If you listen to the independent conservative, Michael Savage, he calls liberalism a mental disorder. I believe one must clearly differentiate this comment from liberal thought or being liberal in the classic sense. His definition is most appropriate to describe the current left wing dogmatic culture wars that we are presently immersed in.

The reason he uses this label is because any discussion with this "group" leaves one frustrated due its non-committal, non-positional, ungrounded, emotional approach to nearly every social issue on the table at the moment. In turn, they call those on the right cold and calculating (but never logical). I've listened to Michael, Rush, and Sean go around and around with call-in guests or program guest of the "American" liberal persuasion and every question by the host is evaded with another question. They cannot answer a question directly and WILL NOT be pinned down on anything. Only when angered will they blurt out the most incoherent blather one can imagine, such as Teddy Kennedy calling a judge candidate a Neanderthal and no one on the left raises an eyebrow. This Neanderthal happened to be a female African-American that didn't kowtow to the DNC line.

The fact is that the liberal mind in this country is accountable to no one but themselves and I hardly think that to be the case.

Unfortunately, when dealing with large social problems or issues, logic and calculation must take place. The left immediately kicks in their "tyranny of the majority" mantra and everything goes to hell or comes to a stop or introduces a new level of moral degradation.

With them, everything is possible...nothing is impossible or prohibited short of a personal attack...then watch out.

The preoccupation of the Democrats on the primary is hilarious. They are sooooo serious as they try to sort out who can top the other with the biggest flip-flop or reaction to the latest poll. It is also a sad commentary that this morally bankrupt and platform bankrupt bunch of ninnies continue to waste so much money and time. The most pathetic of the bunch was Kucinich...a favorite down at the local farmers market in Santa Cruz. It is also frightening that this brainwashed mindset has captured around 50% of our populace.

What to do? Anchor yourself to the Good Book and venture out from there. Real simple, eh?

Don't say I didn't tell you so. Thank you, Wal-Mart. Thank you, illegal aliens. Thank you, multinationals!

Jobs shift to lower-paying sectors
LABOR LOSSES LARGE IN MANUFACTURING, PROFESSIONAL INDUSTRIES
By Margaret Steen
Mercury News

In almost every state, including California, jobs are shifting from higher-paying industries to lower-paying ones, according to a report released Wednesday by the Economic Policy Institute.

From November 2001 to November 2003, California had a net loss of 37,900 jobs, the study found.

Underneath this relatively small job loss, however, were larger losses in industries that typically pay well: manufacturing, the information sector and professional and business services. Job gains came in areas that often pay less: education and health services, leisure and hospitality and retail.

The average pay in California in industries that grew during the period studied was $34,742, 40 percent less than the average wage in industries that shrank, $57,800.

California was not alone in seeing this shift.

"What I found most surprising was that the job shift to lower-paying industries has happened in 48 of the 50 states,'' said Michael Ettlinger, a policy analyst at the Economic Policy Institute who worked on the study.

Although the study explains why some workers who have lost high-paying jobs are having trouble finding new ones that pay as well today, it's not clear whether the findings represent a permanent shift in the types of jobs available to American workers.

Low-wage jobs tend to grow as the population grows, whereas many of the high-wage jobs that have been lost are in industries that are more cyclical, said Steve Cochrane, senior economist at Economy.com, who was not involved in the study.

"There just isn't enough information to be able to come to some firm conclusions on the trend,'' Cochrane said, because the study covered only two years. "The economy isn't always in this kind of a pattern.''

The study's authors said previous research showed that during the boom years of the late 1990s, the pattern was the opposite, with jobs shifting toward higher-paying work.

Ettlinger said government policies, especially regarding international trade, could address this shift.

The Economic Policy Institute is a non-profit group that was created to make sure the concerns of low- and middle-income workers were included in economic policy discussions.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Margaret Steen at msteen@mercurynews.com or (408) 278-3499.
© 2004 Mercury News and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.

Un-American (Author Unknown)

A car company can move its factories to Mexico and claim it's a free market. A toy company can outsource to a Chinese subcontractor and claim it's a free market. A major bank can incorporate in Bermuda to avoid taxes and claim it's a free market. We can buy HP Printers made in Mexico. We can buy shirts made in Bangladesh. We can purchase almost anything we want from many different countries BUT, heaven help the elderly who dare to buy their prescription drugs from a Canadian (Or Mexican) pharmacy. That's called un-American! And you think the pharmaceutical companies don't have a powerful lobby? Think again!

Goodness! Because everyone likes to put labels on things, I have labeled myself as a conservative libertarian, which most fundamentally means minimal government, but just enough to assure our founding fathers' vision. I was thrown off guard the other day in the current culture wars when I confronted a very typical libertarian. After the conversation, I felt like I'd just had a session with a militant Quaker, which is most certainly an oxymoron.

I've been spending most of my time steeling myself against the loony left and their mindless rants about our "moronic" president, when someone of the libertarian persuasion tweaked my political barometer.

The conversation revolved around a colleague's son with an out-of-control anger management issue, which may ultimately result in bodily harm to him or someone else. I proceeded to throw out several issue of youth these days relating back to the immorality foisted upon us by the likes of the ACLU and our current court system. I soon found that the extreme live-and-let-live position of the typical libertarian was contrary to my Christian values. I think libertarianism is fine in an environment where your nearest neighbor is one mile away, however, in an urban setting, the philosophy falls apart. This libertarian's concern was the suppression of our civil rights associated with the Patriot Act. My immediate response was to ask him how he'd been personally affected. No answer. Further, on the surface, he considered the ACLU the forefront organization fighting for civil rights, the cornerstone of libertarian ideals.

I could not convince him of the sinister political agenda the ACLU has been supporting. Citing examples, his response was walk away from it. Turn off the TV. Ignore it...it is your choice. My suppressed retort was because of his attitude, we are being submerged in sewage nearly up to our mouths. He seemed oblivious to this in true libertarian idealism. He does not realize that our children, our environment, etc. is being polluted in an oppressive fog of situational ethics with no moral compass. In short, he epitomizes the atheistic conservative, if I can go that far.

The bottom line of this rant is that without God in one's life, we become islands of ignorant "bliss" slowly sinking in a morass of rising sewage.

Heart Test

How very different the world we live in would
be if we all tried to "make a difference" in
someone's life. It is all about love and caring.

####

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class
on the very first day of school, she told the
children an untruth. Like most teachers, she
looked at her students and said that she
loved them all the same. However, that was
impossible, because there in the front row,
slumped in his seat, was a little boy named
Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year
before and noticed that he did not play well
with the other children, that his clothes were
messy and that he constantly needed a bath.
In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson
would actually take delight in marking his
papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's
and then putting a big "F" at the top of his
papers. At the school where Mrs. Thompson
taught, she was required to review each child's
past records and she put Teddy's off until last.
However, when she reviewed his file, she
was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is
a bright child with a ready laugh. He does
his work neatly and has good manners....
he is a joy to be around.."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an
excellent student, well liked by his classmates,
but he is troubled because his mother has a
terminal illness and life at home must be a
struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's
death has been hard on him. He tries to do
his best, but his father doesn't show much
interest and his home life will soon affect
him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy
is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest
in school. He doesn't have many friends and
he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem
and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even
worse when her students brought her
Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful
ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's.
His present was clumsily wrapped in the
heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery
bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it
in the middle of the other presents. Some
of the children started to laugh when she
found a rhinestone bracelet with some of
the stones missing, and a bottle that was
one-quarter full of perfume.. But she stifled
the children's laughter when she exclaimed
how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on,
and dabbing some of the perfume on her
wrist Teddy Stoddard stayed after school
that day just long enough to say, "Mrs.
Thompson, today you smelled just like my
Mom used to." After the children left, she
cried for at least an hour.

On that very day, she quit teaching reading,
writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began
to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid
particular attention to Teddy. As she worked
with him, his mind seemed to come alive.
The more she encouraged him, the faster he
responded. By the end of the year, Teddy
had become one of the smartest children in
the class and, despite her lie that she would
love all the children the same, Teddy became
one of her "teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door,
from Teddy, telling her that she was still the
best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note
from Teddy. He then wrote that he had
finished high school, third in his class, and
she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.

Four years after that, she got another letter,
saying that while things had been tough at
times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it,
and would soon graduate from college with
the highest of honors. He assured Mrs.
Thompson that she was still the best and
favorite teacher he had ever had in his
whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another
letter came. This time he explained that after
he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go
a little further. The letter explained that she
was still the best and favorite teacher he ever
had. But now his name was a little longer....
The letter was signed,
Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there
was yet another letter that Spring. Teddy said
he had met this girl and was going to be married.
He explained that his father had died a couple
of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs.
Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding
in the place that was usually reserved for the
mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess
what? She wore that bracelet, the one with
several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she
made sure she was wearing the perfume that
Teddy remembered his mother wearing on
their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard
whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank
you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me.
Thank you so much for making me feel
important and showing me that I could
make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes,
whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have
it all wrong. You were the one who taught
me that I could make a difference. I didn't
know how to teach until I met you! ."

(For those of you who don't know, Teddy
Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in Des
Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)

####

Warm someone's heart today. . . pass this along.
I love this story so very much, I cry every time
I read it. Just try to make a difference in
someone's life today? tomorrow? just "do it".

Random acts of kindness, I think they call it?

"Believe in Angels, then return the favor"

"I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift
us to our feet when our wings have trouble
remembering how to fly."