The Six Degrees (or less) of George W. Bush

Never does it become more apparent that we are all connected than during times of economic troubles. Every day I read about another "six degrees of separation" (or less) from financial doom. Much like the delicate balance that has our environment teetering on the edge of crisis, our economy has been sickened by bad policy decisions that have impacted every American. We are just one big storm or tainted food announcement away from catastrophe.

There are so many examples of this. Everyone knows that gas/oil prices have gone through the roof, taking away what little increases we might see in our yearly salaries and eating up income we set aside for vacation, clothing, and food. Now we are starting to feel the impact of these fuel prices at the grocery store. Transport, production, and preparation of goods all cost more now that businesses are forced to pass on their higher costs to their customers.

But the impact on the average American (me) doesn't stop there.

Let's look at one small part of the economy. Education. Increases in fuel costs, at the same time that less revenue is coming in from property taxes due to the housing crisis, is hitting school districts hard. How do schools keep buses on the road and afford to keep lunch programs up and running? Do they trade teaching jobs for fuel (God help my siblings, who are teachers)? Do they increase taxes on an already struggling community? Do they cut down on bus runs? Safety maintenance checks? Textbooks?

Ah. Textbooks. My bread and butter (see, you knew it would all come down to me me me). At a time when our already ailing economy has been shoveling jobs with both hands over to Asia (thanks in part to the Republican flawed logic that provides tax incentives to companies that give away employment opportunities to our lower paid neighbors in China, India and the Philippines), my industry could be about to take a hit that could impact the few remaining jobs left in the U.S. Schools are going to have to make tough decisions regarding every penny they spend. New textbook purchases will be delayed as long as possible in order to avoid making cuts in other areas. No textbook purchases, no revenues for my company. No revenues for my company, no jobs and more outsourcing to save money.

Though it's tempting, we can't blame all of our troubles on high fuel prices. I'm pretty sure we CAN blame everything on George W. Bush (and on those who put him in office). It is his policies and "vision" that have put us in this mess. He just doesn't seem to grasp that all things are connected. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He doesn't get that by ignoring our threatened environment, he is putting our nation in peril. Why would he make the leap to understanding that our economy depends on a similar delicate balance.

In a strange kind of way, George W. Bush is the Kevin Bacon in this six degrees scenario. An evil, ignorant, dangerous, less attractive Kevin Bacon. Who can't dance. Yeah. That's it.

Vote for change this fall.

Some wine with that whine?

My sister has her very own bistro. Okay, she's not a small business owner, but she has a bistro table and chairs set up on her front porch and she invites friends over to enjoy a glass of wine and some light snacks. It sounds so relaxing and civilized.

When Christy came to visit this spring, she commented that my back patio would be the perfect place for a bistro. The high winds we seem to get around here makes the cute little table and chairs kind of impractical (my big heavy gas grill has been known to blow across the lawn), but I have some heavy rocking chairs out there, so we enjoyed some wine and conversation at the end of each day while she was here. It was so nice and surprisingly refreshing! Just like a mini-vacation every evening.

Lately, I have been feeling stressed - work, money pressures, a scratch on my car (argh!). It is amazing how relaxing it is sitting out at my own "bistro" enjoying a glass of wine. As I start to hear the whine in my voice, I just think of my bistro and I can feel the stress just melt away. At least once I week I try to sit out there and enjoy a glass of wine or a frosty beverage from Sonic. Now, if only my sister could join me more often...