Releasing that April 15th Anger

There are a lot of angry people out there and that's no surprise, given the state of the economy.  One of the biggest complaints, according to what I've seen in the media, is that we pay too much taxes.  As I consider myself a pro when it comes to rationalizing to make myself feel better, these are my thoughts on the subject:

Before I say anything further, promise me you won't stop reading until you get to the end.  Give yourself a chance and you might feel better at the end, who knows?  Anything that takes some anger/stress away is certainly worth a couple of minutes.

One thing people say regarding taxes is, "I work hard for my money and why should I give so much to the government who then gives it to lazy freeloaders?!  Let them work for the money!!"  That's an ideal that we are getting farther and farther away from because of technology.  If you embrace the advances of technology then I'm sorry to say that there will probably be more and more "freeloaders" who are left jobless.  I think it's hypocritical to buy iPads and flat screen TV's and yet expect a factory to operate using "ancient" 20th century machinery where 100 factory workers are needed rather than 21st century automation and 20 workers.  What do we seriously expect the unemployed to do?  The employed and the wealthy, IMHO, may have to get used to the idea that they have to carry their less fortunate brothers and sisters if they can't find "busy work" for them.

Not only are jobs disappearing because of technological advances, but because of outsourcing, which I have mixed feelings about.  While I like to fantasize about global well-being and beautiful chiffon blouses for $7.99, another part of me wants outsourcing to be illegal so that Americans do have more jobs.  Of course making outsourcing illegal will make corporations unhappy.  Those wealthy executives would have to sell their private jets and shareholders--who have something in common with the unemployed because they get money by doing pretty much nothing--will not stick around if their dividends shrink.

If you're feeling resentful because your hard-earned income is being wasted on "lazy drug addicts," or "women who keep having babies," try asking yourself if you'd change places with them.  Do you honestly feel they've got it better than we do?  There might be that rare case of welfare fraud where yes, they do have it better, but these criminals often get caught.  I believe there are probably many more crooked "employed" people.  After all, supposedly the employed people are much more intelligent as a whole than the unemployed.  I won't name names, I'm sure you've heard of the shenanigans going on in the banking industry, corporate world, politics, etc.

We like to think that America is the land of opportunity where a person can go from rags to riches, but realistically the majority of the poor stay poor.  It's easy to say "I studied hard in school, went to college, work hard in my career, so why can't everyone do the same?"  The reality is not everyone has the same spirit, brains, environment, and opportunity.  Jordan, for instance, is one of those "freeloaders" who is unable to work. I wonder if anyone would to change places with her?  She wishes she had a job, but jobs for the abled are scarce, much less for the disabled.

There is a lot of waste in our government at every level, I agree.  There are bureaucrats with pure intentions who want to do the right thing, but "the right thing" is subjective.  Taxes are spent by people some of whose intentions are good and others whose intentions are selfish.  That, coupled with the reality that some from each group don't know what the hell they're doing (ever tried reading some of those bills?) yields an imperfect system.  Just thinking of this makes some people not want to vote...or pay taxes.
 
Paying taxes should make us grateful we have income and are able to give, rather than having to live day to day at the mercy of angry complaining taxpayers and politicians who are trying to figure out exactly whom to please in order to keep their jobs.

This attitude may seem simplistic and too passive, but I do admire those who get involved trying to make positive changes.  In the short term, I just find it least stressful to rationalize and accept.

I'd like to think those sign-wielding ladies in the photo above agree with me because they sure look happy rather than angry.  It's probably because deep inside they know they are fortunate to have an income to pay tax from.  *Ducking for cover*

P.S.  If the above did nothing for you, check out the tax rates internationally and maybe you won't feel as bad.

What I Learned This Spring Break

I mentioned in my previous post, "What I Did This Spring Break," that the three of us got a weird virus.  Ordinarily when we get a cold or flu it doesn't last long (0-3 days) because I use an arsenal of virus-killing weapons:  yogurt, Zicam, and grapefruit seed extract.  I haven't had a bad sore throat for years and I credit the Zicam and GFSE for this, since as soon as I feel that scratchy throat, I use my sprays and the sore throat doesn't materialize.  This time, however, nothing seemed to work and I was forced to endure a bad sore throat for over a week.  I even went to the doctor to make sure it wasn't strep.

Another strange thing about this virus was that it affected us all differently.  Leonard had a cough that lasted for three weeks,  I had my very sore throat (no other symptoms), and Jordan had the more typical cold symptoms.  I heard from others that indeed this virus was going around and Leonard's version was typical: a cough that lasted for weeks, even months!  (Very possibly my use of Zicam and GFSE prevented the virus from infecting my lungs?)

Ho hum, boring right?  Well what I really want to share here is that I have possibly found a very valuable anti-microbial solution called MMS.  My sister had told me about this a couple of months ago and I didn't feel any need for it, thinking my trusty GFSE was just as good.  Uh huh...one week of painful swallowing was the tipping point and I was ready to try MMS, which frankly smells like chorine bleach. (It is NOT chlorine bleach, I assure you!)

Long story short,  I took two doses (6 drops then 2 drops 2 hours later) that night, and my sore throat was GONE the next day.  Coincidence?  Possibly.  Meanwhile, Leonard still had his persistant cough and was fed up...and willing to try anything.  I gave him a 6 then 4 dose.  Next day his cough was pretty much gone (meaning just occasional as opposed to constant).  Another possible coincidence?    So how's this:  Jordan came down with another cold on Monday--after being fully recovered for 3 weeks from the first one.  I first gave her Oscillococcinum which is an expensive homeopathic remedy sold at Long's and WalMart and which has excellent customer reviews online.  After 3 doses Monday, she showed minimal improvement on Tuesday.  Finally Tuesday afternoon, still no improvement so I decided to give her the MMS (4 drops twice in 2 hours).  By the evening she was back to normal and today happily went back to Easter Seals.  Third coincidence??  Or....CURE!?

I won't go into details about this solution except to urge you to do your own research.  With so much talk these days about scary viruses and antibiotic-resistant bacteria,  I feel much safer with MMS in the house.  I don't plan to do the full-on program they recommend for complete detox because that would require more careful research, but having seen three "coincidences,"  I consider this a keeper for occasional use.  I did do a lot of reading online about the product and it has its detractors, but nothing convincing enough to change my mind.

At $16-$20 a bottle (depending on the site) I don't feel this is a "scam," especially since you use just a few drops at a time and more so when Jim Humble gives you the recipe if you're inclined to make it yourself.  Considering the price of antibiotics these days, their decreasing effectiveness, and their potentially debilitating side effects (my mother still has blurred vision from her reaction to Bactrim last summer), it's totally worth looking into MMS. 

Again, I recommend looking up any prescription drug at AskaPatient.com .  I was considering taking Fosamax after seeing poor results on my third bone density scan, but seeing 882 patient reviews averaging 1.5 out of 5, I have to reconsider!

If you're wondering if there's a similar website to see what others have to say about "natural" remedies, there is!  Go to EarthClinic.com and you can look up MMS there also.  You can also leave your own testimonials on any natural remedy, such as Apple Cider Vinegar, etc.

Lastly, someone emailed me that "cough when you're having a heart attack" Powerpoint that I've received before.  It's a good practice to research any of these forwarded email claims on Snopes.com to see if the claim is true or false.  In this case it's labeled "false" even though it's partially true.  According to Snopes' research, coughing can help only in very limited cases and can do more harm if you're not one of those cases.  The better advice is to chew some aspirin and sit up quietly and wait for help.

Remember,  I'm no doctor, I just like to pass on my health findings in order to help my busy readers!  Subscribe to Mercola.com's newsletters for even more useful health info!

FYI, in case you're wondering, no, I don't get paid for any of these products or links I post here...darn.