Where's OUR Bailout??

I got this email and thought it was very thought provoking.... I don't know who origianally authored it, but they ROCK!



Bail THEM out?? Where’s OUR Bailout?? I'm against the $85 BILLION bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a 'We Deserve It' dividend. To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bona fide U.S. citizens, aged 18+ Our population is about 301 million counting every man, woman , and child. So, 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.

Now, divide 200 million, 18+ adults into $85 billion - that equals $425,000.00 each! Yes, my plan is to give that $425,000 to every adult as a 'We Deserve It' dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.

So, let's assume a tax rate of 30%. Everyone would pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25.5 billion right back to Uncle Sam! It also means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife would have $595,000.00!

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00? · Pay off your mortgage ? housing crisis solved Repay college loans ? what a great boost to new grads · Put away money for college ? it'll really be there · Save in a bank ? create money to loan to entrepreneurs · Buy a new car ? create jobs · Invest in the market ? capital drives growth · Pay for your parent's medical insurance ? health care improves · Enable Deadbeat Parents to come clean ? or else.

Remember this is for every adult U.S. citizen, 18 and older (including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehmann Brothers and every other company that is cutting back) and of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces. If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U.S. citizen!! As for AIG ? liquidate it. · Sell off its parts. · Let American General go back to being American General. · Sell off the real estate. · Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up. We deserve the money and AIG doesn't. Sure it's a crazy idea, but can you imagine the coast-to-coast block party?! How do you spell Economic Boom? W-e D-e-s-e-r-v-e I-t d-i-v-i-d-e-n-d!

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion 'We Deserve It' dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington, D.C. . And remember, The plan only really costs $59.5 billion because $25.5 b illion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.
Something to think about isnt it??

Stimulus Check

It's all the talk among my friends. Jenn is getting one. Yay! Mine is going to help pay off last year's tax that I haven't finished paying toward. Apparently, I am not the only one out there who has had their check intercepted. It's true. In her Pointless Ads blog, our favorite "crazy, unfocused girl" wrote that hers went toward unpaid student loans. It sucks to have that little carrot dangled in front of you, only to have the big, bad guberment swoop down and take it.

Better luck next time.

Recession?

Many of us will say that this country is in a recession, despite the fact that our President denies it. I am seeing some of my friends beginning to struggle financially and even at our house, there are less restuarant meals, because I have had to pay so much more for gas and the grocery bill has also been higher.

I was perusing the internets *snicker* and found a great blog post about this very topic. It was at Sierra Sage. The just of the idea is that it isn't just the sub-prime fallout and price of gas that has "all the sudden" put us in this state. She links to an article about it and it really talks about how we have to look at the state of our economic health for many years now. We have been on a path leading to this. American consumer spending habits (public debt) and "free" trade agreements are two things that have helped us along.

KIVA

Wow... I got an email from Kiva that a local news channel in OKC is doing a story on them and asking if we (as lenders) would like to participate in the interview! I just emailed them back about it. I thought that was really awesome.

Jenn and I are both a little camera shy, but I told them if no one else in the area was willing/able to do it, that we would. I do want to spread the word about Kiva. It is an amazing organization and we are huge supporters.

Our first loan helped a woman who runs a medical clinic in Kenya buy an ultra sound machine for the clinic. Wow! It feels good to know that we helped do that. And the great thing about it is that they pay back their loans and then you can re-loan the money out to others looking for help with their businesses.

I will update as I know something.

Heifer International

Remember the movie Pay It Forward from 2000? Staring Kevin Spacy, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment. The idea was to make the world a better place by doing something nice for someone as a way of “paying back” the something nice done for you by someone else. In other words “pay it forward, not back.” Pay It Forward’s idea about making the word a better place isn’t a whole lot different from Heifer International’s Passing on the Gift cornerstone principle. Each family that receives a Heifer animal and training “passes on” offspring to another family. This passing on can continue for generations, and change the lives of entire villages. Click to see a video “Passing on the Gift”The best gift is one that can keep on giving and one that really makes an impact on those receiving it.

Make a donation today! Give the life-changing gift of a Heifer International animal.

"Nothing Can Defeat Me"

Help me in giving to Heifer International.

Philister Randiki and her family were in a situation so hopeless that Heifer made an exception by giving them two animals, but when she was asked if there was anything too painful to talk about, Philister said with a smile, "There is nothing that can defeat me."

At 72, Philister was the first of four wives to a husband who died of AIDS. The other wives also died of AIDS, leaving 10 sons, six of whom have died of AIDS along with their wives and three of their children.

Philister was left to care for the 18 surviving children.

"All the orphans, even the ones who left, are coming back to me," Philister said. "Love and the force of love is so strong."

But before Heifer appeared, Philister admitted that she was scared and confused about caring for so many children.

"We were starving and could barely manage to put one meal on the table," she said. "We gave the children porridge, but it was dry and had no nutrients."

With the gift of their dairy cows, Philister's family began receiving up to 20 liters of milk a day. They consume half and sell the other half to buy food."I would not be alive today without this gift," she said. "Before Heifer I was sick and worn out from trying to care for my family alone. Now there is food and money and my sons and daughters have returned."

Philister recently died of recurrent malaria, still the number one killer in sub-Saharan Africa. But her family is still together. Those who have survived are caring for each other. They are learning how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and are sharing their story with others.

Give to Heifer International and you are giving a gift that continues on throughout the years, affecting not only one person, but so many. Heifer International does so much more than put food in the mouths of hungry people. Heifer helps people feed themselves.

The goal of every Heifer project is sustainability – project partners achieving self-reliance.
And year after year, as partner families “pass on the gift” of knowledge and one or more of their animals’ offspring to others in need, they become links in a network of hope, dignity and self-reliance that helps hundreds of others care for themselves.

Spending

Ugh. Just thinking about the holiday season is giving me stress. Every time the boys see a toy commercial it's "I want that!". I hate how the holiday season has just turned into a big money suck and is more about presents than spending time with family.

I seriously do not have more than a couple hundred to spend on Christmas this year and it is just going to have to do and I hate feeling guilty about it or upset that people might feel slighted. How crazy is that!?

I also want to go to Sears or Penny's and get the boys pictures made soon. Cards with pictures are what this year's gifts are all about! :)

Microloans

I just wanted to tell about something I saw on FRONTLINE WORLD the other night. It was amazing. It is called KIVA and they set up funding for microloans to business people in Uganda. The loans are for small amounts of money (to us in the US) and everyday people can go online and agree to fund the loans for the business people.

It is just AMAZING! Their server has been down since the program aired, but I encourage people to check it out. It is www.kiva.org.