Ramblings from a Starbucks....

It's that time of year again. Starbucks is transitioning from Pumpkin Spice Lattes to Peppermint Mochas, every department store looks like Buddy the Elf spent an overnight decorating, and the "Black Friday is coming" memes have started to spread. It's also that dark time of the year, both in the sense that we have to set the clocks back this weekend and in the sense that Election Day is upon us. Just when you thought the worst was behind us, the oh-not-another-Bush days, the hanging-chads-in-Florida, the Florida recount, etc. this year we are granted with the pleasure of deciding between, to say the least, two very different candidates. On the one hand, you have someone who has years of experience and has the decorum to deal with World leaders, and on the other you have, well, Donald Trump. It's like you are interviewing two people for a position, say in healthcare. Hillary would be the potential hire that had an impeccable resume, letters of recommendation from top physicians, and have credentials from top notch medical schools. Donald would be the guy who walks in and says 'hey, I fell the other day and put a Band-Aid on my knee, I'm practically a surgeon! I know that many people have a problem with Hillary because she is female, or used the wrong email account, or had to defend some pretty nasty people against some innocent victims. I am in no way making her out to be the next patron saint of America. But, she has experience. Has she always been perfect? Hell no. What president has been? Remember Vietnam? Watergate? Taft stuck in the bathtub? Or more recently, the invasion of Iraq? the financial crisis?

People who back Trump scare me. Seriously. It's like they are in an immature and abusive relationship. They are like, 'oh he says what is on his mind' and 'I can't really defend all of his actions', but they are willing to vote for him. That is the equivalent of the girl with the black eye deciding to stay with the person who gave her said black eye because 'he says he loves me'. The women that back him are probably the worst offenders. Words cannot be unsaid. Trump can't be like, 'let's nuke the middle east' and then respond hours later with 'jk jk jk.' after the bombs start dropping.

Then there is the question of 'freedom of choice'. Now let me just make it clear, I, personally, do not condone the use of abortion as a form of birth control. However, there are extenuating circumstances in which abortion should be allowed as an option. For example, rape. I have never had to undergo the experience, but I can only imagine the emotional and physical toll it takes on a person. That individual has been deprived of their most basic rights as a human being. To add insult to that kind of injury, they are left with an unwanted pregnancy. How are we, as other human beings, supposed to tell another person that 'it sucks you got raped, but now you have a baby coming, so good luck'. NO. The woman has already been tortured. Do not make her drudge through 9 months of constant reminders of the night in question. And I'm not saying that if you are raped you MUST have an abortion. I am just saying you should have the option. Another set of circumstances that should permit the option of abortion are severe financial distress and/or poverty. Republicans already don't like having to part with their hard-stolen I mean 'hard-earned' money to help those less fortunate. Think of the long term cost of forcing a child to be born into financial destitution. That child is born, and the mother has to apply for Medicaid and WIC, which are government funded based on taxes and such. As that child grows, they will need assistance with school lunches. Again, not saying that abortion should be used in all cases, but just playing a little devil's advocate with the wallets of the elites.

Education has and always will be a topic of discussion until our country finally figures out what works. I think it would be great for technical schools and community colleges to be tuition free. However, there are far more costs beyond simple tuition. I have recently hit that road block myself. Textbooks. For example, I am about to take 7 credits at the local technical school toward a degree in nursing. The cost of tuition is roughly $1200. One of the books/packets required for the class is priced at just above $2500. ?:!??! Now, I am lucky enough that myself and my husband work our asses off to be able to afford school. We were aptly prepared for the cost of tuition. But for the textbook? I think I threw up in my mouth a little. Do you know what could be done with $2500? Cause I've been thinking about it. For the equivalent of $2500, I could buy:

These pink Jimmy Choo's, and the same shoe in 3 other colors

This Louis Vuitton bag, and another for a friend.

This trip to Rome for me AND my husband, and another couple

I think you get the idea. But, on the upside, when I am finished with the nursing program, I should eventually be in a financial place that I can afford all of these things, much to the chagrin of my miser-ish husband. (Love you!!)

Anyway, I'm not really sure what my point was in writing this, but I just felt I needed to put down some thoughts and lighten my head a bit. Until next time...