdom and tickets for Sea World. We also went to a water park one afternoon. While at the parks, we had special parking and express passes. No waiting in line at Disney. All we had to do was go in the Express Pass line. Everywhere we went, my kids were treated like royalty. They got to be a part of the show at The Lion King Show at Animal Kingdom. Make-A-Wish even supplied us with a gift card so that we could get the girls souvenirs and we wouldn’t have to spend our own money for food inside the parks. This was a trip that my family will never forget. My youngest wants to go back to Disney. The problem is that there is no way that we could top what we experienced on our Wish trip.
It is for this reason that I am having an on-line Season of Wishes Spa. Every year, Make-A-Wish MidSouth raises money to grant sick kids’ wishes with their Season of Wishes campaign. Not only does Make-A-Wish MidSouth grant wishes for local kids, they grant wishes for sick kids from around the world because of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Last year, Make-A-Wish MidSouth granted 242 wishes.
20% of all the sales from the Season of Wishes Spa will go to the Make-A-Wish MidSouth Season of Wishes campaign PLUS proceeds from the Season of Wishes Gift Bags will be donated as well. We will also have daily specials on luxurious spa and anti-aging treatments. There will be door prizes, too! To shop, just go to my Beautipage and 20% of all orders thru December 12, 2014 from my website will go to Make-A-Wish Midsouth.
Charlie Rangle made an interesting comment the other day about Democrats. He claimed that they were doing God’s work.
"And so what we have to do is send a collective voice," he said of the upcoming midterm elections. "Everything we're doing is God's work: education, healthcare, affordable housing, [protecting against] discrimination, paying people the minimum wage."
First off, allow me to state the obvious. Any party that boos God publicly, promotes and defends the murder of pre-born babies, and defends homosexuality, is not doing God’s work.
Secondly, government isn't supposed to do God’s work; God’s people are. Where in the Bible does it teach that God’s work is even close to his list? When the Bible speaks of education, it speaks to parents. Healthcare?
The Good Samaritan didn't look to the government to take care of the beaten and robbed man. He paid for it out of his own pocket. Paul speaks to discrimination in Colossians 3 where he says that in Christ, “there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all.” Also in James 2, James teaches about not discriminating against the poor in the church. Affordable housing?!? Minimum wage?!? The Bible speaks much about working and that employers are to pay their laborers the wage agreed upon, but nothing about a minimum wage.
Nowhere in the Bible does it teach that government is supposed to take care of the poor. The Bible does teach however, that the Church is supposed to help the widows and orphans. What was the welfare system in the Old Testament? Let's look at Leviticus 19:9-10;
“‘When you gather in the harvest of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field, and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. You must not pick your vineyard bare, and you must not gather up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.”
It doesn't say that there must be special fields planted for the poor; it doesn't say that the farmers must pick the grain and then harvest it and take it a store where the poor come with their EBT cards to pick it up. The poor had to actually work and harvest it themselves.
Let's look also at Paul’s instructions to Timothy about widows. I rarely ever hear this passage talked about.
“Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
“Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. For some have already strayed after Satan. If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.” I Timothy 5:3-16
It’s interesting that first off, families are supposed to take care of their widows. Secondly, the widows who were to “put on the list” were to be at least 60 years old, wife of one husband and having a reputation for good works. In other words, one who could not support herself because of age, one who was married only once and one who was known for her good deeds. Interesting requirements, don’t you think?
The Bible does speak a lot about work and laziness however.
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Genesis 2:15
Man was given work to do by God in the Garden of Eden. Work isn't a curse. God created man physically stronger so that he could both provide for his family, but also to protect his family. The curse came after Adam and Eve disobeyed God and God cursed the ground so that man’s labor would be hard work. See Genesis 3:17-19.
Adam wasn't the first to work, however. From Exodus, we learn that Jesus was the first Person to work.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” Exodus 2:10-11
We know from John 1 that Jesus was the Word of God who created the world. We also see from this passage in Exodus the principle that God assumes that we will be working. This is why He instituted a day of rest. Our bodies need time to relax and recuperate.
Proverbs is full of references to those who are lazy. The term that is used often is sluggard. According to Webster’s Dictionary, a sluggard is “a habitually lazy person.” Here are just a few of the references to laziness and sluggards from Proverbs.
“Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” Proverbs 19:15
“The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.” Proverbs 12:24
“Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.” Proverbs 12:27
“The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.” Proverbs 15:19
“The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.” Proverbs 21:25
“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Proverbs 10:4
“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Proverbs 13:4
“The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.” Proverbs 20:4
The New Testament also teaches about work.
Paul is very clear in II Thessalonians 3:6, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” The context of this verse talks about the example of Paul himself and his own work ethic.
In Colossians 3:23, Paul instructs in whatever work we do, we are to do it unto the Lord.
The problem that we have here in America is that we have people who have been deceived into believing that government is supposed to help the poor. I have a friend who calls them “do gooders.” If individuals like Charlie Rangle really wanted to help the poor, they would put in place policies that would allow the economy to grow; cut taxes and cut regulations. Quit stifling businesses. Which is better, Mr. Rangle? A job or charity?
One of my favorite quotes about the economy and helping the poor is from Milton Friedman.
“In the only cases in which the masses have escaped from the kind of grinding poverty you’re talking about, the only cases in recorded history, are where they have had capitalism and largely free trade. If you want to know where the masses are worse off, worst off, it’s exactly in the kinds of societies that depart from that. So that the record of history is absolutely crystal clear, that there is no alternative way so far discovered of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by the free-enterprise system.” Milton Friedman
Mr. Rangle, leave God’s work to God’s people. The Constitution gives you your job description. As a member of Congress, your job description is found in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. Note that nowhere in there is anything about healthcare, affordable housing, education or the minimum wage. That is not your job.
To quote Jesus, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
I had a friend that asked me whether I was going to vote for Lamar Alexander. If you look thru my previous articles, you’ll know that I campaigned for and supported Joe Carr during the primary. My response was that I am voting for Lamar for the same reason that I would have crawled over broken glass to vote for Romney. Even a weak Republican, like Romney was preferential to Obama.
I attended a meeting over the weekend with Senate candidate Danny Page ~Independent~ and Constitution Party candidate for governor, Shaun Crowell. I like Danny Page and agree with him on more than I do Lamar. After hearing him in person, he almost persuaded me to vote for him; however, his wife piped up in response to an answer by Charlotte Bergmann about why she was running as a Republican and not under the Constitution Party. First off, I resented the question to Ms. Bergmann as to why if she was a constitutionalist, she was running as a Republican instead of under the Constitution Party. I could understand the question if Ms. Bergmann was running as a Democrat, but Republican?!? Really?!? The implication was that the Republican Party doesn’t believe in the Constitution. Sir, if you read their platform, they are exactly in line with the Constitution. We believe in limited government and a strong national defense. The problem isn't with the Party; it is with some of those that call themselves Republicans. Ms. Bergmann explained that if you want to have influence in the direction that the government is going, you need to be a part of those that are making those decisions. Look at Ted Cruz. Do you really think that he would have gotten as much support and been able to educate as many citizens if he ran as an Independent or 3rd party? I have been saying that we need to take over the Republican Party from the inside ~like the leftists did with the Democrat Party. ~ I knew that even if Romney won in 2012, that we constitutional conservatives were still going to have our work cut out for us. One election isn't going to fix what is wrong in this country or in the ruling class of D.C. ~both Republican and Democrat~. We need to clean house from top to bottom. Danny Page’s wife then stood up and objected that Republicans were giving us crappy candidates and people were staying home because of it. Her tone was combative and accusing. My contention is that the time to have these fights is within the primary. Danny Page was not in the primary process because of an agreement that he had with Joe Carr. I can respect that, but don’t complain about the Republican candidate for Senate if you did not take part in the process.
The ironic thing was that not five minutes later when defending her support for Amendment 1, Mrs. Page actually used the term “baby steps” in the fight against abortion. She admitted that her goal is to completely get rid of abortion; ~she used the term abolitionist~ but that voting for Amendment 1 would be a baby step in the right direction. So she is for using baby steps to accomplish her goal with abortion ~which I totally agree with~ but not when it comes to baby steps to changing a political party. We have seen what can happen if you work within the Republican Party on the local level. We had a Republican county commissioner that was acting more like a Democrat than a Republican. He was called out on it in the local GOP steering committee meeting. It was a beautiful thing. The result? He changed his vote. That is how we change things.
What if Danny Page were to take enough votes from Lamar and got the Democrat senate candidate elected? Do you really think that sending a Democrat to the Senate is going to teach the GOP elite a lesson? Do you really think that retaining Harry Reid as Senate Majority leader would be a good thing or preferable over Mitch McConnell?
If you want to stop Obama and the Democrats YOU have to show up and vote on Election Day. Sitting home is how we got a 2nd term of Obama. If you want to change the direction of our country and stop Obama and the Democrats, you have to do more than show up on Election Day. It is bigger than one election. Showing up and voting is just the beginning of your civic responsibility.
Yesterday I attended the Shelby County Commission Committee Meetings. One of the highlights was a discussion with the head of the Shelby County Health Dept and representatives from the local hospitals on the subject of Ebola. You never know what you will find out when you begin to take self-governance serious and go to these meetings. I felt like I was in an infomercial for the flu shot. Think I'm jesting? Here is the report from Mike Mathews of ABC 24. Note to Mike Mathews and ABC 24, the flu isn't 100% preventable even with the flu shot. See this study. It estimates that the flu vaccine is only about 59% effective. Full disclosure: My daughter who has a compromised immune system due to her transplant did get a flu shot. I do not want my child in an emergency room or hospital this season. While the flu vaccine is not 100% effective, I do want to give my daughter the best chance at not getting the flu.
Now back to Ebola and Shelby County. Ms. Madlock reiterated that it is not airborne nor spread by casual contact; although the virus was in all bodily fluids of a person including sweat and that the virus can live on surfaces for 2 hours. I wish I could have asked her for clarification on that info. According to the CDC ~hat/tip MidSouth Sentinel~ the Ebola virus can travel through air, but they made that admission in a very sneaky and hard to find manner. The following statement is under Low Risk Exposures:
Close contact is defined as a) being within approximately 3 feet (1 meter) of an EVD patient or within the patient’s room or care area for a prolonged period of time (e.g., health care personnel, household members) while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment (i.e., standard, droplet, and contact precautions; see Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations) b) having direct brief contact (e.g., shaking hands) with an EVD patient while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment. The footnote explains that For purposes of monitoring and movement restrictions of persons with Ebola virus exposure, low risk is interpreted as some risk.
"The implication of this statement is very, very clear: Ebola DOES in fact travel through the air." Also, if it can last for a couple of hours on a hard surface, there doesn't seem to have to be direct contact, just touching a hard surface after an infected person does. We've also been told that unless an Ebola patient is showing signs of the disease, that they are not infectious. Since the symptoms of Ebola are similar to the flu, how many of us stay home when feeling a bit under the weather? Just living in reality here. Why do you think there is such a market for over-the-counter flu medications?
The panel of "experts" was also asked if they were prepared for isolation since we are being told that only a few hospitals in the nation have specially built isolation units with negative airflow. Again, the answer was not reassuring. Apparently, isolation consists of a private room with a private bathroom. The patient's room would have limited individuals with access to the room who would be “protected”. She said that that many hospitals do have the special isolation units which they use for case of tuberculosis, but that Ebola wouldn't warrant the use of these units. Here is the link from the CDC that provides this information. Not sure why the CDC made such a big deal about these units when bringing the first Ebola patients to the US happened. My guess, is it's all about optics. As it happens, my family has experience with isolation. My dd was put in isolation when she was in ICU at Le Bonheur as couple of years ago. We had to gown and mask up when we entered her room.
CDC Guidelines for Isolation for Ebola
Someone did text Commissioner Roland about the disposal of a dead body. He passed along the question. Ms. Madlock said that they were going to send out information on the CDC guidelines to all the mortuaries and funeral homes. Commissioner Justin Ford, whose family is in the funeral home business, asked about autopsy to determine the cause of death with Ebola and was told that there would be no autopsy. The CDC guidelines were to double bag the body and then either cremate or put body in a hermetically sealed coffin. Mr. Ford then asked about whether there could be a service and was told that he would receive the guidelines from the CDC. My impression was that Ms. Madlock was irritated at this line of questioning. I don't think she was ready for such a specific question.
Bottom line: I was not reassured. Many contradictions and unanswered questions. Ms. Madlock said that the SC Health Dept was sending out guidelines to all the licensed doctors, healthcare facilities, school nurses etc. I'm sure they'll be as excited to get and read them as Ms. Madlock was in coming and answering questions from the Shelby County Commissioners. While I am not panicking ~and I am not advocating panicking~ I am not reassured about how ready Shelby County is for Ebola. I am praying that there isn't an outbreak and that Ms. Madlock is correct. In the meantime, I am taking my own precautions for my family. We cannot depend upon the government to do it.
Update: I received these from a friend. Apparently this is what the Shelby County Health Dept. sent out to all of our healthcare facilities etc.
With the nurse who cared for Duncan contracting the disease, it appears that Ebola might be a bigger deal than Ms. Madlock and her staff are letting on.
With the diseases that are flooding across our southern border and then being shipped across the country by the federal government ~trust me, chicken pox is the least of my worries~. Schools are bracing for up to 50,000 illegal kids. With Ebola, enterovirus, and TB in our schools and in our communities, what is a mom to do? Panic?!? I've done that. Be angry?!? Absolutely! But the bottom line is that I have to protect my family. I have to protect my kids. I cannot depend upon the government ~especially this current regime~ to protect them. I can't keep my kids isolated from the world. That is not practical.
My belief has always been that God created us with a wonderful defense system called the immune system. I have never been a germaphobe believing that the way to a good immune system is to exercise it. That is how our immune system works. This is also the science behind immunizations. Introduce an antigen into the body and then the immune system produces antibodies that fight the invader. Antibodies also neutralize toxins and activate complement which assists in killing bacteria, viruses and infected cells. This is called adaptive immunity. Each of us is different and each of our immune systems are different. We all come into contact with different germs and bugs, but most of the time, our immune system protect us.
This brings me to the story of the thieves during the plague that ravished Europe on and off for centuries; literally wiping out villages and large populations. The story goes that there were thieves that pillaged the villages after the plague had wiped out the population. Why were these thieves immune from the plague? As the story goes, these thieves were perfumers who rubbed themselves with certain plant oil extract which protected them from this most contagious disease. Old wives tale?!?
Fast forward to today; science is catching up to these ancient practices. Studies have found that certain essential oils have antimicrobial properties. This study cites cinnamon and clove as being antimicrobial and anti-fungal on different bacteria and fungus including on E-coli ~I wish I would have had this information when my daughter caught an E-coli bug which resulted in her kidney failure~. This study shows the effectiveness of cinnamon bark, lemongrass and thyme against respiratory tract pathogens. Another study shows how the phytochemical eugenol (found in cinnamon and clove showed prominent anti-mold activity. Orange oil is high in d-limonene ~a powerful anti-oxidant~which has been studied for it's ability to combat tumors growth. What was it that our moms pumped into us when we started sniffling? Why orange juice, of course. Did you know that the aspirin has it's roots ~literally~ in nature? From the Aspirin Foundation, "The active ingredient in aspirin, acetyl salicylic acid, is a synthetic derivative of a compound, salicin, which occurs naturally in plants, notably the willow tree."
So what's my point? I believe in medicine and science. Just like God gave us brains to use in the advancement of civilization in other areas, the same can be said for medical science. So I am not going to advocate for throwing out all modern medicine ~unlike many others who are on the "all natural" bandwagon and believe that Big Pharma is bad~. What I am doing however, is sharing what I am doing for my family as an added precaution. My family is using a blend of essential oils that is formulated to support healthy immune function. Wild orange essential oil, combined with clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary offer a fragrant, natural and effective alternative to synthetic options for immune support.
I also have soap with the protective blend of essential oils at every sink. I clean with it as well.
Here a couple of studies that show the effects of a protective blend of wild orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary on influenza ~flu~ and MRSA ~staph~.
For more information on what essential oils are and their history, just email me.
It's up to us as parents to protect our families as best we can. Essential oils are one of my weapons to do just that.
Have you ever tried the “best hand crème on the market” BeautiControl’s Extreme Repair? It lightly exfoliates, moisturizes and protects. All in one. In fact we call it “hand crème with a memory” because you can wash your hands several times and still feel the benefits.
During the month of September, get a FREEExtreme Repair Hand Creme with the purchase of BC Spa Instant Manicure. BeautiControl's Instant Manicure is another one of BeautiControl's best sellers AND Shecky's Beauty At Its Best Award Winners.
From Shecky's "The BC Spa Manicure Instant Manicure will make you feel like you're at the nail salon! Use it to make your hands visibly smoother and touchably softer with the exfoliating dead sea salts. Pamper your hands to keep them nourished and protected against the harsh winter weather." It's also great on your tootsies too!
Put the two together and what do you have? An instant "facelift" for your hands. Your hands are one of the first places ~and often forgotten~ that show age. ~the other is your neck~ The "secret" to anti-aging is exfoliation. The dead sea salts exfoliate and the natural oils cleanse and create a protective barrier for your hands. Finish with Extreme Repair Hand Creme to moisturize and protect. Exfoliation also helps the moisture to penetrate deeper into your skin instead of just sitting on the top.
To get your set, just go to my beautipage and click on the "Specials" tab. Do it today, because the FREEExtreme Repair ends on September 30, 2014.
P.S. Want to get the bc spa manicure set FREE? Just share this article either on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest and you'll be entered in a drawing for this set. Just send me a private message on the social media site that you share this link with. Be sure to follow me while you are sending me a message. Good Luck!
This should be a simple task with such an "accomplished" Senator such as Lamar Alexander; except that it's not.
Let me help you out, Lamar, you voted to fund ObamaCare. I know, I know; you technically voted to not fund it, but before that you voted for cloture which meant that instead of the Democrats needing 60 votes to fund it, all they needed was a simple majority. So in reality, you voted to fund ObamaCare.
You voted for amnesty. Sure now, you are claiming that you are standing with Ted Cruz but again, your vote for amnesty shows us Tennesseans where you really stand on the issue. Once again, Lamar's actions don't back up his words. Lamar had a chance to actually vote against amnesty last Thursday, but Where was Lamar? Not on the Senate floor debating or voting against amnesty.
The truth is Lamar, I can't think of a single accomplishment of yours while being in DC. You may have started out as a conservative years ago, but whatever is in the water in DC, you've been infected with it.
Join me in voting for Joe Carr for US Senate. It's time to retire, Lamar. BTW, Joe Carr has been the architect of some of the toughest immigration laws as a Tennessee state legislator.
I saw Lamar Alexander's "No National School Board" ad again last night. Every time I hear/see it, I crack up. Lamar is using a phantom issue to deceive voters about his real views on education. It's just like his "I'm against ObamaCare because I voted against it" shtick. True he voted against funding it, but he voted for cloture which is what allowed it to be passed by a simple majority of Democrats. What is in the water in DC anyway? But I digress. This article is about education and Lamar.
Obama and the Democrats aren't trying to form a National School Board, Lamar. Are they trying to take over education? Yes. See Common Core. But that doesn't mean that Democrats are trying to form a National School Board as their strategy. They are too smart for that. They use more devious ways in which to do so. Again, see Common Core.
What Lamar isn't touting is his ideas in 1989 for cradle to college education ~starting at 3 months;~ year around school from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Where have you heard these ideas before?
Just in case you don't know who this is, it is Obama's current of Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. And yes, Arne Duncan is a proponent of Common Core.
What is Lamar Alexander's stance on Common Core? With his misleading ad, he's implying that he's against Common Core.
How about we look at what he does. It is no secret that Tennessee governor, Bill Haslam is a big supporter of Common Core. It's an understatement to say that Jeb Bush is a supporter of Common Core. So who is it that Lamar is palling around with in March 2014? Why Jeb Bush and Governor Haslam, of course.
Good Try Lamar! The good news is that we do have a choice for US Senate. Joe Carr actually has a record for fighting against Common Core.
Join me in voting for Tennessee. Vote for Joe Carr in the Republican Primary for US Senate.
I just want to take this opportunity to Thank Lamar for voting for Amnesty thus encouraging the influx of illegal ~which is another word for criminal~ minors into Tennessee and our country. Tennessee has received 760 ~that we know of~ so far. All without even our governor knowing about it.
Just to show my appreciation, I will be voting for Joe Carr, not you in the Republican Primary.
Update:
Lamar is feeling the heat for his amnesty vote. He is now trying to talk tough on the 760 illegals kids that the feds have dumped in Tennessee without our knowledge.
Too little; too late, Lamar. Your vote for Amnesty showed your true colors. Tennessee voters will not be fooled.
P.S. Maybe if you would have stood with Tennessee voters and Ted Cruz before this week, you wouldn't be in such trouble.
Schools here in Memphis get started next week, August 4th. There will be lots of changes. After Memphis City Schools surrendered their charter in 2010 to force consolidation with the Shelby County Schools, the subject of education has been a sore spot here in Memphis. There has been a lot of angst, confusion and name-calling going on. The parents of the municipalities didn't take kindly to a forced takeover by the failed MCS, so they responded by creating school districts of their own. Next week will be the kickoff for the new schools. I wish them well. The parents in the municipalities showed what can happen when citizens get involved with self-governance. Kudos to them.
So all will be hunky dory right? Not so fast. The municipal schools will still be dealing with Common Core, but that is a subject for another post. No, what I am referring to are all of the illegal "unaccompanied" minors that will be joining our kids in school.
American kids and teenagers will be sharing their already-crowded classrooms with tens of thousands of ill-educated Central American migrants this fall, because President Obama is distributing perhaps 100,000 Central American migrants across the country.
The arrival of the American students’ new classmates was highlighted July 25 when Obama’s agencies announced he had already distributed 30,340 foreign youths and children by July 7.
Virginia received 2,234 foreign students and Maryland got 2,205, according to the announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services. Texas got 4,280 foreign students, North Carolina got 1,191, and New Jersey got 1,504, said the government statement. ~My note: Tennessee got 760~
Those numbers may double by October, however.
More than 50,000 Central American children and youths have crossed the border since October with the aid of smugglers, usually working under a contract with their parents. More that 90 percent say they are teenagers, and more than 95 percent are being released by Obama to their U.S.-based parents or relatives, many of whom are illegal immigrants.
Another 50,000 Central Americans have crossed in so-called “family units,” of at least one parent and child. A few of those are being repatriated, some are being held in government facilities, but many have been bussed or flown to cities where they want to live, despite widespread protests from worried Americans.
More migrants are expected to cross before winter sets in, and next’s year’s inflow is expected to be much larger than this year’s flood, unless the federal government sharply changes its immigration enforcement policies.
Roughly 30,000 Central Americans children and youths arrived from 2012 to September 2013. Most of them are enrolled in U.S. schools, including some who are believed to be over 18.
Not only are these kids not literate in English ~how can they be expected to be?~ they aren't even literate in Spanish.
Another concern that we as parents should have is all the infectious diseases that these kids are bringing with them. There's tuberculosis, scabies, chicken pox, pneumonia, H1N1 just to name some of them. I have a daughter whose immune system is compromised because she is on anti-rejection drugs for her transplant.
Chicken pox is the least of my worries as a parent. Without getting into the whole vaccine debate, ~even if vaccines are as effective as claimed~ it is a fact that vaccines don't give 100% protection. Here is the link for the vaccines that are required by Shelby County Schools for school registration? Vaccines for TB, scabies and H1N1 are not on the list.
How about all the MS-13 gang members that are coming across? Did you know that the vast majority ~84%~ of these "children" are teens?
Even if you believe that the compassionate thing to do is educate these youth, what is it going to do to our schools already stretched budgets?
“We certainly don’t want to communicate that our city is not a welcoming place, especially for young children, but we have to be concerned about our finances and our ability to serve all of our citizens,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell. “If the point comes where we feel as though our resources are getting too strained, we’re going to look to the state and federal government for assistance because that is only fair.”
With our own school, municipal and personal budgets tight, is it really "fair" to our kids to take resources from them to give to illegal entrants? Schools have security systems to keep out threats to our children. Now we are being forced to "welcome" them in?
Except that it's not. How many times have we heard Obama and the Democrats blame Bush for _______ ? Just fill in the blank. The economy, the Obama phones, Fast and Furious ~I'll talk about this in another post~ the FSA spying on us, the VA scandal and the list goes on. Anytime that Obama gets questioned about something that is bad, he blames Bush. And here we are again. Obama and the Democrats are trying to blame Bush for not being able to deport these "unaccompanied" minors flooding across our southern border.
The Democrats are blaming a law signed by Bush in 2008 as the reason that they can't just send these kids back home. "We want to send them back, but our hands are tied by the law," they squeal. "We are just following the law." First of all, they forget to mention ~and they know they will get away with it with their base~ that the Democrats controlled both Houses of Congress in 2008. Secondly, since when are Obama and the Democrats worried about the rule of law? What law that they dislike are they upholding? Remember when Obama's Justice Dept refused to uphold DOMA ~The Defense of Marriage Act~? Or how about the voting intimidation case by the New Black Panthers in Philadelphia from 2008? Or current immigration laws? How many times has ObamaCare been delayed or changed by executive order? So why all of a sudden this penchant for the rule of law?
Come to find out, Obama is once again using his partisan minions to subvert the rule of law.
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson admitted at a Tuesday press conference that nearly all the roughly 50,000 Central American youths who have crossed the Texas border since October are accompanied by smugglers hired by the youth’s parents or families.
“It is our observation and our experience that almost all of of them are smuggled,” he said. ”Nobody is freelancing,” he added.
“The families are paying as much as $10,000,” he said.
The act was originally designed to aid the small number of youths who are forcibly imported and abandoned in the United States by criminal groups, such as prostitution rings, said Jon Feere, the legal analyst at the Center for Immigration Studies.
The administration is improperly applying the law to the smuggled immigrants, which only helps the young people win residency and helps the smugglers win more customers, Feere told TheDC.
White House officials “are hoping no one reads through what the 2008 law requires, and they’re happy to act as if their hands are bound by the 2008 law,” he said.
Federal immigration law excludes children with parents or guardians in the U.S. from being classified as “unaccompanied alien children,” and so excludes them from the 2008 law, said Feere.
So how many of these "unaccompanied alien children" are being reunited with their illegal parent already here?
According to Kenneth Wolfe, deputy director for the Office of Public Affairs at ACF, told CNSNews.com that in 2014 (through the month of June), 96 percent of the 45,157 children -- or 43,341 of them -- who were transferred from the custody of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to the ORR have been placed with sponsors inside the United States, including with family members.
“Over half of the sponsors are parents of the child,” Wolfe said, citing the percentage of children with this placement status at 55 percent.
So let me get this straight. The regime is admitting that over half of these kids are being reunited with their parents who are already here illegally. If the parents were here legally, why would they have to pay a smuggler to get them here? I would submit that most of the others are with some sort of family member here illegally.
How is the Dept of Health and Human Services finding these family members so easily? I thought the whole reason for immigration reform was so that the illegals could come out of the shadows. Sure doesn't sound like they are in the shadows to me. Things that make one go hmmmmmm.
How about when these family members come to pick up their kids, they take the whole family to dinner and then put them on a bus back to their home country? If they are so important and good for our country, why not let them do their thing in their country of origin?
Update:
Not always a fan of Ann Coulter with her opinions, but her research is top notch. Also I don't agree with anyone 100% of the time ~not even myself~ haha. In her article The "Trafficking" Law at the Border -- The Real Loophole is Obama, she sites the law and definition with a link to the law. It's Section 235. I went to the actual law ~ and found where it sites the definition for unaccompanied alien children. It took me awhile, but I found it. I found the original source and definition for Unaccompanied Alien Children. It's on page 71 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.
(2) the term ‘‘unaccompanied alien child’’ means a child who— (A) has no lawful immigration status in the United States; (B) has not attained 18 years of age; and (C) with respect to whom— (i) there is no parent or legal guardian in the United States; or (ii) no parent or legal guardian in the United States is available to provide care and physical custody.
As a side note. Wading through these laws that Congress passes is a nightmare. No wonder citizens just throw up their hands. The Constitution wasn't written in such a manner. Another reason that we need to get back to the simplicity of the Founders.
What is the saying about teaching an old dog new tricks? Perennial spoiler candidate Doc Flinn is up to his old tricks. I was lucky to be in the 8th Congressional District in 2010 when Flinn was running in the Republican Primary for Congress. There were three candidates in that race ~which ended up being the most expensive primary that election:~ Stephen Fincher, Ronald Kirkland and George Flinn. I would sometimes get two or three mailers from each candidate in a day. Stephen Fincher won the primary and went on to beat the Democrat for Congress. In 2012, the "good" doc ran in the 9th Congressional District ~after redistricting~ and defeated Charlotte Bergmann in the Republican Primary and then later went down to a smashing defeat to Democrat Steve Cohen. I discovered fraud with Flinn's Primary Petition, but that didn't phase the Establishment Shelby County GOP. They were lured by the "good" doc's money. Even with the "good" doc's money, he still got a lower percentage of the vote than Ms. Bergmann did in 2010.
Now we are in 2014 and guess what; the "good" doc is at it again. This time his "prize" is the US Senate. The problem is; he's not in it to win it. He's in it to spoil it for his buddy Lamar Alexander.
"Flinn’s involvement increases the chances that anti-incumbent voting could be split in a race that has a total of eight candidates. But Flinn says he does not mind being cast as a spoiler.
"'I think we’re going to spoil this whole election,' he said."
Like in 2012 when he entered the race at the last minute, the "good" doc also entered the 2014 race at the last minute.
When Beat Lamar had their first meeting in Memphis in June 2013, the "good" doc was there and taking pics. Here is a pic of him at that event. He then had a meeting with Lamar Alexander right before pulling the petition to run for the Senate.
Fast forward to this week. Talk show host, Laura Ingraham came to Nashville to help Joe Carr. Here is the link to the actual Facebook event. Here is the link to the fake Facebook event for the "good" doc.
Here is a picture of the actual event with Laura Ingraham and Joe Carr.
Here is the logo for the real Beat Lamar group and here is their website:
Here is the logo for the "sponsor" of the fake Flinn event and the website for the fake group.
What is it that they say about imitation being the highest form of flattery? What does it mean that Lamar is feeling the heat from Joe Carr and is needing to get help from his buddy the "good" doc?
Don't be fooled by the "good" doc. Vote for Joe Carr who actually does have a record of being against amnesty and ObamaCare. It's time to tell the "good" doc and his buddy, Lamar, that we are tired of you. Your money might buy you influence with the ruling class, but We the People aren't buying what you are selling anymore.
Update:
Lamar must really be feeling the heat. The latest mailer that I received from the "good" doc is attacking Joe Carr. I wonder what Lamar has promised the "good" doc?
I have had two FaceBook friends post this graphic in the last couple of weeks. Maybe it has popped up in your newsfeed as well. I believe it is important to have the facts to counter these kinds of claims.
As with anything else, context is so important. Here is my response to both of them.
When one is looking at stats, one has to have the whole picture. This graphic doesn't have the whole picture. Here's the context of these numbers.
First, the timing of these numbers is misleading. If you remember, the Democrats took control of Congress after the 2006 midterm elections. So the real effect of Democrat policies started taking effect in January 2007. Remember also that both Obama and Biden were in the Senate during that time ~as well as Hillary Clinton~.
1) The Dow is up because of Quantitative Easing. Federal $$ being printed and pumped into the stock market. Hang on to your hats. Remember the .com bubble and the real estate bubbles?
2) For the real unemployment numbers, one needs to look at the labor force participation rate.
Jan 2007 – 66.40%
Jan 2009 – 65.7%
April 2014 – 62.80%
Lowest labor force participation rate since 1978. The reason that the umemployment numbers are down is because of workers that have quit looking for work.
GDP after the Bush tax cuts
December 31, 2002 – 1.8%
December 31, 2003 – 2.8%
December 31, 2004 – 3.8%
December 31, 2005 – 3.4%
The facts show that GDP increased after the Bush Tax cuts and started falling when the Democrats took control of Congress and the Democrats started spending like drunken sailors. My apologies to sailors; at least drunken sailors quit when they run out of money. DC politicians just borrow and print money.
The federal budget goes from October 1 - September 30. When we elected the Republicans to Congress in the fall of they took office in January of 2011 and the first budget they had was the 2012. That was the fiscal year that the federal deficit started to decrease slightly. Here are the actual numbers.
The federal deficit the last year of the Bush/Republican Congress budget was $161 Billion. When the Democrats took control of Congress after the 2006 elections, the next fiscal year the deficit climbed to $459 Billion and $1413 Billion the year King Barry I was elected. That was when TARP was forced on us. We then had 2 additional years of $1300 Billion deficits with Obama/Democrat Congress. Finally with Republicans back in control of the House, the deficit has come down slightly to $1100 Billion and $973 Billion. So yes, the deficit is technically down from its highs, but doesn't really paint the whole picture. For comparison, the highest deficit during the Bush/Republican Congress days was $413 Billion.
One fact that this graphic doesn't touch is the increase in food stamps. If the economy is so great, why are there millions more on food stamps today than when Obama was immaculated? Why has spending on food stamps doubled under Obama if the economy is doing so well?
So far, I have not had one of these friends ~one is my TN State Representative~ who have even tried to refute any of my facts. I'll post updates when/if I hear from any of them. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Update: I just had one of the friends that posted this make a comment. She didn't try to refute any of my facts, she just basically tried to make the point that Obama is only one person and doing what he can for the "betterment of all." Sorry, but that doesn't cut it for me. Even if you ascribe good intentions to Obama and the left, ~which I don't~ there are consequences to their wrong policies. She did say she loved my "deep knowledge" though. I guess when you can't argue with the facts . . .
Update #2: There have been two friends of the original poster of this graphic that have said that they agree with the graphic ~no response to the facts I posted however.~ One of them was one my dh's cousins that unfriended me a couple of years ago when she couldn't handle my challenges. She could call me racist, but heaven help if I pointed out her hypocrisy, but I digress. I asked her if she was going to post my facts along with the graphic. She responded with a long rant and called me rude, argumentative and accusatory. She also proceeded to tell me what I could and couldn't say on this common friend's page. You've gotta love libs . .
Update #3: I was asked for my source by a reader below. I have revised my numbers and added the link to the U.S. Dept of Commerce. At the link, you can create your own table of stats by year and/or quarter. While my updated numbers are lower, they still show that the economy started to tank after the Democrats took control of Congress in 2007.
.jpg)
