You Might be a Zealot If…

As much as I hate that guy who does the redneck jokes, I can’t help (during these final days before the election) looking at both sides and wondering if all the supporters of all the parties in the entire US of A have lost their darn minds.

So, I came up with this list. You don’t have to tell me if you scored on it or not, it’s okay. Everyone seems to have a little zealot in them this election.

Here are some warning signs that you might be past the loving supporter stage and into that wild-eyed “zealot” stage of support.

  1. If you don’t understand why the other party doesn’t like your candidate.
  2. If you think being a community organizer or a war veteran makes your candidate a “no-brainer” choice.
  3. You think that your side is the only one playing fair and being respectful during the election.
  4. If you really think your candidate is the only choice.
  5. If you talk about your candidate and people start looking at you the way they look at the people that come to their door to save their souls.
  6. When you sound angry all the time in defending your candidate or tearing down the other candidate.
  7. When you’re having two different conversations on Twitter and you say to one of the people “I’m having the same conversation twice” because you’re totally not listening and you’re just talking about what you want to talk about.
  8. You have the nerve to tell a well-informed person that their question/argument is “just another GOP/Dem talking point.” That’s WHY it’s a talking point, because there’s something to TALK about.
  9. Assuming your side is going to win to the extent you are cocky.
  10. You feel fervor - actual in-a-church-yelling-hallelujah fervor - when you think of your candidate or talk about your candidate.
  11. You get whipped into a froth over something that you would normally consider totally stupid. Be it one candidate leaving his first wife, or another candidate approving a 3 Million dollar projector (and not bothering to check what kind of projector costs that much.) Or a candidate getting a bajillion dollar makeover (while not remembering how much Hillary spent on clothes.) Or swearing an oath on the Koran or calling the other candidate “that guy.” Or even questioning the nationality of a candidate. Or you care if Joe the Plumber paid his taxes or how much he makes or even have a moment where you actually care about some dude named Joe you’ve never met. Or that a crazy racist yelled something ignorant and hateful at a rally. Or that at one point one candidate was pals with some guy that hates America. Well, duh. There are a lot of people that hate America - mostly everyone who threatens to move to Canada depending on the outcome of the election. But a guy who hates America is not going to run for president. Another duh. But either way on all these points, it doesn’t matter. It’s just fluff. A million little stupid, meaningless things that won’t affect a presidency one bit. Yeah, if you’re freaking out over this stuff, you may be a zealot. If you can explain away the ones that are aimed toward your candidate but are behind the ones that are aimed toward the other candidate and yelling about how wrong/unfair/horrible these thigns are…you are TOTALLY a zealot.

I’ve seen every one of these (save number 7, which was a totally personal experience) from both parties. Do I see it more from Obama supporters? Sure! But that’s because, for some reason, social media leans more heavily liberal than conservative. I do my best to stay neutral, but the closer and closer the election comes, the more I see opinion thrown out as truth, and people take it in as if it were truth, because there’s this big circle-jerk where someone says something, everyone agrees, and then everyone hugs (virtually) because they are all so darn right. They are filled with the rightness.

For some reason, no one stops for a moment to say to themselves, “Wow, either way here we’re voting for a presidential candidate that’s human. Someone that has experimented with drugs, drinks, and wants to be the President of the United States.”

See, for me, that’s a problem. I don’t know how I feel about any candidate that wants the job so badly as Obama/McCain do. Or any candidate for that matter.

I mean, you have to think you’re qualified to run, right? Of course you do. Heck, the word experience keeps getting thrown at someone every day, be it Obama or Palin. But it doesn’t matter. See, I don’t know that I will ever do anything in my life that makes me feel I’m qualified for the job of President, and I think anyone that does (from a war vet to a community organizer) has a mental condition that should seriously be checked out. No matter what party you represent. No one should think they are up for that task, much less spend a year convincing the rest of the country they are. It’s a messed up process.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want someone assigned as president or anything like that, I just think there need to be more than two choices. The democrats and republicans are just different shades of gray, and watching people convince themselves their lives will be so much better under A or B candidate is wearying.

Do I think you should proselytize like a door to door religious person? Sure, if the mood strikes you. But preaching to the choir is just silly - which is why I don’t understand all the fuss on social networks. You’re not going to swing an undecided voter on Facebook or Twitter.

If you want to make a difference, you should be calling people in Ohio or some other swing state and make sure they are voting the way you want to see them vote. You have the white pages right here on the Internet.

Stop telling me who to vote for and tell someone that isn’t informed. Tell someone that is having trouble making a decision. Tell an idiot - because it’s the idiots of the world that make elections and elect presidents. There aren’t enough smart kids to make a difference in the polling booths, so the smart kids need to be smart and find ways to influence groups of not-smart kids.

Because no matter who you’re backing, there is still time to make a difference or solidify the lead or do whatever it is you want to see happen.

I fully expect one comment, at least, to tell me this post was a Democratic or Republican talking point. Because that’s what I would do :)

Oh - one last thing - I’m not saying being a zealot is a bad thing. Just know you are and be able to dial it down a notch when talking to an undecided voter. Zealots don’t convert people that make a difference - just ask the door to door religion salespeople.

Question: Do you think the political fervor will die down once the election is finished? If so…how fast? Do you think the political bloggers will continue on once the election is over?

October 30, 2008 | Filed Under The Everything Basket | 2 Comments 

I Never Thought I’d Say That

Abby (running into the office in full whine mode): “Sister hit me!”
Me (calling into the living room): “Sadie, can you come in here please?”
Sadie (running into the office with an innocent look): “Yes, mommy?”
Me: “Did you hit sister?”
Sadie: “Yes, but she hit me first.”
Me (to Abby): “Did you hit sister?”
Abby: “Yes.”
Me (to both): “You hit her and she hit you - I think you guys are even, don’t you?”
Abby & Sadie (happily, in chorus): “Yes!”

With that, my daughters run off to go back and play.

I don’t like my girls hitting each other. I want them to play nice, share, not scream, and get along. I want them to be best friends through thick and thin. I want them to have someone to always be there for them and cheer them on.

Instead I let them hit each other. Sure I tell myself that I’m letting them resolve disputes and learn responsibility and cause and effect. I tell myself that they’ll be stronger and more independent because I don’t get involved in every slap or every fight that happens.

But then I wonder if I’m just lying to myself. Maybe I should curl them up in little balls in bed with me and snuggle them and fix every owie and keep them happy and good-tempered and surrounded in a pink ball of fuzzy love 24/7. I want to protect them and snuggle them and have them wandering around like home is Disney World and they are thrilled to be here.

Don’t all moms have fantasies like that? Where mom is perfect, the kids are perfect, and life doesn’t get any better than your living room? Where my house is always clean and dinner is on the table at 6:15pm when my husband walks through the door? Where I wear pumps to vacuum and wear an apron so my rockin’ dress doesn’t get messy while I cook? Where my daughters wear perfectly little starched pink dresses and play with dolls that never get dirty or have chunks of hair pulled out from being in the middle of a tug-of-war game.

The world where there is always enough money, always enough time, and my only worry is making sure the already-immaculate house is dusted. Where neighbors come over for coffee and we talk about nothing of any importance. Maybe we gossip a little but then feel guilty because that’s unkind.

My husband comes home, takes off his fedora, and puts down his briefcase. Then, after the help (hey, it’s my fantasy, I can have help) serves dinner we all play scrabble or some other fun-yet-smart game that will make the kids little geniuses.

Fast forward….when they accept the Nobel for curing Cancer they will thank me, and say that without their amazing, spectacular, perfect family they could not have achieved all this.

I will dab at the proud, happy tear in my perfectly made-up eye with a lace handkerchief, turn to my husband (the one I never, ever argue with) and say, “We did so good!”

Yeah…that’s what happens when my kids slap each other.

October 30, 2008 | Filed Under Family | 3 Comments 

Deadlines - A Love Hate Relationship

Why is it that so much of my work seems to come in at the end of the month?

With a due date of “the end of the month.”

If I get any sleep between now and Friday I will be amazed. Don’t get me wrong, the money that comes with the projects is great and I’m not complaining about having work. I know better than to be snobby and whiny about too much work when everyone is in recession panic mode.

But it feels like Thursday, I don’t know how much sleep I’ll be getting between now and Friday morning, and honestly, if it weren’t for my budget I’d probably get an extension on at least one of my projects.

But the budget drives all.

Finishing these projects and getting them in before Friday means that phase one of debt payoff will be complete. (There are four phases, the phases make me feel better.) Phase two will be half gone, and there will be more than the normal emergency fund account available to us in case of, well, emergency.

So I hate my deadlines and wish I’d been assigned these projects the first week of the month…but I’d rather have deadlines to complain about than no work.

Back to the grindstone. My nose got a little break while I blogged.

If you’re in the Chicagoland area, check MommyBlog Reveiws tomorrow morning for a chance to win one (or two) of ten free tickets to the American Baby Faire in Schaumburg happening this weekend. Freebies, toys, crawling races, and other fun things for you and your baby. Expectant moms welcome too!

October 28, 2008 | Filed Under The Everything Basket | 1 Comment 

Why Bill Collectors are Idiots

We’ve had to deal with a lot of bill collectors in the past few months. Paying off bills requires you answer the phone when people call, so you can give them money.

While most bill collectors are absolutely wonderful when they find you are on the line and ready and willing to hand over your hard-earned money, there are some that make it difficult and time consuming.

Our favorite is the company that bought the Chase debt we had. That’s right, we had a credit card. It was cut up the day of our wedding, but it had a balance when we cut it up and closed the account. $2300 to be exact. That, coupled with being dirt-poor from our wedding day until about two years ago, means that somewhere along the line Chase got a judgment against us and then sold the debt to a bill collector. The total we owed by the time it got to the bill collector was (insert drum roll) was a not unsurprising $4700.

Yea for fees!

Six months ago, Randy talked to a rep on the phone who threatened to put a lien on our car (we now know they couldn’t do that) and set up a six month payment plan based on post-dated checks (yes, we now know that’s a bad idea) for $250/mo. Thanks to that agreement we found ourselves in pretty dire straights in the beginning. But the last payment was made on the 17th of this month and we tried to call before it went through to find out “next steps” - or a settlement amount for the remaining balance.

For two days Randy called and called, only to be told the person he needed to talk to was either in meetings or on vacation (depending on who picked up the phone.) No one knew what happened next and kept telling us we had to talk to the one person who could access the account. We left messages on his voicemail and with secretaries and receptionists and coworkers.

It’s now the 26th and no one has called back.

We have it in writing that they were only going to make the six withdrawals with check numbers listed. Then there was going to be a “reassessment” of the account. Seriously, I have a letter that says so.

So why won’t they talk to us?

The collection company that is taking care of this is infamous for being evil and unhelpful to those that do not pay. They will call the workplace, family, friends, anyone they can find on a skip trace, and your dog if he has a phone number to be contacted at. But we got no contact whatsoever during the time our payments were being taken out.

How utterly stupid is that?

So the new plan, because one lady we got on the phone told us that of our remaining balance (after the last six payments) of $3250 she could see our rep being willing to settle for $2900 or even $3000 dollars.

Uh huh. Sure.

The thing is, if we had charged up $4700 in merchandise I’d have no problem just paying them everything and being quiet. But you know what, if collection agencies are willing to settle, and considering we’ve already given them $1500…why not try to settle?

The other little problem with this totally untrustworthy collection agency is they are known for taking the money and not reporting payments or settlements with the credit agencies. For example, my Charles Schwab accounts were both denied shortly after approval because they show I have the debt, but they don’t show I’ve been paying $250/mo. for the last six months on the debt. Therefore, no accounts for me because we show as an evilbad credit risk.

So now when the company i cannot remember the name of does call back, we’re going to be coming at them from a place of power, knowledge, and the ability to pay.

Maybe they know that and that’s why they’re not calling back. Bill collectors hate talking to informed consumers that know they’ve been lied to in the past.

So now we’re trying to decide if we want to start sending in $20/mo. in order to get them to call…or if not making a payment this month will get them on the phone.

The bottom line is we don’t need the credit. Next car? Going to buy used and pay in cash. Next house? Not until this one is paid off and we can pay the balance in cash. What else do we need credit for? We have a savings account that is only going to get bigger and a ShareBuilder account that is only going to have more stocks and mutual funds bought and added to our portfolio.

Do you know what the best way would be to get them on the phone and willing to talk to us about a settlement arrangement? I don’t have the experience to know what the best next move to make should be.

October 27, 2008 | Filed Under Finance Fridays, Money, Work/Life Balance | 8 Comments 

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