Entries Tagged 'General' ↓

Damn! That says a lot of the people whom are to be leaders of our area.

There’s a article in the Buffalo News about living on $2.95 a day. The challenge was presented to a few politicians for two days… and they failed.

The “poverty challenge” was put forward by the Homeless Alliance of Western New York, which earlier in the week called on community leaders and lawmakers to join in solidarity with the 30 percent of Buffalo residents who live at or below the federal poverty line of $866 (or $1,466 for a family of three) in income per month.

A realistic approach to stretching a dollar would have been for them to be poverty-stricken for a full month. A full billing cycle of rent, gas, electric, phone, internet, cable, food, credit cards, auto & health insurances. Now add in a couple of kids.

During the challenge, LoCurto gave up cable television and the Internet, saving about $2.48 against his budget. But he continued to use his cell phone, drove to work and maintained his health insurance.

“That left me with a budget for the day of negative 82 cents, before I started eating,” said LoCurto, who represents the Delaware District. “I don’t function if I don’t have three meals a day, and they weren’t elaborate meals . . . What do you do if you have to buy a $4 bottle of Tylenol? You don’t have dinner that day?”

A realistic challenge would be for these politicians to actually have their paychecks reduced to the poverty level for the full effect of being the working class poor. When you play a game with monopoly money, you know it’s only a game. But when you’re looking at a real budget with real money and finding away at real survival of supporting a family…. it no longer becomes the thought of “let’s pretend you’re poor” it becomes you’re actually living in the poorer lifestyle. A lifestyle of which making ends meet is a daily struggle.

A further realistic “challenge” would be living as the working class poor for a full year, so when minimum wage is increased & an economic stimulus check is being issued by the government, you’ll see how the cost of living adjusts your budgeting for the year…. a budgeting of going without more because food prices jumped through the roof & utility rates are robbery in broad daylight. After 12 months you see you’re further behind.

The alliance developed the challenge to call more attention to poverty in the second-poorest large city in the country, according to U. S. Census Bureau data.

When a lesson is to be taught with monopoly money, nothing is ventured…. nothing is gained, and politicians are no less ignorant when it comes to living a poorer lifestyle. They lived it for 2 days and then went back to their richer living. I bet the $4 bottle of Tylenol doesn’t seem so expensive now, does it? No rules have been broken today by any politician because you drove your child to daycare.

The “fed-up” in me is saying the effects of lifting people out of poverty is more than playing pretend for two days, because for people who are struggling more than myself it’s more than 48 hours of budgeting bills and modes of transportation. It’s more than 48 hours of making smaller meals so your food supply lasts a little longer. More than 48 hours of opting not to buy a new pair of sneakers for your children because you don’t want the electric cut off in your home.

This poverty challenge was a failure before it began, because the poor are still poor and the politicians get to go home with their financial security still in tact. Thanks for playing the game though.

It’s a sarcastic question, but one that is true. I was sitting on my porch, enjoying the nice weather and a girl passed by screaming as loud as she could into her cell phone at her boyfriend. You see, I knew all of her “business” because she was announcing to the general public that he (quote) shouldn’t have left her. As she’s passing by and having this conversation with someone else, she sees me sitting there looking at her, she actually has the nerve to give me a dirty look (like I’m all up in her business) when I was just sitting there on my porch… minding my own business. I mean to say, if she really wanted to have a private conversation with her bad ass boyfriend, she’s the one who should have kept it private, right?

Another time I’m walking down the street and a guy is passing by…. do I really wanna know that his girlfriend is a “trampy ho”?

Do I wanna know … someone on their cell phone is talking about where their rent money is going to come from while I’m standing in line at the store? Since when is someone else’s personal finances anything 20 strangers should know about?

Do I wanna hear someone yelling very loudly on their cell phone “dude, I can’t hear you in this stupid place!” ?? Is the place really “stupid” or they’re PO’ed because the call on their Cricket has been dropped?

Working in customer service, the last thing I’d like to hear is a person talking on a blue tooth telling their party to “hold on” ….like me telling them how much they owe is too much of a bother during their conversation when they were the one who stepped up to the counter where I work at. WTF would they think if I was on my cell giving them the same “hold on” attitude they’re giving me?

Do I really want to hear a guy saying “I told you not to call me on this number” ???

Do I really want to hear an over reacted drama (teen) queen talking about how Snookie did Poopsie wrong???

People, if you’re on your cell phone and you’re out in the public…. I don’t want to know your personal problems because you don’t have enough common sense to keep your private conversations PRIVATE!

People, if you’re out in the general public, don’t get all pissed off that others have no choice but to listen in on your conversation….. because you’re the one announcing your intimate affairs to everyone around you.

This is not only another day I have been smoke-free, it’s been a full week since my last cigarette. I was out shopping today and treated myself to a book I’ve wanted for a while now.

I bought Joel Osteen’s Become a Better You. As soon as I opened it I began reading and hadn’t stopped until the end of the second chapter. I read at least 10 times so far “this is a new day” I rather think that is the foundation of the book. But I read three words together “words are powerful” only once and I find that to be the true meaning as of yet.

After twenty years of smoking, I imagined last week what it might be like for me if I smoke another 20 years, Joel’s new book is all about looking to the future, and while all of the people who care about me have said to take things day by day, I’m now looking to the future of taking quiting smoking week by week. And all of this positive only after reading two chapters.

For as many times I’ve heard it said that the taste of food is so much better when you’ve quit smoking. It’s true. For breakfast (yeah, as in the first meal of the day in the morning) I made a western omlet. For lunch, a salad with french dressing. I never realized how much flavor I had been missing out on all these years.

I’ve had a handful of Life Savers so far though, but no cigatettes. My friends still say that I have to take this all one day at a time. I think it’s getting easier.

To help balance out the added urge to smoke that the patch falls short on, I’ve discovered….

If to stop smoking is to make a person feel better, I don’t feel so well. Maybe this is all part of the withdraw, I wake feeling sick in the morning and hardly do I feel happy, excited or being my (usual) self. Lack of energy is also on the list of what’s changed.

After eating, riding in the car, being online and during breaks at work have been the hardest moments over the last 4 days. I’ve been trying to go to places where smoking isn’t allowed, like stores, but there’s only so long I can afford to be away from home.

I have so many great friends standing behind me and telling me that I’m doing great, I still can’t get over the fear that I may be disappointing them because I feel so much like I’m going to fail.

To continue: This is my second day without a cigarette. The patches are helping but my nerves are on the brink. My friends are supportive, telling me that I’m doing great… but I don’t feel so great.

I’m hanging on… but I don’t know for how long.

I was searching around on the internet and I came across the blog I never heard about.

Check ‘em out: projectbuffalo.com

OMG… how ever shall we live in Buffalo without Brian Campbell in the blue, yellow & white?

This was said to be “breaking news” earlier today.

(pause to roll my eyes)

Every time a heavily paid sports figure leaves we should be filled with sorrow? Like we can’t live without him?

Now this…

Not so fast spring-time, a Winter Storm Warning has been posted for all of WNY until Noon on Wednesday, with anywhere from 6″ to 14″ of snow expected depending upon where you live. A total of 6-12 inches of snow could fall, and be mixed in with rain and sleet at times.

Hello people! It’s February in Buffalo! Does everyone really need to be reminded of this?

Are we not a Northeastern city during a winter season? Every time it snows …. “Oh no…. oh no… what will be do with a couple inches of snow on the ground?”

(pause to roll my eyes again)

One of my most fave bloggers on the net is Chris Byrd, I saw this post he made and thought how I relate to his optimism.

You know you are in B-F when…

…the city replaces a one way sign with a recycled one! (Paderewski and Clark Streets)

Nice…speaks volumes don’t you think?

I guess you have to look at the positives…at least there is a sign!