Spinning Jenny

Where I live, the snow has finally melted. What is left behind is a dirty, mucky mess topped with dried half-rotted leaves, and garbage blown by the fierce prairie winds that never seem to cease. I too, some days, feel as though I never seem to cease blowing around, being torn in one direction after another.

At work, we were moved back to our old job duties for two weeks and I did not enjoy this step. Thankfully, once they were all caught up, our team was able to return to our normal job duties. This was a welcomed return.

Second, We are torn between food, fuel, and medicine. This economy is cutting us thin, shaving our happy temperments into shreds. The commute is eating our money, the heating oil is eating our money, and we are eating our money. Perhaps someone should be tell those hungry monsters that it's time to stop chomping on the American people. If the Republican government had a backbone or a conscience, they would impose a cap on fuel prices, tax the oil companies for any profits over a certain amount, or something. But no, they stand idly by because they are making more money than ever-records profits for the past few years while the rest of America is falling into record debt.

I read an article about how someone blamed Americans for living beyond their means. I understand this and I agree to some extent. Some people bought houses too big and too expensive for their needs. They wanted the high end life on a middle priced budget. But I think we are living reasonably. I have a seven year old car, and I don't have a remote starter, I don't have power windows or power locks. My boyfriend has a ten years old truck because it's for his business and it's what he fits in. We bought an inexpensive house and skipped buying the stainless steel appliances insteading choosing the cheaper white ones. We have two small puppies who do not wear designer collars or have excess frills. We don't go to the movies, we don't have the internet, we don't have big screen tv's, we don't wear brand name clothing except for tennis shoes, we don't go on vacations, we don't do so many things and still we cannot make it.

It's a struggle month to month. And there is no reason for this except to line some oil man's pockets. I don't understand why cars in America don't have the same fuel efficiency that Europe's cars have had for decades, why we don't have all hybrid cars, why they aren't building more wind farms, solar energy cells, why the government isn't helping us tighten our belts like Jimmy Carter did in the 1970's by putting on a sweater and turning down the heat.

So far, they are just turning up the global warming heat and the heat on America's paychecks which are burning through faster and faster. I do not approve of this message.