Everyday I review headlines from several news sites to see what is going on. Today, a headline from Rush Limbaugh caught my eye. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to explore what it is all about. Rush reports that our phone service providers have invaded our privacy with an app. It seems, a law passed in Spring of 2013 mandates that phone service providers downloaded an app that will give us emergency information. I checked my phone immediately and wallah there is was. It seems that now if Obama wants to send me some of his socialist propaganda under the guise of emergency information he can text me his message. Supposedly, the system will tell me if there is a pending tornado bearing down upon my house, or a hurricane is creeping in from the north along the length of Lake Michigan from Mackinaw Island, or the Cook County Forest Preserve is on fire and heading toward Will County thus putting my home in jeopardy. Most likely, it will be our dear president speaking about the virtues of Obama Care and why we have to be patient with the implementation. Big, complicated 1200 page bills that our elected Representatives did not have the time, energy, nor interest to read before voting take time and a great big bunch of money,(which by the way the Reps forgot to write into the Bill), to carry out. (Sorry, that sentence is the result of two generous pours of Winking Owl).
Check your cell to see if the app has invaded your phone. Click on the link to Rush Limbaugh’s commentary and he will give you instructions for how to go ahead. It’s kind of fun to decide if you really want all the benefits of modern technology in your pocket/purse.
I’m leaving my emergency notification button turned on, I want to see for myself what kind of BS, I mean benefit, this will lead to.
This data came to me from a friend by e-mail. I’ve seen it many times before, but this time it struck me funny. Do people really understand what they are doing to their cities? Do they care, or do they move to the suburbs to get away from it? Running isn’t the fix to the problem it is a part of the problem. We must stay and defend our turf. It has taken me sixty years to understand this phenomenon.
I ran from my childhood neighborhood to a more modern neighborhood thinking I was better than old houses and small lots. I wanted fresh air and the country, so I moved to a suburb where the lot sizes were barely double what they were in the city neighborhood. The closest shopping was three miles away. There were no public buses, and worse yet, the distance between taverns was five miles. The small town politics rivaled those of Chicago. There really wasn’t any difference in graft. The tax rates were higher than Chicago, the services were fewer. It took me twenty-nine years to move from that town.
Now, I live in Frankfort. I don’t really care how big my property is, big or small is okay, The taxes are gigantic, the rules are stupid and many. The town is designed for travel by car with little regard for pedestrian traffic. Shopping is central with one super market within a 2 mile drive. It is nice, but is it worth a thousand dollars a month in tax to live here? Not really. I could just as well live in the 100-year-old house I was born in, or in the second house where we raised our kids, and be just as happy. In the meantime, I abandoned two really close-knit neighborhoods for a third really expensive one without advancing my happiness index one iota. So look at the data below and analyze where you fit today. What would have happened had you not abandoned the town where you grew up?
TEN POOREST CITIES
City, State, % of People Below the Poverty Level
1. Detroit , MI
32.5%
2. Buffalo , NY
29.9%
3. Cincinnati , OH
27.8%
4. Cleveland , OH
27.0%
5. Miami , FL
26.9%
5. St. Louis , MO
26.8%
7. El Paso , TX
26.4%
8. Milwaukee , WI
26.2%
9. Philadelphia , PA
25.1%
10. Newark , NJ
24.2%
What do the top ten cities (over 250,000 population) with the highest poverty rate all have in common?
Detroit, MI (1st)hasn’t elected a Republican mayor since 1961.
Buffalo , NY (2nd)hasn’telected a Republican mayor since 1954.
Cincinnati , OH (3rd)hasn’telected a Republican mayor since 1984.
Cleveland , OH (4th)hasn’t elected a Republican mayor since 1989.
Miami , FL (5th)has never had a Republican mayor.
St. Louis , MO (6th)hasn’t elected a Republican mayor since 1949.
El Paso , TX (7th)has never had a Republican mayor.
Milwaukee , WI (8th)hasn’t elected a Republican mayor since 1908.
Philadelphia , PA (9th)hasn’t elected a Republican mayor since 1952.
Newark , NJ (10th)hasn’t elected a Republican mayor since 1907.
Einstein once said:
‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’
It is the poor who habitually elect Democrats yet they are still POOR!
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of manby inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanentlyby doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.”
I received an e-mail from a dear friend today and I thought it was a great piece of wisdom claimed to be written by a ninety year old. I have a soft spot for old people since I among of them. My parents lived to 88 and 92, my wife Barb’s Aunt Marie lived to 93. They had a terrific influence on me throughout life. Their wisdom was amazing. I love listening to old people tell stories about their past and the people they knew. When this e-mail arrived, and claimed 45 lessons from 90-year-old Regina Brett, I was ready to repost immediately. Since falsehoods bite me too many times, I thought why not Google the author Regina Brett. Happily, I found that Regina actually wrote the piece, but was mildly disappointed to learn that she is nowhere near ninety. The photo that accompanied the e-mail does not resemble the real Regina in the least.
I am going to post the piece because it has wisdom about living to the fullest. I condone the forty-five lessons. Having lost loved ones who never got the opportunity to follow the rules, I understand what they mean.
Why do people do what they do? Why was it necessary to give the credit of these 45 life lessons to a ninety year old? Is it too hard to believe that they could come from someone as young as the real Regina? I like the lessons regardless of the age of the writer. They are sound, wise lessons on how to live your life. Visit her website by clicking on the link and learn more about this wise young woman.
I thought I had an edge posting this commentary, but when I viewed the links to similar articles about Regina’s lessons I realized I am again a dollar short and a day late.
