Lets go back in time to 1987. (21 years ago) It's a normal sunny day.
A young man is in the work force learning the trade of being a machinist.
He has lived most of his life fatherless, he had a step father but he was absent at best, and drunk and abusive the other times.
So as a very impressionable young man he seeks a good mentor in his life. He watches other men in the shop. the ones that seem to have it all together, the ones that seem angry, the ones that seem paranoid, The ones that seem hopeless. The range of types of men are vast. So he works hard and learns all he can from the best guys.
One day the shop radio is on. No one is really listening because it is a traffic report.
But one old man yells out, "HA!" "Why the hell is there a traffic report during the mid morning of our day!?"
Everybody is at work!
Most of us just shrug our shoulders and think the guy is old and not adapting to the times to well.
But he says, "I'll tell you why!" It's probably a woman out there driving a car she shouldn't be driving to go shopping with the money she shouldn't have to begin with!" I was shocked.
I said, "George! That's a ridiculous thing to say!" He said, "yeah?" this coming from a kid driving a rice burner car and who was raised by his mama who was never there and always at work. Your clueless just like the rest of this country.
If these women were at home with the kids like they were supposed to. There would be more men with jobs supporting there families. There would be less crime on the streets, because the women would be watching there kids.

I laughed, and said what does my car have to do with this?
He said you want to be a machinist? who do you think makes cars? Your not even supporting your American machinists.
I said get with the times! Your Ford has Mexico electronics in it. He said yes, and that is a shame our motor industry is going that direction. He said, Mark my words! you'll see what I am talking about one day.

I was more in tune with the times back then.
Or should I say, I was fooled with the false truths we were all led to believe.
It's 20 years later. And I am starting to understand what George was talking about.
Now don't get me wrong. I am not a shovenist pig.
I believe women can do anything. My mother was Post Master for the US Post office. My grand mother hand built her own home and her own set of apartments that she rented out to college students for her income. A very smart and talented engineer. And lived her life with no man in it. She didn't need a man. very independent.

So my questions are today.
* Do you think these tragic times in our country represent the changes we made in our country many years ago?
* Do you feel as a woman that you wish times were a bit different?
* Never in our countries history has there been so many passive men. Ever wonder why? And I mean with a non judgemental view.
If every action? There is an equal reaction. How much of these problems are directly related to the change in our countries women's rights laws?

I believe our country failed to teach this very thing.
"Just because you have the right! Does not mean you should."
The clear thing is the choice is there... but at what costs?

Now I am off this week due to the economy. The shop shut down. No work.
And the ironic thing is I am going to my mother's house this morning to teach her about finances.
She divorced my father when I was in 2nd grade, because she said he was cheap.
She bought her house 41 years ago. $15,000 doller 4 bedroom house. She still owes more than it's worth today and can't make her payments.
So I will be teaching her my father's ways with money.

Kinda makes you think doesn't it?