California | Piss and Moan

Just like home

Posted on January 25, 2021 by backuphill

I don’t want it to be just like home.

Vacation. When you leave home for vacation, especially when you live in the Northwest where it is cold and wet all the time, you want to leave for a place that will be warm and sunny. Whatever happens, you want the weather to be different than what you had at home.

Palm Springs hasn’t delivered yet, and the forecast says it won’t the rest of the week either. Last week it was in the 80’s.

Yesterday, the first day here, it was cold, wet, and windy. It was actually stormy. Today, the sun is out to some degree but the dark heavy clouds are zipping my at a high rate of speed since the wind is blowing harder than the blower at the end of a car wash.

Disappointing, to say the least. I was expecting some warm weather down here. Not so much.

Guess there really will be time to relax since I’ll be stuck inside.

Bummer.

Peter pays Paul

Posted on July 30, 2020 by backuphill

Photo by Jessica Lewis on Pexels.com

Again, California and it’s Democrat leadership is getting it wrong. Again, and again, and again…

Apparently the Democrats there, well, anywhere really, think that money grows on magical trees.

They want Peter to pay Paul, by borrowing against the future and against an economy that won’t be able to support said future.

Essentially, Democrats are trying to buy votes for the upcoming elections, instead of being fiscally responsible. Whether the federal government is going to continue the increased unemployment giveaway, California is looking for ways to do it.

Do it? Yes, at the expense of the future by borrowing and borrowing and borrowing and then taxing and taxing and taxing. All under the guise that this giveaway will stimulate job growth. Not sure if they understand how job growth works, but you don’t tax businesses to death and then assume people will hire more people. It just doesn’t work that way. Businesses cut people off the payroll when they get taxed into oblivion.

Oh, and let’s not forget the “safety net” they are thinking they will provide will also be given to illegal immigrants who have lost their jobs. So, spending money on people who shouldn’t be here in the first place at the expense of people who should be here. That makes total logical sense (sarcasm)…and continues to perpetuate the encouragement of illegal immigration.

Insane. Idiotic. Stupid. Moronic.

So many words to describe California, all applicable.

Free?

Posted on May 21, 2020 by backuphill

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

“…O’re the land of the free and home of the brave.”

That’s the last line of the national anthem. You know, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The one that apparently some find offensive, but that’s a topic for another day.

Anyway, I think we have seen rather clearly that “home of the brave” is not really the country we live in any longer. That is likely a subjective statement. I mean, there are lots of brave people out there still, but there seems to be far more people who would rather not rise to a challenge and would rather make things easy and comfortable.

With that ease, comes the previous line.

“Land of the free.”

That line refers to the rights and freedoms we have as citizens of the United States. Freedom from government control and abuse. That is something to be celebrated and protected.

BUT, the land of the free apparently has taken on a different meaning to an astoundingly large group of people (yes, Dems, I am looking at you…).

Now, it seems, land of the free means giving stuff away to those who don’t deserve it. Moreover, giving it away to people who aren’t even citizens of the country. We have already seen in California that the governor & legislature wants to give away $75 million in stimulus money to illegal immigrants in the state, not to mention health services and education and other benefits they already have been giving away. Lawsuits over this giveaway are in the process, but in the meantime those who don’t deserve taxpayer money are getting it for free.

Washington now wants to follow the same path, only Seattle wants $100 million. Not only does the state turn a blind eye to those who are here illegally, but now it wants to reward them too.

It makes no sense.

There are lots of things that I am willing to pay taxes for, even with the fact that there is a huge amount of waste and inefficiency in government. But what I am not willing to do is to pay taxes to give to people who aren’t supposed to be here in the first place. I wouldn’t go to another country and expect that I get a handout, regardless of whether I am working or not. I’ll earn my money, thanks. I certainly wouldn’t expect to get money after breaking the law to get there and stay there. How does that make sense?

Government should be small and responsive. When it isn’t, there is a problem. There’s been a problem here for a long time and the prospects for it getting worse are frightening.

Irresponsible reporting

Posted on October 31, 2019 by backuphill

Fire Halloween

Of all the shots that could have been used in this package that showed up on Good Morning America yesterday, they choose this one? Real nice.

Anyone else notice what is in the picture above?

If you missed it the first time, I highlighted it. This still is from a video that was on the news yesterday morning. I am sure there were thousands of other shots they could have edited into this package, but they chose this one? Why?

Sensationalism. Pure and simple.

I don’t know if the skull is real or not. It probably isn’t. It could be a Halloween decoration. But, what if it isn’t? Maybe more to the point, what if there are actually people killed in these wildfires? How does that make a family who lost a loved one feel if they see something like this?

“Keeping it classy” is something the media has totally lost.

We can hope and wish they would do better, but until people stop watching it won’t change.

You can do better ABC, Good Morning America, and reporters.

Priorities matter

Posted on June 14, 2019 by backuphill

grayscale photo of human lying on ground covered of cardboard box

Photo by THE COLLAB. on Pexels.com

If you’re homeless in California, you gotta be wondering what the hell is going on in the state.

If you’re political grandstanding, like California politicians, then you know exactly what is going on.

Fund healthcare for young illegal aliens, but continue to allow your streets to fill up with homeless camps and drug addicts, most of whom are legal citizens.

Yeah, that makes logical sense.

This from a state that was in a budget crisis emergency not too many years back, and one that continues to tax people and businesses right out of the state. Oh, and throw in a possible economic downturn in the near future and you have yourself a situation rife for another budget crisis.

But hey, people in the country illegally make a louder splash in the news politically than doing something about the homeless crisis.

As usual, California has things backwards and priorities in the wrong place.

Red for Ed

Posted on January 15, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Yeah, I am going there.

It’s about time people listen up and if it takes a strike, then so be it. What I am tired of is that people don’t listen until it takes a strike, then people pay attention.

One reason I am not a teacher any longer is because of the lack of pay, lack of respect, lack of resources, lack of support, lack of (you name it). The thing is, I worked in a school that was pretty good. We had, for the most part, community support and better than average funding. But, it still got to be too much. I was burned out. I didn’t realize it until I found freedom in another aspect of education, but I realized it.

There are a lot of teachers out there, some with more experience than me and lots with less, that have terrible working conditions and barely make from month to month. But, the one thing they do over and over is give there very best for the kids in their classrooms and it is sad that it goes unappreciated and disrespected.

Those kids, people say, are the future. At least that is what they say. However, those same people then tear down teachers, the work they do, and their efforts to do the most with the least amount of resources possible. Teachers aren’t just saints, they are freaking super heroes and it is ridiculous that it has to get to this.

How about we invest in the MOST important resource we have, our kids. That doesn’t mean more testing. That means more funding for buildings, teachers, curriculum, teacher benefits, continuing education, etc etc etc. If you want quality teachers in the classroom, you have to act like it. Silicon Valley (or at least it used to, but tech companies in general) attract the best talent because they invest in it and pay them well. How does that not translate into our kids as our most valuable asset? It just doesn’t make sense.

It just doesn’t.

I stand with the teachers in California ( #LAUSD ) that are striking. They deserve better. The students they teach deserve better. We all deserve a better future and depriving schools and teachers of that doesn’t make things better, rather just the opposite.

Stand with teachers and wear Red for Ed ( #RedForEd ).

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