If you read this post, and think I am looking for an attaboy, you 100% missed the point.

The other day I was on my way home after a 10 hour day ‘in the orifice’.  The orifice (office) is draining.  Not physically, but mentally.  I was wiped.  And, as much as I love driving, driving in traffic, is the worst.   I am north-east bound, getting off Exit 9 of the Northway.  The arm pit of traffic.  Where Rt 146 crosses Rt9 is always bumper to bumper, 7 or 8 lanes, dead stop during rush hour.  Like everyone else sitting at that intersection, I just wanted to get home!

As I sit at the intersection east bound on 146 I look over and a guy is walking west bound on the west bound shoulder.  Walking is not accurate.  He is stumbling.  His feet are dragging, he is swaying side to side, and almost going into traffic on one side, and off the steep shoulder on the other.  And he is holding his chest.  He is grabbing his chest in the classic “I’m having a heart attack” pose.

I jump on the hands free to dial 911 (I LOVE! my Sync in my new truck) and suddenly, he is down.  Laying on the shoulder of the road, 7+ lanes of traffic bumper to bumper, and who do you suppose gets out to help him?  NO ONE.  Not one person on that side of the road makes any move to help a man laying on the ground.

So, screw this! (yes, for those of you from ‘back in the day’ Wolfie did say something a bit stronger than screw this!) across 2 lanes on my side and 3 lanes of oncoming traffic I force my way.  I get in behind the guy and block traffic with my truck and finish talking the dispatcher through the details.  By now, the guy is sitting up, and as I finish, he gets up and walks over to my truck.  Long story short, I think alcohol was much more in play than his heart was.

But seriously, that doesn’t matter.  What matters is,  WHAT IN HELL IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!  How do you watch someone drop and not try to help?  Even if that help is nothing more than call 911 and block cars from running over him while he lays there?  To be fair, I have no way of knowing if anyone else called 911.  But not one, of the hundreds of people at that intersection, pulled over to assist this guy.  Why?  Some did not notice.  Pretty sad, but, people live, work, and drive in a bubble.  Some, a small group, probably had somewhere very pressing to be, or had precious cargo (read little kids) and really could not stop.  But most didn’t stop, because they don’t want to get involved.  Either they don’t care, or they are afraid.

What ever the reason, it SUCKS.  Much has changed over the last couple of generations.  We are slowly getting more tolerant of different life styles and working towards better human rights. (We do still have a LONG way to go!!)  But, over the last couple of generations we have also stopped being involved.  We have stopped caring for our neighbors and those in need.  We’ve stopped getting involved.  We have stopped lending a hand.

Ok, lets all get on the same page.  I am very happy with the path my daughter is now on.  She does not need to go to college at this point.  She has a better job now, than many of the college bound kids in class of 2014 will have in 4 years.  And she is making money, not racking up huge student loan debt.  She is happy, healthy, and a productive member of society.  If later on she decides to go to college, great!  If she never decides to go to college, that is great too!

When did we start to think ‘everyone must go to college’ ?   When did we lose sight of being a working stiff, is not only ok, it is great?!

The cause of this rant?  Several times lately when I have been asked “what is she going to major in?”  “where is she going ?”  etc and when I respond with “She is working at Skidmore, a job she loves with a great future” , the response has way too often been “Oh…”  in the exact same voice reserved for “So how is your cousin Bob?” “He got locked up again, they threw away the key this time.” “Oh…”   type of conversations.  Not going to college, is not a negative thing!

Seriously, knock it off!  My filters are currently set to low, and most of you are well meaning people who don’t realize just how wrongly judgmental you are being, but one of you is going to ‘be that way’ on the wrong day and it is not going to end well for you.  Be happy for her.  She is happy, she is a productive member of society.  WINNER!

What a total crock of crap, perpetuated by the phone companies on the American public. To my knowledge this is the only industry that cannot provide you an actual amount you will be paying for a flat rate service, before you buy it! I am not talking about a mechanic who does not know what parts may be needed or how many hours it will take. I am not talking about a pay as you go phone, or pay for minutes or text. I am talking about X numbers of phone on an unlimited plan = $XXX.XX . Seriously! They can figure out how much I have to pay them every month when they bill me, so how does it make any sense at all that they cannot tell me that number before I enter into a contract? Yes, I understand it varies state to state. But, come on! They are using a computer, so how hard is it to look it up? It appears obvious to me that they do not make the effort to be able to do this because more people will buy the contract when it is $170/month than when it is $200/month. And once they have that shiney new IPhone, when the bill comes in, they don’t want to give it up so they justify it with ‘I was told $175, but it is $200, oh well, that’s only $25 extra’
I truly believe that this is one more shining example of Corporate America, screwing Public America, right into financial ruin.

This morning New 10 @ 5:00am aired a segment on about Assemblyman McLaughlin trying to pass a bill to require ATM’s in strip clubs not accept welfare benefit debit cards.  ( http://www.news10.com/story/20526628/local-assemblyman-wants-to-stop-welfare-fraud-through-new-bill ).

The interviews I just watched.  “Lets hold the ATM machine makers responsible and make them change how they work” “Lets make the business’ where this is happening responsible” and the worst, the HAN director “Just because they took money out at a strip club, does not mean they spent it there.”

COME ON , really?!!

I fully understand that they can still take out cash elsewhere, and that there are many other ways to defraud the system.  That does not justify ignoring this obvious abuse.  It is extremely simple to program the system to kick out the names of those who are using their cards in these establishments.  It’s simple, hold that person responsible! You use your card at a liquor store or strip club, etc, you loose your benefits. Hold people responsible for their actions!

Time to weigh in

In case you somehow didn’t know….  I am a gun owner.  I have carried concealed for years and will for the rest of my life.  I used a gun as a tool in my job for years.  I really enjoy shooting and improving my skills and knowledge.

With that said, I support gun control. I think you have to be responding with your emotions, not your intellect, to say you are against gun control.  How can you not support efforts to keep weapons out of the hands of people who should not be allowed access to them.  Seriously, we need gun control!

The point is, what we need is reasonable gun laws that will impact crime.  What we don’t need is knee jerk reactions creating laws that will have little or no impact on curbing crime and violence.  What we don’t need is laws that only impact the rights of responsible, law-abiding citizens.

Where do we start?  Honestly, we don’t add any laws or controls to start.  First, we enforce the laws and regulations we have.  It’s already illegal to use a gun in a crime.  But all to often we do not hold the criminal responsible.  All to often “It’s not his fault, it’s societies fault.”  BS.  It’s his fault, hold him responsible!

Or

He didn’t know better, he is mentally ill.”  Of course he is mentally ill, DUH, he used a gun to commit a crime, you have to be off your nut to do that. Well balanced people certainly don’t go around killing.  All too often we use mental illiness as an excuse or crutch for those who are not truly mentally ill.  Don’t get me wrong, true mental illness needs to be addressed, these people need help, and should never ever have access to guns.  This includes removing guns from the places where they live.  Mom and Dad want to have guns but Jr is a nut job?  Well, Mom and Dad have a decision to make.  Keep guns in their house and Jr forever out of it, or, help their son and never have guns.  Anything else, hold Mom and Dad responsible.

Holding people responsible, that is where gun control starts.  And it is the gun control we need, and should all support.