I Know We Can't Watch Them Every Minute, But...

I have a daughter that will be turning 16 in a few short months.  She recently got her learner's permit.  I'm scared.  Nervous and worried might be more to the point.  I think with good reason, too.  We all have heard the reports - teens are more likely to be involved in a traffic accident in the first six months of driving than any other time.  You have to look no farther than the evening news to see this happen every day...and last night was no exception.  A simple posting on Facebook alerted us to the news - "Five Teens Killed in Adams County Crash."  Teens.  Killed.  Those two words, if any adults had their way, would never appear in the same sentence.  In the small town north of where I grew up, these five teens were riding together in their Saturn when they crossed the center-line.  They ran into a pickup truck that was pulling an empty livestock trailer, which then pushed the Saturn 200 feet.  That's 2/3 of a football field.  Imagine how far we think it is when a running back breaks free for a 65-yard run.  Yeah, THAT far.  The impact as they were headed north, then suddenly got pushed southward for 200 feet.  The driver of the pickup, his wife, and two children were not injured...physically.  The car swerved into his path and the crash was unavoidable.  Again, though they were not injured physically, I cannot imagine living the rest of my life knowing I was the driver when we collided...and five teens were killed.  The ages of the teenagers?  One was 17, three were 16, and one was 15.  This should never happen.

They say this is particularly troubling at this time of year.  I understand that.  There will be 5 families that, in just a few short weeks, will have to live with the loss of their children as we celebrate THE holiday of the year.  The one where the world grows a little more peaceful, and words are spoken a little more gently as we interact with each other.  Christmas will always be a sad time for these families, especially since a parent is never supposed to bury a child.  It's not natural.  The school and fellow students will never be the same.  To this day, I can name the students that were killed when their car ran into a tree head-on and their lives were lost while we were in high school.  You never forget it...and it's not the way anyone wants to be remembered.  The families will gather to mourn rather than celebrate...and that is wrong.  The families, while grieving, will try to maintain a sense of normalcy...that will not come.  We, as friends, will be placed in that awkward position of knowing not what to say, knowing not how to offer any true comfort...for that will be impossible.  We aren't supposed to lose our youth this way.

Flowers will be placed along the road where this happened.  For weeks and months, people will pass the spot and, if they knew these teens, will most likely shed a tear and feel the lump in their throat as they remember their friends.  We owe it to their memories...and to our children's lives...to keep talking to them about safety.  I remember once, as I walked out the door, my mother calling for me to, "Be careful."  I, being the idiot son that she had, called back, "No, mom...I'm going out to throw caution to the wind and be a daredevil."  She should have smacked me harder.  I remember the first time I got the call, too.  I had had my share of accidents in a car when I was younger and, fortunately, walked away from them relatively unscathed.  When my son turned 16 and got his first car, I was attending a function at my daughter's school.  It was 7:10 p.m. when my phone rang.  He'd been in an accident and ran into a tree on a treacherous curve.  He was fine, however I remember the feeling...and automatically thought of the times I put my own parents through the same thing.  I eventually called my father and told him, "I'm a member of the club now...and I don't like it."  I now knew the feeling...and worry that the call will come again.  As I prepare for it, hoping it will not happen, I will stress to my daughter to be careful and wear her seat belt.  I will tell her that it isn't worth risking an accident to get somewhere 5 minutes early.  I will tell her, drastic as it may sound, that I do not want to have to place flowers on the side of the road.  I will do whatever it takes to make her understand how fragile life is...and how hard for the survivors.  I will never stop telling her how precious she is and how much I love her.  I will always let her know that she, too, can never be too careful.

Please keep telling your children.  Share this story with them, though they feel invincible at this age.  Let them know...MAKE them understand...they are not.  No one should have to anticipate Christmas while remembering the loss of a child.  For 5 families in Pennsylvania tonight, they are doing just that...and our hearts go out to them.  Our children are far too important for something like this...something preventable...to take them from us.  Make sure they understand.  Make sure you tell them, too, how much you love them.  Again, for five families, they will never have that chance again.

Until next time.............

Time For A Change. A REAL Change

I used to apologize for not writing....and suppose I should again.  Really, though, I think it's more to myself than anyone.  That, or the lack of really incredible newsworthy things to rant about.  After taking a good deal of time away from blogging, I am returning.  Things have happened recently that have simmered...then reached a boiling point.  There is, shall we say, more madness running rampant.  I should have been amazed, for example, by a headline I read online today.  It read, "Seattle Welfare Recipient Lives in Million-dollar Home."  I was barely shocked which, in retrospect, says a lot in itself.How sad is it that we are all so accustomed to our broken system that we hardly question it anymore?  The couple that lives in the home receives more than $1200/month in public housing vouchers, plus state and federal disability checks...and food stamps.  Oh, and they've been receiving these benefits since 2003.  Court records also show that, in addition to living in this $1.2 million dollar home on the lake, they have travelled extensively to Turkey, Tel Aviv, and resort towns in Mexico.  Okay....seriously?  This is REAL?  Sadly, it is.  More sadly, we're paying for it.  I'm going to go out on a limb here, too, and say this is NOT an isolated incident.  My guess is they just got nailed.  As luck would have it, they have yet to be charged with a crime, either.  It seems they might have taken advantage of a loophole in the law.  Loophole?  Let's be serious - this is a hole big enough to jam the Superdome through.  While this is going on, the majority of us are left to work to pay for everything we have because, well, we were raised better.  I watched a show a few nights ago that showed couples that are receiving food stamps to supplement them.  They have jobs.  They lost their higher-paying jobs and, rather than let the government foreclose or simply walk away from their debts, they have swallowed their pride and are accepting assistance.  I, for one, am okay with that.  I do not mind helping someone until they get back on their feet.  it's what the system was designed for, I believe.  I, however, do have a problem with the folks that get pregnant with their fourth or fifth child because, "The government gives me more money for having more kids."  Serious problem...and that isn't isolated, either.

While we're at it, I'd like to jump on an e-mail circulating that supposedly has ideas generated by Warren Buffet.  Personally, I don't care whose ideas they are.  I like 'em.  The long and short of the suggestions are for members of Congress.  The suggestions are for them to have their retirement funds placed into Social Security just like the rest of us.  They must forgo their health plan and take the same plan the rest of us do.  You want better insurance?  Pay for it like we do.  They must abide by all laws as the rest of America AND THEY MAY NOT VOTE THEMSELVES A PAY RAISE...EVER!  How does that work, anyway?  How do you think my boss would react if I went to him and said, "Hey, I've been doing some thinking.  Based on what I am getting paid right now, I'm raising my income 5% next year."  Really, how long before you think I'd be unemployed?  Think I'd get the entire question out before he tossed me outside?  Yeah, neither do I.  Apparently, though, our Congressmen and women, along with Senators, think they make the rules and we are going to stand idly by.  If the sitting President had one thing right back in 2007 while he was campaigning, it was this - IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE!  I'm not the first to say it, but I will reiterate this point, too (especially in light of our friend Herman Cain's recent adventures) - "Running for office today is not about who's best for the job.  It's about who has the fewest skeletons in their closet."  That is my quote...and I stand by it.  Even still, if a candidate came out and said to us, "Yes, I tried marijuana.  I inhaled.  I had an affair on my first wife (or husband...but that's another topic).  I'm gay.  I've been in a few 'compromising positions' but here are the details.  Either way, I want to be your President."  I might actually vote for him.  Seriously, do you want that guy, or the Herman Cain guy that tells you he adamantly denies everything being said about him...then has women crawling out of the woodwork to continue the accusations?  Seriously, Herm...one accusation might be someone trying to get attention or a book deal.  Two women might even be an opponent's camp trying to discredit and embarass you publicly.  Three or more is called, "The Short Goodbye."  Why even try to run for office these days with an impressive resume of women like that?  You think they won't be found?  What are you drinking?  Smoking, even!  They WILL find them.  They WILL find the drugs...or Chappaquiddick accidents...or illegitimate kids...or arrests.  You must know that.  So a little note to the candidates...and a new battle cry for the American People in the spirit of Nany Reagan - "Just Say SO!" "If you did it, admit it."  C'mon, I could go on like this for some time.  I won't though....because I just wnated to rant again.  Tomorrow might even bring a BCS rant...in an oh-so-good kinda way - ROLL TIDE!  Oh, and thanks for reading...

Until next time................