Unhappy Birthday, America! (NOT!)

I was going to post the article that can be accessed by clicking on today's title, "Unhappy Birthday, America!", but found that SOME of it wasn't worth the space it would have taken up.

Basically, members from the Arizona Optimist Club got together to celebrate the 4th and ended up bitching about the state of affairs here in the good ol' US of A. (I think the reporter made them do it.)
In case you haven't noticed how things have been going, here are the latest stats based on public opinion:IMHO, I think optimism is all a matter of perspective. (Duh!) No really.

You know, the "glass was half-empty before it got knocked over, tumbled onto the tile floor, and shattered into a million tiny pieces"? Pieces so tiny that SOMEONE here in my home, most likely my husband, will actually step on it, LOL??

Rest assured, towards the end of the interview, I think someone came by, bitch-slapped them and they got back on track. God Bless America!!

And now my photo essay:

"Why We Need to Get More Optimists to Spread the Word"

aka "Things Really Aren't As Bad As They Seem"

(based on quotes from the article)

Photo #1: "My God, it's horrible, it really is," a 33-year-old (farmer) says, adding: "If diesel goes north of five, it will be really difficult at the price we're getting to stay in farming."

Photo #2: "We used to have more money than we knew what to do with. Now, I have to decide: Do I pay the electric this week? Do I pay for gas? Do I get groceries?"
Photo #3: "You can't get ahead. You can't save money. You can't buy a house. It just stinks."
Photo #4: "You have no faith in anybody at the top. I don't trust anybody, and I'm really disgusted about it."

Photo #5: "How am I, a little old West Virginia girl, going to go out and change the world?"

And here comes the infamous bitchslap...

Photo #6: ...condemns an "out of style" values system, in which even kids have cell phones, credit card debt is out of control and families purchase four-bedroom homes they can't afford instead of the two-bedroom ones they could. (Also read as, "Many times we create our own problems."

Photo #7: "Very few Americans wake up in the morning and say, 'This is an unbelievable country. I'm going to go to the supermarket, and there's going to be food. When I go and vote, nobody's going to beat me up,'" he says. "We're horrible at appreciating the status quo. We're really good at appreciating positive changes."

Photo #8: "Did I cringe when I filled my car last week? Yes," she says. "But 100 years from now, if I were still alive, would I really care that I paid $4 a gallon for gas? No. I care (that) my grandbaby is safe and she's well and she has a good place to live. Your joy can't be about your circumstances."

So there you go... Hope you had a safe and happy holiday! Remember to hug your kids, the spouse, your dogs, lizard, and friends. I did...

Love and life in the USA is awesome!