Unfriending Facebook

I’m posting this here so that any stalkers who are unable to find me on the almighty Facebook in the near future will not have to worry about my safety or sanity. They’re both no more and no less intact than at any other time. Facebook is going away for me at this point in life because I am not finding it beneficial. I no longer use it to contact people I can’t get in touch with other ways. I check it once every week or two, so it’s not a reliable place to reach me. I don’t enjoy it. Honestly, looking at the posts in the news feed makes me feel miserable and more cynical than usual. It doesn’t seem to be a productive use of my time. That doesn’t speak to anyone else’s use of this form of networking, though.

It really comes down to the fact that it’s not pleasant as a leisure time activity and it is not useful for accomplishing tasks. If I don’t like it and I don’t need it, I get rid of it. I know, I know… They’re rolling out 60 new apps and Facebook is going to be better than ever! Y’all have fun with that. I never liked the fact that Facebook apps could see my account. It’s a high risk for identity theft. Have fun with that, too!

I’ve closed my account before then gone back, and potentially, I could do that again. I’m not quitting for any specific amount of time, though. Nor am I quitting due to some major upset or conflict. Nor am I quitting to be more holy. Heck, maybe I’m quitting to be less holy because I can’t take any more Facebook preaching. Who knows?

I will post my email address on Facebook (but not on this site). And you can email me there if you need my phone number. You probably don’t. And I may not give it to you. But you can try. If you’re related to me, I will give it to you. Probably. Outside of email and phone, you’ll either have to run me down or write me a letter. I’ve heard people managed that way in the past, though. Of course, they died eventually. I guess I could die without Facebook. I probably will. Someday.

The Government’s Money

I was walking across campus a couple weeks ago and I happened upon this little gem of liberalism…  Let me give you a little context.  I didn’t hear the entire thing because I was walking past, but I did hear this girl complain about something she was going to have to do (Your guess is as good as mine.  Get a job or file for a loan, maybe.) “because the government won’t give me more money for tuition.”  That is exactly what she said.  Make sure you read that in your whining ditzy girl voice, too.  I promptly turned around and hit her on top of the head with my umbrella in an effort to knock some sense into her.  Okay, so I didn’t have an umbrella.  And that’s probably a good thing.  But I was seething.

Here are some facts about me:  I have received no government sponsored financial aid for tuition or books.  I have received $3900 in scholarships over my 3 year college career.  I will have spent around $15,000 after I pay for this coming semester.  That’s not a complaint.  This is what I want to do and it has to be paid for.  That’s what gets me, though.  Higher education is a privilege.  None of us deserve it.  And since we don’t deserve it, we pay for it.  If it were a God-given right it would be free.  (e.g. life and liberty)  This is the reason property is not considered an inalienable right.  The pursuit of property is what we have the right to, not property itself with no pursuit.  And this is the problem with the college system today.  We have thousands of people convinced that the entirety of education is their inalienable right.  Wrong.  The pursuit of education should be available to everyone.  This means all who work to get an education (including paying for it) deserve one.  Those who don’t work for it don’t get it.

I am perfectly aware that this could be me.  I could get to a point where I don’t have the resources to continue in my education.  When or if that day comes, I will accept that I don’t need or deserve the education unless I can and will pay for it.  I don’t have a problem with people delaying the payments until they are out of school granted they actually pay for their education at some point in time.  That could be me, too.

One of the many problems with the education entitlement mindset is that it ignores the fact that the government doesn’t have money.  Yes, it has revenues (as well as trillions in debt), but those revenues aren’t the same as business revenues.  We’re not talking about a company that makes a great product, sells it for a competitive price, and then enjoys the big bucks.  We’re talking about mandatory percentages that income earners pay, a percentage on everything we buy, gas taxes, tampon taxes, sin taxes.  When you say, “The government won’t give me more money,” you are in essence saying, “The government won’t further drain the taxpayers so that I can have what I want for free.”  You feel big and bad when you bash the government because this is 2011 and we’re so over everything.  You’re not big and bad.  It’s clueless, ignorant.  The government has to get its money from somewhere.  And please, please don’t suggest they just print more.  That’s a problem for another day.

Tags: college, money, taxes

“Uhhhh…” -The Highlight of the 11.9.11 Republican Debate

Not surprisingly, Perry has been the brunt of jokes on the morning radio shows, the blogs, talk radio, the liberal media for just over 36 hours now. What is so lovely [sarcasm] about this is that no one can remember anything else that happened in the debate. It’s great. The guy forgets what he was going to say and we all forget everything else he said and everything else the other debaters said. (Now how do we decide who’s the idiot?) People who know me well know that I have a thing for Perry. But this isn’t about that. I’m not defending my man, per se. Not in the “my man” sense. But I am a little defensive.

Here’s the first problem- there are entirely too many dadgum debates. I knew this was a bad idea from the start. Every single candidate is shooting him/herself in the foot by doing this. With many words comes much folly, right? Shut up and look pretty, y’all.

Second problem- We put too much weight on the debates. I realize this is the process we use to vet our candidates and sift the chaff, but are we really THAT concerned with how well our candidates can debate? They’re not trying out for the debate team. We’re trying to find someone to run our country, which I would hope would not primarily consist of smiling at the camera and politely arguing with everyone in sight.

Third problem- We watch these debates to see people screw up. It is way easier to discern a mistake than a “winning” answer. We do this in real life, too. For example, a couple weeks ago I was eavesdropping on a guy walking from a pub. He was saying that they had gone to have a few drinks at the… uhhh… what’s it called… uhhh… I came really close to turning around and saying, “Bar?” I mean, how hard is it to remember a three-letter word? Maybe the guy had a few too many drinks, I don’t know. But then again, how often do I lose my train of thought without any drinks? People get distracted, they forget words. But we can’t deny that we have fun pointing out others’ flaws. Who better to do it to than a politician who will never hear us directly?

Rick Perry had an “oops” moment. Hrmm… You mean governors say that too? Wow! Get over it, people. If the media were following me to catch every oops moment in my life nothing else would ever make news.

Bless Your Heart Politics

I’m a southern gal.  I’m a Texas girl and quite proud of it.  It is the best dang state in the union.  Sometimes I imagine my honeymoon including a tour of the State Capitol or a trip to the Alamo.  Well, maybe not the honeymoon, but definitely some vacations.

Side-note: A few summers ago the family and I went to Austin for a day in our vacation and we went through the state museum.  I lagged behind everyone else the entire way through, enthralled with all things Texas in front of my eyes.  I even wanted to try to sneak back in to go through the museum without paying again, but the family vetoed that one.  I’m not even sure if I suggested it.  They would have vetoed it if I had let them know my secret longings.  And then at the Capitol I could hardly stand it I was so enamored.  Walking through the halls left me stunned and giddy as a girl on her first date.  Every way we walked I had to listen for the footsteps ahead of me to know where I was walking because my eyes were everywhere else.  This state-love is another story, though.

If I were to invite you to dinner at my house I would be willing to bet money that I could bait my mother into blessing someone’s heart.  Bring up the right kind of character or the proper problem-laden narrative and you’ll strike gold.  Usually “Bless her heart,” is the summary statement after a critique of the situation and narrative of the possible solutions.  Lest you think I’m being hard on my mother, let me say that I could bring you along for dinner or coffee at a number of other homes and accomplish this same feat.  And I’m not criticizing the blessing of others’ hearts.  It’s a southern phrase.  We’re generally helpful and try to be understanding of others.  But there’s a bit of hopelessness in this phrase.  We say, “Bless your heart,” but the implicit ending to this phrase is something like, “You just can’t do any better.”  Depending on the circumstances we may mean that your intelligence level is hindering you, or your common sense, or your upbringing, or a number of situation influences.  Regardless of the reason, we’re blessing your heart because we know things aren’t going to change.

By now you’re probably wondering where politics play into this and why I threw that into the title.  If you’re on my wave link you’re probably already thinking about entitlement programs.  If not, let me spell it out for you.  We’ve all heard the argument that we need more government programs to “get people back on their feet.”  But the question is, Have we seen these programs result in people getting back on their feet?  I’m not saying there are never people who benefit from forms of welfare and manage to turn around the negative patterns and end up working and supporting themselves and their families.  I’m thinking of the general outcome.  And beyond that, thinking about whether these forms of aid are conducive to getting people “back on their feet.”

Let me give some examples of what some of this government aid is accomplishing.  Good ol’ financial aid for school.  I’m not eligible.  And honestly, I’m good with that.  I like working hard and doing it myself (with the help of family members who have worked hard their entire lives to provide for themselves and me).  But here’s what gets me.  Back at the JUCO I was sitting in the Student Success Center, I think they called it, waiting for my next class to start and an old friend walks in.  I’m glad to see this friend and ask how she is because a lot has transpired since the last time we’d spent time with each other.  She tells me having a baby (out of wedlock) really helped her financially.  She reports that every penny of her tuition, fees, and books has been covered by financial aid (not scholarships either).  I grit my teeth and grin at this.  Yes, 25% of my daddy’s income goes to funding this, but maybe it really will benefit her and she’ll be able to provide for her baby in the future.  Then she goes on to tell me after financial aid processing is completed she will end up with additional funds.  Her plan for these moneys: A $300 paid of Jordans for the baby daddy and a new computer.  There’s the problem.  That’s not education.  What made us think we should pay people for going to school?

Example number two- the income tax refund.

re-fund: to give back or restore (especially money); repay.

According to dictionary.com a refund is giving back money.  This would require there originally being a payment of at least the same amount.  Last year was my first year to file my own return.  It was uneventful, especially since I am still a dependent of my parents and all my deductions were filed on their return because I hadn’t paid in enough to actually benefit from those.  In the job I was working at the time I was the go-to girl for advice on filling out W-4s and questions about how to file taxes.  FYI- Put Single and 0 on your W-4.  Also, you do not have to file as a married person if you are secretly married.  Or publicly married for that matter.  As this go-to girl I became privy to some irritating information.  I learned that one could work a third of the hours I was working (and thus pay less taxes), be the only person working in the marriage, and have a child and get a massive “refund.”  I got $67.  We’re talking a little more than a tank of gas, here.  Other employees were looking at thousands coming in.  I was appalled.

Paying people to go to school and giving them tax refunds that come out of the taxes other people are paying in are fabulous incentives to not work.  Why even attempt to get a full-time job when you can get your necessities from programs and even swing some spending money at the end?  We keep up these programs that enforce the “Bless your heart, [you just can't do any better]” mindset.  And it’s working!  Not only are we convincing people they can’t do any better, but we are rewarding them such that they don’t even want to try.  It’s one thing to pay for someone’s tuition, fees, and books.  It’s entirely another to pay for their Jordans and MacBooks.  There’s a breakdown in the system when tax dollars begin to be paid out as cash to those who haven’t paid in.  It’s ridiculous.  If you walked into a department store to return a purchase and the cashier gave the money to the guy behind you, you’d come unglued.  I’d pitch a fit.  That’s idiotic and unfair.  And yet, when we’re blessing people’s hearts, somehow we let it go.  Bless your heart programs are no less ridiculous than you getting my money back when I return an item.  Think about it.  And let it irritate you.  We shouldn’t put up with it.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Phil

I don’t want fall into criticizing Dr. Phil on a personal level.  I am not here to  bash the way he talks, looks, gestures, nothing of that sort.  It’s really none of my business how he talks or dresses himself or any of that.  And I am unconcerned about those things.  They really don’t matter enough for me to concern myself with them.  I have never been a Dr. Phil watcher.  I know he has a show that comes on every afternoon and I know the type of things he typically approaches.  That’s about the extent of my firsthand knowledge.

I watched an episode this afternoon.  I didn’t pick, but I voluntarily involved myself in the watching of this show.  I found myself terribly anxious during the entire hour.  The guests were four members of a family.  A son, a daughter, and their parents.  The parents were married, but had been through the husband’s affair (which he preferred to call his “break,” e.g. “You had an affair,” “Well, no, I just broke.”  Interesting.)  The wife had severe ovarian cancer during the time of his affair.  Those were not the problems they were on the show for.  The reason for their appearance on Dr. Phil was the daughter’s addiction to prescription drugs and heroine, primarily.  She was an active user of just about whatever she could get her hands on.  Marijuana, meth, morphine, Oxycontin, Xanex, just about anything.  She was 21, didn’t work, and spent most of her days and nights searching out and bartering for her next hit.  It’s a sad story and it really happens.  I know that.

Back to the anxiety I felt while watching…  It made me tense, I felt wrong watching it.  I felt like I was spying on her pain, peeping into her intimate struggles.  Maybe I shouldn’t feel so bad because she agreed to come on the show.  It still felt off.  Dr. Phil was pretty mean, too.  He was harsh, he spoke right over her, he didn’t listen.  She tried to explain that one of the clips had misconstrued her actions and instead of just letting her say what she wanted to he first responded, “You want to tell me what?  That you do drugs?  That you’ve been prostituting yourself for drugs?  I know that.”  I found that totally unnecessary.  He had no advice for her during the show.  He had Dr. Travis Stork tell her that when she buys prescription drugs from dealers, she can’t be sure that she’s getting the same concoction she expects.  Well, duh.  I’m sure she knew that.  To bring this home he threw some insult about her not having a medical degree.  I don’t think that she was under the impression that she was a doctor, though.  Then he had a previous guest on the show say, “I have been where you are, I know how it feels.  And you can do this.”  That’s all good and well, but not much of substance.  Then he had a couple who had found their son dead in bed from an overdose say a few words.  Scare tactics.  I guess that works for some.

He really had nothing to offer the family during the hour.  He told the daughter she would have only one chance at recovery and that would be to go to the rehab program he was offering.  That’s the good part, I guess.  He offered her a free rehab.  I just don’t get why or how the time on the show is helpful.  It kind of seems like you’re paying for your rehab by being traumatized through the filming and eventual airing of the episode you join.  You provide Dr. Phil with an opportunity for profit and he’ll give you an opportunity at free rehab.  It’s a trade.  I guess it might work for some.  Although, it’s definitely a risk.  I just don’t like the set-up.  It doesn’t work for me.  It’s seems harmful and greedy.  He’s not a counselor.  At least, he’s not offering counsel.  It makes me sad.

Maybe I’m missing something.  I hope that I am.  If you can see it, point it out to me.  It really seems like a big gimmick, though.  A big, sad money-making scheme.

Reflecting on 9/11

When I think about 9/11 one thing that strikes me is the devotion of the terrorists, the commitment to what they held to be true.  (I am speaking primarily of the hijackers, though much of this applies to other members of terrorist cells.)  I don’t think they were right by any means.  As a Christian, I disagree with the religion they followed.  As a human, I am disgusted by the principles they held to.  There’s no doubt that to be convinced that killing those who don’t agree with you, even if it costs your own life, is heinous.  It’s repulsive.  But at the same time, it’s amazing.  It’s shocking that these people were so determined to serve Allah that they would devote themselves to this plan, spend time training to enact it, and follow through to their deaths.  They really believed that sacrificing their lives would gain them a reward worthy of any and all earthly suffering.  Here we find a primary difference between Islam and Christianity.  Christians are to acknowledge that suffering will come in this life and we are not to turn away, but we are never instructed to approach suffering as a work to earn us favor in the after-life.  It’s interesting to me that not all who claim to be devoted followers of Allah and are members in extremist groups have the same sort of commitment as hijackers and suicide bombers.

Case in point, Osama Bin Laden.  He had been on the FBI’s Most Wanted list since 1999.  He was a suspect in many terrorist attacks, a mastermind of much terrorist activity.  And yet, he never put himself in the cockpit, never strapped a bomb to himself, drove a car loaded with explosives down a city street.  He convinced others to do the high service of suicide for Allah, but he never chose to join them.  Would he have if he wouldn’t have been killed this spring?  Maybe.  I doubt it.  Something held him back from it.  I can’t presume to know what it was, but I am genuinely curious.  Could it have been that life was too good here and he wasn’t ready to leave it?  Maybe he just wasn’t sure that the virgins were waiting for him on the other side.  Or maybe he didn’t believe a bit of it.  Maybe he was a maniac who found a way to control others through religion.  I don’t know.

The differences fascinate me.  What is it that makes some determined to kill themselves in their youth and others choose to live in hiding for over a decade rather than be killed?  What is sad to me is that neither motivation was a good, just, right motivation.  The choice for either is senseless.  I don’t say that it is senseless for one to give up one’s own life, but for one to make killing innocent people the goal of life.

My comfort in the confusion is that each one killed, whether by choice or by force, is now getting justice.  It is impossible for us as humans to give true justice, but that justice is being acted out each second in eternity.

Mining God’s Word

I will be teaching a class on how to study the Bible at my church this fall. The class meets on Sunday nights from 5:30 to 7:30 throughout the fall. The weeks are not always consecutive. There are sometimes other Sunday night events at the church so the schedule works around those.  The class is thorough and in-depth.  There is daily homework assigned and class participation is a must.  I took this class about 3 years ago and found it very helpful.  We will work together to learn how to approach biblical texts appropriately and most fruitfully.  I know many Christians who struggle to read the Bible because they “just don’t get it.”  This class is for that very feeling.  After completing the class you should feel much more confident to go beyond reading the Bible to actually studying it, digging in to what you cannot see from a surface reading.  The class is hosted by my church, but we would really love to have people from other churches involved.  You don’t have to be a member to attend this class.  It is open to those who attend another church regularly and also to people who don’t have a church home.  There is a cost ($40) for the materials, but I believe there are some half-price registrations going right now and there are also scholarships available.  If you would like to take the class but cannot afford to, please, please, don’t hesitate to email of message me on Facebook to let me know that you are interested.  No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

If you feel lost when you try to read the Bible or feel at a loss for how to conduct Bible study, consider this class.  It’s a great tool for spiritual development.  You can register for the class online, but the deadline is approaching quickly.  I am looking forward to this class.  I hope it will be as helpful to this semester’s students as it was to me.

Monergism Books

This is going to be boring… I’m just warning you.  I became a Monergism affiliate today.  What this means is that when you buy books after clicking my link, I will get a commission.  It costs you nothing and earns a little extra book money for me.  The link is a picture in my right side bar that looks like this: .

You can also click this link. Monergism is a source of great books. They provide reformed resources which are often difficult to find. Their prices are very reasonable. Most things are discounted from list price. They also offer e-book downloads for a lot of their books. This is where I order most of the books I read aside from school collections. It’s also where I get gifts for children and adults in my church. They’re a great company. I recommend them to you.

Self-Confidence

Life for both sexes–and I looked at them, shouldering their way along the pavement–is arduous, difficult, a perpetual struggle.  It calls for gigantic courage and strength.  More than anything, perhaps, creatures of illusion as we are, it calls for confidence in oneself.  Without self-confidence we are as babes in the cradle.  And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable, most quickly?  By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself.  By feeling that one has some innate superiority–it may be wealth, or rank, a straight nose, or the portrait of a grandfather by Romney–for there is no end to the pathetic devices of the human imagination–over other people.

–Virginia Woolf in A Room of One’s Own, pages 34 and 35

Sound familiar?  We may rank our reasons for feeling superior differently in this age and place, but this instinct of man is intact even now.

Preparing for School

My classes will start in less than one week.  So far, I have mixed feelings about this.  I love school, but I’m apprehensive at the beginning of each semester.  I worry; I fear.  I get so nervous.  This time I have the added fear of … getting lost.  I know, I know – I’m a baby.  But it’s a big place!  And each of my classes is in a different building.  Do I sometimes just look for things to worry about because it’s what I do; what I’ve always done?  Yeah, probably.  I don’t like being late and I have a long walk between some of my classes so that bothers me.  Add to this that I still have not gotten one of my textbooks (so not my style).  BUT… This is going to be a good semester.  I’m going to get over this silly nervousness and enjoy it.  I will get used to things over the next few weeks so that I can start taking advantage of the great opportunity I have in this.  I struggle to take full advantage of my education.  Many times I view it entirely as a means to an end.  I forget that it’s great right now.  Sure, it’ll be great when I graduate but that doesn’t mean I have to wait until now to use and enjoy my education and the opportunities it brings.

To celebrate the beginning of the school year I have five things on my list.

1.  Buy some organizational supplies for my home office, a.k.a. desk, dresser, and floor.

2.  Buy myself one spiral notebook.  (I am going to try taking notes on my iPad, but I want a notebook to fall back on.)

3.  Buy supplies for my Sunday school class while they’re still cheap.

4.  Clean my room.

5.  Buy myself a “cool” outfit for the first day of school.

I know, I’m a dork.  I’m okay with it.  What are your back to school treats?  Even non-students are allowed to take advantage of the sales!

Tags: back to school