Give A Carrot!

Jason, my oldest son, his wife Renee and my two little grandsons, Jaden and Skylar, were here for the Halloween weekend.  It happens that my youngest son, Jeremy, and his wife, Meaghan, are recently the proud owners of a horse named Phoenix.  I won't go in to how this came about, but there is a whole other story there (I say this with a smile).  We took the boys to meet Phoenix; Jaden anxiously waited to feed Phoenix a carrot.  Phoenix loves carrots, and, in fact, yesterday Meaghan told me that Phoenix was getting a bit too fond of treats and therefore checking hands and pockets of every human he had the chance to meet.  Do you think he might be suffering from "entitlement?"

Carrots, as we all know, are very good for you.  The beta-carotene is good for your eyes, as is the fact that carrots convert to vitamin A in the body which also improves eyesight and helps you see better in dim light.  Beta-carotene in carrots is also an antioxidant that helps protect you from heart disease, cancer and macular degeneration.  Alpha-carotene, another benefit from carrots has been shown to protect from lung cancer.

The point is, if you are said to "Give a Carrot" you are giving something good for the receiver.  This brings me to the point of my ramblings today:  politics.  I do not typically get into politics except in very private situations.  I have long considered myself an "Independent."  I have in the past voted both sides of the ticket.  BUT,  like so many in this country I am absolutely disgusted with politics.  I am sick of the name calling, the blame, the black and white thinking, the refusal to work across "party lines" for the good of the people.  I am appalled to find that in spite of the fact that our President Obama won the Presidential seat only two years ago, with our country in the midst of TWO wars, right after the collapse of our major financial institutions and the spiraling downward of our stock market AND the bail out that was called by then President Bush a "necessity for saving our economy" many people in this country actually now "see" him, Obama, as to blame for it all.  Two years??? Do you suppose that is enough time to actually "fix" all that was wrong?  And to do so when your opposing party has said "NO" to cooperating with you in any way?  By the way, the consensus from experts from both parties is that we had to bail out these institutions.

Well that is my first frustration.  My second is that there seems to be an absolute "refusal" to work together among the heads of our two party system.  We are in trouble.  I don't care who is to blame (though from my perspective it appears to be the fact that we are now a global economy, like it or not; and our corporations have the wealth and the power to do whatever they want and to even buy off our congressmen and women.)  Remember, corporations are not patriotic unless they are headed by honest and patriotic executives.  Corporations are world wide citizens, moving wherever and whenever they can find cheaper labor and fewer regulatory inhibitions to their money making purpose.  THEY ARE NOT PEOPLE.  They do not have conscience nor empathy.  They do not "give a carrot!"

And are you aware that corporations can now contribute however much money they wish without having to say where it comes from to any campaign (and remember, they do have the money).  Do you not suppose this could mean they can also buy the candidate that best fits their interest?

So, isn't it time we SEE.  "GIVE A CARROT."  We are in trouble.  We have millions who have no health insurance and others having to declare bankruptcy due to illness, we have seniors who have to decide whether to forgo food or medications, we have poor right here in our ghettos and even in our rural areas who need help, we have a middle class that has been dwindling in numbers for the last 50 years.  It IS our middle class that carries the brunt of our tax burden.  And, by the way, it is a historical fact that a culture's strength and stability is directly proportionate to the strength and stability of its middle class.

EAT A FEW CARROTS.  They help us "see" the truth in our situation.  I think we have to stop reacting to the fear politics around us and take the time to look into what it is that will really help change things.  I guarantee you it is not about being Democrat nor Republican (NOR Tea Party).  It is not about defending the Constitution, it is not about whether or not our President is Muslim or a US citizen (that anyone can believe either of these persisting rumors really blows my mind).  It is about whether or not we can really "give a carrot" and put some time and effort into knowing the truth of our situation and seriously looking for ways to make changes.

It shook me last night when a teen in my class began sharing how depressed and hopeless she was feeling.  This was the case on many levels, but when she got into politics and how the condition of our country and its politics were affecting her, and the rest of the group chimed in in agreement, it really got to me.  She said she no longer felt "hope" that she could make her "dreams" come to fruition.  She said she was sick of our major political parties refusing to work together to figure out how to fix things.   Basically she was saying she has lost "the American dream."  This conversation went on to include how many teens each of these in my class knew who felt suicidal because of this hopelessness.  I think we must take this seriously for the sake of our children.  If we don't stop fighting and blaming and reacting and start really doing something constructive we are failing our children.  I really believe this.

So, the point of this blog today is to ask that you "Give a Carrot"....that you really care enough to do all in your power to stop the negativity and give from your heart something healthy, something that enhances the ability to "see" our way out of this mess we find ourselves in.  I believe we are the greatest nation in the world, but I also believe if we keep abusing this position we can lose it.  I do "give a carrot!!"