Desperation Embodied...

So I'm standing in line at my local 7-11 with a much needed cup of coffee and the Saturday Edition of the Star Telegram. (I like the deliberate nature of reading printed news rather than iPad media)
In any case, I'm standing there in a line of 3-4 people when it occurs to me, "What could the guy up front possibly be doing that is taking this long!" Money Order? Finding the right pack of cigarettes? Lost his debit card? What!? After maneuvering to get a better look I find myself both saddened and mortified to find he is counting out pennies, and dimes to gather enough money for the last of 4 lottery tickets! Literally counting (out loud) his lose change to muster enough.
Beside the point that he was holding up a line of legitimate customers ...(yeah I said it!) LEGITIMATE customers that were waiting to make purchases of goods, he was apparently incapable of completing the basic math necessary to complete his dubious purchase.
Let's discuss the lottery for a minute...
There are several things that upset me on a day to day basis, my boxer eating perfectly good fence panels for sport, my oldest daughter shopping like she's on a mission to break me, my ex-wife (in general) and the lottery. Simply put, the lottery is a tax on people that are missed by capital gains tax, property tax, gas tax, or any other tax that a person's income, lifestyle or possessions (or lack thereof) exempt them from paying. It's a "catch all" that allows the state to collect additional revenue without the risk of state representatives having to vote on a tax measure. Although someone WILL win the drawing each time, and as the advertisement says,"You can't win if you don't play", let's examine the economic fallacy of the lotto.
The average player spends between $5-$10 a week on tickets with the occasional win of $1-$100. Continued for a full year this person would spend nearly $500 per year on... Air. Unless they were luck enough to win a few times in which case the may win their money back. Why not put $500 in a CD or money market account so that the next emergency that comes about can be dealt with without the assistance of paycheck loans or credit cards? I just don't get it. Especially not while my coffee is getting cold!


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Location:Fort Worth

Stick and Stones May Break My Bones but Failed Litigation must hurt......

So I'm poking around Lancaster's healthy rumor-mill when the thought occurs to me, "I wonder whatever happen to that lawsuit that was filed when a certain school board member was asked to pick up her toys and go home?" Well, now I know! After finding an attorney with enough extra time on their hands to take the case... convincing someone besides herself that this was a useful and necessary pursuit, and spending money on court costs to have the issue heard by a local judge...... wait for it..... drum roll please..... nothing? Yep, that's right, nothing. The judge practically threw the case out of his or her court and probably disinfected the chamber to rid it of the stench of unnecessary litigation! THIS and other empty cases like it are why city services costs so much. THIS is why there are 15 "Slippery When Wet" signs placed over a 3 inch spot of water on a grocery store floor. THIS is why "Not Responsible for Injury" signs have to be placed on coffee cups in countless baristas around the country! Useless, time consuming, improper and petty attempts to "make a point" at the expense of the court's time and often the judge's patience. I'm a little surprised the judge didn't light the lawsuit on fire, throw it in the trash, and order the bailiff to escort the plaintiff out of the building on general principle!

It's ashamed that when faced with the honorable choice of bowing out gracefully or showing oneself to be petty and vindictive we often choose the latter. I'm not happy the case was ruled one way or the other, only sad it ever was a case at all.

Is There No End to the Madness?

I know it may be... scratch that... it IS crude but the saying,"Fart in the tub and bite the bubble" comes to mind as I hear about Lancaster's recent decision to prohibit an established business from expanding due to rezoning of the area in which the shop is located. Granted, it's a tattoo shop and nobody likes tattoo shops... right? Except, believe it or not, they pay taxes like any other business. They have customers like any other business, and are as concerned about their store appearance and perception in the community as any other business. After all, who wants to get a 'dancing pig over a plate of skulls' tattooed in a dirty parlor? (Don't answer that Tommy)

In any case, businesses look at decisions related to businesses when they consider potential growth or expansion into an area. Yes, they look at other factors such as supporting infrastructure, tax abatement opportunities, surrounding demographics, and population as well but more than anything a business wants to know if a city will be supportive or restrictive once the shovel is put away and the customers begin to come. They don't understand or trust a governing body that decides cases based on arbitrary personal concerns or feelings. If you'll vote to restrict a tattoo parlor because you think they're beneath you, who's to say you won't vote against a "Super Target" because you had a bad shopping experience once or a UPS Distribution Center because you have an adversity to the color brown?

To add insult to injury, the city attorney has to instruct you on how to reverse a decision you JUST MADE? I really hope I heard that one wrong...

Having met and spoken with Marcus Knight, I know him to be an intelligent and formidable leader so it pains me to know he has to endure association with this nonsense. I'm pretty sure, somewhere in the far corners of the city offices is a private room that he uses just to scream at the top of his lungs in frustration! If that's the case, someone should clear a path, prop the door open and wait for it... he'll be visiting that room soon.

Unbelievable stuff... Believe it!!!

So, I'm working for a whole in the wall Restoration Company based out of Grand Prairie and I begin to see signs that the company may not be as stable as I was lead to believe at hire. People begin withdrawing 401K participation, senior managers begin looking for alternative sources of income, venders begin complaining of delayed payment... you know, the regular stuff one sees just before the boat capsizes.
I ask my incompetent supervisor "what's going on?" and receive this reply... I wrote it down directly after leaving him so that i'd remember...

"We've grown SO much that, like a kid who's run too fast for his shoes to stay on, we've run out of our shoes! It's easy to see how some might think we're struggling with pay-cuts, layoffs, and the occasional vender complaint but I can personally assure you we're doing great!"

Two days later 7 of us are without a job! Lol
So much for believing the unbelievable...


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White, Black or More than Either...

I was sitting in the little Tex-Mex restaurant on the town square in Lancaster the other day and it occurs to me how very relaxing this city can be when you peal the politics and the clandestine plans away and just enjoy a great enchilada dinner. After this great meal I paid, tipped and proceeded to take a walk around the square. Not to shop or look at anything in particular, just to walk off a good meal. On my way out I noticed the couple sitting at the back of the restaurant and recognized Sue Anderson with a gentleman discussing her up and coming campaign. After a brief exchange, mostly about the woes of my past association with Tommy Tompkins, we settled on a very interesting conversation about her current opponent and the need she had for a higher "Black" voter turnout. I believe it was phased as thus... "How do I get the Black vote in Lancaster."

I must admit, falling into that same old mindset, I began to lament on figures. Figures such as the ever increasing Black presence in the city both professional and residential. Figures such as the dismal average of 6% voter turnout and less than 4% "Black" voter turnout. I went on to suggest that, as a great former politician once told me, "To get the Black vote you gotta piss them off about something." A tried and often true adage alluding to the simple fact that many in the African American community simply have more pressing matters on their minds than running to the polls to vote on a local race.

You see, it's hard to motivate yourself, after a long day at work, to go out and stand in line to cast a vote for someone you only know through pictures, name, and maybe words. Why take that time from what little time to rest we often have while trying to (as my dad often says ) keep our noses above the water financially. It's hard to care who holds what office when you're three months behind on your car payment and there's $.74 in the bank account!

Yet I think it's even deeper than that. Why must we label ourselves or allow ourselves to be labeled in matters of representation? I know manny "White" people that have the same financial issues as described above so why is it they seem to show up at the polls more often. However small of a margin it is? I'll tell you why... FAITH

Now before you get mad, realize I'm not talking about our faith in God and His son Jesus Christ. I'm not even talking about ones belief in one of the many false gods out there ( Sorry, my Blog, My Jokes )

What I'm talking about is a lack of faith in the city. Specifically a lack of faith that the city and those voted to represent them in the city really have their best interest at heart. Here's just a few reasons I can remember people telling me they had no business with the city and its elections...

• Code Enforcement seems to "TARGET" our community but we see problems all over!
• Police seem to be pulling only "us" over anymore.
• We never feel welcome to the City Events due to the selection of music, location, and time
• Streets are bad and nobody ever fixes them

Anyone can see that these issues, in many cases may just be misunderstandings. For instance... Lancaster has a 53% African American population with a 12% unemployment rate. Most of the affluent residents of Lancaster happen to be working and therefore gone during the day. Police are simply going to pull over more African Americans regardless of if they are looking to or not simply because of the sheer numbers! In any case, until someone wins the confidence of the people, Black or White, through showing they are more concerned with their issues rather than their demographics the dismal turnout will remain.

My, My how things have changed!!!

After an extremely long hiatus I returned to Lancaster recently on a work related call. Don't worry, nothing to do with politics or developing. LOL

In any case, I was appalled at the sheer number of vacant houses and lots in lieu of the developer rush of just a few years ago. Developments such as the older more established neighborhoods are virtually the same, but take a look at Steve Topletz's "Boardwalk" development on the north side of town. I'm sorry...what'd you say? The name isn't Boardwalk anymore?

That's right! Now it's "Boardwood" or "Millwalk" or something nonsensical like that. They say desperation breeds inventiveness and I guess this proves it! Clearly the reason these overpriced and disjointed lots aren't selling has nothing to do with the lunacy of trying to sell $200,000 homes in a city with an average household income of $44,000! It must be because of the name... Yea, that's the ticket! The unmitigated incompetence that these guys continually display really force me to question the sanity of those that have allowed them to rise to their positions. I swear this guy must fart in the tub and bite the bubbles... that's what kind of stupid you'd have to be to think this will work. Changing the name... gimme a break!

Oh yeah, what ever happened to that fancy new school you and Lewis were going to put over there? Guess that didn't quite workout either...

How far off was Dante' in his work, ' The Inferno '

Although a little off point, several changes in my life have led me to a place where looking and learning are far more interesting to me that the trivialities of my past life. For instance, recently I've been going over the Greek original translation of the Bible along with reading Young's Literal translation and Dante's Inferno. (A task I don't recommend for those week in the mind.)

What jumps out at me are the similarities, if not oversimplifications, of Dante in his poetic journey through the catechisms of Hell. It got me to thinking and searching. Realizing that Catholicism has long championed the belief of a Purgatory designed for the holding of wayward yet "non-evil" souls as they await final judgment. To me, it is a perversion of the Hebrew / Greek belief in Hades. A place according to the Greek, designed to hold souls for transition into their final rewards ( good or bad ). Jews in the second century BC accepted the Oral Torah teachings that incorporated the idea of Hades as a place called Sheol designed to hold spirits either in the bosom of Abraham or the place of woe awaiting final judgement as well.

In looking at Dante's work, I see the possibility of separate "chambers" of Hell but without the limitations and constraints that Dante hoped to put on them. It's my belief that our God is bigger than labels. Lust, Anger, Sloth, their all the same in the eyes of a righteous God. You see, I think these chambers could be "pools" of consciousness as related by ones manner or guiding force in life. Live your life in lust, perhaps losing your life in this mindset damns you to an eternity of want. A never fulfilled need or yearning for that which you most seek. Anger, perhaps a constant state of eternal turmoil. An eternity without comfort, without rest, without love.

And so on and so on...

You see, there can be no end, no categories. Each and every person confined to their own hell. Smaller than the whole but all suspended in the lake of fire. The bible make mention of the possibility of these chambers in Deuteronomy 32:22 where it mentions the "lowest hell" and in Psalms 86:13 where it mentions the same. Still more evidence is found in Proverbs 7:27 with Solomon's statement," Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death."

All of these and more point to this possibility. Still, the Lake of Fire is pretty scary in it of itself