Day 4 Month 1 Year 2016 in BookThree: Flight Log 2016

Much better. I have condensed my entire history (really, only 2 years) down into fewer books. While I was freaking out about so many different things… it made sense to have so many different books… my mind was scattered! But… streamlined is a better approach. Hopefully, you will agree.

Today was a day. Went to work early but accidents all over the road made it a much longer drive in to the office. Damn. Then I had an eye appointment in the middle of my shift… and had forgotten my wallet at home. Damn. I get to the Eye Doctor and they gladly take my insurance card (as they accept my insurance provider) but then… this is some strange Wal Mart exclusive form of the insurance that attempts to force Employees (and their families) to use ONLY Wal Mart vision centers… they can’t accept my insurance. Damn. Luckily, the Doc gives me a discount anyway because “we should have caught that earlier.” I appreciate the gesture. But it does mean that I will be required to go to Wal Mart for my actual glasses. While the doctor was checking my eyes he saw some interesting things. We discussed that I’ve had super dry eyes for quite a while but then he mentions that there are significant indications on my eyes (especially my right eye) that I’m experiencing some kind of allergic reaction. Well, THAT would explain a lot! MY extreme, recurring (or constant) itchiness… my periodic inflamed and red right eye… yeah. I had planned to schedule a Dermatology Appointment soon anyway but that really confirmed the need. I race back to work and work my butt off… but still? I couldn’t get all of the paperwork for court done! People were VERY naughty over the New Year’s Holiday… and tragically, not at all in the way expected. Instead of a lot of alcohol related issues… there were MAJOR drug busts and Sexual Assault of a Juvenile cases today!

After I did what I could there; Work Crush and I talked a bit. Planned the week out for work and chewed the fat. And… again… that woman is far too attractive to me. These awesome brown mid-calf boots; purple sweater over a faded green shirt; her hair equal parts brown and red… I can’t say for certain if it was makeup (the mark of a good job) but her cheeks were just perfectly flushed and her lips this red hue. Yeah… lady is a fox.

It is funny though. She and some of the other girls at work were discussing their New Year’s Eves. Work Crush can drink… which makes me want to see how she’d do matched with me and Wife… if we’re all incurable Lawyer Drinkers. But more… it made me realize… my co-workers have lives! Like… they went out, did stuff, had fun. Wife and I… stayed in. Again. As always. Because trying to go out and do anything… is always too much of a hassle… for wife. I would be fine with it if Wife was open and said “I have anxiety issues and going out causes them to flare up.” But she doesn’t. She goes back to her lists of excuses… it takes too long, she doesn’t have anything she wants to wear, she feels too fat, she doesn’t want to have to put on make up, it is too late at night, etcetera. Yet another thing on the list of “I hope this changes at some point” because… as much as I like staying home and being comfy… I do strongly miss going out… doing things… having a life!

SOMETHING DIFFERENT:
I was thinking about things yesterday and realizing that in a lot of ways I’m still very conservative and in a lot of ways I’m becoming more liberal. For example: We’ve been getting loads of commercials around here warning people about the changes to the Social Security Laws. These laws go into effect and make the process for filing for social security and receiving social security more complicated. Why? If people need social security (and have earned it, since SS is something we all pay into) why try to make it so much more complicated to receive it? Instead… lets make it more complicated for Congress to get paid. How about that! If we have to make the elderly or infirm fill out 27 forms and wait months to get what they’re entitled to… lets make Congress fill out 30 forms and wait half the year!

Then I decided to try my hand at an old Philosophy trick. Create an experiment that would best illustrate your points (both pro and con) and investigate it. SO I tried… tell me what you think:
One of the problems I see with both conservatives and liberals can be expressed through A Dog Food Machine.

A company wished to make an automated dog food machine. The design seemed simple; a pressure pad connected to the machine would activate the food release and fill the dog’s bowl. That way, when the dog wished to be fed, it could stand on the pressure pad and feed itself. However, the machine was released with two problems (and these problems are how I see the problems in the government ideologies)....
First, the pressure pad was specifically set for medium dogs. The company didn’t see any problem with this as setting the pressure pad for “medium” would take care of both medium and heavy dogs. It wouldn’t work for small dogs, but that was a minority of dogs and who cares. However, due to new breed regulations; many medium dogs were too light to activate the pressure pad. Therefore, the machine really only worked for big dogs.
Second, the method for how much food to dispense was never adequately discussed. The company decided that if a small dog needed 1/4 cup of food, a medium dog needed 2/4 cup of food, and a big dog needed a full cup of food… it would be okay to have the machine simply dispense 3/4 cup of food. That way the small dog and the medium dog would get more than enough; and the big dog probably needed a diet anyway.

It is overly simplified but… that is totally how I see politics in this day and age. My liberal side rails against the idea that so much of the system is rigged for the Big Dogs… the wealthy, the corporations, the politicians… everyone BUT the people. My conservative side rails against the idea that wasteful government spending is so “acceptable” to those in power… instead of tailoring the spending appropriately, they throw too much money at some things and not enough money at others. If the dog food machine problem doesn’t lend itself to that understanding (what I was trying to go for) let me know… I’ll try to figure something else out, lol.

And lastly… dealing with the prisoners I do and the cases I’m involved with.... something struck me about Drugs in America. Yes, a controversial topic and I understand many disagree with me… this isn’t “keep it illegal” or “make it legal”… this is just observational about the problems being faced today.

Firstly: Addiction. And for those people that say “certain drugs aren’t addictive,” don’t kid yourself. Exercise, chocolate, internet, television, writing… every activity and substance is addictive to some degree. Just because soda isn’t as addictive as Meth doesn’t mean it isn’t addictive. And the problem with addiction isn’t resolved so peacefully as to say “Adults make their own decisions, addiction is a by product of those decisions.” Because… addictions hurt a lot more people than just the adult that chose that drug. I see families absolutely ripped apart by this. I don’t just mean divisions and tension among family members either. I deal with people who have let their children starve because the money had to go to fuel the addiction. In order to get their next fix, some clients will tell their pusher, “Fuck my daughter until you’re satisfied we’re even.” That isn’t even the worst of it, though. I interview a few women a week that all say the same thing: “I’m pregnant.... Last time I used was last week.... no, I’m not worried about my baby.” Yeah… continue poisoning your unborn child. And that works with Alcohol, Smoking, Weed, Crack, Heroine, Meth.... loads of people in my jail have no regard for how their addiction might/will negatively impact their fetus. That stuff tends to bother me.

Then: Eric Holder’s bullshit. So… California legalized Marijuana many years back and the Attorney General stepped in to shut that down. Lots of people were angry, crying federal overreach and all of that.... that’s history. Recent history was far different. Washington, Oregon, Colorado and other areas legalized Marijuana and Eric Holder did nothing. “It was time to let pot be legal if they wanted to” must have been his thinking. First, he’s an idiot. It isn’t his job to decide law, it is his job to execute the law… he was required to step in and he did not. Whether you agree with Pot Legalization or not… Eric Holder fucked up there. But here’s why people should care about that fuck up… even if you are pro-pot. The federal government did not legalize Marijuana. They left it up to the states. Which means each state gets to do what they want. Which means people traveling between states are getting fucked in the ass with felony charges. Happens CONSTANTLY here in Nebraska. If you have Colorado Plates… State Troopers pull you over. Write in their file “faint smell of marijuana”. Search your vehicle under the probable cause provided by that smell. Charge you with a serious felony for having pot in your car. So now you, the Colorado citizen legally possessing marijuana, find yourself facing up to 20 years in jail because you traveled into a different state. Happens. ALL. The time.
And that is why Eric Holder was required to do his job. Not because “pot is evil and I need to step in” but because drugs are an obvious element of interstate commerce therefore by the constitution drug laws should be decided by the federal system. When interstate commerce items are decided at state level… it creates these issues… where people who are NOT breaking the law by owning and possessing something in one state can face HEAVY jail time in another. And ultimately… that is the biggest reason why the State Legalization thing has been a bee in my bonnet. I don’t care as passionately about legal/not legal… I care passionately that a Federal Government that has historically NOT been “state’s rights” decided to be “state’s rights” in the one area where Federal Priority is required!

All of that being said… I saw this early this morning and… I’m sure we’ve all had moments like this. Truly a relatable sentiment: