A Frustrated American

Dear Congress,

This morning, as I sat at the breakfast table with my son, I saw a story on our local news that was unbelievable in its absurdity. You see, it concerned you...and the job that you are NOT performing.  The story stated that there could, quite possibly, be a delay in American citizens' ability to file their 2012 tax returns. Not because there isn't enough money for the refunds. No, nothing that difficult to contend with. The reason for this was given as a failure on YOUR part to come up with an Alternative Minimum Tax.

To this I ask, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Do you really mean to tell me that I may not be able to file my taxes, receive money due my family, because you all can't agree on a measly minimum tax amount?! This is ridiculous. You are grown men and women. I don't care if Snuffleupagus is President. It's time to get it together. Pull up your big girl &/or boy panties, AND WORK TOGETHER.  From birth on we are taught to tolerate one another and work together for the greater good in this great country. I do not, for one second, believe that any of Congress missed out on these crucial lessons. You were elected to serve the citizens of this country. Personal pride has no part in that.

Say I give you all the benefit of the doubt. Say it's not a partisan issue at all, but that Congress is, truly, so out of touch with what is happening in this country that no one on Capitol Hill has the first clue what the Alternative Minimum Tax should be. I've got a solution for you. Take your various entourages and go to your local grocery store. I don't care which one...Wal-Mart, Kroger, Meijers, any store will do. Now comes the hard part. WATCH. Really see what is going on around you. See how many people are paying with EBT cards. Watch exhausted women stand in the aisle, perplexed and trying to match coupons to products...then compare them to the store brands to see which is cheaper. As for those that aren't paying with EBT cards, pay attention to what they are paying with. How many are using credit cards? How many cash, check, or debit cards? You see, Congress, the only way for you to know what the Alternative Minimum Tax should be is to be aware of the livelihoods  of your constituents.

When I was young I remember seeing our elected Senators and Representatives frequently. They showed up for parades. They were IN grocery stores to shake hands, kiss babies, and talk to the people that put them in their prestigious position. They viewed their jobs with respect, and acted accordingly. Your position, as I understand it, is to be a voice for the people you represent, is it not? How can you possibly do that, if you never TALK to the people to know what their voice is saying?

Sincerely,

A Frustrated American

Contemptible

This whole writing experiment thing is supposed to be about positives. Well...not today. Tuesday is being quite gruesome to me.

It's 9:30AM. I've already driven 100 miles today. This isn't all bad. The Hubster's old, faithful work car is having a little tantrum, so I had to drive him to my parents' house this morning to pick up on of their vehicles for the day. Usually he would've just taken my SUV to work, and I would've stayed home with no vehicle for a day. No biggie for this gal. Our oldest is home from college, however, and had to work today...smack dab in the middle of The Hubster's shift, so I had to have a vehicle. After snagging some biscuits for breakfast and dropping the hubby off I headed back home to get the boys up and get the oldest delivered to work.

Did I mention that it is raining, none too gently, this morning?

After getting home and cramming biscuits in our face we left for our work drop-off run. Here is where the day went straight to Hades without passing "Go!". We got less than a mile down the road from our home and witnessed an assault. Yep. Two grown men (though acting like this in public makes me loathe to call them men). Screaming at each other, and one of them swinging a baseball bat at the other, hitting his car door and being very threatening. Other grown "men" (again, this is used as loosely as possible) were blocking the road in vehicles, and even standing around watching with their hands in their pockets...AND DOING NOTHING! This is the most despicable display of morality I have seen in quite some time. My 12-year old is terrified. He's asked me to keep the door shut and the alarm set at the house today, just so he can feel safe. A child that young should have NEVER:

1. Had to witness a display of violence between adults who are supposed to know the heck better.
2. Had to witness bystanders ALLOWING the violence, with no one stepping up to the plate to protest or put a stop to it.

Way to let a CHILD know that they aren't safe in their own towns, imbeciles. Way to let a CHILD know that, when they grow up, there is a good chance that when someone gets angry with them that they will be hit with a friggin' BAT. So, since I know that people that live around me read these posts. Since I know that there is a good chance that one or more of them know the people involved in this incident. I'm going to go on the record and say this:

TO THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS INCIDENT, WHETHER YOU WERE WIELDING A BAT, SCREAMING, BLOCKING TRAFFIC, OR JUST STANDING AROUND WATCHING.

YOU ARE CONTEMPTIBLE. 

SHAME ON YOU. 

GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR RESPECTIVE REAR ENDS AND LEARN TO NEGOTIATE ANGER WITH WORDS, NOT VIOLENCE.

SET THE EXAMPLES YOU, OBVIOUSLY, MISSED OUT ON AS CHILDREN AND PUT AN END TO THIS TYPE OF IDIOTIC DISPLAY.

REALIZE THAT YOUR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN, ETC., ARE LEARNING BY YOUR EXAMPLE, AND THE ONE YOU ARE SETTING IS REPREHENSIBLE.

Now that I've gotten this off of my chest it's time for me to log off. I have a 12-year old with serious emotional trauma to tend to. Thanks for that, you moronic scumbags.