It has been a long day and I am not ready for this blog on political issues. I have a lot of things I would like to comment on, but not sure yet what to say. :-( Will have to wait on them.
I have checked on my FB and started a "secret" group for family members... :-) I hope it works out. It will be a learning experience. I plan to start other pages and groups now. I also found out they have Friendship pages for two FB accounts ONLY. That will be something to look at. :-) I wonder if they are easy to hack... imagine couples who could communicate with a separate and private FB account... that's like email or mini-blogging with photo options. :-)
I also posted some replies to Twitter posts on prison reforms...from my blog post yesterday. I suppose the topic of money and prisons is enflaming. I will be able to find a lot of material on prisons once I get going in that direction. Tonight, I'm not doing so well...just my experiences and opinions... which I like to share.
I left a long comment at a news post about taxes...I hope they do something with it, but I'm not sure how much gets read at Facebook :-) especially when it's a business or a fan post or things like that. I hope they will read it... and think about the issues I brought up.
We really don't have much power as citizens. Sharing my opinions is about all I am able to do. And, I do it as often as I can. :-) As I learn about social media, I am wondering if it is better than letters, or is it ignored, deleted, hid from public viewing. Time will help... the next election season will help me see how social media is affected by politics.
I will end this post now... I hate to keep going on and on tonight. I am getting better organized, but it is taking longer than I expected. Keep in touch as I make the changes I have planned and begin to focus more deeply on the topics that will matter to all of us.
Thanks for your visit.
18 FEB 2015 :: Prisons :: The internet and prisons
I have been advocating for prison reform since my sons entered the juvenile systems many years ago. As time passed, I tried to understand why the various prison systems operated the way they do, and tried to find solutions to the obvious needs. One solution I decided on is creating a government operated website for inmates to sell things they create while in prison... like art, writing, music, and whatever else is possible to create in the prison environment.
I see it as an EBAY for inmates, with both the prison systems (government) and inmates (and their families) benefitting because of the effort.
It has to be done by the government because of financial and security and cost issues that affect inmates. Inmates have restitution issues, fines to pay, families to support (child support goes away when people are in prison), living expenses while in prison, education goals, gifts to buy for family and friends, and all the normal needs of people trying to stay connected with those who love them and will be involved with them when they are released.
Inmates will need help with creating the listings, taking the sales photos, and shipping the items to buyers. All of these normal expenses of business bring a new look at how things are done, how much it costs to build a business, and what they can expect when they are released and have to do this on their own. It might encourage prison re-entry organizations to help their clients build more than one kind of income. Finding a job is a major hurdle for an inmate when they are released. Inmates will have an established following and income source that can continue after release. (This is much better than being put on the streets with nothing.)
Having the federal government set it up, with states and counties and cities joining the site like stores on selling websites, gets it all organized into one web address... which will help everyone. Inmates can pay fees for the listings and payment processing just like other sellers do, and the government can benefit by those fees just like internet businesses do. And the association with this prison opportunity can last long after inmates leave prison, when they have to be moved, and extend to parole and probation offices. Everyone wins... including the communities inmates return to.
If I had the funds, I would have been working in these directions already. So far, all I can do is keep writing about it, looking for ways to implement it, and collect more information for later. If you know anyone interested in this kind of change, print this blog post and send it to them. Email a copy to as many people in charge as you can. Do whatever you can to share this concept with prisons of all sizes... and make sure the federal government hears about it... they are the ones that need to set it up for everyone else.
If you do any of that, THANK YOU !!!
I see it as an EBAY for inmates, with both the prison systems (government) and inmates (and their families) benefitting because of the effort.
It has to be done by the government because of financial and security and cost issues that affect inmates. Inmates have restitution issues, fines to pay, families to support (child support goes away when people are in prison), living expenses while in prison, education goals, gifts to buy for family and friends, and all the normal needs of people trying to stay connected with those who love them and will be involved with them when they are released.
Inmates will need help with creating the listings, taking the sales photos, and shipping the items to buyers. All of these normal expenses of business bring a new look at how things are done, how much it costs to build a business, and what they can expect when they are released and have to do this on their own. It might encourage prison re-entry organizations to help their clients build more than one kind of income. Finding a job is a major hurdle for an inmate when they are released. Inmates will have an established following and income source that can continue after release. (This is much better than being put on the streets with nothing.)
Having the federal government set it up, with states and counties and cities joining the site like stores on selling websites, gets it all organized into one web address... which will help everyone. Inmates can pay fees for the listings and payment processing just like other sellers do, and the government can benefit by those fees just like internet businesses do. And the association with this prison opportunity can last long after inmates leave prison, when they have to be moved, and extend to parole and probation offices. Everyone wins... including the communities inmates return to.
If I had the funds, I would have been working in these directions already. So far, all I can do is keep writing about it, looking for ways to implement it, and collect more information for later. If you know anyone interested in this kind of change, print this blog post and send it to them. Email a copy to as many people in charge as you can. Do whatever you can to share this concept with prisons of all sizes... and make sure the federal government hears about it... they are the ones that need to set it up for everyone else.
If you do any of that, THANK YOU !!!
17 FEB 2015 :: BASIC NEEDS
Here we are --- it's Tuesday of my first scheduled blogs... and I have already made some changes. :-)
I was working on my record forms all day... and in the process I created a more detailed schedule for my blog topics. Under this category (Basic Needs) I will include Food, Farming, Income issues, and shelter issues. Plus anything that seems to apply to basic survival needs for Christians. It was such a long day, I forgot what I wanted to focus on today as my topic!
What are basic survival needs? I have been thinking about this for some time... especially all those times when I was homeless, struggling to make it through another day, looking for some church or charity or person to help, etc. We don't really think about it until we don't have anything.
I keep hearing about the Republican desire to end Food Stamps for the needy. That is a pretty foolish move in my view... the one program that needs to be protected and provided for is the food intervention program. People who are starving don't really care about the law...they want something to eat... and if they have families to feed, the urgency overcomes normal decisions.
When you think about emergencies, you might assume your church would be sure to help you. If you have supported the Mission, the Salvation Army, the church benevolence program, neighbors, family members, etc., you might think it is just a simple task to ask for and get the help you will need. It doesn't always work that way. Sometime you get help the first time, but when it becomes an ongoing issue, everyone goes away and you are left to fend for yourself.
Then you have to turn to the government... and that is food stamps. They are the difference between a society overrun by hungry citizens willing to commit crimes to survive and people who budget and get through each month the best they can. I have said it before, people can make do without a house if they have to, but they can't do without food.
If you have to set a priority system in place, what would be the most urgent needs you would have? Those are probably the basic needs of all men - things like food, shelter, utilities, and a way to provide for your ongoing necessities. If you aren't able to work, you will need a permanent source of support to help you
Remember, the Bible tells us that families and societies will become unloving and turn against one another in the End Times. Families won't be there, neither will the government in time. We need to create a way for Christians to survive the downward trend that is already happening.
What would you create?
I created Working Together.
I was working on my record forms all day... and in the process I created a more detailed schedule for my blog topics. Under this category (Basic Needs) I will include Food, Farming, Income issues, and shelter issues. Plus anything that seems to apply to basic survival needs for Christians. It was such a long day, I forgot what I wanted to focus on today as my topic!
What are basic survival needs? I have been thinking about this for some time... especially all those times when I was homeless, struggling to make it through another day, looking for some church or charity or person to help, etc. We don't really think about it until we don't have anything.
I keep hearing about the Republican desire to end Food Stamps for the needy. That is a pretty foolish move in my view... the one program that needs to be protected and provided for is the food intervention program. People who are starving don't really care about the law...they want something to eat... and if they have families to feed, the urgency overcomes normal decisions.
When you think about emergencies, you might assume your church would be sure to help you. If you have supported the Mission, the Salvation Army, the church benevolence program, neighbors, family members, etc., you might think it is just a simple task to ask for and get the help you will need. It doesn't always work that way. Sometime you get help the first time, but when it becomes an ongoing issue, everyone goes away and you are left to fend for yourself.
Then you have to turn to the government... and that is food stamps. They are the difference between a society overrun by hungry citizens willing to commit crimes to survive and people who budget and get through each month the best they can. I have said it before, people can make do without a house if they have to, but they can't do without food.
If you have to set a priority system in place, what would be the most urgent needs you would have? Those are probably the basic needs of all men - things like food, shelter, utilities, and a way to provide for your ongoing necessities. If you aren't able to work, you will need a permanent source of support to help you
Remember, the Bible tells us that families and societies will become unloving and turn against one another in the End Times. Families won't be there, neither will the government in time. We need to create a way for Christians to survive the downward trend that is already happening.
What would you create?
I created Working Together.
16 FEB 2015 :: WT Review :: New blogging schedule
Within my huge limitations, I still try to find ways to achieve the goals I have for both WT and myself. Creating a blogging schedule is part of my goal process. I am not sure whether I will continue with just this blog, or continue with a variety of topical blogs that can be taken over by program employees later. This is my first official week for trying out my new plan.
I worked out some of the revisions to my goal forms and will see how they work this week also. I changed to a weekly record instead of a daily record. This will take time to get use to... to decide what is most important to keep track of, what doesn't need to be watched... all on ONE form page!
When I see Facebook and Twitter posts about GOD, about poverty, about issues that affect the Body of Christ, I am often moved to share some of the things no one wants to talk about.
Why do I even care? I guess I know what suffering is, and what poverty brings with it. I don't think the people I have met in American churches have any idea how devastating it can be to be the one without resources... or what it is like to seek survival resources in either large or small communities... or how the destruction of the family, the collapse of the economy, and the effects of technology on our lives will change the things we have relied on in the past. There are doctrinal differences that seem impossible to have conversations about and which keep us apart and suffering and wasting what little we have. Changes in our world are creating unexpected events and persecution. We are not ready for them.
These hard times are required to happen to fulfill the prophecies about the End Times, but it is hard to be the generation that is living through them. :-( No one wants to believe it is even happening, how can we prepare? How can we gather together and make sure our resources are protected and used to help the ones who love GOD, who believe in Christ, or who are still in the searching process on their way to heaven?
Most of the people in our churches have no idea how to survive in a cashless, Mark of the Beast, hateful society. I have been trying to make a place they can turn to.
- Mondays will be focused on what I called "WT Review" -- where I will explore different aspects of WT and try to keep readers informed about what is happening within WT and its mission.
- Tuesdays will be focused on "Basic Needs," which will include food, shelter, transportation, finances, and all the issues related to surviving as human beings. I have secured a blog name of "Shelter for All," but I am not sure I will use it for this effort.
- Wednesdays will be focused on "Prison" issues and will be linked with the Working Together program called INMATE PROJECT. You can read about some of the goals of this outreach program at the website. I am searching for the best blog name I can find for prison issues about inmates and their families, even though I have one that might be used.
- Thursdays will be focused on "Political" issues that affect every aspect of Christian need and persecutions, including funding issues for charities, life issues like abortion, euthanasia, elder care, etc. I haven't found any name for this blog topic yet.
- Fridays will be focused on Craft and Income options. This blog is being established separately.
I worked out some of the revisions to my goal forms and will see how they work this week also. I changed to a weekly record instead of a daily record. This will take time to get use to... to decide what is most important to keep track of, what doesn't need to be watched... all on ONE form page!
When I see Facebook and Twitter posts about GOD, about poverty, about issues that affect the Body of Christ, I am often moved to share some of the things no one wants to talk about.
Why do I even care? I guess I know what suffering is, and what poverty brings with it. I don't think the people I have met in American churches have any idea how devastating it can be to be the one without resources... or what it is like to seek survival resources in either large or small communities... or how the destruction of the family, the collapse of the economy, and the effects of technology on our lives will change the things we have relied on in the past. There are doctrinal differences that seem impossible to have conversations about and which keep us apart and suffering and wasting what little we have. Changes in our world are creating unexpected events and persecution. We are not ready for them.
These hard times are required to happen to fulfill the prophecies about the End Times, but it is hard to be the generation that is living through them. :-( No one wants to believe it is even happening, how can we prepare? How can we gather together and make sure our resources are protected and used to help the ones who love GOD, who believe in Christ, or who are still in the searching process on their way to heaven?
Most of the people in our churches have no idea how to survive in a cashless, Mark of the Beast, hateful society. I have been trying to make a place they can turn to.
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