Cynthianna's Blog, page 19

It's Official--The Middle Class is No More

It's official--the middle class is no more.
When the icon-of-middle-class-America starts lowering its prices and changing the lay-outs of their stores, you know that an era is passing.
JC Penney announced that as of February 1, 2012, it will permanently slash all of its prices by at least 40% with what their CEO Ron Johnson said is "a sweeping overhaul of its stores and strategy." Soon middle-class America will discover that Target and Wal-Mart aren't the only cheap department stores on the block.
I don't know whether to be thrilled or sad. I'm thrilled to know I no longer have to wait until the "after Christmas sales" (which, of course, began before Christmas these past few years) to find bargains. But deep down I'm feeling confused and more than a bit sad. It's sad because, if you add Sears' recent announcement that it will close many of its retailers, you'll realize there's no longer a range of department stores in between the lowbrow of Wally World and its ilk and the upper-crust snobbism of the Lords and Taylor/Saks 5th  Avenue type of stores. 


JC Penney won't be able to maintain its high quality of clothing and merchandise, I fear, because with dwindling price tags, how will the executives continue to bring home those big paychecks they're used to from the profits? They'll have to start stocking the cheap, made-in-China crap that fills Wally World's shelves. Possibly JC Penney will be able to keep their quality products available at these discount prices, but the only way is probably by slashing their employees' rate of pay by 40% and hiring only part-time and seasonal workers (while downsizing the number of full-time Penney's employees still on the books). Either way, this news doesn't look like a happy ending for a lot of folks.
Underpaid/underemployed/unemployed Americans will be forced to shop at stores with low quality goods, and the "fat cats" (who live off the interest of their large offshore bank accounts) will continue to shop at their high end designer fashion boutiques. Nothing new there, really, but for a while at least some Americans thought they had the right to be called "the Middle Class".
Face it folks, most of us reading this blog are in the bottom 99% with no hopes of ever becoming part of the top 1%. Do the math, look at your checkbook, and tell me where you'll be shopping (if you can afford to) next week.

(For another example of how 99% of Americans have been taken advantage of, read:  Emblematic of 1 Percenters, Cooper Tire Punk'd Workers )

How are you coping with the ever-widening gap between "haves" and "have-nots"? Any tips on where to find a decent paying job? Please share your comments and concerns below... Perhaps if the 99% sticks together we can make the world a better place.

(Please join the discussion on Facebook at the Mad-As-Hell Party page, too.)

The Secret Life of a Dead-Beat Dad

To the outside world he appears to be an ordinary guy. Work. Job. Family. Car. In fact, he's probably doing better financially than most Americans these days.
But appearances can be deceiving.
You'd think any father would be pleased and proud to support his children, enabling them to develop into successful and happy human beings, and through his positive support and actions, providing them with a good role-model.
This goes beyond the call of duty for some men.
Dead-Beat Dad loves to brag about his kids, their successes at college, their studies at prestigious universities abroad... All without contributing one thin dime to their welfare.
What would a real father do if his college-aged children found themselves in desperate need? Wouldn't a loving father move heaven and earth to help his child? Wouldn't he take whatever actions were necessary to ensure his child's safety and well-being?
Dead-Beat Dad would not.
Here is one case study given for your perusal. Feel free to post your comments at the end of the blog.

Circumstance #1: Dead-Beat Dad's child is studying at a foreign university and faces eviction from lodgings.
Dead-Beat Dad's email response to child's desperate cry for help: "Nothing I can do. I'm sure it'll work out."
How would a real father respond?
Circumstance #2: A state university expects a father who claims an honor student on his federal/state taxes to contribute towards said child's college tuition.
Dead-Beat Dad's response: Dead-Beat Dad refuses to pay what the university considers to be a fair "parental contribution" based on his tax return, since the child is listed as his dependent. Honor student child makes a futile attempt to take out more student loans to cover the deficit left by him, but is told by the university that child cannot take out more student loans since child's "parent who claims child on taxes makes enough money to pay the expected parental contribution as authorized by the state." Child is forced to take out more loans from other sources that don't have nearly the same generous terms. Dead-Beat Dad adds insult to injury by refusing to help honor student pay for room and board as well.
What would a real father do in this situation?
Circumstance #3: Dead-Beat Dad forces honor student to sign a contract which sets a minuscule weekly "food budget" that can be docked by committing various "offenses" (i.e. $10 is docked for touching Dead-Beat Dad's or his friend's food in refrigerator). Child is forced to eat on as little as $5 a week because of real or imagined "offenses". Child would have starved during summer break if not for the charity of friends.
Would a father who says he loves his children subject them to such horror and degradation?
Dead-Beat Dad's Mantra?
Could you allow your child to be thrown out on the street? Dead-Beat Dad can.
Could you allow your child to stop a promising college career on your account when you have the financial means to help? Dead-Beat Dad sure can!
Could you deny your children money for food while you flaunt your own private stash in front of their noses? Dead-Beat does--and he doesn't see his actions as abusive.
Could you sleep at night knowing you were hurting your children? Shouldn't children of any age expect only love and support from their fathers? What is your take on Dead-Beat Dad?

Whatever Happened to Romantic Comedy?

We've made it to 2012 and the Mayan calendar is still running... Perhaps we'll lick this end of the world thing before we run out of time. ;-)

I had a sudden revelation the other day on why I've not written a contemporary romantic-comedy in a while... I think the genre has gone completely and utterly belly up. What made me come to this horrible and sad conclusion? Hollyweird, of course!


Handsome hubby and I were watching a DVD checked out of the library (our only source of entertainment since we no longer have cable or money to go to theatres in person) the other evening. We figured a title, that was a recent release, looked like it had entertainment potential. Boy, were we ever wrong! Although two capable, big name Hollywood actors played the leads and the title and synopsis on the case gave every indication it would be an enjoyable two hours, hubby found himself reading his book about a half hour into the film, and I only finished it out of a sense of "train wreck fascination" to see if it would get better before the end. Unfortunately, it did not.





A romantic-comedy (PG rated) where the heroine and hero at least respect each other in the morning! http://www.mojocastle.com/LovingWho.html
 I'm debating giving out the name of this movie (because who wants to give publicity to something that's basically dire?), but I will give you some spoilers so in case you come across it, and this rings a bell, you are forewarned.

 Handsome big name male movie lead (formerly hooked up with Demi Moore) falls into bed (i.e., sex) with the beautiful big name female lead (who was much better in Black Swan). Emotionless, cold-hearted, wild sex ensues. Now, I've written some pretty hot tales about acquaintances meeting and having great sex from the get-go, but these two gorgeous folks didn't get my juices going... I've watched hotter sex education films while I was taking a psychology class in college. Anyway, that wasn't the worse part of the movie in our opinions. It was the fact that cold, emotionless sex was suppose to be funny.


Why would anyone who used another human being for their own personal pleasure without a thought to the other be considered funny? Hubby and I chalked it up to us being old-fashioned romantics of a "certain age". That is, we're not under thirty years of age, and we don't sit and text our text buddies all day long about doing naughty things in order to rouse a quick snigger of laughter from the faceless internet crowd who is playing on their iPhones instead of working or attending class. But just the very thought that using another person for physical gratification and kicks is hilarious fills us with disgust and more than a bit of sadness.

I suddenly have an urge to find The Wedding Singer and watch it over and over again. At least the young folks in that movie treated each other with respect and courtesy... Two traits that are very much a turn-on for many of us "old folks".

This year, I'm working on a Young Adult novel series idea that's more science fiction/paranormal in nature and not so comedic. I just don't get the comedy of treating others like objects in contemporary fiction. Maybe one day the old-fashioned screwball romantic-comedy with bickering couples who fall in love (such as in Romancing the Stone) will return to our screens. I'll try to keep my hopes up, but the Mayan calendar is ticking away...


What's your favorite "romantic-comedy"? It can be a movie, play, book or whatever and from any era. List them in the comments below and see if we can't make a library of decent entertainment to fall back upon in in 2012!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This past year has been hectic (to say the least) for me, so in case I've forgotten to send you a card or wish you an appropriate season's greeting in person (or online), this is my last ditch effort to make amends!

The photo below I took a few years ago at my husband's cousin's home in rural Norfolk, England. It's epitomizes a country Christmas to me...


For all my friends who celebrate Christmas, the following I borrowed from Mom's church's newsletter:

Why Jesus is Better Than Santa Claus
Santa lives at the North Pole--JESUS is everwhere!Santa rides in a sleigh--JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.Santa comes to your home once a year --JESUS is an ever present help.Santa fills your stockings with goodies --JESUS supplies all your needs.Santa comes down your chimney uninvited--JESUS stands at your door, knocks and then enters your heart.You have to wait in line to see Santa--JESUS is as close as the mention of his name.Santa lets you sit on his lap--JESUS lets you rest in his arms.Santa doesn't know your name. All he can say is "Hi, little boy or girl, what's your name?" JESUS knew our name before we did. (Not only does he know our name, he knows our address, too. He knows our history and future and he even knows how many hairs are on our heads.)Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly --JESUS has a heart full of love.All Santa can offer is "Ho, ho, ho!" JESUS offers health, help and hope.Santa says "You'd better not cry." JESUS says, "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."Santa's little helpers make toys--JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds us mansions in heaven.Santa may make you chuckle, but JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.While Santa puts gifts under your tree, JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.It's obvious there is really no comparison. We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about. We need to put Christ back into Christmas. Jesus is still the reason for the season. Yes, Jesus is better, even better than Santa Claus.Merry CHRISTmas!!!
Our "Frosty" sends you warm wishes for a very happy new year, too! :-)

A Christmas Read Just for You

And now, a momentary respite from the seriousness of recent blog posts.

Ho, ho, ho! Check out my latest release, The Stocking, now on sale at Devine Destinies Books for a mere 99 cents!



http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-stocking-2/

Make your season bright with a holiday short story with heart!

Adele's lonely Christmas Eve is made much brighter by the arrival of a mysterious silver-whiskered stranger…

And for those little ones on your shopping list, don't forget my children's Christmas picture book "The Best Christmas Gift". It's available in print and in e-formats from Guardian Angel Publishing.



http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/best-xmas-gift.htm

In a day and age where "Merry Christmas" has been banned in favor of the generic "Happy Holiday", young Jake makes an important discovery.

Here's to a wonderful holiday season for you and yours!

Fighting Cancer: Occupy Healthcare

Mom's started back on her chemo treatments this past week. She's with a new doctor now. The only explanation she's received about why Medicare denied her treatments over a month ago was a typo… A simple typo, made by the doctor's office on the paperwork that was sent in to Medicare. For over a month she waited patiently, losing strength and weight. Finally, she took the advice of a cancer advocate and found a new doctor who said he'd treat her. Suddenly, her former doctor's office called and admitted to the mistake and told her she could come back tomorrow and resume her chemo, but by then Mom had already made up her mind to switch doctors.
And still no one has apologized or explained why she couldn't have continued her chemotherapy as planned while the various parties discussed the discrepancy in the paperwork. A human being's health and well-being were completely forgotten in all this mess—a mess that she didn't cause, doesn't understand, and was never in any, way, shape or form responsible for.
So… who is responsible? She had made such strides in her first  two months of chemotherapy and was actually starting to feel somewhat better and her appetite had improved. She hadn't felt the need for any painkillers until this past week, when the pains that had first alerted her to the cancer returned. Who is responsible for Mom's declining health? Who is responsible for this debacle?
I guess the answer to who is responsible depends on what side of the "99% versus 1%" argument you favor.
If you're in the 1%: "Of course it's the 77 year old lady's fault. She would have never allowed herself to become sick in the first place if she had her own vegan chef  and bimonthly trips to the health spa. Barring that, she should have more than enough money in the bank to purchase the best of health insurances and the best of health care… No depending on government programs necessary, unless you already have the politicians in your pocket. And if anyone causes you any guff—well, that's what expensive lawyers are for. That'll get you results. Good manners? Patience? Pfft! Those are for those who can't afford to have their own way!"
If you're in the 99%: "I followed all the rules, paid Social Security taxes all my life. I asked my doctor why I was experiencing these horrible pains in my abdomen, and he said he could only do certain tests because that's all Medicare/my insurance would pay for and those tests didn't give him any results he could interpret, and I can't afford to pay out of pocket for more testing…"  OR  "I followed all the rules, paid Social Security taxes, but I'm not old enough to receive Medicare, and I'm unemployed and have no health insurance, and I can't get any doctor to see me and diagnose these horrible pains…"
I think that pretty much sums up healthcare in the good ol' US of A, don't you?
The single-payer system where everyone can walk into a doctor's office and receive the treatment they need—not what they can afford to pay without filing bankruptcy—makes more sense than ever. "But who will pay for it?" the 1% asks, pulling out their checkbooks and writing checks to political action committees. "We're all paying for it," reply the 99% who pay more and more in insurance premiums and taxes and receive less and less actual healthcare.
Face it—we ALL have been paying for it. And who has profited from this set-up? Our ever-advertising pharmaceutical industry and private health insurance companies. They continue to make record profits while everyday Americans continue going broke and making decisions like, "Heat or eat this winter?"
If there hasn't been an "Occupy Healthcare" group sitting in front of a hospital or clinic somewhere, there should be.
What's your take on this issue? Are you making "heat or eat this winter?" decisions? Are you tired of not being able to afford to see a doctor, dentist and/or eye doctor? Are you happy you have a good insurance policy for you and your loved ones and don't care how your fellow citizens suffer? Don't be afraid to speak up in the comment section below.

Fighting Cancer: Battling Bureaucratic Bull-Hockey

I'd meant to give an update earlier on Mom's battle with Medicare in regard to her remaining chemo treatments, but there's been no change in her status. It's been over three weeks, and there's been no word from Medicare. Mom calls her doctor's office and the Cancer Patient Services everyday to see what all she do to help expedite the process, but other than filling out more paperwork to appeal the decision Medicare made to stop her chemo, there seems to be nothing else for her to do but wait. Wait and grow weaker.
We've since learned that Medicare is suppose to make a decision within two weeks (14 days) of being notified that the doctor and patient are appealing their decision. The doctor's office manager assures us that the appeal was made the day they learned of Medicare's halting Mom's treatment. It's been 24 days since her last treatment as of today, so it appears Medicare bureaucrats can't read a calendar.

Mom received some papers from the government which stated that if her health or life were in jeopardy then Medicare would make a decision within 72 hours (3 days). Okay, her health is in jeopardy--she even admitted to me over Thanksgiving that she felt "weak like I did before I started the chemo." It breaks my heart. Her appetite had been improving and everyone had remarked that she looked a lot better. Now this... Obviously Medicare bureaucrats interpret having cancer as a "minor illness" and not something that needs to be treated agressively and without delay.


Today my chiropractor (who I turn to for help since she doesn't discriminate against people like me without health insurance) tells me that she had to stop taking Medicare payments. She said she'll treat patients for free rather than risk a $10,000 possible fine from Medicare for filing "fraudulent claims" if she forgets to cross a T or dot an I on their forms. I guess Medicare doesn't like to pay for chiropractic adjustments anymore, either, and will use any excuse to put a chiropractor out of business.

Wonderful. I'm sure the pharmaceutical industry has had some hand in this decision. You wouldn't want folks to feel better without the benefit of pain pills and other unnecessary chemicals in their bodies, would you? Well, only if you're making billions of dollars each month off of hooking patients onto prescription drugs, that is...

Every day it seems more and more obvious to me that the current health care situation is a joke. Private insurance companies routinely refuse to pay for treatments and medicines, Medicare seems ready to pull the plug after a short period of treatment, and doctors and chiropractors are forced to deal with crippling paperwork that prevent them from healing their patients.
When is this going to end, people? Is health care a right that all should enjoy or just a perk for the priviledged few? Don't be too fast in answering--how do you know that tomorrow you're still going to be in the "priviledged class"? An upside down mortgage or a company downsizing might knock you to the bottom of the heap like it's done to many of your fellow citizens. No one should think they're safe in this day and age when it comes to affordable and decent health care.


I caught a title of a book in passing online the other day, How Medicare Killed My Father. I don't want it to have a sequel, but short of a miracle and some human compassion from the Medicare bureaucrats who make these life and death decisions to stop/start medical treatments, what else can we do?

Bureaucrats: The first against the wall when the revolution comes... if it ever comes.

Fighting Cancer: Money Matters More Than Medicine

I wasn't sure when I'd write again about Mom's cancer battle, but today's fiasco has inspired me. And I'm definitely not inspired in a good way. To put it bluntly, it was made more than obvious to us that in the eyes of Medicare money matters more than medicine.
Mom's been undergoing chemotherapy since August, and according to the doctor and oncology nurses she's been doing quite well on the drugs they've been infusing her with. While no one can honestly say that she's out of the woods yet, she's been making good progress and had scheduled her for more chemo sessions and another body scan in a couple of weeks. You can imagine our surprise then when we walked into the office for her weekly chemo session and the young office manager is forced to inform us that, "Sorry, we can't treat you today. Medicare says you can't have any more chemotherapy."
Of course they'll fax in documents and medical notes and what-not to the paper-pushers at Medicare, but who's to say that Medicare won't take their sweet ol' time deciding if additional chemo sessions are worth it? What's six months to a career bureaucrat? It's a water cooler break! But what's six months to a cancer patient not getting treatment? I guess Medicare doesn't shed any crocodile tears if the patient isn't alive when they finally make their decision.

Mom is fortunate that she has supplemental private health insurance, but for some reason it won't pay its 20% unless Medicare pays its portion first, and if Medicare isn't paying… Then of course that means they don't pay, either. I can't figure that out—you pay expensive premiums for insurance that doesn't pay when you need it? Sounds like something from a classic Monty Python sketch, "The auto insurance that only works if you don't use it" sketch. It seems at this point if Mom wants to continue to get better and receive chemo treatments, she'll have to pay out of pocket. Unfortunately, our last name isn't "Gates", so she doesn't have an endless bank account.
I know Mom's case isn't unique. I'm certain that every day thousands—maybe millions—of Americans are told that they are no longer worthy of receiving life-saving medications or medical treatments. It seems to me our government has found a rather unique way to cull the "surplus population" (as Ebenezer Scrooge labeled them in Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol). The U.S. may not force you into having abortions and sterilization like the Chinese do to prevent population growth—instead it waits until you're retirement age and then it lets you waste away from lack of healthcare. It allows you to labor as the working poor without any health benefits with the freedom of keeling over in your tracks if you happen to get sick. How kind.


I saw an "Occupy Findlay, Ohio" group camped out in front of the Hancock County Courthouse this morning. It seems even in small town America people have had enough of an uncaring government and want to make their voices heard. Maybe Mom and I should join them?
(But I'd rather she not get out in the weather and in large crowds with the chance of catching a cold or the flu. Hmm, catching a bug and having no access to medicine… Could that be a part of Medicare's plan of getting rid of the surplus population, too?)


Please feel free to share your experiences with Medicare, unresponsive health insurers, and other injustices the 99% of us endure on a daily basis in the comments section below. Please pass this blog/link along to others who feel put upon similarly. If we create enough noise, perhaps someone somewhere in a position of power will grant us justice.
In any case, even if we're not here to see the results of the revolution, perhaps we can help start it.
Feel free to join our Facebook page, The Mad-As-Hell Party. Let the politicos know we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! Enjoy some photos of this "familiar" haunted house... Familiar if you live in Findlay, Ohio, that is. ;)

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If you can name this Victorian home, write it in the comments below. I might even give you a prize for being the first one with the correct answer. ;)

Container Gardening Part 2

I said I'd post some more photos of how our "container gardening" was going this summer, and I forgot. Truthfully, it didn't go well at all. The extreme heat our poor plants experienced on our second floor apartment balcony just did many of them in. The few that survived didn't start to thrive until later in the season. At least our pepper plant is still producing baby peppers.

I want to express my wholehearted thanks to my friend Michele A. for babysitting our carrots and beets while we've been in and out of town helping  Mom. We harvested what we could of these crops, and while our attempts at organic container gardening weren't successful by any means, we can at least say we tried. Next year, we hope we can obtain some actual land to plant seeds in. Keep your fingers crossed!


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The green tops of the beets and carrots look quite healthy.
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This is all we harvested, but we learned a lot. Space--carrots and beets need more space to grow larger!

November will bring a lot of challenges--The Nanowrimo Challenge (write a novel in a month) for one of them. Stay tuned for updates and how you can enjoy a free story this holiday season. Don't forget to check out my newly updated web page at http://www.cynthianna.com/ too.

All you green thumbs out there--please tell us in the comments section below what we could have done differently to grow better crops in our containers. Thanks.