SLEEPLESS IN GREEN BAY

Went to bed early with nausea and a terrible headache. Amazng all the things you think of lying awake all night. First, I say my prayers and end up with the Lord's Prayer which I share with Bill whenever I visit his grave. Then I usually think of an incident or something about Bill. Tonight I focused on his hands. I loved his hands and that was the last thing I clung to. Where is he and why does it have to be such a secret!

Then I thought of Jim and how happy he was tonight. This morning he even got a haircut. He had his first bona fide good interview with a very good company and was in such high spirits hoping for the job. I prayed that he would get it, but then I took back my prayer, cognizant of all he people dying in Libya, Egypt and the whole Arab Rim and the four people killed by pirates in Somalia and I figured it was not important enough to bother God with.

My last post came to mind and I figured not too many people liked my views of the people rallying for collective bargaining rights. It was not a political view. I am not a Republican nor a Democrat--I have voted for both through the years trying to pick the one who best represented my views. This right extends to people who belong to both parties and to all people. If the governor wins (and he just happens to be a Republican) how long do you think it will be before unions in the private sector will lose their rights? This is like the first Amendment. It is worth fighting for. The public employees have agreed to pay the additional monies and if this is just a budget bill then how come collective bargaining is even a part of it. According to the gov the purpose is to save the state from economic collapse. He has the money. Why not compromise as the governors in other states have done?

In my misery, I watched parts of American Idol. I have watched it very few times. I used to like the sarcasm of the guy from England . Tonight they were supposed to sing like the Beatles. My goodness, what an assignment! Tough! Anyhow I was just wondering if the judges really felt so terrible after they cut someone, crying and feeling so bad, or is that just theatrics? I didn't think any of them came anywhere close to being like the Beatles and that was brought home very clearly when the last cuts came and in the background they played the lovely "Hey Jude" by the Beatles.

Well, the dawn is coming up and I do feel better. I hope you all had a better night.

BEWARE! RANT! WISCONSIN LOOKS LIKE EGYPT!

Wisconsin, where in 1959 was the first state to introduce collective bargaining for public employees, and was the birthplace of the national union representing all non-federal public employees, has again become the battleground for labor versus capital. And I could spell that Capitol for that is where over 70,000 firemen, policemen, teachers, paramedics, and all other supporters of labor and our long fought battle for collective bargaining are rallying to protest our new Republican governor's budget bill that smacks of at best union busting and at worst arrogant dictatorship.

Rallies are also being held all over the state and schools are closing and one parent is objecting for her favorite baby sitters are not there for her today. That public employees need to pay for some of their pensions and health care, I have no argument. But to take away the right of teachers, firemen, and other public workers the right to collective bargaining is downright wrong. I am a former teacher and we fought hard for smaller size classes, for a preparation time during the school day so that we could help students that needed extra help or make-up tests, for sick days and comp time, for lunch time away from supervising students-- not only money matters--through collective bargaining. That battle was fought long ago and won as one of our basic freedoms in this country. How can the governor take it away in one fell swoop of ill use of power! Then he says if they will not accept this, he will cut 10,000 public service jobs--policemen, firemen, teachers, paramedics, ambulances etc.

The rush to push it through in five days gave no time for adequate debate or discussion. Telephone calls and e-mails have flooded the state house. That the Democrats had to leave the state to delay the vote was a last resort. Don't the Republicans hear their constituents outside their doors and windows? On the one hand, the governor tells the Democrats to come back and they will discuss the bill. The bill was to be voted on yesterday! The next interview he says he will not retract any phase of the bill. He speaks with a forked tongue. Or, as some have ventured to say, this is pay back time to all the big corporations who put him in office--to bust the unions.

He is targeting the middle class and that is the strength of America. They have already been hit in many directions already so we will have essentially only the very rich and the very poor.

The state is in debt and out of money. We know that. But does this one group have to take the brunt of the economic downturn? Have them pay for some of their pensions, and for some of their health insurance, but leave the right to collective bargaining alone.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Jim has been making these Swedish Tea Rings since Christmas. It is a specialty of his. He brought some to various Christmas events at his Church and now everyone wants one!

And now for that yearly task of gathering all my files together to get the data for my income tax ready. It is sort of interesting to go through each months files of receipts and checks --a sort of review of the past year. My bank does not send the checks back anymore---it just makes a copy of them and I must say I have found out I have to improve my writing because sometimes I cannot tell to whom it was written. Usually the ones written to various charities with strange names. Course I guess it really doesn't matter as it would go under contributions==a jumble of letters. If they ever audit me --let them figure it out!

It is still cold here in Wisconsin--below zero at night. I woke up the other night and my face felt frozen. Warm everywhere else though. Have you ever thought how we cover our bodies like when we go outside and in bed and our poor faces are bare and right out there? And women from time immemorial have lavished lotions and creams on their faces to keep them soft and smooth and here they are subject to the toughest test. Course some have gobs of make-up on--maybe that protects them some! My one grandson always takes the pillow and puts it over his head. Maybe he has something there though I have often wondered what he does for oxygen.

Speaking of my grandson, it is soon about time to think of another visit to Texas. About March I think. Though they have had a cold winter there too for them.

I have been reading some blogs lately and seeing some wonderful pictures and paintings. My, we do have some talented people out there. I have one friend from Scotland who paints miniatures and she always has a penny faintly somewhere to illustrate how tiny the painting is. I wrote her that it is easy to see as she enlarges them for her blog, but what do the originals look like? And she does wonderful work. So why miniatures? If I could paint that well I would paint big so everyone c ould see how great it was. I guess I am just uninformed because they have miniature painting societies and everything so there are a lot of them and it is a valid medium.Her blog?"WatercolourArtist Diary" Just poke on it and you will get her blog.

Back to my files and the income tax preparation. Wish some of these big corporations with their millions owed in back taxes would pay up. And the loop holes the others use to avoid paying. It always irks me when I read about them. Oh well, and so it goes.