Sunday Morning comin down.  That is a song from Johnny Cash that I love.  It is Sunday morning and my wife and I were awaken by our 2 year old grandson very early.  He is so excited to be up in the morning as a stark contrast to everyone else.  The other stark contrast is that the sun is shinning brightly and it is freezing outside.  It reminds me that life is full of stark contrasts.  Changes have occurred due to health and family situations that God has placed in front of us. My gas tank is on empty until payday, my bank account is empty, and our SSI disability check that is coming is already allocated with nothing to spare. Our meager income supports us, my grandson and my daughter, one dog and one cat. Ten years ago before my first heart attack, our business was growing and the kids were still home and I was looking towards retirement at 65 along with a good pension.  Ten years later, that is gone for medical bills and SSI is all we have.  It can happen that fast, even faster. The government can screw around with me financially but they can't take away my smile.  My love for my children and grandchildren is something no one can touch. My wife and I have been married 30 years and money or lack of, has done nothing to dim our romance. God has blessed us in so many other ways and I pray that he will continue to bless us.  The next time I hear some right wing idiot spouting off about people living off the hard work of millionaires, I will smile and tell them "Thank you".  Thank you that I get enough money to live from day to day and to help support those I love.  Thank you that I have the time to spend with family and friends, thank you that I do not let those out dated cans of food go to waste.  Thank you for the ability to share my love when sharing my money is difficult.  Thank you for thinking about me, I'm alive and doing fine. What a beautiful Sunday Morning.

I haven't posted in a while, kinda busy. My daughter and grandson have moved in and watching him is like being a parent all over again.  There is a good reason that we have children when we are young.
I have enjoyed reading all the articles about the condition of our economy, SSI, health coverage, and the swinging pendulum of public opinion.  Most of the opinions are either far right or far left with no middle ground.
Let me just say this very plainly and I promise not to studder.
It sucks.  No ifs, ands or butts, it sucks.  In my lifetime we have come from a generation of handshake agreements to 2,000 page contracts that can still be broken.  We have come from a doctor making house calls to being lucky if you see the doctor.  Health care has gone from caring for the sick and dying to getting rich on the sick and dying. SSI has gone from an insurance to being called a handout. The right wing wants a game without referees and the left wing want a game where there is no winners or losers.  People use to make money with hard work and sweat, and now it is a key stroke or a foreclosure.  We make money on other peoples pain and suffering. We are introducing a new healthcare system they require everyone to pay in or be imprisoned or fined.  This include the people who are out of jobs and can't afford to pay.  This is because there are no jobs out there.  Business, who we entrusted to create jobs, are slimming their work forces to make a profit. We have shipped out lower paying jobs and now bitch because we don't have those jobs.....that's right, the ones that we turned down because they were beneath us.  We elect the richest politicians, give grants and money to the wealthiest companies and complain about the crumbs of a trickle down economy. We have an education that ranks last in  education and ranks number one in wasteful spending. Our education system has gone from the 3 R's to who has the best sports team or the best dressed students, and when a school system fails, we blame it on the underpaid teachers who now do everything but teach.  They have to be police, guidance, coaches, sex ed teachers, babysitters and more.  We give the school system the money that is left over and then wonder why it's not working. More to come later.