A Letter to Congress

Dear Congress,
Please stop fighting like little two year olds over who's right, bigger, and better. No one cares about what you think and feel. We only want to have the economy set to rights. We cannot get this accomplished if all you do is fight, call names, mud sling, whine, complain, and then quit. Do you realize that there is just as much attention paid to all of your private scandals as there is to what's going on with our economy? Do you realize that the more corrupt you are the less we the people trust you? We elected you to sort out the governement and make life a little easier for us, yet you can't even get your own life together. Between the sex tapes, extra-marital affairs, children born to your mistresses, cronyism, bribes, prostitution, sexual harrasment, and bathroom stall incidents; our government is going to hell and back.

I'm only one person, but I'm tired of hearing, reading, and seeing your numerous scandals and your private life splashed all over the news. I see more scandal than I do laws being made. How can I trust you to help run the country when you're screwing up your own life? When I voted to place you in office, I did so thinking you were the moral, upstanding citizen that your numerous campaign gambits and publicity stunts said that you were. I didn't realize that underneath the fake tan, expensive clothes and jewelry, the Ivy League education, the smooth talking, and the trophy wife that you were at heart a sexual deviant who is more corrupt than Suharto (former Indonesian military dictator accused of massive corruption and human rights abuse). I didn't realize that the money that I painstankingly saved to advance your campaign was being used to grease your pockets and make life better for you.

You all are acting like a bunch of spoiled two year olds and nothing is getting done! The media is blaming the President, but guess what? I'm placing the blame squarely on your shoulders. What have you done except argue? What have you done except disrespect and denounce the man who is in charge of running our country? So what if you don't like him, at this point I don't much like you! Yet, you're in office and I have to put up with you. Stop sitting on your behinds, collecting checks; yet doing nothing to earn the money that you are given. Start making some laws for crying out loud! Fix the healthcare system, fix Social Security, fix the illegal immigrant problems that we are having, fix the unemployment rates, fix the housing industry, hell, do the job we elected you to do! If I wanted to see people arguing, getting nowhere, and causing scandals, I'd watch the soap operas!

I'm tired of all the posturing and empty promises. President Obama has supplied you with bills, yet you don't pass them. I understand that you don't agree with what he proposed, but that doesn't mean that you're way of handling the problem (sitting on your butt and doing nothing) is going to actually get anything accomplished. Come up with a counter offer, compromise; it's called give and take. Just like when you teach your children to get along and compromise, you need to practice what I assume you are preaching. Stop mudslinging and start working together. I don't care about democratic and republican right now, and neither should you. You should be focused on our economy and how to improve it instead of focusing on being re-elected or setting yourself up to run for President in 2012. Because while you're focusing on re-election or seeking a higher office, life is still going on and we're still living with this jacked up economy, healthcare system, education system, Social Security system, and the other problems we're currently facing. I'm not going to elect someone into office or re-elect someone into office, if all I see on their resume is: rejected or voted against this bill. I want to see this: rejected this bill, but helped come up with and passed an alternative solution to the problem. Anybody can so no, but it takes an extraordinary person to say no and then find a solution that makes most happy (because we all know you can't make everyone happy).

Please for the good of our country get your act together. And if you're not in office (having recently quit) and you're talking trash, shut up! I'm going to ask you: What have you done lately but quit, talk crap and not come up with solutions. I'm a results kind of woman, I want to see you put your words into actions that benefit all of America. It's easy to trash talk when you're not the one having to make decisions because ultimately it doesn't rest on your head if everything goes wrong. Especially don't talk crap if you're private life doesn't match up with the ideals that you preach about. No one is perfect, but it seems to me that the ones who are in office and are supposed to set the example are doing a piss poor job of that.

Stop going on tours and stirring up trouble; you're doing nothing but making an already bad situation worse. If you have to go on tours, how about you ask the public what they want and what they need? How about you stop talking trash about your opponent and do some work? Stop having expensive 2 hour lunches, stop falling asleep during sessions, stop rolling your eyes, and mouthing negative things during confrences, and start working. Stop wasting my hard earned tax money on doing nothing. You're getting richer doing absolutely nothing, meanwhile I'm up to my ears in debt teaching tomorrow's leaders and trying survive in this jungle we call the American economy.

This is my S.O.S.; my call for help. I'm pleading with you to get it together! Americans cannot afford the dissension and the separation that your bickering is casuing our country. We are no longer united, we're becoming divided because our leaders are separating and dividing us. Individuality and uniqueness is one thing, stubborness and trying to make others look bad is another. We're trying to follow our leaders, but you all leading us astray. GET IT TOGETHER CONGRESS!!!

An extremely pissed off American Citizen,
Alicia Harding (Aaron)

My Thoughts...

Have you ever wondered what the heck is going on in your life today? Well, although today isn't one of those days for me, I am wondering what the heck is going on around me. Let's see, I work in a school that does not even acknowledge Black History Month (I've ranted about this all month long), we had 7 inches of snow, Shaddean and I need friends nearer to our own age in Nacogdoches, and I'm growing extremely bored in East Texas!

First off, I work in a school where Black History Month is not even acknowledged. I mean, there are no Black History facts read over the morning announcements; and when I ask my students what are they learning about Black History, they reply, "nothing". How is this even possible in the 21st century?! I've emailed my boss (the principal) about this, asking her to please announce Black History facts (instead of the normal boring facts that are announced every day) in the morning and I even gave her like 5 websites that she could get facts from...she still hasn't responded or acknowledged my email. The kids say that their teachers say they are going to have a Black History Program at the end of the month, but they haven't learned or went over anything pertaining to this program. Apparently, this is the norm for this school. And I ask myself, "would I truly send my kids to a school where they can't even learn about their own history?" My response: a resounding HELL NO!

I asked my coworker (the previously mentioned one) and his respeonse was, "I think that should be studied in social studies. It takes too much time out of my lesson to teach that." He's a math teacher. My response, "It's not my job to teach TAKS vocabulary, but I do it any way. I'm a college prep teacher, my kids are supposed to be learning about jobs and college. It's the core teacher's jobs to teach TAKS. Besides, it won't take more than a minute or two to read off one Black History fact a day!" He then responds, "Well, what about white history, when should we learn about that?" My reply, "We learn wbout white history every day!"

Am I asking for too much? I mean honestly, I believe that kids should know about all cultures. I believe that if there is even one kid of a different race, we should be teaching about their history too so that we can better understand our fellow neighbors/students. History in school is so one sided! Ugh, the positive thing about working in the schools is that whenever I have kids I now know what I'm looking for in a school and what I'm not looking for.

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WE GOT 7 INCHES OF SNOW!!! That was freaking awesome! I was off for three blissful days, and I made my very first snowman! My husband and I made mini snowmen too! We made snowballs (no snowball fighting, playing in the cold is enough for me, no need to actually get snow on my bare skin!) and took pictures...it was sooo much fun! It was like a white winter wonderland. It stayed around for two days and then melted, but boy! what a nice two days!

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My husband and I seriously need some friends (in Nacogdoches) closer to our age. We do nothing out here (there is nothing to do!). We don't even know many people. The people we do know are our co-workers, and we can't envision spending time outside of work with them because we have nothing in common! Boredom is really beginning to set in. We go to work , we go home, we eat, and then we sleep. Occasionally, we get out and go to Lufkin, and once we went to Longview; but other than that there is absolutely nothing to do out here! No mall, no good movie theater, no skating rink, no shopping centers, hell there isn't even a Target! Just nothing! Oh there's cold weather (if you know me you know this isn't good).

Our neighbors constantly throw their little college parties complete with loud noise (which we've had to call the cops out for) and beer bottles strewn all over the walkway of the apartment complex. Plus, their company takes all of the good parking spots leaving us to park in the back. The new people downstairs are smokers and think nothing of leaving their nasty cigarette butts all over the ground. Now, I'm by no means Ms. Clean America, and I don't care about a few butts; however, this is more than a few butts. We're talking at least 50 butts all over the ground in one area! I don't want to see that as I walk up the stairs. Disgusting! I hate cancer sticks!

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On the good news front!

My husband's best friend's wife (yeah I know, lol!) and I didn't exactly get off on the right foot. I mean when we first met, we were cool; but some things happened on both ends that needless to say caused a lot of drama (plus some things that I don't think she knows that I know). We were not each other's fans that for sure. However, once my hubby and I weathered our storms, I began to make a concentrated effort to make nice and be friends with her (I don't say names in order to respect people's privacy).

I felt that it could be pretty uncomfortable for my husband and his best friend if their wives couldn't stand each other, and I felt it would place them in a tough spot having to defend their spouses. Plus, I'm a grown woman and so is she; and grudges are something that are for kids. We're two mature ladies who should be able to put aside past differences and move on, right? So, I sent a peace offering email to work some of the diffiult akwardness out.

It was slow going, but eventually I was able to feel, if not like BFFs then at least not like mortal enemies. Still, when the birth of their first child (a beautiful little girl) came the day before our wedding, I still didn't feel as though all was okay. They named my husband the godfather and he's an honaray uncle. I didn't feel like an honrary aunt however. It was weird. I was like they'll call my hubby Uncle So and So and I would just be Ms. Alicia.

I never felt like I was part of that circle of friendship (my hubby's best friend's wife is also really good friends with my hubby). It was...weird. Well, they're preggers again (another little girl) and I decided to crochet a baby blanket for the newest edition (yeah that's a whole 'nother story). I facebooked the wife and told her about it, plus I asked how everything was going and what not. Well, her reply was not what I expected. It was very warm and responsive. I mean we weren't at each other's throat or anything, but I kinda expected a short reply that just had facts and no other stuff. It was long and very warm, plus she said that no matter how long it took for the blanket to be finished that the baby would be proud (I think that was the word) to have a blanket made by her aunty Alicia. Finally, I felt a connection to her and her family! For the first time, I actually felt like an aunty. It was a great feeling. She then went on to tell me how she was doing and how the latest edition was doing (well, inside the womb that is).

Anywho, I finally felt as though we were on the road to being friends. It was a good feeling. Well, my class is coming in and I gotta get off my butt and do my thang!

Alicia

Racism , Cynicism, or Conspiracy Theory?

SO, here I am talking to a coworker of mine, and amazingly quite a few of our conversations stem around race. (My coworker is a white male). Now, I don't mind because in this day and age it's rare to have an honest conversation about race with someone of another race. Plus he asks really thought provoking questions that make me think, and I give him honest answers and respond with questions of my own. Anywho, we were talking about enrollment at SFA and how the percentage of white students has dropped in recent years. Now, I don't go to SFA and quite frankly I could care less about SFA; but what he said was interesting. Here goes snippets of our conversation:

Him: Enrollment of white students at SFA has dropped because all of the minority students are getting the grants and scholarships. Minorities are basically going to school for free, and white students are having to pay full price. That's why they're building all of these things on campus- to entice more [white] students to come. I don't think it's fair that minorities get most of the scholarships. I have a4.0 GPA and I applied for a scholarship as a black male who had a 2.9 GPA, and he received the scholarship. I think that's a bunch of bull. That's why SFA is going to crap.

Me: Well, first we can't blame minority students because they don't make the decision as to who gets what scholarship and who doesn't. Second, you need to look at your financial aid department who is handing out the scholarships and see what's going on. ALl the students are doing is filling out the application and praying they get the money.

Him: Well, I was told that the president of SFA [a Mexican Man] said that white people were going to become the minority on campus and that the minorities would become the majority. I don't think that's right.

Me: Well, that's still racism it's just directed at whites this time around. Maybe people need to look into getting a new president. People are only going ot do what their boss tells them to do and if he sasy give more scholarships to minorities that's what they're going to do. Plus college is like a business. The more minorities a school has the more funding they get. So of course they're going to want their minority numbers up in order to receive government money.

Him: Well, I have a question. What's wrong with having Predominately White Schools? We have Historically Black Colleges and no one says those schools are discriminating or racist; but if we have a PWS [Predominately White School] then that school is racist and discriminating. What's up with that?

Me: Well, first anyone can apply for entrance to HBCUs and cannot be denied based on race. I know people who are white and go to HBCUs. Second, a lot of colleges are PWS, I went to one. SO I don't think it's a problem, until racial discrimination starts.
(Later in the day, I realized that I should have said: HBCUs were started because Blacks had a hard time gaining entrance into college, so we started our own)

SO anywho, I got to thinking: Do we see racism or reverse racism in everything? IS it really racism? Or is it just jealousy? Or is it just things are changing and we don't want that change? Is it cynicism? Or is it conspiracy theory?

I think it's a combination of all of that. Whether people choose to bury their heads in the sand and proclaim that racism doesn't exist, it doesn't change the fact that it does exist. BUT not everything is racism. Sometimes it's just the better person got the whatever [promotion, spot, job, etc]. If you're a black male with a bachelors degree going up against a white male with a masters and he gets the job, that's not necessarily racism- he does have more education than you. But if it's reversed and you [black male] have the masters and the white male has a bachelors, then it could be construed as racism.

However, in the interest of the school with the declining white population, that just may be a conspiracy theory. Considering the same coworker told me that Nacogdoches public schools are becoming majority black because [white] parents are taking their childrent o private schools because of the influx of Katrina kids entering the school system. Supposedly education has gone down to accomodate these Katrina kids and [white] parents aren't pleased about that. Well, now that has a bunch of potentially racist propaganda in that statement! Let's break it down:
Katrina kids come [mostly black], [white] parents take their children out of the schools. The reason: education is going downhill. Well, that's like saying the [black] kids are dumber than the [white] kids, so I'm going to pull my [white] child out of that school. Or it's saying [black] kids receive a lower level/quality of education than [white] kids- at which point "who's fault is that?" comes up. Or it could be construed as too many [black] kids are at this school and I need to pull my [white] kids from the school system and go broke (coworker said some of these parents cannot afford provate schools, but they send their kids anyway) sending them to a school I can scarecly afford.

Is all of this racism? Is this just one big conspiracy theory? Or are people like my coworker just a cynic who believes in conspiracy theories? So much to think about, ya know? It wouldn't be this complicated if people were just honest instead of politically correct. How about, "I took my hcild out of this school becuase too many black kids are there"? Or "I don't go to SFA because they are starting to have more minorities than white students"? If we were just honest no one would have to wonder and second guess other's actions and words, and we as a country and as a people can move forward and address these issues. SO long as we continue to hide behind politically correct vernacular we will never fight the war on racism. Everyone will continue to put their head in the sand and believe that racism doesn't exists or that racism is not a major issue in our world today.