The America I Could Love

As I wade through the refuse on the way to the primaries, I have been doing a lot of thinking about what direction I'd like to see our country take.
It seems to me that in order for a country to be a major world power and respected internationally that their priorities ought to be; (1.) educated citizens, (2.) healthy citizens, (3.) decent housing for all citizens. If we are going to borrow money from China don't you think we should make sure that we get the most value for our money?
I am tired of sending my taxes to a government that wants to use them to kill people.
I was watching Nova last night on PBS and the topic was the restoration of the Parthenon. They had found some ancient stones left in the rubble that were actually lists of expenditures made with public funds. Since Greece was a democracy, the posting of these lists was a law.
How far has the American democracy deviated from these standards!
It is no secret to those around me that I would like the United States to become more of a socialized country. We already pay farm and timber subsidies, so why not medical and educational?
Top notch educations for free or nearly free would make our citizens a force to be reckoned with. Those that do not want to go to college could still benefit from national health insurance. If we all had access to medical care, there would be more folks willing to take lower paying jobs that have no benefits.
Why don't our citizens deserve a home to go to? Why are our mentally ill forced to live on the streets? Are we all so caught up in trying to improve our personal lives that we forget about our own village?
Just, thinkin'...

The Creepin' Oldies!

I turned 50 in 2007. I found it to be quite a shock and much more difficult than my 30th or 40th birthdays. I have a feeling that 60 will be easier.
So, why the difference? Well, mentally I've never gotten much past 16 anyway. I now have two grandchildren. My oldest son turned 30 last May. I'm beginning to look A LOT like my mother who, as you know, has always been old. And I hurt in places I didn't know could hurt and am willing to discuss it with anyone that asks. (I have a male colleague who always says that he's stiff in all the wrong places!)
My politics have creeped from the left to the far left. Was it in "Annie Hall" that Woody Allen talks about the woman with a shopping bag that stands on the corner screaming about Socialism? While I don't usually carry a shopping bag I do have a purse that contains my entire life. If I were marooned on a desert island (or more likely here, snowbound) I could survive on its contents. There are currently 5 different types of medicine, two spiral notebooks to remind me of my bright ideas and passwords to various Internet sites, a huge wallet, 4 pens, a box of Gobstoppers, a check book, and a nail buffer. If my granddaughters are visiting there is no limit to what I might be carrying around. What I don't have is a cell phone. I really don't like to talk on the phone unless I initiate the call. Also cell phones are complicated and I feel dumb.
My taste in music places me anywhere from ages 40 to 80 in terms of preference. My taste in movies is definitely skewed to the oldies; Dodsworth, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, The Grapes of Wrath... I also appreciate the outrageous; Mystery Science Theatre 3000, South Park, The Simpsons, Futurama, the Naked Gun series, Young Frankenstein. Also, the unintentionally bad; The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand wrote the script!), a Summer Place...
You might catch me reading anything from "The God Delusion" to "Little House in the Big Woods".
As for sex appeal, I wish I'd have taken advantage of that when I was 17. I spent my 20's, 30's and 40's being frumpy and now am trying to release my inner hippy. I don't know which is less attractive. Working as a receptionist has helped but we live in a pretty casual "anything goes" kind of town that few people dress up in.
Oh for a time machine that would allow us to go back and be young but know the things we know now!