I Love Being A Mom To My Two Girls!

My greatest joy in my life is my daughters...  Sometimes, I will look at them and just feel in awe that God had blessed me so abundantly..  I love that we enjoy each other.. Of course there are times that we want to wring each others' necks but for the most part - I believe we have a great relationship...  We actually have fun together...  I have two someones that are up to exploring the world with me... Who want to be with me - that in itself is a major feat with teenage girls....

Last year we three took a great trip to the East Coast from California - so many memories were made.. So much fun was had...  We still have many conversations about the times we shared - the places we visited..   This year - because of my work schedule- a long trip is not possible this summer but we did do something really fun....

We hopped in the car- drove up the freeway about 55 minutes and ended up in Hollywood!!!  I have lived in Southern California my ENTIRE life and I have never experienced Hollywood...  So me and my 2 girls became California tourists for a fun-filled weekend.....

Our trip started with a stop at Universal Studios - I planned this in advance and purchased Front of the Line passes - and I have to tell you - well worth the extra money - while others were standing in the heat of the day for 60 minutes or more - we walked right on each ride... So fun

After Universal Studios - We walked around City Walk

From Universal City Walk - we went to our hotel around the corner from Hollywood Blvd - Had NO idea what to expect... We enjoyed the sites/people/dinner at Hard Rock

The next morning -we went on a tour of the stars' homes - we saw Simon Cowell's - Ellen Degeneres',Elvis' old home, Ringo Starr, Elizabeth Taylor's Temple, and many others - but as I write this I'm drawing a blank... What I really liked is going down the Sunset Strip - Seeing all the places I have heard about - The Viper Room, The Roxy, The Comedy Store, Whiskey A Go-Go, and so much more... We also took a walk down Rodeo Drive - felt pretty uncomfortable in THOSE stores.. but enjoyed watching the multiple Roll Royces, Mercedes, and BMWs go by... with a Limo thrown in a time or two..

We had such a good time - so glad I have two beautiful and fun daughters to explore the world with...... So truly blessed...

My Republican View on Helping Others...

The other day I read a Facebook post from someone I admire and respect...  and of course love like crazy.. We are very similar in many ways...  Our political views, however, seem to be polar opposites...  But when I look at our beliefs and abolish the "party" lines - I think we believe the same things.... want the same things...

The Facebook post was a couple of wonderful Bible verses (yep, I'm talking about you - hee hee) Verses that spoke of our responsibility to the widows and the children and to help others that are in need...  I do agree with this post.. and this verse....  But if I were a mind reading kinda of gal - I might think she was politely referring to the Republican party on our "greed" factor and the thought behind us not wanting to pay taxes to help.....  Now I can't speak for other Republicans  but I will politely give my view on what I believe needs to be done....

First - I do believe it is the responsibility of our government (The People of our great Nation) to help those in need ....  No one should be without food.... no one should be without a safe place to sleep... and no one should be denied an education.. And mostly - no one should be denied medical help...  My only compliant about our government and President on this is that they are not treating the problem.. They are putting a band aid on it...  There are way too many people taking advantage of the welfare system - Speaking to a friend of mine who is an investigator for the welfare and medicare system -he said one of the biggest scams is selling food stamps...  Many times you can buy them on Craig's List... the scammers sell the stamps for drugs.... Medicare - another biggie...  I believe if a person/family needs public assistance - they must be drug tested (just like anyone applying for job) - I believe there should be very strict guidelines... I believe there should be a severe punishment for those who commit fraud with our tax payers money...  I believe if a person is not a US citizen - public assistance should NOT be offered....  Medical help - yes - welfare NO NO NO NO... A person should take the steps to become a US citizen first to take advantage of what our country offers and only if it is needed...  Welfare and public assistance - should be SHORT term - not full time....  The way our government is set up right now on this issue - is it promotes not working - promotes the vicious cycle of teen pregnancies.. more welfare recipients ...There has to be an incentive for people to want to get a job.. There has been be an incentive for companies to hire in their towns.. incentives to provide jobs here and not overseas.. A way for companies to pay a high enough salary (ie: Walmart) that people can support their families....  The government needs to step in and review the situation - there must be more government employees to address this growing problem..

Second - I believe companies - corporations - should pay taxes....  I believe that the government should give tax break incentives to the companies who hire within our US borders....  Within the company's immediate area... (and higher tax bills for those who go overseas).  If the company is employing hundreds of people - thousands of people because of the tax break incentives and ends up not paying "taxes" - who the hell cares... There are hundreds and thousands of people who are now working - supporting their families - spending their money - and paying taxes... It's a win-win situation...  But because our Democratic government (seems to me) only wants to tax tax tax - corporations are taking their jobs to India... Mexico.... Why is it so wrong for a company or person who makes money - money they themselves earned through their own hard work want to keep it?  Why should they pay a much higher tax rate than everyone else......  I believe there should be a flat tax for everyone... A straight across the board tax....  The rich will still pay "more" than others due the percentage of a higher income is higher than the same percentage of a lower income.....  That would be fair.....

Thirdly - If there are checks and balances in our welfare system...  If there were more government employees to ensure that the welfare recipients were truly in need... who were actually looking for work or going to a state/federally funded school to better their situation - our need for higher taxes would be lowered  considerably.. There should be a federally funded daycare provider for those families that need it - Paying for a daycare provider is much less expensive than supporting a full family with welfare and food stamps...

Basically - my thoughts are this - taxes are not bad...  I believe we should all pay our "fair" share... People who need help should Always get it.... But there has to be guidelines - there has to be rules - there has to be checks and balances.. Trusting our government  by just throwing our taxes at them is not working - has not worked - will NEVER work...  Each and every single government employee must be held accountable for their actions -

We need a president that has experience... Who loves our country... Who does not make empty promises about CHANGE.. We need a government that is for the people - all the People....  What is good for the People is good for them... including insurance.......

I think if we tear down the party lines and work together for the same common goal - I think our country would be in much better shape....