I swore I wouldn't use this blog to tackle serious topics or advertise my political beliefs but here we are again and I just can't help myself. As I was watching the news this evening (always an uplifting half hour of my life) the lead story was a discussion about the fact that our wonderful Governor is currently collecting TWO incomes from the state. One, a $50,000 pension from his time at DMU and two, a $130,000 salary for being the governor. Does anyone have a problem with this besides me????
Now the point made repeatedly by those representing The Mustache and the Republican view on the situation is that what he is doing is not illegal and so should not be a big deal. This however brings me to the title of this post. Just because something is not illegal does not always make it ethical.
On the heels of a speech given when he took office stating that we would all have to make sacrifices to get things back on track and announcing just a couple of weeks ago that he wants to provide no additional funding for education for the next two years the public finds out that he is collecting a whapping $180,000 annually from our state.
I think this should cause all of us to pause and consider who our Governor is looking out for. I find it hard to believe that he has the best interest of Iowans everywhere at heart when people across the state are loosing their jobs, unable to find another one, and struggling to make ends meet and he is collecting that much money from our state as payment for screwing us even more.
And what concerns me more than the lack of caring over this particular issue is that our definition of what is considered right and wrong has been reduced to legal versus illegal. Ethics are more than just legal versus illegal. Part of being an ethical person is holding yourself to a higher standard of conduct than our basic laws designed to protect people from harm. To be an ethical person you have to go beyond simply following the law. It requires behaving in a manner that takes the effect of your actions on others into consideration.
I firmly believe that if we are ever going to get ourselves out of the mess that we have created, we have to move away from the mentality that it is every man or woman for themselves and move back towards an attitude of helping your neighbor, and being there to give each other a hand up. And when times are tough all of us taking a smaller hit rather than dumping it all on one person or group of people. When we as a society and our leaders in government begin to behave with this attiude, then and only then will be able to stop spinning our wheels and get moving.
I will leave you with this final thought, since I know everyone that reads this are law abiding citizens, I challenge you all to be the most ETHICAL people that you can be.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Stuck
So as many of you know I am currently working in a job that requires me to go to my clients homes to provide services. Over the last two years I have had some interesting stories but I think tonight may take the cake. I was already late leaving my clients house so I was in somewhat of a hurry. Their driveway is quite long so I turned around the in the turn around spot, so I could see where I was going a little better in the dark, and headed down the driveway. All of the sudden my car came to a stop, despite me pushing the gas. I put the car in reverse and tried to back up. . .nothing. . .put it back in drive. . .nothing. . .yep I was stuck!
I turned the car off and headed back towards the front door of house when I heard my 11 year old client (we'll call him Dan) yell "what's the matter". . .I told him I was stuck and he quickly came to my aid. . .laying in the snow furiously digging around the tires with his hands. After a few minutes of digging he said "I think we are good try it again". I got in the car put it in drive and nothing. Looked to my left and Dan was shaking his head. I turned off the car and got out, Dan was already headed towards the front door. Being only a couple steps behind him I hear him yell "Mom, she's stuck in the driveway, this happens to like every worker that comes here."
Mom quickly got her boots on and came to our aid, using the snow blower to clear a path around the car so that we could get closer to the wheels. Dan got on his knees and did a little more digging. As he is digging I hear him say "I better get some hot chocolate with marshmellows for this". I am pretty sure he wasn't talking to anyone in particular, but was just stating a fact.
Mom finished snow blowing, I thanked them and then got back in my car, started it up, put it in gear and slowly pressed on the gas with Dan and his mom pushing on the trunk of my car. The car started to roll forward. . .I was free. I rolled down the window and yelled "Thanks! I'm not stopping the car again!" gave them a wave and I was on my way. Luckily this is one of my more normal families so the whole situation wasn't real awkward but it was a little embarrassing.
So all in all tonight was a little bit of an adventure. . .but I got out and home without too much trouble. But I would say rescuing your family therapist from a mountain of "white death" warrants some hot chocolate with marshmellows. Now I just have to remember to get some before next Thursday!
I turned the car off and headed back towards the front door of house when I heard my 11 year old client (we'll call him Dan) yell "what's the matter". . .I told him I was stuck and he quickly came to my aid. . .laying in the snow furiously digging around the tires with his hands. After a few minutes of digging he said "I think we are good try it again". I got in the car put it in drive and nothing. Looked to my left and Dan was shaking his head. I turned off the car and got out, Dan was already headed towards the front door. Being only a couple steps behind him I hear him yell "Mom, she's stuck in the driveway, this happens to like every worker that comes here."
Mom quickly got her boots on and came to our aid, using the snow blower to clear a path around the car so that we could get closer to the wheels. Dan got on his knees and did a little more digging. As he is digging I hear him say "I better get some hot chocolate with marshmellows for this". I am pretty sure he wasn't talking to anyone in particular, but was just stating a fact.
Mom finished snow blowing, I thanked them and then got back in my car, started it up, put it in gear and slowly pressed on the gas with Dan and his mom pushing on the trunk of my car. The car started to roll forward. . .I was free. I rolled down the window and yelled "Thanks! I'm not stopping the car again!" gave them a wave and I was on my way. Luckily this is one of my more normal families so the whole situation wasn't real awkward but it was a little embarrassing.
So all in all tonight was a little bit of an adventure. . .but I got out and home without too much trouble. But I would say rescuing your family therapist from a mountain of "white death" warrants some hot chocolate with marshmellows. Now I just have to remember to get some before next Thursday!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Equal Protection
I am feeling the need to give my opinion tonight and even though I know no one reads this I feel like I am giving my opinion to someone on here. That beings said here we go.
Lately here in Iowa there has been a hot and heavy debate over the issue of same sex marriage and whether or not the Supreme Court ruling saying that denying marriage licenses to same sex couples is unconstitutional was the correct decision. So much so that this week the Iowa house passed a resolution to define marriage as a union between one woman and one man and ban any other kind of civil union for same sex couples. And all this has made me wonder if people realize just how stupid they sound when they speak. So I am going to do my very best to break this down into it's various parts.
First and for most the constitution in Iowa states that there is equal protection under the law, meaning the majority can't get together and decide to treat any minority unfairly. This means that denying same sex couples marriage licenses is indeed unconsititutional. That should be where this debate ends but unfortunately it has not. Because of that I would like to take a moment and run through the reasons I have heard this week as to why same sex couples should not be allowed to marry.
1. It threatens the sanctity of marriage.
Gonna have to call bullshit on this one considering the divorce rate in this country between hetero sexual couples is hovering around 50%. In addition, some people get divorced and remarried more often than they change underwear. You can't use the sanctity of marriage as a reason until the hetero sexual population start taking it more seriously.
2. The whole point of a marriage is to produce children and a same sex couple can not produce children the way a hetero sexual couple can.
Okay, I will agree that two men, or two women are probably never going to procreate without the assistance of modern science, at least not in the traditional way. That being said when was it decided that that was the point of marriage? And what about all those hetero sexual couples that can't or choose not to have children? What about a person like me who doesn't want to have kids but would rather adopt? Does that mean that all the people falling into those catergories shouldn't be allowed to marry as well? Good luck getting that passed into law, and since we wouldn't discriminate against hetero sexual people for not being able to or choosing not to have children why would we do it to anyone else? Again I am going to call bullshit.
3. If we allow same sex couples to marry what is to stop us from changing laws to say you can marry and "internet character" or your pet?
I would really rather not respond to this because I find it incredibly insulting. But the answer to that question is, common sense, which isn't so common anymore. I can not believe a person would lump same sex marriage into the same category as marrying a fictional character or an animal that is not human. It disgusts me that someone would suggest that, and I find it offensive. Not only insulting and offensive to my own sensibilities and my intelligence but a slap in the face to same sex couples everywhere. Again I give a resounding bullshit to this as a reason to ban same sex marriage.
The bottom line is that this whole issue is born out of fear. Fear of what I don't know but the only time people act this irrationally is when they are afraid. I personally know several same sex couples some of which of choosen to marry some of which who have not. I can honestly say it has not diminished or changed how I feel about marriage, in general, or my future marriage, it has not had an adverse effect on my life in anyway. If anything it has brought happiness to my life because the people around me are happy and have found someone to share their lives with. Why would we deny anyone the right to be happy, and when did we decide that we GET to decide who has the right to the pursuit of happiness?
And back the real issue, of equal protection under the law. Some people may think it's a great idea at this point because they are in the majority but if we set this precident then those same people may find themselves in the minority in the future and then I am SURE they will not think it is a great idea.
It saddens me greatly that our society as a whole has apparently not learned anything in the last. . .oh I don't know. . .60 years. And it saddens me that we are still operating out of a place of fear and hatered of things that are different than what we are "used to". But apparently that is where we are at. And until that changes I think I am going to have to ramp up my political activism. . .email my representatives, use my blog and facebook page to get the word out, and if necessary knock on every door in my neighborhood. If you agree I would recommend you do the same, we need to take such a stand on this issue that there is no question about what the "people want".
Lately here in Iowa there has been a hot and heavy debate over the issue of same sex marriage and whether or not the Supreme Court ruling saying that denying marriage licenses to same sex couples is unconstitutional was the correct decision. So much so that this week the Iowa house passed a resolution to define marriage as a union between one woman and one man and ban any other kind of civil union for same sex couples. And all this has made me wonder if people realize just how stupid they sound when they speak. So I am going to do my very best to break this down into it's various parts.
First and for most the constitution in Iowa states that there is equal protection under the law, meaning the majority can't get together and decide to treat any minority unfairly. This means that denying same sex couples marriage licenses is indeed unconsititutional. That should be where this debate ends but unfortunately it has not. Because of that I would like to take a moment and run through the reasons I have heard this week as to why same sex couples should not be allowed to marry.
1. It threatens the sanctity of marriage.
Gonna have to call bullshit on this one considering the divorce rate in this country between hetero sexual couples is hovering around 50%. In addition, some people get divorced and remarried more often than they change underwear. You can't use the sanctity of marriage as a reason until the hetero sexual population start taking it more seriously.
2. The whole point of a marriage is to produce children and a same sex couple can not produce children the way a hetero sexual couple can.
Okay, I will agree that two men, or two women are probably never going to procreate without the assistance of modern science, at least not in the traditional way. That being said when was it decided that that was the point of marriage? And what about all those hetero sexual couples that can't or choose not to have children? What about a person like me who doesn't want to have kids but would rather adopt? Does that mean that all the people falling into those catergories shouldn't be allowed to marry as well? Good luck getting that passed into law, and since we wouldn't discriminate against hetero sexual people for not being able to or choosing not to have children why would we do it to anyone else? Again I am going to call bullshit.
3. If we allow same sex couples to marry what is to stop us from changing laws to say you can marry and "internet character" or your pet?
I would really rather not respond to this because I find it incredibly insulting. But the answer to that question is, common sense, which isn't so common anymore. I can not believe a person would lump same sex marriage into the same category as marrying a fictional character or an animal that is not human. It disgusts me that someone would suggest that, and I find it offensive. Not only insulting and offensive to my own sensibilities and my intelligence but a slap in the face to same sex couples everywhere. Again I give a resounding bullshit to this as a reason to ban same sex marriage.
The bottom line is that this whole issue is born out of fear. Fear of what I don't know but the only time people act this irrationally is when they are afraid. I personally know several same sex couples some of which of choosen to marry some of which who have not. I can honestly say it has not diminished or changed how I feel about marriage, in general, or my future marriage, it has not had an adverse effect on my life in anyway. If anything it has brought happiness to my life because the people around me are happy and have found someone to share their lives with. Why would we deny anyone the right to be happy, and when did we decide that we GET to decide who has the right to the pursuit of happiness?
And back the real issue, of equal protection under the law. Some people may think it's a great idea at this point because they are in the majority but if we set this precident then those same people may find themselves in the minority in the future and then I am SURE they will not think it is a great idea.
It saddens me greatly that our society as a whole has apparently not learned anything in the last. . .oh I don't know. . .60 years. And it saddens me that we are still operating out of a place of fear and hatered of things that are different than what we are "used to". But apparently that is where we are at. And until that changes I think I am going to have to ramp up my political activism. . .email my representatives, use my blog and facebook page to get the word out, and if necessary knock on every door in my neighborhood. If you agree I would recommend you do the same, we need to take such a stand on this issue that there is no question about what the "people want".
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