"A Liberal Dose Of Tears"

Ok, I really wasn't going to write about this. I told myself repeatedly, "don't do it, man. It'll get ugly if you go there." Then the day wore on and stories started circulating and, so, typing happened.
What's life without a bit of ugly sometimes anyway, right? So here goes. Just a couple little observations. Mostly painless ones. Well, sorta. I mean, I'm using words so there's a strong chance some people are going to scream in agony.

  So let's kick this off gently, shall we? See, there was this election the other night. Apparently it was some big to do about some presidency. To hear some people it was the announcement of Armageddon. Woohoo! Finally, Armageddon!
Wait. No? No end of world? Oh well, there's always next time. Let's take a look at some of the celebrations of the good news the world isn't ending.

I happened to be traveling from liberal, tolerant, progressive Oregon when the election results came in. They announce Trump won and I listened to his victory speech finish as I pull into a truck stop. The truck stops are limited up in Bigfoot country so it's the same Pilot where I'd discussed alligators before.
I saunter inside, (sauntering, by the way, takes a lot of practice. I nearly moseyed instead), to get coffee. In my haste for warm bean nectar I nearly collided with 2 millennial chicks. They weren't paying attention because they were crying hysterically.
    Oh no! Something horrible must've happened! Didn't take long to figure out what. They were lamenting to one of the cashiers there, presumably someone they knew, that Hillary Clinton had lost the election. Then they started going on about how horrible people were for supporting the monster that ruined her. Oh, monsters! Exciting!
So you simpering sods are literally sobbing hysterically over this? Kids. I swear. It took me deliberate effort not to laugh out loud. Granted, the presidency is important, sure. Very serious business. However, it was what their reaction reaffirmed to me that I found comical (yet worrisome).  I'll get to that in a bit but first I'd like to lead you to the path where you can see it too.

First, let's check out the stories of protests and riots that ensued the next day. Riots are always ridiculous to me. Yeah, I mean you California and Oregon folks. You're upset over who gets elected, by your fellow citizens (I won't call them your peers because peer means equal and I can't insult everyone else by calling you their equal), voted into office. So you protest, you riot, you destroy your communities as a show of disapproval.
Is that really what they're protesting? Nah. We've spent the last couple of decades creating an entitled yet divided society. These groups that riot? They really just want to riot so they'll seize on whatever reason is handy. Those rioters aren't doing it for political reasons. They're doing it because they can. Because that kind of behavior has been encouraged. Sadly. Which is ironic in this case. Many people's argument for disliking Trump is because of "his behavior". Pot, meet kettle.
So we can discount the rioting crowd as nothing more than idiots. I mean, really, you wreck your own neighborhood? That's like SUPER well thought-out. You're mad that employment will improve and you may have to work instead of living off the doll queue so you create unnecessary expenses for yourself and your neighbors. Yeah, that'll teach the government! You dolts.

So let's talk about the real problem here. Let's talk about the other stories. The stories of celebrities who've said they'll leave the country if Trump is elected. Maybe that's why those girls were crying, because Miley Cyrus and a bunch of other celebrities are leaving. Some great actors and entertainers like Samuel L Jackson. He said he's moving to South Africa. I'd be almost mildly bothered because I don't think they have the same level of movies we do here. Trust me, that move will hurt his career much more than it hurts my feelings.
Don't cry, though, they aren't going anywhere. They were just saying things they didn't mean. They were speaking from emotion. Hollow words from people who get paid to lie convincingly. They were emotionally charged.
Besides, they're actors. These are people who literally get paid to lie convincingly.

You know who else reacted emotionally? All these college kids protesting in Austin. All these college kids in Virginia, Portland and Texas who need "safe places" to deal with the "trauma of this loss". No, seriously, those are words they use.
And that, folks, is the emotionally stunted, thin-skinned generation that's going to be the future of our country. In other words: if you guys think our country has been in trouble up to this point, just wait another 20 years.

   There's the rub. America is, at this point, a company who is deeply in debt and failing. There were 2 primary options for running it. The emotionally driven Democratic voters or the logic and reason driven Republican voters. The emotionally driven, "let's make everyone feel good" party has run the country for 8 years and it's been interesting. Racial divide, unemployment and welfare have grown.
You can't effectively run a business with emotion based management for long. It simply won't work in the long run. It's a sweet sentiment but you'll end up going bankrupt. Especially when employees (citizens in this case) are having to work harder for less so that those working less can have more.

The logical, reasoning Republican party hasn't really fared much better. I don't know that either party can really pave the road to recovery. We've spent decades deliberately weakening our own society.
In the guise of "progressiveness" we are causing our own nation to implode. Granted, the politicians love it. They thrive on it. As long as we fight amongst ourselves then we can't focus on them.

 It's been a slow "progression" of decline.

Dr Spock with his "don't spank your kids because it wounds their little psyche." An atheist who didn't want her kid to pray so they removed God from school for everyone to make her happy. Participation awards so kids don't "feel inferior".

We are so worried about coddling and kissing ass as the "feel good" nation. It's self defeating. Our system has grown so soft it's broken. It's been steadily getting worse and now there simply is very little chance it can be fixed.

Hopefully this presidency will be a step in the right direction. Sadly,  I think it's just too late. So you might wonder, "so why are you laughing, Christian?" And that's a fair question. Here's why; here's something to think about:

All these college kids that need therapy dogs, coloring books and play-do because they're so "distraught"... Those are the future leaders of this country. The millennials who need "safe spaces" because their feelings are hurt, among them is possibly a future president. I laugh because some emo goth kid getting a worthless Liberal Arts degree who is sniffing play-doh right now to deal with grown-up disappointment is going to run this country some day. I laugh at the absurdity of these rioters who are essentially the same as 3 year olds destroying their room because they wanted pancakes and got waffles instead.
Look, I'm pragmatic. I'm logical. Watching these disappointed millennials? I feel like a Vulcan trying to understand a daycare facility.

What's funny? What's funny is I see the crying, the hypocrisy of "not accepting the outcome of an election is unamerican" then rioting over the outcome of the election, the way liberals react so strongly. I see the way all these people act and carry on and I laugh because they call US "deplorable".

"Waiting, What a Rush"

So unemployment is at a record low now, eh? That's what Emperor Obama says and his supporters parrot him. I'm a little curious about something though. Where's everyone working and why aren't they at work today?! Middle of the day on most weekdays and traffic is thick and heavy. Congestion starts at like noon. Rush hour is now "stop and go 4 hours". 

People going on vacation in the middle of the damn week or something? Who's paying for all this gas? Why don't these people know how to drive?! Why are all these people on my bloody ROAD?! Go home! 

Arrrrgh! Buncha non-driving turd jockeys! Just drifting from lane to lane with no turn signals, speeding up to cut each other off, clogging up my highway. Oh! And can we please, please, PLEASE quit making vanity plates?! Good grief, I hate those things. 

I bet some of these guys crack themselves up with how "clever" they are. Rarely are they actually all that great. Some are so cryptic they're pretty much pointless. Like what is "I LUV BON"?? You love good?? Good what?! Good FOOD?! Just good fun? Are you trying to prep for Mardi Gras? Why not "I LUV BON TEMPE"? Good WHAT already?! I was waiting for them to have "Jovi" written on the damn bumper. 

Speaking of bumpers, the things I've seen on bumper stickers makes me terrified of the future. These Coexist bumper stickers? Cute sentiment. Makes people think you're just a big ole soft hearted trail mix eating flower child. All "peace and love". Liars. I've seen some of those "Coexist" people drive like they just HOPED they could run someone over. Talk about aggressive driving. Honking and screaming as they tore through traffic; I was positive they'd push a carload of nuns off a cliff to get 10 feet farther down the road. 

Sigh. I realize not everyone rides around looking at cars and I understand not everyone knows cars. Well thank god some folks were kind enough to put the make of their car across the windows in giant letters. Chopper pilots are looking down going "that's an impala.", from a mile up. Yeah, yeah, I know it's "cool" but I can't help but think to myself "how stupid is this person that they bought a car but can't remember what they bought?" 

Is this how they tell people to find them at the mall? "I'm in the Honda Civic. It's the one that says Honda Civic across the windshield." Or is it more like "so, Billy, what kind of car do you have?"  I dunno. Let me go look at my windows. 

Ya know what I don't get? In order to drive a large vehicle pulling a trailer I had to get a CDL. Yet I see the friggin Griswalds out here pulling a trailer with a rental RV or U haul. Really?! 

Here I am with special training I paid for, all kinds of ridiculous rules and regulations I've gotta learn and remember, and there's Betsy Homemaker with her gardening hat, chihuahua in her lap, driving a 40 foot U-Haul with a car and a trailer bouncing around behind it. She's totally oblivious of things like clearance, traffic or mirrors but she gave the rental company her credit card so she's "good to go". 

I'm subject to laws regarding weight restrictions on roads or how many hours I can drive in a day. Then there's companies out there who literally rent RV's for cruising across America. I've gotta worry about stopping for a mandatory 30 minute break every eight hours but Grandpa Jones can bebop down the motorway sipping his Metamucil laced Shirley Temple all day. 

Meanwhile the fuel paradox remains: if all these people are driving around in cars all day then they obviously aren't at work. So how do they keep buying gas to joy ride to the mall all damn day?! 

"The Calm"

Clouds of despair growing ominous and dark

Turning your sunny disposition into one of sadness

As a lifetime of bad decisions strike their mark

Voices of negativity thundering into madness

You feel the downpour beating you down by the minute

Flooding you and washing your self confidence away

You're fighting the storm but you're caught up in it

The tempestuousness of life overwhelming every day

The storm clouds of life will consume you if you let them

But you can turn to the shelter of my arms when they form

For we can weather this life together my friend 

And rejoice in the calm that always follows that storm