2016, the year of the Risk!

The most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done in my life as far as earning a living is concerned has been substitute teaching. I substitute taught in the Iowa City/Coralville/North Liberty area in 2010 and 2011.  The reason I left is because it was not lucrative enough for me at the time. I vowed that if I were ever in a position to substitute teach again, I was going to do it. With some loans out of the way, my best friend Joel Straube as my roommate helping me pay bills and being able to UBER at night and on the weekends, I’m in that position now.

March 3rd, 2016 will be my last day at Iowa One Call. It is extremely ironic, circumstantial and surreal that, that is the day that my boss asked me to stay till.  March 3rd, 1998 was the day my sister Sydney died and for nearly 18 years that date has represented negative/pessimistic feelings. I am hoping that this is a sign, a premonition of change. A change for the positive, that says March 3rd, now represents a positive/optimistic time in my life.

WHY AM I DOING THIS?

Many reasons. I love substitute teaching. I want to put more time into reading and writing. I want to put time and energy into learning and perfecting my writing so that I can finally become a professionally published novelist. This will allow to me do that. I want to go to the gym more often. This will allow me to do that.  I want to be more involved in things, theatre, comedy, story telling events, ect. There may be some opportunities to get back into professional wrestling.  This will allow me to do that.

I have made decisions and sacrifices in my life, so that I could one day live the type of life I wanted to live. I have a college degree, and I’m currently not using it. This would allow me to use it. This would be me putting my college degree to use, in a way that benefits me most.  I walked out of college $48,000 in debt.  I’ve paid off $32,250 already and I have $15,750 to go.  I don’t want to look at that number in vain anymore. I want it to have meaning and purpose. Substitute teaching, gives it meaning and purpose.

I also made up my mind to never get married and to never have kids, which lead to a very heartbreaking and depressing breakup between myself and my last girlfriend Melissa. I didn’t go through that for nothing. I didn’t lose my cats for nothing. That will also not be in vain.  I decided I didn’t want to have kids because I wanted a life where I could put my time and energy into being who I wanted to be. I want to as I said before put my time, energy and focus into improving as a writer, to one day be professionally published. This will allow to do that.  I also want to put more time and energy into takedownwrestle.com and be more readily available to attend and cover events.  This will allow me to do that. I also want to have more time for Ashley. This will allow me to do that.

HOW DO I KNOW I”LL GET WORK EVERYDAY?

Between Des Moines, Martensdale St Marys, Ankeny, Urbandale, Norwalk, West Des Moines, Southeast Polk, Johnston, Dallas Center Grimes, Earlham, ADM, PCM and Colfax Mingo community school districts, there are 166 schools within a 40 minute or less drive of my house. According to a study done in May of 2015, in the Des Moines community school district alone, they were short between 30-35 substitutes a day in both 2013-2014 and 2014-2015.  I’m not too worried about it.  If school is in session, I’ll have the ability to substitute.

THIS WILL BE A PAYCUT RIGHT?

Yeah, maybe, but not nearly as significant of one as you might imagine. Licensed Substitutes (Which is what I am) in this area make $130 a day, which I imagine will equal out to be about $110 a day. (I say that because it was $100 in Iowa City, and after taxes/IPERS/ect I made about $85 a day.)  If I Sub everyday I’ll make $2,200 in a month from subbing.  Plus, I’ll be able to UBER a lot more.  Only working 15 hours a weekend right now, I’m averaging about $200-$250 a weekend.  I plan on putting in more time, like 20-25 hours a weekend and hoping for an extra $100-$150. If I can make $300 a weekend, that’s an extra $1,800 a month. I can potentially make $4,000 a month.  I make $2,544 a month right now from Iowa One Call.

YEAH BUT THAT’S NOT STEADY INCOME…..WHAT ABOUT THE PERIOD OF TIME WHEN SCHOOL IS NOT IN SESSION?

Schools in this area operate from August 25th to June 2nd.   Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, March, April and May I’ll be ok.  I’ve also been informed that schools do anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks of Summer School, and they are often looking for people to help teach.  I hope to be able to get on as a summer school teacher. According to many people I’ve talked to, teachers don’t like dealing with Summer School and they are always looking for help.  Theoretically, if the summer school deal does not work out, I’ll have a period of 13 weeks where I will not be able to sub. That is scary and that is what makes doing this a risk. It makes me wish that schools in Iowa operated year round.   They don’t.

As I said before my hope is that I can get on teaching summer school and turn that 13 weeks into 9 or 7 weeks.

If not, this is where the risk comes in. I plan on being a bit more frugal and saving up and I will also be relying on UBER being good for me.  Between the middle of June and the middle of August I may have to UBER my ass off.  In order to make ends meet I’ll need to make  the equivalent $75 a day or $525 a week.  I don’t think that’ll be a problem. I really don’t.  Unlike Iowa City, which relied heavily upon college kids for business, I think UBER will continue to be good on the weekends throughout the summer. I have faith and I have confidence that it will.

I still may be employed by Iowa One Call in January and February.  I told Craig that I loved doing the ESAP meetings and if they needed someone to help out with them, I’d be more than glad to.  He told me that he would seriously consider that as a possibility.  So, there is a chance next year in Jan and Feb of 2017, I would work for Iowa One Call a couple of times a week.

WHAT ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE?

Actually, Iowa One Call doesn’t offer me health insurance. It never has.  If I substitute in the Des Moines Community school district (which has 75 schools) at least 3/5 days a week (which I think is very doable) I am eligible for their health insurance program.


Yes, I am well aware that there are no guarantees here.  I’m well aware that this could blow up in my face and not work out. It is why they call it a risk!  Yes, I’m scared and yes I second guess myself, BUT I know what I want out of life. I know who and what I want to be. I know the type of life I want to live.  This is it.  I want to be a substitute teacher, UBER driver, writer/radio co-host for takedownwrestle.com and hopefully one day a professionally published novelist.

As far as I’m concerned this is the only life I have, so I might as well do everything I can to get as much out of it as I can, and to achieve as much as I can.

2015 The Year in Review

Wow, where do I start?  In some ways, this year went by fast.  In other ways, it went by slow.  I didn't do a good job of recording events like I have in year's past. I'm sure I'll forget somethings.

Let's start with the positives.

Ashley Bunting - After I broke up with Melissa on February 21st, 2014 my intentions were to never date again. I was in love with Melissa, everything was perfect between the two of us, and I was hurt, pissed, scarred, you name it... that things had to end between us. To be honest, I still  have nightmares and guilt trips about it sometimes. I didn't want to go through that ever again. Matter of fact, I never wanted to go through it at all. The explanations I give to others never seem to satisfy, so I won't try anymore to explain why I do not want t have children. I know that not having kids is the right thing for my life and that having kids is the right thing for Melissa's life. Therefore the best thing for both of us, was to say goodbye and go our separate ways. I went about it the wrong way, and I still beat myself up about it. I still tell myself that if I would have handled it in a better way that I'd still have my cats, nothing bad would have ever happened to Chester, Charlie or Reverend Black and Melissa and I would have ended on a happier note. I miss my cats a lot, feel personal responsibility for what happened to them and a lot of anger towards those who hurt them.

I don't let go of pain easily and forgiving myself has been a challenge. That's where Ashley comes in. I went out with her a few times, and before I even knew it, she had decided she liked me and she wanted me to be her boyfriend. I wasn't ready for it and I wasn't prepared, but that's the way it needed to be. If I were to have waited until I was ready and prepared, then I never would have had a girlfriend again, because that time never would have came.

She challenges me to let go and to open up again. She makes me face my fears. I worry about being hurt again. I worry about climbing to the mountain, only to get shoved off and splat straight on the bottom like I did with Melissa. The fear has made it difficult for me to trust. When we first started dating back in May of 2015, I found myself still occasionally flirting with other girls. Not because I wanted to cheat or because I wanted to leave her, but because I had a hard time believing that it was all real. I had a hard time believing that it was going to last and that she really did like me for who I am and was in love with not who she wanted me to be, but who I already am.

It's still a journey. It's still a work and progress.  Our relationship is perfect for me though.  She is cool with me not wanting to get married, as long as I am monogamous and loyal to her.  She is cool with me never wanting to have kids. Her parents sometimes give her a hard time about it, but I don't think she'll give in to their demands. I hope that she is deciding that she doesn't want to have kids because that is what she wants. I hope she isn't changing her mind, and her goals for me. I've talked with her many times about this and she assures me for a multitude of reasons that have nothing to do with me, that she does not want to have kids either. I believe her and I trust her.  She also realizes that she is a part of my life.  A big part of my life, but that I also have my writing goals, my job, the gym, my friends and other parts of my life as well.

Some people give me a lot of shit because I don't talk about Ashley much and I don't mention her a lot on facebook.  I do that purposefully because I'm not in a relationship to impress other people and I sure as Hell am not in a relationship so other people can give me their opinions on it. I think a lot of the reason Melissa and I weren't able to communicate as well as we should have was because of the influence of other people. My mom doesn't like to admit this, but I think she got it into Melissa's head that eventually I'd change my mind and give in to having kids. I spend a lot of time with Ashley, I'm good to her in many ways. Whether the rest of the world knows it or not, I don't care. She does.


Meeting new people has been a blessing in my life. Mike Houston, Scott Casber, Tony Hager and Brad Johnson in particularly stick out.  Meeting Mike Houston, led to meeting Scott Casber, which led to meeting Tony Hager and Brad Johnson. Becoming a part of Takedownwrestle.com as a writer and radio co-host has been very rewarding. I've got to share my love, passion and knowledge with wrestling fans and I've been given a medium to share my writing talent as well. I love being a member of team takedown and I'm excited and enthusiastic about our future. I think we're going to continue to grow and prosper in 2016.

Trent Reedy has been the kick in the ass that I've needed a few times. We but heads on a lot of issues and we get on one another's nerves from time to time, but a lot of the reason I haven't given up on myself is because of his insistence that I can't. I fight depression. One of the reasons I fight depression is because I feel like a failure. I've written four, damn near five novels in the past 6 years and none of them are professionally published. Sometimes I feel like giving up. Telling myself that obviously I'm not good enough to be professionally published and I ought to throw in the towel and accept the fact that I'll write 90-120 novels in my life that no one will ever read. Trent reminds me of the excruciating and extraordinary work that it takes to become professionally published. He reminds me of how many times some of my favorite authors failed before they finally succeeded. He reminds me of how much time and effort I've already put into this, and how I can't quit now. I was meant to be a writer. It's what I'm meant to do. It may take forever before I get to that point, but I will get there. Trent has been a great role model in that regard to look up to. He thinks that I have what it takes, I simply need to learn and develop more and I'll get there. It may sound trivial to say this, but I say it in all sincerity. Having someone believe in you, does make a difference.

Joel Straube and Nicole Smith have taught me that sometimes friendships do last forever. I've lost some friends over the years and other friends, we're still friends, but our lives have drifted us apart. To know that Joel is still my friend long after 20 years, is a good feeling. We've been there for one another. He's someone I can turn to and have been able to turn to for a long time. We were once two kids, whose biggest concerns in life were whether to cheer for Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart at Wrestlemania. Now we're two adults, and our concerns are more serious, but we're still here for one another, the way two friends should be. I have no idea what the future holds.  I hope I still know Joel when I'm old and senile and he's fighting the nurses for the candy bar they won't let him have due to his diabetes.

Nicole and I have been friends for a long time now too. Since sophomore year of high school I think.  I hope we are many years from now too.

Now for the negatives....

Losing Allen Brown was tough. I never met Allen in person.  Matter of fact, I have no idea what he looks like. He's simply someone I met online back in 2001, and someone I've exchanged emails, personal messages and phone calls with for the past 15 years. As a wanna be writer, you experience many disappointments and failures. You doubt yourself and your abilities. You sometimes find yourself looking in the mirror seeing nothing more than a talent-less piece of shit starring back at you. You can try and battle the demons of doubt all alone, but sometimes you need a friend to come and help you in the fight. That's where Allen came in. He asked me to write a story about a wrestling team for him, and that's where I came up with the idea for The 0 and All Harris Bulldogs. He was very influential and motivational in inspiring me to work hard and finish the novel. I'm glad to know that he was still alive to have read and critiqued the first rough draft of the novel. I hope I'm able to honor his memory in the future by having it be one of the books I professionally publish.

When I wrote my first article for takedownwrestle.com, Allen was the first person I sent a copy of it too. He was very happy for me and told me that he thought one day I'd be remembered as a passionate, knowledgeable, talented writer who had a great love for the sport of wrestling. I will miss Allen a lot. He was someone I often went to when I wanted to talk wrestling or writing. He was a good friend.

Megan Vance was a difficult loss too. I wish I knew Megan better than what I did. It would seem over the past few years that I should have, considering in a way, she became part of my family. My Dad started dating her mom, Luann, a few years back and Megan and her husband have attended Christmas and 4th of July events with my family. My Dad got close with them, and I know it has been very difficult on him and especially Luann. Megan was such a nice person, such a good person. My mom often asked me what I thought of Luann's kids and I would often respond that I didn't know any of them that well, but Megan was the one that I knew and liked the best. She was always nice to me and I'll remember her as the great person she was.


And overall....
My goal is to continuously learn and improve myself. I want to be a better person than I was yesterday. I want to be smarter and wiser. I've achieved this goal in a rather strange way this year. Throughout the years I've always tried to do what I can so that people would like me and think that overall I was a good person with admirable qualities and traits. I still want to be that way in many ways. I am honest, I am sincere, I'm very raw and I'm very real.

However, in the eyes of some, I'm not a good guy. They don't like me. Some even hate me and I think for once in my life, I"m ok with that. In some ways I think I even embrace and celebrate that. I am who I am and if you love me for it, I'm glad. I probably love you too. If you hate me for it, ok. I'm cool with it.

A part of the reason I've been able to come to peace with this is because of my good friend Jaret Morlan. For the last 3 years or so, Jaret has been a great friend and quite influential to my life. On the journey we call life, we sometimes have the privilege of running into people, who because of their presence, makes our life better. Jaret is one of those people for me. He reminds me a lot of Mr. Gilliland, my high school psychology/sociology/government/economics teacher. He's a great educator, fascinating and intriguing. One of the best guys I know. I have a hard time understanding how anyone could dislike Jaret, but you know what? People do. There are people who don't like him. It makes no sense to me, but it makes sense to them.

And you know what? That's liberating to know that, because if there are people in the world that don't like Jaret Morlan, one of the most likable human beings on the planet, then I guess its ok if they don't like me.  It hasn't been easy being disliked simply because I'm an agnostic, or simply because of another reason I define unjustifiable, but if that's why people dislike me, then that's why they dislike me. I don't care anymore. As far as I'm concerned the people I want to like me do and that's what matters.

I'm still not who I want to be. I'm still not what I want to be.  I'm not doing what I want to do.  I don't look the way I want to look.  BUT, I am getting there.  I'm closer now to bench pressing 400 lbs than I have ever been. My chest and gut look like Hell, but my arms are looking good. My biceps and triceps look bigger in videos and pictures than they ever have.  According to Trent and a few other friends, my writing has improved.  Because of UBER, I'm closer to being done with student loans than I have ever been.

My goals for 2016, are to put myself economically into a position to where I can substitute teach and UBER next year.  I want to get back into performing, whether it be through the medium of professional wrestling or community theatre. I want to spend more time at the comedy club and hopefully finding more opportunities to share stories.  I love story telling.  I hope to get out more and make more friends and build stronger friendships with the people I've met in Des Moines.  I've let my anxiety, fear and depression get the best of me a lot of times and other times, I simply have been too busy.

I hope 2016 sees me write another novel or two. I hope to be able to attend workshops and maybe even take a few classes to improve my writing. My goal is to read at least 25 books and I hope to surprise myself and to double that number.

The fight is never easy.  Life is a challenge and at times even an enemy to conquer.  At other times, it  is a reward and a friend to embrace.

Thank you 2015, a year in my life.

Here's to 2016, may you be a great year an educational year and a rewarding year!

Operation UBER-HELP-ME-SUB

NOTE: I don't have all of my information, as I wasn't sure when I first started how to obtain all of it.  So I'm not 100% certain all of the hours I've put it.  I know my first week was the week of Sept 21st, 2015.  As of 12-22-2015 I've made $634.25.




WEEK (SEPT 14-21)
TOTAL: $67.46
Hours: 7.5
Trips: 12
Average Per Hour: $9
Percentage of Total I made: 76%


WEEK (SEPT 22-28)
TOTAL: $72.56


WEEK (????) 

TOTAL: $112.03 


WEEK (OCT 5 - OCT 12) 

TOTAL: $102.30
Hours: 12.9
Trips: 18
Average per Hour: $7.86
Percentage of Total I made: ?


WEEK (OCT 26 - NOV 2) 

TOTAL: $155.53
Hours: 11.5
Trips: 23
Average per hour: $13.52
Percentage of total I made: ?

WEEK (DEC 14-DEC 21) 

TOTAL: $157.80
Hours: 13.24
Trips: 22
Average Per hour: $11.85
Percentage of Total I made: 80%

WEEK (DEC 21-28)

TOTAL = $238.27
Hours: 18.35
Trips: 27
Average Per hour: $12.98
Percentage of Total I made: 86%


WEEK (DEC 28 - JAN 4)

TOTAL = $75.63

Hours = 10.59
Trips = 13
Average per hour: $7.14
Percentage of total I made: 72%

Closer to the Goal

Officially I've been an adult for the last 12 years, at least according to some laws. According to some other laws, I've been an adult for 9 years. To be fair to my parents, I've been an adult for the last 7 years.

And for the last 7 years I've had a series of different jobs. Some that I've disliked, some that I've HATED, some that I've liked, some that I've liked a lot and a few that I've LOVED.  If I count professional wrestling as one of those jobs, I loved that. If I count being a writer/radio co-host for takedownwrestle.com, I love that too.

The job that I did that I loved the most though, was when I substitute taught in Iowa City. I loved every minute of it. I taught pre-school, elementary, junior high, high school, alternative school and specialized school. One day I'd be reading stories to a group of kindergartners, the next day I'd be playing dodge-ball all day at a junior high. I loved helping kids with their assignments, having class discussions and the excitement of something new everyday.

I also loved the freedom involved with it. You went in, taught for a full day or sometimes a half a day and then you went home. Nothing extra about it. I went home, and I had plenty of time for the gym, plenty of time to read, plenty of time to write. If something came up, a funeral, a friend was back in town that I hadn't seen in years or if I felt like an extra day off, I took it.  It was a stress free, worry free, enjoyable and rewarding career.

Why did I stop doing it? It wasn't enough money. There were no benefits. I had nearly a 3 month period of time where I wouldn't have any work.

I hated leaving it and I've hoped for an opportunity to get back into it ever since.

It's been nearly 5 years since I've substitute taught and I think I may be in a position to where I can substitute again.

UBER has been a tremendous help. Driving nights and weekends has allowed me to save up some extra money and put more money towards my student loans. My goal is to UBER as much as I can on Friday nights, all day/night Saturday and Sundays. I want to use this extra money for two purposes. Saving up for the future and putting extra money in my student loan payments.  If I can put an extra $100 or $200 per month towards student loans that can mean an extra $900 to $1,800 towards getting them paid off. My goal is to have between $3,500 and $4,500 saved up by August 1st, 2016.  

It may mean putting in an extra 30-35 hours a week on top of the 40+ hours I work for Iowa One Call, but as the old motto goes, sometime you have to work hard for the things you want in life.

I called about getting a substitute license yesterday and it was a much easier process than I thought it would be. Since I have a 4 year bachelor's degree in education, I have student taught and I have substitute teaching experience in Iowa City, all I have to do is pay $85 and pass a criminal background check. On Thursday I have a meeting with an education representative. I hand him my application fee, I pay him $85, I wait a couple of weeks for my background check to come back and then I am eligible to sub-teach at any public institution pre-school through 12th grade in the state of Iowa for 5 years.

Since I have all of the credentials, I will make $130 per day.  I'm imagining that'll be around $105 to $110 after taxes.  In Iowa City I made $100 per day, which ended up being about $85 a day and in Cedar Rapids, when I taught up there the $120 they paid per day ended up being about $100.  So, based on that, I believe I'll make between $105 and $110 per day after taxes.

A study came out in May of this year that said that the Des Moines area was seriously struggling for substitute teachers. On average 30 classes per day, went unfilled and other staff members including secretaries, principals, music, art and P.E. teachers had to fill in. There is a serious shortage of substitute teachers in the area. Based on conversations I've had with other individuals, teachers, substitute teachers and people involved, if they have school that day, if I want a job, I'll have one.

There are 74 schools in the Des Moines community school district alone. Add in 13 for West Des Moines, 10 for Urbandale, 13 for Southeast Polk, 5 for Norwalk, 6 for Indianola, 2 for Martensdale St. Marys and that makes 123 schools within a 20 minute or less drive of my home for me to be eligible to substitute teach at.

I am not worried about their not being enough work during the school year. Between substituting and driving UBER on the weekends, I'll be able to make as much or even more than I'm making right now.

The concern comes up for how to handle the period of time between June 3rd and August 25th when school is not in session. That's a 3 month period of time, when I'll have to rely solely on UBER to get by. That is why I am trying to save up between $3,500 and $4,500 or more.

A pleasant surprise I found out about, is that as a substitute teacher, if you work 120 hours or more per month, you are eligible for health benefits.

I like many things about my job at Iowa One Call. I especially like it January, February, March, April and August.  Anymore, I've been able to make September and October decent months as well.  May, June and especially July are horrible. I love the 3rd and 4th of July,but it seems to me that no matter what I end up doing, July is always a struggling month for me. November and December aren't the greatest either.  

The truth is, the job is going to come to an end anyway. I've known this since my interview for the the job in early April of 2013. I was told, "I want to let you know that this job isn't going to last you the rest of your life." and I was told why that was. My boss was very upfront and honest with me about the situation.

Although I've never been outright told, there has been enough evidence to strongly suggestion that the end date is June of 2018. Maybe I ought to wait until then to try this out, but I'm restless and I'm excited. I want to make this a reality. I have an education that cost me $48,000 and cost my Mom/Barry and my Dad $24,000, and substitute teaching would be me using it. I've made a lot of sacrifices in my life, to try and obtain the life and lifestyle that I want to live.  I want to substitute teach, UBER and have the freedom to read, write and workout more often.

This is a goal of mine and something I have been and will continue to work hard for and sacrifice for.  I'm closer to the goal than I've ever been. Anxious to see if I can make it a reality.

Time will tell.

"All these available jobs" Is that so?

I have many goals. In the way of some of these goals are loans. In particularly student loans. If I pay the minimum of $350 per month, my last payment is scheduled for August of 2019. I hate paying student loans. I've hated it since I first started doing it. I used to complain about. I don't anymore, unless you count simply talking about it as complaining. Instead I've decided to do what I can to try and pay off these loans faster.

As a result, I've dived into a few different ways to earn extra money. Extra money that can be used to pay off my student loans quicker. Some of these ideas, such as UBER have been wise decisions. UBER, when I have had the time to do it, has allowed me an extra $150-$300 a week to help towards my loans and other unexpected expenses.

Not all journeys for extra cash have been pleasant. Some of them have been the exact opposite.

When I was living in Iowa City, I did a multitude of different jobs to earn money. The dumbest one I ever ventured into was when I took a job delivering papers for the Cedar Rapids Gazette. It was $60, to deliver papers on Wednesday morning. When I asked the guy how long it'd take me, he said it'd take me about 4 hours. The equivalent of $15 an hour.  It sounded great to me.

I went in at 4:30 a.m. that morning, a half hour early, to pick up the papers. They were put in bundles. I was told that I would have to cut the bundles, roll up the newspapers and place them into baggies.  That alone took me 3 hours. There were too many papers for my pickup, so I called my friend Chief and asked to borrow his Cherokee to deliver the papers.

It took me till 10:00 p.m. to deliver all of the papers. It took me 15 and a half hours in all. I averaged $3.87 an hour. If you count that I had to fill up Chief's tank for $25, then I only averaged $2.25 an hour. I talked to other people who had delivered papers, and asked them if I was doing something wrong. They informed me that I wasn't. It took them between 12 and 17 hours to do deliver all the papers too.

"Why do you think there is an advertisement in the paper for the job all the time?" One of them said to me making a good point.

Here it is nearly 5 years later, and the Iowa City Press Citizen still has weekly advertisements for the job.


I ended up calling my boss at 11:00 p.m. and letting him know that I would not be back the next Wednesday.  I went back to driving Cab on Wednesday nights, and searching for other opportunities.  Yet, I asked myself then and I continue to ask myself today a few questions.

Is $2.25 an hour better than nothing?  Yes, it is.

Yet, is $2.25 better than what someone would earn on welfare?  No, it isn't.

Is $2.25 an hour better than what one would collect through unemployment?  No, it isn't.

And I wonder sometimes if that's the answer to a question hat I hear asked a lot.  People say all the time, "I don't get why there are so many people on welfare or collecting unemployment checks when there are so many jobs available?"

The conclusion many people want to have us all believe, is that it is because people are lazy and they don't want to work.  In some cases, I don't doubt that is the answer.

Yet, how many of these so called available "jobs" are like the paper delivery job that I did for the Cedar Rapids Gazette?  Who's the dummy when you can collect a welfare check that equals the equivalent of $10 an hour or you can work for 15 1/2 hours per day for less money?

It's not the only time, I've experienced situations to ask me such questions.

About two months ago, I was approached by a gentleman who had heard from an acquaintance of mine that I enjoyed driving. He asked me if I would be interested in working for him, for a company called Professional Transportation Incorporated.

At first I told him that I wasn't interested because I had many other commitments. Iowa One Call gets really busy January, February and March. I have commitments as a writer to takedownwrestle.com and UBER-ing has been very good to me on the weekends.

"I could really use you on Sundays." He said to me.

I told him that I liked to UBER on Sunday mornings and afternoons and then I took care of laundry, bill paying and a few other chores on Sunday nights.

"Ah don't worry." He said to me, "Come on at 4:45 a.m., take a few morning rides for me and you'll be home by 2:00 p.m."

He told me that I'd average between $75 and $125 every Sunday.  I figured an average of $10.71 to $17.85 an hour wasn't too bad.  In UBER I usually average between $4.25 and $11.75 an hour driving for about 6 to 8 hours on Sundays.

I figured it was worth the chance.

Boy was I WRONG.

The first Sunday, I got my first ride at 11:00 a.m.   I was told that all I would be doing was taking a crew from the Des Moines rail yard to the Nevada rail yard.  I ended up going from Des Moines to Nevada, to Boone, back to Nevada, back to Boone, and then to Avon Lake.  I didn't get back to the Des Moines yard until 11:00 p.m.

Do you know what I made in 12 hours of working? $56.  Yes, $56.  I averaged $4.60 an hour.

Don't ask me what possessed me to go back and do it again.

I called my boss and told him that I wasn't happy about being told I'd be done by 2:00 p.m. and then not being let go till 11:00 p.m.

He told me that nothing like that would happen again and to please stay on, because without me, they would be short someone on Sunday.

I came back.  This time my job started at 9:00 a.m.   I was told to go to Beech, Iowa and pick up a crew and take them to Kansas City.  We were supposed to leave at 9:00, and arrive at 12:00.  We didn't leave until 12:30.  We got to Kansas City at 3:30.  I got home at 6:30.

I haven't been paid for the job yet, but I'm anxious to see what I averaged for 9 1/2 hours worth of work.  If I only made $56 for 12 hours worth of work, I'm going to imagine that this could be as bad as $40.  We'll see.

I can make $56 in UBER working 5 hours on a good day, and if it isn't a good day, I end my day sooner. That's the beauty of UBER.  If it's a good day, I'll drive and drive and drive.  If it's a bad day, I drive around for an hour. If I haven't had a ride in an hour, I go home. I don't need to waste 9 to 12 hours of my life, when I could be doing more productive things.

It leads me to continue to wonder if all these "available jobs" are like C.R. Gazette delivery and P.T.I.

Jobs that are more hassle than they are worth. Jobs that you'd be better off collecting unemployment or welfare checks.

Is that a fair question to ask?

I think so.

 

Stonebraker on the Issues

I could never be a politician. For a variety of different reasons, it'd never work. For one I am way too honest, and way too straight laced for a career that often calls for crooked dishonesty. Secondly, my politics are all over the place. On a good number of issues, I lean left, which gives me the illusion of being liberal. Yet, there are enough issues which I lean right, or at least not left enough, to where I might even appear conservative. You are bound to agree with me on some of my thoughts and feelings and I'm bound to royally piss you off with others. Have fun. I know I will.

THE PATRIOT ACT

I mainly oppose the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools To Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (PATRIOT ACT). I do not feel it right for authorities to be able to search a home or a business without the owner's consent or knowledge. I also believe that a court order/warrant be necessary for authorities to be able to search telephone, email, and financial records. I want our country to be safe from and free of terrorism but not at the cost of Americans right to privacy. I believe there are other, better methods.

NSA

Much like the PATRIOT ACT, I am in opposition to the National Security Agency (NSA), much for the same reasons. Being spied on, without viable reason, I feel is a violation of liberty.

THE LEGALIZATION OF DRUGS

I support the legalization of marijuana. Never smoked marijuana and imagine I never will, but the decriminalization of marijuana makes perfect sense to me. As for other drugs, I am a firm believer in total body sovereignty and believe that a person has a right to put into their own body what they choose. Arguments about effects and affects fall flat, when in comparison to alcohol and cigarettes. Both alcohol and cigarettes cause a variety of health problems and deaths in this country every year. Alcohol, when abused, causes a series of other problems as well. I find it humorous and hypocritical that when Phillip Seymour Hoffman overdosed on a mixture of cocaine, amphetamines, and heroine it was a huge deal. It was covered all over the news for weeks on end. Yet, had he have binge drank himself to death, we would have seen a quick blurb about it on the 10:00 news and that'd have been that. I don't understand how people can drink themselves to death, beat their spouses in a drunken outrage, kill people drunk behind the wheel of a car and essentially our society doesn't give a damn. Smoke a little pot, an act that hurts no one, get put in the penitentiary for 15 years. Get caught drinking and driving, an act that could potentially harm someone severely or even kill someone, and you get a $1,200 fine and your license suspended for a year. It is asinine. Millions of people die each year because of alcohol related issues. Drink yourself to death, that's fine and dandy. Die from a heroine overdose, now we have an issue. It makes no sense to me. Marijuana as well as other drugs should be treated accordingly, as are alcohol and cigarettes. Have an age limit. Have rules and regulations (Can't drive drunk? Can't drive high.  Can't drink at work? Can't get high at work.) and use common sense. Someone kills someone under the influence of drugs, would the victim be anymore alive had the person killed them under the influence of alcohol?

Secondly, as shown in Colorado and Washington, the legalization of marijuana has been financially beneficial to the states. It makes sense.

CORPORATIONS FINANCING POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS

Corporations are not people and they should not influence elections.

GERRYMANDERING

I don't see how the act of manipulation could ever be conceived as anything other than dirty and underhanded. Both political parties gerrymander and it is indisputably wrong.

CORPORATE INCOME TAX
Corporations should be taxed.

WALL STREET ILLEGAL ACTIVITY
Wall Street should be held accountable for any and all illegal activity.

GUN CONTROL
I believe strongly in the 2nd Amendment and an individual's right to own and bear arms. I am not a gun owner, nor do I plan to be one, but I do believe strongly in gun owner's rights. I do think that mass shootings are a major problem in this country and that we need to address the issue. I don't think that pointing the finger at guns themselves is the answer. I don't know for sure what the answer is. I do believe that we need to be taking a stronger look at those who obtain guns, and making sure that individuals who want to own a gun are responsible enough to do so.

My personal opinion for why we have so many mass shootings is because of the attention that we pay the shooter. When someone goes on a killing spree, we know everything about them. Magazines, newspapers, news stations, internet articles you cannot escape their pictures. You know what they look like now, what they looked like when they were born, what they looked like when they graduated high school, what they looked like at their first job, what they looked like sitting on the can taking a dump. We read, watch or listen to their life stories, and often hear nothing more than the names of their victims. Does the name Suzie Jackson mean anything to you? How about Daniel Simmons? No? I bet you recognize the name Dylann Roof though. The piece of shit bastard that shot and killed them.

Mass shootings DID happen 20, 30 even 40 years ago but they didn't happen at the massive rate of succession that they happen today. They also weren't overexposed and covered for months and months like they are today. Victims had more press than their assailants. Newspaper's showed pictures of the victims and told stories of the good men, women or children that were lost. Only a small excerpt about the shooter was included.  Perhaps that has nothing to do with it and perhaps it does.

SOCIAL SECURITY/PENSION PLANS

Our elders worked hard and put into the system, they deserve to benefit from it. I also think that my generation and especially younger generations are going to need social security as well. Life is expensive. It is difficult and in some cases nearly impossible to save for retirement. Social security is a good thing and it should remain strong and intact. I feel the same for pension plans.

ILLEGAL ALIENS/BORDER CONTROL/ENGLISH

This is a very tough, touchy, and controversial issue. Illegal immigrants are human beings and should be treated as such. I believe first and foremost that obtaining citizenship, should be an easier process than what it currently is. Kids born in the United States, were born here, regardless of their parents origin, and therefore like all other individuals born in the United States should be considered American citizens. As for healthcare, my feelings are necessary and emergency healthcare should be granted to illegal aliens. Illegal aliens who are detrimental to society because of serious illegal activity (murder, rape, extortion,treason, ect) should be deported. If they are good individuals, who contribute to society, again, obtaining citizenship should be an easier process.

I do believe that everyone in this country should learn to communicate (read, write and speak) English. I also believe that free or relatively inexpensive programs should be available to help individuals learn English. The reason I believe this, is because I believe strongly that a lack of communication or a failure to communicate at all, is a leading cause for a large sum of problems. How can you effectively communicate with someone if they speak a different language than you? The argument may be why not have everyone learn Spanish or French or German?  I do believe that it is good and it is healthy  to study and learn foreign languages. I simply do not want to live in a country where everyone is speaking a different language and we are unable to communicate with one another. Perhaps one day technology will be so advanced that we will be able to carry around devices to where we can speak English into them and have it come out in Spanish or vice versa. Communication unites us, which is why I support citizens learning to communicate in English.

SUBSIDIZING FARMERS

I am for subsidizing and helping out the American farmer. I would like to see more help given to the small farmer. Farmers feed us and it goes without saying that that food is essential to our well being. The farmer succeeds, we succeed. The farmer fails, we fail.

WELFARE

I believe individuals who are in need of help and assistance should receive it. On the same hand, I believe that the system has become corrupted and perverted since its implementation in 1964. I never want to see anyone who is in need, go without help or assistance. However, I also don't want to see the system continuously abused either.

LABOR UNIONS

I support Labor Unions and feel that they are a benefit to the American worker. Labor unions fought hard and fought long for worker's rights. Some argue that they did not implement such things as weekends, 40 hour work weeks, the end of child slave labor and benefits but I argue that they did. Furthermore I argue that not only are they the origin, they are the foundation for maintaining these worker's rights. I do not believe that unions are perfect and I do see their flaws, but I believe that the pros outweigh the cons. From what I have seen and studied, President Ronald Reagan's demonizing of unions in the mid 1980's was one of the most harmful acts to the American people and their finances in modern times.

TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

I believe under serious reform, that the TPP could potentially be a good thing but I do not believe that is currently is. Today it is being used to boost profits for large corporations, undercut worker's rights and dismantle labor. It has also been a large contributor to the increased cost of medicine. It is a system that hurts the American family and helps the corporations and I oppose it.

SICK LEAVE AND BIRTH OF CHILD LEAVE
I believe that paid sick leave and birth of child leave should be granted to American workers.

RIGHT DO DEATH
If a individual has a terminal illness and no hope of recovery, I believe that they should have a right to end their life without consequence. Nursing homes, hospices and other care facilities make a killing providing services to individuals as they slowly die within a few weeks to six months. It's a sick and demented profiteering scheme and it should be exposed for what it is. Making someone continue to live in pain and suffering, to milk their finances or because of antiquated, ludicrous beliefs, is wrong. Terminally ill patients should have a right to end their lives in peace. They do not deserve to suffer.

ABORTION

I address myself as neither pro-life or pro-choice for a variety of reasons. First and foremost because I cannot stand the assumptions and connotations that go along with labeling one's self one way or the other. I oppose abortion. I do not like abortion. I do not agree with abortion. What I respect, is that a law was put into place in 1973, that granted a woman a right to an abortion. I respect that and I respect that the law has been in place for 42 years and for a number of reasons, it will remain in place. I do not agree with the statement, "A right to do what she wants with her body" because I do not look at the entity growing inside of her as her body. I cannot. Morally I cannot. Genetically I cannot. Biologically I cannot. If it were her body, there is no way that it could have a different blood type. There is no way that it could have a different genetic makeup. If put into a position to where I had to choose one way or the other whether I am pro-life or pro-choice, I would reluctantly have to label myself as pro-choice. I loathe the automatic assumptions and connotations that are associated with doing so.

In my opinion, we do not address the issue of abortion in a productive manner. Pro-life individuals look at it strictly from a perspective of preventing pregnant women from having abortions. That is not how or where the issue can be won. Instead, I believe that the way to dramatically reduce the number of abortions that take place in the United States, is to help women who do not want to become pregnant, not become pregnant. Ask the question, who is having an abortion? The answer is always, women who are pregnant, who do not want to be pregnant. If we were to help these women, through sex education in schools, making contraceptives more affordable and accessible and being more open and honest about sex, then less of them would become pregnant. Women who don't want to be pregnant, don't get pregnant and therefore they don't end up having an abortion.

SEX EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS
I am an advocate and I strongly support sex education in schools. It helps to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STD's among young people. Abstinence only is an outdated idea, that never worked. It is fine to be included in the overall education, and more power to you for the 0.0001% of kids in this country that you can name that it worked on.

HOMOSEXUAL  RIGHTS
I am a firm believer in homosexual rights. Homosexuals should be granted and given the same rights, liberties and justices as all other Americans. I find it disheartening and Un-American for anyone to support legislation that violates ones liberties or rights. For anyone to support legislation that makes one set of people inferior to another is unpatriotic and a slap in the face to our constitution. I am ashamed to live in a country where homosexuals are treated poorly and still have to continually fight to be treated fairly.

DEATH PENALTY
I oppose the death penalty, but probably for reasons that others in opposition would not agree with me upon. I oppose the death penalty not because I think that lethal injection is too severe a punishment or inhumane, but because I believe that life imprisonment sentences are harsher punishments for those that have committed senseless murders. For those of you that think it would cost more money to imprison than to kill, think again. Do a quick study. You'll come to discover quickly that putting someone to death is more costly than keeping them alive. Let's make these criminals, these true, honest criminals more productive and put them to work. Let's get drug offenders who shouldn't even be in prison to begin with out of prison and these murderers into prison. Make life uncomfortable and non-enjoyable for those who receive the sentence of life imprisonment without parole.

GOD IN THE PUBLIC SPECTRUM
Our country is built on the foundation of liberty and justice for all, and all means every American citizen which includes both Christians and non-Christians. Nothing government affiliated should give one group of citizens more or less rights, liberties or justices than another. No group should be seen as inferior because of their beliefs and no group should be seen as superior because of their beliefs. An individual who wants to be able to practice and live as a Christian should have every right to do so. An individual who does not want to live as a Christian or be subjected to Christian ideas, rules or ways should not have to be. Our government should be one that shows no bias for or against any particular belief. Our government should operate impartiality and enforce the separation of Church and State.

ANIMAL RIGHTS
I believe in animal rights. Animals used for consumption should be treated humanely and killed in the most humane, non-painful way possible. Pets, should be treated with dignity and respect and anyone caught abusing a pet should face the same ramifications as if they were abusing a human.

NATIONAL PARKS
Our national parks should be protected.

WIND POWER/ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY
We should support the use of healthier alternative sources of energy.

GLOBAL WARMING
Regardless of whether global warming is real or not (Which I believe it is, although I question exaggeration at times) we should care more about our planet and take better care of it. Global warming or no global warming, we should recycle. We should reduce the number of harmful gases and chemicals that we put into the air. Even if global warming is a hoax, I would hope one wouldn't be stupid enough to go out and burn a tire while spraying CFC's into the air. The earth is our home, lets treat it well.

LABELING OF FOOD
People have a right to know what is in their food.

UNITED NATIONS
The United States should continue to be a part of the United Nations. Preventative measures are why World War III hasn't happened yet and hopefully never will happen.

FOREIGN TERRORIST
Foreign terrorist should have the right to a fair and speedy trial and then be dealt with accordingly. Upon further discussion I could be persuaded to allow them to be an exception for the death penalty.

MILITARY SPENDING
We spend a lot of unnecessary money on the military. This money could be put to better use. For one, our soldiers should be treated better and receive more benefits. Instead of cutting V.A. programs and making soldiers get by on laughable pay, perhaps money on jets that cost $8,000,000,000 should be cut instead. Our veterans deserve much better treatment than what they receive. If 51% or more of our overall budget is going to be spent on our military, then those currently in the military and our veterans should be better taken care of. People profiteering off the lives of young men and women isn't right. If someone has to give up their life, in partial or in full, they should be better thanked for it.

REFUGEES
I have thought hard and I have thought long on this issue. I do not want to turn down good men, women and children who need our help and our assistance. I do not want the burden of a child being murdered on my mind. On the same hand, I don't want the burden of allowing a terrorist with intentions to harm American men, women and children into the country either. I wrestle with what the right decision is. My proposal would be for the United Nations to set up safe camps in remote locations for the refugees to go to. It is not a perfect solution. I do not have a perfect solution.

VACCINES
This is probably the most difficult topic to discuss. I believe that if a child is going to be in surroundings where they interact with other kids on a daily basis, such as a public or private school that they should be required to be vaccinated. I hate telling other people what to do, but I hate that someone else's child might get sick and die because of your refusal to vaccinate. I also hate how lies and manipulation were used to try and convince people that there was a direct link between autism and vaccines. It has been completely debunked and yet people still hold fast to the idea. Louis Pasteur and other men and women, before and after him have proven that vaccines save lives and keep us healthy.

EDUCATION
 Education is the most useful and powerful tool we have as a nation and we should invest more time, energy and money into it. I also believe that all education should be valued. Mathematics and sciences should be highly valued, but so should the humanities of English, history, art and literature. I believe we should continuously look for ways and methods of teaching our youth in ways that they can learn and benefit from education best. I believe in providing options for kids, and teaching to their potentials.

SPACE TRAVEL
I support the United States continuing space exploration

CONGRESS
I support term limits for members of congress


Well that's all the issues I can think of.  If there are any that I didn't address and you would like my opinion on them, let me know and I'll give you my opinion.

Analyzing Paul Harvey's 1964 "If I were the Devil" Speech line by line.

If I Were the Devil 

If I were the Prince of Darkness I would want to engulf the whole earth in darkness. 
This is a bit hard to read, as it is clearly metaphorical. Not exactly sure what Harvey means by "darkness" and the word in context is particularly subjective. Based on the rest of the message, I can only speculate that he is referring to the animosity, hostility and turmoil between peoples.


I'd have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree. 
The thing that really fascinates me about this particular piece is that it doesn't seem to be biased, and seems to take shots around the whole board. Again, Harvey is rather subtle in areas, so it is hard to determine what exactly he is referring to here. If I had to wager, I'd guess that he was referring to greed, particularly corporate greed and the monopolization that has taken place in our capitalistic society.  

So I should set about however necessary, to take over the United States. 

I'm rather fascinated and a bit appalled by such a statement. As a possiblist I entertain the idea of the devil, but I have trouble seeing why he would be any more fascinated with the United States, and its in occupants than he would anywhere else. Although that statement may not be, it feels narcissistic to me. It spews the American arrogance that other countries have often pointed to in observation.

I would begin with a campaign of whispers. 

Sounds like a politician to me!

With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whispers to you as I whispered to Eve, "Do as you please." 
I don't think Harvey wanted anyone to know exactly what he was referring to. I think he wanted it t be mystic, mysterious and confusing (at least in parts). Again, such a statement can be taken in a variety of ways and applied to a variety of different thoughts and opinions. The Bible, is a tool. A tool that can be used for good and a tool that can be used for evil. Atheist can argue till the cows come home that it has only been used for evil and Christians can argue till the cows come home that it has only been used for good. History takes the subjectivity out of the argument and proves, indisputably that it has been used for both good and evil. Marilyn Mason once said something on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher something to the effect of religion, being a means of controlling people. How do you get people to do or not do what you want them to do or not do? Hope and fear. The perennial question is asked. What happens do us when we die? Ideas aside, regardless of how arrogantly certain, we do not know for sure. Hope comes in the form or, "if you do what I want you to do and don't do what I don't want you to do you go to Heaven."  Fear comes in the form of, "Don't do what I want you to do and do what I won't want you to do, you go to Hell."

The whole message becomes convoluted and gray when you study it further and find examples to illustrate its effectiveness. Truly what is good? What is evil? I use the words, but what meaning do they have other than that which we apply to them? Some say that the Bible is the key to understanding the definitions of the words and their meaning. In some ways, this has shown to be inherently good. In other ways, it has shown to be detrimental and even harmful.  When people are concerned that a rapist may "Do as he pleases" the cause for alarm is certainly there. When people are concerned that two consensual adults who both happen to be of the same sex may "Do as they please" it is nothing more than a ploy for people to control others based on their own merits, while deceptively hiding behind scripture.

I find it humorous the way some treat these topics as if they're simple and easy to decipher, when people have been debating them far before any of us were ever born and they'll be debating them long after all of us are gone.

Seeing that the Devil is nearly always depicted as pure evil, by nearly all Christian groups and even by non Christians, I will use that understanding in understanding the language that Harvey is using. "Do as You please" I am personally going to apply to universal acts that nearly all of us agree upon (regardless of our religious background) as being evil. Murder, rape, extortion, ect.  Yet, even then it gets more complicated when you take into account that the Bible in areas, condones and even supports murder and rape.

I'm not real sure. Maybe I'll come back to this one. For right now, moving on to the next line. 

To the young I would whisper "The Bible is a myth." I would convince them that "man created God," instead of the other way around. I would confide that "what is bad is good and what is good is square." 
Personally I see the harm in both ways. Am I a friend or an enemy to your cause? Harvey obviously has a problem with our youth being told that the Bible is a myth. I wonder if on the same hand he has a problem with our youth being told that the Bible is an absolute truth that must not be questioned or even examined for meaning. My journey in life has lead me to realize that most people either dismiss the Bible as complete fabrication or they treat the Bible as literal truth, with no discrepancies or inaccuracies. Occasionally you'll find one who treats it metaphorically or allegorically. Some who will even divide it up between literal, allegorical and metaphorical.

If I had it my way, the Bible and all other religious text would be presented to those unfamiliar with an open approach that encouraged one to make up their own mind. If after examination and study one concludes that it is real, and that they should follow it as truth, I support that. If after examination and study one concludes that it is nothing more than a book of fiction, then I support that. The mandatory indoctrination that is used by atheist to demand that one must look at it as a book of fiction or by Christians that one must look at it as a book of absolute truth is what I do not tolerate. As a possiblist who entertains both possibilities, I am supportive of the Christian and the atheist who came to their beliefs based on their own merits. I am a firm believer (pardon the pun) that ones religious identity should be personal and based of their own choices. I am often misunderstood, misquoted and my feelings misconstrued on that subject.

The second half of his statement goes back to what I was saying in the statement before. What is good? What is bad? The terms are so subjective. I have no more to say about it other than what I stated before at the moment. 

In the ears of the young married I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be "extreme" in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct.

It gets deeper. Life is a balance. A balance of work and of play. I think sometimes think that others want to convince us that we need to work all the time and never play. It dumbfounds me how they are able to convince others that this is how life ought to be. How they are able to brainwash people into thinking that they're lazy or incompetent or even "evil" if they don't buy into this mindset. Perhaps I over-analyze and think too much about it, but I would like to understand it.

I found myself playing around with the idea that maybe it had something to do with the belief in Heaven. That maybe the reason people settled for unsatisfying, unhappy, boring, mundane and even hard, difficult, miserable lives here on Earth is because they are so confident that a rewarding Heaven awaits them after death.

Work in and of itself is not debasing. Work can be very rewarding and fulfilling, depending on the work, of course.  I think some would look at this statement and use it as a form of motivation for doing meaningful work. Others will look at it and use it as a guilt trip to persuade others to do work that is meaningless to the worker, but beneficial to the employer.

The more thought I put into Harvey's speech, the more I realize that it is a manipulator's best friend. Simply give the subtle words the meaning you want them to have and suddenly you have a great tool for your agenda.

Religion, patriotism and moral conduct, I would wager, were placed together for the same reason. Although they are most certainly not, they are often treated as mutually inclusive. As if there is a direct connotation between moral conduct, religion and patriotism. I'm not religious. I have a good moral conduct. As good as nearly anyone's. My patriotism is only second to those who have served or will serve in our armed forces and even that can be in certain circumstances further discussed. I am living, breathing proof. I think therefore I am evidence.

I fail to see, without further explanation why being "extreme" would be a good thing.  If anything it is the extremist who have caused a lot of turmoil, confusion, hurt and loss in this country. Extremist who have killed, Extremist who have vandalized and destroyed. If you look at the extremist in politics, both from the Republican and Democratic side, you'll notice they are the ones that usually ruin life or have plans to ruin life for Americans in general or a group of particular Americans.
 
And the old I would teach to pray — to say after me — "Our father which are in Washington." 
Thus far I've found this statement to be the most interesting. The easiest to depict anyway. I remember people being political back in the day, not not to the extent that they are now. Obviously social media has contributed heavily to Americans involvement in politics. What doesn't add up to me, is how so many people can have opinions about issues and politicians, yet so few people vote. Perhaps it is a pessimistic attitude that everyone sucks, no one is worth a shit, and bitching will ensue regardless of who is running our country.

What I do notice though is that people pick a political party to affiliate with and they eat, shit, sleep, breath and bleed that party through and through. I identify as a political centrist, but most admit that most issues, I side left. However, there have been a handful of times throughout the past years, when I see the liberals do something that is completely asinine and I am left scratching my head wondering, "How in the Hell can you support this!?!?" when my liberal friends back the action/statement.

As for my Republican friends, I'll just say that it is even worse.  To a Republican, conservatism is God and liberalism is the Devil. Politicians are well aware of this and often use this information to manipulate, brainwash and control. 

Then I'd get organized. 
Who wouldn't? 

I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull, uninteresting. 
I'd say that this applies to journalist much more than it does authors. Nothing seems to shock us anymore and from my observations I would say that is do to overexposure. Newspapers, television and internet combined we have a variety of resources to obtain information. Filters no longer exist. What happens is directly put in front of us. Watch a few nuclear bombs go off and suddenly the firecracker doesn't even draw your attention anymore.  

I'd threaten TV with dirtier movies, and vice-versa. 

He says vice versa here, which is confusing me. I can make sense out of threatening TV with dirtier movies, but I'm not sure what he means by threatening dirtier movies with TV. I'll have to think some more on this one, or perhaps have you (as in my reader) come up with a conclusion that makes sense to me.

I'd infiltrate unions and urge more loafing, less work. Idle hands usually work for me. 

He's being redundant here and repeating what he said earlier. Once again, my response is the same.


I'd peddle narcotics to whom I could, I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction, I'd tranquilize the rest with pills. 
Now this is poetic. A statement that illustrates knowledge and the beauty of language to illustrate that knowledge. Everyone has their vice. Some illegal drugs. The distinguished alcohol and the poor, let legally responsible with prescription drugs. We are one doped up society, with the drunks pointing fingers at the high, feeling sophisticated and just, for no other reason than antiquated laws which they confuse for morals. 

If I were the Devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions; let those run wild. 
I find this to be the most challenging of his statements thus far. Refine in definition means to improve something by taking something away such as an impurity. Not sure how that is a bad thing without further explanation.  As for the whole disciplining emotions, not sure what he means exactly by that either. 

I'd designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts and I'd get preachers to say, "She's right." 
And maybe she is. Our society has allowed Christians, right or wrong, to stand before us and not have to face ridicule or even slight question for years. Our society has demonized non-Christians, particularly the atheist as being wrong, whether they've been wrong or right. Would I vote for a Christian? Yes, I have and I will again.  Would I trust a Christian? Would I call a Christian my friend? Yes, I have. I do. I will continue to. Because I know, that people are individuals and I must treat them as individuals. I think atheist have a better understanding of this than Christians do.  That maybe be because of being largely outnumbered and having to, but they still do.

I cringe every time I hear someone say that they couldn't vote for someone unless they were a Christian.  I shake my head and a piece of my heart breaks every time I hear someone say that they could never trust or be friends with someone unless that person believed in God. It bothers me for two reasons. A, because I know the type of person I am. I know the type of people my other non-Christian friends are. We're good people and we shouldn't have to be subjected to such negative treatment. B, because manipulators, liars and swindlers will use this information to their advantage. They have propositions of power and money to gain through corruption, and they'll easily do so by simply saying, "I am a Christian" along the way. 

With flattery and promises of power I would get the courts to vote against God and in favor of pornography. 
Harvey most certainly had an agenda when he was using his speech. I used to really like Harvey, but after listening to this speech and then further examining it, I don't think I like him anymore. He's clearly one of those people who had his own personal ideas and beliefs and he perverted the image of God to make his point. He used the idea of the Devil to drive it home even further. Reminds me a lot of James Dobson. Another nutbag who used religion to try and make his point. He tried to solely blame pornography for the rapes and murders of Ted Bundy. Rather than looking at real issues and real causes, he scapegoats. Not sure what Harvey is scapegoating here. 

Thus I would evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, then from the Houses of Congress. 
Good, that is how it should be. The Courthouse, the school house and the house of congress are all  institutions that reflect the interest all Americans. In order for them to be just and provide liberty and justice for all, God or better put the indoctrination of ideas and beliefs biased in favor towards Christians and against non-Christians must be absent. If present, that is a direct violation of the constitution and a direct threat to liberty and to justice for all Americans. 

Then in his own churches I'd substitute psychology for religion and deify science. 

This isn't happening in the churches. And it isn't happening outside of the churches because of threats or a lack of options. Christianity has the same opportunity as does anything else. It is an option put forth, for one to choose if they decide to. It is not the fault of atheism, agnosticism, Hinduism, Buddhism or any other belief, if someone chooses something other than Christianity. It's not the fault of Christianity, if someone chooses Christianity over another belief.

This statement is solely based on inaccuracies. I have no respect for the ones who want to spread Christianity by eliminating all other options or by trying convince that other options do not exist by trying to shadow them away. For those who want to spread Christianity by facing the challenge of other options head on, by trying to sell Christianity as the best of the options, I have all the respect in the world.

If people are choosing science over Christianity and what the Bible says, it isn't the Devil at work. It isn't even the fault of science. It is the fault of Christianity and for those selling Christianity for not doing a better job of selling their product.

Atari's failure was not the fault of Nintendo. The answer wasn't to go out and destroy all of the Nintendos or to try and convince people that Nintendo didn't exist and that Atari was the only option they had.  The answer was to make people want to choose Atari over Nintendo. Hopefully by using honesty and not lying.

If people are choosing other options, then that is on the burden of those trying to sell Christianity. The cowards way is to try and destroy the other options or pretend like they don't exist. The admirable thing to do is to sell your product better and have people pick Christianity over the other options.  You'll win some. You'll lose some. The reasons as to why  are endless.

If I were Satan I'd make the symbol of Easter an egg 

Ooh, attacking the Easter Bunny now. Harvey not only pulled off the gloves, he bloodied his knuckles.

And the symbol of Christmas a bottle. 

Is he referring to people drinking on Christmas?  The Christmas styled coca-cola Christmas bottles?  I honestly have no idea what to make of this statement.

If I were the Devil I'd take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. Then my police state would force everybody back to work. 
Ooh, Republicans gotta love this one. Goes back to what I said earlier about moderation. He really wants to drive this point home. Third time he's said it. My response is the same. 

Then I would separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines and objectors in slave-labor camps. 

But to his credit, as I also said before Harvey took shots both ways.  Democrats would love this one.

If I were Satan I'd just keep doing what I'm doing and the whole world go to hell as sure as the Devil.
And here is where it all comes together. I've seen it so many times before and I'll see it so many times again. What you do in order to get people to comply, worship, agree and support your ideas is to convince them that by doing other wise would be to defy god. (It is amazing to me how similarly spelled the words defy and deify are, considering they have polar opposite meanings.)  You gain power and economic status by consistently manipulating and brainwashing people into thinking that who you are and what you are doing is representative of God and what God wants. It's how people like  Ben Carson are able to get so many people to side with them and buy into their bullshit. I don't know whether to be angry or sad that so many people are so easily fooled the lies of manipulation.

Harvey proves how powerful manipulation can be and how easily people can be controlled. Makes me feel sorry for Christians like Wade Watts, George Pell, Gene Robinson and other who actually use Christianity to spread peace, love, compassion and understanding.

It seems to me that those who use Christianity as a means of spreading negativity, intolerance, and other forms of hatred have more success than those who use it as a means of spreading positive ideas, tolerance and other forms of love.

Seems more listen to statements like, "hate gays!"  Than they do statements of, "Spread peace."

Why is that?

Harvey? Harvey?.......Harvey?

Horror Films That Actually Scared Me.

What's universal is that we all have something that scares us. Everyone has something that frightens them. That is what we all have in common. Where we contrast is what that specific something is that scares us. Put me within a few feet of a snake, I'd be liable to die of cardiac arrest. Someone else might pick the snake up, the same way I would a puppy or a kitten. That same person might turn white as a ghost and be frozen in fear near a rat, while I would simply avoid it if it were a sewer rat or pick it up and kiss it on the head if it were a pet rat.

Analyzing what scares us and why it scares us is a fascinating study. I often criticize horror films for being startling rather than scary. I hate it when people think that I'm scared because I jump during a part in a film. I'm not scared. I'm startled. I have an automatic response to react anytime something sudden and unexpected happens. I think as a result some people think that I'm trying to play off as one of these tough guys that cannot be scared by films. That there isn't anything out there that can scare me or truly frighten me. I am not one of those types of people. I am the first to admit that there are films that do truly frighten me. There are some films that downright terrify me.

I have rules for whether a movie actually scares me or not. Rule number one, is that the film has to scare me upon a second viewing. I do not and I will not determine whether a film scared me upon the first viewing. I have to know what is about to unfold on the screen, and still have a sense of urgency. If I fear what I already know is going to happen, then I can say that a film scares me.  Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, I'm extremely critical of jump scares. Unless they are well done and well timed, I will usually shoot them down.

There are four films that honestly frighten me. It's fun to discuss these films with others and hear from my friends that they don't find these films scary at all.  Then to have them list off films that they do find scary, that I think aren't even remotely scary.

For example, my friend Nicole found "The Conjuring" to be terrifying. I thought it was an okay movie, but it didn't scare me.  I have other friends who find, "28 Days Later" to be quite frightening. The only thing that scared me about that film when I paused it for a second and saw that there was still an hour left of it.

The anticipation has hopefully built up enough by now, to where you're thinking, "List the damn movies that scare you already!!!"  It's only fair that I quit stalling and finally list them.

Here you go...

Halloween

It is often said that people fear what they don't know or what they don't understand. I've noticed about myself, that I often search for an explanation. Once I realize why something is does or why someone behaves the way that they do, I begin to formulate ideas for solutions. When no explanation is given, I am unable to do that.  Michael Myers is a character that truly frightens me for a multitude of reasons.  He's unstoppable. He's unpredictable. Although it has been speculated, nothing other than guesses have ever been given as to why he does what he does. The way he walks. The music that accompanies him. I actually find him the most frightening when he's off in the distance starring. The scenes that still send a chill down my spine are the ones where he is watching Laurie as she sits in class from across the street by his car. The scene where he stares at her from the clothesline and the scene where he is watching her on the sidewalk and then hides behind a bush. It is important to remember that before the sequels came out, we had no understanding of why he was after Laurie. He was simply an escaped mental patient who set out to kill her. I guess the idea of someone that I don't know, who cannot be stopped and who cannot be reasoned with trying to kill me without reason scares me.

Pet Semetary

I don't care how many times I see this film. I can watch it 10 times in a row and it disturbs the shit out of me every time. Even though I own the film, I rarely watch it. Every time I view it, it stays with me for days. The first time I saw it was back in 2002. My nephew Garrett was two years old at the time. After watching "Pet Semetary" being around him was sort of freaky. I don't know why, but the idea of evil little children, especially children that young doesn't set well with me. I realize that in the story it is not really Gage Creed, and it's a windego demon possessing his body but it is still a killer two year old. My roommate Joel decided to pull this off the shelf the other day and watch it.  I watched it with him and it still had the same effect on me.  Later on that night, I woke up in the middle of the night. My cat, Peanut was walking into the room at the exact moment.  Her eyes glowed like Church's do in the movie. I screamed and quickly turned on the light beside me.  I don't know who was more frightened, me or Peanut.

The Ring

This film doesn't scare me as much as it used to. Matter of fact, I can make it through most of the film without being scared. I've even gotten to a point to where I can laugh and make fun of most of the film. Yet, when that little girl comes crawling out of the well and through the T.V.  I begin to grip the sides of my chair and I check out my exit points. If that little brat is going to come crawling through my TV, I'm getting the hell out of there. I keep on hoping that one of these days I'll be able to watch the film without being freaked out during that part, but it doesn't look promising.

Oculus

 I was beginning to lose faith that a horror film would ever frighten me again. Matter of fact, with all of the horrible, God-awful horror films that I've seen over the past couple of years, I was beginning to lose faith that a good modern day horror film would ever be made again. Then I ran across Oculus and I was extremely impressed. This movie stayed with me and kept my mind occupied for weeks after I saw it.  What was really happening? So many movies try for ambiguous movies and fail because they either give too much or they don't give enough. Oculus gave just the right amount.  To this day, if I think about the film too much, I cannot look into mirrors afterwards.  I'm too freaked out.  I've been wanting to sit down and watch this film again, but I can't do it.  I cannot watch it alone.  I have to have someone with me. It freaks me out way too much for me to be able to sit through it by myself.



Well there you have it.  A list of films that actually scare me.  Now be honest, you may laugh at my selection and wonder how anyone could be frightened by the films I have listed, but there has to be at least one film that you saw that scared you.  If you say that there isn't, only one of two explanations is plausible. A, you don't watch that many horror films or B, there isn't actually a horror film that exist that will scare you because you aren't afraid of anything.

If you're answer is B, may I say....BULLSHIT, you freakin liar!

WHOO!! 

If You Remember Something Differently From How It Actually Happened, Is that Lying?

I love it when I run across an old movie or episode of a television show that I haven't seen in many years. I'll recall that I liked the movie or the show, and I'll remember certain scenes that caught my attention. Only problem is, I don't always remember the scenes as they actually happened. What I remember and picture in my mind is very close to what actually happened in the movie or television show, but not quite what happened.

For example I first saw, Nowhere To Hide with my Dad when I was really little. Being an animal lover I remembered a scene where a man killed a dog. My memory was of the man slitting the dog's throat. When I watched the movie for the second time 20 years later, I came to discover that the man actually kills the dog by stabbing it in the back of the head. It's a subtle difference, but it really surprised me that as vivid and real as the memory was, it wasn't 100% accurate.

It also recently happened to me when I sat down and watched Casualties of War.  I first saw the movie back in 1991, and recently viewed it for the second time about two weeks ago. I remembered a scene where Michael J Fox protects his crew by hitting what I recalled to be a missile that was headed towards them with his gun. Upon my second viewing, I discovered that he actually hits a grenade that is headed towards them.

It makes me wonder how many of my other memories are close but not 100% accurate to what actually took place. I certainly don't mean to remember things other than the way they happened, but it is clear to me that I sometimes do. Does this constitute as a lie?

What are your thoughts?

MXWA Reunion Show Incomplete without "Midnight" and "The Blue Rocket"

I caught wind the other day that Midwest Xtreme Wrestling Alliance was going to be having a reunion show sometime in March. I have yet to be contacted about this event. I hope that I will be. However, if I am not, I accept and respect that decision.

I can't say that it won't bother me at all if I end up not being booked, because it will. I feel that "The All American" Stephen Stonebraker and "Cousin Larry" were both a part of the phenomenal ensemble of talent that made MXWA a success. I was both a hated heel that drew a lot of heat and a beloved fan favorite. We did a great job of entertaining the communities of Muscatine, West Liberty and Iowa City. I was very much a part of that and I enjoyed being a part of that. I do not deserve to be on an MXWA show anymore than anyone else who helped to make MXWA a success, but I do deserve to be a part of it more than someone brought in from another company. These are my opinions and I realize that they are not shared with everyone else. As I said before there is a high probability that I will not be contacted for the MXWA show. In the minds of some, that is the correct decision to make.

It is a strong possibility that "The Blue Rocket" and "Midnight" might also not be booked for the show. Much more so than myself, the idea of neither one of these guys on this upcoming March of 2016 reunion show is an absolute travesty. "Midnight" is THE VOICE of MXWA. He IS MXWA in so many ways. While we all loved and embraced MXWA, few were as passionate and loyal to the company as Midnight. I keep on waiting for him to contact me saying that he has been booked and that he will be doing play by play color commentary for the show. That would be the right thing to do. Yet, I fear that the moment may not come. I can't think of a single reason why it shouldn't. If anyone deserves to be a part of this show, "Midnight" does.

"The Blue Rocket" also deserves to be a part of this show for many reasons. Perhaps most importantly out of respect. A Central Empire Wrestling show took place in November of 2013, where differences were put aside and people who helped to make CEW a success were booked. In fairness, because it is the right thing to do, the favor should be returned. I hope that it is.

MXWA was a fun, exciting professional wrestling company that entertained fans in a section of southeastern Iowa. It was a success because of a multitude of people who contributed to it. I was one of them. "Midnight" was one of them and "The Blue Rocket" was one of them. As far as I'm concerned that should be acknowledged.

For all those who are going to be a part of MXWA's March of 2016 reunion show, I am happy for all of you. You earned it and you deserve it. I hope you have a blast and a tremendously successful show.