2010 Home School Blog Awards

 

Don't forget to nominate your favorite home school blogs for the 2010 Home School Blog Awards! There are twenty categories this year, and the deadline to nominate is October, 30th.

Pumpkin Patch!

This week Crawfish Pie and I went to the Pumpkin Patch with some fabulous homeschoolin' families! The weather was absolutely beautiful, and we were finished with our festivities just as the temperatures starting rising. There were plenty of activities, including a super cute movie about pumpkins and pumpkin nursery rhymes. I didn't take pictures inside the church, but here is the rest of our morning adventure.

The maze. I think the kids could have played in there all day!

Cute little picture area

A cooky lady sang halloween songs with the kids.

You know you love her outfit!

And of course we are all jealous of her spider moves, I love this lady!

Hayride, complete with pumpkin songs, so cute!

Story time

little barn yard animals

And of course, the PUMPKINS!

She wanted to take a picture with every pumpkin!

the sun was soooo bright, which was great but it makes for crazy picture faces

she had to take more pictures with her munchkin pumpkin

After a pumpkin filled morning, we stopped for lunch and then went in search of the cutest pink SuperGirl Halloween costume. 

the official Burger Princess

What's for Dessert?

PUMPKIN MUFFINS!

 I stumbled upon this recipe on a friend's facebook page, and after a little internet research decided it was worth a shot. This recipe calls for two ingredients. Yep, you read that correctly, just two.

1 box of Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz. can of pureed pumpkin

Mix them together and put in a lined or greased muffin pan. Crawfish Pie and I decided that since we forgot the baking cups anyway, we could use the mini bundt pan and some Baker's Choice baking spray. The batter is very thick, so you have to smooth it out after you put it in the baking pan. Then bake in a 350 degree oven for about 22 minutes. Let them cool completely, we didn't have any problems with ours but some internet recipes advise that they will fall apart if they are still warm. The result is a new Fall favorite! Crawfish Pie LOVES them! And so does Daddy and Mommy. They are very dense, so moist, and the flavor is amazing.  It's almost like pumpkin pie disguised as a muffin. You have to try them!

 

What's for Dinner? the easiest chili ever!

I love this time of year! Our windows and doors are always open as we enjoy the sunshine and a cool breeze. The cooler weather also brings a welcome change to our dinner menu, but there is no point in wasting such a beautiful day while slaving in the kitchen. Tonight we had our fill of a wonderfully easy and completely delicious chili, in less than 30 minutes and using only four ingredients. Don't knock till you try it, I have heard a few times that this chili tastes just like grandma used to make.

2.5 lbs of Ground Beef
2 cans of Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes (28 oz each)
1 packet of McCormick Chili Seasoning
2 cans of red kidney beans

Brown ground beef (use whatever season or onions/peppers that you would normally use when cooking). Add canned crushed tomatoes, McCormick seasoning, and kidney beans. Simmer for a while to blend flavors and increase the thickness. I don't always finish off the second can of tomatoes, it depends on my mood and how hearty I want the chili. The crushed tomatoes are a great alternative to figuring out the ratio of tomato sauce/paste or diced/stewed tomatoes, and you still get the great consistency without all those weird chunks of tomatoes that make every kid (and some adults) gag. 

Scrapbooking. . . four year old fashion

We found this idea on the Lesson Pathways website, and we love it! Their idea was based around the letter of the week, and at the end of the week have your child cut out pictures that start with that letter and paste those pictures in a "scrapbook". Well, we turned the letter of the week into the letter of the day and rather than cutting out magazine pictures (or printing them) we do a small craft each day. Crawfish Pie already knows her ABC's, but gets the "b" and "d" confused as well as the "u" and "n" so this is a good review for her. I also make a tracer sheet on the Kid Zone website for each letter of the day to start working on handwriting skills. I keep the tracer sheets in my curriculum binder, and Crawfish Pie keeps her projects in her scrapbook. The scrapbook is something that a proud Crawfish Pie shows Daddy with excitement every night when he gets home from work, she absolutely loves seeing her work in a book! Here is the beginning of her Alphabet Scrapbook.

I printed a very large A and punched holes all the way around so she could lace with the yarn

B is for Butterfly! We used coffee filters and pipe cleaners to make ours.

Left page was for words that used the hard C sound. One piece of tape along the top of each picture allows her to flip through several pictures on one page. The page on the right was for words that used the soft C sound. 

I cut out Diamond shapes, and emptied the hole puncher for Dots. Crawfish Pie played with her shapes all morning before we glued some of them in the book. She kept most of the diamonds to play with. 

E is for Elephant! A paper plate made for a great elephant face along with an online template for ears and a trunk. Most mothers have probably guessed already that my house was NOT quiet this day!

CSN Stores $50 Giveaway!

My fabulous friend Kayla is at it again! More great giveaways! This time she is giving away a $50 gift card to CSN stores. They have tons of great stuff in several categories, you can check out their selection at http://www.csnstores.com/. If you love what you see like I did, go to Kayla's blog and enter the giveaway!

Built Louisiana Tough!

Often I hear, "things aren't made like they used to be". With prices rising on raw materials, and cheaper alternatives being continuously added to the market, it really is no surprise that quality has gone down the drain. There has been no experience in my life that has shown me the value of the good ole days, quite like having a large portion of a tree fall on our old house. Here in hurricane country, trees on houses are not out of the ordinary. Blue tarps are like some sort of symbol that memorializes the struggles that families in our area have suffered. I have seen many a tree or tree limb do serious damage to property, and have somehow decided that I am able to gauge the destructive capabilities of such trees. When I saw the size of the branch that fell on our house, I just knew it was a total loss.  Much to our amazement, we have a hole in our bathroom ceiling, another hole in the bathroom wall, and some damage to the back porch. The majority of the weight lay solely on the kitchen, which was built before kitchens were attached to houses (it was later moved and attached to the dining room). It was a slave kitchen, and it saved our lives! Had the roof given under the pressure of the tree, the heaviest part of the limb would have landed in our laps as we watched t.v. that night. We are forever grateful to the solid wood, blood, sweat, and tears that built that kitchen. I have seen more damage done to houses with much smaller branches, but those houses don't have the history that our house has. The shed (seen with the red wagon) was actually "the maid's" room. Her name was Buella, and she worked in the kitchen that saved our lives. I believe her spirit held the tree up. Don't mess with a southern woman's kitchen! The bathroom was the last room to be added to the house. It is a young room and it was crappy from the start. Built in a hurry, it has no history, no love in its walls. It received the most damage even though it was farthest away for the tree. Go figure. Things aren't made like they used to be.

we were sitting in the room directly below this monster when it fell

More Awesome Giveaways!

Could it possibly be time for me to start having a few giveaways of my own? It's quite possible, but for now I will gladly pass on the great giveaways that I have entered!

The first awesome deal is a Tommee Tippee giveaway. In case you haven't heard of the Tommee Tippee brand, they make the best, ultra spill-proof sippy cups along with other great infant and toddler merchandise. To read Kayla's review and enter the giveaway for a chance to win your very own magical spill-proof sippy cup, go check out the blog post over at and Potato Makes Three!

One more really cool giveaway is over at Frugal for my Friends. The author of this blog is offering a chance to win a super cool Kidorable umbrella, and the winner gets to pick the design! They have tons of cool kid gear in matching themes, and I can't lie. . . I want to buy them all!!!! Enter today for your chance to win one!

Finally Friday!

It's finally Friday! What a long week this has been, and we barely got any school work done. We'll just chalk this one up to a bad week and work harder next week.

• Monday: Labor Day:  Daddy was home so we took the day off too.
• Tuesday: Library Day! we read plenty of books and brought some home too! I love our library!
• Wednesday: seriously, there was something strange in the air that day. Alexis was plagued with the inability to focus or sit still, which made school work extremely difficult. 
• Thursday: Doctors appointment. . . ALL DAY!!!! the day was almost completely wasted between the hour long commute there, the FIVE hours actually at the hospital, and the hour drive back home. Thank goodness we brought three sets of flash cards with us, they kept her occupied (somewhat) and will count as our school work for the day.
• Friday: Babysitting Day: I loved every second of it! Alexis had fun with friends, and I got to spend my morning with amazing kids and the afternoon with an amazing woman. Couldn't ask for a better day. Lessons of the day: patience, sharing, and helping others! That counts as a school day, right?

Next week we plan on applying a little more focus to our lesson plans. Wish us luck! 

A few questions for all the homeschooling mommies out there: (just wondering what works for you)

1. Do you plan your curriculum around doctors appointments, or specifically ask for appointment times that will not interfere with your lessons?
2. Do library days count as a school day in your house? How often do you go to the library, and when you are there is it free learning time or structured to match you lessons for that week? 
3. How much emphasis do you put on "life lessons", and do you use those lessons as curriculum or just magnify them when the opportunity arises?

Whats for Dinner?

Who doesn't love a simple and simply delicious dinner recipe? This alfredo sauce is ready before the noodles are, and is it SO YUMMY!  This is the only meal I cook without Tony Chachere's, it's that good! Sometimes I serve with pan seared, boneless skinless chicken breasts, but this pasta dish can stand on its own. One day we will try it with seafood, or maybe even mushrooms and spinach. . . yum!

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 Kraft Parmesan & Romano Cheese
3 egg yolks from fresh jumbo eggs
Salt and black pepper to taste

Procedures

1. HEAT milk and cream in a heavy bottom saucepan until it begins to simmer. Turn off heat. Slowly whip in cheese, then remove from heat.
2. PLACE egg yolks in a separate bowl and slowly whip in a portion of the hot milk and cream mixture. Slowly add egg yolk mixture back into remaining cream mixture. Place back on very low heat and continually stir until simmering. Take sauce off heat so it thickens. (This will increase temperature of egg yolks, known as tempering).
3. SEASON to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Homeschool Week 1: Alphabet Activities

We have successfully completed our first full week of home school! Though it didn't go quite as I had planned, it went very well. Perhaps even better than I had planned! I started Alexis on pre-k Language Arts, which is perfect for her right now. She absolutely loves anything ABC oriented and it is good practice since she still gets mixed up on the letters that look the same (like "n" and "u"). However, I don't see her paying attention to the "letter of the week" lessons that are supposed to start next week. A letter of the day may be more suited for her level. We also started on kindergarten Reading/Phonics, and this is where my troubles really began. My child does not recognize "sight words". . . she reads them. She sounds out the letters of the word and can determine what the word is without ever seeing a picture. Of course, it is usually the simple words although she was able to figure out "dinosaur". We blew through almost the whole week of Phonics in one day, all stuff she already knew or easily picks up on. So, now we have no curriculum to follow.  I will still use Lesson Pathways, but I will have to speed up the pace, skip sections, and add lessons to it. Still, I am optimistic about homeschooling, even though my kid will outsmart me soon. I really will be dumber than a fifth grader, LOL! Here are some pictures of her fabulous Alphabet Activities.

Airplane Banner (Uppercase Letters)

Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

A is for Air Conditioner! Can you see the excitement?

Dining Room (please excuse the reconstruction in the bathroom)

Jump Rope ~ this game was tons of fun!

Q ~ because she is "Queen of the World" when she is up there.

Alphabet Caterpillar (Lowercase)

Alphabet Pathway

We live on a dead end road, so we used the whole thing!

Alexis called it her ABC hopscotch. 

You had to jump to a letter and then name it, we also did the letter sounds

All of the activities are in the Lesson Pathways curriculum for pre-k Language Arts. We also made letters out of play-dough and went to the library to read their ABC books. It was great practice, and it was a good way to ease into homeschooling. Next week, I will have a new curriculum and hopefully find lots of cool games to play that help keep the lessons fun!

What's for Dinner?

Last night I made Hamburger Casserole for the second time. I must say, this recipe is becoming a family favorite. Simple enough to make and everyone enjoys it. Thanks to my awesome cousin for this recipe!

1 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 cups of cooked rice (approximate)
1 can cream of mushroom soup

We brown our ground beef cajun style (nearly burnt with tons of seasoning), add cream of mushroom soup and  cooked rice to your preference. We use 2 pounds of meat, 2 cans of soup, and 3 cups of rice to make sure we have plenty for leftovers the next day. This recipe is super simple and versatile. In the future I will be trying it with noodles instead of rice, and adding sliced mushrooms or other veggies for fun.

Meredith LeVande's Monkey Monkey Music CD- What Are the Odds: Review & Giveaway!

The fabulous Kayla over at and Potato makes three! is hosting another product review and give away! This give away features the latest and greatest children's music by Meredith LeVande.

Meredith starting playing during college and she preferred to sing about children and their struggles to find out just who they were on the inside. She ended up taking the traditional children's songs and making them her own. It was a hit!

If you want a chance to win  Meredith LeVande's Monkey Monkey Music CD- What Are the Odds, head over to Kayla's blog and enter her give away! She also has sample songs and videos from the CD for you to check it out.

Taking the First Steps

I won't lie to you, this post is mostly for me to document this moment in time, take a page out of our life to mark where it all started, and how it started. Maybe someday, another mom who is new to homeschooling will read this and find some peace in knowing that she is not alone, or crazy. Perhaps only I will see this, and in years to come will look back and laugh at myself for being so stressed out. In case you missed the previous post, we have decided to homeschool Crawfish Pie. Since Pre-K is not a state requirement, we have not gone the official route and notified the school board. We will however, be sticking to a curriculum, figuring things out, and finding answers to our many questions. If we mess things up along way, we will use our mistakes as learning experiences and laugh at ourselves as we move forward. Deciding to homeschool is a scary decision. There is so much information that comes at you, seemingly all at once, and yet you feel as if none of your questions have been answered. I read somewhere online, that it's like trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant. And with that statement, I knew I was not alone and that everything would work itself out. All of my answers were out there somewhere, the flow of information just needed to be slowed down a little. So I took a few days off and then went back to work with a brand new outlook, and a plan.

STEP 1

 Identify our family's main concern with homeschooling. For us, the big issue was socialization. Our darling Crawfish Pie is an extremely social creature, making friends wherever we go. We had to make sure that there were plenty of budget friendly opportunities for her to interact with other kids her age. If we cannot solve this problem, then homeschooling will not work.

STEP 2

Address our main concern head on. We have exactly one year before Kindergarten starts, and in this time I must define a realistic solution to our problem that works within our budget and meets all of our needs. And so I set out on a mission to find friends. Not being a very social creature myself, this task scares the daylights out of me. But I am determined when it comes to Crawfish Pie, so I searched. And I searched. And I searched some more. I scoured the phone book, and practically crashed internet search engines. I signed up for every newsletter, joined every mailing list, "liked" half of facebook, "followed" many a blog, and possibly exceeded my limit of Yahoo Groups. And I suddenly found myself trying to drink from a fire hydrant again. For those of you that think homeschooling is a "one size fits all" bag of wackadoodles, let me prove you wrong now. The people, like the information, were scattered to the four winds. They come from every walk of life, they are stay at home moms and working moms, they all have different religious beliefs, they all have their own reasons for homeschooling, they follow different curricula, they socialize their kids in different ways, some spend tons of money and some spend very little. Their is a group for everything! Some of the groups are a bit too "our club is better than your club" and some even go so far as kick people off their mailing list if they bring the wrong snack for playdates (slight exaggeration, but those people are REALLY stuck up). Some of the groups are the most accepting people on the face of the earth. Truthfully, the homeschool community is an excellent example of "the real world".  With all the differences,  there is something that every homeschool family has in common:  they have worked harder than any other group of people I have ever met. It takes a lot of effort and sacrifice to find your way out of a broken system and create a whole new one that works for your family. So even though there are several "groups" of homeschool families in our state, none seemed the right fit for our family either due to distance or group philosophy. I needed local families, but I had found none.

STEP 3

Calm down, and try again. This may be the most important lesson, and for me it is much easier to say then it is to do. After my feelings of doom subsided, something occurred to me: If I cannot find other families in my area, maybe they can find me. Please join me in celebrating the grand opening ( if you can call it that) of Homeschoolers of Acadiana! A facebook page that can be sent out into the world, through email lists and facebook suggestions and simply word of mouth. I would have made fliers, but facebook has a weird rule that a group must have at least 25 members before it can receive a cool web address, and  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=141789482522109 is kind of hard to remember. This group IS NOT better than yours. . . but it just might be closer! This group does not care if you live within certain city limits. This group does not care what curriculum you use, or what style of homeschooling you choose for your family. This group is not "capped" at a certain number (really, what is the goal in that one? are you actively preventing your kids from meeting new people?). This group will not kick you out if you bring the wrong snack for playdates, or if you fail to show on park days. After a week or two on email lists, blogs, and websites, the group is up to 20 members (almost enough to have a cool url!). The families are nearby and I can not wait to meet them all! (Don't let me lie to you, I am terrified to meet them, I'm the socially awkward one remember. Crawfish Pie, on the other hand, will have a blast! What kind of mother would I be if I let my insecurities get in the way of her becoming all that she can be!) Not to mention, in talking to all these wonderful local moms (and also the crazy ones from afar) I have learned of several homeschool family organized activities to add to the painting lessons! Homeschooling is looking GREAT!!!

STEP 4

Define our homeschool. With the major concern taken care of, we now need to decide our "style" and which curriculum we will be using. Yep, we're talking about the fire hydrant again. There are several "styles" of homeschooling, some with their own curriculum. And several more types of curriculum that stand on their own. I have decided that for the time being, we will choose to be "eclectic" drawing on the more structured styles and having a set lesson plan in Language Arts and Reading/Phonics for every school day, but still having a balance with the "unschooling" style in other subjects so that Crawfish Pie is free to explore whatever she wants to in the world. As she gets older, we will switch to more structured days so that she will learn all the material needed to pass standardized tests, and eventually qualify for TOPS and other scholarships. Don't get me wrong, unschoolers do learn all that they need to, but their momma's must work twice as hard to make sure that happens and I am simply not that focused. 

STEP 5

Just do it. With our homeschool defined, its time to start teaching. We choose Lesson Pathways, mostly because it is free. The lesson plans start at the kindergarten level, except for the language arts which starts in pre-k. That really didn't bother us because Crawfish Pie already knows most of what we will be covering and shows an interest in the other areas. It is a really nice resource even if you use other curricula, simply for the cute activities and games that they offer. Our lesson plan is now ready for Monday morning, Crawfish Pie has been ready, mommy has not. The feelings of anxiety still arise every now and then, but I am also excited about this opportunity. I will give it my all, and I look forward to cherishing this time I have with my Crawfish Pie.

Yes, I am Homeschooling!

It seems as though every time we leave the house, a random stranger asks Crawfish Pie about school. Her adorable four year old response is usually something like "I'm done with school", at which point the random stranger looks to me for an explanation. When I tell them that we are homeschooling, I typically get the awkward "Oh" as a response, and occasionally its the ever so rude "Why?". At some point, I began telling people that she was only four and we were just skipping Pre-K. For some reason, skipping Pre-K is more acceptable to the general public than the idea of homeschooling. Perhaps because public school is considered the norm, or there is some underlying expectation that only religious fanatics keep their kids home to prevent the corruption of their spirit by theories of evolution. Their opinion is really none of my business, as my decision to homeschool is really none of theirs. However, one day it occurred to me that I may be sending the wrong message to my Crawfish Pie by not defending, and at times avoiding, the topic of homeschooling. I don't want her to think there is a reason to be ashamed or that homeschooling is somehow inadequate. In fact, I believe the contrary to be true. Why would I want to invest my child's educational future in a system plagued with budget shortfalls, crowded classrooms, and failing test scores? My reason for choosing to homeschool is to provide all the knowledge she can soak up, without the exclusions that occur when a school is forced to cater to the lowest common denominator and refrain from certain teachings due to political correctness, fear of religion in the classroom, or segregation. There may come a point in our life when it is financially required of me to find a paying job, thus forcing Crawfish Pie into the public school system. And if that time comes, I can rest assured that I raised her with good values and a thirst for knowledge and success that no four cinder block walls could ever contain. But for now, we are quite happy to be poor and at home, soaking up all the world has to offer. Afterall, the best lessons in life are free (and so are the painting lessons at our local library).

My First Award !

The Rules:

*Thank the blogger who awarded it to you.
(A huge THANK YOU to Kayla @ and Potato Makes Three!)
 
*Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five (5) words.(Crawfish Pie!, crafts, recipes, pictures, memories)

*Pass it on to blogs you feel have real substance. 
Homeschool Science
The Tidy Nest
Pink and Green Mama  

The Bug Days of Summer

Alexis loves bugs (especially rollie pollies)! She had a small bug house for about a year now, it has seen better days and hardly seemed fair to the little bugs that would get shoved in there. So we decided it was time for an upgrade. Aunt Erica was kind enough to give Alexis an old aquarium that was sure to turn into a fun summer project. The terrarium transformation began with a scenic landscape that any bug could appreciate. Custom designed by Crawfish Pie herself.

We have plenty of old cardboard from used boxes and Mommy cut a piece to fit the back of the aquarium. Please excuse the swim suit and ratty hair, we started painting after a long day outside.

 She had to make sure the shade of blue was just right for the sky. She is learning that you can make new colors by mixing two colors together, she is always excited too see how it turns out!

 The next day, there was more work to do for the bug house. We dug up lots of dirt from the yard, which of course came with worms and rollie pollies! YAY! 

Alexis handpicked only the best plants and weeds for the bugs new home. Such love and dedication.

Once the dirty work was done, we decided it was time to put on Alexis' custom art work.

I think the bugs will love their new home. Frogs and lizards coming soon!

545 People

The article below is completely neutral, ...not anti republican or democrat. 

Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day.


Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

 

545 PEOPLE--By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.. 

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits? 

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? 

You and I don't propose a federal budget.  The president does. 

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations.  The House of Representatives does. 

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does. 

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does. 

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does. 

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. 

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress.  In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank. 

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.  They have no legal authority.  They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing.  I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.  The politician has the power to accept or reject it.  No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes. 

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault.  They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. 

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall.  No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.... .  The president can only propose a budget.  He cannot force the Congress to accept it. 

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.  Who is the speaker of the House?  Nancy Pelosi.  She is the leader of the majority party.  She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want.  If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to. 

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 
545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility.  I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.  When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. 

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. 

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red .. 

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way. 

There are no insoluble government problems. 

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.  Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. 

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. 

They, and they alone, have the power.. 

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sales Tax 
School Tax 
Liquor Tax 
Luxury Tax 
Excise Taxes 
Property Tax 
Cigarette Tax 
Medicare Tax 
Inventory Tax 
Real Estate Tax 
Well Permit Tax 
Fuel Permit Tax 
Inheritance Tax 
Road Usage Tax 
CDL license Tax 
Dog License Tax 
State Income Tax 
Food License Tax 
Vehicle Sales Tax 
Gross Receipts Tax 
Social Security Tax 
Service Charge Tax 
Fishing License Tax 
Federal Income Tax 
Building Permit Tax 
IRS Interest Charges 
Hunting License Tax 
Marriage License Tax 
Corporate Income Tax 
Personal Property Tax 
 Accounts Receivable Tax 
Recreational Vehicle Tax 
Workers Compensation Tax 
Watercraft Registration Tax 
Telephone Usage Charge Tax 
Telephone Federal Excise Tax 
 Telephone State and Local Tax 
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax) 
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) 
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) 
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax 
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Utility Taxes Vehicle License Registration Tax 
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes 
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax 
  

 Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. 
 We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. 

What the hell happened?