I wish that some of you would just shut up. I am not kidding because I really do wish you would just stop blogging. No, I am not being nice and yes I know what your mother said about not speaking if you don’t have anything nice to say.
You can tell mom to just shut up too. Do me a favor tell her twice and say that Jack sends his love. Tell her that I use two spaces after periods because I don’t give a fuck if some typographers get upset about it.
They mean well but I have too many other things that are chafing my hide. I am too busy trying to figure out why our public school system is broken and wondering if I can afford to go see the dentist.
I have health insurance but I don’t have dental insurance. I gave it up so that I could pay for private school for my kids. I couldn’t afford to pay for everyone in the family anyway but I make sure that the kids see the dentist for their regular teeth cleaning.
When mom asks you why I am being rude tell her that I am not really being rude. Tell her that it is rude not to be angry about the homeless guys who are sleeping on the street because they have no other place to go. Tell her that people who are unemployed aren’t all lazy and that lots of them want jobs.
Tell her to be thankful that she has a roof over her head and food on the table. Let her know that there are educated people on the street because shit happens. Let her know that some of them got hit my medical bills that overwhelmed them and that when their companies laid them off they didn’t get severance and that no one wants to hire middle management because they have too much experience.
Let her know that it is time to stop blaming god for why things are good or bad. Tell her that we waste copious amounts of money fighting to stop gay marriage because we need to fight the moral decline here and that the decline of infrastructure isn’t important.
We don’t need to retrofit bridges, repair broken water mains or worry about keeping public libraries open. Tell mom that her dear friend Jack can’t be pigeonholed as a Republican or a Democrat because he has learned to hate both parties.
That is because it has become more important to make the other side look bad than to fix common problems. Tell mom that I will continue to tell people to shut up because they haven’t bothered to learn enough about the issues to explain why supporting or fighting them are important.
Tell mom that I can’t be bothered to listen to another tale about how Bush stole the election or how Obama isn’t really a citizen. Tell her that I can’t listen to Democrats blame every bad thing on Republicans and that I can take listening to Republicans blame the Democrats either.
Just Shut up
Tell mom that in the blogosphere I am sick and tired of blogs where the authors consistently take the easy road because their readers don’t hold them accountable. Not every post is great. Not everyone is a winner. Some posts suck. Sometimes we fall down and we fail.
I say ‘we’ because I include myself in that group. And when mom asks if I have an ego and think I am better than some bloggers you can tell her that I do and I am. Tell her that I don’t claim to have all the answers but that I am trying.
Let her know that the primary reason I am so damn angry is because I don’t see changes. I don’t hear coherent plans for improving things for all of us. Tell her that when I suggest that it is better to have an educated and healthy populace it doesn’t make me a socialist and that if you are going to call me names you need to understand what you are saying and why.
And then tell mom that this isn’t a rah rah speech. It is not me trying to be inspirational. It is just me venting because sometimes people really suck.
There are a lot of really bad blogs about there and the disgusting part is how many of the truly awful ones are the ones making money. I’ve had my eyelids ripped open recently to the reality of this situation and it’s burns!!
My mother was a Hubert Humphrey Democrat while my father, a Nixon Republican, fought in Viet Nam. I’m totally politically fucked up, Jack. I just prefer to stick my head in the sand because neither side makes any sense to me. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
This country deserves its decline. It certainly has earned it. And, no, not because of gay marriage!
Chloe,
That is quite the combination and I can see why/how that political stew might make your own beliefs ‘challenging,’ at least as a kid.
Some of the bad bloggers are good marketers and that has made it easier for them to scrape a few bucks together.
“…It is rude not to be angry about the homeless guys who are sleeping on the street because they have no other place to go. Tell her that people who are unemployed aren’t all lazy and that lots of them want jobs.”
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This.
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This is why I read you, Jack.
 @StartYourNovel Thank you John. Sometimes I just have to shout at the world to try to remind people that there is much more going on than they see.
I am sure everyone can cherry pick at least one peeve from your list. Why am I not surprised to see @mschecter and @bdorman264 here. They rant and complain all the time. But they gave up health insurance for dental insurance because when they died they wanted a nice smile.
 @HowieSPM yeah, you know those guys… @bdorman264 @MSchechterÂ
bah
Woah, Brother…Amen. A good vent is like a good cry. #ThatIsAll
 @Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing Sometimes venting is the only way to keep going.
How is it that no matter what, I always feel like I live in a bubble? I have no idea which blogs you’re talking about! LOL!
Haven’t been to the dentist since I was pregnant w/child #2. He’ll be 23 this Fall!Â
As far as the state of the world and the country and making the changes necessary, maybe it’ll come down to throwing in the towel of hope and attack it (the issues) like one would eat an elephant. One by one, neighbor to neighbor. That would require an unprecedented kind of love and vulnerability to be seen as “needy”. In the meantime….we suffer, they suffer, and we readjust our blinders when it gets too hard to bear witness the suffering when you don’t have the resources to help…
 @CrossBetsy If I named them you would see all sorts of fireworks and a series of posts about why I am a bad guy. Could be fun though. 😉
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I like the elephant idea, but I am not real optimistic. Would be nice though.
What’s dental insurance?
 @Faryna Good question. Where is @SocialMediaDDS when we need her. 😉
If we could just get Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens convicted, all this other stuff would just seem silly….
 @bdorman264 That would be something worth seeing.
 @TheJackB  @bdorman264 or maybe if the Mets would win the series all would be well? Though I will be happy if the Kings take the Cup and Pujols hits at least 7 HRs.
People like this simply refuse to believe that what you describe is REALITY for people who are well educated and/or worked for decades. Â I am one of them and can attest that I have gone to the ends of the earth to rectify our situation (unsuccessfully, so far). Â It’s no wonder you hate both parties – they DO nothing, even when they have control! Â The country can right itself, with actual leadership that isn’t bought off and some actual regulations where needed, like in banking (aka gambling). Not seeing that anywhere these days. Â
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You know what bothers me most lately is how many people I really want to like, and did like, are saying/writing/posting hateful things about “the other side” and calling them “the devil.” Â Really? Â Because “your side” is doing such a good job and has no many realistic solutions which will actually be enacted and start some kind of movement in the right direction?
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 I don’t count myself in with any party anymore, disliking what I’m seeing from both, so frankly I don’t CARE what they think of either party.  I wish they would keep their opinions to themselves but you know what they say about opinions…  So inside my head I am also saying,”Do us all a favor and just shut up.”
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As will I.
 @Julie | A Clear Sign It is frustrating to see their intentional blindess. I wonder sometimes why they insist on this.
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Part of the problem is that many people don’t want to think so it is easier to pretend/assume that congress and POTUS will take care of everything for us. Why think about whether a bill is good or bad when you can sit on your ass and watch reality television.
Well, I’d buy you a drink Jack (even though I can’t afford to … really). I feel you. I know there’s a bit of me here … maybe … I don’t know. I have nothing but distain for both parties and cheer you statement about fighting “moral decline†– I think there’s far, far greater forces at work here, but that’s about 3 or 4 drinks and it’s some deep #$it to talk about.
There are times of great feelings of despair as to the world around us, yet that can be such a trap. It can paralyze us or blind us. People either bow out because they don’t think that their part in the grand scheme will or can matter or they think it has to be all their way or it’s wrong and they lose their way along the path. You passionate -we’ve established this 😉 – so am I  – we established that – and that beast within us cries out “do something”! It never rests, you never rest and it makes you write posts like this.
Funny, but I started my blog for other reasons and could have sooo easily gone down a similar path, but wasn’t appropriate for business (and I was too stupid to think, “Hey, start another separate blog?” Duh?). So … I work from my base, my home and try to make a difference. I try and do so with the little person I’ve been given the privilege of being mother to and to the direct community around me. I find purpose in these and it calms the beast within … most of the times, BUT not all.
At times, I climb the walls, scream out at the stupidity of some and feel like we’re wallowing making no progress, but falling further. But then … alas, I see progress … Scott, the biggest man I’ve ever seen with the temper to match, has softened and no longer takes obscene amounts of food and hails curse words, but actually says, “thank you” and gives a compliment instead of a snare (it’s been two years, but progress). I see people come to be fed who now care about their surroundings and ask if they can actually bring something or do something to help make things nicer or better. This is beautiful progress to me Jack and it’s so small in the big picture, but it’s something; it’s hope and it keeps me going.
You offer hope to many with your gifts Jack … keep giving … a difference is being made and there is progress … keep the faith. I love this post really because you have the chutzpa to put it out there, to lay yourself on the line and I have a lot of respect for that.
 @WGB2U Hi Elena,
Might be nice to rest, if only we knew how. In regard to blogging, you haven’t passed a point of no return. You can still start a personal one to use for whatever you want. I know that is obvious, but it seemed like it was worth mentioning. There is something cathartic about writing these kind of posts. Maybe it would help you too.
Anyway, no reason to worry about me not writing because that is unlikely. I might lose the last shreds of my mind. Hate to d that/ 😉
Whoa! Have you checked your blood pressure, Jack. Actually, when I first learned to type, it was proper to have two spaces after a period and I don’t know when that changed. I still do it by habit quite often. Were you talking to me, I mean the shut up thing? I’d rather not take it personally.
 @gina Nope, don’t need to check it because I am calm. Might be pissed off, but I can guarantee that my pulse is right around 72 or so. If you ever need to be told to shut up I will make sure to use your name so there aren’t any questions involved. 😉
I don’t remember exactly when the period thing changed, but it has been discussed for a while now.
I enjoy you. This was fun to read. The only problem is that no one will ever think this is them. That they are the one who should shut up. Hell, I probably should…
 @MSchechter Shrek, there is much truth in your comment. The people that really need to hear it won’t because they’ll assume it is directed towards someone else.
 @TheJackB  @MSchechter Crap. You meant me?!?!?Â