Smiling Faces

A group called the Undisputed Truth had a song once... it was about not trusting anyone. It states, "Smiling faces -- sometimes pretend to be your friend. Smiling faces show no traces of of the evil that lurks within. Smiling faces , smiling faces sometimes -- they don't tell the truth . Smiling faceas, smiling faces sometimes don't tell the truth, and I've got proof."

It's interesting to me, what you find out about people that you trust. For instance, someone can work for you for a year, and you do not really know them. This has happened a couple of times lately. There are a couple of people who have been at my restaurant since before I was transfered there -- they became people I thought I could count on. At leat that was my impression. Now I think I have a much clearer view of both of them. After all I have been through in my life (and it's been a bunch in the minute I've been alive), I now find that I am just as naive as I was when I was left to my own devises as a young person. At least that is what is apparent to me now. I used to be very cynical, but found that to be a lonely and unfufilling life. Because of chnges in my personal setting, I discovered trust again, and friendship. It was shortly after that time that I realized that, other than those very, very close to you -- there really is no one that you can trust and depend on. It seems as though everyone has their own adgenda.

Quite frankly, who can blame someone for having their own adgenda in every social situation in which they find themselves? If no one truly cares about them, then why should they care about others? I am just saddened by what has happened in the last month or two at my restaurant.

If nothing else, it has been a learning experience. I hope that I am wrong about one of them. I was hoping against hope that what I was hearing was not true about her. But, then, one of my other staff members called me today and said she had looked up this other person on the circuit court website. That is great. But now I have information in my head that I do not have a use for.... I can't, as an employer, access the site where this information was accessed. Interesitng. However, if something should affect the employment of said offendder -- then I am perfectly fine in finding out. That is a little messed up, but that is how the system works in this county. If it does not affect their professional role (ie., you will have no problems not hiring an acountant to do yuour bookwork who has embezzeled from a previous company), then you have every right to deny them on that basis alone. However, because you do not have access to that information before you hire them, you are stuck with what you get. LOL :-)

Student Aid

So, here's my most recent rant.... Student aid and student loans. I am getting my M.B.A. I took a year off for business reasons, but now I'm ready to go back. Okay, so when you attend school within the state where I live, and you are a resident here, you are eligible for grants, etc. Great. I can see that. As you are attending school, you are adding to the economy of this state, etc., because you are living here. Wonderful. However, where I live, there is no option for me to attain an advanced degree. I don't, at this point in my life, want to live in one of the bigger cities in my state where I could actually attain this degree. None of the schools in the bigger cities here have the degree available on line which I am pursuing. So, basically, I am being penalized for living here (and working my butt off here, I might add), because I am not willing to wait until the University system in this state catches up with where I want to be. Interesing. Thank you, ubiquitous state for not wanting anyone to have an education that you do not provide to them.

And don't even get me started on the new student loan rates. I have an awesome rate on my loans from my bachelor's degree -- which I also consolidated my exsisting loans from the beginning of my master's into. However, from what I am now reading, as long as I am in school, I cannot consolidate the loans I am now accruing into this consolidated loan until I am out of school and past my grace period. The rate just went up, as anyone who is in school is painfully aware. So, I'm just wondering. Just because I am going to school online, why am I not afforded the benefits of those students going to school within the state? I am living here, and working here, and contiburing more than a lot of the population will ever ... and yet I get no benefits for this. I find that interesting. I don't really care, I guess. I'll get my degree and move out of this state to a place where I can actually not only make enough money to live on, and pay back the outrageous amount of student loans I will have, but also be actually able to have a life. Good bye, Wisconsin. I think we've spent enough time together for one lifetime.

Same sex marriage

I have commented on this in other places, but thought I would add it to this blog for those of you who only have access to this one. The idea of same sex marriages is now being debated in my state in the legislature. Mute is the fact that, if the law against these unions is passed, many heterosexual (but non-married) couples will lose many of their rights as well. To me, there is no issue of whether or not these unions are "right," or should be recognized by law... The issue I see is the seperation of Church and State.

Marriage is a religious institution. Of this there is no doubt. Of course, there are rights and responsiblities afforded by the State because of such unions, but marriage is, largely, a religious institution. If this is the case, how, then, can marriage be mandated by the state. Is there truly to be no seperation of Church and State? That is what it would seem in this case. By and large, most opposition to same-sex marriage is rooted deeply in religious beliefs. This is evidenced by such comments as "The Bible spoke of Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." How, then, can this issue be approached by the State, or its ramifications mandated by said State?

I do not think that I am either opposed to or for same sex marriages. That is not what this is all about. This is about the seperation of Church and State. Marriage, being a religious institution, should not be mandated in any way by the state. While the legal rights and responsibilites are evident, whether two people, of conensenting age, can or cannot marry, I do not believe, can be sanctioned in any way by the state. I do not believe that laws against any two consenting adults marrying could possibly be made, if one were to look at the basic concepts on which this country was founded.... but that may just be my opinion.

Children

So, this week a family living norht of me in a very small town was so happy, as the news reported, that their 6 year-old son was returned to them. He was playing in the yard, and got lost. I don't remember exactly how far away from home he was, but it was over a mile. This is bad enough that a child that young would be so unattended as to wander that far, but this child was autistic as well! Where were his parents that he could wander far enough away that they would be unable to find him by the time they noticed he was gone?!? Is there no responsibility left in people anymore? Should I feel sorry for these people for an instant because they "lost" their child? I do not. I do not in the least. A 6-year-old is not responsible enough to be left unattended for periods of time when they are a healthy, "normal" child, let alone when they have an affliction such as autism. I personally think that this child should be taken away from this couple. They stated, on the local news, that this is not the first time he has wandered away. What are they thinking?!? I am thinking, of course, of the child's safety first. But, here's a scenario... Let's say I am driving down the road at a prudent speed -- but suddenly, here comes a 6-year-dol chasing abutterfly or whatever, out of the woods (the woods and brush here can be very close to the road), and I run over this small child. It could not have been avoided, but how am I going to feel for the rest of my life?

To me, this smacks of John Walsh's scenario -- the man from America's Most Wanted. I do not mean to detract from his now-obvious civic-consciousness, because he really does catch criminals who may not be caught otherwise. But, let's, for a minute, remember how he got to this point. Through is own negligence, he lost his son in a Wal-Mart and his son was subsequently abducted and killed. He was not paying attention to the one thing that should be the most important in his life! He was an unfit parent, in my estimation. Yet now he is heralded for the good he is doing. As I said, I do not wish to detract from the good he is doing, but I think the way he got to this point is incredibly haneous. You were too busy with your own life, uncaring, negligent, what have you , to watch your own child.... but now you are all better. You're the greatest -- and probably a millionare. And all it cost you was a kid. Heck, you can have more!

I know that is incredibly cynical, but it is the way I feel about people like that. It smacks of this wonderful individual who has just "confessed" to killing Jon-Bennet on order to get movie and book deals -- and that's what it was. He wanted his 15 minutes of fame. These people are messed up, and want to make as much money as possible from their faults. I understand I am comparing apples and oranges here. Blatant disregard for human life is paramountly different than simple neglect, but our society seems to feed on all of these aspects of the human persona. We make these people heroes, rather than to appreciate the heroes in daily life -- our teachers, mentors, fire fighters, police, parents, and others who do good and fight the good fight. In that vein, we are teaching our children the same thing. It's like silent approval.