Calendars, Cliffs, and Chaos... Oh my!!

Whew!  We made it through the apparent apocalypse according to the Mayan Calendar.  Yep, that intricately carved stone that caused such havoc is wrong, but I wonder....  could it be right in a different angle?  With the current fiscal cliff just ahead and our elected officials that are required to do something about it being at a stalemate....  life as we know it is over! Taxes are going to be on the rise when there is not enough money to afford to pay those taxes!  Really, how hard is it to make a decision these days?  Cap the taxes and CUT THE FRIVOLOUS SPENDING!!!!  Sheesh!  It sounds too simple to make it so darn complicated.  I know, I know....  there is way more to the story, but really....  you need to start somewhere.  With the jobless rate at an all-time high and people needing to utilize those programs that our tax dollars have been supporting...  there must be a way to alter the course.

People are at the end of their proverbial string these days.  The cost of everything is going up, people are losing their jobs, the programs that are to help people in need are being overused, insurance premiums are going up with the coverage going down, and obviously the middle class is dwindling.  No longer are there three financial classes of people.  You are either well-to-do or you are up the creek without a paddle.   Trust me when I say this.... those that are just scraping by are now entering the up the creek without a paddle group.  That is, if you managed to bury a little nest egg really deep in that coffee can in the back yard.  I know that life is not meant to be a picnic, but can't we all catch a break from time to time?

Some of those strings that people are hanging on by are snapping a little more often than before.  I do not condone violence, but after hearing about the massacre in Newtown, CT, you have to wonder if anyone is truly safe these days.  The shouts for gun control have reached an all time high, but people are losing focus on a few little factors....  The guns that this lunatic obtained were legally owned and licensed through his mother (that he killed nonetheless).  Regardless of the rules set before the law abiding people that have a constitutional right to have them, there are just as many that will find a way to get their hands on one illegally. Heck, the requirement that a person needs to be mentally stable to be approved to purchase a handgun is no guarantee that this person will not go ballistic in the future and go on a killing spree.  The waiting period to be approved really does not mean a hill of beans.  If a person is desperate enough, they will find a way.  It is not like gangs and criminals waited the necessary time frame.  Even the argument over the notion that guns kill people is bunk.  The gun did not break into that school by itself.  It takes a person to pull the trigger.  I mean, if we have to always shift the blame to the item and never take the blame personally, then I am fat because the food did it to me and not the fact that I was the one who ate the food in the first place.  Be smart people!!!  Look beyond the short path by blaming the instrument of the demise and take the time to seek the whole truth.  In all honesty, we are the most dangerous creatures around.  Animals can attack, but people have access to tools that get the job done.

Sigh, it is just so unsettling to see life as we know it spiral into utter dismay.  The necessary focus is skewed, desperation is boiling to the surface, lines are being drawn and innocent people are suffering the consequences.  Church and State distancing themselves, the doubts of beliefs, the strain of existence...  So, in closing....  It may not have been asteroids pummeling the Earth or the gates of Hell opening up to swallow us whole as the Mayan Calendar states....  it is the beginning of a very slow and painful implosion of life as we know it.  All we can do is reclaim our faith in God above and pray that we receive his mercy for the way things have become.  Apologize for the rampant greed and vicious acts that have pushed his children into doing such terrible things and seek guidance for those that lost their way in the faith we have that there is truly a God.  While faith may be seen as a blind thing, it is a foundation in all religions that there is a greater force that looks over us.  He goes by many names, but is truly one.  It does not matter what religion it is...  Catholic, Christian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Jewish, and so many more that are out there...  it is the foundation of common decency, love, and respect that needs to be focused on.  Our job in life is not just making ends meet financially, but to focus on taking care of what we are blessed with having around us.  Regardless of what science or religion tells us.... our existence is what matters here.  Why not try to make it good for all?

Okay, stepping off my soapbox and do something productive today.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!  I am thankful for another day because you know...  that is why they call it the present and I am always thankful when it comes to gifts.