Neighbors

Due to some extended construction in my area, I have been driving out by another route. Through a fairly new development that is just a few years older than my neighborhood. The houses are like those in my neighborhood but the trees are bigger and the shrubs are thicker. I always felt good driving through. I couldn't figure it out. It was just a nice neighborhood. But there was something different about it. This evening it hit me. People!! Every time I drove through there were people. Little groups standing on sidewalks chatting. Or maybe 3 or 4 people sitting in lawn chairs on their (gasp) lawn sharing some libation and a few chuckles. This is a neighborhood of people who know and like each other. Just like the old fashioned kind you only get to see in vintage movies.
It seems that for decades the neighborhoods have been more and more uninhabited. The cities and towns that I grew up in were inhabited by people. Some you didn't care that much for but most of them were fine, friendly and outgoing people. My daughters were safe in our town because there were neighbors to watch out for them. (and report back to me). Neighbors would stand around and talk about local politics, prices of groceries and just friendly gossip. Share some lemonade or iced tea and just enjoy being outside.
I remember that when Dad, Barry (brother) and I were building mom and dad's new home we would start working early in the morning and by noon we would have at least 3 offers of help and a good 2 gallons of iced tea offered to us from the soon to be neighbors.
It's not like that anymore. The only time you see your neighbors is when their blinds separate and you see their eyes peering out to see what you did to make that loud noise.
I think I have discovered the reason that all of humanity has sequestered themselves indoors.

AIR CONDITIONING!! Yup. We have grown into a generation of wimps. Let a little bead of sweat dot our brow and we nearly go into cardiac arrest. It's not because we don't like our neighbors. Its not because we don't trust our neighbors. Its because we don't want to sweat.
Houses are built these days without the big front porch because we don't sit outside anymore. We don't want to sweat and lord forbid a bug might land on us.
It's time to start a revolution. Go get that lawn chair (I'm sure you still have one in your garage somewhere) fix up a pitcher of iced tea and go outside. Sit on you lawn and enjoy the outdoors. the fresh air. Wave to the next car that drives by. Say howdy to the next person to walk by.
If we could only bring back neighborhoods some of the more personal problems we have may be solved or at least put into perspective.
Wouldn't that be nice!

Politics as Unusual

Ok. Imagine if you will that you are walking up the stairs to get aboard a Boeing 747 for a long overseas flight. At the top of the stairs you are greeted by a tall, good looking smooth talking guy in a captains uniform. He is going to take you flying. He will be in command of this huge aircraft with all of its needles and dials, bells and whistles. Oh boy. He looks like an airline captain. He talks like an airline captain. He even has the uniform. You strike up a conversation and you ask him how long he has been an airline captain.

"1 year and some months" he replies. You ask him how long he has been flying.

"1 year and some months. I just got my private pilots license last month, but I am a fast learner."

Decision time. You can turn around and get off that aircraft with all possible speed or you can say "wow. He is good looking in his captains uniform and he sure talks a good line. I think I will take my chances with him" and you go ahead and board. Before you take your seat you ask him what his name is.

"Barack Obama" he says and smiles.

Now I don't know about you guys, but that is the feeling I get when I see, hear or read about Mr. Obama.
Does he look presidential? Yes, kinda. ( I'm still curious to know why he doesn't put his had over his heart during the national anthem or why he says he is showing his patriotism by NOT wearing a flag lapel pin.)
Does he sound presidential? Oh yea. Until you stop and listen to what he is saying. Like wanting to increase profits tax on "Big Oil" and give every citizen of these United States a $1,000 check. Cool. Then Exxon will increase the cost of gasoline and that check will go right back to Big Oil.
Mr. Obama is (or was) against offshore drilling. He said it would take 7 to 10 years to affect oil prices. President Bush lifts the presidential ban on offshore drilling and in 7 to 10 minutes the price of oil (and gasolinge) started to drop. Barack is now re-considering his stand on offshore drilling.
Mr. Obama must have missed the part about the cost of oil being dictated by the futures market. His "year and some months" leads him to make uninformed and grandiose statements just to hear the crowd cheer and make young groupies faint. (move over Bono, there's a new rock star in town)

During his year and some months in the senate he voted "present" or not at all more times than he voted yea or nay. One vote in particular he voted to close a welfare office in Chicago. When a fellow senator called him on it and asked why he voted to close it Obama said that he didn't know he was voting to close the welfare office. Seems he wasn't even in the Senate when the vote was taken and that he had given his proxy vote to someone else. Sorta like an airline pilot asking the head stewardess to fly one leg of a trip. (1 year and some months)

I'm really not all that political and I wouldn't normally use my little blog here to rant about politics but I am scared by what is happening. We have a little private pilot trying to fly a 747 and an old 747 veteran who is old enough that he sometimes forgets how he got aboard that damn thing or what he had for breakfast.

Don't even get me started about all the Nero's in the house and senate who are on a 5 week vacation fiddling away while Rome is burning.