Elections 2024

Wednesday 13 November 2024

Today a bunch of large companies announced massive layoffs. I wonder if they were waiting till after the election to do so. Election day was 8 days ago. 

Seven days ago, we found out Trump won a second term. The largely controlled left-wing media was totally shocked. All left wing Americans appear to be devastated. Not like other elections. Some opted to take off and have a sick day after the election, for more than just the sleep deprivation of watching till the votes were counted. I've heard dozens of people say they spent the day bawling. Everyone who went to work could tell who everyone voted for. You were either elated and throwing a party or devastated and on the verge of tears. 

Some families are breaking up along political lines. The LGBTQ and women who believe in reproductive rights are cutting off their family members who have "voted their rights away" as the "Project 2025" plan outlines. Republicans in Utah largely deny Trump has any plans to implement Project 2025. 

I am unclear about how life is going for immigrants. I'm shocked to hear that about 45% of legal-immigrants voted Republican, despite Trump's promise to deport their undocumented families and roll back amnesty. But it occurred to me today that they're probably sharing the neighborhood with drug dealers, gangs and traffickers... So maybe it does make sense that they would like a strong border. 

Today I heard a rumor that the most googled question after the election was, "What's a tariff?" But I suspect it's more propaganda because I couldn't find it on Google trends. Both parties are using copious amounts of propaganda. People don't agree on what the facts are in our reality. The news programs seem most interested in getting clicks and have been publishing clickbait for a while now. 

MSNBC is up for sale today and others may soon follow. It's weird to realize news stations get sold. To me, news always seemed like a public service the way PBS was funded by donations and on behalf of appropriate tv shows for children. 

I have an ultra right wing uncle who enjoys arguing politics with me. He sends me ridiculous amounts of "shorts" (mini-videos) full of propaganda. A lot of it is inaccurate. Some of it isn't. But it's frustrating to sift through. Name calling bothers me more than most propaganda tactics, and he sends me a lot of that. 

I've spent a lot of time this year trying to understand the perspectives of both sides. It's been a difficult task. A lot of people don't want to talk about it and sometimes I get triggered and start arguing instead of listening. Often they do too. 

I made a joke in therapy last week... "We're all about to start our very own Anne Frank diaries." The left certainly believes we're in the Nazi era. I thought so too for this entire year. Until this week. 

I really struggle with watching the debates, because of the contentious nature of it, so I've been watching the news clips afterwards... And apparently it was possibly... very manipulated. Three days after the election, I watched Joe Rogan's interview with Trump. I was totally shocked. That was the first video I'd seen where Trump sounded like a rational, intelligent human being. The interview was 3 hours long. I was so surprised and impressed with the content, it felt like the political version of a religious faith crisis, all over again. 

I feel like I need to go back and endure watching all those debates and speeches to find out if the horrible things I've seen clips of Trump saying... were actually sarcasm or jokes like Republicans I've talked to, have claimed. The very first allegation of him "admitting to sexual assaulting a woman"... Looked to be "locker talk" with a lack of context. 

Maybe all those clips of horrible things he said n. Maybe it was Trump's "entertainment" personality on the podium, after years of being on TV shows and always in the public eye. Just exaggerating the truth or being sarcastic because that's engaging entertainment. 

If most everything the left sold people on public news stations was a false narrative, while simultaneously suppressing other perspectives under the guise of "dangerous misinformation,"... And people cut off their family members over it... Just.. wow. That's some deep harm. 

"Let it go" by Peter Walsh

Exercise 2:

1. When strangers encounter me, I hope they think of me as:
Knowledgeable, loveable-cute, kind, accepting, safe

2. What top 3 possessions that I own help me create that impression?
Modest, well-suited clothes, simple jewelry (if any), and a smile

3. What possessions that I own, would create the opposite impression?
Gawdy jewelry, grubby clothes, messy hair & a unwelcome look.

4. When loved ones think of me, I hope they think of me as:
Organized (time & spaces), inviting & loving, and very helpful (informative)

5. Which three possessions help me create that impression?
My calendar/reminders, homemade cards, and my time/calling them.

6. What possessions that I own, would create the opposite impression?
Clutter, my forgetfulness, relationship neglect

7. What are the most important roles in my life that identify who I am?
Parent, member of the Church of Jesus Christ, a seeker of knowledge, a good neighbor & friend... Oh, and I'm a sister/daughter...
(Why did sister/daughter not make it in that list, right off?)

8. Which three possessions help me create that impression?
Parent - toys, kids dishes, pile of kid bikes outside, parenting books
Member of CoJC - spiritual books, notebook of notes, picture of Christ holding a Child, picture of Temple
Seeker of knowledge - pile of library books,   ...?
Good neighbor and friend - ......? De-cluttered & pruned yard? Playdates & girls nights on my calendar.
Sister & Daughter - photos of family on wall & Chromecast. Scrapbooks.

9. What possessions are linked to roles that aren't important to me, or that used to support roles that are no longer important?
Hobby collector - cross stitch (thread, fabric, 1 project half finished), watercolor (paint, paper, etc), paper scrapbooker (paper & supplies), social worker (textbooks & notes), maybe quilter.

10. After I'm gone, I would want my children/grandchildren to remember me for these characteristics, things I did, or experiences I had:
Characteristics - value my family, kindness, knowledgeable
Things I did - geneaology/temple work, faithful saint,
Experiences - service to others

11. Which 3 possessions will help me leave these memories?
Library books, note cheat sheets (learning topics in a nutshell), computer - geneology; scriptures+notes;

12. What possessions that I own would create an impression I wouldn't want to leave?
Clutter = disorganized; unremarkable; white trash
Dirty home/ my person = not classy. Redneck. Rough. Chaos.
Multiple computers/ fancy jewelry - unapproachable, wealthy
Multiple TVs - lover of movies and media.

Huh. Interesting that I don't want to look wealthy. Or poor/redneck/un-classy. I want to be classy clean, and approachable.

I want to be available to help or listen. I want to be organized with good pre-planning for the spontaneous. I want my life's basics (cleaning, cooking, exercise, etc) to not require thinking. And I want to be frugal, think outside the box, be unusual, and remain in good health.

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Roles I want to become:
Teacher/homeschool Mom
Efficient homemaker & healthy cook
Successful Scheduler
Geneologist/ temple attender
Organized Decision maker
role model - saint/church member
Attentive wife

Studying Discrimination is Counter-Productive

Lately I've been going through my old schoolwork trying to de-clutter and organize it in a way I can quickly reference it. It's taken me quite a while to get through my shelf full of 3-ring-binders, but today I am down to the last one, or at least, the last one on my first go around. It seems to take me 3 tries to get it down to a manageable size.

The last stack of paper is from my Diversity class. It was all about learning and being aware of the discrimination that people from all walks of life, face. Sexism, Racism, religious persecution, Sexual orientation persecution, to name a few.

I had a hard time with this class. I'm going to try to brainstorm exactly why that is in the following paragraphs.

There were texts we read that reiterated over and over again about the privilege that white people have, especially white males, over everyone else. Articles often stated that white people act racist and sexist all the time without even realizing it. And the cure was for white people to acknowledge and accept this truth, and to try to minimize their own discriminatory behavior. Furthermore, white people needed to realize and accept that others may lash out in anger about it on occasion. Additionally, being color-blind to race was not an excuse, but rather another way in which white people discriminated against other races.

I really struggled with this because I believe you can only discriminate if you're doing it on purpose (whether conscious or unconsciously). Otherwise, you're just being 'thoughtless' or 'clueless' or 'naive.' Discrimination is a strong word, and it doesn't seem fair to use it on every possibly perceived slight.

I was truly color-blind up until about 8th grade. About half the students at school and in my neighborhood were Latino, but I didn't see race. I just knew that a lot of people spoke Spanish. I feel that because I was color-blind, I wasn't treating them differently based on race, because I didn't see that difference between them and myself. And being able to speak Spanish is pretty darn cool.

Right out of high school, I was shadowing a guy for my first job. He was talking on the phone, selling product as a telemarketer, and switched to Spanish when he realized he was talking to a man who spoke Spanish but very little English. After the phone call, I said, "It's super cool that you speak Spanish." He said, "uh, Yeah! Duh." I was surprised at his response, looked him over, and realized he was Latino and I hadn't noticed.

One article countered that a Caucasian person cannot understand another person or where they are coming from if they are not aware of their ethnicity. My counter argument is that I've met Asians in America who are 100% culturally American and have very little, if any, ties to any country's culture in Asia. So to identify that they're Asian would only serve to create a perceived identity that the person does not necessarily have. (I should mention here that most 'Asians' don't like to be categorized as such; and would much rather be known by their country of origin. AKA Mongolian, Chinese, Japanese, etc.) However, there are enough people who do identify their ethnicity and assume their background, that it does affect how they are treated on a regular basis.

We read 2 textbooks and numerous chapters printed off in mass quantities from other textbooks, throughout the semester. By the end of the semester, we, the classmates, understood that our Asian teacher was trying to teach us that 'middle-class white males' are inherently discriminating no matter what they do or how much they know or are aware. We also figured out that she was extremely discriminating towards 'white males.' This seemed to me to be a big red flag as to the problems with focusing on and studying discrimination. Studying discrimination does not eliminate it. If our teacher was showing extreme Racism and Sexism after teaching this class year in and year out, then being will versed in discrimination clearly did not reverse the problem, on even an individual level.

The LDS church doesn't generally talk too much about any particular minority group. They do mention that women should strive for an education and that children deserve to have two married parents - male and female. They mention that saints should be kind to everyone, even of the LGBT persuasion. But mostly they teach to Love they Neighbor, Serve others, and be Kind and Charitable always. Most Christian churches teach these things.

My observation is that focusing on qualities of kindness and forgiveness produce far better results than studying hate crimes and discrimination. Those who fixate on every way a person can be discriminated against become angry and victimized. They respond in a defensive way, no matter what the intent of the question or statement was. They are always looking over their shoulder for the next verbal attack, and anything that doesn't go their way is suddenly because discrimination took place. Didn't get that job? Must be because I'm Black. Couldn't possibly be because out of the other 20 applicants, someone else was more qualified or better suited for the job. People who think they're always discriminated against will perceive every slight as an act of discrimination; despite there being no real evidence.

That said, should it never be studied? Not necessarily. People will often have a hard time in adulthood trying to understand their childhood, and learning about discrimination may help to explain things they did not understand as a child. It may help people who don't understand why, a person who has internalized discrimination, behaves the way they do. However, studying culture could be much more beneficial for most, rather than studying discrimination and all the ways a person could be wronged.

I grew up in an area where kids were mean to each other all the time. Being different in any way was ammunition for teasing. My diversity teacher would say every student was discriminating. To an extent, I agree, however, I believe it had for more to do with the culture; a false belief, that there was a finite amount of 'self-esteem' to go around. And by putting someone else down, lower than yourself, it added to your 'prestige.' It was a survival technique. It was a taught behavior. It was a culture of rudeness and bullying.

And from that culture, grew adults who felt they were always being persecuted and could not escape being a victim. They (mostly women) are constantly feeling the need to defend themselves and crying foul and 'don't judge me.' The men are treating women poorly and leaving the relationship. Society has taught the men to have unrealistic expectations. Society expects very little good behavior from men. Men fulfill those expectations.

After 4 months, a semester, studying discrimination, I had learned near to nothing that would fix it, but this idea that awareness and self-evaluation might. But what I felt was a greater amount of anger and hatred towards general humanity and towards experiences I had had that didn't make sense until you put it under the lens of discrimination. And under that lens, it's very hard to forgive.

The good news is, it's almost all in their head. The bad news is, the head is the hardest thing to change. (I'd like to add here, that I am aware that severe violence happens to people and that they are in fear of their lives. I do not want to minimize that. However, in my corner of the world, I've never seen it. I speak to what I've seen, and what I've seen is that many problems are perceived.)

I feel like our American culture perpetuates discrimination even as they are trying to fix it by awareness. The more you fill out paperwork that asks for your ethnicity, the more it reminds you that differences matter. The more people assume that you speak Spanish because your Latino, the more it makes you feel less than everyone else. The more President Trump mentions Muslim terrorists, the more people there are committing hate crimes against Muslims.

Not to say we should never talk about it. Utah's failure in sex education is a fantastic example of creating problems by making a topic taboo. But to make a big deal about it either way or to focus on the negative is always going to result in negative results. Focusing on the positive side, forgiving others, and striving to be better as individuals and as communities, and most of all, creating friends and opening dialogue on an individual level will go much further than anything else.

I am a County Delegate 2016

I am a County Delegate.

After 4 weeks of research and meetings with candidates, I've come to some realizations.

1. People tend to get voted in if they have good speaking skills; more so than their qualifications.

2. The quietest, least dramatic candidates tend to get less noticed, but, in my opinion, would be the best leaders.

3. I now hate the word, "conservative." I don't think it actually means anything.

4. All political leaders seem to be less effective, or less motivated on principles, the longer their in office. I suspect that they get comfortable with their salaries and lifestyle. They live in neighborhoods where everyone is living well, and begin to forget that there are penny-pinching Americans that can't make ends meet.

5. My "American Dream" is different from other people. The original dream is one of having opportunity to rise up from poverty into prosperity. My American dream, is that all people who work in skilled trade jobs, or college educated jobs, should be able to comfortably provide for a family - like $60,000-$100,000/ year. They shouldn't have to climb corporate ladders, work 80 hours a week, start a business, get into management or change jobs all the time, just to make ends meet. They should be able to afford insurance, and save for retirement, while paying the monthly bills and raising a family. They should be able to buy a small (about 2,000 sq. ft), modest house, own two cars, and have as many children as they want. They should be able to spend time with their families regularly.

I don't feel like that's the America I live in. I feel like the America I live in is chaos. The America I live in is one where either you're on the top, or you're on the bottom. 

-38 percent of all American workers made less than $20,000 last year.

-51 percent of all American workers made less than $30,000 last year.

-62 percent of all American workers made less than $40,000 last year.

-71 percent of all American workers made less than $50,000 last year.

"It has been estimated that it takes approximately $50,000 a year to support a middle class lifestyle for a family of four in the U.S. today, and so the fact that 71 percent of all workers make less than that amount shows how difficult it is for families that try to get by with just a single breadwinner." (Oct 2015)

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/10/goodbye-middle-class-51-percent-of-all-american-workers-make-less-than-30000-dollars-a-year.html

I agree with these statements and article wholeheartedly. My husband is an IT computer technician. He has a bachelors in Information Systems. Yet, after working for an IT company for 7 years, he makes only $40,000 (Gross). In Utah, which is a state that tends to pay less per cost of living than other states, particularly in the computer industry, but is also currently, in 2016, #2 in the nation, for being in the best economic situation of any state. 

The sad part is, according to payscale.com, my husband is making more money than 61% of the other IT Technicians with similar jobs! 

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The republican party was asking for donations. I feel like I'm morally against it, but I'm not sure I've figured out why. Maybe because I feel like they've failed us? When they were in office, they didn't do what they promised? 

Maybe because I feel more like a Centrist, than a Republican?

Meeting Celebrities

Normally I have no aspirations to meet a celebrity. I tend to get pretty shy and it just ends up being awkward. I can't even manage to ask for a picture with them. And I can never come up with anything to ask them about.

This morning I'm watching youtube videos with Andrew and we're watching a lot of Alex Boye music videos. And I realized, I really would like to meet him. He reminds me of some of my college friends. The thing is, I'd probably still be shy and awkward. So, I think I'm going to need an icebreaker friend there with me.

Like Warky. Steve "Warky" Nunez is one of my good friends from college and he's put out a couple CDs of mormon parodies and a lot of anime stuff. He goes to the anime convention every year... unless he's double booked, which he was this year. Somehow I met a lot of cool people through him, and he was the icebreaker for everybody. A 'cool' group that I would never be noticed by, would think I'm cool too. I didn't realize he did that for me, until I was thinking about it today.

Most Important Political Issues

Just filled out a survey for The White House website/ webform/ newsletter I get in my email each week. Here are some of the questions they asked and answers I gave them.

What’s the most important policy area to you?

The federal deficit

What do I think about the Federal Deficit? That's a can of worms. I'm surprised you asked in this survey. This issue worries me the most because debt is a form of slavery. The borrower is slave to the lender and this country's government doesn't seem to understand this concept (nor many of its citizens). I think this country is heading for a historic fall similar the Roman Empire, due to a combination of debt, conflict and worldwide violence. I don't truly believe America will fall, but I think that we will suffer a great deal due to a dramatic increase in violence in the world and our own financial and social mistakes. 

Second most important policy area?

Tax policy

I think that the Tax policy is too complicated. It's also making it very difficult for citizens to anticipate their taxes owed and causing stress on families. At the same time, all these complicated ways of determining if a person owes taxes that year and how much, is making it very difficult for state and federal departments to anticipate their revenue each year. 

A flat tax would allow citizens to budget for taxes owed while giving the government a very simple math problem to determine what their revenue will be. (% of income earned of Americans minus deductions such as children and donations up to a certain %.) A clear picture of revenue would make it much easier for government to create and maintain a balanced budget. 

But what if revenue was much lower one year because of natural disaster and economy downturn? Just as each family should have an emergency fund for things like their car breaking down, so should the federal government. Put Savings as a national priority, and suddenly you'll find yourself being Proactive to potential problems rather than Reactive. 

What I've seen of the tax system is that some people are getting paid to live in America year after year, while others are constantly feeling like they're paying for 10 families. Some people get major penalties for accidentally filling the forms out wrong, including small businesses. Some of these people and businesses go broke because of little tax mistakes. No one should have the undue weight and stress of a complicated tax system. Hey, maybe Americans health will improve upon a simpler system being implemented!

What about all those people who will be unemployed at the IRS after the flat tax is introduced? Put them into the immigration department. Immigration is more than 7 years behind in paperwork. Get them some helpers. 

What would you like to see less of on the White House website?

Fluff. stuff that's suppose to make everyone think things are getting better, hoping that that rumor will somehow actually make it better. 

Also, hearing that a young adult is paying $24 a month for health insurance just infuriates me, because I know that means I'm subsidizing him and 10 lazy butts like him so he can afford buy booze and eat out every day. Luckily I have no interest in wasting money on alcohol, but it is frustrating that I can only afford to eat out about once every other month. I am living on $30 a week for groceries. I dare you do that. Bet you can't. And no, I don't qualify for Food Stamps. (I have both pride and anger concerning this topic. Pride that we are making it without help, and anger that the situation and government policies make it so difficult to get anywhere.)

Black Thursday/Friday Mistakes

In previous years I've never gone to any Black Friday sales, because I like sleeping in more than "getting a deal" on something at 6am. Trying not to get run over or getting in a fight with somebody also didn't appeal to me.

This year, I was talking to a friend about it... she goes to Walmart every year and buys a new printer because a new printer is cheaper than buying a refill ink cartridge. So I went home and did a couple hours of ad searching trying to find something I would want.

When I shop, I look only for things I would use, have space for, and already want. Then I check reviews, and pick the best brand and model.

Looking at the ads, what I saw was: cheapest crappy brand = moderate sale price. And I didn't find a single thing that even approached a brand/model combo I was interested in. And that Walmart printer? It's $30 on ad instead of $40 regularly because it's just that cheap. 25% off is not a blowout deal.

But as each year brings on an earlier and earlier opening doors time, and this year, where stores open at 6pm ON THANKSGIVING, I'm disgusted. Disgusted that employees have to work because people will go shopping. I believe in boycotting stores on days I wouldn't want to work. That includes Sundays, LDS General Conference weekend, and holidays - including the day before and after.

This is where I admit I went to the store this Thanksgiving morning. It was kind of an ox in the mire. I was out of milk, and my 1 year old needs something to drink. So, on my way out, I tipped my cashier, and the grocery cart collector. They both were surprised and happy about it. And it made me feel good doing the giving. I definitely recommend tipping employees when you're shopping on a day you wouldn't want to be at work.