When I was young, my mother used to tell me about Charles Manson and his family of murderers who killed a nice lady and her unborn child and wrote horrible messages in their blood all around the house they were murdered in. Of course, she never went into detail, but my mother had a way, at that time, of saying things in ways that would let my imagination fill in details. I imagine she could still do that, except for the fact that I'm jaded after years of horror movies and Stephen King books. But her talking about Manson is one of the things that stands out in my memory.
I want to say that it was especially scary because she told us all this around the time that Jerry "Animal" McFadden kidnapped the jailer at the Upshur County Jail and broke out. Most of you won't know the story, but McFadden had kidnapped three teenagers (two girls and a boy) at a lake located in the county next to ours, killed two and left them in a ditch, and then raped and killed the youngest girl and dumped her body on Barnwell Mountain, a little rest area (at the time) near where I lived. When he escaped, the largest manhunt ever in Texas was conducted (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Sandy,_Texas--This is from Wikipedia, but check in with Richard Lingle on Facebook. He was the Chief of Police then, and we are friends. He's got some great clippings and pictures of this manhunt.).
Anyway, so I admit, readily, the obsession with all things horrible. People like James Warren "Jim" Jones, the Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, and even weirder people like those from the Order of the Solar Temple. Manson did not necessarily create a cult, but you could say that his followers had some cult identity. Manson was able to obtain complete and utter loyalty from them, in return for drugs and an acceptance they had known nowhere else. You must know that it was the 1960s, when everyone was messed up in some way, shape or form, and while this doesn't excuse the murders at all, in the context of history, nothing remotely like the '60s had ever happened before. They tried with the "Roaring '20s," but the complete lack of cultural ritual from the offspring of the Baby Boomers created an air of dissatisfaction with all things "required" of them. Or that's what I think.
So, back to Manson. A little while back I created blog posts about Susan Atkins and Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. I am extremely happy to say that while Fromme was released from prison (I guess that trying to assassinate President Gerald Ford was not as bad as what some others did), but Susan Atkins was denied parole for the umpteenth time, and died 22 days later. Here's my dilemma. I'm really really glad that Atkins is dead. I don't care what she did for misguided teens or whatever while in prison. She stabbed a pregnant woman in the stomach repeatedly to kill both her and her baby, for no apparent reason other than that's what Manson wanted. And I have a real problem with what has happened with the rest of the ones who went to prison with Manson. Most have gotten married while in prison--Atkins herself was married to her attorney. Several have fathered children, a couple have fathered three or four, and one even got out and moved near the prison so that she could be near Manson! Unfortunately, after she started a website for him, she disappeared--they have no clue where she is! My point is that they should never have been given an opportunity to have any type of normal life. Most had been slated to die before the death penalty in California was commuted, and that's what they should have done. Their ability to pull people into their "fold" is scary beyond belief. But thank goodness they are not doing it in bulk, like some politicians are doing with lies and beliefs based on untruths.
This was just mainly to give an update on Susan Atkins, but it comes with a warning. I no longer am frightened by what those people could do to me. I no longer am concerned with what they did or could do. They have very little hold on popular opinion at this time, and there is no media outlet for them to really grab more and more followers. My warning is this: beware the evolution of charismatic deviants. Those of you who know me know that I'm talking about Sarah Palin. I have never known anyone to spew so much sugar-coated hatred and advocate violence disguised as moral rights in my life. Yes, I am comparing her to Charles Manson, in a certain personality-like way (she has crazy eyes, too--or is that a vacant expression? I'm not sure as it's there ALL THE TIME).
Now I'll go. And I know that this was not quite the intellectual blog that I espouse--there are no facts that I am presenting showing how Palin is like Manson. It's just my opinion. I've seen some articles recently that made me think about this, and for my next blog I may have a side note with these articles (and others). But for right now, just know that the Joneses, Mansons, Koreshes, and Palins of this world want YOU to die for them (and their beliefs).
17 May 2010
Adventures in Personal Finance
I'm supposed to be at work, so I'll keep it short.
I am so ashamed of myself. I have all of this "free time" where I could be reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, but I'm not. Instead, I've been doing some research on the Reformation--which isn't going well because I can't keep staying up until three in the morning and go to work the next day (or get up early on the weekends because my husband can't sleep past 7 in the morning). But I want to read so much, and especially Dave's book. I don't know if you have listened to him on the radio or on podcasts, but let me explain what he does. He provides a way for you to get your money act together and become debt free. No matter what your income or your debt amount. He has a list of "baby steps" that you take, beginning with creating a budget so you can save $1,000 then paying down your debt one small bill at a time until it's all gone. But that's a simplified way of doing it.
Not to tell all my business, but we are doing that. We are not quite doing the baby steps in order, but we've paid some stuff off a month ago and will be doing some more next month. My husband doesn't quite believe in being totally debt-free (although I think it would be great), but he does want to be MOSTLY debt-free.
I keep thinking this way. If it takes us two to five years to pay off our debts (I know it seems like a long time; just bear with me)--including student loans and our house--just think of what we are going to be able to do for the rest of our lives! Let me break it down...
1. We will be able to save a couple of months and get what we want (and by that time, if you think about how the markets are right now, what we want will sell for a cheaper price).
2. We will be able to take vacations whenever we want to (and whenever work lets us)!
3. We can go shopping without having to buy the cheap stuff (even though, by then, it will be an ingrained habit).
And most importantly...
4. We will have a better relationship because we have sacrificed together, we've come together and set goals for our money, and we won't have to worry about where we are going to have the money to eat, much less to buy the new house or vehicle.
These are just a few things, and I wanted to let everyone reading this know that they need to go to Dave Ramsey's site and see for themselves. I'd rather sacrifice for a few years than keep on being worried every day about money for the rest of my life. Just click on the title of my post and it'll take you to his site. Also, be advised that Dave is giving away $1,000 a day and $10,000 more at the end of the month if you fill out the information they ask for on the site--you'll see. You don't have to buy or sign up for anything.
I am so ashamed of myself. I have all of this "free time" where I could be reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, but I'm not. Instead, I've been doing some research on the Reformation--which isn't going well because I can't keep staying up until three in the morning and go to work the next day (or get up early on the weekends because my husband can't sleep past 7 in the morning). But I want to read so much, and especially Dave's book. I don't know if you have listened to him on the radio or on podcasts, but let me explain what he does. He provides a way for you to get your money act together and become debt free. No matter what your income or your debt amount. He has a list of "baby steps" that you take, beginning with creating a budget so you can save $1,000 then paying down your debt one small bill at a time until it's all gone. But that's a simplified way of doing it.
Not to tell all my business, but we are doing that. We are not quite doing the baby steps in order, but we've paid some stuff off a month ago and will be doing some more next month. My husband doesn't quite believe in being totally debt-free (although I think it would be great), but he does want to be MOSTLY debt-free.
I keep thinking this way. If it takes us two to five years to pay off our debts (I know it seems like a long time; just bear with me)--including student loans and our house--just think of what we are going to be able to do for the rest of our lives! Let me break it down...
1. We will be able to save a couple of months and get what we want (and by that time, if you think about how the markets are right now, what we want will sell for a cheaper price).
2. We will be able to take vacations whenever we want to (and whenever work lets us)!
3. We can go shopping without having to buy the cheap stuff (even though, by then, it will be an ingrained habit).
And most importantly...
4. We will have a better relationship because we have sacrificed together, we've come together and set goals for our money, and we won't have to worry about where we are going to have the money to eat, much less to buy the new house or vehicle.
These are just a few things, and I wanted to let everyone reading this know that they need to go to Dave Ramsey's site and see for themselves. I'd rather sacrifice for a few years than keep on being worried every day about money for the rest of my life. Just click on the title of my post and it'll take you to his site. Also, be advised that Dave is giving away $1,000 a day and $10,000 more at the end of the month if you fill out the information they ask for on the site--you'll see. You don't have to buy or sign up for anything.
12 May 2010
What is Morale?
"Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used for the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others."
Yes, I got this from Wikipedia. It doesn't matter where it came from, because I can give you several definitions and they would come out about the same. Everyone knows what morale is. We all know what good morale is and what bad morale is. However, I'll give you some generalities. Good morale is the loyalty a person feels for the company he or she works for. Bad morale is when they feel as though they have been cheated out of something by the company they work for but see no way of getting out of it.
Good morale comes from incentives--and the company's ability to make good on the incentives. Bad morale comes from the company changing things suddenly and without notice so that the employees become depressed/upset/demoralized enough that they become unproductive. It has been seen that some companies will intentionally produce bad morale so that they can make a clean sweep of their people and hire new ones. It has also been seen that companies do what they can to produce good morale so that their employees are happy--happy employees are productive and try their hardest to raise revenue more than depressed/upset/demoralized employees do.
I think that this is a lesson that all businesses, whether they be retail, non-profit, academic, or whatever, should take heed of. I realize that costs are rising. I realize that there are a lot of companies who are going down the drain because of the economy. But take a look at the ones that are not tanking. Apple, Google, and even some small businesses are able to create incentives that motivate, even for the lower pay that many people are getting in today's economy.
There is something wrong, however, when a large company that employs over 500 people cannot keep up the morale even with some incentives. Monthly one day off awards for one person, one annual week-long appreciation event that someone may not be able to attend because the office can't spare them, and a lessening in holidays does not provide enough incentive for the employees. They are low paid, their health insurance premium is over 1/3 of what they make in gross pay (and will go up, along with deductibles and co-pays), and they are treated as though they are afterthoughts or children being placated.
I can't wait to start my own business. I realize that what I make will probably end up looking worse than what I am making now, but at least I won't be dissatisfied with my work. I do too much for too little, and I won't be getting even a cost of living raise. I have never gotten a merit raise, even though I have done above average work, above and beyond what has been asked. I'm sick and tired of being treated as though I don't matter--that I don't have any reason to complain because at least I have a job. Pretty soon, though, it's not going to be worth me having a job. The insurance alone will see to that. What I make I'll spend in gas money and after-school/summer day camp fees. It's not worth it. I pay more for health insurance than I would if I were to go to the doctor the one time a year I go and pay on my own.
Is this job worth it? Is any job worth the stress? Can I honestly say that I have bad morale? I think so.
Yes, I got this from Wikipedia. It doesn't matter where it came from, because I can give you several definitions and they would come out about the same. Everyone knows what morale is. We all know what good morale is and what bad morale is. However, I'll give you some generalities. Good morale is the loyalty a person feels for the company he or she works for. Bad morale is when they feel as though they have been cheated out of something by the company they work for but see no way of getting out of it.
Good morale comes from incentives--and the company's ability to make good on the incentives. Bad morale comes from the company changing things suddenly and without notice so that the employees become depressed/upset/demoralized enough that they become unproductive. It has been seen that some companies will intentionally produce bad morale so that they can make a clean sweep of their people and hire new ones. It has also been seen that companies do what they can to produce good morale so that their employees are happy--happy employees are productive and try their hardest to raise revenue more than depressed/upset/demoralized employees do.
I think that this is a lesson that all businesses, whether they be retail, non-profit, academic, or whatever, should take heed of. I realize that costs are rising. I realize that there are a lot of companies who are going down the drain because of the economy. But take a look at the ones that are not tanking. Apple, Google, and even some small businesses are able to create incentives that motivate, even for the lower pay that many people are getting in today's economy.
There is something wrong, however, when a large company that employs over 500 people cannot keep up the morale even with some incentives. Monthly one day off awards for one person, one annual week-long appreciation event that someone may not be able to attend because the office can't spare them, and a lessening in holidays does not provide enough incentive for the employees. They are low paid, their health insurance premium is over 1/3 of what they make in gross pay (and will go up, along with deductibles and co-pays), and they are treated as though they are afterthoughts or children being placated.
I can't wait to start my own business. I realize that what I make will probably end up looking worse than what I am making now, but at least I won't be dissatisfied with my work. I do too much for too little, and I won't be getting even a cost of living raise. I have never gotten a merit raise, even though I have done above average work, above and beyond what has been asked. I'm sick and tired of being treated as though I don't matter--that I don't have any reason to complain because at least I have a job. Pretty soon, though, it's not going to be worth me having a job. The insurance alone will see to that. What I make I'll spend in gas money and after-school/summer day camp fees. It's not worth it. I pay more for health insurance than I would if I were to go to the doctor the one time a year I go and pay on my own.
Is this job worth it? Is any job worth the stress? Can I honestly say that I have bad morale? I think so.
10 May 2010
I Feel So Badly...
...For my friends. I have not been getting my updates, so I have not known that they are updating their blogs. I'm seriously going to have to remedy that. I have not been there for them, and I can't keep doing that. So here is my post swearing that my friends will always be able to contact me, no matter what, for whatever they need. I'm here for you all emotionally--please don't think that I am EVER too busy for you!
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