Elaine Dunhams Notes » Politics

Accident or Manslaughter

Elaine — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:32:26 +0000

My mom told me about a single mother who had three children all under preteen age, and was out of work, a home and any kind of shelter as the shelters are all filled up. There was a house that had been empty for a year, and did not have electricity, heat or running water. However, the man who owned the house, offered to let her stay there until she could get a job and at least some kind of assistance. They slept on mattresses on the floor and the landlord hooked up a generator in the kitchen to at least run a few lights, the heat and water for her and the children. They stayed there only one night, and when he went to check on them, all of them were on the mattresses as if asleep, but had died from carbon monoxide poisoning. It was due to hooking the generator up in the house. Their carbon monoxide levels were in the high 60′s range, which is nearly three times the amount that one can tolerate, I do believe.
Of course one would think it would be a very stupid and dangerous thing to do, but an accident none the less. BUT, the owner of the house, found the four dead and instead of immediately calling 911, he took the generator out of the house and put it in his garage, then called the police. It’s not looking too good for him. My mom didn’t catch what the charges for this will be or is, but I’m going to try later tonight to find updates.

This is terribly tragic and all because of the economy and a single mother can not get a break at all it seems. It pisses me off that the United States can help millions of people in other countries, but not help her own. Shame on us. Shame on the government. And yes…I’m staying on this bandwagon.

Poland or Russia?

Elaine — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:15:26 +0000

There is an ongoing dispute between Poland and Russia as to which country was the first to invent vodka. There is also a competition between them for the best vodka.

My vote goes to Poland for their Sobieski. Do you have a favorite?

Great Week

Elaine — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:08:39 +0000

This has been one of the most perfect weeks. For one thing I had 3 days off from work in a row! That never happens or at least not as far back as I can remember. I was able to catch up with some friends, I went to the library and did a lot of reading, and worked-out everyday. It has been so relaxing and wonderful. I never realized how much I missed my downtime. I thought I would end up bored and missing work, but that did not happen. I guess I really needed a few days to myself.

One of my friends that I saw for lunch has been laid off from her job. She was telling me how she was in need of this time off so bad that she didn’t even realize it. The greatest blessing for her has been getting laid off although she was with the company for over 13 years. She has been without a job for 2 months now and states it has been the greatest 2 months of her life. Myabe we should all take more time off it seems like we all need it!

Getting Caught Up

Elaine — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:19:23 +0000

I am having a little problem that I could use some help with. I am trying to get caught up on bills and can’t seem to do it. For some reason I got a little behind about 6 months ago and now it’s really starting to effect my month to month bills. It seems like once you get behind a little bit it seems to snowball into other bills getting behind. If anyone has any ideas or solutions to this problem please let me know. It seems like the more I work and the more I try to get ahead a new bill or a new expense comes along. Am I the only one or are others feeling the same stress?

Great Ideas

Elaine — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 04:37:45 +0000

I love it when a good idea comes out of the blue. It is so weird at times you can worry about something, for example a job or a relationship and then all of a sudden everything seems so clear. That is what happened tonight with my husband and myself. We were having a conversation and he was telling me how argumentative I was. The funny thing is he was right. Yet him making that comment brought a great idea to my mind. I decided to stop myself before saying anything and think first! Wow now I will be able to stop offending people like I do all the time.

It so funny how sometimes other people know you better than you know yourself. I didn’t realize I was that way until he kept pointing it out to me in conversation. It’s horrible to have things like that revealed to you about yourself. In a way I’m happy though,I needed to hear it so I can make an effort to keep my mouth shut a liitle more, or at least keep my opinions to myself. Our husbands you gotta love them. I knew there was a reason I married him. See I did it again!

The Upcoming Election

Elaine — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:44:16 +0000

I can’t believe the election is less than a week away. The excitement is starting to happen! I cannot wait to start seeing positive changes happen. Just yesterday I went to my bank in a shopping center nearby where I live. I was so upset to see that about 50% of the shopping center has closed down due to the hard economic times we are facing.

The other changes I’m looking forward to are better healthcare policies. My health insurance is so high that I can barely afford my prescriptions. I know I am not alone in that matter. Last but not least the war. It will be interesting to see what happens to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan once we get our new president into office. Exciting and long anticipated changes are sure to come.

Debate Night

Elaine — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:10:31 +0000

Tonight I have to work late and will miss the debate on TV between Obama and McCain. I was hoping to see some of it, but I’m sure all the news stations will be broadcasting the best parts and criticizing the worst parts for the next several days. I thought about TIVO-ing the debate, but decided that it’s really something you need to see live.

Politics and the election has been on everyone’s minds these days. The elections are just a month away. I hope we have a great turnout and record numbers of voters this year. It’s going to be an exciting time for America!

Teachers

Elaine — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:45:58 +0000

With the new school year being here I decided to write a post about another situation involving a teacher and a student. I just read this story on CNN today and was shocked, but then again every year you hear something just like this. The teacher was a middle school math teacher who lived out west. I can’t remember what state this happened in but it was in the midwest. She was in her 20′s and she decided to have sex with one of her students who was only 12 or 13! I know it is crazy how could a grown adult do that to a child.

The story gets better; not only did she have sex with him but she tried to drive out to Mexico with him to have sex there. I don’t know what she was thinking; maybe she thought no one would see them?! So now not only is she in trouble for having sex with a minor but also for kidnapping and taking a minor across state lines. She doesn’t sound too bright, and she is teaching our children.

September 11, 2008

Elaine — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:21:11 +0000

It’s so strange to think that 7 years ago today the attack on September 11, 2001 took place. I can remember that day so vividly (like everyone else I’m sure). I just can’t believe 7 years have gone by already. For some reason too this year didn’t seem as sad and as horrible as all the prior years.

I wonder if everyone else felt that way also. I didn’t hear much about 9/11. The radio stations didn’t talk about the attacks in detail as they have in the past. I can’t even recall one station stopping for prayer for the victims families and friends. I guess as the years go by the situation that happened on that horrible day may become easier and easier to deal with. Just like everyone always says, time heals all wounds.

Uniforms

Elaine — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:26:52 +0000

At the job I am currently at we have uniforms to wear. At first I loved the idea of knowing what I was going to wear and having it ready without having to put too much thought into what to wear to work. Now I am kind of tired of the uniforms though. There is no variety and the uniforms don’t flatter you too much. What I mean by that is I can’t hide my trouble spots and I can’t show off my features either.

The reason I am bringing this up is because school is starting soon and the debate on whether to wear uniforms or not has gone on forever. As adults sometimes we have jobs where uniforms are required. We may not always look our best in them, but they are required to wear. I think that at some schools, especially high school uniforms are appropriate. I may not have felt that way when I was in high school, but being older and wiser I think that school uniforms are a great idea.