The Streets of Bakersfield

The song written by Homer Joy and sang by Buck Owens has always had me thinking about people. "You say that you don't like me and careless how i feel, how many of you that sit and judge me have ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?" Do you really know someone unless you have walked in their shoes? I say you never really know someone. You could be friends for years, but do you really know them inside? This takes me to the story of my life. I have friends that believe they know me, but that is only the part they have witnessed. What about the circumstances of my birth and early life? They or i have no idea how we got here, but here it goes. I was born August 18th 1964. It was rainy and had been really hot. At 2:07 a.m. i arrived. Almost 10 pounds of me. Let's go back to 1963. My sister who was born in 1954 and was 9 years old. Victoria had red hair and was a beautiful child. She was exiting a school bus on highway 96, when she was struck and killed by a gravel type truck. My brother was 16 and on the same bus. He recently told me it has broke his heart that he couldn't stop the event. Imagine carrying that in your heart for over 50 years. Yes that is correct i am the youngest of six kids. They were born in 1941,43, 45,47 and 54. I believe i am lucky to be here. My Mother was 44 when i was born. Was i a replacement for my sister? Some have told me i saved my mother from just giving up! I don't know, but that is a burden i wouldn't put on anyone. Let's jump ahead to 1972. My father passed away in December at the age of 56. Just shy of his 57th birthday. My mother was 52 and had no drivers licence,had never had one and never worked outside the home. I was 8 and had two brothers in the state prison. My sisters were married with kids of their own. My mother received less than $600 a month survivor Social Security benefits.Needless to say we were poor. I never felt like life was bad for me. I always knew that mom had it covered. She was a tough Cherokee Indian. I always thought i wish every kid at school had what i had. I didn't know any better. I was satisfied. I believe i have been in every prison in Illinois including Menard,all by the time i was 12. A great lesson i learned from their incarceration. Don't do it the way they did. I was bullied as a kid about my brothers unmercifully. I survived and vowed to be better than that. I went to college as the first member of the town i grew up in.You guessed it, i was picked on for that. "College Boy". I guess i showed them. I graduated in 1986. I'm sure some of my family was proud and others could have cared less. I have always used criticism as motivation. Tell me i can't do something and i will kill myself to prove you wrong. Those days are long gone now. I suffered my first knee blowout at 15. I have since had 7 knee operations, 2 shoulder operations, 1 thumb surgery and my gall bladder removed. My mother passed on Fathers day in 2002. I have had a horrible first marriage and survived that, but that is another story. I guess the purpose of this story is to get all this off my shoulders and to remind people before you complain about your life remember, have you ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?

The Voice you listen to

Most people's thought originate in their own mind. There are two voices you can listen to.The Devil and The Holy Spirit. Jesus said he would never leave our side,well the Devil made the same promise. He will work twice as hard to convince you to do what you want.If you are a Christian you know it is not your life you are leading. God gave us free will but he expects Christians to follow in his image. We were put on this earth to glorify his name and you can only do that by doing what he would do. It is a constant struggle to live like Jesus. He is perfect and we were born in sin. The next time you want to do something you have to question listen to the voice that inside you says "don't do that" not the one that says "It is your life do what feels good." Remember there is no peace in your life unless you follow his lead. You will truly feel better if you have a personal relationship with Jesus. If you talk to him regularly like you do your earthly father he will answer you with his blessings and fear and worry shall not hinder you. "We have the mind of Christ." 1Corinthians 2:16

The Soft side of America

Personal observation, people are less informed today than 50 years ago. With the advent of instant news, sports and entertainment you would believe people would be smarter,Wrong. I can't believe things i read and see these days. People can identify a reality star but not Joe Biden. I guess that is why we ended up with this idiot we have now. Social media got BHO elected pure and simple. Flashy internet and scripted no meat talking points made people believe he was the second coming of Elvis. Another no talent all flash drug addict. If it's not feed to people through the vortex of the idiot panels people don't pay any attention to detail. For instance, insider trading in Congress. Really people you just now figured that out. They make the rules of who lives and who dies and have all the info at their finger tips. Do you really think any Congress person lost money to Bernie Maddoff? Come on America it's not a secret if you can think. Who has the power and the info, sorry that's another conspiracy. Do you still believe Columbus discovered America or the Civil War was fought over slavery? Educate yourself people. Read, do research, use the sense the LORD gave you. Don't settle for history books they are written bu the winners. I just want America to return to "The Shinning City on the Hill" not fall into the trailer court down the road. America was built on thought knowledge and hard work. It wasn't built on Government education and handouts. Hitler did those things and see how that turned out. People that are under the thumb of the man never complain, because they don't bite the hand that feeds them. Why do you think it's going astray in Libya and others lands? Because no one is in control , the people don't know what to expect anymore, it's a free for all.That is what is going to happen here when the Military takes over. Re-defeat Socialism in 2012!

Responsibility

In many ways today people lack the courage or intelligence to take responsibility for their own actions. Whether it's congress blaming the President or the President blaming the last President for their own transgressions. When you are in charge that means you take responsibility for yourself and the folks you hire. They may make a gaff that you may or may not have to defend, especially if the person doesn't take it upon themselves to own it. As a human being you must take responsibility for what you do or say and suffer the consequences of that. Hank Williams Jr. used an analogy of poor choice of words. He has free speech and free will, but why is everyone so pissy about what people say. I look at it as this i'm not offended by being called fat or stupid or a Mick and or Injun. Those things i might be. That is someones opinion of me and opinions are like assholes everyone has one, some have two if their married. I do take offense to being called a liar or late for supper. Others opinion of me is just like mine of them, who cares. If you want people to respect you even if they don't care for your opinion or politics is to own your own words and actions and stand up for what you believe. I know many people i like that's opinion differ from mine.I respect those who live by those rules. I don't respect people that blame everything in life on others and pass the buck to someone else. Own your mistakes and face the jury but don't blame in on your parents because they didn't hug you enough.

Economics!

Has been a while since i have talked to my three followers! It isn't without saying that i have not been thinking! This President and the current economic brain dead congress has me thinking. If Reagan had Voodoo economics, what the hell does Obama have? This guy never ceases to amaze me. Any dumb ass can tell you this is America we like to buy shit, especially American made shit. When people are taxed on air consumption we do not have a enough money left to pay attention. It is this simple, Government regulation as we know it has to go bye bye. You can not legislate behavior. It is time to scrap the IRS and go with what i believe is the best idea of a consumption tax. You would receive all of your gross pay minus your chosen deductions. There would be a tax on things you purchase say 17%, less food in a grocery store which would have no tax. Foreign Aid would cease except for help in natural disasters. One thing America has that no other country really has is food. We can grow anything. We don't need to buy oil we have all we need plus every other resource we need. Balance the trade issue and renew manufacturing by eliminating the corporate tax on goods made in the USA.

We need less Government and more leadership.Remember attitude reflects leadership. That is why we have no bi- partisanship in this country. Hell his own party doesn't like him. Remember you have the right to vote and i suggest you inform yourself anyway possible and vote you choice or shut the hell up!

The Way it is!

I really don't know if everyone realizes the state of the World or our Country! Libya, Egypt ,Syria etc.. are overthrowing their leaders. You can look at this two ways. People are standing up against tyrants and speaking their voice. Tyrants are trying to take over like the Mob. Countries without Democratic governments tend to resemble organized crime. There is always some lower level creep that thinks he can takeover by eliminating the guy above him on the ladder. These type of systems never work. Liberalism only works in your own heart toward your neighbors, not in Government. It is your duty as a child of God to help those in need. Instead of looking out for number 1 you should think of the well being of your spouse or you friends, children. If everyone else is happy you will tend to have a better life. God said if you don't work you don't eat. You cannot go through life sitting under a tree waiting for God to feed you. You have free will to do as you choose , but as you should know all choices have consequences!

This Country was founded on people having a Government that represents their wishes. Anyone that believes it is that way today is a fool. If you elect someone to lead they should lead, by making tough choices . America is deep in debt and probably sunk! We don't have the GDP today to sustain massive Federal spending. The more people that work and pay taxes the better of you are. You cannot keep raising taxes with less people working. We don't produce anything today but ideas, no products for consumers . If we do have manufacturing , it's outsourced to another country due to high corporate taxes and Unions. We are now a service industry serving fast food to over weight Americans like me. We need to seek Government reform and that starts at the top. Elections are our only voice, you must use it. I don't care if you think everyone is a crook. Vote them out the next round and keep people from making a living on public service. America this may be your last chance to realize your dream. Stand up for flat tax, sales tax and remove the IRS. Who by the way owes billions in taxes themselves. Drill for oil and natural gas, we don't need foreign oil, but they do need our food. You can't eat sand! Come on this is a great Country and needs to be thinking of itself first instead of our image to the rest of the World. They are jealous of us they want to come here , we don't move to France. Power through strength, Peace through Power!

I have no Dream!

Martin Luther King had a dream he never lived to see from this earth! He has seen some of it come true from afar! His last speech said " i Have been to the Mountain top and seen the other side." I don't put my faith in people because The Lord said only have faith in me! He is correct of course. You can't believe in the things you see because they are not always true. You get 10 witnesses to a crime and get 10 different stories. I have never believed Oswald acted alone, not real sure we went to the moon. Can't believe Elvis had only one child and Michael Jackson had more. Martin Luther King had a dream that he believed in the God of all beings and that everyone would be judged on the content of their character not the color of their skin. They will and he will see it come Judgement Day when every knee shall bow and ever tongue shall confess that he is God!