It's late at night. I am listening to today's archived Dave Ramsey show. It replaces the Phil Hendrie Show on KURV. It's been on for about a week. I think I've seen his book at Barnes & Noble. I may buy one. After listening, and knowing that my financial position is undesireable, I am tempted to try some of his advice.
For now, I want to get myself back into UTPA to finish my degree in Finance (ironic, isn't it?). Then, I want to start making money to pay back my debts.
I had been in a funk the past couple days. I came to a realization after speaking to God for a while. I realized that people behave in the way that is natural to them. That is such a relief and disappointment at the same time. What I do is reflective of my nature, except that I can choose t change my nature. Anybody else can do the same. However, in general, most people don't pay attention to their natural behaviour and end up acting it out.
My despair was short-lived. This week is not as stressful as last week. I have been thinking about my need to go back to school in the Spring. I need money. I need to pay back my emergency loan from UTPA. I am willing to give up my two days off from work. I am even willing to put in time in the restaurants to make up some cash. I think that with Alma's raise and my extra effort, we can pay off the loan and maybe even save up some cash. Once I am in school, things kind of build upon themselves. After school, I will have a tough decision to make. How will I help Liz and Jason while I am working elsewhere? Will it be possible?
For now, I can work more hours or I can do some computer work on the side. I have Kathy Masso, who needs some computer work. Marina needs some computer work too. As far as doing more hours, I can let Liz give me more hours at work. If that's not possible, I can work at the Quick Woks doing stuff to earn more income. Good thing about the restaurants is that I can work for cash. This can be great with the time separation between my doing the rounds and the payroll schedule. I would end up with a paycheck every week. Since Confetti and the restaurants alternate weeks, I would have a paycheck each week. On top of that, I'd have the money from doing the rounds every 1st and 15th of the month.
Obviously, I'd be doing stuff to improve the businesses. I wouldn't just clock in and hang out to "kill time". Let's see how I can make this work.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Long Day
Long day. Helped World Market Liquor & Imports move out. Learned some things. Alma's upset. Don't want to go home. Nobody to talk to.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Lousy Morning
Despite my optimism for the near end of my misery, I managed to have a lousy morning. I spent most of the morning putting out fires.
On the bright side, I had the opportunity to order business cards for http://MissionTexas.net. I made them really simple to emphasize the site and not me. I got the cards with Annette Chavez over at PostNet by Quick Wok at Stewart Plaza. I ordered 1000 for good measure. I still have a ton of the Missionhsreunion.com cards remaining. I think the http://MissionTexas.net business cards should be easier to give away.
I'll be working all day tomorrow and I have a morning delivery. After this post, I am going to bed. I've been working on the new http://thewoks.com website for the restaurants. It's going to take a considerable amount of hours to finish. Once that is done, I want to buy vinyl letters to advertise the site on the doors of the restaurants.
Good night.
Almost over
The crappy work is almost over for the week. Liz and Jason will be back by Wednesday evening. Due to my schedule, I'm screwed all day Wednesday. I need to drop off the kids, get change and deposit, and work the lunch rush at QM. Afterwards, I need to go to work at 3 PM. I'm really getting tired of this shit. It's like they rub my face in it. Here I am, doing everything in my power to keep the operations going. When you total up all the time I put into my work, I get less than minimum wage. My truck is falling apart. I can't afford to get somebody to watch my kids. I can't afford to quit. I'm screwed all around. I have to keep working. I'm glad that they are able to enjoy life. It's my turn. I'm not an employee. I can make a better living elsewhere. I'm with them to help them out and I get a big "fuck you" in return. Every once in a while, I get special treatment. That doesn't pay the bills.
Definitely, I will go back to school and finish my degree. No business venture is going to distract me this time. My first distraction was Handtech. They went under. I tried to keep things going with no success. I tried eBay and fucking Juan Martinez decided to scam me. I had already built up over 100 in feeback. My account was shut down and I still owe money.
That brings me to a realization that ever since I signed on to Confetti, I've been screwed, fucked, cheated, taken for granted, and underappreciated. Now that I add it all up, it's not worth all the crap I've been through. Jason and Liz are nice people, but they have really used me. I'm out.
Definitely, I will go back to school and finish my degree. No business venture is going to distract me this time. My first distraction was Handtech. They went under. I tried to keep things going with no success. I tried eBay and fucking Juan Martinez decided to scam me. I had already built up over 100 in feeback. My account was shut down and I still owe money.
That brings me to a realization that ever since I signed on to Confetti, I've been screwed, fucked, cheated, taken for granted, and underappreciated. Now that I add it all up, it's not worth all the crap I've been through. Jason and Liz are nice people, but they have really used me. I'm out.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Andromeda
I was up last night catching up on Andromeda. It appears that there won't be a season 6 of the show. They are sticking with 5 seasons, which is sufficient to go into sydication 5 days a week. Lucky for me there are episode synopses on the website that allow me to figure out what the whole show was about. I figured out that the first part of the show was about putting the Commonwealth back together. In later episodes, when they are in the Vedran system, I didn't really follow. I still don't know what's going on, but thanks to the site, I can figure it out.
It only gets worse
Liz and Jason decided to skip town and head for Dallas. This last minute escapade has left me holding a lot of loose strings. On top of that, I have my own crap to take care of. Yes, I just ended a sentence with a preposition. This morning, I registered Tien at school, took the boy to grandma's, hauled ass home to pick up some stuff, went to PostNet for my mail, went and dropped off a check for Joe to pay the shrimp guy, picked up the change bag at Jason's, went to pay the sales tax, picked up the plumbing snake, gave Adrian (my brother-in-law) a ride home from school, then went back to McAllen to find a payroll processing program, and then I had to go to work where I took some time to calculate the payroll hours. I made some time to call Mission and Edinburg to call McAllen early with their list. When I get to McAllen to pick up the supplies, the bastards didn't have anything ready. So, I got out of there late, which made me late to leave Mission and Edinburg during the rounds. I got back to McAllen without change for tomorrow, which means that I'm screwed out of sleep tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow, I'll drop off the girl at school and the boy at Grandma's. I need to finish payroll. I totally must go to the bank to get change because I didn't have any to leave in McAllen. I also have to deposit all the checks. I have to stop by Mission to get ice for McAllen, which I'll have to load by myself. Joe is off tomorrow. All this has to be done before 10 AM so that I can open McAllen on time and be at work on time. On top of that, Sysco and the other company won't leave any supplies without a check to pay them first. Jason only left me enough checks for payroll. On top of that, I doubt that there are enough funds to cover the order.
Wednesday is also going to be a pain in the butt. One of the guys from Mission has to go to a funeral on Wednesday and Thursday, which will leave them shorthanded or without workers at all. So, I may end up having to fill in before heading to work.
I'm beginning to suspect that I am being taken advantage of. I'm too tired to work around the whole preposition problem. I can never get anything done because both Liz and Jason never ante up the money for improvements. They'd rather "hack it" than fix the damn problem. I'm going to ask for a raise and an expense account. This way I can buy what is needed to do what needs doing without having to beg or ask for permission. The biggest problem right now is the problem of supplies. We can't afford to run out of crap as often as we do.
Another idea I have is to ask them both to let me have QM to run on my own. Let me worry about keeping it in good shape and then do the rounds in the evening for Edinburg and McAllen. I can then do odd jobs for the store as needed.
Tomorrow, I'll drop off the girl at school and the boy at Grandma's. I need to finish payroll. I totally must go to the bank to get change because I didn't have any to leave in McAllen. I also have to deposit all the checks. I have to stop by Mission to get ice for McAllen, which I'll have to load by myself. Joe is off tomorrow. All this has to be done before 10 AM so that I can open McAllen on time and be at work on time. On top of that, Sysco and the other company won't leave any supplies without a check to pay them first. Jason only left me enough checks for payroll. On top of that, I doubt that there are enough funds to cover the order.
Wednesday is also going to be a pain in the butt. One of the guys from Mission has to go to a funeral on Wednesday and Thursday, which will leave them shorthanded or without workers at all. So, I may end up having to fill in before heading to work.
I'm beginning to suspect that I am being taken advantage of. I'm too tired to work around the whole preposition problem. I can never get anything done because both Liz and Jason never ante up the money for improvements. They'd rather "hack it" than fix the damn problem. I'm going to ask for a raise and an expense account. This way I can buy what is needed to do what needs doing without having to beg or ask for permission. The biggest problem right now is the problem of supplies. We can't afford to run out of crap as often as we do.
Another idea I have is to ask them both to let me have QM to run on my own. Let me worry about keeping it in good shape and then do the rounds in the evening for Edinburg and McAllen. I can then do odd jobs for the store as needed.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Can't get a break
What was going to be a good night goes bad. I just can't get a break tonight. All kinds of stuff is going wrong.
Looking forward to a fun night
While heading out to do the rounds, I call in a journal entry with good news and some optimism. Things are going good and I look forward to having a fun evening with my family.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Great News!
The great news is that I will be going back to school to finish my degree. I imagined it would be so difficult for me to get current and go back in. All I had to do was go to CoSTEP, consolidate my student loans, which would bring my account current and defer payments. Now, all I need to do is get ready for the Spring Semester and go to school. I never thought I would be so happy to go back to school.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Long Day Ahead
Today, I've got to do:
- Drop off kids
- Cash check
- Renew License
- Call mom, wish her happy birthday
- Deposit
- Visit CoSTEP, get deferrment
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Just Losing It!
I just read an article by a Liberal bastard. What a stupid *$*, !%#@*^%$#%! Who the hell ever said that Saddam Hussein ordered 9/11? NOBODY.
Here is the analogy. You live in a neighborhood. EVERYBODY in town knows that you provide shelter for thieves and killers. You don't tell them what to do. You simply help them with food, shelter, and help them out when they are sick. You don't tell them to steal, but they do. You don't tell them to kill, but they do. Does that mean we don't invade your house and bust your ass? NO! You're just as bad as they are for helping them.
The same goes for Saddam. He did not order 9/11. I agree he had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks. He did provide the terrorists safe haven. He provided them with money. He provided them with health care. So, when the cops (our armed forces) show up to break things up, the whole community (the friggin' planet) is safer.
My sister went to Iraq. She did not want to go. Since she did have to go, she has yet to speak badly of the President or her orders to go. She was with me on the truck when we were going to UT-Pan American as the terrorist attacks happened. She knows what is at stake. It's insulting when liberals claim that our soldiers are brainwashed. Or even worse, claiming that those people in the military have no other way of making it. My sister was already in college. She didn't need more opportunity than that. Her biggest complaint was not the daily mortars or other bombings. That was just routine. Her biggest complaint was the heat and the cold on winter nights.
Sorry, I just lose my patience with these people. Especially when they give the faux concern about our troops. Man, that just makes my blood boil. Fake sympathy is cruel. They don't care about our troops. The more dead troops the happier they feel because it furthers their cause to oppose the war. Normal people would want the mission accomplished with the least amount of casualties. To leftists, forget the mission. If we are committed, the more casualties the better so that we can forget the mission sooner. Thank God that Democrats are losing ground (Conservatives still believe in God and prayer, mind you).
Here is the analogy. You live in a neighborhood. EVERYBODY in town knows that you provide shelter for thieves and killers. You don't tell them what to do. You simply help them with food, shelter, and help them out when they are sick. You don't tell them to steal, but they do. You don't tell them to kill, but they do. Does that mean we don't invade your house and bust your ass? NO! You're just as bad as they are for helping them.
The same goes for Saddam. He did not order 9/11. I agree he had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks. He did provide the terrorists safe haven. He provided them with money. He provided them with health care. So, when the cops (our armed forces) show up to break things up, the whole community (the friggin' planet) is safer.
My sister went to Iraq. She did not want to go. Since she did have to go, she has yet to speak badly of the President or her orders to go. She was with me on the truck when we were going to UT-Pan American as the terrorist attacks happened. She knows what is at stake. It's insulting when liberals claim that our soldiers are brainwashed. Or even worse, claiming that those people in the military have no other way of making it. My sister was already in college. She didn't need more opportunity than that. Her biggest complaint was not the daily mortars or other bombings. That was just routine. Her biggest complaint was the heat and the cold on winter nights.
Sorry, I just lose my patience with these people. Especially when they give the faux concern about our troops. Man, that just makes my blood boil. Fake sympathy is cruel. They don't care about our troops. The more dead troops the happier they feel because it furthers their cause to oppose the war. Normal people would want the mission accomplished with the least amount of casualties. To leftists, forget the mission. If we are committed, the more casualties the better so that we can forget the mission sooner. Thank God that Democrats are losing ground (Conservatives still believe in God and prayer, mind you).
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Juan Martinez's License Plate
ZHK-76C is the license plate number of Juan Eduardo Martinez, a fellow classmate from the Mission High School Class of 1993 who scammed me out of money when I was down and out, the bastard. I found out later that he scammed a lady out of $40k and another friend of mine out of several thousand dollars. The way my friend put it, he's waiting for Juan to keep searching for the rope that will hang him. I'm going to give this info to the other scam victims.
About my future
I got the ball rolling tonight. I told Jason about my intent to leave Confetti. Tomorrow I will tell Liz. I like the people. Liz and Jason have been good to me. I really like working with Amanda and Krystal. They are probably the reason why I have toughed it out this long. Krystal, by the way, has informed us that she is pregnant. I'm sure she will be a great mommy.
Anyway, I will tell Liz about my decision to move on tomorrow. I don't intend to split right away. I think I can hang in there until December. That will give us the chance to hire somebody and train him or her. Of course, whomever gets hired will definitely not be up to par with what I offer. I think both Amanda and Krystal together can fill in. The new hire will be extra help for them.
Letting Jason know my intent has given me peace. I don't have the anxiety I have been feeling lately. In fact, after this entry, I will go to bed for a peaceful night's rest.
What will I do? I don't know. Anything. I would, however, very much like to get my old life back with the Masons and towards becoming a leader of the community in Mission. I also want to go back to school.
Alma needs to borrow money to pay for her summer classes. Then Head Start will reimburse her. I asked Jason tonight. This was an excellent opportunity to test the waters. It seems like I will have to get my ass back into school on my own. I think I will need a couple thousand. Jason balked at my request for $700. I knew in the back of my mind that I was being used. I think that's why I feel at peace.
Anyway, I will tell Liz about my decision to move on tomorrow. I don't intend to split right away. I think I can hang in there until December. That will give us the chance to hire somebody and train him or her. Of course, whomever gets hired will definitely not be up to par with what I offer. I think both Amanda and Krystal together can fill in. The new hire will be extra help for them.
Letting Jason know my intent has given me peace. I don't have the anxiety I have been feeling lately. In fact, after this entry, I will go to bed for a peaceful night's rest.
What will I do? I don't know. Anything. I would, however, very much like to get my old life back with the Masons and towards becoming a leader of the community in Mission. I also want to go back to school.
Alma needs to borrow money to pay for her summer classes. Then Head Start will reimburse her. I asked Jason tonight. This was an excellent opportunity to test the waters. It seems like I will have to get my ass back into school on my own. I think I will need a couple thousand. Jason balked at my request for $700. I knew in the back of my mind that I was being used. I think that's why I feel at peace.
Day of Frustration
If I had a dollar for every time I said "shit", "dammit", "son-of-a...", or the f word today, I'd have a good lump some to set aside for retirement. I spent the night and most of today getting the work computers fixed. On the bright side, I recovered the main sales database and will be able to restore it. On the minus side, I lost all the other files. That's not so bad because we have a paper trail that we can use to rebuild those records.
So, here I am, finishing up a complete reinstall of Windows XP and the point of sale system. I've got the XP part done. I am finishing up on the Norton Anti-virus install on one computer. The other computer is already done. I will have to wait until tomorrow to finish because I need to install a Quickbooks POS upgrade that's on a disk at work. I still have to network the computers and get them set up like they were.
I will definitely make these computers non-Internet terminals. The crap I had to go through these past couple days is not worth the temporary joy of surfing the web at work.
I'm going to try to convince Liz to let me buy a network storage system or at least a zip drive or something similar. This would have been much simpler if I had daily backups. It's a bitch trying to get people to understand that the peace of mind is worth the cost.
Right now I am enjoying a bump up in bandwidth. Since I knew that I'd be installing anti-virus updates, I called Rioplex Wireless to have them increase the speed to my modem. I am at 512/128 kbps. It's gonna cost me. I'm going to take advantage of it while I have it, I'll reduce the speed next month.
So, here I am, finishing up a complete reinstall of Windows XP and the point of sale system. I've got the XP part done. I am finishing up on the Norton Anti-virus install on one computer. The other computer is already done. I will have to wait until tomorrow to finish because I need to install a Quickbooks POS upgrade that's on a disk at work. I still have to network the computers and get them set up like they were.
I will definitely make these computers non-Internet terminals. The crap I had to go through these past couple days is not worth the temporary joy of surfing the web at work.
I'm going to try to convince Liz to let me buy a network storage system or at least a zip drive or something similar. This would have been much simpler if I had daily backups. It's a bitch trying to get people to understand that the peace of mind is worth the cost.
Right now I am enjoying a bump up in bandwidth. Since I knew that I'd be installing anti-virus updates, I called Rioplex Wireless to have them increase the speed to my modem. I am at 512/128 kbps. It's gonna cost me. I'm going to take advantage of it while I have it, I'll reduce the speed next month.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Freaking out
After trying overnight to fix a BSOD (Blue screen of death) on the point of sale server, I'm at my wits end. Patience my ass, I'm gonna kill something!
Mission High School Class of 1993 Reunion Kickoff
Today I announced the 15th year reunion for my class. Here is the message:
I want to announce the kickoff of the Mission High School Class of 1993's
15th Year Reunion. All members of the Class of '93 should visit the Forum
Topic to participate in the planning.It is extremely important that you get
the word out to as many of our classmates as possible. We want to start early
and make this as good or better than the last one.Let's get the ball rolling!
Link:
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Went to see Stealth
We went to see Stealth at The Border Theatre today. It was an OK movie. I reviewed it on Yahoo!. In the morning, I opened the restaurant and picked up the computers for some maintenance. I screwed up the computers at work. I have to get them restored tonight for production tomorrow. Gonna require some beer, I think.
Still in a funk over my future. Don't feel motivated to do anything lately, except maybe write. Even so, my heart isn't into it. It's more automatic than anything.
Still in a funk over my future. Don't feel motivated to do anything lately, except maybe write. Even so, my heart isn't into it. It's more automatic than anything.
Long Day and Angst
It was late and I didn't want to start up the computer, log in, and write an entry. I congratulate Alma, talk about work, and go over my desire for more out of life.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Work Done on Websites
I go over the progress I made on the websites today.
Amor A Todas Horas
Silva, Simon
Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Ow! That hurts!
Last night I totally disregarded cash management advice while doing a trade. The currency market spanked me for that. I lost about $300. Note to self: always use cash management techniques.
I'm working to gain it back. Last night, before bed, I bought one of each currency and set a sell 5 point up. This morning, half sold, the other half went negative by a lot. So, I bought some more at the low price and will leave them alone until prices go back to something of a profit. Due to dollar cost averaging, my sell point will be lower than the high at which I bought.
I'm working to gain it back. Last night, before bed, I bought one of each currency and set a sell 5 point up. This morning, half sold, the other half went negative by a lot. So, I bought some more at the low price and will leave them alone until prices go back to something of a profit. Due to dollar cost averaging, my sell point will be lower than the high at which I bought.
Latest Currency Trading
In a series of currency pair trades, I made $213.16. That brings my margin balance up to $2826.16 overall. I started with $2000. That's a roughly 41% gain. This includes my losses while I learned the ropes.
Of course, I'm not an expert and could easily lose a great deal if I don't practice good money management. I am satisfied with my work tonight. I'm going to bed.
Of course, I'm not an expert and could easily lose a great deal if I don't practice good money management. I am satisfied with my work tonight. I'm going to bed.
Monday, August 08, 2005
My last trade
In my last trade, I made $102.
Right now, I am working on GBP/USD and USD/CAD. I don't want to risk my hard-earned profits, so I'm going to scalp these positions.
Right now, I am working on GBP/USD and USD/CAD. I don't want to risk my hard-earned profits, so I'm going to scalp these positions.
Today's Forex Play
I made over $100 on a USD/CAD trade. When I started, prices were at 1.2139/44. They kept dropping into the 30s and then the 20s. I kept buying with each new low. I was sweating it a while as my unrealized losses went up over $200. The price just kept dropping lower and lower. I thought, "Oh, crap! I should have shorted." But, according to the charts, things were on an upward trend. Eventually, the price came back up and the gains from the lows overcame the losses from my high purchases. I cashed out when I got over $100. I could have waited until all my buys were profitable, but I'd rather lock in a sure win. This is dollar cost averaging on speed.
My position now is $2188.00
Realized gains are $323.74
I have a position open right now with EUR/USD. It's not going anywhere. Trading has been flat since I started. My unrealized losses on the EUR/USD have been between $20 and $40 with $100,000 riding on the price swing. Once things get moving, the gain or loss will be huge, but nobody is trading much.
My position now is $2188.00
Realized gains are $323.74
I have a position open right now with EUR/USD. It's not going anywhere. Trading has been flat since I started. My unrealized losses on the EUR/USD have been between $20 and $40 with $100,000 riding on the price swing. Once things get moving, the gain or loss will be huge, but nobody is trading much.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Working the Currency Markets Again
I am working the currency markets again on a practice account at forex.com. Today, I am up $96. I took a really big gamble on a short. I shouldn't do that. I shorted and the price kept going up on the GBP/USD. I was sweating, thinking that I had made a bad move. But the analysis pointed to a decrease in price, so I bought as the price climbed. All of a sudden, the price plummeted and triggered my limit order. Oh geez! That was a close one. I got lucky, I think.
I decided to ride on the way back up. Now, I'm up to $104. Not much, as I am playing it safe. Still, any profit is a good profit.
Update: 11:57
I am up to $137.26 on a USD/JPY trade. I could have made more; but, again, even a small profit is a good profit. I'd rather make a small, sure profit than a risky big profit. As the prices went up, I raised the limit a couple points for extra profit. As for losses, smaller losses are better. I'll put in a stop if I'm going to bed. When I am awake, I don't put them in because I have a general idea where the prices are going. I don't know exactly, but I know the general direction. I don't want to trip stop losses too early. Last week, I had a stop loss that triggered on a sudden low price. I lost $60 on that. So, I've made up my losses plus a little more.
I decided to ride on the way back up. Now, I'm up to $104. Not much, as I am playing it safe. Still, any profit is a good profit.
Update: 11:57
I am up to $137.26 on a USD/JPY trade. I could have made more; but, again, even a small profit is a good profit. I'd rather make a small, sure profit than a risky big profit. As the prices went up, I raised the limit a couple points for extra profit. As for losses, smaller losses are better. I'll put in a stop if I'm going to bed. When I am awake, I don't put them in because I have a general idea where the prices are going. I don't know exactly, but I know the general direction. I don't want to trip stop losses too early. Last week, I had a stop loss that triggered on a sudden low price. I lost $60 on that. So, I've made up my losses plus a little more.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
No Internet Audio Blog
My Internet connection wasn't working this morning, so I called in my entry. Woke up alone. No web. Full day of work. Not much to look forward to.
Wow, Dos Centavos
I was trolling around for information when I ran across a post by Dos Centavos, and I must say "wow". DC is to be commended for quoting these people. From previous posts and comments on this post, I get the impression that he is a Dem. It takes guts to post info about the loss of Hispanics and Mexican Americans from the Democratic party.
In my opinion, our people are becoming more educated than in the past. We can actually question the status quo, believe it or not. With the Dems, it's "what have you done for us lately"? Government programs only helped us survive. Except for student loans and financial aid, government programs haven't got anybody ahead. Our success is based on hard work and foresight. I think that those of us who are trying to make something of ourselves are seeing that and leaning towards Republicans to help us preserve what we have struggled to achieve.
Before you say, "oh, you just want to preserve your wealth now that you got it and forget the rest of your people". You know something, screw you. It's much more than that. We have struggled to overcome racism, poverty, poor education, and struggled to live a good Christian life. We have come far. We no longer feel inferior or allow others to treat us as second class citizens. We have plenty of opportunity to leave poverty when we choose to do so. We have access to education and those of us who value it make damn sure our kids get it too. And we definitely do not want to compromise our faith.
I have long known that our culture is conservative. For a while, it was a toss-up. Conservative Hispanics could have been Democrat or Republican. As long as there were conservative Dems, we Mexican Americans could have the goverment programs and preserve our conservative ways. More and more, the dems have been moving to the left, which has alienated those conservative Hispanics who would have happily voted dem without question. It doesn't help that networks like Univision totally support the Democrats. You never hear reports about how Dems want to take God out of government or want to legalize gay marriage. You DO hear reports on Spanish media about how Republicans want to cut social security, cut food stamps, cut school lunch programs, cut this or that. Obviously, those Hispanics who get the major part of their education from novelas eat that stuff up. The rest of us who can navigate the media in English are able to find the truth, should we choose to look for it.
Lately, dems stand for a handful of things: abortion, gay rights, the environment, and bigger government (as in more taxes). They say that they stand for other stuff, but they're politicians. Actions speak louder than words. Dems are more vociferous about those few issues than helping "the little guy". Dems only want to sound good, but never do anything that truly helps. They keep giving us the damn fish rather than teaching us to fish. Be true to yourself and your heritage if you are Hispanic. How Catholic are abortion and gay rights? If you busted your ass trying to live a comfortable life, how important is the environment? Is it important enough to sacrifice your principles on the first two issues? And who in their right mind would willingly want to PAY MORE TAXES?
If you watched the Fiddler on the Roof, Hispanics are in the same situation as Rev Tevya. He was willing to bend; but he could only bend so far without breaking. The Dems have asked us to bend too far! Something has to give. By going so far left, the Dems are not giving conservative Democrats much wiggle room. They are increasingly hard pressed to defend the party. Those who are trying their damnedest to stay loyal to the Democrat party will definitely break. They are compromising some very core Hispanic beliefs in order to remain Democrat. Yet they dare call those who succeed "sell outs". Riiight. Who's selling out their culture and giving up their faith?
In the end, Rev Tevya did not disown his daughter. He was willing to overlook something very painful for the sake of the rest of his family. If there is one thing that is at the center of Hispanic lives, it is family. We love our families. Our lives center around the family. I'm afraid that the Democratic party, by embracing leftist ideals, is alienating us by attacking faith, family institutions like marriage, and by fighting tooth and nail for abortion. We can deal with the environmentalism and other ideals. However, by Dems supporting causes that are anti-family, Hispanics have no choice than to seek fellow conseratives, the Republicans. Learning to fish isn't easy; but once we can do it on our own, we only need to pray that God makes more fish. Hispanics are now getting to the point where we can tell the Dems to keep their damn fish because we are independent. Our eyes are opening and we are seeing that the Democratic Party of today does NOT look like us!
In my opinion, our people are becoming more educated than in the past. We can actually question the status quo, believe it or not. With the Dems, it's "what have you done for us lately"? Government programs only helped us survive. Except for student loans and financial aid, government programs haven't got anybody ahead. Our success is based on hard work and foresight. I think that those of us who are trying to make something of ourselves are seeing that and leaning towards Republicans to help us preserve what we have struggled to achieve.
Before you say, "oh, you just want to preserve your wealth now that you got it and forget the rest of your people". You know something, screw you. It's much more than that. We have struggled to overcome racism, poverty, poor education, and struggled to live a good Christian life. We have come far. We no longer feel inferior or allow others to treat us as second class citizens. We have plenty of opportunity to leave poverty when we choose to do so. We have access to education and those of us who value it make damn sure our kids get it too. And we definitely do not want to compromise our faith.
I have long known that our culture is conservative. For a while, it was a toss-up. Conservative Hispanics could have been Democrat or Republican. As long as there were conservative Dems, we Mexican Americans could have the goverment programs and preserve our conservative ways. More and more, the dems have been moving to the left, which has alienated those conservative Hispanics who would have happily voted dem without question. It doesn't help that networks like Univision totally support the Democrats. You never hear reports about how Dems want to take God out of government or want to legalize gay marriage. You DO hear reports on Spanish media about how Republicans want to cut social security, cut food stamps, cut school lunch programs, cut this or that. Obviously, those Hispanics who get the major part of their education from novelas eat that stuff up. The rest of us who can navigate the media in English are able to find the truth, should we choose to look for it.
Lately, dems stand for a handful of things: abortion, gay rights, the environment, and bigger government (as in more taxes). They say that they stand for other stuff, but they're politicians. Actions speak louder than words. Dems are more vociferous about those few issues than helping "the little guy". Dems only want to sound good, but never do anything that truly helps. They keep giving us the damn fish rather than teaching us to fish. Be true to yourself and your heritage if you are Hispanic. How Catholic are abortion and gay rights? If you busted your ass trying to live a comfortable life, how important is the environment? Is it important enough to sacrifice your principles on the first two issues? And who in their right mind would willingly want to PAY MORE TAXES?
If you watched the Fiddler on the Roof, Hispanics are in the same situation as Rev Tevya. He was willing to bend; but he could only bend so far without breaking. The Dems have asked us to bend too far! Something has to give. By going so far left, the Dems are not giving conservative Democrats much wiggle room. They are increasingly hard pressed to defend the party. Those who are trying their damnedest to stay loyal to the Democrat party will definitely break. They are compromising some very core Hispanic beliefs in order to remain Democrat. Yet they dare call those who succeed "sell outs". Riiight. Who's selling out their culture and giving up their faith?
In the end, Rev Tevya did not disown his daughter. He was willing to overlook something very painful for the sake of the rest of his family. If there is one thing that is at the center of Hispanic lives, it is family. We love our families. Our lives center around the family. I'm afraid that the Democratic party, by embracing leftist ideals, is alienating us by attacking faith, family institutions like marriage, and by fighting tooth and nail for abortion. We can deal with the environmentalism and other ideals. However, by Dems supporting causes that are anti-family, Hispanics have no choice than to seek fellow conseratives, the Republicans. Learning to fish isn't easy; but once we can do it on our own, we only need to pray that God makes more fish. Hispanics are now getting to the point where we can tell the Dems to keep their damn fish because we are independent. Our eyes are opening and we are seeing that the Democratic Party of today does NOT look like us!
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Phil Hendrie Has a Blog
One of my favorite radio hosts, Phil Hendrie, has a blog at http://www.georgewbushisgod.com, where he will write his political views to keep them off of his radio show.
Valley Reps Vote for CAFTA
According to Tompaine.com, some of the RGV Reps voted for CAFTA. In the article, it is expected that organized labor will "retaliate" against defecting Democrats. Ha! Fat chance of that happening in the Rio Grande Valley. As is well known, the only political party in the RGV is the Democrat party despite the populace being socially conservative. It's an unexplainable phenomenon.
Amongts the CAFTA 15, as the defecting Dems are called, are Henry Cuellar (D) from Laredo, Rubén Hinojosa (D) from Mercedes, and Solomon P. Ortiz (D), from Corpus Christi.
My Rep is Lloyd Doggett (D), Austin, not one of the dissenting Dems.
Notice that the Democrat Reps voting for CAFTA are along the border. Lloyd is an Austin boy, he doesn't get it and doesn't get us. Our districts stand to make some serious cash with more trade. Much of the goods made in Central America have to pass through the Rio Grande Valley. It will trickle down. First, the customs brokers make money. The truckers passing by will spend money. The increased traffic will also increase drug trade, which improves OUR economy. I don't think that voting for CAFTA will affect our dissenting reps negatively. After all, they are improving our economic future. It is fortunate that Texas is not a Union state and our reps can vote according to what is best for their districts rather than be beholden to organized labor.
Amongts the CAFTA 15, as the defecting Dems are called, are Henry Cuellar (D) from Laredo, Rubén Hinojosa (D) from Mercedes, and Solomon P. Ortiz (D), from Corpus Christi.
My Rep is Lloyd Doggett (D), Austin, not one of the dissenting Dems.
Notice that the Democrat Reps voting for CAFTA are along the border. Lloyd is an Austin boy, he doesn't get it and doesn't get us. Our districts stand to make some serious cash with more trade. Much of the goods made in Central America have to pass through the Rio Grande Valley. It will trickle down. First, the customs brokers make money. The truckers passing by will spend money. The increased traffic will also increase drug trade, which improves OUR economy. I don't think that voting for CAFTA will affect our dissenting reps negatively. After all, they are improving our economic future. It is fortunate that Texas is not a Union state and our reps can vote according to what is best for their districts rather than be beholden to organized labor.
Urquhart vs Hatch
Utah House Majority Whip Steve Urquhart (R) wants to challenge Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) for the latter's seat. Urquhart is in for an uphill battle. Not only is Hatch a strong incumbent, he also has the support of Sean Hannity as mentioned earlier this week on his radio show. The only thing better than cheap press is free press. Orrin Hatch is a known quantity amongst conservatives. It is unlikely that one conservative will be discarded in favor of another. We shall have to wait and see how this turns out. I predict it won't be pretty for Urquhart.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Looking for a New Job
This post is about finding a new job. I am interested in an outdoor job. It could be carpentry, park service, landscaping, or land surveying. I just want to do a job where I can be outside doing something with my hands. I am tired of being indoors all the time.
I would appreciate any help you can give me in finding a job. Pay is not the issue, although it's not frowned upon, either.
Illegal Immigration and Social Security
Audio entry: I had been listening to Sean Hannity on the radio. He had asserted, with a Democrat agreeing, that the next big issue is illegal immigration. If the Dems were to take up this issue as a cause, they would be able to pierce GW's soft underbelly. The Republicans talk tough, but don't actually do anything about illegal immigration. They don't want to offend.
In any case, my point is that former President Bill Clinton recently mentioned that our solution to the insolvency of Social Security is to bring in more immigrants. By doing this, the country increases its tax base. This in turn would bolster the Social Security system, which is about to have more retirees than workers paying in. Immigrants could help delay or avert this problem.
The idea is this. We already have millions of illegal immigrants in our midst. GW Bush has proposed setting up a guest worker program, which would serve as a segue for them to apply for citizenship. Since they are here, basically, let's legalize them and capture the tax revenue that would otherwise be forfeited. Of course, we do need to seal the border first. Once these workers are legal, they can demand better wages. Then, new illegals can undercut them, which is not fair. This idea would kill two birds with one stone.
To recap, we should seal the border, legalize the current crop of illegal workers to some extent, and keep them working to bolster our retirements in the future. Otherwise, our only option is to have each Gen X or younger support 5 baby boomers. Since illegals don't pay income tax, they wouldn't have that burden. Hell No! How about we say, "tough luck" to the baby boomers? They wouldn't like that, but they do want to stick it to us.
My Yahoo Avatar
I found out that I could download my avatar from Yahoo, so I did. Here is my virtual self. It looks kind of like me. I could lose a couple pounds here and there. In all, it's not that far off. It's pretty neat that people can do this.
Today was theoretically my day off. I am using the time to package some books I sold on eBay and I was going to go for a bike ride. Looks like I'll just do some exercise at home; it's really hot and humid outside. I need to take the kids to the swimming pool later, so I don't want to be wiped out from a bike ride.
I'm going to McAllen in a little while to drop off last night's sales and drop off the books at the post office. Then back to Mission to pick up the kids and take them to the pool. I need to get sunscreen.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Currency Exchange Waiting Game
I've been waiting for a swing trade to happen today. I put a limit order to sell Yen at 112.24 after buying at different prices from .12 to .23 earlier. It's slowly getting up to the sell price. It just drives you nuts to sit and watch. The order will go through if I shut down and go to bed, but I want to see it happen. So far, I've made $239 in the practice account using the $2000 they give you. I'll put in a stop before I go to bed as added insurance. Just need to be careful not to put the stop too tight. I'll go 2 pips below the low to prevent the stop loss from being triggered by trading noise.
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UPDATE
The Yen went the way I thought it would and yielded $36.53. I've opened a new position on the Euro this morning. We'll see how that goes.
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UPDATE
The Yen went the way I thought it would and yielded $36.53. I've opened a new position on the Euro this morning. We'll see how that goes.
Atkins Nutritionals Goes Bankrupt
I was just reading that Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. has filed for bankruptcy protection. It's sad that they have fallen on hard times. They should have seen it coming, they couldn't maintain the low-carb craze that long. People want variety. I feel sorry for those people who went out and bought low-carb franchises with companies riding the Atkins coat tails.
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